Super Easy Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Was too lazy to cook dinner last night so I decided to make some grilled cheese sandwich. It was my first time to actually make it and I love that it only took less than 10 minutes to prepare.

The photo below shows how it turned out. It looks weird because I cut out the edges (I really don't like eating the edges).

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread

2 tbsps butter

1 slice of cheese*

1. Pre-heat skillet over medium heat. 

2. Generously butter one side of a slice of bread. 

3. Put the slice of bread butter-side-down on the skillet.

4. Add the cheese.

5. Butter one side of the other slice, and place butter-side-up on top of the sandwich.

6. Grill until desired brownness and flip over to toast the other side. 

*You may use whichever type of cheese you prefer. Since I like it cheesier than usual, I decided to use a slice of Edam, plus a couple tablespoons of grated Emmentaler. 

You may also add other stuff in it if you wish. I added a slice of ham and used brown bread instead of toast. 

Grilled Cheese with Ham using brown bread

Simple Beef Taco Recipe

"Stop, Taco time! Dun dun dun dun..." (to the tune of MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This")

My homemade taco! 

I've been craving tacos for the longest time. Instead of paying $2 for one small taco at Pancake House, I decided to make some at home. The online recipes I found were not simple enough so I came up with my version.
This recipe takes less than 15 minutes to prepare. 


Ingredients:
1/2 kilo ground beef 
2 tsps. oil
1 pack McCormick's taco seasoning (follow instructions on pack)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 small head of lettuce, shredded 
shredded/grated cheese (depends how much you want)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pack taco shells


Heat oil in medium-sized sauce pan. Add the ground beef and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes and make sure the beef is completely combined with the seasoning. Drain to get rid of any excess water. 


Scoop meat mixture into taco shell and top with lettuce, onions, tomatoes and cheese. Really easy, right?


If you decide to follow this recipe, let me know if you like it. Or, if you have a better taco recipe that I can try myself,  feel free to send me the link. 

Homemade Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Once you've tasted homemade mashed potatoes, you'd never want to eat those instant ones you buy at the supermarket. I know that some of you don't want to be bothered with all the prep, however, this recipe is really really simple.




Choose your potatoes wisely. A few tips:

• make sure the potatoes you buy are solid and firm
• it's better if you select from the potato bin rather than buy those that are pre-packed
• avoid potatoes with bruises, cracks or wrinkles

Recipe below is good for 2 servings.

Ingredients:
4 medium-sized potatoes
2 tbsps butter (approx. 3-4 small cubes)
1/2 cup milk
salt
pepper
a dash/pinch of nutmeg

Boil water in a pot enough to cover potatoes. Peel potatoes and cut them in half (quarters for big ones) so they cook faster. Throw them in boiling water and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. How do you know they're done? Stick a fork or a small knife into a potato--if it's soft, then it's done. Drain and put in a bowl.

Add butter while it's hot and roughly mash the potatoes. You may use a wire masher or even a fork like I do. Add milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mash some more until your desired smoothness. Don't forget to taste so you can adjust the amount of salt and pepper.

The nice thing with mashed potatoes is that it goes with just about anything. For a simple dinner, you can eat it with fried chicken and lettuce drizzled with olive oil and balsamico.

Easy Pork Sinigang Recipe

Here's my version of pork sinigang. I like it sour and with a lot of veggies. Since I haven't cooked this in a long time, I kinda forgot what some of the ingredients were as I was in the supermarket. Good thing the lady weighing the veggies was there to help me out.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo pork, cut into chunk cubes
1 medium onion, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
2 eggplants, sliced
1 bunch of kangkong (I usually cut off the thick stalks)
1 bunch of string beans, cut into 2" long
1 small radish, cut into thin round slices
1 liter of water
1 packet of sinigang mix (I used almost 2 packets since I like it sour)
2 tbsps patis (fish sauce)


In a pot, add water, pork, onions and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until meat is tender. Add sinigang mix, fish sauce, string beans, radish and eggplant and simmer for another 10 minutes. Throw in the kangkong and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Simple Spaghetti Bolognese

Here's a quick and easy recipe that everyone can follow. It's so simple that you really can't mess it up even if you don't know how to cook.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1/4 kilo ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

3-4 cups tomato sauce (I used Del Monte Original)

2 tbsps oil

salt

pepper

Pasta:

150g spaghetti

oil

salt

Heat oil in non-stick pan over medium heat. Saute garlic and onions. Throw in the beef and separate clumps. Cook for another 3 minutes and pour in tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper and keep stirring until it is gently bubbling. Switch to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning.

While the sauce is cooking, boil water in another pot and make sure it's enough to cover the pasta. Add about a teaspoon of salt and oil. Once boiling, add the pasta and simmer for 10 minutes or according to package instructions, until al dente (firm to the bite). Drain and put on a bowl or plate.

Scoop sauce onto pasta and top with grated parmesan.

Buon appetito!