Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 T. vinegar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3  T. catsup
• 1 cup water
• 2 T.cornstarch
• 2 T. tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 T. chili flakes (optional) 

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in the sauce pan. Mix very well.
2. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly with whisk until thickened. 
3. Season with salt and pepper according to your taste.
4. Remove from heat. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. 

Mexican Menudo Rojo

This is my version of Menudo. I want it not too spicy and hot. Just add more chile according to your taste. I feel like tomato gives another flavor to the soup so I added some. Otiginal recipe includes beef or pork feet but I omitted it and use pork meat instead. 

Ingredients:

For the soup
2 lbs pork butt
3 lbs beef tripe

3 cloives garlic, 

1 onion, chopped

2 tsp dried Mexican oregano

1 lime

1 T salt

7 to 8 quarts water
28 oz can white hominy

For the red chili sauce

2 Chile Ancho 

5 Chile guajillo or arbol

2 tomatoes

3 cloves minced garlic 

1 small onion

2 tsp dried Mexican oregano

1 tsp ground cumin 

salt and pepper to taste 

For the condiments
Limes
Chopped onion
chopped cilantro
dried oregano

chicharon

Directions:

1. Cut the tripe  and pork into bite size and wash thoroughly in warm water. 
2. Place tripe in a large pot. Boil and  discard  water. Add more water, boil and discard water again.   

3.  Cover with water.  Add minced garlic, chopped onion, oregano, salt and squezed in 1 lime.  Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer  for an hour. 

4. Add the pork. Remove the foam formed over the meat while boiling.

5. Add the hominy. Continue cooking for an hour or until pork and tripe is  tender. Add more water if needed.

6. While waiting for the tripe to cook, prepare the red chili sauce. Remove seeds or  leave it, if you want. Rinse well. 

7. Place chilis and whole tomatoes in a bowl. Submerge in boiling water, cover  for at least 30 minutes.
8. Place the shilis and tomatoes  into a blender with a ladle of the  chili water. Add  the remaining cloves of garlic, oregano, onion and the ground cumin. 

9.  Blend until smooth. 

10. Strain and  add  into the soup. Simmer for another 30 minutes.

11 Add salt and pepper to taste.
12. Serve the  soup with the condiments and flour tortilla on the side.

Homemade Brownies

This brownies is a must try. It is rich, chewy and melts in your mouth.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened  cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• peanuts or any nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Sift together the dry ingredients into the bowl.
2. Mix well with a spatula.
3. In a bowl, add 2 eggs, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and mix well with fork.
4. Slowly add egg mixture to the dry ingredients.
5. Stir until combined.
6. Spread the batter into a greased 9 x 9 baking pan and bake. .
7. Topped with chocolate chips and your choice of nuts.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes
9. Brush with butter while hot for a shiny look. Let cool.

Note: For this recipe I used Hershey's Cocoa (natural unsweetened) powder, and Plymouth pantry chocolate chips. You can use any brand though.

German Chocolate Brownies

German Chocolate Brownies 

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate
• 10 oz. unsalted butter
• 3 fl. Oz. vanilla extracts
• 6 eggs
• ¼ t. salt
• 1 lb. sugar
• 1 oz. cocoa powder
• 8 oz. pecans chopped

Topping:

• 6 oz. unsalted butter
• 6 oz. shredded coconut
• 2 t. coconut flavoring
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 10 oz. powdered sugar
• 12 oz. cream cheese, softened

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate and butter together and set aside. Stir in the vanilla.
2. Beat the eggs, salt and granulated sugar together in another bowl.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa powder, flour and pecans. Add the egg mixture to the flour, then stir in the melted chocolate.
4. Pour the batter into the greased and floured sheet pan, spreading evenly. (Freeze the batter if desired for 15 minutes to firm before spreading it with the coconut toppings.)
5. To make the topping, melt the butter in a large saucepan, and then stir in the shredded coconut, coconut flavoring, vanilla and powdered sugar, Cook over low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is creamy.
6. Cream the cream cheese in a mixer or food processor. Add the hot butter mixture and blend until no lumps of cheese remain.
7. Immediately spoon the topping over the unbaked chocolate batter. Spread the topping into a thin layer using an offset spatula.
8. Bake at 300OF (150OF) until the center has set and the surface is golden brown, approximately 1 hour. Cool, then wrap and chill completely overnight before cutting into 2 inch x 2 inch squares.

Pork Sinigang ( Pork Sour Stew)

Sinigang or pork sour soup is one of the most popular dishes in the Philippines. My mom used to cook it with fresh unripe tamarind, boiled in little bit of water and squeeze the pulp then strain to get the sour juice. But nowadays, people make sinigang using powdered sinigang mix, making it easier to prepare. Pork can be substituted with beef, chicken or shrimp. If you are living in another country where Filipino vegetables are not available, any vegetable like carrots, cabbage, spinach, kale or lemon as souring ingredients can be substituted. Sinigang is eaten with boiled white rice and fish sauce with calamansi or lemon juice. One of the secrets of cooking a delicious sour soup is to include the bones. Remember cooking is an art, you can either change the vegetables or tweak it according to your preference. The soup is eaten together with boiled white rice.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. pork belly (or bone-in pork chop or pork ribs)

• 1 bunch kangkong leaves (water spinach)

• 3 tbsp fish sauce

• 1 bunch chinese long beans or green beans, cut in 2-inch length

• 2 pieces medium sized tomato quartered

• 3 pieces chili (or banana pepper)

• 2 liters water

• 1 large onion quartered

• 2 pieces taro root (gabi), quartered

• 1 pack sinigang mix

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.     Cut pork into 2 inch pieces and wash.

2.     In a pot combine pork and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, skimming off scum that accumulates on top.

3.     Once broth clears, add tomatoes, onions, salt, and fish sauce.

4.     Lower heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until meat is tender, add more water to cover the pork.

5.     Once the pork is tender, add half of the sinigang mix and taro, then simmer for 20 minutes or until taro is cooked

6.     Put-in the rest of the vegetables and chili, and simmer until all the vegetables are half cooked.

7.     Add more sinigang mix, salt and pepper according to your taste.

8.     Put-in the water spinach, mix well, turn off the heat, and cover the pot. Let the spinach cook using the remaining heat in the pot.