Soft Taco

I wanted something different today. I wanted steak and mash potatoes, but then when i went to the grocery, the prices of the prime cuts made me decide to go for tacos instead :D

Ingredients:
garlic, onions and red bell pepper
1 kg lean ground beef
1/2 cup water
1 package McCormick taco seasoning mix
1 can 500g red chili beans
flour tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes


Preparation:

Meat Sauce:
1. Saute minced garlic, onions and red bell pepper.
2. Add in the ground meat and cook for about 10 minutes
3. Then add in the water and the taco mix. Simmer to desired reduction. When done, add in the chili beans.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Set aside.

Frying your soft tortillas:
1. Using a non stick pan, heat a tablespoon of oil.
2. Carefully lay flat on your pan one tortilla for about 5 secs, then flip over and cook the other side for about another 5 secs.
3. Remove it from the pan, blot the oil and sprinkle salt.

Filling up the taco:
Layer lettuce over the tortilla, fill with meat-chili beans mixture over the lettuce and top with fresh chopped tomatoes and grated cheese, and roll it shut.

Note: The same meat-chili beans mixture and toppings is used in hard shell tacos and nacho salad. However for plain nachos, you can use the same meat mixture and toppings, minus the lettuce.

Beef Teppanyaki - Carla's style

I was craving for sukiyaki for dinner, but then again, the prep time is way to long and not to mention some of the ingredients are hard to find (and expensive too). So the next best thing? Teppanyaki!

Ingredients:
250g Aussie beef (sirloin, cut into cubes)
bean sprout
garlic, onions, green bell pepper
kikoman soy sauce (i like the taste of brewed soy sauce)
sesame oil
pepper and sugar substitute
red wine (since i do not have sake or mirin)
cooking oil

Preparations:

1. Marinate the beef in 2 tablespoons kikoman soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, black pepper, a packet sugar substitute (1 tablespoon equivalent) and 1/4 cup of red wine at least an hour (or more for more flavour).
2. In a skillet, heat about a tablespoon of oil and pan fry beef quickly (since you wouldn't want to overcook it) and set aside.
3. In a another pan, saute minced garlic,chopped onion rings and the julienne green bell pepper, and finally add the bean sprouts.
4. Season with salt and pepper and serve as side dish to the meat

Note: Teppanyaki has a dipping sauce, which i opted to make do without

My Meaty Lasagna

Today I decided to take advantage of the kitchen and perfect my lasagna cooking skills. I wanted to make that type of lasagna you see at those food magazines wherein you can clearly see the different layers - that meaty red sauce, the cheesy white sauce, the lasagna layer. However, epic phail!

I have been cooking lasagna for two years now, but this is my second attempt at perfection. Never really bothered much with it, as long as the taste is perfect :D Anyways, It might not be a food magazine picture perfect material, but i can assure you this taste deli... wait for it... cious! :D


Ingredients:
1 kg ground lean pork
1/8 kg ground liver
garlic, onions, bell pepper
salt, pepper, substitute sugar
750g tomato sauce
150g tomato paste
water
500g quickmelt cheese
2 cups low fat milk
butter and flour
Lasagna sheets (I use the San Remo Instant Lasagna, because it requires no precooking to use)

Directions:
Meat Sauce:
1. Saute minced garlic, onions and red bell pepper.
2. Add in the ground meat and cook for about 10 minutes, then add in the ground liver and cook for another 10.
3. Add two to three cups of water, tomato paste and tomato sauce. Simmer to desired reduction.
4. Season with salt, pepper and substitute sugar to taste (my sister likes it sweet)

Cheese sauce (Classic cheese sauce begins with a bechamel sauce, a simple sauce made of butter, flour, milk, and a few seasonings):
1. Measure out equal amounts of butter and flour (1 tablespoon each)
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once melted, begin whisking in the flour. When all the flour is incorporated, continue stirring and cooking for a few minutes to activate the starch granules.
3. Keeping the heat low, add in the milk. Whisk the mixture until smooth, then add salt and pepper
4. On low heat, add grated cheese into it.

Baking the lasagna:
In a baking pan, alternate meat sauce, cheese sauce, lasagna sheet. Make about three layers. Cover the last layer with cheese sauce and top with grated cheese. Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove cover and bake for another 5 minutes.

Sizzling Beef Salpicao

Its been ages since i cooked salpicao and so, quirk of the moment, i headed out to buy the meat. Its really E A S Y and quick to make and a whole lotta delicious! You can never go wrong with salpicao (well, unless you overcook the beef)

Ingredients:
250 grams aussie beef (tenderloin, cut into chunk cubes)
garlic (minced)
Pinch of salt & pepper
Pinch of paprika
Lee & Perins worcestershire sauce
soy sauce
butter
sliced bottom mushroom
crunchy garlic (as toppings)

Preparations:

1. In a bowl marinate beef in salt & pepper, garlic and paprika for about an hour (or more for more flavour)
2. In a sizzling plate, heat oil in very high heat.
3. Put in beef and all marinade ingredients and toss very swiftly keeping the heat very high.
4. Add in the worcestershire sauce and sliced mushroom while tossing.
5. Finish with butter, sliced mushroom.
6. Garnish with crunchy garlic.

Loooooooove it!

Crunchy Chicken Adobo Flakes

We had left over adobo. Okay, "leftover" is an injustice. I really made adobo not for adobo's sake, but for adobo flakes! ^_^

Ingredients:
8 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)

2 cups light soy sauce

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water

10 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tbsp. whole peppercorns

4 bayleaves

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 tbsp. oil

Preparations:
1. Marinate the chicken in the soy sauce-vinegar-water- with garlic, bay leaf and pepper for an hour (or more if you want it flavourful).
2. Simmer it covered for about 45 minutes. Check you chicken once in a while making sure that all of the pieces spend some time submerged in the simmering marinade.

3. Simmer till a lot of reduction or till the meat readily falls off the bones.

(Note: At this point, your chicken adobo is done. If you decide to eat some, its okay. I find abodo flakes is easier to cooked when cooled and flavourful if a day older. Just don't consume all that flavourful sauce. Save some of the sauce for your adobo flakes! :)

4. Remove the meat from the bones.

5. Add the chicken meat in the left over sauce and boil it dry. By this time, the meat is tender enough to break up. Constantly stir and shred the meat using the spatula. Set aside.
6. In a non-stick pan, saute the minced garlic in about a tablespoon of oil until brown. Add the chicken and stir till the flakes and the garlic is dry and crisp.

Cheesesteak sandwich - Carla's style

I am tired of eating rice. Seriously, rice taste bland. So i decided to scourge the net and look for something other than burgers, or my cold cut sandwich. I found something I know I would love. After all it got all the flavours I love, mushroom, onions, bell pepper and cheese!

Ingredients:

1/3 kg beef (sukiyaki)
3 to 4 tablespoons oil
bell pepper
sliced buttom mushrooms
salt and pepper
Cheez whiz
mini French baguette

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in non-stick pan over medium heat.
2. Saute onions and bell pepper in the hot skillet until just tender; remove and set aside.
3. Add sliced beef and mushroom; sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute quickly (you'd want them tender)
   
4. Split open the baguettes and to make everything fit snugly in, i usually carve the baguettes ( I popped the breads into the oven toaster because i want them crunchy)
5. Remove the bread, place onions, bell pepper and sliced beef and mushrooms on the roll. Spoon melted cheese

Basic French Toast

We're hungry and we're looking for something to snack on. However, we didn't do our grocery shopping yet so the fridge is pretty much empty, except for a slab of butter, a box of cereals, a box of cello's donuts (yummy!), a cartoon of milk, pancake syrup, bread and some canned goods.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
a sachet of substitute sugar
salt and pepper
1/2 cup milk
4 slices wholewheat sugarfree bread (this was what we got)
butter
maple syrup

Preparation:

1. Break eggs into a wide, shallow bowl; beat lightly with a fork. Stir in salt and pepper, and milk.
2. Over medium-low heat, heat griddle or skillet coated with a thin layer of butter or margarine.
3. Place the bread slices, one at a time, into the bowl or plate, letting slices soak up egg mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side. (Note: Soak/coat as many slices as you will be cooking at one time)
4. Transfer bread slices to griddle or skillet, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side.
5. Serve French toast hot with butter and syrup (and for added effect, i sprinkled the sugar substitute on the toast as well)
   

Carla's Fried Rice

We had leftover rice from last night and that's because i deliberately cook enough to last me and Camille one day (mga tamad kasi). However, we ended up eating sandwiches instead.

Anyways, since we woke up late, I decided to cook up some brunch with whatever we got in the fridge. I remembered mamil saying she loved chowking's chao fan, so I decided to make my version of beef chao fan.

Ingredients:
cold cooked rice
ground beef
egg
garlic, onions and bell pepper
salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce
hot sauce
butter

Preparation:

1. On a non-stick pan, heat a half tablespoon of butter.
2. Whisked 1 egg, added salt and pepper to taste
3. Scrambled them to shreds and set them aside on a plate
   
4. On the same pan, heat a tablespoon of butter
   
5. Saute minced garlic, onions and strips of bell pepper
6. Add the ground beef (since i was cooking for two, i added only a handful) and cooked it for about 5 minutes.
7. Add 2 cups of rice and saute again
8. Add the eggs, then season to taste - a dash of hot sauce, a few dashes of worcestershire sauce, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Microwave brownies

I resigned from work last June 26. Now i am enjoying doing nothing; just busy being a bum. I really have nothing to do and i rarely go out these days too. I blame it on this condo unit. You see, it has a kitchen with an oven!!! (and cable and internet). :D

Anyways, i was so bored so i decided to head out and go to unimart. I was actually aimlessly strolling around the grocery wondering what to buy when i ended up on the pancakes and brownies section. Hmmmm...

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup coco powder
1/2 cup substitute sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Melt butter in a pan on a low flame and cool. Add the sugar and stir well to combine.
2. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and coco powder then add it to the butter mixture. Mix them well.
3. Add the eggs, keep mixing until smooth.
4. Add the vanilla and mix well.
5. Put the mixture into the microwave safe 8" square bowl and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes.
6. (but better bake it for 3 and a half minutes first and check wita tooth pick before you continue, since it might be cook already)

(So much for the oven. When I finally returned to the pad, I actually got lazy and decided to do a microwave brownie. Its really fast and easy eh. Hehe.)