Blueberry and Watermelon Smoothie

中文菜谱： 西瓜蓝莓沙冰

Summer is coming, along with watermelons!  O(∩_∩)O~ 

We love watermelons.  Who doesn’t?  They are sweet, juicy and so refreshing in the hot summer time.  Besides cutting and serving them in slices and cubes, I love adding watermelons into my drinks.  They are sweet and mild flavor which makes they go great with pretty much most fruits. 

I make watermelon and blueberry smoothie.  It is so easy that the whole process takes less than 10 seconds.  Simple and delicious, that is my kind of drink.  O(∩_∩)O~ 

Ingredients (for 1 serving) ：

2 cups watermelon, cut into small cubes
1 cup ice cubes
1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions:

I use frozen blueberries from what we picked in local blueberry farms.  I love blueberries so much that we never stock up enough to last until the next blueberry season starts.

Add watermelon cubes to the vitamix first, followed by ice cubes and frozen blueberries.

Turn on vitamix , blend on high speed until smooth.

It is very smooth and beautiful color too.

Pour into a glass.  Serve immediately

This icy watermelon and blueberry smoothie is a real treat for hot summer O(∩_∩)O~

Mini Cactus Brownie Cakes

中文菜谱： 多肉植物盆栽布朗尼小蛋糕

I made these adorable mini cactus brownie cakes for a party.  Everyone was impressed!  Some people even thought they were real plants! O(∩_∩)O~

I made four different cactus plants.  Maybe next time I can try more other plants.

Ingredients:

For the cactus plants：

1/2 package of fondant
gel food coloring (green, brown, purple, pink and yellow)
fondant adhesive

For the pots：

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup coco powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

24 mini brownies
Oreo cookies
chocolate ganache

Directions：

I make cactus plants ahead of time.  Divide the fondant into three parts.  Take two parts and add green food coloring.

Add little by little until you get the color you like.  Don’t add too much at one time.  It is hard to fix it if the color is too dark.

I also add some brown and purple colors to make them look more real.

With small cookie/fondant cutters, cut the fondant into different shapes and then make them into a complete plant.

I add a little more brown coloring to make some of them darker.

I also make some pink, yellow and white flowers.

After the plants are done, I move on to the pots.

Preheat the oven to 400F/ 204C

Add flour, coco powder, butter and salt to a food processor.

Chop them together while adding cold water from the top.

With a large rolling pin, roll the dough into a large thin flat.  Cut into 24 small round pieces. 

Flip a mini cupcake pan over.   Place one dough piece on each cupcake mold.  Smooth them out with a spoon or hand.   

With a fork, poke each of them a couple times on the bottom so that they will not pop up during baking process.

When I take the following pictures, I haven’t poked them yet.  Don’t be mistaken that it can be skipped.

Bake in the oven for 12 to 14 minutes.

Allow them to sit for a couple minutes before unmold them.

Now I have 24 dark “clay” pots.

With the same baking mold, I bake 24 mini brownies.

Transfer the brownies to the pots.   Use a sharp knife to even brownie tops.

Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons chocolate ganache over each pot

Add Oreo cookies to a food processor, chop Oreo cookies into fine “dirt”

Sprinkle the pot with Oreo “dirt”

Don’t they look like really flower pots?

Top with cactus plants.

Now you have a mini cactus garden in a box!

Ok, time to take them out to fool some friends! O(∩_∩)O~

Cheesesteak Sandwich

中文菜谱： Cheesesteak 三明治

During our last trip to Philadelphia, we had some really awesome Philly cheesesteak sandwiches.  I decide to create my own version of Philly cheesesteak at home.  Although they are are not done in the authentic way, they surely taste as good as I expected! O(∩_∩)O~

Ok, it is a little bit embarrassing.  I forgot to buy steaks and I didn’t notice that until I was about to slice the meat.  So I substituted with chuckeye roast beef.  Not bad at all!

Ingredients：

1 to 1 1/2 pounds steak (I substitute with chuckeye roast beef)
4 oz cheddar cheese, sliced
1/2onion， thinly sliced
oil for grilling
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
2 bread rolls (authentic Philly cheesesteak calls for hoagie or torpedo rolls.  I can’t find it in local grocery store and I substitute with Italian rolls)
1 to 2 teaspoons of softened butter

sauce： (well, I develop the sauce according to our own preference)

Chicken stock
soy sauce
sugar
oyster sauce
sesame oil

Directions：

Thaw the frozen beef overnight in fridge. Thinly slice it with a meat slicer .

Preheat the grill with a thick cast iron griddle in the center to 425F/218C

Add some oil and then add thinly sliced beef.

Scramble and brown the beef on the griddle with a spatula or tong.

Add thinly sliced onion.

Sauté together

Add sauce and spread the cheese slices on top

Cut the bread open and spread with butter.  Toast on the grill for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Cover the grill with its lid.  The cheese will melt faster and more evenly.

The grill is really hot.  So we have to use a spatula to stuff the bread

Stuff as much meat as you like O(∩_∩)O~

It is not authentic cheese steak, but it is definitely a great sandwich! O(∩_∩)O~

Rice Dumplings Wrapped in Bamboo Leaves (Zongzi)

中文菜谱: 五花肉碗豆粽子

Today is the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.  According to tradition, we eat rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves!

Rice dumplings come in many different shapes with all kinds of different fillings.  The one thing remains the same is the key ingredient: sweet rice.  Maybe it is more appropriate to call it sweet rice dumplings? O(∩_∩)O~

I use sweet rice, split peas and pork belly; simple but they bring tons of flavors.

Ingredients：

2 to 2 1/2 pounds sweet rice
1 1/2 pounds yellow split peas
dried bamboo leaves
2 to 3 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup soy sauce
salt to taste
water
 

For the pork filling：

3 pounds pork belly
1 to 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1/4 to 1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
3 to 4 tablespoon rice cooking wine
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4  to 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
salt to taste

Directions：

Cut the pork belly into 1 by 2 inches cubes.  Add dark soy sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, rice cooking wine, ground white pepper, five spice powder and salt.  Mix well and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

Bamboos leaves are available in most Asian grocery stores.

Soak them for 4 to 5 hours; rinse well under running water and then blanch them in boiling water.  and now they are ready to wrap!

Add sweet rice along with seasonings to a large bowl.  Add water just to cover the rice.  Let them sit for a couple hours.

Soak the peas for a couple hours too

Fold every two bamboo leaves into a cone shape; add a tablespoon sweet rice.

Add one piece of pork belly

Add a tablespoon of peas

Add another couple tablespoons of sweet rice

Wrap it up

Tie up

Cook the dumplings in simmering boiling water for two hours before serving.

The listed ingredients here shall yield between 55 to 65 dumplings

They will be one of the most unique dumplings you have ever tried.  After two hours simmering, the sweet rice and pea will just melt in your mouth.  The pork inside is very tender and juicy. 

Mission accomplished! O(∩_∩)O~

Boiled Fava Beans with Five Spices Powder

中文菜谱：五香水煮蚕豆

Last weekend we went shopping in a Mexican grocery store and found out they had fresh fava beans!  Wow, we don’t usually find fresh fava beans on the market.   

We boil them with five spices powder and some other spices.  It is simple but the taste and flavor are really great.

Ingredients：

2 pounds fresh fava beans in the pods
1 teaspoon five spice powder
2 to 3 star annises
3 to 4 cloves
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste
water for boiling

Directions：

Remove fava beans from pods.  It would be really fun to do it with young kids in the house if you have one or some.

In a small pot, add fava beans, five spice powder, star anises, clovers, Sichuan peppercorns, sugar and salt.  Add water to about 1 inch above the beans.

Heat over high heat.  When it comes to boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

After turning off the heat, leave the beans soaking in the pot for another 10 minutes.

Drain well and serve either hot or cold.  

Cooked fresh young fava beans have similar texture as cooked potato but they are more on therefreshing side.