Chewy Apple & Almond Multigrain Granola Bars w/ Coconut Milk

My other contribution to tomorrow's breakfast... This is also another recipe that I am working on so I will give you specifics when I have it all figured out. I used multigrain cereal (oats, rye, wheat, and barley), apples, roasted almonds, grade A maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla extract, canola oil, and raw sugar.

I baked it at 400 degrees for about 2 hours. I allowed it to cool overnight and cut into it the next morning. The texture was perfect - crunchy on the outside and chewy in the inside. It was also not too sweet and the coconut milk really added something special to bars. I hope everyone enjoys it tomorrow!!!

Here's the maple syrup, coconut milk, canola oil, vanilla extract, and raw sugar.



The multigrain cereal.



I diced 3 medium sized apples and threw it into the mix.



I chopped up the almonds a bit in the blender.



Here's what it looks like when the ingredients are all mixed together. Oops, I also added some sunflower seeds!



Grease your baking dish w/ canola oil and press the mix down firmly.



Once done, allow it to cool before cutting into it.



How cool is this...



Nice and packed for tomorrow.

Homemade Poptarts Attempt I

Don't ask me why but I really, really wanted to make homemade Poptarts. I was okay with making the jam filling but when it came to rolling out the dough and shaping it, I completely lost it. I need a cutter. A much LARGER cutter if I want to make poptarts. These bento-making cutters I have just won't do the job. Until next time...

For the jam, I crushed strawberries and blueberries, and cooked it with sugar. I let it cool in the fridge overnight and the next day, the jam was perfect. Although i didn't get to use much of it in my puff pastry, however, I am looking forward to smearing it over the cream cheese on my bagel tomorrow morning. :D


Here's the jam in process...



and the next morning.



Puff pastry. Bunny cutter. Yeah, you can tell just quite how excited I am in describing this part.



On the baking sheet.



Not quite attractive but very delicious!



I will improve on this recipe and give specifics in the near future. Hmm, maybe after the bar exam.

Mini Quiches

This was my contribution to the Friday Breakfast at my friend's company for tomorrow + to bring to my office for my last day. The night before, I prepped the ingredients and today, I spent 3 solid hours baking over 50 mini quiches. Yeah, I felt like a machine. Instead of using puff pastry, I went with wonton wrappers which are not just easier to work with but make these quiches taste so much lighter and much more fun to eat!

I was so engrossed in baking and making sure they didn't burn that I did not get the chance to take many photos. I am still working on this recipe so I won't give you the exact measurements. The ingredients included eggs (of course), milk, canadian bacon, feta cheese, mushrooms, onions, and shallots. I used italian spices, salt, and fresh ground pepper for seasoning. However, to spice things up a bit - I did add a dash of dill and some lemon juice.

I set the oven to 400 degrees and used muffin tins. I lined the tins w/ the wonton wrappers and pour in the egg batter. I baked these guys for about 10 minutes and repeated the process until I used up all my wrappers.


I used way too many eggs to whisk the mix by hand so I used my blender. It took 7 seconds to blend everything together.



In a medium sized pot, I cooked the bacon, onions, and shallots. I allowed it to cook for a bit before adding it into the egg batter.



I used these wonton wrappers that I got from my local asian grocer.



So... imagine 50 of these.



Not too bad looking eh?

Simple Roasted Whole Chicken

Seriously simple. Will need some spices (I used rosemary), salt and pepper. Yup, that's it. When you have a good piece of protein + foolproof cooking method then you don't need all that fancy and unnecessary hard-to-pronounce spices/sauces. Yes, seriously.

Turn your oven to 375 degrees - roasted.

Make sure your chicken is at room temperature. As long as it is fully defrosted and not too cold (yes, I'm so technical). And a no-no if it is still frozen. One thing I didn't do, and should have done, was to tie the legs together and have them press against the breast firmly. Just like what you see when you buy a whole roasted chicken at the market.

Anyway, look at what I got in the mail today!!! I love freebies.



Here's my 3 lb chick.



Throw in some garlic, don't peel, and allow it roast and melt. YUM.



While you're at it, throw in a few red bliss potatoes. I think that's what those are...



Rub the chicken w/ some canola oil, rosemary, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper.



Cover the chicken.



After 1.25 hours... uncover the chicken and allow it to broil on medium heat for about 10 minutes until nice and brown.

YIPPEE!!!



It cuts in half pretty easily.



On the side, I made a healthy mac 'n cheese w/ asparagus, broccoli, and carrots.

GinGa Restaurant, Brookline, MA

Man, I have been eating out a lot these past couple of weeks. Usually, at max, I eat out about twice a week but cooking for one has really demotivated me to cook as often as I have been. The good part is I have been able to eat some pretty delicious stuff. For example, I went to Cafe Mami the other night and FINISHED my teriyaki hamburg set. Impressive, eh? Yeah, I know... sometimes, I'm Canadian.

Anyway... my friend's aunt just opened this new Japanese restaurant, GinGa, in Brookline so we went there to check it out. The place was adorable and absolutely perfect for a casual but still very romantic date night with your partner. Towards the end, we shared a tempura green tea and ginger ice cream that was just pure decadent.

Here are some photos,


Just because...



This was a special that was on the house. I believe it was white fish dipped in batter and fried.



Classic seaweed salad.



My favorite!!! Agedashi Tofu.



Scallop thingy.



Sea Breeze Roll. This was S-P-I-C-Y.



California Roll. Dena doesn't eat raw fish.



Caterpillar Roll.



Ice cream!!!




SERIOUSLY. I need a better camera, ASAP.

Childhood Memories IV: Súp Nui (Vietnamese Macaroni Soup)

My friend Dena and I were reminiscing over our childhood memories of eating this soup. We were talking about the differences in how our mothers make it - Dena's mom kept it simple and sweet while my mother did her version of the classic Chicken Noodle Soup by adding celery, carrots, and sometimes potatoes. Dena was complaining about how she bought chicken broth and attempted this dish without much success - so I explained to her that the base of this soup is made with pork and not chicken. Plus American chicken broth is made with other vegetables which I believe gives it that distinctive taste. I have made chicken broth before, many times, and trust me, chicken bones + water does not taste like store bought chicken broth, ever.

I don't have a lot of photos but the recipe is simple. Make your own broth with pork bones. Cook macaroni according to its instruction on the box. Add whatever vegetables you like and season to your liking (means you must add fish sauce). I used chinese black mushrooms, bok choy, and yu choy - because that's what I had in my fridge. I also added a couple of chicken breasts which I later shredded and put in the soup. It worked out quite perfectly. We ate some at my place and I packed some up for Dena to take home and enjoy later. I know, I'm such a Mother Hen.

I mainly used the stalky parts and saved the leafy parts to use in another dish.



These were our bowls. It really reminded me of being 5 and sick. Yes... still good memories though.

Fresh Spaghetti w/ Homemade Marinara Sauce

OMG. This meal was so delicious. Why did it take me so long to attempt to make marinara sauce?! This store, DePasquale's Pasta, is less than a 2-minute walk away from my apartment so of course I had to go there to pick up some fresh pasta to go with this tasty sauce. There's not much more to say except that I have to make this more frequently because the taste and texture of this homemade sauce beats that of any sauce in a jar. YEAH!!!


For $2.95, this is a bargain, no? It was perfect for 2.5 people or 3 small people. Yeah, that didn't sound right. Anyway...




Fresh spaghetti takes about a minute to cook in rolling boiling water. How awesome is that (statement, not question).



In a skillet, I tossed the spaghetti w/ 1/2 T of olive oil and a couple ladle-full of sauce before serving. I also threw in some minced garlic to give it that intense garlicky taste and smell.