Sweet Potato Nuggets

This is a simple recipe for a healthy snack! Try it! :)

                 3 sweet potatoes

                   1  egg                                                

                   2-3 tablespoon flour               

                   1/4  teaspoon salt

                   1/4  teaspoon garlic powder

                   1/4  teaspoon paprika

                   oil, for cooking

          1.  Peel sweet potatoes and bring a large of water to boil, add the

          sweet potatoes and cook for around 15 minutes.  Make sure they are

          only slightly softened, not easily mashed as you will need to be able to

          grate these.

          2.  Drain and let them sit for a while until cool enough to handle.  Grate

          with a cheese grater into a mixing bowl then add your egg and mix with

          fork.

          3.  Then add your flour, salt, garlic powder and paprika and mix

          together.

          4.  Pour the oil into a pan to heat.  Use paper towel on a plate to drain

          the veggie nuggets once they are cooked.

          5.  Form your mixture into 1-inch balls and add to the hot oil, be careful

          not to overcrowd the pan.

          6.  Fry until golden each side, then remove with a slotted spoon and

          drain on the paper towel plate.  Then let them cool enough to eat and

          enjoy.        

         

          Ketchup and Mayonnaise Dip:

                   1  cup ketchup

                   1/2  cup mayonnaise

                   2  cloves garlic

                   fresh parsley

                   salt to taste

                   ground black pepper to taste

               Mix together ketchup, mayonnaise and chopped garlic. Add parsley

          then mix.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Black Sambo

This is my first ever Black Sambo! Just found the recipe on the internet so thought of trying it since I love desserts.  It's still not that perfect so have to practice more! :)

First Layer:

 2  envelopes Knox gelatin

 1  cup cold water

 1  cup condensed milk

 1  can all-purpose cream

Second Layer:

 2  envelopes Knox gelatin

 1  cup cold water

 1/2  cup cocoa powder

 1/2  cup white sugar

 1 1/3 cup evaporated milk

Procedure:

For the first layer:

     Dissolve gelatin on cold water.  Cook over low heat and keep stirring until near-boil.  Gradually add condensed milk and stir for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat then add cream.  Stir until cool.  Transfer to mold and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set.

For the second layer:

     Dissolve cocoa powder and white sugar in evaporated milk. Set aside. Then dissolve gelatin on cold water.  Cook over low heat and keep stirring until near-boil.  Add chocolate mixture and stir for 5 minutes.  Let it cool.  Pour over the first layer and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set.

Sugar Cookies

3  cups  all-purpose flour

1/2  teaspoon salt

1  teaspoon baking soda

1  cup unsalted butter

1  cup white sugar

2  large eggs

2  teaspoons pure vanilla extract

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.  In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined.  Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.  Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in center of oven.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter).  Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to baking sheets.  Place baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.  

Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes (depending on size) or until the edges are just starting to brown.  Remove from oven, and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.  

Makes about 36 cookies.

Courtesy of Joy of Baking

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Here's a simple snack for the whole family!

4 slices square bread

4 tablespoons butter

2 slices precut cheese (should be about the same size as the bread), or enough cheese slices cut to fit the bread

1. With serrated knife, trim crusts from the bread Or if you wish you may leave the crusts on.

2 Spread butter on one side of each of the bread slice. Arrange cheese slices on the unbuttered sides of two bread slices. Top each with another slice of bread, buttered side of the sandwich should be facing outward (sort of like a reverse sandwich).

3. Heat skillet over medium heat for one minute. Put a sandwich on skillet, buttered side down. With a heatproof spatula or pancake turner, press the sandwich down so it flattens a little. This also helps melt the cheese. Let sandwich heat one or 2 minutes or until bottom side becomes a golden yellow.

4. Turn bread over so that the top side becomes the bottom. Heat another one to 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and transfer to a clean plate Slice into two triangles. Repeat with the remaining sandwich.

Chocolate Mud Cake

I baked this cake on June 17, 2012.... it's a cake mix from Australia! :)

Cookies and Cream Polvoron

Polvoron is a powdery Philippine sweet. It is Spanish in origin (polvo is Spanish for "powder"). The original Spanish polvoron is a flaky, soft, rich, shortbread-type cookie made with flour, lard or vegetable shortening, powdered sugar and cinnamon. The dough is refrigerated, then rolled out, cut and baked. The Philippine version is very different, being made of a mixture of toasted flour, powdered milk, sugar, and melted butter. Other ingredients like pinipig, chocolate cookies or chopped nuts may be added. The mixture is molded into oval or round shapes with a polvorera (a special mold which allows the formed sweets to be discharged easily without crumbling). Once molded, polvoron is wrapped in cellophane or Japanese paper. The sweet powder may also be used to fill small barquillos (rolled cookies) for a cookie called barqueron.

Toasted flour

Powdered milk

Sugar

Chocolate cookies

Butter

Cookies and Cream Polvoron

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup crushed chocolate cookies
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup butter, melted

Toast flour until brown in color while stirring constantly. In a bowl, combine the toasted flour, powdered milk, sugar and chocolate cookies Add melted butter and mix well. Using oval or round-shaped polvoron molder, mold and wrap individually in colored Japanese paper or cellophane.

* Do not crush the chocolate cookies finely or its color would dominate your polvoron. You want the polvoron to look like the classic polvoron with specks of cookies

Chocolate Butter Cupcake

This is just a simple recipe that we can serve on special occasions or even just for snacks. We made it on October 31, 2011 for All Saint's Day and brought it in the cemetery to celebrate it with my other relatives. You can use any chocolate frosting that you like to make it more chocolicious! :)


3 cups flour
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/8 cups cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups sugar
3 eggs, whole
1 1/8 cups boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/8 cups buttermilk ( milk + 1 tbsp. vinegar )

Sift dry ingredients together. Cream the shortening, adding the sugar gradually until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add melted chocolate. Add flour alternately with buttermilk and water. Add vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350F for 40 - 50 minutes.

Refrigerator Cake

Perfect desserts for all occasions!

1. Filling:

1/2 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tall can evaporated milk
2 egg yolks

Mix and cook in a double boiler till thick. Let it cool.

2. Add 1 can well-drained fruit cocktail, 1 can chilled nestle cream and grated cheese.

3. Pour into a Pyrex dish and lined with lady fingers or Broas. Repeat the procedure 2 times. Top with extra chilled nestle cream, peaches and walnuts.

Note: Mix and sugar. Mix milk little by little. Add a little syrup (from drained fruit cocktail). Set aside the cherries and grapes from fruit cocktail for garnishing. Slice peaches thinly. 1 box cheddar cheese.

4. Toppings:

cream
grated cheese
walnuts, 3 lines in the Pyrex
peaches - interval with walnuts - 3 lines
grapes - interval with cherries - 2 lines

Melt-in-the-mouth Chocolate Cake

Decadent.... addicting.. chocoholic's dream... only a few words that can describe this moist chocolate cake.  It is very much in demand during birthday parties and other special occasions!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder, unsifted
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 pieces eggs
1 1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup corn or soya oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup boiling water

1.  Grease a 13x9x2 1/4 inch baking pan

2.  Combine all ingredients together except for boiling water.

3.  Beat at medium speed, about 3 minutes, then at high speed for 2 minutes.

4.  Add boiling water.  Blend well. (Resulting mixture has thin consistency).  Pour onto prepared pan.  Bake at preheated 350F oven  for 45 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and cool before inverting pan onto cake

rack.  Cool cake completely.

CHOCOLATE ICING:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup unsifted cocoa powder

2  300ml cans condensed milk

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  In double boiler, over boiling water, melt butter and cocoa powder together.  Stir smooth ans free from lumps.

2.  Add slowly.  Using wire whisk, stir mixture continuously until thick and of spreading consistency.

3.  Cool icing before spreading on cake.