There’s a bit of a nip in the air, even here in Hawaii it’s been rainy and gloomy. And Starbuck’s has added my seasonal favorites like Pumpkin Spice Latte! This can only mean Fall is here!
This time of year I get a yen for spice cookies, nothing smells better than oven fresh cookies. It fills the house with those delicious fall aromas like cinnamon and ginger. And since this year’s Halloween will probably be very different from Halloweens past cookie baking is one of the activities we’ve added to our yearly festivities. I mean Halloween parties (or parties of any type involving multiple people from different households) is out of the question and for our family and friends Trick or Treating is a no go too. Instead we’ve been making Halloween crafts, watching Halloween movies, and reading Halloween books. And now we’ll also be baking and decorating Halloween cookies.
These Sugar & Spice cookies are yummy without the icing. They’re great for all the Fall occasions including Halloween and Thanksgiving. That’s right one recipe different styles!
You can even use the same cookie cutter, well at least the pumpkin shape! And the same icing colors!
These cookies are so easy to bake and they are so yummy! To make them pretty I used royal cookie icing in 2 different consistencies, piping and flooding. I also saved some cookies and icing so the kids can decorate them next when they’re in the mood!
This cookie recipe makes a dough that is great for rolled and cut cookies without having to refrigerate it before cutting! Here’s the recipe for the cookie icing, the cookie recipe is below. Enjoy!
In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment mix together meringue powder and water until frothy and all powder is dissolved.
Add 1/2 of the sugar and beat on medium speed about 4 minutes. It will be thick and glossy.
Add flavor, shortening, and corn syrup and mix well.
Slowly add in remaining sugar. Mix on slow/medium until well blended. Mix for another 3 minutes. It should be thick like a piping consistency. (if you want it really thick add another cup of sugar, this is used for hard decorations like roses, eyes, and more that you stick to the top of cookies and cakes.)
Cover bowl with plastic wrap or damp cloth to keep moist.
Divide to make different colors and consistencies.
To make flood icing thin with water but add 1/8 to 1/4 tsp water at a time until you get desired consistency. Flood icing should be a bit thin and runny, but not too runny and watery that it rolls off the sides of the cookie.
To decorate cookies place a small amount of icing in a small bowl and color using gel food coloring.
I usually color a bowl then separate it again so that I can change the consistency of a portion of the colored icing. I place the Piping or thicker consistency in a piping bag and the thinner flood icing in a plastic squeeze bottle.
Pipe a thin line of icing, piping consistency of course, around the edges of the cookies and any other place you want to separate the flood icing from. Let dry.
Squeeze flood icing on the cookie surface and spread out making sure it all stays inside the piped lines. Let dry.
Pipe other decorations onto to dry flood icing, like words, eyes, and designs.
Let everything dry completely and store in air tight containers.
this easy sesame beef stir fry is incredibly flavorful and easy! serve with authentic ramen noodles, over rice, or in a lettuce cup for a lower carb version! Chinese takeout is something we all love right? Sesame Beef Stir Fry is a guilty pleasure and takes so little time to arrive to your door! however what if I told you that you simply may build one thing as as tasty, in precisely concerning constant quantity of time… and YOU get to manage the ingredients? Sounds superb right?
In many ways, yes! The tender crisp vegetables really retain additional nutrients by preparation quickly during a pan or pan than they might if they were stewed. This specific fry uses 2 totally different children of oils, however in comparatively tiny amounts, that is far healthier than preparation during a great amount of oil (like most takeout Chinese restaurants do – a minimum of in my area).
1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced 1 cup snow peas, sliced in half across 1/2 cup sliced carrots 8 green onions, sliced 1/4 cup beef broth 2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce 1-2 Tbsp honey or light brown sugar 1 Tbsp rice vinegar 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic 2 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 tsp cornstarch 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (for cooking)
Instructions:
1. Combine marinade ingredients in bowl and add flank steak. Set aside 15 minutes.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in large skillet over MED HIGH heat. Remove excess marinade from steak and cook in a single layer, for 2-3 minutes, stirring to cook both sides. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in batches. Remove steak to plate.
3. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, then add peas, carrots and green onion and cook stirring often, 2-3 minutes.
4. Whisk together broth, soy sauce, honey/brown sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, fresh ginger, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes. Add steak and sauce to skillet, stirring to combine. Sauce will thicken.
5. Stir in cooked ramen noodles if using, and serve!
Ginataang Baboy (Bicol Express) is a very famous signature dish originated in Bicol, Philippines, it has the entire characteristic that I enjoy when it comes to a pork dish, i remember it’s tenderness, creaminess, and spiciness that forever will not be forgotten wherever I go. The secret to a best Pork Bicol Express dish has something to do with the balance of flavors. The spiciness is also a factor but this will depend on the amount of chili pepper that you can tolerate.
Any kind of Filipino dish that has gata (coconut milk) as a main ingredient is called “Ginataan”. In tropical Countries like my home town Philippines, coconuts are common and abundant so we don’t have a problem processing amazing and fresh coconut milk straight from our coconut trees for free.
Today I’m gonna give you my version of Ginataang Baboy (Bicol Express) Filipino Recipe! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1/4 kg. pork, thinly sliced
10 pcs. finger chilies, sliced julienned
3 cups coconut milk, fresh or canned
1/2 cup shrimp paste (bagoong)
3 tbsp. ginger, peeled and minced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pc. onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp. cooking oil
½ tsp. salt or salt to taste
¼ tsp. pepper or pepper to taste
Directions:
Pour oil in “preferably NON-STICK pan” over medium heat and sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger for 1-2mins.
Add the sliced pork, and continue cooking for about 5 to 7 minutes or until color turns light brown.
When pork turns golden brown, add the shrimp paste and sliced chillies and stir moderately.
Then pour the coconut milk and let it boil, simmer for about 30 minutes or until the pork is tender.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer to reduce the liquid and turns into a thick milky sauce and that’s it!
Serve while it’s hot, share with family and friends, Enjoy!
Pork Sisig, also called Sizzling Pork Sisig, is a dish that is made of chopped pig’s head parts (ears, cheeks, face, snout) and chicken liver. It’s usually served in a sizzling platter garnished with chopped onion, chili pepper, and sprinkled with squeezed calamansi (lime juice). It sounds weird I know, at first I was confused, but trust me even foreign people really love this sizzling stuff.
This delicious Filipino dish is a popular “Pulutan” (Bar Food) – food eaten with alcohol like Wine, Beer, Rum and Etc. This delicious dish can also be categorized as a main dish.
It originated from the culinary capital of the Philippines. Pampanga. Pork Sisig was invented by the late Lucia Cunanan. She was popularly known as Aling Lucing “The Sisig Queen” back in 1970’s. And as the years went by, variations of Sisig were developed. Cooks began topping the dish with raw egg while the platter is still sizzling and pork cracklings and mixing it with pig’s brain or mayonnaise. Check out our home made pork cracklings recipe.
Boil water in a pot, add chopped garlic, salt and pepper.
Add the pig’s ears and pork belly then simmer for 40 mins. or until tender.
Remove the pig’s ears and pork belly from the pot and drain excess water.
Grill the boiled pig ears and pork belly until done.
Chop the pig ears and pork belly into fine pieces.
In a hot pan over medium heat add the butter or margarine then sautée onions and ginger.
Add the chicken liver. “Crush the chicken liver while cooking it in the pan”.
Add the chopped pig ears and pork belly and cook for 10 to 12 mins.
Add the soy sauce, garlic powder, and chili. Then stir well.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Then add the mayonnaise and stir well.
Transfer to a sizzling plate or you can use serving plates.
Top with chopped spring onions, raw unions, chicharon (pork cracklings) and raw egg then squeeze some calamnsi (lemon juice) to add more taste and balanced acidity.
Boil water in a pot, add chopped garlic, salt and pepper.
Add the pig’s ears and pork belly then simmer for 40 mins. or until tender.
Remove the pig’s ears and pork belly from the pot and drain excess water.
Grill the boiled pig ears and pork belly until done.
Chop the pig ears and pork belly into fine pcs.
In a hot pan over medium heat add the butter or margarine then sauté onions and ginger.
Add the chicken liver. “Crush the chicken liver while cooking it in the pan”.
Add the chopped pig ears and pork belly and cook for 10 to 12 mins.
Add the soy sauce, garlic powder, and chili. Then stir well.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Then add the mayonnaise and stir well.
Transfer to a sizzling plate or you can use serving plates.
Top with chopped spring onions, raw unions, chicharon (pork cracklings) and raw egg then squeeze some calamnsi (lemon juice) to add more taste and balanced acidity.
Coconut milk is the liquid that comes from grated coconut milk. Coconut milk has a unique rich taste and is one of the best and healthy ingredients you can use. Coconut milk which is rich in vitamins and minerals has many benefits such as helping to lower cholesterol, improve blood pressure, and prevent heart attacks and strokes. It is also lactose free and can be used as a milk substitute by those who are lactose intolerant.
When making Shrimp Cooked in Coconut Milk choose the freshest and biggest shrimp you can find. Make sure you don’t burn the ginger and garlic and the shrimp is not overcooked. Timing is everything! It’s very important to cook the coconut milk until a little oil comes out to get the nice flavor that blends perfectly with the flavors of ginger and garlic. The green beans and the chilies should be cooked just right.
Add salt, ground black pepper, and fish sauce; cook for 30 seconds
Pour-in coconut milk
Let boil in medium heat for about 25 to 30 minutes until it is reduced to half
Add the shrimp and cook for 5 to 7 minutes
Add the green and red chillies and cook for 5 minutes
Add more salt to taste
Serve and Enjoy
Recipe Notes
Timing is everything for this recipe. Don't burn ginger and garlic, and don't overcook the shrimp. Be sure you boil the coconut milk until some oil comes out to get the right flavor.
