Recipes and Reviews | Sassy Chef

Sizzling Tofu Sisig Recipe

2012-01-21T08:53:00.000-08:00

Finding out that I was co-hosting with Thea of Words and Nosh for the start of this wonderful year was such a pleasure, just in time when I got back to blogging again. As Thea celebrates her big 3-0 this month -- Happy Birthday Thea!!! --, we were more than excited to challenge the Kulinarya Cooking Club members to cook up their favorite birthday treat, but at a healthier note to start of the year right. :)

A dish that I never fail to ask for when it's my birthday is a sizzling plate of pork sisig, with yummy pork cheeks and ears, mixed with onions and chili, and topped with a ton of crushed chicharon. And although I am no fan of mayonnaise, I can't help but love the mayo dressing we mix with it just before serving.

click photos to enlarge

Now, making a dish healthier doesn't mean it has to be boring. Well, tofu can be boring sometimes, but not when substituting the meat in this dish. Less salt, no fatty chunks of meat, and a ton of protein should make those abdominal muscles appear sometime sooner - so long as I stay away from extra cups of rice! :)

Sizzling Tofu Sisig Recipe

Ingredients:

500-gram pack of Chinese tofu
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 white onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
a pinch of ground black pepper

2 finger chilies, sliced

Procedure:

Heat oil in a deep pan.
Cut up the Chinese tofu into cubes and fry in hot oil until golden brown. Drain in paper towels.
In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, oyster sauce, sugar, parsley, and pepper. Mix well, and add water until desired thickness is achieved. (I stopped at two tablespoons). Adjust taste accordingly.
Heat the mayo mixture in low heat while stirring for two minutes, then add the bell pepper and continue stirring for one more minute.
Take your heated sizzling plate and add a small amount of vegetable oil. Saute garlic and onions until cooked, add in the tofu and mayo dressing and mix well.
Sprinkle with sliced finger chili and more onions.

Sharing this with my fellow KCC foodies! :)

Lunch in Kangaroo Jack - SM North EDSA

2012-01-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks, and so far this year turns out to be more of a challenge than I thought. I couldn't find time to cook or bake anything, and with both Alex and I being busy in our own separate ways, we decided to just eat out every now and then. After watching Coriolanus in SM North we decided to head on to Kangaroo Jack for a late lunch. A warm plate of ribs seemed fitting after that tragic movie.

For our appetizer, we had their Nacho Jacko. Warm nacho chips smothered generously with nacho cheese, white onions, tomatoes, green chilies, and beef. I like the sweet saucy beef contrasting sharply with the chunks of green chili, but the dip is a disappointment. I thought it's just the packaged sweet spaghetti sauce dumped into the ramekin.

Alex ordered Hickory Ribs, with the sweet-savory sauce heavily drenching the meat. It's the usual smokey flavor that melts in your mouth with the meat, and the sauce mixed nicely with the rice. The meat was very tender and nicely charred in some places.

I got myself the Honey Bourbon Ribs. Sweet and sticky sauce lightly covers the meat, with just the right amount of honey. There's no hint of soy or rib sauce, and the meat is tender and almost creamy. We asked both our ribs to be well-done, as we already had our fill of blood from the movie. :p Both were served with rice, corn, and crisp steamed vegetables.

For dessert, we shared Banana Fritters With Vanilla Ice Cream. The waitress who served this to us didn't provide a dessert spoon, and when I asked for a spoon, the waiter just picked up the spoon laid at the next table. With no manager in sight and eager not to ruin the day, I let it pass.

I found the banana fritters (turon) small but very sweet and a bit hard. Alex didn't mind, but the whole plate was overly sweet. The turon seemed to be honeyed, and drizzled with chocolate and strawberry syrup.

Kangaroo Jack is at The Block, SM North EDSA, near the Sky Garden. With drinks (forgot to take photos), our total bill for this meal is Php 726. Not bad for a nice lunch, though they could improve their customer service. The couple at the table next to us spent a long time trying to catch the attention of the waitresses, but they just kept on chatting and by the looks of it, exchanging gossip.

hosted at Food Trip Friday

Juan Carlo The Caterer: The Choice For Weddings and Debuts 2012

2012-01-13T07:10:00.000-08:00

The rate at which time flies makes my head spin uncontrollably. I can't believe that in a few days, February will knock on our doors and before you know it, everyone's falling in love and getting married just in time for Valentines Day. But just in case you're not tying the knot nor celebrating your debut next month, then maybe it's only fitting to get ideas and inspiration from the upcoming Weddings and Debuts 2012 Bridal Fair at the SM Megatrade Halls in SM Megamall on February 17 to 19.

We were invited by Nuffnang Philippines to join the press conference for the Weddings and Debuts 2012 Bridal Fair, and know the superbly delectable reasons why Juan Carlo The Caterer is the choice of celebrity weddings. One of their happy and regular clients is Sharon Cuneta, and they have catered to the wedding receptions of Kyla and Rich Alvarez, Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez, as well as that of Bong Revilla and Lani Mercado. It's no wonder they are chosen for such occasions, because Alex and I found nothing short of quality in their work. Like the company's motto on the banner beside the buffet table above, they did show that "Catering is an art, and every project, a precious masterpiece."

In fact, I believe the photos I took do not do them justice, but I comfort myself in the fact that I am no professional photographer. For appetizers, there were these cute Beef Taquitos and Chicken Croquettes.

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The taquitos have a balanced taste, while the chicken croquettes won me over with its mild herby flavor. I am no fan of mayonnaise though, and I enjoyed them better without the dip.

For the main entreés, we both loved their Goat Calderetang Batangas. Unlike the usual caldereta that you find here in the metro, this one has no other ingredients in it. You'll just savor the taste of goat meat that is slow-cooked and stewed in what Mr. del Rosario, owner of Juan Carlo the Caterer, described as tons of garlic and onions. It's mildly sweet with just the right spicy kick to it.

The Norwegian Salmon in Tequila Cream Sauce above one of the top three dishes always requested by the company's clients. It's no surprise, their salmon is perfectly cooked unlike the overcooked fish that some restaurants serve you these days. The cream sauce is mild and goes well with the salmon.

The third entreé is the Ox Tongue with Buttered Mushrooms. My sister would have loved this! I know a few people who cannot bear eating ox tongue, but the cut isn't intimidating at all. The meat is creamy and the mushroom sauce has sweet hints of caramel and butter.

Their Chicken Masala reminds me of curry, in a toned-down and zesty sort of way. The meat is surprisingly tender, that I began to think it's not chicken breast.

And to balance all the meat entreés, I was glad to munch on their mixed vegetables. Light, crisp, and has a thin layer of butter that made me feel less guilty about eating all those meat. :) No overcooked veggies in there!

For dessert, they have these colorful fruits in jelly, which I didn't taste. It looks very tempting though.

I sure loved the Pandan Panacotta. It's milky and creamy jelly contrasts well with the crisp diced apples in the sauce. It's refreshing flavor is very welcome after eating meaty dishes.

The Florentine Bites are a mix of chewy and crisp goodies on a bed of thin chocolate. I love the mix of almonds, cherries and corn flakes (should I say cereals instead?) on top of the chocolate base. They made me miss the imported ones my mom used to buy for us before.

Their Tropical Fruit Pavlova is just divine. Okay, so I am a big fan of cherries and kiwi fruits, so it may be a bit biased, but what really made me love this is that the meringue base is not crisp or hard. I tried a pavlova once before, but I somehow didn't like the hard meringue base, so I never bought one again. This made me think twice.

The Sansrival is a somewhat better version of the usual cashew-laden sansrival. Sweet, chewy, and nutty, only with pistachio nuts as toppings. I would have wanted it better if it's chilled though. Alex and I sure had our fill of desserts, they were all good! :)

Aside from the food, you can trust Juan Carlo the Caterer with other amenities such as table setting and floral arrangements. I like the simplicity of our table, with no unnecessary adornments whatsoever.

I certainly enjoyed going there, where I finally met Peach in person. Which led me to wondering why on earth she needs to go on a diet, since she doesn't look like she needs to lose weight. And I forgot. No, you're thinner in person. :) And I realized that I am that shy in person, haha.

I also met Jenn, which made me sad that I had a party to go after and didn't get to hang out with her. She's really sweet in person. :) I didn't catch the names of the other bloggers there, but they were all wonderful people and I enjoyed their company. :)

Kid At Heart With Iced Gems Biscuits

2012-01-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

I remember munching on those pretty colorful little round biscuits topped with a mound of icing. My mom used to buy those for us when we were still kids, and my sister and I can devour a huge bag in seconds. A few days ago while passing by outside Robinsons Ermita, Alex and I chanced upon a vendor selling these treats. While I practically would not buy from street vendors selling huge bags of biscuits and cookies without so much as a label and an expiration date, my impulsiveness got the best of me and seconds later I was happily holding on to a treat that my dog and I would love. For Php 80, the bag I got filled a large empty tub of Chef Tony's popcorn. But before I even got my camera rolling, I broke my diet and munched on a lot of them.

They were as good as I remember, though the icing seemed to have gotten smaller than before. I blame inflation and the slow progress of economy for that, but then again, I felt just like a kid while eating these. Now I just wonder why I can't find these Iced Gems on the supermarket! Look who got grumpy when I stopped giving her treats:

Well we had to stop sometime, and I was telling her that I really need to go back to blogging! It's been over a month and I finally had the will to go and write again. :)

Help Save A Baby's Life

2011-11-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't been updating my blog for the past few months, with all the transition from a student to professional and all, but I just can't ignore a call for help when I see one. Being in the health industry has opened my eyes to a lot of things, and made me appreciate life even more.

Mark Angelo Salazar is a toddler suffering from biliary cirrhosis. It's a severe liver disease that needs a liver transplant as soon as possible, and the family needs all help possible to reach the Php 2M cost for the liver transplant. It's a lot, yes, but if we can all just donate or buy a shirt for only Php 300, then it would add up and help him get a better future. Photos of shirts for both kids and adults can be found at their Facbook page: http://www.facebook.com/newliverforMark?sk=wall

Any amount of help is most needed and will be greatly appreciated, please send directly to the family through the following options:
G-cash 09165382179
or
Banco De Oro- Maritess Salazar/ Mark Angelo Salazar
Savings Account No. 0300886918
Swift Code: BNORPHMM

Or buy this nice shirt. For orders, please email : save.baby.mark@gmail.com

Shirts are available for P 300.00 in Black and White in the following actual sizes:
Large - 21"width -28"length
Medium - 19"width - 26" length
Small - 18" width - 25" length
Xsmall - 17"width - 24" length

Just send a personal message to Mark's father through his Facebook account: Dennis Salazaror text him at 09083664383or 09212955657.

Let's make this happen. :)

Eating Healthy For You and The Environment

2011-11-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

Environmental awareness is slowly gaining ground around the world nowadays, with the tons of natural disasters and doomsday predictions coming out. But why did it took so long for people to wake up to this reality when early in school we were already taught to love and care for the environment? Is it too late, you say? I don't think so, and neither do the people behind Ethical Ocean. I came across their web site a few days ago while browsing for environmentally friendly products I could buy for our home. While I did find what I was looking for, Ethical Ocean opened my eyes to a lot more.

They provide users with stories, opinions, and articles that are made to help people realize that our lifestyle isn't exactly as good as they seem, even though it looks like it's not harmful to the environment. Ethical Ocean also stands up against poverty, and supports livelihood projects for those people who struggle to make ends meet. From food to electronics and fashion items that are as good as your designer bags and clothing, you are sure to find something that will make you shop sans the guilt. I sure wished they have a local store near our place, but let me show you some personal picks from their food shop that I am going to send over to my sister in Canada instead.

These are organic chocolate truffles, practically catered to the vegan community, but guaranteed to be just as delicious and even healthy. Everyone needs chocolates sometimes! :) And below, some yummy organic gummy bears to satisfy her gummy cravings! Seriously, I never thought I would come across organic gummy bears, but here they are. :)

But what's even better is that I found these roast garlic and onion-infused olive oil. Perfect for whipping up quick gourmet meals at home.

They have tons of other cool products as well, such as completely biodegradable and chemical-free disposable palm leaf plates. These ones are made from palm leaves, and they are just right for picnics, and they are even microwave safe!

So the next time you decide to buy something for your home, consider the environmental impact of your purchase. Better yet, go to Ethical Ocean instead for environmentally friendly products! Just a note, this post is of my own opinion. Just a quick reminder for everyone to help save the earth. :)

For The Love of Soccer and Rugby

2011-10-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

We have all witnessed the glory and the excitement brought to us by our National Soccer Team, Azkals, on the recent season. The sport is beginning to come back with a vengeance after the series of poor performances in the past years, so I am more than happy to accommodate a guest poster, Alma, here on Sassy Chef. I wonder what food I'll prepare the next time me and my brothers watch another game. :)

Soccer has been steadily growing its popularity since thestart of the 21^st century, and it is considered to be the mostpopular sport in the world. Rugby, the version of soccer that permits handlingof the ball, is equally as popular as soccer. Both are rough sports, involvinga lot of running, kicking, and jumping, and a ton of stamina as well.

Although not everyoneis physically fit to play the rough sport, soccer and rugby, the version ofsoccer that permits handling of the ball, has gained millions of fans eager towatch the exciting games brought about by each season.

In the Philippines, the love for soccer has been awakened inmost Filipinos by the recent stunts pulled off by the Azkals, the PhilippineNational Soccer Team. Despite the past decade giving our country poor performancein the FIFA World Cups, Azkals awakened the spirit and support for this sport.Now the youth and even the adults are hooked and eager to learn the sport, asthey yell and cheer for victory while watching the soccer and rugby matches intelevision.

Blog post courtesy of Alma who writes for a promotional coupon blog catering to World Soccer Shop and World Rubgy Shop. Check out the newest world soccer shop coupon codes and worldrugbyshop.com coupon.

Blogger Shirt Giveaway Winner

2011-10-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Cielo of Brown Pinay for winning my Blogger Shirt Giveaway! :)

Will send the email after this post about the prize! Thanks for joining everyone! :)

Malunggay (Moringa) Powder Recipes

2011-10-01T02:22:00.000-07:00

My dad is a certified health buff who loves everything organic. Ever so often he picks stalks of malunggay leaves from our tree, and makes a brew with fresh lemongrass stalks and fresh pandan leaves, all from our garden of course. Mixed in with raw honey and a squeeze of lemon and he's a happy man.

When I came across Golden Style Cafe's Malunggay Powder, I was very delighted because the recent Typhoon Pedring has left the malunggay tree bare. Apparently, it is a valued dietary supplement due to its nutritional properties. A little research tells me that dried malunggay leaves in powder form has 10 times the Vitamin A of carrots, ½ the vitamin C of oranges, 17 times the calcium and 15 times the potassium of milk, 25 times the iron in spinach and 9 times the protein in yogurt.

Now that's something we all want to have, right? I have to admit, even I am not fond of eating malunggay leaves. But when it's this good to drink, even I won't have to worry anymore. For moms, the malunggay powder is something you can infuse into your children's drinks. It's a versatile ingredient that can be mixed in with all kinds of food and drinks, and anyone would barely notice it. You can even mix it in with your meals, you just have to be creative. Enriching your family's diet has never been easier.

I looked forward to making their famous malunggay fruit shake, but the typhoon left me with no good fruit to buy this weekend. So I brewed some honey-pandan malunggay tea for us, and a nice malunggay chocolate drink for my brothers.

Surprisingly, the chocolate drink was really delicious. My youngest brother said there's something different with his hot chocolate, and even said that it tastes better than the usual. They are the pickiest eaters in the world and would always have a fight with dad when he sometimes tries to make us eat boiled malunggay leaves, but the fact that they liked the malunggay powder-infused chocolate means that this product is an effective way to fortify your family's food.

The tea was actually very nice, with a mild flavor that would appeal even to those who are used to the taste of expensive tea. It doesn't have much of that signature malunggay taste that many people don't like. When I opened the foil pack, I thought I smelled hints of honey in it, but the dark green powder is pure ground malunggay leaves. It has a mild and sweet flowery scent with it, and when brewed, it reminds me of the dried rosebuds tea my mom bought from a trip Hong Kong before. A perfect pick-me-up for this gloomy weather.

There's just one thing, I sure hope it came in a resealable pack, because any kind of tea (or dried leaves in this case) is not supposed to be exposed to light. Oh well, time to look for the tea canisters mom bought from Hong Kong. :)

Pick-Me-Up Moringa Tea

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Malunggay Powder

5 cups water

5 large pandan leaves

juice of 1/2 lemon (or 5 calamansi)

honey to taste

Procedure:

Boil pandan leaves in water.
When water starts to boil, mix in the malunggay powder and boil for two more minutes.
Strain into teapot, add lemon juice and honey to taste.
Enjoy steaming hot. :)

Hot Choco-Moringa Drink

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp Malunggay Powder
1 cup water
Honey or sugar to taste
Milk (optional)

Procedure:

Boil water and remove from heat.
Place cocoa powder and malunggay powder into the water.
Strain into a cup and pour hot water into it.
Add a dash of honey or sugar to taste. Add milk if desired.

You can buy this at Echo store in Serendra, as well as in St. Francis Square. Awesome.ph will be having a deal for the malunggay powder soon. Here's the pricing of the powder and the discount they are offering it:

Original price of the item offered – P800 for 400 grams and P200 for 100 grams
Discounted price of the item offered – 30% off at P560 and P140 respectively

My dad thought it was a bit pricey (you know how dads are, right? :p) but after 5 cups of tea and around 3 cups of chocolate drinks, I don't think I'm even halfway on the first pack. You can buy the powder directly from the owner, Zonito Torrevillas Tamase, at 0916-551-4467 or email zonito.roadsign103@gmail.com.

Weekday Potluck 9: Banoffee Pie

2011-09-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing gives a sweeter message than the most sinful homemade desserts, and one of my favorites are Banoffee Pies. Just look at that lovely slice shared to us last week by A Slice Of Kate! Isn't it just lovely? :)

*sigh* Another busy week of trainings, and months more after this one. But I'm doing my best to update and post, hopefully with new recipes to share.

Don't forget to join my giveaway for this month! Up for grabs is your choice of a Blogger Shirt, to be chosen from none other than BloggerShirts.com. Go to the Giveaway Page. :)

Weekday Potluck 8: Pineapple Strawberry Smoothie

2011-09-22T02:30:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not being able to get back last week, it has been a swirl of mayhem between the trainings and applications that I didn't notice that the scheduled post didn't go live. The giveaway is still ongoing though, and after I finish everything needed to start my career, I'll be back to cooking and blogging. :)

What we have here is a pretty pink smoothie from Mika of Time To Eat. She says it's made of pineapple and strawberry, I never had one before but maybe I'll give that a try! :)

Don't forget to join my giveaway for this month! Up for grabs is your choice of a Blogger Shirt, to be chosen from none other than BloggerShirts.com. Go to the Giveaway Page. :)

The Paleo Diet

2011-09-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

My apologies for getting back to blogging late, I was busy with so many things that it was too late when I realized that the scheduled post for the Weekday Potluck and other posts did not go live as planned.

Nevertheless, I have here a wonderful guest writer, James, from Food On The Table, giving us a very interesting take on a new and increasingly popular Paleo Diet. :)

Why the Paleo Diet is Worth Thinking About

A diet that is environmentally friendly is what we are all looking to have when we put on our meal planner hats. There are many places like organic food shops and farmers markets that help make these foods more accessible to the average person. However, whenever you think about this kind of diet, imagine less meat and more nuts, beans, vegetables, and grains. This image of the diet has created a culture which turns to low-fat high carbohydrate foods with increased fiber and less meat. If this is the way society is going, then why are we seeing record highs in pork demand? Why are bacon and pulled pork sandwiches the staple on most menus if it goes against the beliefs of environmentally conscious eaters?

One reason for this could be the popularity of certain diets. One of these diets is the Paleo Diet and it has appealed to many different people such as celebrities, athletes, and even some vegetarians. This diet also known as the Caveman Diet takes us back 2.5 million years to the Paleolithic Era where our ancestors’ diets consisted of protein, healthy fats, and less carbohydrates.

“Paleo Diet for Athletes” by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel shows us that even American athletes are eating incorrectly. They state that athletes are not eating enough fresh fruit, seafood, vegetables, and leans meats, but rather taking in too much refined sugar, cereals, and dairy products. Cordain and Friel do present a host of evidence that supports their argument. For example, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine sums up what they are saying very well when it states that: “the time-honored diets with low fat and high carbohydrates do not work with weight loss as well as high protein and low carbohydrates ones do”.

The anti-vegetarian sentiment and the authors’ apathetic view towards organic food has been attacked by many eco-friendly consumers. However, there are also some vegetarians and eco-friendly consumers who are taking a look at what this diet is promoting. There are a number of points that are made to show that eating meat is not actually worse for the environment and that in some cases it’s better:

1. Sustainable agriculture relies heavily on grass fed livestock to provide manure to use instead of chemical fertilizers and to encourage plant growth.

2. Soy production has increased because it’s a staple in many vegetarians diet, but it is responsible for intense deforestation in South American countries like Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

3. Cheese can be more harmful to the environment than meats like chicken and pork.

4. The greenhouse gas emissions from transporting fruit, vegetables, and cereals is more detrimental than that of chicken, fish, and red meat according to a study done by Christopher Weber and H. Scott Matthews.

It should be noted that the Paleo Diet is not intend to market itself as an environmentally friendly diet. It is, in fact, simply trying to move away from foods that are frozen, packaged, processed, high in fat, and environmentally detrimental. It strives to promote fresh food, seeds, nuts and low environmental impact foods. It is unlikely that the skepticism many environmentalists have regarding meat will ever dissipate, but trends like the Paleo Diet shed some light on the existing discrepancies of our current lifestyle choices. This diet makes us think more critically about our food.

Food on the Table is an online community where users can enjoy exchanging ideas, search for healthier recipes and options, and learn more about eating healthy. Meal Planning is a key feature of the community, where you can keep track of what you intake.

Blogger Shirt Giveaway

2011-09-08T01:58:00.000-07:00

It's giveaway time! I was so happy with last month's giveaway, that I thought of having another one. Up for grabs is your choice of any design of blogger shirts from none other than BloggerShirts.com. There are many designs to choose from, and each design is available in ladies, men, and unisex fits.

Show your love for blogging with these cool shirts, and be proud! Having these is easy, and you just need to do ONE simple thing to be included in the raffle.

Required:

Join weekday Potluck at least once. All you have to do is post anything related to food. It can be a recipe, a food photo, or food you ate in a restaurant. - 1 entry each week you join.
Please comment on this post to let me know that you joined, together with your name and email.

Optional:

Like Sassy Chef of Facebook and share this giveaway - 1 entry
Follow Sassy Chef on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway - 1 entry
Blog about this giveaway - 3 entries
Follow Sassy Chef on GFC - 1 entry

This giveaway will end at October 5, 2011.

Weekday Potluck 7: Picadillo Soup

2011-09-08T01:46:00.000-07:00

During this rainy season, everyone loves a hot and hearty soup to sip, right? Our featured dish for today is Soup Picadillo from Bonz World. :)

I have just visited the participants' linked posts and realized that it does look cluttered for the post to have the sponsor list at the end of each post. As much as I'd love the link exchange, since not all of you want the added clutter, then I am reverting the potluck rules to the original one.

I have another giveaway for this month! Up for grabs is your choice of a Blogger Shirt, to be chosen from none other than BloggerShirts.com. Go to the Giveaway Page. :)

Sample prize (many designs to choose from):

Pandan Chicken Bites

2011-09-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since I last cooked. There's a lot going on in my life right now as my career is already starting, and the rainy weather has been draining all my energy away. Just this morning the sun finally peeked and stayed throughout the day, and I saw our pandan plants (screwpine leaves) in the garden, lush and green, waiting for me to pick on their wonderful foliage.

Now I don't want to make some pandan-flavored dessert, but I do want to cook pandan chicken. I've been eating a lot of it before, but I've never actually tried to cook some. So here's my first try, and it came out delicious. You might want to adjust the seasonings or taste if you're not used to it. :)

Pandan Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:
a bunch of pandan leaves
8 pcs chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2-inch cubes
a thumb of ginger, peeled and grated finely
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper

Procedure:

In a deep bowl, combine the chicken pieces with all the ingredients above except the pandan leaves.
Leave at the fridge to marinate for two hours.
Lay a piece of chicken on one end of the pandan leaf and roll tightly. The chicken will shrink a bit during cooking so it's better to roll tight.
Secure the end with a toothpick.
Deep fry until golden brown.
Remove the toothpicks and serve hot.

ChikBoy's Lechon Cebu

2011-09-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

My sister has been raving about ChikBoy being a great fast food to eat in, and she claims that their lechon cebu was something you would like to eat when you're on a budget and still want some comfort food. It was weird when I heard her say it, because she is not fond of fatty foods, and she hardly ever likes any fast food joint.

But then again, with the gloomy weather making me lose all my mojo in posting and doing my oDesk jobs, maybe comfort food in the form of roast whole pork cut into bite-sized pieces isn't such a bad idea. I was a bit turned off by the time the plate got to us, because the meat was all greasy. But hey, what's lechon without the fat, right?

So I may have had a lot of high expectations for this one, but at the end of the day, I had better tasting lechon than this one. No, not from Metro Manila, but the ones I had from the provinces. But Chikboy's lechon cebu is yummy, and their vinegar dip that's light and different than usual does amp up the flavor a lot. :) And yes, we did indulge, but not too much. The staff was friendly and kept offering us another free bowl of rice, even though we kept declining.

Oh, and before I forget, heads up to the winner of the mini-giveaway I had last month! There were a total of 104 entries, but only one got the prize + a little token for her daughter. Congrats Mommy Stef! :)

Weekday Potluck #6: Potato Croquettes + Giveaway

2011-09-01T02:51:00.000-07:00

Won't you love those cute little potato croquettes from My Twisted Recipes? They look good, and my brothers and I could eat these all day!

As I noticed that I haven't been on the mood lately to post anything on my blog, nor even go to other blogs and read away, my traffic slowed down a bit. It's not a remarkable decrease, but it does tell me that I have to get out of bed despite the horrible weather.

So, to make things better, and to make up for not promoting my blog and the Weekday Potluck meme well, I am starting the -Ber months with a little giveaway. :) I was so happy with the blogger shirt that Peek My Style is sending over to me, that I was inspired to give away a Blogger Shirt of your choice to you guys as well. For international members, I would ask BloggerShirts.com if they can ship to your country, and if they don't, I'll send you Paypal cash instead. :)

The mechanics:

Join weekday Potluck every week. - 1 entry each week (required)
Refer other bloggers (at least one) to join us here, and ask them to put "I was referred by my friend, your name, to join Weekday Potluck." in their post. - 2 entries per referral (optional)
Like Sassy Chef of Facebook and share this giveaway (optional) - 1 entry
Follow Sassy Chef on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (optional) - 1 entry
Blog about this giveaway (optional) - 2 entries

This giveaway will end at October 5, 2011. Have a nice day! :)

The sponsors for this week are:

Sassy Chef Recipes and Reviews
Bookcase Foodie
Picture Clusters
Concetta's Cafe
My Bric-a-Brac

The Twerp and I
Sharing My Thoughts
Pinoy Kitchenette
Mahlzeit
My Twisted Recipes
Hungry Homebody

Weekday Potluck #5: Calamari

2011-08-25T00:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of calamari, those battered rings of squid coated in a rich batter and deep fried to a crisp. Served with rice, or on its own with a sweet-spicy vinegar dip, this simple dish is definitely a winner for both kids and adults alike. This yummy treat is from Mymy, the wonderful author of My Bric-a-Brac.

Here are the list of sponsors that you need to place at the end of your post if you wish to be included in the weekly link exchange:

Sassy Chef Recipes and Reviews

Mercato Centrale: Ha Yuan's Chilled Taho

2011-08-24T00:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of taho and soy milk. We used to have our own soy milk maker here at home, but it's not working anymore. Soy milk that's missing from our diet is tolerable, but to have our morning servings of hot, steaming cups of silken tofu glazed with sugar syrup and tapioca balls is something else. I wondered why our taho vendor has gone missing, turns out he was selling in the afternoons, carrying two large containers of flavored taho.

On a recent project with City Delivery, they also sent me Manang's famous twice-fried chicken and Ha Yuan's chilled taho, aside from the Bale Dutung meal. What I love about this taho, though, that made me feature it is that it is so silky and cold, with a light sugar syrup that won't make you guilty when you indulge. Yes, I love pouring lots of arnibal (caramelized sugar) in my taho. And what's better is that their taho tastes sooo good with fruits because of the lighter syrup, and it makes a great and healthy afternoon snack!

Pineapple Fried Rice

2011-08-18T00:16:00.000-07:00

Pineapple fried rice is Thai in origin. The sweetness of the pineapple chunks combines well with the wonderful aroma and flavor of the bell peppers, and the salty taste of soy sauce. It usually has a moderate amount of heat, but since I made this one from scratch on a lazy morning, no chilis for me. It's not as colorful as the ones made with bright red chilies and red bell peppers, but I can assure you, it really brightened up my day!

What's wonderful about this is that it doesn't have a strong or too savory flavor that would overpower the taste of whatever meat or fish dish you're having with it. It's mild and sweet, and it reminds me of our younger days in the province where we eat our meals with fresh ripe mango chunks mixed in with the rice.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked white rice

2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup fresh pineapple, diced

1 large bell pepper, diced

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

chopped scallions for garnish

Procedure:

In a wok, heat the oil. Saute the garlic, ginger, and bell pepper until fragrant.
Add the cooked rice and pineapples. Stir until well mixed with the oil.
Pour the soy sauce and oyster sauce and mix well until evenly distributed.
Heat through, and top with chopped scallions.
Serve hot.

Weekday Potluck #4: Fish and Pie

2011-08-17T23:22:00.001-07:00

This week's Weekday Potluck schedule was delayed for two reasons, one was that I was sick and couldn't put it up, and that I wanted to move it closer to the weekend, where most of us including me indulge in so much food. :)

To start the party, here are three featured participants from last week:

Fish and Chips by Jenn of I Live To Eat!

Salmon Cakes by Pattie of Olla Podrida

and Buko (Coconut) Pie from Maiylah of Picture Clusters

I would like to make a few changes to the potluck, and make things a bit more interesting. We are going to have an automatic link exchange here at the potluck. Here is the rundown of the mechanics:

Each week, all the participants who submit their links to Weekday Potluck will be included in a list.
For each following week, those included in the previous week's list will be placed at the end of the post of each participant, so everyone can have their links exchanged.
So if you participated last week, you are included in the sponsors for this week. Those who do not include the link list at the end of their post will not be included in the list.
Participants for this week who follow the guidelines will be included in next week's sponsor list.
There's no more need to place the button at every post, instead the small link list will take its place.
This is a great opportunity to widen your scope of readers and boost your buzz. :) Let me know what you think :)
This is the test run, if everything goes smoothly, then the automatic link exchange will be a keeper.

Here are the list of sponsors that you need to place at the end of your post:

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mysassychef.blogspot.com/">Sassy Chef Recipes and Reviews </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.atwerpslife.com/">The Twerp and I</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pictureclusters.blogspot.com/">Picture Clusters</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pattietierney.blogspot.com/">Olla-Podrida</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cookinupnorth.blogspot.com/">Cookin' Up North</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kat-in-the-kitchen.info/">Kat in the Kitchen</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bizzybakesb.blogspot.com/">Bizzy Bakes</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/">Miz Helen's Country Cottage</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://concettascafe.blogspot.com/">Concetta's Cafe</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://taraletseat.blogspot.com/">I Live To Eat!</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cookingwithk.net/">Cooking With K</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.talkingdollarsandcents.net/">Talking Dollars and Cents</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://busykitchenette.blogspot.com/">Pinoy Kitchenette</a>

Sassy Chef Recipes and Reviews

Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Concetta's Cafe

I Live To Eat!

Cooking With K

Talking Dollars and Cents

Pinoy Kitchenette

SM Master Chefs 2011: Jonathan Chua

2011-08-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

SM Hypermarket has just reached its 10th anniversary, and to celebrate, well-known chefs are giving their Cooking Marathons and Demos live in many Hypermarket branches nationwide. From July to September, every week there will be cooking demos in different branches. To catch their wonderful events in your area, see the Cooking Marathon Schedule. Apart from the Cooking Marathon, they are also giving away a kitchen makeover to one lucky winner. SM Hypermarket will also be holding Supersized Cook-off Series, so watch out! With only a little more than a month to go, make sure you don't miss out on the culinary events SM Master Chefs have to offer.

Yesterday's Cooking Marathon was held at SM Hypermarket in Sucat, Paranaque, with Chef Jonathan T. Chua on the spotlight. He finished Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Management from De La Salle College St. Benilde, as well as a graduate of California Culinary Academy with the Associates Degree for Culinary Arts and Baking. Chef Jonathan started off the event with a little background of the sponsoring brand, San Miguel Food Corporation, and went off to the cooking demos of four dishes for today. There was audience participation, a Q&A throughout the demo, as well as raffle prizes for the participants.

Here's a quick rundown of recipes featured on yesterday's event:

Star Ranchero Rice

The Star Ranchero Rice is a one-pot dish that's perfect for breakfast. It reminds me of the Jamaican patties and Mexican tacos I often enjoy from Mexican restaurants. The dish has a little heat and a load of flavor that's not too strong for kids to handle. :)

Ingredients:

1/2	kilo	Purefoods Star Hotdog cut into small cubes
1/4	cup	olive oil
1	cup	chopped onion
1/2	cup	green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2	cup	tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2	tbsp	cilantro, chopped
1	pc	labuyo
1	cup	long grain white rice
2 1/2	cups	beef broth
1/2	cup	pizza sauce, sweet style
1/2	tsp	chili powder
1/2	tsp	cumin
1/2	tbsp	paprika - salt and pepper to taste
3	pcs	eggs

Procedure:

Place oil in a standard rice cooker.
Heat oil and saute onions, bell pepper and tomatoes. Cook slightly.
Add hotdog, rice, cilantro, siling labuyo and beef broth, mix very well.
Cover and allow to cook. When done, season with salt and pepper.
Transfer rice into an oven proof baking dish.
Crack eggs over rice then broil in oven or turbo broiler until eggs are cooked.
Serve hot. Serves 3-4 persons.

Cheesy Hotdog and Fries Sandwich Overload

It's a nice way to dress up your hotdog sandwiches for the little kids. Probably a take on the burger and fries combo that many burger joints have been promoting for some time, this one can be a classic afternoon snack. It's filling, tasty, and cheesy, not to mention pretty enough to catch the attention of everyone, even those who are just kids at heart.

Ingredients:

6	pcs	hotdog buns
6	pcs	Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdog King Size - pan fried or steamed
1	cup	Magnolia Cheezee Spread
300	grams	store-bought frozen cross cut fries - fried to a crisp
2	tbsp	store-bought cheese powder
200	grams	Purefoods Honeycured Bacon - chopped and fried

Procedure:

Sandwich hotdogs in buns then drizzle with Cheezee Spread.
Toss fries with cheese powder until well coated then top over sandwich.
Sprinkle chopped bacon over fries.
Serve. Makes 6 sandwiches.

Cheese and Mushroom Baked Rice

A delightful twist of vanilla flavored chicken fingers on top of rice, coated with a thick mushroom and cheese crust that's lightly browned and crisped to perfection.

Ingredients:

2	cups	Magnolia Nutri-Oil
9	pcs	Magnolia Chicken Station Chicken Fingers - Vanilla
3	cups	cooked left over rice
1	can	condensed cream of mushroom
1	cups	Magnolia Quickmelt Cheese - grated

Procedure:

Deep fry chicken fingers in hot oil until golden brown.
Drain oil on paper towels.
Place fried chicken fingers on top of rice then pour over condensed cream of mushroom over chicken.
Top with grated cheese then bake until cheese melts and browns slightly.
Serves 3 to 4.

Peaches and Cream Caramel Trifle

Who doesn't love peaches and cream? This one's definitely going to satisfy anyone's sweet cravings! Yummy, a bit too sweet but definitely good!

Ingredients:

6	pcs	chiffon sponge cake
2	packs	Magnolia All Purpose Cream (chilled)
2	cups	sugar
1/2	cup	water
1/4	cup	Dari Creme Classic Margarine
1	can	sliced peaches
1/2	cup	toasted nuts, sliced

Procedure:

Whip Magnolia All Purpose Cream until peak and chill until ready to use.
To make caramel, combine sugar and water in a small pan.
Cook over medium heat until sugar is cooked and has turned amber in color.
Quickly pour in cream and stir vigorously.
Cook for another 2 minutes.
Remove from heat then add margarine.
Set aside to cool.

To Assemble:

Divide the cake into two slices horizontally.
Place a layer of cake on the bottom of a trifle bowl.
Spread caramel over the cake then top with whipped cream and slices of peaches.
Repeat the process to the second layer.
Lastly, frost and pipe rosettes on top of the cake with the remaining cream.
Garnish with nuts and peaches.

That's it! Enjoy your yummy treats and be sure to drop by the nearest SM Master Chefs Event soon!

Lunch in Crisostomo, Nuvali

2011-08-13T02:38:00.000-07:00

One of my previous posts was about a nice Gardenia Plant Tour with a group of happy bloggers. After the tour and the open forum with Gardenia's president Simplicio Umali Jr., Mr. Nestor Constancia and the staff, we headed on to Nuvali for a late lunch, as if the bread buffet wasn't filling enough. :)

Since I don't know anyone living in Laguna, nor do we even head to that direction, I haven't been to Nuvali before. Yes, despite the near proximity of Sta. Rosa to our city, I simply didn't have the chance to dine there. Shekinah, the fashion blogger behind Sweetheart Suitcase and a member of NomNom Club was kind to give me background about the place, as well as about how these blogger events take place.

Crisostomo gave me the impression of a restaurant serving upscale versions of classic and well-loved Filipino food. It has a rustic and homey feel to it, and unusually peaceful. It's something you would look for when trying to escape the bustling city life of Metro Manila. I was warned, though, that we were just lucky. In the evenings and on weekends, Nuvali is packed with a lot of people.

For our appetizer, there was wonton soup and sinigang na sugpo. What I love about their wonton soup is that it wasn't salty. There's also crispy pata and the chicharon bulaklak below, which is so surprisingly not greasy. Of course, you can't take all the fat away, but compared to those sold in stalls by the mall, you'd probably consider it oil-free. Just crisp and light.

Crisostomo's Tiagos Triumph, oysters topped with creamy spinach and bacon bits, is probably my favorite among the dishes served. The creamy spinach and bacon blended well with the slightly metallic taste of the oyster.

Then there's the whole fried chicken dish named San Gabriel, which reminds me of Max's chicken. Crispy, savory skin and juicy, flavorful meat. Need I say more?

Their San Lucas, is basically marinated tuna cheeks (they call it panga or jaw, but I beg to differ) that are grilled to perfection. It's good, but I've had a lot of tuna in my life and there's nothing too unique about this one.

If you're looking for delicious laing dishes but you're not fond of the spicy taste, then you might as well have their Sinang con Laing. It's gabi leaves stewed in coconut milk. I would have loved it completely if it were a bit spicier, but despite lacking the spicy part of being a laing dish, it is actually yummy. Alex loved it so much he wanted me to cook that one for him.

When I saw their Crazy Sisa Squid, I thought that this is something new to me, in the sense that I always had green mango salad with crispy strips of fried catfish.

For dessert, we were served colorful flavored silvannas, churros on sticks with fondue, suman on sticks, and sesame banana spring rolls. I think the spring rolls need more sugar. :)

I had the pandan-flavored one, which is really yummy, and a nice deviation from the usual chocolate or vanilla flavor.

We had fun, and everything was yummy that our tummies were screaming already. :)

Sweet-SavoryTocino Fried Rice

2011-08-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not really fond of fried rice. That is, if we are talking about the greasy, bland, fried rice infused with tons of yellow food color and topped with a scant amount of garlic. While I always opt for plain rice whenever we eat out, at home it is quite different. Everyone loves waking up to a hearty breakfast, right? Well, in my case, they are the ones to wake up to that because I'm doing the cooking.

If you happened to read my post regarding the SM Master Chefs event I attended, we were shown how to cook Tocino Chao Fan during the cooking marathon. I usually associate that name with Chowking, so I am vouching for fried rice instead. The photo above is my take on the tocino fried rice, which is sort of a mixed up and homey fried rice as opposed to Chef Cauilan's Tocino Chao Fan below. Ah, the beauty of home-cooking, you don't really have to make it look great when you're cooking early in the morning.

Tocino Fried Rice Recipe (Good for four)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks leeks, chopped
1 pack frozen mixed vegetables (around 250 grams)
1 pack pork tocino, cooked in a little amount of water
4 cups cooked rice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup oyster sauce

Procedure:

Chop tocino into small pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Saute garlic, then add leeks. Stir for a a few seconds. Stir in the salt and pepper.
Add mixed vegetables, followed by the tocino.
Add in the rice and mix well.
Pour in the oyster sauce and mix until evenly seasoned.
Pour in the beaten aggs and quickly mix to spread. Heat through for five more minutes.
Serve hot.

Pasko sa Agosto Mini Giveaway

2011-08-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

With the end of the year drawing near quite quickly, everyone's starting to get hyped for the Holiday Season. It usually starts during September, and the malls are quick to put up decorations and early Christmas sales to get shoppers in the mood of generosity.

Pasko means Christmas in Filipino, and it has always been our tradition to scour every shopping mall and stores for the perfect gifts for our loved ones. Pasko sa Agosto is a collection of giveaways all ending at August 31st, just in time for the start of early Christmas, started by SAHM Writes.

To celebrate this blog's fruitful half of the year 2011, Sassy Chef is giving away something not conventional. I'm supposed to give away something related to food, but since some of the sponsored items haven't arrived yet, those will be for the next giveaway.

Before the reveal, let me explain why I chose this. In the news, I have heard a lot of incidences wherein a child is always caught between two parents fighting. Some of the headlines report that someone in a relationship (read: married) was killed or hurt by the other because of an unhappy marriage. While it doesn't always end up this violently, I know many people who are having trouble with their marriages, so this would be a great gift to yourself or to a friend who needs something to boost their relationship.

If you have a good relationship, this will stimulate you to grow deeper in love with each other. If you are struggling in your marriage relationship, this will provide hope by giving you biblical and practical help.

These are two volumes of Mahal Ko Ang Aking Asawa, a talk held by Pastor Clem Guillermo. They are in VCD form, but my mom said she watched her copy on the DVD players and it is working well. She bought this in Canada, so I have no idea if they are sold here, and I believe it is in English.

On to the mechanics:

Mandatory:

Like Sassy Chef on Facebook (see sidebar)
Follow Sassy Chef on GFC, or if you're not a Google user, follow me on Twitter. (see sidebar)

Optional:

Click on the Google Plus One button on the floating bar to the left (+3 entries)
Share this giveaway on Facebook, and tag Sassy Chef. (+1 entry)
Share this giveaway on Twitter. (+1 entry)
Blog about this giveaway (+5 entries)

IMPORTANT: Leave a comment on this post with the following format:

Name:
FB Profile Link:
GFC Username:

Google Username Used in Plus One
FB Post Link:
Twitter Post Link:
Blog post Link:

This giveaway will end on August 31, 2011 along with the rest of Pasko sa Agosto Giveaways. Winners will be drawn via Random.org and announced the next day. Open to all with a Philippine address to ship to. If you are outside the country, you can join as long as you can have the prizes shipped to any Philippine address. :)

Here are the other Pasko Sa Agosto Giveaways:

Weekday Potluck #3: Carbonara, Clam Soup and Beef Steak

2011-08-09T03:18:00.000-07:00

Last week's potluck has almost gone bad with a few issues with inLinks, but everything was resolved and gave way to the second week of weekday potluck. I still am trying to get the hang of hosting a meme, and I'll probably make a few changes with the schedule and other things to make it more convenient for the participants.

While I love the idea of having an automatic link exchange for each participants, I still would need more opinion, and of course permission from BC Bloggers to incorporate their idea. So, before anything else, here are the featured posts for last week:

Jenn of I Live To Eat served up a creamy plate of yummy Carbonara. Everyone loves pasta, and this is one of my favorite pasta dishes!

This Lemongrass-infused Clam Soup cooked by Margarita of Pinoy Kitchenette is definitely a great dish to have during the long and rainy days. Very yummy and comforting indeed!

Rose of I Am No Fangirl whipped up a savory plate of Beef Steak for the potluck, and added some flavorful twist to it by infusing the dish with star anise. Yum!

I made a few party rules for Weekday Potluck:

Link to your post page, not your homepage.
Link back to Sassy Chef in your blog post using the button below or any text link going to My Sassy Chef's homepage.

Visit and comment on at least one of the participants (optional, but it would make the party livelier)

Plus watch out for a giveaway for Weekday Potluck participants that I am currently brewing. :)

How To Make Pasta

2011-08-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

They say freshly made pasta tastes better than store-bought. Quite frankly I am no expert at making pasta, but my dad has been making them since his childhood in Ilocos, where he has probably made a lot more miki (a popular pasta in Ilocos) than he knows. Whenever he makes a batch of pasta I'm always helping out in small ways. If you're eager to get started on making the pasta, you can go to the recipe below this post. :)

I got to roll out the dough using one end of the machine. You can probably roll it out by hand, but you have to cover and let the dough rest for a while before hand rolling so it won't spring back and get you all frustrated. After rolling out, let the dough dry out a bit and give a generous flouring, then it's ready to go through the cutter:

After a few minutes of waiting, the sheets were slightly dry enough. I let one pass through the other cutter by mistake and got wider strips of pasta. It would probably pass for fettuccine or the local mami noodles. :)

I know, they look horribly twisted there, but here's how they look like after the whole sheet has been cut:

And the smaller-sized pasta:

After many more kneading, rolling out and cutting, the pasta is up for air-drying. My dad's complaining that I'm slowing him down with all the photo-taking and playing around, but you know how they are, haha! :) Here's the proverbial written down recipe of the pasta he's been using:

Homemade Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp salt

6 eggs

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Procedure:

Sift the flour and salt together on a clean table or counter.
Make a well in the center of the flour, pour the oil and crack the eggs into the well.
Using a fork, slowly beat the eggs and oil into the flour, working your way from the center outwards.
Knead the dough until firm and dry. It should form a firm ball, but it shouldn't stick to your hands.
If it's sticky, add more flour little by little as you knead, until it's no longer sticky.
Divide the dough into small four-inch balls.
Roll out a bit, then pass through the machine for an even thickness.
Let dry for a minute or two, flour generously, then pass through the cutter.
Air dry.

Free Coffee to Boost Your Mojo

2011-08-06T01:16:00.000-07:00

Whether you're a blogger, a columnist, or a student racking your brains out to get your mojo flowing, it's always nice to say that there's always a place where you can find peace and stimulation to get those creative juices flowing. If you're like most city dwellers who just can't find your home conducive to thinking, either from the noise of a nagging relative or the crazy running around of kids who woke up extra early, McDonald's is opening its doors for you even at the wee time of 4 in the morning. And no, I am not compensated for this advertisement, if any of you are wondering.

While coffee is a known stimulant, and lately there has been a surge of gimmicks to boost the sales of coffee, a hot, steaming mug can offer you a lot of comfort and the energy to finish that writing assignment or to improve that thesis you've spent sleepless nights trying to figure out. I've seen slimming coffees and coffees advertised to make your skin glow, among others. But it does come down to one thing, coffee has been a part of our lives here in the city that no matter how things go bad, we can always have a cup be it hot or iced.

So here's how it goes:

MECHANICS

Get a free 8 oz. McCafe Premium Roast Coffee from August 8 to 12
at any McDonald's breakfast store from 4:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

HOW TO GET A COUPON

Be on the lookout for the McDonald’s crew who will distribute the coupons in selected offices, universities, colleges, terminals, churches and even outside the McDonald’s stores nationwide starting August 5!

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. Present the "Free Coffee" coupon at any McDonald's breakfast store from
4:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., from August 8 to 12 to get an 8oz McCafe Premium Roast Coffee.
2. Only one (1) 8oz. McCafe Premium Roast Coffee can be claimed per coupon.
No purchase requirement.
3. Coupon will be surrendered at the counter upon redemption of the free coffee.
Redemption will be within the promo period only. No coupon, no free coffee.

Gardenia Bread Treats: Recipe Rundown

2011-08-04T00:44:00.000-07:00

If you've seen my Gardenia Plant Tour post a few days back, I did mention that I will be posting a rundown of the recipes featured in the bloggers tour. While it's not surprising that you can do much more than a sandwich to serve to your kids, there's just something about these treats that would make you want to try them right then and there. My favorite would be the quesadillas that are made from flattened classic white bread slices, filled with cheese, grilled to a perfection, and served with salsa.

Gardenia Easy Quesadillas with Salsa Dip

Ingredients

18 slices Gardenia Classic White Bread
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup chunky salsa, store bought

Procedure

Trim off the brown edges in each slice of bread.
Spread one tablespoon of grated mozzarella cheese on one side of the bread. Cover with another slice of bread.
Flatten each sandwich with cheese using a rolling pin. Place each flattened sandwich in a hot non-stick pan. Toast each side until slightly brown in color.
Cut the quesadillas diagonally. Serve each triangular queasadillas with chunky salsa.

A nice twist would be the Tuna Maki Rolls, and it's definitely a good choice for kids who gets picky when they see the nori outside their sushi roll counterparts.

Gardenia Tuna Maki Rolls

Ingredients

6 slices Gardenia Classic White Bread
1 can (184g) tuna chunks in water,drained
¼ cup mayonaise
1 tbsp red bell pepper,chopped
1 tbsp green onions,chopped
6 slices cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Mix together tuna,mayonnaise,bell pepper and onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spread mixture evenly over each slice of Gardenia Classic White Bread.
Place a slice of cheese then roll tightly.
Wrap roll in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and chill for at least 1 hour.
Slice into 1-inch pieces and serve cut-side-up to show filling.

If you're into sandwiches, then you can boost up the excitement by preparing these two sandwiches, the Spanish Milkfish Sandwich, and their newest addition, the Ham and Jam Sandwich.

Gardenia Spanish Milkfish Sandwich

Ingredients

10 slices Gardenia High Fiber Whole Wheat Bread
1 cup Spanish milkfish in bottle, drained
1/4 cup dried mangoes, store bought, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise

lettuce leaves
5 pcs cheese singles, store bought
1 pc salad tomato,sliced

Procedure

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, dried mangoes and flaked spanish milkfish.
Spread enough fish mixture to cover one side of bread. Top with mixed salad greens, cheese
and tomato. Cover with another slice of bread.
Cut the sandwich diagonally. Serve

Gardenia Wheat Raisin Ham and Jam Sandwich

Ingredients

4 slices Gardenia High Fiber Wheat Raisin Loaf
2 slices Cooked ham (store bought)
2 tsp Cream cheese
2 tsp Strawberry jam

Procedure

Spread a teaspoon of cream cheese on one side of the bread and a teaspoon of sugar free strawberry jam on the other
piece of bread.
Top ham and lettuce leaves. Cover with another slice of bread.
Serve with brewed coffee.

But if it's something sweet you're after, grab a heavenly bite of these Choco Mocha Rhum Balls. Yum!

Gardenia Choco Mocha Rumballs

Ingredients

1 400 g Gardenia Double Delights Choco Mocha
1/4 cup Rum
2 tbsp Condensed milk
2 cups Melted chocolate
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped (optional)

Procedure
In a bowl combine all the ingredients except chopped walnuts and melted chocolate. Mix until well blended.
Form into small balls. Dip in melted chocolate until well coated. Top with chopped walnuts. Chill. Serve.

Get Your Mercato Centrale Fix With City Delivery!

2011-08-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

It's been long since I wanted to go to Mercato Centrale and try all the dishes the weekend market is known for, but a trip to Bonifacio Global City from our place is a good, long ride, and so far I haven't mustered enough strength to drop by. Sometimes I wonder when would I be able to go around my own country and revel in all its glory: the food, the scenery, and the rich local culture, but at the start of my would-be career, one would set priorities.

Now what most too-busy-to-dine city dwellers have long desired was made possible by Our Awesome Planet's Anton Diaz and RJ Ledesma with the birth of Foodie Delivery (through City Delivery). With a goal to connect unique foodie finds with many people at just a click or a simple phone call, everyone can now enjoy the Metro's emerging great food merchants and products without so much as taking a step outside their abode.

Just recently, Foodie Delivery has partnered with Mercato Centrale so that foodies can indulge in the delicacies Mercato Centrale has to offer. Located in Bonifacio Global City, it has stayed on top of many lists of must-visit foodie spots around Metro Manila. So if you can't make it to the weekend market, you can still have your fix by ordering through their hotline or through their website. With the launch of Mercato Centrale Delivery through City Delivery, foodies can now try the specialties from the famous weekend bazaar. :)

I have City Delivery to thank for the invitation to try out a meal from one of Mercato Centrale's merchants, Bale Dutung. Silly me for forgetting to take a photo of their bright orange delivery motorcycles and the friendly delivery guy. I must admire him for that, he came from a long way and he still managed to flash a smile. I guess the motorcycles are not the only ones that are bright. :) The food came in microwaveable plastic containers, with everything wrapped up inside. There were sauces packed separately. I also got a salad and two cold cans of Pepsi, one of the company's new partners.

It's a relief that the food wasn't cold even after the long trip and the rainy weather, in fact it was still a bit warm, but I do love eating hot food, so I popped the Bagnetta in the toaster, and heated the Lechon Tortilla in the microwave. After a few minutes, a hot and tasty meal for me and my sister. Who would have thought that the meal on those plates was from a food delivery service? I think they look like they're fresh from Bale Dutung's kitchen!

The Bagnetta came with a small instruction leaflet on heating and assembling, which I followed to a T, so I got what what was pictured above. Crisp Pan de Bagnet on a bed of KBL (kamatis, bagoong, lasuna) on top of hot, toasted ciabatta bread. Though I always have bagnet from Ilocos, eating it this way is a pleasant surprise. I long thought I couldn't eat bagnet without rice, but I stand corrected. On a note, I love their bagoong, which doesn't have that strong fishy smell and packs a lessened salty taste but still retains great flavor.

On the photo above is Bale Dutung's famous Lechon Tortilla, and the thick sauce on it is their Oriental Sauce. You probably can't see the lechon strips, which were smothered with sauce and topped with tomatoes and onions, but it is a generous serving. It was a wickedly pleasant bite, with the rich basil flavor complementing the lechon well. What I love about this: I can't see lechon fat so there's no guilt in eating this! :) Here it is, all wrapped up:

Ordering from them is easy, though you have to place your weekday order two days in advance, you can have them right away during the weekends. There are eight merchants including Bale Dutung whose food are available for you through City Delivery:

Bale Dutung - enjoy Chef Claude Tayug's famous creations: Pan de Bagnet and Lechon Tortilla.
Big Bob's - satisfy your cravings for mozarella and cheddar cheese-stuffed burger patties that are grilled over charcoal.
Chucks Grubberie - can provide you with a variety of fish to choose from for your traditionally cooked fish and chips.
Homemade Ravioli - gives you fresh homemade ravioli with a selection of flavors to choose from, served with fresh tomato salsa.
Manang's Chicken - serves yummy double-fried chicken infused with their secret soy-garlic sauce and a hint of sesame.
Merry Moo - excites foodies with fresh homemade ice cream with fun and creative flavors!
Mochiko -indulge in modern versions of Japanese mochi, with exciting fillings including ice cream and traditional red bean paste.
Spring by Ha Yuan - offers foodies with light and healthier versions of Chinese and Asian delights such as their bao sliders and chilled taho.

To place your order and get your Mercato fix now, go to their website: www.citydelivery.ph or call their hotline at 87878. Food delivery has never been this easy! Like City Delivery on Facebook! :)

Weekday Potluck #2

2011-08-02T02:16:00.000-07:00

I did get a number of emails telling me about the problem with the linkup, sorry it took some time to fix. I hope it's ok :)

Last week's potluck was so filling! Thanks for bringing your food to feast our eyes upon. For the main dish, we had Miz Helen's Skillet Chops, wonderfully seared and baked. :) And with a steaming plate of Old Fashioned Hot Water Cornbread from Cooking With K to melt in your mouth nicely, you're bound to be in seventh heaven.

And to top it all off, dessert is served with Cookin' Up North's Summer Berry Pie. Sweet and easy :)

It's a bit late in the afternoon, but I'm still pushing through with the second Weekday Potluck. I am asking an opinion from you though, tell me what you think of this:

I actually wanted to make this linkup beneficial to everyone, and since I missed BC Bloggers' Meme so much, I thought I could create a similar linkup for the foodie bloggers out there. For those who aren't familiar with BC Bloggers, here is how it goes. Every week, the home page link of each participant will automatically be linked by the next week's participants. I will provide a link list for the future participants to place on their post, so that everyone's blogs will have link love. :)

Please do say your thoughts in the comments section below :)

I made a few party rules for Weekday Potluck:

Link to your post page, not your homepage.
Link back to Sassy Chef in your blog post using the button below or any text link going to My Sassy Chef's homepage.

Visit and comment on at least one of the participants (optional, but it would make the party livelier)

Turn Your Bread Into Much More Than A Sandwich

2011-08-01T04:19:00.000-07:00

Bread has always been present in our tables every morning, and so far, I haven't seen a day without any form of bread be it the usual sliced bread my lola fondly calls tastee, the warm pan de sal, or any other fun-filled bread products my dad buys for my brothers who are still in school. But what can you do with the commercial pre-sliced loaves of bread other than the usual sandwich? A quick tour of the Gardenia Plant in Laguna opened my eyes to new possibilities.

Last Friday was a fun-filled bloggers' tour of the Gardenia Plant, where I realized that I should have brought a better camera than my handy point-and-shoot, and I found out that I can really be shy in the presence of great people. Haha! So yeah, with no decent photos of the tour, I think I'm better off describing it anyway.

At the entrance, the aroma of freshly baked bread is already wafting from the plant. The smell is rich, warm and inviting, which was probably why everyone is so eager to get inside the plant. I myself couldn't resist it. Surprisingly, the 6K Plant that yields 6 thousand loaves per hour (hence the name) doesn't look too complicated. Everything is handled by machine, which makes sanitation a lot less worrisome. But to those who aren't impressed by that, you can rest assured that there are employees on the grounds constantly checking the quality of each batch of freshly churned out bread.

While everything's a sight to behold, with the twin towers of revolving cylinders that cool the bread off before packaging, nothing beats sitting down and pinching off the hot loaves of uncut bread fresh from the plant and straight to our tables. If there's anything better than the loaves of Gardenia bread available from the market, it's this one! Warm, with a nice crunch on the outside and a soft and moist center, I think I speak in behalf of everyone there that it really is that good.

So what more can you do with bread when you're getting tired of the usual sandwich? What caught my attention were the chocolate rhum balls, the tuna maki rolls and the yummy quesadillas that were served. The chef did a good job in showing us how to make them, so I'll give you a rundown of recipes in the next post. Meanwhile, here are some of the featured products:

Choco Rhum Balls

Quesadillas

Ham and Jam Sandwich

Tuna Maki Rolls

Spanish Milkfish Sandwich

So with everything made by machine, operating 24 hours a day for 6 days in a week, how can environmentalists like the way they make the bread? The company says that for them to assure product quality, they pretty much can't do anything about it, nor about the plastic packaging. Apparently, packing the bread in any other medium such as paper would result in contamination, decreased shelf life or stale bread. So they make up for this shortcoming by advocating the use of reusable bags for purchasing, as well as selling the old, unsold bread to some companies to turn into fish meal.

Gardenia collects the unsold loaves of bread every delivery day and replaces them with fresh batches to ensure freshness for the consumers, and at the same time provides a sustainable feed source for the fish merchants from the supposed to be organic waste of the company.

With their product quality encircling their soft and tasty bread, what's not to love? :)

Sukiyaki Beef Sinigang

2011-07-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

Sinigang has always been considered comfort food especially when the rainy season sets in. It's a favorite in many Filipino homes, and there's probably more versions of this dish than you can count with both fingers. I was really psyched when Kulinarya Cooking Club announced its July theme, it's been so long since we had this dish, for which I blame the hot and humid weather we have been having for months.

Though we've always had sinigang with either prawns, grilled liempo, or milkfish, I thought of using sukiyaki cut beef for tonight. The subtle taste of beef would provide a nice contrast with the sour soup, plus the thin slices makes eating much more enjoyable. I wish I could have taken a better photo, but the lighting in the dining area wasn't good.

Sukiyaki Beef Sinigang Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup tamarind pulp (made from boiled and mashed tamarind)
1/2 kg sukiyaki-cut beef
1 medium red onion, sliced
3 finger chili, sliced in half
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 daikon radish, cut into strips
6 string beans, cut into 2" pieces
a bunch of okra, sliced in half
1 long eggplant, sliced
6 cups water
2 tbsp thai fish sauce

Procedure:

Steep the tamarind pulp in hot water for 15 to 20 mins. Strain.
Heat a non-stick pan and sear the beef until cooked and slightly browned. Set aside.
Saute onions, finger chili and tomatoes in oil.
Add the water and the strained tamarind broth into the pan.
Add the string beans first, then the okra, eggplant and daikon radish, spacing them according to the time they cook.
Add the fish sauce to the pan and adjust the taste to your preferences.
When vegetables are done, add the beef and serve.

SM Master Chefs 2011: Lowell Cauilan

2011-07-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Won't you have a good start if you had this for breakfast? SM Hypermarket sets off its 10th anniversary, and to celebrate, well-known chefs are giving their Cooking Marathons and Demos live in many Hypermarket branches nationwide. From July to September, every week there will be cooking demos in different branches. To catch their wonderful events in your area, see the Cooking Marathon Schedule. Apart from the Cooking Marathon, they are also giving away a kitchen makeover to one lucky winner. SM Hypermarket will also be holding Supersized Cook-off Series, so watch out!

Master Chef Lowell Cauilan prepared two dishes for today, one of which is the CDO Burger Fajitas. These are strips of burger, lettuce, cheese, salsa, and dressing rolled up in flour tortillas. There's a mirror above the set which gives the audience a good view of how the fajitas were prepared. I was able to taste the fajitas while Chef Lowell is preparing the second dish, and it's really good. A bit salty, which may be due to the generous pinch of salt, but other than that, it's really delicious. I thought the fajitas is a good choice for the demo, since not many people know how to prepare these. Judging by the audience's reactions, they liked the new dish.

The second dish is called Tocino Chao Fan, which basically fried rice cooked with tocino strips and garnished with julienned leeks. It may seem ordinary at first, but once the aroma from the set has started to spread, the people were keen on taking down notes and asking questions. Suddenly, the tocino fried rice became a hit. When we got to taste the fried rice, it was pretty good, actually, with a subtle sweetness to it, and with just the right hint of salty taste. It's a good thing too, because many people tend to make their fried rice so oily and salty that it's not right anymore.

There were also games after the cooking demo, and the people who answer the questions correctly were given gift packs courtesy of the master brands. Just look at their happy faces:

To keep the crowd entertained, the SM Hypermarket Staff performed songs and dance numbers. I must say, these staff have talent in singing. They really like the high notes :)

I was lucky to get invited as one of the bloggers covering today's Cooking Marathon in SM Hypermarket Las Pinas, together with Eihdra of One Proud Momma. It's really nice to meet her in person, she's friendly and she did a wide coverage of the marathon. We were taken care of Mr. Luis Quilatan and the friendly SM staff during the event, and we really enjoyed it. Look at what we got to take home:

A quick look at some of the Master Brands sponsoring this event:

Bizu Macarons: Food Review + 1st Weekday Potluck

2011-07-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks, my sis has been spoiling us with everything sweet and yummy that she could find at S&R, most of which are what you would call incredibly irresistible belly busters. They make you fat, they tempt you even in the wee hours of the night, and I have established a love/hate relationship with them. But there are also times when she brings home a real treat such as this box of macarons from Bizu.

I've eaten many of these before Bizu came to the spotlight. Some are good, a few are incredible, and many are just bad. But these macarons are light and crisp, melts in your mouth, and gives you the sweet fix you need for the day. I forgot the flavors for each color, yes you could forget them while enjoying these over some stories, but I remember grabbing the pistachio macaron first, which made it disappear before the photo was taken. :)

My favorite would be the rose-flavored (light pink), and the pistachio. Not too sweet, and just light. I hated the vanilla flavor which I found way too sweet for me. The others were just fine, even the pretty white macaron with pink specks, whose flavor I can't remember. Compared to other macarons, Bizu's were at the top of my list! Yumyum!

Anyway, I was thinking that maybe I could try hosting a linkup here, also known as a food meme to many bloggers. I'm home most of the time, and while I want to take my mind off my professional license, I'm running out of blogs to visit. Yes, you can't have too many loves. :) Aside from the food blogs that I am so lazy to link up at my foodie exchange list, I have a hundred more non-food sites and blogs on my list that seldom update. It would be nice to have new food blogs to explore :)

So if it works, I'll host my Weekday Potluck every Tuesday to Thursday, and as long as the post is about food you could link up here. In every next linkup, I will feature three blogs from the previous linkup. You can use this badge below to spread the word, but any link will do. :)

Homemade Salt and Pepper Potato Chips

2011-07-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you have a lot of potatoes and you're craving for a light snack? Make homemade potato chips! It's just an experiment though, since I miss eating the potato chips sold at our school. I used to watch the lady slice up big potato pieces with her mandolin slicer on the spot, then dropping them all on the deep frier. After a few minutes, out come crisp potato slices with the skin on, sprinkled with salt and pepper just as I like them. Alex likes his chips smothered with mayo-ketchup mix, which I don't really like. :p

With a mandolin slicer you can get even slices quickly, as opposed to slicing them by hand. Be careful, though, the blade is real sharp! The secret to crisp chips that are not too oily, is that the slices have to be even, at a good 0.5 mm thick. The mandolin slicer I bought was already packed at that measured thickness, but I saw more expensive ones with adjustable thickness.

Oh, and don't forget the oil temperature, the potato slices have to be deep-fried, and the pan should be very hot when you put them in. Don't overcrowd the pan, since when the temperature drops, the oil seeps into the potatoes and you'd get soggy cor oily chips. When my brothers saw the batch of chips I fried up yesterday, they thought the chips were baked. :)

Ukoy Kalabasa (Squash Fritters)

2011-07-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

I grew up eating two kinds of ukoy (also known as okoy in some places). The more popular one which I so totally love eating in trips to the provinces is the ukoy hipon, made from small shrimps with their heads and shells still on, and battered with a crisp mixture that I often enjoy piping hot with a spicy vinegar dip.

There's also the ukoy kalabasa, a much less crisp than their shrimp counterparts, but equally delicious as well. I remember not liking this when I was a kid, staring incredulously as my sister ate mouthfuls of this stuff. But I was seven years old then, and there's two veggies that I wouldn't eat as a child: ampalaya (bitter melon) and squash. But now that I ate it again, it's quite delicious. :)

When I remembered my lola who cooks these for us, I decided to make some, and add a few ingredients to make it more appealing to my brothers who are keen not to eat any vegetables at all. I added onion leaves to perk up the taste.

Ukoy Kalabasa Recipe

Ingredients:
1/4 kilo squash (around two cups when grated)
1/2 cup chopped onion leaves

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch

1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Procedure:

In a bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Add the egg and water, and mix well until smooth.
Add the batter to the grated squash and spring onions. Mix well.
Heat a small amount of oil in a shallow pan, and pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan. Flip once the bottom is golden brown.
Serve hot with spicy vinegar.

Influential Bloggers Who?

2011-07-21T00:57:00.000-07:00

Yup, I'm sure you have seen this before. Last year I was ogling at the nominees, thinking how it was so cool it must be to be there. I thought that they must be really dedicated to blogging, as opposed to my laziness before that has led to months of inactivity before taking things seriously now.

I meant to join last year - no, not as a nominee - but as someone who gives her list of the best influential bloggers to the panel as an entry. But then, even though I have so many blogs out there that I follow (most of the time, anonymously), they are all not qualified because of the age of their blogs. Emphasis on the "emerging" part of the contest, they have a time frame in which the blog you're rooting for must have started in.

I literally scoured my list that time, including the many fashion, technology, and celebrity blogs out there among the food blogs that I love, yet they all are too old to qualify. So here I am now, back with a vengeance with my top 10 picks of the year, all of which (Thank God!) qualify for this year's project.

Here are the sponsors for this year's project:
Cyber Monday Deals, TRIbeca Private Residences, How To Videos, Palawan Beaches for Sale,Green and Natural Lubes Philippines, Philippine data center, Philippine online shopping, Singapore Jobs, Pinoy Party Food, Apartment for rent, and Best deals tips.

If you wish to join, then head over to see the requirements and the mechanics in the Top 10 Influential Blogger post.

So without further ado, here are my top picks:

1.Certified Foodies - Who wouldn't love their passion for finding the best eats in the metro? Here you can feast your eyes upon tons of food photos, laugh at some of the stories behind their dining experiences and be fascinated with the offers these guys can give you.

2. Jenni Epperson - Oh this one's a definite keeper in my reading list! Whether it's fashion, celebrities, special events, technology, or food that it is you're into, you can just keep on reading the stories behind every post, every photo, and every event that Jenni has gone through. She's in a tight situation right now, but I hope for all the best.

3. Girl-Kuripot - If there's anyone who doesn't love all things free, then I say he's a cynical man! Kidding aside, I first chanced upon GK from Boy-Kuripot, whom I have been following ever since. The names amuse me, and while at first I thought they have the same theme, oh, GK seems to have the really cool travel offers, giveaways, and tips for you. The fact that she has been traveling all over is something to be amazed with. If you are in the look-out for opportunities to travel the world, then GK is your girl!

4. Fashion Pulis - Laugh your heart out at the stories, rack your brains while trying to figure out the blind item, and be amused with all the insider celebrity stories you have yet to hear in TV or from the media. It's seriously a fun way to have your break, and you can get all the gossip you want without feeling like you're reading the tabloid. :)

5. Aryanna Epperson - A fun and quirky girl that takes after her mother, she takes blogging on a new perspective. So far I have seen photoblogs and cartoon-based blogs before hers, but only she has caught my attention! Her blog is simple, fun to read, and she connects well with her readers!

6. Blogger Manila - It's practically a blog dedicated for bloggers, the social media, and everything that's happening around the city. With loads of opinion and a tad of personality, you can really get many things out of this blog.

7. Kiss And Makeup - It's fascinating to see how much a person grows while blogging. This lady proves that everyone can write, and as much as she was uncertain at the start of her blogging journey, you should see how she makes her posts. She definitely has taken beauty and fashion blogging to a new level.

8. The Journalistic View - It's a mix of everything, from cover stories to reviews, and a lot more in between! Everything is said in the perspective of a journalist, and if you read some of her posts, it's like reading a short column from the newspaper.

9. Unbox - If you're excited about all the new releases in the world of technology, then you would enjoy Unbox.ph's way of giving you the specs, all by making it a bit more interesting than just listing them down on their own.

10. Tiffiefum Invasian - It's quite a new beauty blog, but her way of doing reviews on beauty products landed her with some of the best make-up companies here. She makes everything clear, and direct to the point, just as any reviewer should.

That's it! My top 10 picks for emerging influential bloggers, that in my opinion, would definitely take the world on an impact someday. :)

Homemade Puto - Cheese, Blueberry, Honey Almond

2011-07-20T05:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's my first time to make homemade puto, also known as rice cakes. We've made them before in cooking class back in high school, but of course back then we just let the active groupmates do the work. :) Now I really appreciate puto - to be honest I am not fond of these unless they are made with milk in them, as many stores fail to do. I want my rice cakes to be fluffy yet creamy, unlike the fluffy dry puto being sold in the market. Oh, and I got to use my colorful silicone cups! :)

Traditionally, they are made with rice flour or rice paste they call galapong, as my lola used to make, then steamed in puto pans until all fluffed up. But I don't know where to find galapong, nor rice flour, so I used cake flour instead. And to make things more interesting, I added a few ingredients to give a different flavor to each batch, though not too much because I wanted to preserve the rice cake's original flavor. The result: creamy puto with hints of dried blueberries, cheese, and honey-roasted almonds. You can use any topping, I just used what I have yesterday.

I used an electronic steamer, but a traditional steamer would be great. :)

Homemade Puto Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups cake flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 egg whites
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup water
Cheese, cut into strips

Procedure:

Boil water over steamer, or prepare electronic steamer.
In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Continue beating while adding the evaporated milk and water.
Add the flour mixture and mix well until smooth.
Fill 3/4 of the silicone cups (or greased puto pans) with the batter. Top with cheese and other toppings of your choice.
Steam for 25 minutes from the time the water starts boiling. The puto is cooked when the top bounces back when pressed.
Serve warm with coffee or hot chocolate.

Max's Chicken All You Can 2011!

2011-07-19T00:44:00.000-07:00

After a few days of burning my eyebrows trying to comprehend and manipulate html, I finally have a new layout and a new post! Alex and I have dined over at Max's two weeks ago to avail their Chicken All You Can, a promo where you can stuff your face with all the nice, freshly cooked chicken parts in their glory. I wondered why I wasn't able to post this immediately, but it's better late than never :)

Since I was a small child, my parents used to take me to Max's. It was a family favorite together with Aristocrat and the previously glorious Barrio Fiesta Restaurants. Back then, their chicken was much larger than the ones they serve now, but I must say, they are as delicious as far as I can remember!

We arrived there early, at around 5 minutes past 6 p.m., and just in time to see the dance the staff performed as a signal that the promo has started for the day. There's a lot of room, and we got a nice and cozy couch by the window. Mr. Waiter was very generous enough to give us the large chicken thigh parts, I consumed four pieces only, while Alex consumed seven large chicken thigh parts. Look at all our bones:

Then we took home a box of caramel bars for dessert, and they are nutty and so good, but quite a lot smaller than when we were just kids. Oh, if I had known that I would be blogging about food back then, I would have taken snapshots! We had the Chicken All You Can for Php 199, with iced tea, bread and butter rolls, and caramel bars. Yum! :)

Pata Tim (Pork Knuckles in Sweet Anise Sauce)

2011-07-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

When you're watching your weight, and your health, you are told to stay away from anything fatty which of course puts the nice little slabs of pork in the hotseat. While we always keep that in mind, and we seldom have anything with visible fat in them, we do indulge ourselves every once in a while (around three months or so..) in those nice, juicy, and oh so tender pork parts called pata, also known as pork knuckles or pork hocks.

While the most popular dish for pata here in our country may be the crispy pata, I thought we'll be having a different dish this time. Pata tim is a favorite in our home, with its sweet and sticky sauce infused with the great aroma and flavor of anise seeds that covers each piece generously. Cook this right, and you'll have fall-off-the-bone tender pork hocks that bring wonderful flavor with each bite. Oh, and did I mention our love for garlicky pata tim? You should have smelled the wonderful aroma wafting through the kitchen. :)

From what I remember, my lola used to cook pata tim with whole hocks, not the ones you can see on the photo that were already cut by the butcher. I prefer them cut, to save me from the hard work of cutting them during the meal itself.

Pata Tim Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 kg pork hock

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup cane vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 4 tbsp water

1 tsp sesame oil

2 pcs star anise (wrapped in tea cloth to make scooping out easier)

8 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped

3 bay leaves

a dash of olive oil

Procedure:

Pressure cook the pork hocks for 1 hour, or boil until very tender. Reserve 1/2 cup of broth.
In a bowl, combine the broth with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, oyster sauce, cornstarch slurry and sesame oil.
In a pan, sear the pork hocks in a little amount of olive oil until lightly charred.
Remove from pan and place on paper towels.
In the pan, add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the soy mixture and boil until the sugar melts and the sauce thickens.
Add the pork and simmer in low heat for 30 minutes.
Serve hot.

Lechon, Grilled Chicken, and Roast Beef Sushi

2011-07-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

While leaving the hypermarket after buying groceries, I was browsing their freshly baked bread section when I found the most interesting things. Small sushi rolls, about four inches in length, with fillings of lechon, grilled chicken, and roast beef. I thought they looked pretty tasty, and even as I try so hard to never be fooled by their bread and pastry's lovely looks, I took home a roll of each flavor of sushi.

Their pastries and breads look as delicious and lovely as the ones you can find in Bread Talk, but are a tad less tasty. All you can taste is flour and sugar, or the occasional scant filling they managed to put in there. I once bought their Triple Chocolate Muffins, which looked so darn good, but I never even tasted a hint of nice chocolate in there that would satisfy even the smallest craving. My thoughts: never again!

So I brought these home, and sliced them off with a knife, and put them on the table. I must say, the rice was extremely mushy, the cucumbers were soggy, and they seemed to have used Miracle Whip in them. I have nothing against that brand of sandwhich spread, but that isn't japanese mayo. Please. The grilled chicken tastes like tough rubber, the roast beef is so bland that all I could taste was mayo, but I have to say, I did love the lechon. It may be that the lechon tastes so good with anything, but at least I wouldn't say I wasted all that money for that crap.

So if you happen to drop by, don't be fooled by their products' looks. I think the only tasty things in there are their roast lemongrass chicken and the ever so small rack of ribs they sell for a price.

Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts

2011-07-10T03:06:00.000-07:00

I love it when my dad brings home food. It's either from Emerald Garden, Aristocrat or from some well off restaurant that he and his business buddies dine in whenever they have their reunions ever since he retired from work last year. But he just went off to fetch a friend from the airport, and he bought two boxes of Original Glazed doughnuts from Krispy Kreme for me and my brothers to devour.

Krispy Kreme is not that much of a big deal for me, and before they have set up shops in many malls in Metro Manila, a friend living in Taguig often brought us some doughnuts from their branch in Bonifacio High Street. They were a million times better than the tough doughnuts Dunkin has to offer, but not that much different from GoNuts Donuts. Well, that was back then, around four years ago.

The doughnuts were still warm, with the thin glaze cracking at every bite of the melt-in-your-mouth doughnut. I thought the three of us finished it within 15 minutes! Ohh, I can't help but agree how much of a comfort food this is on a gloomy, rainy night last Friday. If only there was hot choco that time. :)

Kumato: The Golden Brown Tomato

2011-07-09T00:37:00.000-07:00

I have heard about these nice tomatoes before, about three years back, but it was so long since I saw an advertisement for this one again. What strikes me is its rather unusual golden brown color. Back then, I remember advertisements mentioning how much sweeter and juicier they are from the usual plump, sweet red tomatoes available locally in the US and nearby countries.

The local tomatoes here are quite a lot smaller and less plump than the ones seen in tomato sauce ads, but a trip to Ilocos last year and my dad took us down memory lane to his childhood years where he and his friends spent some summer days helping pick out those sweet red tomatoes that he says are as big as the large fuji apples. But they are hardly sold in the market here, and I saw a Dizon Farm pack of 2 tomatoes selling at Php 75. Quite steep, as compared to the small, sour native tomatoes sold locally.

It now makes me wonder why the kumato has not reached our shores yet, and how true are their ads promising juicier, even meat-like tomatoes. Further research on this variety and I learned that they achieve that color pretty much how the green maple leaves turn red: altered climate conditions where cooler air forces an increased storage of fructose in the fruits. They might be as sweet as they promise!

McDonald's Quirky Coke Glasses

2011-07-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

I hardly go to McDonald's for a meal, except when I have little time left to eat, or when it's the only nearest place to eat in bad weather. We used to go there frequently back then, way before I started cooking. But at some point I wondered how I managed to eat those greasy, processed meats and salty meals without knowing how exactly they are prepared or what's in them. As a kid my parents used to bring me and my sister here to collect every single Happy Meals toy ever produced, but we gave them all away eventually.

Though, it wouldn't be that bad to drop by and get a quick cheeseburger for a snack, I thought, and with bad weather brewing above us yesterday, Alex and I were trapped by the spraying winds so we decided to warm up inside McDonald's ever so crowded place. We got cheeseburgers, fries and coke floats -- things that drove me to exercising even more last night and when I woke up this morning. You just have to counter all that. :)

Anyway, at the counter I saw some of the Coke glasses shaped like their canned sodas, and thought that they look pretty cool, and we were offered to have one for Php 25 with the meal. I graciously declined, coke glasses only take up space in our cupboards. Back at our table, I saw the miniscule cheeseburger sandwiches and thin patties. These fastfood chains really focus on profit, not quality! And that is exactly why I prefer eating out at food chains giving out servings that are well worth the money and the less fat and calories.

Stir-Fried Kung Pao Chicken

2011-07-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

Kung Pao Chicken is a Chinese dish that showcases different flavors in such lovely harmony. Originally, Kung Pao Chicken has a thick and sticky sauce that clings to the chicken meat, but I doubled the sauce to make it more saucy. I modified this recipe to suit my taste, including pureed black beans (some have escaped the blender's blades), used chili flakes instead of whole chilies, and ground fresh peanuts instead of whole ones. The result is a sweet-sour and spicy dish, with a flavorful sauce that is lighter to the palate than the traditional Kung Pao Chicken.

You can buy rice vinegar and other Asian spices at the international section of the supermarket.

Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sliced chicken breast

2 tbsp coarsely ground peanuts

1 tbsp chili flakes

1/2 tsp grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk scallions (onion springs), sliced

2 tbsp cooking oil

Marinade:

2 tsp regular soy sauce

1 tbsp brown rice vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

1 tbsp corn starch

Sauce:

1/4 cup pureed black beans

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp brown rice vinegar

1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water

2 tbsp water

a dash of sesame oil

Procedure:

Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and let chicken slices soak for at least 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a non-stick wok or deep pan. When it starts smoking, stir-fry the marinated chicken just until the pink disappears. Do not overcook. Remove from pan and drain well.
With the remaining oil, stir in the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add the chicken meat and stir quickly. Add the ground peanuts and stir fry for another minute.
Mix the ingredients for the sauce and add to the wok.
Stir continuously until all chicken pieces are well coated. Add the chopped scallions and stir.
Serve hot.

Meaty Roast Eggplant Fritata

2011-07-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since I last posted here. I was busy with an exam that would be the start of my future career, and I didn't want to compromise it. But here I am again, and I started everything off by cooking a simple breakfast this morning. It's herby, meaty, and has a lot less salt and oil than the usual fritata.

A fritata is a way of cooking scrambled eggs with additional ingredients such as meat and vegetables. Some people mistake this for omelette, which is basically egg with a cooked filling spooned in between the fold. Eggplants are really great for fritatas, and here we call it tortang talong. But the traditional way of cooking tortang talong is roasting or boiling an eggplant, peeling it, and pouring egg over it on a skillet while waiting for it to set. Usually, the stem is included, but I want a tastier and finer fritata that my brothers would eat, and they do not take to the eggplants well. I better hide it, those boys are such picky eaters!

Eggplant Fritata Recipe

Ingredients:

2 long eggplants
2 eggs
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup cubed spam (optional)
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Roast eggplants on open fire. Cool to room temperature then peel under running water.
Cut off the stem, and mash the eggplants with a fork.
In a bowl, beat the eggs with the flour, basil, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, spam, and eggplant, and mix until well blended.
Heat a pan and brush lightly with oil or butter.
Pour the mixture and cook until the bottom is set but the top is still creamy.
Serve hot with garlic fried rice.

Finding a Great Blog Host

2011-06-13T04:47:00.000-07:00

Before anything else, let me tell you about a really cool giveaway from a member of BC Bloggers. Don't forget to join Nelson's Birthday Giveaway with a hundred dollars worth of a prize! It can't get any easier than posting and commenting on his blog, right?

So scoot on over to this cool and generous RN's blog and join! Maybe ~~someday~~ this year, when I finally get my license, I'll be as generous as this guy! Haha! Happy birthday Nelson!

I was actually thinking it over when I saw the theme for this week's post. I mean, I don't have any professional hosting service that I pay for, and right now I am still hooked to Blogger for free. I have been thinking for quite a while now about upgrading, and while money is not an issue here, I decided to stay for a number of reasons.

But let me tell you about what I think are the benefits of having your own paid host. First, there's bigger (and faster!) chances of getting a higher PR with your own domain, if you're interested in that. Another thing is that search engines seem to love paid domains more and a lot of the ones at the first page of the search results are on their own domains.

But the best part of having a paid domain and host is that your blog exudes a professional and classy vibe that is hard to achieve with a free domain like mine.

So why do I stay?

Simply because I believe that working hard for something to grow. Taking the not-so-easy road is something I thrive for, and it challenges me. It drives me into being a lot more creative than my usual self, although honestly I haven't been too active because I have to prioritize my soon-to-start career.

And the best thing about it is that I can just donate the money to charity instead of paying for a host and domain. :)

Here are last week's participants:

I Live to Eat * Spices of My Life * Mum Writes * My Thoughts in Letters * Life Ascending * Darkanjel’s Life Musings * Black Sheep’s Lair * Journey of a Capricornian * Inspirational Insights * Daily Notes * Digital Catharsis * Elghrasya * Sweety Paula

Proudly Pinoy: Tapang Kalabaw (Carabao Meat)

2011-06-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

When I was still a kid, I wouldn't dare touch the meat if they say it's tapang kalabaw (carabao tapa). Because I got used to the notion that they are as tough as natural leather, I never dared eat it again until recently, when my dad brought this home from Bulacan. He said that unlike before, the tapa right now is a lot more tender, but still quite chewy.

Dad told us that this is the best seller of the cantina from which he and his business mates often dine. And it's not a lowly carinderia, he says. Rich people flock there to buy carabao meat cooked in different ways. It then made me wonder, do they raise carabaos nowadays for their meat? Because from what I remember, they don't really breed the carabaos in my either of our farms in the provinces.

So what can I say about them? They are so yummy and great with runny yolks for breakfast! :) You should give them a try!

Puto Bumbong Brings Back Memories

2011-05-30T01:59:00.000-07:00

Just yesterday, as we were about to go to the Sunday Mass after our review class, I grew hungry and saw the fishball stand. While Alex and I were waiting for the fish balls to fry, I spotted a cookware I used to see during the wee hours of the morning, back then when I was a kid, attending Simbang Gabi with my mom and lola. It was so nice to have something like this way before the holiday season, so I asked Alex to buy some for us. Sadly, my cam's battery was drained so I had to wait until we got home to take a photo.

It was then when I still had school, when I whined when they would wake me up three hours before my usual wake up time so we can attend the early mass. They say that when you get to complete them all, you can have your wish come true. I never completed the Simbang Gabi ever, so I don't know how true that was. The best part of the early mass was that right after, we would go to the local pugon bakery and get steaming hot, soft pan de sal, and I can choose from a variety of other goodies to bring to school. Those were the simple days, when I don't have much to think about unlike now.

So how was it? It was absolutely yummy!

Dad's, Saisaki, and Kamayan: Eat All You Can Buffet

2011-05-26T05:10:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned in my last Friday's post, I made a promise to Alex that if he keeps his grades up for the rest of our summer class, I would treat him to an eat-all-you-can lunch over at Dad's, Saisaki, and Kamayan in SM Megamall. Seeing how well he does in each of our evaluation exams and how compliant he is on the diet I made for him, I decided to give him the treat.

I learned in our nutrition class that diets will only be successful if you give yourself (in this case, Alex) a treat or break once in a while. And that break should be adjacent to the diet you gave. I made Alex go on a low carb diet, and the only carbs he ever touched in this buffet were in his sushi platter you can see above. He let me taste the one with the kiwi on top, and oh my, it was so yummy. The sushi plate below is mine:

Though I'm a big fan of sushi and sashimi, I did not indulge too much on Saisaki's that day. I only got one small plate. but I did choose according to the poster they provided about what's in each sushi. The temaki sushi (cone-shaped) tastes a lot like California Maki. The others were a mixture of flavours, from sweet, to tart, to a blend of salty and tartness that one would only enjoy if you consume the sushi whole.

This is my plate from Kamayan which showcases a mix of seafood, pork, and vegetables. Alex was too busy eating so I didn't dare disturb him from consuming a ton of meat and veggies. What I can say was that from all I ate from Kamayan, the seafood dish above called Yamang Dagat was my favorite. It has clams, mussels, squid, and crab, all smothered in nice sweet-spicy sauce that would make you melt.

I also took a small bowl of crisp crablets, and a light soy-vinegar sauce.

My plate from Dad's consist of skewered seafood, buttered vegetables to balance out the meat, a syrup-smothered Gyoza, ham roulade, bacon-wrapped beef, and crab cakes. I could say that everything was delicious, but Dad's dishes were sort of ordinary. Others were just roast beef, salads, and chicken. But I did love the bacon-wraps.

The photo above shows the Roast Lamb from Dad's, served with a nice mint dip which Alex claims tastes like toothpaste. I had it and it tastes great with the Lamb, but never mind eating it alone. The lamb roast was tough, which may be a product of hurried cooking. I wish I could show you more but I didn't want to ruin our date by snapping at each plate we took.

A quick snap before leaving. Entry to the Ultimate Buffet for Dad's, Saisaki, and Kamayan is worth Php 675 each not including drinks. I think we spent around Php 1600 including drinks.

When I'm Not a Chef

2011-05-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

You know what's funny? It's simply hilarious to think how much of a socialite Filipinos can be. We have previously dominated Friendster and every single social network out there, and now we have taken over Facebook. I know, it can be pretty addicting, especially when you can get updates from everyone in your huge network of friends.

I am admittedly a huge fan of Facebook. Actually, I use it mostly for my personal life, connecting with my friends from school, and friends that I can't have the privilege of hanging out with anymore. There was once a time that I was so addicted to the games they host. I think it was back then when Pet Society was so famous still, and the other games were catchy. Now I have the impression that they are just making games for profit.

So when I am not in my kitchen surrounded by the wondrous aroma emanating from the oven, I can be seen outdoors, or simply lazing off in my bed with my laptop, clicking away.

But, now that I am over it (well, partly), I use it to promote my blog through the Sassy Chef fan page. Besides, we all have to live our lives more often away from the computer, now don't we? :) Have a nice week everyone!

Almond Oatmeal Cookies with Prunes

2011-05-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

When you have a boyfriend who is totally nuts about oatmeal cookies, you are sometimes obliged to bake a batch of some good ol' homemade ones to give him rewards for a job well done. We have been having summer classes, and so far his evaluation grades shot up from really low to the 4th place in the top ten, of course with a little bribing and a promise of an eat all you can buffet dinner at Dad's, Saisaki, and Kamayan. Why is that so much of a big deal for him? I put him on a diet recently, and he has been showing withdrawal symptoms. Haha.

Anyway, these cookies are so good that he kept nibbling on them the whole day. The outside was crisp, and the insides are a bit chewy. I was supposed to bake chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies but I have to use up the almonds and prunes at home before they spoil in a month or so. Besides, prunes and almonds are a healthier option, and a yummier version of raisin oatmeal cookies.

Almond Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup butter, cubed (it's equal to the whole bar, or two sticks)

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup chopped prunes

Procedure

In a mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar until soft, then add vanilla and egg. Beat lightly until you achieve a smooth consistency.
In a large bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, baking powder, salt, almonds, and prunes. Mix well.
Add the butter mixture into the flour mixture and mix well until well blended.
Chill the mixture for 15 minutes in the freezer so that the batter will hold its shape and will not spread out too thinly.
Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
Scoop the firm batter and drop by tablespoons on an ungreased cookie sheet. Make sure to leave two inches space between cookies.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown but still slightly soft in the center.
Let cool for ten minutes before removing from cookie sheet to avoid sticking. Cool to room temperature before storing.

The Secret

2011-05-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

I got an email from Paula of BC Bloggers Secret sometime this week about a new feature of BC Bloggers that would amp up the edge of being a member. I haven't been very active lately because I had to prioritize certain things, but I guess I really wanted to make up for lost time. Anyway, she has a simple question for us to answer:

“What is one tool, tip, secret (or whatever it may be) that you have discovered that has helped you in your blogging and would like to share to others?”

I have been blogging for a year now, and I must admit that it hasn't been a quick way to getting a little bit known. It may have been due to many months of inactivity that the friends I made during my first few months of blogging have thought I have retired from this. I started again early this year, hoping to bring my blog up to the next level.

But what I learned was that the numbers don't really matter. As long as you have even a few readers, you're in the right path. Sometimes I wonder where my readers came from, but I realized that they will come to you on their own if you can write passionately, talk about sensible things, and give something to your readers. Be it a new knowledge, the latest trends, some tips, great wordless photos, or in my case, recipes and thoughts about dining out. There has to be something in your post that says, "she isn't blogging for the sake of posting."

Oh, and if you really want to push things to their maximum potential, try to leave sensible comments and join memes with passion. Don't join memes with the thought, "free link exchange", but interact with the others who joined as well. This is only the second meme I joined, because I prefer to keep the quality of my posts at a rate I can provide well.

Alokon: Birch Flowers

2011-05-14T05:05:00.000-07:00

Having Ilocano parents means eating a lot of native dishes from Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Vigan. Oh, and a lot of vegetable dishes that have just entered the mainstream cuisine here in the metro. It has been a while before my dad cooked a dish from Alokon, more commonly known as birch tree flowers. Despite the similarity in appearance to the birch family, it is actually not a relative of the birch tree. It has been widely available only to the provinces until a few years ago, and my dad seemed amused to find it in our local grocer. Other names for this vegetable/flower are alakon, alucon, baeg, and birch tree flowers.

My mom in Canada said that they can only buy these in frozen form, all of which came all the way from Asia. Somehow, I don't like the idea of using frozen vegetables because it ruins their natural texture. The flowers above are supposedly freshly picked (within 24 hours) and newly delivered when my dad came across it, so he took the chance and bought the greens. Then he cooked an unfamiliar dish with alokon, pork and broccoli, which tasted so delicious that I missed going to Cagayan and Ilocos.

Army Navy Burgers

2011-05-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

Oh, I know I'm not supposed to be addicted to burgers from fast foods, no matter how big, juicy, and tasty they are, but I just can't help it. Army Navy's burgers really hit the spot and has become my instant favorite in the burger joints across the metro. Of course, there's Crave Burger and others, but that's a different story. :)

Whenever we pass by Army Navy in Taft Avenue, I always tell myself that burgers are greasy and unhealthy, no matter how mouthwatering they are. But Alex wanted to eat some huge burgers, and the nearest food shop we could find was this one. The place was small, but not crowded, with a few posters on the walls pertaining to their food and theme. It has that ambiance that no one will mind you eating sloppily.

So Alex got his request: The Bully Boy Burger with three patties (topmost photo), along with a side of Freedom Fries. You can see in the photo above that they did not skimp on the meat. The burger was huge, and I wondered how he managed to fit it in his mouth. What disappointed me was their Freedom Fries. No matter how delicious they are, the serving was so small that it wasn't even enough for one person! But they are quite good, reminds me of KFC's fries, but thinner. It was placed on what seemed like a four-inch cardboard box.

I got a Double Burger, since I was starving, but I was overwhelmed because it was as big as the Bully Boy Burger, only it has two patties instead of three. It was really good. Not too salty, and good. :) I ordered onion rings with it but I was even more disappointed with the serving size of the onion rings. They were crisp, not greasy at all, but a bit too thin for me. I like my onion rings thick on the inside.

Not to mention that they are bland. I know that there are condiments available at the counter, but I like my onion rings bare, and not even tasting the natural taste of onions, or any hint of good taste, is torture. Here's the same cardboard box size as the Freedom Fries, and the serving is too scanty.

But I am willing to forgive this time. We will definitely go back again. :)

Better Than Ice Cream: Fro-yo for more than a decade

2011-05-04T00:07:00.000-07:00

I have known frozen yogurt for more than a decade already, way back before those fro-yo shops and gelato stands became popular here in the Philippines. Although I must admit that I was addiced to every single fro-yo shop that set up in the past few years, I can never forget how, as a 6-year-old child, I came to love and crave for pistachio ice cream.

I remember that it's inside a mini mall here in Las Pinas back then, near an entrance. I don't really remember which mall it is, but I know it in my heart that I have loved BTIC ever since. When I asked my sister about it, she agreed and told me that she was the one who introduced me to BTIC. She said she was in 6th grade then, and I was in Prep school.

When we passed by BTIC in Robinsons Ermita, I begged Alex for a cone of yummy pistachio ice cream. Of course, he can't say no to me, can he? I got my ultimate love: Pistachio! Rich, nutty, and bursting with sweet pistachio goodness!

Alex got his favorite Dark Chocolate and Almonds flavor. It was the thickest choco froyo I have ever tasted, and its bittersweet! What can I say? I like them better than the other brands of Fro-yo.

Southern Style Fried Chicken Wings

2011-05-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

This style of cooking chicken was supposedly from the South American regions, and there's a lot of versions regarding the authentic way of cooking it. But from what I understand, it is a battered or floured chicken deep fried to golden perfection. Oh, and the outer coating is really crisp and it has that sounding crunch.

What I love doing is that I soak the chicken pieces in salted milk for half an hour. It actually makes the chickens a lot tastier, and the meat juicer. Then I dredge in my flour-cornstarch mixture, and it turns out really good. It actually makes for a healthier (note: less sodium) alternative to those salty, MSG-filled processed "breading" or coating for chicken available in the grocery, and it can really satisfy everyone's craving for that crisp outer coating.

Southern Fried Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

10 chicken wings
1 cup cold milk mixed with 2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp Spanish paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup flour

Procedure:

Pierce chicken pieces with fork several times and soak in salted milk for 30 minutes.
Mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and pepper together in a bowl. Dredge the chicken pieces in the spice mix and leave in the fridge for thirty more minutes.
Combine the flour and cornstarch together in a bowl and mix well.
Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture and coat well.
Let sit for five to ten minutes to allow the coating to stick to the chicken.
Heat oil in a deep pan, and deep fry chicken 2 to 3 pieces at a time. Cook until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels.

Sinampalukang Kambing (Goat Meat in Tamarind Soup)

2011-04-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's my post for Kulinarya Cooking Club's April theme, and it's kind of my first post for the club since I got invited to join the group about two months ago. All I did was read and drool over the other posts while trying to find time to make mine, and finally I did, just in time for this month's theme: Decadence.

I must admit that when I first read it, I thought it had something to do about desserts or sweets because I usually associate the term with cakes and pastries. But further reading down the month's theme post and I found that I can post anything, as long as it is something special.

My dad hardly buys goat meat because he says it's not widely available yet, and to buy it means to go directly to the makeshift goat farms in the metro and get the meat (or a live animal!) for a higher price compared to other meat, but he does take the chance whenever we pass by the small goat farm near the Las Pinas-Bacoor junction. This time, he bought knuckles and goat pata (hocks), and told us that we would be making sinampalukang kambing. Yippee!

This recipe is exactly how we cooked it, so please don't just copy and paste it in any other blog or website. This version isn't too sour as compared with the usual sinigang, but with just enough tartness to enhance your appetite and make you eat more, so beware to those on a diet! :)

Sinampalukang Kambing Recipe

Ingredients:

1 kilo goat knuckles and pata
250 g tamarind fruit
2 medium onions
5 cloves garlic
1 large ginger, about three thumbs in size
1 tbsp salt
2tsp ground black pepper

Procedure:

Cut the onions in half.
Peel the ginger and crush lightly with the blade of a knife. Do the same with the garlic cloves.
Peel the tamarind fruit and lightly pound with a kitchen mallet, to enable the fruit juices to seep into the broth well.
Place the goat meat in a pressure cooker together with the onions, garlic, and ginger, and pour enough water to cover an additional 1 inch above the ingredients.
Cook for thirty minutes to tenderize the meat.
Remove onions and ginger. Transfer to a deep saucepan and add salt and pepper.
Simmer for five more minutes then serve hot.

An entry for:

Kiddie Mini Pizza Squares

2011-04-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

It's one of those days when my brothers kept dropping hints that they want an afternoon snack that's different from the usual sandwich or chips. Throughout the afternoon they have been consistently opening the fridge, browsing the pantry, and yet they look so defeated despite the many options available to them. So I made some kiddie pizza squares the way my sis and I used to toast inside the oven toaster. We literally just put everything we thought was fit to go with tomato sauce and cheese, and then fired up the small toaster, waiting for the cheese to melt.

But that was a long time ago, then came the bigger oven. It was just sad that we don't have any real cheese, so I had to settle for Eden cheese, which, by the way, does not melt in the oven. Nope, not one bit. It just stays the same throughout the baking process no matter how long you leave it there. Trust me, I tried it before and I got really upset.

Technically, all you have to do here is to actually flatten bread slices, top with tomato sauce, cheese, and every topping you want. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and pizza herbs, then pop it in the oven and wait for the bread to brown and crisp a bit. Yum!

Brooklyn Pizza in Midtown

2011-04-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

Before graduation, we were in Robinsons Ermita. I totally forgot about this, so it's a backpost. After spending around two hours playing games and singing our lungs off over at Timezone and Tom's World in Midtown, we found ourselves hungry and scouring for food. But Almon Marina is full, and I can't even get close to my favorite Norwegian salmon, so we decided to just have a late afternoon snack at the first restaurant that isn't packed full. We passed by Brooklyn Pizza, and seeing that they have not a single customer, we went in and took a seat.

Really, for a place with no current customers and six waiters and waitresses lounging around, it surely took them long enough to hand us the menu. We got a plate of Oil Based Pesto with Chicken Parmigiana, and a slice each of Pepperoni and Deluxe Pizzas, which are the only two available flavors at the moment. It was really disappointing, considering that it is a pizzeria, but what the heck.

So the Pesto on the top photo was nothing but bland, and dry. Oily enough in some parts but Alex and I both agreed on it being too dry to finish up, and we both are addicted to pesto! What I like about it at first sight was that it was a serving for two people already, and they didn't skimp on the breaded chicken, which was also so bland and tough, that I didn't touch it again.

It's a good thing their pizza tastes good. I really liked the Deluxe Pizza, which is full of flavor atop its chewy crust. I'm not a fan of pepperoni but it's not bad either. Let's just say that we won't be going back there again. It would have made a difference if the staff was a bit friendly, but we never saw a smile, not even a fake one. But we managed to just shake it off and smile for a quick shot.

Chicken and Ham Pinwheel Bites

2011-04-25T00:19:00.000-07:00

I saw these really cute pinwheel cookies today at a local bakery, and I got inspired to bake some at home, only to find out that we're out of flour. I didn't want to go out into the terrible summer heat again, so I looked at our fridge and decided to make these instead. Aren't they so cute? I bet kids would love to have this for their baon. I know I would! Oh, I forgot, I just graduated. *sigh*

Anyway, making these goodies is quite easy. I didn't really have a recipe when I made this, I just estimated everything then forgot about it so..I'll just give you a quick overview of what I did.

I pounded chicken breasts with a kitchen mallet until they are only half an inch think. Then I brined them in a mixture of 1 tbsp rock salt in a cup of water for 10 minutes. I spread the flattened chicken onto a chopping board (anything flat will do), then placed sliced sweet ham on top, sprinkled with dried basil and ground black pepper, and rolled as tight as I could. Just like making sushi rolls!

What you need to remember is that when cooking this, the chicken would change shape, so the best way to keep their pinwheel shape is to secure all the ends of the rolls with toothpick, or kitchen twine. I'm sorry for not having photos, I just can't find some help while I'm cooking.

Deep fry the rolls, then cut them up with a sharp knife. That's it! Pretty easy, and delicious!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

2011-04-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

While I would love to save myself the hard work of cooking by just buying store-bought chicken nuggets, I can't help but wonder what exactly is in that stuff. Many would you might just roll your eyes and say, "chicken, silly!" but what I'm getting at is the nutritional value of those processed chicken nuggets, and how they were made exactly.

I remember a friend of mine telling me that store-bought chicken nuggets are made of the leftover chicken meat they get from processing other chicken products. How credible that statement is, I really have no idea. It's like hearing people say that burgers are made of earthworms and that KFC's genetically modified chicken parts moves even when cut. And I know that's pure fiction.

While thinking of these things I went on and made chicken nuggets anyway. The best part you can make these out of are chicken thigh fillets, for that juicy, flavorful bite. But if you're on a health pledge, then you can use brined chicken breast fillets instead.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

500g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered milk
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cup Japanese breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
oil for frying
barbecue sauce

Procedure:

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, milk, salt and pepper.
Coat chicken pieces in the flour mixture.
Dip coated chicken pieces in egg.
Coat evenly with Japanese breadcrumbs.
Deep fry until golden brown.
Serve with barbecue sauce. I served mine with barbecue rib sauce, yum!

Vanilla Hearts Pudding

2011-04-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have always loved vanilla pudding in its creamy, milky goodness. It's one dessert that never fails to pick me up even in the bluest days and worst moods I'm in, and right now I could use some comfort food to drive me from insanity with this terrible summer heat. It's easy, it's a real comfort food, and it's best served when chilled. What's even better is that Alex is coming over to share this dessert with me. ♥

I'm keeping this post short to help reduce my blog's carbon emissions in time for Earth Day. Yes, this is a scheduled post, since I will be away for the rest of the weekend. Have a great weekend everyone!♥

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup evaporated milk
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Procedure:

In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Mix well.
In a saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat for five minutes while adding the sugar mixture gradually.
In a bowl, pour a little of the mixture over the egg yolk to temper it, beat lightly, and return to the pan.
Keep stirring until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
Bring to a gentle boil and continue cooking over low heat while stirring for three minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla and nutmeg (optional).
Pour into ramekins or dessert glasses.
Cool to room temperature then chill.

A Simple Graduation Dinner

2011-04-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

Alex and I both had our hair cut really short because of our school policy for our graduation. We don't want to have our hair cut on the spot by our clinical instructors now, do we? :) I am so happy I can't help but share this with you guys right now. We finally made it past college, and we are gearing up to face the real world! I hope you guys can welcome us there! :)

Anyway, we had a simple dinner because my head was throbbing like crazy after the long graduation. My cap was so tight that I thought it was trying to squeeze my brains out, and the commencement exercises was soooo darn long. My sister chose Hap Chan because it's the only place then that wasn't packed full of people celebrating our graduation day. Since we were all tired, my sis just ordered two of each dish I will mention below.

I'm so glad we were served their complimentary tea to calm myself down and lessen the headache. Even without honey, their tea was good, just like how mom makes it at home.

I didn't catch the name of this noodle but it was really so good, that I was craving for it on our way home. It has a thick soup, quail eggs, meat and vegetables. I think it's the best we ate altogether. It's what I can really call comfort food. :)

These are Fried Squid with Salt and Pepper. It's light, it's crunchy, and it is perfectly cooked. I don't actually eat fried squid unless it's cooked right: crisp breading, soft and NOT chewy and definitely NOT rubbery squid, which is best cooked under a minute.

This Fried Chicken with Lemon Sauce surprised me the most. My youngest brother was a really, really picky eater, but he finished almost the whole plate even before the second plate arrived. Never thought he likes anything other than the usual fried chicken, so I went on and gave it a try. It was yummy, but I tasted better lemon chicken dishes before. I forgot to take a photo of the Yang Chow Fried Rice, but we always have that in every Asian restaurant we go to anyway.

Overall, I guess I can't really judge Hap Chan considering how altered a person's mental status is when he has a severe, throbbing headache. But it was all good, and I might just ask Alex to eat here sometime. I'm just so glad I'm through with college now! :)

An entry for:

The Free San Marino Healthy Recipe Book

2011-04-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

I took the photo above while browsing the online recipe book of San Marino as a promotional tactic for their outstanding product, San Marino Corned Tuna. No, I am not a fan of the product. In fact, while my sister can eat San Marino all day long, I actually prefer Century Tuna over them. But I tasted their tuna paella and oh, I am almost tempted to do the switch!

Anyway, I really, really love this recipe collection. Although my sister and I have been cooking the meals in the recipe book long before San Marino skyrocketed to fame, some of the recipes I have yet to try. And just in time for Lent! Why don't you scoot over to the recipe book over here, and give the healthy dishes a try. I would, as soon as I buy tuna from the market. I prefer chunks anyway. Happy Lenten Season everyone!

Layered Beef and Potato Bake

2011-04-20T05:15:00.000-07:00

Very much inspired by Pinoy Cook's turkey, duck, and potato bake, I went on to cook this extremely heavenly baked dish composed of potatoes and beef. I actually only adapted the idea of layering potatoes with leftovers, and from what I can see, we have a totally different recipe. As far as I know, my version was a spicy, beefy goodness that you can compare to a generously stuffed lasagna, and is quite heavy on the tummy. Alex loved it, and so did everyone else. The crisp cheese-crusted potatoes goes really well with the creamy spicy goodness of the beef filling.

Layered Beef and Potato Bake

Ingredients:

3 or 4 large potatoes
4 cups ground beef
3 medium sized white onions, chopped finely
8 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 cup all-purpose cream
dried basil
cheese
oil for sauteing
butter for greasing

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix ground pork or beef, onions, garlic, soy sauce, parsley, ground pepper and salt.
Mix and cook in a non-stick pan without oil until browned and dry (no more visible liquid). Set aside.
While the beef is cooking, scrub the potatoes and slice thinly. I recommend using a mandolin slicer to have even slices.
Grease a baking dish with butter.
Line the bottom of the dish with potato slices, slightly overlapping the edges to make an even base.
Spread half of the beef mixture on the potatoes, then top with another layer of sliced potatoes.
Spread the remaining filling, top evenly with potatoes.
Pour cream over the top layer, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried basil.
Spread grated cheese on top.
Baked for 30 to 40 minutes.
Serve warm.

Play for Free and Give Rice to the Poor

2011-04-19T00:05:00.000-07:00

It's the season of Lent, and what best way to spend this time than to give back to others. With the war that's been going on, and the calamities and disasters that God has brought upon us for our sins, many people have lost their homes, their jobs, and their loved ones. In this state, the only thing that can save them is a prayer from all of us.

But we can do even better by giving them food and donations. If you can't afford to shell out money to donate for the affected population, then this is a perfect way for you to give back. FreeRice.com is donating 10 grains (about 10 grams) of rice for each correct answer you give for the questions in their web site. In my first try, I have gone up to only 350 grains of rice, but I'll give it another try.

If you don't have the time, but can afford spending even the smallest amount of money, go to World Food Programme and donate to the ones who need them the most. I posted about World Food Programme a while back but I guess it didn't get much attention since we have a national crisis back then.

Tuna-Cucumber Sushi Roll

2011-04-18T03:59:00.000-07:00

These tuna rolls turned out to be a favorite afternoon snack by my brother. Though I prefer using fresh tuna over canned ones, my dad very seldom buys fish so I have to make do with these. After all, I still have leftover nori sheets from making the tamago nigiri last week, and I don't want them to go to waste.

The tuna filling has a spicy and herby flavor which complements the crisp cucumber slices well. Combined with the sweet tartness of the sushi rice which I always make with these rolls, it's a light and nutritious midday snack that I can eat all day. And Alex can't get enough of them, that I had to make two batches.

I opened two flat cans of Century Tuna flakes in oil and drained them well. Then I mixed the tuna flakes with a tablespoon of classic mayonnaise, a teaspoon of dried basil, and two teaspoons of ground black pepper.

Then I laid out a nori sheet and placed the tuna filling along the edge together with cucumber strips, and rolled them. Laid another nori sheet and spread sushi rice on top, then placed the rolled filling and formed into a large sushi roll.

I repeated this until I used up all the ingredients, and cut them into rings. I can't really tell how many I made since Alex and my brother were eating them as I make them.

Barbecue Garlic Chicken Wings

2011-04-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

When I make barbecue chicken, I often do it on the stovetop instead of over hot coals. But even stovetop barbecue can be as good as their grilled counterparts when you let the sauce thicken and char a bit. The result: thick sauce clinging to crisp chicken wings in its sweet saucy goodness. Here's what it looks like before the sticky sauce, slightly charred, golden brown goodness:

Barbecue Garlic Chicken Wings Recipe

For the marinade:

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp garlic powder dissolved in 1 tsp water

3 tbsp sugar

For the sauce:

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp hot sauce

2 tsp mustard

2 tbsp cane vinegar

5 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp + 2 tsp honey

1/4 cup melted butter

Procedure:

Mix together the ingredients for the marinade and marinate the chicken wings for 30 minutes. Set aside.
Combine all dry ingredients for the sauce and mix well. In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients.
Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, making sure there are no lumps.
Drain the chicken well.
Heat some oil in a nonstick pan and cook the chicken over low heat, allowing the skin to char a bit. Pierce the chicken with a fork several times during cooking to ensure that the insides are cooked. Set aside.
Remove the oil from the pan and pour the sauce mixture.
Simmer over low heat until thickened.
Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Let simmer over medium heat until sauce is very thick and slightly charred.

Overstuffed Tamago Nigiri

2011-04-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

It's one of those days when I get so bored that I tend to play with food. No, it's not the bastardizing kind, but the one where I deviate from the traditional way of preparing food and play dress-up like a little girl. ♥ I must tell you that the green chili strips you see in the photos are finger chilis. They're not too spicy but provide just enough spice to perk up your taste buds.

Tamago nigiri is prepared by forming rice nuggets out of sushi rice, topping it with tamago, and wrapping it with a strip of nori. The tamago is prepared by beating eggs, dashi, and sugar together and cooking it in a pan until fully set, then cut into strips. At least that's what I have been doing for some time now. Oh, and when you get used to the sweet tartness of the sushi rice, you won't need your light soy sauce for sushi anymore. And there's no need to be strict with what you put in your nigiri, as long as it holds its shape, then you're perfectly safe.

I also made sushi rolls with cucumber, tamago, and kani so that Alex can have his cucumber fix for the day. They look so cute inside the lunchbox. ♥

So far, I really liked how the colors turned out. It reminds me of Rastafari colors, which means..

The red is for the blood of all living things in the world. The gold is for all of the treasures in the world that people cherish. The green is for the earth that people walk on, to which Rastas feel a special connection.

Sushi Rice Recipe

Note: I use measuring spoons and measuring cups for my recipes, so if you're using normal utensils the measurements would not be accurate and much less than indicated.

Ingredients

1/3 cup rice vinegar or shin mirin
3 cups cooked rice (you can use regular short grain)
2 tbsp refined sugar
1 tsp sea salt (coarse salt)

Procedure

Dissolve the sugar and salt in the rice vinegar. Heat in a saucepan until everything is dissolved. Do noit boil mixture.
Let the mixture cool. Spread the cooked rice gently on a large bowl, then pour the cooled vinegar mixture on the rice.
Quickly mix and fold the rice until the rice is coated with the mixture well. Make sure that you are not squishing the rice so it won't look like paste.

An entry for:

Choco Lava Cupcakes

2011-04-13T03:39:00.000-07:00

After the fudge brownies, I was back in the mood to bake, and accompanied by my sous-chef Alex, we baked a batch of choco lava cupcakes with candy sprinkles! If you're wondering why they're called choco lava cupcakes, it's because the center is filled with a large chocolate chunk which leads to the sunken cupcake centers.

I got the idea from my sister when she baked a batch of dulce de leche cupcakes with custard center. I though, why not make a chocolate version? The result: extremely addictive melt-in-your-mouth cupcakes.

Choco Lava Cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp of baking powder
8 oz dark chocolate bar, chopped

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Combine the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder.
Beat the sugar, oil and egg together. Add the flour mixture and milk. Mix well.
Pour batter into 1/3 of each cupcake liner, then place chocolate chunks at the center.
Pour remaining batter up to 3/4 of each cupcake liner.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool.

Soft Fudge Brownies

2011-04-11T03:19:00.000-07:00

There are times when Alex brings about his surprisingly sweet sweetness♥. I wasn't feeling well for a couple of days already, and I have been craving for something decadent but I can't tell him what it is exactly. I can't bake either, because the heat of the oven will drive me further into sickness, so he offered to do most of the baking.

I have a written down recipe of brownies which I found months after writing it, so I thought, If I wrote it down, it must have been really tempting. My most gracious thanks and apologies to the author, for the softest yet fudgiest chocolate treat that ever made its way into my mouth. It was not chewy, and it's not spongy like a chiffon cake, but it melts in your mouth. It was just heavenly.♥

Soft Fudge Brownies Recipe

Ingredients:

8 oz. dark chocolate
1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar
3 tbsp flour

1 3/4 sticks butter

4 eggs

Procedure

Preheat oven to 180C.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a double broiler or in the microwave.
Line a baking pan with non-stick baking paper.
Add the sugar, eggs, and flour and mix well.
Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until center is set.
Turn off the oven and leave there to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

Tender Pork Teriyaki Don

2011-04-07T16:18:00.000-07:00

My dad bought a ton of pork tenderloin from the market yesterday, and I thought I just had to cook some for our packed lunch today. So far the school cafeteria still serves greasy and really salty food and I don't want us to touch those food in any way. And what's better is that I found this recipe in a Yummy Magazine issue Alex bought for me.

If you don't have pork tenderloin, here's a trick I always do when I need tender meat but don't have the time to go to the market to buy some. Rub the pork tenderloin with baking soda and leave for about 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Alternatively, I tried using papaya juice from a green papaya I have back then, and it works well in tenderizing the pork. A warning, though, don't leave your pork soaked in papaya juice for more than 10 minutes, because the acid pepsin found in papaya juice (and produced by our bodies for digestion!) can really make the meat so mushy. Make sure you rinse completely after.

Pork Teriyaki Don Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin (I used Japanese brown rice vinegar instead)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
350 grams pork tenderloin, cut into strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 bell pepper,diced

Procedure:

In a bowl, combine soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and grated ginger.
Add pork strips to marinade and toss to coat.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Remove pork from marinade and reserve liquid.
Heat oil in a pan and stir-fry pork in high heat for about two minutes. Set aside.
Pour sesame oil into the pan and stir fry the bell peppers in high heat for two minutes.
Add the sauce and reserved marinade, and saute for another two minutes in medium heat.
Garnish with sliced spring onions, if desired.
Serve with rice.

An entry for Food Trip Friday :)

A Veneto Pizzeria Ristorante in Aguirre

2011-04-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

A cousin of mine went home from Malaysia for her daughter's primary school graduation. And you know how Filipinos are to celebrate every milestone with a nice family dinner outside, having good conversations without worrying about cooking the food for a large group.

My cousin got to pick the place, of course, and we ended up in the bustling food neighborhood of Aguirre in BF Homes. Perhaps a good laugh and lots of corny jokes over Italian pizza and pasta would be perfect for the evening. The place has a homey feel to it, with a bit of a dim lighting, artworks, and rustic wall paint. Some of the photos ere from my sister. :)

I just love how cheesy and tasty everything was. It was like eating at at a modernized cafeteria with laughter all around you from other tables and from your own. I personally loved the Nut Pesto Pasta with Chicken above. The Spicy Baked Mussels are a definite winner, the cheese was overflowing, I tell you! Its a big serving of baked mussels covered in rich and thick tomato sauce topped with melted mozzarella cheese.

There were a three varieties of the ~~large~~ giant pizzas, of which I was only able to take a photo of one. You see, when food is being passed to and from the three tables we occupied, you can't really take leisure photos. Below is the 16-inch pizza which I think is the all-meat pizza, but correct me if I'm wrong.

We also had Baked Ziti with Meatballs, which had three big meaty pieces of Italian meatballs on top of penne pasta, baked with rich marinara sauce and topped with soft mozzarella cheese. Really hits the spot!

Their Chicken Wings Basket below is a new favorite of mine, which I will soon attempt to recreate in my kitchen. The deep fried chicken wings and lollipops were supposedly marinated in herbs and spices, and smothered rich sweet chili sauce.

Oh, and their Classic Calzone is so rich, thick, and extremely saucy. To top it off, they even serve it with additional dipping sauce for your enjoyment. I think it was bigger than my plate.

What really made me full for the evening is the Oil and Garlic Pasta With Ham and Bacon in White Sauce. It isn't heavy like the usual carbonara and it was really infused with a lot of meat on top and inside. The night was great, and I had a lot of fun. :)

Cookie S'mores!

2011-04-04T04:43:00.000-07:00

I remember the humongous bonfires we had in high school during a late night science camp. We camped in school, had fun doing games, sang Spongebob's Campfire Song (yes, those days were geeky fun!), viewed the stars, and roasted marshmallows, hotdogs, and tilapia on the huge bonfire made by our jannitors right in the middle of Manila Science High School. Good ol' alma mater. Too bad no one brought chocolates and graham crackers back then, but the roasted marshmallows were so good. Some of them burned, though, but everything turned out fine in the end.

While my brothers and I can't make s'mores over hot coals nor light a bonfire in the middle of our village, I decided to make the next best thing after seeing a S'mores Cookie Recipe from Baked Perfection. I admit it doesn't look anywhere near her s'mores cookies, but I bet they are as delicious. These cookies are quite addictive! I revised the recipe based on what I have on hand that day. The baking time depend on your oven settings.

S'mores Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup butter (the whole bar)
1/2 cup refined sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs
2 cups chopped dark chocolate tableas
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 Meiji dark chocolate bars, cut into small squares

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Celsius.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients until well mixed.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and beat while pouring the wet mixture into the well.
Mix until smooth in consistency.
Stir in the chopped tableas (or choco chips) and mix well.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, and remove from the oven.
Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of chopped chocolate bars into each cookie.
Return to the oven and bake an additional 6 to 8 minutes until fully cooked.
Cool cookies on a wire rack.

18 slices	Gardenia Classic White Bread
1/2 cup	Mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup	chunky salsa, store bought

6 slices	Gardenia Classic White Bread
1 can (184g)	tuna chunks in water,drained
¼ cup	mayonaise
1 tbsp	red bell pepper,chopped
1 tbsp	green onions,chopped
6 slices	cheese
	Salt and pepper to taste

10 slices	Gardenia High Fiber Whole Wheat Bread
1 cup	Spanish milkfish in bottle, drained
1/4 cup	dried mangoes, store bought, chopped
1/2 cup	mayonnaise
	lettuce leaves
5 pcs	cheese singles, store bought
1 pc	salad tomato,sliced

4 slices	Gardenia High Fiber Wheat Raisin Loaf
2 slices	Cooked ham (store bought)
2 tsp	Cream cheese
2 tsp	Strawberry jam

1 400 g	Gardenia Double Delights Choco Mocha
1/4 cup	Rum
2 tbsp	Condensed milk
2 cups	Melted chocolate
1/2 cup	Walnuts, chopped (optional)