Little Italy


There are certain days when our tummies crave for italian food (think pasta and pizza) and since daughter and I have been honing our culinary skills, we always end up with something creative - thanks to the food stuff available in the fridge or pantry.




Pasta with sausage, ground pork, steak bits. Added some sliced black olives, onion, garlic and olive oil. This is so good! However, I'm not sure if I can replicate this dish again, hahaha.




Herbed pumpkin soup and cheese puffs.



Tiny pizzas three-cheese pizza with black olives and garlic and basil. The cheese we used are cheddar, quesong puti and monterey jack.

Breakfast At Honeycomb Inn

Prior to our trip to Dumaguete this year, I searched online for the nicest hotel located along the famous Rizal Boulevard. You see, I was fortunate enough to have been part of the Siliman National Writers Workshop years ago and I fell in love with Rizal Boulevard. And I wanted my daughter to experience what I felt in Dumaguete. Luckily, I stumbled upon the lovely Honeycomb Inn.


RECIPE: TKG's Chicken Confit

This is a kitchen experiment. Hubby loves olives and I love anything with tomatoes and olive oil. Daughter loves to eat chicken once in a while.


An Arabian Lunch at Ziggurat

Lunch With Princess Jasmin Kidding aside, once you enter Ziggurat, you'll be transported in a harem-like setting. You can't find any chairs here so attire should be comfy and be prepared to sit on the floor- with cushions, of course. The restaurant is located near Makati Avenue (Shakey's). I just forgot the name of the street.




Carabao's Milk at Its Best


I love Mr. Moo
Hubby loves Mr. Moo
Daughter loves Mr. Moo

Whenever we happen to be in Tagaytay, Mr. Moo is our default pit-stop. I don't know why it is only now that I'm blogging about Mr. Moo when in fact, we've been patronizing it since 2007. I guess I just don't want to share the secret- hahaha.





Aside from a selection of cow, carabao and goat's milk in plain, chocolate, strawberry  and ube flavors. Mr. Moo also sells quesong puti (so good!), pastillas (haven't tried this one yet), and goat's milk soap. I've tried the soap once but I can't remember if I like it or not. But I know it smells nice.
Barcelo Cafe


Conveniently located in Mendiola, Manila, Barcelo Cafe is the Culinary Kitchen of La Consolacion College. This is where the future chefs learn their trade. On most days, especially when there's regular classes (between June to March), Barcelo Cafe is brimming with people. Mostly students and faculty members of the school dine there, then there's the Malacanan employees and other students from nearby schools. The resto has a homey feel about it and the waiters are nice. Also, this is the place where one can eat without being too guilty on the allowance. A meal costs P90, drinks at P30. How cool is that?




Lechon Kawali. A big slice of liempo fried to perfection served with adobong kangkong. Uhhmmm, not that crunchy for me but tasted delish nonetheless.



Spanish Chicken. Don't ask why its called Spanish Chicken. I would've thought its a Filipino Chicken. This is a sizzling dish with some minced sayote with a generous gravy. I mean, swimming in gravy. Tastes good and tender. My daughter enjoyed this dish.


*** photos by Baba
Pan-Grilled Chicken Inasal



Chicken Inasal reminds one ...
Who Doesn't Love M&Ms???


This is a current family favorite. Available (only) at Rustan's Supermarket (I think). Costs P143.00. Yum!



It's chocolate ice-cream with tiny m&ms and candy sprinkles. Yummy!!!

Bistro Saratoga Part 2

Dining here relaxes not only the mind but the soul. Hidden in Tagaytay Highlands, Bistro Saratoga boasts of the freshest organic dishes since their garden is just a few steps away from the kitchen.

Strawberry-pineapple shake . Very refreshing. Cool color also.



Bistro Saratoga Part 1

This is a haven for organic-food lovers. Even if you eat a lot of veggies, your body still feels light. And yes, eating veggies is healthy. So there! Also, the relaxing view of lush greens refreshes the soul.



Homemade Pizza


We've been making our own pizza at home for quite some time now. I believe that it's not only healthy but it is a great bonding activity for me and my daughter as well. Toppings are what we usually find in the fridge. From leftover food to cheeses.





We used cheddar, milk cheese and kesong puti to make this yummy pizza. I added some dried basil as added flavoring. Bon appetit!
Happy Mommy's Day

I'm happy because I didn't received any books from daughter and hubby (I have so many books. Besides, they buy me books even if its not Mom's Day). Happy that we watched Dark Shadows. Happy to have received a box of Bitter Nama's.


Royce Chocolate
Vegetarian Bopis


I grew up in a home where we eat vegetarian and non-vegetarian food every meal. My father was a vegetarian, that's why at an early age, I learned not to be discriminating when it comes to food.



source: http://opinion.inquirer.net/28461/‘hitong-imelda’-vs-‘hitong-candaba’

‘Hitong Imelda’ vs ‘hitong Candaba’
By: Ambeth R. Ocampo

There is a growing appreciation these days for traditional food and cooking. Palates grown stale and lazy because of “fast food” now look forward to “slow food.” In time, I hope, Filipinos will rediscover their roots from the food they eat.

For me, growing up Kapampangan meant Sunday reunions for a family that had never heard of birth control. My paternal grandparents produced 10 live children, and perhaps one or two who didn’t survive to adulthood. Eight of the 10 married and spawned 76 children, providing me many playmates and a loving extended family essential to my self-esteem. The eldest in the family had four successive daughters whose names began with C, D, E, and F because my uncle reserved A and B for sons that never materialized. My father took the cue and had three children whose names all began with A. Then my aunt, who was the 10th child, married a man who was also a 10th child; they made the quota of 10 children whose names all began with G. Family lore says they stopped at 10 because they ran out of names, leaving only “Gago” (Buffoon) on the list.

Many of my 75 cousins married and had their own children and children’s children; they, too, came to the Sunday lunches with yayas and drivers, making me marvel, in retrospect, at the logistics of feeding about 200 people every week. Food in my grandparents’ home was simple Filipino fare that developed my taste buds and taught me early on what was good from bad. I remember how I refused sinigang that was made from a sachet or bouillon cubes, and how I could tell the difference until eating in Fast Food Manila dulled my taste buds. Even abroad, without sampaloc, I was taught how to cook sinigang from scratch using lemons and tomatoes as souring agents to simulate the taste of a home-cooked, one-dish meal.

When ordering leche flan off a restaurant menu I still ask if it is made the traditional way with eggs or if it is made with a sachet of Alsa Flan from France and a liter of milk. Nothing can approximate a leche flan in a llanera made from: duck egg yolk, carabao milk, sasa (nipa) sugar or panocha flavored with vanilla extract and grated dayap or lemon rind. With an instant mixture it is possible to concoct a leche flan substitute that tastes like, but can never match, the richness made possible by real eggs. Some traditional recipes call for at least 36 egg yolks in one leche flan! If you truly want a sugar-and-cholesterol fix, the one-bite mini leche flan better known as tocino del cielo should have at least one egg in each gulp.

Slow cooking over a wood fire is now almost obsolete because in these economically challenged times we think twice about hours of simmering nilaga or sinigang on our gas or electric machines. Nobody cooks with clay pots anymore and if you see a palayok on a table today, it is merely ornamental. Why go through the trouble of roasting beef or chicken bones to give them smoked flavor in the stock pot when beef or chicken broth can be bought off grocery shelves in cans or tetra pak? Why bother with slow cooking when a bouillon cube (plus the addictive MSG in it) can approximate real broth?

Some substitutes are unavoidable because the real ingredients are disappearing. Certain vegetables like tangle and zapote are not known to the present generation. Alubebe is a small fish used to make bagoong. Old folks would wax poetic over the succulence of hitong Candaba that is not really catfish from Candaba but hito regardless of origin, as long as it is not the “hitong Imelda,” the hybrid readily available today that is smaller and has tough meat compared with traditional fish.

Talangka used to be abundant in August, but pesticides and other reasons have made it scarce. The fat is squeezed out of these crablets, sauteed with garlic and flavored with dayap. One sack of talangka will give you a small “Nescafé Diamond” glass of crab fat paste fit for freshly cooked rice or pasta. The taba ng talangka on store shelves today are mostly extender and good coloring.

Preserved meats like tocino (sweet cured pork), tapa (dried cured beef) or longganisa (ground pork sausages in intestine) will not keep very long without refrigeration because of the change in preparation. Tocino took at least a day to prepare in the old days because it had to be dried and given its coloring with the bark of a certain tree called ange, which is bought from the Chinese. Today the red color is artificial coloring and salitre.

Tocino and tapa are no longer dried because when they are made in the morning they can be sold a few minutes later. Besides, who needs preserved meat when preservation comes easily with a refrigerator or freezer? The aesthetic and taste are simulated but the original reason for curing meat—preservation—is lost.

Texture obviously changes. Tocino is often pan-fried but in Pampango homes tocino is very sticky and very red because it is cooked in its own lard, caramelized in its own sugar. One can go on and on about food and how its preparation and taste have changed over time. We all carry the tastes of childhood food on our palate and associate these with memories that provide our personal history. Taking a second look at the food we eat and asking ourselves why we eat the way we do are an exploration into history, culture and what makes us Pinoy.


source: http://opinion.inquirer.net/28461/‘hitong-imelda’-vs-‘hitong-candaba’



Korean Dining In A Foodcourt

I've been hearing about Mr. Kimbob since late last year and saw it first in a foodcourt in Makati. However, it took me several months before I was able to taste it. Actually, I was craving for something different and was about to eat at a vegetarian resto when I saw Mr. Kimbob. I'm glad I saw it. I'm glad it tastes good. I'm glad it is reasonably priced.



Bibimbob or Bibimbap (beef). P99.00




Curry Rice. P85.00

I plan to try the gimbap or gimbob next time :)

Fruit Platter at The Edsa Shangri-La

I love fruits but I don't like the "peeling" part unless its a banana (easy to peel). Hubby and daughter loves fruits so they peel it for me- hahaha.


This one's from Edsa Shangrila Hotel.





Other fruit platters ---

From Taalena Restaurant in Tagaytay

RECIPE: TKG's Aligue Fried Rice

This is so easy to make. Fry tons of garlic (to lessen the guilt from eating aligue or crab fat, maybe) in butter (yes, not olive oil or corn oil) and when the garlic begins to smell (garlicky!), add some shrimps (optional) then the aligue. Cook for a minute or two before adding your rice. Then garnish with strips of fresh basil (optional).


RECIPE: TKG's Pork Nilaga

Sometimes, one needs to be creative when it comes to cooking nilaga (same with sinigang, menudo and adobo) because this is a typical Filipino dish. However, there is the "sawa" and "umay" factor if one will stick to the same ingredients over and over again.




Pre-Mother's Day Celebration at Gloria Maris Part III

Fish in Soy Sauce




Scary!!!!!!!!! Hahaha. Hubby was the one who suggest the photo composition.




Fish-Lip Soup. Its okay but I don't want my imagination to run wild. :P





Chicken. Hands-off for me and daughter. Still eating pig and shrimps.




Now this is L-O-V-E. I don't usually eat and like buchi BUT the ones from Gloria Maris changed my mind.

Pre-Mother's Day Celebration At Gloria Maris Part II

Here's what we ate:


Evil Pig! Look at those scary red eyes. On the other hand, this suckling pig is so GOOD. Crunchy and melts in the mouth skin. I'm drooling now!

Pre-Mother's Day Celebration At Gloria Maris Part I


Had another family celebration at Gloria Maris. Its a joint Mother's Day celebration for Tita B and the rest of the married female cousins including me. Of course the rest of the family are present- nephews and niece. Daughter's the lone niece/granddaughter on my side of the family that time.




Hakaw. Good and bursting!





Jellyfish! Yum yum. I can eat the whole platter. Yes, including the platter- hahaha.  





Pork Siomai. Its good but I try to avoid pork when there's shrimp. So that means I ate a lot of shrimps. ;)




Beef Balls. Didn't taste this. But seeing the empty container afterwards, I guess its delish!




Steamed Shrimps. Guilty!  I think daughter and I ate almost half of it. Yikes!

Breakfast Date At Banapple

I love unplanned outings because the tummy gets creative with the food choices.




Baked Fish. Delicious. Good for two if you are on a diet! ;)




Beef Tapa. The beef was tender and flavorful.




Bannofee Pie. Its good. I think I can finish a whole box. Yikes!


Monchen Gladbach

German sounding donuts!

Got this as a pasalubong from a cousin who just came from Japan.

This is not the usual donut with a hole. In fact, it greatly resembles an eclair with ridges. If I am not mistaken, this is a Japanese brand that doesn't sound Japan-ish! The pastry shop also serves cakes and other yummy goodies.

At first bite- heaven came to mind.











website: http://www.edelweiss.co.jp/monchengladbach-japan/index_top.html

RECIPE: TKG's Pan-Grilled Maya-Maya With Calamansi Butter Sauce

I chanced upon some fresh-looking Maya-Maya being sold near my daughter's school today so I bought some. I don't really have a dish in mind when I bought it. Maybe fried, sinigang ... And upon checking the fridge and pantry (no more olive oil), I decided to marinate the fish in calamansi to remove the fishy taste. I pan-grilled the fish being careful not to burn it. Then I minced some garlic, cooked it in butter, added some salt and poured the sauce on top of the fish. And its ready to eat. And oh, I also steamed some cauliflower as a side-dish. Bon appetit!




Mayo Uno At Yutaka Izakaya

Even if we've already dined here on more than several occassions, I'd still eat here than dine at the Japanese-inspired restos inside the malls. I recommended this restaurant to the first gathering of Astro Foodies. Also, the food here is not that expensive and is authentic Japanese. In fact, if I remember correctly, this resto is owned by a Japanese guy and his Filipina wife.

We ordered tons of food since we're a big group and here are some of the photos.






source: http://ph.she.yahoo.com/photos/top-foods-to-keep-you-young-slideshow/green-ta-photo-1335757910.html

Top foods to keep you young

Green tea: There is no end to the benefits of this super drink; green tea boasts a wealth of benefits that earns it the top spot in our anti-aging food list. Green tea is believed to help regulate blood pressure, lower blood sugar, boost the immune system, lower cholesterol and studies have even shown that green tea can be effective at preventing cancer. That's as close to the elixir of life as you can get

Leafy greens: Whilst eating spinach won't be enough to turn you into Popeye, it's certainly excellent for boosting the body's immunity from illness. Spinach and other leafy foods like kale and collard are high in folate which is vital in preventing DNA and blood vessel damage. If you can maintain a healthy circulatory system you are reducing your risk of developing conditions such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and dementia.

Dark chocolate: Who would have thought this sweet treat would feature in an anti-aging list, but the good news is chocolate can help fight against some signs of aging due to its cocoa content. Cocoa is rich in a group of antioxidants called Flavinoids which help preserve healthy function of the blood vessels. And healthy youthful circulatory system lowers risk of high blood pressure, type II diabetes, kidney disease and dementia. Don't go overboard though, a square a day is a good guide and make sure you go for the over 70 per cent cocoa bars.

Soy products: Like fish, soy products such as tofu are also a great alternative source of protein than red meat or even dairy, since they have little or no saturated fat. A diet that's low in saturated fat will reduce your risk of developing heart disease and lower blood pressure. As a staple part of the Japanese diet, soy products are great at helping keep down cholesterol and are a useful addition to a healthy diet.

Yogurt: Judging from their frequently bad press, you might assume that all forms of bacteria are out to get you. Thankfully, this couldn't be further from the truth. 'Good' bacteria is great for regulating the immune system, by increasing its antibodies and preventing the rise of pathogenic organisms like salmonella and E.coli. Many yoghurts include a high volume of 'good' bacteria that help maintain gut health and diminish the incidence of age-related intestinal illness. Yogurt is also rich in calcium, which can help stave off osteoporosis.

Red wine: A glass of red wine adds up a good dose of anti-aging elements including polyphenol antioxidants, minerals, and resveratrol. Resveratrol which helps to increase 'good cholesterol' levels in the body and prevents blood clotting and a healthy circulatory system. Resveratrol found in red wine may also be beneficial for women during the menopause by reducing the risk for conditions for example breast cancer and osteoporosis that result from reduced oestrogen levels. Like the chocolate, it's not carte blanche to guzzle as much as you want; we suggest a standard glass every other day is a good approach.

Water: Few people — whether active or not — drink sufficient water, and side effects of even slight dehydration include headaches, fatigue and low concentration levels. Yet increasing fluid intake can increase energy levels, aid digestion, give skin a boost and help boost your anti-aging armoury. Concentrate on drinking little and often throughout the day, being extra vigilant after exercise or when you've been confined in a dry, overheated or air-conditioned environment.

source: http://ph.she.yahoo.com/photos/top-foods-to-keep-you-young-slideshow/water-photo-1335758132.html
Dinner!



I apologize for the crappy photo. I was in a hurry because, well- we're all hungry.
The citrus roast chicken turned out excellent. No need for gravy, ketchup & other whatnots.

ingredients:

1 whole chicken
orange or ponkan or kiat-kiat
1 clove garlic
calamansi
salt & pepper

wash the chicken and pat it dry with towels. rub salt & pepper all over including the crevices. then squeeze the calamansi all over the chicken and gently massage it. yes- massage. not the shiatsu-type though. when you feel that the chicken is already relaxed and happy, slice the orange (in this recipe, i used kiat-kiat since that's available in the fridge) in quarters and stick it inside the chicken. pound the garlic a bit so let out the flavor and stick it in also. if you feel that there's still space, add more orange.

then roast it in the broiler (much more healthier that way ... i think)