FLUFFY PUMPKIN PANCAKES

This past week I kind of went a little overboard with making breakfast foods. Just a little. I'm not really sure where the motivation came from, but perhaps the craving for dutch babies started it all. ;) The other morning, I found a can of pumpkin puree in our pantry and decided to make some pancakes with them. I used this as the base recipe and just added my puree with it.  They turned super fluffy and was big hit with E and my husband. :)

Ingredients

1 C pumpkin puree
1.5 C milk
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 eggs
2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp salt
3 T oil

Directions
Combine the vinegar with the milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set it aside. 

Once the milk is ready, whisk in the eggs, oil and pumpkin puree. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients until there are no lumps. Do not over-mix!

Spray a light coat of cooking spray on a cast iron pan and set it on medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, start ladling in the batter to the desired size and flip the pancakes once the batter starts to bubble. Cook until the other side is brown. 

And now I'm officially out of eggs...;) 

Until next time,

DUTCH DUTCH BABY!

Also known as a German pancake, the first time I tried this yummy breakfast dish was at the Original Pancake House. This past week I started having major cravings for it every night. I'd go to sleep thinking about it and wake up debating whether or not we should make a quick trip to the pancake house. After finding a pretty simple recipe like this one, I finally decided yesterday to give it a try.

Ingredients

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 C whole milk, warm

1 C all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 T butter

Directions

Place a 12" cast iron pan in the oven on the medium rack and preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, pour in the eggs, milk, flour, salt and vanilla and mix everything at high speed (using an electric mixer or blender) for about a minute. Your batter should be light and airy. 

(Side note: It is important to use warm milk and room temperature eggs or the pancake will not rise well. For the milk, I heated it in the microwave for about a minute. For the eggs, I placed them in a hot bowl of water for 5 minutes.)

Once the oven is ready, reduce the heat to 425 degrees and carefully take out the pan. Melt the butter in the pan until the insides are all evenly coated.   

Pour in the batter and quickly return it to the oven to bake for 12-15 minutes until the sides are puffed up and golden brown. 

Once it's done, you should be able to slide it right off onto a large plate. Serve immediately!

I personally like my dutch baby with some melted butter, lots of powdered sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. For my husband, I heated up some thinly sliced apples (while the pancake was baking) on a separate pan with melted butter, brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Maple syrup or whipped cream with fresh fruit also make great toppings! 

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For a more crepe-like version of the dutch baby, I really liked this recipe from a Beautiful Mess. Set the oven at 350 instead to preheat the pan/oven and bake at the same temperature.

4 eggs, 2/3 C flour, 2/3 C milk, 1 T sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 T of butter 

between 2 small cast iron pans

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Our family loved this dish and we will definitely be making it often. It took only a few minutes to whip up and the rest of the work was left to the oven. Unlike regular pancakes, I don't have to stand by the stove the whole time and worry about burning or messing them up. Plus I don't have to worry about the pancakes getting cold while I make the rest of them.  

P.S. This recipe would typically serve about 4 people. However, we have big eaters in our family and it fed the 3 of us (2 adults and a toddler) perfectly! ;)

Do any of you share our love for this yummy breakfast dish?? 

Until next time,

SINGAPOREAN CHICKEN & RICE

A friend of ours made this for us a few years ago and I instantly fell in love with it. It's a very refreshing, light, but flavorful dish that is great to serve especially during those hot summer days. Since I didn't have their exact recipe, I found this one from Steamy Kitchen (one of my frequent go-to sites by the way!) and made some alterations based on our family's tastes. Last week, I decided to make it again so I thought I'd share it with you all. 

You will be blessed with heavy garlic breath afterwards. Just FYI. ;) So worth it though!

Excuse the fried eggs... those were for E. ;)

Ingredients

Chicken

1 whole chicken

2 scallion stalks

2 slices of ginger

kosher salt

sesame oil

Rice

1 T grapeseed oil

1/4 tsp. grated ginger

1/4 tsp. grated garlic

2 C brown rice

2 1/4 C of chicken broth, reserved from the chicken

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. sesame oil

Chili Sauce

2 T chicken broth, reserved from the chicken

2 chili peppers, sliced thin

1 T fresh lime juice

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. grated ginger

1/4 tsp. grated garlic

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

thinly sliced scallions & cilantro*

Directions

Leaving the skin on, take a small handful of salt and rub the chicken all over to clean it. Rinse thoroughly under cold water and dry it with a paper towel. Take another handful of salt and rub it all over the chicken again, this time on the inside and outside. Stuff the inside with scallion stalks and ginger.  

Place the whole chicken in a large pot of water (about two inches above the chicken) and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat down to medium low and let it simmer for another 40 minutes. Immediately remove, discarding the onion and ginger) and gently submerge the chicken into a large ice bath. Leave aside for one hour. 

Using a skimmer, remove any any scum from the broth. Set aside the broth to use later for your rice and sauce.

Rice: In a medium frying pan, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Once hot, add in the ginger and garlic and quickly move it around the pan for 30 seconds. Pour this mixture into the rice, add the remaining ingredients and cook everything in a rice cooker.

Chili Sauce: Puree all the ingredients together in a blender. Serve in a small bowl.

Once the chicken's ready, remove from the ice bath and rub a light coat of sesame oil all over the chicken. Carve the chicken into smaller pieces and arrange neatly on a large plate. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions and cilantro if preferred. 

Serve everything together. Drizzle the chili sauce over the rice and vegetables before eating!  :)

HOMEMADE BAGELS

Our family LOVES bagels, so when I found this recipe from Sophisticated Gourmet, I was beyond excited! There was no need for any fancy kitchen equipment and the recipe required only 5 simple ingredients. The process did take some time though (~2 hours), but the results were so worth it! 

Ingredients

1 pack of active dry yeast (~2 tsp.)
1 ½ tablespoons of sugar
1 ½ cups of warm water 

3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons of salt 

*optional - toppings: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, shredded cheese, minced garlic, etc. 

Directions
Separate out 1/2 C of warm water in a bowl. Pour in the sugar and active dry yeast. Do not stir. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then stir until everything dissolves.

In a large mixing bowl, pour in the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture and remaining warm water. Gently combine until the dough is formed. On a floured surface, knead your dough for about 10 minutes, working in as much flour as possible. Roll it into a ball.

 

Lightly oil a large mixing bowl. Put the dough in and coat all sides with oil. Cover the bowl with  a damp towel and place it in a warm place for 1 hour. Let it rise until it doubles in size. 

 

Remove the cloth and punch the dough down. Let it rest for another 10 minutes. Split the dough in half and divide each half into 6 equal pieces. You should be left with a total of 12 pieces.   

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.  

Gently roll the pieces into round balls. Dip your index finger into some flour and press it into the center to form a ring. Swing the dough around your finger for a few seconds to stretch the ring out.  Repeat with the remaining balls.

 

Place them all on a lightly oiled baking sheet.  

Cover with a damp paper towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile boil a large pot of water. Turn the heat down to medium and gently lower a few bagels in.  Let them sit for about a minute on each side. For chewier bagels, let them sit for 2 minutes on each side. The bagels will expand in the water. 

P.S. Don't worry if they start looking all wrinkly and ugly. They'll look great once you bake them! ;)

Repeat with the remaining bagels and place them back on the oiled baking sheet when done. 

If you want plain bagels, skip to the next set of directions. If you would like to add toppings, then brush each bagel with egg wash before sprinkling on your toppings. For mine, I used shredded parmesan, garlic powder and sesame seeds (separately).  


Bake for 20 minutes on the medium rack. Depending on your oven, you may want to take them out at 18 minutes so that they don't get too dark.



Let them cool off on a metal rack before serving. Enjoy!!!

P.P.S. We sliced ours in half and lightly toasted each side on our cast iron with some butter. They were delicious! =D

SOY SAUCE CHICKEN

Hi everyone! Hope this week's been treating you all well. Sorry I've been away a little more than usual. E's been getting over a cold and we're slowly coming back to our normal routine. 

Today I'd like to share with you another favorite comfort food of ours. I've been needing really quick and easy recipes recently, because E's been napping later and later in the afternoons (and needing me to stay with him until he's asleep). So I'm left with hardly any time to cook before my husband gets home. This popular Chinese dish is one of my favorites because it involves very little prep work and uses simple ingredients. Plus it's delicious over a large bowl of rice!

(My camera died by the time I was done cooking, so please excuse the poor quality from my phone!)

Ingredients
2 C chicken broth
1/2 C low sodium soy sauce (1 C soy sauce if not using a pressure cooker)
1/3 rice wine
4 cloves of garlic
2 1/4 in. slices of ginger
2  star anise
2 oz. rock sugar (1/2 

1 pack of drumsticks (~5 drumsticks)
2 blocks of savory baked tofu (sliced)
6 eggs

Directions
Bring a small pot of water to boil. Gently place in your eggs and boil for about 10 minutes. Run under cold water until the eggs are cooled down. Break off the shells and set the eggs aside. 

Next set two blocks of baked (friend) tofu on a cutting board. (You can find these at any asian/chinese supermarket.)

Slice them into thin strips about a 1/4 inch thick. 



Depending on how sweet you'd like the sauce to be, you can use more or less of the rock sugar. If you're unable to find these, brown sugar works as well. 

In a pressure cooker, pour in all the ingredients except for the eggs. Cover the lid and cook on high heat. Once the pressure is reached, immediately turn the heat down to low and cook for 30 minutes. 

(Side note: If you don't have a pressure, pour all the ingredients into a large pot except for the chicken, eggs, and sugar. Bring everything to a boil and then add the remaining ingredients. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook for 40 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure everything's coated by the sauce.)

Turn off the stove and set your pot aside on a cool surface. Once the pressure is released, carefully open the pot and add in the eggs. Stir around gently to make sure the eggs are submersed in the sauce. Turn the fire back on to medium low heat. Let the eggs simmer for another 15 minutes. 

The longer you let the eggs sit in the sauce, the more flavorful they'll be. A lot of recipes leave the eggs in the sauce overnight before serving. My family doesn't mind as much so we usually eat everything right away.  

Serve everything over rice with your favorite veggies. Enjoy!

FRIDAY TREATS

God hath not promised skies always blue,

Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;

God hath not promised sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

(chorus)

But God hath promised strength for the day,

Rest for the labor, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

God hath not promised we shall not know

Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;

He hath not told us we shall not bear

Many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,

Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;

Never a mountain, rocky and steep,

Never a river, turbid and deep.

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/nt/720#ixzz25pQs3fl5

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Now I know what to do with all the frozen peaches in my fridge. Can't wait to try these Peachy Keen Bars!

This warm apple and ice cream recipe by Rachael Ray makes me excited for fall!

I'd love for E's closet to be this organized!

I rarely wear makeup, but how cute is this! Depotting into these Unii Palettes makes so much more sense than having to store all the bulky containers. So much more organized too.

9 P.M. CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE

Still here, guys. Don't worry. Just dragging out my long weekend that's all. =D

My husband and I (ok maybe I a little more) have been craving for a soufflé ever since Josh and Frank went head to head in their soufflé showdown on Master Chef last week.  We originally planned to get one this past weekend but never got to. =(

Earlier tonight, my cravings got the better of me. After searching online through a few recipes, I decided to just wing it. To my readers who are bakers, please pretend you didn't just read that. ;) Instead of using butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips, I substituted them with coconut oil and some Dove dark chocolates that we had in our fridge.  

Surprisingly it turned out pretty well! It actually had the nice high puff, although it deflated as soon as it came out of the oven. (-.-) I'm not sure what a soufflé's suppose to taste like, but the three of us devoured it within 5 minutes.  According to E, it was "yummy yummy."

Yes, it really was after 9 when I started making it. And yes, Dad, I'll try not to do that again. ;)

Be back soon with my usual Friday Treats! Until then. 

P.S. Just looked over to my GFC. I cannot believe that I'm just one away from reaching 100! Who among you is going to be my special 100?? =)

HONG KONG STYLE EGG TART

These yummy egg tarts have been a favorite of mine since childhood. A common Chinese dessert, these tarts are usually served warm and come in two different shells - flaky or crunchy.  They're filled with a sweet silky smooth egg custard filling that just melts in your mouth. 

Normally you can find these at Chinese pastry shops or restaurants that serve dim sum. However, the closest one to me is kind of far so I decided to try making some myself. I used this recipe from Allrecipes.com and made a few alterations based on what I already had.  

Ingredients

1.5 C all-purpose flour 

1/2 powdered sugar

1 stick of cold unsalted butter (cubed)

1 egg, beaten

1/4 C milk

4 eggs

1 dash of vanilla extract

2/3 C water

1/3 sugar

Directions

Preheat oven at 350. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and butter. Gently pulse everything together for about 30 seconds. Dump everything into a large mixing bowl. Make a well and pour in the beaten egg and vanilla. Mix together well until dough is formed. (If you notice it being too crumbly, use your hands and slowly work at the dough. The heat from your hands will slowly melt the butter to make the dough meld together.  

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it's about 1/4 of an inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out circles and fit them into the muffin tins. Take the leftover dough, keep re-rolling the dough flat, and cut out circles until you have twelve.  By the end, you shouldn't have any dough left.  

Custard filling:

Heat water in a sauce pan. Once it boils, add the sugar and stir until it's fully melted. Set aside and let it cool to room temperature. 

Beat the four eggs in a bowl and strain it through a sieve into the sauce pan containing the sugar water. You want just the liquidy yolk seeping through. The whites that are still solid will be left behind.  Add the vanilla extract into the sauce pan and stir. Strain it through the sieve one more time into another bowl.  You should be left with 1.25 C of custard mix.  

Spoon the mixture into the crusts and bake for 25 min. on the medium rack.  

Carefully transfer the tarts onto a plate and let them cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

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Just a reminder that the Martha Stewart Stencil Giveaway ends this Sunday! Enter here if you haven't already! :)

FRIDAY TREATS + HIS WONDERFUL NAME

Hope this week treated you all well. :) I'm loving the cool-er weather today (translation: double digits instead of triple here in Texas o.O) and praying that it stays this way for the weekend.

I've been busy this week with all my sewing projects so didn't have much time to browse around as much. Here's a few that I did find though that I hope you'll enjoy too!

oh joy's yummy homemade ice cream bon bons   l   a lovely entry   l   

killer b's design's homemade rocking scooters   l   dr. seuss clothespin 

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Hymn that I'm currently enjoying:

O how nigh the Lord is unto all who call on Him!

When we call, His very presence strengthens us within.

Seeking Jesus, He is found, and calling, He is near—

O what a comfort to our hearts to call His name so dear!

Jesus! O what a name!

O Lord Jesus! Life-giving name!

Name victorious, name all-glorious,

Name exalted—O what a name!

Jesus! Strengthening name!

O Lord Jesus! Comforting name!

Name to breathe in prayer, calling everywhere,

"O Lord Jesus!" O what a name!

Call upon the name of Jesus, and you will be saved,

O Lord Jesus, hallelujah, nevermore enslaved!

We may take salvation's cup by calling on the Lord;

Salvation from a host of things does His dear name afford.

To the Lord, the Jew, the Greek and everyone's the same;

He is rich unto all men that call upon His name.

O Lord Jesus, what a joy to call and really live;

When breathing in Thy name, what pleasure Thou

to us dost give.

In the God of our salvation we may take delight,

Calling on His name at all times, though in bliss or blight.

I will call upon His name as long as I shall live,

Because He has inclined His ear, and grace so full does give.

We will call upon the Lord, who's worthy of our praise;

Thus our grateful hearts in worship we to Him may raise.

We are those who call upon His name in every place

With all the saints who from a pure heart call and taste His grace.

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/1083#ixzz23AyZdD5Y

Be back next week with another stenciled DIY and the final Martha Stewart Craft Stencil giveaway that you're going to love! :) 

MINI PEACH PIES

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NECTRESSE™Sweetener for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

After watching a delicious episode of America's Test Kitchen this past weekend, my husband and I found ourselves craving some yummy peach pie. Since I already had some frozen peaches, I decided to pick up ready-made pie crusts and make some mini pies. Instead of using my regular organic cane sugar, I tried out this brand new all natural no calorie NECTRESSE™Sweetener.

When I first received this sample, I didn't really know what to expect. Other sugar substitutes that I've tried in the past were pretty disappointing, but this "monk fruit" definitely got me interested. Supposedly the only natural sweetener made from fruit, Nectresse uses monk fruit extract - a small green melon that's found in remote regions of Asia - and blends it with other natural sweeteners (sugar, molasses, and erythritol) for its rich sweet taste.  

I first tried it straight out of the package. It did have a "unique" taste, however it wasn't a weird or bitter aftertaste like most other substitutes. A bit relieved, I went ahead and used it for my pies. Here was my quick and easy recipe:

Ingredients

1 sheet of pie crust

1 egg (beaten)

2 C frozen peaches (thawed and cut into small bite-size chunks)

1 T lime juice

1/8 C all-purpose flour

1/8 C NECTRESSE™Sweetener (about 6 packets)

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

a dash of nutmeg

panko breadcrumbs* (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven at 450 degrees. 

With a cookie cutter, carefully cut out 8 circles and gently press them into the insides of a muffin tin.  Brush on a thin layer of the egg to keep the crusts from getting soggy later.  

In a large bowl, add the lime juice and flour mixture (flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and sugar) to the peaches and combine well.  

Next, fill the cups with the peach filling. For the top crusts, I played around with the leftover dough. I also topped some with panko breadcrumbs for a different added texture.    

Pop them in the oven for 10 minutes on the middle rack. Drop the temperature down to 325 degrees and bake them for another 25 minutes. 

Once they're done, set them aside for 15-30 minutes to help the pies set. Enjoy while warm!

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They weren't the prettiest pies, but they sure were tasty! :D The NECTRESSE™Sweetener didn't leave any strange tastes and I was happy with the results. 

I later tried Nectresse some more and found that it worked well with cold drinks like lemonade. However in hot drinks, like my coffee, I wasn't a very huge fan of the "slight" taste it left. 

Although NECTRESSE™Sweetener is definitely one of the better tasting and healthier sugar substitutes, I will most likely still stick with my organic cane sugar for baking and honey and agave for my drinks.

For more info on this sweetener, make sure to check out Nectresse's website for a FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener and great recipes as well! 

Also check out Lisa Ling sharing her personal experience with Nectresse:

Do any of you prefer sugar substitutes? Which ones do you currently use right now?

Linking up with: Today's Creative Blog