Food Friday

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

Mr. Nicholas, with his post, "Pasteli" on his site: Intelliblog.

Who would have thought that you'd only need three ingredients to make this healthy treat?! Yes, only three (but you can add more, if you want). Click on the shot to find out!

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I decided to pass by the wet market earlier today, and was quite happy to find shrimps that were still alive! Of course, I just had to buy half a kilo, which became my post for today: Spaghetti with Shrimp and Basil.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Shrimps
• Spaghetti (cooked accdg. to package directions)
• Basil cubes (I used only around six cubes)
• garlic powder, salt, pepper

Procedure:

• Clean the shrimps (meaning, just cut off the sharp rostrum tip and pull the pair of antennule; we seldom remove the shells and devein them before cooking - the taste is somewhere in those shells! lol)
• Place in pan, with about half a cup of water, and lots of cracked pepper. Add around half a teaspoon of salt, and a few dashes of garlic powder.
• Cover the pan, or else the shrimps will go jumping away!
• Cook until it turns reddish-orange, then add in the frozen basil cubes (made them here). Turn off heat.
• Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Add to the cooked spaghetti.
• You may add chili flakes, if you want.
• Devour.

I added the basil cubes only after the shrimps were cooked since I didn't want to cook the basil so much. I loved it! So easy, and fast! :)

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Food Friday

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

Ms. Czjai, with her post: Kalbi Taco, on her blog The Rebel Sweetheart.

It has been ages since I last had taco ... not because I don't like them, but because there seems to be something else in the menu that catches my attention. This kalbi taco shot looks real tempting and makes me want to make my own! Click on the shot above and see how you can make yours!

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This week's post is inspired by an instagram post (which she also shared here with us, two Food Friday weeks ago) by Teacher Julie, her Banana and Egg Pancakes. I was intrigued with the way she incorporated plantain into her pancake, and I know I just had to make mine, too. I did some modifications on my pancake, though, that's why am calling it Banana, Oats, and Cinnamon Pancake. Or maybe you can call it "Whatever-Is-Available Pancake", since I just used whatever I had at that moment. I had to buy the bananas, though. :P

Ingredients

• 4 bananas (i used ripe saba bananas)
• 2 teaspoonfuls honey
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• salt

Procedure

• Combine everything.
• Heat a pan and add a bit of oil. Put a tablespoon (or whatever is convenient for you) of the mixture into the hot pan. I chose to put a lid over mine and steam it at the same time - found out it cooks faster this way which lessens the time the other side touches the pan (and prevents burning).
• Warm, room temperature, or straight from the refrigerator, I liked it!

I actually cooked this as my brunch a couple of days ago. I wasn't able to eat everything all at once so the rest went to the refrigerator. Eating this reminds me of "nilupak na saba" (mashed unripe saba bananas with the meat of a young coconut), which my yaya used to make. I actually ate the rest as the day progressed, and every time I passed by the refrigerator, though. lol. Yes, it was gone before the day was done. :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 Shortbread Roll-cookies filled with Honey and Nuts, on her blog: Something Sweet.

I really do admire the way Ms. Winnie creates her baked goodies! Makes me wish we were neighbors every time I visit her blog! I would be her number one customer! :) Do go and check out her delightful shortbread roll; just click on the above shot!

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My youngest wanted some more shrimps for this week, so I obliged. The 'leftover' shrimps I added into a pasta dish, which I'd like to call: Shrimp and Avocado Pasta.

Ingredients

• spaghetti (cooked accdg to package instructions)
• shrimps
• avocado (diced)
• cilantro
• garlic and onion
• salt, pepper, butter, extra virgin olive oil, mayonnaise, cheese
• pepper flakes (optional)

some of the ingredients used

Procedure

• Cook the spaghetti accdg to package instructions.
• Clean the shrimps and devein. Cook (almost like blanching, really) shrimps in a bit of boiling water together with the head, add salt and pepper, then remove. Reserve the resulting broth.
• Add butter in a hot pan, then dump in the garlic and onions. Mix till you're satisfied, then add the shrimps and the reserved broth. Add mayonnaise (I didn't have any cream, so ...), just till it gets creamy. Adjust the taste.
• Immediately follow with the cooked spaghetti and the diced avocado. Mix well.
• Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with some cilantro and a bit of extra virgin olive oil.
• You may add pepper flakes and cheese, if you like.

This is the first time that I have tried mixing avocado with shrimps (I know, it is weird! lol) and I must say, I like it! My youngest didn't care for this dish at all, specially when I added the chili flakes. I didn't mind, and neither did he...he was busy eating his plateful of shrimps! :D

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: Edible Dessert Cups, on her blog Something Sweet.

I love this! I can just imagine the different toppings.., cream cheese, dried or fresh fruits, honey... oh my, the possibilities are endless! Fun for kids as well as for adults, too. Want to see how Ms. Winnie did this? Click on the shot above!

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I seldom buy shrimp and it has been ages since my last buy. However, my youngest requested for shrimp this week (and I found some nice ones at the store today), so this was lunch: Shrimps.

Ingredients

• fresh shrimps (cleaned, meaning just cut off the sharp rostrum tip and pull the antennule - we like our shrimp prepared this way, most of the time; we seldom devein them)
• canola oil
• garlic powder
• soy sauce
• honey
• cilantro/wan soy
• butter
• salt and pepper

some of the ingredients used

Procedure

• Clean shrimps, then dump in hot pan with around a tablespoon or two of canola oil.
• Add a bit of soy sauce (around 2-3 drops), then salt and pepper. Mix slightly then when the shrimps starts to turn pink add around a tablespoon of garlic powder. Mix well.
• Once liquid has decreased sufficiently to your liking, add a teaspoon of honey, a slice (or two) of butter, then chopped cilantro (save some for garnishing).
• Remove from pan and transfer to serving dish, while still hot.
• Garnish with the cilantro. Drizzle with calamansi juice before you start eating.

Enjoy!

Back home, we would add Sprite (or 7-UP) to the jumping (because they were still alive!) shrimps, but I opted for honey here, just to get that slight sweetness. Healthier too, I guess. I would have wanted to add some chili flakes, but didn't because my youngest doesn't like them. Maybe when he gets older. :P

While I was cleaning the fresh shrimps that I bought, I then realized why I seldom buy them: cleaning them seems to take forever (as well as their being expensive, lol)! I am not a very patient person, so you can just imagine the different expressions my face must have gone through while cleaning half a kilo of shrimps (even if it only meant cutting the sharp rostrum tip and pulling out the antennule). In spite of that slight inconvenience, I know I did the right thing, though, when I witnessed my youngest kid's face as he saw what we were having for lunch... :)

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. Kriska Marie, with her post "Medical Items-themed Cupcakes" on her blog: Sweet Nothings

I love looking at different cupcakes - simple and elaborately designed ones! The cupcakes made by Ms. Kriska Marie and her sister are decorated with fondant, and I must say they have done a very good job! Do click on the shot above to see the post.

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Leftover Salad ... that's what my post is going to be called.

Ingredients

• lettuce (cleaned and shredded)
• radish (sliced)
• cheese (i used cheddar, grated)
• grapes (seedless preferred)
• leftover roasted chicken (cut/flaked into bite-size; bones removed)
• grilled bellpepper (which was peeled then juliened)
• capers 
• toasted bread

dressing
olive oil, salt, pepper, calamansi juice, mustard, honey, crushed capers

some of the ingredients

Procedure
Mix the first six ingredients. Keep cool.
Mix the dressing. Pour over the salad once ready to serve.
Perfect with peppered toasted bread.

I actually had this yesterday, after I got my kindergarten to school. I was hungry but too lazy to wait and prepare a "proper" breakfast (which, for me, means having to cook steamed rice since there were no leftovers from the night before) for myself. Grabbed what I can from my meager stock and had this salad. Quite filling, actually. I would have wanted to add boiled eggs, but ... yeah. Next time. :)

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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Snack: Fried Bananas

Had some really nice plantain bananas and we ate most of them raw. lol. Yes, we like them that way. The 'leftovers', I decided to cook. Added toasted sesame seeds and local honey after I fried them.

Yummy snack!

...sharing over at Jenn's Weekend Eating