Scrambled Tofu and Kimchi

Using the kimchi from yesterday's post, I made a dish today for true vegetarians and vegans like my Aunt Elise. She is a monk from Vietnam who's currently visiting us, and one of her favorite meals is mock scrambled eggs with kimchi.  The mock scrambled eggs are actually scrambled boiled tofu. Today, I made mine with turmeric and green onions.

The fluffiness of the tofu complements the salty flavor of the kimchi well. Lulu's New Year's resolution has been to exercise and live a healthier life. He's enrolled at the gym and has been going regularly. My way of supporting his effort is by making quick, healthy meals and snacks that are tasty and good for him.

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Salted caramel is a wonderfully complex flavor. When combined with hot chocolate, it provides plenty of stimulation for your taste buds. All of this is wrapped in a velvety blanket of milk and heavy cream that is perfect for relaxing away an evening.

Lya received three boxes of cocoa mix from her secret Santa at school. Everyone was so crazy about the salted cocoa mix that we ran out very fast. The girls asked if we could make our own from scratch. The result: a lot of fun and a delicious new recipe to ring in the New Year!

Matcha Green Tea Latte

I prepared my matcha green tea latte with the same procedure one would use for making white hot chocolate. The drink is made with a blend of lightly sweetened matcha green tea, white chocolate, steamed milk and heavy cream. You wouldn't want to drink this every day, but that's what holiday treats are all about!

This recipe can be modified to feature many different seasonal flavors. Peppermint, cinnamon and other spices come to mind. You don't have to go to the local coffee shop to enjoy holiday specials anymore; be your own barista and save the change for stocking stuffers.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Unlike sour cream biscuits, the buttermilk biscuits I make "only" call for butter. No shortening. The result is an intensely nutty flavor; however the biscuits don't rise as much without shortening because of the natural water content in butter. It's a worthwhile tradeoff.

I absolutely love buttermilk biscuits. We don't have them in France, so my first experience with them was in the US. It was quite a revelation. Biscuits are great with gravy, but I find them so flavorful that I often make a batch and eat them as is.

Homemade Biscuits with Sour Cream, Chives and Parmesan

Sunny and I woke up very early this morning to prepare a festive brunch for the whole family. We made some fresh juices, smoothies, crêpes, hashbrowns and sour cream biscuits. Making biscuits is a little messy but so worth it. Our family is very fond of buttermilk biscuits, but sour cream biscuits are even more decadent and delicious. The sour cream imparts a tangy flavor and richness that is hard to beat. We flavored the biscuits with parmesan cheese and garlic chives from the garden.

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but my Aunt Elise is visiting us from Vietnam. She's never had biscuits before, and so she looked at the little rounds of bread with curiosity. After she took her first bite, she was absolutely hooked. Biscuits truly are universal in their appeal.