Eggnog Chai Cookies

Christmas is by far my favourite time of the year. It's also the time for baking and hosting turkey dinners :) One new recipe I tried this year is the Eggnog Cookies.  Basically use a regular cookie batter and substitute milk/water with eggnog.

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 bags chai tea leaves (optional)
1.5 cup butter (softened at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
2/3 cups eggnog

for the Glaze - 
3 Tbsp eggnog
1.5 cups icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.  Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Cut open both bags of chai tea and add the tea leaves to the dry ingredients.  In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time as you continue to mix. Add vanilla extract.  Add flour and eggnog alternately to the butter mixture - mix until fully incorporated. Use a scoop or tablespoon to scoop the the cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for about 10-15 min.  Then bake in the oven for about 15 min or until the edges start to brown.  Let the cookies cool on a cooling rack. Decorate the top with glaze once the cookies have cooled down and serve.

To make the glaze - whisk together eggnog and icing sugar.  You can either spread the glaze on the cookie or use a fork and drip the glaze over the cookies to form patterns.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Meatball Variation

So, since I haven't made a post in a long time, I figure I should write something.  Hubby had friends over for dinner and I had a craving for meatballs.  In the past, I made a post about my Spaghetti and Meatballs.  I definitely stayed true to most of the ingredients there with a few minor tweaks.

Ingredients:
approx 1lb lean ground beef
3 eggs
1-2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (mix of rosemary, garlic, basil, oregano, marjoram)
1-2 tsp seasoning salt
crushed crackers (about 10-15 crackers)
chopped cilantro (for colour and taste)
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix all the ingredients, roll them into balls (any size depending on your preference) and bake in the oven for about 15-20 min.  By baking in the oven at high temperature, it guarantees the meatballs are cooked so there is no need to cook them some more in the pasta sauce.

Next experiment with meatballs - add some wine? onions? peppers? mushrooms? ah, the wonders of choices and experimentation :)

Wonton Soup

Comfort food for me is anything with soup.  I love soup :)  A couple weeks ago I felt like having wonton so I finally found the energy to make them after being sick for 2 weeks.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork
1-2 sprigs of green onion - minced
4 suey choy leaves - diced
3 shitake mushroom - diced
1 tbsp ginger powder
2-3 tbsp rice wine or cooking wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp white pepper
1 pack of wonton wrappers

Soup:
1 can of chicken stock
2 cans of water
chopped suey choy
salt for taste

In a mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients together (except for the wonton wrapper). Take 1 wonton wrapper and place it on  your palm. Using your other hand, scoop a heaping teaspoon of filling into the centre of the wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper.  Fold up the corner of one end to meet the other corner to form a triangle.  Then push the side corners to meet the top corners. Press to seal. Repeat with remaining wontons until filling has been used up.

Boil water in a pot and cook wontons for about 10 min or when the wontons float.  In a separate pot, make the soup - add all the soup ingredients. Simmer for about 15 min.

Serve wonton in soup!

Moules et Frites

I know, it's been more than a month since my last post - what can I say...hubby's been spoiling me by cooking all the meals.

Today, I had to make dinner since hubby had to ref for a couple of hockey games.  He wanted mussels and bought this huge container from Costco (about 5 lbs worth) for just $12!  What a feast :)

Mussels:
Ingredients
1/2 large onion - diced
4-5 cloves of garlic -diced or crushed
3 strips of bacon - cut into pieces
dried thyme
dried parsley
1 dried whole chili
1 can of chicken broth
1/2 cup of chopped carrots
2-3 tsp of fish sauce
2-3 tsp of lemon juice (or lime juice)
1 can coconut milk
white wine (optional)
mussels

Turn on the stove to med-high. In a large stock pot, place bacon and let it fry for a bit. Add garlic and fry for 30 sec or so. Then add onion. Let them simmer for about a minute.  Add thyme, parsley and chili.  Add chicken broth and carrots.  Turn heat down to low-med and simmer for about 10-15 min.  Add fish sauce, lemon juice and coconut milk and turn heat back up to med-high.  Just before adding in the mussels, put white wine (amount at your discretion). Once mussels are in, cover the pot for about 5 min.  When you lift the pot lid and most of the mussel shells have opened, the mussels are done.  Scoop up mussels and broth and serve!

For the fries, we just used store bought frozen ones and baked them.

Lots of leftovers but oh so yummy :)

Bowl of mussels

Moules et Frites (fries in the background)

When all the mussels are gone

Green Tea Mousse Cheesecake

I love matcha/green tea food.  This is my go to cheesecake as I find it's light and yummy.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp hazelnut syrup (or any other flavor)

2 cup whipping cream

2 tbsp gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2-3 tbsp matcha powder
1/2 cup warm water

2 - 8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar

Mix melted butter and syrup with graham cracker crumbs. Spread crumbs in springform pan. Optional - bake in 350F for 10 min.

Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Tip - fridge mixing bowl for about 15 min to keep mixing bowl cool. Once peaks form, place mixing bowl back into fridge until cream is needed.

Dissolve matcha powder in warm water. Dissolve gelatin in cold water.

In another mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, honey and sugar. Microwave gelatin for about 30-40 seconds, until fully dissolved. Mix in gelatin and matcha into cream cheese mixture. Fold in whipping cream.  Pour mixture into springform pan and place in fridge to refrigerate over night.

Picture to come....