Pasta with tuna and fresh tomatoes

you will need;

500grams pasta (cooked aldente)

5 pieces sliced peeled tomatoes

2 cans of tuna in oil

lots of chopped garlic

lots of chopped onions

few pieces of fresh basil leaves

In a saucepan, saute onions then garlic. Add the tuna, include the oil. Simmer for a minute. Add the fresh tomatoes, cook it for a while but dont overcook it. Then include the cooked pasta, mix everything then throw in the basil leaves.

Remove from heat. Serve with garlic bread.
This is my favorite pasta dish that I learned from my good friend M. Thanks mare. :)

Peel me

Freshly peeled tomatoes

Just in case you don't know how, well here's how to peel tomatoes needed for your pasta dishes, tomato soup, salsa and other recipes.

Soak tomato in hot water for ten minutes

drain the tomatoes

with the help of running water from the faucet

peel away the skin with your fingers.

Thats it. Lovely peeled tomatoes.

Crispy Lemon Chicken

This was our dinner last weekend. Hubz so love it. I have to thank Glenda for sharing this fantastic recipe. :) Happy Food Friday everyone!

Chicken Alexander

This was served on our dinning table last New Year's eve.

You need;

1 whole chicken

2 onions, quartered

2 tsp. butter

1 can cream of chicken soup (I used campbell's)

1 chopped red bell pepper

1 pack frozen mixed vegtables (carrots, peas and corn)

2 pcs. Chorizo de Bilbao, sliced thinly

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup cheese

salt and pepper to taste

For Mashed Potato

6 medium boiled potatoes

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

Lets make the mashed potato first

Place potatoes and enough water to cover in large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes well. Place potatoes back in pot and add milk, butter, salt and pepper. Mash using hand-held masher until smooth. You can also use a hand-held electric mixer for creamier potatoes.

Now if you want an easier mashed potato, you can use the instant Mashed Potato box and just follow the instructions at the back of box. O di ba mas madali.

Now lets start making our Chicken Alexander

Saute onions and garlic. Put diced chicken and chorizo mix. Throw in the frozen vegetables and bell pepper then continue stirring. Add chicken broth then the cream of chicken soup. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the saute chicken in a Pyrex dish. Then layer the mashed potato on top. Topped it with grated cheese (I used cheddar cheese)

Bake in a preheated (350 deg F) oven for 20 minutes or until top is slightly brown.


Serve and enjoy!

Paella

I cooked this for our New Year's Eve Dinner. It was my second time to make Paella. The first one was a dry run cooking last December 29, just making sure that I wont make palpak on New Year's eve dinner. I guess I didnt since the husband himself requested me to make this for last night celebration. :)

Anyway, to make this version of Paella you need;

4 onions, chopped thinly

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, dice

3 tomato, remove seed & diced

2-3 pieces chicken cut into cubes

3 pcs Spanish chorizo cut in cubes

1 cup short grain rice, (I used arborio rice used in making risotto)

2 tbs saffron

1 tsp spanish paprika

5-6 mussels, scrubbed and cleaned

6 shrimps (sugpo)

2 cups chicken broth

3-4 squids cut in ring

¼ cup frozen green peas

2 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet brown chicken and sausage with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat for about 5 to 6 minutes. Leaving the chicken partly cook. Set aside.

Since I dont have a paella pan (paellera), I used a large skillet. Drizzle olive oil add onions until caramelized then add garlic, tomatoes and green bellpepper. Cook until everything are mushy (about 45 minutes in low heat). This vegtable paste is called sofrito. The base for our paella.

Then add the broth to our sofrito. Season with salt and pepper. Add the saffron and paprika. Then add the cup of rice and make sure that the rice is evenly distributed and wait for this to simmer. Do not stir the mixture from here. Add the chicken and chorizo and nestling them into the rice. Cook covered with of alumninum foil for 15 minutes. Then add the shrimp and mussels and squid. Cover again with aluminum foil until the seafoods are cook. Then throw in the green peas. Then cover it again with aluminum foil.

When the broth is fully absorbed, the paella should be ready. I cooked mine in low heat for about in 25-30 minutes.

Garnish with lemon or calamansi and sliced boiled eggs.
Serve and Enjoy

'Tis The Season

Christmas is fast approaching and right now I am thinking of what to make for our Noche Buena. I might make baked chicken and Baked Ziti as my potluck share for that night. Well, I still dont know, I might change mind and just make seafood kare-kare and Chocolate Lava Cake instead. Im really excited now. :)

Oh anyway, Aside from that, I'll be a bit busy this week baking goodies for friends for their Christmas give-aways. Im so happy. Now I am experiencing what I really wanted to do. Bake and make business, hehehe!

Here are some of the goodies, friends asked for.....

Chocolate Chip Cookies with walnuts.

Chocolate Brownies

and then after baking the cookies and brownies, I will place it nicely in this red box......

As I've said, Im so happy. Things are falling into place. I am so blessed. Thank You ! :)

Maver's Stabucks Planner Give-Away

If I were a Starbucks drink I would be tall, non fat, decaf , peppermint mocha.

Like the drink which is a combination of espresso, bittersweet chocolate, peppermint flavor, creamy hot milk and yummy whipped cream. I’m person who is fun, fearless, warm and sweet. A down to earth individual stuck in a mainstream world. I'm a person who is family oriented, complex, and extremely fussy. :)

This is my entry for Maver's Starbucks Planner Palooza give-way. I am hoping to win a Starbucks 2010 Cherry Planner.

Interested to join too? You still got plenty of time. Deadline for the submission of entries is at 11:59 pm, December 12, 2009. Oh by the way, it's the same date for Maver and Haligi's wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary to both of you. How fast time flies noh maver... I suddenly remember our wawie days. :)

Fish Fillet and Tofu in Oyster Sauce

As I've said in my previous post, I love eating tofu. I love including it in my salad, in some pork or beef dishes and vegtables. For last night's dinner, we had fish fillet and tofu in oyster sauce.

To prepare this, just marinate 250 grams of fish fillet ( I used cream dory) in calamansi juice (4 pcs)with salt and pepper for an hour

When the fish fillet are ready, prepare the batter. But first heat oil in a frying pan. Then mix 1 tbsp of flour, add 1 beaten egg, Season with salt and pepper. Cover the fish with the batter and fry the fish, making sure both side are brown. After cooking the fish fillet, set it aside then fry the cubed tofu on the same pan, then set it aside.

Now will make the sauce...

Saute onions, garlic then ginger. Thrown in the julienne carrots. Stir fry for a minute then add a cup of water. Simmer for a while then drizzle oyster sauce depending on your taste. Thicken sauce with cornstarch dissolved in water. You may season it with salt and pepper if you want.

To serve,

place steaming rice in a bowl, then top the rice with fried tofu and fish fillet. Spoon the thicken sauce over. Drizzle oyster sauce and sesame oil and then serve hot. Yummy!

Win Big From Ilasik Video Contest

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Incendia Health. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Bistek Tagalog

Another dish that reminds me of how good my mom cooks is the Bistek. Bistek by the way is the equivalent of Beef Steak in a Filipino Kitchen. It’s made from thin and flat beef strips that’s cooked in soy sauce, calamansi and onions. It's a simple dish but really flavorful that is why its a real favorite.

For the recipe, you need;

1/2k sirloin beef, sliced thinly

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp calamansi juice

2 large onion cut into rings

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp pepper

some salt

cooking oil for frying

Then.....

1.In a large bowl, mix the beef, soy sauce, calamansi, and black pepper. Marinate the beef for 30 minutes or much better if overnight.

2. In a frying pan, heat the oil and fry the onion rings until soft. I like my onions a bit half cook. Set aside.

3. In the same pan where the onions were fried, fry beef slices until color turns brown on both sides. Set aside.

4. Saute the garlic for a few minutes

5. Pour the marinade and bring to a boil.

6. Put in the fried beef and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until meat is tender. Add water as needed.

7. Add the stir-fried onions, drizzle some salt and pepper to taste

8. Serve hot. Share and Enjoy!