Pink Truffles

Happy Eid sweet toothers! 

so this eid, i decided not to make any cookies. instead, i made some truffl

es. this is my first attempt and it came out pretty decent :D. thanks to ms. not-so-tiny-me's experienced hands, her touch produced wonders!

so here is the recipe (taken from foodnetwork.com)...

2 tbsp heavy cream

7 oz white chocolate, chopped

1/2 tsp strawberry flavoring

1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped

2 oz dark chocolate, chopped

• melt white chocolate with heavy cream using the double-boil method. when the chocolate is completely melted, add the strawberry flavoring and whisk in. chill until it is pliable.
• put the chopped hazelnut in the microwave for about 3 to 4 minutes (so that it gets a little bit baked). don't forget to move the nuts around every minute or two so that it won't get burnt. cool to room temperature.
• roll the chilled chocolate into bite size spheres. don't forget to wear gloves so your germs won't get stuck to the truffles! ;)
• melt the dark chocolate and drizzle it on some of the truffles. roll the remaining truffles in the chopped hazelnuts. 

and here's how those little treats look like....

the original recipe can be found here

i skipped the Bailey's since i'm serving it to my sister's house guests. and i substituted vanilla essence to strawberry flavoring coz i couldn't find any vanilla essence.

Broccoli and Chicken and Cheese Casserole

i am guilty of not posting this recipe earlier. apologies.

a week ago, i dreamed about my sister's lorraine quiche. and since i still have the leftover sharp cheddar from my broccoli and cheese soup, i decided to make something good out of something that's getting bad. so here goes my altered version of chicken and broccoli casserole (original version was taken from recipezaar).

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 head broccoli
2 onions, diced
5 small potatoes, diced
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp curry powder
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

• preheat oven
• cut up broccoli and place it at the bottom of a casserole dish
• place diced chicken, potatoes, and onions on top of the broccoli
• mix the cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, and curry powder until well blended and smooth
• spread the soup mixture on top of the chicken+potatoes+onions+broccoli
• cover with cheese and bake uncovered for 30 minutes

and again, it slipped my mind to take pictures of my casserole coz i never thought ms. not-so-tiny-me would want me to post it here.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

I had this urge to gobble down Quizno's Broccoli and Cheese Soup a few weeks ago but since we don't have any Quizno's Sub around, I decided to make some from this recipe i found on RecipeZaar.

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup butter
1 quart half-and-half
2 cups fresh carrots, grated
1 lb broccoli, washed, cut
1/2 cup flour
1 cube chicken stock diluted into 1 quart of water
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

1. Saute onion in butter. When onions are golden, stir in garlic and set aside.
2. Make the roux. Melt 1/2 cup of butter and stir the butter and flour over medium heat. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half. Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer until it thickens.
3. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until veggies are tender. Add salt and pepper.
4. Pour in batches into a blender and puree.
5. Return to pot and add the grated cheese and stir till well blended.
6. Put on low heat and stir the nutmeg.

Sharp cheddar cheese is simply aged/matured cheddar. And be careful when you make the roux. The kitchen saw me screaming for my mom in dire need of some extra hand. maybe i'm just retarded.

I don't have the pictures for this post coz the soup made its way to the tummy faster than i thought.

Phew...! It's Been Ages.

Yes, I know. I've not been here for a very, very long time. Well, I have my studies to put all the blame on. This semester is a crazy one because I have 5 subjects to take instead of just 4.

Anyhow, I managed to cook up this claypot chicken rice today. My first trial but it fared up quite okay.

Claypot Chicken Rice

200g uncooked rice

250ml water

200g boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into bite-size

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon white pepper

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

4 slices ginger

2 tablespoons oil

4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked until soften, stem removed and cut into halves

2 slices of salted fish in oil, diced

2 eggs

some sesame oil

chopped scallions and sliced red chili for garnishing, but I didn't use it here because I don't have them..

1. Wash chicken and drain. Marinate oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and pepper for about 30 minutes.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil on medium heat and fry garlic and ginger until aromatic. Add shiitake mushrooms and salted fish and fry for about 5 minutes.

3. Add marinated and continue stir-frying for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

4. Wash rice well and combine with water and put in a claypot. Cover and cook on low heat until almost dry.

5. Place cooked chicken mixture on top of rice, cover and leave on low heat until rice mixture is dry, about another 10 minutes.

6. Switch off the fire and break eggs on top of the chicken mixture and leave pot covered for 5 minutes before serving.

7. Drizzle with some sesame oil an garnish with chopped scallions on top of rice and sliced chilies in soy sauce by the side.