My Dates

I have been going out with friends these past few days.  Mostly, eating dates!

Hahahaha! I wonder when will I post my date with a man!!! Still waiting but not actively searching.  Well... I should make it my career!

At the moment, I am happy with present company.

Merienda date with FGM Cindy at Texas Roadhouse, Uptown Mall.

Chili

Baked Loaded Potato

Bacon Cheeseburger

Another snack date with FGM at Cibo.

Potato chips and Mushroom Dip

Pomelo with Splenda Shake

Last Saturday, Mona and I bumped into Doc Bernie and Dra. Tricia in Landmark after mass.

We ate at Via Mare.

Lugaw Toppings

Tokwa't Baboy

Fresh Lumpia

Bibingka

Puto Bumbong

Thank you, Cindy, Doc Bernie and Dra. Tricia for the treat!

Mona and I tried the Halo-Halo at the newly opened Teresita's at the Landmark Food Court.

I just saw this beautiful saying about friends.  I saved it and thought to share it here in my blog.

So... appropriate.  NO need for words to explain exactly how I feel.

My Pet Chronicle

Lola Yaya likes to play with Snowball.

Snowball likes her Lola Yaya.  In fact, she prefers Lola Yaya over me!

My baby girl, Lizzie!

Lucky Rainbow Dimsum

My favorite restaurant at the moment is Lucky Restaurant on the corner of Pasong Tamo and Don Bosco Sts. across Ziebart.

I have eaten in said restaurant 5 times in a span of 2 weeks.

When I like a certain restaurant, I would go back over and over again until I had my fill and not go back for several years.

I already brought Babita, Cindy, Mona and Corry last week on different occasions.  I usually order the same food.  Over and over and over.

I really love the Birthday Noodles.

My friend, Maya, said she found it a little salty but I told her it is the main reason why I love it so much!  It is so well-seasoned you do not need to add soy sauce anymore.  Plus the fact that it is oily in a good way that you look like you just applied lip gloss after eating it.

Love! Love! Love!  I want to order my own next time. (Next time is tomorrow with Jing.)

Same food (but different photos) I posted last week.... I feel that it deserves its own post.

Hakaw.  Now you see it, now you don't.  They always ran out of stock.  Goes to show how good it is.

I normally do not eat Hakaw but I like their version.

Siomai

Steamed bean curd roll

Radish Cake!  Loved it, as well.

Lucky Rainbow Spring Rolls.

Vermicelli with Shrimps

Steamed Spareribs.  Another popular dim sum.  It is always out of stock.  Also my favorite.

Steamed Chicken Feet.

Siopao.

Beef Hofan

I wonder when will I get over my dim sum and noodle obsession?

"Maantang" Butter

This post is about butter and its by-product.

I like butter.  I like to eat it straight from the fridge.  I love cold butter.  I eat it with fried fish and calamansi.

Have I mentioned how much I love cold butter?

Mabel gave me butter from Australia! Thank you!

I loved it because it has my pre-requisite "anta" taste and smell.  Just like the Brunn butter in can.

Anta in a good way.  An aftertaste like blue cheese.  I can't find an English equivalent word that really describes the butter.

Whenever there is a new brand of butter in the supermarket I always smell it.  Most of our commercial butters do not have an "anta" smell.  Just a bland waxy smell and taste.  Even the French and Danish butters in the market don't have the aroma that I like.

I ate the Australian butter with the bread rolls I bought in Texas Roadhouse.

Perfect combination.

The only butter with the smell that I like is the one I buy in Crafts Boracay, Petit Normand.

I bring home several bars every time I go to the island.

I was so excited to use it for the butter cake.

Hmmmm.... my recipe is 30 years old.  I can't remember the last time I baked it.  So... fast forward several years after....

It was a little over baked.  Brown, as in mahogany brown.

It tasted good but I was not a happy camper.  I used a different oven and baking pan back then.

I experimented again last night! I used Arla butter.

This time, it was under baked.  I was so afraid the cake will be burnt so I just baked it for 25 minutes.

It collapsed after a few minutes.  It looked and tasted like tamago.

I decided to slice it and bake it under low heat.

The butter cake is now known as Mamon Tostado!

I will not give up until I get it right so I will not post the recipe yet.

I think one more try and I know I will get it right.

But for now......  I'm still on the hunt for "maanta" butter.

An Early Christmas Dinner

Babita hosted an early Christmas dinner the other night.

She and Tricia already gave us presents!

Will have to give mine this December.  It is very hard to arrange a get together during the holidays because everybody is busy so it was a good idea to celebrate it a few weeks earlier.

Babita served....

Caesar Salad.  The dressing was made by her sister, Arianne.

Baked Tahong

Nachos with home made salsa.

Tricia brought Caldo de Gallego.

Mona cooked White Truffle Pasta.

My potluck contribution was Beef with Mushrooms.

Mabel brought cake from Sugarhouse.

Cat was not able to attend because of last minute family affair activity but she sent her drinks and ice.

The star of the evening was... MAKI!!! He is a very large dog but very cute and lovable!

Later in the evening, Tita Sarah, Mom of Babita and Tita Menchit, a Bel-Air neighbor, joined us.

This early Christmas dinner is a Buena Mano! I bet there will be more gatherings in the coming weeks!

Oh! My tummy is already jumping for joy in anticipation!

Chicken Tinola

Chicken Tinola is a no-brainer.  Almost anybody can cook this.

Perhaps this post is for the people who are new at cooking.

Or maybe for someone like me who wants to get it right all the time.

It frustrates me when people do the "tancha" method.

I was watching Eat Bulaga the other day when they featured the Tinola dish.  I just adjusted it according to my taste.

Chicken Tinola

1/2 K. chicken wings, cut into 2 parts
1/4 C. cooking oil
2 T. garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 inch cube ginger, cut into thick strips then pounded
1/4 C. patis
4 C. water
1/2 t. rock salt (optional)
1 t. MSG (optional)
1 pc. sayote, cute into chunks
1 pc. siling haba
chili leaves

Heat the oil in the cooking pot.

Add the ginger, then onion and garlic.

When the onion is soft and translucent, add the chicken.  Continue sauteing until it is not bloody anymore.

Then add the patis.  Simmer for a few minutes.

Pour the water into the pot.  Let it boil then lower the heat.  Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Add the sayote and cook until it is soft.

Season with salt and MSG if you want a saltier broth which I prefer.

Lastly, add the chili leaves and switch off the flame. Do not cover anymore or else the green leaves will discolor.

Eat with lots of rice and patis with calamansi.

Honey BBQ Fried Chicken

I have perfected already my Honey BBQ Fried Chicken recipe so I can post it now.

It is a combination of Jodie's recipe and my Korean Fried Chicken.

Honey BBQ Fried Chicken

1/2 K. chicken wings
1/2 C. flour
1/2 t. fine salt
1/2 t. black pepper
cooking oil
1/4 C. Mama Sita BBQ marinade
1/4 C. honey
1 T. ginger juice (grate the ginger then squeeze to get the juice)
2 T. chopped garlic, fried

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a big bag or plastic container.  Add the chicken pieces and shake.
Fry the chicken until cooked.  Set Aside..

In a pan, heat the Mama Sita BBQ marinade and honey until it boils.

Add the ginger juice.

Transfer the glaze into a big plastic bin, add the fried chicken and shake.

Put on a serving plate and garnish fried garlic.

It is very easy and my new favorite!!!

I invited Jing and Sherman to try my experiments.

Sweet Filipino spaghetti with hotdogs!

It is pale in color because I used a combination of ground beef and pork.

Jing brought garlic bread and drinks.

My ASB friends and I had dinner at Cafe Mediterranean, Power Plant Mall.

We have not seen each others in a year!  We plan to have a Christmas party next month if our schedule permits.

I bought a new packaging material at All About Baking in Uptown mall yesterday.  I baked cookies and put it inside the treat bags for them.

I enjoy being with friends all the time.  It makes me happy and cannot wait for the next time I will be with them again!

I thank God all the time because he gave me such wonderful friends.