50 Cent Garlic Fries

Another money saver! Rather than going out and spending a few dollars on some french fries, why not make your own? I bought two potatoes for half a buck and it could have fed two! So scrumptious too.. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 russet potatoes, peeled
3 cloves garlic, minced
water
canola oil
garlic powder
salt
paprika
chili powder
parsley

Directions
Holding the potato horizontally, cut 1/2 inch off one end to create a flat side. Next, hold the potato so that it's standing tall on the flat end. Cut potato into 1/2 inch slices. Create consistently shaped french fries by stacking a few slices on top of each other and slicing each into about 1/3 inch slices.

Blanch potatoes by placing them into a large pot and adding just enough water so that all are covered. Lightly salt the water and boil for 3-5 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Drain potatoes and place in a bowl of ice water to stop cooking.

Preheat oven to 350. Wrap garlic in a loose ball of aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes. Once timer is up,  turn off the heat and leave the garlic in the oven until ready for use.

Extract water from the potatoes by wrapping a handful at a time in paper towels. If you like, you can let the potatoes air dry but it's not necessary. Extracting water makes for crisper fries and also minimizes splattering while frying.


Using a heavy pot, heat enough canola oil so that it's 1-2 inches deep. You'll know that the oil is ready for frying when you sprinkle a drop of water into the pot and it quickly snaps up. Use tongs to drop fries into the oil. Don't add too many at once, only about a handful at a time. Let fry for about 5 minute or until golden brown. While they are frying, prepare a plate with paper towels to allow the fries to drain. Sprinkle with garlic and scant amounts of each seasoning and serve hot!

Cream Puffs

These delicious little treats are sure to impress your guests! I left some out and froze the majority of the batch in an airtight container. Remove them from the freezer about 5 minutes to enjoy anytime! For the filling, be sure to have a pastry bag and a chopstick on hand.

Ingredients
Filling
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk

Batter
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs vanilla
3 eggs
powdered sugar

Directions
Make the filling by mixing the pudding mix, heavy cream and milk in a bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator to set. Once set, transfer to a pastry bag.

Preheat oven to 425. For the batter, bring butter and water to a bowl in a medium sized pot. Remove from heat and add salt flour and vanilla until it forms a large ball. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Let cool about 10 minutes before adding eggs. Otherwise, the eggs will begin to "cook". Mix eggs into dough, incorporating well.

Use a tablespoon to drop onto an un-greased cookie sheet or silpat. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. 2 minutes before end time, use a toothpick to perforate each puff. This prevents the puff from collapsing. Place on cooling rack.

Once cool, poke a chopstick into each puff and move it in a circular motion to create room for the filling. Although it's not necessary, you can do this to put the maximize the amount of filling. Try to keep the hole as small as possible. Place tip of pastry bag at the same hole and fill until pastry is full. Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Baby Blueberry Muffins

These blueberry muffins are super cute and super moist! Definitely near the top of my list of things to bake. Although I used a mini muffin tin, you can also opt for regular muffin tins, using paper liners or just using aluminum liners. Be sure to test the muffin with a toothpick and if it comes out clean and dry, you're good to go!

Ingredients
Batter
6 Tbs unsalted butter
1/3 cup skim milk
1 egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups fresh (definitely not frozen) blueberries
cooking spray

Streusel
3 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup all-pourpose flour
6 Tbs brown sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 375. For batter, melt butter over low heat. Remove from heat and mix with milk, yolk and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Use a whisk to incorporate wet and dry mixes. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to gently fold in blueberries. Set aside.

For streusel, place butter, flour and brown sugar in a bowl. Use your hands to break up butter and mix ingredients. You'll know when you're finished when mixture is crumbly. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and fill each cup about 2/3 full of batter. Sprinkle with streusel. Bake about 22 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean and dry.

Palabok

Palabok is a Filipino noodle dish. It is one of my sisters' favorite Filipino meals that my mother makes. The part that makes it so great is all the toppings. So, make sure you don't skip out on anything! As the cook, it's also really fun to decorate the dish!

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 package of thin *pancit noodles
2 packages of *pancit palabok mix
1/2 lb shrimp, boiled and de-shelled
1 hard boiled egg, sliced
1/3 cup green onions, minced
1 lemon sliced
pork *chicharon, grounded

Directions
Saute garlic until golden brown. Place on paper towel and set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add pancit noodles. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until soft. Transfer to a strainer and run cold water through to stop cooking. Place drained noodles in a serving bowl. Cook two packages of pancit palabok mix according to directions. Pour sauce over noodles. Decorate noodles with garlic, shrimp, egg, some green onions and some lemon. Place chicharon and remaining green onions and lemon in side dishes.

*Note: These ingredients can be found at Filipino grocery stores.

Beef Mechado

This tomato based beef stew is a traditional Filipino dish. Although slow cooking beef challenges the patience, it yields such delicious results! So, be sure to take your time with this recipe. Although I prefer to use healthier options when cooking, sometimes brown rice just doesn't go with Asian inspired foods! It's up to you of course, but beef mechado is best served with white rice =]

Ingredients
1.5 lb beef, cut into 3 inch cubes
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 russet potato, peeled and cut into eighths
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small or 1 large can tomato sauce
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
cooking oil

Directions
Combine beef, soy sauce and black pepper in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours. Blanch potatoes and carrots by placing in lightly salted boiling water for 3-5 minutes, or until tender. Remove vegetables and place in a bowl of ice to stop cooking. Set aside. Oil the bottom of a large pot and saute garlic and onion. Add marinated beef and slow cook until browned and only center is pink (water may be added to keep meat soft). Add tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots and bell pepper and simmer until center of beef is no longer pink. Add bell pepper and let simmer for 3 minutes. Serve over white rice and enjoy!

Tortilla Chips & Salsa

Do you ever wonder why 1 bag of tortilla chips is about $3? What about why they only sell corn tortillas in bags of 25 or more? It's because you're supposed to make your own tortilla chips! I bought a bag of corn tortillas for about $1.50 but only needed about 4 tortillas to equal a basket of chips. This is quick and simple and the best part about it is you can enjoy them while they're warm!


Ingredients
6 inch corn tortillas (preferably white)
canola oil
lime
salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Use a brush to oil both sides of corn tortillas. Stack oiled tortillas on top of each other. Use a pizza cutter to slice into sixths. Spread evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet. Squeeze lime over chips. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Salt to taste and enjoy while warm!

Salsa is one of my favorite things to make because the fresh ingredients give so much flavor and it requires no cooking at all! You can adjust this recipe to preference as some prefer more or less cilantro, peppers or onion.


Ingredients
1/4 cup cilantro, de-stemmed
14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes
1/2 serrano pepper (optional. add seeds for spicy, no seeds for medium)
1/3 cup white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs jalapeno juice (optional)
salt
pepper

Directions
Use a food chopper to blend cilantro and half the can of diced tomatoes and pepper for about 10 seconds. Pour mixture into a large bowl and stir in remainder of can, onions, garlic and jalapeno juice (optional). Add salt and pepper to taste.