Peach & Pineapple Jello

For our hot-pot / early christmas party with my CCHC friends,
i decided to make something quick and easy ; )

Peach & Pineapple Jello : D

A Meal with the Chins

What can make Zach stare with such enthusiam?














Kevin and i were trusted with the responsibility to
babysit Zach, Nick & Kim this past Saturday.

We did so by letting them play video games all day,
and cooked up a feast for them : b

Here's the menu --
Cha-siu (Roast Pork) sauce Chicken drumsticks:















Texas Coountry Potato Salad:














& of course the Crowd-Pleaser...
Boneless Chicken Wings : )














Practice indeed makes perfect!
I removed the bones much faster than last time : )
(though... it still takes a lot of time...)














I made it with sauteed mini portabella mushrooms
with scallions this time around : )














At the end of the night...
the Chins were happy! : D















Yay! Mission accomplished ; )

Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies... x3!

All desserts make great gifts,
but not all of them are good when you have to mail them '_'

Therefore, when i had to decide what to make for Princess in HK,
i found the recipe for this : )

Taaa daaaa! Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies!



























* Princess got these : )

After the taste test, i decided that it tasted so good...
that i needed to master how to make it : D
So i made it again... and again!
Three times in a week...
& they all tasted moist, rich & delightful!




























*Christen and Fa/Ma/Ruby got these : )

The first time I put it into 2 loaf pans;
(i must get my hands on a square pan some day!)
The second time i stuff them into a mini-muffin pan;
& the third time i made them in a rectangular pan : )

Each time, I improvised a little more,
and tweeked the recipe here and there.
(well, with some online tips i found also : b)

Recipe

Ingredients:
· Nonstick cooking spray
· 8 chocolate wafer cookies (Optional)
· 1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese
· 1 cup sour cream (reduced-fat if you're health conscious)
· 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
· 2 tablespoons cornstarch
· 3/4 cup sugar
· 1 large whole egg plus 1 large egg white
· 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
Line with two crisscrossed pieces of parchment or wax paper,
spraying between sheets.
Spray lined pan; set aside.
(I used butter instead of spray.
Worked just as well.)

2. Process cookies in a food processor until finely ground.
Gently press crumbs into bottom of prepared pan.
Do not rinse processor bowl.
(Skip this step if you don't want a crumb-base.)














3. Blend cream cheese and sour cream in food processor until smooth,
scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
(I didn't have a food processor,
but a wooden spoon/rice spatula worked well too : D)














4. Add cocoa, cornstarch, sugar, egg, and egg white;
process until smooth.
Pour into pan; sprinkle with chocolate chips.














5. Bake until just set, 35 to 40 minutes;
cool completely in pan.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

6. Invert onto a tray;
peel off paper, and reinvert crust side down.
Cut into 9 squares.














*The Chins family got this : )

They go so well with ice-cream!!!

After this, i think I can finally claim:
Hey I know how to make brownies! : D

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupkie

Happy Birthday, Justin!















































Criss-cross patterns are so easy to make with a fork!
FUN! : D

Honey Sesame Pork Chops

Sorry, i didn't do any plating for this one...
it smelled too good and i was too hungry : )
















Ingredients:
1 pound whole pork tenderloin (I used pork chops instead...)
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger or 1 tsp dry ginger
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp sesame seed

Instructions:
1. Combine soy sauce, garlic, ginger and sesame oil.
2. Place tenderloin in a heavy plastic bag.
Pour soy mixture over to coat.
Let marinate 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in refrigerator.
3. Remove pork from marinade; pat dry.
4. Mix together honey and brown sugar in a shallow plate.
5. Place sesame seed on a separate shallow plate.
6. Roll pork well in honey mixture, coating well, then roll in sesame seed.
7. Roast in a shallow pan at 375 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes,
until meat thermometer inserted registers 160 degrees F.
(i don't have thermometer... so i guessed!)
8. Remove to serving platter. Slice thinly to serve.

Goh goh's comment: Hei put way too much sesame over the pork chops...
So next time i'll put less : )
& i think this will go very well with sliced beef too (& reduce cooking time, yay!).
I'll definitely try that next time : D

Aloha Chicken and Pineapple

Who can resist pineapples? : )

This recipe is simple to follow & yet finger-licking good!
It goes well with rice, or you can make a sandwich out of this : )















Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
[I tweaked it and used Thighs instead : b]
1 (20 ounce) can sliced pineapple in juice,
pineapple drained and 1 tablespoon juice reserved.

Instructions:
1) Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Combine pineapple juice, oil, honey, vinegar, soy sauce and mustard;
shake marinade well.
3) Toss chicken with 3 tablespoons of marinade to coat,
discarding chicken marinade when done.
4) Brush pineapple rings with other half of marinade,
reserving leftover marinade.
5) Coat 2 large baking dishes with vegetable oil spray.
Arrange chicken and pineapple rings in a single layer.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until chicken's juices run clear.
6) Before serving, brush chicken with leftover marinade.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings.Per serving: 403 calories;
44g carbohydrates, 42g protein, 6g total fat (1g saturated),
98mg cholesterol, 1g fiber, 342mg sodium.
Calories from fat: 13%
















Try it tonight! : ) You won't be disappointed!

Cheesecake Factory Birthday Dinner : )

Two weeks ago, my parents offered to take me (& goh goh) out for dinner for my birthday.
For a dessert-lover like Ma, and pasta-lover like goh goh,
it'd be a no-brainer that i picked Cheesecake Factory : )
& indeed, it was quite a DELICIOUS choice, despite the long wait... 0_o"

To save tummy room for dessert, we skipped appetizers & dove straight in for the entrees.

Fafa picked: Skirt steak with Mushroom White wine sauce,
Served with Mashed potatoes & Fried onion rings.
Fa's testimony: The steak is very flavorful : )
















My choice:
Shrimp Scampi x Steak Diane,
Served with Mashed Potatoes & salad veggies.
My testimony: MMmmmM... Creamy garlic sauce + Tender steak!
















Ma's choice: Shrimp Scampi Cappellini
Ma's testimony: She kept saying she's full but she didn't stop eating...
















Ma & my choice: Vanilla Bean Cheesecake : D
Our testimonies: So Smooth! Def. one of my favorite cheesecakes ever : )
















Goh goh's choice: Pineapple Upside-down Cheesecake
Our testimonies: SO fruity! It's the kind that brightens up your day! : )
















Aww i wanna go back already!
Next stop: Waffle house!! : D