Thai Coconut Noodle Soup

You are probably thinking- ummm...where have you been for the past 17 days? Did you get married again ;) Well- you would be correct- it appears I have fallen off the planet for two and half weeks. BUT I have a very good explanation. So remember my Easy Sesame Noodle Post where I explained how the hubby was very sick with food poisoning and the flu? Well- now being weeks later- I am not sure if it was food poisoning but I am definitely sure it was the flu. A day before I was to head off for Columbus for the physicians training I caught the bug- I was SICK and it was only getting worse.

Let me tell you- driving 100 miles to the Houston Airport and then flying while you are sick with the flu, was one of the most awful experiences I have ever had. It is so painful to fly with sinus issues- but going to this training was so important to me. Nationwide Children's Hospital has a wonderful internship and post-doc opportunities and my advisor actually did her post-doc there- so I really wanted to see the place. Sadly, the next day when I was at the training- I was pretty much dying (no-not really) but I was so sore, nauseous, could barely here, stuffed up and just felt so disgusting that the best I could do was sit in a chair and then after the training fall asleep on one of the hospital couches while my advisor gave the rest of the lab a tour.

When I booked the flight- I booked it through the weekend- even though the training was just that day- so I could visit one of my closest cousins who lives there. I feel so bad for her- since I was sick- she had to take care of me the entire weekend! The first day I was with her- I could not even get out of her bed all day until the very evening when I managed to lug my body to the living room to watch TV with her and her roommate. She was so sweet- waiting on me hand and foot, getting me whatever I needed and making sure I was getting better :) I love her so much- that was a good cousin and an amazing person! Well- flying back- though slightly better- was also an awful experience.

After flying back- it still was no good- my flu turned into (or shall I say made me more susceptible) to bronchitis. Are you serious?! Yes, that is what I was thinking! I only actually started feeling better this Monday- where I could actually start eating and enjoying myself! I was out for two weeks! Hence- why I have not been blogging. So why this 1/2 week extra? Since I was so sick- I got very behind on everything- especially course work and my grading for my class I was teaching. I had to play some major catch up this weekend and this week. Now- I caught up on coursework, am catching up on clinic work, and my class just had their final yesterday and grades were submitted :) Well- of course the first thing I would like to do- because I feel better and have been working hard is come back to my blog :)

Okay- I know this was a long post but I just have one more thing to say. One of the other worst parts to getting sick? Do you remember how- because I drove 14 hours from Kansas City back home because the hubby was sick- that I rewarded myself by going to cupcakeries in Dallas? Well, I did not eat them in the car because I really like to concentrate on the flavors but also the hubby was nauseous, so I did not want to eat in front of him. Well- by the time we came back- the next day I was feeling nauseous and could not eat them :( It was TRAGIC- so the hubby, who apparently has a much more resilient immune system than I- go to eat them! Anyone see the irony- ohhhhh....husbands.....

THAI COCONUT NOODLE SOUP

Adapted from Considering the Campbells

INGREDIENTS 

8oz. Spaghetti Noodles

2 chicken breasts, diced 

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. garlic (optional)

2 c. chicken broth

1 can of baby corn 

1 jar of Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste

1 can coconut milk

1 Bell Pepper, cut into thin strips  

1/4 c. soy sauce

Cilantro for garnish (I use the seasoning)

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook spaghetti according to package directions (usually about 7 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking and clumping- set aside. Then in a large wok, set to medium heat- add olive oil and garlic- saute until garlic is golden brown. Add chicken and cook until tender. Add half a jar of red curry paste, chicken broth and corn- bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and add in coconut milk, the remainder of the curry paste, and bell pepper- stir and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes. Finally, add soy sauce and stir well. 

In a bowl, place a small-medium amount of noodles. Ladle a large spoon or two full of soup and veggies over the noodles. Garnish with cilantro. 

This should be eaten the day made- this dish does not make a good left over dish as the coconut milk will solidify. 

Enjoy,

Chika 

Almond Joy Stuffed Chocolate Pudding Cookies

Why hello there :) The Psychology Department is having a search for a Department Head. The first candidate (of three) that we are interviewing was a Clinical Psychologist. Well- the Clinical Program would love for this candidate to be our new Department Head- so the red carpet was rolled out ;) This morning was the candidates job talk. Now, before I continue I would like to say that usually job talks are very, very boring. And with the short attention span that I have- I quickly zone out. This job talk, however, captivated my attention. I truly, enjoyed it! I think that not only will be he be the Department Head but also a new Clinical Faculty- which would be awesome. He studies Tourette's and Trichotillomania. The first of which- has a large child component/emphasis. I really would love if our program gets another child focused clinician! And his research line- from basic science to treatment program implementation is very interesting. I think he would be a good fit for our program and department.

I then, can happily say- that I was productive! I knocked out some major report writing- which has been a monkey on my back for some time. It was such a relief. I now have a few hours to spend with my Ninja face before seeing some clients :) I could do days like this more often!

Oh! I have to share one bad news, good news story. I am not sure if I have ever shared- but i am a clean freak! I cannot stand messes and I am a bit compulsive about it! Well- last night, after cooking and baking, I got it into my head that our apartment was a bit messy. I started cleaning frantically- dusting, lysol wiping, mopping, etc. I finally went to go vaccuum and it broke :( I could not stand that half of my carpet was not vaccummed. My wonderful hubby- late night- went and bought me a matching vaccuum to my steam cleaner. And I have to tell you that I am a huge fan of the Bissell pro-pet series (vaccuum and steam cleaner)- they do an amazing job :)

On that good note- lets move on to delicious cookies! My brother in-law is a fan of almond joys and cookies....so there you go....

ALMOND JOY STUFFED CHOCOLATE PUDDING BOOKIES

Chocolate Cookie Recipe Adapted from Love from the Oven

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven 350F degrees

FOR THE COOKIE

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 large eggs (room temperature)

3/4 c. cocoa powder

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 (3.4 oz) package of chocolate pudding mix  

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

FOR FILLING

15 fun size almond joy bars (cut in half)- total of 30 small pieces

DIRECTIONS

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar for about 5 minutes. Then add eggs, one at a time. In a separate bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, pudding mix, salt and baking soda. Once blended- add to wet ingredients until just well incorporated. Dough should be thick enough to work with (if not- add more flour). 

Roll into 1.5 inch rounds- flatten and place 1 piece of almond joy in center. Wrap dough around the almond joy piece and form into ball. Place cookies about 2 inches apart (though they do not spread much)- on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Enjoy,

Chika 

Magic Bars

I've returned to my pattern of baking on the weekends only, but hopefully not for long. I did some menu planning for "cooking for two" for this coming week- so hopefully I'll have something new to share, a few times a week for the month of October. We shall see- I am a lot more optimistic about the week on weekends than I am when I am actually experiencing the week! Though I have to say- this week has be awfully stressful but on the plus side I feel I have been quite productive. Hopefully after the first week of October- my life will calm down a bit. As for now- I am working on submitting my first grant :) ::SMILE:: and hopefully ::crossing fingers:: it gets funded! I can dream cant I?

So on to FOOD...one of my favorite topics ;) Well- for the longest times, I have been making these delicious bars...and by delicious, I mean hands down one of my favorite desserts, the ONLY thing that I bake, that I eat ALL OF IT! :) I think it deals with my love for condensed milk...actually take that back...I love every part of it. I mean seriously- these are delicious. Though, since I've made them a ton- I've gotten feedback. If you love sweet things, you will very much enjoy this. If your sweet tooth cannot handle too much sweet, you might not be a fan. This is very "rich." Though I have made this many, many times- I oddly have not photographed it (and on that note, these bars are oddly hard to capture) or shared it on my blog, so I thought it was time to whip up a batch, share some with all of you and then shove it in my mouth.

So fun fact- you might wonder what is the difference between condensed milk and evaporated milk? Well both are canned milk products with about 60% of its water removed. Evaporated milk has vitamin D added, is unsweetened and as a very mild carmalized flavor. It is used mostly in things such as custard and dishes where a creamy texture is desired. Evaporated milk on the other hand has sugar added and is mostly used in desserts.

MAGIC BARS

Adapted from Eagle Brand

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

1 1/2 c. of graham cracker crumbs

1 stick of butter (melted)

1 (14 oz) can of condensed milk

1 c. of chocolate chips

1 c. of butterscotch chips

1 c. of coconut flakes (sweetened)

1/2 c. of chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

Grease a 8x8 pan. Then mixed graham cracker crumbs and melted butter  with a fork. Combine well until crumbs are coated- then press down to form crust (I usually use the top of a spice bottle). Press firmly. Pour condensed milk on top of crust. Then top with chocolate chips and butterscotch chips (evenly distributing). Finally top with coconut flakes and chopped pecans. Bake for 30 minutes. Once baked, cool completely (I usually then place in the freezer for 15-30 minutes- which helps with cutting into bars).

Enjoy,

Chika

Almond Joy Brownies

This weekend, along with Stephanie Cookies, I decided to be more adventurous in my baking- going well beyond my comfort zone- for a birthday party I was attending; another student is my program was hosting a birthday party for her husband. Not only did I want to make something for the party, but I felt baking was long overdue. Although I enjoyed making non-desserts for my blog, I was really missing baking. So along with cookies inspirted by Stephanie, I wanted to make brownies, because I realized other than bars, I had not made brownies for my blog. Sadly, Im not sure if this turned out as I imagined but I'm glad I can check off making brownies (though I will for sure be making more- one can always use the practice in making brownies).

Alright- so now to the fun fact: Mixing. When mixing dry ingredients with wet ingredients, you do not want to overmix. In fact several times, I use the term mix until just well incorporated. Several bakers even suggest mixing dry ingredients in by hand so as not to overmix. However, if using an electric mixer, one must just be very careful to make sure to mix, just enough. Why is this important? Over mixed dry ingredients will overdevelop the gluten. What does that mean? Well, over developed gluten will toughen the baked good. Lesson from this post: never over mix the batter- just until youdo not see any powder left :) I mean, who wants tough baked goods?

ALMOND JOY BROWNIES

Adapted from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 375F Degrees

FOR THE BROWNIE BASE
1 c. Butter (2 stick, softened, room temperature)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. all purpose flower
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 c. almonds (chopped, slivers)
1/2 c. chocolate chips

COCONUT TOPPING
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. all purpose flour
1 (7oz) package sweetened shredded coconut (keep 1/2 for garnish)

CHOCOLATE TOPPING
2, large milk chocolate Hershey Bars
2 tbsp. shortening

DIRECTIONS:

For the chocolate brownie base: cream butter and sugar (for a good 6-8 minutes). Mix in eggs (at room temperature), one at a time, until well incorporated. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together all purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix together with wet ingredients unitl just well incorporated. Then add almonds and chocolate chips. Bake for 12 minutes and allow to cool, until a bit hardened.

For coconut topping, mix eggs and sugar. Then add vanilla, all purpose flour and shredded coconut (remember to keep 1/2 c. for garnish). Wet your hands and then place mixture of wax paper, press down to create a square. Then gently place ontop of brownie base. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. If you do not wait for the brownie base to cool, the coconut mixture will sink down. Once baked, allow to completely cool. Then cut into small squares (I suggest 20).

Melt Hershey Chocolate and shortening in a double broiler. Take a spoonful of the chocoalte and pour over each square. Allow to cool for a bit, then garnish with remainder of shredded coconut and almond slivers.

Enjoy,

Chika



Samoas Cupcakes

Through our program, I am taking part as a student therapist, conducting a six week parent management group for parents with children who are diagnosed with Asperger's. This is the first time in a long while that our program has done a parent group and since it's been so long- I literally had to create the modules being provided to the parents- creating lessons, worksheets, handout, etc. It was a lot of work but I loved it! I really enjoy working with parents and the group was full of some wonderful people. Well today was the last day of the six week group- and so I wanted to make them cupcakes as my "farewell."

I searched through my Pinterest and found some awesome recipes for the Girl Scouts Samoas Cookie- turned into a cupacke. I thought they looked wonerful and had to try it. Also, it has a really interesting recipe for caramel buttercream. I have not really gotten to make different types of buttercream other than vanilla and chocolate- though recently for Beau's Lemon Birthdy Cake- I got to try to make Lemon Buttercream.

It always fun trying new things and especially from scratch. Sadly as I started baking I made one fatal error :( It was so tragic. I did not put enough milk. I only used a half of a cup instead of a cup and a half. I just read it wrong and realized my mistake too late! The cupcakes were already baking. But fun fact: milk in cupcakes add to the "fluffiness (aka the round top) of the cupcakes as well as the moistness. The result: my cupcakes were on the dry side! My baker's worst nightmare :/  I was soooooo bummed. But it was too late to start again. [To my blog readers: do not forget to add the milk!] So I took them to my parents group and forewarned them about the tad bit dryness as well as the other student therapists. Luckily, everyone seemed to enjoy it, including the hubster, though they did slightly notice the lack of moisture. But hopefully they forgive me. The hubster really loved the caramel buttercream. So try it out- I mean who does not love Somoas?!

The Texas heat started re-melting the chocolate. That is how hot
it was! Oh Texas and your summers.

SAMOAS CUPCAKES

From Sweet Pea's Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F degrees

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

2 cups flour
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups milk

FOR THE CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM:

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 chocolate candymelts

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder. In another bowl cream together the butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and coconut extract until fluffy and light, at least 3-4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the milk beating just until combined. Fill the cupcake papers 1/2 full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20-22 minutes.

To toast the coconut, spread the coconut onto a rimmed sheet pan. Toast in a 350°F oven, stirring frequently, until the coconut is an even brown color, about 10 minutes.

To make the frosting, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the salt and brown sugar and heat the mixture to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm, about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.Once the caramel frosting mixture is lukewarm, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the powdered sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Adjust consistency with a little more milk or powdered sugar, if necessary.

Heat candymelts in microwave for about 30 seconds or until drizzling consistency. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip. Pipe a spiral of frosting, beginning at the outer edge and working inward. Drizzle the frosted cupcakes with melted chocolate and garnish with toasted coconut.

Enjoy and sorry for the missed milk!
Chika

Almond Joy and Mounds Cupcakes

So this weekend, I am so excited because my sister is coming to town! And what better way to celebrate than with our favorite thing: CHOCOLATE! I saw this recipe on pinterest for Mounds Brownies and I thought to myself, my sister would LOVE them and so would my fiance! Sadly, I thought I had a brownie mix, but I did not :( I began to panic, and think...what can I make my sister while she is here, that she would like just as much...but then I realized, I can still stick with the Almond Joy/Mounds theme, and make them cupcake style!

I think they came out adorable. I dont get to take these to school to see how yummy they are becuase Ill be out of town with my sister, but my fiance gave them a thumbs up (though he pretty much likes everything that I make, so I am not sure how much that counts). I hope my sister likes them when she tries them tomorrow!

So for those of you who do not know, Mounds and Almond Joy are pretty much the same thing (chocolate with coconut but almond joy has...duh...almonds). So I made them with and without almonds, hence the Almond Joy/Mounds title. Super easy to make (bc of the semi-homemade ingredients). Total time to make was like an hour.

Almond Joy Cupcake

Mounds Cupcake

ALMOND JOY AND MOUNDS CUPCAKES

Adapted from In Katrina's Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

1 box of devil's food cake mix

3 cups of coconut (and a few Tbls for garnish)
14oz can of condensed milk
1 c. powdered sugar
1 can of chocolate icing (or homemade chocolate buttercream frosting)
Almonds Slivers

DIRECTIONS

Bake the cupcakes according to package. I use an ice cream scoop to have each cupcake be about the same size (make sure each cup is filled no more than 3/4 of the way full).Let cook for several hours or overnight. Use cupcake corer to make a hole in the middle of cupcake, to be filled with filling. In a bowl mix together coconut, condensed milk and powdered sugar- should have a nice creamy texture. If to watery, add either more coconut or powdered sugar. I liked to make my filling more creamy and condensed milk like (if you like a more solid texture- I would add more coconut). Place filling in piping back with wide open tip (otherwise the coconut will clump and not pipe out). Fill each cupcake hole with filling.  Frost each cupcake with tip of choice. Garnish with coconut (stop here, if you just want Mounds cupcakes) and top with almonds (for Almond Joy cupcakes).

Enjoy and Happy "almost" Mardi Gras,

Chika

Mardi Gras ended up being a BLAST!