Favorite Recipes

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Prep Time: 10 Min

Cook Time: 11 Min

Ready In: 30 Min

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix 

1/2 cup butter, softened 

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Pour the cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in the butter, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 11 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are golden. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before removing to cool on wire racks. 
   
   

Importance:

Chocolate chip cookies were always my favourite cookie because ever since I was a little girl, my mom would always buy me cookies, chocolate chip cookies. I remember when I was about ten years old, my mom bought a Pillsbury cookie maker and made me cookies. I then asked her to make it from scratch and see how that would taste different from processed cookies and Pillsbury cookies. My got an ingredient from a website and made cookies from home, I loved it, only because it was fresh and soft. In conclusion, since then, I have reduced the times of buying processed cookies and made them from home, when I eventually learned it to do it myself without my mom’s help.

PIZZA - SUPREME

Prep Time: 45 Min

Cook Time: 30 Min

Ready In: 1 Hr 15 Min

Ingredients:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 

2 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees) 

3 tablespoons vegetable oil 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

4 cups all-purpose flour

Sauce:

2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce 

1 1/2 teaspoons grated onion 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Toppings:

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 

4 ounces Canadian bacon, diced (optional) 

1 (3.25 ounce) package sliced pepperoni 

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced 

1 medium green pepper, sliced 

1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced ripe olives, drained 

1 cup chopped onion 

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1/2 cup minced fresh basil

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.
2. Combine sauce ingredients; set aside. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a 13-in. circle. Transfer to two greased 12-in. pizza pans; build up edges slightly. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Spread with sauce; sprinkle with toppings. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted. 
   
   

Importance:

My dad used to be a chef at this pool and bar place years ago and he would make variety of foods from pizza to burgers to fries etc. I remember he would make some food at home and he would serve it to us and one food I particularly remember is pizza. He would make pizza some times at home and I would eat them. I loved the pizza he made and I always wanted to learn how to make them. I used to help him make the pizza, by cutting fruits or making the sauce. Years later, earlier this year, my dad and I made pizza again, because he stopped making it after years. I told him that I wanted some pizza and he came up with the idea of making it at home. So we decided to make them. In, conclusion, making the pizza with my dad is something I shared with him as I grew up. 

RICE CRISPY

Prep Time: 20 Min

Ready In: 20 Min

Ingredients:

1/4 cup margarine or butter 

1 (10 ounce) package regular marshmallows 

Directions:

1. In a large microwave safe bowl, heat margarine and marshmallows at HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes.
2. Stir it with cereal until well coated. While still warm, shape mixture into 12 wreath shapes using buttered hands. Place on surface sprayed with cooking spray, or wax paper and allow to cool.
3. Decorate wreaths with icing or candy as desired. Best if served same day.
   
   

Importance:

Rice crispy squares is something I used to make with my sisters sometimes when I was  younger. When I was in elementary school, we bought rice crispy squares as a snack to school and we would sometimes have rice crisper cereal in the morning, well at least I did. At the back of the cereal had the ingredients to make rice crispy, so my older sister decided to make them. All we needed was margarine and marshmallow; well that’s how we did it. My sister would always make it perfect, perfect shape and condition, but me, its hard most of the time and the shape is unpredictable. I made them tos how my sister I can make it too, but I really couldn’t’. In conclusion, even though I didn’t make the perfect rice crispy as my sister, that was one thing me and my sister got along doing something together that I could remember.

 

CUPCAKES

Prep Time: 15 Min

Cook Time: 20 Min

Ready In: 1 Hr 45 Min

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 

3/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1 pinch salt 

5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces 

2/3 cup milk 

1 cup white sugar 

2 eggs 

1 egg yolk 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper cupcake liners. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
2. Heat the butter and milk in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter has melted. Beat the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla with an electric mixer in a large bowl until it has thickened slightly and is lighter in color. Gradually beat in the flour mixture on low speed until just incorporated. Slowly pour in the hot milk, beating until just combined.
3. Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Importance:

Cupcakes are something me and my mom made when I was a little girl. She used to make cupcakes for us to eat because she likes to make variety of food and most of them had to do with bakery based snacks. Making cupcakes is something me and my mom made together, she would make the cupcakes while I put the icing on the cupcake after it cooled down. In conclusion, I would spent time with my mom making bakery based snacks like cupcakes, that I find this as one of my favourite recipes.

CHICKEN KOTHU ROTI

Ingredients:

4 - 5 rotis , chappathis

1 /2 cup left over chicken (precooked)

1 large onion sliced

3 eggs beaten

1 tsp cumin powder

salt

black pepper

1 handful of fresh choppped cilantro

2 teaspoon ghee or oil

Directions:

1. Heat the ghee or oil in a pan.
2. Add in the sliced onions. Add some salt and jeera powder.Cover and cook till translucent.
3. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble . Add the rajma or meat (optional) .Sprinkle the corriander leaves and some pepper.
4. Tear up the chappathis into bite size pieces and add them to the pan. Mix well and turn off the heat. Enjoy it hot!
   
   

Tips:

1. This dish tastes good with just the eggs and onions.Try making it with other left overs.Left over rajma masala or chicken / mutton pieces from a gravy (broken into smaller pieces and added ) tastes very good.
2. Add some sliced green chillies for a nice flavor.
3. Ease of preparation: Medium
4. No. of servings: 2

Importance:

Kothu roti is a Tamil food that my mom loves to make. I like to eat kothu roti that my mom makes than the ones that is bought from the store. My mom been making kothu roti for years and I never get tired of it. I think this meal is something that defines the Tamil culture. The recipe that is provided above is something I got from a website, the way mom makes she does it from scratch, she doesn't measure the amount of salt, oil etc when she makes this meal, she just puts the amount that she seems is right and it still ends up tasting good. In conclusion, I love kothu roti and it reminds me, eating it at the dinning table with my family on my sixth birthday, it brings back memories!