Happy Birthday, Tami!

The view from our beach cottage.

Today is Tami's birthday. We planned to throw him a pool party (or throw him into a pool. kidding, of course!) but he was so sick this week that we decided to postpone it. Since he has been coughing for quite some, we trooped to Pasacao instead. The number of guests was reduced but the body of water involved became bigger...way bigger!

Since it isn't officially summer yet, the beach was almost deserted. Thus it was relatively quiet with a lot of breathing space. The water was clear, clean and cool. This was definitely a welcome change from our city life. In the words of Tami, 'This is so much fun!' Enzo acquiesced by saying that "We need to come back here again!" Why not? Going to the beach, inhaling the salty air, splashing in the water proved to be the most effective way of relaxation for everybody. It was also a good bonding moment for us.

With that, we have officially opened our summer season! Anticipate more posts about the sun, sand and sea!

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***The 3 pics within the body of this post were taken by brother J. ;-)

Seafood Lunch

Mom's finally feeling better today! Well enough to go as far as Calabanga (about 20 minutes from Naga City) to buy some really fresh seafood. Once she got home, she immediately got busy in the kitchen. The result? a really hearty lunch --- soft, firm and flavorful Tanguigue Steak and Garlicky Shrimp plus sweet, fresh mangoes for dessert! yum-mee!


Allergies, begone! Super fresh shrimps cooked in lotsa garlic sweetened with pineapple juice and some sugar. As soon as this was served, everybody started with the business of shelling the shrimps.

Bless you, ma!

Spaghetti with Chicken in Bechamel Sauce

To Marrow, To Marrow! I Love Yah, To Marrow

Pop did something he rarely does: go to the market by himself!

Last Sunday, mama dearest has not recuperated yet so she wasn't able to go to the market like she usually does. Since our pantry was already depleted and food resource has dwindled, somebody had to do something, fast!!!

So pop foraged for some food and came back with the fruit of his exploits: meat, meat, and more meat in various forms and quantity! His prize catch? 1 kilo of beef shank --- huge bones with lotsa marrow, meat with its cartileges showing --- perfect for the perfect bulalo!!!

Once again, i was tasked to prepare something edible for the troop to sink their teeth into.

I'm a big fan of the process of slowly cooking food in very low heat. There are some dishes where, the longer you cook them in low fire, they better they taste. Bulalo is one of those dishes! I got out our trustee Dutch Oven and started cooking!

It took about 3 hours for me to cook this. It's all worth the wait, though...the meat was very tender, the marrow easily slid out of the bone and the broth was very good! Paired with a lot of Asian Lemons (kalamansi), soy sauce and a lot of chilli peppers, everything was gone in 30 minutes!!!

Tomato Shells

With Mama still not feeling well, I still needed to 'man' the kitchen and tend to the seemingly bottomless stomachs of my housemates. This simple task became daunting because I, myself, am recovering from illness. I've been peeling, chopping, slicing and grating with one hip propped against the working table to keep myself from kissing the kitchen floor.

When Tami requested me to make macaroni casserole for his afternoon snack, I had to make the prep and cooking time as quick as possible. After all, it didn't seem as if the floor was too excited to get in contact with my smackers, either. That is why I eliminated one ingredient from the dish that usually lengthens the cooking time: meat. To compensate, I added more cheese than usual. Nonetheless, it was still yummy. Nobody complained as everybody was busy chomping away.

Another successful feeding program, if I say so myself.

The Amateur Shutterbug

Various pictures I have taken using my trustee old camera phone...

Oh, Shepherd's Pie

My take on an old English recipe...

I made some mashed potatoes last Sunday without realizing that I made more than I intended to. I could not let half a kilo of potatoes go to waste...Incidentally, come Monday, my mom wasn't feeling well enough to cook lunch. I was tasked, then, to whip up something...fast!

I did no whipping, though. Just some peeling, chopping, crying (pesky onions) sauteing, and baking. Making this dish was a breeze. Caramelize some onions in a pat of butter. Saute a kilo of ground meat (chicken, beef or pork). Add some chopped carrots and corn. Season with salt, pepper and a dash of dried basil. Maintain moisture by adding some water as needed.

When meat mixture is done, transfer to an oven-proof dish and generously top with mashed potatoes. Bake for 10 minutes or until top turns golden brown.

This is super yummy. Best enjoyed on a cool or rainy day. The browned top creates an almost crunchy crust. This provides a great contrast to the soft and creamy inside. This can be eaten with or without rice!

I like this dish sooooo much that I almost polished the whole thing by my own, gluttony self!!!

Mexican Springrolls

Mexican Springrolls (taco beef with cheese and corn wrapped in springrolls) with salsa and sourcream with chilli powder! All I need is big, kick-ass pitcher of margarita! Ole!

Uncle Padi's Birthday Get-Together

"The family that cooks together, eats together."

Food. Glorious Food!!!

Uncle Chito, Auntie San, Cami and Ola whipped up a stupendous feast fit for a...errrrr...priest.

For Uncle Padi's birthday last Feb 28, the family got stuffed together!

It was hard to say no to the rich Kare-Kare, soft and juicy roasted ribs on a bed of sauteed corn and carrots, baked fish and roasted chicken with aromatic lemongrass!!!

The pieces de resistance??? S'mores cake, halayang ube, chiffon with custard filling and a tub of double dutch ice cream!!! yum-mee!!!!