HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BIRD!

It was the bf's birthday on the weekend & all he really wanted to eat was PIZZA HUT & an NBA championship trophy cake! It's his birthday so that's what he got and then some....

I couldn't not cook anything so I ended up making side dishes & appetizers... oh & a MINT BLUEBERRY yogurt SMOOTHIE that wasn't served because we forgot all about it. Anyway, I ended up making a ROASTED vegetable salad with fresh BOCCICINI (spell check??) drizzled with an OLIVE oil & AGED BALSAMIC vinegar & egg rolls (we call this LUMPIA).

Filipinos normally serve egg rolls at parties. Typical egg rolls consists of ground beef, onions, garlic, seasoning & on the bf's side of the family - chestnut, all wrapped in a WONTON wrapper & fried. I'm not much of an egg roll eater because it doesn't really appeal to me. Maybe because I see it as just ground beef wrapped in fried, oily wrappers.

So ofcourse, I invent my own egg rolls ;) My new found FAVOURITE ingredient to use is CHINESE 5-SPICE. I also don't like using only ground beef but a mix with ground pork & in this case minced shrimp too.

Enjoy!

ROASTED VEGETABLES AND BOCCICINI WITH BALSAMIC OLIVE DRESSING
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 italian eggplant, sliced
1 orange pepper, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 small tub of boccicini, sliced in half
2 T dried basil
3 T dried oregano
cracked black pepper & kosher salt to taste

• Preheat oven to 450F
• Place eggplant, pepper & zucchini on baking sheet
• Place tomatoes & pepper on another baking sheet
• Drizzle with olive oil, basil, oregano, salt & black pepper. Toss everything together with hands
• Place in oven and roast for 25 minutes. Flip & roast for another 20-25 minutes or until slightly charred
• Let cool
• Place in bowl & add cheese. Drizzle olive oil & balsamic vinegar on top

LAYA'S EGG ROLLS

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/4 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined & minced
1/4 C carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1 med onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 T dried basil or
2.5 tsp chinese 5-spice
1/4 C light soy sauce
2 T fish sauce
1 T sesame oil
2 tsp murin
pack of wonton wrappers, cracked egg
kosher salt and cracked black pepper

• Mix ground beef, pork & shrimp together
• Add basil, chinese 5-spice, salt & pepper to meat mixture. Set aside
• Add sesame oil to pre-heated pan
• Saute onions and carrots until soft
• Add meat. Season with more basil & chinese 5-spice
• Add soy sauce, fish sauce & murin
• Continue to saute until ground meat is cooked
• Take off heat & let cool
• Add 1.5 t of meat mixture into wonton wrappers & seal with egg
• Fry in hot oil
• Serve with sweet chilli sauce or murin mixed with fish sauce in a 3:1 ratio

Home alone & Home Cooking.. CHICKPEA MASH & LEMON HERB SHRIMP SAUTE

The bf is on a work retreat since last Sunday. I normally do all the cooking at home which I have no problem of doing so. Although I miss him & wish he was here, I'm really enjoying the fact that I can splurge on one of my favourite staple ingredients to use, while he's gone. I love cooking with LEMON/LIME & LEMON/LIME ZEST.
To his point, when 'I put too much of it', lemon juice & zest overpowers the dish. To my point, these ingredients makes the dish pop & is what makes it tastes so much better.
Lately I've been cooking thai, east & west indian & filipino food. Today, I'm sticking with Mediterranean ingredients. I made chickpea mash & lemon herb shrimp saute. Hope you enjoy:





CHICKPEA MASH
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon, juiced & zested
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sesame seed
kosher salt to taste
ground black pepper

• Heat oil & add onions. Cook until softened
• Add garlic, lemon zest, oregano & basil. Let cook for 2-3 minutes
• Add chickpeas & sesame seeds. C
• Cook until softened. Mash with fork in pan
• Add lemon juice, salt & pepper

LEMON HERB SHRIMP SAUTE
1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined & butterflied (tail left on)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs dried oregano
1 Tbs dried basil
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 lemon, juiced & zested
kosher salt to taste
ground black pepper

• Rub shrimp with half of the basil, oregano & lemon zest. Set aside
  
• Add chili flakes & thyme to pan while oil is heating
• Add onions & let cook until softened
• Add garlic, remaining oregano, basil & zest, zucchini & cherry tomatoes. Let cook for 3-5 minutes or until vegetables have softened
• Add shrimp & cook until shrimp turns pink. Squeeze in lemon juice.
• Add salt & pepper to taste

Note: The next time around, I would add either water, white whine or chicken stock to the chickpea mash for a smoother texture.

Back into the GROOVE...

If there has ever been anyone out there following my food blogs, I apologize to have not been writing for the past year. But I must tell you it's because I've started a business with 2 of my closest friends that have kept me very busy. Our company is called Tripl3 Baked - we sell customized & creative cakes, cupcakes & cookies!! Here's a little preview:




I have to give kudos to us because we started from scratch - knowing nothing about cake decorating. In the past year since we've started we are booming with orders! We definitely are moving on upwards! You can preview the following link to see more of our work:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=353716&id=533500471&l=a1cf1cc313

Although I really enjoy baking & cake decorating (especially with the best of friends!), I can never forget my first & foremost passion - FOOD!

So I'm coming back & going to try and update my food blog on the regular.

... To be Continued...

Day 09 : Happy Steak & S Day!!

March 14 - the male version of Vday! I promised the bf a steak dinner & ...

So the bf & I went grocery shopping & I constructed my menu based on my favorite flavors & of-course affordability! My preferences - lemon, thyme, garlic & mushrooms, with an asian twist! I wanted a good quality meaty steak & went for the Tip Sirloin - mmMMMMmmmmm!

I wanted the steak to have a very simplistic dry rub - salt, pepper & paprika. Alongside, I also rubbed good ol' extra virgin olive oil, soy sauce & Sriracha Hot Chile Sauce. Final topping - lemon zest.

My mom makes this amazing mushroom gravy! I used her recipe & took it on a different level! Pan seared mushrooms cooked in the steak jus, garlic, thyme, butter & ofcourse some lemon zing! I'm glad to say the bf enjoyed his steak dinner on S t e a k & S . . . D a y !! Hope you do too!!

Seasoned Seared Tip Sirloin
2lb Tip Sirloin
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T Sriracha Chili Hot Sauce
1/2 lemon, zested
1 T Soy Sauce
2 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Fresh Thyme
2 Garlic Cloves
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to broiler
   
2. Rub dry & wet ingredients on sirloin both sides
3. Let marinade 1-2 hours
4. Pre-heat pan on high heat, stove top
5. Sear steak both sides until browning & crust forms (4 minutes each side) - save steak jus in pan
   
6. Complete cooking steak in broiler, covered for 10 minutes & then another 10 minutes uncovered
7. Tent steak & let sit until ready to serve.

Lemon-Herbed Mushroom Gravy
Steak Jus
1/2lb Button Mushrooms, sliced thick
1 Garlic, minced
3 Sprigs Thyme
11/2 T Butter
1 can Cream of Mushroom
1/4 can water
1/2 lemon, juice & zest
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Pan sear mushrooms in steak jus in pan that was used to pan sear the steak
2. Add garlic, thyme, butter, lemon zest & salt & pepper. Cook for 5 minutes
3. Add cream of mushroom & water. Let simmer for 10 minutes
4. Add remaining steak jus from casserole that steak was broiled in oven
5. Add lemon juice
6. Simmer for 5 minutes
7. Serve
   

Day 08 : "KRISKRINGLE" B u t t e r c h i c k e n

The bf had his KK with his boyz & I attempted to make butterchicken ( it's all about the indian cuisine!) from scratch. If you're not a fan of typical indian spices (cumin, corriander, cinnamon, tumeric...etc), I suggest you do not cook it at home!



The recipe I based it on was far too bland so I added more of the different spices that it called for. I mistakenly bought vanilla yogurt instead of plain yogurt, but the end result was actually pleasing. Possibly the vanilla brought out the 'sweetness' out of the dish - according to the bf. I agree but I still would prefer the plain yogurt.

ButterChicken

ButterChicken

5 pieces Chicken (breast & drum attached)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 tub plain yogurt

1 can chicken broth

2 T butter

1 1/2 onion, diced

2 T ginger, minced

1 T brown sugar

1 t garlic

2 t chili powder

1 1/2 t cumin, ground

1 1/2 t corriander, ground

1 t cinnamon

1 t tumeric

salt & pepper to taste

1. Season chicken with salt & pepper.
2. Let marinade with about 1 cup yogurt & the spices mentioned above (the spices are optional if wanting a more seasoned chicken). Cover with saran wrap, making sure there is no air in between the chicken and plastic wrap. Let sit for a couple hours.
3. Fry in butter top & bottom of chicken for browned crispy skin. Finish cooking in the oven at 400F for approximately 30 minutes. Tent with foil until ready to put in sauce.
4. In the same pan that the chicken was fried in, saute onions & garlic until soft.
5. Add all the spices & let cook for 1 minute.
6. Add tomatoes, chicken stock, brown sugar & ginger. Reduce heat & let simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Add remaining yogurt. Let simmer until thickened (approx. 15 minutes).
8. Add cooked chicken in sauce. Let sit on low heat.
9. Serve on top of basmati rice.

Hope you enjoyed it boys. Happy NEW year! ... and if any of you boyz happen to be reading this, comments/suggestions please =P

Day 07: Dad's 55th Asian Inspired Birthday Meal

My latest interest - cake baking & decorating have kept me busy from cooking & blogging. I'm a little bit disappointed just because I've been procrastinating on my first love - cooking. It's been awhile, but I'm back to post my previous dishes I've made.

Caramelized Pineapple Cake

My Dad turned 55 on November 7, 2009. I attempted to make Vietnamese BBQ Pork Chops. I had a vision of bbqing pork chops you would order at any typical vietnamese restaurant, but turned out to be a lot more asian inspired considering the ingredients I chose to marinade the meat. Although it didn't turn out to my initial planning, the chops were still pretty good!

Alongside the main dish, I paired the pork chops with Basil Shrimp & Coconut Rice ... I tried to keep the asian theme!

My family including my parents, the bf & my siblings' significant others had no problems clearing up our plates. One suggestion from the birthday man himself (also known as the very hard critic to my food!) - cut down the sweetness of the marinade.

Enjoy the recipes because my family sure did!

Asian-Influenced BBQ Pork Chops

Basil Shrimp

Asian-Influenced BBQ Pork Chops
15 pork chops
1 C banana ketchup
8 T toyamansi
4 T dark rum
3 T soy sauce
1 T spicy vinegar
6 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 each lemon & lime
salt & pepper

1. Season cleaned pork chops with salt & pepper.
2. Mix remaining ingredients for marinade in bowl.
3. Marinade pork chops in large ziploc bag & let sit for 2-3 hours.
4. BBQ on grill on low heat until cooked through.

Basil Shrimp
2 lb shrimp, peeled
2 C pineapple chunks
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 T dried basil
1 t ginger, sliced thinly
1 lime, zest & juice
salt & pepper

1. Season shrimp with salt & pepper. Set aside.
2. In fry pan, saute garlic & ginger until soft. Season with salt & pepper.
3. Add dried basil & let cook for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add shrimp & lime zest to pan. Once the the shrimp starts to turn pink, add the pineapple & let cook until pineapple begins to break down slightly.
5. Once the shrimp is completely cooked, squeeze in juice of lime. Set aside until serving.

Coconut Rice
5 C parboiled rice
1 can coconut milk
Water enough to total 6 cups liquid.

1. Add all ingredients into the rice cooker & let cook until done.
   

Day 06: Fried Chicken n' Meal - Cuban Way

I promised to attempt in cooking a typical Cuban meal just like the chicken and beans the bf & I ate in Mayares, Cuba ontop of a mountain view and water falls. After hiking up a 20km mountainous, slippery and sometimes narrow forest the bf & I were lucky enough to eat a 'home cooked' cuban meal. We ate fried chicken with a tomato salsa to go with, boiled bananas, white rice, stewed beans, avocado & fresh guava fruit. The food was amazing.

My try at it wasn't bad at all. I boiled plaintains instead of regular bananas and sadly didn't have guava but I was very pleased with the outcome.



Cuban Fried Chicken 'n beans with boiled Plantains

FRIED CHICKEN
6 chicken legs attached to thighs sea salt & black pepper onion powder garlicpowder

STEWED BLACK BEANS
1 can black beans with liquid
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
sea salt & pepper
water

TOMATO SALSA SAUCE
1 can (540ml) crushed tomato
2 garlic cloves, whole
1/2 onion, whole
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs each garlic powder and onion powder

2 plaintains, cut in 3
2 avocado, sliced

1. Season Chicken with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder & onion powder. Set aside.
2. Add oil to pan (about 1/2" of the pan) and heat. Fry seasoned chicken about 6-7 minutes each side (internal temperature should be 74C). Place fried chicken on serving plate. Let rest before serving.
3. In pot, heat olive oil. Add green peppers and garlic frying until soft. Season with sea salt & pepper.
4. Add beans with liquid, water (enough to cover just a little over the beans) and all the dry ingredients. Stir and cook on high heat, covered until boiling.
5. After boiling, uncover beans and stir. Let simmer on medium heat for about 30-40 minutes or until beans are soft. Keep covered until serving.
6. In another pot, add all the ingredients to make the tomato salsa. Stir and let simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes, uncovered. Stir occassionally. Set aside until serving.
7. In a separate pot, boil plaintains in water until soft.
8. Slice avocados when ready to eat.
9. Serve together.

TIP: The longer the tomato salsa and beans are simmering, the better tasting and most flavourful. Cook salsa and beans first. Keep both pots on low heat while frying the chicken.

CIAO!