That's exactly what I'm doing right now. I have some cooking to do today, and I'm right now waiting for the meat to thaw. I'm cooking pork afritada and chicken adobo. The last time I cooked afritada, it was really good, so I'm hoping to achieve the same result today. I cook adobo regularly, because it's one of those dishes that are just really easy to do, but I haven't tried chicken adobo yet. It's because, well, I'm allergic to chicken.
I know. It's sad, especially since I love chicken and actually grew up eating a lot of it. Para kong si Niknok, ang batang napakahilig sa manok. Hehe. Anyone who remembers Niknok? Well, if you didn't read Funny Komiks as a kid, then I don't think you'd know of him, in the first place. Anyway, going back to my chicken allergy, it was actually a recent development. Some ten years ago, to be exact. I know that doesn't sound recent, hehe, but what I meant by recent was, I didn't have it when I was a kid.
I blame this allergy on Chicken Bacolod. You see there was that period, two weeks to be exact, some ten years ago when all I ate for lunch and dinner--and I swear, breakfast too(!), if the resto only opened that early--was chicken from Chicken Bacolod. I'd have the chicken inasal (breast part), garlic rice, and chicken skin. I think ultimately, it was the chicken skin that caused the allergy. But god, it tasted so good!
Anyway, when the allergic reaction first appeared, it was in the form of an extremely itchy rash all over my fingers and toes. The itchiness soon gave way to a burning sensation, and my fingers and toes started swelling and became really red. I can still remember what my brother told me when he saw the rash: 'Wag kang mag-alala, Ate, dadalawin ka naman namin sa Tala.' Panicked and afraid, I rushed to see a derma, who then asked me about my recent activities and the food I'd been eating in the last few weeks. That visit to the derma signaled the end of my happy days at Chicken Bacolod. Sigh.
Well, maybe, I still go to Chicken Bacolod from time to time and still eat chicken from time to time. Hehe. I just make sure I have my antihistamines with me. Also, the key phrases are 'in moderation' and 'from time to time' as I can't definitely eat a lot of chicken now or eat chicken for days in a row. Sometimes, when I forget myself though, there is still some allergic reaction, but now, it appears in the form of a redness around my mouth, pretty much like a windburn. So if you see me sporting a windburn, you know someone's been eating what she's not supposed to. Hehe.
Okay, I have to check on the meat now. Happy day, all.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
31 October 2007
A Little Bit Thai, A Little Bit Indian
Originally posted 29 October 2007.
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Because we were getting tired of our own cooking, we decided to go to Joe's Kitchen for dinner tonight. Joe's is a Thai restaurant, but for some reason, many of its dishes taste like Filipino food to me, at least after the chili is put aside. Hehe. I think what I really want to say here is that food at Joe's tastes like the way Thai food is cooked in the Philippines. Which means I really like it. :-) Then again, I basically order the same thing every time I go there anyway, so I don't have any means of judging the dishes I haven't tried. Whatever! Joe's is just really good food. And quite affordable too! :-)
We had crispy seafoood tofu, pineapple rice, fried chili fish (chili definitely on the side), and, for dessert, the yummy sticky rice with mango.
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I know the food could have used more color, but that means mixing in the chili, which is a no-no for me. So, I'm sorry if the food in these pics looks a little bland.
Anyhoo, after dinner, we went to Little India to see the lights and do some chocolate-shopping at Mustafa. Here are some pics of the lights and me. No pics of the chocolates, because chocolates are private. Hahaha.
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Because we were getting tired of our own cooking, we decided to go to Joe's Kitchen for dinner tonight. Joe's is a Thai restaurant, but for some reason, many of its dishes taste like Filipino food to me, at least after the chili is put aside. Hehe. I think what I really want to say here is that food at Joe's tastes like the way Thai food is cooked in the Philippines. Which means I really like it. :-) Then again, I basically order the same thing every time I go there anyway, so I don't have any means of judging the dishes I haven't tried. Whatever! Joe's is just really good food. And quite affordable too! :-)
We had crispy seafoood tofu, pineapple rice, fried chili fish (chili definitely on the side), and, for dessert, the yummy sticky rice with mango.
.jpg)
.jpg)
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I know the food could have used more color, but that means mixing in the chili, which is a no-no for me. So, I'm sorry if the food in these pics looks a little bland.
Anyhoo, after dinner, we went to Little India to see the lights and do some chocolate-shopping at Mustafa. Here are some pics of the lights and me. No pics of the chocolates, because chocolates are private. Hahaha.
What's Cookin in My Kitchen
Originally posted on 24 October 2007.
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I just realized I haven't written about food in a while (hehe), so I figured, while taking a break from school work (t e d i o u s) and house work (CRAZY!), I might as well write about food--and have some fun in the process. As I said before, I'm not really what you'd consider a great cook, heck, I'm not even a good cook, but I've some recipes I've sort of mastered, so suffice it to say, I can cook. Or more accurately, there are certain dishes I can cook, and they actually taste like they're supposed to taste. If not better. Hehe. :-)
One of these is cheesy tuna and mushroom pasta. I make the sauce from scratch--that is, I put cream and cheese together in a pan and I stir and stir until the cheese is one with the cream--that is, all melted--and the color turns into a pale golden yellow. The tricky part is making sure that the sauce is smooth, and there are no cheesy bits. So to get the right texture, I keep stirring. (The problem with the cheesy bits is that they stick in the roof of your mouth, in your teeth, and/or even under your tongue, and it's annoying when that happens. If the cheesy bits cannot be avoided though, say, I got tired of stirring halfway through, I just say it's supposed to be like that, as the cheesy bits bring out the delightful cheese flavor even more. Hehe.)
For the tuna and mushroom mix, I saute some garlic first, then some onion--both minced, by the way--then I throw in the tuna, then the mushrooms. Then I do a bit of stir-frying. I usually use a combination of Century Tuna Hot and Spicy and Century Tuna in Vegetable Oil, so that the tuna is not so spicy, yet, it has a certain zing, which, from experience, I can say goes really well with the cheese and cream sauce. The mushrooms I use come straight from the can, usually Narcissus. I don't know why, but I've always used that brand.
I've always preferred spaghetti, and for the almost 5 years I've been cooking and serving this dish, I've used spaghetti. When I cooked it the last time though, I think about two weeks ago, I used macaroni. I wanted to give this old recipe something new. I wanted to bake it, and when I thought of that, I thought "Baked Mac, yum!" So I used macaroni. (I know, I know. I'm as logical in my cooking as I am in almost all other aspects of my life. :-)) The result was actually pretty successful. It was actually very good. And that's why I don't have pictures. We kept eating and talking about how good the pasta--now called baked cheesy tuna and mushroom macaroni, hee--was that we forgot to take pictures. Ahem. It's up to you if you want to believe that. :-)
But I have to say this pasta dish is not exactly the most healthy of meals, even with the tuna and the mushrooms, simply because of the cheese and the cream, which I use lots of. And, in the baked version, there's also the additional mozzarella on top, because, well, I love mozzarella. Hehe. Seriously though, the gooey texture and the mild and delicate milky taste of mozzarella make it the perfect topping for this pasta dish.:-) But, as I always say, I don't eat it every day (there are other more sinful fares to feast on, hahaha), so when I eat it, I will not be deterred by thoughts of what's healthy or not.
I wonder why I've never thought of baking this dish before. Oh, well, whatever, time to go back to work. Sigh. And, oh, I promise to take pictures next time I make this dish again, baked or not. :-)
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I just realized I haven't written about food in a while (hehe), so I figured, while taking a break from school work (t e d i o u s) and house work (CRAZY!), I might as well write about food--and have some fun in the process. As I said before, I'm not really what you'd consider a great cook, heck, I'm not even a good cook, but I've some recipes I've sort of mastered, so suffice it to say, I can cook. Or more accurately, there are certain dishes I can cook, and they actually taste like they're supposed to taste. If not better. Hehe. :-)
One of these is cheesy tuna and mushroom pasta. I make the sauce from scratch--that is, I put cream and cheese together in a pan and I stir and stir until the cheese is one with the cream--that is, all melted--and the color turns into a pale golden yellow. The tricky part is making sure that the sauce is smooth, and there are no cheesy bits. So to get the right texture, I keep stirring. (The problem with the cheesy bits is that they stick in the roof of your mouth, in your teeth, and/or even under your tongue, and it's annoying when that happens. If the cheesy bits cannot be avoided though, say, I got tired of stirring halfway through, I just say it's supposed to be like that, as the cheesy bits bring out the delightful cheese flavor even more. Hehe.)
For the tuna and mushroom mix, I saute some garlic first, then some onion--both minced, by the way--then I throw in the tuna, then the mushrooms. Then I do a bit of stir-frying. I usually use a combination of Century Tuna Hot and Spicy and Century Tuna in Vegetable Oil, so that the tuna is not so spicy, yet, it has a certain zing, which, from experience, I can say goes really well with the cheese and cream sauce. The mushrooms I use come straight from the can, usually Narcissus. I don't know why, but I've always used that brand.
I've always preferred spaghetti, and for the almost 5 years I've been cooking and serving this dish, I've used spaghetti. When I cooked it the last time though, I think about two weeks ago, I used macaroni. I wanted to give this old recipe something new. I wanted to bake it, and when I thought of that, I thought "Baked Mac, yum!" So I used macaroni. (I know, I know. I'm as logical in my cooking as I am in almost all other aspects of my life. :-)) The result was actually pretty successful. It was actually very good. And that's why I don't have pictures. We kept eating and talking about how good the pasta--now called baked cheesy tuna and mushroom macaroni, hee--was that we forgot to take pictures. Ahem. It's up to you if you want to believe that. :-)
But I have to say this pasta dish is not exactly the most healthy of meals, even with the tuna and the mushrooms, simply because of the cheese and the cream, which I use lots of. And, in the baked version, there's also the additional mozzarella on top, because, well, I love mozzarella. Hehe. Seriously though, the gooey texture and the mild and delicate milky taste of mozzarella make it the perfect topping for this pasta dish.:-) But, as I always say, I don't eat it every day (there are other more sinful fares to feast on, hahaha), so when I eat it, I will not be deterred by thoughts of what's healthy or not.
I wonder why I've never thought of baking this dish before. Oh, well, whatever, time to go back to work. Sigh. And, oh, I promise to take pictures next time I make this dish again, baked or not. :-)
30 October 2007
On Donuts and Coming Back to Life
Originally posted on 03 October 2007.
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I finally got to taste the donut of The Donut Factory. It's okay, I suppose, if there's no Krispy Kreme around. Hehe. I've been totally spoiled by Krispy Kreme, especially my favorite varieties: Original Glazed, Glazed Cruller, Glazed Sour Cream and Caramel Kreme Crunch. Oh, such yummy goodness. :-) Can't wait to be back home for Krispy Kreme (among others, hehe), and when I go back home in December, there will be two branches in Trinoma. Yahoo! I don't have to go to Bonifacio High Street or to Megamall anymore. Krispy Kreme will just be, so to speak, right around the corner.
Going back to Singapore donuts though, I think there's an even better donut brand here in SG. I got to taste it in one of the talks sponsored by the ARI. I don't know its name though or where it's being sold. The box simply said 'Yummy'--or was it 'Munchy'?--and I assumed then it was the donut brand's name. It was so good I had, ahhmm, 5. Hahaha. (I didn't have lunch, ok? And that was already between 5.30 and 6 pm. Hehe. Anyway, my favorite was the Cookies and Cream variety). I was tempted actually to ask the organizers where I could get the donuts, but was too embarrassed to ask. (I mean, I didn't ask a single question during the talk's open forum it just didn't seem appropriate to ask about the food.) So, if there's anyone who knows where to get these 'Yummy' or 'Munchy' donuts, please let me know. :-)
I suppose I'm feeling pretty fine and quite back to my usual self now that all I can think about again is food. :-) I'd been sick the past week. It started out with some occasional coughing that turned into an annoying sore throat that developed into a full-blown fever. Two nights, my fever was so high I was delirious. I didn't really think I'd ever go back to being well. Being sick used to be fun when I was a kid or even a few years back. Well, yes, I'd feel really bad, but there were perks: I could skip class, have my mom come to Manila to take care of me, and get cakes and flowers and cards from loving friends. Ahem. Now, getting sick is just one big hassle, and it really takes its tool. Bawal na talagang magkasakit.
Anyhoo, I'm just glad to be well again, and able to move about--to play tourist guide to a visiting cousin, go to school and add to my collection of photocopies, go to Ikea and get lamps and have Swedish meatballs, and think and write about food again. :-)
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I finally got to taste the donut of The Donut Factory. It's okay, I suppose, if there's no Krispy Kreme around. Hehe. I've been totally spoiled by Krispy Kreme, especially my favorite varieties: Original Glazed, Glazed Cruller, Glazed Sour Cream and Caramel Kreme Crunch. Oh, such yummy goodness. :-) Can't wait to be back home for Krispy Kreme (among others, hehe), and when I go back home in December, there will be two branches in Trinoma. Yahoo! I don't have to go to Bonifacio High Street or to Megamall anymore. Krispy Kreme will just be, so to speak, right around the corner.
Going back to Singapore donuts though, I think there's an even better donut brand here in SG. I got to taste it in one of the talks sponsored by the ARI. I don't know its name though or where it's being sold. The box simply said 'Yummy'--or was it 'Munchy'?--and I assumed then it was the donut brand's name. It was so good I had, ahhmm, 5. Hahaha. (I didn't have lunch, ok? And that was already between 5.30 and 6 pm. Hehe. Anyway, my favorite was the Cookies and Cream variety). I was tempted actually to ask the organizers where I could get the donuts, but was too embarrassed to ask. (I mean, I didn't ask a single question during the talk's open forum it just didn't seem appropriate to ask about the food.) So, if there's anyone who knows where to get these 'Yummy' or 'Munchy' donuts, please let me know. :-)
I suppose I'm feeling pretty fine and quite back to my usual self now that all I can think about again is food. :-) I'd been sick the past week. It started out with some occasional coughing that turned into an annoying sore throat that developed into a full-blown fever. Two nights, my fever was so high I was delirious. I didn't really think I'd ever go back to being well. Being sick used to be fun when I was a kid or even a few years back. Well, yes, I'd feel really bad, but there were perks: I could skip class, have my mom come to Manila to take care of me, and get cakes and flowers and cards from loving friends. Ahem. Now, getting sick is just one big hassle, and it really takes its tool. Bawal na talagang magkasakit.
Anyhoo, I'm just glad to be well again, and able to move about--to play tourist guide to a visiting cousin, go to school and add to my collection of photocopies, go to Ikea and get lamps and have Swedish meatballs, and think and write about food again. :-)
Berry Creamy Evening
Originally posted on 29 August 2007.
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What do I do when I have work due soon and I haven't started it yet? I do something else. Just like today. Since I have an abstract due on Saturday and I'm already beginning to panic (because I have no idea what to write and the publication I'm sending it to, I've been told, is so discerning), I decided to divert my attention a little bit. I cooked dinner. (I suppose this is also my way of taking control of the kitchen again after the fiasco on Sunday.) I fried fish and garnished it with lemon and made a cream-based vegetable dish following a favorite recipe from my mom. Some pictures--because I'm kinda proud of my creation. Hee.
Do you see how perfectly fried the fish was? I did say I was going to go with low and/or medium heat after Sunday's fiasco, but fish, if you wanted it fried, had to be cooked in high heat. That I got from a Kitchenomics show I caught years and years ago, which for some reason, I never forgot.
And do you see the fusion of colors in the vegetable dish? The reds and the greens combining gorgeously? Nigella would be so proud of me. Haha.
And for dessert, have you ever tasted real raspberries and blackberries? Not me, so dessert, which was bourbon fudge brownie with raspberries and blackberries in light cream (not so light actually, if you put all of them together) was just marvelous. I wish I could say I created it, too, but no, credit must be given where it's due. It was Fama who made it, and it was her idea.
And because the berries in cream (note: in cream!) were so good, and we already ran out of brownies and still had some apple pie, guess what we came up with next? Here, which was, in fact, much more marvelous, and thus the already half-eaten apple pie:
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a fantastic cook. I'm more of a hit and miss cook. (Well, I do have my own house specialties, but that I suppose would be another story.) It's most times too salty, most times overcooked, sometimes too oily, sometimes bland. But there are times when I get everything just right. I think tonight is one of those. Happy sigh. Now, if I could just write the effin abstract, it would all be perfect.
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What do I do when I have work due soon and I haven't started it yet? I do something else. Just like today. Since I have an abstract due on Saturday and I'm already beginning to panic (because I have no idea what to write and the publication I'm sending it to, I've been told, is so discerning), I decided to divert my attention a little bit. I cooked dinner. (I suppose this is also my way of taking control of the kitchen again after the fiasco on Sunday.) I fried fish and garnished it with lemon and made a cream-based vegetable dish following a favorite recipe from my mom. Some pictures--because I'm kinda proud of my creation. Hee.
Do you see how perfectly fried the fish was? I did say I was going to go with low and/or medium heat after Sunday's fiasco, but fish, if you wanted it fried, had to be cooked in high heat. That I got from a Kitchenomics show I caught years and years ago, which for some reason, I never forgot.
And do you see the fusion of colors in the vegetable dish? The reds and the greens combining gorgeously? Nigella would be so proud of me. Haha.
And for dessert, have you ever tasted real raspberries and blackberries? Not me, so dessert, which was bourbon fudge brownie with raspberries and blackberries in light cream (not so light actually, if you put all of them together) was just marvelous. I wish I could say I created it, too, but no, credit must be given where it's due. It was Fama who made it, and it was her idea.
And because the berries in cream (note: in cream!) were so good, and we already ran out of brownies and still had some apple pie, guess what we came up with next? Here, which was, in fact, much more marvelous, and thus the already half-eaten apple pie:
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a fantastic cook. I'm more of a hit and miss cook. (Well, I do have my own house specialties, but that I suppose would be another story.) It's most times too salty, most times overcooked, sometimes too oily, sometimes bland. But there are times when I get everything just right. I think tonight is one of those. Happy sigh. Now, if I could just write the effin abstract, it would all be perfect.
Scary Sunday
Originally posted on 26 August 2007.
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Today, I got one of the biggest scares of my life. I woke up pretty late, and was hurrying to get something cooked so I could eat, as I also woke up hungry. I went to the kitchen, took some sausages out of the freezer, got the frying pan on the stove, put in some oil, turned on the stove to high heat, then threw in the sausages. I knew when I did that, it was going to sizzle, because, well, I didn't thaw the meat and the pan was very hot, so I backed away from the stove as far as I could. And sizzle it did. Smoke started to come out of the pan, too. I thought I should probably turn the heat off or set it to medium for a little bit, just for the smoke to go away, but the oil was sizzling so ferociously I didn't want to get near the pan. I decided to wait for the sizzling to let up. Then, from where I was standing, a good four feet away, I saw that the fire under the pan was beginning to crackle. I thought, for a second, the pan would catch fire, but then I thought that wasn't possible. And the moment I thought that, fire, about 6 to 7 inches, suddenly leapt out from the pan. For a second or two, I just stared at it, unable to think. It seemed all thought had left me. When thought returned, it was, "God, I'm going to die."
I suppose I thought of more than that though, because the next thing I did was run to the stove and turn the burner off. When it did not put out the fire, I took the pan out of the stove and threw it on the floor. The sausages jumped off, the pan hit the floor, then almost immediately, the fire went out. I suppose, while all this was going on, I called out to my flatmate in what would be described as a terrified voice, because she rushed out, alarmed. When she got to the kitchen though, the fire was already out, and I was standing there, shaking, and still unable to believe what just happened. I still don't know how the fire died just like that. I threw the pan on the floor, because I needed to find some cloth to put the fire out with and didn't think I could do that while holding the pan at the same time. I didn't know it would make the fire go out. Whatever. I'm just glad it turned out to be the right thing to do.
I can still see the events of the afternoon in my head, and the whole thing still scares me. The lesson? I'm not really sure. I just know, beginning today, I'd thaw frozen meat before I fry it, and go with low to medium heat. And if I wake up hungry, I'd go have cereals first.
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Today, I got one of the biggest scares of my life. I woke up pretty late, and was hurrying to get something cooked so I could eat, as I also woke up hungry. I went to the kitchen, took some sausages out of the freezer, got the frying pan on the stove, put in some oil, turned on the stove to high heat, then threw in the sausages. I knew when I did that, it was going to sizzle, because, well, I didn't thaw the meat and the pan was very hot, so I backed away from the stove as far as I could. And sizzle it did. Smoke started to come out of the pan, too. I thought I should probably turn the heat off or set it to medium for a little bit, just for the smoke to go away, but the oil was sizzling so ferociously I didn't want to get near the pan. I decided to wait for the sizzling to let up. Then, from where I was standing, a good four feet away, I saw that the fire under the pan was beginning to crackle. I thought, for a second, the pan would catch fire, but then I thought that wasn't possible. And the moment I thought that, fire, about 6 to 7 inches, suddenly leapt out from the pan. For a second or two, I just stared at it, unable to think. It seemed all thought had left me. When thought returned, it was, "God, I'm going to die."
I suppose I thought of more than that though, because the next thing I did was run to the stove and turn the burner off. When it did not put out the fire, I took the pan out of the stove and threw it on the floor. The sausages jumped off, the pan hit the floor, then almost immediately, the fire went out. I suppose, while all this was going on, I called out to my flatmate in what would be described as a terrified voice, because she rushed out, alarmed. When she got to the kitchen though, the fire was already out, and I was standing there, shaking, and still unable to believe what just happened. I still don't know how the fire died just like that. I threw the pan on the floor, because I needed to find some cloth to put the fire out with and didn't think I could do that while holding the pan at the same time. I didn't know it would make the fire go out. Whatever. I'm just glad it turned out to be the right thing to do.
I can still see the events of the afternoon in my head, and the whole thing still scares me. The lesson? I'm not really sure. I just know, beginning today, I'd thaw frozen meat before I fry it, and go with low to medium heat. And if I wake up hungry, I'd go have cereals first.
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