Food Friday

This week's Featured Food Friday player is ...

Ms. Winnie, with her post Unique Cheesecake with Homemade Cheese", on her site: Something Sweet.

I love how Ms. Winnie decorated her cheesecake! So fun! Click on the shot to see some more lovely and delicious pictures of her cheesecake (as well as the recipe!). 

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Something light and fresh this week: Cauliflower and Pasta (with Coconut Milk and Basil)

Ingredients:

• pasta of your choice (cooked according to package directions)
• cauliflower
• ground pork (optional, if you want to make it vegetarian)
• basil cubes (here is how I did mine)
• coconut milk (fresh, frozen, or from a can, or powder....whichever is available)
• salt, pepper, garlic
• arugula

Procedure:

• Place ground pork on hot pot with a bit of water. Add salt and pepper. Once water has evaporated, brown the meat for a bit, then add garlic and cauliflower. Mix till cauliflower is half-cooked.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta and keep warm.
• Add basil cubes and coconut milk to the cauliflower and pork. It's not going to be a soup, so go easy on the amount. Turn off fire.
• Add to the pasta and mix well.
• Adjust seasoning, if you have to.
• Add a side of arugula (which I drizzled with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and calamansi juice), or any green of your choice.

Enjoy!

I really loved the dish, though my youngest was not so fond of the arugula. Weird combination, but I have never really been known to follow what is tradition. lol. When it comes to food, I have always believed: To each his own! :P

I would like to say, though, that this is going to be my last Food Friday post. Well, I just might post (will, most probably) some more food posts, but it would not be strictly on Fridays. lol. I love food too much. :D

Also, I would love to thank everyone who has played Food Friday! Through this weekly thingy I have learned not only about new (and old) restaurants, new recipes, new ingredients, new ways of cooking, but also about the different cultures and the important role that food has been playing... Again, many thanks! :)

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Food Friday

This week's Featured Food Friday player is ...

Ms. Czjai, with her post "Jack Skellington Cupcakes", on her blog: The Rebel Sweetheart.

This is perfect for Halloween! Here at home we really don't practice it, but I wouldn't mind sinking my teeth into those scary (but adorable) cupcakes! Food is food, right? lol. Want to know the recipe? Click on the shot to see Ms. Czjai's post.

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Since it is a semestral break, I thought I'd encourage my sons to help me in the kitchen. My youngest said he'd like to make puto (steamed rice cakes) again, but I found out we didn't have the necessary ingredients. While rummaging, we had most of the ingredients for a no-bake cheesecake...no topping, though. But we had lots of saba bananas (plantain). Yup, you guessed it right: Banana (Saba) No-Bake Cheesecake. :P

{The recipe below is the same one that I have been using for all of my no-bake cheesecakes; forgot where I got it, sorry. but it works!)

....and ripe, sliced, fried saba (plantain) bananas.

Procedure:

• Mix first four ingredients, then pack in the container where you plan to put your cheesecake. Reserve some as topping. Chill.
• Combine the remaining ingredients except the bananas. Once mixed thoroughly, add to the chilled crust.
• Bananas must be really ripe, or you might want to slice them into bite-size pieces. You might want to cook them further, too: add water, sugar, vanilla, and the sliced bananas then simmer for around fifteen to thirty minutes. Make sure it's cool before using it as a topping. Drizzle the remaining crushed graham cracker mix.
• Chill before serving.

My sons and I had a fun time making this. They just think it's weird using plantain bananas as a topping. lol. They loved it, though. Me, too. Well, we do love our cheesecakes around here. :P

Appreciate much your taking the time to share and link your food posts here at Food Friday! :)
Please don't forget to add a link back to this site (you can get the buttons here; deciding to use text instead of buttons is fine also) to be able to add your posts below. Many thanks and hope everyone is going to have a great time this weekend!

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Food Friday

This week's Featured Food Friday player is ...

Ms. Winnie, with her post White Chocolate Mud Cake with Layer of Strawberry Cheesecake, on her blog: Something Sweet

Doesn't that cake just look oh-so-dreamy! Am sure most of you would love to sink your teeth into one of those decadent slices...I know I do! I just love Ms. Winnie's food blog with all those delicious pictures of baked treats! If you want to see more, then click that shot above!

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This week's food post has that ingredient that I have been trying my youngest to like: sweet potato. Am calling this: Crunchy Sweet Potato.

Ingredients:

• freshly boiled sweet potato - one, medium sized
• milk - 2 tbsp.
• mango jam - one big dallop
• cereals - 1/4 cup

* amounts listed good for two kids or one adult

Procedure:

• Peel the boiled sweet potato then roughly mash.
• Mix the jam and milk together, then pour over the boiled sweet potato.
• Crush the cereals and put on top to give the snack that crunch.
• Enjoy.

I think that this was half a success (and half a failure) since my youngest only managed to eat three tablespoonfuls. But at least he tried. lol. My other son liked it, though. Both of us finished it in no time. :D

Reminder: Please don't forget to link back (a simple text would be great, or you may use the buttons provided here). Also, please try to visit the other party-goers and leave some commentluv to let them know that you dropped by. Many thanks! :)

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Food Friday

This week's featured player is...

Ms. Marge, with her blog post Rellenong Pusit (Stuffed Squid) on her blog, Pinoy Kitchenette.

Doesn't that look delicious! I haven't been cooking squid as much as I'd love to, because I can't seem to find any fresh and big ones in the market. Sadly, I almost always cook it adobo-style. lol. I have never ever tried cooking stuffed squid and maybe it's about time I start, thanks to Ms. Marge's easy to follow recipe! I really encourage you to check out her yummy food blog...who know? You might find that recipe you've always wanted to try, in her blog!

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My post this week is a dessert which is pretty common, a no-bake cheesecake. I just presented it in a different way, though. lol. My sons (yeah, they did help) and I made Raspberry-Dragon Fruit No-bake Cheesecake.

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c brown sugar (i used muscovado sugar)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (i used 1 tsp)
1/3 c melted butter

Pie:
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
2 tsp lemon juice (i used 2 tbsp calamansi juice)
1/3 c white sugar
1 pint whipping cream ( i used 1 250ml very cold all purpose cream)

Toppings
1 dragon fruit, chopped
1 can raspberries in heavy syrup
1 can whipped cream (spray) - optional

some of the ingredients used were:
upper left: dragon fruit
upper right: crust mixture
below: canned raspberries

Procedure:
Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, brown/muscovado sugar, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter then mix well. Set aside for a bit.
In another bowl, mix the cream cheese and lemon/calamansi juice until soft. Mix the cream and sugar well, then add that to the cream cheese mixture.

Assemble:
Press graham cracker mixture into wine glass, then top it off with the cream cheese mixture. Repeat. I made around two layers on a narrow-rimmed (but with a broad body) wine glass (not sure what it's called, really...burgundy glass?), then topped it off with the fruits and sprayed whipped cream on top. I used the syrup from the canned raspberry for added sweetness. The kids loved it. Yes, they couldn't wait...they just had to eat it immediately. :D

I assembled my cheesecake differently, though. I added the fruits first, then the cream cheese, then the graham cracker crumbs. Yes, added whipped cream, too. :)

Messy, but yummy! My sons and I had a fun time making our snack that afternoon. We had to use canned raspberries, of course, since we couldn't find fresh ones. Am not even sure if they grow around here! My initial reaction to the berries: tasted like medicine, but it was tolerable. Reminded me of the medicines I had to endure while growing up! lol. Good thing my sons loved the raspberry-dragon fruit combination. We will be making it again, soon. Maybe with another fruit combo this time. :)

Reminder: Please don't forget to link back (a simple text would be great, or you may use the buttons provided here). Also, please try to visit the other party-goers and leave some commentluv to let them know that you dropped by. Many thanks! :) 

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