Another Lovely Blog Award

 

During the summer, I was surprised to receive "A Lovely Blog Award." Little did I know that a few months later, I will be getting another one. I don't think that I necessarily deserve it, infact, it is humbling to be given such recognition. I am grateful though for the honor so thank you so much Sherin of Kuk's Kitchen for bestowing this on me.

 

I discovered Kuk's Kitchen through Daily Food Buzz. When I visited her site, I fell in love with it because of the many lovely Indian recipes she features there. I love Indian cuisine so this was a wonderful find for me.  Do check out her blog not only for the amazing Asian food she offers but for her lovely photography too!

There are certain rules to follow when you receive the award, such as:   

• Link back to the person who nominated you. (Check!)
• Add "The One Lovely Blog Award" to your post. (Check!)
• Share 7 random things about yourself.
• Pass the award onto 15 nominees and let them know. (I need more than 15 but that's the rule!)

Now for the 7 random things about me: (I must admit I have shared this previously but for those who don't know any of this yet, this is for your benefit!)

1. I grew up in an island called Marinduque, one of the 7,107 islands of the Philippines.

2. I am a lawyer by profession but currently a happy stay-at-home mom.

3. I used to work for the Philippine Senate and the Supreme Court.

4. Before I took up law, I was once a TV producer in one of the local networks in Manila.

5. I met my British husband in London while I was studying at Oxford.

6. By God's grace, I have been able to travel and visit over 130 cities in 26 countries.

7. I love to sing as much as I love to cook. Our neighbors in Manila were both my willing and unwilling audience for the longest time!

8. I need to add one more  --- I am a follower of Christ.

Finally, here's my list of noteworthy and truly excellent blogs. I love them all and they serve as my inspiration in making my blog even better.
 

 

1. Once a Mom Always a Cook
2. Walking on Sunshine
3. Sumptuous Spoonfuls
4. Giangis Kitchen
5. The Fountain Avenue Kitchen
6. Knead to Cook
7. From Valerie's Kitchen
8. Pentole e Fornelli
9. The Food Geek Diary
10. Moore or Less Cooking
12. Flour Me with Love
13. Eat Love and be Merry
14. Sherry's Cafe Vita
15. A'lil Country Sugar

Thanks for visiting Manila Spoon!







 

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!

Apple Praline Bread

Last year, I was reading the local newspaper (Holland Sentinel) when I chanced upon this lovely bread recipe. It was the winner for the Apple Recipe Contest sponsored by the Downtown Holland Magazine, a publication of the Holland Sentinel. Upon reading it, I knew I just had to try it. It was such a delicious  recipe. The praline topping with crunchy nuts and buttery sauce is totally divine. If only to taste the topping, you gotta make this. Surely, this has become our favorite fall bread.

This recipe was adapted from the Apple-Praline Bread Recipe from the Holland Sentinel.

 

 Ingredients

1 cup sour cream or yogurt                        

1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups baking apples or 2 small-medium ones (sweet-tart variety is great for this), peeled and finely chopped
1 cup nuts (walnut or pecan or a combo), divided

For the praline sauce:

¼-1/2  cup brown sugar and ¼-1/2 cup butter 

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly grease a  9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the sour cream/yogurt, sugar, eggs and vanilla on low speed for a couple of minutes until well blended.

Stop the mixer and then add in the flour, leavening agents and salt. Continue to beat on low until well combined.

Fold in the apples and half the nuts into the batter. The apples here still look big as this was my first attempt but then the second time around, I chopped them finely so the bread is easier to cut (not breaking apart) once it has cooled down.

Transfer the batter into the greased loaf pan.

Sprinkle the rest of the nuts on top and then press them lightly into the batter. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in the loaf pan for about 20-30 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. So it doesn't get too dark, I suggest using a light colored loaf pan.


For the praline sauce:

In a small sauce pan,  place the butter and brown sugar. Using medium heat, bring to a boil. Lower the heat and then simmer lightly for about one minute, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and then drizzle over the bread. Cool completely.

What a lovely fall bread! 

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

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Psalm 46:1-4

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. (Selah) 4

                                                                    

Coconut Chicken Strips

In a previous post, I mentioned that a friend of mine invited me to her house for a Demarle food demonstration. There she showcased the lovely products from Demarle and prepared for us some really delicious meals from appetizers to desserts. Not only was I impressed with the Demarle products but with the food that she made.

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

I love cookies! I cannot stop eating them once I start munching on them and for this reason, I avoid making or even buying them. The only time we have cookies in the house is when a kind soul donates to us.

But today I found what I thought was the easiest cookie recipe ever! So, I instantly forgot my resolve to not bake cookies ever - decided it was about time I post a cookie recipe on this blog.

I discovered this very easy (but I knew would certainly be a yummy recipe!) from the Facebook page of the southernladycooks.com. She graciously shared this recipe on her site and I was so happy to try it because I have all the ingredients handy. My peanut butter in the pantry has been begging to be eaten and seems always to be untouched despite my son's constant request to add it to his oatmeal. So I thought, finally we can finish this peanut butter and for a very good cause - Peanut Butter Cookies!

Without further ado, here's the easiest Cookie Recipe ever!
 

And as you can see from the photo below and above that it was a success! For a twist, I replace half the sugar with Chocolate Chips so we have both yummy peanut butter and chocolate too! Super! :-)



My  husband and two tots loved it! Me too! We love the texture from the crunchy peanut butter and the brown sugar granules too! My husband suggested though that perhaps I should lessen the sugar next time as he prefers a more peanut buttery taste! I will, next time, for this recipe is now a keeper. Thanks to the southernladycooks.com for this, we are forever grateful! 

Cook's Notes:

As you can see the cookies are rather big. I didn't realize they would expand that well considering there was no leavening agent. I used a large ice cream scoop and made about 10. However, now that I know that it expands, I am certain I can easily make a dozen out of it and I dare say up to 20 if I use a smaller amount per cookie.  

The assembled cookies before they were baked in the oven.

After baking, see how much they have expanded. 

But whether you want to make extra large cookies or teeny-tiny ones, for sure they will be yummy! That's what matters! Most of all, with a Silpat, it's fuss-free baking! Easy clean-up and cookies never stick!

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