Papaya Milk Slushee

This is Day Two of my papaya milk slushee pictured above. I had one yesterday; saw that Ming's had it on their menu. I could not resist and had another today. At $3.50, it is a bit pricey, but it's oh-so-good!

I had taken 2 Imodium tabs just last Saturday, so needless to say, I have been a bit bloated, gassy, and constipated (TMI, sorry), but after having had this shake yesterday, I can say that it went "smooth sailing." Go figure. Whenever the kids are a bit constipated, my mom gives them fresh papaya and it always works like magic. Now, papaya's done its trick for me!

Papaya is known for its health benefits. I'm sure the fresher the foods are, the more the health benefits. Read about all of it here: Papaya Health Benefits. And this was just a quick Google search!

I have to find a way to make this shake because I probably won't be able to afford $3.50 a pop.... but just the process of taking out the blender is such a task that the cost of this may just be well worth it! Plus, the time to think about proportions and what-nots... then, factor in getting good papayas... Excuses, excuses!

So, remember, if you're feeling bloated and constipated, have some papaya or papaya shake for that matter!

Banana Muffins

I was a tad bit disppointed in the other day in that my son did not want any of the blueberry muffins (from mix) that I made. This is a boy who eats anything and yet, he did not want any! :'(

I therefore vowed to make another batch of muffins (from mix, of course) and have him try some. He loved the banana muffins from Pillsbury! Thank heavens for cake mixes!

You should know that I am not a baking person and am one of them who can screw up even a cake mix recipe, so for two batches to come out great is something worth writing about!

This batch of muffins was made from the blue Pillsbury box. One thing I noticed differently from the blueberry muffin "recipe" was that this one needed milk (instead of water). I specifically chose the mix that did not come with nuts, because I knew I can not give nuts to my son yet (he's only 14 months old).

These banana muffins came out very moist and it was so easy to make. I guess that's the purpose of the mixes, right? D-uh!!! The whole prepping and baking process took less than 1/2 an hour to make. I used up so few dishes, one would be silly not to go for cake mixes. I don't even care to make things such as these from scratch, because the mixes tend to come out better tasting, cost-effective, and it's a breeze!

So, the next time you crave baking? Reach for the cake mixes for convenience, cost, and no-frills, almost perfect home-made goodness.

The Secret to Barbecued Ribs

Only recently did I realize that the secret to perfectly cooked ribs is to slow cook on low for a loooonnnngg time! My mom did it and I had to try it for myself, since I "heart" pork ribs.

Today, being a holiday, I put a rack of baby back ribs, seasoned generously with salt and pepper in a foil wrapped pan in the oven for 6 hours on 300 degrees. Mid-way, I brushed the ribs with store-bought barbecue sauce. I turned and basted every hour and the result? Tender, juicy, moist, scrumptuous ribs! Even was great-tasting after letting it sit on the counter the rest of the afternoon and microwaved in the evening for dinner! The wait was well-worth it! Besides, the prep was minimal and no sense rushing into this one! Enjoy!

P.S.: I don't have the picture to show you because the ribs were gone in a flash! I enjoy this porky chef clipart, though. Hope you do, too.

My Lemon Pepper Wings

I was introduced to Wing Stop by Drew a few years back and boy, since then, I have been in love with their lemon pepper wings! It's probably the saltiness of it that makes me wanna have more, and more, and more!! Well, for the longest time, I only knew about the Wing Stop locations in the East Bay. Until about a month ago, one branch opened near the house at Daly City!

Because of Wing Stop's popularity, the place has been packed and orders are impossible to make. The waits are long and well, I just don't have the patience for that. Not for wings!

So, I decided to make my very own lemon pepper wings and I have to tell you, they're dead on the same as Wing Stop's! Here's my secret to share with you all:

Needed:
A good deep fryer like Fry Daddy. Fill it up with good oil and heat up well.

Wash chicken wings and pat dry. Season with some salt and pepper.

Fry wings in batches, making sure not to overload the fryer or the wings won't come out crispy. Fry only until browned (but not crisped up yet). Let wings cool while frying other batches. Then, re-fry the wings, coolest batches first. Fry until the skin is nicely browned.

After taking the wings out of the oil, immediately sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning. Coat the wings liberally to ensure the seasonings stick.

Enjoy immediately. The wings are best piping hot!

Shrimp with Lobster Sauce

Would you believe this has no lobster in it whatsoever?

This is my to-go lunch, consumed at my cube at work. I absolutely love Shrimp with Lobster Sauce and early this morning, having known that I did not have any packed lunch, I knew that I had to have my indulgence.

The first time I had this was at a Chinese restaurant close to work at another location. It was delicious. Now that our office moved to a different site, I am blessed with another close location for these darn things. Today's treat, I got from New Ming's Restaurant on Mission and 2nd Streets here in San Francisco.

The sauce was overflowing over my rice. Packed soy sauce was poured all over my rice for extra saltiness. I ended up eating all of the rice, oh about two white rice at that! The shrimp--I saved for last.

I don't know if I can make this as good as New Ming's. I can try. I looked up recipes as I devoured my plate--believe me, it was a challenge! LOL! That's when I found out, the recipe's fairly simple--and no trace of lobster at all! Wonder how it got it's name...

Westlake Coffee Shop's Eggs Benedict

I always pass by this place and from the outside, Westlake Coffee Shop seems so retro that I never bothered to go inside and try their faire. Today was a breakfast day and I was pleasantly surprised!

The place was clean--although it had dated pink patterned carpets and even older booths and counter seats. It was like walking into a 1940's diner! The menu and prices were reasonable. They had the usual American breakfast items as well as staple burgers and sandwiches. I believe they are open only for breakfast and lunch.

I ordered their eggs benedict. It's been a while since I had this and always want to try it out on a regular weekday. Most breakfast places only serve benedicts as their weekend specials. The hollandaise sauce was just right. It seemed like it was freshly made. It was runny and didn't taste like it was pre-heated at all. The eggs were poached well, but the muffin seemed like it could have been toasted a bit more and the Canadian bacon was thinner than what I would have liked. But for a mere $10, it was an okay deal.

What I liked about this place was it's homey feel. Each table had beautiful orchid plants on them and the flowers were a-plenty. I was tempted to ask the owner how she made them bloom like that!

Overall, Westlake Coffee Shop is an okay neighborhood place. I really should be patronizing the local business owners more often because most of the time, I'm pleasantly surprised and walk away with a good full stomach.

Twice Cooked Pork

I literally cooked this pork twice! I always thought that the name of the dish was a give away, but when I looked at the recipe--you do to cook it twice! This recipe is a winner, especially for left-overs for lunch the following day. Details below without clear measurements:

Bonless pork: I just love pork belly and its fatty lining, so I used some pork belly with some pork shoulder and pork butt for some more tenderness and fat in the meat. Boil pork with water enough to cover the pork, some sherry (1 Tbsp), green onions (about two stalks), and a ginger (about 1 inch) until the pork is tender (about 30~45 minutes). It's best to do this the day before, because once boiled and tender, place in the fridge until the pork is cold. When ready to cook, slice into thin 1/4 inch slices.

When ready to cook, prepare the sauce. Mix 4 tsps Hoisin sause, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp white sugar. Add some crushed red pepper flakes for heat. Add sparingly according to your taste and preferred heat level. Set aside.

Slice green and red peppers (one each). Slice in 1/1/2-inch thickness some green onions as well. Pre-fry both peppers and onions in a wok with hot cooking oil. Remove peppers and onions from oil. Grate 2 tsps ginger and toss in the same oil. Add some minced garlic. Stir both ginger and garlic in wok. Add pork slices in the wok. Stir fry until pork is coated with oil, ginger, and garlic. Add the sauce and continue stirring until the pork is well coated with sauce. Add the peppers and green onions in last when ready to serve.

Serve hot over rice. Enjoy!