grilled ham and cheese sandwich

this is is our dinner for tonight as per k's request of a light meal since we had a heavy lunch. simple and quick.

i grilled the sliced bread. spread some mayonnaise. placed a lettuce leaf, then a slice of cheese, then panfried ham slice, then cucumber and tomato slices. then put some ketchup and hot sauce. ready in a few minutes.

grilled chicken quesadilla

got to consume the remaining chicken breast from the freezer and the 2 remaining flour tortillas in the refrigerator. i wanted something else beside wraps and i remembered this flour tortilla used just like pizza with toppings. since i have 2 flour tortillas, i decided to make quesadilla instead.

ingredients:
chicken breast
tomato, sliced
onion, sliced
bell pepper, sliced
button mushroom, sliced
mozarella cheese, grated
flour tortillas
tomato sauce

procedure:
season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and then grill until cooked. slice into strips and set aside.

in the same griddle, place 1 tortilla then spread tomato sauce. then top with the chicken, tomato, onion, bell pepper, mushroom and cheese. then place the other tortilla on top.

grill for1 more minute. then slowly, flip over to grill the top tortilla.

• • • • • • •

i later found out that you can also pan-fry the tortilla instead of grilling it.

pork empanada

at last, i was able to cook empanada. i've been wanting to cook empanada for quite some time now, i just didn't have the guts. i was afraid of failing or it might not taste well or it might not turn out right or just spoil everything. but i found this empanada recipe in a multiply site, measuring life with love. i used her pastry dough recipe while i made my own filling.

last month i went to daiso and i saw this dumpling maker and pizza cutter. i bought it right away thinking that it would be useful for me. i thought of trying it in making empanada. my empanada turned out to be a smaller version, a dumpling size version. k can eat it at one time or as for me, i had it at 2 bites. hehehe...

ingredients:
for the pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup refined sugar
1/4 cup water
2 eggs

for the filling:
2/3 cup ground pork, seasoned with salt and pepper
2/3 cup frozen shrimp, thawed and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 carrot, diced
4 pcs. prune, diced¹
1 cup green peas
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 egg, hardboiled and sliced
cheese, sliced into strips

procedure:
for the pastry:
mix all ingredients together (using your hand, mixer, food processor or fork) and knead until smooth to touch and gathers together into a ball. wrap in cling plastic wrap. let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

for the filling:
in a wok heat oil, cook the shrimp for 2 minutes, drain and set aside.

using the same wok cook the ground pork until brown. add the onion and garlic and continue cooking until aromatic.

add the carrot, prune and green peas. mix well.

add the soysauce and season with salt and pepper according to your taste.

put back the cooked shrimp and mix until well combined. cool down before using for the filling.

to assemble:
divide the pastry dough using a knife into 36 pcs. (24 if you intend to make 4" diameter empanada, mine depended on the size of my dumpling maker).

roll each piece 1/8" thick on a floured board. then put over the dumpling maker. make sure that the pastry dough is slightly larger than the dumpling maker.

put a teaspoonful of filling on the center. arranged an egg slice and cheese on top. slowly fold the dumpling maker and then press a bit firmly to seal the edges. open carefully halfway and take out your empanada. repeat until you finished all.

deep fry in a hot oil for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or just until golden brown in color (i set a timer as i deep fried my empanada and it turned out to be just between 1-1/2 to minutes).

• • • • • • •

¹ i used prunes since i didn't have raisins.

kamote roll with chocolate drizzle

last week i had kamotecue and i still have 1 more kamote remaining. i wanted to boil it and dip it in ginamos but we didn't have ginamos at home. i miss that afternoon snack so much and along with the other snacks that i always enjoyed eating when i was still in the philippines.

so i decided to try something else. i still boiled it. i mashed it and put aome cinnamon powder and cheese. mixed well. then wrap a tablespoonful of the mixture using lumpia wrapper. rolled the same way i rolled lumpia. then dredge in eggwhite and then in dessicated coconut and deep fry until golden brown. drain excess oil in a paper towel. then arranged in a plate and drizzled some melted bittersweet chocolate (i melted some bittersweet chocolate chips in a microvawe then mixed with a little fresh milk).

i was excited to try but had to wait for a few more minutes to cool it down or else i will burn my tongue with the hot filling. hehehe... then when i finally ate it... mmmmmm... quite good and satisfying. the wrapper didn't turned out crispy as that of the lumpia as i imagined it would be; instead, it was soft and chewy with the filling. the kamote taste was not empowered by the cinnamon or cheese although you can still staste them. overall, i enjoyed it.

grilled chicken wrap

this was as per k's request of a light dinner every evening... he's dieting... trying to loose weight. hehehe... as for me, i also liked it this way. i don't like to sleep with heavy tummy even if i'm 7 months preggy already. i think i can sleep better if i eat lighter. hehehe...

i was eager to buy a grill pan so that i could grill even inside the house and it has been a while since i was craving to buy one. now that i owned a grill pan (thanks to k), i was so excited to try it with the grilled chicken wrap, or fajitas, or sandwich...

this is simple to make without any complications or special sauce. this is good for 2 persons.

ingredients:
1 chicken breast, sliced into 2
salt and pepper
cumin
1 tomato, seeded and sliced
1 cucumber, sliced into thin strips
1 small white onion, sliced thinly
cheddar cheese, sliced thinly
4 leaves, romaine lettuce¹
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 pcs. flour tortillas

procedure:
season chicken with salt, pepper and cumin. rest for a few minutes.

mix the mayonnasie and lemon juice. set aside.

heat grill pan and coat with a little oil. grill chicken until cooked. rest for a few minutes before slicing into thin pieces. set aside.

grill the flour tortillas both sides just until heated and you could see the grill marks.

assemble: line a cutting board with foil/wax paper. lay a flour tortilla. spread with mayonnaise-lemon mixture. then lay 1 lettuce leaves on the center (horizontally). put the grilled chicken slices on over the lettuce leaves. then put tomato, cucumber, onion and cheese on top. top with another lettuce leaves. fold bottom of the flour tortilla to the center, the top to the center and the right side to the center. then wrap with the foil/wax paper until secured.

enjoy...

banatella sandwich

m was playing non-stop today. he got hungry and asked me to make him a sandwich since he said that he's not hungry with rice and viand yet. hehehe... so i made him banatella sandwich.

how to prepare: spread some nutella spread over the two slices of bread. then lay some sliced bananas over the first bread. then cover with the other bread. done.

m enjoyed it well with his very cold favorite strawberry milk.

xoxo

pork enchiladas

a light dinner for the three of us tonight. my version of enchiladas. i didn't have any exact ingredients in mind except for the ground pork i have in the freezer. so, as i looked around and inside the refrigerator, i saw these ingredients that ends up a filling with the ground pork.

sorry, no exact measurements for this. as for the filling, i sauted onion and garlic until fragrant and then add in the ground pork; cooked it until pork was golden brown and a bit crunchy. then i added diced bell pepper, corn kernels and shreded cabbage. seasoned with salt and pepper. set aside to cool a little bit.

while preheating the oven to the lowest temperature (mine was 230°C), i laid a slice of flour tortilla on a plate and spread tomato sauce over it. put filling and slices of cheddar cheese on top. then rolled. then placed the rolled tortilla on a baking dish, seam side down. with the filling i cooked, i was able to make 3 tortilla wraps and just good for my baking dish.

after my 3 tortilla wraps are placed on the baking dish, i poured tomato sauce on top and spread with mozarella cheese. baked for 15-25 minutes or until the cheese melted and the tomato sauce bubbled.

note: i believed that home made tomato sauce is always better than the store bought ones. and when time allows me, i'll definitely make this one or another enchiladas using homemade tomato sauce. thanks to miss connie for sharing this wonderful homemade tomato sauce recipe.

chiken frank pastry puff

i was looking for molo wrapper in the supermarket when i saw this package of pastry puff. i'm not exactly sure how to use it even if there's direction at the back of the package. it’s like ready-made pastry dough, you just have to put your desired filling and bake in the oven and it’s done.

m didn’t eat his baon at school since a classmate celebrated his/her birthday and they were treated with spaghetti. so his chicken frank was neglected. this was what i used in filling my pastry puff. i rolled the pastry puff dough in a slightly floured surface as to my prefered thickness. then i cut 2" x 2" square. placed the chicken frank diagonally at the center. fold the opposite corners together to meet at the center. pinch a bit to secure. brushed with eggwash. placed in a foil lined baking sheet. first baked in a preheated 230°C oven for 20 minutes but when i took it out of the oven, it's not nicely browned yat. so i placed it back into the oven for another 10 minutes.

it went out well for the first time user. maybe tomorrow i’ll try pizza filling on my pastry puff… why not? hehehe…

• • • • • • •

have a nice day pipol...

fruit pockets

i saw this recipe in a foodblog no special effects and got interested in making his pineapple galette. But intead of making it look like his, I thought of making pie pockets instead. Hehehe…

the dough i used was the same with the apple pie crust i found at pinoycook. i made 3 different fruit pockets, 2 for pineapple (the square); 2 for peaches (with the round edges); and 1 for apple (the long one). it’s like pie made into pockets. i brushed the top with eggwash and prick with fork; and secure the edges just like the empanada way.

the first thing i did was to prepare the crust; cut 1/2 cup of butter into very small pieces. place the butter in a large mixing bowl and add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. mix with your hands, rubbing the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

pour in iced water (water with pieces of ice in it) little by little, about a tablespoonful of so at a time, while stirring the dough lightly. when the dough starts to stick together, you’ve poured in enough water. gather the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge (an hour would make it even easier to roll out).

while chilling the dough, i then prepared the fruits i'll be filling the dough with. i sliced the pineapple into thin strips, the peaches into thin wedges, and the apple into thin slices. i also prepared the cinnamon powder and brown sugar. at the same time prepared 1 beaten egg with a little water for the eggwash.

take out the dough from the fridge and place on a sheet of baking paper. flatten slightly with your hand. place another sheet of baking paper over it and roll from the center outward with light smooth strokes until the dough is about 1/8 of an inch thick.

i made 5 rectangles from the flattened dough and placed each fruit in one side making sure i still have some space around to be able to seal the dough. then sprinkle cinnamon powder and brown sugar. then i fold the other half to meet the ends and using the back of the fork, i pressed the sides of the dough to secure it. then i brushed eggwash on the top of the dough and pricked the top with the fork to create steam vents. i placed it in a baking tray lined with wax paper and baked in a preheated oven at 230°C (the lowest my oven can get) for 45-60 minutes, or just until the pastry is nicely browned.

amongst the 3, i most like the apple pocket. i intend to make apple pockets in the future or perhaps make some combination just like the ones in mcdonalds. hehehe…

pork giniling chicken frank bread pizza

i was craving for pizza one saturday afternoon but k said “no” this time. he said that i’m already big and i seemed to make it a habit to eat pizza on weekend. hahaha… but i wanted to eat pizza!!!

i saw 3 sliced bread on the table and i started looking for tomato sauce and something to top my pizza with. i found chicken franks, mozzarella cheese, spaghetti sauce, and ground pork. so, i decided to make my bread pizza. i just added bell pepper and onion.

very simple:
preheat oven to 230°C (it's the lowest my oven can get).

place the sliced bread or any bread of your choice on a baking sheet lined with foil. spread some tomato sauce (i used spaghetti sauce - more flavor).

topped with cooked sliced chicken franks, cooked ground pork, sliced bell pepper, sliced tomato and sliced onion (you can choose your own toppings).

sprinkle mozarella cheese on top.

bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts.

i had it with tabasco sauce... hot, spicy and yummy...

craving… satisfied… hehehe… even k was able to eat a slice… only 1 slice and 2 for me. he said it was yummy and he wished there were still plenty of sliced bread left. hahaha… he wished…
i’ll try other variations next time and i’ll try using french bread or bagels.

pork-veggie wrap

k wanted a light dinner (to loose weight... hehehe).

instead of the usual burger or sandwich, i prepared a wrapped dish. i made the flour tortilla and baked some pork belly. then wrapped the pork belly together with lettuce, onion, tomato, cucumber and grated cheese (for me only). with the tabasco sauce on the side... mmmmm... 2 thumbs up from the one who requested.

for the pork-veggie wrap:
ingredients:
2 pork belly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
4 lettuce leaves
1 tomato, sliced
1 small white onion, sliced
1 cucumber, cut into strips
cheddar cheese, grated
2 flour tortillas

procedure:
preheat oven to the 230°C.

boil pork belly with garlic, salt and pepper until tender. drain and cool at room temperature.

lay each slice in a baking sheet/tray and grill for 5-7 minutes on each side or until golden brown and skin is crispy. drain excess oil on paper towel. chopped. set aside.

to assemble:
heat flour tortilla on both sides for 1 minute. lay on a plate lined with wax paper or foil.

arrange 2 lettuce leaves. then put aome chopped pork belly. arranged a layer of tomato, onion and cucumber. then top with grated cheese.

fold the flour tortilla. fold the bottom to the center, the top to the center, and the right side to the center. wrap with the wax paper or foil to secure the wrap.

• • • • • • •

since i didn't have flour tortillas at home, i tried to search the net for easy recipe and found this. it's easy, just needed some strength to roll it into thin circles.

for the flour tortilla (makes 10 pcs.):
ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of sugar (optional)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (more for softer tortillas)
1 cup water

procedure:
mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and oil. add water and mix with hands. divide into 10 small balls. roll each flat with rolling pin and cook on very hot ungreased griddle¹ until lightly brown on each side.

• • • • • • •

¹ i just cooked it using frying pan.

homemade burger patty

category: snack
servings: makes 8 patties.

since i've been making homemade dishes lately, i decided to make burger patties as well. while i was making lumpia, i reseved some to make into patties.

this is much better than that of the fast food burger patties since the patties are also loaded with vegetables like carrots and potatoes. however, you can also add cabbage or bean sprouts if you like.


for my burger patty i used the recipe from my lumpiang shanghai entry minus the shrimp.

ingredients:
1/2 cup ground pork
1 large carrot, shredded
1 medium potato, shredded
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 spring onion, diced
1 egg
salt and pepper
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
wax papers

procedure:
just mixed all the ingredients except the wax paper. combine well using your hand. take about 2 tbsp. of the meat mixture and roll into a ball using your palm. place the ball shaped mixture in the center of a 4''x4'' wax paper. cover with another wasx paper and press using your palm until about 1/4'' thick. freeze until ready to use. no need to thaw to cook. just take out the wax paper linings and pan fry with a little oil or grill in a grill pan.

there are so many ways to assemble a burger and this is how i prepare ours:
1- i sliced the burger bun in half then since i don't have a grill pan, i just placed them on a hot skillet over fire to brown them. turn to brown the other side. i used sandwhich spread instead of mayonnaise for more flavor. i put spread on both the buns.

2- on the bottom half of the bun, i placed lettuce leaves.

3- then the cheese slice for me and makuy. no cheese for kim since he's not a cheesy person.

4- on top of the cheese is the cooked burger patty. just take off the wax paper linings then fry in a pan until brown with a little oil. it's even much better if you grill them.

5- put the tomato slices.

6- lastly, the cucumber slices. then cover with the top half of the bun.

mango roll

category: dessert, snacks
serving: serves 1

i just had this idea to try rolling the mango strips using sliced bread... it's a nice pair with the fruit salad i made a few days ago (i will have to make another salad entry, not this salad :p).

the bread that i used was not that good to use since it broke while i roll it. unlike the bread that i used with the hotdog roll.

i just cut a ripe mango into strips and set it aside while i flatten the sliced bread. i cut the edges of the sliced bread and using a rolling pin, flatten each bread slices. then at the end of each bread, i placed a few mango slices and roll to close. then i dipped the rolled bread into the beaten egg then dredged with breadcrumbs. then deep-fry until golden brown. drain on paper towels and serve while hot.

:)

egg-cheese bun

this is what i want for breakfast and anytime-of-the-day snacks. at the same time, kim and makuy could also have this on their snack packs. today, kim and i had this for breakfast while makuy had his cereal and milk. kim's bun doesn't have cheese since he's not a cheese person. and i used sandwhich spread for that pickle-lish taste but you can always use mayonnaise. you can also add ketchup or hot sauce as for kim. i had scrambled egg for my bun. next time i'll exert extra effort in making a homemade patty for my burger buns. :p

ingredients:
1 burger bun
1 tbsp. sandwhich spread
1 lettuce leaf, sliced
1 cheese slice
1 egg, scrambled
2 thin slices large tomato
4 thin slices medium cucumber

how to assemble:
slice the burger bun.

put sandwhich spread on your bun.

on the bottom part of the burger bun, arranged the lettuce leaves, cheese, scrambled egg, tomato and cucumber slices. cover the top portion of the bun

enjoy. :p

hotdog roll

category: dessert, snacks
serving: 2

since i'm pregnant and i'm avoiding to eat hotdogs, but we still have hotdog in the freezer. what to do? cook something for makuy's snacks this afternoon. instead of just cooking it plain, i rolled it using sliced bread. it's okay with makuy but he likes it more with cheese inside though. next time but i don't think i'll be using hotdogs again. maybe i'll try another alternative so that i could eat as well. ;)


ingredients:
4 pcs. hotdogs
4 pcs. sliced bread
1 egg, beaten
breadcrumbs
oil for deep frying

procedure:
heat oil.

cut the edges of the sliced bread. using a rolling pin, flatten the bread.

put one hotdog at the bottom of the bread then roll until almost near the edge.

wet the edges with the egg then roll to close.

dredge with the egg then roll over the breadcrumbs until fully coated including the sides.

deep fry for 3 minutes or until goden brown.

drain in paper towel. sliced to bite-size pcs.