chinese double almond cookies

By the time this post is on the interweb, most of you will have already rid yourselves of the Lunar New Year festivities, and a smaller—albeit still substantial—subset of you will have taken out the upside-down-top-hat-frosted drinking mugs and "Honest Abe" wall stickers (February 12 is Lincoln's birthday if my sarcasm was too subtle). Still, in my experience there has never been a bad occasion to serve a really good cookie, notwithstanding a really, really good cookie. I can assure you that if Lincoln were to try these cookies, he would soon have the figure of Mary Todd Lincoln (and she seems wont to the occasional cookie if you know what I mean). Whether you serve these cookies alongside a pot of tea or an upside-down-top-hat-frosted drinking mug, your guests will be throbbing at your feet in blissful insanity after their first bite. The beginning to an unhealthy addiction to almond cookies will have begun, and you will have successful stolen that person's every future dream and aspiration. We will recruit these cookie zombies to disburse the cookie curse and in a month we will rule North America! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Let's get started. 

rosemary roasted garlic focaccia

In these early weeks of the new year, blog posts webwide begin by paying homage to the New Year, or New Year’s resolutions, or some variation along those lines. So—in being unique—I won’t mention the New Year at all. Here at Chow Creations, we pride ourselves in being independent…wait a second. By acknowledging that other food bloggers acknowledge the New Year, haven’t I inadvertently began this post with an homage to the New Year. This column is beginning to sound a lot like the subpar metaphysical food blogging I confused readers with last year. AH HA! You fell for another one of my traps. I wanted you to think I didn’t want to begin this post by mentioning the New Year, when in fact I've been in control of this rambling the entire time. So how exactly does this all relate to focaccia? The receptionist at my asylum hands me focaccia to get me to stop talking to her. Ohhhhh Margaret...my New Year’s resolution is to see a psychiatrist. 

Despite the exotic-sounding name, focaccia is deceptively simply to make. You won't even need a stand mixer to make this recipe. Although I've written the directions for the do-it-by-hand gal, if you’re not as strong as I am (cue the picture of my saggy biceps), follow along with the stand mixer’s specifications. Focaccia gets most of its flavor from the taste and quality of the olive oil you use. In addition to using the finest olive oil allowance-money can buy, I fry the rosemary and garlic in the olive oil (a quick and dirty trick to getting the most out of your most pungent ingredients) to amp up the flavornoids in focaccia flavor town. The result is a soft and crispy bread, packed with warm flavors of roasted rosemary and garlic. Beginning and advanced bread bakers will be delighted at this wonderfully easy and delicious treat!

peanut butter raisin oat cookies

Peanut Butter Cookie fans and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Fans rejoice, for tonight we settle our differences and come together for the holidays. I know, lately tensions have been running high between our cults, but if anything can bring peace to our warring sides it is this cookie. 

Creamy peanut buttery, chewy raisin oatliciousness, this cookie is not only flavor packed, but texturally symphonetical—made up a whole bushel of words in that sentence. But miracles happen when cookies like this enter our hearts. Enough dawdling, let's get on with the recipe. 

thanksgiving sour cream biscuits

If you're reading this post, you're one of two people: (1) Thanksgiving just passed and you're trying to see how long you can last before the food coma takes you too, or (2) you're panicking because Thanksgiving is tomorrow and you just remembered that mother-in-law Margaret only comes to Thanksgiving dinner for the biscuits! Whether you're the former or the latter, these super easy biscuits can solve your problems. Did I mention they only take 5 minutes (of effort) to make!

Take a quick look at the picture of me in the left sidebar. No matter how strong your astigmatism is, I am definitely not the face of an expert biscuit maker. Nor do my parents look like expert biscuit makers (picture me...thirty years older). The fact is, Chinese people are not expert biscuit makers, nor are they even that fond of eating biscuits. If any person was as unqualified as I was to show you how to make a biscuit, it would be a babbling two-year old. Nevertheless, there in that statements lies my point. If I can make these damn good lookin' biscuits, you can definitely make them...and they'll probably turn out even better than mine. 

strawberry (and cherry) cheesecake parfaits

Officially the summer months are coming to an end as companies reintroduce pumpkin spiced everything and Halloween décor to the masses. These transition times usually lend me to a certain shortsighted nostalgia. I think about all of the fun things that I’m going to miss as one season lay rest to a new. As summer ends and fall takes over, a part of me cannot let go of the sun soaked memories and meals that summer brought. If my wimpy frou frou nostalgia shpeal isn’t reason enough for you to try this recipe, let me remind you that you still have a 30 quart Ziploc bag full of strawberries in your freezer that you need to get to before freezer burn does. Let’s celebrate the beginning of autumn with this blast-from-recent past summer treat: Strawberry (and Black Cherry) Cheesecake Parfaits. 

roasted garlic fondant potatoes w/ homemade mustard aioli

What is a Fondant Potato? Fondant potatoes are potatoes that are trimmed into the shape of eggs, fried in butter, and then baked. I made mine into the shape of, what I like to call, half of a potato. French cuisine purists, this is where you stop reading. For the rest of you, this new/old potato cooking technique is a tasty and unique way of serving potatoes at the dinner table, while avoiding the commonly mashed, boiled, and baked culprits.  

Traditional fondant potatoes are served plain as a side dish, but, I wanted to put the ol' Chow Creations' spin on the thing and make a homemade mustard aioli to dip them in. My inspiration for this dip is the Spanish dish, Patatas Bravas, which are fried potatoes served with a Tomato Aioli. I thought, though, that a tomato aioli would be too safe, and the combination between garlic and mustard would be perfect to cut through that rich garlicky potato. I'll explain what an aioli is below and how you can turn this delicious side dish into a killer Superbowl Party hors d'oeuvre. Chowtinue Reading. 

5 minute weeknight alfredo sauce!

Not only should everyone have a quick and easy, go-to, weeknight recipe, but it should be something delicious and not something that comes from a can, bag, cup, or liquor store. Don't deny it. It's close to your house and they have occasionally good sales on stale cookies and offbrand colas. But, that is all in the past, today I'm going to show you how to make a weeknight alfredo sauce which has been rumoured to cure everything from marriages to cancer. However, rumours are rumours and if those claims turn out to be false, rest assured you still have a killer sauce that you can drown pasta and rice in for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. 

Oh, and did I mention this recipe has 50% less heavy cream and 75% less butter than its predecessors. So yeah, it does cure cancer. 

one-pot red wine braised short ribs

Imagine sitting in front of you is a bowl of rich meaty short ribs atop a mound of buttery mashed potatoes sitting in a velvety pool of red wine jus. Well stop imagining cause we've got pictures! Just look at it. So good! You can do this too, and all in one pot!

Recently, I've been watching a lot of Julia Child. I've been inspired by the Beef Bourguignon, Coq Au Vin, you name it I've watched it, read it, and lived it. Yes, you can live food. And if you asked me, I wouldn't mind living in a pan of this red wine braised short ribs (he said proud of his transitional skills). Believe it or not, that was one of my better transitions on this site. If you've got a pot and you've got meat (it doesn't have to be short ribs), you can implement this easy technique/recipe to make really delicious braised beef. You're family will thank you for it, and so will your taste buds. 

portuguese egg custard tarts - macau in a tartshell

Did you know that the island of Macau got it's name because the Macanese fisherman couldn't understand a certain Portuguese conquistador's accent. Now, that may seem like a completely arbitrary statement, unless, you are privy to the fact that I just came back from Macau last week. Sorry, after a sixteen hour jet lag my mind isn't working correctly and my twisted sense of humor seems funnier in my head. Although the fisherman thing was really true. Our tour guide said so.

Across the waters from Hong Kong is the exotic casino and custard tart filled island of Macau. And despite the fact that my attempt at these pastry pools of custard gold turned out surprisingly well, especially for a first attempt, it really doesn't beat the fresh piping hot tarts you get halfway across the world. Click the orange button to chowtinue this conversation and learn how to make these delicious little morsels. 

chocolate chip cookie cake - Cookie Week!

Shout out to Sarah @ The Sugar Hit who's having Cookie Week! this week, which inspired me to partake in the theme and make this epic, awesome, indulgent Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. Chocolate chip cookies are too good to be giving to your loved ones in boring cookie form. Try this awesome chocolate chip cookie cake, which despite the overload of alliteration in the title, is an awesome vehicle for serving chocolate chip cookies, and a fantastic crowd pleaser at your next holiday party!

This recipe makes two chocolate chip cookie cakes, which if you were smarter than me, would have stacked them on top of each other like a sane person. Darn I hate myself sometimes. You know what to do. Click the orange button to unleash chocolate chip cookie cake havoc. 

{how to make} quick and easy homemade biscotti w/ cranberries + white chocolate

Homemade biscotti is a completely different experience than the ones that come from the plastic wrapper. Unlike the biscottis that you buy from the tubs at Costco these aren't stale or dry. They're hard and crunchy like they're supposed to be, but because we make them fresh, you can really taste the buttery shortbread-esque crumb that's just so good!

Not only do these biscotti look awesome, but they taste just like you would get them from a really fancy italian restaurant. I'm not even kidding you guys. I was so surprised at how quick, and easy, and awesome these turned out that I made a second batch for the neighbors (a.k.a myself). These are also a wonderful gift for friends and family this holiday season. You know what to do. Press that orange button. 

bacon & parmesan kale salad - another cool kale recipe

At Chow Creations, we pride ourselves in our exceptional ability to adulterate healthy foods with bacon. 

This week I'll show you how to make the most unbelievably cheesy, creamy, restaurant parmesan dressing. You'll want to glug it down when no one is looking. In other words, keep your eyes on your creamy parmesan dressing because someone will want to glug it down if you're not paying attention. Oh, and we're also making a salad. It has bacon. Now you're probably interested. You know what to do, click Chowtinue Reading. :-)

flat and chewy white chocolate chip oreo cookies - the best cookies I've ever had

If you like white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, but you pick out the nuts, this cookie is the cookie for you. To put this in perspective, these are like a more exotic, chewier, flatter, more yummy chocolate chip cookie. The kids will love these, the neighbors will love these, the goldfish will love these, but most importantly, you'll love these because they are so easy!

Out of all of the reasons why this cookie is "the best cookie I've ever had", there is one superior reason why. That is, this cookie has cookies inside each cookie. You're looking at the Chow Creations patented (not really) oreos baked into a cookie cookie making method. Let's get into that.

white chocolate oreo cheesecake bars

Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, and as your coworkers and church group have reminded you, so is the annual dread of what you're going to make for the holiday potluck. (Hanukkah is approaching too. I didn't forget  about  you my Jewish viewers.)

If you're one who checks the silverware, napkin, bread, or drink boxes be aware that you're not being discreet about your laziness. People know, and they talk behind your back. Show those gossiping b*tches you aren't lazy, and not only that, but you can cook laps around Margaret's annual slimy burnt pigs in a blanket. 

how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker | coffee oreo parfait

This super cool technique to make ice cream without an ice cream maker (or liquid nitrogen) is not only comparable, perhaps even superseding it's churned variety, but is healthier, lighter, and so much more impressive. Plus, it's really easy.

Everyone who reads this blog knows that I love making things with really fancy french monikers because they sound so much more exotic and more difficult to make than their American counterparts. So in keeping with the theme, this week we'll be making a "sabayon", the French version of the Italian zabaglione. It's merely whisking egg yolks and wine together which I'm sure all of you can do. And we're turning the sabayon, usually served as a sauce for fruits and stuff, into a parfait which is a French frozen dessert with a texture similar to the love child of an ice cream and a mousse. Did you know parfait is the French word for "perfect". The more you chow. Just to be clear, French parfaits are completely different from layered yogurt, granola, and fruit parfaits we have in the states. I mean just look at the pictures. 

easy chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookies + white chocolate

The school year is officially in motion. The trees are blushing all different hues of red and oranges, fall is upon us. You know what that means right. PUMPKINS! Yay!!! I love pumpkins, pumpkins make me happy, happy happy happy. And you know what I love more than pumpkins, pumpkin cookies, chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookies with white chocolate. To be completely honest I would be perfectly fine with just a chewy spiced oatmeal cookie but when you add pumpkin and white chocolate, God help me. I never told anyone this but I made two batches. shhh.

These cookies are so easy even your kids will be able to whip'em up. If you're looking for something fun to do with the family before the school year gets too hectic this is your recipe. Did I mention they're delicious? They're delicious. 

mexican chocolate pound cake - minus the mexican chocolate

Chocolate porn. Don't be alarmed. Chow Creations is not yet another food blog to resolve to indecency to increase traffic. We simply listen to our viewers and the viewers say more porn, food porn that is. This week, after being away for quite awhile, I return with a mexican chocolate pound cake. Rich and dense however at the same time somehow fluffy and definitely chocolatey. This cake can certainly be the subject of many ahhh's and ohhh's of the next family gathering or church potluck. 

Despite it's lack of "mexican" chocolate, we make up for it with a heaping dose of cinnamon and many other tasty flavors including coconut, buttermilk, and "american" chocolate. Well I'm not sure if any chocolate is american seeing that they all come from Brazil or Columbia or some place of that nature, but it's certainly a chocolate which has an american stamp of approval seeing that it's fortified with tons of sugar and milk. Plus I'm using chocolate that's in "chip" form and you know americans love their chips. 

corn and cranberry pancake cookies - the pancakie revolution has commenced!

Besides the fact that this title has a serious case of alliteration overboard, these pancake cookies were amazing and absolutely delicious! Seeing that this Chow Creation is the convergence of two of my favorite breakfast/dessert items, I couldn't see why this wouldn't be a home run. They are soft and pancake like, but have this buttery crumb like a cookie. It's the perfect breakfast food that everyone is going to go crazy for! Not mention that pairing of the sweet corn (that is right at it's peak season) and those sweet tart cranberries, this is killer! 

Now I know what most of you in the foodieverse must be thinking, is this the new Cronut. Yes, yes it is. In fact, I'm predicting this is going to be even bigger than the cronut because, unlike the Cronut, which is difficult to make and comes in a limited range of flavors, the Pancakie can be made by anyone with a whisk and there's an unlimited array of variations you can create. Soon households all over America will have their favorite Pancakie recipe and then it'll spread to Asia, and then Europe, and I'll be king of the world! ahemmmm...so yeah, Pancakies, they're gonna be huge.  

pistachio cherry crumble - let's get crackin'

I'm not sponsored by Wonderful Pistachios nor do I even think they know this blog exists (actually I'm positive they don't), nevertheless this post is going to be me trying my best to get their attention. So let's get crackin' (ohhh...I see what you did there).

If there was an award for biggest pistachio fan, my grandma would win it twice over blindfolded with her hands tied to her back. She is a pistachio fanatic, the quickest pistachio huller I've ever seen. Recently, and by recently I mean a couple hours ago, we bought a 3 pound bag of pistachios and within that time from the car to the house half the bag was gone. Keep in mind that this feat would be impressive for anybody, let alone a small, 80-something year old chinese lady. She pops those quicker than tic-tacs. Sometimes, even two at a time. But in all seriousness my grandma is wonderful...pistachios. Okay even I thought that one was lame, I'm gonna move on to the cooking. 

easy hot fudge sauce + coconut + sea salt

Remember when you were a kid and you used to brazenly cascade pump after pump of chocolate sauce over your ice cream, beautifully unaware of its affects on your mind and body. Before now, the health conscious population has avoided the indulgent world that I live in. Finally a chocolate sauce that will take away all that worry, and bridge the gap between health and food. That's right this is vegan. Say what?