Cook and Brew.

Ingredients:
1/4 K ground beef
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp red pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Procedure:
1.) Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Shape into 2 patties about 1-cm thick.
2.) Heat a nonstick pan and cook patties for about 6 minutes on each side or until done.

Mai’s Kitchen Notes:
This recipe was taken from Lorenzana’s The 20-Minute Cookbook. As simple as this recipe may sound, I don’t know, perhaps the struggling cook that I am somehow got into me again..thus, with a not so superb dish (personal comment). The next time I’ll be doing this, I will probably add more salt and garlic to get my salty buds satisfied.

A few weeks ago, I joined a blogging contest sponsored by Red Ribbon in line with their newest cake product, the Cookies and Cream Cake. My entry was about the birthday celebration of dear hubby where I sent pictures of him and my son enjoying the Red Ribbon cake. And that could have tickled the fancies of the judges and picked my entry to win the first prize. No not as grand and luxurious as Las Vegas Show Tickets (how I wish!) but Php 1500 worth of Red Ribbon Gift Certificates. Thank you Red Ribbon because we enjoyed a Smores Cake for our Father’s Day celebration.

Tokyo Cafe's Chocolate Banana Parfait

For our Father’s Day lunch dessert at Tokyo Cafe, we had this very sinfully delicious Chocolate Banana Parfait. I can’t actually find the perfect word to describe how my taste buds went gaga over this. All I know is that I suddenly felt heaven when the sweet blend of the chocolate, cream and banana touched the tip of my tongue. I researched on the web the recipe for this one and this is the simplest I got from dole.com. I am yet to try this recipe so I can’t guarantee yet if this recipe is as heaven as Tokyo Cafe’s.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup boiling water
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 DOLE® Bananas (1 extra-ripe, 1 firm)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup DOLE Fresh or Fresh Frozen Raspberries

Directions:
* Pour boiling water over chocolate chips in small bowl; stir until smooth.
* Combine extra-ripe banana, brown sugar, vanilla and melted chocolate, in blender or food processor container. Cover: blend until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
* Spoon half of mousse into 4 parfait or dessert glasses. Slice remaining firm banana over mousse in glasses. Spoon remaining mousse over bananas. Chill at least 30 minutes. Top with raspberries.
* Garnish with additional sliced banana if desired.

***Photographed by my beloved husband.

Pineapple Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 can (439 g) Del Monte Fresh Cut Pineapple Tidbits, well drained
1 pc egg
1 pc hard boiled egg, thinly sliced (personal modification)**
1/2 K ground pork
1 pc beef bouillon cue, crumbled
2 pc sliced bread (pan Americano), diced
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 each medium red and green bell peppers, chopped
1 pc medium onion, chopped

Procedure:
1. Combine half of Del Monte Fresh Cut Pineapple Tidbits with all the other ingredients (except for the hard boiled egg). Season with 1/2 tsp iodized fine salt (or 1/2 tbsp iodized rock salt) and 1/4 tsp pepper. Mix thoroughly.

2. Spread the remaining pineapple on the bottom of a 9″ x 5″ pan*, then pour and spread meat mixture. Place the sliced hard boiled egg on top of the meat mixture. Cover with wax paper and steam for 1 hour. Cool slightly then serve with Del Monte Banana or Sweet Blend Ketchup.

Makes 8 servings.

Mai’s Kitchen Notes:
* I used the usual leche flan llanera for steaming since I didn’t have the mentioned pan size/container.