Day 64: Burger Madness

The photos say it all!!!  My litle CeeJae loves her burger...and she doesn't care much for the brand...be it Jollibee, McDonald's or the neighborhood "buy 1 take 1" deal (as shown here).  Give her a burger and she'll devour it...

Day 51: Spaghetti Sunday

My three kids are typical youngsters who love Pinoy-style spaghetti. It's no wonder that it's on top of their minds whenever we pass by the towering signages of either Jollibee or McDonald's.  However, ever since discovering that a typical meal at any of these two outlets would cost our brood of five at least P350, we've tried to lessen, if not eliminate, going there for meals.

The last time the kids were treated to their fave spaghetti was over the Christmas holidays in Cebu. I knew they'd love a spaghetti weekend so I tried to fit the meal budget so that I can prepare their favorite. Looking for frugal means to still enjoy a childhood favorite, I discovered that using certain ingredients could still make a mean spaghetti without being too expensive. Instead of ground beef, I use CDO corned beef that's being sold per kg at the grocery. By substituting such, I can still afford to add mushrooms and hotdogs to the recipe. As for the hotdogs, I use the secondary hotdog line of a famous brand - in this instance, instead of the CDO premium Bibbo brand, I use their Idol brand. The kids would barely notice the difference since it's mixed in the sauce anyway. With a budget of P260.00, I was able to make enough spaghetti that stretched to three meals. The first two meals were with pasta and the third one was with rice already as the pasta ran out. Not bad eh?

As you can see, the kids had bulging bellies after eating and it was "clean plate" all the way!

Day 297: Going Chinese

There aren't many dining places in Butuan so whenever a new one opens up, we make it a point to try it out to see if it's any good or not.

A couple of years back, the owners of the CARAGA-original Rose Bakeshop tried their hand at fine dining with their duo-resto, Rosario's and Rosario's Grill. We were actually impressed the first time we dined at Rosario's since we were treated to authentic Hong Kong-style cooking. I remember ordering the Fish Lip Soup and Beef Brisket with Taro Hotpot and they were both marvelous and truly didn't disappoint.

The only drawback with their fine dining restaurant is the price...but what can you expect from a fine dining place, right? Well, maybe the owners got wind of this reaction from the market and tried to brew up something more affordable for the wider mid and low income brackets. 

A couple of months back, they opened Dim Sum House, a lower-end version of their popular Rosario's sans the high-end price. It was definitely a good alternative to the more popular Chowking and give it a few years, I can see Dim Sum House giving it and other well-known Chinese fastfood chains a run for their money. This new place specializes on rice toppings and quick dimsum items. Surprisingly, it also has a decent smoothie and dessert spread. But what about price? Well, it was a wonderful surprise that their food items were very affordable...in fact, I thought they were on the cheap side when I saw the size of their servings. For taste and price, Dim Sum House is definitely two thumbs up!

Day 240: A Taste of Heaven

The boxes of Oreo cookies and Pancake batter mix have been sitting on the pantry shelf for a couple of weeks now since I first planned to make a sweet surprise for the family. Knowing how my son, Jarred loves Oreo cookies, it took great effort on his part to resist popping open the box and devouring the goodies all at once. He and his siblings kept on asking when I'll finally make the "goodies". Well, after a tiring week of school activities, I finally had the time to make good my promise to the little ones and my big one. 

This recipe has done its rounds over Facebook for sometime and I was curious to find out if it was really as good as people have been commenting about it...

OREO SURPRISE

1 box Oreo cookies (2 packets)

1 pack instant pancake mix

1/4 cup water or milk

1 1/2 cups canola oil (for deep frying)

Preheat pan then add oil for frying. Prepare pancake batter according to package instructions. For creamier batter, use milk instead of water. Dip each cookie in the batter and when fully coated, drop each one slowly onto the hot oil. Flip when lightly browned on one side and brown the other side. Lift from hot oil right away to prevent burning. Cool for a while. Enjoy while warm.

So, was it a taste of heaven? Well, hubby and I enjoyed it. The first bite was the best one...with the soft dough breaking to let the sweet richness of the melted Oreo explode inside the mouth. One or two morsels would be enough as it was too rich to enjoy too much of. Well, for the kids, I guess having their Oreos and pancakes separately was still a much better idea for them.

Day 231: Ang Langka (Jackfruit)

I wasn't too fond of jackfruit as a child. I thought it smelled funny. When Jollibee came out with their Banana Langka pie, I thought it tasted weird. And langka in my turon didn't thrill me either. 

Well, maybe there's something about promdi living that actually changed my taste buds. You see, langka is now one of my favorite fruits and I love to munch on it when it's sweet and ripe and I adore it as a vegetable dish - Guinataang Langka. Even with turon, I've come to prefer the ones with a sliver of jackfruit inside. 

Hubby and all three of my kids also love eating ripe jackfruit - we usually munch on the succulent yellow flesh as dessert. It's a good thing there's a regular langka vendor near my son's school so I don't really have to look around for some whenever we get the jackfruit craving. 

Day 227: Mommy Piggy is Belly-Mama...

Mommy Piggy is belly-mama as she is now more than halfway through her pregnancy. I guess the process of carrying offspring is similar across species, especially getting the hormones all wired up. She absolutely loves being doused with water very often (being pregnant does make you feel hotter than ever) and those mood swings are apparent now and then. 

Pregnancy is one of the valid reasons I had to "pig out" in the past. Well, I was eating for two, right? Hmmm..."pig-out"...now I know why that expression was coined. I was told that ever since Mommy Piggy got preggers, her appetite shot to the roof - she was hungry all the time!!! I know the feeling of being hungry for two...but can you just imagine being hungry for at least 12? Whoa!!! Eat on belly-mama!

Well, it wouldn't be long now until her wee little ones make their entrance...

Day 224: Hunger Aftermath

This was what our table looked like after a hunger storm...

You can guess how much we enjoyed that bowl of steaming hot Bulalo...

Day 217: Truly Pinoy

Ask any Pinoy abroad what food they miss most from home and I'm sure Jollibee would be on their top 5 list. A brainchild of the Caktiong family of Davao, it began as a small Magnolia Ice Cream House in Cubao, Quezon City originally named JollyEgg. Over the years, the business evolved into a hamburger/fries fast food outlet and eventually changed its name to the ever famous JOLLIBEE. 

The unique Filipino flavor in their food offerings is probably one of the main reasons why its such a hit for us Pinoys. Nowadays, the famous bee mascot is a familiar landmark anywhere in the country and is even making its presence felt at key cities in Asia and North America.

My own kids have developed a love affair with Jollibee - having the Yum Burger, Jolly Spaghetti and Crispy Fries as their top favorites. Of course, it doesn't hurt that most outlets have a play area where they can spend hours of wonderful playtime.

What's your favorite Jollibee food item?

Day 216: Childhood Comfort

Not many people like the taste of liver, let alone liver spread. I'm quite fortunate to be married to someone who shares my love for the stuff. I was quite surprised to find out that hubby knew about a food item from childhood that I thought was uniquely my own...

LIVER-MAYO SPREAD was something Mom would whip up whenever she ran out of stuff to make sandwich spreads with. In 5 short minutes, she can come up with a snack that eventually became a favorite (mine only as my two other siblings never quite got their taste buds to like liver). 

Fast forward to today, my entire family loves this humble spread/dip and it truly fills us up during breakfast or snack time. Do you have your own liver-mayo story?

Day 214: Week-Start Breakfast

Of all the meals in a day, the one I really look forward to is breakfast. I'm not really sure what it is about breakfast that keeps me hooked. It could be remembering my childhood when I used to wake up to the wonderful cooking smells in the kitchen as my Mom used to prepare yummy champion breakfasts for us whenever she had the time. Or it could just be the idea of "breaking the fast" from the previous night's sleep. Well, whatever it is, breakfast will always top my list as fave meal of the day. Today we had two of my favorite "almusal" viands - "tuyo" or dried fish and skinless "longganisa" or chorizo paired with garlic rice and sunny-side up egg. 

Day 202: Soursop

A gift from our generous neighbors, we enjoyed refreshing mounds of fleshy guyabano (soursop) for dessert tonight. Soursop is a fruit that looks and smells like an oversized atis (custard apple). More sour than atis, I must say that liking guyabano is an acquired taste. As a child, I enjoyed it in a tall glass, blended with crushed ice and a little sugar. My paternal grandfather loves this fruit so much and I remember how his ancestral home in Frisco, QC always smelled like guyabano whenever I went there to visit him and Lola. As I enjoyed each morsel of soursop tonight, I went back memory lane and relived my wonderful childhood days.

Day 198: Ole!

Here's a sampling of the scrumptious food we had during last Thursday's fellowship at the Rosales'. A staple at any Pinoy affair, the roast pig or lechon was the centerpiece of the buffet. There was a viand to each person's liking - healthy vegetables, tasty fish, gastronomically-delightful beef, tasty chicken and the ever-present pancit. To satisfy one's sweet tooth, a melange of yummy desserts filled one table - leche flan, chiffon cake, macaroons, suman and  brownies. It was a truly satisfying and belly-filling meal...burp!!!

Day 162: Sandwich

Sandwiches are a staple food item in my household. Whether for breakfast or snack, this simple treat warms our belly for some time. 

A family favorite is tuna spiced up with a slather of butter and cheese spread on toast. Hubby and I enjoy it more with pieces of lettuce and tomatoes.

Another popular sandwich variety at home is PB & J (Peanut Butter and Jelly) made more special by adding in slices of fresh banana. A filling that we learned to appreciate after watching an older season of Pinoy Big Brother is butter with maple syrup on toast since it looked so yummy on tv every time the housemates had it for their snacks. Now, it's one of the kids' fave sandwich style.

What's your sandwich story?

Day 160: Fast Food

What was supposed to be a quick errand at the local mall turned out into a family bonding moment. I planned it all in my head already...quick stop at the courier to send off a document then to the telecom shop to send payment for a purchase - two tasks that could've been done in less than 30 minutes. Well, that's the ideal situation had I been by myself however, my 3 rugrats tagged along so you could pretty much guess that each child added about 30 minutes or so to the tasks at hand. It was almost past lunchtime when I finally finished the things I set out to do and just decided that we grab a quick bite at the mall's fast food area.

To avoid too much mess, I decided on burgers for the two older kids, a pasta dish for the baby and mami with empanada for me paired with tetra pack juices. I had low expectations for the food since I knew it was a local mall that's not in the same caliber as SM or Robinson's but I must say their food fare were both yummy and affordable. At the end of  an hour's meal, the plates on our tray were wiped clean...burp!!!

Day 85: Laag-laag

Since it was brownout again, we decided to go out and joy ride around the city.  I had some stuff to buy anyway so off we went.  Lunch was at Rose's Bakeshop/Cafe and it was there that we discovered a new find - Guava Juice in doy pack! It was good considering it was being marketed to compete with the big boys like Zest-O and Sunkist.  

While the boys were having their haircut, us girls were left waiting in the resto and made us of the time posing for the camera.

To relieve us of the summer heat, Cailie, CeeJae and I enjoyed Selecta Ice Cream Sticks in Quezo Real and Cookies n Cream flavors.  Here's Cailie, gamely showing off her love for ice cream.

Day 81: Piaya

Mid-afternoon snacks was quite special today.  We had one of the family's favorite treats - PIAYA.  This sweet pastry is a popular Ilonggo delicacy.  It's like a flat bread or pita filled with a delectable filling, originally a sweet and sticky muscovado sugar base but nowadays there are other flavors like ube and durian. Best eaten hot, every morsel of this Filipino pastry leaves a lasting memory of home and family.

Day 60: Mongolian Barbecue Feast

It's been quite a while since my family and I had our Mongolian Barbecue fix.  We usually had a yearly "date" with Kublai Khan's in Cebu but we skipped last year so you can say we're running on empty now.  There's just something about the delicious aroma of wok-frying ingredients that really get to us.  Of course, coupled with the Kublai Khan's saying "Don't blame cook, he only put in fire", every bowl of Mongolian barbecue is a feast in itself.

After surveying that I had enough ingredients to make our own Mongolian feast at home, I began chopping away.  There's no exact science to this kind of food.  You prepare whatever it is you want in your bowl.  Here are the 5 main groups of ingredients to a successful Kublai Khan meal:

AROMATICS - includes garlic, onion, ginger, Mandarin sausage, shallots/green onions, lemongrass

VEGETABLES - carrots, baguio beans, red and green bell peppers, sayote, bean sprouts, chinese cabbage, cabbage, young corn, bean curd, black fungus, mushroom

CARBO - rice, miki noodles, vermicelli noodles, bihon noodles

MEAT & SEAFOOD - chicken, pork, beef, squid ball, fish ball, quekiam, squid, liver, gizzard

SAUCES & CONDIMENTS - terriyaki, oyster, barbecue, szechuan, soy, coco cream, fish sauce, sesame oil, calamansi/lemon juice, sugar, sesame seeds, peanuts

It is really a "make your own" meal...you choose your veggies, carbo, meats and sauces...saute all of them in a piping hot wok and serve in a bowl.  For the homemade version, it was more practical to make a large batch for the family instead of letting each one do their choosing and individual wok frying.  I discovered that the secret to good Mongolian barbecue is the right size of the ingredients...small bite-size pieces of meat and veggies that are thinly sliced make for a yummy Khan feast.  

So, how did our family version of Mongolian barbecue go?  Even my 10-month old baby was drooling over the bowl we prepared for her...it was that good!

Day 54: Inun-unan / Paksiw or Sinaing na Isda (Fish Stewed in Vinegar)

Being a Tagala, I'm used to the Tagalog way of cooking Paksiw na Isda (usually Bangus) which is "masabaw".  When I moved to the Visayas, I learned a different take on Paksiw called "Inun-unan".  It's not soupy like its Tagalog counterpart, rather the sauce is almost dried up and whatever little that is left is actually sought after like liquid gold (all the yumminess is there) to be strewn over hot rice.

This post is dedicated to my Visayan friends who are now abroad and would like to re-acquaint themselves with an all-time favorite...

Inun-unan

1/2 kg fish (Bilong-bilong, Tulingan/Mackerel, Bariles/Tuna)

150 grams pork fat or 2 tbsp canola oil 

2 pcs bay leaves (laurel)

1/2 head of garlic, crushed

1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced

1/4 cup fish sauce/patis

1/2 cup vinegar (white or tuba variety)

1 small red bell pepper, julienned

1 tsp black peppercorns or 1/2 tsp ground pepper 

2 pcs eggplant, sliced (optional)

3-5 pcs siling pansigang/haba (optional)

In a thick casserole (a native palayok works best), layer the ingredients in this order: pork fat or oil, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, fish and bell pepper slices. Then pour the fish sauce/patis and vinegar and sprinkle peppercorns/pepper on top.  Simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes then switch fire to low.  If you wish, you may add the eggplant pieces and chili fingers (for heat), simmer on low for another 15 minutes. Take care not to let the sauce dry up too much.  Serve with hot rice.

 

Day 52: Lovin' Suman (aka BUDBOD)

My daughter Cailie has inherited my taste for "kakanin".  Suman sa malagkit/pilit or also known as Budbod in Visayan (Sweet Sticky Rice wrapped in Banana Leaves) is my favorite "kakanin" of all.  She also loves this simple native Filipino delicacy and when she saw them being sold outside the church during Sunday mass, she asked me to buy her some.

One of our bonding moments with suman is dipping it in sugar first before popping the sticky morsels into our mouth.  From the 3 bundles we brought home, Cailie was able to finish more than half all by herself. *burp*

Day 15: Comfort Food and Leftovers

It has been raining here six days in a row and I'm pretty sure this kind of weather will drag on until early next week.  Weather like this always prompts me to prepare food that's warming to the belly.  

Ampalaya Guisado is always a winner for me and hubby, especially on a gloomy day like this one.  Served on piping hot rice, nothing beats the taste of bitter, salty and downright yummy all at the same time!

To reduce the bitterness of the ampalaya (bitter gourd), I usually soak the sliced ampalaya pieces in salt water for at least 2 hours.  To prepare the dish, I just saute onions, garlic and tomatoes in a little oil. Once translucent, I add some julienned red peppers and the drained ampalaya pieces.  I like my ampalaya to retain its rich green color and crispness so I just let it cook for about 7 minutes on high heat before adding 1-2 beaten eggs.  Once the eggs are almost cooked, I put off the heat and let the steam finish the cooking process.  Voila! Comfort food at its best!

I haven't been successful yet in having the kids love eating ampalaya so they feasted on the leftover "Fish-tek" from dinner the night before.  It's a simple dish of having "bariles" pieces marinated in some soy sauce, calamansi juice and a dash of pepper for about 30 minutes before pan frying them in hot oil.  Once brown, just add lots of red onion rings and the marinade.  It was even more delicious as a leftover since the sauce had already penetrated the fish pieces well.

Suffice to say, we were "belly-ful" today.