Pininyahang Adobong Manok

Original recipe from: Life Gets Better Del Monte Kitchenomics

The only thing I made to make my finished product land according to my preference, was instead of marinating the chicken, with a few adjustments on the measurements but still with the same ingredients:

•  I first cooked the chicken like a typical Adobo, then fried it. 
• Added the remaining sauce, pineapple tidbits and then topped it with additional red bell pepper for color and added flavor.

4 cloves garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons red cane vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon granulated black pepper

reserved pineapple syrup (equivalent to 2 small pouches) 

Peppered Pork Belly

If it weren't for a friend who asked for the recipe of this dish, I wouldn't be posting anything at all. So thanks! It's about time I update and post a recipe on this blog.

The story behind this pork dish goes around with my love for scallions or onion leeks. Recently, I've replaced the usual onion toppings with these attractive green vegetable.

 I love to top any of my prepared Filipino stews with fresh and finely chopped scallions. For some reason it enhances the food itself, makes it more delicious. Plus, the green garnish on top makes it even more enticing to eat.

The recipe will flow with my version of Teriyaki sauce minus the sesame seeds and the Japanese condiments. It will be sweet, peppery and the hint of ginger will make its taste like any Asian cuisine.

Yield: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo of thinly slice pork belly (Menudo cut for Pinoys)
• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 medium red onion (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger 
• 2 stalks of onion leeks thinly chopped
• 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper granules
• 1 medium bell pepper
• a handful of chicharo or chickpea
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Procedure:

• In a sauce pan, heat cooking oil.
• Saute onions, garlic until translucent.
• Add ginger and stir for a few seconds.
• Add pork belly and turn heat or fire to medium and stir until the meat is half- cooked.
• Add black pepper, soy sauce, honey, water and simmer until pork is cooked.
• Add vegetables (bell pepper and chickpeas) and oyster sauce.
• Simmer in low fire until vegetables are half- cooked.
• Transfer in serving platter.
• Garnish with onion leeks.

Note: You can add cornstarch to thicken the sauce and add roasted sesame seeds.

Tip: If you have sake/ mirin or white wine, add 1-2 tablespoons and you'll have a Teriyaki sauce.

Enjoy!

From Canned Fish to Glammed

As a homemaker, one of the things that is so important to me is to serve good, healthy food all the time.  But it doesn't often go our way right? There will be times when we want to rest so we buy food to go or we open a can or two.

Let me focus on how to make processed food more inviting to eat, particularly canned products. Personally, I love packing on sardines, Spanish- style sardines to be exact. My kids love it and I serve it for breakfast paired with hot rice.

I always assume that anything processed outside my kitchen is a risk. Though canned products follow a certain standard when it comes to preparing down to canning, still, just the idea that I don't see how they prepare these products makes me more meticulous. In order to meet the thought of making sure that what I serve my family is okay, I cook these canned products like any dish made from scratch. Believe me, it will taste better and somewhat being able to create your own out of some random sardine can is fun.

I brought life to this canned Spanish- style sardines by:

• Sauteing minced ginger, freshly- pressed garlic, red tomatoes and onions in olive oil. 
• Let it cook for a few seconds until the juice from the tomatoes comes out.
• Drain half of the oil from the canned sardines. Best to replace that oil with olive oil.
• Pour the sardines with the sauteed ingredients and mix everything well.
• Add black pepper and simmer for a few seconds.
• Serve!

I also use this very same dish for pasta drizzled with Parmesan cheese.

Homemade Ice Cream

In connection with my new KitchenAid Stand Mixer, I got a free KitchenAid Ice Cream maker worth 8,000php. I think I got a pretty good deal in terms of getting freebies from KitchenAid for every KitchenAid mixer.

Here's one of the best things I made from my kitchen--- Ice Cream!

KitchenAid made everything easy with their KitchenAid Mixer, you can basically connect any KitchenAid attachment using the very same machine and that includes an ice cream maker. Again, I never thought that I'll be making ice cream on a regular basis at home. A lot of ice cream recipes are featured online and you can watch demos on Youtube as well. Being a chocoholic, of course, Chocolate Ice Cream was first in my list to try.

In order to achieve a good result, I watched demos online on how to attach and use the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker first. I suggest you do the same. After securing myself of the how tos of the machine, I immediately searched for ice cream recipes with actual demo using the featured KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker.

With a good equipment at hand, making ice cream was easy. The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker is just right for the size, it's not too big or bulky. To describe, it's a bit smaller than a 5qt. mixing bowl.

My children are always excited... I mean, isn't it fun just to have the thought that we can make ice cream anytime? Experiment with flavors and ice cream container sizes. We can go unlimited even. The last thing I enjoyed making with my children was a banana split using homemade ice cream. 

Fresh bananas, rich chocolate ice cream, oozing whipped cream and dark chocolate ganache, nuts and caramel to top... who can say no to that!

KitchenAid Heavy Duty Stand Mixer K5SS

When I started baking, I thought that it will just be an additional hobby, a past time. Since I love to cook, baking came with a breeze. I gotta say, quite an achievement for someone who did not study baking at all. But in everything that involves the kitchen, one must have a good equipment to aid you to be more efficient and to be able to get better results. I am already happy with my Homemaker Stand Mixer but at some point, knowing that I bake a lot, I don't want to over use my only and the very first mixer I have. Other than that, my husband offered that he'll help me start up a small business so I can share my creations. 

Share... sharing is a strong word. To be honest, everytime I would bake something, I always make a little more so that my husband can bring some for his co- workers. Not to sell but just to share, since their working hours are intense. In the end, those same people who had a piece of what I make later  encouraged us to sell the pastries so we earn something instead of giving it out.  So eventually I agreed and created a pastry that's not often sold in the market and it became a hit. From then on, and as we reached the Christmas Season, I decided to upgrade to a more suitable mixer in order to meet  demand and also preserve the old one.

 

What else will I get but a KitchenAid Mixer. The choice went around an Artisan and the Heavy Duty Stand Mixer K5SS mixer. I ended up with the Heavy Duty Stand Mixer K5SS mixer (at 33kphp) because of its functions and simply because it is in the Professional Heavy Duty Series, a more powerful batch more than the Artisan and Classic KitchenAid mixers. So if you're in search of a good mixer that's not too expensive yet, powerful, this is the one.

The set includes:
Powerknead™ Spiral Dough Hook, Flat Beater, and
Stainless Steel Wire Whip
5-Qt.

Actually I was torn between the Artisan and the Heavy Duty. I like the Artisan because of its color choices and it comes with a pouring shield. But I don't really need those. It's really all about the bang for the buck thing. As expected a freebie came with my purchase. I guess it was meant to be because I got the best deal. I got a free KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker worth 8Kphp! 

I'll post about it soon!

It's about time that I made this upgrade. Whether my humble business will be a success or not, this mixer will make people happy through my pastries given or bought from us. I don't spend so much on my personal needs, but for every gift I give myself, there will surely be a story behind it and why it's worth it.

Marinara Sauce

Marinara is now one of my pasta sauce, anything made of fresh tomatoes and basil, I like. Anyway, aside from that it is easy to make, Marinara Sauce is very healthy. Just think of the health benefits of red tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil combined. Put it all together, use less salt, you're good to enjoy a plate of pasta.

In making Marinara Sauce, think tomato soup. Only, Marinara is just a bit chunkier and has basil. My Marinara recipe is very basic and easy to make.

Important tool:

Blender/ hand blender

If you don't have a blender, replace whole peeled tomatoes with diced or simply triple the amount of red fresh tomatoes and mince it. Skip the blending process and just follow the Pasta Procedure by adding the diced or minced tomatoes and the chopped fresh basil with the tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole garlic (minced) and divided into 2 equal parts
• a handful or fresh basil (chopped)
• 5 fresh red tomatoes ( chopped)
• 1 cup mushrooms (any)
• 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 400g Rigatoni or any pasta of your choice (cooked)
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese and a bit for toppings
• salt and ground pepper

Procedure: Marinara Sauce

• Drain the 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes and place its contents in the blender.
• Add chopped fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and half of the minced garlic.
• Blend until smooth.
• Set aside in a separate bowl.

Procedure: Pasta

• In a sauce pan, heat olive oil and saute remaining minced garlic until light brown.
• Add mushrooms and saute for a few seconds.
• Add the cup of tomato sauce and simmer in low fire for about 15 seconds.
• Add the Marinara sauce part by part.
• Add cooked pasta and Parmesan cheese then mix everything until well- combined.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. 
• Plate the pasta and top with fresh basil or Parmesan cheese.

As a personal preference, I find Marinara fitting for white meat than beef or pork because of its natural flavor. I like chicken or tuna. From this recipe, you can add any meat of your choice. Anything that taste healthy can perfectly match another healthy item too, like vegetables.

Simple Tomato Soup

I just made tomato soup from scratch. It's my first time actually. Aside from mushroom and corn soup, tomato soup is also a favorite. One stormy weekend, I went out to buy some sandwiches in a nearby Subway. While waiting for the sandwiches, I ordered a small cup of  tomato soup. It was very rich and yummy. With that, I also bought some for my boys and they loved it too. So this week, I decided to make home-cooked tomato soup.

The secret to a rich tomato soup are roasted fresh, ripe tomatoes. It brings out the natural sweetness and flavor of the tomatoes. Chicken stock is also a key ingredient. I bought chicken stock from the grocery just to shorten the process, but you can make your own stock as well.

Ingredients:

• 6 ripe tomatoes (roasted)

In roasting, cut medium sized tomatoes into half , place it in a baking pan or dish, then season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary then roast it in the oven for 20 minutes. Usually, garlic is included, but in my case, I like to saute the garlic with the onions in a separate pan before mixing everything together. 

• 2 400g can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 medium white onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup green peas
• 1 tsp dried basil or fresh
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp sugar
• a dash of salt and black pepper

Important Equipment:

• Blender or food processor or hand blender
• Baking dish for roasting

Procedure:

• After roasting the seasoned fresh tomatoes, cool it down for a few minutes and place it in the blender. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes and blend it together until smooth. If you're using a hand blender, pour the roasted tomatoes after the rest of the ingredients are sauteed, then blend everything together.
• After blending the tomatoes, set it aside.
• In a separate sauce pan, heat olive oil.
• Saute onions and garlic both at the same time, stir for a few seconds.
• Add the remaining can of diced tomatoes and green peas. Mix and simmer for a few seconds.
• Add the chicken stock and simmer again for about a minute.
• Add the roasted tomato mix and simmer for 10- 15 minutes until thick.
• Add more chicken stock if necessary.
• In low fire, Add heavy cream and dried basil, stir and simmer again for 3- 5 minutes.
• Add salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Adjust according to preference.
• Simmer the tomato soup until smooth and thick.

Best served with Parmesan croutons and grilled cheese.

I'm a happy cook! I was able to create a simple Tomato Soup recipe. It is very healthy especially tomatoes are rich in Lycopene, a cancer- fighting agent. It sure feels good knowing that I can make a healthy soup anytime I want to. This will probably end up on my weekly menu. Just like Okra, it's best to include healthy dishes if not daily at least, on a weekly basis, or just jumble these dishes to serve something new and healthy everyday.

Yakisoba

Here I am with another exciting recipe. My eldest son is very much into Japanese cuisine. Everytime we're out, he'd always choose Japanese food or any restaurant where he can use chopsticks. The other day, he was watching some cooking demos on YouTube, particularly how to cook Yakisoba. We watched the video together and he asked me if we can cook it. So the following day, I went to a nearby grocery store and bought ingredients. Please take note that whatever ingredient is seen on this post, are mostly the very same stuff used in the Japanese cooking demo (link below), except for the sauce which I made myself. I also added carrots and bell pepper.

Yakisoba is a variant of fried noodles in Japan. Yakisoba noodles are made from wheat flour fried in chunks of pork, shredded cabbage, carrots and mixed in tonkatsu/ oyster- like sauce, topped with fish flakes and paired with pickled ginger.

For my recipe, I used egg noodles, some suggests angel hair pasta.

Yield: 3-4
Ingredients

Main:

• 400g egg noodles (boiled, drained)
• 3 chicken breasts ( sliced into chunks or thin pieces)
• 4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1 medium carrot ( sliced thinly)
• 1/4 of whole cabbage (chopped)
• 1 small green bell pepper (sliced thinly)
• 2 scallion stalks (sliced thinly)
• 4-5 pcs. Shiitake mushrooms (sliced thinly)
• 3 tbsp sesame oil 
• a dash of salt 
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 
• chili (optional)
• pickled ginger (Benishoga)
• Aonori (dried seaweeds)

  Sauce: 

• 1 tsp Sesame oil
• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1 tbsp  Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp Kikoman soy sauce
• 1 tsp chopped ginger

Tip: Mix Worcestershire sauce and catsup, you'll have Tonkatsu sauce.

Procedure:

If you noticed, I have ginger. Ginger is a good flavoring agent. I often mix ginger in Kikoman soy sauce to get a "certain" Japanese flavor. I also prefer using sesame oil because it gives a distinct Asian flavor.

Sauce:

• In a small sauce pan, heat 1 tsp sesame oil and saute ginger in low heat for about 10 seconds.
• Mix catsup, Worcestershire sauce, Kikoman soy sauce in a small bowl and add it with the ginger.
•  Let it simmer in low heat for a few seconds.
• Set aside.

Main:

• Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil and pan fry chicken until cooked. Set aside.
• In the very same pan, heat another 1 tbsp of sesame oil and saute garlic until light brown. 
• Add chicken and stir fry for a few seconds.
• Add shiitake mushrooms, carrots and bell pepper and stir fry until vegetables are half- cooked.
• Add cabbage and half of the scallions and stir everything until well- combined.
• Add the cooked egg noodles.
• Add prepared sauce and mix everything together.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve in a platter, garnish the remaining scallions.

I didn't have pickled ginger (Benishoga) and Aonori (dried seaweeds) but in every Yakisoba dish, they're essential in adding flavor and texture.

One of the things I learned in this recipe is how to cook using chopsticks. Though I'm not sure if I'm using the right kind, but over- all, it made me aware that I can cook noodles better with chopsticks. It doesn't stick. 

Next is a realization, that I need to seriously go to a Japanese grocery and buy Benishoga,  Aonori and other essential Japanese condiments and--- that we have a Japanese grocery nearby--- and I didn't even know. Hehehe!

Yakisoba on YouTube

Easy Chicken Nuggets

It all started with a simple craving. I just wanted chicken nuggets while watching television. Unfortunately, we've run out. All I have in my freezer was a pack of chicken breast fillet. So I went online and checked for possible recipes. In most recipes I found, they use ground chicken and then, they bind it with egg, seasoning and coat it with flour/ bread crumbs. 

To make things easier, I decided to cut the chicken breast into bite-size instead. For me, the advantage of  using ground chicken is that you're able to turn your nuggets into different shapes and sizes and it cooks fast.

If you don't have the time to go through the process like grind the chicken or maybe go shop for ground chicken, this easy recipe can help you out.

Ingredients:

• 4 pcs. chicken breast fillet (cut into bite- size)
• 1 cup canola oil for deep- frying
• 1  large egg (beaten and seasoned with salt and ground pepper)
• 1/4- 1/2 cup All- purpose flour
• 1/4-  1/2 cup bread crumbs/ Parmesan cheese ( I used Parmesan cheese)

Procedure:

• Heat canola oil.
• Dip bite- size chicken in egg.
• Coat it with all- purpose flour.
• Dip it again in egg.
• Then coat it with bread crumbs or grated Parmesan cheese.
• Deep fry until golden brown.
• Repeat step by step procedure for each bite-size chicken.

Parmesan cheese is just optional., but it makes the nuggets extra delish!

Aside from barbecue sauce, it also perfect with salsa, any mayo dressing, sweet and sour sauce and the list just goes on!

Enjoy!

LeftOver Magic: Fettuccine with Clam Sauce

During the Holy Week, one of the dishes I prepared was clam soup. I bought 1 kilo of clams which I thought was just right for us, but apparently, 1 kilo was a lot. The following day, I didn't cook any other food but I did magic with what was left of the clams. Aside from the clams, I had leftover fettuccine noodles in the fridge waiting. A pantry stocked with cream and Parmesan cheese completed the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Leftover clams (or any seafood)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 medium white onion (chopped )
• 200g cooked fettuccine or any pasta available
• 1 cup all- purpose cream
• 1 tsp dried basil or any herb or your choice fresh or dried
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp granulated pepper

Note: Vegetables from the clam soup was included

Procedure:

• In a pan, heat olive oil then saute garlic and onions.
• Add clams then stir and simmer for a few seconds.
• Add all- purpose cream and stir until well- blended.
• In low heat, add pasta and mix everything together.
• Add pepper and Parmesan cheese to taste.

Enjoy!

A Glimpse of My New Kitchen

Having a new kitchen made was one of the main reasons why I haven't posted anything for the longest time. It was the critical stage during the home- improvement of our new condo. Everything was custom- made. The search for the right materials and expertise made it difficult. Since it's customized, our carpenter had to work hand in hand with another group who installed our counter. 

I chose the granite, "jet black". At first I was hesitant and then, I thought that it's my kitchen and I want something way, way different from what I had for the past 10 years. Jet black made it modern, something that will last through time. But I still asked for our contractor's approval if it will fit the whole design, and it's perfect.

As you can see my cooker's installed already :D This image was actually taken 3 weeks ago. I now have a fully- functional kitchen, but I just decided to post this first because I still need to work on the aesthetics. hehehe!

Right beside the kitchen counter is our new refrigerator, yehey! My husband invested on an LG Top Mount Refrigerator, 11cu.ft, Smart Inverter Compressor. Quite a deal! We got it for 24,000php (I think) but the original price was almost 30,000php. We love LG! Most of our appliances are LG. From our television, washing machine, our new fridge and soon a Smart TV. The long wait to get new appliances was all worth it. I always believe that there's a right timing for everything.

My new kitchen is not as big, but it is truly mine... I chose how I wanted it to be and how it is going to be happy work place. New recipes and food features are going to be posted soon, stay tuned.

Vegetable- Clam Marinara

In a way, Marinara is an all- around sauce. Since it's made with fresh tomatoes/ tomato sauce, herbs, garlic, red wine, olives and capers it's perfect as:

1. Pasta Sauce

2. Dip/ salsa for croquettes, chips,  burrito, etc...

3. With a little water, as soup paired with your preferred bread.

I personally thought with it's name "Marinara", the sauce should come with seafood. Apparently, it's just basic tomato sauce made of fresh ingredients.

Today, I made some Vegetable- Clam Marinara. The clams in this recipe is optional. I just so happen have a supply of my favorite red clam sauce so I decided to throw in a can.

Ingredients:

• 250g spaghetti noodles or any pasta of your choice (cooked al dente)
• 1 whole garlic (minced)
• 1 medium green bell pepper (sliced thinly or chopped)
• 1 eggplant (chopped)
• 2 medium red tomatoes ( chopped)
• 1 can of whole button mushrooms ( chopped, I prefer fresh mushrooms)
• 1 400 g can of chopped tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
• 1 can Red Clam Sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried basil or 1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil  
• 1/8 cup of chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2tbsp Parmesan Cheese
•  a dash of salt and black pepper granules

 

Procedure:

• Cook pasta until firm/ al dente. Set aside.
• In a sauce pan, heat olive oil and saute minced garlic until light brown.
• Add chopped red tomatoes, green bell pepper, egg plant and mushrooms. Stir until vegetables are half- cooked.
• Add Red Clam sauce and simmer for a few seconds.
• Add, canned tomatoes and Parmesan cheese then mix everything evenly. 
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve sauce on top of the pasta or mix the pasta in.

Note: 

Set aside a little of the chopped parsley for garnishing.

Add red wine as desired. I did not include red wine in this recipe, because the Red Clam sauce is already a good base for seafood marinara.

Meat or any seafood is an option. You can add anything you want to make this your own. I just like mine to be filled with vegetables and I did not add any meat or sea food because the Red Clam sauce is just amazingly rich with flavor and real clams.

An Early Gift For My Kitchen--- ELBA Cookware

I've been using an induction cooker for 3 years now. It just so happen that the unit we are renting while we wait for the other condo to be finished doesn't allow gas ranges or anything that runs on gas. Since it's just temporary, I agreed to use an induction cooker and ditched my old gas range.

Through the years I've seen the miracles an induction cooker can do. The only downfall is in case there's no electricity, it won't run. Which leaves you with nothing if you don't have left- overs or anything cooked ahead if there's a situation that will require to shut down power.  But I'm thankful that for every emergency situation like typhoons, sudden Meralco maintenance and the likes, I'm able to keep up and still serve my family home-cooked food. One will just have to check the news, get updates, be aware of  anything that involves emergency measures.

Over-all with an induction cooker around, our monthly budget increased because we don't buy Gasul anymore, the budget for a gas tank that costs around 800php went back to our savings. At the same time,  there's no big increase with our electric bill even with an additional induction cooker. Also, we've freed ourselves from the threat of a gas leak.

Now, that we're preparing our new home, my new kitchen, I've decided to stick with an induction cooker. But this time, I've upgraded my equipment, an ELBA cookware.

ELBA Cooktop Induction

E 230 - 002 IS

ELBA Range Hood 

706AP Series

Since, we will live in a condo,  I feel that I don't need anything bigger. I've decided to buy a double induction. At the moment, I'm only using single induction, but I can already cook more than 2 viands on special occasions, what more if I have 2 burners. 

With an induction cooker, food cooks faster with the right amount of heat which is supplied evenly throughout the pan being used. The stove top remains cool even when in use--- so safety (check!) and of course, it's easy to clean.

I've also included a range hood that will suck in unwanted smell and oil. This will also protect my kitchen walls and cabinets from stains.

I chose ELBA because of it's durability. My parents' cookware is also ELBA, but theirs is bigger. Most kitchen items nowadays are made in China, but I was able to find something from Italy. It's more expensive but hey, it's okay as long as I know I'm using a reliable cooktop that will make cooking more fun and easy.

We haven't installed the ELBA set yet because we're having our kitchen counters custom- made. I'll post about it as soon as it's installed or I must say, once we've moved- in our new home.

Next on my list are new pots and pans and other kitchen accessories.

LEGO Utensil Holder

I found inspiration to make this through a pin on Pinterest. Check it here.

Since my little boys are LEGO masters and my husband is a collector, I made use of some extra bricks not being used to make my own LEGO utensil holder. Here's what I've accomplished so far.

I want to make it bigger, I'll buy my own LEGO bricks soon so I can make a small LEGO corner in my kitchen.

Inside, I made a divider so that my cooking ladles won't slip and so that it will not get tangled with each other, especially with my spatulas.

The fun part of having little kids around is I get to play myself. I thought they would ask for the bricks back. But when they saw my utensil holder, my eldest son told me to keep it and he likes it a lot and I should make some more. He even gave me his opinion to make it higher. Well, that's my goal so it can hold my kitchen stuff properly.

Mustard Greens Salad

Mustard Greens salad is one of my favorite salads served with any Filipino viand. It goes well with everything that it can enhance the food and the mix of flavors even more, making one's food experience extraordinary, fun and unforgettable.

I learned to make mustard greens salad thru my dad, who grew mustard leaves in a small vacant lot beside our old house when I was a kid.

Eating organic has been in our diet since I was a little girl. We practically ate whatever vegetable was grown from our yard. It's one of the things I enjoyed in my life. I experienced and witnessed my dad plant, harvest and cook those simple greens which in a way, kept us all healthy.

Here in the Philippines, the local name for it is Mustaza. It is often added to any Sinigang dish. We also love to pair Mustaza with Burong Hipon (fermented rice with shrimp).

One famous way of serving Mustaza is as a salad. Mustard Green Salad is easy to prepare. By the way, a bunch may cost 8-15php in a regular grocery store. But if you'll buy from the market (palengke) it's cheaper and fresher.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of Mustard leaves ( Mustaza)
• 3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 medium white onion (chopped)
• a pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp cane vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
• drizzle of olive oil (optional)

Procedure: 

• Remove the roots and wash the leaves well.
• Chop the leaves with the stems into thin strips, set aside in a  bowl.
• With a little water massage and squeeze the juice from the leaves to lessen its bitter- spicy flavor.
• Set the squeezed batch in a serving bowl.
• Toss the rest of the ingredients (including the lemon juice and olive oil or anything you want to add)  and mix everything evenly.

Personally, I don't squeeze the leaves anymore. I like it a bit bitter, because it goes well with the tomatoes, onions and lemon juice. Then, I prepare an amount that will last us for a week then store it in the fridge. My goal is for every meal, there should be a little to go with whatever viand I cook. Makes me feel secure that my family is getting a dose of fiber everyday.

Chicken Katsu with Wasabi Mayo and Mustard Greens

Health Benefits:

Lowers the risk of Cancer. It acts as a strong antioxidant, detoxification, anti- inflammatory agent. Studies have linked mustard greens to the prevention of bladder, colon, breast, lung, prostate and ovarian cancers. -source-

Homemaker Stand Mixer

Baking has become a hobby since middle of last year. I started with a hand mixer, then eventually, my mom and dad saw that I was enjoying it so they gifted me with a Homemaker Stand Mixer.  My parents used to own a bakery when I was a kid, so baking in the family isn't new.

I made this special post on a Homemaker Stand Mixer to answer questions/ inquiries that were and still are often asked in an old post.

* I am not a an expert on any field, not a certified pastry chef, baker etc... I did not take any baking lessons that can approve or disapprove anything when it comes to baking. Anything stated on this post is solely based on my experience as a Homemaker Stand Mixer user for 1 year.

Here we go!

My Homemaker Stand Mixer was purchased from HMR Surplus, Sta. Rosa Laguna. If I'm not mistaken, it was at 1500php. It was the only mixer available, brand new, boxed and sealed. 

Inside:

Manual

1 Dough Hook,

1 Beater, 

1 Whisk, 

4 litre stainless steel bowl (detachable)

It was a lucky find I must say, because we were informed that the items sold in that surplus outlet comes in randomly.  Sometimes, there are other stand mixers of different brands, and most of the time quantity goes 1 or 2 for each kind. It wouldn't hurt to ask, but don't expect that they'll give you "new stock" when you go to any surplus shops.

If you can't find it in HMR, try Save On Surplus, Market- Market, Taguig. They sell Homemaker kitchen equipments including the Homemaker Stand Mixer for 3990php. I've visited the place several times, and they always  have the mixer on display. Over the weekend, I went to check again and the mixer is still there.

Performance/ durability:

This Homemaker Stand Mixer has planetary action , 6 Speeds Pulse. Take note, it is not comparable to a KitchenAid Mixer. There's a reason why it's way more affordable than a KitchenAid. 

With what I mentioned in a separate post, for beginners like me, it's perfect for practicing. In one year, I made lots of pastries and cakes using this mixer. I always have 2-3 mixing bowls ready. If I need to make a huge amount of pastries, I don't mix it all at the same time. I cut the recipe so it will not overwork the mixer. Then, I just throw in another load.

I placed it to a test last Christmas. I made 4-5 dozen cupcakes (with frosting), more than 100 chocolate crinkles (in one day) and brownies all as our Holiday giveaways.  I often use my Homemaker Stand Mixer because I bake a lot. On a weekly basis, I make 6 to a dozen cupcakes with frosting and a cake. It depends on what I want to make and no, I don't sell them, I just like to bake. I save a little for myself and my children then the rest goes to my parents and siblings or I give some to my husband's team at work.

For business purposes, I can't really answer for that inquiry. But personally, in case I'll be putting baking a notch higher like selling my pastries, I will definitely invest on the best mixer around. 

With all that was mentioned, my Homemaker Stand Mixer is working like brand new.

Quality of pastry:

I did not take any baking lessons. But I've learned that the secret to baking is to follow the recipe step by step. That includes use of the right materials, measurement and ingredients. The mixer is just secondary for me. If I wasn't given a stand mixer, I will probably continue with a hand mixer. But then again, nobody wants to overwork their arms and hands right? it gets really painful especially if a recipe requires a certain level of consistency,  this Homemaker Stand Mixer works for me.

Here are some of my creations made with the help of a Homemaker Stand Mixer:

In addition, I haven't used the dough hook attachment yet. I'm giving it some thought, been gathering old bread recipes from my mom's bakery. Soon!

I hope this entry is going to be useful for those who love to bake. The Homemaker Stand Mixer is a good choice for starters. It mixes well, it gives perfect results. I'm satisfied with its performance.

No Bake Lasagna Rolls

This is my favorite of all the things I came up with in my kitchen. I didn't have an oven then, so I thought that one way to come up with lasagna is to spread some sauce over the pasta as filling, roll it , top it with my special white sauce, cheese and pop it in the microwave. It was a success! It's delicious and easy to make. Perfect for parties and gatherings.

Servings: 4-5

Materials:

• Sauce pan for boiling pasta
• Sauce pan for spaghetti sauce
• baking sheet or anything with flat surface for rolling the pasta
• microwavable containers

Ingredients: Pasta and Sauce

• 1 454g box Lasagna
• 1 kilo ground sirloin (boiled)
• 1 medium red bell pepper (chopped)
• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 1 kg spaghetti sauce 
• 2 tsp cooking oil
• a dash of salt
• a pinch of black pepper granules
• *(optional) Bechamel sauce (can be found anywhere online)

Procedures:

• In a sauce pan boil Lasagna al dente then set aside.
• In a separate sauce pan,  heat cooking oil.
• Saute garlic until light brown.
• Add onions and red bell pepper.
• Stir for a few seconds.
• Add boiled ground sirloin.
• Simmer for 30 seconds.
• Add spaghetti sauce and simmer in low fire for a few seconds. 
• Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

• Using a tray, line cooked pasta.
• Spread some spaghetti meat sauce over each.
• Roll it up slowly so it won't break.
• Arrange each lasagna roll in a microwavable container.
• Pour some white sauce and quick melt cheese.
• Pop it inside the microwave for 30 seconds.

* if you do not have white sauce, just add extra cheese.

Enjoy!

Ampalaya Con Carne

One way to make bitter gourd more enticing and interesting to eat is by mixing it with beef or any meat that will surely balance its bitterness. We all want our little ones to eat vegetables. As a mom, I introduced eating Ampalaya or bitter gourd to my eldest son as early as 3 years old, same thing will follow with my youngest.  With my experience, to be able to get my kids eat bitter gourd, I make the dish saucy. Tomato sauce will do, oyster sauce and serve it with their favorite food (fried chicken, fish, etc). It's also best to just serve it on the table, let them eat  it (but don't force them) than say a lot of things about it.

Here we go!

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups beef cubes (boiled until tender)
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  
• 5 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 1 medium red tomatoes (cut into quarters)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large Ampalaya (sliced into thin pieces)

 To lessen the bitterness, get rid of the seeds and the white lining beneath it then soak it in water.

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp black pepper granules
• 2 tsp cornstarch

Procedure:

• Boil beef cubes until tender. Drain the meat and set aside 1 1/2 cups of beef broth.
• Mix soy sauce, water, cornstarch and black pepper granules then set aside.
• Saute garlic in olive oil until medium brown.
• Add onion and tomatoes, stir for a few seconds.
• Add beef cubes and stir for a few seconds.
• Add bitter gourd or ampalaya.
• Add beef broth and simmer for 30 seconds or if vegetable is at least half- cooked.
• Shift to low fire then add soy sauce mixture and stir evenly.

Ready to be served!

Of course, bitter gourd has a lot of health benefits. One is lowering/ balancing blood sugar levels. Every part of the plant is useful, that's why some prefer to juice it. But personally, would rather cook it.

For leftovers, check this out!

Easy Chili Con Carne

The key to a healthy and delicious Chili con Carne is to boil the ground meat ahead to get rid of all the fats and oil and grease. Or better,  choose the lean part of the beef and ask your local butcher to grind it for you, now that's fresh. My recipe is made up of ingredients that can be found at any grocery store or market. Instead of using fresh beans, I went for the ones that's already precooked and packed.

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo lean ground meat (boiled and drained)
• 1 large or 2 medium red bell peppers chopped into small pieces
• 2 medium tomatoes chopped into small pieces (or canned tomatoes)
• 2 medium onions (red or white) chopped into small pieces
• 1 150g tomato paste
• 3 100g pack of Hunt's chili Beef & Beans (or 1 can of Hormel Chili with Beans)
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp dried cilantro (or chopped fresh cilantro/ wansoy)
• dash of salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper granules
• 1/2 tsp cooking oil

Procedure:

• In a sauce pan, saute onions in oil for a few seconds.
• Add tomatoes and red bell peppers and stir until cooked.
• Add ground beef, mix evenly.
• Add Hunt's Chili Beef & Beans, stir and mix until well- blended.
• Add tomato paste and mix until even.
• Add chili powder and cilantro stir for a few seconds.
• Add salt and pepper.
• Mix for 30 seconds or when everything is mixed well and cooked.

Aside from using this easy Chili con Carne as usual topping for nacho chips, I also like to pair it with hot rice. Use it as dip to my thin pretzel crisps, crackers and biscuits.

I also love it as breakfast filling for my hot pandesal. It's also perfect for bagels, ciabatta, baguette etc... It can also make an ordinary Bruschetta more enticing by topping it with sour cream or cheese.