BANANA PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM MADE EASY

 Another Pinterest must try "goodness". Check Here for the original recipe .
Was so impressed with the end result. I can't believe an ice cream was made sans cooking or the ice cream maker and with only 2 ingredients. You can actually make the ice cream with just the banana but i opted to add peanut butter. Others add cocoa powder for variety.

You must give this a try!!!

 Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Slice your very ripe bananas before putting them in the freezer. Pre-slicing them will make it easy to blend in your processor and saves you time.

Pulse until it will turn into a gravel like texture. Then gently mix them towards the middle so everything gets incorporated. I added 2 Tablespoon of peanut butter at this stage (gravel stage). Pulse and blend.

Pulse and blend until you get a soft serve ice cream texture.

Viola! Banana Peanut butter Ice cream!!!

BOW PAPER CLIP BOOKMARKS

Got the idea from  How About Orange. These pretty little bookmarks were my 2011 Christmas gift stuffer. I used materials that i already have. Instead of fabrics, i used ribbons for the bow and i used those generic jumbo paper clips that were just waiting to be used.

 These are the things you will need. Not in the picture...glue gun.

4 1/2 inches of the wide ribbon and 2 inches for the thin ribbon .

Make a bow. Gather the middle part and sew it to secure the ends of the ribbon.

Wrap the bow and attach it to the paper clip. Sew to secure making sure it is tight enough.

Follow w/ a glue gun to make sure it is secured and attached tightly to the paper clip.

A few of what i made ;)

Aren't they cute?

D.I.Y. Headbands

 Made these for a co-worker's birthday who loves bows and headbands. These are so easy to make, all you need are ribbons, buttons, store bought undecorated headbands, arts and craft gadgets/tools and glue gun. Oh and your creativity "juice" hahaha!

First headband.

You decide on the size of the ribbon/bow. Just make sure that the top ribbon will be an inch shorter than the bottom ribbon. Also cut an inch and a half of a ribbon to wrap and secure your bows. Glue gun the bows to the headband.

Nice.... ;)

Cute

7-UP Biscuits

One of my Pinterest  "Recipes I Want To Make" . I was intrigued not only by the amount of ingredients needed for these biscuits but also with what ingredients these moist, flaky biscuits called for. I will be making my biscuits this way. I will bake and brown them a bit more and maybe add cheese the next time i make them.

Recipe by PLAIN CHICKEN

 

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7-up

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 450.

Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.

Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan.  Place cut biscuits in pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Yes, heart shape biscuits!!! but of course!!!! ;)

These are moist, flaky and tasty!!

Love, love them ;)

CALENDAR JOURNAL

Welcome to my first "Arts and Crafts" blog :) If you haven't read my about me...yup, aside from cooking i love me some DIY's as well. ;)

CALENDAR JOURNAL

(May 24, 2012)

I love, love personalized and unique gifts. I got the idea from  Design Sponge . I love the concept, i have to make it. I made one for my niece who just welcomed a very pretty bundle of joy. I thought, what a great way to document the arrival of the baby. A one line journal is perfect for a busy mom to write down important or unforgettable memories and something i know they will enjoy in years to come.

An inexpensive and easy project and yet it'll be a priceless gift for sure!!!!

I bought the materials from the dollar store and spent $4 total.

MATERIALS: 

Box - $1

 6 packs of Index Cards (3 in. x 5 in) 2 for $1

*buy 1 pack colored index card

Ribbon -2 pieces (cut 12 inches length)

If you don't have a ribbon find anything to tie or bundle the index cards.

Love the box!

I'm telling you...everything worked out perfectly!!!!  FIT TO A TEE ;)

You will need the ribbon for these reasons 

1) To bundle/tie the cards per month

2) To indicate the current month

3) To make it easy to pull out the cards.

Like i mentioned, i like personalized gift so i opted to have the labels handwritten. 

Divide each months with the colored index cards.

Write the month and dates on each cards.

Organize the cards according to months and dates.

Viola....project done!!!! 

TALEGGIO CHEESE, SUNDRIED TOMATOES WITH TRUFFLE OIL PIZZA

I was debating between Robiola and Taleggio but for some reason Taleggio was just calling my name! hahaha!!!

I got an epiphany regarding pizza dough making, i used to make them one recipe at a time, i now double the recipe and freeze the rest. Now that i have pizza dough ready, i can make pizza any time i want and what ever toppings i want.

Pizza Dough by  Baking-James-Peterson

Makes 1 1/2 Pounds dough ( Two 11 inch thin pizza crusts)

3 c flour
3/4 c barely warm water
1/2 t active dry yeast proofed in 1 T barely warm water
3/4 t salt
6 T extra virgin olive oil


Mix the flour, water, and yeast in a bowl.
Add the salt and mix, then add the oil.
Knead the dough with a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook on medium speed for about 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth.
Turn the mixer to high speed if needed to get the dough to slap against the sides of the bowl.
You may also, during this time,pull the dough off the hook a couple of times so that the dough is mixed evenly.
Put the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Allow to double in volume, at room temperature for about 4 hours, or at room temperature for 1 hour and then overnight in the refrigerator.

Simple, minimal ingredients but with a complex flavor profile.

Will definitely make this again.

Taleggio Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes, Truffle oil.

I actually added another pack of the cheese...didn't think this would suffice ;)

Rehydrated them w/ little olive oil, then chopped.

Pizza dough proofing

Divide the dough in two and round both pieces of dough.
Start stretching the dough with your fingers, working around the dough, pulling as you go.
Start rolling the dough, flouring as you go, to prevent sticking.
Stretch the dough with your fingers or use a rolling pin.
Form a boarder by pushing along the outside rim of the dough with our fingers so excess dough accumulates and forms a rounded edge.

Pre- Heated the pizza stone, then pre-baked the thin crust for few minutes.

Add and arrange the chopped sundried tomatoes, Taleggio Cheese. Drizzle a little of the truffle oil and the olive oil you used to rehydrate the tomatoes.
Bake for 15 -20 minutes at 400 degrees F or until cheese starts to melt and crust starts to turn golden brown.

I love the crispy crust. The combination of the cheese, tomatoes and truffle oil were perfect.

Two thumbs up for this pizza!

LECHON SISIG

Traditionally, left over lechon will be "morphed" into lechon paksiw. Lechon (Whole roasted pig) , Paksiw (A vinegar, soy sauce based stew) or fry them. I had the hankering for Sisig so i decided to use the left over lechon. Please check here for my sizzling sisig blog.

This is definitely not the typical sisig. The good part of this version is skipping the laborious step of the original sisig recipe. ;) I used the belly part of the lechon, marinated them with a little of soy sauce and vinegar. While the meat was marinating, i did my mise en place..... i chopped a large size sweet onions, chopped Thai bird chili, minced garlic, crumbled few pieces of chicharon, sliced scallions and lemon for garnish.

My version served on a sizzling plate topped with an egg.

 Chinese Lechon ( yes, they season and roast their pig differently) but i still love them. I used the belly part of this lechon ;) They don't stuff the pig with aromatics/herbs but rub them instead with spices.

Saute' the onions and garlic until translucent, add and stir the chopped meat. Add the seasonings sparingly, taste then adjust. Remember the meat is already well seasoned. Then add one raw egg and stir until well incorporated. The egg will give the creamy texture to the dish

I prefer my sisig served on a sizzling plate. Garnish with crumbled chicharon , sliced scallions, lemon slices and some Thai bird chili. Top with another egg before serving. Served with ice cold Red Horse this time ;)

I like it. The creaminess of the egg and the crunch of the chicharon definitely added another layer of flavor goodness. You get the hint of adobo flavor because of the vinegar, soy sauce marinade. There is also a hint of Chinese five spice which is an ingredient of a Chinese Roasted Pig. I will probably skip the soy sauce, vinegar marinade the next time i make Lechon Sisig just to have a comparison. This however is a great way to morph your left over lechon rather than cooking the same old same old way....Lechon Paksiw.

SIZZLING SISIG

Hello!!!! Hiatus is over! Yup, I'm blogging again! Well, one might say "Watcha' talkin' about Pia!!!" You've had two current blogs, yes and no. Yes, i posted two new (sort of)  blogs, not really new they were actually done a long time ago just waiting for me to hit the "Publish" button. ;)

My computer crashed couple of months ago, lost files, pictures...... but that's okay, I'm back and ready to blog tons of new recipes. I can't wait to participate with the Kulinarya Cooking Challenge and Daring Cooks Challenge again, hopefully they didn't kick me out.

So for my "welcome back" recipe, I'm blogging a favorite of ours but believe it or not i haven't blogged it!!

Sisig - a dish that's either you'll love or you'll hate. But i suggest that you must give this a try so you'll understand why we love sisig. There's a slew of recipes on this dish, some i think are good, some I'd say it's sort of a fusion version. But, hey, to each it's own, right?

Well, this is my version. I'd like to believe this is authentic only because the cook that showed me how to make this is from Pampanga, where the dish originated. He didn't give me the specific measurements, he was "a little bit of this, a pinch of that" kind of cook.

Cooking sisig is more of a process, method and steps to get a proper and delicious end product. You will do the following.. BOIL, GRILL or BROIL AND SAUTE.  I will  list the ingredients and suggest the quantity. This is a "taste as you go" kind of dish, but just so you know... laborious/tedious to make but well worth it!!!! DEDICATION IS WHAT YOU NEED!!!

 

Others call this a "Cardiac Arrest" dish....nah, really..it's okay..you don't eat this everyday.

SISIG is a popular PULUTAN best served with ice cold beer.

 

   Could also be served as a main dish and served with steamed white rice which i love.

 

Main ingredients : Pig's head . You'll need the snout, jowls, ears and brain if available. I sometimes add pork belly if there is not enough meat. If you can't purchase pig's brain substitute it with silken/soft tofu. You'll need it to achieve the creamy texture to the dish. Some use eggs or mayo. Egg, I've tried but i have yet to try the mayo, but i prefer the tofu as the substitute at least there is something healthy to this dish and I'm sticking to that explanation!!!! hahaha!!!

I'm lucky to buy an already deboned and cleaned pig's head. These are packed separately, for this dish i bought a pack of snout with jowls and a pack of pig's ears w/c had 2 in a pack and 1/2 a lb. of pork belly. The dish would serve 6.

Clean and wash. Bring these to a boil. Add water enough to cover the meat. Add chopped onions (about 2 medium size), 6 cloves of smashed garlic, about 8 pieces of peppercorns, 3 bay leaves and about 2 T of salt. Add more water if necessary. Cook until tender.

After boiling until tender, grill or broil the meat. Grilling is the best method but if you are in a place that grilling is not possible all year round broil them but you will not get the smoke undertone to the dish.

Chop the meat. This is the laborious/tedious step i was was talking about. 

Some of the ingredients.

Chop about three medium sized onions, chop two shallots, mince about 4 cloves garlic and chop some Thai bird chili. Kalamansi/Calamansi, i buy the frozen pack but fresh squeezed juice is obviously better if you can buy the fresh ones. Substitute with lemon juice if calamansi juice is not available.  I DON'T RECOMMEND LIME, IT'LL CHANGE THE FLAVOR OF YOUR SISIG.  Soft tofu. As i mentioned earlier silken/soft tofu is the best substitute if you can't purchase pig's brain. Tofu will give you the creamy texture.

Soft tofu

Saute' your onions, garlic and pepper. Mixed in the meat, stir until all are incorporated. Add chopped peppers and mix well.

Next, add crumbled tofu, mix well, stir until tofu has dissolved. Remove some of the rendered fat but leave some enough to caramelize the meat and the spices.

Next step is to add your liquid (calamansi juice and the soy sauce). You will have to start by adding 1/4 of a cup calamansi juice and 1/4 of a cup of soy sauce. Taste and adjust to suit your taste. Remember "you can always add but can't take out". 

Note: I actually finished the whole bag.

I also suggest that you use Filipino soy sauce if available or any dark soy sauce like Chinese soy sauce. Kikkoman is not the soy sauce of choice for this dish. Kikkoman has a distinct flavor that changes the flavor profile of the dish. That's my opinion.

Mix and cook for few more minutes until you start to hear the sizzling sound.

 At this point your sizzling plate should be really hot and ready for your sisig.

Serve sisig right away, garnish w/ chopped scallions and lemon or calamansi wedges.

Sisig is typically served on a sizzling or hot plate especially when it's for Pulutan. There was never an explanation as to why it has to be on a sizzling or hot plate, it's self explanatory?  Since it is a fatty dish serving it on a sizzling or hot plate will avoid the grease/fat to congeal and turn into a solid fat w/c will be off putting. You don't want your "labor of love" turn into a disaster right?.

Sisig served w/ steamed rice, slice of lemon and soy sauce (optional)

Sisig on a sizzling plate for pulutan. Best served with Ice cold San Miguel Beer. ;)

Optional ; serve w/ soy sauce on the side

So. there you are...one of my favorite dish. Crunchy, Smoky, Spicy, Creamy and Tangy...oh and did i say oh ...so ...dee- licious!!!!  ;)