This is my final harvest of the year

I had my final harvest this weekend.  

Still I was very pleased with what I had.

I will Miss U.

***

Welcome Back, Pound Cake

Hello, Big smile pound cake?  :)

I baked it by round pan.  

How does it look?  looks like smile man~.

The absolute best pound cake ever.

Very moist, light and easy!

But It was not baking well - some parts were not done.

Maybe,,,

This is the reason why I didn't use self-rising flour ???

I used normal cake flour.

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups self-rising cake flour

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup sugar (+ 1/4cup to taste)

2 teaspoons vanilla

6 large eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch (3-quart) bundt pan, knocking out excess.

Sift flour. Beat together butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla and beat on low speed until just combined (mixture will appear dry and crumbly). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (mixture will form a batter as eggs are added).

Pour batter into pan, smoothing top. Bake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

- Aunt Rose's Pound Cake.

***

Puff Pastry Apple & Pear Tart

It is time for fall desserts.

I think of apple, pear, pumpkin and cinnamon first when it comes to fall. 

So I used apple and pear!

Actually, my husband likes my apple cake but I wanted new fall dessert.    

Looks like French Cafe Dessert  :)

These are puff pastry apple & pear!!   

Where is ice cream and syrup?? I need- - -  

What better way to welcome autumn than by making an apple tart?     :p

Apple Puff Pastry Tart Recipe 

***

Always Favorite - Sweet Potato Wedges

Sweet Potato Wedges are always favorite for kid and adult.

It is incredibly easy.  

Just 
cut, 
toss 

and 
bake!

Actually I found this recipe for potato but I prefer sweet potato to potato.  I changed main ingredient :)

3 sweet potatoes, 3 Tbs olive oil, 1 tbs garlic powder, 1/2 tbs or less salt and pepper, 1/2 tbs crushed chili pepper, some herbs what you like.

Preheat oven to 410 degrees F.

Cut sweet potatoes into wedge shapes. Don't peel.

Toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil, herbs, salt, garlic powder, pepper and crushed chili pepper.

Spread the sweet potatoes on a baking pan. Don't crowd or layer.

Bake the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.

you can eat this sweet potato wedges for side dish or appetizer.

***

What a delicious Cheesecake :)

Awesome recipe!  This cheesecake is perfect : delicious, creamy and very, very rich!

My friend came over to my house with a homemade cheesecake a few weeks ago.

It was tasty.  So I got this recipe from her.  THANKS  :)

Most people think cheesecake is high in calories but I can't wait to make more.

I think I am addicted to baking these. HAHAHA.

* 6-inch pan

Cream cheese 1 pack (8 ounce), Sour cream 100g, 1 egg, Sugar 35-40g, 

7 Graham crackers crushed, 

1 Tbs melted butter, Vanilla extract 1 t

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. 

Cut the parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan.

Make the crust with graham crackers and melted butter.

Press it down flat into the pan.

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, egg and sugar.

Pour filling into prepared crust and bake in middle of oven for 70 minutes (I used a water bath) 

Cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours and then chill in the refrigerator until serving.

How to cut a cheesecake?

http://bakingbites.com/2013/04/how-to-cut-a-cheesecake/

***

Watercress Pancake - Minari Jeon

I used to make this Korean style pancake. 

Because watercress has detoxifying properties.

Furthermore it is basically the easiest Korean pancake to make and uses simple ingredients.

Korean Watercress, Korean Pancake Mix and water and oil.

If you like, add garlic powder.

Wash watercress and cut to 3-4 inch pieces.

Put the watercress in a bowl and dust with Korean Pancake Mix (and garlic powder)and add enough water so you can shape the mixture into small balls.

Heat up a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. 

And pan fry the balls.

The more oil you use, the crispier and tastier they will be.

***

Korean Oxtail Soup - Gom Gook

When I was young, my mom made this soup sometimes in the winter season.

This soup is full of protein, calcium and iron.

It is indeed very healthy.

On the other hand, oxtail is fatty but the bone and meat make a flavorful broth.

It takes 2-3 hours to make but I guarantee it's worth it...

2½ pounds of oxtail bones, 2 pounds beef flank (or brisket or round), water, 10 cloves of garlic, 2 small pieces of ginger, Korean radish, onion, green onions, salt, ground black pepper.

Soak the oxtail bones and the beef in cold water for 20 minutes to remove any blood.

Rinse bones in cold water a couple of times to remove any bone chips. Drain the water.

Boil 14 cups water (3 ½ quarts) in a large pot.

Put the bones and beef into the pot of boiling water. Boil for about 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and take out the bones and beef. Get rid of the water.

Rinse and drain the meat in cold water to remove the excess fat.

Put the bones and the beef back into the pot.

Add about 12 cups of water (3 quarts), 1 medium size onion, and 1½ pounds of peeled radish, garlic, ginger to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

When it starts boiling about 20-30 minutes later, lower the heat to simmer, covered for 3 hours.

Turn off the heat and take the beef and radish out of the pot. Leave the bones behind.

Put the beef and radish into a bowl.

Pour the brownish broth out of the pot and into a large bowl. We’re going to keep boiling these bones and collect the broth into this collecting bowl as we go along. Keep it in the fridge during this process.

If you have a larger pot, you could keep boiling the bones and adding water over hours and hours, but with a small pot we need to do it in stages and collect in this collecting bowl.

Fill the pot with water again (about 3 quarts) and boil over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. When it starts boiling, lower the heat and simmer, covered for 2½ to 3 hours.

Turn off the heat and pour the broth into the collecting bowl. It will be a lot whiter than the first time we poured it out.

Fill your pot with water again and boil over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. When it starts boiling, lower the heat and simmer, covered for 2½ to 3 hours.

Turn off the heat and pour the broth into the collecting bowl. This time it will be really white, but thin.

Cool down the collecting bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Keep it in the refrigerator for several hours until all the fat floats to the top and gets solid. This is going to be our bone soup.

*Let’s serve!

Take the bone soup out of the fridge. Remove the solid fat from the top with a spoon or strainer.

Slice the cooked beef thinly, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut radish into ¼ inch thick slices

Reheat the bone soup and ladle the soup into a serving bowl.

Add a few slices of the beef and radish to the soup. Serve with warm rice and kimchi, along with chopped green onions, minced garlic, salt, and ground black pepper.  Mix it well with your spoon. You can add warm rice to the soup and enjoy!

This recipe is from MAANGCHI

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/ox-bone-soup

***

Aunt Rose's Pound Cake

Probably the best pound cake recipe I've ever had. Unbelievably moist, great flavor, great texture.

I love that it is rich, but not oily.

Therefore I baked this pound cake several times - This picture that I took 2 years ago.

But I made a mistake.  The pound cake was not baked partially. Why?  I don't know. 

BLUBBERING  :'(

I took this recipe from "EPICURIOUS"

***

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken

The windows are open, the birds are going crazy, and I am happily cooking.

Today I was making baked parmesan garlic chicken,which I clipped on the website.

Hope you guys love it as much as I did!

Recipe from

http://www.steamykitchen.com/7055-baked-parmesan-garlic-chicken-wings.html

***

The Easiest Thai Curry Ever

Making Thai food at home is daunting, but this recipe is very simple.

A creamy coconut milk based sauce is flavored with Thai yellow curry paste, 

some vegetables, cilantro and shrimp.

These are the ingredients I used in my Thai food..

I was so excited when I saw these products at Trader Joe's 

- Coconut Cream & Thai Yellow Curry Sauce. YUMMY  :)

In a skillet, saute the shrimp with oil; stir-fry 3-4 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink.

Add some of your favorite vegetables like potatoes, string beans, baby corn, bell peppers or snap peas.

In the same skillet add the coconut cream and Thai yellow curry sauce, then stir. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Serve with hot steamed rice and cilantro.

I highly recommend this yellow curry for anyone who hasn't eaten it.

***

Homemade Basil Pesto Pasta

If you like the taste of  fresh basil  you will like this pasta recipe.  So easy and quick to prepare!

Well, I hope you enjoy this as much as I do :)

I used my homemade basil pesto.

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Heat some oil in a frying pan, add two cloves of sliced garlic and stir occasionally until fragrant but not browned.

Add shrimp to the pan and stir fry until they turn pink.

Mix the shrimp, pasta and homemade basil pesto together.

That's it!

***

Fresh Basil Pesto

This year I planted a few herbs in pots to grow on my deck. Sweet basil is one of those herbs.

It is the easiest herb to grow and can become large quickly and out of control.

Actually my garden has been growing like crazy :)

So I'd like to talk about the best way to preserve basil.

The absolutely best way to preserve both the flavor and color of  basil is to make pesto.

This stuff is amazing!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it. 

Such an amazing and simple sauce!

Recipe from Food Network

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/basil-pesto-recipe2/index.html

****

Soybean Noodle Soup - Kong Gooksu

On a hot summer day, this cold noodle soup is a nutritious meal for you.

It is one of the most popular summer dishes made with soybean broth.  

It is called Kong-Gooksu in S Korea(Kong means soybean and Gooksu means noodle)

How to make a Soybean Noodle Soup?

Soak soybeans in water for 6-8 hours.

Drain soybeans, put them in a pot, bring to a boil.

Once the water boils cook the soybeans for 5-7 minutes then rinse them in cold water.

Rub the soybeans between your fingers to remove their skins.

Place skinned soybeans in a blender. Add an equal amount of water and blend it until you get a creamy broth.

Put the soybean broth in the refrigerator to cool.

Boil water in a pot and add the dried noodles. When the noodles float,they are done.

Rinse and drain the noodles in cold water several times.

Serve cooked noodles with cold soybean broth. 

If you want, garnish with cucumber, watermelon and black sesame seeds.

Season to taste with salt.

This is refreshing and delicious!! It is a healthy vegan Korean food.

***

Homegrown Tomato Salad with Toasted Green Rice

These are my homegrown tomatoes - I have a green thumb!

In a medium bowl toss together the tomatoes, spring mix with olive oil and green apple vinegar.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with toasted green rice.

Toasted Green Rice - Product of Korea

***

Seafood Stir-fried Noodle

This is a Korean-Japanese style stir-fried noodle.

I got the recipe from my friend who is a good cook.

Boil udon noodles according to package directions, rinse under cold water and drain.

Prepare some seafood, your favorite vegetables, garlic, oil and the  udon noodles with oyster sauce.

First, stir fry the garlic with oil for 1-2 minutes.

Then add seafood like shrimp and mussels.

Finally, add the vegetables, oyster sauce and drained noodles. Season well with salt, pepper and sugar.

If you want to add some heat toss in some crushed chili peppers.

Enjoy!

Oyster sauce

http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Panda-Brand-Oyster-Sauce/dp/B0001DMTJG/ref=sr_1_3?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1376873804&sr=1-3&keywords=oyster+sauces

***

NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baked after 24-36 hours of refrigerating the cookie dough.

It was the most perfect chocolate chip cookies I'd ever eaten.

Nothing super special though.

on February 14, 2011

Recipe slightly adapted from New York Times

***

Truffle Butter Pasta

It was the first time I used Truffle Butter 

and was pleasantly surprised. Absolutely one of the best things to come out of my kitchen in years. It is easy and one of the most flavorful pasta I've ever made.

I had a hard time finding a truffle butter. But I bought it  at Wegmans. yeah!

Recipe from Ina Garten

***

Pompom and Shaggy Mum Cupcake

Tah-dah!  These are my first flower cupcakes.

Pompom & Shaggy mum

I got the Wilton Cake Decorating Class every Friday last summer. So,It took me the whole afternoon to bake cupcakes, make icings and I also had to pack tons of stuff I needed to bring to the class. 

Especially, I had such a hard time making a good consistency icing. phew-. I needed special skill and concentration when I piped two type of flowers. 

It was very helpful and fun fun fun.

***

My First Rose Cake

Last year around this time, 

I registered the Wilton Cake Class.

This cake I made was my first rose cake in the Class.

I learned how to apply icing & decorate cake.

I felt really great about my cake even though it was not perfect. Don't look at this closely, rose looks like earthquake. And it was funny icing :)

***

Lemon Mint Ice Cubes

I used a really easy simple syrup for lemonade.

It looks so cool and fresh.

Take an Ice Cube Tray and place  fresh sweet mint in each section.  Fill with  homemade lemonade.

and freeze.  Really easy!

Once frozen just toss the ice cubes in a Zip Lock Bag to store in the freezer. 

It will be very easy to store lemon mint ice cubes.

I chose Lemon and Fresh Mint, but just think of all the fun things you could come up with using mint, basil, lemon, lime, orange, and other herbs or berries. 

You can change  the ingredients.

I used this vido clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tWaycPEUEjA

***