No-Bake Chocolate Tart

We do not need an oven for this recipe, sounds good right? Yes, this is a no-bake tart so even if you do not have an oven, you can make this simple and easy to do recipe with your kids. Enjoy a good time with them. :-).

Ingredients for 5 servings:
2 cups powdered graham or any crackers of your choice
1/2 cup melted margarine or butter
100 grams cooking chocolate ( chopped)
1/4 cup double cream/heavy cream

Push-up tart molder

Procedure:
1. Mix the butter and crushed crackers.

2. Put the mixture into the molder, leaving a space in the middle for our chocolate filling. After this process, refrigerate it for an hour  to harden.

 

3. While waiting, heat the cream until it is almost boiling, then pour in a mixing bowl, and put  the chocolate, just leave it for a minute then mix well until fully dissolved.

4. Put each crust with the chocolate mixture then refrigerate for an hour or 2 to set. Remove from the molder then serve plain or with decoration. Enjoy!

Simple Espasol

 This is a very basic espasol just to make the recipe simple and easy to follow for the beginners, but I assure you that this is really yummy. You can improve this with additional scraped coconut or sesame seeds it's up to you.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups glutinous rice powder
2 1/4 cups coconut milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

Procedure:
1. Toast the powdered glutinous rice until brownish or the aroma comes out over low heat. When it is done set aside and sift it to remove the lumps. Remove 1/2 cup because we will use it for dusting later.

2. In  pan combine coconut milk and sugar then bring to a boil. Continue stirring in medium heat for 5 minutes then add the vanilla.continue to stir for 3 minutes.
3.Add the toasted glutinous rice powder and stir continuously over low heat. Cook until the mixture becomes thick and dry, then refrigerate for an hour so that it will be easy to roll.
4. Spoon a portion from the mixture and dust it with toasted rice flour and roll it until form into cylinder then roll over the toasted rice powder.

5. Serve it, or you can wrap it with paper before serving. Enjoy chewing. :-)

Beef Salpicao

A succulent beef dish with a perfect blending of all the spices being used, making the flavor so tangy so make sure that the rice is enough. :-).


Ingredients for 2 servings:
1/4 kilo beef tenderloin (Sliced into cubes)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cloves garlic ( Sliced and toasted)
1 tablespoons lemon juice or calamansi
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
oil

Toasted garlic

Procedure:
1. Marinate the beef with soy sauce, lemon juice, ground pepper and sugar for at least 30 minutes, remove from the marinade but set aside the marinade, then fry the beef until golden brown.
2.In a pan heat an oil then put the fried beef and the toasted garlic ( leave some garlic for toppings) then add the ,marinade and allow to simmer for few 3 minutes stirring occasionally.  If marinade is not enough to give a sauce just add some soy sauce and lemon jauce according to your taste.
3. Top with toasted garlic before serving.

Chicken Yakisoba

Ang Yakisoba ay isang uri ng pagkaing Hapones na unang lumitaw sa mga kainan ng Japan noong early 20th century ayon sa aking nabasa, bagamat  ito ay talagang nagmula sa China. Itong aking ginawa ay simple lang pero mas maganda sana kung mayroon itong carrots, nagkataon lang na nang lutuin ko ito wala sa plano, may dumating lang akong mga bisita at ito ang pwede kong maihanda sa kanila kaya kahit walng carrots niluto ko na.

Mga Sangkap:
200 grams soba noodles ( pre cooked) drained and set aside
200 grams chicken breast
2 cups sliced cabbage
1 red bell pepper
1 onion
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic
3/4 cup water
3 tablesoons soy sauce
1 cup yakisoba sauce
spring onion for garnishing

Paraan ng Pagluto:
1. Igisa ang bawang at sibuyas  pagkatapos ay ilagay ang  hiniwang manok saka sangkutsahin ng mga tatlong minuto.
2. Ilagay ang tubig at soy sauce pakuluing maigi.
3. Ilagay ang mga gulay at kung malambot na saka ihalo ang soba noodles
4. Ilagay ang Yakisoba sauce at haluing maigi, lagyan ng salt and pepper kung kailangan.
5. Ilagay sa plato at lagyan ng hiniwang dahon ng sibuyas saka ihain

Salted Caramel Cronuts

I think you have to be living in a hole if you have not heard of the cronut. For the few of you that don't know what it is; The Cronut™ is the unique pastry creation by Chef Dominique Ansel that many have described to be a croissant-doughnut hybrid. After its launch on May 10, 2013, Cronut™ fans spanned the world from Berlin to Singapore, making it the most virally talked about dessert item in history. You make your croissant dough, and then proceed by making them into doughnuts. The result is a flaky, buttery, mouth-watering, sweet cronut. Every day people line up around Chef Dominique Ansel's bakery block in New York to get his tasty treats. He limits each customer to only 2 cronuts a piece, and only makes 300 per day. I personally think he is crazy. He sells them for $5.00 a piece and he could make a killing if he increased production. 

Well I don't live in New York. Even if I did, you would not catch me waiting in a line for hours for a treat. I am just not that person. You will however, find me in my kitchen for hours re-creating this delectable treat. They are not hard to make. You just need time. Because there is a chill time in between each fold. I suggest making the dough at least 1 day before you plan to cook them. 

So here you have it. A recipe for America's 2 most popular sweet treats. A cronut combined with salted caramel. Maybe not on your new years diet plan, but you can save it for a splurge day. 

I would not ever recommend just making these for 2 people. So this recipe is not a "for two" recipe. It is a share with your friends recipe. I handed them out to my building staff and to friends and family. 

Salted Caramel Cronuts

Croissant-Donuts

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp sea salt

4 cups all-purpose flour

lots of canola oil for frying - enough to fill your pot 2" deep

3/4 cup sugar (for coating)

Salted Caramel:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tsp sea salt

4 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sea salt flakes

With 1 1/2 cups butter, make a butter rectangle. Wrap the softened butter loosely in plastic wrap and press into the bottom of an 8”x4” loaf pan. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat your milk either on the stove top or in a microwave to 105 degrees. Add the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy. Stir in the sugar,vanilla and salt.

Add 3 cups of the flour and combine with a large spoon until all of the flour is incorporated into a sticky dough. Then add the last 1 cup of flour and switch to your hands to knead the rest of the flour into the dough. Cover directly with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough rectangle. After the dough has chilled, roll the dough on a well-floured surface into a rectangle, roughly the size of a 9”x12” baking dish. Remove the butter rectangle from the refrigerator, unwrap from the plastic and place it in the middle of the dough, perpendicular to the length.

Tuck the butter into bed. Fold the right and left dough flaps over the butter rectangle like a letter. 

Transfer to a well-floured surface and roll dough back out to a 9”x12” rectangle (roughly).

Repeat the fold and roll steps 4 times. Wrap the dough in plastic and let chill in the refrigerator overnight.

After the dough has chilled for at least 8 hours, remove it from the refrigerator, roll to 1/2” thickness and cut a 3” outer ring and a 1” inner ring.

Heat the oil. Fill a large stockpot with canola oil, 2-3” deep. Place over medium heat and monitor the temperature until it reaches 375° F.

As soon as the oil reaches 375° F, use a flat spatula to carefully transfer the doughnuts into the oil. You may be able to fit 3-4 doughnuts in the pot at a time, but be careful that they are not overcrowded. Fry for about 45 seconds on each side.

Remove from oil directly into a bowl of sugar. Roll doughnut in sugar to coat the outside and let cool on wire rack.

Make the salted caramel. Combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, sugar, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and stir for about 5-10 minutes until caramel reaches the “soft ball stage” at around 230 degrees.

Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla.

Dip the tops of your cronut's into the hot caramel and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. 

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Gourmet Cooking for Two

Ginisang Alugbati

Isa sa mga karaniwang gulay sa Pilipinas,  ay ang alugbati kaya isa ito sa mga paborito kong gulay na madahon. Masarap ito ilagay sa monggo, igisa kasama ng kalabasa, etc, pero natuklasan ko na masarap din pala sya igisa na may sahog na tuna, kaya ito po ang paraan paano ito lutuin.

Mga Sangkap:
2 tali ng alugbati
1 lata ng tuna flakes in oil
1 sibuyas
asin

Paraan ng Pagluto:
1. Alisin ang dahon ng alugbati sa tangkay at husgasang mabuti, patuluin ang tubig para di masyadong masabaw at wag mawala ang lasa.
2. Igisa ang sibuyas, ilagay ang tuna at asin,  pakuluin ng mga ilang minuto.
3. Lakasan ang apoy saka  ilagay ang alugbati, haluing maigi hanggang sa maluto.
4. Kung luto na, pwede na itong ihain sa mga mahal sa buhay :-).

Mely's Kitchen Arroz Valenciana

Today we will make a simple and easy way of cooking arroz Valenciana, and I hope that you will try this dish from my kitchen. :-). I like a Valenciana taht is not too sticky that's why I combined the white rice and glutinous rice I designed this recipe specially to those who are just beginning to cook, I will make a very special one soon, God willing. Enjoy cooking.

Ingredients for 6 servings
2 cups cooked glutinous rice ( malagkit)
2 cups cooked  white rice ( the normal rice that we eat during meals)
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
 2 tomatoes
2 pieces chicken hotdog
1/4 kilo pork lean meat( boiled and sliced)
2 chicken drumsticks ( chopped)
2 tablespoon atsuete seeds ( annatto)
3/4 cup water
 1 bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 hard boiled egg 

Optional ingredients
2 chicken liver (optional)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup green peas

Some of the ingredients

Procedure:
1.In a pan boil the atsuete with 3/4 cup water, let boil for 2 minutes then mix it well ( the darker the color the better) drain and set aside. ( we need 1/2 cup of this)

2. Saute the garlic then the onion and tomato add the chicken meat and liver, salt and pepper then simmer for few minutes. Then add the pork and hot dog then simmer for few minutes, then add the 1/2 cup atsuete water mixture and bell pepper, then simmer until all the ingredients were incorporated with the atsuete color, add salt and pepper if needed.

3. Add the rice and mix well then simmer for few minutes until fully combined. Turn off the heat and add some green peas and raisins if you want.

4. Serve with hard boiled egg slices. Happy eating!

Cookies N' Cream Polvoron

Most of the cookies N' Cream Polvoron that I've tasted, I can not feel the cookies and cream because it's almost pulverized,  that is why in this recipe I wanted to try if it is better if the bits of cookies are bigger.  It is yummy munching the polvoron with bigger bits of cookies and cream. Try this and let me know.

Ingredients for 24 pieces polvoron:
2 cups flour ( sifted)
2 cups powdered milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 pieces cookies and cream ( crushed)
3/4 cup margarine or butter ( melted)

Procedure:
1. In a pan put the flour and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until the aroma of the flour comes out, then add the milk and sugar, then continue to stir until done then turn off the heat.
2. Pour in the melted butter and mix well.
3. Let cool and mix in the crushed cookies then by using a molder, start molding the mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes before packing in a water cellophane or just keep it in an airtight jar to munch anytime.

Sarciadong Manok

My grandma is a good cook for this using the fresh tomatoes from our garden, so good and delicious.
Today I tried remembering her recipe but I added tomato sauce. It is delicious and creamier.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo Chicken legs or any chicken part yo want to use
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup tomato sauce
4 cloves garlic
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

 Procedure:
1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper then deep fry it until brownish. Set aside
2. Saute the garlic, onion and tomatoes until soften, then add the chicken and simmer for a minute over medium heat then add the tomato sauce and stir.

3. Add the water, salt and pepper then simmer for l5 minutes or until cooked stirring ocassionally, then add the beaten egg and give a good stir and simmer until done.
4. Serve it hot with rice.

Salad na Puso ng Saging

 This is the salad that has a special place in my heart because I grew up with this at our farm, we always have it every weekend together with fried fish or meat. Yummy.

Ingredients:
1 banana blossom ( puso ng saging)
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup pure coconut milk
1/2 piece onion
thumb size ginger ( cut into strips)
1 red bell pepper ( strips)
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar or to taste

Procedure:
1.Clean the banana blossom and remove the hard part, then slice in to wedges and boil until tender, once tender remove from water then slice into your desired size and squeeze.

2. Bring the coconut milk to boil then put all the ingredients and simmer until well incorporated then turn off the heat.
3. Serve with love :-).

Bacon wrapped Asparagus with Mushroom Gravy

 The gravy adds a life to the usual bacon wrapped asparagus, making it extra delicious and satisfying.

Ingredients for 2 servings:
6 stalks of asparagus
12 strips of bacon
Mushroom gravy ( click on how to learn to make mushroom gravy)


Procedure:
1. Wrap each asparagus with the bacon ( use 2 strips of bacon for each asparagus)
2. Deep fry until golden brown then top it with mushroom gravy and serve, oh so delicious!

Scrambled Egg Sandwich

Tonight is a survival night for me, do you know why? Because it's  raining, therefore the stores were closed now, and I do not have a lighter or anything I could use to on the stove, after almost 20 minutes of searching something to light the stove I gave up, then I turned on the oven to 200C, beat an egg, grease the baking pan, poured in the beaten egg, sprinkled it with salt and pepper, then put in the oven after 2 minutes it's cooked, I sliced a burger bun and heat it in the oven too after a minute or two I removed it and assembled my sandwich with some  cream cottage cheese, lettuce and apple slices, presto! I survived! I enjoyed my sandwich, yummy!

Fresh Fruits with Yoghurt

This one is perfect to welcome your day at breakfast table. Low in calories but high with nutrients to sustain your activities. Go for it.

Ingredients for 4 serfvings:
1 cup green grapes
1 cup purple grapes
2 bananas ( slice according to your desired size)
1 cup yoghurt ( any flavor of your choice)
1 apple or plum ( sliced as shown in the picture)


Procedure:
1. Wash all the fruits properly.
2. Arrange the fruits in the serving platter then pour in the yogurt and serve.