Photographs, Cooking and Ranting

Lumpia Shanghai

2009-06-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

Lumpia Shanghai is one of my favorite finger goodies. I like to make the shanghai type all because it’s very easy to prepare. You will probably find all kind of recipes online but I have my own recipe, the one that is not too complicated to understand. A recipe that I grew up with…easy and simply yummy with plain soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce.

Lumpia Shanghai

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (lean meat the better)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, grated
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg beaten
2 Tbsp. Soy sauce
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground pepper
1 package Spring roll wrappers (25 pcs.)
Oil for frying

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, egg, soy sauce, salt, and pepper thoroughly.
2. Lay out a lumpia wrapper one at a time in a flat surface, and place a tablespoon of the filling in a line down of the wrapper.
3. Take the bottom and top edges of the wrapper and fold then towards the center.
4. Take the left and right sides, and fold them towards the center.
5. Moisten the last edges of the wrapper with water to seal.
6. Repeat procedure using the rest of the wrappers.
7. In a deep pan or fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F.
8. Fry lumpia’s (5 to 6 pieces at a time).
9. Fry until golden brown (3-4 minutes), turning once.
10. Drain and Enjoy with your favorite sauce.

Rice o'lette with Hoisin and Soysauce

2009-06-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

You can bring your left-over food into something new and delicious. I always like to play with my food to make it more interesting and eye catching for the kids. I made this Rice o’lette the other morning and it was a hit for the kids.

Rice o'lette with Hoisin and Soy sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice
½ cup scrambled eggs with scallions
1 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. Soy sauce

Preparation:

1. In a cup, put half of the scrambled eggs.
2. Add half of the rice.
3. Repeat the procedure using the rest of the ingredients.
4. Mix hoisin sauce and soy sauce together and drizzle into the Rice o’lette.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

2009-06-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

The kid’s enjoyed these easy to prepare and delicious chocolate cupcakes. I used the left-over butter cream for frosting that I have made during Zack’s birthday two weeks ago. Hey! If you have the money to spare then grab the finest cocoa powder you can find. One of the secrets of the melt in your mouth chocolate cupcakes is a good quality coco powder (that based on my experience). I have tried the cheapest or store brand coco powders and they can’t compare and I guess you all know the reasons why.

There are so many cocoa powders available out there and your choices are endless. But here is my short list of the Cocoa Powders that I like best:
Valrhona Cocoa powder, Hershey’s Cocoa powder, Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, Ghirardelli unsweetened Cocoa.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
¾ cup All-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking oil

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the butter until soft.
3. Add sugar, beat about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until they are well combined.
5. In another bowl, place all dry ingredients. Stir until combined.
6. Add ½ of the dry ingredients to the butter, sugar, eggs mixtures. Beat it just to combine.
7. Add milk and vanilla. Beat
8. Add the rest of dry ingredients. Beat until combined.
9. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3’s full.
10. Bake for about 20 minutes or when toothpick inserted comes out clean.
11. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
12. And frost the top of each cupcake with your favorite frosting. You can add sprinkles or nuts or fruits, if desired.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Pork

2009-06-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

We had a blast during Father’s Day. The kid’s prepared something cute for their daddy. I was not really in the mood of cooking but I can’t resist on making something nice for him. We all likes Chinese food so I decided to make sweet and sour pork with Japanese fried rice and chocolate cupcakes with butter cream frosting.

I found this sweet and sour pork recipe online long time ago. I can’t even remember where I got it. I like it better compare to other recipes all because it’s not thick and gluey. I tweaked the ingredients a bit to suit my taste. I like it when the sweetness and sourness is balance. I guess that the secret of this recipe.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless pork loin cut in 1-inch cubes
2 Tbsp. Flour
1 tsp. garlic, mince
4 scallions, thinly sliced (diagonally)
½ cup red bell pepper, cut into ¾ inch-cubes
½ cup green bell pepper, cut into ¾ inch-cubes
1 large sweet onion, cubes
½ cup pineapple, chunks
Oil for frying

For Batter:

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup cold water
1 tsp. cooking oil

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whish in cold water until combine. Add the oil and stir until smooth. Set aside.

For Sauce:

½ cup white vinegar
¾ cup white sugar
½ tsp, salt
6 Tbsp. tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. TASTE TEST to suit your taste. You can always add more sugar if it’s too sour and add more vinegar if it’s too sweet. Try to balance the sourness and sweetness to get that “bang”. Set aside.

1. Heat oil in a pan or fryer to about 350 degrees F.
2. While your oil is heating. Dust pork loin cubes with the all purpose flour.
3. Dip the floured coated pork pieces into the batter and fry in the hot oil for about 8 minutes or until golden on brown both sides. (TRY to fry in small batches - do not over crowd the fryer)
4. Remove pork pieces and transfer to a plate with paper towels.
5. Cover it with aluminum foil and place it in the oven to keep it warm. Repeat until everything has been fried.
6. In a wok (if you have any), heat a tablespoon oil, add minced garlic and scallion.
7. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds.
8. Add onions, red and green bell pepper. Stir-fry for another minute.
9. Add the sauce and bring to boil. Stir until thickened.
10. Remove from heat.
11. Transfer pork to serving platter and pour the sauce over the pork.
12. Add pineapple chunks on top. Serve hot with rice.

Enjoy!

Pizza Boys

2009-06-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

Pizza is a long time favorite of my boy's. I am not too crazy about this food so I don't make them very often. I usually buy pizza in a box at the grocery stores or take-out. Hubby was craving for homemade pizza today so I decided to make one. I used this wonderful and easy to follow bread machine pizza dough but I tweaked the recipe a little.

I have left over barbecue chicken from yesterday and three slices of bacons this morning. I used them for my toppings.You can put almost anything for your toppings so if you have any left-over’s meats in the fridge then go ahead use them. Believe me! this pizza is delicious and it's one of the best pizzas you will ever have.

PIZZA

Dough

Ingredients:

1 packet dry active yeast ((PROOF YEAST- in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon sugar to ¼ cup warm water (100° to 110°F).
Sprinkle yeast; let stand for 10 minutes until it foams).
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup water, plus
2 tablespoons water

Preparation:

1. In a Bread Machine pan. Always place all the wet ingredients first, followed by dry ingredients and then yeast.
2. Place the BM pan back to the BM maker, then select the dough cycle in the menu and press start!
3. When the dough cycle is complete (it took me at least 1 hour and 30 minutes), take the dough out of the machine and place in well greased bowl,
and roll the dough around (in the bowl) thus’ coating' it in oil.
4. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place (inside the oven with light on) for about 30 minutes.
5. Knead the risen dough gently.

To shape and bake:

6. Preheat oven 450 degrees F.
7. Place the dough on well greased baking tray or pizza pan (I used my 12 inches round stone pizza pan-).
8. Roll the dough into a circle.
9. Bake the prepared pizza dough for about 10 minutes.

While your pizza dough is baking prepare your toppings. I used Del Monte Traditional spaghetti sauce. I like
the taste of it better than the regular pizza sauce. The kid's don't like vegetables and pineapples so I left half of
the pizza with none of it.

Topping Ingredients:

1 cup spaghetti sauce
2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 barbecue chicken breast, cut into cubes
3 fried bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup sandwich ham, cut into cubes
1/4 cup green pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced (I used Vidalia)
1/8 cup tomato, chopped
1/4 cup pineapple chunk

Preparation:

1. After baking pizza dough for 10 minutes.
2. Place all the above ingredients in order I have listed.
3. Turn the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
4. Bake Pizza for another 10 to 15 minutes or until all side is golden brown.

ENJOY!

Strawberry Thumbprint Almond Cookies

2009-06-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

I always grab a handful of almond cookies every time we eat out in a Chinese buffet. I always thought their cookies are so delicious. I like the sweetness and texture of it. My first attempt of baking these goodies was not very successful for some reasons. I have tried to make my second batch with a twist and it turns out really wonderful. Instead of almond cookies, I turned it into thumbprint almond cookies with grape and strawberry jellies. You can put anything that you like though.

click to enlarge

Strawberry Thumbprint Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup strawberry jelly or grapes

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven 350 degrees F.
2. With an electric beater, cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat egg in a small bowl, reserve one tablespoon for brushing.
4. Add beaten egg, vanilla and almond extract to the sugar mixture until combined. Set aside
5. SIFT together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda onto a wax paper.
6. Add to the cream mixture. Stir until just blended. (Dough will be a bit crumbly but should hold together)
7. Form the dough into balls (1 inch in diameter).
8. Using your thumb or index finger, make deep indentation in center of each ball (be careful not to press too hard).
9. Spoon a jelly or jam into each cookie ball (do not overfill).
10. Place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
11. Get the 1 Tbsp. beaten egg that you reserved and with pastry brush, brush the top edges lightly.
11. Bake cookies about 10 -12 minutes or until slightly brown on the edges.

NOTE: You can add the jelly or jam before or after cooking. I add more jelly after cooking because it was not looking right.

ENJOY

Garlic Breadsticks

2009-06-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

I made some garlic bread sticks to go with my pizza for lunch today. I didn't have any marinara sauce with it but it was still very good.I don't have any special recipe for garlic bread sticks so if you like it garlicky, crispy in the outside and soft in the inside then this recipe is for you. I am pretty sure your family will like it.

(click to enlarge)

Garlic Breadsticks

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp rapid-rise yeast
1 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Garlic powder
1/3 cup melted butter

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, combine salt, oil, sugar, whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, and yeast.
2. Slowly add water to the mixture to form dough.
3. Knead into soft dough. Let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Spray your hands with a little bit of oil to avoid the dough from sticking.
5. Lay the dough in the floured surface.
6. Knead gently and stretch to make a log.
7. Using a dough cutter, cut log into pieces (1 inch to 1-1/2 inches).
8. Roll each piece into breadsticks.
9. Place prepared breadsticks onto greased baking pan.
10. Brush each piece with melted butter.
11. Sprinkle with garlic powder on top.
12. Place the pan back to the oven with light on. Let it rise for another 15 minutes or
until the size is double.
13. Take the pan of breadsticks out from the oven.
14. Pre-heat oven at 450 degrees F (if you're using a very thin baking pan then you might need to adjust the temperature down
to avoid burning).
15. Bake for 12 minutes.
16. Brush on more butter. Best when serve warm.

Cinnamon Rolls

2009-06-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

I made these cinnamon rolls not long time ago using the ensaymada dough. It was pretty good that the platter got sparkling clean after a day. I was too lazy to prepare the sugar frosting so we eat it as it is. It was super soft and delicious. I will try to make some cinnabon next time. I can’t find the recipe for this cinnamon rolls, it probably buried somewhere in my files. I will post it as soon I find it.

Coleslaw

2009-06-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

We had pork barbecue dinner southern style the other night and I made this coleslaw to go with it. If you love creamy, tart and sweet -style coleslaw then you have to make this one sometimes. My mom-in law had taught me how to make real southern style coleslaw.

If you have food processor then you can use it to chop your vegetables. I have one but decided not to use it because I am only making for two persons. I did not add any green pepper too for some reason.

SOUTHERN STYLE COLESLAW

Ingredients:

Vegetables
1 large, cabbage, chopped fine
1 medium, carrot (you can slice it whatever you want)
1 medium, Vidalia onion, chopped ( any sweet onions)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or to taste)
½ cup vinegar
½ cup honey or sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Mix chopped cabbage, carrot, bell pepper and onion in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, stir together all dressing ingredients until combined.
3. Taste your dressing to your likeness. You can always add honey/sugar if it’s too sour, or add vinegar if it’s too sweet.
4. Pour the dressing into the vegetable mixture and toss gently.

Enjoy!

HOPIA

2009-06-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

( CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Not a very good pictures but it will guide you in preparing your first hopia baking.

HOPIA LOVE ME TOO

I made my first hopia three weeks ago. Hopia is always been one of my favorite snacks in the Philippines. It’s pretty hard to find a decent hopia around here. I watched people made them before and I found the preparation a daunty task. I did a little researched on how to make hopia and so far the recipe below is the easiest and fastest one. I adapted two recipes from Manang and starbulletin.

Also, I used lard instead of vegetable oil that most people do for so many reasons. I like how the lard works in my dough. Based on my experience, it makes the crust flakier and tastier. You can buy lard almost anywhere in the grocery stores or you can make your own if you have all the time. I love the onion filling of the hopia but unfortunately I didn’t find any recipe for it. I used mongo paste and ube halaya that I have prepared previously for my fillings. This hopia is delicious and a very easy to make, so if you’re ready to savor another childhood favorite’s then get ready and grab the lard, flour, and everything that you needed.

HOPIA

Ingredients:

1 egg beaten for brushing later

Dough 1:

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup lard

Use your hands. Mix together until crumbly. Set aside.

Dough 2:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. white sugar
½ cup lard
½ cup water

1. Mix flour, sugar, and lard together until crumbly.
2. Add water slowly and form soft dough (soft but not sticky).
3. With a rolling pin. Flatten the dough onto the floured surface (1/8 inch).
4. Get the Dough 1 and distribute on top of the flatten dough 2 evenly.
5. Gently roll the two dough’s together.
6. Wrap tightly with cellophane wrap.
7. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes:
Pre-heat Oven to 375 degrees F.

8. Take the dough out and cut into pieces. 1- 1 ½ inches.
9. Make sure you’re filling’s are ready. I am not going to show you how to make filling’s yet. But you can use mungbean paste, red bean paste, ube halaya or anything that you can imagine.
10. Roll each piece into circle or you can shape it in anyway you want (I used rolling pin).
11. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center.
12. Gather edges of dough over filling and pinch together in the center.
13. Place pinched side down. Pat into a circle and flatten slightly.
14. Repeat procedure for all pieces.
15. Place hopia on an ungreased baking pan.
16. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the bottom are brown. (NOTE: the tops of hopia will still be pale or white).
17. Remove from oven. Brush each hopia with beaten egg.
18. Set oven to broil.
19. Bake hopia for about 1-2 minutes or until hopia tops are nicely brown. (NOTE: DO NOT WONDER AROUND WHEN BROLING YOUR HOPIA to prevent burning).

ENJOY!

Wheat Oatmeal Cookies

2009-06-07T23:16:00.001-07:00

The kid’s and hubby were craving for some oatmeal cookies the other day. I was not really in the mood of baking but they were pretty annoying so I gave in ‘wink’. The oatmeal recipe that I used was taken from here. I made some changes to my liking for some reasons (out of all purpose flour and raisins).

If you like your oatmeal cookies to be crunchy and crispy then this is not for you. My oatmeal is kind a chewy and soft just the way I like it. So if you’re ready for some baking then here is the recipe.

Wheat Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
3 c. old fashioned oatmeal
2 large eggs
3/4 t. salt
1 t. vanilla extract
14 T (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 T vegetable oil
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 t. cinnamon

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare greased pan.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and oatmeal in a medium bowl.
3. Beat eggs, salt and vanilla in a small bowl.
4. Mix butter, oil, and sugars in a large bowl.
5. Stir in egg mixture until smooth.
6. Stir in flour mixture.
7. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the cookie sheets. Bake until golden brown, 12 - 15 minutes, and then transfer to a wire racks (for cooling).

WHEAT PANDESAL

2009-06-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Pan de sal? I surfed the net of its meaning and this what wikipedia said: Pandesal (Spanish: pan de sal, literally "salt bread") is a rounded bread usually eaten by Filipinos during breakfast.[1]. It is bread made of flour, eggs, lard, yeast, sugar, and salt. It has a soft, powdery texture and is eaten in a number of ways combined with numerous sandwich spreads. It is also used for dipping into tsokolate (chocolate), a chocolate drink very much like hot chocolate but with pure cocoa as its main ingredient. Despite the literal meaning of its name, the taste of pandesal varies from bland to slightly sweet. It usually costs one Peso (about 4 cents U.S.), with larger varieties costing 2 Pesos.

The last time I had Pandesal was three years ago when I visited the Philippines. This bread is always one of my favorite breads. It is the most popular bread in the Philippines. I grew up in a place that surrounded by bakeries so I never learn how to make it. Pandesal that just came out from the oven is always the best. I like it with butter, margarine, corn beef or just plain.

Oh! I made my very first pan de sal using bread machine for the dough. I just love my BM to the mixing, kneading and rising. It’s a lot faster, less messy and convenient for me. I have all kind of pandesal recipes but because I don’t have most of the needed ingredients, I did the tweaking once again and came out with this recipe.

WHEAT PANDESAL

Ingredients:

2/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp butter, cubed
1 tsp salt
1 cup bread flour
2 cups wheat flour
1 Tbsp sugar
Italian bread crumbs - for coating
1 packet active dry yeast
PROOF YEAST- in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon sugar to ¼ cup warm water (100° to 110°F). Sprinkle yeast; let stand for 10 minutes until it foams.

Preparation

1. Add ingredients to bread machine pan following the manufacturer suggestion.
2. Set the bread machine to dough cycle and press start.
3. Wait for the dough cycle to complete. It took me at least 1 hour to 30 minutes.
4. When the dough is ready. Unplug your BM and take the pan out.
5. Grease your hand with cooking oil.
6. Punch the dough down until it deflates.
7. Lay the dough on the prepared greased surface and stretch to make a log.
8. Squeeze the dough gently to release some trapped air.
9. Cut the log into two and sprinkle it with bread crumbs. I used Italian bread crumbs.
10. Using a dough cutter, cut logs into pieces (1 to 1-½ inches).
11. Roll each piece to bread crumbs to coat all sides.
12. Place pieces on greased (I used olive cooking spray) baking pan, with the cut side up 1 inch apart.
13. Cover with clean damp cloth and put it inside the oven with the light on. Let it rise for about 30 minutes.
14. Take it out.
15. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
16. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
17. Let Cool and enjoy with your favorite fillings.

I made 18 pieces of Pandesal. It was crunchy in the outside and soft in the inside. .At first, I never thought its going to work out because I was not using BM yeast and all bread flour but hey! It turns out really good, more than I expected. The recipe was very easy and fast. Just follow the steps and you will have a delicious and healthy pandesal in no time.

Atchara

2009-06-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

Atchara, atsara, achara or however you spelled it. It is a Filipino side dish made from pickled papaya. It’s a perfect condiment to grilled meats and fishes. I have made this atsara over six months ago and opened the last jar two days ago. My in-laws have enjoyed the jar of atsara I sent to them and they can’t wait for more.

I did a little researched of atsara recipes and found so many versions but my favorite is the recipe below. It reminds me of my favorite manokan restaurant back in Cagayan De Oro City, Philippines. I love the sweet and sour taste of pickled vegetables. This relish is perfect additions to your condiments.

Atsara (Pickled Papaya)

Ingredients:

1 medium papaya, grated
½ red peppers, julienned
½ green pepper, julienned
2 inch piece ginger, julienned
1 medium carrot, grated
1 small onion, julienned
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons salt

Preparation

1. Wash papaya, peel, scoop seeds out, and grate.
2. Squeeze the juice out of it. If you have cheesecloth the better but if not then use your strong hands.
3. In medium sauce pan, mix the vinegar, sugar, and salt.
4. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring mixture to a boil.
5. Add grated papaya, lower the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients. Turn off the heat, cover and allow to cool.
7. If you want to can your atsara for a long shelf life then you may, but I was too lazy to do it so I just bottled it up, sealed and refrigerated.

Grilled Chicken Breast

2009-06-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

The kid’s was tired of eating chicken nuggets and sweet and sour chicken so I decided to grill the four chicken breasts that I had left in the fridge. I love grilled food and I could probably eat them anytime of the day. So if you’re craving for chicken tonight then grab the charcoal and start the fire. I have a gas grill and charcoal grill but I preferred the charcoal for so many reasons. It is up to you which one to use.

Prepare the chicken breasts an hour before grilling for spices to absorb for more flavors.

Grilled Chicken Breast

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast, skinned
Salt and pepper to taste
McCormick Seasoned Salt (sprinkle each chicken breast on each side)
4 scallions (optional)
Sweet Baby Rays Barbecue sauce

Preparation

1. Prepare the grill.
2. Wash, pat dry, and cut each chicken breast to flatten it a bit. (See photo above)
3. Sprinkle pepper and salt to taste.
4. Sprinkle McCormick Seasoned All in all sides. Set aside.
5. Grill chicken on a pre-heated grill for approximately 5 minutes on each side (or until the chicken is cooked and is no longer pink inside).
6. Brush each side of chicken with barbecue sauce and cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Grill scallion (optional). Enjoy!

I ate my grilled chicken with hot rice and atsara (pickled papaya). I will post the recipe of the pickled papaya on my next post.

Vegetable Slicer/Shredder

2009-06-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

I got this vegetable slicer/shredder not long time ago. It’s a very handy gadget to have around but I wish I bought the mandoline instead. Oh well, I only paid $1.75 for it so no problem. This slicer is best for slicing carrots, cucumbers, radishes, celery and anything that is long and firm.

Shakoy

2009-05-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

Shakoy anyone? I have been craving for these street goodies for a long time now but just too lazy to make one. Shakoy or butsi or whatever names you call them is one of my favorite snacks back in the Philippines. It’s cheap and available anytime kahit hating gabi. I remember when I was little (little pa rin naman ako), iyong isang kapit bahay namin, araw-araw naglalako ng butsi o shakoy every afternoon. I just loved her shakoy because she put a lot of sweetened coconut filling inside. I think shakoy was like 50 cent (PHP) each that time. I love shakoy and I could probably eat them everyday.

I have researched and asked the recipe of this heaven goodness but unfortunately I can‘t find any decent one. Just make sure to consume your shakoy at once because it will get harder on the following day for some reasons.

SHAKOY or Butsi

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp rapid rise yeast
½ tsp salt
Water enough to make soft dough
1 cup oil
½ cup white sugar

Preparation

1. In a bowl, mix flour, salt and yeast.
2. Add enough water and mix thoroughly to form soft dough.
3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead. You need dough smooth and not sticky.
4. Place dough into bowl, cover with damp cloth. I place my dough in the oven with light on.
5. Let it rise for 1 hour or until the size is doubled.
6. Punch down dough, knead on a floured surface and form into a log.
7. Cut into pieces, 1-1/2 inches long.
8. Roll each piece into a long stick as thick as your finger.
9. Twist.
10. Place it on the baking sheet, cover with damp cloth, and let it rise for another hour.

After an Hour:

1. Heat oil in a deep pan. I used wok! If you have a fryer the better.
2. Drop shakoy one at a time.
3. Cook each side until brown.
4. Drain, and sprinkle with sugar.

Fruit Salad

2009-05-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

Another poor quality photo, shame on you (pocket camera). I took out my rebel camera the other day and started using it again. I will try to take good photos and promised to bring my food to life.

FRUIT SALAD ( HALO-HALO)

Ingredients:

1 cup cantaloupe (I used melon baller to scoop it)
1 medium avocado, sliced into cubes
1 jar green coconut gel (optional)
½ cup preserved cherries, drained
1 can (20 oz) Del Monte fruit cocktail, drained
1 medium firm banana, sliced into cubes (used the juice of fruit cocktail to soak the banana to prevent browning- drain before adding it)
1 can (8 oz) nestle cream
½ cup condensed milk (you can add more to your desire sweetness)

Preparation

In a bowl, combine all the fruits, add nestle cream and condensed milk. Stir or fold gently and refrigerate until serving.

Black & White Brownie Cupcakes

2009-05-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

I made these Black and White Brownie Cupcakes two weeks ago to satisfy my sweet tooth. The recipe was taken from Kusina Ni Manang. It’s my first time to make this kind of sweet and I was surprised that it turns out really good. The kid’s got all excited and cleaned the platter in a flash. Oh! I used the Ghirardelli Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix instead of the Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix that Manang used because I was not paying attention and picked the wrong box. I did not add any red wine too.

Black and White brownie Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate BrownieMix1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup (8-oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. In a medium bowl, stir together brownie mix, water, oil and 1 egg until moistened (about 40 strokes). Line muffin tin with paper cups and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Using electric mixer, mix cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg and vanilla on medium speed for 1 minutes or until smooth. For each cupcake, place rounded tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on top of batter. Bake 28-32 minutes. Makes 16 cupcakes

Empanada

2009-05-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the poor photo quality. I once again used my pocket camera in a low light. I really need to dig the boxes in the closet tomorrow and look for my canon rebel xti.

I was craving for the empanadas the other day and decided to make some. Empanada is also one of my favorite snacks. Every celebration (fiesta, birthday’s, Christmas and etc.) my mama and Lola always make this goodies to perfection. I like my empanadas without the raisins for some reasons. I am not crazy about the sweet taste very much.

Empanada

Filling:

1 cup small cube potato
1 cup small cube carrot
½ cup green peas
1 clove garlic, minced
½ onion, chopped
½ lb lean ground beef
½ cup water
Oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté` onion, garlic until tender. Add ground meat until brown. Add potato, carrot and water. Cook until tender. Add green peas and cook for another minute or two. Season to taste. Set filling aside and cool completely before using.

Dough

I have tried several dough recipes to make empanadas but this dough by Latin Caribbean Food at About.com is one of the my favorites. It’s very easy and it taste just right.

* 3 cups flour (plus a little more for kneading)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup cold water
* 1 egg
* 1 egg white
* 1 teaspoon vinegar
* 3 tablespoons shortening

1. In a bowl, beat the water, egg, egg white and vinegar together. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the 3 cups of flour and salt.

3. Cut the shortening into the flour mix with a pastry blender or two butter knives. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and pour the liquid ingredients from the first bowl into the center.

4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until it becomes stiff.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.

6. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but never more than 24 hours.

Preparation:

1. Take your dough out from the fridge and place in a floured surface.
2. Roll the dough out into a 1/8 inch thick.
3. Cut the dough into circle with round cookie cutter or anything that you can think that you can use. (I used biscuit cutter, the biggest one).
4. Place filling in the center of the circle and carefully fold over the circle with filling to make a half circle.
5. Press the edges together to seal (you can either use your fingers or a fork).
6. Bake in preheated 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sesame Balls

2009-05-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

Sesame balls are always one of my favorite desserts in Chinese buffet restaurant. It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten one so I decided to make my own. I made these sesame balls a week ago using my prepared mongo paste. I searched for the simplest recipes online and found this one. It’s very easy and quick to follow recipe.

Sesame Balls

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup sweet rice flour (I preferred Mochiko brand- you can buy it from any Asian stores)
¾ cup water (more or less)
12 inch rounded prepared mongo bean paste
½ cup sesame seeds
Peanut or vegetable oil for frying

Procedures :

1. Combine rice flour and water in a bowl, stir to form smooth dough. I used my hand to mix the two ingredients.

2. Knead the dough gently until smooth and easy to handle.

3. Divide the dough into 12 portions.

4. Flatten each piece of the dough. You can either use your fingers or small rolling pin dusted with rice flour.

5. Place each of the prepared filling in the middle and gather the edges of the skin to enclose. Pinch and seal. Roll gently into ball.

6. Coat with sesame seeds

7. Heat oil and deep fry until golden brown (3 minutes). Drain and Enjoy!

Yield: 12 Sesame Balls

Banana Cupcakes

2009-05-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

I have three very ripe left-over bananas lying on top of kitchen counter the other day. I don’t want it to get wasted so I decided to make a banana cupcake. I always use the simplest recipe banana cake before but I found this new recipe Real Mom Kitchen. The cupcake is very easy to make and so delicious too. I did not make any icing because I was running out of cream cheese and confectioner sugar. I omitted the nutmeg too.

Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (I used 3 medium bananas)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Using a mixer, beat the eggs, sour cream, butter and bananas; slowly add the dry ingredients and blend just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ubeng Halaya

2009-05-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

I made this ubeng halaya last two weeks ago using the frozen ube in a bag that you can buy in any Asian stores. I made it mainly for toppings and stuffing.

Ube Halaya

Ingredients:
2 (14 oz. frozen ube, thawed)
Drops of purple food coloring (optional)
¼ cup butter
1 can (14 oz.) evaporated milk
1 can (12 oz.) condensed milk
1 to 2 cups white sugar (or desired taste)

All I did was mixed all the ingredients and cook to medium heat, stirring constantly until thicken and cook. I can’t really tell you exactly the time of cooking because I left the kitchen while it still cooking and forgot that I was cooking something “bad me”. I canned the ube halaya for long shelf life using a pint canning jar then boiled to boiling water for around an hour.

I will be using the ube for hopia, buchi and other goodies.

Yield: 3 jars (500 ml/jar)

I am back

2009-05-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

Oh! It’s been awhile…I didn’t totally neglect this blog. I was just too busy doing some other things beside blogging. I am back to cooking and baking mood so expect more recipes and other cool things. I just bought my first bread machine so I will be baking bread very often now. I am still wishing for a new stand mixer though, I wish hubby will hear my begging ‘wink’. Anyway, I will be posting a lot of entries pretty soon so please come back and check me out again.

MY BLOGS STATS

2008-09-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

( CLICK TO ENLARGE)

BLOG STAT ON AUGUST 2008 FOR http://www.gwapasila.com

BLOG STAT ON AUGUST 2008 FOR http://thefourseasonsofmylife.com

BLOG STAT ON AUGUST 2008 For http://gwapasila.bravejournal.com

Roses

2008-06-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite color of roses in my garden. Simply gorgeous and a must to have in every rose garden.