Sweet Pickled Eggs

I don't know why I never had pickled eggs before. I have an 18-piece package of quail eggs that were meant for making the Filipino deep fried bright orange battered egg snack called kwek kwek but changed my mind and pickled them instead. It's easy to prepare if you use sweet pickle liquid.

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Challah Bread Pudding

Last week I bought a loaf of challah at Trader's Joe although the crust is very pale unlike my homebaked. Although I already lowered my expectations, I was still disappointed for its lack of flavor. It also got moldy after 3 days. What a waste. I baked one loaf flavored with a little orange and lemon zests and vanilla extract. I cubed 4 thick slices and made bread pudding with golden raisins (sultanas). Drizzled with Hershey-style chocolate syrup or limoncello glaze, the pudding is delicious.

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Japanese-Style Omelette Burger

I've read about but not made nor eaten an American hamburger omelette. However, when the dish appears in a currently airing Japanese drama (dorama), A Girl and Three Sweethearts, I noticed that it is not served with bread but in a shallow pool of demi-glace. That's interesting.

Japanese-style hamburgers [and other Asian burgers] are a bit different because the meat is seasoned with a little onion and sake and softer like meatloaf with the addition of bread crumbs, milk, and egg. The Japanese burger steaks are usually served with a sauce made with a combination of ketchup and wooster sauce.

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Homemade Maple Sugar Granules

Every day I have steamed white rice and breads but I eat high carb food in moderation and haven't had bottled sodas for many many years now. Recently, I started incorporating stevia and xylitol together with regular white or raw sugar into desserts and baked goods. The xylitol I use is made from birch bark and manufactured here in the USA. Most xylitol brands in the USA are made with corn and they are imported from China which is a no no for me. I found out recently that ALL stevia products in the USA come from semi-processed and already whitened material from CHINA! That's absolutely unacceptable and they are most likely more harmful than white cane sugar to every person who tries to avoid processed sugar cane. Any food item made in China will always be suspect regardless of the manufacturers' assurances that their processing are the best. Are they kidding me? The words best and China shouldn't be in the same sentence...EVER!! Remember the tainted toothpaste, dog food, and powdered milk that killed people and dogs around the world, and their own babies, for crying out loud!

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Mangoes And Cream

I've made this mangoes and cream before, using Graham crackers. I called the Filipino dessert Mangoes On A Cloud [of sweetened cream]. This time I used chocolate wafers instead of Graham crackers and layered the wafers, sweetened cream, and mangoes in individual glasses (verrines). The chocolate wafers are also good with the mangoes and cream combination.

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Braised Chicken Feet With Salted Black (Soy) Beans

The first time I had chicken feet was in a Thai restaurant in Hong Kong in the early 90s. The dish was a salad, I think. I never had it again and only started buying them a few years ago to make into healthy soup. We never ate it at home or in restaurants.

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Espasol

Espasol is a cigar-shaped Filipino rice cake made with either all glutinous rice or a combination of regular long and glutinous rice. I opted for the former and added shredded young coconut because that's what I remember eating back in the Philippines. 

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Currywurst

Today, I had for lunch 2 things I don't normally eat - hot dog with ketchup and almost anything with Indian curry seasoning. Currywurst apparently has long been a favorite street food in Germany. It's fried whole or sliced beef and pork knockwurst smothered in tomato sauce flavored with Indian curry and served with fries.

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Siamese Chicken In Coconut Cream

I've made this recipe from my old Thai cookbook, The Love Of Thai Cooking, many times and I haven't gotten tired of it. It is just that yummy! I purchased the hardbound cookbook in late 1988; it was originally published in 1978 and currently out of circulation.

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Taco Seasoning and Dip

I used to buy occasionally the 7 layer taco dip from the stores but the flavor of untoasted cumin seeds always made me gag so I stopped buying. After several years of not eating anything Tex Mex [except chili], I suddenly had the munchies for taco dip. First I had to make taco seasoning then cooked a small bag of beans for the refried beans layer; recipe for both are below. It's a tedious process but well worth it. The toasted cumin seeds make the difference in the flavor of any dish you use it in.

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