Just This One Saturday: Chicken Cordon Bleu

We usually invade the kitchen during Sundays only, hence, my food blog entry titles– Only On Sundays. However, this Saturday, after my brother’s girl accompanied me to Gilmore so I can get my laptop fixed (because I accidentally splashed beer on it, and yes, I was a bit zonked, anyway!) decided to cook something for my brother to make up for, I think, those drunken days: Cordon Bleu!

So if you haven’t got any idea how to prepare Cordon Bleu, here you go:

Step 1: Pound those chicken breasts!

Prepare a kilo of chicken breasts cut into halves. Pound the breasts until 1/4 of the original thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Season each side of the chicken with salt, pepper, and Maggi Magic Sarap. We just added the Maggi seasoning just to add flavor to it, you can use oregano. Set aside, each aligned on a tray.

Step 2: Roll in the cheese and bacon.

Prepare your cheese and bacon strips. On a chicken breast, align a piece of stripped cheese and bacon. Roll the chicken, enclosing the cheese and bacon, and then tie it with a piece of yarn long enough to hold it all in. Do the same to the other chicken breasts. We used cheddar cheese for this one, but I’m thinking of using mozzarella next time to give your cordon bleu that stringy cheese effect when you cut or bite into it.

Step 3: To save you from a heap amount of heart attack.

This cordon bleu version is to be cooked deep-fried style to give that crunch we wanted. Deep-fried is admittedly delicious but let’s be honest, it’s not that healthy at all. Luckily, we found a way.

Prepare a pot of chicken broth enough to hold in your rolled chicken breasts under moderately high heat. Place in your chicken breast rolls until the chicken is fairly cooked. Letting your chicken sit in the chicken broth gives it more flavor. Set aside to cool down.

Step 4: Creating the crunch.

In two different bowls, prepare 3 whisked eggs, and bread crumbs or baked crushed chips. Coat your cooled down chicken first with the eggs and then with the bread crumbs. Do the same with the other chicken breasts.

Step 5: A short visit to the old deep-frying pan.

Deep fry your cordon bleu only until the outside turns golden brown. You don’t need to let them sit in there for much longer since the inside is already cooked. Strain the excess oil afterwards. Serve! You can serve it with a little garlic-mayo dip.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Only On Sundays: Chili Con Carne and Cheese & Garlic Potatoes

Sunday’s here again! And because last Sunday we haven’t cooked something because they went out of town, this Sunday, we prepared two dishes! Chili con carne and cheese & garlic potatoes!

Chili Con Carne

Step 1: Chop, dice, crush, and grate!

Chop a whole onion. (Just a tip to a tear-free onion chopping experience, soak the onion first in salt water or you can leave the onion in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes before chopping) Dice three to four whole bell peppers and crush tomatoes! We used about 12 small tomatoes. Grate the cloves of a whole garlic. You need a lot to be used also for the cheese and garlic potatoes. You could grate, pound, or process your garlic in a blender– whatever you prefer.

(Dice up whatever other vegetables available in your fridge. The things with chili is that it’s a good dish when you want to clear out your refrigerator. If you have vegetables too soggy for a salad, throw it all in the chili!)

Step 2: Stir it all in!

Under high heat, in a deep pan, saute minced garlic and onions. Add in a kilo of ground beef in the pan and let it cook.  Once you see it browning already, add in the bell peppers and your other vegetables. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and turn the heat down low. You could add in a cup and a half of water and a small pack of tomato paste, too, if you don’t have enough tomatoes. Add in some beans! We used the canned beans. Add in a cup of your choice of chile powder (we used McCormick) and 1/4 cup cumin powder.

Step 3: Simmer and taste.

Stir your spices in, give it about five minutes to simmer, and then taste.

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Cheese & Garlic Potatoes 

Step 1: Wash and soften those baby potatoes

You can use a whole potato and just dice the thing, but personally, I’d buy the baby potatoes to save you from the hassle, plus they look so cute! Prepare a small pot or any size pot that will be fitting to boil your potatoes in. Put in the potatoes and wait until the water boils and or until the potatoes are all softened. Potatoes take time to soften so I suggest you do this first before doing the cheese and garlic sauce.

Step 2: Bring the garlic into the cheese!

For the sauce, you will need the following: grated cheddar cheese, 1/2 bar of butter, a cup of milk, crushed or grated garlic cloves, last but not the least, salt and pepper to taste. Melt the butter in a sauce pan under medium heat. Add in the milk and grated cheese. Stir it all in until melted and until you reach quite a thick sauce consistency. If you’re having problems making it thick, you may add corn starch. Add in the garlic, you may add as much as you like depending on your preferred taste. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper to complete your sauce. Set aside when done.

Step 3: Mix or dip, it’s all up to you!

You can serve your cheese and garlic potatoes in two separate containers for you to make the sauce as a dip. Or you can just mix them all together in a big bowl! However you prefer it, either way, it will taste awesome. Enjoy!

Only On Sundays: Buffalo Wings

It’s Sunday today and it’s the only day of the week when the kitchen is totally free for us to experiment so we made buffalo wings!  It was my brother and his girlfriend’s idea, actually; I totally helped, though! Let me just say and not to brag, our hot-wings is the best one I’ve ever tasted so far!

Taken with Instagram by the lovely Eden Romaine.

Those hot-wings are so good, if I was a chicken I’d go cannibal and eat my own damn wing off. I don’t care, I’m just crazy like that — Marshall from How I Met Your Mother S02E14. Yes, that good, Marshall.

So to make your totally ‘if-you-were-a-chicken-you’d-go-cannibal-for’ buffalo wings:

Step 1: Prepare those chicken wings!

Cut your wings at the two joints and discard the tips. You could buy pre-cut wings in the market, though. But doing it yourself would ensure you’re getting more of the wings plus it’s cheaper.

Step 2: Put on the crisp!

This is up to you, though if you prefer crispy chicken wings.  It won’t affect much, it’s the sauce which carries this hot-wings recipe to total hot-wingness.

Set aside the wings and in a bowl, mix together flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk a couple of eggs. Okay, this is important if you want really crispy wings– the double dip. First, coat the wings evenly with the flour mixture. Turn to your whisked egg, dip your flour-coated wing in. THEN, turn back again to the flour mixture and coat the wing again with it. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Put enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep.

Step 3: It’s Sauce Time.

While your oil is waiting to heat up, in a saucepan, under low heat, combine half a block of butter, a regular bottle hot sauce (we used Jufran hot sauce and it tasted awesome. You could try using other brands but to me, Jufran is a-okay), cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and honey or brown sugar. Stir together and heat until butter melts and mixture is well blended. You would want the sauce to be fairly thick, thus honey is recommended. However, if thickness is not yet achieved, mix corn starch with water in a bowl and add it to your sauce. This will thicken it up. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.

Step 4: Fry me up!

Deep fry your coated wings until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain.

Step 5: Put it all together.

Place your crispy wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Devour!

The Birthplace of the Hamburger Sandwich

Remember when I was talking about the hamburger in one of my previous entries and how I said I shall research where such a delectable beauty started? I tried Googling it only to end up with uncertain results. Apparently, many states claimed they started the hamburger.

Then I came across TLC while watching TV. So here its is, where it all began (at least what the television told me, it’s the television, okay? Kill me now), at Louis’ Lunch — the birthplace of the hamburger sandwich.

Goldilocks’ Egg Pie

I woke up this morning craving egg pie and not just any other egg pie. I have tasted egg pies from different pastry shops but my taste buds end up hunting for that particular egg pie taste– that mouth-watering creamy custard filling baked in a special pie crust and cooked to the right tenderness with a caramelized top kind of egg pie that can only be found at the one and only Goldilocks.

I swear to all that is sweet, Goldilocks’ egg pie is just the best, at least so far. I recommend this to all of you who, the same as me, have these sweet cravings.

Just had my brother buy me a couple of slice of such heavenly goodness. Craving fulfilled!

The Hamburger

A hamburger  is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat (usually beef but occasionally pork or combined meats) usually placed inside a sliced bread roll often served with lettuce, bacon (mmm bacon), tomato, onion, pickles, cheese and condiments such as mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup and relish. Doesn’t just describing it  makes your mouth watery? I know mine does. I love hamburgers. I can’t picture my life without hamburgers. (Well, I can picture myself a lot healthier which is obviously good but who gives a damn?) 

Okay, what really got me talking about hamburgers is not my eternal love for such a glorious cuisine but this girl in one of my classes. We had lunch together with our other classmates just last week and I happen to got myself a cheeseburger. That was some good cheeseburger. We’re good, no drama or anything, it’s just she doesn’t like hamburgers. She doesn’t eat hamburgers. Doesn’t. Eat. Hamburgers. I couldn’t believe I would ever meet someone who refuses something heavenly as a hamburger.  Ham-fucking-burger–  just one of the most awesome food inventions made by mankind! The one who invented it, in fact (and I will look him or her up) is an absolute genius! Refusing to believe, I asked her, “Is it because of religion?” She said, “No” “Oh, you must be one of those health freaks, aren’t you?” And she said, “No”  In my head I was like, then what the hell’s the problem, gurl? She eventually said that she just doesn’t like the taste of beef and or pork. So she doesn’t like beef and pork. I guess she could eat a fish fillet sandwich then or a chicken burger which I think is the closest one to a proper hamburger she could ever get. But I feel sad for her– if she knew I just said that, she maybe all like, I’m the one feeling sorry for you ’cause yo the one who’s gonna die early, gurl! (Okay, all of this is turning me ghetto) I can’t blame the girl for not liking the taste of it and hamburgers may not be that good especially for the heart, but I will tell you this, having a glorious serving of a proper hamburger is good for the soul.

Hamburgers, through time, managed to evolve in a manner conforming to preferences of such hamburger fanatics. Some  add eggs to their burgers, perhaps in an attempt for a breakfast type of  hamburger.

Here we have the the fries in a burger, which I must say I should try in the future. (Hey, that rhymes!)

And for some who can’t decide between hamburger and pizza, the pizza burger. Add some fries and or milkshake, eat it often and subtract a couple of years from your existence.

For me, the original components of hamburger works best. As they say, there’s no place like home.

So what’s your type of hamburger?

Pancakes

Who doesn’t like pancakes? Pancakes are so so good. It’s so good it could mend a broken heart. There’s always room for pancakes, wouldn’t you say?

Here’s a nice stack of pancakes for you, topped with butter, covered with glorious, golden maple syrup! ♥ (Now, I want pancakes)