Pinoy Pretzels

Mama found some locally made pretzel sticks last week at the grocery store. I thought they were made by one of the bigger F&B companies, but i think this was made by an SME.

Anyway, they are really good, and i love supporting local SMEs because they need a lot of encouragement.

I especially loved the cinnamon flavored pretzels and im sure you will love these babies too!

They are super crunchy but not too hard. They are cinnamon-y but not too sweet

they make me wanna have a cup of hot latte...aaah....

Thanks to Sony Philippines for my Sony Cybershot w290 with which these photos were taken

Shakey's Anggus Steakhouse Pizza

I recently tried the Anggus Steakhouse Pizza from Shakey's because i really thought it would have pieces of steak on it. Unfortunately, it had ground beef. i culdnt really tell if it was Angus beef or not becuase, again, it was ground..But that did not matter to me, i do not sweat the details. Was the pizza good?

Surprisingly so. The beef was delicioso! And for a pizza with 4 toppings (excluding the cheese), this was quite flavorful. I also loved the play on texture with the crunchy potato strings.

Of course, Shakey's thin crust could never do me wrong. The crust was glorious as ever, i could not imagine this on a thick crust though...i think it would drown the taste of the potato, mushroom and onion.

However, i really loved the beef. I would buy this everyday if i could...my favorite shakey's pizza is still the pizza bianca though...

Thanks to Sony Philippines for my SOny Cybershot w290 with which i shot all these pictures.

Virgin Crepes

It was my first time to ever attempt making crepes, and understandably, i used instant hotcake mix, just because i didnt want to risk wasting loads and loads of ingredients, just to get the proportions right.

so this is the simplified, "even-virgin-crepe-makers" recipe.here goes

beat two eggs
add 2 tablespoons of melted butter
add a cup of water

and a cup of hotcake mix
whisk the batter until it is lump free
grab a ladle and scoop out some batter and put it in the middle of the pan
spread it around to fill the pan with a thin layer of batter. if there are holes, simply fill them in with more batter. recipes say that you should cook crepes in low heat, but i found that they cook thinner if i use high heat..but, try it out to find out what works for you
scrape the sides of the crepe with a knife and then lift it off the pan. by the way, you should use a non-stick pan or a really really really seasoned one
now for the filling... i grabbed a can of tuna in water, put a little pepper, salt, basil and cheese and blended all the ingredients. most people would put mayonnaise, but i HATE mayo, so....

anyway, it still tasted great.
lay out your crepe
put some filling in the middle
roll up the lower portion of the crepe
roll it again upward
pop it in the microwave, or oven until the cheese melts. i swear it super yummy
i also tried making it with nestle all purpose cream
i simply added some chocolate syrup
and whipped away!
put that gorgeous cream in the middle of the crepe
wrapped it up
and served it, CHILLED, with more chocolate syrup
chocoholics will love this!
i also tried making one with peanut butter
after rolling it up, i topped it with some grape jelly
it wasnt as yum-o as i thought it was gonna be, but maybe thats just because i used low fat peanut butter which tastes *blah*
i tried it with orange marmalade and grape jelly
topped it with strawberry syrup...and it was heavenly! super sweet and tangy..
i suggest you make crepes now! don't fear it, its not as tough as you think it isa..oh, and everybody says the first crepe is never perfect, so dont get discouraged if all of yours come out with holes in them...thats why im here, to help you through it...

All these photos were taken with a sony cybershot w290. thank you sony!

Leftover Makeover: Roasted/Lechon Chicken

Here's a quick and easy snack made from leftover roasted chicken.

All you have to do is buy some pita bread, or pre-made pizza crust

put them on greased cookie sheets and bake them until they are toasted

while they're baking, shred your leftover chicken

slice some onions, bell peppers and mince some garlic and...

sautee them in a pan

once your onions are translucent add in your chicken shreds

add cumin black pepper and a bit of salt. this is a mexican-inspired dish so im using cumin. without this, it wouldnt taste mexican at all. if you wanna add a new flavor to your dishes, i suggest you buy some cumin. if you can't use any spice you wish

add in a tablespoon of tomato sauce just to give the dish some color, not to actually make a sauce

when you are done, it should look something like this

take out your pita bread and slice into quarters

top your pita bread with the chicken and add some cheese. enjoy!

Easy, quick and yummy! This is perfect if you have kids, or surprise guests

These pictures were taken with a Sony Cybershot w290. thank you Sony!

Untitled Meat Dish

First of all, i do not know what to call this dish, so please, please help me! :D And maybe I could give a prize to whomever could give this strange dish a name. my brother and i invented it together. So read on, try making it at home, and then give it a name...or you could skip the second step..hahaha

Anyways, here goes:

In butter and oil, sautee some garlic

add some onions and sautee until translucent

add some ham, or bacon, or sausage, or leave this step out completely

add in some diced potatoes (i leave the peels on, but you can peel them if you prefer that)

add some diced tomatoes

and mushroom slices

add some ground beef, or pork, or a combination of both. I haven't tried it with turkey or chicken, but I'm pretty sure it would work as well

add in your favorite herb. You could use cumin, oregano, basil, rosemary...just about anything. for this batch i used basil and a bay leaf. always rub your dried herbs between your palms before putting them in your dish. doing thsi releases the oils, giving it a stronger taste

add in some demi-glace. if you do not have demi glace you could add cream of mushroom, or water and a bouillon cube. however, the two alternatives give completely different tastes, but im pretty sure i t would work also.

while your meat is cooking take out an oven-safe, deep pan and spray it with non-stick spray or simply rub oil on it

put pieces of day-old bread on the bottom of the pan

when you're done, it should look like this. pat iot down, and make sure there are no holes

top your bread with your meat mixture, kinda like the way you make lasagna

when you have filled the pan...

add in some scrambled eggs (with milk, salt and pepper)

and then top it off with cheese. you can choose any kind of cheese for the topping. you could even combine several different kinds of cheese

bake it in the oven until itsa gorgeous and golden brown, with a cheesy crust. make sure also that the egg is completely cooked and has risen

you may serve it alone or with gravy (like in the pictures below)

the bottom part is the bread, which has become chewy, crunchy and moist...

while the top has become cheesy and crunchy

make sure that when you take a bite, you get the sweet bread (that has soaked up all the flavors of the meat), the perfectly cooked meat (which should still be juicy), and the salty crunchy cheese top. I think this is the best way to enjoy this dish.

Hearty, easy, and kinda rustic..this dish is one of my favorite inventions so far...

Unfortunately, i don't know what to call it. so give it a name..please!

All these pictures were taken with a sony cybershot w290! thank you sony!