Ingredients:

2 to 3 small zucchini
6 eggs
8 to 10 large basil leaves, chopped or torn
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
salt and pepper
3 slices bacon
1 small, ripe tomato, seeded and diced
4 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon butter

Procedure:

Coarsely grate enough of the zucchini to make 2 1/2 cups and place it in a medium-size mixing bowl. Lightly salt the zucchini and toss it gently to season it evenly. Let it set for 10 minutes, then use clean hands to squeeze the zucchini, pressing out the excess water. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until they are evenly blended. Whisk in the basil, parsley, about half of the Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Set the mixture aside. Heat a 10-inch oven proof nonstick skillet on the stove top. Add the bacon and cook it over medium heat until it is crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel? lined plate. Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat out of the pan. Heat the broiler. Add the grated zucchini to the skillet and sauté it over high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the zucchini is cooking, chop or crumble the bacon into small pieces and add it to the egg mixture. 5. Add the diced tomato and scallions to the skillet and sauté the vegetables until they are soft but not mushy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the butter to the skillet in pieces and stir it into the vegetables. Use a fork to loosely arrange the vegetables in an even layer in the pan. 6. Whisk the egg mixture again, then slowly pour it over the vegetables, covering the entire surface. Do not stir the mixture. Instead, gently shake the pan to help settle the egg. Cook the frittata over medium heat for 4 minutes without disturbing it. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top of the frittata. Place the pan under the broiler about 8 inches from the heat source and broil the frittata for about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and poke a fork in the center of the frittata to see if it’s done. We covered the hot handle with a heat-resistant silicone sleeve, but you can also use an oven mitt — place it over the skillet handle while the pan is out of the broiler to remind you that it’s hot. If you see liquid egg around the fork, place the pan back under the broiler for another 45 to 60 seconds. When the frittata is done, transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Let the frittata cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully slide a flexible spatula around the edge to loosen it. Once it’s free, gently lift the frittata with the spatula, tilt the pan, and slide it onto a large serving plate. Let it cool at least 5 more minutes, then slice it into wedges and serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Ingredients:

9 oz. (250 grams) boneless pork or uncured ham
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
2 cups (500 ml.) pork stock
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce
2 oz (50 grams) garlic, peeled and pounded to a paste
1/4 tsp. chili (chilli) oil

Procedure:

Wash the ham and boil in water to cover until done. Drain and cut into three strips. Soak them in the stock for 5 minutes to absorb the flavour, then cut the strips into thin slices. Mix the garlic with the sesame oil, adding enough water to make a paste. Blend the paste, with the soy sauce and chili oil. Pour it over the pork, blend well, and serve.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (16-ounce) package confectioners’ sugar
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1/2 cup shelled, unsalted peanuts

Procedure:

Line 1 large baking sheet with aluminum foil and another with waxed paper; set both aside. Using an electric mixer (or a wooden spoon), beat together the peanut butter and butter in a large bowl until blended and smooth. Add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time; blend until smooth. Press the mixture into 1-inch balls. (The dough will be dry, so it may be easier to form with damp hands.) Place the balls on the foil-lined sheet. Let stand until firm, about 30 minutes. Melt the white chocolate chips and shortening in a heatproof bowl set atop a pot of simmering water over medium-high heat. Stir continuously until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat. Using a toothpick for a handle, pierce each ball, then dip it into the melted chocolate. Spoon chocolate over the balls to coat them, if needed. Set them on the waxed-paper-lined sheet and top each with a peanut half. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

5 pieces chicken
2 lbs. mushrooms
4 medium tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 onion
1 packet powdered beef onion soup
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
salt

Procedure:

Remove chicken skin. Dice onion, pepper, and tomatoes. Dice half of the mushrooms, and slice the other half. In a large pot, sauté pepper and onion in oil until onion just begins to turn light brown. Add tomatoes and continue to sauté until tomatoes give off a good deal of water. Add chicken to pot making sure that the chicken touches the bottom of the pot. Add salt to taste. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 45-60min stirring or flipping chicken every 5-15 minutes as needed. Remove chicken and place on a baking sheet. Dissolve soup into water and stir into the mixture. Add mushrooms to pot, increase heat to high, and stir periodically while keeping covered. Remove cover for a thicker sauce. Cook approx. 10 minutes until desired consistency is reached. Pour sauce over chicken. For a different effect, strain the sauce first so there are no mushrooms.

Ingredients:

12 ounces white chocolate, such as Ghirardelli
1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, candy canes, crushed
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Procedure:

Line a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and set it aside. Break the white chocolate into pieces and melt it in a double boiler or microwave according to the package directions. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the 1/3 cup of candy cane pieces. Pour the mixture onto the foil-lined pan, spreading it to within a half inch of the edges. Melt the semisweet chips and drizzle them over the white chocolate mixture. Sprinkle on the remaining candy pieces. Place the bark in the refrigerator and chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Then break or cut the bark into pieces. Serve at room temperature.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup pineapple juice
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup soy sauce
one 1 1/2-inch cube ginger, peeled
1 medium-size jalapeño pepper, halved, cored, and seeded
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 3/4 pounds flank steak, well trimmed

Procedure:

Puree all ingredients except steak in a food processor. Pour marinade into a large self-sealing plastic bag, add steak, seal, turn to coat well, and refrigerate 5 hours or overnight. Preheat the grill or broiler. Remove steak from marinade, pat dry on paper towels, and grill over moderate coals or broil 4 inches from the heat until steak is the way you like it — 5 to 6 minutes on each side for medium-rare and 6 to 7 minutes for medium. Flank steak cooked beyond medium will be tough. Let stand about 10 minutes, then, starting on the shorter side of the steak, slice on the bias and across the grain as thin as possible. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

ice cream or Sherbet
gumdrops
edible glitter

Procedure:

For each one, first roll a piece of waxed paper into a cone and slip it inside a paper party hat set upside down in a freezer-safe glass. Spoon 3/4 cup of slightly softened ice cream or sherbet into the hat, then set the glass in the freezer to harden (about 2 1/2 hours). Meanwhile, use a rolling pin to flatten gumdrops, then cut out stars using a small cookie cutter. At serving time, invert the hats onto bowls, squeezing them gently to release the paper and the ice cream, then peel away the paper. Let the ice cream soften slightly, then sprinkle the trees with colored edible glitter and top each one with a gumdrop star, using a toothpick to secure it in place if needed.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. fresh prawns
1 bunch fresh coriander leaves or scallions
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. oil

To be processed into a fine paste:
2 cm. galangal or fresh ginger (chopped)
3 shallots (chopped)
1 stalk lemongrass (chopped)
3 dried chilli (soak in hot water before use)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 tsp. roasted belacan

Procedure:

Process all the ingredients listed into a food processor and set aside. Heat wok and drizzle oil in wok. When wok is hot enough, add the mixture into the wok. Stir fry until fragrant (caution: do not burn). Add prawns to mixture. Add half coriander or scallions. Add salt and pepper. Remove prawns when they turn translucent and arrange on platter. Sprinkle remaining coriander or scallions on prawns. Serve immediately

TIP: Belacan must be roasted before use otherwise it will impart a rather bitter flavor. You can dry roast it in a pan (make sure area is well ventilated as smell is pungent) or you can toast it in a toaster oven on aluminum foil.

Ingredients:

2 bunches scallions
2 1/2 cups quick grits
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
12 medium shrimp, cooked, peeled, and halved
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter
vegetable oil
jalapeño jelly

Procedure:

Finely chop the scallions (the bottom part only) and set them aside. Lightly butter a 13- by 18-inch baking pan with sides. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Slowly sprinkle in the grits, stirring with a whisk all the while. Then reduce the heat to medium and stir for 5 to 7 minutes, until thick. Remove the pan of grits from the heat and stir in the cheese, spices (you can reduce the amount of cayenne, if you like), salt and pepper, and scallions. Spoon the mixture into the baking pan (it should be about 1/2 inch deep) and smooth the top. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter (or a drinking glass), mark out circles in the grits, then press a shrimp half into the middle of each circle. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until it’s time to fry the cakes. Combine the flour and cornmeal in a pie pan. Then use the cookie cutter to cut out the grit circles (leftover scraps can be fried up or frozen). Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add oil until it is 1/2 inch deep. Coat both sides of each grit cake with the flour mixture, and then fry the cakes until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Place the cooked grits cakes on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve hot with jalapeño jelly. Makes 2 dozen 3-inch grits cakes.

Ingredients:

5 oz lean beef
A: 2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cooking wine.
crushed garlic
roasted sesame seeds
finely chopped green onion
1 3/4 oz. bean threads
1 green onion
4 dried mushrooms,soaked in water
1 oz. carrot
1/3 oz. dried cloud ear mushrooms, soaked in water.
1 green pepper
2/3 tsp. salad oil
salt and pepper.

B: 1 tsp. roasted sesame seeds
2/3 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/3 tsp. sesame oil
1/3 tsp.crushed garlic
1/3 tsp.pepper
1/3 tsp. monosodium glutamate

Procedure:

In salted boiling water, cooked bean threads 3- 4 minutes until transparent. Drain and cut into 2 1/2 inch length. Cut beef and make it into strips. Combine A and add beef to marinate. Slice green onion diagonally. Cut mushrooms into strips. Cut ear mushrooms into bite size pieces. Cut carrot and green pepper into the strips. Heat salad oil and add green onion. Cook briefly and seas on with salt and pepper. In the same manner cook all vegetables. Heat salad oil and cook beef strips. Combine B. Add bean threads and mix well. Add vegetables and beef. Mix and serve it.