Learning to Cook and Other Things

May I wish everyone a I hope and pray that the new year ushers in nothing but good things in all our lives. To all those who took the time to visit , made comments, linked, and reviewed my blogs, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I realize I haven't been around as much as I had wanted to ... obligations you see. But I will definitely see you next year. Now let's raise our glasses. Cheers everyone!

Our Christmas holidays menu remains basically the same every year. It always has these three standard fares: Bone in Ham (commercially available) Queso de Bola (commercially available as well) Frozen Fruit Salad Variations are provided by: Ceasar's or Chef's Salad with Paella or Morcon or Embutido or Lechon with Chinese inspired Noodles or Pasta with Filipino Kakanin (Desserts) Of course, the round fruits. We never go without the round shaped eats like, tikoy (chinese glutinous cake), the small round oranges, apples, pears, grapes, strawberries, ripe mangoes, chico (local fruit), and kastanyas (nuts) and the fruit cake. (Because it's laden with sweet, round and glazed fruits). This year, our Noche Buena shall include: Pink Chicken Potato Salad (Mine becomes pink because I use beets instead of carrots) Seafood Chowder Spring Rolls cooked with Red Wine My Clam and Seafood Chowder concoction is as follows: 2 cups chopped clams and mussels (simmered, removed from shells, dr...

Filipino Christmas holidays will not be the same without hams. Rich, middle class or less privileged, all families just love the idea of including ham for the Christmas or New Year's eve festivities. I saw this site with excellent tips in selecting ham. So if you've run out of ham for New Years here are some practical tips in getting it good: "Ham comes from the rear leg of the pork carcass. Not all the cured product from the pork carcass is ham. The picnic (cured lower portion of the front leg), bacon (cured belly), and Canadian bacon (cured loin) are not considered ham. In curing, sodium nitrite, salt, and sugar are mixed with water to form the "brine" or curing solution. This solution is then "pumped" into the ham for uniform distribution of the brine. After several days of curing, the product is washed free of excess brine, cooked, and sometimes smoked. This process is known as a commercial cure." In the United States, "commercial proces...

Shrimp & Green Onion Dumplings 1/2 kilo uncooked, peeled, deveined shrimp 3 green onions finely chopped 3 teaspoons of finely grated peeled fresh ginger 2 tablespoons of dry sherry 3 teaspoons of olive oil 2 teaspoons of chili oil 1 teaspoon of salt 1/2 teaspoon of white or black pepper 40 wonton skins 1 egg, slightly beaten To Prepare Filling: Combine all the first 8 ingredients to form the shrimp mixture. Brush wonton skin with egg. Place heaping teaspoonful of shrimp meat mixture in center of wonton skin. Prepare to steam on bamboo steamer. Steam for 20-30 minutes. Makes 40 appetizers. DIPPING SAUCE: 1/4 cup of soy sauce 1/4 cup balsamic or any cane vinegar 4 medium garlic cloves, minced

Here's one dish I would like to prepare for our Christmas dinner :-) Yuuum. Paella is Spanish in origin and is traditionally cooked in a "paellera" which is a round flat pan with two handles. Paella is usually prepared using shellfish but can also be made with chicken or both. This flavorful dish is quite flexible because if you don’t have the exact ingredients you can make practical substitutions. Reminder: ensure that shellfish and/or mollusks are fresh. If you are using the following seafood ingredients: 1. mussels should be washed thoroughly. Remove the beards. Open mollusks should be thrown away. 2. squid must be rubbed off the outer dark skin. Pull out the insides including the transparent back bone. Remove the eye and the tentacles and the ink. Cut into rings. 3. clams are washed thoroughly in water and then put in a bowl with some salt so that the sand comes out. Throw away those that are open. 4.prawns may be not be peeled. If you d...

Its a festive season. Then why am I cooking a "lowly" fish dish? Shouldn't I be cooking fiesta like or holiday mood giving eats? Excuse me. Think again :-) It's no ordinary fish. It is called dulong. That's why. The Philippines is home to d ulong, considered to be one of the smallest specie of tropical fresh water fish in the world. Scientifically, it is called Pandaca Pigmaea, but is also known as ‘ dwarf goby’. That sounds 'ew-ie'. Dulongs are almost microscopic in size, about 1.1 to 1.5 cm long with only its glistening eyes as distinctly recognizable. It iiiis considered a delicacy because you don't find it everyday even in large Philippine wet markets. So on days that it is available and after making sure that it is remains fresh, I grab it without really thinking how I am going to cook it. First order of the day is to make sure I got ½ kilo to be cooked as soon as I get home from the market. It is very important that the fish retain...

This fruit salad recipe is as old as my children. It's their father's. Mind you, I'd like to give the exact measurements but that would be a sin as far as he is concerned because that is a biiiig secret. This fruit salad requires : buko (young coconut meat grated) , nata de coco , kaong (sweet sugar palm), fruit cocktail, canned lychees, cream, condensed milk, and kalamansi (calamondin) juice. After everything is mixed, the salad needs to be frozen. Taaaaste terrific.

Interested to find out more about Filipino food without the recipes? Look here and here . The first site provides an alphabetized listing of anything and everything about Filipino food. History of Filipino food info is found in the second. And try to see if the listing includes the following Philippine delicacies more often found in the streets of the Metro. Not for the faint at heart:-) 1. Balut - duck egg with the little duckling still cuddled inside the shell. (I say good. You say eew). I, myself do not eat the baby duck, too much hair) 2. Adidas - chicken feet, cooked and steamed in dark soy sauce and vinegar with lots of garlic and ground pepper. Good to go with beer. So they say. 3. Kwek kwek - quail eggs on a stick 4. Tok ne ne - chicken egg on a stick 5. Inihaw na Pusit - coal grilled baby squids. Best when dipped in spicy vinegar 6. Squid balls - Corned squid dipped in flour and deep fried. Best with spicy vinegar dip. Do you think Anthony Bourdain can pay the Philippines ...

This is a copy of my toasteggme entrecard which I posted in my Ibanag in the City blog. Actually my Entrecard widget is in my Ibanag Cooking and Other Things blog. So what was I thinking? Okey so I am promoting the Contest twice. I don't mind:-) I got this mail from a fellow member at my blog log community. You can find the address here. He is officially launching this Entrecard contest essentially I think to help promote Entrecard, another blog networking community which was launched recently. Ten winners will each receive 100 EntreCard points. The points as I understand it can be used to advertise in other peoples' blogs. When you sign up with Entrecard, you will need to create a 125×125 button that represents your blog. The Entrecard widget with your blog name or title indicated will be placed in your blog. Next you’ll go around clicking on the “Drop Yours” space on other member's blogs. This will earn you credits. Credits that you need to advertise on other blogs. So,...

Interested to find out more about Filipino food without the recipes? Look here . The site provides an alphabetized listing of anything and everything about Filipino food. Try to see if the listing includes the following Philippine delicacies more often found in the streets of the Metro: 1. Balut - duck egg with the little duckling still cuddled inside the shell. 2. Adidas - chicken feet, steamed in dark soy sauce and vinegar with lots of garlic and ground pepper 3. Kwek kwek - quail eggs on a stick 4. Tok ne ne - chicken egg on a stick 5. Inihaw na Pusit - coal grilled baby squids dipped in spicy vinegar 6. Squid balls - Corned squid dipped in flour and deep fried also use spicy vinegar dip These are all I could think of tonight. And do you think that guy from the Discovery cooking channel can pay the Philippines a visit to feature any or all of these in his cable show? I was supposed to upload a balut image but changed my mind.

This has been said before. Hesitate I do not because I know these tips are the easiest way towards healthy eating. To eat healthy, we must cook healthy. I cannot overemphasize that health is wealth. Try these suggestions if you can:-) Happy Healthy Cooking :-) 1. Remove all salt from your recipes. Try pepper instead. Or cook with herbs. 2. Avoid frying. Try grilled, or baked meat and poultry dishes. Or perhaps coconut creamed? 3. Steam fish or crustacean (if you don't have allergies)and season with black pepper, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and lemon. 3. Prepare more salad or veggie meals. More colorful, the better for the body. Also pick vegetables in season to ensure freshness. 4. Avoid the use of sugar or syrups in your recipes. Use cinnamon instead. 5. Try incorporating fresh fruits in your cooking. Use those in season. Avoid canned. Cheers!

I have been cooking since 2003. Yes, mostly, by my lonesome. Extra help may come but they are few and far between. But I must not complain because I looove cooking. If only there was less heat. Anyway, my cooking is really herb-ful. I don't need any reason to lace my dishes with herbs. The 'cheapest' recipes bloom with elegance once paired with herbs. And I have 10 favorite herbs that I can't do without: 1. Basil is an annual and used for the clove scent from leaves; works well with tomato dishes, specially pizza and spaghetti sauces. 2. Dill is an annual with its seeds serve as flavor for dill pickles. 3. Fennel is a perennial which adds zest to fish and vegetable dishes; seed also said to work as appetite suppressant. 4. Horseradish is a perennial and acts as a strong flavoring for meats and oysters. Root is harvested for use as a vegetable. 5. Mints are perennials. Both spearmint and peppermint are used to enhance teas, garnish lamb dishes and general flavor enhance...

I recently decided to include in this blog details of food and product ingredients I encounter everyday. You see, ever since I became ill, I developed this habit of looking into the labels of the food and other products I use. I am so into food processing information these days. Having said that, please allow me to emphasize the importance of knowing what we put into our bodies -- whether it is our daily dose of coffee, milk, chocolates, bacon, salad dressings, hot dogs, cereals, etc. What ingredients were used? Any chemicals? What are those chemicals? I shall also include ordinary toiletries like shampoo, bath soaps, detergents including products we topically apply to our skin, like make-up, deodorant, body butter, whitening formulas which are very popular here in my country. And why not ordinary household pesticides, mosquito repellants, bathroom cleaners, etc. The thing is I want to know more about food and product labeling. Do some research. Post it in my blog... Essentially, to s...

This is something I no longer enjoy because I am trying to heal or at least trying to eat healthy. But one of my sons, back when he was trying to build his body mass would request me to buy him some beef ribs to barbecue. That would be for a hearty lunch that also included lettuce and cucumber salad in French dressing. His drink would be chocolate flavored whey. Whew! This is the marinade I used to do for him. Barbecue Marinade 1 tablespoon of olive oil 1 tablespoon of fresh minced garlic 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar or ordinary cane vinegar 1 cup of Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 kilos of beef ribs salt to season according to your taste Combine the olive oil, garlic, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce in a glass or a ceramic bowl. Completely coat the ribs with this mixture. Sprinkle all sides of the ribs with salt t...

Top Ten Anti-Aging Food When taken as a healthy serving 1. Avocados in salads or dessert made with cream and muscovado sugar (cold or frozen) 2. Berries specially fresh strawberries and blueberries as pastry topping 3. Broccoli, steamed 4. Cabbage as coleslaw 5. Carrots in veggie and chicken breast dishes 6. Grapefruit as in fresh grapefruit juice 7. Grapes preferably local (for us Filipinos) to minimize pesticides 8. Onions for anything as in sweet potato top and chicken potato salads, and naturally anything that requires sauteeing. 9. Garlic also as in sauteeing or as prime ingredient of marinades 10.Tomatoes in salads, sauteed dishes. Nutritional Facts 1. avocado - Carotenoid lutein and beta-carotene, unsaturated fats to build healthy HDL, beta carotene and nearly 20 minerals and vitamins 2.strawberries - Vitamin C, folate, fiber, potassium and antioxidants; blueberries contain the highest antioxidant activity 3.broccoli - Major anti-cancer food contain indoles, which can help...