Morsels of Life

Curry Chicken

Coconut milk, simmered into a complex curry with tomatoes, then served with seared chicken over brown rice for one scrumptious curry chicken.

Pineapple Orange Chia Drink

Make your own chia drink with a mere 2 ingredients!

Ginger Beer

Brew some refreshingly clean tasting Ginger Beer right at home! No special equipment required.

Chai Tea Bread

A quick bread full of creamy Chai flavor and topped with a bit of toasted coconut.

Instant Flour Mix (DIY Bisquick)

Don't we all like some surprise baked goodies? Well, having some instant flour mix around certainly makes spontaneous baking much faster and cleanup easier, and thus, more likely to occur! :) However, you'll find yourself using this DIY Bisquick for much more than just baking. You can make pancakes, waffles, and who knows what else! Plus, you have total control over what goes into the mix. Want whole wheat and butter? You got it! White flour and shortening? No problem!

Not sure where to start? Try these biscuits (Cranberry Brie, Cinnamon Cranberry, Garlicky Cheddar), flatbreads (basic, cheesy), breadsticks (Cheesy Peppered, Cheesy Garlic) or even pancakes!

What are you making with your DIY Bisquick?

Instant Flour Mix (DIY Bisquick)

by CJ Huang

Make this instant flour mix (aka DIY Bisquick) and you'll always be ready for some quick flatbreads, breadsticks, pancakes, or biscuits!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 15 minutes
Yield: 10-12 cups

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Material	Notes
		8 cups	flour	I usually use half white and half wheat.
94 grams	3.25 ounces	1.25 cups	milk powder	I used enough milk powder to make 4 cups of milk.
41 grams	3.125 ounces	1/4 cup	baking powder
454 grams	1 pound	2 cups	butter	Or shortening, but butter tastes better :P

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Cut butter into flour. A food processor makes the process a bit faster. You may want to work in multiple small batches depending on the size of your food processor.
	3. Mix all materials together until homogeneous.

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, Inspire Me Monday, Artsy Fartsy Party, BFF Open House, Saturday Sparks, Fiesta Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Traffic Jam, What's for Dinner?, Hearth and Soul, Over the Moon, Inspire Me Monday, Farm Fresh Tuesday, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Homestead Blog Hop, Party in Your PJs, Wonderful Wednesday

Pecan Chia Pudding

I wanted to try out some chia pudding, and we also had some cashew milk I wanted to use up, so I decided to make a chia pudding with cashew milk. We also had some pecans around, and I do like Pecan Pie, so why not make something similar? Sounds like a good idea to me! Just mix together most of the ingredients, place the mixture into your serving container, and spoon some of the sweet pecan mixture on top. We refrigerated and enjoyed these pecan pie chia puddings the next day to really let the chia seeds hydrate. Enjoy!

Do you prefer dairy milk or nut milks?

Pecan Chia Pudding

by CJ Huang

A lightly sweetened chia pudding with a sticky pecan topping - perfect as a dessert and healthy enough for breakfast!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 10 minutes + hydrating time
Yield: 4 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Material
220 grams	7.75 ounces	1 cup	cashew milk
47 grams	1.625 ounces	1/4 cup	chia seeds
		4 tablespoons	maple syrup
		1 teaspoon	cinnamon
		1 teaspoon	vanilla extract
52 grams	1.75 ounces	3/8 cup	pecans, chopped

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Stir together cashew milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup.
	3. Stir in chia seeds.
	4. Coat chopped pecans with remaining maple syrup.
	5. Transfer chia mixture into serving containers and spoon (or fork if you're like me and don't want to wash another spoon) pecan mixture on top. Serve, or refrigerate to allow chia seeds to more fully hydrate.

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, Artsy Fartsy Party, BFF Open House, Fiesta Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Traffic Jam, Saturday Sparks, Hearth and Soul, What's for Dinner?, Over the Moon, Farm Fresh Tuesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Homestead Blog Hop, Party in Your PJs

Mexican Corn Salad

A while back, I made some Elote since we had gotten some corn on the cob. We really enjoyed it, but we didn't have fresh ears of corn anymore, so I thought I could make something with corn kernels. These flavors work perfectly as a Mexican corn salad, and my favorite part? It's super easy to make! I'm always a fan of easy and yummy. Aren't you? You simply put all the materials together and mix. If you wanted even more yumminess, you could grill the corn first for that delectable grilled flavor. Either way, you've got a quick and easy Mexican corn salad!

What's your favorite dish to eat in salad form?

Mexican Corn Salad

by CJ Huang

A Mexican corn salad full of the yumminess of Elote - cotija cheese and chipotle mayo combined with sweet corn.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4-8 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material
526 grams	18.675 ounces	2 cups		corn kernels
57 grams	2 ounces	1/4 cup		chipotle mayo
73 grams	2.675 ounces			Cotija cheese, grated
		2 tablespoons	1	lime, juiced
		4 teaspoons		cilantro
		1 teaspoon		onion powder
		2 teaspoons	2 cloves	garlic, minced
		1 teaspoon		chili pepper flakes

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine all materials.

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, Traffic Jam, BFF Open House, Fiesta Friday, Handmade and Otherwise, Meal Plan Monday, Saturday Sparks, What's for Dinner?, Hearth and Soul, Over the Moon, Farm Fresh Tuesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Homestead Blog Hop, Party in Your PJs

Mango Sticky Rice

Mango sticky rice is made from sticky, or glutinous rice. It's actually a different type of rice, and not just rice made sticky with more water. This short grained rice naturally sticks more when cooked. Thus, it's called glutinous rice for its sticky characteristics and not its gluten content. In fact, glutinous rice doesn't contain any gluten at all! The stickiness of this rice is due to the higher amounts of amylopectin and little or no amylose. The amylopectin causes the rice to be more sticky and is due to a single mutation farmers selected for. In Thailand, this rice is a staple grain.

Now that you've learned a little bit about glutinous rice, I'm going to go into how sweet coconut sticky rice is made. This coconut sticky rice is commonly used as a base for the mango sticky rice dessert. Making this rice is very simple and straightforward. Simply soak or wet the rice, and then steam it. Once it is cooked, mix in the coconut milk, top with some mangoes, and you're good to go!

What's your favorite Thai dessert?

Mango Sticky Rice

by CJ Huang

Find out how to make the delectable mango sticky rice. Includes how to make coconut sticky rice, the basis of many Thai desserts.

Prep time: 10 minutes + soak time
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes + soak time
Yield: 4 servings

Materials:

Volume	Number	Material	Notes
3 cups		glutinous rice, uncooked
13.5 ounces	1 can	coconut milk
	1	mango, sliced
3/4 cup		sugar	optional

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Soak the rice overnight in water about an inch higher than the rice. An alternative if you’d like to make this rice on the same day is to just dip the rice in (preferably hot) water, although it will take a bit longer to cook.
	3. Steam the rice. I used a bamboo steamer lined with cheesecloth, but any steaming method will work. The cheesecloth was simply to keep the grains from falling through the gaps and may or may not be needed depending on your hardware. The rice is cooked until it turns translucent and chewy. If you only dipped the rice in water, it will take a bit longer to cook, but if you soaked the rice overnight, it should take no more than 10 minutes or so.
	4. Meanwhile, dissolve sugar in coconut milk over heat.
	5. While the rice is still hot, mix the coconut milk into it. It is important to perform this step while the rice is still hot so that it has a chance to soak up the coconut milk and flavor.

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, Artsy Fartsy Party, BFF Open House, Meal Plan Monday, Fiesta Friday, Traffic Jam, Saturday Sparks, What's for Dinner?, Hearth and Soul, Over the Moon, Tuesdays at Our Home, Inspire Me Monday, Farm Fresh Tuesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Party in Your PJs, Homestead Blog Hop

Mini Vanilla Wafers

Ever since seeing this recipe on Baking Bites, I've wanted to make Vanilla Wafers. I know it's been a few months, but it's stayed in the back of my mind. Then, I recently got a piping kit. Yay for $5 thrift store finds! I figured now's a good a time as any, so I just went ahead and made some of these mini vanilla wafers. You could go for the original, using a plain tip (or a bag with the corner cut off). However, since I'd just gotten the piping kit, I wanted to try out ALL the tips. :) My favorite? The one with all the little spikes pointing slightly inward. After they baked, they look a bit fancier and without any extra effort. Win! Make mini vanilla wafers or make regular sized ones. Either way, make some! James said they taste kinda like the store-bought ones, but better. But isn't that how home made works?

What's your favorite DIY recipe?

Mini Vanilla Wafers

by CJ Huang

Basic mini vanilla wafers you can make at home.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: lots

Materials:

Mass	Volume	Number	Material
	1/2 cup		butter
75 grams	1/3 cup		sugar
	1/4 cup		brown sugar
		1	egg
	1 tablespoon		vanilla extract
160 grams	1.3 cups		flour
	1/2 teaspoon		baking powder

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Cream together sugar, brown sugar, and butter.
	3. Beat in remaining materials.
	4. Scoop dough into a bag, and squeeze onto a baking tray. I wanted to try a few different shapes, but you could easily go with lots of shapes or just one.
	5. Bake at 325F for 10 minutes.