Almond Caramel Tarts (Boat Tarts if you have boat molds)

The boat tarts in Goldilocks is one of their best sellers.  The sweetness of the filling and the crunchiness of the cashew makes them really yummy.  When I was still single, I would always make them in our house in Sagrada and everyone loved the tarts.  I had this Maya Baking Book that I was using then but unfortunately someone borrowed it and had forgotten to return the book to me. I have been trying to look for its recipe on the...

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Nilagang Baka (Pinoy Beef Stew)

Who would not know how to cook nilaga in the Philippines?  Apart from the popular adobo and sinigang, nilagang baka is a popular dish that Filipinos cook for their loved ones.  It is especially a favourite when the weather is cool. but for some or most of the Filipinos, nilaga is cooked only on special days --- Sundays, Christmas or New Year.  Beef is quite expensive in the Philippines. (I could not believe that...

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Know your pork cuts

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Sushi Rolls

I suddenly craved for sushi rolls or califonia maki when I saw the Nori Seaweed and wasabi at IGA.  When we got home I told my husband maybe I'll make some sushi rolls.  That would mean he had to go back and buy arborio rice and mangoes!  I still have my crab meat in the freezer and rice wine vinegar in my pantry so that wouldn't be a problem anymore.  Making sushi rolls is not really that...

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Selling Hopia atbp

I love eating hopyang munggo when I was a kid.  I still love them.  When we visited the Philippines last year, I made sure I got a pack of hopiang baboy at the Hagonoy Market (at the old palengke or market). I don't know why it was a bit difficult to find them then.  Do people still eat them?  Well anyway, my husband was wondering why there's this sense of urgency for me to buy hopia.  Hmmm maybe he forgot that the...

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Seafood Marinara Spaghetti

My husband bought a mixed seafood packet in a box the other day.  I was wondering what am I going to do with it because the prawns and squids in the mix were quite small.  I would not buy them if we have fresh ones here.  How I miss the fresh seafood in Hagonoy!  Because of their sizes, I can only use them as panghalo or just a flavouring for my dishes.  Then I remember the seafood spaghetti that I have had before in the...

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Sinulog 2012

Sinulog Festival, Cebu (Photos contributed by Lilia Visande) A comment or two will be appreciated...

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Pinoy BBQ Kids

My niece and nephew enjoying grilling the pork bbq. A comment or two will be appreciated...

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Selling Mussels, Paros etc

My barrio, Sagrada, is one of the coastal areas of Hagonoy where most people would have jobs related to the sea or fishponds -- building boats (like norways, a big fishing vessel), building fishponds like doing pagtatambak (workers would be called mananambak of whose job would be building the fishpond enclosure called pilapil in Tagalog) or pamamanti (fishing using fishnet...leaving it in the waters where fish would be trap, mamamanti would go back...

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Beef Siomai (repost)

I have always loved eating siomai with all gusto!  It can be served as an appetizer or entree and even the main course and it will still be lovely.  When I was still working at Miriam College in the Philippines, I would always order siomai at the cafetorium.  You have the option to buy the ordinary pork siomai or get the one with the quail egg on it.  The soy sauce with chilli dip is just so nice to go with the siomai. ...

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Samalamig

If there is one drink that I would always remember drinking as a young kid, that would be "samalamig."  I guess every kid in the province would remember this one better than the juice from the grocery stores.  The word samalamig or palamig comes from the word lamig (cold).  It is usually very saleable during summer time in the Philippines. The usual palamig would have sweetened or caramelised sago (tapioca) and gulaman...

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Simple Bacon and Cheese Quiche

The first time I had a quiche, it was a vegetable quiche ( I can not remember though what veggies were present in the quiche. All I know is that that quiche was really yummy) at a house of our family friends.  From then on my husband would always buy the ready made quiche from the shop.  To probably not make it a boring dish, he would buy different kinds of quiche.  A quiche is an open pastry type of dish similar to a pie.  Well...

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Oven Temperature Conversion

C F GAS 110 225 1/4 120/130 250 1/2 140 275 1 150 300 2 160/170 325 3 180 350 4 190 375 5 200 400 6 220 425 7 230 450 8 240 475 9 A comment or two will be appreciated...

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The Chocolate Kiss Cafe

I  can not remember how many times have I gone to "The Chocolate Kiss Cafe" in UP Diliman when I was still working in Quezon City. Just the thought of going to this lovely cafe cum restaurant would always make me smile.  I can still imagine how lucious Classic Chocolate Cake they offer...the richness of the taste of the Chicken Quesadillas....

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Sweet and Spicy Hoisin Chicken Wings

This is one of my family's favourite.  The spiciness and the sweetness brought by the honey makes this dish really yummy.  Most of the recipes I see online or in my cookbooks would not include honey in its ingredients. But I want to try something different so I added pure honey to it and the result was really good.  Hoisin sauce is also called Haxian sauce is a Chinese dipping sauce.   Traditionally, it is...

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