Picky Eaters

Little children are picky eaters, here's something from Associated Content that could help mommies who have problems with their children when it comes to making them eat good foods:

I didn't always like vegetables. Sure, I ate kid favorites like french fries and corn on the cob, and I even enjoyed green peas and baked beans. But boy, was I picky about the rest.

I'd eat baked potatoes, but only if I could leave behind the skin. I liked tomatoes one year, then decided they were too squishy the next. I loved salad, if by salad you meant cucumbers topped with cheese, bacon bits, and chow mein noodles.

I wouldn't touch mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, cabbage, and shall I go on, or do you get the point? If it wasn't bread, cheese, or meat, odds are I wasn't interested.

When I grew into adulthood and moved out on my own, I decided it was time to let childhood prejudices go. It was embarrassing to ask my mom if she's eat the broccoli off my plate if I ordered the apricot chicken when I was in my 20s.

Still, while I'd shaken off my aversion to veggies like lettuce and celery years before, taking on the broccoli monster still sounded daunting. George H.W. Bush still hated broccoli in his old age, so who said I would be any different?

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1898414/picky_eaters_tips_on_how_to_introduce.html?cat=22

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Visayan Chicken Curry

My hubby is a Visayan (Cebuano) that is why he chose the cyber name Pastilan to represent him. "Pastilan" is a Cebuano expression that could mean anything from exasperation, to endearment, to empathy. I am not a visayan so I cannot really explain completely the deeper meaning of the term. Anyway, it is not the reason why I have this post. I want ot show you some Visayan recipe. This is the Visayan version of chicken curry. Here's how to do it :

photo from: maegabriel

You will need ...

1 whole chicken(cut into serving portions)
2 tbsp. curry powder
3 tbsp. cooking oil
6 cloves garlic (minced)
1 large onion (sliced)
3 bigl tomatoes  (sliced)

red hot chilli peppers 
2 Chicken Broth Cubes (any brand will do)
3 cups coconut milk
2 big potatoes (peeled and quartered)

Here's how...

1.Marinate chicken in curry powder for about 10 min.

2.Heat oil and saute garlic, onions and tomatoes. Add the chicken broth cubes and marinated chicken. Cook until chicken turns slightly brown. Add the red hot chilli peppers

3.Pour coconut milk and simmer until chicken is tender. Add potatoes and continue cooking until fork-tender. Serve hot with rice and a choice of condiments like chutney, mashed boiled egg, fried saba bananas and raisins.

Hope you could try it at home and enjoy the new taste of our Filipino dish c:

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Strawberry Cheese Cake

What I will share to you now is my strawberry cheese cake recipe. Since it's my favorite I have my dearest cousin (a chef) to thank for this recipe because she had shared and demonstrated how it was done. Thank you so much Peej c: She now has a resto named "Arla" located at Maahas, Los Banos Laguna (story later). Because of you cuzin dear my family shares the love of this cake c: mwa! And now I can share the secret to my friends c:

It is quite easy because it's cold cooking meaning you won't have burnt worries hehehe c:

You will need...

(for the crust)
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1 pack graham crackers (crushed)

(for the filling)
1/2 cup all purpose cream (chilled)
1 cup cream cheese (chilled)
1 packet Knox gelatin/gello ,unflavored (melted in 1/4 cup boiling water)
1 strawberry glaze or Jam

Here's how...

for the crust:

1. In a bowl mix melted butter or margarine with crushed grahams until less grainy.

2. Using a spoon flaten evenly the mixture in a pan or glass pan about 1/2 to an inch deep (depends on how thick you like your crust would be).

3. Let it cool in the freezer for about an hour.

for the filling:

4. In a separate bowl whip with a spatula the cream cheese, all purpose cream and knox melted gello until thoroughly blend.

5. Top the cheese mixture on the chilled crust and let it chill in the freezer again for an hour.

6. After an hour top the jam or glaze and let it chill again for another hour.

7. Slice in squares or into desired shape before serving.


* you can also change the toppings into blueberries or crushed oreos.

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Inihaw na Pusit (Grilled Squid)

Have you seen the movie Surf's Up? Do you remember the island food that Chicken Joe liked very much? Yes, it was grilled squid. I know that squid is not commonly grilled so here is a recipe for those who want to try this delicious way of cooking squid.

You will need...

1 klg squid
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 head garlic (minced)
1/2 tbsp ginger (minced)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1 tbsp hot chili pepper (minced)
2 tbsp salt

Let's cook...

Wash and clean the squid well, this includes removing the ink.
Remove the skin and the thin filament (this is the spine of the squid).
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
Marinate the squid for one hour.
Grill squid. It cooks quickly, takes about four minutes for each side.
Serve hot.

*You can heat the remaining marinade and use it as sauce.

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What's Your Favorite Seafood Recipe?

Like my husband, I love seafood that is why I always try to find ways to learn new seafood recipes every now and then. A couple of hours ago, while searching the net for a new seafood recipe, I stumbled upon www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com, a site that showcases chefs and domestic, sustainable seafood recipes. It was like stumbling upon a treasure chest, I could learn a lot from what is shared by chefs in this site. At present there is an on going contest in the site, the 2008 Great American Seafood Cook-off. The top five finalists' dishes in this cook off are presented and I admit that the five dishes are really mouth-watering. But the one I really like among the five dishes is from the state of Louisiana, Chef Brian Landry's Louisiana Shrimp and Andouille Cassoulet. I could imagine how it would taste by just looking at the image of the food and reading the recipe. Another thing that makes it stand out among the five is that we seldom see shrimp and sausage mixed in one dish but here in this seafood dish we are presented with the unlikely combination that is really appealing, making me wish to taste it also. I know that I would find it hard to find Louisiana Shrimp in my place but shrimp is shrimp, so if I would cook something like this I could just substitute the Louisiana Shrimp with the kind of shrimp that is found in my place. I could also use another kind of sausage. Cooking is an art, it involves imagination. If a person has enough imagination he or she could be a great cook or chef.

I know that we have different preferences. Why not visit www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com and choose and vote for the dish that appeals to you. Voting could win you a trip to New Orleans.

Having domestic seafood always on our tables is really great for mommies like me. Seafood should always have fresh ingredients and making use of domestic ingredients ensures freshness. Aside from this, nothing really tastse better than what is in our own place.

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Pork Sinigang (Pork Tamarind Soup)

One of my favorite dishes is Pork Sinigang. I am quiet good at cooking it. There are a thousand and one ways of making sinigang. Here, I will share to you my husband's way of doing it (which is slightly different from the way I do it).

You will need...

1 & 1/2 Kgs pork ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
10-15 pieces tamarind (may be substituted with 1 packet sinigang tamarind powdered mix)
4-5 cups water (depends how much you want or need it)
3 medium-sized radish, chopped into medium cubes
1 medium piece tomato (optional)
1 regular bunch kangkong leaves (the soft parts of the stalk included)
salt and pepper corns to taste
1 tablespoon sugar



Let's cook...

Boil the tamarind with the meat until the meat is tender.
Remove the seeds of the tamarind. If you use the tamarind powder mix(which is easier to find than real tamarind) dissolve it in a glass of water but add it later when the pork is already tender.
If you like it really sour you may use up all the contents of the small packet.
But if you want it to be just lightly sour you can add just half or a little more of the powder.
Add salt, pepper corns and sugar to taste.
Add the vegetables except the leaves , cook on medium heat until half cooked.
Add the rest of the vegetables (tomatoes and kangkong leaves).
Let it boil.
Serve while hot.

3-4 Servings.

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Choco-Marble Loaf

Here's something good for dessert. I am sure you little ones will love this. This is Choco-Marble loaf.




What you need...

2 cups cake flour
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 cup milk
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons hot water

Let's cook...

Mix sugar and shortening to cream ten add vanilla. Add the sifted dry ingredients one after another with milk. Put in the egg whites then add the melted chocolate, baking soda and water. Add to half of the batter, stirring gently until blended. On a greased loaf pan put the flour. Put in the batters, alternating the light and dark using a spoon. Bake at 350° for 65 to 75 minutes. Let it cool and then frost with creamy chocolate. Here's how to do the chocolate frosting:

have the following:

2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup water

Heat water with the butter then add melted chocolate and vanilla, blending well. Sift 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar into the mixture. Beat to spreading consistency.

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My Fried Rice

Here's my own way of making fried rice. Here are the ingredients that you must have:

7 cups of cooked rice (not fresh out of the fire but already cold, left over rice from the last meal is best)
3 eggs
4 tbsp corn oil
1 or 2 large Lapchang sausage (diced)
2 pcs garlic (minced)
soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
sugar


Lets cook...

Soft scramble the eggs in a wok in 2 tablespoons of corn oil. When done remove them from the wok and place them in a separate dish. Add 2 more tablespoons of corn oil to the wok and then drop in the minced garlic. Put in the dice sausages and the scrambled eggs. As you are mixing the eggs and the diced sausage sprinkle them with black pepper. Put in some salt and soy sauce as you go along. Add a dash of sugar to balance the taste. Serve hot.

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Fish Paksiw (pickled fish)

Here's another recipe I want to share around . Another one of my husband's favorite dishes.

What you need:

1/2 kilo milk fish (or any kind of fish you desire)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 pcs. medium onions (cut into rings)
2-3 pcs chilis (as many as you like)
1 pc ginger (julienne cut)
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tbsp.soy sauce
1 tbsp.brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Let's cook...

Put all ingredients inside the pan.
Let it boil.
Simmer until the fish is cooked.

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Cool Bananas

hi friends...
i got this from a friend, thanx Kool Timec: after reading this great info i decided to eat bananas daily...i hope u too will after reading this...

If you want a quick fix for flagging energy levels there's no better snack than a banana.

Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose - combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions making it a must to add to your daily diet.

Anemia:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect food for helping to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed
fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain trypotophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heart-burn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body so if you suffer from heart-burn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods such as bananasevery two hours to keep levels steady.

PMS:
Forget the pills eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Ulcers:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronic ulcer cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control:
Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, trypotophan.

Smoking:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking, as the high levels of Vitamin C, A1, B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's
water-balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, there by reducing our potassium levels. These can be re-balanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes:
According to research in 'The New England Journal of Medicine' eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts:
Those keen on natural alternatives swear that, if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So you see a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A Banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

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Get Egg-centric

Get Egg-centric

Are you sick of sunny side up? Bring some egg-citement to your
morning with something new.

4 colors of permanent marker
1 or 2 eggs
cheese( grated)
cold cooked noodles or sprouts
Toast

Lets cook...

Bring a small pot of cold water to a boil.
When the water is bubbling, drop in the eggs with a long spoon or ladle.
Cook them for 4 to 6 minutes for soft-boiled eggs with a runny yolk or 10 minutes for an all-over
hard- boiled egg.
Drain the water and let the eggs cool until they are comfortable to handle.
Place them in egg cups.
Draw a landscape/an abstract painting/your enemy’s face on the egg with the permanent markers.
Slice the tops of the eggs off; top them with cheese, noodles or sprouts.
Toast and slice your bread and serve with your favorite spread.

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Crab and Asparagus Soup

Here’s another one of my favorite recipes that I would like to share around... it is

Crab and Asparagus Soup

3 tbsp butter (or oil)
1 tbsp garlic (chopped)
½ cup onions (chopped)
2 pinch black or white ground pepper (optional)
½ cup crab meat
1 cup asparagus (sliced)
¼ cup red bell pepper (diced)
2 tbsp butter (or oil)
¼ cup flour
2 ½ cups water
1 pc shrimp cube (optional)
1 pack cream (or all purpose cream)

Lets cook...

Sauté onions and garlic in butter.
Add in crab meat, asparagus and red bell peppers.
Cook for a minute.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Using the same pan, melt 2 tbsp butter.
Toss in flour and cook for a few seconds.
Remove from heat and blend in water, little by little, mixing well after each addition to prevent lumps from forming.
Return to heat.
Add in shrimp cube.
Bring to a boil.
Add in the cream and the sautéed crab-vegetable mixture plus add the black or white ground pepper.
Simmer for 5 minutes.

• you can change the veggies with corn or mushrooms , while the crab with shredded chicken or pork .

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Pepperoni Lasagna Roll-Ups

I got this recipe from Jennifer Juday of Copperas Cove, Texas

PREP: 25 min. BAKE: 25 min.

3 lasagna noodles
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced chives
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
24 slices pepperoni
3 slices Swiss cheese, cut into thirds
1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.
Combine ricotta cheese, chives, oregano and basil; spread 1/4 cup over each noodle to within 1/2 in. of
edges.
Top with pepperoni and Swiss cheese; carefully roll up.
Place seam side down in a greased shallow1-qt. baking dish; top with spaghetti
sauce.
Cover and bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.
Uncover; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 3 servings.

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Simply Squash it

Here’s a simple recipe you might like for an appetizer or can be served with or for a main course meal. My mom says she got it from a Japanese friend. Simply yummyJ

¼ squash, sliced thinly (length wise, do not peel)

2 tbsp. oil

Sauce: (mix in a sauce bowl)

soy sauce

ground pepper

1 pc. kalamansi (medium)

1 pc. garlic, chopped (optional)

Fry the pieces of squash until sides turn light brown. Simply serve it with the sauce.

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Honey Mustard Dip

Here’s something a lot of food lovers want to know. I got this recipe from a TV show.

Mix together in a small bowl the following ingredients:

Cream

Honey

Mustard

Lemon

*it all depends on how much you want to prepare

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Diningding

My father is an Ilocano so we grew up with diningding. This Ilocano dish is, i believe, something that every Ilocano could not live without. So it is only natural for me to introduce this to my husband who is not an Ilocano. This dish is very nutritious because its ingredients are vegetables. Anyone can have diningding, all one needs to have is a pre-cooked fish, bagoong (not the one that is made of shrimps) and a set of vegetable (any kind or any number of vegetables will do). The procedure of is so simple but because of its simplicity there is a lot of room for art in it. There are a thousand and one ways of cooking diningding but the basic method is this:

The best thing to use in cooking diningding is a clay pot but of course you may use anything if you do not have a clay pot. Boil the pre-cooked (fried or grilled) fish in three or four cups of water so that it would bleed its taste on the water. After boiling for about 5 minutes put in the first batch of vegetables. I said "first batch" because the hard ones, like squash, should go first. When you feel that the first batch of vegetables are almost done put in the second batch of vegetables (the soft ones--the leaves and flowers). Then the finishing touch is the bagoong juice; add two or three tablespoons of it a minute before you take the pot out of the fire. This dish is best served hot.

I am one of the few fortunate ones who happen to have a three-year-old son who could finish one bowl of this nutritious dish. Children are know to dislike everything vegetable but my little boy likes vegetables so much :)

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