Chrispy Shrimps

INGREDIENTS

1/4 kilo medium sized shrimps, cleaned and well trimmed
2 pieces siling labuyyo, chopped
1 pack 6 grams AJI-SHIO garlic plus
1/4 cup cornstarch
cooking oil for deep frying

Procedure

• Combine shrimps, siling labuyo and AJI-SHIO pepper plus. Mix well and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Dredge shrimps with cornstarch until coated.
• Deep fry shrimps in hot oil until crisp and golden brown.
• Prepare dip, combine vinegar onions, siling labuyoi and AJI-SHIO garlic plus. Mix well.

Dip

1/2 cup native vinegar
2 tablespoon chopped onions
1 pice siling labuyu, chopped
1 pack 6 grams

Fruit-Filled Oatmeal Bars

1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup margarine or butter
Raising filling,Apple-Cinnamon Filling or Apricot-Coconut Filling

Oven 350 degrees

In a mixing bowl combine flour, oats , brown sugar, and baking soda. Cut in margarine, or butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup of the flour mixture. Press remaining flour mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9x2 inch baking pan. Spread with desired filling. Sprinkle with reserved flour mixture.

Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 30 to 35 minutes or till the top is golden. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 25.

Raisin Filling.In a medium saucepan combine 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoon sugar, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Add 1 cup raisins. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.

Apple Cinnamon Filling: Peel, core, and chop 2 medium apples ( about 10 ounces). In a medium saucepan combine apples, 2 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and a dash ground cloves. Bring apple mixture to boiling: reduce heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or till apples are very tender.

Apricot-Cococnut Filling: In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup snipped dried apricots and 3/4 cup water. Bring apricot mixture to boiling: reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup suagr and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour. Stir into apricot mixture. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or till very thick. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut.

Using your hands, press the flour mixture evenly into the bottum of the baking pan.

Herbed Lamb Stew

1 pound lamb or pork stew meat, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 cups beef broth

1 cup dry red wine or beef broth

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed

1 bay leaf

2 cups peeled potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 1/2 cups sliced carrots

1 1/2 cup celery cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup dairy sour cream

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

In a large saucepan brown meat, half at a time, in hot oil. Drain fat. Return all meat to pan. Add broth, wine, garlic, marjoram, bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.

Cover;simmer 20 minutes or till nearly tender. Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. Return to boiling; reduce heat.

Cover; simmer about 30 minutes or till tender. Discard bay leaf. Mix sour cream and flour. Stir 1/2 cup of the liquid into sour cream mixture.

Return to pan. Cook and stir till bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

TIPS

Cutting Stew Meat

An economical way to make stew it to cut up your own stew meat. If the recipe calls for beef, buy a beef chuck pot roast; for pork, a pork blade roast; for lamb, a lamb shoulder roast. Trim the eparable fat from the meat then cut the meat into the size cubes the recipe calls.

Broth Substitutions

When you don't have time to make your own beef or chicken broth, try one of these convenience products; ready-to-use canned beef or chicken broth, canned condensed beef or chicken broth, or instant beef, chicken, or vegetable bouillon granules or cubes. Mix both the canned condensed broth and bouillon granules or cubes according to package directions before use.

Fruit -Filled Melons

2 large cantaloupes

1 medium orange, peeled and sectioned

1 medium apple, cored and coarsely chopped

1 medium peach, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced

1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and halved

1 8-ounce carton pineapple yogurt

2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salads dressing

2 teaspooons brown sugar

1 teaspoon grated gingerroot or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Leaf lettuce

Cut each cantaloupe in half and remove the seeds. Use a melon baller to scoop out pulp, reserving shells. Set aside 2 cups melon balls; reserve remaining melon for another use. Trim a thin slice from the bottom of each melon shell.

In a bowl mix the 2 cups melon balls, orange, apple, peach, blueberries., and strawberries. For dressing, stir together yogurt , mayonnaise, brown sugar and gingerroot. Line each melon shell with lettuce leaves. Divide fruit among melon shells. Top each with one-fourth of the dressing. Makes 4 side-dish servings.

Note: If desired, sprinkle with lemon juice to keep fruit from darkening.

TIPS:

Fruit is much more appealing when it looks freshly cut. To keep fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, apricots, nectarines from turning brown after they're cut, dip the fruit into, or brush it with, lemon juice or mixture of lemon juice and water. A mixture of water and ascorbic-acid color keeper, mixed according to package directions, works well, too.

24-Hour Vegetable Salad

4 cups torn iceberg lettuce, romaine, leaf lettuce, Bibb lettuce or fresh spinach

1 cup sliced fresh mushroom or broccoli flowerets, or 1 cup frozen peas

1 cup shredded carrot

6 slices bacon, crisp-cooked,drained and crumbled(1/4 pound)

3/4 cup shredded Swiss, American, or cheddar cheese (3 ounces)

2 green onions sliced

3/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried dillweed (optional)

Place lettuce or spinach in the bottom of a bowl., about 8 inches in a diameter. If desired, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Layer mushrooms, broccoli, or peas atop.

Then layer carrots.

Arrange egg slices and bacon over vegetables.

Top with 1/2 cup of the cheese and the green onions.

For dressing, combine mayonaise, lemon juice,and, if desired, dillweed.

Spread dressing over the top of salas, sealing the edge of bowl.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. Before serving, toss to coat the vegetables.

Sprinkle with additional sliced green onion, if desired.

Makes 6 to 8 side-dish servings.

Marinating Tips

• Pineapple juice as marinade base helps increase tenderness of meat and enhances flavor


• Marinade meats overnight for improve flavor.


• Turn meat over from time to time for even distribution and absorption of flavors.


• When marinating food, keep these guidelines in mind:

That certain foods like vegetables or chicken soak up marinades quicker than pork or red meat. For chicken, shrimp, fish or vegetables, 3-4 hours is usually good in the refrigerator. With pork or red meat, 6 hours works nicely, overnight works the best.

Click here for other cooking tips

Black Forest Cake

Black Forest Cake

200 g. unsalted butter

3/4 cup caster sugar

3 eggs. lightly beaten

1 teaspoon imitation vanilla essence

1 2/3 cups self-raising flour

1/3 cup plain flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup milk

1 1/4 cups cream, whipped

425 g. can pitted cherries, drained

white and dark chocolate curls, for decoration

PREHEAT OVEN to moderate 180 degrees centigrade. Brush a deep, 23 cm. round cake tin with melted butter or oil, line base and side with paper; or grease paper.

Using electric beaters, beat butter and sugar in small mixing bowl until light and creamy. Add eggs gradually, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add essence; beat until combined.

Transfer mixture to large mixing bowl. Using a metal spoon, fold in sifted flours, cocoa coffee and soda alternately with combined buttermilk and milk. Stir until just combined and the mixture is almost smooth.

Pour mixture evenly into prepared tin: smooth the surface. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when inserted in centre of the cake. Leave cake in tin 20 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool.

To make Chocolate Mock Cream; Place chocolate in glass bowl. Stir over barely simmering water until melted; remove from heat. Beat butter in small mixing bowl until light and creamy. Add chocolate, beating 1 minute or until mixture is glossy and smooth.

Turn cake upside down. Cut into three layers horizontally. Place first layer on serving plate. Spread cake evenly with half the whipped cream, top with half the cherries. Continue layering with remaining cake, cream and cherries, ending with cake on top.

Spread mock Cream over top and sides, using a flat bladed knife. Using a piping bag, pipe stars of remaining mixture around cake rim. Decorate top with chocolate curls

The All New Cheese and Pesto Spread

1 8 ounce package cream cheese

1 4 1/2- ounce package Brie cheese

1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup firmly packed parsley sprigs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds

2 cloves garlic, quartered

1/4 cup olive oil or cooking oil

1/2 cup whipping cream

crackers or sliced French Bread

Soften cream cheese and Brie cheese.
For pesto, in a blender container combine basil, parsley, Parmesan cheese, nuts, garlic, and 2 tablespoon oil. Cover, blend with on-off turns till a paste forms. Gradually add remaining oil, blending on low speed till smooth.

Beat cream cheese and Brie together till nearly smooth. Beat whipping cream till soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into cheese mixture.
Line a 3 1/2- or 4 cup mold with plastic wrap.
Spread one-fourth of cheese mixture into mold.
Top with one-third of pesto. Repeat layers twice.
Top with cheese mixture. Chill 6 to 24 hours.
To serve, unmold on plate. Remove plastic wrap. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired. Serve with crackers. Makes 3 1/2 cups (24servings).

Organizing Your Kitchen

A well organized kitchen will help you cook faster and more efficiently. To make sure your kitchen is in top working order, follow these tips.

Stockpiling Staples

Keep your kitchen running smoothly by always having an ample supply of staple ingredients on hand items such as flour, sugar, eggs and milk. Although you shouldn't buy more than you can use in a reasonable period of time, buy enough to avoid extra trips to the grocery store.

Some common ingredients, such as sugar and flour, can be bought in quantity and stored in canisters or other airtight containers for several months. Since herbs and spices lose their flavor in about a year, purchase them in small quantities. The staple ingredients you'll want to stock depend on the foods and recipes you prepare. The following list includes ingredients commonly used in preparing a healthy food. Use this list as a guide when compiling your own list.

All purpose flour, sugar, brown sugar, shortening, cooking oil, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, pepper, spices, herbs, vanilla, mayonnaise, or salad dressing, prepared mustard, honey, vinegar, catsup, Worcestershire sauce, bottled hot pepper sauce, bouillon granules, coffee, tea, pasta, cereals, bread, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, milk, margarine, or butter, cheese, salad greens, vegetables, fruits, and fruit juices.

Which Form to Buy

When buying meats, vegetables, fruits, and other perishables, choose the form- fresh, canned, dried, or frozen that best fits your needs and storage facilities. When buying green beans, for example, choose fresh if you plan to cook them in a day or two. But if you're buying them to use at the end of the week, or just to keep on hand, buy frozen or canned. If freezer space is limited, opt for canned or dried items.

Arranging Food and Utensils

For maximum efficiency, keep in mind where, what, and how you cook. Place food supplies and utensils as close as possible to the spot where you'll use them. Save easy-to-reach shelve sand cupboards for the items you use most often. Store less frequently used items in more-out-of-the-way places.

Arrange canned goods and packaged mixes on shelves by types of food so that you can find them quickly and easily Periodically check the expiration dates on the labels and dispose of foods past their prime. Store the newest cans or packages toward the back and move older items to the front.

Avoid storing foods near appliances that give off heat (such as stoves, refrigerators, and freezers), or in damp areas. Heat and moisture shorten the shelf life of canned and packaged food.