Soy Sauce Chicken and Garlic Pretzel Bites

I made soy sauce chicken and garlic pretzel bites this week.  But not together, if that was what you were thinking.  Separately they were delicious, and I have to pass along the recipes.

Crock Pot Soy Sauce Chicken

I have been trying to find a good crock pot recipe for years, and I finally found an awesome one.  I turned the crock pot on before I left for work, and it was ready when I got home.  Viola!  I stir-fried some veggies and served with white rice.  The chicken was so tender and tasty.   The meat fell right off the bone.  We made a bunch, and it lasted for a few days.  I love leftovers because that means I don't have to make or even think about making dinner for a day or two.  And that is awesome!  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
8-10 chicken thighs
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 inch ginger, sliced
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese wine or sherry wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon white or black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
salt for seasoning

Directions:
Season chicken with salt and place in slow cooker.  Mix rest of ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken.  Blend and make sure that the chicken is well coated.  Cover and place in the refrigator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours on high.

Garlic Pretzel Bites

I somehow got sucked into being the birthday person in my department.  I don't know how that happened.  They said I was perfect for the job.  Ugh.  Anyway, on Friday, it was someone's birthday.  I had the idea of doing an afternoon snack instead of a cake.  We got soft pretzels and ice cream sandwiches.  Anyway, we ended up having a bunch of soft pretzels left over.  I brought some home.  Huz told me that his co-worker made garlic pretzel bites with leftover pretzels.  So I tried it.

I chopped up the pretzels.  Then I melted a couple tablespoons of butter and mixed in minced garlic and Parmesan cheese.  I dumped the pretzels into the butter mix and coated all the pretzel bites.  I dumped them onto a George Foreman grill and grilled them for 6-7 minutes.

The garlic pretzel bites were buttery and crunchy.  You should try it!  Yum.

Do you have any recipes that I must try??  Let me know.  I love trying new things...especially if it doesn't require that much work.  Haha.

A Perfect Girls' Day

We continued Laura's Birthday celebration last Saturday. (I realize this post is super late. Sorry!) Isn't she a lucky little girl? For the past two weeks, she was off gallivanting with friends and finally had time for her sisters. We three usually do a shopping/dinner/movie day for our birthdays. But this time, Laura really wanted to do something with our nieces because she missed them. So I planned a day o' fun for us five girls, which involved arts and crafts and fondue. I know, what a combination!

Our first activity was making chocolate molded candies, which we had never done before. I bought two molds, one birthday-themed and the other under-the-sea, and sticks to make lollipops. We also had white chocolate, food coloring, and paint brushes. We really went all out. We melted the chocolates, filled the molds, and waited for them to set. Then I melted the white chocolate to make chocolate paint. Everything was very time sensitive because the chocolate hardens fairly quickly. Our first batch was kinda a clumpy mess. But we got the hang of it the second time. Carmen and Rachel did such a good job with theirs. It was a lot of work but really fun. The kids had a blast. If I was smart, there would be tons of photos showing how much fun we had. Alas, I suck and didn't take many pictures. That's why I'm not a photoblogger. =p

I knew I wanted to make chocolate molds but wasn't sure what else we were going to do for the arts and crafts portion of our day. At Michael's, I saw these mosaic tiles made of cement and colored stones and was inspired. However, instead of using stones, we used sequins and made shiny colorful art. Haha. It was a great idea, and we all came up with our own ways of using the sequins. I think they turned out pretty good. Check us out!

Tara's Random Little Girl


Laura's Dude and Robot (Tina called the robot R2D2. What a noob!)
Tina's Rainbow Fish

Notice I am only displaying the adults' artwork. I didn't take any pictures of the kids' stuff. I was so proud of what we did that I totally forgot. Haha! If you didn't already know, we really get into the arts and crafts projects that we do with the girls. Sometimes we have more fun than they do, often to their chagrin.

Anyway, later that night, we had chocolate fondue. It was definitely a chocolate-filled day. But it was yummy! Our dippers were bananas, strawberries, rice krispy treats, brownies, raspberries, and marshmallows. It was soooo good. After our tummies were filled and after the kids went to bed, we capped off our night with a rousing game of monopoly, a 3 Sisters favorite. We talked and laughed, and I kicked their asses!! Booyah!

It really was a perfect girls' day. It didn't matter that it was raining and dreary outside. We didn't even notice.

Say Nanners, and I Will Cut You.

Like most people, as I get older, my taste and preferences change. I like things I used to hate and vice versa. It's most notable in the foods I eat. When I was little, nothing was ever too sweet. Now I can't handle that much sugar at once. In my twenties, I thought the spicier the better. Now I can no longer take that much heat. Come to think of it...maybe at my old age, bland means better. Haha. No!!

Well, recently, I developed love for a food that I absolutely disliked even until last year. Bananas. I know! Was I insane? Bananas are so delicious, but they used to make me want to vomit. Now I have to have bananas at my house at all times. Yum.

Here are some others food items that I now love:

Water - I know, weird. But I used to hate the taste of water. I didn't grow up with water bottles, ya know. I only drank soda and juice. So water was disgusting to me. Now I can't live without it.

Diet soda - For the longest time, I refused to drink diet soda. If I was going to drink soda, I wanted real sugar damnit. Yet another one of my weird aversions. Now I prefer diet because you get the great taste without the guilt.

Yogurt - I thought yogurt was yucky. I didn't like the texture and the sourness. But now, yogurt is great and good for me. Yay for yogurt.

Avocados - I can't tell you how much I love avocados and quacamole now. But it wasn't always the case. I thought they tasted weird. But now I have opened my eyes!

Beer - For the longest time, I couldn't drink beer. Yes, I was one of those. But during law school, when I didn't have much money, I had to go cheap and buy beer. Now I can drink a whole mess of beer without gagging. I still prefer wine and cocktails. But now I can proudly say that I drink beer, baby!

Vanilla ice cream - I never used to eat plain vanilla ice cream because it was booorrring! But now I appreciate the classic-ness of vanilla. It's good stuff.

Okay, so this list is further evidence that I was a big big weirdo. Keyword is "was." Am I right? Right? No? No. What foods do you love now but used to absolutely hate because it made you want to vomit? Tell me!

P.S. I hate when people say nanners instead of bananas. I don't know why. Maybe it's the way people say it. I don't know. Anyway, Huz totally said nanners the other day, and I tried to make him stop. But he won't!!

I Made $30 Brownies!

What the heck were in those brownies, you ask? Real fudge, cocoa, organic cane sugar, and flecks of gold? No, none of that actually. (And no, they were not "special" brownies either. Haha.) I wish I could say I made some spectacular gourmet brownies. But no, they were from a box, and they cost me lots of time and money. In the end, they were totally worth it...okay, not really. But they were still delicious.

Huz's birthday was last month, and all he asked for were brownies on his birthday. That night, I checked our cabinets, and the only box of brownies left was expired. I didn't make it, of course, though I did contemplate it for a second. In the end, I threw that box out. I felt like a terrible wife. So I vowed to make it up to him.

In anticipation of Valentine's Day, I made sure to buy two boxes. That day, while I was making the brownies, I remembered I had thrown our old metal pan away. All I had was a white ceramic pan, which I have never used for baking brownies and cakes before. But I figured it should work. Well, it totally ruined my brownies! They were undercooked and really gross. Huz wouldn't even eat it. So that batch was thrown out.

I finally got around to buying a new 9x13 metal pan. This past Saturday, I thought I'd surprise Huz and make brownies for him. I prepared them while he was still sleeping. The smell of chocolate wafted through the house. It even woke Huz up. He came down, and the first thing he said was "I smell chocolate." No "good morning" or "Hello, my love." Hmph.

After the brownies were done, I cut into them to give Huz a piece. And it was as hard as a rock! WTF. I looked at the directions and realized I looked at the wrong time. It didn't even have directions for a 9x13 pan like the other brownie mix did. I overcooked them! How the heck did this happen again?!? I threw it away today. And it was one giant hard rectangular cookie. Ugh!

Huz kept saying how I was toying with his emotions. Getting his hopes up and dashing them with shit brownies. (Not literally.)

Enough was enough! I was going to make brownies even if it killed me! Yesterday I bought another pan, but this time a 9x9. Bought two more boxes of brownies. Read the directions like ten times.

I finally made brownies that were edible today. Yay me! It only took a month, four boxes of brownies, and two new pans.

Piece a cake! Or should I say...

Kettle Corn

We had our departmental holiday dinner last week where we did the white elephant exchange. I was stressed about it because I wanted to make up for my lousy present from last year--a shower radio. Apparently, it wasn't as cool as I thought it was. Also, everyone was doing a lot of trash-talking this year, saying theirs were going to be the best. My one co-worker had ordered her present several weeks in advance and kept talking up her gift. After much debate, I ended up getting the gumball machine, and it was a hit! Yay! And my trash talking co-worker got totally owned because two other people actually had the same gift--a snuggie! Haha. I admit that it's not a bad gag gift, but it was unfortunately very unoriginal. Too bad for her. She'll just have to redeem herself next year and make sure to zip it! ;)

Well, I ended up with the West Bend Crazy Stir popcorn popper. I was at first hesitant to steal it because it's kinda bulky. And I really don't have any room in my kitchen. And I really don't need a popcorn popper or another kitchen appliance for that matter. But I am so glad I got it because I can make kettle corn!

Okay, I have to admit that I am a big fraud. I've never had real kettle corn from a fair or carnival. I only tried it recently pre-made. But the kettle corn I make with my popper is still pretty good.

I just throw in oil, sugar, and kernels and turn it on. In a few minutes, popcorn is popping before my very eyes.

Soon the dome is filled with popcorn. I add a few dashes of salt and get homemade kettle corn in just minutes.

I've already made it four times. Isn't it neat? I really do love stuff like this. It's different, fun, and entertaining. Well, it is for me, at least.

I'm a Purist

I don't like ketchup. There, I said it. It's not that I dislike the taste of ketchup. I just prefer not to add it to everything I eat. I always tell people that I'm a purist. Well, only when it comes to food anyway.

I don't put ketchup on my fries or burgers or fried chicken or anything really. Okay, I make an exception once in a while, but not often. I know, I'm a big weirdo. But I like food the way it was intended. I want to taste my food, not the ketchup slathered on top. I am actually disgusted when people put ketchup on their cheesesteaks. They are good as is. How can you ruin it with ketchup? Patooey.

Wikipedia describes a purist as "one who desires that an item remain true to its essence and free from adulterating or diluting influences." That's me...a purist. I like the essence of my food untainted, thank you very much.

Essence...yum. Can't get enough essence, ya know what I mean?

Asian Slaw

Every time I discover and cook something new that turns out delish, I can't help feeling proud of myself. Like I did it! I am awesome. I am a good wife. Huz actually ate something different and healthy today. Rejoice!

I made this yummy Asian-y coleslaw for dinner yesterday, which I found on allrecipes.com and tweaked a bit. And like I said, I was all proud of myself. Tehe. Go me.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 package ramen noodles, crushed
10 ounces cashew or almond pieces (I used raw almonds, which gave it more crunch.)
1 (16 ounce) package shredded coleslaw mix
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions:
1. In a preheated 350-degree oven, toast the crushed noodles and nuts for 10-15 minutes (stirring twice) until golden brown.
2. In a large bowl, combine the coleslaw, green onions, toasted ramen noodles and nuts.
3. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the sugar, oil, vinegar and soy sauce. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss and serve.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

We celebrated Carmen's 7th birthday this weekend. I can't believe she is 7 years old! She is growing up too fast. It's incredible. I called her on her actual birthday to wish her a happy birthday. I know...I'm such a good Auntie. (You hear that, Laura! Haha! Jk.) Anyway, I asked her if she was excited for her party. She said, "Not really." I know she was...she just wanted to act chill. Such a teenager!

Anyway, as usual, Tina threw a party for her. And as usual, I was in charge of desserts. I usually make two kinds of cookies, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin. However, this time, I wanted to try something different. I found a recipe for peanut butter cup cookies on allrecipes.com. They are so cute and easy to make. They turned out perfectly soft and delicious. My half brother's daughter wanted another before she even finished her first cookie. Haha! So cute.

I provided an actual picture of how my cookies turned out. The recipe is below:

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
40 miniature peanut butter cups

Directions:
1. Unwrap the 40 miniature peanut butter cups and refridgerate.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
3. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
4. Shape into 40 balls (about 1-1.5 inches in diameter) and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan. Note: You can just place them directly on a cookie sheet, which is what I ended up doing because I didn't have a mini muffin pan.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Making Dinner for the In-Laws

I started dating my husband when we were both 17. We basically grew up together. I went over his house a lot, and his mom cooked for me all the time. She is a superb cook and makes awesome authentic Chinese food. So it is a big deal when I cook for my in-laws. It is a chance to show them that we are adults now and can take care of ourselves. Also, I want to show them that I can cook. Believe me...my mother-in-law has voiced her doubts (with no basis whatsoever). They still think of us as children, which drives me mad. So I feel like I have something to prove.

We've only invited them to dinner at our house a handful of times since getting married and moving into our house two years ago. When we invite them over, it is a whole production. And I mean, a PRODUCTION. One that needs at least two whole days of preparation. I tell my husband to give me at least a week's notice.

We invited them to our house for dinner last night. You may have noticed that I haven't blogged since Thursday. I was too busy preparing for Sunday. That was where I was. So this is what went into last night's dinner. First, the menu. I know better than to make my in-laws Chinese food. I am definitely not as good as my mother-in-law. So I have to cook something she doesn't know how to make...something non-Chinese. I also like to make something complex so as to impress them but nothing too complicated that I can screw up. So I never ever make them something I haven't made before. Never. I would just be asking for trouble. So this time, we decided to barbecue steak and chicken thighs. They don't barbecue at all, so it is a nice change of pace for them. I also made my sweet potato casserole and a Greek pasta salad as sides. Oh, and I made the chex mix as a snack, which was a hit. My mother-in-law loves to snack and also likes spicy food. Perfect, right? And I made homemade strawberry ice cream, which is my father-in-law's favorite. However, it's fancier and more impressive because it's homemade. Clever, aren't I?

Second, hard labor. At 9:30a on Saturday, I woke up and started cleaning the house immediately. No joke. I started in our bedroom and worked my way out. I dusted every surface and pledged every surface. Then I put everything away. After I was done with our house, it looked like no one lived there. Seriously. My husband vacuumed upstairs while I swiftered and mopped downstairs. We were finally done around 3:30pm. We just had enough time to get ready to go out for a party that same night.

Then on Sunday, I woke up early and made the chex mix with walnuts, almonds and chex. Not sure if they'd like cheezits and popcorn. Their palates are not as sophisticated. ;) Then we went grocery shopping for the rest of the stuff. When we came home, I got cracking on the sides and the ice cream, which took several hours. After that, I finally got a chance to take a shower. Right before they came over, we did last minute tidying up. I asked my husband to do the bed. He whined "What? But we never do the bed!" My response "Yeah, but your parents are coming." His response, "They are not coming upstairs." I acknowledged that he was right, but knowing his mother, she'll make an excuse to go upstairs at least once. (If you are wondering, she did go upstairs. Ha!) Then they arrived at 5:30p.

The house was pristine. They came to a clean and neat house with a snack, dinner and dessert already prepared. Little did they know that we were slaving away just moments before their arrival. And I made it look effortless.

Sweet and Spicy Chex Mix

I have been deprived all these years! Or living under a rock. One of those. But I made and ate homemade chex mix for the first time this weekend. I am not even kidding when I say I had it for breakfast, lunch and an after dinner snack all weekend. Well, I am not proud of it, okay?! But it was delish. My co-worker was raving about her sweet and spicy chex mix recipe and finally gave it to me. I made it with chex (obviously), pecans, almonds, popcorn and cheezits. So yummy.

But you can put in whatever you like--you don't even have to put in chex. My co-worker actually created the recipe from one for a spiced glazed nut and pretzel mix. My husband's favorite part is the chex, so he actually told me to make it again with just chex. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 cups of raw, untoasted nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts)
3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
9 tablespoons dark brown suger
2 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper for mild heat (can be reduced or increased according to preference)
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons of maple syrup
3 teaspoons of coarse or kosher salt
10 cups of stuff (chex, cheezits, pretzels and popcorn)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, stirring once for even toasting.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and maple syrup.
4. Add salt, warm nuts and chex mix and stir until everything is completely coated.
5. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and return to the oven for 12 minutes, stirring the mixture twice.
6. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Laura can't eat spicy stuff, so I also tried the monkey munch recipe I saw on Jon and Kate Plus Eight. That has chocolate and peanut butter in it. Really good too. You can find the recipe here. I have been eating a lot of chex mix this weekend. I am making up for lost time!

Homemade Ice Cream

Tina got a Cuisinart Automatic Ice Cream Maker (pictured on the right), and we tried it out recently. We have never made homemade ice cream before. I never realized how easy it is to make. I was all excited about it. I kept telling the kids to come see. Yeah, they definitely were not as excited...although they were very happy to eat it. I tried making mint chocolate chip a couple weeks ago. It didn't turn out too bad. Today, I made cookies and cream, using oreo cookies. The basic ingredients are milk, sugar, and cream, and you just need to throw it in the ice cream maker and turn it on for 25-30 minutes. How simple is that. And you get ice cream that is soft and creamy. Plus you have more control over the fat content and the ingredients.

What I really want to try is different flavors...something gourmet or with fresh fruit. I didn't want to do anything too crazy in the first couple attempts in case it turned out bad. I can't wait to try something new...now that I've stolen the ice cream maker from Tina. Tehe.

Wonton Noodle Soup

Last year I added wonton noodle soup to my recipe pile. Yeah, that's how I organize my recipes. It is literally a stack of papers in my book shelf under my turtle tank. Usually they are recipes that I find on the internet that I print out. Also, I write down my tweaks or substitutions right on the paper. It is a great system! I tried making wonton noodle soup when I was on my Chinese food kick. This recipe tastes exactly like the kind I eat at restaurants. And it is really easy to make. I don't usually make really complicated things anyway. =)

The best part is that you can make a lot of wontons at one time and save them for later. I usually make about 50 wontons and freeze them. It is the best on lazy nights when I don't feel like cooking. Plus they are yummy. See the picture...it is a actual picture if you were wondering.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground pork
4 ounces peeled raw shrimp, finely chopped
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (optional)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger root
24 (3.5 inch square) wonton wrappers
Egg noodle (follow directions on the package)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine pork, shrimp, sugar, wine, soy sauce, green onions and ginger. Blend well, and let stand for 25 minutes.
2. Place about one teaspoon of the filling at the center of each wonton skin. Moisten all four edges of wonton wrapper with water, then pull the top corner down to the bottom, folding the wrapper over the filling to make a triangle. Press edges firmly to remove air and seal. Bring left and right corners together above the filling. Overlap the tips of these corners, moisten with water and press together.
3. FOR SOUP: Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Drop wontons in, and cook for 5 minutes for freshly made wontons or 6 minutes for frozen wontons. In the serving bowl, mix salt, soy sauce, sesame oil and the boiled water to your liking. Then add wontons and noodles. Garnish with green onions.

Hawaiian Shave Ice

I tried Hawaiian shave ice in Oahu, and it was spectacular. It looks a bit like a giant snow cone, but it is way better. As apparent in the name, fine shaved ice is used, not ground ice like in snow cones. And it is nothing like water ice either. Flavored syrup (usually three different flavors) are poured over the ice. There are a few variations, some include ice cream, azuki beans (sweet red beans), fruit, sweetened condensed milk or dried salted plum powder. I found one place that served it with shaved frozen milk for a more creamy shave ice. (I didn't try it though.)

Hawaiian shave ice was sold almost everywhere in Hawaii, but sadly I only got to eat it twice. It is one of my biggest regrets (plus not taking enough pictures while we were there). My friend took us to a place up North Shore called Matsumoto Shave Ice, which she claimed was the best. It took over 30 minutes to get there, and the line was long. But it was well worth it. My husband and I shared a large order with vanilla ice cream and azuki beans at the bottom and condensed milk poured on top. We, of course, got three flavors, coconut, lychee and honey dew. It was delicious. The flavors were really intense and don't taste artificial either. I couldn't wait to eat it and completely forgot to take a picture of it. Doh! My second turn at Hawaiian shave ice was not nearly as good. We went to a place in Waikiki Beach that served shave ice with fresh fruit. It was eh. I really want Matsumoto again. It was perfection.

Café du Monde Coffee

Only recently have I begun to appreciate the little things in life especially because most of my time is spent either at work or unconscious. Most notably, I've come to appreciate coffee on the weekends. I don't need it to keep awake or stay alert to do work. Instead, I drink my coffee leisurely and can actually enjoy its taste and aroma. I drink it to enjoy it. It's right up there with wine and a good book.

A few years ago, I discovered Café du Monde coffee. I first heard of it when my husband and I went to New Orleans for a wedding. Café du Monde is a famous coffee shop right there in the French Quarter. It is best known for its café au lait and its French-style beignets. They were selling the canisters for $12.00 a pop. So I was pretty surprised to see it back home at our local Asian market for less than $5. Turns out Vietnamese coffee is made with Café du Monde. Vietnamese coffee is a drip coffee served with condensed milk. But I keep it simple and don't make the fancy stuff with it. I just add cream and sugar, which is still awesome!

I introduced the coffee to Tina who got hooked on the stuff. And it is the only coffee we sisters make and drink at home. The coffee tastes stronger than some but is actually blended with chicory, which contains no caffeine. It's really creamy and smooth. Tina likens it to drinking chocolate. You have to drink it with plenty of cream and sugar; otherwise it is just not the same. I recommend Café du Monde coffee to everyone. You don't have an excuse not to try it because it is accessible and not just something you get in New Orleans.

Since it is Sunday, I am going to kick back and enjoy my coffee.

Decorating Cakes

I suck at decorating cakes! Exhibit A is pictured. There goes my chances of ever being on Ace of Cakes or those Food Network Cake Challenges. (Haha! Yeah right!)

At my husband's work, his team has a potluck lunch every month. The lunches are themed, and this time, the theme was pie. So as the good wife that I am, I made a delicious mousse pie for him to bring to work today. But no matter how yummy it was, it looked funny! =( I didn't want to leave it plain, so I decided to decorate it. Look at my meager attempt. I envisioned it looking a lot better than that. The same thing happened last week when I made my sisters and nieces a giant cookie. I thought it would look like those cookies from Mrs. Fields. Ha! It was impossible. You'd think it'd be easy. But it's not. Not at all! I should just give up making cakes and the like because they will never be beautiful. I suck!

Here is the recipe in case you were curious. The mousse pie is so easy to make and is oh so chocolatey and creamy...yum... My husband's co-workers gobbled it up and demanded that I make it for every lunch no matter the theme. Well, at least, it tasted good. Maybe you'll have better luck with decorating it.

Ingredients:
8oz chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 already made graham cracker or oreo crust

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup cream to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate and cover.
2. Whip the rest of the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Do not over whip as it will be grainy (I've done that before).
3. Stir the chocolate mixture until well-blended. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Spoon a quarter of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Stir gently to lighten. Spoon the rest of the whipped cream into the bowl. You can save some whipped cream for decorating like I did. =p
4. Cut and fold until well-blended. Do not stir it! Pour into the pie crust and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Expired Food

I've eaten my fair share of expired foods, either by accident or on purpose. What? What's wrong with that? My husband and I made couscous out of the box the other day. I ate a couple bites and thought it tasted funny. Then I finally thought to check on the expiration date, and it expired in Feb. 2007. I swear that I bought it last year! Really! Did I buy it expired? It doesn't matter; that's not the issue. My husband of course was close to finishing his entire serving of couscous without noticing. He only said he thought it tasted funny after I checked the expiration date. And while eating it, he even asked me what flavor it was. I told him original. Haha! We are so weird. Then yesterday, I wanted to make stuffing (also out of the box), and it expired two years ago. Haha! Argh! It happens all the time to us...especially because it is just the two of us. That is why our refrigerator always looks empty because...it is. Everything goes bad before we can eat it.

This whole rant leads me to ask "why aren't expiration dates more prominent on food items?" See example on the right. It is on the Kraft dressing I was eating today. Why is "fresh until" in white and the actual expiration date in the same color as the background? You can't even see the expiration date in the picture. I have to look really closely to see it. It doesn't make any sense.

Btw, we did not get sick from eating the couscous. Hehe! I'm sure you were wondering.

Scallion Pancakes

I decided to make scallion pancakes for my husband and me. People call it the Chinese pizza although it is nothing like a pizza. It is a multi-layer pancake that is savory and full of scallions. I made four pancakes and a huge mess! I had flour and oil everywhere. So it wasn't worth all the effort to make so little and for only the two of us. So I suggest making a whole bunch for your family or when you have people over. Also, you need dipping sauce to eat scallion pancakes. You can either buy dumpling sauce already bottled or make your own. For the dipping sauce, you simply mix soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and sesame oil to fit your taste. The recipe below only makes four pancakes, so adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sliced scallions
3 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup canola oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a bowl, sift flour. Slowly add boiled water in a steady stream while mixing with a wooden spoon. Use your hands to knead into a ball. Let dough ball relax (covered with damp cloth) for about 30 minutes.
2. On a floured surface, roll out dough into a thin rectangle. Make sure the surface is thoroughly floured, so the dough won't stick to it--otherwise, you'll have to start all over.
3. Brush on oil mixture, cover with scallion and season with salt and pepper.
4. Start at one end (lengthwise) and carefully roll dough like a sponge cake.
5. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Take one piece and twist 3 times (like wringing a towel). Make a spiral out of this -- like a snail's shell. Roll out and flatten to achieve a 5 to 6 inch pancake. Do this for each piece.
6. In a hot non-stick pan, coat with canola oil and pan sear both sides until golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Cold Sesame Peanut Noodles

I tried a new recipe this weekend, cold sesame peanut noodles. My dad used to make this for us when we were little. He didn't have a lot of recipes in his repertoire. But I remember this being one of them. It is so peanut buttery and rich and really yummy. It is a great summer treat especially because it is cold. I know, I made it in the winter. I wasn't really thinking, but it was still really good, fresh or as leftovers. Below is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 cup brewed black tea or water (I don't think I really tasted the black tea)
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 pounds cooked egg noodles
1 or 2 peeled, seeded, and julienned cucumber
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Shredded cooked chicken, if desired

Directions:
1. Stir together peanut butter, peanut oil, tea, ginger, garlic, salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil in a large mixing bowl until incorporated. To add a kick, mixed in 1/2 minced jalapeno pepper or 2 teaspoons of hot chili sauce.
2. Place the egg noodles in a large bowl. Add the cucumber and cilantro and mix together with your hands.
3. Pour the peanut sauce over the noodles. Mix with your hands until evenly coated.

Chicken N' Dumplings

I tried a new recipe this weekend--chicken n' dumplings. I've been meaning to try out some new crockpot recipes because I haven't made one that I am in love with yet. But oh, how I wish I would because using a crockpot is so simple and easy. You just throw in a bunch of stuff in the morning, and something hopefully will come out delicious for dinner.

This time, it wasn't bad. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
3 or 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1 onion, finely diced
2 cans mixed vegetables
1 can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
salt & pepper
2 (10 oz.) packages of refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

Directions:
1. Place everything except the biscuit dough in the crockpot. May need to add extra water to cover.
2. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours. Then place the torn biscuit dough in the crockpot. Cook for about an hour until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

So does the picture of my chicken n' dumpling look any good? It looks kinda like curry tofu...yum...

I am always trying out new recipes. Check back for more.