Easter Recipes and Crafts

In the Philippines, Holy Week (Semana Santa/Lenten Season) is a big deal so for the entire week the Philippines commemorate the sacrifice, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ culminating with Easter Sunday for some festive activities. It's no so much easter egg hunting as it's done in the US - but it has more of a religious feel and it's truly as big as Christmas day. Every one is happy and celebrates the fact that Christ rose from the dead.

Bagel and Creamy Egg Breakfast Sandwich

We have a bagel shop that does a Baker's dozen (13 pieces instead of 12) every Wednesday, so often we wait until Wednesday to buy our Bagels as they are on sale and so much cheaper. Normally, my kids are happy with just Bagel and Cream Cheese for breakfast, perhaps with a teaspoon or two of jam added for good measure. But sometimes,  I get tired of that same old, same old bagel and cream cheese combo so occasionally I will cook some eggs and have them with bagels instead. When I am feeling indulgent, I spread a little mayo or add a slice of cheese on a toasted and buttered bagel with this creamy egg. A few sprinkles of chopped chives perfectly round-up this delicious and filling breakfast sandwich. Enjoy!

Sausage and Egg Fried Rice

If there is one dish that I make a few times a week (yes, a week not a month) it has to be Sinangag or Fried Rice. It should not come as a surprise, after all, I have grown up eating rice 3x a day and my hubby, who prefers a more gluten-free diet, also loves it, too. My kids, naturally, are big rice eaters too so it makes a lot of sense for me to always cook a big batch of rice. Perhaps, I am just too lazy to make a small batch of rice each time (after all, I only need to push the cook button on my rice cooker and it does all the job!). However, the truth is, I make a huge batch of rice each time so I have left-overs which means, extra rice for making fried rice the next day. This time I don't mind the extra effort of cooking it - in fact, we don't have any microwave so everything has to be heated up on the stove top every time, anyway.

Baked Eggs with Herbs and Tomatoes

It's been awhile since I wrote a breakfast post which is funny because I have quite a few recipes for breakfast that I haven't blogged yet. I thought that for today's post, it's got to be breakfast. Last weekend we made this easy and scrumptious Baked Eggs with Herbs and Tomatoes for brunch. I love that it is such a versatile recipe --- you can vary the tastes by flavoring this very simple tomato sauce with some spices like curry or chili powder, or by adding pesto instead, or using a variety of herbs like basil, parsley or cilantro/coriander perhaps. The sky is the limit! For brunch, serve this with some crusty bread that you can use to mop up the sauce. :-D

Sweet Red Pepper and Cheese Frittata

Growing up, we always had hot breakfast. It was just the norm. We would wake up to the aroma of rice cooking in the pot and some eggs being fried or scrambled and often with some meat or fish (for my Dad) on the side.

Travels and Travails and Full English Breakfast

I feel like, with all the trouble I had gone through recently just to make it here to the UK, I ought to write a post about it. It's not really because I want to rant or something but because I think what I went through may be interesting enough for a read and certainly will open your eyes about certain aspects of travelling that you may not be aware of....

White Chocolate and Coconut Egg Nests

I promised the two tots (William and Sophie) that I will give them a sweet treat for Easter. However, I didn't want to do anything that's going to require too much work for me. It has to be something I can enjoy doing and something I actually would love to eat as well!

Boerewors with Scrambled Eggs, Caramelized Onions and Tomatoes

We lived in South Africa for about six months back in 2007. We have fallen in love not only with the amazing sights of this wonderfully picturesque country but also it's food, glorious food! The variety of food that we got to sample there are just plentiful and truly flavorful. Now when you say South African Food - one truly stands out - the ever-famous Boerewors. The word Boer in Afrikaan means - farmer and Wors - mean sausage so taken together it literally means Farmer's Sausage. Ask any South African and they will smile from ear to ear if you ask them about Boerewors! We got in on the bandwagon once we tasted it and - oh what a lovely sausage it really is. I would say truly one of the best in the world!

              This is what Boerwors typically look like and the jars behind are the   

usual condiments you may have with it.

We really missed it so much when we came back to Holland, MI and thought we'll never get to try it again until our next visit to SA. But, lo and behold, what a surprise - our own little butcher shop actually makes very authentic Boerewors. You're probably wondering how this beautiful sausage made its way to a tiny town in the Midwest. Of course, we asked our butcher, when we found a package of Boerewors sitting on his freezer aisle, how he managed to get hold of the recipe for Boerewors and here's the story.

Apparently, there's a South African couple that has now made Holland, MI their home. And being true South Africans - they cannot live without their Boerewors so off they went to the butcher's shop and offered their recipe (a very closely guarded secret for everyone in SA try to claim that theirs is better than everyone else's!). They'd rather give out their secret recipe away than not ever taste Boerewors ever again! The butcher at the urging (let's say begging...) from this South African couple gave in and said, ok I'll give it a try. To make the long story short, these Boerewors have now become a staple in their store and is always one of the top-sellers during summer time. It was a great and pretty authentic recipe for it tastes exactly the same as the ones we have tried in South Africa. Now we are as happy as that South African couple (who unfortunately, we haven't even met in person...) for we can enjoy our Boerewors anytime we want to have them!

While Boerewors are perfect for grilling and wonderful sandwiched in a hotdog bun complete with all the condiments, sometimes, I like to have it for breakfast too. I cook it and then combine it with some caramelized onions and grape tomatoes all mixed up together in one delicious scramble. If you cannot find boerewors, have no fear, I am sure you can try this recipe with your favorite breakfast sausage or links too! Enjoy!

Ingredients

Olive Oil (for cooking the sausages and onion)
1 lb South African Boerewors (or your favorite breakfast Sausage), chopped diagonally
1 medium to large onion, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons, butter
5 eggs
1/2 - 1 cup grape tomatoes - really small ones (however much you want)
Salt and Pepper

Procedure

In a frying pan, heat a little olive oil. Cook the Boerwors until they are nicely browned. Set aside and keep warm.

Clean the pan or at least scrape off the bits and pieces from the sausage. Add another tablespoon of  oil  and the butter. Let the butter melt. Once melted, add the chopped onions and cook until they are tender and slightly brown and caramelized.

 

While the onions are cooking, break 5 eggs and place them in a bowl. Whisk the eggs to combine. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the eggs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

 

Get another large frying pan (other than the one previously used) and add a little more oil. Use medium-high heat and wait until you almost reach the smoking point. The key to a perfect and fluffy scramble is high heat. Once the pan is hot enough, pour in the eggs. You know that your heat is just right when the eggs sizzle immediately upon contact. Let it set a little (just a few seconds) and then add in all the rest of the ingredients (sausages, onions and grape tomatoes). Stir and cook to your desired doneness. This doesn't take very long.

 

Serve  immediately and with rice (at least that's what I'll recommend!), if possible! Enjoy a delicious breakfast!

 If you like what you see and would like to receive new recipe updates we'd love you to subscribe to our posts and join our site. Also do like us in Facebook so you can get the latest updates and so much more. Thanks for visiting and happy browsing!

Eggs, Spinach and Mushrooms Skillet

A delicious breakfast or brunch dish - Eggs, Spinach and Mushrooms Skillet. All done on the stove top. Naturally nutritious, low-carb and gluten-free!

If you are a follower of this blog or our Facebook page you would notice that I love to have eggs, spinach and mushrooms for breakfast. I have a few recipes that feature all these three ingredients together in one dish. I think they all work together well that's why. The texture and flavors of each of these lovely and nutritious ingredients all combine to produce a delicious breakfast dish. However, when you have the same recipe all over again you get tired of it no matter how great it is. That's why I make a rotation for these ingredients. I don't cook them together in the same recipe all the time. I try to make variations whenever possible. Here's another lovely recipe using this three ingredients which this time does not involve the oven but just a skillet on the stove top. Easy and pretty to.

Now, depending on how big your skillet and the number of people you want to serve this - you can make up to 5 eggs/5 servings in one go. Since we are only a family of 4, more often than not, we use 4 eggs for 4 servings though occasionally if it's just me and hubby eating, we cut it down to 3 eggs.

While Spinach is my favorite greens to use - feel free to use Kale or Swiss Chard if you like.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Olive oil (for cooking the mushrooms)
1 (8 oz package) mini-bella mushrooms, chopped
1 (10 oz) package fresh spinach or about 5-6 cups firmly packed spinach
3-4 eggs

A little butter (optional)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

 Procedure

Heat the oil in a large skillet or fying pan. Saute the mushrooms until they are tender and have fully released their water about 6-8 minutes. Set Aside.

Place the spinach in the frying  pan or skillet that you cooked the mushrooms in. Add a little water, 2 tablespoons more or less. Using medium heat, cook the spinach just until wilted, about 2-4 mins. Use either your hand or a spatula to pack in the spinach.

Bring back the mushrooms to the skillet. You may season the vegetables lightly with salt and pepper at this point. Depending on the number of eggs you are using, create wells (if using 4 eggs, then 4 wells) in the middle by pushing the spinach and mushrooms to the side.

Dot each well with a little butter or spray with a little oil.

Crack an egg on each well. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Cook until the eggs are fully set or to your desired doneness roughly 5-6 minutes.





Serve with toast or if you're Pinoy, with rice of course. Enjoy!

If you like what you see and would like to receive new recipe updates we'd love you to subscribe to our posts and join our site. Also do like us in Facebook so you can get the latest updates and so much more. Thanks for visiting and happy browsing! 

The Philippines and Leche Flan

 

As I was writing this, snow was falling hard outside and though I like looking at the glistening snowflakes they made me think of the warm tropical climate of my archipelago. The shivers down my spine made me long for the sunny days in Manila. Since I needed to write a blog post about Leche Flan I thought I would tie it with some lovely photos of the Philippines.

Of course, when I think "warm" the first thing that comes to mind is the white sandy beaches of Boracay. It's not really warm there - more like "hot!" But the beach which has been named one of the world's best a few times is the main attraction. White and fine as talcum powder, the sand makes walking on the beach not only ideal but truly romantic. Imagine the glorious sunsets and Boracay is well known for that too.

We love Boracay so much that we decided it would be our first stop on our honeymoon tour. 

We went there for our honeymoon in 2003. It wasn't just us though, we brought the entire English entourage including Mark's mom and aunt. Fancy that?  It was fun though! From right to left - Mark, Mark Ellis, Janet (Mark's Aunt), John Rayner, Paul Priest, Margaret (Mark's mom), Abby (me) and the manager of the resort where we stayed in Boracay. We thought that seeing as they had flown that far to attend our wedding, we should take them to Boracay as well!

Another photo of Boracay taken by Mark. He is such a good photographer. He just knows how to capture the right angle and shot.

The two photographs below were taken in Tagaytay where Mark and I got married. It's about an hour drive outside of Manila and is a favorite place to visit during summer for its cooler climate.

This is Taal Lake and Taal Volcano in the middle.

With our first and secondary sponsors during our wedding in Tagaytay overlooking Taal Lake. What a happy day!

Here are just some photos of the place where I spent my childhood. Our town is called Gasan and it is in the province of Marinduque, one of the 7,107 islands of the Philippines.

This is Gasan shoreline, our house is located behind the palm trees in the foreground. When I was growing up I remember my mom buying the first catch of the day from fishermen who just came back from their overnight fishing. Fish straight from the sea....you can't get any fresher than that! Sometimes in the afternoons either after class or during summer time my friends and I ride these little bancas (outriggers) around the shore until the sun sets. Needless to say there was lots of swimming though I must admit I never really learned how to swim properly and almost drowned twice. One time, a friend and I got caught out of our depth. I was able to swim myself but my friend was pulling me under. I really thought that I was going to drown. All I could do was pray - "O Lord, please save me". Thankfully, my father arrived right on time and rescued us both. Amazing. It was in that same ocean where I almost drowned that I was baptized a few months later.

The island you can see in the photograph above is Gaspar Island one of the three islands that belong to my town. Every summer we go to this island for swimming, snorkelling, barbecues and to have some fun!

This is the sand bar that you land in as you approach Gaspar Island. The water is so clean and clear here as you can see. Our little island Marinduque is truly paradise in itself. It will always be my home.

Now about the recipe, Filipinos have a sweet tooth and we always love to eat, too! And one of our favorite desserts is Leche Flan (Creme Caramel) - a classic Filipino dessert. Traditionally, Leche Flan is steamed but here I am baking it instead so it's much easier.

Ingredients

For the caramel topping:

6 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 Tablespoons water

Don't forget the llaneras or custard molds/ramekins. I use 2 llaneras (Pinoy oval-shaped tin molds) for this recipe. Have them at hand.

To make the caramel, place the sugar and water in a shallow pan in medium heat. Stir the mixture and cook until the sugar melts and begins to boil. When it starts to really thicken, immediately pour the sugar on the tins/mold.  Divide it evenly between the molds (if using more than 1). Spread it until it covers the bottom of the molds. The caramel should harden immediately. Set aside.

For the custard:

7 egg yolks (8 if your yolks are quite small) - separate them well from the egg whites

1 cup whole milk (2 % milk is fine if that is preferred)

3/4 of a can of condensed milk

Zest of one lemon or 1/4 tsp lemon extract (2 tsps of lemon juice also work)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 190 C.

Whisk together the egg yolks in a big bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

Pour the mixture in the prepared custard molds or ramekins. Place the molds in a baking dish big enough to hold all. Fill the pan with hot water (hot water from the tap is fine) up to half the height of the molds.

Bake for about 30-35 mins. (Adjust the time depending on the size of molds being used). For my llaneras, 35 minutes is just right. The custard should have set nicely at this point. It will firm up more as you leave it overnight in the fridge.

Cool completely on a rack and then refrigerate. Overnight refrigeration is recommended.

To serve, run a thin knife around the mold and then invert onto a plate. Enjoy such creamy deliciousness! By the way, I used a heart cookie cutter to achieve the heart shape but you can of course use a heart-shaped mold if you have one.

If you like what you see and would like to receive new recipe updates, feel free to join our site or like us on Facebook. Happy browsing!

Baked Spinach and Eggs

Have I already mentioned that I love hot cooked breakfast? Perhaps just a million times! I am a creature of habit, that's why. I grew up in our island of Marinduque having cooked breakfast all the time. Everyday. It was the norm. We had rice for breakfast everyday - almost always accompanied by eggs and with some meat cooked in a variety of  ways (pork tocino, beef tapa or perhaps even some left-over fried chicken) and yes, even fish - whether smoked (Tinapa) or fried (Daing - first comes to mind)! Of course, I should not forget the Ma-ling (Chinese Spam) or the more expensive Spam! I won't mind having them everyday though I will probably gain a few pounds if  I do so. :-)

But that's just the way it is, I assume, in most houses in the Philippines. Breakfast is almost like dinner in the sense that people still eat together whenever they can. Kids have to be up early for school and parents need to prepare for work so it makes sense for everyone to eat together. Well, at least it was like this in our house when we were growing up. There's only one cook - whether it was my mom or a helper who makes breakfast so it's impractical to cook each breakfast dish on piecemeal basis. If you want to eat a later breakfast, you may, but it would be a cold one. We usually gather at a certain time and though we would leave some food for anyone who wakes up later than usual, the food would have gone cold. My brother can attest to this! When we were young we didn't have a microwave so nuking the food to reheat it was not an option. Even nowadays, not many people in the Philippines use the microwave though already readily available.

Anyway, talking about hot breakfasts and eggs - here's a very easy dish that you can prepare in minutes. Love this breakfast anytime!

Ingredients

6 cups firmly packed baby spinach or 1 (10 oz or up to 1 lb) bag fresh baby spinach*
4 eggs (can increase to 6 if you are using more spinach)
Salt and freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp crumbled Feta Cheese for 1-2 eggs (about 2-3 Tbps in total)   
Baking spray or a little oil for greasing

*You may use frozen spinach too.

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly spray or grease with a little oil individual ramekins or other small oven safe dishes that can accomodate 1-2 eggs. See photo above. Set aside.

Place the spinach in a deep skillet or a large frying pan. Add a little water (2-3 Tablespoons). Using medium heat, cook the spinach just until wilted, roughly 3-4 minutes. Use either your hand or a spatula to pack in the spinach. Drain the excess water well especially if you are using  frozen spinach.

Distribute the spinach evenly among the prepared ramekins or oven-safe dishes.



Crack 1-2 eggs on top of the spinach. Season lightly with salt and pepper - lightly because Feta cheese is pretty salty on its own. Sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese on top.

Place the baking dishes or ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for about 15-18 minutes or until the eggs are set/cooked (whites are set and yolks look firm on the edges) to your liking. I like mine well-done but some like eggs that are a little runny. Whatever you like as long as the eggs are susbtantially cooked inside, it's fine.

Serve with some toasted bread or rice on the side and tomato juice! A healthy breakfast that will keep you going for hours! Enjoy!

If you wish to print the recipes from Manila Spoon, there's a print-friendly icon at the end of the post. Click on the "remove images" box for easy and convenient printing.

If you like what you see and would like to receive new recipe updates, we'd love you to join our site, like us on Facebook or follow us on Pinterest. Happy browsing! 

Roast-Si-Log - Roast Beef - Sinangag [fried rice] - Itlog [egg]

Go around Metro Manila and when you order breakfast, you'll never miss TAP-SI-LOG on any menu. TAP-SI-What? Tapsilog (Tapa-sinangag-itlog / Beef - fried rice - egg combo) is a classic Filipino breakfast and truly one of my fave. Tapsilog is the term used when tapa (beef), fried rice (sinangag), and fried egg (itlog) are combined into one meal often served during breakfast but may be eaten anytime of the day.

 

Tapa, on the other hand, is dried or cured beef, similar to Beef Jerky. Thin slices of meat are cured with salt and spices as a method of preserving them. Tapa is best fried or grilled and often served with vinegar on the side. 

 When I used to work for the Supreme Court, I was able to order home-made tapa. It was delicious! The beef was already marinated and ready-to-cook. How easy was that? I miss those days. So far, I haven't been able to duplicate that kind of yummy beef tapa but I found a way to use left-over roast beef to make my own tapa (without any hasle) and discovered that it tastes similar to the "real cured tapa" but is never tough.

Nowadays, when I have left-over roast beef, then it would be on my breakfast menu the next day. I just fry the roast beef, in small batches, until it has dried a little and has some crunchy bite into it. While frying, I season it with a little salt and pepper and then shred them afterwards. Then to make it complete, I make some fried rice and  sunny-side up eggs to go with it. Easy and delicious! It's like I never left Manila.

I do hope someday to try and make my own "traditional tapa." For now Roast-Beef Tapa is fine for me! :-) Here's how to make easy -TAP-SI-LOG.

Ingredients

Left-over roast beef - here's the link to my slow-cooker roastbeef that I use for this.

Eggs (depends on how many you want to make)

2-3 cups cold left-over rice - if you want to make a more fancy fried rice - here's the recipe link

3-4 Garlic cloves, crushed

Oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste 

Procedure
Fried Rice

1. Heat a little oil in a wok or a large frying pan. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute.

2. Add the cold rice and stir-fry until fully warmed up. Season with salt and add a little soy sauce for color. 

   

Roast Beef.
Cut the roast beef into smaller chunks. Heat a frying pan with some oil (or if beef has enough fat on it, I leave out the oil). Fry the beef and season with salt and pepper. When it's already brown and crunchy, shred into pieces or leave as is.  

Eggs
As part of this breakfast dish, the eggs are usually fried and seasoned with a bit of salt on top.

Finally, assemble the rice, eggs and beef in a plate and enjoy with coffee!

Guest Post: Ginger Sesame Seed Noodles

There are certain recipes where the adage "less is more" truly applies. This is one of those. Sometimes the best flavors come out when you don't complicate the recipe. I think this is why I love this noodle dish from my blogger friend Jen of Jenbeansblog.  A quick look at the ingredients will show that the aromatic flavors of ginger, sesame seed oil and cilantro are enough to make this wonderful dish a hit on your palate. This is not to mention the health benefits you get from ginger, especially for women. Jen has expounded on this on her blog. Thanks again Jen for this lovely post! I truly love the healthy dishes you feature on your blog. Now, I'll have to go to the grocery and get me some ginger and eat this! Enjoy!



Ingredients

Canola oil
10 - 15 thin slices ginger
1/3 cup rice wine (found in most Asian supermarkets - try to find the cooking kind, it has a lower alcohol content and more of the rice-y flavour)
2 eggs
2 tsp soy sauce
Optional: can add some tofu or lean beef strips for greater levels of iron


200g thin wheat noodles, cooked and drained
4 - 5 tbsp sesame seed oil
Chopped cilantro for garnish



Procedure 

 In a hot cast iron skillet, fry ginger slices in oil until lightly browned and sticking to the pan and the aroma is wafting. Add in rice wine and gently scratch the ginger bits from the pan. Lower the heat to medium low.

Break two eggs into ginger/wine mixture and stir until cooked. Add in soy sauce. It will be kind of soupy looking.

Take the ginger/eggs off heat and stir in cooked noodles. Drizzle with sesame seed oil and divvy up into bowls. Drizzle a bit more sesame seed oil over top and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

 

Good replenishing to you all!

Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups (Baked Bacon and Eggs)

My family loves breakfast. While we like cereals because of its convenience, we don't want to have it on a daily basis. It becomes boring that way. Also, we don't want to miss out on other breakfast goodies. So I cook breakfast as much as I can so we can try new dishes. 

Here's an easy but delicious breakfast that needs no big intro. If you love bacon and eggs, this is for you! It is also a Mexican-inspired dish - using Mexican cheese blend, a little cayenne pepper plus cilantro and tomatoes. Most of all, it's low carb and gluten-free!       I wish it's breakfast again!

I only made about 5 servings (5 pieces) for this recipe because I have a small family but you can easily double the recipe if you want to make more.

Have a lovely breakfast!

Ingredients

10 bacon strips 

5 eggs 

3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican Taco Cheese Blend

A pinch or two of cayenne pepper (optional)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

A few tomatoes, chopped

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C.

In a large skillet or grill pan, cook bacon over medium heat for  3-4 minutes per side or until it begins to brown but is not yet crisp (still pliable).

While you are cooking the bacon, whisk the eggs until combined.

Stir in the shredded cheese. Season with a little salt and pepper and a pinch or two of cayenne pepper, if using.



Grease the muffin pan - I only used about 5 cups. For this I used the Demarle Flexipan so I did not need to grease the insides of the muffin pan but you may need to grease if you are using regular muffin tin.

Place and wrap two bacon strips around the side of each muffin cup.

Using a measuring cup, pour in the egg mixture in each prepared cup. Just divide it evenly among the cups.

 

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until set.  Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. This is when the magic of a Flexipan comes through. See how easy it is for me to remove the baked egg cups. You can probably just push out the muffin too 'cause the muffin pan is so flexible. Here I used plastic utensils to help me scoop it out.

Transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with some chopped cilantro and have it with fresh chopped tomatoes. Low-carb, gluten-free and what a delicious breakfast!

If you wish to print the recipe, there's a print icon at the end of the post. Click on the "remove images box" for easy and convenient printing.

Adapted from Taste of Home's - Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups.

If you like what you see and would like to receive new recipe updates we'd love you to subscribe to our posts and join our site. Also do like us in Facebook so you can get the latest updates and so much more. Thanks for visiting and happy browsing!