A little pinch of this, a little pour of that

"Light" dinner, but not lacking in flavor. Used my Pinch & Pour purchases plus one of the seasoned salts I picked up at Chelsea Market for the salad. I accompanied this with an oat bran & whole wheat pita filled with apple slices, baby cucumber, mini sweet peppers, and smoked salmon. 

Pandan Chicken Goodness!

Long weekends = kitchen experiments

I was at the Asian store yesterday and saw a pouch of powdered coconut cream.  I remembered my friend Judy asking me to buy her some a few months ago.  So of course I texted her and asked if she still needed it.  She said she had some already but I should definitely try it.  The natural reaction of course was to ask her for a recipe to try.  She texted me her recipe for pandan chicken based off Casa Veneracion's site.

Here's what I used:

1.5 lbs chicken thighs (boneless and skinless), halved

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp ginger paste

6 Tbsp oyster sauce

2 oz (1 packet) coconut cream powder

pinch salt and pepper

pandan leaves

I'm a big fan of no-mess marinating in Ziploc bags so that's what I used for the process below:

1. Mix garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, coconut cream powder, salt and pepper directly in the Ziploc bag.  
2. Add washed (and patted dry) chicken pieces to the bag.  "Massage" until all pieces are coated with the marinade. Seal and refrigerate overnight.
3. Wash pandan leaves and carefully wrap each piece of chicken. I wrapped mine like suman but the other recipes I found exposed more of the chicken. This takes quite a bit of time so I suggest preheating your oven to 350F in the process.
4. Arrange wrapped chicken in baking dish and bake for 45 minutes (this will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken and how much of it is exposed or wrapped).
5. Switch oven on broil and cook until pandan leaves get some color but not burnt (about 3-5 minutes).

before and after (served with garlic fried rice, of course)

While the chicken was on broil, I fired up some garlic fried rice just because it seemed like a good idea.  It made for a delicious lunch with a tall glass of chilled kalamansi juice.  I think the next time I make it, I'll add some Thai red curry in the marinade for a little kick.  The sweet and hot pepper relish I served it with did the trick too, but perhaps it would taste even better if the spices were in the marinade. 

Brie and green pepper jelly

Another simple dish to make. I love that there is pre-made puff pastry that I just need to thaw. Haha. I just wrapped brie with some green pepper jelly, popped it in a 400F oven for about 20 minutes.  Mmm delicious!

  

Hugs & Kisses

It's really quite simple...choose your favorite hershey's hugs or kisses, lay it on top of your favorite mini pretzel, melt in a 350F oven for 2 minutes, then top with another pretzel. Let cool until chocolate is set.

So good! Thanks to my friend Anne for sharing her recipe!

It just works

Although the methods and ingredients are not necessarily as authentic as I would like, this combination just worked out for a delicious (and quick) dinner.  Coming from my evening class, I didn't have much time to put a more complicated meal together.  Thus...

Warm corn tortilla + sauteed chicken, onion, and jalapenos + fresh salsa* + avocado + black beans + shredded lettuce + grated asadero/cheddar blend= happy tummy:)

* I am loving my Pampered Chef Hand Chopper (manual food processor).  Just throw in the roma tomatoes, onions, garlic, and jalapeno...give it a few pumps...add lemon juice, salt and pepper, and apple cider vinegar and it is good to go!

Quinoa Salad

I've been trying to think of how I can use some quinoa that I bought on a whim. Well, we have a faculty potluck and I thought it would be as good a time as any to experiment...

What you'll need:

360 grams (about 12.5 oz) of cooked quinoa

3/8 cup kalamata olives, pitted, halved

1 cup shredded carrots

3 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese (+ 1 Tbsp for garnish)

1 cup cherry (or grape) tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, julienne cut

1 medium cucumber, seeded, cubed

1/2 cup Greek vinaigrette (adjust for desired flavor or texture)

1 Tbsp sliced honey toasted almonds (+ 1 Tbsp for garnish)

fresh ground pepper to taste (no need for salt, feta and olives took care of that!)

Gently toss together, chill for about 30 minutes. Top with crumbled feta and almonds. Serve. Enjoy.

Easy, right?!

Easy breezy Panna Cotta

We had another potluck with our Life Group and our theme for the evening was Italian. My go-to item would have been a pasta dish or maybe bruschetta, but I decided to experiment with something different. Google is my best friend so I searched for a dessert and found this (posted by CHERYLA33 via Allrecipes.com). I decided it was easy enough but I did modify it just a little:

• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1 (.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Pour milk into a small bowl, and stir in the gelatin powder. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and sugar, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully, as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan. Pour the gelatin and milk into the cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and pour into six individual ramekin dishes.
3. Cool the ramekins uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving.

I was planning to make a wine and berry sauce, but the fruits looked delicious as is so I just served it fresh. I also ran out of time so I didn't bother turning them out onto dessert plates. They still tasted wonderful:)

Bean and avocado salad

Potluck time = kitchen experiment.

My students made the bean salad for a function once and I decided to try it out. I also had some phyllo (fillo) cups in the freezer so I decided to improvize:)

Mixed Bean Salad (modified from International Cooking by Patricia A. Heyman, 2003)

Salad:

1 cup black-eyed peas, cooked
1 cup kidney beans, cooked
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
2 avocados, peeled and cubed
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tsp dried chives

Dressing:

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 tsp ground allspice
6 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix gently so avocado does not get mushy. Refrigerate overnight. You can also serve it over mixed greens or romaine lettuce hearts.

Quick Pizza

Looking around the refrigerator for something to whip up and thought of this. I think I may have overloaded the flatout bread a little (!), but the fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and mushrooms just looked so good all nicely shingle stacked. hahaha. I wish I had more basil on hand, but oh well. Tasted good anyway!

Meat & Potatoes

I am in the Midwest, afterall. Beef, beef, and more beef.

Steak: New York strip cooked following Alton Brown's directions. The only modification was that I used Pampered Chef's Jamaican Jerk Rub.

Potatoes: Another one from my class functions:)

1 lb Baby red potatoes, cut in halves

1 Tbsp Olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 garlic cloves, minced

fresh rosemary (I put about 2 sprigs)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp lemon juice (I used kalamansi juice)

1/2 tsp sugar

Bake the potatoes until fork tender but still firm. Saute potatoes in next five ingredients until well coated and golden brown. Add lemon/kalamansi juice and sugar, toss, and serve.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I haven't made this in a long time, but I thought it was simple, delicious, and quite appropriate for a nice Valentine's dinner. Besides, why spend when you can make it at home, right?

One of John's ultimate favorites, whole wheat pasta with fresh tomato sauce, artichoke hearts, capers, mushrooms, lots of garlic, and topped with shaved parmigiano reggiano and fresh mozzarella. Followed by mixed berries cooked in red wine and reduced to about 50%, poured over low fat vanilla ice cream atop a mini angel food cake.

Bibingka cupcakes

Made from a mix, but taken up a notch (or so I'd like to think). haha.

You can't really see it from this picture, but when you bite into it, you'll taste the cottage cheese I used to give it a little texture.

breakfast at dinner

John was craving for an omelet so I decided to make it for dinner. I sautéed some garlic, onions, tomatoes, button mushrooms, Canadian bacon, and maple ham for the filling then topped it with grated extra sharp cheddar cheese. Didn't have a chance to take a picture before we devoured them:) Even if it was super simple, it hit the spot, especially with a glass of chilled white merlot:) It was, as a friend here says, "Mighty fine!"

But I did get a picture of dessert:) I made a low fat vanilla yogurt and triple berry parfait. Really easy, really inexpensive. I just layered thawed berries, yogurt, and apple cinnamon granola. Yum!

you want?

I bought the basic dessert shell that is sold pre-made at Walmart then topped it with a wine-berry reduction. Basically I cooked the berries in orange juice and Australian Shiraz. I crushed the berries, let the sauce thicken a bit, then I filled the cake cup with the pulpy portion. Topped it with low-fat, slow-churned vanilla bean ice cream. Then poured the rest of the sauce. hehehehe.

It was delish! Even better with a cup of coffee...hmmm.

I should do this again. Maybe write the measurements for the ingredients next time.

Pineapple Mango Salsa and Wonton Chips

Pineapple Mango Salsa

Mix the following ingredients:
1. 6 pc roma tomatoes, diced
2. 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
3. 1/2 yellow onion, diced [or 1/4 red onion, diced]
4. about a handful of fresh cilantro (maybe about 20 sprigs), chopped [or 1 tsp dried cilantro]
5. 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, diced [or about 10 slices of the pickled jalapeno sold in a jar]
6. 1 fresh, ripe mango, diced
7. 1 can pineapple chunks, juice included [john loves pineapples so i usually use the 20 oz can]
8. 1 clove garlic, chopped (or 1 tsp of the bottled chopped garlic)
9. 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional for more heat)
10. 1/4 tsp basil
11. 1 tsp sugar
12. 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
13. 2 Tbsp lemon juice
14. 1 Tbsp olive oil
15. salt and pepper to taste

Wonton Chips

1. On a baking tray, spread about 9 pcs of square wonton wrappers per batch
2. Lightly spray with baking oil (pam or the olive oil spray. you can also dab olive oil with your fingers but very LIGHTLYor else it will be soggy)
3. Season lightly with salt, freshly cracked black pepper, garlic powder (if you don't like garlic, don't add this)...basically you can experiment with this. I added chili powder and a bit of lemon pepper. for another batch, i added italian seasoning
4. Bake in 300F oven--if you've preheated, it only needs about 3-4 minutes. Watch closely depending on the wrapper that you bought because some burn faster than others. Once it turns a nice golden brown, take it out and transfer on a plate.

If you don't want to make the chips, the salsa goes with pretty much anything! I also use it as a topping for fried fish or porkchop.

Recipe series #2

These are some recipes/experiments I've recently passed on to my best friends. A couple of them have tried too and it's confirmed--the recipes are do-able and fool proof:) hhahahaha. I'm basically doing a copy-and-paste from emails, so hope you understand the recipe narratives for some instead of the usual standard recipes. hahaha

Sorry no pics this time!

BANANA BREAD (this has been in my notebook and I don't know where I got it)

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (the original recipe called for 1 cup white sugar)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla (I use McCormick pure vanilla extract)
1 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cup flour

1. mix melted butter into mashed bananas.
2. add sugar, egg, and vanilla. mix until well blended.
3. sprinkle baking soda, salt
4. add flour and mix (I just used a fork for all of this!!! no need for mixer!)

Pour into loaf pan (fill pan about 3/4 because it will rise) or muffin pans. Bake for 1 hour (or until golden brown) at 350F. If you bake in smaller portions (like if you cook in multiple smaller loaf tins), then definitely it will take less time to bake. Use the toothpick test to see if it is cooked. Insert toothpick at thickest part of bread and it should come out clean. John's fave way to eat this is with coffee and vanilla ice cream--especially when it is right out of the oven.

OVEN BAKED CHICKEN (tossed this together for dinner one day. It ended up tasting a bit like lechon manok! Sana I had some Mang Tomas!)

I thawed some chicken thighs and drumsticks. While in the ziploc, I added some soy sauce and orange juice (siguro 1:1. Nadine didn't have orange juice so she used pineapple juice. She said it tasted good rin). I let that marinate while I was thawing. When it was ok na, I emptied the chicken and marinade into the bowl and rubbed some steak seasoning and black pepper on it. I wrapped each one individually in foil (parang yung pagbalot kung sandwich)--give a bit of room for the juices. Then I threw it on a baking pan, 400F, 45 minutes. The foil kept it moist. Plus since may konting fat, parang na fry/bake sya in its own juice kaya sarap! If you like the skin a bit crunchy, open the foil the last 15 minutes and then broil for last 2 minutes (Gladys tried this and it was good).


HONEY MUSTARD COLESLAW (got tired of making the mayo-based coleslaw, so I tossed this together instead)

Mix the following ingredients:
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp mustard
3-4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (eyeball this depending on how sharp you want it)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 dashes celery salt
salt and pepper to taste (freshly cracked black pepper is best)

Toss dressing with 1/2 fresh cabbage, thinly sliced into strips and about 2 Tbsp of raisins.


THAI-ish CHICKEN WRAP/SALAD [wala akong maisip na name eh]

Ingredients:
1 cup pre-cooked grilled chicken breasts strips
1/4 onion, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil/low cal butter, etc
sesame seeds (optional--kakikayan ko lang to)
salt & pepper to taste

flatbread wraps (or any type of wrap pwede) and/or
salad greens (today we used the Mediterranean blend. I think any lettuce/spinach blend will do)
mandarin oranges (depends how much you like it)

Dressing: (some left over so you may want to cut recipe in half)
1/2 cup A-1 steak sauce
2 tsp peanut butter (any kind will do--you may want to adjust this depending on how crunchy, creamy, etc your peanut butter is)
1 Tbsp honey (can probably use brown sugar--may also want to lessen this depending on taste. I suggest add 1 tsp at a time)
1 tsp tabasco (adjust according to taste)
chili flakes (optional--for extra umph)
3 dashes powdered ginger
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp sesame oil

Procedure
Sauce: basically mix all ingredients and adjust taste.

Filling: Saute chicken and onion in oil/butter (or heat in 2 tbsp of water if you don't want oil). Season with salt and pepper. Toss in about 2 tsp of sauce. Set aside.

Assembly (may be served as a salad or a filling for a wrap):
On a bed of lettuce/salad greens, add mandarin oranges, and top with chicken. Serve with dressing on the side. Labas nya parang asian style chicken fajita. hehehe

In fairness masarap sya...the spicier the better! hehehe. Siempre experiment lang to, I modified a recipe I saw. hehehehe. I wrote naman the changes I made, but yung iba, depende na sa taste. so make sure you taste along the way!

If you modify, tell me what you do, hokey?


MOCK PEKING (thanks to my buddy Dawn for the original recipe. I've modified a bit since then, but she's the one who introduced this to me.)

2 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 chicken breast fillets, minced/ground
1/2 lb ground lean pork (if ground pork is not lean, decrease olive oil or render/drain fat)
2 tsp brown sugar
1 cup carrots, minced
1/2 cup shiitake, minced
1/2 turnip, minced (if you don't have any, you can use about 1 cup water chestnuts, minced)
2 Tbsp soy sauce (adjust as needed)
3Tbsp Hoisin sauce
Iceberg or romaine lettuce cups

1. Saute turnips in 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp sesame oil until semi-dry and crunchy. set aside.
2. Saute onions, garlic, pork, and chicken in remaining olive oil.
3. When meat is brown, add back turnips, and other ingredients (except hoisin sauce)
4. Season with soy sauce, ground pepper, and 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce. Let stand for 5-10 minutes until meat is fully cooked. If meat is too dry, try to add a bit of water--like a Tbsp at a time. Adjust seasoning to desired flavor. Set aside.
5. For sauce, mix remaining hoisin sauce, 2Tbsp water, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and sesame oil.

To serve: scoop filling (about 1 Tbsp or more if you want) onto lettuce leaf. Top with sauce.


PESTO (John's bandmates' ultimate favorite request...hahaha)

Throw the following into a blender (or if you have a magic bullet, that's even better):
-2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves--if you go to the produce section in WalMart, this is roughly equivalent to one pack of the fresh basil)
-1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (or substitute walnuts, cashew, or peanuts)
-2 cloves garlic crushed (or more. depends on how strong you want the kick)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1/3 cup grated parmesan

This serves 4 so adjust accordingly:) Also, sometimes I like to finish it off with a bit of heavy cream after I've tossed the pesto with the pasta (personal choice is angel hair, wheat if you can find it).

If you have extra pesto sauce, you can save it and use on toasted bread as a side to your traditional red or white sauce pasta. You can also toss some grilled chicken breast cubes in a bit of the sauce and serve over green salad.

You can keep the sauce in the ref in a tightly sealed container for up to 1 week. If you don't think you'll use it that fast, freeze it. It will last up to 1 month.

Ok, that should keep you busy for a while:) Next time I cook something yummy, I have to remember to take a photo. hahaha

happy cooking!

Recipe please!!!

I am so excited that my best friends are now discovering the wonders of their kitchens :) More and more, they ask me for easy to do recipes that they can attempt to do on their own (instead of waiting for me to cook it for them...hahahaha). So, they've suggested that I keep track of the stuff I make so that they could experiment as well. This one's for you, girls!

Fair warning, though, I often don't write recipes the way you would find them in cookbooks or magazines. If I'm just preparing it for two, I usually eyeball the measurements. You'll need to experiment on your own to get the flavor balance as you would like it. The "recipe" and narrative for what I whipped up tonight is below...

Asian Pear and Broccoli Slaw

Simply toss the following ingredients together:

2 cups broccoli slaw mix (if you're in the States, you can find this at WalMart. If not, you can use regular slaw mix--cabbage cut into thin strips and julienne carrots)

1 Asian Pear, cubed (if you're not in a rush, you can julienne them too. If you don't have Asian pears, regular anjou pears or fuji apples will do)

2Tbsp blackberry walnut dressing (I've tried it with raspberry dressing too and it's pretty good. I think any fruit-based vinaigrette will work)

grape tomatoes (Or you can cut up regular tomatoes...cubes will be okay to match the pears)--this is optional, and you can vary the amount

Chopped nuts (I used pecan for this since it's the one I had on hand. Walnuts, almonds, or even sunflower seeds will work)

Shaved or shredded parmesan (optional, but it really just tastes better with it)

Salt and pepper to taste if preferred.

Flat Bread Pizza

I used the whole grain Light Flat Out Wraps available at the deli section at WalMart. I was intrigued by this product so I decided to try it. If you can't find it anywhere, I'm pretty sure that other whole wheat (or honey wheat) wrap-type products will work. Maybe even a pita-type bread will do (split it in half if it's too thick).

Toppings (per pizza):
1 Tbsp marinara sauce (I didn't have any pizza sauce on hand. hahaha)

feta crumbles (how much you put really is up to you. Some don't even like feta so you may feel like omitting it). If I was back home, I think I would love to try this with kesong puti! hehehe

spinach leaves (again, you can put as much or as little as you please)

pepperoni slices (I just thought I'd throw it on there. Gotta have some protein!)

shredded cheese (I used a store-bought blend of parmesan, asiago, romano, and provolone--again, it's what I had in the ref. You can use whatever you have--mozzarella, swiss, gouda, mild cheddar... the options are endless!)

other optional toppings (wish I had some on hand)--mushroom slices, black olives, green peppers, artichoke hearts, or whatever vegetable you feel like putting! hahaha

Bake for about 10 minutes at 350F (or until you see the edges browning. I cooked it until it was crisp because I like the crunch to it. You might want to retain the bread-like feel, so you can take it out of the oven as soon as the cheese melts and the pepperoni looks done)

Lastly...ENJOY!

If you try it out, let me know how it turns out!

c^3

Dahil na inspire ako kay Dawn....

With a very willing test panel, I endeavored to make chocolate chip cookies today. My friend kept telling me that it's really easy to make, and so I did:) I used a recipe from Derby Dining Center. Easy access to freshly baked cookies was definitely one of the perks of working for Derby! hahahahaha...I love that they actually have the recipe on line! If you like chewy chocolate chip cookies, get your baking gear and try this one out:)

Yield: 4 to 5 Dozen 2" Cookies

2/3 Cup Shortening (Part Butter or Margarine)
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Mix thoroughly in bowl of electric mixer.

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Combine in a large mixing bowl. Blend well. Add to dry ingredients and mix until well blended.

1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts
1 (6 Oz) Package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (1 Cup)

Fold into dough. Drop rounded teaspoonsful of dough about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in 350^oF, 8-10 minutes, or until delicately browned. Cool slightly before removing from baking sheet. Cool on wire racks. Store in tightly sealed containers at room temperature.

Note: Nuts may be omitted if desired.

---

This recipe compliments of Kansas State University Dining Services