Food From Home

Work+extra work had been keeping me from cooking and baking the past weeks. Seeing however that my cream cheese was expiring, I made a fresh batch of cupcake frostings even if I still don't know when Im finally be able to bake cupcakes again. I've kept it in the freezer, and of course I also want to see how it will turn out thawed instead of freshly made. Experiments of sorts for when I finally have time to finally do this as a homebaker-hobby business venture, wishes!

Ive been back home for the weekend and though it had been an emotional roller coaster for all of us, we still managed to EAT all our favorite food! There's the igot (ee-got), small berries that are already rare and I havent eaten in years! I tremendously missed this and I made sure I brought back some for Em to taste. Shaken in a tupperware with mixture of sugar and salt, it's simply heaven! We also made sure we had our fix of tamalos, pork meat cooked with peanut/peanut butter and I dont know what else, wrapped in banana leaves! Yummm! I ate more than my usual rice with this one, so spicy and yummy.. brought back with me some too. It is super nice to be back home and be with the entire family - it is very rare that we all get to be together, although we wish it were under a different circumstance. Nevertheless it was good family time, but now it's back to work!

Cup-a-cake & Frosting Recipes

As promised, here is the recipe I used for the Melt-In-Your-Mouth Chocolate cake. I got it from somewhere in the net, in one of the blogs but cant remember where. So if you feel that this is your recipe, fire away and don't hesitate to acknowledge.

200 grams butter (2 sticks less 1tsp)
200 grams dark chocolate (7oz)
200 grams sugar (1cup)
4 eggs
1 tbsp flour

Melt together the butter with the chocolate in a double boiler. I dont have a double boiler, so what I do in this case is to put a metal (or glass) container on top of a pot with boiling water. When fully melted, transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add in sugar and stir with a wooden spoon and let cool a little. Add in the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition. Finally, add in the flour and mix well.

This is actually a cake recipe enough for an 8-inch round pan. In my case, it was good enough for about 16 regular sized cupcakes. Pour the mixture about 3/4 full of cupcake papers. Bake in 350F pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, but let the cakes stay in the oven for another 10 minutes. Take out from oven and let cool completely before frosting. You may also make this a day ahead, just cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and take out an hour before serving.

Now for the frosting, very simple indeed:

2 sticks softened butter
4oz soft cream cheese
3 cups confectionary sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Just cream the butter and cheese with your mixer, then gradually add sugar, salt and vanilla. This frosting batch is a LOT! It could have generously frosted maybe 2 dozen or more of cupcakes, so you may want to tweak it a bit accordingly to just the serving you need. I had some blue gel coloring, so some cupcakes I decorated white - which was immaculate-looking and which the girls liked, and the others blue - which the kids really liked - sprinkles and all.

Addicting Granola

Ive always wanted to make granola, seeing that the recipes seem easy-peasy. This is a great breakfast fare, and a great munch-on while slaving away in front of the TV. It's just so addicting! It isn't everyday that I come across something so good yet so healthy. Im encouraging the little Bee to snack on it, instead of her usual Oreos and Ritzs. This recipe is from marketmanila.com with a few tweaks.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, peanuts)

2/3 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup good honey or more

1 cup mixed dried fruits (figs, apricots, raisins, berries)

Mix together oats, dessicated coconut and nuts in a big bowl. In a separate bowl, mix oil and honey until well blended. Mix the oil/honey mixture to the oats/coco/nuts. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spread the mixture evenly on the baking sheet. Bake in 350 pre-heated oven, then mix well after ten minutes. Put back in oven for another 10-15 minutes or until evenly slightly browned. Watch well as it burns easily and can taste bitter.

Cool a bit and mix in chopped dried fruits.

Store in an airtight container. This will keep for weeks (if it lasts that long!) and there's no need to refrigerate.

Hooked On Cupcakes

Inspired by cupcake pics from chokylit, I embarked on my own cupcake journey with mixed results. Since my Sunbeam mixer (which was a hand-me-down from my Mom) conked out on me several times, I splurged on a new one last weekend hoping that it would as well be on sale just like the rest of the stores in the mall. Turned out it isnt, but I splurged nonetheless. I got a 3D with stand and bowl and was so dying to try it out that I bought cupcake ingredients as well. I was choosing from 4 chocolate cupcake recipes, but chose the one where it says Melt-in-the-mouth cakes. It turned out yummy, though still concentrated and thick inside coz my oven was conking as well! Duh! Anyway, Bee and I decorated it with edible silver balls, pink and blue sugar crystals and muticolored sprinkles. Bee had a very nice time, I say making cupcakes is a great mom-daughter bonding activity! The frostings came out yummy too, what's not to like about it, it's made of butter and cream cheese. I will post the recipes, I promise.. So anyway, we brought it to my nephew's 2nd bday party - decorations and all. Everyone was in awe at how lovely they look! My friend even wants me to do some costing so we can sell them! Wow, Im seriously contemplating it, but first - I have to do something with the oven!

Sopa de Lentejas

I was introduced to lentis some six years ago but didnt know how to cook it. I remember Em bringing a pack to the house and asking me to cook it, as it was one of his favorites, and still is. My first foray with lentils was a disaster, turned out it is cooked like mongo beans (I didnt know how to cook mongo at that time either). Yes, Im a late bloomer in the kitchen. Now I consider myself an expert, especially where lentils are concerned. Though most Spanish restaurants serve it soupy, Em and I like it with thicker consistency. I also learned from him to drizzle it with olive oil, just before eating and while still hot. It is quite simple to make, and you just need the following:

1 pack lentils
2 cups water (or more, depending on the consistency you want), salted
chorizo bilbao (spanish sausage)
1 big pack tomato sauce
garlic and onions

First, boil the lentils in salted water along with garlic and onions and chorizo bilbao - stirring occasionally. Add more water if it gets too thick. In a separate pan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil, add in the tomato sauce adn season with salt and pepper. Set aside. When lentils are soft, stir in the tomato sauce and simmer. Take out chorizo bilbao, chop into round disks, and put back to lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil just before serving. Serve with french bread. Yummm!

Spinach - Iron Booster

I was browsing through the vegetable aisle of the grocery and chanced upon bunches of spinach (Baguio variety) . Now this is really rare and I figured maybe because its summer that the produce section is vibrant these days. Imported varieties I heard are so expensive that it reaches P650 per kilo. This one I only got for P37 for maybe 1/4 kilo. I have some leftover lasagna noddles at home, so I felt compelled to try making spinach lasagna. It turned out really good and tasty, though a bit runny coz I think I put in a lot of tomato sauce (no complaints there though). Also maybe because I used pureed tomatoes, instead of the basic sachet tomato sauce. I did not want to spend for mozzarella ( which I love, but really expensive) so I just used Quickmelt cheddar cheese. Here's what I did:

You will need:
Bunch of spinach, blanched in salted water
Lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
900 grams canned tomato puree
1bar Quickmelt cheddar cheese, grated and mixed with 1 or 2 eggs
Onions and garlic
Salt and pepper

Sautee tomato puree in olive oil, onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
Grease a baking dish lightly with olive oil, add a little of the sauce. Arrange lasagna noodles, then top with tomato puree, then spinach, then cheese mixture. Repeat process til you run out of ingredients and ending with cheese. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 10-15minutes or until bubbly.

This is a simple yummy dish, that is healthy at the same time. Bee finally took some greens without complaints, a mean feat for this 3year old.

Double Caesar Lunch

I had a most satisfying lunch today, thanks to a newly opened food outlet in my office building. It's basically just Caesar Salad but with a combo of Chicken Caesar Sandwich - Caesar Salad with Chicken strips sandwiched between three wheat breads (how innovative!). It's actually filling, but it remains to be seen whether my tummy wont be grumbling with six hours still to go before dinner.

Last night's dinner was roasted chicken accompanied by - what do you say, potatoes again! It was very tasty, and so extemely easy to make. First, boil some three or four potatoes in salted water until just tender but still firm. Remove from heat, and cool. Peel and slice into round 1/8 inch disks. Sprinkle salt and pepper. In a pan, heat up some olive oil. Stir fry potato disks, until well coated with olive oil. Add salt and pepper according to your preference. Lastly, sprinkle with chopped parsley. remove from heat and serve immediately.

Blue Cheese Dilemma

We had some leftover blue cheese that frankly was fast rotting in the ref, and so I felt compelled to finish it off to make sure it will not see another light of day (that sounds not a bit appetizing:) Other than eating it with crackers, and once topping it in mini pizza - I didn't really know what else to do with it. So anyway, last night I rushed home from work and attacked the stinky thing. I was browsing through the net and found a recipe which would work fine considering I didnt have to pass by the grocery to get more ingredients (hurray to pantry stocks!). I forget how this recipe was called, but for my own benefit I'll call it POTATOES WITH OLIVE OIL AND BLUE CHEESE (So unimaginative, I know). It turned out great! Dinner was fabulous with this addition. I wish I can post some pics, but as it turned out - this blogger doesnt have a camera yet (it's coming, I promise). So anyway, here's what you'll need:

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POTATOES WITH OLIVE OIL AND BLUE CHEESE

About 6 potatoes, boiled in salted water til tender cooled, then cubed with skin on

Olive Oil, I used some half-cup

Bacon, fried and crumbled

Spring Onions, chopped ( I used several stalks)

White vinegar, 3 tbsp.

Salt, to taste

Dash of pepper (or more!)

Blue cheese, crumbled (measurement escapes me now, but more or less say, half a cup?)

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In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, spring onion, salt and pepper. Mix in the spring onions. Toss the mixture in cubed potatoes, add bacon bits, and lastly the blue cheese. Toss some more, and voila! A potato dish that's pleasing to the eyes, and the palate of course!

Subject: Food

It's been a while since I've contemplated starting this, but for one reason or another have put it off til now. I hope to bring here my kitchen adventures, or food musings in restaurants. Oops, now i remember why I put it off too long - I need a good digicam!