Sardinas Pancit Sotanghon (Bean Thread Noodles with Sardines in Tomato Sauce)

Last week was all rainy here in my side of the world. Though I don't like rain (especially very hard rain that could stop me from doing things), I just love the sound of it. It kinda makes me feel relaxed. Ehhhr, I guess lazy is the right word...because all I wanna do on a rainy day is to either curl up on the couch with Ryan and the girls or take a long nap...and all I could think of is FOOD! But since I am feeling lazy, I don't want to do too much cooking...all I want is quick and easy comfort food. 

It was raining really hard last Wednesday so Ryan decided to just work from home. We ate some leftover nilaga for lunch...and when it was dinner time, the girls were saying they wanted pancit (noodles). With all the ingredients I put in the usual pancit I cook, I felt so tired already just thinking of how much chopping I had to make. Then suddenly I remember about this vermicelli soup with sardines that my mom used to make. I don't cook it often because Clarise and Cherlin aren't so into canned sardines. But I thought that they might like it if I make it into a guisado (sauted) version without the soup. So that's what I made. I was thinking that if they won't like it, I'll just make them eat the leftover mac & cheese in the ref...

 

...but guess what??! They loved the Sardinas Pancit Sotanghon! I couldn't believe that both of them finished a plateful of it in just a few minutes...and they asked for another serving. Too bad I didn't cook much! 

Since they didn't get enough of it, I had to cook it again last weekend...and just like last Wednesday, it was all gone before I knew it! :)

King's Pecan Squares

My family and I love King's Hawaiian bread and rolls!  Well, I guess everyone who had tried them do! For those of you who aren't from the US and haven't heard of King's Hawaiian, it is a well-known bakery and restaurant in Torrance, California  which has been creating signature Hawaiian sweet bread and recipes for 50 years, and has continue to rise as the #1 branded bread and rolls across the United States. I haven't been to the restaurant (but heard so much about it)...it's just their bread and rolls that I've tried, and I must say they're really good! Whether it’s Hawaiian Sweet, Honey Wheat or Savory Butter, King’s Hawaiian bread and rolls are always so fresh and tasty, and that's what make them different from other brands!

Among King's Hawaiian products, the rolls (all three flavors) are my family's all time favorite! They're so good with meals and just by themselves as a quick snack. Clarise and Cherlin love them because they are sweet, soft and moist. Not only are they wonderful sandwich rolls for any filling that you could think of...

...you can also make other yummy creations from them, like these Pecan Squares!

My family and I have been enjoying these delightful treats for years! I came up with this recipe out of my love for King's Hawaiian rolls and pecans! They are simply King's Hawaiian rolls topped with pecans and are so easy to make! 

When I received the email from Amy of A Latte with OTT'A about her, hosting another year of Iron Chef Challenge and found out that the theme ingredient for January is King's Hawaiian products, I knew I have to share the recipe for these tasty treats that's not yet in their recipe page.

If you are pecan lovers like me and my husband, this simple recipe is for you! But even if you're not so into pecans, I'm sure you'll gonna love my King's Pecan Squares! My daughters who always say they hate pecans do!:)

Peach Refrigerator Cake

I personally love cakes! I won't say all kinds of cake, but most kinds of cake. Beautifully frosted and decorated  cakes always mesmerize me. They're like stunning works of art for me. But back when I was a little girl, there's this cake that I really like. It's not fancy...it's not tall...it doesn't even have frosting...but my birthdays wouldn't be complete without it even if I have a beautiful store bought cake.

I'm talking about the famous Refrigerator Cake.Before my mom got her wonder oven (which she used to bake her delicious cakes), refrigerator cake was the only cake she could make. She used to make it with broas (ladyfingers) with mango topping. My birthdays won't be complete without it and a store bought chocolate or chiffon cake with butter cream icing.

When I was in college, I started making ref cake on my own and I found out that honey graham crackers work better on it. So that's what I've been using since then. I've tried different toppings aside from mango like canned peaches, fruit cocktail, sweetened strawberries and coarsely chopped Oreo but I liked mango and canned peaches the best. The only drawback with mango is that the taste changes after a couple of days, so I used canned peaches more often. 

Today, let me share with you my Peach Refrigerator Cake...

It is such a delicious and easy dessert. It only requires a few ingredients, and it doesn't even involve turning on the oven. What more could you ask for???!

Beef and Spinach Lasagna and Giveaway Winner

When I was growing up, Lasagna wasn't popular yet in the Philippines (or maybe just in our province). It was only in college when I first tried it, and I have loved it since then. I love it so much that it didn't take long before I started making it myself even though all I had in the boarding house was an oven toaster. I guess it's the layers of goodness in lasagna that makes me so into it!

Since then until now, lasagna has been one of my favorite pasta dishes. Thu hubs as well as Clarise and Cherlin love it too, so I often make it. I have long been wanting to post my Beef and Spinach Lasagna recipe, but I always don't get the chance to take pictures of it. My lasagna doesn't last long and before I could take a photo, it's all gone! But last week, I was lucky enough to do it! I was able to cook earlier than usual so I had time to take pictures just before dinner time.

So here it is...my Beef and Spinach Lasagna that's always a big hit! I included the procedure on how to make lasagna roll ups in case you want to roll lasagna noodles into individual servings.  Check it out...

Buko Pandan

Pearl of  My Sassy Chef and Thea of Words and Nosh are January's Kulinarya Cooking Club Challenge hosts...and since Thea's birthday is this month, they came up with a birthday celebration theme. The challenge is to prepare a favorite birthday dish (entree, dessert, snack, or drink) and make it more healthy by making it into a vegetarian/vegan, lower fat, dairy-free or low sugar version.

My birthday falls on Dec. 25, and I grew up celebrating my birthday with lots of mouthwatering holiday food. But aside from Beef Caldereta and Pancit Canton, if there's one thing that I always want on the dining table for my birthday, it's Buko Pandan...a very simple yet so deliciously refreshing dessert that I really love.

Buko Pandan is a favorite Filipino dessert which is a combination of shredded buko(young coconut) and pandan(screw pine) jelly mixed with table cream and condensed milk.

In the Philippines where pandan can be found everywhere, this dessert is traditionally prepared by boiling pandan leaves until all the juices are released. After removing the leaves, the liquid is then used to make the jelly. Here in my side of the world where pandan is hardly available, I use pandan extract instead. To give the jelly a richer flavor, I use coconut juice in place of water. 

So how did I make my usual version of buko pandan healthy? Well, I made it low fat by using light table cream and fat free condensed milk. And instead of powdered gelatin, I used agar-agar bars. Though a bit tougher and less floppy than gelatin, agar-agar which is made from seaweed is a great and healthier substitute. It is fat free, low in calories and high in calcium.

With those simple alterations I made, I can say that I made a totally healthy version of buko pandan...

Check it out and let me know what you think! 

Cheers to good health!!!

Ham, Potato, Turkey and Three Cheese Casserole and Some Blog Awards

Before I go to today's recipe, I want to take this chance to thank five of my awesome blogger friends for sharing some blog awards with me which I am truly grateful for. Some of the awards were from last year. My sincerest apologies for acknowledging them just now. I would also like to take this opportunity to share these with some wonderful bloggers who I admire for their effort in putting up a terrific blog.

  

Blog on Fire Award and Cute Little Chef Award 

Thanks Kym of Free Spirit Eater for these!

I'm passing on these awards to:

Easy Food Smith

Lover for Food
Grubarazzi

~~~ooo~~~

  

 Cherry on Top Award and The Versatile Blogger Award

Thanks Shirley of Shirley's Luxury Haven for these two awards and also to 

Jo of Chick & Gorgeous Treats for The Versatile Blogger Award!!!

I am passing on these awards to:

Barbara of Spanish4Kiddos
Bianca of Becoming Bianca 

Laura of A Healthy Jalapeno

Ridwan of Ridwan's Kitchen

Richard of What's Cooking at Richard's

~~~ooo~~~

The Fabulous Blog Award

Thanks EasyFoodSmith for this!

I am passing on this award to:

Gerry of Foodness Gracious

Jo of Chick & Gorgeous Treats 
Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic
Kym of Free Spirit Eater

Lyn of The Lovely Pantry

Shirley of Shirley's Luxury Haven

~~~ooo~~~

 Cherry on Top Award,The Cutest Blog Award, Kreativ Blogger and The Circle of Friends Award

Thanks Akheela of TorviewToronto for these!

I am passing on these awards to:

Amy of uTry.It

Anne of Made In Hongkong
Biren of RotinRice
Jessica of Kitchen Belleicious

Katerina of Culinary Flavors
Lindsey of Lindselicious
 Lizzy of That Skinny Chick Can Bake
MJ of MJ's Kitchen
Nava of Nava-K 
Ping of Ping's Pickings
Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen
Tina of Flourtrader

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
 If you are one of the award recipients, feel free to share it with  your blog friends who you think are deserving like you! 

 ~~~ooo~~~

And now, for today's recipe:

This Ham, Potato, Turkey and Three Cheese Casserole is a delicious all-in-one meal that I came up with to make use of our leftover ham and turkey from the holidays. 

I combined sweet ham, turkey, potatoes, heavy cream and three kinds of cheese (American, cheddar and Parmesan) to make this as cheesy and creamy as my daughters want it to be, then I topped it with Panko bread crumbs for a crunchy finish. This is just so delicious not to mention so easy to prepare. You just have to combine all the ingredients, topped it with cheese sauce which you just have to whisk on the stove for a few minutes, then put it in the oven.

Comfort food at its finest is what this is! You should really give this a try! This also works well with chicken or with just plain ham or sausage...

Three Nut Sansrival and a Giveaway for PiTCC's 1st Anniversary

In the afternoon of January 14, 2011, while I was snacking on the Pancit Palabok that I made the day before, I suddenly thought of posting my recipe and photo of it via Blogger. Though I've long been wanting to have a space of my own which will serve as my recipe journal and at the same time allow me to share my passion for food and cooking, starting my own recipe blog on that day wasn't planned. I didn't even have any idea of how much work is involved in it. That time, all I had were unwritten recipes from my Mom which I have memorized in my mind, and a few photos of some Filipino food that I frequently cook. I got no blogging nor photography background or whatsoever...in short, I was not prepared for it. But for some reasons, I started typing my first post and published it though I knew that it would be just a waste of time and effort because I got no one to read it. 

A year after, I no longer see Pinay In Texas Cooking Corner as a waste of time and effort. With all the emails and comments I got, saying either they are thankful to find my blog or they like my recipe, I feel proud of myself! Nothing beats the feeling of knowing you have helped someone even in the simplest possible way! And with all the existing food blogs in the web, who would have thought that a Filipino recipe blog like mine would get readers? I know I don't have that much...but with more than 35,000 unique visitors in my first year of blogging, I couldn't ask for more! Though I'm not good and don't have time to put much effort on social networking, I was able to gain almost 700 followers on Facebook, and more than 600 on Twitter. That's really much more than I expected. I thought I would only have my family and friends as followers! :)

Today, as I celebrate my blog's 1st anniversary, I would like to thank each and every one of you who has left a comment, written encouraging e-mails and showed your support to me! Without you, I wouldn't have the inspiration to share a total of 162 recipes in my first year of blogging! And to the wonderful, kind, supportive and encouraging people in the food blogging community, I am so grateful to all of you too! I know I could never thank you enough for making me feel that I have a place in the blogosphere.

To show my gratitude to you my dear readers and blogger friends, I'm giving away these cute "Be Brave" coasters and Food & Wine Chef Recipes Made Easy Cookbook which I personally chose.

With over 100 recipes which includes everything from starters and salads to main courses and desserts from star chefs like Daniel Boulud, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck, this book is truly a must have..so be sure to enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter plugin at the end of this post!

~~~000~~~

To celebrate PiTCC's first anniversary, I am sharing with you the Sansrival that I made yesterday. This is a favorite Filipino meringue based cake filled, topped and iced with butter cream which is of French origin. It came from the words sans rival which means without rival. It is found in many coffee shops in the Philippines and comes in different versions. My most favorite of which are Figaro's My Little Oscar and Goldilocks' Cashew Sansrival. 

This very delightful dessert has been my favorite since the first time I had it at Goldilocks' Bakeshop. I love it with lots of nuts that's why I came up with my own version of it which has three of my favorite nuts in it: pecans, almonds and cashews. I call it Three Nut Sansrival. 

Check out and enjoy this delicious dessert as you wish me more wonderful years of blogging via Pinay In Texas Cooking Corner! :)

Sweet Ham and Three Bean Soup

Leftover sweet ham from the holidays has always been my favorite! I just love the thought that I can make delicious sandwiches, healthy salad and fine tasting soup with it!

Today, I'm sharing with you the soup that I made from our leftover Christmas ham. It's a combination of sweet ham and freshly cooked beans (black, red kidney and pinto) cooked in ham bone broth. I'm telling you, it was really so comforting and tasty! There is so much flavor in the ham bone that made this soup taste even better. 

The next time you have leftover ham, you should give this a try!

Shrimp Pasta in Mushroom Sauce

I've said many times before that my daughters love anything with mushrooms or mushroom sauce. Recipes like Beef Brisket With Corn Kernels In Mushroom Sauce, Baked Salmon with Asparagus & Mushrooms, Beef Balls in Mushroom Sauce, Filipino Burger Steak and Garlic Chicken Wings and Button Mushrooms are among those that never fail to put sweet smiles on their faces.

Last week when we all got tired of eating holiday leftovers, I thought of making this Shrimp Pasta in Mushroom Sauce which I haven't cooked for months. Unlike me and Cherlin, Clarise is not so into shrimps, but she's a big fan of this pasta dish. Whenever I cook it, she brings it to school the next day and she would request me to make it again soon...and it's all because it has mushrooms!  (",)

Chocolate and Mocha Cake Pops and My Babycakes Cake Pop Maker

It was in early 2010 when I first heard of cake pops - the bite-sized cake ball on a stick that was brought to fame by Bakerella. I've always wanted to try making cake pops since then, much more when I started recipe blogging...but I really didn't like the thought of having to crumble a freshly baked cake, mix it with frosting and then shape into a ball using my hands. I've seen pictures of how messy it could be, and that kept me from trying it. When I saw the Bake Pop Kit on TV, I got so amazed with how easy cake pop baking could be. The kit includes a bake pop pan, a decorating idea guide, 18 sticks, 18 wraps, 18 ties and a decorating squeeze bottle. It was a good deal, so I ordered it online around first week of November. I was thinking that I will receive it just in time for the holidays. But I had a problem with my order and had to cancel it. I promised myself that I'll just buy the cake pop maker available at Kohl's (which is the Babycakes Cake Pop Maker) after the holidays. But to my surprise, my good friend, Carmi gave me one last Christmas! I was so happy! :)

For the first time, I made cake pops last Wednesday. Simple ones though. I adapted the recipe for Chocolate Cake Pops from the manual that goes with the cake pop maker. I just made some adjustments based on the availability of ingredients in my pantry...and VOILA!!!

 

Making it was so simple and quick! Not messy as I always imagined it would be. I made another batch using the same recipe but substituted the dark chocolate with cocoa and instant coffee to make it taste like mocha. The cake pops made my girls happy...and that made me even happier! Thanks Carmi Remmers for this awesome baking gadget! :-*

This Babycakes Cake Pop Maker is available online at Amazon and thebabycakesshop.com. You can also get it at Kohl's and Bed Bath & Beyond. For the price of $19.99-24.99, I can say that this is such a good buy. Cake Pops are sold for $2-$7 each in bake shops depending on the flavor and coating. Imagine how much money you could save if you can make it in your own kitchen! 12 cake pops in 4 minutes - I think that's good enough! I made 6 dozen cake pops with simple glaze/coating in less than one hour! 

The Babycakes Cake Pop Maker bakes cake pops directly from batter which is much cleaner and quicker compared to the traditional way of making cake pops. And let me tell you that the cake pops aren't dry at all. They are moist and soft as long as you don't over bake them. The manual says to bake for 4-5 minutes. 4 minutes is just right. Baking it for more than 4 minutes will make your cake pops dry. 

I will try to incorporate frosting into the batter next time so it will be more like the traditional cake pops and will surely let you know if it will work! :)

Happy Friday everyone!

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

So how's the first few days of the new year treating you? I'd say it's treating me good so far! I know we're only on day 4, but I feel that this year is going to be amazing and with God's help, will bring lots of positive things into my life. With the new year in full swing, I've set some goals for myself that I am hopeful to achieve in 2012. These include the goal to try at least two new recipes (both Filipino and non-Filipino) every month. I am determined to try new recipes so I will have more to share with you. :)

Today, I'm so excited to share this pasta recipe that I got from a friend. It's called Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Manicotti.

Manicotti is like a huge version of penne. It is a large, tubular shaped pasta which is usually stuffed with various types of cheese, meat, vegetables or seafood, and then baked in a cheese or tomato based sauce. I know I've told you before that I am a pasta lover...but would you believe that I never had manicotti until last Christmas? I'm glad that my friend, Leo introduced me to this type of pasta, and I am very thankful that he gave me his recipe for Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Manicotti. It's such a good addition to the pasta dishes that I already know. 

Though Leo didn't give me the exact measurements of ingredients, I am happy that my first attempt in making stuffed manicotti turned out well. I made this last  New Year's Eve, and we all loved it! So good with garlic sticks!

Bibingkang Malagkit (Sticky Rice Cake)

A very happy new year to you, my dearest friends and readers! I am hoping that you all had a wonderful New Year's celebration with your loved ones.

I know that you are all looking forward to the new possibilities and opportunities that this brand new year has to offer. For sure, many of you did some preparations to have the best possible start for 2012! 

Do you know that we, Filipinos "eat for luck" on New Year's Eve??? Though we believe that everything is all dependent on God's will, we still practice this tradition which is one of the influences we got from the Chinese. Every New Year's Eve, we prepare and eat special foods that are believed to bring us riches, long life, love or other kinds of good fortune during the rest of the year. We cook uncut noodles to signify long life. We also prepare sweet delicacies which symbolize a rich, sweet life. Traditional delicacies made from glutinous or sticky rice like this Bibingkang Malagkit are also prepared so good fortune will stick around throughout the year.

This dessert has always been on our dinner table for Media Noche (New Year's Eve feast) since I was a kid. But this isn't just for special occasions. It's a favorite everyday Filipino dessert or snack that's so good with a cup of coffee. This is almost similar to biko, the only difference is the topping and the color of the cake. Biko has latik (coconut milk curd) for topping and cake is brown in color because brown sugar is used, while bibingkang malagkit has condensed milk and coconut milk for topping and the cake is white. I will share with you my biko recipe soon. For now, enjoy this bibingkang malagkit that will definitely be a hit for all types of occasions!