Chicken Curry Pasta

You know the feeling of making something special or different on a Sunday? Yeah.. That’s what I felt when I made this dish. Lol. So most of the time we partner curry with rice so why not with pasta? The next thing I know, I was already at the farmer’s market, gathering the ingredients. Lol.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. chicken (regularly cut)
450g. spaghetti pasta
1 large potato (cubed)
1 large carrot (cubed)
1 medium red bell pepper
2 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup string beans
3 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 cup milk
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 medium onion (chopped)
Salt and pepper
1 cup pasta water

Method:

1. Cook pasta per package instructions – Al dente. Drain and set aside. Keep a cup of pasta water.

2. In a sauce pan, heat oil and sauté garlic and onion. Add in the chicken, let it cook (15 – 20 minutes)

3. Stir in curry powder and pasta water. Continue to cook for 3 minutes (low heat).

4. Add in the potatoes and carrots. Cook until tender.

5. Place the bell pepper and string beans. Pour in the milk and let it simmer until the sauce thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Toss in the spaghetti pasta until everything is covered with sauce. Serve.

Enjoy!

Banana Con Hielo

I don’t know what kind of global warming we are in today but it’s like the temperature is rising each and every single day. During this time in the Philippines there are a few things we like to eat on a hot summer season – ice cold desserts!

Forgive me but Ice cream is overrated on this weather as we got plenty ice cold desserts to choose from and one of these is the Banana Con Hielo. It’s a really simple recipe you can enjoy sharing with your family and friends  whether your outdoor or not.

Ingredients:

• 6 pieces plantain (saging saba, sliced in circles or diagonally)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup ice cubes

Method:

1. Make sweetened plantains. Put the water and sugar in a pot, stir well, add in the plantains. Boil in low heat until sugar is caramelised and plantain is cooked. Keep stirring to keep the sugar from getting burnt. Turn off the heat as soon as it gotten thicker caramel. Set aside.

2. Using a blender, combine the ice cubes and milk, blend until it turned into a little smoothie (not too smoothie).

3. Place the ice in a glass or bowl, place the sweetened plantain and its sweet caramel on top. You may add more milk as desired. Serve.

Enjoy!

The Late Night Salad

I had enough early dinner in the office that day so I skipped dinner at home but when the clock strikes twelve midnight my stomach started to growl. Lol. I went to the fridge and looked for whatever is available. I remember I bought some romaine lettuce and cucumber at the farmer’s market the day before. I found some leftover chicken from the chicken spread I made also the day before and found an asian salad dressing I bought when I did some groceries.  So I ended up making a salad. Lol.

I think everyone knows how to make a salad.. whether fruit or veggie. It’s just a matter of the ingredients you are going to use. You wanna make sure the ingredients are fresh!

Ingredients:

• Romaine Lettuce (washed)
• Cucumber (chopped)
• Day old bread
• 1 medium red onion (chopped)
• Leftover chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Cream cheese
• Asian dressing

Method:

1. Wash the lettuce well in a cold water then dry. Set aside.

2. Heat bread in medium high heat or until they get toasty (do not burn). Then spread some cream cheese on it and cut them into squares. That will serve as your croutons. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients. Add the dressing. Toss it well. Serve.

Enjoy!

Strawberry and Mango Shortcake

I can’t get enough of the strawberries so I went to make the another quick strawberry recipe on that same day that I made that Strawberry and Mango Banana Cake. I would like to believe what I did was a shortcake. Lol. It’s really an easy one to make as I got the cake from the bakeshop so I totally saved a lot of time! Lol.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Strawberries (sliced)
• 1/4 cup Ripe Mango (sliced)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Any kind of chocolate shavings (i used truffles)
• 1 Custard cake (cut in half crosswise)

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate (How to melt chocolate: http://www.wikihow.com/Melt-Chocolate). Set aside.

2. Beat the cream and carefully add the melted chocolate. Set aside.

3. Place the bottom cake on a clean plate. Scoop a spoonful of cream and spread. Place the strawberries and mango slices. Scoop another spoonful of cream and place it on top of the fruits.

4. Place the other half of the cake on top of the fruits. This time you may add all the fruits left. It’s up to you how you want to decorate it! Lol.

Enjoy!

By the way, the shortcake I made happened to be Mom’s post birthday cake. Lol. I placed a candle and sang happy birthday to her! lol.

Strawberry and Mango Banana Cake

We came across this vendor selling strawberries on the street. I had to buy some and make a summer dessert for this really scorching hot weather. Lol. Mangoes are in season too! Perfect!

I went to this bakeshop and bought a banana loaf and custard cake. While buying, a lot of things or ideas were going through my head already on how I’m going to make it work with my fruits! Lol.

It’s a perfect dessert or snack you can share with your friends. And you can do it in just 20 minutes or less. No bake and all! Lol.

Ingredients:

• 3 slices of banana loaf
• 1 cup strawberries (sliced)
• 1 ripe mango (thinly sliced)
• 250ml cream (chilled)
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Method:

1. In a large bowl combine sugar and chilled cream. Beat until smooth. Set aside.

2. Place the first loaf in a clean plate. Spread a spoonful of cream on top of the loaf. Place mango slices.

3. Place the second loaf on top of the mango. Spread a spoonful of cream on top of the loaf. Add in as many strawberries you like. You may add another scoop of cream on top of the strawberries if you like.

4. Place the last loaf on top of the strawberries. Top it with a few strawberries and mangoes. Serve.

Enjoy!