French Chocolate Macarons

Fire and Ice
by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Poetry can be so beautiful. But at times it frustrates me. Sometimes, I read over the poem once and feel a connection to it instantly. Other times, I will read it through several times and have absolutely no idea what it’s talking about. “If she’s talking about the meaning of life, why the heck is she bringing an urn into the picture?”

The thing with poems is that you can analyze them in many different ways and there is no right way. It’s not like math where the answer is either right or wrong. Every single interpretation is “interesting;” it is never incorrect. This induces overanalyzing, which I feel we do too much of in English class at school…


Nonetheless, the emotion and power that can be expressed through simply words is remarkable. Words can make you laugh, can make you blush, make you want to disappear, make you ponder the future, and words can make you fall apart and cry until you have a pond to drown yourself in. But why be so morbid? Poems can also bring the edges of your lips up, like I hope this little haiku of mine will :)

Chocolate records
Crispy, chewy, in and out
Dainty lil fellas

Ingredients

1/2 cup blanched whole almonds
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
2 tsp granulated sugar

Marshmallow Fluff

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Pulse the almonds with 3/4 cup of the confectioners' sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add the cocoa powder and the remaining 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar and pulse until well blended.
3. Beat the egg whites with the salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl just until the whites form soft peaks when the beaters are lifted.
4. Add the granulated sugar and beat just until the whites form stiff peaks when the beaters are lifted. Gently fold in the almond mixture.
5. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe out 1-inch-diameter mounds about 2 inches apart on lined baking sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tops appear dry but the macaroons are still slightly soft to the touch.
6. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Carefully peel the paper off the macaroons and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
7. Sandwich cookies together with marshmallow Fluff or buttercream.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve just realized that I don’t have a recipe for chocolate chip cookies on my blog. I mean seriously Lisa, what kind of blog doesn’t have a recipe for the most classic cookie of all time? I might as well just give up life and live on the streets. Well, thank goodness I’ve realized my mistake and don’t have to resort to doing that.

Thanks to my trusty source (Wikipedia), I’ve uncovered the secret behind the birth of the CCC. Apparently, Ruth Wakefield was baking chocolate cookies when she ran out of baker’s chocolate and substituted in pieces of Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate hoping it would melt and incorporate into the batter. It did not however, and voila, the life of the CCC began.

While these cookies are definitely not a health food, they really are as healthy as cookies can get. They are made with olive oil, which lowers your LDL and raises your HDL. Want an extra dose of heart healthy oils? Just throw some flaxseed meal into the batter for some omega 3 goodness.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can throw anything into the batter: M&Ms, raisins, walnuts, oatmeal. Feel free to mix up ingredients and create your own masterpiece of a cookie.


Everyone’s always on that hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and while I don’t think I’ve quite found it, I’m pretty darn close.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Sift flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a big bowl, beat eggs till frothy. Add olive oil and vanilla and beat until completely mixed. Add sugars and mix thoroughly.
4. Slowly add in flour mixture a little at a time and mix in with a fork. Stir in the chocolate chips. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and place 1 inch apart on the baking tray. Flatten a tiny bit with a fork or just with your fingers.
5. Bake for 16-18 minutes until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool a little on the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Valentine’s Day Shortbread Cookies

Hey you, Saint Valentine. Happy your day!
You sure are lucky to have such a dear holiday named after you.

My eight-year-old sister came home with 11 Valentines today. Being the nosy sister that I am, I read through all of them and let me just tell you, they were adorable! At my high school in New Zealand, there are red roses everywhere on Valentine’s Day. The school sells individual rose stalks as a fundraiser each Valentine’s Day and as the day progresses, red rose petals would start to carpet the ground. It’s a BEAUTIFUL sight.


There is no better way to show someone how much you love them than to put the time and effort into baking something for them. Forget Hallmark Valentines. This year, I opted for love notes on cookies instead.

I know that this recipe for shortbread is far from “nutritious,” (Lisa’s Nutritious Kitchen Experiments…) but I really had to share this recipe with you for these are the most scrumptious cookies that you will ever taste. This recipe is from my beloved NZ Edmonds Cookbook. Although great recipes are all over the worldwide web these days, there is something about following directions from a paper book. Ya know what I mean?

Decorating these cookies is almost as fun as eating them. Mix up some sweet colors and words, and have a blast making these look almost too pretty to eat.


Ingredients

250g butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup cornstarch
2 cups all purpose flour

For the royal icing:
1 egg white
½ tsp lemon juice
1 ¾ cup confectioners sugar
Food coloring

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Cream butter and confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Sift cornstarch and flour together. Mix sifted ingredients into creamed mixture. Knead well.
3. On a lightly flour board roll out to 0.5cm thickness. Use a heart-shaped cutter to cut into hearts. Place on a greased oven try.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until pale golden.

For the icing:
In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and lemon juice together, adding the powdered sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Fill a piping bag with the icing and pipe as desired.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Sometimes, the dishes that “Chinese” restaurants here in the United States come up with amaze me. They have completely altered the dishes to cater to the palates of Americans. When non-Chinese think of Chinese food, they probably think of General Tao’s chicken, Kung pao shrimp, or moo shu pork, although these dishes have undergone drastic changes since arriving in the States. American Chinese food is deep fried and coated in thick sugary sauces unlike real Chinese food, which is light, and heavily spiced. It’s difficult to find authentic Chinese cuisine here, even in Chinatown, which is why I like to make my own Chinese food from timeless recipes handed down by my grandmother (or nai nai).

Chicken lettuce wraps is one of those Americanized Chinese dishes. From my knowledge, this dish doesn’t even exist in China. I think that the idea came from something quite similar, which is made with duck. It is the second course in Peking duck—duck meat stir fried with veggies and coated in a special sauce. While chicken cannot compete with the deep flavor of duck, it makes for a nice substitution. I mean, which local supermarket sells duck?

Chicken lettuce wraps at restaurants can total up to 1000 calories, just as an appetizer. These chicken lettuce wraps come in at approximately 250 calories. They’re also full of deliteful veggies, which will make you feel more full with less because of the fiber. The crunch of the iceberg lettuce is so captivating you won’t want to stop eating. OmNomNom!

Ingredients

4 tsp oil
2 stalks scallions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 carrots, sliced
¾ cup mushroom, diced
8 leaves iceberg lettuce

¼ cup hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
salt

Directions

1. Heat up a wok or large frying pan and add 2 tsp oil, half the scallions, and the garlic. Let the flavors infuse for one minute and then add the chicken.
2. Stir-fry the chicken until cooked through. Drain, and set aside.
3. Heat up the frying pan again, and add 2 tsp oil, and then the carrots and mushrooms. Stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the carrots are cooked. Add in the reserved cooked chicken, all the sauces, and salt to taste.
4. Stir-fry for another few minutes so that everything combines nicely. Add the remainder of the scallions. Take the pan off the heat.
5. Spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves and serve.

Nian Gao (Mochi Cake)

Happy Chinese New Year!!!! 2011, the year of the rabbit, is a year to celebrate our lil cute bouncy fluff ball friends. People born this year, 12, 24, 36... years ago are fortunate enough to have the bunny as their idol. How lucky these people are to have a zodiac that can symbolize their inner cuddly selves. As a monkey, I just can’t wait to swing around (do ya like that one?) and take in all the New Year celebrations.

Chinese holidays are always so festive, so vibrant, and very over the top. In china, red, bomb-like fireworks are set off, everyone has a two-week break, and families gather together to watch the big New Year show held in Beijing. The festivities here in America are not quite as, well, festive, but nevertheless, I always made it a big deal. After all, it’s only one day in twelve years!


Just like with all holidays, food plays a big role in Chinese New Year. The special thing about Chinese New Year food though, is that they all have a story behind them. For example, on the part of China where I come from, we eat dumplings for breakfast on Chinese New Year. They are made the night before and ready for boiling the next morning. Eating dumplings symbolizes wealth because the dumpling is shaped like an ancient gold coin. There is a tradition to enclose a coin in one of the dumplings, and the person who gets that dumpling has good luck for the year. I haven gotten it a few times, and I have to say, the luck really helps me get through the year.

Fish is also eaten on Chinese New Year to symbolize profit (essentially meaning money). This is because the Chinese word for fish (yu) is homonymous with the word for wish or abundance. In other parts of China, people eat a sweet sticky cake known as nian gao. This cake is meant to symbolize a family “sticking” together. Nian gao is nothing like your usual soft and spongy cake. It’s actually rather dense and chewy. Traditionally, nian gao is steamed, but I think that baking serves as a great alternative. You get the crisp golden edges that don’t come with steaming.

What a day this has been: Chinese New Year, Hump Day, Stuffed Animal Wednesday, no school due to the ice storm, and my two year anniversary with America! I think that this is a great beginning to a brand new year.

新年快乐!

Ingredients

1/3 cup oil
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups milk, warmed to a little hotter than a fever
1 pound (16 ounces) glutinous rice flour (the green bag with the 3 elephants on it)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2-1 cup red bean paste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk. Stir in the rice flour and baking powder. The mixture may be lumpy so try and break up the lumps.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Drop red bean paste by scant teaspoonfuls onto the top of the cake so that they will float.
4. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cake springs back when lightly touched. It should be golden.

Light Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

The other day, I stepped out of the house on my daily stroll to school when I was hit with a spectacular sight—a winter wonderland. I realized how quiet and slow the world was, and how, for once, Americans were not rushing from place to place, but rather, enjoying the time in between. Of course, the reason they were so slow was because of the danger created by the snow, but I like to think that it was to finally appreciate the beauty of the world at 7 in the morning, especially when it was peppered with flakes of glitter.

Winter is a period of stagnation, a time where you can finally cut yourself some slack for indulging in rich delights. When I think of winter baking, I think of hot pies, dense cakes, and rich custards, which was why I was so surprised to find fresh Meyer lemons at my local supermarket. For some reason, lemons always seemed like a summer fruit to me, but apparently, winter is the time that they flourish. What a nice flavor lemons provide to help liven up the winter season!


I have to admit, I keep a huge bottle of lemon juice in my fridge, and yes, I use it. But after making this lemon loaf from fresh lemons, I doubt I will ever go back to that bottle. The intensity of the juice from fresh lemons is a thousand times stronger and finer than that which has been squeezed for months, and let’s face it, which plastic bottle can you get biting lemon zest from?

The aroma that erupts from the kitchen while this loaf is baking makes for a revitalizing and delicious air freshener. And what’s better, after your nose becomes satiated, your taste buds get their turn. Now everybody is happy.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
lemon zest from one fresh lemon
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp poppy seeds

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium sized bowl, shift together the flour and baking powder. Make a well in the center and set aside.
3. Cream oil and sugar, then add eggs, milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Mix in the poppy seeds.
4. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
5. In a small bowl, stir one tablespoon lemon juice and one tablespoon sugar together. As soon as the loaf comes out of the oven, brush this mixture on top.

Jambalaya

The exciting thing about cooking is that there is always something you’ve never tried. And when you try it, you regret not knowing such a delicacy existed for all those years. You feel cheated, but at the same time thrilled at the thought of so many more foods for you to discover. Some of the discoveries I’ve made in the last two years include pretzels, applesauce, latkes, cheese steaks and bicycle wheel sized pizzas just to name a few—basically just a whole bunch of US specialties. Believe it or not, Juicy Juice came up in Chemistry class the other day and I had no idea what the teacher was talking about. But I guess you Americans have missed out a lot too. For example, have you tried a Pavlova? How about Hokey Pokey ice cream? Or Anzac biscuits? I didn’t think so.

I fatefully stumbled upon this recipe for Jambalaya from Emeril Lagasse the other day. At first I thought that it was Brazilian or something of the like, but after some Wikipedia-ing I found that it’s actually a Creole dish. The picture looked alluring enough and it was exactly the kind of dish I needed in the middle of winter. What other incentive did I need to try it out?

What I like a lot about this dish is how flexible you can be with the ingredients. Everything goes into a big pot and you can easily adjust the flavorings and even the major ingredients. Sometimes, simple substitutions can dramatically increase the nutrient value of a dish. I used brown rice in place of white rice for some added fiber, B vitamins and Iron. In addition, I added green beans for extra vitamins and minerals, and replaced the sausage with vegan sausage to decrease the total amount of fat. A generous bowl of this hearty meal gets you servings of carbs, vegetables, and protein.

Not to mention warmth, satisfaction, and a healthy dose of happiness.

Ingredients

12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
4 ounces chicken, diced
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
3/4 cup brown rice
3 cups chicken stock
5 ounces vegan sausage (or whatever you prefer), sliced
1 cup green beans
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and the next five ingredients. Mix well.
2. In a large saucepan, heat oil over high heat with onion, garlic, and celery for 3 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add chicken stock. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
4. When rice is just tender, add shrimp and chicken mixture, green beans, and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.