Weekend Baking : Apple Turnovers

I just can't believe it! It's June and I have not posted anything for 10 months now. Been really busy with work and life. Life is pretty interesting and everything seems to be a roller coaster ride. You just need to hold on honey. Make the most out of it. Okay, enough of the little drama. I will try my best to upload/post some of my randomness once in a while.

I've been browsing through my tablet's gallery and noticed that I have been doing a lot of cooking and baking in the past few months. I saw my Apple Turnovers and I was like "Why did I not post this?".Which reminds me that it was that time when the news broke regarding the Granny Smith and Gala apples recall. So I was a little hesitant since I bought 1 Granny Smith and 1 Fiji during that period. But it was still on display and they never pulled it out in the grocery so I am assuming it is safe for consumption.

This easy and delicious turnover is just divine! I start off by preheating my oven around  200 degrees C. for 15 minutes and prepare the following. By the way, since  I only made 3 turnovers the recipe is good for about 4-5 depending on the cuts you make with the apple. I chopped them really bite size because I don't want huge chunks in my pie.

2 apples peeled, cored and chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Puff Pastry ( I used Kawan Block Puff Pastry)
1 egg (for  brushing on top of the pastry before baking)

In a pan on medium heat, melt the butter and place the apples and brown sugar and cinnamon and mix until the apples turn soft.

Mix in 1 tbsp of flour to thicken the consistency and set aside the mixture to cool.

Meanwhile dust a little flour and place the puff pastry. Get your rolling pin and thin the pastry to a few centimeters. Place in the apple mixture and fold it forming a triangle.

Using a fork, seal the edges by pressing the dough. Don't forget to poke it in the middle so steam can be released. Brush with egg wash and pop it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

 And here is my first attempt.

It's easy and delicious! You can top it off with vanilla ice cream and drizzle some caramel sauce. My mouth is just watering right now.

Happy Eating!

I Cook: Japchae

Oh Hai Guys! I spent one of my Saturdays making my very own Japchae. I was really in the mood of cooking. Japchae is a Korean dish made from sweet potato noodles, stir fried in sesame oil with various vegetables, sometimes served with beef or chicken (whoever cooks it no judging!) and flavored with soy sauce and sugar.

If you want to make this just scroll down. A fairly easy delicious dish!

What you need: 

-Korean Vermicelli Noodles (can be brought at your local Korean Store (Wang Mart).) It is quite different with our version of vermicelli noodles.

The noodles are like light brown in color. As I mentioned above, it can be bought at Korean stores (less than a hundred pesos) or grocery (I saw Robinsons selling it around the same price. Not sure with other huge groceries but to be sure Korean store! :] )

-Garlic

-Onions

-Carrots

-Spinach

-Beef (I bought mine at Wang Mart which are thinly sliced)

-Sesame seeds

-Sesame oil

-Shitake mushroom ( I used canned, but if you are going to use dried shitake, place it on water and   

                                  when it's ready squeeze the water out from it)

-Sugar

-Soy sauce

-Olive oil

-Salt

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Procedure:

-Chop garlic and onions

-julienne carrots and set aside

-in a pan, drizzle olive oil and saute garlic with a pinch of salt then set aside.

-saute onion with a pinch of salt. When translucent, set aside.

-saute carrots with a pinch of salt and set aside

-saute shitake mushroom with a pinch of salt and set aside

-brown beef and season with a little bit of salt and set aside

-blanch spinach and squeeze excess water and set aside

-in a small bowl, place a tablespoon of soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. When sugar is dissolved, place the spinach and mix and set aside.

-cook noodles in boiling water. When cooked, drain and cut it (because the noodles are really long)

-heat pan and add soy sauce with sugar mixture and sesame oil.

-add noodles and fry.Add more soy and sugar or sesame oil mixture if needed to achieve desired taste.

-Add garlic, onion, carrots, spinach, shitake mushroom, and beef.

-Sprinkle with sesame seeds when plated.

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That's about it! It only involves setting aside but it's not that hard.

If you wish to try this out let me know what you think. By the way you can also place thinly sliced scrambled eggs on top for garnish. Instead of beef, you can put chicken (thinly sliced thigh fillet I guess would be the best )

Enjoy and Happy Eating!

xx

Random Food We Eat: Fried Oreos

Hi Guys! So this post is actually short and sweet which sat on my post list 5 months ago and never been published. I still have a couple of entries to share with you guys before this year ends. So, months ago, what has been happening is"I think, I cook". Wanting dessert, I made Fried Oreos.

It's pretty quick and simple to make. Although, too much consumption will result to sugar rush. I can only have one opposed to the multiple oreo cookies I can put in my mouth in one sitting. Not a pretty picture tho.

But hey, here's how to make it. Enjoy! :)

What you need:

Pancake mix

eggs

Water or Milk

Oreo Cookies

Oil

For the toppings (to get that hyper feeling):

Your choice of ice cream

Your choice of sauce

What to do:

Beat eggs and throw in the pancake mix. Once you get the dough texture, add some milk or water but not too much. Just enough to make a very thick consistency batter.

Heat oil in a pot. Make sure to have the heat in low to medium. This will make the heat just right and won't give that burnt effect. 

Drop a cookie in the batter, and using a spoon scoop the cookie out and drop in the pot. The oreo's will float once the batter is cooked. Since it cooks very fast, make sure to check each sides and not burn them.

Place on paper towel to drain excess oil.

Arrange, top with your favorite ice cream and drizzle with your favorite sauce/syrup.

Enjoy! Drink lot's of water after! :)

Happy Eating!

xx

Meshwe : Authentic Lebanese Shawarma

I always loved Middle Eastern / Mediterranean cuisine. In fact, when I was around 6-7 years old, my parents often brings me at West Triangle, where Good-ah, Burger machine and this fast food where they serve shawarma, pita bread and 3 types of sauces. I remember having fun because it was a flat bread and I had to tear it and dip it on a garlic sauce.

Fast forward to 2013 and few years before that, I love going to World Class Persian Kebab for their chicken biryani, hummus, yogurt and of course shawarma.Hassan is another go to place if I want a quick fix since it's relatively near the office.Not until I discovered Meshwe.

Meshwe is owned by a half Lebanese half Filipino who grew up in the middle east. A friend of the T's since basically they all grew up in K.S.A. Amazingly, he makes serious dishes to satisfy your cravings of Middle Eastern sandwich. Meshwe means "grill" (thanks to Diana who just came in time and explained the term before I even publish this entry).

So let's start shall we?

Meshwe is located at Il Mercati in Metrowalk Ortigas and is serving during Friday-Saturday. Catering Halal chicken and beef, this is a total hit for those who are back from the Middle East as well as the local fans of the cuisine.

What's on the menu? Chicken Shawarma, Chicken Shawarma Plate, Shawarma Rice Bowl, Arabic Fries, Pita Chips, Chicken Tenders with fries, Falafel, Muhallabia and Hummus.

It's my first time to eat shawarma with potatoes inside. I never knew that there are really potatoes in a shawarma. The chicken is well seasoned and the garlic sauce which accompanies everything is totally the bomb. 

The garlic sauce is not the usual "runny" type but rather with a very thick and sort of fluffy consistency. It goes well with everything I must say. The best thing about it is that Meshwe also sells their famous garlic sauce for you to bring home.

Peek whats inside. Sorry for the somewhat blurry low quality. I didn't bring my camera and had to resort with the tablet that I'm using. Note to self, always bring the camera :]

And now, for the dessert, Muhallabia. This milk pudding has an aromatic and creamy texture.Made with rose water,milk and topped with a generous amount of pistachios, this serves as the finale to your meal.

The shawarma rice is another delicious part of the menu. It's a surprise that its almost similar to the dish I've tasted years back where the rice has raisins, spices and nuts. Interestingly on this menu minus the nuts, grilled strips of chicken lays over bukhari rice with tomatoes on the side.

With a very reasonable price, you get to taste authentic middle eastern dishes and enjoy the night away with music. The sandwiches costs about 80php each while the chicken tenders is around 125php.

Happy eating!

xx

One Date: Saturdate - Krung Thai

Hey hey heyyy! :)I thought I have posted this while back. But it seems I forgot to push the publish button. Silly me and now I have to do it all over again to just get the description and time right. Boo hoo!

So yeah, one Saturday back in February, I treated BB with Thai food at Krung Thai. I always wanted to try out this place. Last time we attempted to dine here was when I was with Jamie and they were already closed. I think we got there around 9 or 10ish pm.

Krung Thai is located at the back side of the Marikina Public Market. It is quite small which can accommodate less than 20 people or so.When BB and I got there it was just in time for early dinner and a few were already there. We got a table beside the window. They promptly got our orders and served us water.

 

I ordered Pork Binagoongan with Thai Salad on the side. 

First, I love the salad! It has mango and carrots and turnips with sweet dressing (can't describe what type it is) with peanuts. The binagoongan is cooked well, as the meat falls off easily. The rice is Jasmine rice with bagoong of course.

I under estimated this meal as I thought that it'll be just "OK". But this is a very heavy meal that I was not even able to finish it.

I ordered beef in red curry for BB. Good enough for 2 people to share, this is not the usual curry that we cook here. It has a peanut-ty taste and of course the taste of coconut milk and it is kind of sweet. The beef strips are well cooked and no hard time in eating it.

I wouldn't miss ordering Pad Thai of course! Very Delish!

The bill came around 700-800 php in total. not bad at all for the amount of servings and we even had to take some home. I really like their binagoongan rice the most!

I ended the night with White Hat Frozen Yogurt near our place. Brownies and Banana Slices in Caramel sauce. OOMF!

So yeah that's about it! I haven't really had anything new since for some reason I'm actually working.

But I promise to post something nice soon.

Happy Eating!

xx

Saturday : I-Cook! - Wings Night

Hey Stranger! How was your weekend? Believe it or not, I was trying to blog since Saturday night but my connection was dreadful. I can go youtube but not attach images here. So I had to wait to get a decent internet connection which is today.

This weekend was totally a lazy one. I was stuck in bed youtube-ing the whole day and reviewing some of my new purchases. I also have a project which I was inspired to do but will blog about it very soon. Meanwhile my plans of overhauling my blog is still in progress. I think im half busy and half lazy but most of the time LAZY to do some changes.

Anyway back to what the title is all about. Saturday night while browsing and watching AFC, the guy was making some mashed potatoes. I dragged le boyfriend to Shopwise to pick up some stuff so we can have dinner. I swear... Im really going to fly. I have been eating chicken for 2 weeks now. :|

]

Anyhoo. this is really easy to prepare and addicting. :) I love Bon Chon and some other restaurants serving wings. But the price can be very very expensive. for 6 pcs of wings (meaning 3 pieces for wings cut into half) is a little less than 200 pesos. 

I bought 10 pcs of wings which costs 121 pesos (169php per kilo) which makes 20 pcs of "wings".

So first (no picture available), I cleaned and peeled 5 medium sized potatoes. After that, I cut them into small pieces. I have boiling water ready so I just drop them so that it will be faster to cook. I season it with a little salt.

Next, I have the wings prepared and cleaned. Cut them into half and have my pan ready.

I have my  breading ready.

Then fry them wings until golden brown.

So once I have fried all my wings, I place them on top of some tissues to drain the excess oil and rest them. Then I get my potatoes and place them on a big bowl, add half cup of butter and black pepper. then mash them. Dust with a little salt to find that taste and drizzle with milk to have that puree effect.

Going back to the wings, mix a generous amount of your choice of sauce.

Then lastly, some gravy to top the potatoes.

How did you spend your Saturday night?

Happy eating!

xoxo

RFWE : Weekends @ Dampa

I first discovered dampa in Marikina with my family 11 years ago. My dad really loved the sizzling Maya Maya. He always ordered the same thing when we go there. I miss my dad :( It kinda breaks my heart whenever we go places and that photographic memory of him just flashes. The way he smiled when we go out for dinner or lunch.  SOOOO OOOKKKAAAYYY moving forward as I got hit by my sudden  sentimentality. One weekend, we headed to dampa and BB, just like my dad orders the same thing everytime we dine there.

What's good about the Dampa in Marikina is that its cheap and it's good. You just need to find the right stall to have your food cooked. for around 75php to 150php cooked dish its not bad! I have tried the Dampa in Ortigas and it costs us around 5k. Marikina costs around 500pesos only for 3 dishes and lots of rice and coke. I have a faint memory of the dampa in Pque. though. :)

Dampa has rellocated (after the Ondoy Storm) beside the Activity Center in Riverbanks. Although it has a fewer stalls now, it's still great to visit. Food Roll....!

Yes! I love free stuff! :)

 A small plate of sliced green mangoes to nibble while waiting for your food. And yes... its FREE!!!!

Then I ordered some mussels. sizzle sizzle in butter and cheese.

 Looks and tastes sooo good! Seafood GALORE!

Since I love shrimps... i wouldn't miss it :)

Buttered medium size shrimps!

And finally...
The Maya Maya :)

We even had to take some home because we werent able to finish the whole thing.

So yes, another Saturday Random Food We Eat. :)

Happy Eating!

xoxo

RFWE: Malaysian Restaurant - Pamanganan's

So one Saturday again, we headed to Quiapo for random things. BB, a frequent at this Malaysian restaurant had me try few things. Roti and Curry and Mertabak. It was cool to know that they have a branch along Commonwealth too near OMA or was it the building where OMA is.

Which an affordable price, they serve Halal pizza, Filipino and Malaysian dishes.

Table Menu

Wall Menu

I heard the pizza tastes good.

  

Yogurt Mango Shake for me. :)

I love yogurt shakes!

Roti

Curry dip

Mertabak

This is like omelette with veggies and beef as selected by BB and shaped in a square way.

Great for snacks.

Happy Eating! :)

One Weekend: Moud's in Quiapo

As it is perfectly a great day to update my blog while skipping work because I am sick.

This is one of the places I would like to share in my blog since I love chicken and Moud's Chicken offers really yummy roasted chicken. As this is one of my favorites and probably one of the best roasted chickens I had, you can really never forget this place.We have been eating here for years and I'm pretty sure googling it will show you alot of results.

Located in Quiapo near the Golden Mosque, Moud Halal Restaurant is situated. For about 60 pesos you can have a quarter sized cut roasted chicken and kabsa rice.

I really havent had the chance to take pictures of the place because it was so hot and we were really hungry. Another favorite is the sauteed shrimps which are kinda huge and kinda expensive. It's around 100 pesos. But hey :) that fills my tummy and guilty pleasure.

Quiapo boasts alot of Halal food and restaurants. There is even a Malaysian restaurant around the corner. Will blog about it in another short entry. :)

xx

Saturday : Food Camp

On one of those many Saturdays that I spend with BB before going to Greenhills, we stopped by Food Camp. But before that, initially I wanted to eat at Banapple. However, being a pizza-burger-chicken-pasta couple we are, popped in to Banapple and ordered their Creamy Baked Penne Pasta, a favorite.

 For Take Out.

Not so nice shot but tastes really really yummy and cheesy and delicious!

I brought the pasta to Food Camp which is beside the old Banapple.

Since we were really really hungry, we ordered the usual stuff we pair with burgers.

 Mozerella Bombs



Dip of your choice

Delta Burger with wedge fries

Not really sure what to use. It's still hot sauce BB.

Bravo Burger


After wolfing down burgers, fries and pasta, we went to Greenhills. I got some new wedge and lipstick for my nyx lippies collection. Apologies not much to say. I have totally forgotten things because of work and other stuff. So I promise to update this blog. :)

xx

Jet Burger

I was about to blog our Boracay getaway first, however its going to be a long long post. So I shall continue with what we ate back in Manila.

BB and I are really burger and pizza junkies. Always in a search of new places , this time its different. The place found us. It all started when we were leaving the house and I opened the gate and saw a piece of paper with "Jet" on it with pictures of burgers. It is located in Don Antonio just a 5 minutes away from the house. Located infront of Jetti Oil Station and the vulcanizing shop, I got their menu and seems reasonable to me.  So my Saturdays with BB  ended up on another burger joint.

Top half of their menu

The place is really comfy and it gives you that "around the neighborhood feeling.

Pillows and couches on one side and lots of huge burger pictures on frames.

BB too comfortable and almost lying down while ordering.

The counter with a small flat screen tv and piled up sauces for you to choose from.

ordered a can of coke and sprite for Nur (not in picture)

I ordered Jet's Burger.

Black sesame seeds on buttered bun with huge white onions and tomato on top of a 1/3 pound medium rare beef patty sitting on a lettuce resting on another buttered bun.

SO EVIL and SO GOOD!!!

Just look at that juicy meat. *drool*

BB and Nur had single patty cheese burger.

These big guys under estimated the burger thinking that it was small . But they ended up stuffed. Not to mention having a hard time wolfing down fish and chips (165-185php), which we all shared.

Fish and Fries awesomeness!

Tartar sauce.

We spent a little over 500 pesos for 3 burgers, 2 cans of soda and a basket of fish and chips for the 3 of us. Not bad.

I love weekends :)

xx