my special chicken macaroni salad

i have been so busy lately...busy wasting my time on things i don't need in my life...okay, the so-called mid-life angst has set in again. but what the heck...it happens to almost everyone at my age. and i'm glad to be back..maybe not 100% yet ...... but i am..... and i'm blogging again. :)

aside from donuts, my other comfort food is chicken macaroni salad (cms). (there was a time, at the height of my anemia, i craved crazily for persian cucumbers, the small ones. i've outgrown those.) whenever i want to feel good, i prepare cms whenever i can..and i've "converted" my kids to liking it. i guess the fondness for this food started when i was a kid. i always thought that my mom cooked the best cms.....i'd like to share with you my recipe as inspired by my mom's (request na rin by my good friend, libay lim) . here it is :

Ingredients

• 2 cups elbow macaroni. for texture, i use half macaroni and half spaghetti pasta cut in half
  
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 5 teaspoons pickle relish or chopped pickles
  
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup nestle cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups shredded chicken breast
  
• 1 /2 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 can crushed pineapple
• 1 can pineapple tidbits
• 1/2 up shredded or cubed cheese (cheddar is better)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup apple cut in small cubes (optional)
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots (optional)
  

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni (and spaghetti), and cook until tender, about 8 - 10 minutes. place under running cold water in a drainer. drain very well..
2. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Stir in pasta until well blended. Add more mayonnaise, if needed. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The longer, the tastier it becomes. Serve cold.
   

pancit lomi - my simple version

Sonny, my "boyfriend", loves both pancit and soup...so what better way to satisfy his love for both than to serve him pancit lomi...i am writing up this recipe also for my good friend, Libby, who saw a posting of the picture on my fb album called foodS-i-cook, and says "gusto ko ito". :)

1 lb. of pancit miki or thick fresh noodles, washed well and drained
1/2 lb. meatballs, cooked
2 pcs kikiam, sliced and lightly fried (optional)
i tsp garlic, minced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 - 2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 sticks celery, chopped
1/4 cabbage, shredded
4 - 6 cups of chicken or pork broth
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsps patis (fish sauce)
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsps. of cooking oil


In a pot or deep pan, saute the garlic and onion. Add the carrot and stir for 30 seconds. Add the meatballs and kikiam and continue cooking over high heat for another 30 seconds. Pour in the chicken/pork broth and bring to a boil. Add the egg noodles and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with patis, salt and pepper. Add the celery. Pour in the beaten eggs in a thin stream, letting it set a little then stirring continuously. Add the cabbage and let simmer for 1 minute. Serve hot.

lumpia x 2 (lumpiang gulay recipe)

This morning, i cooked 2 kinds of lumpia for my daughter, Inna's party in school - lumpiang shanghai and lumpiang gulay. For some reason, she takes pride in sharing those home-cooked food with her friends and classmates.. This is not the first time she brought some for them. Each time she does, it's a "sold-out". Here is my super simple recipe for lumpiang gulay (i have posted my lumpiang shanghai recipe earlier)

Lumpiang gulay:

2 cubes tofu (use the firm kind)
2 lbs bean sprouts
1 large sweet potato (kamote) cut in strips
2 cups carrots- cut in strips
1/2 cup minced cilantro/kintsay (optional)
1 tbs salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp minced or crushed garlic
1 big onion, thinly sliced
spring onions - chopped
lumpia wrapper

saute the following in order:
onion, garlic, carrots , sweet potatoes, tofu
when carrots and sweet potatoes are half cooked, add the bean sprouts and spring onion, salt, black pepper, cilantro.

mix for 1 minute or less then turn off the stove. you dont want to overcook the bean sprouts

wrap in lumpia wrapper (as in picture)
deep fry until the lumpia is golden brown, strain excess oil.
serve with sweet and sour sauce or spiced vinegar.

Enjoy! :)

zon's ginataang halo halo

my sister, zon, whose family is now based in new zealand, is one of the best cooks in the family..her style is so practical and simple without sacrificing the taste of the finished product....i guess her almost 20 years in the food business paid off ( ~ being a Jollibee manager, although she finished a double degree in psychology). here is her ginatang halo halo recipe in her own words (remember, she was giving the instructions to me :) )

hatiin mo lang maliliit ang mga sangkap...kamote , saging, gabi, langka

bilugin ang bilo bilo...glutinous rice flour lang yon

pero isang kilo na kamote e madami na. damihan mo ang bilo bilo at sago

tapos, magboil ka ng mga 4 na cans ng coco cream with 4 baso ng water din

pag nakulo na, ilagay mo ang pinakamatigas na ingredient..gabi o taro ang 1st then, pag mejo malambot ng konti lang...ilagay mo na ang kamote, saging

pero kong nasa bote ang saging at langka e kahit kasabay na ng bilo bilo yon, meaning later pa.

pati maliliit na sago isama mo na rin.. ihahalo mo sa ginatan ang hilaw na maliliit na sago after ng gabi or kasabay ng kamote

halo ng halo para di dikit sa ilalim

pag mejo malapot, add more water.

lagyan mo na rin ng mga 1. 1/2 baso na sugar na white

pag lumutang na ang bilo bilo e oks na yan..

dapat di masyado malapot kasi habang tumatagal e lalapot pa yan kahit luto na

how to make bilobilo:

isang plastic ng gLUtinUos rice flour

lagay mo sa bowl, then lagyan mo ng water paUnti Unti para malaman mo pag dry e dagdagan mo ng gLUtinoUs rice floUr til mabilog mo yan....remember to use gLUtinoUs rice floUr and not rice floUr lang ha?

maglagay ka ng paunti unting glUtinoUs rice floUr sa bowl at lagyan mo ng paunti unting water till ok na mabilog mo...

dapat bago ka mag start magluto e gawa na ang bilo bilo mo sa tray..isa isa ang bilog

ang pagluto e sUnod sUnod lang at halo ng halo..

RECAP:

1st combine 4 cans coco cream, then 4 cans water...then let it boil...

add gabi, then, after 5 to 8 mins, kamote at sago naman,

dito na start ang halo ng halo pag me sago na...

pag malambot lambot na gabi e next na ang bilo bilo... at saging, langka, etc.

halo ng halo...then asukal na puti mga 1.5 c or 2 c...depends on how sweet you want it.

enjoy this sweet pinoy snack :)

my beef caldereta

my mom cooks the best caldereta. mine is just a simplified version of hers. but my youngest daughter, micky, loves it! here's how i do it :


1 kilo beef cubed
1/2 cup chicken liver, boiled and mashed
2 medium size red bell pepper, cut into 1” square
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese or feta cheese
1/2 tsp. ground peppercorns
2 medium size onion, chopped
1/2 head garlic, chopped
1 cup green olives
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp hot sauce
3 bay leaf
salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup raisins
2 large potatoes cubed
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 cup water.

all i do is put them all together in the slow cooker and cook high for 4-5 hours or until tender. mix from time to time and add water as needed.

the other way of doing it is saute the garlic, onions and beef (in that order) in olive oil. then add all the liquid and seasoning. when meat is already cooked, add the potatoes, olives, carrots, liver paste, cheese and raisins, etc. cook until meat is tender. add water as needed.

doughnuts ~ donuts ~ whatever

According to Wikipedia, a doughnut or donut ( /ˈdoʊnət/ or /ˈdoʊnʌt/) is a fried dough food and is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet (or occasionally savory) snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty outlets. They are usually sweet, deep-fried from a flour dough, and shaped in rings or flattened spheres that sometimes contain fillings. Other types of dough such as potato can also be used as well as other batters, and various toppings and flavorings are used for different types.

Donuts (yes, i prefer this spelling) have been a long time comfort food for me..it all started when i was in college. ....but as a kid, i hated them...i remember walking by dunkin donuts on mabini st near Malate Catholic School (my high school alma mater) and not a single time didn't i feel nauseated by the smell of the donuts... there were even times that i couldnt stand the thought of smelling THAT smell so i would choose to go around and walk an extra block to avoid the store. ...but things changed (i dont recall how and why) and i had a sudden change of heart toward this thing that, during college, i frequented this ordinary bakery in Baclaran (Phils) which sold the deep- fried, sugar-coated type ones....oh well, i didnt care if i had to walk half a kilometer more just to get those "ordinary" donuts... and now, after 20 + years, i still crave for and find comfort in this sweet...now, i'm so thankful that we have Krispy Kreme, Winchell's donuts and even those that are freshly sold in supermarket bakeries. ...at least twice a week, i would drop by Ralph's or Von's to get some for breakfast... and at least once a month, i would drop by Krispy Kreme or Winchell's to get a dozen or two for my family....oh and yes, the yummiest ones i've recently tasted were those that my co-worker, Tetet, would get on her way to work... she started getting me some (sugar-coated at 3 for $2 according to her) upon learning that i loved donuts.....thanks Tetet! ...now, stop wondering how i got this size haha!.....

I find donuts best consumed with black coffee....hmmnm.....yes, donuts and coffee, the unbeatable team! :)

Here is a recipe for donuts which i downloaded from the internet..nope, i haven't tried doing it but im posting one just for the sake of having a recipe in this write-up :

Doughnuts
1 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour (about)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
Fat (for deep-fat frying)

Sift together sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and flour.

Beat eggs thoroughly, then stir into dry ingredients. Add the milk and melted butter. Roll about 1/2 inch thick on a floured board and cut with a doughnut cutter. Fry several at a time in 375 degrees F fat until nicely browned. Drain on paper towels. Dust with granulated or confectioners' sugar.

Makes 24.

Ready to try making some? Let us, together!! :)

tarcs' kenji talong (eggplant)

my best friend, tarcs (rip), taught me this recipe. he said that it was his manang julie's and was named after a japanese friend named kenji.

2 large eggplants sliced 1cm thick

olive oil

3 tbs soy sauce

1/2 lb meat cut into small pcs (pork, beef or chicken)

2 tsps minced garlic

1 onion - sliced thinly

dash of black pepper

fry the meat in olive oil until crisp..then add in and saute the onions and garlic. add the eggplant slices. when cooked, pour in the soy sauce and black pepper. simmer for a few minutes.

enjoy tarcs' talong :)