Irresistible Fruit Salad Recipe

An Irresistible kind of Fruit Salad

As summer approaches, eating a fruit salad is a sure way of fighting off the sometimes punishing summer heat. The Filipino version of this dessert is composed of mixed fruits that are combined together with the luxuriant creaminess of condensed milk and all-purpose cream. This is then frozen in the refrigerator and served chilled. As you know, there are so many benefits we can get from fruits. Every time you eat this dessert, you are just getting your healthy doses of essential vitamins, minerals and fibers that your body needs.

Fun Fact!

Did you know that the idea of mixing a variety of fruits with sweet syrup is a "western concept"? Fruit Salad became a hit in the American households during the mid-19th century. Usually, it's a dish composing of a variety of fruits served in a liquid of syrup or their own juice. It was back in the 1930s that fruit cocktail was marketed in cans. Some believe that the early known fruit cocktail was made of damaged or rejected fruit pieces that were diced neatly and offered as ready-made fresh fruits for fruit salad. There was also a time when people thought that the word "cocktail" in fruit salad meant that "booze" was bring added in the dish, just like with any other cocktail drink.

Now, let’s start mixing! 🥢

Recipe	Fruit Salad
Serving	15
Prep Time	18 minutes
Mixing and Chilling Time	4 hours and 15 minutes to 1 day

◻️ 1 can of 3.0 kg fruit cocktail (biggest can)

◻️ 2 cans/pouches of 250 ml all-purpose cream

◻️ 2 cans/pouches of 250 ml condensed milk

◻️ slotted ladle / coriander

◻️ soup ladle

◻️ mixing bowl

◻️ container with lid 

1 Drain the cocktail fruits of juice using a coriander or slotted ladle. Drain the juice from the can and transfer contents in a separate container.

2 Get a bigger bowl or basin to mix all the ingredients. Pour in the cocktail fruits in the basin together with the condensed milk and all-purpose cream. 

3 Mix all the ingredients together. Blend in all the ingredients in a large bowl and transfer content in a container with lid. 

 

 

4 Put the container in a freezer and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving. Serve chilled and enjoy. 

👍  If you wish to downsize the serving, just buy a smaller can of fruit cocktail, 1 can/pouch of all-purpose cream and 1 can/pouch of condensed milk.

Truly, having a chilled dessert this coming summer is a welcoming treat. Have you ever tried making this kind of dessert? I would love to know your thoughts. 

If you like today's special, you may share this recipe and follow me here on Blogger and Facebook for more free recipes to try and enjoy. 

 

Till next time!

Happy Cooking ! 

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Misua Noodles with Sardines Recipe

 

Another Food-in-a-Can Makeover

Here is another series of our food in can makeover. Today’s special will feature another way of cooking misua noodles with sardines. Yes, as in sardines in cans. For those who are not in the know, this particular canned food is known in the Philippines as a “poor man’s food”. One, it is cheap. Second, there’s no need to cook it for the ordinary folks as it’s a straight from the can meal. Yet, one shouldn’t feel embarrassed eating this type of food as this humble sardine offers more health benefits in our body that you can imagine. 

Fun Fact!

Did you know that eating sardines may give your body a healthy dose of Omega-3 fatty acids? According to Healthline, Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties that prevent heart disease. Sardines also contain some minerals that are beneficial for the body such as niacin, zinc, and iron, to name a few. They also contain vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium needed to fortify bones and teeth. 

Now, let’s start cooking! 🥢

Recipe	Misua Noodles with Sardines
Serving	6
Prep Time	15 minutes
Cooking Time	20 minutes

◻️ 2 150g cans of sardines in tomato sauce

◻️ 2 cups of leafy green vegetables, chopped (of your choice)

◻️ 3 tbsp of garlics, chopped

◻️ 3 tbsp of red onions, chopped

◻️ 4 medium-sized of tomatoes, sliced

◻️ 180 g (6.35 oz) of misua noodles 

◻️ 4 - 41/2 cups of water 

◻️ 1 tbsp of cooking oil 

◻️ black pepper (for seasoning)

◻️ soy sauce (for seasoning)

◻️ big skillet / wok or medium-sized stock pot

◻️ chopping board

◻️ kitchen knife

◻️ spatula

◻️ noodle ladle

◻️ soup ladle

1 Put the pan / wok on the stove. Turn on the stove to medium flame. Heat the oil in the pan. Pour the garlic in and sauté until brown. Next, sauté the red onions until the color changes to pale.

2 Add in the tomatoes. Stir fry the tomatoes until tender. 

3 Next, add in the leafy green vegetables. Stir fry the veggies for 2-3 minutes.

4 Next, pour in the sardines.  Add in a cup of water and stir the mixture gently. 

5 Add the remaining water gradually to soak the misua noodles in the broth. You may add more water as you wish, depending on how much broth you want for this dish. Let the broth boil for another 3 - 5 minutes or until the misua is cooked. 

6 Wait for broth to boil. Once the broth is boiling, add in the misua noodles. 

7 Serve hot and enjoy. 

👍 If you want more broth for this dish, use a stock pot instead of a skillet. 
👍There are a variety of canned sardines in the supermarkets and grocery stores. The one that contains tomato sauce works best for this recipe.

Sardines provide a lot of benefits for our body. Nevertheless, we have to take note that consuming too much of this fish in can  may have adverse effects as well because of its high sodium content. Remember, too much of something is not good for you.  As long as you don't eat canned sardines everyday, you're off the hook. Have you ever tried cooking this kind of dish? I would love to know your thoughts.

 
If you like today's special, you may share this recipe and follow me here on Blogger and Facebook for more free recipes to try and enjoy. 

 

Till next time!

Happy Cooking ! 

 

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Home Style Chinese Hotpot Recipe

 

A Fun Communal Get-together Meal!

A Chinese hotpot is a cooking style in which a flavorful broth is simmered in a pot at the center of a table, to which every family member gathers around to take turns in cooking a variety of raw meat, vegetables and Chinese food of choice. This cooking method is a Chinese way of strengthening ties as diners interactively join in the cooking while they enjoy each other's company, reveling in the satisfying taste of the broth and food. The good thing about hotpot is that it’s so easy to set up. It is not something complicated as you may deem it to be at first glance. You can find in the supermarkets and Chinese grocery stores so many selections of ready-made Chinese food and soup base for hotpot use. Other than the Chinese food and soup base per se, you just need a big stock pot to simmer your broth and boil the ingredients, a portable stove and you are set to go. 

By the way, below are the brands of frozen Chinese foods that I used in today's special.  😁

Now, let’s start cooking! 🥢

Recipe	Chinese Hotpot
Serving	4
Prep Time	20 minutes
Cooking Time	30 – 40 minutes

◻️ 4 packs of 250g frozen Chinese food

◻️ 1 sachet of 75g hotpot soup base (any flavor of choice)

◻️ 2 cups of leafy green vegetables (of choice)

◻️ 2 pieces of beef broth cubes or bouillon

◻️ 10 cups of water

◻️ 500g of fresh egg noodles 

◻️ stock pot

◻️ portable stove

◻️ soup ladle

◻️ noodle ladle

◻️ tong

1 Place the portable stove in the center. 

Arrange all the hotpot ingredients and equipment on the table.

2 Fill the pot with water. Turn on the stove to medium high.  

Open the sachet of hotpot soup base and pour half of the content in the water. 

Drop in 2 broth cubes. Stir the water mixture to loosen the broth cubes or bouillon cubes. Wait for the broth to boil. Sometimes the pack of frozen Chinese food comes with a free soup base in sachet. You may also pour it in the broth for added flavor.

3 Once the broth is boiling, lower the flame. You may start dropping in the frozen Chinese food, vegetables and egg noodles in the broth. At this point, you may adjust the flame as you wait for the ingredients to cook. 

4 Scoop out some of the contents and place in a bowl. Enjoy eating while hot!

Home Style Chinese Hotpot

👍You will know if the frozen Chinese foods are already cooked if they start floating on the broth. If you happen to drop in some crab sticks in the broth, they only need to be blanched as they are quick to cook. Don't over-cook them as they will turn saggy. Same goes with vegetables. 

👍You may adjust the flavor of the broth during the duration of the meal by adding more soup base, hot water and / or broth cubes. 

Add more soup base to broth if needed

Bringing the closeness of the family to another level of communal gathering and culinary experience offers a treasure-worth of memories that will surely be reminisced for years to come. Have you ever tried making this kind of meal? I would love to know your thoughts.  

If you like today's special, you may share this recipe and follow me here on Blogger and Facebook for more free recipes to try and enjoy. 

Till next time!

Happy Cooking ! 

 

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