Since my family have been trying (take note of my choice of words :D) to eat healthier, two of the proteins you’d usually see in our refrigerator are chicken meat and eggs. And I love making all kinds of dishes with them. So, when I was craving for McDonald’s McChicken sandwich, instead of spending almost Php 200 to have one delivered, I decided to make my own Chicken Fillet sandwich.
I’m on a low-carb diet, so I usually just enjoy a sandwich for lunch or dinner. My mother also loves sandwiches so we always come up with our own different sandwich spreads. And this one, I’ll keep on making. I know, there’s flour and all. But, c’mon. I’m on a LOW carb diet, not giving it up completely. Give me a break! Hahaha 😀
Though this recipe is so easy, I still want to share it here for those who haven’t tried making chicken fillet or nuggets yet.
Chicken Fillet Sandwich and Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Sauce Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
3-4 chicken breasts, deboned and cut into cubes You will need a food processor or blender for this recipe. If you don’t have it, then, just skip the blending/grinding part of the procedure and just cut the chicken breasts into nugget-sized or sandwich fillet-sized pieces. But, you can also opt to chop them into really tiny pieces, if you’ve got the strength and time to do so. 🙂
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 to 1 1/2 cup bread crumbs (click here to find out how to make your own bread crumbs, see step #1)
1 cup flour
salt and pepper
Optional: You can add your own spices or herbs for your chicken breasts. For mine, I added rosemary. But, you can add parsley and/or basil.
Optional: 1-2 medium-sized eggs Half of the batch I made, I didn’t dip in the beaten eggs. But, if you prefer to include eggs, you can go ahead with this.
1 cup vegetable oil for semi-deep frying
Lettuce for the sandwiches
Sandwich dressing: This is the mix that I used for our chicken sandwich.
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper
Honey Mustard sauce: I don’t have any ingredients available to make barbecue sauce so I decided to make honey mustard instead. But, you can find ready-to-use barbecue sauce at the grocery.
When we went to Pagudpud last December and dined at Emohruo Beach Restobar, I really wanted to recreate their Mango Honey Chicken that we all loved. So, for our Noche Buena in 2010, I decided to cook it for us.
I’m so glad I was able to recreate the dish and it really tasted close to Emohruo’s, except theirs was grilled. It’s very simple to do and I know you’d love this! Recipe, after the jump!
My brother Ken considers himself a microwave chef. He can bake pastries with just the use of our trusty microwave and can do it in minutes! That’s why I so miss him being around. He’s currently in Singapore, trying his luck there. I miss his out-of-the-blue cooking or baking trips.
Everyone in my family loves to cook, even my dad, who usually cooks with wine, rhum or brandy :D. We’re not experts, but we do make really tasty dishes. Try staying at our home for about a month. Let’s see how many pounds you need to lose afterwards. 😀
Anyway, we’ve got mangoes at home right now and I wanted to try making my own Mango Brown Betty. It’s a very simple recipe that my brother shared with me years ago. Trust me, you’re going to enjoy making this. And, probably you can even make this now because the ingredients are readily or usually available in most kitchens.
Ever since I wrote about Strawberry Sinigang after hearing about it from fellow bloggers, I’ve wanted to try it myself. So, it was actually part of our itinerary when we went on vacation to 5 destinations, including Baguio, last December. However, due to our very “tight” schedule, we scrapped visiting the restaurant that serves it. Thus, my mother swore to try to make her own version of it at home.
Before I go ahead with the Strawberry Pork Sinigang recipe, let me share with you how active my mother has been lately with this blog. Ever since the last quarter of 2010, my mother has been fully supportive of our food blog. In fact, she’s been really eager to share her recipes and have tried making her own homemade versions of dishes we tried from our trip and dining out. She now prefers to eat at a new restaurant when we go out. Also, she’s into designing or setting up the plates of food she prepares so they’ll look good on a photo. She would even make sure I get photos of food we order before eating. She’s now more patient. Amazing, huh? A stage mom, eh? 😀
So, it’s just fitting that I include her in the official contributors of this food blog. She’s got a ton of recipes to share. She’s an AWESOME cook. And I’m not saying that ’cause she’s my mother, but because she really is. That’s why it’s really hard to lose weight over here. My friends and everyone who have tried her dishes would agree with me 1,000%!
Okay, enough intro. When we went to the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad, Baguio, we decided to pick strawberries ’cause my mother was determined to cook Strawberry Sinigang at home. So, most of the strawberries she picked were a li’l green.
I am a big fan of Mexican food. I remember back in college, my friend and I would usually have lunch at this small Mexican food joint near our school in Quezon City. I forgot the name of the place (I’ll update this post when I remember / Update: The name of the place is Miggy’s! Thanks to my college lunch buddy Garet for remembering) , but I so love their Churros and Quesadilla.
The owner makes a really mean salsa that complements their chicken quesadilla. I never forgot how it tasted. And since then, I was always open for an any-day meal at any Mexican restaurant I can find.
I’ve already tried Mexicali and Taco Bell. But, I’m going to try them again just so I can write something fresh about them. I remember Taco Bell’s Quesadilla and salsa being too bland for my taste, especially when I compare it to that Mexican joint I used to frequent in college.
A few weeks ago, I was really craving for some Mexican food and I wanted to try to make quesadillas at home. So, we scoured the Landmark supermarket in Trinoma to find the ingredients I need. Unfortunately, though, not all that I wanted were available but I made sure that the salsa ingredients were complete. For me, that’s the most important part of the whole quesadilla experience – the slightly bitter-sweet and spicy flavors of the salsa mixed with the bit of saltiness of the chicken and the cheese in the quesadilla.
Here’s my own recipe of the chicken quesadilla. It’s so simple, anyone can make it at home. I’m proud to say that I got the right flavors on my salsa that my brother and I forgot all about our limits. It was THAT good… well, for us. And I know you’re going to enjoy this, too.
Some may prefer guacamole or sour cream for their quesadilla. I love salsa though, but I’m going to try these other dips/sauces next time.
For the salsa, you can take out the cumin or garlic powder if you’re making this for your kids since they might not like these strong flavors. You can also click site here if you’d like to read reviews of the best quesadilla makers if you want to get a more authentic quesadilla look and feel.
I would never forget the very first time I had my taste of Pesto Pasta at Fazoli’s, Eastwood City. I was in elementary that time, and like most people my age, I hated herbs and vegetables. My sister and I had no idea what Pesto was back then, and because it sounded delicious (she didn’t want me to order the same thing she did), she ordered that for me. I didn’t enjoy any bit of it, but since it’s a bit expensive I tried with all my might to finish the whole plate. I even remember saying, “Lasang puno (It tastes like a tree),” and it made my sister laugh. So, I learned my lesson and made a mental note to avoid food that has anything to do with Pesto.
But weird as it may seem, I think maturing into an adult is accompanied by a huge change with food palatability. We realize that vegetables aren’t that bad tasting after all, and that our food choices no longer fall under just two taste categories – sweet and salty. There is now the delectable bitter, the sour, or the hot/spicy (though technically spicy is not a flavor or taste. It’s a sensation. Try putting chili on your tongue and on your lip/skin. They experience the same thing – heat.)
Moving forward. As I started exploring the whole variety of flavors I could experience in the world, I found “Pesto” once again. This time, it’s not on a chalkboard menu at Fazoli’s, but on a backlit display of World Chicken at TriNoma Mall, Quezon City. The food adventurer inside me took over, and soon I had a plate with a whopping serving of Pesto Cream Pasta, Potato Salad, and Grilled Chicken with Ranch Barbecue Sauce. If we were not inside a mall, I’d lick my whole plate clean because I was sure I had a taste of heaven. From then on, I would always opt for Pesto Cream Pasta, and even influencing my other friends to give it a try. They loved it.
I had many failed attempts on making Pesto Cream before. Not that I don’t have the skill to make it, but because I found the ingredients to be a bit pricey. So a big thanks to my sister, Mhel, for shouldering the expenses as a gift on my birthday, and to my friend, Katrina Castro, for giving me the idea.
Let’s start with the Basil Pesto recipe. I made this the day before my birthday because I thought it would take hours to finish, but in less than 20 minutes I was done.
Basil Pesto Recipe
Makes about 1 cup.
INGREDIENTS:
3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup pine nuts
Expensive!! Php 360/100grams, but don’t worry you’ll only need 50 grams for this recipe.
You can substitute pine nuts with toasted walnuts or almonds. Cashews should work well too.
2 cups fresh basil leaves (Very cheap!)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Expensive! Php 96 for a 250-ml bottle. We bought this brand. It’s the cheapest.
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Expensive! Php170+ / 100grams. Perfect Italiano was the only available parmesan cheese available.
Salt and pepper
PROCEDURE:
Note: If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender (or a Tupperware Speedy Chopper if you have one) or manually grind the ingredients using a mortar and pestle. Make sure everything’s chopped into bits to minimize grits or coarse grains in your pesto sauce.
1. Chop garlic and pine nuts in food processor. Pulse a few times.
2. Add the basil and pulse a few more times.
3. Add the olive oil slowly while the food processor is running.
4. Scrape down the sides of the processor, add the grated cheese, pulse again to blend.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Refrigerate/Freeze the basil pesto mixture.
FYI: If you refrigerate Pesto Cream, it could only last 1 WEEK max! But if you freeze it, it can last for many, many months.
Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of Basil Pesto (Recipe above)
250 ml or 1 cup of All-purpose Cream
2 tbsp. of Olive oil
1/2 kilo of linguine pasta (or any kind of pasta would do)
Salt and Pepper
PROCEDURE:
1. Use a sauce pan on low heat.
2. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil.
3. Put 1 cup of Basil Pesto, then stir to warm it evenly.
4. Add the 1 cup of All-purpose cream slowly, then stir.
5. You can add 1/3 cup of pasta water (the water you used in cooking your pasta) to thin out the sauce.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Cook for 5 minutes.
8. Slowly pour to your cooked linguine pasta (al dente).
Grilled Chicken Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
1 kilo of Chicken Breast Fillet
2 tbsp. of Brown sugar
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
3 tbsp. of Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper
Lemon Juice / Calamansi
PROCEDURE:
1. Flatten chicken breasts so they would be equal in thickness. You can use a bottle to flatten them or a meat tenderizer.
2. Drizzle generously with olive oil.
3. Add the garlic powder and lemon juice / calamansi.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Grill until well done, about 5 minutes per side.
There you have it. It’s that easy. I just made my own simple gravy to accompany my grilled chicken and served it with my Creamy Pesto Pasta. It’s a perfectly healthful meal to share with your family and friends. So go ahead, try it and tell me how your own version went.
Everytime I go home to Cebu (fyi, I’m a pure Cebuana), I always see to it that I get to eat at Harbour City Dimsum. One of their most popular, and my favorite, dish is their Pork Steamed Rice. For me, they serve the best steamed rice in Cebu! They also serve the best dimsum I’ve had in my life. Seriously!
We’ve actually tried finding a place here in Manila where they serve Steamed Rice cooked just like in Cebu. But, so far, we haven’t found any Chinese restaurant that serves it (if you know of one, let me know at the comments section!). (UPDATE: Dimsum Break finally opened in Metro Manila in 2012! Woot!)
So, just like with any other dish I crave for, I decided to make it at home and serve it the same way Harbour City Dimsum does. And, I’m sharing my homestyle recipe with you.
Cebu Style Steamed Rice Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
(Apologies if there are no measurements. We’ll try to improve on that next time! But, we usually just taste, adjust or add more, ’til we get the desired taste — We added the measurements.)
Servings: 3-4 bowls
1/4 to 1/2 kg Pork Tenderloin – depends on how much pork you want in there
5-8 pieces Shrimp
1/4 cup Green Peas (not the canned ones please!)
1 small Onion,  chopped
2-3 pieces Garlic, crushed/pressed
2-4 tablespoons Soy Sauce – adjust based on your preference. We used Kikkoman.
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsps. Cornstarch
1 cup Pork Broth
Rice
Note: Please read the comments as one of the posters mentioned that adding rice wine and clam juice, plus a different soy sauce, made a difference.
Note 2: There’s another recipe shared by one of the comment posters (Ann), and you can see it at the bottom of this post.
2. Add pork and mix until the pork’s fat starts to ooze out. Then, add shrimp and stir for about 3 to 4 minutes. Then, add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce.
3. Adjust heat to medium and stir. Add a cup of pork broth (you can use pork cubes dissolved in a cup of warm water) and let the mixture boil for 5 minutes. Then, add 2 teaspooons of Worcestershire sauce.
4. Dissolve cornstarch in a half cup of cold water, then, add it to the pan, just enough to thicken the sauce. Stir continuously, then, add the fresh green peas.
Note: Please do not use the ones in can.
5. Let it boil for about 3 to 5 more minutes and, then, serve it on top of rice.
I wasn’t really able to get the exact taste from Harbour City Dimsum, but, the result of this recipe really tastes good. Michelle and I both enjoyed it. It sure did help satisfy my craving and how much I miss Cebu Style Steamed Rice.
Update: We’re sooooo happy to know that Dimsum Break finally opened here in Manila!! Check out our review (branch: SM North Edsa).
This recipe is from our previous contributor, Mai who is a Cebuana and now a chef.
Steamed Rice Version II
UPDATE 2: We received a ton of suggestions on how to make this taste closer to Dimsum Break or Harbour City. Here’s one of the recipes shared by Ann (see comment below this post) that you might want to try. Many have mentioned that the actual recipe calls for sesame oil, which is included in the recipe below.
1. Fry the rice with garlic and oyster sauce, then set that aside.
Michelle and I love comfort food. Ever since I found out about Shepherd’s Pie while watching our favorite foodie TV shows, I’ve been dying to make it myself. I’ve watched Chef Gordon Ramsay‘s version of making Shepherd’s Pie on Youtube and he actually made it very easy (the video after the jump). Shepherd’s Pie is actually made of minced lamb. And since lamb is rarely available and usually expensive here in the Philippines, I tried using beef mince for this recipe I’ll be sharing today. So, technically I made a Cottage Pie. Both Cottage and Shepherd’s Pies don’t have bottom pastry crusts unlike standard pies. They are actually traditionally made with leftover roast meat, but, are now often made with ground meat, mostly beef or lamb, and topped with mashed potato. Continue reading Shepherds Pie Inspired Cottage Pie : Recipe + Photos
(The article and recipe are from one of our past contributors – Mai)
I’ve had this craving for Vietnamese Spring Rolls like forever. The only place I know that serves it is a restaurant in Trinoma in Quezon City. We haven’t had time to go there again so I decided to make Vietnamese Spring Rolls myself at home.
Here’s a simple recipe of Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut Butter Sauce that you can easily make at home. Some of you might not be comfortable using peanut butter for a dip or sauce, but, it’s actually good.
I’ve always wanted to eat at a fine dining restaurant but it’s too expensive for me. Whenever I see people on TV eating at fine dining restaurants, they all seemed too satisfied and happy with the food they were served. Not sure if I’ll ever be willing to spend at least Php 2,000 (about $44) for a single meal, with very liltle serving. I’d rather spend that much money on other things. BUT, I still want to try out some fine dining food.
So, a few days ago, we had our very first Steak day. For lunch, I decided to make Steak Diane, one of Chef Gordon Ramsay’s main courses in Hell’s Kitchen, just to experience a little taste of fine dining at home. 😀
I saw this recipe in one of the episodes from Hell’s Kitchen and I was a bit excited about making it myself. I, then, watched a video from Youtube where Chef Gordon made Steak Diane for his show The F Word. He really made it look like it’s so easy to cook.
That’s what I like about him and his videos: simple to follow as long as you know how to cook. Some of you who prefer following recipes with measurements, you might not enjoy his videos since he won’t show you any measurements for his ingredients. But, if you already know the basics and you know how to estimate the seasonings to your liking, you will love the way he makes his cooking videos – short and fast.
I’ve watched 
