An Afternoon Tea Party for Dolly

I recently hosted an Afternoon Tea Party for my classmate, Dolly. It was an exciting process, I had to research for recipes and food combinations for days. I was very fortunate Tita Portia helped me set up my table. She is known for her Tea parties.

My heart was full to bursting when my friends told me how much they enjoyed themselves... not just the food but the experience as well! The preparation was very tiring but well worth the effort.

Afternoon Tea Menu

Cheesy Olive Pecan Sandwiches

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Chicken Sandwiches

Ham Cranberry Sandwiches

Spicy Mango Kani Sandwiches

Freshly Baked Raisin Scones with Cream

Orange Marmalade and Black Cherry Preserves

Chocolate Ganache Cups

Caramel Cream Puffs

Lemon Squares

Butter Rhum Pound Cake

Chocolate Viennese Bars

Assortment of Teas

Sparkling Fruit Punch

I also set up a small table for the little girls with their own food and drinks.

Children's Afternoon Tea Menu

Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Concord Grape Jelly Sandwiches

Cheese and Mango Sandwiches

Chocolate Ganache Cups

Cream Puffs

Mini Marshmallows

Assorted Chocolate Candies

Hot Chocolate

Sparkling Fruit Punch

A Tea Party can always bring out the little girl in us no matter what age. If one has not experienced it yet, I highly recommend you indulge in an Afternoon Tea with friends or family.

Dinner Invitation

I always invite friends for dinner or lunch. Sometimes they can make it but most times they are very busy with work and family. So... it was my pleasure tonight when Tricia, Jodie and Mico finally told me they can come for dinner.

I serve food which I can prepare ahead of time. It is very easy for me to make Paella(recipe in older post), my recipe is so simple and "non-toxic" hahahaha some people find cooking for guests very "toxic" but not for me. I love it. I suppose, it shows I cook with love and from my heart.



Lechon Kawali( recipe in older post) is another favorite dish I like to cook.





Whenever I know Dra. Tricia is coming I always have to have Fiber!!!! She said we need it. The salad I made is Ceasar Salad. I didn't add the croutons or bacon anymore... I really like it plain and simple.



Ceasar Salad

Lettuce leaves, Romaine or Iceberg
1 egg yolk
3 cloves of garlic, crushed ( I used a garlic press)
1 t. French's mustard
1/4 C. olive oil
freshly cracked black pepper
1 T. lemon juice or calamansi juice
2 pcs. anchovy fillet, mashed
Parmesan cheese

In a bowl, stir together the garlic, mustard and yolk. Slowly add the olive oil. Then add the anchovy fillet and the lemon juice. Season with black pepper. Keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Pour the dressing on the lettuce leaves, toss, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Most people think that the "drink" I make is spiked. It is not, it just seems like it is. I don't know what to call it ... so let us just refer to it as:

"DRINK".



3 C. Sprite
2 C. Four Seasons juice or any canned/bottled juice
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
cherries with stems and juice. (I forgot to put but it tastes better with it.)

They brought Mango Torte from Dulcelin! I restrained myself and only had 1 slice.

Hizon's

I was surfing last night where to eat for lunch today. A long, long time ago I used to eat at Hizon's... I looked it up in the web and they are still open!

When I woke up, I called up Tita Portia and told her we will eat at Hizon's in Bocobo St. today.

I read in some blogs that the Toasted Yema is good, so I ordered. It was like mamon tostado with butter and sugar.



Hizon's served a basket of bread, the rolls were very sweet, just the way I like it with butter.



I ordered the spaghetti with meat balls, that was my favorite when I was young.



Tita Portia had the Roast Stuffed Turkey (her craving for the moment) with stuffings, glazed sweet potato (I loved it! Will make at home.) and cranberry.



I had Coke Light as usual and my Aunt had the Iced Black tea with calamansi and honey.



We also tried the Camaron Rebosado



and pineapple pie, which was too tart for me.



There are times when you are looking for old fashioned style of cooking. Modern and fusion are all great but you just want something familiar... what most people call comfort food.

Bulalo Puchero

I was thinking of what to cook for dinner tonight. I only have 2 pieces of beef shank in my freezer. Then I remembered Tita Cena, mom of Mona, made a very delicious Beef Puchero a couple of years ago when I attended a party. I gave her a call and asked her to teach me. In her version, she used Beef Kenchie - a very healthy cut, but, Lia being Lia.... used Bulalo.





Beef Bulalo Puchero by Cena Avancena

1/2 K. Beef shank, cut into cubes
2 T. olive oil
garlic,crushed
onion, sliced
2 pcs. tomatoes, sliced
1/2 C. tomato sauce
1 El Rey chorizo de Bilbao, sliced (but I used 2 pcs. Purefoods chorizo since I don't have El Rey)

2 1/2 C. water
1 T. tomato paste
garbanzos
saba, fried slightly
camote, fried slightly
green beans
cabbage
pechay

Saute in olive oil the garlic, onion and tomatoes. Then add the beef, saute until no longer pink. Add the chorizo and tomato sauce. After a minute, add water and simmer over low heat until tender. I used the pressure cooker for 45 minutes.

At this point, add the tomato paste, garbanzos, fried saba and camote. Layer the vegetables starting with the green beans, cabbage slices and pechay. Cover for 2-3 minutes. Remove the vegetables and serve separately.

I always eat puchero with the eggplant sauce and patis with calamansi.



Eggplant sauce

2 pcs. roasted eggplant, peeled
4 cloves garlic, crushed ( I used the garlic press)
1 T. sugar
1 T. vinegar

Process all the ingredients is a food blender.

I enjoyed my dinner very much. I especially loved the marrow!!!



Ohhhh.... I was humming "Killing me softly..." while eating the marrow. I shared the puchero with Tita Portia but I did not give her the "utak". I know... that was greedy of me.



I had a dinner "guest" although he wasn't allowed to eat. He was probably salivating over the bone. I only gave him camote. I hope he doesn't pass gas tonight! We are roommates again because I'm not allergic to him anymore.

Pritchon Lechon Atbp.

It is Saturday again ... the day I have lunch with my family. I always get excited because I get to cook for them what they like and also what I have been craving for the week. Last Wednesday, it was shown on TV the food they have prepared for the inaugural ball of P-Noy. I saw the Pritchon!!!! I have tasted it several times at parties, although I'm not much of a fan, I still like the idea of making my own! I've already served my own Pritchon years ago.

I've mentioned in my previous entries, I have to prepare different kinds of food for almost each member of my family. There was no soup for Gilly today but there was fried chicken lollipop (again) and I made the Jollibee sweet kind of Spaghetti. How funny because it was Lisa, from the US, who told me about the UFC Sweet Style Spaghetti Sauce! Gilly liked it, even the adults did.

My sister, Gina, requested Chicken Curry with all the condiments after reading my curry post in my blog. It was Ate, Tita Portia and Kuya who enjoyed it.

My brother in law, Butch, had the Lechon Kawali and spaghetti also.

..... and the Pritchon was for me! Ok! Ok! I changed my plate and also ate the spaghetti and Lechon Kawali but I did not eat the curry anymore. I just had that the other day.

Lechon Kawali Recipe

1 k. Pork Belly, Lechon Kawali cut

2 L. water

2 T. rock salt

10 pcs. black peppercorn

Boil the belly with the rest of the ingredients for 1 hour. Remove from the stock (save for another dish),

drain and air dry for about 3 hours. (Use an electric fan to hasten the drying process.)

( I also boiled the pork skin I have in the freezer for my bagoong guisado I'm planning to cook soon.)

Wrap the boiled pork in sarap wrap or in plastic wrap and freeze over night or store in the freezer and cook when you have emergency visitors.

Unwrap the pork but do not thaw and put it on the rack inside the turbo broiler, skin side up. Set the timer for 40 minutes at 200C. Then increase the temperature to 250C and cook for 20 minutes more. Dip the brush in water and brush the skin of the pork with water(if you want it with blisters), then with the oil which dripped in the pan every 5 minutes (last 20 minutes of cooking). Let the lechon rest for 10 minutes before chopping to retain the juice of the meat. Serve with Mang Tomas.

Pritchon - I know there are different sauces and dips : lechon sauce, honey mustard, ceasar dressing, etc. but my fave is the hoisin sauce.

Sliced Lechon Kawali

sliced cucumber

sliced onion leeks, white part only

Lee Kum Kee Hoisin sauce

Village Gourmet Tortilla - small

spring onions, wilt by passing through the flame of the stove

Cut tortilla in half and spread 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce. Put several slices of cucumber, leeks and lechon in the center and roll the tortilla. Secure by tying with the wilted spring onion leaf.

Sweet Spaghetti Sauce

garlic, chopped

onions, chopped

1/2 K. ground beef

750 grams UFC Sweet Style Spaghetti Sauce

4 pcs. Purefoods regular hotdog, sliced

grated cheddar cheese

Saute garlic and the onion. Add ground beef, cook until it is no longer pink in color. Add the sliced hotdogs... then the UFC sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes over low heat. Pour over the noodles and sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on top.

I was surprised my guests liked it! They even asked me what I used... so I suppose it's a thumb's up! The only kind of spaghetti I like is the sweet kind with hotdog... I don't like pasta dishes that much but will eat it if I have no choice.

While I was attending mass at the Ateneo Chapel, I was already thinking of what I am going to cook for dinner. I didn't want to eat the same food again. I couldn't decide if I will eat pinakbet with the left over lechon or pancit bihon CON lechon! But then... I said to myself... I have to have fiber in my body. Dr. Tricia always tells us we need FIBER. I also bought fresh Tilapia from Rustan's and fried it.

So I had a very delicious but very BAD pinakbet with lechon. I like my vegetables crisp tender and not over done. I've eaten overcooked... mushy ... grayish in color pinakbet. It is a very simple dish to make but very easy to "murder" also.

NOT very healthy Pinakbet but YUM

1 T. pork fat drippings from the broiled lechon kawali (or regular cooking oil if you don't want to clog your arteries but it is going to be ordinary pinakbet only)

half a head garlic, crushed

1 onion, sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

6 slices of ginger

1 T. fresh alamang (if health conscious) or 2 T. (if not health conscious)

left over lechon kawali

1 C. water

eggplant, sliced diagonally

squash, sliced thinly

sitaw, cut into 2 inch length

okra, sliced diagonally into 3

Heat the pork fat drippings, saute the garlic, onions, tomatoes and ginger. Then add the fresh alamang, continue cooking for a minute... add the lechon kawali pieces and then water. When it begins to boil over the smallest burner, layer the vegetables. Eggplant, then squash on top.. sitaw... okra...jalapeno. Without lowering the heat, cook covered for 3 minutes, then remove the cover and cook until the vegetables are tender but still crisp. Do NOT stir and toss once you've added the vegetables.

Sinigang na Baboy

My favorite comfort food is Sinigang na Baboy. It is something I can eat everyday but only the one I make... not from the restaurants. The other day I experimented and sauted garlic, onions and tomatoes. It was just okay but the ultimate sinigang for me is the one Mariger taught me how to cook 20 years ago.

My sister, Renee, used to request that I cook that often when she was still here in the Philippines. My mom hated it when I'm in my sinigang obsession because we would have it almost everyday!!! And I like mine really sour hahahaha I remember Mom would say: Lia!!!! Didn't you taste the soup before serving it???? hahahaha It was so sour because I used real tamarind AND Knorr Sinigang Mix - Original. I don't like the Knorr Sinigang cube or the other Knorr sinigang variants. I'm not even a fan of gabi.

I like to buy my liempo fresh from the market... not from the supermarket because that has been frozen already. I boil the meat until the skin of the liempo is almost gelatinous!!! I don't know why there is a difference in taste... and also the meat from the market when cooked is milky white in color while the one from the supermarket is brownish beige.

OH! NO!!!!! I want to eat sinigang again! But I've just had that last Wednesday, Tuesday and Friday!

When I was in HS, I remember my classmate Jopet, mashing the green chili of the sinigang in her patis and calamansi... and since then... for me ... there is no other way to eat sinigang.

Hahahaha How many "sinigang" word can you find in this post? Does it tell you now how much I love that dish?

Sinigang na Liempo ng Baboy by Mariger Yabut

1/2 K. pork liempo, cut into squares

6 ripe tomatoes

1 radish

1 eggplant

1 bundle sitaw

Kangkong leaves only, do not include the stalk

1 small pack Knor Sinigang Mix - Original

Patis

3 pcs. jalapeno peppers

Boil meat until tender. Do not add salt or pepper. Strain and save broth. Squeeze the whole tomatoes into the pot using your hand and saute until mushy. Add the eggplant and the radish and a little of the broth... then add the sitaw, boiled pork and the rest of the broth. Season with patis and sinigang mix. Simmer for a few minutes. When you add the Kangkong leaves, cook it covered for EXACTLY one minute only. NO more no less. Then lift and remove the cover.

I like my vegetables tender crisps and not overdone. Sometimes, if you leave the vegetables covered too long sitting in the pot, they turn into ugly fatigue green ... and you wil have a hard time swallowing it especially the leafy vegetables.

This is the sinagang I cooked with garlic, onions and tomatoes. The kangkong leaves are dark green in color and butter soft but not mushy.

Baby Back Ribs

I have been saving my baby back ribs in the freezer for quite a while because I was still researching for a good recipe. I even asked my friends Jona, Lisa and Marianne for tips on how to cook tender, juicy ribs! The only ribs recipe I know is the Filipino kind where you marinate the ribs in soysauce, sugar and pepper. Boil in water until tender and then bake until a little dark in color. A delicious recipe... nothing wrong with it... but I want the kind that they serve in American restaurants ...

greasy... shiny... fall off the bones kind of Barbecued Baby Back ribs.

Mona loves baby back ribs ... so I told her I would cook the one I have in the freezer for her. Lisa gave me her recipe and tweaked it a little bit and it turned out really, really, really YUMMMM.... hahaha the meat was so tender and swimming in barbecue sauce. We almost ran out of paper napkin! The side dish was boiled corn (from Rustan's Rockwell) ... about 1/2 kilo per piece... of course we rolled it in butter and fine salt. I even cooked french fries but forgot to take a picture because I was so excited to eat already!!!!

Baby Back Ribs/Dry Rub by Lisa Tantoco

Ingredients

2 K. baby back ribs

2 tablespoons rock salt

2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper









Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Rub all over the ribs. Wrap tightly in tin foil and refrigerate over night. Take out from the fridge 30 minutes before baking.





Heat oven to 150 C ... place the foil wrapped ribs in a Pyrex dish and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 1 1/2 hours... then brush all over with....

Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce

Increase the heat of the oven to 200 C and put under the broiler for 10 minutes or until the sauce caramelizes. You may also grill outdoors if the oven has no BROIL setting.



Suggested side dishes are coleslaw, corn on a cob, french fries, mashed potatoes, baked beans and a whole lot more.

Proof is in the pudding!!!! hahahaha I can honestly say " Sarap to the bones!!!!"