Cream Cheese Walnut Cookies

I have been very busy with work lately so I was thinking of an easy cookie recipe to bring to the cookies exchange party tonight. This recipe allows you to make the dough a couple days in advance and bake it on the day of the party.

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Ingredients
*4 cups all-purpose flour
*1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
*2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
*6 ounces cream cheese (not whipped), room temperature
*1 1/4 cups sugar
*2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
*2 1/2 cups walnut halves (1 1/2 cups toasted and coarsely chopped and 1 cup finely chopped)

Directions
1) Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Mix in toasted walnuts.
2) Transfer dough to a work surface. Divide in half; shape each half into an 8 1/2-inch long log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in parchment paper; freeze until firm, about 30 minutes or up to 2 weeks.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Unwrap 1 log, and roll in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, coating completely. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
4) Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until golden around edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Repeat with remaining log and remaining 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Bacon Wrapped Dates with Cream Cheese and Almond

My friend KW made bacon wrapped dates one time at her party and I thought it was the best idea ever. Today, I am invited to go to a cookie exchange party and decided to make the bacon wrapped dates with a twist. I added cream cheese and almond to increase the flavor.


serve 30
Ingredients
*30 (1 by 1/4-inch) pieces cream cheese
*30 pitted dates (preferably Medjool)
*30 salted and roasted whole almonds
*10 slices bacon cut crosswise into thirds
*30 wooden picks

Directions
1)Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Stuff 1 piece of cheese and 1 almond into each date, then wrap one piece of bacon around each date and secure bacon with a toothpick if desired. Arrange dates, bacon seam down and 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan.
3) Bake 5 minutes, then turn dates over with tongs and bake until bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel or parchment. Serve immediately.

Moussaka

Mr. S and I went to Taverna Mazi the other night with some friends. I am new to Greek food so everything on the menu looked foreign to me. We discovered Moussaka and ordered it to try and ended up loving it!  I immediately looked for the recipe and I have to admit, it is not easy to make, but it was so delicious.

Ingredients

*3-4 eggplants, about 4 lbs. total

*1 lb. potatoes

*1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (or lamb)

*2 large onions, finely diced

*2 cloves garlic, minced

*1/2 cup red wine

*1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

*1 tsp. ground cinnamon

*1/4 tsp. ground allspice

*1 cup tomato puree (or crushed tomatoes)

*2 tbsp. tomato paste

*1 tsp. sugar

*Salt and pepper to taste

*2 cups plain breadcrumbs

*8 egg whites, lightly beaten (reserve yolks for bechamel)

*1 cup grated Kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese

Bechamel Sauce:

*1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)

*1 cup flour

*4 cups milk, warmed

*8 egg yolks, lightly beaten

*Pinch of ground nutmeg

Directions

1) Prep the Vegetables:  Using a sharp peeler, partially peel the eggplants, leaving strips of peel about 1 inch wide around the eggplant. Slice the eggplant in to 1/2 inch slices. Place the eggplant slices in a colander and salt them liberally. Cover them with an inverted plate that is weighted down by a heavy can or jar. Place the colander in the sink so that excess moisture can be drawn out. They will need to sit for at least 15-20 minutes, preferably an hour. The salt also helps to remove some of the bitterness of the eggplant.

2) Peel the potatoes and boil them whole until they are just done. They should not get too soft, just cooked enough so that they no longer crunch. Drain, cool and slice them in 1/4 inch slices. Set aside.

3) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease. Add a splash of water to the egg whites and beat them lightly with a fork. Add breadcrumbs to a flat plate.

4) Rinse the eggplant slices and dry with paper towels. Dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg whites and then dredge them in the breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Place breaded eggplant slices on baking sheets and bake at 400 degrees for 1/2 an hour, turning them over once during cooking.

5) When eggplant is finished cooking, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Make the Meat Filling:

6) In a large sauté pan, brown the ground beef (or lamb) until the pink color disappears. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

7) Add wine to pan and allow it to simmer and reduce a bit before adding cinnamon, allspice, parsley, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and sugar. Allow the sauce to simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes so that excess liquid can evaporate. It should be a drier, chunkier, tomato sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

8) Make the Béchamel Sauce:

a- Melt butter over low heat. Using a whisk, add flour to melted butter whisking continuously to make a smooth paste. Allow the flour to cook for a minute but do not allow it to brown. 

b- Add warmed milk to mixture in a steady stream, whisking continuously.  Simmer over low heat until it thickens a bit but does not boil. 

c- Remove from heat, and stir in beaten egg yolks and pinch of nutmeg. Return to heat and stir until sauce thickens.

 9)Assemble the Moussaka:

Lightly grease a large deep baking pan (lasagna pan). Sprinkle the bottom of pan with breadcrumbs. Leaving a 1/4 inch space around the edges of the pan, place a layer of potatoes on the bottom. Top with a layer of eggplant slices.

10) Add meat sauce on top of eggplant layer and sprinkle with 1/4 of the grated cheese. Top with another layer of eggplant slices and sprinkle once again with 1/4 of the grated cheese.

11) Pour the béchamel sauce over the eggplant and be sure to allow sauce to fill the sides and corners of the pan. Smooth the béchamel on top with a spatula and sprinkle with remaining grated cheese. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until béchamel sauce is a nice golden brown color. Allow to cool for 15 – 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

You can make this dish ahead up until the béchamel sauce and refrigerate. Make the béchamel sauce right before you intend to bake it.

Shrimp and Chive Dumplings

When I look at cook books, I never thought it is possible to make dim sum at home. It always seems like dim sum is very hard to make, until I come across this recipe, which I can use wonton wraps instead of making the wrapping from scratch. And I am surprise how well it turned out.

I have left over chives after making the dumplings, so I used the rest of it to make egg scramble.

Also, we ate the dumplings and egg scramble with some cold soba noodles. What you need to do is to cook the soba noodles in hot water. Drained the noodles and add to ice cold water. At the dinner table, you will have a soba noodle dipping sauce so you can grab the noodles from the ice cold water to dip in the sauce.

Ingredients

*12 oz. peeled and deveined shrimps (medium to big size)

*1 oz. chives (cut into very short pieces)

*1 teaspoon egg white

*1/2 teaspoon tapioca starch

*1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder

*1/4 teaspoon salt

*1/4 teaspoon fish sauce

*1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

*3 dashes white pepper powder

*1/2 teaspoon sugar

*1 teaspoon oil

*Wonton skin

*Some cooking oil for pan-frying

Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce:

*1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

*1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar

Directions

1) Clean and rinse the shrimps with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Mix the soy-vinegar dipping sauce and set aside.

2) Cut the shrimps into small pieces (about 3-4 pieces per shrimp), add chives and mix well. Marinate the filling with the rest of the ingredients for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

3) Lay a wonton skin on a flat surface. Dab your index finger with some water and trace it along the four outer edges of the wonton skin. Add a teaspoon of the filling and fold the wonton skin towards the middle. Dab some water to the wonton skin to seal tight. The dumplings should look somewhat round. Repeat the same until the filling is used up.

4) Heat up a pan on medium to low heat and add some oil. Transfer all dumplings into the pan and cover it with its lid. Pan-fry the dumplings on one site until golden brown and then turn over to pan-fry the other site. (Add more oil to the pan if required.) Repeat to make sure that both sites are equally done. Dish out and serve immediately with soy-vinegar dipping sauce.

Indonesian Fried Noodles

Everybody that knows me would know how much I LOVE noodles. When I am doing my research on South East Asian meals, I asked one of my co-workers who is from Indonesia. She suggested me to make this dish because it has my favorite tofu, shrimp, hot sauce and NOODLES! She gave me a more complicated recipe and I simplified it a little bit to fit into the ingredients that I have in my pantry.

Ingredients

*1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or water

*3 tablespoons ketjap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)

*1 1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

*1 tablespoon sambal oelek or Sriracha (Southeast Asian chile sauce)

*1/2 teaspoon black pepper

*3/4 teaspoon salt

*4 large eggs

*2 large onions, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices

*2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

*1/4 teaspoon minced fresh red or green Thai or serrano chile, including seeds

*1 package firm tofu, cut into small cubes

*1/2 pound of shrimp

*6 ounce snow peas, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

*6 ounce Chinese long beans or haricots verts, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces

*1 pound spaghetti noodles, cooked

*2 scallions, cut diagonally into very thin slices

Directions

1) In a small bowl, stir together broth, ketjap manis, fish sauce, sambal oelek, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

2) In another bowl, beat together eggs and a pinch of salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in wok at high heat, then add eggs, swirling in wok, and cook until barely set in center, about 2 minutes. Gently slide egg crêpe out onto a cutting board, then roll into a loose cylinder and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (do not unroll).

3) Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in wok over high heat, add onions with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until deep golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and chile and stir-fry 1 minute, then add tofu and shrimp and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add snow peas and long beans and stir-fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add sauce and bring to a boil, then add noodles and stir-fry (use 2 spatulas to stir if necessary) until noodles are hot. Transfer to a large platter and arrange egg over noodles. Sprinkle with scallions.

Claypot Chicken with Rice

In continuation of my Chinese/Southeast Asian food week, today I am making Claypot Chicken with Rice. The dish normally is serve during winter time because the Claypot can keep the food warm during the meal and the Chinese Sausage has a little more fat so it will keep you warm during winter. I cheated making this dish with a rice cooker instead of a claypot because its easy! But I wrote this recipe for you to use on a stove top.


Ingredients
*1 pound chicken meat, deboned and sliced into 2-inch pieces
*1 tablespoon cornstarch
*3 teaspoons Chinese rice wine
*3 teaspoons sesame oil
*A pinch of salt
*2 tablespoons vegetable oil
*3 cloves of garlic, minced
*A 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
*1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in hot water and sliced
*3 pieces of dried Chinese sausage (Lap Cheong), sliced
*2 cups white rice, rinsed in cold water until the water runs clear and drained
*2 teaspoons light soy sauce
*2 teaspoons sesame oil
*¾ cup of water, at room temperature
*1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
*1 teaspoon sesame oil

Direction
1) Whisk the cornstarch, rice wine, sesame oil and salt in a bowl, then pour it over the chicken pieces, mixing well to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2) Heat the oil in a wok or a deep frying pan, then add the garlic and ginger, frying until fragrant. Add the marinated chicken and stir. When the meat starts to brown, add the mushrooms and chinese sausage, stirring for a minute to mix well.
3) Add the rice to the wok and turn the heat to high, mixing as you go to allow the rice to fully absorb the flavor of the other ingredients. Add the light soy sauce and sesame oil to the wok and keep stirring and mixing for another 2 minutes.
5) Turn off the heat and transfer the contents of the wok to the saucepot or claypot. Add the water, then cover and increase the heat to medium.
6) Leave the ingredients to cook for about an hour, checking-in every 15 minutes and giving the rice a stir or two.
8) When the rice is done, drizzle the dark soy sauce and sesame oil over the rice.

General Tsos Chicken

I resumed my Chinese/Southeast Asian week today. I am making the most popular Chinese dish, General Tsos Chicken. I don't remember if I have had this dish before when I was living in Hong Kong, but the sweet and sour, plus a little spiciness increased my appetite. Instead of deep frying the chicken, I breaded it and baked it.


Ingredients
*10 oz boneless skinless chicken meat (thigh or breast), cut into bite-sized pieces
*1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
*Pinch of salt
*1/3 cup cornstarch
*1 1/2 tablespoons oil
*3 slices peeled ginger, finely minced
*1 clove garlic, finely minced
*4-5 dried red chiles, rinsed and deseeded
*2 stalks scallion, white-part only, cut into 1-inch lengths

Sauce:
*2 1/2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
*2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
*1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
*1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
*1/4 cup water
*2 tablespoons sugar
*1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing Wine
*1 scant tablespoon corn starch

Direction
1) Marinate the chicken meat with the Shaoxing wine and salt for 15 minutes.
2) Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
3) Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Coat the chicken generously with the 1/3 cup cornstarch. Bake the chicken of 10 minutes and turn to the other side, and bake 10 more minutes.
4) Heat up a wok with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Add the minced ginger, garlic, and dried chilies into the wok, stir-fry until you smell the spicy aroma of the chilies. Pour the sauce into the wok. When the sauce boils and thickens, add the chicken, stir to combine well with the sauce. Add the scallion and stir a few times, dish out and serve immediately.