Brownies

I really have difficulty in baking. I need to repeat many times to get the result that I expect. For these brownies, this is my nTH time already. I love brownies and my son Albert too. Albert is playing Bakery Story in iphone and asked me to bake brownies. He said it only takes him 1 minute to bake brownies.

Ingredients

1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2) In a large beat the eggs, add the melted butter and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3) Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
4) To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost the brownies while they are still warm.

Excited to reach 40?!

In the first two decades of my life, I studied because my parents told me that if I wanted to have a better life I, needed to finish my studies. So I did it. After another decade and a half, I could say they were right that getting a good education could really give me a better life. Even though I didn't become successful in my chosen field, I became an entrepreneur.

Recently, I've been thinking on how to reinvent my career to something that will really make me really happy.Five years from now I will turn forty, another cycle of my life to look forward. This time I want to make something different In my life. I will pursue what my heart desires. I will learn something at my own time and explore the other side of me. What will make me happy? That would be my Family, Traveling and Cooking.

Maybe I will start my life adventure in learning how to cook French comfort food.

I need to remind myself always of Steve Jobs's quote: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”

Chicken Caldereta

Cuisine: Filipino

Chicken Caldereta is a popular comfort food in the Philippines. There are many different version in every household. You can experiment with the ingredients and try different vegetables. And here is my version.

1 whole chicken, cut
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 cup of pineapple chunks (can-type)
1/4 cup of pineapple juice
1 red bell pepper, strips
1 green bell pepper, strips
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and slice into wedges
cooking oil
1 onions, quartered
1/2 head garlic, minced
5 tsp. soy sauce
salt & ground pepper
1/2 cup thai chili sauce
1/2 tbsp of chili powder
3 tbsp of bread crumbs

1) Clean chicken, cut into small serving pieces. marinate with soy sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic.
2) Fry the potato wedges until golden brown. Set Aside.
3) Let stand for 1 hours. Drain.
4) Fry until a little brown. Add soy sauce mixture , water, tomato sauce, onions, thai chili sauce and chili powder. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes in low heat.
5) Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Beef Stew Cowboy style

Cuisine: American

I was watching food network the other day and was inspired by Paula Deen's recipe but i added one ingredient which is the soy sauce.

Recipe of Paula Deen, Food network.



1/2kg lean beef, cut in cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Dash ground allspice
3 large carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
ground pepper
1/2 cup soy sauce


1) Brown meat in hot oil.
2) Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice.
3) Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours in low heat. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove.
4) Add carrots and celery. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer.
5) To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly.
6) Serve hot with rice.

Pasta with chick peas and spinach

Makaronia me spanaki kai revithia
Cuisine: Greek


1 can chick peas
250 g spaghetti (thin size preferred)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, cut in slices
3 garlic cloves, diced
200 gr spinach, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon rind
2 tsp lemon juice
4 medium tomatoes, peeled and cut in slices
2 tbs parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp mint, finely chopped
1 cup water
Salt
Pepper



1) Boil the spaghetti, wash them with cold water and strain them.
2) Saute the onion and the garlic with some oil portion.
3) Add the rest of the oil, lemon rind,lemon juice, tomatoes, chick peas and spinach. Stir well, add water, salt, pepper and the herbs and let it boil for 5-10 minutes.

Tiger Shrimp Salad with Flat Green Beans

Yesil Fasulyeli Karides Salatasi
Cuisine: Turkish

250g tiger shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked
250g cherry tomatoes
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
250g flat green beans, cut in bite sizes and boiled with salt and pepper
2 tbsp parsley, chopped, finely

Sauce:
1/2 cup mayo
2 tbs cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1) Whisk the sauce ingredients. Then mix all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the sauce all over and toss.
2) You can serve this dish at room temperature or after chilling it in the fridge.

Fried Calamari

1kg medium sized Squid, Cleaned & bodies cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings
2 egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbs dried parsley
Juice of 5 calamansi (lime)
Salt & Pepper
Vegetable oil

1) After cleaning and cutting the squid, marinate it with lime juice with salt and pepper for about an hour or two.
2) Pour enough oil into a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches.
3) Mix the flour, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
4) Soak the squid in the egg white then dip to the flour mixture.
5) Carefully add the squid to the oil and fry until crisp and very pale golden.
6) Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.

Serve with Chili-Mayonnaise Dip as an appetizer.

Adobong Pusit

1 kg medium-sized squid, cleaned and ink separated
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves crushed garlic
2 medium sized tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup black soy sauce
4 tbsp cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 tbs oyster sauce
3 tbs sugar
2 red small chilli
Salt and pepper to taste


1. Heat the wok. Pour the cooking oil. Saute the garlic, onion and tomatoes
2. Pour-in soy sauce, vinegar, and water then bring to a boil.
3. Add the squid and immer for 8-10 minutes.
4. Add the oyster sauce, ink, chilli, salt, pepper, and sugar then stir. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl then serve.

Note: If you want a thicker sauce, remove the squid from the wok or cooking pot and let the sauce boil until enough liquid evaporates. Once done, you may top the squid with the sauce.

Sinigang na Bangus

Cuisine: Filipino

This is one of my favorite and very easy to prepare.

2 Bangus (milkfish), cut into 4
4 cup Water
3 Tomatoes, sliced
1 Onion, sliced
2 tbs powdered tamarind(Sampaloc) or sinigang mix
5 bunch of pechay or watercress
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs Patis (fish sauce)

1. Salt all over the fish
2. Boil water and tamarin powder
3. Add tomatoes and onions to boil. Cook 3-5 minutes. Add fish and patis. Lower heat and simmer 3-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, add pechay leaves, and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Serve with rice.

Fresh Tomato Marinara

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 cups (about 3 large) tomatoes, peeled & chopped

2 tbs tomato paste

2 tbs sugar

3 tbs fresh basil, finely chopped

3 tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1) Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until tomatoes are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes; stir occasionally. Cool 5 minutes.

2). Serve over fresh pasta

Inihaw na Bangus (Grilled Stuffed Milkfish)

1 large sized bangus ( milkfish )
1 onion, chopped finely
3 tomatoes, chopped finely
2 stem parsley, chopped finely
1 salted egg, cut in cubes
Salet and pepper
2 tbps. vegetable oil
Banana leaves ( for wrapping )



1) Remove the internal organs of the milk fish but do not scrape scales and wash thoroughly. With a sharp knife slit the back to make an opening up to the stomach. This can be done by the fish vendor when you buy it in the wet market or supermarket.

2) Sprinkle with salt. Mix chopped onions, salted egg, tomatoes and parsley together. season with salt and pepper. Stuff the mixture inside the bangus (milkfish). Rub the fish with 2 tbps. vegetable oil before grilling to enhance flavor.

3) Wrap bangus in wilted banana leaves. Grill in your oeven for 30 minutes at 200C overn or grill on hot charcoal for 1/2 hour turning the fish on the other side to avoid burning the skin.

4) Serve Hot with Soy Dip.

Hospitals in Singapore

Hospitals
Adam Road Hospital
Alexandra Hospital
Bright Vision Hospital
Camden Medical Centre
Changi General Hospital
East Shore Hospital
Gamma Knife Center
Gleneagles Hospital
John Hopkins
KK Women's & Children's Hospital(Kandang Kerbau Hospital)
Mount Alvernia Hospital
Mount Elizabeth Hospital
National University Hospital
Raffles Hospital
Ren Ci Community Hospital
Singapore General Hospital
Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Thomson Medical Centre
West Point Family Hospital

Saffron

Brand: Masterfood
Price Sgd 10.40
This herb is very pricely with just a size of M&M peanut.

Saffron derives from the Arab word zafaran, meaning yellow. Further derivations come from the Old French safran, Medieval Latin safranum, and Middle English safroun. The majority of the world's saffron is produced in Iran and Spain is the world's largest

Istanbul Pilaf (Istanbul Pilavi)

Cuisine : Turkish

1 chicken breast, ~150 gr, skinless, boneless, cut in cubes
1/8 cup butter
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup hot chicken stock
2 tbsp almonds
2 tbsp pistacchios, peeled
1 pinch saffron, soaked in 1/8 cup warm water
3 cups of cooked rice
2 tbsp butter
Salt
Pepper

1) Roast almonds and pistacchios in separate small pan for about 2-3 minutes. Put aside.

2) Melt 1 tsp of butter and olive oil in a pot, add chicken cubes in and saute for about 5 minutes while stirring. Then add 1/4 cup chicken stock and cook until a little bit water is left. Put aside.

3) Put the cooked rice. Add salt and pepper. Keep mixing until the rice absorbs all the water.

4) Serve the rice and garnish it with the roasted nuts.

Makes 4 servings.

Kapuska (Chicken with cabbage)

Cuisine: Turkish

Kapuska is a hearty traditional Turkish stew.

1/2 head of cabbage, cut in medium sized chunks
4 pieces of chicken, dark or white
3 tbsp rice, washed and drained
1 red bell pepper, discard the seeds, cut in medium sized chunks
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4-5 tbsp crushed tomato, in a can
1 tsp red pepper, crushed
1/2 lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
1 cup hot water

1) Rub the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the pan with vegetable oil and half fry it.
2) Place the cabbage in a large pot. Add the chicken pieces in along with the rest of the ingredients and the half portion of water.
3) Cover the lid and cook for about half an hour over medium heat. Check the water regularly to see if it is necessary to add more.

TIP: Don't put too much water in the beginning, the cabbage will leave water during cooking.

Makes 4 servings.

Shrimp Saute with Tomato or Domatesli Karides Sote

I came to like Turkish dishes when we went to Istanbul, Turkey last September. For sometime now, I was craving for the distinctive taste of Turkish dishes. So I decided to try a recipe that I got from the Internet. I made some changes. It tasted close to the authentic meal that I had and I would like to share the recipe to all of you.


250g Tiger prawn, peeled and de-veined
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove,chopped, mashed with salt
4 tomatoes. peeled, diced
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp basil, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1) Saute the onion with butter for abot 5 minutes.
2) Add the garlic, tomato, sugar, basil, parsley and bay leaf. Cover the lid, turn the heat to low. Cook for about 15-25 minutes until the sauce gets thicker.
3) Add the shrimp, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the Bay leaf and discard it. Serve Shrimp Saute with Tomato on Turkish Rice Pilaf .

Garlic Butter Prawn

1/4 c. butter
1/4 cup tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
juice of half a lemon
250g Tiger prawn, peeled and de-veined
1 onion, finely chopped


1) Preheat oven to 230C
2) Melt butter; stir in parsley, garlic, onion, lemon juice and salt.
2) Cook one to two minutes over medium flame..
4) Arrange prawns in a shallow baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the prawns and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the prawns are pink and opaque.

Sweet and Sour Fish

Fried Tuna Lumpia

Chicken and Pork Asado

Filipino Chicken and Pork Asado is a popular food in the high protein diet. It is a much enjoyed side dish. It is undeniably one of the tastiest Asian foods. Traditionally Pork and Chicken Asado is always prepared by boiling.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo pork, cubed
1/2 kg Chicken meat, cubes
3 tbsps. soy sauce
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced onion
2 potatoes, peeled, wedged and fried
1 green bell pepper, cut
1 carrot, cut
1 cup tomato sauce
3 cups of water
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil the the pork for 15 minutes with water, soy sauce, salt and pepper.
2. Saute onion and garlic until cooked. Add the chicken and saute for 5minutes.
3. Add tomato sauce, pork and broth and mix well.
4. Let it boil for 15 minutes then add the carrots.
5. Add the Salt and pepper, green bell pepper and simmer for for 5minutes.
3. Add the potatoes and simmer until the sauce is slightly thick.