Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo and Bell Peppers

Can I just drop by real quick to say I'm stll here? :) Yes I am. Of course, still busy as always!

I am so amazed with Instagram that I had to post this shot as/for my comeback post.

I hardly post breakfasts here, not that I don't love breakfast, but I just (sad to say) have no sweet time to prepare breakfasts specials for the past few years, given the erratic schedule that Archie and I have, plus our school boy. Pre-school at this time is not all-play. Did I mention I make reviewers for exams? Did I mention that we have homework almost every-single-day? If you're an '80s or '90s kid, in your head I can hear you say WT_ for that. But really, I can honestly say, it's good training for our boy! :)

Today is one of the lucky days/lucky mornings that I rarely had - that I was able to prepare a breakfast special with my pantry's special guest: the Spanish Chorizo. I got it from Santis Delicatessen. This is actually a justified version of what I tried to make 2+ years ago. I am a longganisa fan since birth, so Chorizo is no exception. My bosses gave us an authentic spanish chorizo back in Dec. 2009 and I tried to put it together with the same cast (peppers and eggs) though aesthetically didn't look cute hehehe but reeeeeaaaaaaallly tasted soooo goood! Since then I craved for it but never met a nice chorizo since last weekend. So here you go with my initial breakfast special this year:

Chorizo:
vegetable oil (about 3 tablespoons)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
Spanish Chorizo (it's about 8 inches long), sliced
salt and pepper to taste (easy on the salt as the chorizo is already tasty!)

Eggs:
vegetable oil (3 tablespoons)
6 small eggs
3 tablespoons milk
salt and pepper to taste

First, heat oil on your skillet, sauté the onions until translucent, add the garlic, then the bell peppers, then Chorizo. Mix everything until Chorizo is done and its own orange oil is already out.
When finished, put the chorizo and peppers on a plate / bowl and set aside.

For the scrambled eggs - before you start, slowly and carefully clean your pan with a paper towel to remove the oil, unless you want your eggs to be orange in color :)

After cleaning up, beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper, heat oil on your skillet, then gently pour the egg mixture on the pan. make it low heat, then scramble!

You may want to put the eggs beside the chorizo on your bowl/plate, or you may also present it as what you see on the picture above. Serve with garlic rice or bread, or eat as is. I super like eating it with Ciabatta bread.

Mmmmm I can still smell it's fragrance.

Well, good morning everyone! :)

Home Made Pan de Sal

Isn't it a such wonder to be able to make your own bread? I have been inspired by several people whom I think have considered bread making from home a passion and another level of therapy. I believe I can consider it the same- after so many repeats of this well-loved Filipino Pan de Sal.

During my childhood, I used to wake up with either fried rice or pan de sal on the table. I love them both of course. Fried rice has always been part of my breakfast list until now. As for pan de sal in this present time - as much as I love to have it all the time, there is no panaderia/bakery nearby. I much more like having newly baked pan de sal than having commercial ones in stock. In the neighborhood where I grew up, when you walk out of our street, there's plenty of bakeries left and right! Oh boy, who would not want to wake up smelling freshly baked bread?

Glad I found this easy recipe from Panlasang Pinoy. Kuya Vanjo is a genius. His recipes and videos are very helpful and easy to understand. Makes you feel like some sort of an expert already. Thanks Panlansang Pinoy!

This version below has a little more sugar since I like my pan de sal sweet ;) I arranged the recipes in parts and in order of the procedure.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp white sugar

2 and 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 ¼ cup fresh milk, warm

2 cups MAYA all purpose flour

2 cups bread flour

½ cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

5 tbsp butter, melted

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 piece raw egg

Approximately 1/2 cup flour for dusting flat surface

1 cup bread crumbs for coating

Procedure:

1. Prepare about 3 baking pans with wax paper. Set aside.

2. Combine the yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, and warm milk and stir until the yeast and sugar are fully dissolved (Set aside and continue the rest of the steps. Mixture will be bubbly and frothy in about 10 minutes, just in time after you have prepared the other steps!)

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients starting with the MAYA all purpose flour, bread flour, 1/2 c sugar, salt, and baking powder. Mix well with a whisk.

4. Add the melted butter, cooking oil, egg and yeast-sugar-milk mixture in the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients then mix again until dough is formed.

5. In a flat and floured surface, knead the dough until the texture becomes fine.

6. Mold the dough into a ball. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise for at least 1 hour to 1 hour and a half in a warm area.

- You may opt to prepare the dough in the evening for a "slow rise" in the fridge (covered with cling wrap) until the following day.

7. After the rising process, put the dough back to the flat and floured surface and divide into 4 equal parts

8. Roll each part until it forms a log

9. Slice the log diagonally or horizontally (These slices will be the individual pieces of the pan de sal)

10. Roll the sliced dough over the breadcrumbs and place in a baking tray with wax paper. Sliced part facing up! (make sure to provide enough space between each sliced dough because they will have a second rise)

11. Cover the prepared dough slices with a slightly damp cloth and set aside for another 15 to 20 minutes for the second rise.

12. while the dough is on its "second rise process", pre-heat the oven at 375F or 190C

13. After the second rise, pop them in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. You can rotate your pan de sal tray on the 10th minute to achieve an even texture and color.

14. Turn off the oven and bring out the freshly baked pan de sal. Makes about 35 to 40 pieces.

Best served with butter and jam or marmalade, bacon on the side and your favorite coffee or hot chocolate!


I made wheat pan de sal once - the dough is heavier and it needed more moisture and more time to rise and bake than using bread flour + all purpose flour.

Making pan de sal almost every week brings value added cheers and fun at home, especially to my little big boy who likes bread...

and discovered he likes kneading it too :)

Here's to wishing more opportunities or should I say stolen moments of MYOB (making your own bread) and eating them too :)


Will be here again soon :)

Banana Pancakes

Good morning! :)

Banana adventures are here again so expect more banana action in the future.

As a start, I would like to have some banana pancakes. I have said before that I like french toast more than pancakes, but that does not mean I totally dislike the latter.

I can never say NO to banana pancakes.

Ooooh what more if I have a waffle maker. I can try Banana Walnut Waffle a la Pancake House... right, honey? (parinig?)

I have tried a couple of mixes when I was younger and lazy (lazier?). I used to make them using the "Just add water" and your done kind of mix. But it just doesn't match the classic good ol' thick, fluffy and moist pancakes.

So I went back to Maya Original Hotcake Mix.

I just followed package instructions, added 5 very ripe mashed bananas, mixed them well and cooked them in a very hot non-stick pan. I used up the whole box (which i think was 500grams) and 8 pancakes came to life.

On the photo however, there's only 5. The last three were not included anymore ;)

I tried to make whipped butter, but unsuccessful. I wanted to achieve the Pancake House style but couldn't! Any suggestions? :)

For the syrup, here at home we use Clara Olé Maple Syrup. I guess this is one of the most affordable and still yummy pancake syrup I have tried. I like this brand in fairness!

Swak Sa Bujey!!! (Fits the budget! / Bujey = Budget).

Know more about Clara Olé here.

I also like the combination of banana and cinnamon, so just before serving, sprinkle some cinnamon powder over the pancakes.

MMMMmmmm.. smells good and tastes a whole lot better! :)


How about you, what's for breakfast?


A happy Monday and a great week to all! :)

Good morning! :-)

Hello, Sunshine! B-)

Little J usually wakes up at 6am or half past 6.. Lucky I am if he wakes up at 7 or later than that. My normal work shift starts at 3 in the afternoon until 11:00pm which gives me some sleeping time of less than 8 hours. The next day, more often than not, my energy and brain power function is at level 4 (or less) and would prefer to snuggle n' cuddle with my little boy and sing ABC or count 1-2-3, or watch him play with his blocks and Spiderman toy.

Since I have my house angels here and they wake up at about 5am, I let them take over the breakfast work mostly on weekdays... therefore on the table: tocino, tapa, ham, tuna guisado, sardinas guisado, luncheon meat, tender juicy hotdog or leftovers from yesterday.

God bless my heart, there are times when some magical intervention just happen to tickle my feet and sprinkle me some imaginary Extra Joss, so therefore I rise like a spring, head to the kitchen and come up with simple breakfast specials.

Along with my morning coffee or Choco Lava (Yes, John Lloyd, I am your fan), I would like to share with you some simple breakfast joys here at home...

Ham, Mushroom and Cheese Omelette

Pan Cake Syrup over French Toast and Honey Cured Bacon
...for some reason, I like this more than I like pancakes!

Arroz a la Cubana (my ultimate favorite!)

Rise and Shine! :-)