Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies

From a sad entry to an inspiring recipe for the upcoming holidays. For the last few months that I've been baking, this is the first time that I've finally baked the chunky chocolate chip cookies that I've always wanted. If I had known it would be so easy, I would have done this a long time ago. 

2 1/4 cups  Flour

3/4    tsp    Baking Powder

3/4    tsp    Salt

1/4    tsp    Baking Soda

1 1/2 stick Butter

1/2    cup   Brown Sugar

1/3    cup   Light Corn Syrup

1       large Egg

2       tsp    Vanilla Extract

2       cups  Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

*In a bowl, softened butter and mix in brown sugar and light corn syrup. Add egg, vanilla extract and stir well.

*Mix flour and fold in chocolate chips.

*Form batter into a ball and place in baking trays.

*Bake at 175c for 10-12 minutes.

They look so gooey and literally delicious. Can't wait to bake another batch before Christmas.

And oh! Only mixed everything by hand. Enjoy!

Simple and Easy Sushi Bake

Hello November! How is everyone holding up? I hope that most of you are in good spirit and in good health. 

At the start of the Covid19 pandemic, a lot of great recipes and "HIT" "IT" dishes came to life to make most of us famish. For me, it was the Sushi Bake craze that got me thinking why the heck are people going crazy about it? Why is everyone making some and selling it? 

People are actually making profits from it and I don't know why it took almost 7 months for me to come up with my own easy twist. I have made sushi recipes before (learned it from my Turkish friends and recipes are readily available online) and so after months of contemplation, I came up with a super simple and super easy Sushi Bake with 3 kinds of toppings - Tuna, Kani, Sweet Ham. 

Ingredients:

1cup   White Rice (Japanese Rice, if it's available)

1cup   Frozen Mixed Vegetables (optional)

5cups  Water

1cup   Sliced Cucumber

1cup   Kani 

1cup   Sliced Sweet Ham (any meat will do - bacon will do well - even spam)

1cup   Japanese Mayo

1pc    Canned Tuna

1tbsp Sesame Oil

3tbsp Hoisin Sauce

3tbsp Fermented Korean Chili Paste

2tbsp Sesame Seeds

1tsp   Dried Basil

1tsp   Garlic Powder

1pack Nori Seaweeds

*Wash and drain Rice with running water. In a pot, pour in water and add Rice. Cook for 20 minutes then add frozen mixed vegetables. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes while adding water. I'm cooking the Rice in this recipe the Dutch way but to make it easier - Asian style is the best - Rice cooker :D 

*In a bowl, mix drained Canned Tuna with Hoisin Sauce and Dried Basil. Set aside.

*In a different bowl, mix Kani with Garlic Powder and Japanese Mayo. Set aside.

*In another bowl, mix Sliced Sweet Ham with Fermented Korean Chili Paste. Set aside.

*Let the Rice cool for a few minutes before placing it in an oven safe dish ware. Spread evenly to the bottom of the dish ware then place sliced cucumber on top. Since this recipe is of 3 kinds of toppings, divide your topping placement 3 parts. First Tuna, Kani then Sweet Ham. 

*Once all is placed, drizzle with Sesame Oil. 

*Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

*Once bake, garnished with Japanese Mayo, Sesame Seeds and Nori Strips (you cut them into strips - Nori Seaweeds are sold in big pieces).

Serve with Soy Sauce with Lemon and Nori Seaweeds Wrappers. But seriously, the topping choices for this one is endless. I want to try some mushrooms next time. Happy mid-week everyone! 

Easy Fried Rice ala Nasi Goreng

Fried rice, a staple dish in most Asian homes - to which I love especially the ones with mixed vegetables. So easy that you can add whatever you want in your rice mix (including sauce). Here's my take on Nasi Goreng but without the nasi paste. Happy weekend!

Ingredients and Preparations

1cup cooked rice

1/2cup mixed taogi vegetables

7pcs shrimps

3pcs eggs

3pcs basil leaves

1tbsp olive oil

1tbsp minced garlic

1tbsp sliced onions

1tbsp sliced ginger

1tbsp soy sauce

1tbsp worstershire sauce

1tbsp tabasco sauce

chili sauce

*Sautee onions, garlic and ginger in olive oil. Add in a dash of black pepper. Add worstershire and soy sauce, mix.

*Add in shrimps. Simmer until shrimps are cook. Pour in taogi mix and tabasco sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add broccoli, simmer for another 5 minutes.

*Add a little oil and pour in 2 beaten eggs. Let eggs cook. Add in rice. Mix.

*Serve and top with basil leaves and chili sauce.

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.

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 :)

Baked Dory Fish

Apart from Salmon - Dory is one of my many favourite seafoods dig. There's just something about it. The first time I tried a dish out of it was a few years back at Bubba Gump Manila. Never really thought I could find a frozen delight on the supermarket but I did last weekend and have to be thankful because finally I'm able to cooked it as I pleased and enjoy the taste :)

Ingredients

* Dory Fish Fillet (frozen cuts are available at Rustan's Supermarket, Ayala Center Cebu)

* Sliced Carrots (sliced it diagonally for some artsy look)

* Ringed Lemons (cut into two)

* Olives (you could also opt for the black ones, depends on your mood)

* Onions (rings)

* Broccoli (cooked separately by boiling)

* Spices (basil flakes, oregano flakes, black pepper, turmeric, minced garlic, dash of oil)

Procedure

* Clean your Dory Fish Fillet via running water and let dry. 

* Placed in bake ware and placed all ingredients except for Broccoli (i decided to place the carrots underneath the fish just for experiment purposes)

* Sprinkle with spices and place in oven to baked for 30 minutes. Oven must be at 350.

Add Ons

Parsley

Dill

Basil Leaves 

Tomato

Romaine Lettuce

Ranch Dressing

Finish Product :D Easy as 1 2 3 :D

Redefining Tofu

Ingredients:

1 pack Tofu (firm)

2 cups  Cooking Oil

3 cups  Bread Crumbs (with dash of oregano and basil - optional)

2 pcs    Eggs (beaten with dash of salt, black pepper, oregano, basil - optional)

A dash of Black Pepper

A dash of Oregano

A dash of Basil

A dash of Salt

Garnish:

Mashed Potato

Greek Salad

Blue Cheese

Slice Tomatoes

Lemon

Mayonaise

A dash of Thyme

1. Slice Tofu and coat with beaten eggs.

2. Coat with bread crumbs. Set aside.

*REPEAT Step 1 and 2. 

3. Deep fry until golden brown.

4. Set aside on top of a kitchen paper towel.

Finish Product :)

Never thought Tofu can taste like chicken when deep fried and coated like this but it did Maybe because of the spices I added in. Always wanted to experiment on this 'cos most of the tofu dishes served in restaurants are either sauteed or semi fried or steamed but never had I seen one that was deep fried. So, finally made some difference. 

What made it tastier is the Japanese bread crumbs that I used, specially when I mix in some spices on it. But have to admit, tofus are fragile dishes which requires fine handling and cutting because it easily breaks off. For some other twist on it, coating it with some grated cheese would make it interesting for kids and adults :)

Enjoy your weekend loves! And enjoy experimenting on food. Not really sure if some are taking notes on the recipes that I make because obviously some of it were already known and are commonly practiced :)