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Quick and Hot Breaktfast (for 1)

I am not a morning person so I don’t want to spend more than a few minutes at the stove cooking breakfast. The night before I prepare the food so that I can quickly cook it in 5min the next morning and head out the door!

Ingrediants needed:
2 eggs
canadian bacon (2 slices)
slice of pepperjack cheese
any green veggies on hand (such as asparagus, spinich, or green chile)
Whole wheat tortilla

Basically, the night before you chop up the canadian bacon and veggies, toss it in a bowl. Crack two eggs in it and mix thoroughly or whip with a hand blender. Put in a tupperware. In the morning, scramble it in a pan or make it into an omelet. When done, put the egg in your tortilla, along with the cheese, wrap and its ready to go!

Pour OJ in a resealable mug the night before and grab it on your way out.

It’s fast, easy, and healthy too.

Caramel Apple Shake

I love the taste of caramel apples. There’s some tartness to it, juiciness, crisp, accompanied by warm caramel and crunchy nuts. Just the thought of one makes my mouth water. I also happen to love a good smoothie. Shakes are good, but something about smoothies makes me feel like I’m eating healthy It must be the fruit. So this caramel apple shake I made up kind of satisfies both of those needs, a fruity blend of apples and caramel!

This recipe is also perfect because it is harvest time so the freshly-picked apples are available in farmer’s markets by the dozen. You can find a huge variety of apples, so choose those that satisfy your taste the best. The feeling of autumn in the air will accompany the feeling of the seasons change when you sip this caramel apple shake.

Ingrediants needed:
1 crisp apple
scoop of vanilla icecream with the caramel swirled into it (I go for sugar free and reduced fat)
sugar free caramel syrup
cup of milk (1%)
chopped peanuts.

You blend the icecream, milk and chopped apple together until the consistency of a shake. Add more of either ingrediant to get the texture and flavor you desire. Add Splenda for extra sweetness. Pour into a fancy mug and drizzle the caramel syrup and chopped peanuts to the top.

Stick a thick straw inside and enjoy! Yum!

(The above recipe should be more than enough for one person. Double up the recipe to share with a friend.)

Truffled Deviled Eggs

to make truffled deviled eggs, just add a touch of truffle salt to my regular deviled egg recipe:

Deviled Eggs

1 dozen white-shelled extra large eggs
1/3 c. mayo (will need more, this is the amount I start with)
1 tbsp. finely chopped shallots (you can get these in a jar at Whole Foods, or chop your own)
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Kosher salt, to taste
Paprika, for garnish

Hard boil eggs using a coddling method: place eggs in pan and cover with water. Bring eggs just to a boil, and then cover them with a lid and remove from heat. Let them sit 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, drain and cover with cool water to stop cooking. Place eggs in fridge or allow to cool to room temperature. (Hint: Old eggs always peel easier than fresh ones - use the oldest eggs you can get your hands on).

When eggs are cool, peel and cut in half lengthwise and set egg whites aside. Place yolks in a small bowl, and then use a masher to mash yolks to a crumbly texture. Add other ingredients, and then whip using a hand mixer until smooth. Adjust seasonings (adding more mayo, shallots, mustard or salt as necessary), and then put yolk mixture into the fridge to chill.

When ready to prepare eggs, fill the cavity of each egg white liberally with yolk mixture, until all egg white halves are filled equally. Sprinkle with paprika, and serve. These go fast, so double or triple the recipe depending on the size of your crowd.

homemade chocolates

WHAT YOU NEED TO GET STARTED:

Glass bowl or glass jars (easy to store this way)

Wooden spoon

Aluminum foil

Plastic bag or plastic gloves for hands

Counter or table space to place your chocolates for ‘drying’

Chocolates

Chocolate flavors (oil-based)

Paintbrush

Chocolate Molds

HOW TO MELT YOUR CHOCOLATE:

Skillet/Grill Method - Best Method

1. Place chocolate in glass bowl and set on grill.

2. Set grill on simmer setting or lowest setting and stir every few minutes until melted.

3. You can have different colors of chocolate heating at the same time in separate bowls or jars.

Double Boiler Method - Stove method

1. Fill large pot 1/4 full and heat to medium.

2. Place your chocolate pieces in a glass bowl or jar (jars are better because you can

usually get small jars with different colored chocolates into one pot at a time)

3. Turn heat down to a simmer.

4. Stir until melted; continue adding chocolate until the desired amount is melted.

Microwave Method (not recommended as it’s too difficult to control the heat)

1. For one lb of chocolate coating, cook one minute on high. Stir.

2. Continue cooking on medium in 15-second intervals, stirring each time until the chocolate is fully melted.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

The chocolate coatings are oil based, so never let water come in direct contact with them.

If you are adding flavors, they must be oil-based. Most extracts are water-based.

Never touch the chocolates after you have removed them from the fridge/freezer as the condensation will copy your fingerprint onto your chocolates. Instead, wait until the chocolates have reached room temperature (around 10 min) and no longer have condensation on them. This way they will also retain their glossiness.

Lay down a sheet of aluminum foil to place the chocolates on after you remove them from the fridge/freezer. Use a plastic bag or plastic gloves to lift and move the chocolates around until they reach room temperature.

STORING YOUR CHOCOLATES:

1. Store in a cool, dry and odorless area.

2. Do not place in the refrigerator or freezer as condensation will develop when removed. This will add water to the chocolate and it will become thick when melted.

MAKING THE CHOCOLATES

Solid Chocolate Molds:

1. Spoon melted chocolate into each of the cavities of the mold. If it overflows scrape away the excess with a straight knife or spatula.

2. Lightly tap the mold on the counter or table to remove any air bubbles on the surface of the mold.

3. Place mold in refrigerator to cool.

4. Remove from the fridge/freezer and flip over the mold onto a sheet of foil. The pieces will pop out. It may be necessary to gently tap or twist the mold.

5. If the pieces do not come out easily the chocolate may need a bit longer to set.

Painting a mold:

1. Using a paintbrush, paint the chocolate, in the color of choice on the inside sections of the mold.

2. Carefully look at the front of the mold to be sure that all appropriate areas are covered.

3. Let color set before adding any additional colors to prevent them from running into each other.

4. Once all desired areas have been painted and are dry, fill the remainder of the mold with the appropriate chocolate.

5. Follow the last 3 steps of Solid Flat-back molding.

Two Piece Hollow Molds:

1. Fill the backside of the mold with melted chocolate.

2. Clip the front of the mold to the back of the mold.

3. Shake the mold to completely coat both sides of the mold. Tap against counter to move any air bubbles.

4. Place in on its top in fridge for 3 - 5 minutes. Remove, then shake to redistribute the chocolate. Place in refrigerator on its back. Repeat these steps four or five times; each time placing the mold on a different side.

5. Be sure to place in refrigerator standing up as the last stage.

6. Once completely set, remove from mold.

PLACES TO GO FOR SUPPLIES:

Grocery stores usually have a good selection for bulk chocolates and this is usually the cheapest way to buy chocolate. There are many craft stores that carry molds and chocolates as well. Just look or call around and find the best price.

A FAVORITE CHOCOLATE RECIPE:

Chocolate Maraschino Cherries

You will need:

Milk, White or Dark Chocolate pieces

Maraschino Cherries (Jar type is fine)

Icing Sugar

Chocolate ‘Cup’ mold

1. Cut cherries in halves

2. Paint in hollow chocolate mold and cool in the fridge/freezer

3. Add cherry halve and ‘cherry juice’ (mix cherry juice and icing sugar until you get a creamy consistency)

4. Add more chocolate to the top and avoid any air bubbles (pop with the tip of a knife or toothpick). Re-chill.

**You can also make chocolate suckers. There are special molds that have a hollow for the sucker sticks. These are so easy to make and you can use one color chocolate or paint in detail with different chocolate colors. Just use saran wrap to cover them and then tie the saran wrap ends with colored twisty ties or ribbon. Great party gifts!

You can make your own containers with old plastic containers, jars, or paper machete containers (craft stores have these). You can either paint these containers or try decoupage (special glue and paper). Experiment and be creative!

source: http://www.essortment.com/all/homemadechocol_onl.htm

Sinampalukang Manok (Chicken in Tamarind Soup)

Tried cooking this for dinner tonight….
INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
tamarind/tamarind soup mix
Chicken pieces
Tamarind Leaves
Sili Leaves
Patis (Fish sauce)
DIRECTIONS:

* Saute garlic in cooking oil until golden brown, add the onion.
* Add the chicken, stir fry and season with fish sauce.
* When the chicken is almost brown add water and bring to a boil.
* Simmer for almost 20 minutes.
* Add the tamarind soup base.Stir.
* Add the Sili leaves and Tamarind leaves.Bring to a boil then turn off the heat.
* Serve with rice.

Chicken Barbeque

This is what we had for lunch today..

CHICKEN BARBEQUE

Chicken pieces (I bought legs & wings)
(Marinade:)
Soy sauce
Sugar
Minced garlic
Calamansi Juice

Directions:
Marinate chicken in soy sauce,sugar,minced garlic & calamansi juice.Let stand for at least half day.Grill on live charcoal until cooked.Baste with marinade while grilling.

In search of a good Ginger Tea

Ginger tea has a spicy, invigorating taste. It’s used as a home remedy for indigestion, nausea, and to ward off colds, flu, and sore throats.
I found some Ginger Tea recipes but I don’t know if these will suit my taste.I will have to try these one by one.

RECIPE # 1

water,4 cups
2-inch piece of fresh ginger root
optional:
honey and lemon slice

Peel the ginger root and slice it into thin slices. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Once it is boiling, add the ginger. Cover it and reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain the tea. Add honey and lemon to taste.

RECIPE #2
3 1/4 cups hot water
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh ginger (left unpeeled)
2 tablespoons loose black tea leaves
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk, or to taste
Preparation
Bring water and ginger to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart saucepan, then remove from heat. Stir in tea and cover. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in milks, then pour through a sieve into a large (6-cup) blender, pressing hard on and then discarding solids. Blend until foamy (use caution when blending hot liquids), then pour into mugs and sweeten with more condensed milk if desired.

RECIPE # 3
Ingredients
1 1/4 liters water
1/3 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
4 slices lemons

Directions:
Combine water, mint and ginger in a pan, simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes; strain, discard mint and ginger.Stir in honey. Serve tea, hot or chilled, with lemon slices.

Lumpia Shanghai

Ingredients:
1/2 kg. ground pork
1/4 kg. shrimps (shelled and chopped)
1 carrots (grated)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 clove of garlic (chopped)
1 egg
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp condensed milk
2 tbsp black pepper
1 package of lumpia wrapper
cooking oil

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients and mixed it until evenly distributed. Lay the wrapper in a flat surface and place 2 tablespoon in the center of the wrapper then spread it evenly. Heat the oil in the deep fryer and cook it in 3 to 4 minutes in a low fire. It is cooked when the wrapper turns to golden brown. Serve with sweet and sour sauce or ketchup.

Baked Macaroni

I love pasta but I dont know how to cook! So I said I have to start with the basics… The easiest must be a spaghetti or a baked macaroni. I was tempted to find a recipe that’s easy to do and people have complimented about it. I found this one and it’s worth a try.

Ingredients :

225 g. of macaroni (you can use penne or ziti as well)
3 tbsps. of butter
3 tbsps. of olive oil
1/4 kg. of ground beef (sirloin, if you want minimal fat)
1/4 kg. of smoked ham or bacon, or salami or pepperoni (sliced as thinly as you can)
1/4 kg. of fresh button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 kg. of tomatoes, chopped
1/4 kg. of onions, chopped
4-5 green or red bell peppers (or 6-8 pimientoes), cored and chopped
1 whole garlic, peeled and finely minced
1/2 c. of tomato paste
3-4 c. of good meat broth
a bunch of fresh basil leaves, chopped, or about a teasponful of dried basil leaves
salt
pepper
sugar

For the topping :

1/3 c. of butter
3 tbsps. of flour
2 c. of milk
1 c. of water
half of a 225 g. block of quickmelt (processed) cheese, softened then cut into small pieces
half of a 225 g. block of cream cheese (thanks to reader Rowena for this tip), softened then cut into small pieces
salt
pepper

Cooking procedure :

Cook the pasta according to package directions, undercooking by about 5 minutes. Again, this will allow the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce, absorbing the flavors. Drain, rinse and set aside.

Heat the butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat in a sauce pan. Add the ground beef, breaking up the lumps. Add the garlic and cook until the meat starts to brown. Add the ham, bacon, salami or pepperoni. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add all the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the tomato paste and stir. Pour in the meat broth. Season with salt, pepper and some sugar. The sugar will neutralize the acidity of the tomato paste. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

While the sauce simmers, prepare the cream-cheese topping. Melt the butter in a saucepan. When frothy, add the flour all at once, stirring. Let the flour cook for about 5 minutes to remove any floury taste in the cooked topping. Usually, the flour is cooked when the mixture starts to turn golden brown. Pour in the water in a thin stream, stirring as you do. The mixture will be lumpy at this stage. Pour in the milk slowly, again, stirring as you pour. By the time all the milk has been incorporated into the mixture, it will appear to be a little thin. Don’t worry, the cheeses will thicken them to the required consistency. Add the cheeses. Set the heat to low and let the cheeses melt, stirring the mixture occasionally. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper.

When the sauce is done, add the cooked pasta and toss well. Let the mixture cook over low heat with an occasional stirring. This should allow the pasta to finish cooking. Usually, this step takes about 5-6 minutes.

Pour the pasta and sauce into a baking dish. Make sure that the dish is large enough so that the mixture is an inch below the rim. You will still be adding the topping. Everything will simmer and bubble during baking and you don’t want the sauce and topping falling onto the oven floor.

Pour the topping onto the pasta mixture, spreading to seal the edges. If you don’t seal the edges, the exposed pasta will dry up during baking.

Bake in a preheated 180oC oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. How brown depends on you. A well-browned topping is more aromatic and attractive but, if there are leftovers, the topping does have a tendency to get overbrowned during reheating.

Let the baked macaroni rest for about 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with garlic sticks or buttered toast.

When my family tasted this, it was definitely a blast!

Chicken Tinola

2 tablespoons of cooking oil
4 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tablespoon of diced ginger
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1 kilo of cut chicken
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
10 cups of rice water
1 small green papaya, sliced 1/3″ thick
1 cup of pepper leaves
Pinch of salt

1. Fry the garlic in hot cooking oil until brown. Add the ginger and the chopped onions.
2. Add the chicken and season with the fish sauce. Cover and simmer for five minutes.
3. Add the rice water, simmer until chicken is tender.
4. Add sliced papaya and cook until papaya is tender.
5. Season with salt. Add pepper leaves.

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