Baked Tahong

I can’t remember when my love affair with baked shell foods began. My dad used to tag along with his friends when they eat at fine dining restaurants. I can’t remember if it was one of those times that we join them that I got to eat my first baked oyster. Gooey oyster topped with melted cheese — YUM! The cheap alternative would be the baked tahong we’ve had after we got home, and I was still craving for more. Then when I got to college, I’ve tried baked scallops, in Dencio’s.

Last night, we had baked tahong for dinner. I wish I had brought Oly in the kitchen, but I was too lazy to go up, I used my phone cam to take pictures. Enjoy the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

boiled tahong (mussels), upper shell removed

butter

onion leaves, minced

garlic, minced

cheese

PROCEDURE

baking dreams

For the past days I find myself crazy over a childhood dream.  i couldn't recall when exactly i first dreamt about pandesal, spanish bread and pan de coco (PSP).  I remember afternoons in Sta. Ana meant having any of these three bread variety, along with Coke litro in a glass bottle.

But of course I wanted more.

I've caught several episodes of Ace of Cakes in Lifestyle Channel.  This program showcases Duff Goldman and his team's passion for cake baking.  Their cakes aren't simply cakes, they make delicious artwork.  I watched one episode where they made a humongous Hershey's Bar to celebrate the Hershey School's anniversary.  Their cakes are so specific down to the last detail you'd think it ran through a giant copying machine.

Anyways, the whole fondant thing is so enticing I wanted to try it on my own.  I've been scouting for baking school/classes online that I might join to give me a good head start with the craft.  Sofi's clay is going through a lot of kneading and rolling lately.  I wish fondant is somehow the same as clay.

When I learn the stuff, i'll put up a bakeshop.  The cake thing is just on the side, i'll still have the usual PSP to keep the business running.

Business partner anyone?

buffalo wings

tis another season of leftovers that's why when kuya told me that we have fried chicken in the refrigerator i thought of recycling it and transforming it to another dish. i intended to cook chicken in lemon butter sauce but when i check the stocks we don't have two of the main ingredients. the dish turned out to be good as Daddy seemed to enjoy his buffalo wings. Sorry i didn't put the exact amount since this was done from scratch and based on trial-and-error theory i don't remember how much i placed.  just do the math :)

Mommy's Buffalo Wings from Scratch
ingredients:

leftover chicken wings (chop into smaller pieces)
cornstarch
tomato sauce
soy sauce
cane vinegar
sugar
pongkan juice
pepper
salt
water

Instructions:
In a pot, put diluted cornstarch and tomato sauce. Let it boil then add the soy sauce and vinegar. Put sugar and pepper according to taste buds' desire. Squeeze the half pongkan and mix. Allow to boil. In a separate pan, re-fry the chicken pieces to add crunch. Add the chicken to our sauce and mix until all the chicken pieces are coated. Boil until sauce is thick.

If you prefer your buffalo wings spicy, add hot sauce before adding the chicken.

Merry Christmas everyone!

very long weekend

since it's gonna take a while before i report back to work i've taken the role of a mommy-slash-yaya. Sofi is turning to a one hell of an explorer -- one minute she's under the table and the next thing you knew she's up the shelves. She talks a lot, runs a lot, cries a lot and do all sorts of mommy NO-NOs. but mommy's learning how to control her anger or at least mommy's trying to lengthen her patience.

Today, Sofi made me proud with the three things she did.
1. Sofi wee-wee using her potty trainer for the first time. We have the potty trainer long before she was born. Her cousin used to own it. I tried teaching her how to use it before but she keeps on laughing each time i ask her to wee-wee. This morning, I pulled her diapers and allowed her to play with just her undies on. She went to me and told me that she wants to pee. So I hurriedly clean the potty trainer and gave it to her. On her first attempt, no pee came out, so i went back to my breakfast. She was able to make it on her second. My dad asked if I put water inside the potty. I said no and peeked in. She was able to make it.

2. She took her vitamins with no struggles.  Medicine feeding was the hardest part of her daily routine.  She would cry and pretend to choke and vomit when asked to take her vitamins.  We had to stop giving her vitamins when she turned 1 because the process seemed futile.  Thanks to the tiki-tiki vitamins commercial showcasing a smiling baby while being given tiki-tiki drops, medicine taking is a breeze.

3.  She helped me in baking bibingka.  Though I still have to guide her with the whisk, she was so happy being allowed to help in the preparation of the merienda.  We made an instant bibingka which we got from the cupboard.  The Bibingka was made of a 250g Bibingka mix (similar to a hotcake flour), 3 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 4tbsp melted butter, 1 cup water and salted egg.  Baked it in a oven toaster for 15 minutes or so.  She was beside me when i popped it out from the oven and she was amazed after seeing how it turned out.

dream job: housewife

I've been telling Jaims how badly I wanted to become a full time housewife and this weekend I finally get to perform the role for a short while. as I've mentioned in my last post, we spent Christmas in Dagupan but since Daddi has work on the 27th we went back with him last Friday. The role began on saturday morning. Friday didn't count. We were too tired from the trip (took a bus) that we decided to eat at Chowking for dinner.

He left early so I didn't cook breakfast. When Sofi and I woke up, I dropped the laundry in our washing machine and started doing other jobs such as boiling water for her bath, washing her soiled bottles, cooking rice and bringing out the maggot-infested trash which was left there Wednesday morn. I gave her a bath before cooking my breakfast: sunny side-up eggs. A few hours later the washing machine broke and I wasn't able to wash the beddings. Mother said the new year should start fresh and new, this includes washing all the sheets before the new year comes. I thought this was the perfect time to do so. There was no competition in the laundry since no one was home except my family...and my brother who doesn't seem to exist :) It was already past 12 and the eggs don't seem to energize me so I decided to cook my lunch while Sofi takes a nap.

Chicken Adobo
Ingredients:
10 pcs chicken cuts
Soy Sauce
Vinegar
Garlic
Sugar
Water
Salt
Pepper, whole
Oil
2 laurel leaves

Procedure:
In a pot, place pound garlic and pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, water and sugar. I couldn't fine whole pepper and laurel leaves in my mom's store so I cheated my adobo and just used ground pepper.   Bring to a boil and set aside. In a pan, heat oil and fry the chicken parts with pound garlic. When all the chicken parts start to brown, pour over the sauce and boil them in low heat.

In my case I had to fold clothes so I allowed the chicken to swim a little longer. I only ate 2 slices for lunch because I wanted Jaims to have a taste of my adobo. It turned out that this was the recipe he liked. Our canteen cook likes her adobo swimming in oil and ginger that we forgot how real Adobo taste like. I thought the rice I cooked for breakfast that day was enough for both of us but it wasn't. I had to cook rice again and wait for it to be cooked until we can resume our rudely interrupted dinner.

The following day, Sunday, Jaims has another shoot so we had to hear mass at 9AM. I told him breakfast will be served at 8am the night before, so when I woke up at 6.30 am I decided to cook our breakfast.

Arroz Caldo
Ingredients:
3-4 chicken cuts, small
rice
water
ginger
garlic
salt
pepper
1 chicken cube
Oil

Procedure:
Saute the garlic, ginger and chicken in oil. Wait until the chicken turns a little brownish before adding the chicken cube. Add rice and water, plenty of water. Mine was all dried up after the mass. Wait until the rice has cooked before seasoning it with salt and pepper.

I didn't expect my lugaw to taste good. I made lugaw many times before and I often feel that there's something missing. This time i feel so triumphant. maybe it was the real chicken or the ginger that made it taste this yummy.

Jaims left after the mass so Sofi and I bonded by going to the mall. Kiko, jaime's friend already warned me that the mall was packed for the past few days. But I decided to still go since I wanted to buy a few more gifts.  We ate at Wendy's for lunch.  When we got home, daddi wasn't home yet so I decided to just have noodles for dinner. Instead of just adding boiling water to the noodles, I thought of cooking it and adding egg. Sofi liked it and she ate a lot.

When we woke up for breakfast, my other brother who went with Jaims on his shoot the night before was still there. Good, another guinea pig. I asked him if he ate already and he said no. I wanted to cook fast so I grabbed mama's ever reliable longganisa and fried them. I'm starting to love cooking, in fact I can already fry without my food sticking to the pan. To do justice to my new found role I cooked another viand -- Tinapang tilapia which was given to Jaims by a client/friend before Christmas.

Jaims has another shoot at around 2pm so I ran back to the kitchen at 12.30 and cooked lunch. I was planning to make Shrimp Chowder, a recipe I got from the Alaska evaporated milk can but when I was starting i found out I have no potatoes. So the instant cook in me got me thinking. I need to invent lunch.

Shrimp in Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:
1 sachet of Knorr Mushroom Soup
6 pcs Shrimps, peeled
evaporated milk
grated cheese
garlic
onion
oil
pepper
salt
water

Procedure:
Saute the garlic, onions and shrimp in oil. Pour in water, milk and powdered soup. Add grated cheese while stirring. Season with salt and pepper.   Be careful with adding salt since the soup is a stand alone base and might turn out too salty especially if you add cheese and salt.  Serve hot.

Yey! I have picture.  Since Jaims was on his way to a shoot I forced him to take a picture of my soup.  Honestly, all I wanted was a lame picture.  One shot and that's it but the photographer didn't want his name being dragged to a picture that does not boast of anything.   Love the pic, thanks dad!   I love how the shrimp flavor rose in the mushroom soup. It has this very distinct taste yet does not overpower the soup base. This with rice alone is good to go but I added fish fillet and iced tea to complete the entree.  and by the way, the fish fillet recipe does not deserve a slot in my blog because it turned out too salty. 

Myy stint as a cook ended before dinner.  The original queen of the house is back and she doesn't want anyone taking her throne.  It's hard being a daughter of people who spent most of their parental life cooking.  Mom and Dad love to cook for their friends and my friends, too.  I remember how much my high school friends love to go here since this was a food haven for them.  While the experience was exhausting I enjoyed playing every bit of the role.  I told Jaims i'm starting to love this housewife role thingy and he said, "oh no!"  I know it will take some time before i can muster enough courage to invite friends and have them taste my cooking.  As for now, I am contented feeding my husband and daughter.  At least if Jaims doesn't like the taste he'd still eat the food.  But since the cook role is over and my full time housewife role won't end til January 5, I will be focusing on two other roles -- Sofia's mother and Jaime's wife.

Christmas (with the Mendoza's)

As far as i can remember, all 28 Christmas(es) I've had are spent in Pangasinan; from the time we barely can talk until now that I have daughter of my own who barely can talk, too. I remember my parents struggling to load us in a provincial bus since going home before is as difficult as it is now during the holidays. Everyone wanted to get inside the bus that even if the bus was still trying to park people were already trying to get in. We didn't have a car back then and the only way Papa and Mama can reserve seats was by dropping us one by one (we are 5) through the window.

Basically, the practice became a tradition. We go home on the 24th, cook lunch (as we always get there by lunchtime), we sleep (while papa and mama go to the market and grocery), we cook dinner, prepare the salad for the noche buena, eat again, cook again for the noche buena, rest a little then attend the Christmas Mass. Apparently, Christmas masses were always the same, although we have changed churches in the past years. We used to hear mass at St. John Cathedral but in my several years of attending mass there i was always so sure I can never be seated. It was only 3 or four Christmasses ago that we started attending mass at St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Masses are not really celebrated inside the Church but in a nearby gym owned by the school beside the Church.

The place can turn pretty crowded as the mass progresses. the mass starts as the lector reads the long list of mass offerers and petitioners -- from passing board exams to those who wanted to find jobs. I wonder why they wanted to tell the world what their petitions are. I think God knows what our hearts desire the most. Instead of reading the Gospel, they usually have a Christmas program depicting Mary and Joseph's journey towards parenthood. It never changes. I wish they can change the concept maybe instead of role playing they can have a film showing, or quiz bee show...imagine the possibilities. heheh...

Anyway, my little angel slept on our way to the church and woke up at the start of the program. She was cranky and I think she hated the fact that she woke up at the middle of her deep sleep and she can't even go around since the place was packed. I had to urge jaims to leave the gym as I couldn't breathe. We stayed outside.

We got home a few minutes before 12. we have spaghetti noodles with tuna mushroom sauce and meat sauce, fruit salad (made this one), cdo ham (courtesy of XSPA), leche flan, tasty and coke. I forgot to take pictures since i was too sleepy and tired to even join them for the noche buena. i wanted to use Sofi as an excuse so i could sleep but I got some scoldings from the man of the house. At 1am, Sofi and I were ready to call it a day.

Merry Christmas everyone!
-------------------------
Fruit salad

ingredients
Fruit Cocktail
Red apples
Del Monte Fruit Cocktail
Nestle Cream
Condensed Milk
Cheese

instructions
Drain the fruit cocktail from its juice. Set aside the juice. Cut red apple slices (bite size) and drop them in the fruit cocktail juice. Apples must be dip in liquid to avoid discoloration. Dice cheese. Mix everything together. Add Nestle Cream and a few spoonfuls of Condensed Milk. Bring out the fruity taste by adding more cream instead of condensed milk. Place in chiller and serve cold.

cookout

Of all the friends I’ve met, it’s my high school friends whom I go out most often. While there are only three of us left in Manila (most have gone abroad while others join only once in a while), we try to see each other as often as possible. Sometimes only occasions can put us back together like the recent wedding we had.

Today, a government holiday, we forced Madel to let us test her kitchen in their new abode. Madel was the one who got married recently and one of her wishes was for their guests to give them tried-and-tested family recipes. When I asked Analyn last week that we should go out some time, she suggested having a cookout. It’s a good way for the new wifey to learn cooking techniques. Since a holiday was coming I forced Jaims to go fishing so I would be guilt-free to go out.

I volunteered to make dessert. Madel wanted to try her carbonara recipe which she got from her wedding. She said she received two recipes for carbonara so she wanted to try it out. Analyn wanted to have baby back ribs or steak. How we ended with porkchop, that I dunno. Anyways, our menu was Carbonara, Salt-and-Pepper Porkchop and Crema de Fruta.

_______________________________________________

Madel’s Carbonara

Ingredients:
ham
bacon
mushroom
garlic
onions
green bell peper
Nestle Cream
Milk
Spaghetti Noodles
Salt
Pepper
Canola Oil
Cheese

Do the basics – chop onions, garlic, and bell pepper; boil the noodles. Cut the ham into small squares. Fry bacon strips and make them crunchy. The crunchier they are, the easier to crush them later. Set aside bacon. Sautee the garlic, onion, bell pepper and mushroom. Add ham. Pour in the Nestle Cream and add milk. Let it simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside the sauce.

Drain the noodles and add the sauce. Mix in low fire until all noodles are covered with sauce. Top with bacon and cheese.

Mommy’s Crema De Fruta

Nestle Cream, refrigerated
Condense Milk
Egg, Beaten
Fruit cocktail
Gelatin Mix, transparent
Sponge Bread (Butter Slice or ordinary mammon bread)

Procedure
In a saucepan, heat the beaten egg and condensed milk together. Do not overcook. Separate.

Get a rectangular bowl and lay the sponge bread until the entire base is covered. It would be good to slice the bread in ½” to ¾” thickness. Spread the condensed milk mixture. Add refrigerated Nestle cream and spread it over. ¼” thickness will be fine. Add fruits. Let it cool.

Prepare the gelatin mix as instructed from the box. You may use the juice taken from the fruit cocktail as water. Let it cool first before pouring over the refrigerated cake. Serve cold.

Analyn’s PorkChop with Mushroom Sauce
Porkchop slice
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Nestle Cream
Mushroom
Beef broth
Oil

Coat each slice with salt and pepper. Rub chopped garlic to add flavor. Refrigerate for one hour or until your friends are done in the kitchen.

Fry the porkchop individually. Set aside. Sautee the mushroom using the oil from the porkchop. Pour in beef broth and wait until it has boiled. Add Nestle Cream and let it simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Top porkchop slices with the mushroom sauce. Serve hot.

______________________________________________________________

It was her husband, her mom, her brother and Sofi who served as critic.  Verdict?  empty plates and smiling faces that calls for a part 2.