No, I have no idea why it is called Tiger Salad, but I can tell you it is delicious and you should make it… It is yet another recipe from Josette’s blog, and you can read her thoughts about it clicking here.
CHINESE TIGER SALAD WITH CORN AND AVOCADO (slightly modified from thebrookcook)
2 T sesame seeds, I used black 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice 3 T canola oil 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce 2 tsp oil from a jar of chili crisp 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 2 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar 1 tsp kosher salt 3 large ears of corn, husked, slightly rubbed with canola oil 2 avocados, cut into large pieces 1 English hothouse cucumber, seeds removed, halves sliced crosswise 1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped 2 T crumbled queso fresco or Cotija cheese, plus more for garnish
To Make the Dressing: toast the sesame seeds slightly in a dry small skillet over medium heat; transfer to a large shallow bowl. Add lime juice, oil, soy sauce, chili crisp oil, toasted sesame oil, unseasoned rice vinegar, and salt and stir vigorously until salt is dissolved. Set dressing aside.
To Make the Salad: air-fry or grill the corn and remove the kernels from the cobs, placing them in a large bowl. Add avocado, cucumber, and half of the cilantro. Add reserved dressing and toss gently to combine. Taste salad and season with more salt if needed. Top with the cheese, remaining cilantro and more black sesame seeds if you like.
Comments: This is quite a satisfying salad thanks to the corn, and very flavorful with all the lime juice, the sesame oil and of course the heat of the chili crisp oil. I took a picture without the cheese, as Phil prefers to skip it, so I added only to my plate. I’ve made the salad again using feta and it also goes super well with all other ingredients. It is an interesting recipe, a marriage of Chinese and Mexican cuisines. It also keeps well, leftovers were great next day, even the avocado was still fine.
It’s been a few months since I blogged on super simple stuff, so here I am… I will start with a pretty unusual and kind of cute take on the humble broccoli. I am sure you are familiar with smashed potatoes, but in this version, broccoli is the one getting smashed and baked. Delicious, and oh so simple!
SMASHED BROCCOLI
Here’s what you do: cook broccoli florets – as many as will fit in a baking sheet – until just tender, don’t let it get all mushy. Drain, run through very cold water to stop the cooking. Add the pieces to a parchment-lined baking sheet, smash them flat with the bottom of a measuring cup, drizzle a good amount of olive oil, salt and pepper and a bit of cheese on top. You can load it with cheese if you want, or use restraint like we did. You can use mozzarella, Gruyere, Mexican cheese, whatever you feel like. Bake at 425F until the cheese is melted, bubbly, getting dark on the edges. ENJOY!
Inspiration for this recipe came from an Instagram post that my friend Elaine shared with me. You can find it here. She goes heavily on the cheese, and next time I might do the same, at least in some pieces. Mouth-watering stuff!
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SLICES
Usually I resort to bags of cut butternut squash because I despise having to prep it myself. However, recently I used this trick that is a game changer: microwave the butternut squash for 4 minutes. No need to poke holes, nothing. Just microwave, allow it to cool a bit until you can handle it, and it will peel like a dream! Then just slice it, coat the slices with olive oil, add salt and pepper, and roast or air-fry it.
If you find a butternut squash with super long neck, go for it. More slices for you!
BRITISH-STYLE JACKED POTATOES
Phil and I make these ALL THE TIME. I was sure it was on the blog already, then he asked me for the link to send to a friend and I had one of those big “palm-to-forehead” moments. No blog post to be found. Better late than never, here’s what you do: get very large Russet potatoes, wash, scrub them and make two deep cuts in a cross. Season lightly with salt. Place in a 400F oven for TWO HOURS. That is it. Ten minutes before the two hours are up, go with a knife and cut the cross slits a little deeper, squeeze the potatoes (wearing gloves) to open the flesh a bit. Drizzle a touch of olive oil and bake for the additional ten minutes or until they start to get all golden. DONE. You can eat the skin and all, it will be crunchy, the flesh very smooth and flavorful. You can read all the details about it here.
I hope you give these simple recipes a try. Sometimes simple is all you need…
Once again I played with wafer paper to decorate sourdough bread, but this time I coupled it with a few strings to generate a cute shape, often used to turn the bread into pumpkin shape, but I opted for a more romantic outcome… Nothing personal against pumpkins, I do love them and honored them in the past (click here).
Start by cutting wafer paper in small heart shapes…. You will need three, and three long strings that you should rub very lightly with oil to facilitate removing later.
Place the strings equally spaced over the proofed dough, flip the dough over parchment paper, and tie the strings on the top, trying to hit the center as closely as possible. Gently insert the paper, coat the surface with flour and score the bread in any design you like. I used the Sonic blade and small scissors, as I often do.
Bake as you normally do, I keep the lid for 30 minutes and remove it for a final 15 minutes, all at 450F. Remove the strings, and allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
You can use different patterns for the small hearts, or cut plain wafer paper and paint it yourself.
It is really amazing how well the colors in the wafer paper stay pretty much unchanged with baking, much better than air-brushed or gel colors. I hope you give this technique a try and have as much fun with it as I am having…
Talk about a classic cookie, loved in more than 100 countries, born as Hydrox in 1908, sold in many flavors, some do not exist anymore (Lemon Meringue, anyone?). More than 40 billion Oreos are made every year, so why not make 20 or so in your own kitchen? Here is how.
FOR THE COOKIES 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup (200g)white sugar 2 teaspoons salt 2 large eggs 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour 1 heaping cup (140g) dark cocoa powder ½ teaspoon baking soda
CREAM FILLING ½ cup (113g) butter, softened 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla
Using a Kitchen Aid type mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs until fully incorporated. In a bow, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix together until combined.
Turn the dough out onto your surface and push together into a flat square. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Heat oven to 325˚F. Remove the dough from the fridge, roll out and if desired, use a patterned rolling pin or other embossing gadgets to create a pattern. Cut the cookie rounds and freeze for 10 minutes before baking for about 15 minutes.
To make the filling, combine butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. Beat together until light and fluffy. Assemble the cookies by spreading a generous scoop of the icing onto one of the cookies and sandwiching it with another.
Comments: These are definitely for intense chocolate lovers, as the black cocoa pushes the chocolate flavor to higher levels. They are of course, totally fine made plain, but I cannot help dressing them up a bit with the pattern on top.
And now, let me take you through a little Chocolate-Covered Oreo Adventure! You need to get the appropriate molds, either plain or with designs and go to work. When using plain molds, I like to add chocolate transfer sheets to make them more visually appealing.
TRANSFER SHEETS DARK AND GOLD
TRANSFER SHEETS MISCELLANEOUS
The thing with transfer sheets is that unfortunately you get what you pay for. It is possible to find quite affordable options on amazon, etsy, but if you pay a little more you will be much happier with the results. Less flaking, sharper images. One great brand (the one I used for the ones below) is called LUCKS but apparently they are not in business anymore, it broke my heart. I had those golden dot sheets for years, and wanted to get some more.
You can dress up Oreos using molds that generate a pattern. I sometimes dye a small portion of compound chocolate and paint areas of the mold before pouring the contrasting color. You need to let the painted area fully set before pouring the warm chocolate on top.
REACH FOR THE STARS
For the stars, I dyed some chocolate with yellow ad also brushed the inside of the mold with gold. Next time I will go for more contrast.
WORSHIP THE SUNFLOWER
One of my favorites, the sunflower mold, you just need to be careful painting the center so that the edges stay sharp.
BAKE WITH YOUR HEART
Making chocolate-covered Oreos is a weekly event for me, as it turns out they are THE most popular item with the homeless meals. That and a certainbanana bread that I shared not too long ago. I hope you enjoyed this post, and consider playing with Oreos also.
In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see whateverybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, considering taking part of this fun event. It is chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier.
In our kitchen…
Unfortunately, there is no “before” picture, but this table was in horrible shape, as we used it during pandemic times to clean all our grocery stuff with 10 to 20% bleach, so it got all stained and scratched. The husband sanded it and finished with Benjamin Moore Stays Clear and it is now looking absolutely great!
In our kitchen….
Still thanks to the hard work of the husband, the final harvest (or almost final) of poblano peppers. We do have about 10 more to be brought back inside in the next few days.
In our kitchen…
Let’s hope this is the final version of an olive oil container, after yours truly broke yet another ceramic one that had been featured only 3 months ago. You cannot break stainless steel. And this one works great, it does not pour too much, it does not pour too little. Available here.
In our kitchen…
My favorite black cocoa to make chocolate cutout cookies, or Oreos. Intense, dark, perfect. Available here, if you cannot find where you live.
In our kitchen….
If you decorate cookies or even cupcakes, you know how hard it is to make a nice black color. Recently someone in a cookie decorating site recommended this black color and it is indeed a game changer. No more mixing black hours or a day in advance, no more emptying the bottle of dye into your icing… This is fantastic, I highly recommend it. Black Diamond from Chefmaster.
In our kitchen…
Speaking of gel colors… this is the way I organize my “small” collection. First and second rows are organized by brand, as those bottles have different shape. Below that they get organized by color following the rainbow… The bottom two rows are for luster powders and dusts. I’ve had this shelf since 2018, it is not available in amazon anymore, but it is originally to store nail polish.
In our kitchen…..
Still in the subject of organization, the way I store cookie cutters. These shelves are easy to assemble, sturdy enough (particularly considering they are not expensive), and do a very good job. Many styles available, you can check the store at amazon with a click here.
In our kitchen….
Some new silicone molds for fondant, small pumpkins and larger ones that might even work for baking a little cookie, need to experiment a bit to make sure.
In our kitchen….
I make chocolate-covered Oreos very often to include in my donation box of Fridays. I am always trying new brand of compound chocolate for that and this one is really nice, make a shinny coating and has pleasant vanilla flavor, no aftertaste. Available (sometimes) on amazon, click here.
In our kitchen…
White Oreos covered with that compound chocolate, part of it dyed with food gel color for the drizzle.
In our kitchen…
This is something we bought to take with us in walks with the pups. It is great, you press the button and water flows into the small cup that they can lick as if from a small bowl. Several sizes available (click here).
Speaking of dogs, here they are to bark their piece….
First, the shocking news! Star is going to be a big, very big girl… She turned only 6 months last week, and we learned that at this age, Dalmatians are at 60% of their final size. We are clearly doomed. She is already very strong, and has turned our house upside down, in many adorable ways…. Please send help, we might need it.
Below, a very rare scenario that needed to be documented so we could all believe our eyes…. Oscar barely tolerates the pups around him, but apparently a pair of soft pillows over a comfy couch can make miracles.
The Gang of Three has enjoyed a very nice Summer, all things considered, but truth be told, the “K-word” floated around once.
Yes, they had to endure a few days in the Dog Prison, where they had access to a lot of grass, playmates, and even a pool, that none of them showed any interest on. Oh, well, such is life… Of course, their good life in the Kingdom of Tatarrax was soon resumed, we cannot stay too long away from them…
Prince is now fully golf-trained: sits while Phil hits his balls, waits for him to putt, and runs to the cart at the end of each hole… Star needs a lot more work before she can be trusted to be a caddy, but we are making progress…
Prince is turning out to be a pup of refined taste..
And when it is all over and dishes are under way….
Oscar clearly believes the Whippersnappers lack class and dignity….
Particularly in light of his little sister’s sleeping etiquette….
His brother’s odd habits…
Or, come to think of it, his non-Royal eating etiquette…
Or the She-Devil’s approach…
No, Osky stands clearly higher above it all…
Not so fast, buddy! Sorry to burst your bubble, but you can be quite messy too!
AM I STILL YOUR NUMBER ONE?
THERE IS PLENTO OF LOVE TO GO AROUND THE KINGDOM, OSKY BOY! NO WORRIES THERE…
But, if we really want to talk about love, we have a couple of experts…
Bewitching Kitchen 