I’ve told you about Poco’s tragedy. After what happened, I couldn’t bring myself to even look at Astro. It’s like seeing him in a different light. And I wondered how Sam would feel about him, if she would like him less, if she would care for him less. Sam cried for two days and two ... (more)
Kitchenware sale and the breakfast blog
Posted on July 15, 2008 · 8 Comments
First, The Breakfast Daily is up. I mentioned it a couple of entries ago and I was hoping to launch it much earlier. But we just moved houses and getting broadband installed took longer than I expected so the blog didn’t actually go live until last night.
What’s in The Breakfast Daily? Breakfast ideas, some with recipes. Why didn’t I just integrate the content in this blog? Lots of reasons, the most significant of which is that I want to write about food and health issues which I don’t think properly belong in a recipes blog. Food and health can be very political issues so I needed a separate space for that.
Poor little rich girls
Posted on July 15, 2008 · 19 Comments
While watching the trailer of the film “Mamma Mia!” on television a couple of nights ago, there ensued a discussion as to whether the lead star is one of the three witches in the now-defunct TV series “Charmed.” My older daughter Sam said that wasn’t her. Rather, she’s one of the girls in the supporting ... (more)
Choco chip and banana pancakes
Posted on July 15, 2008 · 8 Comments
Two weeks ago, I was at the supermarket and I walked away from a Ghirardelli chocolate sale. 70% off and I walked away because I am on a low-sugar diet. A few days ago, I was back at the same supermarket and the Ghirardelli chocolates were still there. 50% off. I caved in. I bought a bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels, baked huge chocolate chip cookies using half and, with the other half, I made these choco chip and banana pancakes.
There’s no real recipe to write about here. You prepare your usual pancake batter, you stir in chopped bananas and chocolate morsels and you cook them as you would any regular pancakes. If you’re using a non-stick cookware, don’t worry about the chocolate sticking to the pan.
Pan de sal with ground beef stew
Posted on July 14, 2008 · 2 Comments
Turn leftover stew into a hearty breakfast.
Split a pan de sal. Lay some lettuce on one half. Spoon some filling on top of the lettuce, top with the other half of the pan de sal and enjoy. The meat filling is the stew from the dish called Arroz A La Cubana. You can also top the beef stew with a fried egg or slices of hard-boiled egg before covering with the top half of the bread.
Bread… it’s been on the news so much lately because of the rising prices of wheat and grain. Not that the rising price and shrinking size of the pan de sal is something new. I’ve been hearing about that complaint since I was a child. What’s new are the suggested substitutes to flour for making pan de sal.
Chicken and cabbage stir fry with chili garlic sauce
Posted on July 13, 2008 · 4 Comments
There are two things about this dish that make it memorable. First, it is a lesson that chicken fillets are not essential for delicious stir fried dishes. Even chicken pieces with bones are good so long as they are chopped into small pieces. How small? By Asian standards, that means small enough to be picked up with chopsticks.
The second lesson is that chili garlic sauce, the kind you find on the table in most Chinese restaurants, is not only good for dipping. It is an excellent seasoning as well.
Eliminating garden pests
Posted on July 13, 2008 · 2 Comments
Months ago, when we were still viewing houses, we already noticed the millipedes on the walls of the houses in the subdivision where we intended to buy a house. Not that their presence discouraged us. I have learned long ago (from Sir H, my daughters’ science teacher) that these things mean that the environment is ... (more)
The night the lights went out
Posted on July 13, 2008 · 9 Comments
On Thursday evening, the rains poured and power went out in several portions of the suburb where we live. What was there to do? I had all that I needed for a good photo op — a cooperative daughter (Sam), a candle and a camera. Good time to experiment with camera lenses, shutter speeds and ... (more)
A closet door and a book shelf
Posted on July 12, 2008 · 2 Comments
Leave it to teenagers to provide just the right accents in their bedrooms. Below, Sam’s flat white closet door becomes an eye-catching point with this monkey hanging from the handle. The monkey, made from fabric and fiberfill, was bought from the Greenhills tiangge (flea market) several months ago. Price: P100.00
Chicken, squash and zucchini saute
Posted on July 12, 2008 · 3 Comments
…the launching of the breakfast blog will commence in a few hours. The templates need a few more tweaks then the links from this blog will be installed.
Now, the recipe for the chicken and vegetable dish that you see in the photo above. That’s what went into the kids’ school lunch boxes yesterday. What was left became our lunch. What’s in it? Strips of chicken thigh fillets, cubed squash and zucchini. With spices and herbs too, naturally.
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