Big Breakfast - Hash Browns, Bacon and Truffled Egg

Kids and hubby are crazy for hashbrowns.  Made a BIG BREAKFAST for hubby this morning and he loved it.

I tried the waffle maker trick but it didn't work... so we ended up with the more traditional hash browns =)  Still it tasted great and its way healthier than the deep-fried ones from fastfood chains =)  Next time I'll use the skillet and cook it the way I was taught... no more shortcuts.

 

 

Hash Browns

makes 4 servings

 

Ingredients:

 

1-2 big Potatoes, boiled and peeled.

salt

pepper

butter

oil

 

Directions:

1.  Prepare the potatoes a night before making the hash browns.  Grate the potatoes.  

2.  In a bowl, season potatoes with salt and pepper, making sure you don't mash the grated potatoes.

3.  Heat the heavy skillet and add 1 Tbsp butter,  form the potato has into any form you want using a cookie cutter or just flatten the potatoes in the skillet until golden and crisp.

4.  Carefully flip to the other side and cook until golden and crisp.

5.  Drain on paper towels. 

 

* you can use oil if you want, I used butter for the taste.



 

 

 

Chinese Chicken Salad

There are a lot of version to this "Chinese Chicken Salad" recipe.  I personally like this one.



Ingredients:

dressing:

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons peanut butter 2 teaspoons brown sugar 3/4 teaspoon hot chili paste 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon sesame oil   salad: 1-2 boneless chicken breast halves, breaded and pan-fried 1 cup dried vermicelli torn into pieces, deep fried 4 cups romaine lettuce 1 cup carrots, julienne 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 mandarin oranges, cut into segments   Directions: 1. prepare the dressing,  combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix. 2.  deep-fry dried vermicelli (sotanghon) or (bihon) in hot oil.  Make sure you are ready with a slotted spoon as they cook very fast. 3.  Cook the chicken, it can be breaded as suggested or it can also be grilled.  You can also use leftover roasted chicken if you want. 4.  Combine all salad ingredients and toss in the dressing.  Enjoy =)

Cheesy Pesto Bread Pull-Aparts

Made two giant loaves 2 days ago and we can't finish it all.... decided to do something about the untouched bread before it turns to rock =)

I've been seeing this recipe on Pinterest every time I check the food category so I gave it a try.  It's called pull-aparts because you will literally pull them apart when it's time to eat.
Made my own combination- pesto, cheese, tomatoes and lots of bacon =)

Ingredients:

1 whole loaf bread
pesto
moozarella cheese, sliced or grated
bacon, cooked
tomatoes, diced

Cooking Directions:

1.  Pre heat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
2.  Slice bread horizontally then vertically
3.  Smother pesto in every sides of each cubed slices
4.  Insert cheese and bacon in every sides as well
5.  Top with tomatoes
6.  Bake it in the oven for about 10-15 mins or until cheese are melted.

Poached Mussels

This dish is so easy to cook.  Very simple and delicious.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 K fresh Mussels
1 onion bulb
4 garlic cloves
1 cup white wine
fresh dill
salt
pepper

Directions:
1.  Saute chopped onions in butter.  Add garlic.
2.  Stir in fresh mussels and coat with onions and butter mixture.
3.  Pour white wine and chopped dill.  Simmer and cover mussels for 5 to 8 mins or until all shells are opened.
4.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

* discard all unopened shells

Baked Seabass with Saffron Risotto

Seabass is one of the most treasured fish in the culinary world.  It has a soft, creamy texture and tastes so rich and wonderful.

I've decided to pair the seabass with Saffron-infused risotto, chose Saffron because it goes very well with seafood.

I got the Seabass recipe from Dave Lieberman.  This recipe is very easy and a "5 stars" for me =)

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients

 

• 5-ounce sourdough bread or other leftover bread
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 4 (6-ounce) sea bass fillets
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• Few sprigs thyme, leaves removed
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 cup fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pulse the bread in a food processor to get slightly coarse bread crumbs.

Coat a casserole dish just large enough to hold the fillets with 1 tablespoon butter. Place the fillets in the dish and season with salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice, and thyme leaves.

Melt the remaining 1/2 stick of butter in a large skillet with the smashed garlic. As soon as the butter starts to bubble, turn off the heat and let the garlic infuse the warm butter.

Remove the garlic chunks from the butter. Add the bread crumbs and lightly toss until all the butter has been absorbed. Turn the heat off, stir in the parsley and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Spread a layer of bread crumb mixture over the top of each fillet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until bread crumbs are golden brown and fish is cooked through.

Spicy Eggplant with Minced Pork

Eggplant is one of my favorite fruit-vegetable =)  Not everyone likes it though.... they said it has an after taste or is "itchy" in the mouth.  To remove the after taste and the itchiness of the vegetable, you should soak the sliced eggplant in water with salt for at least 5 to 10 mins and cook as directed.

Here is a Chinese recipe of an eggplant dish that I always order whenever we eat out.  I served mine in a claypot just to make it a little more authentic. 

as promised, here is a better photo of the Eggplant with Minced Pork

INGREDIENTS
300 grams  ground pork
5 eggplants, sliced into long strips
1 whole garlic chopped
1 white onion (optional)
1 Tbsp. bean sauce
1/2 tsp chopped ginger
1/2 Tbsp chili paste with garlic (Lee Kum Kee)
sesame oil

PORK MARINADE
2 tsp light soysauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil
pepper

Seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. light soysauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tsp cornstarch

Directions
1. Combine seasoning ingredients in a bowl. 
2. Marinate ground pork in "PORK MARINADE"for at least 15 minutes.
3.Heat pan and add oil
4. Saute half of the onions and half of the garlic.  Add half of the bean paste.  Cook until onions are translucent.
5. Add eggplant and 1/2 cup of water.  Simmer until eggplants are cooked and almost all liquid has evaporated.  Set Aside.
6.  Using the same wok,  add oil sauté the remaining onions, garlic and bean sauce.  Add 1/2 tsp. chopped ginger.
7.  Add marinated pork and cook.
8.  When pork is done.  Make a well in the center and add the "seasoning".  Let it simmer until it thickens.
9.  Add in the cooked eggplant & chili paste with garlic and continue cooking.
10. Taste.
11.  Season with salt and pepper.  You can add more water if desired.

Chashu Ramen

My newly wed friends and I had a small "cooking-class-get-together".  KC taught us how to cook her famous Katsudon and Chicken Teiryaki, Aimee cooked her shrimp balls and my share was to teach them how to cook Ramen and Okonomiyaki... Joni was my sous chef =) she helped me in preparing the miso stock and chashu =) 

 Below is a little review of our cooking session and the Okonomiyaki and Chashu Ramen Recipe  =)

Preparation =)

some of the important ingredients in Japanese cooking

Aims slicing the cucumbers for the Kani salad

Belle helping Aims with the Kani =)

Joni busy with the Miso stock

Jiana breading the pork for the Katsudon

KC's famous Katsudon is done =)

Aimee cooking the prawn balls

The very tender and delicious Chashu

Okonomiyaki

Chicken Teriyaki

Chashu Ramen

Roasted Bone Marrow

Bone marrow has been in the menu of a few good restaurants lately.  Tried it in a new restaurant and I was quite disappointed with the quantity that was served...taste was good but the portioning was not.  Ordering these in the resto is quite costly, be ready to shell out around PHP 400 - PHP 550 per order.

Made it myself and saved a lot plus the whole family got to eat it =)  I paired the bone marrow with some rosemary scented bruschetta and a little lemon =)

This was very easy to make all you need are..

bone marrow
olive oil
rosemary, chopped
bread, grilled
lemon

Directions:
1. Pre heat oven to 345 degrees F.
2. Rub rosemary onto bone marrows, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil.
3. Roast the bonesin the oven for 20-25 mins

4. While the bones are cooking, drizzle the bread with some olive oil and rub rosemary sprigs for aroma.  Grill.

HOW TO EAT IT?

Spread marrows on the bread and drizzle with a few drops of lemon and ENJOY =)

Peanut Butter Prawns Spaghetti

Cooked this a few weeks back =)  and this is one of my hubby's favorite dish ....it kinda tastes like Thai Shrimp because of the nutty flavor, just added pasta to the saucey dish. 
If you're allergic to shrimps, you can always substitute it with chicken.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 1/2 - 2  cups chicken stock
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
pinch of red pepper flakes, crushed (depends on how hot you want it)
1 garlic clove, chopped
6-8 pcs prawns
pasta, cooked
sliced spring onions
roasted peanuts

1. cook pasta
2. Heat chicken stock, peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, honey, pepper flakes and garlic in a saucepan, stirring until mixture is smooth.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  (continuous boiling may make the consistency too thick and finish product may be dry.  Don't worry if the consistency is watery it will thicken when cooled and pasta is combined.  If it becomes too thick just add a little more chicken stock.)
3. While peanut butter mixture is heating, stir fry seasoned prawns just until cook.  Remove from heat.
4. Add the prawns and cooked pasta to the peanut butter mixture and stir well until well combined.
    Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
5. drizzle with roasted peanuts and spring onions for garnish.

Enjoy =) 

Brocolli & Cheese Soup

Made Brocolli and Cheese Soup for the family last night =)

                                                    BROCOLLI AND CHEESE SOUP

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup Brocolli

1 white onions

1/4 cup butter (for sauteeing)

1/3 cup flour

2 L - 3 L chicken stock

1/2 cup cheddar cheese ( the more the merrier)

1/2 cup cream

salt 

pepper

1/4 cup butter (monter)

Directions

1. Saute onions in butter.

2. Add flour to make roux

3. Add cold stock, a little at a time until roux is dissolved.

4. Let it boil, when boiling add brocolli.  When brocolli is cooked, remove brocolli and simmer for another 15 mins. 

5.  add cheese and bring back the brocolli.  Remove from heat.  Blend. 

6.  Bring back to heat, add cream but do not boil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

7.  Add monter of butter and stir well.   Enjoy. =)

FU-chon chicken

Was craving for Bon Chon so I made my own version of Bon Chon at home. I call it the Fu-chon chicken, served in 3 different sauces =) - soy garlic, teriyaki and the buffalo.           

                                                   SOY GLAZED CHICKEN WINGS

                                                         TERIYAKI CHICKEN WINGS

I just used teriyaki sauce

                                                                   BUFFALO WINGS

This one is smothered in Frank's Hot Buffalo Sauce (available in Rustans), added extra chilies for extra hotness 

Seafood Paella

Made a different version of the usual Paella Valenciana =)  This time I made Seafood Paella =) 
Everyone enjoyed it.  It was swept clean =)

                                                                  see what I mean =)

* I didn't clean it up on purpose..... I just saw that it was already like this.

Polska Kielbasa with Truffled Egg

                                           POLSKA KIELBASA WITH TRUFFLED EGG

We had this smoky delicious Polska Kielbasa with egg for breakfast. 
Fried egg was perfect... well at least for me =) Cooked just the way I like it - crispy whites while the yolks are still....wet,  the best part?  I drizzled it with truffle oil =) yummmmmmmy =)

Singaporean Cereal Prawns

There's was suddenly a thing for Singaporean cuisine.  You'll see Singaporean restaurants sprouting here and there.  One of their famous dish is the Cereal Prawns.  The sweetness of the Nestum Cereal Drink (Nesvita), the saltiness of the salted egg, the delicious aroma and taste of the roasted curry leaves on the prawns are surprisingly a perfect blend.
 
It was my first time to try curry leaves and wow they taste good.  I was chowing down the roasted curry leaves like peanuts =) FYI, curry leaves are not at all the same as the curry powder that we use to make chicken/beef curry.  These are leaves from the curry tree.  They look like bay leaves and are available fresh and dried.  (Found curry leaves in the fresh herb section of Rustan's).

We had a lot of fresh frozen tiger prawns and Nestum from Zamboanga.  So I guess I was just lucky, can't find Nestum here in Manila.

Found a lot of versions for this recipe so I combined 3 different recipes and made my own version

Here it is

Ingredients:

1/2 K prawns

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 egg lightly whisked

2 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp corn flour

1 Tbsp milk powder

2 Tbsp butter

2 salted egg yolks, mashed

3 red chilies, sliced thinly

50g curry leaves

50 g Nestum Cereal or Nesvita

1. Peel the body of the prawns, butterfly and devein, leaving the heads and tails.  Season prawns with salt and pepper.  

2. In a bowl, combine flours and milk powder, set aside.  In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg.  

3. Coat prawns with egg then dredge it in the milk and flour mixture.  Pan fry then set aside when cooked.

4. Melt butter in a wok.  Add the mashed egg yolks.  Saute for a 30 seconds.

5. Add curry leaves, chilies and saute until you can smell the aroma of the curry leaves.

6. Add the Nestum, saute and mix very well until Nestum changes its color and has a crunchy texture.  Make sure not to burn it as they burn really fast.

7.  Toss back the prawns in and combine well with the cereal.  Remove from heat and serve while it's hot.

Enjoy

Chicken & Mushroom Risotto and Seafood Risotto

Risotto, one of my favorites.  Takes a lot of effort to cook ('cause you have to keep on stirring it) but definitely worth it.
Made these few months back.

                                          Chicken and Portobello Mushroom Risotto
  Who doesn't love portobello mushrooms?  This is an all time favorite at home =)

                                                             Creamy Seafood Risotto
I usually don't add cream when cooking risotto because stirring the risotto often produces a creamy texture already but by adding cream to this seafood risotto made it perfect.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red velvet is the "in" dessert right now, red velvet cupcakes, red velvet cakes, red velvet smoothies, red velvet chocolates and red velvet cookies.  Red Velvet is just everywhere.

I made some last Christmas and it tasted like red velvet I guess =)  What does red velvet tastes like anyway?  For me, it's just an ordinary cake topped with Cream Cheese.  I've tried red velvet cupcake that tastes like banana cake too.  Imagine a red banana cake then top it with cream cheese frosting.  I guess it's just the color/presentation that makes people so attracted to it.  Even I, am a fan ;) 


For my Red Velvet cupcake I followed Paula Deen's recipe.
It's a great recipe, the cake tasted good, it's not crumbly nor too dense, it was just right.  Frosting was too sweet, so I made a new batch and cut the sugar in half.  It was just right for my taste, it really depends on your preference.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.
Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

GE LAI FOOD

As a Filipino-Chinese, after giving birth means that I have to follow a certain "ritual",  we call it Ge Lai.  This is said to help rebuild our strength from all the stress and blood loss during pregnancy.  It's a strict ritual with a lot of no nos  - no drinking of water, hot or cold,  no veggies, no juice drinks, no electric fan,  no heavy lifting, nothing heavier than your baby, and no taking a bath.  This will go on for a month.  Yes a month. 
So what do we drink?  There's a special concoction that are made from dates, longgan and other stuffs that they boil for a long time, that's your water for the whole period.
What do we eat?  Aything that will make our body warm like ginger, sesame oil, duck, pigeon, black chicken, chocolates:) lots and lots of chocolates :). That is the best part.
I'm lucky to have friends and families who can cook well that I actually enjoyed eating my Ge Lai food.

These are some Ge Lai Food from Auntie Susan

                                            LONGGANISA SAUTEED WITH GINGER

                                                        SESAME BLACK CHICKEN
                       It may look ewwww but this is really delicious. My favorite.

                                        BEEF SLICES WITH GINGER AND SESAME

                             NATIVE CHICKEN COOKED IN SESAME AND GARLIC
                                                                          love this

 RICE WITH GINGER, EGG WITH GINGER AND PORK TENDERLOIN SLICES
                         my first Ge Lai food from my husbands cousins mom =) layo noh?

                                      SESAME BLACK CHICKEN FROM CHEF JON

 

LACTATION COOKIES FROM CHEF RAQ 

I'm a breastfeeding mom so this helped a lot

This cookie contains Fenugreek and Flaxseed that will help me lactate and stay healthy =) 

For Orders call 0917-3220926

Pad Thai

Pad Thai anyone? =) Last night I made Pad Thai, not from scratch this time. =) I saw an almost-instant Pad Thai noodles in the supermarket. It was so easy to make, you just have to cook the noodles( set aside), cook the meat of your choice (I added tofu, bean sprouts and shrimps), add the ready-sauce mix and stir back in the noodles and you have you're almost-as-good-as-the-original Pad Thai noodles from Thailand.

Better with the spring onions and LIME!!!! I forgot the lime! ... Lime will make it taste more authentic

Chinese Part 3

This is my 3rd attempt on cooking Chinese, I have reserved the whole week for Chinese dishes that my hubby had chosen. And so far, these dishes were better tasting than my first 2 attempts.

Before trying to cook Chinese food again, I have searched all bookstores for the best Chinese cookbook... bought a few but the recipes failed. Disappointed again. Then, I found my mom's Chinese cookbook... it's been tried and tested with lot's of secrets... =) It made me realize that anyone can really cook, you just have to find that perfect recipe with the little secrets to make the perfect dish.

SPICY CHICKEN - this was crispylicious until I poured the sauce over.. but it was still good =)

STEAMED BACON IN SOY SAUCE - this was a little hassle to make but it was worth =) we ate this with rice and steamed bun... and had some leftovers for the next day =)

Stir- fried shrimp - a bit salty

BEEF STIR-FRIED NOODLES - this was surprisingly delicious =) This was my favorite of all, gonna make this again soon =)

CHICKEN CLAYPOT RICE

SHRIMP IN BEANCURD SKIN - the taste was good but we got the wrong beancurd skin... should have gotten the flat white beancurd for a better presentation. Next time =)

Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese has always been every kid's favorite.

Made one from scratch yesterday, it's just simple Mornay Sauce with elbow macaroni =)


MACARONI AND CHEESE

Ashton, my dad and ama loved it =)

* MORNAY SAUCE is Bechamel sauce with all the cheese you want=) the cheesier the better =)