EASY Chicken Afritada

 The things you need for the dish:

Chicken, cut in serving portions
diced carrots,  potatoes and sliced green or red bell pepper
chopped garlic and onions
afritada sauce mix or tomato sauce
2 bay leaves or laurel leaves
dash of salt and pepper

The  steps:
1.   Boil chicken , garlic and onion with half pan of water.  
2.   Once chicken is cooked, put potatoes and carrots and the sauce mix.
3.   Stew for a few minutes and then put the bell peppers and laurel leaves.
4.   Season with salt and pepper.  you may opt to put a little soy sauce it would depend on your prefered taste.

Home-made SASHIMI

These are the things you would be needing to enjoy a simple Japanese dish.

 However, if you are not daring enough to try out a raw fish, don't try to buy them, else you will just waste valuable kitchen must-haves.

A slab of frozen pink salmon, this one I bought at SM Frozen goods section.

 For the sauce, you will need Kikkoman Sushi sashimi Soy sauce, Wasabi paste, and calamansi juice

All you need to do is thinly slice the fish, and mix all the ingredients for the sauce.   Easy.

Enjoy it with steamy jasmine rice. or just plain local white rice...

Banoffee Pie

The Original Hungry Monk Banoffi Pie Recipe

Invented at the Hungry Monk in 1972, Banoffi Pie (originally known as Banoffee Pie), is still as popular today as it was the first time it appeared on the menu. There have been many imitations as far and wide as Russia and the United States; it is even rumored to be Mrs Thatcher's favourite pudding! Below is the original Banoffi Pie recipe as it first appeared in 'The Deeper Secrets of the Hungry Monk' in 1974.

Banoffi Pie Recipe (to serve 8-10 people) 12 ounces uncooked shortcrust pastry 1.5 tins condensed milk (13.5 ounces each) 1.5 pounds firm bananas 375ml of double cream Half a teaspoon powdered instant coffee 1 dessertspoon caster sugar A little freshly ground coffee PreparationPreheat the oven to gas mark 5 (400F, ). Lightly grease a 10in x 1.5in flan tin. Line this with the pastry thinly rolled out. Prick the base all over with a fork and bake blind until crisp. Allow to cool. The secret of this delicious pudding lies in the condensed milk. Immerse the cans unopened in a deep pan of boiling water. Cover and boil for 3 hours making sure that the pan does not boil dry *(see CAUTION). Remove the tin from the water and allow to cool completely before opening. Inside you will find the soft toffee filling. MethodWhip the cream with the instant coffee and sugar until thick and smooth. Now spread the toffee over the base of the flan. Peel and halve the bananas lenghtways and lay them on the toffee. Finally spoon or pipe on the cream and lightly sprinkle over the freshly ground coffee. *CAUTION It is absolutely vital to top up the pan of boiling water frequently during the cooking of the cans. 3 hours is a long time and if they are allowed to boil dry the cans will explode causing a grave risk to life, limb and kitchen ceilings. Hint - Banoffi is a marvellous "emergency" pudding once you have the toffee mixture in your store cupboard. We therefore suggest that you boil several cans at the same time as they keep unopened indefinitely.

Dinner for Six + Four, Chicken Feet Adobo and Sauteed Ampalaya

"Bitter Melon also known as ampalaya, the dreaded fruit or vegetable.   In my family I was the only one who eats this.   But I had to make them, 'coz it is best for health...hmm..."

One time I went to the market not knowing what to buy for our dinner, to make it crazier, I only brought with me a mere P 150 on my pocket.   Pondering what i can buy with this amount, I came to the end of the market, when I saw people crowding a spot.  The boy was ever so magnificently and really fast, cutting the nails out of the chicken feet scattered over the table.   To my amazement, a kilo of it was only P 30 so I bought 3 K.   Near it was a tindera with basket full of ampalaya, I got a big one at P15 and finally I bought P30 worth of ground pork with my suki, butcher.    That still leaves me P15, and I  bought bananas with it.

I have to feed  four kids who eats like someone will steal their food, and a husband who is a bit picky, and three men (big eaters as well) every meals of my everyday life.   The biggest challenge is how to stay sane while budgeting for food, the fun part is preparing it for all of us!

Aloha Tuna Sandwich

    What makes the tuna spread special? The usual dry tuna sandwich spread turned Hawaiian!
I bet you've guessed that it has pineapple bits.

To make:

Mix ingredients in a bowl:

1 can of tuna in vegetable oil, medium
1/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1/8 cup of diced celery, about 3  9- inch celery strips, the green part only
1/2 cup of crushed pineapple, here, since what I have in my cupboard is a can of pineapple tidbits, I diced it really small
1/2 to 3/4 cup of mayo (Miracle whip is the best to use)
pinches of salt, pepper and curry powder (optional)

Once everything is mixed up, you can use a portion to spread on your breads.
I make jars of this in advance so anytime we would have guests or just want to have a different snack, I just get some out the refrigerator.  I sometimes add with diced nuts, or raisins or parmesan cheese.  You can go wild and add chopped jalapeno or green pepper.

More Variations: You can replace tuna with chicken, ham or bacon.  or if you don't have these cheese will do...Yum Yum!

Aloha Tuna Sandwich

    What makes the tuna spread special? The usual dry tuna sandwich spread turned Hawaiian!
I bet you've guessed that it has pineapple bits.

To make:

Mix ingredients in a bowl:

1 can of tuna in vegetable oil, medium
1/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1/8 cup of diced celery, about 3  9- inch celery strips, the green part only
1/2 cup of crushed pineapple, here, since what I have in my cupboard is a can of pineapple tidbits, I diced it really small
1/2 to 3/4 cup of mayo (Miracle whip is the best to use)
pinches of salt, pepper and curry powder (optional)

Once everything is mixed up, you can use a portion to spread on your breads.
I make jars of this in advance so anytime we would have guests or just want to have a different snack, I just get some out the refrigerator.  I sometimes add with diced nuts, or raisins or parmesan cheese.  You can go wild and add chopped jalapeno or green pepper.

More Variations: You can replace tuna with chicken, ham or bacon.  or if you don't have these cheese will do...Yum Yum!

Lemon Grass Creme Brulee

Lemon Grass Creme Brulee By: Chef Khaled

Ingredients: Ingredients Qty Lemon grass 100gm Egg yolk 16 Sugar 180gm Cream 750ml Milk 750ml     Method: Method Whisk egg yolk ad sugar till thickened. Heat up the milk and cream, don't boil. Then add in chopped lemon grass in. Strain the mix with a fine strainer and leave it till lukewarm. Mix in the mix into the whisked yolk and sugar. Stir well. Pour into a nice shallow bowl. Place onto a baking tray and bake with water bath at 150deg c to 160deg c for half an hour to one hour. Place it into the chiller till the mix is stable. Finally garnish with caramelized sugar and all kind of berries.