Happy Late Easter

Ok I'm back home now and I have yet to post some of the foods I've encountered in San Diego. Honestly, I've just been really lazy. I will post one of these days and show all the yummy things I've eaten or made. But for now I've come to a concluding halt. I'm gonna go on a diet and see if it works. So for now I will be posting to see how I've been doing. I haven't started today but I've been cutting the intakes of foods I eat. Lately it's been a little bad cuz I've been craving things with fat and salt. The worst combination ever. So today I've been trying to flush my system by drinking lots of water and tea. I made a gallon of lipton tea last night so I should be good for the next day or two, that's if my husband don't get to it first. So wish me luck. I'd like to lose hmmm...more than I count on my fingers that's for sure....

Hello...

Saying HELLO from my hometown San Diego... I am currently visiting and have extended my stay several times. I have many pictures to share but will post when I get back home. I hope everyone is doing well. Eat well live long and laugh often....

Hot and Spicy Love

Happy Late Love Day.

I love valentines day because it's a day of love. The love of your lover, the love of your friends, the love of family, and the love of God. We didn't do much for Valentines day. My husband got me a plant, I was super excited because I've been wanting one in our apartment. Gives the meaning of life you know. I love flowers but plants last longer. We celebrated our valentines with one of my husbands closest friend and his girlfriend and watched a movie...nothing romantic...I guess it could be in it's own way because the guy showed love for his family. The movie was called Mirrors....scary but loved it. I also found this picture and if you know me you'll laugh because this is what I do with my lips... Natural habit. I used this as my screen saver on my computer and it makes me smile every time I see it. I need to print it and frame it and put it somewhere. For some reason I am attracted to things that have hearts and things that are kissing. I guess I'm a sucker for love.

Anyway back to what I cooked. I didn't know what to call it but Hot and Spicy hehehehe



I used chorizo sausage, potatoes, jalapenos, onion and garlic, salt and pepper to taste. I cut the chorizo sausage into bite size pieces and browned them. Than I sauteed the onion, potatoes, and jalapeno. Than mixed it with the chorizo.... It was yummy but spicy.

Spicy Pork Curry

Curry....I love curry, from Indian food, Thai, Japanese, the more spice used the better. I wanted to try something other than chicken for curry or even beef so I used pork. It was really easy to do and it turned out really good.

Ingredients
1 Tomato chopped
1 Celery chopped
1 Onion chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic minced
2 Bay Leaf
2-4 pieces of Pork (ribs with no bones)
2 tbs Curry powder
1 tbs paprika
pinch of salt
1 jalapeno minced


I sauteed the garlic and onion together till fragrant. Than I added the chopped celery, tomato, and jalapeno. Than I added the pork, curry, paprika, and salt.

I cooked the pork till white in color and the juice have come out. I added about half a cup of water and the 2 bay leaf.

I added a little bit more salt to taste and let it boil till the sauce is reduced.

Serve over rice....

Filipino Sopas

Sopas is one Filipino dish that can be good as a snack or a complete meal itself. Traditionally, it consists of boiling chicken or pork bones with salt and pepper. Once you get good tasting broth flavor, elbow macaroni is added which you cook till al dente. When the pasta is almost done, vegetables are added usually chopped carrots and cabbage. Once done, season with salt and pepper to taste and add a cup of milk to make it really creamy.

Now, me, I like to tweak my sopas and add whatever I can find in the fridge. I usually love making sopas after thanksgiving because of the left over turkey and ham. I also like to use left over rotisserie chicken when it's not thanksgiving or any chicken with bones...yes not deboned chicken because that's where you'll get the most flavor.

Sopas is so good when the weather is cold or when you're feeling down and out. It's comfort food and I love it. I made it cuz it was cold and we had a snow storm hit us....

Ingredients

Chicken with bones 4- 8 pieces

1 box Elbow Pasta

1 - 2 Bay Leaf

Salt and Pepper

Chicken Bullion

Water 5-8 cups

1 Carrot chopped

2 Celery chopped

1 Onion chopped

1 Garlic minced

4 Eggs hard boiled

1. Bring to boil the meat broth. I usually make the broth by boiling chicken with bones in water till the meat flavor comes out. Than I shred the chicken meat.

2. Add the elbow macaroni (other pasta shapes will do like farfalle, rigatoni and penne - but this would not really be a Filipino dish).Add dried herbs such as oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary).

3. The elbow macaroni is cooked till al dente. Just taste the macaroni a few minutes after boiling. When macaroni is almost done, added the chopped vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Turn off fire and add the milk.

5. Add egg optional

and serve hot......

My Favorite Ingredients

It's been several weeks since I last posted. Haven't been too motivated to cook. I've cooked but it's the same things over and over again....I'm at rut. So today I'll tell you a little bit about the ingredients I like to cook with.

Here are a few of my favorite things...

Knorr's Chicken Bullion. I use this in almost everything I cook. I love the flavor it gives. I'm not a bland type of person so I like to use this to give it a great taste. Don't use too much because it can get salty. Knorr sells a version of this in little cubes but I think they don't taste the same. I like this loose powder better. You can buy this at your local WALMART or back home in San Diego at Carnival or your local supermarket. This will last you for several months depending on how often you use it. I mean I use a pinch here and their and I still have it full and it's been 2 months. Great value and great taste....



The other ingredients I love to work with is GARLIC...ONION...TOMATO, and Jalapeno or any other pepper.

I love the smell when you saute garlic and onion together.

The tomatoes and jalapeno gives it that extra zing to any meat.

So when you get a chance try these ingredients out :)

Snow and Fried Rice

It's been a week since I last posted. No worries folks I haven't forgotten about coming in here and sharing my crazy culinary experiences. I haven't cooked much lately. We had a pretty good snow storm this past week. One day it's clear as day, next thing you know over night we got 6 inches of snow, than rains all day and we got a sheet of ice over the snow, than snows again. Pretty crazy huh? The power finally went out on Monday, I heard that the power circuit on the streets where being broken by frozen trees that snapped because of the ice that formed on them. Some of the electrical boxes blew out too cuz of the ice freezing inside the box. The whole area where I live still has no power but my husbands mom's place has power, luckily. So we are slumming it here for awhile to keep warm and to be able to cook food and take warm showers. It doesn't look like its going to let up anytime soon. I heard that we where going to get more snow on Monday. The sun came out for a little bit today but that just means more ice forming on the ground on top of snow. It makes it slippery to walk and very hard to drive in. My husband haven't been able to go to work for a week now due to the snow. Hopefully his place of work will open back up next week.

This is a whole new experience for me. It's exciting but also very scary. These are the days that I wish I was back home in San Diego where the temperature's warm and power is everywhere.

Today for lunch I cooked fried rice. I don't have any pictures because I left my camera at home.

Bacon and Beef Fried Rice Ingredients

1/2lb ground beef

2 strips of bacon (chopped)

2 stalks of green onion (diced)

1 small onion (minced)

1 small carrot (diced)

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

2 eggs (scrambled)

5 tbls soy sauce

5 tbls oil (or bacon/ground beef fat)

5 cups of cooked white rice

In a wok cook bacon till crisp..set aside, in same wok cook ground beef till brown. Drain a little bit of the oil out and add onions to walk till translucent. Add carrots and green onion. Cook till carrots are tender. Add bacon and ground beef and stir. Once mixed add cooked rice. Season with salt and pepper and fold over all ingredients. Add scrambled egg and pour over rice, fold all together again than add soy sauce. If 5 tbls is not enough just add more to taste. Let cook and serve.

Orange Chicken

Yummy... This is my first time making Orange Chicken. I've tried many from different places back home...some more tartier than others. My favorite one I guess is this little point and order kind of food court at a Ranch 99 Market. The only thing about orange chicken is either the sauce is too thick or the chicken has too much breading on it. I found a recipe I liked online and tweaked it a little bit. Here it is....

Orange Chicken Recipe

2 -4 Chicken Boneless Chicken breast (sliced into bite size)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayanne pepper
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup of tempura
1 tbs. ginger (minced)
1 tbs garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp garlic chilli paste
1/4 cup green onion
1 tbs rice wine
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp. chicken bullion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Orange sauce:
2 tbs. soy sauce
2 tbs water
2 tbs of orange juice
4 tbs of sugar
4 tbs of white vinegar
1 - 2 table spoon of orange zest ( I used mandarin orange)

Mix all together


What I like to do is cut all the ingredients ahead of time and set aside...

Combine 1/2 cup corn starch, 1/4 tempura, 1/4 flour together. Add 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cayanne pepper, pinch of salt

than

cut chicken into bite size. I took 3 chicken breast and cut it each one in half the long way and than sliced it. Add 1 egg and a pinch of salt. Mix together than add to the dry ingredients. I shaked the pieces off to get the excess flour off and placed it on a different plate.

I used a small deep fryer and fried away.


mince garlic and ginger and cute green onion

Green onion
Ginger
In a hot wok or big skillet add oil and cook ginger and garlic together till fragrant
Than add green onion and garlic chili sauce, 1/4 tsp chicken bullion and rice wine...cook till green onion is wilted than add orange sauce

mix 1 tbs cornstarch with 1/4 cup water

Than add cornstarch to the wok

Once the cornstarch mix is put it'll thicken quickly so work quick and add chicken. Mix together.
WALA! add sesame seed for garnish and serve over steam rice

Pajeon: Korean Scallion Pancake Recipe

We slept in today and didn't have breakfast so instead we had our Saturday Brunch. I was craving breakfast but didn't really want your average bacon and eggs or bowl of cereal or oatmeal. I wanted something a little more filling. I had this before with my cousins back home and it was really good and filling. Not too heavy. I don't really know how to pronounce the name but I call it Korean Scallion Pancake with 2 sides of bacon and cubed beef. As always I like to put the original recipe that is most common. My recipe will be posted below this one.

Pajeon: Korean Scallion Pancake Recipe
Make one 9-inch (23cm) pancake

1/2 cup (70g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (125ml) ice-cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large or extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 bunch of scallions
a spoonful of soy sauce
vegetable oil, for frying

1. Stir together the flour, water and salt until just mixed.

2. Chop the green parts of the scallions into 3-inch (10cm) lengths. Reserve the white parts for another use.

3. Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a 9 or 10-inch (23-26cm) skillet, preferably non-stick, until hot. Fry the scallions until they're completely cooked through and soft. Add a touch of soy sauce to the pan when they're almost done, to season the scallions.

4. Pour the pancake batter over the scallions, spreading the batter, and cook a few minutes until the bottom is nice and brown underneath. Lift the edge to peek.

5. Pour the beaten egg on top then swirl the pan to even out the egg a bit, still keeping it pretty uneven. Distribute the dried pepper strands over the egg, if using, and cook until the egg is just beginning to firm near the edges.

6. Using a wide spatula, flip the pancake and cook for another minute or two until the egg is set and preferably crispy at the edges. (I tend it cook it pretty well, although I like hard-cooked fried eggs, which I know ain't "gourmet", so use your judgment.)

7. Slide pancake onto a cutting board, then cool to room temperature. Cut into six or eight wedges, and serve with dipping sauce made by mixing 3 parts soy sauce with 1-2 parts rice vinegar and a few drops of sesame oil. A bit of chile oil can also be added.

My Korean Scallion Pancake Recipe


4 eggs beaten
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup of tempura batter
4 green onion stalks
1 tbs. garlic (minced)
1 tbs. vegetable oil
1/4 cup of milk
pinch of salt and pepper to taste or 1 tsp soy sauce

Mix flour, tempura, milk. Thank beat 4 eggs. Mix with batter mix.
Add oil and heat, once pan is heated add minced garlic and green onion (cut however long you like them, I like them long but hubby likes them small). Pour batter mix once green onions are cooked, stir slightly than let bottom firm put in oven till top is cooked. Let cool and serve.

My recipe is a little bit more on the lite side, fluffier you can say. I personally like the thin, oily, crunchy version but having bacon so had to cut that out a little hehehe. Enjoy.

Fusion Style Beef Fettucini

I was craving brown noodles today, mandarin style, but there's no mandarin restaurant or panda express around. The chinese food here in Kentucky is not the same as back home in California. I don't know what it is but it's better back home. I wanted to recreate the chow mein but I only had fettucini on hand. One of my close friends had a recipe that had ketchup and soysauce in it for the sauce. I searched online and sure enough their it was. I cook a filipino style noodle before so I used the same technique. Enjoy!

Fusion Style Beef Fettucini

1 Box fettucini
2 stalk of celery (chopped)
2 stalk of green onion (cut 1/2 inch)
1 cup of cabbage (largely shredded)
1 small onion (chopped)
2 - 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/4 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of soy sauce
pinch of salt
1 tbs of chicken bullion (chicken broth will work)
1/4 cup of water
8 oz. of beef (sliced)
1/4 tsp annatto powder


Slice all vegetables and set aside.

Slice the beef and pound flat...I marinated it ahead of time with some soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, you can marinate it any way you like.

On a separate bowl mix ketchup and soysauce.

Boil pasta (al-dente style)

Put oil in wok and add annatto powder and garlic, stir till aromatic. Than add onion. Cook till translucent. Add chicken bullion.


Add cut vegetables and water than mix, set aside once translucent


In the same wok add a little bit more oil and add beef. Cook till brown.

Once browned and meat juice have come out put back the cooked vegetable mix.

Add fettucini noodles and soysauce/ketchup mix and stir.


Cook for a good 10-15 minutes to let all flavors mix, add more soysauce if needed.

Empanada Surprise, Bacon Mash, Velveeta Mac & Cheese, and Steak

I can honestly say that I had the cooking bug today. It started with a request for dinner from my husband...steak with mash potato. I started peeling the potatoes than it hit me.
I wanted to make some empanada's. I've made them before but I always had issues with the dough, they never come out the way I want them.
But you know I'm getting better.
I saw a recipe from Emeril using corn meal on the latin version of empanada's and I was like A-HA! I didn't have corn meal but I did have Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (it'll work right?). I couldn't decide how to cook them so I did both. I fried 3 and baked the rest. I was kind of iffy how the texture would come out since it's corn muffin mix. I did mix it with regular all purpose flour.



Empanada Surprise

Dough Recipe

1 box of Jiffy Muffin Mix
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/3 of butter or margarine
1 tsp. of sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of garlic powder
1/4 cold water

Mix all dry ingredients first and than add butter/margarine. Mix together, if you have a mixer you can use that otherwise use your hands and mush everything together till all ingredients are well mixed in. Add cold water a little bit of a time till the dough has a nice texture. Cover and set a side for 20 minutes or so.


Filling Recipe

1/2 lb ground beef
1 chorrizo sausage link (de-cased)
1 onion chopped
1 tbs garlic minced
1 potato diced
1/2 fuji apple diced
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 tsp of paprika
1 tbs of minced celantro
1 tsp chicken bullion
1/2 tsp of vegetable oil
1 tomato diced

Heat stove to medium heat and add oil. Add minced garlic, stir, and than add onions. Add a pinch of salt to help translucent the onions. Add ground beef and chorizo, cumin, a little more of salt, pepper, paprika, and chicken bullion. Sautee till brown. Drain for excess oil. Add potato, fuji apples, and tomato.


Cook till tender. Add celantro...mix all together and cook for 15 more minutes. Set-a-side to cool.


Putting the Empanda together

Take a small handful of dough and roll into small ball, roll it out and use a glass to cut a circle, roll a little bit more to make it larger. Do not roll the dough too thin or else it'll break when you cook it. Add a little bit of flour if it starts to stick. Add a tsp of the filling mixture.

Fold over and use a fork to crimp the sides.

You can either fry them or bake them in the oven. Cook till golden brown. I tried both.

Bacon Mash Potato

3-4 Russet Potatoes (peeled) and cubed
5-6 cups of water
2 strip of bacon
1 stick of butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. chicken bullion
pinch of salt if needed
1/4 Milk

Cook potatoes in water and let boil.
On a separate pan cook 2 strips of bacon. Set-a-side, once dry cut and mince bacon.
Once potatoes are done drain and mash, add butter/margarine and whip. Add bullion or salt for taste and than add bacon. Than add milk and mix together.

Velveeta Mac and Cheese

Call me lazy, I've made mac and cheese from scratch before but if you don't have time this is almost as good as the real stuff.

1 box of Velveeta Shells and Cheese
1/4 of Mac
1/4 cup of milk

Boil water and add shells and mac, drain pasta, add cheese mix provide in box and add milk. Stir. Add more milk if you don't like thick consistency.


Plate everything together and you have yourself a really filling meal.

oh I had also cooked a small steak for my hubby.