Calzone and Stromboli
Actually , there are not much difference between the two . Both are made with pizza dough , you can either use sausage , pepperoni , salami , any vegetables you like . And both are good , the only difference is , with calzone , you just wrap up the meat with the dough , while stromboli , you would have to roll it like a jelly roll style . I don’t add pizza sauce inside either one of them , because we usually like to just dip them into the sauce . You can skip the sauce too and it tastes just as good .
Recipe for the pizza dough is here .
This is the calzone , you can make small individual calzone or one big one like the picture below .
This one is stromboli
Pastel Goreng ( Indonesian Empanadas )
Pastel Goreng is Indonesian snack , i used to eat this a lot when i was younger . Mom never made it herself though , we used to stop by at this one restaurant , and bought it from them . They’re delicious , now that i think about it .. it is similar to Empanadas , not so much similar to Calzone , because Calzone is using bread dough , while empanadas , has a crust almost like pie crust , similar to Pastel Goreng . The filling though is totally different , but then again you are free to use any fillings you want to . I used chicken , carrots , peas , green beans and rice vermicelli ( if i happen to have it on hand ) . This time i didn’t have rice vermicelli on hand , so i skipped it .
As for the wrapper , it would have been a lot easier and saving so much time if i had pasta maker , since i didn’t have one , i just used rolling pin and rolled it as thin as i can and cutting it using a small bowl . Not as bad as i thought it would be , so i am pretty happy with the result 
These are the pastels before they’re being deep fried :
For the wrapper , you need :
300 grams of all purpose flour
50 grams of cornstarch
salt and pepper
1 beaten egg
50 grams of melted margarine
100 ml. of water
1.In a large bowl , mix dry ingredients together . Set aside . In a small bowl , mix the water , egg and the margarine .
2. Make a well in the center and pour the wet ingredients into the well , mix it with wooden spoon , and finish up with your hands . Knead it until it becomes a smooth ball .
3. If you have pasta maker , use it , if you don’t , divide the dough into 3 or 4 small balls , and then roll it out with your rolling pin , until it’s very thin where you can see your fingers when you lift up the dough , but not too thin where it might tear . It needs to be strong enough to be folded .Cut the dough about 10 cm diameter circle , and then add your fillings . Shape just like the picture .
For filling , you need :
1/2 lb of ground chicken
1/4 lb of chopped shrimp
2 large eggs
green beans
peas
carrots
chicken cube
water
salt and pepper
flour
shallots and garlic
1. In a skillet , heat up vegetable oil , add shallots and garlic ( chopped , minced ) , then add green beans and carrots ( also chopped well ) , and then add chicken , cook until no more pink .
2. Add chicken cube , frozen peas and mix well .
3. Add little flour , about 1 tbsp. and cook for about 1 minute , then add water or milk , it should thicken up really well . Simmer for a little bit , you don’t want it to be too dry . It needs to be a little moist .
Fresh Vegetables Soup
Living in the south give us the advantage of having fresh vegetables almost all year round , not to mention it’s cheap ! Back when we were living up north , we could only do this during spring and summer , where we got to buy from farmer’s market at a great price . During winter time , it’ll be too expensive and the vegetables wouldn’t be as good as when they’re in season .
So , given that , we decided to make fresh veggies soup tonight , and it has all the yummy vegetables in it ,and it’s so easy to make too . Preparation doesn’t take that long either , so .. here it is .. basically the picture shows you the vegetables i am using in this recipe .
You need :
2 large carrots , diced
2-3 ears of corn, scrapped
4-5 plum tomatoes , diced
2 large potatoes , diced
3-4 garlic cloves
2 leeks , chopped
8 cups of vegetable broth , or chicken broth
fresh parsley
lemon juice
1. Heat the oil in the pot , then add leeks , and garlic , cook for about 4 minutes , then add carrots , potatoes and green beans . Let it cook for another 5 minutes .
2. After that , add vegetable or chicken broth , and bring to boil . Once it boils , add tomatoes and corn , and simmer for 25 minutes .
3. Before serving , sprinkle some chopped parsley and lemon juice .
Perkedel Daging
My mom used to make this a lot when she was still alive , i’ve watched her , i’ve helped her , but never really made them myself until today . It is perkedel daging , made from potatoes that were fried , then mashed . Some families , such as mine , like to add ground beef in there to make it more hearty , and therefore , you can just eat them with rice , nothing else , and you’ll full already ! Or it can be just potatoes , without any meat added , and it can be a side dish . Either way with meat or not , it is delicious , eaten alone as a snack or with rice . Whatever you want .
You need :
4-5 large potatoes , i used yukon gold potatoes , diced
vegetable oil
1/4 lb of extra lean ground beef
ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
fried shallot ( optional )
1. Heat up the oil , .once it’s hot , drop your potatoes in the oil carefully , and cook until they’re golden brown . Remove and drain from the oil using paper towel , do the same with the rest of the potatoes .
2. Once the potatoes cool a little bit , smash it with potato smasher or food processor , then add 2 egg yolks ,salt , pepper , nutmeg , and mix it , taste it , make sure you have enough spices , then add your ground beef , mix well , and shape into ball and flatten it , do the same with the rest of mixture .
3. Drop into the vegetable oil again and cook until it’s golden brown .
Pizza
Everyone loves pizza , right ? In our household , we usually make home made pizza once a month , it’s always fun making your own pizza . And they’re not that hard anyway . We usually make our own pizza crust and pizza sauce , if you are short on time , i cheat with the sauce , and used a canned sauce , but i have to adjust the taste , either add more garlic powder , onion powder , italian seasonings , pinch of sugar etc .. Tonight we made pizza , this time i made some individual pizza , everyone can choose and build their own pizza . I usually cook the veggies , because since it’s individual it will not be cooked too long in the oven , and i want my veggies a cooked just a little bit . So .. the recipe is about the same with pizza margherita recipe .. the sauce too .. just choose your own topping .. whether it’s red pepper , green pepper , red onion , sweet onion , mushrooms , bacon , sausage , pepperoni . Make sure you cook the bacon and sausage before adding them on the pizza . You can put pineapple , anchovy , olives .. whatever you want .. then top it with any cheese of your choice .. mozzarella usually the cheese for pizza , but who said you can’t go with cheddar or colby jack ? any cheese will work !!
So , check out these pictures of the pizza we built tonight and if you want to try it , use this recipe .
Andouille Sausage with Chicken Gumbo
Tonight i made meat gumbo for my family , we had gumbo before , but it was seafood , it was good too . This was a little different , although they both have great taste . I like gumbo , and we serve it with rice . Used chicken , and andouille sausage , and the holy trinity , which is onion , celery and green pepper . I guess those three is a must in gumbo making !!
You need :
1 lb of andouille sausage, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
4-5 boneless chicken thighs
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 cups of onion
1 cup of celery
1 cup of green bell pepper
3 bay leaves
1-2 tsp. of cayenne pepper
1 tsp. of salt
8 cups of chicken broth
1 tbsp. of file powder
1/2 cup of green onion
3 tbsp. of fresh chopped parsley
In a large dutch oven , add vegetable oil , then brown the sausage , about 10 minutes . Then remove with slotted spoon , set aside . Sprinkle your chicken thighs with essence of emeril generously . Then brown for 8 minutes total , and set aside . In the same pot , add 1/2 cup of vegetable oil , then add 1 cup of all purpose flour . And cook , stirring constantly , make dark brown roux , color of chocolate , for about 10-15 minutes, with medium heat . This burn easily , so make sure you keep stirring . If you’ve reach the brown roux before 15 minutes then moving on to the next step , if you haven’t reached it yet , then keep cooking it until it changes color to brown roux .
Then add the vegetables , onion , celery and green bell pepper , and mix well , cook about 4 minutes , then add cayenne , bay leaves and salt , along with the cooked sausage for a minute . Then add chicken broth , stirring while adding . And bring to boil , then return the chicken in the pot , and simmer for an hour .
Once it’s done , add the parsley and green onion , reserve some for garnish , add the file powder , and serve with rice .
Fish and Chips
We never made a home made fish and chips , we usually just bought frozen fish and fries .. LOL , but this time , i don’t know what comes to my mind , i put fish and chips on my menu . My husband was thrilled and said let’s just make it tonight , right after we did the grocery shopping . I ended up using tilapia , any other kind of fish would be okay to use , as long as it’s white , such as cod fish , or halibut . The tilapia that i used was pretty good though . While i made the fish , my husband handled the chips , in other words , it’s the fries . The brits call it chips i don’t really know why ..
For the fish , you need :
about 2 lbs of white fish , tilapia , cod , halibut ..sliced in angle
2 cups of rice flour
1 tbsp. of baking powder
1 tbsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. of black pepper
12 oz of soda water , or more , the batter should be like heavy cream consistency , if you think your batter is too thick add more soda water
1 large egg
oil for frying
In a large bowl , mix the flour , salt pepper and baking powder . Then mix the soda water with large beaten egg , and pour slowly into the flour mixture , whisk until it becomes very smooth . The batter should be thick , like a heavy cream consistency , if it’s too thick , then add more soda water , i used more soda water .
In a large plate , add more rice flour , then dredge the fish on the rice flour , and then dip them into the batter , and deep fry for about 3 minutes on each side .
For the chips , you need :
4 large white potatoes
oil for frying
Slice the potatoes into french fries style , then soak the potatoes in a water for an hour , replace the water after half an hour . Then heat up oil , in a low heat , drop the potatoes in , cook until it’s soft but not too soft . Take them out , let it dry for a little bit , then turn the heat up , and cook on high ,drop them back into the high heat oil , and cook until they’re crispy . Take them out , and sprinkle with salt and pepper , shake them , served with the fish .
Lemon Garlic Chicken w/ Angel Pasta Hair
Made this dish last night for our dinner , and if you are a garlic lover like me , i think you’ll approve of this dish . So yummy , i have to admit , it’s a little bit on a heavier side though .You can always remove the skin or using chicken breasts , it’s your choice , but i did it with chicken thighs because it has the best flavour in my opinion , and for a longer cooking , they do very well . You will need tons of garlic , i used 2 heads of garlic , probably about 20-30 cloves of garlic , Don’t be surprised you need that much garlic because it will release its sweetness when cooked for a while .I serve this with angel hair pasta , but you can always use white rice too , it should be yummy as well .
You need :
Flour
1 tbsp. of essence of emeril
salt and pepper
6 chicken thighs
Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper , then mix the flour with essence , and dredge the chicken thighs on the flour . Heat oil on a skillet , then brown the chicken 4-5 minutes on each side , Set side .
2 heads of garlic , about 20-30 cloves , peel and smash
1 1/2 large onion , thinly sliced
1 bay leaves
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1 1/2 cup of chicken broth
In the same skillet , add the sliced onions , cook about 3 minutes , then add the garlic , thyme and red pepper , cook it for a minute . Then add lemon juice and chicken broth , bring to boil , add the chicken in , and let it simmer for 30 minutes or so until the chicken is done . Serve with pasta or rice .
Mexican Sweet Bread ( Conchas )
Never had these bread before , but i was in the mood of baking , looking through my books , i’ve done quite a bit for bread , and this time i need something different , something new , ones i haven’t tried yet . Although my husband insisted that he’s missing my parker house rolls , but i decided , trying to bake something new . I came across to Mexican Sweet Bread , i didn’t see these bread a lot back in Indiana , but i’ve seen these bread in most grocery stores down here in Texas .
These breads actually isn’t hard to make , i just used mixer to mix the first half of the flour to hold up its shape and kneaded it manually . Didn’t take long to make , except for waiting them to rise , which is always the case in most bread recipes anyway . They’re incredibly soft , and the topping gives the sweet crunchy taste that the bread needed . It is also fun making this , because you can decorate to your preference .
You need :
2 1/2 tsp. of dry yeast
1/2 cup of warm water
1/2 cup of evaporated milk
3/8 cup of sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg
1/3 cup of butter
3-4 cups of flour
These are the ingredients for the bread . Mix the yeast and water , stir well , let it sit for 5 minutes. Then add the evaporated milk , sugar , melted butter , and egg and pinch of salt . Use handheld mixer , mix this together then add about 2 cups of the flour , mix well . Add little at a time more flour until the dough isn’t too sticky , around the bowl , but you don’t want to add all the flour because it might be too much and your bread will be dry . Once it’s elastic enough , take it out from the bowl , adding more flour as needed on the counter , and knead the dough for 8 minutes . Then put it in a greased large bowl , and cover with plastic . in a warm place . It should double in size .
For the topping :
1/2 cup of butter , softened
2/3 cup of sugar
1 cup of flour
2 tsp. vanilla
In a medium bowl , beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy , and then add flour little at a time . The mixture should become pasty , set aside .
After 1 hour , the bread dough should rise , and take it out from the bowl , and let it rest for 5 minutes before handling them . Then cut into 20 equal size balls , and place them in the parchment paper lined cookie sheet , and then divide the topping into 20 small balls , and flatten it out and place them on top of each ball , then flat the bread and topping lightly with your palm . Then using knife , cut the decorations on it . Do the same with the rest , Bake at 375 F , about 15 minutes or so .
Mac and Cheese Stuffed Poblanos
Few weeks ago when i was watching this food talk show on tv , i ran across something that caught my attention . I am not a mac and cheese person , i never grew up eating those kind of things .. even when i moved here and don’t get me wrong , i like cheese , but it’s not on my top of the list . Especially macaroni and cheese , i would be just fine without it . Well , my son likes mac and cheese , he loves the instant mac and cheese , and he loves the home made mac and cheese , although i don’t make mac and cheese that often , he doesn’t eat the instant ones that often either , but he would ask me a lot of time when we’re at the grocery store , if he could get it . I said no a lot of the time , i don’t like him eating too much junk stuff like that , but once in a while it’s okay .
So , i mentioned that i made mac and cheese home made before , few times , and every single recipes that i used , i couldn’t care less about eating it , a lot of the time it’s too cheesy and i just can’t eat something with too much cheese . But today , it’s different .. it didn’t require all fancy cheese such as gruyere cheese .. like i did before . But just used monterey jack cheese .. and super easy and didn’t take time .. and this is the taste of mac and cheese that i can deal with . I had it for dinner !! Normally when i make mac and cheese , i don’t eat them ! But this time , i did !! So here goes ..
You need 
PS: if you don’t have poblanos , you can just use ramekins and it’ll be fine too that way )
8 poblano peppers
1 large onion , sliced thin
8 oz of elbow macaroni
1 heaping tbsp. of all purpose flour
2 cups of milk
1 chicken bouiillon cube
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 cups of shred monterey jack cheese
1 cup of crumbled cornbread
salt to taste
1. Preheat your broiler , then rub your poblanos with some olive oil evenly , then place it on a baking sheet under the broiler for a total of 10 minutes . Rotate the peppers so it will blister all over . Take it out when it’s done evenly , let it cool for few minutes , then peel off the blister while it’s still slightly warm , and then let it totally cool before make a slit on the pepper .
2. Once it’s cool , slit the pepper and take out the seed and the veins inside carefully , you want the pepper be able to hold the mac and cheese , so it’s like a boat for the mac and cheese .Place on the parchment paper .
3. In a skillet , cook the sliced onion until caramelized , about 16-20 minutes , medium low heat .Meanwhile cook the elbow macaroni according to the direction , then drain . Set aside .
4. When the onion is done caramelizing , add 1 tbsp. of all purpose flour and cook for a minute to get rid of the rawness and then using a whisk , add your 2 cups of milk , and keep whisking until there is no lumps , then add your bouillon cube , paprika and salt and then it should get thicker about 4-5 minutes . Then add 2 cups of monterey jack cheese and stir well until it’s melted . Then add your elbow macaroni .Adjust your salt
5. Scoop few tbsp. into the poblano peppers , and then sprinkle with crumbles cornbread and bake for 10 minutes at 350 F .
