I developed my version of a chocolate Nutella soufflé when I started researching the history of soufflés for a class project. Last month, my research into soufflés led me to Boca, an Italian restaurant in Cincinnati. My sweet husband, Kevin made reservations at Boca when he found out about my project. He wanted me to be able to taste a soufflé ahead of time before I started on my project. We were celebrating the nine-year anniversary of when we first started dating during the last weekend in March. Kevin called the restaurant ahead of time to arrange for the chocolate soufflé to be prepared and served right when we finished our dinner. When the chocolate soufflé arrived at our table, I was eager to take a bite out of it. I fell in love with the soufflé at first bite. The soufflé was puffy, rich, and served with a side of cream anglaise. The texture was similar to a sponge cake and the sweetness level was just right. Soon after enjoying the chocolate soufflé, I started testing out different proportions of ingredients to make my very own version of a chocolate soufflé. Instead of just a chocolate soufflé, I wanted to incorporate my love of chocolate hazelnut spread into the soufflé. The hallmarks of a good soufflé start with separating the egg whites and egg yolks and whipping the egg whites vigorously until you achieve stiff peaks. The stiffly beaten egg whites are gently folded into an egg yolk, flour, and sugar mixture. All of the ingredients are poured into buttered and sugared ramekins right before being placed into the oven. Once baked, the soufflés rise above the ramekins and you can see the straight sides of the soufflé peaking over the top rim of the ramekins. The soufflés must be consumed immediately before they eventually fall. I was able to capture this glorious photo of my very own chocolate Nutella soufflé a couple minutes after removing it from the oven.

My addiction for the last month has been baked breakfast bars. I discovered baked breakfast bars when I was shopping for groceries at Meijer one Friday afternoon. I saw a box of Kashi ripe strawberry baked breakfast bars on sale and decided to give it a try. Since discovering these treats, I have probably gone through five or six boxes in the last month. I’ve been packing a couple bars in my work bag for days when hunger strikes. These days are typically Tuesdays and Wednesdays since I head straight to my evening classes after work. After going through my sixth box, I finally decided to make my own version of breakfast bars at home. This way, I could at least save some money and still enjoy these treats. Thus, two weekends ago, I made my first batch of berry oatmeal breakfast bars using some leftover homemade strawberry jam and some black raspberry fruit spread sitting in my refrigerator. The breakfast bars turned out absolutely amazing and both Kevin and I ended up eating most of them the same day. We did save a few to bring to work during the week. Just last weekend, I made another batch of my oatmeal breakfast bars using homemade fruit jam. This time, the bars turned out even better after I baked them, cooled them, chilled them, and cut them into pieces. I’ve been trying to be more strategic with cooking and baking in bulk since these upcoming weeks were going to be especially busy for me. Projects, presentations, and assignments for my evening classes have been picking up as we enter the homestretch of the spring semester. I’ve been working nonstop to make sure I stayed on top of all of my commitments. On weekends though, I still make sure I dedicate at least one day to testing out new recipes and cooking in bulk for the week. I’m excited to share my mixed berry oatmeal bars since they turned out great and made for the perfect portable snack to pack for breakfast in the morning.

Sweet red bean soup is a staple in many Chinese households. It is one of those simple desserts you can prepare from scratch and serve to guests for special occasions. My earliest experience with a bowl of sweet red bean soup was when I attended my uncle’s wedding as a child. His wedding reception was held at a large Chinese restaurant. The menu featured an abundance of chicken, pork, beef, and seafood. The final dessert course included fresh sliced oranges, red bean paste filled steamed buns shaped like peaches, and a simple tang shui (sweet soup). My favorite was the sweet red bean soup. I’ve had variations of sweet red bean soups with different ingredients added to the soup over the years, but I always prefer the version in its most basic form – red adzuki beans cooked until tender with a hint of sweetness. When Kevin and I had our wedding in New York last summer, we honored our Chinese culture by serving a simple sweet red bean soup as one of the desserts during the dessert course of the reception dinner. The other dessert was fresh fruit. On the days leading up to our wedding, it rained every day. Luckily for us, the rain skipped our wedding day. Our family and friends shared with us shortly after our wedding how much fun they had throughout our wedding. One of the more memorable parts of our wedding (as told to us by our family and friends) was the food served at the reception. Our reception dinner menu featured chicken, pork, beef, seafood, noodles, rice, and desserts. During the past weekend, I was scrolling through the photos on my phone and came across my wedding photos. The photos made me feel a bit nostalgic and enhanced my craving for some sweet red bean soup.