My family went skiing today (it's my first time!) and my body is S-O-R-E all over. Blame my blogging for the lack of exercise, so my muscles were not in their optimum condition to be subjected to this new activity. My upper body strength proved to be almost nil as I tried to get up several times when I chose to fall to the ground rather than roll down the (almost flat) hill. Pathetic...I (alone) never had the courage to go up the hill. My excuse: I am too old for this...I can easily get a fracture with one major wrong move.
Anyway, that is the reason why this is another teaser post the first in 3 (1/3) in my Hopia Series. I will continue tomorrow and the next day as I recuperate from my seemingly major injuries (muscle strain...akkk! I need a soak in the tub but my husband temporarily disconnected it from the pipe as he works on our bedroom...sigh!)
Of course, at least a day before, we ought to prepare the filling. It will be much easier to wrap the filling when it is cold and easily moldable.
My favorite fillings are ube and munggo (mung beans). As you probably know by now, I made ube haleya recently. I had several 8-oz jars in the fridge, some of which were used for the ube cake roll and ube cream cheese filling, and some I reserved for hopia.
Needless to say, I do not have to post here what the recipe for ube filling is for this hopia.
Following is how I prepared the yellow split mung bean filling, following a recipe found here (I did make my own version of the dough).
Ingredients: 14 ounces dried peeled split yellow mung beans 1 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions: Soak beans for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse well. Add more water to about an inch above. Boil for about 30 minutes (keep watching so it does not dry out). Skim the scum as it arises. Puree in food processor by batches (see the max capacity of your container). You may want to leave some intact for interesting texture (my kids did not like it, though). Place back in saucepan and continue cooking. When almost dry, add salt and sugar. Continue stirring to cook further until dry enough. Transfer to jars and refrigerate.
Stage 2 - HOPIA DOUGH
Photo above shows the very first homemade hopia I sunk my teeth into.
As promised, I am posting here today the dough for hopia. Thanks to these two recipes that gave me the idea on how to make this pinoy favorite snack that I have missed so much. When my older son tried it, he said that the dough was very much like that of the eng bee tin hopiang ube that I made him taste several days ago, but I noticed the big difference in taste because of 100% ube haleya I used here (the bought one just did not taste quite like the hopiang ube I used to buy back in the Philippines. I don't know if eng bee tin has changed their recipe). The only thing is that the underside is quite thick because of several layers of dough, but it was not too bad once baked.
Just like in one of the above links, I used lard in making the dough. But I used my homemade pork lard. My Nanay has taught me how to render the fat of some meat to use for sauteeing, and I learned how to render my own pork lard when I came to the US. Others might say "ew!" but nothing beats pork lard when it comes to flaky pie crust. Besides, it is very mildly sweet scented with the flavor of pork fat, it is so subtle and pleasant. Every year, I make this after our pig has been slaughtered, so I know where the pork came from, how it was raised, what it ate during its lifetime. In other words, my pork source would be the envy of a lot of real food foodies. You want to question the health implications for this? Here is a quote coming from my previous correspondence with fanatic, a nutritionist by profession.
My opinion about pastry ... there's nothing better than lard for making pastry (with a little butter for flavor). Lard is almost 100 percent fat, where butter is only about 80 percent fat, the other 20 percent is protein and moisture. Butter's moisture (water) makes it a poor choice for pastry (when used exclusively), since water will form gluten when it comes in contact with flour ... making the final product chewy instead of flaky.
I stay away from vegetable shortening. Even though it has about the same fat content as lard (making flaky pastry), the trans fatty acids from the process of hydrogenation are now supposedly more of a health concern than the saturated fat in lard. Shortening is pretty tasteless too.
The lard I can purchase here, believe it or not, is hydrogenated. It also contains BHA and BHT (known carcinogens) as preservatives. It's hardly a product I would consume. You deserve a pat on the back for rendering your own lard!Just yesterday I purchased a new product. It's an organic non-hydrogenated shortening, made from palm oil. Palm oil is very saturated naturally, so it's more solid at room temperature.
Another benefit of using animal fat (lard) for use in cooking ... it has a high smoking point so you can brown with it and it will not break down (oxidize). Most vegetable-based liquid oils cannot be exposed to high temperatures without oxidizing, and oxidized (rancid) fat is carcinogenic. And as your Nanay says ... fresh lard tastes better. I think you need to weigh the costs and benefits of the fat you plan on using.In the end, as long as you eat in moderation and are relatively active in life, I don't believe small amounts of animal fat are deleterious.
With that said, I present to you my recipe for a special hopia dough (I have a hunch that the same practice is done by hopia makers in the Philippines.) If you want, you may use shortening or vegetable lard. If you are interested to make your own, feel free to approach the butcher in your grocery store to inquire. They might even give this to you for free. You can freeze pork lard to keep them fresh longer. Thaw in the fridge when you are about to use. I also use it nowadays for making pie crusts, instead of vegetable shortening.
Ingredients: Dough 1: 1 cup flour 1/4 cup pork lard
Mix together until crumbly (or it appears like coarse meal). Use your hands. Divide into 4.
Dough 2: Mix together until crumbly (same as in dough 1): 2 cups flour + 1 tbsp sugar 1/2 cup pork lard
Once thoroughly mixed, add 1/2 cup water to the above and mix with your hand. Divide into four. This dough is not really sticky compared to my pie crust dough, but the principles are almost the same.
Once the two are ready, proceed as follows for each part of the two types of dough (which you now have 4 of each):
Use cling wrap above and under dough 2 to make it easier to maneuver. Flatten with rolling pin and shape into a rectangle. Distribute dough 1 above. Roll the two together. Wrap tightly with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Note: The contact of water in the above mixture will result to gluten formation. Gluten is what makes dough pliable and chewy. The rest time is necessary for the full development of gluten and making this dough more pliable come rolling and wrapping time. Chilling ensures that dough 1 remains physically "unmixed" with dough 2 despite proximity. The flour+lard (or flour+oil or flour+shortening) in between sheets of flat glutinous dough will create air pockets in between the sheets during baking and the results is hopia pastry with very thin flaky "crust" which is not at all crunchy or hard.
[You might be wondering why I have gloves on. Since working as an RN, I have developed dishidrosis, aka "homemaker's hands" and for me, I can very well call it "nurse's hands" because this condition develops when the hands are subjected to frequent handwashing. My skin gets tiny blisters that itch a lot, then turn flaky and super dry, then they crack and it's ouch! So I try to avoid washing my hands as much as possible. Using gloves and washing them instead of my skin helps me avoid exposure to too much handwashing, especially if I want my cracks to heal before my next duty at the hospital. It's not because I am too particular about "cleanliness" when cooking or baking. It's merely to protect my hands. Baka sabihin nyo, ang arte ko. Hindi no!]
Stage 3 - WRAPPING THE FILLING & BAKING
This is my final hopia post in a series of 3. I am writing this while waiting for my cinnamon rolls to rise (using supersoft ensaymada dough).
Photo above shows my first batch, with experimentations on different wrapping. Slideshow below shows few hopia I made with the last roll of dough I prepared before (one of 4 rolls), baked in oven toaster set at 450 deg F for 15 minutes or so. Each roll of dough could make 4-5 pieces of good-sized hopia. (Suggestion: Maybe a better method would be to flatten the whole roll and then punch out circles before putting filling in, rather than flattening each piece. )
The slideshow is pretty much self-explanatory.
While my first batch was baked in my oven set at 350 deg F, I figured, I would try baking at almost the same temp I bake my empanada. The main objective anyway is to cook and brown the dough wrapping. The filling itself was precooked, so there is no danger of underbaking.
And since I was left with only a roll of the dough I prepared earlier, I had only 8 pieces to bake. I did not feel like wasting that much energy by heating up the big space of conventional oven, so I opted to use the oven toaster. The only thing to keep in mind when doing this is not to burn the ones closest to the heating element; i.e., the middle row. So after about 10 minutes, I rotated the pieces so that the brownnest ones I placed at the periphery and vice versa, to achieve even browning of all pieces.
Baked at this temp, the crust had more crunch to it, which will only hold true for when it is freshly baked, of course. If you refrigerate then reheat later, you might not have the same crunchiness anymore. Not that a lot of Filipinos will miss this "freshly baked" sensation because a lot of us are used to the already cold hopia in the bakeries. I myself had only a few chances of getting really freshly baked hopia when I was still in PI. The hopiang baboy my Manong and the other bakers in our cheap (neighborhood type) bakery was not one I really liked, mainly because I knew there really was no "baboy" in it; only lots of onions in oil. (That said, please know that I will never have a recipe here for hopiang baboy. Now that I have shared how to make the dough and wrap the filling, it will be up to you to experiment making hopiang baboy or hopiang hapon (although I think hopiang hapon uses a different dough recipe/method).
UPDATE: Here is a recipe for hopiang hapon by Mrs. Rusty. (Note to Mrs. Rusty: Many times I would have wanted to leave a message on your site but I would have to register in Multiply so I back out. I tried to look for a way to send you a message, but it's the same thing. Please know that I love visiting your site!)
To my old-time visitors and those who have found this site for the first time, kindly take not that I have a newer kusina blog, still named Kusina Ni Manang. I am posting this because I still get visits on this site, but then I understand that a lot of posts here are not in my new kusina, and are found mainly through google search. So for those who will get curious as to new posts, just follow the link provided. Thanks for visiting!
This (rather too late post) is in response to babyrambutan's tag (see her post here). She was originally tagged by thess.
Me as a singer-wannabe, used to be a videoke addict (with some withdrawal symptoms up to now; well-controlled). See how I was holding the mic. I had it for essentially the whole night that time...singing and dancing, hindi naman ako lashing...hik!
Used to work as a general medical practitioner back in PI. Nagpapaka-nars ngayon, and quite happy about my choice (less headaches, more time with family). Favorite thing to do back then was to deliver babies (via NSDs). Had some inaanak because of patients-turned-friends. I would have wanted to be an OB-Gyn (though some friends told me I could have been a good internist, and some patients suggested I become a psychologist -- bleh!!). Things turned out differently mainly because I had no connections in DOH when residency matching was implemented. Mahirap talaga maging mahirap.
Nature-lover (Philippines-type of nature, though. I still have some aversion with the cold winter and would rather stay home. I also have not had enough courage to engage in winter activities). Notice my short hair here? I used to wear my hair short, until I discovered that I look much better and younger with long hair when straightened and cellophane treated at Freshair (naks, me plugging pa!). Noon yun. Now I don't have enough dough for that type of luxury here in the US. I just use the electric hair straightener coupled with virgin coconut oil treatment once in a while. Still the envy of many Ams here because of my hair.
Did I mention I was a videoke addict??? I am now out of it...pretty much...I do have the Magic Sing...but someday I would like to get the USB-type one. Di nga...not an addict anymore...I swear. Peks man!
Since I rarely blog nowadays, I am afraid I cannot think of other bloggers who could qualify, nor do I really have the time to notify them that I am tagging them, so please bear with me.
UPDATE: Please see my posts on ensaymada here. For those who have emailed me for the recipe, please bear with me. I decided to post here the recipe (the original one I used where I used RapidRise yeast), plus other recipes using the bread machine (and BM yeast) and the active dry yeast. I just have to have the time to organize and post these. (My sister does not seem to have the time to sell ensaymadas as a sideline anyway, so I figured I would just share here.
So, until my free free time, please be patient... I will try to work on it over the weekend.
Last time I checked, my slides host was updating so you may not see the slides yet. My first food post there was about beef asado siopao.
Please update your links. Thanks to all who keep visiting my blog(s). You are a source of inspiration!
UPDATE: I think by now I have made all modifications that I need in my new kusina and it is quite ready now. Please visit my new Kusina ni Manang and update your links as well. Thank you very much!
As a young child who grew up in a small neighborhood bakery, I had the privilege of making some special versions of our commercial goodies. One of which is biscocho, made from bread slices which were returned to us after not being sold for 3 days. When the regular ones are made with just one side of the bread slathered with a thin layer of margarine not quite covering the whole surface then coated with sugar, I made my own special batch (1 pan) of slices well covered with a thin layer of margarine on both sides, then coated with lots of sugar (I made sure sugar covers the whole area that had margarine). It was one of my favorite snacks.
One time I had craving, and it popped into my head to make some. I was with hubby then, and I asked him to try. He liked it and requested that I make some for him too, with a sprinkle of cinnamon after toasting (and he did not like it too toasted). Whoa! Another discovery for my hubby!
Then yesterday, my younger son was looking for something to eat, but he was getting tired of the usual pan de pizza that we make using homemade pizza sauce, slices of ham or pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese. I thought of offering to make biscocho for him. He was not sure what it was but he was ready for a new kind of delight. He was not disappointed, and he asked that I make some for his breakfast today. So I made some for both my sons, and the older one told me I should have doubled his share. But I have used up all the bread slices. I told him I would get more next time I go to the grocery store.
The theme is to come up with Filipino dish(es) that define(s) what being a Pinoy is all about. With the dishes I am presenting here, I am defining what being Pinoy is all about by generalizing that:
Filipinos who grew up in PI are usually raised to avoid waste.
I remember when I was still a child and in those times when I could not finish my food, my parents (or aunts, or yaya) would often go on guilt-tripping by telling me to think of those hungry children in Africa, or even the streetchildren in PI roaming the streets and scavenging for food, and to be thankful that we had something to eat at least 3 x a day, and that the best way to show appreciation is to not waste any...So I would gulp down the last spoonful of food on my plate although I was almost turning green from having had too much.
This kind of upbringing is reflected on the advertisement of Max's Fried Chicken that says "Sarap to the bones" (which is kinda the equivalent of A1 Steak Sauce's commercial where the consumer could not let the last drop be wasted). It is very usual for us Filipinos to scrape the meat completely off the bone.
This is also the reason why our street foods in the Philippines showcase not only meaty grilled/deep fried chicken thighs/legs, or pork, but also the isaw (both chicken and pork), adidas, cubed pork blood, chicken neck, deep fried small intestines with the intact mesentery (chicharong bulaklak), chicken head, pig ears, etc. And when we do cook fish, whether fried, steamed, grilled, boiled, or smoked, we do include the head. (Photo courtesy of Victor Paul Borg of fiery-foods.com)
A lot of Westerners shake their head that we eat such things, sometimes grossed out, but often feel sorry that we "had to make the most" of what we had because we "did not have plenty." What they do not realize is that, many of us have a choice and can afford to get the meaty parts instead of the "useless" parts. However, while we do have that choice, we have also developed the taste for these exotic dishes that we cook using the "rejects" (by the foreigners) and that we actually look for them. Now that a lot of us are scattered all over the world, we often would spend the money to get such items as frozen pork blood, pig head, etc., if at all we had access to these.
I consider myself lucky in that respect. Because while I am already here in rural Maine, my in-laws like raising chickens, pigs, and cattle (they find the grocery-sold hard to take). Every year we have one cow slaughtered, they have several chickens, and at least one pig chopped up and frozen immediately for a whole year's supply (I would like to learn from them in the near future how to raise these animals). After knowing what I was "willing" to take home what they can't consume yet do not wan't to waste as much as possible, I am now the regular recipient of such parts, so that I get the chance to try cooking exotic delicacies (which I previously just bought when I was still living in PI), and I am also coming up with new westernized dishes using them.
So, let me re-phrase what to me defines being a Filipino when it comes to food: Nothing is wasted.
Due to my SIL's recent slaughtering of chickens for a whole year's supply, I now have these parts ( I did not ask for the intestines not because of embarrassment but because I dreaded the work that would be needed to prepare them, when it was most likely only me who will enjoy them):
chicken feet, which I slowcooked adobo+pares style until almost fall-off-the-bone tender, then broiled. I had it for lunch today, and reminded me of those times when I, as a 4th grader, would walk home with my classmate, stopped by her house to have adidas for my merienda. (I will post later about how to clean them, for the benefit of those who have access to them but do not know how to prepare them.)
I froze these chicken skin (labeled chicharon, uncooked still), chicken neck (labeled leeg), and chicken a** (labeled puwet; I will grill these on skewers; they're my fave part in a roasted chicken, but I managed to keep it a secret from my husband up to now...shhh!). I had to label them in Tagalog so as not to gross out my husband in case he happens to raid the freezer for an ice cream.
chicken backs (from those chickens my SIL cut up). I have boiled some of them here (seasoned with garlic, peppercorn, salt and pepper). I removed the meat that clung to the bones (in a bowl here, shredded) then placed the bones back to the pot to continue boiling for at least an hour to extract the flavor.
I can do a lot with the shredded meat and the stock. The following are things that I have made before, and again and again, not only today (for sauteeing as instructed below, use 1-2 tbsp oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 medium sliced onion, 1 sliced medium tomato):
chicken sopas (I sometimes use leftover Mac & Cheese instead of shell macaroni because my husband and stepdaughter love M&C, so we tend to have leftover very often, but it seldom gets eaten when just reheated in the microwave, so this is one creative way to make use of that). Sautee garlic, onion, tomatoes and chicken shreds, add stock (4 cups), let boil, add the pasta (1/2 cup), add carrots, then add chinese cabbage. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat. Add some cream and stir.
chicken sotanghon soup. Boil the stock with some chicken pieces. Add enough sotanghon (a small package for 2 quarts of broth) and cook until soft (about 2 minutes), add spinach (I used to use bittermelon leaves or thin slices of the fruit when I was in PI). Consume right away lest the noodles will soak up the soup.
pancit sotanghon. Sautee, in order, garlic, onion, tomatoes, chicken pieces, carrots, pea pods, and bell peppers, add stock and let boil. Season with salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Add shrimp as desired and cook for 1 minute followed by greens to blanch (regular cabbage or chinese cabbage), dish out the ingredients and add sotanghon to the simmering stock (approximately 1 big package to 2 quarts broth). Let cook until tender (about 2 minutes). Place noodles onto a dish, drizzle with sesame oil and mix well, then top with the other ingredients. Serve with patis-mansi.
chicken balls (a variation of fish balls, homemade by making a batter with the finely chopped chicken meat, chopped carrots, onions, and garlic, using egg, flour, and milk, baking powder and baking soda, and seasoned with salt and pepper, then deep fried)
chicken fettuccine (adaptation of an Italian dish, but enriched with veggies as shown, so I have "Filipinized" it). Cook fettuccine according to package directions and drain. Meanwhil, sautee garlic, onion, chicken pieces, and optional mushroom, corn, carrots, and peas. Add 1 tbsp flour to the oil and stir to make a paste, then add stock in thin stream to make it creamy. Add (optional) thin slices of hotdogs. Serve atop pasta.
chicken dumplings (made with the same batter as chicken balls, only dropped in boiling stew of seasoned tomatoes; another adaptation). Prepare stewed tomatoes by sauteeing garlic, onion, and lots of peeled, cored, and chopped tomatoes (about 30 pieces medium, simmered then blenderized and simmered again. Add dried basil and oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Into the boiling stew, drop the batter by the teaspoon, with enough space in between. Cover and let simmer for about 5-10 minutes.)
or as quesadilla. I now use the George Foreman grill to make individual servings of quesadilla. I like using lots of mozzarella cheese and American white cheese along with chopped bell peppers and onions, sandwiched by a folded flour tortilla and heated for about 7 minutes, the topped by homemade tomato salsa.
(added today, sep. 8) chicken mami. Boil the stock, add the mami noodles and cook for 3 minutes. Dish out the noodles, then add chicken pieces and sliced stems of chinese cabbage, let re-boil. Turn off the heat then add slices of the soft parts of the chinese cabbage and thin slices of carrots. Serve immediately.
Other uses: arroz caldo, chicken roll (sorry, no photo, but it is like making the usual dinner roll but using chicken mixed with cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom as a filling; makes it like siopao but baked instead of steamed).
These are just some examples of the Filipino's no-waste attitude when it comes to food. I also have frozen pork blood in my kitchen, for what else but dinuguan.
Allow me to reiterate what to me defines being a Pinoy when it comes to food: The ability to come up with dishes utilizing all edible parts of the food so that NOTHING IS WASTED.
When I was still in PI, I used to have potato salad with shreds of chicken breast added to the potatoes, spiced with chopped onions, and the taste adjusted with salt and pepper.
Now I have embraced what my husband's family of origin traditionally prepares. Potato dill salad is usually served on July 4th, and is now commonly found in our menu during summer days when it is too hot to have a hot meal, especially after harvesting our own potatoes that we planted.
The red potatoes are usually the first (we also plant Russett(?) potatoes which we harvest later in the fall). They are smaller but more compact and yummy! For me, they are the best to use for potato salads as they do not easily crumble, and they retain their shape better when stirred. They are also very good for mashed potatoes, but they don't create fluffy mashed potatoes -- just sticky and creamy, like that served in KFC here (as commented by my older son's friend once).
This potato salad is not the same as the potato salad I used to have back in PI, where we add shreds of boiled chicken breasts, chopped onions, mayonnaise, salt and pepper to the chunks of boiled potatoes.
Here in Maine I had to prepare it the way my husband's family would eat it; otherwise, I will end up eating the salad by myself. Anyhow, I have developed a taste for the dill, which gives the distinct flavor of this recipe. When I first made it, I cut the potatoes in bigger chunks, but hubby requested to make them smaller next time, to enhance absorption of the flavors.
Here's the recipe as passed on by my MIL:
Ingredients:
10 red potatoes, boiled with some salt, peeled and sliced (approximately 2x1 inch cubes) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 tbsp grated onion 1 tsp dill salt and pepper to taste sliced hard-boiled eggs as topping
I added a sprinkle of lemon.
Instructions: Boil the potatoes in water enough to submerge them, add some salt and boil for about 30 minutes or until done (check with fork). Once done, drain and peel as soon as cool enough to handle. (I have tried putting them in the fridge prior to peeling, and it was not a good idea! They were harder to peel that way!). Add all other ingredients. Taste. Adjust ingredients according to your taste preference. Chill for at least 3 hours. Top with sliced eggs.
Hubby wants it chilled overnight for his work lunch, and wants it even more when 3 days have passed. It will suffice for lunch, but for a heavy supper, I serve it usually with salad greens and grilled chicken (my Wish-Bone Robusto-marinated recipe).
How-to's: While waiting for ATT from the state board where the application was filed, I was studying part-time (at least two hours a day) aside from working regularly as a home-based MT/QA.
As soon as I got my approval to sit for NCLEX, I registered with Pearson-Vue for my NCLEX then notified my present employer, that I was going to take a two-month vacation (that's how flexible homebased MT is). As soon as I got my ATT, I scheduled my test online. I then studied the books and CD practice questions religiously, only standing up every two hours for a short break. On the last day prior to my exam, I did not peep into the reviewers. I just cleaned the house, especially the fridge. Then I slept early (10:00 p.m.) I left the next day (Thursday) 1-1/2 hours prior to my exam. My good friend Ana drove me to the place and waited patiently (and praying) for me. I then relaxed and prepared for my son's birthday party, enjoyed the company of guests, slept through Saturday night, then checked online (complete with tachycardia and anxiety) for the unofficial result on Sunday morning. I will wait for the official certificate then seek endorsement (from Vermont to Maine) then serve this to potential employers.
I hope I will enjoy the new career!
Thanks for those who prayed!!!
To those who have tried and tested methods on how to proceed from here, I welcome your input! TIA!
I have not completely closed the possibility of aiming for USMLE sometime in the future, but I am also considering the NP path.
I have cooked this only twice this time, because I only cook it when craving hits me. Why? 1 - Hubby is not a big fan of pork. 2 - Hubby does not really care for cubed meat. 3 - Hubby usually leaves out the veggies save for the potatoes. 4 - Kids and hubby leave out the liver (I think they are only grossed out by the thought, but beef liver tastes pretty good compared to pork liver, and especially better than chicken liver. I can only tolerate chicken liver when mashed to thicken sauces and gravy.)
But, I LOVE MENUDO.
So I cook it despite the above-mentioned reasons, then freeze the rest in a foil, then whenever craving kicks in, I reheat the pack in the oven toaster at 450 deg F for about 20 minutes. I can re-freeze the rest and repeat the procedure whenever I want menudo. So if you want, you can do the same, but make sure that you freeze within 2 hours of cooking/reheating.
I marinate my pork pieces overnight prior to cooking, because that was the tip given to me by my sister's MIL (a Kapampangan - I bow to the Kapampangans for most dishes I love to eat during fiesta, of which menudo is one) when I asked her during a fiesta how she made her menudo so tasty. She used soy sauce-kalamansi combi. I made mine now using lemon instead of kalamansi.
My recipe:
INGREDIENTS: 1 pound lean pork cut in cubes, marinated overnight in juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp oil 1 clove of garlic, minced 1 medium onion, minced 3 medium tomatoes, cubed (the more, the better) 1/2 bell pepper (whatever color; tip on what to do with the rest found below) 1/4 cup raisins 2 medium potatoes, cubed 1 carrot, cubed water as needed
1/2 cup green peas
a handful of cubed beef liver (I have cut into cubes one whole pack of beef liver and placed them in separate plastics by the handful, for such cooking purposes as this) 1 chicken liver, mashed or finely chopped two hotdogs cut into pieces equivalent in size to the pork pieces salt and pepper to taste
PROCEDURE: Heat oil. Sautee garlic for 10 seconds then the onions until transluscent. Add the tomatoes and sautee until they caramelize. Add the pork and stir until browned. Lower the heat and cook covered for 5 minutes.
Add the bell peppers, raisins, potatoes, and carrots, stir and cook covered in another 10 minutes. Add water in increments of 1/8 cup to keep it from drying, if needed. Meanwhile, you can chop the livers and hotdogs while waiting.
Check for doneness of potatoes and carrots. When almost done, add livers. Stir to thicken sauce. You may add more water depending on the consistency you want. Add the hotdogs and let simmer for 2 minutes. Adjust taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with hot plain rice and enjoy!
Tip on storing bell peppers:
One of our problems when buying bell peppers is that we often want two colors at least. I sometimes buy the 3-in-1 pack of yellow, red, and orange bells. But I usually just slice 1/4 of each pepper then use the rest at some point in time later. What I do is slice them longitudinally, layer them on a baking pan, freeze for 30 minutes, then pack into freezer bags. When I need them again, I just shake or bang against the countertop to loosen some pieces and grab some, then return to the freezer the rest. I do the same with fresh ginger (I can't use all in arroz caldo or tinola or chicken curry).
Since I wanted to make use of pecans and honey that my SIL gave me, I made a search for recipes using both/either of them.
Also, since I have some mustard seeds left over from making my favorite cucumber pickles, bread and butter pickles, I searched for a recipe for the honey mustard sauce.
I first made my honey mustard sauce two days ago using this recipe for Basic Coarse Mustard Recipe from cdkitchen.com, with the help of the good old blender and a pint-sized Ball jar (yes, it fits perfectly, plus it had the advantage of storing the prepared mustard in the jar itself). If not for my desire to use my honey supply, and the mustard seeds left over from my pickling, I could have just bought Dijon mustard and followed the procedure for making honey mustard sauce as directed in the cdkitchen.com's Pecan Crusted Chicken recipe. Or, maybe it is available in grocery stores (it definitely is served in KFC, McDonald's or Friendly's.)
Basic Coarse Mustard
Ingredients: 1/3 cup mustard seed 1/3 cup cider vinegar 1 clove garlic -- halved 3 tablespoons water 3 tablespoons liquid honey 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 pinch ground cinnamon
Directions:
Combine mustard seeds, vinegar and garlic in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 36 hours.
Discard garlic. Process mixture in a food processor with water until coarse consistency. Stir in honey, salt and cinnamon.
Refrigerate in tightly sealed containers.
Among the variations, I tried
Dijonnaise Mustard: Add 1/3 cup mayonnaise
It was very very spicy. I stored that in the fridge until I was ready to make my honey mustard sauce for the chicken.
I started the bread in the bread machine at around 3:00 p.m. , then made my final honey mustard sauce by mixing 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tbsp honey 2 tsp Dijonnaise honey mustard (that I prepared)
I tasted that and adjusted the amounts until it was good to my taste (not too spicy).
I rested for about 2 hours, before preparing the potatoes/veggies and chicken. And here is the recipe for the
Honey Whole Wheat Loaf
Makes One (1-1/2 pound) Loaf
1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup water 3 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 large egg 1 teaspoon salt 1-1/2 cups bread flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons FLEISCHMANN'S Bread Machine Yeast
Directions Add ingredients to bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. (Mine says to put all (room temperature) liquid ingredients first topped by the dry ingredients.) Select basic/white bread cycle; medium/normal color setting.
When cycle is complete, remove from pan; cool on wire rack.
I preheated the oven to 375 deg F. I washed thoroughly (with a brush) and cut 5 medium red potatoes into quarters and placed them in a bowl, then poured about 2 tbsp of olive oil and mixed to coat evenly, then sprinkled with 1/2 packet of Italian Dressing Mix. I then placed the potatoes on one side of the baking pan (would use the other half for the rest of the veggies) in the oven and let them cook while I prepared the chicken strips.
For Pecan Crusted Chicken, I revised the original recipe such that I used one packet of Italian Dressing Mix (available at Hannaford) instead of measuring the different spices called for. So, my final ingredients were:
dip: 2 eggs (room temp) 1/4 cup butter (melted and cooled to room temp)
coating: 1 cup pecans, finely chopped using chopper 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs (I used my own) 1 packet Italian Dressing mix
2.5 pounds chicken breast cut into strips
The chicken breast strips were dipped first then coated. I arranged them on a pan lined with parchment paper. I then placed them on the higher rack in the oven (and I placed the potatoes below). I set the timer at 20 minutes (only because my chicken strips were still a bit frozen).
Meanwhile, I got half of summer squash and half of small zucchini, and cut them into wedges same size as those of potatoes, coated with the same (olive oil and 1/2 packet of Italian dressing). I placed them alongside the potatoes, and let cooke for another 5 minutes. Then I set the temp to 400 for the last 5 minutes to make a good browning on the surface of the potatoes.
Everyone enjoyed the chicken strips. My boys said the honey mustard sauce was more spicy than that in restaurants, and hubby quipped, "because this is made with real honey and real mustard." My older son used it, though, despite it being different from what he was used to. Hubby, daughter and I liked it. Younger son used ketchup. It was a very satisfying hearty and healthy meal!
Hubby's comment: "Your chicken dinner was a success! Everyone enjoyed it!"
Later tonight, as I was posting this actually, he approached me to thank me again for that wonderful meal, and asked if there were enough left over for his lunch tomorrow to take to work. I said I prepared three strips for him, then he asked whether we still had that honey mustard sauce as well, because "that was very good!"
Last year, my SIL gave me honey in it's most raw form...still in honeycomb (see the hexagonal pattern made by these greatest natural architects called bees). She and her husband have just started having it for home-based business. I am lucky to have some form of benefit from it.
Every summer now I look at my garden full of flowers in bloom, surrounded by bees and butterflies and hummingbirds...I eagerly anticipate the honey that I know would follow.
This year, SIL gave me two pints of honey ready to be consumed.
Every supper time I am in a quandary, not truly knowing what to prepare that my fussy hubby will eat. If I ask him ahead of time, his usual answer is, "I don't know, honey. I am too full now that I can't think about supper for tomorrow." Won't do me any good to ask him when he is actually hungry for supper (as in 10 minutes before).
So, sometimes I ask him what he wants me to get from the grocery store. Summer is a hard time, because during this season when produce abound and I feel like eating stir-fries or salads, I always worry about what to offer to him (and daughter). My boys will always eat what I serve.
Can you believe I just learned about him liking BLT ("the perfect summer food") this year, our third year together????!!!!
But he does not like tomatoes, so for him, it's BL sandwich.
For me, I like it with onions and cucumbers as well, so it's BOLTC sandwich.
How to prepare:
Cook bacon the usual way and drain on paper towels.
On separate bowls/platters, serve lettuce (there are several bags available in Hannaford ready for consumption right from the bag), sliced fresh and ripe tomatoes, sliced fresh cucumbers, sliced onions (I get these three items from my garden during this time of the year). Also place on the table the mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.
Put regular bread or buns on the table. To each his own. Let everyone prepare his own sandwich.
I know this is not the healthiest meal, but it is complete nonetheless. We only use 2-3 strips of bacon per sandwich. One is enough for me, two will do for each of the boys (including the big one).
It was gone for a while, but tonight I found it again through a post at entrepinoys.
Afraid that it would be offline again, I compiled in a notepad all those recipes and how-to's that I was interested in, now already saved in my hard drive, and which I am also posting here, all lifted from the Republic of Sorsogon's TeknoTulong website.
Here's my compilation. I hope that it will not be suddenly wiped out or lost from the internet...
VINEGAR FROM RICE WASHINGS
Materials: White sugar Yeast
Procedure:
1. Strain the second rice washing in a clean cloth.
2. For every cup of rice water, put 3/4 cup white sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar.
3. Cook this in a double boiler for 20 minutes. Cool.
4. Transfer in a gallon or jar.
5. Add 1/4 teaspoon yeast for every 4 cups rice water.
6. Allow to ferment in 4-7 days or until bubbles disappear.
7. Age the vinegar in a jar or demijohn. Set it aside for a month or until the desired acidity is attained.
8. Filter and boil in a double boiler before bottling.
9. If a clear vinegar is desired, put 2 beaten eggwhites for every 40 cups vinegar and filter.
Source: Selected R&D Projects NSTA
BEAN CURD (Tokwa)
Materials: 1 cup soybeans 1 teaspoon vinegar
Procedure:
1. Soak the beans in water overnight. Change water several times and remove floating grains.
2. Wash, grind the soybeans. Add about 6 cups water for every cup of beans while grinding.
3. Boil the ground beans in water for ½ hour while stirring.
4. Strain in muslin cloth.
5. Mix in well a teaspoon of vinegar.
6. Wrap in cloth the curdled soybean.
7. Remove the express water by putting weight on top of it.
The curdled tokwa can be a substitute for meat.
COOKING OIL AND CHEESE FROM COCONUT MILK
COOKING OIL
Procedure:
1. Weigh the grated coconut and press by the hands in a cheesecloth to extract the cream. Set aside.
2. To the second extraction, add 1 liter of water for every kilo of grated coconut.
3. Repeat extraction, reducing the water added to 1/2 as previously added.
4. Combine the second, third extractions, strain through a cheesecloth, measure and set aside.
5. Prepare the saturated salt solution: 37 cups salt for every 100 gms. water or 2 cups salt for every litter water. Strain.
6. Combine the saturated salt solution with the second and third extraction, mix thoroughly for 15 minutes.
7. Transfer to a clear container with a drain at the bottom and allow the cream to separate from the skin for half an hour.
8. Remove the lower layer and repeat No. 6. Set aside salt washings.
9. Add water to the cream (after salt washing): 1 part water for every 3 parts cream and mix thoroughly for 15 minutes.
10.Let stand for 30 minutes or until the cream separate from the water. Remove the cream and repeat the washing operations.
11. Heat the washed cream until the jelly-like brown proteinaceous mass separates from the oil.
CHEESE
1. Collect the "salt washings" obtained from producing the cooking oil.
2. Allow the solution to form "curds" by means of heating.
3. Dry the curd portion in a cheesecloth. Wrap in plastic bags and store in refrigerator. The protein content of the cheese obtained from coco cream is 33.19%. Storage life will last for 6-7 days when refrigerated.
DRIED FISH
Dried fish commonly called as "tuyo" is a favorite food of Filipinos. Dried fish is prepared by frying or smoking and also used as condiment in some food preparations.
Raw Materials: Fresh fish Coarse fish
Equipment: Solar drier/any drier Basins Cutting knives
Procedure:
1. Clean thoroughly fresh fish and split into butterfly fillet (for smaller fish, splitting is not necessary).
2. Soak fish in ten (10) percent brine for 30 minutes to leach out the blood. Soak in 33% brine for 3-6 hours.
3. Drain the water from the fish and arrange on drying trays.
4. Dry the fish under the sun or in an artificial drier at 65-70 C.
5. Cool and then place in polyethylene bags.
CRISPY DILIS
The dried dilis is made crispy to deep frying toasted dilis coated with cornstarch. Crispy dilis is tastier compared to dried dilis and is eaten directly from the pack.
1. Boil fish for 3-5 minutes in water with ginger.
2. Strain and put in a container. Remove the heads entrails, skin and bones. Flake the fish.
3. Peel and chop the carrots, onions, garlic and potatoes. Mix and combine with the fish flakes.
4. Grind. Add the eggs, salt, pepper, vetsin and cornstarch.
5. Mash and form into balls.
6. Boil fish stock. Drop fish ball one by one into the boiling fish stock. Drain.
7. Deep fry in hot oil.
8. Store in sterilized bottles, add 2% brine solution (1 tsp. salt for every 4 cups water).
9. Cover and boil for 11/2 hours.
10. Store for 12 days.
FISH QUEKIAM
A delicacy which originated from the Chinese, this food is ready to be served after steaming, fresh from the cans or fried before serving (Embotido style). It can be served with soy sauce and kalamansi.
Materials: Fish, filleted and chopped 1/2 cup chopped shrimps 1/2 cup chopped onions 1/2 cup singkamas, in small cubes 1/2-3/4 tbsp. refined salt 11/2 tsp. white pepper 3 tbsp. cornstarch Vegetable oil (to grease cans) 1 tsp./can
Equipment: Utility bowls, Pressure cooker, Can sealer
Procedure:
1. Blend all ingredients thoroughly and fill into oil-greased cans (C-enameled type, 307x201.25).
2. Exhaust cans by heating over steam to an internal temperature of 82 C (180 F) for twenty (20) minutes.
3. Seal tightly and process in a pressure cooker at 15 psig and 250 F for 45 minutes.
4. Cool, dry, label and store properly the cans.
5. When making Kalaso Quekiam, wrap the blended mixture in "taope" (approximately 3 cm. dia. and 14 cm. long) and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown prior to canning.
CORNED BEEF
Ingredients: 1/2 tablet ascorbic acid (500 mg.) 2 tbsp. salt 1/2 tsp. vetsin 1/4 tsp. prague powder 1 tsp. sugar 1 kg. beef (punta y pecho, tadyang, tapadera, kamto or paypay)
Equipment: Knife Chopping board Basin Measuring spoon Measuring cup (liquid) Colander Fork Pressure cooker (in the absence of a pressure cooker, a casserole may be used
Procedure:
1. Wash meat thoroughly.
2. Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes.
3. Mix the salt, vetsin, prague powder and sugar.
4. Mix the curing ingredients with the cubed meat.
5. Place in covered container and cure in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
6. Wash the meat, add water (1/3 of its volume) and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the foam-like formation on the broth.
7. Continue boiling until meat is soft and tender, for faster cooking use a pressure cooker and cook beef for 30 minutes at 10 lbs. pressure.
8. Drain and cool.
9. Flake with fork. (The flaked meat is ready for consumption). For longer storage period, follow procedures 5, 10 to 15.
10. Pack meat into bottles/cans and add broth, leave 1/4 inch head space.
11. Exhaust bottles/cans by boiling it with covers slightly closed.
12. Seal thoroughly.
13. Process at 10 lbs. pressure for 10 minutes.
14. Air-cool cans should be cooled under running water while air-cool bottles at room temperature.
15. Label and store in a cool place.
TOSINO (SALTED PORK)
Materials: Pork Salt Sugar salitre
Utensils: Kitchen knife Bowl with cover Measuring spoon
Procedure:
1. Slice pork into 1 cm. thickness.
2. For every kg. of meat, mix the following ingredients and rub on both sides of the pork;11/2 tbsp. salt, 4-5 tbsp. sugar, 1/3 tsp. Salitre.
3. Place salted pork in a clean covered container and keep in a cool place or in a refrigerator for 3-5 days.
4. Wash a little and cook. Tosino will last for 1/2 month when kept in a refrigerator.
CHICHARON
Materials: 1 kilo of pork skin 4 tbsp. vinegar 1 tsp. salt vetsin and pepper
Procedure:
1. Boil the pork skin in a sufficient amount of the prepared solution until tender.
2. After boiling, cool and remove the fat portion.
3. Slice into desired sizes.
4. Dry under the sun until firm.
5. Deep-fry at about 188 C and strain.
6. Pack in plastic bags.
SKINLESS LONGANISA
Materials: 3/4 kilo ground pork, lean 1/4 kilo ground pork fat 2 tbsp. salt 1 tbsp. chopped garlic 2 tbsp. wine or gin 1 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. vetsin 1 tsp. accord powder 5 tbsp. brown sugar 1/4 tsp. prague powder (available at ITDI) 1/2 tablet Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 500 mg.
Procedure:
1. Mix ground pork and the rest of the ingredients.
2. Form into 2-3 inches long links.
3. Individually wrap in cut rite paper.
4. Allow to cure in refrigerator for 2-3 days.
HOME-MADE ICE CREAM
Materials: 1/2 gal. powdered milk 1/3 gal. evaporated milk 11/2 gal. coco milk 2 kilo sugar 1/3 kilo cornstarch
Procedure:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a mixer until it is foamy.
2. Transfer into a casserole and boil for 15 minutes to sterilize the mixture. Cool.
3. Add the desired flavoring (vanilla, lemon or kalamansi, chocolate, coffee, peanuts or casuy, etc.)
4. Place in a freezer for 30 minutes or until slightly frozen.
5. Remove from the freezer and beat again until thick.
6. Transfer the mixture into can containers, and cover.
7. Submerge the can containers in ice with salt for 20 minutes or until the mixture solidifies into ice cream.
1. Boil 12 cups of water and 3 cups of salt. Cool.
2. Carefully place 12 chicken or duck eggs in wide-mouthed glass jar.
3. Pour the salt solution in the jar. Weigh down eggs with plate or cup to keep them from floating or use a sealed plastic bag filled with the salt solution.
4. Cover mouth of jar with perforated paper or cheesecloth. Keep in a cool, dry place.
5. Try one egg after 12 days by cooking below boiling point for 15 minutes. Soak again if eggs is not salty enough. Test for saltiness by cooking one egg after a few days until desired level of saltiness is attained. Duck eggs may need to be soaked longer.
6. Cook salt eggs below boiling point for 15 minutes.
Source: Technical Information and Documentation Division ITDI (DOST)
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SALTING EGGS IN CLAY
Materials:
Eggs (chicken or duck), Clay, Salt
Utensils: Measuring cups, Palayok
Procedure:
1. Mix 12 cups of clay and 4 cups of salt, adding water gradually until well blended.
2. Apply generous portion of this mixture at the base of a clay pot or "palayok."
3. Coat each egg with the mixture.
4. Arrange in layers and allow 2.5-5.0 cm. in between to prevent breakage.
5. Cover with extra mixture and store.
6. Try one egg after 15 days by cooking below boiling point for 15 minutes. If not salty enough, extend storing period.
7. When ready, cook eggs below boiling point for 15 minutes.
8. Color eggs, if desired.
INSTANT DRY SOYBEAN CURD (TOKWA)
An improved production technology is introduced to come up with instant dry soybean curd, superior in quality compared to the fresh form. The technology uses MgSO4, as coagulant which increase the yield of fresh soybean curd. The instant soybean curd has a good texture upon rehydration and its storage life is lengthened to 6 months from the 3 day-old fresh curd.
Soybean milk is processed by soaking soybeans overnight, washing, cleaning and blending it by grinding. Twelve (12) liters of water is added to every kilo of soybeans. This mixture is cooked for 30 minutes with occasional stirring. The puree is strained on cheesecloth to obtain the milk. The milk is boiled for 10 minutes, then cooled to 50 C. A volume of 0.2% MgSO4 is added to promote curd formation for 20 minutes. Curd is collected into cloth lined mold or press. The curd is then cut into desired sizes, frozen, thawed and soaked briefly in sodium bicarbonate solution. Finally, the soaked curd is pressed and dried in a solar dryer at 60 C.
TAHO FROM SOYBEAN
Materials: 3 cups mature and newly harvested soybeans 2 bars white gulaman 3 cups brown sugar strainer (muslin or nylon cloth)
Procedure:
1. Soak soybeans overnight in water 3 times its volume.
2. Remove outer covering, grind; add water little by little (at least 6 cups) while grinding.
3. Dissolve 2 bars gulaman in boiling water (7 cups).
4. Pour the ground soybean in boiling gulaman for 7 minutes or until the odor of grains is removed.
5. Set aside until it coagulates.
6. Serve with syrup.
Syrup is prepared as follows:
3 cups sugar is dissolved in 3 cups water. The sugar may be caramelized to improve color and flavor.
Source: The Philippine Recommends for Soybean PCARRD 1991
TAHO FROM COCONUT MILK
Instead of soybeans, coconut milk may be used with gulaman in making taho.
Procedure:
1. Mix pure coconut milk with equal volume of water and heat.
2. In a container, dissolve 1/4 gulaman bar in water, boil.
3. Strain the dissolved gulaman and coconut milk. Heat and stir continuously for at least 20 minutes.
4. Pour into molds and allow to cool and harden.
To make syrup:
Dissolve 2 cups brown sugar in one cup water. Heat until thick.
FISH QUEKIAM
Materials: ½ kilo dalagang bukid 1 egg well-beaten 1/4 kilo shelled shrimps ½ cup chopped turnip ½ cup chopped onions ½ cup chopped celery ½ cup chopped carrot ½ cup flour 1/4 cup nguyong powder ½ tsp. pepper 1½ tsp. salt 3 pcs. taupe (wrapper)
Procedure:
1. Remove all bones and skin from the fish.
2. Grind together with the shrimps.
3. Mix all ingredients and steam for 20 minutes.
4. Wrap in taupe or aluminum foil.
5. Fry in hot lard.
6. Slice in desired sizes.
Sweet sour sauce: 3/4 cup water 1 tbsp. cornstarch 3/4 cup sugar 1 tbsp. vinegar 2 tbsp. soy sauce vetsin
Mix all together and heat until the desired thickness.
I got this recipe from The Book of Chinese Cooking by Jasper Spencer-Smith.
(Karen also has a post on the basic recipe for siomai here, including the recipe for the wrapper.)
Ingredients: 3/4 pound ground pork 1/4 pound raw shelled shrimp, ground (Believe me, I used a scale to measure these, but of course, you can approximate.) 1-1/2 tbsp soy sauce 1/2 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry 1/2 tbsp sesame oil 1/2 tbsp sugar Dash of pepper 1 egg white 1-1/2 tsbp cornstarch won-ton skins (I buy Nasoya brand) green peas or chopped hard-cooked egg yolks for garnish
(Note: I usually buy pork chops then grind them using my Kitchen Aid attachment, since I can't find ground pork for sale here. I grind other ingredients as well, like the shrimp. when making lumpia, I also grind the garlic, onions, and other veggies.)
Procedure (I revised according to how I made it): To make filling: Mix together ground pork, ground shrimp, soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, sesame oil, sugar, pepper and egg white until mixture is well blended and smoth. Stir in cornstarch. Place in a storage bag and cut one corner big enough for the content to squeeze through. Place about 1 tbsp or so of filling in the middle of wonton skin and gather the skin around the filling. Dip a teaspoon in water and use to smooth the surface of the meat.
Garnish by placing a green pea or chopped egg yolk on top of meat. Repeat with the rest of the wonton/filling. Line a steamer with a damp cloth; steam over high heat 5 minutes or until done. Serve with your fave dip (I use soy sauce/kalamansi juice as a dip. When I was in PI, I used to like it with chili paste.)
My sons love these. Also a good finger food to bring during Pinoy get-togethers.
I do not want to give it any special name. I just want to post here how I usually prepare my fried rice. Basically, I heat 1-2 tbsp of oil (depending on the amount of leftover rice; I don't want my fried rice to be swimming in oil), then sautee 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic, then add the rice. No salt added. Sometimes my sons would add soy sauce. (I sometimes use bacon drippings, or even use leftover bacon, usually the fatty parts, instead of the vegetable oil.)
Then I also always have in my freezer bags of peas, sometimes I have canned slice mushrooms, which I love adding to the fried rice. I also save some leftover scrambled eggs (even bacon if any) from past day's breakfast, and cut them into strips before adding.
If I have chives or leeks or spring onions, I also sprinkle them on top before serving.
When prepared this way, especially if we add bits of sausage or hotdogs, truly we Filipinos can say, "Kanin pa lang, ulam na!"
My sons already know what to do when we have leftovers which they can imagine to be good with fried rice.
Name: Manang Kusinera Home: Maine, United States About Me: Filipina wife to an American. This foodblog is a chronicle of my adaptations in the kitchen to reach a compromise between my adventurous taste buds and my fussy-eater husband's. It also serves as a teaching tool to fellow Fil-Am newbie wives and hopefully will serve as reference that my children (and their would-be spouses) can always look back to in the future.
Some posts include the recipes. For those older posts without the recipes, CLICK ON THE TITLE to get to the recipe page, then hit the back button to get back here. You may also want to go to the April archives to see the complete list of recipes and posts.
DISCLAIMER: MK is not a culinary expert nor a nutritionist. naghanap lang ako ng magagawa para wag mabuwang...
, again from my SIL. She must like me so much!
