The hubby and I were invited to Delish Restaurant last August 25.  If there is one thing I love about blogging, it is the chance to discover and get invited to places where the hubby and I could spend quality time at. Delish is one of those great finds!

Delish’s location is perfect for us. Just a few kilometers from where we live. I wouldn’t have known a place so conveniently close with such great food offerings, if it was not for the invite. Thanks, Mrs. Martinez!

We were the earliest to come, so we figured we could do a photo op while waiting. We tend to forget having our pictures taken when the table is sprawled with foods galore.

Ever the root beer junkie that the husband is, he ordered  a Float (P110) and Carrot Shake (P95) for moi. We also got to taste their House Iced Tea (P45) which is superb. I finished the whole glass in one sipping! But I still could not make of what the special flavor is. It is their secret recipe, apparently, that they would not dare divulge.

Crispy Bicol Express Special, P185 and Crab Relleno in Banana Leaves, P98

I’m not sure about you, but I have not seen Bicol Express served in a more interesting manner.  Crab Relleno was a winner. At 98 pesos, an order can fill more than just hunger pangs but will delight taste buds  as it satisfies your crab cravings.

Boneless Crispy Pork Knuckles with Oriental Sauce (good for 2 to 3), P390 and Quesadillas, P175

Crispy Pata, the ever present dish in any Filipino gathering. The plus factor of Delish’s take on Crispy Pata is its being boneless. I love not having to sweat my way through getting to those delectable and flavorful tendons.  The oriental sauce they threw in with the dish is an interesting variation from the usual Crispy Pata dipping sauce. Quesadillas is my runaway favorite.

On the left is is the Spinach and Parmesan Dip with Melba Toast, P145 and on the right is the Crispy Honey-Garlic Chicken, P89

The Spinach and Paremesan Dip with Melba Toast makes for a great starter. The toast is baked perfect that I had to ask one of the owners who they bread supplier is. They don’t have a supplier. The toast is baked fresh from their kitchen! Sweet! That alone tells you that a restaurant only serves the freshest of foods. And the Crispy Honey-Garlic Chicken was heavenly! I love how crunchy the skin is and the flavor you get with every bite.

Baked Oysters with Garlic and Cream Cheese, P225 and Baked Oysters with Spinach, Bacon and Herb, P220

On the left is a platter of Baked Oysters with Garlic and Cream Cheese and Baked Oysters with Spinach, Bacon and Herb. Separately they are served 8 pcs of oysters per plate, per variant. They just served us with a platter with combined variants during the food tasting event.  The baked oysters with cream cheese was good but I loved the one topped with Spinach, Bacon and Herb the best. It is way more flavorful and tasty.

The hubby and moi with fellow foodies Azrael, Jonel Uy and Mrs. Martinez

MWF is Delish Restaurant’s Acoustic Nights. We were serenaded by this balladeer during the event. A perfect hang out place, date night and night cap all rolled into one. I heard they also hold Karaoke nights.

Honey Panna Cotta, P95 and Butterscotch Pavlova (good for 2 to 3), P145

Both dessert pieces were perfect. While I delighted in the Butterscotch Pavlova, the hubby loved Honey Panna Cotta.  The generous serving of Butterscotch Pavlova totally satisfied my sweet tooth cravings. The soft texture of the egg whites similar to that of brazo de mercedes, sprinkled with brittles of sweet caramel and all the works makes for a perfect dinner climax.

If there are three things I will go back to Delish for, it will be Quesadillas, the Crispy Honey-Garlic Chicken and the House Iced Tea. But then again, It will be a waste if I’d go back to just that.  I will probably just order everything I tasted during this event all over again.

four of the owners of Delish

Delish Restaurant
103 Maginhawa St.,
Teacher’s Village,
East Quezon City
355.5241
www.delishcuisine.com

The unforgiving heat has probably been one of the common things we all can relate to, aside, of course, from our various thoughts about the recent elections, at least in this side of the world. Mid May has come and the heat sure hasn’t dwindled a notch. Relief from it is something we all can make use of and Max’s Restaurant has recently come up with the perfect indulgence – Max’s Giant Halo Halo!

I was in for a literal “huge” surprise when I was invited to witness the biggest halo halo a restaurant in the Philippines has ever come up with. The perfect, cool dessert to cap a meal, bonding with family and friends. Now, with the years that I have been blogging in this corner, regular readers might have had noticed that Max’s is one of our family’s to go to places during special occasions. Max’s Giant Halo Halo will be a great addition to our feast line up.

“Max’s Giant Halo Halo. is a novel idea. We are actually the first to ever launch a halo halo product as big as this in the Philippines. Six to eight people can literally share one bowl of Max’s Giant Halo Halo.,” said Marc San Juan, Max’s Corporate Marketing. The refreshing and generous mix of macapuno balls, sweet beans, red mongo, garbanzoes, banana, kaong, gulaman, nata de coco and langka, shaved ice soaked in milk, topped with ube, leche flan, a generous sprinkle of rice crispies and cheese, plus three huge scoops of ube ice cream make for the perfect summer treat. I have already scheduled a date with my folks to have lunch at Max’s with us tomorrow and I am sure they are going to love this “enormous” treat. It is sold for P375 a pop and it is good for 6 to 8 persons.

Dear reader, Elyza, requested for Kraft Eden’s MeltSarap Lasagna recipe.  Hence, this post.  She came googling for Kraft Eden’s lasagna recipe and she landed on my Break the World Record post. It has been a while since I last baked my lasagna recipe, which I essentially tweaked from this Eden’s MeltSarap Lasagna recipe.  As I have shared in this post,  I make it a point to tweak recipes to have my very own signature touch to it.  Although most recipes that I encounter are already tried and tested, the adventurous me just have to experiment here and there until a recipe is perfect for my taste.  This post got me inspired to bake lasagna for media noche.

a collage I made from the lasagna I baked more than a year ago. 

Eden MeltSarap Lasagna

(Makes 8 servings)

Ingredients:

455 grams ground beef

1 tsp. dried basil

5 tbsps butter

1 can tomato sauce, 500g

1 can mushrooms, drained

4 cloves garlic, chopped

448 grams Lasagna noodles, cooked

3 1/2 cups Kraft Eden MeltSarap, grated

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 piece onion, chopped

2 packs all purpose cream

1 pc. beef broth cubes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. For the red sauce: Saute ground beef  on garlic and onion.  Add in the beef broth cube and the tomato sauce.

 For the white sauce: Melt the butter in a pan.  Add the all purpse flour. Continually stir for 7 minutes or until golden brown. Add in the Kraft Eden Melt Sarap cheese and mushrooms.

2. Spread a thin layer of red sauce on the baking pan. Top it with lasagna noodles, alternate it with the white sauce.  Repeat until  the pan is filled.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

3. Bake in a 350 degrees Farenheit pre-heated oven for 45 minutes.  Take the aluminum foil off and grate a cup of Kraft Eden MeltSarap on to.  Bake again for another 15 minutes.  Cool before serving.

*Chill Kraft Eden MeltSarap cheese for easier grating.

The very first time I whipped up my very own version of Lasagna was when the time Kraft Eden came out with their then brand new MeltSarap cheese variant. It was an instant hit and has always been a regular recipe since. I made use of Kraft’s packaging recipe and tweaked it here and there, like I always would with my usual recipes. It gives me a certain touch of ownership to the recipe that makes it unique and me.

Here’s a collage if my first ever lasagna.  

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I love trying out and experimenting on recipes and the ones that become instant favorites are usually the ones that include cheese in them. Incidentally, SarapNgBuhay.com allows me to do just that. Experiment on cheese recipes that I will surprise my family with. You can head over the site and browse through thousands of cheese recipes you can try for yourself or better yet contribute a cheese recipe and make your mark as Filipinos attempt to break the current Guinness world record on December 14, 2009 at the Araneta Coliseum. The record by India, to date, is 4,668 and with the Filipinos’ creativity and passion for food we could huddle up and contribute our cheese recipes to reach the 5,000 mark that will break the all time world record of the most number of cheese recipes that a nation has come up with. I just contributed my very own Cheesy Kani Macaroni Salad which is a family favorite too.  Head over to SarapNgBuhay.com and check it out. 

Meanwhile, I have bookmarked this ultra yummy site . SarapNgBuhay.com can really be handy even as I plan out meals for my family!

The hubby and I had our initiation on what Degustation dinner is over at A.I.C.A. (The Academy for International Culinary Arts) last Thursday, October 29. It couldn’t be more interesting —  her greatness, culinary legend chef herself, Ms. Nora Daza was there to grace the event.  It was a night, a full three hours of fun, learning, savyy dining experience and yumminess galore.

First off, what is degustation? Prior to last night, I had no clue what that was. We arrived pretty early at the venue, went to check the night’s schedule and got rather clueless when I saw that the night’s event is called degustation.  Okay, what does a blogger do during such times? Google it up. That’s what I did. Who can better define the word than Wikipedia.

Degustation is a culinary term meaning “a careful, appreciative tasting of various foods” and focusing on the gustatory system, the senses, high culinary art and good company. 

The French term dégustation is still commonly used in English-language contexts, even though a standard Anglicized spelling and pronunciation exist.

Modern dégustation probably comes from the French kitchens of the early 20th century and is different from earlier meals with many courses because these meals were served as full-sized meals at each course. Dégustation is more likely to involve sampling small portions of all of a chef’s signature dishes in one sitting. Usually consisting of eight or more courses, it may be accompanied by a matching wine degustation which complements each dish.

Sampling a selection of cheeses, at home or in a restaurant, may also be called a dégustation. Three to four varieties are normally chosen, generally including a semi-soft cheese, a goat’s cheese, and a blue cheese. The stronger varieties are normally tasted last. See the article “A Cheese Lover’s Tour of France” from The New York Times.

A dégustation is always held during the Japanese television show Iron Chef.

Last week was A.I.C.A.’s  22nd and 23rd batches turn to undergo hell week.  They call it such because after 10 months of classroom experience, they actually get to run a restaurant just like a professional chef would.  From the interior to the marketing to the way they serve their dishes, it’s all them.  And I saw for myself how they can really pass for real professionals.   

the fine and intricate details of their table setting

I just love turning its pages during the degustation — to anticipate the next high. Every single course spoke for itself.  The silence in between bites was affirmation enough that it did its purpose of satisfying our palates. Several hours after this meal and I can still taste from my recollection the yumminess of each course.

Chicken liver mousse. Served to open our palates. Yes! There’s a science behind why courses are served at different portions of the meal.  Nothing like I’ve ever tasted before, to say the least. For someone who isn’t exactly partial towards liver stuff, this is a hit! I loved it!  Chef Jerome taught us through.  We didn’t have an idea how to eat it.  It was served fromthis delicate spoon and we were told to eat it right from the spoon. Needless to say, it excited our taste buds and paved the way to the 8 equally delectable courses to come.  

Deep fried shishamo, petit salad in citrus dressing and ceviche of scallops.  If you like deep fried “Tawilis from Tagaytay,” you are going to fall head over heals in love with Shishamu.  But here’s the bad news, this ain’t available locally. Shishamu thrives only in the cold waters of Canada.  This particular dish is sponsored by one of the students in the batch,  Catherine Ingles, the grand daughter of Nora Daza.  The very same lovely chef who will do her on the job training at the world’s lone 7 star hotel in Dubai, Jumeirah.  She also is the lone distributor of Shishamo in the Philippines.   What makes this special is this…

… it is laden with eggs!!!Which makes it extra tasty and healthy. Packed with all those omega goodness for your heart. 

Prawn Bisque.

salmon confit in infused almond oil with mashed potatoes.

Braised cabbage rolls in tomato basil sauce.

Green tea basil sorbet.

Shiraz braised pork knuckles with watercress walnut relish in mashed potatoes and port wine sauce.

 Chocolate Truffles.

We got to sit with the owner of A.I.C.A. himself.  Michael M. Tiaoqui shared the vision he has for the culinary school and how the Academy for International Culinary Arts believes in the creative Filipino culinary talent. This culinary school is manned by a distinguised staff of qualified teachers and trainers possessing excellent international credentials.  They have state-of-the art facilities that augment the practical hands-on methodology.  A.I.C.A. also sticks to the proven and tested 14 member-per-class ratio, with nothing less than 90% hands-on training application. Students are exposed to perform and devlop the mastery in the course subjects.  They also provide a comprehensive post evaluation and program opportunities for both the local and international markets.  

photo op with the culinary legend, Chef Nora Daza

A.I.C.A. 
The Academy for International Culinary Arts
2/F Skyway Twin Towers
Capt. Henry P. Javier Street
Pasig City, Philippines
672.2119; 672.2271
http://www.aicaculinary.com

Here is another reason why I so love World’s Healthiest Foods. While I try to compensate my zero workout with eating health foods whenever I get the chance, here is another neat recipe - Calabacitas. Calabacitas is a Mexican flavored side dish. The hubby and I have been indulging in Mexican foods lately (spicy foods are his least favorite). While we are at it, this is one dish I am going to try out very soon. A regular dose of this healthy stuff and regular exercises, then I just might need less of ephedra free. (I know I have at least more than a couple of pounds to lose and some serious muscle toning to work on) 

The ingredients are pretty much easy to find in my regular supermarket. A recipe with an unusual mixture of flavors. Can you just imagine all those flavors coming together? This is what I love about Mexican food, the flavor that is so rich, you just cannot stop munching. I have to watch it though and go easy on Mexican recipes with loads of cheese. It can be hard to resist, but I have to or else my lactose intolerance won’t like it.

Prep and Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 medium onion cut in half and sliced thin
4 medium cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups zucchini diced into ½ inch cubes
2 cups yellow squash, diced in ½ inch cubes
15oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 4oz can of diced green chili
3 + 1 TBS chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup chopped cilantro
3 TBS fresh chopped fresh oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
*Optional: drizzle with olive oil before serving

Directions:

Slice onion and chop garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting benefits.
Prepare all the vegetables by slicing and chopping.
Heat 1 TBS broth in 11-12 inch stainless steel skillet. Healthy Saute onions in broth over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring frequently, until translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minute.
Add zucchini, yellow squash, remaining broth, green chili, and cook for another 3 minutes or so until vegetables are tender, stirring often. Add tomatoes and continue to cook for another couple of minutes.
Stir in herbs, salt and pepper. Serves 4

credits to sweet Iris of  Pinayads.com 

For an easy to prepare salad, which is both packed with Vitamin D and will provide you a hundred and five percent of your Daily Value for Omega 3 fatty acids, try out this Cucumber Chili Salad recipe. Another winner from The World’s Healthiest Foods. After having gained almost four pounds since last month, it looks like I am going to have to look into preparing more of salads, from now on.

Prep and Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1½ lb salmon fillet,deboned and skin removed cut into 4 pieces
3 cups thinly sliced washed cucumber, do not peel
2 tsp minced jalapeno pepper, seeds and stem removed (or to taste)
½ cup chopped scallion
3 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
1½ TBS chopped fresh mint
Dressing
2 + 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Directions:

To Quick-Broil salmon preheat broiler on high and place an all stainless steel skillet (be sure the handle is also stainless steel) or cast iron pan under the heat for about 10 minutes to get it very hot. The pan should be 5 to 7 inches from the heat source.

Rub salmon with 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. (You can Quick Broil with the skin on; it just takes a minute or two longer. The skin will peel right off after cooking.) While pan is heating, prepare the remaining five ingredients. Using a hot pad, pull pan away from heat and place salmon on hot pan, skin side down. Return to broiler.

 

Keep in mind that it is cooking rapidly on both sides so it will be done very quickly, usually in 7 minutes depending on thickness. Test with a fork for doneness. It will flake easily when it is cooked. Salmon is best when it is still pink inside. While salmon is cooking, whisk together lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper. When ready to serve toss with cucumber mixture. Do not toss ahead, as it will dilute the flavor. Place cucumber salad on a platter and place salmon on top. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro and serve. Serves 4

This is what we had for lunch today.  Never tried cooking it before, but glad the hubby liked the variation from the regular Adobong Pusit.  I found a handful of recipes online  but as usual, I did it my way. Instead of getting everything in the wok to boil, I sauteed the garlic and onion first, dropped in the squid rings and the chili before I poured in the vinegar, stock and coconut milk,  salt and pepper. Preparation was easy.  

I grabbed a hold of the cam before it was all gone.

Being a subscriber of The World’s Healthiest Foods, I am sent a bunch of recipes, week in and week out.  My desire is to get our family to love eat healthier foods.  The fact remains that crappy foods taste good though.

But then again, there is also this thing about acquiring tastes.  good friend that I had in college once told me that after a while of taking out meat out of his diet, he developed this aversion to it.   Ideally, you and your better half is a team in pursuing this goal.  Otherwise, it is going to be a struggle.  My point being:  If you are amongst who struggle, then it is best to introduce new dishes that are tastier than serving your family those notoriously known bland healthfoods.

I am looking into serving this recipe this coming week and enjoy the yummy side dish with all of the health benefits of phytonutrients from the veggies combined with the heart-healthy monounsaturated fats from the nuts. It’s a great side dish to accompany fish and poultry entres.

Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup each red and yellow bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 cup onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1/4 cup cashews
• Dressing:
• 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Chop or press garlic, slice onions and let them sit for 5 minutes.
2. Heat broth in a stainless steel skillet over medium heat.
3. When broth is steaming, add bell peppers and onions, cover and sauté for 5 minutes.
4. Add snow peas and sauté covered for 2 minutes.
5. Transfer vegetable mixture to a serving bowl and toss with cashews and dressing ingredients.

Serves 2

To be honest I am amazed at how the lemon grass juice has worked for our family. Aside from the fact that everyone enjoys the taste, it really is very beneficial to our health.

Even my father was surprised that Lemongrass a.k.a. Tanglad (in our vernacular) can be used more than just for cooking our local dishes and regular viands. This wonderful smelling grass has always been associated to great Asian dishes like Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese. And who could miss out the relaxing smell of a lemon grass scented candle.

Fact is the health benefits of Lemon grass are countless. First, studies have shown that it has antibacterial and antifungal properties. It is also known to help cleanse and detoxify the liver, pancreas, kidneys, bladder and the digestive tract. I could perhaps even point to this juice why I don’t have arthritis attack lately despite the legumes and nuts in my diet. It is also known to cut down uric acid, cholesterol, fats. For those breastfeeding mothers, it also aides in lactation. Topically, it can also help in eliminating acne when used as toner. It can also be used as remedy to the deadly Malaria, fever and colds. I can personally vouch for it as an effective cold remedy. It worked for my three year old. The day he had colds, he would sneeze non stop coupled with bad runny nose. I had him take the juice every meal and the next day, no sign that he ever had the colds the previous day. Amazing!

Amazed enough? The list goes on and on. There are weeks when I get too lazy to do the Lemon grass concoction. The truth is I have no opportunity to get lazy ever. I don’t move a finger in a day and our house could possibly collapse, seriously. All I really need is to remind myself that it’s no more than cutting the sheaves about an inch and soaking them in vinegar for five minutes. Rinse and then dunk everything to the boiling water. Once a week. That would yield to three liters of juice. Just that thought and I can get to my feet.

Allow me to digress. Working from home can really have its set backs. First, I really can’t tell my kiddo that mama is working. Even if I do, he will not completely understand why I cannot just attend to him whenever he wants. That was something I had to learn (and still learning) to manage and handle right. So I shift from working online to doing my chores to taking care of my kid and back again to the endless sweet cycle.

Shifting and juggling can be the craziest thing. When I was back in the corporate world, my officemates would call me “Flash”, because I would do all my tasks ahead of everyone else. I cannot seem to relax until I am all done with things that I need to do. And of course I also want to relax. So that’s the ultimate goal, work before pleasure.

I amuse myself sometimes even now that I get to do several things all at once. I need all those juggling abilities. I need to be creative even having to involve the little guy in the things I do whenever I can. If I were of a weaker specie, I could have gone back running to the corporate world. Honestly, it would really have been more convenient but I know my priorities. Please don’t get me wrong, I respect those who choose to work away from home. But if one were to choose I am sure most women would rather really take care of their own kids. There will always be that tug in their heart to do just that. But then again there are differences in cultures and circumstances. What’s important is you are doing what you know in your heart that you should be doing. Otherwise everything you do is nothing but a mechanical force and even though it might not altogether be futile, there will always be something that’s missing.

Working from home is no easy task. Altogether, I could say that I spend twelve hours a day in front of the computer forever doing tasks in between. Mothers would understand how hard it is to manage a household with a bouncy three year old, home schooling him informally at that. But I am fine. What really is important is I love my job and I honestly will never exchange the place I now have for anything in this world. I love my family and I know in my heart what I am called to do.

Moving back on to Lemongrass, it can actually go well with either honey or muscovado sugar. Both are natural. Stick with it. It will completely defeat its purpose if you will use refined sugar or those alternative sugar free what have yous.

For your information, our very own and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) claims that for every 100g boiled lemon grass can contain up to 24.205 micrograms of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is the anti-oxidant scientists believe that can help prevent cancer. Another study of the institute shows that lemon grass oil can possibly cure keratomycosis via topical medication. Wikipedia defines keratomycosis as an ‘inflammation of the eye’s cornea’ (called keratitis) that results from infection by a fungal organism. Keratomycosis is the Latin terminology equivalent of fungal keratitis – it is the fungal infection of the cornea, the anterior part of the eye which covers the pupil.

For the Lemongrass juice recipe, please visit the following links:

http://www.marriageandbeyond.com/2008/08/23/lemongrass-iced-tea-our-familys-new-fave/
http://www.marriageandbeyond.com/2008/08/13/our-favorite-lemongrass-juice-recipe/
http://www.marriageandbeyond.com/2009/04/20/sweet-potato-tops-camote-tops-juice-recipe/

I guess I got bored with my old chocolate chip recipe that I had to try someone else’s. I have had Mrs. Field’s recipe for a couple of years now, but it was only today that I got to try it out. It took me quite a while because it looked too tedious. Imagine, having to grind the oats! I thought the rolled one is as good as it already is. Not that grinding was going to be a task. I have my handy processor to do just that.

I tell you this processor deserves a pedestal all its own. It is so all around.  If you have seen how it works on home TV shopping,  believe it!  I almost do not have to put it in storage.  Because I use it when I bake cookies and cakes (carrot), when I make embutido, cook lumpiang Shianghai, et. al.  It has been with me since our little guy was an infant. Having refused to give him the commercial cerelac and Gerber stuff, I had his brown rice processed to powder before cooking. Then gradually transitioned from powder to the semi powdered consistency until his rice graduated from having to get processed via the grinder.  

It proved to be sooo much better without all those crappy additives those commercial baby foods have. As much as they claim that they don’t have preservatives, they do. I did my research and that substance that makes cerelac’s consistency is not good for my kid. It could be the most convenient, I know. Why, you only have to mix the powder with water. But come on now, are we really going to buy those commercials with the daily recommended percentage blah blah that they claim, when we can give our children the best possible solid food via the organic, no pesticide brown rice that we cook from scratch. It is packed with nutrients that they need. My little guy’s height and weight are actually above average without the aide of any of those commercial vitamins and minerals.  When you are a new mom, you get bombarded by your Pedia with all the possible vitamins and supplementation that their medical reps hand them with. But after a while, you are going to have to sit down and think (much like Steve of Blues Clues) and take charge of of your kid’s best interest. Not that you trust your doctors less, but because you know fora fact that the popular choice isn’t always the best. Bottomline is I did my homework.

Okay, I really have to watch it when I write on a particular topic, I so easily get diverted when I start talking about baby care. Going back to my special for the day – Mrs. Fields All Original chocolate chip recipe. I later understood why the oats had to be powdered. It explains the yummyness and why the cookies are crispy around the edge and chewy in the middle. My boys loved it so much, I actually have to stop the kiddo from finishing the whole batch!  I just made a little substitution, I used Van Houten chocolate chips instead of the recommended Hershey’s. I love the former better. I’m sure both don’t have melamine content but the taste itself has more character than the latter.  Yes, chocolates have character. Stop and figure it out the next time you have your next bite.  ;-)

I know I am going to have to watch it or else the hubby and I would need to get a hold of the best fat burner available. We are pot bellied as we are already. I am actually thinking of going back to doing tae bo, even before my Wii Fit arrives in the next couple of months and take charge of my bulging belly problem.

Once upon a time there was this one special embutido that our family would regularly buy, it was only available at Cherry’s. I so wanted to figure out how it was made, it’s just that I didn’t know where to start. When I heard from one of the mothers in our church that she knows one recipe, she readily shared it with me upon inquiry. I did have it tweak to my taste, a little more and less of this and that. The MSG has to go altogether. I want nothing of that crap. Plus, unlike other embutidos that I have heard of, this one is loaded with zero extenders. Commercial ones are filled with bread crumbs that you almost get a taste of a pudding than an embutido.

I know I have mentioned in previous posts that multi-tasking can be taxing. But when I get inspired to do things, I stop at nothing until what I envisioned gets done. It just brings me joy that the hubby loves it. He goes on forever raving about how it tastes so good and loves it. He is always like that, with the declaration of another new favorite of his. Good thing he is sporty and regularly plays football. If not, I might have to get him one of those appetite suppressants just to make sure he does not blow up.

One of the things that I had planned for the day is get on my arty-crafty suit and get on some stuff that needs fixing. One of which is the magnetic bracelet mom gave me a few years back. For some reason one of the magnets was detached. Instead, I got my apron and baked some good  Choc-Oat-Chip cookies. I just thought it was just the best time to bake a bunch. It’s the hubby’s birthday tomorrow and I really have no present to give him.

Stuck with a kid, busy with this and that and no get away car to steal even for a few hours to grab a hold of a birthday gift, I know I will just have to make it up to the hubby. I’m also preparing a simple pasta dinner for his boys come tomorrow night. (boys: team mates from Marikina United Football Club). So as not to wear myself thin tomorrow, I decided to bake the goodies today, so I can relax and celebrate with my birthday boy in the morning and get down to work after lunch. (to cook until I drop, lol!)

Meanwhile, here are a few snapshots of my Choc-Oat-Chip cookies.

Who does not love chips and mojos?

Here’s what I do when the family craves for chips. I would rather fry my own homestyle mojos and chips than open up a bag of albeit yummy commercial, transfat laden chips. You won’t believe how much transfat gets into our system and all the horrible things it causes because of the crappy stuff we allow ourselves to indulge in.  I know this one’s inconvenient, because I alone have to do everything from scratch.  But it’s all worth it.  What’s best is everyone loves it!

 After hearing much abuzz about Sandy’s Pizza, we finally got to taste our first 18″ sampler: Margherita, Garlic Chorizo, White Pizza and Meatzarella.  All five of us who went to the pizza shop at San Juan had their own favorites.  Mine was the Margherita, the hubby’s was the White Cheeze and Garlic Chorizo.  But more than the pizza, what rocked best was their tangy, ultra yummy buffalo wings!  It would have been sweeter if we could eat all these goodies right from our very own home theater seating, but even then, that cannot be possible just yet because they don’t deliver to this far side of the metropolis where we are located.  This is why we beat the miles to the traffic jammed route to their shop and I am glad to report, it was definitely worth it.

lovin’ the buffalo wings!

For the cause of me and my family getting healthier, I have been doing a lot of juicing these past few days. I have always believed in going natural for as long as I can remember. I drink no less than 10 glasses a day and on extremely hot days, I swear I could drink a quarter of our 5 gallon supply of water that’s upside down the dispenser. I am not exaggerating. I have been a “water person” in this sense. But for some reason, during the years that passed, I practically selected on the “naturals” that I have been doing.

Let’s face it, it can be a task to go natural. One major non-negotiable was sticking on my little guy’s brown rice staple. He has been consuming brown rice right from when he started learning how to take in solids, or should I say, semi-solids. During that time, I process his ration in a grinding machine before I have it cooked. It worked for him and his growth and development has been above average since. We are glad to have leered away from those usual commercial baby food products. Although I had him on cerelac for a while, I soon got to my senses when I investigated on what I was giving my child.

Okay, so you may ask, why Sweet Potato Tops Juice (Camote Juice) of all the hundreds of different vegetable sheaves on earth, aside from being the most refreshing and easy to prepare. Here’s why, as I go through from one forum to another, I have been getting the same kind of buzz over Camote juice, its ability to cure the deadly Dengue, boost immunity and all. After you get to read the item below, I know I need not say more.

Here are some stories from filipinos I have read from a Filipino Forum:

Computer technician Wenceslao Salesale Jr., 27, was downed by dengue.
His platelet count plunged from 180 to 80. He was rushed by ambulance from
Novaliches to Manila. Inside the ambulance, a relative, acting upon the
advice of a missionary priest, made him drink soup made from camote
tops.

The following day, his platelet count was normal.

Dengue attacked the 7-year-old daughter of engineers Mar and Lita
Budlongan of Kaloocan City. Her platelet count read 80. The same treatment was
used.

The following day she was back to normal.

The 15-year-old daughter of businessman Nepomuceno Salaga of Sampaloc,
Manila had a dangerous platelet count of 80 due to dengue. The same
treatment was followed. The following day she was back in school.

If you will ask a Doctor of medicine about herbal cures al they have to say is that many,
if not most, medicines come from plants.

Research

We need not do research deep i n the rainforests of the Amazon or venture
into the ocean depths in search of the elusive cure for dengue. It is
right there in the backyard.

The following information is from Wikipedia:

“In 1992, the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the
nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables. Considering
fiber content, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and
calcium, the sweet potato ranked highest in nutritional value. According
to these criteria, sweet potatoes earned 184 points, 100 points over the
next on the list, the common potato (NCSPC).”

“…Sweet potato tops are excellent sources of antioxidative compounds,
mainly polyphenolics, which may protect the human body from oxidative
stress that is associated with many diseases including cancer and
cardiovascular diseases. Sweet potato greens have the highest content of
total polyphenolics among other commercial vegetables studied.

“Sweet potatoes contain protein, dietary fiber, lipid, and essential
minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium,
potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum and boron.
Sweet potatoes are also important sources of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin,
niacin and ascorbic acid.”

Camote

In the case of Salaga, he bought five sheaves (bugkos/ bigkis) of camote
cuttings. Each sheaf consists of about 12 cuttings. Each cutting
measures about one foot. A sheaf costs about P5.

Camote tops are boiled in water to extract the juice. The boiling lasts
for about five minutes. A little salt is used to give flavor to it. The
patient is made to drink slowly and gradually. The body’s immunity system is
thus revived, making dengue helpless against the body’s natural defenses.
Camote enables the body to heal itself.

This is so important information because in this forum the most cases that we can read about emergencies is Dengue and sadly people are needlessly dying all around us from dengue, while their very cure is also all around us.

Long time ago, Filipinos were fond of using the derogatory statement, “Go home
and plant camote.” is a joke given if one failed or encountered some misfortune in life.

So, now to ave your family against dengue, “Go home and plant camote!” (sweet potato/yam)

One very important item from this post was a musing from yours truly.. How I have got nothing to give the hubby for a present on Father’s Day, except for this e-card I have prepared for him. I wasn’t able to join him to church that day because I was sore all over especially that morning. My arthritis has acted up crazy. He texted me during lunch time that he so misses us and he hoped that me and our little guy are there with him. I felt so sorry for him. He said he was seeing all those families strolling around the mall celebrating Father’s Day. Although he was practically distracted the whole day because his preaching schedule is full like any other Sunday, he still felt homesick. I told him that I could get a cab with our son and go to the church and I was really willing to do that because I felt a little better in the afternoon. He said it was okay if we don’t come anymore.

I decided to tag along with my sister as she went to her workout place while I go the grocery (both are located in the same mall). It was due to do our grocery replenishment anyway, so I went with her. I thought I’d get him one of those nicey cakes from Red Ribbon but I thought to give him more than just that. I made my first ever lasagna and I am so glad it was a hit. I have probably done all kinds of pasta in all the years that I have been cooking, but I would always forego making lasagna, it looked to me then that it was so much work! And boy it was! With two different sauces and all. But the hubby was so much worth it and more. Every effort, every lifting of aching joints. (I feel so old!)

When night came, I have got two things in my mind: First, why I ever put off making lasagnas. And second, where did I get all those strength to commute to the grocery, cook and bake in less than three hours! I was convinced it was adrenaline, because I got so tired that I slept three hours earlier than my usual bed time. But I got my heart’s delight when the hubby loved every bite. This has got to be a regular dish from now on.

I first made my own version of Cheesy Friend Potatoes yesterday. Thank you so much, Chiechai for sharing your recipe with me.

What can I say? I loved it! I had to stop myself from gobbling it all up or else I wouldn’t have anything left for the hubby to taste anymore. lol!

Not sure what to make for dinner? Poultry dishes are a good start and you can find hundreds of chicken recipes at ChickenRecipesWeb.com. You can find recipes for preparing chicken in dozens of ways – fried chicken recipes, chicken soup recipes, roasted chicken recipes and many more. Still looking for an incredible chicken wing recipes for your next party? There many to choose from as well as marinades and grilling recipes for chicken.