Halloween Pandan Ricotta Cookies with Carrot Icing

This recipe was inspired by a recipe that Giada DeLaurentiis made on her cooking show Everyday Italian.  Ricotta in cookies may seem strange, but it makes the cookies oh-so moist and chewy. Giada made lemon ricotta cookies with a lemon glaze, but I thought it would be fun to modify the recipe for Halloween.

I added pandan to the batter to give the cookies a spooky green tint. After baking, I covered the cookies with a carrot glaze. The orange color really evokes Halloween. To finish the cookies, I sprinkled on some orange, green and black Halloween sprinkles. 

This Halloween, while the kids are over-loading on sugar from too many cloyingly sweet candy bars, the grown-ups can have something to enjoy, too.

Basil Mint Lemonade

It's already the end of the summer and I've been making every effort to get the best use out of the leftover mint and basil in my herb garden. With the basil, I've made a lot of pesto that I store in the freezer for the winter. There isn't enough left for an additional sauce, and I've always wanted to try a basil infused drink, so today I made a basil lemonade, basil limeade, to be more precise. Sweet basil can be a bit subtle, so I wanted to pair it with another herb to give the drink some kick.

Mint immediately came to mind. I've made drinks all summer using the different kinds of mint we have, including spearmint, peppermint, Vietnamese mint, and apple-mint. I still, however, have a lot of leftover chocolate mint in the garden. Lulu planted it for me a few years ago and it's been growing literally like weeds. It's not as strong as the other mint varieties, so it complements the basil in the limeade I made today without overpowering it. It may sound odd, but it's a really fun, beautiful and delicious drink.

I wish I had tooken the main picture but it is not mine. It was taken by a brilliant photographer named Ken Phuong. He's currently shooting with a team of photographers in the Bay Area.

Chocolate Filled Pandan Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies are my little munchkin's favorite sweet treats. I took the girls to our neighborhood park this afternoon and I brought along a box filled with the fun-looking thumbprint-shaped sablé cookies. The other fun thing about the cookies is that it's easy to mix and match the flavors and add fun colors.

I have flavored these cookies with cardamom, star anise seeds, mango and even durian! Today I made a combination of pandan and dark chocolate with a fancy little touch of vanilla.

Needless to say, everyone was very tired and hungry after jumping up and down on the monkey bars and on the swings. All the cookies were gone, so it's a good thing I took pictures beforehand so that I can share them with you.

Pandan and Coconut Brioche

Brioche is a French bread made out of eggs and butter. I remember every morning getting a brioche from the neighborhood bakery when I was a student in Paris. It tastes very buttery, slightly sweet and it has a fluffy texture.

I made some pizza today and I had some dry active yeast left. We got some Asian powdered coconut candies from the Asian market and I had a few knick-knacks like pandan paste from the pantry. I haven't baked in a while so I decided to make something original and give a twist to the traditional brioche.

Stir-Fry Pea Shoot Tendrils in Garlic and Black Bean Sauce (Rau Muong Xao)

Rau muống xào tỏi, literally fresh stir-fry pea shoot tendrils in Vietnamese is my favorite Asian vegetable. It is a staple that can be found on almost every dinner table in Vietnam. This is mostly because it is very easy to grow and very cheap in Vietnam.

In America, pea shoot tendrils can be quite expensive. I always find it interesting that foods that are considered working-class fare in their country of origin can be so expensive in other place. Maybe it's because they are not grown in great abundance here or maybe it's because immigrants crave the foods of their childhood and are willing to pay more for the memories.

In terms of preparation, pea shoots couldn't be easier. Just stir-fry the vegetables very quickly over high heat. Blend in some garlic and black bean sauce and you're set.