Chocolate, Vanilla and Marble cup cakes

One dough 3 kinds of cakes, sound good? I know that most of us want a cupcake recipe that we can use it time and time again (in every occasion too). After reading this recipe, you can see, it a plain pound cake in a cup, easy and straightforward. You can get three kinds of cake from dividing the dough that can be good because there will be a lot of choice for everyone or you can have only vanilla cupcakes by omitting the cocoa or have all chocolate cupcakes by double the quantity of the cocoa and mix it in the dough. The decoration is up to you but using melted chocolate is easy (plus if you use a good quality, your cupcakes will be more delicious).

Chocolate and vanilla cup cakes

Makes 6 standard cupcakes (or 24 mini cupcakes)

100g	butter, at room temperature
100g	caster sugar
2	eggs
100g	self raising flour (sifted)
2tbsp	cocoa powder
a few drops	vanilla essence
100g	white chocolate melted
100g	dark chocolate melted

* if you can’t find self raising flour, just use cake flour and add ½ tsp baking powder.

Heat the oven to 180 °C

Cream the butter and sugar together; then beat in the eggs and flour. Divide the mix into2 and add the cocoa to one half and the vanilla to the other. Add a drop of milk to the chocolate mix if it is too stiff.

Spoon into 6 muffin tins lined with paper cases, making some chocolate, some vanilla and some marble. Bake for 25-30 minutes (8 minutes for mini cupcakes).

Dip the vanilla cakes in dark chocolate and the chocolate ones in white chocolate or drizzle the chocolate over the cup cake (it’s your cake do whatever you want)..

Made in Italy

By Giorgio Locatelli

I give up writing about this book; I have to admit that I like it so much that I don’t know what to write. There is a lot of information, recipes, and story, all of them are great not because it’s a big and heavy book, but the author has a real passion for his food, his Italian food. Giorgio Locatelli is very good at story telling. He came from the family that food is the center of life from morning ‘til night, so he has greatest love for the food.

The book has a lot of recipes and information about the ingredients (not the plain explanation but it’s full of memory and history about the ingredients, like the fact that the first Gorgonzola is a cheese name Stracchino which the inn keeper left for a few weeks in the kitchen then realize it had become blue with mold. Its taste is good so it begins made in this way). The same as many Italian cookbooks, they tell you to respect your food (when kill the pig, they don’t waste any parts of it). We have to accept the fact of life that the food that we eat is not from the factory or the supermaket. They come from nature, now we know the pork or chicken by the part, not the animal, as he told that his children think he is cruel to kill the crab for dinner, that make him feel bad.

For the recipes, they come with a tip to make them better, and there are a lot of recipes too (whatever you want from the antipasti to dolci). I love the recipe that has a story, and this book is full of the story. And the pictures, both old and new are great, it’s like you come in to his life and his memory.

I don’t have more to say, but I hope that if you have a chance to read this book in the bookstore, just open it and read some chapter, you may love it as I do.

Vanilla-Vanilla

I had a problem with vanilla flavor a long time ago, I didn’t like the imitation vanilla, and most of the bakery in Thailand use imitation than the real thing, and it is common for other people but not for me. So after I started baking, I want to have the pure vanilla extract to use in my cake, but it’s hard to find in Thailand, and I didn’t want to wait for any people to go aboard and buy it for me. I search for making the extract at home (I really want to grow it at home, so I get the bean and making the extract but it’s not easy, vanilla bean need a lot of work, you can read about it here).

Finally I come across this article: How to make the vanilla extract from ...................
Joachim. I started from that time and it’s great. I know that if you’re live in the country that you can easily find the good one you may turn away from this but I find the home made extract’s fragrance is very sweet, and you can use more vanilla pod to get better extract.

The key is your vanilla pod, a fresh and sweet fragrance one will make the extract come out great (if you live in Thailand, you can buy the vanilla pods from Central food hall, it come in a tin can in the spice section). The extract that you start today can be useable in 3 month (if you don’t use any commercial extract). After you get your extract, it’s keep indefinitely.

Home Made Vanilla Extract

750 ml	Inexpensive vodka
6	Split vanilla bean
½ cup	commercial extract (optional)

Put the vanilla bean in a glass bottle and pour the vodka in. Put the cap on and keep the bottle in a cool dark place, shake it from time to time (or when you remember). The extract that you start today can be useable in 3 month or 6 weeks if using the commercial extract.

My vanilla bean from the bottle

From:Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks: 5,000 Ingenious Kitchen Hints, Secrets, Shortcuts, and Solutions by David Joachim

Ham and Cheese Bread

大きなパンが作れる本(Big Bread Making Book) by Kimie Oguro

Even the name of the book promise big bread, it’s not the same “big” as we know. I found that the recipe is the same quantity as other book, 300g of the flour, but when baking in a small oven this is the big bread that can be bake easily in the oven. She offers us 3 kinds of bread, simple, rich and natural. Simple is the country style bread like Foccacia (simple, with topping and with filling) English muffin (using hot plate) bread using oven toaster and fry pan (with curry recipe). Rich is the bread with egg more fat and sweeter flavor like dried fruit bread, party bread (bread with seed), ham and cheese bread, braids bread and fried bread. The last one natural is the bread that uses whole wheat flour, fruit and nut. Like most of Japanese cookbook, the first part of every chapter is an illustration of how to make the bread from beginning to finish. There is a lot of illustration in each kind of breads, which is very good because each of them need different preparation. The bread’s picture look delicious and it give you how to make a meal from the bread that you make, like serve as breakfast or snack. This book has a word kantan (that mean easy) on the cover so it’s good for the beginner or anyone who like to make simple bread.

For this ham and cheese bread, I adapt the recipe a little bit to suite all my family taste and I hope you will like it too. I don’t think that the book make a big bread as it said because I have to double the recipe of this delicious bread or it’s not enough.

Ham and Cheese Bread

(Makes 28x10cm loaf)

Bread
300 g	Bread Flour
6 g	Instant dried yeast
20 g	Sugar
5 g	Salt
30 g	Unsalted butter (soft)
210-220 g	One egg plus whole milk
Filling
100 g	Ham (cut into small pieces)
50 g	Cheddar Cheese(cut into small pieces)
Topping
50 g	Onion (sliced)
5 tbsp	Mayonnaise
50 g	Gruyère Cheese (Grated)

Put half of the flour and yeast in a bowl, whisk to combine, add the sugar and salt whisk again. Pour the egg and milk mixture into the bowl, use large spoon to mix everything together. Put all the remaining flour in, and knead briefly to bring all the ingredients together. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead, you will see the dough will be elastic after about 5 minutes, add the butter at that time, knead for another 5 minutes or until the dough is soft and pliable.

Put the dough into a light buttered bowl. Let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size (can be 1 hour or 1 hour and a half check often depend on the temperature).

Line a baking paper in the pan and set aside.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to a rectangle. Scatter ham and cheddar cheese all over the dough and roll the dough toward you starting at the top, gently pressing as you go to form a tight log. Cut the dough into 6 pieces, then place the dough, cut side down in the prepared pan

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Meanwhile mix the topping ingredients together in a bowl (you can adjust the taste or increase the mayonnaise like me).

Let the dough rise until almost double in size; pour the topping over the top. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake for 10-15 minutes more.

Adaptation from: 大きなパンが作れる本(Big Bread Making Book) by Kimie Oguro

Almond Tart

The fact is when I tried this recipe for the first time, I burned all the tart shell and I said “I don’t do this again”. The original version comes in bite size, very cute, only 1 inch in diameter. I started by following the recipe and after put the little shell in the oven; I pushed the timer button and waited by reading the book, I believe that when the timer rang, I would get a beautiful tart from the oven. After 15 minutes, my oven filled with smoke and the golden tart turn to be black, not all but half of it. I had a kitchen disaster again. I looked at the black bottom tart (the half of them even they don’t burn but a bit brown than golden), I didn’t know what to do next but my sister tell me to do the filling anyway, so I finished the tart by making the filling and baking them. When the tart came out of the oven it’s fill the room with the almond perfume and the taster like it, I thought I had to give it another try.
This time I change the size of the tart, bite size may be cute, but it’s a bit frustrated (for me), bigger pan is in need now. For the filling, I need a lot of sweet perfume so I add a vanilla extract, and double the portion and roll the tart dough thinner, as the shell is a lot and make the tart tasted like almond biscuit. And the biggest part the baking time, I use the same time as the book suggest for the small tart. Now, I have a lovely almond tart that I can show the world, and hope you enjoy it as well.
(I don’t like to talk about other people’s faults so I don’t want to tell you the name of the book but for everyone’s note this book is printed in Thai language.)

Almond Tart
4- (4 ½ inches x 1 inch)

Tart
120 g	All purpose flour
35 g	Grounded almond
40 g	Confectioner’s sugar
¼ tsp	Salt
115 g	Unsalted butter
Almond cream
120 g	Unsalted butter
130 g	Sugar
2	Eggs
1 tsp	Pure vanilla extract
100 g	Grounded almond
4 tbsp	Cake flour
½ tsp	Salt
Topping
80 g	Silvered almond

Make the tart:

Sift confectioner’s sugar, and set aside. Sift the flour and salt together, and set aside

Beat the butter and confectioner’s sugar together, until light and puffy, add the almond and flour mixture, and beat just until combined.

Cover with cling film and chill the tart dough for 30 minutes.

Brush the tart pans with butter (a lot will be good), roll out the dough to a thickness of about 5mm (1/4 inch). Carefully lift it up with the rolling pin, and ease it into the tart pans.

You have to chill the tart cases for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 180°C

Bake blind the pastry for about 15 minutes until the pastry is just turning golden. Remove and keep the oven switched on.

While baking the tart shell, making the almond cream:

Sift the four and salt together, and set aside

Beat the butter and together, until light and puffy, add the vanilla then the egg, one at a time. Add the almond and flour mixture, and beat just until combined.

Spread the almond cream over the tart shell, sprinkle with silvered almond. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tart is beautiful golden, take the tart out of the oven and let to cool.

Chocolate Hamper

I know it’s not Valentine’s Day yet but I received a lovely chocolate hamper from my Dearest, I don’t know what he think but I love it anyway. I always spend a lot of time in the chocolate section of the supermarket (anywhere in the world, the fact is I really like supermarket, I can spend a day, I know it’s crazy but I’m so exciting about the food around me). Chocolate is a comfort food for me, I like real chocolate with the high percentage of cocoa mass and it’s good to see it can be found more easily almost in any supermarket. But there a time that I want a sweet chocolate, a children’s favorite, like M&M, KitKat, and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kiss so I’m very glad when I see this hamper, because it contains both of my favorite, the dark chocolate and sweet chocolate.

Let me talk about the item in the hamper.

First: Mr. M&M

Lovely and Always smiling, both of them promise not to melt in your hand.

Second: KitKat Bites

Have a break, no you don’t have to break, and they come in a little bite you just pop in your mouth when you want.

Third: Hershey’s Sticks

A stick a day keeps doctor away.

Forth: Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Big Kiss

This kiss is not last long, may be I need a bigger one.

Fifth: Hershey’s Pot of Gold

There are a lot of gold hidden in brown chocolate.

Sixth: Lindt Lindor Cornet Dark 60%

My Favorite, the dark chocolate and smooth filling is so good together, I think 3 pieces is not enough (and while I’m writing this they’re gone.)

Seventh: Hawaiian Host Dark Chocolate

Macadamias and dark chocolate, what a good combination, I never go to Hawaii before but if it’s taste like this, I really want to go there.

Eighth: Guylian Chocolate Sea Shells

You don’t have to go to the sea to get the sea shell, you can eat it too.

Nineth: Guylian La Trufflina

These truffle can be a good finish for this hamper, and I will finish writing and start having a good chocolate week from now.

Hello Lady!

Not that I want to change the theme of the blog, but everyone need a special delicious day include my dear Lady. She is a pug and now 4 years old, we are very close friend and she like good food too (she always happy with a good bagel), but she is allergic to chicken so she has to have a special food or treat that doesn’t contain chicken, and it’s really hard to find. I want to share this recipe for anyone who has a friend like Lady; you may want to do something special for him or her too. I got this recipe from.................. and I know that .......... is like me, he love his friends so much that he developed this recipe for them. I have a bone cutter box set so I cut the biscuit into the bone shape that she can hold while enjoy the biscuit but you can cut into any shape.

Special Reward Dog Biscuits

Make 30 dog biscuits (7.5x3.7cm.)

340 g	whole wheat flour
340 g	bread flour
55 g	wheat germ
2 tablespoons	brown sugar
1 teaspoon	salt
3	eggs
240 ml	vegetable oil
85 g	powdered dry milk
240ml	water

1. Combine the whole wheat flour, bread flour, wheat germ, salt, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the eggs and the vegetable oil.

2. Dissolve the milk powder in the water, then incorporate the mixture.

3. Mix to form a very firm dough that is smooth and workable. Adjust by adding a little extra flour or water as required.

4. Cover the dough and set it aside to relax for 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Roll the dough out to1.2 cm thick. Cut out biscuits, using a bone-shaped cutter measuring 7.5 x 3.7 cm. Place the biscuits on sheet pans lined with baking paper.

6. Bake at 190°C for approximately 40 minutes or until the bones are brown and, more importantly, rock-hard. Let the bones cool, then store them in a covered container.

Caramel Coffee Shake

When ever I go out with my sister (our shopping time), we will have the Frappuccino, my sister love Caramel Frappuccino Blended Coffee with whipped cream but I like Espresso. Iced coffee for a hot day is great, and I like the time when we drink it while watching all the people around us, talking and don’t have to care about the time. But I found that my sister love for caramel and whipped cream is very much (she always finish the cream before drinking the coffee!). So, I want to make this one to surprise her.

But the first attempt is a real mess, I burned the caramel by putting the sugar in the microwave for too long, caused a lot of smoke in the house, and after I fixed the caramel, put all things together, I remembered that there are no any kinds of sweetener in the coffee.

May be I have to give up, but I’m not that kind of girl, I want to make it and I want a delicious one. I finally came up with this recipe, not the one that taste like Starbuck’s but delicious too. I make the caramel using the microwave, by testing for sometime I know the time for my microwave to make a delicious caramel but for your microwave I suggest use a shorter time for the first time because you can get a lot of smoke like me if the sugar gets burn, or you can use the classic method by boiling the sugar then add the cream, too.

Caramel Coffee Shake

Makes 2 glasses

Caramel cream
50 g	Sugar
2 tbsp	Water
2 tbsp	Whipping cream
Sweet whipped cream
½ cup	Whipping cream
1 tbsp	Sugar
Coffee
1⅓ tbsp	Instant coffee
2 tbsp	Hot water
4 tbsp	Caramel cream
1 tbsp	Condensed milk
4 tbsp	Milk
400 g	Ice

First make the caramel cream.

Put the whipping cream and 1 tbsp of water in a microwave proof measuring cup, over with plastic wrap, heat in the microwave for 30 second and set aside.

Pour the sugar and 1 tbsp water in a big ceramic bowl, over with plastic wrap, heat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes (for mine, 3.20 minutes is the right time).

Get the bowl out of the microwave (I suggest putting the glove on, it’s very hot and you can burn your hand), take the plastic out and pour the whipping cream mixture in, the caramel will be bubble (this is the reason for big bowl).

Now you get the caramel cream.

Second beat the whipping cream

Put the whipping cream and 1 tbsp sugar in a bowl beat until hold a stiff peaks. Put the whipped cream in pastry bag with star nozzle for decorating and put it in the fridge while you make the coffee.

Third make the coffee shake

Pour the 2tbsp of hot water over the instant coffee, mix in the condensed milk and milk, set aside.

Put the ice in bowl of the blender, pour 4 tbsp of caramel cream over the ice and follow by the coffee mixture. Blend until the ice is distributed, then pour the mixture into 2 glasses.

Now decorate

Squeeze the whipped cream over the coffee and use the remaining caramel cream drizzle over the top.

Serve immediately.

Whole Wheat Bread with Wheat Germ and Rye

I like whole what bread, not because it’s a good source of fiber (I’m not the person who always think about health all the time, happy eating in moderation will be good for your health, trust me). I like its texture and sweet smell; it’s good for sandwich too. This recipe comes from ................. This bread is easy to make (but it will be easier if you have heavy-duty standing mixer), has a good texture, chewy and slightly sweet, only a small butter is enough to make it better. So hope you try this bread, if not for its flavor, it’s good to your health too.

Whole Wheat Bread with Wheat Germ and Rye

MAKES TWO 9-INCH LOAVES

2⅓ cups	warm water (about 110 degrees)
1½ tablespoons	instant yeast
¼ cup	honey
4 tablespoons (½ stick)	unsalted butter, melted
2 ½ teaspoons	salt
¼ cup (⅞ounce)	rye flour
½ cups	toasted wheat germ
3 cups (16 ½ ounces)	whole-wheat flour
2¾cups (13¾ounces)	unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix the water, yeast, honey, butter, and salt with a spatula mix in the rye flour, wheat germ, and 1 cup each of the whole-wheat and all-purpose flours.

2. Add the remaining whole-wheat and all- purpose flours, attach the dough hook, and knead at low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead just long enough to make sure that the dough is soft and smooth, about 30 seconds.

Note on hand kneading: Mixing the water, yeast, honey, butter, salt, rye flour, and wheat germ in a large mixing bowl. Mix 2¾ cups of the whole- wheat flour and the all-purpose flour in a separate bowl, reserving ¼ cup of the whole-wheat flour. Add 4 cups of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients; beat with a wooden spoon 5 minutes. Beat in another 1 ½ cups of the flour mixture to make a thick dough. Turn the dough onto a work surface that has been sprinkled with some of the reserved flour. Knead, adding only as much of the remaining flour as necessary to form a soft, elastic dough, about 5 minutes. Continue with step 3.

3. Place the dough in a very lightly oiled large bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free area until the dough has doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4. Heat the oven to 375 F degrees. Gently press down the dough and divide into two equal pieces. Gently press each piece into a rectangle, about 1 inch thick and no longer than 9 inches. With a long side of the dough facing you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing down to make sure that the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam-side up and pinch it closed. Place each cylinder of dough in a greased 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, seam-side down and pressing the dough gently so it touches all four sides of the pan. Cover the shaped dough; let rise until almost doubled in volume, to 30 minutes.

5. Bake until an instant thermometer inserted at an angle from the shot end just above the pan rim reads 205 F degrees, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the bread immediately from the baking pans to wire racks; cool to room temperature.

From: Baking Illustrated: A Best Recipe Classic

New Bread for New Year

New Year comes and I’m still cooking and baking as always. Many people have new goals, included me. I want to bake and cook something new, something I never did before. I want to read more; there are so many books in my shelf that never be touched. I want my blog to have more variety.

After all the party gone, I sit in my room, reading and searching for what to do, make, bake or cook. In fact, I’m always excited for all the thing that I make in the kitchen, a cake, a cookies, bread or etc. I have an imagination about what they will look or taste like, hope and prayer that all the new recipe will turn out to be god send (I know not everyone has this crazy thought like me).

So, I start with something that I usually buy from the bakery (it’s not hard to make but just can’t help bring it home after see this cute bread). Melon Bread or Melon-pan is a sweet little bread that has a soft bread and biscuit crust, good contrast, you can enjoy it in the morning or for a coffee break, this one won’t disappointed, I promise.

Melon Bread

Makes 8

Bread
200 g	Bread Flour (plus more for work surface)
1⅓ tsp	Instant dried yeast
2 tbsp	Sugar
30 g	Unsalted butter (soft)
120 ml	whole milk
1	egg yolk
¼ tsp	Salt
Cookie
200 g	Cake Flour (plus more for work surface)
¼ tsp	Baking powder
¼ tsp	Salt
40 g	Sugar
50 g	Unsalted butter
1	egg
	1 bowl of sugar (for dipping top of the bread)

Make the bread:

Put half of the flour and yeast in a bowl, whisk to combine, add the sugar and salt whisk again. Pour the egg yolk and milk into the bowl, use large spoon to mix everything together. Put all the remaining flour in, and knead briefly to bring all the ingredients together. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead, you will see the dough will be elastic after about 5 minutes, add the butter at that time, knead for another 5 minutes or until the dough is soft and pliable.

Put the dough into a light buttered bowl. Let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size (can be 1 hour or 1 hour and a half check often depend on the temperature).

Meanwhile make the cookie, sift flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and pale, add egg, and beat to combine. Then add the flour mixture and fold together. Roll the dough into a cylinder shape, and cover with plastic, put in the fridge for 25 minutes.

Take the dough out of the bowl and cut the dough into eight pieces, roll into a ball and let them rest for 10 minutes. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and cut into eight pieces. Roll each one of the cookie dough into a thin circle large enough to cover the top of the bread dough. Cover the bread dough with the cookie dough. Dip the top of the bread in to the sugar bowl and mark the top of the bread by using the back of the knife.

Place the dough on the oven sheet. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Let the dough rise until almost double in size. Bake for 10 minutes.

CHEESE KUCHEN

Sweet and lovely perfume of morning bread can lighten up any day, and cheese morning bread is hard to resist. This Cheese Kuchen recipe is from .............. As I made the CRUMB BUNS before this is the same dough. The cheese filling is rich and a bit tangy so contrast to the sweet and crunchy almond topping, and so good to have in the lazy morning.

CHEESE KUCHEN

MAKES ONE 9-INCH CAKE, 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

½ recipe (about 1 pound)	Rich Sour Cream Dough(you can find the recipe in CRUMB BUNS)
CHEESE FILLING
3 tablespoons	raisins
1 (8-ounce) package	cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup	sugar
1	large egg yolk
1 tablespoon	all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon	sour cream
1 teaspoon	fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon	freshly grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon	pure vanilla extract
TOPPING
4 tablespoons	slivered almonds
3 teaspoons	sugar
¼ teaspoon	ground cinnamon

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 to 1½ hours before shaping.

2. Generously butter a 9-inch square pan and set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, gently knead the dough six to eight times, and shape it into a square. With lightly floured hands, press the dough into the prepared pan stretching it to completely cover the bottom. Push the dough against the side of the pan, forcing it up to form a wall about ¾ inch high and ¼ inch thick. Be sure to press the dough well into the crease of the pan. If the dough becomes too elastic, let it rest for a few minutes. Pierce the dough ten to twelve times with a fork. Cover the pan and let it rise in a warm place for 25 to 30 minutes, or until puffy but not doubled.

3. While the dough is rising, prepare the cheese filling. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese until no lumps remain. Gradually blend in the sugar, mixing until smooth. Stir in the egg yolk, then blend in the flour, sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla, Stir in the raisins.

4. Position the rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F.

5. When the dough is puffy, gently drop spoonfuls of the cheese filling over the top of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border of dough around the edge. Do not press on the dough. Using a small offset spatula, gently smooth the filling across the top.

6. Combine the almonds, sugar, and cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the cheese filling.

7. Place the pan on a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap it up the side of the pan to catch any leakage. Bake the kuchen for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack for 30 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Adaptation from: Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More: 200 Anytime Treats and Special Sweets for Morning to Midnight, by Carole Walter

Japanese Sesame Salad Dressing

For anyone who loves salad, this one is low in fat and very easy (again). You can make a dressing and keep in the fridge, or just make before use. It takes so little time.

Japanese Sesame Salad Dressing

(From Happy New Year! 2008)

3 Tbsp	vinegar (Japanese natural flavored distilled vinegar)
2 Tbsp	soy sauce
2 Tbsp	sugar
2 Tbsp	Sesame (toasted)
	Vegetable of your choice

Stir together soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar in small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the sesame seed. Pour over the vegetable.

Silken Tofu and Carrot with Soy Ginger Sauce

This recipe is so easy; you just mix the sauce and pour on the tofu, finished. It’s a healthy and low fat

Silken Tofu and Carrot with Soy Ginger Sauce

(From Happy New Year! 2008)

Serve 2

1½ tsp	soy sauce
1 tbsp	vinegar (Japanese natural flavored distilled vinegar)
¾tsp	finely grated peeled fresh ginger
¾tsp	sugar
½ lb	silken soft tofu, drained and halved (or you can cut the way I do)
1	small carrot, finely grated
1tbsp	thinly sliced scallion greens

Stir together soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and sugar in small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Put tofu on two plates spoon sauce over it, and sprinkle with carrot and scallion greens.

Kimchi

I made this recipe very often, as we eat sashimi at home every week (my brother really like it). I made kimchi for a family party, this time (as I told you in Happy New Year! 2008, that I will post a recipe) this is the first one.

This kimchi recipe is not the traditional one, but easy, doesn’t take a lot of time and delicious. It’s good for accompany Korean barbecues too, after making it, put it in a jar and put in the fridge and you can have a delicious kimchi on hand for 1 month.

Kimchi

1 head	Chinese cabbages
1	Chinese white radish, clean and thinly sliced
1	Carrot, thinly sliced
5 tbsp	coarse salt
5	red chilli (deseed and halved)
1 tbsp	Ginger, chopped
5 cloves	Garlic, chopped
5 tbsp (more or less depend on your taste)	Sriraja Panich Chilli Sauce Medium Hot (or Tabasco or any hot and spicy flavor chilli sauce )
3 tbsp	Sugar
1-3 tbsp	Lemon juice
5	Spring onion cut into 3 cm long
2 tbsp	Paprika powder (optional for good color)

Cut cabbage lengthwise into two sections.

Put the cabbage in large bowl sprinkle with 3 tbsp of salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Rinsed in cold water, and then drained and squeeze to take the water out of the cabbage. Cut into pieces (about 5 cm) and put in a clean bowl with carrot, spring onion and white radish.

Put red chilli, ginger, garlic, sugar, 2 tbsp of salt, chilli sauce and paprika powder in a food processor and process until homogenized.

Pour the sauce on cabbage, carrot, spring onion and white radish. Use large spoon to distribute the sauce adjust the flavor with lemon juice.

Put the kimchi in clean jar and place in the fridge for 24 hours before use.

Happy New Year! 2008

Hello, just want to say “HAPPY NEW YEAR” to everyone, wish you joy and delicious year.

Last night, I had a little party in my family, Japanese theme, with a lot of sashimi (tuna, salmon and mackerel in vinegar), salad (with sesame dressing) tofu with soy dressing and kimchi. Because I want a healthy party this year (when you’re getting, I really don’t want to say older, party time can be too much) and the fact that there are no children in the house this year (my nephew couldn’t come, I will bake the cake (without frosting) for him later). And for this week, I will post the recipe that I use for my party, so everyone can have a healthy party too.

So, let me say “Happy New Year” again and thank you for visiting my blog, too.