Blender, my friend!

Over the past few weeks I've grown increasingly addicted to a fairly new drink on the Philippine market - the iced black coffee with hazelnut flavor. If anyone tells you that coffee is not addictive, don't believe them. As for me, I just had to find a way to sneak that drink into my cooking weekends. So instead of looking for some recipes with coffee, I bought some vanilla ice cream and blended the two together. It was soooooooo good!!!!!! Wow! On a weekend when all other recipes did not stand out, this drink was a life-saver. Made me appreciate the blender so much more. I could not go to bed without giving my blender a brotherly hug. You rock, little dude!

OK, so before you start thinking I lost a few screws, here are this weekends recipes.

Dish # 1 - Grapes and Pineapple Salad

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min

1 pound seedless grapes
1 can pineapple tidbits
14 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
2 cloves garlic, thinly chopped or squeezed
1 cup mayonnaise

Mix cheese and garlic first, then add grapes and pineapple. Pour in mayonnaise and mix well.

My experience: This salad is super easy to make.
Our verdict: Way too much garlic (in fact, I put only one clove, and still it seemed to be too much), and too much cheese. Not our favorite salad, but not too bad either. Pineapple and grapes go quite well with cheese.

Dish # 2 - Beef and Beer Stew

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 20 min Cooking Time 2 hours

1 1/2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour for coating
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (12 fluid ounce) bottle beer
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
1 pinch dried dill weed
2 medium onions, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Season the beef with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour to coat. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the meat, and cook until browned on all sides, turning as needed. Remove the meat from the pot, and set aside.
Add the onion and garlic to the pot; cook and stir until clear and starting to brown. Return the meat the pot, and pour in the beer and water making sure to loosen any bits of food from the bottom of the pan. Season with rosemary, dill and parsley.
Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours.

My experience: I love beer, so the idea of using for a stew did not sit well with me. Nevertheless, I decided to take the risk and try it out. By the time the stew was ready, my stomach was already full, so I was not really that excited about it. But I have to say, it's quite tasty.
Our verdict: A bit of a novelty recipe for us. Takes some time to get used to, but it is quite good. The leftover makes a really great gravy for mashed potatoes.

Dish # 3 - Vietnamese Beef and Lettuce Curry

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 15 min Cooking Time 45 min

5 teaspoons white sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fish sauce
5 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons chile sauce
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 (28 ounce) can canned diced tomatoes
2 cups lettuce leaves, torn into 1/2 inch wide strips

In a bowl, mash together the sugar and 1 clove garlic with a pestle. Mix in the fish sauce, water, chili sauce, and lemon juice.
Heat the oil in a wok over high heat, and quickly saute the 3 cloves garlic. Mix the beef into the wok, season with curry powder, and cook until evenly brown. Pour in the tomatoes and about 1/2 the fish sauce mixture. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes, until thickened.
Toss the lettuce into the beef mixture.

My experience: I seriously don't understand what that fish sauce thingy is doing in this recipe. Other than that, it's quite a good recipe.
Our verdict: Super salty. We think fish sauce should be omitted altogether from this recipe. Without it, it would be two thumbs up.

Dish # 4 - Iced Black Coffee with Hazelnut Flavor and Vanilla Ice Cream

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 5 min

4 bottles of iced black coffee hazelnut flavor
3 scoops of vanilla ice cream

Mix coffee and ice cream in the blender.

My experience: I still dream about this yummy drink.
Our verdict: Prepare to get addicted! This is awesome!

On life and cooking

It would not be an underestimate to say that food is central to our daily routines. Not just because we need to fill our stomachs with something, but also because food is so much part of how we conduct our relationships. We interact with others around food. We do business or get to know people around food. Many of us even propose to the one we love at a dinner table. In fact, my cooking therapy is not just for my own sake. By now you've probably figured out that this is also my way of telling my wife that I love her and care about her. It's not really that much of a deal, since she returns the favor in exactly same way 6 days a week. So my heroics only make up for one day per week. :) Still, my wife drools over me when I put that apron on, and makes me feel like I'm a superhero. Speaking of mushy love, a friend of mine wrote this on Facebook this last week:

"You know how food tastes better the next day, after it has time to mingle with the other ingredients, I think that this applies to marriage too. Everyday it gets better, I love my Tim:)"

How sweet is that!
Ok, before I get carried away, here are this weekend's recipes:

Dish # 1 - Michigan Salad

Serves: 4 Time to Prepare: 30 min

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon white sugar
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

1 head butter lettuce - rinsed, and torn
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons dried cherries
2/3 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into matchsticks
1-1/2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1 ounce chopped candied pecans

In the container of a blender, combine the mayonnaise, maple syrup, vinegar, and sugar. Cover and blend on low speed. Gradually pour in the vegetable oil while mixing until fully incorporated. Taste and season accordingly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large serving bowl, combine the lettuce, cherries, apples, goat cheese and candied pecans. Toss with just enough of the dressing to coat, then serve with the remaining dressing on the side.

My experience: I added a couple of tablespoons of cherry pie filling (which I used for the dessert) to the sauce. It worked!
Our verdict: Matet said this was the best salad ever!

Dish # 2 - Herbed Potato Soup

Serves: 4 Time to Prepare: 5 min Cooking Time: 25 min

1-5/8 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1-1/2 cups and 2 tablespoons water
3/4 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon butter, cubed
3 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup and 3 tablespoons milk

Place potatoes and water in a large saucepan; cook over medium heat until tender. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, saute onion butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme, rosemary, and pepper. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add potatoes with cooking liquid; heat through.

My experience: I added oregano, and was also planning to add cauliflower, but... I forgot!
Our verdict: Quick and easy.

Dish # 3 - Sweet and Sour Pork Patties

Serves: 4 Time to Prepare: 10 min Cooking Time: 30 min

1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 (10 ounce) jar sweet and sour sauce

Mix pork, breadcrumbs, red pepper flakes, salt, egg, milk, parsley and onions together in bowl. Shape into 8 to 12 patties.
Slowly brown in frying pan until juices run clear; drain well. Heat sweet and sour sauce in frying pan. Place cooked patties in pan and heat through.

My experience: This was my first time ever to make something like this. I was not sure if I really should skip oil or butter, and was expecting those pork juices to flow out. They didn't! So I had to rescue my poor patties before they got stuck to the pan. The rest was fine. It turned out to be very tasty.
Our verdict: Yummy! No leftovers!

Dish # 4 - Cherry Salad

Serves: 10 Time to Prepare: 5 min

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
graham crackers
1 can pineapple tidbits
1/2 bag mini marshmallows

Mix whipped topping, sweetened condensed milk, marshmallows, pineapple tidbits and cherries in a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a serving bowl where you layout the crackers in layers, and chill.

My experience: I think this recipe really needs that condensed milk, to thicken the whole thing, but I think it was a bit too much condensed milk. Too sweet. Not too bad though. Also, even though I kept it in the freezer overnight, it did not really get hard. So I wonder what could have made it thicker.
Our verdict: Cherry pie filling rules! Could eat it all day long!

"Tick tock tick tock... Everybody's waiting. It's time for me to shine."

This week's title deserves an explanation. It is a quote, you see. And the guy who said was asleep. Yup, that's right - a sleep-talker. Initially, his wife just laughed every time her husband would start talking in the middle of the night, but then she decided to share those profound thoughts with the world. If you want to read more of his sayings, just look me up on Facebook. As for me, I have been laughing my butt off this entire weekend with some of those one-liners. So how is this related to my cooking therapy, you ask. I don't know! But it's still funny :) I guess it would be interesting to imagine me doing some cooking-while-asleep, but I'm afraid I would burn down the house.

The dishes this week definitely rank up as some of the best I've done so far. I really liked the salad dip, and the soup... Well, I enjoyed the main dish. The drink is specially made for someone at Informatics. You know who you are. You will love it, I promise!

Dish # 1 - White Beans and Tuna Salad Dip

Serves 6 Time to Prepare 15 min

3/4 (6 ounce) can tuna, drained and flaked
3/8 red bell pepper
3/8 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons and 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons capers
3 tablespoons pickle relish
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/8 (15 ounce) can white beans, drained
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

In a food processor, blend the tuna, red bell pepper, onion, cilantro, capers, relish, mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic powder until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, and mix in the white beans. Garnish with parsley to serve.

My experience: I skipped the Dijon-style mustard (couldn't find it in the store). I also added white beans along with everything else in the blender, instead of mixing it later on. This dip goes really well with French bread, tortillas, or crackers.
Our verdict: A great appetizer. Worth making it for any occasion.

Dish # 2 - Potato Soup with Fish and Cheese

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 5 min Cooking Time 40 min

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons margarine
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1-1/3 small onion, chopped
2-2/3 cups water
6-3/4 potatoes, diced
1-1/3 cups half-and-half cream
5 ounces cod fillets, cubed
1-1/3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Muenster cheese
salt to taste

Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan, and add the paprika. Saute the onions in this mixture until they are soft. Add the water, bring it to the boil, and add the potatoes. Simmer gently until the potatoes are almost done. Depending on the size of the potatoes it may be necessary to add more water during cooking.
Add cream or milk and the fish; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until potatoes begin to fall apart. If they remain very firm, mash them gently in the pan with a masher or wooden spoon.
Add a little of the potato mixture to the beaten eggs, and then stir eggs into the soup. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese. Correct the seasoning, and serve at once.

My experience: I could not believe how easy it was to make such a great tasting and filling soup. Hands down, this is the best soup I've done. Ever! This is my shining moment, baby!
Our verdict: Even our kids loved this soup. Now that's a first!

Dish # 3 - Spanish Cod

Been studying Spanish Period of the Philippine history lately, so I decided to commemorate the era with some Spanish recipe :)

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 20 min Cooking Time 15 min

2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic
2/3 cup tomato sauce
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup chopped green olives
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons deli marinated Italian vegetable salad, drained and coarsely chopped
2/3 dash black pepper
2/3 dash cayenne pepper
2/3 dash paprika
4 (4 ounce) fillets cod fillets

My experience: It kinda resembles the fish I cooked few weeks ago in white wine, so the process of making this dish was quite straight forward for me. I did not have the deli marinated Italian vegetable salad, so I wonder how it would have tasted with it. Still a great dish.
Our verdict: Yummy! We love fish! :)

Dish # 4 - Rosemary-Infused Watermelon Lemonade

One of the readers of this blog has requested a drink that is not so creamy. Considering that all these weeks, I've been making smoothie's with ice cream, milk or cream, it was a good change for me as well to try something new.

Serves 8 Time to Prepare 15 min Cooking Time 1 hour

2 cups water
3/4 cup white sugar
1 spring rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped
2 cups lemon juice
12 cups cubed seeded watermelon
8 cups ice cubes

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir in the rosemary, and set aside to steep for 1 hour.
Place half of the lemon juice, and half of the watermelon into a blender. Strain the rosemary syrup through a mesh strainer into the blender. Cover, and puree until smooth. Strain into a pitcher, then puree the remaining lemon juice and watermelon. Stir the lemonade before serving over ice.

My experience: I don't know what is the point if keeping sugary-slash-rosemary water for an hour. Obviously it should cool down, but 1 hour??? Nah, my patience ran out in 15 min.
Our verdict: What a great drink! It really is perfect, and this would probably make a nice alcoholic cocktail as well, should anyone want to try. Just add some vodka or gin, or whatever. :)

Best Salad Ever!

Cooking this weekend was super easy for me, although it took quite a long time. The main dish (Rich Herb and Lemon Chicken) had to simmer for an hour, leaving me plenty of time to prepare all the other dishes. The chicken turned out to be sooooo tasty (probably because of the white wine in the sauce) that I was sure this dish would be the highlight. Turns out I was completely wrong! Instead, the attention grabber this week is my special Caesar Chicken Potato Salad. It is so good, you guys should really make this one at home.

Dish # 1 - Caesar Chicken Potato Salad

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Cooking Time 20 min

4 cups quartered small white or red potatoes
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (10 ounce) package mixed salad greens
1 small red onion, sliced and separated into rings
3/4 cup Caesar salad dressing
1/3 cup croutons
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute chicken in oil for 5-10 minutes or until tender. Drain potatoes; add to chicken.
Place greens and onion in a serving bowl. Top with chicken mixture. Drizzle with dressing; sprinkle with croutons and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

My experience:There were some minor substitutions in the way I prepared this salad. I used the regular (nor red) onion and Cheddar cheese instead of Parmesan. I cubed the chicken from the main dish when it was ready, and added to the salad, instead of doing it as the instruction says above. It was a great choice, but I must confess that it was unintentional - I simply forgot to set aside some chicken for the salad when I started cooking the main dish. Anyway, the cooked chicken from the main dish tasted really well in this salad.
Our verdict: By far, one of the best salads we have ever eaten. Tasted great even on the next day.

Dish # 2 - Souper Easy Mac 'n' Cheese

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 5 min Cooking Time 20 min

1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
1/2 (10.75 ounce) can milk
1/2 (10.75 ounce) can water
1 cup uncooked corkscrew-shaped pasta

Heat the soup, milk and water in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.
Stir the pasta in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until the pasta is tender, stirring often.

My experience: I have no idea why the recipe instructs to cook pasta that way. I think it would be easier to cook it separately at least half way, and then add the rest of the stuff. I followed this instruction, and had to stir the full 20 minutes to avoid pasta getting stuck at the bottom, and then had to add a cup of water. The end result was ok, but not really the best soup. I think if I ever do this again, I would want to add some ham, just for flavor. What else do you think could work with this recipe?
Our verdict: Very cheesy soup :) It lacked some flavor, but overall not too bad.

Dish # 3 - Rich Herb and Lemon Chicken

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 15 min Cooking Time 1 hour 5 min

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream

Place each chicken breast between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound the chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Sprinkle both sides of the flattened chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet with a cover over medium heat. Pan-fry the chicken breasts for about 2 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown but not cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Place the onion and garlic in the skillet, and cook and stir for about 3 minutes, until the onion starts to turn translucent. Pour the white wine and chicken broth into the pan, and bring to a simmer while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Whisk in the rosemary and thyme leaves, lemon juice, lemon zest, milk, and sour cream until the sauce is well mixed.
Place the chicken breasts back into the skillet; cover with the sauce, Cover the skillet, and simmer for about 1 hour, until the sauce is thickened. Serve chicken with sauce spooned over the top. Serve with mashed potatoes.

My experience: I did not have to pound the sorry chicken - bought it all sliced up just as I needed :) The rest is kinda self-explanatory. It was fun to watch how all the herbs, milk, sour cream and wine mixed together. For a moment, the pan looked like a soup, but after about 50 min, the sauce almost evaporated, and all that flavor was absorbed by the chicken pieces.
Our verdict: Wow!!! Rosemary and thyme leaves worked really well in this recipe. Wine as well. At the end, the chicken was so soft, and so packed with flavor. Really proud of this recipe.

Dish # 4 - Mango-Pineapple Smoothie

Serves 3 Time to Prepare 5 min

1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 banana, sliced
1 mango - peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup nonfat milk
2 tablespoons cream of coconut

In a blender, blend the vanilla yogurt, pineapple juice, banana, mango, milk, and cream of coconut until smooth.

My experience: After a whole hour of cooking, this was a breeze. Very simple to make.
Our verdict: Perfect!