Taste of Home: chocolate chip cookies

I love the simplicity of the chocolate chip cookies, and this is my favorite recipe. I’m glad that I was able to perfect it.

These cookies are my go-to-snack or after-school-treat. They are good –thick, the outside is hard and the inside is soft. The aftertaste is a wee bit chocolatey but not too much. And these can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

chocolate chip cookies without cocoa powder

chocolate chip cookies with cocoa powder

My husband and son, who don’t like sugar, like those cookies. My son usually has at least 3 cookies. Our students enjoy the cookies too.

What makes this chocolate chip cookie recipe so delicious?

• In these cookies, I only use 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1 ½ tbsp. of honey. It adds moisture and more flavor. Plus, brown sugar and honey are wonderful ingredients to bake with.
• I use fresh chicken egg at room temperature.
• I use 10 pieces of semi-sweet chocolate strips, and cut them into small slices. It may sound a lot but you can’t have a good chocolate chip cookie without a good amount of chocolate chips in each cookie, right?

Try my easy recipe, and you will have chocolate chip cookies to serve, share, and enjoy in no time.

chocolate chip cookies without cocoa powder

chocolate chip cookies with cocoa powder

What you will need:

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 40 grams of salted butter, melted
• 1 fresh chicken egg, freshly cracked
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 ½ tbsp. of honey
• ¾ tsp of baking soda
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder (optional)
• 10 pieces of chocolate chips, cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp vanilla

chocolate chip cookies without cocoa powder

chocolate chip cookies with cocoa powder

chocolate chip cookies with cocoa powder

chocolate chip cookies without cocoa powder

How to make it:

• In a mixing bowl, put in the butter, egg, vanilla, and honey. Mix well.
• Add all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and brown sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.
• Add chocolate chips. Mix.
• Scoop a tablespoon of cookie dough and form it into small ball size. Drop onto prepared baking sheets. Then flatten it using a fork.
• Bake for 20 minutes in a pre-heated over at 175⁰C. Let it cool for at least 20 minutes.
• Serve, share and enjoy.

Taste of Home: Pork Adobo

My family and I love adobo. It’s a humble Filipino dish of meat braised in vinegar and soy sauce, spiced with garlic and peppercorns. It’s one of the most famous Filipino food, served with plain steamed rice. It has a diverse and delicious story, and has long been part of our food culture and heritage.

pork adobo

There are many different versions of adobo across the archipelago since almost every home has its own adobo recipe. But whatever it is – may it be a recipe passed on by generations or an experimental recipe – for us Filipinos, adobo means home.

What I like about this dish: you can use different types of meat such as seafood, pork, chicken, squid, depending on your liking, and it’s very easy to cook. Our favorites are chicken and pork adobo since my husband doesn’t like seafood. I also found out that the secret to make the best adobo are: marinate the meat for at least 24 hours, and cook over a low heat to soften the tang of vinegar, to intensify the flavor of the meat and to create a mouth-watering sauce.

So, this is how we like our pork adobo – a delectable balance of salty and savory Filipino stew:

pork adobo

What you will need:

• ½ kg of pork ribs, chopped
• ½ kg of pork meat, chopped
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 3 tbsps of honey
• 1 cup water
• fresh Kampot pepper corn, to taste
• 1 clove of garlic, sliced

pork adobo

How to cook it:

1. Put the meat in a bowl. Add soy sauce and garlic. Marinate the meat for 24 hours or overnight.
2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Put in the marinated meat mixture. Let it cook, turning occasionally until the pork becomes slightly browned.
3. Add vinegar, water and peppercorn. Mix well. Simmer over low heat for an hour or until the meat is fork-tender.
4. Serve with steamed rice.

Taste of Home: Almond bread

I love almonds and I love almond bread. I like almond flour because it has a natural taste and it has high in proteins and low in carbohydrates.

homemade almond bread

This afternoon, I made almond bread using almond flour for our afternoon snacks. I’m really pleased with this recipe – it’s very easy to make and packed with healthy ingredients. It’s thick, dense and satisfying. And a small slice or two of almond bread served with homemade fresh passion tea make a perfect snack.

Whether or not you eat only gluten-free, I’m pretty sure you will like almond bread – it’s healthy!

homemade almond bread

What you will need:

• 2 cups of almond flour
• 4 fresh chicken eggs
• 1 tbsp natural plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp baking soda

homemade almond bread

How to make it:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl: almond flour, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined.
2. Crack the eggs in a separate small bowl. After you crack each egg, put the egg in the mixture, so that just in case you get a rotten egg, you wouldn’t ruin the mixture.
3. Add in all the wet ingredients: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and yogurt. Stir thoroughly.
4. Put the mixture into a baking dish.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180⁰C for 40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
7. Serve share and enjoy.