Diamond Anniversary

This is diamond anniversary cake for a Chinese couple. It is chocolate chiffon cake, decorated with chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, fondant, and gum paste. The two dolls are from Amazon. 

I made this peony with gum paste.

Relaxed Fisherman Cake

A red velvet birthday cake for someone who loves fishing. The frosting is Swiss Meringue Buttercream, the boat, fisherman, and sign are made with fondant.

Spiral Trail Cake

Another cake for the running club, decorated with Swiss Meringue Buttercream and fondant. A spiral trail to show milestones in running.

Running in the Autumn

This cake was inspired by an oil painting by Leonid Alfremov. Leonid Afremov was a Russian–Israeli modern impressionistic artist whose works are alive with color and movement. This is a half sheet cake with Swiss buttercream, painted with palette knife. My daughter who has learned oil painting before helped with the decoration.

Shanghai Smoked Fish （上海熏鱼）

Shanghai Smoked Fish (Shanghai Xun Yu, 上海熏鱼) may be fried, but it's definitely not smoked. This is a simplified home recipe using air fryer from a friend. 

Ingredients

Fish - 2-3 lb, cut into 3/4 inch thick cross-section (carp, tilapia or similar)
[Marinade Sauce]
Shaoxing wine - 4 TBSP
Ground white pepper - 1 tsp
Ground ginger powder - 1 tsp

Soy sauce - 2 TBSP

Dark soy sauce - 1 TBSP

[Topping Sauce]

Water - 1/2 cup

Ginger - 4 slices

Star anise - 2

Cinnamon stick - 1
Bay leaves - 2

Chinese five spices powder - 1/2 tsp

ground white pepper - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 2 TBSP

Chinese dark vinegar - 1.5 tsp

Steps

1. Wash and clean the fish pieces, mix the fish and all of the marinade ingredients. Let the fish marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 

2. Spread the fish on a cooking tray to dry out slightly, or pat dry with a paper towel. Spray the pieces thoroughly with cooking oil, or dip the pieces in a bowl of oil. 

3. Set air fryer to 400F, cook the fish pieces for 12 minutes, turn, and cook another 10 minutes. Cook longer if needed until it is as crispy as you like.

4. Put all ingredients for topping sauce, except the vinegar, in a pot, bring to boil for 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and add vinegar. Once it’s done, scoop out all the solid spices with a slotted spoon.

5. Put the hot fish directly into the prepared sauce. Ensure all of the pieces are totally coated. The golden brown crust on the fish will soak up the sauce and flavor the fish. You can serve hot right away, or let the fish soak in the sauce for a few hours before serving cold.

Korean Kalbi (韩式炖牛排骨)

This is a Korean style short rib (Kalbi) from this YouTube. I cooked it using a 6-qt Le Creuset Dutch oven. 

Ingredients

Beef short ribs - about 4 lb 

[First seasoning]

Korean BBQ - 1 cup 

Soy sauce - 4 tsp

Mirin - 4 tsp 

Apple sauce - 2 cups 

Sesame oil -2 and 2/3 tbsp  

Sesame seed - 1/4 cup 

Dried date - 4

[Second seasoning]

Soy sauce - 4 tsp  

Salt - 1 tsp 

Black pepper - 1 TBSP

[Optional]

Veggies - Mushroom Carrots Pepper Cucumber Potato

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 275F.

2. Mix all the ingredients in first seasoning in a bowl and mix well

3. Arrange short ribs in a Dutch oven, and then pour in the sauce.

4. Close the Dutch oven and bake for 2 hours.

5. Add the second seasoning, and any vegetables you want to cook.

6. Close the Dutch oven and bake for another hour.

7. Serve over rice or noodle.

Mango Mousse Layered Cake

Cake for party that can be single served. 

Ingredients

【Cake】
Egg - 12 Large
Cake flour - 204g
Oil - 96 g
Milk - 96 g
Sugar - 144g for egg white
Sugar - 72g for egg yolk
【Mousse】

Alphonso Mango Pulp - 1 can, about 3 1/3 cups

Heavy whipping cream, chilled - 3 and 1/3 cup
Gelatin powder  - 24 g
Cold water - 6 and 2/3 TBSP
【Top Layer】
Water - 2 cups
Gelatin -  14 g
Sugar - 1/4 cup

Fresh mango or other fruits for decoration

Steps

1. Make two 1/2 sheet cake following steps in Chiffon cake. Then trim out two pieces for the glass container size.
2. Make the mango mousse following steps in mango mousse cake. 

3. Assembly by put a piece of cake, a layer of mango mousse, another piece of cake, another layer of mango mousse. Put the container in refrigerate for one hour.

4. Add the top jelly layer and place fruit pieces for decoration. Once complete, refrigerate overnight.

5. Slice and serve.

Banana Muffin

Another way to use over-ripped bananas, instead of banana bread. This is from Sally's baking recipes.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cups
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp
Ground nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
Mashed bananas - 1 and 1/2 cups, about 4 medium or 3 large bananas
Unsalted butter - 6 TBSP, melted
Light or dark brown sugar - packed, 2/3 cup (I used 1/2 cup, could be less)
Egg - 1 large, at room temperature (I used egg replacer)
Pure vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Milk - 2 TBSP
optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips

Yield 10-12 muffins

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Set aside. 

3. In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, mash the bananas. On medium speed, beat or whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and milk. 

4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then beat or whisk until combined. If adding nuts or chocolate chips, fold them in now. Batter will be thick.
5. Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. I filled 3/4 way to have smaller muffins.

6. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for an additional 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

(For mini muffins, bake 12–14 total minutes at 350°F (177°C).) 

7. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to continue cooling. 

Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Hakka Steamed Pork Belly (客家芋头扣肉)

My mother-in-law's recipe that she makes every time we visit. She has a much better presentation than my try.

Ingredients 

Pork Belly - 1 lb, sliced

Taro -  1 lb, sliced

Ground bean sauce (原晒豉) - 2 tsp
Fermented red bean curd (南乳,紅腐乳) - 2-3 cubes

Dark soy sauce - 2 tsp

Chinese five spice powder - 2 tsp 

Shallot - 1-2, finely chopped 

 Steps

1. Pan fried the pork belly slices and the taro slightly

2. Mix all other ingredients together into a sauce; marinate pork belly and taro pieces with sauce for 1+ hour.

3. Arrange the pieces in a bowl and steam high for one and half hours.

One-Pan Pasta

This is a popular recipe from Martha Stewart. It is quick and easy weekday night dinner. 

Ingredients 

Linguine or spaghetti pasta - 12 oz 

Cherry tomatoes  - 12 oz , halved

Onion - 1, thinly sliced (about 2 cups) 

Garlic - 4 cloves, thinly sliced 

Red-pepper flakes - ½ tsp

Fresh basil - 2 sprigs, plus torn leaves for garnish 

Extra-virgin olive oil - 2 TBSP, plus more for serving 

Coarse salt - 2 tsp

Freshly ground pepper - 1/4 tsp

Water - 4 ½ cups 

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving 

Steps 

1. Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, salt, pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet. 

2. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9-12 minutes.

3. Divide into pasta bowls. Season to taste with salt and pepper, garnish with basil. Serve with oil and Parmesan.

Oatmeal Chia Cup

Easy overnight oat to serve as breakfast. You can be creative for the topping. 

Ingredients

Old-fashioned rolled oats - 2 TBSP

Chia seeds - 1 TBSP

Milk - 1/3 cup, could be non-diary milk

Yogurt - 1/3 cup, any kind

Fruit - 1/4 cup blueberries, sliced strawberries, raspberries, or other chopped fruit of your choice

optional Honey - 1 tsp, or other sweeteners of your choice

optional Dried fruit - 1 TBSP raisins or other

optional Nuts - 1 TBSP, chopped or sliced almonds, cashews, walnuts or other nut of your choice 

Steps

1. Combine the oats, chia seeds, and milk in an 8-ounce or larger jar. Stir to mix the ingredients together. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the mixture to thicken slightly. 

2. Once the chia and milk mixture has thickened slightly, top it with layers of yogurt, honey (if using), berries, raisins and nuts. 

3. Cover the jar with a cap and refrigerate until needed, or for up to 5 days. 

4. Eat your breakfast straight from the jar, mixing everything together as you go, or pour the contents into a bowl, if you prefer. 

Spam Musubi

Spam musubi is composed of a slice of grilled Spam sandwiched either in between or on top of a block of rice, wrapped together with nori in the tradition of Japanese onigiri. It is very convenient to serve as snack or school school lunch. 

Ingredients

Cooked rice - 6 cups, prefer sushi rice
Spam - 1 can, sliced lengthwise into 7 pieces, or your preferred thickness
Sushi nori - 3 1/2 sheets sushi nori
Furikake - 1/3 cup 
Teriyaki sauce or soy sauce

Steps

1. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Arrange the sliced Spam in a single layer in the skillet. Cook until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from the heat & set aside for Spam musubi assembly. You can also use air fryer to brown the slices.

2. Add rice to clean Spam can, pressing down firmly and evenly, so there is about 1-1 ½ inches of rice. Gently pound the can to let the rice block out.

3. Place a strip of nori on a cutting board or clean surface (shiny side down). Place rice block in the middle of the nori. Spread some teriyaki sauce or soy sauce on the rice block; Sprinkle a generous amount of furikake seasoning; stack up a slice of cooked spam. Wrap the nori around to seal the musubi. If the nori is not sticking together, add a few cooked rice grains as "glue".

Blueberry Muffin Cookies

I was attracted to this recipe because it promised to "taste like a muffin tops". It was cakey soft and full of juicy blackberries.

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 2 and 1/2 cups
Baking powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp 
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Unsalted butter - 3/4 cup, softened to room temperature
Granulated sugar - 3/4 cup
Light or dark brown sugar - 1/4 cup, packed 
Large egg - 1, at room temperature (I used egg replacer)
Pure vanilla extract - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Lemon zest - 2 tsp
Fresh lemon juice - 2 TBSP
Milk - 1/4 cup
Fresh or frozen blueberries - 2 cups (280g) 
optional for a little crunch: coarse sugar
optional Lemon Glaze

Confectioners’ sugar - 1 and 1/2 cups,  sifted

Fresh lemon juice - 2 TBSP
Half-and-half (or heavy cream or milk) - 1–2 TBSP

Steps

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. With a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. 

3. With the mixer running on low speed, add the egg, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed.

4. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and milk. Beat everything just until incorporated. Do not overmix. Dough will be very creamy, sticky, and thick. 

5. With a spoon or silicone spatula, carefully fold blueberries into cookie dough. Handle with care because some may break a little. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes and up to 2-3 days.

6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
7. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. Scoop cookie dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons each, and place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. If desired, sprinkle each with a little coarse sugar. Gives the cookies an extra crunch. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the cookie springs back when lightly poked with your finger.

8. 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 before glazing.

9. To make the glaze, whisk the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and half-and-half together until smooth. Add more confectioners’ sugar to thicken or more lemon juice/half-and-half to thin, if desired. Spoon over cookies. If applied lightly, the glaze will set within a couple hours. ( I skipped this to reduce sugar count)

Lemon Sweet Roll

These soft lemon rolls are like classic cinnamon rolls. You will love it with the caramelized lemon sugar. The frosting is optional if you want to reduce the sugar count. 

Ingredients

Dough
All purpose flour - 2 and 3/4 cups

Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Lemon zest - 1 tsp
Whole milk - 3/4 cup
Unsalted butter - 3 TBSP
Dry yeast - 2 and 1/4 tsp
Large egg - 1, at room temperature (Used egg replacer)
Filling
Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup, extra softened
Granulated sugar - 3/4 cup
Pure vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Lemon zest - 1 TBSP, packed
Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
Cream cheese - 4 ounces, softened to room temperature
Unsalted butter - 1 TBSP, soften to room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar - 3/4 cup  
Lemon juice - 2 TBSP
optional: extra lemon zest for garnish

Steps

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest together in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine the milk and butter together in a heatproof bowl. Microwave or use the stove and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 110°F). Whisk in the yeast until it has dissolved. 

3. Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients, add the egg. Mix until a soft dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, knead the dough for 3–5 minutes. You should have a smooth ball of dough. If the dough is super soft or sticky, you can add a little more flour. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover loosely, and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes as you get the filling ingredients ready.

4. After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8-inch (36x20cm) rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. 

5. Mix together the sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. Sprinkle it all over the dough. 

6. Roll up the dough to make a 14-inch log. Cut into 10–12 even rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9- or 10-inch round cake pan, pie dish, or square baking pan.

7. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the rolls to rise in a relatively warm environment for 60–90 minutes or until double in size.

8. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 24–25 minutes, or until lightly browned. You might need to loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil at half time if the roll are getting browned too quickly. 

9. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a wire rack.

10. In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the butter and beat until smooth and combined, then beat in the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until combined. 

11. Using a knife or icing spatula, spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately. If desired, garnish frosted rolls with a light sprinkling of lemon zest.

Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.