Best Pie Crust

 

• 2½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour
• ▢1 tsp salt
• ▢2 tsps white granulated sugar
• ▢1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter - cold and cut into small cubes
• ▢5 tbsp ice cold water

Crocpot Curry soup

 What if you only have so much time in the day to impress your guests but you want something unique,  tasty, and memorable?  WELL, it's no longer what if around here to me but it's almost a daily occurrence.  I teach mornings and late afternoons so I'm only free from 1-3 which I like to dedicate that time to taking care of my health and pickleball always win so I usually whip something quick together in the insta pot.  But I've been looking a lot more at my 20 year old wedding gift pot...the crocpot.  So it's time I share this Indian recipe from a friend who taught me it when she showed up at my house with a bowl of this scrumptious soup for me.  I LOVE it so much I asked her to teach me how to make it.  These are the ingredients:

1 butternut squash cubed

1 onion

1 small ginger (2-3 inches) diced

2 cups of chick pea

2 cups of black eyed beans

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp tumeric

 Add mushroom seasoning, salt and pepper for taste and add water to cover the ingredients. 

Add Rotisserie chicken pieces to flavor the soup.  For added flavor boil the rotisserie chicken bones for broth to add to crocpot. 

Bubble Waffle

 We had these in Hong Kong and we're hooked and we found a similar bubble waffle at Happy Lemon!  After trying a few recipes and taking what we liked from each, I was able to compost this recipe and perfected it!  Enjoy!!!

- 1.5 cup all purpose flour, plus 2 tbsp
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup of vanilla cook and serve pudding mix
- 1/2 cup of tapioca starch
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- oil, for greasing waffle machine

 

 

Creamiest Chocolate Frosting

 My daughter Debrie found this on the internet.  This is the closest to the frosting we had in Vietnam.  I couldn't stand coming back to America and eat thick and sugary frosting but when she found this I believe in frosting again.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream or milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
•  
•  
• Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy – about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 full minute. Add 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder if frosting is too thin or another Tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick. Taste. Beat in another pinch of salt if desired.

Lemon yogurt cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or wheat flower for a more muffins texture)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1 1/3 cups sugar, divided

3 extra-large eggs

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

French Bread -Banh Mi

 This year my dad has been trying new banh mi recipes and he came upon this one and tweaked it a bit and now it's perfection.  I didn't want to share it until I've perfected it as well so I'm posting on here so friends and families can enjoy it as well as my children when they're older.  This recipe is a keeper!  It's so crunchy on the outside..moist and soft on the inside.  It's wonderful!

1 1/2 tbsp yeast

2 1/2 cups water

1 tbsp sugar

Let rise for 10-15 minutes until yeast fully dissolves

1/2 tbsp salt

6 cups flour

2 tbsp Olive oil

Cook at 470. For roughly 19 minutes from start.

Recipe in Vietnamese

Bánh mì VN,công thức làm bánh mì rất dễ,6cup bột mì,2.1/2 cúp nước,1.1/2 tbsp bột men ,1 tbsp đường,1/2 tbsp muối,2 tbsp dầu iLive .

Cook at 470.  For roughly 19 minutes from start.

 

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

 Two weeks ago my daughter Reena got this recipe from her friend and made these cookies for us to enjoy and to share with neighbors and I have to say I was in Heaven!  These were so moist so pepperminty that sent the whole house smelling like Christmas the instant it came out.  So naturally these are adopted into the Stevens Christmas traditional cookies right away!  And Debrie added an extra teaspoon of peppermint to make it even more amazing!

1 stick of butter softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp peppermint extract (add 1 more for that strong flavor:)

           Cream together all the above ingredients until fluffy and lighter color.  

Next add,

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

Then add,

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 powdered sugar, for rolling

24 Hershey Kisses Candy Cane variety to insert in the middle of the cookies after they're baked for a more decorative look

Scoop and roll the dough into a ball and roll in the powdered sugar and bake for 9 minutes @350 degrees F.  

Chicken and fluffy Dumplings

 Cook chicken soup the way you want it.  (Chicken, onions, celery, carrots, chicken bouillon)

Make this dumpling and add it to your chicken soup by spoonful...viola!

3/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup of milk

1-1/3 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking powder 

 

Cinnamon Apple Bread

 Normally I tweak some ingredients and changed some things out until it's perfect the way I want it but this recipe is pretty perfect the way that it is so no tweaking.  I got this recipe from my friend Sedi one day.  I visited her to give her some gifts and she gifted me probably my favorite bread in the world!  Enjoy making it!

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅔ cup white sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup milk
• 1 large apple, peeled and finely chopped

---

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. 1. Mix apples, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside.
3. 2. Combine white sugar and butter until smooth.
4. 3.Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat on medium speed until combined.
5. 4. Add flour and baking powder, then milk.
6. 5. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. 
7. 6.Pour apples with sugar and cinnamon mixture.
8. 7.Pour the remaining batter over apple layer; top with remaining apples and add more brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.
9. 8.Pat topping into the batter
10. 9.Bake for 20 + minutes depending on the loaf pan size.  Use the toothpick trick
11. 10. Cool in pan 10 minutes before eating if you could wait that long :)

Crab noodle soup (AKA bún riêu)

 

•     4   tomatoes, diced
• 
  2   garlic cloves, diced
• 1/2 lb minced pork
• 
  minced crab meat or prawns if you don't have crabs
• 1 package of firm tofu, thickly sliced
• 3 eggs
• Mushroom (optional)
• 1 onion or shallots
• 2 tbsp of oil
• 1 to 2 tbsp of crab paste (depending on how strong you want the crab paste to taste)
  

 Sauté tomato with 1 tbsp of oil. Heat a separate large skillet with oil, scramble together eggs and tofu.  Add oil, onions and shallot. Sauté for 1 minute then add garlic, tomatoes, salt, sugar and black pepper. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add all above ingredients with 6 cups of water in a pot.  Add crab paste and bring to boil.  Viola, it's that easy!  Enjoy with vermicelli or round rice noodles.

• 1lime, cut into wedges
• 1 cupbean sprouts

Mi La - Mi Quang Noodles

 One of our favorite dishes while living in Vietnam was Mi Quang.  This is an authentic dish from my hometown of Quang Nam.  This province has THE best Mi Quang and you cannot leave this area without trying some fresh Mi Quang noodles.  We even learned how to make this noodle in Tien Phuoc.  Our friends were so impressed with the delicacy of this noodles and the way that it uses fresh ingredients.  You soak the rice overnight, grind it and add water as well as tapioca starch.  Here we have rice flour so this is a good ratio of the mix I found:

1 and 1/2 cups of rice flour

1/2 cup of tapioca starch

2 1/2 cups of water

1 tbsp of oil

1 tsp of salt

Cao Lầu

 

Ingredients:

• 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
• 2 lemongrass stalksf chopped
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (nuoc nam)
• 1 tablespoon hot chili paste (optional)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder (ngũ vị hương)
• 1 pound boneless pork shoulder 
• 1 pound skin-on pork belly
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Marinate for 3+ hours or overnight in the fridge. 
•  
• Cook pork, turning occasionally, until browned all over, 10–15 minutes
• 
• Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. fat from pot. Add garlic and cook, stirring. Add reserved marinade and 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Add pork, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, turning pork occasionally.  Serve with noodles. 
• Noodles 

• ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 4 wonton or egg roll wrappers, cut into 4 squares
• 1 pound dried wide rice noodles
• Add veggies suchs as mung beans sprouts,mint, cilantro, and Thai basil)

Egg Noodles

2 cups of flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1-2 tbsp of water

Knead together ingredients, spread working surface with flour.  Use rolling pin to flatten dough, cut, put in boiling water for 2 minutes. Transfer to cold water.  Take out and enjoy with Alfredo sauce or your choice of soup.

Chicken and Dumplings

• Cook chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions until soft.  Add chicken bouillons.  Mix the ingredients below and add in the hot soup.
• 1 egg beaten
• 2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 
  
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

Homemade Tortillas

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Mix,Knead, Make into a ball, Press.   Serve with grilled chickens and cheese.

 

Chocolate cake in a cup!

This is our kids' favorite.  It's quick and ready in 10 minutes!  What's not to love??

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup (31 grams) all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
2 tablespoons (10 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Tiny pinch of salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (14 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Grease a 12-ounce (or larger) mug then whisk
together:
flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Add the milk, oil, and pure vanilla extract and continue mixing until fully combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared mug and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
Transfer the mug with the batter to the microwave and microwave for 60-90 seconds or until the center of the cake is just set.
Carefully remove from the microwave and allow to cool slightly, then top with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

Instapot yogurt

Do you hate recipe websites as much as me for all the unnecessary details?  This website is just that, simplified.  Here's a simplified version of easy yogurt making with an Instapot.

2 Tbsp Fresh Yogurt ("Starter") live cultures/fresh yogurt
1/2 gallon of milk

1. Pour the ultra pasteurized milk in your instant pot.
2. Add in the Yogurt to the milk.
3. Whisk it nicely and place the lid on .
4. Push the Yogurt button and use the +/- buttons to set time to 8 hours. the setting should be “Normal.”
5. When Yogurt cycle is finished, open it gently due to water condensation in the inner side of the instant pot lid
6. .Place a kitchen paper towel  and a lid ( the paper towel will help collect all the condensation )and transfer to refrigerator to chill for 1-2 hours.
7. Drain out the whey with a cheese cloth if you want Greek yogurt.  Add a little back if you want less thick yogurt.

30 minutes Dinner Rolls/resurrection rolls

This is a recipe I never want to lose.  This is a recipe I want my children to have forever.  It is the ultimate recipe to impress in as little as 30 minutes.  Your guests will be wowed and eat with all smiles.  And the best part is it's so fast to make!  Whenever Debrie wants Nutella and bread this is her go to recipe.

1 cup 2tbsp warm water
2 tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 and 1/2 cups flour

First 3 ingredients mix and let sit for 5 minutes, add the rest, knead, form into the desired shapes.  Cook in oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden.

For resurrection rolls, place a full size marshmallow in the middle of the roll and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon to the marshmallow.  Fold rolls to completely cover the marshmallow.

Vietnamese Tet - Lunar New Year

         

           Tet is an exceptional holiday for Vietnamese. It is the biggest event of the year as everyone gathers together to welcome the New Year with their neighbors and family members. Loved ones come back home from far away for this special occasion. 

           The Vietnamese people will begin their preparations well in advance for the upcoming New Year. It starts with an event called "Chụp mã" where people will spend a few days cleaning their homes, the gravestones of ancestors, the ancestral altar, polishing every utensil and then inviting nearby friends and families to celebrate with a feast and religious rituals. From there, people begin to shop for things such as kumquat trees, branches of peach blossoms, and many other colorful flowers such as hoa Mai to decorate the house. The marketplace is especially a fun and exciting place to visit during this holiday because fresh and luscious fruits and gifts are on beautiful displays to attract customers from near and far. Children who have left home for jobs send money home for their parents as a way to show gratitude for their blessings. Every household buys votive paper clothing and accessories for the ancestors along with many other purchases such as new clothes like áo dài and shoes to wear on the first day of New Year. Workers are given end of the year money in red envelopes as they try to pay off debts and resolve all arguments among their colleagues, friends or family members. Children get red envelopes with money inside from family members and close family friends.  

          New Year's Eve when I was growing up included firecrackers and fireworks. Now it is celebrated with just fireworks as families gather around eating Banh Chung/ Banh Tet (sticky rice cakes in a square shape). Weeks before the New year you could see scallions and carrots being dried in the heat on the streets as people get ready to make pickled onions and pickled carrots, a very popular dish eaten with Bánh Chưng. Xôi Gấc - Red Sticky Rice, is also commonly used as red means good luck. Among the savory dishes are the sweet treats such as Mức (colorful roasted sweetened coconuts), mức gừng (sweetened roasted ginger), bánh thuẫn (steamed cake). Most popular finger snacks are roasted nuts and watermelon seeds. 

           In the agricultural perspective, the Lunar New Year is held between the harvesting of the crops and the sowing of the next ones. Tet has a very special attached meaning to all Vietnamese. It is the time of year that family members come back to their hometown, visiting relatives, sing karaoke, and relaxing after a hard-working year. If you have the opportunity to visit Vietnam during the Tet holiday, this is a festive holiday you don't want to miss! It was our very favorite time of the year and our children loved getting red envelopes as we serve up big meals over a 2 weeks period. Tet is not a day, but several days of celebrations and festivities.  The streets are vibrant with colorful flowers and decorations. Businesses shut down for days so that everyone could be outside enjoying the gorgeous scenery, playing games like Tôm cua bầu cá gà nai with their Tet money, and relaxing. 

Recipe for sweetened coconut ribbons

• 1 mature (brown) coconut, 1¾ to 2 pounds
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• Fill a 5-quart Dutch oven or other large pot half full with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the coconut ribbons and parboil for 1 minute to remove some of the oil. Drain in a colander and rinse under lots of cold running water.
  
  Wash the pot and add the sugar and water to it. Place over medium-high heat and heat, stirring, until the sugar melts, forming a thick syrup. Add the ribbons and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently with a metal spoon to expose the ribbons evenly to the syrup. They will gradually become silvery After about 30 minutes, when the sugar syrup is as thick as corn syrup, lower the heat further to slow the cooking and start stirring constantly with the spoon. The ribbons will soon turn white, become dry looking, and stiffen. To dry the ribbons thoroughly without browning them, keep stirring. The sugar will first cling to the ribbons and then flake off in white, sandy bits. When the ribbons are opaque and covered by a dry, sandy sugar film, they are done. This second cooking stage, which began when you lowered the heat, should take about 2 minutes
  
  Pour the ribbons onto a baking sheet and spread them into a single layer to cool completely. Transfer the cooled ribbons to an airtight container, discarding the powdery sugar. They will keep at room temperature for about 2 weeks.

Bánh Bông Lan [Orchid cake]

Today I'm here with my friend Jana Mai and she taught me this yummy cake recipe, one I had in Vietnam and loved but did not learn to make until I'm back here in the States.  This is a quick and delicate cake that is full of protein that's super awesome for kids.

12 eggs (divide the whites and yolk in separate bowls)
1 tsp cream of tartar (or lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt)
1 cup sugar (1/2 cup in with the whites and 1/2 cup with egg yolk)
Beat until egg whites turn firm,  white, and fluffy

In another separate bowl add the following:
2 cups of flour (about 11 oz)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
Mix well, then fold in half of the whipped egg whites, mix in one direction, then continue mixing in the rest)

Cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.  Then lower to 350 for 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the cake pan.