One of the first dishes I ever learned to make was this simple beef dish that my Tia Fely and Tio Ben showed me way back when I had just moved into my own little place in Tacloban. 

I got this little yellow box of a house in this sprawling subdivision called V&G. Two small bedrooms, a tiny kitchen connected to the equally tiny eating area, with my fridge separating them from my living room. I had a yard, pebbly, with patches of weeds all around but hey, it was my yard. In the next five years or so of my life in Tacloban, this small piece of property was the place I called home. A place I loved. My two younger children were born while I lived there with their father.

My parents weren't very happy about me moving out of their house (it just wasn't done at that time - a single daughter living away from her parents!), but I did not let that deter me. With my son, a helper, and my younger brother Ricky, we moved to that house in June 4, 1986, with hardly any furniture, but hanging on to a lot of dreams and a ton of pluck.

Tio Ben and Tia Fely lived a few blocks away from us in V&G. On our first weekend in this new little home, they came to visit, bringing with them food they bought from the talipapa, the small market we had in the outskirts of the subdivision. It was their way of welcoming me, of being supportive even when they knew my parents weren't. Tia Fely told me she was going to show me how to make beef steak - the easy way. (Tia Fely and Tio Ben were among the best cooks I have ever known. For them to come to my home to show me how to cook something was a gift, a loving gift I truly appreciated. I was, in fact, floored.)

Beef Steak ala Tia Fely

* Beef cut thinly (in the Philippines I used to ask the butcher to slice it for me for beefsteak. Here, they have these pre-sliced already) - about a pound and a half, tenderized if possible.

* Soy sauce, 1/4 cup

* Vinegar, about a fourth of a cup also (if possible, use the coconut wine vinegar you can get from the Filipino food store. In the US, I use Italian dressing - the Robusto kind preferably - when I run out of the Filipino coco vinegar. Sometimes, too, I put both vinegar and the dressing. Whatever works for you.) 

* Optional: A tbsp or two of oyster sauce (This is a tweak I learned from my own mother, years later as I watched her cook this while she was visiting here in the US)

* Crushed black peppercorn, about 1 tsp

* 3-4cloves garlic, crushed

* 1 bay leaf

* 1 large white onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings

* Vegetable oil, 2 tbsps

*  Salt and pepper to taste.

Marinate the beef with the soy sauce, vinegar (and/or Italian dressing), peppercorns, garlic and bay leaf, plus the oyster sauce if you are using that. Set aside for a few minutes (maybe 15-20 minutes).

Fry the onion slices in the oil, in medium fire until they turn transparent, stirring them around a little bit, only for a couple of minutes. (If you want to be really bad, and you want a richer taste, throw in a tbsp of butter with the onions as it is frying. Yum!) Then take them out of the oil and put aside.

Add the beef and the marinade into the same pan. Once you see the sauce start to simmer, lower the fire a bit for a few minutes, say 15. 

Once done, pour everything into a dish and top with the cooked onions. Serve immediately. Since this is a Filipino dish, serve with rice.

I raised my kids in Secaucus, NJ. When they were younger, one of the places we used to frequent was the Secaucus Plaza Diner. We went there on those weeks we had a little bit extra money – i.e., we had saved enough from clipping coupons on our weekly grocery shopping, and buying only things that were on sale. (Our weekly grocery shopping was planned to the last dollar, with our weekly menu strategically planned according to items that were discounted that week. It became like a game to us – saving as much money as we could in order to have enough to eat out or order pizza at least once on the coming week.)

This diner was at the center of the town, and us Secaucusoids gathered there as families. Parents picked up their teenagers there after a school dance, for example, as the kids liked to go there on their own as well, hanging out in the parking lot after eating. It was an institution for all the residents. We went there after church on Sundays. It was a short walk from the church and the house so we also went there for birthdays and other celebrations. We even went there after the wedding of my cousin, Maribel, putting a few tables together in the main dining room. When we lived at 120 Centre (the first place my kids lived in here in the U.S.), the diner was just a block away.

To our dismay, however, the owners decided to sell the property to a bank. The building was leveled down, all signs of the diner torn down to nothing. Now a bank stands there, gleaming with new-ness, absolutely lacking the soul of the Secaucus Plaza Diner. 

A week before it was due to close, my husband and I went there for dinner. I ordered one of my favorites, the grilled chicken breast, served with steamed vegetables and rice pilaf. The cook was walking around saying goodbye to loyal patrons who had gone there through the years. When he stopped by our table I blurted out, "Can you please give me your recipe for this grilled chicken?" (My kids used to be so mortified by this seeming lack of impulse control in their mom countless of times over the years. Heh.)

I thought he would laugh at me and just turn away. But no. He did laugh, but then proceeded to give me the recipe, telling me how easy it was, and how I should enjoy making it now for myself, with the diner gone and all.

Secaucus Plaza Diner Grilled Chicken Breast

* Thinly sliced chicken breast (I usually buy a little over a pound to feed a family of four)

* Lemon juice (Tip: if you want things easier, you can use the juice from one of those yellow lemon juice containers they sell at the produce aisle, next to the real lemons. Which you can liberally swig over the chicken. Otherwise, you can use the juice of one lemon.)

* Dash of white pepper (dash! not too much! For a pound or so of chicken, maybe 1/2 teaspoon. Unlike black pepper, a very small amount of white pepper is all that it takes to be felt in a recipe. Plus –lots of it make you sneeze.)

* Garlic powder (about a tablespoon)

* Kosher salt (about a tablespoon for a whole pound of chicken, even less – you don’t want this too salty. As a healthier alternative, you can use salt-free Dash, which you can use more liberally.)

* Olive oil (enough to coat the chicken slices, both sides. I usually use Extra Virgin.)

Drizzle the chicken breasts (both sides) with olive oil, then white pepper, garlic powder and salt. 

Squeeze lemon juice on top. (Tip: Use your left hand to flip over the chicken or put the spices on them, while keeping your right hand clean and free to pick up the olive oil, or the lemon, etc. Or you could use tongs. If you do use the tongs for this and for cooking, remember to use a different set when picking up the cooked chicken from the pan. Always look out for cross-contamination.)

Put chicken slices on a preheated grill pan. Two to three minutes on medium fire on each side. (Tip: to see if your pan is hot enough, place your hand hovering a few inches above it. If the heat is hardly bearable, your pan is hot enough. It should sizzle once you put your meat on it.)

That's it. I serve this with rice and steamed veggies usually - just like that Plaza Diner chef did. In his honor.

Additional notes:

This has been a favorite “go to”on weeknights as it takes less than 20 minutes to make. I normally take the chicken out of the freezer into the refrigerator to thaw the day before, then take it out to the counter to get into more of a room temperature before cooking. (Meat always cooks better when it is more or less in room temperature –but not spoiled, mind!). Before I touch the chicken, I start on the rice as it takes about a half hour to cook (with a rice cooker). And take the veggies out to wash and slice them, put them on a bowl, ready for steaming on the microwave.

As you cook the last slices of the chicken, start nuking the veggies. A plateful of broccoli can be nuked for about two minutes with a damp paper towel on top of it. To be consistent with the chicken flavor, you can drizzle lemon and a dash of salt (or the salt-free Dash) on top of the veggies right as you serve them.

Another easy go to dish I used to make as the kids were growing up was my version of a chicken stew, cooked with green or red bell pepper, tomato sauce and olives. For this dish, I always used chicken thighs – and yes, bone-in and with the skin on – because they were the ones that seemed to be always on sale (or at least cheaper than other meats), and because it was dark meat, really tastier than say, those more expensive chicken breasts. However, I do sometimes use chicken breast, sliced into chunks.

(We were living in 120 Centre Avenue in Secaucus when the kids arrived from the Philippines in 1995. It was a small three-bedroom apartment at the corner of Humboldt St and Centre Ave, and right in the center of town. Very convenient for someone like me who did not drive (nor could afford a car, really) and had to commute to New York City everyday.  My bus stop on weekdays was just around the block, barely a five-minute walk from our place.

When the kids arrived, I had just been promoted as a Senior Editorial Assistant at my job. I had started at RIA the year before, taking on an entry-level editorial assistant job. I didn’t really earn much in salary, but I soon found out that there was always a need for people wanting to do overtime work. So I was always the first to raise my hand to do overtime. Before I knew it, I was learning every trick of the trade and then was heading up some publication revision projects among the EA’s. 

My long work hours continued even when the kids arrived. The company had thankfully given me a computer at home so I could work from there even late at night. On weekends, I would bring the kids with me to the office. 

I remember teaching my oldest son how to “parse” documents or run commands on the databases. My younger ones brought their books and homework with them. Or else they ran around playing. At the end of the day, we would walk around and look for some place cheap enough, but a different kind of cuisine each time. (An aside; This is something I really love about New York City: its color and cultural diversity. I loved exposing my children to the different cuisines and cultures. I have always maintained that intolerance of other cultures and bigotry stem from ignorance. I was determined to raise children who had a “wider sense of the world.” Although I would always make sure they were proud of their Filipino heritage and knew about it, I wanted them to also appreciate the beauty of other cultures, to get to know people and cuisines and history and norms from different areas of the world. New York afforded them that. I was going to take advantage of that for them.)

My long work hours made my kids pretty responsible, too. They learned how to cook, wash dishes, do laundry. We took turns cooking dinner. Jinky, my youngest, became so adept at making rice with the rice cooker that, ever since she was in second grade, at 5:30 each afternoon, it became her assignment to make rice. Even her friends knew that. They would say to her, “Hey, it’s 5:30, time to make rice!” My boys and I would make simple and quick dishes like my version of chicken-pork adobo. Or fry some marinated pork chops, or sauté some vegetables.

For a while there, we even had this thing called the “Jackie economy” in our little household. Each chore was payable by a specific number of “Mommy dollars” – using some play money I bought from the nearby drug store (with my signature on each, mind). My kids would get paid this money, and they would exchange with one another this money as well, paying another to do his or her chore/task. When they had accumulated enough “mommy dollars” they would exchange it for real US dollars.  The exchange rate was pretty good – better than the Philippine peso rate, in fact: 10 Mommy dollars for each US dollar.

That didn’t last very long – but I remember how amused I was with this, telling my friends about my own little economy at home. It did teach my kids not to take money for granted. They knew how hard I worked for it, and so they worked hard in school and at home as well. When we shopped, they knew I always had a tight budget so they never complained that they did not get those “top brand names.” It was much, much later that I was able to buy them more expensive items. But when they were young, all their shoes came from Payless – and only when they had those ubiquitous BOGO sales (Buy One, Get One Half Off). Their clothes came from Caldor and K-Mart usually – and again, when they had a special sale. Never paid full price back then. I still do not like to pay full price until now, in fact.)

Back to the chicken stew recipe.  I remember concocting this when the kids first arrived in the US. It seemed like something my own mother (their Lola Pat) would cook.

Jackie’s Easy Chicken Stew

You’ll need: 

· About 2 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on (I always make enough so that there are left-overs for snacking - we Pinoys love to snack with rice and leftovers)

· Two green or/and red bell peppers, sliced length-wise, not thinly though – about an inch wide each.

· Two tbsps vegetable oil

· One medium onion, sliced

· Two or three cloves garlic, peeled, slice or crushed

· One dried bay leaf

· One 15 oz can tomato sauce (note: I sometimes add a small can of tomato sauce to this, it all depends if you want more sauce in your dish.)

· 1 tbsp soy sauce (I try using the low sodium version)

· Salt and pepper to taste (watch the salt, since the olives will actually be salty as well)

· A small bottle of pitted green olives, drained

1. In a large saucepan, heat vegetable oil for about a minute or two on medium heat.

2. Add garlic, stirring around so it doesn’t burn

3. After about 20-30 seconds, add the sliced onions, continuing to stir and making sure the slices separate from one another. 

4. Once onions look transparent, add the sliced peppers and bay leaf

5. After about a minute (when peppers look slightly wilted), add the chicken. Turn when one side is browned. (Remember that bone-in chicken will cook longer than cubed chicken breasts.)

6. Add the soy sauce, a little salt and pepper (a dash each), stir, lower the heat to medium low, and cover. Let that simmer (the sauces from the chicken would be coming out clear by this time) for about 5 to 10 minutes.

7. Uncover, put heat to Medium again, then add tomato sauce. Stir.

8. Once dish starts simmering, lower heat again and keep simmering for about 20-25 minutes. 

9. Once you check that the chicken is really cooked through, add olives, stir, then turn off heat after a minute.

Serve alongside white rice.

This is certainly not my daughter’s favorite. She is NOT a cheese fan. But everyone else I have cooked this for? They love this dish. My husband is a mac n cheese fan and because I refuse to make him any of those boxed ones, I had to find a recipe that was easy, and yet also very good. This one here is always a hit. I found it online but tweaked it as I always do.

The secret to this dish? Freshly grated cheese. I do NOT use cheese that you can buy already grated from the store for this dish. (Hey, I’m not a cheese snob. I do buy those grated cheese packages for other purposes, but not for this recipe.) And then I am very liberal with my measuring.  A little bit more butter, a tad more milk (if you do this, add a tad more flour so your sauce thickens), a bit more cheese.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. elbow macaroni (I also use other kinds of similar pastas: cavatappi, farfalle, or even fusilli. I like changing things up! I also don’t let the lack of elbow macaroni in my pantry stop me from making this dish. I usually have other kinds of small-ish, and curvy pasta around and use them instead.)
• ¼ c butter 
• ¼ c flour
• 2 c milk
• 3 c freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, and I add about a cup of freshly grated mozzarella cheese for good measure.
• 1 tbsp. garlic salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• ½ c panko breadcrumbs + 2 tbsps. butter
• Optional: for a bit of protein in this dish, I add cooked shredded chicken. You can get one of those shredded chicken already packaged from the store. One package would be sufficient for this dish.

Instructions:

1. Boil pasta according to package instructions, adding salt to boiling water.

2. While pasta is cooking, make the béchamel sauce:

a. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  

b. Add the flour and whisk. Cook for about 2 minutes (to cook away that floury taste).

c. Add a dash of salt and pepper. (Just a small dash of salt. The cheese is salty enough really. Or you can use Dash.)

d. Slowly add the milk while continually whisking until smooth.

e. Heat to a low boil until the sauce thickens. Once it does, remove from heat. (When I say remove from heat, do not just turn off the stove burner and leave the saucepan there. Remove it from there so it stops being exposed to the heat of the burner and stops cooking.)

3. When the pasta cooks, drain thoroughly and quickly then add the still hot pasta to a prepared baking dish (greased with a little bit of the butter – if available, I use that paper wrapper for the stick of butter to do this).

4. Sprinkle all the cheese evenly on top of the pasta.

5. Add the béchamel sauce on top of the cheese, making sure that it is all covered. Sprinkle the top with the garlic salt (or you could skip this, if you think you have too much salt in there already and just do a little bit of garlic powder). 

Let this stand for about 10 minutes so the sauce melts the cheese.

(Note: If you want to add the shredded chicken, you add it on top of the pasta, right before you add the cheese, and the béchamel sauce.)

6. Preheat oven 325 while waiting.

7. And then, also during the 10-minute wait, on a small saucepan, melt a little over 2 tbsps. of butter in medium heat. Add the panko bread and stir. Keep stirring until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. (This is important, as you do not want to keep those breadcrumbs cooking as you prepare the mac n cheese.)

8. Mix the macaroni, sauce and cheese combination thoroughly with a large spoon. 

9. Sprinkle toasted buttered breadcrumbs on top.

10.Bake in the preheated 325 F oven for 14-15 minutes. Serve warm.

This recipe serves about 3-4 people.

Many, many years ago – when I first met Steve’s parents, his Italian mom gave me her recipe for Sausage and Meatballs. Thus began my “love affair” with pasta sauces, and doing away with those pre-made sauces that I used to buy from the grocery stores, and also moving away from the “Filipino spaghetti” I knew growing up – the one where catsup was used, a lot of sliced hotdogs mixed in and grated Velveeta cheese added on top. 

Being given a recipe by an Italian mom – one that was handed to her by her own mom, and her mom’s mom before that – was humbling and flattering at the same time. I was definitely touched by the gesture. At the same time, however, I found myself becoming more interested in how pasta sauces were made. 

My mother-in-law’s sausage and meatballs recipe was fantastic (Steve’s favorite) but I kept thinking how I would try to do something else. Explore the world of the Bolognese sauce.

The Bolognese sauce recipe I came up with is based on a recipe I saw on Food Network’s “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef” (love Anne Burrell!) but I tweaked it a little bit to fit Steve’s palate. I added sausages to it, used a little less salt, a bit more herbs. Added a few short-cuts. And – because Steve doesn’t really eat vegetables on a regular basis – added more vegetables to it, albeit chopped up. 

To my surprise (and delight), Steve has loved this recipe – and has even declared it his favorite pasta sauce. Shhh. We never told his Italian mother that. He has said that I should actually bottle my sauce and sell it. Hah. 

But I do love making this sauce. I normally would make it on a Sunday when I have as much time as I want, when it’s cold out. The aroma of the sauce as it cooks for hours somehow adds a warm coziness to the house. It helps that I sip red wine while cooking this.(I adhere to that adage that you should never cook with wine you wouldn’t drink. I only use red wine in my sauce that I would like. Cabernet Sauvignon usually. Sometimes Merlot.)

Remember also that you will also be cooking a large batch of sauce. Be ready with additional containers so you can put your extra pasta sauce in the freezer for future use.

Ready to make your pasta sauce? Take out the biggest pot you have, put on that apron, turn on that music and let’s do this.

Ingredients:

· 1 large onion (or 2 medium ones), cut into chunks

· 6-8 cloves garlic, peeled

· 3-4 long ribs of celery and 2-4 large carrots, cut up into chunks (Tip: for this I normally buy those already cut-up packages of celery and carrots in the produce aisle. Although I always make it a point to add a few more baby carrots which I usually have in hand in the fridge. Carrots add this natural sweetness to the dish that is rather refreshing.)

· Extra virgin olive oil

· Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

· 1 package of fresh Italian sausage (I normally get one that doesn’t have fennel - the taste tends to overpower the sauce, is what I think) normally a little over a pound. Though sometimes, when they are on sale, I buy the family size. What the hey – the more sausage, the better, right?

· 3 lbs of ground beef (chuck, brisket – or a combination) or you can also use the meatloaf mix (beef, pork, veal) or even healthier, turkey. (Note: You have an option to also make Italian style meatballs with 2 lbs of the ground beef – which you can add, uncooked to the sauce once you have added the tomatoes. Bonus recipe below. You will still have 1 pound of ground beef to add in this sauce if you do that.)

· 1 can 18 oz tomato paste

· 2 cans 28-oz San Marzano peeled tomatoes (Note: When making pasta sauce, I always prefer San Marzano tomatoes. You can use regular ones if you can’t find them. But do try to use San Marzano.)

· 3 cups hearty red wine (I usually use Cabernet Sauvignon, but again – this is according to your taste) using up practically a whole bottle, with a glass for the cook, of course.

· Water

· 3-4 bay leaves

· A sprig of fresh thyme and some fresh rosemary

· Optional: rind of parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Place sausages on a tray and bake in a preheated oven (at 350) for 40 minutes. Once done, let stand for a few minutes (so the juices don’t run out) and them cut into 1 inch pieces, but at an angle. Set aside.

2. While the sausages are in the oven, start preparing the vegetables (i.e., cut the carrots , celery and onions into chunks and put all of these together with the garlic cloves - ready for the processor). In a food processor, puree or chop together the carrots, onions, garlic and celery until they become coarse paste.

3. Put extra virgin olive oil on your (very large) pot, basically covering the surface (about 4 slow circles of that olive oil dispenser, say), probably around ¼ cup over medium heat.

4. Add the pureed vegetables and season with a sprinkle of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir and increase the heat to medium high. Cook these veggies until they are nice and brown, with the liquid evaporating off them. This should be about 15 to 20 minutes. (Note: this is one dish you cook with a lot of patience, and even walking away for a bit. This is why I usually cook this on Sundays, as I like to do the laundry in between. Or read my book. Or watch a football or baseball game on TV.)

5. Then add the ground beef, stirring with a sturdy wooden spoon (or you can use that potato masher tool) so they separate and cook evenly until the meat is brown. This lasts about 15-20 minutes also. (As Anne Burrell says, do not rush this step. Browned meat for this dish is really good. In fact, you should be getting some of those nice brown crud at the bottom of your pan, which you should try to get as you stir with your wooden spoon.) Add a bit more salt or perhaps at this point you can start using Dash. And some fresh ground pepper.

6. Add the sliced sausages, and stir together with the ground beef.

7. Add the tomato paste, stir, and cook until it looks a bit brown – around 5 minutes.

8. Then add the red wine. Cook until the wine looks like it has reduced by half, which would also be around 5 minutes. Stir.

9. Add the peeled tomatoes, crushing them as you stir (use the potato mashing tool again). (Note: if you have Italian style meatballs, add them to the sauce now. Uncooked. You can also opt to add the sliced sausages h=at this time instead of earlier if you don't want them smashed while you are dealing with the whole peeled tomatoes.)

10. Add enough water so that the liquid is about 1 inch above the meat. Add the bay leaves and the sprig of thyme and rosemary. (Tip: Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen twine. Sometimes, I create my home-made herb container by putting these herbs in a paper coffee filter and tying them in there. Or you can use one of those fancy metal herb containers, if you have it. I finally got myself one a few years ago. Very handy to have.)

11. Bring to a boil and then simmer. Lower heat, stirring occasionally. You will gradually be adding water to the sauce as the liquid evaporates – some 2 to 3 cups of water every 30 to 45 minutes. You do this for about 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours – adding and making the water evaporate gradually. And seasoning as you go along with either salt or Dash. Stir occasionally and also taste. Make sure you do all of this gradually – and do NOT put all that water up front and therefore just boil the meat. By this gradual cooking of the sauce and adding of the water, you allow the taste to develop slowly but surely. (Optional: If you have one of those parmesan cheese rinds - from when you get those blocks of cheese - stored in either your fridge or freezer, drop one into the sauce as it cooks. Later, when you are done cooking the sauce, you can take out whatever remaining rind you have still. This adds a special kind of creaminess to the sauce.)

About a half hour before you are done with the sauce, start with the pasta. My mother-in-law always used rigatoni with her meat sauce so I like using that pasta as well, although I usually prefer the mezzi rigatoni kind. Recently however, I discovered how great this sauce was with pappardelle pasta, especially after I found a place that sells a really good brand of it at the Chelsea Market. 

Cook the pasta according to directions (adding salt into the boiling water), a bit on the al dente side though as you will be cooking it some more with the sauce later.

Before draining out the pasta when it’s cooked, set aside about a cup of that pasta water.

Put the drained pasta back into the pan you used for cooking and add back the cup of pasta water you set aside (or you could add a half cup first, adding more later if you think it's necessary). Ladle some of the newly-cooked pasta sauce onto it until the pasta is covered, or as much sauce as you want in it. This is your dish – it is really your call. 

Turn the heat on to medium and stir pasta and sauce together – cooking them until the sauce thickens a bit – about 3-5 minutes. 

Turn heat off and add a swig of good olive oil (or a tbsp - or two - of unsalted butter).  Stir. 

Serve on a platter with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Serve with garlic bread if you have them. (I normally use those frozen garlic breads that I cook in the oven at the same time as the pasta. Those frozen garlic breads usually cook for 6 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Put the rest of the sauce in freezer-safe containers. A batch normally gives me three or four dinners. When you want to use the sauce, thaw in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Cook in a pan, and simmer while you are cooking the pasta. Then cook together like above. (Don’t forget the pasta water!)

BONUS

Italian Style Meatballs

2 lbs meatball mix (ground beef, pork, veal)

1/3 cup plain bread crumbs

½ cup milk

2 tbsps olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

2 eggs

¼ bunch parsley, chopped

3 cloves garlic crushed

2 tsps salt

1 tsp ground pepper

½ tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp Italian herb seasoning

2 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onions in hot oil until translucent, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool a bit.

2. Using a rubber spatula, mix the ground meat, the cooked onions, bread crumbs, eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian herb seasoning, and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or so.

3. Using wet hands, form meat mixture into balls, about 1.5 inches in diameter. Arrange on a baking sheet that had been previously sprayed lightly with oil.

4. If you are adding them to the sauce, you can add them straight into it after you added the tomatoes.

5. Or you can arrange them on a baking tray that had been previously sprayed lightly with oil, then bake in a preheated oven (425 degrees F) for about 15 to 20 minutes until browned. Then enjoy with your favorite pasta sauce, or as is. (For easier clean up, you can use parchment paper on the baking tray.)

Steve once told me that he really loved his Italian grandmother’s garlic pasta – which was “soupy.” That same week I was out with friends in the West Village and ordered Capellini with Garlic Sauce and Chicken. It was pretty darn good, and I was thinking, “Hmm, I probably can make this.” Looked it up online, found one from the New York Times but thought, “I can probably can simplify this further!” You know me, always looking for efficiencies.  :)

So comes this one pot pasta recipe. It takes about 20 minutes to make, start to finish. It has also become one of Steve’s all time favorites, and an easy go-to recipe on a weeknight after work. Here goes.

You’ll need:

· 7 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped

· ¼ c extra virgin olive oil

· 3 lbs (48 oz) package low-sodium chicken broth (note: you can also use plain water – about 7 cups plus chicken broth seasoning)

· Kosher salt

· Italian flat parsley, rinsed and chopped, about a handful

· Pasta of your choice (I like to use either thin or regular spaghetti, sometimes angel hair [capellini]. If you use this though, be aware that capellini tends to absorb liquid fast so you cannot let it sit there after it is cooked.)

· Red pepper flakes

· Black pepper

· Cooked chicken (I like to use already cooked chicken packaged and sold in the meat section of the grocery store, like those Perdue Short-Cuts – which I heat in the microwave for 45 seconds once I start cooking the garlic). Note: you can also use steamed or grilled vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower if you want to make this a vegetarian dish. In that case, you also use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil in medium heat. 

2. Add garlic, and a dash of salt (or salt-free Dash). Keep stirring until brown.

3. Slowly and carefully pour chicken broth in.

4. Then add the pasta. Put heat on Medium High

5. Once the broth starts boiling, put heat back on Medium and cook according to pasta package directions (for example, angel hair only takes 4 minutes, thin spaghetti around 7 minutes for al dente, a minute or two more if you like it more tender).

6. When the pasta is as you like it, add the chicken (or whatever topping you want), kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and chopped fresh parsley. Mix while also stirring in a quick swig of extra virgin olive oil. Turn heat off.

7. (At this point, you can also add cream, or cheese – that is optional. I keep it simple and leave it as is and serve grated parmesan cheese on the side.)

8. Serve with garlic bread if you have it. Or bread heated up in the oven for a few minutes and slathered with butter. Yum.

I have been asked many times what the secret to my caldereta was. And I always smile because it really isn’t a secret at all. I marinate the beef in vinegar, black peppercorns and garlic. This simple step makes a lot of difference, in my opinion.

The caldereta always looks impressive during special dinners, and I liked serving them even during Thanksgiving and Christmas – just as my own mother liked to make them during holiday dinners back in Tacloban. Here in the US, it was one dish I liked to include during that all-American Thanksgiving dinner feast. Because no matter how Americanized my kids and I may now seem to be, we are still Filipinos in our core.  The caldereta on the Thanksgiving table is a symbol of that, as it quietly and proudly holds its own, surrounded by the roast turkey and all the trimmings.

It really is a pretty easy dish to make. It just takes more time, but hey…so does the Thanksgiving turkey, right?

Ingredients:

2 lbs stewing beef, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes

½ c vinegar (I like to use the Filipino coconut vinegar “Datu Puti” but if I don’t have it, I substitute with rice wine vinegar)

8-10 black peppercorns, crushed

3-4 garlic cloves, crushed (you don’t even have to peel them as they will be in the marinade and will be discarded)

¼ c cooking oil 

2 tsps salt 

1 medium onion, sliced

1 8 oz can tomato sauce 

½ c water

1 medium carrot, sliced into thin circles (I like cutting grooves into the sides of the carrot before slicing. Turns the circles into flower-like shapes. I saw Mama doing this a lot, and I always liked doing that, too. Just a nice touch, I suppose)

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 bay leaf

1 tsp hot sauce, or another sprinkle or two if you want it spicier

1 tsp white sugar (this is optional)

3 oz can liver pate or liver spread (it is always easier to find this in a Filipino store – or you can find them in the deli section in grocery stores. Don’t be put off by this liver spread if you don’t normally eat liver. The dish will NOT end up tasting like liver, I promise. But this liver pate adds a bit of sweetness and creaminess to the dish, and thickens the sauce.)

1 small can of peas (also optional)

1 small jar of stuffed green Spanish olives, drained

1. Marinate the beef in the vinegar, peppercorns and garlic for at least 2 hours. (Note: if you are cooking this for supper, you can marinate the meat in the morning. If you are cooking calderetafor lunch, you can marinate the beef the night before and refrigerate. Just remember to take the meat out of the refrigerator at least a half hour before cooking to get it closer to room temperature.)

2. Drain the meat in a colander, discarding the marinade.

3. Heat oil in medium high heat using a 12-in skillet and brown the beef in small batches. Do NOT crowd the pan so they brown evenly and do not “boil” in the oil. Slow but sure.  Set the browned meat aside.

4. Saute the onions in the remaining oil in the pan until it’s soft though not brown. Just for about a minute or so. Then put the browned beef back into the pan.

5. Add the tomato sauce, bay leaf salt, sugar (if you are using sugar) and hot water. Stir, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook in medium to medium low heat (it all depends on your stove, but just make sure that the fire is not so high that the sauce is boiling - it should only be gently simmering) for about 1 ½ to 2 hours until the beef is tender. (Others use pressure cooker for their caldereta, which is fine. It’s just not for me. I like to use regular pots, as I like the slower pace and being able to do other things while this is cooking for a couple of hours.)

6. Add the carrots. Cover for another 5 minutes.

7. Add the hot sauce and the green and red peppers then simmer for about 10 minutes covered.

8. Add the liver pate or liver spread (and green peas, if you want), and also the stuffed olives. Stir and simmer for a few minutes.

I have seen this served with sliced boiled eggs and more fresh olives on top. I have never really done that because I think the dish, especially when served hot, alongside white jasmine rice, is very delectable as it is.

When I make brunch for a group of people I like to make a frittata, not just an omelet. I found several recipes online but created one which uses whatever veggies and cheese I have in the fridge. I usually serve it in the pan since I generally use my iron skillet (which I keep oiled/seasoned in my oven, ready for use at any time). 

While the frittata is in the oven, I rustle up a few slices of quick French toast. (And while cooking the French toast, nuke some bacon for good measure.)

Serve everything with orange juice and coffee and voila – a nice, hefty brunch which is not only yummy but very easy to make.

(I usually prep everything earlier, as soon as I wake up. I wash the vegetables and fruits, put them in a colander to dry, then slice them a half hour later. The fruits I put in a covered container and park in the fridge to cool. I also take the eggs out so they come to room temperature. Then I take out all the containers and pans I will use, and gather other ingredients that don’t need to stay refrigerated. This way, when it’s time to cook, it’s more or less just throwing things in.)

Veggie Frittata

You’ll need:

· 12 eggs (Tip: take eggs out of the fridge hours before you start cooking. Eggs at room temperature cook nicer.)

· About 1/3 c milk 

· 1 tsp. vanilla extract

· 1 cup of shredded cheese (the recipes online say parmesan, but I use cheddar, or mozzarella, or whatever I have in my fridge)

· Optional: a pinch of paprika and cayenne

· 2 tbsps. butter (or you can use olive oil)

· Salt and pepper to taste

· Onions, diced (any kind, although I like the yellow onions for this recipe)

· Vegetables, cut into more or less small pieces (so they cook faster and evenly). Use whatever you have in the fridge: broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, etc.). You can also add sliced tomatoes if you want, but make sure you take the seeds out.

· NOTE: if you don’t want a strictly vegetable frittata, you can add Andouille sausages, or pre-cooked shredded chicken. But you add them in after the onions and tomatoes, and before the other veggies. You want them heated through.

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. Then add about half of the cheese. Stir until mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste.(This is when you also add the paprika and cayenne pepper, if you are using them. I like to add peppers to any recipe with eggs. They just add a pleasant zing.) Set aside.

In a non-stick, oven-safe skillet, heat up butter or oil in medium to medium high heat, and then add diced onions. (You may also add grated garlic here, if you like. Though I have always skipped it for this dish.)

If you are including tomatoes, add them after the onions start to wilt a bit. Keep stirring. This mixture will give off a very pleasant aroma. Once it does that, start adding your other vegetables, starting with those which need to cook longer such as cauliflower, squash. Add spinach and leafy vegetables last. Make sure though that your vegetables are cooked, though not soggy. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. (A pinch! Remember that your eggs have salt already and the cheese in that mixture also add saltiness.)

Once vegetables are cooked, add the egg mixture and gently stir for a few seconds so that everything is distributed evenly across the pan.

Within about 10-15 seconds, you should see the edges of the frittata harden a bit. Turn off the fire and then add the rest of the shredded cheese on top.

Put the pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes. Watch your frittata. You don’t want it to overcook. Once there are bubbles on top and the frittata only gently jiggles when you move it, it should be done. At this time you can turn on your broiler and leave it under there for a few seconds. I don’t bother with this. I just take the frittata out of the oven; let it sit for a few minutes and then slice. If you have herbs around such as parsley, feel free to sprinkle some of top.

Easy French Toast

You’ll need:

· Challah bread, sliced into ¾ inch pieces

· 6 eggs

· 2 c milk (if you have any heavy cream, you can use that, too)

· 1 tsp. vanilla extract

· 2 tbsps. honey (or more if you want it sweeter)

· Orange zest (Optional: You can also add the juice of that same orange)

· Butter

In a large casserole dish, mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, honey, orange zest (and orange juice, if you like).

In a large skillet, melt butter in medium high heat. Do a couple of tbsps. for starters, and add as you go along. While all of this is heating up, do the bread.

Dip the bread slices in the egg mixture, both sides. After a few seconds, take out, make sure any extra liquid drips back into the mixture, and then drop the slice into the skillet. Fry for about a minute or two each side. (Tip: if you are not serving the French toast immediately, you can keep the slices in the oven set at a very low temperature, say between 225-275 degrees. You can either put them in a baking pan, or better yet, place them on a baking rack on top of a cookie sheet.)

Once done, you have several options on how to serve your French toast:

· Like Jersey French Toast from the Jefferson Diner: with Nutella drizzled on top of each slice then sliced berries (strawberries, blueberries), syrup then whipped cream.

· With confectioner’s sugar sprinkled on each slice before or after the syrup.

· Toasted almonds or pecans sprinkled along with whatever fruits you want (bananas, raspberries), then syrup and whipped cream. They call this Napoleon French Toast at the Pompton Queen Diner.

· Maple syrup or raspberry sauce

· Whipped cream

· Chocolate syrup drizzled on top

Serve while the bread is warm and enjoy!

In late 2017, Cheesecake Factory opened a restaurant here in Rockaway, NJ. Steve and I had never been to any of the restaurants in this chain, but when one became available two minutes away from the house, well, we were there quite often enough. Steve immediately picked a favorite in their menu – their Chicken Parm Pasta Pizza. As I looked at that dish, I thought, “Hmmm, I can do that. Perhaps even tweak it a little bit for Steve’s taste.” So that I did. Sure enough, it became Steve’s new favorite dish even at home. It is a hit each and every time.

This is that recipe.

It is an evolving recipe as I keep tweaking it according to my taste and the taste of my “audience.” The restaurant’s version has a butter garlic sauce so I have put my version of that also as an alternative below.  But I have been making the marinara version.

For this recipe, you will need a 10-in pie pan. It will serve about three people. I say “about” because if I let him, my husband would eat the whole pie by himself.  

Ingredients:

1/3 lb thin linguini 

About 2 cups Marinara sauce (I usually whip something myself but I have also used store bought - I prefer Rao’s.)

2 or 3 pieces Chicken breast, pounded flat (although you can also use thin sliced chicken breasts, or even chicken tenders - as long as you make enough to cover the bottom of your pie pan completely)

Grated parmesan cheese, 1 ½ cups – you will need about a cup for the breading, and the rest for the topping.

Shredded Mozzarella cheese, about a cup and a half

Panko bread crumbs, divided (see instructions below)

Optional - Parmesan seasoned breadcrumbs

Flour, about a cup, divided (see instructions below)

3 large eggs 

Butter

Olive oil

Garlic powder

Dried basil

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Create your breading station for the chicken:

- In one plate, mix about a 1 c flour with about a tsp or two of garlic powder, a pinch of salt and pepper, to taste.

- Loosely whip 3 eggs in a shallow bowl. If desired, add a sprinkle of hot pepper and paprika (I always do this with my egg wash. Adds a nice though almost imperceptible zing.) Add about a tbsp. of water or milk so egg mixture is not too thick.

- In another plate, mix about a cup and a half panko breadcrumbs with about 2 tbsps. of flour, then add 3/4 c to a cup of grated parmesan cheese.

Bread chicken, making sure you shake off any excess flour before putting chicken pieces to egg wash, and then letting excess egg wash drip off before putting in breadcrumb mixture.

Heat about a tbsp. of butter and another tbsp. of olive oil in a shallow frying pan. Fry breaded chicken breasts in medium heat. This should only take a few minutes each side. Just until golden brown. If you are cooking more than one batch of chicken, add more butter and some olive oil before you add a second batch. 

Put cooked chicken on paper towel to absorb excess oil. (Note: you can also make this healthier, I suppose, by baking the breaded chicken - probably around 25 minutes at 350 degrees until the meat temp is about 155 degrees. Remember that you will be baking this further with the pasta later.)

Mix marinara sauce with about 1 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. dried basil. Stir until well blended. If you do not have dried basil, you may substitute with Italian seasoning.

Add a layer of the marinara sauce mixture on the bottom of the pie pan. Set remaining sauce aside for the pasta.

Add chicken layer, making sure the whole bottom of the pie plate is covered with the breaded parm chicken. Should be snug. You may have to cut some pieces of chicken to fit gaps. Make sure that the whole bottom of the pan is snug with breaded chicken. This is basically your “pizza crust” which, once cooked with the cheese on top, will meld together in the oven.

Add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese, perhaps a cup or more (depending on how cheesy you want the dish to be). You can also use other cheese you like, such as Fontina. I usually add whatever other kinds of cheese I have in the fridge (cheddar, pepper jack, etc.)

Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and parmesan seasoned breadcrumbs (I found one from Progresso at the grocery store) on top. If you do not have the parmesan seasoned breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs mixed with a little parmesan cheese is fine. This provides a little bit of crunch on the top.

Bake in preheated oven (375) for 24-27 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the linguini according to package instructions. Drain well after cooking.

Mix cooked/drained pasta with remaining marinara sauce. Blend well.

Once the parmesan chicken pie is done, take off the oven and add the pasta with the sauce on top. I like to add them in whorls all around the top of the “pizza pie.” Once done, sprinkle with a little bit of parmesan cheese.

Serve with some garlic bread, if you have them, and enjoy!

Alternative Garlic Butter Sauce:

You’ll need:

½ c butter (1 stick)

2-3 cloves of garlic, squashed and chopped (use 3 cloves if you want a more garlicky flavor)

About 1/3 tsp. dried basil

3 tsps. of dried oregano

A pinch or two of dried pepper flakes

A tbsp. of chopped fresh parsley

In a small saucepan, melt butter in medium heat, then add the garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and a bit brown. Be careful not to overcook the garlic as most people do not like bitter overcooked garlic in their dishes.

Add the basil and oregano, stir. As you take it off the heat, add the dried pepper flakes. (If you want, you can even add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper here.)

Use about a half of this as a first layer of the parm pizza (instead of the marinara sauce), before you add the cooked chicken. The rest you toss the cooked and drained pasta with (along with the chopped parsley) before adding to the top of the chicken parm pizza after you take it out of the oven.

I have made this chocolate cake for dessert so much that I no longer think too much about its ingredients. I know them by heart, and for the most part, I always have all the ingredients in my kitchen. Over the years, this cake has become my go-to dessert and it has never failed me. Especially when I serve it with whipped cream. Sometimes even vanilla ice cream. Ayayay!

For this recipe, I use a bundt pan. My mother-in-law gave me hers many years ago and I love that it gets a lot of use mainly because of this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 oz) box dark chocolate cake mix, although you can also use the Devil’s Food Cake mix, or one of those extra fudge cake mixes. My rule? Experiment. 

1 (3.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 (16 oz) container sour cream (try to use the regular one, not one of those “light” versions). Also, if you don't have sour cream, you can also use plain or vanilla yogurt. (I did this when I made this cake in Tacloban. Just couldn't find sour cream in any of the stores there! Still came out yummy.)

3 eggs (take them out of the fridge hours before you make the cake so they are in room temperature)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

½ cup Kahlua or any coffee-flavored liqueur. (Once I used Bailey’s Irish Cream when I ran out of Kahlua. It was actually pretty good!). Also, I know you are supposed to be precise when baking but I do go a little over ½ cup with the Kahlua. Come on, can you blame me?

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips. Honestly though – just use a whole 12-oz package of these chocolate chips. One less thing to measure.

Optional items you can serve this cake with:

Confectioner’s sugar

Whipped cream

And/or your favorite ice cream (I prefer vanilla for this)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a bundt pan with Pam (for baking) and make sure all inside surfaces are covered well.

Take about a tbsp. or two of the cake mix and mix it with the chocolate chips. This will make sure the chips don’t sink once they are mixed in with the rest of the cake mixture. Set aside.

Put the rest of the cake mix in a large bowl and add the rest of the required ingredients (pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, coffee liqueur, vegetable oil), except for the chocolate chips. Stir until everything is mixed well. Do not over-mix though, else the cake will be less fluffy.

Stir in the chocolate chips and mix carefully.

Once you have done this, scoop the thick mixture over to the Bundt pan.

Bake in the middle part of the preheated oven for 1 hour.

Once done, take out the oven and  let sit for about 10 minutes. Then take off the pan to cool completely. 

Serve with a sprinkle of confectioners sugar on top, and with a dollop of whipped cream and/or ice cream with each slice.

p.s. 

When the cake has cooled completely or you are having cake left-overs, nuke or put the cake slice in the microwave for a few seconds (perhaps 8-10). And then top with whipped cream right before you serve.

Enjoy!

It’s late July and my garden is giving me a lot of tomatoes, and the herbs on my deck are thriving in spite of the heat. So it becomes even more imperative for me to come up with dishes that can use them as much as I can. One of those recipes where I can be extra generous with cherry tomatoes and herbs is my version of balsamic chicken.

When I posted a photograph of this dish as soon as I was done making it, many people who were following me on Facebook and Instagram reacted to it and asked for the recipe. Several suggested I should publish a recipe book. Huh. Could this be the simple recipe that finally pushing my procrastinating self into publishing THE book? Perhaps.

Here is that recipe.

You will need: 

·  3-4 thin sliced boneless chicken breasts (if they are a half inch thick, you can put them in between two plastic sheets or parchment paper then gently hit them with a meat mallet [the flat edge] or the bottom of a small skillet. This helps tenderize them by breaking up those stringy fibers that could make the chicken chewy, and also cook faster.)

·  Salt and pepper

·  About 2 tbsps olive oil

·  3 cloves of garlic, chopped

·  About a pint of cherry tomatoes, halved

·  Fresh basil leaves, cut into slices (or in chiffonade, where you roll the leaves together and then slice), about ten leaves

·  1/3 c balsamic vinegar

·  Optional: chopped parsley

Season both sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in skillet in medium high heat.
Once oil is hot, add the chicken breasts, preferably in batches. You don’t want to crowd the skillet otherwise they don’t brown properly.
Cook the chicken about 3-4 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of the breast.
Put the cooked chicken on a plate and set aside.

Lower heat to medium.
In same skillet, add the garlic. Once the garlic is fragrant (less than a minute and you keep stirring), add the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Stir and let the balsamic vinegar simmer for a few minutes until the tomatoes are wilted and the vinegar reduces and thickens a bit, about 5-7 minutes or so. (You are basically doing a balsamic reduction here.)
Add a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper to taste, if you like.
Add back the chicken and nestle them within the sauce and tomatoes and basil, and let cook for another couple minutes.

Just as you turn off the heat, sprinkle the chopped parsley on top, if you have them.

I serve this immediately with rice on the side.

(Note: you can also add slices of mozzarella on top of the chicken after you added them back into the balsamic sauce and then cover the skillet for a few minutes on medum low heat. Then you are now making Caprese Chicken. I hardly ever do this as I like this dish with rice and I am not a fan of rice and cheese for dinner.)