A day in the life of... Lia

Who wants to know what happens in a day in the life of ..... Lia?

People have this perception just because I do not work in a regular office that I do not do anything. I do work from my home. Imagine that I am housewife without a husband and kids.  Hahahahaha! Does that make me a "house" only?

It surprises me sometimes because I barely have time for myself.  I have numerous activities and they are mostly centered on food and ...... cooking, which is my absolute passion.

I attended a cooking demo at the Bel-Air Park today.  The guest chefs were Jason Stacy and Joey Herrera, instructors at the ISCAHM.



Chef Jason was telling us about passion in cooking.  I could totally relate to what he was saying.

I do learn a lot from the chefs in the cooking demos that I attend whenever I could.  I am going to make the  Roast Chicken this Saturday for my family.  The chicken was soaked in a brine solution before roasting.  I am excited to experiment.

Chef Jason showed us how to make Creole Braised Pork.





Chef Joey demonstrated how to truss up a chicken and how to cook Rice and Broccoli Casserole au Gratin.

Of course, there was food tasting after the demo.



I could not wait to get home ....  I wanted to cook already.

Dra. Tricia ordered Fried Lumpiang Ubod and Paella from me.



I also made Chicken Curry for PD and Hermie.



I went to Rustan's Rockwell because I discovered Hermie used the carrots yesterday for our sotanghon soup.  I also went to Santis and bought a different kind of fresh sausage.

Thuringer Bratwurst

I ate it with spicy brown mustard and potato chips.



I am eating all the carbs I can before Jing and I embark on a new restrictive lifestyle on November 1.

It seems I was not the only one who wanted to eat Ruffles.



But I did not give him.

Earlier in the day, for brunch, I just had Tapsilog with Ubod achara from Mon.  I really love the Homemade Beef Tapa recipe that Mona taught me. http://liasfoodjourney.blogspot.com/2012/07/homemade-beef-tapa.html



So easy to make... no preservatives.  Plus.... it is not a sweet kind of tapa.

See?  It is already 11 p.m. and I am still writing this post.  I have not even showered yet.

This was a very typical day for me.

I am not complaining .... I love what I am doing!

Lughanighe

I was able to buy Lughanighe at Santis, San Antonia Plaza today.



I researched online how to cook Italian sausages.  You are NOT supposed to pierce the casing or else all the fat and juices will run out.

No wonder my longanisa turned out so dry!!!!   I will have to experiment with our Filipino sausage if it works that way.

My Lughanighe turned out moist and juicy.  I just parboiled it in about 2 tablespoons of water and then grilled it in the Tefal Plancha that Mona and her family gave me for my birthday.



When I sliced the sausage, it was perfect!



It was salty and spicy at the same time.  Thank you, Cindy for recommending this to me.

There are still other sausages I have yet to try in Santis.

My lunch was Ginataang Langka.



I added my left over alimango and also put fresh shrimps.

My secret in cooking shrimps is that as soon as it turns orange in color, I remove immediately from the pan or else the shell will stick to the meat.

I did not realize cooking ginataang langka would take forever!!!!  It took me 2 hours but worth the wait.

My nephew and niece shared with me their loot from the trick or treat.



They gave me all the mentos and other mint candies.



I also ate the other chocolates.  YIKES!!!! Sugar rush!!!!

Busy Sunday

I had a busy Sunday yesterday.  I met a reader of my blog, Dr. Debbie Bautista.  She ordered fried and frozen lumpiang ubod from me.  I hope she enjoyed it.

I went to Manila Memorial Cemetery yesterday with Hermie to clean our area and brought flowers for my Mom, Dad and Grandparents.  I figured, we would go early so there would not be a lot of people.  I suppose everybody had the same idea.



Jing also went with us to visit her Dad and sister. Their place is very near ours.

Last year we brought delicious Chicago Company Popcorn for snacks.... but yesterday .....

Hahahahaha! Pity! We only had 1 small Clover Chips and Dried Mangoes.





I still have not found what I am looking for .....

I tried the Nueva Ecija longanisa from SM......



and the Muscovado longanisa from Tenderbites, Cash and Carry.



Maybe I just do not know how to cook it?  It turned out so dry.  I like the ones I see at the roadside eateries where they are glistening in fat!  I bet they are so moist.

Michelle sent over suman with honey kind of sauce!



The suman was Pinipig with Buko.



Oh.... look at the  Cheetos I bought!



I guess it is unbelievable that I could eat longanisa almost everyday.  I have been looking for the one I really like for weeks!  Hopefully, one of these days, I will find it and will cook it to perfection.  Wish me luck!!!

Nuernberger

What a mouthful!!!  I saw my neighbor, Cindy, at mass today in Ateneo, Rockwell.  I asked her for a good kind of sausage in Santis.  It was a foreign sounding name.  So, when I got to the deli I asked for a sausage which starts with the letter "N".

They gave me, Nuernberger.  It is flavored with Marjoram.




I saw Cindy again in Powerplant and showed her what I bought, I made a mistake! She said, she always buys "Lughanighe".

Ok.... next time!  Wow! Lughanighe has Parmesan cheese and anise! I have to try this soon!!!!

Hahahaha! To me all foreign sounding food are all the same!

I discovered I like fresh sausages as opposed to cooked or smoked ones.

I put the links in a pan with 1/4 cup of water.



It took me 30 minutes to steam/boil them over low heat.  I did not want to increase the heat because the casing might burst.  Then when there was a little amount of liquid left, I added olive oil to pan-fry the sausages.

They turned into a nice golden color.



I ate it with the potato salad I made.



Why was my salad so "watery"??????

I asked Tita Josie how she made hers and I followed it to a T.  But ... I added a teaspoon of sugar.  :(

I do not know how to make good potato salad.  When my Ate or PD makes the salad, the mayo would coat the potatoes and the rest of the ingredients.  My dressing dripped from the serving spoon.  It is something I have yet to perfect.

Tita Remy, another neighbor of mine, ordered Kare-Kare today.  I added more tripe so I did not have to cook my lunch anymore.



It is so immodest of me to say, "It was soooooo good!"  Hahahahaha!  But it IS true!

I have a few orders of Fried/Frozen Lumpiang Ubod tomorrow and on Tuesday.  After cooking the Kare-Kare, I went to Farmer's to buy ingredients for my orders.

The last time we had a Crab Party,  I was not satisfied because I wanted more!  I bought a couple of crabs today!!!



I had a crab party for 1!  Hehehehehe! I am always having a party by myself.  Do not feel bad for me!  I enjoy my own company so much.

P.S.

I was very hungry after mass and I knew I was not going to make it before dinner, so I bought a small pack of Jalapeno Poppers in Rustan's.

Sakura, Glorietta

I met with my friends today in Glorietta and had lunch at Sakura.



Mariger was with her kids, Raile and Marielle, my inaanak.  Jing did not bring her kids with her even though James wanted to come along.

I ordered the Chicken with Tofu.



It was really very good.  Mariger had to order another one because Raile liked it.

Jing got the Seafood Teppan Bento Box.



The kids had 1 order each of Tonkatsu and rice.



And California Maki for the growing boy.



Mariger had the Beef Sukiyaki and shared it with me.



It is quite pleasant nowadays to go out with the teen-aged kids because they are not as demanding as they used to be when they were little children.

Hahahaha! How funny ..... the adults were shopping at different stores and the kids would just tag along.... almost no complaints at all .... then when it was their time to look at cool/hip shoes, we said: Come on, it's time to go!  Hahahahaha!  I love being an adult!

I hope we could spend more time with each other but Mariger is so busy with work.  Good thing, it is a holiday today.  Jing and I manage to see each other often when her kids are in school and we both have errands in the mall.

Ohhhh Look!!! I love the mirror of the store! I look so slim and flat-chested here!!! 

It was so nice spending time with all of you!!!  Let's do this again!

Kansi and Chicken Inasal

One of my favorite Boracay food is Kansi at Island Chicken Inasal.

It is a cross between Nilagang Bulalo and Sinigang but Batuan was used as a souring agent.  I researched online for a recipe and adjusted it according to my taste.

Kansi



1/2 k. beef shank
Patis from Malabon
peppercorn
2 T. cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1-inch ginger, sliced thickly
5 pcs. batuan
200 g. tamarind, boiled and mashed
1/4 k. raw jackfruit
3 stalks tanglad, bruised and tied into a knot
2 jalapeno peppers
1 T. atsuete powder

Boil the beef shank with peppercorn and patis until tender.

Saute garlic, onions and ginger.

Add the beef ,stock, batuan and strained tamarind.  Let it simmer under low fire for 30 minutes.

Add the jackfruit and when it is tender, add the jalapeno, tanglad stalks and atsute powder.

Season with more patis if needed.

Best eaten with Chicken Inasal.

Corry ordered chicken from JT's Manukan.



She had it delivered here in the house.

Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!

KST Graduation

Today was the Graduation of Batch 19 of the Kabalikat Sa Tahanan (KST) program of Barangay Bel-Air.



"The goal of the program was to develop better persons and better Filipino citizens among the household helpers" (Souvenir Program 2012)

I was invited last year by our Barangay Captain, Tita Nene Lichauco, to become a facilitator.  The Batch 19 program started last June and every Wednesday for the past 21 weeks, we have been spending it at the Multi-Purpose Court helping out our girls with the sessions.

I belong to the group, Mapagkumbaba with Tita Belle Ramirez as my co-facilitator.



The sessions were about values formation and improving their skills to be the best at what they do.  We had guest speakers who taught the girls gift wrapping, practical fruit/plant/flower arrangements, first aid and dental hygiene, disaster management and security in and outside the home, etc.

We also gave them special projects to enhance their creativity.  One of my girls, Rose,



won 3rd place for the Sewing Project.....



And also 3rd place for the Bayong Recycling Project, the aim of which was to teach them to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.



Rose painted the scallop shells with watercolor and used it to accessorize her bayong.



After each session, the participants and facilitators were treated to very delicious merienda all the time!  That was actually the highlight of our Wednesdays.

When I woke up this morning, the only concern I had was what to wear for the graduation and I was thinking already of the merienda they would serve after the program.  I was just chilling out ... surfing online when I got a call from Aileen Dionisio, one of the core group members.

She asked me if I could prepare a short speech.  The speaker for the facilitators had to bail out last minute because her daughter was very sick.  That was before 11 am and the program was at 2 pm.

And.... HELLO???? The speech was in Filipino! I read and write in English, I cannot even read in Filipino, I mean, I can, but it would take longer.  So, I just typed my thoughts in English and translated it into Filipino.

Hmmmm .... How did KST help me in my life????

Usually, when we are asked to join a volunteer program, we feel a sense of altruism.  It is like saying ... Hey, look at what I am doing to help the less fortunate.  I suppose it is true.

But for me, it is more of a "pay it forward" thing.  I have been so blessed  by God and in my own simple way, it is my means of saying, Thank you, Lord.

I realized that instead of helping others through KST, I was the one who benefited from the program in terms of emotional growth and broadening my way of thinking.

Thank you, Analiza, Rose and En En for enriching my life.  You may never know how much .... but I am a better person because of all of you.

Ereneta Bacolod Chorizo Hamonado

I thought I was already done with my longganisa obsession.  Apparently, I'm not.  I bought today in Rustan's Rockwell, Ereneta Bacolod Chorizo Hamonado.





Tita Belle Ramirez, owner of Kusinerong Pinoy, said this is a good brand.

Reason why I am not yet done with my obsession is because Lisa emailed me a picture of the Italian Sausage she bought in the supermarket!!!!



This is what I want and I cannot find it here in the Philippines.

Sighs.... will have to make do with what we have here.  I have not tried it yet because I will eat it for dinner!!!!



With Garlic rice and fried egg.

I will use the oil that was rendered from the longganisa.

Imagine for 12 little links, I got this much oil?!?!?!



So... it means the sausages are full of fat!!!! Yikes!!!!

Hahaha.... but even though it is very fatty .... with the Wheat Belly diet... I AM allowed!