Lumpia (Filipino Egg Roll)

Lumpia is a staple at Filipino parties and gatherings.  It can be used as an appetizer or as part of the main meal. As with a lot of Filipino recipes, there's usually no measurements. You just get to know, with practice, but for the purpose of a basis to start with, I weighed the ingredients. I used 6 ounces of shrimp, 12 ounces of lean ground pork, and 3 ounces of pork back fat. The garlic, carrots, celery and onions, I used what's pictured. As for the oyster sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper you will have to suit it to your taste and experiment. Like I said it just comes with practice.

Ingredients 

• lean ground pork
• shrimp
• pork back fat
• garlic
• carrots
• celery
• onions
• oyster sauce
• salt & pepper

Ingredients	Dice the garlic, carrots, celery, onion in a food processor
Add the pork back fat and run the processor again. I'm adding the pork back fat to give it a little fat since I'm using lean ground pork	Add the shrimp and run the processor
In a bowl, put the ground pork and add salt and pepper	Add soy sauce and oyster sauce
Add the mixture from the food processor	Mix until it is all combined together
This is the wrapper that I'll be using	Take a sheet of the wrapper and lay on a flat surface
Put 2 to 3 spoons of the meat mixture on the wrapper	Fold the wrapper over the meat
Flatten the wrapper on both sides of the meat	Roll the meat over onto the wrapper
Fold both sides over on top of the meat	Roll the meat over again
I cut a couple of inches of the wrapper off so that the wrapping on the meat won't be too thick	Roll the wrapper over and seal with egg wash
In a pan, heat up oil and place a few pieces of lumpia at a time into the oil	Flip the lumpia over when the bottom has turned golden brown
When both sides golden brown, removed and drain oil. Place on paper towel to absorb the oil	When both sides golden brown, removed and drain oil. Place on paper towel to absorb the oil

2012 Gingerbread Houses

We got together yesterday at a friend's house and made some ginger bread houses!

Norman and Lisa
Christmas tree peep inside the house	Jenn and Jeana
Lisa, (a different one), who hosted the event	Marlene, the even organizer
Will's mobile home	Hai
Michelle and Taylor
Miranda's deluxe tent

Filipino Style Spaghetti Sauce

Tonight, our niece and nephew came over to learn to cook my version of Filipino style spaghetti sauce. They cut the mushrooms. They cut the onions, even experienced crying cause of the onions, LOL. They even help make homemade pasta.

Spaghetti sauce is one of those items that I have no measurements for. I learned to make it by taste and with practice. Over time you just get a feel on how much to put and of what items.

Ingredients 

• garlic
• ketchup
• jar of store spaghetti sauce (we use Ragu)
• onions
• mushrooms
• mild Italian sausage
• ground beef
• ground pork
• oyster sauce 
• salt and pepper

Ingredients: garlic, ketchup, Ragu spaghetti sauce, onions, mushrooms, mild Italian sausage, ground beef, ground pork	Brown the meats
Our nephew helping to cook dinner	Our niece's turn to stir
Mixing all three meats together	After meat has brown, add onions and garlic
add Ragu sauce and ketchup and salt and pepper	add oyster sauce
add the mushrooms	add a sweetener, such as sugar, we used Stevia. Simmer on low heat for one to two hours, until the sauce has turned from bright red to a darker red
the finished product...

Meatloaf with Latin-Asian twist

I wanted to have meatloaf but I wanted something different and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients 

• ¾ lbs lean ground beef
• ¼ lbs Chorizo
• carrots
• onions
• garlic

I started with a pound of meat, ¾ lbs lean ground beef and ¼ lbs chorizo (the Latin twist)	Chop up carrots, onions, and garlic
Mix the meat and chopped vegetables. Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce , and Hoisin sauce (the Asian twist). I put the mixture in circular ceramic terrines then bake in the oven in a water bath	after they baked...
Plated with some creamy garlic mashed potatoes that I made, and more ketchup

Filipino Style Empanada

My wife made some Filipino style empanada today.

Ingredients 

• Italian sausage (ground beef usually used)
• potatoes, cubed small
• onions
• mushrooms
• diced garlic
• raisins

Ground beef is usually used but but we used Italian sausage instead	Remove the sausage from casing and crumble
Ingredients: Cubed potatoes, onions, mushrooms, diced garlic and raisins	Brown the sausage then saute with the other ingredients to make the filling
She used two different kinds, one with wheat flour and one with white flour. This is the rolled wheat flour	Cut dough into circles
Put egg wash around the dough and put a spoonful of filling	Fold the dough over and crimp the edges
Also tried another shape by placing another piece of dough on top and crimping the edges	This is the ones with the white flour dough
Baked wheat flour versions	Baked white flour versions