Come Dine In

Hubby has been going to work without packed lunch several weeks already and he’s already complaining about the not so good yet very pricey sandwiches he usually buys, but he said he liked the burritos (he wasn’t even sure of the name) that he ordered twice – and yes I was surprised that he really ate those because he’s such a man who’s afraid to try something new, not only in foods.

Imagine, he even requested if I can prepare the same kind? So what can I do, it’s an order! I scanned my pantry and really thought hard what to put in our burrito. I saw my teriyaki sauce and my chicken breast fillets so I said maybe it’ll work. And guess what? It’s now a hit to my 2 bosses who only eat plain rice.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pieces of chicken breast fillet, cut into strips

about 4tbsp. Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce

1 tbsp. Kikkoman  Soy Sauce

1/2 tbsp. Japanese Rice Wine

2 tablespoons oyster sauce (I just like it as it gives the slightly sweet taste)

garlic powder (optional)

freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tbsp. melted butter

1 medium onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small bell pepper, sliced into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes

mushrooms, sliced (i used fresh button mushrooms)

4-5 cups cooked rice

flour tortilla wraps

lettuce

tomatoes

cheese

METHOD:

1. Mix together the all the sauces (teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce), plus the rice wine, garlic powder and pepper. Marinade the chicken strips for at least 15 minutes.

2. In a non-stick wide pan or wok (if you have), heat the oil and butter then saute the minced onion and garlic for a minute or 2. Add in the chicken strips (reserve the marinade) and cook until tender. Saute together the mushrooms and bell pepper.

3. Add in the cooked rice and the reserved marinade and mix well. You can adjust the taste by adding any of the sauces you think is appropriate or just a dash of salt.

4. Prepare the tortilla wraps following the package direction. It may be heated through the grill or microwave. Now spread the teriyaki rice in the middle of the tortilla, topped with the lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Roll and cut diagonally. Serve.

Remember, as what everyone says – add anything you want in your burrito. The options are endless.

The Aristocrat Restaurant, though Greek in term, is 100% Filipino owned. This is a well-known restaurant in the Philippines famous for its juicy and tasty chicken barbecue and a lot more Filipino dishes. I have just tried dining there twice and in both times I ordered their really yummy chicken barbecue. I always like my barbecue sweet, may it be chicken or pork and I would say, Aristocrat’s is my favorite.

Because summer has finally begun, I thought of making a really good chicken barbecue to start with. So I searched around the net to find a recipe that wou

2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp. dried sage
2 tbsp. dried thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter, melted

GARNISH/SIDINGS:
sausage wrapped in bacon, fried
brussel sprouts, steamed

METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to maximum.

2. Mix together all the ingredients for seasoning/basting in a bowl.

2. Pat the turkey dry inside and out with kitchen paper and lay breast up.

3. Carefully loosen turkey’s skin from breast to legs, make sure not to tear it. Massage the seasoning/basting mixture all over and under the skin.

4. Place all the stuffing ingredients inside the body cavity, using the lemon to close.

5. Tie the end of the drumsticks together over the body opening and tuck the wing tips underneath.

6. Place the turkey on roasting rack in a large roasting pan and roast in the preheated oven. Once turkey’s inside, lower the temperature immediately to 180°C and cook for about 3 to 4 hours or until the juices run clear from the thigh if you pierce with it a knife or a skewer. Baste every 30 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer (which I don’t have), you can use it to better know if the turkey’s done when it is pricked in the deepest part of the thighs and registers 73°C-76°C or 165°F-170°F.

7. Just about an hour before the Turkey’s cooked, cover it with tin foil to prevent the breast from browning while the thighs continuously cook.

8. When done, rest for about 30 minutes into the serving platter before carving.

9. You can use the juices from the roasting pan to make gravy, but I used turkey gravy granules and just added the juices to it.

I’ve seen quite a lot of recipes with Chinese 5 Spice powder, so when we went to the grocery on weekend, i decided to buy 1. When I searched again for some recipes, all those that I have read were all gone! LOL.. but good thing, there’s this one recipe i thought my family would love. I have no idea about the taste of that Chinese 5 Spice powder, I just followed the recipe and TADAH!!! It was good!!! It was like a Chinese dish (oh hence the word Chinese 5 Spice..LOL) we often eat in Chinese restaurants.

I always cook for 3 (well, 2 + 1 little darling who eats too little) so you may want to double or triple the recipe if you’re cooking for more. Happy Home-Cooking!

INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 chicken thighs
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tbsp. light muscovado sugar (brown sugar may be used)
1/2 tsp. tomato purée (tonato sauce may be used)
1 small can pineapple slices, juice reserved (I only used half of the can)
1/4 tsp. chili powder (optional)
1/2 tsp. Chinese 5 spice powder
may use coriander leaves to garnish

METHOD:
1. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, tomato purée and pineapple juice.

Thinking of other ways on how you can get your family to eat broccoli? Here’s one recipe that will bring your family the goodness of the chicken, mushroom, pasta and broccoli all in one.

Well, as for me, I would say that this is one challenge to serve to my family. Hubby doesn’t like pasta much, not to mention it’s creamy again and most of all, there’s a broccoli. So this is a make or break for me. It may tickle and enjoy hubby’s palate or only I and Alyssa will have to eat it all up and cook another meal for Daddy. Let’s see.

INGREDIENTS:
200g macaroni
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small onion, minced (use shallots if you have)
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup cooked chicken, in bite sizes
1 cup broccoli, sliced into flowerettes
3 tbsp. Knorr Cream of Mushroom Soup (in flour form)
1 1/2 cup milk (I used semi-skimmed)
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:
1. Cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain.

2. In a large none-stick skillet, melt the butter with the oil. Saute the onion and garlic together. Add in the mushrooms and chicken. Next add in the broccoli, cook for about a minute or until broccoli is tender. Mix in the cream of mushroom soup, incorporate well then pour in the milk. Stir gradually until thickened. season with salt and pepper. Bubble for about a minute.

3. Mix in the macaroni and turn off the heat when the cream has been well distributed to the pasta. Sprinkle the parsley. Serve.

For the mushroom soup, I always love Knorr Cream of Mushroom Soup so I can guarantee that if it’s used, it’ll really give that awesome flavor to your pasta. But you can always use any mushroom soup as a base.

By the way, I came up with this recipe as Alyssa asked me to buy broccoli when we went to the grocery. She said she’s eating broccoli in school, so I should cook it at home as well. hhmm.. good girl!!!

And yeah, I was surprised! I didn’t expect so much ‘coz I know I didn’t put anything special, only that the mushroom soup and the broccoli are really tasty. But again, they loved it! That’s what’s keeping me from trying anything… and you can do it to! Happy Home-Cooking!!!

We always buy whole chicken in the grocery as we thought it’s cheaper than those being sold in parts. So every time Daddy chops it he sees to it that he gets some fillets from it mostly from the breast part. I have a stock of dried herbs so I thought to use one of them this time. I browsed different sites to find the right marinade when I stumbled to one and it used only four ingredients – chicken, rosemary, lemon and butter and it’s grilled. So I thought of twisting it a bit by roasting it and adding some veggies because veggies are a MUST in our family. Our daughter, Alyssa, can’t seem to chew most meats and she prefers veggies more than any other.

Here’s what I came up with…

Only a few minutes of preparation and a few minutes in the oven and it’s done!

INGREDIENTS:
4 pcs. chicken fillet, about 3 inches each
50g butter, softened
1/2 lemon, squeezed
1 tbsp. rosemary, use fresh if you have
3 pcs. corn, about 3 inches each
1 medium carrot, cut into chunks
1 medium potato, cut into chunks
salt and pepper, to season chicken

METHOD:
1. Pre-heat the oven to grill 200C.

2. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, lemon and rosemary.

3. Place the carrots, potatoes and corn in a roasting pan.

4. Place the chicken fillets on the grill and spoon the butter mixture on top.

5. Put the grill over the vegetables on top of the roasting pan for the veggies to absorb all the flavors the chicken will extract while roasting. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Checking once in awhile.

6. Serve with mashed potato or rice.