For the Love of Food

Chocolate Cake

2008-03-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture and recipe of the very first chocolate cake, or the the very first cake for that matter, that I baked. I made it last last week and I was just too lazy to post the pics here. Anyway, I didn't know I can actually bake. Now i'm gonna go crazy about baking...

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer for 2 minutes. Pou batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
4. Slice and serve.

Fertility-boosting Recipes

2008-03-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Ginger-Garlic Kale With Tempeh

1/4 cup reduced-sodium tamari
2 tablespoons agave4 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dried, crushed red pepper
1 3-inch segment gingerroot, grated1 8-ounce package tempeh, cut into
1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine tamari, honey, garlic, and red pepper. Squeeze grated ginger over the bowl to extract juice; discard solids. Stir to mix well.
2. Add tempeh to marinade, stir to coat, and let marinate for 1 hour at room temperature. Remove tempeh from marinade using a slotted spoon; reserve marinade.
3. In a large skillet, heat oil and sauté onion and marinated tempeh for 5 to 6 minutes, until onions are tender.
4. Wash kale and shake dry. Add to pan, along with remaining marinade; cover and cook until kale is tender and bright green, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Transfer to individual plates, and sprinkle with black sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Papaya-Mint Fool

2 cups fresh or frozen and thawed papaya cubes (mango may be substituted)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about half a lime)
2 teaspoons dried mint
1/2 cup full-fat yogurt, plain or vanilla
Fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1. In a food processor, combine papaya or mango, honey, lime juice, and mint, and pulse to make a very coarse puree.
2. Transfer to a medium bowl, and fold in yogurt; add more honey to taste.
3. Divide among 4 individual serving dishes, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before serving, or freeze for 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired, and serve with vanilla wafers or biscotti.

Roasted Oysters and Black Olives With Rosemary

1/4 cup olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh rosemary leaves
2 cups shucked oysters, drained and patted dry
2 cups kalamata olives (drained and rinsed)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, minced garlic, and rosemary; stir to mix well.
3. Add oysters, and stir to coat well. Add olives and mix.
4. Arrange oysters and olives in a shallow baking pan, and roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until oysters are cooked through.
5. Remove from oven, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Arrange on a serving platter with fresh rosemary sprigs, and serve immediately over angel-hair pasta tossed with olive oil, garlic, and minced fresh basil.

Baby Greens Salad With Almonds, Goat Cheese, Dried Plums, and Raspberry-Chipotle Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 small canned chipotle peppers, seeded
6 cups mixed baby greens
1 cup dried plums (prunes), chopped
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped
4 ounces goat feta cheese

Directions:
1. In a blender, combine olive oil, jam, vinegar and chipotle peppers; puree until smooth, and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine greens, plums, and walnuts. Add just enough dressing (about half), and toss to mix.
3. Divide among four salad plates, and top each with goat cheese. Serve immediately.

Source: Natural Solutions

Lose Weight With Cactus?

2008-03-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

Who wouldn't lose weight if forced to eat cactus, I hear you say, but suspend your disbelief. Cacti have a long pedigree as an appetite and hunger suppressant. Eaten like a vegetable in India, it appears to block enzymes involved in fat production and to help regulate appetite. You can buy extracts of the cactus at health food stores, in products such as SlenderTone by Nature's Answer. In fact, two double-blind, placebo controlled studies using a commercially available extract of the plant produced significant weight loss after four weeks.

Honor Student Suspended for Skittles

2008-03-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

An eight-grade honor student in Connecticut was suspended for a day for buying a bag of Skittles in school. He was also barred from attending an honors dinner and stripped of his title as vice president in his class. The said candy violated the schools "wellness" policy.

Holy cow! Talk about school health Nazis!

Yum-yum

2008-03-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

I'm back fellas!

Here's a picture of the dessert-kinda-snack that I made for tonight. In the middle is actually a bowl of fruit salad - Filipino style, with cherries and shredded chesse on top. I happen to have a can of Nestle cream and condensed milk left from the "Peach" Float I made for our Christmas party last year. We had lots of fruits in the fridge so I decided to make some fruit salad.

Speaking of "Peach" Float...it's actually called Mango Float in the Philippines. It's a sweet and creamy dessert that's made from sweet ripe mangoes. I'm sure lots of Filipinas know what i'm talking about.
I couldn't find any sweet ripe mangoes last December and I was wanting to make it so bad so I decided to substitute the mangoes with canned peaches. My mother-in-law loved it! (It was the first dessert I made for J's family). I'll just post a picture here one of these days when i'm in the mood to make some "Peach" Float.

Anyway, here's another picture...

Have a blessed day everyone!..

Mango Wines

2008-02-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

I was browsing through the internet searching for something and then I stumbled upon two words that really caught my eye - mango wine! Was I reading that right? I had to read it again just to make sure. I have never heard of mango wines before. I thought, "wines are usually made from either grapes or strawberries". Intrigued, I clicked on the link and checked it out. Sure enough, it's about mango wines - Don Roberto's Mango Wines from the Philippines.

Apparently, the secret fruit wine recipe that resulted to this award-winning mango wine was handed down through generations and was introduced by the Belgian priest decades ago.

It was then given as a gift of gratitude to Mr. Roberto Castaneda, the owner and founder of Don Roberto's Winery, for his act of charity.

If you wanna read the whole story, just click the following: http://www.mangowine.com/about.php

Anyway, I will definitely have a taste of this wine when I go back to the Philippines!

Chicken Adobo

2008-02-26T06:38:00.000-08:00

I cooked chicken adobo for dinner last night. It is one of my favorite Filipino dish and it has now become J's favorite as well. Adobo is considered to be the Philippines' national dish. I can definitely see why. It's very easy to make as it doesn't require a lot of ingredients. Here's how I make my adobo:

3 pcs. Chicken breast (skinless & boneless)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup vinegar (I use balsamic vinegar)

1/2 of a medium onion

1/2 of a medium red bell pepper

4 garlic cloves (chopped or crushed)

Sprinkle of the following:

salt, pepper and paprika

Heat oil and add all of the garlic, and cook until garlic is lightly browned. Add chicken and saute until the chicken is beginning to tenderize.
Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika.
Add onions, red bell pepper, soy sauce, and vinegar, and let simmer for 25-35 mins or until chicken is done.
Make sure to add more vinegar or soy sauce until it suits your taste.
Serve over rice.

Olive Garden

2008-02-25T09:07:00.001-08:00

We went to an Italian restaurant yesterday for lunch. The food was excellent. They have the best bread sticks I have ever had. The bread sticks dipped in an Alfredo sauce is such an excellent combination! The service was great. When it comes to Italian Restaurants, Olive Garden is on my top list, along with Carrabba's.

Mixed Grill

Chicken and Steak on a skewer with fried potato,

grilled zucchini and squash.

Pasta e Fagioli

White and red beans, ground beef, tomatoes
and pasta in a savory broth.

Golden Rules of Food Safety

2008-02-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

- Keep a clean kitchen. Any area can harbor harmful bacteria, so always wash and dry your hands before handling food. Frequently wash kitchen towels, cloths and sponges. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables before eating. Wash cutting boards, knives, and other utensils with hot, soapy water after every use - especially after handling raw meat and poultry. Wash cutting boards occasionally with a solution of 1 tablespoon bleach per 1 gallon water to sterilize them.

- Don't put cooked meat (or any ready-to-eat food) on a plate that has come in contact with raw meat, poultry or fish.

- To kill harmful bacteria that may be present in raw eggs, fish, poultry and meat, it's essential to cook these foods thoroughly.

- It's unwise to cook foods in stages. Don't start to cook food, stop, and then return to it later. Even when food is stored in the refrigerator between cooking periods, safe temperatures might not be maintained and bacteria may develop.

- Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible. Do not leave at room temperature longer than 2 hours. Divide large amounts among small, shallow containers for quicker cooling.

- In hot water, don't leave protein foods such as chicken, egg salad etc., out of the refrigerator for more than 1 hour.

All About Ice Cream

2008-02-23T21:30:00.000-08:00

STORE - BOUGHT

- A sticky container most likely means the product has thawed, leaked and been refrozen; choose another cartoon.

-For easier serving, soften ice crem in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. For speedier results, microwave rock-hard ice cream at medium-low for about 30 seconds.

-The container should be well-sealed to prevent the ice cream from from absorbing odors from other foods, or forming ice crystals on it's surface. It's a good idea to place a sheet of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the ice cream to seal it from air. Reseal the container tightly after opening.

-Low-fat ice cream and frozen yogurt melt faster than full-fat varieties. So prechill serving bowls, or add the scoops at the very last minute - or you may end up with a milky puddle over warm pies or hot, bubbling cobblers.

HOMEMADE

- For the creamiest texture (and a maximum yield), make and chill the ice-cream mixture the day before you plan to freeze it (the chilled mixture will also freeze faster).

- Fill ice cream machines only two-thirds full - the mixture expands as it freezes and needs room to incorporate air.

- A fresh-frozen mixture thaws quickly, so handle it as little as possiblebefore getting it into the freezer.

- If using an old-fashion style churn, add more ice and salt as needed (the faster the freezing process, the smoother the texture of the ice cream.

Source: Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook