Monday, January 18, 2010 Tempura Batter

Who doesn't like tempura? Tempura is a style of deep-fried cooking, the word derives from the Japanese word - 'seasoning'. Tempura dishes are served with steamed rice, udon or as a starter.

The secret in making good tempura batter is minimal beating while making the batter, and ice-cold water. The cold prevents the tempura batter from absorbing excess oil; keeping it crispy and light. Ice cubes are sometimes added in the water to hold the cool temperature. Would you like to make your own tempura batter?

Here's how:

Prepare these ingredients for the tempura batter recipe:

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons baking powder
* 1/4 cup cornstarch (preferred), or sweet potato starch, or panko-Japanese bread crumb
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 eggs, slightly beaten
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1-1/2 cups ice-cold water


-Combine well the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cornstarch (or sweet potato starch/panko) in a large bowl.

-Add eggs, salt and water to Step 2 ingredients. Beat lightly the mixture with a fork or chopsticks until flour is moistened. Lumps may appear, but don't worry about that.

-Coat seafood and vegetables immediately with the tempura batter. Tempura batter is best when used within a few minutes after making. If you are frying large batches of food using the batter, make tempura batter in small portions instead, and try to finish each portion within a couple minutes.

Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan

Do you feel like changing to a career that you love to do but afraid to take chances? Throw that fear away and get ready to take your career to the next level. And if you do not know where to start then, you should check out Allison Maslan's book Blast Off!. This book will be your surefire success plan to launch your dreams into reality and it is now available on Amazon. Allison Maslan is a renowned Life and Business Strategist that will work and coach you one-on-one for you to create the most fulfilling and prosperous life to have a brilliant new life, career or business. As a career coach, Allison Maslan will guide you to personal transformation and professional success through her book Blast Off! It is a powerful book that will inspire you to envision your biggest dreams and share step-by-step strategies to achieve your ultimate life visions. This coaching program will totally transformed you to have a successful life and fulfilling career. The book was launched in January 19th, 2010 on Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble websites. It will also be available in all other major bookstores! You can buy this book for only $24.00, and even less on Amazon.com. So, what are you waiting for? Get a copy now and blast off to a brand new life!

Sinulog in Cebu City

Time flies so fast, tomorrow is the Sinulog festival celebration, the fiest in honor of senyor Sto. Nino. My family used to go in a procession, light a candle, say a prayer and offer a dance. In 9 days of celebration, group of people from different establishments and company's or schools offer their own prayer through dancing and shouting PIT SENYOR! The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest and most colorful festivals in the Philippines. The main festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is essentially a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity. The word Sinulog comes from the Cebuano adverb sulog which is “like water current movement,” which describes the forward-backward movement of the Sinulog dance.

 This pictures are from last year!

 

@ the church of basilica Sto. Nino in Cebu 

 

Dance participation 

 

 

 

 

inside the Sto. Nino church

 

The Healing prayer of God that's really helpful

Here is a tidbits of history how it arrived in cebu.

Historical accounts say that before Portuguese navigator came to Cebu on April 7, 1521 to plant the cross on its shore and claim the country for the King of Spain, Sinulog was already danced by the natives in honor of their wooden idols and anitos. Then Magellan came and introduced Christianity. He gave the Sto. Nino (image of the Child Jesus) as baptismal gift to Hara Amihan, wife of Cubu’s Rajah Humabon who was later named Queen Juana. At that time, not only the rulers were baptized but also about 800 of their subjects. Unfortunately however, shortly after the conversation, Magellan went into reckless adventure by fighting the reigning ruler of Mactan, Rajah Lapu-lapu, with only a handful of men. He died in the encounter. That was last April 27, 1521.
From then on, the celebration of sinulog become a tradition to all of us who believed in the miracle of the Senyor Sto. NiÑo. As the year passed a lot of tourists go there to witness the said celebration.
Sinulog is a nine-day fiesta celebration in honor of Sto. Nino. The celebration entails two major activities: the religious procession on a Saturday and the grand street parade the following day.

Lasagna

I made lasagna for dinner last night and it was so good...really really good! lol! How would you like to make your own? This dish is very simple to make. You should try it!

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1 can spaghetti sauce
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ketchup
  

Directions

1. Fry sausage and ground beef over medium heat until well browned. Stir in spaghetti sauce and minced onion. Simmer, covered, for about 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally. Add ketchup for sweetness.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.
   
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Drinking Plenty of Water

My son was didn't really like to water drinker. He don't drink enough of water as it should. Things changed though. When he suffer from kidney infection and bladder infection with symptoms of urinary tract infection, I know I have to do something as being a mom I have to let him drinking habits and he started drinking water daily. He drink a lot of water now just because I always remind him to drink a water and also replacement of cranberry juice which is really helpful for him for his own health, which in turn makes him go to the bathroom more often than he would prefer.

Why drink plenty of water?
The obvious benefit of drinking water is that it replenishes an ingredient that is essential to our body. Almost 60% of your body is comprised of water, so how can it not be important? In the course of a day, our body depletes itself of water through urine, sweat, and normal cellular activity. Lack of adequate water slows down our metabolism and interferes with healing, toxin removal, removal of old cells and replacement with new tissue. Therefore, drinking plenty of water is an important part of both daily life and toxic cleansing.

2010 BCS Champion

Today ends the football season. I so enjoyed the football games and it will be long months without football games again. Sometimes, I can't imagine myself how much I became a football fan. To think that I never knew what football is before I came to watch online, it is somewhat amazing...

Anyway, The Crimson Tide of Alabama is the 2010 BCS Champion. They deserved it for they played well. I just wish that McCoy didn't get injured it would have been a better game. Nonetheless, Crimson Tide won it and congratulations to all the BAMA fans!

Well, it has been a wonderful year of football sports and I am looking forward to another season.

The love for cooking

I have to update all my skills of cooking coz lately I been busy sewing @ home so now the chef was busy cooking in the kitchen....and would love to share it with guys feel free to grab my new recipe....wanting what makes my foods more tasty it just because I am using a magic sarap really nom nom nom.... Will be cooking soon.... watch out for new recipes....

Slow Cooker White Bean and Ham Soup

This is what I cook  this morning and my family loves it..Nothing beats the flavor of this hearty slow-cooked soup, perfect for a stick-to-your-ribs autumn or wintertime supper.

Ingredients

Directions

- 2 ham hocks, ham shank, or other ham bones - 1 quart chicken stock or broth, or vegetable stock - 1 cup carrots, peeled and diced - 3/4 cup celery, diced - 1 large sweet onion, chopped - 2 cloves garlic, chopped - 2 potatoes, peeled and diced - 2 bay leaves - 15 ounces tomato, diced (drained if desired) - 45 ounces Great Northern or Navy beans, drained - 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin - 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt or to taste - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste

Place all of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Cook on the high temperature setting for about 4 hours or cook on the low temperature setting for about 8 hours. Remove the ham bones from the slow cooker, cool slightly, and remove the meat from the bones; then discard the bones, fat, and skin, and add the meat back into the slow cooker. Reheat the soup for an additional 30 minutes prior to serving. Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 4 hours Tip: Make this soup ahead, if possible, because it tastes better on the second day. Tip: A ham shank will provide more meat and flavor.

How to Buy and Prepare Dried Mushrooms

How do you like mushrooms? Have you ever tried using dried mushrooms? Well I use dried mushrooms all the time, and I prefer to buy dried ones than fresh ones. If you are planning to buy dried mushrooms, here's some tips for yah! 
Inspect the color. Faded hues signal the dried mushrooms may have been on the shelf too long, with less potent flavor and aroma than fresh ones. Select ounces, not pounds. Unless you're making stew for 50, buy a little at a time. You'll save money--and have fresher mushrooms.

Store tight. Keep dried mushrooms in airtight containers to avoid possible bug infestations.


How to Prepare Dried Mushrooms
-Soak dried mushrooms in hot water, broth, or wine for 5 to 10 minutes.

-Even faster: Cover and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.

Happy New Year!

Greettings from me....

Hopes for the bright future, affection and love, peace for the heart, prosperity that's unlimited, year round fun....

I will be back after the weekend! Thanks for the visit everyone!