Candy's Chicken Pot Pie

1/2 Roasted Chicken from Costco or any supermarket
3 Stalks Celery, chop in small dices
3 Carrots, chop in small dices
1 small Onion, chop in small dices
1 Big Potato, peeled and chop in small dices
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 8oz Cream Cheese (regular or less-fat), cut into pieces
3 Cup Whole Milk
4 Tablespoon Flour
2 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
2 Tablespoon Dry Parsley
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 teaspoons each Salt and Pepper
1 pkg store-bought pie crust or puff pastry, thawed (I like the puff pastry better)
1 egg, beaten

1. Cut the chicken meat (dark and white) in small pieces.

2. Cook celery, carrot, and potato dices in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain afterward!

3. Add olive oil in a pot. Turn the heat to high. Saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes. And then, add celery, carrot, and potato into the pot.

4. Add flour into the vegetable and stir until well combined.

5. Add dry herbs, milk and cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese is melted and sauce is thicken.

6. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and see if there needs more salt.

7. Add shredded chicken and combine well. Turn off the heat.

8. Put the mixture into a casserole dish for family serving or small ramekins for individual serving.

9. Brush egg around the edges and the sides of the casserole dish. Put pie crust over the dish and light press the crust to the edges and sides of the dish. And then, cut away excess dough.

10. Preheat the over to 375F.

11. Brush egg all over the pie crust before baking. And then, make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

12. Bake pie for 20-30 minutes or until pie crust turns golden brown. Serve Hot!

Tips:

1. You can put use any vegetable in the mixture, like mushroom, corn, broccoli, etc. You can also use frozen vegetable.

2. I use cooked rice instead of potato last time. It turned out so good!

3. You can use 1 cup of heavy cream in stead of cream cheese.

Roast Pork Tender Loins

1 package  Pork Tender Loins  (each package usually comes with two loins), in room temperature

4 Tablespoons  Italian Herbs Seasonings (the kind that without salt)

1 Tablespoon each   Salt and Peper

1/4 Cup  Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Regular Olive Oil

Preheat oven at 425F.

Wash the loins and pet them dry with paper towels.

Rub oil and the rest of the ingredients all over the loins.

Place them on a baking sheets and bake for 20 to 40 minutes.  The smaller piece only takes 20 minutes.   And the bigger piece needs the extra 10-15 minutes.   It really depends the size of the loins!  Take the smaller one out first when it is done.   Never over cook the tender loins.

After the loins are cooked, let them rest on the counter top for 10 minutes.  Don't cut the meat right after it is out of the oven because all the yummy juice will rush out and you will have a piece of dry meat.  No Good!

This is one of my favorite recipes because it is simple!  I love to serve it for the holidays!

Cheese Straws

1 Sheet Frozen Puff Pastry, thaw in room temperature 

1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoons Paprika 

Salt and Pepper for taste

Preheat oven at 425F.

Unfold the puff pastry sheet and lightly roll it evenly.

Sprinkle cheese, paprika, salt and pepper on top.  And then use hands lightly pass them into the puff  pastry.

Cut puff pastry sheet in 1 inch thick strips and then twist each of them.  Just like the picture above.

Bake them on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

Ginger Butternut Squash Soup

Ginger Butternut Squash Soup                                4 Servings
By Candy Fife

Butternut Squash 2
Carrots 3 to 4
Potato (medium size) 1
Onion (small) 1
Ground Fresh Ginger 1 Tablespoon
Nutmeg 11/2 teaspoon
Dry Rosemary 1/4 teaspoon
Chicken Broth (low sodium) 3 can or more, enough to cover the vegetable
Heavy cream 1/4 to 1/3 C, at room temperature
Salt and Pepper for taste
Sour Cream for garnish 

Peel all the vegetables, and then cut them in big cubes. Try to cut them in similar size.

Put vegetables in a soup pot. Add chicken broth and rosemary. Bring the soup to boil. Then turn the heat to medium. Cook vegetables for 20 minutes or until they are fork-tender.

Use an immerse blender or blend the vegetable and a little bit soup in a blender. Remember to be careful of the steam. If you use a blender, take away the small cap at the top cover and cover the top loosely with a towel. This way the steam can escape. Blend everything together until smooth. Pour the soup into the pot.

If the soup is too thick, add a little bit more broth. Don’t add too much. Just a little bit at a time. You don’t want the soup becomes too loose!

Turn the heat to medium-low. Add ginger, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Taste if it needs more salt. If you want more ginger flavor, you can add a little bit more ginger.

Simmer the soup for another 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and then add heavy cream.  Stir well.

Before serving, add a little bit sour cream on top for garnish! 

Enjoy!

Brown Rice Health Benefits

We have been eating brown rice for a little while and we love it.  In many different ways, brown rice is much better for you than white rice.  If you never try it before, try some!  You will be surprised and amazed how yummy it is.  

Here are a few health benefits from brown rice:

Helps lower cholesterol - The oil in whole brown rice, not its fiber, lowers cholesterol.

Helps prevent atherosclerosis - the fiber in rice has been shown to help prevent atherosclerosis.

Helps to maintain a normal body weight - A study published in November 2003 of the America Journal of Clinic Nutrition cites the importance of having a diet rich in whole grains vs. refined grains as a means to help maintain a normal body weight.

Reduces risk of metabolic syndrome - The latest research shows that refined grains and the foods made from them (e.g., white breads, cookies, pastries, pasta and rice) are now being linked not only to weight gain but to increased risk of insulin resistance (the precursor of type 2 diabetes) and the metabolic syndrome (a strong predictor of both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease), while eating more whole grain foods is being shown to protect against all these ills.

Common features of the metabolic syndrome include visceral obesity (the “apple shaped” body), low levels of protective HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure.

Helps prevent colon cancer - The selenium, a trace mineral found in brown rice, substantially reduces the risk of colon cancer.
Brown rice is a good source fiber. Fiber has been shown to speed the transit time of fecal matter within the colon, this minimizes the time cancer-causing substances spend in contact with colon cells.

Helps prevent gallstones - Eating foods high in insoluble fiber, such as brown rice, can help women avoid gallstones, shows a study published in the July 2004 issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Helps increase energy levels - Manganese helps produce energy from protein and carbohydrates and is involved in the synthesis of fatty acids, which are important for a healthy nervous system, and in the production of cholesterol, which is used by the body to produce sex hormones.

Manganese is also a critical component of a very important antioxidant enzyme called superoxide dismutase. Antioxidants provide protection against damage from the free radicals.

TIP:
Be sure to check packaged brown rice "use by" date, since it has a potential to become rancid if kept too long due to its natural oils.

Brown rice will keep fresh for about 6 months, if it is stored in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator.

Italian Bake Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3Tablespoons Italian Seasonings
2teaspoons Salt
1teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

Put everything in a zip bag and marinate in the fridge for at least two hours or up to a day ahead.

Take marinated chicken out for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat oven at 375F.

Heat a non-stick pan on high heat. Add 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in pan.

Place chicken in hot pan. Cook each side for 2 minutes.

Put all the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. No longer than that!

Serve Hot!

Enjoy!

Culinary Diploma Graduation!

I went to a culinary school to get my Professional Chef Diploma in Westlake, California in September 2005. I graduated in March 2006. In those short six months, I learned so much about French Cooking and Fine Dining Cooking. I got to work with so many different interesting ingredients and got to make so many delicious dishes. I was blew away by all the incredible food that we made in class every time. It was so much fun to learn how to make high-class dishes. My teacher, Chef Cecilia De Castro, was a great teacher. She taught us so many things and she never held back any secrets. Whatever cooking questions we asked her about, she could immediately give us a clear answer. She is wonderful and I do miss her.

Here are the pictures of my graduation day banquet. We worked so hard on it. We prepared this banquet at the Hilton Hotel in Westlake for about 200 people, our friends and families. Of course, we prepared for all the food for them. I am so glad that my mom and brother were about to fly all the way from Hong Kong to this special event. Tim's parents, uncle and aunt were there also. What a great time! I do miss my wonderful and fun cooking buddies! I hope they are all doing well and keep cooking great food!

Gourmet Cooking

This one is Salmon Tar Tar with Crispy Wontons with Wasabi Aioli.
I made this salmon dish for a Valentine's Day Dinner. Seared Pesto Salmon and Mashed Cauliflower with Dill Sauce and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
This one is Miso Glazed Halibut with Spinach and Wild Mushroom on Ginger Rice.


This is Salmon and Scallops Mousse in Puff Pastry. I made the puff pastry also. I learned this in cooking school. This dish is sooooo yummy! I need to make it again! And I will make the fish looks better!

This is Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops, and Roasted Potato and Asparagus with Balsamic Reduction and Mint Oil.
This is my seafood medley. I made this for my brother, Calvin, when he was visiting with us last October. We all love seafood in my family back home as well as my own. OK! Here we have Bake Lobster Tail with Cheesy Garlic Sauce, Seared Sea Scallops, and Hong Kong Style Pan-Fried Ginger and Green Onion Shrimps.