Chicken Sandwich Spread

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (cooked by boiling with 1/3 Knorr chicken cubes and lots of onions, and some salt if you like it saltier); minced/chopped/flaked/cubed
1/2 cup ham (or Spam, yummy! optional tho)
salt and pepper to taste
around 1 cup of Mayo (I use Kraft Mayo)
2 tbsp crushed pickles
1 tbsp pickle juice (or lemon or calamansi juice)

Directions:
Mix everything. Season to taste. Feel free to add more mayo to extend the recipe.

Quick Corn and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
1 can of corn kernels
2 cups of chopped cucumber (seeded)
salt and pepper to taste
some mayo
some milk

(note: the creamier the mayo and milk, the better)

Directions:
Just mix everything and season to taste. Chill in the fridge and only take it out when ready to serve.

Feel free to either add more corn or more cucumber, depending on your preference.

Creamy Carbonara

I like to call my recipes no-brainer ones because they're really just chop and mix types... they tend to be on the rich side, however.


Ingredients:
500 gms. pasta
250 ml Nestle Cream
1 1/2 cup Carnation Evap Milk
250 gms. CDO Sweet Ham (cut into half-inch squares)
1/4 bar, butter
250 gms. grated Eden cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can button mushrooms (drained)
crunchy bacon bits (optional)
chopped green bell pepper (optional)

Directions:
Cook pasta according tp package instructions. Set aside.

Heat butter and saute ham (if using bacon, use some of the bacon fat instead). Add the mushrooms. Add the green bell pepper. Add the milk and cream. Stir until the mixture boils. Add half of the grated cheese and continue stirring while seasoning the creamy mixture according to taste.

Add the pasta and mix well. Top everything with bacon bits and remaining cheese.

* Note that cheese will absorb the liquid in the sauce; when reheating, you can either add some water or more milk to the pasta
* You can also use some chopped red bell pepper

Honeyed Toast

Ingredients:
wheat bread
some butter
some honey

(amount of butter and honey will depend on the number of toasts you want to make, how thick, sweet or butter-y you like your spread)

Directions:
Mash some butter and add honey to it. Spread on wheat bread. Toast between 3-4 minutes (or how crispy you like your toast)

Recipes as Giveaways

Feeling stumped for something for souvenir ideas for your upcoming party? Why not a favorite recipe instead?

Whether you love to cook or just love to eat, recipes are nice giveaways. You can print it many different ways, as a magazine layout or bookmark or recipe card, or as a postcard (whether the picture is of your wedding venue or honeymoon destination or where you met) or a scroll.

For example, you had pizza on your first date and are getting married in Tagaytay. You then find a recipe for pizza juxtaposed with a lovely scenery in Tagaytay and duly captioned as to why. To incorporate family history, give away the recipe of your father's guinataang alimasag and your lola's lasagna!

And if you have extra moolah, you can present the recipe in a mug, jug, bowl or plate. Look for cheap miniatures. A recipe for the best cocoa drink in a mug, sorbet in a flute, soup in a bowl, secret sauces in saucers, cocktails in pitchers... list is endless!

For baptisms, you can use pictures of where you think the baby was conceived (easy for honeymoon babies). For birthdays, you can use a picture of the baby's first feeding.

If you have many recipes and pictures you want to use, give away a calendar of these!

And yes, this is also a perfect, very personal gift idea for special occasions like the Holidays...

7-Up Reception Punch

- recipe by Maan B. Teves (of Manila Diamond Hotel)

Ingredients:
3/4 cups white sugar
1 cup water
23 oz. pineapple juice
3 cups orange juice
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
6 bottles (703 oz) 7-Up
1 tray ice cubes


Directions:
1) Mix water and sugar in a pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Chill.
2) Chill fruit juices and 7-up.
3) Mix sugar syrup and fruit juices in a punch bowl.
4) At serving time, slowly pour in 7-Up
5) Add ice cubes. Garnish with mint leaves if desired.

No-Bake Rocky Road Brownies

Ingredients:
2 packs Crushed Grahams (Honey)
1 1/2 cup semisweet Hershey's baking chocolate
2 cups milk
100 gms choco chips-nut mix (from Toby's)
100 gms cashews
1 cup miniature marshmallows (or as many as you want)
1/4 block butter

Directions:
Line a pan with plastic wrap or foil. Combine chocolate chips and milk in a heavy saucepan; cook over low heat until chips melt, stirring constantly.

Combine crushed grahams, 1/2 marshmallows, 1/2 nuts and choco chips mix in a big bowl. In low heat, melt butter in a pan, add milk and baking chocolate. Stir constantly until all chocolate is dissolved . Mix chocolate mixture into crumb mixture. Press into lined pan. Sprinkle with remaining nuts and marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Cut into squares.

* you can reduce the amount of chocolates if you don't want it too sweet
* you can reduce the amount of milk if you want it less soft
* you can use other nuts such as almonds, peanuts and walnuts
* you can also garnish it with M&Ms
* i garnish mine with Kellogg's rice crispies
* crushed wafers may also be used

Tuna Sandwich Spread

I don't know about others but I used to think that preparing food requires a lot, even sandwiches. It's only been recently that I realized how easy some recipes are.

Take for example tuna sandwich spread. Basically, you just mix the ingredients and season to taste. But for those who are as intimidated as I was, here's how to make one:

Ingredients:
2 cans Century Tuna chunks in Water
3 big spoonfuls of Kraft Mayo
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of crushed pickles (or more, depending on your preference)

Directions:
Drain water from tuna chunks. Mix with other ingredients. Season to taste. Add onions (chopped or grated) for some zing. Serve with lettuce or cucumber slices if you have them.