MORCONITOS / MINI MORCON

HOMEMADE KIKIAM

PANDESAL

SINIGANG NA PORK BELLY

GINISANG PATOLA AT MISUA WITH SHRIMP

Patola or loofah gourd is one of the first few vegetables I've grown to like during my teen years. Admittedly, I hate eating veggies when I was a kid, especially those leafy green ones. Back then they all tasted the same to me -like grass. Food just for goats, I would say. But over time I overcame my dislike  for this food group and realized what I've been missing on. I like my vegetables sauteed, roasted, grilled or raw but I like veggies  most in my soups. After giving birth to my eldest vegetable soups constituted most of my diet and it did help in losing those extra pounds. Vegetable soups are filling enough as a meal that one can do without the rice.

What's In It:
1 big piece of patola, peeled and sliced
1 lb. shrimp
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1-2 tbsp. patis (fish sauce)
1 small pack of misua (thin rice noodles)
4-5 c. water
salt and pepper 

How It's Done:
1. Saute garlic and onion in a bit of oil until fragrant.
2. Add in the tomatoes saute  until limp.
3. Put in the shrimp and patola. Pour in patis and saute until shrimp changes color.
4. Add in the water. When it starts to boil add in the misua.
5. Simmer for 2 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve hot as is or with rice.

CHICKEN ADOBO

If there's gonna be a national dish of the Philippines this would be it. Each and every filipino household has it's own version of this dish that it's very rare for a true-blue pinoy to not have eaten adobo in his entire life. Adobo is distinctly pinoy yet it is very diverse and flexible especially when it comes to ingredients. Generally speaking adobo in it's basic form is meat stewed in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic. Almost any kind of meat can be made into adobo: pork, chicken, beef, goat, duck, squid, fish, oyster, frog, etc. etc. There's even vegetable variations of adobo like adobong kangkong (water spinach) and adobong sitaw (string beans). Some adobo recipes omit the soy sauce, some have coconut milk, some with annatto, some has onion, some with ginger, some with mashed chicken liver or liver spread, some use tomatoes, some includes boiled eggs and some even add shrimp paste. Adobo can be cooked soupy or almost dry. Recently there's even sizzling, baked and ala steak. Whatever your preference is nobody can deny that adobo is one of the ultimate filipino comfort food that spells home.

This adobo I'm gonna share with you is actually my hubby's recipe. He's not that adept in the kitchen but admittedly he cooks a killer adobo superior to mine.

What's In It:

2 lbs. chicken (preferably dark meat), cut into serving pieces
5-6 whole cloves of garlic
8-10 black peppercorn
1 c. vinegar
1 c. soy sauce
2-3 pieces of bay leaf

How It's Done:
1. Mix vinegar and soy sauce in a bowl. Adjust according to taste.
2. Place chicken in a flat wide-bottom pan or pot. Arrange the chicken pieces in such that they form a single layer.
3. Pour the soy-vinegar mixture over the chicken pieces. Add in the remaining ingredients.
4. Cook over medium heat. Refrain from stirring for the first 10-15 minutes.
5. You may need to turn the chicken pieces on it's other side to make sure the soy-vinegar gets all through out the chicken.
6. Continue simmering until sauce thickens.

A real adobo connoisseur knows that this dish is best eaten the following day or a few days after.

MINI BIBINGKA

Bibingka is one of the various rice cakes in the Philippines. This is made with rice which has been finely grounded into flour. Mixed with a few ingredients, the batter is poured into clay or tin pans lined with banana leaves. These are then baked on top small clay/tin stoves filled with live coal. Tins with more live coals will also be placed to cover the batter-filled pans cooking the rice cake simultaneously from top and bottom. In a few minutes the batter will magically transform into a fluffy, soft, steamy hot bibingka. Slices of white cheese and salted duck eggs are sometimes placed on top of the batter halfway in the baking time for a savory contrast to the bibingka. Some like their bibingka with freshly shaved coconut meat....for me, just load it with butter please.

What's it made of:
1 c rice flour (not the sweet/ glutinous kind)
1 tblsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 c sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 c milk
1/2 c water
6 tbsp melted butter

Topping:
thin slices of white cheese or any mild cheese
slices of salted duck egg

How it's done:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients until well blended.
3. Line muffin pan with banana leaves.
4. Pour batter into muffin pan half-full.
5. Bake for 10-15 mins. Halfway through the baking time put on the toppings.
6. Serve warm smeared with butter.

Your Fake Designer Bags Make Me Sick!

Don't you just hate it when people brag about their imitation purses thinking that they can fool you into believing that it's the real thing. I mean, come on people you might fool some people sometimes but you can't possibly fool everybody all the time. My advice to you, especially in this country where most are in-the-know, keep your fake bags at home well hidden in your closets 'coz people could tell the difference they're just polite enough not to blurt it out in your face. I don't get it why some of you out there would patronize counterfeit merchandise.What kind of twisted satisfaction do you get from it? Is it because you want to get attention from others , you want people to think you can afford it or that you wanna be considered part of the "in" crowd. Whatever your purpose is or whatever positive impression you expect to elicit from others, your means absolutely doesn't justify the end and it is also very pathetic. Do you feel elated and proud when people stare at your bag or talk about it, even if you know within yourself that you're carrying a fake one? If that's what you're after for buying replica purses, then you are totally sick. Deep inside you might be smiling and congratulating yourself because you seem to be getting away with it without people knowing, but in the process you're also letting the little devil inside you win. Just think of it this way, you are lying for the whole time that those bags are with you especially when you're trying to pass them as authentic ones. Let's say you went to the mall carrying your fake purse, your head up-high, enjoying the looks your imitation bag is getting, and going on with your act for hours.Doesn't that simply equate to lying for those hours, and that doesn't even count how many people you've "lied" to during that time. What's even worse are those folks who bring their knock-offs to church..tsk..tsk..tsk... . That's just when trying to fool total strangers, how about when some of you out there have even the audacity to lie and deceive your own friends with your phony designer purses? Well some kind of friend you are huh?!It's one thing when people buy imitations because they're totally unaware of such things as designer brands or authenticity.... sometimes ignorance is bliss . But for those of you who knows better..SHAME ON YOU !!!!And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

So you'll then say, not everybody can afford the real one right? But that's not an excuse to buy counterfeits. I personally, would rather carry a never-heard or no-name purse rather than be caught dead having a fake one. My conscience wouldn't simply put up with it. Sure I've heard of several places where one can purchase really very good imitations of designers purses for a very small fraction of the cost one pays for the authentic ones. Tempting yes but then again, as what people around me know by now, I would never brandish another person's suffering on my shoulders..or arm. What do I mean by that? Well replica bags are counterfeits right? These are categorically contrabands, they're illegal and are manufactured illegally. Your fake bags are made in well-hidden sweatshops by abused workers who labor for long hours in horrible working conditions, and to top it, some of them are minors. These illegal activities are found to be related to syndicates, international crime and terrorist funding. Need I say more? Just a simple FAKE bag to you but the implications are wide and worse than you can imagine. Remember, It's just like how that endangered-animals advocacy message goes "When the buying stops, the killings will too". Let the change start from you. If this still doesn't convince you to refrain from buying those awful fake designer purses I don't know what will. I just hope to God I don't see you carrying those illegal replicas out in the open or even hear you bragging about it. You know who you are and I know some of you too.

Sinanglay /Tilapia in Coconut Milk (Gata)

Tired of the usual fried tilapia? Here's an alternative way to cook your fish. Sinanglay as I've known is a dish from Bikol province, thus the gata (coconut milk) which is widely used in the region's cuisine. I've had a few variations of this dish some with souring agent, others salty with the incorporation of bagoong alamang and some delightfully spicy. The leaves used to wrap the fish also varies from pechay, to gabi, to pandan and even banana. To me it's just a matter of preference and sometimes to what ingredients you have on hand.

What's In It:

2 medium tilapia (you can cut it in half if it's large sized)
pechay leaves, choose the big ones since you're using it to wrap the fish with
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
ginger, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
lemongrass
2 cups coconut milk
chillies
salt
1/2 tsp. sugar

Have the fish monger clean the tilapia thoroughly. Gutted, scales removed and the fins chopped off. Be sure to wash the fish at home especially the inside and the head to get rid of the slimey stuff. To lessen the fishy smell you can either spritz some lemon juice on your fish or immerse it in a bowl of cold water with grated ginger/ vinegar.

How It's done:
Rub the fish with salt all over. Mix the tomatoes, onion, ginger and garlic. Stuff half of this mixture inside the stomach cavity of the fish together with the lemongrass. Put the other half of the mixture at the bottom of your pan. Wrap each fish in pechay leaves, you might need to use 2 or more leaves if the tilapia is a bit big. Lay the fish on top of the tomato mixture. Add in the chillies. Pour in the coconut milk. Simmer for 20-30 min. over medium heat. Season wit sugar and salt. Serve with bagoong alamang or patis with calamansi on the side.

Crispy Anchovy Ukoy

Ukoy or Okoy are fried fritters consisting of a batter, vegetables, shrimp or anchovies. Often great as appetizers or even as snack. It is best eaten right away after cooking to fully appreciate the crisp ukoy.

What's In It:
1 lb. anchovies
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 onion sliced into strips
1 carrot sliced into strips
green onion cut diagonally into strips
1/2 c. flour
1 c. cornstarch
salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 c. water



How It's Done:
Mix all ingredients to form a batter. Heat oil in pan. Spoon or ladle the batter into the pan and shallow fry until bottom turns brown. Flip and fry to a golden brown. Drain in paper towels. Serve immediately.

Chicken Miswa Soup

A very simple dish perfect for a rainy day or the colder months. This can be served any time of day as long as it's served hot. The miswa can also be substituted with sotanghon or lomi noodles just adjust the cooking time a bit longer.

What's in it:
Chicken pieces
1 carrot sliced into stripes/ diced
2 stalks of celery sliced thinly/diced
2 cloves garlic minced
half of a medium onion diced
thumb-size ginger sliced into quarters
miswa
water
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

For garnish: toasted garlic and green onions

How It's Done:

Saute garlic and ginger then add in chicken pieces. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook until chicken is tender and the liquid in the pot is gone. Add in onion, carrots and celery. Saute until onion turns translucent. Add water and let simmer until the vegetables are fully cooked. Again season the soup with salt and pepper according to your desired taste. add in miswa simmer for 5 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Stir in eggs just before turning off the stove. Serve with or without garnish.

Grilled Squid ( Inihaw na Pusit )

I love grilled food esp. ones done over charcoal or wood. Nothing beats that smokey flavor grilling imparts on the food. Just the smell of the food being cooked as the flame touches it every now and then, the dripping fat, the sound as it sizzles makes me salivate. I bought a couple of the jumbo squids usually found at asian supermarkets, the two biggest ones intended for grilling and the rest for making fried calamari.
First,how to clean the squids thoroughly. Remove the transparent spine (quill) of the squid. Then pull out the head while holding on the body, most of the innards will come out with the head. I usually invert the squid to check for any remaining gunk inside. Next peel of the skin by making a tear on the top side then pulling it down until the whole the skin is removed. Cut the head from the innards. Wash the squid head and body under cold tap water.

What went into it:
Marinade:
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tbsp. sugar

Stuffing:
3 cloves garlic-minced
1 onion- diced
4 tomatoes- diced
ginger - julienned
salt
ground black pepper

How it's done:
Mix ingredients for marinade. Marinate squids for at least 15-20 mins. In a bowl mix all ingredients for the stuffing. Using a spoon stuff the squid until 3/4 full. Secure head and close ith toothpicks. I scorched the squids lightly on the body to help minimize shrinkage (the same reason why the skin should be removed) and for presentation wise.
Grill squid for about 5-7 min. on each side(top and bottom). Depending on the size of your squid you can extend cooking time up to 10 mins but no longer lest you want to eat rubbery squid.

Fresh Fruit Salad

My kids recently have been into sweet-tart fruits. A trip to the grocery store wouldn't be complete without some strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwis even pineapples. I guess this is a good thing since it is recommended to have atleast 2-3 servings of fruits and vegetables a day right? And to encourage the kids to eat more fruits I try to think of imaginative ways to serve them. I don't want them to get bored eating the fruits just plain like that all the time. So here I've made a salad which the kids had for an afternoon snack. It is best to have all the ingredients chilled before preparing them for the salad. With the cream dressing the salad will get watery after some time so mix in just before serving.

What's in it:
strawberries- sliced
apples- sliced just before serving
seedless grapes- cut in halves
all purpose cream/cream whip topping
condensed milk

Mix the cream and condensed milk for the salad dressing. Pour over the cream over the fruits. Toss, serve and enjoy!

Mango Royale/ Mango Float

Better known as Mango Float to others, this is perhaps one of the easiest dessert recipes out there. All you need are sweet ripe mangoes, others recommend canned peaches as substitutes but for me it's mangoes or nothing. It's so easy to make even kids can do it. In fact the one in the photo above was entirely prepared by my three little chefs. My youngest laid out the base, my eldest scooped out the mango balls, my second daughter poured the cream and all three did the whisking. If you have kids this one would be a perfect bonding project in the kitchen with them. So simple, minimal mess and the recipe is so forgiving as compared with all those measurements in baking. Even if it gets sloppy I assure you the end result will still be so yummy that your little ones will be very proud of themselves. Of course you can always enjoy this dessert even without the kids' help eh.

What's In It:
graham crackers
*condensed milk
*all-purpose cream/ table cream (if not available try substituting w/ whipping or heavy cream)
ripe mangoes

*The ratio of condensed milk and cream would be 1:2 (1 part milk to 2 parts cream)
Chill the milk, cream and mangoes in the fridge at least overnight. Line the bottom of your baking dish/pan with graham crackers. Whip the cream into soft peaks. Slowly add the milk and continue whipping until well blended. Pour cream mixture over graham crackers. Cover and chill in the fridge while preparing the mangoes. Scoop mangoes into balls or cut into slivers. Arrange the mangoes over the cream. Cover and chill again at least overnight so as to give time for the crackers to soften and the cream to set. But if you have impatient kids around that wouldn't matter, to them it would still the same anyway regardless of the chilling time.

Cuchinta/ Kutchinta

Most Filipinos are used to eating 5 times a day: 3 meals and two snacks. The usual succession would be breakfast, late morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. Back in the Philippines late morning snacks were always convenient and on-time courtesy of our suking maglalako (hawkers). "Puuuto, puto kayo dyan. Puuto, kutchinta! Mainit-init pa!" His call can be heard half a block away and us kids then would be scrambling to ask for money. Making sure we'll be in front of our house so as not to miss his tasty rice cakes. Manong hawker has only two kinds of rice cake inside his tin cans, putong puti and kuchinta. Of the two I like the kuchinta the most. Slightly jiggly like a hard jello but with that characteristic bite that's a bit sticky and chewy. Warm and best eaten with freshly shaved coconut meat. Yummy!
I've been missing this treat for so long now but to my dismay there's no decent one to be found around. The few I've tasted so far are awfully disappointing aside from being way over priced. The last one I had last year had a bottom stiff as a cardboard and had a icky after taste.
So what else can be done but to learn to make one of my own. After much perusing here's a recipe that I was satisfied with.

What's In It:
1 1/2 c. All purpose flour
3/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. atsuete (annatto) powder
a pinch of salt
3 c. water
2 1/2 tsp. lye water
Toppings:
grated coconut
toasted sesame seeds (optional)

How It's Done:
Mix together all the dry ingredients. Add the water and stir until you get a smooth mixture. Add in the lye and mix thoroughly. Set this aside for at least 3 hours. Then fill your molds halfway. Steam away for 15 min. over medium heat. Cool then unmold. Serve with grated coconut and sesame seeds.

This Thing Called "Lymphoma"

So what exactly is Lymphoma you may ask. I've never heard of this until last year, when we found out that the unassumingly harmless bump on my mom's armpit is actually a tumor. Categorically, lymphoma is a cancer of the blood.Or of the white blood cell to be exact.

Here's more on the matter form lymphoma.about.com:

Lymphoma is a cancer of lymph cells. Lymph cells (also called lymphocytes) are a type of blood cells that are known as white blood cells (WBCs). Lymph cells are found in blood and lymph nodes. In lymphoma, some lymph cells become abnormal, start multiplying quickly, and grow to form a cancer.

Cancer cells in lymphoma mainly gather in lymph nodes -- small structures present along blood vessels. As the cancer cells grow and multiply, the lymph nodes enlarge and form lumps. Most of the time, this cancer is detected as painless lumps in the neck, armpits or groin. Several other warning signs and symptoms of lymphoma include fever, weight loss and sweating at night. Lymphoma can also affect other organs of the body (besides lymph nodes) and give rise to a variety of symptoms that bring an individual to a doctor...........

.....Not much is known about the cause of lymphoma. Though some viral infections are known to cause this cancer, in most individuals, the reason for getting a lymphoma is unclear.

A more thorough explanation of Lymphoma can be found in here.

So lymphoma is a cancer but we never addressed my mom's illness as such. We just called it lymphoma not because we don't to seriously take the gravity of it. But we are more concerned on the sensitivity of using the word. We just want to avoid the alarming heaviness that the word cancer may bring to the situation. As they say "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". Despite the sadness we find comfort.For our adversity has made us stronger... together... as a family.After all, this is not our burden but more so a test.

Please Send a Prayer of Healing for My Mama

My mom is in the hospital again. For more than a year now she's been battling with Lymphoma. After 9 consecutive sessions of chemotherapy and a radiation therapy last month the tumors still persist. Even worse she can barely move, nor eat or even sleep due to the tremendous pain brought about by the side effects of the radiation. They had to confine her to the hospital since monday for the pain and swelling in her arm and shoulder. I really don't know how bad it is since I can't be there beside her in this ordeal. But every time I remember Papa's texts, on how he would silently cry as he witnesses my mom's agony. And how my brother said that days before she was confined she would frequently scream in pain. Now, you must know my mama is very tolerant to pain. Having brought us four to this world just by the aid of a komadrona, physical pain is nothing new to her. I've seen her accidentally cut her finger with a knife and spill boiling oil over her hand. But not once did I ever hear her complain or shed a tear in pain over such things.
For almost a week now I haven't been sleeping well. Images of mama in the hospital bed keep me awake until 4 to 5 o'clock in the morning. I have puffy eyes from lack of sleep and crying. Somehow these past few days everything reminds me of mama and I suddenly turn into a cry baby. When I prepare our meals I remember how mama used to cook for us. When I see the pile of clothes I have to iron I remember how she managed to do weeks worth of clothes in one sitting. Even in trying to entertain myself by watching the news and my fave teleseryes remind me of my mom (esp. with the news of Cory's cancer). Sometimes eating even makes me feel bad and guilty knowing that mama has not eaten a decent meal for a long period of time.
I hate to be melodramatic but I just feel so helpless not being there with her. Not being able to comfort her or just cook something for her. It hurts me for being so far away in a time like this, knowing that what I feel is nothing compared to her pain.

BACON WRAPPED CHICKEN AND CRAB FRIED RICE

Ok I admit it, I'm obviously a fan of this sweet meat called pork. I do eat my vegetables but I am more of a meat person. And my meat of preference? That glistening, fat laden, tender, juicy cut of porcine goodness. When we came here in America I vehemently experienced pork withdrawal that even a bowl of chicken adobo can't cure. Good thing there's good ol' bacon. Fried bacon for breakfast, bacon on my salad, bacon on my pasta, bacon in my sandwich.... bacon.. bacon.. bacon.
I've tried chicken liver, shrimps and asparagus wrapped in bacon so why not chicken.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken
What's in it:
2 pcs. Chicken Breasts cut into 1/2 inch strips
Bacon (I prefer the honey cured or maple flavored)
1 tbsp Lemon juice
A pinch of salt
A pinch of pepper

How It's Done:
Mix salt, pepper and lemon juice. Pour lemon mixture over chicken, mix to coat the strips. Wrap bacon by winding spirally on chicken strips. Shallow fry on medium heat.

Crab Fried Rice
What's in it:
4 c. Cooked (boiled) rice
1/2 c. Cooked crab meat
2 cloves Garlic minced
1/2 Onion diced
2 Eggs (scrambled, fried and cut into thin strips)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. cooking oil
Salt

How It's Done:
Saute garlic in oil until light brown. Add in onion and saute until translucent. Put in soy sauce then rice. Mix until soy sauce is evenly distributed over the rice. Put crab meat and eggs. Add salt to taste. Continue cooking and mixing for 5 min.

CRAB LUMPIA (Spring Rolls)

As you may know by now, I don't really measure the ingredients I use with many of the dishes I cook. Especially with those that call for a mixture of ground meat, minced vegetables, spices etc. To be made into patties, rolls or loafs. It's mostly a trial and error thing for me. What I usually do is to mix the ingredients, fry a small sample and see if I got the right balance of flavor.
For this dish, I tried searching for a Lumpiang Alimango recipe in the web but the results I got were not much to my liking. So I just thought of ingredients that can go with the crab and still get an end product that will be in the likeness of lumpiang shanghai. And yet, at the same time it will boldly announce with each bite that it's crab meat in there.

What's In It: (please note that all measurement are by approximation only adjust as you please)
2 c cups Crab meat
1/2 cup minced Onion
1 tbsp. finely minced Garlic
1 Potato finely diced
1 stalk Celery finely diced
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 Egg beaten
Spring roll (Lumpia) wrapper

How It's Done:
Mix all ingredients (except lumpia wrapper of course). Wrap lumpia. Fry until golden brown. Serve with sweet and sour dipping sauce.

For this lumpia we used the store bought sweet chili sauce that can usually be found at asian stores/supermarkets.

SEMI-HOME MADE PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Isa munang buntong hininga

I asked my L what he remembered about this cake. He answered me "Nothing." Oh men! I think my L has really turned ulyanin (forgetful). I had to remind him that it was the same cake that his brother had requested that I teach his wife (my SIL) before we moved here to the US of A. Well, I never got to. Even when we went to the Philippines for a vacation. It's a very complicated situation and a story only fit for tele-novelas.
Enough of that. On to our cake.

What's In It:
Pineapple rings, reserve syrup
Brown sugar
Cake mix
Butter

How It's Done:
Make a thin syrup with reserved pineapple syrup and brown sugar. Grease baking pan with butter. Arrange pineapple rings at the bottom of pan. Pour in syrup. Make cake batter according to package instructions. Pour in cake batter over pineapple rings and bake. Cool baked cake before inverting to serving plate.