Once again, I've been very busy with work and cake classes!! I have yet to cook a cuban meal, I still have to attempt to bake pandesal, I'm so far behind with cooking filipino dishes, thanksgiving is coming up and I'm sick! So much to do with so little time!
Although I have been stuck in the 'kitchen' all day at work and if people are stopping to let me know how good these sandwiches are and asking me for the recipe, I'm assuming my sandwiches are pretty darn good!
grilled chicken stack wth honey lime aioli.
500g chicken, seasoned and grilled
1 dozen rolls or small buns, lightly grilled
1 raddichio, seasoned with salt and grilled
2 cubanelle peppers, seasoned with salt and grilled
3 tomato, sliced
1 cup hickory bbq sauce
1 1/2 cup honey lime aioli - mayonnaise, honey, lime
goat cheese
ENJOY!
side note, i'm starting again to think a lot about the food business and catering. any tips/suggestions on starting out will be very much appreciated!
11:26pm
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Day 04 : Beef Stew - hometown way - Adobo Beef
I just came back from Cuba with the bf - amazing. I could go on and on about this trip but this will be a separate blog when I attempt to cook a real cuban meal, with a cup of fresh roasted cuban coffee!! Keep posted because I promise you, it's total bliss! ... ofcourse, that is if I nail it!!
Yesterday, I attended my first cake class but prior to attending it, I was running around and getting my tools together & ofcourse, my cake! Even though I had just a couple of hours left to get ready, I still wanted to cook for mom & dad so that they had home cooked filipino food after a day's work & crazy traffic!!
I made my first Adobo beef. Typically the word adobo means sauce, seasoning or marinade in Spanish - normally cooked with chipotle. In the Philippines, adobo is a cooking term for stewing with vinegar. Similar to a Beef stew but with zing!
The recipe : beef, bay leaves, whole black peppercorn, garlic, ginger, soy sauce & vinegar. The sauce base is a 1:1 ratio of soy sauce to vinegar. I'd say everything else is more to your taste & liking. My parents approved! A whole lot of peppercorns & bay leaves did it!
If I were following my dream - pot roast slow cooked with the adobo sauce in red wine with cherry tomatoes & potatoes. MMmmmMMMM.... one day.
8:19pm
Yesterday, I attended my first cake class but prior to attending it, I was running around and getting my tools together & ofcourse, my cake! Even though I had just a couple of hours left to get ready, I still wanted to cook for mom & dad so that they had home cooked filipino food after a day's work & crazy traffic!!
I made my first Adobo beef. Typically the word adobo means sauce, seasoning or marinade in Spanish - normally cooked with chipotle. In the Philippines, adobo is a cooking term for stewing with vinegar. Similar to a Beef stew but with zing!
The recipe : beef, bay leaves, whole black peppercorn, garlic, ginger, soy sauce & vinegar. The sauce base is a 1:1 ratio of soy sauce to vinegar. I'd say everything else is more to your taste & liking. My parents approved! A whole lot of peppercorns & bay leaves did it!
If I were following my dream - pot roast slow cooked with the adobo sauce in red wine with cherry tomatoes & potatoes. MMmmmMMMM.... one day.
8:19pm
Monday, September 7, 2009
Day 03: Candied Roasted Acorn Squash & the family
My family is coming over. I took the responsibility of cooking the vegetables & potatoes. Anybody can make mashed potatoes. I particularly prefer roasted garlic smashed skinned potatoes. Anybody can also cook up roasted vegetables as well (today, I roasted chinese eggplant, green & red peppers) - if anyone is reading this & would like any of these recipes, just ask & I'll give.
What I was more excited about cooking was the squash. I like different seasonings. My siblings are also very open minded about food. But my traditional parents... not quite so much.
CANDIED ROASTED ACORN SQUASH
2 acorn squash, peeled and cut in chunks
3 white onions, sliced
2 Tbs each dark brown cane sugar and cinnamon
sea salt to taste
olive oil
I understand I can't please EVERYBODY. But what means a lot to me are my parents' opinions - both sitting at the kitchen table & out in the real world. I could be indifferent to my parents' palettes & how I should live life. But when can it be my turn to decide how I want to do things. Like how to chop the meat, what temperature to cook thee perfect scrambled eggs, when to go out and what time to come home (... btw, I'll be 29years old this December 4, 2009), how much salt to put in the sardines, what seasoning to rub a perfectly good steak.... you get my drift. I love my parents. Hopefully one day, they'll approve dishes that they're not used to and hopefully one day, I'll have their full support on how I live life.
I do meet them halfway. I won't cook anything with curry when they're home. On a serious note, I do try.
Enough personal talk. Where is everybody??? My stomach is hungry for food!!
7:19pm
What I was more excited about cooking was the squash. I like different seasonings. My siblings are also very open minded about food. But my traditional parents... not quite so much.
CANDIED ROASTED ACORN SQUASH
2 acorn squash, peeled and cut in chunks
3 white onions, sliced
2 Tbs each dark brown cane sugar and cinnamon
sea salt to taste
olive oil
- pre-heat oven to 400F.
- place squash and onions in baking pan and rub with olive oil.
- sprinkle sugar, cinnamon & sea salt. rub evenly on vegetables.
- roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping half way.
- serve warm.
I understand I can't please EVERYBODY. But what means a lot to me are my parents' opinions - both sitting at the kitchen table & out in the real world. I could be indifferent to my parents' palettes & how I should live life. But when can it be my turn to decide how I want to do things. Like how to chop the meat, what temperature to cook thee perfect scrambled eggs, when to go out and what time to come home (... btw, I'll be 29years old this December 4, 2009), how much salt to put in the sardines, what seasoning to rub a perfectly good steak.... you get my drift. I love my parents. Hopefully one day, they'll approve dishes that they're not used to and hopefully one day, I'll have their full support on how I live life.
I do meet them halfway. I won't cook anything with curry when they're home. On a serious note, I do try.
Enough personal talk. Where is everybody??? My stomach is hungry for food!!
7:19pm
Labels:
acorn squash,
cane sugar,
cinnamon,
family,
roasted vegetables,
smashed potatoes
Day 02 part II : Mucho Mojitos!
The mojitos were a hit! The recipe: limes, mint leaves, sugar, club soda, water & ofcourse, white rum. I was little bit worried considering I've only drank mojitos but never made it myselef - it could've been like the pale pandesals that I made except with 20-25 people there to try it! Good Job!!
The fresh salsa wasn't much of a hit. I don't think it was because it wasn't good, but more so that it wasn't really eye appealing compared to all the other food sprawled out on the table. That's ok. You lose some, you win some.
12:13pm
The fresh salsa wasn't much of a hit. I don't think it was because it wasn't good, but more so that it wasn't really eye appealing compared to all the other food sprawled out on the table. That's ok. You lose some, you win some.
12:13pm
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Day 02 : Sidetracked to Mexico!!
I sidetracked from the Philippines and flew over to Mexico!
I made fresh salsa to go with nachos/tortillas.
Recipe: calls for tomatoes (fresh/canned whole), green peppers, jalepanoes, red onions, corriander, fresh lime juice & sea salt.
No cooking required just a blender or if you've got what I've got - the magic bullet. The amount of each ingredient is really to your liking - the simplicity of cooking. I guess this is why I enjoy cooking a lot more than baking because its really to your level of creativity & imagination.
I'd like to see see how many corriander haters can catch the corriander in the salsa - one like the bf. I'll fill in later, I'm running late to a dirty thirty birthday bash - Happy Birthday Simon!
2:08pm
I made fresh salsa to go with nachos/tortillas.
Recipe: calls for tomatoes (fresh/canned whole), green peppers, jalepanoes, red onions, corriander, fresh lime juice & sea salt.
No cooking required just a blender or if you've got what I've got - the magic bullet. The amount of each ingredient is really to your liking - the simplicity of cooking. I guess this is why I enjoy cooking a lot more than baking because its really to your level of creativity & imagination.
I'd like to see see how many corriander haters can catch the corriander in the salsa - one like the bf. I'll fill in later, I'm running late to a dirty thirty birthday bash - Happy Birthday Simon!
2:08pm
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Day 01: Pan-dee-sal (sweet bun)
8:47pm
As said, I've managed to bake a batch of what should have been this soft, nicely browned, fluffy, sweet bun known to my filipino culture as pandesal. There's nothing better than buying a hot dozen of buns packed in a brown paperbag with the fresh smell seaping through! YUM!! ......... I ended up with pale, dry, some inflated & deflated bread - MEH!
I started to remember how baking has to be so precise & to the tee. First off, the recipe called for a simple short list of ingredients: yeast, vegetable shortening, sugar, breadcrumbs, flour & lukewarm water.
Offhand, I was beginning to feel intimidated by the yeast. The general rule for yeast is to let it sit in lukewarm water and feed it with sugar for activation of the germ. I've had failures before but surprisingly this time around, activating the yeast was not the problem!
The problem for me was the small amount of shortening & sugar that the recipe calls for, the very low heat that is to brown and cook the bun, the dry taste & texture biting into it, the possibility of not letting enough time for the dough to rise & ofcourse overworking or underkneading it.
My twist & attempt?
Next time around, use an extra 3/4 tsp of yeast to help double rise the dough, add baking powder for another leavening agent & a fluffy & light product, increase the amount of shortening for better bite texture, increase the amount of sugar for a more sweet hidden taste & bake at 375F in hopes to at least brown the top of the bun!
I'm not much of a baker but I am attempting at it - I do have some successful cakes & cookies (if only I had kept the recipes!!) Basic knowledge & continuous testing are both good starting points (if only I could find my notes from Ryerson!!)
I'll definately let the blogworld know how the second time goes! If I have any readers and/or better yet experienced bakers please do tell me what I'm doing wrong. Any help, will help!
9:40pm
As said, I've managed to bake a batch of what should have been this soft, nicely browned, fluffy, sweet bun known to my filipino culture as pandesal. There's nothing better than buying a hot dozen of buns packed in a brown paperbag with the fresh smell seaping through! YUM!! ......... I ended up with pale, dry, some inflated & deflated bread - MEH!
I started to remember how baking has to be so precise & to the tee. First off, the recipe called for a simple short list of ingredients: yeast, vegetable shortening, sugar, breadcrumbs, flour & lukewarm water.
Offhand, I was beginning to feel intimidated by the yeast. The general rule for yeast is to let it sit in lukewarm water and feed it with sugar for activation of the germ. I've had failures before but surprisingly this time around, activating the yeast was not the problem!
The problem for me was the small amount of shortening & sugar that the recipe calls for, the very low heat that is to brown and cook the bun, the dry taste & texture biting into it, the possibility of not letting enough time for the dough to rise & ofcourse overworking or underkneading it.
My twist & attempt?
Next time around, use an extra 3/4 tsp of yeast to help double rise the dough, add baking powder for another leavening agent & a fluffy & light product, increase the amount of shortening for better bite texture, increase the amount of sugar for a more sweet hidden taste & bake at 375F in hopes to at least brown the top of the bun!
I'm not much of a baker but I am attempting at it - I do have some successful cakes & cookies (if only I had kept the recipes!!) Basic knowledge & continuous testing are both good starting points (if only I could find my notes from Ryerson!!)
I'll definately let the blogworld know how the second time goes! If I have any readers and/or better yet experienced bakers please do tell me what I'm doing wrong. Any help, will help!
9:40pm
Labels:
bake,
baking powder,
bun,
pandesal,
shortening,
yeast
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Thanks to my one n only BIGBIRD!
Gerdie:"When you have time today check out this website: love-n-food.blogspot.com"
Laya: What's that all about?
Gerdie: I checked it out and it reminded me of you.
Laya: I'll check it when I get back to work
I come back to the office from an all day offsite meeting (8:17am-4:46pm) for a plant trial, open up my laptop, search the net for this blog and I see a picture of Gerd's & I !! And I see my blog set-up all ready to go thanks to my "more fatter" (something he would say) bf! THANK-YOU.
He couldn't have said it any better - a passion for food.
After watching Julie & Julia, my dream to test & develop recipes & hopefully start some sort of catering business or a somewhat small diner has driven me to the top! For all you food lovers who for some reason have been doubtful or de-motivated, I suggest you watch the movie about Julia Childs & Julie Powell - my newcomers to my list of role models (alongside Jennifer Lopez, ofcourse).
Just like Julie Powell, the whole purpose of this blog is to express and brainstorm about food. I currently just borrowed a filipino cuisine recipe book (yes, I'm filipino). I never really had a joy to cook this type of cuisine only because I'm against using the pre-packed seasonings (it starts with a capital 'M' and ends with an 'A') in which you simply add the meat, vegetables & water. How fun can that be in a world of a kitchen filled with neat gadgets and fresh ingredients to which I call or what the bf calls, "my toys".
So, that being said - I'll be testing out several book recipes but with my twist, as well as developing my very own.
Day one: Pan-dee-sal (sweet bun)
This should've been blogged from yesterday as I attempted to bake these from scratch last night. I didn't have a blog then and I'm just a little too tied up at work! Consider day one to be Tomorrow!
time: 9:56pm
Laya: What's that all about?
Gerdie: I checked it out and it reminded me of you.
Laya: I'll check it when I get back to work
I come back to the office from an all day offsite meeting (8:17am-4:46pm) for a plant trial, open up my laptop, search the net for this blog and I see a picture of Gerd's & I !! And I see my blog set-up all ready to go thanks to my "more fatter" (something he would say) bf! THANK-YOU.
He couldn't have said it any better - a passion for food.
After watching Julie & Julia, my dream to test & develop recipes & hopefully start some sort of catering business or a somewhat small diner has driven me to the top! For all you food lovers who for some reason have been doubtful or de-motivated, I suggest you watch the movie about Julia Childs & Julie Powell - my newcomers to my list of role models (alongside Jennifer Lopez, ofcourse).
Just like Julie Powell, the whole purpose of this blog is to express and brainstorm about food. I currently just borrowed a filipino cuisine recipe book (yes, I'm filipino). I never really had a joy to cook this type of cuisine only because I'm against using the pre-packed seasonings (it starts with a capital 'M' and ends with an 'A') in which you simply add the meat, vegetables & water. How fun can that be in a world of a kitchen filled with neat gadgets and fresh ingredients to which I call or what the bf calls, "my toys".
So, that being said - I'll be testing out several book recipes but with my twist, as well as developing my very own.
Day one: Pan-dee-sal (sweet bun)
This should've been blogged from yesterday as I attempted to bake these from scratch last night. I didn't have a blog then and I'm just a little too tied up at work! Consider day one to be Tomorrow!
time: 9:56pm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)