Fun Experimenting with Banana Bread and Thumbprint Cookies!
A Paula Deen Recipe: Banana Bread
Thumbprint Cookies via Simply Recipes.com
My coworker, Karen, last day of work will be tomorrow, Tuesday September 1st. Can you believe how many days that went by that I promise her banana bread? Too many. My goodness, so many promises that I made with her, one included going to a gun range to shoot off a load of steam there. But no matter how many disappointments that comes by her way, this chiefette, as we’re used to calling girls at work, will always smile ’til the end. She has the patience of a saint, heart of an angel, and ambition like a shooting star. She will always be one of my most favorite coworker/friend and I wish her the best as she transitions her new life in South Carolina. I will miss her so much, but I will be happy to know that the best new phase of her life will come up very soon.
In commemoration of her last day, well second to last day, I have decided to devote my Sunday to baking for Karen. I told her and many of my co-workers that I will actually do it because I will probably never get the chance to do so. And once I tell someone that I’m doing something, I make it my personal goal to make it happen! Karen once sent me this Emeril Lagassi recipe for banana bread, but I thought I would try something different; like a Paula Deen recipe because I love her so much. Anyone and everyone who knows me know that I am a huge rocking fan of Paula Deen. I absolutely love and adore her personality and most importantly her delicious kick-ass recipes! If I see Paula walking down on the streets, I’d personally give her one of the biggest hug and kiss and tell her how much I love her! Yes I would.
Now, you think Banana bread is banana bread? Well better guess again!
Please click on the following link to read more!
Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprints via Allrecipes.com
My dear friend Sally whipped me up a batch of Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprints since I also whipped her a batch of my Chinese Almond Cookies for taste. Nothing is more pleasurable and delightful to me than to swap goodies to eat. This is how my relationship with Sally works and we’re going to keep it strong as long as we continue to make a conscious effort to bake and swap with one another.
To be honest, I did not know the official name of Sally’s cookies. I have always thought they’re called Verona Cookies because that’s exactly how it looks like. I didn’t know Verona is just some incredibly sexy name that Pepperidge Farm made up to entice people like me to come back with $2.99 to get another. So remember that they’re called shortbread thumbprints!
Allrecipe's Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprints
WPtouch: WordPress on iPhone, iPod & Android… Now for Finechinagirl!
Now you can visit Finechinagirl.com on your Iphone! I will be skinning the site for the mobile view and will have it up soon. I have to say, this plugin is fantastic. It looks and works great. Be sure to check out the site that way!
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Delicious Chinese Almond Cookies
Chinese Almond Cookies
Chinese almond cookies are my absolute favorite of all time! I used to buy Amay’s Almond Cookies in the tub load! My god, I can eat handfuls of it at a time because that is how addictive it is. When you take that first bite, the crumbs from the cookies explode all over your lips and your front teeth, followed by the nice hollow crunch of subtly sweet almond goodness and ending with supreme buttery awesomeness. Oh yeah. The almond. Oh yes, you must have a whole almond on an almond cookie! You must! Now with Amay’s cookies, the almond is placed perfectly on the center of the cookie, which made my eating experience that much more exciting because I would always wonder if I should bite the almond in half or pick it out and then eat the rest of the cookie. Yes, consider that! You can find these cookies in any Chinese supermarket/grocery. If they don’t have it, you should no longer shop there!
Ok, that was my five minutes of droolage for that cookie. But this post isn’t about the Amay almond cookie, it is about the recipe that I found to imitate or improve on that cookie. Now, I have looked for recipes online, asked my favorite Chinese pastries chef at work, and even asked my distant aunts on how to make the perfect Chinese almond cookie and ‘lo and behold, it’s in an American recipe book in Borders. Yes Borders.
Last Friday I decided to stop into Borders to “take care of business.” I refused to use the Starbucks one because that’s absolutely gross and sometimes there’s no TP. I personally think some of the best public bathrooms are in bookstores. I could be wrong, but in my positive experience, I’ve been fortunate to be in the clean ones! But please don’t get the impression that I do not go to bookstores to read books. I go there all the time! Amazingly I never go there to look for recipe books, but for business and other pleasures.
Anyways, at the Borders on Wall Street, next to the “restroom” is the section for recipes! I don’t know whether that is a good thing or not, but I would definitely chose a recipe book for my reading material if I need to do my business there. After maybe 45 minutes of looking and deciding on which book I should get, I decided to get the “Favorite Brand Name Recipes: Cake Mix Cookies” published by Publications International, Ltd (PIL). Unfortunately I cannot find the book online, but I will take a picture of it next time. The only reason why I chose to buy this recipe book is because of the Chinese Almond Cookies recipe. I kid you not. Plus at $9.98 for over 60 cookie recipes and with pictures, I think that’s a bargain.
Please click on the following link to see the recipe and other pictures!
Bibimbap (Korean Dish)
Have you ever had Bibimbap before? If you ever had Korean food, you must have tried Bibimbap. I introduced this to a friend of mine, her first time eating at a Korean restaurant. She ended up loving the dish.
For those that never had Bibimbap, it is a Korean Mixed Dish consisting of a hot stone bowl filled with white rice, mixed sauteed vegetables, and Gochujang (Chili Pepper Paste). Sometimes, the dish is topped off with an Egg and a choice of Beef, Pork, Chicken or even Shrimp. Vegetables can be a variety depending on where you go to eat but almost always julienned. It can include mushrooms, daikon (Asian Radish), bean sprouts, lettuce and even tofu. All the vegetables on top with the egg creates a gorgeous palette of colors and of course appetizing. You won’t be able to resist once you see and smell it.
If you never had Bibimbap before, try it at your nearest Korean Restaurant. It is such a staple food that its almost impossible to screw this up! Mix thoroughly before eating the dish!
Bibimbap (Korean Mixed Dish)
