Ravioli with a Tomato and Cream Sauce

I used to buy things in bulk at Costco and loved getting their ravioli! It usually came plain so I could use whatever sauce I wanted with it. You can easily find ravioli stuffed with different ingredients in grocery stores. Some are fresh and some are frozen. Grab whichever one you prefer! This sauce is delicious and light. It pairs really well with spinach and mozzarella ravioli or a lobster ravioli! Happy cooking!

Yields: 2 - 4 servings

Ingredients:
Ravioli package of your choice (grab 2 if the package is small)
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp. garlic, minced (about 3 cloves)
5 small Roma tomatoes, diced
1/3 - 1/2 bunch of fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Prepare the ravioli per instructions on the package. Set aside.

2. Add olive oil to a large wok on medium heat. Add the onion and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the onion is translucent. Be sure to stir it frequently so the garlic does not burn. Add the tomatoes and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add basil and allow the basil to wilt, 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat and add the cream. Allow it to heat through, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Once heated through, add the salt and pepper to your liking. Add the ravioli to the sauce and let the flavors meld for an additional 1 - 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Goi Cuon (Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls)

What better way to celebrate Spring than to make spring rolls?!

Traditionally, there are tons of fresh herbs in a roll, but it may be overwhelming for those who are new to Vietnamese cuisine. Start off with some Thai basil (not to be confused with American sweet basil) and mint leaves. Other popular herbs include Vietnamese coriander and Vietnamese perilla. Unfortunately, these herbs are hard to come by in Westchester County, so I make do with what I can get. I ended up only using mint leaves. You can probably find some of the herbs in small Asian specialty stores or maybe even H Mart, but I did not feel like going out of my way to buy something that I will barely use. In California, it is much more abundant and cheap! In any case, have everything prepped before rolling to make it easier on yourself.

I enjoy goi cuon not just for its taste but also because you can make these a couple of days in advance and serve it whenever! Just make sure to wrap each roll in a little bit of plastic wrap so that the individual portions will not stick to one another! Smart, right?

I boiled both the pork and shrimp together to save on dishes! Some people prefer the method of cooking shrimp in a skillet, but I was taught to just boil it! Do whatever floats your boat!

Make sure the water you are using is warm and not boiling hot. Boiling hot water will disintegrate the poor rice paper wrappers! Below is how I approach wrapping my rolls! The written directions also reflect this, but you can choose to tackle this how ever you want to! Some people just put everything together before rolling, but for presentation purposes, I chose to put the shrimp in later on in the rolling process. Happy rolling!

Step by step instructions on how to approach rolling a goi cuon (hope this helps):

Be generous with your greens! I just did not have enough to be as generous as I would like. What a shame.

Add about a small handful of cooked vermicelli noodles.

Add a few slices of meat!

Pull the rice paper end closest to you over the ingredients!

Roll the wrapper away from you once and then fold in the sides.

Roll once more or until there is about 1/3 of the rice paper left.

Place 2-3 slices of shrimp cut side up in a row and finish rolling the goi cuon! Tada! Simple right?

Enjoy this with the peanut hoisin dipping sauce! There are so many recipes for it out there. If you really want to keep it simple, just put equal parts hoisin sauce and creamy or crunchy peanut butter into a heat-proof bowl and microwave it to soften the peanut butter. Stir and add water until the consistency you desire is reached. Play around with ingredients. If you want it sweeter, add a bit of sugar. If you want a bit of kick to it, add chili garlic sauce! There is no real measurement for a lot of the best recipes out there. You just have to adjust it to suit your taste! If you feel like trying a bit of a fancier sauce, try the recipe I found below. Again, you will probably have to play around with the ingredients!

Yields: ~10 - 12 spring rolls

Ingredients:
Spring rolls
1/2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 lb. boneless pork loin or shoulder
1 (8 - 10 oz.) package of dried vermicelli noodles
1 small head of lettuce
1 medium cucumber, cut into thin strips
Fresh herbs such as mint, Thai basil, Vietnamese coriander, and/or Vietnamese perilla
12 (8 - inch) rice paper wrappers

Dipping Sauce
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup water
3 tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
4 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. granulated sugar (unless peanut butter you are using is already sweet)
2 1/4 tsp. chili garlic sauce (I use the Huy Fong brand)
1 medium garlic clove, mashed to a paste or use a zester
1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Directions:
1. For the dipping sauce: Combine all the ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk until well incorporated. Adjust to your taste.

2. Fill a medium/large saucepan half full with water. Add about 1 tsp. salt and allow it to come to a boil on medium-hight heat over the stove. Once boiling, add the pork and shrimp. The shrimp will take only a minute to cook, so watch it carefully and remove it once it is cooked through to cool. Allow the pork to cook for 25 - 30 minutes, until it is no longer pink. Take off the heat, strain all the water, and allow the pork to cool.

3. Cook the dried vermicelli noodles according to the package and fully strain all the water from it.

4. Once cooled, slice the shrimp in half, lengthwise. Slice the pork in half, lengthwise, then into thin strips, widthwise.

5. Add warm water to a large bowl and dip the rice paper, rotating it to cover all the rice paper. Lay it on a large plate. It will eventually soften.

6. Place a thin slice of lettuce on the rice paper towards the end nearest you. Add some herbs, cucumbers, noodles, and pork. Be generous with your ingredients, but be careful not to overstuff the rolls!

7. Roll the spring rolls according to your preference until you have about 1/3 of rice paper left. Some people like to present it with one end open, while the more traditional route would be to fold in both ends. Place 2-3 shrimp cut side up in a row and finish rolling.

8. Serve with the peanut hoisin dipping sauce.

Thai Curry with Chicken and Butternut Squash

As you all probably know by now, I am an avid believer of not letting anything go to waste! Yesterday, I decided to make steak with mashed potatoes and roasted butternut squash. I ended up only using half of the butternut squash, so I went in search of a different recipe to utilize the rest of it! Nothing goes to waste here! I came upon this recipe and tailored it to my liking. I omitted mushrooms, though the original recipe calls for about 6 mushrooms, sliced. Add whatever vegetables you want! Remember to have all the ingredients prepared accordingly before proceeding to cook! It is so much easier to have everything cut up already so that the process is much smoother and less stressful. This recipe is reminiscent of Tom Kha Kai, which is a Thai/Laos spicy hot soup that is coconut based and usually has chicken in it. Warning: this soup has a bit of a kick! Serve this with rice or a fresh baguette! Yum! Happy cooking!

Yields: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. butternut squash, diced
1 cup chicken stock (or more, if needed)
4 tbsp. garlic chili paste (spicy level - medium; use less if you want it less spicy)
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 (13 - 13.5 oz.) can coconut milk
Small bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Directions:
1. In a medium pot, cook the butternut squash and chicken stock for about 10 - 12 minutes. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic chili paste, fresh ginger, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, and coriander until there are no lumps.

3. In a wok, cook the chicken, onion, and garlic on medium heat until the chicken begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

4. When the chicken is cooked, add the butternut squash and chicken stock to the wok. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.

5. Add the wet seasonings to the wok and stir so all the ingredients are coated. Cook for 3 minutes to released the spices.

6. Add the mushrooms (if using), bell pepper, and coconut milk to the wok and stir to combine. Allow the soup to come to a boil before lowering the heat to a simmer. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until the butternut squash is soft. If the soup does not have enough liquid in it, add more chicken stock to your liking.

7. Add the cilantro to each individual bowl before serving. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sour Cream Pound Cupcakes

So, I made the mistake of buying two 16 oz. tubs of sour cream for a recipe where I ended up only using a portion of what I bought. I went in search of a recipe where I can utilize the rest of my sour cream because I hate wasting ingredients! I came upon this recipe from Paula Deen and adjusted it to my liking. I wanted to make it easier on myself by making them into cupcake serving sizes instead of using a tube pan. If you choose to use a 10-inch tube pan, just double the recipe below and make sure that the pan is greased and floured well. Make sure not to mistaken a bundt cake pan for a tube pan! A bundt cake pan is too small so the batter will end up bubbling over, leaving you with a mess in the oven! Lastly, bake the 10-inch tube pan in a preheated 325 degrees F oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. To spruce this up a bit, I ended up glazing these babies with a maple syrup glaze. Super simple, just put a cup of confectioner's sugar into a bowl and add a little bit of maple syrup at a time to get it to a glaze consistency! If you want to go a more traditional route, serve the pound cake with whipped cream (from scratch of course) and fresh strawberries and blueberries! You can definitely make these into a coffee cake by using all-purpose flour to make it more dense and add a crumble in the middle of the batter and on top of the batter. I used a whisk for the whole entire process so that it would come out a bit dense like pound cake. If you use a mixer of any kind, it will create a lighter texture due to the air being whipped into the batter. Happy baking!

Yields: 16 cupcake sized servings

Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated.

3. Sift the salt, baking soda, cake flour, and ground cinnamon together in a separate bowl.

4. Add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternating with eggs, beating each egg 1 at a time. Add the vanilla and fill each cupcake liner a little over 1/2 full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes.

5. Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before putting the glaze on if you are using the glaze!

Delicious Buttermilk Pancakes

I never understood why buttermilk only comes in those 1 quart cartons in most stores. I think I have only seen the smaller version at higher end stores. Most recipes only call for so much buttermilk, so the majority of it goes to waste! After making a chocolate cake a few days ago for a tasting, I was left with a carton of buttermilk in the refrigerator! What to do, what to do. The first thing that popped into my mind was buttermilk pancakes of course! I added some strawberry jam between the layers to give my pancakes a bit more flavor in addition to the maple syrup, yum!!! This recipe is so basic that you can add anything to it that suits your taste! The next time I make this, I will have to add some chocolate chips or blueberries to the batter. Happy cooking!

Yields: About 8 5-inch pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, shaken
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the buttermilk, milk, egg, and melted butter. Set aside until ready to cook.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes or so.

3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a whisk to blend. Whisk until just blended together. You want the lumps in the mixture, so be careful not to over whisk! Scoop about 1/2 cup of batter onto the griddle/skillet and spread it out to about 5 inches. Brown on both sides, about 1 minute each side. Serve hot.

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Who else is absolutely addicted to those Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies that are readily accessible at grocery stores?! Do not tell me that I am alone here!

I have been eyeing this recipe for the longest time and finally decided to make them with the urging of my sister. This recipe can be found on Lisa's blog! Be aware that the dough is VERY sticky and soft, so it is highly recommended that you work in small batches while keeping the rest of the dough refrigerated! I suggest chilling the dough for a whole day so it is easier to work with. I like how you can color the frosting to your liking, be creative with sprinkles, and shape these any way you would like! Just make sure to adjust the baking time if you are making smaller sized cookies. I understand that this recipe makes a ton of cookies, so what you can do is freeze the rest of the dough in large discs that are about 1 inch thick. Put each disc into its own freezer bag and try to get as much air out as possible. Frozen cookie dough will be good for 6 - 12 months so it is okay to make a lot and just store the rest for whenever you are in the mood to pop them in the oven! Allow the disc to warm up on the counter until it can be easily rolled out. These are definitely scrumptious, but the texture is way different than the Lofthouse cookies. They are a little more bread-like. I will have to play around with the ingredients next time to get that very same texture! Happy baking!

Yields: 5 to 6 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
6 tbsp. heavy cream
Several drops of food coloring or gel paste, optional
Sprinkles of your choice, optional

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. (Can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, but I only have a hand mixer at the moment so the directions will reflect that.) In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until incorporated before adding the next egg.

Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix on low just until incorporated.

3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and beat on low just until combined. Make sure to scrape down the bowl as needed. The dough will be sticky. Divide the dough into two sections, flatten into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches thick, and wrap in plastic wrap separately. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least a few hours until it is more firm.

4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mat. Set aside.

5. Take out one of the chilled dough rectangles and unwrap. Dust both sides generously with flour and keep it on the plastic wrap.

Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness using a rolling pin. Use a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles and transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Any extra dough that is not being immediately baked should be returned to the refrigerator to be kept cool.

6. Bake for 7 minutes, until pale golden in color. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack.

7. Frosting: In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and vanilla extract on medium speed. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Once smooth and creamy, add in the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is achieved. Add food coloring and beat until combined.

8. Once the cookies have completely cooled, frost and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. Let the cookies sit for several hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Stay Tuned!

I am super excited to try out this one vegan recipe I found and cannot wait to share it with you all if it turns out edible, haha! I found a new way to substitute eggs if the recipe calls for 1 or 2 and it is just used as a binder instead of being the star of the recipe! All you do is use flax or chia 'eggs' and do a 1:1 substitution. Chia is tasteless compared to flax seeds, but is quite expensive. Flax seeds are fine in these kinds of recipes because the taste will be masked. Finely grind either seeds to make meal, be sure to put it in an airtight container, and refrigerate or freeze so it will last longer. To substitute an egg, you would need to combine 1 tablespoon of flax/chia meal and 3 tablespoons of water. Voila! You have your binder! This upcoming recipe is surprisingly pretty healthy! I have never been a fan of whole wheat flour in any shape or form, so I stuck with unbleached all-purpose. I guess it is an acquired taste because I have tried making healthier cookies by using all whole wheat in one batch and half regular and half whole wheat in another and they both did not appeal to me at all. Finding this recipe has inspired me to try and transform my beloved recipes that are not so healthy into healthier alternatives. We will see if the results are worth sharing! In the meantime, check out my other recipes! Happy cooking, baking, and eating!

Asian Salmon

Since I have been eating healthier, I have not been posting anything up because I kept everything extremely simple (ie. cooked cubed chicken with salad and a hint of lemon juice). Today, I decided to incorporate some fish into my meal! I chose Ina's Recipe because it is quick and simple. I ended up just cooking it over the stove in a skillet because I did not feel like whipping out my grilling pan. I had some broccoli and sweet potato that were begging to be used, so I happily obliged! I steamed the broccoli for 5-6 minutes in boiling water and added some seasonings to it (onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and a squeeze of lemon). With the oven on 375 degrees F, I roasted the cubed sweet potatoes with some spices (mixed olive oil, onion powder, paprika, and brown sugar) for 45 minutes or so until it was tender. If you have never tried onion powder with sweet potato before, you NEED to try it! Something about the two just works so well together! Yum! Happy cooking!

Yields: 2 generous portions

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh salmon fillet
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. good soy sauce
3 tbsp. good olive oil
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
Sprinkle of brown sugar, optional

Directions:
1. Cut the salmon in half and lay the salmon fillets skin side down in a dish. Whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle the mixture evenly over both fillets and allow it to marinate for 20-30 minutes in the fridge. Sprinkle some brown sugar over the salmon fillets just before cooking.

2. Allow a large skillet to heat up on medium with a bit of oil, about 5 minutes. Add the fillets in skin side down. Be careful not to burn yourself! Allow the skin to crisp for about 4-5 minutes before flipping. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes depending on thickness of the fillet. Careful not to overcook because it will continue cooking as it cools!