Quarantine Recipe: Pasta De Lata

I’m sharing this very old recipe I learned from my mom when I was a little child. Curious about cooking, I would annoy my mother in the kitchen. I’d beg her to let me hold a pan, a spatula, or anything that would merit “being a chef,” I’d say. At first, she would let me peel stuff, wash pots, and slice vegetables. While I begrudgingly obeyed, I would insist on cooking a real dish. This was probably the first recipe she let me try to make on my own. It’s very easy for a 10-year-old novice. You literally just open up canned goods, put everything together, and pop it in the oven!

I haven’t made this dish in ages! Because of the enhanced community quarantine in our area, our grocery trips are limited and my pantry is stocked with canned goods. What can I make using just de latas in my pantry, I asked myself one night. And then I remembered this recipe. My mom didn’t have a name for it, but I’m calling it now as “Pasta de Lata!”

We use corned beef, cream of mushroom soup, corn kernels, spaghetti, and quick melt cheese. You can use mozzarella, of course, if you happen to have some in your kitchen. For this batch, I used just one can of mushroom soup because I didn’t have more. Preferably, I’d use two cans for a creamier yield. Also, I would have liked to use cream corn kernels, but I also didn’t have a can in stock.

Recipe’s below, and also a video of me making this dish. I hope you try to make it! It’s a dish from my kitchen to yours—creamy, salty, with a hint of sweetness from the corn. Since it’s very easy and simple to make, you can have the kids help out in the kitchen. It’s a great activity for this quarantine season!

Pasta de Lata

• Servings: 4
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Difficulty: easy
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A very easy dish you can make using only canned goods--for when you want something delicious but you can't go out to buy stuff!

Ingredients

• 2 small cans of corned beef
• 2 cans of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 can of Cream-style Corn Kernels
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 250g spaghetti

Directions

1. Cook pasta until al dente
2. Sautee corned beef in olive oil or butter, with onions and garlic.
3. In a deep baking dish, layer all ingredients: pasta, cream of mushroom, corned beef, corn, pasta, and repeat.
4. Top with the cheese.
5. Bake in 200C oven for 30 minutes.

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Recreating Starbucks’ Cold Foam Iced Espresso at Home

This quarantine life makes me miss a lot of things, like our usual coffee runs at Starbucks. In hindsight, craving for commercial, overpriced coffee seems so trivial now with all the world’s problems. If anything, this ECQ serves a reset button for many of us, myself included–a reminder that often, the most meaningful things in life are also the simplest.

I find myself making a lot of things in the house, using simple and affordable ingredients. You wouldn’t believe how easy and cheap it is to enjoy a venti cold foam iced espresso at home! All you need are some coffee, ice, sugar, and skim milk.

Here’s a video I made while I tried to recreate my all-time favorite drink from Starbucks: (shameless plug: please like the video and subscribe to the channel! :))

This drink is a great way to relax and refresh during a hot afternoon. Try it yourself and let me know how it goes!

~Ingredients (for a venti-sized drink)~

2 tbsp instant coffee powder mixed with 1/2 cup of water (or 2 shots of espresso)

Ice to fill the glass

1 cup skim milk

2 tbsp white sugar

~Directions~

Blend the milk + sugar using a high-speed blender for about 3 to 5 minutes.

Make your coffee while the blender is running.

Put ice into the glass, then pour your coffee.

Top with the milk and scoop out as much foam as you can.

Enjoy!

How to Make Dalgona Coffee (& its Chocolate Version)

It seems to me that there are two kinds of people during this community quarantine: those who make Tik Tok videos and those who make Dalgona coffee. Obviously, I’m the second kind! ;) I made a video of how to make this super frothy and pretty iced coffee named after a Korean candy.

It’s fun to make because it’s very easy and the ingredients are simple and cheap! If you have kids, make the chocolate version for a nice pre-snack activity. Read on for instructions!

Ingredients/Directions:

Mix a ratio of 1:1 of the following: instant coffee powder, sugar, and hot water.

For a 16oz glass, I used 2 tbsp of each. Mix it in a small bowl using either a whisk, spoon, or fork. You’ll need about 400 strokes to achieve the frothy consistency. Give your arms a favor and use an electric mixer if you have one. ;) You’ll know it’s good if the color has changed from dark to light brown.

In a glass, put ice and milk. Top with the frothy coffee mix.

**CHOCOLATE VERSION for kids and non-coffee drinkers**

Same ratio, but add a portion of creamer. In the video, I used Ovaltine chocolate powder and Nescafe creamer. I found that the chocolate version takes a longer time to aerate and become frothy. But, as I said, you’ll get there.

Serve on a hot afternoon and enjoy! ;)

P.S.: Show some love and subscribe to my channel! <3

 

 

Baked Liempo (Pork Belly)

Pinoys love a good pork belly. We like it with crackling skin, grilled, roasted, barbecued–there are so many ways to enjoy liempo! But in our house, we always go back to this recipe: Baked Liempo with lots of garlic, herbs, and sweet whiskey!

This dish is so simple and very easy to make. Prepping the ingredients won’t even take you five minutes! Then, simply pop it in the oven, set the timer, and practically forget about it. You can do chores, or take a nice long shower, or take care of the baby, watch Netflix.

I used to buy liempo or pork belly in Shopwise or Rustan’s Supermarket because they usually have the buy 1kg take 500g sale. But recently, I’ve made the conscious effort to consume free-range and organic products so I go to Gabrielle’s (will write a separate blog about this meat shop!). For this recipe, I used 3 slabs, cut in half.

You can add as much garlic as you want. I want mine just crushed, not chopped. You can choose your own herbs, too. I usually put thyme, oregano, or rosemary, but this time I used dill just coz my dill plant is now sprouting.

The thing that takes this dish to another level is whiskey. Specifically, honey-flavored whiskey. You can find one in any liquor shop, but I got mine at S&R. Bourbon works well, too–there’s honey-flavored Jim Beam if you want to try that.

Simple, fast, juicy, and delicious. Truly–and I say this as as a new mom–this is the perfect dish for busy or lazy days.

• Servings: 3-4
• Time: 60 mins
• Difficulty: super easy
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Ingredients

• 500g pork belly slices (or 3 strips, cut in half to make 6 pieces)
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• sprigs of dill
• olive oil
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp Jack Daniel’s Honey Whiskey
• salt + pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Clean your pork belly slices and pat dry. Rub with salt and pepper.
3. Pour Worcestershire sauce, and then drizzle with olive oil.
4. Pour the whiskey.
5. Put in the garlic and herbs.
6. Bake for 40 minutes, turn, and bake for another 20. Your pork should have a nice brown color, caramelized, and super tender! (I saved the oil drippings–you should, too!)

Baked Turmeric Chicken

I’m sure you have one of those days when you’re so lazy and hungry at the same time? When laziness and hunger strike, I go for a dish that’s super easy to make–with an even easier clean-up. This is one of those dishes.

This savory dish is light, fresh, and vibrant. Whenever I eat this, I imagine myself strolling down a spice market in some beautiful foreign place. Turmeric, of course, is commonly used in curry dishes. It’s one of the most nutritious spices out there. For a full list of its miraculous health benefits, click here. Aside from its nutritional value, though, I love this spice because its color is just so pretty!

Try making this recipe for your next lunch or dinner. Serve it to guests, and have a mini Asian party! If you’re not on Keto, this dish is best served with rice. As for me, I’d settle for salad on the side, or probably cauliflower rice (if I’m not that lazy).

• Servings: 3-4
• Time: 1hr
• Difficulty: easy
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A fragrant and light recipe perfect for a savory lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• cilantro, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. In a small bowl, mix all the spices together.
3. Season chicken thighs with more salt and pepper.
4. Rub the spices on the chicken, and let it marinate while you’re waiting for your oven to get warm.
5. Drizzle coconut oil on to your chicken, and then bake for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from oven, turn the chicken pieces, and bake for another 20 minutes.
7. It’ll come out dripping in oil (good stuff!), which I like to put in a separate bowl. Garnish with cilantro and serve. Enjoy!

Super Easy Keto Breakfast: Baked Avocado With Bacon & Egg

Whether you’re on Keto or not, you will surely love this simple breakfast dish. It’s so easy to do, too! Just cut the avocado in half, put all the other ingredients, and pop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Frankly, I don’t understand how millennials nowadays love avocados so much. I used to hate them when I was young! I only ate them in shake form or when paired with lots and lots of condensed milk. Now that I am old(er) though, I’ve become one of this fruit’s biggest fans.

And being on Keto, I only have few kinds of fruits to include in my diet. Avocado is one of them, and it’s definitely on top of the list! Aside from its nutritional benefits, here’s why this super fruit is perfect for the Keto lifestyle: Per 68 grams of avocado (about one-half of the fruit), there’s only 0.5 grams of sugar and a little more than 1 gram of carbs!!!

I know this dish has been done countless of times before, and you’ll probably find a bunch of recipes on the net. No matter, I’ll still add my take here. ;)

Baked Avocado W/Bacon & Egg

• Servings: 1-2
• Time: 25 mins
• Difficulty: easy
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This dish is super easy to whip up every morning--a perfect way to start a busy day!

Ingredients

• 1 avocado
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• 2 slices of bacon, chopped
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• parsley, for garnishing

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Cut the avocado in half, and take out the seed.
3. If the hole is too shallow, you can scoop some out of the meat. Season each half with salt, pepper, and paprika.
4. Put one egg into each hole. I tend to take out most of the white part. Season with more salt & pepper to your liking.
5. Add the grated mozzarella cheese.
6. Top with bacon bits. Some prefer their bacon to be crunchy so they fry them first. But I like mine a bit chewy so I put them in raw.
7. Place the avocado halves on a muffin tray to keep them in place while baking. Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.