Rice Cake (Biko)

I had a terrible cravings for Biko the other week. In my desperate thought, I was able to come up with an idea how to make my rice cake different from the recipe that I have in my compilations of recipes. I don't want it to be too sweet so I figured a way to make it still "biko" but not really too matamis.

It was so yummy that it disappeared quick and especially when I shared it with my friends. They all like it.

Here is the list of my ingredients, just in case you want to try it:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 6 cups of coconut milk
• 2 cups uncooked malagkit ( sweet rice)
• 1 cup macapuno (in bottle)
• 1 tsp anise

Here is how to do it:

• Dissolve sugar in 6 cups of coconut milk over medium heat. Bring it to a boil for 30 minutes.
• Add uncooked malagkit and anise.
• Simmer and stir constantly until all liquid disappeared.
• Cover for 15 minutes, occasionally stirring.
• Put in a baking pan, pack and top it with macapuno.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until top turns brown on a 350º.
• Serve hot or cold with your favorite hot drinks.

So Yummy!

Get the Most From Your Veggies

With our busy life these days, sometimes we just go to the market to buy ready-to-cook vegetables. It helps when you don't have to spend time in cutting all those veggies because it usually takes time when you want to do it the traditional way.

However, if we really want to get the most amount of benefit from our food, buying fresh ones are far better than the ready packs from the frozen or refrigerated section of the store. Although the sources try their best to lock in the food nutrients when they pack and seal those pre-cut veggies but there is nothing more nutritious than the fresh ones.

These are just few examples: fresh green beans are crisp and the pods snap easily. Fresh carrots are sweet and firm. A good squash when pinched feels a little sticky. Fresh tomatoes have smooth skin and free from black spots. These are just a few noticeable facts and if we try to buy vegetables in season will be better. You are spending less for the great benefit you are getting out of what you are buying.

But here is more: Wash vegetables before paring and cutting into small pieces, not after, to preserve the nutrients. Cook at once. Cover the pan so as to retain the natural color, flavor and texture of the vegetables. (Nutrients are likely to escape in the air with pan uncovered.) Cook vegetables until just tender and stir only when necessary.

Moreover, use water in which vegetables have been cooked for soups and sauces, whenever possible. That you don't have to buy vegetable stock from the store when you need it.

Reading Source: Cookbook Recipes and Nutrition Tips
Picture: from Google

Macaroni Chicken Salad

I was trying hard to think what side dish to make to go with the main dish that hubby made last Easter. I wanted to have something Filipino on the table to match the Portuguese food without contradicting each other. So I decided to make Macaroni Chicken Salad. Besides, I had been craving for this dish for quiet a time now.

This was the first time I made the dish since I got here in the US of A. Though I used to make it back in the Philippines still I was not too sure if this would come out good and acceptable as a side dish. But it did. I bragged to hubby that I used to make the best salad for family gatherings and fiestas back home. My difficulty was how to blend the taste of my salad with what my guests normally expect in a macaroni the western way. It's still a Filipino dish the way I made it but with a touch of the west. I could have made it richer and creamer but I shunned from doing so.

Here's the list of my ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups Dreamfields elbow macaroni
• 2 skinless and boneless chicken breast cooked and shredded
• 2 cups Saffola Mayonnaise
• 1 cup Mt. Olive Sweet Relish
• 1 can (8 oz.) Dole Pineapple Crushed (drained)
  
• 1 1/2 cup Kraft Crumbled Cheese
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• dash of salt

Here is how I did it:

• Put 6 cups of water in a pan, add a dash of salt and olive oil and bring it to a boil.
• Cook macaroni on the boiling water and follow cooking directions. Then set aside.
• On the other hand, cook chicken breast in water then shred it to pieces.
• In a large bowl, put the macaroni along with the remaining ingredients together.
• Add the shredded chicken.
  
• Mix well and refrigerate before serving. This is better when it is cold.
  

A BiG...BiG ThANKs!

I would like to thank all my visitors for the time you spent in reading my posts. I truly appreciate it. I would have loved to visit you on your site but my time right now is to tight. Hubby and I are both busy trying to get everything ready for our trip in the Philippines this month. We are both excited to see our family back there.

So please just bear with me... if I could not link back to you... I'm letting you know that I always love to visit other blogs, too. I know you are all there to fill my day!