Pork Adobo

1/2 K. pork liempo, cut into 1x1 size
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
3 cups water
1/1/2 head garlic, chopped
1 tsp cracked peppercorn
2 pcs. bay leaves
1 tbsp. cooking oil

After washing the pork, put together in a bowl the pork, soy sauce, vinegar, 3/4 of the garlic, peppercorn and bay leaves. Mix and marinate for 20-30 minutes.

Put the mixture in a saucepan and cook slightly covered, adding water until desired tenderness is achieved. Add some salt to taste. When the meat is tender, in a seperate pan, brown the rest of the garlic in cooking oil. Strain the sauce off the pork and add the pork in with the garlic. Fry until desired crispiness. Pour in the sauce and simmer for about 3 minutes.

Serves 3-4

Baked Mussels

1 kilo mussels (boiled)
4 tbsps. minced garlic
5 tbsps. soft butter (anchor)
3 cups grated cheese

Spoon about soft butter on top of the mussels, followed by a pinch of the garlic (depends on how garlicy you want it to be). Put the grated cheese on top, enough to cover the whole mussel. Bake in the oven until the cheese melts.

3-4 servings

That has got to be the easiest dish to make. hahaha! This was the very first dish my mom taught me to make. I was about 10 years old. :)

Binagoongang Baboy

1 Kilo pork liempo, cubed
1 Kilo pork kasim, cubed
1 head garlic, chopped
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1/2 Kilo ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup bagoong alamang
3 tbsp. brown sugar
3 whole calamansi, juiced
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
3 siling pansigang
cooking oil
water

Wash the pork cubes well and pat it dry with paper towels. Heat cooking oil and fry pork cubes until light brown. Set aside. Add the garlic in the same pan and cook until lightly browned. Add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and also saute for 2 minutes. Add the alamang, then the brown sugar. Simmer for a few minutes. Add the fried pork and pour enough water to cover the meat. Cook covered for about 45 minutes or until meat is tender and the consistency isn't not so watery. Add the calamansi, pepper, and silis. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.

4-5 servings

Note: It was my first time to cook this and it wasn't such a smart idea for me to cook when I have a cold. I couldn't smell or taste anything! So I had my hana beside me to let me know if it was too salty. Good thing the next day I was feeling much better and I had regained my sense of smell and taste. And boy oh boy, I had 2 cups of brown rice with this dish. My hana was right. It's was DEEEEElicious! :)

Garlic Bread

1 French Loaf / baguette 4 tsp Butter or Margarine 4 tsp. Minced Garlic 1 tbsp. finely chopped basil Slice loaf horizontally about 1 inch thick. Butter each bread. Sprinkle garlic and basil. Toast in oven. Serves 6.

Chorizo Rice

3 tbsp. oil from chorizo Bilbao 2 tbsp. atsuete seeds 1 small onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 5 pieces chrizo Bilbao, chopped ½ tsp. paprika 1 tsp. salt dash of pepper 4 cups cooked rice moistened with some water In a pan, heat the oil then add the atsuete. Stir until color is extracted. Remove the seeds, In the atsuete oil, sauté onions, celery and bell peppers. Add chorizo and cook until almost crisp. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Add the rice and mix until well blended. 4-6 servings. *taken from Easy Everyday Meals from the best of Good Housekeeping

My Lemon Herb Baked Chicken

*modesty aside, this baked chicken of mine… everybody loves. Hope you do too!* 1.5 kilo chicken 2 pcs. lemon or 12 pcs. calamansi 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 ½ tbsp. crushed garlic 1 tsp. dried marjoram 1 tsp. dried basil 1 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. dried tarragon leaves 1 tsp. dried rosemary 1 tsp. dried or ground oregano salt and pepper to taste 1 cup chicken broth olive oil or melted butter piece of string for tying Preheat oven to 220C. Remove giblets and the neck from chicken. Rinse chicken in water and drain well. Pat dry with paper towels. Separate skin from meat on breast. Rub in Worcestershire sauce, half of the broth, garlic, juice of lemons, marjoram, basil, thyme, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper. Make sure to rub it in the cavity of the chicken and in between the skin and the meat on breast. Marinate for about an hour. Place chicken breast side up in a roasting pan. Put the two halved squeezed lemon in the cavity. Tie legs together and fold wings tips under the back of the chicken. Set marinade aside. Drizzle chicken with olive oil or melted butter. Bake in oven for about 1 hour or until golden brown. After about 30 minutes, pierce the chicken on the thighs and wings to drain the juice. 5 minutes before taking the chicken out, put in the marinade and remaining broth. Skim fat from drippings in a small sauce bowl. Let chicken stand for about 5 minutes for easy carving. Serve with asparagus or buttered veggies. Note: My baby girl loves eating asparagus and broccoli because of the dip that I make with it. Just mix mayo and prepared mustard and you’ve got a great dip that will make your pick-eaters wolf down those veggies.

Hanagirl's Spaghetti

500 grams cooked spaghetti noodles 1/2 kilo lean ground beef 1 kg. tomato sauce 1/4 extra virgin olive oil 2 1/2 tbsps. minced garlic 2 1/2 tbsps. minced onion 1 tsp. dried marjoram 1 tsp. dried basil 1 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. dried tarragon leaves 1 tsp. dried rosemary 1 tsp. dried or ground oregano 2 bay leaves for garnish: freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil (optional) Saute garlic and onions in olive oil using medium heat. Mix in ground beef and cook until browned. Add all the herbs except the bay leaves. Mix well. Pour in the tomato sauce. Stir and put in the bay leaves. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes stirring sauce once in a while. Put in a bowl and sprinkle some parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Serve along side cooked spaghetti noodles. Serves 6. *you may also serve the parmesan cheese on the side.

Danish Meatballs

These meatballs have a creamy sauce just made for spooning over noodles or rice. 1/2 kilo ground beef chuck or ground meat for meatloaf (beef, pork, and veal) 1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs 1 large egg 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill 1 tbsp. grated onion 1 tsp. salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg 2 tbsp. butter or margarine 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups milk 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, dill, onion, salt, pepper, and nutmeg just until well blended but not overmixed. Shape mixture into 24 meatballs, handling meat as little as possible. 2. In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook until browned, using slotted spoon to transfer meatballs to bowl as they are browned. Discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. 3. Stir flour into drippings in skillet;cook over medium heat, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add milk and broth; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture has thickened and boils. 4. Add meatballs to skillet; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Makes 6 main-dish servings. Note: dill herbs are pretty hard to find but I always seems to find some in Rustan's grocery all the time. * from The All New Good Housekeeping Cook Book