what's cooking

Managing Leftovers

2011-09-12T00:13:00.000-07:00

I recently posted about my favorite way of managing leftover dishes--- turning them into delish fried rice! :)

The other day I requested binagoongang baboy sa gata for lunch. I asked Ate Letty for that because I intend to make the Thai Bagoong Rice recipe I saw from the magazine. But since I am short of some ingredients, I decided to make my own version. The preparation is basically almost the same, I just used the few pieces of prawns left inside the freezer (extras from the dish I made the other night) because I don't have pork liempo which originally should be used as topping. And since there are no spring onions available either, I decided to use diced tomatoes instead to garnish my meal. And with some tossing and mixing and a dab of salt--voila! instant Bagoong Fried rice for brunch!

I wish...

2011-09-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

...I understand spices as Jamie Oliver does.

... and I wish I set up food on plates so perfectly beautiful and appealing just like the kids on Junior Master Chef do! :)

(sample picture taken from Junior Master Chef Pinoy Edition)

Junior Master Chef Australia
( I cannot find a picture of the kids from the Pinoy Edition)

Creamy Mushroom Soup and Aglio e Olio with Garlic Marinated Prawns

2011-09-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

Source: yummy.ph & foodnetwork.com

I'm a pasta lover. Usually when I am out and not sure of what to eat, I would always, always go for pasta to satisfy the rumbling tummy. I first tried Aglio e Oglio at Hot Tomato in Singapore, its no fancy restaurant by the way (err... not that the name suggests, heheheh). We were brought there by a friend who was raving about their American Beef Stew. It was indeed tasty. After a few more visits ordering the stew, I feel like I wanted to try something different from their menu, so I picked from their pasta and grilled entrees and ordered for that pasta dish which I cannot even pronounce the name. Genius, so I let my pointer finger do the ordering, hahahahah! The aroma of the grilled king prawn on top of the pasta is drool worthy. The mushroom soup that comes with the combo is also good for a barely S$12 meal. Not bad! :)

For the Creamy Mushroom Soup (source: yummy.ph)

30g butter
30g onion, brunoise
55g mushrooms, brunoise
15g all-purpose flour
300ml chicken stock
90ml hot milk
50ml heavy cream
salt & pepper, to taste
finely chopped parsley, as needed
optional garnish: 15g mushrooms, brunoise; 8g butter

Heat the butter in a heavy saucepot over moderate heat.
Add the onions and mushroom. Sweat the vegetables without letting them brown.
Add the flour and stir make a roux. Cook the roux for a few minutes but do not brown.
Gradually beat in stock. Bring to a boil. Stirring with a whip as it thickens.
Simmer until vegetables are very tender. Skim the soup carefully. pass the soup through a food mill or use a blender to puree. If you don't have a blender, chop the vegetables finely. You may pass the pureed soup to a fine china cup or through a cheesecloth if yu want it smooth, or you may leave it as it is for a chunky or more rustic soup.
Add enough hot milk to bring it to the proper consistency. heat soup again, but do not let it boil. Season to taste.
Garnish with cream and mushrooms sauteed in butter (optional). Top soup with parsley.

For the Aglio e Olio (Source: Emeril Lagasse for foodnetwork.com)

1 pound dried pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or your favorite pasta)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

300g prawns
butter
olive oil
salt & ground pepper
1tbsp minced garlic

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is lightly browned. Remove from heat. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid, and place in a bowl for tossing and serving
Add olive oil mixture and toss. Add the reserved cooking liquid if mixture seems dry.
Place pan-fried marinated prawns on top. Serve immediately.

My verdict: Honestly, it's not as good as that of Hot Tomato's but it sure is very tasty! I personally love the mushroom soup though, heheheh...

Family's Verdict: A cousin, a niece, my sister, brother-in-law and mom tried it and they all love it! :)

***Tip: The 1 tbsp crushed chili flakes is more than enough to clear your sinuses so if you're not the type who doesn't like chili that much, I suggest you cut down the chili flakes to just half a tablespoon. Also I sprinkled a generous amount of Parmesan cheese on top for added flavor.

*** revelation: I didn't measure my ingredients for the mushroom soup, hahahahah! Everything was estimated lang. I also skipped using the food mill or even the blender to puree the soup more. I prefer the soup with a little texture. :)

Tilapia in Santol & Coconut Cream (Sinantulan na Tilapia Sa Gata)

2011-09-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

Source: Food Magazine, September 2011 Issue

Almost every week, I would hear my father complain to me about how boring the ulam our dear Ate Letty serves us each day. He said that whenever she'd say we'll be having chicken for lunch, he'd know already that its going to be Tinola. If she say were having fish, the dish would either be fried tilapia, sinigang na tilapia, or paksiw na bangus. If it's pork, it will certainly be sinigang na baboy or pork adobo. And if she'd say we're having beef, that will more likely be beef caldereta, beef sinigang or bistek. That basically rotates lang during the week. Monotonous. Boring. It makes meal time less exciting. Appetite spoiler sometimes. But even if I wanted to be in charge of planning the week menu and take over the the kitchen, I simply cant because I have a very young tot to take care of. I have no nanny--- we never had, though I am desperately wanting one now considering how active my toddler is. Anyway, on occassions naman that the trying-hard-master-chef in me is in the mood, I always try to surprise my dad with a simple dish with a different twist--something that is new to him. As he would always say as tail to his rants about the boring ulam, "ok lang naman yung mga simple lang na ulam e basta iba naman ang pagkaluto."

My father if I may say is not really hard to please when it comes to food though I think when it comes to other cuisine aside from the pinoy, western and some chinese food that we order in restaurants, he's not very keen on exploring anymore. Parang his tastebuds are limited na sa nakasanayan na nya. I remember him hating those local foods in Singapore which we had them try that we ended up bringing them to KFC the following day for lunch. hehehe.. Anyway the other day I prepared for him this dish that I came across to while browsing my new Food magazine. I thought he would like the simplicity of it and the blending of coconut cream, santol and chili will be very familiar to him.

1/4 cup sinantualan or santol, cooked Bicol Express style (recipe below)
2 large tilapia, cleaned
2 bunches pechay, blanched in boiling water and oil
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 medium onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbps bagoong alamang (shrimp paste)
2 pcs chili fingers
1 siling labuyo (bird's eye chili), sliced
1-1/2 cup coconut cream
salt and pepper to taste

Stuff tilapia with santol mixture. Wrap fish with pechay leaves.
In a pan, heat oil and saute onion, garlic, and bagoong alamang. Stir for about 3 minutes.
Place wrapped tilapia, chili fingers and siling labuyo in the pan.
Pour the coconut cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the cover then continue to simmer until sauce becomes thick. Serve with steamed rice.

For the Sinantulan:

4 pcs santol, peeled and seeds removed
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup bagoong alamang, (shrimp paste)
2 cups coconut cream
2 siling labuyo (bird's eye chili), sliced

Grate santol meat, wash and drain.
In a bowl, combine grated santol and salt. Set aside.
In a pan, heat oil and saute garlic and onion until fragrant.
Add the bagoong alamang. Stir mixture for 1 minute.
Add the santol and stir fry for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the coconut cream. Simmer until the mixture becomes thick. Add the siling labuyo. Set aside to cool.

My Verdict: My parents both originated from Bicol so basically being around with people who loves dishes with coconut cream and chili, it's no surprise that I also have a thing for spicy dishes like this (not to mention that i also love shrimp paste!) Just a note though for those who'd have the interest to try this, I find it almost impossible to wrap the fish with the pechay. The leaves aren't big enough to wrap up the whole fish. Or maybe the fact that I didn't blanch it to a boiling water made it more difficult (i just blanched it to hot water from the dispenser). I suggest you follow the instruction of blanching it in boiling water first so at least it would be easier to warp around the fish' body and maybe you could use two leaves to wrap the tail part first and then two more for the fish' upper part. :)

Daddy's verdict: He didn't really jumped for joy but he was happy with what I did. Masarap daw. :)

Pineapple Fried Rice

2011-09-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

Source: GoodHousekeeping Fast & Easy collector edition

I'm a sucker for fried rice. My breakfast would always have to consist of fried rice paired with anything uhm... fried also! hahahah! egg, hotdog, dried fish, luncheon meat, tocino, longganisa... Ginisang corned beef is also a favorite kapares. Yeah, pinoy na pinoy, you may say. I say, blame it on my dad. When we were young, my dad wouldn't allow us to leave for school without having full meal breakfast. And that would mean fried rice everyday with ulam on the side and hot chocolate or milk. Never pandesal, never sandwich, cereals, or crackers, it always has to be sinangag for breakfast. It all started with that until I've grown addicted to it that I didn't notice na I was already experimenting mixing other stuff to spice up the rice. Yes, even before those boxed rice mix has invaded the market, I've been tossing left over ulams na to our next day's fried rice. Adobo, menudo, or anything with sauce. I've been mixing chopped scrambled eggs, or chopped luncheon meat, or shrimp or mashed vienna sausage or longganisa. I even tried mixing ginisang bagoong to the rice. The ideas seem endless even back then when I never heard yet of turmeric and other spices pa from McCormick, LOL! I feel like I am in my own world wearing a tiara on my head when I cook fried rice! So imagine how my eyes sparked when I saw this in my mini cookbook. I immediately went to the supermarket to buy all the ingredients and I intended to make the presentation just as it was shown on the cookbook that I asked one of our help in the kitchen to cut the pineapple for me! This is love! :)

the pineapple can only hold a few cups of fried rice so we placed the remaining on clear serving dishes.

2tsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup carrot strips
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sliced ham
3 cups cooked rice
3/4 cup pineapple tidbits
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped spring onion
1 egg, scrambled and fried, then cut into strips

Saute garlic in vegetable oil. Add carrots then soy sauce. Stir in egg and cook for a minute.
Add ham and mix well. Add cooked rice, pineapple tidbits, salt and spring onion. Mix briskly.
Serve topped with scrambled egg strips.

Family's Verdict: It's a hit! My dad and the whole fam love it! :)

Paella Pinoy Style

2011-09-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

Source: pinoyfoodblog.com

I made this for my brother's birthday last Dec 2010. I know, napanis na ang paella sa blog ko, hahahah! Anyway, this is my second take at this dish. The first one i did was the seafood paella back when I was still in Singapore. It was tasty but wasn't really outstanding. This one on the other hand, which I copied from pinoyfoodblog.com is a little more pinoy-ish. You know how us, pinoys love that sweet tangy taste in sauce? That's exactly the secret to why this version of paella makes it more appealing to the pinoy tastebud!

1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 cup malagkit (glutinous) rice
1 cup ordinary rice
2 minced onions
1/2 k chicken , cut in serving pieces
4 chorizo Filipino, sliced 1/2 inch thick diagonally
1/2 kilo big shrimps
3 alimasag
1/4 kilo squid, sliced into rings
1 cup clams
1/2 cup tahong
1 hard boiled egg, sliced

Sauce

Prepare sauce before cooking procedure

1 can tomato paste
1 small can tomato juice
4 tablespoon sugar
1 tablesoon fine salt
1 tsp pepper
2 big red bell pepper , sliced 1/4 strips

1. Cook 1 cup rice and 1 cup malagkit rice. Set aside.

2. Saute garlic in oil . Add 2 minced onions and cook until very soft.

3. Add chicken, chorizon Filipino and cook until brown.

4. Add shrimps (unpeeled), 3 small alimasag (whole); squid, halaan or tahong.

5. Continue stirring 5 minutes

6. Add prepared sauce and simmer for a while.

7. Carefully remove chicken, etcetera fro sauce (Use Slotted spoon) and transfer to a platter. You can leave a few seafoods with the sauce.

8. To the sauce, add the rice. Mix well.

If too wet, cook over low fire a few minutes more.

9. Top with chicken , shrimps, etc that you set aside in step 7.

10. Decorate with hard-boiled eggs, green peas just before serving (after baking it)

11. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Crab & Shrimp Linguine with White sauce & Beer-battered Cream Dory Fillet

2011-09-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

Source: yummy.ph

I've missed cooking! Actually I had my reunion with the kitchen along with the whole gang of pots, pans and spices when my son and I visited his dad in Singapore. We have no help to cook for us there so I was left with no choice but to be the all-around wifey-mommy-nanny-cook-laundry girl aka Inday-Nanay. During our stay there, I feel like I was a malfunctioning cook, hahahahah! I dunno but most of the time, I feel like just dining out. I left my desire to cook somewhere else and we have lost touch until last week when I saw those 8-year old kids on TV. With so much yabang, I was like, hmmmm... "I can do that!" LOL!

So here I am, back from hibernation, making my grand come back with an unusual combo of pasta and fish. hahahaha!! Honestly I think this combo is crazy. But believe me it's not that bad! They may look odd together but surprisingly, they make one yummy meal so I thought, might as well forgive the craziness! Bon Appetit!

For the Crab & Shrimp Linguine with White Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed in a pan or in the microwave
3/4 cup cooked and flaked crab meat
3/4 cup cooked and chopped shrimp meat
1/3 cup frozen green peas, thawed
juice from 1 lemon
salt, cayenne pepper, and liquid seasoning to taste
160 grams linguine, cooked according to package directions
grated Parmesan cheese for topping

1 In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add red bell pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.

2 Sprinkle flour and mix well; cook for 1 minute. Whisk in warm milk and stir continuously until smooth and slightly thick, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add cooked crab, shrimp, and green peas. Mix well.

3 Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt, cayenne, and liquid seasoning. Mix well and cook for another minute.

4 Mix in cooked linguine. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with grated cheese.

For the Beer-battered Cream Dory Fillet

1 pack frozen cream dory fillet (about 3 to 4 pieces)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper

1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 egg
1 egg white
1 1/4 cups beer
flour for dusting fish

1 Heat oil in a deep pan for frying.

2 Brush both sides of each fish fillet with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

3 Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, egg, egg white, and beer for the batter in a large mixing bowl. Dust fish with flour, dip in the batter, then deep-fry until golden brown.

Shopping for the Safest Cookware

2010-01-11T16:49:00.000-08:00

Shopping for the Safest Cookware
* by Toby Amidor in Food Safety – Posted Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 2:30 pm

source: http://blog.healthyeats.com/blog/2009/10/14/choosing-the-safest-cookware/

After I served up rice with flecks of metal, my hubby finally agreed we needed new pots and pans. I got the All-Clad ones I’ve always wanted. After six years, my set is still going strong and dinner has been fleck-free ever since. If you’re looking to upgrade or just wondering about your everyday pots, here are some important things to know.

Aluminum
More than half the cookware sold today is made of aluminum. These pieces are usually coated with a nonstick finish or treated to harden the surface and make it scratch-resistant. If you have an old non-coated aluminum pot or pan, chances are it will start showing wear sooner or later (this is known as “pitting”); you might start chowing on metal flecks, too. If you keep cooking with it, this can add too much aluminum to your food, a potentially toxic situation.

A warning: If you use aluminum cookware, don’t store acidic foods — lemon juice, tomato sauce, oranges vinegar, etc. — in it. Extended exposure to acidic dishes can leach more aluminum into your food. If you’re prepping soups, sauces or other longer-cooking recipes that contain acidic ingredients, choose anodized aluminum cookware. Anodization is a process that hardens the surface of the cookware, making it non-stick, scratch-resistant and easy to clean.

Our Pick: Infused Cookware set by Calphalon

Stainless Steel
Made from a combo of iron and other metals, this go-to metal is durable and won’t corrode or tarnish. Some stainless steel contains chromium and may also have nickel, molybdenum or titanium, which boost its resistance to damage from high temperatures and scratching.

Because stainless steel doesn’t conduct heat evenly, most pots and pans have copper or aluminum bottoms. Like with aluminum pots, don’t keep your acidic or salty foods in stainless steel cookware for long periods or you risk damaging them.

Lots of home chefs prefer all-clad stainless steel. “Clad” means “three ply,” which consists of an aluminum or copper base layer sandwiched between layers of stainless steel so the heat is more evenly distributed. Although it’s pricey, my All-Clad set is worth it!
Our Pick: Stainless Steel Cookware by All-Clad

Copper
Copper is a great heat conductor and excellent for range-top cooking. Many cooks like to use it for delicate sauces and foods that need to reach exact temperatures. Copper cookware is typically lined with tin or stainless steel for safety; the FDA warns against using unlined copper pots since the metal easily leaches into acidic foods. If you’ve been cooking with unlined pots, go to your doctor if you suspect you’ve overloaded on copper — symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Our Pick: Try-Ply Copper by Calphalon

Iron
Cast iron is strong, inexpensive and evenly conducts heat — this makes it good for browning, frying and baking foods. Cooking with these heavy pots and pans leaches iron into your food, which, in this case, is a good thing. Using unglazed cast iron typically adds about twice the amount of iron. You don’t want to store your food in this cookware, but cooking with it once or twice a week can be a nice iron supplement to your diet (especially for those with iron-deficiency anemia).
Our Pick: Cast iron skillet by Lodge

Enamelware
Some aluminum, iron and steel has an enamel coat, which makes it stain and scratch resistant. It also doesn’t pick up food odors. In the 1970s, the FDA detected that enamel cookware might cause cadmium toxicity — after that, the U.S. banned these products. These days, you’ll find cadmium-free enamelware available. The FDA continues to test cookware to make sure we’re not exposed to excessive metals while using them.
Our Pick: Enameled Dutch Oven by Le Creuset

Nonstick Pans
While convenient for cleaning, many nonstick coatings wear away with hard use — you may even get pieces that chip off. The FDA claims that these particles don’t pose a health hazards. Research has also suggested that heating coated pans for long periods of time at high temperatures leads to off-gassing potentially toxic fumes, which has scared some away from nonstick. From what I’ve found, these fumes are less toxic than those given off by ordinary cooking oils.
Our Suggestion: Don’t overheat your nonstick cookware and only use appropriate utensils with them (no metal spatulas or spoons, which can damage the surface). Replace them when you notice scratching or the nonstick coating is chipping off.

Utensils
What you cook with affects your pots and pans, too. Metal tools can damage even the nicest cookware, but don’t turn to the cheap plastic utensils either — they’ll melt right into your meal. Use wood spoons and silicon spatulas to preserve your pots and keep food safe.
Our Pick: Slotter Turner by Henckels

Substitutes

2009-12-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

Source: Yummy Magazine July 2007 Issue

GOT NO...

Fresh Milk? Use evaporated milk plus water.

Cooking Oil? For rice, use butter or margarine for fried rice or sinangag. (Want less fat? Place leftover rice on a frying pan, heat and sprinkle water to soften rice.) For eggs, water-- poach it sunny side up!

Broth Cubes? Chicken bones- just boil unused or oven roasted, clean ones. Discard bones and use remaining liquid for soup, sauces, and sauteed vegetables.

Wheat Noodles with Pork Balls

2009-12-11T00:14:00.000-08:00

Source: Periplus Mini-Cookbook
Home Style Filipino Cooking

Ingredients:

500g minced pork
1 med carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 med onion, chopped
1 egg
1 tbsp flour
sant and pepper
2 ltrs (8cups) water
2 chicken stock cubes
100g misua (wheat noodles)
chopped spring onions, to garnish (optional)

Combine pork, carrot, onion, egg, and flour in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Shape into meatballs and set aside.
In a deep saucepan or casserole, bring water to the boil. Drop in pork balls and simmer over medium heat until balls are fully cooked, about 15 minutes.
Stir in stock cubes. When cubes are dissolved, add the misua. Season with patis. Simmer 2-3 minutes (misua cooks very quickly), garnish with spring onions, if desired, and serve.

Kinds of Oils

2009-12-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

Source: Yummy Magazine: July 2007 Issue

Corn Oil- Use it for: Baked goods, salad dressings, making margarine,. With a high smoke point (that's the stage wherein cooking oil burns and give an unpleasant odor), it works for all kinds of frying. Use it because High in polyunsaturated fats, which is believed to lower LDL or bad cholesterol.
Canola Oil- Use it for Cooking and baking. Handy for deep-frying too! Use it because Lower in saturated fat versus other cooking oils. It also contains omega-3 fat acids, which lowers LDL and contributes to brain development. (note that omega-3 is destroyed when oil is used for deep frying.)
Olive Oil- Use it for Cooking (exceot for deep frying because it has a low smoke point) and salad dressings (it adds excellent flavor). Use it because Its high precentage of Monounsaturated fat5 helps reduce LDL.
Palm Oil- Use it for Cooking and baking. Its popularly used in Brazilian and West African cooking. USe it because Its loaded with beta carotene. Relatively high in saturated fats, it has a longer shelf life.
Sesame Oil- Use it for salad dressings and sauteing. Has a delicious nutty note and is ususally used as as flavor accent in Asian dishes. Use it because it is high in polyunsaturated fats.
Soya Oil- Use it for Chinese cooking. This too has a high smoking point. USe it bacause Its high in both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats while low in saturated fats--very health-friendly!

Pork and Beans

2009-12-09T19:37:00.000-08:00

Source: Yummy Magazine June 2007 Issue

I actually have tried this one last year and has been cooking it once in a while before I even started a food blog. Though lately since I've been trying several other dishes, I have completely forgotten about this yummy dish. Will post pictures of this one soon.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 med sized onion, chopped
2-3 siling labuyo. chopped (reduce to 1/2 or 1 sili if serving to kids or adults who don't like it spicy)
200-grams ground lean pork
3 cups coconut milk
1 kilo Baguio/ French beans, washed, sliced into pieces barely 1/2 inch wide
salt and pepper to taste

Saute garlic and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add siling labuyo and the ground lean pork, stirring as you lightly brown the meat.
Add the coconut milk. Bring the mixture to a steady simmer. Once you see the oil separating from the milk, turn the flame to medium low and add the beans.
Let simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until the beans are tender yt still firm. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Packing Up

2009-12-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

I'm going back to Manila this Saturday. I'll be staying there for quite a while until the end of my pregnancy term so basically I'm leaving so much stuff here in Singapore. Just the thought of leaving behind my food magazines and cook books breaks my heart. I have so much recipes to try. But I just can't bring them all back home as they would occupy a lot of space in my luggage and just a few of them is heavy enough to cost me half my baggage limit. So I decided I'd just copy the recipes that I want to try when I get home and post it here in my food blog for future reference instead of bringing the whole bunch of books and magazines. In case I'd try them at home I'll be updating it by posting the pictures of each recipe. =D

Bun in the Oven

2009-11-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

Last night we watched Julie and Julia via Darwin's movie downloads. And my fascination for cooking rushed back in.

I've been out of the blogging circulation since I got pregnant. Yes we have a bun in the oven. ;)
I though started a pregnancy blog to document my new journey-- no longer just a wife and a cook but also a mommy!

Since my first weeks of pregnancy was quite delicate, my Mom sent here my gay nephew to temporarily do the chores while I'm on bed rest. But now that I'm on my last week of the first trimester, I'm now again reunited with the kitchen!

I will (hopefully!) start blogging again by next week.

Pancit Canton (Canton-style Noodles)

2009-08-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this may not be a good entry for a comeback, but hey Im not even in the mood yet. I just thought of sharing this one here because Darwin loved my version of this copied straight from my mini cookbook.

Darwin and I are huge fans of instant pancit cantons, known to most as Lucky Me. My dad loves it too but got concerned with my addiction with it that he forbid me from eating it ever again. He said it's unhealthy. So I always sneak in their room where he keeps all the Lucky Me pancit cantons and ask my Ate letty to cook for me and tell Dad it's for somebody else in case he asks. =) Well, that was before. With my UTI always in attack, I have sworn never to have a single pack of it again.

With that the case, I tried looking for recipes of home-made pancit canton just to satisfy the urge. Luckily I found one in my mini-cookbooks. On my first try, darwin became an instant fan. So no more instant pancit cantons from now on! =)

2 tbsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
200g diced pork (I used chicken only)
250g chicken breast or thigh
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
100g snow peas
150g (2 cups) sliced cabbage
12 quail eggs (I used 24, im a quail egg addict.. LOL)
250g squid balls, fried until brown (I used fish balls)
375 ml (1-1/2 cups) water
2 chicken stock cubes
250g (8oz) fresh egg noodles
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp butter
sliced boiled eggs to garnish

1 Heat oil in a wok and saute onion until transparent, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the diced pork and cook until brown. Add teh chicken breast and stir fry about 2 to 3 minutes.

2 Add carrot and after 5 minutes, the snow peas and cabbage, quail eggs and squid balls. Stir-fry, mixing well. Pour in water and add chicken stock cubes. Simmer over medium heat about 1 minute, then add noodles and soy sauce.

3. Simmer until almost all the liquid is absorbed and canton noodles are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in butter and mix to coat the noodles with butter.

4. Garnish noodles with sliced boiled eggs if desired.

Pasta Primavera and Garlic Bread

2009-06-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

Source: Betty Crocker Cooking Basics

1/2 tsp salt (for cookign fettuccine), if desired
8oz uncooked fettuccine
2 medium carrots
1 small onion
1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 container (10 oz) refrigirated Alfredo pasta sauce
grated parmesan cheese, if desired

Fill a 4 qrt Dutch oven about half full water. Add 1/2 tsp salt if desired. Cover with lid; heat over high heat until the water is boiling rapidly. Add the fettuccine. Heat to boiling again. Boil uncovered 11 to 13 minutes, stirring frequently. While the water is heating and the fettuccine is cooking, continue with the recipe.
Peel the carrots, and cut crosswise into thin slices to measure about 1 cup. Peel and chop onion to measure about 1/4 cup.
In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes. Add the carrots, onion, broccoli, cauliflower and frozen peas. Stir fry with a turner or large spoon for 6 to 8 minutes, lifting and stirring constantly, until vegetables are crisp-tender when pierced with a fork.
Stir the Alfredo sauce into the vegetable mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until hot.
To test if fettuccine is done, use a fork to lift one strand and press gently again inside of Dutch oven. Fettuccine should be tender but not mushy. Place strainer or colander in the sink. Pour the fettuccine in the strainer to drain.
Stir drained fettuccine into the vegetable mixture. Serve with cheese.

For the Garlic bread:

1 clove garlic or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
1 loaf (1lb) French bread

Heat the oven to 400 degree F (200 degree C). Peel and finely chop garlic. In a small bowl, mix the garlic and butter.
Cut the bread crosswise into 1-inch slices. Spread the butter mixture over one side of each bread slice. Reassemble the loaf and wrap securely in heavy-duty foil.
Place foil-wrapped loaf on an oven rack. Bake 15-20 minutes or until hot.

Tip: Other flat, long pasta, such as linguine or spaghetti can be used for the fettuccine. For my recipe, I used pasta linguine.

For the garlic bread, I used a Baguette since I can't find any French bread in supermarkets here and in bakeries.

Back from Hibernation

2009-06-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

No entry for more than a week =(

Our oven is currently not working properly that's why the strawberry cupcakes and other recipes in line which needs oven cooking/ baking has to wait.

I've made Bistek Tagalog with baked potato wedges last night but was not in the mood to take pictures of it and blog. Last week I also made Calamari rings with garlic-mayo dip. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to cook them again some other time and make an entry about it.

For tonight, Im making Pasta Primavera and Garlic Bread. Italian mode! =)

Paella

2009-05-31T02:04:00.000-07:00

Source: Periplus Mini Cookbooks: Filipino Favorites

Paella originated in Valencia, Spain, where it remains a popular dish. In the Philippines which was a Spanish colony for 300 years, this rice dish has evolved to suit local taste and preferences.

500 grams medium clams
250 grams small squid, ink, heads and tentacles removed
60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
2 chorizo sausages, sliced diagonally into 1-in pieces
1 medium onion, minced
1 large tomato, grated
1 tsp paprika
few saffron threads
1-1/2 liters (6 cups) warm chicken broth
600 gms (3cups) white, short grain rice
500 gms medium prawns
1 large green capsicum, sliced lengthwise about 1 cm across
1 large red capsicum, sliced lengthwise about 1 cm across
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
1-2 lemons, quartered

1 Clean clam shells very well. Steam clams until they open. Discard shells that remain close. Set aside steamed clams. Slice squid into 1-cm rings. Set aside.
2 In a skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Cook the chorizo sausages about 2 minutes on each side or until firm. Remove from skillet and set aside.
3 Heat remaining olive oil over medium heat in a large paellera or shallow casserole. Saute onion for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in grated tomato and cook for about 2 minutes. Lower heat and add paprika. Cook about 1 minute.Meanwhile dissolve saffron threads in warm broth. Immediately pour in warm broth so paprika does not burn. Bring to a simmer.
4 Stir in rice, making sure rice is evenly distributed throughout the pan. Simmer for a bout 10 minutes, stirring occassionally. Add prawns. When prawns are cooked, remove from pan and set aside. Continue simmering for another 5 minutes then add squid rings and capsicums. Remove squid rings as soon as they are cooked, about 1 minute. Set aside.
Allow rice to simmer until liquid has been absorbed and rice is slightly dry. Remove from heat. Top with clams, chorizo, prawns, squid and hard-boiled eggs, if desired. Serve in paellera or serving platter with lemon wedges.

Brownie Goody Bars

2009-05-29T00:41:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to make brownie cheesecake but then I thought enough of the cheesecakes! I want to try real brownies! Darwin loves chocolates, he loves peanuts, and it's all in this recipe! It gave me one good reason to try this irresistible favorite! =)

It's quite easy to make because all you have to do is stir in the brownie mix in a bowl, mix it with all the other ingredients, then bake it. The tedious part is the melting of chocolate chips and peanut butter and the coating of rice crisps! You have to continuously stir it and make sure the rice crisps are evenly coated. But then that's the last part. And a single bite of the brownie will make you realize the work is all worth it!

Source: bettycrocker.com

1 box Betty Crocker Original Supreme Brownie Mix (substitute: fudgey brownie mix)
water, vegetable oil and eggs called for in brownie mix box

(for the bettycrocker mix: 1/4 cup water, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 2 eggs)

1 container Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy or Betty Crocker Whipped Vanilla Frosting tip: If you can't find any of these in stores, you can make your own vanilla frosting. You can search it's recipe online.
3/4 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
3 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup creamy peanut butter
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (available in baking supply stores)

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.)
2.	Make and bake brownies as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan, using water, oil and eggs. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
3.	Frost brownies with frosting. Sprinkle with peanuts; refrigerate while making cereal mixture.
4.	Measure cereal into large bowl; set aside. In 1-quart saucepan, melt peanut butter and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Spread over frosted brownies. Cool completely before cutting, about 1 hour. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Follow High Altitude directions for 13x9-inch pan on brownie mix box.

Baking Guide:

For 13"x9" pan, oven temp is 350 degree F and baking time is 28-30 minutes
For 9"x9" pan, oven temp is 350 degree F and baking time is 35-40 minutes
For 8"x8" pan, oven temp is 325 degree F and baking time is 50-55 minutes

Brownies covered with frosting and peanuts...

....then topped with rice crips coated with melted chocolate chips and peanut butter! yummy! =)

Up Next...

2009-05-28T04:19:00.000-07:00

For the next days I'm planning to make the following:

Brownies Goody Bars
Strawberry Cupcakes from MarthaStewart.com
Almond Torte from EverydayFood
Seafood Paella
Hamburgers with home-made patties
Baked Oysters/ Baked Mussels
Baked Macaroni

... and more!

Baked Salmon with Buttered Vegetables

2009-05-27T09:30:00.001-07:00

I made this for Darwin's lunch tomorrow. I wanted to make up to him for the lousy lunch he had to bring this morning. That's a different story. Anyway, I saw this recipe from pinoycook.net as mentioned above and I almost drool when I saw the picture of that baked salmon from Conti's they posted there. God, I miss dining in Conti's with my deary sister Aimee! =(

I hope Darwin will like my version of this. Verdict to be posted tomorrow night! =)

Source: pinoycook.net

day-old pan de sal, finely chopped to make coarse bread crumbs (i used japanese bread crumbs since pan de sals are not available here in SG))
1/4 c. of butter
500 g. of salmon fillet
salt
pepper
3 c. of frozen mixed carrots, peas and corn, thawed
1 c. of grated cheese

1 Preheat the oven to 400^oF.
2 Melt half of the butter in a pan. Add the bread crumbs and fry gently, stirring, just until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate.
3 Melt the remaining butter in the pan. Gently place the salmon fillet in the pan and cook one side only for about four minutes or just until the lower half of the fillet turns opaque. Transfer the salmon to a baking tray.
4 In the remaining butter, pan fry the vegetables for about a minute. Arrange the vegetables around the salmon fillet in the baking tray.
5 Sprinkle the fish and vegetables with salt and pepper. Cover the fish with the grated cheese. Top with the bread crumbs. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes.
6 Allow the fish to rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Honey Garlic Ribs

2009-05-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

I tried this for lunch today. I bought just a few pieces of prime ribs for single serving since I'm not sure if I'm going to like the end-product.

As the ribs were cooking in the oven, the strong aroma of honey and soy sauce mixed together was already mouth-watering. Cooking it for an hour seemed like forever for someone who haven't had breakfast and still has an empty stomach at 2pm!

My Verdict: It tastes just like the prime ribs in honey from a restaurant we used to dine in, I swear I was surprised by how good it taste! It's so good i finished all four ribs! =)

Tip: I think it would go well with mashed potatoes and fresh vegetable salad.

Source: allrecipes.com

4 pounds pork spareribs
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soysauce
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp garlic salt

1 Pre heat oven to 375 degrees (190 degrees C)
2 Slice the ribs into individual pieces. In a large bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and brown sugar. Stir until honey and sugar are completely dissolved, then stir in the baking soda. The mixture will begin to foam. Transfer the ribs to the bowl and turn to coat.
3 Cover a cookie sheet with foil and arrange the ribs meat side up on the sheet. Pour excess sauce over all, and sprinkle with the garlic salt.
4 Bake for 1 hour, turning every 20 minutes.

Vanilla Cupcake

2009-05-26T03:17:00.000-07:00

Source: cupcake-creations.com

5 oz butter, softened
5 oz superfine (caster) sugar
6 oz self-raising flour
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting Ingredients

5 oz butter, softened
8oz confectioners (icing) sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp hot water

1 Pre-heat oven to 180 oC
2 Line a 12 cupcake pan, with cupcake papers.
3 Crack eggs into a cup and beat lightly with a fork.
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl.
5 Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, until light and creamy.
6 Divide the mixture evenly between the cake cases.
7 Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm to touch.
8 Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
9 Allow to cool fully before icing.

For the Butter Cream Frosting

1 Beat together teh butter and sugar with an electric beater.
2 Once well combined, add vanilla and water. Beat until smooth and creamy.

Notes: makes 12 cupcakes

After baking the muffins yesterday I became so excited to try cupcakes next. I find it pretty easier to make than the muffins.

Darwin decided to have a day off today so I thought of giving him an afternoon treat-- vanilla cupcakes!

Preparing it was so easy it only took me five minutes to mix and put the batter on each muffin papers. I watched as it bakes, I was like a kid patiently waiting for an egg to hatch! hahhaha!!! I get amazed as it rises, I was like, "Oh geez, there it is! I'm really baking a cupcake!"

After the first batch of cupcakes were done, I excitedly brought one to Darwin even without the frosting on top!

Darwin's Verdict: 4 1/2 stars

Comment: "Hmm.. bango ah!" and after taking his first bite, "Masarap!"

My Verdict: I'm gonna bake more cupcakes! It's fun! Different flavors, different sprinkles! Oh I love the sprinkles! Will try the rice colors next time! =)

***Update: Friends/ Housemates loved it!!!! yey!!!

Banana Walnut Muffin

2009-05-25T04:21:00.001-07:00

Source: Good Housekeeping Collector's Edition Volume 4

1-1/2 cups unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh milk
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
8pcs mashed lakatan bananas
1 cup walnuts

1 Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs and milk.
2 Combine flour and baking powder then stir into the mixture. Mix well.
3 Add the mashed lakatan bananas and blend well.
4 Pour into greased and floured muffin pan. Top with walnuts then bake for 30 minutes or until brown.

My second take at baking. They look lovely, don't they? And they look yummy too. But it's hiding a flaw inside. Ok, while preparing the ingredients for this I realized that it needs 8 pcs of lakatan bananas and I only have 4. So I had to adjust everything into half of what's stated on the recipe. I started baking it and God it smells sooo good! I'm crazy with banana cakes that's why I was so excited to try this. I baked it in 2 batches just in case I poured a little or too much batter on the first batch, I can adjust it on the next. After 30 minutes of baking and waiting (I took a chair from the dining and was in front of the oven the whole time, reading a book while waiting for it to bake!), I took it out and let it cool.. Ok I'm naturally impatient so I sliced some to taste. It tastes so good but the flaw's that the middle part is a little softer than it's supposed to be of muffins. I thought of putting it back in the oven but I think that'd be useless as I have realized what I did wrong.

You see, my recipe guide was a Filipino cookbook. Our lakatan bananas in Manila are just a little bigger than the ordinary bananas, so basically they made the proportion of this recipe basing from our local lakatan bananas in Manila, but here in Singapore lakatan bananas are much bigger! I was hesitant aleady if I should use all four as I have already realized the size difference even before I even mashed it. But then I didn't follow my instict. =(

Last night when Faye tried it, she said it's yummy. "Wag mo na lang sabihing muffin sya kase masarap naman e!" Then Darwin asked for it the following morning, and I said, "wag na baka di mo magustuhan!" Although I really want him to try it because he loves nuts so much, I thought he'll love it with bananas.

Darwin's Verdict: "Masarap sya lalo yung ibabaw (the part with walnuts). Actually kahit yung gitna masarap pa din kahit malambot."

My Verdict: That comment from Darwin was a surprise I didn't thought he'd like the middle part of the muffin at all, but he did! hahahah!!! Actually, if you've tried this 'flawed muffins' I baked, you wouldn't really care if they are muffins or whatever it's called because it tastes good. But I'll be trying this again, and definitely will adjust the proportion of the bananas. I hope I'll make it perfect the next time! =)

Escabeche (Fried Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce)

2009-05-25T01:04:00.000-07:00

We had the Escabeche for lunch today -- at 3pm! Here's the side story, Darwin stayed all night at the office - from 10am yesterday to 2:00pm today. When I called him this morning he said that he might have his lunch here so I thawed the fish by 11am. It was so frozen it took an hour before it finally thawed!

Anyway, I was in a hurry already I just read the recipe once and go on with it without taking a second peek at my "kodigo". As expected I missed a procedure, I wasn't able to dredge the fish in flour! Oh what the heck! I just thought it won't make any difference! LOL

Making the sweet and sour sauce was easy. But if you prefer to skip it, you can use ready mixed Sweet and Sour Sauce instead which are available in supermarkets.

Darwin's Verdict: 3 stars

Comments: "May nalimutan ka no?! (I was thinking he noticed the fish not dredged in flour... so I said yes.) Hindi mo nilagyan ng asin yung isda no? Pero ok lang may sauce naman e!"

My Verdict: I actually didn't rub any salt on the fish instead I used Maggi Magic Sarap on it. When I told this to Darwin he was quick to tease back: "Hindi umubra yung 'magic'???" LOL

I thought the Escabeche was ok for a first timer. The 'magic' may have not worked but the sauce was tasty enough to let it pass.

Source: Periplus Mini Cookbooks: Filipino Favorites

1 kg (2lb) whole red snapper
1/2 cup plain flour, for dredging
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 medium sized carrot, peeled and cut into 1-cm (1/2 inch) rounds
1 medium green capsicum, cut into 1-cm (1/2 in) strips
1 medium red capsicum, cut into 1-cm (1/2 in) strips
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into 1-cm (1/2 in) rounds
fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish

1 Score the snapper all over and dredge in flour. Heat oil in a wok and fry the fish about 10 minutes on one side and 6 to 7 minutes on the other side, until completely cooked and fish flesh is no longer glossy. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

2 Combine sugar, vinegar, water and tomato ketchup in a saucepan. Add carrot, cook for about 5 minutes, then add capsicums and cucumber. Simmer, without stirring, for a further 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender yet firm.

3 Arrange fish on a serving platter. Pour vinegar mixture over fish. Arrange vegetables around the fish and garnish with fresh coriander.

Blueberry Cheesecake

2009-05-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

20 pcs Oreo cookies (cream discarded), finely crushed
4 tbsp melted butter
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp lime juice
blueberry pie filling

1 Mix crushed oreo cookies and melted butter well.
2 Press unto bottom of cheesecake pan or ring moulder (with foil covering the bottom) and then freeze for 15 minutes or until firm.
3 Beat cream cheese, lime juice and condensed milk until smooth, creamy and fluffy.
4 Pour over frozen crumb mixture then freeze for 6 hours or until firm.
5 Pour blueberry pie filling on top, chill for an hour then serve with fruit topping.

Finally I made it right -- with no baking done! This is so much easier! =)

I used the ring moulders instead of a cake pan. I thought it'll be easier if it's in individual serving sizes already. I just covered the bottom with aluminum foil. Preparing it was a breeze! No hassle. The messy part is just when you remove the moulders. The crumbs does not strongly stick together so you have to be very careful removing the rings. That I thought, would be the advantage if you use springed cake pans, i dunno.... maybe it'll be easier to separate the cake from it.

Before serving the cake to Faye, I asked Darwin to take a picture of it. My cheesecake looks lovely he just can't get enough of it's beauty! LOL

Faye's Verdict: Since I made this one for Faye (Darwin doesn't like cheesecakes but at least he loved taking pictures of what I've made!), I was so excited to know if she will like it better this time.

Last night when I let her try it she said it was sooo yummy! I told her I'll pack another one for her and Neri to bring to the office. Before going to bed I sent this SMS to both , teasing them:

"Mga anak, ang baon nyong cheesecake bukas ay nasa freezer, yung magkatabi."

and this morning I received this SMS from her:

"Hahaha! Salamat Mommy! Ang sarap ng cheesecake, grabe I love it! Thank you talaga. Nakaka-touch." *tears of joy*

LOL Made me laugh! Thanks Faye! =)

7 Foods to Keep You Young

2009-05-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Source: eatingwell.com

Olive Oil
Four decades ago, researchers from the Seven Countries Study concluded that the monounsaturated fats in olive oil were largely responsible for the low rates of heart disease and cancer on the Greek island of Crete. Now we know that olive oil also contains polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that may help prevent age-related diseases.

Yogurt
In the 1970s, Soviet Georgia was rumored to have more centenarians per capita than any other country. Reports at the time claimed that the secret of their long lives was yogurt, a food ubiquitous in their diets. While the age-defying powers of yogurt never have been proved directly, yogurt is rich in calcium, which helps stave off osteoporosis and contains “good bacteria” that help maintain gut health and diminish the incidence of age-related intestinal illness.

Wine
Drinking alcohol in moderation protects against heart disease, diabetes and age-related memory loss. Any kind of alcoholic beverage seems to provide such benefits, but red wine has been the focus of much of the research. Red wine contains resveratrol, a compound that likely contributes to its benefits—and, according to animal studies, may activate genes that slow cellular aging.

Nuts
Studies of Seventh-Day Adventists (a religious denomination that emphasizes healthy living and a vegetarian diet) show that those who eat nuts gain, on average, an extra two and a half years. Nuts are rich sources of unsaturated fats, so they offer benefits similar to those associated with olive oil. They’re also concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals, including antioxidants.

Chocolates
The Kuna people of the San Blas islands, off the coast of Panama, have a rate of heart disease that is nine times less than that of mainland Panamanians. The reason? The Kuna drink plenty of a beverage made with generous proportions of cocoa, which is unusually rich in flavanols that help preserve the healthy function of blood vessels. Maintaining youthful blood vessels lowers risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and dementia.

Blueberries
In a landmark study published in 1999, researchers at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging fed rats blueberry extract for a period of time that in “rat lives” is equivalent to 10 human years. These rats outperformed rats fed regular chow on tests of balance and coordination when they reached old age. Compounds in blueberries (and other berries) mitigate inflammation and oxidative damage, which are associated with age-related deficits in memory and motor function.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

2009-05-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

Source: allrecipes.com

oil for deep frying
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 dash ground black pepper
1 dash garlic powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 chicken wings

1 Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.
2 In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in a large nonporous glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover dish or bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.
3 Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until parts of wings begin to turn brown. Remove from heat, place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve.

Red hot chicken wings!!! I wonder how hot is this, haven't tried it yet Im still waiting for my husband to come home. But basing from the ingredients (cayenne pepper, paprika, tabasco, ground pepper, garlic powder), this I think is blazing HOT!

**I only fried few pieces of chicken wings for pictorial purposes. I want to serve Darwin later newly fried pieces so its more crispier. =)

Darwin's Verdict: pending

My Verdict: Obviously I ate dinner ahead because Darwin has yet to come home. =(
The buffalo wings was a disappointment. It's not that hot and I think I put very little amount of salt as the meat is quite tasteless. The coat however is ok. You can tell the presence of paprika and cayenne pepper in it. My rate? 3/5.

Chicken Pastel

2009-05-20T05:42:00.000-07:00

Source: filipinofoodrecipes.net

One 1 1/2 kilo chicken, cut in pieces
One can (14 ounces) Vienna sausage, sliced
3 potatoes, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 up mushrooms, cut in half
1 green bell pepper, sliced in strips
1/2 cup sweet peas
1 onion, minced
1/4 cup grated cheese
1 cup margarine
2 cups chicken stock (broth)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 lemon extract (juice)
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste

Pie Crust

2 cups flour
1/2 cup corn oil or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup of water

1 In a bowl, marinate chicken lemon juice and soy sauce for an hour.
2 In a skillet, melt margarine and brown chicken, set aside.
3 Sauté onion, bell pepper an mushrooms then add chicken broth. Simmer for 15 minutes then add potatoes, carrots, sweet peas, sausages, grated cheese and milk. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Salt to taste.
4 Transfer to a baking dish.
5 Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
6 On a bowl, combine the flour, salt, cold water and oil. Mix into a ball.
7 On a flat surface, roll flat the pastry and cover the chicken pastel mixture and seal the sides by pressing on the edges. Remove excess pastry.
8 Punch small holes on the pastry to let out steam during baking then brush with beaten egg.
9 Bake until golden brown (about 15 minutes).

I served this one before but without the pie crust on top. I believe we haven't bought the oven yet then. So basically this is the first time I tried this with the crust.

The preparation of ingredients was tiring. Add to that the dough flattening. I did it without the help of a rolling pin. Having done that, I definitely suggest you use a rolling pin if you prefer including the pie crust to this dish as it will be easier because the dough will flatten evenly.

Darwin though is not too ecstatic when I told him I'm making pastel for dinner. A revelation yet again, my husband as it turned out is not a big fan of dishes with milk and cheese (FYI: he didn't even try my mac and cheese yesterday when he got home!) He said it's ok, he can eat it (with a heavy heart! LOL) but will never be a fan of it. That's why for dinner tonight I made another dish in case he's in no mood to eat chicken pastel; I'll be making Buffalo Chicken Wings in an hour (chicken still in marinade).

Darwin's Verdict: to be posted later when he arrive from the office

My Verdict: As good as the first but I think Darwin will still not like it. The taste of milk and cheese is too strong not to notice and Darwin hates milk. I understand him naman because he has a very sensitive stomach, too much cheese or even orange juice would mean a very nasty and frequent trip to... you know where!

My rate for the chicken pastel? 4/5. I made the dough a bit thick only the top part was baked. Under the crust was this soft unbaked dough. Oh well, there' s always a next time for everything.

Pork Menudo (w/o tomato sauce)

2009-05-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

1 kl pork (menudo cut or in cubes)
200 grams pork liver (cut into cubes)
250 grams potato cut into cubes
250 grams carrots cut into cubes
6 cloves garlic, minced (divide into 2, for marinade and sauteing)
1 large onion, chopped (divide into 2, for marinade and sauteing)
3 large tomatoes chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 can vienna sausage or hotdogs (optional)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1 Marinade pork in vinegar, soy sauce, salt, pepper, garlic and onion for about 30 minutes.
2 While marinating, you can fry the potatoes and carrots (half cook)
3 Saute garlic, onion and tomatoes then add the marinated pork, dont mix, just pour in the marinated pork into pan for 15 mins without mixing.
4 Mix it to cook evenly, add liver, sausages or hotdogs, then the half-cooked potatoes and carrots.
5 Let it simmer for about 10 minutes then add salt and pepper to taste.
6 Add in the sliced red bell pepper and let it simmer again for another 5 minutes.

Darwin as I have mentioned in my previous post doesn't like any dish with tomato sauce. Caldereta (rich beef stew), Mechado... all my favorite! Im a big fan of anything with tomato sauce! That's why since I got here in SG I've been deprived of this pinoy favorites...

Last month, I was craving for Menudo, i searched online for a menudo recipe minus the tomato sauce and got this one. The source however I forgot to copy and now I can't find it anymore.

When I first served this to Darwin I wasn't sure if he's gonna like it. But he did, luckily! =)

Tip: If you can't find menudo cut, buy the pork mini belly and slice it in small cubes. Never use lean pork, buy the one with pork fat.

Darwin's Verdict: 4 stars

My Verdict: I never thought Menudo can be done without the tomato sauce and still taste good... no, it's actually even better! =)

Eggs Benedict with Spam

2009-05-18T23:07:00.000-07:00

Source: San Miguel Great Food Club

Ingredients for 8 servings:

8 slices cheese singles
8 slices white or whole wheat bread
1/4 cup butter
8 pcs eggs
1 can spam, sliced crosswise into 8

Hollandaise Sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice
3 pcs egg yolks
1/2 cup butter cut into cubes
1/2 tsp salt

For the Hollandaise Sauce:
1 Place yolks and lemon juice in a double broiler. Beat with a whisk until well blended. Cook over hot (not boiling) water until lemon colored.
2 Add cubes of butter one at a time, while continually stirring the mixture.
3 Add salt just before removing mixture from heat. Keep warm.

1 Pan fry Spam slices over moderate heat, 1 minute per side. Set aside.
2 Poach eggs to desired doneness. Keep warm.
3 Pre-heat oven/ toaster (oven to 350 F)
4 To assemble, lightly spread butter on one side of each piece of bread. To with cheese singles and bake until bread is lightly toasted and cheese has melted.
5 Remove from heat then top with Spam slices and poached eggs.
6 Pour Hollandaise sauce on top and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Tip: There are ready mix Hollandaise Sauce available in Supermarket if you want to skip the sauce preparation. Try MasterFoods Hollandaise Sauce.

I was inspired to do this for breakfast because of this book I just read a month ago by Sophie Kinsella about a top-notch lawyer who accidentally became a househelp. Knowing basically nothing on house chores especially in the kitchen, she was asked to prepare eggs benedict and she was like, "i cannot make bloody eggs benedict?!" Funny 'coz I didn't even know something like it exists until I read it there! Ignoramus moi! LOL

Darwin's Verdict: 3 stars

Comment: It's good but the Spam slice is salty.

My Verdict: I may have mastered the art of cooking eggs but poaching is an exemption. I just can't manage to make it form a perfect circle when I cook it in water! So what I did with my eggs here is I pan fry it in very small amount of oil and I didn't turn it over so I won't break the yolk.

Yummy but I agree with Darwin, the Spam is salty. The Hollandaise sauce though is a winner. This is a very healthy breakfast. Just garnish it with fruit slices on the sides before serving and enjoy!

Mac and Cheese

2009-05-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

Source: Yummy Magazine, May 2007 Issue

2-1/2 cups elbow macaroni
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup cooked vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)
salt and pepper

1 Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions.
2 Meanwhile, melt 4 tbsp butter over low heat low heat in a saucepan.
3 Add 4 tbsp flour and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and let cook for 1 minute.
4 Add 2 cups of milk and stir until thickened.
5 Over very low heat, add to cups shredded cheese and stir until smooth.
6 Drain the macaroni and toss in 1 cup cooked vegetables.
7 Pour the sauce over cooked and drained macaroni. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

No ratings from Darwin, I made this just a while ago. It's pretty easy to prepare not to mention a healthy and yummy snack to be served.

Update: I wasn't expecting Maria Morisse until tomorrow, but she dropped by this afternoon and caught me in my "pangkatulong" mode. Anyway, I'm glad I have the mac and cheese ready (I was supposed to cook chicken pastel and beef stroganoff for her tomorrow).

Anyway, she liked the mac and cheese, I did too actually. =)

Tip: You may also add spam or ham for added taste.

Stuffed Squid

2009-05-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

Source: halo-halo and came up with this version! Here are my guides:

Recipesof NanayHelen.com
Iskandals.com

5 large squids
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1/3 cup finely minced onion
3 pcs crabsticks, chopped
1/3 cup minced tomatoes
1 cup grated carrots
oil
butter
grated cheese

1 egg
flour
bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

1 Pull out and discard cellophane backbone and jawlike bone on the mouth of the squid. Wash individually. Set aside. Clean the head and tentacles of thee squid chop and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2 Saute garlic, onion and tomatoes in oil. Add the chopped tentacles and crab sticks. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Stir fry for 5 minutes. Add carrots, stir frying for 2 more minutes. Set aside mixture and let it cool then mix the grated cheese with it.
3 Using a spoon, stuff the squids with the mixture and seal ends with toothpick.
Tip: do not overfill the squid as the stuffing swells as it cooks.
4 Dip the stuffed squids on egg then roll it on flour then on the bread crumbs. Fry it on butter over medium to high heat for about 2-3 minutes to remain tender.
5 Place in a platter, make few slices through the meat and serve with vegetable side dish and soup.

Tip from Iskandals.com: Peel the outer colored skin off of the squid as it tends to toughen with cooking.

Dinner is served! I fried only two squids for myself and for pictorial purposes because Darwin went home late.

It's my first time to try this in the kitchen and I swear it'll take some time before I make something like this again! Not that it doesn't taste good, but the preparation takes so much time (the chopping and mincing of ingredients) not to mention cleaning the squid is indeed a very messy and tedious job!

Tip: buy a cleaned squid in supermarkets instead to spare you the mess.

Darwin's Verdict: 4 stars

Comments: He and Kent said it's good. I'm just not sure if they are only being nice or they're just too hungry to care. LOL!

My Verdict: The stuff mixture is so tasty... only a bit juicy. The juice squirted when I sliced the meat. I think it's because I didn't allow the stuffing mixture to cool down first before I added the grated cheese that's why it melted and mixed up with the tomato and squid juice. But overall, it's actually good.

Osso Buco 101- the experiment

2009-05-14T03:58:00.000-07:00

Source: Yummy Magazine June 2008 Issue

2 pounds veal shank, cut into short lengths
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter/ oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery
2/3 cup dry red wine
3 cups beef stock
2 tbsp tomato paste

For Gremolata
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 Dust veal shanks lightly with flour. Melt teh butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2 Add the veal and cook until browned on the outside then set aside.
3 in the same pan, saute garlic, onions and tomato paste, cook and stir until onions are translucent. Add in the celery, and return the veal to the pan then mix in the carrots and wine. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4 Pour in the beef stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer over low heat for 1-1/2 hours. Cook until meat is tender, almost falling off the bone.
5 To make the gremolata, mix together the parsley, minced garlic and lemon zest in a bowl and serve on the side with the veal.

Ok here goes, I thought last week of experimenting on Osso Buco just to offer here something different- something not Pinoy-ish. Osso buco is an Italian dish made of beef shank. I was first introduced to it during our food tasting in Splendido, and I since then vowed to try this in the kitchen one day. Unfortunately, I don't even know what a beef shank is then (will someone please send me an Idiot's Guide to Cooking Ingredients) that I had to seek help from Google!

For the information of those unfortunate late-bloomer cooks like me, a beef shank according to Wikipedia is the leg portion of a steer or heifer. I even googled for an image of beef cuts and found this:

Really interesting. So there's where my favorite sirloins we're taken from... LOL

Back to my Osso Buco, since I only plan to experiment and I'm really having a hard time looking for beef shanks in supermarkets (available alternative is lamb shanks), I thought of using chuck tenders. FYI, it's not a recommended alternative, I just wanted to use something cheaper in case my experiment will come to waste. I wasn't sure if it will be as tastier as the shanks, but I still gave it a try.

It says to cook the meat for an hour and a half. While simmering I was surprised by how good it smells! It must be the wine, I'm not sure.

I searched online for Osso Buco recipes with embedded images and here's one:

Mine's not so pretty. I'm a no good food photographer, the picture I took didn't gave my osso buco justice.

Oh well, neither Dandy nor Darwin was around yesterday when I cooked this so no photographer available but me! Very unfortunate... LOL

My Verdict: No Darwin's verdict for this one because I cooked this for myself yesterday for lunch. And a little trivia about my husband-- he's not a big fan of any dish cooked with tomato sauce. My version of menudo which he by the way loves doesn't have a single drop of tomato sauce in it, just pure, raw tomato.

I think my Osso Buco is ok. Not as good as I expected though. It tasted more like Beef Caldereta without the cheese. Splendido's Osso Buco set up a very high standard that's why I'm completely unsatisfied with mine. The chuck tenders we're ok but I plan to use lamb shanks on my next try... maybe this Monday for dear Morisse. =)

Beef Steak ala Crema

2009-05-13T05:45:00.000-07:00

Source: Aimee (also posted on PinoyRecipe.net)

½ kg thinly sliced Beef sirloin
1 8g MAGGI Magic Sarap
2 tbsp MAGGI Savor, Calamansi
¼ cup cooking oil
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
1 250ml NESTLÉ All Purpose Cream

Rub the beef with MAGGI Magic Sarap and MAGGI Savor.
Marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Heat oil and sauté onions for 2 minutes or until crisp tender.
Remove from oil then set aside.
Remove In the same oil, pan-fry marinated beef until brown in color.
Add fried onions.
Pour in NESTLÉ All Purpose Cream and simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.

I got this from Aimee although when I searched this online I found the exact same recipe from PinoyRecipe.net. Same ingredients and spices, same procedure. So I'm not sure exactly who owns this recipe. =)

Oh by the way, I added sliced button mushroom to it and steamed broccoli + carrots for garnishing.

Darwin's Verdict: 3 1/2 stars

Comments: He said its like beef with carbonara sauce. But it's yummy.

My Verdict: I've done this several times already and I'm falling in love with it over and over. The cream gives the usual pinoy bistek a different kick.

Salmon In Mustard-Butter Marinade

2009-05-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

Source: Yummy Magazine, March 2009 Issue

4-6 pcs salmon steaks

1/4 cup calamansi juice

1 8g Maggi Magic Sarap

1/4 cup olive oil

For Basting Sauce

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup prepared mustard

1 tsp Maggi Magic Sarap

1 Rub Magic Sarap, olive oil and calamansi juice onto salmon steaks.
2 Grill for 3-5 minutes one each side, basting occassionally. Serve immediately.

I've served this to Darwin a couple of times already and he loved it but this time it's funny because he loved it even more he couldn't help telling me how good it taste over and over! I'm not sure if it's really that good or my husband just loves me so! =)

Darwin's Verdict: can you believe that this salmon steaks got 5 stars and two thumbs up!

Comments: He kept on asking what I put in the marinade. "Masarap e, manamis namis na maasim na ewan, basta!" When I told him I used butter and mustard for basting he said, "Ok yung blending nila.... can you keep this (the small portion of the steak that's left on the serving dish) for tomorrow? Gusto ko sya i-breakfast!"

My Verdict: I can't believe how something as easy to prepare as this can taste this good!
I was actually hesitant to use the basting sauce because I wasn't sure if Darwin would like the sour taste of mustard with the fish (the first time i did this dish i didnt put any basting sauce). I have the strong feeling that Darwin would ask for this one again by next week! LOL

Cheesecake

2009-05-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

For the longest time Ive been meaning to try baking but Darwin won't buy me an oven. Its a good thing Neri enrolled in a baking class I finally have someone to share my interest at baking with. Without Darwin knowing, we bought an electric oven worth $200 ($100 each). =)

Last Sunday Neri already made her first muffins. And last week I promised Faye to make her a cheesecake. I was so confident because it looks pretty easy! I was wrong. Or maybe it was easy indeed, it was just me who made a mistake. My cheesecake's supposed to look like this:

But mine didn't look as pretty. Ok, it's horrible. I kind of burned it.... It's no pretty, not even worthy looking enought to be posted here. =(

Neri told me to try it again. But I'm so frustrated already to do it again soon. Maybe next time... or maybe not. So sorry Faye!

Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo

2009-05-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

Source: Good Housekeeping Collector's Edition, Volume 6

1 chorizo de bilbao, sliced

3 large eggs

2 tbsp milk

salt and pepper

1 In a medium size nonstick pan, fry chorizoin its own fat for a bout 3minutes over medium high heat.
2 In a small bowl, combine egg, milk and a dash of salt and pepper. Whisk with a fork.
3 Pour over chorizo and scramble using wooden spoon until eggs become fluffy.
4 Remove from fire and serve at once.

Ever had that 'im-too-lazy-to-prepare-breakfast' days? Well for me, it's Mondays. But now that it's already a Tuesday I just don't get why Im in no mood to cook breakfast... =(

It's during this days that you will love breakfast food like this one-- my favorite-- the classic-- scrambled eggs! A little scramble and voila! you're done!

Darwin's Verdict: Im too lazy and sleepy to ask... LOL

My Verdict: the best for lazy mornings! =)

Pinoy Chicken Curry

2009-05-11T05:43:00.000-07:00

Source: Overseas Pinoy Cooking

1 k. chicken
1/2 head garlic, chopped
2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2” strips
2 thumb size ginger, cut into strips
2 small size potato, quartered
1 medium size onion, chopped
1 small size carrot, cut into wedges
2-3 stalk celery, sliced diagonally
1 c. coconut milk, kakang gata
3 c. coconut milk
3 tbsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. chilli powder
1/4 c. patis
1/4 c. cornstarch
salt and pepper
cooking oil

1 Cut chicken into serving pieces with the bones intact. Wash thoroughly.
2 In a saucepan sitr fry chicken for 3-5 minutes or until color turns golden brown. Remove from pan, set aside.
3 In same pan, saute garlic, onion, and ginger then add chicken, stir cook for 2-3 minutes.
4 Add in patis, curry powder and chili powder and stir cook again for 2-3 minutes.
Pour in 3 c of coconut milk, simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5 Add in potatoes and simmer for another 5 minutes or until potatoes are cooked and tender.
6 Add the 1 c of coconut milk, kakang gata and celery and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
7 Season with salt and pepper, thicken sauce with cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 c of water, add bell pepper, simmer for 2 minutes. Serve hot.

I personally love this pinoy version of curry. Here in Singapore of course is different, what they have here are Indian curry which I didn't like. It has stronger spice which my tongue just won't get used to. That's why i searched for pinoy versions online and picked this one among the many I came upon.

Darwin's Verdict: 4 stars

Comments: He actually didn't say much about it while eating. But when he stood up from his chair, he gave me a kiss and said, "masarap!" =)

My Vedict: I've always loved dishes cooked in coconut milk (blame it on my Bicolano roots), that's why this one will definitely be a regular on the dining table.

Seafood Sinigang

2009-05-09T02:07:00.000-07:00

Source: ahem... my own version of the classic Pinoy dish =)

FYI: According to Wikipedia,

Sinigang is a Philippine soup that is eaten with rice. Similar to Indonesian sayur asam, Vietnamese canh chua, and Thailand's tom yam, its characteristic flavor comes from tamarind which gives it a sour taste and overwhelms the taste of its meat. "Sinigang" also sounds very similar to "singgang" which is a tamarind soup dish from Terengganu, Malaysia.

Sinigang is a started as a meat (e.g., fish, pork, shrimp, or beef) stewed with tamarind, green pepper, tomato, and onion. Other vegetables cooked in sinigang include okra, taro corms, labanos, kangkong, sitaw and eggplant.

Another variety is prepared with guava and is less sour than those with tamarind. Raw mango, calamansi and bilimbi can also be utilized. However, vinegar is not used for making sinigang sour, soups made with vinegar are called paksiw. Powdered soup base or bouillon cubes for sinigang are also used in place of natural fruits.

Chicken sinigang is called sinampalukan (from sampalok, Filipino for tamarind). Sinampalukan is made with shredded tamarind leaves, ginger, onions, and tomatoes. Sinampalukan is sometimes prepared to be a little spicier than the other sinigang dishes.

Sinigang Villamil is prepared with sampalok, onions, tomatoes, kangkong, culantro, dijon mustard (i.e. Grey Poupon) and okra. Original recipe created by Filipino restaurateur Raquel Villamil in 1986

1 onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, quartered
20-25 pcs large prawns, cleaned, shell on
5 pcs medium sized squid, sliced
4 pcs salmon fillet, cut into 2
1 pack Knorr Sinigang Mix
lady fingers (Okra)
aubergines (Eggplant)
small yam (gabi)
long beans (sitaw)
kangkong
green chili
fish sauce

1 Boil onion and tomatoes. Toss in the yam and cover.
2 Add the squid and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add in the prawns. Bring to boil and cook for another 3 minutes
3 Add the salmon fillet, Knorr Sinigang Mix and green chili. Let it stand for 2-3 minutes.
4 Add in the vegetables, tossing long beans the last.
5 Season with fish sauce then serve immediately.

Sinigang is a popular Filipino home dish. And since it's a Saturday today (also it's Dandy's birthday!) and it's been a while that all six of us shared the dining table, I thought it best to serve sinigang for lunch. Ok ok... I woke up late and I didn't have time to browse at my magazines to pick any other dish so I settled with the most convenient to cook. But hey, it turned out to be a great choice! We're a family again in the house because of my sinigang and Faye's rellenong bangus! Oh not to mention Neri's muffins! Yep, she bakes! =)

Back in Manila, whenever we dine in at this floating seafood restaurant in our town, Seafood or Mixed Sinigang is already a staple at the order list. My Dad just loves it.

I always cook Sinigang na Salmon but this is my first to try mixed seafood. I wasn't able to add raddish and kangkong though (i wonder why i cannot find any kangkongs here in FairPrice...). But it was still good. They love it.. I think...heheheh...

Darwin's Verdict: 4 1/2 stars and a big burp!

Comments: "Sarap!" (no surprise, he loves sinigang...)

My Verdict: Not as good as the restaurant's version, but it's not bad at all. I'm definitely gonna try this again. =)

Tip: Don't overcook the Salmon as the meat tends to shred.

Chicken Adobo

2009-05-06T23:40:00.000-07:00

Source: My version of Yummy Magazine October 2008 Issue's Adobo

1/2 kl chicken (combination og leg, thigh and mid joint wing)
100 gms chicken gizzard
100 gms chicken liver
3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup liquid seasoning
1/4 cup crushed garlic
1 8gg sachets Maggi Magic Sarap
coarse black pepper
water
cooking oil

1 Stew chicken pieces, gizzard and liver in liquid seasoning, vinegar, Maggi Magic Sarap, black pepper, and garlic over low heat until very tender.
2 Add water if necessary. Drain sauce from the meat and reserve for later use.
3 Saute in oil the garlic used in stewing. Add the chicken pieces and pan fry the meat, gizzard and liver until it browns.
4 Gradually add a little of the reserved sauce. Cook just until sauce lightly thickens.

The best Adobo I have probably tasted was that of my Ate Emily. It was the best! Then there's my Ate Letty's which I also love (thanks to her persistence of trying to make her version a match to Ate Emily's! hehehe...) A little trivia about me, I don't eat adobo with laurel leaf... I dunno, I just don't like it.

My first attempt of this pinoy favorite was far from satisfactory. That was 5 years ago. Never tried it again until I got married. I got it though on the second try coz Darwin has since loved adobo and claim it now as his official favorite. Oh, love! hahahah!

**Note: I'm actually one ingredient short. I'll post it once I know what that is called. I feel really stupid! LOL!!

Darwin's Verdict: 5 shiny stars!

Comment: "my all time favorite among the dishes you cook!"

My Verdict: This may be a no match to my Ates' adobo, but the important thing is my hubby's crazy with it. That's more than enough to make me proud of my version! =)

Spicy Corned Beef Rice

2009-05-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

Source: Yummy Magazine, March 2009 Issue

1tbsp oil
1/4 cup sliced onions
1 regular can corned beef
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 bird's eye chili (siling labuyo), chopped
4 cups cooked white rice
4 fried eggs, cooked to your liking

1 In hot wok, heat oil and saute onions until tender.
2 Add the corned beef and corn kernels. Cook until most of the juices from the corned beef have evaporated.
3 Add the chili pepper and mix well.
4 Stir in the rice and mix until the corned beef mixture is well incorporated with the grains. Served topped with fried eggs.

Done this one before minus the corn kernels and it's good. So its expected to be even better now that i added it. Darwin's too quiet when he had his breakfast today. His mind's somewhere else... it went ahead of him at the office before he even left home. =(

Darwin's Verdict: I know he loved it. He was crazy over it when I first served him this one a few weeks ago. He would probably have given this 4 stars....

Comments: NR

My Verdict: The corn kernels made it even tastier. I love it!

**Notes: I adjusted the ingredients because i only used around 3 cups of rice. So I had to use only one onion, half the can of cornned beef and half the can of corn kernels. I also sprinkled some spring onions on top for garnishing and added flavor. =)

Sizzling Stir Fried Squid

2009-05-06T00:17:00.001-07:00

Source: My Ate Letty (I only added a little spicing up!)

1/2 kilo squid (cleaned), sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, diced in small cubes
1 potato, diced
red and green bell pepper halved, sliced thinly
1 small can button mushrooms
2 tbsp cooking oil
Knorr Calamansi Seasoning
cornstarch

1 Heat oil in a non-stick pan and saute garlic and onion.
2 When onions are tender add in the squid, stir fry and let stand in heat for 5 minutes.
3 Let the squid juice up, then add Knorr Calamansi Seasoning.
4 Add in the potatoes and let stand for another 2 minutes.
5 Toss in the carrots and the red and green bell pepper.
6 Add a dash of cornstarch to thicken sauce. Serve hot.

This dish actually came from my dad's wedding inaanak. He's a cook in a restaurant and last year my dad asked him to help us in the kitchen for some occassion held in our house. He did this one as a pulutan (food served in accompaniment to a drink). My Dad loved it that he asked Ate Letty to get the recipe from his inaanak (darn i forgot his name!). So this wasn't really my Ate Letty's dish, heheheh... And also, this is actually not ideally an ulam for dinner but who cares?! It tastes good with rice!

Btw, Ive done this a couple of times already and has been one of Darwin's favorite. Although this was the first time that I added a little twist to it by adding the red and green bell peppers and mushrooms. Well I hope Darwin would still love it. =)

Darwin's Verdict: 4 stars

Comments: "It's as yummy as the original version."

My Verdict: I don't think what he said was a compliment at all. I mean I added bell peppers and mushrooms, duh??? Didn't the bell peppers alone gave it a bit more spice?? Oh well, I like it and I think this is a lot better than the original. Sorry Ate Letty. =)

Classic Pancakes

2009-05-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

Source: Yummy Magazine, January- February 2008 Issue

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 cups milk at room temp
4 tbsp melted butter, cooled
2 eggs

1 In a large bowl. combine all the dry ingredients. Whisk to blend.
2 In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients. Whisk to blend then pour into the bowl of dry ingredients. Using the whisk, mix just until dry ingredients are moistened; don't try to make the batter smooth or the pancakes will end up tough.
3 Using a 1/4 measuring cup, portion the batter onto a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. When bubbles begin to form and burst on the surface, flip the pancake over and cook 1 minute more. The pancakes should be a nice medium gold.
4 Place on a plate and cover with a dry tea towel to keep warm. Keep going until you have used up all the batter. Place strawberries or bananas on top, drizzle with maple or caramel syrup. Serve immediately.

Tip: For much easier preparation, use the ready mixes found on supermarkets. I used Maya Hotcake Mix. Prep instructions on package.

Breakfast served!=) We slept around 4am already but with the excitement of preparing this I was up by 7:30am! So early lah! hahaha!!

Darwin's Verdict: 3 stars and a "wow!" for the presentation

Comment: (He just told me this now after dinner) "The pancakes were a bit dry. I think it's because you made it thick."

What I did wrong: I think I overmixed the batter. It said on the package to just stir it slightly just until its lumpy. Oh well, will try doing it right next time.

My Verdict: This is one more reason to love breakfast!

Marinated Butterfly Shrimps

2009-05-05T00:53:00.000-07:00

Source: Yummy Magazine, June 2008 Issue

1 Butterfly 1/2 kilo tiger prawns.
2 Season with salt and pepper.
3 Add a couple of tablespoons olive oil to coat all the shrimps.
4 Marinate for 15 minutes.
5 In a non0stick pan, melt 2 tbsp butter. Add 2 tbsp cooking oil.
6 Pan fry the prawns in batches.

It was actually Darwin who first tried this dish during his and Blossom's birthday party. The guests loved it. Then I tried it once for dinner and it didn't taste as good. Darwin just gave me his signature yabang grin. I asked him what else he did that his version was a lot better. He spilled it but yet again with that angas look on his face as if telling me he cooks better than me! Grrrrr.... Well it turned out he spiced it up a bit by adding minced garlic to the marinade. So that was it....

Now that it's my second time doing this dish, I of course added the garlic already. =)

Darwin's Verdict: 5 stars! Passed with flying colors! =)

Comments: yummy-licious!

My Verdict: I love et!!! The garlic works wonders! This will definitely be a regular.

**Tip#1: Add a dash of Maggi Magic Sarap to the prawns for marinade and mix it to coat evenly. Generously sprinkle coarse black pepper. Sprinkle some more while frying.

**Tip #2: When done frying all the prawns, you can use the remaining oil and toasted garlic left on the pan for fried rice. The spicy taste of the pepper and the toasted garlic on the fried rice is the best!

Korean Beef Stew

2009-05-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

Source: Yummy Magazine, Jan -Feb 2008 Issue

1 kilo beef short ribs

4 cups water

2 tbsp ginger, sliced

1 tbsp garlic, chopped

1/2 cup onion

2 tbsp brown sugar

6tbsp good quality soy sauce

extra water

1 beef cube

1 whole carrot, sliced diagonally

6 reconstituted dried mushrooms

2 tbsp mirin

1tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

1 Boil beef in water until tender. Strain and set aside broth.
2 Heat oil on medium heat. Saute ginger, garlic and onion. Add sugar and beef, then cook until brown.
3 Measure strained broth from boiled beef. Add water to get 3 1/2 cups of liquid.
4 Add soy sauce to the beef. Pour in stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients and simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve hot, garnish with sesame seeds.

First time trying this recipe.

Darwin's Verdict: 2 stars

Comments: Meat quite dry. The gingery taste dominates.
He said it's ok, but he didn't really love it.

What I did wrong: I dunno. But I was a few ingredients short. I didn't put any mirin and shiitake mushrooms. I just thought it wouldn't make much difference... or so I thought. I also overlooked the instruction that the sesame seeds should be toasted.

My verdict: I will not try it again. Next recipe!

Struggling with Chopsticks

2009-05-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

It all started with fried eggs...

I first discovered the use of pans and other cooking utensils when I was in college. Intantly, I became a fan of fried eggs. Needless to say, I experimented and mastered the art of frying eggs. Sunny side up, scrambled, ommelette... My dad love my omelette!

Soon enough i became tired of it. I wanted a new challenge! That's when I started calling home asking my mom how to cook sinigang, adobo and chopseuy. My sinigang was great. The adobo not good enough and my chopseuy... never mind.

But when I got married a year ago and went here in Singapore, that's when my struggle in the kitchen started. I tagged myself a 'struggling cook'. I came here in Singapore having no idea what to serve my husband other than fried eggs and canned food. I don't even know how to use chopsticks ~~here in a chopstick-using country!

Not wanting to be returned by my husband to my parents, I immediately seek the help of cooking magazines. Thank God for cooking magazines, food websites and a sister named Aimee, I learned how to cook good food. I mean real foooood.

I'm not a good cook but I no longer struggle with cooking. I became friends with all the ingredients I never knew existed in supermarkets. Everyday I try to learn a new dish. I already mastered a few dishes and still looking forward to discovering and learning more.

Before I forgot, I also learned how to use the chopsticks. =)