Rice with Fried Cauliflower, etc.
Topic: Rice
This is my version of rice with cauliflower. I fried the cauliflower first before adding it to the rice. One variation is cooking the rice together with the cauliflower but I prefer to cook it in this way. The reason was, I like the taste of fried cauliflower, that's all. LOL :D

Ingredients:
3 cups Basmati rice (long grain rice)
1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 medium carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced thinly
4 1/2 cup chicken broth
salt
1/4 cup cooking oil

Directions:
1. Wash the rice then drain for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pot, fry the cauliflower and carrots for 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Set aside. (Fry the vegetables in several batches)
3. On the same oil, saute the onion slices until transparent.
4. Stir in the drained rice and fry for 3 minutes over medium heat.
5. Add chicken broth and salt. Let it boil, simmer until the liquid are reduced.
6. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low and cook for 25-30 minutes.
7. When the rice are done, add the fried vegetables. Mix well, transfer to a platter and top with fried fish or meat.

See also;
Arroz Mofalfal (Arabian Rice)
Fried Chicken Biryani

Cream of Chicken Soup
Topic: Soup
We are freezing here in Kuwait! We craved for hot soup and hot tea or hot chocolate every night and that was the main reason why I made this soup last night.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast,skinned and diced very thinly
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic,crushed then minced
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 thick cream
5 cups chicken broth
1 small sachet of chicken soup powder
1 tsp. chopped dried parsley
1 tbsp. corn flour dissolved in a little amount of water
salt and pepper to taste
Few mint leaves/sprigs for garnish

Directions:
1. Heat butter in a pot, brown chicken breast for 2 minutes then add garlic and onion, stir until transparent. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add chicken broth and chicken soup powder. Stir to blend well. Let it boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and dried parsley, cook for 2 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat. Stir in the thick cream, mix well.
5. Turn on the heat again and simmer for 3 minutes.
6. Transfer to a soup bowl and garnish with mint leaves. Serve while hot.

Tips: Add more mint leaves and it will refreshen your throat especially when you have colds due to the cold climate!

Baked Clams
Topic: Misc. Seafoods
Clams are already delicious even you bake it as it is without any spices. Sometimes I did it that way when I wanted its very natural taste, and it is still the best for me. Sometimes cheese is also nice additions on it. I tried baking it yesterday using the recipe below and it was good but I still prefer the one that was baked without any spices on it.

Ingredients:
Clams, one valve remove
1 tsp. olive olive
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Few dried basil leaves
Few chopped dried red chili
Salt (optional, some clams are already salty)
Directions:
1. Combine together olive oil, lemon juice, basil leaves and chili, add salt if desired. Blend and mix well.
2. Put few amount of mixture over the clams's meat.
3. Arrange in a baking dish and bake in preheated 250 degree C for 10-12 minutes. (If you prefer it to be a little bit dry, then bake it for 15-20 minutes.)
4. Serve immediately.

See also:
Clams Soup

Arroz Caldo
Topic: Rice
Few days ago, my hubby said we did not able to eat Arroz Caldo for a long period of time, so maybe he missed the dish, hence I decided to cook one last night. When I cooked Arroz caldo, I never used glutenous rice, I just used jasmine rice instead of it since I found the glutenous very sticky. The starchy texture of jasmine rice is already good for me and my hubby likes it too. I always add vegetables too to complete the nutrients on it. Boiled quail eggs is also one of my favorite additions.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup jasmine rice
6 cups water
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
2 tbsp. butter

500 g chicken, sliced into serving portions
4 cups water
1 medium onion,minced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 thumb-sized ginger, crushed then minced
1 medium carrot,sliced into strips (optional)
2/3 cup sliced baguio beans, sliced thinly (optional)
2 tbsp. fish sauce or to taste
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. black pepper powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. cooking oil

Garnish:
roast onion slices
1 dozen quail eggs, boiled

Directions:
1. Wash the rice once then drain.
2. Heat butter in a pot, saute slices of 1 onion until transparent, then stir fry the drained rice until lightly brown.
3. Add 6 cups water to the rice and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, stir occassionally.
4. While waiting for the rice to cook, prepare the chicken. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a separate pot. Saute garlic until golden brown, add onions and ginger, stir for a minute then add chicken slices and 4 cups water. Let it boil, remove scums as it rises, lower the heat.
5. Add fish sauce, sugar,black pepper, salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes or until the chicken are done.
6. Add the vegetables, cook for 3 minutes.
7. Add the chicken mixture to the cooked rice. Stir to mix well and cook for 2 minutes more.
8. Garnish and serve.

Mango Float
Topic: Desserts
This dish doesn't float and until now I still don't know what it's origin and why the name is Mango Float. I tried and tasted many variations already, like using graham crackers, sliced bread, chiffon cake, wafer, marie biscuits or soda crackers as its base and what is the best for me was the latter, the skyflakes soda cracker, (I hope skyflakes will give me credit for writing this, lol). My siblings, cousins and friends also like it. I remember one time when I was still in Phillippines and I served Mango Float with soda crackers to our guests and she asked me how did I made it since it tasted different from the mango floats she ate before. She said the combination of the ingredients are really good. My favorite way to prepare it is to refrigerate it for an hour then freeze it for another one hour and the texture will be really great.

Yesterday, I tried using the Swiss made butterfly biscuits in our home. A very nice thin and crispy biscuits with hazelnuts on it. I thought it would make a nice different since the biscuits itself are really delicious but I was wrong, I still prefer my old recipe, the soda crackers. LOL :)

Ingredients:
1 cup thick cream
2/3 cup condensed milk
3 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1/2 cup mashed ripe mango
1 or 2 ripe mangoes, thinly sliced
Soda crackers (or any biscuits of your choice)
Few slices of mango for garnish

Directions:
1. Blend together cream, milk and butter until smooth. Add mashed mango and vanilla, mix well.
2. In a clear dish, arrange 1 layer of soda/graham crackers at the buttom. Add few slices of mango above the crackers, then pour few amount of cream mixture on it. Cover again with the crackers and repeat procedure until all the ingredients are done. Making the cream as the last layer.
3. Garnish with few slices of mango and crushed crakers.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Freeze for another one hour before serving. (optional)