Selecta Ice Cream Creations (Take Two!)

Selecta 2 in 1 Ice Cream, Very Rocky Road and Coffee Crumble.... our merienda. I ate it with white bread (",)

"Sinigang na Buto-buto" (Pork Spareribs in Tamarind Broth)

One of my Little One's favorite viand. I used spareribs instead of pork belly, less fat but still juicy and tasty without sacrificing the taste (",)


Good for 6 servings


You'll need:

• 850 grams of pork ribs, cut up in small portions
• 4 cups rice wash or water
• 2 large red plump tomatoes, topped
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 2 tsps of iodized rock salt
• 1 small pouch of sinigang powder
  
• 6 pcs okra, remove both ends
• 8 pcs string beans (sitaw), cut at 2" length
• 3 pcs finger chilis (siling haba)
• a bunch of swamp cabbage (kangkong), leaves & tender stalks only

Here's how:

In a casserole, place the first-two ingredients. Cover. Bring to boil (remove scum as it arises). Add the next-three ingredients. Cover again. Bring to boil. Then, reduce fire to low. Simmer 45 minutes.

Increase fire to medium-high, mashed the tomatoes carefully. Put the sinigang powder, okra and string beans. Cover. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Add in the chilis and swamp cabbage. Cook until done.

Serve with rice.

Baked Macaroni from Lots A Pizza

My first time to try their baked macaroni, It's okay but nothing to rave about. A typical Filipino taste of pasta, sweet... the taste of catsup. Also, the garlic bread is too crunchy!

"Giniling na may Itlog ng Pugo" (Ground Pork with Quail Eggs)

I have red ripe plump tomatoes in my fridge. A piece of green bell pepper, a carrot and a potato. A box of quail eggs. I was wondering what to cook with these ingredients ... I thought of this recipe. This is not my first time to cook this dish. All I need was ground pork. I bought some in a nearby "talipapa", it's a small wet market.


Good for 4-6 servings.


You'll need:

• 1/4 cup of cooking oil
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 medium red onion, finely minced
• 250 grams red ripe plump tomatoes, finely minced
• 1 medium potato, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 450 grams lean ground pork
• a teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 2 tbsps of fish sauce
• a small piece of green pepper, seeded and finely minced
• a cup of water
• a piece of pork cube
• 1 heapful teaspoon of white sugar
• 2 dozens of hard-boiled quail eggs

Here's how:

In a pan, over medium-high heat. Put oil. Saute garlic until rich golden brown. Add onion and tomatoes. Cook until very limp. Put potato and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes. Place the ground pork, pepper and fish sauce. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Stirring often to separate the ground pork.

Put the green pepper. Saute for another 5 minutes. Add in the water, pork cube and sugar. Mix. Cover. Bring to boil. Then, reduce fire to low. Simmer for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, shell the eggs.

Add the quail eggs. Stir. Cook until it boils again.

Serve over warm cooked rice or as filling for your white bread.

"Spareribs with Quail Eggs"

Have you heard of someone using a rice cooker to cook? Well, I did! Unfortunately, we ran out of gas. I need to improvise (",)


Good for 4-6 servings.


You'll need:

• 850 grams of pork spareribs, cut into small portions
• 1 head garlic, pounded and finely minced
• 2 medium red onion, finely minced
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 4 tbsps of soy sauce
• 3-1/2 tbsps of white vinegar
• 1-1/2 cup water
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thin strips
• 24 pcs quail eggs, hard boiled

Here's how:

Put the first-six ingredients inside the rice cooker. Do not mix. Cover. Push the button. Bring to boil or until vinegar is fragrant. Mix to blend ingredients well. Cover again. Let it cook until sauce thickens or slightly sticks to the bottom.

Add water. Cover. Cook for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, shell the quail eggs. Set aside.

Put the bell pepper. Cook for 12-5 minutes or until desire thickness of sauce.

Place the quail eggs. Mix. Push up the button of the rice cooker. Keep it warm for a few minutes or until ready to serve.

"Lolo Pinghoi's Bulalo Soup"

I went to my Little One's school earlier today to get his report card. After that, I went to RFC to do some grocery. My kiddo's grades are good, though, according to his adviser, he's so "makulit" lately! Well, no doubt about it 'coz when the new year began, he has no physical activities whatsoever! He's like that when he's bored and his energy level just keeps going up!! I haven't been able to accompany him to the ice rink to skate and his Kumon also stopped. I was sick because of my left ear. I have the doctor called, "Chronic Otitis Media" and one more which I dont know the name! All I know it has infected the bones of my ear. It's really painful. My sense of balance was affected too. For several days I was just in bed resting.

Back to the grocery store, I bought pork sinigang "bulalo ng baboy" and some stuff we dont have here in the house. This dish is easy to cook, you basically just dumped the ingredients. And the best about this viand, I don't need to nag my kid to eat! He loves radish and the bone marrow "utak sa buto", which he calls "taba". And one more thing about this recipe, I learned this from my Daddy, who also loved to cook.


Good for 2-3 servings.


You'll need:

• 1 pc of pork sinigang, cut up
• rice wash or water
• 1 medium red onion, quartered
• 1 large, about 250-300 grams of radish, quartered & cut at 3" length
• 1 pc pork cube
• 1 pc chicken cube

for the dipping sauce:

• labuyo
• kalamansi
• fish sauce (patis)

Here's how:

Place the pork in a casserole. Level with rice wash or water. Cover. Place over high heat. Bring to boil (Remove scum as it arises).

Add in the rest of ingredients. Mix. Cover. Bring to boil again. Then, lower fire. Simmer for an hour and 20 minutes.

That's it! Best with rice.... lots of rice (",) and the dipping sauce!

Siling Haba a.k.a. "Finger Chilis"

Yesterday morning, while watering plants in our backyard. I saw these beautiful finger chilis (siling haba) hanging gracefully, as you can see in the first photo. At long last, my mother's effort paid off. Unlike her other plants, she had a hard time making Chili plants live longer, it always dries up and dies.

"Siling-Haba" or Capsicum annuum var. longum, its scientific name. It is a light to greenish fruit, sometimes yellow or red in color. It is oblong lanceolate, narrowing to a tapering tip, 6 cm long and 1.5 across. A little spicy, sometimes not at all, but have a very enticing aroma when added to dishes. Also, the leaves of this fruit, 2nd photo, are commonly used in Philippine cuisine.

"Easy Pineapple Chicken"

I still wasn't feeling good after almost three weeks of medications because of my infected left ear but later today, my nephew Gj will be coming over to spend the rest of the weekend. He's a teenager who loves to eat! Big appetite! Eventhough, I'm tipsy from all the medicines I took. I cooked this dish. My nephew loves chicken. And thanks also to Ate Vicky who did the marketing for me.


Good for 5 servings.


You'll need:

• 2 tbsps of cooking oil
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium potato, wedges
• 1 medium carrot, wedges
• 850 grams cut up chicken
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsps of fish sauce
• 1 can water
• 1 can (239 grams) pineapple tidbits
• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded, cut into chunks
• 1 chicken cube
• 1-1/2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 small can (158 ml) evaporated milk

Here's how:

Drain the pineapple tidbits. Reserve the syrup. Set aside.

Using a wok, heat oil. Saute the garlic until light brown only. Add the onion. Cook until transluscent. Put the potato and carrot. Stir-fry for 6-8 minutes.

Add chicken, pepper and fish sauce. Let it cook in medium-high heat until fish sauce is fragrant or until it dries up. Place water and syrup. Cover. Bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 20 minutes.

Increase fire to medium, put the rest of ingredients. Mix. Bring to boil. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with warm rice.

Roadtrip to Tagaytay!!!

These photos were taken last night. We went to Tagaytay after having dinner at Mc Donald's Pamplona (wala lang ... mag-roadtrip lang ba talaga kami!). This is the version of "Tropang Mcdo" of a Christmas Party! Actually, it's a get-together!

more photos ....

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!!

Happy New Year to Everyone!!!