WONTON SOUP

I was satisfied trying to make wanton soup at home for the first time... happy with the result

you can make batches of the wanton and put in the freezer. thaw it before cooking...

WONTON SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

20 wonton wrappers

4 cups (950 ml) water

1 scallion, trimmed and cut into small rounds, for garnishing

Filling:

4 ounces (110 g) ground pork or ground beef

4 ounces (110 g) shelled and deveined shrimp, chopped into pieces

½ teaspoon fish sauce

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sesame oil

3 dashes ground white pepper

Soup:

1 can (14 ounces/400 g) store-bought chicken broth

1 cup (240 ml) water

½ teaspoon sesame oil

3 dashes ground white pepper

Salt, to taste

DIRECTION:

Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl, stir and mix well to form a sticky filling. 

Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

To assemble the wontons, please follow the picture guide on this 

page: http://unofficialrecipes.com/how-to-wrap-wontons

Bring the water to boil in a pot. Gently drop the wontons into the water and boil until they float to the top, about 1-2 minutes. 

Remove the wontons with a strainer or slotted spoon, drain the excess water, and cover them to prevent drying.

To make the soup, bring a pot of the chicken broth and water to boil. Add pepper and salt. Transfer 5 wontons into each soup bowl, add some broth, garnish with scallions and serve immediately.

Recipe from:

unofficial recipe

Double Chocolate Chips Cookies

Chocolate Therapy Cookies

My three girls absolutely love chocolate chips cookies but double the chocolate and they will have sugar rush for sure.  Well if you are craving for chocolate, this double chocolate chip cookie recipe will definitely satisfy that craving. 
You can make some changes in the recipe depending on your preference. Use brown sugar if you want to have a more soft and moist cookies. To preventing the dough from spreading to the baking sheet cornstarch may be added. But since I wanted my cookies to spread thinly and will have round shape, I did not add cornstarch to it. But if you want you may add a few teaspoon of cornstarch to this recipe. If I will be making this cookies for my kids, I will use the semi-sweet type of chocolate bar. And if I want to make it all for myself, since I love dark chocolates, I will use dark chocolates bars and chips for this recipe. But if you want this recipe to be more interesting, add different chocolate flavors. Use more than one type of chocolate. 

I drink hot tea without sugar when I eat these. Hoping to get at least a little of that calories from those tempting cookies. My husband and two daughters want it with milk. But guess what my youngest daughter wants to pair her cookies with, she would say in her cute voice. " Mommy, I want hot chocho (choco) please." it would be a triple chocolate treat for her then. but be sure to drink  a lot of water after eating these. 

You will need:

1 bar of chocolate (80z) chopped 
(any type of chocolate that you prefer)

6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup sugar (white or brown)

1 large egg 

2 teaspoons vanilla 

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 cup chocolate chips (6 oz.) 

(any type of chocolate chips that you prefer)

Steps:

For this recipe you will need a double boiler or 

you may use a large bowl set over simmering water. 

Melt the chopped chocolate bar in the double boiler 

for 5 minutes or until the chocolate is smooth and melted. 

Remove it from the heat and add butter. 

Let it cool for a while before adding the other ingredients. 

Using an electric mixer, whisk the sugar then the egg and vanilla. 

In another bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

Then combine the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients.

Form balls and flattened it on a lined baking sheet 

approximately 3 inches apart from each other. 

Add in the chocolate chips, I place it upside down to show 

the flat bottom of the chocolate chips. 

Bake it in a 350° oven for 10 minutes. 

Let it cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Sotanghon Guisado

Sotanghon is one of my favorite noodle but my mother always cook it as a Soup dish with chicken. It has different names, sometimes it is refer to as cellophane noodles because of its transparent color when cooked. It is also known as Chinese vermicelli, bean thread noodles, crystal noodles or glass noodles. Most often it is mistaken with Rice vermicelli or Bihon. Rice vermicelli is different from the Chinese vermicelli/Sotanghon. Rice Noodles which are made from rice has a white color when cooked.

When I made this dish, everyone in the family love it. It was also their first time to try this recipe. We always cook this with lots of soup. This dish is guisado. Guisado means gisa or to saute. We call this noodle TANGHON in Bisaya. This type of noodle absorbs the liquid as well as the flavor. Best to cook sotanghon using chicken broth since it absorb so much of the flavor. The annatto water can give the noddle its brownish color. 

Pancit or noodles may originate in China and was introduced in the Philippines, it became the popular dish during birthdays and special occasion. 

You will need:

1/4 kilo sotanghon noodles 

1/2 kilo chicken 

1 cup baguio beans, sliced, 

1 cup onion, diced 

4 cups water 

¼ cup annatto water 

5 cloves garlic, minced 

1 teaspoon peppercorn 

1/2 cup spring onion, chopped 

2 tablespoons fish sauce 

½ cup carrots, julienned 

2 tablespoons cooking oil 

1 cup cabbage

1/2 cup red bell pepper

calamansi

Steps:

Boil water then add 1/2 cup of the onion, the peppercorns and the chicken.

Cook it for 60 minutes then remove the chicken and let it cool. 

Take of the meat from the chicken, discard the bones and skin and set aside. 

Strain the chicken broth and set aside. 

Soak the noodles in water for a few minutes then drain. 

Heat a cooking pan and add oil. 

Sauté garlic and the remaining 1/2 cup onions. 

Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. 

Then pour annatto water and chicken broth and bring to a boil. 

Add the carrots and baguio beans and cook for 3 minutes. 

Add the cabbage  and bell pepper then the noodles and fish sauce 

then cook for another 2 minutes. 

Transfer to a serving plate and top with spring onion

 and place calamansi slices on the side.

Tapsilog

TAPSILOG is a Filipino dish that stands for the three main ingredients that is TAPa which is a fried cured beef, SInangag or fried rice and itLOG  egg in english.  There are so many SILOG combination to choose from but this is probably my most favorite among the different Silog Recipes.  Tapa is a cured beef that is thinly sliced and is marinated with soy sauce and with different other spices for at least overnight. It is so good with fried rice and sunny side up egg. This is a very filling breakfast that goes so well with hot coffee or hot choco. Others would eat this during lunch or dinner. 

When you are living in a different country, most likely you crave foods from your place. That is one of the reason why I try to learn how to cook those foods that we crave. Going to a Filipino restaurant can be expensive specially with a family of five like us. I got this recipe from Panlasang Pinoy. 

TAPA Recipe:

You will need:

3/4 kilo  beef, thinly sliced 

5 tablespoons soy sauce 

3 tbsp minced garlic 

2 tbsp sugar 

¼ teaspoon salt 

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 

Steps:

Mix soy sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar in a container, set it aside. 

Place the beef in the clear zip lock plastic bag.

Pour-in the soy sauce mixture in plastic bag with meat and combined well.

Marinate for overnight and place it inside the refrigirator.

In a pan, place 1 cup water and bring to a boil

Put-in the marinated beef tapa and cook until the water evaporates. 

Add 3 tbsp of cooking oil. Set aside

SINIGANG Recipe: 

You will need:

4 cups cooked white rice 

6 cloves crushed garlic 

3 tablespoons cooking oil 

salt and pepper

Steps:

Heat pan and add the oil. 

Saute garlic in a low to medium heat, 

Let it cook slowly until golden brown.

Add-in the rice cook for 3 minutes. 

Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the rice and continue mixing. 

Cook for another 5 minutes. 

Serve with tapa and sunny side up egg.

Sopas

Sopas is know as Chicken Macaroni Soup in English. This dish is best serve during cold and rainy weather. Moms would make chicken soups when their kids are not feeling well because of flu. This is because hot soup can help loosen congestion caused by colds and it also keeps them hydrated. Kids will love the flavor and wont mind to eat some of the vegetables in the recipe which helps them feel better. My version of Sopas has lots of cheese and I added mushroom to it. You can use any type of pasta for your sopas or add some of your favorite veggies like cauliflower or broccoli. You may add boiled quails eggs or sliced hard boiled eggs to this dish and chopped spring onions before serving.

You will need: 

2 cups macaroni 

 2 tablespoons butter 

 1 diced onion

 1/4 kilo diced chicken breast

 4 cups chicken broth 

 2 carrots, diced 

 2 potato, diced 

 1/2 cup cabbage, shredded 

 1 cup fresh milk 

 1 can sliced mushroom 

 1 cup diced cheese 

 1 bunch spring onion 

 Salt and ground black pepper to taste
boiled eggs (optional)

Steps:

Put butter on the cooling pot set on medium heat. 

Saute onion until translucent and add in the chicken. 

Cook the chicken for 5 minutes. 

Season with salt and pepper.

 Add the chicken broth and let it boil 

 (you may substitute water if you don't have

 chicken broth but add 1 chicken cubes) 

 Add the fresh milk and wait to re-boil and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Put the macaroni and cook for 5 minutes, stir it once in awhile. 

Add the mushroom, carrots and potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Add the cheese and cabbage and cook for 2 minutes more. 

Turn-off the heat and transfer to a serving plate.

Garnish with spring onion.

Serve hot.

Pepperoni Pizza

Pepperoni Pizza is a classic favorite. This recipe is so easy to make since all of my ingredients are store-bought or ready made. What I did was to put them together and bake it for 10 minutes, and that's it. 

As much as I want to make pizza from scratch, when you are busy or sick and crave for pizza, instead of ordering one, you can do this recipe instead. It is more cheaper and you can choose how much cheese or toppings you want for your pizza. This will not take too much of your time and energy. 

You will need:

Pizza dough

Pizza sauce

mozzarella cheese (grated)

Pepperoni slices

Steps: 

Spread pizza sauce over the dough base with the back of a spoon. 

(If you cannot find a ready made Pizza sauce, you may use spaghetti sauce.)

 Scatter the cheese evenly covering the sauce as much as possible. 
I really like to use mozzarella cheese in my pepperoni pizza.

Arrange the Pepperoni on top of the cheese.

Put pizza on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 mins until crisp.

Sliced, serve and enjoy!

Pancit Bam-i Recipe

We Filipinos celebrate the longest Christmas. Starting with the first day of September and even until the Three Kings in January. Let us not forget that Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ. In the Philippines one of the foods that are associated with birthdays is PANCIT. My all-time favorite Pancit recipe is Bam-i.  I love my mom’s cooking but my father cooks this dish a lot better. He even claims that this is his specialty. I agree with him. He cooks delicious pancit. This recipe is not from my father but I adapted this from Panlasang Pinoy. I can still recall the first time I cook Bam-I, it was 8 years ago. And from then, I cook it as often as my family requests it. 

You will need:

¼ kilo pork, sliced

¼ kilo chicken, boiled and shredded

5 pieces Chinese sausage, sliced

½ kilo shrimp,

(shelled and heads removed)

8 ounces flour sticks

(pancit canton noodles)

4 to 6 ounces rice noodles

(sotanghon soaked in water)

1½ to 2 cups chicken stock

3 cups cabbage, chopped

¾ cup carrots, julienned

½ cup dried wood ear,

(soaked in water and chopped) 

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup snow peas

½ cup shrimp juice 

½ cup soy sauce

1 piece chicken cube 

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons cooking oil