In this episode, guest Master chef Mike Caffrey demonstrates the simple way to prepare the healthy vegetable stack.

Ever wondered how a pastry like cupcake could be turned into a healthy breakfast? Most of the time, pastries are often treated as desserts. But the chefs from the American Hospitality Academy whipped up this sumptuous delight that you could also serve as fulfilling merienda.

As mouthful as its name, the golden cupcake with bacon bits has the right sweetness but the bacon bits gives it extra flavor.

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By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

If you’re having a hard time preparing a dish for your friends who have different taste for food, then I would suggest grilled chicken packets.

With this recipe, you and your friends could choose from a variety of ingredients, which you could turn into this tasty meal.

The ingredients:

2pcs chicken breasts
2pcs White/yellow onion
1pc Green bell pepper
1pc red bell pepper
1 can Corn kernels
2 cups Cooked Brown rice
tt Salt and pepper
1 cup Soy sauce
[as needed] Barbeque sauce

Procedures:
1. Prepare all ingredients and set aside.
2. Prepare packets using aluminum foil and seal sides.
3. Prepare individual packets and drizzle with barbeque sauce.
4. Grill for five to seven minutes per side.

Here’s a tip: Wipe oil inside the foil packets before putting in the ingredients so the rice won’t stick.

Enjoy!

By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

HAVE you ever tried preparing a grilled eggplant sandwich?

American Hospitality Academy chef Jan Viray shows you how. We call this one grilled eggplant with Feta cheese sandwich. That’s a mouthful, but we assure you it’s a healthy meal.

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IF you’re a cheese person, you will surely love this cheesy breakfast. In this episode of What’s Cookin’? with AHA, assistant chef instructor Paul Samson demonstrates this easy to prepare French cuisine: cheese soufflé.

The Oxford Companion to Food defines soufflé as a light and frothy dish, which can be savory or sweet, hot or cold. Literally, the word soufflé means puffed up. The hot soufflé traces its origin in the late 18th century.

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START the day right with a good breakfast. That is what our mothers would always say. We all agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But we often ignore it. One of the reasons we skip breakfast is the lack of time. Preparing breakfast can be time-consuming for some. But there are recipes like this egg recipe that is as easy as 1-2-3.

One of our favorite egg recipes is the omelet or omelette. In his book, An A-Z of Food and Drink (2002), John Ayto writes that Randle Cotgrave first described the omelette as ‘”haumelette” or a pancake of eggs during the 17th century.

In this episode of What’s Cookin’? with AHA, chef Paul Samson demonstrates the proper way of cooking the famous omelette.

Here are the ingredients:
Salt
White pepper
5g white onion (minced)
5g green bell pepper (diced)
5g mushroom (sliced)
2 tbsp. Oil or butter
2 pcs. Whole eggs (beat then, set aside)

Procedure:
1. Heat the pan. Then, add the oil.
2. Heavily whisk the eggs.
3. Season with salt and white pepper.
4. Sauté green bell pepper, onion and mushrooms.
5. Add the beaten eggs.
6. Scrape the sides of the omelette.
7. Flip the omelette.
8. Fold into half.
9. Add spring onions and parsley for garnish.

Here’s a tip from the chef: Make sure to scrape the sides of the omelette consistently. This will prevent the browning in the omelette.

Editor’s Note: Here’s our answer to the “missing egg yolk” issue. According to AHA assistant chef instructor Paul Samson, the egg yolk is optional. It is used to thicken the sauce. But in this video, he chose not to use one (although it was in the list of ingredients) since the sauce’s consistency was already good. And no, the egg yolk didn’t fall on the floor

By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

WHAT else can you do with shrimp? Well, you can turn it into a Shrimp Carbonara. This is an easy-to-prepare meal that is good for dinner. And since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, follow these simple steps and start cooking and impress your date.

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Passengers flying United Arab Emirates’ Etihad Airways can now choose between European and Arabian cuisines.

Part of its “inspired service,” these gourmet meals are served a-la-carte or through fixed menu and kitchen menus anytime.

Etihad Airways is a five-year-old airline based in Abu Dhabi. It has a recorded six million passengers in 2008. It claims to be the first carrier in the Philippines to offer fully flat beds for passengers.

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By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net

How do I love thee? Let me cook the ways.

In Filipino culture, every occasion is celebrated with food. This is true for Valentine’s day when couples flock to restaurants to have candle-lit dinners coupled with fine cuisine.

But instead of braving traffic and the crowd during that day, there’s a better way of scoring a date without the need to go to a posh restaurant in Makati. Try cooking dinner for two this Valentines’ day.

Cooking a romantic dinner will surely make your night less stressful, as you avoid the late night traffic jams. This is also one way to make a lasting impression on a Valentines’ day. Besides, this 30-minute meal is easy on the budget but not in style.

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By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net

Why is duman an expensive rice delicacy?

One pati equivalent to 1.8 kilogram of the very young grain of duman sells for P2,500 or $40. To know about the process of duman making and the state of this industry, we trooped to Sta. Rita, Pampanga.

Pampanga provincial tourism officer Ian Mejia said the existence of the duman-making tradition dates back to pre-Hispanic Kapampangan society.

He said Friar Diego Bernardo has mentioned duman in “Vocabulario de Lengua Pampanga” published in 1700.

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