panda bear jam sandwich

Here's a sweet panda bear sandwich idea that's so cute and adorable :-) It was my first time to test another bento accessory, a panda shape sandwich cutter that I recently ordered from BentoUSA.

At first I was disappointed that it didn't work very well with my homemade bread. I was making a big mess with the crumbly bread until I thought about using a rolling pin to flatten the bread a bit. It turned out to be an important step. It was much easier to make neater cuts on the flattened bread. First, cut two pieces of bread using the panda shape cutter (which doubles as a rice molder too). Then with the other cutter, punch out the eyes, nose etc. Spread with blueberry jam then sandwich together.

this set comes with a rice molder and sandwich cutter

more bento fun

It was exciting to receive these cute bento accessories (shown below) which I ordered from BentoUSA. There was never a dull moment visiting the website. Such a cute and happy store :-) I had fun browsing the merchandise and ordering was fast and easy.

I immediately started with new bento projects and tried using the fruit and vegetable cutters, rice and egg molds as well as the cute food picks.

layers of pretty cheese flowers 

carrot flower, pasta carbonara in a bright pink bento box

mini spam musubi, meatballs, hotdog tulips...cute panda pick 

I also enjoyed making these "kyaraben" or character bento (shown above and below) using the panda and cat rice molds. It was fun but the results were far from perfect :-) Positioning the nori cut-outs was a bit challenging. A dainty bento food tweezer was the right tool for the job.

panda bear rice with sweet and sour meatballs

a petite bento with steamed vegetables and rice

surf and turf sous vide with zucchini noodles

Having tried to cook salmon sous vide for the first time, I was so thrilled with the result that I may never go back to other ways of cooking this fish again. It was very moist, flavorful and perfectly cooked.

Using a vacuum sealer (shown above) to get the air out of the bag ensures that the food stays submerged in the water while simmering. A ziplock food bag will work just as well using the water displacement technique. I used the Anova brand of immersion circulator. Set the temperature to 50C (122F) then set the timer to 40 minutes. The salmon pieces were about 8 oz each. This recipe is also available at the Anova culinary website.

Rump steak cooked medium rare was sliced across the grain as shown above. The nice thing about the sous vide method of cooking is there's absolutely no way the steak can get overcooked and dry out during the sous vide process. It will always be evenly cooked inside out. A quick sear on a hot cast iron grill or pan was all that was needed before slicing and serving. Allow the steak to rest for about 10 minutes after searing.

My husband's sous vide tasting plate with thinly sliced steak, a small piece of salmon, cheese slices and zucchini noodles (shown above).

The zucchini noodle side dish, shown above, cooked scampi-style with minced garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and lemon juice, was another revelation. I keep reading about them in food websites that I had to give it a try. We've always loved grilled zucchini since we discovered how grilling makes them extra flavorful, but I have to say this was another must-keep idea.

This Benriner turning slicer (shown above) is a handy kitchen gadget which I often use for carrots and other salad vegetables. It does a great job creating all kinds of spiral-cut vegetables. I used the medium blade slicer for these zucchini noodles.

jam & jelly maker

With strawberries still at their prime this summer, it was time to finally test this new gadget. It was a project that has been on hold for awhile now since my husband gave me this Ball Jam and Jelly Maker last Christmas. We were surprised how big the actual pot was when we unboxed it upon receiving it. It comes with a stirring paddle attached in the middle which starts as soon as the jam or jelly button is pressed.

I have to say, this gadget will surely please any avid jam & jelly maker and seller out there. Jams & jellies always make great gifts for the holiday season, so this is a handy gadget for such projects. It was very easy to use with simple instructions.

fresh strawberries all washed & ready for the test

Wash and drain the strawberries. Hull them and carefully crush with a potato masher. For jam, I prefer the berries chunkier than totally pureed. Measure the fruit and set aside. The enclosed recipe has two options, traditional or reduced sugar. We chose reduced sugar that required more fruit. Add the pectin into the pot followed by the fruit. Press the jam button to activate the stirrer and the timer. Wait for the beep before adding the sugar. It will automatically stop when the jam is done. Proceed with the canning process next. Otherwise, the jam may just be refrigerated or enjoyed immediately while still warm.

The jam making process shown above (1) Ball Real Fruit classic pectin and a set of lids (2) strawberry huller gadget worked well and made the job easier (3) strawberries crushed with a potato masher (4) the crushed strawberries in the jam maker (5) adding the sugar after the beep (6) a sample of the strawberry jam (7) tasty with gluten-free scones (8) strawberry jam preserved in jars.

sous vide at home

Just a little taste of molecular gastronomy at home :) My husband recently got one of these sous vide (French term for "under vacuum") gadgets for us to try at home. Anova is just one of the many sous vide immersion circulators in the market now. Shown below is our set-up.

On my first attempt, I chose a recipe from the Codlo Sous Vide Guide cookbook. Codlo is another brand of immersion circulator in the market. I found the illustrations in the cookbook as well as the easy-to-follow recipes very helpful for a sous vide novice like me. As suggested in the recipe, I used rump roast cut of beef which I sliced into 1" thick steaks. First step was to set the time and temperature on the Anova. As soon as the desired temperature was reached, I placed the steaks in vacuum-sealed plastic bags and submerged them into the pot of water. It was as easy that. A quick sear on a hot cast iron pan was all that was needed and the steaks were ready to serve.

seared steaks ready to be sliced and served

The sous vide steaks, shown above, were evenly cooked medium rare. It will definitely take a few more tries to learn more about this method of cooking but it's good to know that it's much easier to do this at home now, thanks to these smaller and more affordable sous vide gadgets.

quick pickled cucumbers

Sometime ago, while browsing the vegetable section at a local grocery for ideas, I found some salad cucumbers that looked so fresh and crisp. Aside from adding them to our usual Greek and other green salads, I thought of making pickles with them using just a few ingredients. For the dressing, just combine apple cider and rice vinegar together to make about 1/2 cup. Add some white sugar, salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Pour over the sliced cucumbers. Refrigerate to blend the flavors. At serving time, garnish with sliced green onions. For a spicier vesion, sprinkle thinly sliced red Thai chilis on top.

The pickled cucumbers in a very light, sweet and sour vinegar dressing were just the perfect side for our pan fried pork chops dinner that night. Back in Manila, this was always my personal favorite to have with fried whole fish. There's a particular fish, sold in local markets, called "hasa-hasa" which, when fried until the skin is very crispy, worked so well with these pickled cucumbers. I miss that fish :-)

Shown above, the salad cucumbers were smaller than regular cucumbers. They were bright green, very fresh and crisp. I like to use  this Thai vegetable gadget, which can also be used to shred carrots and other vegetables, to score the cucumber peel lengthwise, creating a nice scalloped design when sliced. This gadget is available in most Asian stores.

Korean braised short ribs

Browsing the meat section at the grocery store one day, I found some flanken-style short ribs which instantly made me think of Korean kalbi and Korean braised short ribs. I've made kalbi once so I decided to try cooking this Korean braised specialty (shown below). Regular cut short ribs may also be used if flanken style is not available. I also mixed in a pound of boneless short ribs for extra meat. Marinating overnight works best to add more flavor before cooking.

I'm glad I used the Instant Pot (shown below) to make this dish. The meat got infused with so much flavor and fall-off- the-bone tender. I've used it many times now.

It's funny when my husband surprised me with this Instant Pot pressure/multi-cooker, I was totally speechless. I've never heard of it before so I was clueless about it. To be honest, I've never pressure-cooked anything before. I remember when I was a kid, my aunt sent my mother a pressure cooker from the US. She never used it but it remained on our kitchen shelf until now. The avocado green finish has become dull and the rubber seal got brittle and broke over the years but it still sits on its permanent spot. I was even hesitant to use a pressure cooker for fear that it may explode. This modern pressure cooker is so much easier to use and it makes the best stews and soups in minutes.

A bowl of sauteed sliced cabbage and carrot strips with sesame oil and a platter of soba noodles completed our meal. Steamed rice may also be served.

For the recipe...

summer drinks

We're supposed to feel the onset of cooler fall weather by now but it's still hot and humid where we are. We may have a few more summer days left to enjoy these cold summer drinks :-) I've just discovered bubble tea (also known as boba milk tea in Asia) and we've also been trying to make Vietnamese coffee lately. We still have to perfect it though.

I've been curious about the popularity of bubble tea. I finally got to try mango bubble tea at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant recently. I just love the chewy black tapioca in the bubble tea. They sell the quick-cooking kind at the Asian store which takes only 5 minutes to cook. Thai instant milk tea is the stuff I use for my bubble tea at home. Other flavors like taro, green tea, honeydew and mango are also available.

Vietnamese iced coffee

This Vietnamese drip-style coffee press (shown below) can be tricky to use. As of now, I'm still figuring out the proper way to regulate the flow. It has to trickle slowly for about 4 minutes to achieve the correct intensity of coffee flavor. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of condensed milk in a tall glass. Pour the coffee over it and stir, then add ice to make a refreshing iced coffee drink. Based on my husband's research, Cafe du Monde is the best brand to use for this.

celery & blue cheese soup

The peak of the summer season may not be the perfect time to enjoy a steaming bowl of soup but as dedicated soup lovers, we always enjoy it anytime of the year. Before I made this, the idea of making soup with celery hasn't crossed my mind at all nor would I have thought that it would even be this good. It can be made richer with the addition of cream or half and half but I omitted it to highlight the celery flavor. We've been getting bunches of celery lately from our organic produce box that we had to think of other ways to use it up. I read that it's best to use organic celery for better flavor.

As often I as make soup, I'm glad about the invention of the hand blender. It has now become one of my most used gadgets in the kitchen. The convenience of not having to transfer a simmering pot of soup in a blender or food processor is a huge time saver for me. Aside from that, it also eliminates mess and extra clean-up.

CELERY and BLUE CHEESE SOUP
(adapted from The Book of Soups by Lorna Rhodes)

1 head celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3-4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup half & half (optional, I omitted this)
1/2 cup or more crumbled blue cheese
salt and pepper to taste

GARNISH:
additional crumbled blue cheese for topping
celery leaves

Reserve celery leaves for garnish. Melt butter in a large saucepan or soup pot and cook onions until translucent then add the chopped celery and simmer until tender. Pour in the chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Puree soup (with a hand blender or in a food processor) then add a little amount to the beaten egg to temper it before adding the mixture back to the hot soup. Puree again to make sure the mixture is smooth. Stir in finely crumbled blue cheese and adjust the seasonings. Garnish with celery leaves and more crumbled blue cheese if desired.

using a hand blender to puree mushroom soup

bento eggs

I have always been curious and at the same time fascinated by the Japanese bento. It is no doubt an art. I found many interesting blogs that are dedicated to it showing creativity and patience in preparing a bento box. I'm a fan of cute bento accessories like these adorable egg molds. I tried to look for them in the popular Japanese store chains (Daiso and Japan Home Center)  in the Philippines while I was there but had no luck finding them. I have to thank my husband for ordering these gadgets for me. I call them my kitchen toys and they really work!

the bunny eggs will be cute to make for Easter

I was surprised by how well all the plastic egg molds work 

teddy bear, car, fish and bunny egg molds

corn dogs at home

(1) the corn dog maker was easy and fun to use (2) the non stick interior was easy to clean, just wipe off with a damp dishtowel after it cooled down (3) it was a little tricky to fill at first so it got a bit messy (4) the tops may not always be perfect but flipping the corn dogs over showed a better looking pattern for a much nicer presentation at serving time.

I remember this gadget in the Philippines where it was commonly used. Some snack counters at the malls would also sell these corn dogs but they were more known as "waffle dogs" in the Philippines. It was harder to find this corn dog maker for home use here in the US but we finally saw this one and bought it at Amazon.com. It worked great. The nonstick interior makes clean up very easy. It has a waffle pattern which made a pretty good impression. The first time I made the corn dogs, I used the cornbread recipe suggested in the enclosed pamphlet. It turned out a bit on the dry side so I decided to make the batter based on the cornbread recipe I like to use. I replaced the flour with some Biscuick and reduced the cornmeal. This mix was lighter, more like pancake batter and it didn't dry out. Corn dogs appeal to many but we all know that they're usually deep fried and not so good for us. These corn dogs eliminate deep frying in oil making them less greasy and much better. I like to pan fry the hot dogs in a little olive oil to brown them slightly then let them cool and drain on papertowels while preparing the batter. These corn dogs were just the perfect weekend snacks for us.

homemade tortillas

One thing I always like to have are corn tortillas so I make it a point to grab a package when I do my grocery shopping. They're so handy to have for quick snacks and dinner meals. Some of the easiest Mexican dishes that I love to cook like chicken or beef fajitas, enchiladas, tostadas and quesadillas, to name a few, just can't be right without fresh tortillas to serve them with. I've read so much about how easy and quick it is to make tortillas at home using a tortilla press. The reviews and feedback I've read online definitely got me interested to try to make them at home. It's also nice to find out how good they say they are freshly made. Store bought tortillas can be just as good but taking it a step higher with these homemade tortillas wasn't a bad idea at all and I have to say, it's worth the time and effort. The most recommended flour to use for corn tortillas is Maseca brand masa harina. Mix together 2 cups masa harina with about 1 1/2 cups of warm water, adding more water if needed. Knead until smooth. Divide the dough into several pieces and roll into small balls, about 2" in diameter. Roll out or use a tortilla press, lined with plastic, to flatten them. Brush the tortillas with olive oil and cook the them on a hot griddle or cast iron skillet until lightly toasted (see photo above). Keep warm until ready to use.

(1) according to my husband who bought this for me, Victoria brand tortilla press has the most favorable reviews (2) the heavy and solid tortilla press works great (3) I used the thick plastic packaging from breakfast cereals as a liner (4) toasting the tortilla in an iron skillet.

baked nachos made from leftover homemade tortillas

bouletten with homemade spaetzle

bouletten or German hamburgers with homemade spaetzle and pan fried potatoes

Eating out always offers an opportunity to try new flavors and learn about different cuisines. German food has always been one of our weaknesses so when a new German restaurant recently opened nearby, it didn't take us long to pay them a visit. I was glad my husband told me about the bouletten, the German counterpart of the hamburger, which he tried before. It was so good that I had to recreate it at home. I decided to make it as soon as I found a recipe for it. I used ground lean beef mixed with a few slices of bread, torn and soaked in milk, then drained and mashed. I also added minced parsley and minced onions to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Shape into patties then pan fry until fully cooked and well browned. For the gravy, add more olive oil and butter to the same skillet. While scraping the pan with a spatula, sprinkle some flour and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the beef broth or water with beef bouillon and continue to add more if needed. Stir in some mustard and a tablespoon of tomato paste (optional) then season with salt and pepper. Spoon the gravy on the bouletten at serving time.

(1) the spaetzle maker fits well on top of the pot (2) the plastic container filled with the dough glides along the stainless part when pushed (3) the spaetzle dough then drops into the boiling water through the holes ~ it takes only a few minutes to cook (4) spaetzle served warm with butter.

Along with a few German cookbooks, my husband also bought a spaetzle maker, shown above, which worked quite well. The plastic and stainless combination makes it easy to use and to clean as well. Making spaetzle at home allowed me to add whole wheat flour to the soft dough. It was quick to make, thanks to the neat gadget.

cookie press cookies

1) Kuhn Rikon brand cookie press. 2) Start off by creaming the softened butter. 3) Add the sugar and mix until fluffy then add the egg, vanilla, salt and cinnamon powder. Stir in the all purpose flour. 4) The dough all mixed up and ready for the cookie press. 5) The cookie press filled with the dough. 6) The cookie press was easy to use and it worked great.

flower-shaped pressed dough ready for baking

New kitchen gadgets always make cooking and baking more interesting. With new things come more learning and challenges. I recently tried out this cookie press that my husband ordered online. Basic butter cookies were the first ones I tried to make using the recipe which came with the cookie press. However, before I started, I read a few reviews about using the gadget. Some are not too promising with problems such as the pressed dough wouldn't stick to the cookie sheets and the dough was too difficult to handle. With this recipe, I had no problems with both the dough and using the cookie press. Everything went well and I actually had fun making the cookies. I learned a few things though. I think that it will be easier to get everything together and to press all the cookie dough on the baking sheets before baking. It may also help if the piped dough can be refrigerated prior to baking so that the shapes will not spread out too much during the baking so the cookies will retain their shapes and impressions better. I've forgotten how good homemade butter cookies are but I have more flavors to try next time. In the meantime, I enjoyed my relaxing afternoon with some tea and a few of these warm crisp cookies just out of the oven.

crispy butter cookies just out of the oven (above)

tea and cookies on a lazy weekend afternoon

COOKIE PRESS BUTTER COOKIES (SPRITZ COOKIES)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (cardamom may be substituted)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 375 F. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter then add the sugar. Continue to beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Stir in the flour until well mixed. Pack the dough into the cookie press. Fit with the desired disk design. Press the dough out onto ungreased baking sheet spacing the cookies 1" apart. Bake until lightly golden, about 10-12 minutes. Gently transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

ravioli with a dumpling maker

Although I like using our ravioli maker, which takes a little practice to get used to, I also couldn't help thinking about using other gadgets just for the fun of it. This plastic dumpling maker comes in a set of four sizes. They're perfect for calzones, empanadas, pierogi and Asian style dumplings or potstickers.

For this easy ricotta filled ravioli, I used the smallest size dumpling maker [shown above] which also works great for pierogi. The filling was a very simple ricotta cheese combined with sauteed onion, garlic, parsley, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. I made the pasta dough with a standard recipe using 1 cup pasta flour [we get this durum, semolina and all purpose flour mix from King Arthur's] or all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour [adding whole wheat flour is optional but I like it for a healthier alternative], 1 egg and 2-3 tablespoons of water. I sprinkle the water gradually to the mixture as I go along. The Kitchenaid mixer does a good job with mixing and kneading the doug. Making pasta at home has also been so much more enjoyable with the Kitchenaid pasta maker attachments. As soon as I finished making the ravioli, I cooked them in a pot of boiling water then drained and transfered them to a serving platter.

The creamy sauce was simple as well made with the leftover ricotta. In a saucepan, I cooked some minced garlic, onions and sliced mushrooms with olive oil. In a small bowl, I whisked the leftover ricotta cheese [about a cup] with half and half, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Then I poured the mixture into the saucepan with the sauteed garlic and onions and simmered it for a few minutes until thickened. I served the sauce garnished with chopped Italian parsley with the ravioli in a separate platter. The ravioli turned out great using the smallest size dumpling maker but next time I will try to use the next bigger size to get more filling in them. Other than that, I didn't see any reason why these dumpling makers can't be used as a ravioli maker as well.