What to make next...

So I've been baking basically everyday, BUT in order to make something other than two dozen of chocolate chip cookies, here are some ideas that I'm aiming for.

French Macaroons
Why? I love them, that's why. I've been thinking about them since I saw Marie Antoinette.

Cream Scones
Went to a bridal shower at the King Eddie and I just couldn't get enough of this -- plus Devonshire cream, of course!

Finnish cardamom cake
There was a bake-off at the CCAC United Way Campaign and one of the ladies who work in the call centre baked this wonderful thing. It just looked like a normal coffee cake, but it was anything but! It wastotally extraordinary! It was just the perfect mix of spicy and sweet. She passed by my office just after the lunch was over and I sat her down told her she missed my calling and can i have the recipe. I told her she shoudl sell it -- funny enough, when i went back to my office, someone else came to see her and they said exactly the same thing! Cardamom Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Loaf

Gingerbread Halloween man -- recipe still to come!

Pistachio Coffee Cake

That's a good list, don't you think?

Chocolate Muffin with Cream Cheese Filling

You just can't go wrong with this recipe. Those who know me probably can hear me saying, well, anything that's got butter, cream cheese, sugar, and chocolate mix together is basically a no-fail endeavour. Even so, this is a real no-fail recipe.

I added about 1/2 c of flour in addition to the original recipe b/c when i first mixed everything together, it was just too wet! Also, I piped in the cream cheese filling vs using a spoon, it just gave it more of a uniform structure in the middle of the muffin as opposed to creating a giant mess at the top of the muffin.

This recipe made 12. we ate two for breakfast -- its' not a breakfast food, but we just couldn't help it -- it was so good straight out of the oven, there was a molten custard cheesecake feel to it. And two days later, they were good, but not AS good -- i even put it in the microwave for 20 sec. the texture was good but nothing compared to when it first came out of the oven. i brought it over to Jamie, Sean, and Miko -- and Miko had her first taste of "cheesecake"!

Sweet Butter Dora Fish with Almond Parmesan Crust

This was done completely by accident while I watched Amazing Race with Ian. We'd just come
back from Barbados and our time clock is all weird. We had a late lunch (at A and W's)...and I started getting the munchies around 8 pm.

1/4 C butter
1 tbsp butter
1/4 C almond slivers
2 tbsp of provencal mustard
two cloves of garlic sliced
two slices filets of dora fish
parmesan cheese -- grated
salt
pepper
garlic powder
honey 1. 5 tbsp
sprinkle of tabasco

This fish recipe is great with basmati rice and
1 C basmati
2 C water
pinch salt
squirt lime juice
1/2 tbsp butter

Cook the rice first b/c fish is not going to take long.
Boil the 2 cups of water, when it comes to a boil, put the rice in. Add the butter, lime, and pinch of salt. Let it simmer for 12 mins and then take it off the heat and cool for 5 mins.

Now, the fish...
Heat the oven by putting it on broiler -- HI. using a casserole dish that can hold two fillets . put the butter, oil, and garlic into the dish. Put the dish into the oven. Heat for 5 minutes -- the garlic is sizzling but not burnt.

Meanwhile, pat dry the fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and garlic powder.

Remove the cassarole dish carefully from the oven. Add mustard, lime juice, and honey. Stir to mix well. Lay the two fillets on the dish, turn once to cover the fillets with the butter mixture.
Sprinkle the almonds across the fillets and then sprinkle the parm all over.

Put it in the oven and wait 6 minutes or until the almond top is toasted/dark golden brown. Cut open the fillet to make sure it's cooked.

Viola! Sweet Butter Dora Fish with Almond Parm Crust.

Banana Bread Muffins getting better! (slightly)

I have now made banana bread muffins 3 times and this is the best... so far. but by far not the best banana or muffin I've ever had.

2 C flour
1/2 C oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 C sugar
1 egg
3 very ripe bananas

Mix all liquid ingredients. Then add the dry ingredients one by one.
I also added 1/4 cup of pecans and also 1/2 cup chocolate chips. and also 1 tsp vanilla.

bake in cups for 35 mins. I think 32 mins. should be fine. This makes 12 muffins and actually i did get some muffin tops.

......If at first you don't succeed ... try three more time and then keep going....

Thea's Amazing Accidental Cha Sui! (Homemade Chinese BBQ pork)

Ian makes a very good pork tenderloin. It's basically the $4 pork tenderloin that you get at Metro or loblaws, you make little cuts into it and you stuff the little cuts with slivers of garlic. They you cover it with olive oil and then spices like salt, pepper, paparika. Pretty white-man bland, but really good when it comes out of the oven.

So I tried to recreate it, went to chinatown and bought something that looked very similar to pork tenderloin but is actually another very similar cut that's leaner, with a very small/thin amount of fat only on one side. It's called "lau mui" i think.

I bought some lee cum kee cha sui sauce as well -- this is the key, honestly i would never try to make my own cha sui sauce, that's just crazy.

I guess it was about 1.5 lb of meat. I put it in a ceramic loaf container and cover it with cha sui sauce, grated about 1 in. of ginger, 1 tablespoon of soya sauce, grated 4 cloves of garlic. I spread the sauce/grated material all over so it's covers the meat evenly. DON'T PUT ANY SALT, the sauce is tasty enough, trust me.

Baked it for 45 mins covered with aluminum foil at 450 F. Then uncovered it and baked for 20 more minutes. I think it could have been done in 30/15. We'll give that a go next time.

I totally didn't follow ian's recipe..but it still turned out quite amazingly. Goes great with fried noodles. total meal cost = $2/person. taste like the stuff you get at a chinese bbq store.

oh yeah ...and my mom makes this too. I must have accidentally channeled my mom's cooking abilities! Thanks mom!