Chocolate Popcorns

中文：巧克力爆米花

I recently bought a new stovetop popcorn poper so that I can make our favorite chocolate popcorns. O(∩_∩)O~

Usually I make popcorn in microwave oven, (the recipe was posted here before).  I tried to make chocolate popcorns in microwave oven several times but never get good results.   With my new pan, it works like a charm! 

I love sweet popcorns, and chocolate popcorns are always our favorite flavor. 

Ingredients：

1/2 to 2/3 cup popcorns
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 to 3 tablespoon sugar (use more if you have a sweet tooth)
1/2 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate morsels

Directions：

Popcorns are available in almost any grocery store, farmer’s market and organic food stores.

Heat the popcorn pan  over medium high heat. 

Add oil and popcorn kernels.

Cover with lid

The popcorns begin to pop.  Add sugar through the hole on the top.  Meanwhile, keep swirling the handle on the top so that sugar will melt evenly and corns are heated evenly too. 

When the most corns pop, add chocolate through the hold on the top again.  Don’t forget swirl the handle so that chocolate can evenly melt and coat the popcorns. 

There you have a pot of freshly popped chocolate popcorns! O(∩_∩)O~ 

There is nothing more relaxing than watching a good movie on our sofa while eating these delicious chocolate popcorns。。。O(∩_∩)O~。。。

Chocolate Lava Cakes with Caramel Sauce

中文：焦糖巧克力岩浆蛋糕

To be honest, I am not a huge fan of lava cakes, but my husband is.  So I make them occasionally for him O(∩_∩)O~

I add one square chocolate and one tablespoon homemade caramel sauce to each lava cakes.  So the lava is richer and creamier than before.  Chocolate and caramel complement each other in such a wonderful way that the cakes are so much tastier. 

Ingredients： (for 4 lava cakes)

210 grams dark chocolate
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 to 3 teaspoons coco powder (for the baking cups)
butter/ oil spray (for greasing the baking cups)
4 square dark chocolate bars
4 tablespoon caramel sauce

Directions：

Preheat oven to 425F/218C

Beat eggs and egg yolks together.

In a large bowl, add butter and dark chocolate.  Heat the chocolate and butter in microwave oven or a double boiler until they completely melt. 

Add confectioners sugar.  Whisk them together. 

Add beaten egg mixture.

Whisk them togethe

Add shifted flou 

Whisk togethe

Grease the baking cups or ramekins with butter or oil spray.  Dust with coco powder .

The ingredients are for 4 lava cakes.  But this time I cut everything in half to make only 2 cakes. 

Spoon in the batter to fill half of the baking cups. Place one square chocolate bar in the middle of each cup. 

Add one tablespoon caramel sauce on top of chocolate.

Spoon in the rest of the batter.

Bake in the oven for 13 to 15 minutes.

Place them on a plate upside down.  Remove the baking cups.  There you have it, chocolate lava cakes with caramel sauce! 

Serve them immediately before they get cold and lava will not be runny any moreO(∩_∩)O~

BBQ Skewed Beef with Peppers and Cumin

 中文菜谱：孜然烤牛肉串

When talking about the wonderful things in summer?  What comes to your mind first?  Ice cream?  Red juicy water melon?  One of the most wonderful things to do in summer, of course, is BBQ! 

My husband is in charge of most of BBQ work.  But when it comes to BBQ skewed meat or kebabs, it is my specialty! O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients：

2 pounds chuckeye roast beef
6 to 8 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice cooking wine
1 teaspoon ground white pepper  
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2  to 1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger powder
2 tablespoons egg white
1 teaspoon crushed red chili peppers
1/2 medium onion, cut into small chucks or slice it
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
salt to taste
2 to 4 tablespoon water
oil for BBQ
2 to 4 tablespoons crushed red chili peppers   (for topping)
2  to 4 tablespoons cumin seeds  (for topping)

Directions：

Cut the beef into 1 by 2 inches cubes.  Add the beef along with soy sauce, rice cooking wine, white ground pepper, oyster sauce, sugar, dried ginger powder, egg white, onion, sesame oil, crushed chili peppers and salt.  Mix all of them together while slowly adding the water little by little. 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Take the beef out of fridge 20 before BBQ to warm up to room temperature.

Skew the beef with bamboo skewers  or stainless steel skewers .

Preheat the grill 400F/ 206C.

Spray or brush the grill with oil.  Also spray or brush the skewed beef with oil too.

Add the beef to the grill. 

When the downside is light golden brown, flip them over.

Brush or spray with a little bit more oil. 

Rotate the beef occasionally to cook them more evenly. 

With a coffee/spice grinder, grind the crushed chili peppers and cumin seeds separately.

Sprinkle the beef with ground chili peppe

And then sprinkle with ground cumin

Serve immediately.  I like to serve BBQ meat on a large round slate board

Now it is time to eat!  With a glass of wine in hand, BBQ skewed beef in the other, there is nothing more I can ask for this wonderful moment… O(∩_∩)O~ 

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~