Creme Puff v1.0

Cream Puff.

The scary attempt at cream puffs...

Creme puffs are surprisingly easy to make. The recipe came together perfectly. The only thing I would improve is piping the mixture instead of using a spoon.

oooh....Shiiiny!

I also found out I need to work on tempering chocolate. My chocolate came out horrible.

Driiip.

Next time, I also want to work on a custard filling for the cream puff.

Pizza

Mmmm...the finished pizza.

For the past week, I've been dreaming and craving for cheese. Mac n' cheese, grilled cheese sandwich, and even a slab of cheese would make me happy. I decided today to make pizza to satisfy my cheese craving.

Drool once.

Drool again.

JSB and I made pizza dough from scratch and it turned out better than we expected. I decided to play safe and stretch the dough on a surface instead of tossing it.

My huge air pockets on the crust.

JSB preferred the more dangerous route of tossing the pizza. She did a pretty good job and it showed on the pizza.

JSB's perfect pizza crust -- the magic of tossing the pizza crust.
(JSB's picture)

As you can see, my dough crust shows all the air pockets from the yeast, but JSB's was dense, smooth, and perfect. Another lesson I learned was that a pizza stone or pizza baking pan is necessary. The pizza crust turned out wonderful, but the center of the pizza was soggy. Lessons for next time.

Mojito Pops v.2.0

Limes and mint leaves.

Update: After the mojito pops set, the mixture was more icy than attempt #1. I have a feeling that the high fructose corn syrup in the 7-up negatively affected the popsicles. My suggestion is to use club soda and to increase the amount of sugar.

Yesterday was JSB's birthday and she wanted mojito pops, which is why I made some for her today. This is a fairly simple recipe and it is easy to adjust to your taste. For example, I prefer my mojitos more sour so I put less sugar in the recipe. Also, I love rum so I increased the rum ratio. I should warn you, if you put too much rum, the mixture will not set.

The muddled ingredients.

Mojito Pops
adapted from Erin Cooks

Serving size: approx. 4.5 cups

Ingredients:

• 12 limes (my limes were on the small side), juice 10 limes and cut 2 limes into slices
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/3 cup fresh mint
• 1/2 cup of sugar (increase amount of sugar)
  
• 1 cup water
• 6 tablespoon of dark rum
• 2 1/2 cups of 7-up (use club soda instead)
  

Directions:

1. Pour sugar, mint, and sliced limes in a bowl. Use a muddler or wooden spoon to muddle the mint leaves and the rest of the ingredients.
2. Add lime and lemon juice and water to the mixture. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Take out the muddled leaves and lime slices.
3. Add the rum and 7-up and stir -- Don't over do it or all the carbonation will leave the mixture.
4. Pour mixture into popsicle molds or into a large container to make granita. If making popislces, leave sufficient room at the top so when the mixture freezes it won't bubble over and make a mess in your freezer. If making granita, wait 2-3 hours then give the semi-frozen mixture a stir until the liquid bits and frozen portions are evenly distributed. Allow to freeze and stir again.

Okra Chips.

Ingredients: Okra, Palm Oil.
(Haha, oh... I wish I made this! But nope, store bought. Price? ~$3. Was it worth it? Good to try. Serial buyer? Maybe not.)

What was good (or maybe bad)?

Lost the slime.


It retained that "okra flavor."
It was weak... but it was definitely there.
"If you suck on it, the flavor intensifies." - says piee.

Onigiri.

:) I got a new "toy" for my birthday. Onigiri Rice Molds? Wooo! I went home immediately after school and sister piee used left over sushi rice to make some cute onigiri! hahahahha, it was her first time... so they are not even close to perfect. Still, they were delicious!!






Weee! Piee is cutting the shapes out! Hahahah!!











There is a little cucumber surprise inside each
onigiri!








Isn't it pretty?

Double Chocolate Cookies

Milk and Cookies.

Ah yes, another late night creation. This project occurred approximately between 11:00 PM and 12:30 AM. This is my second attempt making this type of cookie. I made several adjustments to the recipe, and it turned out a lot better. The top of the cookie was crackly and crispy similar to a brownie crust. The inside was even better. It was soft, chewy, and full of chocolaty goodness. I should warn those with a super sweet tooth that these cookies do not taste sugary sweet at all. It is more on the bitter side with a hint of sugar to calm the taste buds.

That's right, high quality chocolate from TJ'S!

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies
Adapted from Last Night I had a Dream About You and Feed my World

Serving size: 16 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. of an unsweetened chocolate bar, chopped
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of butter (I used salted butter. If you are using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt)
• 1/2 tablespoon of instant coffee granules
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of chocolate powder
• a little less than 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into chunks

Direction:

1. Melt unsweetened chocolate, a few chunks of the semi-sweet chocolate, butter, and coffee granules in the microwave. Start with 40 seconds and stir the mixture. Continue microwaving in increments of 15 seconds and stir. When the chocolate looks nearly melted, continue stirring and the chocolate will melt completely without burning. Set aside and allow it to cool.
2. Beat eggs and sugar in another bowl. Stop when the mixture is thick, creamy, and lemon colored.
3. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs/sugar and combine until blended.
4. Preheat oven to 325 F.
5. Sift the flour and baking soda over the liquid mixture. Add vanilla, chocolate powder, and salt (if you used unsalted butter). Mix.
6. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chunks and stop when all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
7. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
8. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops are puffed and cracked.

All neatly stacked together.

Chocolate Souffle Version 1.0

The finished product.

This was a spur of the moment project. It turned out decent, but it could have been better. The souffle had the perfect amount of chocolate, but the fluffiness was lacking. I am pretty sure I did not whip the egg whites long enough. Practice makes perfect.

For those that are interested, the recipe came from Taste Buddies