Lettuce Wraps

I know you have made lettuce wraps before, but this is another good recipe to try. This recipe is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and it always turns out really good. I usually add some grated carrot, oyster sauce, bamboo shoots and deep fried vermicelli noodles.


Adapted from Mel's kitchen cafe
6-8 servings

2 tsp veg oil
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 c button mushrooms,, minced
1 carrot, grated
1/4 tsp salt
1 8 oz can water chestnuts, minced
1 can bamboo shoots, minced
1/2 c green onions
1/4 c oyster sauce
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp hot sauce
1/3 c chopped cilantro
1 head iceberg lettuce
*dipping sauce
** rice vermicelli noodles deep fried

Heat veg oil in large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot add garlic and ginger. Saute for a minute and then add beef, mushrooms, carrots, and salt. Cook until beef is cooked.

Add water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and green onions. Cook a few more minutes. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, juice and zest from lemon, and hot sauce. When everything is cooked through, remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Serve in lettuce leaves, top with vermicelli and dipping sauce.

*Dipping sauce
1/4 c soy s sauce
1/8 c rice vinegar
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp green onions

Combine all ingredients.

** Deep fried Rice Vermicelli
Heat oil in a wok. Break vermicelli apart into small handfuls. Deep fry until puffed. Drain on paper towel.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

I'm not really sure why I picked this recipe because I don't even like lemon meringue pie. I think it was because they looked so pretty in the book and I had everything for them.If you like lemon meringue pie or know someone who does I would recommend these. They are good, just not for me. The only thing that I did differently was put them under the broiler for a few second because I don't have a kitchen torch.



For cupcakes:
3 c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c unsalted butter, room temperature
2 c sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons(about 3 tbsp), plus 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tray with liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

With electric mixer on med-high speed, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice, and beating until just combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire wracks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

For Lemon Curd:
2 whole eggs plus 8 egg yolks
1 c sugar
2/3 c fresh lemon juice(about 6 lemons)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature

Combine whole eggs and yolks, sugar and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Strain through a fine sieve into another bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, pressing in directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and fir, at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).

1 1/2 c plus 2 tbsp sugar
2/3 c water
2 tbsp light corn syrup
6 large eggs

Combine 1 1/4 c sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan: clip a candy thermometer to the side. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230 degrees.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk, whisk egg whites on med-high until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 2 tbsp of sugar, beating to combine

As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230, remove from heat. With mixer on med-low, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to med-high and whisk until mixture is completely cool(test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

To assemble:
Spread 1 tbsp lemon curd onto middle of each cupcake. Fill a pastry bag fitted with large open star tip(wilton#8B or Ateco#828) with frosting. Pipe with frosting. Hold a small kitchen torch 3 t 4 inches from surface of frosting, and wave it back and forth until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Source: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Book

Baked Oatmeal

I made this twice last week. It's easy to throw together and both my kids liked it. We topped it with some fresh fruit and milk. You can also add the fruit into the batter before it cooks. I have tried it both ways, but I prefer the fruit added after its cooked.I made a half batch because I didn't need a 9X13 inch pan of oatmeal for the three of us.
3 c oatmeal, either quick or old-fashioned
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c oil
1/4 c apple sauce
1 c milk2 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 8X8-inch pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with milk and fresh fruit.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Sweet Pepper and Butternut Squash Soup

This soup was good and healthy. It made my house smell great.  I think next time though Id add red pepper as well as the 2 orange peppers to make it not so sweet. Would have been good with sour cream on top.

Preheat oven to 450. Cut a peeled large butternut squash into 1/2 inch squares. Quarter 2 orange peppers and spread veggies out over 2 baking sheets. Toss with olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and a pich of cayenne. Roast in oven until tender. About 1/2 hour. Saute onion and and garlic in sauce pan about 5 mins. Add box of chicken stalk. Add cooked veg. Purree until smooth. Thin with water or stock if needed. Salt to taste. I had to add quite abit of salt at this stage. Keeps in fridge 3 days or freezer up to 2 months.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

I have made these muffins many times and they always turn out great.You don't even need to use blueberries and lemon. You could use any kind of citrus and fruit combination that your heart desires. Pineapple orange and strawberry lime are also tasty.


1/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 c milk
1 egg
1 lemon zested and juiced
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 packed brown sugar
1 c blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line or grease a muffin pan. Whisk together the oil, milk, egg, and lemon juice. In a separate bowl, mix lemon zest, flours, salt, baking powder and sugars. Mix berries into the flour mixture. Stir in the oil mixture just until moist. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake about 25 minutes.

Hamburger Buns

These are very similar to your brioche bun recipe. You were right, they are maybe a tiny bit better.  Maybe a little easier to make/less rising time. Instead of separating the dough into 9, I would do 8. Mine came out a little small.

1 tbsp. sugar
2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast
¼ cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
3 to 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. cold water
sesame, poppy or caraway seeds, or coarse salt, for topping

In a bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve the sugar and then the yeast in the warm water. Add the milk, oil, salt and 1 ½ cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Gradually add flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Switch to the dough hook and knead until you have a smooth and elastic dough, about 7-9 minutes.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough in oil. Cover with a tightly-woven dampened towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Working with oiled hands, divide the dough into 9 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, and flatten into 3 ½ -inch disks. For soft-sided buns, place them on a well-seasoned baking sheet a half-inch apart so they will grow together when they rise. For crisper bun, place them three inches apart.

Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

15 minutes before you want to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 400°. Just before baking, brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with any desired toppings.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190°. When the buns are done, remove them from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

Rocky Mountain Cookies

This was my second time making these cookies.The first time I made them the dough was to dry, so I added a bit of milk. This time I used 1/2 cup less oats and they turned out perfect.


1 c sugar
1 c packed light brown sugar
1 c butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1 tsp
baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 c old-fashioned oats(I used 1 1/2 cups)
2 c rice Krispies
2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder to butter mixture. Mix. Fold in oats, cereal and chips. Drop tablespoons of thee dough onto lightly greased or lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden.

Soure: Mel's Kitchen Cafe