Ube (Violet Yam)

Desserts are my wife's specialty. I'm really not a dessert person though lately i've been experimenting with making cakes. Making Ube from scratch is not easy and before we even bought those large roots i made sure my wife knew what she was getting into. Though i'm not really familiar with the steps on how to make ube halaya, i do know that it involves a lot of mixing. I wasn't feeling well that day and i wasn't even able to help her mix. I did however, give her hands and arms a massage later that evening. :)

The Ube turned out great! Just the right texture and sweetness.

Sweet & Sour Lapu-Lapu Fillet

This is the other dish i prepared for dinner together with the Fried Lumpiang Togue. This morning, me and my wife went to the market to buy some Lapu-Lapu (Grouper), and also got some Bangus (Milkfish) and Tawilis (Sardinella). Two whole Lapu-Lapus were cooked into Steamed Soy Lapu-Lapu for lunch, while i had one deboned. I really wanted to cook Sweet & Sour Lapu Lapu for quite a while, and today, i just went for it.

One thing i usually do when cooking is i hardly measure the ingredients i put unless i'm following a recipe. If the dish, like this one, is something i read about or am familiar with i just use my imagination and keep on tasting it while i cook.

With my version of Sweet & Sour Lapu-Lapu Fillet, i seasoned the fillet in salt and pepper then lightly coated it with corn starch and left it for about 20 minutes. I then dipped them in beaten eggs then flour and deep fried them till GBD (Golden Brown and Delicious - as Alton Brown would say).

For the sauce, in hot oil i added garlic, 1 red onion, slices of ginger, 1 bell pepper, some soy sauce, tomato sauce. After a minute or so, i some apple cider vinegar, water, carrots, tomatoes, pineapple tidbits, onion leeks and honey.

Everytime, i finish cooking, there's this feeling of anxiety when i call the family to eat. I always hope that they like what i prepared and waiting for a sign of approval is something i silently do. Well, eating a lot of it definitely is a sign apart from "Sarap ah!". :)

Fried Lumpiang Togue (Spring Rolls)

Lumpia is relatively easy do, but definitely easy to cook. When i sometimes can't figure out what to cook, it's comforting to know that i have this in the freezer. We made around 30 pieces this afternoon, had some for dinner and the rest went into the freezer.

Fried Asuhos (Silver Sillago)

I attended a wedding anniversary party at Cafe Juanita and one of the dishes served was Fried Asuhos with crab fat. I'm not really a fish person, though i enjoyed eating this, though i'm not sure if it's because of the crab fat. ;)

Seeing some frozen Asuhos at Cold Storage in Rustan's Supermarket, i decided to do it myself, without the crab fat. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, some freshly squeezed lemon then covered it in flour, eggs and japanese bread crumbs.

We had this for dinner and was good even without the crab fat. Ketchup or pickled mayo will do.

Chicken, Ham & Potato Casserole

I was stuck with lots of Christmas ham over the holidays and was thinking of recycling them into a different dish. I got inspiration from Connie of pinoycook.net when she did her Chicken, Ham & Potato Pie. I got some chicken fillet, Christmas ham and pepperoni sauteed them in butter with garlic, onion and bell pepper. Added a can of mushroom soup, topped it with mashed potatoes and cheese then straight to the oven for a few minutes. I brought some to the office and everyone enjoyed it!

Hotdogs with Basil in Ketchup

This dish can easily pass for a meal or "pulutan". I had a lot hotdog leftovers from my daughter's birthday party and decided to turn it into something a little more interesting. I got this from a friend a couple of years ago and have been making it eversince. It's basically sliced hotdogs sauteed in butter and onions mixed with dried parsley, paprika and ketchup. If you want it spicy, just add some chili powder/peppers/sauce.

Mangga at Bagoong

If there's one appetizer that really gets my family's appetite going, it has to be semi-ripened mangoes and fermented shrimp paste or locally known as the popular "mangga at bagoong".