Crunchy Potato Wedges

As a matter of fact, they love french fries so much and I had to go in- between preventing it  from making it the ultimate favorite. We all know how unhealthy french fries are. I was able to change their preference from eating french fries to loving homemade potato fries/ potato wedges. I always make potato wedges for my boys especially for Franky. My vegetable basket is always full with potatoes just for this.

And its fun mixing herbs with the coating. It adds flavor.

Food Trip Friday

Annabel Lee Café

Location: Promenade Greenhills
Price Ranges from Php120-400

Annabel Lee Café opened in 2002, its goal was to create a dessert café that showcased and served innovative and delectable cheesecakes paired with delightful espresso concoctions perfectly enjoyed with thecompany of family and friends. With it's success they opened their doors to go full time on gourmet dishes too.

Serves fresh quality food prepared and served by their skilled and friendly staff, creating a comfortable atmosphere for a great casual dining experience.

Teriyaki Beef Rice (Php185)

Burger Steak (Php170)

Carbonara Pasta (Php190)

Mongolian Fried Rice (php185)

Iced Chocolate (Php 120)

We love Annabel Lee's Iced Chocolate. Perfect for the kids, summer and throughout the year.

Crispy Fried Chicken

my Cold Lychee Green Tea his Royal Milk Tea

This has been a regular for us every time my husband and I would visit Bubble Tea. It is cold green tea and Lychees with black tapioca. You can also have it hot.
(cold/large at Php68- hot at Php45)
It is very refreshing and most of all, healthy!

Royal Milk Tea (Php80- cold)

Bubble Tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980's at a small tea stand. Bubble tea is also known as boba drink, pearl tea drink, boba ice tea, boba, boba nai cha, zhen zhou nai cha, pearl milk tea, pearl ice tea, black pearl tea, tapioca ball drink. Most of the time tapioca pearls were served in cold infused tea. After the tea and flavor were shaken well, it topped tapioca pearls that were sitting on the bottom of a clear cup. The tapioca pearls also looked like bubbles, thus also became to known as "Bubble Tea." Bubbles floated on the top your drink and bottom of your drink.-source-

Bicol Express

As requested by...

It's "the" Filipino dish that I never really liked because it's spicy. But to be honest, I haven't even tried tasting it. One evening, I got a call from my husband asking me, if I know how to cook Bicol Express. Obviously, the answer is no, but I know for a fact that it is an easy dish to prepare. So, I said, okay, I'll try my best to be able to nail a good Bicol Express just for you. Knowing my husband who loves spicy food and hot dishes, I just gotta do it and get the right flavor.

Bicol Express is known to be one of the hottest dishes served from any busy Filipino Kitchen. It is a pork stew cooked with chopped green chili (siling mahaba), coconut milk, shrimp paste, onion, pork, and garlic.

I mixed my recipe with 2 kinds of Chilies: Siling Haba (green chili) and Siling Labuyo (Bird's Eye Chili in some countries)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 K pork cutlet (chopped into small pieces/ menudo cut)
• 1 cup coconut milk (you can add more coconut milk)
  
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp shrimp paste
• 5 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 small red oinion (chopped)
• 1tsp minced ginger
• 8-10 pieces green chili (siling haba)

(5 pieces green chili - (seeds removed then soaked for 15 minutes, chopped)
(3 pieces green chili - (seeds removed then chopped)

• 5-6 pieces red chili (siling labuyo) (minced)
• 1 medium red bell pepper (sliced)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2tbsps olive oil
  

How To:

• In a pan, saute garlic in olive oil until light brown.
• Add chopped onions and ginger, stir for a few seconds.
• Add pork pieces, stir for about a minute.
• Add 1 cup water and simmer until pork is half-cooked.
• Add soaked chopped green chili and add 1/2 cup of water.
• Simmer until pork is cooked.
• Add coconut milk, simmer for a few minutes until thick.
• Add red chili and red bell pepper, simmer for about 2 minutes in low fire.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Add remaining freshly chopped green chili. Stir again for a few seconds.
• Best served with hot Jasmine Rice.

Enjoy! and what do you know, it is now one of my favorite Filipino dishes. It was so good... It was very hot and it was very delicious.

Great Satisfaction With Zenni

Known to be the Lowest Price Progressive Glasses , a Zenni user shared a great deal why he stayed loyal. Eric's Review of Zenni Optical described how he appreciated to have an option of getting good eyeglasses for a very cheap price. The #1 online Rx glasses store is Zenni Optical. Especially with the current economic state, Zenni Optical was able to provide the essentials of a good pair of eyeglasses.

Using the latest modern materials, manufacturing and marketing systems we bring our product direct from our factories to you. No middlemen, no retail overhead, and practically no advertising budget,(we leave it to you, our satisfied customers to spread the word), we do not pay for or sell expensive, or even inexpensive, brand names, but only our own manufactured brand ZENNI.

German Franks at Home

My family would often engage on some German Franks every time we go out, especially when we go window shopping or just having a relaxing stroll at the mall. Today, instead of ordering some, we went straight to the grocery store and bought a pack of German Franks, hot dog buns, cheese, and lettuce.

It's better to make our own hotdog sandwiches. Adding lettuce made our sandwiches healthier. I didn't consider putting mayo anymore, the mustard, tomato catsup and cheese will do. It's more than enough compared to the ones we buy at the mall.

Mustard, mustard, mustard! it's all mustard for me!

The fun of having hotdog sandwiches at home is being able to prepare according to your preference. We have plain with cheese, mustard and cheese, mustard, catsup and cheese!

A perfect weekend snack for the family! Happy Weekend everyone!

Garlic Mushroom and Radish Salad

In observance of the Lenten Season, and as part of a tradition, every Friday, I make it a point to serve fish and vegetables or chicken to the very least. Some Friday ago, I opted for 2 kinds of vegetable dishes. Garlic Mushroom served with fresh Radish Salad.

If you're a traditional person, it's also a good option to serve veggies over veggies. One that can stand as main viand or main dish, and the other as a side dish.

Perfect with hot, fragrant Jasmine Rice.

• Radish Salad: (radish, tomatoes, onions, cane vinegar, ground pepper, salt and 1/2 packet of Splenda.*Slice radish, tomatoes and onions in thin pieces. Set in a bowl season with cane vinegar, salt, pepper and Splenda.
• Garlic Mushroom: Any mushroom of your choice whole or in pieces, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper.* Saute garlic in olive oil until golden brown, add mushrooms, stir for a few minutes then, add salt and pepper to taste.

Happy eating!
What do you have for us this Friday? Join us at: Food Trip Friday

Beef Salpicao

It's one of those nights when you want to eat something new using the very same ingredients of the regular viand served within the week. One thing I like about breakfast steaks is it's flexibility to become an all-around beef ingredient. I use breakfast steak for dishes like: Filipino Beef Steak, Beef Curry, Peppered Steak, Beef Broccoli and the latest ---Beef Salpicao.

Beef Salpicao also known as Stir-fried garlic beef.

My favorite Beef Salpicao version is the one from Slice N' Dice. Beef Strips combined with their special gravy sauce topped with mushrooms and roasted garlic.

I made my own version for dinner last night.

Basing it on how it tasted from a previous food adventure, I gladly say yes, I was able to nail the taste. The presentation? well, that depends on how you like you Beef Salpicao.

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients: (Marinate)
1/2 K beef (breakfast steak)
5 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 Calamondin Juice
1 packet of Splenda
a pinch of salt and ground pepper


Ingredients: (Actual Dish)
3 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
10 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp left-over marinate
1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp all purpose flour
21/2 cups water

How To:

Marinate beef in soy sauce, Calamondin juice, chopped garlic, splenda, salt and pepper for 1 hour.

DISH:

• After marinating, in a pan, simmer beef steak in 2 Cups of water until tender. Cut into strips then set aside with the excess sauce.

• In the very same pan, saute minced garlic in olive oil until golden brown.
• Add beef strips and excess sauce from boiling, stir for a few minutes.

note: excess sauce: the oil from the beef and water from boiling if there are any left in the pan. Add them all.

• Add butter. Keep stirring until melted. Low fire.
  
• In a cup, mix flour, 2tbsp marinate and 1/2 cup water and mix until well-blended
• Add mixture with the beef
• Add salt and pepper to taste
  

I prefer mixing the garlic with the beef than using it as a topping. It makes the dish more delicious and tasty.

You can add button mushrooms too.

Note: I didn't use beef cubes. I boiled the meat to extract it's flavor. Using the old-fashioned way is healthier.

Consumer Forum

A forum is an online discussion site. This is where we can create bonds and match our interests made to be discussed with groups or people on the same level.

This may be one of the things we should consider over the internet. As a consumer myself, I deal with different types of situation especially online. A consumer forum will somehow be a form of protection for us.

CHOCONANAZ

Last Saturday my family spent time at Enchanted Kingdom. As most of us all know, bringing food inside the park is not allowed. That " food not allowed" rule was all worth it. Part of our fun day was discovering several goodies. One of them is the Deliciously Healthy CHOCONANAZ!

It's frozen banana dipped in any flavoring of your choice. Chocolate, Strawberry and other fruity flavored dips.After dipping, choose any sprinkle to coat your cold ChocoBanana. Very refreshing. I didn't know that banana can be served frozen too.

Location: Midway Boardwalk Enchanted Kingdom
Price Ranges from php25-35

Beyond My Kitchen

This entry was posted as an update for my food blog early this evening. Since a new story was set to be shared, I decided to move on and use as an official food entry.

It's been awhile since I last tweaked on my food blog or even posted anything that is food related.
Truth is, I lost most of my food files when my computer got hit by a terrible virus 2 weeks ago. Plus, my family lessened eating fast food, take -out, anything that is processed beyond our kitchen. It was quite an adjustment.

Lesser discoveries, lesser food adventures, lesser blog entries. But lifestyle greatly affects health that's why we had to do it.

It's just weird when you're into organic, and all the other health options in the house, but later on, you opt to eat out or order food to go. I just realized that it destroys the whole idea why you chose to be healthy from the very heart of your own home.

With that, we looked for a better replacement that will keep our minds focused with something else. My husband and I even our son made the Spa part of our regular routine. Well, that's for us.

We are not eliminating the fun of eating out totally though, we still have occasions to celebrate.

Had to think of ways to be able to keep up with the pace, and I was able to. So here I am presenting another phase for From My Kitchen and Beyond.

I know, some links are missing... I'm still thinking if I should put them all in 1 page or just line them up in the sidebar... will see later. Don't worry, I always keep my friends and contacts online. Hopefully I will be able to do some drops and blog hop again.

This Red Theme is very attractive. Thank you for visiting.

update: links are all back in my sidebar :D
edited 3-11-2010

Best Diet For A Very Hot Day

I highly recommend fresh fruits to make your body feel lighter.

Fruits in season. Like Papaya, Mango, Banana, and Watermelon. Not only it will make you feel cool, it is also healthy for the body with all the fibers, vitamins and minerals. It will keep summer diseases away.

Best eaten when frozen too. I love freezing Papaya slices. I learned it from my Dad. He would always freeze papaya over night for his trips out of town (which is very often). Frozen papaya is like Ice Cream that doesn't melt. My son and husband loves it. You can also freeze fresh banana. Everything is best eaten with Ice Cold Water.

A related post soon.

Loving Honda

If there's a car that my husband and I are really praying for, that's going to be a Honda Civic Hatchback. It's just me loving Honda and for my husband as his dream car. Looking for a cheap used Honda or even a discounted Honda used car? Even online you can now find the cheapest Honda used cars. Most probably we will be able to purchase one from a very good list of used cars. Not just any store that sells old cars by the way. A seller that has all types of cars, ford cars, used volkswagen cars, used bmw car, used vauxhalland a used mini.
It's better if the consumer knows plenty about cars in order to get a very good deal. This car model we love have that "x-factor" that never fades away. We really hope to have it soon.

Old New Orleans

Visiting New Orleans was a dream come true for my husband (then my boyfriend). He is a Jazz music enthusiast, anybody in his shoes would probably make New Orleans his first stop in America. Aside from enjoying authentic New Orleans Jazz music, my husband went to several restaurants too. Part of his goal as a traveler is to be able to taste the food the place is well-known of.

A new orleans restaurant serves the best. From their scrumptious Gumbo dishes, grilled oysters, boiled crawfish, jambalaya, finest wine and delicious puddings.

-photo source-

But nothing beats the experience of dining in a nice restaurant New Orleans been famous for. A restaurant that serves Contemporary Louisiana-French dinners, that also supports local farmers and fisherman. One of the stories that got my husband's attention was the story of La Petite Grocery.

-photo source-

La Petite Grocery started as a small store located across the street from the Jefferson Market, one of the busiest streets because it is near the port of New Orleans. Mr. Mackie would sell items such as butter fresh from the creamery, coffee roasted in the store, teas imported from around the world as well as local goods. Customers would come by foot, horse or take a ferry from across the river to be able to buy the finest and unique groceries they have in store. It opened its doors in the same building that John Willig and Frank Mackie built almost 100 years earlier .

Aspirations: to provide the neighborhood with exotic teas, locally roasted coffee and fresh produce. By doing this we hope to provide a dining experience that evokes nostalgia of old New Orleans.
New Orleans is a beautiful place full of wonderful stories and dishes. It would be another dream come true to go back and experience New Orleans together with (now) my husband and (now) a jazz musician.

Worse Summer

Worse summer experience for the Philippines right now. Last night while watching the news, it made me realize so much our environment has changed through time. When summer comes, we get a good hot 3 months. Usually from late March to May. Summer has always been my most awaited season. It's beach time. Just the idea of being able to wake up late makes summer lovable especially for students. You get to dress up lighter, upgrade to a newer eye wear for protection.

Now, its different. Maybe the only reason you have for staying up late is not being able to sleep well because of the heat. We're also undergoing crisis in terms of water supply. And if there's shortage on water, the rest of our basic needs gets affected as well. Power supply, food, even work. This year's El Niño Phenomenon is far the worse I have ever known. Even the strawberries, that's suppose to be in season are drying and dying out. As we all know, the Philippines is one the countries dependent upon agriculture and fishing. This phenomenon will really leave many jobless and hungry. Let us all do our share and conserve energy in order to save our fellow citizens from greater adversities that we know we can all get through if we help each other.