chooooowww (^0^)

August 25, 2007

Macaroni Salad with Dill and Ham

Filed under: Salad - Administrator @ 8:38 am

Make your salad be pleasing not just to the eyes of your most beloved but also a salad that could catch the attention of eveybody in your house even neighbors, especially the kids. "Yun bang mapapaluwa ang kanilang mapupungay na mata, char!!!"emoticonIt’s very easy to do, it would only take your 30 minutes time.

Ingredients:

1/4 medium red onion, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional for salting water
8 ounces elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup sour cream
6 ounces cooked ham, cut into 1⁄3-inch cubes
3/4 cup frozen baby peas, thawed (about 4 ounces)
2 ribs celery, with leaves, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Procedures:

To mellow the minced onion, soak it in cold water while you make the salad.
Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Add the macaroni and boil, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the macaroni in a colander, put in a serving bowl, and toss with the milk. Allow the macaroni to cool slightly while you make the dressing.

For the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, mustard, the 2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper to taste in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream to make a smooth, slightly thick dressing. Whisk in the sour cream.

Drain the onions, pat dry, and add to the macaroni along with the ham, peas, celery, and dill. Add the dressing and fold to coat the pasta evenly. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Know-How: Why the milk? When we left it out of the recipe, the macaroni absorbed too much of the dressing and the salad was overly acidic. Adding just a couple tablespoons mellowed the dressing and gave the salad a wonderful old-fashioned quality without being goopy or heavy.

Spaghetti with Meat balls

Filed under: Pasta - Administrator @ 8:30 am

My Dad is a good cook. One of the pastas that he  loves to prepare whenever there is a special celebration, like home-fiesta, birthdays, and etc. It is also the favorite of most Filipinos the so called, "spaghetti". Our youngest sister loves this so much. This is her ultimate favorite pasta.

10 cups Best Basic Red Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought pasta sauce
1 large egg
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon Baby Bam seasoning, recipe follows
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Spaghetti:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound spaghetti

 


Place the Basic Red Sauce in a large pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Place all the remaining meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon to combine. Wash your hands then form the meat into balls by rolling 1 tablespoon of meat between them. Place meatballs on a plate as they are formed. (Hint: if your hands are slightly damp, the meatballs will roll more easily and will not stick to your hands!) When all the meatballs are formed, wash your hands again and then gently place the balls into the sauce 1 at a time using a long handled spoon. Be careful – bubbling sauce splatters! Simmer the sauce uncovered, and allow the meatballs to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes before stirring. Stir the meatballs into the sauce when they rise to the top.

Simmer for an additional 20 minutes, and stir occasionally to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Remove from the heat, and serve immediately over cooked spaghetti.

For the Spaghetti: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the salt, olive oil and spaghetti. Reduce the heat to medium and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the spaghetti from sticking together. Drain the spaghetti in a colander set in a sink, pouring away from you. Toss in the pot with the sauce and meatballs and serve immediately.

 

Best Basic Red Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (1 medium yellow onion)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (2 cloves garlic)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar

Heat the olive oil in a 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, salt, basil, oregano and black pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and squeeze to break into small pieces. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and sugar to the pot with the onions, and stir well. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled wooden spoon.

Remove from the heat, and use as needed. You can store this sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Yield: 10 cups, 2 1/2 quarts

Baby Bam Seasoning:
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well to combine with a wooden spoon. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Yield: about 3/4 cup

Sweet_ Sour Shrimp

Filed under: Fish Recipes - Administrator @ 8:05 am

Do you want to have a different style of preparing your "shrimp"? Here’s the ultimate recipe that you would really love. If you’re getting bored of having you’re shrimp to fry, then try this one. Scroll downemoticon

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons chicken stock or water
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons pineapple or orange juice
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pound shrimp
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1 cup 1-inch chunks green bell peppers
1 cup pineapple chunks
12 maraschino cherries
6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

Procedure:

Hot white rice, accompaniment
To make the sauce, in a bowl, combine 1/4 cup of stock, the ketchup, sugar, juice, vinegar, soy, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper flakes. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the remaining 2 tablespoons of stock and stir to dissolve. Set aside.
In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the ginger, garlic, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes. Set aside for 10 to 20 minutes.
Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the oil, swirling to coat the sides and bottom of the pan. Add the shrimp, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry until pink, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add the onions and peppers and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the sauce and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Return the shrimp to the pan and add the pineapples, cherries, and green onions. Cook until the sauce is thick, about 1 minute.

Fried Apple Pie

Filed under: Pies - Administrator @ 7:49 am

Apple Pie is one of the best selling food from any food store. If you are tired driving yourself or even commute just to buy this pie downtown. This recipe is for your own convenient. It’s very easy to follow if you want too. You could also have this to start a small business. Try it now..emoticon

Ingredients:

1 (21-ounce) can apple pie filling
1 (5-ounce) package refrigerated pie crust
Cooking oil
Sugar, for sprinkling

Procedures:

Remove crust from package, unfold and cut crust into 8 equal pie shape pieces. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of fruit on pastry leaving a 1/2-inch edge all around. Taking another piece of pastry, dip finger in water and dampen edges of pastry all around. Place on top of the filling pressing to seal. Dip end of dinner fork in flour and press continuously around edge to insure a proper seal. One box of crust will make 8 pies.

Pour cooking oil into a cast iron skillet, a little less tan 1/2-inch deep. This would be 1 1/2 cups oil in a 10-inch skillet. Heat over medium high heat, when oil is hot, place pies in a skillet and cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all pies are cooked or you may wrap and freeze extra pies for another day. While hot, sprinkle with sugar.

For an even easier method use canned biscuits that have been rolled out on a 5 or 6-inch round circle. Seal pies as directed.

Serve pies with vanilla ice cream.

Lasagna

Filed under: Pasta - Administrator @ 7:42 am

As far as I could remember I have tried once to eat a lasagna in my entire life. It’s not that I don’t like the taste but I just don’t have money to buy. Joke! Well, it’s not that appearing to me. But, my boyfriend love it, uuhhhmmm…. I’m sure YOU love it too…

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 cup (8-ounces) fresh ricotta
1 egg
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 or 5 large fresh basil leaves
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for pasta water
1/2 batch Sunday Gravy with Sausages, recipe follows
1/2 batch Meatballs, recipe follows
Salt
1 recipe George’s Fresh Pasta, recipe follows, cut into lasagne noodles (4 to 5-inches wide by 12 to 13-inches long)
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano
1 ball fresh mozzarella, drained and sliced

Procedures:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the noodles. Put a bowl of ice water near the stove, and set out a few towels next to the bowl to drain the pasta.

Generously grease a 10 by 14-inch baking pan using 1 to 2 tablespoons of the butter. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, and parsley together. Rip up the basil leaves and fold them into the ricotta mixture. Season with salt and set aside.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the pieces of pork, sausage, and meatballs from the Sunday Gravy to a separate bowl. They will be coated with some of the tomato gravy. That’s okay. Set the remaining gravy and bowl of meats aside.

Generously salt the boiling water and cook the lasagne sheets, a few at a time, at a rolling boil for 1 minute. The noodles will be very firm; they will cook further in the oven. Transfer the pasta to the ice water with a long-handled flat skimmer or strainer. As soon as they are cool to the touch- less than a minute- lift them out, shaking off excess water, and lay the noodles out on towels to drain. Repeat the process until all the pasta is cooked.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cover the bottom of the baking pan with a layer of lasagne sheets, allowing the pasta to hang over all sides of the pan. Top with another layer of lasagne sheets cut to fit the bottom of the pan without an overhang.

Cover the pasta with 1/2 of the reserved meats. Spoon over enough gravy to moisten well, about 1 cup. Sprinkle with a rounded 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano. Cover with another layer of pasta cut to fit without an overhang. Top with 1 cup gravy. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the gravy and top with half of the mozzarella and a rounded 1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano. Repeat the pasta and meat layer and the pasta and ricotta mixture layer.

Cover with a final layer of pasta (you may not have used all the lasagne sheets) cut to fit the inside of the pan without an overhang. Top with the remaining gravy and Pecorino Romano. Bring up the overhang of pasta and fold over the top of the lasagne to enclose the filling. Dot with remaining butter and loosely cover with foil.

Bake the lasagne for 25 minutes, uncover, and continue to bake until very lightly browned and bubbling hot, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. To keep the top noodles soft without browning, bake the lasagne covered with foil for 35 minutes and uncovered for the last 5 to 10 minutes in the oven. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Carrot cake

Filed under: Cakes - Administrator @ 7:28 am

I know many of us crave for a carrot cake, me too… but when you buy from a cake store it’s really expensive. So, why don’t we make this at home. Well, if we are creative enough we could actually modify or simplify some ingredients which we think it’s quite pricey when we buy this at the grocery. I have good news I have found the recipe on how to do this controversial "Carrot cake" emoticon

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 1/2 cups grated fresh carrots (about 2 large)
1 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple (see Cooks Note)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 (4-ounce) jars pureed carrot baby food

Icing:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese (1 pound), at room temperature
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple

Procedures:

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) square cake pans, line them with buttered parchment paper, and dust with flour.

Toss the carrots, walnuts and 1/2 cup pineapple with 1/2 cup of the flour in a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.

In another large bowl beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and light, about 5 minutes. While continuing to beat the eggs slowly, gradually add the oil, and then the pureed carrot.

Scatter the dry ingredients over the wet and then gently fold them together to make a loose batter. Gently fold the nuts, carrots, and pineapple into the batter. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake the cakes until firm to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on a rack for 25 minutes. Turn cakes out of pans and cool completely on the rack.

For the icing: Beat cream cheese in a large bowl, with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in the butter until smooth. Sift the sugar over the cream cheese, and beat until smooth. Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy. Refrigerate to set slightly for about 20 minutes.

To assemble the cake, place a cake layer on a cake stand, plate, or cake board. Spread about half of the icing over top, but leave the sides bare. Sprinkle icing with about half of the pineapple. Top with a second cake layer, and repeat with remaining icing and pineapple. Serve.

Cook’s Note: You will need about 1/2 a fresh medium pineapple, trimmed, cored, and finely chopped for the whole cake and frosting.

Chocolate Truffles

Filed under: Sweets - Administrator @ 7:17 am

Almost people in the whole wide world, loves CHOCOLATE. It’s seldom we see people who resist from eating this sweet food. Of course except for those who have a so called, "diabetes".emoticon We Filipinos love this food so much, expecially if it’s heartily given by someone. hehehe.. "expensive kasi" But you know, you could also make your home-made chocolate. Read this text below…

Ingredients:

1/2 pound quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons quality honey (recommended: Tasmanian)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 cup turbinado sugar or raw sugar, for garnish

Procedures:

Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, about 1 minute more.)

Meanwhile, bring the cream and honey to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat (or in the microwave). Gradually whisk the cream into the chocolate until smooth and shiny. Whisk in the butter until very smooth. If possible, switch to an immersion blender and blend for about 1 minute for a lovely satiny texture. Cover the surface of the chocolate with plastic wrap; set aside in a cool spot until slightly firm, about 1 hour.

Line a baking sheet or large plate very, very tightly with plastic wrap (the wrap will be slightly suspended over the surface of the pan). Transfer the truffle mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain 1/4-inch tip. Holding the bag about 1/4-inch over the surface of the plastic wrap, pipe about 25 (3/4-inch) cones or truffles. Sprinkle the truffle tops lightly with sugar. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.

Once set, the truffles can be held in a cool spot, out of the refrigerator for up to 2 hours. Otherwise, refrigerate the truffles covered, for up to 5 days. Truffles taste best if served room temperature not straight from the refrigerator.

Home-made Pork Adobo

Filed under: Pork Recipes - Administrator @ 6:52 am

This is the most popular Filipino dish, anything about Pork adobo is definitely yummy. Well ofcourse this is very easy to do at home. One thing good about making this dish is not laborious. There are no various ingredients that you have to use to have a delicious one. This is the most requested dish that my mom want me to cook. She says, there something in my adobo that she feels she’s eating in a restaurant. hehehehe…"flattering".emoticon Everytime I have an outside appointment she will give me a call while I’m still at the house then she would ask me to cook "adobo" for our dinner before I leave.

Ingredients:

- pork meat (it’s good if you choose a meat that has fat part on it)

- onion

- garlic

- soy sauce

- pepper (seed and leaves)

- brown sugar

Procedure:

1. On a sauce pan place the pork meat, garlic and onion. Add some water and let it steam until the pork tender. Have it covered.

2. Put some amount of soy sauce so that it would looks good. Cover it again with the lid to make sure that the pork absorbs it.

3. You may use a fork or tooth pick to check if the pork has soften.  Then, put some sugar on it but make sure that there are still some amount of water left.

4. Add the pepper and cover it again for about 3 minutes then it’s ready to serve.

note: It’s more yummy if the texture of its sauce is somewhat sticky.

Wonton Soup

Filed under: Soup - Administrator @ 5:53 am

Ingredients
  •     Filling:
  • ¾  lb.  ground pork
  • 2  Tbs.  celery ,  minced
  • 2  minced  green onions
  • 1    egg
  • 2  Tbs.  soy sauce
  • 1 1/2  tsp.  white wine
  • 1/2  tsp.  sesame seed oil
  • 1/8  tsp.  salt
  •     dash white pepper
  •     Soup:
  • 1  can (48 oz)  College Inn® Chicken
  •     Broth (99% Fat Free)
  • 1 1/2 - 2  Tbs.  soy sauce
  • 1    scallion ,  chopped
  • 24 – 30    wonton wrappers
Prep Time: 15 – 20  Minutes
Cooking Time: 15  Minutes
Servings: 6
Directions
1.              To make wontons: In a medium bowl mix filling ingredients thoroughly. Cover wonton wrappers with a damp cloth. Laying a couple of wrappers out at a time, moisten each with water. Place 1 tsp. filling in center of each wrapper. Fold over at center. Wet with water along edges & press together. Fold in 1/3 lengthwise at the open side. Fold the two upper ends to the back and over each other, pressing together with a little water.
2.              To cook wontons: In a medium saucepan bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add wontons, stirring constantly. Cover and return to boil. Add 1 cup cold water, cover and return to boil. When wontons are cooked, they will float. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
3.              For Soup: In a large sauce pan bring broth to a boil. Add in soy sauce and cooked wontons and return to a boil. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Garlic Beef Stir Fry

Filed under: Beef Recipe - Administrator @ 5:48 am

Ingredients
  • l   lb.  ground beef or turkey
  • 1   cup  onion ,  chopped
  • 2    cloves garlic, minced
  • 2   Tbsp.  chili powder
  • 1   tsp  ground cumin
  • 1   can (15 oz.)  S&W® Ready-Cut® Diced Tomatoes
  • 3   Tbsp.   canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or jalapeno peppers (to taste) ,  chopped
  • 1   can (15 oz.)  S&W Black Beans ,  drained
  • 1   can (15.25 oz.)  S&W Kidney Beans ,  drained
  • 1   can (15 oz.)  S&W Pinto Beans ,  drained
Directions
1. Cook meat, onion and garlic in large saucepan over medium heat, 3 minutes; drain.
2. Add chili powder, cumin, undrained tomatoes and chipotle peppers. Cook 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add beans; cook 5 minutes. Serve with cilantro, avocado and sour cream, if desired.

Get free blog up and running in minutes with Blogsome
Theme designed by Janis Joseph