Lovin' From the Oven

Chicken Carbonara

by 3 Comments

chickencarb chickencarb-3 chickencarb-2 chickencarb-4

Did you guys know that the Pixar’s headquarters is in Emeryville? That’s literally a ten minute drive from my apartment. I found this out the first month that I moved up here and became a giddy child. As if you don’t already know, I adore Pixar. I watched this documentary on their building a while ago with my jaw on the floor the entire time because I was in awe of the amenities provided in their work space. They have secret passageways that lead to bars/little lounge areas! Just a quick google of “pixar building” and you can see what I mean.

Ever since then, I’ve been trying to see if there’s any way I would be able to tour it. It’s pretty exclusive, so unless you work there or know someone that does, there’s not really a chance of you being able to get in there (like Disney’s Club 33). So I did what any normal person would do: I looked to see if they had any job openings. Unfortunately for me, they were not in search of a baker, just plain ol’ graphic designers. What a bummer.

Until then, I’ll be filling the void in my life with precious carbs. This dish will do the trick to zap you out of your sorrows. I’ve never made anything with pasta besides using pre-made sauce, so this dish was a step up for me. Little did I know it would be so easy! Making a cream based pasta is not as hard as it looks. The next time you’re reaching for that jar of Prego, give yourself 15 more minutes to make this dish instead. I promise you won’t regret it!

From Return of the Yummy

Chicken Carbonara
Click here for a printable recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 8oz dried spaghetti (I used fettuccine)
  • 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
  • 2 slices of strip bacon, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup regular or heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • pinch of black pepper
  • salt to taste

Method

  1. Cook pasta in boiling water with a bit of salt as per directions on package. Let it cook until just before al dente — it will continue cooking a little more in the sauce, so you don’t want to overcook or it’ll become too soft.
  2. In a pan, cook the chopped bacon. When almost crisp, add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and save for later.
  3. Whisk together the egg yolks. Stir in the whipping cream, milk, and cheese.
  4. Just when the pasta is almost before al dente, put the bacon and garlic back on low heat and add in the chicken.
  5. Using tongs, carefully add the cooked pasta over the chicken (without straining). The pasta water that comes over will help thicken the sauce because of the starch.
  6. Take the cream mixture and pour on top of the pasta. Gently toss everything together, until the sauce has thickened. Add black pepper. Do NOT heat so high that the sauce boils; this will cause the sauce to separate.
  7. Taste it, add more salt if necessary.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

by 15 Comments

cinnamonroll

cinnamonroll-2

cinnamonroll-3

I’ve never been a big breakfast fan. By breakfast, I mean eating food before 10 AM. I love eggs, cereal, waffles, oatmeal, etc…, but I usually eat it in the evening. I guess that makes it brinner?

I never ate breakfast as a child and still rarely do to this day unless I have the whole day to myself. It’s a terrible habit, I know. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day bla bla bla. I get it. I should eat breakfast. I’m a horrible person.

If someone made me these pancakes every morning, however, it’d be a completely different story. I’d be up at 6AM with a fork in hand, ready to devour a stack of flapjacks. The cinnamon swirl caramelizes on the outer rim, giving a sweet crunch in each bite. They were sweet enough to eat enough on their own, but you could also sprinkle some powdered sugar or maple syrup on top if you really need a sugar rush in the morning. From Recipe Girl.

P.S. I updated the “About Me” section (FINALLY!), so feel free to check it out and let me know a little more about yourself!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Click here for a printable recipe

PANCAKES:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 Tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

CINNAMON FILLING:

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

  1. First, make the pancake batter. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk, oil, and egg until just combined. Make sure not to overmix– Lumps are okay!
  2. Now make the cinnamon filling. Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a ziploc bag. You want this mixture to be very liquidy. 
  3. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Cut off the corner of your ziploc bag of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip over and cook until just browned (an additional 1-2 minutes).

Snickerdoodle Muffins

by 2 Comments

snickerdoodlemuffins

snickerdoodlemuffins-2

snickerdoodlemuffins-3

snickerdoodlemuffins-5

I’m currently reading Lunch Wars by Amy Kalafa and it has really got me thinking about food. I realized that ever since I moved up to Berkeley, I haven’t had any fast food. Zip, zilch, nada. How is that possible? Back home, I went to McDonald’s almost everyday for their iced coffee or Del Taco for their churros. I’d say 90% of my meals are eaten at home now that I’m living on my own, which is mind blowing to me.

In Berkeley, I would never get in my car just to go get a snack somewhere. I hardly drive (with the exception of work and grocery shopping) because it’s such an inconvenience. Parking is a hassle and there’s really no need because we have everything in walking distance. It’s funny how quickly we adapted to the environment without even knowing it.

Now look at these muffins. How can you ever look away? They’re so… fluffy! Being a fan of the cinnamon sugar combination, these babies are a winner in my book. Actually, a little more cinnamon sugar would have been the cherry on top. These were incredibly light. Literally. I could be holding five muffins and would think that I was holding one. That means you can eat five, right? Recipe from Very Culinary.

Snickerdoodle Muffins
Click here for a printable recipe

Instructions

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk

For the Topping:

  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Put 18 liners in the muffin tray
  2. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
  4. Add the sour cream and buttermilk and mix to combine. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until smooth.
  5. Using a cookie dough scoop, drop a scoop of batter into the bowl with the sugar/cinnamon. Gently roll the batter in the mixture. Place the ball into the muffin liner.
  6. Sprinkle the leftover sugar/cinnamon mix on top of the muffins.
  7. Bake the muffins for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Categories