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Tempura Fried Tofu

This is so simple and good for you! My son Theo has always loved tofu as long as I can remember, so over the years I have created 50 different ways to cook it. This is my newest creation. It's quick, easy and tastes delicious! I call this recipe, happiness by chance! I made it up completely on the spot the night before last, and my whole family devoured them within minutes. Make this recipe with any vegetable you like as well. I made broccoli along with the tofu since that's what I had handy, but be creative and use this recipe with whatever else you may have in your fridge that would accompany the tofu nicely. Let go of the guilt of eating this tofu fried and serve it on a bed of fresh spinach that's dressed in lemon and sesame oil. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Block of Firm Tofu
Japanese bread crumbs, about 2 cups +/-
1 egg
3 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. Five Spice Powder (contains cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, etc)
Peanut Oil for frying
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
Wok

Drain tofu and cut into 1" cubes OR triangles, whatever suits your eye. I like the cubes as they tend to hold their shape in the process. In a wok, preheat about 2" of peanut oil until it bubbles when tofu is dropped in (about 300-350 degrees). In a small bowl whisk together the egg and water and half of your 5 spice mixture. In another small bowl pour bread crumbs and the rest of your 5 spice mixture. Take a few cubes of tofu at a time and dredge in the egg wash quickly, then immediately dredge in the bread crumbs until completely coated. Drop these into your wok of hot peanut oil and cook until golden brown, turning them around in the oil as needed. DO NOT OVERCROWD YOUR OIL. Repeat these last two steps until everything is done. Now, in a small serving bowl mix together your soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds. Place your tofu on a platter and dip away!

Millie's Art Gallery

Coming soon to Millie's Cafe....

will be an art exhibit of my work. I'm very proud and grateful for the opportunity to share with you some of my prints that represent my journey with food, writing, art and family.

Also coming very soon will be my recipes for....

Tempura Fried Tofu, Gingerbread for Two, Pizza Crust and some of my favorite pizza topping combos, and two more of my favorite chocolate recipes ever!!! my Down East Meets Denver Chocolate Pudding and my Bi-Coastal Fudge Brownies as well as my famous Blondies!!

Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

This cookie recipe is the easiest thing you'll ever make! I happen to love coconut, and most especially macaroons. When I found out how easy these were to make, I decided to give it a twist by dipping them in chocolate and sending em' over the edge. Of course, the chocolate part is optional. If you are a die hard traditional macaroon fan, then keep it simple and enjoy them as they are; a moist and delicious cookie. For fun options, you could add a few drops of flavored extract in your chocolate to create a theme. For instance, add a few drops of orange oil extract and a dash of orange rind to your chocolate if that suits your fancy. You can't go wrong with either orange oil extract or even peppermint oil extract in your chocolate just to add some variety to your cookie platter. Play around with it and have fun! For now, here is the recipe for the cookie and dipping chocolate. Enjoy!

Makes about 2 dozen cookies (+/-)

Cookie Batter
Ingredients:
1 - 14oz. bag sweetened coconut
1 - 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanialla extract
parchment paper
cookie baking tray

Dipping Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 - 4oz. bar of Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate
1 - 4oz. bar of Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chocolate (I like to combine the two to make the perfect dipping chocolate)
heat-proof bowl
1 quart pot for boiling water
parchment paper
cookie baking tray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your cookie trays with parchment paper, one for baking your cookies and the other for drying your freshly dipped cookies. Boil about 2 cups water in your quart pan and then turn off heat. Place your heat proof bowl on top of the quart pan and set aside (the bowl should be about 1" from touching the water).

In a large bowl combine coconut, condensed milk and vanilla and stir until blended. This is a very wet dough. Use two spoons together to drop cookies on your parchment paper, about 1 Tbsp. of dough per cookie. I like my cookies to be bite size, since they are sooooo rich and yummy. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. They should be just turning a light gold color around the bottom edges. Take out and place cookies on a cooling rack. Let cool completely before moving to the dipping stage.

Meanwhile, break up your chocolate into small pieces and place in heat proof bowl suspended over the hot water. Turn the heat back on to a very low temperature to keep the water hot, but not too hot. Your chocolate will melt within minutes, just keep stirring and be patient. Once your chocolate is melted, take each cookie turning it upside down and dip the very top of your cookie into the chocolate then place back onto the other parchment lined cookie tray. Refrigerate these dipped cookies for about 15 minutes until the chocolate is firm to the touch. That's it!

Italian Chocolate Cake

This is the easiest, most deliciously dense moist chocolate cake you'll ever make! I grew up watching cooking shows on PBS and one of my favorites was Mary Ann Esposito who was from N.H. but specialized in Italian cooking from the region of Umbria. This recipe is hers and I pay homage to Mary Ann by listing this recipe here. You can make this as a stacked cake with 9" pans, a bundt cake pan, or cupcakes, depending on your fancy. I find the bundt is very easy to do, and in which case, I half the frosting recipe, and the same with the cupcakes. If you are stacking two cakes with frosting in the middle, you'll want to make the full frosting recipe. And for my vegan friends, since this cake recipe is vegan friendly, you can skip the frosting all together and simply sprinkle with cinnamon infused confectionery sugar, thereby cutting a lot of calories too! It's delicious either way!

Cake Batter
Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
6 Tbsp. cocoa (use the good stuff like Ghiradelli or Perugina)
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 cups cold water


Frosting
Ingredients:
Two 8-ounce packages lite cream cheese at room temperature
3 1/2 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch cooking pans and set aside. In a mixer blend flour, sugar, cocoa, soda & salt. With mixer on low speed, add the wet ingredients to the dry mix until everything is smooth. Pour batter into pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. DO NOT OVERCOOK, but the cake should be firm to the touch. I find that the bundt cake version takes a little longer than the 9" cake pans. Place cake pans on cooling rack for 15-20 minutes, then remove from cake pans and allow to cool completely. Make the frosting while they are cooling by mixing the room temperature cream cheese in a mixer until smooth, add enough sugar to make the frosting smooth, and finally stir in the cinnamon oil. I recommend keeping the cake in the fridge once you've cut into it as it keeps very well and is oh so delicious eaten cold! Brava Cuoca Mary Ann!

Red Sauce

I am Italian, so being able to cook a red sauce is an essential component in my cooking. I use this sauce for all sorts of recipes. I use it as a base for my meatballs and linguine, in Spanish Rice, or in a soup. This recipe is sure fire and simple, no fuss no muss. This makes a big batch enough for a large lasagna with some leftover, or a large spaghetti dinner and some left over for a soup or just freeze the extra for a quick last minute meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 tsp. dried oregano
2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
4 small carrots grated
1/2 tsp. salt & fresh ground pepper
2 - 28 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 - 28 oz. can diced tomato
salt & pepper to taste
pinch of crushed red pepper

In a medium heated deep dish pan add olive oil and to that add onion and garlic. Add a pinch of salt & pepper. Add dried oregano and flat leaf parsley, stir. Tun to medium low heat and add grated carrots while stirring. Cook until carrots just start to soften, about 2 minutes, then add cans of tomatoes and end with 1/2 tsp. salt, some fresh ground pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper, stir and let simmer covered on low heat for about 3 hours. Over time add a little water to keep sauce from thickening too quickly. Taste and add more fresh herb or salt & pepper as needed to fancy your taste buds. Fine!

Open Faced Apple Pie

I've always loved to make pies. I'm not sure when I started building my pies open faced, I just remember loving the way it looked, cooked and tasted the first time I made it. Don't get me wrong, I still love making traditional two crusted apple pies or lattice crusted fruit pies, but when you don't have the luxury of the time it takes, this open faced pie is the easiest and most delicious way to do it. I think of making pies as improvisational music, depending on the flavor of the apple. If it's a very sweet apple, I use less sugar and if it's tart or tasteless, I use a little more. Everyone loves pie, so no one in my family complained when I experimented with this recipe.

Crust
Ingredients:
1 cup cold unbleached white flour or bread flour (use whatever flour you like, these work best for this recipe)
5 Tbsp. cold butter
4 Tbsp. ice cold water
pinch of salt
egg wash (optional)
dash of turbinado brown sugar crystals (optional)

Place flour in a bowl and place in freezer for 5 minutes. In a food processor add cold flour, cold butter and salt. Pulse a few times. Add ice cold water 1 Tbsp. at a time, pulsing in between each Tbsp. until all four are added. DO NOT OVER PULSE. Dump into the cold bowl that was holding the flour and mix together with your hands until it forms a ball. Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pie Filling
Ingredients:
4-6 apples depending on size (Macintosh, Granny Smith or Honey Crisp are my favorite)
1/4 (+/-) cup sugar + 1 Tbsp. brown sugar (total amount of sugar depends on if the apples are sweet, tart or tasteless)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
dash of fresh ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
dabs of butter

Peel and slice apples thinly and place in a bowl. In a measuring cup add remaining dry ingredients and mix together with a fork. Add to sliced apples and toss together ending with the lemon juice and toss again. Set aside.

Take crust ball out of fridge and place on a floured hard surface. Roll out dough with rolling pin until about 1/8" thick or about 14" in diameter. Place the pie crust in a slightly greased 12" pie plate with the remaining 2" hanging over the sides. (Don't worry about cracks on the edge of the pie crust, it's ok, you're off the hook with this open faced style of pie. If you want a neater looking pie, then once your crust is rolled out, trim the edges so they look clean.

Place filling into pie crust and top with dabs of butter. Fold and overlap remaining pie crust so that there is a hole in the middle, also known as a Galette. These next two steps are optional, but I like to make an egg wash using egg white and brush on pie crust, then sprinkle with large turbinado brown sugar crystals, if you so desire. Bake at 375 derees for about 30 minutes. Shortly after you see juice bubbling out of the pie, you know it's done. I like to let a little bit of the juices cook into the pie crust and pie plate to ensure a delicious syrupy finish. Let cool and serve warm with homemade cinnamon ice cream (coming soon). Enjoy!

Toddler Fruit Pie

I made this for my son and his friend yesterday and they devoured it! I was inspired to make this with the leftover box of teething biscuits I had in my cupboard. Use any fruit puree you desire or any fruit you happen to have in your pantry. Have fun!

Makes 4 cupcake size pies

Ingredients:
3 teething biscuits (I use "Healthy Times" Maple Flavored as they are wheat free and are sweetened with molasses & maple syrup)
2 Tbsp. applesauce puree (use whatever you wish)
1/2 ripe pear (you could use apple; if so, steam them a little before baking to ensure their softness)
1 handful of golden raisins (use whatever dried fruit you like, cranberries, etc.)
dash of cinnamon
cup cake parchments
cup cake baking tray

Boil 1 cup of water and turn off. Place raisins in the hot water to plump them. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe. Put the teething biscuits in a ziplock bag and hammer until everything is finely mashed. Put this crumb into a bowl, add applesauce and mix until well blended. It shouldn't be too dry or too wet either, just a perfect balance of dry and wet; well enough to form moist little patties. Place this crust into a cupcake parchment, about 1 Tbsp. each and firmly press down. Peel your pear and slice thinly and cut into bite size pieces. Place approx. 1 Tbsp. of pear on top of each crust, drain raisins and add a few to each pie, and top with a dash of cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve warm!

Toddler Pasta Delight

This recipe is for Moms and Dads who want to make a nourishing yet quick meal that your toddler will love! I make this fresh for lunch or dinner for my almost 1 year old. This dish is comforting and easy for them to digest as it's made with wheat free pasta. You can substitute any vegetable you want for this dish and instead of pasta, you could use rice. You can also add any left over protein if you desire. I like using the cheese as a protein but do what you want for your toddler. Play around with it depending on what you have in the cupboard and fridge. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa noodles or rice noodles (shells or twists, whatever you fancy)
1 small container sweet potato baby vegetable puree (any veggie will do, about 3 Tbsp.)
1 small handful frozen peas (about 1/8 cup)
1 small handful frozen corn
1 small handful shredded Colby Jack or Monterey Jack cheese (I don't use mozzarella as it gets too stringy and difficult for little ones to swallow)
1 tsp. Liquid Braggs Aminos ( a natural gluten free food enhancer that's delicious and good for them)

Boil pasta until done, about 10 minutes. Drain and put pasta back into the pan. Add vegetable puree, frozen vegetables and turn on low for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally. This just heats the frozen veggies through but doesn't make them too hot. Turn off heat, add cheese and Braggs until melted. Give a quick stir and serve. I place a portion of this meal on his high chair and feed him the rest myself to ensure he's getting his proper portion.

Asian-inspired Spinach Pesto

I believe many recipes are created by chance. This is one of those recipes. These are the ingredients I had in my kitchen last night, and since my whole family LOVES pesto, I decided this could be really delicious. And it was! Enjoy!

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups loose leaf spinach

1/4 cup roasted walnuts (takes 5 minutes on your stovetop)

1/4 - 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

3-4 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1/2 shallot diced

1 clove roasted garlic

1 tsp. chopped fresh ginger

2 tsp. honey

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

fresh ground nutmeg to taste

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil to mix it all together (approx. 1/4 cup)

1 lb. rigatone (or your favorite pasta)

Put all ingredients in your food processor and blend, ending with the olive oil until everything is well blended and at the consistency you desire. I like my pesto right in the middle, not too oily, but oily enough to hold up to the pasta. At this point, taste the pesto and add more salt & pepper or nutmeg if you so desire, it's all up to your own taste buds. After pasta is cooked, drain and save about 2 Tbsp. of pasta water and add to your pesto. Mix everything together in a big bowl! Sprinkle with some fresh grated parmesan cheese and mangia pronto!