Cucumber Kimchi(Oi Kimchi)

My friend Sonja is a bit obsessed with South Korea and everything pertaining to the country.  Her two oldest daughter's have served as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in South Korea so Sonja has been to South Korea and has valid reasons for her obsession.  After having a plethora of cucumbers from my garden and an urgent need to preserve them before my family went on a Summer trip to New York City I decided to indulge my friend's love of Korean food and make cucumber kimchi.  She was able to help me and provide the Korean chili powder for this easy recipe.  I'm not familiar with kimchi at all so this was a new experience for me, but I love making food for my friends.  Hopefully a few more Korean recipes are on the horizon for my family. 

 My cucumber kimchi, its pretty to look at isn't it?

Ingredients:

1 lb Pickling Cucumbers (3 Lebanese cucumbers)
3 Green Onions
2 tablespoon Gochugaru (korean chili flakes, found online or at Asian Market)
1 tablespoon grated Gala Apple
1 tablespoon White Sugar
1/2 tablespoon Fish Sauce
1/2 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
2 cloves of Garlic
1/2" piece of Ginger
Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

I don't know why I included the white onion in my photo, it is not in the recipe.  It was photobombing my recipe photo.  

 Cut cucumber into 2 inch long by 1/2 inch wide pieces, removing seeds if they are present.  

Sprinkle salt onto cumbers in a sieve.  I have some Himalayan Pink Salt I used but that isn't a requirement, sea salt will work just as well.  Allow to drain in sink for 20 minutes.  This will help remove excess water from the cucumbers and change the cellular wall inside the cucumber so the spice mixture will penetrate more.  

 Slice green onions width wise to create long skinny pieces then lengthwise into 4 inch matchsticks.   

 This is the Fish Sauce I forgot to include in my original photo.

Grate the peeled ginger and garlic with a microplane.  This is one of my favorite tools, it creates a delicate grate without all the work of cutting.  Dice one quarter of the apple flesh into small pieces.

Combine the Gochugaru, onions, garlic, ginger, and apple in a metal bowl.  Stir until a paste is formed.

Brush the salt off the cucumber and add them to the paste and stir until combined.  Finally sprinkle the sesame seeds on the mixture.  Transfer to lidded mason jars and let set for 12-24 hours at room temperature on your counter.  Refrigerate after curing.  The cucumber kimchi may be eaten after refrigerated. 

Enjoy!

Cucumber Kimchi(Oi Kimchi)

Ingredients:

1 lb Pickling Cucumbers (3 Lebanese cucumbers)
3 Green Onions
2 tablespoon Gochugaru (korean chili flakes, found online or at Asian Market)
1 tablespoon grated Gala Apple
1 tablespoon White Sugar
1/2 tablespoon Fish Sauce
1/2 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
2 cloves of Garlic
1/2" piece of Ginger
Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

Process:

Cut cucumber into 2 inch long by 1/2 inch wide pieces, removing seeds if they are present.  

Sprinkle salt onto cumbers in a sieve.  Allow to drain in sink for 20 minutes.  This will help remove excess water from the cucumbers and change the cellular wall inside the cucumber so the spice mixture will penetrate more.  

Slice green onions width wise to create long skinny pieces then lengthwise into 4 inch matchsticks.   

Grate the peeled ginger and garlic with a microplane.  This is one of my favorite tools, it creates a delicate grate without all the work of cutting.  Dice one quarter of the apple flesh into small pieces.

Combine the Gochugaru, onions, garlic, ginger, and apple in a metal bowl.  Stir until a paste is formed.

Brush the salt off the cucumber and add them to the paste and stir until combined.  Finally sprinkle the sesame seeds on the mixture.  Transfer to lidded mason jars and let set for 12-24 hours at room temperature on your counter.  Refrigerate after curing.  The cucumber kimchi may be eaten after refrigerated. 

Enjoy!

Baked Mini Pumpkin Donuts

I ordered mini donut pans recently, oh my goodness they are so little and cute.  Today we used them, my friend Whitney and I made pumpkin donuts.  We had pumpkin puree I had made recently was perfect for donuts.  These donuts are small and a perfect Fall treat for fingers to hold onto and eat.

Small little bites of sugar, spice, and pumpkin!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted Coconut Oil
3 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 cups Pumpkin Purée (canned pumpkin can be substituted)
3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg 
1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 3/4 cup All Purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 Farhenheit.

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl with a whisk until combined.  Do not over mix.

Pour batter into a zip top bag.  Spray donut pans with non-stick spray.

Cut corner of the bag and squeeze batter into donut pan 3/4 full.

Bake for ten minutes.

Fill zip top bag with cinnamon and sugar, place donuts in bag and coat in cinnamon sugar.

Enjoy!

Baked Mini Pumpkin Donuts

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted Coconut Oil
3 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 cups Pumpkin Purée (canned pumpkin can be substituted)
3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg 

1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 3/4 cup All Purpose flour

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 Farhenheit.

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl with a whisk until combined, do not over mix.

Pour batter into a zip top bag, spray donut pans with non-stick spray.

Cut corner of the bag and squeeze batter into donut pan 3/4 full.

Bake for ten minutes.

Fill zip top bag with cinnamon and sugar, place donuts in bag and coat in cinnamon sugar.

Enjoy!

Oat Pumpkin Nutella Muffins

I'm excited about this muffin, I was wanting to make muffins that used what ingredients I already had on hand.  Not to mention I have a big bowl of fresh pureed pumpkin puree that I NEED to use, no really it would be a shame for it to go to waste.  These muffins smelled divine when they came out of the oven, and the taste was over the top delicious.  It made 32 muffins, you are welcome to split the recipe but as my husband pointed out for my family that is only 5 muffins per person and likely they'll be gone before the end of the day.  Yes my friends these are that good.

 These have the most fantastic smell, and the taste is just as yummy.

Ingredients:

2 cup Pumpkin Puree

1/2 cup Molasses

2 cup Brown Sugar

4 Eggs

1 cup Coconut Oil (or melted butter, cooled)

2/3 cup Water

2 teaspoon Vanilla

1 1/2 cups Oat Flour (or all-purpose flour)

1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour

2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

1 teaspoon Ginger

2/3 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

 Whisk eggs, water, coconut oil, vanilla, molasses, and pumpkin puree together.

 Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt together in a seperate bowl.

Add half flour mixture to wet mixture, whisk until combined.  Add second half od flour mixture and whisk.  Do not over mix.

Grease two 24 cup muffin pans or use paper liners.  Fill each well 2/3 full.

Microwave Nutella for 30 seconds in a microwave safe bowl.  Scoop 1 teaspoon of Nutella on top of each muffin batter.

 Swirl chocolate with a toothpick in a figure eight shape.

 Bake for 18-20 minutes, turning them halway through and switching them.

Enjoy!

Oat Pumpkin Nutella Muffins

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

2 cup Pumpkin Puree

1/2 cup Molasses

2 cup Brown Sugar

4 Eggs

1 cup Coconut Oil (or melted butter, cooled)

2/3 cup Water

2 teaspoon Vanilla

1 1/2 cups Oat Flour (or all-purpose flour)

1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour

2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

1 teaspoon Ginger

2/3 cup Nutella

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Whisk eggs, water, coconut oil, vanilla, molasses, and pumpkin puree together.

Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt together in a seperate bowl.

Add half flour mixture to wet mixture, whisk until combined.  Add second half od flour mixture and whisk.  Do not over mix.

Grease two 24 cup muffin pans or use paper liners.  Fill each well 2/3 full.

Microwave Nutella for 30 seconds in a microwave safe bowl.  Scoop 1 teaspoon of Nutella on top of each muffin batter.

Swirl chocolate with a toothpick in a figure eight shape.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, turning them halway through and switching them.

Enjoy!

Phở Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)

Rememebr when I made Phở Bò (Beef Pho)? This is a chicken version, and I've made it as simple as possible.  We all like simple right?  This was our dinner shared with two bachelor friends. Our gentlemen guests were so excited to have a home cooked meal and were completely impressed.  It has been cloudy and cold, so soup was wonderful to come home to.  Plus when I went to pick up our friends, I was on the wrong side of the street.  Anywhere else this woudn't be a big deal, but next to the Queensboro Plaza Train Station, it meant a whole lot of lanes and barriers, dividers, and no way to cross.  I ended up turning too soon and going across the bridge to Manhattan and coming back to Queens.  Thankfully, we finally made it back to the apartment and a wonderful wafting smell from my pressure cooker where the broth was cooking.  I highly reccomend making broth of any kind in a pressure cooker.  The results are always fabulous and fast.

 This is a steaming hot bowl of flavor beyond any chicken soup you have ever experienced.

Ingredients:

4-5 pound Rotisserie Chicken (Costco really has the best price and sized chicken)
2 large bunch of Green Onions
7 large cloves of garlic
3 pieces of Dried Ginger
Roots and Stems of 1 bunch of Cilantro
2 whole star anise
12 cloves
2″x1″ piece of Cassia Bark (a.k.a. Saigon Cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
80g Light Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt

1 Jalapeno

1 Lime

Water

Japanese Noodles or Rice Noodles

Remove chicken from bones.  Place chicken bones in pressure cooker pot with 1 whole bunch
 of green onions, 1/2 bunch of Cilantro, star anise, cloves, cassia bark, black pepper, sugar, fish
sauce, salt, and add water to the top of the fill line for your pressure cooker (mine is 16 cups).  

Set pressure cooker to high for one hour.

Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large stock pot.

Bring to a boil.  We used Japanese noodles, but you can use traditional rice noodles if you want.  Cook noodles in broth according to package instrucitions.

Slice jalapeno thinly.  Slice remaining bunch of green onions.  Remove remaining cilantro
from stems.  Place all ingredients aside on a serving plate.  Cut chicken or shred chicken into bite
size pieces and serve next to the broth and plate of vegetables.

This is a build your own Phở Gà bowl.  Add ingredients then the noodles and broth over top.
We really had fun building our soup bowls and customizing how much of each ingredient.

Enjoy!

Phở Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)

Printable recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

4-5 pound Rotisserie Chicken (Costco really has the best price and sized chicken)
2 large bunch of Green Onions
7 large cloves of Garlic
3 pieces of Dried Ginger
Roots and Stems of 1 bunch of Cilantro
2 whole Star Anise
12 Cloves
2″x1″ piece of Cassia Bark (a.k.a. Saigon Cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
80g Light Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt

1 Jalapeno

1 Lime

Water

Japanese Noodles or Rice Noodles

Process:

Remove chicken from bones.  Place chicken bones in pressure cooker pot with 1 whole bunch of green onions, 1/2 bunch of Cilantro, star anise, cloves, cassia bark, black pepper, sugar, fish sauce, salt, and add water to the top of the fill line for your pressure cooker (mine is 16 cups).  

Set pressure cooker to high for one hour.

Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large stock pot.

Bring to a boil.  We used Japanese noodles, but you can use traditional rice noodles if you want. Cook noodles in broth according to package instrucitions.

Slice jalapeno thinly.  Slice remaining bunch of green onions.  Remove remaining cilantro from stems.  Place all ingredients aside on a serving plate.  Cut chicken or shred chicken into bite size pieces and serve next to the broth and plate of vegetables.

This is a build your own Phở Gà bowl.  Add ingredients then the noodles and broth over top.  

Enjoy!

Mini Pumpkin Pie

I thought long and hard about what recipe I wanted to share.  This is the 200th post for Queens Foodie Mama.  We have come full circle.  December 12, 2013, was my first post.  Almost a year later, I'm sitting here contemplating this past year and all the culinary adventures we have shared. My friends who have been here in person to help me create these recipes and my friends and family across the country helping me and sharing the memories with me.  This has been a journey all about love of family, friends, and especially food.  That has been my guiding inspiration while I have created recipes to share with my friends and family and thought about what I know about their likes and loves.  If you have found a greater appreciation for ingredients you might never have thought about, if you have come to love sharing with your family new experiences of food, then we have shared that experience together, you and I.  

Okay enough of my foodie philosophy and deep thoughts on food.  Why did I choose to make pumpkin pie?  Did you know pumpkins have a long history here in North America, since 7000 BC. In 1850 John Greenleaf Whittier even penned a poem about the beloved pumpkin pie.

Ah! on Thanksday, when from East and from West,

From North and from South comes the pilgrim and guest;

When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board

The old broken links of affection restored;

When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,

And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before;

What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye,

What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?

My son Donovan loves pumpkin pie and requested mini pumpkin pies.  He was even my sous chef while we made them for our Thanksgiving feast. These are not your simple mini pumpkin pies, come on you knew they wouldn't be. I wanted to switch up the crust and use something a little more flavorful.  What could be a great alternative to traditional crust? Cookie crust of course, but not just graham crackers.  I decided to go a step further and choose ginger snaps.

 Isn't it so cute, itty bitty, so cute and little?  This is a full flavor dessert in a small package.

Crust Ingredients:

2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves
12 tablespoons softened (1 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 large Egg
1/4 cup Molasses

Pumpkin Filling Ingredients:

16 ounces Pumpkin Puree (I used homemade, you may use canned)
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 cup Milk
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 large Egg Yolk

Preheat Oven to 350 Fahrenheit 

Let's begin with the crust.  Mix all the dry ingredients together.

Whisk butter, molasses, and brown sugar together in a stand mixer.

Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients including egg and whisk until combined.

Place aluminum/paper liners in two 12 cup muffin pans.  Place one tablespoon of batter in each muffin cup. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

After they have baked, using the back of a tablespoon, smoosh the cookie down to create
a well.  The crust is complete.

Whisk all the pumpkin puree ingredients until combined.

Pour pumpkin filling into cups within a 1/3 inch of the top of the liner.

Increase the oven to 400 Farhenheit

Bake pumpkin pies for 15-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

They are so cute.  My son was super happy.  Allow to cool on counter and eat at
room temperature.

Serve pumpkin pies with whipped cream, homemade whipped cream preferred.

Enjoy!

Mini Pumpkin Pie

Printable Recipe Found Here

Crust Ingredients:

2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves
12 tablespoons softened (1 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 large Egg
1/4 cup Molasses

Pumpkin Filling Ingredients:

16 ounces Pumpkin Puree (I used homemade, you may use canned)
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 cup Milk
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 large Egg Yolk

Crust Process:

Preheat Oven to 350 Fahrenheit 

Mix all the dry ingredients together.

Whisk butter, molasses, and brown sugar together in a stand mixer.

Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients including egg and whisk until combined.

Place aluminum/paper liners in two 12 cup muffin pans.  

Place one tablespoon of batter in each muffin cup. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

After they have baked, using the back of a tablespoon smoosh the cookie down to create a well.  

The crust is complete.

Pumpkin Filling Process:

Whisk all the pumpkin puree ingredients until combined.

Mini Pumpkin Pie Process:

Pour pumpkin filling into cups within a 1/3 inch of the top of the liner.

Increase the oven to 400 Farhenheit

Bake pumpkin pies for 15-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool on counter and eat at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Molasses Crinkles

My Dad was always the one making cookies in my family when I was growing up.  One of his recipes was Molasses Crinkles.  Many years ago my Mom compiled all the family recipes into a binder for my siblings and I and the Molasses Crinkles recipe is in the section marked Mom's Favorites.  The recipe is simple and produces very yummy cookies.  I don't buy shortening and the original recipe calls for it.  I used coconut oil and they turned out amazing and were eaten as quickly as they were made.

These cookies are perfect for the Fall weather we have been having here, and they remind
me of my childhood.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups cold Coconut Oil
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Molasses
5 cups All Purpose Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cloves
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Ginger
White Granulated Sugar

Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer bowl with the whisk attachment.

In a seperate bowl combine, coconut oil, brown sugar, eggs, and molasses using a wooden spoon.

Add combined wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until combined.

Form dough into walnut sized balls and roll in white granulated sugar.

Place cookie dough on parchment lined sheet pans.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes,  until golden brown on the bottom.  

Flatten baked cookies with back of spatula and allow to rest for 2 minutes before
 transferring to a plate.

Enjoy!

Molasses Crinkles

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups cold Coconut Oil
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Molasses
5 cups All Purpose Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cloves
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Ginger
White Granulated Sugar

Process:

Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer bowl with the whisk attachment.

In a seperate bowl combine, coconut oil, brown sugar, eggs, and molasses using a wooden spoon.

Add combined wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until combined.

Form dough into walnut sized balls and roll in white granulated sugar.

Place cookie dough on parchment lined sheet pans.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, golden brown on the bottom.  

Flatten baked cookies with back of spatula and allow to rest for 2 minutes before transferring to a plate.

Enjoy!