Down with the Flu

I caught a nasty bug. I have not been this sick in years! I never had a fever in the last 10 years then the past couple of days my temperature reading reached up to 39!

My dear FGM (fairy godmother) sent me eclairs from Eric Kayser to help me get better!

Maybe I have this ability to send my message telepathically. I asked Hermie to buy me medicines in Rockwell and a few grocery items yesterday. I forgot to list down Instant Chicken Noodle Soup.

Lo and behold! When I went out of my room today, a big bowl of noodle soup was waiting for me!

Before I got sick, my tummy was happier.

Mimi is in town and she treated us for her birthday at Jade Garden.

Hot Prawn Salad

Eggplant and Beef Casserole

Crispy Noodles with Assorted Seafood

Mimi and Sam also treated me to dinner the other night at Yabu, SM Aura.

I was finally able to buy my long time dream! A ceramic plate with divisions!

I have this quirk... I do not like my food touching each other.... Especially if it has sauce or soup.

I love frying my own fish!

The outside is crispy and the inside is moist and tender. The secret is to fry it over high heat all the way. And..... I love to eat the fish with calamansi and a chunk of cold butter for every forkful!

I also like to cook my own vegetables! See how beautiful the colors are?!?!

Hahahaha I love to cook my own food. Even if I am just eating fried fish and Pinakbet, I make sure the food tastes very good and looks appetizing.

I have a new favorite snack!!!! Magic Melt Biscocho! From Cebu!

The only outlet they have in Manila is at the Ayala MRT station. They have a small kiosk. They do not have it all the time because it runs out easily. Balikbayans love to buy in bulk.

I am feeling a bit better now. I have been sleeping, drinking water and taking medicines every 4 hours. I hope I am fully recovered by tomorrow!!!

Wriggly Chronicles

I was so afraid that Wriggly might catch a cold also so I kicked him out of my room. He was just facing the wall and did not want to " talk" to me.

Lisa said that dogs do not catch the virus of the humans. I asked my vet friend and he confirmed what Lisa told me.

So, Wriggly is back in my room again!

 

 

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Been Busy

I have been busy these past few days because I had some food orders to cook. I went to Farmer's Market yesterday and was lucky enough to buy Baby Pusit! That was my Mom's ultimate favorite! Lisa's too.

I searched the net how to cook squid so it will not become rubbery and chewy. I finally discovered the secret!

Baby Pusit

1/2 K. Baby Pusit, cleaned and drained

1/4 C. Oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 inch ginger, sliced

2 T. Soysauce

1 T. Knorr Seasoning

Black pepper

Sauté garlic and ginger in oil.

Add the squid and cook for a few minutes.

Add the soysauce and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes ONLY.

Strain the sauce, put the squid in a serving dish.

Reduce the sauce, adjust the seasoning and pour over the squid.

Another experiment was the Cream of Mushroom Soup. I am trying out a new diet. Light dinner only and no rice. So far, so good. My latest FBS readings were 115 and 128.

I only had a Smoked Farmer's Ham sandwich with the soup.

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

4 oz. Can of sliced mushrooms

2 T. Butter

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small white onion, chopped

2 T. Flour

2 C. Chicken stock

1/2 t. Salt

1/2 t. Knorr Chicken Powder

1/2 t. White pepper

1/2 C. Alaska all purpose cream

1 T. Flour

Grated Parmesan cheese for garnishing

Sauté garlic, onions and mushrooms in butter.

Add the flour and stir well.

Over low heat, pour the stock slowly while stirring to prevent lumps.

Season with salt, Knorr chicken powder and pepper.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Dilute the flour with the cream and slowly pour into the soup.

Stir until the soup has thickened.

I am going to make Chicken Pot Pie with the leftover soup.

Mona left today for Toronto, Canada. She will be gone for several months.

I miss her already! I bumped into a friend at the mall today and said, Mona just left for a long vacation.

I choked up a bit and started to cry a little.

Other matters.....

I screamed and almost fainted when I saw what my Kuya did!

He scraped off the fat from the Chicharon!

I scolded him and said: "Kuya! Don't do that!!!"

 

 

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Pan De Sal

This is a very easy recipe to follow. I learned how to make pan de sal at Sylvia Reynoso's baking school.

1 T. Instant Dry Yeast, 1 1/2 t. White sugar, 1 1/3 C. Water. Combine in a Kitchen Aid bowl and cover for 5 minutes. Then add 1/4 C. Brown sugar and 1 t. Salt.

Add 1/4 C. Cooking oil or shortening and 4 C. Bread flour ( I used all purpose flour). Using a dough hook attachment, knead for 5 minutes. Transfer into an oiled bowl. Turn the dough over a few times to ensure it is covered in oil. Cover with cling fling and let it rise for about 25 minutes.

Turn out the dough on a clean surface and roll like a baston.

1/2 C. Breadcrumbs

Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the baston and roll again in breadcrumbs.

Using a dough cutter, cut in to 2 inch pieces.

Put on a greased baking pan, cut side up.

Let it rise until double in bulk.

Bake in a 400F oven for 15 minutes.

 

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Yakitori Butabara

Yakitori Butabara was what I ate at Kikufuji yesterday and it is my experiment today.

Yakitori - skewered and grilled

Butabara - pork belly

Skewer the pork belly strips.

Season with fine salt.

Grill over hot charcoal.

Plain salted - shio

Drizzled with Terriyaki sauce.

Sauce:

2 T. Kikkoman soy sauce

1 T. Water

1/2 T. Brown sugar

1 T. White sugar

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 inch ginger, sliced

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan.

When it boils, stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Strain the garlic and ginger, return the sauce to the pan.

Let the sauce reduce until slightly syrupy.

I posted a picture in FB and Bibo asked me if I should be eating meat on a Friday of Lent.

I know I tend not to listen to homilies during mass but a priest said that the Vatican's rules are more flexible now in these fast changing times and that fasting and abstinence are just observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

I kinda doubted myself for a while, what if I was wrong?!

I looked it up in the net:

ewtn.com

Canon 1251 Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

So.... Yes, We can eat meat on Fridays of Lent!

 

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Japanese Lunch with Friends

Dra. Cristina, Mylene and I have been planning to have lunch for weeks!

Finally, we were able to meet up today.

We had lunch at Izakaya Kikufuji. I have not been there in years! Place was still packed with customers up to now. The same serving girls are still there.

We all had the Tempura meal.

We were seated at the counter and I could see all the meat and veggies for grilling! I could not help myself and ordered the pork skewer with teriyaki sauce.

The meat was so tender!

I will experiment one day.

I did not eat a sandwich tonight but made Pain Au Lait.

They look so ugly again!!!!

But the taste was ok.

I have yet to buy bread flour and shortening so I can make pan de sal.

Sugar was below 200 this morning which is a good thing.

 

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Baguette Experiment

Bread making is so easy. I took a half-day course at Sylvia Reynoso's school and had a pan de sal business for 3 years. I used to bake bread and my neighbors would knock on our gate and buy every morning or afternoon. I also took up commercial baking and bread making. The first time with Jing and the second time, just by myself because I wanted to be sure if I really wanted to open a bakery. We do not have one in Bel-Air. I opted not to because even if I get a baker, I cannot wake up early to supervise the business.

So...... Being so wheatful... I bought a new Kitchen Aid dough hook attachment yesterday. I had to replace my old one. It served me faithfully for several years.

My experiment tonight was Baguette.

It was so easy to make!!!!

But I do not have a baguette pan. The bread expanded in the oven and touched each other.

It did not become crusty.

I liked the taste and the texture. I just need to toast it really well when I reheat. I saved one for Tricia and another one for Cat.

I better not experiment anymore.

Pan de sal is my next bread making project.

 

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All You Can Eat Dimsum at Gloriamaris, Greenhills

I guess I am on the right track. My blood sugar was lower this morning than yesterday. I do look a bit puffy and bloated because that is one of the effects of wheat consumption.

Hmmmm would I rather have a big wheat belly with a normal sugar reading or flatter belly but with high blood sugar reading? Can't I have a flat belly and low sugar?

I woke up this morning with a very bad case of ear ache and swollen throat. I had a difficult time swallowing. I immediately went to my ENT doctor, Eusebio Llamas at Makati Med. I hope to feel better soon.

But..... Having a swollen throat did not stop me from enjoying the All You Can Eat Dimsum at Gloriamaris Greenhills!

I texted all my friends in the Greenhills/ Ortigas area if they wanted to have lunch. I was lucky enough to have 2 lunch dates! Bibo and her son, Mickey!

The place was packed. Good thing I got there early. So many dim sum choices. I was not able to take a picture of the buffet because I did not want to inconvenience the people lining up behind me.

My first few plates....

Hakaw, Siomai, taro puff, radish cake, Japanese Siomai, Asado bun.

Next .....

Siomai and chicken feet.

I also tried their soup....

Not in the picture were several pieces of Hakaw again, Ham Suy Kok, Fried shrimp dumpling, Buchi and wanton noodle soup.

The buffet was worth it, value for money. For only 488 pesos you get to eat all the dimsum plus there were also hot dishes like prawn salad, salt and pepper squid, fried chicken and lots of other food. You can also order noodle soups, congee, desserts and other dimsum not in the buffet.

I had fun with my impromptu lunch dates! Bibo and I even had coffee at Toast Box and got to spend the afternoon together!

The next time I am in the Greenhills area.... I am surely going to buzz my friends again!

 

 

 

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