brazilian cheese puffs

i was mindlessly browsing my facebook feed one day when i clicked on a recipe for brazilian cheese puffs that popped up from a friend of a friend.  if you have ever been to an allyoucaneat brazilian steak house, you've probably had these breads, served with a bunch of sides.  they are delicious and addicting, and i always find it hard to save room for the meat to come.

i have made these puffs no less than three times, with resounding success.  extremely simple to make and super delicious, the hardest part is finding the tapioca flour, which isn't all that difficult.   i recommend bringing a batch or two to a potluck-- i did a couple of times and they were devoured quickly.

the recipe is from my new favorite food blogger, kirbiecravings, who, coincidentally, also lives in san diego.  browsing through the rest of her blog, i've found myself developing a huge blog crush as her restaurant reviews and recipes excite me to the point of salivation (think i'm going to have to buy nutella in bulk from costco now).  from what i can surmise from her posts, we have fairly similar tastes in food-- and while it may appear from the general content of my blog that i am more partial to crafting and traveling as hobbies, i really love food above all else.

i think i want to make this next.  or this!  or this... oh boy. 

earl grey cupcakes with lavender swiss meringue buttercream

happy valentine's day!
whether you love or hate this holiday, there is no denying that at the very least, it is an excellent excuse to eat something sugary and delicious.  i myself have mixed feelings about valentine's day, but always like an opportunity to be a fatty... which is why i made these earl grey cupcakes with lavender swiss meringue buttercream.

i am really into earl grey and lavender.  
separately // or combined // in my desserts

i made these recently, without having a clear idea on how they'd turn out, because i wasn't really sure what i was doing.  luckily, everything went smoothly, and they were well received by a handful of taste-testers.

makes about 52 minis, or roughly 18-20 regular cupcakes
i halved the recipe and made minis

ingredients

1 cup almond milk *

4 earl grey tea bags 

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar 

1 stick of butter, room temp 

4 large eggs

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

a few drops of lavender extract (optional- but also used in the frosting)

in a small saucepan, heat the milk until it's barely bubbling. turn the heat off, and steep the tea bags for about thirty minutes.   i chose tazo earl grey infused bergamot + lavender to pair with the frosting.  squeeze the tea bags as much as possible to get the excess liquid out, so you don't lose too much of the liquid (i capped the milk back up to the full amount before using). discard teabags. set aside prepared milk. 

sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. set aside.

cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated.   add the sifted flour/baking powder/salt mixture in a few batches, alternating with the tea-infused milk, beating until combined.   at this time, you can also add a few drops of lavender extract if you wish to enhance the flavor profile.

spoon batter into prepared cupcake pans until 2/3 full.  bake for 16-22 minutes for mini cupcakes at 350F.  about 22-26 minutes for regular cupcakes (this one is just a rough guess).

*i used almond milk, but you can use reg milk

i used martha stewart's swiss meringue buttercream recipe for the frosting, and added lavender extract at the end, during the final blending (and followed her instructions about the coloring).  i suggest starting with a conservative 1/4 tsp of lavender extract and taste, working your way up to a strength that you like.

the result is a not too sweet, moist cupcake with subtle (but notable) flavors. 

enjoy!

if you find yourself desperate for a card today, it's not too late-- download and print my free valentine's day card.   

noodles with sesame sauce

so far in the race to become liveable space, the kitchen is winning.  while there are still cabinets to organize, and items to place, it is more or less functional.  one of the first dishes i made in our new kitchen is noodles with sesame sauce, one of my favorite kind of chinese noodles.   it's a very easy dish to make, and completely delicious.  the husband can't get enough of of the sauce, and neither can i.  i often double or triple the recipe so we have plenty of leftovers. 

ingredients

1/3 lb chinese wheat noodles (prepare as indicated on package)
shredded chicken breast (i steamed mine)
shredded cucumber

sauce
(this can be made in advance) in a medium sized bowl, combine the following, mixing with each additional ingredient:
3 tb sesame paste (found at asian grocery stores)
1/2 tb sugar
1/2 tb vinegar
2 tb soy sauce
2 tb sesame oil (found in the asian aisle at a regular grocery store)
5-7 tb water, depending on your preference- start with less and taste test

start with the noodles on the bottom, add shredded chicken and a generous amount of sauce, and top with shredded cucumber.

this dish can also be served cold. 

serves 2.

i love you, fried pork chop rice!

one of my closest friend's boyfriend, T, has learned two phrases in chinese: "i love you" and " fried pork chop rice". he enjoys saying them together, "i love you, fried pork chop rice!".

while other people may have opted to learn more useful sentences, like, "how are you?" or "where is the bathroom?", i'd say this is a pretty good start.

fried pork chop rice is a delicious, casual (and admittedly, unhealthy) dish in taiwanese cuisine, and most people would heartily agree with T's enthusiastic declaration.  using the recipe from my chinese rice and noodles cookbook (recipes are both in chinese and english), i attempted to make my first fried pork chop rice.

the coffee time menu

happy may day!
in my last post, i babbled about our last coffee time, and promised you details on the menu. i am here to deliver that promise. be warned. this is going to be long.

we served the following:
coffee and tea
finnish chocolates
white chocolate + lemon- orange cake
flourless chocolate cake (which became a flourless chili chocolate cake but you couldn't taste the chili, really)
zucchini + goat cheese muffins
ham + cheese crisps