Lazy Baked Pork Chops

Pork chops are dreamy in itself.  I love, love, LOVE pork chops!  Grilled, seared, fried, or baked they all usually come out fantastic.  You see it's pretty hard to mess these things up especially since the butcher already did half of the work for us.  He/she (because I'm gender sensitive) reduced the fail-factor by almost 50% simply by making sure that the fat-to-meat ratio is perfect on each chop, and that the thickness of each one is consistent as well.  This makes for even cooking and oh-so-juicylicious pork chops.  All we're left to do is to defrost, clean, pat dry, and basically add whichever seasoning or marinade we want.  I mean, the bare minimum is throwing on some salt and pepper, and they'd still taste great.

The other day we had five pieces of boneless, 3/4" thick, pork chops in the freezer.  In my head I had originally planned to marinate them for at least three hours and then grill them right before dinner.  Around lunchtime, I had cut out the grilling part from my plan since it just seemed like too much work for five pieces of chops.  At about 5 o'clock, the marinating part was (obviously) out of the question since I was just pulling the chops out of the freezer.  Teehee.  Yes this always happens to me.  My grand plans always somehow morph into less-than-an-hour meals.  It's called cooking smart.  Or lazy.  It depends on your perspective.   Minimal effort with maximum results.  Like my college friend used to always say, "di bale nang tamad, di naman pagod."  I say, if you come out with a tasty dish anyway, who can judge the method right?

So this is my easy baked pork chop dish.  This can convincingly be presented as something you had marinated the whole day.  With the addition of a few sides, like baked potatoes and some veggies, this would be a sure hit.  Definitely works with rice too.  I honestly just pulled together ingredients that I already had.  The critical part to the success of my lazy cooking philosophy is always having a decent selection of seasonings and sauces on hand to get away with dishes like these.

Ingredients:

•  Ideally 6 porkchops (but I only had 5)
•  2 T soy sauce
•  4 T vegetable oil
•  2 T knorr liquid seasoning
•  2 T balsamic vinegar
•  1 t lemon juice concentrate (or 2 t of fresh lemon juice)
•  2 T brown sugar
•  4 T ketchup 
•  6 garlic cloves, whole, peeled
•  black pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2.  Combine soy sauce, vegetable oil, knorr liquid seasoning, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar,  and ketchup in a bowl and mix well.  Set aside.
3. Pat your pork chops dry with a paper towel and lay them out on a non-stick baking tray.  Season both sides of all the chops with freshly-cracked black pepper.  Now pour about half of the sauce that you made over the pork chops.

I accidentally poured in some of the sauce before I remembered to take a picture.  lol.  Anyway, I'm sure you get the general idea.

4.  Now turn all the chops and make sure that they are evenly coated in the sauce.  Now dump in the whole garlic pieces.  This simple addition will add a subtle flavor to the sauce later on.

5.  "Tent" aluminum foil very loosely on the chops, making sure all the chops are covered, and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
6.  After 30 minutes of baking, remove the foil and drain all the liquid from the pan.  Now pour over the remaining half of the sauce, again covering and turning the chops, and bake uncovered for another 20-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
7.  I stop baking them them just before the chops are completely cooked, and then I broil the chops for 5 minutes on each side.  You can choose to forego this step and just simply bake it until cooked through.  I like broiling them just because, it add a little crispness to the fat on the pork chop (hands down, my favorite part!) and deepens the color of the glaze on the pork chop.
8.  You can stop here and serve the dish, or if you'd like to go the extra mile, you could de-glaze the drippings with a little red wine (preferred), white wine, or any cooking wine you want or have.  It's just a matter of transferring the drippings into another pan, adding your wine of choice, and reducing the sauce.  It just gives the dish that added oomph.

I personally, foregoed reducing the sauce (because I was lazy, hence the name of the dish) and just poured the leftover sauce from the baking tray over my finished pork chops.

Even without the reduction, you still end up with a tangy, flavorful, and well-balanced dish that is both savory and slightly sweet.  The balsamic vinegar together with the roasted garlic gives a wonderful depth to this dish and subtly adds another level of flavor.  You don't even have to serve the garlic pieces with the the chops since not everyone is crazy over garlic.  You can just pick 'em out and set them aside.  I personally love garlic, plus it's supposedly really good for the heart, so I just serve it anyway.  I like multiple layers of flavor.  That's one thing that's consistent about my cooking.  Yep I'm asian through and through.

Also, my instant-read thermometer decided to die that day, so I kind of just felt my way through it.  My actual baking time came up to approximately 50 minutes plus the 10-minute broiling period, if that helps anyone.  The only tricky part about this dish is ensuring that it's cooked just right.  There is that danger of slightly under cooking or over cooking it since the reddish-brown glaze on the chops can be quite deceptive. BUT if you get that part down pat, then you're golden.

I hope you guys enjoy this dish as much as I did.  You can add this to your weekday cooking arsenal if and when you run out of ideas.

~ Mich :)

Freestylin' Thai Beef Basil

Yep this is the comeback of the comeback, if there is such a thing.  I'm trying really hard to restrain myself from spouting promises, like I did in my previous entry which was, embarrassingly enough, erm more than a year ago the last time I checked *cringe*.  I never thought I had commitment issues until, well, now I guess.  Let me stop there.  This time there will be no promises.  I've decided to just gently ease into this again and prove to myself and to you guys that I'm back for good.

Here goes nothing.

Yuri and I have our issues in the kitchen.  In the three years we've been married, we've discovered that we don't work all that well together in the kitchen all the time.  Sometimes it goes pretty okay, but on days when our control issues are at their peak it can turn ugly.  Our prep and cooking styles are just on completely opposite ends of the spectrum.  The food just comes out way better when one of us is out of the picture.  Plus, it's just more peaceful that way.

Anyways, It's been weeks since Yuri and I last cooked anything for ourselves.  We had a rare lazy Sunday yesterday and Yuri took it upon himself to cook dinner for me and my brother-in-law.  We're kind of nearing the end of our pantry supply so he put together an adaptation of his favorite Thai Basil Chicken dish, but he used ground beef instead, added tofu, and some red bell peppers as well.  We're calling this dish *drumroll*... Thai Basil Beef with Tofu.  Harhar. :p 

In the spirit of marital harmony I have decided against nagging him about recalling the exact measurements he used, so please adjust everything to your taste.   This was after all a kind of freestyle home cooking session.

Ingredients (a.k.a. what we had left in fridge)
Serves 3-4 persons

• 500 g of ground beef
• 3/4 C of fresh basil leaves
• 1 piece red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 T dried chili (put less if your tolerance for spiciness is low)
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T water
• 2 T patis or fish sauce
• tofu, slice into cubes or into whatever shape you desire
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk onion leeks
• 2 -3 T vegetable cooking oil

Lightly pre-fry the tofu in cooking oil and then set aside. You could pre mix the sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and water together if you're feeling unsure but you may opt to to just add it into the wok directly after searing the beef later.  You can adjust the saltiness of the sauce by adding and balancing it with water. The sauce can be as dry or as plenty as you please.  He prefers a drier version of this particular dish he created, as do I, because it just tastes better for us that way.   Let your taste buds guide you.  Once you've pre-mixed your sauce, heat up about two tablespoons of vegetable cooking oil in a wok on medium-high heat, and add the garlic.  Right before the garlic turns brown, go ahead and add the ground beef.  Keep tossing the wok until the beef is seared and cooked through.  You may then add the sauce, the bell peppers, and the onion leeks to the beef.  Keep mixing and turning everything until the bell peppers have wilted slightly, which will take about 3-5 minutes only.  Add the tofu mixing gently for about a minute or two and just enough to toss the tofu with everything else so that it absorbs the flavor of the sauce.  Finally, add the basil leaves and toss for approximately 30 seconds.  As you can see, this recipe is by no way exact.  At all.  This is just to give you an idea of the flavor profile of the dish.  Since you're cooking with medium to high heat this dish should be completed in 15 minutes or less.  Plate it up and...

Voila!  You're done.

This is Yuri's Thai Beef Basil with Tofu sans food styling.  We're keeping it realistic.  Besides, it wasn't even an option since we were too hungry.  

~Mich :)

Garlic Infused Thai Tilapia Recipe

This Holy Week we've been trying to stay on a fish diet.  I know Good Friday's over, but we've decided to keep it meat-free at home for as long as we can (stand it).  Easter Sunday's my limit.  Harhar.

Anyway, I was supposed to make Teriyaki Fish for lunch earlier, but after assessing my ingredients on hand, I managed to conjure up something a little bit more interesting instead.  If done right, you could have this dish out in 30, maybe 45 minutes tops.  I know I haven't been posting a lot of my recipes here, so I thought I'd make up for it with this simple and tasty Thai inspired Tilapia recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 500 g Tilapia fillets (approx. 4 fillets)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 C flour
• 1 T Italian seasoning
• 1/2 t ground black pepper
• 1/2 C vegetable oil

 Thai-Garlic Glaze:

• 1 T sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 C soy sauce
• 2 T white sugar (adjust according to preference)
• 3 T water
• 3 T rice wine
• 1/2 T flour
• a pinch of ground black pepper
• a pinch of dried chili flakes (adjust according to preference)
• 2 pcs. dried chili, chopped
• 1 sprig of parsley or basil, chopped

Drain and thaw out your Tilapia fillets.  While you're waiting for your fish to thaw out, I recommend getting started on the Thai-Garlic glaze to save time.

To get started on the glaze, in a small sauce pan, sweat out your minced garlic in sesame oil over low heat.  This helps extract the maximum amount of flavor from your garlic.  Just before the garlic browns, add the soy sauce, water, and sugar into the sauce pan.  Stir over low heat.  Just be careful not to burn the sauce.  Once you get a light simmer, add the white pepper, chili flakes, and rice wine to your sauce.  Simmer for about a minute more (to cook out the alcohol) and then add the flour to the sauce while stirring constantly to thicken it.  Turn off the fire and set aside.

For your flour mixture, simply combine the flour , italian seasoning, and white pepper.  Set aside.

Cut fillets into 1 1/2-inch strips.  Rub minced garlic over both sides of the fillets, and then proceed to sprinkle the salt evenly over the fish.  I prefer to keep the salt low since a lot of the flavor will be coming from the Thai-Garlic glaze.  Also, only salt the fish right before you're ready to dredge the them in the flour mixture.  Lastly, make sure your fillets are completely and evenly covered with the flour on all sides.

In a non-stick pan, heat the vegetable oil over high-medium heat.  The vegetable oil should cover at least halfway up the sides of your fish fillets to get that nice sear on it.  It also helps to properly seal in the juices of the Tilipia.  Once your oil is hot enough, gently place the fish fillets in the pan, while making sure you don't over crowd the pan.  Fry fish for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until you get that crisp golden brown color on the edges of the fillets.

Drain your fried Tilapia fillets and then arrange them on a serving platter with the glaze underneath.  Add your finishing touches by garnishing your dish with chopped dried chilis and chopped parsley.  If you have basil, use that instead.  It just complements this dish way better than the parsley does.  Our poor basil plants died in the heat so I had to substitute. :)) 

The Tilapia should be crisp on the outside and tender and flaky on the inside.  The flavor of the glaze may seem too intense on it's own but when eaten with the fish, it should go together perfectly.

Have a happy Easter weekend everyone! :)

Vanilla Gelato and My Very First Blog Awards!

April has been a month of non-stop parties and celebrations. Coincidentally, three very important men in my life were born in April; my dad, my brother, and Yuri. There's also my lovely mother-in-law who's birthday is also happening at the end of this month (Happy birthday Mom!). What are the chances right? :)

Because of all the parties we've been hosting and prepping for, I've decided to share an easy and tasty recipe that we used recently for my brother's party here.  This blog is all about making life easy, whether it be in the kitchen or when dining out. I've homed in on a simple dessert I picked up from my mom (an amazing chef and my #1 source for all things yummy!) when we cooked for my brother's party last April 9.  This Vanilla Gelato recipe will surely liven up any party especially in this unbearably hot season.  You won't even have to break a sweat I promise.

Vanilla Gelato

• 1 scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 T Chivas Regal
• a pinch of a good quality instant coffee
• a sprig of mint
• 1 wafer stick

Find a nice dessert bowl to place your scoop of vanilla ice cream in.   Pour the whisky over it.  I prefer using Chivas for this one, but you can use whatever whisky you have on hand.  Dust it off with coffee and then garnish your bowl with mint leaves and a Champola wafer stick, every Pinoy's wafer stick of choice.  LOL.

Effortless and yummy!  Parties are all about making simple things look and taste spectacular.  With this dessert, I can guarantee that you'll have time to actually enjoy your own party and not get stuck in the kitchen looking and feeling all harassed. 

This April I'm also celebrating a little something.  No wait, scratch that.  A big something.  A week ago, Jan of I Love, Therefore, I Cook surprised me by choosing me to be one of the recipients of her blog awards.  I received not one, but eight awards!  This feels like Christmas. :)

I was floored when I found out about it!  I still am.  April is fast becoming my favorite month!  Thank you so much Jan for this incredible honor.  I met Jan through Pinoy Foodista, a fast-emerging Pinoy foodie community, and I can't wait to meet other talented foodies like her.  I'm humbled to be among one of the people she's picked out for these awards, and there are so many wonderful bloggers out there.  With this, I find it only fitting that I pass on these awards to bloggers who continually inspire me and make my mouth water with their delectable posts and creations!  Give their blogs some love.  *drum roll please* 

Tangled Noodle
I am the Witch
The Daily Palette
Jun Blog
80 Breakfasts

They're amazingly creative writers and cooks who weave a little part of themselves with each story they share.  :) 

So yeah this Vanilla Gelato is for all you wonderful people!  Thanks for making my month!  Cheers.

Buko-Melon Ice Pops

Summer's here and I'm dreading the Manila heat.  It can get pretty unbearable at times, but luckily Filipinos have devised a simple solution to get around the scorching weather.  For my very first Pinoy Foodista cooking challenge entry, I decided to make an age-old treat that transcends all Philippine social classes and age groups.  This is my take on the classic "Ice Candy".  I'm calling mine Buko-Melon Ice Pops instead.

My Lola used to own a sari-sari store and I used to hang out there A LOT as a kid.  It was called "3R Variety Store".  "3R" stood for my mom's and her two siblings' names which all starts with the letter R.  A truly Filipino way of naming things.  My Lola's store was one of the biggest wholesale sari-sari stores in Rosario (Pasig).  During my pre-teen years, I was there during most of my weekends and school breaks to supposedly give her a hand.  I fear I might've been more of a liability than anything else.  I'm quite sure that I ate and drank my fair share of her paninda.  I'd hijack her Sarsi, Marie biscuits, Presto Creams, and ice candies on a regular basis!

During the summertime, the sari-sari store would be overrun with kids buying ice candy.  They'd buy at least one ice candy every two to three hours.  The popular flavors were chocolate, orange, buko, and melon.  Chocolate was always the first to go.  Us (my younger brother and I) being the spoiled apos that we were, would just grab any one from my Lola's freezer whenever we felt like it.  We'd home in on the ice candies on those especially wilting afternoons.  These ice candies provided a much-needed reprieve and a welcome break from playing and running around all day outside; as we were prone to do when we were dropped off at our grandparents' place.  So yeah I'm dedicating this post to my Lola (and rightfully so).  Thanks for putting up with us, spoiling us silly, and giving us such priceless childhood memories! 

I've always loved fruits, so for this challenge, I'm combining two all-time Pinoy favorites in my ice pops; buko (coconut) and melon (cantaloupe).  Two equally refreshing ingredients that are staple desserts/snacks/beverages especially on hot days.

Buko-Melon Ice Pops

Makes approximately 12 ice pops.

• Coconut, shredded
• Cantaloupe, shredded 
• 1 1/2 C coconut juice
• 1 1/2 C water
• 3/4 C white sugar
• 1 T evaporated milk
• 12 12 oz. cups, cut in half
• 12 wooden spoons/popsicle sticks

Mix cantaloupe, coconut meat, coconut juice, water, sugar, and evaporated milk in a large pitcher stirring until combined.  Divide the shredded cantaloupe, coconut, and liquid into the molds.  Place them in the freezer for about 2-21/2 hours, or until semi-frozen.  Once the ice pops are semi-frozen, stick the wooden spoons (it was what I had on hand at the time but you may use popsicle sticks too) in the middle of each plastic cup and then return the ice pops to the freezer for another 4 hours or until frozen solid.

I had planned on using our old popsicle mold (Kool-aids) from way back when, but to my dismay, I recently found out that my mom already sold off the molds at one of our many garage sales.  Boo.  That was completely unexpected!  I had to push through with the project though and get creative.  I decided to use plastic cups as molds instead to still get my "ice pop" look.  You could also opt to use ice candy plastic bags instead and save yourself the trouble. 

Buko-melon ice pops are definitely refreshing, healthy, and inexpensive desserts.  The coconut juice adds another layer of flavor and somehow helps quench my thirst better.  The coconut and melon shreds gives this simple ice dessert texture, and reinforces the freshness of the ingredients.  These treats are lifesavers and it wouldn't hurt to stock a few in your freezer especially during these summer months. :)

Please click here to vote for my summer creation and here to find out more about Pinoy Foodista.  Thanks!

Risotto ala Michelle

Today I'm giving away a recently tweaked recipe of mine.  We had a very"adult" dinner about a month ago.  Yuri and I brought Corn & Hamburger Penne Casserole and Green Tea Panna Cotta to our friend Eric's place.  They prepared Mushroom Risotto and Roast Chicken and even brought out a bottle of red wine.    Afterwards, we then dropped the "adult" act and played Guitar Hero. Teehee.  Anyway, my friend Rinah's risotto was delicious!  So I got inspired and made my own at home.

So guess what, I'll be sharing the recipe here.  My poor man's risotto. Hehe.  Everyone should be able to enjoy and cook risotto without denting their pockets (too much).  So here you go.  This'll be the talk of your next dinner party for sure.

I cooked this the first time I invited my family over to our house for lunch.  Since I only thought about making risotto while doing  the grocery the night before the lunch,  I has to substitute the usual expensive ingredients (like Arborio, Portabello, Sea Salt, etc.) with the more affordable alternatives.  I wanted to provide generous helpings to my guests instead of cooking a measly amount since I had a budget to work with. 

What you'll need:

• 6 C chicken broth (you can make it the traditional way or if you're strapped for time you can cheat and just dissolve six chicken broth cubes in six cups of water)
• 3 T olive oil, divided
• 450 g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 100 g shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (optional)
• 2 medium-sized shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 C Thai Jasmine Rice
• 1/2 C Dry White Wine
• Salt to taste
• Black Pepper to taste
• 3 T finely chopped chives
• A sprig of fresh Oregano (use twice as much if you're using dried oregano)
• A sprig of Thyme (again you may use the dried one too)
• 4 T butter (Not compound butter or margarine.  Please use real thing.)
• 1/4 C Parmesan Cheese

How to go about it:

1. In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.  Once it starts simmering, switch your stove to the lowest setting and cover it to prevent it from evaporating.
2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to your non-stick skillet, still on medium-high heat and stir in the shallots.   Cook 1 minute or until shallots have been properly sweated out and are translucent. Add the Thai Jasmine rice, stirring to coat with oil, for about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, oregano, thyme, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

A few more tips:

The broth should be kept on low heat throughout the whole cooking process.  Keep the lid on to prevent the broth from evaporating.

A non-stick skillet would be the easier option especially if this is gonna be your first try.  Any other kind of pan would require a whole lot more of muscle power when it comes to stirring.

Mind your temperature!  If it's too low you could be cooking and stirring all day; too high and you run the risk of drying up your rice and ruining your dish.

Cooking risotto is never easy.  Think of it as exercise.  I use both arms alternately to get a proper workout.   Might as well.  Or you could get someone to sub for you when you get tired but you'd be cheating.  I think the charm of risotto, aside for the creamy flavor and texture, comes from the thought that a lot of love was put into the dish to make it taste that way.  It's labor intensive but it's really worth it! :)

Best served hot. :)

Homemade Pizza (Hut)

When I'm cooking for catering, it's more methodical and precise.  The amount of food we work with is ginormous and recipes are quantified to the exact milligram.  Down to the salt and pepper.  So in a way, my creativity is limited to the final garnishing and plating of the finished product.  That's why cooking for a small group, usually for family and friends, is something I always look forward to.  It relaxes me allows me to get my creative juices flowing.

I'm running with the pizza theme from last night and sharing with you and awesome and easy pizza crust recipe.  A no-fail recipe that is perfect for intimate gatherings. Interested?  Keep reading. :)


If you’re a Pizza Hut fan then you will absolutely love this recipe, especially since this crust is the lighter and less oily version. It’s crisp on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside. We try to eat healthy as much as we can without sacrificing the quality and taste of our food.

Yuri (meet my hubby) and I have made pizzas using this recipe twice and people thought we ordered out. It’s an easy way to impress guests for a fraction of the cost.

Arm yourself with:
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cup water (warm)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 1/3 cup flour

The tricky part:
Combine yeast, sugar and water. Rest for 10 minutes. We prefer using active dry yeast, and we buy them in really small amounts since these expire pretty quickly. The water has to be WARM, otherwise it won’t work. Test out the water with your finger to be sure. Warm water and sugar (yeast grub) activates the yeast. If you see the yeast foaming up and emitting that distinct erm yeasty smell (it’s impossible to miss), then that just means that you can look forward to one mean pizza crust.

Add salt and olive oil. Pour in flour. I prefer to make a crater in my flour, pour the liquid mixture in it, and then slowly fold in the flour.

Knead dough until texture is firm and rubbery. Great for working out those arms and relieving stress. Use your hands to work the dough in a circular motion, pushing the dough in with the heel of your hand. Just be careful not to overdo it since the dough might dry out and lose its elasticity.

Easy as pie:
Let dough rise for about 1 1/2 hours. Place in a mixing bowl or any other similar container at room temperature and cover with a plastic wrap. Dough should double in size.

Flatten the dough. Toss it up, use a rolling pin, or simply shape it with your hands. Hey, to each his own. The thickness is totally up to you. You’re in complete control. You may also opt to fold in the edges of your flattened dough to get that authentic restaurant look.


Now throw in your toppings!  Use your imagination and have fun with it.  I highly suggest using tomato paste as your base instead of tomato sauce. Tomato sauce dries up really easily and lacks the intensity of flavor. 

We usually use ground beef (sauteed in minced garlic, with a dash of salt and pepper) and slices of smoked sausage. As a concession to moi, we also add some julienned red and green bell peppers and white onion rings to give it some crunch. 

Lastly, we load it up with Mozzarella. My happy cheese. Grated cheese works better so that it spreads out evenly. Make sure it completely covers all of your toppings. Don’t scrimp on the cheese. Otherwise, your pizza will look dried out and the cheese will most likely get burnt. Trust me, you don’t want that to happen. If going Mozzarella all the way is a bit too much for your pocket, you can go half Mozzarella and half Quickmelt cheese to still get that yummy stringy quality on your pizza. Again, there are so many cheeses out there to choose from, so your can be as creative as you want. It all depends on your preference. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Baking time will depend on the thickness of your crust.

Once you’ve taken your pizza out of the oven, you can jazz it up by topping it with some freshly chopped basil. Yum!

Pairs well with beer, American football, UFC and boxing. :-)

~Mich :)