Halayang Ube (Purple Yam Jam)

My hubby and I went to the market the other day. We bought some veggies, meat, fish and fruits. I happened to see ube and I bought 1 1/4 kilo. I cooked it today and we ate it as a dessert after our meal. It was so yummy. I miss eating ube while I was in Texas. Its been more than 5 years. I used to cook this recipe before. Now I cooked it again. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 kilo ube yam root
1 can (14 ounces) evaporated milk
2 cans (12 ounces) condensed milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

1. On a pot, boil the unpeeled ube yam in water and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and let cool.
2. Peel and finely grate the ube yam.
3. Heat a big wok in medium heat.
4. Melt butter or margarine, add the condensed milk and vanilla flavoring. Mix well.
5. Add the 1 kilo grated ube yam,
6. Adjust the heat to low
7. Keep on mixing the ingredients for about 30 minutes or until sticky and a bit dry (but still moist).
8. Add the evaporated milk and continue to mix for another 15 minutes.
9. Let cool and place on a large platter.
10. Refrigerate before serving the halayang ube.

Cooking Tips:

You may spread additional butter or margarine on top of the jam before serving.
For the sweet toothed, sprinkle a little sugar on top of the jam after placing on the large platter.
Instead of manually grating the ube, you may cut it in cubes and use a blender to powderize the ube.

Spinach and Mushroom Stir Fry

Spinach leaves are very cheap in Baguio City when we were there. It was only P15 for a big bundle. I was really surprise how cheap t was! It's so expensive in Texas that I can hardly afford it. In Baguio I can afford to buy even 2 or more bundles but I only bought one bundle because we can't eat it all. Here's a good recipe using spinach. Mushroom is one of my favorites and mixing it together results in a yummy recipe.

Ingredients

2 tbsps peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
10 oz baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cubed
1 tsp fish sauce
Procedure

In a wide skillet, heat oil. If using dried mushrooms, soak according to package directions.
Saute garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes until aromatic, around 30 seconds.

Add bell pepper and mushrooms. Stir-fry for around 2 minutes.

Add spinach and fish sauce. Continue to stir-fry until spinach leaves are wilted, around 1 to 2 minutes.

Makes 4 Servings

Enjoying The Foods

I already gained weight for the past one month since we came back here in my homeland. We've been eating fresh veggies and fish and every time we eat, it's like we're having a picnic. My 2 younger brothers and their family were always with us eating. It gave me more appetite to eat because the foods that I've been craving to eat were served in the table most of the time. My hubby had gained weight too. Oh well, God is good and life is a gift so we have to enjoy the foods while they are there. Thank you Lord for your provisions.

Fish Burgers

I do love fish very much. My hubby does too but he only like fish if it's deboned and fried. That's the reason he loves eating fish burgers because it's yummy and tasty and it's already deboned. These savory salmon burgers hold up well on the grill, especially if you use a nice fillet of wild king salmon. Serve on an onion roll with lettuce, tomato, mustard, and horseradish for a great barbecue main dish.

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 1/2 pounds king salmon fillet, skinned and de-boned
* 1 cup dry bread crumbs
* 1/2 cup minced red onion
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare the salmon by cutting into strips, cutting the strips crosswise, and chopping the fish until well minced. Be sure to remove any remaining bones.
2. In a large bowl, mix the minced salmon with bread crumbs, red onion, Dijon mustard, horseradish, and eggs. Season with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Chill at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
4. Form the salmon mixture into 8 burger patties. Lightly coat each patty with olive oil.
5. Place salmon patties on the grill, and cook 4 or 5 minutes on each side.

Fried Squid Again

My hubby loves to eat squid very much. He loves squid adobo and lately he is now very fond of fried squid. Whenever we go to the market and buy fish, he always request to me to buy squid. This afternoon, we went to the market and he had seen squids so we bought 2.2 lbs of squid. We fried it of course and it was so yummy. Try it and you'll love it.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb. whole squid, fresh or frozen
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. milk
1 c. flour
cooking oil for frying

Cut large squid into several pieces. Cut tentacles into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle lemon juice, salt and pepper on squid.

Mix flour, salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste. Mix egg with the milk. Dip squid rings in egg mixture, dip in flour and shake off. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Serve with lemon wedge and cocktail sauce. Serves 4.

Make Your Business Grow

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Pinakbet Ilocano

I'm re-posting here one of my favorite Filipino recipes which is Pinakbet. We always have this recipe in our house and my hubby love it too. There are many variations of cooking Pinakbet but I like the Ilocano style with ampalaya. I think pinakbet is not complete without it. I won't get tired eating pinakbet even everyday. Hmmm... yummy.

Pinakbet Ilocano

Indgredients:

* 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
* 2 tbsp. garlic, minced
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1/4 kilo pork, thinly diced
* 7 small tomatoes, cubed
* 4 tbsp. bagoong
* 1 cup warm water
* 2 medium sized eggplants, sliced
* 1 medium sized Ampalaya
* 5 medium sized okra (ladies fingers)


Directions:

1. Heat Oil in a saucepan and saute garlic and onions.
2. Add pork and half a cup of warm water. Stir and cook until meat is soft.
3. Add ginger and tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the bagoong and remaining half-cup water. Bring to boil.
5. Mix in the Amplaya, eggplants and okra.
6. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve Immediately.

Here's a video of Pinakbet.

Pepper Steak

My favorite recipes are ones with few ingredients that I normally have on hand and are hard to mess up. I will just have to modify the recipe and add more or less of each ingredient depending on my taste. I love steaks and this is one good recipe.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 large bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/3 cup soy sauce
* 1/3 cup honey
* 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
* 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut into thin strips

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, bell peppers, and garlic in oil until tender-crisp, stirring frequently. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour soy sauce, honey, and red wine vinegar in pan, then add beef. Cook beef, stirring frequently, until done, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in cooked vegetables, and cook another 10 to 15 minutes.

Beef Adobo

Beef adobo is one of my favorite Filipino dishes. We always have this in our house during my high school and college days. My grandma used to cook it and it was so good.

Ingredients
2 lbs Beef
2 1/4 cups Water
1/2 cup Soy sauce
1/2 cup Distilled white vinegar
4 cloves Crushed garlic
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/4 cup sugar

Preparation
Dice your meat into small cubes, mix in other ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 60 minutes, or until beef is tender.

Serve with rice.

Rice Pudding

I never cooked rice pudding until I went in the US. My hubby told me that he love to eat this food so I tried to cook it. I have a recipe book that was sent to me in the mail for free and fortunately the recipe of rice pudding was there. I cooked it and truly, my hubby loved it.

INGREDIENTS
* 3/4 cup uncooked white rice
* 2 cups milk, divided
* 1/3 cup white sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg, beaten
* 2/3 cup golden raisins
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. In another saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg and raisins. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm.

Munggo Beans and Green Veggies

We're still in Baguio right now and we're staying at my bro-in-law's house. We didn't go out walking and sight-seeing today. I've been tired for the past few days with all the walking and roaming around the city. My hubby wants to go out again today but I don't feel like it. It's like the table was turned because when we were in the US I was the one who always asked him to take me out but he was lazy. Now it's the other way around.

For our lunch, our maid and I cooked munggo beans with ground beef sauteed with garlic and onions and mixed with spinach leaves that I bought and chayote tops from the back of the house. Then we just boiled some of the chayote tops and also the camote tops that I bought in the market a couple of days ago. Of course rice was cooked too. We gave some of the munggo beans to my bro-in-law's dad next door and in return he gave us pinakbet that he cooked and sliced half-ripe native mangoes. We had our lunch eaten and after I ate, it's time for me to blog while the maid do the dishes.

Tortang Talong

When I was in high school, my mom always cook tortang talong for my "baon" to school. I like the way she cooked it because it really tasted so good. I've eaten in restaurants and their tortang talong got no taste to me. My mom's tortang talong is the best. I learned to cook it from her and I've been cooking it for me and my hubby. He really love it.

Tortang Talong…the way I cook it.

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 Filipino eggplants (or other Asian eggplants…or any eggplant that is long and thin)
* 2 eggs, beaten
* cooking oil
* soy sauce with vinegar
* 2 cloves garlic, diced
* salt

DIRECTIONS:

- Roast and peel the eggplants. This is most commonly done over the flame on the hob until black and kind of charred, after which it is fairly easy to remove the skin. Leave the stems on.
- After peeling, lay the eggplant in a colander and flatten gently with a fork, being careful not to break it.
- Beat your egg in a flattish bowl and add a dash of salt. Mix soy sauce with vinegar and add the diced garlic. Dip the eggplant with the soy sauce mixture and then lay your eggplants to the beaten eggs, turning to coat evenly.
- Heat the oil in a skillet. Once hot, gently place the eggplants in the pan. Pour the remaining egg mixture to the eggplant and leave to sizzle until golden brown. Flip to brown other side. (since you have left the stems on you can do this whole operation without a spatula or flipper…just use the stem to move the eggplant around).
- Drain on paper towels when done. Serves two.

Our Supper Tonight

We are here in Baguio right now since yesterday. We've been eating some fresh fruits and vegetables and this afternoon we bought fruits like strawberries and fresh oranges when we went sight-seeing after lunch. We didn't have time to go to the public market and buy fish and meat. We'll just go and buy tomorrow. We just had canned salmon cooked with tomatoes, onions and garlic. Our maid got some chayote tops from the back of my brother-in-law's house and boiled it. That's what we ate for supper. We dipped the chayote tops with Bragg's liquid aminos and vinegar. It was just simple meal but it was great.