Crispy Skin Baked Potato

Baked potato is easy to make. The perfect baked potato has crisp skin on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The potatoes are delicious on their own with or without toppings.

Ingredients:

• small to medium size potatoes
• salt
• ground black pepper
• butter

Direction:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Scrub the potatoes under running water to remove all the dirt.
3. Pat dry with a paper towel.
4. Pierce the potatoes deeply with a fork 2-3 times on each side to allow steam to escape during baking.
5. Brush with butter, sprinkle some salt and pepper.
6. Bake for 40 minutes or until soft.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
8. Serve with any dish you like.

Baked Potato

Potato is one American's staple food. A meal is not complete without any potato on the plate, fried, mashed or baked. As a Filipino, I am not much of a potato lover but I do like baked potato topped with sour cream and bacon bits.

Baked potato is so easy to cook. You can bake it in the oven with or without foil or in the microwave. Bake potato can be serve plain, with butter or toppings you like. Find potatoes that are similar in size so they will cook evenly and get done at the same time.

For this recipe I wrapped the potatoes in foil for  a soft and fluffy inside.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes

Direction:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Scrub the potatoes under running water to remove all the dirt.
3. Pat dry with a paper towel.
4. Using a fork, pierce the potatoes deeply with a fork three to four times on each side to allow steam to escape during baking.
5. Wrap with foil. 
6. Bake for 1 hour or until soft.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
8. Slice the potato down the center, and serve with butter or sour cream. Sprinkle shredded cheese or bacon, if desired.

Atcharang Papaya Recipe

Atchara, a sweet and sour  appetizer is a popular Filipino pickled vegetables usually served with fried dishes and rice. Homemade atchara is very easy to make and will save you money than buying the commercial one and you  can be sure of its freshness and cleanliness.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups grated green papaya
• 2 small carrots, pared and sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (or shallot/sibuyas tagalog)
• 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp ginger, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 cup coarse salt (to dehydrate papaya)
• 1/3 cups raisins
• 1 tbsp peppercorn

Procedure:

1. Combine salt and grated papaya, mix and set aside for 5-10 minutes.
2. Knead for few minutes.  Squeeze the shredded papaya until all the liquid comes out. You can use your hand or any clean cloth (cheese cloth).
3. Put the papaya back in the large bowl. and combine with carrots, garlic, ginger, onions, whole pepper corn, bell pepper, and raisins.
4. Place the combined vegetables and spices in a sterilized airtight jar and pour-in the pickling solution.
5. Seal the jar and place inside the refrigerator for a week  to achieve the expected texture and flavor.

Pickling solution

• 4 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp salt

1. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Place over moderate heat, heat until sugar is dissolved.
3. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes
4. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Simple syrup

Simple syrup is basically just sugar and water. It is one of the easiest recipes It dissolves instantly in a drink, making it  ideal to sweeten beverages like lemonade, cocktails, iced tea, and even fresh fruits.  It also use to moisten layer cake, dress fruit salad and many more.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine water and sugar. Stir well.
2. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
3. Transfer syrup to a container and chill thoroughly.
4. Use as needed.