Quick and Easy Nachos

I’ve been wanting to share this.

Very easy and quick.  A great appetizer.  A snack.  A quick meal.  And a great way to use canned re-fried beans and shredded cheese.

The ingredients are simple…

But first turn on your oven broiler and preheat on HIGH… With the rack placed in the second shelf from the top.

You will need:

A bag of corn tortillas triangles

A small can of re-fried beans

And a 16 ounce bag of Mexican Four Cheese…

Spread a single layer of corn tortillas in a baking sheet.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of re-fried beans into the corn tortillas.

Top each tortilla with the Mexican Four Cheese.

Now these babies are ready to go under the broiler…

*** Reduce the broiler to LOW…

Place the baking sheet under the broiler until cheese are melted.  About 3 – 5 minutes.

NOTE:  Keep your eyes on the nachos while under the broiler.  They can burn easy.  If your oven is hotter… the cheese can melt faster and the corn tortilla chips can quickly burn.

Remove nachos from the oven just as soon as the cheese melted and the edges of the corn tortilla chips are lightly brown and crisp…

Serve warm.

Enjoy guys! And Happy Cooking…

Tess Harris

 

Apple Crumble with Browned Butter

This recipe was inspired by my friend Theresa.  She made this for Thanksgiving and posted an inviting photo on her Multiply page.  She was kind enough to share her recipe.  And gave me permission to share it with you here.  Thank you Tess!

I altered her recipe just a little bit.  Instead of using margarine.  I used browned butter.  I LOVE the smell and taste of browned butter.  And I thought it would be perfect for this recipe.

Also, while I was at the grocery store.  I spotted Ultra fine or superfine sugar that Baker’s used.  So of course I got one and use it for this Apple Crumble recipe.  Instead of granulated sugar.

Here’s Theresa’s Original recipe if you would like to print it as well.

For this Apple Crumble, you will need the following:

When making crumbles or pies, I always like to mix different varieties.  Here I have Granny Smith, Gala and Braeburn.

Peel, core and slice apples.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice.

You really do not need two lemons.  One large lemon usually yield 2 – 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.  And you only need 1 – 1/2 TBSPs.

Superfine sugar.

Ground cinnamon and cloves.

Flour (superfine sugar, and kosher salt).

Browned butter.

~~~

How to assemble all the ingredients…

Pour lemon juice over the sliced apples.  Toss to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and cloves.

Pour sugar, cinnamon and clove mixture over the apples.

Mix them up.

Brush a 13 x 9 x 2″ baking pan with browned butter or melted butter.

Empty the bowl of apples into the buttered pan.

In another bowl, combine flour, sugar and kosher salt.  Mix them up.

Pour browned butter over the flour mixture.

And mix them up or crumble them with your hands.  Until mixture resembles a sand texture.

Pour crumbly mixture over the apples.  Making sure to evenly spread the it over the apples.

And that’s how it should look…

Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F degrees for 45 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350°F and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Since this is a crumble.  I like my apples tender.  Not crispy.

And that’s how it should look.

And it should taste as good as it looks.

Here’s the recipe.

Apple Crumble with Browned Butter

10 – 12 Apples medium size apples (granny smith, gala and braeburn)

1/4 superfine or Baker’s sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 ½ TBSPs. lemon juice

TOPPING:
¾ cup superfine or Baker’s sugar
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon kosher or maldon salt
1/3 cup browned butter

Preheat oven at 375°F.

Butter a 13″ X 9″ pan.

Peel and core and slice apples.

In a mixing bowl, pour lemon juice over sliced apples.

In another bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.  Pour over sliced apples and mix .  Then pour apples into buttered baking pan.

In yet another bowl, combine together sugar, flour, salt.  Pour browned butter.  Mix until crumbly and sand in texture.

Top apples with the crumbled mixture.

Bake at 375°F degrees for 45 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350°F and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Or until apples are tender and topping is light golden brown.

Best served warm and fresh from the oven.  May be served with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream on top.

How to Make Browned Butter:

Place butter in small pot with heavy bottom.  Melt butter over medium heat.  Butter will boil and sputter before it turns golden brown.  This whole process takes about 20 minutes.  Please watch carefully.  As soon as the butter turns starts to smell nice, aromatic and nutty and turns golden brown.  Remove pot from the heat and cool before using.  Refrigerate for future use.

Note: 1 cup of butter will yield about ¾ cup of browned butter.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Browned butter elevates the taste of this apple crumble to another level.

#2 – Mixed apple varieties give this apple crumble a mixed texture, sweetness and tartness.

#3 – You can also make this dairy free.  Since I’ve tested this recipe.  I have also have made a dairy free version, using coconut oil, instead of browned butter.  Slightly different taste.  But it was still good.  Perfect for people who are allergic to dairy products.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Chunky Mexican Chicken Soup

I’m on a roll with soups lately.

It must be because it’s starting to get cold.

And soup seems like a good way to stay warm.

Am usually not fond of dishes with tomatoes or tomato sauce.  Though I like them in soups as long as fresh or whole tomatoes are used.   In this case I used whole peeled tomatoes in a can.

Yeah…  I could have used fresh tomatoes and peel them myself.  But I was feeling lazy.  And I didn’t feel like blanching and peeling the tomatoes  myself.  So whole peeled canned tomatoes were my second best choice.  A dependable stand in.

This version of the soup is thick and hearty.  Though my husband prefers it to be lighter with less chicken next time.  I agree.  I’m not too crazy about thick soups either.  And I know that has to do with how we ate soups when I was growing up.  Thin and light.  With clean, crisp taste.  And that’s only because we had to make do with what we had.  Soup was a great way to feed a large family of 10.

So… if you like thick and hearty soup, just increase the chicken and corn tortillas.  And if you like your soup heartier, top each serving with cheddar cheese and sour cream, in addition to the chunks of avocados.

Here’s what you need:

You need 3 or 4 large split chicken breasts.  Bone and skin on.  About 4 – 5 pounds.  Only use 3 split chicken breasts if you want a thinner soup.

Remove chicken from the package and rinse them under cold running water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  And place chicken in a heavy-duty baking sheet.

Pour a little bit of oil – canola or olive oil, on each chicken breast and rub the oil all over the chicken.

Generously season the chicken breasts with kosher salt and ground black pepper.  I used about 4 teaspoons of kosher salt and 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper.

Don’t worry.

This might seem a lot of salt to you.  But all this salt is not going to penetrate the meat.  Its just going to make the chicken breasts well seasoned on the outside.Season chicken breasts on both sides.

And roast them, skin sides up,  in a preheated oven at 400°F for 50 minutes.

After 50 minutes in the oven, the chicken breasts are cooked and the skins are crispy!

As you can see… I have way too many chicken breasts here.  I should only have roasted three.  Four the most.  And so I used the rest of the chicken for “chicken club salad sandwiches” .  Another recipe I will post in the future.

But, like I said though… if you like a thicker, heartier soup, use four large split chicken breasts.

Oh by the way… the skins are really crunchy and tasty.   And you can start munching on them if you are feeling hungry and need a quick snack.

Tear the chicken meat off the bones and shred them into chunks.  Place chicken chunks in a bowl.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.

Discard the bones and skins.

Or give the skins to your puppy.  She’ll love you for it.

~~~

Other ingredients you need for the soup:

Vegetables: 3 large celery sticks, 4 – 5 medium carrots, 2 medium size onions, 4 – 5 jalapenos, cilantro and lots of garlic.

Halves the  celery

And  chop them.

Peel and halves the carrots.

And chop them.

Quarter the  jalapenos

And remove the ribs and the seeds.

The hottest part of the jalapenos reside along the ribs.  That means if you want your soup to have a “kickasss” attitude, keep the ribs and only scrape the seeds.

And chop them.

Onions – peeled, and chopped.

Garlic – smashed, peeled and chopped.

Olive oil. 3 tablespoons.

28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes.

4 cans chicken broth.  About 6 cups.  Plus 2 cups water.

Ground coriander seeds, ground cumin, and dried basil.

One teaspoon of each.

Five or six 6-inch white or yellow corn tortillas.

I was kicking myself when I got home from the store, when I realized that I had bought flour tortillas instead of corn.

I was having a senior moment at 43!

But I used them anyway.  Wishing, while kicking myself, that I had corn tortillas.

Slice tortillas into one inch strips.

And them chop into one inch squares.

Oh.  Don’t forget the avocados.  You will need 3 large, ripe avocados.

One-half (1/2) avocado per serving.

And cheddar cheese and sour cream.  Only if you want a richer, heartier soup!

And your favorite corn tortilla chips to serve on the side.

~~~

How to prepare the soup:

Heat a large pot (I am using a 5 quart pot) and add 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Saute chopped onions until translucent.

Add garlic and saute few more minutes.

Add chopped celery, carrots, and jalapenos.

Stir and saute for five minutes.

Add the whole peeled tomatoes.  Break ‘em into chunks using a spatula.

Stir and add the chicken broth.  Plus 2 cups water.

Add the ground coriander and cumin and dried basil.

Cover pot and bring soup to a boil over medium heat.

Add the chopped corn tortillas into the pot.

Reduce heat to low and simmer soup until vegetables are tender. About 20 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro.

Add the shredded chicken to the soup.

Season with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Simmer soup for another 15 minutes.

Serve soup warm.  As is…

With your favorite corn tortilla chips…

Or…

Top each bowl with avocado chunks.

And to add more excitement and personality to soup -

And to make it richer and heartier -

Top each bowl with shredded cheddar cheese or Pepper Jack Cheese and sour cream along with the avocados.

I have to be honest…

I was reluctant at first to use the avocados.  So when I served the soup for the first time, I served it with sour cream. To be on the safe side.

But I made a big pot, like I always do, because I’m lazy like that.

So the next day when I served the same soup again, this time, I bravely added chunks of avocados in each bowl.

And you know…

I’m glad I did because the avocados made the soup taste creamier, even without the cheese and sour cream.

The avocados were subtle, yet surprisingly seductive and intriguing that makes the palate hunger for more…

Here’s the recipe:

Chunky Mexican Chicken Soup

Serves 4 – 6 people

Ingredients:

3 or 4 large split chicken breasts – bone in, skin on

3 TBSPs. canola or olive oil

4 tsps. kosher salt

2 tsps. ground black pepper

3 TBSPs. olive oil

2 large onions – peeled and chopped

6 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped

4 jalapeno peppers – seeds removed and chopped

4 medium size carrots – peeled and chopped

2 large stalks celery – chopped

1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes

1 tsp. ground coriander seed

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried basil

4 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth or 6 cups chicken stock

2 cups filtered water

5 (6 inch) white or yellow corn tortillas – sliced and chopped into 1-inch squares

½ cup chopped cilantro

2 tsps. coarse sea salt or to taste

½ tsp. ground black pepper

Corn tortilla chips – to serve on the side

Optional Toppings:

3 large ripe Avocado – peeled seeded and cut into chunks (allow ½ avocado per person)

Grated sharp cheddar cheese or Pepper Jack Cheese

Sour cream

Remove chicken from the package and rinse under cold running water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  And place chicken in a heavy duty baking sheet.

Pour a little bit of oil – canola or olive oil on each chicken breast and rub the oil all over the chicken breast.

Generously season the chicken breasts with kosher salt and ground black pepper.  Season them on both sides.

Preheat the oven at 400°F.

Roast chicken breasts at 400°F for 50 minutes.

(Prepare all the vegetables needed while the chicken is roasting in the oven.)

Tear the chicken meat off the bones.  Shred the chicken with your hands or tear them into chunks.  Place chunks or shredded chicken in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

Discard bones and skins.

Heat a large pot and add 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Saute chopped onions until translucent.

Add garlic and saute few more minutes.

Add chopped celery, carrots, and jalapenos.

Stir and saute for five minutes.

Add the whole tomatoes.  Break ‘em into chunks using a spatula.

Add the chicken broth, plus 2 cups of water.

Add 1 tsp. ground coriander seed, 1 tsp. ground cumin and 1 tsp. dried basil.

Stir the  mixture.

Cover pot and bring soup to a boil over medium heat.  Once the soup is boiling, add the chopped corn tortillas.

Cover and simmer soup until vegetables are tender.  And soup is slightly thick.  About 20 minutes.

Add the shredded chicken to the soup and simmer again for another 15 minutes.

Taste to see how much salt is needed.  Otherwise, add 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Serve warm with your favorite corn tortilla chips on the side.

Top each bowl of soup with chunks of avocado.

And for richer, heartier soup, top each bowl with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Avocado chunks make this soup taste creamier.  The creaminess comes when you take a spoonful of the soup with a small chunk of avocado.

#2 – Shredded Cheddar or Pepper Jack Cheese takes this soup to another level.

#3 – Corn tortilla chips is a great accompaniment to the soup.  It makes the soup less serious, even though it is.  And makes the soup fun to eat.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

It’s Like Chasing Something Mysterious

A life size figure at our apartment office.

Our apartment manager always displays elaborate decorations during the Halloween month of October.

Her favorite holiday.  And she seems to outdo herself every year.

So I came in one Saturday afternoon… and took a few pics…

That ball she’s holding makes a loud scary noise…

more Halloween stuff…

The commissary at our military base also has an elaborate display pumpkins and scare crows… I think that’s what they’re called.

I thought they were interesting…

So I took a few pics…

While I giggled like a little girl…

Simple things make me happy.

And to celebrate Halloween…

Well, I don’t really celebrate it.  But I love these Spiced Pumpkin Dried Fruit Cookies…

And I love all the decorations people displays during Halloween…

I want to share this recipe with you.

I think this is one of the most delicious pumpkin cookies I’ve ever had.

When I took the first bite, my senses kept trying to figure out what’s in the cookie.  Then I took another bite.  And another.  It’s like chasing something while trying to figure out its character.

So I ended up consuming several cookies in one setting.

I made these cookies for my husband to snack on at work.   But my son and I ended up eating most of them.

I plan of  making them again in a few days.

I’ll  post a step by step photos then…

These cookies are very good.  Tender and chewy at the same time.  Moist with a cake like texture.  Loaded with dates, raisins, dried pineapple and walnuts.

Almost guilt free and bordering on the healthy side.  And yet, they are sinfully delicious.

Since Ramon and Willie do not like nuts… I had to split the batter.  Half the batter I baked without nuts.  And the other half with walnuts.  For me.

I love nuts!  Pecans.  Walnuts.  Peanuts.  Though I can’t say it loves me all the time…

~~~

NOTE:  If you don’t have an electric mixer like Kitchen Aid, you could also make these cookies by manually mixing them in a large bowl, using a wooden spoon.  Follow same direction.

Here’s the recipe.

Spiced Pumpkin Dried Fruit Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups ground old fashioned oatmeal (grind oats before measuring)

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 TBSP. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¾ cup or 1 ½ stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ¼ cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 extra large eggs – room temperature

1 ½ cups canned pumpkin puree

1 cup pitted dates, chopped

½ cup dried pineapple, finely chopped

1 ½ cups raisins

1 ½ cups walnuts – coarsely chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Grease 3 baking sheets by rubbing them with butter.  Or line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

Ground oatmeal in a food processor until it resembles a coarse sand.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves.  Add ground oats and stir with spatula until well combined.  Set aside.

Using a stand up mixer, cream the butter and sugar together in the mixing bowl using the paddle attachment.

Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended with the butter and sugar mixture.  Add the pumpkin puree and continue to blend over medium speed.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.

Add the flour and oat mixture.  Blend over low speed (stir) until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Add dates, pineapple, raisins and walnuts.  Blend well.

For each cookie, scoop 3 tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheets.  Allow 9 – 13 cookies per sheet.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for 12 – 14 minutes.  Do not over bake.

Remove and cool in a wire rack.

Stores at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Yield:  3 ½ dozens

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Ground oatmeal give these cookies a “cake like” texture.  But if you don’t have a food processor and unable to ground the oatmeal.  You may use them as is.  I just prefer ground oatmeal.

#2 – Dried fruits make these cookies chewy.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Roped, Saddled and Tamed

Here I am… still awake at 7 in the morning and have nothing to post.  I am empty handed…

I had a whole week to think about what I was going to post today.  But all of my ideas lead me nowhere.  I managed to write a 1500 word easy on one subject: divorce, which took  me several hours.  I cited examples using several couples we knew – including family and friends who have gotten divorce, but it didn’t feel right.  So in the end, I decided to stash it somewhere -  for my eyes only.

Sometimes… writing comes easy when I write from the heart.  But there are times when my mind wants to run.  It wants to do whatever it wants to do, other than what it needs to do.   It acts like a wild horse that needs to be roped, saddled and tamed…

So I decided to just post something… something I have cooked hundreds of times before and one of my husband’s favorite Chinese food – Hot Pepper Beef.  I have made many improvements since I first cooked this dish and posted the recipe over three years ago.  So I thought I’d be nice to share it with you…

As with most Chinese dishes… there are certain things you’d have to do to get the same results that Chinese restaurants do.  They use specific techniques like blanching marinated meats in hot oil… and stir frying at a very high heat.

I’ve adopted some of those techniques in this recipe.  It is a bit time consuming to do, especially if I am doubling the recipe… but my husband loves Hot Pepper Beef so I cook this for him at least once every two weeks…  It’s better to prepare this dish if you have an extra time to spare… maybe on Friday nights…

NOTE:  If you do not or cannot eat hot and spicy foods… simply omit all the hot peppers from the marinade and the sauce.

New and Improved Hot Pepper Beef

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds top sirloin steaks
• Marinade – see below
• 1 large red or yellow onion – cut into bite sizes
• 1 large green bell pepper – seeds removed and cut into bite size pieces
• Sauce – see below

Step 1: Marinating the Beef

• 2 pounds top sirloin steaks – sliced thinly into 1 x 2 inch strips
• Marinade:
• 3 TBSPs. medium dry sherry or rice wine (I use white wine if I don’t have sherry or rice wine in stock)
• 3 TBSPs. Soy sauce
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground hot pepper – use according to your ‘heat’ tolerance
• ¼ tsp. msg (optional)
• 3 TBSPs. Cornstarch + 3 TBSPs. Water
• 4 cups vegetable oil for blanching

Wash the steaks and squeeze off excess liquid.  Slice them into 1 x 2 inch thick strips.  Place in a large glass or ceramic mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine medium dry sherry, soy sauce, salt, baking soda, ground black and hot pepper and msg.  In yet another small bowl, combine cornstarch and water and stir until smooth.  Add cornstarch mixture to the  marinade mixture.

Pour marinade over the beef, and mix until beef absorbs most of the marinade.

Marinade beef overnight in the refrigerator or 30 minutes at room temperature.

Step 2:  Blanching the Beef

Heat the wok and add the cooking oil.  Heat oil until  until it reaches 300°F. (I always use a candy thermometer to be sure…)

Drizzle two tablespoons of vegetable oil – not hot oil – over the steaks and toss to loosen or separate them. Divide the steaks into 4 portions…

Blanch steaks in the heated oil, one portion at a time, for about 5 – 7 minutes or until steaks turn brown but not burned.

Remove steaks with a slotted spoon or skimmer and drain on paper towels. (I use a skimmer with a bamboo handle which I bought at an Oriental store for less $10.)

Be sure to bring the oil back up to 300°F before continuing with the next batch.

Finish blanching the rest of the steaks following the same process.

Remove all, but 2 tablespoons oil from the wok.

Step 3: Making the Sauce

• 6 garlic cloves – peeled and minced
• 1 inch piece ginger – peeled and thinly sliced
• 8 – 10 fresh or dried hot peppers
• 3 stalks green onions – chopped
• ¾ cup soy sauce
• ¾ cup water
• 3 TBSPs. brown sugar
• 2 TBSP. dry sherry or white wine
• 1 tsp. ground hot pepper (or to taste)
• 1 TBSP. Cornstarch + 1 TBSP. water

Combine soy sauce, water, sugar, sherry, hot pepper, and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Whisk until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved.

Using the same wok… heat two tablespoons oil and sauté the garlic, ginger and hot peppers, and green onions for a few minutes or until garlic turns light golden brown and hot peppers dark red.

Stir the sauce and pour over the sautéed garlic, ginger, hot pepper and green onions.  Bring the sauce to boil over medium high heat, while stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to medium and add the blanched beef into the sauce. Stir until beef are coated well with the sauce. Reduce heat and simmer steaks for 5  minutes.

Stir in the onions and bell peppers.  Stir until combined well with the beef and coated with the sauce.

Remove wok from the heat and serve.

Serve hot pepper beef with rice or egg noodles.  (Cook egg noodles as directed on the package.)

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1:  Marinate the beef overnight – in the refrigerator.  Marinating tenderizes the meat.

#2: Baking soda and msg are good tenderizers

#3: Blanching the marinated beef at 300°F until brown or caramel in color

#3: I grind my own hot peppers.  I buy dried hot peppers from Asian stores; which usually comes in a plastic bag.  First I put them in a blender to grind them coarsely and to break up whole pieces.  Second, I grind them again using a Cuisinart Coffee Grinder into a finer powder.  My Cuisinart Coffee Grinder is only used for grinding spices.

The beef should look like these after they have been blanched in hot oil.

Hot Pepper Beef – the finished product.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

AVOID Pain and Frustrations and SAVE $$$ Next Time You Move

I can’t live in one place for too long. My limit is six years living in the same place. After that, I get bored. I yearn for change. The nomad in me wants to move, she gets restless; she wants to be on the road, to another city, another state, another place…

Moving is in my blood. I was born a nomad, always moving, from one unfinished nipa hut to the next; from one barrio to another; from one island to another. By the time I was six, we have moved more than 6 times.

The fifth house we lived in was by the seashore. A house my dad built but never finished as he has repeatedly done all his life. But this house was different. It was bigger and better than any other house we’ve had before. It had wooden floor instead of bamboo like we’ve always had. I was very young then, not even in school yet. I remember waking up in the morning and running on the white sandy shore, blanketed with fire red crabs. I would run after them, but the crabs were a little too fast for my little feet. Just when I was closing in on them, they would run back to their little dug holes and hide.

And then one afternoon, in this same house, I woke up from my nap, my clothes soaking wet, like I had just bathed in the sea. I bolted onto my feet screaming, calling my mom: “Nay… Nay… Nay! (mom), waah-whooaah…waahh… Naaaahnaaay!” I stopped crying, and slowly opened my tear filled, swollen eyes. I looked around but no one answered. The floor was covered with water five inches deep. Everything in the house was floating: clothes, pillows, plates, pots and pans. I ran and looked out the window; our chickens were quacking while floating on the water. The pigs were floating too! The dog was standing on top of a wooden plank, quietly observing the commotion between the chickens and the pigs. The tide was high that day and our house wasn’t built high enough above the ground to sustain the high tide. While I was asleep, my mom thought it was a perfect time for her to run up the hill to collect some sweet potatoes we were having for dinner that night. I was scared and didn’t know what to do. I stood by the window frozen, and motionless… wondering where everyone had gone…

After this incident, we moved again.

We moved inland into another nipa hut, only a stone throw away from my maternal aunt and grandparents’ huts. We did not live here long. We had to move again. And here’s why:

One day my dad came home, from a plowing job where he was offered coconut wine (tuba), which he happily accepted and drank. And when he’s drank, bad things happened. He was half a mile away from our nipa hut, already we could hear him belching out screams, the same loud, animalistic scream that he does when he is pissed off. He has had enough of my grampa and gramma’s insult, and this day seems to be the perfect day to let them know his feelings. As he was closing into my grandparents’ house, he pulled out his long knife and started striking, cutting and slicing everything on his path. He was only 10 feet from my grandparents’ porch, after he had cut all the banana trees in the front yard, when grampa and gramma jumped out the window, rolled down the green grassy hill to escape my dad and ran to the Barangay Captain 5 miles away.

Few days later, he was tipped off by a friend that several police men are on their way to arrest him. So he hid in the cave all day, and that night he boarded a small motor boat and escaped to Leyte. Few years later, my grandparents dropped the charges against him and they moved to Mindanao.

It would be three months before we join him. During this time, he’s been living with his relatives, moving from one relative to the next. When we came, my dad wasn’t ready for us. His uncle gave him permission to cultivate and live in his land up in the mountains, very far away from the barrio. It would take us from sunrise ’til sundown, by foot, to get there. We lived here a few years before my dad decided that we need to live closer to the barrio so my brother and I could go to school. And so we moved again, and again, and again. From when I attended first grade up until I graduated sixth grade, we have moved five more times.

For most people, moving is a dreadful thing to do. And YES, there are things involve in moving that is not fun – like packing all your household goods and belongings, and then unpacking when you get to your new place. And between all the packing, shipping, and unpacking, your things will get broken. Of course when I was a little girl, we didn’t own much of anything other than a few old clothes which we rolled and tuck into the rice sack and off we went. So moving was effortless. But when I met my husband, an American, he had already accumulated things, and accumulated more things once we were married. By then, moving then became a bit of a task. The furniture we had custom made lasted 17 years, some didn’t even last that long. We learned not to become emotionally attached to our possessions. Because these things come and go.

Each time we moved, we filled a Goodwill truck with books, furniture, clothes, and everything else that seem too bulky to take with us. (My husband is a firm believer of donating to Goodwill or Salvation Army. He believes that the universe will bless him many times over more than what he gives.) When we decided to leave Las Vegas, we had a beautiful, black old Mercedes Benz we gave away to a guy who worked as a mechanic at car shop. His family could use an extra car, and it was far too expensive for us to ship it, and even more expensive to maintain it.

YES, moving is a BIG decision and not an easy thing to do for most people. It’s even more daunting if you have to pay for the move because it is expensive and you are more likely to get ripped off. Like what happened to us when we moved from Las Vegas to South Carolina six years ago.

This was our first move on our own, without the military; therefore, we had to pay. So I shopped around for a moving company we can afford. I found one called Nationwide Moving Company. Their price was several hundred dollars less than the other, more nationally known company, so we decided to hire them. BIG MISTAKE! Lesson #1: Trying to save a buck could cost a lot more money in the long run and a lot more headaches than necessary. It’s better to pay extra if it meant dealing with a more recognized, and more reliable moving company. The key is to ask for references – people who have used them before and find out what they have to say. Another thing to do is research the internet for customer reviews. Back then, internet reviews weren’t as readily available as they are today. You have to invest a lot of time in research.

I sometimes wonder… that maybe it was just because our move got complicated. Our household goods were scheduled to be shipped and delivered to South Carolina, but things did not work out for us in there. In a short turn around, we had to move to Texas. So we had our household goods diverted – shipped and delivered to Texas. This is where the problem came in. Lesson #2: Do not rush into shipping your household goods to your destination. Instead, rent a storage space to store them. You can always get them later once you are stable and firmly rooted in your new location. Nationwide, the moving company, charged us few thousand dollars more to have our stuff delivered to Texas. I was confused and puzzled by this. Commonsense tells me, our household goods were still in Las Vegas, and Texas is several hundred miles closer to Las Vegas than to South Carolina. But Nationwide had the upper hand in this situation. If we weren’t willing to pay the additional money they demanded, they weren’t going to deliver our household goods. They had us by the neck; our stuff held hostage. We if we had to do the whole thing over, we would have just let them keep our stuff and started over. But there were a lot of things that were very sentimental to us. So we coughed up the money and paid. Lesson #3: Don’t let your emotions get in the way because it is going to cost you. Be ready to say: Fuck it and cut your losses while you’re ahead.

When my husband was in the military, the military paid for all the moving expenses, including our travel and temporary lodging. We didn’t have to worry about choosing a mover; the military took care of that. And then when he retired, we could choose a place – another city, or another state where we want to move and retire and the military would move us one last time… But life outside the military is different. Very different.

Years ago, I used to wonder why a lot of people move themselves. This was back when the military paid for our move. We’ll be on the road driving to another state, our new military base, and we’d see people driving huge U-Haul or Penske trucks, sometimes, towing a car in the back. Or the wife drives the family car and follows the husband. We’d say to ourselves: Why can’t this people just hire a mover and ship their household goods? It’s certainly much easier to just drive to your destination, in your car. And when you reached your destination, your new home, your stuff would be there waiting for you, instead of going through all this trouble driving a big U-Haul or Penske truck. Well… now we certainly know why. At minimum, it is $3,000 – $5,000 difference on your pocket, maybe more. And if you move yourself, at least you are guaranteed to have your household goods, in fair shape, when you get to your destination. So moving in a U-Haul or Penske truck with our household goods is now our preferred method. And this is even more so if you have a limited moving expense budget, and cannot afford to ‘pay an arm and a leg’ to the unscrupulous, shadowy moving companies. It’s cheaper and fewer headaches.

Despite of all these factors… moving can be a life changing event. It takes you out of your rut and of stagnation.

~~~

From all the moving we’ve done throughout the years, we learned plenty of valuable lessons that could save you money, headaches and pain. Learn from our mistakes.  Consider these things before you move:

• Research a place, a city, or a state where you are more likely to find a job. The bigger the city the better.

When we were in Las Vegas, a city with over 1.8 million populations, we had a dream of living in a small town. Thinking that living in small town would be so much cheaper and better. WRONG!
We discovered this by living in Abilene, Texas, a city with population just a little over 120,000. The housing – single family homes and apartments are expensive, and not much to choose from. Restaurant prices are no cheaper if not more expensive than the ones located in major cities. Though we found that one of the reasons why small town like this is expensive is because of the military base present here. The businesses – real estate developers and apartment owners knows that the military personnel receive a monthly housing allowance of between $771 – $1,134 depending on rank, for enlisted without dependents (no wife and children), and significantly more – $1,005 – $1,485 if you are married with with children; even more – $946 – $1,824 per month if you are a commissioned officer. So the housing and apartment rental rates in this town are based on these allowances. If you are not in the military and are living in a small town like Abilene, you are pretty much resigned to living in poor areas with the only housing you can afford. My advice? Do not live in a small town with military base. You are better off living in a big city with more job opportunities. Don’t feel like you are stuck. MOVE!

• If possible, it would be very beneficial to visit and survey the city a few months ahead before your pending move. This is called “reconnaissance mission” in the military. While there, make note of important information i.e., nice and safe temporary housing or extended stay hotels and suites, proximity to major interstate highways, parks, shopping center, etc. Anything that will make yours and your family’s life a little easier and convenient in a new city. If you don’t have the time and money to visit the place in advance, it’s OK. Just make sure you do as much research about the place before you move. You can do the rest once you get there.

• Assess your resources. How much money – cash in hand or in the bank do you currently have? What’s your available credit limit? With the money you currently have, how long can you survive with that money before you need to have money to start coming in? Meaning. how long can you afford to not have a job?  With the advent of online banking, where you can access your money virtually anywhere, anyplace and anytime, people can now live anywhere in the United States or any country in the world for that matter.

• How are you going to move? If you’ve sold most of your belongings i.e., extra car, furniture, and other household items, then there’s not that much to take with you. You could just rent a U-Haul and fill it with what you’ve decided keep and your most valuable possessions. Tow your car in the back if you have to. If you are married and have kids, and you own two vehicles, you’re wife can drive the other car with your children aboard. If you are single and moving alone then you have less to worry about.

• Decide where you are going to stay. If you are new to a city, your best bet would be to find an extended stay hotel with full kitchen. There are plenty out there to choose from: Homewood Suites, Candlewood Suites, Residence Inn by Marriott, Budget Suites of America, Homestead Suites, Extended Stay Hotels and Suites, and etc. The whole point of this is to find a place where you can settle temporarily, while you are looking for a job and getting to know the city. So that when you do find a job, you can then find an ideal place for you and your family. I would not buy a house right away. Staying in an apartment with a 3 – 6 six month lease keeps you mobile in case your new job doesn’t work out and you have to move someplace else.

Depending on what city you are moving into, most extended stay hotels will allow you to pay affront, for the whole month, to avoid paying taxes which can range between 12 – 16% or more. But I would suggest paying weekly during the first week or two so you can move to another hotel if you are not happy. And if you are happy with the hotel, you can always ask for their monthly rate. Though keep in mind that once you pay upfront, most extended stay hotels may not be willing to refund your money if you decide to check out sooner.

With extended stay hotels and suites, all utilities are covered. They may charge a small one-time fee to use the internet. Housekeeping may or may not be included; in some cases the hotel will charge you a small amount for a full housekeeping service once a week. Most extended stay hotels and suites have full kitchen with full refrigerator, stove with four burners and ovens (in some places), microwave ovens, kitchen utensils such as pots and pans, plates, forks and spoons, etc. They also have on-site coin laundry. I don’t like to their towels. So I bring my own. NOTE: Be sure to ask if you could see the room before you pay. And check for the items listed above. You do not want to get stuck in a place you don’t like for a whole month.

Before you start searching for an apartment, make a checklist of what’s important to you and your family. For me my checklist usually looks like this:

Kitchen:
• 2 large, deep sinks
• Plenty of cabinet space
• Plenty of counter space
• Good ventilation
• Good oven and stove – not old and rusty
• Good dishwasher

Bathroom:
• Large tub OR strong, good flowing shower
• Large counter space
• Good amount of drawers and cabinets
• Full size toilet – enough room around it
• Good sink and faucet

Laundry:
• Full size washer and dryer connection
• Linen/towel closet

Apartment MUST have good reviews:
1. Good, responsive maintenance
2. Friendly staff
3. Safe environment – Low crime area – In addition to seeing the apartment complex during the day, it is also best to drive by at night to see what type activities going on in the area.
Covered parking and plenty of parking space
4. The newer the apartment, the better.  Apartments must not be older than 15 years! Old apartments mean somethings are going to break more often than not. And unless the apartment leasing employ a responsive efficient staff, it might be too much headache and frustration living here.  Also, old apartments are not energy efficient.  Which means your electric bill is going to be very expensive.

• While you are on temporary housing or living in an extended stay hotel, you could rent a storage space to store your belongings so you can return the U-Haul truck. Unless you’ve left them in storage back at your old hometown and would retrieve them later once you are settled.

• Make sure your computer and printer are easily accessible. You are going to need these equipments while you are staying in an extended stay hotel. In addition to updating your resume, writing thank you and follow up letters, it is much easier to get around if you have a printed map of the local places you need to go such as banks, grocery stores, public parks and recreation areas , etc. Getting maps and detailed directions to local places are readily available from Google Maps.

• Have computer games or PlayStation game console and games, and extra monitor available for your kids to play with. This should keep them entertained and busy so they won’t be bored out of their minds.

• Bring several interesting books for you, your spouse and your children to read.

• Bring plenty of bath and kitchen towels. I do not like the towels in some of these hotels so I bring enough for the whole family.

• Two weeks before you move, fill out a change of address form at the U.S. Post Office. And then rent a mailbox at Mail Boxes Etc. or UPS Stores and have your mail sent here. For additional fees, Mail Box Etc. (MBE) can hold and forward your mail and packages wherever you are. So this way you don’t ever have to ask favors from your relatives and friends, and you’ll get your mail.

Below is a list of food items to buy and cook when you are on a budget:

• rice – white or brown rice. I like to cook my rice the old fashioned way, and I prefer Jasmine rice.
• sardines
• ramen noodles (known to be staples for young adults who don’t have much money and who don’t know how to cook
• baked beans
• Campbell Chunky Stew and Soups
• canned chili
• canned fruit
• microwavable vegetables (Birdseye Steamfresh is good and in expensive
• frozen and microwavable beef and bean burritos
• bottled water (it’s cheaper to buy them by the case at Sam’s Club)
• Panda Express Chinese food – If I’m going to eat fast food, I would rather eat Panda Express. They are available in most big cities. You can have a good satisfying meal, with 2 entrees plus chowmein, fried rice or noodles for only $6.48

This is just a  list to get you going. You could add your favorite foods on this list.

~~~

I usually make this chili with my own blend of spices and seasoning. But when I’m with Ramon, I don’t have access to my varied spices that I have at home. So… I use the good ole McCormick chili seasoning mix. And then very recently, I have been serving my chili with Indian bread called Naan. A bread made from tandoori oven. It taste slightly sweet and chewy. I now prefer to eat my chili like this instead of eating it with corn tortilla chips. Again, I always cook a lot. So this recipe serves six people or more.

Hot Kickin’ Chili Too!

2 pounds ground beef – 96% lean
6 TBSPs. Olive oil – divided
5 garlic cloves – minced
1 large red or yellow onion – diced
3 large jalapeno peppers – seeded and chopped
2 packets McCormick Chili Seasoning Mix (I like the HOT one.)
2 tsps. dried oregano
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 dried bay leaves
1/2 TBSP. coarse sea salt (adjust according to taste)
1 – 28 ounces can crushed tomatoes
2 – 15 ounces can dark red kidney beans – undrained
Juice of 1 large lime
½ cup firmly packed chopped cilantro
4 stalks green onions
Garnish: grated cheddar cheese and sour cream

Brown ground beef in 3 tablespoons olive in an 8 quart pot. Drain meat and set aside.

Using the same pot, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and sauté onions until translucent. Stir the garlic and jalapeno peppers and sauté a few minutes.

Add ground beef into the sautéed onions, garlic and jalapeno mixture. Stir to blend. Add the two packets of chili seasoning mix, dried oregano, ground black pepper, and dried bay leaves. Stir to combine.

Add the crushed tomatoes, undrained kidney beans,and sea salt.

Stir and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, while stirring occasionally to avoid scorching the bottom. Lower the heat and simmer chili for about 30 minutes, while stirring occasionally.

Taste for additional salt and black pepper.

Add chopped cilantro and chopped green onions a few minutes before serving.

Top each serving with grated cheddar cheese and sour cream if you like.

Serve chili with warm Naan bread or tortilla corn chips and Fritos corn scoops or chips on the side.

NOTE: Follow the heating instruction on the package for Naan bread. Naan bread is available at Wal-Mart in their bakery section, and in other supermarkets.  It cost $2.50 per pack at Wal-Mart and slightly more at other supermarkets.

There are 2 pieces of Naan bread in each pack.  Allow 1 – 2 breads per person.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Welding A Life Decision… And Food on the Side

Welding.

I had no clear understanding, of what welding was, or what it entailed until my son, Ramon, took welding in high school. More importantly I had no idea how dangerous it is…

He must take proper precautions, and wear protective equipment, such as heavy leather gloves, leather aprons, and long sleeve jacket to avoid exposure to extreme heat and flames; protective goggles and welding helmets to shield his eyes from ultraviolet light; a mask to protect him from dangerous gases and particulates and toxic fumes; ear plugs to protect his hearing and steel toe boots to protect his feet and toes!

Welders are always exposed to fire hazards and explosion because of the compressed gasses and flames used in many welding processes.  And now I understand why some welders, especially the highly skilled ones, could command a six figure income… a well deserved salary, if you ask me.

When he decided to take welding as one of his electives in his senior year, my husband and I were completely surprised.

“Welding…?  Arrrrrrr… you – sure…?” looking at Ramon quizzically.

My husband and I looked at each other puzzled, bewildered, and confused. We were thinking to ourselves… “How could he…? Why would he…? But he is neat and clean.  He goes to school in style.  He’s got expensive taste in clothes” – RoundTree & Yorke – top of the line black leather blazer, Murano pants, Oxford shirts, Vera Wang sunglasses and shoes, whose name brand I can’t remember.  This was Ramon’s attire during his junior and senior year in high school.  Good thing he’s our only child, otherwise, we’ll be eating ramen noodles every day. Ramon went to school looking more like a genius supermodel than up and coming welder!  No wait. He looked more like one of the stars in John Woo’s movies, or maybe both!  OK… you may not agree with me here, but hey! I’m his mother.

“Most of all, this boy is highly intellectual, and simply hates physical work.  So why in the hell is he choosing welding?” were the thoughts we kept to ourselves.  His dad was thinking “becoming a college professor because of his analytical mind and laid back attitude would be perfect.  Maybe become an author and write several books.”  But then before Ramon was introduced to welding, he also had a budding thought to become a surgeon.

Deep inside, my husband was relieved that Ramon foregoes the idea of becoming a surgeon.  “Welding, well at least we can afford that.  But going to medical school to become a surgeon? I don’t know how we’re going to afford that,” thoughts he shared with me one day.  I however, my ears perked up like rabbit’s ears, upon hearing his desire to become a surgeon.  I was transported into a dream like state, soaking up the idea like a sponge soaking up water.  I reverted back to being a typical Asian woman – hanged up in prestige and status.  I can see it now… “So, Tess, what does your son do for a living?” One of my friends would ask.  And I’d reply with dignity and pride, and a hint of snobbishness… “My son is a surgeon!”  I would have earned the right to be a snob like those Asian women whose children became doctors, lawyers, engineers, and other so called elite and white collar professionals.  But on a second thought… I don’t think I would have been able to pull it off.  I know where I come from.  I came from a dirt poor family who used to live in unfinished nipa hut.  Sooner or later I would have been reminded of this fact.  But I would not have cared.  I would have reached the pinnacle of my life – making up for all my failings…

But Ramon has always been his own man.  He was his own man since he was a baby. He hated sleeping in cribs.  Just when I think he was sound asleep and safe for me to lay him in the crib, he’d wake up just as soon as I take my first step away from it.  He’d scream as loud as he could, to which I’d quickly pick him up out of the crib and lay him next to me.  And just like that, he is back sound asleep as if he’s never awakened moments ago.  Another one of his resolute moments is when he learned how to read.  He pretty much forced us to teach him how to read, shoving books in our faces to read to him, over, and over, and over again.  He was barely one, and couldn’t talk yet, other than “mamma… dadda…”  Armed with a book, he’d force his way up into the sofa where I or Willie would be seating, relaxing watching TV.  Ramon would say: “Omm, Omm…” his little finger tapping on the picture book.  That means he wants me to read the book to him. He’d open the first page, and would again tap his littler finger on the picture.  “el-uh-fuhnt… el-uh-fuhnt…” I’d say. “Omm… omm!” again, his finger tapping to the same image.  “el-uh-fuhnt… el-uh-fuhnt…” I’d say again.  I’d have to repeat these two or three times.  Only when he is satisfied and felt he understood what the picture was, is when he’d tap the next picture on the page, and until we finish the whole book.  There were occasions when we hid the books so he couldn’t find them.  Sometimes we got tired of reading the same book over, and over, and over again.  But the boy was persistent.  By the time he was 3 years old and 4 months, he was able to read pages of People’s Magazine, impressed and entertained our friends during our 14 hour flight to Okinawa, Japan.  He was in kindergarten barely three months when we got a call from his teacher.  “We’d like both of you to come in to talk about your son, Ramon” said Ms. Williams.  “Oh, oh… what our baby did now…” was our reply.  “Oh no, no… no… no… it’s nothing bad.  I have good news.”  Ramon wrote a short story with sketches to boot, about our travel from Jacksonville, Arkansas to Okinawa, Japan.  Ms. Williams was very impressed that a five year old boy could do this.  She thought Ramon was highly intelligent for his age and should be jumped to first grade!

To this day, Willie firmly believes that Ramon taught himself how to read.  He always knew what he wanted and settled with nothing less.

We allowed him to flourish and nurtured his individuality, and his many talents.  And we think because of this, he is such a strong person, both mentally and emotionally.  Very mature and responsible for his age.

Again, the questions remains… Why welding?

He has so much talent.

He could write.  We saved most of his essays and stories he had written in high school.  He could have been a bestselling fiction writer for all I know.

He could draw.  I was in awe of his sketches.  I even framed six of his charcoal and pencil drawings, four of which are hanging on our walls, and I am still waiting to find the best place to hang two beautiful portraits of a girl.

I know I am his mother.  And adoring his only child’s many talents is nothing out of ordinary.  But I envy him.  I really do.  I wish I have as much talent as he does.  And I wish I have the same parents as he does.  Willie feels the same way.  We both come from a dysfunctional family.  Only mine was worst.  Ramon’s knack for creating something with his hands came from my genes, I think.  (My dad was illiterate but great with his hands.)  And his quick wit and ability to express himself in writing came from his Dad.

I mean he could have taken anything.  And welding was so out of left field in our opinion!  But he fell madly in love with welding.  Ever since he took welding during his senior year… that’s all he wanted to do.  He found his other classes boring.  He just wanted to weld… all day, every day!  Something extra ordinary happens to him when he welds.  “I don’t know if this makes any sense, mom.  But when I’m welding, I can shut out everything else around me.  All I have is peace and serenity.  And I get this laser beam like focus when I’m welding.  I lost track of time.  Sometimes when I come to, three hours has passed…” I remember him saying one morning as I was driving him to school.

I admire any man or woman who knows exactly what they want to do in life.  And it seems that my son knows exactly what he wants to do with his life…

He found that he could very well express his talents in welding.  He’s got great “hand-eye” coordination, manual dexterity, and attention to detail – a rare combination, and exceptional attributes of a great welder.  Matter of fact, he’s already demonstrated and still demonstrating this in welding.  He has achieved “top one” in one of the phases, and currently is on top in “high frequency – TIG welding” – that is welding on aluminum and stainless, his chosen field of specialty.

We don’t know where welding would take him.  But if we know our son, welding would take him places we have never imagined.  He is only 18… And sometimes I wonder where he would be 20 years from now.   My heart flutters in excitement when I think about it…

###############

I am in Tulsa with him.  I have been here for several weeks now.  He loves the break from cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping. And he has me for company.  He is more relaxed and less stressed out, and therefore has more energy to only focus on his welding studies.  Other than helping him with the much dreaded house chores, I am also here to help him with his resume, work references, and job search.  His school is going to play a big part in referring him to companies who need welders, but at the same time, I am here to make sure that happens.  So in just a few weeks, we’ll probably be moving to another city or state, depending on where he accepts employment.

Since I have been here with him, he welcomes anything other than cereal and granola for breakfast.  He is excited to eat something different.  And one of the foods I have been cooking him for breakfast is a combination of hash and scramble eggs, with shrimp, garlic and onions.  This recipe was his idea.  I’ve also cooked this with Italian sausage instead of shrimp.

He’s been eating this for breakfast for more than two weeks now. I don’t expect anyone to do the same.  But my son is just like that.  When he likes something, he’ll keep eating it for days, and sometimes weeks, and then stop.  No more of the same thing.  He’s ready for something new.

This stuff is hearty, with plenty of protein and complex carbohydrates.  Maybe that’s why he likes it.  This supplies most of the calories and nutrients he needs in order to keep up with the physical and mental exertion when welding.

I like it too, because it’s simple and fast to make.  I can usually have this cooked and served in 25 minutes, and that’s pretty fast for me considering how slow I am in the kitchen.

Shrimp Hash Scramble

(This serves one, maybe two at most. So if you are cooking for a family of two, please adjust the recipe accordingly.)

Ingredients:

1 medium size potato – peeled, cubed, and precooked

1/3 medium onion – diced

3 large garlic cloves – peeled and sliced

10 medium size shrimp – peeled and deveined, cut in halves – crosswise

2 large eggs, well beaten

2 – 3 TBSPs. extra light olive oil

½ tsp. kosher salt – divided

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne (optional)

Fill up a small sauce pan, half full, with tap water.  Add one teaspoon kosher salt and bring it to a boil over medium high heat.

Peel, wash and dice the potato into ¾ inches cubes. Add potatoes to boiling water.  Boil and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove and strain.

(While potatoes are boiling, I peel and chop the garlic and onions.  Slice each shrimp into three pieces.)

Heat a large nonstick skillet and add 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil.

Add potatoes into the hot skillet and fry until golden crispy on both sides.  This would take about 3 minutes on each side.

Push the potatoes to the side and sauté garlic and onions, until onions are translucent and garlic light golden brown.  Again, push these to the side next to the potatoes.

Add the shrimp, stirring occasionally, until cooked about 2 minutes on each side.  Stir to combine with potatoes and sautéed onions and garlic. Sprinkle ½ tsp. of the kosher salt over the potatoes and a pinch of cayenne if using.

Scramble the eggs and season with the remaining ¼ tsp. salt, black pepper and cayenne.  Pour eggs over potatoes and shrimp mixture.  Cook one side and then flip the other side.

Serve.

with the shrimp

with Italian sausage

Variation: If using Italian sausage instead of shrimp.  Use one link sausage and removed its casing.  Crumble the sausage and cook in a separate skillet.   Pour excess oil and keep the sausage warm in the skillet, until ready to be added in place of shrimp.

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Another dish that Ramon requested I cook for him was spaghetti with meat sauce.  So for several days last week, he ate nothing but spaghetti with this sauce, and with toasted Italian bread.  Again, this is an easy recipe, yet very good.

I made this sauce spicy as in most foods I cook.  So if you’re not into spicy foods, just buy the non-spicy sauce.  To save time, I buy pasta sauces made by Classico which I love.  It’s a bit pricier than other brands, but I think it’s worth it.

Oh, remember to get these too:

2 boxes of spaghetti noodles or other pastas you like (I like the Ronzoni Healthy Harvest 7 grain pasta)

Italian Bread or French Bread

Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Spicy Spaghetti Meat Sauce

(This serves least 4 – 6 people.  So you might want to cut the recipe in half if there are not that many people eating.)

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons extra light olive oil – divided

2 pounds ground beef (I use 85% lean)

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic – smashed, peeled and chopped

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 – 8 ounce jar mushrooms (pieces and stems) – drained

1½ tsps. coarse celtic sea salt (use less if using other type of salt)

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

¼ tsp. ground Thai hot peppers (optional)

2 – 24 ounce Jars Classico Spicy Tomato & Basil sauce OR any pasta sauce you like

½ cup green olives – chopped (optional – to be added just minutes before serving the sauce.)

In a deep stew pan or large nonstick deep skillet (with cover), brown ground beef in two tablespoons olive oil.  Remove and strain.  Wipe the skillet and place back on the stove over medium heat.

Add the remaining three tablespoons olive oil and sauté the garlic and onions.  Add the strained ground beef.  Stir and add the green bell pepper.

Stir until the green bell pepper turns bright green.  Add mushrooms, oregano, bay leaf (laurel), sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and ground hot pepper.

Stir and allow the whole mixture to blend for about five minutes.

Add Classico Spicy Tomato & Basil sauce. Stir to fully combine the meat and the sauce.  Cover and let the sauce comes to a boil over medium heat.  Turn the heat down and simmer sauce for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so sauce won’t stick at the bottom of the pan.  Add the chopped olives, if you’re using it.  Stir and serve over spaghetti noodles or other pasta you like.  Topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Cook spaghetti noodles as directed on the package.  (I add about 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the boiling water, to keep the noodles from clumping together.)

Toasted Italian or French bread

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Slice the bread into one inch thick slices.  Line bread slices in a heavy duty

baking sheet.  Toast for 8 – 10 minutes.

Serve on the side with the spaghetti noodles and sauce.

NOTE:  Ramon likes his bread garlicky.  So I peel a large clove of garlic and cut about 1/3 off from the bottom.  Once the bread slices are toasted, and while still hot, I rub garlic on the cut sides of the bread.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Shrimp with Black Bean Garlic Sauce

This is another Chinese dish I cooked the other night.  I must say… this is very good with rice.  The “black bean garlic sauce” is what gives this dish a great flavor.  It has that salty and slightly nutty taste from the black bean sauce.  With the green and red bell peppers… onions and ginger… this dish is rich in flavor and taste.  Of course… as with any Chinese dishes… you’ve got to enjoy this with rice.  This is fairly easy and quick to make.

Here’s what you need to prepare this mouth-watering “Shrimp with Black Bean Garlic Sauce.”

Ingredients:

1 ½ pound raw, peeled and deveined shrimps

3 TBSPs. medium dry sherry, or rice wine, white or red wine

½ tsp. kosher salt

3 TBSPs. cornstarch

In a large mixing bowl… mix the sherry or wine, kosher salt and cornstarch.  Stir until salt and cornstarch dissolved.  Add the shrimps.  Let the shrimps marinate while you make the sauce and chop the vegetables.

Sauce:

1 ½ TBSPs. soy sauce

1 ½ cup chicken stock or water

1 ½ tsps. sugar

2 TBSPs. medium dry sherry or rice wine, white or red wine

1 ½ TBSPs. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In another medium size bowl… mix all the sauce ingredients.  Stir until the brown sugar and cornstarch dissolved.  Set aside.

Vegetables and other ingredients:

4 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped

¼ cup sliced ginger

½ large onion – sliced

1 green bell pepper – seeded, membranes removed and diced

1 red bell pepper – seeded, membranes removed and diced

3 TBSPs. ‘black beans garlic sauce’ or fermented black beans – available in Asian Market

2 TBSPs. sesame oil

Using a large wok or deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil.  Add the marinated shrimps and stir fry until halfway cooked, about 3 minutes.  Removed shrimps unto a plate.

Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons sesame oil.  Sauté the garlic, ginger and onions… until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the “black beans garlic sauce, “the green and red bell peppers.  Stir to combine all the vegetables… about one minute.  Add the shrimps and stir until vegetables and shrimps are well incorporated… about one minute.  Make a well in the middle of the wok, by pushing the shrimp and vegetables to the side.

Stir and pour sauce in the middle of the wok.  Quickly boil the sauce by turning the heat to medium high.  Stir to combine the sauce, the vegetables and the shrimps.  Keep stirring until the vegetables and shrimps are well coated with the sauce.  By this time the shrimp should be pink, the bell peppers are bright green and red.  The whole mixture should be saucy.  Remove wok from the heat.

Serve Shrimp with Black Beans and Garlic Sauce hot over rice.  Serves 3 – 4 people.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Buns of Sweet & Spicy Pork

Great food on the go…
Lunch at school or work…
Food while traveling be it a road trip or plane…

I really do not have a story to go with this recipe… other than these buns are one of my husband’s favorite food on the go, and one of my son’s favorite snack. The dough recipe itself can be used for making sweet dinner rolls, dinner rolls which is comparable to the taste of the dinner rolls served at Texas Roadhouse – a popular steakhouse here in the south. To make the dinner rolls simply follow the direction for making the dough, and instead of stuffing with the sweet n’ spicy pork, simply rise the 16 dough balls for 25 minutes and then bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with butter.

The Dough and the Buns:

1 packet Yeast (1/4 ounces)

1 TBSP. granulated sugar

1 cup + 3 TBSPs. lukewarm water (about 110°F)

3 cups high protein flour or bread flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 TBSP. Baking powder

1tsp. Kosher salt

1/8 cup vegetable oil (extra light olive oil)

1 TBSP. White vinegar

In a large measuring cup, combine water, sugar and yeast. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture is bubbly on top. Using an electric mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using the paddle attachment, blend the flour mixture until well combined. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and blend on low speed for about 1 minute. In a small bowl, combine oil and vinegar and add them to the flour mixture. Blend until well combined and mixture becomes sticky. Remove the paddle attachment and replace it with the dough hook. (If the dough is too wet… gradually add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour.)

Knead the dough on medium high speed for 5 – 8 minutes or until the dough clings on the dough hook and away from the sides of the bowl.

Lightly flour your board or a clean kitchen counter. Knead the dough, by hand, for another 2 minutes. Form the dough into a smooth ball.

Grease a large bowl with 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, coating the bottom and sides of the bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and let rise until doubled, about 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil and lightly grease them. Set aside.

After the dough has doubled, lightly flour the board or clean kitchen counter. Punch the air bubbles and knead the dough for a few minutes and cut it into 16 portions. (The easiest way to do this is to first divide the dough into four portions, and then further divide each portion into four.) Form each portion into a smooth ball, being careful not to tear the dough. Cover the rest of the dough balls while you flatten and fill each one.

Flatten each dough ball with your hands, and then with a rolling pin until it measures about five inch circle. Fill each circle with about 2 tablespoons of the pork filling and a quarter slice of the hardboiled eggs. Gather the edges of the dough, pinch and twist to seal. Place filled buns, twisted side down in a lightly oiled parchment or foil lined baking sheet.

Cover the buns with waxed paper or kitchen towel. Let buns rise for 25 minutes.

Bake buns in a preheated oven at 350°F for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove buns from baking sheet unto a wire cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with or without dipping sauce.

Buns can be left at room temperature overnight, and then store in the refrigerator for a few days. If refrigerated, microwave for 10 seconds before serving.

Sweet n’ Spicy Pork Filling:

1¼ pound ground pork

2 TBSPs. Bacon dripping or vegetable oil

1/3 medium onion – minced

2 TBSPs. Ginger – peeled and minced

5 cloves garlic – minced

4 TBSPs. Hoisen sauce

4 TBSPs. Plum sauce

2 TBSPs. Soy sauce

1 TBSP. medium dry sherry or rice wine

1 tsps. Sesame oil

½ – 1 tsp. ground hot pepper

½ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ tsp. monosodium glutamate or msg (optional)

1/8 tsp. five spices or ground anise seeds or fennel seeds

3 stalks green onions – chopped

4 boiled eggs – quartered

Heat bacon drippings in a medium size sauté pan.

Saute onions until translucent. Stir in ginger and garlic. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the ground pork. Sauté for a few minutes, while breaking large pieces of meat with the spatula. Simmer over medium low heat for about 10 minutes or until the pork is cooked, stirring once or twice while simmering.

In a small bowl, combine hoisen sauce, plum sauce, soy sauce, medium dry sherry, sesame oil, hot and black peppers, msg and five spices. Add sauce to the pork and stir until pork and sauce are well combined. Simmer pork until sauce is bubbly for five minutes to ten minutes. Stir in the chopped green onions. Remove pan from heat. Pour off excess oil that may accumulate at the bottom of pan. Fill buns as directed above.

Dipping Sauce:

2 cups chicken stock

1 TBSP. ginger – peeled and minced

3 cloves garlic – minced

3 TBSPs. plum sauce

3 TBSPs. hoisen sauce

2 TBSPs. soy sauce

½ tsp. ground hot pepper (optional)

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. five spices or ground anise seeds or fennel seeds

3 TBSPs. Cornstarch mixed with 2 TBSPs. water

In a small sauce pan, combine all ingredients except cornstarch. Bring to a boil over medium heat. While boiling, stir in the cornstarch mixture. Keep stirring until the soup is smooth and slightly thick. Remove pan from the heat. Serve as dipping sauce.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess