Parmesan wonton crisps

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My tot goes nuts over anything crispy. When I make him toast, he loves the crust. When he eats pizza, he loves the crust. Roasted chicken, he likes the crispy skin. So this snack is definitely right up his alley. Super quick to make and so tasty. We almost always have wonton wrapper at home as I like to make homemade wonton and pot stickers. And of course a block of Parmesan is a staple in a half Italian household. I actually used Asiago one time and it was so good. 

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I usually end up eating more than I intend to every time I make these. I make a batch and snack on a few, place them in a container but it's basically pointless to even put them in the container, as my tot's little hands would go for it, Steve would walk by it for a "taste test" and of course I join him. By that time it's usually all gone. When you want a quick snack that is not fried, yet so tasty you can even serve as part of your appetizers for your guests, this will be a great fit.

Parmesan wonton crisp

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1/2 pack wonton wrapper

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped - or 2 Tbsp dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. Cut the wonton wrappers(triangles or rectangles) and spread on a baking sheet in a single layer.

3. Brush the olive oil on each wonton wrappers and sprinkle salt, pepper, cheese and parsley. (Go easy on the salt as cheese is salty. I didn't use any salt and it was fine.)

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes and enjoy. 

*Recipe from Life as a strawberry

Telepan local, Tribeca, NYC

It was my good friend MB's birthday a few weeks ago. Actually, it has been a month! Can't believe how fast time flies. To celebrate her birthday, we got together for dinner. Double date. =)

This birthday girl is a true food expert. When I say expert, I mean, she is a trained chef who works at the network everybody knows and makes these shows happen! She chose where to have the birthday dinner, without knowing where she chose, I was already getting psyched! 

I had grilled octopus to start with which was fabulous. Nice and tender, dressed perfectly.

Birthday girl ordered radish and bacon over toast. She said it was very good. Now, here's the funny part.

What her husband ordered. Foie gras jammer. A single bite. The look on his face was priceless.  

 Salad my husband ordered. They're both way over 6' tall, big guys. Okay, salad portion is pretty much normal. One bite of foie gras was totally unexpected. We ended up ordering some more stuff.

Steak that melts in your mouth.

 

Grilled beef short rib with Kimchi-like fermented cabbage. A little on the dry side but very tasty. Cabbage had Kimchi flavor but not overwhelming like traditional Kimchi. Very well balanced.

 

Half roasted catskill chicken. Super tender, almost creamy.

We also ordered fries and red pepper spaetzle. Both very good. Super crispy fries, surprisingly plenty - given the portion of all the other menu items. 

Overall, GREAT choice MB! Food was lovely, though portion is a little on the smaller side. Service was pretty good. We loved urban barn like decor of the place and the casual atmosphere. Farm to table type of place is always our favorite. Unlike Telepan upper west side, this place is more like a great spot for casual and laid back hang out with good friends. Downtown restaurants always have this different feel to it.

Xteve rating : 4.0 *****

Website : Telepan local

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

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Columbus day didn't affect us as Steve still went to work and my tot's school wasn't off. But this week felt so short. Even then, I am so glad weekend is here! Steve was out of town for a few days this week and he's back today. These cookies are his all time favorite amongst my baked goods. Also family favorite too. It's the first thing I baked for my nephews when I first met them and ever since then, they always give me the same reaction when they see these. Very sweet. 

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These are not chewy type of cookies. If I feel like making it a little on the chewy side, I use brown sugar instead of regular sugar but I think crusty texture goes nicely with this flavor. Mixing half brown and half regular sugar works too. Cookies don't have to be exact like other type of baked goods, so change up depending on your taste. I've been baking these for a long time and over time, I changed here and there and settled with this ratio. 

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I would recommend regular sized chocolate chips rather than larger ones. I usually use them but this time this was all I had and I don't know if I like it. I mean of course, again, depending on your preference. I find that when I scoop the dough on the pan, big chunk of chocolate chip falls off and it annoyed me. Well, I am a person with a little patience. =P Either way, these are super easy and quick to bake. When I crave some freshly baked cookies, this is the go to recipe for me. 

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 large egg

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips

 

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and peanut butter. Add in sugar. When mixed in, add the egg and mix until well incorporated.

2. Add flour and baking soda to the butter mixture. 

3. Add chocolate chips and mix gently.

4. Scoop the cookies on a lined pan and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes and move them to a cooling rack. And enjoy!

 

Chia seed pudding

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My tot has always been a cheese and yogurt lover like any kids. At one point, I thought he's taking too much dairy in his diet as he eats yogurt and cheese many times a day. So I switched him to almond milk instead of cow's milk. Well, he still drinks 2% milk too but mainly he drinks almond milk. I love the nutty taste of it and the fact that it's non dairy, it makes me feel healthier. 

 

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Since we add chia seeds in our yogurt all the time, I knew chia seeds strangely become gelatinous but never thought to use it for pudding until I found this recipe months ago. I didn't find extra maple syrup was necessary for the strawberries as the ones we had was very sweet and tasty. And we usually only have unsweetened almond milk at home and with maple syrup added to it, it was the perfect sweetness for us. I personally don't like sweetened milk, so I didn't go out of my way to buy vanilla flavored almond milk. This is a great breakfast or a perfect after nap snack for my tot.

Chia seed pudding

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1 cup vanilla flavored almond milk(unsweetened was fine for me though)

1 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp maple syrup(plus 4 Tbsp for serving if you prefer)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 pint strawberries, halled and chopped

1/4 cup sliced almond, toasted

Directions :

1. In a medium bowl, whisk almond milk, yogurt, maple syrup, salt and vanilla extract.

2. Add in chia seeds and let it stand for 30 minutes. Place it in the fridge over night.

3. When ready to serve, toss strawberries with 4 Tbsp maple syrup and mix with almond slices. 

4. Spoon the pudding to serving cups and top with strawberry-almond mixture. 

*Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

Bubble top brioche

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Oh boy, what a week. Everyone's sick around me and I am exhausted. Luckily I, who has to take care of everyone is not sick(at least for now). It's the worst when I'm sick and I have to take care of sick family members. Moms don't deserve to be sick basically. Anyway, on a hectic week like this, I am so thankful I had some stuff saved to post. I mean, I am not a professional blogger or anything and no one will probably care if I skip a post or two but I like keeping it on  a certain schedule knowing myself, once I lose that vibe, it will really be out of control. Just like I used to go to the gym every single day but once I skipped a few times, I don't even remember when the last time I stepped into a gym. Haha 

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Just like most yeast bread, it needs some time and effort but if you're a brioche lover, every minute is totally worth it. Warm, fragrant straight out of the oven yumminess. Oh boy.. Love, love love this texture. Layers of goodness. You know how nice and juicy grilled chicken breast will tear as its natural texture goes, that's how it feels. Add a dab of butter and some good strawberry jam and I am in heaven. I love the smell of yeast bread baking in the oven.

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I have made this many times and every batch was successful for this recipe. It's really simple. Don't be afraid of the time it takes. As long as you get the yeast working at the right temperature, you let the dough do its own thing. It does what it's asked to do, no trouble. In some sense, it's better than a toddler. =P Start the process on a Saturday night and with a little effort, you will be able to have a fabulous breakfast on a lazy Sunday!

Bubble top brioche

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup warm whole milk

3 tsp active dry yeast

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs, room temperature

3 Tbsp sugar

12 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg beaten + 1 tsp water (egg wash)

Directions :

1. In a bowl of stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine warm water and milk. Stir in yeast and let it sit until foamy for 8 minutes or so.

2. Stir in flour and salt to the mixture. Mix at low-medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Add sugar and beat until dough is smooth at medium speed. About 3 minutes.

3. Reduce speed to low and add butter, one Tbsp at a time until each edition is well blended. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the dough pulls away from the side. About 8-9 minutes.

4. Lightly butter a bowl, place the dough and cover. Let it rise double in volume. (About an hour)

5. Deflate the dough and let it rise for 30 minutes and repeat for 2 hours. Chill in the fridge overnight.

6. Butter 12 standard muffin pan. Divide the dough into 12. Cut each piece into thirds. Make them into balls and put three balls in each prepared cup. 

7. Lay a parchment paper on top of the pan and let the dough rise for about 50-60 minutes.

8. Brush the egg wash on top and bake at 400F for about 20 minutes (cover with foil if browning too quickly).  Transfer the pan to the cooling rack and cool for 10 minutes and take the rolls out. Best served immediately. 

*Recipe from Epicurious

 

Butter udon with sesame leaves

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Steve has been so sick lately but due to his busy schedule and meetings, he could not take a day to rest. He looked miserable when he left for work which breaks my heart. And on the other hand, my tot and I had a wonderful day today at a farm. We are supposed to go apple picking as well as pumpkin picking this Saturday but just because we can, we went to a farm near by with some friends. We were having so much fun we stayed there for a while and when we came home, it was already past our dinner time. Well..if you remember, our meal schedule's kind of lame. Dinner for me and my tot is usually 530-6pm. Haha

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No time for anything fancy. We were tired and hungry even though we had a donut at the farm. 8 minute dinner. If it's not for the soft boiled egg, it's probably less than 5 minute dinner. Kids eat butter sauce pasta so why not butter udon? We love udon noodle. The way my tot sucks up one little string of noodle at a time is hilarious. These pictures were taken previously and unfortunately not the best quality. Clearly, I tend to make this dish when I'm starving or in a hurry. It will look a lot prettier if you don't squash the egg when you peel.  

Butter udon with sesame leaves

Printable recipe 

Ingredients:

1 packet udon noodle

1 soft boiled egg(I boil from cold water for 8minutes)

10 sesame leaves(shiso leaves), Chiffonade

1/2 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp mirin

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds(more for garnish)

Directions:

1. Cook the udon as package directions. 

2. Mix soy sauce, sugar, mirin and sesame seeds in a bowl.

3. Add hot udon noodle and butter to the bowl with the sauce and mix until noodle's evenly coated.

4. Place udon in a serving plate/bowl and top with soft boiled egg, sesame leaves and sprinkle some sesame seeds, if desired.

*Adapted from mamaworld.

Quinoa granola bar

 

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You know I love toasted quinoa if you have read my previous posts. Another way to enjoy it is to make it into bars. Last summer when we went to Myrtle beach, I brought a large bag of these bars with us and that was a life saver at our beach family photo shoot. We eat dinner early due to my tot's schedule and it was a sunset photo shoot. Exactly when my tot was supposed to eat. O..K..Usually my life revolves around my tot's schedule but we had to do what we had to do. He loves his granola bars and it kept him going for the entire photo shoot. Phew!

Spelt seeds is one of the things we have at home but not being used often enough. I use it just like oatmeal. But for some reason, average mornings, I'd go for oatmeal rather than spelt seeds. This is the perfect way to use these healthy stuff more often. When it's toasted, it's very nutty. For nuts to add in it, it can be totally flexible as any granola bars. Depending on what I have in the pantry, it defers but a lot of times, I use toasted thinly sliced almonds, walnuts and cashews. This time, I threw in some toasted pumpkin seeds too since it was just right there. Hmm, let me make it sound a little better. Pumpkin seeds were added since it's fall! 

Steve likes these with a drizzle of chocolate. Yeah..I know, of course everything's better with a bit of chocolate. Feel free to go ahead with the chocolate. I'm telling you, it's absolutely delicious. But I don't need a toddler all hyped up more than he already is, so I don't. =P

 

Quinoa granola bar

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup spelt seeds

3/4 cup toasted quinoa

1/2 cup mixed nuts

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1 tsp vanilla

Directions :

1. Toast rolled oats and spelt seeds at 375F for 8-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, Add all wet ingredients in a sauce pan and bring it to a gentle boil. 

3. Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour honey mixture and mix well. Preheat the oven to 325F.

4. Line a rimmed 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper with a little extra for easy lifting. Pour the mixture and spread it evenly.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool and cut to size you desire. If you keep it in the fridge, you get more crunch.