Heidi’s STUFF

Charlie dearly loves lechon kawali so I had to cook it again for the nth time! Anyway, it’s pretty easy, you just boil the big chunk of pork in water with salt, pepper and garlic until the meat is tender and then you deep fry the whole thing.

The only problem is that it can be battle between your skin and the oil that splatters once in a while!

Fried fish is very simple and easy.  All you need to do is just rub some salt on it before frying.  And serve it hot with steamed rice.  Voila!  A simple yet satisfying meal to serve for lunch or dinner.  Salted Eggs (usually called itlog na pula instead of itlog na maalat) go well with chopped tomatoes.  That’s the easiest salad there is.  And that’s what my hubby and I had for lunch today.  Easy yet filling and very tasty!  Oh, and I also prepared a dipping sauce for the fish which is composed of diced onion, soy sauce, vinegar, a dash of sugar and pepper.

This was our lunch today… Charlie cooked the Chicken (under my tutelage) while I took care of the veggies (we had fun cooking together! hope we could do it again soon)

For the Fried Chicken

you will need:

• 1/2 kilo chicken wings 
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1/2 tablespoon pepper
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 sachet of chicken breading
• 3 tablespoons of canola oil

Just boil the chicken with the all the ingredients except the breading.  Once half cooked, drain the broth and coat the chicken with the breading and then fry until golden brown.

For the Veggies

you will need:

• 1 sayote, peeled and sliced
• 100 grams string beans, cut into 2-inch portions
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• 125 grams ground pork
• 1 chicken cube

Saute garlic, onion and tomato with the ground pork.  Once the pork looses it’s pinkish color, add the water and the chicken cube and bring to a boil.  Add the sayote and string beans and simmer of a couple of minutes.

Serve these dishes with steamed rice and iced tea and you will surely enjoy a simple yet filling lunch!

This is what we had for lunch today.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Kilo Beef cubes (with soup bones)
• 1 large potato, peeled and quartered
• half a head of cabbage
• 100 grams baguio beans
• salt to taste
• about a liter of water

 Procedure:

Boil beef with a little salt.  Once the beef is tender, add the quartered potatoes.  After the potato gets soft, add the beans and cabbage, simmer for about two minutes.  Serve hot.

Pretty easy, huh?  well my husband loved it… like I said before, it’s the simple food that he likes best.

This is what we had for dinner… I didn’t go to the market or the grocery store last weekend so I had to make do with ingredients that were available at home to make dinner for me and hubby. (Mental Note: Go to the grocery tomorrow after church, to buy fresh supplies!!!)

I don’t know what this dish is called since, like I said, I had to make do with what was left in our refrigerator and pantry. Maybe there is a already a dish like this called something else but for now, I’m calling it Chicken Casserole. Oh, and although I am stating the amount I used when I cooked, I guess everyone is free to alter everything according to their taste…

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Kilo Chicken Wings
2 Bell Peppers, cut into strips
1 small pack tomato sauce
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
2 small potatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon fish sauce (patis)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup water
salt and pepper, to taste

PROCEDURE:
In a pan, saute garlic and onions in canola oil then add the chicken wings, salt, pepper and fish sauce then stir fry until the wings are half cooked. Add the bell peppers and 1 cup of water and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and let it simmer again until the potatoes get half cooked.

Then add the tomato sauce and simmer to completely cooke the potatoes and to reduce the sauce into a thick consistency.

There, it’s simple so you can make it in about 15 to 20 minutes. Very ideal for working housewives like me! Plus it can serve 2 to 4 people depending on how many helpings they get, hehehe! But since there was only me and hubby, there was enough leftover for hubby to bring to work tomorrow for his lunch.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 6 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon margarine
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated skimmed milk
• 1 tablespoon freeze-dried chives
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot. Add chicken, and cook 7 minutes on each side or until done; set aside, and keep warm.
2. Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Gradually add evaporated milk to flour mixture, stirring constantly. Stir in chives. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 3 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. Add feta cheese, and stir until cheese melts. Spoon cheese sauce over chicken

Ingredients:

• 8 Bell peppers, lg. for stuffing
• 3 tbsp. bacon grease
• ½ K ham cubes, chopped in food processor
• 1 c. Bell pepper, chopped
• 5 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 bunches green onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, pressed then minced
• 1 kilo ground beef
• 4 pcs. of loaf bread, soaked then torn in sm. pieces
• 1/2 tsp. thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 3 cans water
• Angel hair pasta
• Parmesan cheese

Pocedure:
Cut tops of Bell peppers off, clean out inside and wash. In very large pot filled with water, boil the Bell peppers for 20 minutes or until just tender- crisp. Do not over cook or the peppers will split up the sides. Drain peppers and set aside. In large deep saucepan, heat bacon grease. Add ham and cook for 5 minutes. Remove 2 tablespoons of Bell pepper, onion, celery, green pepper, onion, celery, green onions and garlic to ham and saute over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft and tender. Add meat, thyme, allspice, pepper and salt and cook, stirring occasionally until meat is brown and breaks apart, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Squeeze all water out of bread and tear into tiny pieces. Add this to mixture and stir well. Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove some the of meat mixture and set aside for gravy. Using remaining mixture, stuff Bell peppers and place in a deep baking dish.
Heat olive oil in deep saucepan and add Bell pepper, onion, celery, green onions and garlic which has been set aside. Saute until tender over medium heat. Add 4 cups meat mixture and stir well. Add tomato sauce and water. Cover, reduce heat to low-medium and cook for 30 minutes or until gravy becomes slightly thick. This gravy should not be as thick as regular red gravy. Pour gravy into baking dish with peppers. Make sure that you pour some of the gravy on top of each pepper. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 to 60 minutes or until Bell peppers are tender. To serve, place cooked angel hair pasta on plate. Spoon meat gravy onto pasta, place one pepper on individual plate with pasta and pass the Parmesan cheese.