Spicy Shrimp and Fish Spaghetti in Olive Oil

Today, decided to make myself some simple pasta dish. Naming it Spicy Shrimp and Fish Spaghetti in Olive Oil. I've made this meal a couple of months ago but this time, I updated the ingredients.  Also, learned how to peel the shrimps today - an interesting highlight for someone who has not been in the kitchen since I was diagnosed in March. Enjoy!

Ingredients and Procedures

100g   Spaghetti Noodles
3tbsp  Olive Oil
3tbsp  Minced Garlic
2tbsp  Sliced Onions
2tbsp  Tabasco Sauce
1tbsp  Butter
3tbsp  Grated Cheese
3tbsp  Cooked Fish Flakes
5pcs   Peeled Shrimps
7pcs   Basil Leaves
1cup   Diced Tomatoes
1cup   Broccoli (optional)
A Dash of Black Pepper

*Cooked spaghetti noodles as per packaging instruction. I do mine for 10 minutes. After 5 minutes, I add in the broccoli. Add additional 2 minutes and add in tomatoes.

*Take out tomatoes and reserved for later sauteing. Save spaghetti water for later - about half a cup. Set aside cooked spaghetti noodles with broccoli.

*In a pan, pour in olive oil, add onions, garlic. Sautee for 2 minutes. Add in butter and peeled shrimps. Sautee until shrimps are slightly cooked. Add in fish flakes, ground black pepper and then diced tomatoes. Add in tabasco sauce and 1/2 spaghetti water. Simmer for 2 minutes.

*Add in spaghetti and broccoli. Add remaining spaghetti water and grated cheese. Mix and drop in basil leaves.

Two Cheese Scallops Pasta

Hi there! It's been ages since I last posted anything on here. Have been busy with some home improvement projects, which I'm hoping to post within this week or next week :)

Was back in the kitchen earlier and decided to do a little experiment with sautéed scallops and pasta noodles. Sharing this easy recipe now.

Ingredients 

1 cup Scallops

1/2 cup Black Olives (sliced)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 clove Garlic (finely chopped)

5 pcs Tomatoes (diced)

3 pcs Green Chili (sliced)

1 pc Onions (diced)

Dash of Black Pepper

Dash of Basil

Dash of Rosemary 

Dash of Sea Salt (or regular salt)

1 pouch Chiz Whiz (small)

4 slices Peppered Cheese (finely sliced)

1 cup Pasta Noodles (spiral, optional)

3 cups Water

1 tbsp oil

Dash of Salt

1 tbsp Butter

Dash of Thyme

In a medium pan, Sauté Garlic and Onions, seasoned with Black Pepper, Rosemary and Basil.

Add Tomatoes, Olives and Scallops - sauté. Simmer for a few minutes.

Add in Chilis and Cheese - mix and let it simmer until sauce becomes thick.

In a medium cooking ware, add Water, Oil and Salt - let it boil.

Add pour in Pasta and let it cook.

Drain and add Butter and Thyme - mix.

And serve! Bon Appetite! :)

Cheesy Creamy Tomato Pasta

Another personal favourite dish is Pasta. Apart from Sushi, Sashimi, Noodles and Pizza - this is another meal that I can live on, on a daily basis. Did some little triple combo with Bacon, Chinese Sausage and Hungarian Sausage on this. It was awesome.

1. In a medium size pan, add Water, Bacon, Chinese Sausage and Hungarian Sausage. Bring to boil until natural oils comes out. 

2. Add in crashed Garlic, Onions. Dashed with Black Pepper, Basil and Rosemary. Sauté. Leave for 2 minutes.

2. Add in Tomatoes, Red Bell Pepper and Black Olives. Sauté. Leave for 2 minutes.

3. Add in All Purpose Cream and Melted Cheese. Sauté and mix. 

4. Add in Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste. Stir and mix. Let it cook for 5 minutes.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Water

Strips of Bacon (cubes)

Chinese Sausage (cut diagonally)

Hungarian Sausage (cut diagonally)

1 Cup of Mixed Vegetables (frozen, readily available in supermarkets)

Fresh Tomatoes (half a cup, cubes)

Red Bell Pepper 

Black Olives

Crashed Garlic

Onions (cubes)

1 Pack All Purpose Cream

1 Pouch Tomato Sauce

1 Small Pouch Tomato Paste 

1 Pack Cheese Melt

Dash of Black Pepper

Dash of Rosemary

Dash of Basil

Dash of Tarragon

1 Cup Pasta Noodles (boiled in water with salt and oil)

Chocolatier Cebu

Had been passing this cafe for a very long time and I was always curious about their menu and the food  but never really had the chance to dine in until last Sunday when I decided to make a bold choice of going in with my mother. And surprisingly, they seem pretty normal :D

Their menu, to which I obviously went straight to cocktails and boy oh boy oh boy - look at those choices. I'm damn sure, it's chocolate with liquors - oops! It is indeed :)

It's just a small place. Kind of reminds me of a hotel lobby somewhere in Davao :) They also sell Merci Chocolates and other known brands :) But we opted to try some of the chef's special :)

Chocolate Euphoria (if I remember the name correctly) - is HEAVEN! The crushed bottom is made from Ferrero Rocher and it's just amazing. It kind of melts in the mouth as you munch on it and it's just too mouth watering as I'm remembering it now.

Linguine in Pesto with Crusted Chicken - I am in love with the chicken's coating. The pasta? Not so much. I think the sauce was too blunt - I can't even taste the pesto in it but it was surprising to see nuts on top of it. So, I love the chicken but not the pasta.

White omelette - It's crepe like omelette with white cheese and everything that's supposed to be in an omelette. I am amaze by the mixture of flavour but I eventually won't be indulging on it again 'cos I'm obviously not a fan of white chocolates :D

Sausage chocolate sandwich - the sausage was fine as well as the presentation but I don't seem to jive with the idea of nutella on my hungarian sausage :D 

The view - your view when you dine there :)

Overall, it was a good experience. Food wise - it was OK. I mean, some people may love chocolates on their dishes but not me. I still think that sweets belongs to desserts but it was interesting to try something new. 

I think that, one should dine there if, they're only to munch on beverages and cakes. They have cake choices that are just mouthwatering and they also cater to cake orders for special occasions. Price? Just average. Not too expensive, not too cheap. 

They're located at the lower level of the Ayala Terraces Cebu beside Healthy Options. They offer free wifi and it's a good place to have meetings and small talks with your lovers or friends :)

And oh, I forgot to take photos of our drinks. I had their signature chocolate smoothie like drink but didn't really love it that much. But they have other choices which I'm sure has that rock star taste :)

Chicken Carbonara in Red Sauce

Ingredients

Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 diced bacon

1 cup diced chicken breast

1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, green peas, corn)

1 cup fresh tomatoes (diced)

1 cup grated cheese

1 cup milk (regular, skimmed - any will do)

1 can (751g or 10LB) tomato and herbs sauce (del monte)

Dash of black pepper

Dash of basil

Dash of oregano

Dash of parsley

Dash of coriander 

Dash of Tabasco hot sauce 

Pasta 

2 cups water 

1 tbsp oil (regular oil)

Dash of salt

Dash of thyme

Garnish (optional)

Parmesan cheese 

Tarragon

Cucumber 

Olives (pitted)

1. Heat olive oil - add garlic and onions - dash of black pepper, basil and oregano. Sautée.

2. When onions are slightly soft - add chicken and bacon. Sautée for 5 minutes. Add mixed vegetables. Mix and let it cook. 

3. When chicken is white - add cheese and milk. Simmer for 5 minutes. 

4. Add dash of tabasco hot sauce and pour in tomatoes. Mix. Pour in tomato sauce. Mix and simmer for 5 minutes as seen on the photo below.

5. Add in parsley and coriander.

Pasta 

1. Bring two cups of water to boil. Add regular oil and dash of salt. 

2. Once water is boiled. Add pasta and simmer for 10 minutes with regular stirring.

3. Once pasta is cook - drain and add a dash of thyme. Mix and let it cool.

Finish product 

I love pasta and I'm proud to say that it's one of my specialty - be it beef, chicken or seafoods - you can count that I make the yummiest one :)

Also, it's my first time to use cucumber as garnish and surprisingly it blended well with the sauce and pasta. And must you wonder why I'm using the twisted pasta - I prefer this over the regular ones. It's easier to dress up and present :) 

PS for boiling the pasta - I suggest that you make it to 2 tbsp of oil instead of just one to make it more flexible after draining :)

Broken Beef Lasagna

I have been wanting to make a lasagna but I was always afraid to try it out until my Aunt from Sweden came for a visit and prepared one for her boyfriend. And last Thursday, my friends came over and I made one - it was good but I think it lacked sauce on the top most layer thus it came off a little dry (not sure if this should be the term but yeah, it looked like it).

So, I decided to recreate it earlier :)

Ingredients

2can Large Tomato Sauce /Spaghetti Sauce

1pack Lasagna Pasta

1pack All Purpose Cream

1can Sliced Mushrooms

3cups Ground Beef

2cups Regular Cheese (grated)

1/2cup Parmesan Cheese

2tbsp Butter

Gloves of Garlic (thinly chopped)

Onions (thinly cubes)

Tomatoes (cubes, optional)

A Pack of Singles Cheese (optional)

A Dash of Black Pepper

A Dash of Basil

A Dash of Oregano

A Dash of Thyme

Garnish (OPTIONAL)

Parsley

Olives

Blue Cheese

In making the sauce, it is the same procedure as making a spaghetti sauce that's why I didn't make a photo of it but here are the steps:

1. Sautee Garlic and Onions with Butter until lightly brown.

2. Add Beef, A Dash of Black Pepper, A Dash of Oregano, A Dash of Basil. Mix until Beef is Brown. Add Mushrooms.

3. Add in Grated Cheese. Add All Purpose Cream. Mix until Cheese melts.

4. Add in Tomatoes and simmer until tomatoes are soft.

5. Add Tomato Sauce. Stir and Mix. Simmer for 6 minutes.

6. Set aside.

1. In a bake ware, Layer Lasagna Pasta evenly.

2. Pour in Sauce and spread evenly making sure that the sauce poured isn't too thick. 

3. Topped Sauce with Cheese, A Dash of Thyme and Parmesan Cheese.

4. Repeat procedure 1 to 3 (for this recipe I made it to three layers)

5. Once you've reached top most layer. Cover with enough sauce and top with parmesan cheese.

6. Bake to 360 degrees until pasta is soft.

Finish Product. Garnish with Olives, Blue Cheese and Thyme :)

PS Called it Broken Beef Lasagna because unlike other lasagnas served in restaurant this one was still too hot when I sliced it and it felt like the entire serving broke into pieces but one thing I learn a while back is to let it cool for a bit so that the sauce would sip into the pasta and would make it hold :D

Enjoy cooking and eating! Happy weekend :)

Chicken Carbonara

It taste good but I have to add more parmesan or regular cheese on the sauce next time. Lacked the salty taste and also have to add more all purpose cream on it but my different take and approach on it is good. Sauce has potatoes, shrimps and mushroom then I just sprinkled the boiled chicken bits on it :)