Spaghetti

1/2 kilo ground beef
400g spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
500g filipino style spaghetti sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
200g hotdog, chopped

1. Saute onion and garlic. Add beef and saute until cooked.
2. Add hotdogs. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for another five minutes.
4. Add spaghetti.
5. Top with grated cheese.

Meatballs

1 kilo ground pork
8 cloves garlic, minced
A big onion, chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 sprig parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and form into balls. Deep-fry until cooked.

Fiesta Float

200g grahams crackers
2 packs all purpose cream, refrigerated
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
836g fruit cocktail, drained

1. Arrange pieces of grahams to cover bottom of pan.
2. Mix all purpose cream and milk. Spread a portion on top of graham crackers. Arrange a portion of fruit cocktail over cream. Repeat layering using the remaining graham, cream mixture and fruits.
3. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Slice and serve.

Pork Pina ala Humba

1/2 kilo pork kasim, cut into chunks
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup water3 tbsp toyo
3 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground oregano
2 tbsp sukang puti
1 pc laurel leaf
3 tbsp tausi
1 can 234g pineapple chunks, drained (reserve syrup)

1. Combine pineapple syrup with other ingredients except pineapple chunks. Cover and simmer over low heat. For 40 minutes or until pork is tender, then simmer uncovered until sauce has slightly evaporated.

2. Add pineapple syrup. Allow to simmer.

Makes 6 servings.

Macaroni with Chili con Carne

300 g elbow macaroni, cooked per package directions
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, chopped
300 g ground beef
1/2 cup red kidney beans, cooked
1/2 cup green peas, cooked
1 227g tomato sauce
2 tbsp hot sauce
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1. Saute garlic, onions and ground beef. Cook for 5 minutes. Add kidney beans, green peas and 3 cups water. Simmer until meat and beans are tender.

2. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp rock salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and hot sauce. Simmer for 8 minutes.

3. Add bell pepper and macaroni. Reserve some sauce for topping. Sprinkle with grated cheese on top.

Makes 8 servings.

Tropical Potato Salad

1/2 kilo potatoes
1 850g can fruit cocktail
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp condensed milk

1. Boil potatoes in 2 cups water with 1 tsp iodized salt for 20 minutes or until just tender. Peel and cut into cubes. Soak in fruit cocktail syrup for 30 minutes. Drain.

2. Combine potatoes with fruit cocktail, mayonnaise and condensed milk. Blend well. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Skillet Pork and Corn

330 g pork, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 can (400g) whole kernel corn, drained
1 250g Italian style spaghetti sauce
1 cup cooked green peas
3 stalks green onions, sliced

1. Saute onion and pork in 3 tbsp oil until pork turns light brown. Add 1 cup waster, 1 tsp iodized salt and 1/3 tsp pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Add corn, spaghetti sauce, and peas. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add green onions.
Makes 6 servings.

Fish Cakes

In a medium bowl, combine 250 grams washed and drained silver fish (dulong), ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup finely chopped onion, 1 tbsp chopped green onions, 1 tsp minced garlic, juice of 1 calamansi, 1 tsp salt (or to taste), ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste); mix well. Add 11 beaten egg and mix using your hands. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Form fish mixture into 2 1/2 –inch-diameter patties. Fry 2 to 3 patties at a time for 1 to 2 minutes or until outsides are crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sweet chili sauce, ketchup or seasoned vinegar.
Makes 6 to 8 patties.

Chicken Tinola

1 tbsp cooking oil
1 2-inch pc ginger, cut into strips
½ k chicken
1 tbsp fish sauce
6 cups water
2 pcs chicken cubes
1 pc sayote, sliced
2 stalks dahon ng sili

1. In a heated pot, sauté half of the ginger in oil.
2. Rub chicken pieces with fish sauce, add to pot, and sauté until slightly brown.
3. Add water, remaining half of the ginger, bring to boil, and add chicken cubes.
4. Add sayote and reduce heat to simmer until chicken and sayote are cooked.
5. Add dahon ng sili, simmer for another 2 minutes and serve.

Serves 4.

Note: It is better if there is no dahon ng sili. This will make the soup taste bitter. But all in all, this recipe is delicious.

Picadillo de Mais

This is something weird but I just crossed my fingers and tried it due to curiosity.

4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, chopped
400g ground pork
1 can whole kernel corn
1 250g tomato sauce
1 carrot, cut into cubes
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup malunggay leaves

1. Saute garlic, onions, and pork in oil until light brown. Add corn(including syrup), tomato sauce and 5 cups water. Season with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp rock salt, and ½ tsp pepper. Let simmer.
2. Add carrots and continue simmering until tender.
3. Stir in beaten eggs and malunggay leaves. Simmer for 2 minutes.
Makes 8 servings.

Verdict: Failure! I won’t cook this again! :P

Chicken Fingers with Cinnamon

I was not sure about this recipe because I was not able to find boneless chicken breasts but I’m also excited to do this since I’ll get to add another spice to my collection of spices, and that’s cinnamon.
When everything is done, I had the shock of my life. Cinnamon is not only an aphrodisiac but it also makes food delicious.
My recommendation: Try this recipe and for sure you’ll love it!

½ kilo chicken breast
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
½ cup water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Oil for frying

1. Cut chicken into large, thick strips. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1 ½ tsp cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, and remaining cinnamon. Add water and stir just until well combined. Stir in egg. If batter is too thin, add more cornstarchs.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Dip chicken into the flour-egg batter. Deep fry for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 4 servings.

Continental Meatballs

Since payday will be next week so I decided to make something that is not very expensive and this is what I've chosen.

Meatballs:
¼ kg lean ground pork
1 pc medium potato, grated and liquid squeezed out
1 pc small egg, lightly beaten
3 stalks green onions, chopped
1 ½ tbsp breadcrumbs
¾ tbsp soy sauce
1/3 tsp pepper
1/3 tsp iodized fine salt
Sauce:
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pouch sweet style spaghetti sauce (250g)

Combine ingredients for meatballs. Mix thoroughly, then form each tablespoon into a ball. Fry until golden brown. Set aside. Saute garlic. Add spaghetti sauce and 1/3 cup water. Season with salt and sugar to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add meatballs.
Makes 4 servings.

Trust me, this is one deliciously cheap recipe. What are you waiting for? Try it!

Tuna Sisig

My appetite for good cooking has return and so I made this!

1 small (1/2k) puso ng saging, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 2
1 head garlic, crushed
2 large onions, chopped
5 siling labuyo
350g fresh tuna (panit) fillet, chopped
1 can (140g) tomato sauce

1. Boil puso ng saging in 2 cups water and 1 tsp iodized salt for 20 minutes. Drain, discard the hard middle portion, then chop finely. Squeeze to remove excess liquid. Set aside.

2. Saute garlic, onion and sili. Add 3 tbsp soy sauce, puso ng saging, fish and tomato sauce. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring.

Makes 6 servings.

Chicken Curry in Gata

I made this last weekend but was too busy to upload it.

2 tsp cooking oil
500 grams chicken
1 pack Knorr ginataang gulay langka and laing complete recipe mix
1 cup water
1 piece carrot, cut into quarters
2 pieces potato, cut into quarters
1 piece red bell pepper, cut into squares
1 piece green bell pepper, cut into squares
3 tbsp curry powder

1. In a medium sized pot, heat oil. Add the chicken and saute until light brown.
2. Add the water and Knorr ginataang gulay complete recipe mix. Bring to a boil and then lower heat.
3. Add all the vegetables and curry powder. Simmer until chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender.

Serves 6.

Ulamazing Ginataang Gulay

This is one recipe for those who don’t really know how to cook.
Here goes:
¼ kilo kalabasa, cut
I bunch sitaw, cut into about 2 inches in length
¼ kilo shrimp, shelled, tails and head removed
1 pack Knorr Ginataang Gulay Sitaw and Kalabasa Complete Recipe Mix
1 ½ cup water
1. Boil the kalabasa and sitaw in water for 5 minutes or until kalabasa is cooked.
2. Add the Knorr Ginataang Gulay Complete Recipe Mix. Stir to dissolve completely.
3. Add the shrimp.
4. Simmer for 5 minutes with cover. Serve

Fish Sarciado

I was not able to cook for two weeks due to a very busy schedule but this weekend I make it a point to cook. This recipe that I’m doing now was not the first choice. Actually, I was planning to cook squid this weekend but when I went to the market I can’t find a squid that will suit the recipe that I’ve chosen. So, here goes my second choice:
½ kilo fish steaks
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, sliced
1 pouch (250g) Tomato Sauce
3 stalks green onions

1. Season fish with 1/3 tsp iodized salt. Fry until golden brown. Set Aside.
2. Saute garlic and onion. Add tomato sauce and ¾ cup water. Season with ½ tsp salt and a dash of pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add fish and green onions.
Makes 6 servings.

Chicken Curry

½ kg potatoes cut into chunks
300g carrots cut into chunks
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pc medium onion, sliced
½ kg chicken thigh
2 tsp oil
1 pouch (40g) Del Monte Quick n Easy Curry Mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk plus ¾ cup water
1 pc small red bell pepper, cut into cubes

1. Fry potatoes and carrots until cooked. Set aside.
2. Saute garlic, onion and chicken in oil for 10 minutes. Add curry mix and evap.
3. Cook and simmer over low heat until chicken is done. Add fried potatoes, carrots and bell pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens.

This is long overdue. I made this last week but just too busy to upload. I did not cook this week. Too busy!

Summer Shrimp

½ cup vinegar
¼ cup water
1/8 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp garlic, finely minced
¼ cup soy sauce
½ kg fresh shrimps
2 cups coconut milk

In a medium-sized stockpot, prepare the marinade (vinegar, water, pepper, garlic and soy sauce). Add shrimp and let stand for 1 hour. Cook in the same pot with the lid off, turning the shrimp often until the pot is almost dry. Stir in the coconut milk and allow the sauce to thicken. This takes about 15 minutes to cook.

We had a Fun Run/Walk today. After the event, me and Mme. Silve continued the walk to the market. This is the result of our market trip 

Fish Teriyaki

½ kilo fish, sliced crosswise
1 medium (150g) carrot, sliced
100g baguio beans, each cut into 3 pieces
1 can (234g) sliced pineapple, each cut into 2 pcs (reserve syrup)

Marinade:
¼ cup hot and spicy banana ketchup
1 tbsp white sugar
1/3 tsp iodized fine salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
Reserved pineapple syrup

1. Marinate fish for 30 minutes. Drain. Grill on pan, brushing with marinade until brown. Turn only once. Set aside the remaining marinade.
2. Saute carrot and baguio beans until cooked. Set aside. Simmer remaining marinade and sliced pineapple for 3 minutes. Add sautéed vegetables and fish. Allow to simmer, Serve hot.

Serves 6.

It seems Saturdays will be my bonding day with my niece. Early in the morning she’s already in our house asking me what we will cook on that day. Actually, I don’t know how to cook, but I wanted to learn. So I’d gone out of my way to collect recipes and try it. For this Saturday, I tried this and fell in love with it. 

Meatballs Pasta Soup

Meatballs:
¼ kilo ground pork
1 200g potato, coarsely grated
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg

Soup:
4 cloves garlic, crushed
200g spaghetti
200g sayote, diced
1 carrot, diced
250g Italian Style Spaghetti Sauce
3 stalks green onions, chopped

1. Combine ingredients for meatballs. Season with 1 tsp iodized salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Mix well. Shae into 1 tbsp balls. Set aside.
2. Saute garlic. Add 6 cups water, 2 tsp iodized salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Allow to simmer. Add spaghetti. Cook for 5 minutes. Add sayote, carrot and spaghetti sauce. Cook for 5 minutes. Add meatballs. Simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Top with green onions.

Makes 8 servings.

I made this recipe with the help of my niece. When she discovered that I cook every weekend, she made it a point to be there in the house at the moment I’m about to start. She’s only 10 years old but very interested in cooking. She told me she wanted to help her mom cook at home but was never allowed to do so. Whenever I cook I made it a point that I gave her tasks to make, like dicing up onions or vegetables. In this way, I encouraged her to love cooking and hopefully, in a way, will help her in the future.

Chicken Piῇa

350g chicken, cut up
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 medium onion, sliced
¼ kilo carrot, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into squares
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 can (227g) Pineapple chunks
2 stalks green onion, cut into 2” pieces
1 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tbsp water

1. Season chicken with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1/8 tsp pepper. Sprinkle with cornstarch. Fry in oil until brown. Set aside.

2. Saute onion, carrot, bell pepper and grated ginger. Add 1 cup water, ½ tsp iodized salt and 1 tsp sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken, pineapple chunks with syrup and dissolved cornstarch. Cook until thick. Add green onions.

Makes 6 servings.

I choose something easy and sweet this weekend. 

Chicken Meat Rolls

¼ kilo ground chicken meat
1 big can Vienna sausage, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
Half of the 250g pack of Italian style spaghetti sauce
1 egg
1 small carrot, coarsely grated
2 slices sandwich, cut into cubes
¼ cup raisins

1. Combine all ingredients with ¾ tsp iodized salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Mix thoroughly.
2. Wrap every ¾ cup of mixture in foil. Roll. Steam for 1 hour.

Serves 6.
The dilemma I had while making this recipe was whether to use the ingredient asked for or substitute it with another. This ingredient I’m talking about is the ground chicken. In the supermarkets in our city there are no ground chickens available. You may buy a chicken fillet and have it grounded but the quantity allowed is 1 kilo.
What am I going to do with a 1 kilo ground chicken when the sole purpose of buying it is to make this recipe? I decided to buy the asked amount in the recipe and when I reached home I got hold of the blender my boyfriend gave me last Christmas.
This blender had another small separate blender, which the manual stated, for the beans, peanuts and the likes. I was thinking it this could ground up nuts why not chicken meat as well?
I cut the chicken meat into small pieces and put a small portion of it unto the blender. And it was a success. Big thanks to my boyfriend!

Chunky Bean and Chorizo Stew

I discovered a lot of chorizo in the freezer and looked for a recipe that includes it. This is what I found and came to love it.

3 cups cooked white beans
Oil
12 pcs chorizo
1 onion, chopped
4 pcs garlic, chopped
6 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup water
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne

1. Pan-fry chorizos in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Remove chorizos and add the onions and garlic.
3. Saute until light brown and stir in tomatoes.
4. Stir in chorizos, cooked beans, water, salt, black pepper and cayenne.
5. Bring to a simmer and cook until beans absorb the liquid, about ten minutes.

Funny experience: I did not read the recipe very well and instead of cutting the tomatoes into cube I quartered it. I realized it was the biggest ingredient in what I’m cooking so I got the recipe again and read it the second time. I saw it was supposed to be cubed so I got it out of the pan and sliced it again. It burned by fingers! Hahahaha.

Fish Sinigang

Since it’s mothers day I cooked something healthy for my mother. With the help of my niece, this is what we came up with.

2 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, sliced
3 slices ginger
1 tbsp garlic, pounded
2 pcs chili finger, sliced
½ cup tomato, quartered
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup kangkong leaves
1 sachet Maggi Magic Sinigang 22g, Original
5 cups water
¼ cup radish, sliced diagonally
½ cup okra, halved
¼ cup sitaw, cut into 2-inch strips
¼ cup eggplant, sliced diagonally
½ kilo fish (I’m using mamsa)

1. In a stock pot, heat oil. Saute onion, garlic, ginger, and chili finger until fragrant.
2. Add tomatoes and sauté for 5 more minutes.
3. Pour in water and let boil. Once boiling, lower heat then add radish, okra, and sitaw. Cook for 5 minutes before adding eggplants and salmon belly.
4. Add Maggi Magic Sinigang and let boil once.
5. Season with fish sauce and then add kangkong leaves.

Enjoy!

Stir-fried Pork with Pineapple

I got this recipe from Del Monte. Trust me, it’s delicious!

350g pork lomo (tenderloin), cut into strips
3 tbsp flour
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pc small onion, sliced
1 pc small carrot, thinly sliced
1 piece green bell pepper, sliced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 stalk green onion
1 can (234g) pineapple tidbits

1. Marinate pork in ¼ tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp pepper, and 1/8 tsp iodized salt for 30 minutes. Drain, reserve marinade. Sprinkle pork with flour. Brown in 3 tbsp oil. Set aside.
2. In the same pan, sauté garlic, onion, carrot, and bell pepper for 2 minutes. Add pork, oyster sauce, pineapple syrup, marinade, salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add green onion and pineapple. Simmer once.

Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Fried Chicken

I was at the grocery store yesterday and thought of fried chicken!
Well, today, I decided to experiment on this recipe based on what I thought yesterday 

Here goes:

6 pcs. Chicken thigh
1 pack of breading mix
1 egg, beaten
Oil for frying

1. Wash the chicken and completely dry.
2. Coat the chicken with breading mix. Dip the chicken on the beaten egg then roll it again on the breading mix.
3. Fry until done.

Enjoy!

Fish Menudo

Yesterday I was looking at the calendar from Del Monte and saw this recipe. After several days of meat, I decided to east fish this time and followed this very simple recipe.

250g fish fillet, cut into cubes
¼ tsp iodized fine salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tbsp calamansi juice
2 pcs semi-ripe saba, peeled, cubed and fried
1 pc small potato, cut into cubes
1 pc small carrot, cut into cubes
1 ½ cups water
1 pouch (80g) Del Monte Quick n Easy Menudo Sauce
1/3 cup cooked green peas
1 pc medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
Patis to taste

1. Marinate fish in calamansi juice, salt and pepper for 15 minutes. Fry until golden brown. Set aside.
2. Simmer potatoes and carrots in water until tender. Add Del Monte Quick n Easy Menudo sauce, green peas, bell pepper and patis to taste. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add fish and banana. Simmer once.
Makes 4 servings.

This is one delicious recipe! Try it!

Hot and Spicy Tuna with Parsley

Experiment time! I’ve tried a similar recipe with mushroom on it but I’m not a mushroom fanatic (if you’ve seen the last recipe I’ve made) so I decided to experiment.
Here goes:

1 big can of tuna flakes in oil, drained, reserve oil
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Cayenne, Spanish paprika and black pepper for seasoning

1. Saute garlic on the tuna’s oil until golden brown.
2. Add tuna and cook for 1 minute.
3. Season tuna using cayenne, Spanish paprika and black pepper according to taste.
4. Add parsley and cook for a few seconds.

Enjoy! :)

Chicken Tanglad Soup

Of all the recipes’ I tried, I guess this is something that I’ll be cooking again and again. I got this recipe from a milk can and I must say it is really delicious.

Here goes:
1 piece lemongrass stalk, crushed
1 tbsp sliced ginger
7 cups water

450g chicken breast
1 pc small carrot, peeled and cut diagonally
1 pc small sayote, peeled and cut diagonally
¾ cup evaporated milk
3 pieces pechay, cut into 2 inch lengths
Patis to taste

1. In a pot combine the first 6 ingredients. Cook until the chicken and vegetables are done.
2. Add the milk and pechay. Season with patis to taste. Serve hot.

Serves 6-8
Note: In the original recipe there is 2 cups dried mushrooms soaked in water. I forego this one after I touched the soggy mushrooms. It’s so yucky! Sorry! : P

Cheese and Mac

I've been watching this TV ad about Cheese Magic so I decided to experiment on it. Here goes:

4 pc cooked ham, sliced into tidbits
1 pouch Cheese Magic
200g salad macaroni
1/4 cup fresh milk
1/4 cut butter

1. Cook salad macaroni according to its instructions.
2. Melt butter then add the cooked ham. Cook for 1 minute then add the salad macaroni, Cheese Magic and fresh milk.
3. Cook for two more minutes.

Enjoy! :)

Hot and Spicy Chicken Liver

Since I'm going back to my MA class this summer, I need to wake up really early to cook for myself and mother. I tried this recipe so many years ago but didn't like it since it was sweet. This time I did it using cayenne and it suits my taste bud really well.

Here goes:

1 clove garlic, crushed
2 medium onions, sliced
1/2 kg chicken liver, cleaned
200 g tomato sauce
1/4 kg potato, cubed

1. Saute garlic, onions and chicken liver.
2. Add tomato sauce, potato, 1 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp iodized salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Simmer for 8 minutes.
3. Season with cayenne pepper according to your taste.

Serves 6.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Adobo

I can't get over my new grill pan so I looked for another recipe that needs grilling. I found just the right recipe but I added a twist to it since the sourness is too much.

5 pcs chicken breast
6 tbsp vinegar
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbsp peppercorns
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp sugar

1. Marinate the chicken in a mixture of the remaining ingredients, except sugar, for at least two hours.
2. Drain the chicken. Heat a grill-pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken until completely done. Remove the chicken from the pan.
3. Using the same pan, cook the marinade adding 1/2 cup water and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes. If you want a slightly thick sauce, add some cornstarch.
4. Return the chicken into pan and cook for 2 minutes.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Enjoy! :)

Pan-Fried Fish

I wanted to use the 50% discounted Sunnex grill-pan I bought at Lee Plaza so I choose this very easy to do recipe.

1/2 kilo panit
cumin
curry powder
salt pepper

Season the fish with cumin, curry powder, salt and pepper. Pan-grill the fish until done.

Enjoy!

Hot and Spicy Tuna Lumpia

In observance to the holy week, I came up with this recipe.

2 cans of tuna hot and spicy, drained (reserve oil)
1 cup cooked green peas
1 small cabbage, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
30 pcs lumpia wrapper

1. Saute garlic and onion on the tuna's oil.
2. Add tuna, green peas and cabbage.
3. Add black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste.
4. Simmer for a few minutes, cool, then wrap in the lumpia wrapper.
5. Deep-fry until golden brown.
6. Serve with ketchup.

Makes 30 servings.

Enjoy!

Fruity Ice Candy

Due to the hotness these days, I decided to make this.
Trust me, it's delicious! :)

1 439g can fruit cocktail, drained (reserve syrup)
1 small can condensed milk
2 tbsp sugar
1-1/4 cup water
ice candy bags

Combine all ingredients. Place every 1/4 cup of mixture in ice candy bags and freeze until set.

Enjoy!

Pasta Carbonara

Not in the mood to cook this week. Tired of checking the test papers and from our outing yesterday. What I did was to open the cupboard and look for something easy to make.

And this is what I found:

175g spaghetti, cooked (reserve 1/4 cup pasta broth)
1 pack ham, sliced
2 tbsp margarine
200g pouch carbonara pasta sause
3 tbsp grated cheese
1 egg yolk

1. Saute ham in margarine until brown.
2. Add reserve broth and carbonara sauce.Season with salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 8 minutes with continuous stirring.
3. Scoop a portion of the sauce into the egg yolk and mix. Return to sauce and turn off heat. Add cooked pasta, bacon, and cheese.

Enjoy!

Chunky Sausage Pomodoro

I want to cook something easy but unique this weekend. While browsing at some Yummy magazines I borrowed from a co-worker, I saw this recipe and fell in love with it. I decided to make this, to the puzzlement of my mother, and was excited to taste the outcome.

Here goes:

2 packs pancit canton, original flavor
1 big can of Vienna sausage, drained and cut into segments
1/4 cup minced onion
2 pcs large tomatoes, chopped
2 small packs of tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tbsps brown sugar

1. Set aside canton seasoning, soy sauce and oil.
2. Boil noodles in water for 3 minutes. Drain.
3. In a small pan, heat the oil, brown Vienna sausage on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Saute the onions on the same pan until wilted. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes more. Stir in tomato sauce, water, sugar, soy sauce and seasoning. Simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in browned Vienna sausage and noodles. Mix well.
4. Transfer onto serving plates. Serve.

After tasting this recipe, I found out that I love it! I think I'll be cooking this often. Maybe make a chili version of it! What do you think?

Try it!! :))

Vegetable Medley

I'm in the mood to go for vegetables this weekend so I decided to go for this recipe.

Here goes:

4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 kilo pork, sliced into cubes
1 chicken broth cube
1 small carrot, cut julienne style
1 can sliced mushroom, drained
100g Baguio beans, sliced thinly
1 can sliced young corn, drained
227 g can pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve syrup)
1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in syrup

Saute garlic, onion and pork. Add chicken broth cube, carrot, mushrooms, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 tsp iodized salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Cook until carrot is almost tender. Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 3 minutes more until sauce thickens.

Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy!!

Chicken in Curried Sauce

I was at Lee Plaza today and saw that they are having a sale on so many items as high as 50% off. I went directly to the kitchen section and saw Sunex knives with 50% off. I hurriedly bought 1 paring knife and this motivates me to cook something up today just so I could use it.

So, here goes:

4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 kilo chicken, cut into serving pieces
1/4 cup raisins
1 pouch (200 g) tomato sauce
1/4 kilo potatoes, cut into chunks
100g baguio beans, sliced diagonally

1. Saute garlic, onion, curry powder and chicken. Add raisins, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup water. Cook for 20 minutes. Add potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes.
2. Add baguio beans, 3/4 tsp iodized salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Continue simmering until vegetables are cooked.

Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Chicken in Curried Sauce

Tuna Pinakbet

This is a very chaotic week. So many things happened.
It started with an earthquake and ended with a very inspiring Educators Day.
After all this, I decided to prepare something with varied flavors especially after I bought bagoong from Stanley. They have simply the best bagoong in the entire Dumaguete :))

So, here goes:
2- 185g cans tuna chunks in oil
2 tbsps oil
2 tsps ginger, crushed
1 tsp garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup bagoong
2 cups squash, cubed
3 medium eggplant, cut-up
8 pcs okra, sliced
1 medium ampalaya, sliced

Fry tuna in its oil until crisp about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside. In the same pan, saute ginger, garlic, onions and tomatoes. Stir in bagoong and cook for 5 minutes. Add squash, eggplant, okra and ampalaya. Cover and let cook for 3 to 5 minutes in medium fire. Top with crispy tuna before serving.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Enjoy!!

Spicy Tomato and Cream Pasta

I had a very long weekend after a very tiresome week but I am not in the mood to cook so I am not really prepared for this recipe. Actually, I was planning to cook something else but since the girl in the grocery store refused to sell 100g ground pork I just grab a recipe from the counter and ended up with this.
So, here goes (although I added some twist to it):

175g spaghetti, cooked
1 200g pouch Spicy tomato and cream pasta sauce
1 185g can tuna chunks in oil, drained (reserve oil)
2 tbsp grated cheese

Saute tuna using its oil for 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Add the pasta sauce. Simmer for 3 minutes. Pour on top of the cooked spaghetti.

Enjoy!

Adobong Manok sa Gata

Since we will have a long weekend, I decided to cook something that will survive frequent reheating. I thought this recipe will do so here we go:

1/2 kilo chicken, sliced to serving portions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 pc chicken broth cube
1/2 cup vinegar
2 pieces bay leaves
2 cups coconut milk
1 medium papaya (supposedly green but the woman in the market gave me yellowish green, well, almost ripe), sliced

1. Combine chicken, garlic, onion, broth cube, vinegar and bay leaves in a bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Transfer mixture into a pan and simmer until tender.
3. Pour in coconut milk and sliced papaya.
4. Simmer until papaya is crisp-tender. Adjust seasoning using salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Coconut Macaoons

This is what you'll get when you attempt to cook macaroons on an oven toaster! Sigh!

Well, it still tastes good!

Here goes:

2 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
1 can condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a bowl, combine desiccated coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Drop a small amount in cup cake sheet and bake.

:(

Pork Liver Hawaiian

For this weekend I was hoping to make something that I love to eat, chicken liver. I went to the market early but since I was still looking for some celery I arrived quite late in the chicken section of the market. All chicken livers were gone. I haven't spotted a single one left. My spirit was quite dampen by it but I looked for other ways to make do with the ingredients that I have already bought.

When I passed by the meat section, I saw a cute little pork liver on one of the stalls and I decided to buy it. I was shocked when the prize was only 20 pesos, wow!

This is it, this is what I cooked this weekend.

200g pork liver, cut in small pieces
234g pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve syrup)
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into strips
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 tbsp cornstarch

1. Marinate liver in 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, half of pineapple tidbits syrup, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/4 tsp rock salt. Drain. Fry in hot oil until light brown. Set aside.
2. Stir-fry onions, carrots and celery in margarine until half-tender. Add pineapple tidbits and 1/2 cup water. Season with 1/2 tbsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp iodized salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add fried liver and cornstarch, dissolved in remaining pineapple tidbits syrup. Continue simmering for 3 minutes, or until cooked.

Enjoy!

Fishtek Tagalog

For this weekend I decided to do some fish dish hoping to start a healthier new year. I scanned my Yummy magazine collection and saw this very easy recipe from their September 2011 issue.

So I decided to try this recipe. Here goes:

1/8 cup soy sauce
juice of 4 calamansi
a dash of pepper to taste
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
300 grams white fish fillet
oil
1 red onion, sliced

1. Combine soy sauce, calamansi, pepper, and garlic. Marinate fish in this mixture for 30 minutes. (The fish absorbs a lot of flavor so don't overdo the marinating).
2. Heat a pan over medium heat then add a couple of swirls of oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan lightly. Once oil is hot, remove fish from marinade and fry, waiting until a touch of golden on each side and cooked through. Do not overcook. Set fish aside.
3. Fry onions. When onions reached your desired degree of softness, add remaining marinade to the pan and cook until everything bubbles up. Simmer rapidly for a minute or two. You want to make sure the marinade cooks thoroughly since it was in contact with the raw fish.
4. Once sauce is done, return fish to the pan and toss gently with the onions and sauce, just enough to warm fish. Serve immediately.

Amount spent for this recipe: 110 pesos.

Enjoy!