Roasted Baby Potato

Simple yet satisfying. A perfect side dish and replacement for rice, I served mine with pork adobo, sprinkled it with sesame seeds, wow it was so good.

Ingredients:
1 kilo baby potatoes ( wash very well)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Sprinkle the potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper then add the rosemary.
2. Preheat the oven at 210C then put the potatoes in a baking pan then roast for 20 minutes or until done.
3. Serve and enjoy.

Bell Pepper Appetizer

 A simple appetizer yet nutritious. Bell pepper is an excellent source of carotenoids and a good source of vitamins E and C. You will surely love this crunchy and colorful appetizer which is low in calories (31Kcal per 100 grams). Try this.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
1 regular size green bell pepper
1 regular size red bell pepper
1 regular size yellow bell pepper
any salad dressing of your choice


Procedure:
1. Slice all the bell peppers into rings then combine well.
2. Serve to your desired presentation or plating. Perfect with fried or grilled  fish or meat

Fresh Lumpia

Fresh lumpia or lumpiang sariwa is a very good and affordable dish that you can serve for the whole family. This one is a recipe from Nanay Pining, she's making this when I arrived that's why I was able to take pictures and told her that I will post it for my blog. This is really delicious. She served some for me after she made it.Here is how to make fresh lumpia.

Ingredients for the filling:
1/2 kilo shrimps
1/4 kilo ground beef or pork
1/2 kilo carrots 
1/2 kilo potatoes ( french cut and fried)
1/2 kilo cabbage
1/4 kilo green beans
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 onion (minced)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure for the filling:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the ground meat and saute until the pinkish color is gone then add the shrimps and simmer for a minute.
2. Add the carrots and green beans then simmer until tender.
3. Add all the ingredients and simmer until cooked.

Ingredients  for the wrapper:
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups water
2 whole eggs

Procedure:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients then add the egg and water then mix throughly.
2. Cook in a non-stick pan for a perfect result.

Ingredients for the Sauce
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
5 cups water
5 cloves garlic ( minced)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Procedure:
1. Mix all the ingredients then bring to a boil over medium heat until thickens.
2. Remove from heat, then add the minced garlic and mix well.
3. This is now ready to be used :-).

To assemble:
1. Place the wrapper properly then put the lettuce and add the filling.

2. Wrap well and place in a plate. pour with a sauce and minced garlic and peanut then serve.

Contributed by: Nanay Pining

Nanay Pining

Peppered Cream Dory

Cream dory is a delicious and succulent fish, that is why I like it a lot. Here is a simple recipe that you will surely enjoy.

Ingredients for 2 servings:
300 grams cream dory fish
1 big onion (cut into rings)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons lime or calamansi juice
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Procedure:
1. Clean the fish very well, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Fry until done. Set aside.
3. Saute the onion then add the fried cream dory, soy sauce, calamansi juice, salt and pepper, stir well for few minutes then turn off the heat.
4. Serve with love and enjoy :-).

Ham and Chicken Omelette

Delicious omelette serve with pickled papaya :) Kain na po! ( Let's eat!)

Ingredients for 5 servings:
2 slices sweet ham
1/2 cup cooked shredded chicken breast
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
oil or butter as needed

Procedure:
1. Beat the eggs then add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Heat the oil then pour the beaten eggs, add the ham and chicken evenly and fold each sides toward the center and continue cooking until done.
3. Serve and enjoy.

Kilawin na Kambing

A very delicious dish that is made from goat's skin, this  is the style of goat's  skin kilawin that I like a lot. My family      always prepare it this way.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo grilled goat skin
thumb size ginger (sliced)
1 medium red onion (sliced)
2 tablespoons calamansi juice
1 tablespoons vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
chili

Procedure:
1. In a pot put the grilled skin of the goat then boiled it until tender, remove from water then slice to your desired size.
2. Mix all the ingredients then serve.

White Sago and Macaroni Salad

White sago is not as transparent  as tapioca pearls but it still delicious and the same in texture. I prepared this for my family last July of 2014 but it is only now that I was able to find this photo from my files :-).



Ingredients:
1/4 kilo white small sago ( cooked and drained)
1/4 kilo elbow macaroni ( cooked and drained)
1 small can fruit cocktail ( drained)
1 1/2 cup condensed milk (or adjust according to your taste)
2 cups Nestle cream or all purpose cream
1 1/2 cup evaporated milk

Procedure :
1. Combine all the ingredients then refrigerate.

2. Serve when ready.

Creamy Pork with Mushrooms

A delicious pork dish that your entire family will surely adore. 

Ingredients:
1 kilo pork
1/4 kilo mushrooms (sliced) you can use canned mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
2 cups water
1/2 cup All purpose cream ( Nestle, Alaska or any brand)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the pork and simmer until pinkish color is gone.
2. Add the water and simmer until the meat is tender, then add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add the all purpose cream simmer for a minute or until done.
4. Serve and enjoy. :-)



Note: If you want it to have more gravy just add the water and the all purpose cream.

Fried Salmon

Cooked simply but served in a very special way that  I can for a very good friend. We enjoyed our lunch of fried salmon  with a good chat :-).

Ingredients for 2 servings:
300 grams salmon fillet ( slice to your desired size)
1 tablespoon lemon or calamansi juice
salt and pepper to taste


Procedure:
1. Sprinkle the salmon with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil then fry the salmon until done, remove from oil and put in a paper towel to remove excess oil.
3. Serve with love and a big smile :-). 

Suam Mais (Corn Soup)

Suam Mais is a corn soup dish from Pampanga, Philippines. Delicious and easy to prepare.

Ingredients:
4 pieces young white malagkit corn
1/4 kilo pork
3 cups water (add if needed)
2 cups camote tops ( talbos ng camote)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the pork, stir until it is brownish,  add the corn and simmer for a minute.
2. Add the water, salt and pepper, simmer until the corn is tender.
3. Add the  camote tops and simmer until done and turn off the heat.
4. Serve it hot.

Simple Ratatouille

Ratatouille (/ˌrætəˈtuːiː/ rat-ə-TOO-ee; French: [ʁataˈtuj]) is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille niçoise.[1]

Origin
The word ratatouille comes from Occitan ratatolha and the recipe comes from Occitan cuisine. Ratatouille originated in the area around present day Occitan Provença (French: Provence) and Niça (French: Nice); the Catalan samfaina and the Majorcan tombet are versions of the same dish.[2] The southern Italian ciambotta is a related spring vegetable dish.
To read more click the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratatouille

Piperade Mixture/ Sauce:
 1 Onion chopped
 2 Carrots unpeeled and grated 
4 Celery sticks 
1 Tablespoons Minced garlic 
1 Red bell pepper Charred, peeled, seeds and ribs removed 
1 yellow bell pepper charred, peeled , seeds and ribs removed 
2 Red chillies charred, peeled, seeds and ribs removed. (Optional) 
850 grams tomato sauce
2-3 Tablespoons Olive oil 
6 Fresh basil leaves. 
Salt and Pepper to taste

Vegetables:  
2 Zucchinis sliced 
2 Japanese or Chinese eggplants sliced 
6 Roma tomatoes sliced 

Procedure for the piperade mixture: 
1. Saute the onion with the olive oil until translucent ( do not brown). Add the celery, carrots, garlic and continue to saute until softened. 
2. Mix in the bell peppers,chillies and the can tomatoes.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook the mixture until the water from the tomatoes is evaporated. Add the basil leaves. Set aside
3. In a blender, blend the whole mixture into a thick sauce. Pour the mixture into a large pan (oven proof) / casserole dish. 

To Assemble the ratatouille:
4. Take a slice of each vegetable, put them together and stick them half way in the sauce 
5. Repeat the process and arrange the vegetables all over the pan in a circular or preferred design. 

6. Finally, drizzle some olive oil on top, salt, pepper and some dried herbs (basil, oregano and thyme). Cover with an aluminium foil. 
7. Bake it in the oven (300 F for about 2 hours). Remove the foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350 F to caramelize. Serve and Enjoy.


Contributed by: Gabriel Eli Ndegwa

If yellow squash is available you can add it for this recipe

Now, it is time to watch the ratatouille movie :) 

Stuffed Potato ( Relyenong patatas)

Affordable, easy and yummy. Try it.

Ingredients for 3 servings:
3 pieces potato Medium size
100 grams ground beef
1 carrot ( grated)
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 onion (minced)
salt and pepper to taste


Procedure:
1. Boil the potatoes and remove the skin then cut into halves, remove some part in the middle to make a space for stuffing, then set aside.
2. Saute the garlic and onion then add the ground beef and simmer for 2 minutes add the carrots and broccoli, stir well then add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for a minute and turn off the heat.
3. Get the potatoes and fill each slice with the  filling, put together each pair with a toothpick, dip in a beaten egg and roll over the bread crumbs, secure with a toothpick, then bake in a pre-heated oven for 13 minutes at 200C.

4. Remove the toothpicks, slice then serve and enjoy.

The potato parts  that I removed to make a space for stuffing, I also sliced it and add to the filling. :-)

Cabbage Roll

I prepared this dish for a special family gathering, simple but a very attractive center table item that will surely capture the eyes of your guests and loved ones. This is also very affordable.

Ingredients for 24 rolls:
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 onion (minced)
600 grams ground beef or pork
4 pieces big potatoes (finely diced)
3 big carrots ( finely diced)
1/2  cup minced bell pepper ( mixed colors if available)
24 cabbage leaves or more
200 ml All purpose cream ( Nestle, Alaska or any brand)
100 ml water
100 ml evaporated or fresh milk
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute garlic and onion then add the ground meat and stir until pinkish color is gone.
2. Add the potatoes, carrots, bell pepper, salt and pepper  then stir well  and continue cooking until done. Set aside.

3. Boil or steam the cabbage for 3 minutes then drain and allow to cool. If cabbage leaves are too big you can cut it into two (halves).
4. Flatten the cabbage leaf then put the filling and wrap well.

5. When done rolling, arrange well in a cooking pan then put the fresh  Milk, water, all purpose cream, salt and pepper then bring to a boil, when boiling adjust the heat to low then simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Serve and enjoy. 

Note: If you want it more saucy just double the portion of water and cream

Fried Dried Fish

Simple yet special for me, oh how I love this fried fish at breakfast table,  a good appetizer . Wash your hands and grab the fried rice now :-). 

To fry it, simply heat the oil then fry the dried fish to your desired doneness, when done remove from oil then put in a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Serve and enjoy.

Tortiglioni with Bacon

Tortiglioni is a short tube kind of pasta that has a good texture that's why I like it. This is good also with tomato sauce but I cooked it this way because my friends want to replace the rice with this, only light in taste to go perfectly with our viands.


Ingredients for 6 Servings:
1/2 kilo tortiglioni
1/4 kilo bacon (sliced)
3 cloves garlic finely minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Tortiglioni Pasta

Procedure:
1. Cook the tortiglioni according to its packaging procedure then set aside.
2. Heat the pan and put the bacon stir until the natural oil comes out, then continue cooking until crispy, remove from oil and put in a paper towel to remove excess oil.
3. Heat the olive oil, add the garlic and stir until light brown, add the tortiglioni and bacon then mix well, sprinkle with salt and pepper then stir and turn off the heat.
4. Serve hot with a smile :-).

Bean Sprouts Salad

Bean Sprouts are one of the common cooking ingredients that we can find at the market, this is very nutritious, in fact it is more nutritious than the original bean where it came from according to what I've read.  Low in calories ( 31 calories for 104 grams) but a good source of folate,  folate helps your body produce DNA, amino acids and red blood cells,  that are important in preventing anemia and birth defects. Make it a habit to include bean sprouts in your diet because it also a good source of protein and dietary fiber. 
Here is a simple salad recipe to enjoy. This salad goes well with any meat and fish dishes.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
2 cups bean sprouts ( wash well)
1 tablespoons lemon or calamansi juice
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons soy sauce ( if balsamic coy sauce is available it is better)
2 tomatoes ( slice to your desired size)
some lettuce
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Combine the tomato and bean sprouts, set aside, in a serving dish, arrange the lettuce properly then put the combined tomatoes and sprouts.
2. Sprinkle with lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, salt and pepper then serve and enjoy. :-)

Bangers and Mash

Bangers and Mash is a traditional British Isles dish made of mashed potatoes and sausages and sometimes served with fried onion, onion gravy and baked beans just like what Mr. O'Malley made for my blog. 

Ingredients for 1 serving:

1 onion, sliced.

2 pork sausages 

1 scoop Mashed potato

1 can of baked beans (heated)

Procedure:
1. In a frying fan heat some oil over medium heat, once hot enough, add the sausages and onions and fry for about 10mins turning the sausages and onions until they are cooked (it's ok for the onions to be a little burnt, this just adds to the flavor).

2. Arrange the mashed potato, baked beans and sausages in a serving platter then serve it with love.

Contributed by: Mr. Vince O'Malley

Ginisang Hipon

Savor the fresh flavor of shrimps in a very easy way of cooking. 

Ingredients for 4 servings:
1/2 kilo shrimps (de-shelled and cleaned)
1/2 cup sliced tomatoes
1 onion ( sliced)
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon calamansi or lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste


Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic, onion and tomatoes then add the shrimps and continue sauteeing for a minute.
2. Add the fish sauce, lemon juice and pepper then continue cooking, add salt of needed. Turn off the heat when done.
3. Serve it hot. 

Carrot Cake

Really yummy! Thanks be to God for baking this for us. Another delicious treat from the best baker in town :-). Mr. Gab.


Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup & 1 Tbsp of All Purpose Flour
½ cup of white Sugar
¼ cup of Brown Sugar
1 tsp of Baking Soda
2 tsp of Cinnamon
½ tsp of Salt
¼ tsp of Nutmeg
¾ cup of Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp of Vanilla Extract
1 tsp of Grated Orange Zest
1 ½ cups of Shredded/ Grated Carrots
½ cup of Raisins/ Walnuts Whatever you like.

For the frosting:
3 oz of Cream Cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup of Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
2 cups of Powdered Sugar
1 tsp of Vanilla


Procedure:
1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2) Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with non stick cooking spray. Lay the bottom with parchment paper and set aside.
3) In a bowl toss together the carrots, raisins/ walnuts and the 1 Tbsp of flour until all of the carrots and raisins are coated with the flour.
4) In a large bowl mix together all of the ingredients until well combined. Add the carrots and raisins/ walnuts and mix until they are well incorporated through the batter.
5) Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6) When the cake is ready, let it cool in the pan for a few minutes but then take it out and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
7) Once the cake is completely cooled, make the frosting by simply mixing all of the ingredients together until you get a nice thick frosting. If you need to, add a little more water by the teaspoonful to get a spreadable frosting consistency.
8) Adorn the cake with the cream cheese frosting and let it set for a few minutes until the frosting begins to harden. Dig in whenever you like!

Contributed by: Gabriel Eli Ndegwa