Coffee Jelly

Coffee jelly is one of the quickest and cheapest dessert to make for the holidays. It’s a matter of dissolving powdered gelatin in coffee, allowing it to cool and firm up.

Ingredients:
1 (1 ounce) package unflavored gelatin
4 cups water
2 tablespoons instant coffee
½ cup sugar
1 (14 ounces) can sweetened condensed milk
Nestle cream

Procedure:
In a sauce pot, bring 3 cups of the water to a boil. Add coffee and sugar and stir until dissolved.
In a large bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on the remaining 1 cup of cold water and let stand for about 1 minute or until powder begins to bloom.
Gradually add the 3 cups of boiling coffee and stir constantly for about 2 to 3 minutes or until gelatine is completely dissolved and no granules are visible. Pour mixture into containers. Refrigerate until completely set. Cut into cubes. Combine condensed milk and cream. Add gulaman. Chill and serve.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Potato-Cheese Topping

Ingredients:

For the potato and cheese topping

1 cup cooked potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon milk

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup grated cheese

½ block cream cheese (softened)

1/4 kilo store-bought lumpiang Shanghai mix

4 large green bell peppers

Procedure:

Cut tops from green peppers; discard seeds and membranes. Cook the whole green peppers, uncovered in boiling water for about 5 minutes; invert to drain well. Sprinkle insides of peppers lightly with salt.

Mash potatoes and add butter, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Add cream cheese. Mix well. Set aside.

Sauté the lumpia shanghai mix until meat is cooked.

Stuff peppers with the cooked Lumpia Shanghai mix until three-fourths full. Top each pepper with potato-cheese topping until filled. Add grated cheese on top and bake in a preheated 350˚F oven for 20 minutes.

Lechon sa Oven

Home cooked version of the popular Pinoy Lechong Baboy in the oven.

Ingredients:

1 kilo pork belly roast

1 bundle spring onion, chopped/sliced

3 stalks lemongrass, chopped/sliced

1 small size onion, chopped

2-3 pcs. bay leaf

1/2 head garlic, crushed, chopped

1 small packet sampalok sinigang mix

1/4 cup butter, melted

soy sauce

salt and pepper

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 300°F to 350°F. In a roasting pan with the same size with the pork belly place and arrange to form a bed the spring onion, lemongrass, onion and garlic, keep aside. 

Pat dry the pork belly. 

Rub the inner side with the sampalok sinigang mix then with salt and pepper to taste. 

Place the seasoned pork belly in the roasting pan with the skin outside. Drizzle the pork belly skin with soy sauce and rub to evenly coat. 

Place the roasting pan in the pre-heated oven and roast for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Occasionally brush the skin with butter. Adjust, lower the temperature if the skin is drying or cooking to fast. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F to 450°F during the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking or until reddish in color and the skin should be crisp at this stage. Remove from oven and cover the roasting pan with aluminium foil and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Cut into serving pieces and serve with your choice of dipping sauce.

Waldorf Salad

According to the American Century Cookbook, the first Waldorf Salad was created in New York City in 1893, by Oscar Tschirky, the maître d’hôtel of the Waldorf Astoria. The original recipe consisted only of diced red-skinned apples, celery, and mayonnaise. Chopped walnuts were added later to this now American classic. Some prefer their Waldorf salad made with yogurt, instead of mayo.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp mayonnaise (or yogurt)
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 sweet apple, cored and chopped
1/2 cup red seedless grapes, sliced in half (or 1/4 cup of raisins)
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped, slightly toasted walnuts
lettuce

Procedure:
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise (or yogurt) and the lemon juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. Mix in the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts. Serve on a bed of fresh lettuce.

Baked Salmon

An expensive, healthy and yummy dish suited for the holidays.

Baked Salmon is a fish dish of salmon slab topped with cream cheese and more cheese then baked until crust turns lightly brown.

Ingredients:

1 salmon fillet

salt and pepper

juice of half a lemon

Cheese Garlic-Mayo topping:

½ block cream cheese - softened

3 tbsp mayo

1 to 1 1/2 tbsp garlic chopped finely (if you want it more garlicky, just add a bit more)

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup for the cream mixture and 1/4 for the topping)

Salt and pepper to taste

breadcrumbs (optional. I like it w/ breadcrumbs, but the one served at Conti's does not have this)

Garnish - Buttered Vegetables:

mixed vegetables

broccoli flowerets

2 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Rub salmon fillet with salt and pepper, then lemon juice for about 20 minutes

While salmon is marinating, mix thoroughly the cream cheese, mayo, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. set aside.

Pan fry salmon about 2 to 3 mins on both sides

Preheat toaster/turbo. Assemble the fried fish on baking tray, then top w/ cheese garlic mayo mixture, sprinkle w/ remaining parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, bake in toaster/turbo for about 10 to 15 mins at 175C.

Saute mixed vegetables w/ 2 tbsp butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Put out the baking tray and surround the baked salmon with butter vegetables. 

Double Baked Potatoes

My latest new year baked recipe experiment - yummy double baked potato. Perfect as side dish.

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheese, divided
bacon bits
green onions, sliced

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook until brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins.

Add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and green onions to the potato flesh. Mix until well blended and creamy. Spoon mixture into the potato skins.

 Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.

Bake for another 15 minutes.

Potato Chowder

This is my all time favorite home-made chowder who's recipe we got from a cookbook. I love cooking this on special occasions. Just before we change to a brand new year thought of sharing its recipe.


Potato Chowder is a simple soup with potatoes, onions, bell peppers and milk thickened. It can be served with crackers or bread.

Ingredients:

2-3 large potatoes, diced
2 cups boiling water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
half bar quickmelt cheese or cheddar cheese

Procedure:

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain, saving cooking water. Dissolved bouillon cubes in hot liquid.

Melt butter in saucepan. Add onion and bellpepper. Cook while stirring gently for 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour and let bubble. remove from heat. Add milk and potato water. Stir in salt and pepper. return to moderate heat and cook until boiling and smooth, stirring constantly. Turn heat to low and simmer 2 minutes. Add cheese and stir until cheese us melted. Stir in potatoes and heat well. Serve hot.

Baked Rosemary Chicken

Home-made lunch ala Kenny Rogers ^_^

Ingredients:
2 tsp. of paprika
1 ½ tsp. of rosemary
1 tsp. of minced garlic
½ tsp. of coarse ground black pepper
2 tbsp. of olive oil or melted butter
1 tsp. of salt
6 chicken thighs

Procedure:
Mix all spices in a bowl with the olive oil or melted butter. Add chicken, mixing to coat every piece thoroughly. Coat roasting pan with oil. Arrange chicken in the pan. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until done for about 40 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes and vegetable salad.

Rellenong Manok

A festive way of cooking whole boneless chicken for occasion like New Year.

Rellenong Manok is a deboned whole chicken stuffed with yummy meat mixture and baked until golden brown. Making this dish takes effort but definitely the end product is worth it. Yummy!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, deboned
2 tbsps calamansi juice
2 tbsps soy sauce
salt and pepper

Stuffing:
1/2 kilo ground chicken
1 cup ham, diced
1 medium sized carrots, minced
4 pieces of sliced bread cut into cubes dipped in milk
1 can Vienna sausage, drained and sliced
1/4 cup sweet green peas
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup cheese, cut into small cubes
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
melted butter

Procedure:
Marinate chicken in calamansi juice, soy sauce, salt and pepper overnight in the refrigerator.

In a bowl, mix all stuffing ingredients. Stuff chicken then sew the cavity opening and tie the wings and leg. Wrap chicken in aluminium foil. Heat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake breast-up for an hour or until chicken is cooked. Open the foil. (This is how the chicken will look)

Rub chicken with butter and put back in oven until golden brown.