Dessert Madness: No bake choco peanut butter oatmeal cookies

One of the things I would like to try is baking. Unfortunately I do not have an oven so I have to resort to looking and trying no bake desserts. Choco peanut butter oatmeal cookies is one of the recipes I found. I’ll feature another no bake dessert recipe in the coming days, so watch out for it.

No bake choco peanut butter oatmeal cookies

What you’ll need

1 1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of fresh cow’s milk
1 cup of peanut butter
2 teaspoon of vanilla
2 1/2 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
4 tablespoons of semi-sweet chocolate*

* if desired

What to prep

– Bring out: white sugar, butter, fresh cow’s mil, peanut butter, vanilla and old fashioned rolled oats.
– Melt semi-sweet chocolate. (See Notes on this recipe on how to melt chocolate)
– Prepare a large sauce pan, baking tray, rubber spatula and wax paper.

How to do it

1. Using your large sauce pan, place it on the stove over high heat. Add the butter, white sugar and milk and bring to a rolling boil. Consistently stir for one (1) minute.

2. Remove from heat. Transfer it on a large mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter, vanilla and fold in the old fashioned rolled oats.

3.Drop spoonfuls of the mixture on the baking tray or plate covered with wax paper.Let it dry for one (1) hour.

4. If desired, drizzle with melted semi-sweet chocolate and let it dry for 15 to 30 minutes.

Makes more than one (1) dozen. 🙂

Notes on this recipe

* This is not the first time I’ve attempted this recipe. I believe this is my third (3rd) time and I’m still trying to perfect it. All of my attempts the results were a bit too sweet, maybe its the peanut butter I used. So the next time I’ll make this and resulted to perfection, I’ll update this post.

* Cooking term of the day: Rolling boil – a liquid being boiled rapidly with lots of bubbling.

* For melting the chocolate, I found this link to be very helpful. Please check it out: http://candy.about.com/od/workingwithchocolate/a/meltchocolate.htm

How much did everything cost

White sugar – Php 26.00 (for 1/2 kilo)
Fresh cow’s milk – Php 84.50
Peanut butter – Php 69.50 (for 224 grams)
Vanilla – Php 34.50
Old fashioned rolled oats – Php 71.50 (for 500 grams)
Semi-sweet chocolate – Php 34.50 (for 100 grams)

Home made lemon iced tea

Everyone who knows me, knows that there is one drink I really really love and that is lemon iced tea. Once upon a time I hated water. To me water was too boring, it had no taste and it was such a burden to drink water. I had a clingy relationship with lemon iced tea. I had an addiction with it. I would drink it on every meal and sometimes I would finish one liter of it in one sitting. That was then, and now because of my cousin underwent an operation due to drinking too much sugary and powdered drink and my grandmother suffering kidney problems. Now I know how important it is to drink water. Everyday I try to drink more or less two liters of water. I still drink lemon iced tea once in a while that is why I tried this drink recipe for home made lemon iced tea. With this recipe I still get to enjoy the sweet lemony flavor without the bad effects of artificial flavor and sugar.

Home made lemon iced tea

What you’ll need

5 black tea tea bags
1 lemon
5 liters of water

What to prep

– Bring out the black tea tea bags
– Roundly slice the lemons
– Boil the water
– Make sure that you have a heat-proof pitcher

How to do it

1. Bring the five (5) liters of water to a boil using your kettle or a deep sauce pan.

2. When the boiling is done, transfer the water on a heat-proof pitcher. Soak the five (5) black tea tea bags, let it soak for 15 minutes.

3. When 15 minutes is up, remove the tea bags and place the sliced lemons.

4. Let it cool before placing in your refrigerator.

Serves four (4) to five (5) glasses. 🙂

Notes on this recipe

* Using lemon is my preference. You can choose or use your preferred flavor for iced tea like: raspberry, mint, peach and many more.

* Some may find the lemon or the black tea bitter or sou. You may use honey as a sweetener.

How much did everything cost?

Black tea – Php 132.10 (for 12 pieces)
1 lemon – Php 136.00 (for four (4) pieces)
* Honey – Php 250.00 (for one (1) liter)

Honey Mustard Chicken

One fun fact about me – I prefer having chicken more than any kind of meat. It’s so much easier to prep, cook and eat (at least in my opinion). So I find different kinds of recipes or ways to cook chicken and this is my latest find, Honey Mustard Chicken.

Honey Mustard Chicken

What you’ll need

1/2 kilo of chicken breast fillet
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 tablespoons of honey
4 tablespoons of mustard
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

1 bulb of red onion
1 green bell pepper
1 can of mushrooms
1 teaspoon of parsley leaves

1 piece of chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon  of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper

What to prep

– Defrost the chicken
– The chicken marinate: garlic powder, salt and pepper
– Slice the green bell pepper into stripes
– Slice the onion
– Mix the honey and mustard on a bowl
– Let the butter settle in room temperature
– Bring out the olive oil, mushrooms, parsley leaves, chicken bouillon, minced garlic, salt and pepper

How to do it

1. Marinate the chicken in the chicken marinade for ten (10) minutes.

2. On a medium sized non-stick pan over medium heat, melt and heat the olive oil and butter. Then saute the onions until translucent. Once done, add the green bell pepper, minced garlic, and mushrooms.

3. Add the chicken bouillon and the chicken. Cook until the chicken is brown.

4. Add the honey mustard mixture. Make sure that all of the the chickens are coated. Cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is sticky.

5. Taste it. Add salt or pepper if needed. Top of with parsley leaves.

Serves four (4) people | Best served with hot rice. 🙂

Note on this recipe

* As you can see I add green beans to the recipe. It’s because I had to use them already or else they’ll go bad. Add them if you want. 🙂

How much did everything cost?

Olive oil – Php 128.50 (for 250 grams)
Unsalted butter – Php 104.00 (for 250 grams)
Red onion –  Php 27.65
Green bell pepper – Php 10.61
Canned mushrooms – Php 63.00 (for 198 grams)
Honey – Php 250.00 (for one (1) liter)
Mustard – Php 62.50 (for 200 grams)
Chicken bouillon – Php 56.00 (for 12 pieces)
Chicken – Php 105.00 (for 1/2 kilo)
Minced garlic – Php 83.50
Garlic powder – Php 79.50
Salt – Php 10.00
Ground black pepper – Php 32.50

Noodle Craze: Macaroni Tomato and Garlic Sauce

For Pasta Week day five, I’m taking you to a little flash back because I didn’t cook anything due to the number of leftovers we have at home. I did this recipe last year and I would like to share with you again . This is one of my favorite pasta recipe and I hope you enjoy it as well.

The home-schooled chef

Macaroni in Tomato and Garlic Sauce

What you’ll need

150 grams of elbow macaroni pasta
2 heads of garlic
6 red tomatoes, de-seeded and sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of basil
a pinch of salt and pepper
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

Optional toppings: Parmesan cheese and/or chili flakes

How to do it

– Pre-heat the turbo broiler to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
– Slice the top and bottom side of the garlic heads, but make sure to leave some
of its skin.
– Place them on a sheet of an aluminum foil and drizzle with one (1) tablespoons of
olive oil.
– On a separate sheet of aluminum foil, place the tomatoes. Drizzle with the remaining
olive oil. Pour the balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper.
Make sure to mix well.
– Place the garlic and…

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Noodle craze: Spaghetti ala Carbonara

Here’s my entry for day four of Pasta Week. Another cream based pasta, still haven’t perfected the creaminess yet but I’m going to keep on trying.

Carbonara

What you’ll need

200 grams spaghetti
4 slices of sweet ham
3 tablespoons of grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 egg yolks
250 grams of all purpose cream
198 grams of mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper

How to do it

1. Prepare the spaghetti: boil the pasta with two (2) liters of water, two (2) tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.

2. On a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the following ingredients :
– all purpose cream
– egg yolks
– grated cheddar cheese
– ground black pepper

3. On a medium sized sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the sweet ham and mushrooms until the sweet ham is lightly brown.

4. Add the cream mixture and let it simmer for two (2) minutes.

5. Toss the cream mixture, sweet ham and mushrooms together with the pasta and you’re good to go.

Serves four (4) people. 🙂

What to prep

* Defrost and slice the sweet ham into cubes
* Grate the cheddar cheese
* Slice the mushrooms in half
* Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites
* Bring out the spaghetti, olive oil, ground black pepper and all purpose cream

How much did everything cost?

200 grams spaghetti – Php 79.50
Sweet ham – Php 95.00 (for 200 grams)
Cheddar cheese – Php 182 (for 227 grams)
Olive oil – Php 128.50 (for 250 ml)
Eggs – Php 104.00 (for 10 pieces)
250 grams of all purpose cream – Php 44.50
198 grams of mushrooms – Php 31.50
Ground black pepper – Php 32.50

Noodle craze: Meaty Spaghetti

Pasta week, day three. What we have here today is a result of leftover bacon and ground beef. Meaty Spaghetti is a quick and simple recipe that you can make on any lazy afternoon or evening.

Meaty Spaghetti

What you’ll need

2 tablespoons canola oil
3 cloves of garlic
2 bulbs of red onions
5 stripes of bacon (add more if you want)
1/4 kilo of ground beef
1 can of peeled canned tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of italian seasoning

How to do it

1. Prepare the spaghetti: boil the pasta with two (2) liters of water, two (2) tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.

2. Cook the bacon to your liking, slice to tiny bits then set aside.

3. On a medium sized non stick sauce pan, heat the Canola oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic until golden brown. Add the onions and cook until translucent.

4. Add the ground beef and cook until they’re brown. Add the bacon and mix.

5. Pour the canned tomatoes and add the italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Let it simmer for three (3) minutes.

6. Toss in the pasta once cooked, and you’re done.  🙂

Serves four (4) people. 🙂

What to prep

* Defrost ground beef
* Defrost bacon
* Slice and mash canned tomatoes
* Crush and mince garlic
* Slice red onions
* Bring out your canola oil, italian seasoning, salt and pepper

How much did everything cost?

Canola oil –  Php 301.50 (for 480oz.)
Garlic – Php 30.00 (for 1/2 kilo)
Red onions – Php 35.00 (for 1/2 kilo)
Ground beef – Php 113.27 (for 1 kilo)
Bacon – Php 162.00 (for 250 grams)
Salt – Php 10.00
Canned peeled tomatoes – Php 46.50 (for 400 grams)
Ground black pepper – Php 32.50
Italian seasoning – Php 47.50
Spaghetti – Php 79.50

Noodle craze: Chicken Alfredo spaghetti

For day two of Pasta Week, I made Chicken Alfredo spaghetti. Yes I know you are supposed to use fettuccine for Chicken Alfredo but I had to make use of what is available at my pantry. Now here’s the thing when it comes to pasta preferences, I prefer having red sauce over white sauce. For that reason, that makes me feel a bit weird because most of the people I know and my family mostly prefers white sauce – it kinda makes me an odd ball. But whatever, all people have their own preferences, it just so happens my choice is not a popular one.

So here’s my first attempt on a cream based pasta, Chicken Alfredo Spaghetti. Sad to say that I wasn’t able to achieve the result that I wanted because the sauce decided to dry up on me. I guess I’m just so used to cooking red sauce pasta and need to learn how to make a cream based pasta. Though I was not successful, I will give cream based pasta another try but for now enjoy my second entry for Pasta Week. 🙂

Chicken Alfredo Spaghetti

What you’ll need

200 grams spaghetti

2 large skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons for butter
1 teaspoon of granulated garlic
1 teaspoon of granulated onion
1/8 teaspoon of salt and pepper

1 1/2 stick of butter
1 can of heavy cream
2 cups of grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 clove garlic, chopped
1 can of mushrooms, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 sticks of celery, sliced

How to do it

1. Prepare the spaghetti: boil the pasta with two (2) liters of water, two (2) tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.

2. Season both sides of chicken with granulated garlic, onion, salt and pepper to taste.

3. Using a medium sized non-stick sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the seasoned chicken and cook until each side is golden brown.

4. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from heat and transfer it to a chopping board and cut into bite sized pieces.

5. Using the same pan, heat the olive oil over low heat. Sauté the garlic until golden brown. Add the chopped celery, mushrooms and red bell pepper and cook for four (4) minutes then it set aside.

6. Add the softened butter on a medium sized mixing bowl. With the help of your hand mixer or an electric mixer set it on low speed, beat the butter until smooth. Once it’s smooth add the cream and pamesan cheese, stir until it is well blended.

7. Immediately add the butter mixture once the pasta is done. Toss the spaghetti in the butter mixture, to coat it well use two (2) forks. Add the chicken breasts and the sautéed vegetables, mix well. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy. 🙂

Serves four (4) people. 🙂

How much did everything cost?

Spaghetti – Php 79.50
Skinless chicken breast – Php 96.82
Granulated garlic- Php 79.00
Onion powder- Php 67.50
Salt – Php 10.00
Pepper – Php 32.50
Butter – Php 104.00
Heavy cream – Php 64.50
Grated parmesan cheese- Php 97.50
Olive oil – Php 128.50
Garlic – Php 83.50
Canned mushrooms – Php 31.50
Red bell pepper – Php 34.50
Celery – Php 25.45

Noodle craze: Spaghetti ala Arrabiatta

I used to post everyday and it’s been a while since I’ve done that because of a number of reasons. I would like to make it up to the few followers that I have, so I christen this day as Pasta Week. Pasta is my go to food to order whenever I don’t want to eat a heavy meal. The recipe that I am about to share is one of my absolute  favorites and what I have whenever I crave for something spicy.

So ladies and gents for the start of Pasta week, I present spaghetti ala Arrabiatta. Enjoy. 🙂

Spaghetti ala Arrabiatta

What you’ll need

200 grams spaghetti
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons of red chili flakes
1 teaspoon of parsley, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 can (400 grams) whole peeled tomatoes, dice then mash it

How to do it

1. Prepare the spaghetti: boil the pasta with two (2) liters of water, two (2) tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.

2. In a medium sized non-stick sauce pan, heat olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the garlic, parsley and red chili flakes.

3. Once the garlic transforms into a beautiful golden brown color, add canned whole tomatoes and let it simmer.

4. When it’s already simmering, taste the sauce and add salt, if you find it a little bland. Once you’ve adjust the taste to your liking let it simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Add cooked pasta and make sure to mix them well. Enjoy.  🙂

Serves four (4) people. 🙂

Notes on this recipe

*  The amount of chili flakes completely depends to your liking. If you want it to be milder or if you want to be a fire breathing person, its all up to you

* The pasta that is usually used for Arrabiatta is Penne but unfortunately I just ran out of it so I opted to use spaghetti.

* I just opted to use chili flakes since that is what is available to me at the moment, but you can also use red chili.

How much did everything cost?

Spaghetti – Php 79.50
Garlic –  Php 83.50
Olive oil – Php 128.50
Red chili flakes – Php 75.00
Parsley – Php 46.30
Salt – Php 10.00
Canned whole tomatoes – Php 46.50