Kahlua Milkshake

You won't believe what I heard today.

Word on the street is that Rum and Kahlua are BFFs.

Johnny Walker heard it from Baily who told Jack Daniel who may have mentioned it to Skyy who turned around and told Jim Beam and Jose Cuervo. Vanilla Breyer said she didn't care because she's good friends with both of them...scandalous.

Tiramisu Cake and Le Petit Brioche's first birthday!

I starting food blogging as a way of documenting the recipes I enjoyed making and eating. Along the way, I've developed friendships with many talented home bakers and cooks who share the same passion for food and food pornography photography. They've inspired me to try new dishes and be more creative with my own.

Thank you to my blog followers and friends who stop by to check out the new recipes. Your kind comments always make my day a little brighter.

In honor of this occasion, I made one of my favorite desserts in cake form. Tiramisu cake. Layers of sponge cake are soaked with a coffee-sugar syrup spiked with Kahlua then topped with mascarpone filling.

Heavenly!

Tonkatsu and a haiku

Tonkatsu is a popular pork dish from Japan. The meat is usually salted, peppered, dredged lightly in flour, dipped into beaten egg and then coated with panko (breadcrumbs) before being deep fried.

I've enjoyed this dish at different Japanese restaurants, but had yet to make it at home. My first time turned out to be easier and tastier than I thought. So tasty in fact, it inspired me to write a haiku. Like to hear it? Here it goes...

succulent pork bits

fried golden to perfection

it's tonkatsu-per

It's good right? There's more where that came from...

if pork was a place

i would pack right now and go

and never look back

add salt and pepper

atop the succulent pork

set aside to rest

all purpose flour

four eggs and panko bread crumbs

dredge the pork in each

why do panko crumbs

make everything taste better?

i am too Asian

fry in hot oil

flip when crust is golden brown

cook two more minutes

sweet tonkatsu sauce

hot jasmine rice and lemons

it's tonkats-yummers!

Tonkatsu

4 boneless pork chops, thin sliced

1 cup of flour

4 eggs

2 cups of panko bread crumbs

salt and pepper 

oil for frying

Sauce

from allrecipes.com

1 cup ketchup

4 teaspoons mustard powder

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper the pork chops. Dredge pork chops in flour then dip in the beaten egg. Coat with panko crumbs, dip in the egg mixture again, then coat with another layer of panko crumbs. Lay coated chops on a plate until the rest are finished. If you have time, let them set for about 10 minutes and the coating will set very well. If you wish to freeze the chops, now is the time. 

When the oil is hot, place pork chops into the pan, and fry for about 2.5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Sauce

In a small bowl, stir together the ketchup, mustard powder, garlic powder, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend the flavors before serving.

Sticky Spicy Honey Garlic Wings

I'm ready to put away the heavy down comfortor.

I'm ready to put on a pastel colored cardigan over a light floral dress.

I'm ready to jump on a banana seat bike for a leisurely ride down the block.

I'm ready to look for four leaf clovers and pick daffodils in the park.



Spring I'm ready for you.  Oh yes.

You know what else I'm ready for? These delectable wings. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and stir fried broccoli.   

Sticky Spicy Honey Garlic Wings

Adapted from MomWhoCooks via Allrecipes.com

24 chicken wings, split
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons sriracha hot chili sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons honey, or more if you like a sweeter sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Directions

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Mix together the brown sugar, garlic, chili sauce, 1/2 cup water, honey, and soy sauce.

Arrange the chicken wings in a baking dish; pour sauce over the chicken wings and cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cooked through.

Take wings out of the oven and pour the cooking juices into a saucepan; bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water together and add to the sauce. Cook until thickened.

Set oven to broil on Hi. The rack should be positioned in the middle of the oven.

Pour the thickened sauce back over the wings and return to oven. Broil until sauce is golden and bubbly.