Food Friday

First, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who took the time off from their busy schedules and post their Food Friday links!

Wishing everyone a Blessed and Happy New Year! <3

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The Featured in Food Friday player for this week is....

Ms. Chelo who owns the blog Home and Bahay, with her blog post: Caldereta: A Kin to Beef Stew

Caldereta is one dish that I love eating, but haven't really tried cooking. After reading Ms. Chelo's delicious food post  (together with her yummy food shots) I told myself it's about time I give it a try! Whether you've tried it yourself, or not, why don't you check out her own version of caldereta...I think you might like her version, too!

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My food post for this week is something really easy (and quite common, lol): Bacon and Potatoes in Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients used:

• Eggs (two)
• Bacon (roughly four slices, chopped)
• Potatoes (two medium sized, diced)
• salt, pepper .
• milk (around a tablespoon)

What I did:

• Place bacon on hot pan (no need to add oil) and brown. Take the cooked bacon out of the pan and remove most of the oil, leaving just enough to fry the diced potatoes.
• In the meantime, beat the eggs together with the milk, salt and pepper.
• When the potatoes are done, pour in the egg mixture. Top with the bacon bits.
• Take out of the pan whenever you want; personally, I like mine 'fully cooked'. xD

Ate that together with an apple and some buttered toast, with my coffee. That was my lunch a couple of days ago. I am a breakfast person, meaning I love having breakfast any time of the day! LOL :P

Reminder: Please link back here (you may use the Food Friday buttons located on the right sidebar, or a simple text) if you're playing... and don't forget to visit other players as well and leave them some comment love! thank you.♥
*if you have problems with linking, do send me a message (or make a comment below) since I might be able to help...would hate to miss a food post from you! <3

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Future Trip

Hubby and I have always dreamed of going out of the country together as a family (usually it's only him who gets to go abroad, and that's because it's part of his job) on a leisure trip. However, we want our youngest to be a little bit older so that he'll get to enjoy (and remember) the trip, too. That's why I have been looking online for one of those disney packages; something that I hope both our sons will enjoy. It will be a few years from now, but I guess I am a bit too excited about it. lol.

Besides, I do like to be ready for whatever awaits us..specially since this is going to be outside the country! Hopefully, when our youngest turns five or six (that's around two to three years from now) we can finally schedule our trip...and that gives us ample time to save some more, too! :)

Food Friday (Merry Christmas!)

Note: Since most (if not all) of us might be busy during this week (hey, Christmas Day is going to be this coming Sunday!!!), I've decided to open Food Friday two days earlier than the usual day. It will end Monday, as usual, though. Next week linky will be up early, too (and that's because next Sunday is going to be New Year's Day!). ^_^

Merry Christmas, everyone! <3

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This week's Featured in Food Friday player is....

Ms. Jenn, who owns the blog Tara, Let's Eat with her post:
Recipe: Diced Chicken with Cashews

I believe that the first thing you should do if you want to stay and keep fit is to change your eating habits; not all at once, but to do it  in one manageable step at a time. Ms. Jenn has been doing that for the past few months and so far she's doing a very fine job! Her food posts reflects how she has been managing her food choices and how it's working for her. If you want to know more, or send some encouraging words her way, then do drop by her blog.

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My post for this week is Puto (Steamed Rice Cake). I wanted to do something that would involve my three-year old and this was just perfect!

Puto ... one of our fave snacks!

Ingredients used:

• a box of puto mix (i used the 200g box)
• muscovado sugar
• cheese, water

What we did:

• I let my youngest son help me with this...all we did was follow the simple instructions written on the box. Just a matter of mixing, measuring, and pouring (not necessarily in that order, lol)!
• Then steaming.
• Everything was done in less than an hour! :)

I wasn't sure if my sons and I would love the premix...but we did! It was a bit dense (maybe because my rice cakes were huge! lol), but we liked it! I wonder how it would taste if I used honey instead of muscovado sugar... ^_^
I know, next time maybe I should try making it from scratch...lol xD
Ms. Oggi does have a very promising puto recipe... :)

Reminder: Please link back here (you may use the Food Friday buttons located on the right sidebar, or a simple text) if you're playing... and don't forget to visit other players as well and leave them some comment love! thank you.♥

*if you have problems with linking, do send me a message (or make a comment below) since I might be able to help...would hate to miss a food post from you! <3

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Tasted Good!

Last weekend my family and I did some Christmas shopping, and while we were out we decided to eat at T.G.I. Friday's. My youngest and I had their Mushroom Chicken Mushroom (deep fried chicken topped with mushroom and mozzarella cheese, together with corn, rice, and whole button mushroom in crispy batter) while hubby and the eldest had their Filet Mignon (tenderloin chargrilled to your preference).

Honestly, it was one expensive lunch (specially for a Scrooge like me! :D ), but everything tasted real good.

For dessert we decided to go to Krispy Kreme and I picked their Double Chocolate Kruffin. It was delicious...but too sweet for me. I had to leave out the sweet stuff on the center. Ate the rest of the doughnut, though. LOL. xD

Had one satisfied tummy that day! :tup

post shared over at:
Weekend Eating by Jenn

I'm Guilty!

See Bigger

Yup, I do get my words in a jumble every once in a while. But most of the time when I'm not sure about the spelling (or it's use) I search about it online. Just to confirm and make sure I am using the right word(s). Still, if there's a misspelled word or misused word in this blog, then do pardon me. :)

Change is good...

...sometimes. :)

Do you take a sip every now and then?

Zoom In

Take a look at that infographic above...interesting, huh? Admittedly, when I was working away from home I used to drink with my friends and co-workers. Oh, we don't drink till we're dead to the world. We drink just because we like being together, sitting comfortably, eating yummy morsels and then chatting. Yup, even the male friends. We don't bash things around after we're done. lol. In fact, even if we were all single then we always stopped before we got tipsy. We all had to go home and work the next day.

Drinking is fine, as long as you know when to stop. Like everything else. :)

Food Friday

*Note: I would like to inform everyone that Food Friday will start early for two consecutive weeks (which will start next week):
:December 21 (Wednesday) until December 26 (Monday)
:December 28 (Wednesday) until January 02, 2012 (Monday).
Most, if not all, of us will probably be busy during those times and that's why I've decided to open the linky a little bit longer than the usual. ^_^

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This week's Featured in Food Friday player is ....

Ms. Girlie who blogs over at Mommy and Matt (and Daddy too) with her blog post:
Chicken fingers

Now that shot is really tempting, isn't it? Love it! Ms. Girlie's blog is a place where she posts  moments shared together with her family and photos of her son, Matt. Do visit her fsite and check what cute Matt has been up to lately.

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My post for this week is Steamed Milkfish with Dill and Pepper.

Ingredients used:

• milkfish belly
• dried dill, freshly ground pepper, salt,
• chili slices (green finger pepper), sliced garlic, water 
• a few drops of soy sauce and coconut vinegar
• sesame oil (optional)

Procedure:

• Heat up your steamer.
• Dump the milkfish (skin side down) and the other ingredients (except for the sesame oil) in a container suitable for steaming (I used an aluminum container).
• Once the water in the steamer is boiling merrily, place the milkfish inside.
• Wait for around 15mins, or until the fish meat has turned white and flakes off easily.
• Remove from steamer then drizzle a bit of sesame oil, if you like.
• Serve hot with steamed rice.

In my case, I sneaked in some slices of raw chili...I just love the heat as well as the added taste and aroma. :)

Reminder: Please link back here (you may use the Food Friday buttons located on the right sidebar) if you're playing... and don't forget to visit other players as well and leave them some comment love! thank you.♥

*if you have problems with linking, do send me a message (or make a comment below) since I might be able to help...would hate to miss a food post from you! <3

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Cat

... YOU!
...this cat's been staying outside our screen door for a couple of days now...i wonder who's watching whom! :vD

Dreaming Again

I love it when some details are highlighted, like those plastic switch plate covers! I know, most switch plate covers are plain white. In my house, anyway. But seeing something that's not usual (like ones that are lavishly decorated) really brings a smile to my face. A house furniture that's also uniquely designed warms my heart...but of course it has to be comfortable and functional, too. No sense in having a uniquely designed furniture that's of no use! lol.

I know, am dreaming again. But it's good to be airing out what your dreams are, every once in a while, right? <3

Breakfast (Last Saturday)

Mostly leftovers for breakfast... o_O

salted fish, tofu, fried rice, and tomatoes

post shared over at:
Weekend Eating by Jenn

Food Friday

*Note: I would like to inform everyone that Food Friday will start early for two consecutive weeks:
:December 21 (Wednesday) until December 26 (Monday)
:December 28 (Wednesday) until January 02, 2012 (Monday).
Most, if not all, of us will probably be busy during those times and that's why I've decided to open the linky a little bit longer than the usual. ^_^

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This week's Featured in Food Friday player is ....

Ms. Halie, who blogs over at Halie's Kitchen with her blog post:
Burger in Olive Oil and Butter Sauce

Now this was certainly an interesting take on how you can dress up your burger and pair it with rice, instead of the usual buns!  Olive oil and butter do go well together (in my honest opinion) and will certainly help enhance the meat's flavor...I haven't tried her recipe yet, but I just might! Want to know more? Then do go and check her blog out!

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Three of my favorites together in one dish: Tofu, Tomaotes, and Toge (Mung Bean Sprout)!

Ingredients used:

• tofu (marinated in soy sauce, spanish paprika, and pepper)
• tomatoes
• mung bean sprouts
• garlic, onion, salt, pepper, roasted sesame seeds
• sesame oil
• canola oil for frying and sauteeing

How it was prepared:

• Marinated the tofu overnight (soy sauce, spanish paprika, pepper), then fried the next day. Set aside to cool, then slice after it has cooled down.
• Slice the tomatoes. Clean/wash the mung bean sprouts. Set aside.
• Slice one medium onion. Crush and slice garlic. 
• Heat up pan and add around two tablespoons of oil; when hot enough, add the onions then the garlic. 
• Add the tomatoes next. After around two minutes, add in the mung bean sprouts. It will release a bit of liquid and by then you can add in the sliced fried tofu. Mix gently.
• Season with salt and pepper. If you want, you can add in more liquid.
• Drizzle a bit of sesame oil, then sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top.
• Serve.

Honestly, I wasn't sure if my sons would go for this...but they did! <3

Reminder: Please link back here (you may use the Food Friday buttons located on the right sidebar) if you're playing... and don't forget to visit other players as well and leave them some comment love! thank you.♥

*if you have problems with linking, do send me a message (or make a comment below) since I might be able to help...would hate to miss a food post from you! <3

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Yikes!!!

...yup.
... and we haven't started with our Christmas shopping yet!! o_O
not that we'll be buying much...lol.

Oatmeal

Had cinnamon oatmeal with apple slices yesterday. It's brown because I used muscovado sugar. :)

post shared over at:
Weekend Eating by Jenn

Food Friday

This week's Featured in Food Friday player is .....

Ms. Kate, who owns the blog A Slice of Kate, with her blog post:
Dora Birthday Cake: Fondant Chocolate Cake

Doesn't that look adorable? I just love the colors Ms. Kate used for her daughter's 2nd birthday cake...so festive! Take note, she mentioned that she didn't have proper baking tools when she made this...and still it came out perfect! Her blog is filled with food posts which she herself cooked, and reviews from restaurants where she has eaten. Do drop by her blog and send her some love!

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My post for this week is something that not everybody likes...the durian fruit. I know, it's one of those fruits that you can only hate, or love. Nothing in between. lol. First time I tasted it, it was 'different', but I liked it right away. Now, am loving it! <3

Durian Breakfast Muffins

I followed Jonny's Durian Breakfast Muffins Recipe, with a few modifications

Ingredients:
1/2 cup durian
1 cup flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup palm sugar (or brown sugar) - i used muscovado sugar, same amount
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract - i didn't add this (i forgot to buy some!)

some ingredients used: durian, eggs, flour, muscovado sugar, powdered coconut milk

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325F (or 310F for convection ovens). (i used an oven toaster!)
• Remove any stringy portions of the durian flesh.
• Mix all ingredients in blender. (i mixed everything by hand, lol)
• Place mixture into muffin pan. (This recipe is for 5-6 large muffins.). (i placed mine in individual muffin cups and covered them with aluminum foil)
• Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool before removing muffins. Place muffins on rack to further dry their exteriors before eating. (my muffins came out nice and dry on the outside...guess it's because i used an oven toaster)

Tip: do not consume these with alcohol as consuming durian fruit with alcohol is dangerous. Durian is a 'heaty' food so serve together with a 'cooling' food such as banana or mangosteen.

Surprisingly, the durian smell (which some find offensive) wasn't that strong after the muffins were cooked (maybe less so if I added in the vanilla). I even stored the leftovers inside the freezer, but it only stayed there for around two days. My three-year old and I loved it. He wouldn't touch the durian pulp, but he devoured the durian muffins as soon as it was cool enough to eat. ^_^

Reminder: Please link back here (you may use the Food Friday buttons located on the right sidebar) if you're playing... and don't forget to visit other players as well and leave them some comment love! thank you.♥

*if you have problems with linking, do send me a message (or make a comment below) since I might be able to help...would hate to miss a food post from you! <3

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Was in the mood for chicken...

Yup, wanted to have chicken last weekend. So, decided to cook some for our Saturday lunch! ^_^

post shared over at:
Weekend Eating by Jenn

Food Friday

This week's Featured in Food Friday player is ......

Ms. Dexie who blogs over at feistycook with her post:
Creamy Beef Linguine with Black Olives

Most of us love pasta dishes and this one looks like it's going to be another family fave! Ms. Dexie's blog is a food-lover's haven where you can just be yourself and just take in all the simple ingredients that are mixed together to make a festive meal! Do visit her blog and give yourself a treat.

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Something Simple and Easy, that's what I want to call my Food Friday post for this week. :h

Ingredients used:

• toasted bread
• tomatoes, oranges, parsley
• extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper
• kesong puti

Kesong puti (lit. "white cheese" in Filipino) or Filipino fresh cheese is a soft, white cheese, similar to cottage cheese, made from unskimmed carabao's milk, salt and rennet.^[1] It has a soft, close texture and slight salty taste. Some commercial versions are slightly sour due to the use of vinegar in place of rennet. This cheese originated from and is produced in the provinces of Laguna, Bulacan, Samar, and Cebu. In the Philippines, it is a popular breakfast fare eaten with the freshly baked local bread called pan de sal.
*Source

Everything's just a matter of toasting (the bread slices), slicing (the kesong puti and the toasted bread slices), then assembling them on the plate, together with the other ingredients. The drizzling (of the olive oil) and the grinding of the black pepper over the the cheese and bread finishes everything off. Really easy. And tasty! :$

I read in a food post somewhere that they also fry the kesong puti first (in margarine, or butter) before eating it together with pan de sal...got to try that sometime! :P

Reminder: Please link back here (you may use the Food Friday buttons located on the right sidebar) if you're playing... and don't forget to visit other players as well and leave them some comment love! thank you.♥

*if you have problems with linking, do send me a message (or make a comment below) since I might be able to help...would hate to miss a food post from you! <3

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Personal Growth

...personal growth. <3

Sesame Seeds

Sesame seeds overload! I have no idea what they are called (the package was written in Chinese); one of my sisters gave us a pack after her business trip to China.

Each square is more or less about an inch big (or small, lol). But it was packed with all the sesame flavor that I loved. There were two variations: sesame seeds with peanuts and sesame seeds with dessicated coconut. :$

post shared over at:
Weekend Eating by Jenn

Food Friday

The next Featured in Food Friday player is.......

Ms. Winnie who blogs over at Something Sweet, with her blog post:
Fovititzh
*pardon my brownser's translation...it could be wrong.

Now who wouldn't want to taste that delicious looking treat! I believe that that's a special yeast cake with nuts incorporated into it. Looks quite new to me that I couldn't help looking around the internet for more about it! Winnie's food blog is filled with so many interesting information together with delicious shots of her creations. Don't be intimidated by the different language, just click on the translator link and you're good to go!

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When I was living with my parents we used to eat fish EVERYDAY. Yeah, everyday. I thought I had eaten all the fish that I needed to last me a lifetime, but I was wrong. Now whenever I get the chance to eat fresh fish I grab that chance. That's why when I saw some fresh fish at a recent mall trip I couldn't help but buy a kilo. I forgot what kind of fish it was (am terrible with names!) but it was so fresh I cooked and named it simply: Oven Toasted Fish

Ingredients:

• fish
• olive oil, coconut vinegar
• garlic, tomatoes, pepper, salt,
• butter

What I did:

• Clean fish and cut into serving pieces. Add salt.
• Slice tomatoes and put a layer inside buttered containers (I used medium sized aluminum containers), together with garlic.
• Add the fish then drizzle a bit of olive oil. Add vinegar and pepper.
• Place tomatoes on top, if you want.
• Cover with aluminum foil, but not too tightly.
• Place in oven toaster (or oven) for around 10-15minutes.
• Remove the foil and check if cooked; then place back inside the toaster/oven to get those "burnt marks" (totally optional).
• Take out when you're satisfied with the "burnt marks".
• Best served hot.

Reminder: Please link back here (you may use the Food Friday buttons located on the right sidebar) if you're playing... and don't forget to visit other players as well and leave them some comment love! thank you.♥

*if you have problems with linking, do send me a message (or make a comment below) since I might be able to help...would hate to miss a food post from you! <3

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Unknown Weed Flower

Another tiny weed flower...no idea what it's called. I just think taking it's picture is worth it. :)

post shared over at:
Weekend Flowers
Macro Flowers

Link and Get Linked

I have been blogging for quite some time now and have learned a thing or two. Yeah, I can be kind of slow somtimes. lol. One of the things a blog needs is to have your blog linked to other sites. Of course there are lots of ways to do it, and one way would be to visit other blogs, leave a comment, and ask for a linkback. That takes time, though, but it can be done. Another way would be to join a group of blogs which also have one thing in mind: get their blogs linked to other sites. Since I can't be glued to the internet and the computer 24/7, I think this route suits me best...and one family-friendly group that came highly recommended was BC Bloggers.

I will be submitting my link to their site today, and if you're interested, just click on the badge. Submission is until December 15th only. See you there! :)

Yeah.

... just thinking out loud. graphically. 8|

Bibingka over the Weekend

Had these a couple of weekends ago...bibingka. It tasted ok. Nothing spectacular, but it wasn't a downer either. It was relatively cheap...i think it was around Php25 per piece. I would probably buy a couple or so again. Got three to take home and had that together with coffee. :)

post shared over at:
Weekend Eating by Jenn

Food Friday

The lucky Featured in Friday player for this week is........

Ms. Jean who blogs over at Ms. Yummylicious with her blog post:
Hainanese Chicken Chop @ Gastro Cafe, SS15 Subang Jaya

Hainanese Chicken Chop in generous black pepper sauce with crispy potato wedges.....YUMMMMY!  I have always been interested in other Asian dishes and the black pepper sauce has been one of those that really interests me. Looking at that shot, my hands are itching to grab the chicken and take a big bite! But, that's not the only yummylicious food shot that Jean is offering us...you should check out her Yummy-licious blog and find her other yummy posts and personal recipes as well! 

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My food post for today is something simple and light: Spinach Fettuccine with Chicken and Olives.

Ingredients used:

• spinach fettuccine
• chicken breast fillets (marinated then cut into medium sized cubes)
• olives (I used black)
• olive oil, butter, cheese (cheddar)
• salt, pepper, tomatoes and garlic (diced)
• toasted sesame seeds (optional)

olives, tomatoes, garlic, and marinated chicken breast

My procedure:

• Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil in pan, then add a bit of butter. Dump in the cubed breast fillets. Stir occasionally, then add pepper, salt.
• Add the diced garlic and tomatoes; after a few minutes add the olives.
• Dump everything on the cooked fettuccine. Mix.
• You may add some more olive oil if it looks dry.
• Top with cheese and sesame seeds (optional).

My plate, minus the cheese

It was a nice snack; both my sons and I liked it. But I would have liked it more if I added a bunch of fresh basil leaves! ^_^


Reminder: Please link back here (you may use the Food Friday buttons located on the right sidebar) if you're playing... and don't forget to visit other players as well and leave them some comment love! thank you.♥

*if you have problems with linking, do send me a message (or make a comment below) since I might be able to help...would hate to miss a food post from you! <3

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