Piña Colada Popsicles

Ackowlegement:
This popsicle recipe was provided by
Lazy Luau. Go to EBay and search for
her as a vendor to buy her popsicle molds
and printout of her recipe.

Here's a recipe for Piña Colada Popsicles.
Its definitely meant for kids.
For grown ups, I suppose you can add Bacardi Rhum
to give it some spirit.

Piña Colada Popsicles Recipe :

1 (5 ounce) can pineapple chunks in light syrup
1 (10.5) ounce can coconut milk
2 bananas, peeled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz it to create a puree consistency.
Pour mixture into popsicle molds. Freeze for a few hours usually 2 - 3 hours.
When ready, remove from molds and serve.

Popsicles for a hot summer day

Summer is upon us in our part of the world! The searing heat, the dry,
oven like puff of heat that fills the air has got to call for some way
to cool us down, specially my kids.

The abundance of summer fruits such strawberries, cantaloupes,
Watermelons, mango abound in the Market.

What better way to cool down from the Summer heat than to suck
on these frozen popsicles treats made with fresh fruits like a 5 yr old kid?

Lately, I've been buying boxes upon boxes of Otter Pops
from Cosco Warehouse market. These products are nothing
but plastic tubes, that contains sugar water and artifical flavoring like
orange, strawberry, cantaloupe, mint, lemon-lime, etc... fruit flavor.

My three kids, and together with their playmates
would place these popsicle products in the freezer
overnight then take them out the following day
and sip and suck these frozen cool treats with pleasure on
hot and thirst triggering Summer days.

To me, these popsicles are nothing but artificial flavor,
sugar which is something I prefer my kids or
their playmates not to get used to. Not healthy for their teeth, I must say.

Well, its time I made my own Popsicles that I had better control
of the ingredients put in these cold treats.

I'll be posting a series of Popsicle recipes for the days to come
as I make them.

Strawberry Banana Posicles will be the first recipe and provided below.

Acknowlegement:

I would like to acknowlege Lazy Luau (the vendor
whom I bought my popsicle molds at in EBay) for sharing her Popsicle recipes
where these Popsicle Recipes were based from.

Accoriding to her, she used these Pospicle recipes
while raising her two sons. Thanks :-) .

Strawberry Banana Popsicle

Ingredients:

-1 cup bananas
-1/2 cup plain yogurt
-1 -1 /2 cups fresh and ripe strawberries, leaves taken out, and quartered
-1 (13.5 ounce) can crushed pineapples
-2/3 cups evaporated milk

Preparation procedure
-Put all the ingredients in a blender and blitz them until smooth puree is attained.

-Fill popsicle molds and poke the mold's stick in the middle.

-Put the popsicle in the freezer upright and freeze for a few hours.

-Take out and enjoy!

Poem: You Are Gone by Justin Sinlao

I just wanted to share a poem written by my son Justin.
Justin wrote this poem as a tribute to his best friend McKinley.
McKinley lived in our neighborhood. They were so close to
each other like brothers, but then one day,
for some personal reason McKinley had to leave the
the neighborhood without a trace.

***************

You Are Gone
by Justin K. Sinlao

The flowers are blooming
And winter is gone
Summer has come
But you are gone

I wish you were here
I miss you so much
I think about you no matter what
Weather in my dreams
Or in my thought

I think about you
And how I miss you so much.

Coconut Shrimp and Cucumber salad over a Rice Pilaf

I got the inspiration for this dish from
Chef Dave Lieberman's Spicy Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Mango Basil salsa and
Lime Jasmin Rice recipe in Food Network website.

I didn't have ripe Mango, and my kids tolerate spicy foods poorly
so I was in a mood for modification of the original recipe.

I used cucmuber as a Salad side dish instead as a Salsa.
I deseeded the Korean Pepper to take away the spiciness of the dish.
I also added half a cup of Sprite to add a sweet tone to the dish.

My shrimps were already shelled and deveined so that was a real time saver.
I usually limit my cooking time 30 - 45 minutes
since my kids get impatient about waiting for dinner.

Here are the components of the dish:

Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serving Yield: four


-Coconut shrimp and its sauce

-cucumber salad side dish

-Rice Pilaf

Ingredients and Cooking Procedure for each component is provided below.


Coconut shrimp and its sauce ingredients:
-2 pounds shrimps, peeled and deveined
-2 peppers (I used Korean peppers) deseeded and chopped
-5 cloves of garlic, minced
-zest of one lime
-a bunch of basil leaves torned
-1/2 cup coconut milk
-1/2 cup Sprite or Mountain Dew soda (soft drink)
-2 tablespoon vegetable oil
-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 20 grinds from a pepper mill
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- ginger the size of a thumb, peeled and grated using a microplane



cucumber salad side dish ingredients:
-1 cucumber, unpeeled, cubed into small peices
-10 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
-10 cilantro (wansuy) leaves, coarsely chopped
-2 lime juiced
-salt and ground pepper


Rice Pilaf ingredients:
- 3 tablespoon peanuts
- 1- 1/2 cups rice, washed and drained
- 4 cups Chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon of chopped butter
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 bunch onion greens (white and green portion) sliced thinly
- fresh ground pepper
- fresh thyme, 4 sprigs
- 2 cloves of garic, smashed and coarsely chopped

Cooking Procedure:

For the Shrimps, prepare and marinade for up to four hours:
In a mixing bowl combine the chopped peppers, minced grated ginger,
brown sugar, soy sauce, lime zest, coconut milk, Sprite, basil, vegetable oil, salt and pepper.
Blend and dissolve thoroughly. Add the shrimp to the bowl. cover the bowl with a plastic cling film,
put in the bowl into the refrigerator and marinate for up to four hours.


Prepare the salad side dish:
Combine the cubed cucumbers, basil leaves, cilantro, lime juice. Season with salt and pepper
to taste.


Prepare Rice Pilaf. (see procedure below)

When the shrimps are ready to be cooked, heat a skillet over high heat.
If using a regular skillet, put 2 tablespoon of oil on the pan.
use a tong to remove to remove the shrimps from the marinade and
place on the skillet being careful that they don't overlap.
Do NOT throw the marinade.

Turn the shrimps over to the other side when each side turns pinkish.
Do not cook longer than 5 minutes so they are tender. The last two minutes of cooking time, sprinkle
with minced garlic. toss the pan. Transfer the cooked shrimps on a plate.

In the same pan, add the marinade. Turn flame on stove on medium heat.
Let boil until the marinade is thick about 5 minutes.

To Serve do the following:

Put a mound of Rice Pilaf on the dish.
carefully lay the shrimps on top of the Rice Pilaf being conscious of presentation.
carefully pour the coconut sauce on top of the shrimps, rich and around the rice mound.
Use a spoon to put the cucumber salad at the side of the mound of rice Pilaf.


********
Rice Pilaf Cooking Procedure:

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium pan.Add the smashed garlic and stir often to prevent it from burning.
Add the chopped peanuts and stir often with a wooden spoon or else it will burn. When the peanuts has turned brown,
add the drained rice grains to the pan. Add the stick of butter. Stir occasionally until the rice has turned brown.
Stir in the Chicken Stock. Let it boil then lower the heat to low setting. Cover the pan (the steam is what is needed to cook the rice).
Add more liquid as needed to soften the rice.

Remove the rice from the heat source. sprinkle with chopped onion leaves. season with salt and pepper as needed.

Sinampalukang Manok

I planned on Cooking another classic Filipino Dish - Chicken Tinola
for lunch except that I was in the mood for some experimentation.

I tried this Sinamalukang Manok dish from Mama Sita Fourth
generation cookbook ISBN 971-91219-0-4. The dish's sauteed
tomatoes, Onions, garlic, and ginger compounded by the
acid flavor of tamarind gives me the impression that this dish
originated from the Tagalog region.

As usual, I modified the recipe and provided below. It is a nice departure
from Chicken tinola that I was accustomed to eating from
my childhood days up to the present.

Here's my take on Sinampalukang Manok:

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp cooking oil
4 lbs. mixture of Chicken Thighs and Chicken wings
1 piece tomato chopped
2 (thumb sized) Ginger julienned
1 piece Onion chopped
4 tablespoon garlic minced
4 tbsp Tamarind base (Sinigang Mix) Powder
1 cup Green beans (AKA Baguio beans, French beans) cut 3 inches length
2 cups Chayote (Sayote) Squash cubed
2 cups Sili leaves or any green leafy vegetable
3 cups water
Patis (Asian Fish Sauce) to taste

Directions:
1. Cut the Chicken thighs to serving pieces using a butchers knife. Season the cut up chicken thighs and wings with salt and ground pepper.

2. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat cooking oil. Heat oil until it barely starts to smoke.

3. Fry the chicken pieces in batches. Turn the chicken pieces over using a tong. Transfer them to a plate when cooked.

4. In the same pot, saute garlic until sightly brown (burned garlic tastes bitter). Add the chopped onions until it turns opaque followed by the ginger.

5. Add the chopped tomato and saute until it start to thicken as in a paste.

6. Returned the cooked chicken pieces to the pot.

7. Add the water to the pot. Adjust the water by adding some more such
that the chicken pieces are barely covered.

8. Season the dish with Fish sauce.

9. Add the tamarind base powder.

10. Cover the pot, simmer in low heat for another 10 minutes.

11. Uncover the pot, and add the Chayote, green bean cook uncovered for another 5 minutes.

12. Turn off the heat and add the Sili leaves.

13. Serve warm with freshly cooked steamed rice.

Busy workperson’s Pochero

-Dish modification by Julius Sinlao

Pochero, is a Filipino stew dish with definite Spanish influence. With a rich combination of vegetables such as carrots, potato, cabbage, ‘saba’ banana, chopped onions, minced garlic, and meat such as brisket beef, and Chorizo de Bilbao (One of Spain's most popular cooking chorizo sausages) this dish is a definite delight after a tiring day at work.

I followed PinoyCook.net Pochero recipe. Click here to view the Recipe. I modified Connie Veneracion’s recipe to utilize the 3 1/2 quart slow cooker. I also decreased the ingredients size in order to accommodate the dish in a Slow cooker. I titled it “Busy workperson’s Pochero” because it utilizes a slow cooker,and could be convenient and tasty dish for (who else) the busy person.

Prepare the dish 30 minutes before leaving for work. Let it sit in the slow cooker at low setting all day. By the time you arrive home from work, the dish is ready to be served.

I’m forced to rewrite the whole cooking procedure since I decreased the ingredient amount; omitted an ingredient or two , and modified some of her procedures. Here’s my take on PinoyCook.net’s Pochero:

Serving: five

Ingredients:

5 ounces (2 sticks) of Chorizo de Bilbao

3 pounds brisket steak

1 white medium onion chopped

2 tablespoon garlic

2 plump tomatoes chopped

2 carrots coarsely chopped

1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste

1 - 15 ounce can tomato sauce

4 bay (laurel) leaves

4 pieces Saba Banana sliced 2 inch

Cabbage coarsely sliced

Salt and ground pepper for seasoning

Cooking Procedure:

1. In a frying pan, heat cooking until it is barely starts to smoke (not profusely smoking).

2. Sear the Brisket steak on the frying pan to seal in the juices in the meat. About 4 minutes each side.

3. Let the steak rest on a draining grate or a plate for about 5 to 10 minutes to allow it to cool down and allow the juices to circulate in the steak.

4. Cut the brisket to 1 inch cube.

5. Cut the vegetables to desired size.

6. In the slow cooker, place the vegetable and meat in layers, those longer to cook a the bottom most in this order:

· Bottom most layer: potato cubes

· Carrots

· Chopped onions and minced garlic

· Chopped tomatoes

· Saba bananas

· Brisket cubes

· Sliced Chorizo sausages

· Tomato paste

· Top most layer: Tomato sauce

7. Pour in the tomato paste and tomato sauce.

8. Add a cup of water.

9. Season with salt and ground pepper.

10. Cover the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to low setting. Connect the slow cooker to a timer. Program the timer to run for eight hours. Plug in the timer to an electrical outlet.

11. Fast forward to late afternoon/early evening. Steam or boil the string beans and sliced cabbage in a pot or steamer to tenderize it.

12. Using a slotted spoon transfer the contents of the slow cooker in a wide bowl.

13. Combine the softened string beans and cabbage in the Pochero dish.

14. Serve the dish while it is hot.

qoute of the day, 29JAN2008

Sometimes we must be Hurt in order to Grow,
Sometimes we must Fail in order to Know,
Sometimes we must Lose in order to Gain,
Because some lessons in life are best learned through PAIN...
-anonymous

qoute of the day, In life series, 22JAN2008

In life, it doesn't matter who you are
but whether someone appreciates you for what you are.

A real friend is one who walks in
when the rest of the world walks out.

-qoute from my friend Ailleen

qoute of the day, 22JAN2008

In LIFE
do not think about the PAIN
you went through,
but the lesson it taught,

not how much you have been hurt
and cried but how much
you were BLESSED and LOVED by GOD

-qoute from my friend Ailleen

Bagoongless Pinakbet

I experimented cooking Bagoongless Pinakbet today.
The title in itself might cause me to be
excommunicated of my Ilocano birthright, ahaha.

I just wanted to find a way for me to introduce
this classic Ilocano dish to my US born kids.
Who knows they could be allergic to Bagoong.


I followed PinoyCook.net's Bagoongless Pinakbet
recipe using dried herring (Tuyo) in oil as a ingredient to create
the fish base and to create that distinct pinakbet taste but without the use
of Bagoong Monamon. I also boiled Salmon heads that are easily available here in California to create the fish broth.

Otherwise, I used the usual suspect ingredients: sauteeed pork,
Pork rinds, Eggplants, okra, tomatoes, string beans, minced garlic and
chopped scallions.

Experiment result: its a good introduction to the classic Pinakbet
dish but nothing still beats the real mcoy :-).

-Julius

Sulat ni Nanay at Tatay sa Atin

Written by Rev. Fr. Ariel F. Robles
St. Augustine Parish
Baliuag, Bulacan Philippines

Sulat ni Nanay at Tatay sa Atin

Sa aking pagtanda, unawain mo sana ako
at pagpasensiyahan.

Kapag dala ng kalabuan ng mata ay nakabasag ako ng pinggan
o nakatapon ng sabaw sa hapag kainan,
huwag mo sana akong kagagalitan.
Maramdamin ang isang matanda.
Nagse-self-pity ako sa tuwing sinisigawan mo ako.

Kapag mahina na ang tenga ko at hindi ko maintindihan
ang sinasabi mo, huwag mo naman sana akong sabihan
ng 'binge!' paki-ulit nalang ang
sinabi mo o pakisulat nalang.
Pasensya ka na, anak. Matanda na talaga ako.

Kapag mahina na ang tuhod ko, pagtiyagaan mo sana akong
tulungang tumayo, katulad ng pag-aalalay ko sa iyo
noong nag-aaral ka pa lamang lumakad.

Pagpasensyahan mo sana ako kung ako man ay
nagiging makulit at paulit-ulit na parang sirang plaka.
Basta pakinggan mo nalang ako.
Huwag mo sana akong pagtatawanan o
pagsasawaang pakinggan.

Natatandaan mo anak noong bata ka pa?
kapag gusto mo ng lobo, paulit-ulit mo 'yong sasabihin,
maghapon kang mangungulit hangga't
hindi mo nakukuha ang gusto mo.
Pinagtyagaan ko ang kakulitan mo.

Pagpasensyahan mo na rin sana ang aking amoy.
Amoy matanda, amoy lupa.
Huwag mo sana akong piliting maligo.
Mahina na ang katawan ko.
Madaling magkasakit kapag nalamigan,
huwag mo sana akong pandirihan.

Natatandaan mo noong bata ka pa?
pinatyagaan kitang habulin sa ilalim ng kama
kapag ayaw mong maligo.

Pagpasensyahan mo sana kung madalas,
ako'y masungit, dala na marahil ito ng katandaan.
Pagtanda mo, maiintindihan mo rin.

Kapag may konti kang panahon,
magkwentuhan naman tayo, kahit sandali lang.
Inip na ako sa bahay, maghapong nag-iisa.
Walang kausap.

Alam kong busy ka sa trabaho,
subalit nais kong malaman mo na sabik
na sabik na akong makakwentuhan ka,
kahit alam kong hindi ka interesado sa mga kwento ko.

Natatandaan mo anak, noong bata ka pa?
Pinagtyagaan kong pakinggan at intindihin
ang pautal-utal mong kwento tungkol sa iyong teddy bear.

At kapag dumating ang sandali na ako'y magkakasakit
at maratay sa banig ng karamdaman,
huwag mo sana akong pagsawaang alagaan.

Pagpasensyahan mo na sana kung ako
man ay maihi o madumi sa higaan,
pagtyagaan mo sana akong alagaan sa mga
huling sandali ng aking buhay.
Tutal hindi na naman ako magtatagal.

Kapag dumating ang sandali ng aking pagpanaw,
hawakan mo sana ang aking kamay
at bigyan mo ako ng lakas ng loob
na harapin ang kamatayan.

At huwag kang mag-alala,
kapag kaharap ko na ang Diyos na lumikha,
ibubulong ko sa kanya na pagpalain ka sana ...
dahil naging mapagmahal ka sa iyong ama't ina...

Chicken Satay

Satay is a dish consisting of chunks or slices of dice-sized meat (chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, etc.) on bamboo skewers. These are grilled over a wood or charcoal fire, then served with various spicy seasonings. Satay is a very popular delicacy in Indonesia,Malaysia, Thailand and the Philipines.(wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satay)

I cooked Chicken Satay for dinner. I used boneless chicken thighs and some chicken breasts, placed on metal and some on bamboo skewers, and were grilled over hot charcoals. I got the boneless Chicken Thighs from Costco.

I marinated the chicken pieces for 8 hours using the Marinade mixture provided below. I made a separate batch for the dipping sauce but this time removing the Red Onions as suggested by the Recipe. I only had red onions and seem to overwhelm the taste of the marinade. Malakas ata dating nung Red Onions kaya tinangal ko na lang doon sa sawsawan (dipping sauce) batch.

For the dipping sauce, I used Connie Veneracion's Chicken Satay Sauce Recipe, and additionally used a food processor to blend the ingredients and added vegetable oil to 'dilute' and achieve the desired dipping sauce consistency.

Serving : 4 - 6

Chicken Satay

Marinade ingredients:
10 boneless chicken Thighs
1/3 cup sliced ginger
1/4 cup Onions
1 chili pepper deseeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 head garlic cloves crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 lemon juiced


Dipping Sauce Ingredients:
->See PinoyCook.net's Chicken Satay Dipping Sauce ingredients

+ 1/3 cup salad Oil

Cooking Procedure:
To make the marinade, in a food processor, process the sliced ginger, onions, garlic, chili, while pouring in the oil slowly to create a paste consistency. Sample and taste the paste to achieve the desired taste.

Cut the Chicken thighs to bite size, about 1/2 inch size.

Put the chicken into the resealable bag, add salt, and the prepared paste into the bag. Turn the bag to evenly distribute the paste then refrigerate for several hours.


Dipping Sauce:
I followed PinoyCook.net's Chicken satay Dipping sauce ingredients and cooking procedure.Click here to view the recipe.

fabulous Natural Cocunut Dessert product

Natural Coconut Dessert

(this is not an endorsement blog entry.I just wanted to share
the pleasure experienced while eating this product)



I got this natural cocunut dessert product
as a gift from a friend.

Its a product imported from Thailand.

I didn't really think much of it,
placed it in the freezer
upon arriving home and forgot about it.

The following day, I placed it in
my lunch box along with my main lunch entree
for my typcial workday lunch.

Well, this lunchtime while eating it (and
while writing this blog entry), I find delight eating
this dessert treat.

Filled with natural coconut juice, and young natural
cococnut meat, wow, it triggers memory of my
childhood days. While as a child, I loved to drink
the juice from a young coconut
and eat its meat, usually during summer vacations at
my parent's hometown in Pangasinan.

Perhaps you can try it as well and see what you think.

-Julius

Product Name: Coco glace
description: Made from real coconut
Net wight: 7.75 ounces
Product Origin: Thailand

Big Bear Sledding

January 6, 2008

I took my three kids Justin, Trevor and Kristen to Big Bear for an afternoon of sledding. Big Bear is a mountainous area in San Bernardino County here in Southern California.

A cold front hit Southern California this past weekend, and I
seized that opportunity to bring the kids to enjoy fresh snow fall and play sledding, build a snowman, or just goof around
have a snowball fight.

The place was really a winter wonderland. Its something I don't see regularly for us tiga-California and only ponder on this image of snow wonderland in Christmas Cards. Kaya feel na feel, he, he.

Big Bear is a good 132 mile drive north of San Diego so it was
a good two hour 20 minute drive.

Along the way to the sled slopes, somewhere along Freeway 30, a flashing warning sign read "Chains required in Mountainous areas".

I drove in snowy areas before, places like Lake Tahoe and Reno,
but five years of being in Southern California made me an ignoramus.
I just kept driving ignoring the warning sign.
Well lo and behold when we got to around 6500 feet above sea level, all the cars and trucks driving along the highway were pulling on the side of the road to put on their tire chains.

Well, duh! Had I been sensitive to the road warning sign I came across earlier, I wouldn't be in this predicament of not having tire chains to use to drive further up in elevation along the road.
So, I had to drive back down from the mountains to the nearest town , find a Walmart Store and buy tire chains. Moral of the story, heed warning road signs, he, he. Even life's filled with them warning signs, but that's another matter.

The kids had a great time sledding down the slopes, I must say.
They're kids at this stage of their life, and its important they
enjoy and live their childhood to the fullest di ba? I did while growing up in Baguio. Too bad snow doesn't exist in Baguio.

But, it was really cooold!! After one hour of being out in the
slopes, I had to buy four cups of hot chocolate to warm us up.
And another four cups of chocolate on our ride back home. Ang lamig talaga. After drinking the hot chocolate, all three kids dozed-off and went to sleep. They must have been tired from all the sledding activity that afternoon.

Click on the image below to see more pictures.

Vietnamese Spring-Rolls How-To

I learned how to make Vietnamese Spring Rolls
from my sister-in-law Marivic last New Year 2008 weekend.
I think she learned how to make the roll from
Vietnamese friends in the Sacramento area here in California.

Its a good change from the usual Filipino
Lumpia , Lumpia Shanghai because it is not
deep fried, or maybe an alternative to
our Filipino fresh Lumpia because its accompanying
dipping sauce tastes different. The filling can be flexible from
grilled fish to shrimps to tofu for vegetarians.
In my case, I used marinated and grilled Sturgeon fish.

The accompanying Hoisin-Peanut dipping Sauce
brought out the marvelous flavors of the spring roll.

You will need to make a trip down to the Asian Supermarket
particularly with a section dedicated to Vietnamese food ingredients
if it is a multiple Asian Food store to
hunt down needed ingredients such as Rice Vermicelli,
Rice paper, shrimp, or fish, and an assortment of vegetables and herbs.

See images below to give you an idea
what Rice Vermicelli and Rice Paper products looks like
which I used for this dish.

Other possible ingredients could be a combination of cucumber,
cilantro leaves, Mint leaves, fresh basil, carrots, or bean sprouts.

Ingredients:

1. A pack of Rice Paper rounds (see sample product below)
2. Pack of 4 ounce Rice Vermicelli noodles (see sample product below)
3. Marinated and grilled fish (I used Sturgeon fish)
4. Bunch of Cilantro (Wansuy) leaves






Vietnamese Spring Roll cooking procedure:

1. Soak the Rice Vermicelli noodles in hot water until it is soft.

2. Locate an area in the kitchen counter area wide enough to lay and roll
the Rice paper. Position a bowl of warm water within reach.

3. Soak the rice paper until it becomes soft.


4. Lay the rice paper on the flat kitchen surface.

5. Assemble the Rice Vermicelli noodles, cilantro, and grilled fish
as shown below.





6. Take the edge of the circular wrapper nearest you and use fingers to
make a roll toward the middle. While making one complete turn, pause and
take sides and flap or fold them in then finish rolling the spring roll (See photograph).


Hoisin-Peanut Dipping Sauce preparation Procedure

Here's my sister's version of a dipping sauce
for the Vietnamese Spring rolls.


4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce
2 tbsp starch
2 tsps. Malaysian chili paste (sambal oelek)
1 cups Water

Stir-fry the minced garlic for two minute or until the garlic is softened and slightly browned. Add the hoisin sauce, and
peanut butter, stir to blend then add water, and bring to a boil.
Add the starch to thicken the dipping sauce and stir with a wire whisk to dissolve the starch completely. Add the chili paste.

Transfer the dipping sauce to a bowl.

Noche Buena Cooking : Baked Macaroni with Cheese Topping

Last dish I cooked for our family Noche Buena, Christmas 2007: Baked Macaroni with Cheese Topping.

I followed PinoyCook.net's Baked Macaroni.
recipe for this dish. Click here to view the recipe.

Pretty rich but tasty. Not your everyday dish but reserved for those special occasions.

By the time I got to cooking this dish, I was already getting pretty tired
so I was rather slow in cooking it. It still made it to the 7 PM Noche Buean dinner.

Instead of the Recipe's Magnolia Quickmlet cheese, I used Velveeta Cheese
and combined it with Philadephia Cream Cheese that's easily available here in
North America.

Once again, thank you Connie Veneracion for the Recipe, mabili yung recipe mo, he, he.

-Julius

Noche Buena Cooking : Pork Barbecue

My take on Pork Barbecue:

I cooked pork barbecue for our family Noche Buena, Christmas 2007.
I followed PinoyCook.net's Home grilled pork barbecue
recipe for this dish. Click here to view the recipe.



I must say it was a hit for the grown ups with its spicy
taste and hint of citrus flavor. The kids, well they
liked it as well but had to get a glass of cold water
ready for them to drink because of its spicy after taste.


I used Vietnamese Chili Paste that comes in small jars
for the chili component of the Recipe.

For the basting sauce, I used honey instead of sugar.



I cooked this twice, first for a trial run and second
the actual Noche Buena. The second time around I forgot
to add minced garlic. A family member's comment: its more flavorful
with the minced garlic added. So, huwag kalilimutan ang bawang
sa inyong marinating at basting sauce.

Thank you Connie for the Recipe.

-Julius

Noche Buena Cooking : Sweet and Sour Lapu-lapu fish

***********
I cooked Sweet and Sour Lapu-lapu fish for our family Noche Buena, Christmas 2007.
I followed PinoyCook.net's Sweet and Sour Lapu-lapu
recipe for this dish. Click here to view the recipe.

My family liked it. It was a good variation from the meats served such as Ham or Turkey.

I had to modify the cooking procedure, instead of frying the 15 inch length Lapu-lapu fish (bought from a local Seafood market), I greased the fish’s skin with Olive Oil, wrapped in foil then grilled it. I couldn’t find a frying pan large enough to pan fry that size of a fish. The sweet and sour sauce had a good fruity sauce to complement it. -Julius

Steamed Tilapia

I made Nilagang Tilapia tonight good for a solo dinner.

Its healthy to cook by steaming and stay away from
fried foods if at all possible I guess.

Also, fish or any seafood is good for a balanced diet.

As usual I used a recipe from my favorite website:
Steamed Tilapia by PinoyCook.net.

With chopped ginger to remove the fishy odor and a distinct Asian flavor,
diced onions, crushed garlic, Soy Sauce, juice of fresh
Lemon, and served with steamed rice, this dish is heavenly.

Click here to view the Recipe.

-Julius

Slow Cooking, Chicken and Rice Casserole

If there is one thing I can't stand, its having to be
at the kitchen still on my work clothes to cook a Dinner
good for four people after a toxic day at work.

I mean who wants to stand there for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs
when you can be putting your legs up to let them rest.
Eating out is not option for me either. I like to take my time
and enjoy dinner at the comfort of my home.

Well, one Solution I'm using now is the slow cooker.

I still have to master the secrets of cooking recipes meant for the
slow cooker, but it sure is convenient to come home to a warm pot of
comfort food given the cold weather and a tiring day.

Well here's a sample slow cooker recipe.
Not a Filipino dish but a Spanish Paella dish.





The dish has the familiar chopped Onions and minced garlic
as base that is common in Filipno ginisa dishes, bit it takes off
with Chicken thighs, sauteed bell pepper, bacon bits, Chicken stock,
oregano, kasubha, and lots of rice.

Interested in the Recipe?

Noche Buena Food Blog

Have you checked out the Noche Buena Blog
by Connie Veneracion yet? I'm so excited,
I just had to share it.

Click on the URL below to be transferred to
her Christmas Food blog. Go to:
http://www.pinoycook.net/nochebuena/

-Julius

Delayed Entry- Kristen's Fourth Birthday 2007

Delayed entry:

November 4, 2007

We celebrated Kristen's fourth Birthday today November 4, 2007 at home.
I guess it was just a simple celebration. I invited some close friends , Ate Christine and Kuya Chito, Kuya Raul, Joan and kids,some neighbor's kids, and served a fare of home cooked dishes. It was enough to commemorate my dear Kristen's fourth Birthday.

Happy Birthday my dear Kristen. May you God bless you with more birthdays as you grow up.

Click on the image to see more pictures.




-Julius

Guinatang Bilo-bilo

Back during my childhood years, I regard Bilo-bilo
as my favorite dessert after dinner
or merienda on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
Laden with tapioca balls, bilo-bilo balls,
kamote (sweet potato), lanka (jack fruit), and gata (coconut milk)
it is indeed a gastronomical delight.

I made a pot full for the kids tonight.
They were delighted with the sweet dessert.

You know, I look at food as one way of passing
my Filipino culture to my US born kids.
Later when they grow up, they'll look
back to food as a way to identify with their
Filipino culture.

Well, my version of bilo-bilo is not any different from the
bilo-bilo recipes available on the Internet. I used Connie Veneracion's
Pinoy Cook.net Bilo-bilo Recipe with some slight variation.
I added Jack fruit on my Bilo-bilo otherwise everything else follows her Recipe.

Click here to view the Recipe.

I'm providing a more detailed procedure to make Bilo-bilo for folks
out there who can't buy Galapong or bilo-bilo in the local Market.

Bilo-bilo balls:



Ingredients:

1 cup glutinus rice flour
1/3 cup water

Bilo-bilo procedure:
1. In a bowl of rice flour, gradually add water while using hands to clump flour
into a dough ball.

2. Wrap the rice flour dough ball with cling film and
let rest for 20 - 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

3. Sprinkle Rice flour in a flat surface.

4. shape bilo-bilo balls from the dough, about 1/4 inch diameter.

5. Roll the formed bilo-bilo unto the floured surface.

6. Store the formed bilo-bilo balls on a flat plate and resume with the rest of the recipe.

Pampano Wrapped in Banana leaves with Ginger, Cilantro, Chile, and Coconut Milk for dinner

I cooked Jamie oliver's* Recipe: Monkfish Wrapped in Banana leaves with Ginger, Cilantro, Chile, and Coconut
Milk and what a seafood delightc was this dish.

Here's a link to the Recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_19207,00.html

With the Recipe's unmistakable Asian ingredients, I suspect Jamie discovered this dish on one of his trips to Thailand (just a guess).



I got my ingredients such as fresh Pampano fish, wansuy leaves (cilantro), Patis (fish sauce), tanglad (lemon grass), ginger,
banana leaves (yes we buy banana leaves here in North America while it just grows anywhere in the
Philippines),juice and zest of limes, red chili, a can of coconut milk, sesame oil from our reliable Seafood City Market.
Although, I'm sure you can get all these ingredients in a wet or seafood market.
Any white meat fish such as Tilapia, Mahi-Mahi, Sea Bass, or Catfish will do for this recipe.

To serve it, I made individual fish wrapped in the banana leaves and serve it in a plate with steamed rice. Allow the diner
to open the individually banana wrapped fish.

Try this dish! You'll really love the aroma, and of course the taste of fresh fish.





*Jamie Oliver is a well known cook in the UK. He had a show titled "The Naked chef" shown in Food Network
years ago but I think it has since been discontinued.

Trinnie's Chicken Pastel

You might ask who Trinnie is and what is Chicken Pastel. Trinnie's one of my online friends, hails from Cavite Philippines. She shared and asked me to try cook her recipe. Since she describes the recipe to me through Yahoo Messenger chat session, then there is no way for her to quality control (QC) what I’ve cooked whether it was cooked according to her specifications.

Obviously, she can't QC it because a large Ocean divides us.
Well maybe in the future, I'll cook this in the Philippines and ask her to
taste and give me a feedback whether I paid tribute or made disservice to the dish.

Chicken breasts in a thick cream sauce, reminds e of Cream of Chicken
or Chicken a La King. Try it sometime. She describes it, it is pretty special and rich. Trinnie, for now, you would have to take my cooking of the dish at face value.


Ingredients:
3 tablespoon Butter
1 onion chopped
2 chicken Buillon cubes
2 pounds of Chicken Breasts cut into 3 inch strips
1 four ounce can of Cream (Nestle Cream)
½ cup Cheese, shredded
½ cup carrots

Cooking Procedure:

1) In a pot, melt butter in low heat.
2) Add and Saute the carrots and celery until cooked.
3) Transfer the vegetables in a small plate and keep warm.
4) In the same pan, saute the onions in melted butter still in low heat.
3) Saute the chicken breasts in the melted butter.
4) Add the Chicken Buillon cubes to season the Chicken.
5) Simmer the Chicken until it starts to sweat.
6) Mix in the Cream, stirring often so it doesn’t stick to the pan
7) Return the vegetables to the pan.
8) Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
9) Shred the cheese on top and stir.

Food for the gods for the Holidays

Finally, I tried my hand in making Food for the gods cake.

The fragrant aroma and sweet taste of this cake reminds me of the Holidays.
It reminds me of another cake, the Fruit Cake which as a child came this time
of the year - Christmas time and New Year.

I always get little squares of Food for the gods wrapped in foil
whenever I visit my sister-in-law Ate Marivic. Well its about time
I demystify and explore the how-to's in making this cake.

I used PinoyCook.net - Connie Veneracion's Food for the gods and Christmas Cake recipe. Click here to view her recipe.

One of the ingredients Molasses, I had to buy in a gourmet food specialty store.
The other ingredients pretty much you can get from a regular grocery market such as butter, eggs, baking powder, brown sugar, vanilla, raisins, mixed nuts, pancake syrup, alcohol such as rum , brandy or whiskey.

It wasn't hard to make this cake at all. I was just be mindful of the cake while its baking. After 20 minutes, I made sure it wasn't burning , and checked on it every ten minutes. Total baking time: forty minutes.

Also, it takes time to make it. Total time to make the cake: one day. I had to moisten the cake with the syrup-whiskey mixture with a brush, every one to two hours throughout the day. But, its worth the wait to enjoy this marvelous cake. After the syrup mixture was used up, I cut up the cake in small squares, and placed it in a cookie jar. I'll see the reaction of the kids when they get back today.

Here's a couple pictures of cake in the making:

combining flour with the coarsley chopped nuts and raisins




brushing pancake Syrup/Whiskey on the cake

Buffalo Chicken Wings with my flair-Julius, 20NOV2007

I decided to make Buffalo Chicken Wings
with my flair.

Why Buffalo you might ask? Well, the original
Buffalo wings were invented in Buffalo New York, I suppose.

Think of Buffalo Wings and it stirs memory
of Beer Pubs, bars filled with smoke, or as a side dish
at Pizza Parlors, expensive and can't seem to have
enough.

My kids love to eat them as a pulutan (finger food)
while playing their favorite video games ,
watching their favorite cartoons on a cold rainy day.
They smother the chicken with Blue Cheese dressing,
and while eating it get the Buffalo Wing Sauce and dressing
all over their face and shirt. Kids, will always be kids, he, he.

Here's my version of Buffalo Chicken Wings, with a touch
of Asian spice using Sambal Oelek, a Malaysian Chili paste.
I also put in Sesame Oil for fragrance and sesame seeds.

I was inspired from a Food Network
Show, Chef Bobby Flay's Showdown with Drew Cerza, a
famous cook of Buffalo New York. Both have their own versions
of what a spicy Chicken Wings should be, and I somewhat combined both
their rendition of this famous finger food into the recipe below.
Click here for Drew Cerza's Bourbon Street Buffalo Wings recipe and
here for chef Bobby Flay's Hot wings for Blue Cheese-Yogurt Sauce.

Here's my version of Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese sauce:

Ingredients:

1 pack chicken wings about 3 pounds, wing tip removed and split at the joint

Sauce ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
14 ounces Sambal Oelek chili paste
12 ounces dark barbecue sauce
Frying oil such as Peanut Oil
cilantro (wansuy) leaves, for garnish
Celery sticks or Jicama sticks

5 ounces Blue Cheese
A bottle of Ranch Dressing

Sauce preparation:

1. In a sauce pan, melt butter.
2. Saute the garlic, followed by the onions.
3. Add the vinegar, brown sugar, and whisk in sambal oelek paste, just enough to melt the sugar.
4. Add a dash of Sesame oil, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
5. Remove mixed sauce from heat and transfer to a bowl.

Chicken preparation:

1. Put Oil into a frying pan and heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit on the thermometer.

2. Prepare the chicken wings by removing the wing tip
and split at the joint using a butcher's knife.

3. Place the chicken in a bowl and season the wings with salt and pepper.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

5. Coat the chicken wings by putting the wings into the dry four mixure
a peice at a time.

6. Deep fry the coated chicken wings into the hot pan of oil,
a batch at a time, about 6 to 8 minutes each batch.

7. Put the cooked chicken wings on a plate covered with paper towel to drain the grease.

8. Coat the cooked chicken wings with the sauce by putting it into the bowl of Chcken Wings sauce
prepared earlier.

9. Transfer to a serving plate.


Blue Cheese dipping sauce and Celery/Jicama sticks:

1. Put the Ranch dressing into a serving sauce bowl.

2. Use a shredder to garnish the Blue cheese into the dipping sauce.

3. Chop the cilantro leaves and garnish the Blue Cheese dipping sauce.

4. Put the Blue Cheese dipping sauce bowl beside the chicken wings.

5. Neatly arrange the Celery or Jicama sticks at a corner of the Serving plate.

Secrets to a juicy and tasty Steak

I cooked New York Steak today. Everyone who ate it complemented it and asked why it it so juicy and tender.

According to Food Up Blog, a New York steak is cut from the short loin area next to the tenderloin. They continue on to say that this is another great steak—good beefy flavor, and tender meat.

My cut up New York steak with Mushroom Sauce gravy and freshly chopped mushrooms.



Yet part of the trick to a juicy and tender steak is the method of how you cook it.