Royce’s most awaited day of the week is Sunday. This is the day when I let him indulge the not so healthy food in the world, like CRISPY FRIED PORK CHOPS. Huhu. This makes me guilty but I am just letting him have a taste of delicious fatty meal even once in a while. I feed my family with healthy and nutritious vegetable and seafood dishes most of the week, but I spoil them every Sunday lunch. And I want them to enjoy Sunday meals after our Church meetings. Royce favorite is anything that is pork, SINIGANG NA BABOY, INIHAW NA LIEMPO, PORK AFRITADA, ADOBONG BABOY, it’s endless, as long it is pork, he will surely love it!

This CRISPY FRIED PORK CHOPS recipe is a quick, simple and most of all, an inexpensive way to make pork chops.

CRISPY FRIED PORK CHOPS

1 kilo pork chops, sliced thinly
salt
ground pepper
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups oil for deep frying
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground paprika (optional)
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk

Wash pork chops with running water. Drain with paper towels. Place pork chops in a bowl. With a fork, prick the pork chops thoroughly to tenderize the meat. Season with salt. Marinate for 10-15 minutes.

In a shallow bowl, mix 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground paprika and all purpose flour.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until blended well.

Now, dip the pork chops on egg mixture. Then gently press the pork chops into the flour mixture to coat and shake off excess flour.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the pork chops until the crust is crisp and golden brown, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and drain the excess oil on paper towels.

Serve your CRISPY FRIED PORK CHOPS with steaming white rice.

Last November, Royce and I had a chance to visit Bohol. And it truly was a great experience seeing wonderful places like Chocolate Hills and the white sand of Panglao Beach. My most exciting part is dining on a floating restaurant at Loboc River. I loved the river tour, the Filipino songs performed by the singer, and most specially the unlimited food adventure. While riding on the boat, we get to dine and enjoy all Filipino dishes, from appetizers, soups, main course, fruits and desserts. Since all dishes were our own, I thought that I won’t get to learn and discover much. But I was wrong. I thought the food attendant just misplaced the plate of Lumpiang Shanghai on the dessert table. I was wrong… just for a camote or sweet potato rolled in a lumpia wrapper. A crunchy and sweet lumpia with camote in it. It was indeed to be on a dessert table. I wasn’t able to get a chat to anyone from the kitchen about it, but I guess it is a Boholano dessert. CAMOTE LUMPIA or KAMOTENG LUMPIA was a great dessert or a snack discovery to share.

LUMPIANG KAMOTE or CAMOTE LUMPIA

kamote/camote or sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into strips
brown sugar
cooking oil
lumpia wrappers
water

Separate each lumpia wrapper. Set aside.

Pour brown sugar on a shallow bowl. Also pour water on a separate bowl.

Rest a wrapper on a plate. Get a strip of kamote and dip sides on brown sugar. Place the kamote on lumpia wrapper. Fold two sides of the circle over the camote then roll the wrapper up. Dip your finger on the bowl of water then spread the water on the end of the lumpia wrapper to seal it.

Do same procedure with the rest of sliced kamote.

Heat oil in a small frying pan. On medium high heat, fry the LUMPIANG KAMOTE until golden brown. Drain excess oil.

Serve your LUMPIANG KAMOTE or CAMOTE LUMPIA as a snack or dessert.

GINISANG UPO is a Filipino dish that is very quick and easy to cook but requires a lot of time in its preparation. Peeling and slicing the UPO or WHITE SQUASH or BOTTLE GOURD is the tedious part. It is exciting though, specially if you are cooking for the people that you love. GINISANG UPO is a simple and inexpensive dish, usually served during lunch and dinner. Some cook it with a can of sardines, and it is as good as with pork. UPO is low in fat and cholesterol, but has a high amount of fiber. It has 96 percent water, that is why you don’t have to add much water when cooking it. UPO also is rich iron and contains vitamin C and B complex. It is I guess a vegetable sent from heaven specially if you want to save money but still want to serve a good dish for your family.

GINISANG UPO

1 large UPO – peeled and sliced into small pieces
1/4 kilo pork, sliced into small pieces also
100 grams medium shrimps, peeled and heads removed (optional)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
3 medium red tomatoes
water
2 tbsp. fish sauce or patis
salt

In a skillet, heat oil and brown pork, about 7-10 minutes. Place browned pork in a bowl.

In same skillet, saute garlic until light brown, about a minute. Add onions, cook until aromatic and transluscent. Then add tomatoes, cook until they are soft.

Add shrimps and browned pork. Saute for about 3-5 minutes.

Then, add the sliced UPO, stirring constantly, cook for 5-10 minutes.

Now add a little water. You will notice the dish becomes more watery as it is cooked.

Let it simmer until cooked, about 7-10 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.

Season with fish sauce. You may adjust flavor by adding small salt.

Remove from heat.

Serve your GINISANG UPO with steaming white rice.

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!

INIHAW NA LIEMPO is a Pinoy term for grilled pork belly. It is a great picnic and party dish paired with vinegar or atsara. INIHAW NA LIEMPO is very easy to grill and so flavorful. Just allow the fat to melt away, meat to be cooked enough to be tender and delicious smoke flavor to penetrate into the delicious meat. Make sure not to overcook the pork bellies, not only it will burn your meat but also will make the meat tough or rubbery. I suggest to turn the sides every 5 minutes so as not to overcook them.

LIEMPO is the best part to grill a pork. It is very ideal for fast grilling and also tender and juicy. INIHAW NA LIEMPO is also best served with Inihaw na Bangus and Pinakbet. A truly Pinoy dish to be eaten in KAMAYAN way! A traditional Filipino way of eating with bare hands and no utensils used. INIHAW NA LIEMPO is similar with Pork Barbecue. Pork Barbecue is grilled pork in a bamboo stick and a lot sweeter. Inihaw na Liempo is a chunk or a big slice of pork belly, marinated in salt and calamansi juice.

INIHAW NA LIEMPO (GRILLED PORK BELLIES)

1 kilo pork bellies
8-10 cloves garlic, pelled and crushed
5 tbsp. calamansi juice
salt
ground pepper

Wash pork bellies with running water. Drain.

Mix salt, ground pepper and garlic. Set aside.

In a bowl, place pork bellies and rub with calamansi juice. Marinate for about 5 minutes.

Then rub the salt mixture on pork bellies. Marinate for 1 hour.

Grill pork bellies until cooked, about 10-15 minutes on the first side and another 10-15 minutes on the other side.

You can chop the INIHAW NA LIEMPO according to your desired sizes. But you can serve the whole INIHAW NA LIEMPO for a more festive dish!

Serve with steaming white rice and vinegar as a dip.

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.

PORK AFRITADA WITH PINEAPPLES – Cubed pork, potatoes, tomato sauce and pineapple chunks come together in this wonderful dish to make an easy weekend family meal. Everything is cooked slowly to perfection, pork is tender, the sauce is thick, the vegetables are right and crisp, creating a sweet, fresh and vibrant flavor in the dish. You may replace the pork with chicken, or you can do pork and chicken together.

I was sick for almost a week. It was so hard doing things around the house specially taking care of my sons, Colby and Caleb. I am just always thankful, I get to recover fast. Today, Royce got fever, and a lot more difficult now that he is sick because I am to do things for the business. But I am a superwoman. Every mom has to. And despite of the busy day, I wanted to make something nice on a blue and sickly day. I cooked this PORK AFRITADA WITH PINEAPPLES. Royce loves meat and kids love potatoes and something sweet. It is a best combination of meat and vegetables in just a bowl.

By the way, I will be baking 24 loaves of banana bread later. My sister from Baguio City ordered for her to sell to her officemates. My Banana Breads had always been a click. And I am glad I get to create some money from it.

PORK AFRITADA WITH PINEAPPLES (BRAISED PORK IN TOMATO SAUCE)

1 kilo pork, cubed
3 tbsp. cooking oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup pineapple juice
5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 medium red bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced
1 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
4-6 laurel leaves
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. patis
salt
ground pepper

Wash pork cubes with running water and drain. Place in a bowl. Add half cup of pineapple juice. Marinade for about 20-30 minutes. Then, drain.

Heat oil in a pan overmedium heat. Saute garlic, about a minute. Then add the sliced onions. Saute, until soft and transluscent.

Add pork cubes, saute until light brown, about 5-6 minutes. Then add patis, allowing the meat absorb the patis. Add laurel leaves and ground pepper.

Now add one cup tomato sauce and half cup of water. Add Bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes or until pork is tender. Make sure to stir once in a while so as not to prevent the bottom from burning.

Then, add potatoes, carrots, red and green bell pepper. Add the remaining tomato juice and pineapple juice. Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 5 minutes.

Season with salt. You may adjust flavor by adding few tablespoons of water. Bring to boil until sauce thickens.

A minute before removing from heat, add the pineapple chunks.

Serve your PORK AFRITADA WITH PINEAPPLES while hot with steaming white rice!

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!

Happy New Year everyone!

It had been a wonderful and memorable holidays. We get to spend the festive season with our friends and families that finally I get the chance to show them off some of my cooking skills. I am not an expert yet. I had been through a lot of kitchen disasters before I get to perfect a dish. Often times, I get frustrated but with the love I have for food and family, I indulge more time to learn and master.

Today, I am going to share a very easy dish, JUICY AND TENDER FRIED PORK. Very easy to cook right? But sometimes, with posing no difficulty, we overlook the technique on how to make a FRIED PORK, a juicy and tender one.

My Aunt Sassy who used to be cooking for a small restaurant shared to me this very delicious and I may say, a perfect FRIED PORK. Oh I am so excited for this. It is a fool-proof, kitchen tested FRIED PORK that is juicy and tender and soooo delicious and yummy recipe.

You can also try BREADED PORKLOIN with MUSHROOM GRAVY and BREADED PORKCHOP

JUICY AND TENDER FRIED PORK

1 kilo pork chop or pork belly, sliced according to desired size

6-8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

8 tbsp. calamansi or lemon juice

1 – 2 tbsp. salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

cooking oil

Wash sliced pork chops or bellies with running water and drain with paper towels.

Place the pork in a container. Rub salt, garlic and calamansi juice on pork with hands. Cover the container and marinade for 3-4 hours in your fridge.

Let your marinated pork be in a room temperature to get them ready to be cooked, about half an hour.

Add beaten egg on marinated pork, making sure all are covered with egg.

Then, add the flour, again equally covered. You can use your hands to make them perfectly covered.

Heat cooking oil, enough oil to deep fry.

Place chops one by one on heated oil, allowing about half an inch apart from each other. Fry them for about 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and fry additional minutes until other is brown.

Place on wire rack to drain and serve your JUICY AND TENDER FRIED PORK with steaming hot rice with soy sauce and calamansi dip.