SassyChick's Food Lab...

Filipino Lunch w/ Filipino Friends...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:46:00 +0000

Today, I went out for lunch with some Filipina friends. I just got the invitation yesterday afternoon so I did not have enough time to think of what to bring to my friend's house. After checking our pantry, I decided to make chocolate crinkles. So with my crinkles in hand, hubby and Baby D, drove me to my friend's place. And these are the foods waiting at the table. YUM!!!

After a little chit-chat, we "attack" the foods. LOL! It was very good and we truly enjoyed the friendly bonding and the great foods.

Mini Leche Flan Recipe...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Thu, 31 May 2012 04:06:00 +0000

I was craving for something sweet today so I decided to make this delicious dessert we call "Leche Flan". This is very sweet and creamy and very easy to make. All you need are the following:

*4 egg yolks
*1/2 cup condensed milk
*3/4 cup regular milk
*1 tsp. vanilla extract
*1 tsp. lemon juice

First beat the egg yolks then add the condensed milk, regular milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Once well mix, pass the mixture through a fine sieve. To make the mini Leche Flan, I used muffin cups. With caramelized brown sugar at the bottom, fill each muffin cup with the egg yolk-milk mixture. Since I don't like using our steamer, I just preheat the oven at 350 F. Then using a big baking tray with water, I then put the muffin cups on it. Bake them for about 30-45 minutes or until they are firm. Once done, flip them over and serve.

Filipino-Style Pork Stew...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Sun, 27 May 2012 15:22:00 +0000

In our house, we eat more chicken and pork. Hubby cooked some roasted chicken legs the other day and we ate them for about two days. Now, it's pork time. So I decided to make some Filipino-style pork stew. But I used a ready-mix pork stew seasoning that I bought from The Asian store.

First, I sauteed and browned my pork pieces. Once they are brown already, I sauteed chopped garlic and onions. Then I added a cup of water and let it simmer till pork pieces are tender. Once they are, I added the ready-mix seasoning powder (dissolved in a cup of water). Let it simmer again for about five minutes before adding the cubed carrots and potatoes. Let them cook then add some sliced bell pepper. Simmer for a few more minutes and adjust the taste with salt and pepper if needed. Serve with rice and enjoy!

Christening Gifts...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Sun, 27 May 2012 15:18:00 +0000

My friend's kid will be turning 1 year old in a few weeks. It's amazing how time really flies and how kids grow so fast. For his big day, they are planning to have a big combined celebration. A 1st birthday party and a Christening at the same time. That way they can save too. I want to send the baby boy something that's why I'm looking for some nice christening gifts. It would be nice to get something that is unique and maybe personalized. I have a few options in mind already. I just have to choose which one to get.

Mens Wedding Ring...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Sun, 27 May 2012 15:15:00 +0000

When hubby and I got engaged, he actually surprised me with a ruby and diamond engagement ring. I was not expecting to receive anything especially something that's worth a lot of money. But hubby insisted and I was happy and thankful for it.
When it was time for us to get married, I told hubby I just want a simple wedding ring. Nothing too expensive or too fancy. In fact, I was the one who chose our wedding rings. I found a simple yet elegant one in the mens wedding rings section and we just ordered the matching one for me.

Pan de Sal Recipe...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Sat, 26 May 2012 02:35:00 +0000

"Pan de Sal" is Spanish which literally means "bread of salt. This bread is very famous in the Philippines, perfect for breakfast with a big cup of coffee and some scrambled eggs. I missed eating this bread and there's no place to get some of these here in Alabama. So I decided to try and make some. After doing some recipe research online, I found one that I like and decided to use it.

Ingredients

    2 cups milk
    3/4 cup white sugar
    1/2 cup butter
    1 (.25 ounce/7 grams) package active dry yeast
    1 1/2 teaspoons salt
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    6 cups all-purpose flour
    2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs for topping

Directions:

1.Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles; remove from heat. Add the butter and sugar; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

2.Pour the cooled milk mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder and 4 cups of the flour; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.

3.Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

5.Put the dough back to the flat surface and divide into 4 equal parts using a dough slicer or a knife. Roll each part until it forms a cylindrical shape. Slice the cylindrical dough diagonally (These slices will be the individual pieces of the pandesal).

6. Place the rolls on 2 lightly greased baking sheets. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume.

7. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Serve hot. Share and enjoy!

For my first try, I think I did good. I mean,everything was perfect. Well, almost since the shape is not-so-perfect. LOL!

Veggie Garden Update...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Thu, 24 May 2012 02:13:00 +0000

It's been about a month since we planted our veggies in our backyard raised garden. Now everything's growing and getting bigger. In fact, our veggies are starting to bloom and produce. It won't be long before I start harvesting and enjoying the fruits of our labor. Well, hubby's labor since he was the one who did all the work. I have to take care of the baby all the time. LOL!

KitchenAid Food Processor...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Mon, 21 May 2012 22:53:00 +0000

This is another one of hubby's gift to me for Mother's Day. I am so happy to get this because I have been wanting this for a while now. I love to cook and bake and this food processor will be a great help to me. Plus once Baby D is old enough to start eating solids, I can use this to make his food.

Hubby really knows what I want and need! Thanks God for that!

Zero Water...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Sun, 20 May 2012 04:53:00 +0000

No more bottled water for me! Yay!!! Hubby bought me this Zero Water filtration system for Mother's Day.It came with a 23 cup dispenser and it's so easy to use. I just put tap water in it and let the filter do its magic.

This came with a TDS (total Dissolved Solids) water tester and it really showed 000 reading after it was filtered. Plain unfiltered tap water read 111 in the TDS tester.

Mango Float Anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:17:00 +0000

If you like sweet desserts that are easy and quick to make, this mango float is perfect for you. All you need are the following:
Graham Crackers
1 can of All-Purpose Cream
1 can of Condensed Milk
1 Sweet & Ripe Mango

All you need to do is mix the all-purpose cream and condensed milk in a bowl. Get a rectangle Pyrex dish, spread some of the cream/milk mixture at the bottom of the dish then lay Graham crackers enough to cover it. Spread cream/milk and then lay crackers again. Do this step till you get the thickness you want/like. For the final step, just top the whole thing with thin slices of mango. Then cover it with Cling wrap and let it sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours so the cream/milk mixture will be absorb by the crackers. I usually let mine sit overnight so it will be very sweet and creamy.

Pig's Feet Soup...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:18:00 +0000

This bowl of pig's feet soup is heavenly! Well,at least for me. Hubby, on the other hand, will never eat something like this. He is still a little bit "wary" when it comes to Filipino foods. But he's got a few favorites already.

So anyway, for this dish I just used potatoes and bokchoy as my veggie ingredients. I just sauteed some chopped garlic and onions, then I browned the pig's feet for a little bit. I then put some water enough to cover the meat, then just let it cook till they are tender. Once they are tender/soft, just add the potatoes and simmer for a bit before adding the bokchoy. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and it's ready to go once the veggies are cooked. Best serve with Jasmine rice! Enjoy!!!

"Binignit"...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Sat, 12 May 2012 04:42:00 +0000

In the Philippines, we call this delicious snack "binignit". I don't know what it's called in English though. LOL! Basically, it's just a snack composed of sweet potatoes, banana and tapioca pearl cooked with coconut milk and sweetened with brown sugar. It's really good and most Filipinos have their own version of making this sweet snack. Ingredients may vary depeding on who's cooking it.

Chicken Soup w/ Vegetables...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:09:00 +0000

Here's an easy and quick fix Filipino dish that we Filip[inos absolutely love. We call this "tinolang manok" (chicken tinola). Basically, it's just a simple chicken soup with vegetables. The most common vegetable mix in this dish is "chayote" or unriped papaya. As for the leafy vegetables, horseradish leaves and/or hot chili pepper leaves are the most commonly used. Since those two leafy veggies are not available here, I opted to use "bokchoy" cabbage instead. I also put "chayote" with it.

So how to fix it? First, I sauteed the garlic, onion and ginger. Then followed by the chicken pieces. Once the chicken are brown a little bit, I added 1 cup of water and 1 can of chicken broth. Let it boil till the chicken is tender before adding the chayote. Simmer and adjust the taste then add the bokchoy. Once everything's cooked, that's it. Best serve with a big plate of Jasmine rice.:-)

Deep-Fried Dinner...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:04:00 +0000

If you are on a diet, this meal is not for you. Talk about "fattening" food!!! Obviously, I am not on a diet so I can enjoy eating this meal without worries. I was inspired to make this meal after watching "Diners, Drive-Ins and Drives" where Guy Fiere ate a kind of sandwich with deep-fried pork belly in it. But instead of bread, I just decided to have homemade fries with my deep-fried pork belly. This meal is sinfully good!!!

Baked Pork Empanadas...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Sun, 06 May 2012 02:59:00 +0000

So I have been watching a lot of "Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn" lately. It's a cooking show at Hallmark Channel. I love how easy she presents her dishes and recipe. Whenever I watch her prepare and cook her dishes for the day, I always end up getting hungry. I never take notes however because I just watch it.

The other day, she was making beef empanadas. They are so easy to make that I decided I will make some too. But instead of using ground beef, I decided to use pork. She only mixed some chopped onions,carrots, raisins and stuffed olive in her beef empanadas. I, on the other hand, decided to forgo the stuffed olives and added potatoes and hard-boiled eggs in mine. Plus, she mad her own pie dough, I used Pillsbury pie rust instead. I guess, that's my "lazy" way of doing it. Basically,I did my own version of empanadas! And it was a hit! Hubby loved it!

House Cleaning...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Sat, 05 May 2012 03:49:00 +0000

Being a new mom, I am still adjusting and getting used to taking care of a baby. Hubby said I am doing great but I feel overwhelmed sometimes. I hate it when I have things left undone. A 2 month old baby is a handful already. Sometimes our house is a total mess because I don't have time to clean at all.It would be nice to have a cleaning crew like apex house cleaning come to or house and do the house cleaning for me. Then all I have to worry about is taking care of hubby, the baby and our dog.

Craving For Korean Foods...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:54:00 +0000

Nope, I'm not pregnant! I just happen to have this strong cravings for Korean foods these days. I want to go out and find a Korean restaurant nearby but I don't want to bring Baby D to any crowded place yet. Korean food take out is not an option also. Ah, it's so frustrating! I guess I just have to cook them myself. Luckily, I have tried cooking some Korean foods before. I will definitely make some kimchi and maybe beef bulgogi or seaweed soup.

I Love Sun Maid Raisins!

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:19:00 +0000

When I was still in the Philippines, I love eating my mother's special macaroni salad. One ingredient in her salad that I really, really love is raisins. I so love their sweet taste. I did not know back then that they are also very healthy and good for me. I missed my mother's macaroni salad so I thought I will try to make some. I Asked hubby to buy me these Sun Maid raisins because these are the same raisins my mother always use. I already have all the other ingredients so all I have to do now is make my macaroni salad.

Make Your Own Cinnamon Sugar...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:44:00 +0000

In our house, we always have cinnamon powder in our pantry. That's because this is one spice that we really love. We love to sprinkle it in our apple pies and baked sweet potatoes. Sometimes, we use cinnamon powder as it is. But we also love our cinnamon sugar. One time we ran out of cinnamon sugar, I thought of making my own. It's really very easy to do. I just mix equal parts of cinnamon powder and brown sugar. So for 1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder, you mix 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Just shake/mix them thoroughly and you have your own cinnamon sugar.

Audio Conferencing...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Tue, 01 May 2012 03:50:00 +0000

Nowadays, technology has become a necessity for most of us. Everything we do in our every day lives seems to involve or need gadgets and new technology.I'm still amazed at how things are so different now. I was talking to my brother yesterday and he was telling me that their company will start using audio conferencing services to conduct their business transactions among other things. He said it will be easier and less time-consuming since they don't have to go to places just to do and transact business.

Papa John's Dinner...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:53:00 +0000

Papa John's is one of our go-to places to pick up some grubs when we are too lazy to cook. I love their Hawaiian pizza and barbeque wings with buffalo sauce. I'm not really a pizza lover and this is the only kind that I really like. And I can only eat pizza for like once a month, that's all I can tolerate. More than once, I'll be sick of eating it already. LOL! It's just that it does not really feel me up like rice and veggies does. So once in a while, I will eat papa John's pizza. They're really good!

Balikbayan Box Foodies...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 03:32:00 +0000

These are just a few of the food items we are going to send to my family in the Philippines. My boxes are not full yet so we are still filling up our grocery/shopping list. As usual, I will be sending two boxes. One for clothes, shoes and other non-food items while the other box is just for foods.

Most people would think that sending Balikbayan boxes is kind of impractical, saying it would be better if we just send money and let them buy what they want and need. But most Filipinos would love to receive these kind of boxes and the joy and excitement of opening them will always be priceless. As for my family, they are not really expecting anything but they will be happy and thankful if they get some.

Dinner: Chicken Curry w/ Jasmine Rice...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:20:00 +0000

Once again, my food cravings prompted me to try and cook something that I have never tried cooking before. This time it's chicken curry! After doing a little bit of research on the Internet, I finally got the idea on how to cook this dish. Unfortunately, when I went to check our pantry, I found out that we don't have curry powder. So I asked hubby to get me some at the store. He gladly went and picked up a few more ingredients for me. I used chicken breast for this one because hubby does not like bones in our meat. So with some coconut milk, curry powder, some veggies like carrots, potatoes, green bell pepper, my chicken curry was a successful cooking experiment. Hubby actually liked it.

Lipton Iced Tea...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:06:00 +0000

When it comes to powdered iced tea mix, I have always used Nestle's Nestea. I love the lemony taste and it really taste perfect to me. Unfortunately,the last time hubby went to our local Sam's Club, he found out that they don't carry the Nestea anymore. I told him to look for it because he might just missed it, but they are really not there. So he told me that he will get these Lipton Iced Tea powder instead.

Spoiled Buddig Lunch Meat...

noreply@blogger.com (SassyChick) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:25:00 +0000

Imagine my disgust when I saw this growing mold in hubby's lunch meat! I was fixing hubby's lunch for work when I saw this. Good thing I always check every piece and slice because if I didn't, this mold would have gone unnoticed. Thank God I always do that and saved hubby from being sick.

This is the first time I saw this and I'm very disappointed. Hubby liked this particular brand but with this incident, I'm afraid we may not use this brand anymore. And to think the pack says good till "JUN 26 12"!