FTF: Carbonara

In the mood for something different on a Friday? It's been a long time since I cooked something with white sauce. Most of the time, I go for Tuna as my main ingredient. But today, I prepared the usual Carbonara recipe. Which is: White sauce with bacon and garlic bits.

As researched, the original recipe for Carbonara is a mixture of eggs, cheese, and butter or olive oil mixed with the pasta, the pork is added to the pasta later. I'm still figuring out how to make the perfect egg sauce though.  When I was in college, it's one of the sauces that I wasn't able to try during our food functions.

With my recipe I got rid of the butter then I lessened the cream and added milk instead.

Ingredients:

• 450g spaghetti (pasta al dente)
• 1/4 kilo ground lean 
• 1/4 kilo sweet ham ( minced)
• 1/4 kilo bacon (minced)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups all purpose cream
• 1/2 cup fresh milk
• 1 can button mushrooms (sliced)
• 1 can cream of mushroom
• 2 whole garlic (minced)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• salt and pepper

How To:
Toppings:

• In a separate frying pan, pour little oil and saute 1/2 of the minced garlic until light brown
• Add 1/2 minced bacon and ham
• Fry everything together until golden brown
• Drain excess oil and serve in a separate bowl

Main Sauce:

• In a sauce pan saute the remaining  minced garlic until light brown
• Add onions and stir for a few seconds
• Add the ground lean, the remaining minced bacon and ham
• Stir until cooked
• Add the cream of mushroom and mix it well with the meat
• Add 1/2 cup fresh milk and 2 cups of purpose cream
• Stir until well blended. Continuous stirring is required for about a minute and in low fire.
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Set aside

Enjoy!!!

Food Trip Friday

Celebrating Their Birthdays This August

When it comes to celebrations, it's best to tell a little story on the feast that was shared. August 22, 2010, we had an advance birthday celebration for my Dad and for my brother. Their birthdays are 1 day apart. As always each celebrant has his own cake and candles to blow. Having 2 members of the family celebrate together is one of a kind, especially when we're talking about a father and son thing.

We had our favorites cooked for this year's celebration. Ordered pancit for a change, turbo broiled liempo with herbs and spices and it was juicy. My dad also prepared some curried shrimps. He also served us his specialty---steamed Chinese Lapu-lapu. It was a simple get together. Aside from celebrating their birthdays, it was also a time to celebrate as 1 whole big family.

Thank God for the gift of having a complete family. Thank God for the ages 27 and 60. Thank God for blessing each one with good health and a happy disposition. Happy Birthday to our Dad (Aug.23) and To our brother Nano (Aug.25)

FTF: How Do You Like Your Adobo?

My Pork Adobo is the usual dish we would often see cooked with soy sauce. I like it better than "Adobong Puti". After boiling my pork in soy sauce, coco vinegar, bay leaf, chopped garlic, a little sugar, salt and pepper, I fry it. But first, set aside the garlic after boiling. In a frying pan, I place a tbsp of oil, then I start frying the garlic that was set aside earlier, when it's all light brown,  then add fried potatoes and a cup of the marinate then simmer until the sauce is reduced..

I like my Pork Adobo a bit dry with a little oil coming from the fat of the pork, with a little hint of the remaining sauce.

Food Trip Friday

Me and My Kind Of Margarita

Been a frequent visitor of The Penguin Bar lately. Yes, it's about time that I should learn to hangout once in a while and it's good that I get to taste some of my favorite cocktails again. Aside from my usual beer, a Mojito and Pina Colada, one of my favorites is a single order of Margarita. Not just any Margarita, I'm very particular with the taste. Well, I would often encounter Margaritas that tasted like medicine. And it's such a disappointment, especially when you're having a good time.

But sometimes, when I'm in a new restaurant or bar, I still open myself to try  their cocktails, and something good comes out. If there were moments when I'm served drinks that's a bit off, there are also times when I am graced and served with the most delightful mixtures of cocktails.

And Penguin Bar's Margarita was one of them. Had to order another throughout my husband's gig. The mix of tequila with triple sec or Cointreau, with lime or lemon juice was just right, I can taste each one but their not overlapping each other. I bet the bartender also added some sweetener, the sweet flavor balanced everything, it was so good.

Filipino Spaghetti

I was having second thoughts a few months back if I should post a simple Filipino Spaghetti Recipe or not.  Since almost everyone knows how to cook Spaghetti, I really didn't pondered on posting it that much, until I found out that people are searching my food blog for a Pinoy Spaghetti recipe. I should really consider changing my site's domain and research on blog web hosting. Anyway, here I am, and as promised I am going to make this recipe easy. For our friends from other countries and would love to try our Filipino Spaghetti, you can use your regular Spaghetti Sauce just add sugar, banana ketchup and the rest of the ingredients  like some sausage bits.

There's no doubt that spaghetti is one of the few that Filipinos love the most. We Filipinos were able to concoct our own. Famous as the "Filipino Spaghetti" or "Pinoy Spaghetti", our spaghetti sauce is composed of different ingredients. From the usual Spaghetti sauce, most of us also include ketchup to add flavor and to improve the consistency of the sauce. We also add sugar, hotdog or sausage bits, aside from the ground meat that's also a highlight. And to top it, we use our local cheese. 

Recipe?

My Pinoy Spaghetti was kinda different, because I didn't add catsup. I used Del Monte's Filipino Style Spaghetti Sauce instead.

* for every 1 Kilo of Ground Lean or any Ground Meat, I boil 1 Kilo of  Spaghetti, I use 2 Big Pouches of Del Monte Filipino Style Spaghetti Sauce (which is equivalent for 2 Kilos of pasta) For me, I'd rather keep more of the sauce in my fridge, than left-over pasta without any sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo spagahetti (pasta al dente, set aside)
• 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1/2 kilo regular hotdog (chopped) or 4 small cans of Vienna Sausage (chopped)
• 1 kilo ground lean meat (pre-boiled)
• 1 can button mushrooms (chopped into small pieces)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Grated cheese

How To:

• In a sauce pan, pour olive oil and saute garlic until light brown, then add chopped onions.
• Add pre-cooked ground meat stir for a few seconds.
• Add chopped hotdog or sausages and mushrooms, stir for about a minute.
• Add 1/2 cup water and simmer for about a minute
• When everything is cooked, add the Filipino Style Spaghetti Sauce and stir for 30 seconds
• Add salt and pepper to taste, simmer again for a few seconds (add water if needed)

note: Since the Spaghetti Sauce is already sweetened, just add sugar to obtain your preferred sweetness.

• Pour sauce on your pasta and top it with your  favorite grated local cheese. I like Eden Cheese.

Extraordinary Carbonara

So what makes this common Carbonara extraordinary?

While waiting at the Peguin Bar, I ordered this pasta for dinner. I was just thinking that it's going to be the typical "creamy" Carbonara. I do love this pasta dish, but the sauce really matters to me. 

Most of the time, if it's not homemade, I often encounter Carbonara sauces that are too thick or  too heavy to a point that I get fed up easily that I don't want to finish it. The usual Filipino terms are: "nakakasawa, minsan nakakahilo".
But this featured pasta dish is different. The sauce was not as heavy, still creamy and rich and at the same time, it gave me that "Carbonara satisfaction". The toppings were composed of mixed roasted bacon bits and garlic. You'll never know which is the bacon and the garlic until you taste it, and it's delicious.

It just so happen that the chef is already a friend of my husband. So when he passed by our table, I had the privilege to ask him about his secret regarding the Carbonara sauce. The chef knows my concerns on how creamy a Carbonara dish should be, and I'm glad that even for a professional like him, he's very much aware of  things like the sauce for  instance. I'm still not sure if I should share his secret, maybe you should visit The Peguin Bar and try every pasta dish they have on the menu. He is a very nice Chef.

The Penguin Bar new location at 9815 Kamagong St. Makati City

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.

Discovering The First Aristocrat Restaurant

All these years, I didn't have any idea that the Aristocrat Restaurant along Roxas Boulevard is the original,  the first ever Aristocrat Restaurant established. July 22, 2010 with my mom and auntie, we took my grandmother to her hometown in Malate Manila to celebrate her 80th birthday. This year marked another year for her to be thankful for the life and love she found after World War II. On our way to Malate, she took us back in time, telling us her stories,  both her pre- war and post war experiences. Pre-war? well I thought of country cottages, fresh air, green surroundings and a quiet life. One her favorite stops when she was a kid was a stall, of now, The Aristocrat Restaurant.

And as requested, we took her to the place she reminded her of her childhood the most. She told us that she will never forget Aristocrat.

An Aristocrat visit will never be complete without tasting their famous Chicken Barbecue and their signature Java Rice. For me and Frank, we ordered our usual boneless chicken, and for the rest, the classic chicken barbecue. My grandmother was overwhelmed with the size of the chicken parts they served. Okay, I have a little ranting to do: How come in Aristocrat Cubao the chicken they're serving are far smaller. Hmmm...

We also had our favorite Sotanghon, which is vermicelli with stir-fried meat, shrimp and vegetables. It was so good and it came with lots of vegetables, which we loved the most.

Another dish to make the celebration extra special, was their Chopsuey . Stir fried vegetables topped with: crab meat, shrimp, pork and chicken and the freshest veggies. This was the ultimate. It was my first time to try their Chopsuey, how good? I can't explain it. Put it this way, I ordered another round of Java Rice.

I can't describe how happy my grandmother was. 

Spending her special day reminiscing the good, sad and bad times of her past, made  her 80th birthday unique. She couldn't believe that she reached this far. She is happy and thankful that she survived the fight of her lifetime.  I am happy that she didn't take World War II  just to become  a weak person. I can say that it was pretty tragic at that time, because she lost 2 of her brothers during the war, she got hit by shrapnels, that left  marks on her neck to her right leg. On this day, she offered prayers for her mom (my great grandmother who died at the age of 92) for being a good example on how to become a strong woman and for the souls of the loved ones she lost. After everything, it was the peaceful time and her fond childhood memories that kept her inspired through the years. Without this lady, I wouldn't be here sharing this extraordinary story.