St. Patrick’s Day is actually a national holiday in Ireland where else in other parts of the world, it’s more of a Hallmark thingy!! Everyone just wanna party and have fun! Have fun wearing green to work, eating “green food” and lotsa Green beer today!!! Today would be a great excuse for you to drink all you want!! Hehe! I wonder if Mickey D’s will still have their Shamrock Shake….. I would love to have one!
Happy St. Paddy’s Day!!
Husband and I got hungry and we wanted to eat something cheap yet decent! We both know of a place nearby where one part of the store sells Asian groceries and another part sells ready to eat food; noodles, rice, roasted meat etc!
Both of us have not patronize the ready to eat food section and wasn’t sure how the system worked. We soon found out that they sell the food by the dollar! We bought $2 worth of spring rolls, $3 worth of bean curd meat roll and $5 worth of fried bean thread noodles! For $10, we came home with more than enough food for the two of us and extra food for hubby’s lunch tomorrow! If you’re not a big eater, $10 meal can probably feed 4 people! =) I wonder if they can sell you anything at a dollar? =)
During this horrid economy time, maximize your 10 bucks and buy take out Asian food at : Pailin Asian Supermarket, 6 Branch St, 01851, Lowell, MA.
I don’t really have exact measurements of making this yummy treats but I will share with you the basic method and ingredients to make these delectable cake truffles! The “filling” is basically chocolate cake or brownie crumbled up. I then some melt Ghirardelli chocolate (milk chocolate) in the microwave (about 2 minutes, cooking time depends on amount of chocolate you have, so adjust as you go!) and adding it to the cake/ brownie crumbs and mix it until you can roll them up into little balls. You could use either melted chocolate and or chocolate sauce. I sometimes will add some Smuckers Chocolate sauce (the ones for ice cream) to the cake crumbles as well. I prefer to roll them tinier than the actual chocolate truffles you get in the store, coz that way I won’t feel guilty eating a couple more! Hehe! I also prefer to use cake as the “filling” instead of brownie as I do not like the “crunchier” top of the brownie! As you roll up all the filling, space them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then chill the “filling” in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour.
When you are ready to coat them, melt more chocolate in the microwave (about 2 minutes, till all chocolate is soft).When the chocolate is warm, stir until all chocolate is melted, smooth and lump free. For the coating chocolate, I prefer to use melted bittersweet chocolate. Dip the “filling” in the melted chocolate making sure it’s coated evenly. “Spoon” the coated chocolate using a fork and let all the excess melted chocolate drip before placing it back on to the parchment paper. Continue until all “fillings” are coated and let the chocolate coating harden in the fridge for about 30 minutes. You can serve them after this point, but I always prefer to make them look pretty and added drizzles of chocolate to it.
I love to use contrasting colors for the chocolate drizzle and that’s why I used some white chocolate, again melted in the microwave. Stir the melted chocolate to make sure it’s all smooth and add some heavy cream to it to make it a little more watery. Be sure to gradually add the heavy cream and stir well till you get the right consistency to make the chocolate drizzle. You could use chocolate of your choice at this part. Use a fork, dip it in the melted chocolate and drizzle it onto the cake truffles. I added some crushed candy canes to some of my cake truffles, and again let them chill, till all the chocolate is harden. Whenever you think the chocolate is getting harder to work with, just microwave it for a few seconds till it’s warm and slightly runny again!
Once the cake truffles have been decorated and chilled, transfer them into individual mini cupcake or candy liners. Pack them up in airtight containers or your desired decorative box! In my case, I packed them up in some Chinese takeout boxes! You can keep these chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to devour them. You should be able to store them for about 4 days in the fridge and still look desirable!
Have fun and enjoy! Make these for your loved ones or for special occasions, they will surely be a hit! =)
We finally took the plunge and welcome a new boy, Brady! After several weeks and several different shelter visits, we finally rescued a dog from the shelter. Hubby and I have been wanting to get a dog for quite a while, as both of us are canine lovers. We finally think we’re financially, physically, and emotionally ready to take up the responsibility of owning a dog/puppy!
I saw Brady on Thursday and I love the way he looked and the way he acted! Hubby thankfully managed to get off work early on Friday and we went straight to the shelter to look at Brady (previously known as Andy!) and other dogs that they have up for adoption.
Hubby too fell in love with Brady as he was this cool mellow fella which does not bark (we’re keeping our fingers crossed he will stay this way!), yet does not scramble away when other dogs growl. After hanging out with Brady, we decided he would be a great addition to the family! After signing a bunch of paperwork and an adoption fee of $290, we’re the proud and happy parents of Brady!
Brady is a 1yr old Jack Russell and Italian Greyhound mix. He was rescued from a hoarder in the south and just came to the shelter on Sunday.He weighs about 18lbs and is sort of full grown. He’s fond of dogs and people, not so much his feline friends! In 2 days, we’ve overwhelmed him (and ourselves ) to visits to the park and 3 different houses! Our friends seem to enjoy his company and have even volunteered to baby sit and try to train him! Yay!
Oh, by the way…Brady SNORES!!
Watching Bobby Flay’s Chicken Pot Pie Throw Down made me wanting to indulge a crusty flaky steamy serving of Chicken Pot Pie!! So, I finally made it one day later - yesterday! 
Here’s what I had in the filling; shredded chicken breast, sliced Crimini mushroom, onion, garlic, frozen peas, frozen carrots, frozen corn kernels, hash brown, grated parmesan cheese, cooking wine, chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt and pepper! I thought the hash brown (since I’m out of potatoes) was a nice little twist to the filling.
Here’s another twist; this is the first time I used Phyllo Dough for the crust which I already have in my freezer! I usually use puff pastry for the crust as the buttery flaky pastry is a great combination with the filling. Phyllo Dough, is a tissue paper thin pastry dough commonly used in the Middle Eastern and the Mediterranean. After I made the filling, I poured it into a casserole pot, and pile “tissue paper” (Phyllo dough) on the top. And right before baking it, I poured lotsa melted butter!!!**Sorry Ayu, you’re probably gonna disagree with me on the butter, milk and heavy cream used in this dish!**And yes, you mentioned about the heart attack! Stop squirming!! hehe! =P
The two picture below are the before and after melted butter is poured over the pile of “tissue paper” Phyllo dough!
I love the buttered Phyllo dough crust on the Chicken Pot Pie! It was as good as having puff pastry on the crust! This alternative is certainly a keeper! The best thing is, I made extra so that I can have some for lunch today!!! YUMS!
