Today's dinner was an easy to fix meal for 5. I had half a bag of frozen meatballs from IKEA, 2 large bell peppers and 1 large sweet onion, so I searched for a recipe with these ingredients. From the three recipes that I liked, I ended up using this one from Yummly (how can you go wrong when the site is named like that?):
Easter is a beautiful celebration of life, love and salvation. Thus I decided to honor this holy day by making a zesty, tasty Lemon Bundt Cake and a huge pan of Asian Noodle Salad. We also had lovely Spring weather so I was finally able to wear this beaut of a dress from H&M which I bought eons ago :)
The first time I heard of the bundt cake was from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Here's the hilarious clip to refresh your memory:
Bundt cakes are named so because of the pan they're baked in, which characteristically has a hole/tube in the middle (this provides for a more even heat distribution). They're easier to divide, and everyone will have an equal amount of frosting area/slice! Hurrah! Although I am warning you, if you slather a thick type of frosting on top, it will look like a giant doughnut. More on that in the next post ;)
Alas, dear reader, I forgot which recipe I used, so I'm posting links to similar ones instead. Here's the cake I made :) (so good, you have to try it!)
"Lemme At It" Lemon Bundt Cake
I sprinkled gold sugar and lemon zest on top of the lemon-flavored frosting for a touch of whimsy :)
I first had this when my Ma took home some leftovers from an Asian-themed lunch party that my little bro had at his old school. It was love at first bite, I can tell you that - I'm a huge fan of noodles, sesame oil and veggies, and this was a wicked combination of those three! I decided to try out the promising "Dang Cold Asian Noodle Salad" recipe by Guy Fieri from the show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" (where he samples food from mom-and-pop places in the ol' US of A). What I love about this dish is that it is so easy to prepare! Soba noodles (made with buckwheat flour) take just 6 minutes to cook, and you basically just mix the noodles with the sauce and veggies. The End. Here it is paired with a drumstick from Bon Chon:
That's all for now, my bed is telling me that it's time to catch some Zzz's! I hope I dream of oodles of bowls of noodles and plates of lemony bundt goodness *sigh*
Ta-ta for now and God bless you!
Special thanks to Jomar for being my sous-chef, you were sous-perb!
I am not a naturally gifted cook. I can't whip up an edible dish from seemingly incompatible ingredients like the talented contestants on the show Chopped (case in point: an appetizer made out of chicken wings, soba noodles, celery, and string cheese). I am learning though, and even if I know I will never be able to cook like a Michelin-starred chef, with persistence, practice, and the help of numerous recipes on the world wide web, I can finally bring real food to gatherings and also stop relying on microwaveable meals (have you seen the ingredient list on those things? Most of the meat products are full of fillers and flavor enhancers, yet they still taste blah). Cooking at home will not only save you money, it will also help you if you're trying to eat healthier (try to search for dishes that aren't fried, and have plenty of vegetables incorporated into them). Whenever I don't feel like cooking, I try to remember Chef Gausteau's line in one of my favorite movies, Ratatouille: "Anyone can cook!"
And of course, who could forget the scene where Remy fixes the soup that Linguini botches? It makes you want to get up from your computer chair and start cooking up a storm. Mmm :)
This entry is a compilation of dishes whose pictures I've uploaded on Instagram in the past few weeks, and if you're in a cooking rut I hope you'll find one in this list that'll help you get out of it. Click the name to go to the recipe. Enjoy and happy cooking!
The first time I had a mini blueberry cheesecake was when my mom's friend started gifting us with a box full of this addicting dessert whenever Christmas rolled by. Ever since that fateful day, I would wait in eager anticipation to sink my teeth into this delectable masterpiece, savoring each and every bite until the box was empty (of course, I had to fight tooth and nail with my older brother for the last piece hehehe!). Little did I know that it was incredibly easy to make, which is a good thing or else I would have spent my lunch money on buying ingredients to bake it myself whenever I craved for its blueberry/cheesy goodness. Make it for a bridal shower (which I did for my friend's surprise tea party-themed shower) and for any other gathering that requires you to bring something sweet :)
2 cups crushed graham crackers 1 stick butter, melted 3 T white sugar
Cheesecake: 2 bars of 8oz cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup white sugar 2 large eggs 1 cup heavy cream 2 t vanilla 1/2 t fine salt 1 21-oz can of blueberry pie filling/topping
I made this for New Year's Eve upon Mama's request, and let me tell you, it was gone in two days (mostly due to Ma and my lil bro hehehe!). I froze a slice for a friend of mine so it will stay fresh, and he said it was still delish :) The cheesecake part is not too sweet and not too heavy, which will probably make you want to sneak in another slice ;). This recipe's definitely a keeper!
Notes:
-The key to this one is, since you use fresh strawberries, that they be as ripe as possible. If you are going to make this at the last minute like I did, check their ripeness by looking at the color (very vibrant red, minimal yellow area near the stem) and checking their fragrance (they should be REALLY fragrant. I guarantee you, if the scent is very faint, they will be sour and you would need to wait for them to ripen). Goodness knows I've had desserts with sliced fruits that were still tangy/sour, and the lack of sweetness killed what would have been a perfect dessert.
-That's it! The recipe is really easy to follow, and if you want it to have that extra level of YUM, use a chocolate graham cracker crust (mine was from Keebler). Heavenly!
Did you know that strawberries are a member of the rose family?
Glaze. So much sweet, shiny homemade glaze. Yum.
Strawberries are one of God's best creations.
Save a slice for someone. They will definitely smile all day after eating it :)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
9-inch graham cracker crust, baked
Preparation:
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs until thick and light yellow. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and the flour, beating until blended. Pour the egg mixture into a measuring cup.
In the same bowl, beat cream cheese with a small amount of the evaporated milk until smooth. Add remaining milk, the lemon juice, and the grated lemon peel; beat until smooth and well blended. Pour egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture; beat just until blended.
Pour mixture into the graham cracker crust. Bake at 325° for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Strawberry Glaze
1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
few drops red food coloring, optional
Cut 10 to 12 strawberries in half; arrange in a single layer, cut side down, over the cooled cheesecake. Crush enough remaining strawberries to make 1/3 cup; put in saucepan. Stir in 1/3 cup water and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Press through a strainer to make 1/2 cup of puree. Return the 1/2 cup puree to the saucepan. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch and stir into the puree in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and stirring until thickened and clear. Add food coloring, if desired. Cool slightly; spoon evenly over strawberries on cheesecake. Cool and store, covered, in refrigerator.
Arrivederci and have a wonderful week ahead! (P.S. it's Restaurant Week next week, there might still be reservations left. Hurry! Go here to check the list of restaurants in your area: ramw.org/restaurantweek)
Hi! How was your Christmas break? Mine's been quite fruitful so far, and I'm trying to squeeze in as much bonding time as I can with my family since some of them will be flying back to California on the 4th of January. That's why this is going to be a super quick post since I am also in the middle of doing some errands and spending quality time with them :) I sincerely hope you had a great one and wish that you'll enjoy celebrating the upcoming New Year! I've got a feeling that 2014 will be magical for you and me :)
Food:
I made Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken for our Christmas Eve dinner. The bird was super tender and moist that when Mama was trying to remove one of the legs the meat literally fell right off the bone! I did my own thing with the gravy with chicken drippings, though, because I don't like using packaged chicken broth. It was very flavorful too, and I was smiling all throughout the time I was chopping herbs (thank you God for making them, they smell soooo good!). Follow the instructions for the oven temperature to a T because it's the secret to getting crispy skin and tender meat.
Tweaks:
1. I also roasted carrots and pearl onions with the potatoes. I had no baby potatoes on hand so I used red potatoes instead.
2. I used baby carrots to cut the peeling time by a huge chunk. Just slice them in half and place them in a bowl containing the potatoes and onions, then toss them with a fair amount of salt, pepper, olive oil, and chopped herbs.
3. I also made a paste from olive oil, a bit of melted butter, chopped herbs, salt and pepper. I rubbed a big portion of it between the skin and the breast meat (don't be scared that the skin will be ripped off, it's fairly easy to do and will help you get super moist and flavorful breast meat), then rubbed the rest all around the chicken. Make sure you get it between every nook and cranny to ensure that ALL parts of the chicken will taste delish :)
Here's the result:
The skin was very crispy and tasty. It reminded me of chicken from Max's, a popular restaurant in the Philippines.
For Christmas lunch with the extended family, I baked Chocolate Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese-Butter Pecan Frosting. The cake base lacked a bit of chocolate-y flavor and the frosting was a little on the sweet side, hopefully I'll remember to add more chocolate morsels and reduce the amount of powdered sugar the next time I make it. I might have to add a splash of milk too because the cream cheese flavor might be too much for some people.
Here it is with cake toppers inspired by this blog entry: http://ohhappyday.com/2013/12/christmas-forest-cake-topper/. I seriously wish I made more of these cute trees but I was already running late so I had to make do with just two pieces :( (the sour cream I bought just the other day had mold in it so I had to rush to the nearest grocery, and then in the middle of whipping the cream cheese, one of the whisk attachments on my electronic handheld beater broke. But whatever, I did not let those mishaps ruin my Christmas :) )
And here I am with a blue Candie's dress I bought from Kohl's during their recent Black Friday sale. The cut and color are very flattering, and the bow at the back adds cuteness without being overbearing. I balanced the girly look by wearing black semi-opaque tights and pairing the dress with black leather wedge booties from Nine West :) The tips of the boots are a little pointy and will help elongate anyone's legs, which is the reason why I love this silhouette so much! <3 Many thanks to Mama who took my pictures hehehe. My purse is from DKNY (c/o TJ Maxx, I love this place) and is reminiscent of Chanel's iconic quilted bag.
Whew! Now off I go to finish some other stuff and maybe put in some time watching Regular Show episodes with my not-so-lil bro :)
Grandiose Thanksgiving dinners are great, but take so much time to prepare. What if it's only you or two, maybe three people celebrating it together? Sure, it's nice to have a lot of leftovers, but I think that after five days of having nothing but different Turkey meat-based meals (or most probably, different versions of a turkey sandwich) you can't really blame a person for swearing off of eating turkey for a month or more. Which brings us to the topic of this post: a scaled-down Thanksgiving meal that won't eat up your precious, hard-earned holiday, but delicious enough to satisfy your binge-eating tendencies. Let me ask you this: how often have you regretted eating five plates of bland food from a buffet as compared to eating pricier, smaller-portioned yet perfectly-seasoned meal from a nice restaurant? Exactly. I've scoured the good ol' internet to bring you satisfying and easy-to-prepare recipes for a nice Thanksgiving meal. Prep these while watching a movie on your phone via Crackle or Netflix and sipping a nice glass of wine, or whichever way you choose that will make your short holiday memorable and enjoyable. Click on the title/link or the picture/video to get the recipe :)
-Get the frozen tiramisu/cheesecake from Costco. Remember not to eat all of it in one sitting, ok? :)
-Go to your nearest farmer's market/local food stall. Near my area, we have Butler's Orchard, and they sell pies that you can finish baking at home. And boy, the smell wafting from the oven when you're baking it is just heaven. I think Costco sells them too.
Thanksgiving tip:
-After eating your meal and secretly burping, talk about what things/events you're thankful for :) If you're by yourself, then by all means write it down. It might help on days when you feel particularly low and need to be reminded of all the good that has happened to you.
When I made these cupcakes I was left with four egg yolks (just using egg whites for baking a cake, like in angel food cake, makes it fluffier, hence the leftover yolks). I had no desire to throw them out (that would be such a waste!), so I used them as an excuse to bake again. As luck would have it, the first result for my google inquiry of "four yolks" led me to a page from www.fortysomething.ca which lists links to recipes on other blogs that use one yolk up to twelve yolks! Clever, really, and now I have it bookmarked just in case I have leftover yolk again (or the next time I bake vanilla cupcakes, which will be pretty soon!)
I settled on the Lemon Pound Cake because it sounded easy to make and I had most of the ingredients on hand. Granted, I used an 8"x8" pan, which resulted in a denser cake (I miss my equipment! I have a loaf pan that I used once to make banana bread before it was put into storage), but it's delicious as promised by the author that it is almost gone. Mostly eaten by me. Hahaha, Winter is definitely coming :)
Baking mishap: On hindsight I should have cut the baking time by a couple of minutes since the pan I used has a larger surface area than a loaf pan, but I was about to be late for an SFC meeting and thus wasn't thinking all too clearly (thank God my roomie was there to take it out once the timer went off), which resulted in a drier cake. My bad! Good thing the texture was similar to toasted mamon (with a hint of lemon), so that made up for my mistake (I looove toasted mamon). The next time I bake this, it'll be in an actual loaf pan, and it would be soooo good it would be gone in a day. And not just by me ;)
So... I used a real vanilla bean in making cupcakes for the very first time, and it brought the cupcakes' yum factor into a whole new level. Seriously. Thank goodness the beans were on sale though (I hoarded 3! They usually sell for $5 PER PIECE, yikes!), so that made it a little easier on my wallet. My latest mini-project was for a friend's baby shower, and of course it's pretty obvious if the baby's a girl or a boy ;) A dash each of white pearls and gold sprinkles completed the look. Voilà!
Sooo pretty <3 Those little black specks are vanilla seeds and a sign of "scrumptiousness" to come! lol
Click HERE to see the recipe and for some more information about vanilla on vanilla cupcakes. Check out www.mybakingaddiction.com for more delish recipes <3 This is now my go-to recipe for vanilla cupcakes.
Notes:
-I only used one bean for the entire recipe (1/2 for the cake, 1/2 for the icing) and it turned out pretty well. If you can afford it, then by all means use two whole beans :)
-I was able to make 24 cupcakes from the recipe, and the icing was more than enough for all of those cupcakes. I would suggest to cut the icing recipe by 1/2.
-Save the yolks! You can still use them to make a lot of other baked goods, and for multiple cupcake batches I think there will be enough to make flan. Almost everybody loves flan!
-The recipe called for sifted flour (to get the lumps out and make the cupcake fluffier), but since I didn't have my sifter with me (it's in storage, along with most of my baking equipment) I improvised by fluffing the flour with a fork (some suggest using a whisk), which resulted in a teeny-bit dense cupcake.
Who doesn't love Filipino breakfasts? I certainly do, though for health reasons I don't eat it everyday (fruits or honey oats with almond milk are my usual go-to meals). But during those heavenly, glorious moments where I get to eat anything with -silog at the end ("si" is the shortened term for "sinangag" or garlic rice, and "log" for "itlog" or egg), be it longsilog ("longganisa" is a garlicky, oftentimes sweet sausage), bangusilog ("bangus" or milkfish), tocilog ("tocino" or sweet cured pork) or the best of them all (although my college freshman self would disagree, because there was a period where I ate nothing but tocilog for lunch at CASAA) TAPSILOG ("tapa," not to be confused with the Spanish "tapas," is cured/dried beef that can be either fried or grilled), OH MAN, I become giddy like a pre-teen in a 1D concert. Or maybe just regular ol' me in a Walk The Moon/John Mayer/Jason Mraz/Hanson concert.
One particular memory I have is of weekend mornings where my Mama, who is not really a cook (but she is awesome in a lot of other things, and her specialty dishes and desserts are guaranteed hits at parties) would make for us the BEST TAPSILOG EVER. I have been dying to eat something similar to her take on the ubiquitous tapsilog (it actually spawned all the other -silog versions) but alas, every time I badgered her she tells me that her recipe got lost a couple of years back. *sigh* *grumble* Yes, that was from my protesting stomach. I remember how my older borther and I would fight over the crispy small pieces that had a higher marinade/sauce:meat ratio. Mmm. (Same goes for when my friends and I eat at Honey Pig hahaha) Her version was sweeter than usual (I most definitely got my sweet tooth from her) and cut into smaller portions, which made the meat pieces all the more tastier. And ahh, the garlic. This kind of food should not be eaten alone, lest you want other people to ask if your breath spray is named "Eau de Garlic" to which the appropriate response would be a long and breathy "OHHHHHH YEHHHSSSSSSSSS." I always say, it's better to stink as a whole group than by your lonesome because there is stench strength in numbers! :)) Thanks to the power of the world wide web and through my excellent and unparalleled detective skills (jk) I was able to track down the exact recipe for my Mama's tapsilog! I literally had to fight back tears of joy when I found it after a long and arduous search during my lunch break last week. Here's what I typed in:
Yes, I have a link to The Last Unicorn on my browser.
*facepalm* SO OBVIOUS. The first result was the one I used because it asks for copious amounts of sugar (usually it's only 2 tbsp. as opposed to this recipe's 6 tbsp.) and well, it just clicked. Ahh, serendipity <3 *cue music from a romantic movie* And as they say, the rest is history. It was all gobbled up by my friends in my church group, SFC. They were girls. They were girls with an insatiable appetite for Filipino breakfast food hahaha. Here it is (I can hear you say "finally, Julie, we were waiting for this for so long." Or you might not have read any of the above and skipped to the recipe, for which I will be very disappointed because I poured my heart, blood, tears and neurons into this blog post. *cries* Just kidding.):
TAPSILOG
(say it with me: "tap" like in "tap water" but faster + "si" like the Spanish word for "yes" and "log" like dog but with an L)
(the simplest way is to fry a lot of minced garlic until it is about to get crispy, add salt, then add day-old refrigerated rice (this makes it less sticky))
Fried Egg
(I add a bit of water to the egg and cover it so that the resulting steam will cook the top part but the method below is an easier way to make sunny side up :) )
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb beef sirloin, thinly sliced
Marinade:
3 1/2 tbsp vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp salt
6 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp ground back pepper
1 head garlic, minced
cooking oil for frying
Cooking Directions:
Combine marinade. Stir well.
Arrange meat in a container or ziploc bag.
I used a freezer bag since it's thicker than the regular kind. No marinade mess :)
Pour marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Turn at least once.
Fry until brown. (I covered it during the first half so that the beef cooked more evenly, plus the marinade seeped through the meat for a longer time which made the beef tastier and more tender)
(Please pardon our splattered refrigerator, it's from the marinade)
Serve with sunny side up eggs and plain rice or garlic rice.
Enjoy! (I did :D )
Top your garlic rice with chopped scallions for a touch of color :)
Sorry for neglecting you for so long, my little corner of the world wide web! To satiate your appetite for updates, I will post two recipes of food I've recently prepped for my friends :) Here's one of them.
TERIYAKI SALMON WITH ZUCCHINI
I lovelovelove this recipe, it has the right amount of vegetables, grains and protein. It is a little on the sweet side though, so if you are watching your sugar intake you might want to find another recipe. It's very n00b cook-friendly that even if you don't regularly cook (like me), it would be hard to mess this up. I cooked for approx. 10 people (I got a large slab of fresh salmon from Costco) and adjusted the recipe accordingly.
Combine 5 tablespoons teriyaki sauce and fish in a zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate 20 minutes.
I used a baking pan since it was a large amount of fish!
Toast sesame seeds in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and set aside. Drain fish, discarding marinade. Add fish to skillet, and cook 5 minutes.
Turn and cook for 5 more minutes over medium-low heat. Remove from skillet, and keep warm. Add the zucchini, scallions, and 2 teaspoons oil to skillet. Sauté 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Stir in 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve with salmon.
*side note*
-use really low fire because the sauce gets burnt really easily. I learned that along the way haha. Better to cook slowly and evenly than fast and charcoal-y, right?
What I would give to be able to eat squid, shrimp, crabs, lobsters and crabs without having any allergic reaction! I don't know why but when I was a kid the most severe reaction I had was itchiness in my throat and the insides of my ears (both of which I tolerated), until one day I blacked out from an anaphylactic shock caused by eating shrimp, and there was this other time when I took a small bite of squid and my mouth swelled like Jynx's from Pokémon.
In case you've forgotten (I used to remember all the Pokémon from the first season haha)
Ever since then I've tried to stay away from them and was just thankful that I wasn't allergic to chocolate and bivalves. But ever since moving to Maryland (known for crabs!), I've had difficulty avoiding them especially during the summertime when they're plentiful and everyone craves for seafood. The jealousy is gone though, and I've learned to have fun around other people even when they're elbow-deep in discarded crab shells and old bay seasoning (although I can't help but smack my lips whenever Ma used to order spider rolls from Yoyogi sushi, her absolute favorite). One can't be bitter forever, and besides it never fails to bring a smile to my face when I see people around me having a great time whilst eating.
So tempting!
About three weeks ago our Catholic community, Singles For Christ, had a crabfeast and at first I was bummed because I thought there was only going to be crabs there, but then we were told to bring meats for grilling. Perfect timing too, because I had been craving for Filipino-style chicken barbecue - the kind that's uniquely sweet (us Filipinos and our sweet tooth, hehe!), juicy, and marinated in a soda mixture. It took me a week, but I was able to single out a recipe based on the heaps of praises that the author received and the pictures she posted. And boy, did the recipe deliver! It was a little watered-down - or should I say, "soda-ed" down - because I reduced the marinade by a smidgen and made it too thick so I had to add more Sprite, but if I had turned the burner off at the right time it would have been perfect. Seriously. An additional note: drumsticks take FOREVER to grill, use thighs instead. I went home smelling of smoke and exhausted from grilling, but I was giddy about the recipe that I told everyone about it. Easy, simple and delish. Here it is! :)
Crabs got nothing on this grilled chicken! So good :)
As a bonus, here's a shot of the grilled pork belly that a grilling-expert-friend marinated. Glad I sampled 3 pieces because when I went back (in the middle of grilling chicken) it was nowhere to be found. Hehe a friend even complained that she didn't get to eat a lot of it, but when I grilled asked her how much she had, it was a LOT more than what I had. Hahaha. If you want, I can ask for his recipe, just tell me in the comments section :)
Sorry for the long hiatus, I had a lot of things going on recently like my recent move, a lot of events, and relatives here on vacation, but I hope I will start blogging regularly again. Til next time! :)
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