Noodle craze: Cheesy chicken spaghetti

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Whenever I want to cook something quick and easy, I always lean towards pasta. Pasta would also be at the center of the dining table whenever we have a family celebration, especially birthdays. Now, I’m tomato based pasta type of girl and majority of the family prefers cream based sauces. I just prefer the flavor a tomato offers and I find cream based pasta bland for my taste, maybe it how it is cooked – maybe. Fortunately, I have found a cream-based pasta that exudes so much flavor and it has the perfect balance of salty, savory and creaminess.

First and foremost let us prepare all the ingredients that we need. Thaw the chicken breast fillet ahead of time especially if you do not prefer the microwave method of thawing then gather all the vegetables that you’ll be needing. Slice the red onions thinly, crush the garlic with the help of the mortar and pestle, dice the bell pepper and tomatoes. As for the dry ingredients, you have to gather them as well. Open the cans that need to be opened, measure and set aside the powder ingredients. Lastly, you’ll have grate cheddar cheese. Once the chicken is completely thawed, you’ll need to slice it into strips and you’re all done with prep, now let the cooking begin!

Depends on what you like to do first, but I like to cook the pasta first. In a large pot of boiling water, sprinkle some salt then add the spaghetti noodles. Let that cook for ten (10) minutes. Next, you’ll need to have a medium-sized saucepan half-filled with water. Add the chicken bouillon, onion powder and garlic powder then place the chicken. Let it boil for 20 minutes. Once that’s done, take the chicken out and let it cool. Set aside 1/2 cup of the chicken broth.

On a saute pan, with two (2) tablespoons of canola oil saute the garlic and onions until its golden brown and translucent. Time to add the tomatoes, mushrooms and bell pepper. Cook the tomatoes until they’re soft and the mushrooms and bell pepper are tender. After that, pour in the cream of chicken, chicken broth, chicken strips and grated cheese. Make sure to mix well then you’re good to go.

Just a few pointers with regards to the pasta. Adding olive oil or any type of cooking oil to the water that cooks the noodles is optional. I’ve recently discovered that yes it may help from sticking, but the noodles won’t be able to absorb the sauce. Another pointer is to make sure you use a large pot to cook your pasta and try to reduce the flame enough to maintain a steady boil.

Here’s a breakdown of how much its costs to make this: Chicken breast – Php 214.00 Spaghetti noodles – Php 52.50 (for 450 grams) Red onions- Php 36.82 Bell pepper – Php 22.11 Garlic – Php 26.21 Tomatoes – Php 11.06 Chicken bouillon – Php 56.00 (for 12 pieces) Cream of chicken – Php 109.00 (for 300 grams) Mushroom – Php 31.50 (for 198 grams) Cheddar cheese – Php 190.00 (for 227 grams) Garlic powder – Php 28.50 (for 30 grams) Onion powder – Php 67.50 Salt – Php 10.00

Chicken Pork Adobo

Chicken Pork Adobo

Almost every Filipino knows how to cook adobo. It’s one of the first things you learn in terms of Filipino-style cooking. It’s basic, it’s simple, but yet the balance of sweet, savory and vinegary flavors just makes this dish so delicate. There are far too many variations of adobo in the Philippines alone since every province (state) has their added their twist to it. This recipe that I have for you is the simplest form of adobo that I know of.

Before we start cooking, let us set-up all of the ingredients and tools that we need. Thawing the pork shoulder and chicken. You’ll need at least a couple of hours set aside for this especially if you are not a fan of using the microwave for this. Now once that’s done, it’s time to make our pork shoulder and chicken soft yet tender with the help of your pressure cooker. Fill that up with water, just until the pork and the chicken are completely submerged and sprinkle a pinch of salt then leave that for 30 minutes, one (1) hour tops. Now while that’s doing its job, this just gives you an ample amount of time to start preparing the other ingredients. You’ll need your chopping board and your trusty knife to peel and thinly slice the onions and with the addition of your mortar and pestle to crush the garlic. Measure out all of the liquid ingredients, place them on small bowls and set them aside together with the dry ingredients.

Once the pork shoulder and chicken are soft yet tender, with as little liquid left from the previous step, pour the vinegar and bring it to a boil without stirring and uncovered for five (5) minutes. Once the five (5) minutes is up pour the soy sauce, add in the brown sugar, bay leaves and peppercorn then mix it very well. Let it cook until the sauce is reduced. Adjust the flavor to your liking and season it with a little salt and pepper and you’re good. 🙂

Here’s a breakdown of how much it costs to make this dish: 1/2 kilo pork shoulder- Php 85.36 1/2 kilo chicken- Php 117.83 Canola oil(48 oz.)- Php 301.50 Red onions- Php 17.94 Garlic- Php 26.21 White vinegar(385 grams)- Php 13.50 Soy sauce(385 grams)- Php 16.00 Salt- Php 10.00 Black pepper- Php 32.50 Brown sugar- Php 45.75

Dessert madness: Churro Tots

When I was still young, my mom used to take to this Spanish restaurant and she would order only two things: Paella Valenciana and Churros con Chocolate. Now we rarely do we go to that restaurant since it’s so far from our new place, but if we are near the area we never fail to go to that restaurant and order the same food.

Lately, I’ve been craving for some Churros and lo and behold I found a recipe. And guess what? They are so scrumptious! Having the first bite just took me back to the very first time I tried Churros. Please try and make one.

Churro Tots

What you’ll need: 

1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of water
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter 
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/4 cup of white sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

What to prep for:

* Take out your dry ingredients and measuring cups
* And don’t forget your wet ingredients

How to do it:

1. In a saucepan, melt your butter. Once the butter is melted, add the water and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat once it boils.

2. In a mixing bowl pour the butter water mixture, half of the required all-purpose flour and all of the baking soda. Mix well the add the other half of the all-purpose flour then mix well.

3. Pour the vanilla and one egg at a time to the dough. Mix! Mix! Mix! then place the dough in the pastry bag.

4. Take out your deep fryer, pour in the canola oil then start plopping the dough from your pastry bag. Cook until golden brown.

5. Remove your churro tots from the fryer and place them on a paper towel to remove the excess oil.

6. On a deep place tupperware, mix the white sugar and ground cinnamon. Place the churro tots in there and shake! shake! shake! while they’re stil warm.

Best enjoyed with a cup of coffee or hot choco. 🙂

Notes on this recipe:

* To make sure you’re able to mix the dough really really well, use a hand/stand mixer so you’ll achieve a smooth texture for your dough.

* If you do not have a deep fryer, you can use a deep casserole.

How much did everything cost?

All-purpose flour – Php 126.50 (500 grams)
Eggs – Php 104.00 (six pieces)
Sea salt – Php 10.00 (500 grams)
Unsalted butter  – Php 104.00 (225 grams)
Baking powder – Php 53.00 (100 grams)
Vanilla – Php 34.50
White sugar – Php 26.00 (1/2 kilograms)
Ground cinnamon – Php 42.50 (30 grams)

Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry

Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry

What you’ll need:

1/4 kilo of chicken breast fillet

1 bunch of broccoli
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 cup of water

2 pieces of chicken bouillon
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 tablespoons of muscovado sugar

What to prep for:

* Defrost the chicken breast fillets
* Slice the chicken into strips
* Slice the red and green bell pepper into strips
* Break off the broccoli stems
* The chicken broth: Boil 1 cup of water the add one (1) chicken
bouillon. Wait for it to completely dissolve then set it aside

How to do it:

1. On a large frying pan over medium heat, cook the chicken until it is brown

2. Add the vegetables and the remaining chicken bouillon. Cook until the broccoli
is crisp and bright green.

3. Mix in the chicken broth, soy sauce, cornstarch and sugar. Let it boil for
two (2) minutes and you’re done.

Serves four (4) people | Best served with a cup of rice 🙂

Note on this recipe:

* I used muscovado sugar as a somewhat healthy alternative to white sugar.
Another alternative will be brown sugar, just reduce the amount to two (2)
teaspoons.

How much did everything cost?

Chicken breast fillet – Php 129.79
Broccoli – Php 23.87
Red bell pepper – Php 9.52
Green bell pepper – Php 9.52
Olive oil – Php 128.50
Soy sauce – Php 16.00
Chicken bouillon – Php 28.00
Cornstarch – Php 22.50
Muscovado sugar – Php 117.50