August 31 - A Quick Fix Bacon and Cheese Roll

Kids do have a lot of school breaks. On top of several long weekends, there's the winter break in February, spring break in April, 8 weeks of summer break, Thanksgiving holiday , and Christmas break.

We normally go out of town and enjoy the outdoors during these school breaks. Now that the kids are bigger, we tried to stay in suites or timeshare units because these units have kitchens and living areas.

Holidays are more relaxing when the kids have their own space and we could eat our meals when we want them (not waiting in line at restaurants).

Bacon And Cheese Roll

Ingredients
1 Pillsbury Crusty French Loaf dough
1 package of bacon
6 tbsps shredded cheddar cheese

Cooking Time (45 minutes)

Fry the bacon and place on paper towel to drain excess fat.
Flatten the dough.
Sprinkle the dough with cheddar cheese.
Put the bacon strips in a single layer.
Carefully roll the dough.
Press the ends of the roll. Bake the roll in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

August 25 - Filipino Adobo Revisited

I am pretty sure that if a non-Filipino is familiar to some Filipino dishes, one of these dishes would be adobo. Adobo can be cooked with chicken or pork, or even both.

Although Filipinos can enjoy more ethnic and regional dishes, they would opt for adobo as a default dish to share in a potluck gathering simply because it's non-intimidating yet appetizing. It is best enjoyed with plain white rice and steamed vegetables.


Adobo (8 servings)

Ingredients:
2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into 1" cubes
1.5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce (preferably Silver Swan)
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/8 cup whole black peppercorns
1 tbsp brown sugar
5 bay leaves
1/4 cup olive oil







Preparation:
Mix the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, peppercorn, and brown sugar . Pour it over the meat pieces and marinade overnight.



Cooking Time: (1 hour)
Together with 1/4 cup of olive oil and 5 pieces of bay leaves, cook the meat pieces and the marinade in a large pan over medium to low heat for 55 minutes.
Turn to high heat for the last 5 minutes,to lightly brown the meat pieces.

August 24 - The Basic Taste of Shrimp Tempura

I had a chance to work in Japan for about a year. I learned to eat ramen from Kyushu, baby octopus sashimi from Osaka, tonkatsu from Ebisu, okanomiyaki from Shibuya, takoyaki and yakisoba from the street fairs of Tokyo.

Here in New Jersey, we regularly go to Mitsuwa supermarket in Edgewater.

My kids and husband would have their udon soup while I would have my ramen. The supermarket is very much like the supermarkets in Tokyo, bright and clean. I still opt to buy the regular Japanese foods and condiments, although they turn out more expensive when paying in dollars.

Kamameshi

Ingredients
4 cups of uncooked medium grain white rice
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 chicken bullion cubes
3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp sake
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp salt
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
1 medium carrot, minced
2 cups sweet peas
7 pieces shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 cups water

Preparation Time ( 1 hour)

Wash the rice and drain. Place in a large bowl and let it stand for 1 hour.

Cooking Time (40 minutes)

In a large pan, cook the chicken with the soy sauce, chicken bullion cubes, sugar, sake, mirin, salt, onion, and garlic for 10 minutes.

Add the rice and 4 cups of water.
Let it boil until almost all the liquid has dried up (about 10 minutes). Cover the pan and simmer for the next 20 minutes. Fluff the rice and serve.

Shrimp Tempura
Ingredients

1.5 lbs jumbo shrimps, shelled and deveined (about 20 counts)
2 eggs
1 cup cold water
2 cups flour
oil for deep frying

Preparation Time
Cut the tip of the shrimp tails.
Make a few cuts on the inside curve of the shrimp to prevent it from curling when fried.
Place the shrimp in a shallow dish in a single layer.
On a separate bowl, whisk the egg, flour and water together.

Cooking Time (15 minutes)
Dip the shrimp in the batter and deep-fry.
Place only 3 shrimps at a time to prevent them from sticking.
Turn the shrimp only once.
Fry for about 2 minutes or when the tempura is lightly browned.
Serve at once.

August 23 - The Yummy Jello

The kids decided to make their desserts too. Since the time they made their thirst quenching lemonade, they have baked chocolate chip cookies, brownies and made their own gelatin dessert.
The happiest guy in town is their Dad. Gelatin dessert is his favorite. In fact, it is one of his favorite birthday foods, growing up.

Gelatin Dessert

Ingredients

6 oz peach flavor Jello gelatin powder
1 medium can sliced peaches

or

6 oz strawberry flavor Jello gelatin powder
1 pint sliced strawberries (sweetened with 1 tbsp sugar)

2 cups boiling water
6 ice cubes

Cooking and Preparation Time (1 hour)
Boil 2 cups of water in a pot.

Pour the 6 oz gelatin powder and stir for 2 minutes until it dissolves completely.

Add 6 ice cubes.

Pour the mixture in a shallow glass pan.

Add the fruits.

Chill the gelatin in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Cut the gelatin and serve with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

August 23 - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Who would not want pasta and meatballs. Even my kids will gladly welcome a serving or two.

But there was a time that I could not even serve a simple marinara sauce to my kids. They did not like any colored things on their pasta. They would eat the pasta but pass on the sauce. As for me, I do not like meat on my pasta. I prefer the garlic and olive oil kind. So there were many dinners that I had to serve pasta in different ways and taste.

Recently, my kids have learned to like their pasta with marinara sauce. I serve it with meatballs on the side. That made our pasta dinner a little simpler.

Meatballs
Ingredients
3 lbs ground beef
2 cups 1% milk
2 cups Italian crumbs
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp pepper

Preparation
Mix all ingredients. Let it stay in the refrigerator overnight.

Cooking Time (1 hour)
Set the oven to 400 degrees. Make 15 big meatballs. Place the meatballs on an oven broiler pan (put water on the bottom pan) and bake for an hour.


Marinara Sauce

Ingredients
6 cups crushed tomatoes (or two 28 oz. cans)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 large onion, minced
1 large red sweet pepper, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp salt
6 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp minced fresh basil
2 tbsp minced fresh oregano
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley



Cooking Time (1 hour)
Put all the ingredients in a large pot. Cook in medium to low heat for an hour. If desired, use a handheld blender to puree the sauce before serving.

Serve with any kind of pasta (my kids like spaghetti and ziti). Serve with freshly ground pepper and parmesan cheese.

August 23 - Simply Crepes

We have grown to love French crepes.


There used to be this nice, cozy restaurant here in Hoboken, called Rue de Jardin. They served specialty crepes. The restaurant was next to a park where our kids hang out and play. We used to stop by Rue de Jardin for some crepes. My kids love the Nutella crepe. My husband will go for ham and cheese. And I will have my spinach and prosciutto.


While Rue de Jardin has closed, another crepe restaurant opened in Hoboken, called Crepe Grill. It became another hangout place for us, since it is near the soccer field where my kids play.

French Crepe



Ingredients (makes 8 servings)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 eggs
1 cup 1% milk
1 cup water
4 tbsp butter, melted
4 tbsp butter for cooking




Preparation (40 minutes)
Whisk all the ingredients together. Set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.


Cooking Time (30 minutes)
Heat 1/4 tsp butter in a large, fry pan, in medium to high heat. Using a soup ladle, pour batter in the pan. Cook the first side for 1 minute. Carefully flip the crepe. Cook the other side for 1 minute.

For a Nutella crepe, slide the crepe on a plate.
Spread 1 tbsp of Nutella on the crepe. Roll the crepe.


For a Ham and Cheese, when you have flipped the crepe on the other side, place 3 thin slices of Swiss Gruyere and 2 slices of ham. You may also use Prosciutto, instead of Ham. After another minute, slide the crepe on a plate. Roll the crepe.





When serving, sprinkle powdered sugar over the crepe. You may also serve it with whipped cream, sliced strawberries and cut honeydew.

August 22 - Fried Rice for Breakfast

While some people would prefer bread and cereals for breakfast, I think Asians prefer noodles and rice.

Back in the Philippines, we have grown to love garlic fried rice for breakfast. We fry the leftover rice from last night's dinner and eat it with eggs and meat (or salted fish). We call it with many names: tapsilog (cured beef, fried rice and egg), tusilog (cured pork, fried rice and egg), longsilog (sweet sausage, fried rice and egg). Si is short for sinangag, which is the Tagalog word for fried rice. Log is short for itlog, Tagalog word for egg.

So, whenever a Filipino becomes nostalgic (or homesick), one serving of Filipino fried rice for breakfast will surely warm the heart.

Garlic Fried Rice

Ingredients

6 cups leftover cooked white rice

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 thinly sliced Chinese sausage

1 tsp salt

Cooking Time (10 minutes)

Cook the Chinese sausage in a wok, in medium heat. Add the minced garlic and mix together. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the cooked white rice. Add the salt for seasoning.

Mango relish

Ingredients

1 cup diced grape tomatoes

3 cups diced (yellow) mangoes

1 tbsp minced chives

1 tsp sugar

dash of salt and pepper

1 lime, freshly squeezed

Preparation

Mix all ingredients together. You may chill the relish before serving.

August 21 - Thirst Quenching Lemonade

The whole family is into this "Fine Dining at Home" project that I started at home. Before we start eating our meal, Daniel and Cathelyn always ask me if I took pictures yet.

Cathelyn started writing her own recipes, too. After our dinner, she said that she wanted to use her own recipe to make dessert. Of course, they forgot to buy the ingredients when we went out grocery shopping. I told them that the only fruits I have in the fridge are 2 lemons. With those 2 lemons, they made their own lemonade.

To be honest, I am not into lemonades. I'd rather have pineapple or orange juice. But this lemonade my kids made was awesome. Let your kids try them at home, too!

Lemonade

Ingredients

Freshly squeezed juice from 2 lemons

1 cup of powdered sugar

1 tray of ice

1 cup of water

Pour all the ingredients in a blender. Whip for 5 minutes and serve.

August 21 - A Perfect Trio - Tandoori, Saag and Chapati

It's been a week since I started this "Fine Dining At Home" project. So I decided to make something challenging - Indian cuisine.

Once in a while, my colleagues and I go to Salaam Bombay in Downtown Manhattan for some Indian lunch buffet. The dishes are very tasty and appetizing that even if we feel full, we can't stop eating... until we get a taste of the desserts. To top it all, we still order mango lassi to go with our already heavy meal.

For me, to make an Indian dish is intimidating. It seems like it needs a lot of unknown herbs and seasonings before it could even taste authentic.

So I told my colleague that I would like to try some Indian dishes - Tandoori Chicken, Creamed Spinach (Saag) and Naan (she suggested chapati, instead). So I jotted down all her advice and tried to buy as much ingredients that day. She also gave me some Indian condiments from her house.

It was a lot of hard work for me. I made 3 dishes for dinner. I needed a lot of time, too. But to my delight, my husband and kids enjoyed the meal. My husband was surprised that I was able to cook these dishes. So am I...

Chapati

Ingredients
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tsp of salt
1 cup warm water

Preparation Time (2.10 hours)
Mix the 3 ingredients in a medium bowl to make a dough. Cover the bowl with a wet towel and let it stand for 2 hours. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. For each piece, roll it into a small ball and flatten it with a rolling pin (at least 8" in diameter)

Cooking Time: (30 minutes)
Heat an iron griddle. Grill the first side for 1 minute. Then grill the other side for another 2 minutes. While you are grilling the first side, prepare the next piece of flatbread.


Spinach with Tomatoes (Saag)
Ingredients
2 lbs baby spinach, sliced thinly
1/4 cup olive oil
4 shallots, minced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced chives
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
dash of nutmeg
dash of cumin
dash of coriander seeds

Cooking Time (1 hour)
Heat the olive oil in a large pan.
Add the shallots, garlic and chives. Cook until the shallots are caramelized.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the spinach., salt, and pepper.
Add a dash of nutmeg, cumin, and coriander seeds.
Cook until the spinach is wilted and the liquid is gone.



Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients
half pint of heavy cream
7 oz. low fat plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
.75 gram saffron
6 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp salt
1 whole chicken, cut-up into 10 pieces

Preparation
Mix the first 8 ingredients. Pour over the chicken pieces. Marinade the chicken overnight.

Cooking Time (30 minutes)
Grill the chicken in medium heat for 30 minutes, turning the chicken several times.

August 20 - Finger Lickin' Spare Ribs

One night, I was watching a show on where to find the best tasting, melt in your mouth, BBQ ribs in the U.S. It was interesting to watch how somebody's BBQ recipe could be nominated as one of the best in town. The common technique is the long, slow cooking that is needed to make the ribs tender, juicy and heavenly.


Ingredients (I tried my friend's recipe for this one, less the salt)
1 cup of soy sauce
1 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp ground pepper
2 lbs spare ribs (cut into pieces)
2 medium cans of Bush maple syrup flavored baked beans
3 ears of white sweet corn



Preparation

Mix the first 6 ingredients together.
Marinate the spare ribs overnight.


Cooking Time (3 hours)

Set the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the ribs in a roasting pan, in a single layer. Pour the marinade and cover the pan.
Bake for 3 hours.
In the last hour, bake the beans and the corn, too.
When serving, put 1/2 tsp of butter on the corn.

Sept 1, 2009 - We had our one week holiday in Split Rock Resort in Poconos, Pennsylvania. We were able to cook our BBQ (baby back) ribs using charcoal grill. We served it with grilled corn and vegetables. Yummy!

August 19 - Creme Brulee Never Fails

There is always a day (or two) that is designated as leftovers day. Well, today is that day. So instead of preparing another entree, I promised the kids that I will make a dessert.

Creme brulee is my favorite dessert when dining out. Is it the nice, crunchy caramel on top or the light, velvety cream inside that makes it a wonderful dessert? Not really sure...But all I know is that creme brulee is a good finale to a sumptuous (and heavy) dinner.

Although I started making it before dinner, the kids have to wait a little bit longer before they could have their dessert. But, it was worth the wait. They loved it. Once again, they gave me the two thumbs up!



Creme Brulee


Ingredients

9 egg yolks

3/4 cup refined white sugar (or powdered sugar)

6 tsp refined white sugar (or powdered sugar)

1 quart heavy cream




Preparation and Cooking Time

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of sugar.
Pour the cream into a saucepan over medium heat. Make sure that it does not boil. Let it simmer for 8 minutes.
Remove the cream from the heat. Pour it (really slowly) onto the egg mixture and whisk it.
Pour the custard in 12 (3-ounce) ramekins (small baking porcelain dish). The 3-ounce serving is good enough for a kid to finish.
Place the ramekins in a roasting pan with water.
Bake the custard for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, take out the custard from the oven and let it stand on your kitchen countertop for 15 minutes.
Chill the custard in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of powdered sugar on top of each custard. Using a kitchen torch, brown the sugar to form a crust.
Garnish the creme brulee with mint and serve with Nilla wafers.

August 18 - French Bistro Chicken

As much as French Cuisine is my favorite, I could not find a dish that is simple enough for my kids to appreciate. I chose French Bistro Chicken because it does not involve any rich cream as an ingredient (my husband is not a fan of white sauces) and I just need to bake it in the oven.

However, it took longer to cook this dish. Even if I love the artichokes and the exquisite taste of tarragon and vermouth, my kids and husband are new to these ingredients.

French Bistro Chicken

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces

4 shallots, peeled

2/3 cup dry vermouth

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp dried tarragon

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 package of frozen artichoke hearts

1 cup chicken broth

Cooking Time: (75 minutes)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.

3. Saute the chicken pieces (starting skin side down and turning) until lightly browned.

4. Transfer the chicken pieces to a large baking pan and arrange the pieces in single layer.

5. Add the shallots in the large skillet and saute until lightly browned.

6. Add the dry vermouth, lemon juice, and tarragon.

7. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Add the artichoke.

9. Pour this mixture on the chicken pieces in the baking pan.

10. Add the chicken stock in the skillet and boil until the broth is reduced in half. Pour over the chicken pieces.

11. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

August 17 - The Classic Taste of Pork Barbecue

One thing I like about Filipino get-together is being able to eat pork barbecue. Not a lot of Filipino restaurants in the U.S. could serve the authentic taste of pork barbecue.



Last Saturday, we went to a swimming get-together at my friend's house. It's a perfect summer afternoon so I requested my friend to cook barbecue. The barbecue was so delicious, and authentic (reminds me of my Mama's barbecue back in the Philippines), so much so, that the kids didn't mind lining up to get a freshly grilled bbq. I mentioned to her that I have a personal website about the "gourmet" food that I served to my kids and if she does not mind, I could post her recipe, too.

Full credit goes to my friend, Susan, for her recipe, and to her husband Jay, who enjoyed grilling the barbecue for us.



Here's the bbq marinade recipe (approximate)
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon
1 whole head of garlic, minced
1 tbsp catsup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Susan uses the marinade for pork tenderloins, spareribs, porkchops and chicken wings. She usually marinate the meat overnight. Thick meat cuts and chicken wings are baked in the marinade before being grilled to make it tender.

August 16 - Fish And Chips for Daniel

It is Sunday afternoon and I got an email from my friend Catherine. Her son Jacob is Daniel's best friend and they had moved to Arizona, a year ago.


Jacob must have seen the pictures of the recent meals that I have been serving to my kids and challenged his Mom to try out the recipes. He must be thinking that if Daniel can dare eat those meals, most likely, he can do it too. So Catherine asked me what my next dish will be.

It is a lazy Sunday afternoon...I thought I could get by with leftovers. But since my friend is curious what I will cook next (after all, I did a little bit of grocery shopping in Garden of Eden today), I decided to try Fish and Chips.

Daniel is not a seafood eater. Unlike his sister Cathelyn, who could pretty much try anything, Daniel has decided that he will not be a seafood eater.

One time, I even challenged him that for a seafood dish that he will try, he will receive $20. We went to our favorite Japanese Restaurant, Robonggi. Daniel got the $20 but only ate 2 pieces of shrimp sushi for 1 hour. Money is not even a good motivator.

So today, kids were hungry. They wanted their dinner. Fish and Chips. I did not see the normal long face that he puts on when he does not like the food I am serving him. Surprisingly, and of course, to my delight, he was the first one to clean up his plate.

I would say this version of Fish and Chips is safe for non-seafood eater kids like my son, Daniel.


Ingredients:

6 medium size Yukon potatoes (cut each spud into 8 big slabs like home fries)
1.5 lbs fillet of Wild Alaskan Cod, cut into 7 pieces
2 cups stone ground whole wheat flour, add 1 tbsp of baking powder (normally you use a self-rising flour)
some flour for dusting
1 can of beer
coarse sea salt
vegetable oil for deep frying












Preparation Time: (about 30 minutes)

1. Put the 2 cups of flour in a large shallow pan, together with a can of beer.
2. Put some flour for dusting in another shallow pan.
3. Place the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water with 1 tbsp of salt. Leave it there for about 30 minutes. Pat them dry.





Cooking Time: (30 minutes)

1. Heat enough vegetable oil in a deep fryer.
2. Fry 2 batches of potatoes. Cook each batch for 10 minutes. Set aside on a shallow dish with a paper towel to take out excess oil.
3. For each fish fillet, dust it with flour then dredge on the beer batter. Fry each fillet for 2 minutes on each side.
4. Serve with Tartar sauce or malt vinegar.

August 17 - I'll have Nasi Goreng and Beef Satay Please

We like dining out as a family. Trying out different kinds of dishes. In Hoboken, where we live, there is a good variety of restaurants. And good ones too. We have our favorite pizzeria, Grimaldi. Our favorite German sausages place, Helmer's. Our favorite sushi place, Robonggi. Our favorite pad thai at Sri Thai. Our favorite bubble tea and beef satay in Satay.



When we are in Satay (a Malaysian restaurant), my husband will order the same food, Beef Satay (Skewered beef) and Nasi Nenas (Pineapple rice).



I like Beef Satay, too. The first time I tasted it was 20 years ago in Singapore. Those were good Satay. I have tried making it at home but it is only now that I have perfected it.



At home, we make Nasi Goreng. This is a Indonesian staple in Holland. I have tried doing it from scratch, one time. But my mother-in-law regularly sends us seasoning mix for Nasi Goreng, that I decided to use the mix instead. The recipe below is how my husband cooked it for dinner. I would say, it is very delicious...

Nasi Goreng

Ingredients:

2 packages of Knorr Mix voor Nasi Speciaal

1 can of Spam (Luncheon Meat), minced

2 red sweet peppers, minced

4 medium sized shallots, minced

1 package of frozen sweet peas

9 cups of cooked jasmine rice

2 tbsp of butter

300 ml (10.1 oz) of water

Cooking Time: (30 minutes)

Cook 3 cups of Jasmine rice 1 day befor you plan to cook Nasi Goreng.

In a wok, heat 2 tbsp of butter. Add the minced shallots and saute until caramelized.

Add the red pepper and cook for 4 minutes.

Add the minced luncheon meat and sweet peas. Cook for another 4 minutes.

Pour 300 ml. of water with the 2 Nasi Goreng Mix packages. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the cooked Jasmine rice and mix well with the other ingredients.

Serve with peanut satay sauce. You may garnish with scrambled eggs (sliced thinly).

Beef Satay
Ingredients:
1 can of coconut milk (13.5 fl. oz)
2 tbsp. of fish sauce
1 tbsp of brown sugar
2 tbsp of soy sauce
1/2 tsp of group pepper
1 tsp of curry powder
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1.5 lbs of flank steak or beef sirloin cut in long flat strips (1" x 4")
(You may also use chicken or pork instead of beef)

Preparation Time: (1.5 hours)
Mix the first 7 ingredients.
Marinate the beef strips for at least an hour.
(If you have the time, marinate the beef strips overnight)
Insert skewer through the beef slices.

Cooking Time: (30 minutes)
Grill. Turn beef over several times during grilling.
You can also broil the beef in your over.
Beef should be slightly scorched when done.

August 15 - Pansit - A Default Filipino Dish to Share

This summer is relatively milder than the past summers that the kids have. Normally, we would have experienced a one week of heat wave (more than 100 degrees). But not this summer. We have more heavy rains (just like what you will have in Florida) than hot, humid and hazy days.

But today is one of those perfect summer days. It's sunny and 90 degrees at the most.

We are heading to our friends' house for a barbecue and swimming get-together.

I prepared my usual Filipino dish to share - Pansit.

Filipinos enjoy different kinds of pansit - pansit sotanghon, bihon, malabon, palabok and luglug.

My version of pansit is a crossover of sotanghon and bihon. I used Vermicilli noodles (noodles used for sotanghon) but my mixture is from bihon (since I do not use dried mushroom as an ingredient).

Pansit (good for 20 servings)

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (cut-up to 8 pieces)

4 pieces of Chinese style sausages

4 medium carrots (thin, long slices)

1/2 head of cabbage (shredded)

3 big cloves of garlic (minced)

1/4 cup of minced scallions

2 Knorr chicken bullion

1/2 cup of soy sauce

dash of ground pepper

Olive oil for cooking

1 tbsp of lemon juice

3 packages of 8.8 oz. Lungkow Vermicilli (soaked in lukewarm water for 10 minutes)

6 boiled eggs (sliced) for garnishing

Preparation Time (1.5 hours)

Boil the chicken pieces with 7 cups of water

and 2 Knorr chicken bullion over medium

heat for 1 hour.

This will make the chicken tender

and easier to shred.

Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.

Cooking Time (30 minutes)

Using a wok, saute the garlic in olive oil for 1 minute (be careful not to burn the garlic). Add the sliced Chinese style sausages. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the shredded carrots. Mix the ingredients and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and cabbage. Saute for 10 minutes. Add the scallions. Add some ground pepper and 1/4 cup of soy sauce. Take out from the wok and set aside.

Strain the chicken stock and pour it in the wok. Add 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of lemon juice and a dash of ground pepper. Bring it to a boil. Add the noodles and mix. Put cooked noodles in a serving dish. Top it with the chicken mixture. Garnish with sliced boiled eggs.

August 15 - Continental Breakfast with a Scandinavian Flair

They said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.



That is true for us only in the weekends.





We have a full (and heavy) breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays, since we wake much later and our weekends are pretty much laid back. Heavy breakfast consists of scrambled eggs

for my son and husband, fried eggs for me and
my daughter, warm bread, bacon or sausages,
some fruits, juice and coffee.


But today, I went for a continental breakfast with a Scandinavian flair.
The breakfast should have breads, pastries, cold cuts, cheese, and fruits.
Serve it with fruit juice and coffee.









I bought all my stuff from Fresh Direct (when I have a hectic schedule, I normally shop online).

Citterio Prosciutto for adults
French Bistro Ham for kids
blackberries
grapes
mini danish pastries
pecan and raisin rolls (parbaked, so you have to reheat it for 10 minutes at 400 degrees)
Swiss Gruyere cheese
a small portion of artisanal cheeses for the adults.

August 13 - Schnitzel for Dinner

My husband likes schnitzel. Or should I say, loves schnitzel. Yet, in our 10 years of marriage, I think I have only prepared it 3 times a year. Veal scallopini is not easy on our budget. So, this meal is something special for him.

I served the schnitzel with mini French green beans and plain white rice.

Simple Schnitzel (Good for 5 servings)

5 pieces of veal scallopini (less than a pound, 3 x 5'' thin slices)

2 cups of whole wheat flour

2 cups of Italian breadcrumbs

5 large farm eggs

Dash of coarse sea salt

Olive oil for cooking

Lemon wedges or lingonberry jam for serving

Boil 16 oz of mini French green beans (Haricots Verts) in 1 cup of water, 1 tsp of coarse sea salt and 2 tbsp of olive oil in medium heat.

Cook 3 cups of medium grain white rice.

Set your timer to 30 minutes.

Get 3 shallow dish. Put 2 cups of whole wheat flour in the first shallow dish.

Beat 5 large farm eggs, with a dash of salt, in the second shallow dish.

Put 2 cups of Italian breadcrumbs in the third shallow dish.

Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan.

Dredge the veal cutlet first in flour, then in egg, and third, in the breadcrumbs.

Do this procedure twice.

Fry the veal cutlet. Each side will take about 2 minutes. When you turn the veal on the other side, you may prepare the next veal cutlet.

Serve the schnitzel while it's warm. Place a schnitzel on a plate, with a handful of French green beans and 1/2 cup of cooked white rice. You may place a serving of lemon wedges and lingonberry jam.

Fine Dining at Home

I have two wonderful kids. Daniel is 9 years old. Cathelyn is 7.

This has been a busy summer for them. Together with the 13 year old cousin, Ruthie, they attended several sports day camps in Stevens Institute of Technology.

2 weeks of basketball, 2 weeks of soccer, 1 week of swimming and 2 weeks of tennis.

Although they come home tired, they still have enough energy to do their daily workbook assignments, watch t.v. and play Wii games.

Coming home from a full time work, I have one hour to cook dinner before thay start opening the cupboard for snacks.

As much as I want to cook easy meals for dinner, I always enjoy eating my meals a la fine dining. The ambience, the nice presentation and the eclectic food colors. To my surprise, my kids started to enjoy them, too. I started to get 2 thumbs up (and emply plates) from them.

This has inspired me to prepare different meals with international flair.

And an educational food adventure for my kids...