Waffle Frolic | Lemon Infused Fried Chicken and Waffles

When we visited our son in Cornell, he never heard the end of it from my daughters - taunting him of how Cornell "is in the middle of nowhere."

But of course that's just part of the sisters-brother dynamics, right? For my daughters, who come from SoCal and NorCal, the Central NY terrain is very different. Listening to them tease each other made me chuckle as we drove past acres and acres of beautiful green fields and rustic farms.

Here's their conversation while we were driving on the side roads through the fields and farms - admiring all the bucolic charm of upstate New York:

"What are you taking a picture of?" my older daughter asked her sister.  "There's nothing there", she added.

"Exactly... Nothing! That's why I'm taking it", said my younger daughter.  They said this to give their brother a difficult time.

And of course, by the time we get to the campus and downtown Ithaca, they were charmed by the beauty of the town.

For breakfast, my son took us to a place called Waffle Frolic and we were smitten. The small  hole in the wall stood out from the rest and we knew that we had to go in. I ordered their chicken and waffles and loved it.   

So since July 6 is Fried Chicken Day, I thought I'd share with you my take on  Fried Chicken and Waffles.  I wanted to infuse, or layer, lemon in every aspect of the dish-- the batter, the breading and the chicken itself... so here's my Lemon Infused  Fried Chicken and Waffles.

Enjoy!

Lemon Infused Fried Chicken and Waffles

For the waffles:

Pre-heat the waffle maker.  The pilot light will turn green once it's ready.  Meanwhile whisk the following into a bowl:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 fresh egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp lemon rind

Pour the batter into the waffle maker.  Again, the pilot light turns green once it's cooked. Set aside.

For the Fried Chicken:
I  tweaked my recipe for Fried Chicken Ala Jollibee.  I ditched the five spice altogether and replaced it with Italian seasoning... added lemon rind to brighten up the chicken goodness.

Ingredients:
8-10 pcs chicken thighs and legs
lemon
salt and pepper

For the breading:

1/2 c cornstarch

1/2 c flour

salt & pepper

1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon rind

Procedure:
Marinate chicken with lemon and salt and pepper overnight or at least 30 minutes.

Fill a large skillet (cast iron is best) about  half full with vegetable oil. Heat until VERY hot... or better yet use a deep fry thermometer and fry chicken at 360 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, roll the chicken pieces on to the breading.
Shake off excess flour.
Drop  5-6  pieces into the hot oil.
Make sure there's enough space to stir the chicken.
Deep fry it until golden brown.
Drain the fried chicken.
It should be crispy golden brown like so

Lemon Glaze
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c lemon juice
3 tbsp of the chicken breadin
1 cup chicken broth
1-2 tbsp sugar

Melt butter, add garlic,  When garlic turns light brown, add flour.  Mix altogether then add chicken broth and lemon juice.  Season with salt.  then add sugar.  Adjust according to taste.

French Toast d'Antoine

The secret to a good French toast is to use day old French bread

He states while he was slicing the bread on a slant or cutting it on the bias.

Still clad in his PJ's he starts to make breakfast for all of us,  his house guests, making sure everyone is fed, especially his grandchildren.

He pours some milk into a bowl with 4 eggs...

Perks up the flavor with cinnamon... whisks them together...

Makes sure the day old bread gets soaked with the egg mixture...

And gives a nice sear with the heavenly goodness of butter...

Then he sneaks out to his garden... cuts some fresh flowers...

and as soon as he hears the stomping feet of  hungry children

he adds more layers of goodness... golden syrup, whipped cream and fresh berries... YUM!

Freshly cut  flowers from his garden plus freshly seared bread that is soaked with milk and butter... yes there is no better way to express his father's love to us his family. And there is no better way to start the day with the warmth of early morning sunshine coupled with the warmth of a father's love letter  - all written in a morning spread like this!

With Father's Day around the corner, let me greet my father in law a Happy Father's Day Papa Tony.  Thank you for all the love, support and generosity you have given us throughout all these years.  And Papa, let me tell you what the secret to making a good French Toast... it's YOU!. We love you!

Grilled Stuffed Squid - Pinoy Style

Summer is here.

We try to take advantage of the summer months - spending more time outdoors - and this includes firing up the grill on weekends. I love the smell of the freshly lit charcoal or of the newly ignited gas grill with briquettes and lava rocks. The aroma quickly sets the mood for fun, casual, easy dinners. A few of my favorites to put on the grill include steaks, barbecue chicken, Filipino barbecue pork (the one on a stick) and seafood. And the fresh catch of the day could be red snapper, grouper, golden pompano, shrimp or squid... yes SQUID!

Grilled squid is a Filipino specialty. Served throughout the country, mostly during happy hour, it is a classic "pulutan" or appetizer/bar food. From roadside joints that serve food and beer (cases upon cases of them) to classy restaurants in the city, it can be served in a variety of ways, but yet "inihaw na pusit" is always a fave.  

Preparing grilled squid had been hit or miss for me. Once you overcook the squid, it will be as hard as rubber - and if you undercook it, you get a hot, watery mess.

So I adapted a technique for stuffed squid - filling the squid with a mixture of celery, tomatoes, red onions, ginger (drizzling the vegetable mix with olive oil) and seasoning the squid with salt and pepper - then wrapping it in foil generously coated with oil.

The result is perfectly cooked stuffed squid.  It's perfect to the bite with a little sweet flavor complemented with the smokey notes from the char. So are you ready to fire up the grill? Try grilling stuffed squid for a change. Happy weekend!

Grilled Stuffed Squid

2 large squid cleaned.

salt and pepper to taste

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 thumb sized ginger, pressed then thinly sliced.

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

Procedure.  

Season the squid with salt and pepper. In a bowl, toss the the stuffing mix. Drizzle some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the squid with the mix. Put back the tentacles and secure it with toothpicks.  

On a flat surface, drizzle some olive oil and generously coat the foil. Cover the squid with foil.

Grill for about 6 minutes on each side. Let it cool.  

Slice the squid and transfer to a serving plate. Serve with a soy-based dipping sauce (Mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp soup stock, 1 tbsp sugar, chopped onions, lemon juice, chopped green onions and Thai chilies).

*Photo credits go to: TonyNievera Photography.

It Feels Like Home | Papa Tony's Adobo Fried Rice Omelette

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

So the saying goes. But not all things in Vegas must remain here. My husband and I come here to be with family. And warm hugs immediately greet us when my brothers-in-law and niece meet us at the baggage claim area of the airport. Being around family and the familiar environment makes Las Vegas our second home.

Family is all about the joy of spending time together - enjoying the fun evenings reminiscing over food, wine and beer... and conversing continuously until the plates are empty and the glasses need to be refilled. It’s all about telling the stories accumulated over the years, trying to catch up with what everyone else is now into and trying to squeeze it all in over just a few days. In the end, it’s all about belonging - and knowing that even though we no longer live under the same roof, we will always remain connected.

So the first morning of our reunion, while my husband and I start to prepare breakfast, Papa Tony joins us and declares I'm going to make Adobo Fried Rice Omelette. And as the original foodie in the family, he gets mis en place like a pro.

You could either shred or slice the adobo he says.

He pours the scrambled 3 eggs mixture that he seasons with salt and pepper over a butter lathered pan. Cooks it through for about 3 to 5 minutes on a low to medium fire.

He then prepares his adobo fried rice using the adobo that I cooked the day before. (Pour the adobo slices then add a day old rice.  Sprinkle some garlic powder and sliced green oinons)

He assembles the omelette like so...

And then voila... the Adobo Fried Rice Omellet is ready.

This plate of Adobo Fried Rice Omelette with a side of tomato-cilantro salsa made us feel right at home...And it's more fun that we get to do this in Vegas.  :)

Postcards | Ifun Fish Cake with Chili Mango Slaw

Friends provide comfort. 

Old friends serve like postcards from home.  And like postcards, they bring forth warmth, joy, laughter and memories. Yes, memories! And at my age I have tons and tons of them. So when I spent the weekend with some of my high school friends, 48 hours was not enough to cover the 20 years of catching up we had to do.  And every minute counts.

"Well aren't we going out?" our host Bonni asked us while we were enjoying our coffee. "There are so many places to see here in Chicago..." he suggested.  But he still hadn't convinced us - we remained skeptics, unwilling to abandon the time-travelling we did through our stories about years past. Instead, we were content to gather around the dining table, filling the room with our boisterous laughter, reliving stories upon stories that transpired a few decades ago.

"If that's the case, I'll cook some Ifun [ee-foon]"  he said again. But this time - he caught our attention.

I don't know what it's called in Tagalog (or even in English) but Ifun, is something we Ibanags eat.  Sold in the local markets in small tubs, the small fish with the big beady eyes reminds me of home.  Bonni insisted it's called Silver Fish, and yet another food blogger Market Manila says it's dulong in tagalog.  I am still not sure of its common name, but what I know is that our hosts Priscilla and Bonni served a delightful brunch and this his how the morning spread was presented:

I was mesmerized... the last time I've seen this dish was more than 20 years ago.  So in my head I was trying to create a new dish, and my friend Melo noticed it immediately.  And in true high school peer pressure fashion, I succumbed to their suggestion that I should go to the kitchen and create something.  My new dish is what I call Ifun Fish Cake with Chili Mango Slaw.

Ifun Fish Cake with Chili Mango Slaw
This recipe comes in two parts.  The first part is Bonni's Ifun and the the second part is my take on the dish.  

Ingredients
2 cups of Ifun (silverfish; dulong, you could also use any other fish flakes)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 thumb size ginger finely chopped
1 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg, slightly beaten

Procedure

Heat the pan for a minute then add the olive oil. Saute onions, ginger and tomatoes. Add the ifun (or flakes). Keep tossing until the liquid is reduced to almost dry.  Add the slightly beaten egg.  Stir them together and voila... it's ready.

Now for the second part, all you have to do is add one more slightly beaten egg.  Mix together with panko bread crumbs.  Add parsley flakes.  Form a patty and bake the patty for about 10 minutes in 375 degrees oven.

For the mango slaw:  Mix together, sliced mangoes, sliced scallions and sliced tomatoes.(You may also add chopped cilantro)  Set aside.  Mix together 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1/3 cup vinegar, sliced onions, 1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger, 1/2 tsp of chili garlic sauce, salt and pepper and sugar  to taste.  Drizzle a little sesame oil.  You may add chopped Thai Bird's Eye Chili. Toss the mango slaw together.  Enjoy!

To Bonni, Priscilla, Ian, AJ and Milena, thank you so much for the warm hospitality.  You guys made us feel so at home, we feel that we have a second home in Chicago!

and thank you Melo for taking the time to be with us... Sa uulitin!

Aloha Pork

I'm in an ALOHA state of mind.

Nope, I'm not going to Hawaii.  But Aloha - as it is commonly used - is a greeting to say "hello" and also to mean "goodbye".  And that's how it's going to be around here. The next few weeks will be filled with lots of warm hugs  and  ::::waving:::: alohas: kids coming home from college, family reunions, high-school mini reunion, celebrations and back to back out of town trips. Did I say reunions?  Oh yes, those definitely bring forth a magnitude of excitement and joy!

Certainly, it's going to be a different rhythm... fast, fun and yes crazy rhythm...you know the drill. So at times like these I need to turn to my handy dandy chop-drop-cook  meals... and you bet this Aloha Pork falls under this category.  It's easy and simple yet the dish will certainly bring smiles to the table!  Aloha!

Aloha Pork

Ingredients:
2  lbs pork (cut into cubes)
3.4 c ketchup
1/2 c pineapple juice
1/2 c sprite
1 c pineapple chunks (or you could use pineapple slice)
2 tbsp brown sugar (optional: if you want the dish on the sweeter side)
1 whole onion (chopped)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 c water
3 cloves garlic (minced)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
As I've said this falls under my chop-drop-cook.  So basically all you have to do is chop everything up, Drop them in a stockpot and cook.  The sauce should be reduced until it becomes thick.  If the pork is not cooked yet, add 1/2 c water until pork is tender and cooked through.

ENJOY!

Weekend Rhythm

I love Saturdays! And Sundays as well...

Saturdays start the weekend off with a whiff of java coming from the kitchen as the morning rises. My heart skips upon realizing that my husband is up and is busy in my turf- the kitchen.  How my heart dances with the rhythm of the sound of a sizzling pan, running water, the clicking of plates and often times the low tone of my husband's humming.

With the sun peering through the windows I tiptoe to the kitchen and I see the breakfast spread. I just love the idea of him doing the cooking... on weekends, I'm disarmed.

Let me enjoy the moment.



When I see the pile of plates I run away as fast as I can, at least this is what I do in my head... I'm ready to take back the role of chef and get my hubby back to cleaning up my mess. It's at this point where my Saturday rhythm slows down...

But a few weeks ago, I got a letter from Allison, who is promoting Finish Power Gel dish washing detergent and she says:

Hi Malou,

We’d like to challenge you and your readers to wake up to a shinier morning with the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge! Voted Product of the Year, Finish® Quantum® with New Power Gel is Our Best Shine Ever- without having to pre-rinse. Its breakthrough technology activates each cleaning ingredient when it’s needed during the cycle, so all you have to do is sit back and relax.

Although her email was more of a marketing tool, her message stuck with me. I was ready to take the challenge. So remember the tower of plates and pans my husband used this weekend?  All I did was put them in the dishwasher without any rinsing. Normally I would pre-rinse, but this time I just loaded them in the dishwasher like so:

I was a skeptic I tell you, but here's the result:

Let's look again...

It seemed magical.  NO tricks, NO gimmick.  Finish New Power Gel amazingly cleaned the dishes and you are looking at the actual results. 

I danced my Weekend Rhythm again soon after.

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Full Disclosure Statement:  I was compensated by Finish for performing the challenge.