Come Dine In

Hubby bought this meatballs for us to try, anyways it’s on sale (from £1.99 to £0.99). When I fried it, it tasted really great and daughter loved it too. But I don’t find just frying it all the time healthy so I thought of adding sweet and sour sauce to it for a change and for a healthier option. I remembered cooking sweet and sour meatballs before, but that was using my home-made meatballs and so by using this, it’s already saved me half the time and effort.

INGREDIENTS:

meatballs

3 tbsps. white wine vinegar

2 tbsps. cane vinegar

3 tbsps. catsup (I used UFC Banana catsup)

3 tbsp. sugar (brown is better)

1/8 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp. oyster sauce (optional – sorry I just feel like adding oyster sauce to almost everything! )

salt & pepper

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 green bell pepper

1 medium carrot (this I forgot )

METHOD:

1. Fry the meatballs until golden brown. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except for onion, garlic, bell pepper and carrot. Adjust the sourness and sweetness to your liking.

3. In the same pan where you fry your meatballs, saute the onion and garlic. Pour in the mixed sauces and let bubble for a few minutes. You may add some water if needed. Add in the carrots until almost cooked before adding in the bell pepper. Let it bubble for a few more minutes so bell pepper is cooked.

4. Add the fried meatballs and leave for a minute or 2 so meatballs can absorb the flavor of the sauce.

5. Serve with rice.

Comment from hubby: “Hhhmm… Seems like we ordered from a Chinese restaurant huh!”

We saw one pre-cooked meal in a box with this recipe but using different kind of fish, so since we are not buying ready made meals, I decided to just cook it from scratch. First I thought Daddy won’t like it as creamy meals are not pleasing to his palate, but I thought wrong. As of now, we had this meal twice already and would have had it more if only salmon is cheaper.. LOL!

INGREDIENTS:
2 pcs. salmon fillet
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. corn flour/all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley + few leaves for garnish
1/2 cup cream (optional)

METHOD:
1. Heat the grill pan. Season the salmon with freshly ground salt and pepper. Cook on the pre-heated grill pan for about 4 mins each side or until the fish is tender.

2. While the salmon is cooking, in a very low heat melt the butter in a small saucepan and add in the flour. Mix together, but don’t brown the flour. When the butter and flour are well incorporated, pour in the milk and stir continuously. You can always add some more flour and milk until you achieve the right consistency you would want for your sauce, but be sure to dissolve first the flour in a cold water as it will not dissolve easily when directly added into the cooking sauce. Tip in the cream (is using), stir. Add in the chopped parsley and stir for about 1 1/2 mins more.

3. Arrange the salmon in a plate and spoon in generous amount of sauce. Garnish with parsley leaves.

4. Serve with rice or pasta. Dig in!

This meal was loved by my family. They enjoyed it so much, not to mention the nutrition it gives.

Hubby Dubby’s al time fave is STEAK! Yes!!! STEAK! And I’ve tried once already during our 3rd wedding anniversary and I failed. LOL! Then after more than a year, my passion for cooking again bloomed and so I started experimenting again. Watching all the videos I can get and browsing all steak recipes I can find, I now came up with the EASIEST steak in the world. ;P

Oh, and please always consider than I’m cooking in a budget, so I make use of what’s only available. I used quick fry steak here about less than 1 inch which was supposed to be about 2-3 inch thick. So, if you can afford buying quality beef steaks, the better.

Here we go…

INGREDIENTS:
For the steak:
2 pcs, beef rump, sirloin or ribeye steak at least 2″- whatever you prefer
1 tbsp. olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the gravy:
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. mushrooms, I used closed cup

2 tbsp. gravy granules
2 cups water

For the side dish:
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 cups mixed vegetables
1 tsp. Ginisa Mix or just salt and pepper

METHOD:
1. Pat the beef with a kitchen towel to dry, set aside.

2. Heat a small frying pan in a medium-low heat and tip in the oil and butter together, the little oil avoids the butter from burning. Add in the garlic, brown and don’t let it burn. Tip in the mixed vegetables and saute for 1 1/2 minutes. Season with Ginisa Mix or salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, heat the butter and olive oil. Add in the mushrooms and saute for 1 min. Sprinkle the cream of mushroom soup powder and mix with the mushroom. Once incorporated, add in the water. Just before it boils, add in the gravy granules and stir constantly until thick. You may adjust the water and gravy granules to your desired thickness. Set aside.

4. Heat the grill pan in a high heat. Brush the beef with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the beef into the pan when it’s really hot and grill once side until the bottom is crispy and brown. You can tip the beef a little to see how the crust is building up. Don’t ever turn the meat more than once as it makes it very tough. After turning, reduce the heat to medium and let the other side cook.

*The cooking time will depend on the type of pan used, the thickness of the steak and how well done you like your steak.

TIP:
* To test for readiness, open the palm of your hand in a relaxed manner. For a RARE STEAK, gently press the fleshy part just under your thumb. It must have the same consistency as your beef. For a MEDIUM, press halfway down the rare point. And for WELL DONE, press onto the bone. Compare by prodding the steak with your tongs.

5. When ready, remove the steak from the pan and place immediately onto a wire rock. This will stop the meat from steaming and it keeps just the way it’s cooked. Let it sit for about 1 minute or so to allow the juices to disperse all over the steak which will enhance it’s flavor.

6. Arrange the steak, mixed vegetables and mashed potato or rice on the plate. Serve.

We’ve had this recipe for more than 3 times now and it’s still a hit both for Daddy and my little Alyssa. Happy Home-Cooking!