Overnight French Toast Casserole

I tried out this recipe for Christmas Day Brunch and it was a hit!

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/overnight-french-toast/

Cantonese Style Fried Rice

Ok, I need to tell you there is not exact proportion of the ingredients, whichever ingredient you like then just add more. 

Here are the basic ingredients in the fried rice: 

1. Rice (3 cups uncooked/ 6 cups cooked), at least a day old.

2. Eggs (5), lightly beaten, add peanut oil in a flat pan, when it is warm, put eggs, cook it like a pan cake. After it is done, cool and cut into small pieces. 

3. Carrots (3), small diced, 1 cups of sweet peas, 1 cups of corn (optional), cook in a pan with little water and a little salt, cover, cook until they are cooked

4. 1 to 2 green onions, very thin slices

5. light soy sauce

6. 1 teaspoon sesame oil

7. Extra firm tofu, 1 pack, small diced, pan fried, with whatever your favorite seasoning

Peanuts for garnish.

Melt some butter, or use peanut oil, add green onions, stir for a minute till you smell fragrance. 

Put rice, heat though, then put everything else in, till everything is heated. Enjoy!

Tomato Onion Chutney

1 onion, diced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 red chili
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp tamarind paste
2 Tb. pottu kadalai
salt

Dry roast the pottu kadalai and set aside.

In a pan, heat 1 Tb. sesame oil.  When hot, add the red chili and onion. Sauté for a few minutes.  Add the garlic and tamarind paste and cook until the onion is soft. Add in tomato and cook until tomato is soft. Salt to taste. Put tomato mixture and pottu kadalai in the food processor and grind until smooth.

Optional: splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves and garnish before serving.

Easy Tres Leches Cake

My son and husband request Tres Leches Cake for their birthdays every year!  Most tres leches cakes are made from a homemade sponge cake. Way too much work for a busy mom!  This is my cheater's recipe, and luckily everyone in my family loves it! My recipe has 3 parts: cake, tres leches (three milks), and homemade whip cream.

Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
eggs, water, oil (per instructions on cake mix box)

Tres Leches:
1/4c.  heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk

Whip Cream Icing:
2c. heavy cream
3 Tb. granulated sugar
splash of vanilla extract

Instructions-

Cake: Bake the cake in a 13x9 pan according to the instructions on the box cake mix.  Allow to cool for at least half an hour. Use a fork or toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the cake.

Tres Leches: In a medium size bowl, combine the cream, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk.  Stir together until well mixed.  Reserve 1 cup of mixture and discard (or find another use). Slowly pour the rest over the cake.  The holes in the cake will allow the liquid to seep into it.  It's ok if the top of the cake looks like a lake of milk at first- it will soak in.  Cover and refrigerate, ideally for a few hours.

Whip Cream: (can be made up to a day in advance) Chill a large mixing bowl and mixer beaters in the freezer for 10 mins. In the chilled bowl, combine cream, sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until the mixture becomes fluffy and the texture of whip cream.  Spread the whip cream on top of the cake just before serving.  Top with fresh fruit like strawberries, mango slices, or a maraschino cherry!

Tips- I used Betty Crocker Yellow Cake mix. I also frost each individual piece of cake with whip cream when I serve it.  I've tried icing the whole cake at once, but with any leftover cake, the whip cream becomes runny in a few hours.

Tortilla Soup

https://peasandcrayons.com/2017/02/vegetarian-lentil-tortilla-soup.html

Popular with the whole family!  I omitted chili powder/cayenne, and I also omitted the tomato paste.

Instant Pot Idli Settings

Cook idli for Manual 0 mins, NPR. Vent should be sealed.