Dutch Baby Comfort Food for Winter

Delectable, delicious Dutch baby pancakes! Just thinking about it makes me do an alliteration, lol. Hot, boiling, and aromatic coffee paired with these fluffy, delish German pancakes while seating by the warm fireplace. Isn't it a wonderful thing  to start your cold winter day?

Tortilla Soup

9 oz. Bear Creek Tortilla Soup Mix
1 package Corn Tortilla, cut into strips(separate 1 cup and fry the rest)
8 cups water
12.5 oz.  can Hormel chicken breast or any leftover chicken meat
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsps. cooking oil

cilantro (optional)

PROCEDURE:
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil.
Whisk in the soup mix.
Lower heat to medium ,add the drained chicken breast pieces, and then simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Put the cup of tortilla strips in the soup. This will make the soup a little thicker.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve and garnish with fried corn tortillas and cilantro.

Frying the corn tortilla:
Heat oil or butter in a skillet.
Then put the rest or remaining corn tortilla strips.
Toss and stir until golden brown.
Use as garnish for the tortilla soup.

Penne Alfredo with Roasted Garlic and Herb Chicken

Summer days are starting to let us feel its scorching heat. The desert is turning golden brown even more, with hints of green, and some flowers blooming here and there. You cannot get out and enjoy the heat of the sun longer or you'll get sunburn.

It was an overcast sky today which was a nice change from the very hot, hundred degree temperatures the last few days. We did not have to turn all the AC's the whole day. God is good!

Anyway, I can never choose between a very cold, icy winter or a very hot, fiery summer. So, I'd rather just be thankful I can experience both extremes, which tells me I am alive and living well! Thank God for the wonderful life whether it is hot or cold.

Because it was a wonderful day, it was also a great day to do some cooking! I made some penne pasta with homemade alfredo sauce. I also pan-grilled some chicken breasts which were seasoned with roasted garlic and herb. It was pretty easy and quick to make. Dinner was served with ice-cold cranberry juice. Time to eat!

Creamy Mashed Potato and Buttered Lemon-Pepper Swai Fillet

What's for dinner tonight? I decided to make some creamy mashed potatoes, since we haven't had it for a long time, and some Swai fish fillets.

A little break from heavy meaty meals, I opted for a fish menu for tonight. And it is easy and fast to cook, too. I bought some nice, frozen Swai fish fillets instead of the usual frozen tilapia fillets. Swai is a white-flesh fish. It has such a mild taste and my family likes it because it does not have such a fishy taste, lol, if you know what I mean. I sprinkled some lemon-pepper powder on it and leave it to marinate for a few minutes. And then I pan seared it in butter and a little olive oil.

As you can see, the plating is like East meets West. A little Asian condiment/side dish of kimchi and the fish which are common food from the Eastern part of the world. And the mashed potato and pickled pepperoncini, usual fare on the Western part of the globe.

The sourness and slight spiciness from the kimchi and pepperoncini compliments very well with the creaminess of the mashed potato and the lemony, buttery fish. 

Simple meal but very yummy, appetizing, and such a fulfilling dinner!

Homemade Sweet Bread

Crispy Binagoongang Baboy

My Homebaked Ensaymada

I have been craving Filipino bread in a while. I've been missing that sweet, smooth, and tasty kind of bread we have in the Philippines. So I looked around online to search for a recipe for "Ensaymada".

Ensaymada is one of the popular breads in the Philippines preferred by most Filipinos besides pan de sal because of its sweet and cheesy flavor. It is a sweet bread filled with sweet butter and brushed with buttered sugar and sprinkled with grated cheese.

I haven't tried baking any kind of bread before, so this is sort of an experimental baking for me, since it will be my first time. I was expecting for the worse while baking because anything can turn out wrong since I don't have any experience in baking. But I still took all the courage I have just so I can taste a bread from home and hoped for the best.

After doing all the mixing,kneading,waiting, and baking, I have now the fruit of my labor or rather "bread" of my labor,lol! And to my surprise it came out pretty good for a first timer,lol!It cane out soft and tasty.It may not be as good as Goldilocks ensaymada but it wasn't that bad either. My husband and lids like it so I guess it is consummable,lol. Anyway, I am satisfied with my first homebaked bread. I know I still have a lot of learning to do in baking, in which I am now excited to study on it and experiment more, so I can perfect it.

So here's the photo of my first ever homebaked bread, the "Ensaymada".

Deviled Eggs

Ginataang Hipon (Shrimp with Coconut Milk)

Pizza Night from Papa Murphy's

Everytime I got lazy cooking at home, our favorite "replacement" for home-cooked meal is the "take and bake" pizza from Papa Murphy's in Albuquerque. My hubby calls for a pizza order reservation after he gets off work, and then passes by Papa Murphy's to get it, so he doesn't have to stay in line once he gets there. The best thing about " take and bake" pizzas is that you get to eat it at home, freshly baked from the oven, so it still feels like you cook it yourself and you get to eat it fresh and yummy!

We have our favorite kind of pizzas that we always order, it's either one of these two kinds most of the time: the chicken-bacon stuffed pizza or our own version of Hawaiian pizza which instead of the Canadian bacon,we have the grilled chicken with the pineapple on it.

So tonight is one of our pizza night not because I was lazy to cook,lol, but because we want to tone down a little on eating heavy meals from the holidays. We've been eating all those heavy, yummy, comfort foods so we opted to have a lighter meal tonight. So we ordered one of our faves, our Hawaiian version, lots of pineapple and grilled chicken slices on it topped with a lot of cheese ( can you believe it? I'm still drooling while writing this blog even if I ate a lot already, lol). So below you can see photos of the pizza before it was baked and after it was baked. Look so yummy doesn't it? I guarantee you, it is really yummy!:) Next time I'll post some photo of our other favorite stuffed pizza.

Chocolate-dipped Strawberries

Nilagang Baka (Beef Soup)

Fried Chicken Recipe

Who doesn't like to eat a crunchy, juicy, delectible chicken? When I was in the Philippines, kids there are telling their parents to go to the famous fast food chain, Jollibee. The famous jingle, "Isa pa, isa pang chicken joy"(one more, one more chicken joy) is stuck in my memory even until now. Chicken joy is one of the variety of menus from Jollibee which is a piece of crunchy and juicy fried chicken with rice. I for one is a fan of that meal. One of my favorite chicken recipe will be fried chicken. Here in the US if I crave for fried chicken we get it from KFC or Church's Chicken because we don't have Jollibee here unlike in California. But it's a bit pricy if you keep buying it, so I make it a point to cook it at home when I don't get lazy,lol.
Anyway, here's a simple recipe for fried chicken. The secret to this is to heat the oil at the right temperature. Try putting a wooden spoon or laddle into the heated oil and if bubbles form at the wooden spoon then the oil is perfect for frying already. Another way is to make your hand wet a little and sprinkle a little water to the heated oil and if it makes a bubble or oil starts bubbling then it's ready to fry (please don't put a lot of water or the oil will boil up and you will get burn, be careful).
You will need a deeper pan for deep frying, because when you cook chicken  dredged in flour the oil tends to boil.


Ingredients:
Cut-up pieces of chicken
Flour
Eggs
Salt
Pepper
Oil for frying

Procedure:

Preheat your oil in a deep frying pan.
Prepare the flour and egg mixture in separate containers. In one bowl, place the flour and season it with salt and pepper. In another bowl beat some eggs (estimate according to how many pieces of chicken you have) and season it with a little salt.
Once you've tested the oil's temperature and it is ready, start frying.
First dredge the chicken piece on the egg mixture, making sure the whole piece is coated.
Then, after dredging it in the egg mixture, dip it in the flour mixture and coat it very well. If you like your chicken to be crunchier do the dipping in the egg and flour mixture twice.
Once your done dredging the chicken put it in the fryer. Fry it well until golden brown.
Tip: Chicken pieces without bones in it tends to cook fast like the chicken breast so don't overcook it. The ones with bones like the chicken legs takes a little while.

HAPPY EATING! Wash those hands and dig in. Afterall this is a finger food:-)
Please check my other recipes. Post your comments and suggestions on the comment box,too:-)

Craving Siomai Today

I was watching TFC (The Filipino Channel) the other day and the show I was watching was showing different kinds of Chinese foods. One of my favorite foods when I was still in the Philippines was shown, the siomai. I haven't cooked siomai in a while now. Just couldn't find the time and I am getting lazy these days especially with two kids, lol! But after the show I started craving siomai. I remember way back in the Philippines that I could eat siomai nonstop (though I need to stop because it's expensive, lol, I can't afford to buy more). I'm just so glad that being away from the Philippines made me independent that I was able to try to make siomai by myself here in the US. With research and cooking channels to watch, I was able to experiment on making it and found a way to make my own recipe.

Anyway, after watching that show, I kept dreaming about siomai, but I couldn't make it because I don't have ground pork at home and our shopping day will still be on Tuesday. I was relieved that yesterday my hubby had to pass by Walmart to get some items that I was able to let him get some ground pork, too. Thank goodness! So today, I was able to make siomai and satisfy my cravings. I'll be good for a few months now. I made like 36 pieces today. My hubby likes siomai, too, so I bet we will eat these all up tonight.

If you guys are craving siomai, too, check my other post for the SIOMAI recipe .

Dinuldog or Ginataang Halu-halo Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk or about 2 cups(divide into two portions:the other half will be mixed with water)
1/2 cup sweet rice
Sliced,ripe bananas
Sliced, sweet potatoes or camote
Bilo-bilo or sweet rice balls
Shreds of langka or jackfruit
2 cups Water
About a cup or more of Brown Sugar

PROCEDURE:

Boil 2 cups of water and half of the coconut milk.

Add the sweet rice into the boiling water and stir to avoid forming lumps. Continue boiling for about 5 minutes until the rice is almost soft but not completely cooked.

Add the sugar, dissolve completely (add as much sugar you want). Then add the shreds of langka.If you are using the jackfruit in a can,you can add the syrup in it,too.

Next, put the sweet potatoes or camote, stir and simmer for at least 3 minutes.

Then, add the ripe bananas and then the bilo-bilo. stir again and let it simmer until the rice,bananas,camote, and bilo-bilo are cooked.You will know that the bilo-bilo's are cooked when it floats to the surface.Stir it from time to time to avoid scorching.

Lastly add the remaining coconut milk. Stir and let it boil.(If the consistency is too thick,add a bit of water)

Add a little salt to balance the sweetness.Just a pinch.

Serve.

Pancit Canton with Shrimp and Fish Balls

I am cooking some pansit today! What is pansit? Pansit is a Filipino stir-fried noodle. I had some fish balls that I bought from last week's grocery shopping and some frozen shrimps which will go well with the noodles.I  will add some veggies like green peppers, carrots, and mongo sprouts. Green onions would have been great with it but I don't have it. So let us stick with what we have. And finally, here is the photo of my homemade Pansit with lemon wedges on the side.

Adobong Pusit (Squid Cooked in Soy Sauce and Vinegar)

My husband and I love squid. It is one of our favorite food. So whenever we get a chance to go to the Asian store, we usually get some squid. Then I make it into adobo. Adobo is a Filipino style of cooking using vinegar and soy sauce. Since my husband likes to have more sauce when he eats because he mixes it with the white rice, my recipe uses more soy sauce, vinegar, and water. But if you don't want a lot of sauce on it, you can just lessen the amount of those three ingredients.


Ingredients:
2 lbs. Squid,cleaned
1 medium onion,chopped
3 cloves garlic,minced
1 bay leaf
Small slice of ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
3/4 cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste
Vetsin(optional)
2 tbsp. Cooking oil


Heat oil in the skillet. Then add the onions and garlic and saute it until onion gets transparent.
Add the ginger and then the bay leaf.
Next, add the squid. Stir and saute it for at least 3 minutes. Sprinkle with a little freshly ground pepper.
Then add the soy sauce and vinegar. Let it boil. Then add the water.
Let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
Season with a little salt if needed.
Serve.

Mesquite-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs

I like the Smokey Mesquite seasoning because of its natural smoky flavor, saltiness, a little spiciness from the chili and red pepper but not to overwhelming, and a little hint of sweetness. I always use this when we grill, bake or even pan-fry some meat. Yesterday, I tried using it on some baby back ribs. My plan supposed to be was to make the Sweet Baby Back Ribs but then I ran out of time to marinate it, so I looked around in our pantry and there I saw the Smokey Mesquite Seasoning. So I experimented a bit because I haven't tried using it on ribs yet. And sure enough it came out pretty good. You can add or glaze it with your favorite barbecue sauce if you want or a drizzle of honey after, but in this recipe I opted not to put anything and it still came out good. Anyway here it is, have fun biting the ribs!!!:)

SIOMAI OR STEAMED PORK DUMPLINGS

Siomai is a steamed dumpling filled with either ground pork, ground beef, or shrimp and wrapped in wonton wrapper. In the Philippines, it usually dipped in soy sauce with calamansi or calamondin with oily garlicky or ginger flavor.

I love siomai. It is one of my favorite appetizers. I never get tired of eating it. When I came here in the US, this is one of the foods that I missed from the Philippines. So I researched on some recipes and get some ideas how it was made. I vary the ingredients according to my taste.

Most recipes use sesame oil to be mix in the filling, but since I'm not such a fan for sesame oil, I omitted it. But if you like it, you can add it to the ingredients.

Creamy Banana Crepes Drizzled with Strawberry and Chocolate Sauce