CRANBERRY BUNDT CAKE WITH BUTTER SAUCE

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups evaporated milk
• 1 (12 ounce) package cranberries

Butter Sauce

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

HOW TO MAKE

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Slightly grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream together 6 tablespoons butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture alternately with the evaporated milk and mix until incorporated. Fold in the cranberries. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
5. Meanwhile make the Butter Sauce. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
6. Generously pour butter sauce over Cranberry Bundt Cake. Serve cake slices with more sauce as desired.

CHICKEN-BISCUIT BAKE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 cups chopped deli-roasted chicken
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 6 tbsp butter
• 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 3 tbsp sherry (yes, I used cooking sherry)
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 can biscuits (I used Pillsbury 8-count Flaky Layers)

HOW TO MAKE

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; lightly grease large baking dish
2. In large skillet over medium-high, cook bacon 5-6 minutes until crispy; add onions, carrots, and celery and cook 5 minutes until veggies soften; remove from heat
3. Evenly spread chicken over bottom of baking dish, followed by cooked veggies and peas; set aside
4. In same large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; whisk in flour and cook 1 minute; gradually whisk in chicken broth and cook 4-5 minutes, whisking often, until sauce thickens; whisk in half-and-half and, whisking often, cook 3 minutes; whisk in sherry and nutmeg and remove from heat
5. Pour sauce over chicken-veggie mixture; separate biscuits horizontally into 2 layers and arrange on top of chicken-veggie mixture (I used 5 of the 8 biscuits and also halved them vertically); bake in oven 20 minutes until filling bubbles and biscuits are browned; remove from oven and serve; Enjoy!

​Filipino Favorite Holiday Recipes

INGREDIENTS 

• One cup brown sugar
• Four tablespoons soy sauce
• One kilogram pork loin, slices
• Two cups pineapple juice
• Three tablespoons canola Oil
• One can pineapple slices
• salt and pepper
• garnish basil, thyme, or parsley (your choice of fresh herbs

HOW TO MAKE

1. In a bowl, marinate pork slices in pineapple, sugar and soy sauce. Cover with cling wrap and let it cool inside the fridge overnight. Remember that a hamonado recipe requires longer marination time.
2. The next day, sepaeate pork slices from marinade. Reserve the marinade sauce and set aside.
3. In a pan, heat an oil and fry the pork slices until it turns golden brown.
4. Add in the reserved marinade sauce, and some pineapple slices (reserve few slices for garnish). Cook and let it simmer until pork becomes tender. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve in thin slices. Enjoy!

Chef’s Paella Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• Two cups shrimp
• Two cups rice
• Three pcs Blue crabs, cleaned
• One cup fish fillet
• One medium onion, sliced
• One can green peas
• One tsp saffron flower
• One tsp annatto powder
• One tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup canned tomato
• Four cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 cup stocks from shrimp heads
• Two cups water
• Cooking oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

• Roasted chicken
• Fresh Lemons, sliced (garnish)
• Boiled eggs, sliced (garnish)

HOW TO MAKE

1. In a large wok, pour some oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic, and onion until soft.
2. Add annatto powder and combine well, then toss in tomatoes and continue stirring for a few minutes.
3. Add tomato paste and shrimp stock and let it boil. Add clams, crabs, mussels, shrimp and fish, season with salt and pepper.
4. Place cover and cook for 5-7 minutes more or until seafoods are cooked through.
5. Remove seafoods from the wok and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
6. With the sauce left in the wok, add water, rice and saffron to the sauce. Mix, cover and cook until rice becomes tender, add more stock if needed to cook the rice.
7. Mix in green peas, green bell pepper and cook for additional 3-5 minutes. Turn off heat. Place back the seafood in the wok and arrange it on top of the rice. Garnish with slices of fresh lemons. Add roasted chicken and slices of boiled eggs on the side if you like.
8. Enjoy

Chicken Guisantes Recipe

INGREDIENTS 

• One kilo chicken, cut in serving sizes
• One (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes (or sliced fresh tomatoes)
• 1½ cup frozen green peas
• 1½ cup chicken stock or broth
• Two medium roasted red bell pepper, sliced
• Four cloves garlic, crushed
• One medium yellow onion, sliced
• One medium carrots, sliced
• One tbsp patis (fish sauce)
• Three tablespoons cooking oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

HOW TO MAKE

1. In a pan, heat the cooking oil over medium to low heat. Saute garlic and onions until soft. Add and saute chicken until it turns light brown (about 3 minutes). 
2. Add the diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir and let boil. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Add the green peas. Continue stirring and cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the sliced red bell peppers. Let it cook for another 3 minutes. Season with patis, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve. Share and enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich with Swiss Cheese Recipe

INGREDIENTS 

• Three boneless skinless chicken breast, flattened
• Tow cups unsweetened almond milk
• Salt, Pepper and Slap Ya Mama® seasoning to taste
• Sex pieces Texas style bread, buttered on one side of each piece
• Sex pieces smoked ham, cooked and sliced
• Twelve pieces Swiss cheese, sliced
• One cup vegetable oil

Optional: Mayonnaise, Slices of Tomatoes and lettuce

HOW TO MAKE

1. Using a mallet, or meat hammer, pound boneless skinless chicken breast until flattened. It is essential so the chicken breast will cook quickly.
2. In a frying pan, pour little oil over medium heat. Dip each chicken breast into milk.
3. Roll each chicken breast into flour and shake off excess flour. You may use ziplock bag to shake each chicken breast.
4. Then dip into milk again.
5. Next, roll into bread crumbs to coat.
6. Then, Add chicken to hot pan to cook.
7. Season with salt, pepper and seasoning.
8. Fry for about 8 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
9. Once done, transfer into a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
10. In a large pan with cover, over low heat.
11. Place slices of bread, buttered side down.
12. Top each slice of bread with a slice of cheese, 1 ham, then another slice of cheese.
13. Add a piece of chicken breast on top of the Swiss cheese.
14. Add another slice of bread on top, buttered side up. Place pan cover to melt cheese. Cook until slightly golden brown on each side.
15. You can add an extra slice of tomatoes and lettuce and your choice of spread or dipping sauce. Slice and serve.

SPECIAL EMBUTIDO

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped ham
• 1 cup onion (grated)
• 1 cloves garlic (grated)
• 1/2 or 1 cup minced red bell pepper/ green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup pickle relish
• 1 kilo ground pork
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs or panko
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup raisins
• 4-5 whole eggs
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup grated cheese  (cheddar or cream cheese)
• Salt, pepper, liquid seasoning, to taste
• Slices of hard boiled eggs (or salted egg)
• Hotdogs, sliced (or vienna sausage)

HOW TO MAKE

Prepare your steamer and make sure its already boiling when you start steaming your embutido.

Prepare the foil and equally cut it to rectangular size.

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients except for the hard boiled eggs and sausage. Do not overmix. Divide the mixture into 4-5 portions.

Spread and flatten the mixture onto the center of each foil, leave an allowance space on each side.

Divide the slices of hard boiled eggs (1/4 or 1/6) and sausages. Place each slices in the center of each flattened mixture alternately. Hold one side of the foil and roll until the ends of the mixture covers the eggs and sausages. 

Roll the aluminum foil to form a tightly packed log of about two inches in diameter. Then secure it in both ends. Repeat it with the remaining portions.

Once all done with foiling. Place all your packed embutido in prepared boiling steamer. Place pot cover and steam for one hour.

Let it cool and store in the fridge before serving.

enjoy!