Treasure Jar

When I attended the Dona Elena Cuisinera Club’s Summer Recipes (low-cal and low-carb)  Cooking Demo on the last Saturday of February, I was tempted to look around the mall where it was held because there was a sale going on. But of course I did not, even after the cooking demo was done. *heaves a sigh of relief*

Anyway, I will be featuring the three recipes done later today when I have the time. I just need to get my bag I left in my MIL’s home for a copy of the recipes.

Here are three photos for each of the recipes prepared:

I will be back later ASAP

Tags: cooking, cooking demo, Dona Elena Cuisinera Club, fish, food, fruits, recipes, vegetables

I have featured the dish (below) here as it was done in a cooking class I was invited to go to.

Last Wednesday night, we had it for dinner with a few minor changes according to what I have at home.

I plan to cook more using olive oil even if it is a bit of a strain in the pocket but if the benefits are good for the family’s health, why not?

I usually use soybean oil for cooking and I still do especially in frying (fish) which requires more oil.

Tags: cooking, cream dory, family, fish fillets, food, food and dining, food photo, health, healthy eating, Lasang Pinoy Sundays, olive oil, pasta

Hearty Meal Recipes from Dona Elena Cuisinera Club presented last January 30, 2010. Click here for more recipes.

Tilapia Fillets

For Tilapia Fillets:

• 150 – 200 g tilapia fillets (2 pieces)
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• pinch of paprika
• 1/4 c almonds, salted, crushed finely

Season tilapia fillet with salt, pepper and paprika. Coat with almonds and bake at 180C for 4 minutes.

Pasta

For pasta:

• 10 g butter
• 15ml Dona Elena Pure Olive Oil
• 30 g diced white onions
• 3 g minced garlic
• 50 g diced tomatoes
• 50 g (Dona Elena) capers
• 30 ml (Dona Elena) white wine
• 250 g spaghetti noodles

In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil and melt the butter. Saute the onions and garlic then add tomatoes and capers. Add the white wine and simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss the spaghetti in the sauce.

Sauce:

• 30 ml garlic sauce, reduced until thick
• 15 ml balsamic vinegar, reduced to a syrup

Serve using medium pan. Place pasta on one side and the fillets on the other side. Drizzle the fillets with garlic sauce and balsamic sauce.

Enjoy.

UPDATE: I made this last night (Feb3, 2010) though I still have to write a post.

UPDATE 2: here is the post as promised

Tags: almonds, baking, cooking, Dona Elena Cuisinera Club, Dona Elena Pure Olive Oil, fish, food, food and dining, food photos, fresh tomatoes, olive oil, pasta, Philippines, spaghetti, tilapia fillets

I wrote about  my son helping out in the kitchen in this post.

Presenting the finished product: our Jell-o No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake dessert:

Yes, it was a finger-licking, lip-smacking and two thumbs up dessert. What bliss!

After putting away their textbooks for the homeschooling lessons, the two kids are pretty much free to do whatever they like and sometimes they either go out and play or help out in kitchen/home chores. Cooking and the smells associated with it always draw them in the kitchen to offer a hand or two.

I bask from the compliments they freely give

Tags: children, cooking, family, food, food photo, Frugal Christmas, Photo Hunter

Home cooking is not only inexpensive but it sure guarantees safe handling of food. Home cooking is also a way to be creative in preparing healthier choices as compared to food prepared elsewhere.

If only most of our meals are prepared at home then I know we are eating better than the alternative.

Being creative in the kitchen enables one to experiment with different tastes, textures, flavors and adaptation to what is readily available in the kitchen.

Here is one alternative food preparation we did recently, introducing our homemade chicken shawarma:

Thinly sliced chicken strips (from chicken breast fillet) with oyster sauce, a bit of light soy sauce, and a little muscovado sugar, were cooked in olive oil.

I seasoned with salt and pepper.

For the vegetables, I sliced green bell peppers and cucumber (I removed the seeds). Lettuce is still very expensive so I skipped that.

For the dressing I used light mayonnaise.

I then topped these with grated cheese and voila, a homemade chicken shawarma for us.

The wrap consisted of store bought wheat soft tortilla wrap.

Yes, it was ’sawrap”!

Tags: cheese, chicken, cooking, dining, food, food and dining, food photo, healthy eating, home, Photography, Purse Strings, shawarma

Kraft Eden Cheese aims to target having 5,000 Filipino dishes cooked to set a Guinness World Record on December 14, 2009 at the Araneta Coliseum.

5,000 dishes? Filipino food, a fusion of the many scrumptious concoctions from the different cultural influences we had for several centuries, have evolved and these definitely can mean uniquely extra-ordinary and uber delicious.

Foodies, chefs, people who love to cook, culinary arts students and kusineros and kusineras will be whipping up these 5,000 dishes using Kraft Eden Cheese on December 14, 2009 at Araneta Coliseum.

Be a YUMM (Your Ulam, Mas Masarap) member and contribute your cheese recipes at the Sarap ng Buhay website.

I am contributing this Cheesy Turon recipe, yipee!

Cheese is a must-have item in our home. There are times when we just munch on cheese slices. The children and hubby too love to put heaps of cheese on their pasta.

French toast for breakfast or afternoon snacks have cheese slices in it:

Sandwiches are like meals in itself, with cheese and tomato slices and greens. Easy to prepare and easy to bring when going to the workplace or doing chores outside the home.

If you want to be a part of history, be more creative in whipping up those yummy flavorful recipes and help promote Filipino dishes through this event.

Visit for more details!

Tags: cheese, cooking, dining, egg, food, food and dining, food photos, Parma, Philippines, Photography