Dream Catcher Stories

Showing posts with label Recipe. Show all posts

15-Minute Pizza from "Scratch"

It's our helper's birthday today and I wanted to give her something special for our afternoon merrienda (snack) before my dad came home with a surprise birthday cake. I was in the mood for some pizza, but I don't have the time to wait for forty minutes to get one delivered. I was about to make a really quick pizza dough (sort of like a roti-style one that doesn't need much leavening), but I realized how much time and effort that would take too. That's when I saw the wheat pandesal - the Filipino version of dinner rolls - my mom brought home last night and I remembered the pizza pandesal she used to make when we were kids coming home hungry after a long day in school. So off to the kitchen I went to rummage the remains of last month's grocery shopping (I have to remind my parent to go shopping this weekend).

Ingredients:
Four to six pieces pandesal or any soft bread (I used Pan de Manila's Sugar Free Wheat Bread), halved or divided into thirds if they're a bit too thick
Any quick melting cheese or mozzarella if you have some
Whatever pizza sauce and toppings you like (be creative)

Topping suggestions:
Tomato base pizza sauce (I used spaghetti sauce with a bit of banana ketchup because I was out of pizza sauce) w/ ham and ripped-up fresh basil
Pesto sauce w/ crumbled feta or goat's cheese, arugula or baby spinach and olive oil
Ranch barbecue sauce w/ cooked strips of sirloin, pineapple and bell peppers

1. Assemble your pizza in this order: bread (duh!), sauce, cheese, other toppings
2. Bake in the oven for ten to twelve minutes or until cheese is melted.
3. Cut into smaller pieces (if you want). Serve and enjoy :)

Lots of Love,

J<3

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Chocolate Crumble Cheesecake

9:33 AM | Labels: Cheesecake, Dessert, Food, Recipe, Yum

I know I have mentioned how much I am against no-bake cheesecakes that use gelatin in it to set the cheesecake. But in times of a cheesecake craving, I bend the rules by making my basic no-bake-no-gelatin cheesecake (check out my other recipe post for a variation) as a canvas and adding whatever toppings or flavor I have available.

Chocolate Crumble Cheesecake

Ingredients:
1/4 c. Unsealed butter, melted
1 large package dark chocolate-coated cookies (about 2 dozen 4-inch diameter cookies)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
250 ml. Heavy cream/Whipping cream
1/2 c. Sugar
Juice of one lemon

1. Crush 16 pieces of the cookie into fine crumbs using a rolling pin, mortar and pestle, blender, food processor or whatever method you fancy. Crumble the remaining cookies into larger pieces(like those in the picture scattered on top of the cheesecake) and set aside.
2. Pour the cookie crumbs over a 9-inch pie plate/6-inch springform pan (for a thicker cheesecake) and stir in the melted butter. Use your fingers to mold the base into the pan. Store in the fridge to set the base while you make the filling.
3. Whisk cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside in the fridge.
4. Whisk cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until smooth and almost double in size.
5. Fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture.
6. Pour into the prepared base.
7. Top with chocolate crumble.
8. Chill for at least two hours or until set.
9. Enjoy!

Lots of Love,

J<3

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Nutella Mochi

2:50 PM | Labels: Dessert, Mochi, Recipe

In this day and age of sweet shops all over the corner, one specialty store is sprouting up like little mushrooms in Metro Manila - a store specializing in the little Japanese dessert called mochi. Mochi ice cream shops are everywhere, offering wide arrays of flavors to choose from. But one thing has caught my attention, and that is the Nutella Mochi I had from Sophie's Mom (yes, the cupcake store). It was this tiny brown ball of heaven that with one bite, sent out an amazing explosion of the beloved Italian chocolate-hazelnut spread onto my taste buds. The first thing that came into my mind - I HAVE to make one!

So, days after, my sister, who isn't as much of a cook as I am, made her own version. She wondered around the internet to find the perfect recipe, and voila, Nutella mochi from our own kitchen. In a couple of days, I finished everything (and that's because I was still holding back). I asked her to make me more, which she did a few more days afterwards.

But something was missing in those two batches - the nutella explosion. So today, I decided to make a batch myself and found this recipe on the internet. My sister walked into the kitchen in the middle of my mixing and commented on my mixture. She reprimanded me - being the mochi expert between us two - for using a different recipe (one with less water, cocoa powder and sugar). But being the older sister, I had to prove myself and went on making the mochi my way. Low and behold, it still worked fine.

And after an hour or so of tediously making sure that each tiny ball contains just the right amount of Nutella in it that it won't spill but would still have the Nutella explosion I had from Sophie's Mom's version, I had twenty-three balls of goodness in the fridge waiting for me to take them out and eat them.

My arms did ache afterwards (because prior to the mochi, I also made homemade tagliatelle without any pasta maker), and my fingers got all sticky with mochi all over them, but I was more than satisfied to find out my Nutella mochi was a success. Yay!

Lots of Love,

J<3

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Teriyaki Shiitake Mushroom Salad

5:28 PM | Labels: Food, Recipe, Salad, Vegan, Yum

I have been wanting to try to be a vegan for quite sometime, but everywhere there is sumptuous non-vegan food around me. Another thing is that my mom loves to cook, and she would feel bad if we don't eat what she serves us. So I have made a compromise to myself that I would try to have a "Vegan Day". Hopefully this works, because when I first started this a year ago, it only lasted for a couple of weeks. Now that I'm trying to bring it back, I'd try harder to make it work. And this inspired the creation of this salad.

Teriyaki Shiitake Mushroom Salad

Serving size: 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Procedure:

Prepare all the necessary vegetables needed. Wash, slice, dice everything you have to. (Note: Do not wash the mushrooms because they are very porous that they will absorb any liquid it touches. Instead, lightly wipe it with a damp cloth until clean)
Melt the butter with the vegetable oil. Saute the garlic, then the onions until light brown.
Toss the mushrooms and cook for a minute.
Add the teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, pepper, sugar and water. Simmer until it turns a bit thicker.
In a bowl, arrange the salad leaves, tomatoes and cucumber. Top with the teriyaki mushrooms, including the sauce and toss.
Drizzle a little olive oil. Enjoy!

Variations:

You may add a few more fruits/vegetables that are available like ripe mangoes.
To add a little more texture, stir in a handful of roasted slivered almonds, pine nuts or whatever nut you fancy.

Lots of Love,

J<3

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No-Cook Blueberry Cheesecake with Lemon and Wild Honey

5:29 PM | Labels: Cheesecake, Dessert, Food, Recipe, Yum

We had some cream cheese left to spare that are about to expire so I had to think of a way to use them up, quick. And the best way I can think of is through one of our favorite desserts: Cheesecake!

No-Cook Blueberry Cheesecake with Lemon and Wild Honey

Serving Size: 12 to 16
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Refrigeration Time: at least 2 hours

Ingredients

2 tbsp. Powdered sugar

200 g. Crushed Grahams

Juice of a lemon

Lemon zest of the same lemon

750 mL. All-purpose Cream

1/3 c. Granulated sugar

3 tbsp. Wild honey

1 can Blueberry topping
Procedure

Prepare the base by combining the melted butter, crushed grahams and powdered sugar in a bowl until it resembles wet sand.
Form the base in your containers using your hands (I have used two 2x4x6 and one 3x6x8 rectangular ones). If you think they are too dry, add a bit more melted butter until they stick better.
Prepare the filling by combining everything else, except for the blueberries, until smooth. You may adjust the taste to your liking before transferring the filling to the containers.
Divide the mixture into portions for your containers, leaving a tiny bit of the top for the blueberries.
Spoon the blueberry topping over the filling. You may need a bit more or a bit less blueberries depending on the surface area of your containers.
Refrigerate for at least two hours or until right before you serve.
Serve and enjoy! :)

Lots of Love,

J<3

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Taba ng Talangka (Crab Fat) Pasta

12:45 PM | Labels: Food, Pasta, Recipe, Seafood, Yum

Being an aspiring cook, I love to experiment with things. And as I have said in one of my previous post, this may not be a food blog, but there would be times when I will be sharing a recipe of something I made (or just something I would like to share). And today, I whipped up myself a sinfully delectable pasta made with Taba ng Talangka (sometimes called Aligue, Crab Fat, or Crab Roe).

Taba ng Talangka is full of cholesterol so I use it sparingly in my cooking (I think I've only eaten it twice). It comes from tiny crabs found in the Philippines we call Talangka. And "taba" means "fat", hence the English term crab fat. But I have found in some sites that aligue is actually crab roe. Whatever it is, it is still very fatty because not only is it fatty in itself, it has also been preserved in a large amount of oils and spices.

Last night, I asked a little help from my friend Google to find the perfect Aligue Pasta recipe. I have found a few, but when I started cooking, I threw my recipe sheet and did things on my own. This recipe is inspired by about seven different Aligue Pasta recipes I have read. I just adjusted them to my liking, and voila! Taba ng Talangka Pasta just the way I like it.

Serving size: 1

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Procedure:

Saute the garlic in olive oil until slightly brown, being careful that it won't burn.
Stir in the crab fat, then the calamansi juice.
Add the asparagus and cook for a minute.
Mix in the pasta with a little pasta water.
Add salt, pepper and chili flakes (if using) according to taste.
Turn of the heat and mix in the Parmesan cheese.
Sprinkle the parsley, stir and transfer to the plate.
Drizzle additional olive oil if you want. Enjoy!

Variations:

Aligue enhances the taste of seafood so you can add a few shellfish to make it a Taba ng Talangka Seafood Pasta.
Adding two to three tablespoons of milk/cream can turn it into a creamy pasta.
Infusing some Asian flavors through turning into a Curried Taba ng Talangka Pasta is possible. Just add a teaspoon or two of curry paste (any color) and two to three tablespoons of coconut cream.
The asparagus can be replaced by some other vegetable like peas or green beans, or you can omit the vegetable part all in all.

Lots of Love,

J<3

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Hunger Games inspired Beef and Plum Stew

10:44 PM | Labels: Food, Hunger Games, Recipe, Yum

Like people from all over the world, I am also a part of the Hunger Games series craze. I read all three books in six days and suffered from tired and twitching eyes afterwards. But it was all worth it! And aside from the story itself, the food that was incorporated into the book also caught my attention (being a little foodie myself). As I was reading the book, I badly wanted to have a taste of the roasted groosling, all the various breads, and the mouthwatering Lamb and Plum Stew. So after reading the series, I went on and looked for recipes online of the stew. I was able to read a few recipes and modified them to fit my liking. In my recipe, I used beef instead of lamb because beef is more accessible here in the Philippines. This isn't really a food blog, but I felt proud of what I've made that I wanted to share them. Happy cooking everyone!

Lots of Love,

J<3

Hunger Games inspired Beef and Plum Stew

It may look like Dinuguan because of the wine that has thickened.

Ingredients:
1 kilo beef brisket cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 medium sized carrots chopped up the same size as the meat
2 medium sized bell peppers (1 green and 1 red) chopped up the same size as the meat and carrots
3 large onions chopped up lengthwise
1 cup pitted dried plums/prunes
1 bottle red wine
2 tbsp. oil
1 beef bouillon cube
3 tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. pepper

Method:

Lightly brown the beef brisket in 1 tbsp. oil in a pan large enough to fit everything latter on. This can be done by batches so as the pan is not overcrowded during the process. A thick gravy may be formed by the end of all the frying. which is fine. Pour the gravy into a cup for this will still be used later.

Saute the onions in the same pan with the rest of the oil. Keep cooking until the onions are caramelized and soft (after about fifteen minutes). It will be reduced to about half its size and taste nice and sweet.

Set the onions aside and brown the carrots a bit.

Set the carrots aside and saute the bell peppers.

Add the beef and the gravy and mix everything up.

Add the soy sauce and pepper and stir.
Cover everything with the wine.

Dissolve the beef cube in the sauce.
Cover and simmer for an hour or until the meat softens. The sauce would be thicker and would have lessened in volume.
Just before switching off the heat, mix in the dried plums.