Sweet & Sour Pork Recipe

D: Typed up the full post and it all disappeared when I tried to return to add A's photos. Meh, photos are worth a thousand words right? :)

Sweet & Sour Pork

Deep Frying Pork Pieces

Stir Fry Ingredients Together

Source: Rasa Malaysia

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes Recipe

My VP and I took an a friendly bet on when our coworker's baby will be born - I lost and here are the cupcakes I made to pay off this debt. I wanted to utilize fall flavor, narrowed it down to three recipes, and ultimately chose this pumpkin spice one. J came over for the weekend and helped me with these. I'm so grateful, especially since we made everything by whisk. Maybe it's time I invested in a stand mixer... End of the day, what did I learn? - babies come after the supposed due date! Congrats A on fatherhood! 

Ingredients 
For Cupcakes

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

For Frosting

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions 
For Cupcakes 

1. Preheat oven at 375F. 
2. In smaller bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. (I finally got to use the sifter J got me almost a year ago!) Set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat together butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. 
4. Add eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into butter mixture. 
5. Add in milk and pumpkin puree. 
6. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. (I had to do flour in portions to all the hand whisk to churn everything in.)
7. Pour the batter into cupcake tins. (I lined with cupcake cups so didn't need to grease the tins.) 
8. Place in oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. 
9. Remove from oven. Allow the pans to cool for 5 minutes and remove cupcakes from tin to cool completely. 
10. Once cupcakes have cooled, frost with cream cheese icing (see below).

 For Frosting 

1. Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. 
2. Beat in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time until incorporated. 
3. Add vanilla extract and ground cinnamon. 
4. Beat until fluffy.
5. When cupcakes have cooled, frost cupcakes with icing.

Source: The Stir | Kim Conte

Mashed Potatoes Recipe

J did an amazing job mashing this up to the perfect creamy! M compared it to the IKEA mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs potatoes, cut
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 1-1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Cut potatoes and put into a large pot. Add bay leaves, 2 tbsp salt, and cover with cold water. 
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. (Fork should go through the meat easily)
3. Drain potatoes and remove bay leaves. 
4. Heat heavy cream and butter over low heat, until butter has melted. 
5. Mash potatoes with potato masher or whisk. 
6. Add cream butter mixture to potato. 
7. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and serve.

Source: Food Network | Tyler Florence

Beef Bourguignon (Kinda)

I chose the recipe for this week, but didn't read through it properly. When I saw frozen pearl onions, I thought to myself - frozen onions? I can afford fresh onions - I'm going to get that. (Food noob here -.-). At the end of the day, everything tasted good. The beef chunks were a little overcooked - gotta take it off the heat earlier next time.

Ingredients

•  1 cup onions, diced
• 2 lb beef chunks 
• 1 tbsp butter or oil 
• 3 bacon slices, finely chopped
• 1 8oz pack of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp thyme 
• pinch of sugar
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine 
• 2 cup beef broth 
• 4 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 
• Salt and pepper

1 cup frozen pearl onions

1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into roughly 2-inch chunks

1 tablespoon clarified butter or canola/safflower oil (or other neutral high smoke point oil)

1 bacon slice, finely chopped (or substitute pancetta)

1 10-ounce package of cremini mushrooms, quartered

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

pinch of sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup earthy, good-quality red wine (Cote du Rhone, Burgundy, or Pinot Noir)

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

fresh thyme sprigs (to garnish)

- See more at: http://www.bloggingoverthyme.com/2013/10/24/30-minute-beef-bourguignon/#sthash.y3q6flK7.dpuf

1 cup frozen pearl onions

1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into roughly 2-inch chunks

1 tablespoon clarified butter or canola/safflower oil (or other neutral high smoke point oil)

1 bacon slice, finely chopped (or substitute pancetta)

1 10-ounce package of cremini mushrooms, quartered

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

pinch of sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup earthy, good-quality red wine (Cote du Rhone, Burgundy, or Pinot Noir)

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

fresh thyme sprigs (to garnish)

- See more at: http://www.bloggingoverthyme.com/2013/10/24/30-minute-beef-bourguignon/#sthash.y3q6flK7.dpuf

1 cup frozen pearl onions

1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into roughly 2-inch chunks

1 tablespoon clarified butter or canola/safflower oil (or other neutral high smoke point oil)

1 bacon slice, finely chopped (or substitute pancetta)

1 10-ounce package of cremini mushrooms, quartered

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

pinch of sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup earthy, good-quality red wine (Cote du Rhone, Burgundy, or Pinot Noir)

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

fresh thyme sprigs (to garnish)

- See more at: http://www.bloggingoverthyme.com/2013/10/24/30-minute-beef-bourguignon/#sthash.y3q6flK7.dpuf

1 cup frozen pearl onions

1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into roughly 2-inch chunks

1 tablespoon clarified butter or canola/safflower oil (or other neutral high smoke point oil)

1 bacon slice, finely chopped (or substitute pancetta)

1 10-ounce package of cremini mushrooms, quartered

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

pinch of sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup earthy, good-quality red wine (Cote du Rhone, Burgundy, or Pinot Noir)

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

fresh thyme sprigs (to garnish)

- See more at: http://www.bloggingoverthyme.com/2013/10/24/30-minute-beef-bourguignon/#sthash.y3q6flK7.dpuf

1 cup frozen pearl onions

1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into roughly 2-inch chunks

1 tablespoon clarified butter or canola/safflower oil (or other neutral high smoke point oil)

1 bacon slice, finely chopped (or substitute pancetta)

1 10-ounce package of cremini mushrooms, quartered

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

pinch of sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup earthy, good-quality red wine (Cote du Rhone, Burgundy, or Pinot Noir)

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

fresh thyme sprigs (to garnish)

- See more at: http://www.bloggingoverthyme.com/2013/10/24/30-minute-beef-bourguignon/#sthash.y3q6flK7.dpuf

Instructions 

1. Remove beef from refrigerator and all to sit for at least 20 minutes. Finely chop half of the beef. Season with salt and pepper
2.  Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Melt butter or oil. 
3. Add large beef chunks to the pan and quickly brown on all sides. Remove beef from pan and foil wrap in a stainless steel bowl. 
4. Add the finely chopped diced beef and bacon to the pan. 
5. Add the mushrooms and saute until lightly brown, about 4-5 minutes. 
6. Add garlic, thyme, and the pinch of sugar. 
7. Add tomato paste and cook for another 1-2 minutes. 
8. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the wine. 
9. Return the pan to heat and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine to half.
10. Add onion and broth and bring to a boil. 
11. Whisk together water and flour in a separate bowl. Add to the pan, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken.
12. Add back browned beef chunks and cook over medium heat until beef is medium-rare, about 2-3 minutes. 
13. Season with salt and pepper. 
14. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Source: Blogging Over Thyme

Risotto Primavera Recipe

Wednesday Dinners have been moved to Tuesdays now to accommodate our new cooking buddy - J! J is taking dance classes up in San Francisco on Wednesdays (boy has moves!). Chef on Tuesday. Dancer on Wednesday. Here's our attempt at The Pioneer Women's Risotto Primavera. The end result was very tasty - we all ended up eating a lot more rice than we typically do. Props to people making risottos regularly - I had to pass the stirrer over to Alan for the home stretch.


Ingredients

• 5 cups chicken broth 
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced 
• 3 carrots, diced 
• 1/2 cup cauliflower 
• 1/2 cup broccoli 
• 4 oz mushroom 
• 1 yellow squash, diced 
• 2 tsp salt
• 1.5 cups Arborio rice 
• 1.5 cups dry white wine 
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• green onion

Instructions

1. Pour chicken broth into small saucepan. Heat to simmer. 
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter. 
3. Add diced onions and carrots. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. 
4. Add cauliflower. Cook for 1 minute. 
5. Add broccoli. Cook for 30 seconds. 
6. Add squash and mushrooms. Cook for 30 seconds. 
7. Sprinkle salt. Stir. Remove from pan and set aside. 
8. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter to the pan. Heat over medium-low heat. 
9. Add rice and stir, cooking for 1 minute. Add half the wine and 1.5 tsp salt. Stir and cook until liquid is absorbed
10.  Over next 30-45 minutes, add 1 cup of broth at a time, stirring and cooking until each addition of broth is absorbed. 
11. Add other half of wine and cook until absorbed. 
12. Taste to make sure rice is the right texture; add another helping of broth if rice has too much bite to it.
13. Once rice is cooked, remove from heat. Stir in goat cheese, Parmesan, and vegetables until all goat cheese is combined.
14. Serve with green onion on top.  

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Nutella-Stuffed Browned Butter Chocolate Chips Sea Salt Cookies

J found this amazing recipe and made the trek over to my place that evening to try it out. I got impatient and didn't allow the cookies to sit long enough, so it was a bit difficult to roll them into balls. Nonetheless, the end result was amazzzinnngg - the final touch of sea salt - perfection.

Ingredients 

• 2¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp of salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup milk chocolate chips
• Nutella
• Sea salt

Instructions 

1. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt until combined. 
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, brown butter and set aside to cool.
3. Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. 
4. Mix in egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until incorporated. 
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients until combined. 
6. Fold in chocolate chips.
7. Place cookie dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours to let the flavors meld together.
8. Preheat the oven to 350F. 
9. Roll 1½ tbsp of dough and flatten the dough to make a flat circle. Place 1 teaspoon of chilled Nutella in the middle then place another flat circle of cookie dough on top. Crimp edges to seal.
10. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart and bake 9-11 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown.
11. Sprinkle with sea salt and let cool on wire racks.

Source: The Bite Sized Baker

P.S. I realized that I have a lot of J friends. I should find a way to start distinguishing J from J from J. HAHA

Candy Corn Jello Shots

J's Teaser Pic (see Jello Shots on bottom left)

Made these for my Halloween party and J's "End of Summer BBQ."

Ingredients 
Milk Layer (used for both white & yellow layers)

• 2/3 cup water
• 2 envelopes Knox gelatin
• 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz can)
• 1/3 cup whipped cream flavored vodka

Orange Layer

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 envelope Knox gelatin
• 1 box orange flavored gelatin dessert mix (sugar free dissolves faster!)
• 1/2 cup whipped cream flavored vodka

Instructions

1. Pour water in small saucepan and add in gelatin. Allow to soak for 1-2 minutes. 
2. Heat on low heat for about 5 minutes, or until gelatin fully dissolved. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in sweetened condensed milk. 
4. Stir in vodka. 
5. Fill containers with white layer and place in refrigerator.
6. Repeat steps 1-2 for orange layer.
7. Add the orange gelatin mix and stir until fully dissolved. 
8. Remove from heat and stir in vodka. 
9. Remove containers from refrigerator. Fill containers with orange layer and place back in refrigerator. 
10. Repeat steps 1-4. Stir in a few drops of yellow food coloring. 
11. Fill containers with yellow layer and place in refrigerator.

 Source: Jelly Shot Test Kitchen

Chargers' Rivers, Cowgirl, Charlie Brown