Janice and Bianca's Dishes

Oh wow, I'm finally posting something on my poor feeling-abandoned blog... wooohooo and pat on the back for me!  Being extremely busy at work (this is probably my most challenging yet) and being (sighhh with a smile :-)) pregnant, kept me from blogging.  Again, no complaints, but looking at my diminishing blog roll at the right (yup, look at the right of this page), I felt kinda sad!  Today, I decided to at least enjoy what's left of my weekend by sharing some wonderful recipes I found in (drum roll)... Kris TV!  Yup, apart from the Food Network, there's actually a lot of really easy recipes you can learn from this show.  Last week, Janice de Belen and Bianca Gonzales shared their own recipes and I was instantly hooked.  I actually have a little bit of trivia about these two celebrities...

Janice de Belen, as most Pinoys know, is one of the best dramatic actors in Philippine television and cinema.  I also think she has one of the most beautiful and recognizable faces in Showbiz and I really do love her not only because of these facts, but I actually have a cousin, who looks just like her!  I hope she doesn't kill me when she reads this blog, but I'm really proud being her cousin - mind you, she's an accomplished MD and mother of two adorable little boys.  See the picture on the right?  That's her!  Ok, so before the topic goes off somewhere else, in the Kris TV show, I learned that Janice is also a very good cook and even took formal training a few years ago.  So the dish she demonstrated was actually just her own invention - Lemon Butter Prawns with Garlic Pasta.  I did a little variation here, because I did not have "black prawns" and regular spaghetti noodles.

Garlic Infused Olive Oil and the finished dish, Lemon Butter Prawns with Garlic Whole Wheat Spaghettini

Ingredients:

Garlic Infused Olive Oil 

(Heat 1 Head Minced Fresh Garlic in 1/3 cup Olive Oil for 15 mins)

Jumbo Shrimps (about 10 pieces)

1 Package Whole Wheat Spaghettini Cooked

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Garlic Minced

1 Tbsp Lemon Rind

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Salt & Pepper

Parsley Flakes

Directions:

Heat the butter and olive oil in a shallow pan.  Add the shrimps and cook each side for about 30 secs (or until it turns orange).  Add the lemon rind and juice.  Set aside.  

In the same pan, add the cooked pasta and garlic oil.  Season with Salt and Pepper.  Turn of the heat.

In a plate, add the pasta and top with the cooked shrimps.  Garnish with Parsley flakes.

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The next dish I made, thanks to Kris TV, was cooked by Bianca Gonzales.  So here are some trivia about Bianca.  Back in grade school, she was actually my bus mate in La Salle Zobel!  I don't think she'd remember me, because she was about five years younger and we never really talked, except if she had to say "excuse me" to get through our crowded bus or when she had to sit next to me.  Never thought she'd be in showbiz, but at least she's one of the classier ones!  Oh and my trivia doesn't end there - similar to my Janice story above, she's also a look-alike of one of my best friends.  See picture in left - and apart from the obviously good looks, they have the same demeanor too!  Funny because after watching the show, my friend sent me an e-mail just to check in and I was just thinking about her... So back to the recipe... Bianca cooked her own version of Pininyahang Manok.  The way she did it looked so effortless and the ingredients were simple but interesting.  I again put a little variation by adding some milk, potatoes, chili pepper flakes, and patis (instead of salt).  This one's too easy and will take only about 30 minutes - anybody can do it!

Pininyahang Manok

Ingredients:

6-8 Pieces Chicken (adobo-cut)

1 Can of Pineapple Chunks (including the juice)

1 Small Can of Liver Spread

1/3 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese Grated

1 Large Potato Diced (about1/2 inch)

3 Cloves Garlic Minced

1 Small Yellow Onion Minced

Patis to taste

Chili Pepper Flakes

Vegetable Oil

Directions:

Saute the garlic and onion in vegetable oil.  Mix in the chicken and cover for about 5 minutes.  Add the liver spread, pineapples, pineapple juice, milk, cheese.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the potatoes, dash of patis, and a pinch chili pepper flakes.  When the potatoes are tender, your Pininyahang Manok is ready!  Serve with steamed white rice.  

I was nervous making this, because it's my first time and we've never had this in our household.  We had this for lunch today and hubby loved it.  So did I!  Definitely a nice break from the usual Chicken Curry.