Bibingka

Happy New Year!!! The Holiday Season just passed and back in the Philippines, the streets at night waft with a distinct aroma during this season. Not with pine trees or gingerbread cookies, but with bibingka and puto bumbong! These are two rice cake delicacies traditionally sold during the holiday season, specially outside the church after the Simbang Gabi or dawn masses. Although I think street vendors nowadays sell these delicacies all-year round. I really miss the puto bumbong and bibingka back home! I urged my mom to find a puto bumbong steamer for us the last time she went here in the U.S., but her search for the steamer was no success. So we had to content ourselves with bibingka because it's easier to make, and some Asian stores - mostly in California, but not much here in Houston - even sell the ready-to-bake mixes.

I haven't cooked bibingka before, since we can easily buy them back home. The last time I cooked bibingka here in the U.S., it was out of the box :) It was ok, but I wanted to challenge my self to cook it from scratch. I looked around for recipes and bought the ingredients. But apparently, I did not read the recipes properly. I bought glutinous rice flour, instead of the regular rice flour! There's a big difference between these two, because the glutinous rice flour tend to be sticky and doesn't rise much (that explains my hubby's first attempt to cook puto, but that's another story). I couldn't find any bibingka recipe that uses glutinous rice flour, so I had to improvise. Here's my take on this yummy delicacy, using glutinous rice flour.

2/3 cup glutinous rice flour, sifted
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
2-1/2 tsp baking powder, sifted
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter, melted + some for toppings
2/3 cup sugar + some for toppings
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup milk
banana leaves (for lining)

Toppings (at least 1 or all of these):
sliced cheddar cheese
sliced salted duck egg (1 or 2)
grated coconut

Line 12 pieces of  4-inch tin ramekins or small tart pan with banana leaves. Make sure you wiped clean the leaves and there are no holes or tears. You may also use a 9-inch round or a 8x8 square cake pan. Pre-heat the oven to 325 deg. F.

In a medium bowl, combine the rice flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, beat eggs and add melted butter, sugar, coconut milk and milk. Beat the mixture using an electric mixer set on low. Then slowly add the flour mix to the liquid mixture, in about 3-4 batches. Beat them well until there are no more lumps. The batter should be almost similar to or may be a little thinner than pancake batter and not lumpy.

Pour the batter in the cake pan, or about 1/3 cup in each lined ramekins. If using ramekins, place them on a baking sheet or tray. Put the tray in the middle rack of the pre-heated oven and bake.

If you're using ramekins, bake for 12 minutes. Then get them out of the oven. If using a cake pan, bake for 20 minutes before getting it out of the oven. Top with cheese slices and/or slices of salted duck egg. Put them back in the oven and bake for about 5-8 minutes more or until the toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

Turn the oven to BROIL, then transfer the bibingka pan to the top rack of the oven and broil for 1 or 2 minutes or until the top part turns brown to mahogany (for that "burnt" effect of the authentic bibingka cooked in charcoal).

Remove from oven, then brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar on top. Serve hot, with grated coconut on top (optional).

Some substitutions:
If you are using regular rice flour (NOT glutinous), use 1 cup rice flour and 1/3 cup all-purpose flour. 
If using coconut cream, use 1/4 cup coconut cream and 1/4 cup water. 
If you do not have banana leaves, use parchment paper to line the cake pan then add 1/2 tsp pandan essence. I prefer using banana leaf, though, because it contributes a distinct aroma to the bibingka. 

Oven-baked Puto

Puto is a common Filipino delicacy that is usually made from rice flour. We eat them anytime of the day and on all occasions, by itself or as accompaniment to dinuguan or pancit. Later on, some Filipinos used wheat flour (all purpose or cake flour) in making puto, and was even popularized by ready-to-bake mixes and bake shop chains (like Goldilocks). It is trickier to cook rice flour puto, and that may have been a reason most home cooks used wheat flour. 

A friend of mine asked me if I can make puto for her. I was initially reluctant to accept the task, because I think the last time I made puto was when I was still in the Philippines many years ago, and there is a chance I made them out of the box (like the White King brand). I also do not have the usual molds we use for puto back home. I have muffin trays, but no steamer large enough to fit that tray. But I do not say "no" to cooking, so I did some research and asked my sis-in-law for her recipe (which also uses a steamer!). After a couple of trials and recipe adjustments, my first puto catering was a success! The tricks I learned in oven-steaming puto: more baking powder, lower temperature, top rack-baking. Next time I will try using rice flour, and also make some puto pao. 

2 eggs
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup milk, whole milk or 2% fat
2 tbsp. water
1/4 tsp pandan essence (optional)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp.baking powder, sifted
slices of cheese (Swiss or Velveeta) or salted duck egg for toppings


Place a 1"-thick baking sheet or a large roasting pan that would fit a muffin tray on the top rack of the oven. Fill the tray with warm water, then pre-heat the oven to 325 deg. Fahrenheit. 

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, then add the melted butter, milk, and sugar. If using pandan essence, stir in the essence to the water before adding them to the egg mixture. Whisk or beat the egg mixture on low setting using an electric mixer until well-mixed. Add the sifted flour and baking powder and fold in the egg and milk mixture then beat on low setting again.

Pour the batter in the muffin tray, filling about 2/3 of each cup. You don't need to grease the pan, but you may line it with paper cups, if desired. Place the muffin tray on top of the sheet or pan with hot water on the top rack of the oven. The water should be steaming by this time. Steam-bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out dry when inserted. 

If using salted duck egg for topping, top each puto cup with a slice before baking in the oven. If using quick-melt cheese, like Swiss or Velveeta, top each puto after baking, and then place the muffin tray back in the oven for 1-2 minutes. You can turn off the oven by this time. 

Remove the tray from the oven and cool it down for about 5 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, carefully remove each puto cup from the tray and serve.  

Custard Cake

Since my family moved to Houston, I am always on the look out for good Filipino desserts and pastries from the very few Filipino stores/restaurants that we have here. So far, my hunt is still unsuccessful. There is no Red Ribbon franchise here, and the Pinoy pastries I have tasted from the stores here are below-par with Red Ribbon --- considering that the Red Ribbon pastries/cakes here in North America are not as good as those back home. To satisfy our cravings, hubby and I started to bake Filipino treats for our own consumption. Here's a recipe for custard cake - a chiffon cake topped with leche flan. Really yummy! Thanks again to my sis-in-law for sharing the recipe. She's my go-to person for family-tested recipes, and then I just have to figure out myself how to do it!  Quite a challenge for this dessert, but really worth it. 

For custard topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar for syrup
3 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 can condensed milk
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

For chiffon cake:
3 eggs, separated
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil


Prepare the custard topping. On a medium heavy bottom stainless steel pan or saucepan, melt 1/2 cup of sugar over medium heat to make a syrup. You can just leave the sugar on the pan, without stirring, but shake the pan occasionally to distribute the heat evenly. You may start stirring the syrup when about 3/4 of all the sugar are melted. You may also add 1 or 2 tablespoons of hot water if the syrup is very thick. Pour the syrup on a 8" x 8" square or 9" round baking pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk 3 whole eggs. Add the sugar, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and vanilla. Continue whisking until well blended. Place a strainer over the baking pan and pour in the custard mixture. Set aside.

Prepare the chiffon cake. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 deg. Celsius). Separate 3 egg yolks from the egg white, and set aside the egg whites. Make sure there is no trace of egg yolk in the whites, otherwise your meringue will not form peaks.

Batter: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, water, salt, oil, and vanilla. Add the sifted all-purpose flour and baking powder, and mix all together well using a rubber spatula. Make sure you scrape the flour on the sides of the bowl. Set aside the batter.

Meringue: In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites using an electric mixer set on high speed until the mixture is foamy. Decrease the speed to low and gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar. Increase the speed of the mixer to high again and beat until stiff peaks appear, approximately 3 minutes.

Transfer about 1/3 of the meringue to the batter and whisk until well-blended. Add the remaining meringue and fold in gently, in about 5-8 motions only to avoid "over-working" the batter. Slowly transfer the batter on top of the custard mixture, spreading them evenly. Smoothen the top carefully using a spatula.

Place the cake pan inside a bigger pan - a large roasting pan or a 1" deep cookie sheet will do. Fill the bigger pan with hot water, about half if using a deep roasting pan or almost on the brim if using a cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the toothpick comes out clean after inserting. Completely cool the cake, about 2 hours or more, before placing it upside down on a serving plate. You may also refrigerate the cake before inverting and serving it.

Green Curry Cauldron

I was looking for something to cook for a Halloween party, and found an idea from Martha Stewart's website. Here's our family's usual green curry recipe, but with a Halloween twist by making it greener and gooey-looking. 

Ingredients:
1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
1 can coconut milk, divided
1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
2 lbs chicken thigh or breast fillet, cubed
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 small zuccinni, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 small broccoli crown, cut into florets (about 1 or 1 1/2 cups)
1 green bell pepper, cubed
1 tbsp sugar
salt

Using a blender, puree the chopped spinach and 2/3 can coconut milk. Set aside.
Heat the wok and add the canola oil. Saute the green curry paste. You can add or reduce the curry paste depending on the level of spiciness you like.
Add the coconut milk-spinach puree and let it simmer.
Add the chicken cubes and broth. Season with fish sauce, sugar and salt.
Cook for 15-20 minutes until chicken are tender.
Add the zuccinni and cook for 5 minutes, then add the broccoli and green bell pepper.
Add the remaining coconut milk and let simmer for about 5 minutes more.
Serve with rice.

For regular green curry, you can skip the coconut milk-spinach puree and just add plain coconut milk. You can also add other kinds of vegetables, such as sliced potatoes and carrots. 

Chocolate Cupcake

Jaemi just turned 4! We were not supposed to throw a party for her, but caved in at the last minute. I was unable to pre-order the cake I really wanted for her birthday, so I decided to make cupcakes instead. I got this recipe from my sis-in-law, and tweaked the frosting a little bit. I'm still not that good in artfully designing cupcakes, but they turned out great-tasting and was a sure hit! 



Dry ingredients:

1 3/4 c flour
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 c sugar
1 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs
1 c milk
1/2 c vegetable or canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 c boiling water

Frosting:

1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperatrure
2/3 c cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 can condensed milk


How to make the cupcakes:

Line cupcake pan with paper cups. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda.
Add sugar and salt. Mix until well blended.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg then add in all wet ingredients and stir.
Add wet mixture to dry mix, stir until well combined, but still with some lumps.
Pour batter in cupcake pan, filling about 2/3 of each cup.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean when tested.

** You can also use this as cake mix, increasing the baking time to 20-22 minutes for 8" round or 9" square cake pan.


Frosting:

Using a mixer, whisk the soft butter. Add condensed milk then cocoa powder, whisking them in 3-4 intervals. Add vanilla then whisk. Use rubber spatula to scrape unwhisked cocoa on the sides of the bowl and mix them in. Cool the cupcakes before frosting.

Pork Binagoongan in Coconut Milk

This isn't really a dish Jaemi enjoys, but something I prepare when our Pinoy friends are here and beer is served during get-together dinners at home. I also cook this when I miss the fiestas back home, and when my hubby simply craves for it. It's difficult to get pork belly (the ideal cut for the recipe) in regular grocery stores here in Houston. I guess all the bacon makers got 'em all. So I usually substitute it with pork strip spare ribs combined with cubed country style ribs or boston butt-roast. That way you'll get a balance of the flavor-packed bone parts (the strip spare ribs), dark meat, and fat. 

2 lbs pork belly, cubed*
2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 serrano peppers or long green peppers, chopped
OR 1 tsp chili flakes**
1 medium sized tomato, chopped
1/4 cup bagoong (shrimp paste)
2 tbsp patis (fish sauce)
1 cup coconut milk (set aside 1/4 cup)
2 tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste
2 whole serrano peppers


In a deep sauteing pan, heat oil over medium heat.
Sear the pork on all sides, then set aside. Remove some of the oil, leaving only about 1 tbsp.
Saute garlic and onion until translucent.
Add the chopped peppers (or chili flakes), the shrimp paste, and then the tomato and saute until tender.
Stir in 3/4 cup coconut milk and fish sauce.
When coconut milk is simmering, add the seared pork. Let it cook over medium heat until pork is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Stir in the remaining coconut milk, then add brown sugar and season with salt according to taste.
Let the coconut milk simmer again for about 3 minutes.
Add the whole serrano peppers, then turn off the heat.
Serve with rice.


*You can also use pork spare ribs, pork boston butt-roast, or pork country style ribs.
** You can modify the amount of peppers or chili flakes depending on the desired spiciness. To make it mildly spicy, either use one serrano pepper only or remove the seeds of the pepper or reduce the chili flakes to 1/2 tsp.

Hawaiian-style Pork Roast

My husband got a slow-cooker from one of the "white elephant" exchange gifts we had this holiday season. He's been wanting to get one, and he finally got it. So for the Christmas party we attended the following weekend, the slow cooker was out of the box and ready to make some succulent dish. He found a good slow cooker recipe from the Martha Stuart magazine "Everyday Food" which I'm going to share here. However, we used pork Boston butt roast, instead of the beef short ribs in the original recipe. We did not alter any measurement or cooking time, and it still worked well. The other modification my husband made was he made some gravy out of the liquid that came out of the roast. For those who do not have a slow cooker, you can still cook this using your oven.

Ingredients:
2 red onions, cut into 1-inch wedges
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 medium sized carrots, sliced about 1-inch
4-5 lbs. bone in pork Boston butt roast
(if using short ribs, divide the ribs in 3 to 4 inch-pieces)
1 1/2 cups dark-brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce
6 tbsp vinegar (rice or coconut)
1 tbsp chili sauce
1 can pineapple chunks or slices
2 tbsp flour dissolved in ¼ cup water (for gravy)
cooked rice for serving

Place onions, garlic, ginger, and carrots in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with butt roast (or short ribs) in a tight layer. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili sauce and add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until roast are almost tender, about 4 hours. Add pineapple, including the juice, and cook until pineapple is tender, 1 hour. For oven cooking, pre-heat oven to 200 degrees F. Follow above instructions, placing all ingredients in a deep roasting pan. Cover the pan with foil and roast until tender, about 4 hours. Add the pineapple, and cook for 1 more hour.

With a slotted spoon, transfer roast and pineapples to a platter and cover with foil. Using a ladle, skim fat from cooking liquid. Transfer cooking liquid to a medium-sized sauce pan, straining the remaining solid ingredients. Bring the liquid to a boil on medium-high heat, reducing to about half. Bring the heat to medium-low. Stir the dissolved flour and pour into the reduced liquid, stirring constantly until thick. Season with salt and pepper (and a little bit more sugar, if desired). Slice the roast, arranging the pineapples on top, and then pour over the gravy. Serve with cooked rice.

Chicken cordon bleu with mushroom sauce

For our Thanksgiving potluck, I was hoping to do a turkey version of this dish, but could not find turkey breasts in our local grocery store at the last minute. So I just made the usual chicken cordon bleu, and it was still a hit. This recipe looks complicated, but it wasn't actually. The only tricky part for me is the rolling & sealing because the chicken pieces could get slippery to the hands and you do not want the cheese to ooze out of the rolls while cooking.



4 boneless chicken breasts, skin removed
salt
pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
4 slices cooked ham
4 slices Swiss cheese
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
toothpicks or butcher's twine for sealing
vegetable oil

Mushroom Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup heated milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
salt
pepper


Make a horizontal cut down the length of the thin side of each chicken breast using a sharp thin knife. Open the breasts up like a book so the cut-sides are exposed facing up and the skin-side is down, with the "spine" of the chicken horizontal on your work surface. Place each piece of chicken between 2 sheets of wax paper or in food storage bag. Pound gently to flatten, using a rolling pin or smooth side of meat mallet. Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a deep dish, combine beaten eggs with milk. Place chicken pieces in mixture, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Put panko in a food storage bag and seal. On a flat surface and using a rolling pin, crush the panko until slightly fine. Set aside. Place a piece of ham in the center of each flattened piece of chicken. You may trim the edges of the ham so it fits the breast, with a small border around the chicken. Fold the cheese slice in half and place on top of the ham. Fold ends over the ham and cheese; rolling tightly away from you. Secure rolls with toothpicks or butcher's twine. Dredge chicken with flour then dip in remaining milk mixture; roll in crushed panko to coat well.

Heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry chicken rolls for 3-4 minutes each side. When browned all over, place the chicken rolls in a baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with mushroom sauce.

Mushroom Sauce
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute mushrooms in 2-3 batches until browned (Sauteing in batches would properly brown the mushrooms). Set aside. In the remaining butter, add flour and stir until mixture is well blended. Gradually stir in hot milk, chicken broth, and mushroom. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to boil and thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, stirring frequently, over very low heat for 5 minutes. Makes about 1 cup of medium thick sauce.

I'm back!

I cannot believe that it has been one full year since I last posted in this blog. I have been meaning to add more recipes here, but I guess some busy days and what-nots kept me from it. Anyway, it's that time of the year again. Christmas season means parties, parties, and more parties! Thus, Jaemi's kitchen has been busy again since Thanksgiving. My husband and I did some old and new dishes this year, so I will try to keep this site updated with more recipes... And I hope a few more people will read this :P

Happy Holidays & enjoy the kitchen!

Pinoy Spaghetti

A friend, who also lives here in the States, asked me if I know how to cook Filipino-style spaghetti. That sweet spaghetti sauce, made from ketchup and garnished with hotdogs. Yum! I know Italians would raise their eyebrows with this kind of pasta recipe, but that's the way we Filipinos like our spaghetti -- simple and sweet. I don't usually cook Pinoy style spaghetti back home. Well, not after I got acquainted with oregano and basil. So I made some last week, and my mouth was watering while I was cooking it. I suddenly missed the Jollibee spaghetti. Anyway, here's my Pinoy spaghetti. Enjoy!

Filipino Style Spaghetti

1 lb spaghetti
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb ground pork
3 hotdogs, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste (abt 3 oz)
1 bottle (12 oz) banana ketchup (I prefer Jufran)
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup water (from boiling pasta)
1/4 cup Velveeta cheese, shredded (plus more for toppings)
1 small carrot, shredded (optional)

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Save 1 cup of water from cooked pasta.

In a medium sauce pan, heat oil then saute garlic and onion. Add pork, salt, pepper & soy sauce. Cook until pork is brown, stirring occasionally.

Add hotdogs, tomato paste, banana ketchup, water and sugar. Stir and let simmer. You can adjust the salt and sugar measurements according to your taste.

Add shredded cheese and carrots. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Pour sauce over pasta and top with cheese.

Stir-Fry Chicken and Veggies in Oyster Sauce

One of the easiest and nutritious dish you can serve your kids is stir-fry vegetables (like chop suey back home in Pinas). Jamie Oliver, in his Food Revolution show, taught the people of Huntington, West Virginia (which has high numbers of obesity) to stir fry meat and vegetables as part of his "mission" to transform the town to healthy eating habits. I'm not sure, though, how successful he was in this mission. Anyway, I'm glad that my 2-year old enjoys stir fry, and really eats some of the veggies in it (mostly cauliflower & broccoli, as long as they're tender). Here's one of my stir fry recipes.


Stir-Fry Chicken and Veggies in Oyster Sauce

1 lb boneless chicken thighs or breast, cut into about 1 x 1/2-inch strips
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup corn starch
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup oyster sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1/2 medium-sized onion, chopped
2 medium-sized carrots, sliced into bias
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower
1/2 green bell pepper, julienne
1/4 head cabbage, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
salt
pepper


In a bowl combine the soy sauce, garlic powder and black pepper. Add the chicken and mix well. Marinate for 10-15 minutes. Dredge the chicken strips with corn starch. Heat wok or large pan with vegetable oil. Stir fry the chicken until brown (you might need to fry them in batches), then set aside. Remove some oil, leaving only about 1 tablespoon.

Combine the oyster sauce, water, sugar and corn starch in a separate bowl. Stir to completely dissolve the cornstarch. Set aside.

Saute garlic and onion. Add the carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Stir fry for about 3 minutes. Add broth and let it boil. Add the bell pepper and cabbage and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken. Push the vegetables & chicken to the sides, leaving a hole in the middle of the wok or pan. Stir the oyster sauce mixture to dissolve the corn starch that settled in the bottom of the bowl, and then pour it in the wok. Continue stirring the sauce until it thickens. Fold in the vegetables. Add salt & pepper, if desired. Simmer for about 2 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice.

Tinola sa America

Wow... it's been more than a month since I posted something here. Not that I wasn't busy in the kitchen. I just thought maybe my recipes wasn't good enough to share. Anyway, here's a very simple Filipino dish which my daughter and husband really love. Tinola is a comfort food, and great to eat during a cold or rainy weather. But a couple of ingredients of tinola is not that easy to find here in the States - the green papaya and siling labuyo (Philippine chili pepper) leaves. So I'm sharing you the substitutes to those ingredients, which can make your tinola nutrition packed for your little ones.

Chicken Tinola

Ingredients:
1/2 chicken (whole chicken butterflied and halved), cut into about 6-8 pieces
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1-inch ginger root, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup patis (fish sauce)
8 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)
2 medium-sized chayote squash
1 bunch spinach
1/4 tsp ground black pepper


In a non-stick skillet or pan, sear chicken pieces over medium-high heat. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a medium stockpot, heat oil and saute the garlic and ginger root. Add the chicken, fish sauce and bouillon cube. Add water. Adjust your stove to medium-high heat and let the stock boil for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the chayote squash in quarters lengthwise. Peel and remove the seed. Cut each quarters in 2 or 3 pieces crosswise. Add the chayote squash to the pot. Let it simmer until the chayote squash are tender.

Wash thoroughly the bunch of spinach, removing the root ends. When the chayote squash is tender, add the black pepper and the spinach leaves to the pot. Add some salt if necessary. Turn off the heat. Serve with steamed rice.

Carrot Banana Cupcake

It's my little angel's 22nd month today! We usually do a simple celebration every month by baking a cake (out of the box. hehe..) so she can blow a candle. So I thought of that cream cheese frosting again, and had the idea of making carrot cupcakes. I found a simple recipe from the Joy of Baking website, but I didn't have apples nor applesauce (it makes the cupcake moist) so I replaced it with mashed bananas instead. Actually, the recipe is almost similar to my banana muffin recipe, I just added the cream cheese frosting this time.


Carrot Banana Cupcake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup grated carrot (approx. 1 medium-sized)
1 cup mashed banana (approx. 2 medium-sized)
3/4 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 deg. C). Place paper cup liners in 12 cup muffin pan.

In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and oil. Fold in the flour mixture to the egg mixture then add the grated carrot, mashed bananas, raisins and chopped nuts. Mix until well blended.

Pour the batter to the paper cups. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. It's cooked when you insert a toothpick in the middle of the cupcake and it comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let them cool completely.

Frosting: With a hand mixer (or in a bowl of an electric mixer), beat together the cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Spread the cream cheese frosting on top of each cupcake. Store the cupcake in the refrigerator.

Tuna Bacon Alfredo

This is one of my old-time pasta recipes. Some of my friends and relatives had been asking me this recipe before but I never found the time to write it down and, sort of, "structure" the ingredients and procedure. I used to call it "carbonara", but I do not put egg in the recipe, which differentiates carbonara from alfredo. So now I call it tuna bacon alfredo. For those based in the Philippines, I have some notes on the alternative ingredients at the bottom of this post.

Tuna Bacon Alfredo

Ingredients:
1 lb (450 g) linguine or spaghetti
4 strips bacon, chopped
1 small can mushrooms (4 oz / 113 g), sliced
1 small can tuna (5 oz / 142 g)
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 can table cream (225 ml)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (10.5 oz/298 g)
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (or any cheese), grated + some for toppings
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp sugar
1 small green bell pepper, chopped

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

In a skillet, cook the bacon until brown. You may divide the bacon and crisp the other half for toppings. Place in paper towels and set aside. Remove some bacon fat and saute the mushrooms. Set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter and saute garlic. Add tuna and wine. Simmer uncovered until about half of the wine has evaporated. Stir in cream, mushroom soup, water, cheese, sugar, salt, and pepper. You can add more salt and pepper according to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushroom, bacon, and bell pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Mix sauce with pasta. Top with grated cheese.

Make it more nutritious for your little one: Add a cup of chopped vegetables, like cauliflower (my daughter likes this), broccoli or zucchini, together with the mushroom, bacon & bell pepper.

Note: I use lemon-lime soda (sprite or 7-up) instead of wine if I don't have it. Still does the work of removing the fishy taste of the tuna. For those back home, you can use 1 tetra pack of all purpose cream (we don't have that here in the US). Also, you can use the powdered mushroom soup, if condensed soup is not available, by dissolving it in 1 cup of water. You might have to cut back on the additional water, and make it 3/4 to 1 cup instead of 1 1/2 cup.

Banana Muffin

My unpredictable toddler had a sudden change in taste this week, and now refuse to eat bananas which used to be her favorite. So, to avoid a waste of throwing rotten bananas, I made some banana muffins - for the first time! Muffins are actually easy to do, but I wasn't into baking before. It was my hubby who bakes often. Love his blueberry muffin. Anyways, I found Giada de Laurentiis' recipe at the Food Network website and did some tweaking on her recipe. I skipped the mascarpone cream frosting (mascarpone's too expensive, and too rich!) but I might try some cream cheese frosting on my next batch.

Banana Muffin

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 large eggs
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large bananas, peeled and mashed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 12-cup muffin pan with paper cup liners. (Or you can simply grease the muffin pan, if you don't have paper cup liners.)

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a separate bigger bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, melted butter and vanilla extract. Stir in the mashed bananas in the wet mixture. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended. You'll have a pancake batter-like mixture, and it's alright to have a few lumps.

Pour the batter on the muffin cups. Bake the muffins in the middle rack for about 25 minutes. Cool in a wire rack and serve.

Note: For first time bakers like me, you can tell that the muffin is cooked when you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean. If you don't have a wire rack, just let it cool a little bit in the pan and serve. Enjoy!

Creamy Broccoli & Cauliflower Soup

This is a very healthy soup which my daughter loves sooo much. When she turned 1, food in bright colors (i.e. veggies) became a no-no to her. Weird, coz I thought colorful food would make it more appetizing for kids (then I realized i also didn't eat veggies when I was a kid. Haha!). Her pedia told me to give her soups coz it would have almost all the nutrients she needs, and easy for her to eat. So here's a very simple soup recipe, which you and your kids will love.


CREAMY BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER SOUP

1/4 c. chopped onion
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 c. chicken broth (or water)
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh or frozen broccoli
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh or frozen cauliflower
1 c. milk
1/4 c. cheddar cheese, shredded (any cheese will do)
salt
pepper
1 tsp. sugar (optional)



Saute onion in melted butter until tender. Add flour, stirring well. Gradually stir in broth, broccoli and cauliflower. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Reduce heat; stir in milk and cheese. Add salt, pepper, and sugar (optional) to taste. Serve while hot. Yields 3 cups.

Some tips: If using fresh broccoli & cauliflower, steam the vegetables for about 10 minutes, then chop them using a food processor or blender (if available). If frozen, combine the broccoli and cauliflower in a bowl and cover with wet paper towel. Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes, then chop. You can also use only broccoli in the recipe.