From My Kitchen to Yours!

Egg Omelet

I have been longing to make an omelet for breakfast, but unfortunately I kept forgetting about it. Frankly, I am not a morning person because of my habit for occasionally staying up late. And I don't like eating breakfast. Do you?

Anyhow, I finally made an omelet for the first time! Hubby loves it! If you would like to try making an omelet, here's the recipe.

* 4 large eggs
* 1/2 teaspoon water
* Salt & freshly milled black pepper to taste
* 3/4 cup cooked ham in 1/2 inch dice
* 1 1/2 tablespoons clarified butter (or oil)
*scallion

Mix together all ingredients except the butter. Put the butter in a skillet heated to medium. Lifting away from heat, swirl butter around. Return to heat and add the egg mixture.

Working with a small spatula run around the edges of the egg as it cooks. Pull eggs back, tip the skillet slightly and allow uncooked egg to run under the cooked edge. Continue to do this until the egg in the center is just a little moist, then sprinkle the ham and scallion in. Roll the omelet in half and turn it onto a plate. if you use a crepe pan, it will slide easily. And oh, I added Parmesan cheese for toppings!

Eggo Waffles

This is one of hubby's favorite breakfasts....frozen waffles! lol....:) I love preparing this in the morning because it is very quick and easy to prepare! Have you ever tried this before?

Wake up with this tasty family favorite. Eggo Buttermilk waffles have a light, crispy texture and a delicious buttermilk taste, that everyone’s sure to love!

Silverware and Dinnerware Rule

Here's the Silverware and dinnerware rule:

Eat to your left, drink to your right. Any food dish to the left is yours, and any glass to the right is yours.

Starting with the knife, fork, or spoon that is farthest from your plate, work your way in, using one utensil for each course. The salad fork is on your outermost left, followed by your dinner fork. Your soup spoon is on your outermost right, followed by your beverage spoon, salad knife and dinner knife. Your dessert spoon and fork are above your plate or brought out with dessert. If you remember the rule to work from the outside in, you'll be fine.


Use one of two methods when using the fork and knife:

American Style: Knife in right hand, fork in left hand holding food. After a few bite-sized pieces of food are cut, place knife on edge of plate with blades facing in. Eat food by switching fork to right hand (unless you are left handed). A left hand, arm or elbow on the table is bad manners.

Continental/European Style: Knife in right hand, fork in left hand. Eat food with fork still in left hand. The difference is that you don't switch hands-you eat with your fork in your left hand, with the prongs curving downward. Both utensils are kept in your hands with the tines pointed down throughout the entire eating process. If you take a drink, you do not just put your knife down, you put both utensils down into the resting position: cross the fork over the knife.

Once used, your utensils, including the handles, must not touch the table again. Always rest forks, knives, and spoons on the side of your plate or in the bowl.

For more formal dinners, from course to course, your tableware will be taken away and replaced as needed.

To signal that your are done with the course, rest your fork, tines up, and knife blade in, with the handles resting at five o'clock an tips pointing to ten o'clock on your plate.

Any unused silverware is simply left on the table.

French Bread

I am planning to make a homemade french bread. I just realized how expensive french bread is. We consume 2-3 loaves of french bread per week, and that is a lot....lol! So, I thought of making french bread one of these days.

If you would like to make this at home, here's the recipe for ya'll!

Ingredients
* 1 1/4 cups water (70 to 80 degrees F)
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 1/2 cups bread flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
* 1 tablespoon cornmeal
* GLAZE:
* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoon water
* 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted


Directions
1. In bread machine pan, place the first five ingredients in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).
2. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 10-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal.
3. Sprinkle a greased baking sheet with cornmeal; place loaves seam side down on prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes.
4. Whisk egg and water; brush over loaves. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Food Trip Friday: Baked Salmon

Another Food Trip Friday once again. My entry for this week is Baked Salmon. Seafood is not really my hubby's favorite. He eats salmon and shrimp...that's about it! The simple recipe that I normally do for salmon is to bake it.

For more entries or would like to join us, just click the button above. Thanks!

Baked salmon with Mexican rice and garlic bread.

Ingredients

• 1 pound salmon fillets
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. Place salmon in the baking dish. Mix the butter and lemon juice in a small bowl, and drizzle over the salmon. Season with dill, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.
3. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until salmon is easily flaked with a fork.
4. Serve with rice or bake potato.
   

Salmon

Salmon is commonly known to be quite expensive fish...that is why we don't buy salmon in a regular basis....lol! I only cook salmon twice a month....frugal me!

Salmon is a popular food. Classified as an "oily fish", salmon is considered to be healthy due to the fish's high protein, high Omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content. Salmon is also a source of cholesterol, ranging 23–214 mg/100g depending on the species.

Salmon flesh is generally orange to red, although there are some examples of white fleshed wild salmon. The natural colour of salmon results from carotenoid pigments, largely astaxanthin but also canthaxanthin, in the flesh.

Strawberry and Banana Jello

You need:
2 boxes of Jell-o powder
4 cups boiling water
4 cups cold water
2 salad bowls or Pyrex dish

Here's how:
- In a bowl add boiling water to gelatin mix
- Stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved
- Stir in cold water
- Refrigerate dissolved gelatin for 1 and 1/2 hours or until thickened
- Stir in 1 and 1/2 to 3 cups chopped banana and strawberry
- Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm

Food Trip Friday: Glazed Ham

Thanks to Willa for hosting "Food Trip Friday" meme. My entry for this week is the photo below! This dish was served during the Dias family Thanksgiving dinner. My favorite dish during Thanksgiving, HAM! For more entries or would like to join us, just click the button above.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Here's my first ever made Chicken Cordon Bleu.....:)

What is Chicken Cordon Bleu? According to wisegeek.com, Chicken Cordon Bleu is a French-inspired poultry dish, although evidence suggests that Chicken Cordon Bleu was actually developed in the United States by chefs imitating other stuffed meat dishes from Europe. The name of the dish is clearly of French origin – Cordon Bleu means “blue ribbon” in French, and in French culinary tradition, the Cordon Bleu is awarded to food or chefs of particularly high quality. The European dish most similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu is Chicken Kiev, chicken stuffed with seasoned butter, dredged in bread crumbs, and fried. The dish was also likely heavily influenced by Veal Cordon Bleu, a Swiss dish in which veal is wrapped in ham and cheese and fried.

INGREDIENTS: (for one)
* Boneless chicken breast, fat trimmed
* Deli ham/sandwich ham
* Mozzarella Cheese/sandwich cheese
*salt
*pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Beat trimmed chicken with a mallet until flat.
2. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
3. Lay ham & cheese in the center and roll up.
4. Fasted tooth pick in the middle to keep from unrolling.
5. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done.

American Typical Breakfast

Another Food Trip Friday meme once again! My entry for this week is the photo above. For more FTF entries, just click the button above.

Humba

scheduled post!
Have you ever heard of "HUMBA"? Humba is one of the dishes serve in the table during Philippine fiestas and any other occasions. It is a popular Filipino dish in places like Mindanao and in Visayas regions. I don't know exactly the term of humba in Luzon areas. Do you know?


Even within every Filipino household, the preparation of this simple Humba varies greatly. Besides the usual addition and subtraction of ingredients, some recipes recommend the use of pig trotters instead of the more common pork belly. Adding to complexity of this dish, other recipes even suggest adding mushrooms, banana blossoms, rice wine, hard-boiled eggs and even potatoes into the mix.

I found a simple recipe from a forum website, but I don't have all the ingredients. So I decided to make my own version. It was delicious and easy to prepare!

All you need:
pork cuts
crushed garlic
sliced onions
soy sauce
coke/sprite
crushed pepper corn
bay leaf

First, marinate pork with garlic, onions and soy sauce for 2 hours. Put in on a pan, add 3 cups of coke/sprite (instead of water). Then bring it to boil. Add in pepper corn, and bay leaf. Let it cook until meat is tender. Serve with rice!

All about Jelll-O

According to wikipedia, Jell-O is a brand name belonging to U.S.-based Kraft Foods for a number of gelatin desserts, including fruit gels, puddings and no-bake cream pies. The brand's popularity has led to its becoming a generic term for gelatin dessert across the U.S. and Canada.

It is sold prepared or like pie in powder form, and it is available in many different colors and flavors. Some of the most popular jello flavors are strawberry, lemon, black cherry, lime, orange, raspberry and cherry. The powder contains powdered gelatin and flavorings including sugar or artificial sweeteners. It is dissolved in very hot water, then chilled and allowed to set.

Jell-O must be refrigerated until served, and once set properly, it is normally eaten with a spoon but sometimes with a fork. Fresh pineapple, orange juice, kiwi, ginger root, papaya, figs or guava, if added to the mixture, will cause the Jell-o mixture to stay in its liquid state.

Thai Jasmine Rice

Rice is grown in more than 89 countries. Farmers from irrigated, upland, lowland, and the flood-prone areas across Asia are the major producers of rice. Rice in the US is pretty much expensive. Just like the one we always bought. A 25lb jasmine rice cost us $16.99/month.

Rice has the following nutritional benefits:
-Excellent source of carbohydrates
-Good energy source
-Low fat
-Low salt
-No cholesterol
-Low sugar
-No gluten
-No additives
-No preservatives

Below is a couple questions most American people ask me the most....
Q. Is rice eaten at every meal?
A. Where rice is the main item of the diet, it is frequently the basic ingredient of every meal. Asians cannot go without eating rice even for a single day. Pilipinos prefer to eat rice three times a day.

Q. Do people ever get bored eating the same thing all the time?
A. No. Because for some people, especially Pilipinos, rice is not only considered as the staple food, it is also our way of life. No other staple food could be compared to rice in terms of flavor, texture, and general satisfaction. Plus, it is inexpensive.