Creamy Potato Salad

It is the Holidays, time for giving and sharing. And of course that includes giving in to your gastronomic desires. ;-)
I have prepared this side dish for Noche Buena and everybody just loved it. Adding celery is an option, but opted to remove it from the list since Hubby doesn't really like it. I used Japanese mayonnaise, or you can also use the non-fat version, for those diet-watchers. I also sprinkled a tablespoon of bacon bits to add color and taste. Simple and easy, but totally yummy!

INGREDIENTS:
6-7 medium potatoes
2/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/4 cup celery (optional)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green pepper
2 tbsp chopped onion
2 tbsp evaporated milk
1 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 hard-cooked egg whites, coarsely chopped

1. In a covered saucepan, cook the potatoes in boiling water for 20 to 25 minutes or until just tender. Drain well. Peel and cube potatoes.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise or salad dressing, celery (if using), green pepper, onion, milk, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the cooked potatoes and egg whites. Toss lightly to mix.
3. Cover and chill for 6 to 24 hours. If desired, stir in a little additional milk before serving to make the salad the desired consistency. And lastly sprinkle bacon bits, if using.

Pata Tim

Using the same procedure from the Pata Tim - Humba Style, this is a delictable recipe common in Chinese banquets.

Follow the same steps, and instead of adding banana blossom, use cabbage and carrots:
1 pc. medium carrots, sliced thinly
5 pcs. cabbage leaves

Get 3 cabbage leaves and cut into squares, setting aside the two whole leaves. First add in carrots to concoction and simmer for 2 minutes. Add cabbage just before serving. In a plate, set the whole cabbage leaves as mat and arrange pork in the center. Then add sauce and vegetables.
Serve hot.

Officially Christmas!

Oh my, just how fast time flies. It's officially Christmas, 18 more days and counting... I can't explain the little joy it brings me even just thinking about the Holidays. It's maybe the gifts that excite me.. or the food.. or maybe simply because it's Christmas, which only comes once a year. Which I always look forward starting January. :)

I have prepared our Christmas Tree right after Halloween, with the help of my little girl, and her constant chore of changing balls from here to there. But it was fun, nonetheless. :) I also have officially started my gift wrapping the other day, starting with the time-consuming paper bags for knick-knacks. I was able to make a few, completing the list from my office and Hubby's. Then the bigger boxes should follow.. maybe next weekend. So my next picture should already be with the presents underneath. :)

Adobong Sitaw

Another Adobo favorite...
You can add small chunks of left-over meat ot about half a handful of ground meat. I liked it plain better.

INGREDIENTS:
8 pcs stringbeans, cut about 2 inches long
3-4 cloves garlic, minced and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
5-6 tbsp. soy sauce
2-3 tbsp. vinegar

1. In a pan, sautee garlic and onion until slightly browned. Follow meat if using, and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add stringbeans then pour soy sauce and vinegar according to taste.
3. Cover pan and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Adjust taste, adding more soy sauce or vinegar, if preferred.
4. Serve hot.

Saucy Beef and Broccoli

It has been weeks since my last recipe post. And I missed it, so much that I was so excited to wake up this morning to head down to the kitchen.

I personally love beef meals, and today was a little special, after weeks of vacation from cooking. :)

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 kilo beef (tenderloin), cut into strips
250 gms. broccoli, sliced
3 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. corn starch
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced and minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1-inch ginger, sliced

1. Place meat in a bowl and mix soy sauce and ginger. Set aside.
2. In a pan, heat oil and sautee garlic and onion. Add in meat.
3. Add about half cup of water and simmer, until meat is tender.
4. Add oyster sauce and adjust taste. Using 3/4 cup of water, melt corn starch and pour in.
5. Lastly add broccoli and simmer for another 2 minutes before serving.

coffe e break ver 1.44

1. Project Runway
2. America's Next Top Model
3. Hell's Kitchen

Don't have enough time to play in the kitchen, and found this....
Got this tag from Jannesse... Cool!

Challenge

I have not been able to jot down for a few weeks now, been really busy with work.

And speaking of work, I just remember something me and my colleagues talked about earlier. A diet challenge, they call it 'the Biggest Loser'. Yeah, just like the reality show. It's just that you are to give P500 to be added to the pot money, for whoever has the 'plentiest fats' removed. Haha! For you to get qualified for the Final Round, you have to have at least lost 10 lbs, for only a month. You heard it, Finals will be early December. Oh, I was so tempted to join. But a big part of me is telling me not to. Depriving myself of food is such a very hard challenge for me, considering that I love cooking and I simply love eating. :)

So I decided to pass on that one. Maybe next time...

I may just need to add a bit more of my will power, to lose even just a few pounds from my current 125 mark. That, before the Holidays begin. To get a bigger room for Noche Buena! ;)

Kitchen, kitchen, kitchen

I haven't been able to blog lately because of my super-duper busy schedule. And during day offs, I tend to prioritize the 'more' important things than cooking. Though I'm not saying that it's not, it's just that I need to render my free time family first. And when lucky, I am sometimes able to squeeze in cooking, since it is also for my little girl and hubby's stomachs. :-).


I had to steal a little of my free time to view photos on desiretoinspire, and here I am again, going ga-ga over these kitchen pics.

Dreaming is for free, I tell you... ;-)

Speedy Chicken Curry

I had chicken breast fillet thawed and I figured it will be best for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 kilo chicken breast, cut

1 pc. medium eggplant, cut into rounds (optional)

1 cup evaporated milk

1 tsp. curry powder

1 pc. medium onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced and sliced

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

chili powder (optional)

1. Heat pan and sautee garlic and onion until soft. Add meat and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

2. Add milk and the eggplant slices, if using. Lower the fire and simmer for another 2 minutes.

3. Add curry powder, then salt and pepper. Can add chili powder if preferred. Adjust taste.

4. Serve hot.

Grilled Liempo

Hubby's personal favorite. I used my convection oven for this, but you can opt to char-broil it.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 kilo pork liempo

7-8 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 pc. medium size onion, sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, sliced and minced

1 pc. lemon or 3 pcs. kalamansi

1. In a bowl, mix onion and garlic with the soy sauce and sugar. Squeeze in lemon or calamansi juice.

2. Place meat and marinate it for a couple of minutes at least. The longer the better.

3. Prepare griller and grill meat until cooked. Baste it with remaining marinade once in a while.

4. Remove cooked meat from griller and slice it into 1-inch thick before serving.

5. Prepare a dip of soy sauce and kalamansi. Serve hot.

Chocolatey Friday

We were in the mall earlier, did the usual stuff. Lunch, window shopping, Timezone, eat, eat and some more eat... Gosh! Forgot about the diet that I have really been trying to try. :)
Had Churros con Chocolate for merienda, what else can you ask for? My little girl had her share of 3 loops, while I had 4. Or maybe just 3. Or hmmmm...

Pork Adobo-Sweet Style

This is my Mama's version of sweetish pork adobo. Kids would definitely love it, with whole eggs and slices of banana to add zest to its taste.

And since my 3-year old is a self-confessed egg monster, this was a hit!

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 kilo pork, sliced
4 pcs. cooked egg, shells removed
5 pcs. saba, sliced in half
4 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced and minced
1 pc. medium onion, sliced
1 tsp. black pepper
1 cup water
salt to taste

1. Cook eggs, remove shells. Fry sliced bananas. Set aside.
2. In a pan, combine meat with all the ingredients except the eggs and the banana slices.
3. In a medium heat, cook meat until tender. Can add some more water to retain enough liquid to cook.
4. Adjust taste by adding a pinch of salt. Add eggs and bananas and simmer for another 3 minutes.
5. Serve hot.

My Book

I was fixing the little things in the dresser when I noticed my very dependable cook book. Oh, I just missed it!

I haven't been able to browse though the pages for a few weeks now since I am all work, and no play lately.

Getting home and thinking of cooking is just too hard these past few days. Being so stressed out in the office and so drained, playing with my 3-year old is a priority to catch up my absence for the whole day.

I will try to do some catching up in the kitchen, hopefully tomorrow... Missed it.

Beef Steak

Another personal favorite... and what I prepared for lunch today.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 kilo beef sirloin
1 pc. big white onion, cut into rings
3 cloves garlic, sliced and minced
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. vinegar
water

1. In a bowl, combine 1 cup water, half of the soy sauce and all of the vinegar. Marinate meat for at least 2 minutes.
2. Heat pan and pour marinade with the meat. Let it boil until meat is tender, or all liquid is absorbed.
3. Placing meat in the side of the pan, add the vegetable oil. Sautee garlic and half of the onion. Mix with meat.
4. Prepare another marinade with 1 cup water and the remaining soy sauce. Pour over pan and let it simmer for another 2 minutes. Adjust taste, can add some more vinegar if preferred.
5. Prepare in a dish and garnish with remaining onion rings before serving.

Pata Tim - Humba Style

This is my version of Pata Tim, Humba style. I'm supposed to use chinese cabbage and carrots, but since the latter is the only one available in the criper, I decided to make it 'humba' style. My hubby and my li'l girl loved it!

INGREDIENTS:
1 kilo pork leg (pata), partly sliced
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
4-5 cloves garlic, sliced and minced
200 grms. banana blossom
1 pc. medium onion, sliced
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup corn starch

1. Place pork in a deep pan, half-filled with water. Boil meat until tender. As an alternative, you can also use the pressure cooker, cook it for 15 minutes. Remove meat from pan and save broth.
2. In a separate pan half-filled with water, boil meat again to remove excess oil. Discard water.
3. In a bowl, mix soy sauce and sugar. Set aside.
3. Place meat back to the deep pan, with 4-5 cups of the pork broth. Add the soy sauce mixture. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
4. In a frying pan, heat vegetable oil and sautee garlic and onion. Remove from heat and add it to the concoction.
5. Dissolve corn starch in 3/4 cup water, mixing it well before pouring it in, until sauce thickens. Adjust taste, adding some more sugar if preferred.
6. Lastly add the banana blossom before serving.

Right Age To Go To School

Got this tag from Carol, about toddlers getting ready for school...

::START::

RULES: 1. Add your Blog to the list. If you're keeping multiple Blogs, it'll be fine if you add them all up and just post your answers in one of them.
2. IMPORTANT: kindly get back to me [MAICEL] so i will be able to visit your sites, read your answers and include you in the Master List.
3. Please do copy from Start to End.
4. You may tag as many online friends as you please.
5. Copy this Participants List:Simple Delights / Motherhood in a Nutshell / 3 for 100 / Living A' La Mode / Insights from the Grocery Cart / dHomemaker in the Kitchen / Your Blog HERE

Do you have kids? Yep, got one girl.

How old are they? She's only 3.

What do you think is the ideal age for the kids to be sent to school? I believe 4 is a fair number, as long as you see the kid is kinda ready for it.

Would you consider sending your 3-year-old toddler to school? I think 3 is too early of an age for somebody to be in school.

Explain your reasons. I am thinking of giving my kid 3 free years to play and learn "out-of-school", before starting the 'student' life. And besides, she's also learning while 'just' playing. I make sure I am hands-on when it comes to teaching her, like the alphabets and numbers, which is what I usually do when my schedule permits me to. :-)

END::

Mixed Up

The past few days were a hiatus for me, things got all mixed up. Have changed my template, at the same time created my new online shop, and not to mention - the office. Reason why I can't find time to stay in the kitchen and do what I really love to do. Sigh!

I am still not finished with the whole "re-do" of my page, and I think there are a few links that I have forgotten to add in my Friends List. If you are one of them, let me know so I can add you back. :-)

One site I remember is where I usually browse for home interior designs and ideas. And got this nice photo of a white tub. Relaxing... So gotta put the link back in my page. And pretend...

Saba

Saba is a native banana variety used mainly for cooking. It is also knows as banana musa. It is the only variety of banana I know of that cannot be eaten without first being cooked.

We call it nilagang saba, the most basic way to cook it, by boiling or steaming them with skin on. The raw saba can be sliced and cooked with a few ingredients to make Ginataang Halo-halo, another Filipino favorite. And a popular snack, banana in skewers, the banana cues. And there is also the banana turon, which is deep fried in lumpia wrapper. As an ingredient in main dishes, saba can be fried first before adding to Pochero, Arroz ala Cubana and one of my featured dish, Saba and Okra Medley.

Health benefits of bananas? From a health-ful site, a single banana contains 16% of the dietary fiber, 15% of the vitamin C, 11% of the potassium and 20% of the vitamin B6 recommended each day.

My Biz Launch

I have been a little busy with the computer lately, arranging my Blogger, at the same time creating my business page in Multiply. It took me some time to finally do it, a site for online shopping. I just launced it a few minutes ago, and I am looking forward to get maybe not orders yet, but comments and questions would do.haha.

It's an online shop made especially for busy mommies out there, or even the not-so ones. I started with babies and kid's stuff, and hopefully will cater to grown-ups soon. So, check it out. You might find something interesting. Guaranteed great buys. :-)

New Look

I have been trying to look for a 3-column template for weeks now, and have finally found one from Blogcrowds. It was easy, since it only edits through HTML. Which I am a little familiar with. And look at it! I'm just a little relieved to finally modify my template. Make use of the extra spaces on the sides.

I would still want to do a few more changes, it's just that it's already late, have to be up early tomorrow. So will do this when I get back from the office. Yeah, tomorrow.

Will hit the sack now... Good night!

Alugbati

I have even 'yahood' the name, but all I was able to get was the scientific name - Basella alba Linn.

Alugbati is commonly used in stews, which makes a good substitute for spinach. It is said to be an excellent source of calcium and iron and that it has the high roughage value characteristic of leafy vegetables. It is also a good source of vitamin A and an excellent one of vitamins B and C.

It is a native vegetable, for I have grown to see it anywhere in the backyard. Oh, that was back in the province. One can just insert a stalk in a pot of soil, water it regularly and you can have a healthy stew in about a few weeks. Though most people don't like the 'glutinous' nature of this leafy vegetable, it tastes better when you learn to eat it, and smells good too.

The Shoe Tag

Got this tag from Carol.

{Start Copy}

What’s your shoe size? Are your feet the same size as your mom’s feet? How about your sister’s feet? Can you borrow shoes from each other?Post a picture of your latest shoe buy. Tag the number of women of your shoe size, i.e. size 5 = tag 5 friends. Don’t forget to drop a line in this blog when you’re done.

{End Copy}

I'm a size 7, that sometimes go on a 7-half or sometimes 8. Though I'm a size 6-half in Janylin. Sizes vary I think, which could be American, European or could also be Asian.hehe.

I have the same size with my Mama, and I usually borrow some of her flat pairs. Same goes ith some of my shoes which she sometimes borrows. But not the closed ones, I think her feet is a little 'fatter', if I put it that way. My sister has a smaller size, 5-half to 6. No chance for exchanges.
The latest pair I bought was this one, which I bought online. Size posted was an 8, but a little small for me. It fits but after about 30 minutes, I could feel my feet screaming out, grasping for air. I have to give up, and thinking of listing it back online. :-) Cute pair, though.

What's your shoe size Mayet, Ummascorner, Sab, Swennerholm, Maicel, Nellypie, and Superguy?

Tofu Steak

Tofu - a good and healthy alternative to meats... especially for those on a diet. Tofo, a soybean product, is rich in protein, unsaturated fat, and a good source of calcium, iron, phytoestrogens. The protein in tofu or soybean is complete with all the amino acids, which makes soybean protein comparable to animal protein.

Realized that we were eating meat straight these past few days, so I decided to cook one tofu meal earlier.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pack tofu, cut into triangles

300 gms. shitaake mushrooms

2-3 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

1/2 medium onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced

1. Clean mushrooms in a bowl of water and discard stem. Cut lengthwise.

2. Heat oil in a skillet and add butter. Sautee garlic and onion until tender.

3. Toss mushrooms and simmer for 2 minutes.

4. Add in soy sauce and mix well. Gather mushrooms on one side of the skillet, placing the tofu triangles on the other.

5. Let tofu simmer for 2 minutes on each side, giving enough time to absorb the sauce.

6. Place tofu triangles on a serving dish, pouring sauce and mushrooms over. Serve warm.

The Net

One can recall having used this kind of covering on a newborn baby. But you are wrong... This is the net that we use at home to cover food or what-have-you's in the table. A helpful tool, to keep flies and other crawling things away. Mama got this from a Japanese thrift store, where you can find interesting things that you can really use at home. For just below P100. Nice, huh? :-)

Beef Caldereta

One of my special favorites. I prefer the meat with less "litid", since I like it all tender. To get that ideal tenderness of the meat, I use my ever-dependable pressure cooker. I pre-cooked it for about 45 minutes and it was just perfect!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 kilo beef
1 small can, liver spread
1 small can, cooked green peas
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup cheese, (cut into small subes if not quick-melt)
2-3 pcs. potato, sliced
1 pc. medium carrot, sliced
1 pc. medium red bell pepper, cut into squares
1 pc. medium onion, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced
salt to taste
chili powder (optional)

1. Pre-cook meat until desired tenderness. Reserve cooking liquid.
2. Heat oil in a pan and sautee garlic, onion and bell pepper. Follow meat.
3. Pour about 1 cup of the cooking liquid and add in carrots and potatoes. Add the cheese. Make it to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Add liver spread to the concoction and follow the tomato sauce. Add salt according to taste. Add more cooking liquid of desired, and simmer for a few more minutes until vegetables are tender.
5. Add a dash of chili pepper, if using. Pour cooked green peas just before serving. Serve hot.

Bee Zee

Haven't been able to cook lately until today, when I prepared lunch. It has been a busy week for me. The past few weeks were just crazy. I didn't have the time to hold any of my kitchen utensils, and was stuck with office work.

It was a sigh preparing lunch earlier. A sigh of relief from stress... from the paper works... from the computer... from all the clutter in the office... from everything...

Fastfood fast food!

Was in the office today. I know, it's a Sunday! Oh well, not an ordinary Sunday for me at work. Did a lot of errands, trying to catch up the last day of submission of reports. Whew! And since the Cafeteria upstairs is closed on Sunday, or should I say-only left with one store open with re-heated food from last night's, we didn't have any option left but to go out to grab a meal. Unless you want bread and just about anything edible at Mini-Stop. The nearest fastfood that we can find is Mc Donald's. After deciding to a 'no' at KFC. Tough choice. Oh yeah, had a meal of burger and large fries and a Coke float. Burp!

My hubby, with my little girl picked me up at work and had to meet a friend for a business talk. Have to go by a drive-thru for a quick bite, and guess where?!? Another McDo meal. Gosh, twice in a day. That, after another yum at Jollibee yesterday, from my daughter's kiddie meal.

Gotta lose those calories. I wish...

Why Do We Need Friends?

Got this from Carol, thanks for tagging me. :-)

We need friends for many reasons,

all throughout the season.

We need friends to comfort us

when we are sad,

and to have fun with us when we are glad.

We need friends to give us good advice,

We need someone we can count on,

and treat us nice.

We need friends to remember us

one we have passed

sharing memories that will always last.

Spread the poem of friendship. 1. Everyday Life 2. Words of Love 3. Sheng's Simple Thoughts . . . 4. Insights from the Grocery Cart 5. dHomemaker in the Kitchen 6. Your Blog Here

I am passing friendship poem to everyone in my blogroll. Thanks for making my blog life fun.

Honey Grilled Pork Chops

I had 4 tenderloin chops to prepare for lunch. As I was thinking on what to do with it, I happen to see the glass of honey. And that gave me the idea. An easy recipe with less ingredients, simple yet sumptuous.
The chops can be grilled or baked in the oven. I used my convection oven to grill it, then pouring the drippings over the cooked chops just before serving. One important thing to remember though, discard the marinating liquid, and do not use it for basting or gravy, as it contains raw pork juices.

INGREDIENTS:
4-6 pcs. pork chops
1 cup honey
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
soy sauce

1. Pour honey in a bowl and add in soy sauce. The amount of soy sauce can be depending on your taste, more if you want to balance the sweetness of honey. Stir mixture until sauce has a syrupy consistency.
2. Add onions if using, mix well. Separate about 1/4 of the mixture, for basting later.
3. Let chops marinate in a bowl or cake pan and cover with the sauce. It can be marinated for as long as you wish, for stronger flavor, but can also just be dipped before grilling. Either way works.
4. Place chops on grill, basting with the remaining sauce as needed, until cooked.
5. Serve warm.

Practical

I was reviewing my blog today and was able to modify some things, including my ads. I finally got my PayPerPost code added, and hope that it would work. Have started my blog around a couple of months ago and didn't really have the time to fix the extra-curriculars. Now that I have added PPP, I'm gonna log in to my account to check for available ops that I just can't wait to get. It's not that I am not only after of the amount I would be getting for making this blog, but more of being so curious to see what it's like to be sharing your thoughts and skills to other people in the blogosphere. The money is just part of the package, as you go along.
So for those who would wanna try PPP, now's your chance...

Sauteed Baby Shrimp and Veggies

A good way to cook fresh "alamang", together with your favorite veggies. Here, I have mixed string beans and ampalaya. Just a little sautee and you'll get yourself a nice and healthy meal.

INGREDIENTS:

1/8 kilo fresh alamang, washed

1 pc. medium ampalaya, cut into strips

5-6 pcs. string beans, sliced into 3" long

1 medium tomato, sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced and sliced

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

salt to taste

1. Heat oil in a pan and sautee garlic, onion and tomato until tender.

2. Add alamang and add about 1/2 cup water, let it simmer for 3 minutes.

3. Mix vegetables wth the shrimp and add salt according to taste. Add another half cup of water. Simmer for another 3 minutes.

4. Serve in a shallow dish.

08.08.08

Today is the 8th day of the 8th month, August, of the year 2008. 8-8-8... To Chinese philosophy, it's a sign of infinity. Never ending. Forever. It might be a significant day to some of us but not for me, except that I attended a relative's wedding. Surely you have heard about almost a hundred or even a thousand of weddings today. They say it's "masuwerte", lucky to have started a new life with three lucky number "8's". The wedding was in San Juan and it was unusual not to see traffic on a Friday morning, especially in EDSA. So we arrived in the church almost an hour early. :-) The bride was pretty in her very simple gown, with their 4-year old daughter as the little bride. Cute. Wonder why I didn't think about that on our wedding, maybe because my kiddo was just too young to be walking down the aisle alone. I even doubt she would do it. So I guess it was better that way, making her the only flower girl. With her flowers on a silver tin can. . :-)
After the ceremony, we then headed to Edsa Shangri-la for the reception. It was great, the table centerpieces and the ceiling draperies, the cake, but not so good for the food. I would just maybe rate it a 6 out of 10. But was able to stuff my empty stomach. Hubby even went for the second round. The host of the program was good, a professional maybe. Everyone seemed crying hearing the bride thanking everyone and her parents for everything. That was quiet a speech. Spontaneous but was really heart-felt. Sigh!
It was quiet a good day. Not bad for celebrating the 8th day of the 8th month, year '08. :-)

Yummy Fried Rice

My little girl loves this yummy fried rice. Paired with her all-time favorite boiled egg, she always ends up finishing her meal. And even asks for more. Good girl. :-)
It's also a good way for you to make use of your left-over rice the night before. A tip to avoid rice from sticking each other forming lumps, sprinkle a little water and using your hand, squeeze rice until grains separate. I used a sweet corn-flavored hotdog on this one and found out that it tastes yummier than the regular one. Its sweet smell adds a delicious twist to the rice.

INGREDIENTS:

4-5 cups cooked rice

2-3 pcs. hotdog, chopped into small pieces

1/2 pc. red or yellow pepper, chopped into small pieces

2-3 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced and sliced

2 tbsp. soy sauce

salt to taste

1. Heat oil in a pan or skillet. Sautee garlic until brownish in color.

2. Add rice and pan-fry for 2 minutes.

3. Add hotdog and pepper, follow soy sauce. Mix well.

4. Adjust taste, can add salt if preferred.

5. Serve warm.

a girl's room

I was blog hopping, when I found this cool site Desire To Inspire, a blog about inspirational design photos. Nice photos, that made me salivate over home designs and what-have-yous. Frustrated that we have yet to move to our new place, excited as well to use some of these photos as inspirations.

I have been thinking and been extracting my brains out of nice ideas for the new house. Living room, 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, dining area and the kitchen. That's everything I need to get in order, since I was the one tasked to do it, Hubby as the financier. LOL! I already have bits of ideas on how and what to present, and I just can't wait to move in. The house is all ready, but I guess we have to wait for a month (or a few more) for the power line to get connected.

Look at this little girl's room here (pic), cute! I will see if I can possibly manage to turn my kiddo's room into this (wish), or even just a portion of it. The curtain effect (how do you call that?) over the bed is just magical. One of my frustrations maybe, getting a nice pink bedroom. Why pink? It's hard to find a non-pink girl's room, they say. I agree...

Grocery Saturday

It's finally weekend, my off! And I'm scheduled to do the grocery today. Hubby is not around, in Davao attending an office event. Came home around 2pm (since shift ends at 1-on a Saturday), finding my kiddo taking her afternoon nap. Might as well get a few minutes myself before heading to the supermarket. Had about 45 minutes...
Had to take my Mama and Yaya with me since finding everything in your grocery list with a 3-year old is just way too time-consuming. On the list were the basics: meat, some veggies, eggs (my little girl is an egg monster), the dairies, toiletries, laundry aids, kitchen knick-knacks. And the bread supply for the week, grabbed a few pan de sals. We usually buy bread for the week's consumption but I usually end up buying some more by mid-week. Storing it inside the ref is a good way to keep its freshness, just make sure you toast it before taking a bite.
Went home nine-ish, since we strolled a bit in the mall and bought some personal stuff. Got myself 2 pairs of pants, one slacks (for the office) and another one for dress-down. Good buys. :-) Went to bed at 10pm, had to make sure my li'l girl doesn't stay up late. Due to a call of nature, woke up 3am to go to the bathroom and here I am doing this. Have to get a couple more hours of sleep before officially starting my weekend.

Broiled Dory Fish

Got this recipe from one of my Titas. Tasted it last weekend and I just could'nt wait to prepare it myself. You can find dory fish fillet in the frozen seafood section of the supermarket. To add that sour tangy taste, you can use the 'sinigang' mix (tamarind), or kalamansi juice. Read on...

INGREDIENTS:
1 pc. medium dory fillet
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sinigang mix or 1 tbsp. kalamansi juice
1/2 tsp. rosemary
salt to taste

1. Prepare fish in an aluminum foil. Pour olive oil over.
2. Add sinigang mix or kalamansi oil, scatter over fish. Add minimal amount of salt if preferred. Follow rosemary.
3. Fold foil to enclose fish inside.
4. Place fish in a broiler, about 130-150 degrees, for 20 minutes.
5. Open foil and transfer fish in a serving dish. Squeeze in lemon (optional).
6. Serve warm.

Sweet Tooth

I don't really have a sweet tooth, but there are just times when you crave for something sweet to neutralize your taste buds. And speaking of which, I happen to remember a personal favorite, and my daughter's - Char! Cupcakes. Well, I maybe a little bias here since the owner and the baker herself, is a close friend of mine. But not just for that reason, her cupcakes and cinnamon rolls are just heavenly! This is not a paid ad, mind you. :-)

The story behind her cupcakes was, should I say, funny, having been able to officially use the gay lingo "Char!" as the brand name. If you want to know more about what I'm talking about, and get a taste of these cupcakes (and other goodies), you can contact her at 0917-814-CHAR (2427) or 09162362624. Or YM: charm8217 / charcupcakesgalore and skype:charcupcakesgalore.

Mushroom and Cucumber Soup

If you want to go oriental, you can try this tasty soup, taken from one of my reliable cook books. This is a light, refreshing clear soup of mushrooms, cucumber and small pieces of rice noodles, flavored with soy sauce and a touch of garlic. I have added celery, to give it a more crunchy taste.

INGREDIENTS:

200 gms. flat or open-cap mushrooms

1 pc. small cucumber

1 stalk celery, sliced (optional)

1 pc. medium onion, sliced

3 pcs. garlic cloves, sliced

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

100 g. chinese rice noodles

3/4 tbsp. salt

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1. Wash mushrooms, slice thinly and pat dry on paper towels.

2. Halve the cucumber lengthways. Scoop out the seeds using a teaspoon, and slice thinly.

3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok.

4. Add onions and garlic and stir-fry until soft. Add mushrooms and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

5. Stir in 4-5 cups water. Break noodles into short pieces and add to the soup. bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

6. Add the cucumber slices, salt and soy sauce, let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.

7. Serve in warmed bowls, distributing the noodles and vegetables evenly.

Top 10 Pinoy Expats Blog Search

I was blog hopping on the Filipino Community of Blog Catalog when I happen to see Mrs. Thoughtskoto's entry in the Forum. She was looking for possible judges for the Top 10 Pinoy Expats Blog Search, so I offered. This is also a chance for me to get viewers on my own site. :-)

Anyway, the search is open to all Pinoy Expats and OFW's who are into blogging. Whether you are a Pinoy living abroad or you are married to different nationalities, you are welcome to join. This is a great apportunity to acknowledge these fellow Pinoys who are living outside of the country, or even those who are permanently staying here and still practice the Filipino culture. So if you know a friend or a relative who you think is qualified for the search, spread the news.

For more details regarding the search, qualifications and requirements, please click here.

Fried Pork and Mushroom

Opened a can of button mushrooms and decided to do something with the butterfly chops. One can use any meaty part of the pork meat, just remove the fat.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 kilo pork, cubed

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

2 tbsp. oil

2-3 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. butter

1 tsp. sesame seeds

pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a pan and fry meat until lightly browned. Remove meat and set aside.

2. In the same pan, add butter and sautee onions until soft. Add mushrooms and pan-fry for 2 minutes.

3. Add in meat and continue pan-frying while adding soy sauce and vinegar. Adjust soy sauce according to taste.

4. Lastly add sesame seeds and pepper to taste.

5. Serve in shallow dish.

Travel to 7 Continents

I was blog hopping when I found this. Got this tag from http://www.myimaginarytravels.com/ and would just like to try it. My first time to add a tag to my site. :-)



~Begin Copy~
Rules :1. Start Copy from "Begin Copy" until "End Copy".
2. Put your blog's name and url write in which continent you live, add the country you live in. Example : My Imaginary Travels (Netherlands)
3. Leave your url post in here and I'll add you to the Master List.
4. Please help spread this tag by tagging your friends as much as you can.
5. Don't play unfair! If you have more than 1 blog, you can participate all your blogs for this tag. BUT you will have to post this tag to all your blogs as well. So, please. Don't cheat!
6. Please come back again to copy the update of the master list, often. This process will help new participants to get the same gains as the first participants.
7. Don't forget to use the banner at your post, you can save as or you can just copy the code in here.
Master List :
A. Asia : 1. Moms... Check Nyo (Philippines) 2. Aeirin's Collections (Philippines) 3. Jenny and Belle(Philippines) 4. Hailey's Beats and Bits (Philippines) 5. Appleofmyeyes(Saudi Arabia) 6. Deranged Insanity (Philippines) 7. PROJECT HEAVY TRAFFIC (Singapore) 8. Rooms of My Heart (Indonesia) 9. Blessings and Beyond (Philippines) 10. lancerlord (Singapore) 11. allinkorea (Korea) 12. kimchiland (Korea) 13. korean food (Korea) 14. idealpinkrose (Korea) 15. Pinay Mommy Online (Philippines) 16. Momhood Moments (Philippines) 17. Business Mars (Philippines) 18. Maiylah’s Snippets (Philippines) 19. Picture Clusters (Philippines) 20. My Wanderings (Philippines) 21. Hit-or-Miss (Philippines) 22. Life Quest (Philippines) 23. FunFierceFabulous (Phils) 24. and Life Goes On for... (Philippines) 25. Moments of Colours (Philippines) 26. Making sense… (somehow) (Philippines) 27. Day To Day (Philippines) 28. My Happy Place 29. Me and Mine (Japan) 30. Little Peanut (Japan) 31. Creative In Me (Japan) 32. Pea in a Pod (Japan) 33. A Slice of Life (Phils) 34. Jenny Said So (Phils) 35. Live it Up... (Philippines) 36. A Sweet Taste Of Life (Philippines) 37. Through The Rain (Philippines) 38. Sugarmagnolias (Japan) 39. ParentZine育兒好好玩 (Singapore) 40. We are Family (PH) 41. Reference Notes (Hong Kong) 42. The Sweet Life 43. A Great Pleasure (Malaysia) 44. Lalaine's World ( Thailand) 45. Proud Mommy (Philippines) 46. Petty Ramblings of a Petty Queen(Malaysia) 47. The Real Deal (Malaysia) 48. My Sweet Escape (Malaysia) 49. Mommy Earns Money Online (Philippines) 50. Pexlinks Triple Love (Philippines) 51. OnlineBiz and Resources (Philippines) 52. LadyJava's Lounge (Malaysia) 53. LadyJava Life's Pages (Malaysia) 54. Being Woman (Malaysia), 55. Cat Tales (Malaysia) 56. Make Money Online (Malaysia) 57. LadyJava's Food Paradise (Malaysia) 58. Lourdes' Mia (Philippines) 59. Miss Write (Philippines) 60. Me, Myself+2 (Phils) 61. Moments of My Life 62. My Deepest & Honest Thoughts (Malaysia) 63. Crissy's Haven 64. Strangely Out of Place (Philippines) 65. Frozen Moments (India) 66. NER: Never Ending Resolve (Philippines) 67. Mindjuice in Full Throttle 68. Straight from the Heart 69. Creative Thoughts (Philippines) 70. Emila’s Illustrated Blog 71. WilStop (Philippines), 72. Alanzain-home decor world (Malaysia) 73. Let's talk-everything in one space (Malaysia) 74. Tiklaton (Pilipinas) 75. Digiscraptology (Philippines) 76. A Life in Bloom (Philippines) 77. Because Life is a Blessing (Philippines) 78. Day to Day Miracles 79. Budget Traveler 80. The Success (Indonesia) 81. Lets Travel Philippines (Philippines) 82. enlaceré. tordu. (Singapore) 83.Blessings in Life (Philippines) 84. Tere’s World (Philippines) 85. Journey in Life (Philippines) 86. Thoughts and Beyond (Philippines) 87. Geng's Journal (Philippines) 88. e-Shopping (India) 89. Tippy-Tips 90. Life and Me (Singapore) 91. Xploring Asia ( Singapore) 92. Baboyita (Philippines) 93. A Place Of Being (Philippines) 94. Bits and Pieces (Philippines) 95. Asian Mutt International (Malaysia) 96. An Anonymous Journal (Malaysia) 97. WebGeek Journal (Philippines) 98. BlogScope (Philippines) 99. The Mind The Heart The Lines (Malaysia) 100.BoBo the Bimbo (Singapore) 101.Sjtl (Philippines) 102. Crissy's Zone (PHIL) 103. [S]hiphire [D]ominion (Malaysia) 104. All about your children (Singapore) 105. Hardy Chen Power Blog (Indonesia) 106. Rien Mais Tout, Nothing But All (Malaysia) 107. A Nice Thought (Philippines) 108. Choc Mint Girl (Malaysia) 109. KaDusMama (Malaysia) 110. Chorva (Philippines) 111. Geek Chic Guru (Philippines) 112. Erlinda's Wandering Thoughts (Philippines) 113. LZmommy(Singapore) 114. Free VB Tools (Indonesia) 115. Bloggerbin ( Malaysia) 116. Love Is Colorful (Malaysia) 117. Liangmui 38 Zone (Malaysia) 118. Pinay Heart Wanderings and Musings (Philippines) 119. Me, the islands and the world (Philippines) 120. i Share (India) 121. RamblingMoo (Malaysia) 122. Watchamacallit! (Philippines) 123. Nellypie's Chatterbox (Philippines) 124. Emjei Says (Philippines) 125. Solo-Flight (Philippines) 126. iAM-MAi (Philippines) 127. BlackNickel (Philippines) 128. Neuropatch (Philippines) 129. Express For Free (Philippines) 130. My Favorite Hang Out (Philippines) 131. Nishas World and baby Alisha (India) 132. In My Home (UAE) 133. It's My Party (UAE) 134. My daily thoughts and moods 135. BaReFooTeD Me (Philippines) 136. Memoirs of G (Philippines) 137. G Corner (Philippines) 138. dHomemaker (Philippines) 139. your turn
B. Australia : 1. Reflexes (Australia) 2. Emcee 3. Outback-Pinay 4. Collect and Connect (Australia) 5. Stand My Ground (Australia) 6. Alive (Australia) 7. your turnC. Afrika : 1. Doudy Sketche Watercolor Paintings 2. Optimizing for Search Engines 3. Painting Artworks 4. Pictures in Egypt 5. your turn
D. North Amerika : 1. Simple Life, Simply Me (USA) 2. Pinaymama's Diary (USA) 3. 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires (United States) 4.Traipsey Turvey (USA) 5. Dabawenyako (USA) 6. Icelog (USA) 6. The Misadventures of an Ordinary Housewife (USA) 7. It Is Nap Time (US) 8.A Mother's Journal (USA) 9. Journey And Journal [USA] 10. Life is good and beautiful (USA) 11. Tasteful Voyage (USA) 12. Jenny's Wandering Thoughts (USA) 13. Mom Knows Everything (Canada) 14. Filipino love stories (USA) 15. A Mom's Note (USA) 16. Life with the Two Crazy Dogs 17. BLOGSILOG (USA) 18. Juliana’s World ( New York, USA) 19. My Daily Discourse (USA) 20. My Point Of View 21. My Blog Entry (USA) 22. This Side of Eternity (MI, USA) 23. The Paper Vision (USA) 24.Beyond Being A Mom(USA) 25.My So called life(USA) 26. Blogging By Sandee (USA) 27. Comedy Plus (USA) 28. My Life... My Journey!(USA) 29. Your Fun Family (USA) 30. Big Money List (Canada) 31. Life Expressions (USA) 32. DOTBLOGGER 33. Nita's Random Thoughts (USA) 34. Thomas Travel Tales (USA) 35. Nita Corner (USA) 36. Thomas Web Links (USA) 37. Great Finds and Deals (USA) 38. Filipino Online Community (USA) 39. Batuananons (USA) 40. Bohol Paradise (USA) 41. Living or Surviving (USA) 42. Welcome To Our Homeschool Adventures(USA) 43. See. Draw. Share. (USA) 44. Usa'Wifey 45. your turn
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F. Europe : 1. My Imaginary Travels (Netherlands) 2. Juliana's Site (Netherlands) 3. Picturing of Life (Netherlands) 4. SuperMae (Portugal) 5. The Callalily Space (The Netherlands) 6. Portia (UK) 7. Daily Grind (Germany) 8. Amel's Realm (Finland) 9. Mummy Diaries (England) 10. Mirage as Usual (Austria) 11. Say Cheese (DE) 12. Ramblings of an ad hoc doctor (United Kingdom) 13. Love Defies All (England) 14. Breather 15. MAX (Portugal) 16. your turn
G. Antarctica : 1. your turn
~ End Copy ~

Easy French Toast

I got home feeling starved from the traffic. Saw a pack of sliced bread and decided to toast it the French way, instead of just spread and butter. This is the quicker and the easier way, so you can do this when your tummy just can't wait for too long.

INGREDIENTS:
6 slices bread, white or wheat
3 pcs. egg
1 cup milk (optional)
1 tbsp. white sugar
cinnamon powder
butter
maple syrup or honey

1. Break eggs in a shallow bowl, beat with a fork. Mix sugar and cinnamon powder.
2. Dip bread in mixture, making sure all sides are properly coated.
3. In a low fire, heat skillet with 1 tsp. butter and fry both sides until golden brown. Do same procedure 3 for each of the breads.
4. Serve hot with maple syrup or honey.

Saba and Okra Medley

This is another classic from my Mama. A sweet-veggie taste, even kids will surely love. "Saba" is a banana variety for cooking, which is used for the famous banana-cues.

INGREDIENTS:
6 pcs. ripe saba, cut in half
6 pcs. okra, cut in half
3-4 cloves garlic, minced and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups water
salt to taste

1. In a deep pan, boil okra until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. In a separate pan, heat oil and sautee garlic and onion. Add banana and water, let it simmer until cooked.
3. Add salt according to taste.
4. Lastly add okra and simmer for another 2 minutes.
5. Serve hot.

Fish Escabeche

I came home finding an extra fried tilapia from their lunch earlier. Tilapia (St. Peter's fish) is an ideal fish for frying, because of its meaty nature. So I decided to put on a sweet and sour taste dinner.

INGREDIENTS:
2 pcs. medium fish
1 pc. medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
2-inch ginger, cut into strips
4-5 garlic, crushed and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tbsp. corn starch, dissolved in 1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tbsp. dark soy sauce
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 cup brown sugar

1. Fry fish in a separate pan. Set aside, keep warm.
2. In a pan, sautee garlic, onion, ginger and bell pepper until soft.
3. Add soy sauce and vinegar, let it simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Add corn starch, then follow brown sugar until dissolved. Simmer for another 2 minutes.
5. Prepare fish in a shallow dish. Pour sauce over, place spices on top.

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Paksiw

One of the Filipino favorites, paksiw. “Paksiw” is a Filipino culinary term for any Philippine cuisine cooked in considerable amount of vinegar, giving it a subtle sour taste that tickles the taste buds for more servings. My Mama bought a half kilo of yellow fin tuna this morning and this is a good fish for this dish.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 kilo fish of your choice, sliced
2 pcs. medium eggplants, sliced diagonally
1 pc. small ampalaya (bitter melon), sliced diagonally
1 pc. medium onion, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced
1-inch ginger, crushed and sliced
2-3 pcs. green chili
1 tsp. ground pepper
3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water

1. In a deep pan, mix fish with all the ingredients.
2. Cover pan and set to a medium flame until boiling. Avoid stirring concoction.
3. Adjust to low flame and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes.
4. Arrange in a dish and serve hot. Can be served with patis (fish sauce) and kalamansi dip.

Stir-Fried Veggies

This is my version of my hubby's favorite Yasai Itame. Yes, it's a japanese recipe usually with some added meat and basically the same ingredients. I wanted to go plain veggies this time, but you can always add in beef or pork cutlets. Since it's stir-fry, you don't need too much cooking time till you get it to the dining table.

INGREDIENTS:

4-5 cups bean sprouts (togue)

1 medium carrot, cut into thin strips

3 leaves cabbage/chinese cabbage, cut into strips

1 medium white onion, sliced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. butter

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat butter in a pan. Sautee garlic and onion.

2. Add in carrots and follow togue and cabbage. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and adjust according to taste.

4. Let it simmer for a minute and transfer to a serving plate.

Pork Cooked in Milk

I have chatted with a couple of friends last night and one of them requested something with 'gata', saying she's into anything with coconut milk. So I decided to feature this recipe, but since I can't get a fresh coconut milk, I opted to use cooking milk instead. If you can't find smoked bacon, you can just use the ordinary kind. So here it is C, take note... :-)

INGREDIENTS:

500-750 gms. whole pork leg or belly, deboned
1 tbsp. oil

2 tbsp. butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup smoked bacon, chopped

5 cups milk (evaporated)

2 tsp. peppercorns, crushed

2 pcs. bay leaves (laurel)

2 tsp. thyme

salt to taste

1. Using a sharp knife, remove fat from the meat. Shape meat into a neat form, trying it in place with a string.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Add the onion, garlic and bacon to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the pork to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, until it is browned all over.

4. Pour the milk over, add the peppercorns, bay leaves and thyme and cook over a low heat for about 1 hour or until tender. Add salt according to taste.

Watch the liquid carefully because it tends to reduce very quickly and can burn. If the liquid reduces and meat is still not tender, add another 1/2 cup milk and continue cooking. Reserve the cooking liquid.

5. Remove the pork from the pan. Using a sharp knife, cut meat into slices and remove string. Transfer the pork slices to a serving plate and serve with the cooking liquid.

Tomato

"Kamatis", as what it is called in the Philippines, is a herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family. I have read a little history of this round, plump vegetable about how the Spanish distributed the tomato throughout their colonies in the Caribbean, after the Spanish colonization of the Americas. They also took it to the Philippines, whence it moved to southeast Asia and then the entire Asian continent. Reason why we always see tomato plants sprawling just about anywhere - in our backyard, the plant box and even on vacant lots, growing with other plants and grass.

Whether it's eaten raw or cooked, tomatoes are now eaten freely throughout the world, and their consumption is believed to benefit the heart among other things. Taken from Wikipedia, "Lycopene, one of nature's most powerful antioxidants, is present in tomatoes, and, especially when tomatoes are cooked, has been found beneficial in preventing prostate cancer. However, other research contradicts this claim. Tomato extract branded as Lycomato is now also being promoted for treatment of high blood pressure. Though it is botanically a berry, a subset of fruit, the tomato is nutritionally categorized as a vegetable. Since "vegetable" is not a botanical term, there is no contradiction in a plant part being a fruit botanically while still being considered a vegetable."

Cubed fresh tomatoes is ideal as partner for grilled dips and mostly salads. Also goes well with almost anything with soup. The dried variety also is a great ingredient for pasta dishes.

Garlic

Garlic, called "bawang" or "ajos" in the Philippines, is known for both its culinary and medicinal purposes. It has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking. It is a fundamental component not just in Philippine and Asian cuisines but also in the other parts of the world. We often pair it with onion and tomatoes, a good pair for sautee.
Garlic is claimed to help prevent heart disease including atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cancer. Garlic is also alleged to help regulate blood sugar levels. Oh, I remember my grandmother eating a whole bunch of this pungent spice, that is why.

With mortar and pestle, one can crush it into pieces. But what I usually do is first separate it into cloves, cut the harder tip and peel the skin. I then slice it into preferred size. Easy.

Ginger

"Luya" or "luy-a", a fragrant spice of a root crop family, has been used as a medicine in Asian, Indian and Arabic herbal traditions since ancient times. Ginger contains up to 3% of an essential oil that causes the fragrance of the spice. "Salabat", the Filipino version of the powdered ginger tea is said to be a good help to common cough and colds, and a relief to hoarseness. In addition to its medicinal uses, ginger continues to be valued around the world as an important cooking spice and is believed to help the common cold, flu-like symptoms, headaches, and even painful menstrual periods.

You can just wash the ginger in cold water before using it without even peeling it, especially if you are just gonna need a minimal ginger flavor. You can crush it, add it to the concoction and can just remove it after about 2-3 minutes. But if you are using it together with the dish, here is one tip that you can use. It's fairly hard to peel a ginger, admit it. What you can do is just to slowly slide the knife on its skin, not to "really" peel it. A peeler can come in handy but you might find it a little hard to do the curves. So just slide the knife from top to tip putting a little pressure, then just slice it to your preferred size. One can crush it for a more fragrant and spicy taste.

String Beans

"Sitaw" as what we fondly call it, is a long string of beans, that is where it derived its name "string beans". An excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. Plus green beans are very good source of vitamin A (notably through their concentration of carotenoids including beta-carotene), dietary fiber, potassium, folate, and iron. Sitaw mixes well with almost any vegetable. It goes well with squash and malunggay leaves, with coconut milk as its base. One famous dish is the Adobo, a soy sauce-vinegar concoction.

To prepare string beans, wash it first with running water. Remove the tips and just using your hand, bend it till it snaps. If you notice a string clinging to its end, just slide it off until it is removed. Others prefer just using the beans alone, so you can just open the slit and remove the beans inside.

Potato

"Patatas" is the world's most widely grown tuber crop, and the fourth largest food crop in terms of fresh produce — after rice, wheat, and corn. Known for its carbohydrate content, potato is a good source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. We simply love french fries, mashed and baked potatoes. It also mixes well with casseroles, soups and even just a simple side dish on any cuisine.

The easiest way to peel it is with the use of your ever-handy peeler. Or the harder way, peel it manually with the knife, just be careful not to slip it on your hand. Before cooking, you may soak peeled potatoes in a bowl of cold water, to avoid discoloration.

Carrot

Carrots, also known as the same in the Philippines, is a good source of vitamin A, for good eyesight. It can be eaten in a variety of ways, raw or cooked. It can be fried or steamed, cooked with soups and stews, as well as baby and pet food. I remember preparing carrots when my daughter was still on the first stage of eating solid food. I prepare a few slices and toss it in boling water for a few minutes until tender. I then mix it with the porridge, adding a little salt to taste. Carrot juice is also widely advertised, especially as a health drink, either stand-alone or blended with fruits and other vegetables. Steamed strips of carrots can be used as a side-dish or a finger food itself, dipped in mayonnaise.