Irvin 's Photographs

Irvin, my youngest, loves to play with the camera - whether it's a phone cam or Erwin's Canon. Of course, Erwin would always get nervous if it's his Canon Irvin is playing with. Recently, Erwin has been trusting Irvin more with his camera. It's because Irvin seem to be really interested in taking photographs.

Here are some photos Irvin took during our last week's trip to Silang, Cavite. Most pictures he took while he was inside the car, while Erwin and I were going around shopping for plants.

Quesong Puti Meatball Lasagna

This recipe was inspired by Patsy’s meatball lasagna recipe which was featured on the Today's Show. Of course, I had to make do with the ingredients readily available.

Ingredients
Meatballs
1 kilo ground round
salt and pepper to taste
half a head of garlic, minced
2 eggs
oil for frying

Procedure
1. Mix all ingredients together
2. Form into small balls
3. Fry until brown
4. Set aside

Lasagna
1 Package of lasagna noodles
Marinara Sauce - home-cooked or store bought
5 packs of quesong puti - this is the local variety. Each pack has 2 slices.
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1 cup of fresh spinach, coarsely chopped. Alugbati is a good substitute
5 leaves of fresh oregano
1/4 cup queso de bola, grated
1/2 cup grated quick melt cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
1. Cook lasagna noodles - follow instructions on the packaging
2. In a separate bowl, mix quesong puti, sour cream, basil, spinach, oregano with some salt and pepper.
3. Layer as follows, starting from the bottom
- meat balls with marinara sauce and some grated quick melt cheese
- quesong puti mixture
- meat balls with marinara sauce and some grated quick melt cheese
- quesong puti mixture
4. Cover the 4th layer and top with the remaining grated quick melt cheese and queso de bola and a few meatballs.

NuWave Oven Baking Instructions
1. Cover the top with foil so as not to burn the cheeses.
2. Cook for 10 minutes under P50
3. Cook for another 10 minutes under PH1
4. Remove foil and cook for another 3 minutes under PH1, just to melt and brown the cheeses
5. Serve hot.

Bawai's - Another Cavite's Best

I first read about Bawai's on inquirer.net. The main reason why I got so curios is its location - Silang, Cavite. Until the discovery of Bawai's, we knew of Silang only because of its rows and rows of gardens along Aguinaldo Highway (which we also frequent by the way).

Last Friday night, Erwin had a craving for another breakfast in Tagaytay. We slept on the idea. The next morning, I decided to read again the inquirer.net article about Bawai's. I googled it too hoping to find its site or at least a review and I found Anton Diaz's July 2007 blog which did the final push to satisfy the Tagaytay breakfast craving.

It was one of the best, if not the best so far, breakfast experience. The food was awesome but the people behind it were exceptional. From the very warm welcome we got from Mr. Ver Tatlonghari at the garden, the privilege of meeting Bawai (Mrs. Tatlonghari) and Paul (this is actually just an assumption because we were not formally introduced but I'm very sure he's the one mentioned on the inquirer article and one of the children because he looks so much like Bawai), and the very accommodating staff.

Mr. Tatlonghari gave us a quick introduction of the restaurant and even provided us with reading materials. As he gave us the menu he warned us that they didn't have any specific breakfast menu and all dishes are authentic Vietnamese cuisines. In case we didn't like anything, he said it's ok if we decide to leave but he would give us coffee first. So nice. Of course, we decided to stay.

Decisions... decisions... decisions... If only we could try everything in one meal.

The complimentary tea to warm our tummies as we decide what to order.

Pho Bo (P195). Not so spicy but enough to keep you warm.

Bung Bo Hue (P195). Like beef mami but way way better. The fresh vegetables, herbs, lime, and noodles give this dish it's character.

Cha Gio (P130). Irvin is a lumpia lover and he specifically ordered this dish. He loved it!

Goi Cuon (P145). Very refreshing! Light, crunchy and tasty.

Ca Phe Sua Nong (P45). Brewed Coffee with sweet milk.

Ban Da Lon. I don't think I will be able to describe how this dessert tastes like. All I can say is it's a perfect finale for a wonderful meal.

The interior was straightforward and elegant.

The view outside was also refreshing.

Teaching Irvin how to use the chopsticks.

Irvin has not stopped telling his Kuya Ren (who decided not to come with us because he made other plans) how delicious his breakfast was. He hasn't stopped asking us also when are we going back. That would be soon, definitely!

Herb and Meat Sauce

Refreshing. That would be how I can describe this recipe. It was one of the dishes I prepared for Media Noche.

Ingredients
Olive oil
1/2 kg bacon, sliced into small pieces
Leftover Nacho Beef
Onion, chopped
Garlic, minced
Fresh tomatoes, chopped. Use as many or less as you want
Fresh basil, roughly chopped
Fresh sage
Fresh oregano, roughly chopped
Fresh spinach (you can also use young alugbati leaves)
2 cups broth - chicken or beef
salt and pepper

Procedure
1. Heat olive oil and saute onions and garlic
2. Add bacon and saute for 5 minutes
3. Add leftover nacho beef
4. Add tomatoes, cook for 3 minutes
5. Add all herbs except the spinach, stir and make sure the herbs are incorporated with the meat
6. Add broth and simmer for 3 minutes
7. Season with salt and pepper
8. Add spinach and turn of the heat.

Top sauce to pasta of your choice. Serve immediately.

The sauce will not look like your usually creamy or heavy pasta sauce but very tasty and full of character.

Enjoy!

Nu-Wave Pork Chops

To find out whether it could really cook meat directly from the freezer, I used frozen pork chops in this recipe.

For the marinade, I combined oyster sauce, soy sauce and ground pepper. Dipped each slice of the pork chop on the marinade then placed them on the #4 rack. On high, I cooked each side for 6-8 minutes.

The result was amazing! The meat was very juicy and moist. The taste was wonderful.

Not Just Another New Kitchen Gadget

Image courtesy of Nu-Wave Oven Pro Official Site

For Christmas, Erwin gave me a Nu-Wave Oven Pro.

I've been wanting to buy one for months but when I got the KitchenAid I decided not to make anymore major purchase for another kitchen gadget.

For me, this is more than just another cooking toy. This is actually what most women want - attention and surprises.

It may not be as expensive as a Rolex or a diamond ring but it's something I really want. But of course, I would love to get any of those too :)

Nachos for Noche Buena

Image courtesy of Mucho Mucho Nacho

Our Noche Buena was very simple. We pigged out on nachos and dips I got from an old friend, Carmela Litonjua.

Although the cheese and salsa dips were great, it was somehow "bitin" without the meat. So I prepared my own. I'm calling this recipe "Maire's Nacho Beef." Of course, I used the herbs from my garden. Here goes.

Ingredients

1 kg ground lean beef
1 onion chopped
1 head garlic chopped
Olive oil for sautéing
1/2 cup beef broth or water
Salt and pepper to taste
Bunch of fresh basil, chopped
A few sprigs of fresh sage
3 leaves of fresh oregano, chopped

Procedure

1. Sauté onion and garlic until done
2. Add ground beef. Sauté until cooked
3. Add broth to deglaze the pan.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste
5. Add all the herbs

That's it!

Our Pebbles Is Now A Bitch

Bitch - that's mommy for dogs... for those who do not know.

Pebbles, our toy poodle, gave birth to three female pups yesterday!

It was the second time for me to witness a dog giving birth. The first time was almost 20 years ago when my dog Maggie (an aspin, as in Asong Pinoy) gave birth to one pup. I remember Maggie woke me up and I had to assist her gave birth on my bed. Yes, she gave birth on my bed. Maggie and Skinner (her pup) have both gone to the Rainbow Bridge years ago.

Going back to Pebbles. Erwin had just brought her to the Vet yesterday morning for her prenatal checkup. The Vet said Pebbles could give birth anytime already. True to her words, anytime was just a few hours after. When we noticed something was protruding from her behind, I panicked! Erwin was not around so I had to rush Pebbles to the vet. When I got there, as I laid her on the operating table, out came the first pup. In just 45 minutes, Pebbles gave birth to three pups. The third was the biggest. That was the only time the Vet had to help her out. The Vet practically pulled out the pup.

Pebbles is such a caring mom. Licks her pups clean all the time. One time dog food spilled on her mat and she cleaned it immediately. She's overly protective though. She doesn't like the sire, Peanut, near her pups.

The Pups. Erwin suggested to name the three after the lead actresses of Charlie's Angels - Lucy, Drew and Cameron. Why not?



Irvin with Peanut (left) and Pebbles (right).

Quick and Easy Cupcakes.

Last night I thought of baking cupcakes. I went through at least four cookbooks and compared different simple cupcake recipes and came up with my own version I call the Quick and Easy Cupcakes. So this morning, I tried the recipe.

Ingredients

Set A – Dry Ingredients
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Set B – Wet Ingredients
½ cup soften butter
1 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
Pre-heat oven to 350° F for at least 15 minutes

Procedure

1. Combine all Set A ingredients in a bowl and mix at low speed. Make sure to mix well
2. At medium speed, add butter until mixture is grainy in texture.
3. Add milk and vanilla.
4. Add eggs one at a time.
5. Mix well making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Do not over beat.
6. Line muffin pan with paper cups.
7. Fill each cup until ½ or ¾ full
8. Can be topped with any of the following: chocolate chips, raisins or nuts
9. Bake for 25 minutes or until done.
10. Best topped with icing or glaze.

Will do further experiment on this. I'm thinking of coming up with coffee or mocha variant. Maybe I can reduce milk to just 3/4 cup and then add 1/4 cup of espresso.

By the way, I forgot to mention that my first love is baking. Even took a basic baking class at the Sylvia Reynoso-Gala Cooking School sometime early 90’s.

My Very Own Kitchenaid

I have a new kitchen gadget! It’s the Kitchenaid Artisan. My Ate Fiona said that I’m so “mababaw” (shallow) because when I shared with her this news, I told her that one of my “ambitions” have been reached. It’s an ambition because I never thought I’d be able to afford one. Well, at least willingly spend for one. I have two mixers right now but my heart has been yearning for a Kitchenaid.

Thanks to my soon-to-be former coworker and friend Aylwin and his lovely wife Ching, they gave me a really good discount. The unit is used but only five times since it was bought. The Cue couple are migrating to the US so they sold most of their stuff. I think it was Divine Intervention that this gadget was offered to me. They had two kitchen items left – the oven and the mixer. Wanted to buy both but budget does not permit. Besides, I can still work on my very old Elba.

Since I brought this home last Friday, I’ve baked four recipes already! The first three I was not able to take pictures anymore because there was not chance. As in, wiped out by my boys.