Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

I made this for Halloween following Sally's recipe. The cookies were soft, chewy, and very sweet. 

Ingredients

All-purpose flour - 2 cups+1TBSP
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Ground cinnamon - 2 tsp
Pumpkin pie spice - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Old-fashioned rolled oats - 1 and 1/2 cups
Unsalted butter - 1 cup, melted and slightly cooled
Pure maple syrup - 3 TBSP
Light or dark brown sugar - 3/4 cup, packed 
Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup
Egg yolk - 1
Pumpkin puree -3/4 cup 
Pure vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1 and 1/2 cups

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and oats together in a large bowl. Set aside.

3. Blot the pumpkin puree by squeezing the puree with paper towels.

4. Whisk the melted butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg yolk, blotted pumpkin, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour into dry ingredients and mix everything together until completely combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Scoop cookie dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Flatten slightly. Bake for 13-14 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.

6. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Notes
Make Ahead Instructions: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. 

Bacon Scallion Milk Bread

This is a variation of Hokkaido Milk Bread. I used all purpose flour and it worked fine.

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 4 1/2 cups
Active dry yeast - 1 TBSP
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Salt - 1.5 tsp
Egg - 1
Warm milk - 1 cup (about 110F)
Whipping cream - 2/3 cup

Bacon - 8oz (cooked, and cut into small pieces)
Green onion - 2 cups (chopped)

Optional simple syrup for glazing (2 teaspoons sugar, dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water)

Or butter for glazing

YIELD: two 9" round bread

Steps

1. Grease two 9" cake pan

2. Add sugar, yeast to warm milk, and let it sit for 5 minutes. 

3. In stand mixer bowl, combine the egg and whipping cream. Add the yeast and milk mixture, mix well together.

4. Add salt and flour to the bowl, start at low speed then gradually raise speed to medium. Mix for 12-15 mins until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. If dented by your finger, the dough should spring back. Be careful not to overmix, since the gluten structure might be dwindled.

5. Grease a big bowl, and transfer the dough in. Cover the bowl and let proof until the dough has doubled in size, about 40-60min.

6. Transfer the dough to worktop, quickly knead for 1-2 mins. Divide the dough evenly into two. Roll out each into into a ¼ in thick rectangle or rough circle. Sprinkle the scallions and bacon evenly over the dough, and cut it into small 1.5 inch squares.

7. Fold each square in half like a taco with the bacon scallion filling on the inside. Nestle them in the pan standing up on one end of the taco. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the dough overnight, if making this recipe in advance. The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator, let it come up to room temperature, and proceed with the next step.

9. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
10. Bake for approximately 22 – 25 mins until the top is golden brown. 

11. For the final glow and delicious aroma of the bread, you can brush the top of the bread with some melted butter or whipping cream or simple sugar syrup. Cool, and enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Pan-fried Chicken Breast

This is a home dish that most time we just put in the ingredient casually. This recipe documented the ingredients as a great guideline. 

Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken breast - 1 to 1.25 lb (about 2 chicken breasts)
Soy sauce - 2 tsp
Oyster sauce - 2 tsp
Cooking wine - 1 TBSP
Ground black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Garlic - 1 TBSP, finely minced (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
Water - 2-3 TBSP
Cornstarch - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 TBSP

Steps

1. Carefully butterfly each chicken breast, and then separate the two halves. Lightly pound the chicken breast on both sides to tenderize the meat.

2. Add the chicken pieces to a bowl, along with the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine, pepper, and garlic. Use your hands to mix well. Then, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. Add 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with your hands after each addition until the chicken absorbs the liquid.

3. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 - 20 minutes. Just before cooking, mix the cornstarch into the marinated chicken until evenly coated.
4. Heat oil in a nonstick or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Arrange the chicken breast in the pan in a single layer. Pan-fry for a total of 8-10 minutes flipping them every 2 minutes or so for even cooking. Serve with rice or noodle. 

Hokkaido Milk Bread Bun

 This is a variation of Hokkaido Milk Bread. The recipe yields two 9" tray of total 16 pull apart buns.

Follow the recipe to first proof the dough, then divide the dough into 16 portions. Roll each dough into a rope and twist on itself and then into a knot. 

Place 8 knots in each 9" greased cake pan. Do the second proof. 

Bake at 350F for 22-25 min or until golden brown. Glaze with butter while it is hot.

Chinese Braised Fish (红烧鱼)

This is a Chinese home dish that we make often. But this recipe quantitatively documented it to guarantee consistent outcome.

Ingredients

Fresh fish - 1, carp, tilapia (descaled and cleaned)
Cornstarch - 2 tsp
Oil - 3 TBSP
Ginger - 6 slices
Green onion - 3 stalks (cut into 2-inch pieces)
Cooking wine - 3/4 cup
Sugar - 2 TBSP
Chinese black vinegar - 2 1/2 TBSP
Dark soy sauce - 1 TBSP
Soy sauce - 2 tsp

Steps

1. Using paper towels, pat the fish thoroughly dry. Use a sharp knife to score both sides of the fish three times. Dust it with a thin, even layer of cornstarch on both sides. This step will help keep the skin in tact during pan-frying.

2. Heat the wok until it starts to smoke, and immediately add the oil and ginger slices. Reduce the heat to medium. Once the ginger slices start to brown, remove them from the wok and set aside. Carefully lay the fish in the wok, and DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER NOT TO MOVE OR TOUCH THE FISH for the next 5 minutes. You can tilt the wok around so the oil glides around to evenly brown the fish.

3. After 5 minutes, shake the wok slightly to see if the fish has seared enough to stop sticking to the wok. Carefully flip the fish over and do the same process for the other side.

4. Once both sides are nicely browned, add the ginger back to the wok along with the scallions, cooking wine, sugar, vinegar, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce. Keep the heat at medium low, and cook the fish by continuously spooning the cooking liquid over the fish. Cook on each side for 4-5 minutes. By now, the sauce should be cooked down and almost syrupy. Enjoy.