If you have noticed, I haven't blogged in a while and although it makes me sad... I can't do anything about it. My life has changed. I have a husband to feed and a home to tend to, so I am busier than everrrrr! Much of our new life together has been consumed by the different TV series that we watch. We took a trip to METROWALK a few weeks ago and bought Php1,500 worth of DVDs that we think will be good for a few months.
The other portion of our time together is spent in our kitchen/dining table, sharing a meal. After braving yet another "ambitious" dish, I call my husband to the table hoping to impress him. More often than not, he leaves with a happy stomach, so this makes me very proud of myself, especially after that monggo catastrophe. Anyway, here are some of the dishes I've cooked. I got most of them from cookbooks and various sources online.
CHEESY CHICKEN BALLS
ground chicken, 1 egg, 1/4 cup flour, 1 onion (minced), 3 cloves of garlic (minced), cheddar cheese (cubed), salt and pepper
After seasoning the ground chicken with salt and pepper, you have to combine it with the beaten egg, minced onion and garlic. Next, you have to get a cube of cheese and roll the ground chicken mixture into a ball and then fry the balls in oil. To get rid of excess oil, I usually let it dry on a paper towel first, before I serve it.
I served it with soup because dry food is not fun to eat without soup. (hahaha!)Personally, I would rather use pork for this and I would make it with more cheese (possibly mozzarella). Oh well, Bon likes it with catsup. I like it with sweet and sour sauce. Either way, it’s still yummy.
BEEF STEAK
beef (sukiyaki cut), 1 tbsp calamansi, 5 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1 onion (cut into rings), salt and pepper
Marinate the beef in calamansi, soy sauce, salt and pepper for about 30 minutes to an hour. When you are ready to cook, start with frying the onions until it is translucent then set it aside. On another pan, fry the marinated beef until they are tender, then add the onions and the excess marinade. Simmer for a few minutes and cover until you are done.
Bon’s mom’s beef steak is really yummy, so I was very nervous to serve him this one. Fortunately, IT WAS YUMMIER --- just kidding --- the beef was so tender and I think I should cook it again.
BASIL CHICKEN IN COCONUT
chicken thighs, coconut milk, green pepper (julienned), 3 to 4 potatoes (halved), basil leaves (fresh or dried), ginger, 3 tbsp patis, 4 cloves garlic (minced), onion (chopped), water, salt and pepper.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pan and sauté ginger and onion and then add chicken and potatoes. Cover it with water and cook it until chicken is done and potatoes are ready. Season it with patis and wait until water has evaporated. When it has, add the bell peppers and basil leaves, then add the coconut milk. Simmer for a few minutes and then serve.
KOREAN BEEF 
beef (sukiyaki cut), 5 cloves garlic (minced), onion (chopped), 2 laurel leaves, ginger (sliced), 1 cup soy sauce, 1 cup brown sugar, spring onions (chopped), 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, 1/4 cup sesame oil, chili flakes and water.
Season the beef in salt and pepper. Heat sesame oil in a pan and sauté ginger, garlic and onion. Add the beef and fry until brown then add water. When the water has evaporated to half of its original level, you can add the soy sauce, brown sugar, laurel leaves and chili flakes. Let the beef simmer in the pan and keep on adding water until the meat is tender. Serve it with toasted sesame seeds and spring onion on top.
I was absolutely pleased about this when I finished. It smelled so good and when I took a little taste, I was so excited to eat it for real. Bon really loved it, so I was even more pleased about what I cooked.
STRING BEANS IN OYSTER SAUCE
string beans, ground pork, 1/4 cup water, onion (sliced), garlic (crushed), oyster sauce, salt and pepper.
Sauté garlic and onion. Add pork season it with salt and pepper. Cook the pork until fat is rendered and then add the string beans and let it simmer until it is half cooked. Add water and let it simmer, then add oyster sauce and cook until the beans are done.
Bon loves to eat healthy and he particularly enjoys vegetables. He loved this and I did too. Actually, I think everything with oyster sauce is yummy. Oyster sauce is sweet and if you want to try it, you can will discover that you can try it on all kinds of things.
CRUNCHY TOFU WITH MUSHROOMS
firm tofu (sliced), 3/4 cup flour, egg (beaten), 2 tbsp water, 1 1/2 cup Japanese bread crumbs, oil for deep frying, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 cup onions, 2 cups onion, 1/2 cup cornstarch, spring onions, salt and pepper
Season the flour with salt and pepper. Cut the tofu and dredge it with flour then dip it in egg and then coat it with bread crumbs. Deep fry the tofu until it is golden brown and let it dry on paper towels. To make the sauce, sauté onions and mushrooms together using butter, then add a little water, oyster sauce and cornstarch. When the sauce is thick enough, you can arrange the tofu on a plate and then pour the sauce over it. Top it with chopped spring onions and serve.
Here is another dish that I cooked with oyster sauce. I have always wondered how they cook tofu this way in Japanese restaurants, but I never tried it. This is my first time to cook tofu and it was the most amazing dish I’ve ever cooked, I think. The tofu was perfectly crunchy outside and soft inside. The sweet oyster sauce and mushrooms soaked the crunchy tofu and made it even more tasty. I only got a pack of tofu and I regret it because Bon and I wanted more.
CREAMED BEED WITH MUSHROOMS
beef brisket (sliced), 1 carton all-purpose cream, 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup mushrooms, 4 cloves garlic (minced), 4 tbsp flour dissolved in water, onion (sliced), salt and pepper.
Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pan and sauté onion and garlic. Add beef, water and brig it to a boil. Keep adding water until beef is tender enough and when the water is reduced to half, add the melted butter flour mixture. Add mushrooms, cream and stir it until it is thick.
If I cooked this with sour cream it’s going to be beef stroganoff. This one, I think, is better. I should’ve cut the beef in smaller pieces though. Anyway, we had some beef left over for dinner and Bon and I ate it with lettuce. It was really messy to eat it with the creamed sauce but it was yummy! That was Bon’s idea by the way. We didn’t have cooked rice anymore and since there was no bread, he got desperate.
WHEAT BREAD FRENCH TOAST
wheat bread, sugar, salt, egg (beaten), milk and butter.
Beat egg with salt, sugar and milk. Soak bread in it and fry it a pan with butter. Fry both sides until it is brown and serve it with maple syrup, strawberry jam or whatever works.
Bon and I hardly have rice, except during Tuesdays and Thursdays, because he needs rice when he lifts weights. I actually do not like rice, but I am forced to eat it now (and I hate him for it). If we’re not having rice, I serve bread.
So there you have it. Sorry, I must have bored you, but I didn’t want to make individual posts for every dish. Try them (or not). They’re very simple (otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to cook it), so I will encourage newbie cooks to try. I realized that I need a better camera for "FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY". Aside from that, you can really tell that I am not a cook... but I try my very best. I'm just lucky that Bon is very easy to feed... if it tastes good, he is a happy boy!
. Both of his sisters are already BB-users but he didn't really care, so my idea was immediately scrapped. Last month, however, after taking Bon's youngest sister to the airport, for a one-year stint in the US, his family realized how easy their lives would be, if they all had Blackberries. 
phone, you won't really encounter any problem. 
Posts
