Welcome!

Welcome, my dear guests!

I consider myself a food enthusiast. As much as I love eating, I also love experimenting with all the herbs and spices I can find. I want to share all my food experiences, food adventures and my recipes here. I'm glad you found this site. You must be a food enthusiast as well. I hope we can exchange recipes and food experiences, so please don't hesitate to leave a comment. Don't worry, I won't bite =P. I'm looking forward to reading your feedback! - Orchard


Thursday, September 1, 2011

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.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

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.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

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.


Saturday, August 27, 2011

How to take care of knives

"You spend good money on a knife; take care of it, it should last a lifetime."


When you learn valuable things from others you feel the urge to share them. I have been shopping for kitchen utensils lately and I found a merchant who is fun to talk to and has shared many valuable tips with me on how to take care of knives.

How to take care of knives:
  1. No metal is completely “stainless”. Do not allow acidic or salty foods to remain on the blade after use. This may pit and dull the finish and/or damage the sharp edge.
  2. Try not to put your knives in the dishwasher. This is unsafe. Heat and detergent, along with banging into other knives and metal pans, can damage the sharp edge and the handle.
  3. Wipe your knife clean with a wet cloth and dish detergent. Rinse. Dry immediately.
  4. Do not cut through bones with your knife. Do not poke, pry, or separate frozen foods with your knife. Use only to cut food, not as a screwdriver.
  5. Sharp knives are safe; dull knives are dangerous. If a knife goes straight and cuts cleanly, you have control. If a knife slips off the top of a lemon or citrus fruit, or doesn’t cut through meat cleanly, it is much more dangerous to use.





Richly-Spiced Beef Recipe




Ingredients:

2 tsp McCormick® Marjoram
2 tsp Haritham® Coriander powder
2 tsp of McCormick® dried oregano
Pinch of Mustard seeds
2 tsp McCormick® Curry
2 tsp American Garden® Kebab Mix
1 tsp black pepper
2 Jalapenos
9 garlic cloves (crushed and chopped)
½ Onion (chopped)
2 tsp Turmeric
2 tomatoes
2 tsp of McCormick® Spanish paprika
2 tsp of McCormick® chili powder
½ tsp of McCormick® cayenne pepper
2tsp of McCormick® cumin
Salt to taste
½ kilo foreshank beef (thinly sliced)
¼ kilo of mini potatoes (cut in half)
250ml Cream

To prepare:

Put the thinly sliced beef in a bowl, sprinkle salt to taste, 1 tsp of marjoram, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp of dried oregano, 1 tsp of curry powder, 1 tsp kebab mix, 1 tsp of garlic, 1 tsp of turmeric, 1 tsp Spanish paprika, 1tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp chili powder. Set aside.

In a skillet, put 4 tsp olive oil and sauté the remaining garlic until golden brown. Add tomatoes, stir until cooked. Add onion, stir until translucent, not golden brown. Add 2 jalapenos, stir. Add the potatoes, stir. Add the beef and stir until the beef’s water comes out. Add the rest of the remaining spices: add more salt (optional), 1 tsp marjoram, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp of dried oregano, 1 tsp of curry powder, 1 tsp kebab mix, 1 tsp of turmeric, 1 tsp Spanish paprika, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp chili powder, add ½ tsp cayenne pepper. Stir until all the ingredients are evenly distributed on the beef. Lower the heat and put a lid on the pan. Wait until the water had almost evaporated. Add the cream. Stir until the cream thickens.

Best served with cucumber salad.

Good for 7 servings.


Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Easy-to-prepare Egg Sandwich



Ingredients:

4 eggs
5 tbsps of evaporated Milk
Mayonnaise
Two tomatoes sliced
½ onion sliced
Sandwich bread or any kind
Salt to taste
Butter

How to prepare:

Beat the eggs, add salt, and add the 4 tbsps of evaporated milk.
In a pan, melt the butter. Add the tomatoes. Stir until the tomatoes are cooked. Add the onions. Cook until the onions are translucent not golden brown. Add the egg. Stir it to avoid burning.

To prepare the bread:
Spread mayonnaise and add the egg mixture.

Good for 4 to 5 servings



Sunday, August 21, 2011

My Recipe: Creamy Mediterranean Spicy Beef





Ingredients:


2 ½ tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of McCormick® coriander powder
McCormick® marjoram
McCormick® dried oregano
Black pepper
2 sliced tomatoes (seeds removed)
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 onion finely chopped
2 whole jalapeños
1 can of sliced button mushrooms
½ kg foreshank beef, thinly sliced
250ml of cream
Salt to taste

How to cook:
In a bowl, sprinkle salt, marjoram, black pepper and dried oregano on the thinly sliced beef and mix them well. Set aside. In a skillet, sauté garlic in olive oil until golden brown and add the chopped onion. Next, add the tomatoes. Add the mushrooms. Add the coriander powder, a sprinkle of marjoram, a bit of salt, black pepper and oregano. Mix them well. Next, add the beef to the skillet mixture. Stir all the ingredients in the heated skillet until the herbs and spices are evenly distributed on the beef. Put a lid on the skillet and let the beef’s water come out. Let it boil, slowly. Stir it from time to time until the water evaporates. When there’s little water left, add the cream. Lower the heat and stir until the sauce is thick. Good for 7 servings.