filipino dish

Here is my menu for today –

Pinakbet or Pakbet is one Filipino recipe that is much enjoyed by people who are into vegetables. This famous local dish is one of the nutritious because of the variety vegetable ingredients such as bitter melon, eggplant, squash or pumpkin, okra, string beans and I would say one my favorite ingredients - tomatoes. These vegetables are great sources of vitamin A and C.

Better try this recipe, if you have Filipino blood – you’ll sure love this one

Here is the complete list of what you’ll need:
· 1/4 kilo pork with fat, cut into small pieces
· 2 bitter melons sliced to bite size pieces
· 2 eggplants, sliced to bite size pieces
· 5 pieces of okra, cut in two
· 1 head garlic, minced
· 2 onions, diced
· 5 tomatoes, sliced
· 1 tablespoon of ginger, crushed and sliced
· 4 tablespoons bagoong isda or bagoong alamang
· 3 tablespoons of oil
· 1 1/2 cup water
· Salt and pepper to taste

Here is how to prepare
· In a cooking pan, heat oil and fry the pork until brown, remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
· On the same pan, sauté garlic, onion, ginger and tomatoes.
· In a casserole, boil water and add bagoong.
· Add the pork in the casserole and mix in the sautéed garlic, onion, ginger and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
· Add in all the vegetables and cook until the vegetables are done, careful not to overcook.
· Salt and pepper to taste.
· Serve hot with plain rice.

Happy cooking =)

eat all you can

I first went to this restaurant late last year, where you eat all you can for 115 pesos for meryenda. It was all worth the price, there are plenty of choices, was it 12-14 choices, mostly native Filipino foods. What I liked much was their carbonara, i am not really a kakanin lover. The second time I went there was two weeks ago with my brother. The price increased, the back then 115 is now 130 pesos. I didn’t really enjoy my second visit. I wasn’t satisfied. The food was not as good as my first visit. My brother shares my view. I had to treat my brother so I think of this restaurant.

Anyway, speaking of food, a friend of mine is getting married not so soon =) but already asking some ideas to make his wedding more organized and early planning he says will lead to better wedding. Having a little worry on how to arrange for the reception and catering and of course the foods to serve. Gave him some advice then suddenly I thought of this eat all you can for meryenda or perhaps dinner. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from that offers the eat all you can promotion – is promotion the right term? =) My friend considered my idea but of course he will consult the bride first.

Isn’t it practical? Well nowadays, as what I see and observe especially in weddings, foods serve is the main attraction. Guests will talk about how good the food was. How plenty and satisfied they are attending the wedding. And somehow, compare it to the next wedding they will be attending.

What do you think people? Is my suggestion good and acceptable or some kind of informal? Make some suggestions =)

recipes

I would love to hear and get some tips and cooking recipes from all of you…please share….

thanks :)

sadly missed

I was more than a month away from my computer. Allow me to tell what pain and sadness my family is undergoing.

It was September 29, we were all alarmed upon learning that our father was hospitalized. Upon receiving the news, I right away set my schedule to fly home October 1 to help my younger siblings take care of our father. I was thinking that I need to do my share and return the love to him by being present and strengthen mother’s emotional condition. Two of our younger siblings were very much supportive and at all times were in our father’s side with mother. The rest of us, 7 children away from home, so all we were doing was to check our father’s condition from time to time, which was the first time our dear father was hospitalized. Cardiac arrest – that was the findings, he was breathing so difficulty but after some checked was calmed. He was then put to sleep and all who were with him were all put to relax since everything was fine.

I wasn’t able to had a good night sleep that time, I was crying, I never imagined of seeing my father hospitalized and if possible not to experience pain. It was 6.30 in the morning ht following day, September 30 my sisters knocked on my door made me feel so bad, father died fifteen minutes earlier. He wasn’t able to utter his last words to anybody around him.

I am still emotional every time I think of my father. I imagined his smiling face, his looks, his angry face, his funny looks and everything he did for me – for us.

I wasn’t able to tell him how much I love him, I wasn’t able to kiss and hug him for long time before his death.. Losing a loved one is a real painful thing.

Realizations are always late, so never ever forget to let your parents know how much you love them – let them know and show your love every minute, everyday… always!

Mind your Meal

In this world where everything is expensive, extra care is very much important especially within the family. With all efforts, we are trying to be cautious and sensitive especially if our family’s health is at risk. That is why we have to be careful in preparing Meals for our family.

Healthy Foods

Serve healthy and nutritious foods. Fresh vegetables are especially important for the growth and health of the children. Fruits in every meal should be considered, and of course the need of enough liquid. The need to replenish every time we lost some liquid from our body is important.

Clean Environment

This is very important to avoid diseases cause by bacteria. Cleanliness in everything we serve is very vital for the family’s health. Vegetables are to be properly clean before cooking, for instance, if we are putting cabbage for a certain menu, individually check the leaves and properly wash. Clean environment is as well an important factor for our family’s health. Practice washing our hands before preparing foods and prior to meal time. Use antibacterial soap to get rid of the germs that are spreading in our hands.

Clean Water

Make sure to use clean water in preparing meals for the family. Water used in cleaning vegetables, fruits and especially the drinking water. There are deadly diseases caused by improper cleaning of cooking ingredients and drinking of unpurified water.

Remember to serve only healthy and nutritious foods. In every Meal, make it a habit for the whole family to eat together and make that a time for catching up and a moment to bond. Mind your Meal and Be Healthy.

Milk with Melamine

It’s been all over the news, not only here in the Philippines but other countries such as South Korea, Singapore and Brunei. Banning of imports milk from China discovered with melamine content. Checking of not only milks but other dairy food products are keeping the Health officials busy.

Melamine is a chemical used in plastic, and in China cases of infants who died after taking dairy products with melamine and leaving thousands of people sick.

Here in the Philippines, Department of Health are investigating some cases of infants who are diagnosed with kidney problems, possible cause of taking milk made from China.

What is your view regarding this issue? Total banning of products made from China should be carried out? This is not the first time China made was questioned. Remember the toys made in China, were banned and were pulled out from toys stores because of the toxic substance? And now the dairy products – alarming and therefore the right time if not to totally banned, to check all the China made from foods – clothes – all items and let the people know what really is to be avoided for heath reasons.

Are we going to wait for our family to be victims before taking some needed actions? How inhuman it is to include some deadly ingredients to products all just to gain temporary riches, and let innocent people suffer. Are they not troubled and bothered by their conscience? We are really in a world where people are all worried with their personal welfare and prestige.

What is the Right Foods for your Kids

Kids are picky eaters, and parents are to make some strategies for the kids to love and like the serve foods. Yet it’s not just serving the foods that the children will be fond of, but think as well the nutrients. Let se consider some guidelines on how to make your child eat right and know the food that nourishes them;

Start feeding and serving healthy foods while they are still young. Start from a few spoons, and then gradually add few portions as they get older, this will help them form fondness on healthy foods. Be a good example to your children, show to them that you are living a healthy lifestyle especially with the right foods. Intake healthy foods and never skip meals, in doing these, you are setting the best model for them.

As parents, it is your responsibility to choose and control what foods to buy and dish up. Kids never get satisfied, you can’t either manage them to eat, they get snack that are available at home or in the fridge if they feel like doing. So store up nutritious and right foods for them, but once in a while put or serve sweets so they will not feel deprived. Never ever force your kid to finish the food especially if they have enough already. This will help them not to over indulge and gain more unneeded weight. Encourage them to eat plenty of water. Water and milk are the greatest for the kids. Fresh juices are okay once in a while, but limit their intake.

on picture - A D R I E L

How to have a Healthy Diet

There are various problems related to improper diet, this problem occurs not only in adults but also affected are the children. It is then important to know the suggested healthy diet. And below are some suggestions:

The total nutrients our body need is not available in just a single food. In every pack of food we are buying, it should be approved by FDA (Food and Drug Administration); this is our guide in getting the proper quantity of nutrients. Our meal should include the four basic food groups; these are milk, meat and eggs or poultry, twenty percent is needed, and eighty percent of vegetables, fruits and grains.

Breakfast is the important meal of the day, especially for children, this can improve their performance in school. Avoid eating snacks; instead be encouraged to eat fruits and vegetables. In our meal, it is not advisable to serve meat more than twice a day. Instead serve plenty of fish and vegetables, since meat especially red meats contain the maximum cholesterol level.

Avoid salty foods. Instead, use herbs and spices into your menu. For sweets, like sugar moderation is important. Plenty of liquid especially water is also important for a healthy diet, and diet is always harmonized with exercise. It is best to exercise after consuming rich in carbohydrates food such as rice and pasta. After 3 or 4 hours of eating, start your physical work out.

picture - f l o y d & j h a z

Grill – for a change

Thinking of serving something different for lunch or perhaps dinner? Grilled fish? Grilled meat? Is it your first time to grill or perhaps you are a culinary expert? Either of the two, here are tips that we need to consider every time we feel like serving grilled for a meal:

1. Use a clean Grill. Clean grill with wire brush before using, and to prevent food from sticking on the grill, we need to apply a non-stick cooking spray or simply brush with oil.

2. Dry and quality charcoal is needed for fast lighting and longer burn life. In storing charcoal, keep in a cool and dry place.

3. Use appropriate tools. Tong is used to turn the grilled food; this is to maintain the juiciness of the food.

4. Serve the grilled food on a different clean platter. Avoid putting them on the same platter that we used for the uncooked food.

Some people precook food for lesser grilling time. If this is our practice, it is best to put immediately the food on the preheated grill after precooking.

That’s just few tips we need to remember for a safer grilling. Start cleaning the grill, get some charcoal, heat the grill and serve something grilled for our next meal!!

Frying tips

Easiest way (I guess for me) to prepare fish or food is by frying. It may be unhealthy to eat fried foods because of the fat content, yet once in a while we are craving for fried foods. There are factors we need to consider in frying, and here are some:

Choose oil carefully, there are oils high in calories. We all know the prices of commodities are increasing; there are oils available in the supermarkets that low in calories, low in price, and best for frying. Know the taste and the smell of the food once fried with the oil we will be buying. It is also advisable to know the smoking point of the oil when heated.

Next to consider is the frying pan that we will be using. We prefer to use the deep, non-sticky pan. Make sure we are frying dry foods. Before frying fish, dry with kitchen paper, to protect the skin coat with flour or breadcrumbs.

Add enough oil to the frying pan making sure there are few spaces at the top of the pan for covering. Heat the oil over high heat but not to the point of smoking. Add the food and remember not to full pack the pan, for the food to be evenly cooked. Lower the heat if necessary, frying time varied depending on the type of food. Carefully watch the food we are frying, until browned according to our recipe.

When food is cooked, drain it and use kitchen towel or kitchen paper until served. When done, be sure to drain the oil and keep it cool before storing or reusing it.
Happy frying!

How to choose Fresh eggs and proper storage

I seldom encounter unfresh eggs, could be because I know how to choose fresh ones ;) Yet I know how irritating and disgusting to smell and break eggs that aren’t fresh. Here are the tips to help you know if the eggs in the market are fresh and the proper way to store them.

Carefully check the expiration date usually attached on the box. This is the date the eggs were laid, plus 28 days. Remember that egg can be sold up to 21 days. Next to check is the appearance. Shells of fresh eggs are rough with glossy whiteness. Fresh eggs when gently shake will not give any sound, while eggs with dry shells and shaky egg yolks are old eggs.

By breaking the egg onto even plate, we can easily see whether it is still fresh. Round and solid appearance are the identity of a fresh egg, with the thick white staying close to the yolk. A yolk that breaks easily and with thinner white are those are not really fresh.

We can as well check the eggs freshness with the use of water. Put the egg into bowl full of water, fresh egg will right away sink to the base and will lie flat on its side. Old eggs will float.

Eggs are best to store in a cool place, away from smelly vegetables and fish, the little pores of the eggs scale will let the smells to get into eggs. In storing, the rounder tip of the egg should be on top, to stop them from easily breaking and maintain its freshness.

Perfect Fried Chicken

Who doesn’t like fried chicken? Fried chicken is loved and enjoyed by people in many countries. It is always best to trust your own taste buds, so experiment and try different methods to get your perfect fried chicken.

Several cooks prepare their fried chicken by soaking in buttermilk or brine process for a juicy and tender fried chicken. This is done by placing cut chicken or pieces of chicken in brine solution and then placed in the refrigerator for half an hour or few hours; avoid brining chicken pieces for overnight. After removing the brine chicken, dip into the egg mixture and then coat with flour. Some used their own mixed batter ingredients before finally coating with flour. After coating all the chicken pieces, give few minutes to rest for the coat to stick on the chicken pieces.

For easier and faster processing, some are buying the instant breading mix or frying mix available in department stores. This ready mixed seasoning is coated into the chicken pieces, let rest for few minutes and then fry.

Deep frying – when deep frying, always use fresh oil to avoid contamination of flavors to the food. Fill half of the frying fan with oil and make sure the oil is hot enough before placing the chicken pieces. Fry chicken pieces by batches, when cooked remove and drain, then let cool. Serve with rice and gravy – perfect!

There are fast foods that offer perfect fried chickens – kfc is one :-)

Crabs and the best way to eat them

Love to eat crabs? What must we know about crabs and how really this seafood should be eaten? Let me share the result of what I have found out.

Crabs move so slowly, with 8 legs and two claws. They are related to our favorite lobsters. Some lives in the water while some in lands, with the body roofed with carapace shell. They are created with different kinds and colors.

I don’t really enjoy my meal when crabs are served on the table. Honestly I don’t enjoy eating them, so messy. Yet aside from me, my whole family is enjoying and are all satisfying themselves by using their hands when eating. True indeed, to really taste its flavor, our hands are to use instead of forks and spoons. We can recline on the table some used papers, to absorb the juice and for easier cleaning as well.

We break the crabs into half. With the meat exposed, we use our hands and enjoy biting the meat. Often, we eat the claws after we have eaten all the meats in the body parts. Best with sauce or gravy, my family loves to dip the meat on vinegar with little salt. But anyway, whatever we desire and practiced is always the best. We don’t want to miss the meats located in each corner of the shells, so carefully searched and enjoy.

But to watch out are the tiny spikes.

What to know about chocolates

There are various stories how chocolate was discovered. What is clear to my memory is that we used to grow cacao in our backyard and of course, it is the main ingredient of chocolates. People my age are not that much interested to know how our fav chocolate started, all we know and all that matters to us is the sweetness and pleasure it brings.

Still there are some things we consider in buying chocolates, we primarily check the looks – we prefer the glossy surface and without blemishes. If it looks kind of blurred or gray then the chocolate is old or not stored in a good temperature. Consider also the smell, pat our fingers over the surface to warm the chocolate and then smell the bar. If the smell is not that of chocolate, or if it has a strong smell of other ingredients then it doesn’t taste like chocolate. Now taste the chocolate, we have to trust our taste buds, and personally decide if the flavor and taste is good enough to purchase some.

The common kinds of chocolates are white and dark. How did they come up with these kinds, read this:

White chocolates – there’s a white yet a chocolate? Technically when we say chocolate, it is color brown…hmm – well, there is a lack of cocoa in the making. The primary ingredients are milk, sugar and cocoa butter – no real cocoa as in solid.

Dark chocolate – when we say dark, of course high percentage of cocoa is use. Dark chocolate is considered as a healthy chocolate, the darker it gets the healthier the chocolate is. Study shows that cocoa has an aspirin-like effect, reduces that risk of blood clots but of course when eating too much there goes the disadvantage; since chocolates are processed, it contains lot of sugar and milk fat.

Various flavors are added in chocolate, there are also chocolate with nuts. Whatever we prefer, remember not to eat too much. Eating chocolates can be addicted – there are benefits in health eating chocolates but a balance is needed since eating plenty is unhealthy. …. Now here, have a bite!!

Tips for a successful gathering

Who doesn’t love surprises? Parents especially are happy to give a surprise bash to their kids. And of course a bash is not complete if foods are absent, along with their friends and playmates. Maintaining the safety of food to be served for large number of people is important. Here are some tips on how to prepare a successful party, kids would surely love:

Success of every event is because of good planning; plan ahead the arrangement and especially the food to prepare to lessen the pressure. Cook in advance, store in the freezer then let it out the shortest time before eating starts. In some cases, due to unlimited guests you tend to undercook foods to be able to avoid them waiting, this will not likely result to your visitor’s satisfaction. Never ever reduce the cooking time, making sure foods are appropriately cooked before serving.

Barbecue is not missed on any parties. When serving barbecue especially for large number of people, the best advice is to cook the meats indoor then finish with some flavorings outside. Avoid serving undercooked meat; this could lead to food poisoning. Barbecues are best serve when hot.

Remember that to impress guests, foods serve are the secret. To make your kids party unforgettable, plan ahead on what to prepare and cook for a successful gathering. Happy Partying!

List of Unhealthy Foods to stay away from

Consumption of unhealthy foods is frequently the cause of different infirmity. If you are not yet into it, now is the best time to cut your intake of unhealthy foods. I have here some list on what to avoid serving and consuming;

Stay away from canned foods. Most of food in can contains high level of trans fat and preservatives. Same goes with processed foods such as sausages. Hotdogs then was considered bad for health, yet there are brands that are practically healthy, what is required for the consumers though are to choose the nitrate free. This ingredient is mainly the cause of cancer that is primarily taken from foods. Be aware and read the label and the ingredients on the package of every item we buy at the grocery area.

There are varieties of foods available in the markets that are full of flavorings and colorings. Often the main purpose is to attract and make the products more tempting. These are shown to be the source of cancer related ailment. Shun overwhelming yourself with soft drinks. People on diet are indulging themselves with soft drinks. This is not advisable since this is the potential cause of diabetes, and weight gain to mention the few negative effects.

The next time we buy grocery needs or foodstuff for the family, take time to decide the right and healthy foods. Carefully read the ingredients and remember to consume in moderation. Stay away from Unhealthy foods.

I don’t mind another cup of Coffee

Classic or standard coffee with a spoon of coffee mate, or sometimes pour with spoons of powdered milk, and if unavailable evaporated or condensed milk are good alternate. Instant 3-in-1 coffee if favored, these is how my sister does her cup of coffee. She used to store various kinds at home such as café latte and cappuccino. Until negative body reactions occurred, she then switched to decaffeinated coffee, yet not as frequent drinker as she was. Recently, she discovered this Nescafe Relax, decaffeinated with chamomile. It was her who introduces the complete coffee mix to our mom.

I am not a coffee fan, but tried the new Relax twice, when our chocolate container was empty. Not bad! And for me, the taste has no difference with the rest of the coffees Nescafe has market, well maybe my sister and mom savor the difference, that drinking a cup of this newly discovered coffee became their morning routine.

Once in a while, it isn’t bad to treat yourself with a cup of coffee. I would love to make myself another mug especially if it is served with some native “kakanin” (goodies or dainties) . And I wouldn’t mind another cup even if our chocolate container is jam-packed. Hey, this is not a paid post :)

blogvertise approved my blog

Can’t wait to start my first post with pay! Thanks to blogvertise, and to Rachel of course, who is kind enough to introduce me to blogvertise, who got her first paid post through this site.

This site is for those who are new to blogging yet eagerly wanting to earn some dollars just like me. I signed up yesterday and I got a quick reply, I wasn’t really expecting it since I am used of getting a longer reply from the other sites. They are not as strict as the other paid to blog websites. I tried signing up on those sites, but they’re kind of strict with their rules :(

Now I am super happy … thanks blogvertise :)

Caffeine - good or bad?

Soft drinks, coffee, chocolate and tea, caffeine is present in these drinks. What really is caffeine and what bad reaction or effect can it bring to our body, it is discussed in this article.

Caffeine is a flavorless substance that improves our body’s energy temporarily and acts as refreshment to our nervous system. Study shows that caffeine especially in coffee can reduce the risks of some illness like Diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, to mention the few. But the key there is moderation. Anything excessive is considered bad. Too much consumption or intake of caffeine is not advisable, for our body will get agitated. Extreme intake could result to tremors and sleeping problem, to mention some bad effects. If we are the kind of person who is addicted to caffeine, we have to gradually decrease our intake.

The question now, is too intake caffeine to our body or not? It is us personally, who knows how much caffeine in our body is needed. The older we get the greater caffeine we take. Remember though that to remain healthy, moderation is the secret.

The next time we go for a drink, consider the caffeine content and decide whether to drink or not to drink. THINK!

Tinolang manok (chicken ginger soup with vegetables)

I was left to cook for 4 kids...3 nephews and a niece. Before leaving, my sister asked me if I know how to cook tinolang manok for lunch, pretending that I know I answered yes... she then added that she bought malunggay leaves, then plenty of ginger for the ingredients.

I actually cooked tinolang manok before, but by now, I can’t remember the exact way to cook it, wow I need to let my memory work here… and guess what?? It turned out all right!!

Here’s the ingredients and procedure

Chicken (cut)
Fish sauce
Pepper
Ginger
Garlic
Onion
Malunggay leaves
Sayote (sliced in cubes)
Water
Salt
Vegetable oil
For the ingredients – use a minimal or balance amount depending on how many persons will consume the soup BUT I used plenty of ginger and onions here – I love them. We can also use chili leaves instead of malunggay. In cooking soups with vegetables, we often notice kids taking the leaves out and not eating them. If we use malunggay, because they are tiny, kids don’t take the effort removing.

Procedure:

Sauté ginger (cut into strips) along with crashed garlic, and then add sliced onions. Add chicken cut, I let it cook for few minutes until the color of the chicken is a little change. Pour the water and put it to boil. Let it simmer until the chicken is cook and then I added the sayote (papaya can be used) and let it boil until the vegetable is cook. Added salt and fish sauce to taste, and put again to boil, then finally added malunggay leaves, stir and DONE!! Serve!!

why eat some Green leafy vegetables?

We are always reminded and advised by our parents to eat green leafy vegetables. I remember my mothers – who often prepare meals with leafy green vegetables; and she was strict, when she notice our plates without this green leafy thing, she will scold us (verbally of course) and will then lecture us the benefits we will get if we eat these vegetables. I can’t vividly recall the exact statement but I can remember the gist, these vegetables are full of vitamins, help us to grow faster and help us to have a healthier body. Imagine eating dark green leafy vegetables almost everyday!... I didn’t really grow :) as what my mother told me, yet there are health benefits in taking green leafy vegetables.

Green leafy vegetables according to my research are great sources of minerals and vitamins (my mom was right). Green leafy vegetables are also great source of fiber. Leafy green vegetables are used best for salad, stir-fry, and steam and best for our soups too.

I see to it that I take green leafy vegetables in my meal, though not often as my mother used to. Many thanks to our mother who taught us the importance of eating green leafy vegetables, who is still reminding us to eat nutritious green vegetables and every time we are home still serving us nutritious green leafy vegetables.

Our fav - Pizza

Pizza – we all thought that the food is an Italian creation…how wrong!! Pizza was actually laid by the early Greeks, in the 18th century, the then known as flat bread, found its way to Italy which they later called Pizzas. Pizza then was topless :), and often sold to poor people because of its cheap price, then from flat bread untopped, Pizza was improved by Italian people.

Today Pizza is so known that it has its International Pizza Day. When we say Pizza - it is made of different styles with toppings…here are some Pizza styles

Pan style – cooked in a pan with oil that fried the bottom part for a crunchy bite, a little different from baked pizza. Amount of toppings has nothing to do with the name – top less or more, whatever we prefer.

Thin style – thin crust style is crispy in the outside and soft inside, toppings and cheese are moderately applied with thinner sauce.

Thick style – thicker crust usually baked on the oven heart, with bigger dough weight and proofing. When cooked – this has crispy bottom and a bit chewy with moderate thickness.

There are other different styles of Pizza, but the only thing that differs are their type of crust, their toppings and cheese – now, I guess its time to get your slice of pizza :)

All about Olive Oil

Olive Oil

Olive oil has health benefits one of which is protection against heart disease. It controls our body’s cholesterol level because it contains a large amount of mono unsaturated fatty acids, which helps prevent coronary heart disease. Study shows that in countries where people are regularly using olive oil or consume at least 2tablespoons of olive oil in their diets have lesser cases of heart disease.

Olive oil is known for its culinary use, usually for salads, stews and deep frying. Olive oil gives a best flavor to our foods. Choosing Olive oil is likened to choosing a wine, individually, peoples taste differs and more likely we choose olive oil that suite to our cooking dishes. It is best to add Olive Oil right away after cooking and best to store Olive Oil in opaque containers.

Types of Olive Oil

Pure Olive Oil

- 100% pure - a blend of virgin olive oil and refined olive oil. Better use for high heat cooking and has less vitamin E content. Pure Olive Oil has the same acidity level like that of Virgin Oil.

Virgin Olive Oil

- Produced without refining aside from washing, decanting, centrifuging and filtering. Best use for pouring over dishes such as for salad and dressings.

Olive Pomace Oil

- Obtained by treating olive pomace. Considered as lower grade and mostly used for soap making and industrial purposes.

Olive Oil is tagged as Super Food for the Heart.

Tips on how to choose Fresh Fruits

Here are some things to consider in choosing fresh fruits:

for Papayas choose greenish to yellow or full yellow. Soft papayas are about to rotten and avoid buying those with white patches.

as for Oranges – choose heavy in weight for juiciness. Try smelling oranges – avoid buying oranges with smell that is about to spoil.

for fresh Watermelon – choose firm, heavy, rounded and free from bruises and cracks. Tapped and buy those with resonant sound.

for Pineapple – choose those with nice ripe smell. Dark wet spots indicate over ripe pineapple.

while for Pears choose firm and slightly soft. Withered pears will not ripen.

for Mangoes – choose a firm and those when pressed yields a bit. Avoid buying mangoes with spots and black spots.

and for Bananas – when buying raw bananas, avoid putting them inside the refrigerator, let them ripen outside for a couple of days. For past ripening, often put inside a paper bag. Bananas are best eaten when yellow with brown speckles.

Cheekoo (my ever fav) – known as sapodilla around the world. Wrinkled and slightly soft when ripe. Overripe cheeko has soft spots or white fur near the stem.

for Strawberries – choose those with attached cap stem, bright and firm. Avoid buying those with large discolored patches.

and for Apples - the red and golden apples should be firm, juicy, crisp and sweet.

Fresh fruits are important part of good diet. Taking single fruit provides all the nutrients that we all need to be healthy.

All about Onions and Garlic

Onions and garlic are used for culinary purposes. Here’s how to choose fresh garlic and onions

Garlic
Fresh garlic is available all year round. Choose a garlic that is plump, big and firm bulbs and with intact white covering. Avoid buying soft, with green sprouts and spongy. A single bulb of garlic is made up of many individual cloves that are consumable for 5 to 10 days. Fresh and undamaged garlic could stay long for between 3 to 4 months.

In our menu, avoid overcooking garlic for it will result to bitterness. This is mostly happening when our oil is too hot. Garlic is mostly use in sautéing, we can use oil or butter in this process. Either way, will give us savory flavored garlic.

Here is how to sauté garlic

Heat the oil/butter and then add our garlic (remember that butter heats faster than the oil).
To prevent from burning, constantly stir the garlic.

Onions

Look for firm, dry with no green sprouts or any spotting. Avoid buying onions with smell, because the inner part could be spoiled.

Here is how to properly cut Onions

Choose big onions for easier cutting, and use sharp knife. If only a small potion of union is needed, just peel the portion that is enough for your usage. Pack in zip lock the rest and refrigerate. Storing in an open plastic could make the rest of the food in the refrigerator taste like onion.

Most of the time in sautéing, onions are added first followed by garlic.

Cooking Tips

Recipe books, magazines, newspapers, and televisions cooking shows – these are sources of recipes. Try to prepare a recipe that is loved and good enough for whoever we meant to cook for. Consider the size of the people that will taste or eat our menu – is it for your family? Friends? Workmates? – These will help us to prepare just enough and without spoil.

In choosing recipes, especially if we are first time, choose recipes with easy to look ingredients and will not consume most of our time. In simple word, choose simple meal recipes.

Make sure that we have the needed utensils and ingredients for our recipe. And the must – we understand the directions or procedures.

In most cases, the amount of time for the recipe is written in our recipe book, so make sure we have enough time to make our recipe.

Prepare all that is needed for our menu. This will help us avoid of crumbling later on while cooking. For some, measuring ingredients ahead of time is practiced.

Remember to keep our hands clean before preparing the food. Washing our hands several times is needed especially if raw ingredients like fish and meat is used. We always wear apron to avoid messing up with our clothes and of course avoid cooking with long hair untie.

monday dinner @ moa

superbowl in mall of asia....best place for chinese cuisine lovers...

mall of asia after our dinner courtesy of Jade (leftmost)

naked juice bar - (courtesy of mariane) best place for those who loves fresh fruit juices like "me"...try their watermelon lychee flavor plus a very accommodating staff who later took pic of us :)

sunday with dawn

went to meet some friends yesterday - we end up going to another friends' house in cavite...before going to cavite, we bought some food for our friend dawn and her adorable daughter danna! reached cavite at around 3pm and then cool macaroni salad was ready... it was so sunny outside so right away we made ourselves comfortable and entertain ourselves with plate of salad...as we all love sweets we enjoyed eating while laughingly recalled our younger days, ube cake we bought from goldilocks was sliced and wow so yummy while another friend sliced chocolate cake and of course a glass of coke then = burrrrrrrrrpppppp LOL

we were so happy recalling our primary days and since dawn is married we let her tell us her love story and her present life, happy to know dawn is trying to be a good cook - a good mother and a wonderful wife to her husband...laughingly telling us how she end up marrying her husband, the reasons of some small fights with her husband,. of course we know that behind those negative words about her husband is the unconditional love she has for alex …

dawn prepared some sea foods and fried chicken for dinner....quite early though it was around 5.30pm when my friends decided that we eat dinner.,. yet as always hungry as we are, we ate with our hands lol

seeing dawn yesterday = a wonderful sunday!!

Cheese..cheese and cheese

I just love cheese, in my spaghetti or pizza; it must be overly coated with cheese. Love cheesy foods!

So funny because I wasn’t aware that there are different types of cheese, yeah I love cheese but wasn’t really interested on how cheese was processed until I got my own copy of cooking and baking magazines, and here’s what I found out about my/our favorite cheese:

Cheeses are made of milk – cow, goat or sheep. Usual processing of cheese - Cheese processing differs depending on cheese type. Standard way is first the milk turns into curds or curdling process. Then draining or removing the whey. Next is to mold and shape them into cheese. Salting process is where plenty of salts are added for the cheese formation. Ripening is allowing the cheese to mature. Because of the latest technology, cheeses are now made in commercial factories and instead of fresh milk cheeses are now made from pasteurized milk.

Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese

Mozzarella cheese is used on our pizza. Milk mozzarella is creamy and makes an excellent pizza. If mozzarella is not available, there are substitute such as feta or provolone cheese or use different cheeses for unique pizza flavor.

Cheddar cheese – very popular in United Kingdom, cheddar originated from a small English village named cheddar, there is uniqueness on cheddars processing than the other cheeses. English Cheddar is matured for minimum of 9 months, and cheddar cheese is now widely produced in other countries.

Have a cheesy day!!

Chicken Curry

Found this wonderful recipe of chicken curry in one of my favorite website … better try!!

Chicken Curry
5 cloves garlic
One 3-inch chunk peeled, fresh ginger
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 heaping teaspoon whole cloves
10 green cardamom pods
8 whole allspice
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 bay leaf
1 medium yellow onion
2 teaspoons Madras-style curry powder
1/2 jalapeno, or more to taste
3 pounds mixed skinless, bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks (separated)
1/2 cup whole, peeled, canned tomatoes (with puree), roughly chopped
2 cups cold water
In a small food processor (mini-chopper), combine the garlic and ginger and puree to a paste.
Heat the oil in a stew pot or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add the cloves, cardamom, allspice, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf and cook, stirring constantly, until dark and fragrant and the cinnamon stick unfurls, about 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic-ginger paste, curry powder, and jalapeno and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the tomato and chicken and cook, stirring, until the oil begin to separate and there is a distinctive crackling sound as the ingredients "re-fry" in the oil, about 6 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring, until the chicken is lightly browned, about 7 minutes more.

Add the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and stew for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and tender and the liquid thickens into a sauce, about 30 minutes more. Transfer chicken curry to a serving bowl and serve with rice and chutney.

(http://www.foodnetwork.com/)

Tips on how to choose and proper storage of Fresh Carrots

When I see carrots, the first thing I remember is bugs bunny :) … well actually carrots are very healthy, the orange bright colors shows that they are the richest source of beta-carotene. I can still recall how our mother used her force for us to eat carrots, mother loves eating fresh carrots – (anyway we later learned to eat carrots – I am now carrot cake fan!) Study shows that carrots actually reduce the risk of cancer aside from the fact that it is vital for us to have clear and bright eyes. Cooked and raw carrots are good source of vitamin A and potassium.

Choose fresh Carrots
There are things to consider in choosing fresh carrots. Choose carrots with smooth and firm skins and round shapes. Choose carrots with bright orange colors and green tops attached because they are the most fresh. It is best to buy medium sized carrots and avoid buying carrots with withered ends.

Storing Carrots
Remove the green tops before storing the carrots. Wash carrots before storing, put the carrots inside the vegetable container and put inside the refrigerator. Avoid putting carrots inside the plastic bog because they will sweat and easily be rotten. Stored carrots are consumable in one to two weeks time.

There we go… let us enjoy eating cooked or uncooked carrots!!!

Tips on how to choose Fresh Potatoes

Fresh Potatoes

Potatoes! Easy to prepare and so nutritious! Potatoes are high in potassium, good source of fiber and vitamin C. below are tips in buying, storing and preparing potatoes.

Buying - When buying potatoes, choose those that are free from cracks and bruises. Avoid buying wrinkled, wilted skin, those with spots and green in appearance. Choose solid, well shaped, smooth and those with same sizes especially if needed for our recipe.

Storing - Potatoes are to keep in cool places and dark with good ventilation, consumable in few days. It is not recommended to refrigerate uncooked potatoes.

Preparing – there are various ways to prepare potatoes. Mashed potatoes - peel and cut potatoes equally. Bring to boil until tender, add warm milk and butter for a fluffier mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes using potatoes masher.

Another way of preparing is through Baking (my favorite). Here’s how: scrub rubs the potatoes with fork or we can use knife. Rub potatoes with olive oil and salt. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown. Slice the potatoes and pat with butter or margarine, we can sprinkle some cheese if preferred.

Fried potatoes – French fries! Cut potatoes in strip. Soak for maximum of 30 minutes in cold water. Thoroughly dry them before deep frying. Drain, keep aside. Add salt then toss. Serve with hot chili sauce. Note: if we want crispier fries, we need to fry them twice. Fry for the second time, before serving.

Preparing potatoes is not that hard especially if to be dined with our family… remember to prepare with smile!!

Tips in Buying Fresh Spinach

Fresh Spinach

In buying vegetables, we don’t just buy because of the price or discounts groceries are offering, the first thing we consider is the freshness. The looks of vegetables are important, that we go for bright colors and not withered. We can often buy fresh vegetables in good quality during their seasons. Yet there are vegetables available all year round such as Spinach. Spinach is full of vitamins that we mostly used it for salads and sandwiches. Below are some tips in choosing fresh spinach, the best way to clean and store them.

When buying spinach, we choose leaves that are dark green, slightly crispy and short stems. Avoid buying yellowish leaves, mottled and damaged.

Spinach is often sandy or muddy so washing it several times is a must, and should be done right after buying it. To clean the spinach, pinch the leaves, put in a bowl full of water and change the water until clear from sand or mud. We can also clean them in running water. To dry the leaves pat with paper towel, then it is ready to use. If we wish to store them, put in a sealed plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. Spinach is consumable within 2 to 4 days.

Choosing fresh spinach is not that hard, we truly love this nutritious leaves in our salad and sandwiches!

flyff

my nephews and niece are into playing online games – flyff , wondering why they are so in love with the game that they even fight sometimes because no one wants to play last… took some pictures of them playing …

just another ordinary day

look what is labeled in my niece shirt hehe it caught my attention…

yummy magazines – been trying the recipes in this magazines lately!! love their recipes – so simple and easy to follow with…these are june and july issues, my previous issues are left in the province for my sis.. i have to put on my computer table the magazines i need to read – so after using my computer the next thing to do is read these magazines..

my sis kids are so addicted watching cartoon network and here i took some pic of the show instead of them watching lol

music

Do you love music? we all love music! music calms me when i am annoyed. Music relaxes me when i am tired and i love listening to music while doing household chores or some activities at home.

With or without instruments everyone can make music. Despite the fact that we are not all born singer or inclined to music we can all sing by practicing. There is no need to mind the people around all we need to do is to open our mouth and sing. Practice, pratice and practice!

Music can be good medicine. When we are singing our entire body resounds and vibrate. Then gentle vibrations help tissues relax and delate which may help decrease pain. Music is most recommended to those who are suffering stress. Listening to calming music can improve our mood.

So why not turn on your cd player and start playing bee gees or elton john's music? It will surely relax you! Now start making music an important part of your life.