Blanket Idea: Crowing (Crochet + Sewing)

After getting married, I've been sort of avoiding the topic of crocheting again. Well, for one, I decided that I needed to focus more on my programmer job and crochet seemed to be taking a lot of my time (and money too!)  :-(  This avoiding thing proved to be a big mistake, I seemed to have completely missed out the 2 reasons why I did this in the first place. First - relaxation; Second - to do other things other than hacking out codes. So to jumpstart my crochet career again, I've decided to make a crowing blanket. I was inspired by Sewing Daisies' Crochet and sewing fusion. While there are no instructions yet on how to make this, I'm going to go ahead to give this a shot.

Here's the finish product from Sewing Daisies' blog:

Pretty cool huh? :) Now, I have some problems with regards to this project.
1. Where to get the fabric? pretty difficult to get good fabric here in Manila
2. I have no sewing machine!!!
3. No instructions yet.
4. I may have to get new yarns he he :-P

The Accidental Ultimate Grilled Herbed Chicken Thigh

Sorry for the uber long title! Ahh... This recipe reminds me of Christmas :-) must be the herb-by taste. I accidentally discovered this grilled dish while thinking of ways to use up some of my spices stash which are about to expire. The result.. lo-and-behold! simple and exquisite grilled chicken. 

Ingredients: 

6 Pieces Chicken thigh fillets

Dry rub:  

4 Tsp.    Dried Oregano Flakes or 4 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano

4 Tsp.    Dried Thyme or 4 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme

4 Tsp.    Dried Rosemary or 4 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary

3 Tbsp. Chopped Basil

2 Tsp.    Paprika

3 Tsp.    Chili Powder

1 Tsp.    Garlic Powder

1 Tsp.    Onion Powder

1 Tsp.    Sea Salt

1 Tsp.    Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Steps: 

1. Combine all the dry rub. 

2. Using a paper towel, pat the chicken thigh fillets dry 

3. Generously rub the dry rub (wtf is this sentence?? ^^) into the chicken fillet.

4. Set aside the chicken for an hour or more (since it's humid here in Manila, I store the marinated chicken in the ref)

5. Preheat grill to hot (I'm using a stove top grill)

6. Once grill is heated, lower the temp to medium low.

7. Add olive oil, just enough to oil the grill.

8. Add the chicken in, skin first, grill for 5 minutes, then turn over to the next side, then cook for another 5 minutes. 

Salmon, tomatoes, capers, and onions

In an attempt to eat healthier, the husband & I decided to get our hands to cooking at least one salmon dish every week. I came across Elise's SimplyRecipe site and chance upon this wonderful salmon dish. This dish requires fresh salmon fillet and here in Manila, a kilo of fresh salmon could cost as much as 750 pesos per kilo - so we used the cheaper variety instead, frozen salmon fillet (350 pesos per half kilo), less hassle as it is already vacuum sealed and frozen too, no need to worry on the freshness on the way back to our place. It took us approximately 30-40 minutes to cook and prepare this dish and about 15 minutes to eat everything in the pot! :) Because it was such a success, I was actually thinking of cooking this again sometime next week.

 

Here's Elise's recipe & my notes: 

Salmon with Tomato, Onions, and Capers Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
• 2 large fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped (Catz: if there's no available fresh thyme, you can also use 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves)
• 2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• The juice of one meyer lemon, or half a regular lemon with a teaspoon of sugar (Catz: I used honey instead of sugar)
• 2 Tbsp of capers, drained
• 1 teaspoon of chopped jalapeño peppers (no seeds, no stem, no ribs) either fresh or pickled (Catz: used 2 tbsp of jalapeño peppers since we both love spicy food)
• 1/3 cup white wine (Catz: used some left over cabernet sauvignon)
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt and pepper
• 2 fresh salmon fillets, 1/2 lb each

Method

1 In a large, wide (at least 12 inches wide) saucepan (one that comes with a cover), heat olive oil on medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the tomatoes, thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice, capers, and jalapeño peppers. Simmer for 10 minutes, adding a little water if needed to prevent the sauce from getting too dry. Salt and pepper to taste. 

2 Add 1/3 a cup of white wine - a simple Chardonnay will work. Add 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a simmer. Place the fillets in the pan on top of the sauce, skin side down, if the fillets are still in their skin. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 5-10 minutes, depending on how thick the cuts of fish are. Poke the fish with a fork and look for doneness. The fish should still be somewhat rare in the middle, but not raw. Serve immediately, with tomato sauce generously applied.

Serves 4 (well,in our case, there were only 2 of us ^_^)

Braised Beef a.k.a Nilagang Baka

Ingredients: 

1.5 Kilo of beef stew or beef shin cut into small 2-3 inch cubes

2 Medium onions sliced thinly

1 Small Cabbage;shred into big pieces; remove the cord.

3 Medium carrots peeled and cut in 2 in. pieces

4 Medium potatoes peeled and quartered

2 Sweet corn (cut into several segments)

Water for braising

8 Whole peppercorns

1 Tbs. Salt

½ Tbs. MSG(optional)

Steps: 

1. Place beef in a large soup pot 

2. Cover with water about 2 inches above the meat. 

3. In high heat, bring it to a boil. 

4. Remove the scum

5. Add onions and lower the heat to medium high. 

6. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. 

7. Add salt, MSG and whole peppercorns. 

8. Cover and cook for 1½ hours.

9. Add water if necessary to maintain the 2 inch water level above the meat. 

** For healthier option, you can leave this in the ref overnight to let the oil of the meat rise. remove the oil the next day.

10. Bring to a slow boil, add corn, carrots and potatoes. 

11. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until carrots, corn, and potatoes are done. 

12. Add cabbage last, cover, and let it cook for 2-3 more minutes. 

13. Add salt to adjust taste

Mapo Doufu

Ingredients: 

1 pack of Morinaga Soft tofu
1/4 kilo of ground pork
1 tbsp. of finely minced garlic
1 tbsp. of tausi, rinsed
1-2 tbsps. of chili bean paste
1 tbsp. of cooking oil
1/2 c. of water

1/2 cube of chicken/pork cubes

1-2 tbsps. of light soy sauce
12-15 stalks of onion leaves cut into half-inch lengths

Steps: 

1. Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil, skip this when you're using a Teflon or non-stick pan :) 

2. Add ground pork and cook until lightly browned. 

3. Add the minced garlic and stir fry for a few minutes. 

4. Add the tausi and chili bean paste stir evenly. 

5. Season with light soy sauce. 

6. Pour in the water and add chicken/pork cube; bring to a soft boil. 

7. Cut tofu into big cubes; 

8. Add tofu and stir gently. 

9. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.