We constructed a kitchen in the gazebo. It’s structurally complete but we need to install additional lighting fixtures. And there are no pullout shelves in the cabinets yet. We’ll get there. Soon. Meanwhile, I was too excited to wait for everything to be completed. So, I cooked tonight’s creamed chicken and potato soup there. And, ... (more)
Orange pork with Szechuan pepper
Posted on October 12, 2009 · 5 Comments
There are so many ways to cook braised meat. Yet, because of the variety of ingredients that go with each dish, the flavor and aroma will make each one different from the others. Take this dish, for instance. It may look like adobo but the flavor and aroma are nothing even similar to adobo. Cooked ... (more)
Chinese ham, corn and cheese muffins
Posted on October 10, 2009 · 4 Comments
Many of you liked the bacon, cheese and pepper muffins. So did my kids. So did my husband. And so did I. I felt so encouraged that I decided to experiment using Chinese ham, corn kernels and small cubes of cheese. The upside is that this new version is not a oily as the first. ... (more)
Rolled bread stuffed with sausage and cheese
Posted on October 8, 2009 · 23 Comments
Been experimenting with easy-to-prepare dishes for the coming holidays. Finger foods are always in demand so I thought I’d try and solve a nagging problem. See, when I made my pepperoni and cheese stuffed bread rolls, one of my major concerns was to avoid getting the bread soaked in too much oil despite deep frying. ... (more)
Mike and Ben
Posted on October 8, 2009 · 48 Comments
At 9.00 a.m. on September 26, the high school volleyball team of La Salle Antipolo left the vicinity of Boni Avenue after a match. One of the athletes, Isay Manlungat, left with her father, Mike. Eight other athletes boarded the school service vehicle. Isay and Mike went straight to Sta. Lucia East Mall along Marcos ... (more)
Braised pork spare ribs with black bean and garlic sauce
Posted on October 7, 2009 · 26 Comments
The typhoon season and powerless days may not be over yet. If cooking in the dark bothers you, go for dishes that require minimal preparation. And if you’re among the unfortunate ones who also go waterless on powerless days and nights during a typhoon, choose dishes that require the use of the fewest cooking utensils ... (more)
Chicken, vegetables and tortillas
Posted on October 6, 2009 · 3 Comments
If you’re a fan of tortilla, you’d know that a lot of things can go into it aside from traditional Mexican filling. Tortilla is a bread, after all, flat and unflavored and neutral enough to accommodate a wide range of filling. So, I cooked chicken teriyaki and stuffed my flour tortillas with the sweet and ... (more)
Building an outdoor kitchen
Posted on October 6, 2009 · 60 Comments
Speedy always intended to construct a movable (rolling) cooking station using the cooking hob and oven from the old house. It would have been swell to put it next to be gazebo so we could cook and eat outdoors without too much going back and forth. But, for more than a year, the project kept getting pushed aside…
So, the gazebo turned into a white elephant. For months. Until inspiration struck. I’d construct an outdoor kitchen right there. Easy enough to set up the table and chairs under the mango tree for dining.
Published on Thursday
Posted on October 5, 2009 · 4 Comments
It isn’t exactly the time to talk about leisure and vacations but if all I think and write about are Ondoy and Pepeng, I think I’ll go nuts. Good thing that I was asked to write a travel piece for Manila Standard Today for last Thursday’s edition. It’s the seventh or eight travel feature I’ve ... (more)
Choco apple cake
Posted on October 4, 2009 · 2 Comments
In an attempt to salvage two apples that had been sitting on the counter for a couple of days following the three-day blackout brought about by typhoon Ondoy, I prepared the basic recipe for butterscotch brownies, double everything, added diced apples and chopped dark chocolate and came up with a winner. Recipe for butterscotch brownies? ... (more)
Conversations