Rustic chic centerpiece - Dairy Foods

I spent Saturday morning with my sister running all over town to get supplies to make centerpieces for my upcoming company holiday party. My company throws a helluva holiday party each year and I have been on planning committee for five years now (I'm sure you're not surprised).

This party is amazing each year; everyone dresses up, has cocktails (including a signature martini that flows down an ice luge), eats a delicious meal and dances to a live band. I can't wait! And thanks for my friend/coworker, Allison (who went shopping with me last week) I now have a fabulous dress to wear.

Back to the centerpieces, as you can see in the photos below, they are very rustic with a touch of chic. The theme for our party is "Rustic Chic Hunting Lodge", it may sound a bit out there, but we have a great creative team that dreamed this up and brought it to life with save-the-dates, invitations, posters, a website for rsvp-ing and also with decor ideas. We are going to have huge cardboard animal heads hanging at the venue and also smaller ones that will be incorporated into the centerpieces.

The centerpiece below is one of three that will be at the party. The other two are being created by Tara from A Day in Provence, an amazing florist that does the design of our party each year (she was also the florist for my wedding). We found this centerpiece below from Once Wed, a great wedding blog that contains step by step instructrions for DIY projects. It fits perfectly into our theme.

It's a good thing I love event planning because there are times when all the little details can get a bit frustrating (I'm referring to the 30 minute wait at JoAnn Fabrics and then having to run to Michael's, The Dollar Store and Wal-Mart to find enough of the cylinder vases). In the end, I'm sure it will be worth it.

The party is in less than two weeks and I'll be doing a full post on all its fabulousness.

{Photo credit: Once Wed}

Bubur Cha Cha Recipes

Whenever I see a nice firm Taro/yam in the Asian market I will definitely grab one. Same goes with the sweet potatoes too. There are times I will leave the sweet potatoes on the counter until it goes bad. This time before it has the chance to do so, I made some Bubur Cha Cha out of it.

Bubur Cha Cha is a popular Malaysian and Singapore dessert. This coconut milk soup base dessert flavor with screwpine/pandan leaves is made out of taro, sweet potatoes and chewy tapioca jelly. This super rich dessert can be eaten warm or cold.

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes - peeled and cut into cubes
½ pound of Taro/yam – peeled ad cut into cubes

Soup:

2 cup coconut milk
2 cup water
½ tsp salt
130 gram palm sugar/gula Melaka (more or less depend on your taste)
2 screwpine/pandan leaves

For the Chewy Tapioca Jelly

150 gram tapioca starch
50ml boiling water (more or less)
A few drop of green and red food coloring

1. Steam the sweet potatoes and yam/taro separately until soft. Set it aside.
2. To make the colorful tapioca jelly, put the tapioca flour in the mixing bowl. Pour the in the hot water, stir it quickly with a chopstick or fork. Cover it for 5 minutes and then knead it into smooth dough. Divide into 2 equal portions.
3. Mix a portion with a few drop of red coloring and the other with green. Knead well. Roll out the dough into 1/8” thick. Cut into diamond shape.
4. Bring a pot of water to rip boiling. Drop the tapioca jelly into the boiling water. Once it float remove and dip into cold water. Drain and set it aside.
5. For the soup, combined water, pandan leaves and palm sugar. Bring it up to boil. Stir until sugar dissolved. Add in the salt and coconut milk. Bring it up to boil and turn the heat off.
6. Add in the sweet potato, yam/taro and the chewy tapioca jelly. Mix well and serve warm or cold.

Note : For the chewy tapioca if the dough is too soft add a bit more tapioca starch and if the dough is too hard add a bit more hot water.

Brunch and mimosas - Dairy Foods

Weekend mornings often mean a big breakfast with eggs, bacon, toast and coffee with my honey. They sometimes also include my girlfriends for brunch complete with mimosas.

I found this mimosa recipe on Martha Stewart's website. Now, I know what you're thinking...who needs a recipe for mimosas? All you need is orange juice plus sparkling wine (prosecco, cava, champagne, etc) and poof, you have a mimosa. Well, that certainly works and has been the approach my girlfriends and I have taken for years, but I am curious to try the recipe below. It includes freshly squeezed orange juice, lemon juice, orange-flavored liqueur and a mint leaf. That sounds pretty amazing to me.

Mimosa (recipe below makes one cocktail, which seems sort of ridiculous...I mean, who only drinks one mimosa?)

Ingredients

6 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
Prosecco, chilled
Fresh mint leaf

Directions

In a Champagne flute, mix together orange juice, lemon juice, and liqueur. Fill with Prosecco. Garnish with mint leaf and serve immediately.

{Photo credit: Martha Stewart}

And speaking of brunch, I am off to Dixies on Grand in St. Paul for their Sunday Champagne Brunch with my mom and sister. Did I mention it includes a bottomless glass of champagne??? Erik is tailgating and going to the Vike's game today and I'll be hanging with the ladies. What a lovely Sunday. I hope you all have one as well!

Barcelona hot chocolate - Dairy Foods

As it gets colder here in Minnesota, what better way to enjoy the winter than inside the warmth of your own house, with a fire blazing in the fireplace (or at my house, we burn candles in the fireplace) and a cup of this Barcelona Hot Chocolate from Cooking Light.

This recipe caught my eye because it incorporates coffee. Sure, you can run to the coffee shop down the street and grab a mocha but how amazingly indulgent would this homemade hot chocolate be?

If I had dark or bittersweet chocolate at home I'd make it right now. I will definitely be adding that to my grocery list for the week.

Barcelona Hot Chocolate

Ingredients
2/3 cup boiling water
2 ounces good-quality dark or bittersweet (60 to 70 percent cocoa) chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/3 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 2-inch piece orange rind strip
1/4 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
Cocoa powder (optional)

Preparation
Combine 2/3 cup boiling water and chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan, stirring until chocolate melts. Add milk and next 4 ingredients (through rind); cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a whisk. Heat 5 minutes or until tiny bubbles form around edge of pan, stirring frequently (do not boil). Discard rind. Pour 1 cup mixture into each of 4 mugs. Spoon 1 tablespoon whipped topping over each serving. Dust with cocoa powder, if desired.


{Photo credit: My Recipes / Cooking Light, Randy Mayor}

Roasted turkey and proscuitto pizza - Dairy Foods

Thanksgiving is officially over. I hope you had a wonderday day. Erik and I had a great Thanksgiving, we made it over to my parent's house bright and early and had the turkey in the oven by 9am. I'll have a full post on all our Thanskgiving day food, fun and decor on Monday.

In the meantime, I wanted to share this pizza recipe I found from My Recipes / Cooking Light because I'm sure you have plenty of leftover turkey and need something to do with it. I haven't tried this recipe yet, but plan to over the weekend.

Roasted turkey and proscuitto pizza

Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) prebaked pizza crust (such as Mama Mary's)
3/4 cup tomato and basil pasta sauce
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
1 cup shredded cooked turkey breast
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup torn arugula leaves
3 slices prosciutto, finely chopped (about 2 ounces)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.

Place crust on a baking sheet. Spread sauce over crust; sprinkle with fontina. Toss turkey with vinegar. Top pizza with turkey, onion, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and pepper.

Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until crust is browned. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with arugula and prosciutto


Photo credit to My Recipes / Cooking Light

Thanksgiving Feast Recipes

This year like any other year we had a traditional Thanksgiving feast. For Carlos the whole turkey on the table is a must. I did something different on the turkey this year. I dry brined the turkey for 3 days before roasting it. The turkey turns out moist, flavorful and brown beautifully. To learn more about dry brine do check out this website . I have a lot of leftovers so it will be turkey for lunch and dinner for the next few meals :(

Here are some of the pictures of our dinner.

Diana was in charge of the table setting and I think she did a pretty good job with it.



A table full of food. We dined at our small breakfast table since it was just the 3 of us this year.

Perfectly roasted turkey.

Turkey sausage stuffing.

Roasted Potatoes.

Green bean casserole.

Gravy.

I forgot to take a picture of our dessert. I baked a pumpkin pie and an Dutch apple streusel pie. So I just post a picture of me and Carlos ;)

Real wedding: Heather and Justin, October 2009 - Dairy Foods

I have a gorgeous fall wedding to share with you today that is packed full of amazing little details. Heather and Justin were married on October 9, 2009 at a church in St. Paul with a reception at the Summit Manor. I don't know if there is a more perfect venue for a fall wedding then a mansion on Summit Ave in St. Paul.

Many of the elements of this wedding were DIY, which helps with budget and adds a personal touch. The bride and groom had dried rye pots to line the entry way to the church and up at the alter. The favors were homemade maple syrup, apple butter, and strawberry jam. The metal leaves in the photo below are actually real leaves dipped in copper and were worn by the women in place of corsages. Amazing!

All of the photos were taken by Ben Berndt Photography and Dana Schoppe.

This is gorgeous.

Herb Roasted Chicken with Honey Glazed Recipes

Carlos and I love roast chicken. I like it for the reason that I don’t have to cook the next day as we can have the leftover chicken for sandwich. Roast chicken may seem complicated but it is actually a pretty fast and easy dinner to prepare. All you have to do is season the chicken well and put it in the oven for about an hour 15 minutes (depend on the size of your chicken) the dinner is done. The result is classic, elegant, comforting, and delicious! It also fills your house with a wonderfully satisfying aroma.

Ingredients:

1 (2-3 pound) roasting chicken
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 sprig fresh thyme – finely chopped
3 sprig fresh rosemary – finely chopped
1 lemon, halved
4 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tbsp of honey
Some vegetables like potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers

1. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. For today I roast it butterfly style. To do so, remove the back bones of the chicken with a kitchen scissors. Open the chicken up, and flatten it a bit with your hand.
2. Combined the salt, pepper, garlic, chopped thyme and rosemary together. Rub it all over the chicken. Set it aside to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
3. Before roasting brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with a bit salt and pepper.
4. Place all the cut vegetables in a roasting pan. Toss with some salt, pepper and drizzle it with some olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
5. Roast the chicken for an hour – 1 hour 30 minutes (depend on the size of the chicken) or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. 10 minutes before the chicken is done, warm the honey in the microwave for 20 second and brush it all over the chicken.
6. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Kristin's wedding inspiration board - Dairy Foods

As a gal who loves all things wedding-related, I am pretty lucky right now to have my two best friends engaged and in the middle of planning their weddings. Kristin's wedding will be local, in downtown St. Paul next September with an eclectic feel of both modern and vintage with a super unique color scheme of pewter, red and tiffany blue. Amy's wedding is in Washington DC next October and is going to be a 4-day extravaganza of a western/christian wedding (eco-themed) and a pretty traditional Indian ceremony and reception. I am very excited for both weddings!

Kristin came over yesterday for a fabulous brunch (mushroom shallot quiche, homemade waffles, mimosas and bloody marys, more on that to come in a post later this week) and we sat down and tackled her inspiration board.

Kristin's ceremony is going to be held at a Catholic church in South Minneapolis followed by a reception at the MN History Center. The MN History Center has amazing architecture and a unique space that allows for a cocktail hour held on the balcony, followed by dinner in an open rotunda and dancing with views of the capital.

I love the details Kristin is planning for her day, gorgeous red flowers, candles in mason jars for a romantic feel and how amazing is that cake? We found that from The Cake Girls and hopefully it can be replicated at a local bakery in the Twin Cities.

Oh and did I mention I am Kristin's matron of honor?! Very excited.

I've said this before but I love love love inspiration boards. They are very easy to make and really bring a vision to life.


Photo credits to: Casablanca Bridal, Cake Girls, The Knot, Just Bloomed, Martha Stewart, Tiffany, Watters and Watters and Florrie Mitton Couture.

Petits Pots de Crème au Chocolat Recipes

I have so many favorite blogs and one of them is Almost Bourdain . Ellie is a fellow Malaysian living in Australia with great culinary and photography skills. There are so many recipes of hers that I wanted to try out. For today I am making her French dessert called Petits Pots de Crème . Like she suggested I make this dessert with chocolate. This dessert is rich and creamy and not too sweet. Just the way we like it. I might make this again for our Thanksgiving dinner since Diana love Chocolate. Thanks Ellie for sharing this great recipe. Do drop over and check out her wonderful blog.
Ingredints:

400 ml milk
3 egg yolks
1 egg
80 g caster sugar
1 tablespoon good cocoa powder
60 grams melted dark chocolate
Raspberries for garnish


1. Preheat the oven to 325 degree F. Put the milk in a saucepan. Add in cocoa powder. Bring the milk just to the boil. Add in the melted chocolate, mix well.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the egg yolks, egg and sugar. Strain the boiling milk over the egg mixture and stir well. Skim off the surface to remove any foam.
3. Ladle into 25 ml ramekins and place in a baking pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the custards are firm to the touch.
5. Leave the ramekins on a wire rack to cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Garnish with Raspberries before serving.


Note : I made some slight changes to the dessert. Before serving I sprinkle some raw sugar on the top and put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.

Weekend edition: Thanksgiving inspiration board - Dairy Foods

I have a feeling that Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday for a lot of people. It certainly is a favorite of mine. What's not to love about it? You get time off work, an excuse to stuff yourself silly with comforting, warm and delicious food, hours baking and preparing the meal, spending time with family and friends, the list could go on and on.

And the best part is, Thanksgiving is just a few days away. So excited! My family tradition is each year we gather at my parent's house with immediate family, significant others and my aunt. There are never more than about 10-12 of us but the house is chaotic anyway, full of lively chatter, banging into each other in the kitchen, sounds of football and my father and husband cheering it on. Erik and I prepare and roast the turkey each year. We get over to my parent's house bright and early (around 7am) and in the past have done a parmesan sage turkey recipe that usually turns out moist and delicious. My sister makes mashed potatoes, my aunt does the stuffing, my brothers basically just eat and my mom makes her delicious pumpkin roll. Oh, and I can't forget the champagne sparklers we have each year which is basically prosecco and pomegrante juice. Delicious.

This inspiration board below is from The Sweetest Occasion blog. I just love the warm colors, the picture-perfect pie, and the gorgeous menu board.

If you have a moment, please share your Thanksgiving tradition in the comments section. I'd love to hear them!

My Blog is 3 years old Recipes

November 12 came and went without me even noticing that is was my blog 3rd birthday. It’s hard for me to believe that My Kitchen Snippets is 3 years old. Like a child, it started out small and has been growing slowly and gradually every since. When I started this blog I thought that I’d just try my hand in blogging because it seems pretty popular and I wanted to find out more about it, and I thought that it could be fun.. It is not always smooth sailing as they are plenty of hiccups along the way but My Kitchen Snippets goal are still the same. I’ve certainly made new contacts and wonderful friends from this blog and I also enjoy receiving comments and emails from people asking me questions or simply thanking me for my blog which I think is great. I will continue to post my kitchen adventures here to share it with you. Anyway, many thanks to you for your kind support. It’s a good 3 years and let’s hope for 3 more.

Brussel sprouts - Dairy Foods

Brussel sprouts didn't have a very good rap growing up in my house. My mom used to tell stories about how her parents would make her stay at the dinner table until her brussel sprouts were gone. My mom hated brussel sprouts. Her parents must never have cooked them using this recipe below.

My friend Libby made this brussel sprout recipe the other night for dinner in addition to roasted potatotes and chicken. It was a pretty simple meal, but hardy and delicious. I have to admit this was only my second time ever eating brussel sprouts (first was just a couple weeks ago at Cafe Lurcat), what can I say? I listen to my momma. But since giving them a chance they have quickly climbed up to being one of my top fave veggies.

Brussels Sprouts with Crisp Prosciutto (recipe from Cookinglight.com)

Ingredients

3 cups trimmed halved Brussels sprouts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup chopped prosciutto (about 1 1/2 ounces)
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Cook Brussels sprouts in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add prosciutto. Cook 6 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan; set aside.

Heat pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add Brussels sprouts; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Add butter, salt, and pepper, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat; drizzle with juice. Add prosciutto; toss to combine.

Note: Pull off any limp outer leaves, and closely trim the stem end-don't cut too much off, or the Brussels sprouts may fall apart."

{Photo credit: above two are from my crappy camera}

{Photo credit: Cooking Light, Randy Mayor}

XO Sauce Recipes

What is XO sauce? XO sauce is a spicy seafood sauce origin from Hong Kong Cantonese cuisine. It is made from dry scallop; dry shrimps, ham, chilies, shallots and garlic are cooked over medium heat for some time. It’s spicy, salty and sweet and if you’re a chili lover, you’ll find this sauce irresistible. XO sauce is also known as the ‘Caviar of the Orient’ is an essential flavor enhancer and a condiment. Not may people make this sauce as home as it is tedious and time consuming and it is easier to just head out to the Asian supermarket to buy one. I made this because I think it cost too much at the store. A tiny little bottle cost like $6.00. Since I have all the ingredients at home I tried making this at home. This sauce is very versatile. You can use it as dipping sauce or add it into your cooking or just eat it with rice or noodles.

By looking the all the ingredients I am sure you know how this sauce will smell like. I bought an electrical skillet just to cook this outside the deck. I don’t think Carlos can tolerate the pungent smell that will lingers around for days ha ha... I want to cook this sauce for a longer period of time but the smell attracts a huge swarm of flies to the deck and it was freaking me out. So I cut short the cooking time but nevertheless it still taste really good.

I was warming up the XO sauce in the microwave to eat it with my noodles and guess what my husband said. He said it smells so bad that he ran and hides in our computer room and he stays there for hours until the smell disappeared. He said I’ve cooked food that smells funky but this one takes the cake. To me it smells so good just like what his said about his stinky cheese ha ha… Since some of you request for the recipe so here it is. I hope you enjoy cooking and eating this great sauce

Ingredients:

10 fresh red chilies
15 dried chilies – soak in hot water
200g dried scallops – soak overnight until soft
2 head of garlic - peeled
10 shallots - peeled
200g dried shrimp – soak in hot water until soft
150g Chinese ham –I used the normal supermarket ham
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sugar
½ tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
Salt to taste

1. Drain scallops, tear them into find shreds, pat it dry on paper towel and set it aside. Drain .dry shrimps and chopped if finely and set it aside.
2. Put the shallots in food processor and chop it finely. Do the same to the garlic too, remove and set it aside.
3. Remove the steam and seeds of the fresh chilies and dry chilies. Chopped it finely in the food processor and set it aside. Next chopped the ham and set it aside.
4. Heat up about a cup of vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok over medium high heat. Add in scallops and frying it until crispy and lightly brown. Remove and set it aside. In the same oil, add in garlic, shallots and dried prawns. Stir constantly and cook until lightly brown.
5. Add in ham, and chilies. Lower down the heat and continue to fry for another 10 minutes. Add more oil if necessary. Stir constantly as it may burn easily.
6. Add in the oyster sauce, sugar, salt and pepper and lastly add in the fried scallops. Continue stir fry until it is completely dry. Remove from heat and let it cool. Transfer to sterile jar and keep in the refrigerator.

Twilight! - Dairy Foods

I have a fun post today for all you Twilight lovers out there and thought what better day than today to talk about all things Bella, Edward and Jacob (I am team Jacob so had to throw him into the mix).

My cute sister (on the right in the first photo below) threw her friend a Twilight-themed birthday party a few months ago. The details of this party were pretty simple, but awesome and included:

Blood-red apples in cylinder vases
Black and red cupcakes
Red drinks with "I'm thirsty" and "Type A" labels on them
Lots of candles in red vases

The inspiration came from a party posted on Hostess with the Mostess blog, which you can find here along with all the great printable items pictured below.

Here are the pics that inspired my sister from Hostess Blog.

And I couldn't resist including this Twilight-themed wedding that was actually just a photo shoot and featured on the Wedding Chicks blog.

How amazing is this? I love the dark red flowers, the added glamour with the dripping crystals and the dramatic bride with her red lipstick.

I can't wait to see New Moon tomorrow at noon! AAAHHHH!!!!