Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

4 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

2 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed

3 cup tomato paste

1 cup of white sauce or cream

1/2 cup of evaporated milk or fresh milk

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can chopped green chiles

1 pack baby mushroom 

1 carrot slices 

1 tsp chili powder

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F/190C.

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a deep skillet over medium heat, brown the beef with the onion and garlic. Drain off any fat. 

Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chiles, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir to mix.

Add the drained macaroni. Stir to mix.

Transfer to a baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts (about 5 minutes).

Or maybe I need to start a Big Wish jar.

I’ve wanted to have one forever, but alas can’t afford one. So I mix and knead most of my breads, cake etc. by hand. It is just the meringues I find impossible to do that way. Oh well, I will keep on dreaming… maybe one day Santa will bring me a cream one, or a lime or … A.... Stand Mixer?! Lol! Or maybe  I need to start a Big Wish jar.

Vietnamese Pho

Pho is a famous Vietnamese Noodle dish served with vegetables

ingredients:

THE BROTH
2 onions, halved
4" nub of ginger, halved lengthwise
5-6 lbs of good beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle
1 lb of beef meat - chuck, brisket, rump, cut into large slices [optional]
6 quarts of water
1 package of Pho Spices [1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbl coriander seeds, 1 tbl fennel seeds, 5 whole star anise, 1 cardamom pod, 6 whole cloves - in mesh bag]
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt (halve if using regular table salt)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 inch chunk of yellow rock sugar (about 1 oz) - or 1oz of regular sugarTHE BOWLS
2 lbs rice noodles (dried or fresh)
cooked beef from the broth
1/2 lb flank, london broil, sirloin or eye of round, sliced as thin as possible.
big handful of each: mint, cilantro, basil
2 limes, cut into wedges
2-3 chili peppers, sliced
2 big handfuls of bean sprouts
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha hot sauce

directions:

Char: Turn your broiler on high and move rack to the highest spot. Place ginger and onions on baking sheet. Brush just a bit of cooking oil on the cut side of each. Broil on high until ginger and onions begin to char. Turn over and continue to char. This should take a total of 10-15 minutes.

Parboil the bones: Fill large pot (12-qt capacity) with cool water. Boil water, and then add the bones, keeping the heat on high. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones and rinse out the pot. Refill pot with bones and 6 qts of cool water. Bring to boil over high heat and lower to simmer. Using a ladle or a fine mesh strainer, remove any scum that rises to the top.

Boil broth: Add ginger, onion, spice packet, beef, sugar, fish sauce, salt and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the beef meat and set aside (you'll be eating this meat later in the bowls) Continue simmering for another 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and return the broth to the pot. Taste broth and adjust seasoning - this is a crucial step. If the broth's flavor doesn't quite shine yet, add 2 teaspoons more of fish sauce, large pinch of salt and a small nugget of rock sugar (or 1 teaspoon of regular sugar). Keep doing this until the broth tastes perfect.

Prepare noodles & meat: Slice your flank/london broil/sirloin as thin as possible - try freezing for 15 minutes prior to slicing to make it easier. Remember the cooked beef meat that was part of your broth? Cut or shred the meat and set aside. Arrange all other ingredients on a platter for the table. Your guests will "assemble" their own bowls. Follow the directions on your package of noodles - there are many different sizes and widths of rice noodles, so make sure you read the directions. For some fresh rice noodles, just a quick 5 second blanch in hot water is all that's needed. The package that I purchased (above) - needed about 45 seconds in boiling water.

Ladling: Bring your broth back to a boil. Line up your soup bowls next to the stove. Fill each bowl with rice noodles, shredded cooked beef and raw meat slices. As soon as the broth comes back to a boil, ladle into each bowl. the hot broth will cook your raw beef slices. Serve immediately. Guests can garnish their own bowls as they wish.

Bibingkang Malagkit ( Philippines Rice Cake)

Mga sangkap:

(Sticky rice)Glutinous Rice 2 cups

Coconut Milk    4 cups

Brown Sugar  1 cups

Hugasan ang  malagkit. at ilagay sa kawali ang 3 cup na gata at saka ang malagkit na bigas haluing mabuti kapag malapit ng maluto ilagay ang natitirang 1 cup na gata at ang 1 cup na asukal. Kapag naluto na ito isalin sa baking tray pahiran ng butter bago ito isalin.

Para sa Topping:

Coconut Milk 2 cups

Brown Sugar 1 cups

Condense Milk 5 tablespoon 

Carnation Cream 5 tablespoon 

Ilagay sa kawali ang gata at asukal...ilagay sa medium high ang apoy haluin  ito hanggang sa lumapot ito saka ilagay ang gatas na condense at cream haluin ng mabuti hanggang sa lumapot saka hinaan ang apoy. Kapag malapot na sya medyo thickens na ang pagkakaluto nya i spread  nyo na sa ibabaw ng nilutong malagkit. At i bake ng 20 minutes 180 celsius  ( 350 F. ) 

enjoy cooking hope you like my ingredients.