Tis the season. . .

It's the season for reconnecting with family and friends. . . And good home-cooked meals and dessert! ^_^

Last weekend was my S.O.'s extended Christmas gathering. It was a great night with great music, food and company.

Everyone in the family chipped in with the buffet. There were cabbage rolls, garden salad, home-made rolls (courtesy of moi!), maple ham, scalloped potatoes, pie, fudgy/bread-pudding like cake, chocolate cornflakes and wine! Everyone was stuffed and needed an hour or two of just lounging around to digest the good food.

As one of the party-goers said: "Rockin' Rick always throws the most amazing parties!"

Keeping with the season of home-cooked meals, S.O. and I are currently on a tight budget and so we haven't had the chance of buying a lot of pre-made food. I have been cooking and baking so that we needn't spend money on take-out or junk food.

Today, I have made shortbread cookies, insta-cookies (dr. oetker) and chocolate doughnut holes ala TimBits! ^_^

I have made the shortbread cookies and has been a hit with S.O. and this is a huge thing as he doesn't really like sweet or sugary stuff. . .

SHORT BREAD COOKIES

1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 stick (1/4 cup) cold butter, diced (I used salted butter)
6 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Sift flour and powdered sugar.
3. Mix butter with dry ingredients using a pastry blender, two knives or your fingertips until cornmeal like texture. Make sure not to overwork dough.
4. Pat dough into an 8-in diameter circle on an ungreased cookie sheet. Pierce the dough in different places to allow even cooking.
5. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until light brown.
6. Cut into 8 triangles. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan then transfer to wire rack.

I have been craving timbits for quite a bit these past couple of weeks and since money is tight I just thought of making my own home-made timbits!

I got this recipe from smittenkitchen quite awhile ago. Since I have been home quite a bit these past couple of weeks (Left my job. . . long story!), I have time to cook and bake and so I made this and they are quite scrumptious!

CHOCOLATE DOUGHNUT HOLES

Yield: 2 dozen

1 cup + 6 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 T + 2 tsp sour cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted and slightly cooled


1. Sift all dry ingredients together.
2. Beat eggs. Add sour cream and melted butter.
3. Add dry ingredients in three parts.
4. Chill dough for an hour up to 3 hours.
5. Generously flour work surface, pat dough and roll into 1/2 inch thickness. With a 1 1/2 in diameter cutter (I used a shot glass) dipped in flour, cut-out dough. If dough begins to get sticky or hard to work with, transfer to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and pop in the freezer for a couple of minutes.
6. Heat deep-fryer to 375F/190C. Deep fry doughnuts for a minute on each side. I was able to fit 9 doughnuts in one batch. Make sure that you bring the temperature back up to 375F for each batch.
7. Drain using paper towels and cool.

Sugar Glaze  *Optional*

4 ounces powdered sugar
2 Tbsp water
couple of drops of vanilla extract.

1. Mix powdered sugar, water and vanilla extract until smooth. Add a drop of water or two to thin out glaze. Roll cooled doughnut holes into the glaze. Transfer to wire rack to set.

Since I'm home for quite a bit, until I find another job, I'll be posting more recipes since I've been cooking a lot. Unfortunately, I sometimes forget to take pictures but if ever I do I'll post them with the appropriate captions! ^_^

Glazed Chocolate Doughnut Holes

Unglazed Chocolate Doughnut Holes

Money Saving Idea: Menu Planning

Hello Folks!

It has been awhile since my last entry. I have had quite a busy month and a half with work and other things which prevented me from blogging. But I am back and, hopefully, the entries would be more frequent and with substance.

Before I get to the main topic of this entry about stretching those hard-earned moolah, let me give you a glimpse of one of the awesome summer days I had these year:

My First Trip to S.O.'s Dad's place

Mid-August, S.O. and I went for a trip to attend S.O.'s Dad's (which from now on, I shall name: Rockin' Roll Daddy) post-wedding celebration in his place way up north in Eugenia, ON an hour or two away from Owen Sound, ON. As both S.O. and I do not drive due to the fact that we live 10-minutes away from the  nearest subway station and there's a bus stop in front of our building's driveway, we took the public transit which consisted of a subway, train and bus ride to Orangeville, ON where we met Rockin' Roll Daddy. It was quite an adventure as we've never really travelled that far in the west end. It took us a total of 4 hours from the moment we stepped out of our apartment until we got to Rockin' Roll Daddy's place which, by the way, is such an amazing and beautiful place with a lot of space. There were two major structures in the main house which is a bungalow style, 3 bedroom, finished basement and laundry room with an attached two door garage and the shop which is a huge structure, almost a house in itself, where Rockin' Roll Daddy's tools, John Deere and other stuff are housed in. That shop is kind of like a man-cave but filled with tools.

Roaster/Smoker. Lechon Baboy (Roasted Pig) ala Canadiana.

We had a pig roast, corn, salads, cake, adult drinks and plenty of good times and laughter. I would post more pictures but I need to ask the photographed people's permissions first out of respect for people's privacy. We also had a big bonfire. . .

And slept under the stars in a tent. It was my first time sleeping in a tent and it was a little bit unsettling as S.O. kept shoving me out of our air mattress. But it's something I would venture trying again sometime.

I had a get-together for my Chica Bonita's birthday where I taught her how to make bread and fed her my first time chili which she raved about and wanted to learn how to make as well. Unfortunately, I had such an amazing time that it never occurred to me to document the events. At least, this entry would serve as a reminder of that day.

Anyhoo, on to our main topic for this entry: Money Saving!

I was never any good in money and, unfortunately, due to some bad choices have a limited amount of resource. Due to this fact, every dollar I earn needs to be stretched as much as possible. As I am in charge of taking care of groceries, I have to make smart and healthy decisions for our meals. S.O. works in a physically-demanding field and needs to be fed nutritionally adequate meals. Unfortunately for both S.O. and I, our work schedules are literally day and night. And meal prep can sometimes be a hassle which brought me to browse around the net on how I can make preparing economical meals in an easy-almost-hassle-free way. Viola! Menu Planning!

I've read a lot of single/two family/mommy blogs swearing by menu planning. I tried it a couple of times and each time it helped me budget things and track my grocery spending. And I think I'll try my hardest to keep with this thing and, hopefully, save money.

I have had some experience that I have picked up from my old life in the restaurant business but it is very different making my own menu. When I used to plan menus for our restaurant, I had a consultant with me building the menu that would be approved by either my mom or my dad. I am used to other people telling me what to do and I guess you could say, I am quite a little bit overwhelmed by the many possibilities of food that I can make with a little budget and with me having the last say on the menu.

And so, this is how I started building my menu. First, it is based on what S.O. and I like to eat. We are meat-eating people. Yes, we love our meat. We love steak, pork chops, chicken, shrimps, venison, etc. We like them grilled, baked, roasted, braised, stew, etc. Second, it is also based on what we hardly eat: veggies. As we are not getting any younger, I am trying to put more colour into our meals and adding essential vitamins that our body needs. Third, what is on sale. Meat, fruits, veggies, cold-cuts, etc. If it's on sale, I'll try to incorporate it into our menu. The only thing, I don't buy on sale is bread as I make my own.

Keeping these three things in mind, I have built a two-week menu which consists less of frozen entrees and more of soups, salads, stir-fries to the next-level Kraft Dinners. Here's a picture of my hand-written menu:

09.24.2012 - 10.05.2012

I find that on the weeks that I make menus, I actually follow through with it and it helps S.O. know what he'll be getting for dinner. I also notice that I keep the impulsive grocery trips down to a minimum.   Making the menu also gives S.O. and I time to spend with each other.

On the weeks that I make menus, I typically spend around $160-180 for a two week planned meal. Without the menu, our food bill would probably be at least $120 per week as S.O. and I (mostly S.O.) would buy prepared food or order in.

I will try to continue this new menu planning kick and hopefully be able to save a little bit of money to be used for entertainment or maybe a new kitchen gadget! ^_^

Anyhoo, I have bored you long enough with my ramblings. . . Goodnight and happy Menu planning! ^_^

P.S.
Since I'm making quite a number of new meals, look forward for more posts in the coming weeks. . . 

Hola! Como estas? (Hello! How are you?)

Oh wow! It's been awhile since I last wrote an entry. It's not as if I've stopped my journey into the culinary world, I have been cooking and baking a lot since I started this blog but I keep forgetting to take pictures of my food. Lol!

Anyhoo, just like the other nights/days that I cooked and intended to write a blog entry, I totally forgot to take pictures of my home-made dinner with S.O. But, I'll write about our experience about it. 

We had crispy lightly breaded chicken thighs and potato wedges.  I marinated the chicken thighs before dredging it in a no-name brand coating mix. The potato wedges were dredged into a home-made coating mix that I made. It was a way cheaper alternative to KFC fried chicken and some bar's $6 basket of potato wedges. ^_^

Lately, I've been experimenting with different things in my cooking by taking an adventurous trip into the exotic spices that my palate's not accustomed to. I have been making a two-week menu as a guide for our meals. So far it has worked pretty well. 

It might sometimes be a pain to make your own meals but it pays off in the end. Making your own meals saves you money, helps you learn new things and techniques to make things palatable, and the safety of knowing what is in your food. 

I have quite a sensitive stomach so knowing what's in my food is increasingly becoming important to me. But, mind you, in spite of this fact I still do grab a bite to eat every now and then from one of the popular food chains or a mom and pop shop. Cooking our own meals helps me learn to not be too afraid in the kitchen. . . Even though at times I fail making the recipe by substituting ingredients too much, cooking the food too long or simply we do not like the food, I still try to make a home-cooked meal. 

I love it when S.O. gives his hearty big burp of satisfaction after a meal (Yes, we are neanderthals. We burp and fart around each other.). Him falling a sleep after a meal is just a big pat on my back. :D

I apologize for not blogging quite a bit these past couple of months. I'll try to churn out more entries as the days go by. Next big grocery shopping trip is soon to be had this weekend so I'll probably be posting some of my dishes next week. But for the meantime, I'll just ramble on about Other Things. :D

Random Picture of Bunny and Moody Pinay Foodie

Homey and Comforting

When the words "homey" and "comforting" are uttered, I usually see in my head my mom cooking in our kitchen the favourite foods I like. Today, I made one of her famous recipes -- her Christmas Ham. I also made a loaf of bread and homemade chewy granola bars. One of my co-workers liked it so much that she even asked me for the recipe. Thank goodness it was an easy-peasy one and I, miraculously, remembered it!

Unfortunately, my version of Momma Bear's Christmas Ham was a big fail. It didn't taste like how my mom makes it. Mine tasted like boiled Ham. Edible but blah in taste. I paired it with Garlic Fried Rice. 

S.O. didn't really say if he liked it but I definitely have to ask my mom how to make it and if it is a success, I'll post the recipe for it. For now, let's file my Christmas Ham into the Fail File. 

On the bright side of things, the white sandwich bread recipe I lifted from Farmgirl Fare is a huge success that I am thinking from now on, I will be making my own bread. Economical for us as we go through at least two loaves a week. S.O. a huge sandwich eater. He even makes sandwiches in his sleep! (S.O. has this weird habit of sleep-eating, he literally is sleeping and eating at the same time!) 

Click the link to Farmgirl Fare's Farmhouse White bread for the recipe. I only did one loaf of bread as it has been awhile since I made bread and I was afraid I was a bit rusty with kneading. ^_^ But, it turned out well! It was fluffy, soft, with just the right amount of chew in the crust. It would hold a nice amount of peanut butter or a good slather of mayo.

Look at the fluffiness!

Thank goodness I work in a grocery store as I was able to nicely ask our store manager if I could use our bread cutter to cut my own bread and he said no problem! So my bread is sliced evenly which makes it look like those store bought breads!^_^ S.O. and I might have to invest in a nice bread knife and maybe a baking stone. . .

Not too much air bubbles. . . Better for holding P.B. & J.!

It pretty much took me half the day to make the bread but it was worth it. I am seriously considering making our own bread every week. It's way cheaper than store-bought bread and kneading was quite relaxing! Kinda just released all my pent up anger into kneading this bread! 

Since I was in a baking mood today, I decided to make some homemade granola bars to for myself and to share to my co-workers. I just lifted the recipe from the marshmallow packet I had on hand and gave it a little twist and viola! A raving success! ^_^ I'm calling this Roaring Chewy Granola Bars!

Homemade Roaring Chewy Granola Bars

Roaring Chewy Granola Bars

1/4 cup unsalted butter

250 grams marshmallow

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups rice krispies

2 cups granola

1 cup chocolate chips

1) Line an 8 x 8 pan with either food-grade plastic film or parchment paper. 

2) Melt butter in low heat. 

3) Add marshmallows. Constantly stir for about 3-5 minutes or until all marshmallows are melted. 

4) Stir in vanilla extract. 

5) Remove from heat. 

6) Add rice krispies and granola to mixture. Making sure all dry ingredients are coated. 

7) Once the new mixture has cooled down a little bit, stir in chocolate chips. 

8) Transfer to prepared pan. 

9) Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until set. 

10) Cut into desire length. 

11) Wrap individual in food-grade plastic film or store in a container with a lid (add parchment paper in between layers). 

There's something about baking that eases my stress. It just puts away all my worries for a brief moment. Sharing what I made and people appreciating it makes it worth it too.  

BBBC Stir-Fry

Ba dam ba dum. . . Ho Lee Chow!!!

S.O. and I have been ordering at Ho Lee Chow for our Chinese food fix for a couple of times now.  We both know that it might not be the best Chinese food but it fares well to our tastebuds (which really are not that great!).  We always order Beef with Broccoli and I figured it's really not that hard to make it and so, I decided to make my own version of it.

And so, once again, I scoured the internet for recipes of Beef Broccoli -- compared, contrasted and figured out the measurements. Once I have a pretty rough idea of what I wanted, I made my own recipe and here's the result . . .

Moody Pinay Foodie's Beef Broccoli Bok Choy Stir Fry

Presenting Moody Pinay Foodie's Version of Beef Broccoli Bok Choy Stir Fry:

1 lb quick serve beef slice
2 cups mini bok choy
2 cups broccoli florets
4 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp chopped onion
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup water/ stock

1) Mix flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
2) Cut quick serve beef into about finger-length size.
3) Dredge beef into flour mixture.
5) Fry beef into 2 Tbsp heated oil.
6) Remove beef and fry onion and garlic.
7) Add broccoli florets and fry for 2 minutes.
8) Add beef and mini bok choy and fry for 2 minutes.
9) Add oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce. Coat veggies and beef with the sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes.
10) Add water and simmer for 5 minutes.
11) Viola! Ready to be served with rice.

I have never really worked with Bok Choy before.  I rarely eat veggies but since I am getting up there in age, I realized that I might need to make some healthier choices when it comes to eating. And since I work in a grocery store, I have a plethora of veggies to try out and explore.  I have seen quite a number of folks buy Bok Choy and so I thought I'll buy it and see how I like the taste.

It's a pretty neutral vegetable. It doesn't leave a weird veggie taste in your mouth. It's crisp and cabbage-like. I cooked it until it's a little bit wilted. It paired well with the broccoli florets.

I asked S.O. if this one's a a keeper and he enthusiastically said Yes! with a huge smile on his face.  So, I guess, this will be part of my few dish recipes and a staple in the dinner menu choices. ^_^

SUCCESS! ^_^

What's for Din-Din?

Salmon Steak and Uncle Ben's Fast and Fancy Garden Vegetable Rice

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Did you drink a pint or two of green beer? ^_^ Did you remember to have dinner at all?

Every night around 8:30 p.m., if and when I'm home, S.O. would ask "What's for dinner?" Today, I beat him to it by asking him what he wanted for dinner. S.O. , typically, lets me decide what we were going to have for dinner and since I get off late (10 p.m.) I decided to just get some fresh salmon and some instant flavoured rice. 

Mind you, we have a huge bag of Jasmine rice but for some reason I felt like trying out Uncle Ben's Fast and Fancy Garden Vegetable Rice. It was an o.k. rice -- not great, not too bad, just average. You can taste that it's instant rice for sure. I don't think that this instant rice will be a staple in our cupboard. I'll probably just buy it for those really long days and late nights for a very easy/ lazy dinners or when S.O. cooks, which is almost never!

The fish was great though! It was swimming in it's juice and butter. Seasoned with cilantro, tomatoes, onions, fish seasoning, garlic, lemon juice, sirachi sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper. I know it sounds like there's too much going on with the seasoning but trust me, it all ties together nicely. 

Moody Pinay Foodie's Funky Salmon Steak

250 g or 1/2 lb Salmon Steak 

Aluminum Foil

1 Tbsp onions

1 Tbsp tomatoes

1 Tbsp fish seasoning

1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

A squirt or two of sirachi sauce

A splash of soy sauce

Couple of sprigs of cilantro

1 Tbsp butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Pre-heat oven to 375F.

2) Prepare enough aluminum foil for your salmon steak. Remember to make enough room so you can fold the edges into a pouch. 

3) Put salmon steak in the middle of foil. 

4) Add onions, tomatoes, fish seasoning, garlic, lemon juice, sirachi sauce, soy sauce, cilantro. 

5) Add butter, salt and pepper. 

6) Fold the edges of the foil to make pouch. 

7) Bake in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes (depending on size of salmon).

To know if your salmon is cooked, it should be light pink and flaky. If it's white, you've overcooked it but it'll still be edible. If it's black. . . well, you know what that means. . .

I was supposed to make dessert but I just don't have the energy for it. So I'll probably just eat some strawberries with whipped cream (with a splash of vanilla extract) and drizzled with maple syrup. 

Goodnight folks! Hope you enjoyed your dinner tonight -- that is if you were still sober by then!

Talk about Breakfast!

Waking up hungry is not really the best way to start anyone's day.  I woke up today with a gnawing hunger that can only be filled by a big breakfast!

Normally, I am not a big fan of eating breakfast as I am too busy for it or I am sleeping in and missing it all together! I know that it's an age-old saying that "Breakfast is the most important meal of your day." (I can actually hear my old Psych Prof. Sir J saying this to me back during my DLSU days when we had that psych field trip.) Unfortunately for me, I only eat breakfast on days that I am off-work or school or feel like making breakfast. S.O. is not really big on breakfast too. He's a weird man as he munches through the day and eats his big meals during the evening and still. . .he's not 400 lbs! I swear, that man can eat anything and he still do not gain weight! He's still as lanky as the first day I have met him only he says that he has put on 50 lbs since we started dating. . . oh well. . .  you be the judge!

My Significant Other

Anyhoo, while my S.O. sleeps away, I am up right now making brunch. I don't work until 4 p.m. today but for some reason I really got to eat. . . lol!

And so, I have decided that for today I will be making crispy bacon, strawberry pancakes (as I have over a pint and a half of strawberries), and over-hard eggs. 

I like my bacon extra crispy. I have tried a lot of methods to get extra crispy bacon but the best method that I have tried is oven-baking it. 

Here're the step into making your own extra crispy bacon:

1) Put bacon slices in an oven-proof pan

2) Heat oven to 400F and put pan in the oven as soon as it is turned on. No pre-heating needed. 

3) Cook for about 7 - 10 minutes or until desired crispness is achieved. 

My strawberry pancakes are just your standard regular pancake mix plus 2 cups of sliced or chopped fresh strawberries and drizzled with maple syrup. I have a recipe for fluffy pancakes but I'll write about it some other time. 

So, there you have it, one of my favourite breakfast is ready! I hope you enjoy yours too. . . 

Moody Pinay Foodie's Brunch for the day!

P.S.

This "Breakfast" can actually be enjoyed anytime of the day. I, sometimes, eat pancakes for dinner! lol! ^_^ Enjoy!

Cupcakes on my mind!

Chocolate Coconut Cupcake with Coconut Buttercream Frosting

It's been awhile since I last baked something. Sadly, my Significant Other (S.O.) does not have any sweet tooth and have an aversion to chocolate so I hardly bake anything these days. But, lately, I have been dreaming of cupcakes.

I do not like commercialized, overly-sweet and very dry cupcakes.  I want my cupcakes to be very moist, frosting not too sweet, and I am partial to chocolate but I will eat any cupcake flavour. And today, I was craving Chocolate and Coconut. So, I scoured the cyberspace for several recipes for Chocolate Coconut Cupcake with Coconut Buttercream Frosting. I tweaked or rather made my own recipe,  followed my recipe, baked and ate it AND it's a little bit on the sweet side but it's oh so moist!

 Chocolate Coconut Cupcake with Coconut Buttercream Frosting:

Chocolate Coconut Cupcake:

1 3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup boiling water

Coconut Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 tsp coconut extract
3 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp coconut milk
2 Tbsp cream or milk

For Chocolate Coconut Cupcake

1) Preheat oven to 350F
2) Mix and sift all dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3) Add eggs slowly whisking/mixing in between addition. Slowly add milk and coconut milk. Whisk for two minutes.
4) Slowly add vegetable oil and whisk/mix for another two minutes. Add vanilla and coconut extract and mix.
5) Add boiling water (batter will be thin).
6) Fold shredded coconut.
7) Line muffin pans and distribute mixture. Always fill the muffin pans 2/3 of the way.
8) Bake for 17 - 20 minutes. Cool before frosting.

For Coconut Buttercream Frosting:

1) Cream butter. Add powdered sugar. Make sure the sugar is mixed thoroughly with butter.
2) Slowly add coconut milk and milk and mix for two minutes.
3) Add coconut extract and mix for another two minutes.

I find that the frosting is a little bit on the sweet side for me so I might bring down the amount of sugar when I make it the next time.

S.O. suggested that I put some green colouring on my frosting for St. Patty's day.  I only have water-based food colouring so my frosting might "sweat" a little bit (butter + water = not so good) so I might just try it on a few of the cupcakes.

Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this cupcake. Let me know how it turns out for you. . .

Various Stages of my Chocolate Coconut Cupcake with Coconut Buttercream Frosting

Welcome!

Hello there friends,

Welcome to my blog Pinay Foodie and Other Things. My name is Moody Pinay Foodie. I will be, hopefully, writing down my experiences exploring the wonderful world of culinary arts. 

A brief background about me: I am born and raised as Filipino and a Filipina (girl Filipino) can sometimes be called Pinay, ergo, Pinay being a part of my name. I migrated 9 years ago from the Philippines and now, a naturalized Canadian. I dabble in different kinds of culinary arts but I am most capable of baking and making pastry. I live with my Caucasian Canadian boyfriend and so my dishes range from Western to Eastern. I like writing, collecting recipes and trying them out. 

I would like to focus this blog into my journey through the exciting world of cooking and baking but sometimes to make things a little bit interesting, I will be interjecting some stuff about my personal life -- thoughts, experiences or mood. 

So, let's give it a whirl? Come join me in my journey into cooking and baking! ^_^

Moody Pinay Foodie