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Labels:
beef
I'm not really a big steak fan, but there are times when I crave it. Today was such a day. If you would notice, there was a good amount of fat marbling on the slab of meat I bought, because I believe that fat is where the flavor is. ;-)
This is a very simple steak recipe so I did not take exact measurements of the ingredients. Tweak yours as you please. And since I only had 2 pieces of steak, I used the electric griddle to cook them instead of the grill (less fuss and cleanup!).
What you need:
- steak (I used rib eye cut)
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- 1 whole Vidalia onion, chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
What to do:
Preheat the electric griddle to 350°F.
Onion partay!!!
Increase the griddle heat to 400°F. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter on the griddle and add the steak. Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove from heat. Serve with the caramelized onions and garlic bread.
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. I like my steak medium-rare hence the amount of cooking time I mentioned above. If you like yours rare, cook it for only 2 1/2 minutes per side, and 6 to 7 minutes for well-done.
2. The onions will take longer to cook than the steak so do the onions first and just push them on the side of the griddle to make room for the steak.
3. Add more butter if the onions seem dry.
Brown on the outside, but pink and juicy at the center. Yum! *drools*
Labels:
noodles,
soup
I originally planned to fry these meatballs, but I found out that I was out of wonton skins so I decided to make soup instead. Hubby loved the gingery taste of the meatballs, and I loved the tasty broth. It turned out to be a win-win situation.
What you need:
- 1 pound ground pork
- 5 - 6 pieces dried Chinese mushrooms
- 1 carrot
- 2 stalks green onion
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1/2 thumb-sized ginger, peeled
- 1 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 bundles of vermicelli noodles
- 8 cups of chicken broth
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 of a large Vidalia onion
- 1/2 tablespoon Canola oil
What to do:
Soak the vermicelli noodles in water to soften them up a bit.
Re-hydrate the dried mushrooms by soaking them in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. Discard the stems afterward. Cut the mushroom caps, green onions, ginger and carrots in small pieces then put them in a food processor. Pulse for 2 to 3 seconds, until all the ingredients are chopped finely.
Thanks for making life so much easier, food pro!
Heat the Canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic and onion for a minute or two, or until onions are translucent. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and lower the heat to medium. Gently drop the meatballs in the hot broth and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot.
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. No food processor? No problem. Just chop the veggies finely.
2. Use water chestnuts instead of carrots.
3. Reduce the amount of ginger in half if you don't like the flavor.
4. You can use water if you don't have broth. Just add bouillon!
5. Garnish with chopped green onions or toasted garlic.
Labels:
Product Review,
sweets
I love Pepperidge Farm products because they are so yummy and perfectly baked. Prices are pretty steep, but Pepperidge Farm is a premium cookie brand, and they usually deliver on taste. However, I was disappointed with the Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chunk Dark Chocolate Pecan. Perhaps I didn't read the label well, or I was just expecting something entirely different from what I had. But I didn't like it as much.
What I liked:
- The cookie itself was big.- There were large dark chocolate chunks.
- You can definitely taste the pecans. Yes, they didn't skimp on that.
What I didn't like:
- It was crunchy! I would have loved a soft-baked variety.
- The taste wasn't very chocolatey... more of sugary. It reminded me of Snickerdoodles, though not that sweet.
- 140 calories per cookie. Boo!
- 8 grams of fat per serving? Ugh! The rest of the ingredients aren't something to be happy about, either.
The verdict:
I wasn't impressed with the Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chunk Dark Chocolate Pecan. Sure, it had big chocolate chunks, but that was the only saving grace. The cookie, as a whole, lacked the deliciousness and "comfort" of soft-baked ones. Maybe I should have dunked it in milk to soften it. Or popped it in the microwave for a few seconds. Nothing special about it, except the brand. Would I recommend it to friend? I'd recommend other Pepperidge products first. Would I buy it again? Probably not.
Labels:
pork
There's beef broth, and there's chicken broth. You can even buy fish or shrimp broth. So how come there's no pork broth? The solution - pork bouillon. Although, I can only buy them from the Asian store as local US grocery stores don't carry them.
Labels:
pork,
rice
This was hubby's favorite dish during one of our trips. It was simple yet delicious, and I tried to recreate it from hubby's vivid memory/dreams of how it tasted.
He was reminded of this dish after I cooked lugaw. It wasn't exactly hard to make, but there was a lot of prepping involved. The dish was well worth it though, as we both enjoyed it immensely.
What you need:
- 1 cup rice
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tablespoon Canola oil (for congee) + 1/2 tablespoon (for ground pork)
- 1 thumb-sized ginger, cut into matchsticks
- 3/4 pound ground pork
- 2 stalks green onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 of a Vidalia onion, sliced
- 2 eggs, fried
- roasted garlic for garnish
What to do:For the congee, just follow the procedures from my original entry.
While waiting for the congee to cook, start the ground pork toppings. Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of Canola oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic and onion for about a minute, or until the onions are translucent. Add the ground pork and soy sauce. Cook until the pork is brown. Transfer to a container and cover to keep warm.
To serve, ladle congee in a bowl and top with the ground pork mixture and fried egg. Garnish with green onions and roasted garlic. Enjoy!
His and Hers
1. Reduce the amount of broth to 6 cups if you don't like soupy congee.
2. Use ground beef instead of ground pork.
3. Do it egg-drop soup style! Just crack egg on top of congee before serving. Make sure your congee is hot to ensure that the egg will cook. (Stay away, salmonella!)
Labels:
stuff
Thank you to my friend who recently visited Korea and brought me back these Korean goodies! Woohoo!
This, I was told, is a Korean game called Gonggi. It is very similar to jackstones (minus the rubber balls). Can't wait to play this game with my friend!
I couldn't resist the cute Panda on the wrapper of this lollipop!
Thank you, dear friend! Your generosity is greatly appreciated!
Labels:
chicken
I made this dish one night and hubby said that it was "American." What he meant by that, I still don't know, but I enjoyed the dish nonetheless. It was a complete meal in one - protein, carbs and veggies. Yum!
What you need:
- 6 slices of bacon
- 4 medium-sized chicken breast
- 1/2 of a red and green bell pepper, diced
- 4 red potatoes, diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
What to do:
Cook bacon in a large non-stick skillet on medium heat until they are crisp. Remove bacon from the skillet and drain on a cooling rack. Discard the drippings in the skillet.
Add chicken to the skillet and cook for about 7 minutes on each side or until done. Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165°F. Remove chicken from the skillet and cover to keep warm. Crumble the bacon and add to the skillet along with the veggies. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until heated through.
Place the chicken over the potatoes and top with the shredded cheddar cheese. Cover, cook over low heat for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Super cheesy goodness!
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. Make sure to wash your hands every time you handle chicken.
2. Add more bacon if desired.
3. Try other veggies like carrot or celery.
Labels:
soup
Red place mat for that Chinese ambiance. Haha.
I had to stop myself from singing the old Knorr Chinese Soup commercial jingle that was popularized circa 1980's so I don't drive hubby crazy. But I gave in to my whim afterwards and even searched for a youtube video of the jingle so I could sing with it.
♫ ♪ Knorr is one of a kind, best Chinese soup you can find. Knorr is easy to cook, just add one egg! Goodah! ♪ ♫
Anyway, I cooked the Knorr Corn and Chicken soup, but added more ingredients to it to make it tastier. The end product was great. Quick, easy and yummy for a lazy day.
What you need:
- 1 pkg Knorr Chinese Style Corn and Chicken Soup
- 4 cups water
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
- 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels
What to do:
(As per package instruction): Pour the contents of the soup packet in a bowl and dissolve with 1 cup cold water. Set aside. Meanwhile, boil 3 eggs for about 10 - 15 minutes, or until it is hard-boiled.
pre-cooked stage
Boil 3 cups of water in a pot over medium-high heat. Pour dissolved soup mix into boiling water while stirring. Add the green onions and corn. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the remaining (fresh) egg and stir gently with a fork until egg is well dispersed. After stirring, re-simmer soup for 2 minutes or until egg is completely cooked. Add the hard boiled eggs. Serve hot.
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. Add some cooked chicken to make the dish just perfect!
2. Garnish with toasted garlic. (I am nuts for toasted garlic!)
3. Sing the jingle while eating. It will put you in a happy mood, I promise! (I recommend singing the line "There is nothing like Knorr Real Chinese Soup" in your highest falsetto voice!)
Labels:
rice
Hubby wanted something mild or bland for dinner, so I whipped up some congee. I mean, seriously, what could be blander than that? (Wait, don't answer that. I just thought of something actually blander than lugaw hahaha).
Lugaw brings me back to my childhood when we would eat at the street corner carinderia for breakfast. A piping hot bowl of lugaw would cost Php3.00 ($0.07). The pork and tofu that come as "extra" would actually cost more. Aaahh... those were the days.Anyway, the one cup of rice I used went a loooooong way. Too long, actually. :-) And no, hubby didn't really get his wish cause I used broth (instead of water) and put a bit of patis in it to taste.
What you need:
For the lugaw:- 1 cup of rice
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon patis (fish sauce)
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, cut into match sticks
- 1/4 of a large Vidalia onion, sliced
- 1/2 tablespoon Canola oil
- 3 stalks of green onion, chopped
- toasted garlic
For the extras:
- 3 strips of thick-cut pork belly (around half a pound)
- 1 block of firm tofu
- Canola oil, for frying
For the dipping sauce:
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 of a large Vidalia onion, chopped
- 1/2 head of garlic
- salt and pepper, to taste
What to do:
In a big pot over medium heat, toast the cup of rice until slightly brown (don't burn it!). Transfer to a plate and set aside. In the same pot, heat the half tablespoon of Canola oil and saute the ginger and onion for about a minute. Return the rice to the pot and add the broth. Season with patis. Let cook in medium-low heat for around 45 minutes to an hour, stirring ocassionally. Add 1/2 cup of broth at a time if you think it is drying out.
Before and after the rice was toasted
For the dipping sauce, just combine all the ingredients and let sit for a while for the flavors to blend.
Garnish the lugaw with green onions and toasted garlic before serving.
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. The best type of rice in making lugaw is sticky (glutinous) rice. I used sushi rice, and it worked well too. Don't wash the rice to retain starchiness.
2. Use your splatter guard when frying the tofu. Or dab it with a paper towel before frying.
3. You can use water instead of broth.
4. Aside from tofu and pork, you can also eat it with hard boiled eggs.
5. Red onions are great to use in the dipping sauce. (I only had Vidalia when I made this dish)
Onion partay!!!
Brown on the outside, but pink and juicy at the center. Yum! *drools*
