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.

Breakfast Idea: Leftover Chicken Fajitas with Pita Bread

Do you want an easy breakfast idea? If you have some leftover meat, like leftover roasted chicken, pork, or beef, make it into fajitas for breakfast. Saute it with sweet onions and sweet bell peppers then season it, you will have a fast and easy breakfast! Lay it in between folds of warm tortilla or in my case I used toasted pita bread.

My version is with a Filipino twist. Instead of using fajita seasoning, I just used soy sauce and a little vinegar, and of course salt and pepper! Salty with a little acidity. We love to drizzle it with a guacamole mild spicy sauce. Yum! Breakfast is ready.

Special Turon (Ripe Banana Wrapped in Egg Roll Wraps)

I had some very ripe plantains at home today. I didn't know what to do with it. It is such a waste if I will throw it again, since a plantain is .75 cents per piece. I had three pieces left, so that would be $2.25. In this economy, we should try our best to save in any way we can.

So that made my brain worked, hehe. I looked in the freezer and found some egg roll wrappers. It made me think of turon. "Turon" is a favorite Filipino snack in the Philippines. It looks like egg rolls but instead of the meat or veggies inside, it has sweet banana and other sweet ingredients. It is more like a dessert type of food and also good by itself for snacks. Anyway, going back to this morning, I took out the wrappers to thaw and checked in the pantry for some jackfruit in a can and found one. Seems like I'm lucky today. I had a leftover purple sweet potato that I boiled in the morning for my breakfast, so I thought why not make use of it,too. Instead if using purple yam or ube, I used my sweet purple potato. It has the same color and texture.

So I got all my ingredients ready after my egg roll wrapper thawed. I had the wrappers, julienned jackfruit, mashed sweet potato with sugar, and the sliced plantains.

I just put all the ingredients together in the middle of the egg roll wrapper and then wrapped it burrito style but sealing it at the end with water.

Preheat a deep pan and some oil on it, enough to deep fry the turon. Fry it until the turon is golden brown. My kids enjoyed it!:)

Ginataang Hipon (Shrimp with Coconut Milk)

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 .

Watermelon Shake for the Hot Summer!

Summer, summer, summer! Hot, hot, hot! Not a moment passes by that you don't want to drink something cool and refreshing. What better way to soothe the thirst than having a nice, cold, refreshing shake!
A few days ago my husband bought a huge watermelon. Yesterday, I cut it up and put it in the fridge to cool. But it was just too huge and our fridge had not enough room, that I didn't know what to do with the rest. I was feeding my daughter some watermelon pieces but I was afraid she might choked on it. And then came the idea of making the watermelon liquidy so it will be easy for her to drink it. So I thought of making it into a watermelon shake.I've heard of watermelon shake before but I haven't tried doing it yet. So I did it yesterday.
I put a lot of ice cubes into the blender, then some chopped watermelon pieces, sugar to taste, and a squeeze of lemon for acidity. Then break the ice in the blender for awhile and then frapee it. It came out so good! I made a separate one for my daughter without the sugar and she liked it.
Try cooling yourself down this summer with a cold glass of watermelon frapee or shake while lounging on your porch.

Pinoy Bistek

I haven't had bistek in a long time. Bistek is the Filipino beef steak version. These are thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce and kalamansi or vinegar, and then cooked and garnished with sauteed onion rings. Since I haven't eaten it in a long time since I left the Philippines, I tried to cook it. Actually, maybe a year or two ago I tried cooking it but it didn't come out so well. I guess, I marinated it too long that it was too sour or maybe I just put too much kalamansi. Well, I guess you learn along the way. I was still learning how to cook then, haha. Anyway, I tried making it again yesterday and it came out pretty well. My husband said it was perfect. Well, I guess because he hasn't tried other Bistek recipes, haha!So he can't really compare it. But I am also a hard critic of myself and this time I know it did come out good. I used a recipe I found online. I forgot the site but I'm gonna tell you about it next time because it's too late already to do research again, haha. Here is the photo of my very own Bistek.

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

A Great Dinner of Roast Beef, Mashed Potato and Asparagus

Sotanghon Soup Recipe

The other day, I had my mother in-law and my husband's grandparents over for dinner. I made some sotanghon soup and some lumpia and Biko for dessert. I wanted them to have a taste of some Filipino foods. The most popular is our egg roll or lumpia so I decided to make some. At first I wanted to make pansit bihon but then I thought, lumpia and bihon are both dry. So I looked around in my pantry and I found some bean thread noodles, so I decided to make Sotanghon soup.



I remember my mom's sotanghon soup in the Philippines but I haven't tried making it yet. So I'm hoping against hope that I will make the soup good since it will be my first time to make it. I've seen my Mom do it before and I can still remember the taste of it. I know it's just chicken soup and then added with some sotanghon or bean thread noodles.

The secret of this recipe, that makes it smell and taste good is the ginger and the tanglad or lemon grass stalk. The lemon grass gives that subtle lemony taste and also the aroma. In the Philippines, we usually use this when we cook soups like chicken, beef soup or nilagang baka, in curry chicken, or when cooking chicken with coconut milk. It just taste different when cooking these dishes without the lemongrass. With it, it makes the dish more aromatic.

Anyway, here in the US, you can buy this at Asian stores. They are usually found at the fresh produce section. Just be sure to buy fresh ones, not old ones. When I say fresh, the stalk should be firm, and not pliable when you bend it. the bottom part should be off white in color or light yellow and the top part green. Don't buy those withered ones already or turning brown as these doesn't give off any aroma anymore. You can also order it on Amazon.com. When you don't use it, you can just freeze it, to prolong the freshness. Just wrap it in a plastic cover or aluminum foil. Then take it out before cooking.

Anyway, going back to the dinner, I was so glad they liked the Sotanghon Soup and also the lumpia and biko. Since they liked it, I am sharing this recipe with you. My mother in-law wants it, too and also my husband's grandma, so what better way than to write it here in my foodblog and share it with everybody in just one click rather than writing it one by one in an email, LOL!

SOTANGHON SOUP

Ingredients:

for the broth:
4 pcs. Chicken breasts, with skin and bones on
10 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk of lemon grass, pounded on the base
A small slice of ginger, pounded
2-3 tbsps. Chicken bouillon

Additional ingredients:
2 tbsps. Cooking oil
Vermicelli bean thread noodles
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
One whole carrot, julienned
2 tbsps. Soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Green onions, chopped (for garnish)

PROCEDURE:

Make the chicken broth.
-Boil the 10 cups of water.
-Then put the onions, ginger, and the lemon grass. Simmer for 2 minutes.
-Next, add the chicken breast.
-Season with the chicken bouillon, a little salt and pepper.
-Simmer and cooked until the chiken gets tender or the meat separates from the bones. At least an hour.,
-Once the chicekn is cooked, take out the meat and put it on a plate to cool down a little. When the meat is cool, take out the skin and the bones. And then cut the chicken meat into strips.
-Reserve the broth, it will be used in making the soup. set aside the chicken meat, too.

Cooking the Sotanghon Soup:
-Heat oil in a deep cooking pot.
-Put the garlic and saute it until it becomes golden brown, add the onions and the carrots and saute.
-Then add the chicken strips. Mix well with the veggies.
-Season it with the soy sauce. Mix well and then simmer for a minute.
-Add all the chicken broth that you made.
-Let it boil. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
-Add the dry sotanghon or bean thread noodles. Let the broth soak it in. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the noodle is cooked.
-Serve right away because if it takes long for you to serve it, the noodle will soak up all the broth. Garnish with chopped fresh green onions on top.

TIP:
You can put the noodles when it's almost serving time, so it wouldn't soak up all the broth. You can make the broth ahead and then just heat it up again when it's almost eating time, and then you can add the noodles. The noodles will just cook right away, anyway. Have fun eating! This soupmis especially good during colder months:-)

If you have questions or suggestions, please write it in the comment area, thanks!:-)

Egg Sandwhich

Beef Chuck Roast Recipe

Last Wednesday, we did some grocery shopping and I found some very good chuck roast at Sam's Club. I haven't cooked some roast in a while, so I thought of making it this week. So I bought 2 pieces of beef chuck roast about three pounds each.

I cooked it yesterday and it came out really well. I slow-cooked it for about an hour an a half. The meat came out really soft and very tasty. My husband and son liked this same recipe that I cooked before. I usually cook it with sauteed potatoes on the side or with egg noodles or any pasta.

I love roast beef because I can cook a big piece of meat and then it will last until the next day. My husband can have something for lunch at work, too! And the good thing about it is that the next day it even tastes better. I guess because all the juices and seasonings are soaked by the meat already. So here's a recipe for beef chuck roast, you can vary the seasonings according to your preference.

HAM AND CHEESE SANDWHICH

Ingredients:

2 pcs. Sliced bread
sliced ham
American cheese singles
lettuce leaf
tbsp. of mayonnaise
tbsp. of catsup


PROCEDURE:

Mix mayonnaise and catsup in a small bowl.
Put the ham on one of the sliced bread and then the cheese on the other sliced bread.
Then put it in the toaster oven and toast it  for about a minute.
Take it out from the toaster and then add the lettuce.
Next, spread the mayonnaise and catsup mixture on the toasted bread.
Then put the sliced bread together.
Slice it diagonally in half. Serve.

MASHED POTATO

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Potatoes,peeled, and cut into big cubes
2 tbsp. Garlic powder
2-3 tbsp. Chicken Bouillon powder
Water
Milk (fresh milk)
Unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste