What you get are crispy little Quezo de Bola snacks. Once you bite into it, the trademark Quezo de Bola cheesy flavor just explodes in your mouth. Gah. It’s DELICIOUS. Thanks to my Tita Frances for introducing us to this tasty delight! She in turn learned this from Chef Waya of Kiss the Cook Cafe.

Good thing we still have a lot of Quezo de Bola left over from the holidays. This has become one of my favorite afternoon snacks!

The video was a bust (wrong settings my foot!) but the wontons were a success. Here’s a picture of the finished product! Salivate, salivate. They were really good. My cousin ate hers with vanilla ice cream, while I ate mine fresh off the fryer. Sinfully divine.

Here’s how she made her Nutella Wontons: Line a piece of molo wrapper with beaten egg. Drop a dollop of Nutella at the center. Fold the wrapper into a triangle. Fry in hot oil till golden brown. Arrange fried goodies on a platter, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. May be served with ice cream.

What we would do next time: I bit into a wonton and slid a small piece of banana inside. Yum! Next time, we’ll place a slice of banana on top of the Nutella dollop before folding the wrapper. We’ll also try crushed nuts or other diced fruits — strawberry perhaps? Then we’d serve it with whipped cream. Gaaah. I can feel my thighs getting bigger just thinking of the next Wonton session.

Melon cubes wrapped in Prosciutto — big flavors in small bites! My sister prepared this last weekend, much to the delight of the family. It was a refreshing and light afternoon snack. It’s quite simple to prepare. Just roll a thin strip of prosciutto around a melon cube, top with another melon cube and pierce with a toothpick. Done!

It’s hard to ignore a screaming sweet tooth after a delightful meal. Dessert doesn’t have to be sinful to be enjoyed! One can still satisfy that sweet craving and still make that angel on his shoulder happy. Here are ideas for a dozen healthy desserts.

1. Fruit Parfait. Layer yogurt and fresh fruits in a glass. Chill and serve. Fruits that work: Berries, bananas, pineapples, kiwi. Throw in some granola in between layers too. Mmm! Or if you’re like me, just throw everything into a glass and drop the layering.
2. Frozen Grapes. Just put a bunch of grapes in a freezer container, stick into the freezer and enjoy when frozen. They’re quite refreshing on a summer day! I also like draining out a can of fruit cocktail (not fond of the sweet syrup!), putting the contents in a freezer container then enjoying it frozen too.
3. Fresh Fruit Bowl. In a bowl, combine sliced bananas, berries, melons and watermelons scooped out with a melon baller, kiwi, pineapples, orange slices. Chill and serve.
4. Fruit Pops. In a blender, puree watermelon and strawberry. Pour liquid in popsicle trays and serve. Other fruit pop combinations that work: mango-orange, mango-melon, berries with other berries, pineapple-raspberry.
5. Soy Ice Cream. It doesn’t have as much calories and cholesterol as regular ice cream, but can be just as delicious!
6. Frozen Yogurt. It has less fat and less calories than ice cream. But if you could opt to just stick a container of your regular yogurt in your freezer, why not? That’s what I do and it’s delicious too! Regular yogurt is much healthier than fro-yo, you know.
7. Dark Chocolate Bar. Break off a piece of that dark choco and indulge. Dark chocolate is said to have antioxidants and is good for the heart. Just enjoy in moderation.
8. Fried Bananas. On a hot pan, lay out sliced bananas and toast till they’re golden on one side. Then flip over. They’re naturally sweet and creamy!
9. Apples and Peanut Butter. Slice apples into wedges. Serve with a small amount of peanut butter. Yum!
10. Dark-chocolate covered fruit. Melt dark chocolate in the microwave or the fondue pot if you’re feeling fancy. Dip fresh fruit in such as strawberries and bananas.
11. Cottage cheese and fruit. If you’re not a fan of yogurt, how about cottage cheese and strawberries instead?
12. Sugar-free cakes and pastries. If you really must have cake, opt for the choice with fewer calories and fat.

Choose fruits first before anything else if you really must have dessert. They have lots of fiber and vitamins. The fresher, the better. Enjoy!

My sister’s cookies are calling out to me again. There’s a bunch of bananas hanging in the kitchen too. I think I know which one to go for now.

I think.

Happy healthy dessert eating! Can you share other healthy dessert ideas?

Image credit: nkzs

It follows the same recipe as French Toast, only you cut up your bread into much smaller pieces before dipping them into the egg and milk mixture. Then the usual follows — fry them on both sides in a little butter till golden. While the toast is cooking, cut up some bananas. You can also opt to throw them into the pan with the toast. Then create little sandwiches by layering the bread, fruit and bread, then stick a toothpick through them. Voila! Bite-sized French Toast.

Pop the toast in your mouth and feel the healthy sweetness ooze! Honey or sugar was no longer called for because my bananas were very sweet, and they complemented the eggy, whole-wheat toast really well. My ultimate French Toast test was getting H to like it, and he enjoyed it a lot.

Sometimes an old recipe just needs a change in perspective for you to enjoy it more. Thanks to Chef Christopher Lee for the idea! My toast is nowhere close to his of course. I mean, take a look at his dish:

Christopher Lee’s French Toast with Caramelized Banana on a Stick and Maple Syrup Fluff
(Image Credit. Recipe.)

Yowza! And oh, if you look at my picture’s background, you’ll see two bowls — one full of sausages, the other one has pork & beans. They’re my French Toast partners, bite-sized or not. I didn’t have any bacon that day.

Anyone up for some homey Bite-Bized French Toast with bananas on toothpicks?

This entry is also part of the Make It From Scratch! Blog Carnival.

Kapag “comfort food” ang pinag-uusapan, agad-agad pumapasok sa isip natin ang masasabaw na pagkain, mga nakapagpapainit sa tiyan at damdamin. Sinigang na Baboy. Champorado. Nilagang Baka. Oh yeah. Ang tuyo ba na ulam ay pwede rin ba maging “comfort food”? Oo naman. Para sa akin, isa na rito ang Giniling na Karne ng Baka na may Itlog ng Pugo (Ground Beef with Quail Eggs).

Luto ito ng asawa ko. Laging masarap ang kanyang timpla sa karne. Alam ko ang mga sangkap ng potahe na ito, pero hindi ko makuha ang kanyang timpla. Mas masarap talaga magluto asawa ko sa akin!

Maaari niyo itong gawing masmakulay sa pamamagitan ng pagdagdag ng iba’t ibang gulay — sitaw, mais, karot, etc. Pero okay na ako sa ganitong luto — sibuyas, bawang, itlog ng pugo, bakang na-”marinade” sa toyo/liquid seasoning, asin, paminta. Simpleng-simple lang ang ulam na ito pero mayaman sa linamnam!

At kahit tuyo, napaiinit din niya ang aking tiyan at damdamin. “Comfort food” nga eh! Sana’y makapagluto ulit ang asawa ko nito. Nagutom ako sa pagtingin ulit sa litrato eh.

Ito ang aking kontribusyon sa Litratong Pinoy ngayong linggo. Ang tema ay: “Tuyo” (Dry).

French toast is super easy to prepare. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of milk. Stir in a teaspoon of sugar. Stir well. Dip a bread slice in the mixture, making sure it’s fully coated. In a heated pan, melt a small amount of butter and slide your bread in. Fry on both sides till golden. Repeat.

You can also mix in several drops of vanilla in the egg mix, or stir in cinnamon. They will both give your French toast wonderful flavor too. Or you can do without the sugar in the mixture and sprinkle your French toast with powdered sugar instead.

Bacon is still my favorite French toast partner, but I was in the mood for sausages that day. Grape jelly is a second favorite of mine, followed by Nutella.

You can use any type of bread. I usually use whole wheat slices but have recently found my favorite bread to make French toast with — multi-grain bread from Bizu. It makes for purrfect French toast. H doesn’t eat French toast, but he ate some slices heartily this breakfast. I think it was the bread that did it, as it was just the right kind of plump and toasty.

How do you enjoy your French toast?

Giniling na may pechay at sabaw (Ground meat with Chinese cabbage and soup) is one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s easy to make and always hits the spot.

Simply saute one chopped onion in hot oil till transparent. Saute garlic till softened. Add chopped tomato. Add your choice of ground meat (beef, pork or chicken) and saute till brown. Stir in 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. Pour in one cup of hot water (or broth, if you prefer). Simmer till the meat is cooked. Skim off the scum as you go along. Stir in the pechay’s chopped white stalks. Then mix in the chopped leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

I don’t really measure much when cooking, but appromixately I used 1/4 kilo of ground meat, one small white onion, two cloves of garlic, one small tomato, and two bundles of petchay (about 15-16 stalks). It serves 2-3 people with a hearty appetite.

This is best eaten in a deep bowl with cooked rice mixed into the broth. I love it that way. It always comforts me. And it’s perfect for this rainy Thursday!

Pork Chops. Curry. Vegetables. Three homey and filling things I was looking forward to after a long day at work. Upon arriving at home, I went straight to the kitchen and whipped up pan-fried porkchops, curry rice and buttered beans.

Simple Pan-Fried Pork Chops. Pepper is love so I was mighty generous with it. I coated my pork chops in a LOT of ground black pepper. Then I marinated the pork in soy sauce and lemon juice for 15 minutes. One lemon is to two pieces of porkchop. Afterwards, in a heated pan, I fried the pork chop for 5 minutes per side. After the ten minutes were up, I covered the pan and let the chops cook another 3-5 minutes. They were still very tender when they came out of the pan and were so yummy!

Buttered beans. The pan where you cooked your chops will have some pork chop juices in it. Yum. Slide in a little bit of butter in the heated pan. When melted, throw in your beans or whatever vegetables you want. Cook briefly, about 2 minutes. Yum!

Curry Fried Rice. Cook the cubed tofu in hot oil. When golden, remove from the pan and set aside. In the same oil, saute onions and garlic. When onions are transparent and garlic is almost golden, stir in your cooked rice. Add the fried tofu. Shower with curry powder. The amount will depend on how currylicious you want your rice to be. I like LOTS of curry! Season with salt and pepper. Done!

Preparation and cooking time. It took me about 25 minutes to cook and 10 minutes to prep. While the pork chop was marinating, I cooked the curry fried rice. By the time the rice was cooked, the pork chops were ready to go and the beans were a breeze.

I enjoyed this dinner a lot! I had cooked only two pork chops and was so tempted to eat H’s share. Haha! Next time I’ll cook two for me.

I sure do! But wait, what the heck is that!? Sorry for the weird picture, but that really is how a banana pancake looks like while cooking.

When the pancake batter is cooking, top with some roughly chopped bananas. Don’t worry about weird bumps in your pancakes. Pancakes always find a way to spread out evenly on a pan, even when you flip it banana side down.

I love bananas in my pancake because they add a natural sweetness to it. I also like how the mushy texture of bananas complement the spongy texture of the pancake’s. AND I don’t use maple syrup anymore when I have bananas in my pancakes. The banana’s sweetness is all I need.

No finished product pictures because H & I promptly devoured the banana pancakes. Trust me, they looked yummy.

How do you like your pancakes? Do you stir in fruits? How about chocolate chips? Or peanut butter? Share your version of pancake heaven!