Easy Mini Apple Pies 苹果派

Use muffin pans to make these cute mini apple pies with store bought pie crust...easy and yummy!

Ingredients:

• 6 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and corded
• 1 box of store bought frozen pie crust, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Easy to make:

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium heat. Stir in flour to form a paste (but not crumble). Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, simmer until thicken. Remove from the heat and cool.
2. Dice the apple to small pieces and add to the chilled sugar mixture, mix with a spoon.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake liners in muffin pans, lightly spray with no-stick cooking oil (for easy removal later).
4. Use a large size biscuit cutter to cut out 24 round pieces of mini pie crust and lay on the bottom of the muffin tins. Evenly fill the apple mixture in the center of the pie crust, lightly press down to the bottom of tin. Place the leftover broken pie crust on the top.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Then brown the top by turn oven from bake to broil for 1 minutes.

You can also use this receipt to make 2 regular 8-inches round apple pies. You can easily purchase two boxes pie crusts, lay one sheet on the bottom of baking pan, fill up apple filling, cover with anther pie crust, trim the edge around the pan, slice few lines on the top for hot air able to come out during baking. Preheat over to 400F and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce to 350F to bake another 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, let pies set in the oven to cool for another 30 minutes. It is easier to cut into slices when it is completely cool. But I like to eat when it is still warm...also yummy to eat with a scoop of cold ice cream.

Sichuan Boiled Chicken 水煮肉

I found this delicious recipe from sbar.com and translate to English. I changed few ingredients so that you can find them in the grocery stores around you.

Step One:

• 1 lb. Chicken or pork, cut into thin slices
• pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp. cooking wine
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Marinate chicken with salt, cooking wine and cornstarch for at least 15 minutes.

Step Two:

• 1/2 of Chinese cabbage

Break the cabbage into small bite sizes. Cook in the boiled water until just turn soft. Drain the water and lay them on the bottom of a large bowl.

Step Three:

• 2 Tbsp. Chilli Black Bean sauce
• 1 small bottle of La-Yu (1.11 Fl oz.)
• 2 cups chicken broth or water
• Minced ginger, green onion, garlic
• Salt and ground pepper to your taste

Heat a medium saucepan on high, add La-Yu and black bean chilly sauce, then add ginger, onion and garlic. Saute about 3 minutes until onion and garlic turn soft. Add broth or water and bring to boil. Place marinate meat into the boiling sauce one piece at a time until all meat are cooked. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Pour the cooked meat with the sauce over the cabbage in the bowl. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Stir Fry Chicken Gizzards

Simple ingredients:

• Cooking oil
• Gizzards, cut into thin slices
• green onion, chopped
• fresh garlic, miced
• chill pepper (if you like spicy)
• Soy sauce
• Sugar
•  Vinegar
• Salt and black ground pepper

Easy to make:

• Heat cooking oil in a saucepan, saute green onion and garlic. add sliced gizzards and stir until just cooked. Add all above seasonings little at a time until the flavor that you perfer. Don't add any water. Cook on high until the sauce are reduce.

You may add your favorite vegetables, such as bell pepper, celery, carrots, mushroom, etc.

Easy Salty Chicken 咸水鸡

This is the most easiest Chicken that I have even made. It's not salty as you think...it's just right salty, tender and tasty.

Simple ingredients:

• 2 large boneless chicken thighs
• Fresh ginger
• Salt

Easy to make:

1. In a large pot, fill the water over the chicken and bring to boil. Add a chunk piece of fresh ginger (about 1-2 Tbsp. size), cook on high for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep the cover on the pot. Let the remain heat continue to cook for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken from the pot, pat with paper towels to dry the chicken. While chicken still warm, generously sprinkle salt on both sides of the chicken. Storage in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for at least 10 hours. (The longer, the better)
3. Before serving, lay few sliced fresh ginger on the bottom of a microwaveable plate, then place sliced chicken on the top of the ginger. Microwave with cover for 2 minutes. Serve with steamed rice.

Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

For Peanut Butter lovers, you will love this shortbread cookies...smooth texture and just melt in your mouth...no substitutions for the real butter!
Ingredients:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar (Add 1/4 cup more if like sweeter)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Easy to make:

1. Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugar with a flat beater in a stand mixer. Then add vanilla, salt and flour, beat until smooth.
2. Shape the smooth dough into a ball and divide into 2 equal pieces. Roll each into a 1-inch cylinder like a rolling pin. Wrap with plastic sarong wrap, refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Sprinkle the coarse granulated sugar evenly on a sheet of wax paper, roll each cylinder in the sugar. Slice the cylinders into 5/8-inch-thick rounds. Arrange the cookies on the lined baking sheets about 1/2-inch apart.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Let the cookies staying in the oven to cool down. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in the airtight containers.

Drunk Chicken 花雕醉鸡

Here is another Chinese cold chicken recipe and easy to make. The cooking wine I used is called Shaoxing Hua Tiao cooking wine, and it can be purchased from Asian grocery stores. You may also use it for other meat dishes to take away the meaty taste and make your dish delicious.

You will need...

• 2 large boneless thighs (or whole chicken, it will take longer to cook)
• ginger and green onions for boil the chicken
• pinch of salt to your taste
• Hua Tiao 花雕 cooking wine
• Fish sauce

Easy to make:

1. Prepare the chicken like in my La-Yu chicken recipe.
2. Mix cooking wine and fish sauce with 2:1 ratio, and have enough liquid over the chicken. Add a pinch of salt. Soak the chicken for at least 12 hours to 24 hours. Slice before serving and serve cold.

La-Yu Chicken 口水鸡

This is a Chinese Sichun Style spicy chicken. I made this easy version and they taste like spicy & sour chicken...very tasty, but not very spicy hot. Serve cold and enjoy!

Simple ingredients:

• 2 Boneless chicken thighs (with skin)
• 2 Tbsp. La-Yu (chili oil, can be purchased in Asian grocery section)
• 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 chopped green onion
• 1 Tbsp. grated ginger
• 2 gloves chopped garlic
• some chopped roasted peanuts
• Pinch of salt to your taste

Easy to make:

1. Boil chicken thighs in a large pot with few slices of ginger and 1 green onion for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken thighs set in the hot pot for another 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of cold water with some ice cubes. Place the whole chicken thighs in the ice cold water. This will make the chicken tender.
3. After chicken cool completely, remove from the water and rub with sesame oil on the skin side. Set aside while preparing the sauce.
4. Combine green onion, ginger, garlic, La Yu, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar together in a small mixing bowl. Mix well with a spoon. Add pinch of salt to your taste.
5. Cut the chicken thighs into slices. Sprinkle chopped peanuts and pour the La Yu mixture over the chicken. Serve cold.

Asian Ginger Dressing

You may taste this creamy ginger dressing in many Asian steakhouses. They may use on salad, steak, grilled shrimp, sushi, spring rolls or lumpias. It's very easy to make at home. Use it within few days for best tasting.

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
• 2 Tbsp. dice garlic (about 4 cloves)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup mayo
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 2 Tbsp. ketchup
• 2 tsp. light soy sauce
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender, blend on high speed for about 30 seconds to 1 minutes, until all ingredients are well pureed. How easy is that!

Tip: Froze the whole fresh ginger in the freezer until hard. Then grate with a cheese grater. It's easier than using knife to dice them.

Easy Cheesy Stuffed Shells

For the sauce:

• 1 lb. Lean ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 small box fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. crushed garlic
• 1 jar pasta sauce, any kind ( I used tomato basil)
• cooking oil

In a large pot, add 2 Tbsp. cooking oil, onion and garlic and saute on medium high heat until turn soft. Add ground beef, pinch of salt and ground black pepper, brown the meat until cooked. Add pasta sauce and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, simmer while preparing the shells. Add more sugar and salt to your taste.

For the shells:

• 1 box pasta shells (12 oz.)
• 1 large box (24 oz.) Ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg

1. Cook the shells as the directions on the box until turn soft. Drain the water and side aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup shredded cheese, Parmesan cheese and egg together.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a layer of pasta sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan.
4. Fill the shells with the cheese mixture, and place in the pan. Pour the rest of the sauce evenly over the stuffed shells. Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese are melted on the top.
5. Let it rest for at least one hour before serving. I like to eat next day after the pasta absorb more flavor from the sauce.

Moist Blueberry Muffins

Pierre Herme's Blueberry Muffins are the Best Blueberry Muffins that I have even had...they milky, silky, moist and just right for your sweet tooth. I have many different blueberry muffins from many places...this will be the recipe that I will only use to make blueberry muffins.

For Crumble Topping:

• 3 Tbsp. butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup ground almond
• 7 Tbsp. flour

Combine all crumble topping ingredients in the bowl of a food processor with a plastic blade. Process until they form small dough balls. Set aside in the refrigerator while preparing muffin batter.

For Muffin Batter:
Dry ingredients...

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 5 cups flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder

Wet ingredients...

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, melted and at room temperature
• 1 tsp. finely grated zest of lemon or lime

1. Sift all dry ingredients into to medium bowl.
2. In another bowl, combine all wet ingredients.
3. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined, then fold in 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen).
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake liners in muffin pans and lightly spray with no-stick cooking oil.
5. Fill each muffin cups with the muffin batter evenly. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup blueberries and the crumble.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve cold.