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Farmers Market and Cucumber Salad

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First of all I’d like to say a big Thank You to Rajani of EatWriteThink for my new kitchen toy a Braun MultiQuick Cordless. If you want a chance to win one go visit MyCustardPie she’ll pick a winner on April 26.



Rajani was also the one who invited me to be part of Famished Arabia, a group of food bloggers here in GCC. Such an angel! You can find links of fellow famished bloggers on my links. I attended my first activity last Friday a Group Photo share and learn session at Bakers and Spice which also was a host to a weekly Farmers Market which sells organic produce. 

When I told C about the session he was happy for me and I was too. Being a stay at home sometimes give me an overwhelming feeling of being stuck to just cleaning and cooking which leads to bad days that makes my hormones and emotions go wild. That’s why we are both happy that I have this new thing to keep my mind busy beside household chores. I am thankful for the group and most specially to the lovely ladies that I met for welcoming me. 

V was a breastfed baby and along with that decision is a challenge to only feed him the healthiest meal we can provide (with a few sweet cheat). When the doctor gave me a go signal that he can start solid food he had homecooked and organic baby food. 

V at 1 yr old ate every vegetable I give him but when he reached the age of 2 everything suddenly change. He became choosy and right now only eats  broccoli, carrots and mushroom without force and with fruits oranges, strawberries, and banana are his only chosen “sports candy”. I have to be creative in tricking him to eat unwanted veggies  and fruits. 



That’s why when he saw me preparing my staple side dish he announced “that’s your food mama not for Vierte.”  I bought this juicy tomatoes and cucumber at the market which tastes much sweeter than those I buy at the grocery. Live chickens and ducks are also available in the market as well.



This salad is best paired with something grilled or fried. I baked some pork liempo marinated with dark soy sauce, kikoman soy, tomato ketchup, sugar and ground black pepper. 

Cucumber Salad for Two
1 Tomato
3 Cucumbers
1 Onion
2 cloves Garlic
thin slice of Ginger

1 tbsp Bals
amic Vinegar
1 tsp White Vinegar
1 tbsp Sugar
Pinch of Salt and Pepper

First combine balsamic vinegar, white vinegar, sugar, some salt and pepper then set aside. Thinly slice cucumber, tomato, and onions. Crush garlic and ginger. Toss all together and enjoy.

Kutsinta

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Kutsinta is one famous kakanin (local dessert) in the Philippines. My Mama would always bring home different kinds of kakanin for us after visiting the palengke (fish market) every Sunday.

The result of my first kutsinta was not perfect, it tastes good but it was a bit hard. Texture should be soft and firm. Friends who got to taste my first batch suggested to cook it at a lesser time (first batch was steamed for almost an hour).

My mom’s bestfriend uses the plastic mold in making Kutsinta but Mama refused to let me use those and instead sent me muffin like tin cans similar to what she was using. Btw, see that stain on the second photo of my steamer made me sad because I just spent 1 hour scrubbing the whole oven.

Above photo is my attempt to be creative. I even used C’s D80 to learn basic photography for an upcoming class. I spent more than hour editing photos in picnik a much more simply program compared to photoshop.

Finished cooking the whole batch  for 1 hour and 30 minutes and all the time V was dreaming. The recipe yielded 24 kutsinta.

Lye water is one of the main ingredient, if you search around some sites would say that if not properly use it could be poisonous. I grew up eating Kutsinta with lye water and I didn’t get sick. But if you would want to try making one without using lye The Aubergine Chef substitute lye water with baked baking soda.

Kutsinta
1 1/2 cup Rice Flour
1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1 cup Brown Sugar
3 cups Water
1/4 cup Milk
1 1/2 tsp Lye Water
1 tsp Anatto Powder
Grated coconut

Boil water for the steamer.
In a mixing bowl sift all dry ingredients. Combine water and milk on a separate bowl. While mixing the dry ingredients slowly add water milk mixture until all ingredients are completely distributed and lump free. Add lye water then continue mixing. Half-fill small muffin pans. Steam for 10-20 minutes. Serve kutsinta with grated coconut.

Enjoy your kutsinta with a cup of brewed coffee or tea. It really is important to serve this yummy treat with fresh grated coconut.

Now I have to go back and scrub my muffin cups.

SuperBook – A Giant Adventure

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I grew up watching SuperBook and The Flying House with my siblings and we enjoyed it a lot.

Last night after watching our movie, V requested that we watch his movie so we decided to watch SuperBook – A Giant Adventure (C copied it from his officemate). It was a familiar story to V since its one of his favorite story from “Bedtime Book of Bible Stories.” Whenever we read a story to him we try to use different voices for the characters. I think the story became his favorite because of the giants voice his daddy use.

Thank you to CBN for bringing back the series.

Visit the official website of Superbook for more details and play some games with your little one too. 

Moist Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

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Moist Chocolate Cake

This easy chocolate cake recipe is a staple in our house. A keeper as it is also the same recipe I use when a client requests it for a fondant covered cake.

Don’t skip the frosting as it is heaven sent!

Moist Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Ingredients

  • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 2 tsp Baking Soda
  • ¾ cup Cocoa Powder
  • 2 cups Brown Sugar
  • 1 cup Oil
  • 1 cup Brewed Coffee
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 tsp Vanilla

Procedure:

  1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and line desired pan, I use a 8″ cake pan.
  2. Sift together dry ingredients in your mixing bowl.
  3. Combine oil, coffee and milk – give it a quick stir.
  4. Turn your mixture to low and and slowly pour wet mixture on your dry ingredients.
  5. Add eggs one at a time till fully incorporated. Add vanilla. Mixture will be runny.
  6. Pour batter into pans and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  7. Let cake cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

  • 1 cup Cocoa Powder
  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 3 cups Full Cream Milk
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened

Procedure:

  1. Sift cocoa powder, sugar, and flour.
  2. Add milk and butter.
  3. Cook on a double broiler.
  4. Stir occasionally to remove lumps and when mixture starts to thicken, stir more often.
  5. Cook until thick enough to spread on cake. Allow icing to cool down a bit before frosting cake.

It’s my birthday today! Dino Cupcake

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There’s a cake on the table and V declares “It’s my birthday today!”

My demanding little customer with Debbie Brown’s “50 Easy Party Cakes” sat on the carpet flipping pages deciding on the cake design he want.

V: I know! I want a dinosaur cake. Can we make it now? I will help.
M: I will try my best to make you one.
V: You can do it Mama.

Meet V’s dino cupcake 🙂
I’m using a new fondant recipe suggested by my friend Sandy. I just have a little problem with the fondant it easily breaks when shaped or rolled and it’s way too oily compared to the usual MMF. I’m asking help online hopefully I get advise on how to fix the problem.

***
and btw we are not celebrating any birthday we just happen to have a cake coz it’s the time of the month that my hormones go crazy!

Chicken Schnitzel with Butter Fried Potatoes and Beans

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Chicken Schnitzel with butter fried potato and beans by gailcaidoy

Chicken Schnitzel with butter fried potato and beans, a photo by gailcaidoy on Flickr.

Did I ever mention that we are enjoying Junior Masterchef Australia? Those kids inspired me to be a better cook and be serious on preparing yummy beautiful meals. These Chicken Schnitzel was featured on the show’s masterclass below is my version.

Chicken Schnitzel

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups bread crumbs
  • Pinch salt and pepper
  • 1 chicken breast fillet
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp Milk
  • 1/2 cup Flour
  • 80 ml Olive Oil
  • 40g butter, cubed

Method:

  1. Cut the Chicken breast horizontally into thin steaks. Place in between 2 sheets of cling film and lightly pound with the flat side of meat mallet to flaten.
  2. Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl.
  3. Prepare one bowl each for Flour, BreadCrumbs, Egg Milk mixture, and Chicken breasts.
  4. Coat one piece chicken in flour and shke to remove excess. Then dip the chicken into the egg mixture. Then coat chicken in the breadcrumbs pressing firmly to coat. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
  5. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, cook chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes each side or until tender and golden. Remove and place on to the paper towel.
  6. For the veggies, slice boiled potatoes and remove ends of string beans. Melt butter on a different pan. Fry potatoes till brown on the sides, set aside. Cook string beans for about two minutes.