Peach Tarts Recipes

I have tons of peaches from my recent Peach Picking trip with Diana. Besides eating it fresh I have to find ways to finish it up quick as they are getting over ripe and they don’t keep well in the fridge. I gave some to my neighbor Nancy and also some to Diana’s friend and I still have quite a bit of it.

Who can pass an easy to prepare dessert using the fresh peaches and store bought puff pastry? All you need is just a few other ingredients that you can find in your pantry. There is no fuss, no rolling out pastry here. If you don’t have peaches you can use other type of fresh fruits like apples, pears, plumps or mix berries. You can eat the tart as it is or smothered it with vanilla ice cream. Heaven!!

Ingredients:

1 box of puff pastry – 2 sheets
4 fresh peaches
3 tbsp of sugar – more if you like it sweeter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp of apricot jam + 2 tbsp of hot water (for glazing)

1. Thaw the puff pastry for about 30 minutes. Peel and pit the peaches. Slice them into wedges. Toss it lightly with sugar and cinnamon powder and set it aside.
2. Line the baking sheet with some parchment paper. Pre-heat oven to 375 degree F.
3. Cut the puff pastry sheet into third and then half. Lay it out on a baking sheet. Arrange the peach slices on the puff pastry. Bake for 20 minutes or it puff up and golden brown.
4. Take it out of the oven and brush the top with some apricot jam. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.

Note : If you can't find fresh peaches you can replace it with can peaches.

My sis and yummy cupcakes - Dairy Foods

My younger sister Katie (I call her Kat) is a bit sweet-obsessed. She especially loves cakes and cupcakes and stops in bakeries every chance she gets. Yesterday she went to Dorothy Ann Bakery in Woodbury. Back when I was wedding planning Katie was my right hand man when it came to cake-tasting. We cake-tasted at three or four places before I decided on Queen of Cakes in Edina, but Dorothy Ann was one of the first places we tried, in fact (I can't believe I am even admitting this) we went there two separate times to cake-taste. They have a cake called chantilly that is great.

Kat brought me back two cupcakes from Dorothy Ann Bakery, one chocolate with a white frosting filling and a carrot cake cupcake for Erik. When taking a bite of the chocolate cupcake, I literally said out loud, "oh my god". It was that good, really moist and a real chocolatey flavor. It reminded me of a hostess cupcake, only yummier. They are lovely, too. Thanks Kat, my dear, for thinking of your sister!

Mini Apple Cakes Recipes

I just love cute little cakes. Cakes in miniature size can make a person feel special. It's like you're getting a whole cake to yourself. Diana got me these fancy little paper cups from Japan and I thought I should use it for these cakes.

Ingredients:

185 grm butter
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ cup self-raising flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (80ml) milk
2 apples (any kind, I used granny smith)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare some paper cups of 8 mini cake pans. Grease 8 mini loaf pans (greased with some butter) Peel and coarsely grate the apple. Mix it with the lemon juice to prevent it from turning brown.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time until well combined.
3. Fold in the flours, cinnamon and milk until well combined.
4. Fold in the apples. Divide batter among the cups or pans. Smooth the surface. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave in pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Post Wedding Session - Dairy Foods

Teaser pic from Erik and my post wedding session with fabulous photographer Jennie Sewell.

More explanation and photos coming soon...

Lake Calhoun - Dairy Foods

My hubby and I were in need of a day where we spent quality time together. He let me choose so I planned a walk around Lake Calhoun, a stop at Tin Fish and then dinner at Burger Jones.

To make a long story short, poor Erik's allergies got so bad part of the way around the lake that we had to cut our plans short and head home. So no Burger Jones for us (though I had a feeling that paying $10 for a malt was going to suck anyway).

Despite the allergies, Erik suffered through 20 minutes at Tin Fish. In the three and a half years I lived in Uptown in my mid 20's I never ate at Tin Fish, for some reason I thought it seemed like a touristy spot and avoided it. After going there, I thought it was a sweet little place and I'm glad we stopped in for calamari. Though I think pretty much anything fried taste good, this calarmari was awesome, crispy but substantial enough to taste the squid. I did think it was a bit pricey though.

Tin Fish calamari = good
Crabby husband from allergies = not good
Overall date = need a re-do

We'll make up for it sometime soon. Maybe we'll celebrate the last few days of summer on the patio of Cafe Lurcat with bernaise fries and a lavendar martini (for me, not him). Or does anyone have suggestions for a fun date night?

Oven Baked Chicken Wings Recipes

Chicken wings have become so popular that they are serving it at a lot of restaurant but I am not a fan of their wings. I find them too hard and too dry for my taste. I like my wings to have crispy skin, fall off the bone, and finger licking good. These easy wings are crispy without being fried. What is great about this dish is that you can serve them hot or cold. It works great wheather you are having a Super Bowl Party or just a something delicious to snack on. They only take 10 minutes to prepared and let it marinate for an hour or two and pop it in the oven. For this recipe you can add more cayenne pepper or sugar if you like it spicier and sweeter.

Ingredients:

10 – 12 chicken wings
3 tbsp of soy sauce
½ tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash and clean the chicken wings to make sure there are no stray feathers. Cut wings into portions through the joints, discarding wingtips (I left wingtips on).
2. Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Add wings and coat in mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degree F. Cover a baking dish with aluminum foil. Drizzle it with some olive oil. Spread wings over the base, brush liberally with marinade. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the wings half way through the baking. Serve warm or at room temperature

Scramblewiches - Dairy Foods

Allison, my coworker, sent me this quick, easy and yummy recipe. She is a super busy gal, always on the go, but still loves to find time to cook her own meals. Rachael Ray's magazine and cookbooks are some of her favorites.

From Allison: They're called scramblewiches and they took about 10 mins total. Cook up some deli meat (I used turkey) add eggs, scramble together. Put in hollowed out whole wheat baguette, top with Swiss cheese and put under broiler to melt cheese. Remove and top with fresh chives. SUPER easy and yummy! From Rachael ray's 365 meals cookbook.

Thanks for the great idea, Allison!

I love getting emails and ideas from readers, please send me photos and recipes of recent cooking adventures (eatdrinkpretty@gmail.com).

Kuih Koci/Glutinous Rice Cake with Coconut Filling Recipes

Here is another favorite kuih in Malaysia. Kuih Koci is steamed glutinous rice flour filled with sweet grated coconut or sweet peanut paste, wrapped in banana leaf, the shape is like a pyramid or cone, is a delicious and a classic Malaysian dessert that is suitable for breakfast or tea time snacks. Usually, the color of Kuih Koci is either white or green.

Definations of Kuih

Ingredients:

300 grm glutinous rice flour
½ tsp of salt
1 tsp of pandan paste – if you like it green
1 cup of coconut milk – you might need more or less
About 16 pieces of 6”x 8” banana leaves - blanch in hot water, wipe dry and grease with oil

Ingredients for Filling :

300 grm of fresh grated coconut
130 grm of palm sugar (gula Melaka) or brown sugar – cut into chunks
4 tbsp of water
2 tsp of cornstarch + 2 tbsp of water

1. To make the filling cook the palm sugar and water until sugar dissolved. Add in the grated coconut, stir and cook until almost dry, then add in the cornstarch mixture and stir until the mixture thickens. Set it aside to cool.
2. To make the dough, put the glutinous rice flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Slowly add in the coconut milk; knead well until it forms into smooth dough. If you like the dough to be green adds in the pandan paste. Continue to knead until the color blend into the dough.
3. To make the kuih, pinch a small piece of dough (size depend on how big you want), roll it into a smooth ball and then flatten the dough. Add 1 tbsp of filling in the center of the dough. Gather up the edges to seal the filling inside.
4. Fold a piece of banana leaf into cone shape, oiled side inside. Place the filled dough ball in it, pushing gently to fill the tip of the cone as much as possible. Fold the edges over the base to close (you may secure it with a toothpick) Repeat the same to the rest of the dough.
5. Arrange the cone on a steamer tray and steam for 15 minutes in a slow boiling water.
6. Remove from steamer and allows to cool before serving.

Note: The steamer heat should not be too high. If not the kuih might burst out of the cone.

I am submitting this recipe for Merdeka Open House 2009 - MY SWEET MALAYSIA hosted by Babe in the City - KL. This is a great way to introduce Authentic and Traditional Malaysian sweet dessert to the world. Happy 52nd Birthday Day, Malaysia. Do check out Babe in the City - KL blog on 31st August 2009 for the round up.

Baked Chicken Samosas Recipes

I love samosas, but it’s hard to find a good one here in my neighborhood. They do sell it at our local Indian grocery store or serve it at the Indian restaurants but they are either too greasy or the filling was flat-out tasteless. So the answer to this problem is to make it myself. I made a lighter version of it. I used the spring roll wrappers and instead of frying I baked it. The end result, a delicious healthy snack that’s probably better than the ones from your local Indian restaurant.

Ingredients:

2 medium size potatoes – peel and cut into small cubes
1 small onions – finely diced
1 small carrot – finely diced
1/4 cup green peas
1 small piece of chicken breast – finely diced
1 clove garlic
2 tsp of curry powder
1 tsp of chili powder
A small handful of fresh cilantro/coriander – (chopped finely)
1/2 tsp of sugar
Salt to taste
12 - 14 sheets of large spring roll wrappers
1 egg - beaten



1. Mix the curry powder, chili powder with 3 tbsp of water. Mix well until it becomes a paste. Set it aside. Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Sauté onion and garlic until fragrant and lightly brown.
2. Add in the curry paste. Stir-fry until fragrant. Add in the chicken and stir-fry until it changes color. Add in the carrot and potatoes. Stir-fry until well mix and add in about 1 ½ cup of water. Bring it up to a boil. Cover and slow simmer until the potato tender and mixture is dry.
3. Add in seasoning and green peas and cilantro. Mix well and dish out. Cool the mixture before using. Take a sheet of the spring wrapper and cut it into 3 equal size strips. Put some filling to one side and fold to one corner to make a triangle. Keep folding triangles up toward the end. Brush some egg to seal (refer to pictures)
4. Place the samosas in a well greased baking sheet. Spray or brush some olive oil on the samosas and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree F oven until lightly brown.
5. Serve with some sweet chili sauce.


Note: You can make this into vegetarian but omitting the meat.

Pacman cupcake display - Dairy Foods

My sister-in-law, Nikki, is a woman of many talents. She is super crafty, a great cook, awesome baker and amazing decorator. Nikki addressed all my wedding invitations and placecards and they were a work of art. She is starting her own handwriting, calligraphy-type business on the side so stay tuned if you are planning a wedding or any party and are in need of someone to address invites or add a special touch to any paper products. I will be posting a link to her new website soon.

Nikki was asked by a friend to create a Pacman cupcake display for an 80's party last weekend. Didn't it turn out amazing? For more information on how Nikki put this together click here.

Spinach/ Artichoke Dip Recipes

This is a great recipe for any occasion. Whether you're watching the big game, invited to your in-laws, or pot luck, spinach/artichoke dip is always a winner. It can be served with crackers or baguette slices. It’s versatile enough to be made ahead and refrigerated for 2 days before the party. All you have to do is warm it up in the oven or microwave oven.

Ingredients:

1 packet (8 ounce) cream cheese - softened (I used low fat cream cheese)
1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
3 tbsp of milk (optional)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (optional)
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a small baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach. If the mixture is too stiff or thick mix a few tbsp of milk.
3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Pulut Inti/ Glutinous Rice Packet Recipes

I made these when Zue came to visit me last week. She did most of the wrapping. Aren’t they cute? Pulut inti is steamed glutinous rice topped with grated coconut flesh cooked in palm sugar and then wrapped in banana leaf to resemble a square pyramid. It is a Nyonya and Malay traditional kuih (cakes) normally eaten at breakfast, tea time and as dessert. This popular kuih can be found at the food stalls, or sold at the road side stall in Malaysia.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups glutinous rice – wash and soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight
1/2 tsp salt
150 ml water coconut milk
1 pandan leaf, tied into a knot

Coconut filling:

120g palm sugar or gula Melaka
4 tbsp water
1 pandan leaf, knotted
1 1/2 cup grated coconut

Banana leaves – 10-12 pieces - cut into 4 x 6 inch, blanched in hot water to soften for folding.

1. Drain the rice in a strainer. Place the rice in a heatproof dish. Mix in the salt and coconut milk to the rice. Add pandan leaf in the rice and steam over high heat till it is cooked for about 20-25 minutes. Check from time to time and stir. Remove from heat.
2. For the coconut filling, in a heavy saucepan dissolve sugars in the 4 tbsp of water. Simmer until liquid starts to thicken and become syrupy. Add grated coconut and pandan leaf. Cook till the mixture is soft and dry about 10 to 15 minutes. Most of the liquid should have evaporated. Remove from heat and let it cool.
3. To assemble, place about 1 1/2 tablespoon cooked glutinous rice on the center of the banana leaf. Flatten it slightly in the middle. Add a generous teaspoon of filling on top of the rice.
4. Fold both ends of the leaf over the kuih; ensure that the top is slightly open to show a bit of the filling. Tuck both ends under the packet. When all the mixture is used up, serve on a plate. Enjoy with a cup of hot tea!

Orzo-stuffed peppers, hummus and beets as big as heads - Dairy Foods

I made this random meal a couple weeks ago. I love my Giada's Kitchen cookbook but the stuffed pepper recipe was not a favorite. It was good, but not as good as most of the meals I have made from Giada's book.

I also paired the meal with beets from the Farmer's Market, they were perfectly in season, huge and gorgeous. I roast them on 400 degrees with salt, olive oil and freshly ground pepper for about 45 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Then I crumble goat cheese on top, so good.

Here is the recipe for the Orzo-Stuffed Peppers (as you can see in the photos, I used green peppers because they were available at the Farmer's Market, I think we would have liked them more had I followed the recipe and used red or yellow sweet bell peppers.) Another reason I don't think this was a favorite is that I am not a huge fan of mint in savory dishes. Basil may have been better.

Orzo-Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

1 (28 ounce) can whole Italiam tomatoes
2 medium zuchini, grated
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romao cheese, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
6 sweet bell peppers (red or yellow)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl and break them into pieces using a pair of kitchen shears or your fingertips. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo will be only partially cooked. Drain the orzo through a sieve, reserving the chicken broth, and add the orzo to the large bowl with the vegetables. Stir to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove the ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.

Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle each pepper with cheese, and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the stuffed peppers to serving plates. Garnish with basil, if desired.

Here is the link to the recipe I used for the hummus, instead of the full 1/3 cup of tahini (sesame seed paste), I substituted some olive oil. It turned out fabulous.

Almond Biscotti Recipes

This twice baked Italian specialty has become very popular here. Unlike other sweet cookies we are used to, biscotti are crisp and crunchy and taste really great when dunking it in coffee or sweet wine. These traditional biscotti do not contain any butter or oil. It uses eggs to bind all the ingredients together. You can add any types of nuts, dry fruits and flavor that you like to it.

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract or ½ tsp almond extract
1 cup whole almonds - toasted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combined flour, salt and baking soda together. In your mixer whisk eggs and sugar until well combined. Add in flavoring.
3. Gradually add in the flour into the egg mixture until dough is form. Add in almonds. With floured hands divide dough into half. On a lightly floured surface roll each half of dough into a log.
4. Transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet, spacing the logs about 3 inches apart, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch and lightly brown.
5. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Transfer logs to a cutting board and using a serrated knife slice log into 1/2 inch thick. Arrange evenly on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 minutes or until lightly brown and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool and store in an airtight container.

Note: I added some dry cranberries to the second log.

Crispy Baked Shrimp Recipes

Most of us love fried food. Who doesn't? Unfortunately, I am trying to cut down on that. So the next best thing to do is to bake them. Sure baking might not give you the exact crispiness but this shrimp is still a crowd pleaser. Lightly breaded with panko bread crumbs and baked within minutes in the oven. This baked crispy shrimp is one dish that everyone will love. Serve it alone or add your favorite sauce to make this a perfect appetizer or entrée.

Ingredients:

20 large shrimp – peeled, deveined with tails intact
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 egg white
1 cup of panko bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 450 degree F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Drizzle it with some olive oil.
2. Marinate the shrimp with salt and pepper. Beat the egg white and pour it into the shrimp. Mix well.
3. In a plate combined the bread crumbs with ½ tsp of salt. Mix well. Coat the shrimp with the bread crumb. Lay the shrimp on the baking sheet, drizzle a bit of olive oil over the shrimp and bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.

Note: If you like coconut you can add ¼ cup of it to the bread crumb.

Masa is the place to be for lunch - Dairy Foods

Masa has an amazing lunch deal during the week, buy 3 for $10. You can choose from guacomole, a jicama and mango salad, chicken tortilla soup, and many different types of tacos and tortas.

Diane, Amelia (coworkers/friends) and I went last Friday for a fun lunch. It was awesome getting out of the office and relaxing with good food. Masa also has great happy hour deals that include awesome half-priced margaritas. I wish I was drinking one now!

The food is amazing and includes chips and salsa at the beginning of the meal (their salsa verde is made from fresh tomatillos and is great, I could eat it with a spoon, really, I could!). Masa has a great atmosphere both inside and out, but on a nice day you definitely want to check out their Mexi-chic patio.

I didn't know this until I saw a recent episode of "Good Eats" with Alton Brown but Masa is the corn-based dough that is used to make tamales.

Apparently iphone's take better photos than blackberries.