Spinach Salad

I did my first run of this salad...and it went well. I got the recipe from a very good friend of mine who got it from her mother in law. It's a refreshing summery salad. Quite healthy indeed. Thank you for the recipe!!!

It's a spinach salad with pears, strawberries, and candied walnuts (see previous post) .

Spinach Salad

ingredients:
bagged baby spinach (several bags - depends on how much you want to make)
sliced ripe red strawberries
sliced ripe pear (the yellowish/green kind - sorry I forgot the variety)
candied walnuts (refer to previous post)
**You could also buy this already made
Kraft Creamy Poppyseed dressing
**variation - I bought crumbled Gorgonzola cheese for those who wanted it in their salad . This is not part of the original recipe.


preparation:
Toss the ingredients.
Add pears just before serving (so they don't turn brown)
You could also add the nuts last so they remain crunchy.

Everyone liked the salad. It was practically gone. My only error - not buying bagged baby spinach. Instead, I bought the big-ass bag from Costco not realizing how big an "stemmy" the pieces were. So I de-stemmed some of the leaves. Yikes!

Candied Walnuts

These are great as a snack or in the spinach salad recipe (the post after this one). I just doubled the reicpe from the website.

Candied Walnuts
(courtesy of www.epicurious.com )

ingredients:
non stick vegetable spray (Reynolds Release nonstick foil)
2 cups walnuts
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
generous pinch of cayenne pepper (although I skipped this ingredient - it seemed too 'wierd' to put in)


preparation:
preheat oven to 325
Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray (Or use Reynolds Release nonstick foil - this worked really well - also a virtually mess free cleanup)
combine walnuts and all remaining ingredients in medium bowl; toss to coat
Spread nut mixture on prepared baking sheet (some nuts may clump together)
Bake until nuts are deep golden and sugar mixture is bubbling, stirring occasionally to break up clumps, about 15 minutes
Cool completely on baking sheet
(can be made 3 days ahead. Store in airtight container)

Makes 2 cups
Bon Appetit
December 2000

My mom's Bibingka

Bibingka - a Filipino dessert made out of sweet rice flour. Many different variations. This one's my mom's. Thanks mom!

Bibinkga

ingredients:
1 box Mochiko sweet rice flour
3 cups of fresh milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick of melted margarine (or butter) *add this last

preparation:
Mix everything in a bowl
pour into buttered 13x9 glass baking dish
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour
test for doneness by poking with toothpick (done when toothpick comes out clean)

cut into diamond shapes. save the nice crusy edges for yourself!
tastes better the next day...

Coming soon...the recipe for Bibingka Royale (royale with cheese...)

Beef Ribs Nillaga

Made this last night...Oh my God, it's so good! In Filipino cooking, nillaga is basically boiled meat with vegetables...


Beef Ribs Nillaga

ingredients:
3-4 lbs of beef ribs (I used the short rib/flanken style cut)
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
several pieces of ginger (it's up to you)
water
4 carrots (peeled and cut into large chunks)
2 potatoes (peeled and cut into large chunks)
1 or 2 bunches of red swiss chard (chopped into big pieces, stems too)
black peppercorns
2 packets of guava soup base (can be found at Filipino food stores)

• Place ribs in deep stockpot and cover with enough water to cover the ribs and then some.
• Boil the ribs and skim any scum that floats to the surface.
• Once the soup is clear, add the onions and ginger and a small teaspoon of black peppercorns.
• Simmer for 1 - 1/2 hours until meat is soft and tender.
• Add the 2 packets of guava soup base.
• Add the carrots and potatoes. Boil until soft - about 10 minutes.
• Add the swiss chard. Turn off the heat.
• Serve hot with white rice.

OPTIONAL --- This suggestion is from my mom:
She does not add the vegetables until the next day. Here's why...she likes to get rid of the fat.

You separate the meat from the soup.
Keep the soup separate in another container and refrigerate overnight.
Scrape off any fat that rose to the surface the next day. She hates fat, but fat tastes good!
Do not add the vegetables until the next day. After fat is scraped from soup, you can reheat the soup and then boil the vegetables with the meat.

But if you're like me, you pretty much eat it the same day!

BAKED BRIE WITH PEPPER JELLY

I don't remember where I got this recipe but I've made it several times. The pepper jelly is a nice offset to the creamy brie and the bacon adds a nice saltiness.


1 15-oz round Brie
1/4 cup pepper jelly
4 green onions, thinly sliced
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut top rind from Brie. Set in casserole dish. Spread top with pepper jelly and srinkle green onions and bacon over top.

2. Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Serve with baguette slices or wheat crackers.

BAKED CRAB DIP

This is a super easy recipe that I've benn making for years. My girlfried from my undergrad days gave me this recipe. It's from a church cookbook. It's quite spicy but creamy and yummy.

16 ounces sour cream
16 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces green chile salsa, it's made with green chilies but is red
6 green onions, chopped
1/4 pound crab meat, shredded or chopped
1 shepherd's loaf
1 baguette


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together and set aside. Cut top off of bread and hollow out, being careful not to break the inner bread to much. Pour crab mixture into loaf and set loaf on a baking sheet. Replace bread top and bake for 1 hour. Meanwhile, cut baguette and hollowed out bread into chunks. When dip is ready, serve on a platter surrounded by bread cubes.

Curried Chicken Salad with Fruit

I'm on a roll tonight...Here's another "salad" recipe. It's light and perfect for summer. It also tastes good in mini croissant sandwiches. What I like about this is almost everything is from a can or jar.

CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD WITH FRUIT

Ingredients:

3 cans of Kirkland chunk chicken (drained and shredded)
1 can of pineapple chunks (drained and cut into smaller chunks)
1 can of mandarin oranges (drained)
1 can of water chestnuts (drained and cut into small chunks)
1/2 cup (or more depending on your preference) of mayo or sandwich spread
1 tsp of curry powder (or more)
soy sauce
black pepper
thinly sliced green onion tops
sliced honey roasted almonds (you can buy this bagged)
*variation: you can use sliced red grapes instead of pineapple chunks
**You can also use real chicken breast that's been boiled and shredded by hand

Shred the chicken and add the first 5 the ingredients in a large bowl. Add the soy sauce and curry powder to taste. Do not add so much soy sauce that it turns brown! WRONG!!! Just add enough to taste it slighly. I also like to add fresh cracked black pepper. I usually garnish with the sliced green onions. Almonds should be served separately so it doesn't get soggy. Serves a lot of people!

Nut Brittle

Here's a great and easy NUT BRITTLE recipe I got from a math teacher at my school.


8 Minute Nut Brittle

spray a cookie sheet w/Pam

in a glass pyrex bowl w/handle and spout)
combine:

1 1/4 cup of nuts (any kind will do but I prefer almonds, cashews, walnuts and pecans)
1 cup of sugar
1 tbsp of water
1 cup of Karo light corn syrup

Microwave 3 minutes
take out w/oven mitt & stir w/spoon

Microwave another 3 minutes
take out/stir in 1 tbsp of real butter and 1 tsp of vanilla

Microwave 2 more minutes
take out/stir in 1 tsp of baking soda
mixture will become light and foamy

pour and spread on cookie sheet
let cool for 30 minutes/break apart when cool

Macaroni Salad

Here's a recipe that I just did for today's Memorial Dad BBQ at Lotus & Shogun's house. This comes courtesy of my mom. This is Filipino style macaroni salad.


INGREDIENTS:

1 lb of elbow macaroni
1 cored and diced red or green apple (leave the peel on)
1 can of crushed pineapple (drained)
2 small boxes of raisins (the snack size)
2 cans of Kirkland chicken breast (drained & shredded)
sandwich spread (put this in last - put enough to coat the macaroni - it's up to you!)
*optional: a bit of shredded cheddar cheese
**Variation: You can use real chicken breast that's been boiled and shredded by hand. This is how my mom does it because she hates the smell of canned chicken

Boil macaroni according to directions. Drain. Put in a big-ass container. Add in the rest of the ingredients (except for the sandwich spread). Mix well. Add the sandwich spread last. Coat all ingredients. Chill overnight. Serve the next day.

Lemon Bars

One of my dessert mainstays that most people really like. I got this from a very good friend who learned this from someone who learned this recipe from a box of cake mix! I got this recipe from Nerissa's self published 'zine "Apt. 3B- Vol. 1, No. 1 Summer 1996" ( p. 13) and have been baking it ever since! Thanks Nerissa!

Lemon Bars
The favorite of many and probably the easiest of recipes. I got this one from an old college roommate.

Ingredients:
1 box Lemon Cake Mix
I prefer Betty Crocker
8 oz cream cheese, softened
*Neufchatel cheese can be substituted/low fat
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Lemon extract (for flavoring)

Directions:
Preheat oven 325. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil and 1 egg. Mix until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture (this will be used for the topping) and pour the rest in an ungreased 9 x 13 (or comparable) baking pan. Press firmly to the bottom to form a solid, thin layer. Place in oven and bake for about 15 minutes until bottom is lightly brown.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, second egg, and about 1 or 1 and a half tespoons lemon extract until creamy. Pour over baked layer, then top with remaining 1 cup of cake crumbs. Return to oven and bake another 10-13 minutes until cream cheese looks set. Remove from oven and cool. Cut into bars and serve. A tasty treat for cream cheese and lemon lovers!

soy-sauce pork

i hope no one gets disappointed that my first recipe post is going to be one of the most simplest things i know how to cook... this is very easy to cook, and i sometimes make it for "asian dinner". that's what i say when i'm making meat, rice, and whatever veggies are on hand.

here goes:

INGREDIENTS
1 pork steak (these are boneless, and about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, costco sells them) for each family member

soy sauce

chopped fresh garlic cloves (optional), about one or two for each steak, if you feel like it

DIRECTIONS
1. use a pan that is not sloped on the sides, and add a thin layer of soy sauce, about 1/8 inch into it so that the meat doesn't sear to the bottom and burn while cooking.

2. then lay the pork into the pan. it is very important to use a pan that the steaks will fit snugly into, otherwise the meat gets too salty.

3. fill the pan up with soy sauce to about half the height of the meat.

4. cover and cook on medium to low heat for about an hour to an hour and a half.

5. remove, slice, serve with rice and drizzle remaining sauce from pan over meat and rice.

TWICE BAKED POTATOES WITH GORGONZOLA AND ROSEMARY

Servings: 6
Source: Bon Appetit, November 1997, p.151

6 10-oz russet potatoes, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
6 tablespoons sour cream
6 teaspoons gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce potatoes with fork. Place on oven rack and bake until cooked through, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet and cool 5 minutes.

2. Cut top 1/3 of each potato. Scoop flesh from bottoms into bowl, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shell. Scoop flesh from tops and discard tops. Pass potatoes through ricer or masher.

3. Add 1/4 sour cream, 1/4 cup bleu cheese, butter, garlic and rosemary to mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Scoop or pipe into potato shells (can be prepared 1 day in advance. Cover and refrigerate).

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes until heated through and beginning to brown, about 25 minutes. Spoon 1 tablespoon sour cream atop each potato. Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon gorgonzola and serve.

Halo-Halo

Greetings everyone! Here is my first offering in anticipation of Lotus and Shogun's Memorial Day BBQ...Halo-Halo (pronounced 'hah-lo hah-lo', not 'halo' like an angel's halo).

Halo-Halo is a Filipino dessert. It literally means "mix-mix" and is considered a warm weather refreshment. You can make Halo-Halo any way you want it. Below is a listing of some common ingredients. Most can be bought at Asian food markets. If you're in San Diego, your best bet is Seafood City (mainly Filipino food) or any mom & pop Filipino place in National City. Ranch 99 (an Asian food shopper's heaven) is also a good place to find these ingredients. If you're not in San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, Queens-NY, Daly City-CA, or Hawaii or any place with a sizeable Filipino American population, you're out of luck! Okay, I take that back. I'm sure you can find these ingredients on the internet somewhere...

This recipe will serve a lot of people. Most of the time you only need a few tablespoons of the ingredients you like per serving. So, if you're not having a big old party, you will have LOTS of leftovers in those jars.

Halo Halo ingredients:

1 jar of kaong (palm nuts - plain or colored)
1 jar of macapuno (shredded coconut sport)
1 jar of nata de coco (this can be red or green) or nata de pina
1 jar of sweet red beans
1 can of langka (jackfruit) *can be cut into thinner pieces
1 can of garbanzos or sweetened kidney beans
1 can of creamed corn
1 jar of ube jam (a sweet purple yam)
sweetened bananas
leche flan (cut up into cubes) or custard

finely crushed ice to fill the glass (if you have an ice shaver, use it. A blender simply will not do)
1 can of evaporated milk
ice cream (vanilla or Magnolia brand Philippine ice cream - I suggest ube or macapuno flavor)

toppings: maraschino cherries, pinipig (flattened, toasted rice; sometimes it's colored) or if you're lazy, use Rice Krispies,

Fill the tall glass with a tablespoon of whatever you want from the above list. Add crushed ice to cover the top half of the glass. Pour some evaporated milk (the amount is up to you) on the ice. Top with a small scoop of ice cream and a cherry. Serve with long-stemmed spoons. Enjoy!

More from me:
Some Filipino ethnic grocers also sell some of these ingredients in one jar so you don't have to buy so many separate ones. There are usually 3 or 4 ingredients in one jar like red beans, jackfruit, and macapuno. I don't like buying those because when you spoon it out, all the flavors get mixed and ironically, I like my flavors to be layered separately. It looks prettier to me. I personally don't like mixing sweet ingredients with 'savory' ingredients (ex: garbanzo or kidney beans, and corn). The beauty of this recipe is that anyone can personalize it to suit their own tastes.

CHICKEN BROCHETTES WITH LEMON-PEPPER BROCHETTES

I don't remember where I got this recipe but it requires marinating for at least two hours, preferably overnight.

Chicken Brochettes with Lemon-Pepper Sauce

Lemon-Pepper Sauce:
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely cracked
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Chicken Brochettes:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large green pepper, cut in 1/2" pieces
2 red onions, chopped into large pieces
1 pound skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1" strips
12 large cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced

Misc:
Bamboo Skewers soaked in water


1. In a jar, combine pepper, salt, olive oil, the lemon juice and the mustard. Cover; shake to blend. Refrigerate.

2. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the green pepper and onions and saute 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.

3. Place chicken strips, tomatoes and cooled pepper and onion mix in a large bowl. Add coriander, thyme, salt and the garlic; toss gently until coated with oil mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

4. On each of four 14-inch-long skewers, alternately skewer chicken, green pepper, onion, and tomatoes.

5. Place brochettes on the rack of a broiler pan and broil 5 inches from heat source for 8 minutes, turning once and basting with reserved marinade. Test chicken for doneness; broil longer if necessary.

6. Serve brochettes on a platter and drizzle with Lemon-Pepper Sauce. Serve remaining sauce separately.

Premier post! Welcome to our recipe blog! We hope to post our favorite recipes here to share and to keep organized for those crazy nights when dinner needs to be on the table pronto and for those nights when we want to make something really special. If you'd like to share a resipe, please email us.

Since I don't consider myself an exceptionally talented cook, I will be posting recipies I've found that I like, along with modifications and tweakings, along with references to the original source.

Enjoy.