Chocolate cake with shiny frosting

185 grams butter
330 grams sugar
3 eggs

375 grams flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
all the ingredients above should be sifted

3 tsp vanilla extract
80 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup of buttermilk (kulturmelk in Norwegian)

Optional ingredients if you like super moist chocolate cake

1/4 cup of oil
1/2 cup of boiling water (should be added at the end of the mixing process)

Procedure:

All the ingredients should be in room temperature for at least 30 mins.
Mix and soften the butter in a stand mixer or hand mixer.

Add sugar, mix for 2 minutes. Add egg one at a time.

Add half part of the flour ,cocoa powder and butter milk. Mix well for 2 minutes.

Add the other half part of flour,cocoa powder and butter milk. Mix for another 2 minutes.

For super moist cake: Add oil and mix, then add boiling water at the end of the mixing process. Mix well until smooth and fine.


Grease a rectangular cake form with butter and lay a parchment paper on the bottom of the form.  Transfer/pour the chocolate cake batter/mixture on the cake form and bake inside the preheated oven for 1 hour. (150*C or 300*F)

Shiny Chocolate frosting

113 grams butter

1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2- 2 cups powdered sugar /confectioner sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tablespoon coffee,optional

Procedure:

Melt the butter (medium) flame

Add cocoa powder

Transfer the chocolate paste in a stand mixer or  in a bowl (if you use handmixer). Add milk

and confectioner sugar in alternate batches using about 1/3 of each with every addition

until all the ingredients are incorporated. Add vanilla extract and coffee(optional). Mix for 3-5 minutes until soft and glossy.

If you think your icing is too runny or wet, just add more confectioner sugar.

Frosting/Decorating the chocolate cake

Take out the cake from the form when it is already cold. Level the  cake by slicing the

top part of it. Flip the cake, it means that the upper leveled part should be at the bottom, so it will be easier for us to frost the perfect flat part.

Frost the cake carefully from the top and the sides.

You can buy ready made cake decors in different colors, much better if you can make your own.  Be creative in decorating your cake.

VOILA!!!

Perfect for all ocassions!!!

Would you care for a slice of cake????

Ginataang kalabasa (butternut squash in coconut milk)

                              

Oh boy, this dish is irresistable for me. This is a vegetable dish with coconut milk and  fried salted fish.

The fresh veges and the natural sweetness of the butternut squash and coconut milk  is a true Filipino taste. This is a very simple dish that my family in Philippines used to make during weekend.

Ingredients:

3 cups of water

lemon grass

50-80 grams ginger, sliced thinly

onion,sliced

bell pepper or chili, sliced

3-5 string beans,  sliced

1 big eggplant, sliced

500 grams of butternut squash, sliced

2 dried and salted fish, fried

1 cup of malunggay leaves

scallion, sliced

peppermint leaves (optional)

1 tsp salt

                              

Procedure:

In a caserolle, boil 3 cups of water with the lemon grass, ginger and onion. Add all the butternut squash and boil until the squash gets soft.

                            

                            

Add coconut milk,eggplant, string beans and bell pepper. Let it boil until the veges are half cooked ( 2-3 mins)

                             

Add half part of the salt, then the fried dried fish,scallion,peppermint and malunggay leaves. Let it simmer for 1 minute and taste. Adjust the taste by adding more salt or water/coconut milk.

                                   

                                  

                                 

                                            Serve with rice. Enjoy your meal!

Siomai

Siomai, a deliciously tasty dumpling. Siomai is a dimsum of Chinese origin which is loved by many Filipinos. One can make different kinds of siomai but the base is always pork. The ground meat should have some fat otherwise the cooked siomai will be too tough. Prawns or shrimps can be substituted for part of the pork if desired.
 Siomai is commonly eaten with a dip composed of a mix of soy sauce, calamansi extract, and chili sauce


Ingredients:

500 grams pork meat (suggested proportion of fat to lean meat is 1:3)
1/2 cup of shredded carrots
1/2 medium size onion, minced
200-250 grams shrimps, minced
3 cloves of garlic,minced
1/4 part of bell pepper,minced
scallions or spring onion leaves
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 egg
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 pk of wanton wrapper
2 tbsp of sweet soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste


Procedure:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, using your hands, a laddle or a kitchen machine.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture into each wrapper.

 To enclose, gather up the edges of the wrapper and gently fold it so that it forms a basket shape, with the top of the filling exposed. Press lightly as you pleat each side.

Do the same to the remaining meat mixture. Meanwhile, boil water and brush steamer with oil.
When the water gets to a rolling boil, arrange the siomai in the steamer and let stand for 15-20 minutes, longer for larger pieces.

  
 Serve with soy sauce, calamansi/lemon and chili:) Enjoy!!!

Pinakbet

Pinakbet is a stir fry dish with pork meat and shrimps paste seasoned with soya sauce. This is another "vegetables garden" dish and all time favorite of the Filipinos:)


Ingredients:

1/2 kilo of pork meat, sliced and marinated in soya sauce
2 tbsp of oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 of small onion, sliced
1 medium size tomato,sliced
half of bell pepper,sliced
scallions,sliced
1 tbsp of shrimp paste
3 tbsp of soy sauce
1 cup of sliced butternut squash
1 cup of slice okra
1 cup of sliced string beans
1 cup of sliced bitter melon or ampalaya
1 cup of sliced eggplant or aubergine
1/2 cup of water


Procedure:

Heat the oil in a wok pan and saute garlic,onion and tomato.

Add the marinated pork meat.
Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes until it is cooked. Stir once in a while.

Add butternut squash and simmer for another 3 mins.
Add  squash,okra,string beans,bitter melon ,eggplant and soya sauce.

Simmer for 3 minutes with cover on it..


Add shrimps paste. Stir well until the shrimps paste incorporate with the vegetables.

Add 1/2 cup  and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add bell pepper and scallions . Serve with rice.

Vanilla Waffles

My girls and I made a yummy breakfast today. I could see that they have been trying to eat sliced bread these past few days and  they have been asking for waffle or pancake. I told them that we can make waffles and they promised me  that they will behave well  today:)  This waffle recipe that I am going to show you is not a norwegian type of waffle. This one is more fluffier than the waffles that we used to make in Norway.


Ingredients:

This will make 6-8 waffles

3 eggs
250g flour
2 tsp of baking powder
125 ml milk
125 ml vanilla sauce or vanilla yoghurt as substitute.
2 tsp of vanilla extract ( I used vanilla  powder)
75g of sugar


Procedure:

Prepare all the ingredients 30 minutes before making the waffles.
Flour and  baking powder should be sifted.

In a bowl or stand mixer, mix the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes. Add milk, vanilla sauce/vanilla yoghurt and mix for another 1 minute.

Add flour and mix well.

Preheat the waffle maker/iron  and coat some butter on it using a brush.
Scoop waffle batter and spread it in the waffle maker/iron. Wait for 30 seconds and close or cover the batter. Waffle is ready after 2 minutes or longer if like it crispy.



                                   

Spread butter,honey,syrup or sugar on the waffles if you like:)

Enjoy!!

Law oy

Law oy is a vegetables stew  with fried fish on it. This dish reminds me of my late grandpa because it is his favorite dish. I was thinking that Filipinos in the old old time has their own vegetable garden and they can just pick or harvest fresh veges and prepare Law oy or vegetables stew in their kitchen.

 I remember when I was young, my grandmother had a very wide garden with different kinds of  vegetables. It was so easy to make a stew coz' we just took some steps from the kitchen to the garden , picked some veges and make the stew. I wish I have a garden like that here in Norway:) Unfortunately, the summer in the west coast of Norway is too cold or wet to plant  some tropical veges. Im glad my sister,Jasmin, is living in the city near the asian stores. When she come for a visit, she always take with her some Filipino vegetables that I cannot buy in the Norwegian local store.

Ingredients:

4 cups of water
2 stalks of lemon grass
1/2 onion,sliced
50g ginger, pelled and sliced
1 tomato,sliced
1/2 bell pepper ,cubed
1 cup of malunggay leaves or drumstick tree leaves
1 cup of sweet potato leaves
1 cup of sliced butternut squash
1 cup of sliced eggplant or aubergine
1 cup of sliced okra
1 cup of sliced string beans
salt and pepper to taste

400 grams salted fish ,fried


Procedure:


In a pan boil water, lemon grass, onion , ginger and tomatoes until they are cooked well. Add  1 tsp of salt and some dashes of pepper.

Add butternut squash and let it boil for 3 minutes or until the squash is cooked.  Add eggplant, okra, string beans and let it boil for another 3 minutes in a medium heat.

 Add fried fish, bell pepper ,sweet potato leaves, malunggay or drumstick tree leaves. Adjust the taste by adding more salt , pepper or water.
Let it simmer in a low heat for 2 minutes.

Ready to serve:)