Sweet Soy Sauce Chicken Livers

If you’re in a hurry and you want to eat a hearty good meal, here’s an easy-to-cook recipe for you!

½ kg chicken liver

Salt, to taste

1tsp black pepper

1tbsp sugar

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 jalapeno

½ cup of vinegar

2 ½ - 3 tbps of soy sauce, or to taste

4 tbsp of cooking oil

To prepare:

1. In a bowl, prepare this mixture: mix soy sauce and vinegar together and dissolve the sugar in it; set aside.
2. In another bowl, sprinkle salt onto the chicken livers, mix, then set aside.
3. Heat a skillet to medium heat.
4. Pour the cooking oil into the skillet.
5. Sauté the garlic and onion in the skillet until golden brown.
6. Add the chicken livers.
7. Sprinkle with black pepper.
8. Fold.
9. Pour the soy-sauce mixture into the skillet.
10. Add the jalapeno.
11. Lower the heat and cover with a lid.
12. Stir from time to time until the sauce thickens.
13. Remove from stove.

Voila, your chicken livers are ready to eat! Easy, isn’t it? Enjoy!

Good for 2 servings

Beef in Mediterranean Style Recipe

Mediterranean dishes are always my favorite and I have tried lots of them! Inspired by their unique cuisine, I cooked my beef with a touch of Mediterranean taste.

Now, let’s start cooking!

What you need:

½ kg sirloin beef cut into thin bite size slices

1 eggplant cut in half and cut each half lengthwise

250ml Hunt’s® tomato sauce

250ml Nestle® cream

5 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced

6 fresh basil leaves

Parsley, chopped finely

1 ½ McCormick® dried oregano

1 ½ McCormick® marjoram

½ tsp McCormick® all spice

½ tsp American Garden® cinnamon

1 tsp black peppercorn, ground

1tsp salt

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Cooking oil

Butter

To prepare:

• In a bowl, sprinkle 1 tsp of salt onto the beef. Mix them together. Set aside.
• Heat a deep skillet to medium heat.
• Pour ½ cup of cooking oil into the skillet.
• Fry the eggplants in the skillet. Set aside.
• Next, fry the beef, then set aside.
• Heat another deep skillet to medium heat.
• Melt 3tbsp butter.
• Sauté garlic until brown.
• Add the tomatoes.
• Stir until the tomatoes are cooked.
• Add the onion into the skillet.
• Stir until the onion is translucent.
• Sprinkle with black peppercorn.
• Add the fried beef into the pan. Fold.
• Add the tomato sauce and stir.
• Next, add the cream. Mix it with the rest of the ingredients in the skillet.
• Let it simmer and stir from time to time until the sauce thickens.
• Add the fried eggplant then fold it in with the ingredients in the skillet.
• Add the following into the skillet: oregano, marjoram, all spice and cinnamon. Mix them together.
• Add the bell pepper.
• Stir.
• Pour 1tsp red wine vinegar into the pan.
• Stir a little.
• Add the fresh basils and mix them with the rest of the ingredients.
• Remove from stove.
• Garnish with parsley.

Now, it’s done. Very easy! Bon appétit! 

Good for 4 servings

Food Experience: “Mamon Tostado” and “Biscocho Special”

“Mamon Tostado” and “Biscocho Special” can be found in the province of Iloilo (Iloh-iloh), Philippines. I think they can be found anywhere in the Philippines but I heard that they’re Iloilo’s specialty because that’s where they were first made. Where else can you find the best of these types of delicacies than in the place where they were said to have originated, right? My eldest sister went to Iloilo and brought these delicacies home, so my Mamon Tostado and my Biscocho Special came directly from the province where they were first created. Let me describe each of them to you. I’ll start with the “Mamon Tostado”. Mamon Tostado is usually a round-shaped delicacy made of flour, egg, milk and sugar. It doesn’t melt in your mouth like meringue but the crunchiness of the spongy texture, plus the delicate taste of sugar and milk, will make you crave for more. Don’t leave it out in the open for long because the texture will become hard and rubbery. You wouldn’t want that.  It’s best to eat with tea. The Biscocho Special is made of elongated bread cut into four, lengthwise, pieces with melted sugar and milk on each slice. You can't help nibbling on it because of its sweetness and creaminess. Its texture is harder and thicker than Mamon Tostado and, for me, it’s better to eat with soup (like the corn soup I just featured here) than with tea. If you ask me which one I prefer, I would say that despite of their similar ingredients, they somehow differ in taste, due to the different amounts of sugar and milk used in them, so I really can't choose between the two. I like them both. If you're a tourist in Iloilo, or planning to go on a tour there, and you happen to pass by a store that sells these delicacies, you might want to grab yourself a sample of each of them and enjoy the experience. :)

Easy-to-Make Corn Soup for Rainy Seasons

During rainy seasons we either want hot chocolate or soup. As of this moment, though, I want to eat soup, so I made myself some. Here, I'll show you how it's done. :)

What you need:

15oz of canned cream style corn

1 cup evaporated milk

½ cup water

Salt, to taste

Green onion, chopped finely

1-2 eggs, beaten

4 tbsp butter

¼ onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced

Toasted bread crumbs (optional)

Procedure:

1. Heat the 4-inches deep pan to medium heat.
2. Melt the butter in the pan.
3. Sauté garlic and onion in the butter.
4. Add the cream style corn into the pan and stir.
5. Pour the water into the pan then mix gently.
6. Bring to a boil.
7. Lower the heat and pour the evaporated milk into the pan and stir.
8. Garnish with green onion.
9. Remove from stove.
10. Pour the egg slowly into the soup as you stir gently.
11. Add the bread crumbs (optional).

 Now, you can sit back and relax on the rainy seasons! Enjoy!

Good for 4 servings.

Pork Adobo Recipe

Let’s cook Pork Adobo, one of the Philippines’ specialties!

What you need:

1/2 kilo pork, diced into bite size

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup white vinegar

Juice of 6 calamansi (calamondin)

1tsp salt

2tbsp sugar

2tbsp cooking oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 red onion, finely chopped

1tsp ground black peppercorn

2 Bay leaves

Procedure:

1. Sprinkle salt onto the pork. Mix well, then set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix all of the following ingredients to make a mixture: soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Mix well until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Heat a deep skillet to medium heat.
4. Pour cooking oil into the skillet.
5. Sauté garlic and onion until golden brown.
6. Add the bay leaves.
7. Put the pork into the skillet and fold.
8. Pour the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar mixture into the skillet, mix with the pork and cover with a lid.
9. Let the pork cook in this mixture and its own juices.
10. Fold from time to time until the oil from the pork comes out.
11. Let the pork fry in its own oil.
12. Add the calamansi (calamondin) juice. Fold.
13. When it’s dry, sprinkle some ground black peppercorn.
14. Fold until the ingredients are mixed well together.
15. Remove from stove and drain all the oil.

Now your pork adobo is ready to eat! This recipe is always preferred to be eaten with rice.

Good for 3 servings.

My Doña Elena® Turkish Cuisine Food Adventure!

Yesterday I went with my younger sister and her friend to a Doña Elena® food event. I was looking forward to it since the day I learned about it. They’re holding a cooking lesson every month introducing different cuisines. I heard that they’ve already featured the Moroccan and Greek cuisines, which I sadly missed. This month they introduced the Turkish cuisine and featured three Turkish dishes: Shish Kebabs, Turkish Couscous Salad, Eggplant Moussaka. They handed us a copy of each recipe. I must say that each dish is very, very, VERY delicious! Tasting Turkish Cuisine makes me want to go to Turkey. I’ll surely do that!

I took a photo of each dish so that I can show them to you. By the way, Doña Elena® is a brand name and they’re selling their products at the event, so you can buy any of their products there, or at any supermarket near you, actually.

Okay, now let me show you how the event went! ;)

At the entrance the very first things that will greet your eyes are an array of different kinds of cooking ingredients from canned red pimientos to fresh fruit juices.

They have olive oils made in Turkey, both for cooking and for salad. The one with a green packaging is for cooking and the red one is for salad.

Canned tomatoes; available in diced and whole. Made in Italy.

Canned red pimientos made in Spain.

Handmade pasta (handmade pasta is better than machine-made because it easily absorbs all the flavorings).

Spanish Sardines.

Fresh milk.

Fresh and pure fruit juice of apple and orange (they gave us a free taste of each one, you can really taste its pureness. It’s very refreshing!). Apologies for the photos. I thought I already took a photo of the Jolly Fresh® box but, oh well. Next time. =P

They’re serving some refreshments to the audience. It’s a sample of their Jolly Fresh® fruit juice. I got a taste of each flavor; the orange and the apple. It’s very good, and you know that you’re drinking healthy.

They gave us a copy of the recipe of each of the Turkish Cuisine they’re going to feature, so you can follow as they demonstrate (and if you like, you can try at home).

The Doña Elena's® resident chef is preparing all the ingredients.

They have a monitor where you can watch the procedures. They have a volunteer from the audience to help out. They also have a question and answer portion and the prices are the Doña Elena® products. Sadly, I didn’t win anything. =(

They prepared the Turkish Couscous Salad, first. This is just a sample, so the serving is really very small. Couscous is granulated pasta. It may be served in ways similar to rice. They put Doña Elena® diced canned tomatoes in it, some parsley, garlic, a little bit of bird eye chili, some grilled bell pepper, red wine vinegar and some salt and pepper. It is salad, so it feels refreshing.

Next, they prepared kebabs. Kebabs consisted of beef tenderloin, cherry tomatoes, onion, grilled bell pepper, marinated in lemon. You can also use lamb, which I prefer. You may also serve kebabs with yogurt, plain or seasoned, or true Mediterranean taste.

Lastly, is the Eggplant Moussaka. Although the three dishes are equally delicious, I liked the Moussaka best. The milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and tomatoes compliment each other, it's heavenly. I prefer a tad less cinnamon than was used in this recipe but it was still delicious!

They distributed small portions of each dish, just to give us a taste. It made us want to go home and make some more... ... ... that’s exactly what I’m going to do, soon.

This event was fun and I enjoyed it very much! There's going to be another cooking lesson next month. I wonder what cuisine they're going to feature next? Hmmm... I guess we'll soon find out. =)

At the end of the event, I bought two of their products. One is their canned diced tomatoes and the other is their red pimiento.

I'm going to use these in my next recipe, so stay tuned!

Food Experience: From a Birthday Party

Parties and celebrations are always the best time to try new foods.  Lots of people gathered to celebrate the 19th birthday of our neighbor’s daughter. It’s the most recent birthday party I have attended. It was very simple, yet fun. I enjoyed tasting different kinds of food.

Now, as promised, let's start tasting them again, one by one! 

First, let me introduce the birthday cake. It’s made by Goldilocks®.
This cake is very sweet with a hint of lemon. I ate most of the icing candy that’s there. They’re very sweet!!! Overall, the cake just tastes sweet, very sweet in fact, that your mouth ends up sticky. You need to make sure you have water with you when you eat this cake. I must admit, though, that the decoration is nice.

The main courses:

This is the fish I cooked with sumac. It’s a little bit salty and sweet. It was finished before the day ended.

Boiled veggies paired with tomatoes, mixed with sweet shrimp paste. The natural taste of these vegetables; okra, eggplant and string beans, a taste of tomatoes and sweet shrimp paste makes it very interesting. It’s delicious with rice.

I was told that this is Pork Adobo. It tastes good but it doesn't taste like Adobo to me. The Adobo I know is rich in flavor, dry, with lots of peppercorn, lots of soy sauce and vinegar and a hint of sweetness. This one is bland with a little bit of soy sauce and vinegar, salt and no peppercorn, and that’s it. I’m not criticizing the food negatively, or being ungrateful of some sort. I just promised to make a review so I did. When it comes to food, I try to be as honest in my description as possible so that my readers will experience the same food experience I had.

This is Tilapia in coconut milk. It’s cooked with pechay (pak choi), ginger, onion and a bit of salt to taste. I prefer this with a bit of vinegar.

This is called Adobong Kangkong (River Spinach). It’s a dish made of Kangkong (River Spinach) vegetable cooked in soy sauce and vinegar just like pork adobo. It’s a very famous dish in the Philippines.

This is bitter gourd sautéed with small shrimps, tomatoes, garlic and onion. It has a hint of bitterness, just enough salt and a little bit of sourness from the tomato. It’s also very good with rice. 

This is bihon, it’s one of the Chinese noodles mixed with assorted vegetables, like chayote, green beans, cabbage, lots of shrimps, and abundantly sprinkled with cheddar cheeeeeeese! I loved this.  This is sometimes eaten with kalamansi (calamondin). All you need to do is squeeze one or two kalamansi (calamondin) on it and you’re ready to eat it.

This is dish is called Palabok. It is one of the variations of noodles that were introduced by the Chinese. It’s mixed with salt eggs (the ones with red-dyed shells). It was also served with lots of cheese, crumbs of chicharon (dried and fried pork fats, or skins). It’s also eaten the same way as Bihon. You can also squeeze some kalamansi (calamondin).

This dish is called Lumpia (loom-pya). You can stuff it with anything but this one is stuffed with mongo sprouts with a little bit of sweet potatoes. Cooking mongo sprouts is a bit tricky because it overcooks very easily. When you cook it, make sure to remove it from the stove as soon as its own juices boil and remove it from the stove, cover it with a lid to let its own steam to cook it thoroughly. Otherwise it will overcook. I think that’s what happened with this lumpia. It’s overcooked. Lumpia is best served with vinegar with a hint of sweet. The vinegar can be spicy but it depends on your taste.  

Now this is what I have been talking about, the kalamansi, or calamondin in English. You can squeeze it on any kind of noodles and everything will taste interesting.

Side dish:

Peeled cucumber salad with onion and vinegar, a bit of sugar and dashed with ground peppercorn.

Hotdogs and marshmallows on a stick for kids!

Now, let’s go to desserts!

This one is called Biko. It’s made of glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk and brown sugar, dashed with anis. I loved this!!!

This cake came last. It’s from Red Ribbon®. It’s a chocolate cake covered with mocha icing, sprinkled with chocolate chips and decorated with chocolate-covered marshmallows.

Okay! Those are the foods that I have tasted. I hope you enjoy! 

Next, I will be sharing with you my My Doña ElenaTurkish Cuisine cooking class adventure, so stay tuned! :)

Creamy/Eggy Beef Sauté

Hello, my fellow food enthusiasts, here's another beef recipe for you as we wait for the upcoming cooking event this week featuring Turkish Cuisine. For now, here's my Creamy/Eggy Beef  Sauté.

Ingredients:

1 kilo foreshank beef, sliced thinly

¼ stick butter

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 green bell pepper, diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 red onion, chopped

200g can of Jolly® mushrooms, thinly sliced, drained 

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup evaporated milk

Sprinkle of black pepper, ground

Salt to taste

To cook:

In a bowl, sprinkle salt on the beef then mix them together. Set aside.

Heat the pan to medium heat.

Melt the butter in the pan.

Sauté the following, in this order: garlic, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper and mushrooms.

Add the beef into the pan.

Fold the beef into the ingredients until the beef waters.

Raise the temperature a little to bring the water to a boil.

Lower the temperature.

Let it simmer until the juices thicken.

Add the evaporated milk, slowly.

Stir a little until blended.

Short Interval

I'm having a very short interval since I'm preparing for a very exciting upcoming food event this Saturday. I hope I can make it (crosses fingers). It's a cooking lesson and the theme for this month is Turkish cuisine, so watch out for that! Last week I attended a birthday celebration of our neighbor's daughter and will be posting that menu here soon. I cooked one dish to help out. I tried to make fried fish a little bit interesting by putting a bit of different kinds of spices and people loved it! It was a very quick recipe, that I made on the spot. I took photos of each of the foods and will be posting them here soon and will describe how each dish tasted, so stay tuned! :)

Basic Cooking terms: The things you need to know

baste—Pouring, brushing, or spooning a liquid over food (usually, as it roasts in an oven), resulting in flavoring and moistening it. 

boil—Heating a liquid over high enough heat till bubbles rise rapidly to the surface.....approximately 212 degrees Fahrenheit, at sea-level. 

broil—Cooking a food, directly under high heat, until the top-side of the food cooks rapidly.

brown—Cooking foods quickly enough to create a brown surface.

dash—A small amount; between a pinch and a smidgen. 

fold— A soft blending of food ingredients....softly enough not to blend the ingredients too thoroughly or quickly.

marinate— Soaking a food in a savory liquid, adding flavor and tenderizing it.

mince— Chopping food ingredients into very small pieces.

preheat— Bringing an oven to a desired temperature, in advance, before placing food into the oven.

roast— Cooking food in an oven, using an open or covered pan, so that the heat penetrates the food from all sides.

sauté— Frying/cooking a food, quickly, on top of the stove, in an open skillet, using high heat in a small amount of oil or fat, stirring it or turning the food, gently, to prevent burning.

simmer— Cooking food over lower heat, in liquid kept just below its boiling point. Occasional bubbles may rise to the surface.

East Asian Hot Sweet-Chili Chicken Wings Recipe

Ingredients:

10 Chicken wings

Cooking oil

½ McCormick® marjoram

½ McCormick® dried oregano

2 tbsp sugar

Rock salt

9 cloves of garlic, minced

½ medium onion, chopped finely

1 tsp sumac

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp American Garden® powdered white pepper

To prepare the chicken:

1. Sprinkle 1 ½ tbsp of rock salt onto the chicken wings and mix them together.
2. Heat the pan to medium heat.
3. Pour cooking oil in the pan (½ inch deep).
4. Fry the chicken wings until done.
5. Set aside.

To prepare the hot chili mixture:

1. Heat another pan to medium heat and pour in 3 tbsp of cooking oil.
2. Sauté garlic and onion until golden brown.
3. Add the oregano, marjoram, sumac, cayenne pepper, white pepper.
4. Mix them together.
5. Add the sugar.
6. Stir until the ingredients are mixed well together.
7. Add the fried chicken wings.
8. Fold the chicken wings with the rest of the ingredients.
9. Keep folding until the mixture is evenly distributed on the chicken wings.
10. Remove the pan from stove.

Now, your East Asian hot sweet-chili chicken wings are ready to eat. Enjoy!

Good for 2 servings.

Quick Sprite® Shrimp

Ingredients:

1kg shrimps, in shell

Salt, to taste

½ cup Sprite®

2 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp butter (or more, if you want)

To prepare:

1. Sprinkle salt onto the shrimps and mix them together.
2. Heat the pan on medium heat.
3. Put cooking oil in the pan.
4. Add the shrimps.
5. Stir until the shrimps are starting to look orange-y.
6. Pour ½ cup of Sprite®.
7. Cover with lid.
8. Fold from time to time until the Sprite® evaporates.
9. Add 2 tbsp butter, stir until melted.

Good for 4 servings. Enjoy!

Kitchen Safety Tips

Here are some kitchen safety rules that you should keep in mind. People who cook enough have learned the hard way.......so BE SAFE

• Keep your hands clean while handling food. Keep countertops, food preparation surfaces and sinks clean and disinfected with a mild bleach solution. Wash vegetables and fruits to remove chemicals, dirt and molds. You may use commercially-available veggie-wash or learn to make your own, Rinse uncooked fish, poultry and meat thoroughly, under cold running water, in a clean sin. Keep your refrigerator shelves clean, as per instructions from the manufacturer.
•  
• Use a clean wood, or soft polyethylene, cutting board when cutting/trimming vegetables, fruits and meats. Use only sharp knives.....they are actually safer. Watch your fingers!
•  
• Do not allow loose or dangling clothing or hair to come in contact with a stove, open flame or any motorized kitchen machinery. 
•  
• Keeping pot handles angled towards the back of the stove will help avoid accidentally hitting them and tipping the pots or spilling the hot contents. Keep children away from all stoves, kitchen machinery or any hot dishes.
•  
• Pot holders are best to steady hot pots or to take pans out of a hot oven. Don’t use a wet cloth on a hot pan because the steam it produces can burn you.
•  
• Be careful while lifting the lid of a steaming pot. Open it away from you, since hot steam will burn you.
•  
• If you do get burned, run cold water over the burn, immediately! Never put grease or butter onto burned skin. Cold water will cool the burned skin, while grease or butter will trap the heat. Consult a first aid book for treatment.
•  
• If you have a grease or oil fire, it's best to use a proper kitchen fire extinguisher, correctly. If one is not available, you may throw baking soda or salt at the bottom of the flame to help put it out. (Water will make a grease fire EXPLODE and will NOT put it out!) Call the fire department, and attempt to turn all the stove burners to “off", if it can be done, safely........OR turn the electricity to the stove off at the breaker box.
• 
  
• EVERY KITCHEN NEEDS A WORKING FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND FIRST AID KIT.
• 
  
• EVERY COOK SHOULD KNOW HOW TO USE THESE IMPORTANT ITEMS BEFORE THERE IS AN EMERGENCY.

Chicken Wings in Spicy Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

10 chicken wings

1 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp Ground black pepper

½ tsp McCormick® powdered black pepper

½ tsp American Garden® powdered white pepper

1 tsp McCormick® dried oregano

1 tsp McCormick® Marjoram

1 tsp Sumac

1 tsp McCormick® all spice

1 tsp McCormick® turmeric

1 tsp McCormick® cayenne

1 tsp McCormick® Spanish paprika

Darin® powdered cardamom

2 tbsp sugar

9 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1 medium onion, chopped finely

2 tbsp tbsp rock salt

To prepare:

1. Sprinkle 1 ½ tbsp of rock salt on the chicken wings then set aside.
2. Heat the pan in medium heat; pour the olive oil and sauté garlic and onion until golden brown.
3. Add all the herbs and spices: Ground black pepper, powdered black pepper, powdered white pepper, dried oregano, Marjoram, Sumac, all spice, turmeric, cayenne, Spanish paprika, cardamom.
4. Stir until the ingredients are mixed well together.
5. Add 1 tsp rock salt.
6. Add 2 tbsp water.
7. Add sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
8. Add the chicken wings.
9. Stir until all the ingredients are distributed on the chicken wings.
10. Add the remaining water.
11. Cover with lid until it boils.
12. Stir from time to time until water evaporates and the sauce thickens.
13. Remove from stove.

Good for 2 servings.

Cucumber Salad Recipe

(I have been referring to this salad, in my previous recipes, without realizing that I haven’t posted the recipe for it. Now, here it is! I apologize for the delay. =P)

Ingredients:

1 medium cucumber, cut into ¼ inch thin slices

8 tbsp white vinegar

2 ½ tbsp sugar

1 tsp of rock salt

5tbsp water

Ground black pepper

To prepare:

In a bowl, pour the white vinegar and add the sugar, rock salt and water. Mix them together until the rock salt and sugar are dissolved. Sprinkle it with black pepper. Lastly, add the cucumber.

Voila, your cucumber salad is ready. Enjoy!  

(I prefer to eat mine freshly made, certainly less then 2-hours old.)

Food Experience: Pork Paper

By the sound of it, you might ask, “Pork paper!? Is it edible?” Yes, it is! This mouth-watering delicacy is made of pork mixed with spices and a hint of sugar. It’s called “paper” because it’s as thin as paper, and it’s very brittle. It’s easy on the teeth, so you’ll enjoy biting and chewing on it as the taste of pork, sweet and spice spreads in your mouth. It can be found outside of Taipei, Taiwan, in Chufen Village. If you live there, lucky you, you must have tried the pork paper already. If you’re going there, I recommend that you try it. Personally, I couldn’t get enough of it; I could eat ten, or more, packages of it. It truly is very tasty!  

Hot Chili Octopus Recipe

Ingredients:

2tbsp butter

2 bay leaves

2 fresh basil leaves

McCormick® Spanish paprika

McCormick® chili powder
1/2 tsp McCormick® cayenne pepper

6 bird’s eye chilli, chopped finely

Sprinkle of McCormick® Marjoram

Sprinkle of McCormick® Oregano

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

12 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1tbsp sugar

Black pepper

Jalapeño

Salt to taste

1kg octopus, cut into bite size pieces

To prepare:

1. Sprinkle the octopus with salt. Set aside.
2. To make a chili mixture, mix these ingredients in a bowl: McCormick Spanish paprika, McCormick chili powder, McCormick cayenne pepper, bird’s eye chili, McCormick marjoram, McCormick oregano, half of the chopped onion, half of the chopped garlic, sugar, black pepper and salt, to taste.
3. Pour the chili mixture onto the octopus and mix them together until the flavor is evenly distributed.
4. Heat the pan to medium heat.
5. Melt the butter.
6. Sauté the remaining half of garlic and onion until golden brown.
7. Add the jalapeño, bay leaves and basil leaves.
8. Add the octopus, including the chili mixture.
9. Turn the heat up and cook until most of the water of the octopus comes out.
10. Stir from time to time until the water evaporates and the sauce thickens.
11. Remove from stove.

 Good for 6 servings

Spicy Pork Sauté Recipe

Ingredients:

3tbsp butter

1 onion finely chopped

9 cloves of garlic crushed and finely chopped

800gms pork sliced into bite size

7tbsp soy sauce

2tbsp vinegar

1tsp McCormick® cayenne pepper

2 ½  tbsps sugar

2tbsps Worcestershire sauce

Black pepper

Salt to taste

How to prepare:

1. In a bowl sprinkle salt on the pork and mix them together. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, create a spicy sauce mixture by mixing the onion, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, cayenne pepper, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and salt to taste.
3. Pour the mixture on the pork and mix them together.
4. In a skillet, melt the butter in a low temperature.
5. Separate the pork from the spicy sauce (Do not throw away the spicy sauce).
6. Put the pork in the skillet. Stir until the pork and butter are mixed together. Cover with lid.
7. Raise the heat up and stir until the water from the pork come­­s out.
8. When the water from the pork comes out, stir it from time to time.
9. Stir until the water almost evaporates.
10. Lower the temperature and add the spicy sauce.
11. Stir from time to time to distribute the spicy sauce on the pork.
12. Stir until the spicy sauce is thick and the pork had absorbed the flavor.
13. Remove from stove.

This dish is also good served with cucumber salad.

Good for 8 servings.

Egg-y-roll dessert, for kids (Recipe)

Ingredients:

4 eggs

4tbsp brown sugar

1 cup water

McCormick® cinnamon

Powdered milk

Oil

To prepare:

1. Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside.
2. Boil the sugar in a pot with 1 cup of water until it caramelizes.
3. In a skillet, spread a small amount of oil and pour 3tbsp of egg. Cook both sides. Repeat the process on the remaining eggs.
4. Roll the cooked eggs into an eggroll shape.
5. Pour caramelized sugar on the eggrolls.
6. Powder them with cinnamon on top and add powdered milk.

Sweet Garlic Hot Wings Recipe

Ingredients:

5 chicken wings

9 cloves of garlic (minced)

½ red onion (finely chopped)

1 ½ tsp. McCormick® Spanish paprika

1 ½ tsp McCormick® chili pepper

½ McCormick® cayenne pepper

1 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp sugar

Salt to taste

Cooking oil

How to prepare:

1. (Note: Be careful on this step) In a bowl, I prefer to puncture the skin and meat of each chicken wing with a sharp object, several places, to allow thorough cooking. Do this step before sprinkling the salt on the wings. Massage the wings and the salt until the salt is evenly distributed on each chicken wing.
2. In another bowl, mix all the ingredients: garlic, red onion, Spanish paprika, chili pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper, sugar and salt to taste. Mix them altogether.
3. Heat approximately ¾ inch fry oil in a 2-inch-deep fry pan (I like cast iron) over medium-high heat. Let it get to 350 degrees F. A nice deep pan helps prevent splatter.
4. When the oil is hot enough, fry the chicken wings.
5. After frying the chicken wings, put them in the spicy mixture and mix them together until the spices are evenly distributed on the chicken wings.
6. Fry the chicken wings, again, in a low heat until the spices are cooked. Avoid burning the sugar.