Penne With Sausage and Artichokes

I feel like eating pasta today since I have a lot of boxed penne in my pantry. Every time I go to the grocery, I always add pasta to my cart because I always thought I don't have it anymore, only to find out when I get home that I still have some left. That keeps happening and the boxes keep piling up, now I have six of them....

I have spicy sausage in my freezer and frozen artichokes plus crimini mushroom that I got yesterday from 99 cents store. Those ingredients look like the perfect combination for me.

So I boiled water for my penne and started to heat another pan to cook my sausage first. I just cut them in thin slices and then add olive oil to the pan to cook. Next goes in the mushroom so the flavors will be absorb by the olive oil. I have to cook the asparagus separately in a microwave.

After the pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the sausage, olive oil and mushroom. Remove from heat, add the cooked artichokes last and mix everything. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Voila! Simple yet comforting dinner in less than 30 minutes.

How to Cook Ginataang Bilo Bilo the RIGHT WAY

I need to stress "RIGHT WAY" in my title because the other day, I was victimized by a recipe for ginataang bilo bilo that turn out to be a disaster. The ingredients include 2 cups of tapioca to be boiled with 3 cups of coconut milk and 1 cup sugar. I say disaster because the 2 cups of tapioca turn out to be a lot and it stick at the bottom of the pan while trying to boil it. The 3 cups of coconut milk was not enough to accommodate the 2 cups tapioca...In the end, it looks like a tapioca cake because it occupied the whole pot after it was cooked.

So I decided to called up my friend who I think is an expert with Filipino dishes. She told me that I should boiled the tapioca first in water for at least 5 minutes and then transfer it to a bowl of tap water and let it sit there for at least 30 minutes. This according to her is the trick to cooking ginataang bilo bilo.

So I followed every step she said starting with the right way to handle tapioca, but this time, I only use 1/2 cup after seeing how it puffs up when its done. I also boil banana and sweet potato first and then add the coconut milk and tapioca next. As soon as the tapioca looks transparent, I put in the glutinous rice balls and sugar. I let it simmer for a few minutes until it is thick enough and has the right sweetness. And the result was this....



Over all, I'd say I'm happy about it because it was close to what I had back in my childhood days. Though it was not as good as my mom (she uses freshly squeeze coconut milk every time), this would do for now especially on a cold winter day like this.

Sweet and Crispy Turon

Turon is a Filipino snack (we call it "merienda") that is basically a banana (the saba variety in the Philippines is most commonly used) wrap in egg roll wrapper and then fry in oil to cook. For added flavor, the banana is rolled in sugar (preferably the brown one)and strips of langka is also added before being wrapped.

Today, I am craving for one so I headed to my local Oriental store, (luckily for me, I am only 3 minute drive away) and bought the necessary ingredients. When I got home, I asked my youngest daughter, Bea,(she's 8) to help me out in prepping. She always love to help me in whatever household chores I'm doing, she even volunteers most of the time...

Anyway, turon is part of my childhood days....I remember eating a lot of it when I was still in elementary grade because it was a cheap merienda to start with. There is a store in front of our school that sells the crispiest and sweetest turon ever...I can still remember the sound of the crunch the first time you bite it...that's what I hoped to accomplished today and I think I did not fail...



Crunchy and Sweet Turon with Carmelized Sugar....mmmmm, just the way I like it.

How to Cook Turon - Personal Tips I Like to Share

1. Use non stick pan as much as possible to prevent it from sticking.

2. Set your stove to low, but make sure that its hot enough when you put the wrapped banana.

3. Add sugar to the oil at once for it to start caramelizing.

4. Keep flipping your wrapped banana to prevent it from burning.

5. Use the biggest pan you can get to fit the whole batch, as the next ones might have burnt sugar in them already.