Packing Crispy Tofu Bánh Mì and Other Treats for A Summer Picnic

June 10, 2021

We have reached the peak of warm weather heading into June. June in Ohio is usually when the weather begins to settle into its warm rhythm. Kevin and I have been taking advantage of the warm weather by going on longer walks whenever we get a chance. One of my favorite activities other than going for leisurely strolls is to pack some food and head to the local park for an afternoon picnic. Right by where we live is a beautiful park with walking trails, picnic tables, and ponds for fishing. I have been using the warmer weather as the motivation to pack food into portable containers and take them along with us to enjoy at the park. My latest food obsession has been putting a spin on the classic bánh mì. Recently, I’ve been building a lot of crispy tofu bánh mì sandwiches featuring layers of homemade pickled daikon and carrots, jalapeño peppers, fresh cilantro, and crispy tofu slices topped with coconut cream, sriracha, and hoisin sauce. A light squeeze of lime juice at the very end adds the perfect brightness and tang to the sandwich. I ate tons of bánh mì sandwiches growing up in Brooklyn. Just a few blocks away from the home where I grew up in Brooklyn was a Vietnamese restaurant well known for its classic pho, grilled meats, stews, vermicelli bowls, rolls, and bánh mì. While I loved each and every dish I had at the restaurant (especially the spring rolls), the bánh mì in particular was a favorite lunch item for most customers. The bánh mì was always packed with tons of fresh aromatics, a protein of choice, and the crispiest and fluffiest bread you can imagine. Plus, it was portable. Many customers would swing by to order the bánh mì and take it along with them for a quick, satisfying lunch. My appreciation for bánh mì only magnified when Kevin and I traveled to Da Nang, Vietnam a few years back during a family trip. We dined amongst locals and had the opportunity to enjoy some of the most authentic, satisfying Vietnamese foods ever. Out of everything we ate, I still gravitated towards the bánh mì. The combination of aromatic herbs, sweet and tangy veggies, grilled meats, and spicy, creamy sauce brought the whole sandwich together. I still think back fondly to those aromas and flavors long after our trip abroad. When recreating the bánh mì at home, I made sure to include all of the elements and textures into the sandwiches. I prepared the pickled daikon and carrots the day before. I mixed together the ingredients for the bread the evening before. I prewashed and precut all of the remaining ingredients the morning of. Making the bánh mì sandwich from scratch does take some time, but the end result is a super satisfying sandwich. Traditional bánh mì uses a crusty baguette. For my version, I substituted in one of my go-to equally tasty bread recipes. Instead of traditional grilled meat, I subbed in a super easy crispy tofu coated in a seasoned cornstarch mixture and fried into crispy thick slices. The combination of the ingredients, flavors, and textures really does tie the whole sandwich together and makes for the perfect summer sandwich. To round out the rest of the picnic, I just had to pack along a simple cilantro lime corn salad, whole apples, watermelon wedges, my fav cheese crackers, and my white chocolate chip coconut cookies. Add in some frozen bottled water, sparkling juices, and condiments (sriracha and hoisin of course) and our perfect summer picnic was complete.

Welcoming Warmer Weather with Homemade Sesame Raspberry Ice Cream

May 30, 2021

Summer weather has arrived here in Ohio. Kevin and I have been going on longer walks to soak up some of the sunshine. Inevitably, fifteen minutes into the walk, I often begin to feel beads of sweat gather on my forehead. I still try my best to power through the walks until streams of sweat force me to head back indoors. To help stay cool during the hotter weather, I dusted off my ice cream machine and started making homemade ice cream. Ice cream is definitely one of my favorite year-long treats. I usually like to pack my freezer with a couple pints of ice cream here and there. Kevin’s favs are cookies and cream and chocolate chip cookie dough. I gravitate towards strawberry ice cream and green tea most of the time. Lately though, I’ve been experimenting with creating new flavor combinations. My latest creation, sesame raspberry ice cream, combines two flavors I love dearly into one. The sesame component is inspired by my love of ji ma wu, a sweet soup made of grounded black sesame seeds served throughout my household growing up. The raspberry component is inspired by my love of raspberry sorbet. When paired together in ice cream, the combination is delightfully nutty and fruity. I love the contrast of the earthy, nuttiness from the sesame powder paired with the tangy, sweetness from the frozen raspberries. The contrasting yet complementary flavors remind me just a bit of peanut butter and jelly, another classic pairing. The ice cream starts with the classic foundation of sugar, milk, and cream. Folding in the sesame powder and swirls of homemade jam was the fun part. The very first time I had sesame ice cream was as a child growing up in Brooklyn. My super traditional Chinese parents would ship my brothers and I straight to Sunday school on weekends to learn to read and write Chinese. My brothers hated the very thought of having to give up half of their weekend for Sunday school. I didn’t mind the extra schooling one bit because Chinatown had some of the best restaurants within a short walking distance from where we attended Sunday school. One such establishment was the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. The shop had all sorts of unique flavors way before a lot of those flavors became popular. I was always captivated by the assorted Asian-inspired flavors of ice cream on the menu listed under regular flavors. Green tea, lychee, red bean, mango, sesame, and coconut were common occurrences on the menu. Flavors likes vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry were considered exotic flavors. As much as I wanted to try all of the flavors on the menu, I just could not justify how expensive it would have been. Little by little, I would swing by on special occasions to get just a scoop or two of each flavor. The sesame flavor in particular was sweet, nutty, and nostalgic like a frozen version of ji ma wu. I loved the sweet soup so much as a kid, I would make the instant packet variety whenever the cravings kicked it. I had the urge to recreate those distinctive textures and flavors in the sesame dessert soup I loved dearly as a child. Pairing sesame with raspberry just seemed natural.

Cheesy Pepper Parsley Homemade Pasta with Asparagus, Bacon, and Broccolini

May 19, 2021

I first learned how to make pasta from scratch at a pasta making course Kevin and I took during our honeymoon in Italy. Pasta was something I ate growing up as a treat on weekends. The local pizzeria on the corner of the block where my family lived served not only the best large cheesy pizza, but also some very good baked pasta. My favorite usual order was the baked ziti. Nothing beats the loads of tomato sauce, meats, veggies, and cheeses blended together and baked to perfection in the wood fired oven. I thought I knew pasta well having grown up in Brooklyn and eating variations of pastas from the pizzerias, Italian restaurants, and fast casual restaurants throughout New York City. It wasn’t until I traveled to Italy where I saw pasta in a new light. Many of the pasta dishes served in Italy were lighter on the ingredients. Yet, the flavors of the pasta still seemed to shine through beautifully in the dishes we ate. On one of the days of our honeymoon week, Kevin and I took a pasta making class and learned how to make pasta from scratch. The enthusiastic instructor taught us how to knead the flour and egg together with a light sprinkle of salt until we formed a pliable dough. We took the pasta making class with one other couple and spent the morning making our own lunch from scratch. Each of us ended up mixing, forming, and rolling out each of our own serving of pasta. We cut the rolled-out dough into strips, twirled the strips into nests, and handed the nests of fresh pasta to the kitchen with our preferred sauce and toppings. Kevin chose the classic carbonara. I chose the other classic, Amatriciana. The experience of learning and making our own pasta from scratch was one of my favorite moments from our trip to Italy. Fast forward a couple years and I am still applying the skills I learned in the class to pasta from scratch at home. Kevin would occasionally hover over me when I’m making pasta to remind me of what the instructor would say – keep your dough rolled as thin as possible without breaking the dough. Use the window pane trick to test whether or not your pasta dough has achieved the optimal thinness. Making pasta from scratch became one of my favorite ways to destress on a weekend. Whenever I had a stressful week, I would resort to making some pasta from scratch as a therapeutic outlet. Lately, I’ve been testing out variations of homemade pasta filled with fresh herbs from my AeroGarden. The parsley has been growing especially wildly lately, and so I ended up folding in tons of freshly chopped parsley into my homemade pasta dough. I especially love the bright flavors of herbs folded into the fresh pasta. The trials of pasta making using fresh herbs folded directly into the dough taught me to chop the herbs as finely as I possibly could and to distribute the herbs as evenly across the pasta dough as I could to prevent the dough from breaking. Instead of using the double zero flour recommended by the instructor, I experimented with another type of flour – durum flour. Durum flour, semolina flour, or sometimes a combination of both flours were often the flours used to make the dried pasta I often bought at the local supermarket. Compared to the double zero flour or all-purpose flour, durum flour tends to be more pliable and malleable, which makes it much easier for me to roll the pasta dough out as thin as possible. This week was definitely one of those weeks where my cravings led me to make some parsley pasta tossed with crunchy asparagus, crispy bacon, salty parm, and bright green peas. The combination of these ingredients and flavors packed the perfect savory, salty, and slightly sweet punch into the fresh herb pasta.

Baking Up White Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies for A Spring Picnic

May 10, 2021

We finally seem to be entering into the warmer weather half of the spring season this week. April is usually when the weather begins to warm up in Ohio. Although, this year, the weather in April was still a bit unpredictable. With May fully underway, the temperatures are heading back in the warmer direction just in time for both Kevin and my birthday. I was able to celebrate my birthday earlier last week by recreating one of my favorite treats from my time living in Chicago – Chicago mix popcorn with a twist. Kevin’s birthday is just a few days from my birthday. To celebrate his birthday (and the warmer weather we’ve been experiencing), I decided to pack a bunch of our favorite foods for a picnic for two. Growing up, picnics were one of my favorite activities to do with family and friends. I would often pack a few sandwiches, some lemon bars, crunchy chips or crackers, bottled water and tea, and head straight for the beach with some friends. Some of my favorite childhood memories were spent enjoying light picnics at Brighton Beach. I often wouldn’t realize how much time has passed until the chill begins to fill the air and the sun begins to set. Since moving to Ohio, I often try to recreate some of those fond memories by picnicking with Kevin. When the cold weather subsides and the warmer weather begins to fill each and every corner of our home, I just had to pack my favorite treats for yet another picnic. Featured on my spring picnic menu are turkey club sandwiches, baked fries served with spicy ketchup, grapes on the vine, minty lemon tea, and my coconut white chocolate cookies. The inspo for the turkey club sandwiches came from a cross between the club sandwich I would order from McAlister’s here in Ohio and the heroes I grew up eating from the delis near my childhood home in Brooklyn. Baked fries with spicy ketchup replace the usual chips dipped in ketchup I would eat along with my favorite sub. Fresh fruit and lemon tea are two other must-have items for a picnic. The final sweet, baked component has to be my white chocolate chip coconut cookies, a deviation from the beloved chocolate chip cookies I usually pack with me. My white chocolate chip coconut cookies have slowly become a favorite treat in our home. The cookies feature a blend of soft pastry flour, nutty almond flour, tons of coconut components (coconut flakes, coconut sugar, and coconut oil), and white chocolate chips. They are super portable for a picnic and can stand in warm or cool weather for prolonged periods of time. I started making these cookies a couple months ago when working to develop yet another cookie recipe. I played around with different combinations of flours (including quinoa) until I came across the perfect combination of pastry and almond flour. Toss in tons of coconut flavor components and some white chocolate chips and my white chocolate chip coconut cookies were born. Slowly and surely, these cookies became a favorite in our household – mainly because of how addictingly good they are. Kevin describes the cookies as being reminiscent of oatmeal raisin cookies minus the raisins. To me, the cookies taste a bit like the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies sold at Potbelly’s. The nuttiness of the almond flour combined with the distinct tropical flavor of coconut really helps these cookies shine. The combo of almond and coconut also gives the cookie a beautiful shade of golden-brown color when baked. The addition of the white chocolate chips to the cookies adds another layer of sweetness and a visually stunning contrast against the golden-brown cookie. All of the flavors and components of the cookies combined together packs a delightful punch into such a small treat. These little treats are the perfect sweet gems to end a spring picnic. May is a special month for both Kevin and I because both of our birthdays just happen to land in the same month. We start the month off with celebrating my birthday and then shift to celebrate Kevin’s birthday. Both Kevin and I prefer a low-key celebration and so the natural choice of celebration was a picnic.

Recreating Chicago Mix Popcorn with A Twist Just in Time for My Birthday

May 02, 2021

May 2, 2021

I still can’t believe it has already been a year since my last birthday. Last year and most of this year felt mostly like a blur. I am only reminded of how much time has passed by taking a stroll through memory lane and reviewing all of the posts I’ve written over the past year. Whenever my birthday comes around, I try to celebrate with some form of treat. Last year, Kevin and I celebrated with a variety of confetti treats including one of our favorite easy desserts, confetti pistachio dessert balls. This year, I decided to celebrate with another treat I absolutely love – Chicago mix popcorn. I first fell in love with Chicago mix popcorn over a decade ago. Kevin had started an internship in the suburbs of Chicago and invited me to join him for a visit to the city. I took a trip out to Chicago to see Kevin and to experience some of the amazing food I hear of in Chicago. Everyone who had been to Chicago recommended trying the Chicago mix popcorn at Garrett Popcorn Shops. As a lover of food, I just had to try it. The Chicago mix is a combination of a sweet caramel popcorn tossed with a savory cheddar popcorn. Kevin and I rode a train from the suburbs into the city and we hopped on the nearest centrally located EL straight to the Loop. The moment we stepped off the train platform, we strolled through downtown Chicago, browsed some of the shops along the way, and made our way to the nearest Garrett Popcorn Shops. Before we even stepped foot into the store, a line had already formed out the door. A packed shop was definitely a good sign. We waited in line for just under twenty minutes until our turn to order. Kevin and I didn’t know what to expect and so we only ordered a small bag of Chicago mix popcorn. What a bad idea! The popcorn was so amazing, we finished the bag almost immediately. I so wish we had ordered a much larger bag and an additional bag to take home with us. Luck has it I would soon return back to Chicago a couple years later for my first job out of college. When I graduated college and started working full time in Chicago, Garrett’s Chicago mix popcorn became my go-to snack. I would take special trips out to the city just to get my fix. If I had a stressful day teaching, I would treat myself to some popcorn. If family or friends visited, I would bring them to get some Chicago mix popcorn. Even after leaving Chicago, my love for Garrett’s popcorn brought me out to Midtown Manhattan to get my fix when I visited family in New York and to one of the large shopping malls in Hong Kong when Kevin and I visited his family. It took until I moved to Ohio for me to miss Garrett’s popcorn enough to attempt to recreate the flavors and textures I loved so dearly. While I could order some of the popcorn online, the cost along with shipping proved too expensive. Thus, I had no choice but to recreate the beloved popcorn from Garrett at home myself. The hallmark of Chicago mix popcorn is the blend of sweet, crunchy caramel popcorn tossed with the savory, cheesy cheddar corn. The contrast of the sweet and savory, creamy and cheesy, and crunchy and soft flavors and textures is what makes the popcorn truly irresistible. The cheddar corn leaves a distinct orange hue on your fingers. You can usually spot other fellow popcorn lovers by looking out for the orange hue leftover on their fingers. In anticipation of my birthday this year, I got started on recreating the beloved Chicago mix popcorn as early as last month. For my take on the mix, I popped some corn kernels in a large pot drizzled with just a touch of coconut oil. Sometimes, if I am desperate for a quick popcorn fix, I just use microwavable popcorn. When the popcorn has sufficiently popped, I sift through the popcorn to pick out any unpopped or burned corn kernels. I transfer the rest of the popcorn to two sheet pans and got started on the caramel sauce for topping the caramel corn and cheesy powder sauce for the cheddar popcorn. To kick the popcorn up a notch further, I sprinkled in some chili powder to give the popcorn some slight heat. The heat in the chili powder paired beautifully with both the caramel and cheddar corn. I had to watch myself while I snacked on the popcorn to prevent myself from overindulging in the amazing popcorn.

Thai Basil Vegetable Hand Cut Noodles

April 24, 2021

We have reached the end of April. This week, we experienced some snowfall, just a couple inches, but still, for April in Ohio, this is somewhat odd. Earlier this month, we had a few days with warmer weather and sunshine. While there were some colder days here and there, most signs pointed to the start of spring. Here in my cozy kitchen, I’ve been experimenting with testing out new dishes and putting spins on classic favorites. I’ve recently been craving noodles and got to work in the kitchen to make some homemade wheat noodles. Homemade wheat noodles are one of the easiest noodles to pull together in the kitchen. It requires just three ingredients – flour, salt, and water. It’s also easy to scale up if needed to feed more people. I start with some flour in a bowl, a heavy pinch of kosher salt, and a slow stream of water. I add just enough water until a relaxed dough is formed. Resting the dough is key to allow the glutens within the dough to develop and the kosher salt to work its magic in providing elasticity to the dough. I usually let the dough rest for at least an hour while I prepare the rest of the ingredients to add into the noodles. My latest version features Thai basil, Thai chilis, as much vegetables as Kevin can tolerate in a dish, and some crushed peanuts at the very end. Whenever I make noodles, I like to mix in a variety of crunchy vegetables to add texture to the dish. Noodles were something both Kevin and I ate a ton of growing up. Kevin got his fix of endless options of noodles growing up in a food mecca on the opposite side of the world, Hong Kong. I got my fix of endless options of noodles in another food metropolis here in the U.S., New York City. Plus, noodles were something my family made all the time as an easy and cheap way to feed a whole family. I started making a version featuring Thai flavors as a way to use up the fresh Thai basil I’ve been growing in my AeroGarden since November. For the vegetable component of the dish, I piled on tons of aromatics (the Asian trifecta of ginger, garlic, scallions), Thai basil, Thai chilis, red onion, baby bok choy, and crunchy carrots. I love the vibrant colors of these veggies when combined in a dish. Most people will probably agree the more colorful a dish is, the more palatable the dish becomes. Topping the noodles with some crushed peanuts at the very end adds another crunchy textural element to the dish and further enhances the pleasantness of the dish. Whenever I prepare dough for noodles, I like to reserve part of the dough for savory pancakes. Most of the time, the savory pancakes take the form of scallion pancakes. This time though, I folded in some fresh dill and parsley as a way to use up the dill and parsley growing wildly in my AeroGarden. Fresh homemade hand cut noodles with a side of herby pancakes and some dipping sauce made for the perfect chill weekend lunch for two. To round out the rest of our meal, we had to have some fruity bubble tea complete with freshly brewed tea and some mango juice. Now, we finally feel complete.

Golden Chicken Soup with Cheddar Scallion Biscuits

April 14, 2021

April is in full swing and the weather has been unpredictable to say the least. Warmer days and colder days seem to fluctuate from week to week. The beginning of April brought forth rain showers and plant buds. This week brought back colder days and cozy socks. With the temps dipping this week, I just had to squeeze in one more comforting dish before Spring weather resumes. Earlier this week, my cravings for warm, comforting foods began to creep up again. This time, it was in the form of soup. I had recently been making a ton of soups – a soft food diet required by my dentist as I recover from dental work. As I graduate slowly back to firmer foods, I’ve been remaking another one of my favorite comforting soups, my golden chicken soup served with some cheddar scallion biscuits. I love the warm spices of cumin and curry in the soup. The spices add a deep earthy flavor, a beautiful golden hue, and some much-needed spunk to the soup. The addition of the cheddar scallion biscuits to the soup is reminiscent of a chicken pot pie. My golden chicken soup with cheddar scallion biscuits is essentially a lighter version of chicken pot pie, but with a twist. To help add even more depth of flavor to the soup, I added a couple teaspoons of chicken bouillon powder. I like to use the Lee Kum Kee brand of chicken bouillon powder to flavor my soups. Growing up, my family always had a steady supply of the Lee Kum Kee chicken bouillon powder in the pantry. It was the basis of many quick soups, stocks, and flavor enhancers in family dishes. When I moved to the Midwest, I still gravitate back to the familiar flavors found in the soup base. The rest of the soup cooks up fairly quickly. Once I get started on the soup, I let it do its own thing while I shift my focus to the savory cheddar scallion biscuits. The biscuits come together almost as quickly as the soup. I decided on making a variation of my cheddar and chives biscuits by swapping out the chives for scallions. I folded into the biscuit dough some leftover shredded cheddar cheese from when I whipped up some cheddar crisps on St. Patrick’s Day. The combination of the sharp, savory cheddar and bright, pungent scallions makes for the perfect flavor profile to incorporate into biscuits. The soup with biscuits reminds me very much so of chicken and dumplings. Nothing warms the body and soul like a comforting bowl of chicken and dumplings. My golden chicken soup with cheddar scallion biscuits really does do the trick in helping me stay warm on both the inside and outside until the warmer weather returns.

Lattice Heart Pies Filled with Homemade Mixed Berry Jam

April 05, 2021

April 5, 2021

Spring has finally sprung. The chirping of the birds and sprouting of plant buds can only mean warmer weather is on the horizon. The end of March also marks the end of March Madness. Despite the valiant efforts of our alma mater, the end of March marked the end of Michigan’s basketball season. We’ll have to wait until next year to see what else is in store for our team. The start of spring is a good time to get back into my baking groove. I’ve been putting new spins on old classics and testing out completely new baked goods using a variety of ingredients. My latest creation is smaller lattice heart pies filled with homemade mixed berry jam loosely inspired by the Linzer torte. Pies are one of my favorite desserts for three main reasons. They are beyond easy to pull together. Most of the time, they are packed with tons of fruits. The finished product always looks beautiful. These are all true for my lattice heart pies filled with homemade mixed berry jam. I started testing out these pies a few weeks ago when attempting to put yet a new spin on an existing classic. Lattice pies were usually reserved for Thanksgiving and in my most recent fall attempt, I made a version featuring a sweet apple filling and a savory cheddar crust. My lattice heart pies take a similar approach with the lattice topping, but is much easier and quicker to pull together. Instead of the sweet apple filling, these pies are filled with a homemade sweet and tart mixed berry jam. The savory cheddar dough is replaced with a spiced cinnamon and nutmeg dough. I would describe these heart pies as closer to a hand pie than a standalone pie. I formed these pies into hearts since the large heart shaped cookie cutter was the first cookie cutter I grabbed from my baking drawer. The pie dough does require preparation and chilling prior to assembling. Whenever I plan on making a pie, I like to prepare the pie dough in advance. Usually, I prepare and chill the pie dough the night before, but more often than not, I prepare the pie dough the morning of and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before working with it. I typically like to use a food processor as the ultimate shortcut for preparing the pie dough, but this time around, I decided to take the more traditional approach of cutting the ingredients together using a pastry cutter until a dough is formed. This approach makes it a lot less likely for me to overwork the pie dough. Once the pie dough is prepared, wrapped, and transferred to the refrigerator to chill, I shift my focus to making a very simple mixed berry jam. I often make jams as a way to use up bits and pieces of fresh and frozen fruits from all of the smoothies I make in the morning. For my homemade mixed berry fruit jam, I used a blend of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. A squeeze of a zested lemon and some sugar is all I need to get the jam started. The natural pectin found in the fruit (especially the blueberries) will help my jam come together. The mixed berry jam takes almost no time to prepare. I let the berries, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar work its magic on the stovetop. I then remove the pot to let the jam cool and set. The pies themselves are easy to assemble and make for a stunning dessert to serve at the end of a meal. The transition to spring weather always motivates me to eat fresher and lighter. Gone are the comforting foods (with the exception of these pies). Heartier casseroles are replaced with salads and stir fries. Hot sweet drinks such as my dragon fruit raspberry hot chocolate are replaced with refreshing teas packed with – you guessed it – even more fruits and some mint just to up the refreshing factor. The only step left is to enjoy the fruits of my labor and maybe go for an evening stroll to enjoy the spring time weather we are experiencing in early April here is Ohio.

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes and Dragon Fruit Raspberry Hot Chocolate

March 25, 2021

March Madness has commenced. Two rounds in and Michigan is still going strong. Kevin and I have been cheering on our team by enjoying maize and blue layered cookies featuring layers of maize and blue almond cakes adhered together with apricot jam, a treat I started making in anticipation of March Madness. In just a few days, Michigan will be facing yet another team in the Sweet 16. With game day just a few days away, I’ve been remaking two of my favorite game day foods – loaded twice baked potatoes and dragon fruit raspberry white hot chocolate. I first started making these two treats a couple months ago when the temp in Ohio dipped way low. Despite our best efforts to stay warm, the cold winter air just keeps creeping into our home. To help stay warm, I like to bake up tons of goodies in the oven. Twice baked loaded potatoes are just one of many treats I often make during colder days. These stuffed potatoes are super easy to make, packed with flavor, and helps keep me satisfied for most of the day. My current favorite version of loaded baked potatoes feature crispy bacon, gooey cheese, bright green peas, finely chopped fresh parsley and tons of freshly cracked black pepper. The combination of the smokey, salty bacon, melty, creamy cheese, and sweet, bright green peas pairs beautifully with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and black pepper. The potatoes are baked first for just under an hour to help them cook through and soften. Then, they are halved, scooped out leaving the potato skins intact, tossed with the goodies, repacked and re-baked. The second time the potatoes are baked is where the magic happens. The cheese begins to melt together with the rest of the packed ingredients and makes for the most delightful loaded baked potatoes. One half of the loaded baked potatoes is perfect for a snack or a side. Two halves are enough for a light meal. These flavor-packed loaded potatoes are the perfect fuel for game day. It provides the fuel we need to cheer on our team. To balance the savory treats, I also whipped up my fruity spin on hot chocolate – a version featuring pureed dragon fruit and raspberries blended with melted white chocolate, and warmed soy milk. I used white chocolate instead of the usual cocoa/semisweet/dark/milk variety to help enhance the beautiful red hues of the fruits. Pureed dragon fruit and raspberries add not only a fruity touch, but also a beautiful bright pink hue to the hot chocolate. The hot chocolate comes together rather quickly and makes for the perfect slightly sweet, warm, and toasty beverage to help keep us warm throughout the day. I first started making the dragon fruit raspberry white chocolate a couple months ago on a whim. I had some pureed frozen dragon fruit stored in the fridge and some leftover frozen raspberries, and thought why not blend the fruits together into a hot chocolate. The experimental drink turned out so good, I made it a few more times throughout the last few weeks. When I ran out of raspberries, I swapped in strawberries for another delightful spin. Pureed strawberries worked just as well as pureed raspberries. Once the drink passed both Kevin and my taste test, I tested it out on a couple of our friends. Kevin and I brought over the ingredients needed to whip it up during game night at our friends’ home. When the drink also passed their taste test, I was ready to share it. With the cold weather fluctuating week after week in Ohio, I just had to make the warm, toasty drink once more just in time for the madness about to ensue during the NCAA tournament this month. We still have our fingers crossed for Michigan going into the next round.

Baking Up Soda Bread and Other Favorite Treats for St. Patrick's Day

March 16, 2021

March is an exciting time in our household. It marks the transition from colder days to warmer days. Just this weekend, we sprung forward with our clocks. March also means March Madness. Kevin has already started picking his brackets for the NCAA tournament. We both have our fingers crossed for Michigan to win. I guess we will have to wait and see. I’ve already started cheering for our team by baking up maize and blue layered cookies featuring layers of maize and blue almond cakes adhered together with apricot jam. To help keep myself distracted until the start of the tourney, I’ve been back in the kitchen cooking and baking up tons of treats. For Pi Day, I retested a recipe I’ve been working on for a black raspberry Linzer pie loosely inspired by the Linzer torte. A few days after Pi Day is St. Patrick’s Day, which of course means making more celebratory foods to enjoy for the holiday including my version of soda bread. Whenever St. Patrick’s Day comes around, I always think back to the fond memories I had while living in Chicago. When I lived in Chicago, I always looked forward to St. Patrick’s Day because of all of the celebratory events occurring throughout the city. One popular tradition unique to Chicago is the green river. The city of Chicago would dye the river the most vibrant shade of green a few days before St. Patrick’s Day. People from all over the world would flock to the city to celebrate the holiday over delightful foods and drinks. During the three years I lived in Chicago, I would always take the el to downtown Chicago just to enjoy the beautiful views. Strolling down the Chicago Riverwalk and soaking in the magnificent views were two of my favorite activities to do in Chicago especially around St. Patrick’s Day. When I moved away from Chicago, I missed a lot of the familiar landmarks I used to love visiting when I lived there. Most of all, I missed all of the foods unique to the city including Chicago mix popcorn and deep dish pizza. Even though I often recreate many of my favorite foods from Chicago, I still miss enjoying those foods in person at the restaurants where the foods originated from. Fast forward to 2021 and I’ve been hard at work testing and developing recipes to help me feel more connected to the places I have once called home. In the weeks leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, I have been working on my own version of soda bread. Soda bread gets its name from the baking soda used to leaven the bread. When the baking soda reacts with the acidic buttermilk, the dough turns into the most delightfully moist soda bread in the oven. For my version, I worked in tons of golden raisins to help give the soda bread a sweet touch. During my testing phase, I even brought over some soda bread to give to our friends along with the Linzer inspired pie I’ve been testing out. While traditional soda bread typically features just a few basic ingredients, I did add a couple more ingredients (some golden raisins and a touch of sugar) to create a sweet version. The addition of sugar helps enhance the sweetness already present in the golden raisins. The bread itself came together rather quickly once I mixed all of the ingredients together and popped the plop of dough into the oven to bake. To round out the rest of our celebratory meal, I whipped together my green with vegetable envy soup (a simple spinach, broccoli, and potato soup) and some Irish cheddar crisps made by crisping up some grated Irish cheddar cheese in the oven. The cheddar crisps paired perfectly with the broccoli, spinach, and potato soup and reminded me vaguely of broccoli and cheddar soup. As if the bread and soup wasn’t enough, I also whipped up some minty chocolate shakes topped with a golden whipped cream (loosely inspired by the super popular shamrock shake). With our soda bread, soup, and shakes in hand, we were all set for St. Patrick’s Day.

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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