#53: September 10 - 15 Menu

Sunday:

They serve this in Phoenix Restaurant, too!

Breakfast -  French Toast & coffee
Lunch - we had Pad Thai in an "asian cafe"
Dinner - Vegetable Curry topped with home-roasted peanuts, raisins and dried mangoes served with Rice. Two thumbs up for me!

Monday:
Breakfast - Peanut Butter sandwich & Grilled Cheese sandwich
Lunch - LO Vegetable Curry & Mustard Chicken with Rice (remember? We had that last week. Haha!)
Dinner - ate at a friends house and had Organic Chicken Sopas with Street-goodness Pork Barbecue (the combination is ironic, ain't it?)

#52: Menu This Week - Sep 3-9

Ooops! Sorry I was late but this was our September 3 to 9 menu.

Monday:
Breakfast - Freanch Toast and Coffee
Lunch - Chicken Noodle Soup
Dinner - we ate at a friend's house. They served brown rice with spicy Daing na Bangus, Sauteed Sardines and Ensaymada for dessert

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Longganisa, Fried Rice and Fried Eggs (yeeessss, really healthy..)
Lunch - Crispy Fried Taksay served with Steamed rice and Tomato Salad
Dinner - Baked Potato with Chili Con Carne and Sour Cream (Yes, it's still the same Chili from last week. *evil laugh*)

#51: Menu This Week - Aug 27-31

I just thought it will be a good addition to publish my menu for the week to give you guys some idea on what new ideas you can bring from your kitchen to your dining table. For this week, this is what we had. You will also find out that sometimes I don't get inspired, sometimes I get lazy and most of the time, I repeat meals when I run out of ideas. So you see, you are normal.

#50: Encounter with Evil Labong

Dinner last night was a failure because of the bamboo shoots I bought from SaveMore. I asked the attendant if it was fresh and if the yellowish color is not food coloring. Too lazy to walk to the nearby wet market, I just took his word for it.

Haist! I soaked it in water, drained it, soaked it again, drained it again, squeezed it with a handful of salt, then rinsed again then boiled it in salted water. I probably drained whatever nutrients are left in that sorry bag of bamboo shoots. I cooked it the same day I bought it. Made it into what I believe is a pretty good adobo. But what's that? Has some goat peed in our kitchen? 

Apparently, the torture I gave the bamboo shoots wasn't enough to make it smell decent. I sincerely thought it was tasty despite the pungent smell. So I served my Adobong Labong to my dubious family, which quickly became a disapponted (and disgusted) bunch. It just smelled nasty for them.

So lesson learned: NEVER BUY BAMBOO SHOOTS (or any fresh item for the matter) THAT ARE NOT FRESH.  It's evil. Also, don't buy produce from SaveMore. I have had enough.

#49: Piri-piri(-inspired) Chicken

"Tinola, fried chicken, adobo, afritada, caldereta... Ano pa nga ba? Nakukurta na utak ko!" 

I remember this to be the woe of my grandma when she can't think of anything else to do with good old chicken. And I know a lot of battle-scarred Pinoy kitchens suffer from the same chicken-again fatigue.

So to make our chicken-loving selves enjoy some variety, I have a number of other chicken dishes that is not a typical Pinoy household fare such as Pollo al Ajo and Chicken Florentine. There are a few others that I am still too lazy to write about but today, Igot inspired to share my experiment that brought yet another refreshing dimension to our favorite bird. This recipe is inspired by a barbecue sauce called Piri-piri made of a chili called, well, Piri-piri. :-) This version is the pan fried one. Not very authentic but hey, this is definitely manageable for our busy schedules and an absolutely good eats for the family.

Are You a Parent? Read this.

I feel like I am in the boundary of being considered young and being considered a fully-grown adult (aka known as old). I can still remember how I felt when I was a child, the dreaminess of playtime and Christmas, the slowness of summer and the fizzy excitement of swimming outings. I remember how I felt when I was a teenager, the textures, the warmth of my face with the surge of new emotions, the pursuit of being totally cool, the sharp pains of teenage heartaches, however petty and juvenile.

Now that I have two daughters, I feel like the mysterious door of the adult perspective has been opened to me and revealed a whole new world of wisdom that was simply beyond me during my youth. Everything my parents and elder friends told me before that sounded killjoy, narrow-minded and inconsiderate now actually makes sense. Yet, I still understand why I thought what I thought before. The sentiments that I held before still hold value for me. I just see now the gap that keeps these two generations apart in their thought.

So being here in this unusually eye-opening boundary, here are the insights I learned.

Are You Young? Read this.

Now that I have two daughters, I feel like the mysterious door of the adult perspective has been opened to me and revealed a whole new world of wisdom that was simply beyond me during my youth. Everything my parents and elder friends told me before that sounded killjoy, narrow-minded and inconsiderate now actually makes sense. Yet, I still understand why I thought what I thought before. The sentiments that I held before still hold value for me. I just see now the gap that keeps these two generations apart in their thought.
Here are some insights for the youth who might need some insider's perspective about your parents. Read here.

#48: Sweet Chili Ribs - Your Way

I had a sudden inspiration. I realized if you are inspired and feel like some edible artwork are coming out the tips of your fingers, then just go for it! Really, cooking should not be uptight. We only say one cup of this or 2 teaspoons of that for the sake of estimation. But as with any art, it's all about what feels right. Now I am not saying all art are touchy-feely or that that logic and reason plays no part in it. Of course it has to be balanced out with what will sensibly turn out right and delicious. But go ahead, go wild. 

#47: Quiche Lorraine

My husband marveled at me when he learned that for most of my life, I did not eat breakfast. I didn't like it much if it meant left-over rice from last night and some desiccated fried fish from 2 days ago. Or if it means jars of spreads beside a loaf of bread.

However, during our honeymoon in Coco Beach, I realized that it can be the most beautiful meal of the day so long as you prepare it properly - prepare it with a little affection :-) When preparing breakfast, you have to throw in some respect because it should not be just a chore that you have to get by in the morning as you rush to school or work.

The ketchup garnish on the side was my tacky and contrived attempt
to dress up this quiche a bit. Still yummy though.

So in honor of breakfast, how about we try a lavish spin on your typical breakfast ingredient: eggs!