Chinese Steamed Whole Fish with Soy Ginger Scallion Cilantro Sauce

It's Chinese/ Lunar New Year and I've decided to return to blogging to share some festive and delicious recipes that I've either found and tested, or adapted for optimal results.  This recipe was so easy, and resulted in the most tender, flavorful fish - you must try it!  After much google research, I chose this recipe from A Steamy Kitchen, and my family gave it a big thumbs up!

I used a 1 lb Branzino, as that is what looked the best at my fish market this week.  However, you can use any 1 pound whole fish (or filets 1 inch or thicker). For larger fish, you will need to adjust your steaming time.

Funfetti Cake For Two!

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been so busy working full time and running after our two little boys (3 years old and 1 year), but recently I've tried a few recipes that are so good that I had to share!  My little one's birthday was last week, but we'll be celebrating with family and friends tomorrow. I've decided to make funfetti cakes for the party.  This morning, I whipped together this mini cake as a test run since I've never tried a funfetti recipe before. It was a huge success - the entire family approved! The taste was light and fluffy, and the sprinkles were well distributed throughout the batter.  I adapted the recipe by Christina of dessertfortwo blog.   

Mini Funfetti Cake

Serves 2-4

Ingredients
For the mini cake:

• 4 tablespoons salted butter, softened*  
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar **
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ***
• 1 large egg white
• 2/3 cup cake flour****
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup whole milk ****
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sprinkles *****

* can use unsalted butter, but then add 1/4 tsp salt

** I like to use ultra fine baker's sugar, but regular is fine

*** my baking secret is that I use Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean paste in place of vanilla extract.

****all purpose is ok, but I used cake flour for a fluffier cake

***** whole milk recommended, but I only had 2% and it worked fine

****** i used cake mate rainbow sprinkles

For the frosting:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 to 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoons milk 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 tablespoon sprinkles

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (I used the convection setting at 325F). Spray a mini 6" cake pan (I used fat daddio brand) that has 2" high sides with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper (trace it on a piece of parchment paper, cut it out, and fit it in).
2. Beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the vanilla and egg white and beat until well-mixed.
4. Add the flour, baking powder (and salt, if you used unsalted butter).  Beat for a few seconds to combine, and then add the milk. Beat until smooth, but do not over mix.
5. Gently stir in the sprinkles
6. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with only moist crumbs clinging to it. 
7. Let the cake cool slightly before placing it on a plate--it should come out easily. Peel the parchment paper off.
8. While cake is baking, beat together all of the frosting ingredients, except the sprinkles.  When the cake has cooled, frost, add additional sprinkles. 

I'll be making a sheet cake version with a slightly different recipe to serve all the guests.  Will update with that recipe after I bake it!  Enjoy!

Cook: Fancy BLT's with Roast Tomato Basil Soup and Kale Date Almond Salad

Last night's dinner was delicious! We enjoyed fancy BLT's made with Trader Joe's Sprouted Sourdough bread, Maple bacon (from Costco), Cheddar, Avocado, Romaine Lettuce and Tomato with a small smear of Mayonnaise.  As a busy mom of two boys, I made the salad and soup ahead of time during my toddler's nap. Here are the recipes for Tomato Soup and the Kale Salad. We enjoyed these Chocolate Cupcakes for dessert :)

Bake: (Best Ever) Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Vanilla/ Chocolate Frosting

Who loves cupcakes? Everybody I know, including my family :) There is something magical about a little cupcake's ability to make people happy and brighten the day.

I've been meaning to try out a recipe for chocolate cake/ cupcakes for a while now.  I decided not to wait for a special occasion like a birthday, because every day is worth celebrating with my cutie pies! Besides, our family does not restrict or limit foods. Rather, we aim for eating foods in moderation and in a balanced way. 

This recipe advertises itself as the ''best chocolate cake ever", and I have to say - it was very moist and delicious. It very well could be the best chocolate cupcakes our family has eaten (and I have tasted my share of cupcakes)! I followed the Add a Pinch cupcake recipe exactly, but modified the frosting.

Bake: Moist and Delicious Orange Cake

J and I were lucky enough to be treated for dinner, and gifted a bag of fresh off the trees (yes, there really are lots of oranges in the OC!) oranges and tangerines from our friends this past weekend, so I searched the web to find some good orange recipes to thank them. I found some interesting orange cookies and orange cakes - but this recipe one got the most rave and consistent reviews.

This is an incredibly moist and delicious orange cake. It is Ina Garten's (aka Barefoot Contessa) "Orange Pound Cake",  but I did not find it dense or heavy the way I usually think of pound cakes. Her recipe was perfect. The only modification I made was to use a mix of tangerines (more tangy!) and oranges that I had on hand. I also recommend the final icing/glaze as optional.  Be sure to read the recipe carefully as some of the measures (orange juice, sugar) are divided into different steps. 

Bake: Orangey Lemony Olive Oil Cake

Happy 2013!!! Things have been busy lately - we're expecting our baby in February (could be any day now - we're in the final stretch!),  and now live in the OC. Things will surely change once the little one arrives, but stay tuned as we continue to live deliciously - cooking and baking good foods at home, and exploring the wonders that LA/OC has to offer as our family grows. :)

I've taken advantage of my maternity leave to nest, and have recently returned to baking - something that I haven't had time for in a while.  Last night, while surfing the web, a tasty treat on Gilt Food caught my eye and suddenly I had a craving for olive oil cake! I was just one click away from buying it, when I thought, why not bake it myself?  I found this recipe online, and we had all the ingredients in our pantry.

So this morning, I satisfied by craving by baking my first Orangey Lemony Olive Oil Cake! After reading reviews, I made a few modifications and came up with the following recipe:

Candied Yams with Pecans

It's been a while since I've last posted! It's been busy - we've moved from LA to the OC, and we're expecting a baby boy in February!!! We have much to be thankful for.  :)

This year, we went over to my cousin Debbie's home for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving for my family is a bicultural feast.  My parents started a tradition of Peking Turkey = eating our turkey in a wrap with scallions/ cucumber / sweet bean paste as if it were peking duck (see photo below). We also like to mix in classic American favorites - stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies. This year, my contribution to dinner was a sweet potato / yam dish.  Although I've been cooking for more than half my life, I had never made this dish before! I browsed many recipes before choosing this one (thanks to my friend Connie for sharing!). It was a hit for Thanksgiving - give it a try for your next holiday dinner!

Candied Yams with Pecans (can do an alternate marshmallow topping)
*Note, I made slight modification -decreasing the butter and sugar just a tad as noted below
Serves 10-12

Yams:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 5 pounds sweet potatoes (about 8 medium), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes  '
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1/2 cup water

Pecan Topping:

• 2 cups pecan halves 
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper 
• Pinch ground cumin

Directions
1. FOR THE SWEET POTATOES: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and water; bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring often, until the sweet potatoes are tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of the center of the potatoes with very little resistance), 45 to 60 minutes.

2. When the sweet potatoes are tender, remove the lid and bring the sauce to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat. Continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced to a glaze, 7 to 10 minutes.

3. FOR THE TOPPING: Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the topping together in a medium bowl; set aside.

4. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Pour the potato mixture into a 13 by 9-inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size). Spread the topping over the potatoes. Bake until the pecans are toasted and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Variation
CANDIED SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE WITH TOASTED MARSHMALLOW TOPPING
Follow the recipe for Candied Sweet Potato Casserole, substituting 4 cups mini marshmallows for the pecan topping. Bake until the marshmallows are crisp and golden, about 5 minutes.

Peking Turkey :)