PIZZA is one of the most loved American food by Pinoys. No wonder pizza stores are growing like mushrooms here in the Philippines. Here in our small and humble city, we have well-known pizza stores like Shakeys, Pizza Hut, Angels Pizza and Yellow Cab. I am always hesistant of doing my own pizza dough. I tried almost all prepared dough from the grocery stores but I do not get that satisfaction of eating Pizza. I believe that the secret to a perfect pizza is in the dough. But I know how difficult it is to make and knead the pizza dough to perfection. I have tons of attempts and I surrendered. But thanks to my younger sister Mylene who used to make some money from this HOMEMADE PIZZA using her own HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH. She previously sells dozens of pizzas to schools and offices and she sells them so fast. But when she got hired, she left me with this very easy do your own PIZZA recipe. Now it is my turn to make gold with this HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE.

HOMEMADE PIZZA

for HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH:

1 1/3 cups warm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. dry yeast
1 tbsp. cooking oil
2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Measure water into bowl. add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. sprinkle yeast over water and let stand for 20 minutes. Stir well. Add oil, salt and 3 1/2 cups flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Turn dough out on floured board and knead in more flour enough to make a stiff dough. Knead until smooth, about ten minutes. Gather dough into a round, put in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until more than double (about 2 hours). Punch down.

Divide dough into 2 equal pieces and roll and stretch each piece to fit a pizza pan. If dough is very bouncy, let it rest for few minutes until it will roll more easily. If dough isn’t quite the right size when you get in the pan, press and stretch it until you can seal it firmly to the sides of the pan. Roll edges under a little end to make a reaised edge to hold the filling.

Top crust with pizza sauce, mushroom, beef, ham, bell pepper, onion and cheese. Bake immediately in a pre-heated oven to 450 degrees F for 25 minutes or until crust is well browned and filling is bubbling well. Serve your HOMEMADE PIZZA using your HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH while hot!

TACO is a traditional Mexican dish made up of corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. Taco has a variety of fillings like beef, chicken, seafood, vegetables and cheese. Taco is also a perfect snack garnished with salsa, avocado or guacamole, tomatoes, onions and lettuce.

I had never loved Mexican dishes, maybe because I am not used to the chili flavors, until my husband Royce would bring me always at Taco Bell everytime we go to the Metro. And now that I am sued to the flavor, I am more loving it. We actually have this local Fil-Mex restaurant in our city, CILANTRO. At first I was hesitant that it might not click but I guessed wrong. Eating-out-loving people are now ready to experiment and dig in Mexican dishes like Buritos, Quesadillas and Enchiladas. And with the new generation, I think they are more into more pizza, pasta and burger feasts.

As I have mentioned, we never miss getting a bite of beef taco at Taco Bell each time we are in Manila. So when I bought a box of hard-shell tacos, I thought of making some tacos at home since we have no schedule yet for this month to go to Manila. And just for a change, I used chicken for a CHICKEN TACO. It is good as beef. Buf of course, nothing beat a beef taco. I also get the same Taco Bell spirit by using the Taco Bell Seasoning Mix which I bought at Rustan’s. And it is a gem, making a great tasting taco by just using a pack of seasoning mix.

CHICKEN TACOS

1/2 kilo chicken fillet, cut into bite sizes pieces
1 tbsp. cooking oil
1/3 cup water
1 pack Taco Bell Seasoning Mix
salt

for garnish:
chopped onions
sliced lettuce or Chinese pechay
chopped tomatoes
grated cheese

Brown chicken pieces in a skillet over medium-high heat, about 5-6. Add the Taco Bell Seasoning Mix and water. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until chicken in cooked and tender about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Spoon chicken into warmed corn tortillas. Garnish with lettuce or Chinese pechay, tomatoes, onions and cheese. Sprinkle with hot sauce, if desired.

Now, you can create your own Taco Bell CHICKEN TACOS in your own home!

Truly the best OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES. I want to give credit to joyofbaking.com for this recipe. I just made a little adjusments, but honestly, I just ran out of white sugar. So what I did was, I used brown sugar instead. But it turned out great. I could not give the difference for I haven’t tried the original recipe yet, but I guess the following recipe works well with me and my kids. And they love it so much. I even want to call them, the Disappearing Oatmeal Cookie. These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies only lasted 8 hours in our cookie jar. Kids and Royce were munching and munching while watching and playing until the last cookie was gone. Anyway, this is my first oatmeal cookie where I used an old-fashion rolled oats that could only be bought at Robinson’s Supermarket. Almost all local grocery stores didn’t have this kind of oats. Old-fashioned rolled oats are bigger in size and are best for baking. Oats are best whole grains that has good carbs with most nutritional value. And with raisin in it, every cookie is a truly a delicious and healthy snack in every bite.

OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIE

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup dark raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper or grease them with butter.

Beat better and eggs until creamy and smooth, about 2-3 minutes using your electric mixer.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture. Beat until incorporated. Add in the rolled oats and raisins.

Spoon out dough by large tablespoonfuls on to pans, leaving at least an inch between each cookie.

Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Cook 1 minute on cookie sheets.

Remove carefully using a metal spatula. Transfer on a wire rack. Cool completely.

Serve your yummy OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIE with a glass of milk or any favorite drink.

Store tightly covered.

I love chili peppers, specially the long green finger chilies. They bring more Filipino spirit in my dishes like Pinakbet, Tinola, Dinakdakan, Sinigang and many more. And I get to make another experiment of this what we locally call, Siling Haba. I already tried making them as LUMPIANG SILI, where I stuffed ground pork, similar stuffing with LUmpiang Shanghai. This time I am making a CHILI CHEESE STICKS, stuffing the finger chilis with a slice of cheese. This I am sure, will rock your day.

CHILI CHEESE STICKS (DYNAMITE LUMPIA)

siling labuyo (finger chili or siling haba)
lumpia wrapper, cut straight on both sides
Easy Melt Eden Cheese
cooking oil

Slice cheese into thin strips. Set aside.

Wash siling labuyo with running water. Drain with paper towel. Cut the chilis lengthwise, from top to bottom, making an opening. Remove seeds.

Stuff with sliced cheese.

Wrap the chilis with lumpia wrapper, sealing the wrapper with a drop of water.

Heat oil in a frying pan.

Fry the Chili Cheese Sticks until golden brown and serve!

I love all kinds of desserts. Salads, pies, cakes, tarts, puddings, fritters, pastries, brownies, ice creams, doughnuts, oh, meal will never be complete without a dessert! Even a plain sliced apple or a peeled banana will wrap my meal perfect.

BANANA SAGO MAMBO SALAD is one of my favorite desserts. I remember that this dessert recipe is used to be prepared by my Aunt each time my sister and I would visit them and play with our cousins. It is a quick and easy to prepare dessert that everybody, including kids will surely love. You can use different kinds of colors of sago or tapioca pearls to make it more fun and exciting for kids to feast. There are shops particularly in wet markets that sell pre-cooked sago so you will not spend time cooking them. Unless you prefer boiling them about 3-4 hours and that is so tiresome for an easy to make and easy to eat BANANA SAGO MAMBO SALAD. This dessert is such an amazing because it is healthy since it is a fruity dessert, it has milk in it and a minimal amount of sugar. You may also omit sugar if you want to since the banana will already sweeten the milk.

BANANA SAGO MAMBO SALAD

10 to 12 pieces banana saba or any banana you prefer
1 liter water
1 cup white sugar
1 big can evaporated milk
1/2 cup all-purpose Nestle cream
2-3 cups sago or tapioca pearls, boiled and washed

Peel each banana and slice them to bite sizes. Set aside. Put water in a large pot. Bring to a full boil then add sugar and the sliced banana. Lessen heat. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Now add your pre-cooked sago, then cook for another minute or two and remove from fire. Pour the evaporated milk and all-purpose cream. And, let it cool. Transfer in a ware and refrigerate for 2-3 hours and serve your cold BANANA SAGO MAMBO SALAD!

Still Colby has no classes since Pangasinan is still signal # 1 with typhoon Juaning. we are so thankful that we are not so devastated with rain and wind of Juaning but our prayers to those who are badly affected of the typhoon. Today is a lazy day with the rainy weather but I still want to busy myself in the kitchen. Then a weird hungry voice whispered to my ears, but well it was just my hungry tummy shouting at me to fry a snack for a change. My kids and I usually have cookies, breads and biscuits for merienda but this time we will have vegetables. Yes, vegetables for a snack.

LUMPIANG GULAY (Fried Vegetable Lumpia) is a lumpia-wrapped sauteed Baguio vegetables like sayote, Baguio beans, carrots and singkamas (Turnips), and meat. It is great merienda bite and even eaten best with rice. To fight the oily bite, dip the Lumpiang Gulay with vinegar, salt, sugar and onion. I have been long dreaming a home-cooked Lumpiang Gulay but with a mom’s busy day, slicing, wrapping (which is my most tedious part) and lastly frying won’t fit in. Finally, I get to cook them this time since kids and I are stucked at home.

You may also try LUMPIANG SHANGHAI for a meaty lumpia filling.

LUMPIANG GULAY (Fried Vegetable Lumpia)

for the filling:
oil to saute
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 large onion, peeled and minced
1/4 kilo ground or minced pork
1 sayote, peeled and thinly sliced
1-2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
handful of Baguio Beans, thinly sliced, ends removed
1 large singkamas, peeled and thinly sliced
salt
pepper

Heat a litlle oil in a pan. Saute garlic and onions until aromatic. Add pork, cook until browned. Add the rest of the vegetables, cook for about 5 minutes. Don’t worry if the vegetables seemed uncooked because you will still fry them later. Season with salt and pepper. Let your sauteed vegetables cool in a colander so excess water would drip.

To wrap Lumpiang Gulay:

lumpia wrapper, round or square. It’s your choice. I used round for it is readily available in our wet market, fresh and inexpensive.

Put wrapper on a plate. Get a spoon or two of the filling and place them on the center of the lumpia wrapper. Fold the sides and roll. Then, dab your a water with your finger on end to seal it. Do with the rest of you lumpia wrapper.

To fry Lumpiang Gulay:

oil, preferably lots of oil to deep fry the lumpia

Heat oil in a pan. Drop about 4-5 pieces of Lumpiang Gulay. Fry them over medium heat. Until golden brown. Then drain upright with a colander for a crispy Lumpiang Gulay.

Serve with vinegar, crushed garlic, salt and pepper to dip the Lumpiang Gulay in.

It is also best with steaming white rice and a glass of iced cold softdrink.

My mom and I went to her friend’s birthday dinner party last night and this FRUITS ON STICKS on the dessert table caught my attention. Apart from the usual fruits served on occassions, this is a great idea for a more appealing and for a perfect summer spirit.

All you need is a bunch of different fruits with assorted colors like strawberries, grapes, pineapples, melons, banana. Choose fruits with attractive colors and you can also match up the colors with the party theme. Peel the fruits if necessary.

Cut fruits according to your desired size but consider the shape to be cut so the fruits can remain as they are. Like grapes and strawberries are mostly usually served as a whole since they are small and pleasant without cutting. You may cut mangoes, pineapples, melons and watermelons in flower, heart, cubes, semi-circle, cirle shapes.

You can use different lenghts of sticks for your Fruits on Sticks like barbecue sticks, toothpicks and any stick that is food grade. Put in few pieces of fruits on the stick and dip into orange or pineapple juice. Just your creative hands to make designs.

Use a wrapped styro foam or a cabbage head for your base. Put in your fruits on stick. Make sure the whole design is balanced and proportioned. Now you can serve your very own FRUITS ON STICKS on your dessert table.

Banana breakfast – There are all kinds of things you can do with bananas to make them more tasty. Why not kick start your day with a banana smoothie? Simply blend together some milk, a few ice cubes, a banana and a mango. Serve in a glass with additional ice cubes for a refreshing fruity drink. A slightly more indulgent breakfast option is to whip yourself up some pancakes. Make sure your pancakes don’t stick to the pan by waiting until the frying pan is very hot before you pour the batter in. While it is heating, you have time to look up some other banana recipes or have a quick game of Party Poker, but make sure to always keep an eye on the pan. Once your pancakes are cooked, top with maple syrup, sliced banana and pineapple

Banana Dessert – How about banana ice cream? This recipe is super healthy, low in fat and very tasty Simply slice 4 bananas, place in a tray, cover and slip in the freezer for about an hour. Once they are frozen, place the chinks into a food processor and blend with some milk until it becomes a smooth creamy texture. Scoop into small bowls and serve with a sprinkling of toasted almond flakes, some toffee sauce or a wafer.

If you have some friends over for dinner, why not treat them to a fruity and sweet raspberry and banana crunch dessert? Simply slice some bananas and place in a small oven-proof bowl with a few fresh raspberries. Meanwhile, heat a pan and melt some butter and sugar together, then allow to cool slightly. Crush half a packet of ginger-nut cookies and mix in with the butter and sugar mixture until the cookie crumbs become sticky. Spread over the fruit and bake in the oven until golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate straw. Delicious!

I am really glad I am back to do the things I love most, BAKING! A new househelp arrived couple of few weeks ago and took a big part of household chores from me. Days are good because I no longer catching up on laundry, housework and overlooking my children and Royce. I had more time to spend with the kids after work and extra time for cooking and writing. Len has shown her interest with baking when I made Choco Oatmeal with Peanut Butter Squares a week ago. So, I taught her with the basics of baking, and pretending I am a pro. Hahaha. As a beginner in baking, cookies are easy to prepare and to bake. CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIE is one of the recipes my mom taught me since I waskid. It is very simple yet may be considered an extraordinary accomplishment for a starter like Len.

CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIE

for chocolate syrup:
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
1 tbsp. vanilla

Place all ingredient in a small saucepan. Cook on a low heat, stirring
constantly, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

for oatmeal cookie:
1 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 tbsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, oatmeal and salt. Mix well. Set aside

Beat margarine and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Add the flour and oatmeal mixture.

Drop a dough using round tablespoonfuls onto greased baking pan. Spread a teaspoon of chocolate syrup onto each cookie dough.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in a pre-heated oven. Cool slightly and remove from sheet. Transfer to wire rack.

Serve with a glass of cold drink!

PICA-PICA is a term used to refer to finger foods or appetizers or simply food that we eat with our hands. It is refers also to a variety of small portions of food or snacks. This Easy Cheese Sticks recipe is under this category along with Lumpiang Sili and Chicken Feet Adobo.

EASY CHEESE STICKS are very popular finger food during children’s birthday parties and small gatherings. It is very simple to prepare and easy to cook. You can dash some sugar to a kid-friendly taste or add some minced red bell or pimiento for a twist.

EASY CHEESE STICKS

1 box cheddar cheese
25 pieces lumpia wrapper (spring/summer roll)
1 cup cooking oil

Get a damp towel and place on your working table. Place the lumpia wrappers on the damp towel about 25 seconds. Then separate each lumpia wrappers. If there are still brittle wrappers left, place them again on the towel. Set aside.

Slice the cheese into desired sizes (preferably 3 inches long and 1/4 inch wide). You may use a knife but using a sewing thread is a lot more easier.

Place a sliced cheese stick in a horizontal line in the bottom quarter of the wrapper. Fold two sides of the circle over the cheese then roll the wrapper up. Seal the wrapper by dipping your finger in water and spreading the water on the end of the lumpia wrapper. Wrap the rest of the cheese stick slices.

Heat oil in a small frying fan then fry the cheese sticks until golden brown. Drain excess oil.

Serve while hot. You can serve it with tomato or banana catsup as a dip.