tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5436271133362793962024-03-05T13:45:09.702-06:00Fried Blue Tomatoes"Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity."
-Voltare-FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-89954711415656355712016-06-17T19:51:00.000-05:002016-06-17T19:51:16.581-05:00Thai Basil Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, our cute little basil plant was producing more and more basil leaves and I had to cook up a recipe with it so the little guy's hard labor does not go to waste. Basil in a chicken dish is something I have not done before but I thought why not. I love chicken, Thai food, basil-y flavor, and spice. This dish has a lot of spicy kick to it and it even made my nose runny from all the spicy-ness. So, a little Kleenex at hand wouldn't hurt while enjoying this dish. This was so friggin delicious. The basil-y after taste of the chicken was such a subtle delight. I would not add more basil than recommended as you don't want it to overpower the chicken. <br />
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This is a quick and easy dish that can be cooked up in thirty minutes or less. :) Yay for quick recipes! <br />
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<strong><u>The Recipe:</u></strong><br />
<a href="http://www.africanbites.com/thai-basil-chicken/" target="_blank">Thai Basil Chicken by Immaculate Bites</a><br />
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<strong><u>Changes I Made:</u></strong><br />
<ul>
<li>I did not have crushed red pepper so I used chili powder instead which worked fine. </li>
<li>Before cooking the chicken I marinated it with a teaspoon of minced garlic and a few pinches of salt. I marinated it in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes.</li>
<li>I added a little bit of green bell pepper because I just had some left over and it was a great addition to the recipe. I cooked it in with the onions. </li>
<li>I didn't have the traditional fish sauce so I used the Korean anchovy sauce, which was fishy enough. It was awesome. </li>
<li>I used white sugar instead of brown.</li>
<li>I used 2 extra Tbsp of soy sauce and sriracha sauce. (1 tsp was absolutely not enough!)</li>
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<u><b>Recommendation:</b></u></div>
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Definitely eat it with rice. It's Thai! </div>
FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-67288712561965481242016-06-13T10:26:00.000-05:002016-06-13T10:26:00.649-05:00Potato Salad - Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since my last <a href="http://friedbluetomatoes.blogspot.com/search/label/Side%20Dish%20-%20Salad" target="_blank">potato salad post</a>, I have had about three more occasions to make potato salad. If you've been a part of a church community, you know that there really are many, many, many potlucks to attend. I've made potato salad a go-to recipe...for now, anyways. They are easy to make and goes with most main dishes. It's also a great way to secretly feed your kids celery. </div>
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Anyhoo, I wanted to add this post to share some tips I've learned along my potato-salad-making journey. I googled some tips on potato salad and the adjustments I made to my recipe made a tremendous difference and I actually feel okay to say that I think my potato salad is pretty good! :D <br />
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<strong><u>Tips from The Kitchn:</u></strong><br />
<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-making-potato-salad-221096" target="_blank">5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Potato Salad</a><br />
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<strong><u>My Tips:</u></strong><br />
<ol>
<li><u>Right Potatoes</u>: Like The Kitchn says, you should use the right kind of potatoes. I will let the actual site do the explanation for this, but the best kind of potatoes are the waxy kind. I have mostly used the Yukon potatoes or the red-skinned ones and they work great! </li>
<li><u>Cooking Potatoes:</u> This is an important step that you should pay attention to since it will determine the consistency and texture of your potatoes. The trick is to start the potatoes immersed in cold water, bring to boil, then reduce heat to cook in simmer. You should check the potatoes regularly and take it out when you can push your fork into it. Mushy potatoes for salad kinda sucks. </li>
<li><u>Salted Water</u>: A GREAT tip. Salt your water when cooking your potatoes. This makes a huge difference in the flavor of your potato salad. </li>
<li><u>Cooling Potatoes</u>: My potato salad recipe calls for creamy mayo dressing, which means I've got to cool the potatoes before dressing them. If you don't wait to cool the potatoes, you will risk the mayo-based dressing separating and just becoming yucky. </li>
<li><u>Chopped Dills:</u> I eliminated this in my<a href="http://friedbluetomatoes.blogspot.com/search/label/Side%20Dish%20-%20Salad" target="_blank"> last potato salad post</a> and since then, I've changed my mind and this has been a must addition to my potato salad recipe. For a 4lb potato salad recipe, I'll add about 3-4 chopped dills. This is a personal taste thing. I love a bit of pickle-y sourness in my potato salad and if you do too, do this! </li>
<li><u>More Boiled Eggs</u>: Again in my <a href="http://friedbluetomatoes.blogspot.com/search/label/Side%20Dish%20-%20Salad" target="_blank">last recipe</a> I added 4 boiled eggs for 4lb potatoes. I've increased that to 7-8 eggs and I love it! Also, instead of chopping them up into teeny pieces, I do a very rough and loose chomping with a fork so it leaves large chunks of whites and yolk. </li>
<li><u>Green Onions</u>: Instead of red onions (which is still an awesome choice) I use green onions and I don't think I'll go back. I just like the flavor better and I don't have to deal with soaking the onions to eliminate the spicy-ness. </li>
<li><u>Chilling:</u> This may sound like a redundant step but, like the other tips, it makes a big difference. I try to chill the dressing at least for about 30 minutes and also chill the salad for at least 30 minutes to an hour before serving. It just melds all the flavors together and gives extra quality to the salad. Don't you want people to go "OMG! This is awesome!"</li>
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*Let me know if you've tried the changes and how your salad turns out. ;) <br />
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<br />FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-29148760155281036592016-06-13T10:07:00.002-05:002016-06-15T18:26:36.633-05:00Easter PotatoesSpring arrived a few months ago but I didn't get to celebrate it on Fried Blue Tomatoes so here's my homage to the return of spring (few months ago).<br />
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<b>Picture #1: </b><br />
In honor of spring, my manager at work brought me these flowers from the garden outside our building. It was just a very sweet gesture and made me appreciate spring a tad bit more. :D <br />
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<b>Picture #2: </b><br />
My hubby & me at the church Easter Luncheon. We have had a very rough couple of years and couldn't really enjoy Easter the way we would have liked. So, this year was extra special cuz we were able to smile and do what we do best - be weird.<br />
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<b>The rest of the pictures: Cheesy Potatoes </b><br />
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We have an Easter Luncheon every year at our church and I always look forward to it because they order the ham from one of our proudest and well-known St. Louis BBQ joints (<a href="http://www.sugarfiresmokehouse.com/" target="_blank">Sugarfire</a>!). We all bring a dish and I signed up for a side. I obsessively went back and forth from signing up to make scalloped potatoes to other potato variations - made about 10 edits on the church google doc. Oops! Anyhoo, I thought scalloped potatoes would be perfect, but after pondering on this choice a little bit decided to go with a slightly different baked potatoes. I actually did not make a single change in this recipe. They were pretty amazing, imho, and perfect alternative to scalloped potatoes. <br />
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<u><strong>The Recipe:</strong></u><br />
<a href="http://www.simplyscratch.com/2014/04/homemade-cheesy-potatoes.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+simplyscratch/wPkJ+(*simply+scratch*)" target="_blank">Homemade Cheesy Potatoes by Simply Scratch</a><br />
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<strong><u>What I'd Do Differently: </u></strong><br />
The only thing that I would do differently next time is to cut the potatoes into smaller pieces. As you can see in the photos, the potatoes were quite chunky. Just think they'll look yummier if they were smaller. FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-75142703045167178912016-06-11T15:18:00.000-05:002016-06-11T15:18:59.651-05:00Fire Chicken with Cheese<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean chili peppers, Oh yeah~</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sauce!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aQ1No2SnXT4/V1xt5aQE84I/AAAAAAAACUw/9SJEunq66gsY-l6tdNOPzUYA1sUmjzb_wCLcB/s1600/IMG_2100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aQ1No2SnXT4/V1xt5aQE84I/AAAAAAAACUw/9SJEunq66gsY-l6tdNOPzUYA1sUmjzb_wCLcB/s320/IMG_2100.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skinned chicken leg. (Gross!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzgcvFBg128/V1xt8vlp7kI/AAAAAAAACVU/tlgE3XfzsRAsxEQ9iV5dJgN7TK7OfGEMgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzgcvFBg128/V1xt8vlp7kI/AAAAAAAACVU/tlgE3XfzsRAsxEQ9iV5dJgN7TK7OfGEMgCLcB/s320/IMG_2101.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi, I'm marinating!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nNiOCCpiKjc/V1xt8HHnh9I/AAAAAAAACVI/4eeq06wBCa4Irwbgg_pbzUm9yuinxO-GwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nNiOCCpiKjc/V1xt8HHnh9I/AAAAAAAACVI/4eeq06wBCa4Irwbgg_pbzUm9yuinxO-GwCLcB/s320/IMG_2103.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On my way to becoming yummy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0M60SRaXpk/V1xt8hdGGYI/AAAAAAAACVQ/1oQF3l_IWt0O7CbBQaSl5h0C67VShQHPQCLcB/s1600/IMG_2104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0M60SRaXpk/V1xt8hdGGYI/AAAAAAAACVQ/1oQF3l_IWt0O7CbBQaSl5h0C67VShQHPQCLcB/s320/IMG_2104.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mozzarella-ed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1HEB0_YcnVY/V1xt-7aotvI/AAAAAAAACVg/S2FSmZtXe-kH9dK5Yh_HsjWLtbAyPMf9wCLcB/s1600/IMG_2105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1HEB0_YcnVY/V1xt-7aotvI/AAAAAAAACVg/S2FSmZtXe-kH9dK5Yh_HsjWLtbAyPMf9wCLcB/s320/IMG_2105.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3hBzfETqF7s/V1xt_uGm27I/AAAAAAAACVw/rR_FC9CS0wgfTEPYm78KROFGMWdeQU_NQCLcB/s1600/IMG_2106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3hBzfETqF7s/V1xt_uGm27I/AAAAAAAACVw/rR_FC9CS0wgfTEPYm78KROFGMWdeQU_NQCLcB/s320/IMG_2106.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green onions for garnish</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BhqRFggMXEE/V1xuAY4ZsNI/AAAAAAAACV4/0p7gwIi_1OslfWAtw_eI4yil1MmifEr9ACLcB/s1600/IMG_2108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BhqRFggMXEE/V1xuAY4ZsNI/AAAAAAAACV4/0p7gwIi_1OslfWAtw_eI4yil1MmifEr9ACLcB/s320/IMG_2108.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final step: gobble!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now that I have the stress of long-winded theological essays and exams behind me, let me re-start blogging at one of my favorite places of all time - spicy. This recipe was born out of the love of chicken and sinus-clearing spicy-ness. It's also the place where the ramen from the famous <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLgHLGfSNDw" target="_blank">Korean Spicy Ramen Challenge</a> came about. (FYI: Korean name for this recipe = Buldak; Korean name for the ramen = Buldak Ramen) It is probably one of my favorite chicken recipes and it is way too easy to make considering how amazingly yummy it is. I made edits to the recipe based on other Korean food blogs. <br />
<br />
<strong><u>The Recipe:</u></strong><br />
<a href="http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/buldak" target="_blank">Fire Chicken with Cheese by Maangchi</a><br />
<br />
<strong><u>Changes I Made:</u></strong><br />
<ol>
<li>Instead of vegetable oil, I used sesame oil. I will do this every time because sesame oil adds an extra flavor to the recipe which I absolutely want in this dish.</li>
<li>I also added about 2Tbsp of mirim (Japanese cooking wine). From what I understand, this step helps to eliminate the unpleasant odor that can come from chicken. In other words, it enhances the flavor of the chicken. I believe you can add just regular cooking wine from the store if you don't have access to a Korean store. Mirim is used a lot in Korean cooking, when cooking wine is required.</li>
<li>I also added about 2Tbsp of sriracha sauce. One of the Korean food boggers said to add spicy sauce but did not specify which one so I thought...of course, sriracha! Do this if you can handle the spice though.</li>
<li>Another awesome addition was green chilies (also suggested by other Korean cooking blogs). I chopped them up (you can see it in the pix) and added them into the chicken mix before marinating it in the fridge. I used the Korean chilies cuz I had access to them, but I think jalapenos would work fine. Again, do this at your own risk. This adds another layer of ear-popping spicyness.</li>
<li>I used regular white sugar instead of corn syrup. </li>
<li>I used green onions for garnish.</li>
<li>I did not pan fry the rice cakes but I think this would be a great step!</li>
<li>I also marinated the chicken mix in the fridge after mixing in all the ingredients (except for the green onions and the mozzarella cheese) for at least 4-5 hours. Seriously. No one ever regretted marinating their meat before cooking. You can even marinate overnight. </li>
<li>I used pre-grated mozzarella cheese instead of mozzarella cubes.</li>
<li>Adding about a table spoon of sesame seeds to the mix will add more pizzazz to the recipe. </li>
</ol>
<strong><u>Other Suggestions:</u></strong><br />
<ul>
<li>You are so welcome to add onions and bell peppers to the mix. I've also seen many Korean food bloggers add sesame leaves - which I think is just friggin awesome! </li>
<li>When I first made this, I bought bone-in chicken legs and labored for a good long time to cut out the meat. I did like the flavor of the meat very much but just your good ol' boneless chicken breast will also work fine. </li>
<li>I ate it with rice (of course!) and coleslaw. 'Twas perfect! </li>
</ul>
And...you're welcome for the recipe. :P FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-52639633541066397642016-02-28T15:05:00.000-06:002016-02-28T16:48:07.695-06:00Clementine Cake<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9hf8s4W5FA/VtNTTQGBd0I/AAAAAAAABrk/6g6XE3oMiQk/s1600/IMG_2060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9hf8s4W5FA/VtNTTQGBd0I/AAAAAAAABrk/6g6XE3oMiQk/s320/IMG_2060.JPG" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I only used four clementines.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5YSb3n5NP7Y/VtNTTCrXV9I/AAAAAAAABro/aJ9nwrL6qus/s1600/IMG_2062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5YSb3n5NP7Y/VtNTTCrXV9I/AAAAAAAABro/aJ9nwrL6qus/s320/IMG_2062.JPG" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uE8g1ALaN_4/VtNTTEqbNRI/AAAAAAAABsU/h6x4otiqG-8/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uE8g1ALaN_4/VtNTTEqbNRI/AAAAAAAABsU/h6x4otiqG-8/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to be processed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kUHB4N_gcdM/VtNTWGM46JI/AAAAAAAABrs/yXW_QxhogBw/s1600/IMG_2065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kUHB4N_gcdM/VtNTWGM46JI/AAAAAAAABrs/yXW_QxhogBw/s400/IMG_2065.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clementine paste</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4L6iZ6vMRys/VtNTXCP6x_I/AAAAAAAABr0/nNea9AO8fY4/s1600/IMG_2068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4L6iZ6vMRys/VtNTXCP6x_I/AAAAAAAABr0/nNea9AO8fY4/s400/IMG_2068.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to be baked</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qGnvPu0z4So/VtNTbZOS7vI/AAAAAAAABsA/wPu2Qpr6G6M/s1600/IMG_2072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qGnvPu0z4So/VtNTbZOS7vI/AAAAAAAABsA/wPu2Qpr6G6M/s400/IMG_2072.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right out of the oven</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7UMUHNJlN1o/VtNTdAoSWaI/AAAAAAAABsE/vJXdTzGU2AI/s1600/IMG_2073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7UMUHNJlN1o/VtNTdAoSWaI/AAAAAAAABsE/vJXdTzGU2AI/s400/IMG_2073.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Browned edges and slightly sunken center... :(</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zpqmF5rI5Zc/VtNThRT6RyI/AAAAAAAABsQ/-wBOhLgNKQk/s1600/IMG_2076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zpqmF5rI5Zc/VtNThRT6RyI/AAAAAAAABsQ/-wBOhLgNKQk/s400/IMG_2076.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Powder-sugared</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This cake is like the fourth season of Sherlock Holmes - it's been waiting for forever to be made. Like Smitten Kitchen, I was fascinated by the recipe. Cake with no butter and no flour. Could that work? It was my first time making this cake, but I braved it and made this for a dinner invite. (I also took back-up cookies and a good bottle of wine just in case. I am actually not that brave...)<br>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
The total time invested in this cake was three hours. Two hours to boil the clementines and about an hour to put all the ingredients together and bake it. I was very happy with the outcome. The cake was dense, very moist, had just the right amount of sweet, and it was delicious. The flavor of the clementines were very evident and, strangely, the cake felt very velvety as if it had chock full of butter...it had none. </div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
I highly recommend the sliced almond topper and powdered sugar finish as the cake itself is not very sweet. (Another option is to make the glaze like Smitten Kitchen to pour over the cake) This is a very 'adult' cake so I would not recommend this for your child's birthday party. Everyone at the dinner table seemed to enjoy the cake and I certainly did too. I made my husband promise to tell me the absolute truth about this cake and he swears it was delicious for him too so I think it's safe to make this cake again. <br>
<br>
<br>
<b><u>The Recipe</u></b><br>
<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/01/clementine-cake/" target="_blank">Clementine Cake adapted by Smitten Kitchen</a></div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
<b><u>Sunken Center</u></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I don't know if you can see it in the pictures but I actually had a slightly sunken center. I've baked quite a few cakes in my life and have never had that happen before. Eeeek~! I quickly searched the internet for what might have caused it. <a href="http://www.alwaysorderdessert.com/2010/11/kitchen-tip-5-ways-to-keep-your-cakes.html" target="_blank">Here's what I've found</a>. </li>
<li>I believe my culprit was the baking powder. Smitten Kitchen's recipe calls for 'heaped' teaspoon full of baking powder. But, the <a href="http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/clementine-cake-2559" target="_blank">original recipe</a> asks for just one teaspoon of baking powder. I went a little overboard with the 'heaped' spoon. I will go with just one flat teaspoon of baking powder next time. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b><u>Variations & Tips</u></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Do not use 'heaped' spoon of baking powder but just a teaspoon as it may cause the cake center to sink.</li>
<li>I added sliced almonds and powdered sugar and I will do this every time I make this cake. Or, I will definitely try the clementine glaze from Smitten Kitchen. </li>
<li>Add the sliced almonds right before putting the cake in the oven. Add the powdered sugar after the cake has cooled, preferably right before serving. </li>
<li>Since the size of clementines differ, it would be helpful to use a kitchen scale to ensure you don't put too much or too little clementine. </li>
<li>I only used the food processor for the clementines. I used a handmixer to beat the eggs and the sugar and I folded the rest of the ingredients with a spatula to avoid over-beating. (Make sure that your baking powder is mixed it well and is not clumped. This will be disastrous for your cake!)</li>
<li>I checked the cake after 30 minutes and my toothpick came out clean so make sure you start checking your cake after 30 minutes. </li>
<li>Ensure you implement the step of tin foiling your cake after 20-30 minutes - put foil over your cake to protect the top from over-browning. I put foil over the cake after 30 minutes and put it back in the oven for an extra 10 minutes. </li>
<li>My total cooking time was 40 minutes.</li><li>I used an 8x8 square pan instead of a round pan. My batter would not fit into an 8 inch round pan. </li>
</ul>
</div>
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FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-37863868395007479442016-02-19T10:13:00.000-06:002016-02-19T10:13:10.428-06:00Mr. Baek's Korean Curry <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bOr7a4q9WJk/VsZ_cSw299I/AAAAAAAABpE/_iiUcCmL034/s320/IMG_2023.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean Curry (Hot!)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--HlDwCUW1o8/VsZ_ZsY6g2I/AAAAAAAABow/a2H3UgJgElk/s1600/IMG_2010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--HlDwCUW1o8/VsZ_ZsY6g2I/AAAAAAAABow/a2H3UgJgElk/s320/IMG_2010.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curry Paste</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorful Veggies!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Hx8Ado9rpY/VsZ_Zofc7pI/AAAAAAAABo0/9An2bmMiCl0/s1600/IMG_2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Hx8Ado9rpY/VsZ_Zofc7pI/AAAAAAAABo0/9An2bmMiCl0/s320/IMG_2011.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Almost' caramelized! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Veggies in the pot!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B2SIeGuaPGk/VsZ_dCp6sII/AAAAAAAABpI/-mlsfhDiyqw/s1600/IMG_2024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B2SIeGuaPGk/VsZ_dCp6sII/AAAAAAAABpI/-mlsfhDiyqw/s320/IMG_2024.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookin'</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost done!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-utfPAKhRgNE/VsZ_ZsUFapI/AAAAAAAABo4/NvQxFMzINro/s1600/IMG_2020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-utfPAKhRgNE/VsZ_ZsUFapI/AAAAAAAABo4/NvQxFMzINro/s320/IMG_2020.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ready to go in yo belly!</td></tr>
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This may sound strange to the non-Korean ears but curry is a very popular staple in a Korean household. In our house, we even had mom's version and dad's version of Korean curry. Korean curry is not as dense as Indian curry. The flavor of the curry is not as in-your-face but more gentle on your palate. That's the best I can describe it anyway. <br />
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The below recipe is a slight deviation from the traditional Korean curry. I've been seeing this recipe floating around the Korean food blogs, so I had to try it out. The below video is of Mr. Baek from whom the recipe came from. (Scroll all the way down to see the vid!) The difference in this recipe from the traditional Korean curry is that the onion is caramelized (actually 'almost' caramelized) before adding the other ingredients. I say 'almost' because it isn't caramelized in the traditional sense. (<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-caramelize-onions-35933" target="_blank">This is how you really caramelize onions</a>) This step adds greater depth to the flavor of the curry and I do think there's a huge improvement in the flavor. This is why we use more onions than the traditional Korean curry recipe. Caramelizing reduces the volume of the veggie. I also used chicken broth rather than just plain water - a trick I learned from my husband, who is known for his amazing Korean curry.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Mr. Baek's Korean Curry</u></b><br />
Ingredients:<br />
<ul>
<li>1 1/2 Medium carrots </li>
<li>3 Medium potatoes (I used Russet)</li>
<li>2 Medium onions</li>
<li>1 Bell pepper</li>
<li>5-6 White button mushrooms</li>
<li>1 1/2 Cup of diced chicken (I used boneless breast, but wouldn't mind trying chicken thighs)</li>
<li>2/3 Cups of Korean curry powder (<a href="http://www.hmart.com/shopnow/shopnow_newsub.asp?p=645175010128" target="_blank">Click if you wanna buy this online</a>) </li>
<li>4 Cups of chicken broth (You can use water or veggie broth)</li>
<li>1 tsp of ground pepper</li>
<li>Pinch of salt</li>
<li>4-5 TbspVegetable oil</li>
</ul>
<div>
Instructions:</div>
<ol>
<li>Cut all vegetables into 1/2 inch pieces. (You may cut it length-wise like Mr. Baek does in the video.)</li>
<li>Use about 1/3 cup of chicken broth and pour it into the curry powder to make curry paste.</li>
<li>Heat about 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a skillet on medium high heat and cook the diced chicken for about 2-3 minutes until most of the skin is white. Do not fully cook. Set aside.</li>
<li>In a large pot, heat 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil on medium heat. Put in the diced onions and ground pepper. Cook the onions for about 10 minutes until it is (almost) caramelized - refer to picture. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon to avoid burning. </li>
<li>Once the onion is caramelized, add all the vegetables and the chicken to the pot with the remaining vegetable oil and cook for about 3 minutes on medium high heat.</li>
<li>Pour the chicken broth and continue to cook on medium high heat for about 5-8 minutes or until the potatoes get soft and all the vegetables are cooked. </li>
<li>Add the curry paste and stir. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. </li>
<li>Turn off the heat and serve with your favorite rice! (I recommend Jasmine rice.) </li>
</ol>
If you can read Korean, check <a href="http://blueholic.tistory.com/178" target="_blank">this site</a> out with the original images and instructions.<br />
If you want an English version of the traditional Korean curry recipe click <a href="http://aeriskitchen.com/2008/09/korean-curry-rice/" target="_blank">here</a> for Aeri's Kitchen recipe. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_1IywsvwqzY" width="560"></iframe><br />FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-68330550218002209602016-02-15T14:40:00.000-06:002016-02-28T20:07:34.934-06:00White Chocolate Coconut Truffles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">toasted almonds + shredded coconut</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qTghO7BOUc0/VsH7wHOc6QI/AAAAAAAABnk/Yn65tMPmGyI/s1600/IMG_1981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qTghO7BOUc0/VsH7wHOc6QI/AAAAAAAABnk/Yn65tMPmGyI/s320/IMG_1981.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">coconut oil + white chocolate</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QvZwvE1wZqc/VsH7yuhUnPI/AAAAAAAABnw/gT8DBv25s_o/s1600/IMG_1983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QvZwvE1wZqc/VsH7yuhUnPI/AAAAAAAABnw/gT8DBv25s_o/s320/IMG_1983.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mixing </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zz7WyUpzDyw/VsH7yyPCkoI/AAAAAAAABn0/bJr4GvoMh-4/s1600/IMG_1984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zz7WyUpzDyw/VsH7yyPCkoI/AAAAAAAABn0/bJr4GvoMh-4/s320/IMG_1984.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ball-ing the chocolate mix</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQ8nfj1jG54/VsH7y--UyXI/AAAAAAAABn4/mOH2SAGp120/s1600/IMG_1985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQ8nfj1jG54/VsH7y--UyXI/AAAAAAAABn4/mOH2SAGp120/s320/IMG_1985.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ready to go in the freezer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e-hyKtNgfpU/VsH7z_QkjuI/AAAAAAAABn8/m29qb3_KyJA/s1600/IMG_1986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e-hyKtNgfpU/VsH7z_QkjuI/AAAAAAAABn8/m29qb3_KyJA/s320/IMG_1986.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ready to go back into the freezer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zr2dEI0BVLE/VsH700lYIFI/AAAAAAAABoA/619JPQvGXeg/s1600/IMG_1987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zr2dEI0BVLE/VsH700lYIFI/AAAAAAAABoA/619JPQvGXeg/s320/IMG_1987.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all ready to be packaged</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ACbPCbG1lI/VsH71MIcBiI/AAAAAAAABoE/K2w06KdU0eY/s1600/IMG_1990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ACbPCbG1lI/VsH71MIcBiI/AAAAAAAABoE/K2w06KdU0eY/s320/IMG_1990.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Am I beautiful?"</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W9R6VdA_yTs/VsH8mnVDbhI/AAAAAAAABoY/Igia9qhM_hg/s1600/Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W9R6VdA_yTs/VsH8mnVDbhI/AAAAAAAABoY/Igia9qhM_hg/s400/Photo.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ready for some L-O-V-E</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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These truffles are a winner. They really are amazing, if I say so myself. Apparently they are a <a href="http://www.ferrerorocherusa.com/raffaello.php" target="_blank">Raffaello</a> copycat - a little sister of the famous and oh-so-delicious Ferrero Rocher. But, no store-bought candy can beat a home-made truffle. These are not intensely sweet but just sweet enough for you to keep going back for more. If you love coconuts in your sweets (like moi!) these are the best ever truffles for you. The coconut coat adds a little fancy-ness to them and you can easily dupe people into thinking you are a truffle-making fairy. <br />
<br />
<b><u>The Recipe</u></b>: <br />
<a href="http://letthebakingbeginblog.com/2015/11/white-chocolate-coconut-candy-raffaello-copycat/" target="_blank">White Chocolate Coconut Truffle</a> <a href="http://letthebakingbeginblog.com/2015/11/white-chocolate-coconut-candy-raffaello-copycat/" target="_blank">by Let the Baking Begin</a><br />
<br />
<b><u>Changes I made:</u></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The original recipe inserts whole almonds into each truffle (like the original Raffaello). I opted to add in 1 cup of silvered almonds into the chocolate + coconut mix instead. This allows for almonds to be in every bite which I absolutely love.</li>
<li>I toasted the silvered almonds before adding them to the coconut mix. <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/cooking-basics-how-to-toast-nu-62462" target="_blank">Here's a link</a> to toasting nuts. I usually dry roast them on a skillet. Let the almonds cool a bit before you add it into the shredded coconut. Add the melted chocolate + coconut oil after this step is completed. </li>
<li>The recipe gives two options to choose from. You can roll the coconut balls directly in shredded coconut or you can dip them in white chocolate and then roll them in coconut. I opted for the extra white chocolate.</li>
<li>For the 'dipping' white chocolate, I only put in 2 Tbsp of coconut oil instead of 3 like the recipe says to. I wanted the chocolate to be a bit thicker. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><u>Tips & Reminders:</u></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Ensure you use unsweetened coconut. The white chocolate is already intensely sweet so it will tone down the sweetness of each truffle. </li>
<li>I used<a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/14150167?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227009634278&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40889661272&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78819296792&veh=sem" target="_blank"> Ghirardelli's white chocolate chips</a>. </li>
<li>Next time, I'll make the balls a little smaller so that they are bite-size.</li>
<li>I put the coconut+almond+chocolate balls in the freezer as they were too soft to roll in melted chocolate. They firm up pretty quick and it is much easier to dip them in melted chocolate if you add this step. </li>
<li>I put the finished truffles back in the freezer and this sped up the process. </li>
<li>The recipe already tells you this but if I may repeat this great tip, coconut oil is a better option than butter as they remain solid in room temp. The flavor also works awesome with coconut oil.</li>
</ul>
</div>
FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-4103321322068283372016-02-04T09:40:00.000-06:002016-02-04T09:40:19.466-06:00Potato Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LGVjNoXgJJk/Vq-5hg0Ae3I/AAAAAAAABmo/FEWhgtW39TU/s1600/IMG_1937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LGVjNoXgJJk/Vq-5hg0Ae3I/AAAAAAAABmo/FEWhgtW39TU/s320/IMG_1937.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ykK2llM6ws/Vq-5hXRlJlI/AAAAAAAABmg/OJLJVb2Oz6U/s1600/IMG_1939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ykK2llM6ws/Vq-5hXRlJlI/AAAAAAAABmg/OJLJVb2Oz6U/s320/IMG_1939.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/07/eyes-wide-open-all-the-time/" target="_blank">Potato Salad by Smitten Kitchen</a><br />
Potato salad is probably a popular go-to dish for a pot luck dinner party. It's hard to mess up and most people like it. If I'm opting to bring a side salad, potato salad allows for lowering the risk of having two leafy salads as there's always someone who tries to sneak in the 'healthy' to a pot luck. <br />
<br />
I have another potato salad recipe that I really love but I opted for this one today. Smitten Kitchen is my cooking fairy blog mother and I didn't want to pass up a great excuse to try out one of her recipes.<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe Variants:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>I used 4lb of potatoes instead of 3lb like the recipe</li>
<li>BUT I did not increase the dressing at all and it still worked great!</li>
<li>I added a tablespoon of sugar to the dressing</li>
<li>I completely eliminated dills cuz...I didn't have any but would love to try it out next time</li>
<li>I used four eggs instead of three to match the potatoes. I would not have minded adding a bit more actually</li>
<li>I did added ground pepper at the end - this is a must. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>Reminders & Tips:</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Red onions have a pretty strong flavor so you can soak them in ice water for about 15 minutes to tame the strong flavor a bit. </li>
<li>Putting the salad together is pretty easy & quick. Just remember to budget in the time for the boiled potatoes to cool to your cooking time, especially if you're making this on a tight schedule.</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<br />FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-74438889330156842402016-01-30T11:33:00.002-06:002016-01-30T11:33:59.364-06:00Home-Made Home Fries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I didn't know that these were called 'home fries.' May be my time in America or my American movie-watchin' have somehow dodged this term when referring to breakfast potatoes. Glad I got that sorted. I came across <a href="http://www.macheesmo.com/how-to-make-home-fries/" target="_blank">this recipe</a> as I was perusing through pinterest for a solution for my leftover potatoes. I guess boiling the potatoes before you cook them is a thing now as I've come across quite a few potato recipes that do that. These were pretty awesome though and I would proudly serve this to brunch guests. With the additional ingredients I added to the recipe, the potatoes had a burst of great flavors working together. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. </div>
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<b>Ingredient Variations:</b></div>
<ul>
<li>I added mushrooms, garlic (about two teaspoons of minced garlic), and half a medium-sized yellow onion (diced).</li>
<li>For spices I used: (all approximate)</li>
<ul>
<li>4 teaspoons of paprika (divided)</li>
<li>4 teaspoons of chili powder (divided)</li>
<li>2 teaspoons of black pepper (divided)</li>
<li>2 teaspoons of salt (divided)</li>
<li>2 teaspoons of dried mixed Italian herbs</li>
</ul>
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<b>What I did: </b></div>
<ul>
<li>I cooked the garlic and diced onions for about 2 minutes in olive oil before adding the potatoes and mushrooms to the pan. </li>
<li>I cooked it for 20 minutes, turning it after every five minutes</li>
<li>I added the spice mixture (half of it) at the beginning and then the rest + the Italian herbs before the final 'flipping'</li>
</ul>
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<b>Note to self:</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>I would turn the potatoes more strategically next time so the potatoes crisp evenly. So no aimless stirring but sectioned turning with a spatula. ;) </li>
</ul>
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FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-30516342877735742912016-01-20T21:20:00.000-06:002016-01-20T21:20:08.439-06:00I'm Famous!Well...not really. But it certainly feels awesome to have this happen to me. Allrecipes.com, aka one of my favorite recipe sites, featured the one recipe that I posted on their site on their Youtube channel and created a recipe video out of it. This is monumental for this teeny tiny blogger. I'm stoked. I feel special, famous, awesome, and all of the above. Here's the <a href="http://friedbluetomatoes.blogspot.com/2009/06/lemon-cupcakes-to-die-for.html" target="_blank">original recipe for the lemon cupcakes</a>. PS - This is still my absolute favorite lemon cupcake recipe. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5v22MTHHtZg" width="560"></iframe>FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-82117588657640195802016-01-20T09:57:00.000-06:002016-01-20T10:11:30.266-06:00Shuga!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/baking-with-sugar-alternatives" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.bonappetit.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/alternative-sugars-2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from: <em>Bon Appetit</em></td></tr>
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As I'm slowly dipping my feet back into baking, I am a little cautious about the sugar content. I know and agree that a little sweetness does nobody harm but I'm also nearing forty and unfortunately that means I need to watch what goes into my body. Yup. But, I do not want to compromise the quality of the baked goods so I did a quick google research and wanted to share my findings with y'all. Note: This does not mean that I'll be depriving all of my baked goods of the full requirement of sugar. ;) <br />
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<a href="http://www.finecooking.com/articles/how-sugar-affects-baking.aspx?pg=1" target="_blank">How Sugar Affects Baking</a> from<em> Fine Cooking</em> explains what sugar is supposed to do in baking. It's a bit of a read so have a hot drink handy when going through the article. I skimmed most of the article and slowed down on parts that were of interest to me. What I was most interested in was how eliminating sugar would affect my baked goods. It may be obvious to some but if I may state the obvious, sugar adds moisture and texture to baked goods. Since I'm trying to lessen the sugar content, the problem I would face is a drier cake with coarse texture. Not that appealing. <br />
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<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/how-can-i-reduce-the-sugar-in-135433" target="_blank">How Can I Reduce Sugar</a> is from <em>The Kitchn</em> and the article gives a simple answer to the question: "How can I reduce sugar in baked goods?" It says that egg yolk adds moisture and egg white dries up the baking so the simple solution would be to add another egg yolk or eliminate egg white depending on what would work for your recipe. How to determine what would work will probably be completely up to you. Personally, I would choose to add an egg yolk, especially if I'm baking cake or quick bread. I feel that it would add more richness to the baking. The article poses this question to its readers and there are others who pitch in on what they do when eliminating sugar in their baking. <br />
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<a href="http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Best-Sugar-Alternatives-Baking-30861504" target="_blank">The Best Sugar Alternatives</a> from <em>Popsugar Fitness</em> lists great sugar alternatives and what's awesome is the article gives the perfect ratio for each alternative. E.g. 1 cup of sugar swapped for 2/3 Agave Nectar<br />
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<a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/baking-with-sugar-alternatives" target="_blank">Your Guide to Baking with Sugar Alternatives</a> from <em>Bon Appetit</em> is a fantastic guide for what each sugar substitute would be good for and the pros and cons of using each of the substitutes. For example, honey would be a good substitute for producing moist baked goods like coffee cake. Very practical! <br />
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<br />FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-31559019072380196852016-01-20T09:34:00.001-06:002016-01-20T20:43:55.613-06:00One-Pot Paprika Chicken Thighs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here's a delish <a href="http://reluctantentertainer.com/2014/09/one-pot-paprika-chicken-thighs/" target="_blank">chicken recipe</a> from the Reluctant Entertainer. Definitely a recipe I'll go back to. It's easy, full of veggies, and uses boneless & skinless chicken thighs. I love easy deliciousness. Minimalist effort with maximum success. Everybody's happy. </div>
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Ingredient Variants:</div>
<ul>
<li>Since I was not cooking for eight people like the recipe was, I used 1.8lb of chicken instead of 3lb. So I had to do some loose math to get the right ratio for the other ingredients.</li>
<li>I used a little less than 1/4 of white wine and a little over 3/4 of chicken broth.</li>
<li>If you want a bit more sauce (which I do) I would put a little more broth than what the recipe calls for. I ate this with rice and didn't feel like I had enough sauce for the rice.</li>
<li>For the seasoning, as well as paprika (didn't use smoked), I added a bit of cumin and chili powder..probably about a teaspoon each. I will definitely do this again for this recipe. </li>
<li>I used white button mushrooms. They were perfect! </li>
<li>I did not want to spend $3 on fresh thyme leaves so I used dried thyme leaves and they were still fabulous. </li>
</ul>
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Process:</div>
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<ul>
<li>This may be common sense but have the olive oil handy when cooking the vegetables. </li>
<li>I've never 'whisked' flour in wine before but now that I have, my advice is to whisk it right before dumping it in the pan to avoid clumping of the flour. I prepped the flour and wine before I needed it and the flour sinks to the bottom.</li>
<li>I think over-cooking it might dry out the chicken so I'd watch the clock. </li>
</ul>
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<br />FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-87273821247670960202016-01-19T09:22:00.000-06:002016-01-20T21:22:03.626-06:00Cream Cheese Pecan Banana Bread with Streusel<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/2010/10/cream-cheese-banana-nut-bread-southern.html?m=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://yummyaddiction.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Super-Moist-Banana-Bread-With-Crunchy-Topping-767x1024.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/2010/10/cream-cheese-banana-nut-bread-southern.html?m=1" target="_blank">Unfortunately, I did not take any pix of my finished product so this photo was borrowed from the blog: 'Sugar & Spice' where I got my streusel topping recipe. </a></td></tr>
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This banana bread was made with a mission in mind. A mission to butter up my boss and my co-worker for some favor. Seriously. The best way to a person's heart is food, don't ya think? Food made with lotsa love and lotsa sugar. :P <br />
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Anyhoo, I pinned a few banana bread recipes but could not land on one recipe so I did what I could and combined two. I used cream cheese banana bread recipe from <a href="http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/2010/10/cream-cheese-banana-nut-bread-southern.html?m=1" target="_blank">here</a> and used the streusel topping recipe from <a href="http://yummyaddiction.com/moist-banana-bread/" target="_blank">this blog</a>. I've baked a few banana breads in my life but have never used cream cheese to bake one so I wanted to try this recipe and wanted to know how it would do. Also, one of my absolute favorite pound cake is the <a href="http://friedbluetomatoes.blogspot.com/2009/08/cream-cheese-pound-cake.html" target="_blank">cream cheese pound cake</a>. The recipe yields two banana breads. You can probably bundt cake it, too. ;) The streusel recipe is only for one banana bread so double it if you're making two pans. <br />
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The Bread:<br />
<ul>
<li>I reduced the sugar from 2 cups to 1.5 cups and it was still very sweet so I would definitely stick with the lower sugar content.</li>
<li>I baked the bread for an hour but I think I'll take it out after 50 min next time. </li>
<li>Toasting the pecans before baking it is crucial in my opinion. It makes a huge difference in the flavor of the pecans. </li>
<li>Would I bake this again? Yes! </li>
<li>Did it work in buttering up the boss and the co-worker. I think the cake did its job. :P</li>
</ul>
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Streusel Topping:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>This was the bomb streusel topping. It made the cake that much more special and everyone who tried the bread asked me about it. Use it! is my advice. </li>
<li>Do not toast the pecans for the topping since it is on top of the bread, it will toast itself in the oven. </li>
</ul>
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FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-65705023323677455492011-01-11T21:03:00.000-06:002016-01-18T13:08:13.272-06:00Moist Chocolate Cake - The Best!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I really hope I don't get in trouble for this. :( But here goes.<br />
Last year, sometime near the end of the year, I had to bring some morning snacks for the staff at our school. I really really really wanted to bake some yummy and super moist chocolate cake so I went a searching for a recipe online. All I did was type 'moist chocolate cake' on google. There were quite a few recipes, as you can imagine, so I did my research and sifted through a few recipes and landed on this one. The ingredients and the how-to just looked like they would work beautifully. I baked little moist chocolate cupcakes out of them and they really were the best kind of chocolate cake. They almost tasted like one of those high-end chocolate cakes that you get from really expensive pastry shops.<br />
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I was utterly pleased with them. But I could not blog about them because I forgot the site. I know. This is very very bad. I took screen shots of the recipe but could not find the original site for me to let you know where I got the recipe from. Bad. Bad. But I will keep searching and let you know the original site when I find it. But in the meantime. Enjoy them. They will be certain to brighten up anyone's day.FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-86561151871703940432011-01-11T07:29:00.000-06:002016-01-18T13:08:37.888-06:00Peanut butter Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here are the peanut butter cookies I baked for my colleagues for Christmas. I'd stopped doing Christmas goodie bags for awhile. Only because Christmas time always gets so hectic, I eliminated some things to alleviate stress and this was one of them. But this year I opted to go ahead with the Christmas bags at work, as I was going to be in a new role the following year which meant I will not be working with the same people anymore. I wanted to show them how much I enjoyed working with them and what better way to do that than with cookies. Peanut butter cookies. <br />
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I have to say, readers, that these cookies taste better than their scrumptious appearance, if you can believe it. They really are amazing cookies and should definitely be in everyone's baking repertoire. They freeze very well, too. Oooh, almost forgot. I used crunchy peanut butter - which is the best kind of peanut butter. I also used regular sugar to coat the cookies but the crystalized(?) ones (the bigger sugar) will probably work better - as is shown on Smitten Kitchen's post. <br />
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Here's the <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/12/peanut-butter-cookies/">Smitten Kitchen</a> link to the recipe. She got it from the Magnolia Bakery book. :)<br />
By the way. How was your Christmas and New Year's?FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-64459833119988128462010-11-01T22:06:00.000-05:002016-01-18T13:05:51.903-06:00Pumpkin Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">So. The other day, I was faced with a problem I'd never had. Bags of ground pumpkins. The story is, is that Mum was here in Auckland for a little while to take care of me while I was in the hospital and was busy making me all sorts of stuff with all sorts of stuff which included pumpkins. She bought one huge pumpkin and had just too much leftover so froze all of it and left me with it. I scrap a lot of recipes but never anything to do with pumpkins. But I was up for the challenge. Lucky for me, it is autumn in the Northern Hemisphere which means many pumpkin recipes floating around the foodie blog world so it wasn't hard to score some scrumptious-looking recipes. I went with How to Eat a Cupcake's pumpkin cupcake recipe. And I am now in love with pumpkins in bakings. Yu-Ummm. These were unbelievably moist and I absolutely loved the spice it had with all the cinnamon and the etecetra's. I added white chocolate bits to half of the recipe and toasted walnuts to the other half. How to Eat a Cupcake had toasted pecans which I imagine would be divine as well. These will also go fabulous with cream cheese frosting. </span> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><b>Pumpkin Cupcakes</b><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 85%;">Cupcake recipe adapted from <u>How to Eat a Cupcake</u> who adapted it from <u>Cupcakes</u> by Shelly Kaldunski</span><br />
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</span>1 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp ground ginger<br />
1/4 tsp ground allspice<br />
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg<br />
1 cup canned pumpkin puree<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1/2 cup vegetable oil<br />
2 large eggs, at room temperature<br />
1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped or white chocolate</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #ff6600;"><i><br />
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Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.<br />
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In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, and eggs. Add the flour mixture and whisk to combine completely. Stir in the chopped walnuts or white chocolate. <i><span style="color: #ff6600;"><br />
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Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 22-24 minutes (my oven took 17 minutes). Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.<br />
Spoon the glaze over the cupcakes and serve. <span style="font-size: 78%;"><br />
</span></span>FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-9662317639548269292010-10-22T16:47:00.000-05:002016-01-18T13:06:21.502-06:00Banana Butterscotch Syrup Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This happened to me.<br />
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But don't you feel bad about me. The absolute deliciousness of this cake made up for it. Big time.<br />
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I finally got off my butt to bake something out of my beautiful book: "Classic Cakes" by the Australian Women's Weekly and, just as I imagined, the book did not disappoint. My very first cake out of this book was a huge success, even though the cake decided not to stay in tact as a cake.<br />
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This is another classic 'moist' cake. It freezes well and it stays moist all the way through for a long long time.<br />
A note: I used roasted walnuts (chopped of course) because I prefer them with my banana cakes. They were gorgeous. I know I say this a lot but trust me. You want to bake this cake.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Banana Butterscotch Syrup Cake</b></span><br />
from "Classic Cakes" by Australian Women's Weekly<br />
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<ul>
<li>125g butter, softened</li>
<li>3/4 C (165g) caster sugar</li>
<li>2 eggs</li>
<li>1 C mashed banana (about 2 large overripe bananas) *I used 3 to get rid of all of my overripe bananas. I kinda liked it! </li>
<li>3/4 C (110g) self0raising flour</li>
<li>3/4 C (110g) plain flour</li>
<li>1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda</li>
<li>3/4C (110g) hazelnuts, roasted, chopped finely ( like I said, I used walnuts and they were divine!)</li>
<li>BUTTERSCOTCH SYRUP</li>
<li>1/2C (110g) firmly packed brown sugar</li>
<li>30g butter, chopped</li>
<li>3/4 C (180ml) water</li>
</ul>
The Cake<br />
<ul>
<li> Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/160 degrees C fan0forced. Grease deep 19cm-square cake pan; line base with baking paper.</li>
<li>Beat butter and sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in banana, then combined sifted flours and soda, and nuts. Spread mixture into pan; bake about 1 hour. </li>
<li>Meanwhile, make butterscotch syrup.</li>
<li>Stand cake in pan 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack set over tray. Drizzle hot syrup over hot cake.</li>
<li>BUTTERSCOTCH SYRUP: Combine sugar and butter in small saucepan; stir over heat until butter melts. Add the water and bring to the boil, stirring; remove from heat. </li>
</ul>
FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-3465633394941925592010-10-22T16:32:00.000-05:002016-01-18T13:06:45.267-06:00Lemon Cupcakes with Yogurt Marmalade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Straight to the cupcake talk. :)<br />
Here is a repeat of one of my lemon cupcakes that I made when I first started baking. These are officially my favourite lemon cupcake recipe and if I want an idiot-proof lemon cupcake recipe, this will be the one I'll go to. They are exactly light and fluffy and moist. They - like any good cupcake - taste much better the next day, especially if they've been in the refrigerator.<br />
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My original plan was to try out this (apparently) amazing frosting to go with these cupcakes but I just did not have the time for it so I used a quickie-fix topping which was a guaranteed yum-ness: yogurt marmalade topping. :) Remember that one from Pioneer Woman? <br />
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Trust me. These will not disappoint you.<br />
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Cupcake Recipe: <a href="http://friedbluetomatoes.blogspot.com/2009/06/lemon-cupcakes-to-die-for.html">Clicke here!</a><br />
Yogurt Marmalade Topping: <a href="http://friedbluetomatoes.blogspot.com/2009/08/yogurt-marmalade-cake.html">Clickity click! </a>FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-66391370521633581882010-09-21T00:21:00.000-05:002016-01-18T13:09:06.457-06:00Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, out of no where, this recipe sprung up on the blog, Wee Treats by Tammy. It had no rising agent and no milk. But by the power of her delicious photography, I was persuaded and decided to quench my thirst for some choc chip cookies and baked these. They were interesting. The dough was crumby. Don't know if it was supposed to be but it was. So, I had to really mold the crumbs into the shape of a cookie. I think next time I might add a bit more liquidy agent like milk or egg, and yes I pledge to a next time for these cookies. </div>
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I added toasted walnuts instead of hazelnuts. I chopped them up and just toasted them on a frying pan on medium heat (with no oil or anything) until the aroma of roasted walnut filled up the kitchen. Yes, I went by my sense of smell to decide whether they were done roasting. I probably roasted them for about 3-4 minutes or a little bit more. I really think that walnuts were an ingenious choice for these cookies. </div>
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The vanilla was very pronounced but these cookies really were D-licious. </div>
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<a href="http://weetreatsbytammy.blogspot.com/2010/07/milk-chocolate-and-hazelnut-cookies.html">The Recipe</a></div>
FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-29512275519478145442010-07-25T03:07:00.000-05:002016-01-18T13:05:29.403-06:00Some Gorgeousness...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here's some gorgeousness for ya.<br />
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(Not) my first baking book, but I want to say my first proper baking book as my previous baking books were those thin, magazine-like books with titles like 'Quickest Muffins.' And such books were purchased as a college student from the 'sale' pile of Whitcoulls and my baking only lasted a couple of months before my short attention span moved on to another avenue of interest. So here it is. From Women's Weekly - "Classic Cakes." <span style="font-size: x-small;">I actually bought this last Christmas. It was a Christmas prezzie to myself. Tee hee~ </span><br />
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I may be breaking the foodie blog law by posting this because I have not baked anything from this book yet. I have been gushing over all the beautiful pictures though and have been dreaming about baking some of these gorgeousness into life.<br />
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Another law that I may be breaking is that I am having a baked goods diet (Gasp!). I know. How contradicting is my life? I'm a rebel. :P But this is only for a little while for various reasons. I'll still be cooking stuff though so I won't be taking a break from blogging.<br />
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If I may, let me end with a proud baker's moment I had at a doctor's office, recently. I was waiting in the waiting lounge(?) flicking through Women's Weekly and found this bread pudding recipe that looked just so amazing to pass up. I thought about asking the receptionist if I could rip out the page but chickened out and decided to write the recipe onto my scheduling diary instead. Ha! Yes, I sat there scribbling away the recipe and I felt so proud of myself! The funny thing is that I've never had bread pudding before in my life and I don't even know if I like the stuff. But the recipe looked way too good with bananas and milk and raisins and ahhhhhhh.... You get the picture. :) <br />
Anyway. Happy baking wherever you are. :)<br />
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FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-43127529547677298602010-07-15T05:10:00.000-05:002016-01-18T13:04:52.310-06:00Tollhouse BrowniesI knew that if I made a batch of brownies, that I would probably eat the entire batch on my own..not that I do not enjoy sharing but because I've been that brownie-hungry. I had been restraining myself from baking brownies because I was worried about my expanding waist line (they are worse in the winter! have you noticed?) but in the end I gave in.<br />
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I read up on 'brownies' and apparently there are three types of brownies in general. The fudgy kind, the cake-y kind, and the chewy kind. I vote for the chewy kind - always. And that is what I got. Crispy top and the chewy, chewy middle....<br />
ahhhhh.......the joy............<br />
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<b>The Tollhouse Brownies</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1 2/3 C granulated sugar</li>
<li>3/4C cocoa powder (I used a brand called Sun Valley - these have worked really well in all my brownies and other bakings)</li>
<li>3/4C butter (170g)</li>
<li>2 Tbsp strong coffee or water (I made very strong coffee with instant coffee)</li>
<li>2 large eggs</li>
<li>2 tsps vanilla extract</li>
<li>1 1/3 C all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1/2 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>1/4 ts salt</li>
<li>3/4 C chopped walnuts</li>
<li>1/4C chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate bar (I used Nestle dark choc bits..they were awesome! I also added more than what's asked)</li>
</ul>
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan. <br />
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Combine butter and cocoa powder in a small bowl, and place over a pot of simmering water. Ensure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Add the coffee or water and stir to melt the ingredients.<br />
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In a medium sized bowl whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Add the vanilla. When the butter and chocolate have melted and come together, slowly stir the chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture. (Have the chocolate mixture cool down a bit before you do this so the eggs don't cook when you mix them together)<br />
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Add the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Stir this into the chocolate and egg mixture and combine. Fold in the nuts, saving a handful to sprinkle on top.<br />
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Pour the batter into the pan, sprinkle chocolate chips or chocolate chunks and walnuts. Bake for 18-25 minutes depending on your oven. Remove from the oven and let it cool down before cutting it into bars.<br />
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FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-42456264708555640542010-06-20T00:21:00.000-05:002016-11-23T17:39:42.451-06:00The Best Ever Banana Cake<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, I was in charge of bringing cake for my friend's birthday. Ever since I've known her she has sung about banana cake. Yes, her and banana cake are in a deep, meaningful relationship. And so, even though I could have bought a perfectly edible banana cake from an awesome cake store, I thought I'd brave my months of bake-break and create one for my lovely friend. I had scrapped a few banana cake recipes but they weren't good enough so I went a-searching for the perfect cake. I stumbled upon the below and it was an absolute winner. Friends who said they weren't banana cake fans were gushing over it and a guy who's never baked in his life asked for the recipe. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, here it is from me. to you.</span> </span><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Best Ever Banana Cake</b></span><br />
adapted from <a href="http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/one-very-moist-banana-cake/">My Baking Addiction</a> who adapted it from<a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/"> Recipezaar</a><br />
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1 1/2 C bananas, mashed, ripe</li>
<li>2 tsp lemon juice</li>
<li>3 C flour (I used all-purpose)</li>
<li>1 1/2 tsp baking soda</li>
<li>1/4 tsp salt</li>
<li>3/4 C butter, softened, room temp</li>
<li>2 1/8 C sugar</li>
<li>3 large eggs, room temp</li>
<li>2 tsp vanilla</li>
<li>1 1/2 C buttermilk, room temp</li>
</ul>
<b>Frosting</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1/2 c butter, softened</li>
<li>1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened</li>
<li>1 tsp vanilla</li>
<li>3 1/2 C confectioners' sugar</li>
</ul>
<b>Directions</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Preheat oven to 275 deg F (150 deg C). Greese and flour a 9X13 pan.</li>
<li>In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice. set aside</li>
<li>In a medium bow, mix flour, baking soda and slat. set aside</li>
<li>In a large bowl, cream 3/4 C butter and 2 1/8 C sugar until light and fluffy (this'll look like crumbs). Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla</li>
<li>Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture</li>
<li>Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.</li>
<li>Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist. (And folks, this works!!!!)</li>
<li><b>Frosting</b>:</li>
<li>Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla. Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth. </li>
<li>Spread on cooled cake. </li>
</ul>
PS - there's a bit of a discrepancy in the pictures. i baked TWO banana cakes. one was square, the other one was round. both delicious! ;) <br />
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FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-25608453812178992792009-12-05T01:15:00.000-06:002016-01-18T13:19:26.453-06:00Chocolate Dipped StrawberriesDo you ever have this dilemma? You bake something amazing. People compliment. (Big sheepish but proud smiles for that!) And then people creep up to you and ask for the recipe. I'm gonna be super honest here because apparently that is the best policy. I deliberate whether to give out that recipe or to keep it to myself. Do you think I'm being selfish? But shouldn't I be able to keep some recipes so that I (I!) can be the special person who brings joy to people with my bakings? What do y'all think?<br />
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Anyhoo....<br />
I made these. I love these. I love strawberries. Strawberries are like those rare breeds: gorgeous to look at and equally gorgeous on the inside.<br />
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<i>Here's what I did:</i><br />
(I used milk chocolate but I do prefer them with white or dark chocolate.) I melted the chocolate over simmering water and dipped the strawberries. Then I put the chocolate dipped strawberries on pans lined with cooking paper and put'em in the refrigerator until the chocolates hardened. And voila~! You have the best looking, best tasting snack in the world. Big smiles. <br />
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Question: Anyone know the solution to the bottom of the pan chocolates? They either hardened up quickly or have cooked but they refused to be melted when I reheated them. So my last few strawberries got lumpy chocolates.FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-70773690686384113752009-12-05T00:53:00.000-06:002016-02-19T21:02:10.878-06:00Wicked Chocolate BrowniesHello. How have you been?<br />
I'm great. A bit busy but fantastic. You know why I'm great? I have two weeks until my summer vacation starts. Oh~ Yeah~~~~ :) If I may, I do have a grumble, though. The weather is totally playing mind games with me. It's like summer is playing babyish peek-a-boo, ya know? I'm over it. But what can I do? I can't force it out of its peek-a-boo state. I just have to be patient and let it come when it's ready. But I know when it does come, it's going to be fantastic. <br />
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I've realised that I talk about weather a lot here. They say, that one of the best small talk topics is weather. Small talk = Convo with strangers. I'm trying to think how I can get past being acquaintances with you so we can get past the small talk phase. It'll come. I'm sure. :)<br />
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In the meantime, I've got a recipe for ya. <br />
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As novice baker, I try to follow the footsteps of the greats. There are a few (as you've noticed) that I totally look up to in the baker's blog world. And there's something that I've noticed about these bakers. It is that they get their amazing recipes from almost anywhere including....food packets. It is not the 'where' that counts but the final product, right? So...that's what I did. There was a chocolate brownie recipe that I've noticed on the packet of Champion Flour and I decided to try it out.<br />
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<i>Apologies for the shaky photos.</i></div>
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<i>I seem to have shaky hands these days. </i></div>
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<i>I'm wondering if I'm lacking in certain nutrition. Hmmm...</i></div>
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This recipe is chock-full of cocoa and sugar (dang, it had a lot of sugar!) and I absolutely loved the texture of it. A bit of moist and gooey with a crispy top...my kinda brownie, baby~ </div>
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Enjoy. :)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Wicked Chocolate Brownies</b></span></div>
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<i>From Champion Flour packet</i></div>
<ul>
<li><i> </i>200g room temp butter, softened (I used unsalted. Packet didn't specify)</li>
<li>1 1/2C sugar</li>
<li>1C cocoa</li>
<li>3 eggs - room temp<br />
</li>
<li>1/2C standard flour (I sifted)<br />
</li>
<li>150g roughly chopped white chocolate or 3/4 C roughly chopped walnuts (I used 3/4C of chopped macadamia nuts because it is what I had. It was awesome but I would definitely add the chocolate next time)<br />
</li>
<li>Icing sugar to dust</li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li> Preheat oven 150 degrees C (about 302 degrees F) and grease a 20cm (about 8 inches) baking tin/pan.</li>
<li>With an electric mixer on high speed beat butter, sugar and cocoa for 4-5 minutes until creamy. (The batter will be super crumbly but it'll come together)</li>
<li>Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.</li>
<li>Stir in flour and chocolate (or nuts) and transfer mixture to greased baking tin.</li>
<li>Bake for 1 hour or until the surface of the brownie appears cracked. The centre should appear almost uncooked.</li>
<li>Cool in the tin and cut into squares.</li>
<li>Dust with icing sugar before serving. <br />
</li>
</ol>
FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-543627113336279396.post-21410630132168536692009-11-17T21:27:00.000-06:002016-01-18T13:10:22.226-06:00Chocolate Chip CookiesLet's talk about what stirs your pot.<br />
What stirs your pot? What rattles your cage? What kills your buzz? What annoys you? (An endless array of idioms may be???)<br />
For me, movies like 'Nights in Rodanthe' - they made me all excited with Richard Gere and Diane Lane... and then when I finally got around to seeing it? Zip. Nothing. Nada. What about rain on the day you planned a beach picnic - grrrrrrrr~!!!!! Talk to any Aucklander and they'll know what I'm talking about. How about when people cancel on you when you've been looking forward to seeing them all week. Bastards! >:-[<br />
I'm not trying to entice you to the dark side of negativity, I'm just trying to transition into talking about my cookies. My chocolate chip cookies...... :)<br />
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I had one of those days. Y'know, one of those days when you need someone, something, some song to make you feel better? Well, I was having one of those days so, I decided to bake me some chocolate chip cookies. I have about a million chocolate chip cookie recipes and, yes, I do plan to try aaaall of'em. But that wasn't the day to trial a recipe. No. I wanted a foolproof recipe that would sweeten up my cloudy day. So, I used the best chocolate chip cookie recipe that I know - The Nestle Tollhouse recipe. Yea Yea Yeah~~~ baby~~~<br />
Can anything go wrong when you've got chocolate chip cookies? I don't think so~ :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/specialty/nth-detail-occc.aspx">The Recipe</a></b></span></div>
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BTW, the myth about chilling the dough? Not a myth. I believe in it. Use these chocolate chip cookies to try this out and you'll know what I mean. I put'em in the fridge overnight. You can freeze the dough, too. Just transfer them to the fridge a few hours before you plan to bake them. They'll be as crispy as fresh bed of autumn leaves and goo-hoo-hooey on the inside. Enjoy. :)FriedBlueTomatoeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15296217619103310093noreply@blogger.com0