Binagoongang Baboy

Here is the thing, I suck at following recipes. Everytime I am curious about a certain dish, I just research it online or watch a tutorial in Youtube. I just need a basic idea how to make a certain dish. 

It is important to me that I know what something taste before I can recreate it. If I liked something, I don't stop until I find the best recipe then tweak it to make it ala Lou Anne style. It's always fun to try new things because the creativity required in recreating a dish express my emotion and love for cooking.

This is my version of Binagoongang Baboy and I am proud because everyone who tasted this style loved it. It will require extra work( and extra calories) but it sure is one of my specialty dishes. 

Let these photos speak for itself. Enjoy!

Puto leche

I've seen and heard about this Puto Leche and I've always wondered what the fuzz is all about. It sounds like a great idea but I wasn't really sure what it will taste like. Since I am the type to try new things, I researched for a recipe and tried making them. 

The ingredients are very basic. Nothing was put to waste because the egg whites from the egg yolks used in the "leche" part was used in the actual puto. I will admit that I was a bit overwhelmed with the idea that I will be using condensed milk in the leche part because i thought it will become too sweet. And I was right. But, this puto leche looks so yummy and pretty so I guess I just need to look for a better leche recipe. 

Here are the photos. Enjoy!
 

What changed...

It's been a while since I last posted in this blog. It sucks because updating my blog regularly was one of my New year's resolution and obviously, I haven't made any post until today.

 I've been quite busy (and lazy) and I didn't have time to cook so there's nothing to share actually. Although I've made a couple of discoveries that changed the recipes on some dishes that I usually make, I didn't think it was enough to make a post out of it.

My life has completely changed since last year. The way I think, act and respond to things has been different and I've seen improvement in general. The clarity that I've always prayed for has been answered. For once in my life, I knew what direction I wanted to pursue. What is so amazing is how it becomes clear to me about  what I want and what I don't want in my life. There is always a sense of ease knowing that everything will be okay in the midst of all the confusion and setbacks. I learned to have faith, patience and understanding that everything has its own time and things that are meant to happen will happen regardless of how I try to avoid it. 

I firmly believe that everything you do comes back to you. The life you live now is the outcome of every decision we made in our lives. Our success and failures will depend on how we envision ourself...a victor or a victim.

 Life is tough. And it is up to us if we fight back or just give in. As for me... I choose fight because I choose to win in life.

Wish fulfillment..

I've experienced a lot of difficulties and failures in life. I just had one wish, and that is to be truly happy. Then one day I woke up realizing why I have to endure everything. 

I was betrayed to learn how to love unconditionally. Lost everything to learn how to have faith in God's plan. Got rejected a lot of times to learn to have hope and trust that there is always something better in store for me. I became completely broke to learn how to appreciate compassion and kindness of other people. I got lost to remember that I will always have my family and our home. Give up some friends to appreciate the loyalty of the ones who decided to stay. But the most important lesson for me is also the key to fulfilling my greatest wish. Gratitude.

For the love of Korean food.

I love Korean food! Maybe because I was too brainwashed by all the korean dramas I've been watching. 

It's been a while since I've been craving for korean food. But all the good korean restos are too far from where we live. And so, I attempted to make one of the most popular korean dish... Bibimbap.

I am actually surprised how easy to prepare this. I will post the recipe next time. For now, here is the finished product. 

Frozen Brazo de Mercedes

For now, I will let the picture tell you how awesome this dessert is. 

On keeping the love alive...

“I think it’s great for two people to be together. That is a good number. I think, that to keep it alive though, you can’t spend every day together. It wears out the magic, Love means nothing to me if it’s not fortified with fierce, painful longing, brief explosive instances of furious passion and intimacy and then a sad parting for a time.

In that way, you can give your life to it and still have a life of your own. I think some couples spend too much time together. They flatten out the potential for experience by constant closeness.

Passion builds over time like steam. Let it rage until it’s exhausted and then leave it alone to let it build up again.

Why can’t love be insane and distorted? How can it be vital if it has the same threshold as normal day-to-day experience?  Why not let the days before you see her be excruciating and ferment in your mind so on the day you go to the airport to pick her up, you’re nearly sick with anticipation?

And then when desire shows the first sign of contentment, throw it back in its cage and let it slowly build itself back into a state of starved fury.

Then when you are together, it all matters. So that when you look into her eyes, you lose your balance, so that when she touches you, it feels like you have never been touched before. When she says your name, you think it was she who named you. When she has gone, you bury your face in the pillow to smell her hair and you lie awake at night remembering your face in her neck, her breathing and the amazing smell of her skin. Your eyes go wet because you want her so bad and miss her so much.

Now that is worth the miles and the time. That matches the inferno of life.

Otherwise you poison each other with your presence day after day as you drag each other through the inevitable mundane aspects of your lives. That is the slow death that I see slapped on faces everywhere I go. It’s part of the world’s sadness that’s more empty than cold, poorly lit rooms."

- Henry Rollins

From Tina Tagle's Blog

Baked Mussles with Pamesan Cheese

I was asked several times by some of my friends to share the recipes of the food I cooked on my Mom's birthday. The most requested recipe is for the Baked Mussles so I decided to put it in my priority list. It is so simple and easy to make. To those avid readers from the Philippines, this will surely be a treat because I know that mussels are so cheap there. But for those living abroad, this is best served during parties. I can guarantee you that this will be one of the most sought after food you could ever serve. The best thing about this recipe is, it is not like the regular baked mussles which is usually dry and chewy. The flavour of the mussle is locked in while it is baked because of the mayonnaise. Yes, there is mayonnaise. And I can guarantee you that if you do this right, you will never go back to the old style.

I will be updating the photos by next week since I will be preparing my aunt's baby shower. She requested me to make A LOT of this dish so for now, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Baked Mussles with Parmesan cheese

2lbs Mussles( remove one side of the shell)
1/2 cup minced garlic
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Clean mussles and place in a baking pan. Cook garlic in butter until golden brown. In a separate bowl mix the mayonnaise,lemon juice,cayenne pepper,sugar, salt and cheese. Adjust the taste according to how sweet you want it. Drizzle the Garlic butter into the mussles then cover each mussle with the mayonnaise mixture. Then garnish with green onions. Bake for 15 minutes or once the surface becomes golden brown.

Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet ala Fabulouanne

When there is limited resources in a demanding environment aka our house, when it comes to food, creativity is very essential to satisfy my family. We love our food and we are not easily fooled by presentation because being Filipino, the taste of the food is always the priority.

During Holy week, our family from Ohio decided to pay us a visit here. My Ilocano cousin is married to an American which made it difficult to serve food because Ilocanos love their bagoong. Let's admit that bagoong has a very offensive smell especially to those who are not used to it. And if the ratio of the people who loves bagoong against those who dislike it is 9:1, I guess we all know what it must be like for my cousin's husband. I was quite concerned because I was afraid that he might end up not eating for days. And so I decided to make a separate dish for him that special evening.

I actually didn't prepare for this special dish. I just saw a couple of Frozen Basa Fillet in the freezer, some Japanese bread crumbs and Pineapple chunks. Initially, I planned to just cook a plain Fried Fish Fillet that my girlfriend taught me but I thought it would be better if I make a sauce. Though it is probably cheaper to buy a bottle of sweet and sour sauce, I still decided to make it from scratch. I love the homemade sweet and sour sauce that I made. It has a perfect balance sweetness with a hint of sour taste. The good thing about doing it from scratch is that it will give you a chance to enhance its flavour to suit your taste.

Here is my recipe. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet ala Fabulouanne

2 lbs Fish Fillet( I suggest Basa Fillet or Cream Dory)
2 tablespoons garlic(minced)
1 egg(beaten)
2 cups of Japanese Bread Crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooking oil


Slice the fish according to the size you want, add the garlic, salt and pepper and marinade it for 30 minutes. Then add the beaten egg into the marinated fish then coat the fish fillet with bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 cup Pineapple juice
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tablespoon soysauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
 3 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in water
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1/2 cup celery
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup pineapple chunks

Saute the garlic and onions. The add all the liquid ingredients and brown sugar, adjust the taste before adding the bell pepper, celery,carrots and pineapple chunks. After a minute, pour the cornstarch dissolved in water until thick. Then add the fish fillet. Serve while hot.

Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Red is the color of  love and passion. This is probably the reason why this kind of cake is one of the best thing ever created in the history of baking. One look and you'll helplessly fall inlove with its taste and color. Top it off with a rich, smooth and creamy whipped cream cheese frosting. One bite and you're in heaven.

Hmm...Ok.... I think I got carried away.

A few months ago, I was craving for La Rocca Red Velvet cake but of course, it is always out of stock. It is one of those cakes where you have to try once in your life. I tried to fight the craving but when I raided our cupboard and fridge, I had every single ingredient to make this delectable treat. I was afraid that I will fail since it is the first time I will try making it but my urge is so much stronger than my fear, and so I gave in and I never looked back. I'm glad I did, because if not, I would never ever feel that glorious feeling on my first bite of this luscious creation. Here is the recipe. I hope you will love it as much as I did.

Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes Red Velvet Cupcakes: 1 1/4 cups (125 grams) sifted cake flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoons (10 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cups (150 grams) granulated white sugar 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring 1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda Cream Cheese Frosting: 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted 2/3 cup (160 ml) cold heavy whipping cream (double cream) (35-40% butterfat)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. 

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12  muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18 - 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and them remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream* (See Note) and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Note: You must use a brand of heavy cream that whips very easily to stiff peaks. If you are using a brand of heavy cream that does not whip easily to stiff peaks then whip the heavy cream separately to stiff peaks and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.

 

I got this recipe from: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCupcakes.html#ixzz2TKLuqThC

Easy and Moist Chocolate Cupcakes without Milk and Eggs

It's been a while since the last time I posted a blog even if I've already made a long list of topics and recipes I wanted to share. But since I made a promise that I will blog about this amazing recipe first, I thought, maybe I should force myself to do this now before I lose my enthusiasm. For now, I would like to share with you why and how I discovered this recipe.

A few months ago, a very dear friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer. I will go into details about it in another post because I don't want to get too emotional about it right now. Anyway, as part of her "diet" she is not allowed to take any kind of dairy in her system. That broke my heart because the last time I gave her a cake, she said her favorite is Mocha cake and she is requesting a Goldilocks style chocolate cake. Of course I thought, it is impossible for me to make her one because I thought all cakes require milk and eggs. For months, I gave up on the idea that one of these days, I can fulfill my promise to make her request until one random afternoon, I suddenly had a very strong desire to bake some chocolate cupcakes. I got so excited I prepared everything I needed until I opened our fridge and found out that there's no eggs and milk. I thought, there's no way I could satisfy my urge to bake without the most important ingredients unless I go outside and buy. But I was too lazy to go out considering the weather until I did the next best thing....Google a non dairy and eggless chocolate cupcake recipe. And of course Google didn't fail me.

At first, I thought that this will not taste like the chocolate cake I am used to eat considering that there's no egg or milk or butter is involved in the recipe. I admit that there's a part of me that is almost sure that it will suck. I guess the beauty in trying things for the first time is that feeling of satisfaction when things turns out to be amazing. This is definitely a must try recipe. It is easy, soft and moist you wont feel guilty eating it because it seems that it is a healthier option. I used buttercream but next time I will try a chocolate ganache without dairy again.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brewed coffee (or 1 cup of warm water mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons of espresso powder or instant coffee granules)
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 Tbsp (1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp) canola oil

Method

Cupcakes:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2 In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt until there are no visible clumps (cocoa tends to clump up).
3 In a separate bowl, mix together the coffee (or water plus coffee granules), vinegar, vanilla extract, and olive oil.
4 Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until they just come together. The mixture should be thin and rather lumpy.
5 Ladle the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about two-thirds of the way full. Place in oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a bamboo skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
6 Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack. Once cool, you can eat plain, sprinkle with powdered sugar, or drizzle or coat with frosting.

I got this recipe from simplyrecipes.com

Proverbs 13:7-17

7 A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life. 8 The rich can be sued for everything they have, but the poor are free of such threats. 9 The lives of good people are brightly lit streets; the lives of the wicked are dark alleys. 10 Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord, but wise men and women listen to each other's counsel. 11 Easy come, easy go, but steady diligence pays off. 12 Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around. 13 Ignore the Word and suffer; honor God's commands and grow rich. 14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, so, no more drinking from death-tainted wells! 15 Sound thinking makes for gracious living, but liars walk a rough road. 16 A commonsense person lives good sense; fools litter the country with silliness. 17 Irresponsible talk makes a real mess of things, but a reliable reporter is a healing presence.

Do it anyway..

“I’m going to tell you what a demon once told me: It is okay to want your own happiness. It’s okay to care about yourself the most. It’s okay to do what’s healthy for YOU.

When someone hits you, it’s okay to hit back and then ask them what the hell they expected. It’s okay. You are not obligated to sit there and smile and swallow every bit of shit everyone heaps on you.

You are more than furniture, you’re more than window dressing, you’re not their shiny toy. You’re human, and you have the right to say “That was shitty of you”. You have a right to say “Let me feed that back to you; tell me, how does it taste?” You have a right to protest your own mistreatment and set boundaries for respectful interactions.

The rest of the world doesn’t realize you have this right, and they will act offended and appalled when you exercise it, but it is yours.

And it’s okay.”

From Tina Tagle's blog

Merienda time!

It is the culture of us filipinos to enjoy some serious snack in the afternoon more popularly known as "Merienda". I remember when I was still in the Philippines. Around 3pm I would literaly hear merienda calling me courtesy of our favorite tindera. She would offer us different kinds of delicious kakanin or pancit, spaghetti, palabok or bilobilo. I would buy 3 orders and eat them all by myself. Yes, I am a glutton! Haha!

When our family migrated, we sometimes can't help but miss our afternoon merienda. And so, I decided to cook a few of the famous merienda. The arroz caldo, chicken mami, filipino style spaghetti and palabok.

Enjoy!

"Do not settle for less than exactly what you want. Your heart’s desires are there for a reason. Chase them. Pursue them relentlessly. Do not lose sight of your goals. They are your very reason for being."

-Franki Durbin

I am a proud Bilocana

It is not a typo error, I am a "Bilocana". My dad is Ilocano and my mom is Bicolana which made me a "Bilocana". Makes sense right?

I was born and raised in Manila so basically, I never learned how to speak my parent's local dialect. I think the people who grew up in the province carry their culture and practices everywhere they go. Maybe they will adapt to their new environment but the traditions will be in their hearts for the the rest of their life. But there is probably one thing any probinsyano or probinsyana will never give up...their local food.

Ilocanos are known to be creative and resourceful when it comes to food. I noticed that they love their bagoong and vegetable. They can eat almost anything. I learned how to become adventurous when it comes to food from my dad. He made me try almost everything. I love the vegetable dishes of the Ilocanos especially the Pinakbet. One thing i noticed is that they like their veggies half cooked or fresh. You can easily taste how fresh and sweet their veggies are because most of them are organic, handpicked from their garden.

I can say that I got my cooking skills from my dad. He is our "head chef" in the household. He is very traditional and sticks to the recipes he learned from my lola. I, on the other hand, am more creative and curious. I like to try new recipes and I dont like following a recipe. I always want to make it my own style. I usually follow the process but tweak taste it to make it "ala Lou Anne".

My mom isn't really a cook. She admits that her hands are not that skilled but he makes excellent desserts. She makes the best gelatin cakes more popularly known as the "Cathedral Gelatin" and other desserts. She doesn't make them regularly but when she does, it is consistently delicious.

Growing up in Bicol, I am quite surprised because she isn't fond of eating spicy food. She loves the ginataan dishes but not much of the spicy ones like bicol express. I am, however, thankful because being a half bicolana taught me how to be patient when it comes to cooking. Food cooked in gata requires a lot of patientce because unlike the ilocanos who liketheir food half cooked, gata requires time to get cooked. If you do it the wrong way, the food easily gets spoiled considering how hot it is in the Philippines. Seafood is quite famous too and I love how my grand father would wait on the shore and buy freshly caught fish by the local fishermen. I love how my grandmother makes an effort to feed us fresh seafood at every chance they get.

The passion for fililipino cuisine definitely is running through my vein. I have this belief system that if I want a particular food, I need to learn how to cook them. And so being the adventurous one, I tried cooking the dishes from both provinces and I am proud to say that it was a success. I was able to capture the taste and essence of being a legit Bilocana.

Here are the "ala fabulouanne" pinakbet and ginataang hipon at kalabasa. Enjoy!

This is to Siomai love for you!

I love dumplings! I personally think that making dumplings is a labour of love. There is a lot of process to go through to make these and its so funny because you can easily finish eating these so quickly because it is just so delicious.

My sister loves siomai and I love siopao. And so, I tried making some and they are just phenomenal! The whole family loved them! I need to work on wrapping the siopao dough to the meat but taste and texture wise, I think it is amazing.

Enjoy these steamed goodness!


P.S I took this photos a few years ago. i am reusing them for documentation purposes.

Taco Salad

I think a lot will agree with me on this but eating tacos is so damn messy to eat but you can't help but get addicted to it because it is just so delicious. It has a perfect balance of crunch and taste plus it has a lot of veggies you wouldn't feel guilty eating them.

I remember back in college, my friend Sam introduced me to a less messy version of this wonderful snack or maybe pulutan is more appropriate. I think college for everyone is the time when everyone started to learn to drink. Atleast for the "curious" ones. He made it using the same process when you make a regular taco the only difference is that he Taquitos as the tortilla and of course I fell inlove with it! I personally think it is way better to make this salad than to eat the regular tacos because it is less messy to eat.

I think I should give Sam the credit because he introduced me to this. This is so good I can eat this everyday. The only difference is that, I used tortilla chips instead of Taquitos and romaine lettuce instead of cabbage but the taste is almost the same. Sam, thank you for this recipe!

Chocolate Crinkles

I remember back in highschool, one of the famous snacks are chocolate crinkles. Many years ago, they sell this sweet treat for P2.00. I was having one of those nostalgic moments and I thought maybe I should try baking this yummy treat.

I always thought that it might be difficult to make but this is absolutely easy and it took less than half an hour to make. It also helped when my girlfriend's sister suggested to give this a try since I was also in the mood to try something new.

Here is the finished product. It is soft, chewy and absolutely to die for. Here is the product I used. Enjoy!

Filipino style Chocolate Crinkles

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar


Procedure:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hour. I kept my dough in the fridge overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. I like to use 1 tbsp measuring scoop for this recipe. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Hamonado

Majority in our family decided to give up rice as a sacrifice starting Ash wednesday until Black Saturday. It is quite a challenge because being Filipino meant eating rice for breakfast, lunch, merienda and dinner. Choosing this as a sacrifice pushed me to becoming more adventurous in cooking. One of my target is to cook Hamonado.

I remember eating hamonado during special occassions only. For me it is very similar to Fiesta Ham we always have during christmas. The only difference is that hamonado doesn't have the smoked taste. It was actually the last minute when I decided to try cooking this dish. I had all the ingredients so I gave it a try.

I will be completely honest. I usually cheat when I cook. I use Mama Sita mixes when necessary. With this dish, I used the Tocino Marinade for the meat. Since I only had 3 hours to prepare and cook this dish, I needed to come up with a plan to make this work. For those who are abroad, I think this is the best way to cook this dish easy and fast.

The first step is to marinate the meat. I used pork butt. I love this part of the meat because there is fat in between the meat which will make your hamonado tender and juicy. I marinated the meat with salt and pepper plus the Tocino Mix for an hour. Since I was in a rush, I combined the meat with 2 cans of pineapple, soysauce, and a cup of brown sugar then boiled the marinade and meat for an hour. While waiting I preheated the oven at 450 degrees. After boiling for an hour,remove the meat and pineapply slices and put in a roasting pan. Continue simmering the marinade until thick. You can add cornstarch diluted in water to thicken the sauce. Once it's done, pour the sauce on the meat then put in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes until the meat starts to brown.

Here is the finished product. It is easy , fast and super delish! Enjoy!