Apple Cinnamon Streusels

We were given lots of veggies and apples last Easter by my sister in law who had a nice farm with her partner in Stanthorpe.  My husband would usually bake his yummiest apple pie this Autumn just like what he has been doing in the past but since he is so busy preparing for his talk next week in 4 different places in Southwest QLD, I am the one in charge of the apples this time. 

I decided to try making streusels using the apples.  This is an easy to do recipe and the taste would be like the ones that you buy from your favorite bakeshop or maybe even better.  Do you ever wonder how those toppings are made?  If you have had streusels before, you would definitely know that this yummy streusel toppings are just crumbed butter, sugar and flour.  Usually nutmeg or cinnamon is also added to it.  With this recipe though I chose to use cinnamon as nutmeg is too strong for my palate.  Streusel has its origin in Germany though sometimes some would refer it to Danish or Swedish.

This is the first of the apple series that I would be doing so have fun cooking and baking!


Ingredients
180 g butter, softened
3/4 c caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
3 medium sized granny smith apples, peeled and diced
1 1/2 plain flour, sifted

Toppings
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c plain flour
1 tsp cinnamon
30 g butter, softened

Procedure

Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a smaller bowl.  Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until creamy in a bigger bowl.

Add in eggs one at a time while mixing.

Fold in the sifted dry ingredients little by little into the butter and sugar mixture using a big metal spoon.

Pour the mixture onto a baking paper lined pan.
Top with apples.

For the toppings, mix together all the ingredients using your hands until it resembles a crumble mixture.  Put this streusel mixture onto the top of the apples.

Bake for 50 minutes in a 180C preheated oven.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

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My Easy to Cook Seafood Paella

Paella is a rice dish which may include meat, peas, beans, capsicums etc.  The hero of the dish is the rice itself.  The word paella comes from the old French word paelle which actually originates from the Latin word patella  which means pan.  The dish on the other hand is  Valencian in origin (a place in Spain) and  one of its identifiable symbols.  They would usually use a paellera -- a big pan where the paella will be cooked which will also be used as the serving "plate."  It is usually cooked on open fire using branches of orange and pine trees which in turn add more appetizing smell to the paella.

This dish was brought to the Philippines by the Spanish when they governed our country.  I consider this as one of the best Spanish influences when it comes to food.

Paella would always use saffron as one of its ingredients but since I do not have it in my pantry, I decided to whip up my own recipe for the paella.  Good thing I have discovered that the baked seafood rice in capcicum that I made many months ago tasted similar to the paella that I have had before.  Paella can also be cooked with all the ingredients all together in the rice cooker if you want it the easier way. You can also cook the rice with all the ingredients in the pan if you wish.  What I did with my dish is to cook the rice separately in the rice cooker and just added it to the mixture in the wok.  I do not have a paellera and the closest to it is my non - stick pan but I chose to use the wok for the fear of having to transfer the paella into a bigger pot or wok in the middle of cooking. 

If you wonder what kind of rice can you use for the paella recipe, I used jasmine rice.  I wanted to use arborio originally for the dish but I decided against it because arborio is much too dear (stingy me).  You can also use any short grain rice or whatever rice you like as long as they stick together and absorb the juice of the paella mixture.  I also decided to bake my paella to make sure that the rice would really absorb all the taste in the mixture.

The result was really delicious.  Try it and I tell you it's all worth it.

Ingredients
1/2 c seafood marinara mix (calamari, pink salmon, prawns, mussels, barramundi fish, clams etc)
4 c jasmine rice
1 c green peas
2 medium onions, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 big red capcicum, diced
2 big tomatoes, diced, deseeded and peeled
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 chicken cubes
2 c water
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp thyme paste
1 tsp parsley (dried flakes)
salt and pepper to taste
2 hardboiled eggs, quartered
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Procedure
Cook the jasmine rice in the rice cooker.
Dissolve chicken cubes in the 2 c warm water in a pyrex measuring glass.  Stir in the tomato paste.  Set aside.
Heat up a wok or paella pan with olive oil.
Sautee onions, garlic, tomatoes and capcicum.  Cook until the mixture is just about caramelized.
Add in the herbs, salt and pepper.  Stir.
Put in the seafood marinara mix.  Stir.
Pour in the chicken broth - tomato paste mixture.  Boil.
Put in the rice.  Stir.
Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Transfer the paella into a baking dish. 
Arrange the egg wedges on top of the paella.
Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes in a 180C preheated oven.

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Baked Sticky Chilli Pork Chops

If you're fond of chinese chops, this one is the recipe for you.  My husband said the mixed spice is a bit strong for him so you can probably lessen its amount if you want.

Ingredients
2 pork chops
1/4 c soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp chilli powder

Procedure
Mix soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, mixed spice and chilli powder in a bowl.
Marinate the pork chops for half an hour.
Place the pork chops in a baking dish lined with baking paper.
Bake in a 180C preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes (depending on size).  Brush the pork chops with the marinade 3x during the baking time. Turn the pork chops on the other side to make sure both sides are cooked.

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Chocolate Crinklers

I have always loved the yummy chocolatey chocolate crinklers that my students from years ago would give me every Christmas.  They are a bit crunchy on the outside and soft inside. 

I think you can also buy them from Goldilocks Bakeshoppe which I understand has international branches now.  My hubby and my daughters have grown to love this too and it is always on top of the list of request.

I remember too that when I brought this to the Catholic Church here in our place when the then Bishop of Toowoomba, Bishop William Morris visited our parish. The parishioners brought some food and goodies to be shared after the evening mass. Everyone was asking who made the chunkie but chewy chocolatey goodies. One of them asked me, and gee I felt flattered when I was told that it's really yummy! The bishop and our parish priest and some parishioners even asked if they could just bring the left over home. I didn't know how they managed to divide the crinklets but one thing good about it, the container is empty.

Ingredients
2 c all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla essence
125 g chocolate chips, melted
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 c confectioners sugar

Procedure

Cream the butter in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer
Whisk the granulated sugar in and continue mixing for 2 minutes

Add in the cocoa powder and melted chocolate then mix again for a minute

Put-in the eggs and vanilla essence then continue to mix until the texture becomes fluffy

Add-in the flour, salt, and baking powder then mix again until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Cover the mixing bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours
Remove the cover and scoop the mixture using 1/2 tbsp measuring spoon

Form a ball of chocolate mixture and then roll onto the confectioners sugar.

Place balls in a baking paper lined cookie sheet.
Make sure that they have enough spaces in between.
Bake in a 175C preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

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Tin Pink Salmon Fish Balls with Herbs

Thinking of new ways to cook your tin tuna, sardines or salmon?  I was in the same situation this morning.  Feeling a bit lazy from the Easter break when take aways were just about a hand reach, I was in a dillema whether to serve a boring sauteed tin pink salmon or serve it as is.  I decided to do neither but made a yummy balls out of the tin pink salmon and concocted a mixture of herbs to make the taste better.

This is quite an easy dish as long as you have the herbs in your pantry.  You can either use the fresh ones or the dried ones.  In this recipe though I preferred to use the dried ones because it's easier...no chopping needed.

Ingredients
1 tin pink salmon
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c crumbed in one (white wings) + 1/2 c for dredging
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp parsley
2 tsp garlic granules
2 tsp mixed herbs
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Remove liquid from the salmon. 
Using fork or your hands, shred the salmon meat.
Mix in the egg.
Mix in the 1/4 crumbs, coriander, parsley, garlic granules, salt and pepper with the salmon.
Form a ball from the mixture smaller than a golf ball.
Dredge into the crumbs and fry in a hot oil.
Cook until golden brown.

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Tokwa't Baboy

In the many karinderia or eatery in Hagonoy Town center, my favorite is the one located in the middle of the tricycle parking area (San Jose or Sto Rosario tricycles?).  My mother and I would always eat there after we attended the mass at the Santa Ana National Shrine.  We would always order goto and tokwa't baboy which are both fairly priced quite cheap but quite tasty.  Sometimes we would wait for a space to sit (narrow benches dearie) but it didn't matter to hungry tummies.  I have always enjoyed doing this and it doesn't matter if I wear formal clothes in the middle of the crowd and pollution hahah.

I've learned this recipe from my aunt.  Originally this is a recipe you use when you want lechong kawali liempo.  I just that thought that the ordinary tokwa't baboy would taste better if i use this recipe and it did!  Usually when you make tokwa't baboy you would use pig's ears and tofu or tokwa both cubed.  My father used to do yummy tokwa't baboy when he was still around.  He would meticulously clean the pig's ears making sure that they are ready.  In this recipe though, I am using pork chops which is more palatable probably to the eyes of my hubby hehehe.  I am also using an organic tofu.

Ingredients
4 pork chops
1 tofu
2 pcs bay leaf
1 tbsp pepper corn
1 tsp salt
1 tsbp garlic

Procedure
Boil water just enough to cover the chops.  Add in the bay leaf, pepper corn, salt and garlic. 
Remove the chops when a bit cooked and the ingredients are absorbed by the meat.
Heat a non stick pan with oil.
Fry the tofu until the outside is golden brown. Remove and cool first before cutting into cubes.
Fry the chops.  I want mine a bit crunchy outside and tender inside.
Slice the chops into cubes or strips.
Serve with your sauce.
A comment or two will be appreciated...

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