Techie Mom in the Kitchen

Freebies from Kotex...

2010-02-11T02:54:00.000-08:00

Would you like to get freebies from Kotex? If you do, then be a member and sign up HERE. Saw this add from Just the Tip of the Iceberg. I have signed up and was informed that I should wait 21 days for my KOTEX Ultra Thin to be delivered in my address.

So if you want one, click HERE.

New Year - New Business!

2010-01-28T06:54:00.000-08:00

'Been busy this past weeks trying out some small businesses, so sorry I almost neglected my site, but just the same I still miss blogging ... still got alot of recipes to share...

I wanted to introduce to you my new business - My Googlies! They are for sale, per order basis, minimum of 50 pcs (can be assorted). Great as give-aways for children's parties, baptism, etc.

If you're interested and for queries, send me a message at googlystore@yahoo.com
or visit our website - www.googlystore.blogspot.com/ ... thanks!

Christmas is definitely my favorite season!

2009-12-18T03:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas is just a week away...

The mornings are getting really cooler and cooler, nights are shorter, Christmas décor and lights are in full parade, the malls are decked with different and pretty decorations. Christmas is right around the corner…

My family went around to the different malls, we just enjoy looking at the different decorations this year.

There's a gigantic Christmas Tree in the lobby of Shangri-La Mall

Dreamy Facade of Rustan's, also in Shangrila

Megamall Decors

Megamall Atrium

Virramall, Greenhills

at the Trinoma Mall

Market! Market!

Nothing signals Christmas like the warm glow of colored lights and the magical memories we've created as family and friends gather together. From our Home to your Home, MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!

Join CDO Holiday Whole-Meat Ham Promo!!

2009-12-14T06:09:00.000-08:00

CDO Holiday Whole-Meat Ham is currently having a promo.

They will be giving away a CANON IXUS 120 IS!

So, if you want to join, the mechanics are simple, please read on below:

* The raffle promo is open to anyone residing in the Philippines.

* Interested participants need only to register by filling up the registration form with correct information and submitting it.

* An entry can only be valid if the information written in the submitted registration form are also valid and correctly belongs to the participant. The fields that need to be filled out are as follows: (a) Email address; (b) Name; (c) Gender; (d) Birthday; and (e) Mobile phone number. Entries with incorrect data and information will be considered null and void.

* A participant may register and submit as many entries as he/she can, provided that each entry must have a unique email address and mobile phone number.

* A participant can increase his/her chances of winning by: (a) becoming a fan in the CDO Holiday Whole-Meat Ham Facebook Fan Page; and (b) sending Facebook friend invites to join the promo. A Facebook account is required for the above mentioned options, and each of them constitutes one (1) raffle entry for the promo.

* Two (2) units of Canon IXUS 120 IS Camera will be given away to two (2) lucky winners in the raffle draw.

* The online raffle draw will be held on December 22, 2009 in Rakso Computer Technology, 3rd floor Ricogen Bldg., 112 Aguirre St., Legazpi Village, Makati City.

* A participant can win only once in the raffle promo.

* Winners will be notified through an email confirmation and a phone call from Rakso Computer Technology.

* Prizes shall be claimed 60 days after the notification in the CDO Foodsphere, Inc., #560 West Service Road., Paso de Blas, Valenzuela City. For winners residing outside the Metro Manila area, delivery of prizes shall be arranged.

* Winners must present the email notification and a valid ID when they claim their prize or upon delivery.

* All employees of CDO Foodsphere, Inc. and Rakso Computer Technology, their dealer network, accredited advertising agencies and suppliers, and their relatives up to 2nd degree of consanguinity or affinity are disqualified from participating in the promo.

* Promo period is from November 20 to December 21, 2009.

To register, visit their website here: CDO Holiday Whole-Meat Ham Promo!

Fish Fillet with Tofu and Tausi

2009-12-01T07:53:00.000-08:00

This is my sister's specialty. I would always prefer that she cook it instead of me. Really, it taste different, the dish taste like it came out of a Kitchen of a Chinese Restaurant. Thank you sis, for cooking me this wonderful dish! Both healthy and filling... Yum Yum!

Ingredients:

500g fish fillet (Cream Dori or labahita), cut 2 inches wide, 2 inches long

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce salt & pepper

200g tofu, cubed (or more)

1 cup cooking oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled/minced

2 small onions, sliced

2 tbsps all-purpose flour

2 tbsps cornstarch, diluted in ½ cup water

1 cup Button mushrooms, sliced

1 medium carrot, sliced

1 cup leeks, sliced

2 tablespoons black beans/tausi

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 cup water (or juice of canned mushroom)

2 tbsp Oyster Sauce

½ tbsp Sesame Oil

1 cup Young Corn (canned), sliced

Few slices of ginger (about a thumb)

Directions:

1. Marinate sliced fish fillet in Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper for 30 minutes. Roll fillets in all-purpose flour, fry until slightly brown, set aside; Do the same to your tofu, set aside.

2. Mash black beans/tausi. Heat pan with cooking oil, saute garlic, onion, and then add tausi, sauté for 5 minutes, then add water (or liquid from the canned mushroom), let it simmer for 5 minutes. Then add carrots, young corn – stir for awhile, then the mushrooms and leeks. Add oyster sauce and sesame oil, ginger and the diluted cornstarch. Season to taste (add salt or soy sauce and if you want, a bit of sugar).

3. Then add the fried fish fillets and tofu into the sauce. Serve hot with rice.

Happy cooking!

LUMPIANG SARIWA (Fresh Vegetable Roll Recipe)

2009-11-25T04:45:00.000-08:00

Lumpiang Sariwa or Fresh Vegetable Roll, is a dish composed of different vegetables. Can also be considered a one dish meal because of the meat and shrimp in it. It could be eaten wrapped in lumpia wrapper or uwrapped like a stirfried vegetable dish and still with a sauce.

There are just so many versions of this dish around. Some recipes vary in the kind of vegetables added to it, other versions use Ubod (heart of a palm tree) and carrots only. and some recipes vary on the mixture of the sauce – it could be salty or sweet. In our family, we grew up eating this food and it is one of the many favorites of the family. I can have this any time of the day. And we prefer our sauce a bit sweet with the right blend of peanut butter. And we want to use fresh lumpia wrapper bought in the market (just be sure you buy fresh and still soft), not the frozen ones.

If you’re a fresh lumpia or vegetable lover, you gotta try this version. We just had this a week ago, and it was just soooo delicious.. In fact, I made a big batch, gave some to my Nanay and siblings, and we had it for lunch & dinner, and kept the rest of the batch in the refrigerator, and I had this for almost a week, or whenever I wanted vegetable in a meal. I think ‘am gonna cook this again next month – that is, if I can find fresh lettuce, coriander (wansuy) and fresh lumpia wrappers (not frozen), for without this three ingredients, it won’t be as delicious.

Ingredients

• VEGETABLE FILLING:

• 2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

• 2 big onions, finely sliced

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1/4 k ground chicken meat

• 1/4 k shrimp, peeled, deveined and minced

• 4-5 tablespoon fish sauce

• 1 medium cabbage shredded, (approx 3/4 k)

• 2-3 large carrots, julienned

• 2 medium chayote, julienned

• 3 medium potato, julienned

• 2 medium sweet potato, julienned

• ½ cup Kinstay coarsely chopped

• 1/2 cup water

• Salt and Pepper

Should you decide to use a homemade wrapper, here is the recipe.

WRAPPER:
• 1 pc egg

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup flour

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• ¾c to 1 cup water

SAUCE:
• 1 cup water

• 1/2 to ¾ cups sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 6 tbsp soy sauce

• ½ cup peanut butter

• 1 to 2 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

GARNISH/TOPPINGS:
• 10 pcs or more romaine lettuce leaves

• 1 bunch ciltantro/coriander (wansuy)

• ½ cup garlic, finely chooped

• cloves garlic

Directions
VEGETABLE FILLING:

In a large casserole, saute garlic and onions in vegetable oil. Add ground chicken and then the shrimp, sauté then add the fish sauce, let it simmer for 2 minutes then add water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Add the potato, sweet potato, stir well, then add carrots and chayote and stir-fry 5-10 minutes (or until they are half cooked) then add the cabbage and kinstay, cook for another 5 minutes. Its ok if it tends to be a bit dry, we won’t be needing the sauce of the vegetables. Drain in a strainer and let it cool.

SAUCE:
Combine water, soy sauce, sugar and a bit of salt in a small pot and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer over low heat until it boils, then get the peanut butter and put some of the cooking liquid sauce in it and stir (this will help melt the peanut butter, so that when it is mixed with the cooking sauce, it will blend in smoothly). Season to taste (this will depend on how seet or salty you like the sauce to be. Then get the dissolved cornstarch and mix it with the cooking sauce until it thickens. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. Transfer into a gravy bowl just before serving (you may add a bit of finely chopped garlic into the sauce before serving it).

WRAP:
Combine egg and salt. Gradually add flour & salt, alternating with water. Beat with a whisk until smooth. Beat in oil gradually. Refrigerate batter 1 hour. If you want a thinner wrapper, add some more water gradually.

To cook, brush a nonstick pan with oil and place over low heat. Ladle in 2 tablespoons batter, swirl to cover pan and pour off excess. Cook until the wrapper can be lifted with a spatula without sticking (if batter bubbles, the pan is too hot). Turn and cook just to warm the other side. Set aside and cover with a towel to keep warm.

TO ASSEMBLE:
Place a lettuce leaf and coriander in the center of a wrapper. Add 2 tablespoons filling. Fold bottom of wrapper over filling; wrap one side over filling and roll to the other side. The edge of the lettuce will stick out. Seal edge with water or sauce. Wrap each lumpia in wax paper. Serve with sauce and minced garlic in the side. Enjoy!

Busy, Busy, Busy ...

2009-11-23T04:43:00.000-08:00

‘Been pretty busy this past days, tied-up with a lot of things…

family, small business, chores, errands, etc. etc. ….

But I’ll be back soon, promise ... :)

Halloween Season Again!

2009-10-21T02:32:00.000-07:00

The term Halloween, originally spelled Hallowe’en, is shortened from All Hallows' Even – e'en is a shortening of even, which is a shortening of evening and Hallow is a word usually used as a verb, meaning "to make holy or sacred.

Halloween is fast approaching. It is a favorite occasion for people who like costumes. Costumes are said to be used to scare off demons. Actually, Halloween is a pagan practice which started hundreds of years ago. But lately, it has become so popular that a lot of people (young and old) are looking forward to it every year...

A few days ago we went to SM Toy Kingdom and they have a lot of costumes and accessories available for all ages. Most of the items are really affordable and your imagination is the limit.

From the costumes,

to make-up, hair accessories and wigs, creepy hands, anything, including long black nails…

or something to dress-up your place...

My Daughter's Blog...

2009-10-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

www.samsjoy.blogspot.com/

Hello Friends,
Please visit my daughter's blog. It's seeing the world through the eyes of a precious little girl ... it's a work in progress, just launched it today... See you there!!!

Beautiful Smilies ...

2009-10-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Just like to take this opportunity to thank Jays - from Babydoll.nu for the beautiful smilies....
Take care friend ... and thank you for sharing your cuties...

HAINANESE CHICKEN (or Chicken Rice)

2009-10-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of Chinese origin, a local specialty from the island of Hainan off the coast of China, most commonly associated with Singaporean or Malaysian cuisine, it is also commonly sold in neighboring Thailand. The version found in Singapore region combines elements of Hainanese and Cantonese cuisines. The dish was popularised in the 1950s by Moh Lee Twee.

This is one of the favorites of the family. I love this one dish meal, you have the chicken, rice and vegetable in one recipe, very light yet filling. I happen to develop my version of this dish because my husband loves this so much, one time when we were in Singapore, he was able to finish 2 orders of this dish in big bowls. And when my sister tasted this recipe, it became an instant favorite as well. I hope you’ll enjoy preparing and eating this dish as much as we did. We consider this as one of our comfort foods.

Ingredients:

1 to 1 ½ kilo Whole Chicken
1 Head Garlic, peeled & smashed
½ Tbsp. Whole Black Peppercorns
2 Large onions, diced
2 Tablespoons rock salt
½ tbsp of Ginger, sliced julienne
1 to 2 pcs Chicken broth cube
Enough water to boil the chicken
2-3 cups of rice
4-6 cups of chicken broth (the broth of boiled chicken)

Dipping Sauce for the cooked chicken:
½ cup Soy Sauce
3-4 tbsps. Sugar
1 tbsp Finely Chopped Ginger
½ tsp of Sesame Oil
Red Chillies (optional) Chopped coarsely

For garnishing:
Bunch of cilantro (optional) Coarsely Chopped

Optional: For the vegetable soup
Carrots, Pechay Baguio, portion of the Chicken broth

Directions:

Get the whole chicken, rub the skin of the whole chicken with rock salt. Wash it thoroughly with water, let it drip for a moment, and set aside. In a small bowl mix the stuffing - crushed Garlic, Whole Black Peppercorns, diced Onions, Rock salt and ginger very well and stuff it inside the whole chicken. Put the whole chicken in a big casserole, fill it with water till the chicken is covered with water. Cook it on high heat till it starts to boil, let it simmer on medium heat, add the chicken cubes, simmer slowly till the chicken is fork tender, add salt and pepper in the broth if needed.

Take out the cooked chicken from the broth, put in a separate container with lid so it will stay warm while you cook the rice.

On a separate cooking casserole, or you may use rice cooker if you like, wash the rice with water, drain all water from the rice. For every cup of rice, put 2 cups of the cooked broth from the chicken. Adjust the amount of the broth according to your prefence, if you find the 1:2 ratio too much. Cook the rice on medium heat, stirring it once or twice for even cooking. Cook it till its done.

Meanwhile, you may prepare the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients, except the Chillies (optional). Mix it very well.

Serving suggestion:
Put a big scoop of hot rice in a plate, cut up the chicken, and put sliced chicken beside the rice and serve together with the vegetable soup and the dipping sauce for the chicken.

Note:

For this dish, we really need a whole chicken and put the stuffing inside. I’ve tried using other parts and just put the flavoring in the cooking water, the chicken didn’t came out as tasty. You may choose to use the Cilantro as garnishing when serving the meal, or mix it with the dipping sauce (we prefer it mixed with the sauce, it has a very nice taste). If you like more vegetables, you may add steamed Petchay Baguio or Bakchoy (whatever is available in your area), some carrots and other vegetables that you like. Sometimes, what I do, if ever there’s more broth than what I needed for the rice, I cooked all the vegetable in it and this can serve as soup. Or you may put cut up vegetables on top of the almost cooked rice and let it steam there for awhile.

As for the dipping sauce, it you don’t like it to be too sweet, you may adjust it according to your preference (but from our experience, the sweeter, the better the sauce will taste). Should you choose to use the chillies, just mix it with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!

My 1st Award! Getting to Know Me Award

2009-10-11T07:19:00.001-07:00

I would like to thank Mabel of SWIRLING THOUGHTS for giving me my 1st special award. Thank you Mabel for including me in your tag and making me feel that you want to get to know me, I really appreciate this.

This award comes with a tag of telling your five things you love to do & passing it to 5 friends.

5 Things I Love
I love to cook, I was inspired by the many wonderful cooks in our family

I love to craft, turning simple/ordinary things into works of art.

I love watching romantic movies.

I love taking pictures, capture every special moments of my whole family.

I love surfing the web, I could spend many hours in it and be fascinated by the new things I learn.

I'd like to pass this award to the following 5 friends:
(how I wish I could still add more names to this list …)

Enchie of From My Kitchen and Beyond

Lulu of Mouth’s Delight

Kim of At My Tabletop

Kaye of Random WAHM Thoughts

Cecil of Kitchen… the Heart of Our Home

Thank You Lord...

2009-10-04T22:49:00.000-07:00

After typhoon Ondoy, I was again reminded to thank each day as it comes… Count my blessings – big or small. Sunday morning (September 27) after the typhoon, when I woke-up, I prayed a simple prayer of thanksgiving, “Lord, thank you that my whole family is safe, our whole house is ok inside and out, and Thank You Lord for a new day ahead of us …

I came across this website - Circle of Prayer, and just wanted to share with you this prayer shared by one of the contributors …

Father, we ask for your mercy especially in this time of a great ordeal. Last weekend, I have seen the wrath of nature before my eyes when the super typhoon came to my town. There was non-stop heavy rain and the amount of water it brought in 6 hours is equal to a month's rain that it all the rivers and the dam overflowed resulting into a massive flood that claimed the lives of thousands of people in my town and althroughout the metropolis.Praise you for sparing my family from losing any member of my household even if the flood already reached the second floor of our house. But Father, my heart cries out to those people who lost their homes, their properties, and right now are short of food, medicines and a warm shelter.This is a very difficult time for us. In fact,We have been informed that there are still 2 more typhoons coming in the next few days and you know that we have not even recovered yet for the past calamity.There are still a lot of dead bodies yet to be found by their families as they are burried beneath the mass of mud and flood waters. Father, we do not know what to do now. Please don't let another typhoon hit our country. Have mercy on us, Father if we have been sinful people. I know that this circumstance is a wake up call for all of us to become more concerned with our environment and not be consumed by worldly things for everything in this world is just but temporary and they could all vamish in just one snap. Father, forgive us and give us a chance to redeem our nation. We still want to see the future with the young ones around us, more time to be with our family and loved ones. I lift this up to you, Father for I believe that you have plans for all of us. We commend our spirit into your hands, if it is thy will that this shall be our time. If it is not yet, heal my country father and all its people of the wounds that this tragedy brought us and let us find you and yearn for you from this day on and forever. For only i you can we find salvation and deliverance.

Praise you Father for all those people who have reached out to my fellowmen by sharing food, clothing, and medicines. Bless them father for their good hearts and let them have their rewards in heaven.

Father, we know that your love is divine and your heart does not seek to let your children suffer. We rest our faith and lives on you.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Circle of Prayer (Website of American Bible Society)

McDONALD’s Frontera Verde

2009-09-28T01:31:00.000-07:00

Location : Julia Vargas, Ortigas, Pasig City

A very cozy branch of McDonald’s, I must say this is a very good example of what a McDonald’s store should be. It opened middle of 2009, and yet it has become one of our favorites. It is a 24-hour store.

They have Mc Café inside, so while children are having their own favorite McDonald’s Meal, parents can have a decent cup of coffee with a delicious pastry.

This branch has a big open-air space upstairs, also ideal for hanging out at night or for children’s party as well. It has ample parking space outside for free, and if that’s full, there’s an adjacent big pay parking lot beside it. And to top it all, there’s FREE wi-fi.

My daughter had a blast in the McDonald’s Kiddie Crew Program here last summer and looking forward to the next one...

it's a sweet sweet memory ...

3rd Meatball Recipe : SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS

2009-09-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

And lastly, we’ll use the 3rd portion of the meatballs we’ve set aside. Once the meatballs are ready, fry them in medium heat till a bit brown and well cooked. Don’t over fry them or they will turn our dry and loose its juices. Set aside, we’ll use them later.

Ingredients for the spaghetti sauce:

2 tbsps Cooking Oil

1 tbsp Garlic, chopped

3 medium Onion, chopped

½ kilo Ground Lean Pork

½ kilo Sweet & Juicy Swifts Hotdogs, sliced diagonally

1 pouch Spaghetti Sauce (Filipino Sauce)

1 pouch Hunt’s Spaghetti Sauce (Regular type)

1 pouch Tomato Sauce

¼ - ½ cup water

4-6 tbsps Soy Sauce

Salt, Pepper & Sugar for seasoning

Procedure:

In a pan, sauté garlic in cooking oil till fragrant, then add onion, stir well, then put the ground pork, saute till the pork turns pale in color, add soy sauce and pepper, sauté very well and let it cook for a few minutes. Then add all the spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce, add water, bring to a boil and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Then season to taste, if it needs salt and sugar, adjust according to your taste. Lastly, add the fried meatballs and simmer for a few minutes more and its ready to be mixed with boiled spaghetti noodles. Topped with grated cheese. Bon appetite!

Note: If you want, you may decrease the amout of ground pork and just add ¼ kilo since it already has meatballs, and add more hotdog instead.

2nd Meatball Recipe : MEATBALLS W/ SWEET & SOUR SAUCE

2009-09-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

For this recipe, we’ll use the second portion that we have set aside in the freezer. Thaw it if it’s still frozen, and form again into balls. Once ready, fry them in medium heat till a bit brown and well cooked. Don’t over fry them or they will turn our dry and loose its juices. Set aside, we’ll use them later.

Ingredients for the Sweet & Sour Sauce:
2 medium, Onion, sliced in chuncks
2 medium, Tomatoes, sliced
1 medium, Green Bellpepper, sliced
1 medium, Carrot, sliced
2 tbsps Cooking Oil
1 cup water
4-6 tbsps. Banana Catsup
2 tbsps. Vinegar
½ cup Brown sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste
¼ cup Cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water

Procedure:
In a saucepan, sauté onion, and tomatoes, then add carrots cook for a few minutes, them add the bellpepper. Saute them for awhile, then set aside in another container. In the same saucepan, put the water, banana catsup, vinegar, brown sugar, salt (about a pinch) and pepper. Mix well and bring to a simmer over low fire, taste if it needs more sugar and salt. Then thicken with cornstarch dissolved in water and gently simmer again. Lastly, put back the stir fried vegetables into the sauce, and when ready to serve, add sauce into the fried meatballs. Enjoy!

1st Meatball Recipe : ALMONDIGAS

2009-09-24T03:33:00.000-07:00

Soup type of dish with Meatballs in Miswa and Patola, another comfort food...
(Miswa is a very thin variety of Chinese noodle. Cooking miswa usually takes less than 2 minutes and sometimes significantly less.)

Ingredients:
3 tbsp Vegetable cooking oil
1 tbsp Chopped Garlic
2 medium size onion, sliced thinly
3-4 pcs. Medium sized, tomatoes, sliced thinly
½ cup Fish Sauce
1 pc. Pork Cube
200 gms. Miswa Noodles (more or less)
Sliced Patola
4-6 cups Water
30 pcs. Pork Meatballs

Procedure:
In a pot, saute garlic till light brown, then put onion, then the tomato. Saute well, then put fish sauce, let cook some more. After a few minutes, add 4 cups water, let it boil over medium heat, and add the pork cube. Once it boils again, drop the meatballs one by one in different points in the pot so as to avoid the meatballs from sticking with one another. Let it simmer over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, then add the separated miswa noodles and shortly add the sliced patola. Simmer again for 2-3 minutes then turn off the fire and serve while still hot.

Note: There are times, when I choose to add less meatballs, I add peeled boiled eggs into this soup dish. Just add it in the last part of the cooking process. You can serve soysauce with calamansi in it as added seasoning on the side. The amount of Miswa noodles will vary depending on how thick you want your soup to be, the more miswa you add, the thicker the soup will be.

FOR MEATBALL LOVERS

2009-09-24T00:41:00.000-07:00

We’re at my sister’s house now for a supposed to be a short visit, but my daughter and my nephew need more bonding moments that’s why we decided to stay a little longer. These gave us an opportunity to cook some “old time favourites”, foods our mother used to prepare when we were kids. A few days ago I made a big batch of meatball mixture, I did it on purpose cause I have 3 different recipes in mind using meatballs. It’s one of those days when you just have that “meatballs craving”.

‘Am also posting the following 3 recipes as a tribute to our mother, who made sure that while all of us her kids are growing up she prepared nutritious and delicious food everyday. Delicious to us then doesn’t mean expensive food, our “Nanay” made simple dishes seems special to us. Back then, she would prepare a simple soup and pair this with fried tofu with dipping sauce on the side, and we learned to love tofu so much that it’s a regular in our dishes until now. “Nanay” is my first teacher in the kitchen, much of the recipes I know now are mostly her recipes and also our father “Tatay” is a food lover and a good cook as well. I will have to do a separate “tribute” for Tatay’s delicious recipes.

BASIC MEATBALL MIXTURE

Ingredients:
1 kilo ground lean pork
3-4 pcs Whole eggs
1-2 cups Bread Crumbs
2-3 tsp Salt
1 ½ tsp pepper
¼ cup Chopped Spring Onions

Mix everything in a bowl. When well mixed, fry 2 small patties. (I always do this when making meatballs or burger, to taste if I needed to add any salt or pepper, and also to test if the bread crumbs I added is enough to make a patty or a meatballs. Season some more if needed.

When you’re satisfied with the taste of the meatball mixture, divide it into three, and put aside the other two (2) portions in 2 separate containers and keep them in the freezer. You may choose to make balls before freezing them, so whenever you will need to cook another meatball dish, they are ready.

For the 1st Recipe, we’ll just use 1/3 of the mixture. This portion will yield around 30 meatballs or more, depending on the size of your meatballs.

I'm Back!

2009-09-24T00:16:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to blog for many days, my laptop was out of order, I felt so helpless :( … its a good thing I have an external drive where I stored all my files for backup, I was able to salvage all my files and lost nothing. I miss blogging, I felt as if I missed alot. So for the following days I will be featuring again more recipes. Yeey!!!

For those who left a message, please bear with me and I'll try to catch up on your messages, and hopefully everything will be back to normal real soon.

I Miss Blogging!

2009-09-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys I wasn't able to post any new recipes or articles lately, my laptop went dead, but it will be up soon. Watch out for more recipes! I miss blogging so much... thanks for dropping by and leaving your friendly comments.

SINIGANG NA BABOY (Pork in Tamarind Soup)

2009-08-29T04:07:00.000-07:00

This is my husband’s ultimate favorite, he can have this almost every week. Whenever I prepare this for him, he’s in heaven. Through the years I’ve perfected my own version of this delicious, comfort food. And according to hubby again, no matter where he goes or where he eats this dish, there’s no place like eating it at home – prepared by his Techie wife. A delicious sinigang dish starts with choosing the freshest pork ribs or any part of pork you wish to use, that you can find. I prefer to buy from Monterey, it’s a bit pricey but I know that Monterey products are always fresh.

Ingredients:
½ kilo Pork Spareribs (cut into serving pieces)
½ kilo Pork Belly (cut the same size as the spareribs)
4-5 cups rice washing water (or hugas bigas as we call it in Tagalog)
5-6 pcs Ripe Tomato (big ones), sliced
2 pcs. Medium size Onion, sliced
1 big Pack Know Sinigang Mix (Tamarind Soup Mix)
6 pcs. Okra, cut into halves
1 bunch of Kangkong leaves (Water Spinach)
1 small Radish, cut diagonally (optional)
2-3 pcs. Green chili pepper
2 pcs. medium size gabi (taro rootcrop)
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Get a big casserole or pot and put pork together with rice washing water, boil to a medium heat without cover or lid, and scoop out the scum when it floats, then add the sliced taro. Cover the pot and let it simmer in low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, when the pork is a bit tender, add the onion, tomatoes and radish, let it simmer in low heat for another 10-15 minutes. Then add the Knorr Tamarind Soup Mix (don’t put the whole pack yet, gradually adjust the taste according to your sourness preference), let it boil and then add the okra, green chili and water spinach. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt if needed. Serve steaming hot. Enjoy!

MEE NOODLE BAR & RESTAURANT

2009-08-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

I can’t remember the last time we’ve been to Shangri-la Mall, we didn’t notice that there’s a cute little resto MEE NOODLE BAR & RESTAURANT that has been there since December 2008.

What caught our attention is the ambiance of the place, seem relaxing, quiet, nice interiors, and very condusive to small talks. It’s located at Level 1, Shangri-la Plaza Mall (at the back of National Bookstore, or fronting Mercury Drugstore.

They have an on-going promo, FREE pot of brewed coffee or green tea everytime you order a minimum of 3 light snack dishes from their light-snack menu. It is available from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. everyday, for dine-in only.

We ordered the light snacks and avail of a hot pot of brewed coffee (Folger’s Brand according to the waiter). By the way, these snacks are kid friendly, my daughter also loved them. Here’s what we ordered, 4 pcs. Roasted Pork Barbeque Roll with Sesame seeds and 2 pcs. Mantau bread, costs P80.00; 4 pcs. Beef Curry Puff Empanada, very yummy (hubby’s instant favorite), P85.00; 4 pcs. Shrimp and Pork (w/ mushroom) Dumplings (also good), costs P80.00.

There are other dishes in the Menu like Palabok, Lomi, platter of assorted fresh fruits, etc. They also have “Create your own Mongolian BBQ Bowl”, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – available lunch and dinner.

CHICKEN ARROZCALDO (Congee) & TOKWA’T BABOY

2009-08-19T01:21:00.000-07:00

We had this “Old Time Favorite” a few weeks ago, when we had to stay indoors because of so much rain, we wanted to just stay home, watch tv, read some books, and me blogging, what else can you think of when it’s raining, but eat something hot, and delicious, so I decided to prepare my favorite Lugao (or Congee), it’s like comfort food to me. This is another family favorite as well.

Ingredients:
½ kilo Chicken Breast (boiled and shredded)
2 tbsp Vegetable Cooking Oil
2 tbsps. Garlic, chopped
2-3 pcs. Medium sized Onion, sliced thinly
¼ cup Ginger, sliced thinly
½ cup Fish Sauce (Patis)
½ cup Malagkit Rice, (glutinous rice)
¾ cups Regular Rice
Broth from the boiled chicken breast
Garnishings for Arrozcaldo:
½ cup Spring Onion (chopped finely)
½ cup Garlic, chopped finely, fried till light brown (2 heads of garlic)
Calamansi (cut into halves)
Ground Black Pepper (optional)

Procedure for the Arrozcaldo:
Combine Malagkit and regular rice, wash, drain, and let it soak for awhile (this will help in the cooking process of the rice, and gives it a nice and fluffy texture).

Meanwhile, cook the chicken breasts in about 3-4 cups water, add some salt and pepper, boil till fork tender. Take out the chicken breast when tender, let it cool for awhile, then shred it, and set aside. Keep the chicken broth, we’ll use it later.

In a big pan or casserole, saute Garlic ( 2 tbsp and the ½ cup combined, to save time in sauteing), add more cooking oil if needed, till light brown, then take out about ½ cup (set aside for garnishing), and continue sautéing the garlic left on the pan and put the onion sauté until transparent, then put the ginger, stir well, add the shredded chicken, stir for awhile, then put the Fish sauce and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, drain the rice, and mix it to the cooking chicken, if it tends to stick to the pan, put about ½ cup of water and continue to mix well for another 5 minutes. Then put the chicken broth into the cooking rice. Mix well, cover and let it simmer, then lower the fire. Stirring occasionally. Keep a close watch, you need to stir this once in awhile to avoid burning. Cook for another 15-20 minutes more, or until the rice are all cooked and soft and starts to crumble. If you think its too thick, add more water, according to the thickness you want. Serve hot on individual serving bowls (as shown in the photo) with the garnishings on the side.

TOKWA’T BABOY
For those who doesn’t know what Tokwa’t Baboy is, this side dish goes very well with Congee, it’s boiled pork belly (or any part of pork you want) sliced thinly. Tokwa is beancurd, fried till crispy, then sliced thinly and it’s mixed with the pork and has a sauce, please see below for the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients:
½ kilo Pork Belly, boiled and sliced
Salt and pepper corns
1 pc. Beancurd
1 cup cooking oil for frying

Sauce:
1 cup White Vinegar
2-3 tsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Garlic, chopped finely
½ tsp Sugar (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure for Tokwa’t Baboy:
Boil pork belly in water with salt and pepper corns. Cook till tender. Take it out of the pan and let cool for awhile before slicing it into strips (as shown in the picture).

Meanwhile, fry the sliced beancurd till a bit cripy. Put in paper towels or thick tissue to drain excess oil. When cool, cut into strips, same size as the pork and mix the sliced pork and bean curd in a bowl. Serve with the sauce on the side. Enjoy!

VEGETARIAN CHICHARON (Cracklings)

2009-08-16T05:24:00.000-07:00

Whenever we’ll have a craving for Chicharon (a dish made of fried pork rinds), we’re worried of the cholesterol, and sometimes 2 or 3 small pieces will suffice, and make sure we have vinegar with lots of garlic in it to use as "sawsawan" (dipping sauce).

Just recently, we discovered Marty’s Cracklin’ Vegetarian Chicharon, Old fashioned Style, Guilt Free, has 0g transfat, and it comes in two flavors, Plain Salted and the other is Salt & Vinegar flavor. According to the label at the back one of the ingredients is dehydrated green peas, it is manufactured by Oishi. My favorite, and also my daughter’s is the Plain Salted, it’s not really that salty, and hubby prefers the Salt & Vinegar flavor. Thanks OISHI for this Vegetarian Chicharon, now we have an alternative to the Cholesterol laden Native Chicharon.

KAPE, GULAMAN AT SAGO SA GATA

2009-08-13T20:17:00.001-07:00

Add a twist to your regular cup of coffee with this cool coconut concoction. With a bit of gata and pandan mixed with sago gulaman, this cold coffee drink transforms into a perfect summer treat.

Ingredients:
4 pieces Pandan leaves
1 liter water
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp Nescafe Classic Coffee
½ cup gata
1 cup chopped gulaman
½ cup sago

Procedure:
1. Boil pandan in water. Add sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool or refrigerate to chill.
2. In a pitcher, pour 2 cups of the pandan sugar syrup. Add Nescafe coffee, gata, gulaman and sago. Stir to mix well.
3. Chill in the refrigerator before serving or serve with ice. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Calories : 221
CHO(g) : 54
PRO (g) : 1
Fats (g) : 0

Good to Remember :
Coffee is a natural source of antioxidants, which help prevent early signs of aging.

Good to Know:
To fully enjoy the delightful aroma of coffee, put the instant coffee in a cup first before pouring hot water.

3rd Recipe : LUMPIANG KAMOTENG KAHOY (Cassava Springroll)

2009-08-11T03:50:00.000-07:00

Another Pinoy favorite gets an update with this simple recipe. Cassava or kamoteng kahoy makes for a healthy snack that provides just the right kind of sweetness minus the extra guilt.

Ingredients:
1 kg Kamoteng kahoy, peeled, boiled and mashed
½ cup butter
½ cup Nestle All Purpose Cream
½ cup Sugar
15 pcs. Lumpia wrapper, cut into 2 half moons
1 cup Cooking oil for frying
White Sugar for dusting

Procedure:
1. In a bowl, combine mashed kamoteng kahoy with butter, Nestle All Purpose Cream and sugar until fully incorporated. Set aside.
2. Scoop around 2 tbsp of the prepared kamoteng kahoy mixture into a lumpia wrapper.
3. Roll into logs similar to a lumpiang shanghai. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Transfer on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
4. Sprinkle with sugar before serving. Makes 18-20 pieces.

Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Calories : 161.9
CHO(g) : 18.2
PRO (g) : 0.4
Fats (g) : 9.7

Good to Remember :
Kamoteng kahoy is an example of a complex carbohydrate food that provides long lasting energy.

Good to Know:
One small piece of cassava is equivalent to almost one cup of rice.

2nd Recipe : SPINACH STIR-FRY

2009-08-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

A popular side dish, this ginisang kalabasa becomes more nutritious with the help of spinach. Spinach is an excellend source of iron and calcium, that can help make your bones grow stronger.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp cooking oil
¼ cup chopped garlic
1 medium onion, sliced
100g ground lean pork
2 cups julienne squash
1-8g Maggi Magic Sarap
1 tbsp patis
3 cups fresh spinach (pick the leaves and discard the stalks)
Procedure:
1. Heat cooking oil, sauté garlic until slightly brown. Set aside ½ of the garlic for topping.
2. In the remaining garlic, add onion and ground pork. Cook until pork turns white in color.
3. Stir in squash and cook for 30 seconds. Season with Maggi Magic Sarap and patis to taste.
4. Toss in spinach and cook uncovered for 30 seconds. Serve with fried garlic on top. Makes 4-6 servings.

Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Calories : 88
CHO(g) : 8
PRO (g) : 2
Fats (g) : 5

Good to Remember :
Do not overcook your vegetables. Spinach has a large nutritional value, specially when fresh, steamed or quickly boiled. It is a rich source of Vitamin A (and lutein), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and magnesium, among others. But when it is cooked, the value is decreased by 75%.

Good to Know:
There are two types of Spinach in the local market. The Chinese variety has tough stems and has leaves at both ends of the stalk while the native spinach has thinner and tender stalks with finer leaves.

“GULAY (vegetable) AND OTHER WET MARKET FINDS”

2009-08-07T03:11:00.000-07:00

During one of our trips to the mall, NESTLE Philippines was giving out some booklets entitled “Gulay (vegetable) and other Wet Market Finds”, a 26-page recipe booklet of veggy recipes, from salad, soup, snacks, desserts and cool drinks.

All of the recipes featured in the book are simple, inexpensive and very nutritious. We do not have to sacrifice the quality of our meals during these tough times. Our family’s health and wellness should still remain as our top priority.

Here I will share and feature 4 of the recipes I found in the book, they seem so easy to prepare and very nutritious.

1st Recipe : PAPAYA, CARROTS AND FRIED FISH SALAD

Different flavors and aroma come together in this Asian-inspired salad. Everyone will surely get their appetites going with just a bite of the green papaya mixed with the salad’s sweet-tangy vinegar sauce and crunchy fried fish.

Ingredients:
3 cups grated unripe papaya
1 ½ cups grated carrots
¼ cup chopped wansuy
¼ cup hibe (dried shrimp), soaked in water for 10 minutes then drained
3 pieces siling labuyo
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup calamansi juice
¼ cup vinegar
1- 8gm Maggi Magic Sarap Seasoning
2 tbsp patis (fish sauce) or to taste
Shredded left-over fried fish
Crispy fried tofu or fried wonton wrappers, crushed (optional)

Procedure:
1. Toss papaya, carrots and wansuy in a bowl. Set aside in the refrigerator to chill.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, coarsely crush the hibe and the siling labuyo together. Transfer in a bowl. Add sugar and mix very well.
3. Whisk in oil, calamansi juice and vinegar into the mixture until fully incorporated.
4. Season with Maggi Magic Sarap and patis to taste.
5. To assemble salad, toss the prepared vegetables in the prepared dressing. Transfer on a plate and top with fried left-over fish, fried tofu or crispy wanton wrappers if desired. Makes 8-10 servings.

Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Calories : 214
CHO(g) : 36
PRO (g) : 6
Fats (g) : 2

Good to Remember :
Papaya is a natural source of Vitamin A, which helps promote healthy eyesight.

Good to Know:
Refreshing salads provide an enjoyable way of getting a dose of much needed vegetables.

Salamat President Cory, paalam po ...

2009-08-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Remembering Cory…

Thank you, Tita Cory ...

2009-08-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

A political novice, Corazon Aquino was thrust to the forefront of opposition to President Ferdinand Marcos following the murder of her husband…

The charismatic widow of assassinated opposition leader drove dictator from office, but the head of the 'people power' movement left a mixed legacy of political and ...

María Corazón "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino was a former President of the Philippines and a world-renowned advocate of democracy, peace, women's empowerment, and religious piety. She served as the 11th president of the Philippines...

The political widow and former housewife led a revolution that restored power to the people in the Philippines and inspired millions across Asia…

Maria Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino (January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a President of the Philippines and a world-renowned advocate of democracy, peace, women's empowerment, and religious piety. She served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the first female president of the Philippines and was Asia's first female president…

Cory was named by TIME MAGAZINE as the 1986 Woman of the Year, that features and profiles a man, woman, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year."[

People power Icon …

… these are just some of the titles you would get when you search for Corazon Aquino in the web… but to us Filipinos who are not politically inclined, those who just observe in the sideline, she’s Tita Cory to us, so simple, composed and collected, a prayerful person, a source of pride and inspiration, and a lot more… the person who brought us Filipinos to unite beyond what we can dream or hoped for… it is my prayer that the spirit of unity that she gave to us in Edsa Revolution (the bloodless revolution) in 1986 would forever live and be alive in the hearts of the Filipinos. Thank You Tita Cory …

Photo source: GMANews.tv

MY LOVE OF THE COMPUTER

2009-07-29T05:25:00.000-07:00

My love for the computer started when I got employed in a small Computer company, which gave me the challenges and the realization of the great usage of a computer, after working there for 6 years, I later moved on and worked with a multinational computer company, where I met my husband, stayed there for many years, and decided to leave the company for the hope of realizing our dream of having a baby. And true enough, 3-months after leaving the company, we got pregnant and received the biggest blessing, our daughter Sam, whom we waited for, for almost 5 years.

I made this collage 1998 and used Picture It! software. This software is so user friendly, so simple to use. I so love this software, in fact I still have a copy of it, sad thing tho’ it doesn’t support Microsoft Vista, but works well in other versions. I’ve searched the internet for the latest version that would run on Vista, but found nothing. This software comes free when you buy an HP Digital Camera. I was able to combine 4 pictures in this project, thus if you will notice the different shades of the pictures. Our grown up picture was taken in a photo booth.

I still hope to learn other software for photo editing, currently I’m studying a Tutorial on Adobe Photo Elements 7. This version is for non-professionals and amateur photographers. And also, I found a online training site for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, instructor lead workshops to self-paced, video-based courses and they give FREE online tutorials from time to time, the gracious lady who shares her talent is Jessica Sprague. They also offer other classes like Digital Scrapbooking, Photography, Photo editing and Photoshop Techniques.

CHICKEN AND PORK ADOBO (v.2)

2009-07-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

This recipe is tastier, and has a thicker sauce, may take a bit longer to prepare because of the sautéing, and it has more ingredients in it. If you think this is a lot for one meal, you may choose to keep the other half in the freezer, like I do and reheat and/or fry it the next time. Adobo keeps well in the refrigerator for about 1 week, but longer than that, I think you need to freeze it to keep its freshness.

Ingredients:
¾ kilo Pork belly cut in 2 in. cubes
¾ kilo Chicken, cut into smaller serving sizes
2 Large onions, diced
1 small can Liver Spread (optional)
1 tbsp Corn oil for sautéing
2 Heads Cloves of garlic peeled & smashed (you can put more if you really like garlic, this will add more aroma to the Adobo)

Marinade:
1 Tbsp. Freshly Ground black pepper
1 cup Soy Sauce
½ cup Vinegar
3 pcs. Laurel leaves (optional, if you like the flavor of laurel)

Directions:
In a large bowl combine the pork and chicken, pour the marinade. Mix very well and let it stand for at least 30 minutes to 1-hour, or if you want, marinate it overnight.

In a large pot, heat 1 Tbsp. of corn oil and sauté garlic until a bit golden brown then add the onions stir. Next, drain the pork belly and chicken of marinade then add it to the sautéing garlic and onion (set aside the marinade, we’ll use it later), and sauté it for 10 minutes on medium high heat, mixing it very well.. Then add the marinade, Stir well and let it simmer for about 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. At this point you may add the liver spread, and if you like it to be more saucy, add about ½ cup of water, if not, just let it continue to simmer for another 10-20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Adjust taste by adding salt if needed and remove laurel leaves before serving! Serve hot rice topped with adobo. Enjoy!..

Note:
This is another version worth trying if you get tired of the simple version. And if you’re like my husband who likes his Adobo fried and a bit crispy, during the last stages of cooking process, when the pork is almost done, get a frying pan, put some of the adobo in it with a bit of the sauce and stir away till’ it turns to the crispiness you want.

BLENZ COFFEE SHOP

2009-07-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

Location : 2/F Atrium, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City

A very cozy place to hang-out, drink coffee and surf to your hearts delight, co’z this place has FREE wi-fi. Everytime we drop by the place, its almost always teeming with people, some just hanging out and quietly having coffee and delightful cakes and pastries, and others have their laptops, notebooks, or whatever gadgets they have, enjoying the coziness of the place. Their Cheesecake is to die for, it goes very well with their brewed coffee.

My daughter also loves this place, while we are having coffee, she could roller skate safely on the big space just outside the store, where we could see her.

CHICKEN WITH COCONUT MILK

2009-07-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Another Chicken Dish. This is one of the first dishes that I learned to cook that has coconut milk in it. Hubby likes anything with “gata” (coconut milk). I’ve tasted it many times from friends and relatives, and I’ve come up with my own version of cooking it, and according to my husband, its delicious.

Ingredients:
½ kilo Chicken. Cut into serving pieces
2 tbsp. Cooking Oil
1 tbsp. Crushed Garlic
2 Medium onions, diced
Few Slices of Ginger
3 tbsp. Fish Sauce
1 cup Coconut milk or Cream
2 pcs. Finger Chili (siling haba)
1 cup Green Papaya, cut into smaller wedges
1 Bunch of Chili leaves, pick the leaves only
Salt and pepper

Procedure:
Heat cooking oil in a pan, sauté garlic, then onion, when transparent, add the ginger, then the chicken, when the chicken start to brown around the edges, add the patis, mix well and cover the pan and let it simmer on low fire for 10-15 minutes (if it seems too dry, add about 2 tbsp of water), then add the coconut milk, let it simmer for 10 minutes, then add the green papaya wedges. Simmer gently, covered, until fork tender and the coconut milk is slightly reduced and thickened, then add the finger chili, cook for another 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat and add the chili leaves, cover the pan again and leave for 5 to 10 minutes till the leaves are wilted. Serve with hot rice and have a great meal!

Chicken with Guisantes (Canned Green Peas)

2009-07-09T02:18:00.000-07:00

We love this dish so much, sometimes I cook this once or twice a month. Very easy to prepare and the kids just love this. If you don't like greenpeas that much, you can just add 2 cans.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps. Cooking Oil
2 tbsps. Garlic, chopped
1 medium White Onion, chopped coarsely
2 pcs. Tomato, chopped coarsely
3 tbsps. Patis (Fish Sauce)
½ Kilo Chicken, cut into serving pieces
4 cans Canned Green Peas (155 gms. each)
½ cup Water
4 medium Potatoes, cubed
Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute garlic in cooking oil until fragrant. Add onions and cook until translucent, then add tomato, saute for another 3-5 minutes.

2. Then add the chicken, stir well for a few minutes, till there are no blood visible in the chicken. Then add the fish sauce, mix well with the chicken and cover the pan and let simmer for 10 minutes, then add ½ cup water stir well, then add the cubed potatoes, then add the canned greenpeas including the liquid, let it simmer in low fire for 10-15 minutes or until tender.

3. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with steamed white rice.

Note : For this dish, you have to use the canned greenpeas, not the frozen peas, the taste will not be the same, and the sauce will not be that great.

JOIN M. O. B. DAY!

2009-07-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

That’s what you’ll see in big banners in front of SM Megamall Supermarket in Mandaluyong, which means JOIN My Own Bag Day! (shoppers are supposed to use the Green Bag they sell, every Wednesday), this is to help the environment according to the saleslady.

Upon entering the supermarket yah, we saw the banners, but didn’t pay much attention to it co’z we thought it’s just another one of their promos or something. We got the shock of our lives when its our turn in the cash register, the lady manning the register asked me if I have the green bag with me, and I said no, then she said that they will just put the groceries we bought in brown paper bags (which by the way are just ordinary brown bags, not even the durable type). I asked her how about the wet stuffs we bought and the big softdrink bottles, the 5 kilo rice and so forth. She said sorry mam, we have to use the brown bags, if needed we’ll just double the brown bags for the heavy stuffs. Ok, fine, we support their cause 100%, but not at the customer’s expense. By the way, the lady suggested that if we really need plastic bags, we could buy it at P3.00 a piece or buy the green bag at P35.00, buy one-take one.

SM has a responsibility to their valued customers to at least inform them properly of MAJOR CHANGES in the store. We support the drive for less plastic bags, but PLEASE, have the courtesy to inform us your valued customers to bring plastic bags or whatever bags we can bring when we go to SM Supermarkets on a Wednesday.

And true enough, upon reaching our house, upon entering the door, two or three of the brown bags bottom part gave in, and all the groceries fell on the floor.

AMICI Italian Restaurant at SM Megamall

2009-07-06T04:14:00.001-07:00

Location : 3/F Atrium, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City

Amici, one of our favorite places in Mega Mall. Their gelato is very creamy and tastier than the others we’ve tried. Their gelato is much much creamier! My favorite is their Ciocolato (plain Chocolate) and you will really taste the good chocolate they’ve used in it. My daughter’s favorite is their Strawberry Supreme, Macapuno and also the Ciocolato.

Hubby’s favorite is their brewed coffee (P45.00 only!) that goes very well with their dark mouse slice (which is also very affordable, P80.00 per slice).

How does gelato differ from ice cream?

* Gelato contains more milk while ice cream more cream. Thus gelato is oozing with richer flavor.

* Gelato contains less overrun, or air inside, compared to icecream. This is why gelato has more volume and a denser and creamier texture.

* Gelato is kept at a warmer temperature at -14 degrees centigrade, while icecream is down to -23 degrees centigrade. This makes gelato perfectly soft but firm and indulgently mouthwatering.

CHICKEN SALAD SPREAD

2009-07-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

This is a healthy filling for a sandwich. You can also have this for breakfast or even for lunch prepare it the night before so you'll have a tasty and delicious sandwich in the morning. You may boil chicken in water with salt and pepper till fork tender. Don't throw the stock, keep it in the freezer, and you'll have chicken broth whenever you need one.

Ingredients:
1 pc. Big Chicken Breast, boiled and flaked
4 tbsps. Mayonnaise (lite or regular)
2-3 tsps. Pickle Relish
Stalk of Celery, chopped (optional)
Salt, Pepper and Sugar to taste
Few pieces of Lettuce
Slices of wheat bread

Mix everything in a bowl except the lettuce, season to taste and chill before spreading on your favorite bread or cracker. Enjoy!

Note: This salad will keep well in the fridge for days, just follow the rule I've mentioned in my other salad recipe, to always keep your hands clean and dry in preparing salad and also use dry utensils and containers.

CLEANING SHORTCUTS

2009-07-02T02:43:00.000-07:00

I love to clip articles that are simple and easy to follow. Tips that can help make keeping the house clean easier. Here's one article that I find useful and handy.

Got a few minutes? Here are some tricks to make things spic ‘n span at home.
1. Stop your sink from clogging. Twice a month pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by one cup of white vinegar. After ten minutes or so of fizzing, flush zink with six cups of boiling water.

2. Cut down on fridge odors, by lining the vegetable drawer with a sheet of newspaper.

3. Clean windows and other glass with unused coffee filters when you’re out of paper towels. As an added bonus, the filter paper leaves no residue.

4. Get rid of stubborn price tags of stickers. Apply vinegar, allow it to soak into the glued-on- paper for a few minutes, then peel.

5. Remove grass stains on sneakers. Sponge spot with water, then pour a bit of molasses believe it or not!) on stains and let sit overnight. The sulfur in the molasses gently eats away the stain. In the morning, rinse shoes in water to remove syrup.

6. De-stink sneakers. Sprinkle baking soda inside shoes, place in a sealed plastic bag and put in the freezer overnight.

7. Expertly dust silk flowers. Put them in a zip-top bag with ½ cup salt. Shake vigorously. Salt will absorb dust and dirt, and flowers will look like new again.

8. Easily get rid of stains in your coffee thermos. Fill with water and drop in a few denture cleaning solution, Let fizz and rinse.

9. Prevent a laundered comforter from clumping. Toss a couple of old tennis balls into the machine with it. The pounding movement will fluff the stuffing, ensuring even distribution. This also revives flattened pillows.

10. Remove mold spots on walls with a solution of one cup bleach to one gallon of warm water. Use a sponge and rubber gloves. Don’t drip on carpeting! When dry, paint with a mildew-resistant latex paint.

Source : GoodHousekeeping Magazine, October 2008

PANCIT BIHON (Rice Sticks)

2009-07-02T00:48:00.000-07:00

Bihon Guisado is how we call this dish. You can either add chicken or pork into it, or do a combination of both if you want. I like to cook the vegetables separately to avoid it from being overcooked, its nice when the vegetables are still crunchy. I dont soak the bihon noodles in water as it tends to be soggy and wet when cooked. I just add a little bit more of cooking liquid into it.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps. Cooking Oil
1 head Garlic, chopped finely
3 medium size Onion, sliced
½ cup Soy Sauce
¼ tsp Black Pepper
1/4 kilo Pork Liempo, cut up into small cubes
¼ cup water
¼ kilo Pork Liver, cut into small cubes
2 pcs. Langgonisang Macao (Chinese Sausage), cut diagonally
3-4 cups water or broth
½ kilo Cabbage, cut julienne
3 pcs. Medium size Carrots. julienne
1/2 c. Kinstay, chopped coarsely
¼ kilo Squid Balls, cut into half, slightly fried
1 pack Bihon noodles (400 gms.)
Salt and Pepper
Few pieces of calamansi

Procedure:
In a big pan or wok , sauté half of the garlic in 1 tbsp. oil, when slightly brown, put onion, continue sautéing, then put the carrots, let it cook for a few minutes then add the kinstay, then the cabbage. Set aside, in a separate container.

In the same pan, put the pork with about ¼ cup water,cook in medium heat, stirring occasionally. Let it cook until the water is dry and fat starts to come out from the pork, let it cook for another 3-5 minutes, then take out the pork from the pan, then put 1 tbsp cooking oil and start sautéing the garlic till a bit brown, then the onion, stir well, then put back the pork and continue stirring for about 2 minutes, then put ½ c soy sauce, then the pepper. Let it sauté in the soysauce, then put about 4 cups water, let it boil in medium heat for another 10 minutes. When it starts to boil add the bihon noodles, continue cooking, stirring often, until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Test a noodle by pressing it between your fingers. If there is still a lot of resistance, add some more broth and seasoning, and continue cooking until dry. When the noodles are done, add the sauteed vegetables and squid balls to the pan and toss until everything is evenly heated. Serve with kalamansi halves on the side.

RUSSIAN POTATO SALAD

2009-06-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

This salad goes very well with any kind of fried chicken, barbeque or ham. One of the family’s favorites since I was a kid. Not your ordinary salad because of the sugar beets which gives it a very pretty pink color (The second picture is the sugar beets, boiled and peeled, I forgot to take the picture when its in its raw form). If you’re not familiar with sugar beets and haven’t tried it yet, give it a try and I’m sure you’ll like it too.

Ingredients:
½ kilo Potatoes, boiled, skinned and cubed
½ kilo Carrots, boiled, skinned and cubed
2-3 pcs. Sugar Beets, medium size, boiled, skinned and cubed
¾ cup Mayonnaise
3 tbsps. Pickle Relished (chopped)
2 Stalks Celery, chopped
1 pc. Chicken Breast, boiled and flaked (optional)
Salt, Pepper & Sugar to taste

Procedure:
Get a big bowl, then put all the cubed vegetables, pickles (including the juice), celery, flaked chicken, salt & pepper. Mix everything well, careful not to mashed them, stir from the bottom, more like tossing it. Then add the mayonnaise, mix well, until well blended into the salad, then season to taste, if you think the sourness of the pickles is too much, add about ¼ tsp sugar and mix well again. Chill before serving.

Note: This salad keeps well in the fridge for a week or so, just make sure you always use dry spoons, bowls, containers and your hands are dry too when handling this salad (actually any kind of salad, will last longer if you practice this rule).

SHRIMP IN ORANGE BUTTER GARLIC SAUCE

2009-06-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is a kid friendly recipe, one of my daughter’s favorite, goes very well with just hot plain rice, but I have to warn you, go easy on the rice co’z this dish is so flavorful, one cup of rice might just not be enough. A very easy dish to prepare!

If you notice, this dish is a bit saucy, I intended it to be that way because the sauce is so delicious, almost everytime that I cook this dish, we always run out of sauce... Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo Fresh Shrimps

3-4 tbsps. butter

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 head of garlic, chopped

1 cup Orange soda (or more if you want more sauce)

1/4 cup Corn starch power (dispersed in 1/4 cup water)

1-2 tbsps White Sugar

Salt & Pepper to taste

Procedure:

Wash the shrimps thoroughly, drain and set aside. In a pan, put the cooking oil, on medium heat, then the butter, afterwards add the garlic, saute it till a bit brown, then add the shrimp. stirring gently, when the shrimps start to turn pink add salt & pepper, then the orange soda and the sugar, mix well. When it starts to boil, prepare the cornstarch mixture and put it in, stir till well blended into the sauce. And lastly season to taste, if it needs more salt of sugar. Then its done!

Note : If you wanted more sauce, add 1/2 cups to 1 cup more orange soda, and adjust the rest of the ingredients, like the salt & pepper, sugar and cornstarch. And also, if you want to use fresh orange juice, you can also try using that, tho' I haven't tried that yet (Please let me know if you tried it ...) Don't worry, you can never go wrong with this recipe.

ADOBO

2009-06-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

Adobo is a very versatile recipe, Filipinos love it so much, that we cook it as an everyday dish and also for special occasions. This is a constant item in our menu at home. There are so many recipe variations you can do with Adobo, some recipes has fried wedged potatoes, others put cooked/hardboiled eggs, and still others put thick coconut milk or “Kakang gata” as we call it in Filipino to make it even tastier and creamier. Other nationalities also find Adobo very appealing and tasty, its even a popular dish on potlucks in the U.S.

Chicken and Pork Adobo (v.1 – Simple version)

Ingredients:
3/4 kilo Pork belly cut in 2 in. cubes
¾ kilo Chicken, cut into smaller serving sizes (about the same size as the pork)

Marinade: (mix everything is a small bowl)
1 Tbsp. Freshly Ground black pepper
1 cup Soy Sauce
½ cup Vinegar (or lesser if you don’t like the taste of vinegar)
2 Heads Cloves of garlic peeled & smashed (you can add more if you really like garlic, this will add more aroma to the Adobo)

Directions:
In a large bowl combine the pork and chicken, pour the marinade. Mix very well and let it stand for at least 30 minutes to 1-hour, or if you want, marinate it overnight. When ready to cook, put everything in a big pan and let it boil on medium high heat for about 5-10 minutes before you start stirring and let it continue to simmer, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. and if you like it to be more saucy, add about ½ cup of water, if not and you want it to be with lesser sauce, just let it simmer for another 10-20 minutes more or until tender. Adjust taste by adding salt if needed and Serve hot rice topped with adobo. Enjoy!..

Note: This version is alot simpler and you could practically cook it anytime you crave for adobo, its so simple that almost all the ingredients are available in your pantry. Add more soy sauce if you think it’s a bit bland. And also, you may choose to cook all pork or all chicken adobo depending on your preference, or if you love chicken wings, by all means use the wing part, or you can also use pork spare ribs just adjust the cooking time, as this may take a little longer to cook, but just the same, it will still be delicious. And regarding the garlic, for me, there is no such thing as too much garlic, this just makes adobo very delicious. This dish is so versatile, one time I tried cooking it without vinegar, and believe me, it still came out delicious!

Welcome to my Food Blog

2009-06-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hi, Welcome! This site is a Personal Recipe/Food Blog, a compilation of all sorts regarding food, recipes from our own list of family favorites, food trips, cooking, personal observations on restaurants we’ve tried, places we’ve been to, experiences we had along the way and anything else in between …