Quick Meatball Stir Fry Dinner

Today's dinner was an easy to fix meal for 5. I had half a bag of frozen meatballs from IKEA, 2 large bell peppers and 1 large sweet onion, so I searched for a recipe with these ingredients. From the three recipes that I liked, I ended up using this one from Yummly (how can you go wrong when the site is named like that?):

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Garlic-Pork-Meatball-Stir-Fry-1046232

I did the following changes:

1. Halved the soy sauce and rice vinegar (to reduce sodium)

2. Used 1.5tbsp of cornstarch

3. No green onions on hand, so I used a whole giant sweet onion instead

4. No sesame seeds :(

5. 1.5tsp of hot chili oil for a tiny kick (which my husband did not detect, because he lives by sriracha)

6. Used 2 green bell peppers because those were what I had

Here's the end result:

Mmm :) next time I'll try a homemade chicken meatball recipe with this, and hopefully I'll have sesame seeds and green onions by then hehehe!

Happy cooking!

Lotsa love,

Julie P.

Lay's Do Us A Flavor 2015 Finalists: A Review

Hi, everyone! I still have to finish moving into our house and also get my PC from my family's place, so I'll post about food (which is easier to talk about, am I right?). Hopefully this will be enough to tide you over and give me adequate time to write a well-thought out series of posts about our suppliers and our whirlwind of a wedding :)

Lay's potato chips. I grew up being deprived of snacks when I was a kid, being sickly and all, so you can imagine how fast I scarfed down junk food whenever I had the chance! Growing up I tried to be on the healthier side of life by allowing myself to snack in small portions, and trained myself not to indulge in one of God's greatest creations: the fried potato. Fries and chips are my Achilles' heel, especially if the fries are made fresh (bonus: a sprinkle of Old Bay seasoning) and the chips are the sweet barbeque kind. Enter the Lay's "Do Us A Flavor" contest that began to run yearly since 2013. These days my kryptonite is Wasabi Ginger, the winner of their 2014 contest, which perfectly balanced the kick of wasabi, ginger and soy sauce onto thick, kettle cooked chips. Thank goodness their large bags aren't as large as their normal ones, or else that one time I ate a whole bag for dinner would have ended in disaster (don't worry, I ate healthy afterwards). Lay's, stop stocking Safeway! (Not really, no, I just have to learn to eat this in moderation).

This year's flavor finalists are as diverse as the previous years'. Needless to say, my coworkers and I (no, they're not chip connoiseurs, just your average chip-loving Americans) have mostly the same views on each flavor. They'll never top my love for Wasabi Ginger chips, though!

1. Kettle Cooked Greektown Gyro

This was the least favorite. It didn't conjure images of the beloved gyro for us, instead it was the last one to be finished, if someone did finish the last few chips it had when I last saw it in our break room. It was tangy and the smell was not appetizing at all - you're better off just eating the real thing at your favorite Greek place even if it's a couple of miles away. We're still boggled by the fact that this was a finalist, much like when we scratched our heads at how Mango Salsa and Cappuccino were able to get through the internal voting process at Lay's. Ick, such a waste of potatoes.

Score: 1 out of 5

2. Wavy West Coast Truffle Fries

Ever since truffle oil started popping up everywhere (if it's cheap then it's most probably faux/synthetic), I've been wanting to try the expensive French variety that sells for $100/1oz at Amazon (but of course I can never bring myself to buy those as-expensive-as-gold slivers of mushroom). Quite honestly, I felt that this flavor was a bit of a cheat since it's already originally on another version/cut/form of fried potato. I didn't get the truffle at all, and we all agreed that it actually tasted vaguely of sour cream and onion, albeit a lighter version of the much-loved flavor. We did manage to finish the bag, but it's nothing I would buy again when I go to the grocery store.

Score: 3 out of 5

3. New York Reuben

This was one of the office favorites, they said that it had all the notes of the Reuben down pat. Some have said that the sauerkraut flavor is too overwhelming and lingers on your palate, but since I haven't had the chance to try the real sandwich, I'm left with the option of just going with what everyone had to say. I can definitely taste the corned beef and the tanginess of the sauerkraut, with just a hint of cheese.

Score: 4 out of 5

4. Southern Biscuits and Gravy

This was also a crowd favorite, invoking memories of big family dinners, or for immigrants like me, road trip lunches at the nearest Cracker Barrel. The thin chips carried a perfect balance of the smoky and peppery flavor of sausages (one of the key ingredients in white gravy), the creaminess of gravy, and a hint of buttery biscuit (side note: biscuits, which in the Philippines/UK means the harder version of cookies/digestives, while in the US the term is used for buttery, crumbly and savory confections usually paired with fried chicken). This was a win-win: someone forgot they were eating the last 1/4 of the bag until he demolished it.

Score: 4 out of 5

There you have it, I hope you get to enjoy the newest batch of Lay's chips (and sneak a lap or two around your neighborhood while you're at it)! As always, eat in moderation :)

P.S.

Wasabi Ginger is love!

Love lots,

Julie P.

Late Post: Easter 2014

Easter is a beautiful celebration of life, love and salvation. Thus I decided to honor this holy day by making a zesty, tasty Lemon Bundt Cake and a huge pan of Asian Noodle Salad. We also had lovely Spring weather so I was finally able to wear this beaut of a dress from H&M which I bought eons ago :)

The first time I heard of the bundt cake was from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Here's the hilarious clip to refresh your memory:

Bundt cakes are named so because of the pan they're baked in, which characteristically has a hole/tube in the middle (this provides for a more even heat distribution). They're easier to divide, and everyone will have an equal amount of frosting area/slice! Hurrah! Although I am warning you, if you slather a thick type of frosting on top, it will look like a giant doughnut. More on that in the next post ;)

Alas, dear reader, I forgot which recipe I used, so I'm posting links to similar ones instead. Here's the cake I made :) (so good, you have to try it!)

"Lemme At It" Lemon Bundt Cake

I sprinkled gold sugar and lemon zest on top of the lemon-flavored frosting for a touch of whimsy :)

http://pixelatedcrumb.com/2011/07/17/lemon-bundt-cake/
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/lemon-bliss-cake-recipe
http://foxeslovelemons.com/meyer-lemon-bundt-cake-vanilla-bean-icing/#_a5y_p=1386218

Asian Noodle Salad

I first had this when my Ma took home some leftovers from an Asian-themed lunch party that my little bro had at his old school. It was love at first bite, I can tell you that - I'm a huge fan of noodles, sesame oil and veggies, and this was a wicked combination of those three! I decided to try out the promising "Dang Cold Asian Noodle Salad" recipe by Guy Fieri from the show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" (where he samples food from mom-and-pop places in the ol' US of A). What I love about this dish is that it is so easy to prepare! Soba noodles (made with buckwheat flour) take just 6 minutes to cook, and you basically just mix the noodles with the sauce and veggies. The End. Here it is paired with a drumstick from Bon Chon:

And the link to the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/dang-cold-asian-noodle-salad-recipe.html

That's all for now, my bed is telling me that it's time to catch some Zzz's! I hope I dream of oodles of bowls of noodles and plates of lemony bundt goodness *sigh*

Ta-ta for now and God bless you!

Special thanks to Jomar for being my sous-chef, you were sous-perb!

A Pink Baby Shower

Early last year, I, with the help of my lovely friends, threw a pink themed baby shower for my cousin! It took me a long time to organize, mainly because I wanted to DIY everything (fueled by nonstop Pinterest searches, of course), but the end results and the smile on my cousin's face made all the effort worth it :)

The cake:

I used fresh strawberries for both the cake base and the icing (I didn't need to use pink dye for the icing!), because I wanted to harness the flavor of the actual fruit instead of relying on artificial flavoring. The cake was a bit denser than usual due to the added sugar (the strawberries I used were on the tart side), but it was so lovely to look at and the icing was so delish - I was very, very, very tempted to eat it by the spoonful. Not the greatest idea since I used 100% butter. Mmm.

The cake topper:

I cut up tiny baby clothes out of printed board paper (about $1 each at Joann) and attached matching pink felt shapes to the back to weigh it down. I used cake dowels to anchor the clothesline, clipped the baby clothes on, and voila! A super cute, inexpensive and specially-made cake topper to celebrate my future niece's birth :)

The banner:

Pictured below is the actual spread for the dessert table. I cut out letters from copy paper then pasted them onto the rest of my pink board paper. It's pretty easy and definitely less expensive than pre-made banners at party supply stores :)

The sweets:

My giveaways were marshmallows and pretzels dipped in  pink dye-tinted white chocolate, plus strawberry flavored cookies. Tip: white chocolate tends to harden really fast, so I added a few drops of vegetable oil to the melted chocolate. That gave me enough time to dip and swirl the marshmallows and pretzels into the chocolate then press gold sugar  onto them. I then put the goodies into little plastic baggies and gave them out at the end of the party :)

My co-host (and owner of the house where the party was held) also bakes on the side, and she whipped up vanilla cream cheese cupcakes in an instant. Sooooo good!

The Extra Decor:

From the stack of differently-hued pink board paper, I cut up and pasted together these huge paper flowers, which I placed all over my co-host's living room.

The Games:

I had a bunch of games and activities for both the adults and the youngsters.

-Stick the pacifier on the baby. I drew a cartoon of a sleeping baby on copy paper using markers, then drew several pacifiers for each contestant.

-Guess the celebrity baby. Pretty self-explanatory, I used my tablet for the before and after pictures.

-Draw a baby's face on a paper plate. The twist is you put the plate on top of your head, and the cutest (or probably the better word would be comprehensible) drawing wins.

-Write your wishes for the baby. I cut out stars from plain pink board paper, then placed them on a table with a pen and a bowl for the stars that had been written on. You can compile them in a scrapbook for the mommy-to-be after the shower.

-Guess the number of cookies in the jar. This one's for the kids and it kept them occupied for a while. Also works with gumballs, chocolate kisses, etc.

All in all, we had a fun and memorable day. If you're going to plan for a similar party, just remember this: don't sweat the small stuff! Make the best out of any bad situations that will surely pop up (nothing is perfect, after all), and just have a great time with your loved ones :)

Have a blessed day!

<3,

Anyone Can Cook!

I am not a naturally gifted cook. I can't whip up an edible dish from seemingly incompatible ingredients like the talented contestants on the show Chopped (case in point: an appetizer made out of chicken wings, soba noodles, celery, and string cheese). I am learning though, and even if I know I will never be able to cook like a Michelin-starred chef, with persistence, practice, and the help of numerous recipes on the world wide web, I can finally bring real food to gatherings and also stop relying on microwaveable meals (have you seen the ingredient list on those things? Most of the meat products are full of fillers and flavor enhancers, yet they still taste blah). Cooking at home will not only save you money, it will also help you if you're trying to eat healthier (try to search for dishes that aren't fried, and have plenty of vegetables incorporated into them). Whenever I don't feel like cooking, I try to remember Chef Gausteau's line in one of my favorite movies, Ratatouille: "Anyone can cook!"

And of course, who could forget the scene where Remy fixes the soup that Linguini botches? It makes you want to get up from your computer chair and start cooking up a storm. Mmm :)

This entry is a compilation of dishes whose pictures I've uploaded on Instagram in the past few weeks, and if you're in a cooking rut I hope you'll find one in this list that'll help you get out of it. Click the name to go to the recipe. Enjoy and happy cooking!

Jamaican Style Chicken Curry - c/o Marchessa from Snapguide.com

Note: I added carrots and peas to this dish <3

Pineapple Chicken by Panlasang Pinoy

Chicken Meatball Soup with Rice Noodles by kawalingpinoy.com

Honey-Nut Chicken

Asian-Marinated Baked Chicken by Amy via Chow.com

Wishing you a fruitful and safe week ahead,

Blueberry Cheesecake Bites!

The first time I had a mini blueberry cheesecake was when my mom's friend started gifting us with a box full of this addicting dessert whenever Christmas rolled by. Ever since that fateful day, I would wait in eager anticipation to sink my teeth into this delectable masterpiece, savoring each and every bite until the box was empty (of course, I had to fight tooth and nail with my older brother for the last piece hehehe!). Little did I know that it was incredibly easy to make, which is a good thing or else I would have spent my lunch money on buying ingredients to bake it myself whenever I craved for its blueberry/cheesy goodness. Make it for a bridal shower (which I did for my friend's surprise tea party-themed shower) and for any other gathering that requires you to bring something sweet :)

Head over to talentadongchef.wordpress.com to get the recipe!

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups crushed graham crackers
1 stick butter, melted
3 T white sugar

Cheesecake:
2 bars of 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2 t vanilla
1/2 t fine salt
1 21-oz can of blueberry pie filling/topping

Taken during the bridal shower <3

#nofilter #yum #instafood

Happy baking!

<3,

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

I made this for New Year's Eve upon Mama's request, and let me tell you, it was gone in two days (mostly due to Ma and my lil bro hehehe!). I froze a slice for a friend of mine so it will stay fresh, and he said it was still delish :) The cheesecake part is not too sweet and not too heavy, which will probably make you want to sneak in another slice ;). This recipe's definitely a keeper!

Notes:

-The key to this one is, since you use fresh strawberries, that they be as ripe as possible. If you are going to make this at the last minute like I did, check their ripeness by looking at the color (very vibrant red, minimal yellow area near the stem) and checking their fragrance (they should be REALLY fragrant. I guarantee you, if the scent is very faint, they will be sour and you would need to wait for them to ripen). Goodness knows I've had desserts with sliced fruits that were still tangy/sour, and the lack of sweetness killed what would have been a perfect dessert.

-That's it! The recipe is really easy to follow, and if you want it to have that extra level of YUM, use a chocolate graham cracker crust (mine was from Keebler). Heavenly!

Did you know that strawberries are a member of the rose family?

Glaze. So much sweet, shiny homemade glaze. Yum.

Strawberries are one of God's best creations.

Save a slice for someone. They will definitely smile all day after eating it :)

Recipe from southernfood.about.com

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

9-inch graham cracker crust, baked

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs until thick and light yellow. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and the flour, beating until blended. Pour the egg mixture into a measuring cup.

In the same bowl, beat cream cheese with a small amount of the evaporated milk until smooth. Add remaining milk, the lemon juice, and the grated lemon peel; beat until smooth and well blended. Pour egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture; beat just until blended.

Pour mixture into the graham cracker crust. Bake at 325° for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Strawberry Glaze

1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

few drops red food coloring, optional

Cut 10 to 12 strawberries in half; arrange in a single layer, cut side down, over the cooled cheesecake. Crush enough remaining strawberries to make 1/3 cup; put in saucepan. Stir in 1/3 cup water and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Press through a strainer to make 1/2 cup of puree. Return the 1/2 cup puree to the saucepan. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch and stir into the puree in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and stirring until thickened and clear. Add food coloring, if desired. Cool slightly; spoon evenly over strawberries on cheesecake. Cool and store, covered, in refrigerator.

Arrivederci and have a wonderful week ahead! (P.S. it's Restaurant Week next week, there might still be reservations left. Hurry! Go here to check the list of restaurants in your area: ramw.org/restaurantweek)

<3,

Christmas 2013: Family, Food and Fashion

Hi! How was your Christmas break? Mine's been quite fruitful so far, and I'm trying to squeeze in as much bonding time as I can with my family since some of them will be flying back to California on the 4th of January. That's why this is going to be a super quick post since I am also in the middle of doing some errands and spending quality time with them :) I sincerely hope you had a great one and wish that you'll enjoy celebrating the upcoming New Year! I've got a feeling that 2014 will be magical for you and me :)

Food:

I made Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken for our Christmas Eve dinner. The bird was super tender and moist that when Mama was trying to remove one of the legs the meat literally fell right off the bone! I did my own thing with the gravy with chicken drippings, though, because I don't like using packaged chicken broth. It was very flavorful too, and I was smiling all throughout the time I was chopping herbs (thank you God for making them, they smell soooo good!). Follow the instructions for the oven temperature to a T because it's the secret to getting crispy skin and tender meat.

Tweaks:

1. I also roasted carrots and pearl onions with the potatoes. I had no baby potatoes on hand so I used red potatoes instead.

2. I used baby carrots to cut the peeling time by a huge chunk. Just slice them in half and place them in a bowl containing the potatoes and onions, then toss them with a fair amount of salt, pepper, olive oil, and chopped herbs.

3. I also made a paste from olive oil, a bit of melted butter, chopped herbs, salt and pepper. I rubbed a big portion of it between the skin and the breast meat (don't be scared that the skin will be ripped off, it's fairly easy to do and will help you get super moist and flavorful breast meat), then rubbed the rest all around the chicken. Make sure you get it between every nook and cranny to ensure that ALL parts of the chicken will taste delish :)

Here's the result:

The skin was very crispy and tasty. It reminded me of chicken from Max's, a popular restaurant in the Philippines.

Yummy! Oh, and here's the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/lemon-and-herb-roasted-chicken-with-baby-potatoes-recipe/index.html

For Christmas lunch with the extended family, I baked Chocolate Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese-Butter Pecan Frosting. The cake base lacked a bit of chocolate-y flavor and the frosting was a little on the sweet side, hopefully I'll remember to add more chocolate morsels and reduce the amount of powdered sugar the next time I make it. I might have to add a splash of milk too because the cream cheese flavor might be too much for some people.

Here it is with cake toppers inspired by this blog entry: http://ohhappyday.com/2013/12/christmas-forest-cake-topper/. I seriously wish I made more of these cute trees but I was already running late so I had to make do with just two pieces :( (the sour cream I bought just the other day had mold in it so I had to rush to the nearest grocery, and then in the middle of whipping the cream cheese, one of the whisk attachments on my electronic handheld beater broke. But whatever, I did not let those mishaps ruin my Christmas :) )

Here's the recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-velvet-cake-with-cream-cheese-butter-pecan-frosting-10000000554777/. The toasted pecans in the icing were DIVINE, they were like little crunchy, tasty surprises in every bite. I bought a huge bag of them for a much cheaper price at Costco :)

Fah-shion:

And here I am with a blue Candie's dress I bought from Kohl's during their recent Black Friday sale. The cut and color are very flattering, and the bow at the back adds cuteness without being overbearing. I balanced the girly look by wearing black semi-opaque tights and pairing the dress with black leather wedge booties from Nine West :) The tips of the boots are a little pointy and will help elongate anyone's legs, which is the reason why I love this silhouette so much! <3 Many thanks to Mama who took my pictures hehehe. My purse is from DKNY (c/o TJ Maxx, I love this place) and is reminiscent of Chanel's iconic quilted bag.

Whew! Now off I go to finish some other stuff and maybe put in some time watching Regular Show episodes with my not-so-lil bro :)

Toodle-oo!

<3,

Thanksgiving Meal For a Small Group

Grandiose Thanksgiving dinners are great, but take so much time to prepare. What if it's only you or two, maybe three people celebrating it together? Sure, it's nice to have a lot of leftovers, but I think that after five days of having nothing but different Turkey meat-based meals (or most probably, different versions of a turkey sandwich) you can't really blame a person for swearing off of eating turkey for a month or more. Which brings us to the topic of this post: a scaled-down Thanksgiving meal that won't eat up your precious, hard-earned holiday, but delicious enough to satisfy your binge-eating tendencies. Let me ask you this: how often have you regretted eating five plates of bland food from a buffet as compared to eating pricier, smaller-portioned yet perfectly-seasoned meal from a nice restaurant? Exactly. I've scoured the good ol' internet to bring you satisfying and easy-to-prepare recipes for a nice Thanksgiving meal. Prep these while watching a movie on your phone via Crackle or Netflix and sipping a nice glass of wine, or whichever way you choose that will make your short holiday memorable and enjoyable. Click on the title/link or the picture/video to get the recipe :)

Cornish Hens by Ina Garten

Cornish Game Hens with Garlic and Rosemary

Image taken from allrecipes.com

Roquefort Pear Salad

Image taken from allrecipes.com

Kale Salad with Butternut Squash And Almonds

Image taken from bonappetit.com

Braised Lamb with Roasted Squash and Onion Sauce

Image taken from bonappetit.com

Pie a la Apple

Image taken from http://domesticdilettante.com

Homemade Maple Pumpkin Pie

Image taken from tasteofhome.com

Dessert tips:

-Get the frozen tiramisu/cheesecake from Costco. Remember not to eat all of it in one sitting, ok? :)

-Go to your nearest farmer's market/local food stall. Near my area, we have Butler's Orchard, and they sell pies that you can finish baking at home. And boy, the smell wafting from the oven when you're baking it is just heaven. I think Costco sells them too.

Thanksgiving tip:

-After eating your meal and secretly burping, talk about what things/events you're thankful for :) If you're by yourself, then by all means write it down. It might help on days when you feel particularly low and need to be reminded of all the good that has happened to you.

P.S.
A funny read: 9 Thanksgiving Horror Stories

<3,

Winner Wednesday: Part Deux

Who doesn't love Filipino breakfasts? I certainly do, though for health reasons I don't eat it everyday (fruits or honey oats with almond milk are my usual go-to meals). But during those heavenly, glorious moments where I get to eat anything with -silog at the end ("si" is the shortened term for "sinangag" or garlic rice, and "log" for "itlog" or egg), be it longsilog ("longganisa" is a garlicky, oftentimes sweet sausage), bangusilog ("bangus" or milkfish), tocilog ("tocino" or sweet cured pork) or the best of them all (although my college freshman self would disagree, because there was a period where I ate nothing but tocilog for lunch at CASAA) TAPSILOG ("tapa," not to be confused with the Spanish "tapas," is cured/dried beef that can be either fried or grilled), OH MAN, I become giddy like a pre-teen in a 1D concert. Or maybe just regular ol' me in a Walk The Moon/John Mayer/Jason Mraz/Hanson concert.

The different "-silog"s

Photo by Norm R.

One particular memory I have is of weekend mornings where my Mama, who is not really a cook (but she is awesome in a lot of other things, and her specialty dishes and desserts are guaranteed hits at parties) would make for us the BEST TAPSILOG EVER. I have been dying to eat something similar to her take on the ubiquitous tapsilog (it actually spawned all the other -silog versions) but alas, every time I badgered her she tells me that her recipe got lost a couple of years back. *sigh* *grumble* Yes, that was from my protesting stomach. I remember how my older borther and I would fight over the crispy small pieces that had a higher marinade/sauce:meat ratio. Mmm. (Same goes for when my friends and I eat at Honey Pig hahaha) Her version was sweeter than usual (I most definitely got my sweet tooth from her) and cut into smaller portions, which made the meat pieces all the more tastier. And ahh, the garlic. This kind of food should not be eaten alone, lest you want other people to ask if your breath spray is named "Eau de Garlic" to which the appropriate response would be a long and breathy "OHHHHHH YEHHHSSSSSSSSS." I always say, it's better to stink as a whole group than by your lonesome because there is stench strength in numbers! :)) Thanks to the power of the world wide web and through my excellent and unparalleled detective skills (jk) I was able to track down the exact recipe for my Mama's tapsilog! I literally had to fight back tears of joy when I found it after a long and arduous search during my lunch break last week. Here's what I typed in:

Yes, I have a link to The Last Unicorn on my browser.

*facepalm* SO OBVIOUS. The first result was the one I used because it asks for copious amounts of sugar (usually it's only 2 tbsp. as opposed to this recipe's 6 tbsp.) and well, it just clicked. Ahh, serendipity <3 *cue music from a romantic movie* And as they say, the rest is history. It was all gobbled up by my friends in my church group, SFC. They were girls. They were girls with an insatiable appetite for Filipino breakfast food hahaha. Here it is (I can hear you say "finally, Julie, we were waiting for this for so long." Or you might not have read any of the above and skipped to the recipe, for which I will be very disappointed because I poured my heart, blood, tears and neurons into this blog post. *cries* Just kidding.):

TAPSILOG

(say it with me: "tap" like in "tap water" but faster + "si" like the Spanish word for "yes" and "log" like dog but with an L)

Many, many thanks to pinoycookingrecipes.com for making my taste buds happy <3

Garlic Fried Rice / Sinangag (scene-na-ngag)

(the simplest way is to fry a lot of minced garlic until it is about to get crispy, add salt, then add day-old refrigerated rice (this makes it less sticky))

Fried Egg

(I add a bit of water to the egg and cover it so that the resulting steam will cook the top part but the method below is an easier way to make sunny side up :) )

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb beef sirloin, thinly sliced

Marinade:

• 3 1/2 tbsp vinegar

• 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp salt

• 6 tbsp white sugar

• 1 tsp ground back pepper

• 1 head garlic, minced

• cooking oil for frying

Cooking Directions: Combine marinade. Stir well. Arrange meat in a container or ziploc bag. I used a freezer bag since it's thicker than the regular kind. No marinade mess :) Pour marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Turn at least once. Fry until brown. (I covered it during the first half so that the beef cooked more evenly, plus the marinade                                                       seeped through the meat for a longer time which made the beef tastier and more tender) (Please pardon our splattered refrigerator, it's from the marinade) Serve with sunny side up eggs and plain rice or garlic rice.  Enjoy! (I did :D ) Top your garlic rice with chopped scallions for a touch of color :)

Happy eating!

<3,