VANILLA PUDDING

So this is a recipe following my last post.  I'm making trifle (will put up the recipe after this), but I wanted to try making my own white cake and pudding.  The pudding I'm going to make for the first time (still haven't bought all the ingredients yet).  And I'm making this twice: one w/out egg yolks, one with egg yolk.  Egg yolks make the pudding more rich and thick.  So I'm going to try this, here it is!

VANILLA PUDDING:

2 cups milk (at least 1% or more, no skim milk)

1/2 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)

Extra Ingredient Tips:

Cut the sugar (I heard it's extremely sweet, even for sugar-lovers).  

I cut a little less than half of the sugar needed.

Add 1 tsp vanilla more

1. In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt.

2.  In medium saucepan (no heat), pour combined dry ingredients.  Add milk slowly and whisk everything until dissolved.  Then put on heat to medium.

3. Continue to stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.  Do not boil.

4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter.  Pour into dishes and chill before serving.

TIPS:
- I actually rewrote all the directions because other suggested to rewrite it all.  Why?  Because the original directions caused large lumps in the pudding.  This way it prevents it all.

- Some people like to keep it on heat and stir, then take it off heat heat and cool a little.  Then they like to add 1-2 egg yolks and stir until its really thick.  I tried both ways.  The thicker one was really nice for like fillings and such.  But I'm was making trifle so my second time w/ no eggs was better.  But I'd definitely use eggs if I were making things like pie.

- I added a tsp of cinnamon in mine.  Some like to add cinnamon and/or nutmeg.  Or they sprinkle it on top of the pudding when ready to eat.  The one with cinnamon was tasty, but it overpowered the vanilla taste.  

My second time w/ no cinnamon tasted more like "vanilla pudding".

Links:
Homemade vanilla pudding: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-vanilla-pudding/detail.aspx

SPANISH FLAN

I haven't baked in more than 2 months and it's killing me.  So today I decided to make 3 dishes, but involving a lot of other dishes.  This recipe is for flan (a dish originated from Spain if you didn't notice).  Usually I make my aunt's famous flan (around all the relatives), but I lost the recipe somewhere, so I decided to use this flan recipe off the web.  Now, I'm haven't made it at the moment (I need to buy more ingredients), but I'm making 2 flans. I want to see how many eggs are good for flan (to my family's taste).  So I'm making one with 4 eggs, the other with 5.Maybe they'll taste the same, maybe they won't.  So I'm going to try it out.  So this is the recipe:

                                  *update: it turned out 4 eggs for this flan comes out with much better results than using 5 eggs.  I would recommend this to all.*

FLAN:
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 tbp vanilla extract

Extra Ingredient Tips:
(The more eggs added, the more dense and rich your flan gets, NOT fluffy and soft)
4-5 eggs instead of 3
add a tsp of cinnamon
add tsp of vanilla after your sugar melts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9 inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.

4. Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely.

5. To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool.

TIPS:


-When melting the sugar, keep the round dish warm in the oven so when you pour the sugar in, it won't start to harden so quickly


- When melting the sugar, make sure the sugar is spread out evenly around the saucepan and the heat is on low.  Never raise it past medium, or else it will burn.  Occasionally swirl, but not mix, the sugar.  Be patient, it will melt.  Make sure to melt it until it's completely liquefied.  Do not keep it over the heat longer than that, or it will burn.


- When you pour the flan into the dish, pour it through a strainer to prevent lumps later on

- When you bake this, put it into a water bath.  This means add hot water into another pan/dish (such as a rectangle pan 9X13").  Add the hot water until it reaches around 1-2 inches in the pan when the pan is on an oven rack (that way no one gets burned when trying to transport the hot water bath to the oven).  Then carefully lay the flan-filled dish into the hot water.  Push it into the oven then let it bake.

- I added cinnamon to both, and you'll find when you bake it the cinnamon will rise to the top.

- For my first flan I forgot to pour it through a strainer so I'm worried about its texture. But coming out of the oven it looked nice.  My second flan I used a strainer, but when it came out of the oven it was blown up.  So I let it sit on the oven rack while cooling and the bubble went down.

-so it turned out that my flan with 4 eggs was nice and smooth, and came out of the pan like butter.  The flan with 5 eggs, crumbled out of the pan and was so extremely lumpy it overtook the actual taste.  So now what?  I recommend to all that using a max of 4 eggs for this flan is best.


Links:
Spanish flan: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spanish-flan/

JAPANESE OMURICE (OMELETTE RICE)

A few weeks ago I tried making omelette rice for the first time because my family really had nothing to eat. Others told me it was simple, but I was so afraid mine would just come out badly. BUT it did NOT come out badly, but was actually pretty good for my first try (as told by the "others"). I actually found this recipe from a Japanese manga based on cooking. Who knew it'd come out so well?



OMURICE:
1-3 onions (white/red)
60g chicken
1 bell pepper
1-2 tbp ketchup
salt & pepper (to taste)
1C cooked white rice/sticky rice
1 egg
1/2 tsp potato starch powder
1 slice ham
ketchup (for finishing touches)
2 tsp vegetable oil

Extra Ingredients:
3 carrots, diced
2-3 potatoes, diced

1. Dice the carrots and potatoes. Dice the onions and bell pepper into small pieces. cut the chicken up into 1cm-sized cubes.
2. Add oil to a frying pan, and once it has reached a high enough temperature, add the carrots and potatoes first. When almost cooked, add the onions, bell pepper and chicken; fry. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, add the rice. Stir it quickly with a wooden spatula and fry until fully cooked.
4. Once mixed, add the ketchup; add more if preferred.
5. In a bowl whip up the egg and add one tsp of water with the potato starch dissolved in it.
6. On a medium heat in another frying pan (small), add a small amount of vegetable oil (enough to cover whole pan). Carefully pour the egg mixture in.
7. It should spread out fully into the pan, and once the edges are dry, carefully turn it over. Let if cook and when done, take it out.
8. On a wooden chopping board lay some clingflim/plastic wrap on top. Put the omelette on top of it, then add the rice to the top of the omelette.
9. Squeeze and twist the clingfilm on both sides, turn it over and put it onto the plate. Carefully remove the wrap.
10. Squeeze ketchup for finishing touches; serve warm.


Tips:

-I forgot to add the chicken, but this recipe is fine vegetarian.

-You can add any other ingredients to your taste. I added potatoes and carrots, but vegetables such a tomatoes, zucchini, beef, etc.

-I have a bad habit of ending up with more than 2 times the normal proportion sizes of normal cooking recipes, so I simply double the ingredients. Comes out fine.

Asian Bakery We Visited 11/11/11 at 11:11pm

The waffles were really good, but they were also EXTREMELY expensive. Most Korean bakeries are though. After we visited this bakery, we just went straight to the Korean grocery store Galleria and got snacks there instead that were cheaper all together than the waffles.

CINNAMON CRUMBLE COFFEE CAKE

My family visited Panera Bread a few days ago and we bought a delicious cinnamon crumble coffee cake. Unfortunately, it was devoured too soon and my younger sibling was insisting for more. So I decided to make the same cake for her. I have not tried this recipe out yet, but reviews show it comes out great. :)


CINNAMON CRUMBLE COFFEE CAKE:

Coffeecake Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
¼ cup softened butter
1 egg
½ cup milk
1½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Cinnamon Crumble Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter



1. Heat oven to 350.

2. Cream butter and sugar, and mix in egg and milk.

3. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Gently mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until moistened, and spread into a greased 8×8-inch baking pan.

5. Combine cinnamon crumble ingredients and sprinkle atop coffeecake dough. Using a fork, swirl cinnamon mixture through dough.

6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.


Links:

Cinnamon crumble coffee cake: http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2010/01/wednesday-baking-cinnamon-crumble-coffee-cake/

FRENCH TOAST

I'm going to have a series of breakfast foods now. I'll be putting up at least 4 by the end of this week. I absolutely ADORE "traditional" food. Like when you prepare something and it HAS to look like how's it's arranged on TV. :P



FRENCH TOAST:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 pinch salt
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white sugar
12 thick slices bread



1. Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat.

3. Soak bread slices in mixture until saturated. Cook bread on each side until golden brown. Serve hot.



TIPS:

-You have to constantly stir the mixture because ingredients such as flour tend to drop to the bottom frequently.

-Some people like to sprinkle cinnamon on top of a soaked pieced of bread, and then fry it.



Links:

French toast: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fluffy-french-toast/detail.aspx

CARROT CAKE

Last week my family and friends went camping. I HAD planned on making my "ultimate cake design", but things got in the way so I was only left with a simple cake. Carrot cake is one of those "simple" recipes. I found this new one before and I hadn't make carrot cake for at least 3 years. This one had added ingredients such as pineapple and apple sauce. I don't usually put these "extras" but I was like, "well, hell with it." :P

CARROT CAKE:

4 eggs 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

Extra Ingredient Tips:
1C white sugar and 1C brown sugar (substitute)
Extra tsp of vanilla
Add one 8oz. can of pineapples (squeezed and blended)
1/4 nutmeg
Extra 1tsp of cinnamon
3/4 C canola oil and 1/2 C apple sauce (substitute)
Any nuts (ex: walnuts, almonds, etc)



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, apple sauce, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir in carrots and pineapples. Fold in nuts. Pour into prepared pan.

3.Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped nuts. Frost the cooled cake.



Tips:

-I didn't have Canola oil so I simply used normal vegetable oil. Worked out fine.

-Don't over-beat the mixture or it'll become hard.

-I used tinfoil bread pans so they took a little longer to bake. Most people just use round cake pans.

-Of course, the cake goes better with a cream cheese frosting. :)


Links:

Carrot cake: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/carrot-cake-iii/detail.aspx

Scones/Biscuits

This recipe I found online is when buying scones from Tim Hortons was a little too pricy. When I made this, it was SUPER EASY. And its fairly quick. I like to but raisins in my scones, but u can add dried fruits, nuts and cheese.


SCONES

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening (reviews say that using half butter and half shortening tastes much better)
1 egg
2/3 cup milk


1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg with milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

2. Turn onto a well-floured surface; knead 20 times. Roll to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.


TIPS:

-If you don't have the tools to create coarse crumbs, using two butter knives work well too.

-For a golden touch, spread milk on top of the biscuit dough right before putting it in the oven, OR beat an egg with a little bit of water and spread that on the dough instead.



LINKS:

Biscuits: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fluffy-Biscuits/Detail.aspx

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Here is the recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I have found my recipes for this but this one comes out nice and soft and chewy. It simply is better than other ones I have tried. Enjoy. :)


CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.


TIPS:

-make sure to completely cool the cookies to keep them chewy (unless you eat them right away)

-MELT the butter, DON'T FORGET THE EGG YOLK, and DON'T OVER BEAT YOUR EGGS

-if you find the cookies too sticky before putting into the oven, you can refrigerate for an hour.

-I find the cookies a little sweet so I cut back on the sugar by half a cup.



LINKS:

Chocolate chip cookies: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Big-Fat-Chewy-Chocolate-Chip-Cookie/Detail.aspx

CORN MUFFINS

Today my friend is sleeping over so we're going to make corn muffins, raisin scones, and chocolate chip cookies. I will put up the other recipes along with this one. I've tried other corn muffin recipes before but none of them were great. They always turned out stiff or rough. So I now always depend on the corn recipe I got when I took a cooking/baking class in middle school.


CORN MUFFINS:

- 1 1/2 C flour
- 3/4 C cornmeal
- 1C sugar
- 1 tbp & 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- dash of lemon zest (1/2 tsp)
- 1 C milk
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/4 C oil
- 2 tbp sugar (for garnish)
- 1 C fresh or frozen berries (optional)


1. Sift dry ingredients into large mixer bowl.

2. Whisk together milk, vanilla and lemon zest.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Fold wet ingredients (including egg) into dry ingredients. (OPTIONAL)Gently fold in berries until all dry ingredients look moistened.

5. Line muffin pan with paper cups until 3/4 full. Pour batter into cups and sprinkle with a dash of sugar.

6. Place in oven for 18-20 minutes.


TIPS:

-DO NOT MIX THE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER FOR TOO LONG. Doing so may thicken the batter too much and the muffins will become hard.