a journal of finding good food and restaurants i love to eat in Taipei when I'm not in Los Angeles. looking forward to hearing from other food lovers about where your favorite places to eat are, so i can try them next!
Monday, September 13, 2021
my kitchen: EASY HONEY BUTTER BEER BREAD
Saturday, May 22, 2021
my kitchen: EASY BOX BROWNIES FROM SCRATCH
I’ve always thought it was too much work to make brownies from scratch because melting chocolate seemed like an extra step that could go wrong and add extra pots and bowls to wash. But after finding this recipe, I love how it skips all that, yet has the same chewy yet fudgy box brownies result. I usually use Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate box brownies, but after they were sold out at Costco, I went searching for a recipe and was so happy this one still gives you that crinkly, box brownie taste.
EASY BOX BROWNIES FROM SCRATCH
Recipe tested 🧡 11/2020
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup granulated sugar*
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use avocado oil)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F** Lightly spray an 8x8 baking dish
2. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients- 1c sugar, 3/4 flour, 2/3 cocoa powder, 1/2 powdered sugar, 1/2 chocolate chips, and 3/4 tsp salt.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients- 2 eggs, 1/2 c olive oil, 2 Tbsp water, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.
3. Sprinkle the dry mix over the wet mix and stir until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the top. (I like to make mini brownie cupcakes then it’s easy to share and eat. Reduce time if you do that)
5. Bake for 40 to 48 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs attached. I prefer to undertake the brownies than to leave them in too long, as they will still continue to cook a little, and better gooey brownies than dry ones!
Monday, May 03, 2021
my kitchen: SUPER EASY YOGURT FLATBREAD
Monday, June 08, 2020
my kitchen: i strongly recommend FLOUR BAKERY BANANA BREAD
Thank You Joanne Chang!!! I miss Flour Bakery, I want to try to make their breakfast sandwich next!!
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- *1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar *(I reduced to 3/4 cup, I might use 1/2 cup next time)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil
- *3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed *(I used 4)
- 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- *2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped *(I used whole pecans on top)
- *added a handful of chocolate chips)
- *(I also added 1 teaspoon baking powder to get the top to rise higher)
Monday, July 01, 2019
My kitchen: EASY BANANA BREAD WITH YOGURT
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used salted butter so I omitted)
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 2 medium bananas, mashed
4- Add 1.5 cup flour and 1 tsp baking soda, stir into the liquid mixture until smooth. Then, fold in the 1/2 cup yogurt, and 2 mashed bananas.
This is the previous recipe I used- http://hungryintaipei.blogspot.com/2015/01/my-kitchen-easy-banana-bread-muffins.html?m=1
Friday, November 27, 2015
my kitchen: Thanksgiving leftovers turkey soup
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
My kitchen: KRISPY KREME FRENCH TOAST
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
my kitchen: easy banana bread muffins
The second time I used this recipe, I used 3/4 cup cake flour and 3/4 cup bread flour and lowered the butter and sugar to 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup sugar. My bananas were also not as overripe and I didn't add the ingredients in the order of the recipe. It turned out less cupcake like and more muffin/bready if that makes sense. It was more brown and beige, not as golden yellow and pretty as the first time, and not as sweet overall. It was still good, but definitely tasted more healthy. That's why baking is so interesting-- can you get the same results all the time or will each time always be different?
Anyone have killer banana bread recipes to share?
EASY BANANA BREAD RECIPE
(adapted from Simply Recipes)
Ingredients (I starred the ingredients with a * for the ones I added to or changed from the original recipe)
- 3 very ripe bananas, peeled
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- *1/2 cup sugar (I used half brown and half white. The original recipe uses 1 cup, but says you can use less)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- *Pinch of salt (I only had salted butter on hand so I used that and omitted the extra pinch of salt)
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- *1 Tablespoon cinnamon (I love the extra layer that cinnamon gives plus it smells so good, but you can add less if you don't want it to be as strong)
- *1/2 cup chocolate chips
Friday, November 01, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
my kitchen: pesto, avocado toast with grape tomatoes and truffle cheese
Creamy, crispy, cheesy and awesome. Variations can include adding arugula, bacon, prosciutto, poached egg, salami or cheese- in my case, truffle cheese from Trader Joes that I brought back from LA. (You can also buy truffle cheese in Taipei from Goodwells or Breeze Supermarket for a small fortune) The grape tomatoes add a layer of sweetness and extra juice. And please don't try using Taiwan avocados for this (shudder!!). It won't be the same.
Call it an open faced sandwich. Tartine. Toast. It doesn't matter what you call it, just don't blame me when you are obsessed too.
Saturday, October 06, 2012
my kitchen: baked eggs in toast cups
I'd spied this recipe a long time ago in a magazine, probably Rachael Ray or Food Magazine when I still had a subscription. It looked easy to do, but for some reason I never found the motivation to do it. Finally this past Sunday, I was craving quiche and used this as a substitute for the craving. It's pretty quick and you could make your own combination of flavors for the eggs or just enjoy the simplicity of the baked egg. The possibilities are seriously endless!
I made two versions, one with just plain eggs scrambled, and the other was was more custard-like, like a creamy crustless quiche. The toast works a quick crust, for those of us too
BAKED EGGS IN TOAST CUPS
- Egg
- Slice of toast with edges cut off
- Cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Butter
Additional ingredients for crustless egg quiche
- Milk
- Ham
- Mushrooms
- Pesto
- Bacon or Proscuitto
- Flour
Ingredients for baked french toast cups
- Eggs
- Bread crusts
- Milk
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
1. Cut off crusts off of the slice of bread. Butter the muffin pan and press bread into the muffin pan.
2. Crack egg directly into muffin pan, or scramble in a bowl. Stir in cheese and put some atop. I used grated cheddar, but you could use anything. Next time I might try goat cheese or colby jack. Gruyere or mozzarella would be great too. If you have any bacon on hand, you could swirl it atop as well.
3. For a custard type egg, add milk to scramble egg. I also added chopped mushrooms and ham and a spoonful of pesto for 2-3 eggs. Other options could be tomatoes, red pepper, broccoli, anything you'd toss into a quiche. I added a little bit of flour as well, since I ran out of toast and didn't have a crust for these.
5. You can also chop up the bread crusts to put in the muffin pan and add sugar and cinnamon to the milk and eggs and pour atop for a baked french toast custard cup. I had poured some leftover milk, egg and cheese mixture on the bread crusts and it was surprisingly tasty as a savory casserole, but next time I'm going to make it sweet to go with the egg dish.
Friday, April 13, 2012
my kitchen: peanut butter smores cookies & hello kitty version
Peanut butter smores cookies! With all the goodies lying around my kitchen and a cookie craving, I had to experiment.
I used salted chocolate caramels and marshmallows from Costco and threw in some Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal instead of graham crackers. Tossed in a few eggs and tablespoons of oil and sugar into a bowl with a bag of Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie mix from Carrefour (just follow the directions).
I tried making the cookies three ways- (1) stuffing the smores in the center for fat cookies, (2) stuffing the smores in the center and then stuffing in a Hello Kitty silicone mold, (3) chopping up the caramels and marshmallows and mixing them for regular sized cookies.
With detailed molds like this, I use a ball of dough to push into the grooves first and then fill up the rest.
I LOVE this Hello Kitty silicone mold! I'll have to do a post about all the different experiments I've tried with this mold- for Hello Kitty shaped ice cubes, biscuits with nutella, cornbread, chocolates, even pineapple cakes!
The Hello Kitty cookies turned out kind of like muffin cookies, with the dough spilling over the top, but when you flip them over you get a surprise. The bottom parts were softer and more cake-like.
Out of the three versions I made, I liked the chopped up version the best taste-wise... it tasted the most like smores with the marshmallows getting all toasty and salted chocolate caramels melting even further for a very chewy cookie.
I had to share so that I didn't end up eating them all myself. But I find it amusing that my Taiwanese friends offer up compliments like "It's really good, it's not too sweet" when I think the cookie is ridiculously sweet with three times the sugar of a normal cookie (marshmallows + chocolate + caramels). I think the peanut butter and salted caramel plays well with the smores and makes the flavors more layered and more palatable than regular chocolate chip or oatmeal chocolate chip. And as you guys know, it's tough to find a good chewy cookie in Taipei. If you're looking, try We Love Cookies or Subway. Have you found them anywhere else I should try?
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
my kitchen: super moist red velvet mayo cake
guess the secret ingredient! |
It was fun to frost the cake and faster than frosting 24 cupcakes, though the cake was so heavy at the end. I definitely recommend buying a springform pan too so you can just get a perfectly round cake without too much hassle. I did have to cut off the top of the cake to get a smooth surface, and ended up using those using those pieces to taste test.
The end result- I was super happy with. Don't know if you can see how moist the cake is. For red velvet, it would also be good dusted with some powdered sugar too or fresh cream cheese frosting.
Speaking of cakes, does anyone know where to get cute cake stands in Taipei?
SUPER-MOIST RED VELVET MAYO CAKE
(adapted from Hellmann's recipe)
1 box (18 oz.) cake mix
1 cup American style Mayonnaise
1 cup water
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C.
Beat cake mix, mayonnaise, water, eggs and cinnamon in large bowl with electric mixer or by hand. Pour batter into prepared pan(s), springform pan recommended.
Bake 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack; remove from pans and cool completely. Sprinkle, if desired, with confectioners sugar or fill and frost.
Monday, December 26, 2011
my kitchen: pesto, edamame & goat cheese meatballs
I made meatballs for the first time this year (spurred on by cravings watching America's Next Great Restaurant) and was surprised to find out how freakin easy it is! Maximum flavor for a little elbow grease. And the meatballs can be eaten as a side dish, with spaghetti or for a meatball sub.
EASY PESTO, EDAMAME and GOAT CHEESE MEATBALLS RECIPE
-500 grams or 1 pound of ground beef
-1/3 cup of bread crumbs
-1 egg
-pinch of salt and pepper
-1 tbsp italian seasoning
Mix elements by hand, form little balls. Can make original flavor and then some with add-in ingredients. If stuffing with cheese, then cut cheese into cubes to form the meatball around the cheese.
I made some with just pesto, some with pesto and edamame, and some with pesto and goat cheese. I like to make mini meatballs too, but if you make different size meatballs, it's best to put them on different trays since the mini ones will cook faster.
Cook in oven for about 20-25 minutes at 180C (or 350F) or until browned and cooked through.
OPTIONAL ADD INs
-pesto
-goat cheese
-edamame
-olives
-parmesan cheese
-mushrooms
Friday, November 25, 2011
my kitchen: hello kitty cornbread
I bring my cornbread mix from LA (by the boxful) and picked up this Hello Kitty silicone mold earlier this year when I went on a mini spree at my local Sanrio. Best purchase ever!
Grease the mold beforehand with butter or oil, then fill the mold about half way full. After getting them gently out of the mold, you can brown them face up in the oven a little longer to get the contrast for the faces.
I've also tried biscuits and cake mix in this mold, but cornbread seems to have the best texture and firmness for seeing the Hello Kitty face. You could also use a larger Hello Kitty Cake Pan if you didn't want to keep making little cornbread cakes or can't find this silicone mold.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
my kitchen: baby shower cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature (I used 1/3 cup)
8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package)
2-3 cups of powdered sugar (I used 2 cups)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
pinch of salt
METHOD
1. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing. (I actually forgot to do this first and just dumped everything together. It was still ok. I also mashed/chopped up the cream cheese a bit to make it easier to stir and warmed up the butter in the microwave. I also eyeballed the butter since I didn't have it by the "stick" in Taipei, and I think I had less than 1 stick, so I'm guessing 1/3 cup. Many recipes call for the whole stick, but I like the cream cheese flavor over the butter flavor.)
2 Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness. (I added 1 cup and it definitely wasn't sweet enough. I thought with 2 cups it was good. Some might add another 1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar if you prefer it sweeter)
3 Either spread on with a blunt knife or spatula, or spoon into a piping bag to decorate your cake or cupcake. (And enjoy!)
Saturday, June 11, 2011
my kitchen: banana nutella cornbread waffles
I've been addicted to making my waffles with Trader Joe's Cornbread mix lately after discovering it makes the perfect crispy waffle. So today I decided to warm up some nutella in the microwave to drizzle on top with sliced bananas and it was decadent. It's surprising what you can put in the waffle maker- blueberry muffin mix, chocolate chip cookie mix- it makes all the sides nice and crispy for those of us who like eating the muffin tops- and cooks up a lot faster too!
And after making a few waffles, there's enough batter to put in the oven for cornbread.
Or add in some regular waffle batter to extend the cornmeal and put in the fridge for another morning.
I'm sure any cornbread mix would work, but I love the sweetness and texture of Trader Joes enough to bring boxes back. Haven't spotted cornbread mix of any brand in Taipei- has anyone found it in Taipei?