Xmas Chocolate Cake ???????

I made these cakes as Christmas gifts to my church members using my Chocolate Moist Cake recipe.The words were done with Royal Icing (I think they're called that, I got the recipe from snooping around a book fair when I was 15).Baked them in round foil pansAnd I didn't have enough pans, so I baked them in mini loaf pans, and wrapped the sides to hide the ugliness.I asked my sister in law to pass to them on Sunday, as I can't make it to church that...

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Recipe Index

Homecooking Rice, Noodles, Pasta and Potatoes RecipesFilling main courses or side dishes of carbohydrate sources? ? Poultry RecipesChicken, Duck, Quail and other birds  Seafood RecipesFish, Prawn/Shrimp, Squid/Cuttlefish/Calamari, Molluscs/shellfish, CrabPork RecipesNon-Halal for non-MuslimsBeef, Mutton and Other MeatsIron rich red meatVegetable RecipesCooked or saladsTofu and Eggs RecipesPerfect side dishesSoupsQuick soups, Chinese double...

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Pan Fried Oyster Sauce Chicken ?????

This is one of the easiest chicken recipe, done in less than 10 minutes, prep and cooking!This happened many years ago. I was at my cousin's place. Her house mate's friend was cooking in the kitchen. And she taught me this recipe. "Ah Goh" Thanks for teaching me this, easy and tasty.Very Very easy and tasty.Pan Fried Oyster Sauce Chicken RecipeIngredients:1/2 bulb garlic (chopped finely)2 chicken thighs (cut small)3 tbsp oyster sauce (I use Lee Kum...

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Ma Tai Sar with Tong Yuen (water chestnut dessert with dumplings) ?????

I don't know why it's called Ma Tai Sar, cos 'sar' means sand... but the water chestnuts are not chopped until they're fine like sand.. Normally I'll make it without the tong yuen, but after trying it at a wedding luncheon in Taiping, I found it to be quite nice.Ma Tai Sar with Tong Yuen (water chestnut dessert with dumplings)Ingredients:8 cups water 3 pandan leaves (shredded and knotted) 1 cup water chestnuts (about 8-10, peeled and chopped finely)...

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Claypot Chicken Rice w/o the claypot ????

My hometown is famous for Claypot Chicken Rice. Mom used to tapau this when she�s not cooking. A big pot of it would feed the whole family bao bao. But I never like it with sausages and salted fish. Prefer the plain chicken version.How many of us do have a claypot of home? Good for u if u have one, but I don�t. So, I make this w/o the pot. It may not have the claypot smell, but it does taste similar (not the same cos I put mushrooms). I like to cook...

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Native American Christmas Recipes

American Indian Cold Christmas Cake Recipe1 lb pecans or walnuts, chopped1 lb shredded moist coconut1 lb raisins1 lb vanilla wafers1 regular can sweetened condensed milkCombine dry ingredients well. Pour in sweetened condensed milk andwork through with hands so that dry ingredients are thoroughlysaturated. Press into spring foam pan. Refrigerate for 2 days. MyCherokee ancestors used hazelnuts, dates and thick goats milk, thenwrapped the cake in...

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Moist Chocolate Cake ?????

I love Chocolate Moist Cake. Ate one made by a friend years ago that used corn oil, and I fell in love with it. And I lost contact with that friend. So, after searching few years online for a recipe that can create a similiar taste, I found one.Source: http://www.bestmoistchocolatecakerecipe.com/Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe2 cups flour2 cups sugar3/4 cups cocoa powder2 tsp baking soda2 large eggs1 tsp salt1 cup buttermilk (I substituted with soured...

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Cactus and Pinenut Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed1/4 cup balsamic vinegar1 tablespoon chopped red onion1 tablespoon sugar1 teaspoon Dijon mustard1 cup vegetable oil10 cups mixed baby greens1 cup nopales, thinly sliced1/2 cup pine nuts, toastedPuree cranberries in processor until smooth. Add vinegar, onion, sugar and mustard and process until well blended. With processor running, gradually add oil and process until well blended. Transfer to medium bowl....

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Cheesy Fry Bread

1 pound loaf frozen bread dough, thawed3 tbsp. butter or margarine, softened2 tbsp. finely chopped ramp or leek2 to 3 tsp. chili powder1/2 t. dried white sage1/2 t. garlic powder1 c. shredded cheddar cheeseWith its pretty color and cheesy topping, this buttery bread is delicious with soups.Pat dough onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 14-inch pizza pan or 15x10-inch baking pan, forming a crust. Spread with butter. Sprinkle with onion,...

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Chicken and Ramps with Sweet Potatoes

2 tbsp olive oil2 tsp chopped fresh sage2 tbsp dijon mustard2 tsp grated lemon rind2 tsp chili powder4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts salt and freshly ground pepper2 sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes4 ramps or 2 leeks, white and light green part only, sliced1 cup chicken stock2 tbsp balsamic vinegarPreheat oven to 400FCombine 1 tbsp olive oil, sasge, mustard, lemon rind, and chili.Reserve 1 tbsp of mixture, and brush the rest over the chickenbreasts....

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Deviled Buffalo Burgers

1 pound ground buffalo1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ketchup2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce (optional)1 teaspoon prepared mustard1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon ground pepper5 soft sandwich rolls1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients, except sandwich rolls, together. Forminto 5 patties and place on the unheated rack of a broiler pan (or in apreheated skillet on the range-top).2. Broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 12 to 15 minutes...

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Acorn Hominy Bread

2 cups hominy; drained2 tbl sorghum syrup2 tbl oil milk; to make loose paste1/2 cup masa1/2 cup hominy paste1/2 cup acorn flour2 tsp Baking Powder1/2 tsp Salt1 pc egg1 tbl sorghum syrup1 tbl oil1/2 tsp pumpkin spice1 tbl gluten flour1/2 cup milk1/2 cup dried cranberries1. Blend first four (4) ingredients in a blender set at puree until asmmoth loose paste is accomlished.2. Mix the remaing ingredients with 1/2 cup of the homony paste and beatwith...

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On the Road to Las Vegas � What happens there definitely won�t stay there

I thought I would post a quick update for all of you waiting patiently for a new recipe clip. I�ve leaving Giants Spring training with a record of 2-1, and everything I�d heard about spring baseball in the desert turned out to be true; beautiful sunny weather, small ballparks where you�re right on top of the players, cold beer, hot dogs, and lots of well-oiled bare skin. Other than that it wasn�t that great. I don�t like to post without photos so...

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Cactus League Here I Come!

Chef John (as I write about myself in the third person) will be taking a small vacation to Arizona to take in some spring training baseball. So if you don't see any new posts for a few days, and/or I don't reply to your comments or emails, I apologize in advance. Every spring, for about 20 years, I�ve tried to figure out a way to get down to the San Francisco Giant�s Cactus league spring training. Until this year I was 0 for 20. The streak is over!...

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Chicken Marsala a la Ryan�s Cafe

Certain dishes have a special place in my heart and this is one of them. The first real restaurant job I had in San Francisco was at a small place called Ryan�s Caf�. It was run by a husband and wife team, Michael and Lenore Ryan. They were true �foodies� before that term had even been coined. This Chicken Marsala dish was the most popular dish on the menu and the first one that I was taught. I had cooked with wine a few times at culinary school,...

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Braised Lamb and Eggplant Cous Cous � Easy, exotic, and a great case for gender bias!

Today�s post is perfect for the person that�s afraid to try anything that seems exotic because they think it�s going to be hard to prepare. Cous Cous has to be one of the easiest things on the planet to make. Can you boil stock and pour it into a bowl of Cous Cous? Then this dish is for you. This was a hard demo to edit down to a reasonable length, so I did go pretty fast with some of the steps and I thought I better give some additional info to...

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Sage and Sherry Creamed Mushrooms on Griddled Blue Corn

1 pound wild mushrooms1 pound morrels4 cups heavy cream2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage2 Tbsp. dry sherrySalt and pepper, to taste1 1/2 cups blue corn mealwaterCook the corn meal to a thick mush adding salt to taste.Oil a 9-by-2-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Pour the corn meal mush into the dish to cover the bottom evenly, about 1 inch thick. Cool completely in dish before cutting. It's best if chilled overnight.Put the mushrooms in a stainless steel pan...

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Chocolate Lava Cake � Is this the World�s most delicious mistake?

Legend has it that this dessert was the result of a major catering disaster. The dessert for this particular event was to be individual chocolate cakes, but someone took them out of the ovens to soon and the centers where not cooked enough and still liquefied. Well, there was no time to take them off the plates and cook them more, so the Chef simply had his wait staff introduce the dessert as Chocolate �Lava� Cake! Brilliant! Now, whether this is...

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Eggs Benedicts � The last 2 episodes to make this brunch classic!

Hopefully you watched the hollandaise demo we just posted, and you are ready to fearlessly finish this delicious egg dish! So, the sauce is done, now you need to poach the eggs and finish the plate. In this first clip, I show the basic restaurant technique for poaching eggs. Due to the high-volume of a brunch service, it is almost impossible to poach eggs �to order.� They are poached ahead of time and held in cold water until final plating, when...

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Hollandaise 101 � Can a sauce really sense fear?

Re-run alert! Yes, viewers to my old blog may have seen this clip before, but it�s such a key sauce to master, I wanted to have it on this new blog. This sauce can be used on many other things besides eggs; like grilled asparagus and poached salmon. But, since the most common use is on the famous Eggs Benedict, I will also demo how to poach eggs (secret restaurant method) and how to finish the final dish. Stay tuned for that. Now, let�s get our Hollandaise...

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Perfect Mashed Potatoes � Breaking the Cycle of Generational Potato Dysfunction

Well, I just posted a meatloaf clip so I thought I would re-post this mashed potato demo. Every day, all across the country, people sit down to plates of lumpy, watery, sticky, gluey, pasty mashed potatoes. This demo will hopefully show you the proper techniques to turn out perfect mashed potatoes every time; always light, fluffy and lump-free.It�s not hard, but it does require breaking some bad, old habits you may have. Making mashed potatoes is...

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Classic �All American� Meatloaf

This recipe is a version that Alton Brown did on Good Eats. I�ve added a few extra ingredients, like mushrooms, which I believe helps make a very moist meatloaf. Do I feel bad stealing Alton�s recipe? No, because he stole it from someone, who stole it from someone, and so on and so on. I've tried many recipes and this is my favorite for flavor, texture and it's just plain easy to make.I believe this is the first demo I make you dust off your food...

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�See-through� Herb and Potato Crisps � Worst Demo Ever?

Of all the things I�ve demonstrated on this site, without a doubt, this will be the one that the fewest viewers try. Why? Well, basically we�re going to spend 45 minutes, risk slicing off our finger tips, and when we�re finished we are going to have (if everything goes perfectly) about 10 translucent potato chips with leaves of herbs embedded inside. So why bother? I�m not sure. Just watch the demo and it may make sense. For the hardcore foodie,...

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Tuna �Tataki� Provencal � The difference between fusion and confusion

�Fusion� cuisine is nothing new. For many years Chefs have been combining aspects from different cuisines to create new and exciting combinations. That Chipolte aioli mayo spread you had on that meatloaf sandwich last week is just one example. When done correctly this �Fusion� cuisine can result in some amazing dishes. Unfortunately, in many cases, these combinations are forced and contrived and just don�t work. When that happens you have what Chefs...

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Blood Orange Tapenade Citronette � Cheating and proud of it!

Sometimes you just have to cheat. I was planning to serve a beautiful seared Ahi tuna loin. I wanted to slice it and serve it on an olive Tapenade. This is a classic combination in the Mediterranean, but I had one problem, I didn�t have the hour it was going to take to shop for, and mince the 12 ingredients that go into my Tapenade recipe. Lucky, I live near a Trader Joes (a CostPlus World Market, or Whole Foods would have also worked), so I went...

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Homemade Homefries � Deliciously Redundant!

There are many reasons to go out for breakfast or brunch on the weekend. Maybe it�s a break from the daily routine, maybe it�s the Mimosas (when else can you start drinking before noon and feel good about it), or maybe it�s the Homefries. Let�s face it, those crusty, crunchy, hot-off-the-grill potatoes that come with your omelet are a pretty good reason alone to venture out.Very few of us can duplicate those at home. When most of us try to make Homefries,...

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