Lactation Cookies

Adapted from the recipe on  how sweet it is

I didn't want to make a full batch in case it didn't work out - so I halved it and made some tweaks as well -

In large mixing bowl stir together:
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup wheat germ (for extra nutritional boost)
2 tbsp brewers yeast
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

In seperate bowl beat together until fluffy:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar

Beat into butter just until combined​:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Add dry mix to batter and stir/fold until dough forms

Stir in:
1/2 cup of chopped pitted date (original recipe calls for 1/2 cup chocolate chips but I feel like dates are healthier)

Roll tablespoonfuls into balls and bake 12 min at 350F.

They turned out pretty well - not too sweet, slightly crunchy on the outside yet soft on the inside.  They went great with tea.

Now my baby is still in my belly so I can't vouch for whether these cookies really help with milk supply or not - I only baked a couple and froze the rest in a log so I can just slice and bake when I need them. 

Cinnamon rolls redux

breakfast for champions

Wrapped up a fun and delish weekend with a feast in the morning - homemade cinnamon rolls and banana pancakes with blueberry compote, bacon, sausage rounds and scrambled eggs, plus some clementines to round out the menu.

I'm so glad the griddler is getting coming in handy and is producing such delicious results - the pancakes were fluffy and the blueberries and chocolate chips in the batter almost negated the need for syrup, except the blueberry compote elevated the pancakes to a whole another level of yumminess.

The cinnamon rolls smelled heavenly fresh out of the oven with just the right touch of crustiness and soft tender middles - even B liked them despite his dislike of cinnamon and had more than two bites.  It's exactly the kind of breakfast I had been craving for since a couple of weeks ago and it really hit the spot - the only problem now is  that we'll have trouble settling for store-bought cinnamon rolls from now on.

Chicken noodle soup

It sucks to be sick on a day off, but since I'm home, I get to take my time and make soup the long way even though heating up a can would have been easier.  I am not sure if this is the proper way to make soup but here is what I did: sautéed chopped up veggies and chicken with oregano, then added water and after that boils,  added the star pasta.  Boiled for another 5 minutes or so then seasoned with salt and pepper.  Really wasn't that complicated, just time consuming.  But it's a nice distraction from my achy throat.

Food for a ninja

made rice, then added a packaged seasoning mix from Japan, then into the molds they go...



add some pressure...


et viola!



Food for a ninja!!

Recreating a childhood favorite

Fried egg with beef and tomatoes

steamed ribs and taro in black bean garlic sauce

taro turns creamy when steamed and becomes the perfect compliment for savory pork ribs

Chocolate chip cookies madness

Note to self: never quadruple a recipe again without first reading through the ingredient list to see how much batter it will yield.

Lessons learned: no mixer we ever own will accommodate 4 cups of butter plus 8 cups of sugar plus 12 cups of flour.   Unless we go commercial.  But we will always find a way around it.  Like we did last night with 4 people struggling with 2 huge bowls of dough and came out with over 8 dozen of cookies

more gruesome treats

shortbread cookies rolled into logs then shaped and marked with blanched almond attached by strawberry jam

Boo!

Lava cake attempt # 2

Gooey center still elusive...

toffee apple cheesecake

 

new york cheesecake topped with apples and raisins cooked in grand marnier topped with crunchy butter toffee 

perfect breakfast for a rainy morning

we didn't want to go out for breakfast in the rain, so i improvised and came up with these toasts with eggs cooked in the middle (must have seen it on foodTV or a magazine) - i wonder if they have a name?

on the menu tonight: braised brisket with daikon radish

1. wash brisket and then blanch with green onion, ginger and cooking wine.

2. cook blanched brisket in soy sauce in equal part water with sichuan pepper, star anise, cinnamon, licorice, dried tangerine peel and a lump of rock sugar

3.  add daikon radish cut into chunks and cook until soft

 4. remove the spices (cinnamon, dried peel, etc) before serving

Veal steak with sautéed purple peppers and zucchini

Guacamole

Ciao!
Never guessed gaucamole was so easy to make - just take ripe avocado (that's the hardest part, i guess, since they are usually too raw or too ripe), add chopped cilantro, chopped green onion, minced garlic, diced tomatoes and juice from a lime and viola!
 

a blue streak

Our first attempt at blueberry buttermilk scones using Martha Stewart's recipe (subbing in frozen blueberries since there were no nice fresh ones at the store) turned out purple before the dough went into the oven, green when it was done baking, then blue after its cooled... but regardless of the color they were delicious!

red velvet cookies

Over the winter, I've fell hopelessly in love with the red velvet crinkle cookie from Panera's Bread.  Looking for a pick-me-up, I went into Panera's recently and was shocked to find that apparently they don't offer it year round!

Since i have some buttermilk to play around with, i decided the one thing i must try to make is the red velvet crinkle.  Most of the recipes asked for a red velvet cake mix, which was so frustrating, because I secretly despise boxed cake mixes - it feels like cheating when it's not made from scratch.

So after some searching I had decided to follow a recipe from scratch featuring a photo of the finished product that resembled the red velvet crinkle the most.  Too bad mine didn't turn out like that.

small ones I made into sandwich cookies with cream cheese filling:

 

bigger ones I simply dusted with icing sugar:

antidote to stress and lack of sunshine

 

never thought fixing up a mojito would be so easy: cut up a lime, crush in glass with some mint leaves, add a splash of rum then top up with sprite (since the store we went to didn't carry tonic water... but all was well, i just skipped the sugar) 

definitely brightened my day despite the gloomy weather

lemon poppyseed cupcakes!!

 

  

 product of a night's hard work - fun times with the girls :)