Category Archives: Food

Got Beef? It’s What’s For Dinner.

For Thanksgiving, I refused to make turkey. I like crispy skinned turkey wings, deep fried skin, and smoked legs at the fair. But, if I have a choice, then turkey falls to the bottom of my to eat meat list. For Thanksgiving, I wanted to make a meat dish that was out of the ordinary, and not poultry. After some thought, I decided to make a beef tenderloin. Beef tenderloin is simple to prepare, tender and juicy, and makes a pretty presentation.

However, beef tenderloin is not a cheap cut of beef. So make this dish for people you really like or really want to impress, or both. Costco has whole untrimmed tenderloins and trimmed tenderloins. Trimmed means the connective tissue surrounding the tenderloin and chunks of fat are already removed. The frugal shopper in me really wanted to get the whole tenderloin because it was significantly cheaper than the trimmed version. However, I trimmed a tenderloin years ago, and I remember it looked like I tore chunks out of it with my teeth. I decided that more time, less cursing, and less wasted meat > diy beef tenderloin. If I wasn’t trying to prepare 6 other dishes, then I would have trimmed my own beef. But time was of the essence, not to mention my sanity. So I bit the bullet and shelled out the $$$.

I decided to make a red wine shallot sauce to go with the meat. I made the sauce the day before to save time on the day of the party.

Here is my bowl of sliced shallots and minced garlic.

I cooked the shallots and garlic in bacon fat, and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Cook the shallots and garlic on lowish heat until it turns into a fragrant mushy brown pile. Set the cooked shallots aside. This is actually my second take. My first bowl of shallots and garlic had to go in the trash because I wasn’t paying attention, and ended up burning the shit out of it. I tried to salvage it, but it was truly burnt and unpalatable.

I made a roux with butter and flour in the same saucepan that I cooked the shallots.

I added red wine, beef stock, and tomato paste to the roux, and let it come to a boil. Then I turned the heat to low.

So I had let the sauce simmer away for at least 10 minutes before I thought about tasting it. It was ok, but definitely lacked something, so I threw in a sprig of dried rosemary and a small handful of dried thyme sprigs. I dry a lot of my own herbs, and I leave them whole since the herbs lose some of their flavor once the leaves are ground up or crushed.

The sauce bubbled away for another 15 minutes or so. The dried herbs were a good move, and the sauce tasted much better. I also had to add a little sugar to the sauce. I know next to nothing about wine, and I just grabbed a bottle that was given as a present. After simmering away, it was still a little too tart, so some sugar was needed. I fished the herbs out, and added the cooked shallots and garlic. Once the the sauce cooled down, I put it in the fridge for the night. Sitting overnight also allowed the flavors to meld together more.

So here is my large phallic looking strip of raw meat. This baby was about 5.5 lbs. On the day of the dinner, I patted the meat dry, put it on my roasting pan, and rubbed it generously with Montreal steak seasoning.

I heated up a huge pat of bacon fat on the roasting pan, and browned the tenderloin. This is just to brown the outside, not to cook it. This phallus meat was too large for my tongs to handle, so I ended up putting on a glove and manually flipping the meat every few minutes to brown each side.

Once the outside was browned, I put the pan in a preheated oven at 375ºF. I stuck a meat thermometer in the thickest section to make sure I did not overcook the meat. I actually did not keep track of how long the meat took to cook, but it was approximately half an hour or so. I just let it roast until the meat thermometer read 130ºF, which is medium rare. I sliced the meat after letting it rest for 15 minutes.

While the meat rests, heat up the sauce and add the meat drippings.

Sliced tenderloin before saucing. Notice that the meat is more medium and medium well towards the thinner end. My mom does not like bloody meat, so the end pieces were good for her.

Red wine shallot sauce over roasted beef tenderloin. This is an elegant meat dish to serve on a special occasion, and bonus points for being fairly simple and hard to screw up (unless you don’t pay attention).

Roast Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Shallot Sauce

Red Wine Shallot Sauce
Ingredients
– 1.5 cups sliced shallots (about 3 shallots)
– 1.5 tbs minced garlic
– bacon fat or oil for cooking the shallots
– 3 tbs butter
– 3 tbs flour
– 3 cups beef broth
– 1 cup red wine
– 1 tbs tomato paste
– 1 sprig dried rosemary
– small handful of dried thyme sprigs
– sugar to taste
– salt and pepper to taste

Directions
– Cook the sliced shallots and minced garlic on low heat in the fat of your choice. I chose bacon fat. Let it cook down until the shallots turn dark golden brown and mushy, stir occasionally. Put the cooked shallots in a small bowl.
– In the same saucepan, melt the butter. Once the butter melts, add the flour. Stir the mixture until it turns golden brown.
– Add the broth, wine, and tomato paste to the roux, and give it a stir. Turn the heat up to let it come to a boil, then turn the heat to low.
– Add the dried herbs, and let the sauce simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until it thickens to your liking. Taste the sauce. Depending on the wine and broth you use, you may need to add sugar, salt, and pepper. Strain the herbs out. Add the cooked shallots and garlic.
– If you are making the sauce ahead of time, put the cooled sauce in the fridge until ready to use. When you are ready to serve the sauce, heat it up on the stove.
– Stir in the drippings from the roast beef.
– Pour over the sliced beef, and or set the bowl aside for guests to pour their own sauce.

Roast Beef Tenderloin
Ingredients
– 5 lb trimmed beef tenderloin
– Montreal steak seasoning
– bacon fat

Directions
– Pat the tenderloin dry, and rub it generously with steak seasoning.
– Brown the tenderloin in bacon fat on the roasting pan.
– Put the pan in a preheated oven at 375ºF for about 30 minutes or so. Use a meat thermometer to ensure you have a perfectly roasted piece of meat. Stick the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. Beef tenderloin tastes best when cooked to medium rare. So once the thermometer reads 130ºF, take the meat out of the oven.
– Let the meat rest for 15 minutes, and slice thin to serve.

It’s My Life, It’s My Nutella, I Ain’t Gonna Live Forever

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Costco had Nutella on sale. They sell them in 2 packs. 67 oz of chocolatey, hazelnutty, I need some in my mouth right now by the spoonful, nectar of the Gods. In my NUTELLA ON SALE induced daze, somehow a few of the containers found their way into my shopping cart. Since they are in my care now, I can’t just let them collect dust and sit in darkness in my pantry.

Some of you may have noticed, but I do many of my food experiments when I have company over. It’s obviously a risk since my guests are expecting to be fed good stuff, not WTF food flops. Good thing there are many restaurants nearby.

I had some friends over for a girl’s crafts day. I decided to try a new Nutella concoction since MOST of my friends love Nutella. My one friend who shall not be named doesn’t like Nutella, and we think she’s a freak of nature. Lets see if she’ll read this post. I made a Nutella Tuxedo Mousse Cheesecake. It sounds fancy, but it’s a pretty straightforward recipe, and it is a no bake cheesecake.

I started with the Oreo crust. I got my 10 inch springform pan. If I was not too concerned about presentation, I would use a 9×13 baking dish, a pie pan, a regular cake pan, etc. However, I don’t want to dig out messy scoops of crumbs and gooey cheesecake. So, this here is my springform pan.

For those of you who are not familiar with a springform pan, this is why it is a special tool. Once the wall of the pan is removed, the cake can be easily cut and served.

I got 2 sleeves of Oreos and butter.

I debated hauling my heavy ass food processor out from the cabinet. But it’s so bulky and heavy, and then I’d have to wash all these parts. So I ended up using the rolling pin and ziplock bag approach. I pounded my life’s frustrations out on those Oreos, but my laziness won over, so my Oreo crumbs were pretty chunky. It still tasted great, just personal preference if you want a very fine crumbed crust, or more of a chunky cookie crust.

I mixed the cookie crumbs and the melted butter directly in the pan, and I spread the mixture evenly. Fewer dishes are always a bonus. Bake at 350ºF for 8 minutes. I know I said the cheesecake was no bake, and technically the cheesecake part did not require baking. You can certainly make a no bake crust, but I prefer the crunchier texture of a baked cookie crust. Let the crust cool before pouring in the cheesecake filling.

So I mentioned before that one of my goals is to use as few dishes as possible. I busted out my stand mixer for the next 3 parts of the cheesecake, but I did not wash the mixing bowl until I finished everything. Why waste time and water washing that big bowl when it is not necessary?

First I made the whipped cream that will garnish and enhance the cheesecake eating experience. This is 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and sugar. So much tastier and wholesome than the stuff you buy from the freezer section at the grocery store. Just start mixing on low speed so the cream doesn’t splatter everywhere. Make your way to high speed, and whip until you get stiff peaks.

After the whipped cream is put into another container and stored in the fridge, time for the first layer of cheesecake. I whipped another cup of heavy whipping cream with sugar and vanilla extract. I set that aside in the fridge while I mixed the cream cheese mixture. I mixed 2 blocks of regular fat cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature. After the cream cheese mixture was smooth and creamy, fold in the whipped cream.

Pour the mixture onto the cooled crust. Notice I placed the springform pan on a pizza pan. It’s not that I don’t trust my springform pan…ok I don’t fully trust my springform pan. It serves its purpose, but I have visions of the pan falling apart from the weight of the cake, and a floor covered with mush.

Ok so this is the same picture I used earlier, but it’s just to show that I whipped 2 more cups of heavy whipping cream with vanilla extract and sugar. Set that aside in the fridge.

Mix 1.5 cups of Nutella with 1 block of cream cheeese, sugar, and vanilla (I eyeballed the amount of Nutella I used. It was approximately 1.5 cups, but it may have been a little more.) Mix until everything is incorporated and smooth.

Fold in the whipped cream.

Pour the Nutella mixture on top of the cheesecake layer. Cover the pan with some plastic wrap or foil, and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight until the cheesecake firms up.

I had a container of strawberries that I froze earlier in the year. It was approximately 4.5 cups of strawberries. I thawed it out until it wasn’t a solid block anymore, then I put it in a small saucepan with turbinado sugar and vanilla extract. There is plenty of water in the strawberries, so no need to add water.

I let it come to a boil, then turned the heat to medium/low and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes.

After it cooled down, I used a stick blender to turn it into sauce. My squeeze bottle was the perfect size for the amount of sauce made. That is a mini silicone funnel. I got it for pouring bulk spices into smaller jars, but it is also useful for pouring sauces.

After a night in the fridge, I unlatched the pan, and gently wiggled the pan over the cheesecake.

To serve, I drizzled strawberry sauce on the plate, and topped the slice of cheesecake with whipped cream and a Ferrero Rocher. Whaaaaat, fancy dessert in the comfort of your own home.

Nutella Tuxedo Mousse Cheesecake

Oreo Crust
Ingredients
– 2 sleeves of Oreos (26 cookies)
– 4-5 tbs of unsalted butter (melted)

Directions
Crush the Oreos in whatever manner you desire. Mix the crumbs and melted butter in a 10 inch springform pan. Add a little more melted butter if the crumbs are too dry and won’t form a crust. Press the mixture evenly to make a crust. Bake at 350ºF for about 8 minutes. Let the crust cool before pouring the cheesecake in.

Whipped Cream
Ingredients
– 2 cups heavy whipping cream or heavy cream
– 2 tbs sugar
– 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
– Pour everything into the mixing bowl. Start on low speed, and gradually increase to high speed. Whip the mixture until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate the whipped cream until ready to use.

Cheesecake Mousse
Ingredients
– 2 8oz blocks of regular fat cream cheese (room temperature)
– 1 cup sugar
– 1 tbs vanilla extract
– 1 cup of heavy whipping cream or heavy cream
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 tbs sugar

Directions
– Whip the 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tbs powdered sugar into whipped cream. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
– Mix the cream cheese, 1 cup of powdered sugar, and 1 tbs of vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
– Gently fold the whipped cream in until everything is incorporated and fluffy.
– Pour the mixture onto the cooled crust.

Nutella Cheesecake Mousse
Ingredients
– 1.5 cups Nutella
– 1 8oz block of regular fat cream cheese
– 1/3 cup sugar
– 1 tbs vanilla extract
– 2 cups heavy whipping cream or heavy cream
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 2 tbs sugar

Directions
– Whip the 2 cups of heavy cream, 2 tsp vanilla, and 2 tbs sugar into whipped cream. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
-Mix the Nutella, cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1 tbs of vanilla until smooth and creamy.
-Gently fold the whipped cream in until everything is incorporated and fluffy. Note that the mixture will be a light brown color. If you want a darker more dramatic brown, you can add a little cocoa powder or espresso powder into the mixture. This will change the flavor though, so beware.
– Pour the Nutella mixture over the white cream cheese layer.
– Cover the pan with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate a few hours or overnight until the cheesecake firms.

Strawberry sauce
Ingredients
– About 4.5 cups sliced strawberries (frozen and thawed, or fresh)
– 1/3 cup sugar (I used turbinado)
– 1 tsp vanilla

Directions
– Bring everything to a boil, lower the heat to medium/low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
– Once the strawberries cool a little, smash the strawberries into sauce with whatever method you choose.
– For easy pouring, use a squeeze bottle.

Wah, So Full of Waffles

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Now that Thanksgiving is over, is this a familiar sight in your fridge? I love leftovers. It means a few less meals to prepare over the week, and more time to do other things like showing my daughter how to play Mario Bros. Eating the same thing for a few meals is fine, but I prefer some variety.

Leftover garlic and herb boursin cheese mashed potatoes and creamy cheesy bacon brussels sprouts

For a while now, I’ve seen recipes for making leftover waffles. I happen to have a double waffle maker which gets used maybe once a year. It’s a great waffle maker, but we just don’t have the time to make waffles. And it happens to be Black Friday, but I refuse to do battle out on the roads and in the stores. Instead, I decided to experiment with my waffle maker, which turned out to be a mashing success. Haha get it? Mashing success….. Ok anyways.

I took inspiration from a Serious Eats waffled mashed potatoes recipe.

I mixed together two eggs, oil, and milk.

Then I mixed in leftover mashed potatoes and my creamy cheesy bacon brussels sprouts. I chopped up the brussels sprouts into smaller pieces first.

This recipe should work with other leftovers too. If you don’t have cheesy bacon brussels sprouts, try using other leftovers like chopped up green beans, corn, chopped up ham, etc. OOOOR another good idea. Use candied mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry chutney, toasted nuts, etc to make a sweet leftover waffle. Mmmm.

In a separate bowl, I mixed together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pepper.

Then I gently folded the flour mixture into the wet mixture.

While I was making the batter, I preheated the waffle maker. My waffle maker has an adjustable temperature dial that goes from 1-6, so I set my dial to 4. I sprayed some nonstick cooking spray onto both sides of the iron. Then I plopped about 1/3 cup of the batter onto each section of the waffle maker. My waffle maker will beep at me when the waffles are ready, so I didn’t have to worry about setting a timer. It took about 6 minutes for my waffles to cook. Depending on the waffle maker you are using, you may have to adjust the cooking time.

Waaaaah! Waffles that are not sweet! This is one of the best looking leftover dishes I’ve ever seen. Needless to say, it also tasted really good. Golden brown and crispy on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside.

I dressed my waffle up with a slice of leftover roasted beef tenderloin and red wine and shallot sauce. I will have to post the recipe for the beef tenderloin soon, it was really freaking good.

Thanksgiving Leftover Waffles
Ingredients
(Makes 4 waffles)
– 2 cups mashed potatoes
– 2 cups cheesy bacon brussels sprouts
– 2 eggs
– 2 tbs oil
– 1/3 cup milk
– 1/2 cup flour
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/4 tsp baking soda
– salt and pepper

Directions
– Preheat your waffle maker. I turned the temperature to medium high. Spray both sides of the iron with nonstick spray.
– Chop up the cheesy bacon brussels sprouts or whatever leftovers you have into smaller pieces.
– Mix the eggs, oil, and milk in a bowl. Add the mashed potatoes and cheesy bacon brussels sprouts.
– In a separate small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.
– Fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture.
– Once the waffle maker is preheated, pour about 1/3 cup of the batter onto each section of the iron. My waffle maker automatically beeps once the waffle is cooked. If you do not have this nifty option, it took about 5-6 minutes to cook. You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on your waffle maker.

I Have an Apple, I Have a Rose, Uh! Apple Rose!

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I went to a farm a few weeks ago with my family, and we picked a lot of apples. By a lot, I mean almost 20 lbs of apples. The farm had 8 varieties of apples when we were there, and we got a little caught up in the moment. The only person who eats apples in my house is my 5 year old daughter, and it literally takes her 2-3 days to finish one apple. The apples have been taking up an entire drawer in my fridge for some time now. A few of them were getting wrinkled so I made a big batch of apple sauce to freeze. My daughter has wanted pie for a while now, but instead of making a regular apple pie, I decided to get a little fancy. Several baked apple rose videos and posts have been circulating, and I’ve always wanted to try it out. And what do you know, a box of puff pastry has been taking up space in my freezer.

I used the entire box of puff pastry. Each sheet makes 6 pastries, so I made 12 total. I used around 4 medium sized apples. Leave the peel on since that is part of the visual appeal of the apple rose. Too bad I didn’t have any red apples or the apple roses would have looked even more stunning. I washed and cut the apples in half.

I sliced them thinly into 1/8″ slices. Feel free to use a mandolin if you have one. I didn’t bother coring the apple first. After I finished slicing, I cut out any seeds and hard bits to avoid wasting any of the apple.

I put the slices into a microwave safe bowl with water and the juice of one lemon. Then I microwaved it all for about 4-5 minutes, until the apple slices turned floppy.

I melted half a stick of butter. I did not measure how much Nutella I used, but it was around 1/4-1/3 cup. I also forgot to measure how much cinnamon sugar I used, but it was also around 1/4-1/3 cups of sugar and a few shakes of cinnamon. Obviously, you can use more cinnamon sugar and Nutella if you want.

I used a little of the melted butter to grease the muffin tin. Then I sprinkled sugar over the butter.

This is the first sheet of puff pastry on my silicon baking mat.

I sprinkled a little flour over the dough, and stretched it out with my rolling pin. I rolled it until it was approximately 12″ wide.

I used a pizza cutter to slice 2″ strips. If you are a neat freak and trim off the edges to make it prettier, do not throw away the scraps. Make a random crisp with it, but don’t toss it!

I used a spoon to slather the melted butter over the pastry. I used up all the butter on this sheet, because I didn’t need butter for the second one. You’ll see. I sprinkled cinnamon sugar over the butter. You can be as heavy with the cinnamon sugar as you want. The more you use, the gooier and sweeter the pastry will be. I went light since this was my first time making it.

Pat the apple slices dry and overlap them in a line along half of the dough strip.

Fold the other half of the dough over the apples.

Roll the apples and dough up.

Put the apple roses into the muffin tin.

For the second sheet of puff pastry, I smeared Nutella over them. I read recipes using preserves, and that sounds like a delicious idea too. But I happened to have Nutella on hand, and no preserves.

Roll your Nutella apple roses.

Bake these at 375°F for 40-45 minutes.

Let them cool for 5-10 minutes before pulling them out of the tin. I used a butter knife to dislodge them, and then tongs to pick them up.

Apple rose with powdered sugar.

Apple rose with a big dollop of home made whipped cream and cinnamon.

Apple Rose
Ingredients
– 4 medium sized apples
– 1 box of puff pastry
– 1 lemon
– half a stick of butter
– 1/4-1/3 cup Nutella
– 1/4-1/3 cup sugar
– cinnamon

Directions
– Slice the apples thinly into 1/8″ slices. Leave the peel on. Place the slices into water mixed with lemon juice. Microwave the bowl for 4-5 minutes or until the apples turn floppy.
– Melt the butter and use a little of it to grease the muffin tin. Save the rest. Sprinkle sugar over the butter in the tin.
– Mix the sugar with a few shakes of cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar.
– If your lump of Nutella is hard to spread, microwave it for 30 seconds or until it softens.
– Roll the first sheet of pastry dough out until it stretches to about 12″ wide. Cut 2″ strips. Spread the rest of the butter over the strips, and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter.
– Pat the apple slices dry, and then overlap them in a line across half of a dough strip. Fold the other half over the apples. Roll the strip up into a rose. Put the roses into the muffin tin. Continue with the other 5 strips.
– Roll the second sheet of pastry dough out and stretch it to about 12″ wide. Cut 2″ strips. Spread the Nutella over the strips.
– Pat the apple slices dry, and overlap them in a line across half of a dough strip. Fold the other half over the apples. Roll the strip into a rose. Put the rose into the muffin tine and continue with the other 5 strips.
– Bake at 375°F for 40-45 minutes until the pastries brown. Let them cool slightly before removing them.

Forget Chicken Soup, My Soul Needs Bacon and Brussels Sprouts

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Are you stressed out and in need of comfort food? Don’t turn to junky food that will make you feel even more crappy after you gorge yourself in your already crappy state of mind. Nourish your body, mind, and soul with this simple and comforting one pan meal. While your food is roasting in the oven, drink some hot tea or a bottle of wine. Whatever helps you relax. Life isn’t going to pause or rewind, but you can recharge and get ready to tackle whatever obstacles you encounter.

Wash, trim and cut brussels sprouts in half. Cut an onion into chunks, roughly the same size as the brussels sprouts. Pour a little oil and seasoning on the vegetables and give it a stir. I used a lemon pepper blend, but use whatever you have. For example, salt and freshly ground pepper is perfect. No need for a separate bowl for the mixing, just do everything on the pan. I did not use a silicon baking mat or foil to line the pan. The brussels sprouts get a better crispy char if they are touching the pan.

Cut up a pack of thick cut bacon. I love bacon. It comforts me. I’m not going for a taste of bacon. I’m going for a freaking meal of bacon. I did cut off any larger pieces of fat. I didn’t want my vegetables to be swimming in bacon grease. Mix the bacon chunks in with the vegetables. Put the pan into a preheated oven at 400°F for 35-40 minutes. Stir the mixture up every 10-15 minutes, so more pieces get a chance to brown and crisp up. After I took the pan out of the oven, I squeezed half a lemon over the mixture and gave it a good stir.

I topped my pile of comfort with some shredded parmigiano-reggiano and toasted sunflower seeds. If you’ve never had good brussels sprouts, give this a try. Roasting it makes the outside crispy, while the inside turns creamy and sweet. And the bacon. What can I say. It’s bacon.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Ingredients
– 2 lbs of brussels sprouts
– 1 pack of thick cut bacon
– 1 onion
– seasoning
– half a lemon
– shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese (optional)
– toasted sunflower seeds (optional)

Directions
– Wash, trim, and cut the brussels sprouts in half
– Cut the onion into pieces roughly the same size as the brussels sprouts
– Mix the brussels sprouts and onion on a baking pan with oil and seasoning.
– Cut the bacon into pieces roughly the same size as the vegetables. Trim off any large pieces of fat from the bacon. Add the bacon to the pan and give it a stir.
– Roast at 400°F for 35-40 minutes. Stir the mixture every 10-15 minutes.
– Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the mixture when it finishes cooking. Mix it up.
– Top the dish with cheese and sunflower seeds if you want to get a little fancy.

Cake Me Up Before You Go Ghoooost?!

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My daughter’s birthday is on Sunday, but we won’t be able to celebrate with her because we are attending a wedding. My parents will be watching her, and my mom decided to throw her a party. She invited some of her friends and their grandchildren for a birthday shindig. My mom is pretty excited, it’s cute. She asked me to bake a cake, and since I have a ton of decorations and candy left from our Halloween Oreos, obviously I am going with a Halloween cake.

I decided to buy a cake mix, and add a few touches to make it taste more homey, like I did with my mocha layer cake. I am not fond of store bought frosting, so I decided to make my own buttercream frosting. This was also a good chance to redeem myself from my frosting fiasco when I made my mocha cake.

Zoe picked out a rainbow cake mix from Target. I mean, come on. It’s a rainbow cake. It is way cooler than a plain old chocolate or vanilla cake. I followed the cake mix directions to make a 9×13 sheet cake. I used some of Rachael Ray’s advice to make the cake mix better. Since the cake mix only wanted egg whites, I added a tablespoon of melted butter for each missing egg yolk. I substituted milk for the water, and melted butter for the vegetable oil. I also added a big splash of vanilla extract.

The cake mix came with food coloring and instructions on how to mix the colors. This was an exciting cake to make.

I poured in the different colored batters and swirled a butter knife around a few times. After the cake finished baking, I let it cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a wire cooling rack.

I had to resist the urge to cut the cake to see what the inside looked like. I suppose I could have cut it and glued the pieces together with frosting…but that would have been unnecessary trouble. The cake is on my cake carrier by the way, since I will be transporting the cake.

I found an easy and tasty chocolate buttercream frosting recipe from Divas Can Cook. I followed the recipe fairly closely. The key word for this frosting is FLUFFY. It’s so fluffy I’m gonna diiie!

I sifted the cocoa powder and the powdered sugar. I don’t have a fancy sifter, I just use a mesh strainer. See those big lumps of cocoa? Sifting gets rid of those lumps and makes the powder fluffy and soft. Use the same bowl for the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. No need to dirty another bowl.

Here is my butter and heavy cream. Make sure to take the butter out of the fridge for a couple of hours until it warms up. Don’t use the microwave to warm it up. Mix until the butter turns into a smooth and fluffy pile.

Here is my chocolate butter, which sounds really delicious spread on a warm croissant.

Here is my chocolate frosting. When you first mix in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, start on low speed or else you will have a blast of powder choking your eyes, nose, and throat. Work your way to medium/high to high speed and keep going until the mixture changes from a dark colored, shiny, clumpy brown blob to a light brown, matte colored, smooth and fluffy brown frosting.

I frosted my cake. I realize I did a really messy job frosting. There is a reason.

I got these cute bone and gravestone molds on sale. I melted a little white candy for the bones, and then I mixed some white and black candy together to make gray for the gravestones.

I used my mortar and pestle to smash up a few Oreos to make dirt. Sure, I could use my food processor, but that thing is so heavy and in too many pieces, and just total overkill for a few Oreos. If you don’t have an alchemist’s tools, you can also use your fists and crush them like a worm.

Now it’s really fun time. This reminds me of building a gingerbread house, except it takes place in a graveyard, with worms, and dirt, and creepy things… A couple of my Halloween Oreos came to hang out at the graveyard too.

First I made the graveyard. I stuck the gravestones into the frosting and cake, then I made Oreo dirt mounds. Some gummy worms and bones up the creepy factor.

I made an M&M path.

Pumpkin patch in the corner, and spooky Oreo buddies out and about.

I made a candy corn and M&M fence around the graveyard and pumpkin patch. Then I added some finishing touches. I sprinkled black sugar crystals all over the cake. I sprinkled some green sugar crystals over the pumpkin patch. I spread worms, candy ghosts, and candy leaves and acorns everywhere. Good luck to my mom with cutting the cake.

This is so freaking cute. Patting myself on the back here.

Close ups for your viewing pleasure.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting adapted from Divas Can Cook
Ingredients
– 2 sticks of unsalted butter
– 1 tbs heavy cream
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
– 1/2 cup cocoa powder
– 2.5 cups powdered sugar
– pinch of salt

Directions
– Let the butter warm up at room temperature until it is soft.
– Melt the chocolate chips and let it cool down.
– Sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
– Cream the butter until fluffy. Add the heavy cream and mix it some more.
– Mix in the vanilla and melted chocolate.
– Slowly mix in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar and salt. Start on low speed and work your way to medium high to high speed. Keep mixing until the mixture turns from dark brown and shiny to light brown, matte colored, and fluffy.

Poutine In My Mouth, She Said Poutine In Her Mouth

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I am so pleased with myself. Today, I made something absolutely amazing.

My friend recently visited Toronto, and seeing his food pictures reminded me of when I went to Toronto a few years ago for a race. There was a poutine food truck at the venue, and I had at least one order of poutine each day. For those of you who have never had the pleasure, poutine is a heaping pile of french fries with gravy and cheese curds. Unfortunately, poutine is rarely found on menus around these parts. And even if I did find poutine, a plate of fried potatoes is a big no-no for a low(er) carb diet.

I really wanted poutine. Being a genius at making shit up in the kitchen, I thought about the stuffed kabocha squash I tried a few weeks ago. It had a sweet flavor and starchy texture that reminded me of a sweet potato. I decided to deep fry a kabocha and make kabocha poutine. It was a win. My husband doesn’t even like squash or gravy, and he shoveled a big plateful of poutine into his face. Now, if you are expecting this to taste exactly like the traditional poutine using french fries…well, HELLO?! It’s a squash poutine. It will not taste like potato. But it will taste amazingly good, and satisfy that deep hungry craving for crispy fries drowned in gravy and cheese curds. Oh, and bacon. Of course I added bacon. You can also try a whole myriad of meats and seafood with your poutine such as sausage, duck, lobster, shrimp, a combination of it all…

First up is the gravy. Sure, you can buy a jar of pre-made gravy….but, come on. You know me. I found a beef gravy recipe of Emeril’s that I adapted for my poutine. I first made a roux out of bacon fat, butter, and flour. You heat up the fats on medium heat, then add the flour and keep stirring. Cook and stir for a few minutes until it turns into a nice golden brown/dark brown color.

Once the roux was ready, I added some shallots, garlic, dried parsley and dried thyme. I stirred that for a minute or so until it became really fragrant. Then I added a little Worchestershire sauce and cooked for another minute or so.

I added store bought beef stock, let it boil, then lowered the heat. I let it simmer for about 20 minutes until it reduced and thickened. I gave it a stir every now and then. Give it a taste to see if you want any additional salt and pepper. I thought it was fine without, but up to you.

My rich and savory gravy is ready for dousing!

Here is my cute little green pumpkin looking kabocha squash. I gave it a good scrub because the skin is edible, and a pain in the ass to peel off, so obviously, just leave it on.

I sliced the squash into 1/4 inch pieces. Be careful, for the squash is a bit hard to cut. With my crappy knife skills, I am amazed I did not slice a finger up.

I dusted the squash pieces with a light coating of corn starch. Just a very light dusting.

I wanted a squash fry that is crispy outside and fluffy inside. I’ve double fried chicken before, so I wanted to try double frying my squash. I didn’t find too much on deep frying kabocha squash, other than as tempura, which would have been awesome too, but…low carb and tempura batter… I looked up double fried french fries, and there were many tutorials.

I poured enough corn oil to fill the bottom inch or so of my French oven. It was a little less than a quart of oil. I don’t have a candy thermometer to read the temperature of the oil, but I do have meat thermometers. It probably wasn’t very accurate, but it was better than nothing. So I heated the oil to about 300°F and put a layer of squash in. Don’t overcrowd the pot, or your squash will not fry properly. I let the squash cook for about 4-5 minutes, and flipped the squash halfway. Then I fished them out and let them drain on a wire cooling rack. Notice how the squash are not really golden brown and crisp looking yet. The first fry is just to cook and soften them up.

After I finished giving all my squash the first fry treatment. I cranked the heat up so the oil was between 350°F and 400°F. Then all the squash got their second fry on for that golden brown and delicious crunchy coat. Once you fish the pieces out, hit them with a liberal sprinkling of salt while the oil is still glistening and hot. I used sea salt.

You should have seen the damage done to this plate of poutine the second I finished plating it and taking pictures. This is kabocha poutine. Crispy and fluffy kabocha fries, coated with a rich beef gravy, with a generous sprinkling of thick cut bacon, cheese curds, and green onion.

Kabocha Poutine
Ingredients
– kabocha fries
– beef gravy
– cheese curds
– thick cut bacon pieces
– green onion

Beef Gravy
Ingredients
– 2 tbs butter
– 2 tbs bacon fat
– 4 tbs flour
– 1-2 tbs finely minced shallot
– 1-1.5 tbs finely minced garlic
– 1 tsp dried parsley
– 1/2 tsp dried thyme
– 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
– 3 cups beef stock
– salt and pepper to taste

Directions
– Melt the bacon fat and butter on medium heat. Add the flour and stir continuously for a few minutes until the roux turns into a golden dark brown.
– Add the shallots, garlic, dried parsley, and dried thyme. Cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the Worcestershire sauce and cook for another minute.
– Add the beef stock and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the gravy reduces and thickens. Add salt and pepper if you want.

Kabocha Fries
Ingredients
– 1 kabocha squash
– 3 tbs corn starch
– 1 quart of corn oil or other oil suitable for deep frying
– salt

Directions
– Scrub and de-seed the kabocha. Slice the squash into 1/4 inch slices.
– Lightly coat the squash with corn starch and brush off the excess.
– Heat the oil in a heavy pot to 300°F. Fry the squash for 4-5 minutes and flip them half way. Fry in batches if necessary. Let the squash drain on a wire rack.
– Once the first fry is done, turn the heat up so the oil is between 350°F-400°F. Fry the squash for 2-3 minutes and flip them half way. Let the squash drain on a wire rack.

To Assemble
Sprinkle bacon pieces and cheese curds on top of a pile of kabocha fries. Pour gravy over everything. Top with green onion, and more cheese curds and bacon.

Number Won!

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These are the two kinds of wontons I made for my mom’s birthday wonton soup that went so well with my tonkotsu style broth.

I promise these wontons are way better than the ones you find in the freezer section. Unless your taste buds are just screwed up, and you’re the kind of person who prefers Cup O Noodles over real ramen, or Pop Tarts over fresh pie. I can’t promise that these will taste as good as your grandma’s wontons, but they are pretty damn tasty.

As I mentioned already, I went a little overboard with the amount of food I made. If you use my measurements, then I hope you are having a wonton making party, or you’ll be folding wontons by yourself for half the day. Wontons are really easy to freeze, I’ll get to that later.

First up are my vegetable and shrimp wontons. I’m not much of a vegetarian, but I must say, I did a great job with this vegetable filling. I liked this filling as much as the pork and shrimp filling.

I have here a small head of Taiwanese cabbage. I forgot to take a picture, but they are NOT Napas. They look a little like the green cabbages found at regular grocery stores, but they are flatter. I like these better because they are more tender and sweeter than the green cabbage. Anways, I also have rainbow carrots, green onion, garlic, ginger, and the mushroom from the broth.

I first stir fried the garlic and ginger in oil for a couple of minutes until I could smell them. Then I added the mushroom and green onion. I poured in the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, and a little sugar. Gave that a stir and let it cook for a minute, Then I added the cabbage and carrots, and let it cook until the cabbage and carrots softened. Taste the vegetables to make sure they are seasoned to your liking. Note that the brined shrimp are also salty, so take that into consideration.

Since I was using shrimp for both kinds of wontons, I got a 2 lb bag of frozen shrimp. When I was doing wonton research, I read about a good shrimp tip from Serious Eats. So, you know how shrimp can become mushy and mealy textured when cooked? J. Kenji López-Alt recommended soaking the raw shrimp in a baking soda brine. The baking soda and salt keeps the shrimp plump, juicy, and crisp. I let my shrimp sit overnight in the mixture, and I was amazed at how good the shrimp tasted. Apparently just 15 minutes will work, but he said you can let it sit overnight, which is what I did. My shrimp did turn out pretty salty even after getting rinsed off. It may be because I added too much salt to the brine, and or it could have been from the longer brine time. I’ll have to experiment more. So after rinsing the shrimp off, I cut them into thirds.

Update: I just looked up other pages about using an alkaline brine for shrimp. Looks like a lot of people recommend using 1 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda per pound of shrimp. Let the shrimp sit in the mixture for 15 minutes to 1 hour. So basically I screwed up the mixture and amount of brine time. I mean, even though the shrimp was salty, it worked out since I made the meat less salty. BUT, now I know. I’ll edit the brine recipe below.

For the pork filling, I got 5 lbs of ground pork, green onion, garlic, ginger, and mixed it with soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, and a little sugar. I put on a glove and mashed it all together with my hand. You can do a taste test by microwaving a little blob for 10 seconds or until cooked. Since my shrimp were pretty salty, I made my pork mixture less salty. The meat mixture by itself was a little bland, however, once a piece of brined shrimp was included, that bite of meat was transformed. If you are omitting my salty shrimp, then be sure to do taste tests to make sure the meat is seasoned well.

Assembly time! I had help from my sister, cousin, and two friends to wrap these little packets of juicy joy. I’m very grateful for their help because we ended up going through 5 packs of wonton wrappers, and made 380 wontons. It took a long time, especially since we were all newbs at wrapping (except for my sister, who taught us how to wrap). She took care of making 3 trays of wontons by herself.

Here is a step by step tutorial on how to make wontons. There are different ways to fold them, but this is what my aunt taught my sister, who in turn passed it on to us yesterday. Start with a wrapper. By the way, the thinner the wrapper, the better.

Put about a teaspoon or so of filling and a piece of shrimp in the middle. More meat sounds great, but in this case, moderation is key in preventing the over-stuffed exploding Chipotle burrito syndrome.

Dip your finger in water and wet the top and bottom of the wrapper. The water acts as a glue for the wrapper. Be sure to “glue” any openings on the wonton, because if you leave holes, then there will be little meat explosions when you boil them.

Fold one third of the wrapper over the pile of filling.

Fold the other third of the wrapper over the first fold to make a roll. Smear more water to seal the ends of the wrapper.

Fold one end of the roll down.

Fold the other end of the roll down and pinch the two ends together with some water so they are stuck together. See those openings at the ends? Those need to be sealed with water. Now you have a cute little triangular hat looking shape. For the vegetable filling, you do the same thing except use a spoonful of vegetables with a piece of shrimp.

This here is our first completed tray. It helps to sprinkle some flour or spray the baking sheet with cooking spray so the wontons don’t stick and tear. You can see some stylistic differences in the way these wontons were folded.

If you want to freeze them, just stick the whole tray into the freezer. Once the wontons are frozen, put them into a freezer safe bag or container. When you want to cook them, DO NOT thaw them out. Just cook them directly from their frozen state. If you thaw them out first, they will become a gooey, gummy, mess.

We had a handful of leftover wrappers, so that called for Nutella. Put a blob of Nutella in the middle, fold the wrapper into a triangle, and spray a little cooking spray on the triangles. Bake at 350ºF for a few minutes until the wrappers crisp and puff up.

When it was time to cook the wontons, I had to cook them in several batches, since we had so much. I put the wontons into boiling water, covered the pot for a few minutes until the water boiled again. Then I used a strainer to fish them out.

Homemade wonton soup

Brined Shrimp
Ingredients
– 2 lbs of shrimp
– 2 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions
– Mix everything together and let it sit in the refrigerator for 15-60 minutes. Rinse the shrimp off. Cut the shrimp into smaller pieces if they are too big to fit into a wonton wrapper whole.

Vegetable and Shrimp Wontons
Ingredients
– 9 cups of Taiwanese cabbage (1 small head)
– 2 cups of carrots (about 4 carrots)
– 1 cup green onion
– 1/2 cup mushroom (4 large dried mushrooms)
– 1 tbs ginger
– 1 tbs garlic
– 2-3 tbs soy sauce
– 2 tbs sesame oil
– 2 tbs rice wine
– 1 tbs sugar
– Approximately 1/3 lb of brined shrimp
– 2-3 packs of wonton wrappers, will vary depending on how much you stuff your wrappers

Directions
– Shred and dice the cabbage, dice the carrots, green onions, and mushrooms. FInely mince the garlic and ginger.
– Cook the ginger and garlic in oil until fragrant. Add the mushroom and green onion. Cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, and sugar. Add the carrots and cabbage and cook until they soften.
– Let the mixture cool before wrapping the wontons. When you make the wontons, put a teaspoon of the vegetables along with a piece of shrimp on the wonton wrapper. Follow the illustrated instructions above to fold the wontons.

Pork and Shrimp Wontons
Ingredients
– 5 lbs of ground pork
– 2 cups green onion
– 3-4 tbs ginger
– 2-3 tbs garlic
– 4-6 tbs soy sauce
– 4-6 tbs sesame oil
– 2-4 tbs rice wine
– 1-2 tbs sugar
– Approximately 2/3 lb of brined shrimp
– 2-3 packs of wonton wrappers, will vary depending on how much you stuff your wrappers

Please adjust the seasoning to suit your taste buds and also depending on how salty your shrimp turned out. Taste test your filling by microwaving a small blob for about 10 seconds or until cooked. Don’t blame me if your filling tastes too bland or too salty.

Directions
– Slice up the green onion, and finely mince the garlic and ginger. Mix them with the meat and seasonings. Hands are the easiest tool for mixing the meat. Use gloves if you want.
– When you make the wontons, place a teaspoon of meat and a piece of shrimp on the wrapper. Follow the illustrated instructions above to fold the wontons.

Souped Up Wontons, Tonkotsu Style

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This is the tonkotsu style broth that went with the wontons I made for my mom’s birthday wonton soup.

Disclaimer: I am not much of a delicate and subtle flavors kind of cook. I like bold flavors that pop. Salt is a good friend of mine. This is my tonkotsu style broth. It is thick, creamy, and coats your mouth with its umami richness. If you are looking for a light and clear broth for your wonton soup…this is not it. Go elsewhere.

This is more or less how I make my broth when I want homemade tonkotsu ramen. When I make broth for ramen, I use my 12 qt stock pot, and let it simmer for at least 6-8 hours so that it becomes even creamier and thicker. This time, for my wonton broth, I used a smaller 8 qt pot and simmered for only 4 hours.

I started with 2 lbs of pigs feet and 2 lbs of smoked turkey wings. Don’t look down on the humble foot, for it serves as the foundation for this rich soup.

This step is optional, but I first blanched the turkey and pork. I covered the bones with cold water and let it come to a boil Once the water boiled, I dumped the water into the sink, and washed the bones. This gets rid of a lot of coagulated blood, bits of bone, and other impurities from the broth. This is done to make a visually appealing clear soup without bits floating around. I always skip this step and just skim off impurities, but for my momma’s birthday, I will blanch the damn bones.

That bubbly film is the scummy stuff that came out of the bones

If you are using the same pot to make the broth, you should wash it out first. There’s a lot of scum stuck to the bottom.

Here are my quickly boiled meaty bones. You can see a lot of dark bits stuck on them.

This is like a toothbrush commercial. Look at my tooth-looking pig’s foot all grimy and gross.

Bling! Look how shiny and white my tooth-looking pig’s foot is after a good brushing! I used my finger to scrub the bits off under a little water.

After I cleaned off the bones, I patted them dry. I wanted my broth to have as much flavor as possible, so I got my good ol’ French oven out, heated up some bacon fat on high heat, and browned the pigs feet and turkey wings.

While the bones were browning, I got my aromatics ready. I first soaked 4 large dried mushrooms in a bowl of hot water to soften them. I have no idea what kind of mushrooms these are. Asian food packaging can be quite mysterious. After about 15-20 minutes, I squeezed the mushrooms dry. Keep that mushroom water! That will go into the broth later. Just discard the very bottom where bits of dirt and whatnot has sunk.

I have a bunch of green onions, a shallot, a head of garlic, 4 mushrooms, 2 bay leaves, and about 4 inches of ginger.

With the help of more bacon fat, I browned the aromatics too. Just let it keep browning until everything has a nice char. Sure, you can skip browning the bones and veggies, and the broth will still taste good. But the browning will help it taste GREAT.

After everything got warm and toasty, they are now ready for the long soak. Dump the bones back into the pot and fill it up with water. Sometimes I also add in a carton or a few cans of chicken stock, but I only had water this time. Do pour in the bowl of mushroom water, sans the bits of dirt. Leave the pot uncovered, and once it boils, turn the heat to low. Leave it alone for about 3-4 hours. Well, don’t ignore it. Check on it every now and then to make sure everyone is doing alright. Also, taste it. If it tastes too watery and bland, let it simmer some more. Add some salt and pepper if you so desire.

Here is the broth after everyone left the pool party. By the way, don’t toss the turkey and pigs feet into the trash. Strip the meat off and save it. You can add the meat into the soup, eat it as is, whatever you do, don’t waste it. Save the mushroom too, they will go into the wonton filling. The garlic and most of the green onion and shallots melted into the soup. I tossed the ginger into the compost. I suppose I could have used the ginger in the filling, but at that point, I had already minced up another ginger root. After the broth cooled down, I put it in the fridge.

Here is my bowl of meat jello. You can keep that layer of fat if you want an extra rich and fatty broth, or you can scrape it off. When you are ready to assemble your bowl of wonton soup, just heat this big lump of jello until it turns into liquid again. Add some sesame oil, chili oil, garlic chili paste, XO sauce, etc, to give your broth an even bigger extra flavor boost.

Tonkotsu Style Broth
Ingredients
– 2 lbs pigs feet, cut up
– 2 lbs smoked turkey wing
– bacon fat
– 4 dried mushrooms
– 1 bunch of green onions
– 1 shallot
– 1 head of garlic
– 4 inch knob of ginger
– 2 bay leaves

Directions
– Cover the pigs feet and turkey wing in cold water and bring to a boil. Once the water boils, pour the water out. Rinse and scrub off the impurities on the bones. Pat dry, then brown the meaty bones with bacon fat on high heat.
– Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 15-20 minutes, until they are soft. Save the water, but squeeze the mushrooms dry.
– Chop the green onion into large chunks. Slice the ginger root (no need to peel) into thin slices. Peel the garlic cloves but leave them whole. Peel and cut the shallot in half. Leave the mushroom whole.
– Brown the aromatics in bacon fat until they get a nice char.
– Add the meat bones, mushroom water, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat low. Let it simmer uncovered for 3-4 hours or until very flavorful. Season the broth to your taste.

Wonton Souperstar

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Yesterday, I had my family over to celebrate my mom’s birthday. Normally when they come over, I cook western food, because that is what I normally cook. My mom was totally expecting to eat steak or some other grilled meat. I wanted to surprise her with Chinese food because one, I very rarely cook Chinese food, and two, she loves Chinese food over all other foods.

When I was little, wontons and dumplings played a huge role in my food memories. My mom would make pot stickers, and shove all sorts of vegetables in them, and in turn, shove all sorts of vegetables into my sister and I. We often visited my aunt, who liked to make us pork and shrimp wontons. (I liked my aunt’s wontons a lot better, shhh). I decided as an ode to my aunt and mom, I would make pork and shrimp wontons, and vegetable and shrimp wontons in a homemade broth.

There are numerous types of dumplings. But my simple breakdown is that dumplings are made out of thicker skin, and they can be boiled, steamed, and when pan fried, they become guo tie, or pot stickers. Wontons are made out of thinner skins, and generally served in a soup or deep fried.

I first made a much anticipated trip to the Asian grocery store. I normally go to a Korean store, but this time, I decided to go to a Chinese store. I now know not to go there on Friday mornings. It usually gets pretty crowded in that area, so I went in the morning to avoid the crowds and traffic. When I arrived, I was surprised to see a long line of huge vans in front of the shopping center. Apparently, the Chinese senior centers in the area take their participants to that store for grocery shopping. Don’t get me wrong, I was actually very pleased to see that. I used to work at an adult day center, and for many of the folks, the few hours they spend at their day centers are the only times they get to socialize and get out of their homes. But my dreams of leisurely spending my morning browsing and discovering were pretty much destroyed the moment I saw those vans.

Man, those old folks were rough! Mind you, this is a large grocery store, and it was just packed with old folks. Just getting a shopping cart and entering the store was an obstacle. Once I managed to get into the store, it was this ridiculously funny yet frustrating scene of bumper carts. Those folks were causing serious traffic jams by driving too slow, driving on both sides of the aisles, parking in the middle of aisles to chat, cutting each other off, and crashing into things. I got my shit as fast as I could, and got the hell out of there.

Back to the subject, the dinner was on Sunday. I made my broth on Friday, wonton fillings on Saturday, and made the wontons on Sunday.

Important note. I sort of forgot that dinner was only for 6 people. I prepared enough food for…maybe 16 people. What I am about to share with you is perfect for a wonton making party. Or if you are going into hibernation mode, you can stock up on frozen wontons for the cold hard days when all you need is a bowl of steaming wonton soup.

I will break this down into 2 parts. First, I will show you how I make my tonkotsu style broth. Then, I will show you how to make the two kinds of wontons.

Sew Sweet and Salty

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