240 Baons + 365 Meals

Deconstructed Adobo

2012-01-13T21:18:00.000+08:00

MB adores adobo. One time, we had dinner at my grandma’s place and he really loved the adobo grandma cooked so a few days after, I decided to make a batch. But this time deconstructed.

I first boiled the chicken and tore the meat from the bones. Then I fried them in oil. I added some water and some Sukang Pinakurat. Yes, that vinegar from MB’s hometown that he cannot live without. I was experimenting at this point. I didn’t know how the dish would taste after cooking with the Pinakurat. We always use this as a condiment, never cooked. Fingers crossed.

Then I added my usual slew of ingredients – garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, patis, toyo and when I was about to reach for the sugar, I saw that the bottle was empty. What was I to do? The acidity of the vinegar will be too much so I needed something to break it. I saw my bottle of honey and used that. Again, fingers crossed. I cooked this until there was no liquid left.

This is my plate. I always eat some hardboiled egg with adobo. MB likes it too. Anyway, moving on to the taste. It was marvelous, I tell you! It was sour then a bit sweet then spicy. MB loved it. For the leftovers, I mixed them with cold rice and made some adobo fried rice. Just remember to season the rice with a bit of soy sauce.

I’m making this my signature adobo dish. I wonder if it works well with a soupy version. Hmm…

Adobo Connection

2012-01-06T11:10:00.000+08:00

On the last day of December, MB and I had to check on some things at the store but before that, we had to eat lunch so we went to the nearest place with grub, which is SM Food Court and discovered this:

Adobo Connection

As the name suggests, the specialty is adobo. But, they also had other offerings. I wanted to eat some vegetables that day so I settled with Beef Kare-Kare:

Yes, that’s how they served the rice

MB, on the other hand, tried Kuya’s Special Adobo:

The plate doesn’t look appetizing at all. It lacked color. They should just have separated the adobo from the rice. MB was annoyed with the small serving. Another thing he was annoyed with was this:

There was so much oil in the adobo. MB doesn’t like oily food. You might enjoy this if you like oily adobo. We don’t.

For the kare-kare, it was okay for Php109 (same price as the adobo). It’s not great but it’s edible and it’s okay. It also didn’t give me tummy aches as other kare-kares do. The sitaw (long beans) was hard. I only tried one because sitaw makes my knees hurt. The eggplant was not overcooked and the beef was tender. My only problem was the rice. The serving was very small and it was too soft. It was like eating congee. I hate rice that has the texture and consistency of congee! I can’t stand it. Imagine MB’s rice being this soft and soaked in all that oiI. I even mentioned to MB that we should have just bought rice from Tokyo Tokyo. Oh, and the bagoong was swimming in oil as well.

I tried a little of MB’s adobo and found that it was okay too. Nothing special there. MB didn’t like it. I told him it might be because of the oil. I said that it would taste good without all that oil

The meal came with good sized drinks

I have mixed feelings about this meal. I would probably just buy the kare-kare next time and get the rice from somewhere else. Another thing that really pissed us off were the staff.

We were saying our orders to the girl on the counter when suddenly, everyone from the kitchen burst out of the door following a girl holding a camera. The girl positioned herself to take a photo of the group. She even called the staff that was taking our orders and you know what the girl taking our order did? She looked at us and said, “wait lang po ha? magpicture lang kami” with her hand outstretched doing the stop gesture. She interrupted me while I was saying my order. I was shocked! MB and I looked at each other with a mix of anger and disgust. You are in the business of customer service, how dare you make your PAYING customer wait so that you can have your picture taken? It was a very slow day judging by the first photo and it was already 3 in the afternoon so there was no lunch crowd. Aside from that, we were the only customers at the counter. It was December 31, a very slow day, wouldn’t you be grateful for every customer that come your way? Why couldn’t they just wait for us to finish our orders, pay and then leave the counter to take their picture? They still had to prepare our food so taking the order and our payment wouldn’t take so long. We are in customer service as well and when a customer suddenly drops by while we are eating, we immediately stop and assist the customer, paying or not. We assist them no matter how long they take. So we were really shocked with what the staff of Adobo Connection did to us. I hope someone from their management reads about this so that they can train their staff better.

Anyway, back to lighter topics. Because MB was so dissatisfied with his order, he bought some taho for dessert:

He was asking if they had ube taho. Go figure. He’s had an ube craving for a month now.

I had a White Hat yogurt with dark chocolate chips and Almond Clusters. Of course MB “shared” this cup with me.

Macaroni Salad for the New Year

2012-01-05T11:45:00.000+08:00

This blog was put up to document my kitchen adventures and to serve as my online recipe book but it seems that it’s been filled with my restaurant adventures lately. The reason for that is because I’m too busy with Hyphen and all its brands. The holidays were the only time I was able to visit my kitchen again. For Christmas, I made some roasted chicken as per request of my sister. For our advance New Year’s Eve dinner, MB requested a chicken macaroni salad:

I was really thankful that my sister took over the cooking job for the holidays as I needed to work in the store. This is a very simple salad that you can bring to parties or stock in the fridge for impromptu meriendas when friends come over.

You will need:

salad macaroni (cooked according to package directions)

a tub of mayonnaise

some boiled eggs (I used the yolk only)

some cooked ham

pineapple chunks (3-4 packs)

2 big apples cut into chunks

boiled chicken, shredded

relish (one small bottle for 400g of salad macaroni)

salt and pepper to taste

I seasoned the mayo with salt and pepper first then mashed the egg yolks and added them to the mayo. I used around 6 hard boiled egg yolks. I’m allergic to the whites so I skipped that but you can use them anyway if you like. The trick is to mash them very well so that they blend with the mayo. Then I added the ingredients one by one, ending with the salad macaroni. For serving, you can also top it with some grated cheese:

I discovered a few things in the supermarket when I bought ingredients for this dish.

1. Salad macaroni seems to be abundant during the holidays. They’re hard to find on regular days.

2. Packed grated cheese is now available among local brands. It comes in a small pouch that costs around 19 pesos. So convenient for busy people like me!

3. Pineapple chunks are now also available in pouches. I hate opening cans so this is very convenient for me. Plus, it’s not too heavy to bring when I’m alone grocery shopping.

4. There’s this brand of mayonnaise (Homeland, I think) that’s made in the US that is so affordable (Php176 for a big bottle compared to Lady’s Choice and Best Foods that cost Php330 and up) and tastes so good (not sweet like our local mayo). I bought this and bought a pack of Lady’s Choice as backup in case this didn’t taste good. I was hesitant because of the price. When I got home, I told my sister about it and she said, “Masarap yun!” She said that it’s her favorite brand of mayo because it’s not sweet. So I guess I did good on that.

I’d like to thank Kitten for the ham idea and my sister for the hard boiled egg idea.

Food Tripping

2011-12-31T19:11:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I enjoy being alone in the mall as I get to do anything I want without worrying about my companion getting bored or not liking it. I can watch movies that MB would otherwise frown upon (such as chick flicks) or eat/try out new things. I had one such day when I watched New Year’s Eve. I ordered potato munchers from Taters and Nacho Mama from Eat My GF (garlic fries) for my movie snacks. Here are the nachos:

I asked for takeout because I’ll be bringing this to GB1 where I’ll be watching. I wasn’t very impressed with the preparation. The veggies used were not that fresh. I had to ask the girl who was preparing the food to remove all the black parts of the carrot. I also asked her to remove the hard parts of the lettuce. For the bean paste, I don’t know why she had to rub it all over the cardboard tray. All the “toppings” were in the bottom and only the cheese was served as a topping. This included tomatoes and black olives. You just can’t see them because, well, they’re underneath the nachos. The taste was ok but eating this in a dark cinema proved to be challenging. When the nachos ran out, I realized that there were still a lot of toppings. And all along I thought I already ate all of them. They were stuck to the corner of the cardboard. Such a waste. This costs around Php100, more or less. Sorry, I can’t remember. Also, the brown bag was really tacky. The contents of the tray will surely spill if you’re not careful, thus the toppings sticking to the corner. If the brown bag gets wet, it will surely tear. I was carrying other things so it was a real hassle bringing this from Food Choice Glorietta 4 to the cinemas at GB1.

For dessert, I had a mint macaron from Bizu:

On another note, here are other food choices from Kim n Chi:

This is Bibimbap which is sooo sulit! It has all sorts of toppings. My only problem with it is everything tasted too sweet. Good thing I ordered kimchi.

The kimchi was good. I ignored the gochujang that came with the bibimbap. I’m also happy to report that the soup is better now. It’s actually pretty tasty and I finished the 2 bowls. The dumplings were a disappointment:

MB and I each had one then I had them wrapped for takeout and gave them to my babies. The dumplings at Kaya still top my list.

It will be 2012 in a few hours. What’s your food trip for tonight?

The Ultimate Caesar Kit

2011-12-07T11:58:00.000+08:00

Because of too much stress, I’ve been having a lot of trouble eating. All I want to eat are sandwiches, vegetable salads and fresh fruit, basically, food that’s easy to eat. But I’m always on the go and I don’t have too much time to prepare my food. Good thing local supermarkets such as SM, Landmark and Rustan’s offer packed healthy meals for busy people such as myself. Here’s one example:

MB bought this for me at the Landmark supermarket for only Php59. Yesterday, I was waiting for my sister to finish her papers so that we can go to the mall together. But it was getting too late and I only ate half a bread for breakfast so I suddenly felt my sugar dropping. I was feeling dizzy and I knew that it was time to eat. By the way, this is the packaging that I was telling you about in my previous Kim n Chi post. The staff sealed the noodles in this box. Cool, no?

It has lettuce, bacon bits, croutons, Caesar dressing and parmesan cheese. It even has a tiny plastic fork that I didn’t see until I was halfway through the meal. For me, this is the bomb. One box is enough to tide me over until I get my next meal.

Dole keeps coming up with cool products (like the fresh young coconut so that I can have my buco juice fix anytime, or the packed corn and cut apples for snack time). I can’t wait to see more! Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get my Caesar fix.

Kim n Chi Round 3

2011-12-06T10:14:00.000+08:00

Without further ado, here’s the food:

MB got the beef stew bento this time. I just had to have the seafood ramyon again.

I wanted the beef bulgogi but MB made a mistake and ordered the bulgogi omu-rice. I didn’t want to waste money so I settled.

See, I told you the omu-rice servings were gigantic! The rice is inside that roll of egg. I didn’t touch the egg which was covered in catsup and mayo. There were only a few pieces of beef in the bulgogi and tons of noodles. It tasted good but it was too sweet for my taste. To balance out the sweetness, I poured some of the ramyon soup onto my rice. (Pouring soup over rice is a Filipino thing.)

At the end of the meal, I still had some leftover ramyon which MB and I shared for dinner that night and the egg and noodles from my order which I gave to my babies.

Oh, I almost forgot. When I asked that the ramyon be packed for take out, the staff had a problem. They didn’t know how to pack it for takeout. They poured the soup in a flimsy plastic and of course, the shrimp poked holes in it. They even put the plastic in a brown bag and of course that too got soaked. So finally they said they have this machine that can pack the noodles nicely and seal it but I have to add 5 pesos. No problem, as long as my soup is intact. It’s quite a nifty gadget. I’m sorry I forgot to take a photo but you’ll see an identical packaging in my next post.

Who says dinner dates at home can’t be fun?

2011-11-30T23:43:00.000+08:00

It’s my favorite hero’s day today. Aside from remembering what he has done for our country, we also welcome the midweek rest. Today was a typical holiday for us – woke up late, had a late breakfast, went to the store to check on things, bought some stuff for the house, bought some food then went home. Watched TV, had a nap then watched TV again. So, I decided to shake things up a little. I asked MB to go to Mang Inasal and get takeout for dinner then go to 7-11 to get some Slurpees as MB has never had a Slurpee in his entire life! Can you believe that?? I know, right?

So we had a nice evening stroll. It’s great when your house is walking distance to Mang Inasal, McDo, Jollibee, Shakey’s, Chowking, KFC, Shopwise, Goldilocks, 7-11, Mini Stop. Right Kitten? Unfortunately, all my orders were not available. So we settled for dark meat which I don’t like but a girl’s got to eat.

We went to the nearest 7-11 to buy the Slurpees but the machine was out of order so we had to walk all the way to the other side. Fortunately, the machine was working and they had Mountain Dew Slurpee (Mountain Dew is one of MB’s favorite sodas). And no, I didn’t get the Twilight cup, thank you very much.

The walk back home is not too great as it was hot. It suddenly became too dry outside. No wind whatsoever and the Slurpees were melting.

Nevertheless, we had a good dinner while watching RED on HBO (which I’ve already seen like a hundred times)

The soup wasn’t salty enough, the chicken was ok while the rice was too soft, like lugaw. The Slurpee was good, just like how I remember it to be. Of course, it’s been years since I last had a Slurpee as I’m not allowed to drink sodas. But the good thing about the old Slurpees is that they don’t melt fast. The ones we got tonight melted as soon as we were out the door.

This isn’t a food review. I just had a great time tonight and thought that I should share it with you. Food should always make you feel like that. It should bring people together and remind us of good memories. This is just to remind myself and everyone that food shouldn’t be thought of/out too much as if it were a science. It should be simple, healthy and good and something that everybody would enjoy. And to leave you with more happy thoughts, here’s MB’s first Slurpee:

Cheers!

Note: This post was inspired by Kitten’s wonderful, feel-good posts. Thanks sis!

Kim N’ Chi Who?

2011-11-27T00:29:00.000+08:00

Of course, the name suggests that this place serves Korean food. Kim N’ Chi is located at Food Choices Glorietta 4. It’s been open for a few weeks. The first time we ate there was on their opening week. I wasn’t able to take photos because I was famished. Today, rather yesterday, seeing as it’s already 12:02 AM, (Happy Birthday MB!) MB and I wanted to eat at Go Greek but seeing that their prices skyrocketed, we opted to go to its neighbor Kim N’ Chi.

At first I wanted to try the Seafood Omu-Rice but changed my mind at the last minute because of the gigantic proportions of this dish. Well, almost everything is served in gigantic portions in this semi-fast food place. I say semi because they prepare your food after you order. Then, they give you these black disks (just like at the tea shop at Landmark) that buzz and light up when your order is ready. Expect to wait around 5-10 minutes for your order to be served.

Here’s a quick look at the food display:

Sorry, no close-ups as I was too lazy to get up from my seat. If you think that that’s just advertising, think again. Wait until you see your actual order.

Speaking of orders, here’s ours:

MB’s Seafood Ramyon (Php119)

My Beef Stew Bento (Php119)

I ordered the same thing again. I was really hungry and I wanted to be sure of my food.

Let’s tackle MB’s Seafood Ramyon first. You must know that MB is not a huge fan of noodles. I am the noodle freak so I was surprised that he ordered this. The soup is wonderful. The flavor of the seafood (without the langsa) was great. The sweetness of the seafood combined with the spices make this a very hearty dish. You can choose between Mild and Spicy. I told MB to order mild because spicy Korean noodle dishes tend to conflict with our digestive systems. MB finished the soup to the last drop. The noodles are firm, which is number one on my noodle checklist. The seafood was glorious! 4 pieces of shrimps, tons of mussels and squid! All that for only Php119 pesos! This is truly a super sulit dish.

Now while I only have praises for the Ramyon, I have mixed feelings about my bento. The beef stew was good although the first one I tasted was better. The first one also had more beef in it and the meat was more tender. This serving had a lot of litid in it. I gave up on the big portion as it was tough to separate the meat from the litid. The side dishes (egg roll and kani on sticks) were still bad. They are cold and bland. The extra soup tasted like water. The beansprouts were better the first time around. The chapchae was worse. It was ok the first time we ate there. Nothing special but for it to be served cold, well….. The dilis was still delicious. I think this serving is better than the first one because the first bento was too overwhelming. There was so much going on that I don’t know where to start. The portions are smaller which is good because it encourages healthy eating and allows the customer to finish his/her order. For Php119, this is also another sulit dish.

Will we come back to Kim N’ Chi? Sure! We still have to conquer the Omu-Rice dishes!

Complete Meal for Crazy Days

2011-11-09T14:04:00.000+08:00

Hectic days, hectic nights. That’s all I’ve been having for months now. We’ve been eating out and taking out and I don’t like it. I want to go back to my kitchen and cook meals that we enjoy and appreciate. So last night, I decided to go home early and let my team take over the store and cook.

(Photo taken using my phone)

Of course I had to make something simple.. and fast! MB was getting cranky because he was hungry.

You will need:

cold rice

butter

Baguio beans

chopped bacon

mushrooms

chopped scrambled eggs

chopped spring onions

S&P

Fry the bacon until crispy. Remove some of the oil (not all of it! you want the flavor to infuse with the rice) and add the chopped Baguio beans and chopped mushrooms. Meanwhile, on another pan, add the cold rice then some butter. Put just enough to give the rice a little color. Add this rice to your bacon and veggie mixture and mix gently. Don’t overmix because you don’t want the starch from the rice make your dish all mushed up. Season with salt and pepper. Finally, top your dish with some chopped scrambled eggs and spring onions. Enjoy with a cold beverage.

For dessert, we had some fruit salad. Yep, that’s homemade too!

Of Afternoon Snacks and Cooking Snippets

2011-07-04T18:20:00.000+08:00

I’m watching TV now as I write this. I guess it’s easy to guess that one of my favorite channels is the Asian Food Channel. I saw this commercial about Martin Yan’s new show. He was using a huge cleaver. I remember when I first started cooking, I used a cleaver too. I was so enamored with the anime Cooking Master Boy that I decided to use a cleaver too, like Mao. I also copied his recipes. I would watch the show whenever I got stumped with what to cook for dinner. I always get new ideas from that anime. Later on, I was obsessed with Yakitate Japan. It was also a good show to get meal ideas from. Well, I love anime and I love to cook/bake that’s why these animes are perfect for me.

So, I used a cleaver for years. It was the only knife available in our kitchen aside from a bread knife because I was the only one who cooked. One day mom decided to cut something and hurt her hand. She was bleeding profusely and I had to take her to the hospital just to make sure that everything was alright. It was very fortunate that she didn’t need stitches. So after that, I decided to use a regular chef’s knife for everybody else’s safety. It’s so funny that I had to get used to holding a small knife. It was hard for me to cut certain ingredients using a chef’s knife whereas with a cleaver I was really fast. Friends would actually get scared when they see me cooking because of that knife. LOL. My idol, after all, was Mao who would cut food lightning fast.

So that’s a small snippet about my cooking life I’d like to share with you.

Moving on, MB and I had an afternoon snack yesterday while waiting for Transformers. I wanted to try Krispy Kreme’s Chillers but had to pass because they contained milk. I’m lactose intolerant. So MB got to enjoy this cold glass of Mango Kreme Chiller:

I think this costs 120 pesos.It' tastes really good, not like fake mangoes. It’s not too sweet. It would have been the perfect drink for me had I not been lactose intolerant.

I wanted something cold and sweet so MB said we should go to Starbucks so that he can buy me my usual Choco Cream Chip. When we got there, I told him I wanted to try the new Soy Strawberry Frappuccino.

It was a very good choice as this was sooooo good! I’m not a fan of strawberry drinks because they always taste so artificial but this was an exception. I could really taste the berries. It was also not too sweet. The cream gave it the perfect balance. I finished this drink and I rarely finish a Starbucks’ drink. I hope they put this as a regular on the menu. I’m pretty sick with the Choco Cream Chip already.

For munchies, we had churros from Dulcinea:

This is absolutely our favorite. I know most of you are already familiar with these churros but I just wanted to share the cute take out box.

We had a food fest yesterday as we had some arroz caldo again at Reyes Barbecue which totally sucked. We didn’t finish our orders and just took them home for the cats. During the movie, we shared an Omega-3 Pita (tuna with mango vinaigrette dressing) from Chimarra, some sour cream and chives popcorn and a bottle of coconut juice to wash them all down. It was a fun, food-filled Sunday!

*Photos taken using my Nokia phone

My Favorite Things

2011-06-06T21:44:00.001+08:00

I just realized that it’s been a month since I updated this blog. I was shocked to see that tiny reminder on my other blog. Sorry if I’ve been neglecting you! I’ve been very busy with bazaars and makeup gigs. Today was a rest day for me so I was able to write some things and now I’m giving this blog some love. And speaking of love, here are things I’m loving this summer:

Fruit and nut salad

light dinners

citrus salads

grilled corn on the cob

grilled shrimps

I’ve also made some interesting grocery finds:

Dole fresh buco..so sweet and refreshing!

This isn’t exactly a grocery find but a bazaar find:

Delimondo corned beef

pure meat! no litid whatsoever

I’m very particular with my corned beef. This Delimondo Ranch Style Corned Beef passed with flying colors! It’s soooo good especially when cooked almost crispy. I had this for brunch today. One big can costs Php155 and is available at S&R.

What are your favorite things this summer?

Tortilla Wraps and A Refreshing Summer Salad

2011-04-22T21:03:00.000+08:00

I was supposed to make a tortilla wrap on the night that I made the “Caribbean Salad” but I forgot the alfalfa sprouts that I bought from the grocery (long story). I nonetheless made one but it was not what I wanted. So, I made another attempt last night:

I was very happy with it, indeed. It’s a warm tortilla smothered with softened cream cheese topped with an oven baked ham, cucumbers, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts. To accompany it, I made a refreshing summer salad:

It has mixed greens, jicama, ripe mangoes, grapes and honey roasted nuts. For the dressing, I used a little bit of shoyu, orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper – shaken, not stirred.

I must say that MB loved this salad even more than the previous one. He loved the dressing so much that he kept pestering me to pour all the dressing every 2 minutes or so.

This meal was delicious! I was so full last night from the salad. We’ve become such huge fans of salads that I’ve made another one for tonight’s dinner. Watch out for that.

My Almost Caribbean Salad

2011-04-21T22:45:00.000+08:00

I’m big on salads during summer. I especially like salads for dinner so the other night, I prepared this:

I say almost because I skipped the jicama and avocado. I also added an assortment of nuts. The other ingredients are mixed greens, cucumbers, onions and mangoes.

For the dressing, I used a bit of shoyu, fish sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper. I put them in this bottle:

and shake, shake, shake!

It tasted a bit weird at first then I got used to it. MB loved it. He wanted to pour everything on the salad. I had to stop him from time to time. This was a very filling salad. I made a variation on this salad for dinner tonight and it is even more filling! I have a heavy stomach while writing this. = )

Quick Breakfast–Eggs and Tomatoes on a Walnut Toast

2011-04-19T10:20:00.000+08:00

This is another quick breakfast post. I woke up late yesterday and had to scramble to make breakfast for MB who was getting ready for work. I needed something fast but decent as MB is already tired of canned stuff so I made this:

I wanted something to make the bread more filling but I also wanted the taste to standout. This is a walnut loaf from French Baker. I’ve been dreaming of a good bread since I saw an episode of one of my favorite AFC shows where the host was making bread for dinner. Yum! I so want to bake bread again!!!! (I need an oven and a big kitchen).

For the eggs, I beat one egg, added some chopped parsley, salt and pepper then cooked it on low heat. I popped the bread and the tomatoes in the oven. The tomatoes were in for 10 minutes on 250C, I think. This was delicious! I think if you add some hot chocolate then this would be a perfect breakfast.

A Not-So-Summer-Friendly Meal

2011-04-19T00:57:00.000+08:00

I made the mistake of choosing to cook these dishes on a hot summer night. They’re actually light fares, perfect for a hot summer night but bad for the chef! I slaved away in the kitchen for 2 hours to prepare these dishes:

These are fish and shrimp cakes with a side dish of potato salad with yellow dressing.

For the fish and shrimp cakes I used fish fillet, chopped shrimps, panko, chopped spring onions, chopped parsley, minced garlic, lemon rind, lemon juice, APF, S&P, milk and beaten egg. Just fry the fish fillets first then flake with a fork. Combine all ingredients plus about half a cup of panko then mix well. Form into patties then dredge on remaining panko. Fry.

For the potato salad, I used new potatoes (also called baby or marble potatoes), lite mayo, mustard, lemon juice, chopped parsley, 1/4c sugar, S&P, bacon chopped garlic and onions.

Boil the potatoes until tender then slice into half. In a bowl, combine lite mayo, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, parsley, S&P and whisk well. You can also opt to put these in a blender. Mix the potatoes in. In a frying pan, fry the bacon bits. Add chopped garlic (seasoned with sea salt) and onions. Add all these including the bacon fat to the potato mixture. Mix well and chill in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

You can serve this with catsup or sweet chili sauce but the salad dressing was enough to complement the fish cakes (for me, that is). MB dipped the fish cakes in catsup. By the way, have you tried the Del Monte Rich Ketchup? I absolutely love it! I buy one bottle every 2 weeks.

We didn’t have rice anymore with this dish. It’s very filling as it is. Serve this with a nice iced drink while watching a movie and you’ve got the perfect hot summer night date right in the comforts of your home.

My First Attempt at Roasted Chicken

2011-03-29T12:48:00.000+08:00

And it was a success! Woot!

This is Kylie Kwong’s recipe but I tweaked it a little bit because at the last minute I couldn’t find my rosemary so I used oregano instead. I also used tarragon.

I used a lot of butter and honey. Honey was not in the original recipe. Using it was a good decision as it brought out the sweetness of the vegetables. And as always, don’t forget to season, season, season. I used a combination of sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, pepper and olive oil.

It was sooo good – the meat was tender and juicy and the skin was a bit crunchy. It was very filling too. We ate this with rice but you can actually just eat it with the veggies (carrots, new potatoes, onions) and you’ll be full in no time.

This success has inspired me to do more roasted dishes in the coming days!

Soup for the Soul

2011-03-21T10:54:00.000+08:00

Most of you know that when I’m not feeling well, I opt for soups as they help me recover faster. One day I decided to make a soup that is a meal in itself. My body was craving for vegetables and soup so I decided to combine them. I ended up with this:

Although I wanted soup, I needed a full bodied dish for the rest of the family. I was sick and I needed something light. They were hungry and they wanted to satisfy that hunger so I added some ravioli.

This soup contains cauliflower, carrots, fresh button mushrooms, celery, Taiwan pechay, garlic, onions and fresh tomatoes. I used tomato paste and chicken broth for the soup. I also added sea salt and black pepper for seasoning. I know MB would love some bread with this so I got some mixed grains bread from Bizu and slathered on some butter on each piece then sprinkled them with garlic powder. I popped them in the oven for a few minutes and voila! A complete, hearty dinner.

This soup was so packed with nutrients that I was able to recover in no time. I think this will be a permanent recipe in my “Foods that heal” repertoire.

2 Kinds and a Cocktail

2011-02-23T14:17:00.000+08:00

I made 2 kinds of chicken and 2 kinds of potatoes last week:

Sorry, I can’t give you the recipe for the chicken yet as I have to perfect it first. = ) But the lighter colored chicken was amazing!

For the potatoes, I just had fun. I wanted something to accompany our leftover finger food feast from Pizza Hut Bistro which included shrimps, chicken strips, onion rings, and calamares (I think) so I made potatoes.

The first one was dredged in breadcrumbs seasoned with salt, pepper, Spanish paprika, chili and nutmeg. I fried these first then popped in the oven with the ones on the right. The other potatoes were seasoned with salt and pepper, then I poured some olive oil on top. I then sprinkled everything with grated Australian Colby and topped them with chopped spring onions. Parsley is a better choice. I just didn’t have parsley that time so I tried the onions. It doesn’t work. Everything was delicious, nevertheless!

And for drinks:

I made this non-alcoholic cocktail. Chop half an apple and about 1-2 slices of lemon. Place in a carafe. Pour one Sprite in can then pour Welch’s grape juice just until the carafe is full. Give it a little stir and you’re done! Pour on glasses with ice and enjoy with the meal above!

A Dish Taken Straight Out of TV

2011-02-09T21:00:00.000+08:00

I was watching a food show yesterday with mom and my sister while having lunch when I saw these pork chops with stroganoff and red pepper rice. I don’t eat pork and I didn’t have all the ingredients for a proper stroganoff so as usual, I made do with what I have and tweaked, tweaked, tweaked.

I didn’t bother with the plating because I was already ravenous. LOL

I used chicken breast fillet instead of pork chops. Wrap the fillet with cling wrap and pound away. I used my fists to flatten the chicken. Season with salt and pepper then fry.

For the sauce, slice the onions into strips. Add about 2-3T of butter in a pan. Add the sliced onions. Let the onions turn transparent then add mushrooms (pieces and stems please). Let this cook for a while to allow the onions to caramelize. This will take about 5 minutes or so. Remember to cook in low heat.

Add about half a cup of chicken broth. Mix. Add one tetra brick of Nestle all purpose cream. Mix well. Season with sea salt and pepper. Add Spanish paprika and a dash of nutmeg.Turn off the heat.

To serve, top the chicken fillet with the sauce and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

As you can see, I ate this with the leftover tortellini. It was an awesome dinner indeed. My mom and sister loved this dish too!

P.S.

I found a way to make the chicken taste better. I just did it tonight for dinner. Season the chicken fillet with salt and pepper then dredge in finely ground corn meal. Slam dunk!

Dinner in Bed

2011-02-09T15:15:00.000+08:00

Yes, you read that right. MB is always on overtime so I am left with having dinner by my lonesome. Sometimes I eat with my mom and sister but there are times when I ‘m still asleep (afternoon nap) and they eat ahead so no choice but to dine alone.

This is what I cooked the other night:

This is tortellini with shrimps in crushed tomato sauce. This is very simple and very quick to make.

You need tortellini (got mine from Bacchus), one can crushed tomatoes, garlic, onions, parsley, salt and pepper, brown sugar, nutmeg and oregano.

Cook tortellini according to package directions. While that’s cooking, finely chop some garlic and onions.

In a pan, put 3T of olive oil. Saute the garlic and onions. Add the deveined shrimps. Sprinkle a little sea salt. When the shrimps are almost pink, add the crushed tomatoes. Season with sea salt and pepper, a dash of nutmeg and some dried oregano. Add about half a teaspoon of sugar just to cut the acidity. I always use brown sugar and not white. I only use white when it’s called for when baking. Taste, adjust seasonings if needed. Turn off the heat when the shrimps are cooked and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Stir in the cooked tortellini and you have yourself a delicious meal!

I also made some:

This is whole wheat farmer’s bread slathered with butter and topped with chopped parsley. I put it in the oven for about 10 minutes on the lowest setting. Yeah, I ate all four slices. It was soooo delicious! I love bread. I can go on days without rice, just bread. I wanted to make some herbed butter but I got too lazy. Until now, I haven’t done that yet and I’m running out of butter.

So I ate these in bed with a glass of ice tea. Is it sick to eat this while watching Silence of the Lambs?

Quick Meal: Ravioli

2011-02-02T08:53:00.000+08:00

What do you do when you’re starvin’ on a lazy Saturday afternoon and you’ve had it up to here with take out food? I’d say go pick up your lazy ass and whip something up in the kitchen. Give me just 15 minutes and you won’t be sorry.

Tips for the Lazy:

1. Buy ready-made ravioli. I got this from Bacchus Epicerie at Powerplant. It is my dream to make ravioli/pasta/pizza from scratch but until I get the kitchen of my dreams with all its splendor, then pre-cooked and ready-made would have to suffice.

2. Boil the ravioli according to package directions.

3. Chop some garlic and onions. Open a can of crushed tomatoes and a can of mushrooms (pieces and stems please. We’re on a lazy mode here and cutting up whole mushrooms is a no,no.)

4. In a pan, put some olive oil, about 3 tablespoons. Saute the garlic and onions.

5. Add the mushrooms, cook for 30 seconds.

6. Add the crushed tomatoes. Stir.

7. Season with a little sugar, some salt and pepper. Add herbs of your choice. Here I put oregano, basil and a little nutmeg. Taste. Adjust if necessary.

8. Drain the cooked ravioli and put under running water. Drain. Add the ravioli to your sauce and carefully mix it in. Serve with some toasted garlic bread from your favorite bakeshop and open a can of soda or juice and you’re all set.

I’d say that beats takeout food every time!

Oh, and because I was feeling a bit energized, I threw in this:

Homemade Goodness

2011-01-25T14:58:00.000+08:00

I am so excited to share this dish with you. I had this for lunch just a few minutes ago and I can’t wait to blog about it:

I had some salad and chicken nuggets. Wait, these are not ordinary chicken nuggets. They are homemade, made from scratch chicken nuggets. This is the first time that I’ve attempted to make chicken nuggets and I’m very happy that they turned out really good.

I got the recipe from Yummy but you know me, I tweaked it a little.

You need some chicken breast fillet cut into nugget sizes. Marinate the fillets in 1 cup milk and 1T freshly squeezed calamansi juice. Put this in the ref for an hour or so. I think I left it for 2 hours.

In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, salt, chili powder and one crushed chicken cube. You might notice that the cubes tend to stick together and end up in globs. To remedy this, Coat the globs with breadcrumbs and crush them again with your fingers. It will be fine like breadcrumbs and will mix easily. After that, just mix everything thoroughly.

Get another bowl and put some flour. In another bowl, break two eggs and add 2T of water. Beat.

Dredge the nuggets with flour, then dip them in the egg mixture and finally, dredge in the parmesan mixture. Make sure that each nugget is evenly coated.

The recipe called for a nonstick/oil spray but I didn’t have any so I just drizzled some canola oil on the nuggets and put them on a wire rack and baked them at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-25 minutes. The original recipe says 400 degrees but my mini oven can only do 250.

I kept an eye on the nuggets and turned them once in a while. The thinner the nuggets, the better in my opinion. I got one to try and oh, my…. They are absolutely the most incredible nuggets I’ve ever tasted (aside from McDonald’s on days when they do it right). It was a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and moist and juicy inside. You can actually see the juice dripping on the pan while baking. And I am proud to say that they are softer and juicier than McDonald’s nuggets.

The coating was light and the medley of flavors created by the breadcrumbs and parmesan and seasoning beats all those frozen nugget crap out there. The meat itself was a bit sweet with a little explosion of sourness from the calamansi and when you combine all these wonderful tastes, you get a chicken nugget that doesn’t need any sauce or condiment whatsoever. It was perfect. And we ate it straight out of the even. Yes, my sister didn’t care that it was hot. I cut one in half and went upstairs and told her, “look at my pretty chicken nugget”. She snatched it and put it inside her mouth while I was left screaming, it’s still hot! She went down and asked for more before she and mum ate lunch. They also had the nuggets for lunch. She just had it for appetizers too.

The salad that I prepared was made up of mixed greens, olives, gourmet croutons (I think this was garlic and parmesan), oranges (I wanted Mandarin but we didn’t have any so I just cut one up) and the dressing was honey mustard vinaigrette. The sweet, sour, salty, a bit spicy was absolutely wonderful. It was a perfect light lunch indeed.

I used just half a tray of chicken fillets because I was worried that it might not turn out nice. There are only a few pieces left in the oven. I’m going to make some more later for dinner. I’m so excited for MB to try these. Homemade definitely beats frozen and fast food anytime.

Tired and Hungry

2011-01-16T09:59:00.000+08:00

During the holidays, everyone was soooo busy straightening out the house and running around to buy presents and house stuff. I had to help out and although I was so tired already, I needed to cook for everyone especially if it’s just the boys and me. I needed to cook something fast and easy every time as I was also low batt already.

Here’s what I came up with one very late lunch time (cooking and preparation time is 30 minutes):

Beef salpicao (recipe in the archives), pink salmon soup with wombok pechay, corn and carrots and salad. The meat was of course, for the boys. I wanted some soup. I needed to salvage the carrots and so I made that side dish. Salads are always present on the table whenever my mom or sister is there.

For dessert:

I was feeling bad the night before as I wasn’t able to eat some watermelon. After slaving in the kitchen for a couple of hours, they did not even think to put some fruit aside for me. They ate everything! So I did another fruit platter the next day and ate half of it. Haha!

Everyone loved this set. My sister especially loved the beef. I had to stop her from eating so that mom can taste some of it for dinner. All the rest were wiped out.

Creamy Dory

2011-01-12T22:46:00.000+08:00

There was one dinner during the holidays that I had a break from cooking. I was surprised that my sister was busy cooking up a storm one afternoon. This is what went out of the kitchen that night:

Sorry for the blurry pics. I was too hungry already to adjust the settings. Anyway, this is a cream dory creamy pasta. I asked her how she made it. Here are the details:

1. Saute chopped garlic and onions. Then add chopped or crumbled cream dory. Wait for it to cook.
2. Add mushrooms. Allow those to cook then add cream. Season with salt, pepper and chopped parsley.

Oh, my. It was delicious! I always thought that fish and pasta DO NOT go together but I was so wrong with this dish! She was able to take out all the “fishy" taste and the dory was delicious! It is one very filling pasta though so you might want to eat in moderation.

Aside from that, she also made this:

Homemade pesto from scratch. We do not have a food processor so she painstakingly cut the basil leaves with a pair of kitchen shears. She also used almonds instead of pine nuts. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. Even MB liked it and MB does not like trying “weird” food.

That’s my plate. I forgot to take a pic first before biting into the baguette. Teehee.. I loved this dinner! And I love it more because I didn’t have to lift a finger to prepare it!

Making breakfast is such a daunting task

2011-01-06T08:00:00.003+08:00

Good morning everyone! I hope you've had some nice breakfast before going to work.

For me, breakfast is the hardest to prepare. I envy people who are very creative with making and preparing breakfast. I now find it especially hard since MB and I are used to just eating bread from Bread Talk then that’s it. Now, we all eat together and I am tasked with preparing all the meals and breakfast just drives me crazy! So what I do is I prepare a whole bunch of things for them to choose from. –evil grin- That way, I don’t have to stress myself out and not be late for any appointments for the day.

If you are like me, you may find this useful:

I bought a box of mini Danish pastries at French Baker and transferred them to a plate (para di mukhang takeout!) I also served bacon (only 2 slices for each person, masama sa heart!) and heated the leftover Fiesta ham and slices of ham from Cagayan de Oro, a pasalubong from a family friend.

Further down are toasts, some mayo and some sliced Navel oranges. The Christmas balls are still there (mental note: change centerpiece) but this was before New Year. I also have a selection of drinks – mixed fruit juice, OJ, decaf coffee, Milo and Swiss Miss.

Here’s my plate:

I already got one of the blueberry Danish pastries. That’s the only flavor that I like.

I only have 3 sets of placemats, 3 table covers and the black, white and red dinner plates that’s why you are seeing a repeat of everything. All the rest are just things I’ve accumulated through the years that is why it is my mission to find more table setting sets. I’m quite excited!

Dealing with Holiday leftovers

2011-01-04T13:51:00.000+08:00

I think dealing with holiday leftovers is every housewife/mom/chef-at-home’s dilemma after all the festivities has ended. Great if you have relatives and friends who asked for take aways but what happens when you’re stuck with all that food? First thing that I would do is get creative and transform the dish into something else. But what about the other dishes that are not “recyclable”? Me, I try to inject them one by one into our meals. Let’s take for example, this afritada:

I knew everybody was sick of eating the leftover afritada so I cooked a light soup with canned pink salmon and wombok pechay. The light refreshing flavor of the soup was a nice break to the heavy, saucy nature of the afritada. I also added some simple greens with Mandarin oranges.

I also always try to make the setting appealing and a bit festive to make them feel like it’s still Christmas (but this was only two days after Christmas) hoping that they will eat more. Haha!

It was a good meal and we finally finished the afritada. How do you deal with leftovers?

This is how we do it

2010-12-31T00:20:00.000+08:00

After the success of our Christmas lunch, I was inspired to continue to serve meals that way. So now, this is how we eat everyday:

I bought a new table cloth and some placemats. The other plates are a mishmash because I really only have 2 of each kind as I only did this for MB and I before. But I’m slowly building my collection so it will improve soon.

Ignore the eggs. Everyone in my family (including MB, excluding me) likes very well done eggs that’s why I did that. There are some German franks and ham slices as well.

I always include fruits. The selection of fruits also varies every single day. These are Washington apples and grapes. The wheat bread has some Australian Colby in the center then I stuck them in the toaster. (We’re now using our McDo glasses!)

And to end this post, here’s my crazy sister’s equally crazy plate:

She insisted that I take a photo of her plate.

I’ll be showing more of our table spreads in the coming days. I am really very inspired to do this each meal time. Of course, I do all the cooking and prepping and more often than not, organizing the table. I’m still adjusting. I was used to cooking for two, now I cook for 4-5 (my cousin decided to be a permanent fixture on our dining table during meal times). But it’s really fun! I sit at the head of the table because that’s the closest to the kitchen and I play the hostess almost every time, refilling the carafes, getting extra rice, getting dessert, etc. I think this is really pushing me to the direction of owning a café/cafeteria of my own. We’ll see.

A Slice of Heaven

2010-12-29T23:57:00.000+08:00

What happens when Chocolate Heaven goes ala mode?

Chocolate Heaven + Haagen Dazs Vanilla = Pure, unadulterated bliss.

Christmas Lunch 2010

2010-12-28T19:52:00.000+08:00

If you’ve been following me on my personal blog, you’d know that I got sick 3 days before Christmas so my sister had no choice but to step up to the cooking challenge.

In spite of being sick, I tried to organize the “front of the house” to accommodate 9 people. We only have a 6-seater table and so sitting 9 was quite of a challenge. For the chairs, we settled with extra monoblocs. As for the table setting:

It didn’t really matter anymore as long as everybody was able to eat. In all the excitement though, we forgot to take pictures of the food!

We had Bouillabaisse, Russian Salad, my afritada, Bolognese pasta and a whole bunch of desserts. That’s sparkling grape juice (which I had with Sprite) on the table beside the Bouillabaisse.

Mom bought a Mango roll and Chocolate Heaven from Red Ribbon. We actually remembered to take pics before dessert.

Fruit Salad and Chocolate Heaven

With the Mango Roll and different ice cream flavors

We also had cherry M&M’s and an assortment of chocolates.

Here’s my cousin’s ice cream which I lovingly prepped for the photo op:

My uncle’s ice cream:

And my Haagen Dazs Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream that absolutely rocks!

I was the only one who had Haagen Dazs because I cannot tolerate the lactose content of local ice creams. Score!

Oh, we actually have a photo of the afritada:

You might think that we shelled out a lot for the table setting. Mind you, these are all from Melaware which was 50% off when I bought them! I don’t like ceramic/glass plates as I have polymyositis and I tend to drop things. These plastic ones are light enough and I don’t worry about dropping them.

The wine glasses are also on sale at 100 pesos each. The table cloth is only Php199 while the place mats are Php69.75. As for the centerpiece, I just filled the glass with Christmas balls. The glass costs around Php170. These are all from SM. I had fun shopping for this event.

What made your Christmas? At our house, it still feels like Christmas. I’ll show you why in my next posts.

Caffe Ti Amo

2010-12-08T15:28:00.001+08:00

I’ve been hanging out in this place since it opened. I love the relaxed vibe that this place gives. I love the décor and the cozy feeling of the furniture. The gelato on the other hand, is good, not great.

I love the fact that they’re trying to give the place an outdoor Italian Café, thus the tree in the middle..It may be weird for some but I kinda like this tree.

I don’t like this couch because it’s impractical. The tables are placed side by side. What if you’re in the farthest corner and want to go out? Do you ask your neighbor to move his table or do you ask everybody in the couch to move out?

I love this Anything Area!

I want that crystal/ghost rocking chair! I haven’t tried sitting on that chair yet as it’s always occupied.

Books and magazines for everybody

Here’s our usual gelato order – choco mint for me and dark chocolate for MB. Their ube gelato is also good. I haven’t tried the other flavors just because I don’t fancy them.

Gelatissimo’s gelato tastes better but Ti Amo’s doesn’t melt like crazy like Gelatissimo does. Ti Amo’s is also more affordable at only Php49 for the solo cup. The choco mint tries to duplicate the taste of Andes chocolate mint bars but the mint is too much. You can barely taste the chocolate after a few spoonfuls as the mint numbs your tongue. Hehe.. I don’t really mind as I like chocolate mint. The dark choco is delicious. I think I’ll try to be more adventurous next time and try the ube gelato. I only tasted it when MB ordered one and it was good. I don’t like ube ice cream so this is going to be a challenge for me.

I like Caffe Ti Amo better because of the laidback vibe. The noise is also less and the place is bright. There are no annoying long lines but the staff, since they’re new, can be somewhat slow. I stay here for a couple of hours a few times a week and I’ve enjoyed it whether alone or with MB. The crowd here is also better. No kids running around, just a few business men in suits, old people enjoying affogatos, yuppies typing away on their laptops, girlfriends taking a break from shopping and the occasional group of friends who just want to hang out and chit chat while enjoying a cup of gelato.

Caffe Ti Amo is at Greenbelt 5. Photos taken using my Nokia E71.

Are you lonesome tonight?

2010-12-08T12:45:00.000+08:00

I was all by my lonesome the other night having this for dinner:

MB was late for dinner and I was really starving so I started eating. I think I had dinner for more than 2 hours just because I enjoyed the crabs immensely. I haven’t touched the shrimps yet and there are still some leftovers so I’ll probably have this again for dinner. MB likes crabs but he doesn’t like getting into the nitty gritty of it so I had almost all the crabs to myself. Hooray!

First, you must boil the crabs in water with sea salt until they are done.

Pour one can of coconut milk in a pot and simmer. Add chopped garlic and onions and cook for about 1 minute. Add some bagoong. Yes, I add bagoong to my gata as my grandma taught me this. She’s Bicolana and that’s how she does her gata dishes. For this dish, I put 1 heaping tablespoon of sweet bagoong and 1 tablespoon of spicy bagoong. Mix. Add the cooked crabs. I already sliced my crabs into two as the other one was a monster crab. It was so big. It didn’t fit my kawali. I let this simmer for a while then finally added the shrimps.

I would have put some green chilis and malunggay but I was so exhausted the other day (from shopping) that I kinda forgot to get some when I did the groceries.

Chocolate Heaven

2010-12-07T14:09:00.000+08:00

This was MB’s birthday cake. It’s called Chocolate Heaven from Red Ribbon. This is the junior cake that costs Php395. It’s a very rich chocolate cake that chocoholics will surely love. They will really be in Chocolate Heaven after this.

The bottom layer is a whole brownie. The middle part is chocolate mousse and the icing is very thick chocolate topped with more chocolate shavings. I have to admit, it took us a few days to finish this small cake. One small slice is enough to satisfy your sweet tooth unless you have a really large tooth. = )

On my first taste, I started with the brownie first then the mousse. It made me umay! The trick is, you have to include all the layers in one bite as they all complement each other’s flavors. It was delicious nevertheless.

If you’re feeling blue or want to surprise someone, I suggest you get this cake and celebrate the little things that make you and your loved one happy.

A Little Help?

2010-12-06T11:18:00.001+08:00

I’ve been very busy doing a lot of things for the house and for other people. And we don’t even have decorations yet! I’m also busy preparing my Christmas lunch menu. We don’t have noche buena as the old folks don’t want to eat at night so what we have is Christmas Lunch. Usually, my sister and I are in charge of food but as with the several Christmases that passed by, I was left alone in the kitchen. She always tells me that I cook better. Wrong! She’s just lazy. There are 3 cooks in my family – my lola, my sister and me. My mom cannot cook. We try to keep her out of the kitchen as much as possible. Sssshhh!

This year, I’m preparing myself to cook up a storm (alone) again so that I will still have some time to enjoy the day and meet up with friends. Last year, I was stuck in the kitchen for almost the whole day.

So, this is where you come in. I think we will be expecting more company this year. I might cook for 8 people and I need a menu! My grandmother is spending Christmas with us and I need to feed her! She has been the designated cook for many years and it’s time for her to have a good sit-down meal.

These people are a mish mash of sorts when it comes to food choices and that is why I will prepare a mish mash menu – freestyle, just the way I like it.

I’m thinking of cooking afritada (this is special for me if you’ve been a follower of this blog as I found a slam dunk recipe) and my pseudo paella dish which I posted some time ago. I will just add more chicken and some seafood to it. I’m also thinking about doing some seafood kare-kare, probably for dinner but will be served on the table too as my sister would probably want to taste some. My sister and the kids will probably look for some pasta and I am stumped. I don’t like cooking the usual spaghetti so I need ideas please! I also need a chicken dish. If we can buy an oven before Christmas, then I’ll probably roast one. If not, oh boy… I don’t want the usual fried chicken that my sister cooks for Christmas. A few Christmases ago, I cooked some Hainanese chicken but that won’t be bagay for this year’s menu. The kids will be looking for chicken! And for dessert? I am really stumped. I might make some fudge for snacks in between meals. I usually make a frozen peach pie but I have a tiny ref. Maybe if we can manage to buy a new ref then I’ll make some ahead of time. I really think a frozen peach pie at the end of the meal will be lovely as my pie is like an ice cream. It’s just frozen cream and peaches in 4 layers and ends with a crushed graham crust. It’s light and cleanses the palate. But I need a ref! What do you think? If you have any other desserts that are slam dunk worthy, please tell me!

You might think that this is a lot of food. Don’t fret. Our guests will surely ask for take away and the rest will serve as our food for the next couple of days or so. That way, I can just sleep and not worry about feeding people.

And the cats? They always look forward to their Christmas tinola and all our leftovers. Such spoiled cats, these babies are…

What are your usual Noche Buena fares?

The Best Beef Kare-Kare Ever!

2010-12-03T11:07:00.000+08:00

Well, that I cooked anyway. I suck at cooking Filipino dishes. When I cook, I go freestyle. Hehe… and I think Filipino dishes require a lot of patience and precise steps. I don’t do precise. I’m bad at following directions.

There are only a few Filipino dishes that I can claim that I cook well – adobo, afritada and sometimes sinigang. I say sometimes because it’s hit and miss. I want to cook sinigang the proper way, using boiled tamarind. But that’s for some other time. Let’s focus on this wonderful dish, shall we?

I don’t eat innards that’s why when I cook kare-kare, I use beef or seafood. MB and I both loved this dish. He also agrees that this was the best kare-kare I ever cooked.

I got the recipe from the Nestle Club.

I boiled the beef in water with quartered onions and beef cubes for 1.5 hours. Ask your butcher what the best cut of beef is for kare-kare. I was in a hurry that day when I did the groceries and didn’t go to my usual butcher as he was busy with a gazillion other customers. It was a bad decision. I ended up with tough beef. Nevertheless, the very long boiling time made it edible.

You will need annato oil for this to give the kare-kare an orange color. Fry the vegetables in this oil. Fry the eggplants, banana heart, string beans and pechay in batches then set aside. You should use the white puso. I didn’t find any so I went with the red.

When the beef is tender, drain the liquid and set aside. We will use this liquid later.

Chop some garlic and onions. Saute these in annato oil. Add the beef and cook for just 30 seconds. Pour the broth over the beef. I used all the excess broth because MB likes a lot of sauce. Add peanut butter and mix well. Pour one pack of Nestle Cream. Mix well and cook for around 2-5 more minutes.

To serve, pour the beef mixture in a bowl and top with the fried vegetables. Serve with lots of rice and bagoong. I will try this method with seafood next time.

What’s a good combo?

2010-11-27T08:26:00.000+08:00

Tomato and Parmesan and Ham topped with sticky cheese! That’s a good combo. My evidence:

This is what we had for lunch the same day we had the apple and cheese tortillas for breakfast. You can definitely tell how in love I am with that cheese.

I made this pasta very simple because I want the cheese and pasta to complement each other.

Saute some finely chopped garlic and onions. Add sliced mushrooms and chopped ham. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add sauce. I used Del Monte’s Herb and Parmesan (?) or was it Tomato and Parmesan (?) sauce. Sorry, my brain is in Japan today, petting cats at the Cat Café. Anyway, season with salt and pepper if needed. I always put a little sea salt and some liquid from the boiling pasta.

Mix the pasta into the sauce and transfer to a serving dish. I purposely topped this with blocks of cheese rather than grated cheese because we want big pieces of cheese on our plates. Plus watching the cheese slowly melt on top of the pasta then mixing it was fun!

Was it any good? We finished the whole thing. And had this again for dinner.

Rockstar Breakfast

2010-11-26T08:26:00.000+08:00

This should have been but the baby arugulas were so bitter! Next time, I’ll use lighter greens Nevertheless, it was delicious!

These are apple and cheese tortillas. This is how I made them:

Place some cheese squares on a tortilla. Heat on very low fire until the cheese melts. I used Australian Colby. It’s very light and not salty. I love how gooey and sticky and bubbly it is when melting. Fantastic!

Once the cheese is melted, top with arugula or any greens of your choice and thin apple slices. Fold and toast both sides. Oooohhh, the crunchy/chewy tortilla plus the warm cheese and the sweetness of the apples was simply unforgettable. MB picked out the arugula while I sucked it up and ate everything because I know it’s good for me.

I will definitely do this again! Breakfast is one of my poorest areas but this was a definite slamdunk!

What happened to all the bentos?

2010-11-25T08:26:00.001+08:00

Well, now that I’m not working anymore, I don’t need to bring bentos. Well, sometimes I still prepare bentos for lunch for myself just for kicks. It’s fun to eat bento at home while watching DVD’s. It’s also hard to prepare bentos for MB as he wants the masculine bentos. But sometimes I can get sneaky and give him the cutesy stuff. Harhar!

Olive and parmesan foccacia(?) and roasted chicken which I had for lunch sometime ago

I adore salads

Instant brownies from my trusty toaster. I miss baking the real stuff…. and muffins and cookies and bars. Oh, did I mention I make a mean Food for the Gods? I used to make batches and batches of the stuff to fulfill orders for weddings, Christmas, birthdays, parties, etc. I miss having an oven…

I miss making bentos…

Dress up Leftovers with Chicken Alphabet Soup

2010-11-24T11:39:00.000+08:00

Soup always warms my soul and comforts my sick body, not to mention make it heal faster too. I didn’t have this yesterday but on one of my sick days a few weeks back. We had some leftover balsamic beef strips and I made them into fried rice:

What’s nice about this dish is it’s quick, healthy and delicious. You just need cold rice, beef strips from a previous dish and chopped carrots. Season with anything you like.

But because I was sick, I needed soup so I made this:

Alphabet soup is my favorite! I loved it when I was a kid and I still love it now. That’s why when I saw the alphabet pasta at Landmark, I quickly grabbed it and put it in my cart without checking the price. Don’t worry. It’s less than a hundred pesos.

This soup is too rich. I made a simpler version of it last Saturday. This is made by cooking some finely chopped garlic in oil, add chicken pieces to cook or use some shredded boiled ones. Then add chopped potatoes. Wait for the potatoes to cook a bit then add chopped red bell peppers then mushrooms. Add broth or water and chicken cubes. Bring to a boil. Pour some milk, stir. Add some cream and season with salt (if needed) and pepper. Oh my, this soup was so rich and filling that one bowl made me full already and I usually have seconds and thirds when eating soup. My cats loved it too!

And yes, this was a carbo overload meal. = )

Dinner Set: Black and White

2010-11-19T15:17:00.000+08:00

This isn’t really a Japanese dinner so let’s just call it black and white although the set that I used is Japanese.

Aside from shopping for personal stuff, I also love shopping for home décor and kitchen stuff. I’m slowly building my dinnerware but I only buy in 2’s. This is my latest favorite set.

The roasted chicken is from Rustan’s supermarket. I just cooked some buttered herbed potatoes as a side. I don’t like serving all takeouts or leftovers that’s why I try to add simple side dishes to make it more personalized.

Photos are dark because my ‘light box’ (MB’s laptop) was turned off

The placemat is from Japan Home Center (Php88) and the plate, etc. is from SM and Landmark. I think the brand is Melaware. They’re very affordable. You just have to be able to mix and match from their different collections as some designs can be baduy. Hehe.

The three pieces cost a little over Php100. I’m excited to build more sets!

This is Not Paella!

2010-11-18T14:37:00.000+08:00

I know it looks like it but it’s not. I don’t know what it’s called because this is something I came up with when I was stuck in traffic the other day. So let’s just call it Red Shrimp and Mushroom Rice. This isn’t the dish that I’m supposed to be featuring but I’m really excited as it turned out soooooo delicious! MB and I finished the whole thing. Well, my mom had a bite and my sister had a tiny portion too.

Here’s what you need:

Cold or leftover rice (I used Jasmine)

6 Shrimps

Chopped red bell peppers

Sliced onions

mushrooms

achuete oil

sea salt and pepper

Magic Sarap

Boiled eggs

This is how we do it:

1. Fry the onions in achuete oil. When transparent, add the chopped red bell peppers. Add the mushrooms. Stir fry on high heat for 1 minute.
2. Add shrimps. Wait until one side of the shrimps turn pink. Season with half a packet of Magic Sarap, some sea salt and black pepper. Add about 2T water. Let steam on high heat, just enough to cook the shrimps.
3. Mix the rice in, making sure that everything is evenly coated. All the grains must turn orange.
4. Transfer to a serving platter and top with sliced boiled eggs. Serves 2-3.

It’s very simple to cook but the flavors are amazing! Try it, you won’t regret it.

Tuna Carrot Pasta with Mushroom and Bell Peppers

2010-11-18T09:00:00.000+08:00

That’s exactly what this dish is. You just need to add tomato sauce, quick melt cheese, garlic, onions and seasonings to complete it.

Let’s start.

Cook shell pasta according to package directions.

Saute some chopped garlic and onions in a pan. Add chopped bell peppers. Add some shredded carrots. Cook for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms then the tuna. Don’t forget to separate the tuna chunks. Pour 2 medium packs of spaghetti sauce or any flavored sauce of your choice. Stir well. I added about a cup of quick melt cheese and seasoned the sauce with sea salt and black pepper. Serve with garlic toasts.

This is great when you have impromptu guests as it’s very easy and very fast to make. The ingredients are also very common so you probably have most of them in your fridge or pantry.

Tuna and Quail Egg Noodles

2010-11-17T13:08:00.000+08:00

When we’re stuck at home on Saturday nights, we are usually desperate for food. We do the groceries on Sundays and we deal with what’s left in the fridge and cupboards. That is, when there’s anything left. Such was the case of this dish.

It may look blah and unappetizing but we were surprised that this dish turned out to be quite tasty.

Boil the quail eggs. Cook egg noodles according to package directions. In a pan, dump a can of tuna (with most of the liquid drained, please) and separate the chunks. Season with oyster sauce and a little bit of soy sauce. Top the noodles with tuna and quail eggs.

This is so easy to make. I was inspired by one of MB’s stories that when he was still living in the staff house, he would just buy a can of tuna and toss whatever it is that’s available in the kitchen to have a good meal. So I did just that and ended up with this dish. I had some leftover takeout which we completely ignored because we were satisfied with the noodles. I think girls will have to adjust to this combination but for boys, I think there’s no problem.

What do you do when you have a bunch of leftovers?

2010-11-16T09:45:00.000+08:00

I make them into this:

It has eggs, wombok pechay, some chopped leftover lumpiang shanghai from Max’s and some leftover beef salpicao from a previous recipe.

What do you do? Just mix them all together and season with any flavoring of your choice. I seasoned this with a little Magic Sarap, oyster sauce and a few shakes of Maggi Savor.

Quick, easy and very filling, always perfect on haggard nights.

Steamed Shrimps

2010-11-14T08:53:00.000+08:00

This dish didn’t quite turn out how I imagined it to be. First, I suck at butterflying shrimps. Second, I think I may have simplified the recipe too much and third, because MB and I are such suckers for sauce, I let the shrimps bathe in it instead of discarding it. Well, can you blame me? It’s Kikkoman, for crying out loud! It’s too expensive to discard!

Nevertheless, it was still delicious!

You need:

chopped leeks both white and green parts

lots of minced garlic

Chinese cooking wine

sesame oil

soy sauce (preferably Kikkoman)

salt and pepper

prawns, if you can butterfly them, please teach me how!

In a bowl, combine leeks, garlic, wine, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt and black pepper. Mix well. Arrange prawns in a heat-proof platter and pour the mixture little by little, making sure that each prawn is bathed well in sauce. Top with leeks and garlic. Steam until shrimps turn pink. Why do they say pink when in reality it’s orange?

Parang Bistek, Pero Pinasosyal

2010-11-02T08:26:00.000+08:00

I used the same recipe as that of the Easy Salpicao with the exception of the garlic. I used onions instead, caramelized them for a bit then added a bit of balsamic vinegar to heighten the taste. It was a good decision indeed.

Another Pizza Recipe

2010-11-01T08:26:00.000+08:00

This pizza is made from leftovers. This was literally all I had left in the ref and in the cupboard.

I used one can of Century tuna flakes in oil (drained), garlic, onions, leftover tomato sauce from previous pizza recipe, salt, pepper, sugar and oregano.

Cook the garlic and onions first in some olive oil. Add the tuna. Break them up into smaller flakes. Add the tomato sauce and season with a little sugar, salt and pepper and oregano. Spread on leftover mini pizzas and go cheese happy. Stick the pizzas in the oven and wait for the crust to brown and for the cheese to melt. Serve with beer. Haha! No, I don’t drink. I served this with soda and ice tea. Now that’s a 10-minute lunch recipe.

Mini Eggplant Pizzas

2010-10-31T01:29:00.000+08:00

As you may have already noticed, there is a cycle to my food mood. Sometimes it’s Filipino, other times it’s Japanese. There are times when I feel like cooking and on other times, I just want a quick fix. This is one of those days.

I spent less than 30 minutes on this dinner. First, wash eggplants thoroughly. Chop them up in your desired size. Place in an oven proof tray or in my case, the oven toaster. Sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt. I baked this for about 10 minutes. I just checked from time to time because it might burn.

Meanwhile, chop some garlic, onions and tomatoes. In a pan, eyeball some olive oil and sauté these three ingredients. Add some tomato sauce. Season with a little sugar, some sea salt and a little pepper. You can also add oregano or basil or both if you like. I skipped those because sometimes, MB just has to eat “normal” food.

Assemble the mini pizzas. I used the frozen ones then topped them with the sauce, placed a couple of baked eggplants on top then smothered it all in grated quick melt cheese. Pop in the oven toaster until cheese melts and when the crust is a bit brown. Enjoy with your favorite ice cold drink. I think we each had 6 mini pizzas.

Who says pizza can’t be healthy?

Next up is another pizza recipe.

Hearty Breakfast

2010-10-28T21:44:00.000+08:00

When I’m sick, I tend to crave traditional Filipino breakfast – meaning heavy food. I normally don’t eat rice or anything heavy for breakfast but when I’m sick, I just need to eat. I believe my body heals faster with the proper food.

This is a classic Pinoy breakfast – sinangag and ginisang sardinas (fried rice and sauteed sardines). I don’t always eat/cook this but when the craving hits, I just have to cook some. I can’t shake off the craving until I eat this dish.

It’s quite easy to cook. Just saute some chopped garlic, onions and tomatoes in a little oil then add one can of sardines. Break down the sardines into smaller pieces. Add some water and season with fish sauce or in this case, some Maggi Magic Sarap.

My fried rice was also seasoned with Magic Sarap:

I think I also added some garlic bits. I know that’s a lot for one person but I finished 3/4 of this. Hehe… I really try to eat a lot when I’m not feeling well. This is comfort food when my body is down. The rest, I gave to my babies. They were happy alright.

What’s your favorite comfort food when you’re not feeling well?

For the Winners!

2010-10-23T16:22:00.000+08:00

The Emporium Pastillas

The Emporium Polvoron

Thank you Emporium!

I'm SO SORRY STACY!!!

2010-10-20T22:52:00.000+08:00

I made a mistake. I forgot to include Stacy in the winners list. So forgive me Stacy if this is rather late but Congratulations! You also get a prize from The Emporium and 240 baons + 365 meals giveaways. I already emailed you. Please send me your shipping address asap so that I can ship your prize.

For the other winners, your prizes are scheduled for pickup either tomorrow or Friday. The Emporium is the one in charge of shipping.

Thank you all for participating and I hope to see you again in future giveaways!

Pan Fried Tanigue with Lemon Butter Sauce

2010-10-15T19:02:00.000+08:00

Tanigue has got to be one of the most searched, most popular posts in this blog. So, without further ado, here’s another tanigue recipe.

Let’s make the lemon butter sauce first. Heat about 1T oil in a pan and add 1/4 c butter. Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Turn off the heat and add 3T lemon juice. I think I used more. Add Maggi Savor or Knorr Seasoning, whatever you like and as much as you like. Add chopped parsley if you have. I think I didn’t have any when I cooked this dish but put parsley as it adds a lot of flavor. Taste. Adjust seasonings and add some salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm and set aside.

Season both sides of your tanigue steak with liquid seasoning and pepper. Fry the tanigue. Be sure not to overcook and be careful when transferring.

As you can see, I served this with steamed beans. I would have used haricot verts had I had some but regular beans just had to do. After eating, I’d say that French beans are a better choice.

You can drizzle the sauce over the fish or just serve this on the side. I drizzled mine little by little while MB just went sauce crazy. He also had this with Sukang Pinakurat which simply boggles my mind.

It's Back!!!

2010-10-15T16:31:00.000+08:00

Winners

2010-10-15T10:20:00.000+08:00

The winners of The Emporium and 240 baon giveaway are:

1. Kitten
2. Naria
3. Rhian
4. Bec
5. Stacy

If you still want to join, you have until Sunday night, October 17, 7:00 pm.

Adobo sa Dilaw Side Dish

2010-10-14T18:09:00.001+08:00

I like eating adobo with a little extra side dish. If you’re a regular, perhaps you might have seen me serve adobo with boiled chicken/quail eggs, potatoes, etc. For this very special adobo sa dilaw, I decided to make the side dish special too.

I don’t always put an extra effort to my side dishes but for this, I took the time to steam the eggplants and wait for them to be perfectly cooked. I have no patience for steaming but I did it. Plating too. I served this with chopped tomatoes and bagoong. I also squeezed one calamansi all over the tomatoes and bagoong. It’s just something I do with tomatoes and bagoong when green mangoes are not available.

You can use any steamed vegetables that you like for adobo sa dilaw. Next time I’ll serve this with kangkong or even okra just because MB likes okra.

Adobo sa Dilaw

2010-10-13T17:45:00.000+08:00

Adobo is one of MB’s favorite dishes in my repertoire. But I’m not a big fan of adobo so I try to experiment with it as much as I can. Here’s a slam dunk recipe of adobo that we truly enjoyed.

I’m not a ginger lover. I only like it when it’s shredded into tiny portions and swimming in tentsuyu. But luyang dilaw (turmeric) is a different story. I don’t know why I’m so drawn to this ingredient. Must be the vibrant yellow color that it gives to a dish or the taste. Whatever it is, I love it!

Cook this when you have the luxury of time and cook this a day before you’re planning to serve this so that the chicken will absorb all the flavors. I tell you, patience is a virtue. You won’t be disappointed.

The original recipe is from Yummy. This version is slightly amended.

You need:

Chicken
3 bulbs garlic (2 bulbs left whole and washed, one bulb peeled and smashed)
1/2 c vinegar
2 bay leaves
ginger
powdered turmeric (because I don’t have the fresh ones when I decided to cook this)
black peppercorns
cooking oil
sea salt
1 1/2c water

How to:

1. Put all ingredients in a nonreactive or stainless steel pot (don’t use aluminum or copper pots). Boil for 3 minutes.

2. Take out the scum. Reduce the heat to simmer until the chicken becomes fork-tender, about 1 – 1.5 hours. Add water as needed and only little by little. Always taste to see if you still have the right flavor. Add more seasoning if needed. The adobo must be saucy, not soupy. But MB wanted it to be soupy so I added more water. I also added a little bit of fish sauce (patis).

3. Refrigerate and serve this the following day. When you reheat this, smash the garlic and mix with the sauce for a more robust flavor.

On my next post, I’ll show you what I served this with. Stay tuned.

Calling Naria, Rhian and Bec!

2010-10-13T16:06:00.000+08:00

Please email me your shipping addresses at esther.avelino@gmail.com. Bec, please verify that you're a follower of 240 baon. Thanks!!!

P.S.

Kitten, don't make tampo. I already know your shipping address. = )

Calling Mr. Jones

2010-10-12T16:53:00.001+08:00

About a couple of weeks ago, MB and I had lunch at Mr. Jones in Greenbelt. As with every new restaurant that we try out, we order at least 3 dishes. We ordered Caesar’s BLT (Php375), Hot and Spicy Shrimp Scampi (Php295) and Honey Drizzled Fried Chicken and Homemade Biscuits (Php450). For drinks, I had Frozen Lemon Lime (Php125) and MB had the Frozen Tropical Fruit Punch (Php125).

I have no photos of the restaurant and the actual plating but I’ll show you something later.

The place is quite small. I think they encourage outside dining here as that area is bigger. Really weird for a diner. It was a hot day and there were no more seats inside. I told the hostess that we would like to transfer inside once a table becomes available. Inside, they seated us into this tiny space on the far left with one tiny table. Obviously they were trying to maximize the space but sacrificing the comfort of the customers. There was another couple sitting beside us so it felt really cramped. When we eat out, I always choose the couch or two tables as we tend to order a lot. It didn’t help that Mr. Jones has big servings and even bigger plates. Our table was cramped. I was sitting on the couch and MB in front on a chair.

The food is something I expected as Mr. Jones is a part of the Chelsea, Momo, etc. family. They taste all the same to me. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. MB and I both agreed that the Caesar’s BLT was the best. It was a huge serving with lots of lettuce, chicken, 2 slices of very salty bacon (which we didn’t like) and a stick of bread. It was really sulit at Php375. It was very filling.

Next came the shrimp scampi which was forgettable as it was very, very, very salty. I like salty food but this was too much. It wasn’t sulit at all as they used tiny shrimps. It had a generous serving of black olives though.

The Honey Drizzled Fried Chicken and Homemade Biscuits was very nakakaumay. It’s okay. Not spectacular but okay. I was expecting to taste a hint of honey but it too was salty. What is up with their chef anyway?? The biscuits were okay although, and forgive me for saying this, I find the instant biscuits that I make more delicious. I thought the cranberry (?) jam would help but it didn’t improve the taste. The vegetables were nicely done. I also liked the mashed potatoes but after the salad and the salty shrimps, our taste buds were already complaining. So we had the leftovers for take away.

I thought that they would at least pack the food properly but just look at what they did! Everything was a mishmash. The mashed potatoes had jam inside (I don’t know how it got into the center of the potatoes) and the biscuit was smashed by the huge chicken. The bread was soaked in the scampi oil. The only thing that looked okay was the salad because it only had a few pieces of lettuce, tomatoes and one slice of bacon left. Sheesh.. Max packs better take away food! Even McDonald’s does a better job for crying out loud!

On the other hand, the frozen drinks were delicious! I really liked the lemon lime and MB said his was great too.

We would go back to Mr. Jones if only for the salad and the frozen teas. Aside from that, I already have a pretty good idea of how their food tastes like.

The prices and food names were taken from Munch Punch. Mr. Jones also charges local tax and service charge of around 8-10%.

I Love Garlic!

2010-10-11T08:26:00.000+08:00

But I like vampires too so that seems to be a problem. = )

Anyway, when MB went home to Iligan last year, I asked him to buy a bottle of garlic chips. They were really good. I used them a lot – on rice, pastas, viands, etc. Until one day, they ran out.

They don’t sell that particular brand here so I looked for another. Found this:

Anti-Vampyr Chips

It’s an all natural garlic mill. It tastes good but my only problem is it dispenses too little of the garlic chips. They’re so fine and it takes me a long time to get enough (I like putting a lot of garlic in my dishes) of the chips. I think westerners really don’t like too much garlic. If MB goes back to Iligan then I'll be sure to ask him to buy me a couple of bottles of those wonderful garlic chips. But until then, this will be a good substitute.

This costs Php95 at The Landmark.

A Few Things That I Like

2010-10-08T08:27:00.000+08:00

Here are shots of some of my experiments that turned out really well:

This is a beef dish with onions and sauce. I really can’t remember what type of sauce I made but I think one of the ingredients is Balsamic Vinegar. If you haven’t tried balsamic vinegar with your adobo yet, you are missing a lot! I also like pairing beef with potatoes. I think these are home fries. Yeah, home fries for dinner!

Here is another dish borne out of leftovers. It’s like a Shepherd’s Pie simplified. It’s a mixture of buttered corn and carrots, beef with spices and mashed potatoes.

Nachos! I love experimenting with different kinds of ingredients for nachos. Here, I used a mixture of cream and cream cheese for the sauce. It was love, I tell you.

Lastly, Cherry Sprite. No, not the canned one. I literally put 2 maraschino cherries in my sprite. Well, I photographed only one because it looks weird with 2 cherries in there with all that ice. I just love the taste.

So tell me, dear readers, what have you been up to lately?

We Need More Winners!

2010-09-24T21:22:00.002+08:00

We still need more winners for The Emporium/240 Baon giveaway! Click here for details.

Mesa Vs Oody's

2010-09-18T22:05:00.000+08:00

Since I'm too busy and stressed out, MB and I decided to go out for dinner tonight. He wanted to eat at Mesa Greenbelt 5 so we went there. We checked if there were available seats first. There were a lot of empty seats with no "Reserved" sign so we thought that was good. There was a couple who entered the restaurant ahead of us. They wanted 10 seats. We asked the server for a seat for 2. She said to wait for the receptionist. The receptionist came and immediately accommodated the couple ahead of us. No problem with that, they came in first. They were looking for a place to seat 10 people. She asked if they wanted to sit outside. The couple said they wanted to sit inside but the receptionist answered that there were "no more available" seats inside so they went outside. Before they left, I asked the receptionist for a table for two. She ignored me. So we were just standing there for about 5 minutes or so with all the staff just passing us back and forth and the other staff making chismis in the cashier's corner. I couldn't take it anymore and asked one of the staff for a table for two. She said, "ma'am wait lang" and called the receptionist. Finally the receptionist came and I asked her again for a table. She said, ma'am there's a waiting list. Aaaargh!! I told her that she should have said that already the first time I asked her and not make us wait while everybody else was ignoring us. I was really hungry and I really snapped at her. She's an idiot. I'm sorry but she is. Or maybe she's one of those people who discriminate according to the clothes you wear. We were wearing very simple clothing (and slippers, not Havaianas) when we went out earlier and the couple had branded clothes on them. I just don't like the way she treated us and she even got annoyed when I snapped at her. So much for service, Senator Pangilinan. I hope you train your people better and please don't hire idiots.

So because I was so pissed, we went to Oody's instead. I've had satisfactory experiences at Oody's Greenbelt before but we went there anyways because I wanted to treat MB to a special dinner. It's been a while since we last ate at a more upscale restaurant. Well, well, well. I was in a for a surprise. The staff were very accommodating. We were immediately seated because the restaurant was not full. Our server was Ulyses and can I just say that he is a rock star server? He is. He was very good, very attentive and very observant. Our food arrived quickly and take note, in order from appetizer to salad and soup then to entrees. We didn't have to call him for water refills. It was automatic. When our glasses were half full, he would immediately go to us and refill the glasses. He gave extra napkins and toothpicks without us asking. He cleared the table of any unwanted clutter (chopstick plastic, etc). He would check on us from time to time without being annoying. He was very subtle about it. He would pass by the table, take a quick look at our food, glasses, etc. then leave. If he saw something that needed attention, he was there ora mismo. I called his manager to commend his work and his attitude. All throughout, he was smiling and very polite. His manager said that he was one of his best employees. I tell you, we had a wonderful dinner at Oody's even though I had a hard time digesting the food. (I always have a hard time digesting Thai food). Even the Koreans on the other table seemed to enjoy their dinner.

We only eat at Oody's once a month but I think this experience would take us there more often. Would I go back to Mesa? Maybe, if the service improves and when they have a new hostess. Right now, I'm too pissed to go back there even with all the good food reviews.

Homemade Childhood Sweets

2010-09-16T16:16:00.000+08:00

What’s your favorite homemade childhood sweet? I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but I like eating homemade desserts and sweets. My grandmother would make polvoron, yema, pastillas and other desserts that the whole family can enjoy. Christmases and birthdays are favorite affairs to whip up these desserts.

Fast forward to the future where everything is fast paced, we no longer have the luxury of making these sweets at home instead, we just buy them from commercial bake shops. But if you’re like me, nothing beats homemade desserts. It just doesn’t taste the same.

The Emporium stays true to that ideal. Homemade desserts such as polvoron and pastillas are freshly made when you order. These sweets are very addictive and customers swear that a dozen polvoron and pastillas is just not enough. You have to order more!

The Emporium Pastillas

Yum!

Ready for delivery!

Nom. Nom. Nom.

You can visit their Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/ilovetheemporium to learn more about prices, check out the photos and read their client testimonials. The polvoron comes in plain, pinipig and cookies and cream flavors. They deliver to Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Now comes the exciting part! The Emporium is giving away 3 packs of polvoron and 5 packs of pastillas to 240 Baon readers! Here are the mechanics:

1. You have to be a follower of 240baon

2. You have to be a fan of The Emporium Facebook page

3. First 3 commenters will win a pack of polvoron each. The next 5 will win a pack of pastillas each. Answer this question: What’s your favorite childhood dessert?

4. This is open to Philippine readers only.

5. State that you’re a follower, an FB fan and your email address in your comment to win! I will get in touch with the winners so wait for my email!

Great Grocery Find: Choco Orange Sticks

2010-09-14T23:57:00.000+08:00

I miss cooking real food. I’ve been very busy lately and all I cook are quick, no-brainer dishes. I want to get creative in the kitchen again. Because of this, I scour the supermarkets for great finds to help me through tough days. One of those trips yielded this:

I have to apologize though, I can’t remember the brand of this chocolate.

I don’t have a sweet tooth but I appreciate a good after dinner dessert once in a while, especially when it’s light. The sticks are perfect for me as I can control how much I eat. The size and thickness are just right. This is pure chocolate, by the way. It doesn’t have a biscuit or something inside. Fruit and chocolate combinations are a real big hit with me that’s why I like these choco-orange sticks. If you don’t like fruits in your chocolate, I suggest you skip this product as you can really taste the orange flavor in each bite.

The sticks don’t melt right away but they do melt once you hold them (of course) but not enough to cover your hands in chocolate, haha! I love eating them cold. There are two trays in one box and this lasted a long time. A few sticks can satisfy your craving for sweets.

One box costs around Php96 and this is available at The Landmark Supermarket. It comes in plain and mint flavors too! I haven’t seen this for a while though so the other flavors must be good too.

Easy Salpicao

2010-09-08T10:00:00.000+08:00

I love salpicao whether it be for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I like it with lots of garlic. But the thing is, I suck at cooking salpicao until I found this recipe. It’s so easy to prepare, easy to cook and of course, easy to eat!

Easy Salpicao

Marinate beef strips or sukiyaki-cut beef in 1 Maggi Magic Sarap Sachet, 2t Worcestershire sauce and 3T Maggi Savor Classic for about 15 minutes. In a pan, eyeball some EVOO and cook the beef on high heat. Be sure to remove the beef immediately when it has reached your desired doneness otherwise it will toughen up. Sprinkle with garlic chips and serve hot.

Tomato Shrimps and Turmeric Rice

2010-09-07T10:00:00.000+08:00

This is a slamdunk dish in my opinion. MB, my mom and sister loved it too!

Tomato Shrimps and Turmeric Rice

Another plus is it’s very easy and very fast to cook. For the rice, all you need is freshly cooked rice then sprinkle some turmeric powder all over then mix well. I also added a few dashes of Maggi Savor Classic. You can also use crushed sea salt.

For the tomato shrimps, shell and devein the shrimps, keeping tails intact. In a pan, eyeball some EVOO then add chopped tomatoes. It’s better to use the soft, ripe ones as they are juicier. They make up for the sauce. Cook until wilted then add the shrimps. Season with sea salt and pepper. I also added a few shakes of Maggi Savor Classic. Serve the shrimps on top of the turmeric rice. Wonderful! The subtle taste of the turmeric rice was very well complemented by the flavors of the tomato shrimps.

I wouldn’t recommend this for baon though. You have to eat it freshly cooked and hot. Nuking will ruin the dish.

Cola Chicken Wings

2010-09-06T10:07:00.000+08:00

I’m so sorry for the very long hiatus. I’ve been very busy.

It’s so much fun to experiment with food (especially when I have the time). You all know the cheeseburger soup that I made a few weeks back. This time, my star ingredient is Coke! I used it for this Cola Chicken:

Cola Chicken Wings

This is great for dinner or baon.

Whatchunid:

about 3/4 of 1 can of Coke
calamansi juice (about 20 pieces calamansi)
2T brown sugar
dried chili flakes
chicken wings
sea salt
black pepper

To Do:

Mix all ingredients and marinate the chicken wings overnight or 24 hours. Fry in oil. You can also bake this but be sure to keep the marinade so that you can brush the chicken wings with it every now and then. It’s better to reheat this in an oven than a microwave.

Meatballs in Cream of Mushroom

2010-08-30T21:44:00.000+08:00

This is one of the very first dishes that I’ve learned to cook. The original is my sister’s recipe. I just tweak it according to the ingredients on hand.

Meatballs in Cream of Mushroom

You need:

Meatballs (recipe below)
garlic
onions
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of corn kernels
chopped carrots
salt and pepper
water

Basic Meatball recipe:

ground sirloin or ground round
1 egg
soy sauce or salt
Worcestershire sauce
pepper
breadcrumbs

1. In a bowl, season the ground beef with soy sauce or salt and pepper. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Add 1 beaten egg. Mix. Add breadcrumbs and mix well.

2. Form into balls and fry. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan as this will make the meatballs absorb more oil than usual.

Meatballs in cream of mushroom:

1. Saute some garlic and onions. Add the chopped carrots. Cook for 1 minute. Add the corn kernels. Cook for another minute.

2. Add the cream of mushroom soup. Add water according to how thick or thin you want your soup to be.

3. Season with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs and serve hot.

This is a great way to utilize leftover vegetables and meatballs. Kids will also love this for sure. I used to feed my cousins with this and not only do they clean their plates, but they ask for seconds as well. And you know how hard it is to feed very young children.

BLT Re-invented

2010-08-25T11:55:00.000+08:00

BLT Re-Invented

This is a simple BLT that I put on half a burger bun. I spread some butter on the bun (just a tiny amount) then toasted it. Then I spread some cream cheese. Mix in some chopped parsley if you have them. I didn’t at the time so I settled with just plain cream cheese then top with lettuce, tomatoes and bacon. This is a surefire way to start your morning! Serve with fresh, cold orange juice and you’re good to go!

Eat All You Can Tempura!

2010-08-21T10:14:00.000+08:00

Ana-chan, can we go please? please?

The Devil’s Shrimps

2010-08-18T15:25:00.000+08:00

I don’t need to explain the title. Surely you know that this is one hot dish. Cook this for the people in your life who want their food hot! This recipe is from Rachael Ray.

The Devil’s Shrimp Pasta

You need:

Thin Spaghetti (cooked according to package directions)
EVOO
1 can anchovies
garlic (lots of it!)
1/2c white wine
Shrimps, shelled and deveined
1 can chopped tomatoes
1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock
bird’s eye chili (siling labuyo)
dried chili flakes
salt and pepper
dried oregano
butter
basil
lemon juice

In a deep skillet or pan, heat the EVOO. Stir in the anchovies to melt. Add the dried chili pepper and the sliced/chopped bird’s eye chili. Be careful of pepper burns. Wear gloves when you chop the chilis or use a fork and knife. Add the chopped garlic. Add the white wine and let simmer for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the canned tomatoes. Add the oregano and basil. Simmer for about 10 – 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, season the shrimps with salt and lemon juice. In a pan, melt the butter then add the shrimp. Cook until pink. Add the shrimps to the sauce then stir in the pasta. Serve with crusty bread to sop up the sauce. Don’t forget to serve a lot of cold drinks!

Because MB loves spicy dishes, this was a hit! I’m not a big fan of super spicy dishes but I loved this!

Bento Time: Garlic (or Cajun) Chicken Sandwich

2010-08-16T10:24:00.001+08:00

When pressed for time, a sandwich bento is a surefire way to get me through the day.

Dredge the chicken thigh fillets in Crispy Fry Garlic. I added some pepper for extra flavor. Fry.

To assemble, place some lettuce on top of your bread then some tomatoes then the chicken fillet. Spread some Caesar dressing and top with quick melt cheese. Nuke for about 30 seconds or about 2-3 minutes in a toaster then serve.

Edit: In this photo, I actually used this mix of seasoning for the chicken - cumin, salt, pepper, Spanish paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and a little bit of turmeric.

Sour Cream Chicken

2010-08-12T11:12:00.000+08:00

This is a good, filling meal that you can eat with rice or mashed potatoes or crusty bread.

Sour Cream Chicken

Whatchunid:

chicken breast fillets
EVOO
mushrooms
red or green bell peppers
minced garlic
chicken broth
S&P
1/2 cup sour cream (I used one tub)
1T all purpose flour
Parsley

Cook chicken until brown. Add oil to the pan and cook the mushrooms, bell peppers and garlic. Add broth and season with S&P. Bring to a boil then lower heat. For the sauce, in a bowl, stir or whisk together sour cream, flour and more pepper until smooth. If you want, you can also add sherry. Stir in the mixture with the broth. Cook and stir until bubbly. Serve over hot cooked rice and garnish with parsley.

I wasn't able to eat this because I was having digestion problems that night so I was stuck with this:

and this:

Oh, well. At least I got to taste the sour cream chicken when we had it for baon.

P.S.

So sorry if I haven't been posting regularly. Uber busy in the office!

Heavy Breakfast, Light Dinner

2010-08-10T12:32:00.001+08:00

I don’t know about you but I don’t enjoy having heavy breakfasts especially on weekdays. On Saturdays, yes, we enjoy a hearty brunch but the rest of the week, we opt for lighter, simpler quick fixes.

The ingredients of this dish are usually seen on the breakfast table but we had them for dinner because we wanted something light.

Bacon and Spinach Egg Buns

This is so easy to make that I think the hardest thing to do here is cooking the egg. It’s just a regular omelette with spinach, seasoned with sea salt and pepper, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce (optional). To assemble, spread some butter on a bun and top with grated quick melt cheese. Pop in the toaster. Add sliced tomatoes, spinach eggs and bacon. Serve with your favorite chips and ice cold drink.

Bento Time!

2010-08-06T12:22:00.000+08:00

I’m swamped with work and so I’ll make this post quick. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here’s my thousand words:

Spinach rice, garlic herbed chicken bites, baby carrots, mashed potatoes, Caesar dressing and tomato ketchup in animal containers

For recipes, please see my previous posts.

Happy weekend everyone! I can’t wait for 5 pm!

Simple Spinach Rice

2010-08-05T08:55:00.000+08:00

When I cook an herby meat dish, I usually pair it with spinach rice. I have no idea why but the idea (and taste) is very appealing to me.

Simple Spinach Rice

This is a simplified version because the chicken that I served this with is already full of flavor.

I skipped the garlic. I just cooked the spinach in EVOO and butter then added the rice. I seasoned it with a little sea salt. The only thing I regret is cooking just a few cups of this rice. It was delicious and it was bitin!

If you want more Spinach Rice ideas, check out the archives or type spinach on the search box.

Getting Creative with Mixes

2010-08-04T09:06:00.000+08:00

The only chicken breading mix that I buy is Crispy Fry. They have 3 flavors to choose from – classic, garlic and spicy. I wanted some crispy chicken and I know that we still had a pack of Crispy Fry Garlic. But I was bored (again) and just thinking about the familiar flavor made me suya already. So, being so pakialamera, I played around with the herbs in the kitchen. I added basil, oregano and nutmeg to the garlic mix then dredged some bite sized chicken thigh fillets in it.

Here’s the result:

Garlic Herbed Chicken Bites

You might say why not just mix garlic powder, flour and the herbs together? well, you know, there’s something incredibly mouth-watering about junk food for a person who has a very controlled diet (read: me). I also can’t seem to make the chicken as crispy as when I dredge it in Crispy Fry . I can’t do that with just flour and cornstarch. I also love the other flavors in the mix that’s why I keep using it. There are also times when I make a chicken mix from scratch which you can read in my previous posts, but I just can’t resist the allure of instant mixes. It’s also a lifesaver when I’m dead tired from work or illness.

This was already very flavorful and didn’t need any gravy. We did dip this in ketchup though because the combination of herbs and sour ketchup was just too good. I served this with a special rice which I will show you next.

Interesting Toppings

2010-08-03T08:50:00.000+08:00

I get bored easily. I have to admit though that my grocery list contains about 80% the same things every week but as you can see, I’ve managed to make something new out of them, well, most of the time that is when I’m not lazy.

We were stuck with a bag of leftover Vietnamese noodles and I desperately wanted to use them already but I was lacking ingredients so I experimented with these:

Boiled eggs, tofu and fish balls with bean sprouts

(ooops, wrong watermark!)

It was an interesting mix of textures. This would have been great had I made the noodles overflowing with sauce. My mistake. This type of noodles usually absorb all the sauce even before serving. Next time I’ll probably use a different type.

The noodles were dry but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the meal. I served soy sauce and calamansi and sweet chili sauce on the side. Very filling indeed.

Quick Merienda

2010-07-30T14:39:00.000+08:00

There are two Krispy Kremes near our office and so MB and I pop in there every once in a while to get a quick afternoon fix.

I thought this would be very sweet. I’m still obviously traumatized from my Bread Talk experience.

Krispy Kreme Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Donut

Surprisingly, it wasn’t that sweet at all! It was the perfect balance of sweet icing and dark chocolate and don’t forget the dough itself! This was delicious.

That’s a generous serving of dark chocolate! Yum! I actually had this for breakfast. See the moist on the choco chips? I just got this out of the ref. I don’t like warm/hot donuts. I like them cold! Is that weird? When I buy a box of donuts, I place them in the ref then eat them the following day.

This donut only costs Php34 (37?) at your favorite Krispy Kreme.

Hot SSC Wings

2010-07-29T13:17:00.000+08:00

Because I can’t get enough of the chili oil, I used it as marinade, this time for chicken wings:

I apologize for the tiny pic. MB lost track of the time and burned some of the pieces so I had to crop the pic. The wings were still edible though and delicious!

I used the same formula of soy sauce, sugar, calamansi (hence, SSC) and the chili oil. If you don’t have chili oil, red pepper flakes will do. Marinate chicken wings overnight then fry, grill or bake. Be sure to prick the chicken so it can absorb the marinade. I didn’t do this so the flavor stayed on the skin. = (

Chili Oil Chicken

2010-07-28T16:18:00.000+08:00

Are you familiar with the chili oil at North Park restaurant? It’s in a little steel container on every table. We use it for siomai and virtually anything that we want to spice up. I fell in love with the heat and explosion of flavors one afternoon when we were having a siomai merienda.

Because this was spicy and we only had one order of siomai, there was still some chili oil left. I just had to take it home and use it for a dish. I had leftover chicken and so I decided to use that for my experiment.

The result?

Chili Oil Chicken

The ingredients are so simple and yet the end product tastes so good!

Ingredients: chicken, cut up into bite size pieces, soy sauce, fresh calamansi juice, chili oil from North Park and brown sugar.

Cook chicken until brown. In a bowl, mix soy sauce and calamansi juice to your desired taste. Add sugar then the chili oil. Mix well. Pour on the chicken and let the mixture boil. Lower heat. Splash the chicken with the sauce every now and then. Serve with steamed rice. This is great for baon or for a quick dinner. Just be sure to control the chili oil as it’s really spicy.

Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger…Soup??

2010-07-27T12:48:00.000+08:00

Wait! Don’t say ‘eeeew’ or ‘yuck’ just yet! Wait till you try it first. If you like menudo or picadillo, then I guarantee you’ll like this.

Cheeseburger soup

What’s in it?

ground beef
onions
garlic
all purpose flour
beef broth (or in my case, magic sabaw beef)
potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and chopped to desired size and shape
canned diced tomatoes
quick melt cheese or cheddar or a combination of cheeses that you like
tomato sauce
ketchup
milk (optional)

How to cook:

Brown the beef in a pan. Add chopped garlic and onion. Cook until fragrant. Sprinkle flour on the beef mixture. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender.

Stir in tomatoes, cheese, tomato sauce and ketchup. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Season with pepper. Taste. If it’s still too bland, add salt. If you’re using milk, add at this point. I didn’t use milk.

I served this with the leftover hoagies and some rice because MB wanted rice. At first I thought that it would taste weird with rice but I actually loved it! This dish lasted for about 4 meals because it was really very filling especially when eaten on a cold night. I only used half a kilo of ground beef and it was well worth it.

What’s your must-cook-soup on cold, rainy nights?

Quick Melt Cheese and Chicken Hoagies

2010-07-26T08:41:00.000+08:00

Quick Melt Cheese and Chicken Hoagie

I am learning to balance my time to be able to do the things that I have to do and the things that I want to do. On days when I’m too lazy to cook, I turn to sandwiches. So you can guess that I was lazy one day last week that’s why I came up with this.

It’s quite easy to make. You will need some hoagies, EVOO, garlic, canned chopped tomatoes, S&P, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, chicken fillets, butter, quick melt cheese and Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Heat the EVOO then add the chopped garlic. Add the cut up or shredded chicken fillets. Fry. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, oregano and pepper flakes.

Spread some butter on each hoagie half roll. Toast for about 2 minutes. Place some of the chicken and tomato mixture on one side. Sprinkle with grated quick melt cheese and Romano or Parmesan. Toast until the cheese melts.

Serve with your favorite drink and some chips. This is great for baon too!

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Pasta

2010-07-22T14:21:00.000+08:00

This may sound weird but I love getting leftover ingredients in my fridge and pantry. Why? It forces me to become creative with my dishes.

The prospects: one carrot, half a bag of rice and corn tube pasta, one tetra pack cream, 1/4 block of cheese, 1 tomato, 2 chicken breast fillets.

The result:

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Pasta

Of course it was wonderful!

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Fry in EVOO. While waiting for the chicken to cook, grate the carrot. When the chicken is cooked, add chopped garlic and onions. Cook until fragrant. Add the carrots. Pour the cream. Add the grated cheese. Season with sea salt and pepper and mix in the cooked tube pasta. As for the tomatoes, I seasoned them with EVOO, salt and pepper and popped them in the oven. Too bad we chucked the tomatoes because they were too sour. No, they’re not rotten. They were just really sour.

If you have an oven, I suggest you transfer your pasta to an ovenproof dish and pop in the oven for 5 minutes just to blend all the flavors together. This is another sneaky way to feed kids (and grownups) vegetables.

Crispy Shrimps

2010-07-21T08:52:00.000+08:00

This was supposed to be a rock star status dish but I guess I used the wrong shrimps.

Crispy Shrimps….Not!

Next time, I’ll use tiny shrimps, like the ones they serve at Kamay Kainan or Ilonggo Grill to make them truly crispy. The shells of the shrimps were crispy but not the way I want them to be. You can actually eat the body but the head, no. When done right, you can eat everything. It’s such a shame that SM doesn’t have those tiny shrimps. I picked the smallest of the white shrimps available already and it's still wrong.

To make, just marinate the shrimps in a salt and water solution for about an hour and a half inside the fridge. Drain and dry on paper towels and fry on high heat. Be warned, this will pop and splatter oil like crazy! Season with Spanish Paprika or salt and pepper. You can also add some calamansi or lime wedges. I skipped all the above because I served this with Sukang Pinakurat.

That Something Special

2010-07-20T10:28:00.000+08:00

Here’s what I served with the tomato penne pasta in my previous post:

Tuna and Potato Salad

It’s amazing how these two complemented each other’s taste and texture. Like the pasta, this salad also requires minimal ingredients.

You will need some potatoes, a can of your favorite tuna, pepper, mayonnaise, apple and cashews.

Thoroughly wash the potatoes then peel. Chop into bite-size pieces. Boil then set aside to cool. In a bowl, combine drained tuna, mayo, chopped apples and cashews. Add the cooled potatoes and mix until everything is well coated. I used salted cashews so I skipped the salt for this dish. You can also add some chopped celery if you want to add more crunch. I didn’t because I can’t buy just one stalk from Landmark and I’d hate to waste the remaining stalks. We’re not big fans of celery anyways.

One word: Sarap!

Tomato Penne Pasta

2010-07-19T07:00:00.000+08:00

If you don’t like eating pasta without the meat, then you might want to skip this post. But if you’re looking for a light, satisfying pasta that’s not only healthy but scores high on the yummy radar, then read on!

I eat meat but there are times when I just want to eat light. The dilemma is, MB doesn’t share the same eating habits as I have so there must be some sort of middle ground when it comes to cooking meals. I found that in this dish:

Tomato Penne Pasta

You need penne pasta, tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, olive oil, oregano, sea salt and pepper, dried chili pepper flakes and quick melt cheese.

Slice tomatoes according to preferred thickness. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with EVOO, sea salt and pepper. Pop in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until they’re all wrinkled up and toasted. I used my handy dandy toaster so I think I baked this for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, sauté some chopped garlic in EVOO. Add the tomato sauce. Season with oregano,S&P and dried chili pepper flakes. When boiling, add the quick melt cheese. Mix well. Toss with cooked penne.

Transfer to a serving dish and top with the toasted/roasted/baked tomatoes.

I never thought MB would like this dish but we finished half of it! It was really good, I tell you. If you have qualms about trying out meatless pasta, this is my best bet. But to be sure, I served this with a little extra. Stay tuned for that! Oh, and the other half became the next day's lunch.

Chocolate Overload

2010-07-16T09:14:00.000+08:00

I love chocolate but Bread Talk’s Triple Chocolate absolutely toppled me.

Bread Talk Triple Chocolate

I absolutely admit defeat. The bread is croissant-like and is chocolate flavored. The whole thing is dipped in chocolate so it has a chocolate coating and inside, there’s a big chunk of semi-sweet chocolate. Oh my… It’s been a week and I still can’t get over it. I tried to finish this bread but sadly, I really couldn’t. I absolutely hate wasting food but the chocolate was too much. On the other hand, Migraine Boy, who is such a chocolate addict finished this in no time. I had to take sips of water in between bites just to be able to finish as much as I could. In the end, I left one bite. One measly bite and I didn’t have the strength to put it in my mouth, chew and then swallow! I felt bad chucking the chocolate in the bin. But to be fair, I was able to finish all the bread.

I think this would have been better had they spread out the chocolate thinly and evenly. It’s just one whole chunk of chocolate in the middle and that made me very umay and sawa.

If you wanna take on the chocolate challenge, visit Bread Talk and buy Triple Chocolate for only Php39.

Like Eggplant Parmigiana

2010-07-13T15:54:00.003+08:00

I’m running out of posts! That’s because I’ve been recycling recipes these past few days. I haven’t found the inspiration to cook something new just yet. But this is one inspired recipe. Because I have to buy a bag when I want to cook eggplants, I have to come up with different recipes using the said ingredient. And I think MB is also getting bored with eggplant tempura. I know how much he loves pasta and so I made this thinking that the sauce and cheese would trick him into eating it. Did it work? Absolutely!

This is like eggplant parmigiana but with a little twist and a bit simplified, almost bastardized, I guess.

All that cheesy goodness…Yum!

You will need:

eggplants (of course!)
some lean ground beef
EVOO
garlic
onions
S&P
cheese (lots of it)
tomato sauce

How to make:

Saute some garlic and onions in EVOO. Add the ground beef. Season with pepper. Wait for the beef to cook and the liquid to evaporate. Add the sliced eggplants. You can dice them if you want to trick kids into eating veggies. Hehe.. Add some tomato sauce. I used Del Monte Filipino Style Tomato Sauce because MB likes it a bit sweet. Mix. Season with sea salt and pepper. Add a bit more sugar if needed. Add some grated cheese. I used Quickmelt cheese.

Transfer to an oven proof dish. I don’t have an oven so I improvised! I took out the oven toaster tray and transferred the dish there then I topped it again with some grated cheese. Bake for 10 minutes. You can use a combination of cheeses. I think I added some grated Romano as well.

C’est fini!

I served it with some garlic toasts from The French Baker. The leftovers became baon the next day.

Want To Cook But Pressed For Time?

2010-07-08T07:00:00.001+08:00

Or are you too tired when you get home? This post was inspired by my fabulous friend, Kitten.

I guess it’s also about time that I write about ‘my secret’ since my officemates are also asking how I am able to bring homemade baon and cook wonderful dinners when my job is 8-5 and I blog and I have all these extras in my life plus the fact that I get sick every now and then.

I’ll just number the points for you because I really don’t know where to start. I’ll just write the tips as they come.

So here it is then. Get ready to be changed!

Plan a menu. In my case, I plan for 5 days. That’s breakfast, lunch and dinner. Write it down on a notebook or on a white board. You don’t have to follow the menu per se like Monday-Chicken, Tuesday-Fish. As long as you know what you’re going to cook and eat then that’s okay.
Plan a budget. Tres, tres important! This is very important. In my case, I allot Php1500-Php2000 per week depending on the menu but I try to stick to the budget as much as I can. This includes 5 kilos of rice and food for the kitty colony.
Make a grocery list…and stick to that list! Well, I can forgive you if you don’t because I’m also guilty of not sticking to the list.
When you get home from the supermarket, store everything in it’s proper place. Be sure to remember where you put each item. This will save you so much time on crazy weekdays.
Before storing ground meat, be sure to wash it first so that when you decide to cook it during the week, you only need to dump it in the pan. I find washing ground beef very tedious so I try to do this as soon as I get home from the super.
When storing parsley, I either cut the stalks and put them in a glass of water or chop them up and freeze them.
Oh, before I forget. When you plan a menu, be sure to maximize the use of your ingredients. If you buy from a supermarket, the food is pre-packed so even though you only need 3 tomatoes, you’ll end up with a bag full of them. For example, when I made eggplant parmigiana, I used half a bag for the parmigiana and the leftover bag for eggplant tempura. We still had some leftover tentsuyu (tempura sauce) and so I decided to buy 20 pieces of shrimps. Ten was for tempura and the other 10 for crispy shrimps. If you’ll be needing tomatoes for pinakbet, save the leftover for a homemade salsa or homemade sauce. You can search for the recipes in the archives. This method not only saves you ingredients but it also saves you time and money.
Make sure that you have variety in your dishes. Although your ingredients may seem identical, when cooked in an entirely different way like the above examples, then you’ll be sure to enjoy your food.
If you’re preparing vegetables that don’t get spoiled easily, you can prepare them and keep them in batches. I will use the eggplant example again. When I sliced the eggplants for the parmigiana, I also washed and sliced the leftovers and kept them in an airtight container in the fridge. The next night, I just whipped out the breading for the tempura and dipped and fried. It took only about 5-10 minutes. You get a freshly cooked meal afterwards.
Another trick that I do is to cook dishes in advance and then refrigerate or freeze them. I usually cook 2 kinds of viand/food on Sunday night to be eaten in the next 2 days. If you have a ref and microwave in your office, you’re lucky. You can take advantage of this method.
If you’re not too choosy about your food, you can serve the same food for lunch and dinner. To avoid complaints, I usually add a side dish or change the food a bit. For example, for baon I might pack some roasted chicken with catsup. For dinner, I will serve the same roasted chicken but this time with sauce, mashed potatoes and herbed rice.
Make dinners special without tiring yourself out by preparing side dishes in advance. You can get a lot of ideas in the archives. This way, you’ll only reheat and serve. The trick is to make your friends and family think that you slaved away in the kitchen. *wink*
I used to buy in bulk believing that I can save more that way. But sometimes, I get too much leftover ingredients that they just expire or rot. Now, I only buy enough for the recipes that I will cook. This ensures that my ingredients are always fresh.
Be creative during Saturdays. You get more time to prepare so you can cook stews and baked dishes. Spoil yourself on Saturdays.
On Sundays, we eat out. Hey, even God rested for one day! Allow yourself to taste the dishes of other chefs and you will be inspired to plan the menu for the coming week. Most of my menus are inspired by the dishes when we eat out. You may be the designated chef of the house but that doesn’t mean you don’t get to rest and relax. Be sure to take breaks as cooking too much can tire you out and can make your attitude to food turn sour.
Don’t cook when you’re upset, sick (for hygienic purposes) or exhausted or angry. It will affect the taste of your dishes. Believe me. Been there, done that. It's not a sin to call the delivery service.
When cooking, be sure you have all the ingredients that you need so you don’t waste time going back and forth to the cupboard and ref.
Be sure you have a trash bowl ready for all your vegetable and fruit peelings. Compost them or throw the seeds in a pot. We now have a healthy ampalaya (bitter gourd) plant at home and some others which I have yet to identify.
If you can work fast, you can prepare the ingredients while cooking. For example, when cooking sinigang, I boil the water first. While boiling, I chop the preliminary ingredients. Then I add them to the pot then move on to the next ingredients. The kitchen is a battleground, you need to strategize! Especially if you have impatient and super kulit cats like I do.
At night, while waiting for our meal to cook, I usually prepare the following day’s baon or breakfast ingredients. For the baon, I can cook already but for the breakfast, I just prepare the ingredients. That way when I wake up in the morning, I just get all the ingredients and dump them in a pan and cook. Whereas for the baon, I just get them and put inside my baon bag because I already packed them the night before. This saves you precious sleep and energy in the mornings and allows you to enjoy your breakfast.

So there you have it! Wow, I never thought I’d reach 20! I hope you’ll learn a trick or two from this and save yourself some time and energy during the week. And most of all, be able to eat a freshly cooked meal that’s homemade and healthy!

I Love Side Dishes!

2010-07-07T09:10:00.000+08:00

You’ll know that I’m getting sick when I start featuring light dishes, Japanese dishes and noodles here in 240 baons. This side dish that I will feature today was what I had one afternoon when I was sick at home.

Sometimes, when I’m really not in the mood to eat, I just opt for a big bowl of veggies and then some fruit and lots of water. But I ate this particular side dish with fried chicken and rice so I guess I had some appetite that day.

The mixed vegetables are cauliflower, baby corn, shiitake mushrooms and my favorite, favorite haricot vert or French green beans. These are my absolute favorite type of beans because they’re light, crunchy, thin and they don’t hurt my joints as much as other beans do. To cook, eyeball some EVOO in a pan. You can add some chopped garlic if you want to. I think I didn’t here. Then add the vegetables one by one. I put the shiitake first then the corn and cauliflower then the beans. Sprinkle with some sea salt and pepper and some chopped parsley and you’ve got a wonderful side dish.

Actually, the vegetables would have sufficed but I forced myself to eat so that my body can recover faster. It’s really true that when you’re not feeling well, you should eat. I know it’s hard especially if you don’t have an appetite or you can’t taste/smell what you’re eating but you must, if you want to get better that is. And if possible, research about your illness and what foods to combat your disease. Food is a natural and very powerful medicine that your body can easily absorb and digest. After all, it’s always better to spend your money on tasty food rather than bitter meds, right?

Tuna Bites with Apple Slices

2010-07-05T08:43:00.000+08:00

This is what I usually do with the Goldyna Mayo:

Very quick, very simple. I just take some dark, hard bread (I can’t eat white bread. Bawal!), put a lettuce leaf on top then spread some tuna with Goldyna Mayo and top with an apple slices. It’s a very quick and very filling breakfast. This is very appreciated especially when we’re running late.

Great Grocery Find

2010-07-01T07:00:00.000+08:00

Goldyna Lemon Ginger & Chilli Mayonnaise

I love tuna sandwich. I especially love the tuna dressing served at the Shangri-La, Makati. I don't like our local mayos so much because they're too sweet for my taste. I prefer something that's bold and full of flavor. Goldyna Lemon Ginger & Chilli Mayonnaise hits the spot.

I found this at The Landmark Makati, in the international food aisle. It costs P139 and lasts a long time. For one can of Century Tuna, I only use about 2-3 heaping tablespoons of mayo. Mix well. You don't need to add salt or pepper. Just prepare your sandwich as usual and slab this on.

Don't be turned off by the ginger and chilli combination. It's actually not spicy. It just has a little zing. Even kids can eat this. I eat this for breakfast and I don't get tummy aches because of the chilli.

To know more about Goldyna's other products, visit their website. Photo taken from their website too.

Mojos

2010-06-30T07:00:00.000+08:00

Who doesn't like Shakey''s Mojos? This isn't exactly Shakey's level but if the mojos craving hits you, you can easily make this at home.

Wash the potatoes thoroughly. Slice into thin rounds. Dip in milk then dredge in a mixture of flour, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Fry until golden brown. The taste can actually stand on its own but if you want, you can serve this with tomato ketchup. I think if you serve this with Caesar dip, it will be too salty and the flavors would confuse your taste buds. Better to keep it simple.

I'm getting hungry just looking at this photo. Maybe I'll cook some for tonight's dinner.

Dinner Menu Idea - Chicken, Mojos and Salad

2010-06-29T07:00:00.000+08:00

If you're feeling a bit harassed, here's a simple dinner menu for your family. For the fried chicken, you can use a homemade marinade, recipes here and here or you can use an instant breading. I use Crispy Fry breading mix when I'm pressed for time.

While you're frying the chicken, prepare the mojos. (Recipe to follow)

After frying the chicken, fry the mojos. Be sure to change the oil.

While frying the mojos, assemble your simple salad of red lettuce and croutons. The croutons are pre-made and pre-packed. Serve the salad with dressing of your choice. We usually have Caesar dressing on stock.

You can serve these with rice or some dinner rolls. You'll have a very filling dinner in no time.

Quick Side Dish

2010-06-28T07:00:00.001+08:00

If you want a quick side dish with your meat, fish or vegetables, I suggest you cook this:

Bagoong Tofu

It's a no-brainer side dish. Just fry some tofu and drain onto paper towels then set aside. Heat some bagoong (I use Barrio Fiesta, Sweet) and toss the tofu with the bagoong. Be careful as the bagoong tends to splatter. Sometimes, when I'm feeling weird (yeah, weird) I add the juice of one calamansi to the bagoong then mix it good then add the tofu. It gives the dish a little kick.

Saturday Breakfast Idea: Garlic Fried Rice, Tofu and Kangkong, Fried Espada

2010-06-25T07:00:00.000+08:00

This was supposed to go live last Friday but something came up and it's a Saturday breakfast idea so it had to wait.

Remember this? We had the leftovers with breakfast along with fried espada and garlic rice. Oh, and don't forget the Sukang Pinakurat! We were so full that we had lunch at 3 pm.

Mixed Vegetables with Quail Eggs

2010-06-24T07:00:00.000+08:00

Hectic and tiring- those are the words to describe my schedule for the past couple of weeks. I'm sorry if I haven't been posting regularly but aside from my 'to do list', this time of the year is really tough for me. My body literally breaks down because of the weather. With that comes more take out food, deliveries and instant whatever. But when I do find my strength, I try to cook a decent meal. After all, too much junk is bad for me too. Here's an easy and quick dish I whipped up on one of my 'able' days.

Please bear with the pictures for a while. I'm asking MB to get this problem fixed.

You will need some carrots, shiitake mushrooms, cauliflower and boiled quail eggs.

Saute some garlic and onions in a pan. Add the sliced mushrooms. Cook for about a minute or two then add the carrots then the cauliflower. Season with oyster sauce and a little bit of soy sauce if you want. Add about half a cup of water to the pan. Mix. Bring to a boil then lower heat. Season with a tiny pinch of sea salt and pepper. Taste. Add the boiled quail eggs and turn off the heat.

Can I just say that sea salt rocks? Before, I thought that all salts were equal. I raised my eyebrows every time I read a rave about a different kind of salt other than rock salt and iodized salt. For me they were all salt! What difference does that make? I didn't want to buy sea salt because it was expensive. It's just salt, right? Wrong!

So, fast forward to a year or so, I am now truly, truly thankful that I tried sea salt. It makes a whole lot of difference! Even regular dishes get a special kick. I love it! And you only have to use a little to flavor your dishes. Never mind the expensive price tag. One pack will last you for a few months. I've been using sea salt for more than a year now and I've never looked back.

Have you tried a different kind of salt lately?

We will now pause this program for a few announcements...

2010-06-23T13:46:00.000+08:00

Hi everybody! I'm trying this new thing where I try to blog everyday but today I had to go to the doctor so I think today's post will have to wait. In the meantime, amuse yourselves with the posts in the archives. Maybe you can find tomorrow's baon or Saturday's breakfast somewhere there.

We will be back to regular programming hopefully tonight. Thanks!