Gusteau-nomy

Ongpin on the Year of the Water Dragon

2012-01-23T23:10:00.001+08:00

In my lifetime, this is only the second time that I've been to the Chinese New Year celebration in Manila Chinatown. And like a kid, I was really excited to go! My sister Mia, my nephews Christian and Gian and my niece Lily Anne came with me. The kiddos were all first-timers, so my sister & I wanted to make the trip memorable for them. To begin our journey, we boarded the train to Recto,

Turning Japanese

2011-11-04T13:48:00.003+08:00

Lately, I have been craving for sushi. But instead of going to the restaurant, I headed for the grocery store to buy ingredients for sushi! And one weekend, it was just sushi and nothing else! I found the recipe from this cookbook on the left. It was a gift from the Ridao Family of Hawaii. They came over to the country last March, and then sometime in October, a package for me arrived from

Cheap Thrills Part 2

2011-10-16T23:11:00.003+08:00

Champagne taste on a beer budget? Check out some of my favorite go-to places for great meal deals! No more food on the table! Check out the ceiling furniture though. Pan de Americana - if you're in the mood for some pan de sal, don't go for the 2-peso teeny-tiny ones. Rush to Katipunan Extension towards White Plains and get gigantic 1950s pan de sal for P6.00 each. Their ensaymada is equally

Faith, Friends, Fun & Food in Laguna

2011-10-16T11:15:00.002+08:00

Yesterday was a lot of fun! My friends and I went on a trip to Laguna, primarily to support our prayer group head, Tita Ethel. She was invited to speak at the Laguna HOLD Echo Conference, so the whole gang decided to come with. After Tita Ethel's talk, it was free-for-all, so first we agreed to visit the house of Dr. Jose Rizal in Calamba. At Jose Rizal's After a tour of Dambana Rizal,

Day 1... Again

2011-06-15T08:50:00.000+08:00

Today, I start over with my quest for the hard-to-get IBW, a.k.a. Ideal body Weight. For the past month, my diet consisted of fat, sugar, carbo and salt... all washed down with a hefty amount of caffeine. But as my life begins to normalize once more, I decided to get back on track with my crusade. First off on my checklist is to go back to eating healthy. Yep, all the fat, sugar, salt and

My Life for the Last Two Weeks

2011-05-28T15:15:00.004+08:00

For the past 2 weeks, we have been cooped up in a house where the only thing we are to do is do the layout of a new book. It has been a couple of weeks of sitting in front of the computer. The only time we ever stand up, aside from bathroom breaks, is when the dining table is set. So much for my ideal body weight goal... And once the dining table is set, I always have this feeling of wanting

Baking as the Bane of My Culinary Existence

2011-05-17T20:25:00.000+08:00

One of my greatest desires is to be able to bake and decorate a cake. Yup, while others take baking as natural as breathing, it has caused me great distress. My first attempt at baking a cake was a total megaflop. Decorating it was catastrophic. I never touched the baking pan after that. This is not MY cake, but the one I first baked looked like this. (borrowed from http://3.

A Lazy Cook is A Lazy Writer (A True Confession)

2011-05-08T17:33:00.000+08:00

It's been three months since I last posted. Has it been that long since I last cooked? Or eaten? I admit, I have been delinquent in my posts. And now that I am back to pounding at the keyboard, I reflect: Why have I been remiss in my writing? More importantly, Have I lost my passion for food? I check my calendar for clues, especially during the last 3 months, and I found out that most of

MY IBW CRUSADE (One Day At A Time)

2011-02-01T10:32:00.003+08:00

I am on a crusade. A very personal crusade. Although I haven't been posting religiously for the past few months, I have, in fact, been busy in front of the stove. For starters, friends have gifted me with all sorts of condiments to use in my cooking. It would be such a waste not to use them! Thus the Nyonya Fried Rice (using belacan from Tita Mimi). And the Steamed Okra with Cincalok Dip (

Lip-smackin' Good Food + Family = Great Birthday Celebration!

2010-11-07T09:15:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, November 6, we decided to go to the cemetery to visit our loved ones who have gone ahead. But since it was already 11AM when we arrived at Talisay, Batangas, we opted to have an early lunch first. In our hometown (Talisay), the best place to go to for great food is Club Balai Isabel. I'm not saying this because my Tita Mary knows the owners. I am declaring this to the world

Chinatown Walk

2010-10-03T16:23:00.001+08:00

Last Thursday, I went to Divisoria. Instead of taking the train to Recto, I took my usual route: FX ride to Quiapo, then walk to Sta. Cruz Church, cross to Ongpin and walk all the way to Binondo Church, and finally traverse the stretch of Juan Luna street. Except for the FX ride, I walked ALL the way. My friends find my addiction to walking quite crazy. But what can I do? I love to walk!

Today is St. Martha's Day

2010-07-29T22:22:00.004+08:00

As I was skimming through my Facebook page, I chanced upon this post on my wall: July 29 - Today is the Feast of Saint Martha, sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, patron of cooks. And butlers, dietitians, domestic servants, homemakers, hotel-keepers, housemaids, housewives, innkeepers, laundry workers, maids, manservants, servants, servers, single lay women (this is for another story;

When My Mom Got Married, She Could Barely Boil an Egg

2010-06-22T16:24:00.010+08:00

Yep, you read the title right. And I’m not writing this blog to dishonor my mother. In fact, through this entry, I want to honor her. Because despite the temporary setback, she emerged as my main influence in the kitchen. I remember my Dad’s sisters telling us how my Mom didn’t know how to boil rice! Whenever Daddy came home from work, Mom would be sitting on the staircase waiting for him.

Pahiyas Festival--A Dream Come True!

2010-05-20T00:23:00.009+08:00

For so many years now, I had been planning to go to the Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon. And every year, I condition myself that I would be going. But each year, I end up not going at all. I can't remember the reason why I plan and end up not going to the Pahiyas. I thought the closest I would get to it was when we went to the Kamay ni Hesus, and made a side trip to Lucban on the day

What To Do With A Bushel Of Tomatoes

2010-04-20T20:01:00.004+08:00

Last week, someone gave me a pail-ful of tomatoes. They were still unripe when I got them, but since I was out of town over the weekend, they turned deep red in my absence.So I was contemplating on what to do with them when I saw a recipe for Pico de Gallo. Pico de Gallo is none other than fresh salsa. And since I planned to laze around and watch some movies tonight, I decided to check my

Lenten (Re)treat 2

2010-03-24T18:36:00.011+08:00

Sunday, March 28, will mark our entry into the Holy Week. Of course, we observe fasting, abstinence and much recollection during these times. Usually, fish is the main fare during Lent. Even restaurants and fastfood chains offer Lenten Specials as a break from the normal beef and chicken they serve. Earlier, I posted recipes of Bangus Steak and Fish Afritada. These are great

Love Language

2010-03-19T19:40:00.002+08:00

In one of my recent entries, I mentioned that I haven’t been posting regularly for the past few months. And that got me thinking. And watching Julie & Julia a second time. What can I say? I’m so fond of the movie, I am utterly in love with Julia Child, and food just happens to be one of my passions! I mean, food for me is not just a source of sustenance. For me, food is a love language. My

JULIE & JULIA—Some Thoughts About the Film… and Why I Am Dead Set on Pursuing My Passions (Part 2, Sunday, March 14, 2010, after The Feast)

2010-03-14T19:40:00.004+08:00

I’m back! I wanted to just pick up from where I left off last night, but I resisted the urge to do that. For one, I don’t think you’d be interested to read a looong blog. So I decided to cut it into two.So, this afternoon, after I came back from The Feast, I tried to digest what Bro. Eng Si preached about. He was telling me to get out of my comfort zone. Because although success is located

JULIE & JULIA—Some Thoughts About the Film… and Why I Am Dead Set on Pursuing My Passions

2010-03-14T19:37:00.005+08:00

It’s after midnight and I just finished watching Julie & Julia. I wasn’t supposed to see it yet. I still have seasons 2 to 7 of the Gilmore Girls to finish. But tonight, I decided to watch it finally. Because someone left a comment in my Gusteau-nomy blog: “I LOVE your blog Ate Alma! I actually copied some of the recipes to try them out. I remember the movie Julie and Julia sa blog mo… keep

Lenten (Re)treat

2010-03-12T19:30:00.015+08:00

Before Ash Wednesday, I was able to listen to a talk of a seminarian who gave quite a comprehensive explanation of why we go through the Lenten season. I keep forgetting his name (in the off-chance that your reading this, brother seminarian, I'm so, so sorry!), but I cannot forget his very thorough explanation.First, he explained the origin of the definition of the word Lent: first word -

Manok na Naman?!

2010-02-15T19:40:00.008+08:00

When I was in grade school, I almost always had fried chicken for my baon. Come Saturday, my mom would marinate several pieces of chicken drumsticks in her favorite soy sauce-calamansi-garlic mixture so that by Monday (all the way up to Friday), the chicken would be ready for frying. She would put the chicken on top of a packed tupperware of rice, cover it and slip it in our lunch boxes. That

Yey! 500!

2010-02-15T18:36:00.003+08:00

Yey! I know this may not be a big deal to everyone else, but for me, it is! I've had 504 visitors! And I'm sure not all of them are related to me. I know, that's small, by any professional bloggers' standards. But for me, it means a great deal!I just want to say thank you, thank you all for visiting my blog site. I promise, I will try to share more recipes and food pics.Thanks again! On to

Kicksology

2010-02-13T00:14:00.005+08:00

When I was in grade school, I used to hate my shoes. Why? Because it felt like I’ve had them forever! They were good leather shoes. In fact, so good that they refused to die!The heels and the soles would get worn out, but the leather uppers just wouldn’t give in. So what my dad did was take them to the shoe repair shop and have the soles and heels replaced—for 3 straight years!Sneakers were

Giddy!

2010-02-05T17:26:00.009+08:00

While checking my e-mails this morning, I was surprised to receive a reply from Mr. Sammy, the owner of Saramsam Resto in Laoag City. Of course, I was thrilled! No, I didn't win a year-round free meal gift certificate in their restaurant. I got giddy because he shared a recipe with me! I think Mr. Sammy was pleased about the nice things I said about Poque-poque (see Northern

Northern Exposure Part 2

2010-01-16T20:59:00.023+08:00

Our trip to Ilocos opened up a whole new gastronomical world for me. Oh, I was exposed to Pinakbet and Dinakdakan, alright. But when I tasted the orig versions, I swore never to eat rip-offs again. Good thing my Auntie is an authentic Ilocana, so I have someone to ask for the recipes.While traveling up north, we came across several food items that really stimulated my curiosity. Here they are: