Crispy Puff Bars

I can remember being addicted to Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats way back in high school. And I stumbled upon this recipe in the book my SIL gave me. I never thought it would be this easy to make one!

This is a nice treat you can make for a children's party, too! :)

Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup butter
• 2 cups rice crispies cereal
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips/colored chocolate drops
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 5 oz bag marshmallows

Directions:

1. Line an 8x8 pan with foil and coat the foil with cooking spray or oil. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter then add marshmallows. Stir until marshmallows are melted.

3. Add in the rice crispies and pumpkin seeds. Coat everything with the marshmallow and butter mixture. Remove from heat.

4. Pour and press into prepared pan. 

5. Sprinkle and press the colored chocolate drops. Let it cool for 10 minutes and chill for another 15 minutes.

6. Remove foil lining and cut bars. Serve and enjoy.

Baking Notes:

You can opt to use granola or muesli instead of the rice crispies cereal. Also, you can choose to add raisins and used other seeds instead of pumpkin.

Mahaw 'Ta!

I have eaten combo all my life in Davao. But I kept wondering why can't I find other people selling this goodies? While we all are familiar with maruya (banana fritters), banana and camote q (fried bananas and sweet potatoes), ginanggang (grilled saba/cardaba with sugar and margarine), but combo is never present in any store I frequent to buy these sweet treats for an afternoon snack.

Just recently, I mentioned this to my husband, who by the way is an Ilonggo, and told me that they also had it when he was small. Then I realized, combo is an Ilonggo food! That's why I can't find it in any store in Davao. Too bad, they're missing a lot. :D Or maybe, I can start selling these! Hee hee

What you need:

• 1 bunch of bananas (saba/cardaba variety), peeled and cubed
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 water
• 1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
• oil for frying

Directions:

1. Cut the bananas into cubes. In a bowl, mix the flour, water and sugar. Add more flour if the mixture is too thin.
2. Using a shallow frying pan, heat the oil.
3. Drop a spoonful of the banana mixture and fry for about 5-7 minutes on each side or until it turns golden brown.
4. Remove from pan and drain oil by placing the bananas on paper towels.
5. Serve hot and enjoy with ice cold soda.

Quick Meal Fix

If you're crunched for time to prepare a decent meal, don't fret! All you need is a piece of pita bread (or whatever bread you have available), ham, and cheese then you're good to have a quick munch. I know a lot of people are always rushing to the office and don't have time to prepare breakfast. Or too tired to whip up a hearty dinner. This is very common for those who live alone and would prefer to just buy anything from a convenience store. I know this because this is what I do when I used to work away from family. Guilty as charged. But now I have a family, I do my best to make everything homemade. :)

Ingredients:

• 1 pc pita bread, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped ham (or whatever leftover meat you have)
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1/3 cup shredded melting cheese
• 1 tsp butter
• mushrooms, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Slice the pita bread into half and prepare your fillings. Heat a skillet over medium heat. 

2. Melt the butter and toast the bread. On one of the pita slices, place half of the cheese on top and let it melt. Do not overturn.

3. As the cheese melts, place the onions and ham. Top with the rest of the cheese. Cover with other pita slice and press. Make sure not to burn the bread, just a light toast.

4. Slice the sandwich into two. Serve warm with mustard and hot sauce.

I just had this for lunch. I paired it with a steaming bowl of chicken and corn soup. Oh, happiness!

Carrot & Potato Croquettes

Ingredients:

• 400 grams potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 100 grams carrots, boiled and mashed
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup Japanese bread crumbs
• 1/2 canola oil for frying

Procedure:

1) Peel and boil potatoes and carrots. When they are done (when you can stick a fork through), transfer them to a colander and let them sit for a couple of minutes, but don’t let them cool down. We only want excess water to evaporate.

2) Transfer potatoes and carrots in a large bowl. Then add salt, pepper, and butter and start mashing. Slowly add the milk (you may add a little more depending on the type of potatoes you are using) and keep mashing the mixture until is is very smooth and creamy. You can opt to use your food processor if this is a bit tiring for you.

3) Add the egg yolk and keep mashing until the mixture turns sticky. Then slowly add the flour (again, you may adjust the amount of flour, depending on the type of potatoes) until the mixture is again firm and only slightly sticky.

4) Put a dollop of the mixture on your palm and then form into a ball or a roll. Arrange the croquettes on a wooden board. Put it inside the fridge and let sit for 30 minutes.

5) Take croquettes out of the fridge. Crack the egg up and put the contents on a shallow bowl. Beat thoroughly using a fork. Take a plate and put breadcrumbs on it.

6) Pour oil on your deep fryer and pre-heat to 180° C or 350° F. Coat each croquette with the beaten egg then coat with bread crumbs.

7) Drop the breaded croquettes into the hot oil. It cooks real quickly so keep a close watch. After about 2 minutes, they should be golden brown. Scoop them out of the fryer and put on paper towels to remove excess oil. Don’t let them sit around too long as they will get soggy. Arrange on a platter then serve plain, with ketchup or sweet and sour sauce.

Source: www.yummyascanbe.info

Paparapapap Papadums!!

Since moving to Singapore, the Husband has been appreciating the Indian culture, or rather the dishes, even more. Most of his co workers are Indians and the shops nearby mostly sell what else -- Indian food of course.

Even when we were still in the Philippines, we were fond of trying out Indian food. We were delighted to see cheaper versions of Samosas, the milky sweets (forgot the name) and of course my all time favorite, Roti, in Manila area. We saw Samosas in Salcedo Saturday Market (Makati) but found them expensive for a veggie samosa. I never thought we could find endless kinds of treats (sweets and savory alike) here in Singapore.

I first encountered Papadums when we visited Mustafa, a big commercial shop in the middle of Little India. The Husband bought an uncooked one. Here's a pic of it:

We cooked it by frying it on a pan since we don't have microwave oven at home. It was really good! I love the combination of tastes - spicy, woodsy and of course the crunchiness of the cracker. You can really taste the common spices being used in most Indian dishes such as cardamom and cumin!

I could probably finish 10 papadums in one sitting! But then again, too much of something isn't good. :( I've read somewhere you can dip it with mango chutney or pair with a lassi. It's a good snack or you can have it as appetizer before a big meal. My toddler daughter loves it, too!