A Taste of (Married) Life

Almost Gourmet Anniversary Sale

2011-08-11T12:51:00.000+08:00

This is a great time for you guys to try the different things Almost Gourmet offers, they're having an anniversary sale!

What a great deal!

Almost Gourmet Frost

2011-06-21T15:22:00.001+08:00

We fully intended to blog, once...twice...maybe even four times during our long absence. We really did! Unfortunately intention doesn't mean much specially when life takes over. Ruy's busy at work, and I was busy working at home. We had to make a lot of adjustments with our new set-up but generally, we are happy with the way things are.

I love that I get to stay at home and take care of Andrea and Ruy's happy that he gets to go home to food he didn't cook. YES, I now cook most of the meals at home. Oh how our roles have changed. I'm not complaining. It's rewarding cooking at home, albeit my repertoire is nowhere near as vast and as complicated as Ruy's...we get by. There are times though that even I get tired of my cooking. I was a bit confused, I was wondering if everyone experiences this or is my cooking just not that good that I was bound to get tired of it at a certain point. My unofficial survey showed that most people who cook really do get tired of their own cooking. Ha! So there, my cooking is not the culprit after all.

During one of those times when I was in a cooking rut, I received a text from a dear friend Joyce Miranda talking about their latest offering. Almost Gourmet (ALGO) frost bites are frozen dishes ready for cooking (that way you can also pretend that it's your own family recipe). So while my tummy was craving for the other ALGO treats I was already familiar with, I decided to trust Joyce's recommendation and I gave ALGO Frost a go.

Herbed Parmesan Chicken Sticks:
It looks so simple yet they were so flavorful. It also comes with a yummy honey mustard dip that adds another layer of flavor to this dish. You know what the best part about this dish is? KIDS WILL LOVE IT! Andrea was initially put off by the "green leaves" or the herbs but as soon as she tried a little bit, she was sold.

Aged and Seasoned Australian Steak:
The moment Ruy saw this on the table he smiled and said "Wow, am I at home? Parang nasa resto tayo ah". Yup, that's exactly what this feels like. A few minutes on the pan and ta-da. A gourmet meal at your house....and the gravy is part of the package too!!!

There are times when I want to go all out and cook the best meal for Ruy and Andrea but there are also times when I would rather put all that effort into being more present...doing things with them. And in the past, when I want more time to spend with them, it usually meant frying SPAM but it doesn't mean that anymore. Now I don't have to choose between having really yummy food and spending more time with my loves (yikee). (Photos to Follow)

O'sonho

2010-02-17T03:12:00.006+08:00

Every single time we decide to eat somewhere other than our home Ruy and I always struggle. There are so many options out there and it’s a challenge trying to come up with one place that Ruy and I both want to try at that particular time. Usually Ruy asks me if I’m craving for any particular cuisine. Do I want Spanish? Italian? Chinese? Filipino? Etc, etc, etc. Never do we consider Portugese Cuisine. We Filipinos haven’t had that much exposure to Portugese Cuisine and I must admit that my knowledge of Portugese Cuisine is limited to the Portugese egg tarts. So to say I was hesitant when Ruy suggested trying out the newly opened Osonho in Eastwood would be an understatement..

Being the *ahem* obedient wife I went along with Ruy to Osonho and boy oh boy my palate thanks Ruy for suggesting Osonho.

We decided to try their bestsellers since it’s our first time in Osonho. We had their Coffee Marinated Roast Pork, Peri Peri Chicken on Fragrant Chicken Rice, Bacalhau de “O’sonho” and their Mint Iced Tea.

Coffee Marinated Roast Pork – Php 420

If I were to describe this dish in one word I would have to say it’s BOLD. The flavors are strong, in-your-face, and wonderful. Be prepared for a tug-o-war of flavors in your mouth – a bit of sweetness from the sweet potato, the familiar bitterness from the coffee and the rich flavor of the pork. As much as I wanted to hoard this dish to myself I literally couldn’t as the chops were huge. Ruy and I wondered how the meat remained moist despite the long cooking time.

Peri Peri Chicken on Fragrant Chicken Rice – Php 320

We have heard rave reviews about O’sonho’s peri peri chicken but I wasn’t exactly jumping up and down excitedly before tasting this dish. I’ve tried peri peri chicken before and the entire experience was unpleasant and I wasn’t sure I wanted a repeat of that experience.

When the chicken arrived I was surprised at how ordinary it looked. It was this ordinary appearance which gave me the courage to try peri peri chicken again. OH MY GOD. The skin was unbelievable. It was tasty and crisp and just beautiful.

The chicken was cooked perfectly. Moist, tasty with a wonderfully crisp skin. (It was so good I told Ruy I should have become a scientist and my life would be devoted to creating a kind of chicken with two layers of skin)

Bacalhau de “O’sonho” – Php420

I wanted to eat the whole bowl myself. I was trying to give Ruy the evil eye but he wouldn’t take the hint so I had to be content with sharing this with him. Don’t be fooled by the small container. There’s so much flavor in every spoonful you really don’t need much for all this bread….in fact we had to order more pita triangles as we still had a lot of Bacalhau left!

The restaurant looks a bit intimidating from the outside. The interiors have a somewhat luxurious feel to it that I had prepared myself to pay an exorbitant amount for the food. The price was surprisingly reasonable considering the quality of food, the location and the amount of food you’re getting!

Baking with Andrea

2010-01-21T16:21:00.003+08:00

Make sure you have something you can use for sifting.

Sift the dry ingredients.

Then mix in the wet ingredients. Whisk everything together.

After baking, decorate with icing and any other decoration you might prefer. Andrea likes candy sprinkles.

You then need to eat the cake...for quality control purposes of course.

P.S.
Mixing bowls make lovely hats don't you think?

Pasta 2 Ways: Aglio Olio (Part 1)

2010-01-18T17:06:00.005+08:00

For dinner today we are having leftover Bangus Sardines. The sardines are so delicious they're actually one of my favorite dishes among those that Ruy make. The problem with this dish (or any other fish dish for that matter) is that Ruy only feels full for around an hour and then he starts looking for something else to eat. Because of this I needed to make something filling that he could snack on and since we have a lot of uncooked spaghetti from a Christmas basket we received last month.

I decided that I was going to make my version of Aglio Olio. My version has anchovies and olives!! Why? Because both Ruy and I love anchovies and olives so anytime we can put it in a recipe we sure as hell will.

Aglio Olio is extremely easy to make. First, heat a quarter of a cup of olive oil. Sautee 8-10 cloves of minced garlic, around 3/4 of a teaspoon of chili flakes and a tin of anchovies. Cook until the anchovies have practically dissolved into the cooking oil. Remove from the heat and mix the sauce with olives, cooked spaghetti and a handful of parsley. You can also put in parmesan cheese if you want to.

Here's my Aglio Olio:

And let me just share what Ruy and I have been obsessively drinking these past few months. Real Leaf Lychee Flavor!! It's so good!!

2009 Updates

2010-01-18T16:51:00.004+08:00

Hi everyone. I really should apologize for our LONG absence but then we've done that one too many times in this blog already so I'll skip over the apologies and go right into the updates.

2009 has been an eventful year marked by major occurrences -- both positive and negative. The most noteworthy would be the following.

- We're finally living on our own.
- I have spent half of 2009 as a SAHM (that's stay-at-home mom for those who are not familiar with the acronym) and it's been wonderful and extremely challenging.
- I now cook more than Ruy does!
- We were very much affected by the Typhoon Ondoy and we spent the last quarter of the year facing the challenge of rebuilding our home.

To wrap it all up. The challenges of 2009 really made me realize what an awesome guy Ruy is...I also realized that we are exiting our newlywed phase and so we might have to change the description of this blog...hmmm

Peanut Monster

2009-08-28T21:53:00.005+08:00

One of my favorite things to make:

Spicy garlic peanuts with green onions

I buy peanuts from a stand, fry lots of sliced garlic and put them together. After around 2 minutes of frying, I mix in minced chili peppers then quickly remove everything from the heat. As it cools down, I add lots of chopped green onions. Salt to taste.

Spicy peanuts with lots of toasted garlic is already awesome in itself, but with green onions, another layer of flavor and texture is added. A trace of sweetness with a fresh crunch.... I love it.

I’m usually found eating this while watching a nice film on dvd, reading a book or when I’m just lazing around the house with an ice cold beer.=)

Thanks to my dad for this recipe which he cooked every now and then while I was growing up.

My appetite was just ferocious when I was a kid. As a result, I've been given many food related nicknames by my aunts and uncles. Among those which I remember are "Lumpia Monster" and of course... "Peanut Monster". ;p

Kusina Teatro

2009-08-15T15:57:00.005+08:00

Last Wednesday, Liv took me to the food street in Ortigas Home Depot to a place I enjoyed so much I’m blogging (again).

It all started when she attended a reunion of sorts with old officemates at a place set by their gourmet ringleader, Michael. It so impressed her that in the middle of their affair, I was receiving a blow by blow account of the food they were having. She was simply overwhelmed.

Naturally, we found ourselves there a few days after.

The place is Kusina Teatro. A novel operation serving classic Spanish food and tapas. Especially tapas. Upon seeing the place, I understood that it was special. If not because of the taste, then definitely because of its uniqueness.

Coming across a Spanish restaurant camouflaged in the middle of bar country was exciting enough. Seeing huge windows offering a view into Kusina Teatro’s kitchen was just exhilarating (ok, maybe just for curious wannabe cooks like me). Visible from the street and from inside the restaurant, everyone has a view of the chefs at work and all food being cooked. A curious feature for a Spanish restaurant for sure.

We arrived an hour early because as we found out, that particular night, they were opening at 8pm instead of the usual 7pm (understandable for now because Kusina Teatro is still in its soft opening stage and they are in the process of fine tuning their operation). Left with an hour to kill, we headed to North Park resto to feed Andrea her favorite food (pancit) first.

Let me share that I grew up eating Spanish food prepared mostly by my grandmother. Spanish classics were cooked in her kitchen (with me regularly manning the vegetable station) where I had the happiest time seeing, smelling, tasting the food before it was fed to everyone else.=) A warm experience resulting in an association between Spanish food and my grandmother. An association which caused me a bit of a shock when I saw the chefs who’d be cooking our food walk into the kitchen one by one. Actually, I was stupefied. I mean there I was half expecting to see my Lola Mommy (my grandmother) waltz into the kitchen, put on an apron and ask me to start chopping onions when in walked Chef Ritchie. Calm, with a choirboy type air and looking like he’s barely gotten out of school, he’s just so young! The shock continued when he was followed shortly after by the other chefs Myka (I hope I’m spelling their names right) and Donna, who were also around the same age as Ritchie. Together they looked like classmates working on some school project (or a science experiment)... Oh, and they were wearing cool black and orange chef’s uniforms which made me green with envy.

So began the concert of classic Spanish pieces punctuated by sizzling food, clinking utensils and dancing flames. An entertaining demonstration put on by the trio of young performers as they wove their flavors together.

My Favorites:

Gambas Al Ajilio – I loved this for the awesome, plump, nicely cooked shrimps in olive oil and garlic. No strong overpowering sauce, just beautiful mildness that highlights the big, juicy shrimps and perfectly toasted garlic.

Paella Negra- This dish really impressed me immediately by its appearance. With an option to get it for two or for five. It was presented mouth wateringly in a clay dish overflowing with shrimps, soft squid rings and other seafood which upon probing, reveal rich, squid ink covered rice underneath. The flavor is tweaked wonderfully by the citrus flavor of the lime and creamy garlic dip which it is served with.

Chorizo Flambe- My favorite beer match! Homemade chorizo served in what seems like a small serving definitely packs huge flavor. The moment I popped a cube inside my mouth I was floored by the of chorizo flavor. It was an assault of salty, sour and yummy that I enjoyed washing down with beer.

Pork Belly Confit: another good pulutan.=)

Soft and juicy outside, crunchy and tasty inside. This is Liv's favorite.
Bacon stuffed squid!!! What can I say, it has bacon. (Note from Liv: BACOOONNNN!)

Deep Fried Cheesecake! Topped with vanilla ice cream, this dessert banners a rich, creamy cheesecake wrapped in crisp skin. A brilliant dish I must say. Liv and her officemates claim that this is orgasmic and while I am not really a dessert fan, I can understand what they mean…this is really a must try.

Lead by a young and talented cast., the stars however are no actors of fiction. Kusina Teatro showcases an ensemble of young chefs with real talent, in a performance that turns the spotlight away from the setting of formal dining and ancient ancestral homes to a modern stage exploding with youth, adventure and enthusiasm.

Me and Chefs Ritchie, Myka and Donna. I just couldn't keep myself out of the kitchen...

The youthful spirit is best expressed by the establishment’s name: Kusina Teatro, an idea which casts aside what is typically fancy schmancy with something that is playful and familiar. Huge kitchen window in front, the chefs are able to visually allow passers-by to connect with their hunger through a Spanish gastronomic, voyeuristic, seduction (if I may call it that). Finally, its location along the watering hole laden strip of Ortigas Food Street, bridges the contemporary with the traditional and brings Spanish tapas to the modern, everyday crowd.

At P1,350 for a dinner of 6 excellent Spanish dishes for a company of 3. Kusina Teatro’s relatively inexpensive pricing successfully brings excellent Spanish food well within the reach of the working class for regular consumption.

San Mig Cafe in Ocean Park Part 1 of 3

2009-07-28T16:47:00.004+08:00

Ruy:

Friends are one of the best things we get treated to in life. People you have chosen to share a bonding connection with not by a matter of circumstance but by a matter of affinity. Unfortunately, as we mature (meaning getting caught up in household responsibilities, debt and work, all of which have good meaning in life as well), our friends being understanding and supportive people become the ones we get to allocate time for least. Not to say that Liv and I are evil people. We’d always make time for any friend in need but during regular days, our natural predispositions lean more toward spending most of our time with Andrea, doing the grocery, household chores, bonding at home…. And eating. So, needless to say, when an opportunity to reconnect with old friends over food and a possibly fun activity for Andrea presented itself, we had to go. The mastermind: Liv’s BFF and Andrea’s ninang, Carmi (spelled with an “I” and not an “IE”) and San Mig Cafe.

It was to be a food tasting and reunion of sorts which was made more fun by the presence of our friend, the coolest bachelor in Manila, Manila Boy Spanx.=)

The Itinerary: Lunch at San Mig Café in Manila Ocean Park, kwentuhan, take Andrea to see the fishies (fishes) and shawks (sharks).

Liv:

I have never eaten in San Mig Café and I didn’t know what to expect. Considering that it’s named after the country’s favorite beer brand, I imagined it having a bar-like feel but what I saw was far from a bar. The place had a light, open and family-friendly feel to it.

This feeling is also reflected on their menu. They stick to the classics, the comfort food, those we’re all familiar with and those we all love.

The appetizers all looked wonderful and so instead of choosing just one we went for their Super Platter. If you’re not hungry don’t even attempt to order this and a main dish -- you won’t survive. It contains, nachos, flautas, ribs, and Hungarian sausage. One order can easily satisfy a party of 4!

Ruy and I couldn’t get enough of the sausage. It had just enough spice without being overwhelming. The platter had two heavily flavored appetizers ( Hungarian sausage, and baby back ribs), it also has two milder flavored appetizers (nachos and flautas) – this , I’m afraid is the only balance my diet will ever experience.

The boys won’t let us visit San Mig Café without trying their Cerveza Negra Seafood Sampler. I was already so full and so I was not able to taste it but the boys err men seemed to enjoy it. Spanx remarked that, although subtle, you can really taste the Cerveza negra on the batter. Ruy was a fan of their fish which was moist and yummy (I was able to take a bite of this)

After the appetizers I was stuffed, happy and ready to call it a day. But there were more food coming. (to be continued...)

Food and the Law of Signatures

2009-06-27T00:00:00.002+08:00

Have you guys heard of the Law of Signatures? It's somethign which I think most of us have received through email. The law states that the shape of the fruits and vegetables can somehow guide us into determining what we should be eating? How so? Read on to find out:

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
Egg Plant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervicle cancers. And how profound is this? .... it takes exactly 9 months to grow an Avocado from blossom to ripened fruit.
A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebelums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuro-transmitters for brain function.
Some observers have said that the figs look like the male genitals when two of them are hung together (apologies, don't mean to be crude!). Figs are full of seeds and the nutrients in them are said to increase the number of sperms to overcome male sterility. In many cultures throughout the world, figs are associated with fertility. They seem to act like nature's Cialis however unlike Cialis figs don't protect against Prostate Cancer
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

I have received several variations of emails like these and while they sound so promising and wonderful but I have heard arguments against them as well. For example, it is apparently a misconception that carrots are good for the eyesight. One website claims that this was news spread by the British army to cover up a certain technology they had at that time that allows them to track things, so they just told people that they fed their army carrots that's why their eyesight are all excellent.

Figs on the other hand, don't appear on the list of things good for one's sexual organs. Soy, tofu, soymilk still top the list of food that promote prostate and sexual health in men. It has been said that these kinds of food lessen the need for cialis and viagra...figs have never been cited in medical journals.

I am now confused as to the veracity of the Law of Signatures. Do you guys think this is true?

Chicharon - Heaven in a Cholesterol Laden Bite

2009-06-16T22:55:00.003+08:00

With every bite I feel my heart beat faster. I am not sure if it's the excitement or it's the cholesterol taking it's toll on my poor heart -- it's probably a combination of the two. Cardiac delights is the term my father-in-law coined for these babies. Wonderfully delicious morsels which could bring you to heaven figuratively...and literally.

Everything about chicharon (or pork cracklings) screams STAY AWAY FROM ME. It's made out of skin and fat, deep fried, and peppered with salt and MSG. It's just wrong in every possible way yet those things which make it wrong are the same things which make them oh so good.

These babies are Ruy's pasalubong from Bulacan. I am a fan of chicharon from Bulacan because they're like tiny lechon kawali. They have enough meat in them to make them hearty.

We usually dip these in vinegar. We either use ordinary vinegar with pepper and finely chopped garlic or we use Sukang Waykurat. We then eat them with rice and a side of chopped tomatoes, onions mixed with bagoong.

Oishi Ridges - Wasabi Flavored

2009-06-14T15:53:00.000+08:00

In my previous post I talked about our penchant for watching tv shows. Yes, Ruy and I have been spending a whole lot of time cooped up in our room watching reality tv, tv series, and movies. With this hobby of course comes incessant eating. Yes somehow Ruy and I can't stop ourselves from munching our hearts away as we watch our favorite shows.

We didn't want to be such unhealthy pigs you know? Over a year ago we vowed that we would stop eating chips altogether and try to be healthier. Yet, all these wonderful plans disappeared when we saw this...

We were so curious. We loved wasabi peas but they were quite pricey. These Oishi Ridges - Wasabi flavored chips come cheap at around 23 pesos for one big bag. Normal people can actually share this bag and be satisfied...meanwhile I find myself giving Ruy the evil eye whenever he tries to touch my bag.

The chips themselves look very nondescript and very ordinary...almost boring. I remember the first time we opened a bag. I was confused when I saw the chips. Where was the wasabi? Was there a mistake? How could this plain chip be wasabi flavored?

One bite and I was convinced. The chips give off the unmistakable flavor of wasabi in a way that wasn't overpowering. The combination of the flavors is sublime the saltiness of the chips goes perfectly with the slightly sweet and quite potent wasabi flavor.

Things You Don't Know About Us

2009-06-14T14:57:00.002+08:00

1. Liv didn't like Chinese food until Ruy forced her to eat some.
2. Ruy's frustration is that Liv won't eat in carenderias and turo-turo
3. Liv's frustration is that Ruy can't seem to cook for two. His dishes always last them 5 days.
4. Ruy generally doesn't like sour things. Liv loves them. Andrea shares Ruy's dislike for sour things.
5. Liv is Ruy's biggest critic when it comes to his cooking. Liv is her own biggest critic. She is never ever satisfied with anything she has ever cooked or bake.
6. They both love In-Yo (now called Ninyo) and think it's so much more sulit than any of the hotel buffets.
7. Liv sincerely believes that she has 2 stomaches, one for main dishes and one for desserts.
8. Ruy's into ice cream and Liv's into cakes. They both like frozen yoghurts
9. Ruy can't stand natural yoghurt.
10. Andrea is beginning to be as takaw as Ruy and myself. She likes pesto, pizza with camembert and blue cheese, etc.

What's Been Keeping Us Busy

2009-06-14T14:31:00.002+08:00

So, needless to say, Ruy and I have been terrible bloggers. Ruy does not even consider himself a blogger anymore as we've been in absentia for far too long. So for some of the people who still check out the blog I guess we owe you some sort of an explanation for our absence.

What's been keeping us busy? Andrea, cooking, watching cooking shows and eating. Yup. That pretty much sums up our life these past few months.

Ruy has basically been cooking up a storm as he's been inspired by all the cooking shows we've been watching. He's currently obsessed with Iron Chef Japan but we've also seen Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, and Iron Chef America. Ruy is going gaga over these shoes. Every night before we sleep he'll have to watch at least one episode. Obsessed much?

I can just imagine how excited he'll be when he found out that I came across a site about Vacation Homes which has an awesome contest related to Hell's Kitchen! The contest is called the Chef Bonnie Weekend Getaway. What will I win in this contest? First I get a free airfare from wherever I am to the vacation home I rented. Second, the rental fee will be waived. Next, and the best part I believe, I get a gourmet meal cooked for me by Chef Bonnie.

I really shouldn't be talking about this here cause the more people who know about this the more competition I have...but this is just too good to keep for myself.

How We Choose Restos

2009-03-01T22:42:00.004+08:00

Ruy and I have been going out for almost a decade and choosing a place to eat is still as difficult as ever. Whenever we go out there are different things we consider, these are:

Craving - I'm usually the one with the cravings and so Ruy has to choose between letting me have what I'm craving for or hearing me whine for two weeks (true story!). My cravings are so insane that I once made Ruy eat in Jatujak 3 days in a row. (Side story: my cravings disappeared when I got pregnant, weird huh?!)
Price Point - are we in a kuripot mode or not? The interesting thing here is that when we eat in inexpensive places we usually end up spending just as much as we would in pricier joints. I think we get carried away with the ordering when we see the cheap price.
Family Place or Not - We don't bring Andrea to bars or drinking places like Gerry's or Dencio's, etc. If we're taking Andrea we need a place with space for her to walk around and run around. If we're not taking her then this is not part of the options at all.
Atmosphere - lighting is essential together with the restaurant furniture. When I'm stressed I look for restaurants with nice booths where I can snuggle up with Ruy or Andrea. Other times, nice restaurant chairs would suffice. (Incidentally I saw a site called Fashion Seating with really great furniture for your restaurants. The price is just unbelievable and their selection is HUGE. Why am I looking at this? Well let's just say that it's a dream of Ruy to open up his own resto in the future and it looks like the only thing we can afford at this point are the bar stools, chairs and tables for http//www.fashionseating.com)
Location - we have no problem going to Tagaytay, Pampangga, or Subic just to eat but you'll have a difficult time inviting us to Makati. Ruy and I have an irrational fear of Makati...don't ask my why. =)

This is how we choose...how do you guys choose?

Love is in the Air

2009-02-02T08:34:00.004+08:00

And when there's love...there should be food. =)

Early Christmas Greeting

2008-11-26T15:43:00.000+08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

What Sandwich Am I?

2008-11-21T23:52:00.003+08:00

You Are a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

You are a traditional person with very simple tastes.

In your opinion, the best things in life are free, easy, and fun.

You totally go with the flow. And you enjoy every minute of it!

Your best friend: The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Your mortal enemy: The Ham Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

Oh no, it can't be! I need my meat!

Mario's Part 1

2008-11-04T22:56:00.004+08:00

Ah, finally! This post has taken a while I know, but nevertheless, I will not be delayed any further. A great experience is always worth sharing and relishing and this experience definitely falls under that category.

Our first blogger event ever and it couldn't have been any better. Thank you Spanx for the invitation.

Liv and I, I must confess are one of the few non-experts at Mario’s that evening. Having eaten in Mario’s only occasionally growing up and once as a couple, I guess we had quite a blurry grasp of what our favorites were except for the oysters which we had for our appetizer. With our wisdom falling short, we thought it best to make sure we experienced what Mario’s was all about through Fil Benitez’s sagely judgement.

Salpicado:

This dish left me in awe…. It was magnificent not in that it was so complex but because it seemed so simple … Liv and I could have argued over who ate what but being the meat eater between the two of us, this dish was MINE.

Served modestly on a bed of white rice with a drizzling of light sauce and topped with the requisite garlic flakes, my Mario’s salpicado experience began the moment I slipped my knife effortlessly to part the earth toned beef’s flesh with seductive ease. Taking a few seconds revered with a deep breath, I proceeded to bare the beautiful pink, tasty, perfectly cooked beef underneath. Expertly pan-seared, Mario’s Salpicado is an homage to the beauty of 1st class Philippine beef as it relies primarily on the natural flavor of fresh, top notch beef rather than the flavor of any sauce. The zen of salpicados, this Mario’s favorite left me satisfied and reminded me that keeping it simple is really the best way to go.

Seabass

Served with rolls of maki. This dish started out as a bit on the bland side, it was lightly seasoned with a drizzling of sweetish sauce that adds a shade of sweetness. I initially thought that there must have been an oversight in its seasoning or perhaps too little sauce (the kitchen was incessantly churning out freshly cooked food for quite a number of hungry bloggers after all) as the dish for some reason didn’t seem to come together for me at first. It was only until I had it with the maki that I realized that I was quite mistaken. A piece of fish, some sauce and a bite of maki revealed the reason behind the combination. The lightly seasoned Chilean seabass and the sweetish sauce was complimented by the soft rice, delectable mango and the bursting flavor of the nori. I find it quite a marvel how the intriguing maki played a vital role in integrating the different elements of the dish. What seemed like an odd mishmash coalesced and everything seemed to fall into place.

Overall, the fish was fresh as expected and like the salpicado, the Chilean seabass’ natural flavor served as the focal point of the entire dish.

(Thanks to my very generous wife for allowing me free reign at her food);p

Up Next

2008-10-28T19:02:00.001+08:00

Eathing Healthy

2008-10-18T09:46:00.003+08:00

2 years into our marriage and I would have to say that the biggest change - other than Andrea - would be our eating habits. We eat so much more now compared to before we were married. It's sad I know but it's completely true.

In the Philippines this is taken as a sign that you're happy with your marriage. While I would admit that I am (I don't know if Ruy is, I better ask him), I don't think our eating habits have anything to do with happiness. We are just simple voracious eaters. We are not gourmets, we are gourmands.

We have talked about eating better, now that Andrea is growing the motivation to do this is even greater. We know we need to be role models for Andrea. Yes, she eats healthy food now but she will eventually want to eat whatever it is we're eating. This means we better start eating healthier food...and fast.

There are lots of sugar substitutes out there but a lot of them taste artificial. Salt substitutes on the other hand are a bit harder to come across here in the Philippines. I watched a show in Discovery Channel explaining that while the tongue has a lot of sugar receptors - which explains the fact that there are soooo many sugar alternatives out there - meanwhile, there is only one salt receptor resulting in a very limited number of alternatives for salt.

The good news: we saw a website which offers yummy looking salt alternatives. The bad news: it's not available locally. Waaah.

I guess eating healthily will have to wait (don't you just love excuses?)

Okonomiyaki

2008-10-15T20:51:00.005+08:00

Walking down this dark alley one cannot help but be thrilled at the prospect of what awaits you on the other side. The alley is hidden and can easily be missed if you don't know what to look for. There's something sexy about going somewhere hidden, it's as if you're in on a secret that a lot of people don't know.

The secret is Kagura and it's heavenly Okonomiyaki.

Kagura is a small resto within the Little Tokyo area and is the only resto there specializing in Okonomiyaki.

What is Okonomiyaki you may ask? Wikipedia defines it as:

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, Okonomiyaki?) is a Japanese dish consisting of a pan-fried batter cake and various ingredients. Okonomi means "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki means "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba); thus, the name of this dish means "cook what you like". In Japan, okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region.

The resto is tiny, it could fit 25 people at most. There are 3 tables for groups and the rest of the diners have to sit by the bar where they can be treated to the sight of the owner showing his culinary skills.

While it's true that we went there for the Okonomiyaki, man cannot survive on Okonomiyaki alone =) specially not men like Ruy and I myself who are voracious eaters. We decided to try some of their recommendations.

Cold Udon Noodle with Mentsoya Sauce Php230 - Cold. This is my only recollection of this dish. It's like eating rice puffs or rice crispies but instead of using cold milk, you used cold broth. It's a strange dish but I found myself eating it again and again throughout the night. I think the flavor grew on me.

Okonomiyaki with Pork, Shrimp, Squid, Egg and Cheeze Php 350 - I cannot write this without drooling. How can something so simple be so good? How can soomething which is practically just an omelette be AWESOME?

I don't know what this Japanese guys to these ingredients but the resulting dish is just fantastic. The dish is rich and flavorful with a great combination of textures. While the dish looks tiny it's surprisingly filling.

Saute Squid with Butter Php 188 - This dish celebrates the flavor of the squid. It doesn't try to mask the flavor, there's no doubt that the squid is the star of the dish. Simple. Satisfying. Good.

Kikumasamune Php 200 - Ruy has had sake before so this wasn't new to him when we ordered it. It was new to me however and I was a bit skeptical. Drinking hot alcohol just seems wrong to me.

I'm glad I trusted Ruy. The sake brought me joy...and it brought Ruy amusement seeing me semi drunk while saying SA-KE over and over again throughout the night

Somebody Spank Us

2008-10-08T22:29:00.002+08:00

Yes, Ruy and I have been very bad bloggers. We lost the charger of our camera which means we missed out on all our food adventures.

So what have we been up to?

- Liv's obsession with catfish salad.
- Our anniversary. Ruy wanted to eat somewhere fancy but I wanted Jatujak (hello catfish salad)
- Chef Tony's Popcorn
- Ruy's Tomato Cream soup made using our new pressure cooker (bought on sale, woohoo)
- Ruy's Pork Liempo cooked using the Turbo, with a yummy sauce made with pork drippings and hoisin.
- Ruy's 3-week long craving for Sliders.
- Hau, the new Chinese Resto in SM Marikina (they have yummy sisig made from Lechon Macau)

So many more adventures we weren't able to capture =( The good news is...we have a new charger so we're ready to document our future adventures. YEY

Dorylicious

2008-09-07T21:00:00.007+08:00

Going around different food blogs just fills my mind with ideas and visions of cooking possibilities. While some are too daunting, too complicated or outright impossible to attempt, there are some that seduce, beckon and set off my imagination to try and find ways to make things happen.

This beautiful dish that I came across thanks to Ning's Heart and Hearth however is among those that didn't put me to sleep until I was able to cook it and satisfy my tummy's desire.

Fish Fillet With Vietnamese Caramel Sauce
(Recipe from Heart and Hearth)

This dish was simple but really good! The flavors so clean and light they seem to energize the tastebuds with the natural essences of rich earth and tranquil sea.

I used cream dory and followed Ning's recipe as faithfully as I could. The only modification/tweak I made was the sprinkling of ground peanuts at the end.

It was so worth the effort (and it didn't even take a lot!)

Quirky Tag

2008-09-01T23:06:00.005+08:00

Ning of Heart and Hearth tagged me to write 6 QUIRKY THINGS I DO. I thought to modify it a bit to 6 quirky things I do with food.

1. I love sili and take approximately 3 mins before I eat to pick the perfect 3 pcs of sili to slice into very tiny particles with my spoon which I eat with my food or mix with fish sauce and kalamansi.
2. I use my cellphone to store the recipes I cook. I am constantly typing in my innovations and modifications as I cook. The sad thing about it is that my old phone stopped working several months ago. All my old recipes were stored there.=(
3. I always have to order extra secret sauce for my Big Mac. I spread it on the underside of the top layer burger using french fries.
4.When I eat out alone, I'd rather eat in my car than in the restaurant. I just order the food , take it to the car and eat while parked. Somehow it feels homey in there.=)
5. I love cherry coke so much but can't find cherry syrup anywhere so I just put 7 whole cherries into a huge glass of coke when I watch DVDs at home.
6. I love, love Chowking's Naicha and just recently learned to ask for extra caramel syrup. Sweet!!!

Tagging rules:1. Link back to the person who tagged you - that's me. 2. Mention the rules on your blog. 3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours 4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them. 5. Leave a comment on each of the blogger's blogs letting them know they have been tagged.

Vicki, Liv, Noemi, Oggi, and everyone who'd like to do this.=)

Subic and Back

2008-08-29T20:27:00.024+08:00

This year has been very busy and draining for both Liv and myself. The demands and responsibilities of work, the scary serious (yet fulfilling) task of raising our rapidly growing baby Andrea, finishing and furnishing our own tiny house and more work again are among many other things that have conspired to give us a long shot at fulfilling our goal this year to have a nice, relaxing vacation as a couple.

Accepting this most likely fact, we had an idea one day to just go somewhere away from Manila to soak in a different atmosphere and of course, EAT. To make things "funner" we made it a family affair and took Andrea (with her yaya). Off to Subic we went!

SCTEX

The SCTEX makes going to subic more scenic and less tiring. Just take the exit in Dau and keep stepping on the gas till you get to Subic in no time (ok there's a speed limit for a good reason so don't step too hard).;p The scenery is unexpectedly pretty and offers views of quaint fields, mountains and hills. Just be careful not to fall asleep because it seems that not many people use this road yet and it can get pretty lonely and quiet specially during siesta time.

The toll fee is around P114.00 or close to that amount one way (Dau-Subic).

Arriving at around lunch time, we headed straight to Xtremely Xpresso. I've been raring to try their Big Ben Pizza ever since I read about the place in Dessert Comes First (it was a great review delivered with Lori's usual mouth watering eloquence) so of course, it was the first thing I asked for (gimme! gimme!). Taking a look at their menu, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had quite a wide selection of of other food as well.

What we had:

Smoked Salmon Capaccio (Php200.00)

It was great with the olive oil, capers and lemon. I thought it could have been smokier and better seasoned, but overall, I was really happy with the salmon. It was just fresh and simple.

Carbonara

The carbonara Liv ordered was really good. It wasn't overwhelmingly rich unlike some that fall into the trap of becoming an homage to seductive cream. It was seasoned well and the noodles were cooked perfectly. However, it was Liv's flash of brilliance that took the good carbonara dish to the realm of greatness. She topped it with the smoked salmon carpaccio!=0 It was just awesome...

And thanks to our nice window seat. We were able to watch our food get made like this

to become this

The Big Ben Pizza

Loaded with pepperoni and all other awesome meat a meat monster like me might possibly desire putting on a piece of dough, it was carnivore heaven. Olives, bell peppers and two kinds of cheese (I believe) were also thrown in to the party to complete the protein fest.

Although I have to say that the pizza was worth every peso, all the good things on top of the thick dough ended up quite heavy, and as much as I might have wanted more, the sheer volume of the whole thing had me tired after two slices. I guess there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing".
All in all it was a very good food experience and I would definitely go back to try the other interesting pizza flavors of theirs that I saw on the menu, among which are the Curry Chix Pizza and the Wasabi Mayo Seafood.

Later in the afternoon and after some duty free grocery shopping and after a failed attempt to get Andrea to have her first beach experience due to the rainy weather, merienda time found us still a bit full. Seeing Aresi (an old favorite resto of ours along Tomas Morato Q.C.) however, we decided a little reminiscing in Aresi's cozy ambience over some light snacks wouldn't hurt.=)

I forgot what this was called but it was some kind of crostini which we dipped in very yummy cream sauce. It was very good!

Old school four seasons... Yeah!

We were actually drooling over the leg of lamb course we spotted on the menu but after assessing our tummy storage situations, we reluctantly yielded to going back some other time for it (PROCASTINATION!! Ughh..)

I should also mention that the staff and waiters of Aresi were very helpful and friendly.

Soon after we were headed home. It was evening and evening meant dinner time. A late dinner in Pampanga it was and we had it at a place I first learned about from our friend Sakai's blog (which doesn't seem to be there anymore). This place is called a La Creme.

a La Creme is an unassuming restaurant right along Mac Arthur Highway with two stores that I know of (San Fernando and Angeles). The interiors are warm and homey and the atmosphere during dinner time is quite busy but happy.

Gambas

The flavor of the gambas was just okay for me. What I liked about this dish though is that the shrimps were cooked perfectly and stayed away from dehydration. Each bite of shrimp was met by sensations of juicy, plump and sweet as if a bunch of little crustaceans just jumped into a bowl of sauce and spices straight from the sea.

Surf and Turf

Still feeling the effects of the pizza, I decided to stay away from bread for the evening so I had to skip the cheeseburger sandwich that we love in a La Creme. Thankfully, I didn't feel too bad with my decision as the steak was seasoned and spiced perfectly for me while the deliciously subtle lemon butter dip and the rough smokiness of the grilled shrimp went so well with each other.

Cheese stuffed burger from a La Creme

This is what I was talking about.

A mound of beef which erupts and spills oozes of mozzarella cheese when broken. The veggies are served on the plate and not in the sandwich accompanied by a spot of breaded fries that have some kind of yummy garlic mayo dip. Liv just had to have it as it's definitely one of our favorite burgers.

La Creme provided the perfect food and setting to cap off a day of eating and travelling to Subic and back.

What Love Song Am I

2008-08-29T12:30:00.004+08:00

I saw this in Dreamwalker's blog and got curious.

Your Love Song Is

Thankyou by Dido

"And I want to thank you for giving me

The best day of my life

Oh, just to be with you is having

The best day of my life."

It's all good, as long as you're in love.

What Love Song Are You?

Vicki's Cupcakes

2008-08-25T14:15:00.011+08:00

Hey world! I know, I know, when your birthday post is composed of a blurred picture a a good natured rib from your wife about being behind on posts then it's most probably a sign that you've been a bad boy. Tsk, tsk...

Oh well, thats all the past now and I have to admit that I've been a delinquent blogger and I probably deserve to be put in blogger jail and under solitary confinement for months feeding on cold, mass produced instant food (nooooooo!!). However, life has to move on right? So here I am again saying thank you to all the people and friends who continue to visit our blog (specially those who constantly hound me to get back to posting).

My re-entry will be about something good. Something which is the opposite of me as a blogger. Lol.

Vicki's cupcakes.

Vicki is Liv's officemate. A good friend (to Liv), a super mom, a blogger, and one mean baker.

I've been a fan since the first time Liv brought home some of her brownies and I downed half a box in one go. How a working mom like her who probably keeps the same superhuman hours at work as my wife still manages to deliver the "goodies" is just beyond me. I'm just glad she takes the time to make a lot and sell some for other people to enjoy her creations.

My current favorite is her latest creation:

Orange Cupcake With Killer Cream Cheese.

The cream cheese just leaves you crazy for more while the flavor of the cupcake itself is just perfect (and that's coming from me who has never really enjoyed citrus in cakes except for this and Bellini's orange cakes). Put together, it's just a killer combo of sweet, salty and smooth on top and citrusy dense cake at the bottom. I love the fact that the cake is heavy and definitely hits the spot (for a takaw person like me, density and weight are very much appreciated). These cupcakes are a bit rustic and less refined than the more popular brands right now but they're every bit as tasty.

All in all, it's one heck of a cupcake for the price and Liv if you're reading this you know what to do. ;p

Too Easy

2008-08-20T15:49:00.005+08:00

Inspired by this post from 80s Breakfast I decided that I should get a *ahem* healthy dish in our diet somehow (between the chicharon's and the sisigs and whatnots). The original recipe called for almond slices but I wasn't able to find any in the store so I had to be contented with using cashews instead of almonds.

It was awesome. I can't believe something this easy to make is this yummy...wow.

p.s.
I'm sorry we haven't been updating this site too often, a little boy somewhere is being lazy. =) This site is updated more often so you can visit me there too. Ciao

BIRTHDAY BOY

2008-08-08T00:00:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday RUY!!! You're virtual image is becoming hazy...I think it's time to start blogging again. =)

Olivia's Recipes

2008-08-04T18:25:00.003+08:00

I am no cook. I think we've established this fact in this blog already. I have been forced to cook more and more lately. The fact that Andrea is not allowed to eat junk food and food with MSG makes it essential for me to learn how to cook.

I usually look at Key Ingredients from recipes and then adding my own ingredients or technique. Yes, I am indeed overly ambitious when it comes to these things. I barely know how to cook and yet here I am already disobeying the recipe.

This makes it extremely hard for me to duplicate any of the few successes I've had in the kitchen.

Vicki, a friend of mine who makes the best cupcakes, once asked me "Do you have any of these recipes written down somewhere?"...I of course did not. I told her "If I just write it down and follow the same recipe again and again...that's so boring. It's not exciting...where's the fun in that?"

Truth be told, I'm just too lazy to write anything down. Luckily there are websites now which will allow you to store your recipes and share them with your friends. I think I might just give this a try...if I'm not too lazy to type.

Funny

2008-07-31T11:11:00.001+08:00

You Are French Food

Snobby yet ubiquitous.

People act like they understand you more than they actually do.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Does this mean I am someone people pretend to like becuase I'm exotic but in reality they can't understand my taste? Hehehe I actually like this result cause I adore french food...well the little french food I've tried at least

Goldschlager

2008-07-31T10:15:00.002+08:00

The first time I tasted Goldschlager I didn't know what to think. It was definitely unlike any of the other spirits out there. First and most obvious would be the 24k gold flecks floating around the liquid.

You then open the bottle and be greeted by the smell. It's like stepping inside a Cinnabon store. The unmistakable smell of cinnamon draws you in and comforts you. It can't be that strong if it tastes like cinnamon right?

So you pour half a glass of Goldschlager and you bring the glass to your mouth. The texture is a bit thicker and more syrupy than others.

It tastes almost exactly like cinnamon syrup, like melted cinnamon candy. You can barely taste the alcohol. So you drink the remainder of the drink from your glass.

Then you TRY to walk...and you can't.

GOOD TIMES

Chilling News

2008-07-31T10:08:00.002+08:00

I was reading some news online and I came across a preacher who killed his wife and then stuffed her in the freezer for 3 years. This guy and his wife have 8 kids together! What has the world come to?

The guy hasn't remarried so I don't think it's a crime of passion, it's probably all about money. I don't understand why they would have to resort to these kinds of things? Don't they know there are other ways to resolve these? He could have just gone to the alameda probate attorney any day and his problems about splitting his wealth would be solved.

I think people think that lawyers are too expensive and would not want to waste money on lawyers. I think that's just plain silly, they would rather kill than work things out? It's crazy I'm telling you. This just goes to show you how difficult times are really now and people are resorting to extreme measures.

Gas and Cars

2008-07-31T10:01:00.002+08:00

My gas expenses are CRAZY. I think at the beginning of the year it was at around 42Php per liter and now it's at 60Php. So going to work now costs me more, interestingly enough my salary is still the same (ooops, hope my boss doesn't read this).

Ruy's luckier in this area. He gets free gas which is of course a huge thing for us otherwise we'd have to pay for his gasoline from Manila to Pampanga, Tuguegarao, Apari and back. Just thinking about the possible cost of that is giving me headaches.

My cousin in california was telling me that they're experiencing the exact same thing over there. Most people are actually giving up their fords and gm cars because they're gas guzzlers. He said that if you go to any used car san diego or rather any used car shop in san diego you'd find dozens of these kinds of cars selling for next to nothing.

On one hand, it's nice to know that the Philippines is not the only country hard hit by the rising gas prices on the other hand the fact that other countries are feeling it to makes it seem more out of control. SIGH my posts are depressing aren't they?

Payday Loans

2008-07-30T09:51:00.001+08:00

So here's more on depressing money talk. Every single time I go out with people the talk inevitably goes to money. Only a handful of people are immune to the down spiral of our economy and the insane inflationary rate. Can you believe that the inflationary rate for the 2nd quarter of the year is actually double to projected inflation?

A whole lot of people are beginning to live from paycheck to paycheck and we all know how unhealthy that is. What happens when you have an unexpected emergency? Where are you going to get the funds for that? I guess this is why payday loans are becoming so popular huh?

Is this why a taste of married life hasn't been eating? NO! We still eat a lot...trust us.

Economy and My Pocket

2008-07-30T09:46:00.000+08:00

I went to the market today and saw the price of rice. 35-60 a kilo! Can you believe it? It's crazy how expensive everything has become.

A lot of people I know are having difficulties making ends meet and these are professionals who work over 9 hours each and every day. Can you imagine how much more difficult it is for those who are trying to subsist on minimum wages? Andrea's yaya said that in her province rice costs 65-70. How can her family afford that? No wonder this poor girl has been relying so much on cash advances from me.

It's terribly sad how this is happening to the Philippines. We used to be the best in rice production and now we can't even afford rice?

Do you understand a word that’s coming out of my mouth

2008-07-12T23:10:00.002+08:00

"Do you understand a word that’s coming out of my mouth?"
-- Chris Tucker, Rush Hour

I feel like our darling baby Andrea is going to channel Chris Tucker and tell us this line very soon. She has been talking non stop lately but there are times (though it doesn’t happen often) when neither Ruy or myself could understand what she’s saying. It’s terrible cause you can see the frustration on her face whenever she’s trying to express something and she tries and tries and tries but still no understanding from us.

I feel so bad cause I’m the mother and I’m supposed to understand my daughter right? I also feel horrible cause at the end of the day I still don’t understand what she’s trying to say and unfortunately language translation services for baby talk don't exist as of yet.

Despite this occassional issue with communication Andrea's growing and developing unbelievably well (hey, I'm entitled to be biased cause I'm the mom)... Here's how she looks like now.

Coming Soon

2008-07-11T08:15:00.000+08:00

Decorating Bug

2008-07-10T20:24:00.003+08:00

Van and I have been putting finishing touches in our little homes. Van is of course so much more into the design aspect of home interiors. In fact, the most common phrase Ruy has been hearing from me is "Whatever's cheaper" (needless to say this frustrates Ruy to no end). Van and I have been talking about this so much that Jen B. got bit by the decorating bug as well.

She asked us to help her decorate her main living room. I think Van and I got over eager with having the creative freedom of redecorating the room and not having to spend a single dollar. We looked at so many things like coffee tables around the san francisco area, we also looked at rugs and lamps...we got too excited that we even looked at beds san diego or rather beds found in San Diego. The site where we saw these beds were quite affordable so we would definitely look into their other furniture more.

Inheritance Talks

2008-07-10T12:37:00.003+08:00

Dozens of families have been torn apart by feuds over inheritance. My own family has had bouts with this issue and trust me fangs and claws come out when the talk turns to money and properties.

I was watching Crime Night from Discovery Channel and I was shocked at the lengths people will go just to get their inheritance early. There was a son who murdered his entire family just to get the money and the property! Can you believe that?

I do know that desperate times have driven a whole lot of people to desperate measures. Luckily killing your parents need not be an option anymore. Did you know that there are now ways of getting your inheritance money safely and legally!! (What's the use of the inheritance money if you'll end up in jail right?)

You can cash in parts of your inheritance any time! Processing takes only 72 hours. This will save you a whole lot of time, effort, worry ...and blood! =)

Now as for Andrea, the only inheritance she'll get from Ruy and myself would be this blog...poor girl.

Xocolat

2008-07-03T23:35:00.006+08:00

Ruy and I are fans of the rich choco concoctions from Xocolat. We know of their branches in Eastwood and in Megamall and we were thrilled when they opened a new branch in Serendra.

This branch has an expanded menu with selections not offered in other branches.

Ruy is obsessed with this caviar mixture, the name of which escapes us right now. It's basically a mixture of cream cheese and caviar. You basically spread it on this toasted pita slices. Those who want to lessen the fishy taste of the caviar can squeeze the lemon on top of the caviar.

This is of course not your top of the line caviar, but it does satisfy for those cravings that you just can't shake off (like the one Ruy had). We usually end up finishing the bread before finishing the spread so we have to get an extra order of bread with this dish.

One cannot and must not go to Xocolat without having some of their chocolate offerings. I cannot tell you about these wonderful chocolate concoctions without the disclaimer that these are not for the weak of heart.

A personal favorite of mine would be the Taza de Xocolat. A sinfully rich and thick hot chocolate drink which some people find overwhelming but I am in love with.

For this trip however we tried something which is just as sinful but more for sharing. This is called the Frozen Hot Chocolate. An irony in name and a surprise in your mouth. This is eaten by popping a piece into your mouth, then feel the cold chocolate slowly melting and coating your tongue and throat with the richest, smoothest chocolate.

I've never gotten drunk on chocolate...not until I've had this.

We Apologize

2008-07-03T23:07:00.002+08:00

We're so sorry for not blogging more often. We're putting the finishing touches to our home and it's been CRAAAZY! We'll try better promise!

Quattro

2008-05-09T22:52:00.012+08:00

Sometimes you crave for decadence in your dining experience, but there are times when you just want food. Honest-to-goodness, no frills food. This was exactly the kind of food that I was craving for and this craving led me straight to Quattro.

Quattro has always been known to my group as a drinking place and not necessarily a food place. It was not until I joined my current company (which is run by the son of Quattro's owner) that I began seeing this place in a new light. Slowly, Quattro has become a place to go to for simple and good food.

Our menu for that night consisted of the following: Fried Cheese Puffs, Sizzling Tofu, Chicken Teriyake, Baked Fish, Garlic Rice and Quattro Carousel.

The fried cheese puffs were simple yet addictive. It's not overwhelmingly salty like you would expect as the batter has enough flour to compensate for the saltiness of the cheese. The garlic mayo dip also made it yummier. It was quite a steal at 85 pesos...we weren't able to finish it!!

Next we had the tofu with garlic, mushrooms and oyster sauce. It was a great dish which was lighter than most of the things we had. Once again, this dish was very inexpensive

The chicken teriyaki was another okay dish but it was a bit salty for my taste. I'm not sure if it seemed salty because I've had other dishes with salt in them and I was already saturated with salt when I ate this, or it was just salty. The salt content wasn't offensive at all, you would just need a whole lot of rice to eat with it. =)

Wooohooo, now here's the dish which made me drag Ruy up to here. The baked fish. This is one of their bestsellers and it's my personal favorite (thanks to Ruy who introduced this to me in the past). It's just soooo good!! 188 pesos will get you a white fish wrapped in foil with a garlicky sauce on top of it. I have never had it overcooked so I know that the people in Quattro really know how to cook their fish. I could eat one whole order myself! During this meal however I was kind enough to share it with Ruy...hehehe

Normally, we don't even mention rice in this blog but their garlic rice deserves some mention though. It's WONDERFUL. I have been trying to figure out what they do differently but I can't. My boss (whose family owns this resto, and who came up with the recipe for the rice) also refuses to tell me...sigh

They have a signature drink which is perfect for the summer time called Quattro Carousel. It's a concoction with Singkamas (turnip), Carrots and Cucumber plus a medley of fruits. It's refreshing and it helps you deal with the guilt of eating all the other dishes...after all it has veggies so it's healthy right?

(Our entire meal together with the drinks and 2 orders of Large Bibingka for take out cost us 800++...not bad eh?)

Marikina Delights -- Macky's

2008-04-30T22:06:00.004+08:00

Anyone who knows me would tell you how in love I am with Marikina. I have witnessed how this town has transformed from the rape capital of the Philippines to the thriving and bustling little town that it is now.

I love the cleanliness, the order and the friendliness of the people in this town. I would be a liar if I would not admit that the main thing which draws me to this town would be my food finds. One such food find would be Macky's.

To be honest, I have a bit of a complex when it comes to eating places. I am a bit afraid of eating in Carenderia's or Turo Turos...which I know is a loss of mine but I'm just generally uncomfortable in them. Luckily, I got to taste Macky's before seeing the place otherwise I wouldn't have dared go inside.

Macky's offers a variety of merienda fares but it's most famous for it's goto and tokwa't baboy. I have yet to taste it's goto but it's tokwa't baboy is to die for! The tofu used is always fresh, this could be due to the fact that this dish is always sold out before the day ends. The pork is replaced with Lechon Kawali which adds another dimension of texture and flavor to the dish. The sauce is addictive with it's wonderful mix of sour and slightly sweet. Those who, like Ruy and myself, fall in love with the crisp yet tender Lechon Kawali can order a separate order of it for 45 pesos, meanwhile an order of Tokwa't Baboy costs 25 pesos.

Macky's is found in San Roque and Concepcion Uno in Marikina City.

Isabela's Ramos Cafe

2008-04-23T19:52:00.004+08:00

Finally I get to post my favorite restaurant in Isabela!

A little place in a residential neighborhood in quaint little Echague Isabela. A town which is small even by country/province standards. Surrounded by ricefields all over and serviced by (my observation) a gasoline station (that regularly has rice drying in its service bays), a school, a cemetery, a number of carabaos, a rice mill, one church that I know of and the best pizza place in Isabela.

Ramos Cafe aka Cafe By The Park

Introduced to me when I first started going to Isabela for work, it has been a favorite ever since.

Imagine being in the middle of a burning desert at high noon and suddenly bumping into a Fruitas stall or maybe finding a spa on top of Mt. Everest with a hot spring bath.
That is sort of the feeling.

At that time I was a stranger to the province and the only food options I had then were McDonald's, Jollibee, Chowking, Felicita's Pancit Cabagan and lechon manok in the evenings.

Situated in a residential neighborhood, this sign marks the spot.

Cozy interiors really make you feel that you're someplace unique to everything else in the immediate vicinity.

A menu of homemade stuffed crust pizzas, pastas and dishes like surf and turf, roastbeef, seafood thermidore and a lot of other stuff you'd never expect to find in well... Echague.

Fresh flowers on the tables.

Salad and iced tea. I love their waldorf for less than a hundred. Although tweaked to fit local taste, I love the nuts and apples which cleanse my palate and refresh my mind.

The Italian favorite has beef, italian sausage, mushrooms, basil, pomodoro sauce, soft cheese and mozarella I believe.

Chef's Choice (my favorite) has ham, onions, bell peppers, young corn, pineapples which I was able to take a picture of as it baked in their oven with the fire burning on top of the pizza.

Oh, and I always request for a special twist to my cheese stuffed crust pizza which isn't on the menu. Bacon.=)

Price would be around the Greewich Pizza range.

Other favorites of mine would be their canneloni and shawarma with super yummy garlic sauce.

The chef/owner I heard worked in Mandarin hotel and Paris before retiring to establish this wonderful manna from heaven.

If you're ever in the area, Cafe By The Park/Ramos' Cafe now has a branch along Villasis Highway in Santiago Isabela which is smaller and not as secluded but definitely more accessible. But, if you want to experience the real deal, the Echague branch (which is also the owner's house) is just around 20 mins away. Take the Cauayan Isabela bound highway until you reach a fork in the road. Take the right prong which veers off the main highway and leads into a small town. Go straight (around a kilometer) till you reach a small intersection with an equally small Shell gas station. Turn left and go straight a few meters till you see the sign.

Seafood Challenge

2008-04-18T12:35:00.006+08:00

Recently, we got a nice haul of prawns brought over from Leyte courtesy of my vacationing parents. They came in various sizes which included some that were so huge they were bordering on "mutant-ish"! They were so big in fact, that I got restless, hesitant and doubtful if they were edible to me at all... Do I dare eat these huge creatures hauled fresh from the sea?
Kidding.
Guided of course by my trusty tummy's sagely wisdom, I was instantly filled by the presence of these huge sea beasts not with hesitation nor doubt, but rather, with great joy.
An opportunity for a feast of fresh sea treasures.

Appreciating the wonderful bounty we had, I was left with the daunting task of figuring out what to do in order to capture the sweet experience of the gastronomic moment.

Pressure.

The usual course prawns took in our household on the way to our bellies was either via the steamed route or via the curry route. This time however, I figured that the opportunity would be wasted on cooking what was to us, a common dish already. It was time to explore other options. A quest that led me from website to website to a Yummy Magazine Liv bought a couple of months prior, where I found a recipe for what seemed to be the perfect dish for the occassion. Prawn Thermidor (the mag is currently missing right now so till I find it, let me just recount the experience and skim over the details).

The Prawn Thermidore Experience:

I cleaned the prawns and cut half of the bunch vertically in the middle so that they opened up like butterflies. The other half was chopped into bits.

Then I sauteed the chopped prawns with mushrooms, veggies etc.

After adding some cream and seasoning to finish the filling, I proceeded to stuff it into the butterfly-cut prawns' open middle.

And topped everything with grated cheese as the final touch before putting them in the oven to cook..

The result:

Man was it good! The sweet flesh of fresh prawns stuffed with the creamy mixture of prawn bits, fresh vegetables and mushrooms meshed perfectly with the rich melted cheese. I followed the recipe faithfully and got rewarded in the end.

The result was a big wipe out of every last morsel of the mighty prawns, leaving only hollowed husks and carapaces as evidence of the feast.

My Personality

2008-04-16T06:38:00.000+08:00

Got tagged by Oggi to take this personality test. Here it is.:

ISTJ - The "Examiner"

ISTJs are responsible, loyal and hard working. They have an acute sense of right and wrong and work hard at preserving established norms and traditions. Because of their deep sense of duty they are dedicated to everything they do and are very dependable. ISTJs care deeply for those closest to them.

"ISTJs are very loyal, faithful, and dependable. They place great importance on honesty and integrity. They are "good citizens" who can be depended on to do the right thing for their families and communities. While they generally take things very seriously, they also usually have an offbeat sense of humor and can be a lot of fun - especially at family or work-related gatherings."
- Portrait of an ISTJ

Famous ISTJsReal ISTJ People
Andrew Johnson - American President
Benjamin Harrison - American President
Elizabeth II - Queen of England
Evander Holyfield - boxer
George H. W. Bush - American President
George Washington - American President
Harry Truman - American President
Herbert Hoover - American President
Jack Webb - actor, producer
Jackie Joyner-Kersee - athlete (heptathlon)
Thomas - Christ's Apostle
Warren Buffet - investor, businessman

Fictional ISTJs (Characters)
Angel Eyes - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Bruce Wayne - Batman Begins
Cliff Clavin - Cheers
Dallas - Alien
Darth Vader - Star Wars
Eeyore - Winnie the Pooh
Evelyn Cross Mulwray - Chinatown
Frankie Dunn - Eastwood in Million Dollar Baby
Fred Mertz - I Love Lucy
Gen. Yevgraf Zhivago - Doctor Zhivago
Jet Black - Cowboy Bebop
Joe Friday - Dragnet
Julia - Cowboy Bebop
Lornette 'Mace' Mason - Strange Days
Mama Montana - Scarface
Mr. Martin - Sitting in the Catbird Seat
Puddleglum - Chronicles of Narnia

I'm boring and I have the same personality type as Darth Vader. Waaaa... Good thing there's Warren Buffet to keep me optimistic.=)

Shameless Plug

2008-04-14T11:09:00.004+08:00

Do you know anyone who might be qualified? Send an email to oreyes@oneb-mail.com with their resume. =) The working environment is wonderful and the compensation is very competitive.

Chickpeas Crazy

2008-04-11T20:52:00.009+08:00

What should a man do to get his peace?

For a month I kept going back to this question as a murmur at the back of my head haunted me, constantly whispering two maddening syllables.

"Hummus, hummus, hummussss...."

It was like a rythmic chant that would send forth an accompanying gurgle from my treacherous acidic stomach.

"Pita, pita, pita...."

It was driving me crazy...

Thats me craving.

For a month I schemed, I dropped hints, I enticed and did practically everything I could to coax my sweet dearie Liv into singing the same mediterranean melody. Alas, it was not to be. Weekend after weekend of eating out everywhere (good places) passed but unfortunately, they just weren't the solution to my dilemma.

"hummus, Hummus, HUMMUSSS...."

The chant was getting louder and realizing that I was about to go more insane than I already am, I took the only option available.

I made it of course.;p

I never thought I'd ever make my own hummus (one of the things I just got used to eating out of restos), I never thought it was possible for mere mortals... As it turns out, it's quite easy.=)

Hummus was sesame seeds, olive oil, lime, salt and water blended together (which makes the tahini) that's then blended with garbanzos, garlic, lemon juice, garlic more water and more olive oil (the more the merrier!), salt, pepper and sugar to taste.

Pita was more difficult and scary as doughs intimidate me but using some flour (I wanted to use wheat flour but I had none available), yeast, warm water, olive oil, sugar and curry powder which I kneaded, rolled, flattened and baked, I came out ok.

The result was homemade hummus partnered with homemade pita (tweaked a bit to add a mild curry flavor).

I loved how it turned out. It was a medley of the wonderful flavors of tangy lime and lemon, garlic, rich chickpeas and olive oil slathered over bites of hot, chewy curry pita.

Aaahhh... Contentment.

No more noises, no more voices. Just peace.

New Junk Food Favorites

2008-04-09T08:58:00.005+08:00

These things are Liv's newest succcessful finds in Robinson's Supermarket.
Friday's junk food!
The four flavors we've tried (lranked from 1st to last accdg to my taste) are:

1)Cheddar and Sour Cream Potato Skins - My favorite! Each bite is flavor packed. Oh and aren't potato skins healthy?
2)Cheese Pizza Chips -Yum yum! Coming from a dismal bag of pizza flavored Combos with suspiciously small holes in the middle which resulted in worm sized filling (I seriously think the bag must have been part of a production batch error), this was definitely appreciated. Almost as flavorful as the Cheddar and Sour Cream Potato Skins.

3) Cheddar & Bacon Potato Skins - So far this would be my least favorite simply because it takes me around 5 bites to appreciate the flavor. What can I say, I'm impatient. Hehe...

The Quesadilla is still awaiting its verdict. Maybe later?=)

Ruy Online

2008-04-02T18:05:00.008+08:00

I know, I know! Its been a couple of months since I suddenly disappeared into the deepest sanctums of my hermit cave... Actually its more like the biggest challenge I've ever had at work. I got reassigned into a battlefield so to speak. So after securing a beachhead, fortifying my position and surviving the first quarter performance review pretty decently, I regroup and go back to manning our abandoned fortress. Our teeniee weenie blog.=)

Hello world! I'm sorry for vanishing, I'm sorry for my feeble corpus callosum which prevents me from multi-tasking, I'm sorry for missing out on so much from my old favorite blogs and new ones as well (Brian Gorrel's!)...

We're back. =)

So to begin, I will be posting about new eating places I've come across and enjoyed in the not too distant province of Bulacan. Home of many a Filipino hero and artist most important of whom would be Regine Velasquez. LOL.

Seriously, a few months of getting familiar with Bulacan and my tummy and tastebuds have fallen in love. No nonsensense, excellent food served turo-turo style is just the thing for a food soldier like me...

First among my new eating faves is Lutong Bahay ni Ka Damian in Plaridel Bulacan (which I learned about eavesdropping on two people talking about "the best ribs " they've ever had in their lives). Who could resist getting interested by such a bold statement? I had to find out for myself.

Now, I wouldn't say its the best I've ever had but it's definitely one of the most appreciated and enjoyed. A province-style grill that offers excellent barbecued ribs. Smokey on the outside, tender on the inside, this very affordable (price varies according to the size of the slab you get but a good size costs around P100) specialty treats its diners to what could well be the Bulacan version of Racks (with the added charm of the dahon ng saging food presentation and constant fanning of the ihaw-ihaw grill).

The sauce if I were to describe it would be a cross between a barbecue sauce and Mang Tomas (but not as sweet).

They also offer other grilled food such as liempo, pusit and skewered barbecue.

Just take the Sta Rita exit from the NLEX and turn right. You will see a Ka Damian branch not a kilometer away on your left side. I have to warn though that the branch is a pretty small place that seats around 5-8 I think. Keep going straight and much farther (around 2-3km) however and you will find a two story branch on your right. It seats more and offers an airy, outdoorsy feel.

Kublai's

2008-02-27T01:34:00.002+08:00

Kublai's was one of the restos Ruy and I frequented when we were just students. The experience of going back there, this time with Andrea, was definitely nostalgic.

Kublai's, when we were in college, offered the most affordable Mongolian Buffet out there. It's true that you could find a lot of restaurants offering their Mongolian Buffets for so much cheaper, but you'd be hard pressed in finding one with as much variety in terms of ingredients.

Mongolian Buffet virgins need not fear as Kublai's offers instructions for those who need them.

Ruy and I get quite competitive when it comes to our Mongolian bowls. We have our mini competitions to see whose bowl would be better. With victory as our goal, we went through the different ingredients Kublai's offers.

This is their carbs and egg section. You can choose from rice or the two variety of noodles.

The carb station is closely followed by the veggie station. I wasn't able to take a picture of all the vegetables but there sure were a lot! Squash, eggplant, corn, cabbage, bean sprouts, young corn, carrots....this guarantees that even vegetarians would get to enjoy this place!

Carnivores like myself would also enjoy the buffet which offers a whole lot of animals (hehehe). You have fish fillet, beef, pork, shrimp, squid, pork and chicken liver, crispy fish, etc. They even have pork tocino! My only complaint is that the ingredients don't seem to be at their freshest. The shrimp and tocino I tried were frozen, as if they were left overs from the day before. I hope I'm wrong in this assumption

I particularly love creating sauces for my mongolian bowls. Kublai's offers a LOT of sauces. They have the basic ingredients like ginger, garlic, onion, chili, lemon water, soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar etc. They also have ready made sauces like teriyaki, oyster, bulgogi, etc. This leads to a myriad of possible permutations in terms of the combination of ingredients. For those who might want to take a safer route, there are recipe guides to help you create your own sauce.

The bowls will then be sent to the kitchen which is clearly visible to everyone. The chef skillfully mixes our creations.

While Andrea watches in awe.

The result of this process?

This is Ruy's creation.

And this is mine.

Ruy kept on eating off my bowl and it was understood that I win this round...like always! Tsk tsk tsk...and people thought that Ruy was the cook in this household. =)

Ruy was not ready to admit defeat so he set off to create another bowl (which I seriously think was inspired by my winning bowl)

Ruy's second bowl -- I would admit that this was indeed better than his first. I could not eat another bowl though so we weren't able to have a round two of our competition...

The O's in Ruy's Life

2008-02-13T10:47:00.002+08:00

Ruy has two O's in his life...Olivia and Olive Oil. I cannot tell you which one he values over the other, that's a tough call.

Ruy and his dad have a very strong preference for Olive Oil. They would slather it on anything and everything. Thank goodness that Olive Oil contains good fat, otherwise their hearts would be in danger.

I first saw them use olive oil with the dish Bacalao a la Vizcaina. They would first cook the fish using olive oil and as if this wasn't enough, they would still drizzle olive oil on the dish right before eating it. Ruy takes this a notch higher by slathering his bread with butter then stuffing it with olive oil - laden bacalao.

I personally love olive oil in pasta dishes. I sauteed a whole lot of garlic in olive oil then mixed in the Italian Sausages made by Ruy and voila a really tasty dish! I have also learned the beauty of putting chili in a bottle of olive oil and drizzling this on your pizza. This takes a simple dish to the next level!

While olive oil is generally used in Italian cooking it is slowly being used in our local dishes as well. Two weeks ago my lola cooked her mechado using olive oil and it turned a simple every day mechado dish into something more interesting.

Out of curiousity, how do you like your olive oil?

Mapo Tofu

2008-02-06T14:02:00.000+08:00

There are a few things I’m not fond of eating and one of them would be tofu. A result I believe, of a tofu overload I had during childhood where we had tofu every other day for around a year or two as part of my father’s nutritional regimen for the family. This phase I believe supplied my tofu requirement for life.

That being said however, let me make clear that I still eat the wonderful invention that is curdled soy milk more popularly known as tofu. I have to admit though I don’t often get excited or do the dance of joy when I see tofu and bok choi being prepped for what is probably the only recipe its used for by my parents at our house.

A perk though of being nosy in the kitchen is that you get to “tamper” with what you don’t like too much and find a way to love it. Such is what has happened with tofu and me. A relationship that has gone cold but through an effort at reconciliation the fire was rekindled.

Let me share with you one of the recipes which has given tofu a new meaning to me in my life. An ancient but very common Chinese recipe called Mapo Tofu which comes with its own legend care of wikipedia

Ma stands for "mazi" (Pinyin: mázi Traditional Chinese 麻子,) which means a person disfigured by pockmarks. Po (Chinese 婆) translates as "old woman". Hence, Ma Po is an old woman whose face was pockmarked. Legend says that the pock-marked old woman (má pó) was a widow who lived in the Chinese city of Chengdu. Due to her condition, her home was placed on the outskirts of the city. By coincidence, it was near a road where traders often passed. Although the rich merchants could afford to stay within the numerous inns of the prosperous city while waiting for their goods to sell, poor farmers would stay in cheaper inns scattered along the sides of roads on the outskirts of the ancient city.

It is said that the first people who tasted the old woman's cooking were a farmer and his son who arrived late to the city during a terrible rainstorm. They were forced to find shelter in the old woman's home having found that all of the inns were full.

Pleased with the company, the old woman prepared them a meal from her paltry larder, including the dish now known as Ma Po Dou fu. The dish was so delicious that soon each time the father and son passed the old woman's home, they would stay for a meal. In this way, the old woman's renown spread as others joined the father and son in visiting and staying at her home. These visitors would often bring the ingredients for her dish so as not to burden her larder.

Ingredients: Recipe adapted from Rose's Kitchen)

350g soft bean curd (cut into 2cm cubes)
200g minced pork (I like it meaty)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 slices ginger, chopped
1 red chilli, diced
2 stalks spring onion, chopped
2tbsp canned tausi

3 tbsp cooking oil
7 tbsp water

2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sugar (i like it a bit sweet but you can adjust this accdg to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp rice wine (I used local rie wine but chinese cooking wine is the norm. I love how it works the pork)

Cornflour Thickening:
1 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp water

Method:

1. Marinate minced pork with 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp oil and 1 tbsp cornflour for 10 mins.
2. Heat the 3 tbsp oil in a wok. When hot, fry the garlic, chili, ginger and beans .

Add the marinated minced pork and continue to fry for a while more. Sprinkle rice wine and 7 tbsp water.

3. Add in the tofu cubes sesame oil, soy sauce and the remaining sugar.

Thicken with cornflour thickening.

Keep stirring for 2 minutes and add the chopped spring onions.

KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!

Arce -- This is How Ice Cream Should Taste Like

2008-02-03T08:44:00.000+08:00

It has been expressed more than once or twice in this blog that I am into cakes and Ruy's into ice creams. It's been a clear and clean delineation. It has worked well for us. I can eat my cake without having to share much with Ruy (imagine me rubbing my palms grinning in selfish delight) while Ruy can do the same with his ice cream.

Our peaceful world of dessert sharing was shattered when Mr. Manila Boy himself opened our eyes to the delights of Arce Ice Cream. He convinced us directly by telling us that they make really good ice cream and indirectly (you should have seen him devouring his ice cream sandwich made out of arce ice cream, it looked almost sinful).

The next day after meeting with Doc Chef and Spanx, Ruy trekked to the nearest grocery store to find a pint of Arce Ice Cream. Ruy took a bite and made a sound which sounded like "Uhm uhm uhm" with matching eyes wide open and a smile on his face. Score one for Manila Boy.

I was hesitant. I am not into ice creams and find most of the local brands to be too artificial. I don't know if any of you can relate to this but I find most local ice creams to be not cold enough. So I take one reluctant taste and boy was I blown away. For the first time ever...I asked Ruy to share his ice cream with me.

From that point on, it has become a staple during our trips to the grocery. Here are the flavors we've tried:

Orange - I love this but Ruy can't stand it. It tastes exactly like the Orange Freeze from Pancake House (which was a fave of mine when I was younger). For people like Ruy who are not into citrus, this is not for you.

Caramel - Love, love, love, love, love this. Oh and did I mention that I love it? Ruy looked for this as Spanx recommended it and this is the flavor which got us both hooked on Arce's Ice Cream.

Dark Chocolate - Ruy's current favorite and I'd have to admit that it's to die for. The best way for me to describe it is by asking you all to go back into your childhood. Remember those Chocolait Drinks which comes in those huge glass bottles? Take the taste of those, make them richer and add more chocolate...then turn them into ice cream. (Ruy said that he felt like he was tasting chocolate ice cream for the first time)

I'd have to quote the film P.S. I Love You...with one bite of this ice cream, life as we knew it ended. =)

Coffee Crumble - this was good but nothing out of the ordinary.

Ube - a creamier version of this popular filipino flavor.

We still have other flavors on our must try list: Dark Caramel, Avocado and Buko Lychee. We'll update you once we've tasted more.

Italian Sausages by Ruy

2008-01-29T20:55:00.000+08:00

One of the things I got to making courtesy of the long holiday vacation.

Italian sausages. One of my favorite sausages for its distinct flavor, spicyness, versatility and its close ties to another favorite food which is pizza.=)

I made two batches (due to Liv's demand) and immediately realized that the quality of meat is key in this sausage. There was a great difference between the meat of the two different meatshops I bought from. The difference in the freshness of one over the other was as bright as day. For best results, the meat has to be as fresh as can be.

Italian Sausage is very simple to make. All you need is some salt, fennel seeds and some chili flakes.

Approximately:

1kg ground lean pork

1.5 tbsp salt

1tbsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp chili flakes

(some recipes have paprika and minced cloves but i didn't put any in mine)

Just mix them all together and you're good to go.
You can make them into patties or stuff them into hog casings. This was the most exciting but scariest part. Hog casings can be pretty delicate and you need to handle them with care. I just used a sausage funnel and manually stuffed the meat into the casings. It took hours to stuff 4kg of meat (even with help) as I was just doing it manually and for the first time.

I went crazy over the fact that I could make these Italian Sausages as hot as I wanted so I made a separate batch for the chili monsters in the family, throwing in 1 tsp of chili flakes per kg.

At the end of the day my adventure got pretty good reviews from the eaters specially Liv.

How sweet is that.=)

Power of Pizza

2008-01-26T23:13:00.000+08:00

It's been said time and again that the fastest way to a man's heart is through food. Now, if you make that food pizza then you've found the shortcut to Ruy's heart.

I decided to come home one day with this:

At 11:30pm, one does not have much choice as to the food she can order. My choices at that time were KFC and Pizza Hut. I called Ruy and asked him what he would prefer and of course he chose Pizza Hut.

I have mentioned in other posts that I am not a pizza person and I only have a handful of flavors which I actually enjoy. The BBQ Ribs Pizza from Pizza Hut is that one flavor which slightly swayed my opinion on pizzas. This is the first pizza I actually craved. During my pregnancy the hormonal me would order this at 12mn...

This pizza is not for everyone. A lot of people are put off by the sweetness of the ribs "Pizza is not supposed to be sweet" according to these people. I do not subscribe to this line of thought. The more dessert-like things are the better. =)

This pizza has oodles of onions which further add to the sweetness of the ribs and its sauce. The ribs are marinated in the exact same way their a la carte rib dish is. The meat is tasty and tender although my husband is currently doubting their 'rib-ness', he says we can't tell what part that meat really is from as they're sliced in small pieces. I say I don't care what they are, if it tastes like ribs and it's labeled as ribs then that's what it is. =) Other ingredients include mushrooms and bell peppers though they're practically indistinguishable as the ribs and its sauce are the main attraction here.

Greedy old me decided to have their cheezy pops instead of the traditional crust. I made the mistake of eating the pops first (which are quite tasty) and ended up not being able to eat much of the pizza. The pops were really heavy on the stomach plus they make the pizza slice very difficult to handle leaving both Ruy and myself with toppings on our shirts. (Thank goodness I don't do the laundry)

Liv's Yummy Chocolate Mousse

2008-01-22T20:28:00.000+08:00

I never got around to posting a picture of the choco mousse from Chef Liv's kitchen.

Here it is:

Like I said, it came out a teenie weenie bit fluffy but it didn't matter at all. It tasted excellent. The flavor of the chocolate came out like a beautiful midnight stroll, as my tongue gyrated in between waves of thick, silky smooth mousse.

My wife has the palate, I promise.

Great job Chef Liv!

Cook some more?=)

Racks Ribs - Food We Love

2008-01-20T23:01:00.000+08:00

For this entry, I am happy to be posting one of our all time favorite things to eat.

When we're not sure of what we want to have for lunch or dinner, this place is definitely a risk free choice because we know we'll enjoy our food.

Such was the case during our most recent Racks dinner. We were basically driving all over Ortigas (for quite a while) trying to figure out what we wanted to eat.

Really, sometimes you get to a point when you've enjoyed quite a lot of meals one after the other that it overwhelms like a power surge. As soon as you try to draw/pick just one of those experiences to relive for one particular dinner, your brain gets overloaded with flavors followed by confusion and then automatically shuts down, refusing to feed any helpful data.

For such moments, our old reliables, our comfort foods, play a most vital role to get us to eat without feeling like "we should have gone here..." or "I feel like I still want something else..."

Racks does that for us so we were just overjoyed when it re-opened in Ortigas after a period of hibernation.

Racks Fish & Chips was our adventurous choice that evening most probably because one of our options that evening was Fish & Co. We were very happy to potentially get the best of both worlds.

The coating of the fish was crisp and the flesh was not dry at all, however, it's not one of the best Fish & Chips i've ever tasted. It was just okay.

The two bottles in the background however, are definitely among the top barbecue sauces for me.

Liv paired it with white wine.

And of course, a rack of the oh so tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs basking in its smokey flavor which I love soaking with their signature Racks BBQ Sauce.

This is definitely what we went here for!

I ate this with a loaf of garlic bread as I was felt like eating "light" (who am I kidding?)...

Culinary Training

2008-01-20T07:40:00.000+08:00

Last Thursday, Ruy and I commemorated our 7th year as a couple. We would have wanted to celebrate but unfortunately we were both busy with work.

I decided that this occasion would be the perfect excuse to get Ruy something which he’s been wanting but has never gotten around to buying for himself, an instructional food book.

The book I got him is called Kitchen Essentials by Le Cordon Bleu.

I do think that it’s the closest thing we could get at this point in time to formal culinary training. Ruy already cooks quite well but he just wants to fine tune his skills and learn the proper way of doing things instead of just winging it and hoping everything turns out okay. So while he can’t take classes in Le Cordon Bleu, Scottsdale Culinary School, Hollywood Kitchen Academy, or Sacramento Kitchen Academy Ruy will just have to make do with that book.

Now in theory, buying the book seemed like a good idea but now I’m having second thoughts. Ruy’s “Must Buy List” is growing and growing and growing.. Sometimes it gets a bit ridiculous already. For example he wants to buy a mezza luna. This is a knife shaped like a semi circle with two handles (one for each side) and is used for chopping things. He also wants to buy a fish kettle. I have yet to see a fish kettle here in the Philippines and I think it’s just a funny thing to want for someone like Ruy who is not really into fish.

I might sound like I’m whining but I really appreciate having someone who likes cooking and can do it well. This is why I’m seriously wondering if Ruy should have formal culinary training, I’m just worried he’d go home with bags full of mezza luna’s and fish kettle. Hehehe

New Year, New Address

2008-01-18T00:23:00.000+08:00

With this new year comes something exciting for us. You can now find us at:

http://www.atasteofmarriedlife.com/

So please, please, please update your links okay?

Double-double, cheese-cheese burger-burger please please!

2008-01-17T19:54:00.000+08:00

Order: One double cheeseburger meal and one double cheeseburger sandwich.

Instructions: Put one double cheeseburger (except the bun and just the bun!) inside the other.

The result:

The double double cheeseburger!!!

Four mean beef patties and cheese + lots of pickles and onions = a happy Ruy
This beauty is a McDonalds favorite of mine. Not too heavy but definitely not whimpy.
Oozing cheese melts under the pressure of hot freshly cooked beef patties while a squad of pickles and onions lay in wait to ambush your senses with this fastfood wonder.

I used to get double quarter pounders but eventually decided to downsize to a more "moderate" alternative. I find it much tastier too.=)

Thanks Liv my honey for the pasalubong!

Close Encounters of the Blogger Kind

2008-01-13T07:34:00.000+08:00

It was a cold, rainy evening...the kind of evening which makes one lazy and content to just stay at home and snuggle in front of the TV. Ruy and I (being the boring, old farts that we are) would have been perfectly happy watching Top Chef at home but we braved the streets leading to Serendra to meet up with several other foodies/bloggers.

It was supposed to be a big group but some couldn't make it at the last minute, Anton was whisked away to Boracay. Toni's dad had an accident involving a motorcycle (we hope he's fine now Toni). Didi had another appointment. There was another girl who was supposed to go...we can't remember her name cause she stood us up...tsk tsk tsk. =)

The severely reduced group is now only composed of Spanx, Doc Chef and of course us two. From 8 people to 4 -- the number was cut but the fun wasn't. Good food, good company you can't go wrong with that.

We trooped to Cuillere for this dinner feast and it really is so much fun eating with other foodies. These are people who are not afraid of a few calories (carabo milkshake, foie gras, goat cheese..ulk) and who are not weirded out by someone taking pictures of food. It was quite funny to see how as soon as the food arrived, everyone had their cameras up.

Here's our take of the food we had:

(Arugula with Basil Vinaigrette, Cherry Tomatoes, Pine Nuts, Warm Goat Cheese Salad on top of a bread
drizzled with Honey, Php 385)

LIV: This salad would have been wonderful if only it was served at the start of the meal and it actually had pine nuts on it. I hate it when restaurants don't tell you that something's not going to be in your dish. It's as if they're just assuming you wouldn't notice it. Luckily, I was not in a bitchy mood and didn't feel like making any kind of scene.

RUY: I have to agree that it is quite disappointing to be served something that doesn't have what it says it has. I was also under the impression that they totally forgot about our salad because we were almost done with our main course when it finally arrived (after I followed up the order to a surprised looking waiter). However, I have to say that this salad was lovely. The goat cheese and honey combo was simply delicious. Rich and mildly salty cheese with fresh and sweet honeyed veggies. I'll definitely give this another chance.

(Breaded Chicken Breast Rolled with Ham and Cheese served with Lemon and
Tarragon Butter Sauce, Php295)

RUY: Yummy chicken. As soon as I had my first bite I totally forgot the lemon, butter tarragon sauce that came with it. The meat was very tasty and juicy with a hint of citrus. Delicious.

Looking back, I wonder what the thing beside the chicken is. It seems to me like runny mashed potato. I ate it and it was okay but what is it? Hay, I really lost myself wolfing down the chicken.

LIV: While Ruy's gushing over the chicken, I wasn't that much impressed with it. I would have to say that it's an okay dish but there's nothing distinct and memorable about it. This could be our fault cause we weren't able to use the Lemon-Tarragon Butter Sauce cause someone (ehem) didn't see the container of the butter. I have a feeling the sauce would have taken the dish to another level

( Pan-seared Foie Gras drizzled with Raspberry Infused port wine reduction served with a side of greens, Php 1,495)

LIV: This is the best Foie Gras I've ever tasted in the Philippines...granted I've only tried it in around 4 restos, so I can say that it's the best among the 4 restos...hahaha. It's really hard to go wrong with foie gras -- at the very least you'd have a good enough foie gras. If you are lucky you can have something wonderful and I could say that Cuillere's version is quite wonderful. They didn't fall into the trap of overcooking the foie gras and so what we had was a foie gras which retained it's buttery consistency. I would have been tons happier with more greens (somehow eating veggies with foie gras seems like the proper thing to do...it somehow feels healthier that way hehehe)

RUY: What can I say, authentic foie gras is just deadly. Every bite feels like a journey into Donald Trump's heavy taste in interiors where all the gold and ornate carvings would have been too much to bear except that each piece probably has a grand story (and costs a fortune). The foie gras was an artery constricting experience of rich flavor that oozes oh so gently on top of the palate like a shining custard from seductive hell. I don't think any amount of this opulent indulgence will ever be enough.

I liked the raspberry syrup too.

(Ice Cream Sandwich with your Choice of Ice Cream Flavor)

LIV: Ah the dessert of Spanx with the deceiving glass. When the waiter placed it on the table, the glass tilted dangerously and the ever alert Doc Chef with his surgical precision and spider-like reflexes tried to rescue it. Only to find out a few seconds after that the glass was really designed that way. It was still a valiant effort Doc Chef

(Stewed Apples with Toffee Syrup, Whipped Cream, Flambeed with Brandy and Topped with French Vanilla Ice Cream, Php 195)

Liv: The decription was soo tempting that I was expecting something marvelous. I was a bit disappointed with what we had. It wasn't bad at all...it just wasn't as phenomenal as it sounded.

(Carabao Milkshake : Cheese Flavor, Php 195)

Liv: This for me was the biggest disappointment. I've heard people sing praise about this and I found that it tastes just like melted ice cream.

Ruy: My sentiments exactly

Liv: In general it is a commendable restaurant but with it's reputation and it's claim I guess I was expecting it to be several notches higher than the usual restos here.

Ruy Experimenting: Ginataang Pansit

2008-01-09T23:55:00.000+08:00

I just wanna share a little dish I thought up daydreaming during one of my long travels. Ginataang pansit.

I just love coconut so much that I'd love to sneak it into anything anytime I can and having just cooked a pretty okay pansit immersed in teriyaki and oyster sauce (haven't posted about this yet). I just thought that perhaps coconut milk could do the same trick. The idea seemed simple enough, and it was.

I thought it would work best with seafood so I cooked it with shrimps. Sauteeing the usual stuff, a seafood cube, carrots, onion leeks, chicharo and shrimps, I added coconut milk (around 2cups) and the dried pansit canton (around 400g) noodles which sucked the yummy liquid in like crazy. Adding a bit of water to make sure all the noodles would get cooked, I then put in my final ingredient which was kangkong.

The product was pretty good. The noodles had a distinct milky taste and the seafood flavor was very prominent but not overpowering. The kangkong complimented everything excellently.

Quite easy and rewarding, I'll definitely do this again. =)

To Sell or Not to Sell

2008-01-09T23:29:00.000+08:00

That is the question on our minds right now.

Ruy has been running around the kitchen like a chicken with it's head cut off....wait let me rephrase that, he's like a chicken with ADHD with it's head cut off. He has been cooking and cooking and cooking. While I generally like what he cooks (Ruy says I'm his worse critic) there are some I don't really understand (like his next post) and some which I'm head over heels in love with.

I tried one of his creations last month and honestly told him "Honey I would pay for this". I realize that we could actually sell some of the things Ruy makes. The problem is the logistics. Time to make everything and more importantly, time to facilitate transactions and delivery.

I wish we had something like this shopping cart software which would help us immensely. It helps merchant who need a venue to market their goods.

Oh well, I really think this is a viable idea and I hope we can work around the kinks.

Stuffed Chicken

2008-01-04T20:59:00.000+08:00

A late new year's post this is but I insist on making it a new year's post nonetheless.=)

My first stuffed poultry (chicken).

Inspired by the thanksgiving posts and articles in some blogs and food magazines I've read, I couldn't resist the call of stuffing. The thought of packing a hollowed husk of poultry with a stuffing born from one's most beautiful dreams and wildest imaginations (anything goes) was just too seductive an ode to ignore. I could be as creative, crazy, carefree with what I wanted inside the womb of my chicken. Naturally, I thought to put in/incorporate the dish that I love to cook most abd which could possibly work. Chili. =)

Oh sweet freedom.

Here's a rundown of what happened.

I bought a whole de-boned chicken (which I just learned is readily available thanks to Liv's Food Magazine) and marinated in Lemon butter with roasted garlic and pepper.

Prepped ingredients for the stuffing.

With mad glee I sauteed ground beef in a LOT of onions and tomatoes, spicing it with cumin and chili powder and some liquid seasoning.

Having sauted it till the onions were satisfactorily translucent and tomatoes turned to liquid, I then added mushrooms and red kidney beans (in the absence of pinto beans in the grocery).

When I felt the timing was right, I added tiny cubed potatoes and some fresh chili peppers.

As a final touch, I poured in around three fourths of a big Chiz Whiz bottle.
And tada! Ruy's mexican pistolero chili stuffing was finished.

With just my keen bolero-sewing intuition (meaning I just sewed away without a clue on how its really supposed to be done), I was able to seal in all the stuffing I dared cram inside the chicken.

However, thanks to my ignorance, I didnt think to dust off the garlic bits from the marinade which clung all over the chicken before roasting it. The garlic bits burned and left some not-too-nice looking black pockmarks on the roasted chicken's skin.

Anyway this is how it cooked.

Thankfully except for the pockmark eyesores, the chicken didn't burn and it wasn't raw. It was actually quite juicy and the skin was tasty. Whew!

I just wish the de-boned chicken offered more meat to go with all the stuffing I put inside. As it was, the chicken disappeared way before the surprise that was tucked inside of it.

Now that I write about it, I realize that I am thankful for the opportunity I have been blessed with to embark on such a whimsical but luckily successful project. I'm thankful for all the people who are willing to entrust their lives to my cause by happily eating these things I make (the most willing of whom is my wife) and making sure that I can cook without any thought of food going to waste . =)

To all the people who take the time to read this blog, thank you very much and I wish I could all give you a bite of my first stuffed chicken.=)

With all the love stuffed inside my heart, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Chef Liv

2008-01-01T10:57:00.000+08:00

Olivia's Chops with Herbed Butter:

An original blend of of pork chops marinated in lemon, butter and spices (garlic I was able to identifiy garlic and basil among others among others) slathered with a buttery herb sauce.

I liked it a lot! The taste of the pork chops as evenly balanced and the butter sauce gave a nice dose of herby flavor.

Spicy Tuna With Creamy Pesto:

Another Liv original, this was a tasty dish made from spicy century tuna blended with cream and pesto on a bed of springy, aldente angel har pasta. Quite good. This provides another way to cook the ever versatile canned tuna.=)

Herbed Potatoes Ala Liv: Inspite of Liv's constant complaining that she made it too salty, I thought it went really well with the pork chop's subtle flavors and added a necessary flavor. Baked in olive oil and herbs, this was good enough to be eaten by itself.

Fluffy Mousse:

When Liv opened her final surprise for dessert I was just delighted! She baked a chocolate cake! It was absolutely delicious and moist, fluffy like a sponge cake and a very tasty chocolate icing. After around two slices of praising the "cake", it was only then that I realized that Liv has been referring to it as "chocolate mousse!!! She's been trying to tell me all along that it was supposed to be chocolate mousse but for some reason or accident, the chocolate dough (brownie?) base rose ridiculously when she baked it in the oven (too much baking powder?) and turned into the sponge cake i was devouring! Haha!

Oh well, it was one heck of a delicious mistake.=)

Kitchen Crazy

2007-12-29T20:42:00.000+08:00

I would like to report that Liv has totally gone kitchen crazy today. Imagine, she spent the entire day cooking at her lola's house!
With Liv's legendary aversion to cooking. I am dumbfounded and speechless... I'm wondering right now if I should have her checked by a doctor or something. Hahaha!

I am now anxiously waiting for her to arrive with pasta, pork chops and a chocolate cake she baked! It's crazy! I'm grinning from ear to ear, overflowing with joy as I eagerly await my wife's masterpieces. I feel like I'm in fantasyland.

As I Lay Me Down to Sleep

2007-12-27T07:50:00.000+08:00

"As I lay me down to sleep

I think of what else I could eat..."

Ahh the joys and pain of being married to someone who eats as much as you do. You end up indulging in gastronomic sins together...it's so much fun I tell you.

Ruy bought a bottle of wine for one of his cooking adventures and with a bottle of opened wine in the house you can be sure Ruy and I would not waste any time in putting it to good use.

We were on the bed watching Hell's Kitchen when we both decided to indulge in some snacks while watching TV. What are our snacks of choice?

Pate de Foie, Grapes, Cheese, Cream Cheese, Toast and Red Wine

Ruy had been on a roll this holiday season, while the elves were busy making toys Ruy was busy cooking up a storm. I'm sure he'll tell you all about his experiments in future posts, meanwhile let me pre-empt him by telling you about the fabulous Pate de Foie. He created a pate mixture out of chicken liver and other secret ingredients which tasted soooo good. I call it the poor man's foie gras cause it has the same buttery consistency of foie gras pate....we put it on toast and as if that wasn't sinful enough Ruy thought it would be fun if we put a bit of whipped cream cheese on top of our little hors dourves. Heaven on a toast I'm telling you.

We also had two kinds of cheese; tilsit and gruyere. Tilsit has a strong taste matched only by it's stronger smell, my car is still suffering from this gastronomic bomb. Thank you to my boss Bobby for recommending this cheese. =)

The grapes and the wine were good for two reasons. One was free and the other one was on-sale. Hahaha!! These things make food taste so much better don't they?

Santa has something for our readers very soon

so watch out!!

Cabanatuan- Vicentico's

2007-12-25T10:59:00.000+08:00

Hidden in the heart of Cabanatuan City N. Ecija is one of its best dining experiences.

An old house turned into a surprising setting for a restaurant offering a beautiful outdoorsey, experience which takes my imagination back to the time of binibinis in kalesas and katipuneros lounging around and relaxing before a gruesome offensive (like the two waiters in the picture below who are trying to get a breather before the influx of dinner customers).

This grotto provides a haunting centerpiece that relaxes the diner with the slushing sound of water casacading down its base of black boulders.

The food:

I've eaten here several times before I started blogging and I must say that the quality of food this place serves is consistently good (most of the time).

Adobo - I'm not used to adobo with sibuyas but the first time I tried it here I loved it. It has now become a favorite here and I order it every chance I get. The caramelized onions I realized add its natural sweetness to adobo's perfect blend of salty and sour. Nice flavors which have tastily set inside tender cuts of well marinated pork.

Gising-Gising - Another favorite here. If I were to describe it I'd say it's a local, spicy version of sweetish, seafood chopsuey with tofu. Unfortunately, the veggies were quite overdone this time.

Garlic Rice - Quite good.

Sisig - I just love their version of this. A spicy and deliciously blended dish of diced lechong kawali with lots of crunchy bits of deep fried lechon skin served with an abstract swirl of mayo.

Tico Tico - Basically buko shake with gata, pandan jelly and sago. As good as it sounds, I found it surprisingly lacking in the flavor department. I could barely taste anything.

Overall I'd say Vicentico's is definitely a "must go to" place in Cabanatuan for a laid-back dining experience and above average food. The price of the food, I would say, is comparable to Gerry's in Manila (which is quite pricey by provincial standards). It's best to eat here with companions so you get to try different stuff or set meals per table which are also great.

Vicentico's is located in front of the plaza by the old provincial capitol bldg. Watch out for the small sign.

A Dinner and Som's

2007-12-25T09:56:00.000+08:00

Finally I get to write about my Monday before Christmas Eve. Dinner at Soms Morato (on top of Zensho) in the company of awesome blogging friends: DocChef, Spanx, Jen and Didi!

A wonderful event that took place through the efforts and organizational skills of Mr. Manila Boy Spanky Enriquez.

I was just awed. I was in the company of REAL experts.

Spanx, one of the famous Pampanga Food Tour organizers who goes everywhere eating anything that is food and "basta kasya sa bibig" really imparted a lot of knowledge and entertaining blogging stories and blogger chismis.=) A fledgling blogger like me could only listen with wide eyed enthusiasm.
Thank you for the yummy bagoong with gata!

DocChef (Jeff), who will go/drive anywhere, pay any price for a food discovery or to satisfy a craving. As his name suggests, he is no pushover in the kitchen as is evident with the yummy chocolate chip cookies he baked. Thanks a lot for sharing them with us!
He is also a proud owner of a wonderful Kitchenaid mixer (which has me green with envy).;p

Jen Tan, simply one of the nicest bloggers I've met. She'll drink, or chug rather, anything that's heavilly infused with caffeine in between restaurant hopping and multiple bingeing.;p
Most importantly, she's one mean baker with an amazing Banana Peanut Butter Bread!
We've yet to try her sour dough which has won the nod of approval from the discerning palate of DocChef.
Good thing Liv and I braved the traffic to drop by her office.=)

Didi, fresh from her bicol trip and airline adventures, she left us bitin because she had to leave really early to attend an important affair I believe.
No matter, the short period was enough to let me know that she is every bit as enthusiastic and sunny as she is in her blog. We have to meet up again when she's not busy and hopefully with Liv who wasn't able to make it to the Som's dinner because of an important meeting at the office.

Guys THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I really have to say that I was like a fan that evening. I was simply mesmerized and happily out of my league with all of the blogging and eating veterans and true food experts I was with.
Keep posting in your great blogs and til we eat again!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T17:06:00.000+08:00

In the light of the season, I would like to extend a Christmas Greeting to everyone who reads our blog.

Here's our special greeting from the small family of Ruy, Liv and Andrea.

Christmas Message

ENJOY!!

Be Back Soon. Like Very, Very...

2007-12-22T10:46:00.001+08:00

Whew! Last week was just a killer. Pre-vacation wrap ups at work had me in Pampanga, Cabanatuan, Isabela, Cagayan and Tarlac!
Anyway today I'll be doing alot of groceries and more Christmas gift shopping for inaanaks. But really the most important part iss doing the groceries. I have GRAND PLANS this Christmas, NYAHAHA!! You'll know about it in time of course.;p
I'll be hopping over to my friends blogs really soon as well. I miss tormenting your blogs.=)
See you later!

Grocery List

2007-12-16T00:06:00.000+08:00

I ADORE doing the grocery. I love it so much I sometimes find myself going twice or thrice a week. To be honest, doing the grocery seems to be the only time I have completely to myself. I take advantage of this by spending hours in the grocery.

This hours are not wasted however as I chance upon several great finds that I want to share with all of you.

In the past couple of months, Ruy and I have been enjoying several treasures from various groceries and so without further ado, here is our first batch of Grocery Finds:

1. Hershey's Truffles - Ruy earns major pogi points for being the one to introduce me to this variety of Hershey's nuggets. We came across this in Duty Free and in Subic and I thought it wasn't going to be available in regular stores. Imagine my delight when I saw a pack in SM Hypermart! 2 weeks after I saw some in shopwise, after that I saw a pack in Robinson's supermarket. YEY!! They're becoming readily available!!

I am particularly fond of Hershey's Nuggets because of their size and thickness. I find the regular Hershey's Bar somewhat puny and I find it hard to enjoy something when I can barely feel it when I eat it. Nuggets offers enough resistance when you bite into it to let you know that there's a good amount of chocolate in it.

The Truffle variety offers another layer of texture to the formerly homogenous chocolate mixture. The filling offers some sort of resistance when one bites but this is one resistance I openly welcome.

2. Hershey's Caramel Kisses- while Hershey's Truffle Nuggets is all about chocolate, hershey's caramel kisses actually lessened the chocolate content of the actual kisses. I've always been adamant in telling people that it's not really chocolate if it doesn't melt. Chocolate is supposed to melt, it's a law of nature not different from the law of gravity. As this kind of kisses doesn't melt as much as the normal kisses I assume that there isn't as much chocolate in each piece. That I believe is an even trade as when they took away the chocolate they replaced it with caramel...lots of it. I can't believe they were able to fit all that caramel in one tiny piece of kisses...Ruy who's not as much of a chocolate lover as I am actually loves this and so I am recommending this to people who want something novel.

3. Oishi Ridges in Wasabi Flavor - Ruy and I went through a 'wasabi' phase. We bought all these wasabi flavored nuts and peas etc. Just when I thought we were finally over the wasabi phase then voila this new snack emerges.

I can't get over how amazing this is. When you look at one chip it looks so unassaming and boring. Then when you put it inside your mouth you'd be surprised at how strong the wasabi flavor is.

TO DIE FOR!!!

We have several more items to tell you about. Watch out for the rest in a few days. Meanwhile, we'd love to hear about your grocery lists. Tell us about your great finds so we can try them too!!

Andrea - Future Chocoholic

2007-12-10T18:15:00.000+08:00

It looks like our little one can't wait to join in our food adventures.

Ayayay...it looks like we'll have to increase our food budget very soon. (No she didn't turn a year old yet, we're just celebrating her 9th month)

Isabela Eating Places- Aling Amie's Barbecue

2007-12-09T07:43:00.000+08:00

Everyone has their own favorite barbecue place. Be it along a busy sidewalk (or the sidewalk itself), under an old tree (kapre inhabited? probably) or some dangerous alley or eskinita. Whatever the case may be, no matter how far, sometimes even at a risk to personal safety (or maybe not, but you get my point), most of us have an allegiance to a particular barbecue place with the recipe that best suits our taste.

Street food being a favorite in the Philippines ranging from kwek-kwek to the newly popular fried humongous mutant calamari and of course the all time favorite barbecue stalls, they would easily number in the tens of thousands by my estimation (a good part of which would profess to be the "best" or "D' Best!").

So in the barbecue category which I believe to be the most popular, my favorite sadly is Aling Amie's. I say sadly because as much as Aling Amie's big hearty smile makes my day as soon as I walk up to her stall, and even before a chunk of her barbecue grazes my palate, the unfortunate fact of the matter is that ours is a long distance love affair (sorry Liv honey it's nothing personal. Its just barbecue). She's in Isabela.

Aling Amie operates a small stall in Santiago City's wet market. Her place is located in a narrow aisle in a far flung side of the market. Not many people who don't go marketing there have heard of her. Living in obscurity, hidden in a dingy nook, I thought that this was indeed the kind of place where legends gestate prior to their perfect moment with destiny. Like Obi Wan and Yoda who had to lose themselves in the deserts of Tatooine and the jungles of Dagobah before playing their most important roles in the universe.
Aling Amie is no Jedi (at least not that I've seen her wield any lightsabers) but if you would ask me, her sticks of barbecue are almost just as deadly (pardon the way I get carried away with my analogies).

So what's with these unassuming sticks of skewered pork?

Simply, Aling Amie's years of experience and mastery.

Grilled a bit well done, her barbecue remains tender enough to be chewed with a smile of delight. I wouldn't say it's the tenderest of all but its up there. The cut of the meat is chunky enough that each uling(coal) streaked extraction of the meat from the skewer rewards the eater with significant portions of meat to sink the teeth into. More than the texture however, its the flavor that I constantly crave. A flavor that reminds me of Aristocrat (one of my barbecue favorites in Metro Manila) I can't quite point a finger why exactly but it does. This taste according to aling Amie is achieved by marinating the pork for a long time in her special marinade. The rest is achieved through the Force.

Yep, for P20 I get a barbecue as tasty without the need for any sauce or dip and an urge as seductive as the dark side to pair it with her pancit palabok, her real specialty, which deserves a new post altogether.

Coming Soon: Aling Amie's Pancit Palabok "A Disturbance in the Force"

Food Meme!

2007-12-06T23:41:00.000+08:00

I got tagged for a meme by Oggi and I thought to myself, "I can do that!". ;p
Thanks Oggi, I had fun doing it.=)

What were you cooking/baking 10 years ago?
Spaghetti and garlic mushrooms.

What were you cooking/baking one year ago?
Barbecued Jack Daniel's Ribs and Roasted Chicken

Five snacks you enjoy:
1)Pizza
2)Chicharon with bagoong, tomatoes and rice (Yes this is snack to me. I like to eat this while watching DVDs after dinner).
3)Lucky Me instant Pancit (Extra Hot)
4)Homemade Nachos
5)Garlic peanuts

Five recipes you know by heart:

1)Chicken curry
2)Roasted Chicken
3)Carbonara
4)Crabehhh (Crab in sweet crab fat sauce)
5)Ruy's Garlic Pasta

Five culinary luxuries you would indulge in if you were a millionaire:
1)Truffles
2)Foie gras
3)Lobsters everyday
4)Wagyu (Kobe) beef everything
5)Prawns bagoong?

Five dishes you love to cook/bake:
1)Tom Yum
2)Chili
3)Binagoongan
4)Pizza
5)Kaldereta

Five dishes you cannot/will not eat:
1)Dog meat
Thats all (so far)

Five favorite culinary toys:
My pasta machine/roller which I should start using.
I'm not very particular about the stuff I use for cooking and love everything in the kitchen.
The ones I use most would be the saute pan, chopping board, wok and skillet.

Five dishes for your "last meal" menu:
1)Roasted Suckling Pig
2)Kare Kare
3)Baked Lobsters
4)Lumpiang Ubod (I used to be known as a the Lumpia Monster)
5)Ensalada of talong, seaweeds, onions, tomatoes, chicharon and bagoong

Five happy food memories:
1)Han Pao Noodle Feast with Liv. This dish slowly her on the road to appreciating Chinese food which she previously wouldn't touch. Now she's North Park Girl! *proud* =)
2)Eating the yummiest Tom Yum in by the sidewalk in Thailand. The prawns were so huge I couldn't finish one!
3)Lobster dinner in Blue Bacon with Liv for Valentine's
4)First time I tasted my secret chili recipe.
5)Everytime Liv and I eat out.

That was fun. Anyone who wants to do this is welcome to do so. Please let me know so I can check it out.=)

Bellore: a Fusion of Gourmet, Innovation and Affordability

2007-12-02T18:35:00.000+08:00

Let me start out by saying that although my relatives own shares in the restaurant which I'll be reviewing in this post, it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I loved the food so freaking much... It was a surprise really. I NEVER expected (or perhaps dared not expect for fear of being dissapointed) the food to be as excellent as it was.

The delicious revelation happened one great day (Day 1) when Liv, Baby Andrea and I met up with friends Ingenious Jen and Pastry Guru Elaine. It was the day I walked into Bellore a skeptic and came out a believer. I've had two Bellore days in a row now and I can't wait to go back.

It has been around a couple of years (I believe) since the idea of putting up a restaurant was first considered by some relatives (cousin and uncles). A brainchild born out of our family's love for eating (I believe) and a burning entrepreneural spirit. Two initial driving forces that eventually turned into an unstoppable will with the interest and involvement of my uncle Paul (now chef and father of the restaurant's menu).

Thus the birth of a place that has been clearly imprinted and sealed with the mark of commitment to affordable, honest to goodness, quality food delivered with the warmth of one big family working together with love.

A restaurant that offers a great value for money by providing scrumptious and exciting food that is prepared fresh with utmost care for quality and perfection from preparation to plating with a menu that introduces gourmet innovations and daring fusion concepts brought to life by the talent of the chef Paul Reyes.

Bellore

Here are the things we've tried so far (before going any further though, I have to warn you that the following pictures still punish me whenever I see them on an empty stomach).

Gula Malacca Wings : Chicken wings glazed with gula sauce and topped with sesame seeds.
Gula Malacca is a type of sugar which originated in Malaysia and as its name suggests, Gula Malacca Wings glides into the palate with a playfully sweet taste that is trailed by a barrage of spices accented by the crispness of the coating and an occassional burst of sesame seed inside the mouth. (P140)

Pollo Al Forno/Italian Roast Chicken: One of my favorites in Bellore. It is a simple roast chicken dish that stands out with a delightfully sharp flavors of citrus and spice on tender to the bone meat. Roasted to perfection, the skin is crisp and beautifully browned while the flesh remains so juicy. (P160 served with rice or bread, soup and salad)

Miso Glazed Salmon: Very intriguing and ultimately rewarding. This dish offers generous slabs of fresh salmon perfectly cooked. The pink flesh was moist all the way to the core. It was so soft it felt like butter melting inside my mouth. The Miso glaze was brilliant with it and gave bursts of flavor to keep the dish very interesting to the senses. It almost drove Liv crazy.
(P240 served with rice or bread, soup and salad) I was further impressed.

Osso Bucco: A dish I enjoyed for the rich sauce which was heavilly flavored with the taste of olives, tomatoes and herbs which smothers generous pieces of extremely tender beef.
Bellore's version of this popular Itallian food definitely holds it's own.
(P240 served with rice or bread, soup and salad) The serving is quite big.

Day 2 was lunch with Liv, my brother and mom. These were what we enjoyed.

Hairy Prawn in Danielle Sauce: Be awed. This interesting looking creation packs a delicious serving of plump prawns at its core. The "hair" actually provides a pleasurable twist and play in textures as you slowly get to the heart of the dish nestled in creamy Danielle sauce.
(P240 served with rice or bread, soup and salad) compared to most restos offering prawn dishes. I have to note that this price is pretty good.

Scallopini in Pomodoro Sauce: Tender porkloin cooked in Pomodoro Sauce. Unfortunately due to too much photographing, I failed to have a taste from my mom who was the one who ordered this. Although she said it was very tender, she didn't find it as good as all the other dishes she's ordered in Bellore before.
(P180 served with rice or bread, soup and salad)

Cream Dory with Lemon Butter Dill Sauce: Now this is one of the bestsellers. Dory fish cooked in light batter just to give a perfect crisp as you cut into the soft juicy flesh. The chef recommended that we fork a few strands of dill and dip into Bellore's lemon butter sauce. Wow...
(P 250 -Family Serving- Good for 2-3 persons and comes with a single serving of rice)
That's a lot of scrumptious Dory. =)
Liv again had the Salmon in Miso glaze for lunch. She's obssessed with it I must say.

How could I have forgotten this (this is a late addition to my post). Baby Back Ribs with Roasted Apple: Meaty ribs in thick, fruity glaze/sauce served with roasted apple slices with flavors that are quite bold and intense. More subtle senses may find the tastiness overwhelming but this is just how I like it.

(P240 served with rice or bread, soup and salad)

The sides:

Vegetable salad in strawberry vinaigrette comes free with the regular Entrees. I don't fancy vinaigrette too much but Liv liked it.

Curried Pumpkin Soup- Now this is what I'm talking about. Rich pumpkin soup with a curry twist. My favorite. I couldn't believe this generous bowl of heart-warming pumpkin was free with the Entree. (P70- Ala carte)

Old-Fashioned Assorted Mushroom Soup- A close 2nd to the Curried pumpkin Soup for me. The lovely texture of small mushroom bits makes a strong argument for this soup. It's delicious.

This is the other choice that comes with the entrees. (P70- Ala Carte)

A peach cream dessert that they were developing during our visit. It was very refreshing!

After a heavy meal, you can choose from the coffee beans they have available and have yourself a nice cup as you digest the great eating experience. (P35 if I remember correctly)

Gourmet indulgence on an average of P300 per person. not bad.=)

If you're looking for a place to eat special this is definitely a place to go and the best part about it is that it's still a "secret" as not many know about it yet. The chef is very warm and accomodating too (specially if you look for him and tell him Ruy sent you. Haha! ;p).

Located along Examiner St. (West Triangle) Quezon City, it is accessible via Quezon Ave. or West Ave. Just look for the sign.

Bellore.

They now have an Omelette Bar Buffet for Php135.00 Everyday from 7-10am.

Welcome to --- The House of Ru-Ru

2007-11-30T19:23:00.000+08:00

Jen would always ask me what Ruy and I had to eat over the weekend and for the past couple of weeks I've been raving about Ruy's cooking. Yes, Ruy is the appointed King of our kitchen. (it's debatable who actually appointed him as such). This being the case, Jen christened our house as the House of Ru-ru.

When Ruy cooks, he gets immersed in the moment...there's a monk-like focus to his demeanor and just between us he gets a tad cranky when things don't go his way. He is also not satisfied with anything that's just fried (yes, even if it is that liempo one post down). He wants things imaginative and different and matching. Meaning, if he's eating something fried, he needs soup and an interesting rice concoction with it.

One day, I thought of contributing something to the House of Ru-ru's gastric delights. I have just learned about the ready made chicken pandan found in SM groceries so I dragged Ruy to the grocery and for the first time ever I went to the meat and poultry section (i usually stop at the hotdog and bacon section) and purchased my first ever raw chicken.

Each chicken pandan piece costs 10 pesos which is quite a steal specially when you compare the costs to restaurants. Upon seeing this, Ruy's brain started trying to find the perfect rice dish to match it. I was initially thinking of Bagoong Rice (Ruy's bagoong is to die for!!) but Ruy had something better in mind.

Ruy initially wanted to try to make pineapple rice but while he was trying to research the recipe for this rice, came upon this recipe. It was a gutsy move for him to even attempt it but he decided to go for it.

It has to be pointed out here that Ruy goes all out when cooking. Yes, to the point of annoying me sometimes. Take this recipe for example...we had to go to 3 shops before finding the basmati rice. We went to Rustan's Katipunan, Rustan's Temple Drive and finally Santi's.

The basmati rice was cooked in coconut milk. We didn't have time to get this off the market so we (notice how I'm using the pronoun WE as if I had something to do with the recipe other than go to the grocery) had to settle for the next best thing...instant coconut milk. This was surprisingly almost as good as the real thing.
Ruy opted to use pineapple juice instead of water which added another layer of flavor to the already flavorful recipe. The resulting dish is not for the weak hearted...it can be very intimidating.
The recipe for the rice was surprisingly easy to follow. It's just a matter of putting everything together in a pan and waiting. I guess this didn't prove to be challenging enough for Ruru...errr Ruy I mean so he decided to make his life more difficult by making his own crystallized ginger.

It has to be explained that Ruy was a one-man-show during this entire process...he was taking photos while cooking. This proved to be disastrous so he ended up having to re-do the ginger.

So with the crystallized ginger finely chopped and the almonds sliced...the Thai Rice came to life.

I loved the rice so much I barely ate the chicken. What-a-meal!!

Speaking of Lechon

2007-11-28T00:40:00.000+08:00

Speaking of lechon, Saturday found me craving for O Kitchen's Binagoongang Lechon Kawali (without the bagoong so I guess that makes it lechon kawali).
I just had to be particular about the "version" as I was craving for the kind of lechon kawali with crisp skin and rather chewy but not suffocatingly squishy fat and juicy inside-crisp outside meat loaded with just the perfect amount of spices and salt to enhance the flavor.. The kind Liv and I enjoyed in O Kitchen.

Of course being the dreamer that I am, I envisioned myself recreating this dish with stunning success.

And so I TRIED.

I started by boiling liempo in salt and spices. I kept it a little longer than I felt I needed to in order to soften the meat and the fat more. I was working on the theory that softening it more would allow me to take it out of the oil as soon as the skin became crunchy enough, keeping it from drying up and ensuring the tenderness of the meat.
After boiling I plucked the liempo out of the pot and let it cool down.

Then I deep-fried it and used my ninja skills to avoid getting hurt by fat explosions.

Chopped into moderate serving sizes, I believe my lechon kawali approximated the lechon kawali of my vision at least in appearance. After taking a moment to appreciate it and give myself a pat on the back, it was time to compare the most important aspect. The taste.

The result: The skin was crisp and the fat was just the way I wanted it. The meat was a bit overcooked but not dried up at all (thankfully). I have to agree with Liv however that my creation could have used a little more salt (a common mistake for me as I'm just terrified of overdosing my food with sodium). I'll try to fix that next time.

Some people like their lechon Kawali with Datu Puti (vinegar) for the crunchy and sour sensation of eating chicharon (pork cracklings) while some like it with Mang Tomas (liver sauce) for a sweet and rich flavor to compliment the crispy fried skin.

Saturday's lunch was with Me,Liv and Mang Tomas.

Greenwich Lechon Pizza - A Pinoy Celebration in a Box

2007-11-25T09:44:00.000+08:00

When I saw the words "Lechon and Pizza" in one sentence I just had to back pedal and make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. I thought to myself, that if what I saw wasn't a mistake of vision from hunger, that would probably be one of the craziest ideas man has ever thought of. Looking closer, and reading closely, I saw with disbelief that indeed it was true.

I then marched in to buy one.

I will be brief with this post and be honest. I never liked any Greenwich pizza since the re-invention of the pizza chain and the scrapping of the Pizza Square (one of my childhood favorites). Until this pizza that is.

Following the Sisig Pizza which I appreciated for its boldness and innovation in using the Pampanga specialty as a main pizza ingredient (but didn't enjoy too much). This Lechon pizza takes it a notch higher by using probably one of the most well known and loved filipino dishes of all time, the lechon kawali, and throwing in an entire Filipino fiesta celebration inside a box of pizza.

Roasted garlic and spices permeating, I eagerly opened the box and had my nose delighting in the scent of a feast.

Biting in, Filipino hospitality welcomes you with a red carpet or should I say banig (straw mat) of textures coming from tender lechon and crisp roasted garlic. This is followed by the sweet harana (serenade) of pickled bell peppers (atcharra) and onion leeks while the light, fluffy and crumby dough exalts our native pan de sal by providing the perfect bedding.

As they say in American Idol, there is nothing like singing a popular song and making it your own. With this pizza, greenwich takes cooking innovation to a new level using Filipino ideas and ingredients successfully into the concept of pizza and owns it.

While this pizza might not be the best out there, it's a celebration of Filipino ingenuity and I think the creativity should be applauded.

Kitchen Adventure- Crisp, Creamy, Sweet, Spicy

2007-11-23T17:48:00.000+08:00

To me, there are few highs that could surpass the joy of visualizing something you want to create and actually being able to pull it off. In my case a week ago, it came in the way of two dishes.

Let me make it clear before proceeding that I'm no cooking expert. Rather, I'm probably more of a persistent eater or a stomach entertainer. I'm just someone who's willing to cook to be able to eat what I want and who likes sharing the fruit of my efforts with others (of course given that my efforts produce satisfactory results).

These cooking projects of mine usually start of with a flash of insight or a vision inspired by food that I read about, see on a cooking website, other blogs or food recalled from a previous meal. This is followed by intense scheming and visualizing of the flavors and ingredients necessary and some research. Now like I said, I'm not one to cook just for myself so before I proceed any further with my inspiration, I ask Liv what she thinks about the dish which I'm thinking of cooking. If she likes it then it's worth the effort. I then go scurrying to the grocery for ingredients.

This project started on a Saturday evening with me thinking of what we'll be having for Sunday's lunch. Drifting into sensations and textures stored inside my memory bank, I started brainstroming till my food library churned out the result in the way of a craving. I got two hits. Crisp and creamy and sweet-spicy. Unfortunately these hints were still quite vague and so I had to visualize these textures and tastes as actual dishes. I mulled over the parameters for a while until a stroke of inpiration and pure guts hit me. For this craving I was to venture into dishes which were quite complicated and ambitious --- for my skills.

Chicken Kiev With Mushroom Sauce

and

Shrimp and Cheese Stuffed Chili

Thankfully I got Liv to help me out (after a measure of persuasion) to extend her invaluable assistance with the preparation of the shrimps.

Chicken Kiev:

I basically got the main idea and procedure after a little research which led me to the Food Network, and being the adventurous (stubborn) person that I am, I altered it some to add some things and customize it according to my preferences.

Knowing I'd be hard-pressed to finish everything by lunch time on Sunday if I started everything that same day, I decided to prepare the chicken filling the night before:

Kiev Cream Stuffing:

Ingredients: 1 whole butter, 2 healthy stalks of chives, 1 spoon of tarragon, salt and pepper (I would have put parsley but I couldn't find any in the groceries and wet market at that time due to some problem with the Baguio crops I was told.

Procedure: Mix them all together and roll into a tube (like japanese maki) using plastic wrap. I stored it in the chiller overnight to solidify.

The following day, I started by preparing my mushroom sauce. This wasn't in the recipe but I felt that this would be nice to put on the chicken.

Ruy's Makeshift Kiev Sauce

Ingredients: 1 instant mushroom soup, 1 pack all purpose cream, 1/2 cup grated quick melting cheese, 1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms, some soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Procedure: cook mushroom soup and dunk everything in. Boil till satisfied with thickness (I know my cooking instructions are a bit on the "go figure side" but that's just what I did myself and failed to time anything! I promise to try next time. I just got so intense cooking that at times, I was working almost purely on instinct).

Finishing the things which needed separate preparation, I then went to work on what to me was the trickiest, most difficult part.

Prepping the chicken: This task was made tougher by the fact that the chicken breasts we had de-boned in the palengke wasn't perfectly done. There were still a few bones lodged inside the flesh which I needed to remove without damaging the chicken and the breast wasn't evenly cut resulting in very oddly shaped chicken pieces to work with. That being said, I had to work with what I had so work I did.

I spread plastic wrap on top of a clean table, put the chicken breast on top and another layer of plastic wrap over the chicken. The plastic needs to be able to slide freely off the chicken so that it deflects some of the force when you start pounding on the chicken. Yup, I pounded (I did it starting from the center working outward) until I thought it was the ideal 1/8 inch thick or when I felt that the chicken flesh was about to break. The goal is to be able to spread it thin and wide to wrap the goodies you'll be putting inside.

Other Stuffing and frying ingredients:
1/4 kg bacon (fried), spinach, flour, some eggs beaten in water, Japanese breading

The bacon.

And some nice leafy spinach (as Liv requested).

Rolling the stuffing in: I spread out my chicken breasts (somehow that didn't sound quite right), put three beautiful spinach leaves side by side (horrizontally) with a little overlapping, 2 Bacons strips (Vertically), then the hardened filling I made the night before sliced into small tubes and a spoon of bread crumbs. Carefully tuck the edges of the chicken in and roll it up. Secure with a toothpick or some string I guess.

Frying: Cover the rolled up chicken in flour, dip in egg beaten in 1 spoon of water, dunk in japanese breading then fry.

And it's good to eat.

This is what the inside looked like. I was really happy that I was able to keep the filling neatly in place in the middle and I was able to stuff it pretty well that the taste and texture of the middle came out.

Shrimp Stuffed Pepper

Pineapple Sweet and Sour Dip Ingredients:
I can sweetened pineapple juice (singles)
1 cup sugar
4 cloves garlic. Minced.
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 spoons ketchup
1 spoon veg oil
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Mix flour, sugar, pineapple juice, soy sauce until free of lumps
Fry garlic for 5 mins in oil. Put in Ketchup and fry 2 more minutes
Pour in mixture and stir until thickened. Boil a few more minutes then season with salt and pepper.

Stuffed Pepper Ingredients:
Beautiful green peppers
Shrimps
Quickmelting cheese
Lumpia Wrapper
Flour

Procedure:
Slit peppers vertically in the middle
Remove seeds taking care not to tear the pepper open
Grate quickmelting cheese
Stuff generously inside pepper leaving a little space to squeeze in shrimps.

Roll inside lumpia wrapper
Roll in flour and fry.

And there you have it. =)

It was really good. This recipe was inspired by the Food delivery guy at Liv's office who'd sell peppers stuffed with meat filling.

If there's one tip I could give amateurs like myself from this cooking experience, it's that if you have a hard time thinning the chicken breasts (or if you ruin it like I did some of mine), place the breast on top of a lumpia wrapper and stuff as you would a perfectly flattened chicken breast, then roll up tightly like sushi with the lumpia wrapper. It works!

Just main courses for now as I'm not yet skilled enough to whip up appetizers and desserts.

I know my instructions can be a bit vague as I usually get so immersed in my cooking that I forget to take note of certain details (like measurements!) and end up cooking by instinct. I'm trying to fix that as I'm going for consistency from now on.=)

I love excitement when I eat and I'm willing to take the extra time to look for and prepare things to enhance my eating experience like side veggies of kamatis and bagoong or just sawsawan with finely chopped chili. Cooking is just taking it a little further and I love it when I end up achieving things I never thought I could do and cook food I always thought I had to go to restaurants for to eat.

Of course it inspires me most to have people to share them with.=)

Hizon's - Za's Cafe

2007-11-21T08:43:00.000+08:00

This is classic favorite of my family. We go to this resto to celebrate occassions which are important to us like my sister's baptism or Ruy's pamamamnhikan. When there are no occassions to celebrate, we just try to make one up just to have an excuse to eat here.

I first took Ruy to this place when we were already dating pretty seriously. It was a big deal to me, it was like welcoming someone into my home. I've had memories after memories in this place. The waiters know my family, my sister crawled across the tables when she was a baby. And for the first time, I was back there with Ruy and Andrea, my own family.

Low-key and unassuming. This restaurant is too easy to miss when you're cruising along Bocobo St. in Malate. Looking at the exterior one would not imagine being able to find treasures inside.

We were immediately greeted by Edgar one of the wonderful waiters of Hizon's. Edgar has always been the one to assist us although most of the waiters were more than willing to give us what we need. I've always adored how the waiters in Hizon knew what they were selling. They were like the old-time waiters. They know their products, they were polite and they were nice.

We were seated and given the menu. I was surprised to see that after over a decade, they have now changed their menus. When I say they have changed their menus I am talking about both the appearance as well as the content of the menu. I suppose they changed the appearance to accomodate the change in price. The content of the menu is now a streamlined version of their old menu. It seems they have decided to focus on their house specialty and their best sellers.

We were given our iced teas. Ruy and I usually try to be a bit more imaginative when it comes to ordering our drinks but not in Hizons. We adore their tea which is not the instant kind. It's made from black tea with calamansi and sugar syrup. I adore it and my mistake is that I always drown myself in iced tea before the food comes leaving me with little space for the food. And we all know we need serious space for food.

As soon as we sat down, we were given butter and our bread basket. The bread they serve is their famous raisin loaf which sells for 85 pesos a loaf. Each bread basket has around half a loaf of raisin bread but they're very generous about giving you extra if you want some more.

For this meal Ruy and I had: Surf and Turf, Grilled Porkchops with Apple Sauce and Camaron Rebosado. Each plate comes with it's serving of mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Grilled Porkchops with Apple Sauce. This is a very simple dish and the name pretty much sums up what it is. You get 2 huge cuts of pork chop grilled, yet remaining very tender. The pork has a certain flavor which tells me it's marinated. The marinade is light and doesn't overwhelm the apple sauce. I've had these chops both with and without the apple sauce and they were good both ways.

Camaron Rebosado. This is an all-time favorite with our family. Their Camaron has a tempura-like breading which makes it a bit crunchy and crisp. It's best eaten warm drizzled with the sauce. I have to warn you that the sauce might be considered too sweet by other people but for someone who eats dessert before, during and after a meal...I LOVE IT!

Surf and Turf looked measly when I saw the plate, but I guess it must have been heavy on the stomach as Ruy wasn't able to help out much with the other dishes. The steak was cooked just right and remained tender despite being well done. The prawn was sized well enough to accomodate my husbands appetite.

We had absolutely no space for dessert so we ended up buying things from their bakeshop to take home.

Once we arrived home I attacked the Lemon Pie. Now, I knew from the start that I would be eating around 70% of this HUGE cake as Ruy doesn't like sour things and he doesn't like cakes as much as he likes shakes and ice creams. I actually imagined (or is it hoped?) that he would take one spoonful and then give it all to me. Imagine my surprise when he actually had several and proclaimed that it's actually good "for a lemon pie"...trust me that's a good compliment. =)

What I usually hate about Lemon Pies in general is how the meringue is overly sweet while the filling tastes too much like candy. I've also tasted several where the filling is too starchy. Luckily this particular pie didn't fall into that trap. Despite loving it soo much and taking around 4 hours to finish one slice (that's with the help of Ruy already) I initially thought it was overpriced at 180 pesos. Then I realized that huge slice is the same size as two regular slices of cake put together. I therefore conclude that it's well worth the 180 pesos we paid for it.

The food remains good, the service wonderful and the price reasonable--I have every reason in the world to come back. What I am looking forward to the most is being able to create memories with my my own family, Ruy and Andrea, which is somehow connected to the memories I have created with my Mother, My Aunt, my sister, my stepdad, etc.

(P.S. I would have wanted to talk about the variety of bread and cakes offered in Hizon's bakeshop but it would make this post too long. I'll write another post about it in the future. =))

Smorty-fied

2007-11-21T00:11:00.000+08:00

As Liv and I are always on the lookout for ways to increase our food budget we are so excited about Smorty. Smorty is a site which offers advertising solutions which benefit both the advertiser and the blogger. The advertiser gets to advertise on blogs while the blogger earns money.

It's so simple yet so brilliant. What could be better than getting paid to blog? We are already blogging regularly so why not make money of it?

What makes Smorty a great platform is their regular payment period. They pay weekly (generally every Friday) so all you need to do is: 1. Post the opp, 2. Wait for the 5 day approval period, 3. Get paid immediately the Friday nearest the approval date. It's that simple, no more waiting for 1 month just to see if you've been approved then waiting a few more days to see if you have been paid. If you have been observing the steady decrease of the dollar versus the peso, you would know that the sooner you get your hands on the dollar the better.

I have already mentioned our plans of using the money we'll be earning on the further expansion of our waist bands so remember, an ad today...a foie gras tomorrow!

Isabela Eating Places- 48 Steak House

2007-11-16T17:34:00.000+08:00

Home again at last! it's been a long week and after the long vacation, the demands of work are once again calling and the the usual stresses slowly sinking back in.

Oh well it was a very productive week at work with a new food discovery to boot!

Yup, that's where I came from.

But what's important is what I discovered there.

HOUSE 48!!!

Tucked inside a quaint little village away from the noise and bustle of the main roads of Santiago City, lies a haven for the hungry and carnivorous.

A steak and pasta place that disguises itself as a house is further camouflaged by similar looking row of houses in Santiago Isabela's Baptista Village, I learned about House 48 from a colleague who lives there and who was very glad to accompany me in trying the place out.

We got there pretty early but with me being pressed for time, dinner at 5pm seemed like a great idea. Sitting down in a nice and cozy dining area we asked for the menu and got started. With House 48 being known for its steak, I ordered myself a porterhouse which I chose over the other steak cuts upon the kind waiter's recommendation.

And so our delightful dinner began.

Starting of with a lovely tomato soup that had me chasing after the rich flavor of tomato and spices with a sprinkling of mysterious crumbs that were just delicious.

Paired with slices of pleasingly chewy french bread and butter.

Want meat?

This cut was huge even for me. I have to admit that I was surprised that P400 got me such a huge slab. I barely finished it.

It was cooked a bit too well for the medium well that I wanted but I don't mind.=) The meat was very tender although the flavor of course wasn't as rich and beefy as the much pricier imported steaks in Manila but given all the other positive factors, I wasn't disappointed at all. The meat was soft and quite tasty while the mushroom gravy and their home made steak sauce were good.

Dessert was a choice between vanilla and durian ice cream. Guess what I had?=)

House 48 gives a dining experience that is homey with a very country feel. It makes embraces you like a very welcome visitor and offers food that comforts after a tiring day served by people who are very accomodating and knowledgeable. Definitely one of the best places to eat in if ever your in the area.. =)

House 48 can be found in No. 48 Daisy St. Baptista Village Santiago City, Isabela.

Okay, now I've got to start cooking for dinner!

Craving for Ice Cream

2007-11-11T11:32:00.000+08:00

One sleepy November 1 afternoon , I found myself craving for a serious ice cream merienda. Problem was, I didn't just want the regular ice cream from the grocery. I wanted ice cream with the works. I wanted chocolate drizzle, I wanted marshmallows. In short, I wanted it pimped out.

I told Liv about my predicament and being the trouper that she is, immediately said yes and only asked that we take Andrea with us. Of course.

All that's left was figuring out where to go.

Not being in any mood for much driving, I had to get the ice cream somewhere close. The place needed to have something for Liv other than ice cream (most probably in the way of good cake) as Liv's so not an ice cream person. Come to think of it, it wouldn't hurt if they also had real food to prep our taste buds for the anticipated sweet indulgence. Oh, and since we were taking Andrea, I also had to consider her need for space to crawl on and do a measure of walking practice. Lastly, it shouldn't be too damn expensive for merienda.

With all these factors to consider, there was one place my brain could come up with that probably addressed all our issues.

Hot Rocks.

It's somewhat weird now that I think about it (ending up in a steak joint for merienda). But that's what happened and it totally worked.

The staple pitcher of iced tea: We always get this I think more for the pretty and refreshing color more than anything else.

Food:

Having decided that it would be a sin or a waste of energy at least to go to Hot Rocks without getting a steak, I got a Hot Rocks Prime Rib.
It's been quite a while since I had steak here and as I saw it coming out of the grilling area I must say I missed it. The steak was expertly done by the"taga ihaw". Better than usual even, because being the only ones eating there at that time, he had the opportunity to focus all his talent into our lone prime rib steak.

The result: Beautiful.
It had the smoky outer flavor that sinks into juicy prime rib flesh as you bite into it. Of course you don't expect a huge slab for P140 (or thereabouts) but for merienda it was just right.
We didn't eat the rice that came with it and I forgot to tell the waiter I wanted a side dish of veggies (bummer). Oh well, I was just getting started.

Liv wanted something lighter and more merienda-ish so we got a pizza. Tomato Basil Pizza that is. Another beauty. Super light and garden fresh in flavor. The crust was very thin it was barely there. The downside is, if you've got a pretty big appetite, this P100 pizza will barely pop your belly button.

Andrea also had fun moving from table to table in between courses.

As a fitting finale to our impromptu merienda, I ordered what initially prompted our Novenber 1 merienda adventure.

A scoops of Ice cream on top of blocks of chewy brownies drizzled generously with chocolate syrup (only P90+!)... There's just nothing like being able to realize a vision set by your hungry mind.

They also serve amazing cakes which Liv's just crazy over but due to our heavy "appetizers", she just opted to have a couple of spoons of my ice cream while I cleaned up the rest. Damn, I thought I'd get to try my ice cream with her cake too...

3 Things I Can't Let Go of.

2007-11-09T23:00:00.000+08:00

I was tagged by Jen:

NAME 3 THINGS YOU CAN'T LET GO OF:

Can I make this a hundred? Haha. Liv knows so well I have issues with letting go of things.

If I have to choose just three then it would be

1. My computer. Work or play, it just saves the day!=)

2.Aircon. I just need to get into my perfect hibernating temperature before I sleep. More importantly, I hate sweating in my sleep.

3. My books! As much as Liv would love to get rid of them, I just have to put my foot down on the matter. I love re-reading my books so they definitely have to stay. Also, I want Andrea to have access to them when she grows up. If she develops an interest in reading then she'll just love me for letting her have a wealth of material to get lost in.

When you're done answering, add your name to the list:
Jen
Ruy

Supernatural Sour Cream

2007-11-07T22:47:00.000+08:00

During the long weekend we were left with lots of time to watch DVDs. And, being Halloween, it was "Supernatural" marathon for us. Wooohooo! Fun!

I just had a blast playing with Andrea, and snuggling while watching Supernatural with Liv who's such a scaredy cat she hides everytime she smells something scary coming up (it was like watching a horror movie with a malfunctioning "Scary Sensor" that alerts you with soft whimpering and a lot of fidgeting even when the scene is set in broad daylight). It was quite funny.=)

In an attempt to make the experience "funner". I made something that thankfully worked and definitely made getting scared more fun.

Sour Cream and Chives and Mr. Chips

Ingredients:

Nestle Sour Cream
Chives (chopped into smithereens)
Grated Cheese
A dash of pepper

Mix them all together.

Eat with Mr. Chips. =)

Paris Hotel Disaster

2007-11-06T14:31:00.000+08:00

Let me talk to you about the hotel we ended up staying at in Paris. It was nothing like what I expected. It reminded me of a hotel Ruy and I stayed in while in Laoag a while back. Seriously, can you imagine staying in a Laoag-like hotel when you're in Paris?

The elevators were so small...only one person can comfortably fit inside.

Yes that's me being uncomfortable. My luggage and myself were not able to fit inside. I had to ride the elevator on my own, then wait for my luggage as my friend loads it into the elevator. It was an experience I tell you. An experience I laugh at now but I'd rather not go through again. I can't really blame the person who reserved the hotels for us as she's never been to Paris and doesn't know much about the area and the prices.

A website with a lot of info on Hotel Reservations would have been so helpful to her. This website I found is like a one-stop shop to help you make sure your travel remains hassle free. It has info on Flights, Hotels, Cars, and Vacation Packages. It even offers a complete city guide which can help people in planning their itineraries for their vacation. Now that I've seen this site, I can't imagine ever travelling without consulting this site as it makes everything easier and hassle free.

I really think people should start getting into the habit of reserving online from reputable sites. You wouldn't want to go through what we did. It's always so much harder changing accomodations once you're already there. Plus, it ends up becoming more expensive. You'd be better off using that money buying more foie gras...or raclette...or fondue...or croques monsieur...oh wow excuse me while I wipe my drool.

There's Something About Napoli

2007-11-05T14:33:00.000+08:00

Setting:
Ruy and Olivia's bedroom. Lights were turned off, Andrea's sleeping quietly in her crib. The couple (that would be Ruy and myself) were trying to relax by watching a dvd. It's 8:30 and the household was quiet.

The girl (that's me) suddenly turned to the man and in an extremely annoying whiney voice said "I want Napoli!!". The man smiled and said "Oh you liked it that much huh?". 3 minutes after, the same whiney voice said "I want Napoli!!". The man said "But it's 8:30, it'll close in 30 minutes"...

5 minutes after, they were both in the car and the man was muttering "We had the whole day you had to tell me at 8:30". The woman then replied "Don't you just love me? Imagine being married to a woman who would tell you in the morning that she'd want to go to Napoli's at night. How boring is that? Look at how exciting this is"...

--THE END--

I'm not sure if Ruy actually bought into my exciting life argument but he was kind enough to let me get away with it. =) Truth be told I had been craving for Napoli all day that day, I just tried to push my cravings aside and hoped that the rest of the things I ate would appease my craving. It was afterall an irrational craving, Ruy and I just ate at Napoli's 2 days prior to that day and so eating there again can be called an overkill.

For someone who doesn't like pizza such as myself, craving for Napoli's pizza and pasta can be considered not normal. (Of course some people would argue that the fact that I don't like pizza is the abnormal point here) What is it about Napoli which made me want to go back again and again?

It's definitely not the ambiance. I'm not sure how the other branches measure up (I've only visited the branch in Fairview) but from what I've seen it seems that aesthetics is not their priority.

This is not the place you take your new girlfriend or that woman you're dating and trying to impress. This is a place you take your barkada, your family or that girl you're dating and ready to marry. This is a place you go with people you are most comfortable with.

What they lack for in terms of aesthetics, they more than make up for with other things particularly --flavor and servings.

I would not attempt to give off the impression that I am a Napoli's expert. I have eaten there a grand total of two times and have tasted 3 dishes. 3 measly dishes. 3 dishes which have been a mainstay of my dreams for about a week now. Yes, I am thisclose to bugging Ruy to drive me back to Napoli's tonight. What did we try that made me adore this resto so much?

Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta with Italian Sausages. It's basically just a whole lot of garlic cooked in olive oil. The noodles were then tossed with the oil and the resulting concoction was topped with crisp sausages. It sounds so simple and unimpressive but IT'S AWESOME!!! AWESOME, AWESOME!! I loved it soo much and since we ordered this again the second time, I can assume that Ruy liked it too.

Pizza Marinara. The crust is quite unique. I've never had one quite like it. It's flaky and crisp yet still moist. This particular variety has anchovies, olives and tomato. I can't imagine what I love about it. There's nothing novel, nothing new, not overloaded with cheese yet they managed to make it soooo good.

Anchovy and Garlic Pizza. This particular dish is not as wonderful as the other two but it's still considerably good. I don't think I need to explain what this dish is all about, it's name says it all. =)

The servings were a bit too big for a party of 2. This is saying a lot as we only ordered their smallest servings, they also have family sized servings to cater to bigger groups.

Big Doesn't Cut It

2007-11-04T21:06:00.000+08:00

Remember one of our posts from our Tastes We Love series? We featured something Ruy and I love -- Orange Shake.

We're quite particular about this orange shake though. It has to be from Fruitas. Other fruit stands just charge too much whenever they use the orange fruit for their drinks. Fruitas charges around 60 pesos for the Grande Sized Orange Shake and Ruy and I both think that's more than fair.

Just when we think we've reached the pinnacle of Orange Shake satisfaction, Fruitas one-ups itself with this...

Do you see the size of that thing? For 85 pesos you get this giant glass of Orange Shake. So big I swear you wouldn't be able to finish it on your own. Ruy and I shared one and it took us around an hour to finish.

For those of you who are not into orange shakes, they also serve other fruit shakes in this size. Mango shakes for example would cost 10 pesos less.

NOTE: We are in no way associated with Fruitas, we are only writing this for the love of Orange Shake.

Butter Diner and Cubao Memories...

2007-11-02T19:58:00.000+08:00

In this post please forgive me, because in recounting this experience, I am inevitably drawn into nostalgia over my memories of Cubao.

A lot of my fondest memories of childhood were Cubao memories with different people depending on who was sent by God to take me out at that time.

Tita Becka:

I used to get "borrowed" by my tita Becka (my mom's sister) back when she was single to go with her everywhere. In Cubao, I remember accompanying her all the time to Rustan's, Ali Mall (where I broke an item in one of the shops once resulting to my aunt's having an epoxy riddled figurine in her room for a centerpiece), COD (ooooh, how I loved the amazing Christmas show!) and the Uniwide Sales Bldg where I remember my tita lining up for "P.O.'s" (if I remember correctly) which I thought allowed her to buy stuff for free using a small piece of cardboard as long as she signed some stuff (which was my craziest notion as a child. Now of course I've realized that, that was the credit system of the pre-Visa era and she did eventually pay for all the stuff I got =p). Getting tired from all the shopping and walking in cramped Uniwide, we'd eat and rest on the 2nd floor food court where a band would be rock and rolling starting at around 12 noon.

Parents:

What parent in the 80's wouldn't take their chubby little baby boy to Fiesta carnival? I cannot count how many figurine soldiers I've shot down in the shooting range nor how many balloons I've hit with a dart but I do remember enjoying every minute of it in between bites of Fiesta Carnival's signature, artistically carved, hotdogs, drenched with catsup. I so loved riding the airplanes that went round and round and up and down which sadly, was near the only thing I wanted to stay away from in that place. The horror ride. Lastly, I remember gawking at the impressive and noisy roller coaster which my parents wouldn't let me ride.

Tita Liza and cousin JV: As a child my parents were very generous of me and pretty much lent me to all my relatives who couldn't resist my fat, chubby cheeks. Before they moved to the States for good, I was very close to my tita Liza's family due to the fact that I was the same age as their son JV who is my first cousin and my childhood buddy.

One day I was sulking alone at home resigned to another afternoon of soaking-in another dose of PPP (Piling, Piling Pelikula) as prescribed by my yaya when an urgent ringing of the doorbell came to save me. Seconds later tita Liza bustled in with JV and asked my yaya to get me dressed immediately. I could only smile. She just told me we were going somewhere and reached out to hand me a die-cast, pull-back airplane figurine. Woohoo! Talk about just getting started! To my continued delight, off to SM Cubao we went where of all wonderful things, I learned that JV and I were buying superhero costumes for a costume party we were going to attend (I bought myself a complete head to foot Batman costume!). It was freakin crazy!

Back to the food story.

One afternoon in present day Cubao, Liv and I thought of having a semi-light dinner at a nice little place along the sidewalks of what used to be Fiesta Carnival (now Shopwise) called Butter Diner.

Having no hanging signage (just a front signage that you really wouldn't notice unless you're right across the street) nor posters, nor flyer peppering activities (unlike most of the retaurants in that side of Cubao), Butter Diner, despite its accessible location, attracts relatively less attention. A fact that for me, adds a sort of charm to it.

Upon entry, a big wall with a huge comic strip featuring the Butter Diner story catches the eye. After the initial interest in the cartoon, I began to take in the other details at hand, and noticed the big wigs the waiters and waitresses are wearing (in the sprit of the period) and the neat vintage toasters decorating each booth. There are also the can't-do-without vintage posters which are a must for all diners.

After selecting a nice corner booth, Liv and I agonized through the menu as we had the toughest time choosing among all the great looking stuff (we wanted everything!) specially the roastbeef sandwich which we loved from a previous visit. Luckily, our sense of adventure won out and we ended up ordering food we've never tried before.

Are we glad we did.

White Cow- For P85? Hell yeah! Liv's milkshake of vanilla ice cream, milk and vanilla flavorings is perfectly thick it puts to shame all the dilluted wannabe milkshake jokes some restos come up with (feel the frustration in me).

Rootbeer Float (P85.00)- I'm so glad they gave me the rest of my rootbeer!=) It totally solves the dilemma of being left with the ice cream after a few gulps and not having enough rootbeer for the thirst. With the same yummy vanilla ice cream as Liv's white cow, it's as good as rootbeer floats can get.

"Everything On It" hotdog -I couldn't get enough of it. It's sooo good. From the sausage to the melted cheese to the delicious meat topping to the potato salad side dish. At P99, it's more than awesome.

Western Burger P160- The only thing I really want to say about this food is that IT'S NOT BIG ENOUGH!!!! Just look at those gratifying slices of bacon topping an honest to goodness burger patty smothered with spicy-sweet barbecued bean sauce that just made me want to spur up and gallop into the sunset.

We loved the Everything On It hotdog's side dish so much that we just had to order a whole serving of potato salad even if it wasn't on the menu. We got a heaping plate of potato salad on a bed of fresh lettuce. They just charged us P30 for it (what the heck?).

I would also like to mention their flavored butter which you can have with their pancakes, waffles or toasted bread in these flavors:

Overall, this is a great place to eat, where being adventurous is rewarded by consistently delightful food at very reasonable prices.

Will Blog for Food

2007-10-31T12:22:00.000+08:00

At the rate that Ruy and I are eating out, we'll have to take out some Secured Loans pretty soon. Of course with all the cyber crimes and hacking going on, it's pretty hard determining where to get these loans. I saw this site which offers Secured Loans and it looks pretty interesting.

They actually alow you to compute your cost and offer repayment of up to 30 years. Not bad huh? And if you go to their site and look at the picture of the happy family there...you'd realize that this loan might be something to make you happy.

Half Moon Crazy

2007-10-30T20:11:00.000+08:00

HOW TO ENSNARE RICH, OOZING CHOCOLATE IN A BIBINGKA

In a pan, cook golden bibingka batter and wait till it starts to pulsate and beat, until bubbles are awakened and start dancing on its surface.

With lightning fast speed, carve the solidified batter out of the pan and plop it on a chopping board. Grate some cheese into the hollow to form a soft cushion which immediately after, scoops of chocolate pellets shall then depress.

Take a deep breath and admire the resulting mound of sin in progress.

With a final flurry of inspiration, indulge further with a web of sweet condensed milk.

Flip the other half of the bibingka over to complete the Half Moon. Cut into six parts for easy handling.

The result: An ingenious dessert that's quite heavy and amazingly good. The chocolate pellets melt and meld with the the cheese and condensed milk resulting in a flavor that is bitter and sweet with an undertone of saltiness. Sensations that are conveyed to the mouth via the soft and moist bibingka followed by a rich, warm ooze. An Indonesian specialty I believe, called Martabak.

Liv and I usually find ourselves eating this in the car, on the way home after a long, busy but fun day together. A fitting finale to cap another blessed moment in our married life. Another beautiful day spent until it yields itself to an equally beautiful evening under the shining half moon.

The Half Moon stall we frequent is at SM The Block beside the escalators on the 2nd or 3rd floor. Unfortunately, this is the only Half Moon branch I know of. Half Moon/Martabak is also served (where else) in Martabak Indonesian resto at the top floor of The Block. I like them both but for take out dessert, the Half Moon is quicker and more accessible (I'd love to talk about the other authentic Indonesian offerings in Martabak but I'll save that for another post).

Metal Cabinets

2007-10-30T11:22:00.000+08:00

A friend of mine decorated her condo in a very industrial style. The floors were bare cement, the beams and pipes on the ceiling were exposed. She also decked her kitchen with metal cabinets for storage. Imagine that? It's actually a very logical choice as metal cabinets are very easy to clean. I can't imagine having those for my home though as it lends a very cold feel to the house. It also doesn't go well with the Zen theme we're trying to achieve.

Blogging Difficulty

2007-10-30T11:07:00.000+08:00

The most difficult thing about blogging about food is the wait. We have to wait until Ruy is able to take pictures of the food before I can eat it. This is incredibly tough. If you would look at Ruy's food pictures, you can see that I've already attacked the food before he was able to take a shot. Then Ruy would panic and try to reconstruct how it looked ...this would of course be a very difficult taks considering I already ate parts of it.

Christmas Gifts from Blog Earnings

2007-10-30T06:44:00.000+08:00

"Chestnuts, roasting on an open fire. Jackfrost nipping at your nose. Yuletide carole being sang by a choir..." Can you feel the Christmas air about you? Well I can't. It's quite hard feeling the Christmas spirit when you don't have much money to spend on gifts. I know that Christmas is not about the gifts but it sure makes Christmas so much better.

It's not like I can't buy anything for anyone, it's just that I feel like the gift I can give the people I care about is not proportional to the love I have for them. Do any of you feel that?

One gift that is always appreciated is food. I have some ideas on what to give people based on their interests and I'd list them down here:

1. Mom - buffet in Circles, Heat, Market Cafe. This woman LOVES to eat and I'm telling you she can eat twice her weight in kilos.

2. Aunt - Red Crab gift certificate, she loved their Schezuan Crabs.
3. Lola - my lola is easy, she likes a lot of things. Alba's Cochinillo, Special Tamarind Candies, Yummy ensaymada from Valle Verde, etc.
4. QA - yummy food from different sources, Salmon Cheese Ball, Caviar Pie both from Delicioso. Foie Gras from Je Suis Gourmand. Cheese platter from Santi's.

Now, the question is, where do I get the money to pay for all of these? =) I can tell you that these things are not cheap. Luckily I have just joined the pack of hungry wolves (hello Jane and Jen) who are crazy over pay per post. So far Pay Per Post has the most steady stream of ads which makes it lucrative. They also have a wonderful support crew who are very patient in dealing with inquisitive Liv. =)

Ruy and I enjoy blogging and we do it anyway so why not get paid to blog?

Ruy's Itchogoood Nacho

2007-10-28T22:30:00.001+08:00

I don't remember how or when this creation of his was born. I have vague memories of him preparing it for me/us when I was still pregnant with Andrea. We were in the grocery and he said he'd buy ground beef so he can prepare nachos.

More than a year later, he's still preparing them and I'm still obsessed with them. Yes, it's another one of those unhealthy things Ruy and I are crazy over. Let me give you an idea of how Itchogoood Nachos are prepared.

Ingredients:
Mexicorn Barbecue Flavored Tortilla Chips
Tomato
Cheez Whiz
Cream
Ground Beef
Cumin
Chili Powder
(other things Ruy refuses to divulge)

1. Layer your container with Chips
2. Chiz Mixture (combination of chiz and cream and other secret spices)
3. Ground Beef (seasoned with cumin, chili powder and magical spices)
4. Tomato
5. OPTIONAL: Olivia likes having another layer of the Chiz mixture at this point
6. Second Layer of chips
7. Chiz Mixture
8. Ground Beef
9. Tomato
10. OPTIONAL: Olivia wants another layer of Chiz mixture here as well... =)

This is best enjoyed with other unhealthy things. You have a variety of drinks to choose from: iced tea, soft drinks (preferably a huge bottle) or our drink of choice last time:

Look at how sweet our straws are!! Ruy and I are extremely amused with Chuckie Choco Burst, the straw with 4 holes makes drinking it an experience...of course it also ensures that you finish one pack in a millisecond. To be safe, buy 2 packs for your man. =)

Pardon Us

2007-10-28T17:37:00.001+08:00

We're remodelling our blog so it might be looking a bit strange for the next couple of days. Please bear with us. =)

...BUSINESS AS USUAL