bangus sarciado..


For lunch this Good Friday, we had this yummy creation.. a good way to enjoy fish and to nourish the soul too.  I bought bangus yesterday at the market together with some fruits. First thing is to defrost since it was in the fridge overnight. Then season with salt and pepper. Fry until golden brown and set aside. Slice up some onions and tomatoes then sautee in a new pan with hot oil. Add water and let boil, then mix into it one beaten egg. Then add into the pan the fried bangus pieces, let simmer. Season to taste with salt or patis. The tails of the bangus i kept in a container, to be used for my pinakbet in a day or two..



pritong paksiw, ensalada at pulang kanin


Galunggong has always been one of my favorites, it being so tasty even when plain fried. Thus my disgust when imported ones flooded the market coming from China. The imported ones were flat and tasteless, while the good ones are rounded. So when going to the market, check our authentic galunggong and don't be charmed by vendors who sell the imported ones. Imported is not always of the best quality.

To enhance its flavor, i decided to cook it as paksiw then fry afterwards. The idea of paksiw or cooking in vinegar originated from the early Philippine kitchen, when refrigerators were unheard of. After cleaning a kilo of this fish, arrange it in a shallow pan, sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper. Chop up some ginger and garlic, add together with three pieces of siling haba. Pour 1/2 cup each of vinegar and water. Bring to a boil. Simmer in low heat for 10 minutes. Let it cool before frying.

This we had for lunch the next day, together with ensaladang kamatis at sibuyas. Tomatoes are cheap in the market this summer time, selling for 20/kilo. This ensalada is made up of de-seeded and chopped tomatoes and chopped onions. I mixed together soy sauce, sugar, salt, black pepper and vinegar, pour and mix it all up. Let is stand for 15 minutes.

Serve with red rice, enjoy! :)



baguio beans and spam


This is one way to enjoy Baguio beans :

Open a can of Spam Garlic flavor, divide into two, keep one half in the fridge for breakfast. The other half, dice and brown in oil, remove from pan and set aside. Prep up some onions, tomatoes and the beans.

Saute onions and tomatoes until it becomes pasty, then add beans. Add a cup of water, let it simmer. Season with salt, pepper and oyster sauce according to taste. When it starts to boil, add the spam cubes, turn down heat and continue simmering until beans are cooked.  Top on rice and enjoy!

One's visit to the Cool City would not be complete without savoring our vegetables, which by the way are grown in neighboring towns surrounding the city. If you're a tourist wanting to eat at authentic local places, soon i will post places to eat while in Baguio and Benguet. :)


plump, lovely tomatoes!


On a beautiful Sunday, after hearing mass at the Baguio Cathedral, we strolled down to the Market to buy some fruits. This after bargaining with Ethan that i buy him strawberries instead of the occasional "chinese food" treat, siomai. So off we went, bought a pineapple and half a kilo of strawberries at 50 each.
These gem of Tomatoes were tucked away in a corner in one of the rice stalls, couldn't help but ask how much. Lo and behold, it sells P25 a kilo!
So there i was happy as a child with my bag of tomatoes, my mind already picturing it soaking in the goodness of my home made vinaigrette...
Indeed, its sweetness was heightened by the flavors of the vinaigrette. We had this for lunch, over warm rice and a can of Century corned tuna.
Simple and exciting flavors!

eating to a healthy heart


 This bowl of concoction is what adults in the house (me, hubby and Papa) have started eating for weeks now. Its my own mix of old fashioned rolled oats, instant oats, low fat milk and fruits on the side. Salt and sugar may be added as to preference. Plain water may be added in place of milk. The mix of oats gives it texture, add some chopped nuts too.

Oats are a good source of fiber needed by our body, milk does us good but if you don't want the added calories go for low or non-fat, and fruits abound in our market, do yourself a favor by chowing down on fruits this summer..papaya, guyabano, melon, watermelon, pineapple, strawberries and mangoes. People would say fruits are expensive, but exchanging other processed food you eat in a day to a serving of fruit does more good. May not be an easy switch, but practice may lead to a healthy habit.. Cheers to Life! :)

white beans & sausage..



Beans are a staple food in an Igorot's diet, be it dried or fresh ones. It goes well with our etag or kinuday. The reason being it supplies the needed energy by the body in order to plow the rice fields or tend to our vegetable gardens. Also for the cold climate that we have, the energy supplied by beans help keep our bodies warm. White beans is one variety common to us, cooked into the famous pork and beans.

These white kidney beans i bought from old ladies who say it was harvested all the way from Sadanga, Mt. Province. These are the kind which are unbleached and not stored for  long. It was just the right thing to cook for my friend Lucille who requested for an easy dish.

 This is a one-pot-dish, slowcooked starting from softening the beans, then adding chicken sausage or longganisa as we call it, bought from a Magnolia chicken station at Sunshine supermart. The flavor from the sausage was enough to enhance the beans, i only added salt, no sauteeing needed. Then last to go in are the pechay leaves, bought from the SIHM store at the Porta Vaga parking lot. Cabbage or wombok may be added instead. The flavors from the sausage mixed with the creaminess of the soup makes for a yummy dinner.. Enjoy!






kids' breakfast...

 
Tuesday morning as i prepare hubby's breakfast of oatmeal and non-fat milk, Troy wakes up, comes out of the bedroom and greets us good morning. Then he asks his dad for some "choco-weit", which is how he calls his formula milk. After prepping up a bottle, hubby gamely hands it to him and suddenly he frowns... dad: huh? you don't like? troy: no! spaggenti!
 mom & dad: uh-oh!.... funny, he must've dreamt of pasta in his sleep!

So there i was quickly thinking of what to cook for my boys. Luckily, a pack of penne pasta was at hand together with ingredients for cream sauce which i plan to use. Dad heaved a sigh of relief on hearing me assure  Troy that pasta indeed he's gonna have for breakfast.
After finishing our oatmeal and kissing our goodbyes to their Dad who's off to work, i set down to cook.

The sauce for this dish consists of: 
1 box cream
1 can tuna
1/2 cup grated cheese
3 pcs. hotdog chopped
dash of mustard
1 small head onion chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 carrots, coarsely grated
1/2 cup fresh milk
salt, dried basil and pepper to taste.

Pasta was cooked as to directions. First to saute is garlic, then onions followed by hotdogs, then carrots. Pour in the tuna and cream, stir to simmer then add the cheese and mustard. Season to taste. Simmer in low fire. Pour onto the cooled pasta, mix and enjoy! just like my boys did.. :)