Carmelitas

I've always wanted to be a TV personality on the Food Network. It seems that having a variety of shows on the Food Network hasn't really been there. They are overrun with country-type cooking. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that and I love me some fried chicken, but something new and not overdone would be nice.

If I were able to have my own show, it would be similar to cooking channel's "Kelsey's Essentials". The concept of her show is something I've always wanted to do because it allows the host to delve into a variety of cuisines while giving tips along the way. There are many important steps in recipes that I find current hosts somewhat glaze over as non-important. However, for people beginning in the kitchen or for people that are making a dish for the first time, sometimes those tips are what saves the whole process. Ever had a grainy cheese sauce? Flat cookie? These are some of the things I would tackle because there are important steps to prevent them.

So, if I want a Food Network show based on giving fool-proof tips on this recipe what would I say? It all has to do with making the Salted Caramel Sauce, or any caramel sauce for that matter. I find that when recipes say to boil the sugar until it reaches a deep amber, DON'T! I've made caramel sauce many times and threw it all down the drain before figuring this out.

When the sugar reaches the deep amber color, it becomes extremely bitter and burnt tasting. If you like that, well, be my guest. Instead, boil the sugar until it just reaches a light amber color. You want it to have some color but not too much. When you've reached the light golden yellow color, you're almost there. Just give it another 30 sec or so and you'll be perfect. As you add in the cream, you will see as you whisk, your caramel will darken to the perfect color and flavor.

Carmelitas

Recipe by Kelsey Nixon

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups Salted Caramel Sauce, recipe follows
2 1/2 tablespoons flour

Salted Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon gray sea salt, crushed or kosher salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch pan. Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and softened butter in the bowl of a mixer. Mix on low until crumbly. Divide the mixture into 2 equal portions.

Press half the crumb mixture in the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool slightly.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips, and chopped pecans over the cooled crust. Mix the salted caramel sauce, and flour together, and drizzle over the chocolate chips, and nuts. Top with the remaining crumb mixture.

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust starts to brown. Allow the pan to cool, and refrigerate it until the caramel filling is set. Cut into bars and serve.

Salted Caramel Sauce:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. If necessary, use a wet pastry brush to wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove the sugar from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble. Stir in the unsalted butter, and salt. Transfer the caramel to a dish and cool.

*Cook's Note: This recipe will last in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Reheat before serving.

-Aaron John

Sago Coolers

Well, I'm back. After two long months of waiting, I finally have a new post for you all. Where was I you ask? Was I traveling the world and crossing the pond to some far off land? Well, I did cross Lake Washington if that counts? So you can say I crossed a "puddle"?

But no, I wasn't on an adventure, I didn't travel to some far off land, and I didn't go over the Atlantic. Where was I? At Bellevue College taking a class that took up all of my time. Who knew one simple class would have quizzes on some 50 pages of dense Biology Textbook material, EVERY SINGLE DAY! UW isn't even like that!

Everyday we were asked the same question, "Can you guys do a quiz tomorrow?" For whatever reason, the opposite side of the room always said "Sure! Why not?". Everyone on my side of the room would turn to each other wondering what is wrong with these people! We're given the opportunity to not take a quiz but nooooo, let's just take a quiz on all of this material we just learned the day before. Sounds like so much fun! Yeah right! I've never met so many people that want to take quizzes. To each is their own I guess....

So, because I'm finally on summer break, and it's freakin' hot, what's a good way to cool down? With a Filipino Drink! A Sago Cooler, or what I like to call, sugar water with tapioca pearls. It flat out is a watered down simple syrup that Filipinos drink. Hey, don't look at me, I didn't event the stuff. I'm just here to spread the diabetes. ha.

Sago Coolers

Recipe by Me

Ingredients

Sago (Tapioca Pearls)

1 cup dry tapioca pearls

6 cups water

1/2 cup brown sugar

Arnibal (Brown Sugar Syrup)

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup brown sugar

1-2 tsp Banana extract

Assembly

Cooked Tapioca Pearls

Arnibal Syrup

Cold Water

Ice

Directions
Sago (Tapioca Pearls)
Place 6 cups of water in a pot with the brown sugar and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Slowly add in the dry tapioca pearls and mix to prevent from sticking. Cook for 5 min. The tapioca pearls are not done whatsoever.

Transfer the sugar water and the tapioca pearls to a pressure cooker. Seal the pressure cooker and cook for about an hour once the pressure cooker starts to release steam from it's little hole. Once finished, you're looking for the tapioca pearls to be almost completely clear. A tiny dot of white in the center is fine. Rinse the tapioca in a strainer with cold water and set aside.

Arnibal (Brown Sugar Syrup)
In a pot, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil with the brown sugar and cook for 5 min. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add the Banana extract.

Final Assembly
In a glass, add about 3 spoonfuls of the tapioca pearls. Pour in some cold water and drizzle in some Arnibal syrup until the drink is at your desired sweetness. Finish off with ice.

-Aaron John.

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola (Penne w/ Vodka Sauce)

Well, another year of UW has come and gone and here I am, still stuck at this University as a Super Senior next year. I'm not going to lie, seeing the photos that my friends had posted on their big day made me jealous. I should've been up there with them, celebrating with them, entering into the real world with them but a decision made here and there, led me to this point. I can't wait until that day comes and I know it will come sooner than later.

I'm extremely proud of my friends that graduated and I congratulate the UW Class of 2013. Only bigger and better things are to come. Until then, let's cheers with some Vodka! ha.

I'm not a huge fan of alcohol, surprise surprise. For one, I get that wonderful "asian glow" and turn as red as an apple and two, people say alcohol has tons of calories so I'd rather drink a milkshake. ha. But cooking with alcohol is a different story. It definitely adds something you can't get otherwise. This Penne Alla Vecchia Betolla (Penne w/ Vodka Sauce) is no different.

Vodka is pretty flavorless overall but it definitely added something to the tomato sauce. Don't worry, you don't taste that "rubbing alcohol" flavor. It's tomatoey, creamy and has a bit of a kick in the back of the throat from the red pepper flakes. Serve it with your protein of choice, mine was chicken, and it becomes a meal.

Nick & Toni's Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola (Penne w/ Vodka Sauce)

Recipe by Joseph Realmuto

Ingredients
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup vodka
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled plum tomatoes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large oven proof saute pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes and dried oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Add the vodka and continue cooking until the mixture is reduced by half.

Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes through a sieve and crush them into the pan with your hands. Add 2 teaspoons salt and a pinch of black pepper. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and place it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente. Drain and set aside. 

Place the tomato mixture in a blender and puree in batches until the sauce is a smooth consistency. Return to the pan.

Reheat the sauce, add 2 tablespoons fresh oregano and enough heavy cream to make the sauce a creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and simmer for 10 minutes. Toss the pasta into the sauce and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Serve with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh oregano on each plate.

-Aaron John

Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Sour Cream Coffee Cake has always been a favorite of mine. Its moist cake and crunchy topping make a perfect combination. Coffee Cake was the first cake I ever made myself from scratch, just an fyi.

In the house, we had some leftover apples and I wanted to use it in some fashion. Then I remembered how Costco has an "Apple Streusel" type muffin and I decided I would try and recreate it in Coffee Cake form.

I used Ina Garten's recipe from her Blueberry Crumb Cake and tweaked the cake portion to contain apples and cinnamon and tweaked the crumb topping to contain some oats.

For an experiment recipe, it was a step in the right direction. It was moist, and I liked how I added in the oats into the crumb topping, giving it a nutty aspect. I would maybe add more apples to really get a prominent apple flavor in every bite though. Overall, a good day's work in my book!

Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Adapted recipe by Me

Original recipe (Blueberry Crumb Cake) by Ina Garten

Ingredients
For the streusel: 
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup diced apples, (Gala or Granny Smith)

For the icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel: Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour, oats and walnuts. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake: Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, cinnamon, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the diced apples and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely.

For the icing: Combine the powdered sugar and maple syrup until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake and allow to harden.

-Aaron John

Chicken Strips

Well, it's that time of year, I feel like everyone I know is graduating or done with their undergraduate career and here I am, stuck for another year. Can you say Super Senior? A part of me wishes I was graduating so that I can just be done with this chapter of my life yet the other part of me is glad because I don't feel completely set for the real world yet.

Either way you look at it, one more year and I'll be the one graduating with a degree in Biochemistry and Chemistry and a minor in Diversity. Until that time, it's time to eat Chicken Strips. Deep fried chicken anyone?

For this recipe, I literally used what I had on hand. Basically, I diluted sour cream until it reached the consistency of buttermilk and added whatever spices I had. A little dip here and a dip there and Chicken Strips appear like magic. The magic of hot oil that is. 

Chicken Strips

Recipe by Me

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch thick pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Blackening Seasoning
1 1/2 cups flour
Canola oil for frying

Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream and water. (You can also use buttermilk instead of the sour cream/water combo). Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and blackening spice to taste. Try with about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp each and increase from there. You want enough of this mixture to coat the chicken completely.

Once seasoned to taste, add in the cut chicken breasts and let the chicken marinate for about 30 min to 1 hour.

In a clean paper/plastic bag, add in the flour. Season with about 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/4 tsp blackening seasoning. Add in the chicken pieces that were marinating and shake the bag until the chicken is coated evenly. If desired, dip the chicken back into the marinade mixture and back into the flour and shake again. This will give the chicken a thicker coat.

Onto a plate, place the chicken in a single layer to allow the coating to "dry". This will ensure the coating won't fall off during the frying process. Let it sit for about 10 to 15 min.

In a pot or a deep fryer, heat canola oil to 350 degrees. Make sure the oil is not filled over half the depth of the pot. Once heated, add in the chicken strips about 3 or 4 at a time, depending on the size of the pot/deep fryer and fry until golden brown for about 6 min total, flipping the chicken halfway through.

Remove from the oil and cool on a cooling rack. Repeat the process of frying the rest

-Aaron John