Monkey Bread

A few weeks ago, I was craving for something sweet and I didn't want to make cupcakes again. I wanted something different and that I have not had in a while. I stared at the items I had in the fridge for a few minutes and the Pillsbury biscuits caught my eyes. I suddenly thought about the monkey bread I had at a friend's bridal shower for breakfast. I remember exactly how it was made by the maid of honor and I got excited and checked if I had all the ingredients. I was disappointed that I didn't have butter!!! I always have blocks of butter in my fridge and I realized that I have not been to the store lately. So I had to wait the next day to ease my craving because I was too lazy to step out of the house! So the day after, I bought my butter and made these amazing easy to make dessert! I also made individual serving so that they are easy to serve. These can be served for breakfast or as a dessert.

Ingredients:

1 tube of Pillsbury Grands Biscuit dough

1/4 cup of white sugar

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a bundt pan or mini bundt pan (6 individual serving) with a cooking spray. In a large ziploc, mix white sugar and cinnamon. Separate dough into 8 biscuits and cut into quarters. Shake in ziploc bag to coat with cinnamon sugar. Arrange dough in pan and pack all dough inside. If using the mini bundts, arrange 5-6 pieces of the dough in each mini pan. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and brown sugar. Pour over the biscuits.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning upside down onto a serving plate. Scrape down the sides of the pan with a butter knife or spatula to loosen the bread so that it comes out in one piece. Serve warm and pull apart to serve or individually if baked using the mini bundt.

Fresh Fruit Bruschetta

We were invited to attend a BBQ party today and the host asked that we bring a side dish or an appetizer. I knew about this a few weeks ago and I still couldn't make up my mind on what to bring and finally told my husband that I will just prepare a tomato salad or bruschetta. On our way to church today, I have decided that I will just make Bruschetta since I wasn't able to go to the Farmer's market and get the heirloom tomatoes I needed for the tomato salad. I thought it'll be nice to make something different than typical bruschetta (tomato/basil). I used fruit instead and they came out very tasty! Try making them for your next party.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of french bread (2-3 days old) or regular baguette (sliced thinly)

1 cup of red grapes (sliced in halves)

1 cup of blueberries

1/2 cup finely diced cucumber

10 fresh mint leaves (minced)

1 large nectarine (seeded and chopped in tiny pieces)

1/2 cup fig jam (or any fruit jam)

1 block of cream cheese

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the thinly sliced bread/baguettes on a flat cookie sheet and bake until slightly brown. Remove from oven and cool.

Heat the jam in a small pot and liquify in low heat then cool for about 5 minutes. 

Mix the cream cheese and half of the mint. Spread the cream cheese on each sliced bread/baguette carefully with a butter knife

Mix the fruits and cucumber in a big bowl with the other half of mint. Pour the cooled liquid jam in the fruit bowl and mix thoroughly.

Top a spoonful of the fruit mix on each bread/baguette. ENJOY!

Banana Pancakes

I love waking up in the morning and the first thing I want to do is COOK! I'm always thinking what to eat for breakfast and what my family will enjoy. Weekend mornings are always the best days to prepare something special because I don't have to rush out to go to work and the kids are still in bed taking their time to get out of bed. I know that I should do that too but I always find myself waking up early so why not do what I enjoy.....COOKING!


As I walked in the kitchen, first item that caught my eyes were the over ripe bananas. I know that no one will eat those anymore because we all like firm bananas. I contemplated for a minute and thought.....banana pancakes or banana biscuits? or save them later for banana bread or cupcakes? I had to based my decision on what other ingredients I have in the pantry and fridge. Well, they all have the same ingredients so I decided on making the pancakes since it is breakfast time after all!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose Flour

2 tablespoons Sugar

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 cups regular milk or 2% milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg

3 ripe bananas, mashed

Preparation:

- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

- In a separate bowl, combine the milk, butter, and egg. Add to the dry ingredients.

- Add the mashed banana
- Heat up a large griddle or skillet on low heat
- Spray with pan or melt a little butter and pour 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake
- When the top side of the pancake is all bubbly, flip and cook for about a minute
- Enjoy with slices of bananas, confectioners sugar and your favorite syrup. You can also top it with whipped cream.
- Enjoy the left over pancakes in the afternoon with some ice cream!

Lemon Basil Basmati Rice

I ran out of Jasmine rice so I took out my bag of Basmati rice (emergency stash) to cook for dinner tonight. I think that basmati rice is better when its cooked with herbs and spices. I do not like it plain unless I am eating it with a dish that has creamy gravy like Butter Chicken.


I decided to do my usual homework and searched online for a simple but good recipe. Most recipe I came across have nuts, raisins, bacon or lentils. I don't have any of those ingredients handy so I searched again until I found this recipe by Vittles and Bits. She mentioned her addiction to this rice and I think I will be addicted to making it all the time. It is really heavenly and in my own words...YUMMYLICIOUS! I did tweak it a little bit to make it my own recipe. I was so impressed with the result, I had to step away from the kitchen otherwise, dinner will be gone before it's served to my family!


Ingredients: (Serves 4)
3 cups of basmati rice (washed and drained)
1 can of coconut milk
1 stick of butter
2 medium size yellow onions (diced)
6 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 cup fresh basil (minced)
1 whole fresh lemon juice
2 tbs lemon rinds
1 tbs ground cayenne pepper
4 cups of water
salt to taste


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the very well-drained rice in a 3 quarts baking dish or pan.

Heat the oil in a nonstick or heavy saucepan. Add the garlic and sauté over medium heat until they are medium brown but not burn.  Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes until they are soft. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the rice and basil and bring to a boil.

Stir the mixture into the rice, being sure to scrape up and include all the goodies. Seal tightly with foil or lid and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork before serving, then fold in the basil.

Fried Banana Triangles

Ever had Filipino banana lumpias? They are the same as banana spring rolls or Kluay Kaek that they serve at Thai restaurants on their dessert menu and usually topped with Coconut Ice Cream. Filipinos call them "Turon".  They are also a popular dessert item on PF Chang's menu.


The bananas used for this fried dessert are the Saba. They have to be ripe and firm or mushy to enjoy their sweetness.  I found out that Vietnamese also makes the same dessert but they actually mash the bananas before rolling them in the wrapper and fry. My daughter and I had some at Eggroll King in San Jose. I decided to make them myself. I bought 3 big Saba and let them ripen for a week in the kitchen counter.


To make it my own recipe, I combined the three culture in the eggroll. I mashed the bananas, added brown sugar and cinnamon and served it with chocolate syrup and confectioners sugar.

Ingredients:


3 large ripe Saba
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
10 pieces Lumpia wrapper or Spring Roll wrapper (cut in half)
Hershey Chocolate Syrup
Confectioners Sugar
1 Egg or 1 cup of warm water for sealing


Preparation:


Mash thoroughly the ripe bananas. Add the cinnamon and sugar and mix well. Heat up a large frying pan with oil in medium heat. Scoop a full tablespoon of the mashed bananas on one end of the wrapper. fold as a triangle and seal with warm water or egg wash.  Fry each side until golden brown and drain on a plate with paper towel to get rid of excess oil.  Serve warm and drizzle with chocolate syrup and confectioners sugar. Enjoy with ice cream!

Mango Bread

Mangoes are in season again and I cannot be more excited! I grew up in the Philippines and mangoes are one of my favorite island fruits. I can eat them very green or very ripe. When they started importing Manila mangoes here in the US, I was ecstatic and when they are in season, I buy at least 1 box and enjoy them with my kids. They enjoy them as much as I do. We also enjoy mango ice cream, mango pie, mango juice....mango mango mango and anything M.A.N.G.O.


Last week, the produce market stand near my house were selling a box of 14 mangoes for $5.99. What a steal! I bought 2 boxes and I realized afterwards that my husband is out of town and my daughter just moved out on her own. Now I have a ton left and they are getting too ripe. So I decided to make a Mango Bread with a hint of Jamaican Rum and make use of them.

 Ingredients:
- 4 medium size ripe mango (remove pulp from seed and finely chopped or chunky) about 2 cups
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp Jamaican Rum or Vanilla extract
- ½ cup regular butter, melted
- ¼ cup oil


Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Sift flour into a large bowl.  Add baking soda, sugar and cinnamon and stir the dry ingredients to combine.
- In a medium bowl, beat eggs, add vanilla extract, melted butter and oil.  Combine the ingredients and add to dry ingredients. 
- Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon stir to combine the wet and dry ingredients.  Fold in the finely chopped mangoes. 
- Pour batter into a butter greased loaf pan and bake for 55 – 60 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Or use 2 medium size loaf pan to make the slices smaller.
- Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove bread from pan and cool. Dust with powder sugar before serving with a cup of tea or milk and enjoy!