Christmas Cookies

These were the cookies served at my son's school Christmas Party.There were many  other desserts on the table so I ignored it  and just took a picture for a blog post. I never tried making cookies  for Christmas before and was thinking of making some next Christmas. Cookies are fun to do with the kids helping out .



Buttered Green Beans

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Green beans and Pork Chop

I grew up with  vegetables, meat or fish and fruits on the table for a meal. That is how my mother feed us, vegetables and protein to keep us healthy and strong. Now that I have a family of my own,it's my turn to serve my family a complete healthy meal as my mom does. One good thing about my children is that they loves to eat vegetables specially my 3 years old. If you ask him to choose between green salad and chicken, he surely will choose the first one.

Green Beans also called as string beans and snap beans are available all year round. Wash them thoroughly in water. Trimmed off the top only and leave the tail end. You can cut it at desired lengths  or leave whole.

Cooking Procedures :

 1. Boil water, add the green beans,blanch for 4-5 minutes until crisp tender. Drain and plunge into an ice cold water to stop the cooking process and retain its color. Remove from cold water and set aside.

2. Heat butter and oil together. Saute garlic and onion, add the green beans and the tomato. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh basil(optional). Serve with hot.

Pork Chop 

1. Marinate with lemon  and pepper seasoning salt for at least an hour. 
2. Heat vegetable oil .
3. Fry until golden brown.

Cheese Cake

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Cheese Cake is one of my favorite to bake. I have a recipe given by an american friend back in KSA. The recipe it looks complicated but once you get use to it  you find it easy to prepare. I prepare bake than no bake but when  my hubby said that  he likes the unbake and ready mix from the box, I started making it for him, but  I still make my own recipe for me and my kids. It is much easier if you'll just buy a ready made crust  and bake it for at least 10 minutes for a golden crisp crust if you are making the ready made one. But if you are making the bake one, no need to do this.

Chocolates, Anyone?

Since yesterday, I was browsing at my picture albums looking for brown photo's  to join the Thursday Brownies. And I finally got me one, chocolates! When it comes to Chocolate, I am to picky probably because I don't have a sweet tooth. I just have it once in a while even if you are on a diet.

Queen Anne is one of my favorite, hubby introduced it to me last year when we came to US from then on fell in love with the Cordial cherry field dark brown chocolates. I recently  bought a box last week. It contains 10 pieces all in just a dollar. I love the sweet taste of the cordial filling and the chocolate itself is not bitter just right for my taste.

Dark Chocolate Queen Anne® Cordial Cherries.

Another favorite is the Reese's peanut butter cups. It has a perfect combination of peanut butter and chocolate.

Fish Tempura

My version of fish tempura. serve with tartar sauce or any dipping sauce of your choice.

Ingredients:

• Fish Fillet or Prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• oil for frying
• Japanese bread crumbs (panko)

Grilled Baby Back Ribs

One of my eldest sons most requested recipe is the barbecue/grilled baby back ribs aside from tortang talong (eggplant omelette) and fried fish. Out of the whole baby back ribs, my share would only be  1/4 and the rest goes to his tummy. He already took 1/4  of  the ribs while I already grabbed  mine and the rest shown in the picture will still be his. He'll  back later to get all of it.

Here is my recipe:
1/2   slab spare rib  or 1 kilo ribs
1/2 cup tomato /banana catsup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup pine apple juice(optional) 
1/4 cup vinegar
1/cup soy sauce
1 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp chili powder(optional)
1 tsp black pepper
1 T salt

Cooking instructions:
1.Season the  ribs with salt and pepper .Arrange in an iron skillet or oven proof dish and cover with aluminum foil.Bake at 350 degrees  for 1 hour. Remove from the oven .
2.Combine the remaining ingredients .Pour over the ribs , return to oven  uncover and bake for 30 minutes or more.

*You can add or put a little more of the ingredients according to your taste.
*You can put any spices available in your pantry.
*Cooking is fun  and easy if you just know how to use and experiment on  the spices.

Cinnamon Roll

I have been baking cinnamon roll  from  different recipes but still cannot make a perfect one. So far this one is a little better than the previous ones.Taste is good,  just needed  some more cinnamon sugar filling according to my critique son. If you  will look for some nuts, you will find nothing. It is not that I forgot to put some, I just don't have it at home. I need to try another recipe again and hoping it will be perfect this time