French Toast Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwich

It's December and everybody is so busy with Christmas decors, gift shopping, and meal planning etc. On top of our daily routine as mothers, we have to squeeze in all of these into our busy schedule. I get you moms out there, it gets overwhelming, and making healthy but affordable snacks for our kids can be stressful sometimes. I mean what else to serve our kids, who want varieties all the time and avoid them saying ' this again?!!"

I'm not claiming I made up this snack, I saw it a few days ago at The Chew, their guest was Ayesha Curry. She said she made this sandwich to her kids all the time. I changed a few things and made my own version of the sandwich. I have done a different version years ago, it was French Toast Grilled Cheese sandwich.

Am I right to say we can never go wrong with peanut butter jelly sandwich? Kids and adult alike love it! It is a healthy snack and affordable. But even kids can get tired of eating it all the time. So when I saw Ayesha Curry French toasting PBJ sandwich, I'm like... why didn't I think of that? Because I thought of French toasting grilled cheese sandwich a long time ago. Anyway, I didn't see much of the show so I didn't know if she put cinnamon on it. And I changed one ingredient, instead of corn flakes, I used Rice Krispies cereal. For two reasons, first, I want to be different and make my own version, and secondly, I ran out of corn flakes and only have Rice Krispies, Cherrios and Frosted Oat Cereal with marshmallows.  So Rice Krispies it is. 

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

4    slices         white bread (or wheat bread)
1    pc              egg
1    cup             2% milk
1    tbsp           cinnamon powder
1    cup            Rice Krispies cereal
Peanut butter
Jelly spread of your choice
Butter

Procedure

Make a peanut butter jelly sandwich. Set aside.

In a bowl, beat the egg, add milk and cinnamon powder.

Soak the sandwich in the egg/milk mixture. Then coat with Rice Krispies

Melt butter in a pan, fry the sandwich. Brown both sides. Approximately 2 minutes each side.

Serve with maple syrup and apple slices.

You could also make this recipe with ham and cheese sandwich, cheese and tomato sandwich or whatever sandwich you feel like toasting. It's just so fun experimenting and getting good results!!

Pumpkin Pie

So Halloween is over and we are basically done with the pumpkin that our kids carved or painted. I usually just throw the pumpkin a few days after trick or treat. But this year, I thought it's such a waste throwing it, and I hate wasting food. I just didn't know what to do with it. What can you do with pumpkin? A lot of things actually. The most obvious one would be pumpkin pie. You could also make pumpkin soup or pumpkin pancake, which by the way is available now at Egg Harbor Café until January if I'm not mistaken. I always order it but then it is only available for just a few months starting October. Anyway, back to pumpkin pie. This is what my daughter chose when I asked her what she wants me to experiment on, she wasn't too crazy about the soup or the pancake.

Anyway, before you can use your fresh pumpkin for your pie recipe, it has to be baked first.  Use a pumpkin that was painted on and not the one that was carved because the meat must be dirty already especially if it is sitting outside your front stoop. Wash your pumpkin well, dry it, take the stem out by banging it on the side of the table or counter. Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop the gut and seeds out and lay it face down on baking pan with parchment paper. Bake the pumpkin for 1 1/2 hour at 375 F.  Don't throw the gut and seeds like I did, I realized that the gut can be used for pumpkin soup and the seeds can be roasted.

Once cool, scoop out the meat. making sure no skin are included. Mash it well. You will be needing 2 cups of it. Depending on how big your pumpkin, you will probably have enough meat for 2 pies. Or you can make one pie and use the rest for your soup recipe. I'm actually thinking of experimenting on pumpkin soup next.

Here is my pumpkin pie recipe

Ingredients

2        cups       cooked pumpkin meat, mashed
1        can         condensed milk
1 1/2  tsp          cinnamon powder
1/2     tsp          salt
1/2     tsp          ginger powder
2        pcs          whole eggs
1        pc           Pillsbury pie crust
whipped cream for toppings

Procedure

Preheat over to 425 F.

In a bowl, beat the eggs, add salt, ginger and cinnamon.

Add in the condensed milk and pumpkin meat.

Pour over your pie crust.

Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes.

Then reduce the temperature to 350F then bake for another 45minutes.

Cool before serving. Best served with whipped cream.

My daughter said it is delicious, She wolfed down one serving in under 2 minutes. She even asked for another serving. This is after she ate dinner. So I guess it is a success!!!

Crunchy turkey tacos

My daughter and I love Mexican food. For years now, we eat tacos or burritos or Mexican salad at least once a week. Don't forget tamales. We love it too. But its just so hard to find a good chicken tamales that we like. A few years ago, my daughter would ask to go to Taco Bell twice a week!! Anyway, you would think going to Taco Bell is cheap, just a dollar per crunchy tacos. But when your daughter eats 2-3 in one seating, hmmm, maybe its time to make some home made tacos. I made some before but I used a different meat (chicken and fish). And this time since I'm into ground turkey meat lately, why not try ground turkey on my tacos.

So if you are trying to save money and make your own crunchy tacos, here are the stores I can suggest to you. It is very convenient for me because Walmart, Aldi and Dollar Tree are within a few blocks from each other. In fact, I can walk to these stores from my place. But if you are a few miles away, you should also consider your time and gas spent in getting the ingredients.  Anyway, I got my ground turkey (1 lb ) at Walmart, at the frozen isle, only $1.50 each. Buy several and just freeze it at home. Walmart also has the taco mix but its $0.67 each, and sometimes they sell the crunchy taco shells on clearance for just a dollar. If not, get the shells, shredded cheese and sour cream at Dollar Tree. Taco mix is only $0.35/each at Aldi, they run out so fast, so better get a dozen if you see it. Also get the lettuce/green salad at Aldi for only $0.69 each. So below are the ingredients plus the cost of my home made turkey tacos

Ingredients  ( good for 2 dozen tacos)

1    pack         ground turkey meat     ($ 1.50)
2    packs        taco shells                   ($ 2.00)
1    pack          taco mix                      ($0.35)
1    container   sour cream                  ($1.00)
1    pack          green salad                  ($0.69)
1    pack          shredded cheese          ($1.00)
                                                           _______
                           Total                         $6.54  

Only $6.54 for 2 dozen crunchy tacos. I saved $17.46 compared to buying it at Taco Bell. And believe me that's a big savings for someone who has a daughter who just love tacos and ate 2 dozens in 3 days!!! She said they tastes the same. It was good!!!

Procedure

In a saucepan, saute the turkey meat until golden brown. Add the taco mix and 1/2 cup water. Simmer for 5minutes..set aside

To assemble the taco is pretty simple.  Turkey meat at the bottom of the shell, add the green salad, then shredded cheese. Last is the sour cream. You can also add guacamole or refried beans. These are also affordable at Aldi. Enjoy your crunchy dinner!!

Atcharang Ampalaya (pickled bitter melon)

Over the summer, my friend has been consistently giving me ample supply of fresh vegetables from her backyard garden. There is nothing like cooking a freshly picked vegetables. I was given long beans, tomatoes. squash and bitter melon.  Surprisingly, the bitter melon was not bitter at all!! I have been cooking bitter melon almost twice a week, and I get to thinking, what else can I do with this vegetable? I don't want it to go to waste if its sitting in the fridge for a long time. Then I remember one of my friends pickled some ampalaya a long time ago. I love atchara, I can eat it everyday. And so I thought of experimenting on atcharang ampalaya.

Back when I was young, ampalaya is my most hated vegetable, I know it is very healthy, but I can't seem to force myself to eat it, mainly because of it's bitter taste. One way of taking the bitterness out is by marinating it in saline solution (salt and water) and squishing the fluid out of it. But let's be honest, it doesn't really take the bitterness out completely.

Ampalaya, or bitter melon, bitter squash, bitter gourd, Momordica charantia, in scientific name, is a tropical vegetable widely grown in Asia, Africa and the Carribean. The fruit and the flower are the edible parts. There are two varieties available at the store, the Chinese biter melon and the Indian bitter melon. It is rich in carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals.  It is claimed to help cure diabetes, fever, and some infections. I read somewhere that there are some research ongoing about its role in prevention and cure of HIV, AIDS and cancer.

Atchara, a common way of preserving food is popular in the Philippines. Green papaya is the vegetable commonly used. It is paired with fried fish and rice.  Other vegetables that are also used are labong (bamboo shoots), singkamas (jicama), ubod (palm hearts), and ampalaya.

Today, I chose to experiment on atcharang amapalaya, because I have a dozen ampalaya in my fridge that I want to preserve and enjoy for the next several weeks.

Ingredients

4      pcs         ampalaya, cut into thin pieces
1      pc          medium carrots, julienned
1      pc          medium onion, sliced thinly
5      cloves    garlic, sliced thinly
1      pc         large bell pepper, cut into strips
1      knob     ginger, cut into strips
1      cup        raisins
3      cups      apple cider vinegar (ACV) or pineapple juice

if using ACV, add the following ingredients

1    cup        granulated sugar
2/3  cup       pineapple juice

Procedure

1.  Combine ampalaya, carrots, garlic, ginger, bell pepper, onion and raisins. Set aside.

2.  In a saucepan, boil ACV, sugar and pineapple juice. After its boils, let simmer for 5 minutes.

3.  Once the ACV mixture is cool, poor over the vegetables. Place in a tight container, preferably mason jars.  Refrigerate. Ferment for one week before consuming.

4.  Once the jar is opened, atchara is good for 3 months.

I have been eating atchara for several days now. I made two batches, one I used pineapple juice, it was too sweet. The other batch, using ACV was better, it has a little tartness in it.  I paired it with my home made chicken tocino, and fried rice.  What other vegetable can we use for atchara? Let me know your thoughts.  Happy experimenting!!!

Don't forget to visit me and subscribe to my YouTube channel: Cristina Kitchen!  Thanks

Rotisserie Chicken Reinvented

Before you get too excited, no, I didn't cook rotisserie chicken. For so many reasons. One, I don't have rotisserie, secondly, I don't have the time it takes to cook it, which is hours and hours of turning the skewer until the chicken is cooked. And lastly, why go through the meticulous way of cooking rotisserie when you can buy it at Sam's Club for only $4.98? Why complicate life when it can be easy?

Anyway, I bought one whole rotisserie chicken Monday afternoon. I didn't know what to cook for dinner and just decided to go to Sam's Club for the chicken. I went home and thought, the chicken needs side dishes. I end up cooking mashed potatoes, gravy (in can, just heat it up) and corn bread stuffing (in a box). That's a Monday night dinner.  My daughter and I end up just eating the legs and thighs. So much leftovers, what am I gonna do with it?

So I had to reinvent the chicken, we don't wanna eat it on a Tuesday night. And frankly, I'm not too fond of chicken breasts. So I decided to cook chicken noodle soup. Below is the recipe.

Ingredients

2     cups       rotisserie chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/2  cup        carrots, cut into cubes
1/2  cup        green beans, cut into small pieces
1/2  cup        bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1/2  cup        onion, chopped
2    cans        chicken broth
2    cups         macaroni noodles, cooked al dente
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

In a pot , boil the chicken broth, add all the vegetables. Simmer for  15 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.

Add the chicken and macaroni noodles. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

Serve hot.

So after cooking the chicken noodle soup, I still have a lot of leftovers.  (The chicken is huge). So Wednesday night I made some spicy chicken quesadilla. We were craving for Mexican food. This dish is so easy to make. And you only need 4 ingredients. Below is the recipe.

Ingredients

1   pack    tortilla (Fajita style)
1   cup      rotisserie chicken, shredded
1   cup      shredded cheese
1   tsp      chili powder

Procedure

In a bowl, mix season the chicken with chili powder.

Add on the half side of the tortilla.

Put shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla

Fry in a pan until golden brown. Cut in half.

Serve with salsa.

You would think after 3 consecutive dinners, the chicken is gone. It is not. Maybe if you have a big family, but since it is only me and my daughter, it takes a while for us to finish it. And since we are into Mexican food, why not make crunchy tacos for Thursday night? Below is the recipe.

Ingredients

2     cups     rotisserie chicken, shredded
1     pack     taco mix
1     pack    crunchy tacos shells
2/3  cup      water
1     pack    shredded cheese
1    pack     sour cream
1    cup       lettuce, shredded

Procedure

In a pan, heat up the chicken, add the taco mix and water. Boil for a few minutes. Set aside.

To assemble the crunchy tacos.  Put the chicken at the bottom of the shell. Add the lettuce, then the cheese, and the sour cream.

You could also add, guacamole, olives or salsa verde.

There you have it. Four meals in one chicken. Can't go wrong with that. I actually thought of making two more dishes out of it. But I'm tired of eating chicken. I could have made chicken egg rolls and chicken patties. But I will save that for another day. Right now, I think I'm done eating chicken for 4 consecutive nights!

You can make a lot of recipes out of rotisserie chicken. The only limitation is your imagination and inventiveness. Let me know what recipe you have done with rotisserie, I'm sure you have reinvented it like I did.

Turkey Picadillo

Picadillo or ginisang giniling is a popular dish in the Philippines. It is often eaten with rice, boiled egg and fried banana on the side.  It is a Spanish dish, from the word picar, which means to mince or chop or ground, hence locally know in the Philippines as giniling.  Latin America has their own version too. It is popular in Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. Different counties have their own version of picadillo, but is mostly made with ground pork or beef as main ingredients. It is served over rice, tacos, pastries, tortillas, or a filing for empanada. In the Philippines, it is served often with rice, fried saba (banana) and boiled egg.

As everyone knows, I have been staying away from pork and beef for several years now, and mostly preferred chicken, turkey and fish as my main source of meat. But it doesn't stop me from eating certain dishes that I love. I grew up eating picadillo, my mother always cook it, and so this is comfort food for me. So I made a little experiment, as usual, and substituted ground turkey instead of ground pork for my picadillo dish.  Below is my recipe.

Ingredients

1       lb       ground turkey
2       pcs     medium size potatoes, cut into small squares
2       pcs     medium size carrots, cut into squares
1       pc       bell pepper, cut into small squares
1/2    cup     green beans, cut into small pieces
1/2    cup     raisins
1/2    cup     green peas
1       can      tomato sauce or 2 pcs plum tomatoes
1       pc        small onion, chopped
1       tsp      minced garlic
2       tbsp.   vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

In a saucepan, sauté garlic, onion and tomato (if using it).  Add ground turkey in a few minutes. Cook for about 10 minutes or when the turkey is golden brown.

Add potatoes, carrots, green beans and tomato sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add bell pepper, raisins, green peas and salt and pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve over rice and boiled egg and fried banana on the side.

Spaghetti Casserole

If there is a non-Filipino dish that I could eat everyday, that would be spaghetti. Spaghetti for breakfast, for lunch, snack, or dinner... I'm all for it. I mean who wouldn't? It is so yummy, topped with different kind of sauces that you prefer. And of course, don't forget Parmesan cheese!

I prefer marinara sauce on my spaghetti. I would sometime cook carbonara, or just plain olive oil and cheese like my daughter prefers. But there is something different about tomato sauce with ground meat simmered for hours. But I have come to a point where I thought..is there something else I could use instead of marinara sauce?

Soon enough I tried a spaghetti sauce that I like aside from marinara. My friend's daughter cooked it for her and she let me try it. She said they got the recipe online and thought of trying it. She calls it spaghetti casserole. I call it divine!! It was so good that now I prefer it instead of marinara sauce. My friend told me roughly the ingredients and how to cook it, but to be honest, I wasn't paying much attention because I was busy devouring the dish!! lol.. and besides, I would like to discover it myself and create my own recipe..

So based on what I tasted I roughly made my own spaghetti casserole recipe..

Ingredients

1     lb           spaghetti noodle, cooked al dente
1     lb           ground turkey
2     cans       diced tomatoes
1/2  cup        green bell pepper, chopped
1/2  cup        red bell pepper
1     tsp         cayenne pepper
1     cup        cheddar cheese
1/2  cup        yellow onion, chopped
1     tbsp       garlic, minced
2     tbsp       vegetable oil
1/2  cup       water
butter to coat baking pan
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1.  Cook spaghetti noodle al dente, roughly 7-8 minutes, set aside.
2.  On a skillet, sautee garlic and onion on vegetable oil.
3.  Add the ground turkey, cook until turkey is brown.
4.  Add dice tomatoes and water. Simmer for 10 minutes
5.  Add the bell pepper, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste.
6.  Pour the sauce over spaghetti noodle.
7. Grease the baking pan, transfer the noodles with sauce, top with cheddar cheese.
8.  Bake for 40 min or until cheese has melted.

Tuna salad pinwheels

I always look for something to do and experiment all the time. And every time I see something healthy and yummy, then I am all for it. A few months ago when I was planning my daughter's birthday party, I thought of making pinwheels because she loves it. Sometimes I would just roll a peanut butter and jelly on a tortilla and she would have it for snacks. I googled some pinwheel recipes and found out you could put almost anything in a pinwheel.  I wanted something both adult and kids would like. And so I decided I will make tuna salad pinwheels as one of party dishes. People must have liked it because it was gone when the party is done!!

The best tortilla that I used is the spinach tortilla. I found one at Aldi for only $1.69 per pack ( 6 pcs).  There is also the dried tomato tortilla, it tastes alright but I prefer the spinach one better. Pinwheels are like a sandwich wrap, where you can use either tortilla or flat bread. It is rolled up and cut into bite pieces. There are a lot of ingredients you can use. You can use chicken ( grilled or fried), add lettuce, ranch dressing and you have chicken pinwheels.  Ham and cheese pinwheels are also popular. Pizza can also be made into a pinwheels. There are a lot of options, we just have to use our imagination.

Below is the recipe for tuna salad pinwheels.

Tuna salad pinwheels

1     pack      tortilla wraps (spinach or ripe tomatoes)
1     pc         lettuce, washed and dried
1    bowl      tuna salad

Tuna salad recipe

2     cans       tuna in water, drained well
1/2  cup        onion, chopped
1/2  tsp         salt
1/2  tsp         ground pepper
1     cup       mayonnaise
1/2  cup       orange bell pepper, chopped

Mix all the ingredients for tuna salad. Set aside

Procedure

On your chopping board or flat surface, place one tortilla wrap, put one or two pieces of lettuce, then spread the tuna salad on top of the lettuce.

Roll the wrap tightly. Cut the edges. Cut in six pieces in equal sizes. Enjoy!!

Mango Cake

So ever since I made that banana cake and apple cake, I have been thinking of experimenting the same recipe on a different kind of fruit. Jewel Osco recently put their mango on sale, 3 pcs per dollar! Wow, can't get any cheaper than that.  My daughter and I love mango! It's our favorite fruit and don't mind eating it everyday. And since I intend to experiment all kinds of fruit for my cake recipe, its about time to try it on mango.

There are different kind of mangoes. The best one is of course the manila mango you find on local store. I don't want to brag, but Philippines has the best mango in the world. That is why mango in the Philippine's national fruit. Although it is also a national fruit of India, with the country producing the most mango all over the world, Philippines is not far behind. We Filipinos eat the unripe mango with bagoong, fish sauce or salt. The ripe ones we eat fresh, or made into juice, smoothie, milkshake, salad etc. Dried Philippine mango is also distributed worldwide, just check in Jewel Osco, they have it in their canned fruit/dried fruit isle.

Below is my mango cake recipe


Ingredients

3      pcs     manila mango (2 1/2 cups), mashed
2      pcs     eggs
2      cups   all purpose flour
1      cup     white sugar
1/2   cup     vegetable oil
1/2   tsp       salt
1      tsp      baking powder
1/2   tsp      cinnamon powder
powdered sugar for dusting

Procedure

Pre heat over 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, beat eggs, add sugar and mashed mango.

Add flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix well.

Pour onto a greased baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes uncovered. Cover with aluminum foil then bake for another 15 minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes, dust with powdered sugar and serve!

My daughter couldn't wait to eat it. She finished 2 servings in one seating! It is so good!!

Apple Cake

Its been a few weeks since I last baked some banana bread. I don't buy banana these days because to be honest, I got tired of eating banana bread. I got some apples this time. I'm not too fond of apples really but hey, it's on sale, so might as well get some. To get to my point, since I have apples,  I thought of making apple cake using my banana bread/cake  recipe. I will just substitute apples instead of banana. Sounds good? I got so excited about it and turned on my laptop to write this blog right away. My daughter saw what I was doing and asked me, "You are gonna write your blog?" I said yes, since I made banana bread/cake a few weeks ago, I thought I could experiment on other fruits, so there... apple cake in the oven right now. My daughter has a sense of humor, because the next thing she said.." So are you gonna make tomato bread next time, because you know, tomato is a fruit. or maybe cantaloupe?".  Hmmm, tweens and their smart mouth. LOL. I calmly told her, tomato? Why not? Guess what, your favorite focaccia has tomatoes on top of it!!!. Hahahaha

So here is the recipe for apple cake

Ingredients

2       cups      all purpose flour
2       pcs        egg
2       pcs        medium size apples, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cup       sugar
1/2    cup       apple sauce
1/2    tsp        salt
1       tsp        baking powder
1       tsp        cinnamon powder

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients except the sugar - flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, add the apple sauce and sugar. Then fold in the apples. Add the dry ingredients. Mix well. Place in a greased baking pan. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.

Bake for 55 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.

So since I have several apples left, I might be baking this recipe several times until I get tired of eating it! Or maybe try it with other fruit, like pears? What do you think?

Green Goddess (Pistachio pudding dessert)

Summer is here!! I can't say I'm excited because I really can't stand the heat. But there as some perks of summer season. Aside from occasional nice, tolerable temperature, we get to try lots of cold dessert perfect for the summer. One example is this divine dessert that I like so much. I got to try it a long time ago when one of my friends shared it with me. She said her daughter's friend makes it every time they have a party. It was so good I thought of making it myself. My friend gave me her recipe, and of course, I made my own version.

This recipe is very different from green goddess salad dressing that is made of mayonnaise, sour cream, chives etc. Some call this dessert pistachio pudding dessert, pineapple fluff, Watergate salad (because of the scandal), golden gate salad, pistachio delight, shut the gate salad or green fluff. I would prefer green goddess. It is an American dessert and is a popular dish in the Midwest.

The dish is very easy and quick to prepare. And is best served cold.

Ingredients

1     can            crushed pineapple
1    container  cool whipped cream
2     boxes        instant pistachio pudding
1     bag           mini marshmallows

Procedure

1.  Strain the crushed pineapple in a bowl, press it really hard until it is dry. Set aside
2. Add the instant pistachio pudding on the juice, whip it until it is thick.
3. Fold the cool whipped cream.
4. Add the pineapple and mini marshmallows.
5. Optional - sprinkle chopped pistachio on top.
6. Put in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve cold

Get creative with serving it. At a party , I would serve it in a mini containers. For kids, I thought of serving it on an ice cream cone.

Banana Pancake and Banana Bread

As you all know, I like to experiment and try new stuff. But I'm not claiming that my new experiment was my own idea. I actually saw a video of Erwan Heusaff making banana pancake on his Intagram feeds. I didn't catch the ingredients and I actually prefer it that way because I want to create my own recipe and try not to copy someone else's. So whatever similarities in our recipes are purely coincidence. Hehehe...

I bought some banana more than a week ago thinking my daughter would eat it. She prefers it on top of her cereal. But an 11 year old cannot finish a dozen banana in a week. And they are starting to brown and have spots. Before, I would end up throwing them. I thought of making banana bread, but I'm not too crazy about it, and banana isn't really my favorite fruit. But this weekend, I wasn't doing anything really and I miss baking and trying new recipes. I made banana bread first, it was so yummy that I actually enjoyed eating it. Banana pancake was my daughter's breakfast and she devoured the whole plate. So here is the recipe for both banana pancake and bread.

Banana Pancake

2       pcs        over-ripe banana
1/2   cup        all purpose flour 
1      pc          egg
1      tbsp       cinnamon powder
butter

Procedure

In a bowl, mash the banana, add egg, flour and cinnamon powder. Mix well.

In a pan, melt butter, scoop the banana pancake batter. cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown, flip and cook the other side.

Serve with syrup or powdered sugar.

The recipe makes 4 pancakes.


Banana Bread

5      pcs       over-ripe banana
2      cups     all purpose flour
1      tsp       baking soda
1/4   tsp       salt
1/2   cup     soft butter
1      cup      brown sugar
2      pcs       eggs

Procedure

Pre heat over at 350 F

Combine flour, baking soda and flour. Set aside.

Combine butter and sugar. Add to the dry ingredients

Mashed the banana, beat the eggs then add all ingredients.

Pour the mixture in a baking pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until top is golden brown.

I thought making banana bread was complicated. It is not. It is so easy. In fact, I will bake another batch later on because my first baked banana bread is almost gone!!! As for the banana pancake, it reminded me of a mashed "maruya". It is a little tricky to cook it, unlike a regular pancake.

How I planned my daughter's birthday party

So my daughter turned 11 a few days ago, time flies so fast!! This year, she wanted it a little bit different. She doesn't want a party at home, with pizza, ice cream cone, Filipino food etc. She wants to go and do something fun somewhere. So I started searching on what kind of party suitable for an 11 year old.  Because the usual party places like Chuck-E-Cheese, princess themed parties at the local park districts are too "babyish" according to her. I also want to plan a party that doesn't cost me a fortune. So I set up a budget for it, I should be spending only $200 or less for this party.

So I started googling and was surprised at what I have found. There are so many places you can have parties suitable for 11 years olds. Here as some of the places that can cater to birthday parties.

1.  We all know that Home Depot holds kids workshop every first Saturday morning of the month. But what we didn't know is that some braches allow birthday parties. You just have to talk the the branch manager if they will allow it.

2.  California Pizza Kitchen. This restaurant allows birthday parties before they open at 11 am. Kids are going to have fun making their own pizza and a tour around the restaurant. The downside, your party has to start at 10 am. Cost is $10/kid. The birthday child will have a chef's coat. 20 kids maximum.

3.  Whole Foods Market.  Some WholeFoods branches allows a cooking birthday parties, just call your nearest branch if they do that. Average cost of $200-225 for 10 kids, $12.50 additional kid. 6 adults are only allowed inside the room though.

4. Kids Science Labs.  If your child likes slime and other science experiments, then this is the best place to have his/her science party. Not cheap though. They charge $575 for the first 15 kids, and $20 additional kids.

5. Some art studios allows painting parties. Call your nearest art studio if the allow birthday parties for kids.

6.  Some salon allows spa parties for kids. They get to have mani and pedi, along with hair do and make up. Mind you, its not cheap. Average of $30/child.

7. Joann's Store.  This art and craft store holds classes for both adults and kids. And they also offer birthday packages for kids. $120 for the first 8 kids, $10 additional kids.

8.  Cooking school.  This is the one that I like for my daughter's 11th birthday party. But its so expensive. Not within my budget. My Chefs Station has many party packages. Minimum cost is $250 for 10 kids and 2 adults.

9.  YMCA offers party packages for some of their amenities. Your child can have a swimming party or basketball party. Call you local YMCA for costs.

10. Skyzone. We all know about this trampoline park. This is one of my daughter's happy place. Birthday packages start at $299 and up for 12 jumpers. 

11. Movie party. Contact your local theater for their party packages. Cost can range from $300 to $500. But you can make it cheaper by just meeting up at the theater with the guests, pay for the tickets and buy food at the concession area.

12. Wonder Works Children's Museum offers birthday parties for kids 1-8 years old. I know its not for my daughter, but I just want to include it on my list. It is located in Oak Park, IL. $100 to reserve a room for party  plus the cost of admission to the museum. Maximum of 20 kids with no adult sitting.

So I discussed it all with my daughter, and since its her party, she gets to decide where it is going to be. After going to the place and tried their craft, she decided she wants to have a craft party at Michaels Art and Craft Store. And the best part is that it is actually affordable!!

So while my daughter was in an art class, I talked to the person in charge of the birthday parties, her name is Amanda, she showed some of the packages, none if which my daughter likes. They have t-shirt making, slime making, princess themed party etc. All for $120 for 8 kids, same with Jo-Anns', additional kid is also $10 each. But they have this other option where you pay $50 for reserve the classroom for 2 hours, then buy the art supplies that you want for your party. My daughter wanted to have a painting class, where she and her guests gets to paint some birdhouses and chests. We bought the art supplies before her party to avail of the 20% off entire purchase and I end up paying only $36!!

I wanted her give away to be a little different. And since I'm into bento box making, I decided to create a bento box for the kids. I went to Dollar Tree to get some cool containers for my bento box.  I got some of my supplies there too, like the serving trays, disposable plates, forks, spoons, table covers etc. The bento box include a baked mac and cheese in a cupcake paper, some pretzels, candies and Green goddess in an ice cream cone.

Sophie didn't want to serve pizza again. And to be honest, I want to serve something different. I served tuna salad pinwheels, penne pasta in marinara sauce, eggrolls( that I made and freeze a few weeks ago), fruit kebabs, hotdogs in a stick, some chips and sauce and crackers and green goddess that everybody loved.

For the cake, I went to Jewel to have a customized cake that only cost me $14. I plan to give cupcakes for the kids instead of cutting the cake and serve them. I thought of putting some gymnastics cupcake toppers, I looked online and found some free printable cupcake toppers images, I had it printed at Walgreens for $0.29/picture. I cut the images in the picture, and attached toothpick at the back.

The usual party will cost you around $500. And guess what, I spent a total of $201.51 for everything!!😀👍👍. I'm just $1.51 over my budget.

There are still a lot of birthday party ideas that are not included in my list. Who knows what I will be able to come up with next year..

Fried chicken

Everybody just love fried chicken. I mean who wouldn't? Juicy and tender, warm and crunchy, dipped in gravy, served with coleslaw and mashed potatoes, or in my case and other Filipinos, with steamed rice. Now that is a winner meal!!

I have been cooking fried chicken for years, and every time I would try to cook it in a different way. But I also get fast food fried chicken, My daughter loves Popeye's Fried chicken. For more than a year, we would be eating at a Popeye's branch on Mannheim Rd every Sunday after work. So much that some workers there already know us. And recently, when Jollibee opened its branch here in Chicagoland, my daughter fell in love, naturally, with chicken joy. Who wouldn't, really?

And so, obviously, whenever my daughter loves to eat something, I would try to recreate it. Although I wasn't able to get the exact taste of chicken joy (my daughter says, almost, but not quite), I'm still proud of my new version of fried chicken.

Here is my version of home-made fried chicken

Ingredients

To marinate:
2         lbs             chicken legs and thighs
1/2      cup            iodized salt
3         tbsp           garlic powder
2         tbsp           paprika
2         L               water

For coating:
2         cups          flour
3         pcs            eggs, beaten
3        cups           corn flakes
1        tsp              pepper
1        tbsp            salt
1        tsp              paprika

Gravy
Oil from frying the chicken
2    tbsp    flour

1       cup              vegetable oil

Procedure

In a bowl, mix the chicken with the water, iodized salt, garlic powder and 1 tbsp paprika. Marinate overnight in the fridge.

The next day, drain the chicken and throw the marinate juice.
Dry the chicken with paper towel.
Mix the flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Set aside.
In a saucepan, heat up 1 cup of vegetable oil.
 Dip the chicken in flour mix, then egg, and finally coat with the cornflakes.
Fry the chicken until golden brown.

For the gravy, add flour on the oil used for frying the chicken. mix until the sauce thicken. you may add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with mashed potatoes, coleslaw or steamed rice. Enjoy!!!