Hello Everyone. It’s been awhile since my last entry here. I’m so sorry. Puppy Eyes* I have been very busy with so many things and it will take us forever if I’ll share everything here. Ahahaha. However, I’ll share one so to start. Wink*

I’ll be teaching Baking and Pastry Arts this semester so I must update my BPA theoretical knowledge and skills and so I spend most of my time reading BPA books, checking websites and of course by baking.

To make this short, as in short. I saw this easy Apple Pie recipe in thefatkidinside.com and tried it.

The result? Let the picture talk.

But I must say, try it.!

For the recipe and how-to-video, please visit thefatkidinside.com.

Apple Pie anyone?

Ingredients: 

2 CUPS                  ALL PURPOSE FLOUR, SIFTED TWICE

2 TBSP                  BAKING POWDER

1 CUP                    GRANULATED SUGAR

DASH                     FINE SALT

½ CUP                   EVAPORATED MILK

½ CUP                   COCONUT MILK

1 CUP                    WATER

BUKO PANDAN FGLAVORING

PROCEDURES:

SIFT DRY INGREDIENTS TOGETHER IN A BOWL. COMBINE LIQUID INGREDIENTS IN ANOTHER BOWL. SLOWLY ADD LIQUID MIXTURE TO THE DRY INGREDIENTS. MIX WELL. FILL GREASED PUTO MOULDS ¾ FULL. TOP WITH TOPPING OG YOUR CHOICE. STEAM FOR 15-20 MINUTES. REMOVE FROM STEAMER AND COOL SLIGHTLY BEFORE UNMOULDING. DOT WITH BUTTER.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

600      Grams             Lapu-Lapu – Whole

30        Grams             Green Onions – Shredded

2          Pcs.                  Chinese Black Mushrooms – Soaked or boiled in water until softened then sliced thinly

2          Tbsp.                Sesame oil

A

1          Tbsp.                Chinese Cooking Wine

1          Tsp.                  Salt

2          Pcs.                  Onion Leeks – Cut into 8 sections

4          Slices               Ginger

30        Grams             Shredded Pork Tenderloin – Lean

1          Tbsp.                Soy sauce

B

¼          Cup                  Fish Stock

2          Tbsp.                Light Soy Sauce

1          Tsp.                  Sesame Oil

1/8       Tsp.                  White Pepper Powder

Procedures:

1.   Wash the lapu-lapu and make 2 to 3 diagonal slits on both sides of the fish.   Rub fish with the Chinese wine and salt.   Place the onion leeks and ginger below and on top of the fish.   Place the fish on a platter and top it with shredded pork and soy sauce.   Place the sliced mushrooms on top of the fish.

2.   Steam in high heat for 30 minutes.   Remove from heat and sprinkle on the shredded green onions.   Heat 2 tablespoon sesame oil and pour over the green onions.

3.   Bring “B” to a boil and pour over the fish.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

600      Grams             Cooked Rice

120      Grams             Dried Anchovy

100      Grams             Chicken Breast – Cubed

60        Grams             Green Peas – Boiled

or

60        Grams             Lettuce Leaves – Sliced

6          Pcs.                  Dried Black Mushrooms – Soaked in water and chopped

6          Tbsp.                Onion Leeks – minced

3          Pcs.                  Eggs

½         Tsp.                  Salt

¼          Tsp.                  White pepper

Oil

Procedures:

1.   Sauté in 3 tablespoon oil until cooked then chop into small pieces. Soften mushrooms in warm water – discard stems, then dice it.

2.   Dice chicken breast and marinate in egg white and a little salt and pepper.

3.   Beat the 2 eggs and add a little salt. Heat pan and add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook the egg as thinly as possible.   Slice the egg thinly or chop.

4.   Add 2 tablespoon oil in pan and stir fry the green onion and mushrooms until fragrant; add the chicken, stir fry until cooked. Stir in rice and salt and pepper. Mix very well.   Then add the dried anchovies, eggs and green peas or lettuce leaves.   Mix and cook thoroughly.

It’s been awhile since my last photo manipulation. It’s just recently that I again been interested to photo manipulation. I have always been fascinated by the great collaborations of photography and graphic designs combining certain elements to create a unique image using creative skills.

Here are some of my latest photo manipulations. I expressed my creativity through various aspects of design and some images contain illustrative elements while others display a more realistic approach. However, if you hate how my photo manipulation or how my graphics look, no one is stopping you from clicking the [x] up there. Any pictures taken from the net are copyright to their owners and any pictures I manipulated are copyright to me.

Thanks.!

Original Photos

Our environment had already suffered enough our flora and fauna have been threatened with extinction because of pollution cause by our waste. Let us not wait for the time that our flora and fauna extinct because of our wastes generation.

I am fully aware of the fast rise of waste generation; in fact, in my basic culinary arts class. My students generate a lot of waste primarily plastic. These plastic came from their purchases of ingredients, mostly coming from the wet market and super market. These aren’t biodegradable and plastic bags end up as litter that fouls the environment.

I already discussed to them the importance of waste hierarchy: reuse, reduce and recycle. However, it hasn’t change much the generation of plastic waste and so I need to make a move to address this problem.

I gave them an inexpensive, durable and compact reusable market bag to spread the environmental message: reuse, reduce and recycle to a world ready for a brighter ecological future.

The message is very clear.

Reuse means using the materials repeatedly.

Reduce means to buy less and use less to lower the amount of waste produce.

Recycle means discarded materials are then used and converted into new products.

Let us not overlook the importance of these waste options and I hope that in my own little way, I inspire my students to care for the environment.

These means, consider a soft pillow is you are a stomach sleeper or back sleeper. It provides just the right amount of support, cradling the head without forcing it out of alignment. A pillow with medium firmness is needed if you sleep mainly on your back or sides. It is best for back sleepers, offering a little more support to keep the head aligned properly with the spine and a firm pillow is best for people who sleep primarily on their sides. It adequately fills the space between your shoulder and neck, providing proper spinal alignment and healthy sleep posture.

I spend a lot of time spending with my pillow than that with the one I love so I tend to be choosy when it comes to choosing the right pillow for me.

Last weekend I did not pass on the chance to have a dose of these wide-ranging flavors, textures and forms.

From the cheeseboard, I had a Bleu d’auvergene, a French blue cheese which is made with cow’s milk. It is moist and creamy with an even spread of veins. Taste more delicious with nuts. The taste is buttery, creamy and intense and so the smell, very pungent. It is often time used to season pasta dishes.

I also had a little slice of Gruyere. It is made with cow’s milk and named after a Swiss Village in Switzerland. It has a rusty brown rind which is usually hard and dry. The texture is dense and compact with a wonderful array of flavors. I love this cheese because it has a distinctive but not over powering taste.

They say that save the best for last, and so, the last but not the least, the Queen of Cheeses. Brie, it is the best known French cheese.  It is one of my favorite dessert cheeses plus it has a longer shelf life and not susceptible to bacteriological infections. Just like the previous two, it is also made with cow’s milk. It has a creamy center and edible rind. It is one of the cheeses that wound their way into the hearts of cheese lovers everywhere like me.

Yesterday, my students are supposed to prepare a Beef Tenderloin Pita Sandwich but as an alternative they presented stir-fried beef tenderloin wrapped in Lavash bread. This for me is comparable to SHAWARMA.

Here’s how to put together stir-fried beef tenderloin wrapped in Lavash bread. The beef tenderloin is thinly sliced and seasoned with soy, pepper and a little bit of sugar. Herbs like Thyme and Rosemary is then added for that extra ump. Right after, the meat is then sir-fried in a wok in a high-fire. Please remember not to over-cook the meat or it will be tough (stringy) and dry. You will also need a lavash bread. It is a flatbread served in the Middle East. It is lightly baked bread. When I was in Singapore, I also get to try another flatbread. They call it Naan Bread. I love to dip the hot naan bread into a dip called Raita, it is a cold yogurt with cumin. Yum! In addition to the thinly sliced tenderloin and lavash bread, you also need lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. You can also add cucumber if you want too.  For the dressing, my students combined mayonnaise and mustard and then seasoned with salt and pepper.

To assemble this mouth-watering appetizer, heat the lavash bread in an open fire, just like what they do in a shawarma stand or in a griddle just like what my students did. Using a griddle gives the bread grill marks that give it a little bit of character. In Singapore, the naan bread is baked in a tandoori oven. You can also use an oven toaster if you like. Put hot bread on a plate and then layer on top of it the lettuce, stir-fried tenderloin, onion, tomatoes and cheese and basically anything you want to add. Just make sure you just put enough that you can wrap around the flat bread.

And then, serve it with the dressing. I love the mayonnaise with the mustard but I love more my garlic-mayonnaise dressing for this kind of wrap. I also add banana ketchup!

But either of the dressing, it is a wonderful appetizer! I can finish two or three wraps! Yum!

Sweet and Sour Pork have always been in the list of my desired Chinese dishes. It is from the Cantonese cuisine and now days can be found all over the world. The perfect balance of the sweet vs. sour taste of the sauce gives this recipe its soul.

Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients:

450      Grams             Pork Loin or Pork Shoulder (kasim)

1          Cup                  Pineapple Chunks

½         Cup                  Cornstarch

Oil for deep frying

A.

115      Grams             Green Bell Pepper

115      Grams             Red Bell Pepper

4          Pieces              Onion Leeks – white portion only – cut into 16 pieces

1          Teaspoon         Minced Garlic cloves

B.

½                                 Egg

1          Tablespoon    Soy Sauce

C.

½         Cup                  White Vinegar

1/3       Cup                  White Sugar

2          Tablespoon     Catsup

1          Tablespoon      Worcestershire Sauce

1          Tablespoon       A1 Steak Sauce

Procedures:

1.   Cut pork into ¼” x 1” x 1” slices. Marinate in “B” for 10 minutes.

2.   Remove seeds from red and green bell pepper and slice into 1” x 1” squares.

3.   Cut pineapple slices into 6 pieces.

4.   Heat a wok, add 5 cups of oil and heat to 350⁰F. Dredge pork slices in cornstarch and deep fry until golden brown. Remove and drain.

5.   Keep 2 tablespoon oil in pan and sauté “A” until fragrant. Add “C” and bring to a boil until thickened. Mix in the pork and pineapple.

Sweet… and sour.!