Category Archives: Cast Iron Recipe

Mexican Chicken Tostada Recipe

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I  didn’t cook for a long while since last summer. We took the girls for our first family vocation at Disney World and accustomed to the eating out routine. Apparently, not only my bank account have burned out, so do all the creative cooking urge inside me. I am glad to say the cooking sense is coming back slowly because I am tired of the same few good restaurants around town.

First recipe in 2015 and after this long cooking break – Mexican Chicken Tostada Recipe. Our family just love Mexican food so much. I can’t help it, there are only two things to cook, the rest is the usual stack and assemble, even my little girls can make it.1-DSC_0026 Continue reading →

Spicy Calamari Recipe

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I love squid so much but never prepare and clean one all by myself. It took me a long time to clean it but it was really fun and I learned something new. This squid was so big (3 pounds) I made it into 2 dishes, most of it turned into spicy calamari, taste great serving it hot but even better chilled it in the fridge overnight as a cold appetizer. I love it hot. I love it more when they are cold. Warning: this is really really spicy, adjust the chili sauce amount to your taste.
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Spicy Calamari Recipe

Ingredients:
2 pounds                    Squid (cleaned, sliced)
1/4 cup                      Green Onion (finely sliced)
1/4 cup                      Chili Garlic Sauce
3 tablespoons            Soy Sauce (Dark)
to taste                       Sugar (Optional)

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Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Recipe

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A special thanks to my beautiful manicurist Kristi,  for not only taking good care of my nails but helping me get fresh seafood and taught me how to make this super yummy authentic Vietnamese dish. I never tried to make Vietnamese dish at home, expect spring roll, so I was really excited to learn something new. With her permission to share this recipe with you, I wrote down the steps and seasonings I used as close as she taught me. Please taste repeatedly as you season the sauce because all fruits and canned tomatoes taste different.  Hope you enjoy this delicious dish like we do. Enjoy.

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Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Recipe
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Fluffy Pancake Recipe (Make 8)

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I have been trying to figure out how to make fluffy pancake for a long time. Saw this method on TV from American Test Kitchen and Iron Chef Michael Symon from the Chew, so I decided to give it another try. This recipe requires to separate the eggs into whites and yolks, whisk the whites and fold it in at the end. Sound like should be more fluffy, however, when I used it  to make the Hong Kong style egg waffles, I didn’t notice enough different, so I decided not to bother with the extra step. After created 2 okay pancake recipes, I made up 2 other recipes today and one of them using this whisk egg whites method. To my surprise, the pancakes came out really fluffy and soft, much different than the other one. (Compare photos at the very bottom of this post if you are interested)

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Fluffy Pancake Recipe (Make 8) Continue reading →

Banana Walnuts Bread Recipe

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Banana is one of my daughters favorite fruits, so nutritious and convenient. It is a great ingredient to add in bread, smoothies or baked goods. This bananas walnuts bread has a sweet crispy crust, I like a dense feel of this bread, if you like a lighter and softer bread, use 1.5 cups of flour instead of 1.75 cups. I used 1.5 cups for cupcakes size banana bread, if you like to try that, cut the cook time in half to 30 minutes, the smaller the bread, the faster it cooked. To make the crust crispy, a cast iron pan is essential, increase the temperature to 375F at the last 5 minutes, will make the crust even more crispy. Rest 10 minutes before serving, the crispy crust only stay for a few hours, overnight baked good never taste as good as it fresh out of the oven.

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Banana Walnuts Bread Recipe Continue reading →

Artichokes and Spinach Cheesy Dip Recipe

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This is another dip for new year eve snack – Artichokes and Spinach Dip. I always like it but never make it at home. Honestly, artichoke is a really new ingredient to me, so glad the only 2 attempts (including this time) came out good.

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Artichokes and Spinach Dip Recipe
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Baked Clam Dipping Sauce Recipe

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New year started. Let’s start a new blog too. This is my first post here, I will move some old recipes here soon.

New year parties were just over a few day ago, this was one of my new creations. First time making a clam dipping sauce, I only tried it once many years ago. Hubby wanted some chips and dips, so I made this baked clam dipping sauce.DSC_0003

Baked Clam Dipping Sauce Recipe Continue reading →

Leftover Makeover – Creamy Potatoes Soup Recipe

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Do you see leftover as headache or quick fix to the next yummy meal? If reheating them without a makeover, I bet most people won’t enjoy it. However, if you add a few new ingredients and make it into something new, it will save you time, money and make room for your refrigerator. Today, I transformed the leftover mashed potatoes (you can use baked potatoes too) into creamy potatoes soup.

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Creamy Potatoes Soup Recipe Continue reading →

Easy French Onion Soup Recipe (3 ingredients in 30 minutes)

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I tried French onion soup once in a chain restaurant 7 years ago, that was the first time and last time for me. Since that bad experience, I told my husband this soup would never make it in my kitchen. One day out of nowhere, my husband had this soup in mind and requested it for dinner. So much for the “never” like many things, I made this super easy and crazy good French onion soup to go with a spring mix salad. It was a hit and changed my opinion of French Onion Soup forever. My daughters loved it so much, they asked me to make this soup just a few day later. This healthy and yummy soup need 3 ingredients only and take less than 30 minutes from scratch to the table.

French Onion Soup RecipeImage Continue reading →