Homemade biscuits and gravy with crumbled up maple/brown sugar sausage links topped with crunchy bits of bacon.

For the biscuits you will need:

2 cups and 1/4 cup of cake flour
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of shortening
2 T of sugar
3/4 tsp of salt
2 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 cup of buttermilk(I sub this for 1 cup of whole milk plus 1 T of vinegar-let it sit for 5 min. to sour)
1/4 cup of melted unsalted butter(to brush the tops of biscuits before/after

For the gravy you will need:

1/3 cup of bacon grease
1/3 cup of all purpose flour
1 1/2- 2 cups of warm whole milk(start off with 1 1/2 then add more to control consistency)
2 T of butter(optional)
2 pinches of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Optional: sausage links/1 pkg of bacon/ shredded cheddar cheese for the toppings!!

Place all your bacon in unheated cast iron skillet on medium-medium high heat. Cook until crispy. Drain on paper towels and reserve the bacon grease for later use.

On medium heat, add some bacon grease into skillet and add in your sausage links. I just hold the links over the pan and squeeze out the sausage to remove it from it's casing. Once browned, remove from heat and drain on paper towels.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in shortening with a fork. Add the buttermilk, adding a little at a time, stirring until fully incorporated.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Roll out dough with a rolling pin starting from the middle, moving outwards, creating a circle that should measure out to a 1/2 inch thick. Cut biscuits using a 2 inch biscuit cutter.

Place your biscuits into a well greased cast iron skillet. Brush the tops with melted butter. Bake for 14-15 minutes...or until slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and brush the tops AGAIN with more melted butter.

How to make the Gravy:

Heat the bacon grease in a cast iron skillet. Add some butter(optional). Add in the flour and whisk until smooth. Slowly, add in the milk and bring to a small rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low to let simmer and stir it until it thickens up to desired consistency. If its too thick for you, add more milk...just start with 1 1/2 cups and gradually add more as you go along. Season with 2 pinches of sugar plus salt and pepper to taste.

This dish is sooooo bad for you...that I only allow myself to make it ONCE a YEAR! LOL. How I prepare it in the video is how my husband loves to eat it. Personally, I like to split the biscuits in half as soon as they come out the oven, and then DRENCH it in some honey...okay not some....A LOT OF HONEY, honey!! :)

Watch and see how I make this hearty and most satisfying dish at home!!

Chow fun/pad see ew/seafood meeh kathang

This dish was always my favorite growing up in Tacoma. There used to be this restaurant, down the street from me on Portland Ave. called Monorom. They served this delicious little seafood delight that I would order every week. I literally, spent any money that I ever had, eating there! I know that a lot of people would argue with me and say that the dish itself was just OKAY, and you're probably right, but maybe because the way I would completely DRENCH it in two different types of hot sauces, is what made it soooo finger lickin' good!!
Anywho, here is my version of this dish and I hope you guys enjoy it just as much I do. I'm sorry I don't have an exact ingredient listing, but maybe later on, I will try to put one together. In the meantime, just watch the dang video.

Happy watching...and happy eating.

-Love Sav

You will need:

shrimp
shrimp balls
fresh calamari
chinese broccoli(or broccoli)
green onion
bean sprouts(This is optional. I didn't have any at the time but add these when you are frying up the noodles at the end, if using)
extra virgin olive oil
msg(optional)
sugar
white pepper
oyster sauce
fish sauce
garlic



For the marinade for the fresh noodles, you will need:

oyster sauce
fish sauce
dark sweet soy sauce
sugar
chinese rice wine
chili flakes
sesame oil

*Watch the video to see how I prepare this dish at home!! Thanks for stopping by!! :)

How to make fresh rice noodles/ho fun

To make the noodles you will need:

2/3 cup of wheat flour
1/2 cup of rice powder
1/3 cup of tapioca starch
1/4 cup of potato starch
1/4 tsp of salt plus a pinch
1+ 2/3 cup of water

Combine all the ingredients above and mix well, leaving no lumps before steaming.

You will also need:

Some kind of steamer(get creative, if you don't want to purchase one)
A non stick pan(or two)
A pastry brush
Vegetable oil

Use a wire whisk to blend, making sure there are no lumps. And please remember to give the mixture a quick whisk EACH TIME, before adding to hot, non stick pan in steamer.

*I was able to purchase all of the different types of flour/starch at H Mart(A Korean store). Your best bet is to find a good Asian market for a one stop, shopping trip.

Notes: This batch makes a little more than 1 pound of fresh noodles. Makes about 3-4 servings. If you are doubling the recipe, please make sure to fry your noodles into batches to prevent overcooking. If you like your noodles to be thinner, feel free to steam the mixture using 1/2 cup instead of 2/3 of a cup, for each layer. If using 1/2 cup, your noodles will cook faster, so please keep an eye on them. I recommend, two layers per batch but do more at your own risk. For optimum results, do one layer at a a time, allowing each layer to cool for a few minutes before removing onto cutting board, wipe the non stick pan clean again...and put it back into the steamer to repeat process.

How to make fresh rice noodle...and also how I prepare it at home, will be posted on my youtube channel by this weekend!

Fruit filled sponge cake

For the cake:

8 eggs separated plus 2 more egg whites(8 egg yolks plus 10 egg whites total)
*separate eggs when they are cold and then bring them to room temp.*
1 cup plus 2 T. of cake flour
1 cup of caster sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
3/4 tsp of cream of tartar
2 T of orange juice(no pulp and not from concentrate) plus 3/4 T. of water(basically,this mixture should equal 1/4 of a cup)
1/2 cup of vegetable oil(no substitutions)
2 UNGREASED aluminum layer cake pans OR 1 UNGREASED(2 piece) aluminum tube pan

For the whipped cream frosting and filling

*The following is not the same recipe as you've seen in the video. I've decided to omit the gelatin since so many people had problems with it.

3 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 T. plus 2 tsp of vanilla extract
2/3 to 1 1/4 cup of powdered sugar(you control how sweet)
*REVISED*
So I've been making this cake A LOT lately and would like to share with you guys that I've finally discovered what that whipped cream frosting was that the bakeries use--it's called PASTRY PRIDE!! This is what I use now to fill and frost my cakes with!!

It's non dairy and ready to whip!! No need to add any additional flavorings, like vanilla extract or powdered sugar. There's also another one called "Frosting Pride" which is slightly thicker and sweeter but if you're looking for the "frosting" that tastes like whipped cream, than the Pastry Pride in the red box is the way to go. You can purchase these items at a Smart and Final store, Cash and Carry, and Costco sells them online although I'm unsure if they sell it in store. So, if you can find and purchase the Pastry Pride or Frosting Pride...I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO!

For the simple syrup:

1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of water

*If you are baking this spongecake in an angel food cake tube pan, follow the same directions as stated in my video, except place batter in your tube pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.


First, separate your egg yolks from egg whites while they are cold and bring them to room temp. I know there's some debate on whether or not it's safe to leave them out overnight, but I do anyways. :) Do the same with the orange juice.

Into your chilled mixing bowl, add in your  heavy whipping cream. I have a shield that I can attach to my mixture so that it won't splash all over the place, but if your bowl isn't large enough or you don't have a shield, whip up in 2 separate batches. Just before your whipping cream starts to thicken, add in your vanilla extract and powdered sugar. I don't like it too sweet so you can adjust accordingly to your taste. Once done, put in fridge until ready to use.

Pour 1 cup of sugar into food processor and let it run for 30 seconds to create a fine granulated sugar. Set aside.

Take your cake flour and salt and sift over a large piece of parchment paper. Then, lift the parchment paper and pour it back into a sieve fitted over a large mixing bowl and sift again. Continue process 3 more times! Set aside.

Mix your oil/water/vanilla extract and orange juice together in a small bowl or measuring cup. This mixture should come up to just under 1 cup! Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat your egg yolks with the caster sugar until it's pale yellow. Thick ribbon like streaks should be falling off of the beater back into your bowl. Set aside.

Beat your egg whites until foamy. Add in your cream of tartar. Continue beating until soft peaks. Switch to a balloon wire whisk and whisk by hand until stiff peaks.

Take your reserved oil mixture, give it a little stir, and then add it into your EGG YOLKS MIXTURE. Once mixed in, whisk in your flour mixture, a little at a time. Once thats fully incorporated, take a clean wire whisk and CAREFULLY fold in a little bit of your beaten egg whites and continue this with the rest of the egg whites. Work quickly and use as little strokes as possible. It's okay if you see tiny streaks of white. Don't waste too much time on that.

Pour into UNGREASED layer cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Once done, remove and invert cakes upside down to cool down on 2 racks fitted over two colanders.

In a small saucepan over medium high heat, boil 1/2 of water with 1/2 of sugar until it reduces to about half. It will start to thicken up slightly and it will change color. Pour mixture into a bowl over an ice bath and stir until thickened like syrup. The longer you leave it on there, the thicker it will get. Once to your liking, remove from ice bath and set in fridge until ready to use.

Chop up some fruit and divide them equally amongst 3 bowls and add in your reserved whipping cream into each bowl. Remember to leave a good amount for frosting the tops and sides of your cake!!

Once your cakes have cooled, take a serrated knife and cut into each one. Take your fruit filling and begin to assemble your cakes, one layer at a time. Frost the tops and sides and decorate with fresh fruit/berries of your choice. Drizzle tops with the simple syrup. Place in fridge until ready to indulge! Happy Eating!!


NOTES:

I would highly recommend that you try the spongecake on it's own first before you attempt this cake. I actually prefer to eat this cake plain, with absolutely no other toppings, whatsoever! I like more cake then whipped cream, so if you wish, you may up the amt. of heavy whipping cream(just remember to adjust the amt. of powdered sugar/vanilla too). Remember, you have to use an ALUMINUM pan/angel food cake tube pan for this recipe. This spongecake contains no baking powder, so the batter needs something to cling on to while it's baking to help give it more height. If you use a non stick pan, your spongecake will not rise as much while baking. Once baking has complete, run a knife around the sides of pan, and also in the center of the pan to remove your cake.


Please watch my tutorial to learn how I make this very popular cake that is sold at most Asian bakeries!!

BEFORE you attempt this cake, I recommend that you watch my video about what kind of pan to use and how to get a good crumb coat.:)