easy sunday night dinner - spam & rice

five years ago if you asked me if i liked spam i would probably respond, "ewww? spam?!" but these days, you'd definitely find me chowing down some good old spam and rice – i'll take it any day. i love it, especially when it's glazed with a sweet salty sauce that's very similar to a teriyaki sauce like the simple one i made for tonight's dinner.

the sauce is so simple, you only need two ingredients and it totally transforms plain boring spam into something delicious and finger-licking good! hahaha, yes, that is if you eat without any forks or knives – which i must confess, i do occasionally. ;)


i used the oven to cook the spam – it makes for easy cleanup!


easy to make teriyaki-like glaze spam over steamed jasmine rice -- yum!

sweet & salty teriyaki-like spam over steamed jasmine rice

ingredients:
1 spam tin, sliced into 8 pieces
2 cups cooked jasmine rice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
green onions for garnish (optional)

directions:
mix together the brown sugar and soy sauce in a small bowl and set aside. cook the sliced spam in a nonstick or frying pan over medium heat. once spam is seared enough on both sides (where it looks crusty) in the pan, add in the sauce. make sure to sauce all the pieces of spam. let the pieces sit for a minute or two to get the sauce to caramelize and thicken a bit. after those few minutes the spam should be ready to eat. serve spam over cooked jasmine rice.

suggested serving: 2 slices of spam per 1/2 cup rice. makes enough for 4 total servings. enjoy!

note: you can also cook the spam in the oven – that's what i did this time. i couldn't be bothered to fry them in a pan, so i used the oven instead. it makes the cleaning up process super easy actually. i would highly recommend cooking them in the oven. if you go this route, bake in 400°F for 10 mins, then add in half the sauce sauce, put back in the oven for a minute; take it out, flip the slices, add the rest of the sauce and put it back in the oven again for another minute; and voila! you're all done!

i love making (and eating) cream puffs

i absolutely love cream puffs. i can eat the entire batch myself. i know, it's so awful (and soooo not good for my waistline! hehe) – but delicious! i usually make them whenever there's leftover whipping cream, half-and-half, or egg yolks around. it's ashamed to let all those ingredients go to waste!

typically i make cream puffs with whipped cream as my filling, but lately i've been experimenting with different pastry cream recipes. i think i've finally found my favorite. it's from annie's eats, and i think her recipe is just perfect. i've adapted it to my liking, but overall i think it really works. the pastry cream comes out just right. it's very similar to pierre herme's vanilla pastry cream recipe, but i think i prefer half-and-half in my pastry cream like annie's than pierre herme's.

these cream puffs are so good. you must really try making them. it's not as hard as you think. sometimes one can be a little intimidated because the finish product looks so fancy, but they're really not hard at all. the pâte à choux is quite simple actually. and making the pastry cream's not bad at all. wait, you can skip the pastry cream filling if you prefer whipped cream instead! so really you have no excuse for not trying to make some yourself.

below's the recipe for these delicious cream puffs should you like to try them out yourself. enjoy!


these cream puffs are so good. the pastry cream is just perfect!


a closer look of these yummy cream puffs -- delish!

cream puffs
adapted from here and here

ingredients

For the pastry cream:
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the pâte à choux:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

for the chocolate ganache glaze:
4 oz chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup heavy cream

directions

To make the pastry cream, heat the half-and-half and milk, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

When the half-and-half and milk mixture has reached a simmer, slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture to temper, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

To make the choux pastry, preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly butter or spray the pan with a nonstick vegetable spray.

In a bowl sift or whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.

Place the butter and water in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. (Make sure that the butter melts before the water boils to reduce the amount of evaporation.) Remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon, add the flour mixture, all at once, and stir until combined. Return saucepan to the heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about 1-2 minutes). Transfer the dough to your electric mixer, or use a hand mixer, and beat on low speed to release the steam from the dough (about a minute) &ndash actually, i just do everything in the saucepan, beat the dough, adding the eggs, etc. Once the dough is lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs (dough will separate and then come together) and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick paste (dough will fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon). Spoon or pipe 12 small mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Optional: You can gently brush the tops of the dough with a lightly beaten egg if you like. I usually don't.

Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). Continue to bake for a further 30 minutes or until the shells are a nice amber color and when split, are almost dry inside. Turn the oven off, poke a couple of holes in each puff and, with the oven door slightly ajar, let the shells completely cool (and dry out).

To fill the puffs, use the tip of a paring knife to make a small cut perpendicular to the first, creating an X in the side of each puff. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip with the pastry cream. Pipe some of the pastry cream through the X into the side of each puff until it starts to ooze back out. Repeat to fill all the puffs.

To make the chocolate ganache glaze, place chocolate pieces and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 20 seconds at a time, until the mixture just begins to steam. Whisk together thoroughly until completely mixed and glossy. Allow ganache to cool slightly before dipping the tops of the cream puffs. Set the puffs on a rack to let the chocolate glaze set completely. If you don't care for the chocolate ganache glaze, you can sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top of the filled cream puffs. I personally prefer dipping them in the ganache because it tastes yummier that way. Serve within a few hours. Happy eating! ;)

vanilla biscotti teething biscuits for the little one

so my last teething biscuits for v didn't turn out the way i thought it would. like i mentioned in that blog post, the texture of the biscuit itself was unexpected and not in the (good) way i had hope. i expected it to be more of a crumbly cookie-like texture, but instead it was very doughy. i decided i try a different recipe and see how those turn out.

well, let me tell you, these vanilla biscottis turned out great! they are exactly like the regular kind the big kids can eat, firm but crumbly when gnawed, except that they're not as sweet. of course if you'd like to add more sugar in your version, go ahead. i'm sure you can even substitute whole wheat pastry flour for the all purpose flour if you want. i didn't substitute the flour because i didn't have any whole wheat handy or added a whole lot of sugar because i figure this is for my little one, a little hint of sweetness will do just fine. plus, the small amount of butter is giving this cookie that yummy buttery taste. i hope my little one will enjoy them as much as i'd enjoy making them for her.

below's the recipe should you be interested.


these homemade cookies are great for the little ones and so easy to make


a side view of these goodies


this recipe sure makes plenty! i know v will be so happy to see something else different for a change ;)

teething vanilla biscotti
recipe adapted from here

ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 tbsp butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour, 1/4 cup extra if needed

directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cream the sugar with the butter and beat in the egg. Add the vanilla extract, 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt and mix the dough well. It should be fairly sticky, but you should be able to gently mould it with your hands. If it's too sticky, add the extra 1/4 cup of flour. Form the dough into a long "log" shape (around 8-10 inches long) and bake for 20 minutes on a greased baking sheet/cookie sheet.

Allow to cool, then carefully cut into 1/2 in slices with a sharp knife. You should get around 16-24 slices. Place each slice, cut side down, on a baking/cookie sheet, then bake for another 15-20 mins, turning the Biscotti over half way through the cooking time. If they still feel soft, lower the heat and cook for an extra 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely - they get harder as they cool. Store in airtight container. Should keep for 2-3 days.

butterfinger cookies

i work for a pretty cool place. at my office we have so many goodies available for snacks, whatever you name it, we just about have it. anyway, there's a secret drawer where all the candies are stashed. actually, the drawer's not so secret (if you eat candy, you'd know where), more like out of the way so you wouldn't eat so much. well, there are all these snack-sized butterfingers and no one eats them. i know i certainly don't. so instead of them just sitting there in that drawer, one day last week i decided that i take them home and make use of them – which i did, and here's the result!

i told a few of my coworkers what my intentions were and to expect some baked goodies the next day. and sure enough, i showed up to work with 2 dozens worth of freshly baked butterfinger cookies. i personally don't care for peanut butter in my sweets, but i did try one after they had cooled. i say these aren't bad at all. they're quite good. if i liked peanut butter, these would definitely be on my to-make/eat-list. the overall feedbacks i got from everyone who had one loved it, so i guess we do have a keeper. i'll be sure to keep this on my rotation of goodies to make for work whenever there are butterfingers lying around.

now, if you are a peanut butter lover or butterfinger fan, you might like these. below's the recipe should you be interested. enjoy!


freshly baked butterfinger cookies cooling on the rack


another shot of these good-tasting cookies


this recipe is fantastic, especially when you have leftover butterfingers lying around


they look so good, don't they?


yummy!


butterfinger cookies
adapted from here

ingredients

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 large egg
10 snack sized butterfinger candy bars, chopped

directions

Preheat oven to 375°F degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl and set aside. With an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until creamy. Beat in egg until just combined.

Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in butterfinger pieces by hand. The dough will be very thick. Drop by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Makes 30-36 small cookies

note: i baked mine for just 9 minutes, but up to you on how you like your cookies done. the longer they are in the oven, the more crunchy/crispy they get. i think 9 minutes was sufficient for mine.

mango macarons

this is the outcome of a good afternoon when you get 3 hours nap from the little ones. yes, this past sunday both my little babies slept a good 2-3 hours; and with that time i was able to make these delectable mango flavored macarons (along with the coffee nutella seen here). i think they turned out quite nice. you see i had a bunch of very ripe mangoes in my fridge that has gone a little stringy on me. instead of eating it, i decided to puree it to get most of the juices out and use it to make a mango flavored buttercream (see recipe below). i think the buttercream frosting turned out great. the color was very beautiful and the flavor of the mango really came out. you can definitely tell it was mango. i should have taken a photo of it, but i forgot, so i guess we're stuck with just the macaron pictures here. enjoy! :)


these macaron shells turned out perfectly!


the flavored mango buttercream filling is definitely a refreshing change from the typical vanilla buttercream


these look so good!


mango french macarons -- i must try them again, with added mango bits in the filling next time


mango buttercream

ingredients

2 tbsp butter, softened or melted
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1-2 tbsp mango pulp/puree

directions

using a fork or hand mixer, cream softened or melted butter with the confectioner's sugar in a bowl. once mixed (it may start to look like crumbs here), add the mango pulp/puree in. keep mixing until ready. add in more sugar if it's too runny or more pulp/puree if the buttercream is too thick. it shouldn't take too long, just a few minutes and there you have it. enjoy!

mr. men illustration posters

i guess you can say this is my first official "design" blog entry. okay, sure... there's not much design here, more illustration than design, but it works?!

we love the mr. men/little miss book collections from roger hargreaves. the poster illustrations above are just some of our favorites. c loves all the books and often times tell us which mr. men he is depending on how he's feeling. for examples, there are days when he's mr. bump or he's usually mr. grumpy when he wakes up from his nap. sometimes, he says he's mr. (little miss) contrary because he can't seem to get things straight/proper.

these books are great! if you don't have any in your household or haven't heard of them, you should definitely get a few to start. so, which little miss am i? i am for sure, no doubt, little miss chatterbox. i know it doesn't come through on here, but ask anyone in my family/circle and they'll agree. ;)

coffee nutella macarons

i think i've really perfected my macarons recipe. yes, i'm super proud of myself. there are no longer any hollow shells or cracked/broken bottoms. and the cookies don't really stick to the parchment paper like they used to anymore. of course occasionally i get a few mini sticks here or there taking them off the sheet, but for the most part they come off just fine. i'm just so glad that after many, many trial-and-errors that i think i've gotten it down. i'm sure there will be future batches where it may not be 100% perfect, but for the most part will do just fine.

so what did i do differently these last few times? ummm... first off, not a whole lot. everything else is still pretty much the same, the only difference is my confectioner's sugar and almond flour ratio is now 1:3/4 instead of 2:1. before i used to do 2 parts sugar, 1 part almond flour, but now it's 1 part sugar and 3/4 part almond flour. for some reason the extra almond flour added has really allow the cookie to not have any hollow/air pockets and cook evenly.

now, did i measure (weigh) all my ingredients precisely? i have to admit, i don't always measure/weigh everything. most of the time i eyeball all my ingredients. i know, it's not the conventional way one should bake because sometimes one little thing off and you can totally screw up a recipe (yes, i've done that plenty of times, like adding too much cornstarch when making pastry cream!). but somehow with macarons, now that i've made them a bunch of times, i feel like i know exactly what's enough, etc. of course i still use a measuring cup to measure my dry ingredients, but the ingredients aren't always leveled. yes, terrible, i know! so if you're just starting out or have been baking for a long time you still shouldn't do what i do unless you don't mind the outcomes. anyway, these macarons turned out great and i'm so happy because i absolutely love coffee nutella macarons. it sure beats paying $1.75-2 for one tiny cookie. ;)


piped macaron batter, resting waiting for skin to form before heading into the oven


macaron shells out of the oven and cooling


another view of these yummy coffee nutella macaron shells. the feet look great!


putting together these delicious coffee nutella french macarons


aren't they just scrumptious?


if you'd like to make some of these delicious cute little sandwich cookies yourself, i say david lebovitz's got a pretty decent french macaron recipe for anyone who wants to try a different recipe or make them for the first time. although i must say i think my mini adjustment to it makes it so much better. i'd love to share it, but i haven't put it all down and finalized it yet. when i do have the recipe all made up and ready to share, i will be sure to post it on here. i can't wait to see if you guys feel the same way as me, because it does make these cookies so much better! :)

***UPDATE 12/18/12***

here's the recipe at last! enjoy and let me know how yours turn out if you do make them! :)

Coffee Nutella Macarons
recipe adapted from David Lebovitz

Ingredients:

Macaron Batter:

1 cup (100 gr) powdered sugar

3/4 cup almond meal (about 3 ounces or 75 grams)

2 tablespoons instant espresso
more instant espresso for macaron shell topping (optional)

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

5 tablespoons (65 gr) granulated sugar

Filling:
1 Jar of Nutella (you won't need the whole jar! just enough)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.

Sift together the powdered sugar, almond meal and 2 tablespoons of espresso so there are no lumps (usually I just use a fork to break any large lumps). If your almond meal isn't so fine, you can put the ingredients into a blender or food processor to make it finer. Personally, I'd just use the sifter and dump out any remaining crumbs that didn't make it through the sifting process.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer (or if you prefer, you can use a bowl and hand mixer), beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you’re alone).

Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1.35-inch (3.5 cm) circles evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart. Quickly after it's piped, sprinkle a few espresso powder over each shell (this step is optional, personally I do it because I like how the macarons look once they're baked).

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons. Then let it sit for at least 30-60 minutes depending on humidity (okay, I've done it with just 15 minutes before and they turned out fine, but whatever you do, do not skip this step; even at just 15 minutes) before baking them in the oven, 15-17 minutes (I typically bake mine on the middle rack). Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

To assemble: Before assembling these cookies, make sure to pair up all the cookie shells so they are as close as possible in size. Then using a knife, spread a good amount of Nutella on the inside of the macarons then sandwich them together. (You can pipe the filling it if you prefer less mess. I personally sometimes can't be bother to go through the hassle of putting my filling in a bag and cleaning up after it.)

Let them stand at least one day (keep them refrigerated) before serving (serve at room temperature), to meld the flavors. Or if you can't wait to dig in and eat, I say wait a few hours, at least! (Shhhh, I've eaten them newly assembled too, and they taste just as yummy. Just a little crunchy, but that's okay. hehehe). But really, for the best optimal flavor and taste, you must wait at least one day. They really are THAT good and worth the wait!

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Makes about 16-20 cookies. Enjoy and happy eating! :)

Note: I typically just bake mine for 15 minutes (middle rack in the oven) and they turn out fine. But yours may be different as all oven temperatures vary so letting them bake the full 17 minutes may be fine. I say set your timer for 15 minutes and add on from there. Regarding the sitting time, I've baked plenty of macarons with just having the piped batter sit for 15 minutes while the oven heats up because I don't always preheat my oven as the first step and they turn out fine too. You'll find it that once you've made these a few times, you'll get the system down. Good luck!