Suman is a rice cake and there are as many varieties as there are towns and villages in the Philippines. Most are made with glutinous rice; others are made with cassava. This recipe uses suman sa ibus (ibos) which is made with glutinous rice and coconut milk and wrapped in fronds of buri palm. In ... (more)
Wrong love and the spoiled brat
I purposely refrained from writing about Jason Aguilar Ivler even after the mistaken deportation of overseas worker Jason Vivar Aguilar. It makes my blood boil when the government engages in a no-holds barred manhunt for a suspect when the victim is a government official or a member of his family, a dedication hardly shown when ... (more)
Alternative film festival
Over the holiday break, as I read fellow columnist Bong Austero’s two-part assessment of the 2009 Metro Manila Film Festival, I sighed and thanked my lucky stars that my family opted to do our film watching at home. In DVDs. No need to jostle with the crowds, there are more titles to choose from and ... (more)
Orange and honey glazed pork cutlets
I just learned that the moms of Alex’s (she’s my younger daughter) classmates are regular readers of this blog. Welcome to Home Cooking Rocks! This one’s for you. It’s quick to prepare, uses minimal ingredients but very, very tasty. And the best thing is that, after the initial work, you can just leave it to ... (more)
Dear Teacher Blah
When I was a student, Home Economics was exclusively for girls. We cooked and sewed while the boys had their Automotive class. That was then. Cooking is now part of TLE (technology and livelihood education), a subject that boys and girls alike are required to take and complete. Our conservative society is finally embracing modern ... (more)
Stir fried beef and asparagus
A recipe dedicated to a teacher who told his students that a soup made without sauteing anything is simply WRONG. Dear Teacher Blah, not every dish requires sauteing. In fact, not every dish requires garlic or onion or any of those traditional stuff used for sauteing. Try this recipe and learn a thing or two. ... (more)
After-dinner coffee
According to an article in Blogher, January is International Gourmet Coffee Month. Is that an annual thing or what? I searched Google but didn’t find anything. Doesn’t really matter much to me because I celebrate each day with coffee. The curious thing is what this animal called “gourmet” coffee is. If you read the Blogher ... (more)
Tapsilog and the accidental tapa
I don’t buy marinated tapa. What I do is buy sukiyaki or yakiniku cut beef, season it with salt and pepper, then pan fry the meat. If the beef is of good quality, the simple seasonings bring out its natural flavor. Then, an accident occurred. I botched a bunch of stir fried beef and, to ... (more)
Prom Night
For Alex and her classmates, Senior Prom means a dinner-dance on January 16 at a semi -private restaurant in Antipolo. Originally built as a house, the restaurant is gated with a large veranda in front that offers a panoramic view of the night lights of Metro Manila. We gave gone through the usual dress and ... (more)
Financial issues, marital woes
In Facebook, a friend — a male lawyer and fellow U.P. Law grad — linked to an article in Yahoo! that says the top 6 marriage-killing money issues are: 1) Debt; 2) Personality; 3) Power Play; 4) Mine, Yours, Ours; 5) Children; and 6) Extended Family. Nothing earth-shattering but a good reminder, nonetheless, about things ... (more)





























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