Keeping your Vegetables Fresh and Crisp

Gone to supermarket today?

Notice that people do just unload the grocery stuffs from the bags and place it on the designated shelves. This includes plunking the vegetables into your refrigerator without any second thought of wrapping it. Time to learn how to use your refrigerator more efficiently and know why your lettuce turns brown, your carrots go limp, and your tomatoes taste like cardboard?

The following questions can determine the proper handling of vegetables:
1.    Which vegetable absord or release odors?
2.    How much humidity is best?
3.    Which vegetables absorb or release odors?
4.    Which vegetable adsorb or release ethylene?
5.    What’s your optimal temperature?


Get to Know Your Refrigerator

Your refrigerator should be in the right temperature of 34°- 40°F (1°-4°C) as disease-carrying bacteria grow above 40°F. Spoilage bacteria can still grow on foods at 40°F below. This case, the taste and smell are affected, but generally not harmful.

Vegetable can freeze if the temperature is too low as most refrigerators have particular compartments or commonly known as crisp drawers to store more fruits and vegetables, often with slide mechanisms to control the humidity in the drawer. You can spread an old newspaper in the crisps drawer to prevent mess and to keep it odorless. You can group vegetables by their temperature and humidity needs. Crisper drawers are most effective when they are at least two-thirds full.

Some households use a thermometer or a humidity gauge to examine temperature and humidity in different parts of the refrigerator. An open setting or ambient temperature and humidity in different parts of the refrigerator is good for green leafy vegetables, non-leafy, cucumbers, root vegetables, celery, collards, leeks, summer squash, and peppers. If the temperature stays below 40°F (4°C), food is safe to eat; if it goes above 40°F for over two hours, food should be discarded.

Fine Grilled Porkchop Satay Style

Hello food lovers. Weekend is coming and it’s the time for us to be with our love ones. Some might go for a picnic and some will go home to the province or they just eat in their favorite restaurant and go shopping.

But how about those who will just stay at home together? Do not worry because here's something I want to share with you which you can cook at home and enjoy this juicy grilled pork with your family.

It’s just like eating in a restaurant with your family with this recipe I'm going to share with you so you might want to add this in your cooking menus because this is also good when eating on a picnic or at the beach.

So here it is. Below is the recipe for the juicy Grilled Porkchop that we have listed so we could share it to the community. Enjoy!

Fine Grilled Porkchop Satay Style

Ingredients:

2 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp chopped ginger

½ cup milk

2 tsp ground turmeric or

1 tbsp chopped ginger juice of 6 calamansi

2 tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp salt

6-8 pcs pork chop

Instructions:

1. Combine garlic, ginger, milk, turmeric, calamansi, brown sugar, and salt.

2. Pour mixture over pork chops and marinate at least 30 minutes.

3. Grill over hot charcoals until done. Serve hot.

You might want to serve it with fried rice since its grilled food and not soup. Happy weekends everyone and enjoy the new recipe. On the next post, I will share with you a recipe for cooking shrimps.

If you have some recipe you want to share here on the site just visit our Guest Post guidelines by clicking the menu above so we could feature you as a Guest Blogger. The recipe you will share will help a lot to the community.

Freezing Chocolate Banana Shake

Its been stressful this week. Too many workload, rushing of deadline reports, and completing necessary requirements. My mind couldn't calm and always thinking of something. I just wish I could freeze my mind so my body could also relax.

When I got home I've seen a banana and some milk and chocolates which have just been bought. At that time, an idea comes to mind. I'm gonna make some shake to cool off my mind and relax watching movies.

This really freezes out my mind as if all the reports, requirements, and other problems have been frozen. Power of the body has been replenished afterwards. This is something and should be shared to others I said. So below is the shakes recipe to guide you.

Freezing Chocolate Banana Shake

Ingredients:

4  pcs. Large lacatan banana, peeled & sliced

2-3 cups ice cubes

½ cup milk

Chocolates

½ condesada

1 cup water

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

2. Serve immediately.

For those who are stressed out at work or in school. Try it out and feel the cooling freeze of the shake. It will take you to the NorthPole. :)

Those who want to be featured as a Guest Blogger here, please check out our guest posting guidelines by clicking on the “Guest Post” button above.

Soupy Noodles with Ham and Chicken

As we have mentioned in our last post, we'll gonna feature Soupy noodles with Ham and Chicken. This soup is incredibly delicious. We love to eat this specially if its raining or a typhoon. It calms the soul. The shredded chicken and ham makes the taste of the soup absolutely amazing because they mixed well to the soup making it balance.

Below is the recipe for the soup so you could try making it at home and taste why we love it specially when its raining.  

Ingredients

½ lb fresh wheat flour noodles or angel hair pasta

3 cups Chinese Chicken Stock

3 slices of fresh ginger

2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 cup shredded cooked chicken

½ cup shredded ham

2 scallion, cut into 2-inch pieces

Salt

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Procedure

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water, drain well.

2. In a large saucepan, combine stock and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove and discard ginger.

3. Add soy sauce and noodles to pan. Return to a simmer and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken, ham, and scallions. Simmer until just warm, about 2 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Add sesame oil and spoon into bowls to serve.

Siomai Pinoy Recipe

Its now rainy season and we tend to stay at home with our families. We try to make ourselves warm and relax.  So here's something we would like to share with you which you can make while you are at home. The recipe of Siomai.

This dimsum is originally made by Chinese and it was love by Filipinos. You could see every corner here in Manila eating Siomai. So we decided to make it at home. It was last week and its kinda good and it wasn't that hard to make some. 

Below is the recipe for Siomai we have listed.

Ingredients:

 

2 ½ lbs ground pork

1 cup shrimp, minced

2 cups water chestnuts, minced

5 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp ground black pepper

1 cup onion, minced

1 cup carrots, minced

1 ½ cups white mushroom, minced

1 pack won ton wrapper

¼ cup scallions, minced

2 tsp salt

1 piece raw egg

water for steaming

 

Procedures:

1. Combine all the ingredients except for the water and wanton wrapper and mix thoroughly.

2. Wrap the mixed ingredients using the won ton wrapper.

3. Using a steamer, steam the wrapped siomai for 15 to 25 minutes. The time depends on the size of each individual piece (larger size means more time steaming).

4. Serve hot with soy sauce and calamansi or lemon dip. Share and enjoy!

It wasn't that hard isn't? Try coming back because the next post will be about "Soupy Noodles with Ham and Chicken". Great for the rainy season. If you have something to share with us or would like to featured as a guest writer just contact us in our contact form and we will be in touch.

Lasagna Recipe For Family

Its been awhile since we had a post here. So to make it up let me share with you a food recipe I'm sure you'll gonna love. The perfect lasagna recipe that pleases even the pickiest eaters time after time.



There are so many different types of lasagna recipes as well as many diverse variations of the beloved Italian favorite. The dish did originate in Italy, not the rumored British Isles. The word is derived from the Greek word lasana or lasonon, which refer to the cooking pot rather than the pasta dish we’re all so fond of.

The reason why it’s so popular has to do with the use of cheese, ricotta and mozzarella in this case. The classic trio of garlic, oregano and basil found throughout Italian cuisine and in this lasagna recipe, plays a major role as well. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

16 pieces (about 16 oz.) lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 pound ground beef
1 jar (about 28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water
16 ounces ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 teaspoons chopped oregano
2 teaspoons chopped basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In large skillet, brown meat; drain.

2. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water; simmer 10 minutes.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Lay flat on foil to cool.

4. Heat oven to 350°F.

5. In large bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, oregano, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.

6. Spread about 1/3 cup meat sauce on bottom of 13 x 9 glass baking dish. Arrange 4 pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce, overlapping edges. Spread one-third cheese mixture over pasta; spread with about 3/4 cup meat sauce.

7. Repeat layers, beginning and ending with pasta. Top with remaining meat sauce; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

8. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil; bake about 10 minutes longer, or until lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.


Its easy isn't? Now you have a Lasagna which you can enjoy with your family and love ones.

Cucumber Juice

Cucumber is used for various purposes as it can be eaten raw or cooked. Cucumber has so many health benefits. In fact, it becomes of the most important parts of food diet as well as skin diet.

Cucumber helps reduce swelling around the eyes or the big dark circles under your eyes. This is considered to be world’s treatment which is being used to its maximum extent. Moreover, cucumber results to a blissful glowing skin as it helps in soothing and softening your skin and gives you a vibrant aura. Due to its cooling effect it can be considered as an ultimate secret To keep cucumbers fresh, cucumbers can best be stored sealed in shrink foil. Sealing a cucumber increases its shelf life considerably. The taste may be mild almost watery flavor or a light melon taste.

Before summer says bye-bye, why not try cucumber at home? Refreshing, indeed!

The recipe is so easy. All you need is:

1Cucumber
1/4cup Sugar
2cups Chilled milk
1/2cup water
1tsp Vanilla extract

1. Cut the cucumber into small pieces.
2. Put everything in a blender. Blend them well.
3. Serve the milk shake. Keep chilled or you may put some ice cubes.

Summer Strawberry Sundae

Here comes the summer and it’s your opportunity to indulge yourself with some desserts once again.

What do you have in mind?

Ice cream?

Yes, the number in the list!

The colorful the ice cream is, the more enticing it is. The top classic bestseller flavors are mango, chocolate, vanilla, mocha, and of course, let’s not forget, strawberry.

All right, close your eyes and think about these colors. Red. Pink. White.

These are the colors that complete my favorite ice cream, and I shall name it Summer Strawberry Sundae. 

Tongue twister? It can be!

Strawberries are one of the western’s favorite fruits. Many states in the US do hold strawberry festivals to celebrate the copious harvest when they have ripened already. People in the village put the strawberries in a huge basket and have it processed for hundreds of recipes.

Strawberries become sweet and tasty during summer. This is the perfect time to make a strawberry ice cream. Strawberry sundae sometimes includes chopped nuts, whipped cream, chocolate or strawberry sauce on top, and of course the ‘queen’ of sundae, maraschino cherry.  

The Origin of Sundae

The term sundae was derived basically from the word Sunday. According to one source, it was also derived from the German name Sonntag which means Sunday. On the other hand, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word sundae is obscure.

One source says that the name sundae was adopted as a result of Illinois state’s prohibition of ice cream consumption on Sundays. In fact, various localities in the US have claimed to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae. These include Ithaca, New York, Wisconsin, New Orleans, Louisiana, Cleveland, and Ohio.

How to prepare a Strawberry Sundae

Strawberry sundae are well-loved by some dessert enthusiasts especially kids. It is low in saturated fats and fiber, yet very high in calories. Sugar is the main component.

Strawberry Sundae

This recipe serves:  2

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
4 scoops vanilla non-fat frozen yogurt
2 teaspoons walnuts, chopped
2 teaspoons semisweet chocolate shavings or sprinkles

Cooking Instructions

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the sliced strawberries with sugar.
2. Puree half of the strawberries in a food processor to make a strawberry sauce. Reserve the sauce and the remaining sliced strawberries in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Pour a few teaspoons of strawberry sauce into the bottom of each sundae glass. Add a scoop of frozen yogurt to each and drizzle with more strawberry sauce. Add another scoop of frozen yogurt and top with the remaining sauce and sliced strawberries.
4. Decorate each sundae with nuts and chocolate shavings.

Lovely! You may start preparing your special strawberry sundae.

Get cozy on your hammock and enjoy the summer.

Oh, don’t forget the cherry, please.

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