Beef Pares Recipe

1/2 kilo of beef (uncut, brisket part)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 cloves garlic (minced)

1 medium onion (minced)

2 tbsp ginger (minced)

2 beef cubes

3 pcs star anise

Salt and pepper

4 cups of water

Boil the meat until tender. (maybe an hour in a cooking pot or 20 mins in a pressure cooker). Once done get the beef out of the stock and cut in cubes.

Saute ginger, onion, and garlic. Put in the beef and stir fry it. Next is the soy sauce and 1 cup of beef stock from earlier procedure. Bring it to boil. Once boiling put in the beef cubes and star anise. Add water as necessary to make the beef more tender. After 10-15 mins, put the sugar, salt and pepper. Let the sauce thicken and serve the pares with hot rice.

VERDICT

WILL: I saw a photo of beef tapa and my mind immediately gave a signal to my salivary gland to moisten my mouth. Drooling, so ai requested Abbey to cook that for me, but he was hesitant so I just asked him to cook a morcon for me. 

      I was so excited to go home yesterday since I know that Morcon and gravy is waiting for me. When I am about to sit, there is a bowl of thick sauced meat, and asked Abbey what was that,  with his poker face told me that it was a beef pares as per request. Hearing that I jumped my way to him, squeeze him tight and murmur how much I love him. :) 

      While eating my beef pares, Abbey aked me to take a look and taste off the morcon, I just told him I will eat those later. Haha. The beef pares really reminds me of tapsilogan along 9th avenue caloocan. Haha. So delicious. After I put down my spoon and fork, there is a feeling within that my tummy will be exploding. Haha. I really miss this food. Love it a lot :) 

Choco Lava Recipe

250g of chocolate (semi sweet or dark)

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of flour

3 eggs

3 tsp of vanilla extract

1/4 stick of butter

Put eggs and sugar in mixer for 10mins until the color is off-yellow. 

Melt the chocolate and butter in double-boiler.

Preheat the oven to 400F (206C)

Put the choco-butter mixture into the eggs and sugar while continuous stirring to avoid the eggs to be cooked. When the chocolate covered all the mixture, slowly put the flour by folding.

Generously butter the ramekins; this will help to take out the cake from the mold. Bake it for 12mins. Once time elapsed remove from oven and let it cool. Slide a knife in the side of ramekins and take out the cake. Serve with ice cream or strawberry.

VERDICT

WILL:  There is something that I know what Abbey is up to, haha, so every surprise was busted! I keep on calling that Monday morning checking him what he is doing, what he is cooking, he says he is doing nothing. On my nth call, maybe he can't handle now his phone ringing and ringing, he admitted that he baked Ate Stella's request, the choco lava.

       Again, it was a hit in our home and at my office. When I saw the finish product that was still in the ramekins, I told to myself that this may taste like his brownies, when he served that hot dessert on my table, the oozing chocolate that melts really looks appetizing. After my dinner, I get a small portion and tasted it. Damn, the moisture, the sweetness and the liquefied chocolate tandem really a nice combo with the freshly sliced strawberry.

       Nice one Abe!

Tapsilog

Thin slices of beef
1/2 cup Soy sauce
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground black pepper

Mix soy sauce, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Marinate the beef for at least 12 hours.

To cook, drain the beef from marinade and put in a pan. Put 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Once water is gone put some oil to fry the beef. Serve with egg and rice.

VERDICT
WILL: If you are a Filipino in abroad, aren't you miss tapsilog? Well, we do! And my husband knew it. He told me that he have surprise for my lunch then, indeed ecstatic, I am truly happy to see tapsilog inside my lock&lock. 
      It seems that I tasted again the tapsilog I am eating near Recto. Love this. The best ka talaga Abraham. :) 

Egg Burger

Here we are, please to present our third entry for this campaign Daniel's campaign.

Hope, you can do this recipe too. :)

Ground Pork

Minced Onion

Minced Potato

Crushed crackers

Egg

Mix ground pork, minced onion, mince potato and crushed crackers, sprinkle some pepper and salt to taste. Mold the mixture into a patty, punch a hole in the middle. Put the patty on the hot skillet. Crack the egg into the middle once cooked, flip and cook the next side. 

VERDICT

ABBEY: She said she'll cook burger for dinner. I came up with an idea that she'll fry eggs too as we have some leftover in the fridge. But never came to my mind with this kind. Sunny side up in center of a burger, innovative! The taste is better than her ordinary burger. I'll tell her to apply for patent :)

Slow Cook Milk Fish

Here we are, please to present our second post for this campaign Daniel's campaign.

Hope, you can do this recipe too. :)

One Milk Fish

One whole bulb of onion

Two tomatoes

Pepper and salt to taste

     Clean the milk fish and slice open the fish. Dash the pepper and salt on the fish. Mince the onion and tomatoes, put it on at the fish. 

     Oil up the pan. Once hot, put the fish then the close it with its lid. Make sure that the fire is on low then slow cook the fish for 40mins. 

     Serve hot... serve right away. :)

VERDICT
ABBEY: I do know how to fry a milk fish; be it marinated or with only salt and pepper. Wilma have a trick up her sleeve in which she slow-cook the fish. The fish is soaked with richness of tomato combined with its own flavor. Perfect match with newly cooked rice :)

Ginataang Isda (Fish with Coconut Cream)

We were surprised and delighted to see an email from Daniel of Daniel's Food Diary. OMG, we were invited to join his campaign to start cooking and bond with the family. 

So here we are, please to present our posts for this campaign. We will posting from 6th - 8th of August. 

Hope, you can do this recipes too. :)

4 Fish
3 cups Coconut cream
4 cloves of Garlic
1 knob garlic Ginger
One bulb of minced Onion
1/2 tbsp Fish sauce
1 Red Chili 

Rub some salt and pepper on to the fishes. Saute garlic, ginger, chili pepper and onions in a hot oil. Pour in the coconut cream, stir until it bubbles. Put in the fish, simmer for 10 minutes.

VERDICT
ABBEY: Wilma asked me to have a food review of this dish which she cooked. I prepared the dish many times but this one really stood out. The sweetness of the coconut milk and spiciness of red chili complement each other well. It goes well with a serving of hot rice; maybe 2 to 3 plates :) Thanks baby.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich

Large onions (rings separated)
Beef (shabu-shabu)
Quick melt cheese
Salt and pepper
Bread

Saute the onions and beef. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the bread lengthwise and layer it with beef.
Put cheese on top and then microwave it for a minute.

Better if Cheeze Whiz is used.

WILL:  I saw this food at Man vs Food Series and admittedly I drool upon watching every bit of the people eating it. Screaming, I ask abbey to cook that for me ASAP. Demanding? Haha! On his off, he cooked this Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich for dinner.

       Extravagant taste, and ate a whole six inch moutwatering caramelized onion with beef and melted cheese. Damn full. :) Thanks Abbey. Love it a lot! 

Yema

1 can of condensed milk
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon chopped peanuts

This requires continuous stirring.
Melt butter. Once melted put the condensed milk. After 2 minutes add the yolks. Mix it well. Continue to stir until desired thickness is achieved. Let it cool for sometime.
Scoop a small amount and form it into a ball.
As a twist, I rolled the yema balls on confectioner's sugar.

VERDICT

WILL: Abbey surprised me again with this ball of sweets. When I saw those nothing familiar strikes to me, but when I tasted it, all I say is, "I love you baby"! Haha.

      This yema is so nice when I brought it in our office, it is an instant hit! Haha! Love it. Try to do it! 

Pastillas

1 can condensed milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar, sifted
3 small boxes of powdered milk, sifted

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly until it has a dough-like texture.

Scoop a small amount and form it into cylinders.
Roll it in sugar and then serve for dessert.

VERDICT
WILL: Ate April is from Manila then. Each table she put pastillas, yema and sweetened tamarind. That is the only time that I saw Ms Agnes crave for something. She was fallen in love with pastillas. So I asked Abbey to make some for her and of course for me. 
      After 2 weekes, he made it and Abbey nailed the taste! I really like the very sweet taste that this mixed milk gave to my taste bud. A perfect dessert after our dinner. Thanks Abbey. Such a sweet guy! 

Puto Recipe

I was looking for something to cook for my wifey and I remembered that she wants puto. Below is the recipe:

4 cups flour, sifted
2 cups sugar, sifted
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 raw egg
1 teaspoon pandan paste or essence
2 1/2 cups of water for puto mixture
Slices of cheese
Water for steaming

In a bowl mix the dry ingredients well then add egg, butter, milk, pandan and water. Mix them thoroughly.
Pour into individual molds.
Put the mold in the steamer for 20 mins. You can use cheese cloth so water vapor will not fall into the mixture.
Put the cheese and steam again for 2-5 minutes.

VERDICT
WILL: One week before that, he is telling me that he will do something for his weekend. I know there is something about his passion in kitchen activities but I am surprised to see a pandan puto on out table. A perfect match with out miswa. 
      He packed some and gave it to my colleagues and one blurted "sobrang sarap ate", I am so flattered to have a husband that his de-stresser is cooking. 
      Thanks baby, next time if there will be a get-together, this is what we will bring :) 

Tukneneng

Quail eggs - hard boiled
3 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup flour
1/4 cup annatto seeds (atsuete)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Cooking oil for deep frying

Sauce:
Vinegar
Cucumber (sliced)
Red pepper
Salt and pepper

Remove the eggshells and dredge it into the cornstarch. For the batter, dilute 1 cup of hot water into the annatto seeds. Mix flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour the liquid in the flour-salt-pepper mixture. Put the eggs in the batter.

Heat the oil and once hot deep fry the eggs.
Remove and serve with your favorite sauce.

VERDICT:
WILL: Eventually, I am missing every small thing that was taken for granted when I am in the Philippines and food is not an exemption. 
      I miss street foods and I miss tukneneng. This is quail egg rolled on a flour then fried. The best part? When it was soaked in a vinegar with garlic, onion and cucumber. 
      Thanks abbey for preparing this. :)

Chicken Katsu Recipe

chicken leg or breast - boneless, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
Egg
Coating powder
Bread crumbs

Beat the egg and add coating powder until the mixture thickens. 
Heat the oil.
Dip the chicken into the mixture then into bread crumbs. Do this twice. This will make the thick coating of the tonkatsu.
Fry it until golden brown.
Serve with hot rice, curry and wasabi.

VERDICT

WILL: We miss a chicken a lot! Why we lessen to consume this meat due to Abbey's allergies. 

      Well, I love Japanese Cuisine most specially the curry rice so I asked Abbey to cook something for me. :) hehe. He cooked chicken katsu with the curry sauce. Try the instruction above. Abbey, salamat ulit paano na ako papayat nito? Hehehe! 

Tofu with Black Beans

4 pcs of tokwa (cubed and fried)
1 small can of black beans (tausi)
Garlic and onion

Saute the onion and garlic then put on the black beans. Estimate the saltiness as you put the black beans sauce. Put the tokwa. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with hot rice.

VERDICT

WILL:  Well, this viand is one of my favorite but my Nanay hates it.. hahaha! Tofu is not good for her arthritis, but what can she do? I am always craving for anything made from soya beans. And she can't blame me because since birth due to lactose intolerance and allergic reaction on her breast milk, the doctor prescribed a soya milk. 

      Abbey got it right. Its like my Mom went here and cooked for me. Love it a lot! Thanks Bbey!

Abbeys's Sushi

1 pack of sushi nori
3 cups of cooked japanese rice
Sushi vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Crab sticks
Spicy tuna
Cucumber
Sushi bamboo mat
Food wrap

Sushi rice:
Mix the rice, vinegar, sugar and salt well and let it cool down.

Wrap the bamboo mat with a food wrap. Place a sheet of nori on top of the mat and put an even layer of rice on it. Put crab-sticks or tuna, and cucumber on the center and start rolling. Don't press the mat too hard else the fillings will burst put of the roll.

You can choose to do inside-out sushi (rice is in the outside) or with a regular roll (nori outside).
Once done with rolling, cut it in half, half and half again. One roll will be cut into 8 pieces. Serve and enjoy it with soy sauce and wasabi.

VERDICT
WILL: It all started when I bought a black beans for our tofu with tausi viand. Hehe. When searching for this can of beans I saw a wooden mat worth $1.89 cents at Carrefour in VivoCity Mall. And when I got home, i told abbey to make sushi for me. Hehe.
       Wednesday, 21/3, my wish was granted. Ha! He made a sushi bigger than the commercialized one. 3 trays of it. I am so delighted! I love it! Everything on it. Paano pa kaya ako papayat nito gosh! Hehe. Thanks Abbey :) more sushi to come, more wasabi to taste! :) 

Brazo De Mercedes

I never thought I was able to make this. My Ninang Zeny gave me the cake on my 7th birthday and since then I like it. VA gave me the idea to bake and I found myself surfing the net for recipe. Panlasang Pinoy had the recipe and the procedures as well as the encouragement that this will be an easy task.

RECIPE:
Meringue
10 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Custard:
10 egg yolks
14 ounces condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixer. Beat them until the mixture bubbles. Make the meringue by gradually adding the granulated sugar. Mix until soft peaks are formed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place wax paper in a cookie sheet and grease it. Put the meringue and flatten it to 1/2-inch thickness. Bake it in the oven for the 22 minutes. When time is up, let the meringue cool.

While baking the meringue, whisk the yolks and mix it with the condensed milk. Put it in a pot and turn up the heat while mixing it thoroughly.  Once done, set it aside.

Put confectioners sugar on the meringue. Place a wax paper on top, then a same-size cookie sheet. Flip the meringue revealing the side without the confectioners sugar. Put the custard and spread it across.  Roll it from the long side. Serve it and enjoy.

VERDICT

WILL:   VA just burst and asked Abbey if they can bake a brazo de mercedes, Abbey is hesitant he don't have an idea how to make that cake but he knew how much I love cakes to pair up with my tea. 

One of his day off he excitedly hurrying off out of PSA to get home. Ha! When I saw this brazo de mercedes, I really love to eat it all. 

       The taste is perfect for my cup of tea. Ooops, I shared it with my colleagues and they were mesmerized too. :) I am so so so lucky to have Abbey. :) sana di sya magbago at mawalan ng gana sa pagluluto. :) 

Beef Wrap Recipe

Ingredients:

Ground beef

garlic (minced)

onion (minced)

salt and pepper to taste

lettuce

Saute the beef in garlic and onion. Put salt and pepper as per your preference. Turn the heat up for the beef to be fried.

Wash the lettuce, put the beef and then wrap. You can also put mustard and ketchup for added flavor.

VERDICT:
WILL: I am craving for a leafy vegetable and then I saw this Beef Wrap Recipe, but I am so weak then that I so bad that I asked Abbey to cook it for me. Haha. We got this for dinner. 
               The verdict? Gosh, it reminds me of shawarma back in Philippines, at Grand Central. Try this simple yet delicious recipe. 

Chicken Stew in Bread Bowl

I read the recipe from article of Epoch Times by Wendy Kennedy.

She owns and operates http://www.canadiancountrygifts.com

Recipe:

2-3 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cups potato (cubed)

1 cup carrots (cubed)

1 medium-sized onion (chopped)

1/4 cup celery (chopped)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp parsley flakes

4 tbsp flour

2 tbsp oil

water

salt and pepper to taste

bread bowls

Brown the chicken in a pan. Add vegetable and saute for another 3 minutes. Add water to cover chicken or to your liking. Add the seasonings. Bring to a boil until the vegetables are soft.

Whisk flour in a cup of water then pour into the soup. Turn up the heat until the mixture thickens.

Cut out center of the bread and fill with stew. 

VERDICT

WILL: I am a bread than a rice lover. I really love soups and thats why i requested Abbey to make one for out dinner. 

      Well, what I can say? I think I ate almost half of it. Hahaha! Hot, creamy and delicious. It like he bought it over at a very classy restaurant. 

      Hope next time, pumpkin or tomato soup, paparinig ako. Haha!

Quiche Recipe

Got this recipe in one article of Louise Moody in Epoch Times. I just used to cook it in Cafe World in Facebook, but now its for real. Good thing it went well. Thanks, Louise.

Recipe:
2 cups Gruyere cheese or aged-cheddar - grated
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion
1 cup broccoli(celery, cauliflower, or mushroom)
1 cup chopped ham (bacon)

Saute onion for minutes. Add vegetable and meat. Put mixture in deep-dish pie pan and top with cheese.

Egg Mixture:
5 eggs beaten
1 cup(200ml) cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons cornmeal

Mix all the ingredients for egg mixture and pour over to the vegetable mixture created earlier.
Cook in the oven for 40 minutes (180 degrees C).
Let it cool for about 10 minutes before cutting.
The cornmeal sinks at the bottom which created the faux crust.

VERDICT

WILL: When I am wrapping our vegetables with newspaper, this column on staight times caught my attention. Quiche is only a 

thing that I used to know back when I am playing this game at Facebook. Hehe. 

      So now, Abbey cooked it for me, hmm actually I requested him to cook it haha!With hesitation, Abbey tried and I really fell in love. I ate this for my lunch and asked my collegues to try the other half. Haha! compliments for my husband is pouring down! 

      Love the aroma of cheese! Thanks Abbey!

Roasted Pork

The dish was inspired by the roast pork tocino style of overseaspinoycooking.net.

1/2 kilo of pork belly

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp paprika powder

1 cup soy sauce

1 lemon

Mix sugar, salt, garlic powder,  paprika, soy sauce, and lemon juice for the marinade. Place the pork and marinate it for at least one day.

Pre heat the oven to 300F to 325F. In a baking dish, place the meat with the fat submerged in the marinade and cook it in the oven for 45minutes to 1 hour.

After an hour, turn the meat over and cook for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with hot rice :)

WILL: Roasted pork? Hmmmm. Using oven for a viand is somewhat unusual for Filipinos. Mostly of out dishes was sauted, fried or have a nourishing soup. So abbey is taking a risk in this. Haha. Pasikat sa akin! Che! Hehe.  
The taste? Not what I expect. I am expecting this to be a liitle bland and the meat is hard as a rock or too crispy. Well, I am wrong, the spices really sinked in at its meat and is so soft that I can feel it just melts in my mouth. No need an extra effort to chew this. Hehe. Delicious! Try to do this one. 
Hayy natatalo na ako ni Abbey sa cooking challenge namin. Argh! 

Pandesal

Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup sugar

5 tblsp butter, melted

1 1/4 fresh milk, warm

1 tblsp instant yeast

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tbsp cooking oil ( I used olive oil)

bread crumbs

Mix the yeast, a tablespoon of sugar, and warm milk. Stir until dissolved and set aside. The mixture is ready once the bubbles form.

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. (bread flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt). Make sure they are well blended.

Place the egg, butter and milk-sugar-yeast mixture into the bowl to form a dough. Take the dough and knead it on flour-sprinkled flat surface.

Once the texture is smooth, place it again in the bowl and let it sit for 30-45 minutes as the yeast do its work.

The dough size will be doubled by-now. Cut it into 4 long pieces, then into smaller chunks.

Roll the dough chunks in bread crumbs and place them in a baking tray. Set aside for 10-15 minutes before putting in the oven.

During this time, pre-heat the oven to 375 fahrenheit.

Bake the dough for 15 minutes. Serve the bread hot with your favorite spread or filling.

WILL: Abbey is so eager to make this bread. Pandesal is the most commonly bread you can see in every Filipinos' dining table every breakfast. This is so great to teamed up with coffee, but for me this is best with milky white champorado. Hehe. 
      When Abbey baked these, the aroma filled our house. So much to take everyone tasted his creation. Haha. 
     That was my third sickly day when he baked this one. I am so sick that even imagining a food to intake makes me dizzy. But when I smelled this one, i took all the effort to eat up some. The taste? Unexpected. This is the taste I am looking for in a pandesal. Firm and yet soft inside. Thanks baby. Magtatayo na tayo ng bakery. Hehe.