Beef Caldereta (my version)

One of the Filipino dish that my husband really loves is beef caldereta.  He said the best beef caldereta that he had was the one served at Mina's Restaurant in Hagonoy, Bulacan.  This time though he said mine is closer to the caldereta of Mina's....so that means I'm improving? hahhaha.   Kaldereta is originally a goat stew made with tomato sauce, potatoes, spices, liver spread, olives, bell peppers and hot peppers. Originally...

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Leslie's Bulaluhan Restaurant

Tagaytay is not only famous because of view of Taal Lake and Volcano, Tagaytay Highlands and it's cool temperature.  It is also well known because of the cattle produce that it has.  It is equally famous for its bulaluhan restaurants.  Leslie's Restaurant which is located along Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay is quite known for its bulalo.  When you enter the restaurant, you will immediately notice the big bowls of...

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Baked Fish Fillet in Lemon and Olive Oil

Living in Australia makes me crave a lot for tilapya, bangus, asuhos, sapsap, aligasin etc.  I miss the pangat with tomatoes and oil cooked by my father when he was still around.  I guess that's our easy and cheap dish to cook that's why we would always have it.  In Hagonoy, fish and other seafoods are not a problem.  Even if you do not go to the palengke (market) at the town center, street vendors will come to your house selling...

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Pasta Carbonara

Carbonaro is an Italian word which means charcoal burner.   Italians believe that this noodle dish was first made for Italian charcoal workers.   There was even a suggestion that it was made to give tribute to  Carbonari which means "charcoalmen", a secret society prominent in the unification of Italy. It was first described after the war a Roman dish, when many Italians were eating eggs and bacon supplied by...

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Cinnamon Roll ala Cinnabon

Have you ever had cinnamon roll in the morning with a cup or tea or coffee?  It's completely heaven!  There are various bakeshop or cafe where you can buy this lovely sweet pastry.  My favourite is definitely Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls although the price is a bit dear but it's worth it.  In the Philippines, The French Bakers is also a good place to buy cinnamon.  According to what I have read, this delightful pastry originated...

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Pan Fried T-Bone Steak

Aussies love steaks a lot and my husband is no exception.  One thing I noticed when steaks are prepared, only salt and pepper are added to the meat. My husband and I would always try to experiment with condiments to make the steaks tastes different when we have them.  This time the easiest to do it is to add paprika.  Paprika is a spice made from grinding dried capcicum or chilli peppers. Ingredients: paprika salt pepper Procedure: Heat...

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How well do you know your steak? Part 1

Raw Uncooked meat like in carpaccio dish Very Rare The type of steak known as Pittsburgh Rare, bloody rare/hell.  It is just seared outside but quite rare inside and barely warm. Rare A rare steak is red inside. Its center is warm, but not much more.  The outside is grey brown but the middle is pure red and just about slightly warm.  Press on your forearm near the elbow to simulate the springyness of a rare steak.(52 °C or 126 °F core temperature) Medium rare A medium rare steak is red in the center but completely heated....

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Crab, Corn and Pea Soup

Last night, I was supposed to cook a crab and corn soup but unfortunately all the crab and soup recipes need corn kernel in heavy syrup (which I don't have). Since it was too late for my hubby to go to the shops to buy me a tin of corn kernel, I had to use whatever we had in the pantry and fridge. I decided to use the corn and peas packet and it turned out really good. So, instead of having crab and corn soup, we ended up having crab, corn and...

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Stir - fry Beef and Veggies

When you are a stay at home mum, most of your time would be spend on caring for the kids, cooking and cleaning (which is not my forte so I leave this one to my husband haha!). So, anyway, I remember cooking this one when I ran out of ideas on what to cook. This is quite an easy dish so I am sure anyone can cook this one. Ingredients: 1/2 K beef, strips500 g of mixed winter veggies10 pcs of good young corn (if there are none in your winter veggie...

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Honey Apricot Loaf

I've got this recipe from That's Life, an Australian magazine. I did a little change in the measurement of dried apricots. Instead of using 3/4 C, I used 1 C. I've been forgetting to buy a medium sized loaf pan so I have to use a bigger one. This is the reason why I had to adjust the baking time. Instead of 40 - 45 minutes, I baked the loaf for 30 minutes.  I love apricots! They taste similar to mangoes so I am thinking that may be I would...

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Dads and Kamayan/Saisaki

One the most memorable restaurants that my husband and I went to is Dad's Kamayan Saisaki, located along West. Ave. Quezon City (Philippines).  Right after we had our civil marriage ceremony at Quezon City Hall, we had the ultimate buffet at Dad's  together with my family.  We had booked the seats 4 days before the event but we forgot to tell the staff that we wanted a private room. The staff was very helpful when we got there. (click...

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