Junior's Cheesecake

Fill in the blanks game...ready?

1. "I'd rather eat a ____________ than a ______________"

2. "My ___________ has improved remarkably since ______________"

3. "_________ will keep us ________________"

4. " Wow, I wish I wouldn’t have bought that ____________"

5. "I wish cheesecake went straight to my _____________  instead of my _____________ ."

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.

Orange Glazed Strawberry Scones

Infomercials are the devil. I'm convinced of it. They target those who are weak willed like myself. Sure, I could have blamed the impulsiveness of my purchase on the Nyquil (It impaired my judgment I swear), but I have no discipline when it comes to getting things I must have and can't live without. That being said, I received the Brazilian Butt Lift Workout DVDs in the mail a few days ago. If soreness is any indication of product effectiveness, consider it highly effective! 3 workouts in and I'm unable to walk or climb stairs without whimpering. It's definitely a booty kicker.

In other news, I made scones that Mr. Incredible proclaimed as "...the best thing you have ever baked." That's quite a statement. After the first bite, I agreed. After scarfing down the 2nd scone I totally believed it. These were the best things ever. EVER.

I modified the recipe from Ina Garten's Cranberry Orange Scones recipe. The resulting scones are tender, moist and sweet. The strawberries cooked down giving it a sweet jam like taste. Feel free to substitute your favorite fruit in place of strawberries (blueberries, cherries, cranberries, peaches would be yummy).

Orange Glazed Strawberry Scones

Adapted from Ina Garten's recipe

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, grated
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
• 1 cup diced strawberries
• 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed. Combine the egg and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy.  Add the strawberries to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.

Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch.

Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.

Game Day Eats

Your day has come Pigskinus Gigantopithecus (read about them here)! Game day. Don't know what to snack on? Here are a few suggestions...

Crispy Potato Skins (recipe here) with melted cheese and dollops of sour cream.

Sliced Lamb Steak (recipe here) on a hot, crusty roll.

Homemade Milano Cookies (recipe here). Mmmm chocolate.

Mini Doughnuts (recipe here). Small, cute and it has sprinkles.

Pepperoni and Cheese Stuffed Pretzels (recipe here) Cheese, cheese, pepperoni, cheese, cheese and more cheese!