fudge

5 minute fudge

the other night, a girlfriend slept over and we packed some fudge. we packed 5 minute fudge. we also embroidered and crocheted. it was quite a lovely evening actually. i saw rachel ray making this on oprah and it is probably the fastest recipe in the entire world except for maybe toast. its also mind numbingly rich, sweet and delicious. eat !

1 12 oz bag of semisweet chocolate chips
9 oz butterscotch chips
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 t vanilla extract
8 oz walnut halves

1. place saucepan on low heat. add in first four ingredients and stir constantly until everything is melted. mix in walnuts.
2. pour mixture into a greased pan. refrigerate for at least 30-40 minutes.

chinese "hamburger helper" (veg & non-veg)

chinese hamburger helper

ok, the name is kinda gross and reminds you of cheap boxed processed foods but probably you secretly love it anyway. i've never actually had hamburger helper but i was wondering what i could possibly name this dish since i did not know what to call it in chinese. my boyfriend suggested it was sort of a chinese hamburger helper as a joke but the name stuck so thats what we've been calling it. as you might see in the picture, i like to have it with rice and tea eggs (tea egg recipe posted in the entry before this one). its also really good over some noodles - egg noodles, pasta, soba, etc. a vegetarian option will also be available below.*


1 pound ground beef or pork (my mom says its super good with both but i've never tried it)
a couple of minced garlic cloves
a couple of green onions sliced into 1" pieces
vegetables of your choice (i like red peppers, peas, zucchini, mushrooms), chopped
2 blocks tofu-gan (a marinated and baked tofu), cubed
3 T sweet flour sauce
2 T chili bean paste
pepper


1. preheat deep sided, large frying pan. add in the ground meat and cook until browned, separating any clumps. take out the meat and set aside. drain any remaining fat from the pan (or keep it if you like it that way).
2. saute garlic in same pan. add green onions, vegetables and the tofu-gan. cook for a couple of minutes until vegetables start to become soft.
3.add the meat, sweet flour sauce, chili bean paste, and season with pepper. combine well, and let simmer for 20/30 minutes, stirring occasionally.


*for a vegetarian version, just replace ground meat with meat substitute grounds. you have to use a little more sweet flour sauce and bean paste and you have to add about a cup of water and more cooking oil so it does not come out too dry. the picture above is made with quorn grounds and it is quite tastey indeed.

this serves 4-6 people depending on appetite or personal preference of helper to rice/noodle ratios. its always nice to have leftovers of this.


enjoy! come back soon!

tea eggs

chinese tea eggs

as a small one, i used to spend my summers and a lot of other holidays in taiwan. for breakfast on many days we had tea eggs. vendors in alleyway markets or on the roadside would sell them. the convenience stores had really good ones too. they are basically eggs carefully cracked and then slow boiled in a mixture of tea, soy sauce and anise seed. once done and peeled, you'll see that the egg will have absorbed the flavors and it will have produced a nice marbling effect. making these will make your whole house smell like a beautiful asian movie.


4-6 eggs
1/4 C soy sauce
1/3 C brewed black tea like oolong
one star anise


1. place eggs in pan and cover with water and bring to a boil. take off heat and cover. let set for 10 minutes.
2. take a spoon and carefully crack the egg all over while still in the pan. do not drain the water. pour in soy sauce, tea and anise seed and bring back to a boil. lower heat to a simmer and cook for 2 hours, mixing occasionally.
3. leave in warm mixture until ready to serve or you can keep these in the fridge for a couple of days. double happiness!