Baked Oysters

Oysters are my favorite shellfish in the world.  Once I started eating them, I just can't seem to stop.  I remember my parents would always warn me about tummy aches whenever I eat  them..haha!  One thing I have learned from my father in cooking oysters is you don't really boil them with water.  Clean the oysters, place them in a bucket and then pour boiling water on them.  Remove the water and open the oysters with knife.  Dunk them literally in vinegar with coarsed milled peppercorns and dice onions.  Eat with rice oohhhhh soooo yummmmyyy!

You can also be a little "soysal" or elegant in eating oysters by baking them like the recipe below.  I have tried this before and gee soooo yummmy!  I am so glad to find one photo of this dish at  the FB album of Jen Cabacungan - Garcia.

Ingredients
oysters
garlic, minced
butter
grated cheese

Procedure
Open oysters and remove the top part of the shells.
Place the oysters in baking pan.
Put butter, grated cheese and garlic on top of each oyster.
Bake in a 175C preheated oven just until the cheese and butter melt.

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Pink Salmon Afritada

Another experiment that turned out really great!  To have a bit of rest from eating too much meat, why not use the tin fish in your pantry and cook up a wonderful dish?  I would have to love to cook the fresh salmon though but there's none in our freezer so the tin one will do.  I can also suggest that if you are feeling a bit lazy, you can also use the ready mix sauces available in the market.  This time though I did not use one. 

You can also experiment with any tin fish in your pantry -- tuna, whitings, etc

Happy cooking everyone!

Ingredients
1 tin pink salmon
1 tsp peppercorns
1 medium carrots, cubed small
1 medium onions, sliced thinly
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 pcs bay leaf
1/3 c green peas
1/4 c red capcicum, cubed small
1/2 c tomato sauce
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Sautee onions, and garlic.
Put in the peppercorns.
Add in the bay leaf, capcicum, carrots and green peas.
Put in the pink salmon with its juice.
Boil a bit.
Add in the paprika and tomato sauce.
Dillute with a bit of water.
Add salt and pepper.

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Pinoy Style Ham and Cheese Quiche

This type of quiche is a bit different because I am not using a dough but stale white bread instead.  It saved me a lot of time kneading and mixing but with good result too.

The husband said, it's his first time to eat this type of quiche and he loved it!  I am so happy too that my youngest daughter loved it.  I can't say the same for my eldest daughter though because she was sleeping when we were eating the quiche so she was not able to have some.

Try this easy dish and I am sure your family will love it too!
Ingredients
8 pcs white bread
1/3 c green peas
1/3 c corn kernels
3 eggs
3/4 c milk
1/2 c ham, chopped into small pieces
1/2 c cheese, shredded
2 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil or melted butter

Procedure
Remove the edges of the bread. Flatten using rolling pin. 
Brush the bread (both sides) with olive oil or butter
Press the bread onto the muffin pans.
Bake at preheated 180C oven for 10 minutes.
Prepare the filling while waiting for the bread to bake.
Whisk eggs with milk.  Add in the parsley, salt and pepper.
Remove the bread from the oven.  Reduce the oven temperature into 165C.
Divide the ham, cheese, corn kernels, green peas and cheese into the bread cups. 
Pour the egg-milk mixture onto the bread cups.
Bake for 10 - 15 minutes.

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California Maki / Rolls

Sushi rolls is a very popular Japanese dish all over the world.  I did the traditional sushi rolls earlier in this foodblog.  Back then, I did not have my sushi rollers with me yet that's why I had to roll it using foil.  Good thing I was able to find one at Woolworths in Warwick for just $2.  I have made some at my in laws house last Easter and everyone loved the sushi rolls.

This time I am going to make California Rolls or Makisushi which is actually the sushi rolls in reverse.  Instead of rolling the rice inside the seaweed, this type of sushi rolls is rolled inside out and a certain type of mixed herbs are sprinkled on the rice.

As I have said before, you can be as adventurous as you like when it comes to the filling of the rolls.  Normally, avocados are used.  Some would use bananas, mangoes and apricots.  Tuna or salmon, crab meat or imitation crab meat are also used.  Toasted sesame seeds are sometimes sprinkled too on the rice.  This time I would use peaches with crab meat though.

California rolls or maki is actually a product of the experimentation by a well known Japanese chef who decided to find his fortune in the US in the Ichito Mashita.  Officially this type of rolls was born in the early 1970s.  They started doing the inside out rolls because the Americans did not want to see or taste the nori seaweed outside the rolls. So to suit to their liking, the Sushi chef devised this new way.

Ingredients
1 c arborio rice
1 1/2 water
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 c crab meat
2 tbsp mayonnaise + 1/2 tsp
1 c peaches
8 pcs nori seaweed
toasted sasame seeds and the mixture that comes with the seaweed

You also need:
Sushi mat
foil

Procedure

 Place the sushi mat in a flat surface.  Place the a foil similar to its size on top of the mat.  Sprinkle with sushi rice seasoning and toasted sesame seeds.

 Put some rice on top of the sprinkled foil.  Flatten using hands.

 Place the fillings -- eggs, peaches and crab meat on top of the rice (an inch from the edge of the rice
on your side)

 Place the seaweed on top of the sushi.

 Start rolling tightly going to the other side. 

 As you roll, pull the foil up until the sushi is fully rolled up tightly. 

Slice the sushi rolls with a wet sharp knife.  Serve with sushi soy sauce and wasabi.

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Downey's French Dressing w/ a Twist

Ingredients
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp sweet basil
1 tbsp virgin olive oil
1/2 c Kraft french salad dressing
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Whisk all ingredients into a bowl. 
Pour onto the salad mix and toss.

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Maria's Mixed Salad w/ Peaches and Crab Meat

I have always loved having salad on my plate especially if the dressing is really tasty.  I don't like too much sour or bitter taste on my salad.  I find it better to use the ready made french salad and add a bit of herbs to it to make sure that it doesn't have that overpowering taste left to your mouth.

I was supposed to add corn kernels and oranges to this salad but the hubby forgot that we're having salad tonight hehe.  So I have to use the tin peaches which actually did justice to the salad.  I love lots of crab meat so I have added more to it and believe me the taste is quite great.

Ingredients
200 g ice lettuce, chopped to the size you like
1 medium carrots, grated
1 medium onions, red or white, chopped thinly,
1 cucumber, sliced
3 medium hardboiled eggs, quartered
1/2 c chopped crab meat or sticks
1/3 c cheese, diced or sliced
1/2 c salted peanuts, w/o skins
1/2 c chopped peaches, tin or fresh
1 serving of Downey's French Dressing with a twist

Procedure
Put the veggies and fruits on a big salad bowl.
Add in the rest of the ingredients.
Tost the salad.  Make sure that the dressing is well distributed.


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Chocolate Revel Bars

One excuse in eating chocolates is to add oats on them hehe!   These chocolate revel bars are soooo sinfully delicious that would really make you get a slice each time no one notices.  That's how yummy they are! 

This is just my first time to bake such fudgy revel bars and I think I would do it over and over and over again.  The combination of the oat mixture with vanilla and the chocolates are soooo awesome.  I do recommend this to everyone.  Try and tell me what you think.

Ingredients

Oatmeal Part
250 g butter, softened
2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 c plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 c quick cooking oats

Chocolate Part
2 tbsp butter
250 g chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 tin condensed milk

Procedure
Oat Part
Cream butter and sugar.
Add in eggs, one at a time.
Stir in vanilla.
Mix in flour, baking soda and salt.
Mix in oats. 
Set aside.

Chocolate Part
Mix together -- butter, chocolate chips, vanilla and milk.  Heat them in a saucepan until completely mixed.

Assembly
Press 2/3 of the oat mixture onto a greased and floured pan. 
Pour in the chocolate mixture onto the top of the oat mixture.
Use fingers in adding the remaining oat mixture by dots.

Bake for 175C preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

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Cheat Way to Make Pandan Puto (rice cake)

How would you make puto pandan when you're not in the Philippines and not all the ingredients are available? Use the cheat way to do it!  Just grab yourself a Maya Puto Mix and pandan and presto!  You have your own puto pandan away from the Philippines.

Ingredients
1 packet of Maya Puto Mix
3/4 sugar
40 g butter, melted
1 c fresh milk or evaporated milk
1/2  tsp pandan paste
1 drop of green food color
1/2 c grated cheese
1 egg, beaten

Procedure
Put the puto mix in a bowl.
Add in all the dry ingredients except for the cheese.
Make a well in the middle.
Whisk in the butter, milk and egg.
Add in the pandan paste and food color. Mix well.
Grease a round pan or muffin moulds with butter.
Pour in the batter onto the moulds or pan.
Cover with foil.
Steam for 30 minutes from the time the water boils.
Top with grated cheese 10 minutes before the steaming time ends.
Cool a bit.
Spread butter or margarine on top.
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