In My Kitchen

I am running of ideas on what to post here. I have so much recipes lined up to try but I don't have time to make it. Here is our (DH and I) breakfast this morning. Chopped onion and garlic saute in olive oil until translucent. Add the cooked rice and salt and pepper to taste. Put the mixture on one side of the pan. Put a little bit of olive oil on the other side and cook the beaten egg. When done mix together, you can also add green onion before serving. DH actually like this any time of the day. I usually cook the egg first before sauteing the garlic and onion. Yes, I use the same pan, less things to wash that way.

Thank you so much for stopping and and leaving comments. May all of you get what you wish for this Christmas season. The season is not about santa but about Christ, remember that.

After a year, (I think) I finally went back to the Asian store in Parsippany (Maxine) last weekend. I went by myself because DH was in the bad mood all weekend because of politics or maybe he is having his time of the month...he he he. I almost bought the whole store...(I don't think I have enough money to do so...lol). I couldn't get myself out of their bakery without buying anything. I settled with Hopia and Ensaymada macapuno. Even with this weather they still have oriental vegetables. Long beans, eggplants, okra, you name it they have it. They also have some fresh bamboo shoots. They have some of my favorite fruits like guavas and pomelos( Lukban). However they are too expensive I didn't bought any. I bought a lot of pansit canton, pansit bihon, lumpia wrappers, mix for fruit salads (kaong & nata de coco), banana ketchup (they are probably not good for me because of the sugar and coloring) and other things I can't remember anymore. I can only go there once in th...

Can you smell it, it smell so good. 4 lbs beef rump 1 to 2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tbsp chopped fresh or 1 tsp dried marjoram 1tgsp chopped fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme leaves 2 tsp fresh or 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves 3 garlic cloves, crush 1 cup water or beef broth 8 small potatoes, cut in halves 8 medium carrots, cut into fourths 8 small onions Pot Roast Gravy (below) Heat oven to 350°F. Cook beef roast in Dutch oven over medium heat until brown; reduce heat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme, oregano and garlic. Add the broth. (when I did this the roast smell so good to eat already) Cover the dutch oven and put inside the oven. Cook for 2 hours then add the vegetables. Cook for another hour until the vegetables are done. Pot Roast Gravy 1 cup roast broth 3 tbsp cornstarch 3 ice cubes or more (to cool the roast broth) Once the broth cool down, add the cornstarch, cook and whisk until desire consistency. This is really good, it goes well with my rice too.

This is what I eat every time "I feel under the weather". I call it "feel better soup". I boil 1/4 cup of rice with a lot of water. Then I add julienne cut ginger, chop garlic (garlic is really good for you when you are sick) and chop onions. Add salt to taste. You can also add chicken broth after the rice is cooked, to have more broth. I added hard boiled eggs slices for protein. The more ginger you add the better. I like the taste of ginger when I am sick. If you can find an oriental noodle soup the hot one, that is really good too. Eating something hot (spice) when getting sick makes you sweat it out and clears your nose and throat at the same time. Try it out when you are feeling ill sometimes. To my fellow Tagalog speaking pinay, ano bang tawag dito; arroz caldo or goto? Hindi ko na matandaan kaya tinawag ko na lang "rice soup". Let me know, ok?

Thank you so much for my November top ten EC droppers. Even though I'm not able to drop much these days, I tried to visit each and everyone of you when I have time to drop. Furthermore, thank you also to those who did not make the list and those who don't own EC who visit me.

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. vanilla 2 eggs Preheat oven to 325 °F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended. Pour into pre-made graham cracker pie crust. Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator. Graham Crackers Pie Crust 1-2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter, melted Preparation: Mix together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until well-combined. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate or tin. For baked pies , preheat oven to 350°F and pre-bake crust for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool before filling. For no-bake refrigerator or freezer pies, no baking is necessary. Yield: one 9-inch crust

When we left our apartment to move to our house, I left my barely running car in the apartment parking lot. The landlady called me up and asked me to remove the car immediately and she gave a time to when she wants it out. The car is still in a good condition except for the engine, yes I run that car in the ground. I called up Salvation Army to pick it up but they can’t get it right away. I don’t want the apartment to charge me towing fee because she still have my down payment, so I told the maintenance guy that he can have it at no charge. He works there, and I don’t think he will have any problem keeping it there until it’s fixed. I really don’t mind keeping it, but my husband doesn’t want to pay for a new engine with such high mileage car. How about you, have you given something away? Have you ever donated something for a good cause? It’s not too late to make a difference to military families this holiday season. You can help by visiting Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry and donat...

My FIL loves apple pie. He gets one of his grand daughter to bake her one. But lately she always forget, since they always comes to our house for holidays I decided to bake it for him. But will not bake it again after yesterday. I didn't know that he wants her to make it, I guess something for her to do on holiday. I just felt bad because he was asking her about it and she didn't bake any. Anyway here is my homemade apple pie. I made the crust myself. It's very easy to make. Trying to be fancy here with the diamond top shape. I used the pizza cutter to cut them. Pressed the side together. Foil to prevent the side from burning. Here is my finish product. And here is a piece for you. Enjoy!

I read online that in New Zealand in a few days (December) it would be summer down there. I wish we have a property down there and move there during winter months in the United States, then come back here when the winter is over. My children are already home school and moving down in New Zealand should not be a problem. The only problem is getting a job while we are there; I think it would be hard to find a job that can work with our living arrangement (living there for six months and gone for another six). However, I’m pretty sure we can make it work with a little determination. Going on vacation to New Zealand is easier than what I mention above, would you agree? A free trip to New Zealand is much nicer. I will tour the whole country and see everything when I get there. I will visit different kinds of farms, local villages and learn about their culture. It may not have any difference from where I live now, but visiting another country in the other side of the globe is always excitin...

One-Crust Pie: 9-Inch 1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tbsp sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1/8 to 1/4 cup ice water Cut the unsalted butter into flour and salt until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 tbsp at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl. Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured kitchen counter or board. Roll pastry 2 inches larger than inverted pie dish with floured covered rolling pin. Roll the pastry on the rolling pin then unroll on pie dish. Press firmly against bottom and side. For bake pie crust: Heat oven to 475°F. Prick bottom and side thoroughly with fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown; cool before adding the fillings. Filling: 2 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1 can (16 oz) pumpkin 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/8 tsp ground cloves Heat oven to 425°F. Beat eggs slightly with hand beater or wire whisk in medium bowl. Beat in rem...

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I am very busy these days, I have not start cleaning my house yet. We have a few relatives coming, (well that happens every year) and I want the house to look organize. I hate it when people comes that every mess can be seen every where. I'm sure DC and DH will help but I just don't have the energy lately. Good thing I still have one bottle left of my MonaVie given by my sister. I can really use this with the upcoming holiday to boast my energy and think clearly hopefully. Like I said I been so busy and never had time to drop 300 EC these days. I'll be lucky if I can drop 50 in a day. But I promise that I will be back to visit all you site again as soon as I have time. I will post my Thanksgiving dinner meal after the Holiday. I will leave you a picture taken two years ago when my parents came to visit. This was their first real Thanksgiving with turkey, mash potatoes , corns, mash sweet potatoes, gravy, dinner rolls , stuffing's, and cranberry sauce. With pumpkin pie,...

Cut up the chicken 1 pound chicken breast, boneless/skinless Salt & pepper, to taste Flour Mix it with flour in ziploc bag. Sauce: 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 3 tablespoons chicken broth or water 1 tablespoon minced ginger 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 teaspoons cornstarch for thickening sauce, optional Sesame seeds, optional Ready to cook. Preparation: 1. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Combine the chicken cubes with the soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add enough flour to nicely coat the chicken. 2. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside. 3. Heat the pan and add 2 tablespoon of oil. Cook the chicken until no longer pink. 4. Add the sauce mix and cook until desire consistency. 5. Add the sesame seeds before serving. 6. Serve over rice. Finish products, my oldest son loves it. Note: If you like it spicy, just add a few sprinkle of hot pepper flakes...

Oh, how I wish it would be so easy to put everything we needed on layaway. Well it would be easy, but paying for it will be tough, because the things I wanted are for the whole family. It will be very expensive and paying it within the certain time will be hard. You will see what I am talking about when looking at the three items (Images) I picked that we need for the rainy days. The generator can help us during a power failure. We don’t need to worry about flushing the toilet or rotting meat and cooking for that matter. The grill can be use as a substitute for electric range, if our generator may not have enough power for cooking. And lastly the pasta maker, we can make our fresh homemade pasta when we can’t get to the store to buy some, or when the store runs out of food to sell. We already have emergency food stocked up and I know we can never be prepare to what is upon us, but knowing we have enough emergency supplies to last a few weeks is better than nothing. Sears Layaway can d...

Barbecue ribs with homemade french fries. I know frying is not healthy but my youngest one loves it. I don't even peel the potatoes, I just cut them thin. I can use a better deep fryer for Christmas too. But doing it the old fashion way (on a skillet), I get my exercise for a day...lol. I usually marinade the meat in soy sauce, lemon juice and spices. Then I brush some barbecue sauce before taking it out of the oven.

You all know that I canned some tomatoes and froze some vegetables over the summer for winter use. I used my husband stock pot to water baths canned them. I actually cooked some of them a few weeks ago, and they are not that bad. The vegetables are little soft for my liking, but they are tolerable. I always wanted to buy the pressure cooker/canner they suggested for canning tomatoes, I have the money to buy it, but every time I’m ready to buy it something always stop me for spending that money. I come to a conclusion that I should put it on Kmart Layaway program, to ease up spending $100 at one time. We will be using cash for our Christmas shopping this year. Our economy is not looking very good right now, and we don’t want to end up paying high interest rate for credit cards. Lay-away can be a good option too, but I don’t think that we need it this year for the kids presents. I can go there when they are having a bluelight special and buy the gifts for my children, and other necessit...

Another contest for you my dear readers to join in. With a total of 50,000 EC credits to giveaway, ad spaces and, three special prizes. Plenty of prizes to be won, come and join today. I am one of many sponsors. Christmas and New Year Bash huge contest for bloggers! Yes! it is a big contest for a big occasion, this contest need no more explanation titled as "Christmas and New Year Bash!" chethstudios tries to bring out a big contest celebrating this moment. We are launching this contest to celebrate Christmas and New Year! We have a total of 50,000 Entrecard Credits to be won along with loads of 125 x 125 AD spaces for 10 Lucky winners! + 3 special prizes! HOW TO ENTER: (Required): 1.Blog about the contest along with the Prizes and Sponsors links, link to chethstudios and the contest post - 20 entries. (You can post it in multiple blogs of yours to earn more entries. Click here to copy the Prizes and Sponsors links.) (Optional): 2. Refer to a friend of yours ( he/she must ...

You Are a Blueberry Muffin You are a nurturing, domestic, homey person. Of all the types, you are the most likely to make your own muffins at home. You don't like to rock the boat, and you're most content when you're making everyone else happy. You are very loyal. You'll defend your family and friends, even if you secretly disapprove of what they're doing. You tend to be a bit shy and withdrawn. You don't make friends quickly or easily. But once you do make a good friend, the chances are high that you'll be friends for life. What Kind of Muffin Are You? Interesting result, it describe my true self...lol. It takes me a while to make friends and if I have a new job, it takes me about a month the least to know and become friends to one of my associate. And true also, that once I made friends they are my friends for life. The only way we lost touch if they treat me not one of their good friends. Not telling me they have moved and lost contact. But I still consid...

Time of the month again to thank my top 10 EC droppers. Thank you so much everyone and for those of you who didn't make the list. I know this is late, but better late than never. Your EC ad will be feature on my side bar for a month. Everything Has A Reason New Orleans Food & Fun Tasty Thoughts In The Life Of...Mne Girls Are Made Of Sugar and Spice Austin Counsel Lawyer Blog Politi-Gal My Opinion Counts Foodarrific Scandinavian Ways - Winesworlds blog

This is the first time we bought meat from a butcher. And look at this organic ground beef we got. The color is very red not like the one you buy in regular grocery stores that are dark red in color. The cow is from our farmer friend whom we get our raw milk also. We got about 100 pounds part of a whole cow. I'm not really sure, maybe it was 1/4 of a cow. And I'm using this one for my meatloaf recipe. 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1 cup milk 1 tsp chopped fresh sage leaves 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp dry mustard 1/4 tsp pepper 3 slices bread 1 egg 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1/2 cup ketchup 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup) 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (you know what, this is one of the words I can not pronounce correctly :) Heat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients except ketchup. Spread mixture in loaf pan, or shape into loaf in rectangular pan. Spoon ketchup over top. Bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until done. This is what it looks like before cooking time. I squeezed the ketchup fro...

I wish my price is always this high. This is what happens when I don't check my account for almost two days. I had to make a copy to remind me that my EC price got this high. I know, quality blog will not have a problem reaching this all the time. But it's always nice to know that I can get this much even for only 24 hours. Have a great weekend everyone!

I had this picture sitting in my memory card for the longest time. I don't have a very good lighting in my kitchen and the meat looks burnt in the picture. Anyway, here is one of our typical dinner at home. Boiled corn, barbecue shoulder cut pork, and potatoes with chives. Cut up the potatoes into bite pieces, boil or steam them drained and add butter and chives. Add salt and pepper to taste. I used red baby potatoes because I like the texture. You can use any type of potato you like.

I think it would be to many to list all the food I miss from back home. I don't live in the city with a lot of Filipino. It's very hard to find tropical foods and vegetables from where I am, plus it's almost winter. Even if I wanted to plant some, I can't. Anyone out there willing to send me some cans, dried, or anything you can offer? I'm willing to pay for it, definitely. Let me know.

Yes that is correct; www.airnewzealand.com is getting a new shaved head billboard. On October 26 they are holding a casting call for this in Los Angeles California. The event is only for 3 hours, noon to three in the afternoon at The Greenway Melrose Trading Post, located in the parking lot at Fairfax High School, 7850 Melrose Avenue Los Angeles. Make sure you make time to go. They will select 30 adults to be shaved and tattooed to be their cranial billboards in Los Angeles. This could be a life-changing journey for you. The message will reflect the election and economic environment for us Americans. The two winners will be selected and win a life-changing journey to New Zealand. I have so many life-changing events in my life, but not so much a life-changing journey. Starting with home schooling is one of my life-changing events. Knowing the truth about our economy and government is another. My husband and I are trying to educate people from what we know is also part of it. It would b...

My DC loves to eat crackers. But most store bought are filled with ingredients that are not good for their health. I found someone who is a very cook, if I may say myself. I don't know if she is a chef or she only do it for her family. I don't know here name either, but would like to phrase her blog "Sass & Veracity". You will find the crackers that she made here . DH is already asking to try the recipe. But I am so busy in the last few weeks, trying to enroll my 2 DC at home school program. Tomorrow my DD will do her first day of home school, and making it this week will be out of the question. Unless I get a hang of home school right away. Time, I don't have enough of it. Now I'm off to get DD lessons for tomorrow.

My one and only daughter had the worst eczema breakout, out of my five children. The worst season here is winter, and because it’s cold and the air sometimes is very dry. She needs to put lotion on that I found at our local store at least twice a day to keep her at ease. My other children only use the same lotion after taking a bath. And with my daughter, I need to watch her carefully on what she eats. Too much of something can easily turn her bad itch to a worse one. It’s a good thing I like to browse online every day, because I found Mustela products which I think would help her better this winter. I found Stelatopia Milky Bath Oil to use instead of a regular soap. This bath oil mildly cleanses the skin without drying. And the Stelatopia Moisturizing Cream instead of getting the over counters lotion I had been using. This cream reconstitutes, nurtures, and comforts her itchy skin, and best of all they contain mostly natural ingredients, which is good. The lotion I am using on her...