I am dreaming of this!

It's raining and all I can think of is food!  What is it with rain that makes us always hungry? Hahah!

First food that came to mind was soup .  And I saw these pictures! Boy, I salivated!  Darn!

So what is this?  It's Mama Chabeng's (my sister's mother-in-law) version of Sinigang na Lechon (roast pork in sour soup) that she served us when we had brunch at their house in Isabela last June.  Our family loves sinigang soup but we always have fish, beef and pork for that dish.  Lately, I have fallen in love with Sinigang na Lechon and Corned Beef  (not the typical sinigang soup we have daily) but haven't tried cooking them at home.

Hmmm, maybe I should cook this one of these days!

Welcome, rainy season! I hope it will  not end till the end of the year.

Sentro 1771 @ Greenbelt

This actually a continuation of the previous date.  After watching the movie, we walked to the Greenbelt Chapel to pay respect and then checked on some boutiques at Greenbelt  while looking for restaurant where we can have our early dinner.

My sister, Kei was looking for a restaurant that serves Filipino food while I am not in the mood to eat a heavy dinner as I was still full with the lunch I had.  I was suggesting Bizu as I just wanted to buy French Macarons but then Kei was insistent on looking for a Filipino restaurant.

So when we reached Sentro, she got excited as this is where she was thinking to bring us.

What did we order?

This is my favorite.  Tomato Kesong Puti Salad @ 180 pesos.  The dressing was so delicious and the cheese not so creamy.  The croquette cheese was also very yummy while the tomatoes were sweet.  Overall, I'll give this dish a perfect 10!



Specialty of the House - Sinigang na Corned Beef.  For sharing is at P595  while the solo is at  P310.  I never thought that corned beef can be cooked this way. Well, the same thought I had that Lechon can't be cooked in the same soup as this.  Very innovative and delicious.  By the way, the soup is customized the way you wanted its sourness.



Dinengdeng (Vegetable Potpourri) on the right @ P220 and Crispy Boneless Trotter at P550 on the left.  The dinengdeng is not that good.  The ones at Ilocos restaurants are still the best.  The crispy  pata is very tasty and the sauce is just right for the dish.  If I am not mistaken, they used a special vinegar for this.



Enjoying the food.



After the meal.  Very full!  We didn't have desserts as we were all thinking of having Lavazza coffee at my sister's place.



I will definitely go back to Sentro 1771 for the salad and to check their other dishes.

Sentro 1771 is located at Level 2, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City.

http://www.chateaugroup.com/

My first Frutti Fro-yo experience

My sister, Azha was in Manila while my parents and I were on our way to Manila for a dinner treat at Spiral in Sofitel which deserves another post last week.  She sent me messages that we  have to meet with her  first before we head to the dinner for we need to try this fro-yo which she told me our parents would surely love.

True enough, they loved it!  Our family is addicted to frozen yogurt (fro-yo).  We all had our first taste of this "healthy ice cream" with our very own, Cold Spoon Frozen Yoghurt located at Sunset-Friendship road in Angeles City. Frutti Fro-yo is different however!  WHY? Let the pictures speak for themselves.

Upon entering the place, you get to be greeted by a signage giving you  instructions.  Frutti Fro-yo has 8 different flavors - Taro, Banana, Apple, Peach, Chocolate, Vanilla, Blueberry and Original.

Yes, everyone was excited in choosing the flavors, toppings and syrup.

Look at my father's face!  Just like a kid who can't wait to taste his customized fro-yo.  LOL.

I was the last to choose.  My sister suggested I try the Taro flavor and I did.  I also chose the Vanilla and Original flavor.  I don't want flavors to be mixing so I was careful in putting them on my cup.

My customized Frutti Fro-yo!  I loved the Taro flavor.  I wished it was all that I put in my cup.  The original flavor was sour as compared to Cold Spoon's and White Hat's.  The vanilla flavor wasn't distinct, so I know now what flavor to choose the next time I visit this place.  The toppings were just right.  I love them!  The blueberries, strawberries and mangoes were made of syrup (not the store-bought ones in can).  I added mixed nuts which neutralized everything.  NOW, I am craving!

Did we enjoy it?  Well, just look at the picture below.  Hehehe!

Thanks, Art for the treat.  He spent about 900 pesos for the five cups.  Not cheap though but worth a try!

Btw, did you know that this dessert is spelled with 3 variants?  Often it's spelled with yogurt, but it can also be yoghurt and yoghourt.   =)

My first Frutti Fro-yo experience

My sister, Azha was in Manila while my parents and I were on our way to Manila for a dinner treat at Spiral in Sofitel which deserves another post last week.  She sent me messages that we  have to meet with her  first before we head to the dinner for we need to try this fro-yo which she told me our parents would surely love.

True enough, they loved it!  Our family is addicted to frozen yogurt (fro-yo).  We all had our first taste of this "healthy ice cream" with our very own, Cold Spoon Frozen Yoghurt located at Sunset-Friendship road in Angeles City. Frutti Fro-yo is different however!  WHY? Let the pictures speak for themselves.

Upon entering the place, you get to be greeted by a signage giving you  instructions.  Frutti Fro-yo has 8 different flavors - Taro, Banana, Apple, Peach, Chocolate, Vanilla, Blueberry and Original.

Yes, everyone was excited in choosing the flavors, toppings and syrup.

Look at my father's face!  Just like a kid who can't wait to taste his customized fro-yo.  LOL.

I was the last to choose.  My sister suggested I try the Taro flavor and I did.  I also chose the Vanilla and Original flavor.  I don't want flavors to be mixing so I was careful in putting them on my cup.

My customized Frutti Fro-yo!  I loved the Taro flavor.  I wished it was all that I put in my cup.  The original flavor was sour as compared to Cold Spoon's and White Hat's.  The vanilla flavor wasn't distinct, so I know now what flavor to choose the next time I visit this place.  The toppings were just right.  I love them!  The blueberries, strawberries and mangoes were made of syrup (not the store-bought ones in can).  I added mixed nuts which neutralized everything.  NOW, I am craving!

Did we enjoy it?  Well, just look at the picture below.  Hehehe!

Thanks, Art for the treat.  He spent about 900 pesos for the five cups.  Not cheap though but worth a try!

Btw, did you know that this dessert is spelled with 3 variants?  Often it's spelled with yogurt, but it can also be yoghurt and yoghourt.   =)

Better than Starbucks?

Okay, I am not a barista nor an expert with coffee as I do seldom drink this beverage.  But lately, I came to love it again.  And yesterday, I had another chance to drink the best coffee I've ever tasted so far at my sister's place.

It's Lavazza, branded as "Italy's favorite coffee".  When I was searching for best schools to study coffee,  Italy came to the picture so I guess that explains why this coffee can be considered as one of the best in the world.

A good coffee though needs a reliable coffee maker. It's amazing how this little equipment do wonders to coffee.

I was getting excited while my cup is getting full.  I want my coffee though with lots of milk and sugar. Hehe! Told you, I am not really a coffee-drinker.  Nonetheless, with milk and sugar, it's still the best next to UCC (Ueshima Coffee Company) of Japan and Starbucks of US.

I remember I had a first taste of this coffee and fell in love with it when I visited my sister, Kei in Punta Fuego last April.  This was how my morning was then.  How, I wish I can have all mornings like this but then, there's no Lavazza at home.  :(

Note:  My coffee is Lavazza in a Starbucks mug.  My blog was still at blogger with the same name.  Just a passing thought - I am still thinking of going back to that site...

Today...

Inasmuch as I want to have fresh posts (that is, one that happened during the day) in my blog, due to time constraints and my full-time job, I can't .

Today is an exemption.  Yay!  So without too much babbling, here's a story of today.

My mother, my sister (Azha) and her friend visited my other sister, Kei in Makati whom we haven't seen for more than a month as she was on a holiday vacation to visit her parents-in-law in Spain.  She hadn't had time yet to visit us in Pampanga as his husband is still busy with work, so we took the chance to meet her while they are in Manila.

We were glad to be welcomed with a delicious lunch that  she cooked.  She was proud of it as she told us she learned the recipe of the Spanish Paella from her mother-in-law.

Kei while preparing the dishes. She doesn't want to have a picture taken of her so I took this one instead.  She kept on saying she gained weight particularly now that she ate a lot from her last vacation but the truth is she is still as slim as the time she left for the trip.

Her version of Spanish Paella.  It was very tasty but we all made the same comment that the rice wasn't cooked well.  She told us though that in Spain it is cooked that way.  We never contested that and just enjoyed the dish and loved it!

It's funny that she wanted us to enjoy the meal she's serving us,  that's why while enjoying her Paella, she grilled steak and served it to us with Pimientos and french fries. What a heavy lunch we had!  I regret that I am really having difficulty resisting food now.  So, help me!  LOL


It's cool that the foods she cooked are far better than the ones we normally have in other restaurants.  Good cooking really runs in our blood. Hehe!   Orange juice and Coffee was served after.  We had Turrones for dessert.

Thanks, Kei for the lunch.  The food and the "chikas" we had compensated my canceled appointment. ;-)

Coffee & Chips Ahoy - you're the "culprit!"

I am wondering why at this time I am still wide awake and doesn't feel sleepy at all when I woke up early the day before. I have an early shift today and I am already three hours short of my regular sleeping hours.  :(

Until I realized the reason for this!  I drank two strong cups of two different flavors of coffee (cappuccino and mocha)  from our canteen's coffee machine.  Whew!

It was late afternoon of yesterday when I was feeling cold in the office and I wasn't bringing a jacket nor a Pashmina.  With such state,  coffee and Chips Ahoy popped into my mind as a snack amid my piled-up work.  Yes, those two are tandem.



You can say, I am not a coffee-drinker, though once in my life I became addicted with coffee which I was able to overcome and never did try it again until recently when I discovered coffee goes well with sweets,  a combination introduced by a close friend of mine.  With that, I started pairing it with some of my baked goodies but only one stood out - my Food for the gods.

Without Food for the gods available, as this sweet is only baked when I am in the mood, Chips Ahoy is the answer.  I salivate just thinking of those two pairs.  It took me almost a month to get tired of Chips Ahoy and coffee.  LOL.  The calories have piled up!  No wonder, one pair of  jeans I was supposed to wear yesterday didn't fit me!

Looking at the picture of coffee above makes me want be a barista now.  Haha! I always want to be someone. Huhu. By the way, those pictures are not mine.  I got the picture of the coffee from this site which will show you more pictures of interesting coffee art so do check them.

It's funny that I chanced upon this site where I got the picture of Chips Ahoy. There's a description of this famous cookie that says "Made in America, (Not the Spanish version!), delicious 340g,(12oz),  bags of the delicious Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Cookies." It makes me curious now on how the Spanish version tastes like.  Hmm, I should request for that as Pasalubong on my sister's next trip to Spain. :D

Gosh! I really have to sleep now or else I can't report to work later.  I am still not sleepy as of this writing and you, coffee and Chips Ahoy are the "culprit" but not for long!

Nite/Mawnin! :D

Despidida @ C' Italian

I work in a BPO industry and we're changing teams/shifts next week.  This calls for different people to work with as others are moving to different teams.

To celebrate the good times we had in the team, my team asked me to join them in a "food trip", a long overdue plan at C' Italian in Friendship Avenue in Angeles City.  I have been in this restaurant a couple of times with different set of friends and family.  I even had a double date in its garden while a band was playing and stars are glowing. Romantic, huh? LOL.

Pictures are essential while dining out nowadays.  Especially for me who wouldn't  want to miss moments and pictures of good food.   So, while ordering and waiting for JB and Jlyn and the food we ordered, I took time to take pictures.  Forgive me for the low resolution of the pictures. I was experimenting on my camera and used the 3200 ISO. LOL.

Our first set of orders -  Panizza Kristina @ P655 on the lower right side and  Panizza Millionario @ P695  on lower left side.   The usual bread and pesto dip was served just like any other Italian restaurants here.  Extra order of Alfafa and Arugula is P99.  You may be wondering what's on the upper right side of this picture. Well, wonder no more, as that is just my panizza strip filled with alfalfa and arugula, rolled and bitten.  LOL

Spaghetti Con Fruitti de Mare (Fruit of the Sea) @ P590 and  Gnocchi Bolognia @ 750.   It was my first time to try gnocchi so I wondered how it tasted.  I loved it! I want anything starchy and soft and "tomatoey".  LOL.  Wikipedia says " Gnocchi (English pronunciation: /ˈnɒki, ˈnjɒki/; Italian: [ˈɲɔkːi]; N'YO-kee; singular gnocco) are various thick, soft dumplings. They may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, potato, bread crumbs, or similar ingredients. The smaller forms are called gnocchetti."

Risotto Kristina @ P720.  If there's one dish that I love to eat in Italian restaurants, it's risotto.  Told ya, I like anything starchy. My mind is whispering and telling me it's actually anything carbo. Hahah!  On the right side of the picture are strips of the two panizzas.

Pictures of us.  This is another wonderful experience at C' Italian. Again, I wasn't disappointed so are the first-timers here.  :D

http://www.c-italian-dining.com/

Snacking...

Today, I snacked on food I don't usually eat.

I was supposed to just have Green Tea Ice cream but I saw some leftover bread - pan de sal and paired it with it.  I love how the blandness of the bread complements the sweetness of the ice cream.  If you're familiar with dirty ice cream, bread and ice cream is part of the offer of our "mamang sorbetero" (ice cream vendor in the streets).



I also had binatog (boiled mature white corn kernels, topped with grated coconut and salt) which I bought from a vendor a few hours after eating the ice cream.  Corn is one of my comfort foods and this snack puts me to a state of contentment. This is how food affects my mood.  Hahah!

Mom's birthday

Today, mom turned 58 years old.  My sister, Mylene and I prepared food that was shared with my sister's boyfriend, friend, aunts and cousins.  We missed our 3 other sisters, 2 brothers-in-law and niece for this event though.

Actually, it was only Mylene who prepared all of  the food except for the pasta - Linguine in Seafood Marinara which I cooked.  You will see in the picture that we mostly had pizza.   This is because she put different variations of toppings on them.  It's Mye's favorite food to prepare during celebrations. Hehe!  When there's pizza, calzone (A calzone (Italian "stocking" or "trouser" or "drooping sack" or "hanging fold"^[1]) is a turnover that originates from Italy. It is made of ingredients similar to pizza,^[2] folded over and shaped like a crescent before being cooked.^[3] The typical calzone is stuffed with tomato and mozzarella, and may include other ingredients usually associated with pizza toppings. - Wikipedia) is also included in the dishes she prepares.

We had two meat dishes - Crispy Pata and Fried Chicken (uncooked chicken brought by our friend, Tin)  to pair up with rice for we  know our father wouldn't be satisfied without eating rice for his dinner.  The rice  and Crispy Pata you see on the table was devoured by my father and my other sister, Manel.  LOL.  It's a good thing , I was not up for rice, otherwise I would have joined them in voraciously finishing the meat. Haha!

This time, it's Mye who baked the cake, a Black Forest.  She has been my apprentice at home for so long since I started baking.  Now, she can whip any cake, I guess, as she's getting more and more experienced with her current job in the Pastry Kitchen of Hotel Vida in Clark.

Lucky, Mye's boyfriend brought one of my favorite flavors of ice cream- Green Tea to add to our desserts.   Wine and Tequila were also served but no one asked for a shot or serving.  Some opted for the Absolut Vodka which wasn't served and got it from my collection of alcohol for my baking needs.

Even without planning as I only received a text this morning where Mye asked me to buy ingredients for the pizza she will make and me deciding what pasta to prepare, it turned out to be one of the happiest celebrations as all enjoyed the company and food.

After blowing of the candle.  It's  a funny picture of my mother and father.  Hehe!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MA!!!  May you have more birthdays to come.  We love you!  Mwah!

One rainy day...

I was cleaning my pictures from my camera and saw these.  It was a month ago when I went to for a check-up at St. Catherine and rain was pouring hard when I left the hospital so I decided to stop at a nearby mall, Nepo mall.  It was already past 2 PM and I hadn't had  lunch anyway. So I decided to have it at Pizza Hut and ordered the following.

Cream of chicken soup (it's a creamy soup that's loaded with chicken and topped with pesto). I love it for I like anything with cream and pesto.  For my beverage I ordered a soda with cherry and kiwi flavor.

While waiting for my main dish, a power interruption happened. This is maybe due to the heavy rain.  I took this opportunity to take pictures for it's seldom that you experience a "no generator" in an international chain of restaurant.  The customers were given 2 candles per table to give light to the dim dining area.  I would have appreciated this more if there was someone with me (a date, maybe...LOL), but I was all alone in a gloomy weather and somewhat "romantic" setting.  Hahaha!  Nonetheless, I love how I captured this picture.

My soup and drink  with the candles

Because of the power interruption, I wasn't able to take a picture of my main dish - Fettuccine Alfredo. I am not fond of creamy pasta so I would not rave about this dish.

For dessert, I had  Mango Panna Cotta. I was supposed to try their Choco Lava but their chef  told the service crew it's not available.  Actually, when I was asking for desserts, they  informed me there was none available.  It was only their manager that asked the chef to check on the Panna Cotta.  It's a good thing I wasn't in the mood to complain for I can't understand why a power interruption could stop them from serving desserts when all they have to do is get them from their chillers.  DUH!

So this is a one rainy day of the more rainy days to come that I will forever remember with Pizza Hut.  ;-)

Steamed Fish

Last night, my father brought home a gigantic Tilapia that was given to him by a friend.  According to my mother, Tilapias are measured by fingers. She told me the size of the one I was challenged to cook was 8 - 9 fingers depending on the gender of the person who's measuring it. LOL.

Check at the scale of the extra large egg with the Tilapia below. Figure it out how big it was!

My father was requesting for a dish he sampled before where the fish was cooked with mayonnaise.  Since the Tilapia was big, I don't want to cut it out, so I prepared one where its size was preserved.

I checked one of my cookbooks and found a recipe for a steamed fish which I did revisions.  Here's how I cooked it.

1) I rubbed the cleaned tilapia  with butter, salt and pepper and put it on an aluminum foil.  I filled the inside with fresh basil and left a long stalk of celery on one side of the fish.

2) The wrapped tilapia was put in a steamer and was cooked under a simmering water for about 30 to 40 minutes.

3) I unwrapped the foil and preserved the drippings.   One square of chicken bouillon was dissolved to the preserved drippings and was cooked under low heat until it thickened a little.

4) The thickened drippings was poured over the tilapia that was transferred to a serving platter.  I made sure that the sauce was scattered evenly so the fish would absorb it equally.

5) I dressed the tilapia with mayonnaise leaving the head and tail still exposed.

6) Lastly, for the embellishments, I added chopped carrots, eggs and pickled relish.

The fish dish was delicious though it's somewhat "nakakaumay" because of the mayonnaise.  It was tasty though even without the toppings.  I know this recipe would work better with Lapu-lapu, Maya-maya or Talakitok.  Let's try it with Lapu-lapu next time. :)

Oh, by the way, here's an interesting note on the etymology of Tilapia from Wikipedia:

The common name tilapia is based on the name of the cichlid genus Tilapia, which is itself a latinization of thiape, the Tswana word for "fish".^[1] Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith named the genus in 1840.^[2]

Tilapia go by many names. The moniker "St. Peter's fish" comes from the story in the Christian Bible about the apostle Peter catching a fish that carried a shekelcoin in its mouth, though the passage does not name the fish.^[3] While the name also applies to Zeus faber, a marine fish not found in the area, a few tilapia species (Sarotherodon galilaeus galilaeus and others) are found in the Sea of Galilee, where the author of the Gospel of Matthew accounts the event took place. These species have been the target of small-scale artisanal fisheries in the area for thousands of years.^[4][5] In some Asian countries including the Philippines, large tilapia go bypla-pla while their smaller brethren are just tilapia.

So I guess the tilapia I have been talking about is actually a pla-pla.  :p

Twin yolks

This egg made me giggle that my father commented I am like a kid laughing  over a simple thing.  Hehehe!  I was preparing the ingredients of a dish I prepared last night and egg is one of the main ingredients.  While, chopping one of the eggs, I saw one egg with a double yolks! I have been cooking and baking for long but this is the first time I saw one.  Cool, isn't it? :D

Last week's diary

Last week was a busy day for me.

Sunday - I reported to work as usual.

Monday - My mother and I went to Makati Medical to get the results of all the laboratory tests that her doctor requested as preparation for her operation. From there, we headed to St. Luke's Hospital to get a third opinion on her illness - a cyst  observed 8 years ago in her thyroid that two doctors already advised to have it removed immediately. The endocrinologist that our medical insurance referred to at St. Luke's gave the same feedback - to have a thyroidectomy ASAP since her last biopsy was already past 5 months and it showed significant findings. Right there and then, after contacting my other sisters, we decided to have the operation done at St. Luke's instead of Makati Medical.

My mom with her Fish Pomodoro meal at Delifrance  in St. Luke's where we had our lunch while waiting for the Endocrinologist's arrival.

From the hospital, after all was done for the preparation of the operation which was scheduled on Wednesday of the same week, we went to Banawe to meet my Aunt who was having her car reconditioned, brother-in-law, another sister and friend.  My aunt would treat us for dinner.  We decided to have it at Tong Yang in SM Megamall.  Thanks, Aunt Melda for the dinner treat!



Tuesday - I had to report back to work as I would be on leave on Wednesday and Thursday and I had to finish a number of tasks needed for the week.

Wednesday - I traveled with my father to St. Luke's in Manila and arrived there at 2 PM.  My mother's operation was scheduled at 4 PM.

I took this picture on our way to Manila.  Do you know this bridge?  We always pass by this Candaba viaduct whenever we travel to Manila.  When I was in college, I would travel weekly to go home and when I reached this bridge, my heart would leap for I know I will just be a few minutes away from home. Haha!  On some occasions, out of boredom, I would time the length this 5 km bridge would take to end and would always surprise me that it  would always give a result of  3 minutes via bus.  It always amazes me too that half of the bridge is part of Apalit, Pampanga while the other half is of Pulilan, Bulacan.



Before 4 PM while mother is waiting for her operation.



My mom is actually at the operating room while we were at Delifrance to have our dinner.  We got tensed in the room waiting for the operation to end so we decided to get out and have our dinner instead. Below is at Delifance with my three sisters, Maureen, Marinel and Maricar.

Thursday - A few hours after my mom's recovery from the operation, together with my sisters, Mau and Mye (shown on the pic below), we decided to go to SM Megamall to do a little shopping and grab a dinner treat.

Mau @ the newly-opened Forever 21 at SM Megamall. My sister, Maricar  finds it funny that she commented Mau loves having pictures taken at the mall. LOL. I can't blame Mau when she gets excited in a mall for she's deprived of this when she's at her husband's hometown in Isabela. Hahah!

Mau's husband, Mon gave a dinner treat  at Dad's in Megamall.  A very fattening and heavy dinner!  I consumed a plate of callos and chicken liver. Thanks, Mon!

Friday - My mom was discharged from the hospital before noon.  Art, my sister, Maritza's boyfriend gave us a lunch treat before we headed to Pampanga at Tong Yang's main branch at Quezon Avenue.  It was his birthday the day after and we didn't know.  Thanks, Art for the lunch treat and belated happy birthday!

Here's a picture of mom after the lunch treat at Tong Yang.  Check her wrist she still has the "bracelet" from the hospital. Hahaha!  It seems like she didn't have a recent operation for she finished all the food that I put on her plate which was A LOT!

Before going home, we passed by Marquee mall in Pampanga.  We were supposed to go to Trinoma but due to time constraint and vehicle coding, we decided to just go to Marquee Mall.

Maricar at Crazy Crepes finishing my mom's order of Banana-Caramel Crepe.

Saturday -  I just stayed at home but was busy for I assisted a helper in cleaning the house.  That concluded my week.

PS: Having an unexpected illness in the family made me realize that money and time will never be an issue.  All my sisters were able to come to Manila to share their time with my mom, even the two who were from distant places in the Philippines.  It was a reunion except that we missed our other sister who's currently in Vietnam.

We thank the Lord that even if the result of the cyst is malignant - Papillary Thyroid Cancer, the operation was successful and my mom was able to recover immediately and that her illness has a long life expectancy.   Thank you so much, Lord for more time with my mom!