Choco Almond Cookies

Choco chip cookies is one of the most famous cookies that ever existed. Who doesn't like this delicious cookies. It is crunchy outside and chewy inside with half melted chocolate chips on all around the cookies. I like it. It's perfect to be served with hot tea, coffee, or even ice cream. This chocolate chips cookies is originated from United States which was traditionally made from a dough contained butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and chocolate chips. Nowadays, this choco chip cookies have been improved and modified a lot. There are a lot of variants besides chocolate chips such as choco-macademia, choco-dried cranberry, white chocolate chips, or even M&M's. 

Few weeks ago, using a basic chocolate chip cookies that I have, I wanted to combine it with sliced almond. I still had some sliced almond left on my kitchen. I think it's a good combination.  For my cookies, i would not use any chocolate chips but I will use chopped chocolate easter eggs instead. I still have plenty of easter chocolate and no one eat it anymore. So, why don't make them useful.

It's very easy to make. Even my son  helped me to sprinkle some almond on the top of the cake. (Some of it disappeared on his mouth) When i put the dough into the oven my house smelled like a bakery. It smells so good. And when it's done, my kids could not wait to dig it in. They kept peeking into the oven to watch the dough slowly melted and spreading because of the heat during the baking process. Definitely would make this cookie again next time.

Ingredients :

• 225 grams All purpose flour
• 150 grams room temperature unsalted butter
• 70 grams brown sugar
• 60 grams white granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 120 grams chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
• 120 grams sliced almond
• 30 grams sliced almond for additional sprinkles (optional)

(Tip :  Feel free to increase the amount of chocolate chip up to 200 grams if you want to have cookies with a lot of chocolate on it. )

Preparation :

1. Preheat oven for 190 C (374 F)
2. Prepare a baking sheet and line it with baking paper. Set aside.
3. In a big bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
4. Beat them together until creamy.
5. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat them again.
6. Add flour, baking powder, and salt into the mixture and beat them together.
7. Add chocolate chip and sliced almond into the dough, and mix fold them with a spatula until all the chocolate and almond are evenly distributed.
8. Take about 1- 1 1/2 tsp of dough, with 2 spoon form it into a ball, and drop it on the prepared baking sheet. Leave enough space between each dough ball to allow the cookies spreading during the baking.
9. Sprinkle some more sliced almond on the top of the dough. 
10. Put the dough into the preheated oven and bake them for about 15 minutes or until the cookies become golden brown (Tip : increase the baking time about 3-5 minutes of you want to get more crispy and crunchy cookies).
11. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and transfer the cookies into the cooling rack.
12. Let them cool completely.

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Tuna Pancake Roll

I made this Tuna-Pancake Roll few weeks ago (it was last month I think). I never made this kind of dish before and I was surprised that it was more than edible. It was good!! I usually eat pancake for breakfast with some sugar or honey or with some bacon or sliced fruits. Any kind of topping I want. But I never tried to fill it with something and roll it like this.

It is a pancake filled with tuna and mixed vegetables, roll it, and bake it in the oven. It's easy, simple, and kind of unique for me. Even better, people who doesn't have electric oven can make this one as well as long as they have oven toaster.

Actually, the story begin on few weeks ago, when i was doing some shopping with my kids on a local grocery store, my daughter saw a flyer recipe suggestion over there. She took it and asked me if i could make it for her. She assumed that it must be delicious because she read "kids favoriet" on the bottom of the recipe. Well, most of the recipe with those note are usually acceptable and friendly for children.

It has a short recipe on the back of this flyer.

I read the recipe, and it seems easy and affordable. It's good idea for a dinner and beside, i still had some canned tuna at home and some vegetables. I just needed to buy some ready to eat pancake and some other small ingredients. (oh yeah!! Those time I was too lazy to make the pancake by myself.) So, let's get started :)

Ingredients :

• 2 can of canned tuna in olive oil
• 6 whole wheat pancake (Tip : It's a dutch pancake or we call it pannenkoek, not an American pancake)
• 150 grams broccoli, chopped into small pieces
• 100 grams carrots, chopped into small cubes
• white part of 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 150 grams creme fraiche
• 100 grams grated cheese
• some coriander leaves
• salt and pepper

Preparation :

1. Preheat the oven for 180 C (356 F)
2. Take and heat about 3 tbs of oil from canned tuna in a pan.
3. Put all the chopped broccoli and carrot and saute them for about 1 minute or until the vegetables start to become tender.
4. Add sliced leeks and green onion into the pan and stir them again.
5. Drain the tuna from its oil.
6. Add the tuna into the pan and stir it until the tuna is mixed well with the vegetable.
7. Turn off the heat and let it cooled a little bit.
8. Prepare the pancake in a plate or another flat surface.
9. Take about 3-4 tbs tuna mix and put it on the top of pancake. 
10. Roll the pancake and wrap the tuna.
11. Put it on the baking dish with the seam side down. (Tip:  If you do not have a big enough baking dish you can make by yourself a disposable baking dish using aluminium foil and put it on the baking tray)
12. Repeat the process with another pancake and tuna mix.
13. Take about 1 tbs creme fraiche, put on the top of the rolled pancake and spread it just until to cover the pancake.
14. Add some grated cheese on the top of it and sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves.
    
15. Put it into the oven (near the top part of the oven) and bake it for about 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
16. Remove it from the oven and garnish with freshly chopped coriander and chili pepper.
    
17. Serve it hot with roasted or fried potato and some chili sauce if you like.

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Creamy Tuna Pasta

Yeah. It's good to be back!!

I've been very busy lately which has made me barely had a time to write something in here. My daughter's ballet recital, first communion, etc. Not mentioning all the preparation for all those events. Well, now they're all over and I think it's time to sit and write something in here.

This time, I would like to share one of my favorite pasta recipe. Creamy Tuna Pasta. My husband is tuna lover and my daughter is a pasta lover. If my daughter wants to have pasta for dinner, I mostly make spaghetti bolognese. It's easy and simple to make. Basically, I only need ground beef, onion, and bolognese sauce from a jar. It taste delicious at the first time (I was not really good at cooking back than). But after many times, I get bored with it and want to try something else.

Inspired by one of Pizza Hut's menu in Indonesia, fusilli tuna pedas (fusilli with spicy tuna). By combining my husband and my daughter's favorite food,  I tried to create a similar menu, pasta with tuna sauce. After all cutting, and sauteing all the ingredients, it's time to taste the result. Yum!!  It was not disappointing at all. :-)

Ingredients :

• 250 grams short pasta (I'm using fusilli)
• 1 can (185 grams) of canned tuna in oil
• 1 medium shallot (about 3 Indonesian shallots), minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tomatoes, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 red paprika, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 green paprika, cut into small pieces
• 60 ml heavy cream
• 40 ml milk
• 6 tbs tomato sauce
• 5 tbs sweet chili sauce
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• salt and black pepper
• 3/4 tsp tabasco (optional)
• Some grated cheese

Tip : Feel free to add some vegetables on the sauce. You can add carrot, zucchini, mushroom, broccoli, etc. Just make sure they are sauteed well. 

Preparation :

1. Fill in a big pot with water (until 2/3 of the way) and bring it to boil.
2. Once it's boiled, add some salt and the paste into the water.
3. Boil the pasta and pay attention to the cooking direction on the package to make sure the pasta is cooked well.
4. Meanwhile, in a big pan, preheat about 6 tbs oil from canned tuna and discard the rest of the oil from the can.
5. Saute minced shallot and garlic until they become aromatic.
6. Add paprika and tomatoes cubes and stir until they become soft and the tomatoes start to release all the juice.
7. Add tomato sauce, sweet chili sauce, heavy cream, milk, nutmeg, and tabasco (optional), and stir again.
8. Add tuna into the sauce and mix it well.
9. Add salt and ground black pepper into the sauce, stir, and reduce the heat.
10. At this point, the pasta should be done and cooked well.
11. Drain the pasta and add them into the sauce.
12. Mix the pasta and the sauce together.
13. Turn off the heat.
14. Serve the pasta on a plate and add some grated cheese on top.

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