Coconut Creamed Tocino Pork Roast

Coconut Creamed Tocino Pork Roast

I have been busy preparing for a craft fair in Skowhegan. This might be my first big (kinda) craft fair to attend. I have been making and applying labels on my products. As such, I had to think of a dish that I can sort of start and forget...for a long while.

I had this pork roast completely thawed in the fridge, about 3-4 pounds. Fits well in my small crockpot. I was also craving for tocino...and was imagining a fork-tender pork tocino, but I saw this leftover coconut milk sitting in the fridge for a few days now (I used about 1/4 cup in a prior dish, and I was afraid it would get sour soon).

Crossing my fingers, I whipped up a recipe in my head using tocino mix and the coconut milk. When I finally tasted the final sauce, it was heavenly! Both hubby and son approved it!

Easy-peasy and OH SO YUMMY!

INGREDIENTS:
Pork roast 3-4 lbs
1 packet tocino mix
salt to taste
turmeric to taste (optional; I like adding turmeric to anything that would look nice yellowish or orange-ish in color, plus I love its health benefits.)
Coconut milk (1 can is good, although I used less than 1 can's leftover)
Potato Starch or Arrowroot flour for thickening (about 1 Tbsp or 2)
(Suggested spice if making this is the star anise.)

PROCEDURE:
With the pork roast in a slow cooker ceramic insert, sprinkle all around with the tocino mix, making sure it is coated well. Cover and turn slow cooker on to low setting and leave alone for 8 hours, or to high setting and leave alone for 4 hours. The pork roast will render its juice, about 2 cups or less. Meanwhile, do your chores.

At the end of cooking time, keep slowcooker on warm setting, transfer to roast to a plate, then transfer the rendered juice into a small saucepan. Place the roast back in the slow cooker and keep warm and covered.

Separate about 1/4 cup of the juice and place that in a small cup and set aside to cool down a bit. Boil the remaining juice in the saucepan. Shake the can of coconut milk well, then pour the contents into the saucepan and mix well. Let boil about 5 mins or until coconut milk has become creamy instead of tasting like fresh coconut. Add turmeric powder if using. Adjust taste with salt.

Transfer the pork roast onto a platter and pour the sauce over. Enjoy with mashed potatoes or rice, with boiled and creamed green peas or green beans.

Fork tender!

Manang's Hot Pockets (Baked Version of Siopao)

I roasted pork head sometime before my Nanay flew to her own mother in California (she was sick). I roasted that head for 4 hours (lower 2/3 of the oven) at 350° F then broiled until skin turned crackly (like crispy pata or lechon kawali). She was originally planning to turn the roasted pig's head into sisig, but after seeing that the skin turned super crispy, she decided we could just go ahead eat the skin while still crispy, then we proceeded to shred the meat part, discarding the fat. I then cut the meat in smaller pieces, then prepared as filling for siopao. Please see my post on pork sesame siopao for the recipe of the filling. Since this is the baked version, you can call this particular baked siopao as Hot Pockets Pork Sesame flavor.

Ingredients:
1 tube 8-pc crescent rolls (I used Pillsbury and I usually keep about two tubes at a time in the fridge)
Pork Sesame filling
Eggwash:
1 egg
1 T sugar
1 T milk

Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
Separate the crescent roll dough along perforations into 8 pieces.
Place a tablespoonful (I used cookie scoop) near the wide end.
Fold dough over the filling and cover (see slide show or the video).
Place on the the parchment paper.
Brush tops with egg wash.
Create vents on top of dough.
Bake for 12 minutes. Rotate pan, then bake an additional 2 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for about 5-20 minutes before eating as filling will be piping hot!

My two sons had these for merienda, and they were bitin! I had to make a second batch (the photos of which I used for the slide show). Then the rest of the filling that I had (I was able to make three batches of the recipe for that pork sesame filling) I am planning to make into siopao which I can freeze for future merienda.

Ham Lentil Potato Soup

Something I made to use up leftover boiled ham. I did not expect hubby to like this, and I was preparing a TV dinner for him and stepd. He tasted some (because the aroma of simmering soup had been enticing him), and he actually liked it! He said, "I should have this instead of the TV dinner. Next time you fix this, remind me that I liked it."

Ingredients:
2 cups cubed ham (fat trimmed off)
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup dried lentil
1 cup cubed carrots (I used leftover from boiled ham, so I placed these in the pot toward the end of cooking)
5 cups water + 2 cups tomato juice* (or just use plain water)
1 cup leftover mashed potato (mix this well with some of the water before placing in the pot
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
dash of ground basil leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions:
Dump everything (if using uncooked carrots) in a big pot and stir. Let boil then lower heat and simmer covered for 1-1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally. Enjoy with freshly baked bread (and rice for you Filipinos). (If you are using the bread machine, prepare your bread before you start fixing this soup.)

*Note: The tomato juice I used was from canned raw tomatoes, which I drained to use for lasagna. I always save the juice and use it for things like this, or for sweet and sour sauce of escabeche.

Pork Roasted in Mang Tomas Sarsa

Our supper menu on that day:
Pandelimon with butter (This is our favorite dinner roll)
Fresly picked cukes from my garden (sliced)
mashed potatoes
Pork Roasted in Mang Tomas Sarsa ng Lechon

Hubby loved it! And when hubby likes a food, it almost certainly is liked by everyone in our family. He is that picky. Ingredients are few and preparation is super simple! I just need to have time, so it is perfect on a day off when I have got so many chores to do.


Ingredients:
pork roast (butt cut maybe? spinal column at one side)
1 bottle of Mang Tomas All Purpose Sauce (Sarsa ng Lechon) (11.64 oz)
2 medium onions, sliced

Instructions:
I started this with the pork fresh from the freezer so total cooking time was 4 hours. If you are using non-frozen, you can cut the time to 3 hours for really well-done.
Place sliced onions at the bottom of roasting pan. Add the sauce and distribute evenly.
Place the roast on top. Cover. Place this on the lower rack of the oven and bake at 350 deg F for 3 hours (less if not frozen). (If you are planning to make pandelimon as well, start preparing the pandelimon after baking the pork for an hour, and that leaves you total of 3 hours to prepare the dough and bake them).
Uncover, and glaze the top of the roast with the sauce (which now contains a lot of juice from the pork itself). Continue baking for an hour uncovered, checking from time to time that sauce does not totally evaporate (may add little water as needed to keep a good volume). Also baste the roast repeatedly as needed for a nice glaze. (With pandelimon rolls, transfer the roast at the very bottom of the oven and bake the rolls on the upper rack, upper 1/3 of the oven, for about 12-15 minutes).

What to do with leftovers (you can only eat so much, you know!), gather all the sauce with onions, add some more water and stir to get all the flavor from the pan. Sieve through and catch all liquid into fat separator. Place this in a small saucepan and boil until reduced to a good amount and consistency. Meanwhile, shred the leftover pork meat, discarding the fat, then grind or roughly chop. Mix with the sauce. You can adjust the taste to your preference. Then you can use this for a differently flavored pork siopao (either steamed or baked).

Cream Cheese Squares

Cream Cheese Squares

Trabahong tamad...perfect with coffee. Got it from kraftfoods magazine.

I enjoyed it plain or with blueberry sauce (made by cooking 2 pints blueberries with 1/4 cup water and as much sugar as I felt it needed, cooked until syrupy).

Store leftovers inside plastic ziploc bags refrigerated. Good even when cold. No need to reheat.

Ingredients:
2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls, divided
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions:

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Unroll 1 of the cans of crescent dough. Press onto bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking pan to form crust, firmly pressing seams together to seal.

BEAT cream cheese, vanilla, egg and 1/2 cup of the sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Spread onto crust.

Spreading the Cream Cheese mixture

UNROLL remaining can of crescent dough onto large sheet of wax paper. Pat out dough to form 13x9-inch rectangle, pressing seams together to seal. Invert over cream cheese mixture to form top crust; discard wax paper.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until golden brown. Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle over squares before cutting.

Store in plastic bags to keep from drying out

Pan-Fried Pork Chops

 

No embellishments except for salt and pepper to taste, and the olive oil used to grease the pan for frying. Although hubby likes pork tocino, he also loves the pure pork taste, ONLY when it is home-raised pork. He never likes the ones coming from the grocery store except when it is the smoked pork chops.

Easy to prepare, I sprinkled the salt and pepper to both sides of the pork chops, let them sit on a plate while I heated the pan up.

I heated the griddle on medium (#6) for about 5 minutes then sprayed with olive oil and placed the chops. I cooked one side for 2 minutes, flipped, turned heat to medium low (#4), covered the chops and cooked for 3-4 minutes more (or until juices run clear).

I served them to hubby with boiled potatoes and broccoli. He savored every bite with his eyes closed.

I ate mine with fried rice, and dipped in vinegar with garlic and jalapeno pepper. (drool!)

Chicken A La King in Bread Bowls

When I was still in college, chicken a la king was one favorite lunch I ordered in the cafeteria. I don't recall where I had it served in a bread bowl.

Two days before I cooked this, we had roast chicken (per hubby's request, on a day I was going on a night duty...whew! I put in a frozen un-brined chicken into the oven and baked for 3-1/2 hrs, with 1/2-hr nap while baking). Since hubby and stepd only eat a portion of one breast, and the boys and I eat other parts, we had enough breast meat for another meal (I used the rest of the meat for arroz caldo). A favorite dish I prepare for leftover breast meat is chicken alfredo. This is the first time I tried chicken a la king, and hubby loved it (needless to say, everyone else did). The boys had fun slicing off the tops of the bread and hollowing them out.

I only checked out one recipe for chicken a la king...basically creating a cream of chicken plus mushrooms and bell peppers. Instead of making cream, I decided to use condensed cream of both chicken and mushroom. Yummy!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
2 cups cooked diced chicken
1/2 cup diced red and green bell peppers (I used frozen)
1 can mushrooms, drained (you may use sliced button mushrooms if you want. I had straw mushrooms at the time)
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
water as needed
salt and pepper as needed

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add chicken, mushrooms and bell peppers and stir about 1-2 minutes. Add the condensed soups and some water to desired consistency. Let simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, taking care to add water ans stir from time to time to avoid scorching. Serve in bread bowls.  (Or you can serve it over plain rice or pasta.)

Ham Fried Rice

 

Easy...
Loved by my kids, fried rice is often found in any Filipino household as a common preparation for leftover rice. My older son loves making fried rice (and younger son is happy to have a share without spending much effort). Though my husband has very much learned to accept some Chinese food and actually likes fried rice in Chinese restaurant, he has never attempted tasting fried rice cooked at home (What's up with that????), which, in my opinon, is waaaay much better than that in the Chinese resto. Oh well...who said it was easy feeding my husband?
Ingredients:
LEFTOVERS -
Rice (we deliberately cook rice to end up with leftover. My kids love fried rice)
1 cup or so Ham, shredded (this was pork ham from our own pig we raised, cooked a la New England boiled dinner)
1 cup Frozen veggies (carrots and peas)
3 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
3 tbsp oil
soy sauce or Maggi Seasoning, salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Heat oil. Sautee garlic until fragrant and golden brown. Add veggies and ham. Add rice and stir, breaking rice clumps. Season with soy sauce/seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until well heated thorough (my kids don't like the fried rice "tutong"-like, and neither do I). Can be eaten alone ("Kanin pa lang, ulam na!" is a common Filipino saying for such fried rice complete with protein source and veggies) or with anything you fancy.

Smoked Pork Chops

 

Smoked Pork Chops is the only pork I buy from the grocery store (if you have been reading my blog for quite some time now, you know that we raise our own pig). This is because my husband loves this stuff. We all do, actually. We get the Smithfield brand, which has 5 thin pieces. During those days when I am on duty and not having anything cooking in the slow cooker, smoked pork chops served with green peas and potatoes or rice is one easy meal I can prepare within 10-15 minutes, as long as I remember to tell the kids to cook rice before I come home (or I tell them to do so while on my way). I wash a potato or two (for hubby and/or stepd), sprinkle with salt, cover with wet paper towel then cling wrap and microwave (each takes about 4 minutes). I start the peas and start heating up the pan. I butter the pan and cook each side of chop for about 4 minutes or until nicely browned.

Wish-Bone Marinated Baked Chicken

 

This is one of the chicken dishes that my husband loves, and is one of our all-time favorite recipes. My stepdaught likes it as salad.

I actually posted this in my old kusina, but to make it easier to find, I am re-posting here. This photo is also a better one.





Ingredients:
Chicken cut into serving pieces
Wish-Bone Robusto Italian Dressing

Instructions:
Wash and drain the chicken pieces well. Place in ziploc bag and marinade with Robusto Italian dressing enough to cover all the pieces (probably about 1/2 cup for 1 whole chicken). Let sit in the fridge at least overnight, turning from time to time for the flavor to soak in well in all pieces.

Place iron cast griddle or grilling pan on higher rack of oven. Heat oven to 400 deg F. Drain chicken pieces. Spray griddle with oil and place chicken pieces. Let cook for about 15 minutes then baste with fresh dressing and cook further for 5 minutes. Baste again and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn over and let cook 10 minutes on the other side then baste and cook another 5 minutes. Baste and cook further for 5 minutes or until done and surface has a glazed and nicely browned appearance.

Serve with iceberg salad and Robusto dressing, and boiled potatoes or rice.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

 

This easy beef stroganoff is one taught by my MIL and that is loved by my whole family. I almost always have all ingredients in my pantry/freezer. Whenever I run out of ideas and want something quick, this is one of those that come to my mind. An all-time favorite in my family no matter what season, I can't imagine why it took me this long to figure out I don't have it yet in my blog!





Ingredients:
1 lb (wide) egg noodles
1 lb ground beef, sprinkled with some flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
(optional: some drops of worcestershire sauce and 1/4 cup of sherry)
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom
some water (about 1/4-1/2 cup of water)
1 (8-oz) sour cream

Instructions:
Prepare noodles as directed in the package. While boiling water for this, start preparing the beef.

Brown ground beef. When it starts rendering oil, add the garlic, followed by the onions then mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add worcestershire sauce and sherry if desired.

Add the cream of mushroom. Put some water into the can to rinse out remaining cream and add to the pan. Stir well. Add some more water as needed to make a thick sauce. DO NOT be tempted to add too much because that sauce will get thinner once you add the sour cream. Simmer for about 10 minutes for flavors to blend well, stirring occasionally.

Turn off heat (for conduction cooktop) and add sour cream. Stir to blend. (For flame stovetop, turn the heat off after stirring to blend; sour cream should be just heated through).

McMeatloaf

Ever gone to your workplace smelling like restaurant because you cooked steaks or stir-fries? Well, I have. I know its just stupidity the spontaneity and lack of planning, cooking supper in a spur-of-the-moment decision. You see, I work night shifts, and I leave home around 6pm. I take my showers around 3 pm to give enough time for my hair to dry (then straighten with an iron) before I leave. I start cooking supper around 4 or 4:30 for the quick-to-prep suppers. (I do sometimes plan ahead and have something in the slow cooker or oven, but that is not always the case.) Well, one time I was working and could smell my restaurant scent, I thought, "hmmm...I have two more consecutive nights to work. Better think of menus that will allow me to go to work smelling clean and fresh." This meatloaf is one of those.

I really have no recipe to share here. I named this McMeatloaf because I used McCormick meatloaf mix to quick-fix this classic dish.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. McCormick® Meat Loaf Seasoning Mix
2 lbs. lean ground beef or turkey
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs OR 1 cup soft bread crumbs (2 slices bread)
1/2 cup ketchup, chili sauce or tomato sauce (optional)


MIX all ingredients except ketchup, in large bowl until well blended.


SHAPE meat mixture into a loaf. Place in foil-lined baking pan or 9x5-inch loaf pan. Top with ketchup, if desired.


BAKE in 375° F oven 1 hour or until cooked through.

We ate this with potatoes cooked in microwave using another McCormick product, Italian Herb Potato Steamer, and pre-cut salad greens.

I should get paid by McCormick for promoting their products...

Chocolate Meringue Cookies

This post will be my entry for this week's LP theme: Holiday Goodies.

What to do when you have too much egg whites? I just made two batches of supersoft ensaymada

From Chocolate Meringue Cookies

for giving away to my friends on Saturday. As a result, I had 6 egg whites (and 6 more from last week when I experimented freezing the dough). So I was on a quest to use them up. Having recently made meringue for the frozen almond brazo de mercedes (which I also included in my menu for this Filipino Christmas party), I thought I'd look for any meringue recipes. What better way than to turn them into cookies which can either be given away for Christmas get-togethers as cookie swap, or for kids to bring to school for their Christmas dinner. One of the recipes I chose is this chocolate meringue cookies from allrecipes.com. My kids love them, and my husband got addicted to them!

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 3 egg whites
* 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2/3 cup white sugar
* 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla. Beat until the whites form soft peaks. Slowly add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form, and mixture becomes glossy. Fold in cocoa and chocolate chips.
3. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls on to a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Florida Citrus Cake

One of my co-workers, Michelle, once brought

From Florida Citrus Cake

this at a night when it seemed like we were all in a party mood. I brought leche flan (as requested by one of our ED techs, Gloria), and Michelle brought this so I could have a taste. I loved it! It's perfect for coffee! Best of all, it is so easy to make.

Michelle made sure I had at least one slice left to take home to have my husband taste it. I could not help but eat the last piece, and I even scraped the plate clean.

So I baked this last night, finally...after I stressed out having my TNCC training and getting my certificate by passing the practical and written tests (yehey!). Baking (and cooking) has become a therapeutic activity for me. As I was waiting for the last minutes, I made coffee...then I frosted, sliced a piece although it was still too warm (couldn't wait!) and had my husband taste it...Approved!

The next day, my older son was telling me, "Ma, you should make this more often. It's so good, I already had probably 8 slices."

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:
4 eggs
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup oil
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 small pkg lemon instant pudding and pie filling mix (4 servings)

Glaze:
1/6 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tbsp melted butter
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

PROCEDURE:
Preheat oven to 325 deg F. Pour all ingredients into a well-greased and floured tube pan (I borked here...looks like I failed to grease and flour well enough that some of the cake stuck to the pan. I covered with frosting.). Bake for 50 minutes or until done. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by blending well. Glaze the cake while still hot.

Rosemary-Dijon Pork Chops

This is from Shake n Bake box recipe. I first tried

From Rosemary-Dijon Pork Chops

this on plain (unmarinated) pork chops and hubby loved it. This time I tried making it again on pork chops I premarinated with soy sauce-lemon mixture. Didn't work out good. Hubby said it was too salty. So I am resorting to the original recipe.

Oh well, like hubby says always, his food taste really is not complicated at all...On this one, I had to agree with him.

INGREDIENTS:
4 bone-in pork chops (1-1/2 lb.), 1/2 inch thick
4 tsp. GREY POUPON Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup SHAKE 'N BAKE Original Pork Seasoned Coating Mix
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crushed


PROCEDURE:
HEAT oven to 375°F.
SPREAD chops with mustard. Mix coating mix and rosemary in shallow dish. Add chops; turn over to evenly coat both sides of each chop. Place in center of foil-lined 15x10x1-inch pan.
BAKE 30-40 min. or until chops are done (160°F).

Easy Spiced Cabernet Chocolate Molten Cakes

This is not a repeat post. It is an another recipe for

From Molten Spiced Chocolate Cabernet Cakes

a molten lava cake. Shortly after I made the kraftfoods' version, I saw this in a McCormick ad in bon appetit magazine, and I was intrigued because of the addition of red wine - cabernet sauvignon. I have always been fascinated with the flavors of foods cooked/baked with wine, so I tried this one out. It was good, too, but lacking immediate comparison between the two recipes, I could not really tell if it was better. But since now I have a whole bottle of red wine to use, I probably will make this more often, aside from using the red wine in beef recipes.

Ingredients:
4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tablespoon Cabernet Sauvignon or other red wine
1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter 4 (6-ounce) custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.

2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until butter is melted. Whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in wine, vanilla and confectioners' sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and yolk. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour batter evenly into prepared custard cups.

3. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute. Carefully loosen edges with small knife. Invert cakes onto serving plates. Sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.

Make Ahead: The chocolate mixture can be prepared up to 10 hours ahead of time. Pour the batter into prepared custard cups; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
Type rest of the post here

Chili

One of my husband's favorites, he tells me,

From chili

"Honey, you make the best chili." My reply: "Thanks to McCormick."

I like preparing chili when I have to go to work (night shift). I usually start thawing 2 lbs ground beef at night. Then in the morning, I prepare it as directed on the package of McCormick Chili seasoning. By suppertime, I just have to have shredded cheddar cheese (or 4-cheese mexican shredded cheese) available as topping (I add chopped onions for myself).

Ingredients:
2 pound lean ground beef
2 packages McCormick® Chili Seasoning Mix, Original or 1 package McCormick® Chili Seasoning Mix 30% Less Sodium
2 cans (15 ounces) kidney beans, drained
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (8 ounces) tomato sauce

Instructions::
1. Cook ground beef in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain fat.

2. Place in 3-qt slow cooker. Stir in Seasoning Mix and remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped onion, if desired.

Butter Fried Chicken Strips

My husband loves this simple chicken dish. I first had it when we celebrated a family occasion at my sister-in-law's. She used several pans over several burners to cook all the pieces and serve them at the same time. My husband was so excited when he saw them cooking. So I had been cooking them from time to time since then, using chicken breasts, but I was not really satisfied with the bland taste of the meat until I experimented with brining the pieces first with a mixture of kosher salt and spices. I was in heaven when I bit! My husband noticed the flavor as well, and asked if I used garlic. I admitted, and I asked him if he did not like it. He said he liked the garlic flavor. Whether he really liked it or not (maybe he was just avoiding hurting my feeling?), if I ask him and he hinted approval, then that is how he will get the dish every time in the future. But then, I have had dishes that I modified and he frowned upon tasting the difference from previous, so I would take his word when he said he liked the garlic flavor of this.
For the brining solution, put simply, I use a 1:1 ratio for water and kosher salt. That is, 1 gallon of water to 1 cup of kosher salt. I love the effect of kosher salt. It just brings out a special flavor even in fried rice (if used in place of table salt). I adjust the ratio accordingly. I first learned brining when I had to host a Thanksgiving get-together, and I wanted flavor deep into the meat rather than just on the surface (like how my in-laws usually would have with their turkeys). Everyone loved the flavor of that turkey and my SIL even brought home some for sandwich the next day.

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 stick butter

Brining solution:
1/4 cup of Kosher salt
1 quart (4 cups) of water
3 cloves garlic, crushed
freshly milled pepper (about 5 turns)
3 bay leaves

Procedure:
Brine the chicken pieces and let sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Drain chicken pieces well.
Using a thick, preferably cast iron pan, melt butter in medium high heat (#6 with my stove). Once butter has clarified, pan fry the chicken pieces. Add more butter as necessary while you turn to cook other sides of the pieces. Drain on paper towels before serving. Serve with salad greens and mashed potatoes or fries.

Shrimps with Ketchup Sauce

This is one shrimp recipe that I learned to make from my mother, and which my sons love to the max. It is so easy to make, and ingredients are easy to find.

The grocery store here (Hannaford) carries their brand of shrimps packed according to whether they are cooked or not, and according to size. I usually like to get the one labeled "Jumbo E-Z Peel." These shrmps are already deveined. I do not like the cooked ones, or the ones without shell, because for me, the uncooked ones have more flavor. I like those with shell for purposes of flavoring the broth or sauce, although I usually remove the shell before cooking the shrimp, then I just put in a small strainer the shells so I can dip them in the boiling broth (if applicable to the dish I am cooking).

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small can of sliced button mushrooms, drained (optional)
1 pack (1 lb) shrimps

For the sauce, mix well:
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)

Instructions:

Melt the butter in medium heat, then saute the garlic, followed by the mushrooms if using, then the shrimps.

As soon as the shrimps start turning pink, add the sauce mix and cook further until sauce thickens or the shrimps are completely cooked, stirring frequently. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper as needed. If it turns out too dry too fast, add small increments of water (by tablespoons).

Spoon onto a dish and serve with hot plain rice.