Potato Pancake

Ever since I was a kid, I have always love eating potatoes. Whenever a meal is served at home, menudo, afritada, nilagang baboy or ginisang ground pork, I will always look for potatoes in these dishes. I also like it mashed with gravy, baked with sour cream, French fries, harsh browns etc. But for a long time and I have been thinking of making potato pancake. I have tried it when I ate at a Polish buffet and liked it. And thought of experimenting on it one of these days. Well, this is the day!

The idea came back to me when I bought dried mashed potato flakes at a store, it was on sale. I bought it because my daughter and I eat mashed potatoes almost every week. Today, I thought instead of mashed, I'm going to experiment on potato pancake. I used the regular pancake recipe, and just substitute potato flakes instead of pancake mix.

Potato is an edible root crop. It is starchy and is rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Only the root crop of the potato plant is edible. The flowers, leaves and stems are toxic. There are about 5,000 varieties of potatoes, although the common species, Solanum tuberosum, is grown worldwide. Different countries have different preparations for this crop. Million tons of potato is produced every year. And 2008 was declared as International Year of the Potato by United Nations.

After buying potatoes, it usually has a few weeks shelf life. It should be stored in a dry, cool place. When it starts sprouting and becoming green in color, then it is no longer edible. What I usually do is trim the green part and the side with the sprout before I cook it.

So here is the simple recipe for my potato pancake.

Ingredients

1      cup        instant mashed potato flakes

1      cup        2% milk

1      pc          egg

1      stick      butter

Procedure

Mix the ingredients except butter to make a batter. In a saucepan, melt butter and pour one scoop of the pancake batter. Flip after 3 minutes to brown both sides. Serve with pancake syrup.

Coconut oil

I have been gone for almost a month and you might be wondering if I quit writing. No no no. I know, I know, this is the longest I have been out. No blog posted for almost a month. But thanks to some people who still read my old blogs. 20 views today. Not bad for someone who has been inactive for so long. I have a valid explanation readers. You see, I have been experimenting. What's new?  You would say. But not with cooking. Yes, shocking? Well, I'm a bit shocked myself. That I was convinced to experiment on beauty regimens.

People close to me knows that I don't pay much attention to "beauty treatmens". I'm not vain. I don't have rituals in the morning or at night. I just don't have the patience for it. And I don't really like putting chemicals esp on my face. I just wash my face with warm water at night, no soap sometimes because I didn't put anything on my face anyway. Well, aside from eyebrow pencil. Well, who is not obsessed with their " kilay" anyway. I seldom put on face powder or lipstick. Moisturizer only on winter , when the cold weather makes my face so dry. A bit of lotion. That's it. I seldom wear make up. And nothing to stop my skin from aging.

But then I realized I should be taking care of my skin. I'm now in my 40s and my skin is different from 20 years ago. I now have liver spots on my face, more blackheads, and maybe some wrinkles a few years from now. But I don't really want to put on chemicals. If I wanna take care of my skin, I want to use natural products.

And that's when the experiment started. My friend, who is so vain (don't worry she knows she is vain and she is proud to be one), introduced me to coconut oil. She said its so good for your skin. And that I should try it too, and that I would be happy with the result. She was right.

Coconut oil, the tree of life, as we all know is very healthy. It is rich in vitamins and minerals and consists mainly of saturated fatty acids. It has a lot of health benefits. From improving digestion, helps weight loss, improves immunity, antiviral properties etc. But I will mostly focus on its skin care benefits.

It is believed that coconut oil is very effective as skin moisturizer. It prevents aging of the skin. It has no side effects. It also helps treat skin diseases. It promotes hair growth and gives it a shiny glow. The benefits are endless.

My experiment started 3 weeks ago. I bought a refined organic coconut oil in Tony's. But you can also buy it anywhere (Costco, Amazon etc.)

1. First I used coconut oil as home made scrub. Below is my friend's "recipe".

    1/2      cup    oatmeal
    1/4      cup    baking soda
    2         tbsp    coconut oil
   1/4      cup     warm water

Mix all the ingredients until it becomes  a paste. Apply on your face and whole body. Leave for 10 minutes. Rinse after. You don't need to use body wash after, because the scrub will serve as body wash. And you will notice how soft your skin has become, even after 2 showers, it is still soft and not dry. You can do this regimen weekly.

2.  I also use coconut oil as anti-perspirant and deodorant.  I sweat a lot. And get very frustrated with deodorant sold in the market. It darkens the skin and doesn't really protect you even though that's their claim. For years now I have been using Eskinol face cleaner as a deodorant. The one with lemon. It has been effective. But then I notice I have to re apply everytime I sweat. And so I end up taking a shower 2-3 times a day especially during summer. So 3 weeks ago, I experimented on coconut oil. I noticed it reduces perspiration and at the same time no odor on underarm.

3.  As a mouthwash/toothpaste.  It is claimed that coconut oil helps fight bacteria in the mouth and so has been used as a toothpaste and mouthwash. What I do is mix it with my toothpaste everytime I brush. Half a pea size on top of the toothpaste.

4. Hot oil.  This you can do once a week too, together with the scrub.  Apply the oil on your hair, rubbing esp on the scalp. Put on shower cap. Leave for 10-20 minutes. Rinse hair after. Apply a little of shampoo and conditioner.

5. Feet.  My feet are so dry. I always apply lotion because its just so dry its frustrating. Instead of lotion I apply coconut oil and put on socks at night.

For now that's how I use coconut oil. But believe me, it has a lot of beauty and skin benefits. It can also serve as make up remover, lip balm, face wash, shaving cream. massage oil, stretch mark reducer, cold sore treatment, insect repellant, exfoliant, cold remedy, diaper rash treatment, hair detangler etc. Imagine all these benefits. 

So what are you waiting for? Buy coconut oil at your nearest store!! Lol. Send me a feedback on how this miracle oil has improved your skin. In the meantime, I have to log off. Time for my weekly scrub!!!

Crock-Pot Black Bean Soup

Aside from Filipino cuisine, my daughter loves Mexican food. She could eat burrito, taco salad, tamales, tacos and quesadilla everyday. Don't know why she loves Mexican food. Is it the Spanish blood in her? I don't know. All I know is, she would crave for it and request Mexican food for dinner. So today, I thought of cooking her something different. She has tried chili, which is mostly beans, but I have never tried cooking black bean soup. And she would probably like it too. Since she loves beans as well. I've got black beans in my pantry for so long that I thought I would experiment on it today. I checked online for recipe and there were a lot of version. I was thinking of cooking in in my Crock-Pot because I know beans and majority of soup is best cooked slow for several hours.

Black bean soup is a popular in Latin America (Mexico, Puerto Rico etc.) but mostly popular in Cuba. It os a very healthy dish, most preferred by vegetarians. Black beans is very nutritious. It is very rich in minerals and amino acids.

Like in many bean dishes, preparation should be the night before. Dry beans should be soaked overnight. But if you forgot to soak it, not a problem. you can boil the beans for an hour or so.

The beans should be soaked in water. Make sure there is at least 2 inches of water above the beans because it will swell overnight. In the morning, or when it is time for you to cook, throw the water and wash the beans first.

Here is my recipe for black bean soup

Ingredients

2      lbs         black beans, soaked overnight and washed
1      pc          medium onion, roughly chopped
2      pcs        carrots, peeled and chopped
1      pc          tomato. chopped
2     tbsp        chili powder
2     tbsp        salt
2     tbsp        ground pepper
                      water to cover al the ingredients

Toppings

Shredded cheese
Chopped onion

Procedure

In your Crock-Pot, pour all the ingredients. Make sure the water is at least 1-2 inches above all the ingredients.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours, stirring once in a while.

Once cooked, serve in a bowl, with cheese and onion toppings. Enjoy!!!

Thank You... Merci beaucoup.. Salamat po!!

Thank you very much... Merci beaucoup... Maraming salamat!! Spasibo... Danke schön ...

I want to thank all my readers, you all know who you are, for reading my blogs every time I post one. I don't know majority of you. And I am forever grateful you spent time reading my blogs.  It would be nice to know all of you. I am overwhelmed... and a bit surprised ( I am sometimes insecure)..but nevertheless happy that my blogs are being read by many..(I am shallow sometimes. .lol).

I guess any writer would say ( wait, can I say  I'm a writer already???!!! hehehe), that an article/blog/book is not worth it if no one read it. I mean why write, if no one wants to read it? Why write, if no one is connected to it? I guess what I'm saying is, writers always want to reach their audience, the readers. And for the reader to connect to the story, makes the story successful.

Two years ago, I would not believe it if someone would tell me I will have my own blog.. I have always wanted to write, but never had the chance to do it.  I mean where do I start? What do I do? These were simple questions, but believe me, I didn't know the answer that time. Until one time when my cousin and I were talking about blogs that it finally made me think its possible. I remember it was in her car, around September of  2015, when she said, of course its possible, just get an account at blogspot.com. I was so excited that time. I created my account the next day. And debated on what to write first. That time I started doing some bento lunches for my daughter. This gave me the idea of focusing mainly on food since I love to cook. That is why I made my account name cristina kitchen. I mean you have to write what you are passionate about, right? I posted Bento lunches on September 23, 2015. 101 people read it. Not bad for my first blog, right?

Since then I have posted 48 blogs, including this one. I have several drafts that I haven't finished yet. For lack of enthusiasm and information. Some blogs are easier to write, some takes hours. Some ideas came naturally, some I had to think of for days. But once I made a deadline for myself, I wouldn't stop until I finish it.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of my readers are from USA. Fifteen percent (15%) from France. (wow!!!). Fourteen percent (14%) is from Philippines ( Come on, kababayans!!!!). But I am proud to say that my blog has reached all continents.  From USA to France, Philippines, Russia, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Australia, United Arab Emirates and Portugal.

The top three blogs are Puto Cake, Crock-Pot Sinigang and Egg-white Frittata. I'm a little surprised. Because I have some blogs that I wrote more passionately and eagerly than these three. (don't get me wrong.. I'm still thankful)...

So to end this blog, let me again say thank you to all of you.  It would be nice to know you. Feel free to send me a message, a letter or even an emoji. hehehehe.

Happy New Year!!!