Food Treats and More

Pinakbet with Pork Recipe

2010-11-08T12:57:00.001+04:00

Pinakbet is a popular dish in the northern region of the Philippines, Ilocos. It has become famous in other regions as well and each has its own version be it in the choice of vegetables, seasoning or meat. This pinakbet with pork recipe is a kapampangan recipe which I inherited from my mother. I’m really glad to be able to cook this dish because it is one of my most favorite home cooked

Penne Tuna Creamy Pasta Recipe

2010-11-01T14:12:00.005+04:00

This penne tuna creamy pasta recipe is one of the yummy recipes that my hubby makes. When I arrived in the UAE on New Year’s Eve of 2008, I discovered that my then fiancée was famous for his creamy pasta dish. His friends were all praises of him and they beamingly call him as the “pasta master”. Friends can really be so supportive right? He can only cook one of the many sauces of pasta then

Nilagang Baboy (Pork Stew) Recipe

2010-10-24T22:55:00.001+04:00

Nilagang baboy is a comfort food which is perfect during winter season. I grew up celebrating most Christmas with it because my mother would cook it for Christmas meal. I thought to prepare it as the temperature is now starting to drop here in the Middle East. In a few weeks, the long, dry and hot months will be gone. This nilagang baboy recipe, which is a Kapampangan recipe, is a pork stew

Spring Egg Omelette Recipe

2010-10-17T19:26:00.001+04:00

We can always have fun with our egg omelettes by adding one or more other ingredients to it like vegetables or meat. I am quite proud to this Spring Egg Omelette recipe because I was able to use the left over vegetables and created a vibrant egg omelette. The crunchiness of carrots added to the exciting texture. While the seasoning effect of the spring onions made it lighter to the taste

Must-try Sandwich at Charley’s Grilled Subs

2010-10-10T22:00:00.001+04:00

Philly Steak Deluxe We indulge to burgers and sandwiches at fast food chains once in a while. We thought that the newly opened Charley’s Grilled Subs at Al Wahda Mall is worth a try. We were right. This American food chain is a heartening alternative to a typical fast food sandwiches outlet, which usually serves sandwiches made of processed or deli meats. The Philly Cheesesteaks, which

Sinigang na Tilapia Recipe

2010-10-05T20:21:00.001+04:00

Sinigang is a common dish for Filipinos. It is a soup characterized by its sour flavor. Different fruits can be used as souring agent such as tamarind (which is the most common), guava, green mango, kamias or bilimbi and santol. Back home, my most favorite fruit ingredient for sinigang is kamias or bilimbi, next is tamarind. We have a kamias tree in the backyard that bears fruits abundantly

Stir-Fry Squid with Broccoli Recipe

2010-10-03T15:18:00.001+04:00

This stir-fry squid with broccoli recipe is supposed to duplicate the Chinese recipe I researched on the Internet. Unfortunately, we do not have rice wine on our shelf as we are not using such ingredient in our cooking. Rice wine is one of the required seasoning for this recipe. We were a bit lazy to go to the supermarket to buy one at the time. Nonetheless, having missed out one of the

Linguini with Clams Recipe

2010-10-01T23:55:00.003+04:00

We love watching cooking shows. This linguini with clams recipe is inspired by many pasta recipes we’ve watched in different shows. As I previously mentioned in my Clam Soup Recipe, clams are in season here and it’s a good thing to take advantage of its abundance because for sure they’re fresh. There is actually nothing exactly like this recipe because I tweaked it a little, like instead of

Beer is Good for You

2010-09-30T14:32:00.001+04:00

I couldn’t help but share this amusing article from Yahoo.com’s Shine - Healthy Living Section, titled “5 Surprising Health Benefits of Beer”. I am not a beer drinker and, just like the article aptly phrased it, surprisingly knowing that beer has some good health benefits, I wish that I can drink beer (especially for benefit # 4 below). It’s a pity that I am allergic to any beverage that has

Paksiw na Galunggong Recipe

2010-09-29T21:17:00.003+04:00

Paksiw na Galunggong is one of the varieties of paksiw na isda recipes. I like the small-size galunggong or scad fish better than the large ones as I find them more flavorful. Paksiw is a process of stewing meat or fish in vinegar and some spices. The spices added to it may vary depending on the main ingredient, regional cooking style or preference of the cook himself. When I’m making

Going Vegetarian at Briccocafe

2010-09-28T22:07:00.002+04:00

Probably, my blog have felt lonely and abandoned again after several weeks of not posting. Blame it to our accommodation shifting and partying. It is true in a way because after we moved to our new place, which we haven’t fully adjusted to, we attended birthday parties for two weekends in succession. We haven’t been cooking a lot these days, we are eating out yes but I wasn’t in the mood to

Halaan (Clam) Soup Recipe

2010-08-28T13:59:00.001+04:00

Clam Soup Halaan or clam soup is one of my favorite soups (and it has now become one of hubby's too). It is so appetizing and refreshing. It also brings back memories of my childhood. We used to eat the clams using our hands and scoop the meat out of the shell using our mouth. Then I would reserve some of the clam shells and dry them under the sun. I and my cousins would then play with them.

Turon Recipe

2010-08-26T16:11:00.002+04:00

Turon or fried wrapped banana is a popular snack among Filipinos. It is usually made of saba bananas covered with brown sugar and wrapped in a very thin pastry wrapper or lumpia wrapper, which is the simple recipe. Another recipe is by adding slices of langka or jackfruit to add flavour and fragrance to Turon. Turon or Fried Wrapped Saba Bananas My Turon Recipe is based on the simple version.

Iftar Buffet at The Village Club

2010-08-25T13:27:00.001+04:00

Our company sponsored an Iftar for its entire staff yesterday. Despite a glitch on the reservation, all went home satisfied, or at least I believe that everybody felt satisfied. It was a night of fun and a chance of loosening up from the pressure at work especially for the top bosses on project sites. Iftar is the evening meal taken when Muslims break their fast during Ramadan. Iftar

Thai-Inspired Beef Salad Recipe

2010-08-24T15:11:00.001+04:00

Inspired by the Thai Beef Salad we had last weekend at the Bowling Village, which tasted fairly authentic, hubby requested that we prepare this light salad for dinner. We bought 100g of thinly sliced beef from the supermarket which we marinated in soy sauce, garlic and pepper for a couple of hours to absorb the flavor then pan-fried them. Thai-inspired Beef Salad To create the Thai dressing

Dan Dan Noodles of Noodle Hut

2010-08-23T15:40:00.004+04:00

Dan Dan Mian It is our first time to have Dan Dan Noodles and what a treat, it tasted real good! I’m not sure if others would share the same sentiment, but it has instantly become one of my favorite noodle dishes. (Be warned though that it is really spicy, even without the sliced chili that they usually top it with. ) Dan dan noodles or Sichuan Spicy Noodles is a Chinese classic dish of

Guinataang Tanigue (King Fish) Recipe

2010-08-22T16:29:00.005+04:00

Guinataang Tanigue When I was growing up, I never liked guinataan dishes (except for the deserts) because my mother rarely cooked guinataan. As time went by, I learned to appreciate guinataan flavored dishes. What has drawn me to it is the rich taste of the coconut milk combined with the ginger flavor. Since I’m a veggie lover I particularly like Guinaatang Sitaw and Kalabasa. Fish cooked

Guinisang Kamatis at Itlog (Sauteed Tomatoes and Eggs)

2010-08-21T09:48:00.003+04:00

Sauteed Tomatoes and Eggs A tasty and easy to cook side dish for fried fish is Guinisang Kamatis or sauteed tomatoes. My mother would make it with eggs or without. The guinisang kamatis recipe without eggs though tastes a little sour than with eggs. But, I like both versions specially that tomatoes are good for us. Here’s the recipe for Guinisang Kamatis at Itlog: Ingredients: 6 pieces

A Call for Help

2010-08-20T13:20:00.000+04:00

The Philippine National Red Cross and UNICEF Philippines are receiving donations to aid the recently flood-stricken country, Pakistan. The news reports say that the floods that began three weeks ago is the worst to hit Pakistan in decades. More than 20 million people have been stranded and over 1,600 have died. Tens of thousands of villages remain under water. Officials warn that even as the

Tuna Fried Rice Recipe

2010-08-19T18:00:00.005+04:00

Hubby turned our canned tuna and leftover rice into a creative dish. The Tuna Fried Rice is an interesting alternative to our usual garlic fried rice. This recipe can be a complete meal on its own with a little sprinkle of pepper, salt and lemon juice. And, just like any other fried rice, it can be paired to any of your favorite dish. As for me, I like to serve fried rice with saucy

Broccoli in Oyster Sauce Recipe

2010-08-18T15:57:00.001+04:00

One quick and easy recipe to make is Broccoli in Oyster Sauce. It involves a simple cooking method of stir-frying garlic, broccoli and oyster sauce. In less than no time your meal is ready. Other kinds of vegetable can be cooked this way also, like zucchini, cauliflower, cabbage, snow peas, carrots, etc. Two or more kinds of vegetables can also be combined to create this delectable and nutritious

McDonald’s McArabia Sandwich

2010-08-16T21:49:00.006+04:00

I have fallen in love with McArabia Sandwich by McDonald’s since I started to notice it about a couple of months ago. I would have not learned of its existence if not for my Lebanese boss at work who I overheard ordering McArabia sandwich. According to Wikipedia.com, in 2003 McArabia was introduced in the Middle East by McDonalds via a large advertising campaign. It has been very well

Shrimps and Vegetable Spaghettini Recipe

2010-08-15T22:17:00.009+04:00

This shrimps and vegetable spaghetti recipe is a healthy option for a pasta dish, in which I used oil-based sauce. Other types of pasta sauce may be tomato-based, cream-based, herb-based or meat-based. It is recommended for oil-based sauce pasta to use strand pasta. I used spaghettini for this dish. Spaghettini is thinner than the regular spaghetti. What makes my shrimps and vegetable

Eggplant Salad Recipe (Ensaladang Talong)

2010-08-14T14:54:00.013+04:00

This pinoy eggplant salad recipe or ensaladang talong is a creation of my hubby, which he learned from my mother-in-law. He did a little modification to the original ingredients by adding vinegar to it. This eggplant salad has instantly become one of my favorite salads. It is best served with grilled or fried fish. The eggplants can be boiled or grilled. I prefer to grill the eggplants to

Sardines with Misua

2010-08-12T21:15:00.021+04:00

I prepared one quick and easy recipe for a late lunch today. It is the second day of no lunch breaks policy at work to give respect to the fasting traditions of Ramadan. I got home from work with a really hungry stomach at past 2pm. Anything in the cupboard or fridge that can be cooked and eaten was appetizing for me but it had to be done quickly. I initially thought of opening a can of