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

Butterscotch

I learned this recipe when I was still in high school in our Baking class.

2 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
chopped nuts, raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 13 x 9 inch rectangular pan. Set aside.

Beat eggs until foamy, add in sugar, vanilla, margarine or butter and corn syrup. Beat until. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture. Blend well. Stir in nuts and raisins. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake 25- 30 minutes or until top is light brown. Cut while hot.

Cuchinta or Kutsinta

Cuchinta is a popular Filipino delicacy. It always teamed up with "Puto" and can be served on any occasion. It is an orange or brown rice cake and it is good with freshly grated coconut.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups water
1 teaspoon lihia (lye)
few drops of yellow food color (optional)
grated coconut

Boil water for the steamer. In a bowl, blend all the ingredients except grated coconut. Mix until smooth and free from lumps. Strain. Half-fill muffin pans. Steam for 10-20 minutes. Cool for 5 mintues then remove from the pans. Serve with grated coconut.

* Lihia or Lye is a liquid concentrate from the ashes of a wood stove. It is used in making kakanin (rice cakes) like cuchinta, suman and pichi-pichi to improve their texture. Its addition also enhances the color of food.

Courtesy of The Maya Kitchen

Garlic Bread

This is my own version of Garlic Bread. I made it this morning and again in the afternoon . I don't have french bread so I just used American bread and Hotdog Buns.

I just mixed butter and garlic and sprinkled oregano on top... Then baked it... Try it! :)

Fried Rice

This is a basic recipe for fried rice that you can add to as desired. If adding other ingredients, increase the number of eggs to 3.

1 - 2 spring onions, as desired
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, as needed
4 cups cold cooked rice
1 - 2 tablespoons light soy sauce or oyster sauce, as desired
hotdog, chorizo, ham, bacon, mixed vegetables such as peas, carrots, corn (optional)


Wash and finely chop the green onion. Lightly beat the eggs with the salt and pepper.

Heat a wok or frying pan and add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the eggs. Cook, stirring, until they are lightly scrambled but not too dry. Remove the eggs and clean out the pan.

Add 2 tablespoons oil. Add the rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes, using chopsticks or a wooden spoon to break it apart. Stir in the soy sauce or oyster sauce as desired.

When the rice is heated through, add the scrambled egg back into the pan. Mix thoroughly. Stir in the green onion. Serve hot.

Courtesy of About.com

Pinakbet (Mixed Vegetables)

Pinakbet or Pakbet is a popular Filipino dish. The basic vegetables used in this dish includes native bitter melon (ampalaya), eggplant, okra, tomato, string beans and squash. It is usually cooked until almost dry and shriveled; the flavors are accentuated with bagoong or shrimp paste. And it is never stirred while cooking instead the pot is shaken to toss the vegetables without making the ampalaya bitter. It is considered as a very healthy dish.

1 cup cubed pork liempo
oil
2-3 tablespoons bagoong or shrimp paste
1 cup water
1 medium-size ampalaya, quartered
3 pieces round eggplant, quartered
5 pieces okra, halved
4 pieces tomato, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 small ginger, sliced

Brown the pork in a little oil. Set aside. Boil the bagoong and water. Put the pork and the rest of the ingredients. Simmer until vegetables are done.

Turbo Chicken with Fresh Garlic and Rosemary

We prepared this dish in our Nutrition and Food Safety and Basic Food Preparation and Presentation month - Day 2 ( Caregiver Training ).

The ingredients for this recipe are simple and procedure is easy to follow. This dish exudes a wonderful aromatic flavor.

2 whole chickens
1 head garlic, pounded
1 tablespoon coarse salt (add more if needed)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fried minced garlic (optional)


1. Split chickens into half length-wise, then pound to flatten. In a small bowl mix the garlic, salt, and pepper and rub thoroughly inside and outside the chickens. Put fresh rosemary sprigs inside the cavities.

2. Rub olive oil all over the skin and sprinkle some dried rosemary leaves on top. Allow to stand for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F.

3. Arrange the chicken pieces in a pan lined with foil. Bake in over or turbo broiler for 45 minutes, ir until done, turning the chicken pieces every 15 minutes and basting them with fat and cooking juices that collect in the pan.

4. Or, if not in a hurry, bake chickens in 325F over for 1 hour on one side and another hour for the other side, skin side up, basting occasionaly with the pan juices, for more tender chickens.

5. Arrange on a serving platter, and sprinkle fried garlic on top. Pour pan juices over the chickens before serving.

6. If desired serve with roasted potatoes.




* In our preparation, we prefer not to split the chicken into half when we baked it just for the sake of our presentation. :)

Watermelon Basket

A rich variety of shapes and colors makes this light dessert very appealing. Suggested fruits include banana, apple, papaya, pineapple, honeydew melon and grapes.

1 medium watermelon
2 cups diced fresh or canned fruit
1/2 cup sweetened orange juice
grated cheese (optional)

1. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of the watermelon so it will sit flat ( don't cut into the fruit ).

2. Make zigzag wedges on watermelon. With a sharp knife cut watermelon following the outline.

3. Scoop out all the flesh with a melon baller, trying to remove as many seeds as you can.

4. Wrap the empty watermelon bowl in a plastic wrap to keep it moist.

5. Refrigerate until ready to fill with fruits. Use fruits with a variety of shapes and colors.

6. If using canned fruit, drain fruit well and discard syrup. Combine watermelon balls with other fruits.

7. Drizzle orange juice on fruits. Spoon fruits into prepared watermelon basket.

Upo Guisado

Guisadong upo is one of the sautéed vegetable dishes popular in Philippines more commonly on provinces where bottle gourds are abundant. This cheap and simple dish usually is made out of 3 main ingredients which are pork, bottle gourd and tomatoes. A simple yet rich dish which is enjoyed as mains paired with rice.



2 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup sliced tomatoes
1/2 cup pork, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shelled shrimps
1/2 cup upo (bottle gourd), sliced thinly or cubed
1 cup shrimp juice
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet then saute garlic, onions and tomatoes. Add pork and cook until lightly browned. Add shrimps and cook until it changes color. Add the upo and shrimp juice. Simmer until tender but not overcooked. Season to taste.

Herbed Loin of Tuna

Here is one of the recipes we tried during our Caregiver Class. It is a mouthwatering Asian tuna dinner fit for any table..

Prep time: 15 minutes    Cooking time: 1 hour    Yield:  4-6 servings

1/2 kilo whole loin of tuna

oil

juice from 1 lemon

1 onion, choppeed

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 lemon, sliced thinly

salt and pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 375F.

2.  Make a shallow cuts on the top and sides of the fish.

3.  Spread some oil on a baking tray.  Place the tuna and drizzle with the lemon juice.

4.  In a bowl, combine the onion, garlic, parsley, tarragon, salt and pepper.

5.  Fill the shallow cuts on the tuna with this herb mixture.

6.  Pour the wine over the fish.  Sprinkle the remaining herb mixture all over the fish.  Top with lemon slices.

7.  Cover the pan with foil and bake the fish for about 40 minutes.  Uncover and baste with the pan juices.  Continue baking until done.

* Serve it with Red Wine.