Roast Balsamic & Herb Rolled Pork Loin

Pork loin is where we get the leanest and most tender pork cuts. It has a mild flavor that goes well with either sweet or savory ingredients. It's delicious roasted, grilled, or pan seared. But no matter how you cook it, it is important to be careful not to overcook pork loin because it will dry out easily. 

For this recipe that I am sharing with you today, I used boneless pork loin roast, but tenderloin which is a lot smaller in size will also work. Though if you are going to use tenderloin, be sure to keep it whole instead of butterflying so it will remain moist.

This roast pork loin recipe is one of my family's favorite and is truly so easy to prepare. With just a few ingredients, you'll have a fancy dinner with no considerable effort! If you have more time to marinate, you can cook the pork loin whole, but if you don't, you have the option to butterfly the pork loin which will allow the marinade to be quickly absorbed. 

I usually serve this with mashed potatoes and gravy, but this will go well with oven roasted Brussels sprouts, salad, mixed veggies, green bean casserole, or any side dish of your choice!  An awesome roast pork that's easy to prepare but looks and tastes like you spent a lot of time on it! Perfect for Valentine's Day dinner!

Filipino Barbeque

For those who have been sending me requests for Filipino Barbeque recipe, your wait is over! I finally got the chance to make barbeque again and take some pix...so today I'm sharing with you how we make these yummy pork skewers...

Filipino barbecue is made of thinly sliced pork which is soaked overnight in a special marinade and then skewered on a bamboo stick and grilled over charcoal while basting. Though a little time consuming to prepare, the wait is worth it, and you won't regret making this Filipino favorite!

Want to know what the special marinade is? Check out the recipe...

Honey-Soy Pork Chops

If you're a frequent visitor here on the blog, perhaps you know by now that my youngest daughter, Cherlin shows so much interest in cooking. I've mentioned in a number of posts how much she loves helping me in the kitchen. She has been like that since she was about 3 yrs old. She started with the simple task of passing the ingredients or utensils to me and gradually worked her way up to measuring, stirring, mixing, cracking eggs, rolling the dough, putting salt and other spices in the pan, and chopping vegetables. Every time she's in the kitchen with me, I can see that cooking is really something she loves doing and I can say that even at her young age, she has the passion for it. She even promised me that she'll continue this blog when I'm already too old to do it. A little funny to hear...but honestly, I am so proud to know that we share the same passion.

Two weeks ago, I was with her in their school book fair, and to my surprise, she bought a cookbook! I've seen how much she loves browsing through the pages of my cookbooks and I know that she has always been fascinated with them especially ones with lot of pictures, but I never expected her wanting to buy one at her age. She simply said she wants a cookbook that she can call her own. Who am I to say no? I was so proud and excited to see signs of a future chef in her that I took this photo and posted it on Facebook with the caption: "Look at that cookbook Cherlin bought at their school book fair. I guess that shows how much cooking interests her." :)

When we got home, she started reading her new Taste of Home Kid-Approved Cookbook and 3 days after, she asked me if she could try one of the recipes in there. Of course, I said YES with a big smile on my face! And then, a surprising follow-up question came when she asked "can you post about me cooking on your blog?" With no second thoughts, I gave her another YES...and that made her so happy! She immediately checked the pantry and the refrigerator to know if we have all the ingredients. Well, we did, except for the pork loin chops. As expected, she insisted that we buy it at that very instant. Being the supportive mom that I am, we went to the nearest supermarket and both some pork chops. And as soon as we got home, she put on her apron and started working in the kitchen. I've never seen her that enthusiastic before. So this time, I let her do the cooking all by herself (with my supervision of course)...from squeezing the lemons...

Sauteed Ampalaya (Bitter Gourd) with Egg and Ground Pork

Honestly, I've never been a big fan of bitter gourd or what's called ampalaya in the Philippines. My mom who was diabetic used to cook it frequently when I was young...but she knew that my brother and I couldn't tolerate its bitterness so she didn't mind if we didn't eat much of it.  As I grew older, I got to understand and appreciate the health benefits of ampalaya...but I still can't make myself love it as much as I love other vegetables. I do eat it...but I don't find that much enjoyment in doing it as much as my husband does. He is an ampalaya fan, you know...and it's because of all its nutritional benefits. You see, behind its ribbed and wrinkled surface, ampalaya is a highly nutritious vegetable that is very low in sugar and fat, but high in fiber. It contains vitamins A, B1, B3, B6, C, E and K as well as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and also antioxidants. 

The hubs loves ampalaya in Paksiw na Bangus and  Pakbet, but this Sauteed Ampalaya with Egg and Ground Pork is his most favorite ampalaya dish. I usually cook it with lots of ground pork so my daughters will find enough reason to eat it. 

I learned from my mom that to get rid of the bitter taste, the white pith in the middle of the ampalaya should be completely removed. Dredging the ampalaya with generous amount of salt and leaving it for a few minutes before rinsing thoroughly would also help. I have always followed the mentioned preparation techniques, and I must say it works. The only disadvantage of doing this is you also wash away some of the nutrients in the ampalaya with all the rinsing and soaking you do. But I guess getting rid of the bitterness and allowing you to enjoy a more delicious dish is all worth it! ;)

Ground Pork and Eggplant in Oyster Sauce

My daughters are vegetable loving kids...and I may say that they enjoy their veggies as much as they enjoy desserts. Both of them love most of the vegetables I use at home on regular basis like spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans and squash...but when it comes to eggplant, their attitude towards it really differs! The eldest says she hates eggplant while the youngest will eat it anyway I cook it...but whenever this Ground Pork and Eggplant in Oyster Sauce is on the table, both of them just couldn't resist. This is one of the two eggplant dishes they really love and enjoy eating...the other one is Eggplant Parmesan which I will share with you one of these days. ^.^

I remember Ground Pork and Eggplant in Oyster Sauce to be a favorite eggplant dish of mine back in the Philippines. My late mom loved cooking it because it's a very easy-to-prepare dish which requires very few ingredients. With just ground pork, eggplant, garlic and oyster sauce, you can already have a yummy and healthy "ulam"(viand) ready in about 30 minutes. The other ingredients in the recipe below are my addition which makes this dish even yummier and appealing to my family's taste buds. 

Hope you'll try and like it as much as we do. My daughter who says she hates eggplant loves this a lot...so I suggest you really give it a try! 

Paksiw na Lechon

How's the new year treating y'all so far? After two weeks of vacation, my daughters went back to school today...and so, I finally got the chance to make my first blog post for 2013! I know I've totally been slacking on blogging during the holidays...and I want to say thanks to everyone who sent emails to check how I was doing. All is well around here...the busy holiday season just took a toll on my blogging schedule. But I am back...and today, I am happy to bring you a favorite Filipino dish called Paksiw na Lechon.

In the Philippines, Paksiw refers to any stew cooked with vinegar and garlic. One Paksiw dish that I've already featured here on PiTCC is Paksiw na Bangus which is vinegar stewed bangus (milkfish) cooked with eggplant and bitter gourd. On the other hand, this dish that I have for you today is made from roast pork which we Filipinos call lechon. Serving lechon during the holidays and on special occasions has become a tradition in many Filipino homes. The whole roast pig is usually served with a liver-based sauce and is always placed in the center of the party table making it the center piece of the feast. Its crispy skin never fail to get the guests excited! Everyone wants get their share...but when there's no more crispy rinds left, the lechon doesn't get too much attention anymore. So what do Filipinos usually do with the leftovers??? Cooking it into pinaksiw like this is one of the most common ways of transforming the greasy leftover lechon into an appetizing dish...

Though you can also make sisig, adobo, siopao, lumpia and a lot more from leftover lechon, making paksiw from it is (for me) the best way to enjoy it. It doesn't require much ingredients and you don't have to put much time and effort. You literally just put everything into a pot and voilà!...you have a hearty dish that is even yummier as the roast pork itself. 

Pork Sisig

I've made Pork Sisig a number of times already, but I always failed to take pictures. Either I didn't have time before I leave for the party that I had to bring it to or I was too excited to eat it to find time for a photo shoot. Though I love pork sisig, it's something I don't make on a regular basis mainly because of how wicked this dish is and also because of all the chopping involved. Thanks to this month's Kulinarya Cooking Club Challenge hosts, Jenn of Storm In My Kitchen and Frances of ISKAndals.com, I had the reason to make sisig again! And because I didn't have to bring it somewhere, I had time to take some photos to share with you before it was all gone!

For those of you who don't know what Sisig is, it is an appetizer which is traditionally made from pig's cheeks, ears and liver and has become every Filipino's favorite accompaniment for beer and other alcoholic beverages. For many, it is also a very appetizing dish to go with rice. According to our friend wiki, it originated from the province of Pampanga where the word sisig means "to snack on something sour", and is now used to refer to any dish made from chopped seafood or meat (like chicken and pork) seasoned with vinegar, calamansi juice, chopped onions and served in hot plates. Pork Sisig is the original and most popular version of sisig, and because of its popularity, several versions like chicken, tuna, bangus(milkfish), tahong(mussels), tokwa't baboy (tofu and pork) and mixed seafood have emerged. 

For this month's Kulinarya Cooking Club Sisig Challenge, I decided to stick to the original version. I couldn't find pig cheeks though, so I used pork belly instead. It's equally good, I tell you! But I must warn you...Pork Sisig tastes really good but it is one fatty food, so be sure to eat it in moderation! ;)

Pork and Mushrooms in Teriyaki Sauce

So how's everyone doing? I've been busy with a lot of stuff lately that's why I haven't been on the blogosphere as much as I used to...and I am really sorry about that! One post a week is all I can do now...but hopefully, things will get better and I can get back to posting more recipes for you. Hope you will bear with me and continue to visit PiTCC despite my seldom posts. To all my blogger friends who I haven't visited for so long, my apologies! I promise to make it up to you one of these days! :)

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What I have for you today is something similar to the Teriyaki Pork Chops & Tofu that I shared here before. Unlike the Japanese Teriyaki wherein the meat is grilled, this dish doesn't require grilling. You just have to simmer the meat in teriyaki sauce until it's tender and the sauce is thick enough to give the meat the luster that's needed in teriyaki dishes. The hubs and my girls are big fans of this...and I am too! Though I know that teriyaki isn't really teriyaki without the grilling, I must say that this is such a good alternative! You should try it!

Pork Afritada

In June of last year, I've featured a Filipino dish called Afritada. It is a tomato-based stew which is commonly cooked using chicken. This time, I'm sharing with you the pork version of the said dish...

The ingredients and the manner of cooking are the same with the chicken version...the only difference is the longer cooking time for Pork Afritada. For this dish, you may use whatever cut of pork you like. You can even use pork ribs. But if you are using boneless pork, be sure to cut it into cubes and not into thin strips so your dish won't be mistaken for Pork Menudo. Pork Afritada and Pork Menudo are both tomato based stews, and though the latter is cooked with liver, they may look similar at first glance. The way the meat is sliced: cube for afritada and strips for menudo, will make it easier to distinguish the dish from each other:

If you like pork, you should definitely try this dish! It's very delicious and comforting!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Like most kids, my daughters love meatballs! Whether it's beef, chicken, pork or turkey, they wouldn't say no to it! Well I love meatballs too...but I'm sure it's not just a "gene" thing. It's more of the easy-to-chew goodness that makes it a hit to everyone.

Aside from Spaghetti & Meatballs and Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce, this simple Sweet and Sour Meatballs is one of our family's favorite meatball dishes...

This is called Sweet and Sour Bola-bola(bola is the Filipino word for ball) in the Philippines and was my late mom's favorite. This is one of the first dishes that I learned to cook myself. I love the wonderful flavor of this dish. It may seem time consuming to prepare but it's all worth it. You can use store bought frozen meatballs, or you can make, cook and freeze the meatballs ahead of time for an easy meal. Clarise and Cherlin enjoy this a lot, that is why I always make lots of meatballs and just store it the freezer. When they ask for it, I'm always ready! :)

Filipino Menudo

Like everyone else, Filipinos love stew! There are lots of stew varieties in the Philippines, which are mostly soy sauce or tomato sauce based. My parents prepare the best stew so I grew up loving all kinds of it...but I must admit that tomato-based ones appeal to me more. Among the tomato-based stews, there are three dishes which I was really fond of eating when I was little. Well, actually, until now. :) These are the Afritada, Caldereta (Kaldereta) and Menudo...

These three dishes have almost the same ingredients but they differ in the meat used. Originally, Afritada is cooked with chicken while Caldereta (Kaldereta) is cooked using beef or goat, and Menudo is cooked with pork. In all three dishes, meat is stewed in tomato sauce with vegetables like carrots, potatoes and bell pepper. I tell you, they are all so good. I guess that is why all of them have evolved into many variations which differ from region to region and even from family to family. Some use beef, chicken and pork  interchangeably in these dishes. I remember that when I was little, I would often get confused with what dish I am eating whenever we're attending fiestas, weddings or other parties. When I see a tomato-based pork stew, I would often ask my mom/dad if it's afritada, caldereta or menudo. My parents said it would be simple to distinguish the three dishes from each other if the the person who cooked the dish sliced the meat properly. My dad said that meat in Afritada and Caldereta is supposed to be cubed, about 1"x1" for Afritada and about 1.5"x1.5" for Caldereta..and for Menudo, meat should be cut into thin slices about 0.75"x2" in size. My parents said that the way the meat is sliced will help differentiate the three dishes from each other even if the same meat is used...and I totally agree with them. I know that many cooks slice the meat differently, but from where I grew up, that's how it is...cube for afritada and caldereta and thin strips for menudo. 

Today, I'm sharing with you my version of Filipino Menudo. By looking at the photo below, I'm sure you'll notice that this looks a little different from the other menudo you've seen on the web...

Ginisang Pechay (Sauteed Bok Choi with Ground Pork)

It's Monday again...and I hope your week is off to a good start! 

Today, I want to share with you a very simple Filipino dish that my mom used to cook often because it's so easy to prepare and is really very economical. It's simply pechay (a green leafy vegetable which is the Filipino Bok Choi) sauteed with ground pork. In the Philippines, pechay is available in the market all year long. It is also one of the common vegetables that can be found in many backyard gardens, so you can buy it really cheap. But cheap as it is, it is packed with nutrients! It is rich in Vitamins A & C and in folate too. It also has small amount of calcium, iron, protein, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B-6 and Vitamin K. Pechay has that crisp and mild sweet taste that make it so good in soups and stir-fries.

This Ginisang Pechay that I have for you is the simplest way of cooking it. Just like my mom, I enjoy cooking this nutritious and tasty dish! With just a bundle of pechay, a little ground pork and some spices, this will be ready in no time! You should try it!

Pork With Tofu and Black Beans in Oyster Sauce

Since I started cooking, oyster sauce has become so handy for me. It is one condiment that I find so ideal in creating flavorful dishes. I just love how well it works with anything! Whether it be beef, pork, poultry, seafood or vegetables, the savory flavor of oyster sauce will definitely create an amazing dish out of it.

Whenever I run out of ideas of what to prepare for dinner, oyster sauce always saves the day! I just combine whatever ingredients I have and cook it in oyster sauce...and VOILA, we have a yummy dish like this...

This Pork With Tofu and Black Beans in Oyster Sauce is another one of those many dishes that I came up with using oyster sauce. It's a combination of lean pork cubes, fried tofu and freshly cooked black beans and bell pepper for added flavor. For the steps in cooking beans, go here. 

Before going to the recipe, I would like to take this chance to thank my new blog friend, Balvinder of Gluten Free Food for giving me The Liebster Blog Award. Liebster is a German word meaning "dearest" or "beloved".  I am truly thankful to Balvinder for considering my blog dear to her. :) If you haven't been to her blog yet, do check it out and be amazed with Balvinder's tested gluten free recipes!

I want to pass on The Liebster Blog Award to five bloggers that I recently came across and are becoming dear to me as days go by. They are:

Alaiyo of Pescetarian Journal

Elpiniki of Tomato Sauce

Gurshiba of Exquisite Niche

Juliana of Simple Recipes

Reena of Achu's Amma's Kitchen

♥♥♥Please take the time to visit and give them some blog love!♥♥♥

Now, let me bring you today's recipe: Pork With Tofu and Black Beans in Oyster Sauce. This is very simple and versatile! You can add whatever you think will please your taste buds. You can also omit the pork and it will be perfect for a meatless meal. :)

Happy Leap Day everyone!

Pork Chops in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

The days are just passing by so fast! I can't believe it's Friday again...which only means that the weekend is here. Before I get totally carried away by the wonderful thoughts of weekend, let me first share with you this recipe that's sure to please the meat and potato lover in you!

This is simply made of browned potatoes and seasoned pork chops simmered in cream of mushroom soup. This is very easy to put together but the result is very tasty! If you are like us who don't dine out on Valentine's Day if it falls on a weekday, you can make this a part of the lovely three or four course dinner that you'll prepare for your family.

Have a fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend everyone! No matter what you might be doing, I hope you will enjoy...

Bratwurst a la Bistek Tagalog with Jalapeño Peppers

Only two more days before the big game, and I know how a lot of Americans are gearing up for their Super Bowl party. Growing up in the Philippines where people don't really give much attention to football, I admit that I am not a football fan...but I must say that I really enjoy watching the Super Bowl! With all the funny commercials and the amazing artist/s performing for the halftime show, who wouldn't??? 

If you are hosting a party this Sunday or have been asked to bring something to it, and you want something new, this Bratwurst a la Bistek Tagalog with Jalapeño Peppers that I'm sharing with you today is a wonderful option. It's Bratwurst (German sausage) cooked like Bistek Tagalog which is a favorite Filipino beef dish wherein  beef is marinated and cooked in soy sauce and calamansi (Filipino lime) then garnished with lots of caramelized onion rings. 

This simple yet great tasting recipe is a good twist to the favorite grilled bratwurst. The wonderful combination of lime and soy sauce plus the mild kick from the Jalapeño pepper definitely bring bratwursts to a new level. It's easy to prepare and doesn't require much ingredients. Just like the classic Bistek, we love this with rice, but this will also work so well with your favorite rolls. 

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! 

BBQ Pork Ribs with Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Hope you are all having a wonderful Monday! I know I'm posting kinda late again! I was having a lazy day, that's why! Ryan was off from work and the girls were on Fall break last week, so after a week of family fun, staying up late and then sleeping until 10am, it was really hard for me to motivate myself to get my Monday started. Anyway, I am here now, ready to share with you part of the yumminess we enjoyed last Thanksgiving Day.

Since we don't have relatives here in the DFW area, we always celebrate Thanksgiving with friends who are like second family to us. We have a very good friend who has her whole family here (her parents and siblings included), and it has been like a tradition already that we spend Thanksgiving dinner with them every year. But even though we're not the hosts, we still do a lot of cooking. We are always in charge of the roast turkey and some sides and dessert. Aside from that, I always cook something for the four of us to enjoy during lunch, and for this year, it is BBQ pork ribs with creamy mashed potatoes and gravy on the side. As we wait for the big feast with all the traditional Thanksgiving food, we satisfy ourselves with this tender pork ribs and creamy garlic mashed potatoes...

The pork ribs is almost the same as the one I shared with you last week, but instead of stir-fried, Ryan volunteered to grill the parboiled ribs which is more appropriate to go with the mashed potatoes that the girls requested. Basting it with the same barbeque and Hawaiian sauce mixture I used with the stir-fried one made this version equally yummy... 

Stir Fried Pork Spare Ribs with Bell Pepper and Green Onions and Macy's Thanksgiving Giveaway Winner

Thanksgiving is almost here..and if you're still thinking of something different that you can add to your Thanksgiving menu, here's another tasty dish that will surely please your whole family and your guests as well! 

This Stir Fried Pork Spare Ribs with Bell Pepper and Green Onions is very easy to prepare. The only difficult part in making this is waiting for it to cook so you can enjoy its finger licking goodness!!!

Spaghetti With Meatballs In Sweet Sauce And A Trip to Big Orange Pumpkin Patch Plus Avery® Giveaway Winner

Last week, Ryan & I got to chaperone Cherlin's class to The Big Orange Pumpkin Patch in Celina, TX for Robertson Elementary's Kindergarten Field Trip. It was so much fun indeed!

The cute hay bales...

the hay ride...

picking their own pumpkin from the patch...

feeding the animals...

and simply hanging out with their family and classmates...

truly gave each of the kindergarteners a great and memorable time! They really had a blast!

Aside from all these, Cherlin said that riding the bus and eating her favorite food with her friends, and her mom & dad made her first field trip more special. :)

For lunch, Cherlin requested me to bring Spaghetti with Meatballs in Sweet Sauce which I cooked the night before. It is basically the same as my Filipino Spaghetti but instead of red hotdogs and ground beef, it has meat balls in it. The meatballs I used here have the same ingredients as my Beef Balls in Mushroom Sauce, the only difference is that I used pork because I ran out of beef. :)

The sweetness of Filipino-style spaghetti brings sweet smiles to Cherlin's face all the time. Try it! I'm sure it can do the same thing to your kids...

Nilagang Pork Buto-buto (Pork Neck Bone and Vegetable Soup) and a Giveaway

This dish that I am sharing with you today is similar to Nilagang Baka (literally translated as Boiled Beef) which I featured here in February, the only difference is the kind of meat used. This one has pork neck bone (and I added ginger so this tastes a little like tinola) and this version is what I used to cook so often when I was in college. Not only is pork neck bone a lot cheaper than beef, it also cooks faster. But just like beef, pork neck bone also produces a very comforting soup which when served with a hot bowl of rice can be truly soothing! 

I am sure that you'll agree with me when I say that going away to college is a big step especially for those who have to leave the comforts of their own home. It means no more parents to keep after you to do your homework or to clean your room, and added responsibilities of being independent like having to do your own laundry, go shopping and cook for yourselves. I was lucky enough not to experience that during the first few months of college! Even though I went to a university which is a 3-hr boat ride, 2 ½-hr bus ride plus 20-min jeepney ride (approximately 87 miles) away  from home, I had my mom and my older brother with me, so it wasn't that of a BIG change for me. That time, my dad usually worked out of town during the week so my mom decided to just stay with us in Manila. We rented a room in a relative's house, and it was really good having my mom to do everything for us. But that didn't last long. My dad got sick around September and so my mom had to go back to the province. It was like a whole new world for me. Came with it was the responsibility of cooking and doing the laundry for me and my brother. I didn't know a lot of recipes that time, and with all my university activities as class president, OASES (Organization of Aspiring Students for Engineering Specialization) representative and Thomasian Engineer (College of Engineering newspaper) technical writer, I didn't have time to do experimental cooking, so I oftentimes found myself just buying food for us from McDonald's, Jollibee or Cindy's. And during days when we're almost running out of money, we contented ourselves with Lucky Me Instant Mami or rice with Filipino red hotdogs or canned foods like Century Tuna, Ligo Sardines and Argentina Corned Beef. After a few months of having those kind of food over and over again, my brother and I decided that we need something healthier and cheaper. We agreed to go to the supermarket and cook together on weekends (I must point out that he was just actually watching me cook), store cooked food in the ref/freezer and just heat it up in the microwave during the week. Pork Adobo, Chicken Afritada, Pork Steak, Pakbet Tagalog, Cardillong Isda, Filipino Sweet Spaghetti, Ground Pork in Tomato Sauce, Chopsuey and this Nilagang Pork Buto-Buto were among those that I frequently cooked. These are all easy to cook Filipino recipes that my brother and I both find so satisfying. 

But the Nilagang Pork Buto-Buto was my favorite. I can always adjust the ingredients to our budget. It can be as as simple as garlic, onions and potatoes and it can be as grand as this one with all the vegetables I want in it. I also like it because it takes almost no effort at all to cook this dish. You just put everything in the pot and let it cook. A very simple and yet so good and nourishing dish! For me, it felt like slurping the broth, and dripping a few drops of fish sauce and freshly squeezed kalamansi juice over the tender and flavorful meat sliding off the bone can take away all the stress of a typical day in college.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs pork neck bone, cut into serving pieces
• 1 medium sized onion, quartered
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 thumb-sized ginger, crushed
• 4 bundles baby bok choy, trimmed
• about 10 leaves of napa cabbage, trimmed and halved crosswise
• 20 pcs green beans, cut into 2 ½ inch length
• 2 pcs corn on the cob, each cut into 4
• 2 potatoes, quartered
• ¼  tsp peppercorns
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce
• Salt

Teriyaki Pork Chops with Tofu & Green Onions

Last Saturday, I got the chance to cook for our goddaughter's combined baptismal and birthday celebration. It was tiring but it's all worth it especially when I saw how the guests liked all the food! There's really a different kind of satisfaction when other people (who aren't your family nor friends) say that the food you cook taste good! It was such an awesome experience to be able to cook for someone else's party! It's like I'm on a different level of cooking. (LOL) Before I share with you today's recipe, let me share with you the 7 dishes from last Saturday. They are all among the favorite food that I've already featured here so this will be like putting these dishes back on spotlight in case you've missed them from my previous posts.

Pancit Canton

Chicken Afritada & Bistek Tagalog

Chicken Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes & Chopsuey

Embutido & Filipino Egg Rolls

And this is the birthday girl with her mom! Isn't she cute???!! I'm really glad to be part of her wonderful birthday celebration! :)

Now, for my Monday recipe...

I want to share with you my Teriyaki Pork Chops with Tofu & Green Onions. This is one dish that I love cooking pork chops with. It's so simple to make and is always a hit here in our house! Clarise and Cherlin just love Teriyaki sauce.  I always make it from scratch the way Ryan was taught by his office mate when he was in Japan. This is such a tasty dish that your family will love. The good thing about this recipe is that it also works with chicken, beef and even salmon. Adding tofu and green onions is optional. Even without them, the dish will be good enough. I just love tofu so much that's why I added some. :)

Ingredients:

• 6 pcs. pork chops
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 pcs. tofu, fried and cut into about 1/2 x 2 inch-strips
• 6 stalks green onions, chopped
• salt & pepper
• For the Sauce:
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/4 cup cooking sake
• 3 Tbsp sugar