Strawberry Cheesecake (No Bake) 草莓芝士凍餅

This has been the longest stretch since my last post on 2/10/15. What I have been doing for the past month? I took a vacation to visit family and meet some friends whom I have lost contact with for more than two decades. It is a great feeling to reconnect with old friends and catch up with each others' lives. 

What is most precious is after all these years we still treasure our friendship. 

Genuine friendship can pass the test of time!

Tiramisu Cupcake 提拉米蘇杯子蛋糕

Believe or not, this is my first post on cupcakes. Although cupcakes have been popular for such a long time, for some reason I am not into this trend. My food critics at home have been bugging me to make cupcakes for a long time. I yielded to their requests when I saw this recipe on King Arthur's blog. It is a twist on the classic tiramisu, building on a cupcake.

I modified the recipe quite a bit and made it my own version with significantly less sugar. I call it an adult cupcake.

New Library Cooking Programs

Below is the line up of open-to-the-public Los Angeles county library cooking programs for the first half of the year  :

1)  January 31 Saturday 2pm Red Bean Pastry 紅豆酥 at Asian Pacific Resource Center in Rosemead Library

2)  March 28 Saturday 1pm Egg Tart 蛋撻 at Paramount Library

3)  April 18 Saturday 2pm Bo Law Bao(Pineapple Bun) 波蘿包 at Leland R. Weaver Library

4)  April 25 Saturday 2pm Char Siu(Barbecued Pork) 叉燒 at Leland R. Weaver Library

5)  May 9 Saturday 2pm Red Bean Pastry 紅豆酥 at Walnut Library

6)  May 16 Saturday 2pm Char Siu and Egg Tart 叉燒及蛋撻 at Carson Library

Taro Cake with Eight Beans 八寶芋頭糕

It's almost the time of the year during which Chinese families' kitchens are filled with the fragrances from all different kinds of New Year food. My kitchen now is filled with the pleasant aroma of Chinese five spice powder. This taro cake with eight beans and peas is a healthy vegetarian dish. (chick peas, red kidney beans, black-eyed peas, red beans, mung beans, etc)

Macaron Class and Library Demonstration

Macaron Class:

Date: Feb 14, 1-4pm

Location: Diamond Bar, California

This is a hands-on class and I will show you step by step how to make this delicious and crowd pleasing French cookies. No experience required. Class limits to 8 students.

Sign-up or questions: phoebechow@morethanbread.net

Mango Cheesecake (Baked) 芒果芝士蛋糕

Are you a cheesecake lover? Do you like mango? If your answers are both positive, then don't miss out on this mango cheesecake. What makes this cheesecake different from all others is the concentrated mango pulp mixed into the mango cheese filling. As you bite into it, you experience an intense mango flavor.

This recipe is adapted from the newly published Baking Bible by renowned baker and cookbook author Rose Levy Beranbaum.

Winners of Giveaway

Three lucky winners are drawn for the Christmas and New Year Cookbook Giveaway sponsored by Tuttle Publishing Company:

1) Sushma P
2) Alex Hui
3) Christine Lui

Congratulations ! Please send me (phoebechow@morethanbread.net) your mailing address. If I do not receive your address within 48 hours, you will be replaced by another participant.

Merry Christmas to all of you !

Sriracha Honey Popcorn 是拉差爆谷

The popularity of this hot sauce is quite the phenomenon. There are not a lot of products that only rely on word of mouth and reach such a level of success. People who love Sriracha put it in almost everything they eat. There are even Sriracha mayonnaise and ketchup in the market.

So when I was flipping through the pages of a new cookbook named The Kitchn (without an "e"), this recipe for Sriracha popcorn caught my eyes.

Christmas and New Year Cookbook Giveaway 食譜免費送贈活動

I should say this giveaway is killing two birds with one stone. The holidays are approaching, making it a great time for a giveaway. This event is also a way to reward my readers who have been so supportive in following my blog. I was so busy lately that I forgot to celebrate my blog's fourth anniversary.

What have I been busy with? Here are some pictures (visit my facebook page for more):

During the last week of November I was honored to cater a wedding with over 200 guests. It was a great challenge and I am thankful that it went well with very good responses from the hosts and guests.

To celebrate the holidays and my blog's fourth anniversary, I am giving away Easy Chinese Recipes by Bee Yinn Low and The Ancient Art of Tea by Warren Peltier, courtesy of Tuttle Publishing Company. Three winners will be chosen to receive one copy of each book.

1) Easy Chinese Recipes by Bee Yinn Low. Bee is also a Southern California blogger (rasamalaysia.com). This cookbook has a lot of easy-to-follow recipes and many tips for novices in making Chinese food.

2) The Ancient Art of Tea by Warren Peltier (Chinese name: 夏雲峰) Mr. Peltier is an expert on tea. He spent years in China studying the history and culture of tea. In the book, he will show you how to brew an amazing cup of tea. 

For more information on the books, click on the links.

Instructions for the giveaways:

1) Like my blog page on Facebook (skip if you already did)
2) Follow my blog either by directly subscribing or signing up for updates by email (skip if you already did)
3) Comment on this post (with your full name) on what you like about this blog.

Deadline for submission: 12/17/14 midnight PST

I will generate the results on Random.org and announce the winners on 12/18/14. There is no geographical limitation. The publisher will send the books to the winners worldwide.

Disclaimer: I am not compensated for reviewing the cookbooks or holding this giveaway. The giveaway is courtesy of Tuttle Publishing Company.

Walnut Cinnamon Swirl Bread 核桃肉桂麵包

I always get excited about learning, no matter if it is new knowledge, technology or, of course, new recipes.

Until recently, I did not know about this kind of bread, called Povitica. It is a Croatian sweet bread. For Croatians, Povitica is a very common gift between friends and families. This culture is very similar to gifting of mooncakes during Mid Autumn Festival for the Chinese.

Although Povitica is similar to cinnamon rolls here in America, it has its own characteristics. The dough needs to be rolled out as thin as possible and it does not need a lengthy second rise as in making regular yeast bread.

And the filling is decadent: lots and lots of ground walnuts with cinnamon and cocoa powder, all of my favorites. Perfect choice for the Holidays.

Please read the recipe and the notes at least once before you begin for best results.