In My Kitchen

Chicken Dumplings Salad

2012-02-10T21:58:00.000-08:00

I learned this recipe from a good friend of mine more than four years ago in Texas. I have made it several times already and it was a hit to my hubby and also my friends. The recipe don't need a lot of ingredients because if it does, I don't like to make it. Lots of ingredients turns me off. So this recipe is so simple and easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

2 cans pineapple chunks
2 cups chicken breasts, cubes (cooked)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 1'2 cup seedless red or green grapes
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Dressing:
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp half and half or evaporated milk
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp mild curry powder
1 tbsp apricot jam
salt and pepper to taste

Direction:

Just mix all the ingredients and the dressing. Refrigerate for an hour before serveing.

Getting healthy in 2012

2012-01-27T21:31:00.000-08:00

Guest post written by James Grant

One thing that I really want to do in 2012 is finally get my health in line. I have high cholesterol and I really need to change around my diet and my lifestyle so that I can get to a much healthier place.

I've been doing research on how to get healthy in a realistic way. I know that I'm not going to want to go out and run a marathon, ever. So I'm trying to take a realistic approach. While I was online looking up that stuff, I ran across the site miracle ear. I looked through it and decided to go and get fitted with some hearing aids, like people have suggested to me before.

I'm also going to hire a personal trainer, because I know that if I'm paying someone to tell me how to exercise, I actually will do all that they tell me to do if at first to just get my money's worth! I'm hoping that I'll start feeling a lot better too so that it will serve as even more motivation.

New Year 2012 Celebration

2012-01-17T20:41:00.000-08:00

This maybe a late post but it's better late than never. Lat New Year's eve, I was so busy preparing and cooking for our Media Noche. It was only me and hubby plus my brother who celebrated New Year so I didn't really prepared a lot. Just enough for us and also included some to give away to my neighbor. Hubby helped by making his favorite potato salad. I made first the fruit salad because it's the easiest one to make. I just open the cans of fruit cocktail and mix it with the Nestle cream and a little condensed milk. After mixing I put it in the fridge.

Next thing I did was to cook the chicken barbeque. I marinated the chicken a few hours before so I just had to put it in the wooden stick and cooked it in the electric grill. When it's done cooking, I cooked the hotdogs in the frying pan and then put it in the barbeque stick and I added colored marshmallows for good presentation. I didn't cook pancit because hubby said he got tired eating it. We didn't buy a cake either because it's only the three of us. So midnight strike, all people were busy making noise in the streets and lighting firecrackers and fireworks. I called my hubby and my brother to come and eat the foods prepared on the table. We thank God for blessing us the past year and also for giving us another year. Happy 2012! Thank you Lord!

WORKING FROM HOME

2011-12-29T05:11:00.001-08:00

Authored by Rickey Combs

I visited http://www.directstartv.com/ and upgraded our television package. I decided that it was time because I recently quit my job and have decided to start my own business working from home. I have started a business where I make custom dresses for women. I have been sewing for years and recently learned about ETSY.COM and crafter’s website. I have been able to reach a pretty big audience and even have repeat customers. I post vintage sewing patterns ( usually cocktail dresses) and people will e-mail me measurements, color, style, etc. So, spending most of my time in front of a sewing machine can make you feel a little isolated. I usually start working early in the morning. I love to drink my coffee, flip on the “Today Show” ( now that I have a good television service), and start my day every morning in front of the television. Drinking coffee, pursuing my hobby, and making money is pure bliss! I just wish that I had thought about this earlier so that I wouldn’t have been working from nine to five for so many years.

Beef Adobo With Potatoes

2011-12-28T08:08:00.000-08:00

This is a very simple recipe of adobo, very easy to cook and yummy to the tummy. This is our family's favorite from my grandmother's recipe.

Ingredients:

2 pounds beef

2 1/4 cups water

1/2 cup Soy sauce

4 medium size potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

4 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Dice meat into small cubes, mix in other ingredients except potatoes in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 50 minutes then add the potatoes and cook until meat is tender. Add water and salt if needed. Serve with rice.

Tubesfan, New Video Search Engine

2011-12-18T01:31:00.000-08:00

Whenever I want to watch some shows that I missed watching on tv, I just go to youtube and search for that show and voila I am able to see a lot of choices to watch the said show uploaded by different people. I am so glad of this latest technology nowadays wherein we can watch tv video online not only from youtube but from tubesfan too. This is a new video search engine and so if you're searching for your favorite tv video, just click on their link and you can see a lot search results.

I just went to their site and I've seen a video that I like. I am so glad that I can also share the said video on Facebook and on Twitter. I just shared the video in my FB account and I am sure there will be more videos that I will be posting in FB from tubesfan. There's also the lyrics of the video that I just posted from the said website and it's really cool. I am now enjoying to browse the videos that really really interest me like gospel music and Christian songs. It's cool! Try it and you'll like it.

Mashed Potatoes and Chicken Afritada

2011-12-18T01:17:00.000-08:00

Mash potatoes and chicken afritada are the foods I often cook for my hubby because they;re easy to prepare and I already know the recipe and ingredients. Though I am not a big fan of mash potatoes, I had to cook it because that's hubby's staple food. Mine is rice of course. Hubby used to tell me that I can't survive without rice but I proved him wrong many times especially when I went on a diet and I didn't eat rice for almost a month. All I eat were most beans, veggies, fish, lean meat and fruits. I did lose a lot of weight.

Now I am back to eating rice again and of course I eat mash potatoes and chicken whenever I am in the mood to cook it. Click here for the recipe.

Schar Gluten Free Sample

2011-11-25T02:00:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Schar for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

A friend of mine in FB has a son who has a Celiac disease and is a gluten-intolerant. I read in her posts that she has been preparing foods for her son which are gluten free. I admit I don't have the slightest idea which foods are gluten free but she does. To those who have these kind disease, you better join Schar Club and enjoy the unlimited benefits of being a member. You may avail of their Schar free sample like the Ciabatta rolls and coupons, and you can get exclusive access to new products, tips on how to live a gluten-free lifestyle, recipes and promotions. Schar is really the gluten-free brand that cares for their consumers. Brand Schar is the leader in gluten-free foods and has just re-launched their gluten-free heat and serve items like the Sub Sandwich Rolls, Ciabatta Rolls, and Baguettes.

Though I am not a gluten-free intolerant, I am excited to try their Sub Sandwich Rolls. I am pretty sure my hubby would love that too because he loves sub sandwiches. Schar Gluten-free Sub Sandwich Rolls are delicious, low fat, non-GMO and an excellent source of fiber. Perfect for school or work lunches, Schar Sub Sandwich Rolls come individually wrapped in convenient two-packs for optimum freshness. These hearty rolls can handle the piled-high fixings of the perfect submarine sandwich, from favorite deli-meats to fresh-sliced hot or cold beef, turkey or chicken. For a savory twist on your favorite Italian dish, use the Sub Sandwich Parbaked Rolls to house meatballs and marinara sauce or sliced Chicken Parmesan.

How about you dear readers, which item are you excited to try and would you like to share what you would make with Schar products? Just post your comments here.

Ensalada Rusa

2011-11-17T03:59:00.000-08:00

Potato recipes are my hubby's favorites so I had to learn how to cook different recipes for him and me. One recipe that I've learned to cook is the Ensalada Rusa (Russian Salad). I got the recipe from the internet. I have cooked this several times already and hubby and I love it.

Ensalada Rusa is Dominican's favorite salad. It is usually served on special occasions and is a traditional component of the Christmas dinner. I will be cooking this recipe again this coming Christmas and serve it on Christmas eve.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of potatoes

1/2 lb of carrots

1/2 cup of sweet corn

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup of peas

1 apple diced into small cubes (optional)

i medium red onion

3 eggs

salt

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes, carrots and eggs. Peel and dice into small cubes. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Adjust salt to taste. Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to serving.

Hubby Loves To Drink Coffee

2011-11-11T00:05:00.000-08:00

My hubby loves to drink coffee every morning. His day would not be complete without drinking his favorite black coffee as soon as he got up from bed. He used to brew his coffee and he seldom drink instant coffee. But since we came her in my homeland to do missionary works, he can't find his favorite brewed coffee so he shifted to instant coffee. We need to go to the big grocery stores to find his brand of coffee.

He also started to drink chocolate drinks like Ovaltine. I think he would be delighted if I will buy him one of those Espresso Machines that I've seen online. He never own one yet because he said it's pricey. Well, he will be receiving his pension in a couple of months and maybe with my blogging income we can earn the money to buy one for him. Besides, we don't have any kids to support, just the two of us so why not splurge one in a while. Maybe when we have a espresso machine, I will learn how to make a latte or cappuccino for me and my hubby. I can make some too for our guests, visitors and friends.Hubby Loves

Baked Macaroni

2011-11-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

PASTA is always a big hit with kids. It's easy to eat (they don?t have to masticate the food) and, with tomato sauce often being an ingredient, it's healthy, too (tomato sauce has lycopene, a powerful antioxidant important for cell repair). Hubby love to eat pasta except spaghetti. During birthdays or gatherings, I seldom cook spaghetti because of hubby so I cook bake macaroni instead.

Here's a baked macaroni recipe using pasta, tomato sauce and tomato ketchup. It serves 10 to 12 people with moderate appetites.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter, plus additional for dotting
1 large onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 kilo ground beef

2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced

2c tomato sauce

1 bottle tomato ketchup
1 tsp oregano
1-2 tbsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper

500g elbow macaroni or penne pasta, cooked as per package directions

grated cheddar cheese

bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large skillet or pan, heat butter over low heat until melted. Sauté onions for 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic and continue sautéing for 1 to 2 more minutes. Add chicken breasts and cook-stir until chicken turns whitish. Pour in mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato ketchup.

Season with oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook until bubbly, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and blend with the cooked pasta. Spoon into a large baking dish. Dot with butter. Mix together grated cheese and bread crumbs and sprinkle these over the pasta.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until topping turns golden brown.

For a more enticing dish, try using fun pasta shapes such as farfalle or spirals.

To complete the meal, serve with toasted garlic bread.

Cleaning The House

2011-11-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

Aside from cooking, cleaning is also my hobby. I like my house to be clean. I dislike a dirty house which is full of dust and a nasty carpet. When I arrived in Texas, the carpet in hubby’s house was already old and dirty. On my first night, I I can’t sleep maybe because of jet lag and also I kept thinking of how can I clean that dirty carpet. The next day, I was so busy and engrossed cleaning the house. I started by vacuuming the carpet and then after I did that, I got a sponge and rubbed in the dirty carpet to remove the stains. I managed to removed some but not all. Whoa! I got so tired but I was seeing the house got cleaned gave me relief. Had I known at that time about http://www.thesteamteam.com, I could have not tire myself cleaning that dirty carpet. The said company also offer professional upholstery cleaning austin. This is good for the furniture in the living room and dining room to have a total cleaning makeover.

We lived in that house for a year until we sold it and moved to another city. It’s another environment and another set of friends and acquaintances. We also bought an old house and boy was I glad that the house have hardwood floor and no carpets! We just put an area rug in the living room and computer room. No nasty carpet to clean this time, lol! To those who are looking for professional carpet cleaners, why not try the services of thesteam.com. Save yourself the trouble of doing it yourself. It’s a lot of work I tell you.

Scrubs For Women

2011-11-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

If you are in the medical field and you need some scrubs for women, designer nursing uniforms, or any scrub related apparel, why not check out http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/. Their vast collection of scrubs are a poly-cotton blend and are very lightweight but durable. They are made using the highest quality fabric designed to be stylish, even flattering on anybody. The scrubs are chic, professional and comfortable.

I believe that those who work in the medical field order their scrub uniforms from a place like Blue Sky Scrubs. Perhaps some people probably just go there to order scrubs for themselves or for a Halloween costume. I was browsing their site and I did see a section at Blue Sky Scrubs which was devoted to kids scrubs, so your child could dress up like a doctor for fun or on Halloween. For whatever reasons you have for medical scrubs, perhaps you need a nursing uniform, you can buy it at Blue Sky. An important thing to note is that their scrubs cannot be found in stores. You can only find them at the said website.

Not My Birthday

2011-11-03T23:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Olga Quinn

I was logged onto texaselectricityproviders.com and looking for a better energy rate when the phone rang. I put the computer down and ran to pick up the phone. I was surprised to hear my grandmother’s voice on the other end of the line singing “Happy Birthday”. I was totally confused, because it wasn’t my birthday. It worried me because my parents had mentioned that my grandmother has recently been having some trouble with her memory. I just didn’t have the heart to tell her that it wasn’t my birthday. So we chatted a little while and wished each other well. When we hung up, I immediately called my mother and told her what grandma had done. Turned out that it was actually my other cousin Liz’s birthday. Having a cousin with the same name really causes confusion in the family sometime. It did make me feel better about my grandma though, because it was a simple mistake that even I could make! I just wish that I had called her back and told her that it was the other Liz’s birthday so that she would have gotten a call!

Foods For Hubby

2011-11-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of foods that I cooked which my hubby love to eat. I admit, I've been cooking these for him very often and sometimes I get tired cooking and eating them but my hubby don't. I prefer eating rice, vegetables and fish and I can eat it everyday while hubby prefer eating mash potatoes, burgers, steak and bread. It's a good thing that hubby had already adjusted to our cooking and he learned to eat our foods. He's not that picky with his foods compared to some foreigners that I know. Hubby told me that before he met me, he used to eat only American and Mexican foods. It was his first time to eat Filipino foods when he came to the Philippines in 2002 to meet me. Since then, he learned to eat and appreciate Filipino foods.

Here are my chicken afritada and mash potatoes.

Straight Talk

2011-10-29T02:01:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Being away from family and friends is not that easy. Hubby and I are miles and miles apart from them for almost three years now. We talk to them through the internet but it's different if we talk to them over the phone so we can hear their voices. It makes our phone bill soar up high though. It's a good thing I found out about Straight Talk. I love the idea that I feel richer with Straight Talk because I cut my cell phone bill in half. You have to be crazy to be on a contract these days when you can get everything you need without one. Hubby and I will save a lot of money using Straight Talk and we can use our extra money to buy gifts this coming Christmas.

What I love about Straight Talk is that there are no contracts, no surprise bills and no credit checks. It has a great nationwide coverage and excellent reception/connectivity. On top of that, Straight Talk only uses trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung. It has also the apps and games you need in a cell phone. On top of that, it has The power of Android at only $45/month for unlimited use. That is really great, hubby and I can use that in Facebook to upload videos. My current cell phone has no Android yet and I've been wanting to have one to use in FB. A lot of my friends there in FB are now using Android in uploading their videos. I am looking forward to use it. Feel Richer with Android when you buy Straight Talk. It's really cool!

The getting richer effect has expanded... by LittleBard95
The Straight Talk Image... by LittleBard95

Ginataang Bilu-bilo Once Again

2011-10-19T04:12:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite snacks here in the Philippines is ginataang bilu-bilo. We used to have this when we were kids because my late mom loved to cook this. Since we've been here in the Philippines, I cooked this many times already. At first I didn't do it right but on my 2nd and 3rd try, I did it better. It tasted and looked better compared with my first try. I think, next time I will cook it, it will be perfect, wink!

INGREDIENTS:

2 c glutinous rice flour and water

6 c of coconut milk (about 2 pieces coconuts)

5 pcs saging na saba

2 pcs medium cassava

1 c of ripe jack fruit

½ tbsp anise seeds

1 c sago

sugar to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and cut into desired sizes the saging na saba and cassava. Add just enough water to glutinous rice and mix it. Form the glutinous rice into tiny balls or bilu-bilo. Prepare strands of langka for aroma and have 1 c sago ready.

Extract milk from the ground coconut by adding 2 cups of water; set aside the first extraction or coconut cream, which should yield about 2 cups of coconut milk. Add another 4 cups of water to already extracted ground coconut and from it, extract a less concentrated coconut milk; this is your 2nd extraction.

Cut the jack fruit flesh into strips.

Let the second extraction of coconut milk boil in a big pot with the cassava; once boiling, put in the saging na saba, glutinous rice balls, jack fruit, sago and anise seeds. Add more water as needed.

Add sugar according to your taste and let it cook. Put in the coconut cream and let it boil once just before serving.

Jewelries

2011-10-07T23:58:00.000-07:00

I love collecting jewelries. I think most women do. My love of jewelries started when I was in my teens. Back then, I only have a couple of jewelries that I got from my mom, an earring and a ring. I love the ring because it was a Chinese gold with a ruby stone. As I grew older, the ring became tight to my finger so I gave it to my younger sister.

Now, I have quite a few collection of jewelries. I have earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces made of gold, silver and swarovski stones jewelries. I use it alternately when I go to church or parties. I've seen a tungsten jewelry online and I want to own one. Tungsten is extremely hard and dense. For people with sensitive skin tungsten carbide is the perfect jewelry metal. Many people are allergic to gold, silver, or platinum, or more commonly zinc or nickel, which are used as alloys in most jewelry. You don’t have to worry about this with tungsten carbide jewelry, tungsten carbide rings, tungsten rings,because tungsten stainless steel jewelry is hypoallergenic. This means that you will no longer have to deal with rashes and discolored skin from wearing your tungsten carbide jewelry.

Mung Bean Sprouts With Beef, Veggies and Tofu

2011-09-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

Years ago, I didn't like sprouted mung beans. Of all the veggies, this one didn't appeal to my taste buds. When hubby and I arrived in the Philippines almost 3 years ago, my late sister loved to cook this recipe and she gave me some. The way she cooked it didn't taste bad so I learned to like this food. Now, I tried to cook it myself because it reminds me of my sis. It's just simple and I just used the available ingredients from our refrigerator.

Ingredients:

1 pack sprouted mung beans
1/4 lb green beans, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1 chayote, sliced
2 pcs tofu, sliced
1/4 lb ground beef
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
cooking oil
1/2 cup water
soy, fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Clean the mung bean sprouts very well to remove any unnecessary particles. Heat the pan and put oil and sauté garlic first. When the garlic becomes light brown you can now put your onion. After this you can now put your ground beef. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the tofu and put fish sauce. Cook for a 5 minutes then put the green beans, carrots and chayote, mung beans sprout and put some soy sauce into it as you pour the water. Checks the taste if it is okay; if not just sprinkle some more salt and black pepper into it. Finally, remove from heat and serve with rice.

The Clean House

2011-09-04T02:04:00.001-07:00

This guest post from Lenny Mcknight

There’s nothing like coming home to a clean house which is why I finally broke down and hired a housekeeper. I love being able to do it all myself but with the promotion I’m going to have to cut way back on the time I spend at home and really up my hours at the office. Shelly seems really great though and I love how clean she gets everything in my house from the microwave to the baseboards. I went to securitychoice.COM/ before I hired her so she and I have had to pick a password she can remember so the police don’t get called every time she comes over to clean! Even my neighbors were alarmed the first time she pulled up in her huge van! Anyway, I totally trust her and it’s been great to find someone through referrals rather than just online because I don’t have to worry about her taking anything or not doing a really good job. I hope we get to keep her around for years to come!

Hubby Wants A Freezer

2011-09-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a year since hubby and I bought a new refrigerator. It's a 12 cubic foot refrigerator with deodorizer inside and a nice pink flowery design in front of its door. They said this is a new arrival. It's been a while that hubby wanted to buy a new and bigger ref because our old refrigerator is so small, only a 6 cubic foot. I like our new ref, it has more room for meat, ice, foods, veggies, etc. Hubby can make now his iced tea and put it there. Before, there was no room for his big pitcher with his tea. We bought our refrigerator on installment basis payable in 6 months and it's already been paid off.

Now my hubby wants to buy one of those new freezers that we have seen in the appliance center where we bought our refrigerator. He said we can store more meat, fruits and vegetables for a longer period of time so we don't have to go to the grocery store very often. He wanted to have even just a medium size freezer, like the one we had in Texas before which I used to store the free-range meats that we purchased from the coop. We used to buy meats from free-range animals and also grass-fed beef and we purchased meats in bulk which is good for a month because the coop only sells meat once a month. If we have a freezer, we could store more meat for a longer period of time.

Banana Heart Burgers

2011-08-28T03:40:00.000-07:00

We've been having these banana heart burgers lately. I find it delicious and for people who are vegetarian, theses burgers are for you. It is healthy and yummy to the tummy. The lady who come to our house regularly and sell vegetables have been selling to me these banana heart blossoms for a cheap price, way cheaper than those they're selling in the grocery stores. She told me that it's good to cook them for burgers so I tried it. The result is a nutritious and delicious burgers. My hubby and I love it!

Banana heart flowers or banana blossoms, similarly to bananas are an excellent source of potassium, plus the vitamin’s A, C and E. According to research at the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, which studied the flowers of musa paradisiaca, banana flowers have tremendous nutritional value. They are a good source of fiber and protein. The flowers contain a class of phytochemicals known as saponins. Saponins lower LDL ,or bad cholesterol, boost our immunity against infection and are thought to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. They also have antioxidant activity and so can reduce our risk of chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease. Banana flowers are also an excellent source of flavonoids. These phytochemicals found in many plant based foods help prevent damage to DNA cells by neutralizing free radicals. They also help lower cholesterol, are anti-inflammatory, anticancer and anti-aging.

Ingredients:

Banana blossoms, preferably saba variety —- 1 cup

Flour —- 1/2 cup

Egg —- 2 pcs

Cooking oil

Black pepper —- 1/4 tsp black pepper

Salt —– 1 tsp salt

Garlic —- 1 pc

Onions —- 1 medium size onion

Procedure:

1. Get your banana blossom.

2. Remove the matured bracts but save all the young banana fingers.

3. Wash thoroughly in running water and rinse well.

4. Chop thinly (young bracts and fingers) and cook with small amount of boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside.

5. Saute onions and garlic. Mix with the cooked banana blossoms together with the rest of ingredients.

6. Fry two spoonful of mixture until golden brown.

Love My Kitchen

2011-08-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

The kitchen is one of my favorite parts of our house. Is it obvious? For a person who love to eat and cook, I hang out in our kitchen more often than any other parts of our house. I love to prepare foods for my hubby and me. Even my hubby can cook too. That's the reason why I created this blog because I love cooking. Aside from cooking I also like to clean and decorate our kitchen. I see to it that I dust everything, wash everything and arrange all the stuffs neatly and orderly. Pink is my favorite color so I use a pink table runner on my kitchen table. I love to put a nice decorative paper towel holders that will match my table cloth and curtains. It feels good to eat and relax if you see that everything in the kitchen is clean and in order. It would be nice to have a hanging wine glass rack but since hubby and I don't drink, you don't see one in my house.

Tomorrow will be my birthday and I'm planning to have a simple celebration. I will cook for my family and friends. I have invited some of the ladies in our church to come and celebrate with me. I already bought the ingredients that I will cook tomorrow. I will cook some native cakes and the famous pancit. I thank God for another year in my life. He's been so good and I want to praise Him and declare His goodness.To God be the glory!

My Homemade Maja Blanca

2011-07-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

Maja Blanca is one of our family's favorite desert. I learned to cook it many years ago. Whenever we have special occasion or celebration in the family, it's always included in the dining table. When I was working in a public high school, I even got some orders from the teachers and also I sold some in our school canteen.

I even taught my late sis how to cook it so when I went to live in the US, she was the one cooking for the family. I passed down the recipe to her but sad to say, the Lord called her home last year. I missed her so much. Since I came back in my homeland, I tried cooking this recipe again. It bring back memories.

Ingredients:

200 grams Cream Cornstarch

1 can sweet whole kernel corn (canned)

1 1/2 c white sugar but I use brown sugar instead, it's up to you to adjust the sweetness depending on your preference

1 can evap milk

1 can condensed milk

1 matured coconut (grated)

1 young coconut, grated (optional)
3 cups water

grated cheese

1. Place grated coconut in a cheese cloth. Squeeze the coconut to get all the coconut milk adding water in it. I usually squeeze it twice. The total coconut milk with water should be 6 cups. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine corn, cornstarch and sugar and mix well. Add coconut milk with water, evap and condensed milk and grated young coconut. Pour into skillet or "palayok" and bring to a boil on a medium fire and simmer, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened.

3. Grease pan or mold with cooking oil. Pour the mixture in and top with cheese. Let set until cool. Refrigerate.

Papaya Shake

2011-07-07T04:56:00.000-07:00

I bought a ripe papaya today. I ordered it from the lady who always come to our house to sell vegetables. She told me it was from her papaya plant. I washed it and put it in the fridge to let it cool. After lunch, I took it out and made a papaya shake for our snacks. I shared it to the hubby and my two nephews and they love it!

Papaya is believed to have very good laxative properties and often used to remedy digestive problems. It is reported that the juice has an antiproliferative effect on in vitro liver cancer cells, probably due to its component of lycopene or immune system stimulation.

Ingredients:

2 cups properly ripened papaya, skin and seed discarded.

3 tbsp brown sugar or honey

1 cup evaporated milk

1 tray ice cube

1 cup chilled water.

Procedure:

Just put everything into the blender: ice cube first, followed by water, papaya, sugar and milk then cover tightly and pulse it several times until the ice cube and ripe papaya flesh are broken down and have blended evenly with the other ingredients.

Pulse it a couple of times more until a smooth, rich and creamy consistency is attained. As always reminded in making smoothies, do not over mix.

This is best served during breakfast when aide in the digestive system is much needed. But of course, it also goes well in between meals or during break time with your preferred snack or merienda or as a quick quench to replenish lost energy during a tiring day.