party party

The baby's party was great last Friday. The food turned out to be plenty and absolutely delicious. I didn't really taste all the dishes because I hardly eat when it's our party but the ones I tasted were yummy. Most of the guests were raving about the food as well so that's a relief. My mom's friend really impressed us with her simple dishes that were packed with flavor. It's quite funny that the LPG we use for the oven didn't run out. We've been using it for over a year already but it's still not empty. About three dishes were baked there, not to mention the baked scallops I made. The scallops were a hit too, especially since the number was limited. Yes, scallops can be expensive.

I didn't really put up a kiddie party but I gave away loot bags and balloons, had cupcakes and ice cream for the kids and a pinata filled with candies. The party hats were forgotten (lucky I only got 12!)

My mom invited her friends over and they had a blast. My girlfriends came too but they left early. Some of the people I invited didn't show up but that's okay. Overall, the party was a success and even the baby had a good time.

last meal

I saw The Expendables 2 last night and it was such fun. Anyway, in the movie, they were asked what their last meals would be if they had to choose. That got me to thinking what my last meal would be. I don't really have sophisticated tastes and when forced to answer, I'd probably say lechon skin and dinuguan. I am a sucker for lechon skin. I barely eat the meat and only eat the ribs if it is absolutely delicious. I choose dinuguan or pork blood stew especially if my grandfather cooks it. It's his specialty.

On second thought, I could probably included baked ziti, chocolate gelato and corn muffins in my list as well. What about you? What would you eat on your last meal?

one of the best

This might not look like much. But when you open this...

You'll be able to taste a bit of heaven. I swear this is one of the best tasting gelato in the world! My mouth is watering by just looking at this picture!

food yet again

Last Monday, I went to the school nearby to look for grub. I was hungry and needed something to eat before dinner. My only choices were tempura and cheese sticks. I ordered both and was a bit satisfied. This morning, I asked my mom to buy lumpia wrapper because I wanted to make my own cheese sticks. I used Eden Meltsarap cheese and cut the wrappers in half. These are so good! I wish I had those peppers like the ones they used in Chicken Charlie but I had no idea what those were or where to get them!


I paired that with tacos. I decided to forego the cheese as I had cheese sticks already. That's my leftoever chili con carne, homemade salsa and guacamole and lettuce. That meal was my lunch, afternoon snacks and dinner in one. And I ate a big slice of banana cake for dessert. Delish!

sunday breakfast

Last Sunday, I didn't have my usual breakfast fare. The bf and I drove through Jollibee for our afternoon snacks Saturday afternoon but I wasn't able to eat my Jolly Hotdog because I was still full from lunch. I stuck it in the fridge and remembered about it in the morning. I didn't really like the hotdog as it is so I decided to add something to it.

I used some ground pork as we had no ground beef, made a small chili con carne out of it, added onions, tomatoes and bell pepper with bit of pork and beans.

I spread the cheese and mustard/mayo on the bread, sliced and refried the hotdog and placed chili con carne on one side. I toasted the bread for about two minutes and it was ready.

My mom already ate the accompanying fries the day before so I made my own. These are twice fried french fries with a dash of salt and pepper.

Paired with my own version of Iced Milo, I had a yummy, yummy breakfast!

italian resto

This pasta came from a newly opened cafe in our place. This is the absolutely delicious fettucine alfredo. The only problem was that the serving was too big so I had to bring home my leftoevers. This dish had no meat- only cheese but it was to die for, I swear.

I heated the leftoever and added bacon. It was wrong of me to do so as the bacon had too much oil. But it was still delicious and the pasta was still firm.

mami and mangoes

I always like to eat chicken mami and batchoy. In fact, I sometimes go to our local department store's food court to get my chicken mami fix. Last Friday, I decided to make my own version. But I must admit it's not as good because of the noodles I used. The noodles my mom bought had a distinct smell I couldn't get rid of. I also didn't get to consume that serving. It was just too much!

I paired it with mango, banana and avocado fruit mix. The bf liked the mangoes being sold roadside and he actually bought mangoes there for two consecutive days. My mom had leftover avocado so I bought banana and combined all three with evaporated milk and a bit of sugar. I left it in the freezer for about and hour and this is the result. It's safe to say I had a healthy Friday night dinner.

turkey sausage

My paternal grandmother has a sister who lives in the U.S. (who doesn't???). Anyway, when I was still in elementary and high school, she would come home every two years or so. Before, we had the fanciest house in the family. Fancy meaning it was concrete, clean and had a decent bathroom. This grandmother of mine was a neat freak and so she often stayed in our house. She liked the fact that my mom was neat and kept a clean house. That meant we had first dibs on the stuff she brought such as Chips Ahoy!, Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows, chocolates and smoked sausage. Back then-meaning the 80s, those things were big deal and you could hardly find that in your local supermarket.

I loved all that she brought but the winner hands down was the smoked sausage. I have no idea of the brand or the name of the particular sausage she would bring. I only recognize it by taste. And I have missed it over the years. She hasn't come home in about five years or so because her husband got sick and so did she.

So I would often buy Hungarian sausage, cervelat or schublig and hope the taste would be the same. Unfortunately, nothing came close. I don't know why but I vaguely remember the sausage having turkey. One Sunday I found this package on the freezer in the supermarket and I just had to try it.

I had the sausage for dinner. Just cut one long sausage in half and sliced it thinly. Fried it in oil and tasted it. The taste was like the one I often had but saltier. I regret not pairing it with mustard because it would have tasted better. I actually paired it with banana catsup and the taste was not the same.

Yesterday, I remembered I had a package of Bolognese sauce. So I decided to cook it with the remaining half of the sausage, added mushrooms, garlic, onions and bell pepper. It was to die for, I swear. I know I'm not a good cook but I was able to create a pasta dish worth showing off.

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salad delight

i was in the mood for a salad a couple of days ago. i was thinking of buying the oriental chicken salad again but decided not to. i had leftover lettuce from the taco that i made so i made my own. that was just lettuce, carrots and pineapples. because there was no grilled chicken in the house, i asked my mom to get breaded fish fillet from a cafeteria nearby. it cost only 30pesos for about 8 pieces (my mom ate two, i think) why bother cooking when food like this is readily available? besides it really tastes great. it comes with a milky white sauce that i don't particularly care for. i prefer mayo/hot catsup combo.

that was delicious and healthy lunch-minus the dressing of course!

do it yourself a bit

i love to eat mexican food although my vocabulary is limited to taco, quesadilla, chimichanga, nachos and burritos. if you ask me, that's enough.

anyway, i had a hankering for a taco yesterday so while we went grocery shopping, i decided to get the ingredients for it. i saw a recipe from a kris aquino magazine a couple of week ago and wanted to replicate it. (that said, i don't buy her magazine, it is actually my aunt's copy. she just lent it to my mom to show her a dress design.)

i know there is available salsa so i just got a jar instead of having to make my own, as well as the hard taco shell. i was debating whether to get nachos instead but stuck with the taco eventually. i did prepare the seasoned beef myself and sliced the lettuce and shredded the cheese. once i assembled the taco, it was delicious, if i may say so myself. i actually had two for lunch. i'm thinking of making my own chicken salad next, after all i already have lettuce and carrots in fridge... maybe tomorrow!

working lunch and book shopping

i had to eat a late lunch today because i went out on some errands. i decided to stop by a cafe to get their oriental chicken salad which i love. i didn't eat there because i wanted to make my own dressing. i also got a slice of their choco-banana cake which is another great treat. i paired my salad with a glass of lemon iced tea. yummy!

while i was waiting for my order, a caucasian man (i thought he was italian but i'm not really sure. i am sure though that he isn't american) sat in the table next to mine. he said " hello there. good morning, how are you? and i said :"i'm good, good morning too." his answer was "you're so beautiful, you look so fresh. ahhh, this city is full of beautiful women. i just said thank you and looked away because i hate talking to foreigners especially men. hahaha!

then i went book shopping. the place i usually go to no longer have books so i had to go to book sale for my stash. i went at the right time because i got 5 books for a total of Php80 only. i don't recognize any of the authors but i found the books interesting. today is really my day!

yum!

i do not know know to cook dishes. i can produce decent desserts though. but cooking and me do not make a good combination. i do not have enough skill to know what is missing in a certain dish. i guess i don't have the right tongue or taste buds. hehe.. but not when it comes to cakes, chocolates and sweets. in that aspect, i am a master.

anyway, i love to eat. the first photo is homemade cheese pimiento on garlic baguette. that's really yummy. i personally made the spread from queso de bola, mayonnaise, canned pimiento and a bit of condensed milk. i actually got the inspiration from a newspaper article about using leftover queso de bola and found the actual recipe online. i didn't really follow the exact measurements, i just winged it. but it worked. pairing it with store-bought garlic baguette was heaven. as a kid, i loved cheese pimiento sandwhiches. but my mom wouldn't make them because she didn't like cheese.

the second photo is my sunday night dinner. i didn't get to eat at the meeting because the students only bought me mango juice and a banana/blueberry muffin. i was actually shy to demand dinner since they didn't eat as well. so i ordered the oriental chicken salad from the cafe where the meeting was held. i took it home and ate it with the baby in the bedroom. the crackers were his snack because according to him "my tummy is so very hungry". the salad was delish. but i didn't use the vinaigrette they gave. instead i made my own with mayo and a bit of chili catsup. its my favorite salad dressing actually.

i don't often take pictures of the food that i eat. but i do know i have some in my files. i'll try to find them and post them here.