Maman's Baked Mussels

Ingredients:

• 2 pcs grated matured coconut
• 2 kilos medium-size mussels (tahong)
• 12 oz clear soda
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns
• 3 tbsps cooking oil
• 3 lightly crushed garlic with skin on
• a large chunk of pounded ginger
• 3 cloves finely pounded & minced garlic
• 1 large (50 grams) finely minced red onion
• 3/4-1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• 3 pcs finger chilis, seeded & finely minced
• 3/4 cup grated quickmelt cheese
• finely minced fresh parsley (optional)

Procedure:

1. Make the vendor extract the coconut cream for you where you bought your coconuts. They have this manual jack-pump that does the job. That means less work in the kitchen.
   
2. Back to the recipe, wash and clean the mussels. Remove the beards by pulling it out.
3. Put the mussels in the wok. Add the next-four ingredients. Lid on. Place over medium-high fire. Bring to boil. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes or until all shells open up. Remove cooked mussels from the broth. Reserve and strain the mussel broth for your soup later. Disregard any mussel that didn't open. Lay on a baking sheet or porcelain plate (like I did!) half of the shell that has the mussel on it. Disregard the other half of the shell.
4. In a small non-stick pan, place over medium-high fire. Heat moderately. Put oil and garlic. Saute until golden brown. Follow with onion. Cook until soft. Add the white pepper and fish sauce. Cook for less than a minute or until fragrant. Pour in the pure coconut cream. Mix. Bring to boil. Then, decrease fire to low. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Stirring frequently to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the finger chilis. Mix. Cook for another 20 seconds. Remove from fire.
6. Pour a teaspoon of this cooked mixture over each mussel. Top with grated cheese. Sprinkle lightly with parsley if you have.
7. Bake at 475 fahrenheit until cheese melts and lightly brown.
8. Serve with steamed rice or crusty bread and don't forget the mussel broth. Reheat in the microwave before serving.

Daing Bites

Ingredients:

• 4 pcs wheat bread
• 4 pcs white cheese (kesong puti), slightly fried
• 4 tomato slices
• 4 tbsps of store-bough gourmet daing, shredded

Procedure:

1. Place two slices of slightly fried white cheese followed by two tomato slices on bread.
2. Spread 2 tablesppons of daing on each then top with the remaining bread.
3. Heat in an oven toaster for 3 minutes on medium heat. Slice each sandwich into four.
4. Serve at once.

Pork Siomai

Ingredients:

• a kilo of ground pork
  
• 100 grams singkamas, finely minced
  
• 50 grams carrot, fnely minced
  
• 1 large onion, finely minced
  
• a bunch of spring onion or leeks, finely minced
  
• an egg, slightly beaten
  
• 3 tsbps sesame oil
• 3 tbsps oyster sauce
• a tsp of freshly ground pepper
• a tsp of salt
• 2 tsps sugar
• siomai wrappers

Procedure:

1. Mix all ingredients for the filling in a large bowl.
2. Spoon a tablespoon of mixture into each wrapper. Fold and seal.
3. Brush steamer with oil or line with banana leaves for extra aroma then, brush with oil lightly. Arrange siomai in the steamer.
4. Boil water. When the water gets to a rolling boil. Put the steamer with siomai in it. Steam for 18-20 minutes.
5. Serve hot and with soy sauce, kalamansi and chili garlic sauce for the dip.

Teriyaki Meatballs

Ingredients:

for the meatballs

• 250 grams ground beef
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/8 cup minced onion
• 1/8 cup tomato ketchup
• 1/8 cup cheese, cubed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large egg

for the sauce:

• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 tsp grated ginger
• 3 tbsps honey
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water

Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients for meatballs. Mix well.
2. Form into balls the mixture about an inch in diameter. Repeat procedure until you finish the entire mixture.
3. Place meatballs in greased microwavable dish. Microwave on high anywhere from 2-4 minutes or until cooked through.
4. Make the sauce: Mix all ingredients well and put in the microwave on medium heat for a minue or until sauce thickens. Pour sauce over meatballs.

Popcorn Mix

Here's how:
In a large bowl, mix together a bag of microwave buttered popcorn. 1-1/2 cup of mixed nuts and a cup of candy coated chocolate pieces. Serve in small bowls.

Cottage Cheese and Tuna Crisps

Ingredients:

• vegetable crackers or any plain crackers
• cottage cheese
• tuna flake
  
• fresh parsley or basil leaf
• onion ring

Procedure:

1. Spread cottage cheese over a cracker.
2. Top with tuna flake, parsley leaf and onion ring.
3. Arrange in a platter or tray and serve.

Turkey, Avocado and Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 2 slices oatmeal wheat bread or any wheat loaf
• 2 slices smoked turkey breast ham
• 1 avocado, deseeded and sliced
• 1 slice Australian cheddar cheese, halved
• 1 slice Australian gouda cheese, halved
• 4 slices of tomato
• 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp whole cranberry jelly

Procedure:

1. Spread mayonnaise on one slice of the bread and cranberry jelly on the other.
2. Top cranberry jellied slice with turkey breast, tomato slices, cheddar cheese, avocado slices and gouda cheese. Top with the other slice of bread with mayonnaise on it.
3. Cut in half diagonally. Wrap in wax paper.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 16 large button mushrooms, stems removed
• 6 strips of bacon
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 tbsps flat-leaf parsley, finely minced & some more for garnishing
• 6 tbsps olive oil
• 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Fry bacon until crisp then chop finely. Mix together with garlic and parsley.
3. Stuff mushroom with the mixture. Top with cheese generously.
4. Arrange stuffed mushroom in a baking sheet and bake until cheese melts and turns golden brown.
5. Sprinkle more with parsley before serving.

Lemongrass Skewers

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo of ground chicken or pork or combination of
• 1 small white onion, finely minced
• 2 pcs bird's eye chilis, finely minced
• a tbsp of brown sugar
• a tsp of fish sauce
• a tsp of ground coriander
• a tso of cumin powder
• a good pinch of white pepper powder
• 1 egg white, beaten
• about 10 stalks of lemongrass, washed & trimmed

Procedure:

1. In a bowl combine well the first-nine ingredients.
2. Press a small handful of meat mixture around one end of lemongrass stalk, formed around it, as evenly as possible. Do the same to the rest.
3. Brush the stove top grill with oil and heat it to high. Carefully lay the skewers into the grill then decrease heat to medium. Cook each side for 5 minutes or until grill marks appear.
4. Serve with newly cooked white rice and sweet-chili sauce.

Chicken and Grape Bruschetta

Here's how:

• Preheat oven broiler to 550 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a small bowl, combine 3 cloves of crushed garlic, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 tsp of fine salt. Brush French baguette slices with oil mixture and place on a cookie sheet. Toast in broiler for a minute or two on each side until golden brown. Remove from broiler.
• On each slice of bread, put a tablespoon of cooked and flaked chicken breast, halved grapes and sprinkle generously with grated cheese
• Broil for several minutes or until cheese melts.
• Sprinkle with snipped chives if desired and some white pepper powder.