Merry Christmas....hik!

If drinking is evil, then why did Jesus turn water into wine? Exercise caution. Drink moderately. Happy Christmas and be merry!

Apple Cherry Pie

Christmas Surprise

Afterglow

Cranberry Crazy

Peach Melba

Cheesecake

In a shallow bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, white sugar and melted butter. Press evenly at the bottom and on the sides of a round pan. Refrigerate.

For the filling, whisk together 16 oz (2 bars) of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of white sugar and 2 tbsp flour. Add 3 eggs. Avoid overbeating. Add 1/2 cup of whipped cream, 1 tsp lemon zest and 1 tsp vanilla extract or banana essence.

Pour the filling over the chilled crust. Preheat oven at 250 degrees Celsius and bake the batter at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Continue baking for another 1 1/2 hrs at 120 degrees Celsius or until firm. Let it cool. This cheesecake is best served frozen. Serve with fruit sauces (blueberry, strawberry, etc.) or sour cream on top.

To make chocolate cheesecake, modify the filling by adding a cup of powdered cocoa or melted chocolate and substitute the whipped cream with sour cream.

Chocolate Crinkles

Using a double broiler, melt 4 tbsp of butter and a cup of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate over low heat. If you are using cocoa powder, you may just use a saucepan to combine the two. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together a cup of flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk 2 large eggs while gradually adding a cup of granulated sugar. Add 2 tbsp vanilla essence. Combine this with the dry mixture and the chocolate mixture. Mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Place the confectioner's sugar in a shallow bowl. Form 1-inch diameter ball using the chilled dough and roll it in sugar until it is completely covered. Continue forming the cookies and place them 1 or 2 inches apart from each other in the baking sheet.

Preheat oven and bake the cookies at 175 degrees Celsius for 5-8 minutes or just until the edges are slightly firm. Do not overcook. The cookies should be toasty on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. Remove from the oven and let it cool. These cookies are best served when warm.

Chicken in Creamy Garlic and White Wine Dressing

Marinate chicken breasts in salt, pepper, a pinch of dried oregano, garlic cloves and a little balsamic vinegar. Remember, just a little -- it depends on how much chicken you would use. Otherwise you could end up cooking adobo instead. Place the marinated chicken in a heat-resistant container and let it stand for 30 mins to an hour or overnight. Preheat oven and cook chicken for 25 mins at 375 degrees (180 degrees if using a turbo broiler). Set aside.

For the white sauce: Melt some butter in a non-stick pan over low heat. Put a little flour. Mix. Quickly add in the buttermilk (or evaporated milk) and heavy cream (or all-purpose cream). Add some white wine. Stir. Add a little water or milk to adjust thickness -- the thinner the sauce, the better. Add salt, pepper and a dash of thyme to taste. Put some minced parsley if you have it. Put away the pan from the heat and set aside.

For the potatoes: Boil the baby potatoes in a deep pot. Drain and set aside. In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat and add the finely chopped garlic. Saute for a minute then add the baby potatoes. Keep mixing until potatoes are coated with flavor. Add salt and pepper.

To serve, place the chicken in a huge plate, smother with white sauce, then garnish with baby potatoes on the side!

Chopsuey

Saute garlic, onions and pork pieces in a big pan. Add a cup of shrimp stock and salt. Mix in the shelled shrimp and chopped vegetables - young corn, snow peas, cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, cauliflower and celery. Add another cup of shrimp stock, fish sauce and dissolved cornstarch. Simmer until the vegetables are done. Careful not to overcook the vegetables. You may add drops of sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Crab Adobo

Chop the crabs into quarters with a large knife. Remove the crab fat or aligue and combine it with vinegar. Pour any liquid out of the back shells and do not use the brown meat for this dish, it will make the sauce look and taste muddy. Set aside.

In a large wok or pan, heat oil and stir-fry garlic, onions and fish sauce for a couple of minutes. Add crab pieces, lower heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the crabs turn orange. Pour the crab fat-and-vinegar sauce and let it simmer until the sauce turns a little thick.

For Singaporean Chili Crab recipe, simply take off the vinegar, replace the onions with minced ginger and add tomato paste or kethcup, melted butter, sugar and red chilies to the crab fat sauce.

Chicken Roll (Cordon Bleu)

Slice the boneless chicken breast into a thin, wide sheet. Add a slice of cooked ham on top, followed by sliced cheese or cream cheese spread. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. You may add vegetables such as carrot sticks and chopped broccoli.

Carefully roll up the sheet into a log, making sure that the fillings do not spill on each end. Fasten the log with toothpicks. Then, using a turbo broiler, bake for 30mins at 180 degrees, or until brown.

If you want a crispy outer layer, roll the log in breadcrumbs and deep fry in oil until golden brown.

Cheese Sticks

Using lumpia wrap (spring roll wrap), carefully roll sliced cheese sticks sprinkled with chili powder and pickles. Fry in a pan until golden brown.

For the dressing, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, salt and pepper.

You may also try adding macapuno (coconut sport strings) instead of chili powder and pickles.

Pastillas de Leche

Put drops of food color to a can of condensed milk ( use any color you want). Pour the condensed milk in a bowl of powdered milk. Make sure the proportion is enough to make the batter a bit firm. Mix.

You may add ground nuts or dried fruits for a little variety. Mold the batter into bite size shapes, then roll in sugar. Serve with candy sprinkles and mini marshamallows for a creative treat.

Homemade Tacos

To make the meat filling, saute ground beef in garlic and onion until brown. Put some soy sauce and tomato paste, a dash of sugar, salt, cumin (optional) and pepper. Continue mixing until dry.

To make your own salsa, combine chopped tomatoes, minced onion and red bell pepper. Pour some ketchup and drops of hot sauce. Mix.

Get some taco shells, then stuff it with salsa, ground beef, shredded cabbage and grated cheese. There you have it!

Nilagang Baka

Using a pressure cooker, boil the sliced beef chuck in water, salt, whole peppercorns and chopped onions.

When meat is already tender, add sliced unpeeled banana (saging na saba), sweet potato chunks, green beans, bokchoy or pechay, and cabbage. Sprinkle a little sugar to taste.

Halo Halo

This traditional Filipino summer favorite is prepared by mixing various boiled, sweetened treats - beans, fruits, gelatin, coconut strings, halaya/ube, corn and puffed rice - topped with shaved ice, ice cream and evaporated milk. It is usually served in a tall glass or bowl.

Beef Bulalo

Combine all ingredients in a pressure cooker - beef shank, whole peppercorns, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, a small packet of tamarind mix, salt, water and a little sugar.

The amount of water will depend on how many grams of beef you use. Just make sure to follow instructions for your pressure cooker on the maximum amount of liquid that you actually put in it.

Place the pressure cooker over high heat. Cook for 30 minutes. Remember, the counting begins only once pressure has started building up. Turn off the heat and release the pressure. Open the lid. Using a fork, see if the meat is tender already. If not yet then cook it again for another 30 minutes following the same procedure.

Thanks to Tito Obet for sharing this incredible recipe! This is not your ordinary bulalo, it's truly one of a kind.

Chicken Inasal

Marinate chicken quarters in achuete oil, minced ginger, minced garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, kalamansi extract or lime juice and lemongrass. Let it stand for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

To grill the chicken, wrap it first in aluminum foil and grill for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked. When done, remove the foil and place the chicken directly onto the grill to cook the skin thoroughly. Serve with salted egg and ensaladang mangga or atchara.

Empanaditas

To make the dough: Combine 2 cups sifted flour, 1/2 tbsp yeast or baking powder, 2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 eggs and some sugar. Roll the dough into small circles flattened to about 1/8-inch thick and 4-inch wide. Sprinkle with flour and set aside.

To make the filling: Saute minced pork/beef in oil with minced garlic. When cooked, add minced potatoes, green peas and raisins. Pour a little vinegar and soy sauce to give a brown color to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

To make the pastry: Put 1 heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of the dough. Fold the edges of the dough, dabbing it with egg white and then crimp the edges with a fork to seal it. Brush the empanaditas with egg wash (beaten egg yolk) on top. Bake them at 250 degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Tiffany

Combine coconut juice and lychee juice in a bowl. Sweeten with sugar. Boil over medium heat, and gradually add gelatin (agar-agar).

After boiling, add fresh grated coconut and chopped lychee fruit. Slowly pour the mixture into decorative molding containers. Let it cool at room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator.

Why was this yummy dessert called Tiffany? I have no idea. :+)

Beef Pot Roast

Rub the beef chuck with rock salt and lots of ground black pepper. Set aside.

Using a pressure cooker, heat some oil and begin searing the beef on both sides. Searing is basically frying the meat in oil, cooking its outer layer. This will help lock the flavors of the beef while simmering. After searing, remove the meat from the oil and set aside.

Add flour (cornstarch) to the oil and mix thoroughly until lumps disappear. Pour beef broth and continue mixing (amount of flour and broth will depend on how thin/thick you want the gravy to be). Add chopped garlic, bay leaf, a pinch of dried thyme or fresh thyme and red wine. Cook in high pressure for about an hour. Add in the chopped potatoes and carrots (or celery if you wish) and continue cooking for 15 more minutes.