Peanut Butter was on sale a few months ago and I bought alot. I mean, a crazy amount of peanut butter–7 jars for 2 people.  And while the peanut butter wasn’t going to go bad, staring at all that peanut butter on a daily basis was starting to give me the baking itch.

Two weeks ago, I made peanut butter pie for a coworker’s birthday. I made tons of it.  This week, I stared down the rest of that opened jar of smooth peanut butter and just knew–I had to make peanut butter cookies.  I had a WONDERFUL go to recipe–but I couldn’t find it!  It drove me nuts…after about an hour of searching, I gave up and decided to go online to find another recipe.  It didn’t take long before I found David Lebovitz’s recipe and decided it was the one.  For one, he’s David Lebovitz.  And two, the recipe promised a slightly crisp and chewy peanut butter cookie. How could I resist?

Verdict?  I want my old recipe back!  Let me provide a little more feedback–the cookie itself was definitely soft on the inside.  It was moist–but on that note, it was also very dense and fragile.  This is a very peanut buttery cookie.  So if you’re looking for something dense, and almost “flourless” tasting, this is the recipe for you!  While it didn’t blow me away, I sure did enjoy it with a glass of milk.

My search will continue to find that oh-so-perfect recipe I had just a year ago.

Peanut Butter Cookies

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, granulated and brown sugars, and peanut butter on medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the egg. Add the flour mixture and mix just until the dough comes together. If necessary, knead the dough with your hands until smooth.

Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. (The rest gives the ingredients time to meld so the cookies bake up especially soft and chewy.)

Remove the dough from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  Pour some granulated sugar into a small bowl.

Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into 1-inch balls Roll the balls in the granulated sugar and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. When you’ve filled the baking sheets, flatten and make a crosshatch pattern on each cookie by pressing down on the ball with the back of the tines of a fork.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies begin to brown around the edges but the centers still look somewhat uncooked, 9-10 minutes. (Remove them from the oven before they look done so they’ll stay chewy once cooled.)

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s Room for Dessert

I’m not going to vouch for the authenticity of this recipe–even if the original author has dubbed her recipe “Taqueria Style Tacos.”   For one, the recipe contains soy sauce.  I wasn’t too keen on trying it…and I moved my mouse to close out the recipe–but how do you ignore a recipe that has 4.5 stars out of 5 and has close to 600 reviews.  So I begrudgingly gave it try…and you know what?  It’s pretty darn good!   Mike had no idea I used soy sauce in the marinade (to be fair, i cut down the soy sauce–i couldn’t bare to use that much!) and he loved it.  We both came to the conclusion that this definitely wasn’t the authentic dry rub flavors we associate with carne asada.  BUT in the end, we both really enjoyed it and would definitely make it again.  While not Mexican, there’s something great about the marinade.

That being said, if you make some pico de gallo and throw on some avocado or guacamole–you’ll find life is good all the same.

Carne Asada

3 pounds flank/skirt steak
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce (*original recipe called for 1/2 cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (original recipe called for 2 limes, juiced–but my coworker swears by OJ–as that’s how his family has made it his entire life)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

Pico De Gallo

1 white onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno, diced–seeds removed
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.
2. In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos.
3. Grill steak to your liking
4. Warm tortillas (corn or flour) and serve with your favorite garnishes.  I threw on freshly sliced avocados.

I have a an inexplicable habit of making things harder for myself.  I always seem to think it’s going to give me some wild sense of accomplishment to bake a million things at once or make every bit from scratch.  In actuality, I would say that’s the case 70% of the time.  The other 30% of the time?  I”m left drained and utterly exhausted.

And it’s in times like this, that I remember how great a simple everyday cookie is.  So easy and almost effortless–and nothing is more satisfying that watching someone’s eyes light up when you bring them a warm cookie with a glass of milk.

So fairly recently, when a  friend was down in the dumps–she asked me for cookies.  And while chocolate chip cookies are everyone’s go to, I happen to prefer Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

My sister-in-law shared her recipe with me years ago and I think it’s a perfect base.  I modify things from time to time to cater to certain people, but I never stray too far.  Make these cookies thin and chewy or thick and chewy–it’s up to you.  Just one minor step to add for the thicker/denser cookie (which is what I did here–since my friend likes her cookies that way).

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Makes approximately 24 cookies

2cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cups uncooked rolled oats
1 1/4 cups raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon and set aside.

In a bowl fixed to a stand mixer, cream melted butter, granulated and brown sugars.  Beat in eggs, 1 at a time.  Add water and vanilla and mix until well blended, about 5 minutes.

Add oats, raisins and flour mixture to sugar mixture and stir until thoroughly blended.  If you’re looking for thicker/denser cookies, place the batter in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  If you prefer your cookies flatter and chewy,  then continue to drop by large tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets. (I generally like them flatter).

Allow cookies to bake until light, brown–about 10-12 minutes.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 3-4 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Enjoy with glass of ice cold milk!

I would have to say that an Avocado smoothie  is hands down–my go to summer guilty pleasure.  It’s wonderfully rich and refreshing–and for all you cynics–tastes nothing like guacamole.   Really, I promise. No onions, lime juice–nothing of the sort.  Yes, it’s strange looking–but have a try and I promise you–you’ll be hooked.

My mom once owned a Sinh To (smoothie) stand in Vietnam before migrating to the US in 1981.  She often reminisces about how successful the stand was and how much ice my brothers had to pick away at to keep up with demand.  So growing up, if you wanted an avocado smoothie–stories came hand in hand.  Plus, it was always a good idea to keep your eye on her–my mom would always try to sneak in some durian into the shake–thinking it was the best combination.  What’s a durian?  A putrid and extremely pungent smelling fruit consumed widely in South East Asia.  Gym sock in in my smoothie–no thanks!

The recipe for the smoothie is very basic–ripe avocados, sugar, milk and ice.  Basic, basic, basic.  You can make the smoothie with condensed milk to take the shake to a whole new level of rich (I won’t pretend–it’s tasty!), but definitely not necessary.  Order an Avocado Shake at a restaurant or boba shop and you can be sure they add condensed milk, but if you’re looking to enjoy this at home–stick to the basics.

Alot of this is simply done by taste, so there’s really not a rock solid recipe.  But here’s a great starting place and change proportions to fit your taste.  Please note that Vietnamese Sinh To is generally a bit thicker than your everyday shake.  Think of it more as a dessert and not so much a shake and you might not be caught too off guard.  Either way, if you prefer your smoothie thinner–play around with the milk proportions until you get the right consistence.  I always start with the basics and end up modifying it as I go.

Enjoy!

Avocado Sinh To

1 large ripe avocado
1 cup ice cubes or crush ice
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk (or you can use just sugar)
1/4 cup milk

Scoop avocado and place into the blender and add the rest of the ingredients. Pulse, then blend until smooth. If needed, adjust for sweetness and consistency.  Not sweet enough, add more condensed milk or sugar.  Too thick?  Add more milk.

I’m Vietnamese and I  love Vietnamese food, but I simply can’t justify spending that kind of money on food that’s classified as Vietnamese fusion–yet shares little or no resemblance to the food I ate growing up.  I don’t know if that makes sense…but it’s just principle.  Again, I’ve never eaten here…but would be open to do so if anyone were to treat me to a meal

Either way, I was still quite curious about the noodles and searched the web for copycat recipes.  Lo and behold–tons of similar recipes from foodies alike.  All the recipes were rather plain–so I decided to forgo creating a copycat dish–and instead just create a dish inspired by the famous garlic noodles.

First time?  I followed the oil/butter ratio called for in one recipe and found it to be WAY too oily. No bueno.  Second time? AMAZING.   So good Mike had a huge bowl of noodles after his Chipotle dinner.

As far as the recipe goes–bear with me.  I didn’t really take exact measurements and did a lot of adding as I went along.  My mom would be so proud of me.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound fresh (not dried) Asian yellow noodles (you want to use something like pancit)
4 tablespoons butter
8 cloves garlic, minced (I put mine thru a garlic press)
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Maggi seasoning sauce
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4-1/2 cup reserved pasta water (I always save 1 cup–just in case)
salt and pepper to taste
up to 2 teaspoons of sugar
***optional–you may want to add some vegetables that when sauteed, cook rather quickly (I used baby bok choy)

For Shrimp:

10-20 uncooked shrimp, shell removed and deveined
1-1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (enough to thoroughly coat shrimp)
3 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons of paprika
2 teaspoons of dried basil

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, cayenne pepper, paprika, and dried basil. Mix to combine.  Add shrimp and toss to coat.  Let marinate for at least an hour.

In the meantime, cook the noodles.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Salt the water (as you would with pasta).  Add the noodles and a dash of oil to keep them from sticking.   Pancit noodles cook much quicker than italian pastas–so keep you eye out for them.   Noodles are generally cooked in about 5-7 minutes.  Once cooked, drain the noodles and set aside.  Do not run under cold water and make sure to reserve up to 1 cup of pasta water.

Now, in a large skillet–saute the shrimp until just barely cooked.  Remove shrimp from heat, but reserve oil.  (If adding vegetables–saute them now and remove from heat)

Add butter to reserved oil from shrimp. Once melted, add garlic and saute until cooked and fragrant (about 1 minute).  Add 1/4 cup pasta water, oyster sauce, Maggie Seasoning Sauce, and sugar.  Mix thoroughly.

Throw in noodles and toss to coat evenly.  Allow to cook for a few minutes.  Add Parmesan cheese and toss to coat evenly.   Now–this is where the recipe becomes all you.  Add more oyster sauce/maggi if you’d like it saltier.  Add more pasta water to make the mixture creamier.  Add a tad more sugar, if too salty.  Once you taste test and flavor the noodles to your liking, I like to let the noodles cook a tad longer–tossing the noodles every 2-3 minutes–for about 5-6 minutes.

To finish, throw shrimp and vegetables back in and mix well.

Enjoy!

Creme brulee is simply one of the easiest desserts to put together. Just a few short steps–and you’re on your way.  I had a few recipes bookmarked–and decided to use Alton Brown’s methodology while varying up the proportions just a tad.  Not because Alton Brown isn’t awesome–but because I simply didn’t have enough cream on hand.

End result?  Sooooooo good.  Creamy and rich custard with great hints of vanilla.  Mike was very happy. So happy–that he had three.

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

Makes 5 Servings

2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4  cup vanilla sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I added a tad more vanilla since my vanilla bean was on the punier side)
3 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
2 quarts hot water
additional sugar for browning (a little under a tbsp per ramekin)

Before I get into the Cheesecake stuffed strawberries–I just want to give you guys a look at THE BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT (EVER)!  Every so often, I tinker with the idea about getting a DSLR…but I always end up chickening out of making such a huge purchase.  But it was time…and I decided I was going to do it.  Leave it to  Mike (aka best fiance in the world) to rush out and get me one before my designated April 1st purchase.  So, I am now the proud owner of the Canon Rebel T1i (and a Canon Rebel T1i for Dummies book I’ve yet to read).  It’s beautiful!

Okay, onward with the recipe!  Mike’s cousin sent me a link to this recipe a few months back and now that we’re back in strawberry season, I was excited about giving it a try.  Strawberries stuffed with cheesecake? Ingenious!  I had a baby shower to attend this weekend, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give these guys a shot.  And–they were DELICIOUS!  To top it off, they’re super easy!  And to answer your question–yes, they taste just as you’d expect them to.

Make them…make them now!

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Original Recipe from Indigo’s Sugar Spectrum

Good for about 20 servings ( 2 green baskets of strawberries)

INGREDIENTS

2 green baskets of Strawberries, washed and dried.
1 8oz package of Cream Cheese, softened
1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
¾ cup Powdered Sugar
6-8 Graham Crackers, crushed
Semisweet chocolate, melted (optional)

1. Once the strawberries are dry, slice off a bit of one side.
2. Take a melon baller and spoon out the center of the strawberry, being careful to keep the walls of the strawberry intact.
3. To make the cheesecake filling: With a mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy.
4. Now, take the strawberry and fill the center with the cheesecake filling.
5. Spoon the graham cracker crumbs over the stuffed strawberries.  Take a spoon and gently pat the graham crackers into the filling until crumbs “stick.”
6. Drizzle strawberries with melted chocolate*.
7. Place strawberries in refrigerator until ready to be enjoyed.

*Whenever I plan to drizzle desserts with melted chocolate/candy melts–I use Wilton squeeze bottles.  Fill the bottles with your choice of chocolate and carefully place bottle in a small pot with hot water to melt.  Super easy and a super neat way to enhance any dessert.  You can easily find them at your local Michael’s Craft Store.

I already have a go to banana nut bread recipe, but found one that was more cinnamon intensive and knew it would be perfect for my niece and nephews!  I was heading to San Francisco for MLK weekend, and wanted to bring them something a tad healthier than the Chocolate S’more Cookies (Plus I was getting over a terribly nasty cold I had been fighting for 2 weeks, so I didn’t have too much energy for anything more labor intensive).

I think that I still love my default banana nut bread recipe–but this recipe was also very, very good.  Major differences?  This recipe is much lighter on the banana flavor.  The next time I make this recipe, I may add an additional banana.  The flavors were much more subtle overall.  The saving grace to this recipe?  It’s also much a lot less sweet than my default recipe–which I actually really enjoyed.  I will be reducing the sugar in my original banana nut bread recipe the next I make it.

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

good for one 9×5 loaf

• 3 over-ripe bananas, mashed up
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• dash of salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour

For the swirl:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbs cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9×5 loaf pan.
2. Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. Sprinkle top of mixture with baking soda and salt. Gently stir in flour. Mix just enough to combine.
3. In a small dish, mix together the 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon.
4. Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then a little more than sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Allow bread to rest in pan for 20 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool.

Happy New Year!  I can hardly believe it’s already 2011.  I hope everyone enjoyed themselves…I know I did!  3 day weekends are just heavenly–and I would have loved mine a bit more if I hadn’t woken up to a cold the other day.  That aside!  I’m sure we all have general ideas of goals we’d like to achieve this year.  I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions.  I don’t know if I’ve ever been all too serious about any resolution I’ve ever made, but this year seems rather important.  I’m getting married in the fall of 2012–which doesn’t give me a whole lot of time to get into the physical shape I want to get in (well, considering the fact that I’d like to keep this blog up and running with baked goods). I guess that means I’ll just have to give away more.  I guess, I could also try to make a handful of healthy items. Ehh, we’ll see.

Okay, onward to all things yummy.  I know that the holidays are over and people tend to ignore pumpkin for the October rolls around again…BUT I adore pumpkin. Not only is it scrumptious–it’s also very, very forgiving.  Cut a little bit of sugar here and there, accidentally leave the dessert in the oven for a few minutes longer than expected and you know what?  It’s nearly perfect anyway.

This year for Christmas, I decided to give all of Mike’s aunts and uncles some baked goods–something loafy that would package well.   They’re not huge of anything overly sweet (although I think they secretly like cream cheese frosting), so I ruled out anything that would need glaze.  After taking a look in my pantry and fridge, decided on the Elvis Presley Pound cake I made earlier in the month and this pumpkin walnut bread.

This pumpkin walnut bread–it’s amazing.  It’s perfect.  Not too pumpkin-y, but wonderfully spiced.  The bread is wonderfully moist and keeps well for days.  Mike’s aunt called me a few days later just to tell me how much she liked it and asked me for the recipe.  This bread got rave reviews across the board.  I will make this again and soon.  Pumpkin should be seasonless.

Oh–and here’s a note when you’re testing for doneness:  If you insert a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out slightly damp—it’s okay as long as the rest of the bread is cooked.  You don’t want to burn the bread waiting for the center to cook.  Since you are leaving the bread in the hot pans for 15-30 minutes, the bread will continue to cook.  And it will be perfect.

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1 cup of walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour two loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Add nuts and stir in well.  Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 40-50 minutes.  Bread is done, when toothpick inserted in middle of the loaf comes out relatively clean (remember note above).
4. Remove from oven. Allow bread to rest in pans for 15-30 minutes.  Remove and place on cooling rack.

Enjoy! Tastes even better the next day!

We’ve all ordered it–that hot, soft centered individual sized chocolate cake.  Its decadent and amazing. Served with confectioner’s sugar, whipped cream, and a few scoops of vanilla ice cream–and is there really anything better?

Okay–so i’ll stop short of calling these Godiva cakes or Molten Lava Cakes as you’ve all become accustomed to ordering at your everyday American Restaurant.  This version isn’t quite as liquid-y with the chocolate center.  The filling in these Individual Soft Centered Cakes may not be quite as runny–but rest assured, the center is delicious.  Cut into the cake, and you’ll find a warm, chocolate syrup filling.  This cake is no consolation prize!

So it pains me a little bit to share this recipe–not because it’s not AMAZING–but I like basking in the “ooohing” and “ahhing” I get every time I serve this dessert.  People naturally assumed I meticulously crafted the dessert or exerted myself doing so.  Ummm…not so much.

This is soooooooooooooooooooo easy!  It barely takes anytime and in my opinion?  It’s almost fool proof.  Try it.  Your guests will be left stunned at how amazing these are…and you’ll be left with energy to actually enjoy their company.

As a side note, I did make some Chocolate Lava/Godiva Cakes this Christmas for my boss (it was his Secret Santa Gift!) that were out of this world.  Recipe will come soon!

Individual Soft Centered Chocolate Cake (Molten Chocolate Cake)

4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 ounces 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar
• 8 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks only
• 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cake flour

Directions

1. Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler. Preheat oven to 450°F.  Whip eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla with a mixer for 10 minutes on high speed.
2. Fold melted chocolate and butter into the egg mixture. Fold in flour just until combined.
3. Butter and sugar four 6-ounce ramekins, then spoon mixture into ramekins.
4. Bake for about 9–10 min or just until the top and sides are set.   The center will be quite soft.
5. Let cake sit out of the oven for about 2 minutes, then unmold onto a plate.
6. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, fruit–or whatever you please.
7. Enjoy!