Adobo de Hamonado

Adobo de Hamonado
(Adobo Festival Awardee, 1998)

This recipe was inspired by my husband who developed his own sauce concoction or “sawsawan” present in every family meal. Now, you know how creative and “savoroso” his tastebuds are! Little did I know, his own sauce concoction turned out to be an award winning recipe for adobo! We all know the older the adobo, the better it gets. For the budget conscious moms, this recipe goes a long way. You will need: 2 kilos of pork, cut into serving slices, 2 kilos of chicken, cut into serving slices, 1 pack of Ajinomoto Ginisa Flavor Mix ,3 heads large garlic, peeled and crushed, set aside two equal portions. One portion is sautéed until golden brown, set aside, juice of one buco (or coconut), salt to taste, 1 cup lechon sarsa, ½ cup Del Monte cane vinegar, 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, ¼ cup brown sugar. You will need a large casserole with lid. Arrange the pork at the bottom of the casserole. For every layer of meat (pork then chicken), sprinkle ginisa flavor mix and part of the crushed garlic. Pour in the buko juice, cover and let it simmer for about 30 minutes or until meat is tender in medium heat. Do not mix as of yet for it will cause the chicken meat to fall to pieces. Mix together last four ingredients and pour them into the casserole, stir in with the meat. Let it simmer 15 more minutes. Salt to taste. Serve on large serving dish topped with the sautéed crisp garlic. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. This recipe will yield approximately 4 meals for 6 people. Prep Time: 45 minutes. Approximate Cost: Php. 600

“She carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness.” Proverbs 31:27

The best Choco Chip Cookie Recipe

My little monkeys would always ask me to bake their favorite cookies and what else but the famous Chocolate Chip Cookies. My search for the best chocolate chip cookies ended when I made this recipe adapted from Alton Brown with a very few alterations to achieve the ultimate chewy, thick cookies! Notice that I use bread flour, an egg yolk, melted butter and refrigeration prior to baking to specifically achieve a thick and chewy difference. These cookies don’t last very long around my home for my little ones with creepy fingers and hungry mouths masticate them way before they even reach the jar! As my little daughter, who would like to be a baker someday, says, “Mommy, when I’m big, I would also bake the best cookie that landed on planet earth!” Indeed, this is the best choco chip cookie recipe I've ever baked!

2 sticks unsalted butter (melted), 2 ¼ cups bread flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ cup sugar, 1 ¼ cups brown sugar, 1 egg, 1egg yolk , 2 tablespoons milk , 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips. Hardware: Icecream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper, Baking sheets, Mixer. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough for at least half an hour, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet (cookies will be about 4 inches in diameter when baked). Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies every 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container (that is if these cookies even reach the cookie jar!)

Yield: 2 ½ dozen cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes (excluding the chilling)
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Approximate Cost: Php. 250.00

“When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions.” Proverbs 31:26