Starting the New Year with Matcha Chocolate Sponge Log Cake

January 08, 2021

January 8, 2021

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s already 2021. It still seems like it was just yesterday when our lives shifted from the hustle and bustle of daily interactions to solely virtual communications. The extended time spent at home has helped me tap deep into my inner creative self in the kitchen. I embarked on a culinary journey in the kitchen making meals out of whatever I had on hand. The experiments led me down a rabbit hole of crazy concoctions, tasty creations, and just pure joy. One such creation was my matcha chocolate log cake featuring alternating swirls of plain and chocolate cream packed into a sponge cake roll. Today’s post is a bit late, but I’m finally ready to share the findings straight from the CWTP kitchen. I started playing around with this recipe right around Christmas time when I had the sudden urge to create a version of a log cake (or a simplified version of a Bûche de Noël). I wanted my version of the Yule log to feature a festive green interior and a tree-like chocolate cream weaved into the interior and exterior of the cake. The vibrant shade of green would be the perfect celebratory color for Christmas. To bring the log cake over the top, I envisioned the design of the cake to be similar to a harlequin roll, a type of cake with alternating strips of different colored creams swirled into the interior of the cake. Once I settled on my vision, I set out to create my matcha chocolate log cake. I started by making the sponge layer. I relied on the natural colors of matcha powder to help dye the sponge layer of my cake a beautiful, vibrant shade of green. The sponge cake takes almost no time to prepare and bake. All it takes is about 6 minutes for the sponge cake to finish baking in the oven. The moment time was up, I set the sponge cake aside to cool slightly before rolling the cake up into a log. Taking this step is crucial to help the sponge cake maintain the rolled shape once cooled. While the cake is cooling, I set out to whip together the whipped cream for filling and topping the cake. Whipped cream frosting is my favorite type of frosting for cakes. It is slightly sweet, light, and fluffy in texture. Growing up in New York, my family always celebrated milestones with either a sponge or chiffon cake topped with a whipped cream topping. They would purchase one of these cakes at a local Asian bakery and store it in the refrigerator just long enough for us to finish dinner. The moment the last piece of rice is scooped up from our bowl, we would all turn our attention to the fluffy, light celebratory cake. A simple birthday song or some short congratulatory wishes later, we were all sinking our teeth into the delightful dessert. Nothing beats a light, fluffy cake topped with the airiest, slightly sweet whipped cream frosting. When I set out to create my matcha chocolate log cake, I wanted to stay true to all of the elements I absolutely loved in my favorite celebratory cakes growing up. My matcha chocolate log cake has all of these elements and more. The intense matcha flavor shines through in the bright green sponge cake. The deep chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder gives the whipped cream the perfect shade of brown similar to the color of a tree trunk. A light sprinkling of instant espresso powder brings out the chocolate flavor in the whipped cream. When combined altogether, these elements packed the perfect storm of flavors into a visually stunning log roll. Kevin and I rounded out our celebratory meal with some crispy oven baked salt and pepper wings, seasoned roasted potatoes, and sesame garlic grilled bok choy. The lunch fueled us long enough to get us to finally take down the holiday decorations from Christmas 2020.

Celebrating the Holidays with Soup Dumplings and Other Holiday Favorites

December 31, 2020

We are heading towards the end of such an unpredictable 2020. Every year, Kevin and I try to spend time visiting family and reconnecting over good food. This was the first year we skipped our holiday traditions and stayed home instead. Kevin spent all of his time working and squeezing in a few rounds of gaming here and there. I spent almost all of my free time outside of work in the kitchen testing out new treats. I resolved to take the holidays to test, retest, and refine recipes with the goal of creating the best possible versions of some of my favorite foods. During the holidays, the one food Kevin looks forward to the most is xiao long bao, or soup dumplings. It was a dish he grew up eating when he lived in Hong Kong. He would request soup dumplings whenever possible whether or not there was a momentous occasion to celebrate. In the days leading up to the holidays, his anticipation for soup dumplings would build day by day since he knows the destination we eventually head to (either New York City or Hong Kong) would have some form of authentic, truly delicious soup dumplings waiting for him. Since we couldn’t actually travel to New York City or Hong Kong for the holidays this year, I set out to recreate his favorite dish of all time at home. Soup dumplings are a bit tricky to get just right. The dumpling wrapper has to be thin, delicate, and sturdy. The filling has to be savory, juicy, and plump. Most importantly, there has to be soup filled in each and every dumpling. To get the soup into the dumplings, I had to take one of two steps – either cook up some soup filled with tons of pork bones, chicken bones, or a combination of the two or find a way to gel up homemade or store-bought stock. For a truly savory broth, I knew I had to take the extra step of cooking up some savory stock. I had already intended on roasting a whole chicken for dinner over the weekend, so I saved the bones of the chicken to use in creating a wonderful stock. I let the chicken stock cook low and slow for almost 24 hours in the slow cooker. When the stock was ready, I transferred it to a couple containers to use as a base for soup, pho, and noodle soup later in the week. I reserved a few cups to use as the base for my soup dumplings. While the stock was still hot, I dissolved ½ a packet of unflavored gelatin for every 1 cup of chicken stock. Then, I set out to test, retest, and refine my soup dumplings. Seven trials later, I was able to get my desired soupy, plump soup dumplings. The most important taste test was making sure it met or exceeded Kevin’s expectations of a legit soup dumpling. With each trial, I had Kevin provide feedback on the soup dumplings. I had to navigate through too thick dumpling wrappers to not soupy enough dumplings until I got to my sixth trial of soup dumplings. The sixth trial met Kevin’s expectations of a soup dumpling – thin, delicate wrapper, juicy, plump dumpling, and sufficient soup in the dumplings. He described the sixth trial as the most successful trial of the bunch. To make sure I could replicate the same results, I made a couple more batches of soup dumplings following the lessons I learned in the sixth trial. The seventh trial resulted in success once more. By the seventh trial, I was ready to share my findings. These soup dumplings were so good, I added them to my permanent rotation of celebratory meals to make no matter where our holiday adventures take us in the future. Once our bellies were full from all of the food I’ve been recreating over the holidays, we finally made our way to opening the presents we received from family and friends. I kept the gifts in the original packages until I was ready to use them. The sheet pans, baking molds, and cookware were just what I needed to replenish the kitchen tools I’ve been putting into overdrive during the holiday season. This holiday season, while different from all of the prior holiday seasons, still turned out pretty good. Kevin got to enjoy all of his favorite foods (especially soup dumplings). I got to experiment with even more foods in the kitchen. Our 2020 holiday was finally complete.

Holiday Baking Adventures and Assorted Butter Sandwich Cookies

December 23, 2020

Christmas is only a couple days away. In the last few weeks leading up to Christmas, I’ve been simultaneously trying to do two things. The first is to scout out all of the fun festive activities in Ohio to squeeze into December. The second is to madly experiment with different ratios of ingredients in the kitchen in search of the next best dessert recipe to share. The holidays are my favorite time of the year to experiment with new treats in the kitchen. When I’m working on developing a recipe, I try to research and study the composition, techniques, and variations of a specific food before tackling it in the kitchen. I constantly test, retest, and tweak aspects of my recipes in an effort to produce the best possible versions. This way, I could build a solid repertoire of recipes to surprise family and friends during the holidays. Around this time each year, Kevin and I would either be in Brooklyn wrapping up last minute gifts at the crack of dawn to sneak under the Christmas tree at my parents’ home or in Hong Kong gathering around a table at a new restaurant trying out amazing food with his parents. We’ve continued with both traditions whenever possible for almost a decade. This year, however, Kevin and I have decided to forgo celebrating with family and friends. Instead, we'll be staying home and gathering around the cozy dining room table of our fairly new home. I’ve already gone the extra mile to deck the halls, kitchen, windows, and stairs with holiday cheer. I paid close attention to the kitchen in particular since it is my favorite spot in our home. I had Kevin assist with stringing pre-lit garlands around the tops of our kitchen cabinets. I even plugged in the small Christmas tree we got at the Cincinnati Nature Center last week next to our stovetop. The lights and tree added such a festive touch to our kitchen.

Light in the Forest and White Chocolate Mixed Berry Buttermilk Pancakes

December 15, 2020

Our Christmas adventures in Ohio continued this weekend with a visit to the Cincinnati Nature Center. Kevin and I made reservations to see Light in the Forest late in the evening. The drive to the nature center did take us through some unfamiliar roads, but once we got to the nature center, the staff did a great job ushering us on our way to enjoy the lights throughout the forest. We walked through winding paths and saw some beautiful holiday light projections. The winding trails through the nature center were lit with strands of lights along the pathway. Some of the projections remined us of the time when we ventured out to see BLINK Cincinnati back in 2019. Both Kevin and I were amazed by the detailed projections in the forest. We weaved our way through the winding trails until we reached a pop-up shop attached to the welcome center. Of course, we just had to purchase a tiny Christmas tree in an owl mug designed by a local artist in support of the nature center. Just over 30 minutes later, we had reached the end of our pathway and headed on our way back home. Light in the Forest was definitely well worth our visit and was a great way to enjoy bits of nature during the holiday season. By the time we got back home, we were both exhausted. I woke up the very next day with cravings for pancakes. I took the opportunity to make a version of buttermilk pancakes I have been working on perfecting for some time now. My experiments for my white chocolate mixed berry buttermilk pancakes led me to create the most delightful version of buttermilk pancakes featuring white chocolate chips sprinkled into the batter and raspberry jam layered between each pancake. The raspberry jam added an element of fruity, slightly tart sweetness, which complemented the smooth sweetness from the white chocolate chips. Each pancake was fried individually in a pan over medium-low heat and transferred to a cake stand to serve. In between frying each pancake, I spread on a thin layer of raspberry jam while the pancake was still hot. The heat from the pancake helped soften the raspberry jam allowing the jam to seep into the pancake. When all of the pancakes were done frying and stacked to the top, I decorated the stack of pancakes with some frozen blueberries and more white chocolate chips. The end result was a stunning stack of pancakes cooked to perfection. A light drizzle of maple syrup helped bring the pancakes over the top. These pancakes truly are the perfect indulgent treat for breakfast. We couldn’t just have pancakes for breakfast, so I roasted some potatoes in the oven and fried up a few pieces of chicken wings to serve with a side salad for brunch. The indulgent brunch was definitely what we needed to give us the boost to finish putting up the holiday decorations in our home just in time for Christmas.

Christmas Nights of Lights and Vegetable Coconut Curry with Grilled Flatbread

December 07, 2020

December 7, 2020

December means the holiday season is among us and the countdown towards Christmas is here. Typically, during the holidays, Kevin and I would alternate between visiting my family in New York and his family in Hong Kong. Some years, if we space out our vacation days enough throughout the year, we would be able to spend the holidays with both of our families. We started this tradition almost ten years ago. This holiday season is looking unlikely for us to travel. Kevin and I have decided to stay put in Ohio and enjoy all Ohio has to offer during the holiday season. Starting the weekend before Thanksgiving, we searched high and low to create a list of holiday events going on in Ohio. Each weekend, we planned to cross one event off the list. The weekend before Thanksgiving, we headed to downtown Cincinnati to enjoy the PNC Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo. We bundled up in our coziest winter attire, put on our masks, and headed straight for the holiday festivities. The following weekend, we headed to Sharon Woods to enjoy Holiday Lights in Sharon Woods, a drive-through winter land of holiday lights. Check out my post on Thanksgiving to see some of the photos from our holiday festivities over the last couple weekends. This weekend, Kevin and I headed further south to the Coney Island Christmas Nights of Lights. I’ve been wanting to swing by to see the drive-through light show after hearing about it on the radio year after year. When I heard advertisements on the radio again this year, I finally decided to head there on a Friday night with Kevin. It took us a bit of a drive to get there. Once we got there, we could see tons of cars lined up on an insanely long zig-zagging line. It took almost an hour for us to loop through the line until we got to the entrance of the light show. As we approached the entrance, we were amazed by the dazzling holiday lights synced with the holiday music blasting from our car radio. Kevin sang along with almost every song. I was so dazzled by the bright twinkling lights. It was such a unique experience. The light show lasted only about 20-30 minutes, but we both felt it was worth the wait. The next day, my cravings for warm and comforting food kicked in. December snowfall began this week and brought with it chilly temps and cold air. I still had tons of potatoes leftover from Thanksgiving weekend and decided to incorporate the potatoes into my tomato coconut curry. Tomato coconut curry is a dish I started making a lot during the fall once the weather turned cool and crisp. It came about one day when I needed to use up the abundance of tomatoes I had stocked up. When I folded the tomatoes into my usual coconut curry base, my tastebuds were soaring with joy. The tangy, sweet tomatoes added a brightness, sweetness, and a touch of acidity to the creamy coconut curry. The addition of potatoes makes for a much more substantial, filling curry. Whenever I eat curry, I need to have some carb to serve alongside it. My carb of choice is of course grilled flatbread. I prepared the dough for the flatbread just over an hour before I started making the curry since the dough for the flatbread needed some time to rest before using. When the dough had rested for at least an hour, I divided up the dough into six pieces, rolled each piece out, and popped the flatbread dough into the oven. The flatbread dough is cooked twice – first in the oven and then finished on my grill pan to impart a smoky grill flavor into the flatbread. The grill marks also add a beautiful touch to the flatbread. To achieve the fluffy, chewy texture, I used a combination of all-purpose flour and bread flour. The potato tomato coconut curry was so filling, we almost fell into food coma right after eating it. At least the curry gave me the energy to finally put up the Christmas tree.

Thanksgiving Festivities and Cheddar Apple Pie

November 30, 2020

November 30, 2020

Thanksgiving 2020 has come and gone. This year, Kevin and I celebrated Thanksgiving at home. I usually wake up super early in the morning to start preparing a pie. I ended up sleeping in just a bit this year before heading to the kitchen to start on the cooking marathon. I’ve been making variations of my apple pie over the years and this year was no different. I decided a week before Thanksgiving to combine my favorite savory cheddar pie dough recipe with my tried and true apple pie filling. The combo of cheddar and apple reminds me very much so of a fruit and cheese plate. The savory sharp cheddar cheese imparts a distinctive savory, salty depth of flavor into the apple pie. The apple pie does take a couple hours to prepare and bake, but the time it takes to make is totally worth the mouth-watering end result. To bring the cheddar apple pie over the top, I served it alongside a scoop of caramel toffee ice cream. Cheddar and caramel are another combo I fell in love with during the time I lived in Chicago. I had become obsessed with Chicago mix popcorn from the Garett Popcorn Shops sprinkled throughout the city. During the few years I lived in Chicago, I lost count of how many bags of cheddar and caramel tossed popcorn I’ve eaten. It was only natural for me to combine all of these loves into a cheddar apple pie served alongside a scoop of caramel toffee ice cream. I start the temperature in the oven at 425 and then lower the temperature to 350 to allow the pie to finish baking. Starting off with a higher temperature is essential to making sure the pie crust browns beautifully. Once the pie is done baking, I leave it out to cool as I prepare the roasted dry-brined turkey and sides. Even though it was just Kevin and I celebrating Thanksgiving together, we both appreciated the relaxing holiday off. By the time all of the dishes were done cooking, the sun had begun to set.

Once Thanksgiving 2020 was done, I jumped into the next holiday festivities – sending holiday cards and packages to family and friends. I started collecting the addresses of family and friends earlier this month in anticipation of the Christmas season. Kevin and I usually spend a few days in December visiting family and friends in New York, but with everything going on around the world, we will likely not be able to travel over Christmas. I took the opportunity to write some personalized holiday cards to family and friends and reserved some special handmade gifts for the nephews and niece in my life. I wrapped up each of those lovely gifts in tissue paper, packed them neatly into packages, and loaded on the tape for safety measures. It took me a few weeks to get the gifts made and the holiday cards all addressed. The day after Thanksgiving Day was over, I headed straight to the post office to mail out those goodies. I can’t wait to see the joy on my family and friends’ faces when they see the handmade gifts. All of the efforts will be well worth it. After mailing out the cards and packages, I headed back home to enjoy some of the leftovers from the Thanksgiving feast yesterday and a slice of – you guessed it – cheddar apple pie served alongside a scoop of caramel toffee ice cream. My cheddar apple pie was still as good the next day as it was the day before. Kevin and I thoroughly enjoyed the Thanksgiving leftovers as we filled our bellies with way too much food. The food held us over until the evening when we headed out to enjoy some of the holiday festivities throughout Ohio. We’ve been looking forward to checking out some of the holiday light shows. With us staying back in Ohio during the holidays, we’ve found ourselves jumping at the opportunity to enjoy all of the holiday festivities Ohio has to offer.

Preparing for Thanksgiving and Tomato Basil Soup with Parm Crisps

November 23, 2020

The big feast (a.k.a. Thanksgiving) is just a few days away. Thanksgiving is one of the holidays I look forward to the most during the year mainly because it is one of the few times during the year where I can truly eat whatever carb-y, cheesy, comfort food I want. In anticipation of the big feast, I have been trying to eat lighter over the last few days. One of my favorite light meals to whip up in a quickie lately is my tomato basil soup served with parm crisps, my take on the traditional tomato soup served with grilled cheese. My love for tomato soup and grilled cheese goes way back to my elementary school days. Once every other week, the school cafeteria would serve up a variation of tomato soup with grilled cheese. If I didn’t feel like eating anything else on the school menu, I knew I could always count on tomato soup with grilled cheese. My cravings for the combo continued into my college years. Back in my college days, I would stock up on cans of tomato soup, loaves of bread, and precut cheese. These were the components I would use to build tomato soup and grilled cheese whenever my cravings for the combo kicked in. If I ran out of bread, I would use whatever carb I had on hand from naan flatbread to saltine crackers. As long as I had a carb on hand, I could convert it into a semi-grilled cheese. A couple weekends ago, I came up with the idea for tomato basil soup served with parm crisps when my cravings kicked in, but I wanted something lighter for an early lunch. Kevin and I had been invited to a small brunch at a neighbor’s home later in the day and we were both hungry in the morning, so I quickly blended up some tomato basil soup. The soup alone was not enough to squash my cravings for the grilled cheese component, so I ended up grating some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and crisping up the parm in the oven. What resulted was the most marvelous tomato basil soup served with parm crisps. The tomato basil soup was perfectly flavored with butter, garlic, onion, tomatoes, and basil. The parm crisps added a savory, cheesy crunch. My tomato basil soup served with parm crisps were the perfect pairing to help satisfy my cravings. Plus, it provided both Kevin and I the much-needed sustenance to hold us over until brunchtime. I loved the combo so much, I made it again and again in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. It was such an easy way to make a large batch of soup and divide the batches of soup up into smaller servings throughout the week. Whenever lunch time or dinner time rolled around during the work week, I could easily preheat the oven, crisp up some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and serve the crispy parm with tomato basil soup for a quick lunch or dinner. With Thanksgiving just a few days away and the inevitable cooking marathon to occur, I could use a few meals prepped ahead of time. My tomato basil soup with parm crisps (along with my savory everything animal crackers) are just what I need to fuel up before Thanksgiving day rolls around. I will definitely be enjoying these keepers time and time again even after the holiday rush.

Planning for Thanksgiving and Savory Everything Animal Crackers

November 15, 2020

The holiday I look forward to the most is around the corner. It’s my most favorite time of the year for showing gratitude to family and friends through food. The holiday I’m talking about is, of course, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is usually a time where families and friends gather to give thanks and celebrate over good food. I thought back to last year when my family traveled from New York to spend Thanksgiving with Kevin and I. Kevin drove straight to the airport to pick up my parents and aunt. I stayed home to get a head start on dessert, a classic apple medley pie. The moment mom arrived, she got to work in the kitchen with me. Aunt joined shortly after to help with prep and cleaning. Dad snapped photos of us working in the kitchen. Kevin ran some last-minute errands as needed. Thanksgiving this year won’t be the same as the previous years. Instead of celebrating with family and friends in person, we have been celebrating with family and friends throughout the month over video chat. I am still looking forward to creating the ultimate Thanksgiving feast – even if it is just Kevin and I celebrating. I always get into the groove of cooking and baking during the day of Thanksgiving and often forget about preparing something to eat for breakfast/brunch/lunch. Once I get situated in my spot in the kitchen, I keep cooking until the very last dish is served. My favorite method for planning a Thanksgiving menu is to use the alphabet method. I start by listing out all of the dishes I want to make beginning with A. I continue until I get to a sufficient number of dishes, usually H or I. The alphabet method helps me keep track of the dishes I’m making in my head. This method has kept me from forgetting a dish. The first dish I like to start with is apple pie. It doesn’t take long to prepare, but it does need time to set after baking. My favorite apple pie weaves in both a tart apple, Granny Smith, and a sweet apple, Fuji, and is mixed in a blend of sugar, spice, and lemon juice. Right after the apple pie is done, I move onto the turkey. The turkey takes the longest time to cook, anywhere from two to three hours, depending on the size of the turkey. While the turkey is tucked neatly into the oven, I move onto the sides – assembly style. For thanksgiving this year, I made a promise to myself to prepare a light snack to munch on throughout the day as I’m preparing the big Thanksgiving feast. A savory snack I have been working on for the last few weeks is my savory everything animal crackers. I made it earlier during the fall season to serve as a light game day snack when Kev’s friends swung by to play board games and watch football. I made these savory snacks again in the form of a tart for a course project. I plan on making them a third time just for Thanksgiving as a way to keep me fueled throughout the cooking marathon. During the cooking marathon, I sometimes forget to prepare a meal in the morning ahead of time. My savory everything animal crackers are not only irresistible, but they are also vegan friendly. The dough is essentially my tried and true pie crust dough topped with my own blend of everything seasoning. My blend of everything seasoning features a mixture of white and black sesame seeds, dried minced onion, dried minced garlic, poppy seeds, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. The everything seasoning mix is sprinkled directly onto the dough and rolled into the dough prior to cutting the dough out into animal shapes. The moment the seasoning hits the heat in the oven, it begins to toast and emits the most fragrant scents in the kitchen. These animal crackers are perfectly delightful on their own, but if I’m feeling adventurous, I may even make a dip on the side to serve with them.

Baking Up Carrot Cake Rolls with Cinnamon Glaze

November 07, 2020

November 7, 2020

Fall weather is finally here. I can feel the cool, crisp air fill every nook and corner of our new home. Just last week, I began dusting off the cozy sweaters I’ve accumulated over the years and layered them on with soft joggers and thick socks. Sweater plus joggers plus thick socks has become my new work from home attire. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to take a leisurely stroll through coffee shops and smell the warm spices of fall. I know there are pumpkin spice lattes waiting for me, but I look forward to peppermint mocha lattes the most. I will have to wait just a tad longer to get my fix of peppermint mocha lattes. Those don’t come out until later in November. Fall is my favorite time of the year because cooler weather means cozy sweaters, comforting foods, and college football. Football season also means testing out new game day treats. Two of our friends came over a couple weeks ago to see our new home, play some board games, and test out my newest homemade treats. On the day’s menu were pork dumplings, spicy chicken salad, and baked apples – all tried and true recipes I’ve been making throughout the years. I did take the opportunity to test out my latest creation in the kitchen – savory animal crackers. These savory, crispy, melt-in-your mouth treats passed the friend tasting test, which means they will be featured on my blog in the very near future. Another treat I have been making in the kitchen on cooler days is my carrot cake rolls with cinnamon glaze. My carrot cake rolls with cinnamon glaze came about one day when I was craving cinnamon rolls and carrot cake at the same time. Since there are similarities in both, I thought to myself, why not combine the best of both worlds by packing in all of the flavors of carrot cake into my go-to cinnamon rolls recipe. I did make a few swaps with the ingredients to make the rolls vegan-friendly. Not too long after, my carrot cake rolls with cinnamon glaze was born. I packed the dough for my usual cinnamon rolls with shredded carrots, a mixture of regular and golden raisins, a blend of sugar and spice, and popped the rolls into the oven to let the oven do its magic. It doesn’t take long before the aromas of the carrot cake rolls begin to fill our home with the most delightful scents. I waited anxiously as the heat in the oven transformed rolls of dough into the fluffiest carrot cake rolls. The only step left was to whisk together some confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, and almond milk to create a simple glaze. I like to drizzle just a tad of the glaze onto the rolls immediately upon removing the rolls from the oven and serve the remaining glaze on the side. My carrot cake rolls with cinnamon glaze could definitely rival another one of my favorite fall treats, pumpkin spice rolls with pumpkin spice glaze. The carrot cake rolls had all of the flavors I loved about carrot cakes combined with the textures I love in cinnamon rolls. With my carrot cake rolls in one hand and remote control in the other, I had everything I needed for a relaxing, cozy fall weekend.

Celebrating Halloween with Pesto Eyeball Pizza and Strom-bone-i

October 31, 2020

Halloween is finally here. As a child, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. I always looked forward to the one day during the year where I could dress up as whatever character I wanted and go trick-or-treating once the sun begins to set. Some years, I went with my brothers. Other years, I went with friends. We would come up with a game plan on which houses around our neighborhood to swing by during the days leading up to Halloween. The more festive the décor were, the more eager we were to stop by. Once the sun has set, our adventures began. For the next few hours, we would go house by house to collect our treats. If we were lucky, we would get full-sized treats. The best part about Halloween were the days following Halloween. We had all of these Halloween candy to eat for the next month to come. The trick-or-treating tradition continued for many years until I got to college. Trick-or-treating was replaced with Halloween parties and gatherings. I still continued dressing up for the next four years of college. My costume of choice year after year during my college years was a fairy. I dressed in all white and wore the same fairy wings. I’m pretty sure the wings were made for children, but I still loved those fairy wings. Thinking back to all of the fun I’ve had celebrating the holiday still brings a smile to my face. Halloween as an adult means gathering with friends over good food (usually a good pizza) and handing out candy to children. Halloween this year will be different though. With everything going on around the world, Kevin and I decided not to celebrate with friends. Instead, we stayed home and celebrated Halloween amongst ourselves. In anticipation of Halloween, I’ve been dreaming up new creepy, ghoulish treats to whip up in the kitchen. I’ve been testing out some creepy treats over the last couple of weeks. The two treats I came up with for this year were pesto eyeball pizza and strom-bone-i. I started by preparing a double batch of my pizza dough to use for my latest creepy creations. My Halloween pizza features a fluffy pizza dough topped with pesto, mozzarella cheese cut into the shapes of eyeballs, cherry tomato pupils, and more greenery in the form of fresh arugula right before serving. Half of the pesto was reserved to make sun dried tomato pesto and the other half of the dough was set aside to form the base for my Strom-bone-i. My Strom-bone-i is essentially a Stromboli stuffed with sundried tomato pesto, pepperoni, and the leftover pieces of mozzarella cheese from cutting out circular eyeball shapes. These two carb-y delights became the perfect treats for a small Halloween celebration. The drink of choice to serve alongside the creepy treats was a matcha green tea latte. The latte turns out the perfect shade of green for a festive Halloween drink. To help complete the Halloween meal, I played episodes of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror in the background. My perfect Halloween was finally complete. Kevin and I prepared a large bowl filled with Halloween treats in case trick-or-treaters came knocking on our doors.

Hello! My name is Jia Pan and I love to experiment with food. My site is a collection of recipes and stories chronicling my adventures in the kitchen and around the world.
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