Chinese Egg Custard/ Egg Tart

One large deep dish pie crust
1/2 cup sugar
1.5 cup water
9 eggs
1 dash vanilla
1 cup evaporated milk

But I had no evaporated milk, so I used some creamer instead:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
1.5 cups cashew milk
9 eggs
1 dash vanilla
1/2 cup half and half

Instructions if using the first ingredients list (this recipe has already been adjusted for sweetness. You will want to use about 3/4 cup sugar if making for dinner party):

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Mix sugar and hot water (heat the water first) until all sugar has been dissolved, let mixture cool, or add in cashew milk or additional water for quicker cooling.
3. Add in rest of ingredients and stir till smooth (Other recipes say to pour mixture through strainer, but we all know I'm too lazy to do that. I just poured into pie crust).
4. Bake for 25 minutes.

Banana Flower Salad

This was probably the most or one of the most labor intensive dishes I've ever made. The people who ate it were divided on if they liked it or not. Some did, some didn't care of it, so it might be an interesting dish for some culinarily adventurous people, but maybe not a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

• Banana Flower
• 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame or olive oil
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 handful of mint leaves

Instructions:

1. Clean and prepare the banana flower
1. Take off leaves (you can serve salad in leaves if you are feeling up to it - I was too lazy)
   

   
2. Shuck the flowers by taking off the outer leaves and stamen (this takes FOREVER)
   
3. Once you get to the middle part (when the outside leaves are pretty tender as well as the stamens, you can just chop up the middle part into small pieces and also throw in the lemon water mixture)
   
4. As soon as you shuck the flower, put into lemon water mixture to prevent oxidation (I used the juice of 2 lemons and then 2 cups of water) and soak for about an hour
2. Cut up one bunch of cilantro and the mint leaves
3. Mix one teaspoon of garlic hot sauce with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of sesame or olive oil and wisk together
4. When it's time to serve, strain the banana flower from the soak.
5. Combine all ingredients and toss together.

Potato Gnocci

2 yellow potatoes
1 or 2 eggs
2 cups flour
pasta sauce
some oil for frying if you like

1. Speed cook the potatoes in the microwave
1. roughly cut peeled potato into chunks
2. add about 1/4 cup water to potato in microwave safe bowl
3. microwave for 7 minutes
4. mash potatoes
2. Add 1-2 eggs to potatoes and mix
3. Flour cutting board and place about 1/2 cup of potato mixture onto cutting board
4. Mix with flour on cutting board till you have proper consistancy
5. Smash to about 1/2 inch thick and cut into rough squares (or roll into long rolls and cut off 1/2 inch pieces)
6. Place into a pot of boiling water and remove when they float
7. You can either toss into pasta sauce right then or pan fry and toss with sauce.

Kale and Farro Salad

1 cup farro
2 cups packed torn Tuscan kale leaves (about 2 ounces)
1/4 red onion, finely diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup packed mint leaves, thinly sliced, plus whole small leaves for serving
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta, preferably French

1. Cook farro
1. Cover farro with a few inches of water
2. Bring to boil and boil for 10-12 minutes
3. Strain farro and allow to cool
2. Put oil in pan and stir fry kale (I like more kale so I used about 4 cups of kale) until wilted
3. While kale is wilting, cut up onion and mint and place in bowl
4. Add lemon juice to bowl as well as olive oil, salt and pepper, and feta cheese
5. When kale is done, add to bowl as well as farro and toss.
6. Serve warm or cold.

Eggplant and tomato curry

INGREDIENTS

kosher salt and black pepper
1tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1 eggplant (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2teaspoons curry powder

DIRECTIONS

• Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Stir in the tomatoes, eggplant, curry powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until eggplant is tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove the vegetables from heat and stir in the basil if desired.
• Serve over rice.

Roasted Okra

•  18 fresh okra pods, sliced 1/3 inch thick 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Bertolli Olive Oil Extra Virgin 
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste 
• 2 teaspoons black pepper, or to taste

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Arrange the okra slices in one layer on a foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Fuzzy Melon Stir Fry

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 shallot, chopped
1/3 cup ground pork
8 pinches salt
2 cups of fuzzy melon, peeled washed, and cut into bit sized chunks
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water

oil pan, turn on medium heat
stir fry garlic and shallots for 30 seconds
Add in ground pork and salt
stir fry and break up pork into pieces until cooked
reduce heat and add in melon, chili garlic, soy, and water
stir, and cover and cook for 18 minutes or until melon is tender