Oatmeal Spice Muffins

Oatmeal Spice Muffins - made November 18, 2019 from Five Heart Home

I baked these muffins due to a conversation I had with my sister.
Her: I'm going to bake muffins for my office mates because they helped me move.
Me (pause, remembering she burned slice and bake cookies when we were kids): Do you know how?
Her: No.
Me: Do you want me to bake them?
Her: Oh, would you?

Okay, even she admitted that was a little passive aggressive. Not to mention predictably easy to get me to bake. Not just because I like to bake but because my sister can cook but she can't bake. She just can't. So, you're welcome, helpful office mates.

I usually don't make muffins but she wanted something "healthy" and we all know muffins pretend to be a healthy alternative to cupcakes. Pretense gets kicked up a notch when you make oatmeal muffins.

These actually turned out pretty well. I wouldn't consider them super healthy but they did have a nice crumb and texture. And they weren't too sweet. You can kick up the sweetness a notch by sprinkling coarse sugar generously over the tops before baking but otherwise, this makes a good breakfast muffin. I only made a half recipe and used paper liners larger than the standard cupcake size so I only got 8 muffins out of the half recipe.

2 cups rolled oats, not quick-cooking oats
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, stir together oats and buttermilk. Let sit at room temperature for 30 - 60 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. 
3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together; set aside.
4. Once oats have finished soaking, stir in brown sugar and eggs into mixture. Mix in melted butter and vanilla. Blend in flour mixture.
5. Evenly divide batter between prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops of muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool muffins in pans for a few minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Pancit Lug-Lug aka Pancit Palabok

Pancit Lug-Lug - made November 12, 2019 from Kawaling Pinoy

I ended up making this dish twice, not because I particularly loved it and had to make it again but because I didn't feel I made it right the first time. I didn't have atchuete powder the first time so I used anatto seeds. I thought they would melt in hot water but they didn't. They dissolved only very slightly, just enough to impart the slight color that represents the trademark color of pancit lug-lug or palabok.

Then I made a couple of other mistakes as well: I thought the sauce was too soupy so instead of using flour as a thickener, I went with cornstarch, making a slurry of a generous amount of cornstarch (probably at least 1/3 cup) and the existing sauce. But that eventually made it too thick. To compound my comedy of errors, I used the whole package of noodles and it turns out that was too much for the sauce that this recipe made.

Undeterred, I tried again. This time, my mom gave me a packet of atchuete powder to use plus I went easy on the cornstarch this time. Initially I thought I went the other way round in that I didn't have enough noodles and the sauce was still too soupy. But actually, once I took the pot off the burner and combined all the leftover noodles I had and let the sauce "set", it thickened up satisfactorily.

Flavor-wise, I thought this was a little bland. Which I don't mind but not sure how authentic a palabok this was. I'd probably increase the fish sauce slightly and would add a more generous amount of shrimp. But this did have ease of preparation going for it so there's that. Just do a better job than I did on getting that noodles to sauce ratio correct.

4 1/2 cups water
1/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lb ground pork
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon atchuete powder
1 cube shrimp or pork bouillon
1/4 cup flour
salt to taste
16 ounces thick cornstarch noodles
1 cup crushed pork rinds
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
toasted garlic bits
green onions, chopped
calamansi, cut into wedges

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Using a fine-mesh sieve, plunge shrimp into the hot water and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Slice lengthwise in halves. Reserve liquid.
2. In a pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened.
3. Add ground pork. Cook, breaking apart with the back of a wooden spoon, until lightly browned. Drain excess fat except for about 1 tablespoon.
4. Add fish sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add atchuete powder and stir until ground pork is evenly colored.
5. Add reserved liquid and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 6-10 minutes or until meat is tender and cooked through. Add bouillon and stir until dissolved.
6. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup water and flour. Stir until well blended and smooth with no lumps.
7. Add to the pot, whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Season with salt to taste.
8. Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions until tender but firm. Drain.
9. In a large bowl, combine cooked noodles, sauce and 1/2 cup of the crushed pork rings. Gently toss to evenly distribute. Garnish with green onions and sliced hard boiled eggs. Serve with calamansi.

Chocolate Pound Cake

Chocolate Pound Cake - made November 11, 2019 from Chef in Training

I didn't make the glaze for this as I was sending it in a care package for a deployed military service member and I didn't know how well the glaze would hold up since I didn't know if it was going to a cold climate or a warm one. Plus, depending on the final destination, it can take up to 2 weeks for a package to arrive and I didn't want the moistness of the glaze to get moldy. I don't have a food sealer (yet) so I played it safe by keeping this unglazed.

This was a great chocolate pound cake. It had a good, slightly dense texture so it would travel well and the flavor was great: not too chocolaty, not too sweet.

If I make it again for myself, I'd try it with the glaze but even "plain", this is a pretty good cake. I made the taste test as an individual cupcake-sized cake but for shipping, I made the rest of the batter into loaf cakes. They ship better and the larger size keeps it moist. Smaller sizes will dry out more easily.

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
5 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Chocolate Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup evaporated milk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar and vanilla for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
3. In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. Add alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture, beating until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Pour into 3 greased and flour loaf pans, 8" x 4" x 2.5".
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean.
6. Frosting: Combine powdered sugar and cocoa in medium mixing bowl. Add butter and milk; mix well. Spread over pound cakes.

Bakery Style Double Chocolate Cookies

Bakery Style Double Chocolate Cookies - made dough November 8, 2019 from The Food Charlatan

I made these cookies to use up some plain chocolate candy bars I had left after Halloween. They substituted nicely for chocolate chips and were a good way to use up leftover chocolate. At least it kept them from being eaten by me, myself and I.

I also used these cookies to put in a 2nd and 3rd care package I sent to deployed soldiers as part of the Angel Baker team from Soldiers Angels. Normally these wouldn't be good in a care package since they're soft and therefore fragile but I took care to wrap 2 cookies back to back in plastic wrap, put in ziploc bags and lodged them firmly in the mailing box, well cushioned. Hopefully they'll arrive intact and relatively still moist and fudgy.

These baked with a slightly crisp outer shell once they'd cooled completely and the inside was moist, fudgy and chewy. Good chocolate flavor as I used both Valrhona bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder. I'll keep saying it over and over - the quality of your finished baked goods are entirely dependent on the quality of your ingredients. Use the best you can afford; it'll be worth it at the end.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour, spooned and leveled
1 cup cocoa powder, spooned and leveled, sifted if lumpy
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add both sugars and beat 1 more minute, scraping bottom and sides of the bowl.
2. Add cooled, melted bittersweet chocolate and beat until incorporated. 
3. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until combined.
4. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add to mixing bowl and mix until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover bowl and chill dough for 30 minutes or until dough is cool enough to form into dough balls.
5. Portion into golf-ball-size dough balls, cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly space dough balls on prepared sheet. Bake 10-11 minutes; do not overbake. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Korean Fried Chicken

Korean Fried Chicken - made November 7, 2019, modified from Nicky's Kitchen Sanctuary

When I lived in the Bay Area, I loved going to Bon Chon Chicken for their KFC (Korean Fried Chicken). There was something about the light crispy coating on the outside and the soy-garlic flavor that was addicting.

There's no Bon Chon in Reno but I decided to take my own stab at Korean Fried Chicken. Granted, this is nothing like Bon Chon but actual "real" Korean Fried Chicken with gochujang sauce which is a spicy chili paste. I know, me, spicy? Not normally. But I really wanted to try making KFC so what the heck. YOLO. Of course, finding Gochujang in Reno turned out to be both easy and difficult. Difficult because I thought I'd try the Asian grocery store first. But for the life of me, I couldn't find it there. It's almost inconceivable to me that they wouldn't carry it but seriously, I couldn't find it anywhere. Ironically, I ended up finding gochujang in the Asian aisle at Smiths grocery store. Go figure.

I really liked how this recipe turned out. Yes, it was a little spicy but not overly so. But what made this the best chicken recipe I've made was the light crispy coating on the chicken. I don't make deep fried food that often because I would eat it - hello, deep fried goodness - plus it's messy AF. But the coating on this was amazing and worth every calorie. It isn't greasy and heavy; it's light and crispy.

The sauce was pretty good too. I skipped garnishing with the red pepper flakes as it was spicy enough for me. I'd make this again in a heartbeat.

Chicken and marinade
4 chicken breasts, sliced into long, thick strips
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Crispy Coating
1 1/2 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
at least 4 cups vegetable oi for deep frying

Sauce
2 tablespoons guchujang paste (I could only find sauce)
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
The tops of 3 green onions, sliced into thin strips
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to a low heat to keep cooked chicken warm. Heat a large pan of vegetable oil or preheat a deep fryer until hot.
3. Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl. Remove chicken from refrigerator. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture, covering fully. Place on a tray and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
4. Once oil is hot enough, fry chicken in a single layer until golden brown on both sides. Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest of the chicken.
5. Make the sauce: in a saucepan, mix together the gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil and sesame oil. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
6. Pour over the crispy chicken and toss together. Top with green onions, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes as desired.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Lemon Sugar Cookies - made dough November 8, 2019 from Dorie's Cookies by Dorie Greenspan

This is a really good lemon sugar cookie recipe: not too sweet but not too tart and it's nicely chewy, not cakey. Plus it's easy to mix together. It does spread a little so you might want to mound up the dough balls and bake from frozen dough like I normally do.

This is the kind of cookie I like to include in a sampler or variety pack when I bake my gifts. It's less fancy and more plain looking than its decorative counterparts but, if taste matters to you, this is a nice palate pleaser that can hold its own with the fancy.

2 3/4 cups (374 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
sugar for dredging

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda and baking powder together.
3. Put the granulated sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using your fingertips, mash and run the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Using the paddle attachment, add the butter and salt to the bowl and beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.
4. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla and lemon juice.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until almost incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the remaining dry ingredients. Beat on low speed until combined and dough comes away from sides of bowl.
6. Pour some granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out level portions of the dough and form into a ball. Roll in sugar to coat completely. Space evenly on prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake the cookies 8 to 14 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until they're barely golden around the edges. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Udon Noodle Soup

Chicken Udon Noodle Soup - made November 6, 2019, modified from Dishes Delish

I love udon noodles. They're thick and chewy and don't get mushy when cooked properly. And because they're so thick, they're hard to overcook.

Now that I'm cooking more, it occurred to me that I could make my own udon noodle soup. So I did.

However, this turned out to be a classic example that shows I'll never be a real "cook". Yes, I can follow savory recipes as well as dessert ones and I can put together reasonably simple recipes that turn out pretty well. But you know what marks a real cook? They taste as they go. Me, not so much. I'm a baker by nature and to me, that means following a recipe. I rarely taste batter or cookie dough. I wait until the final product comes out of the oven and judge accordingly.

That taste-buds-off process doesn't work as well when it comes to cooking since cooking is more about tasting and adjusting seasonings, depending on the flavor you're trying to achieve. I learned that lesson when I took my first few sips of this broth. The first sip seemed pretty tasty. The second sip was a bit salty. By the third sip, I was regretting not tasting it earlier so I could've cut back on the salty flavorings.

At least it was salty to my palate. Fortunately, with soup, the easy fix is to add more water which is what I did. So this turned out after all.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
4 cups chicken broth
18 ounces udon noodles
2 eggs

1. Fill small saucepan with enough water to cover 2 eggs. Add eggs and bring just to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Peel.
2. Bring water in a large pot to a boil. Add noodles and bring to another boil. Cook for 10 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside.
3. Heat Dutch oven on medium heat. When hot, add oil. When oil is hot, add onion and saute until soft. Add garlic and ginger and saute until garlic is browned, 1 minute.
4. Add broth, soy sauce, vinegar and fish sauce; bring to a simmer.
5. Add noodles to serving bowl. Ladle soup over noodles and cut an egg in half to place in soup. Serve hot.

Crispy Orange Beef

Crispy Orange Beef - made November 4, 2019 from Simply Gourmet

Back to the savory side: another simple, tasty dinner recipe that takes minutes to put together with a little planning ahead.

I learned a tip from multiple other recipes that recommended slicing the beef when it was still partially frozen. Not so frozen that it's too hard to cut but not so defrosted that it's completely thawed and more difficult to cut cleanly.

When it's partially frozen, you can cut pretty thin slices which makes quick frying them a faster process. I don't like beef rare but I don't mind a bit of pink. When the slices are thin, by the time I put a single layer of the pieces in the frying pan, it's time to turn them over then time to take them off the heat right after I turn the last piece over. As much as I like frying things (too messy), this is a good compromise to being able to minimize frying time. Plus the beef remains tender.

I don't know that this was particularly crispy but that could be because I didn't fry them for very long as I didn't want to overcook the beef. But the orange flavor was good.

2 pounds sirloin steak, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup arrowroot or cornstarch
1 cup oil, for frying

Sauce
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup of orange rind, sliced very thin (I grated the rind for the zest instead)
1/4 cup green onion, for garnish

1. Combine beef pieces and soy sauce; toss together. Add cornstarch and coat each piece.
2. Using a wire rack set inside a baking sheet, spread out the meat pieces in a single layer. Freeze for 45 minutes to dry the meat out; this helps make it crispy when fried.
3. 10 minutes before the 45 minutes are up, add oil to a large cast iron pan or dutch oven. Bring oil to 375 degrees F.
4. Line a shallow bowl with paper towels and start frying the meat. Fry until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes. Drain pieces in bowl lined with paper towels. Remove oil.
5. Prepare sauce: combine sauce ingredients in frying pan (oil removed); whisk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add beef pieces and stir to coat each piece with sauce.
6. Serve with rice and garnish with green onion.