FTF: Adobong Puti

It's my first time to cook this Filipino dish. Adobo is the most famous Filipino viand. Ask anybody in the world related to a Filipino, most probably the first thing they'll answer about Filipino food is Adobo.

This kind of Adobo is basically cooked without the soy sauce which is the main ingredient in the original recipe. 

View related posts here: Filipino Stew and FTF: How Do You Like Your Adobo?

 Ingredients:
1/4 pork cutlets
1/2 cup coco vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper granules
2-3 psc. bay leaf
1 1/2 cup water
salt to taste
*Just boil everything together.

With my Adobong puti, I followed my usual adobo, minus the soy sauce. Boiled all the ingredients, when the pork's done, I separated it from the sauce, fried it in a small amount of oil and added the rest of the sauce again, then simmer for a few more seconds.

Food Trip Friday

Great Finds---Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts and 3 Musketeers

Everybody's familiar with Hi-Top Supermarket? I just got to mention the name because I seldom find Pop Tarts and not a 3 Musketeers bar in the grocery I usually go to. I was on a quick errand, so I went to the nearest store (which was Hi-Top).

I spend on gasoline just to go all the way to Cash and Carry Makati to buy 3 Musketeers. Finding these  which was just 10 minutes away, made my Wednesday complete. And just to let my readers know, Pop Tarts? It's not common here in the Philippines. And with what I found, Hi- Top Supermarket has almost all the flavors. Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop Tarts, S'mores, Frosted Strawberry, Raspberry. Pop Tarts are best eaten after toasting then served with freshly brewed house blend coffee.

What A Shame Chef

For "delikadesa" (Etiquette) sake, please stop copying recipes and pictures from other blogs without asking permission or giving credit to the owner. If you're badly in need, the easiest way is to leave a comment, a message or email the owner before grabbing and posting anything.

Just a few minutes ago, I was sadden by an incident , a shout out from one of my plurk mates with regards to a "chef" who's been getting recipes and pictures from other bloggers. The name? I will not mention it anymore. I just can't believe that of all people, a professional would do such thing.

On a personal note, as a blogger who owns a food blog, I am greatly affected by this shameful act.  Though,  I wasn't born to become a genius around the kitchen, and I'm not saying that my food posts are so important. Even with our differences as bloggers and as individuals, everything boils down to the whole point of following the #1 rule, The Golden Rule online-- giving credit to the effort poured by the author of the blog. If not, BE ORIGINAL. Like everyone else, I browse for recipes. If I can't get the owner's permission first hand,  instead of posting the recipe on my site, I link my source so that my readers would visit the original website itself. I understand the pressure most bloggers are undergoing, especially just to be able to update our sites  everyday. I understand this situation, and I was as pressured like some people online. Maybe this "chef"  was exposed to the extreme side of it, so desperate to a point that grabbing from somebody else's website "must" be an option. What a shame...

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FTF: Dinner At Bubble Tea

While waiting for a bunch of car stickers we had made, we went to Bubble Tea to have dinner. I really missed their food. My son's been using the chopsticks lately. The following day, we shared a plate of sushi, and he liked it. I'm glad he's learning a lot as early as now. I mean, I learned to use the chopsticks when I was 13 years old.

Beef /Pork Gyudon

Franky enjoying using the chopsticks. I ordered my favorite drink: Cold Green Tea with a hint of Lychee and Bubbles.

Teriyaki Chicken Don

Food Trip Friday

Banana Leaf

Just 2 weeks ago, I drove all the way to SM North Edsa. After browsing for some plumbing materials in a hardware store, then after I got myself a book from Fully Booked, I went around to scout for some restaurants which I haven't tried yet. At The Block of SM North, you will find lots of restaurants. One of them is Banana Leaf. I got very curious with the name, why is it Banana Leaf, first thing that went on my mind, maybe they serve their food using a banana leaf.

It would have been an easy guess. My theory was close, but it's the other way. And how they made use of the banana leaf was a fantastic idea to make the whole dining experience be touched with a Filipino twist.

Banana Leaf is a restaurant that serves a taste of Asia by introducing to its diners cuisines from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.-source-

First thing we looked at the menu was their set of rice dishes. To lay -off from the usual Yang Chow Fried Rice, I ordered Vietnamese Fried Rice and requested not to put salt. Vietnamese Fried Rice is at php188 and it is already good for 3 per serving. Mix of cauliflower, baguio beans, carrots and chicken bits.

Next on the menu was an order of Banana Leaf's Stewed Beef In Oyster Sauce. at php198 Another dish that's good for 3 people. Beef mixed in oyster sauce and straw mushrooms. It was a big surprise for me when I saw the mushrooms. Because on their menu, it wasn't described that it's serve with straw mushrooms, and any mushroom falls under my favorites.

Last dish I ordered was the Thai Green Curry Chicken with Eggplant and Sweet Basil at php 208. This dish was the ultimate for the evening. The scent and the taste of sweet basil mixing with the curry's spicy flavor made it exotic. The soft eggplant added balance to the dish. It was very rich.

To enjoy the whole dining experience, the banana leaf served as my plate for the night. As I indulged  with the mix of hot dishes, the scent of the banana leaf itself made my meal and my first Banana Leaf experience sweeter.
Photos taken: SE P990i

New Dining Chairs

Here's the deal, our new place far smaller compared to the last unit we rented. We literally needed to get a new dining table. Our old dining chairs are still okay, not until this morning. I noticed some loose parts. And it is very risky to use longer. So now, I'm looking for a new set of chairs. Dining Room Chairs comes in different designs, colors and quality. Choosing is already difficult. They don't come in cheap, but most of the time, the quality is questionable. That's why I need to consider quality over the price. It's making a smart investment too. 

A Great Christmas Selection

Christmas of 2009, I received a tea set from a good friend of mine. The set was composed of Lavender Tea, and Gourmet Butter biscuits packed European style and it came in a cute pink suitcase.  It gave me an idea for my Christmas giveaway this year. I would often send homemade chocolate candies. But this year, I want it to be simple, yet, different. I want to give something that my friends will enjoy with other people too. Christmas biscuits is a great option for a change.

Now I found an English Tea Store that not only offer biscuits, but cakes and teas too. In preparation for the upcoming holiday season, a cake tops my list. Christmas cake has always been part of our Christmas table. 

With the colors, white, green and red, it makes everything fit together. It makes the holidays complete. The English Tea Store has a wide list of choices. From your preferred kind of tea, branded teas, loose leaf tea which includes various blends of breakfast tea, afternoon teas like Darjeeling and Earl Grey, white, black, green, herbal, fruit, mint, vanilla, black currant, organic, Christmas, spiced, and decaffeinated teas. In addition, the teabags are optimal for brewing, as the bags have no strings attached. The English Tea Store also sell bulk tea, teabags, teapots and other items wholesale.

I can already smell the sweet scent of brewing tea. Matching the cold days and nights and a plate of the finest cookies and cakes shared with the whole family.

FTF--- Food From The Commissary

So what did I eat last Friday? Hmm...O yeah, I was in the hospital looking after my husband. One thing that made my hospital stay a bit interesting was the food. The whole week, I wasn't able to eat any home-cooked meal. Since it was a sudden incident nobody was prepared for it. So I thought, I will be fine with fast food for the mean time. On our 2nd day, after delivering the patient's meal, another person dropped by. This time, he was selling packed meals complete with vegetables, rice and another viand. His cart was also full of  different drinks and desserts to choose from. And believe me, that food cart was one of the things I looked forward to until our last day in the hospital. From breakfast, lunch to dinner. It saved me time and energy from going up and down going to the food court of The Medical City.

So last Friday, I started my day by getting myself a hot caffè mocha from Starbucks, and waited for the food commissary guy.

I got Tapa with poached egg, and enjoyed breakfast with my other half. Lunch time, I skipped the food cart and had sushi which was given by a very good friend.

While in the hospital, I was also keeping myself busy looking for custom business cards. It's one of those things, thinking of ways to make it easier for people to look for my blog. A card would come in handy.

For dinner...

Pork Afritada with Sauted Chayote sounded and looked great. A pack of fresh fruits made it more enticing. These kept me full last Friday. The selection from the food cart was inviting. If I can only taste everything. Yes, I can say that it was a food trip.

Food Trip Friday

Photos: SEP990i

FTF: Meatball Soup

Bola-bola or meatball soup is one of the easiest to prepare and it is my favorite. For a change, I didn't include some Misua. Then, I topped my bowl of hot soup with freshly- chopped onion leeks.

Recipe and Related Entry

Food Trip Friday

Body Mass Index

I'm often asked by some people, most of them are parents, how come my son is thin. It's been a frequently asked question, to a point that it made me feel that they think my son is not healthy. When I became a mom, one of the things I took note of from the list of advises my son's pediatrician, is being able to keep the child healthy by being able to maintain the child's normal weight right for his/ her age. I can't say "regardless of how the child looks like", but in my case, my son may not look big or "fat" but he is a lean boy. He looks thin but he is heavy.  His weight is right for his age. Using BMI, you can now calculate your child's weight and your very own weight in an instant. This can be useful, especially when you find it difficulty to set an appointment to see your doctor.

BMI or Body Mass Index is a calculated value which allows you to define how well the mass of the human body corresponds to the height and consequently a degree of over- or underweightness. It was developed by Belgian scientist Adolphe Quetelet in 1869. BMI can estimate the risk of developing an illness due to excess or low weight.It can also calculate your body mass index using the weight and the height. BMI calculator can determine what the category you belong to: underweight, normal, overweight, or obese.They also provide  information on how to lose or gain weight, and several free diet plans. BMI is a giant step to a healthy living.

My Lucky Coin

A few months back, we moved to a new place. Some of the things we took with us to our new home are a few things from my in-laws. We inherited most of their stuff, and one of them is a container of old coins from around the world. My father-in-law being a traveler was able to collect various coins from different countries through time. And I'm not kidding, that container is very heavy, as if you just lifted a bid rock from the ground. It's interesting. It was my first time to be able to keep something valuable. My husband made choose a coin, which I now consider as my lucky keepsake. My husband and I are pretty sure that in time these coins will have greater value. Any interest investing on Gold Bullion? It may be complicated for some, but with the stash of old coins my in-laws entrusted me and my husband, I think that investing on Bullion or Bullion Coins is going to be a smart move.

See:

Learn More: FREE Gold Price and Charts

Gold has been a good investment for the last 6000 years and is globally becoming popular. Buy gold coins and gold bullion from Regal Gold Coins. It's a good choice, because they also provide Gold IRA, plans such as the Gold 401K and gold prices.

This is the kind of investment you're sure of that will grow and will provide the right outcome, the things you've been expecting from each valuable Gold Bullion. I never thought that coin collecting or even buying them for this purpose would be a great deal. I've heard stories and several confessions of their success and I am hoping to be one of them.

FTF: Snack Time With Red Ribbon

I can't believe that I missed 2 FTFs already. When I thought that I can be a consistent participant, a busy life ahead came and crashed my momentum. Anyway, it's good to be able to post again. It's merienda time! or snack time. When I go shopping this is the only food I crave for. Red Ribbon's Regular Palabok. It's my favorite Palabok.

I make it a point to shop near a Red ribbon Restaurant. Even with my mom, it's always our first choice.

My Palabok meal came with a drink a slice of cake

Good thing that their cake for the day was Red Ribbon's Chocolate Heaven. It's my sons' favorite. He can eat the chocolate toppings in no time. It's good, it's real chocolate, it's Hershey's chocolate.

Photos: SE P990i

Food Trip Friday

An All- In- One- Place

It's one of the things I enjoy in our location. For the past 6 years my family 's been to several houses , apartments and a condo, but we never moved out of the main city. Quezon City is very accessible. Everything is here. From major malls, supermarkets, government offices, restaurants, hospitals, convenient stores, bakeshops, and bars. To add, all modes of transportation are also available here. In other countries it may be the city of Manchester where banks Manchester, and other important store are located close together. In one stop you can visit both at the same time. And so, being able to reach all the essentials you need in  no time is the most convenient thing that can happen to a person. Yes, sometimes renting a house or a condo unit may be expensive, but later on, you will see the big difference when you feel that you're saving more time and energy and realizing that your money is all worth it.

In terms of saving time, in an "all in one place"  you will be able to decide faster, accurately and you will be able to enjoy taking your time. I've been a victim myself , choosing something not appropriate just because I  need to hurry. In this case, it's all because I needed to be home on time, that's why I  have to rush whatever it is that I need, like banks Manchester, groceries or shopping for a pair of shoes. And when you take your time, you actually save energy because you're relaxed knowing you just live around the corner. It's also nice to enjoy a good pizza when you're not in a hurry. Reminds me, I can't imagine how Manchester pizza taste like, it must be good. With the list of pizza parlors they have, it's just a phone call away to pizza night.

Every time I go shopping with my husband, it's one of the things we are very thankful for,  having the opportunity to live near a commercial area.

A Little More For Our Bedding

It's been almost a week since my last post on this site. I got sick over the weekend but I still went out in order to break the boredom. I went shopping for some new bed sheets by the way. At the department store, I browsed on sets of sheets, blankets and pillow cases. Well, my son voluntarily transferred his so-called toy kingdom out of the master's bedroom to the living room. I really waited for him to do it by himself. I don't want to force him because he is also learning. 

Well, now with his toys placed somewhere else, I was finally able to fix our room and make it more cozy. So as I was sharing earlier, I went to the mall to shop for new sheets. I took my time and look on some bed frames. The sales lady was also giving out info about bed bug prevention methods. Quite timely too, that info will come in handy. I didn't  rush on buying, I thought, if I can't find the right bedding, maybe it's a sign that I will find something better next time.  The mall was almost closing when I went for another round, and found in a corner Bedding by Esprit. And they have therapeutic slippers too. I gotta save up for the slipper though, I can't afford to buy everything in one night because I plan to buy 2 pairs. 1 for me and for my husband. All Esprit Home Bed-Linen, Duvet Covers and Pillow-cases, are 100% Mercerized Cotton Sateen. Original price was at Php5,000+, it went down to 3,000+ Queen set. It's quite a find. I don't mind spending a little more for comfort.

Jackpot For Microwavable Containers

Only for Php88 

Microwavable containers has always been a must-have in my kitchen. And these containers I just recently bought, were on sale when I accidentally went pass the SM Department store last Monday. I was out  to buy  medicine for my husband. Might as well take advantage while I'm already there right? I went home with shopping bags filled with kitchen towels, table clothes and even a rustic decor for my living room.

But the main highlight of my shopping were the containers. And what a huge sale, the original price of these containers are Php 200+ for the big ones and Php100+ for the small to medium sizes. That night, everything was down to Php88 all sizes. A huge Jackpot for me, because it was timely, I've run out of durable containers. It can be useful as left- over containers, a lunch box for office and school and your food is tightly sealed so don't worry about spills or leaks.

A Slow Eater

I never encountered any difficulty feeding my child. From the moment he is able to eat solid food, I immediately introduced vegetables and fishes. My son can eat bitter and spicy dishes. My son actually made it easy for me to handle his eating habits. He doesn't drink any artificial drinks including juices and soda and he loves cold water.

Looks perfect right? Well, not really, because from the age of 4 years old up to the present, he has become a slow eater. It takes him about an hour to finish his food. For a mother like me, that's something serious. I've been training him to concentrate on eating more than playing around. Even in a restaurant, he's the last one to finish. I had to wake him up 1 hour earlier so that he can finish his breakfast before going to school, everything is done 1 hour ahead or even 2 hours, so that he won't be late.
They say being a slow eater at the age of 5 years is normal for a child. I say, it's not helping. As much as possible I still want him to eat on a normal pace and by not letting his nutritional in-take get affected.

Over the weekend, I took my son with me look for larger sized air mattresses. We went shopping for some materials and stuff both for the kitchen and bedroom. With all the walking we made, I'm kinda expecting the child to be hungry. As predicted it took us another 1 hour just to finish his spaghetti. I guess the main reason is that he is just a child, acting the way he should be. They like exploring, imagining and looking around. That's what I noticed with Franky. He looks around and  he  talks a lot while eating.

Garlic- Thyme Rice

This weekend is just full of good news.

1. I was notified that my photo entry in a photography contest was chosen. Tomorrow I will be claiming my prize!!!

2. Ads/ opportunities has been flooding my website, and I consider that as something good.

3. Finally, I'm all set to change the domain name of one of my websites. Which one? I'm still thinking and gauging, but definitely it is going to happen next week.

4. I have been talking about business with my husband a Seo company would come in handy on securing our needs.
5. I have another kitchen experiment to share today.

Garlic- Thyme Rice

It's your typical home-cooked garlic rice in butter and thyme. I always use a small amount of butter everytime I cook fried rice. It makes the rice taste better and it binds all the flavors together. 

 Not too much butter though. With 1 tsp of unsalted- non cholesterol butter, you can saute  1 whole garlic- minced. I'm talking about whole not by cloves.

Perfect for breakfast with your favorite viand. My family likes it with german franks and spam. Don't forget the coffee!

FTF: SISIG!

Had  some weekend ago. It's only during weekends when my husband and I can indulge on a high-cholesterol dish. We decided to have some beer to match our sisig also some liempo.  We went to Leonardo's in Antipolo, over-looking the city. We kinda had a hard time looking for a nice hut. It's either it's occupied  by the early birds or insects are everywhere since we're already in the rainy season. Made us wonder how far fire ants range, most of the critters we saw are ants. The people of Leonardo's were very patient and they were able to find the perfect spot for us. First thing we ordered are 2 dishes of pork sisig. First dish was for warm up a starter. While talking and waiting for the rest of the food we ordered to come, at least we have something to munch on.

Sisig is a term which means "to snack on something sour" I got it from Wikipedia. Sisig or Sizzling sisig, a Filipino delicay is made from parts of pig’s head, pork meat and even liver. I like my sisig served with egg, seasoned with kalamansi and chili peppers and Knorr seasoning.

The Philippine Department of Tourism has acknowledged that her "Aling Lucing's" restaurant had established Angeles City as the "Sisig Capital of the Philippines" in 1974. If you can't go all the way to Pampanga, Aling Lucing has corner in Greenhills ViraMall Food court. Preparing sisig comes in three phases: boiling, broiling and finally frying.

Food Trip Friday

Craving For A Philly Cheesesteak

Make that with pickled jalapeño on the side. It's been a long time since our last visit in Charlie's Grind and Grill near Ortigas. Charlie's Chilly Cheesesteak is the best sandwich I have ever tasted. I'm up for it this weekend, I'm willing to drive just to be able to munch on it again.  I never thought that such cheese steak exist here in Manila. This cheese steak is made out of the freshest and finest ingredients.

Makes me wonder and wander off to a bed and breakfast Brighton. A fresh tasting sandwich served on a cool morning matching your brewed coffee or  your favorite juice and hot tea. Not to forget, settling near  the beach where you can also hear the waves of the ocean adds to the most relaxing day anybody can dream of.

By the way, this sandwich in the picture is as big as the size of a medium serving platter. Whether you're on a weekend break, or on  holiday, you should be having some cheese steak sandwich.