bite-size blueberry muffin

Is it only me who thinks making desserts bite-size = I can eat more? I do it all the time and I probably eat more than I should. :) This recipe turned out great. The crunchy cookie-like top made it even yummier! (It looks big in the picture, but it's super close-up of the muffin). Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

Flour - 1 and half cup (loosely measured)
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Vegetable oil - 1/3 cup
Egg - 1 large
Milk - 1/3 cup + 2 TBS
Blueberries - 1 cup (fresh or frozen) **see TIPS

Crunchy Cookie topping
Butter - 1/4 cup (cold and cubed)
Flour - 1/3 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cinnamon - 1~2 tsp (depending on how much you want)

Prep: 

1. Cut up cold butter into small cubes. Add in flour, sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands or blender, mix until crumbly. Set it aside or store them in the fridge until ready to use.

Batter:

1. In a large bowl (or in a Kitchenaid bowl), mix in all dry ingredients.
2. In another small bowl or cup, add milk, egg and oil. Whisk until well mixed. 
3. Turn the mixer and pour #2 into the dry ingredients slowly. Let it mix for 1 minute. Don't over mix it.
4. Fold in blueberries and use spatula to do it (so you won't crush the blueberries).

Bake:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Grease 2 (12 mini muffin each tray) mini muffin trays with olive oil (use paper towel to spread the oil) or PAM spray. **see TIPS
3. Pour a little less than half of the batter in each cup. If you want more muffin top, then pour it more into each cup. 
4. Sprinkle the crunchy cookie topping on top of the batter. 
5. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Take it out and let it cool a bit in the tray.

TIPS

• I like to use 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, which makes a nice swirl of blueberries when baked, and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, which stays as a whole when baked. It's yummy combination! 
• Using muffin liners is the easiest solution. But if you don't have any, make sure you oil the whole tray (not only the cup, but also the top part of the tray).

french crepe

Crepes can be sweet or savory, it's very versatile! We had this for Saturday brunch.  It's simple and fun so your kids can help out, too. 

Ingredients: 

Flour - 1 cup
White sugar - 2 tsp
Salt - dash
Eggs - 3 (large)
Milk - 2 cups
Butter - 2 TBS (melted)

Toppings:

[Sweet toppings]
Strawberries
Nutella
Kiwi
Whipped creme
Banana
Chocolate fudge
Berries
Jam
Peanut Butter

[savory topping]
Sausages
Bacon
Cheese
Scrambled eggs
SPAM
Mushroom
Grilled onion
Peppers

Prep:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan or microwave. 
2. Combine flour, sugar and salt. Sift. 

Sift flour, sugar and salt

Melt butter

Cook:

1. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and milk until blended. Add flour mixture and mix until smooth. Add in butter at the end.
2. Lightly grease the griddle or frying pan. Pour in about 3 TBS of the batter. Make it as thinly as possible by tilting the pan.
3. Fry for about 2 minutes until the edges start to come off. Flip and fry a for 30 seconds.

Serve:

1. Serve with your favorite toppings. I've listed some above, but feel free to add more in the comment so we can all enjoy crepes!

sweet bread french toast with ben & jerry's ice cream

In Big Island Hawaii (which is one of our favorite places to visit!), there's a thing called sweet bread french toast. Hawaii is known for their sweet bread, which is yummylicious. And you french toast them!! Sweet bread + eggs = awesome food. So we tried to recreate the dish so we can feel like we are in Hawaii. And we just found out that Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ice cream goes perfectly with the french toast. It's super high in calories, but hey, we deserve it once in a while, yea?

Ingredients:

Eggs - 3 (beaten)
Cinnamon - 1 tsp

Hawaiian sweet rolls - 4-5 (cut in half so it's rectangle in shape)

Butter - 1 TBS

Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ice cream - however much you want

[Optional]
Powdered sugar - for dusting on top
Strawberries & raspberries 

Prep:

1. Cut the rolls in half to make rectangle shape.
2. Beat eggs and mix cinnamon in.
3. Take out the ice cream so it won't be too hard to scoop out.

Cook:

1. On a frying pan or grill, heat butter, 1/2 TBS at a time. 
2. Soak the rolls in egg mixture. Make sure you cover all sides. 
3. When the pan/grill is ready (you can test by splashing water on it and if it sizzles, it's ready!), fry one side for about 2 minutes. Using your spatula, check if it's nicely brown. Turn and fry for another 2-3 minutes. 

Serve: 

1. On the french toast, dust powdered sugar and give a big scoop of ice cream on top. 
2. Serve with berries if you want - it goes really well together. :)

simple poached egg with toast

I love eggs, especially if they are cooked to perfection (for me, it has to have runny yolk). My husband and I always wanted to try making poached egg, but we never really knew how to do it. We found a recipe in a magazine with clear instructions, so we decided to try it. It turned out perfect. There are many ways to enjoy your poached egg with toast, so let your imaginations do the work. :) It's not really for dinner, but you can make poached eggs on top of salad or for sides or for... anything!

Ingredients:

Eggs -(as many as you want)
Toast - (as many slices as you want)

[Toppings]
Salt & pepper - dash
Dried parsley - pinch
Butter

[Other suggestions]
Curry powder
Cooked bacon
Sea salt
Mayo
Cream cheese (on top of the toast)
Chili sauce/dried chili flakes
Salsa
...and on and on and on...

Prep:

1. Crack one egg in a small bowl. (break eggs, one at a time)
2. In a wok or large saucepan, or deep skillet (has to be at least 3 inch deep), put 2-3 inch water. 
3. Cook the toppings separately (e.g. bacon, salsa,... etc) 

Crack the egg one by on in a small bowl

Cook:

1. Bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat to the point where water barely bubbles.
2. Holding a cup close to the surface, slide egg into the water.
3. Cook the eggs until whites are completely set and yolks are still soft (about 4-5 minutes). Do not stir (see TIPS). 
4. With a slotted spoon, gently lift the eggs from the water and let drain.
5. Repeat for more. 
6. Toast the bread

Using a ladle, gently pour water on top (if you want it all covered in whites)

Serve:

1. Spread some butter (my husband put cream cheese) on top of the warm toasted bread. 
2. Place the poached egg on top, followed by your favorite toppings. 

Leave some bread to get all the runny yolks!

TIPS

• Make sure you have at least 2-3 inch water. We didn't have enough, so it cooked a bit unevenly. Practice makes perfect, right?
• You can gently pour hot water over the egg to cook more evenly. 
• If it has soggy bottoms, life the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. When taking off the paper towel, just go slowly & be gentle (or it will fall apart).