Baked Chicken Drumsticks And Bibingka

I found a healthy way to cook chicken. I always wanted to eat fried chicken but to fry them on stove top makes a lot of mess that is why I rarely do that. Besides, eating fried chicken often is unhealthy. So last night I searched on the internet an alternative to frying chickens, baking them instead! Photo below is my baked chicken drumsticks that turned out to be yummy. My husband and daughter both loved it weeww! I followed a recipe from cook.com. 

..... here's some of freshly baked bibingka that I had for dinner to go with my chicken drumstick. They may not as yummy looking but I can assure you they sure taste really good and bouncy! 

My Best And Not So Good Cooking

Here are the kinds of food that I can live with everyday. I tell you what, nothing beats the Filipino dishes in my own personal opinion. Not even a steak can compare to the satisfaction it gives to Filipino's tummy. Ask any Filipino you meet out there and we will see if they say the same thing.

......... photo above is our lunch today. A big fat fried Pompano fish with tomatoes, soy sauce and vinegar...... below photo is my screwed up banana nut bread. I must have copied a bad recipe for it turned out pretty dry or it's because I overcooked it? 

........ below photo is a dessert called "Taho"... it is a popular street food in the Philippines that is sold every morning... people of all ages love it!

.... and below is my vegetable stew with coconut milk. This is special for I also include young yellow corn as the new ingredient... it is best suited during cold winter days!

Tailgating Recipes

Gosh I am starving right now, I cooked early so we can eat early but I am delaying eating because of some tasks I need to finish. Meanwhile, I also browsing for different recipes and then I chanced this site that shows tailgating recipes. Makes me drool and to think that I craved for burgers and other American foods for so long. It is such a torture for myself. Gotta grab a burger or two today or I'll be upset if I won't be able to do that. Simple cravings that I cannot eat sometimes it sucks!

Homemade Pizza

I always prefer preparing our own food at home, this way I can make sure what goes into my food and I can choose any stuffing for our pizza. 

This is the first big pie of pizza I made although the crust is ready made bought from the store. I stuffed it with mushrooms, pepperoni, red bell pepper, pizza sauce and mozzarella shredded cheese! I didn't put any seasoning to it nor a pinch of salt that kinda taste arggggggg lol...

Rambutan Fruit

I was very surprised when I saw this rambutan fruit at the Asian market where we usually buy my stuff like fish, squid etc. It is my first time to see such a fruit like that being sold here in America. Of course I couldn't pass by it. I've been wanting to taste this fruit again for so long, I did buy a package of it that cost us $4.99. Yes, that is kind of too much but what can I do? I just want to eat this fruit.

Rambutan is grown in Southern part of the Philippines. There are many rambutan trees at my grandmother's farm in Davao that every time we go visit there when we were kids, we could eat as much as we wanted to eat until we get sick in the stomach. Rambutan, I should say was one of my favorite fruits and one of the many things I look forward of eating when my father would bring us to his hometown.

When I Get Tired Eating Rice

I turn to eating pizza when I get tired of eating the same usual Filipino foods that I cook. It could be because of my pregnancy..... I sometimes found myself munching on pizza in the afternoon and make it as my dinner. Really this is not so me for I don't find pizza appetizing nor it is filling!

For most people, pizza is their favorite but not for me. I still prefer eating rice/grits over this but there are times I crave for it. Out of the whole big pie, I can only eat 2 slices of it (struggling to finish the second slice)...

Puto Cheese

It's been a long time since I tried making puto cheese. The first attempt was a mess. I put too much water in the mixture so I never tried again until this afternoon.

I was hungry and I got tired of eating rice/grits then I remember I have two boxes of puto mixes in the cabinet. Fortunately, I made it perfectly this time. It may not look as drooling in the picture but I tell you it will absolutely make your eyeballs pop out in your eyes once you get a taste of my puto cheese!

Pinoy Swift Hotdog

One of the many foods I missed eating is the Pinoy or Filipino hotdog. There is something to it that I love, it may taste weird for Americans because of some rice and preservatives added to it yet I find it tasty compared to their hotdogs here. I didn't know the Asian Market we usually go shop for my foods has Swift hotdogs. When I saw it in one of their freezers I hurriedly grab two packages because I know they won't last long. I am happy and it satisfied my craving for Pinoy hotdog. Eating it felt like I was in our own kitchen in the Philippines. Sadly though I didn't have my little siblings to share it with. Hohohoho I miss them already!

Filipino Dishes

These are the typical Filipino dishes that I cook at home. I don't need an extra special dish to live, I just want something that I love to eat and something that can fill my hungry stomach that could last for hours. And these kind of foods are definitely what I need. I can eat them forever without complaining for they are what I used to eat back home.

...... "bihon" or vermicelli noodles with veggies...yum!

...... mussels with beef broth and onion leaves from my garden...

....... sinigang bangus or milkfish cooked with lemon and water with sweet potato tops!

Fried Chicken And Some Dried Fish

Breakfast is even better when you are able to eat the fried chicken you've been wanting to cook for a long time. I tried making fried chicken from the past but somehow I always end up making chicken adobo just because I pour its marinating sauce into a pan and then put some bay leaves and peppercorns to it which is not the way its done. This morning I finally was able to fry some chickens that tasted really good, crispy and tender that was. 

Since the temperature is so good, I opened windows and front door just to let the smell of my cooking out and let the fresh air in that is when I decided to fry some dried fish as well. I take advantage of the time when I can cook my sacred dried fish inside the house and not bothering my husband with its stink. If it gets too hot outside, I couldn't open the windows for I have to turn on the A/C on to be comfortable.

Octopus Adobo

I do have different cravings everyday. Most of it are just Filipino foods that I haven't eaten for a while. When I do crave for something and realize all the ingredients to make the dish are available, I would make some right away.

One day, I so wanted to eat squid adobo but the problem was I don't have squid in the freezer but I did have frozen octopus. They are somehow related and would taste just the same if I use octopus instead of squid, I went ahead and cooked it. 

I never knew that octopus adobo would taste this good. I am happy I tried it otherwise I would still be craving for squid adobo until now. It's really hard for me if I don't get to taste what I want to eat for I will just keep thinking about it for weeks and it sucks.

Because I Deserved It

I worked hard this morning and a good lunch is what I deserve. I had fish tinuwa, a bit spicy with a little bit of lemon in it to make the flavor appealing to my taste buds. This of course paired with grits and Jadyn's leftover bacon this morning. I fed my growling stomach, cleaned my kitchen and now just waiting for half an hour so I can take my afternoon nap. I got sleepy after all those writing and eating I did. BURP, excuse me! Jadyn thought my soup was spicy but once she had a taste of it, she couldn't help but eat along with me. Now I am pretty sure she is full and will last for hours until I have a chance to feed her again.

Oh So Good!!

Pork ribs has become our favorite dinner. I just love the meat that sticks to the rib, it's juicy, tender and most of all very tasty. That is the work of my husband perfected after years of grilling baby back or pork ribs. He loves grilling a lot. Almost every night he does it no matter what the temperature is outside. 

He cooks the ribs slowly in a traditional Japanese way of cooking meat by using a Kamado (grill efficiently retains heat, locking in moisture and flavor. You can even smoke for 20 hours at temperatures as low as 180 degree Fahrenheit, or turn up the heat to more than 500 degrees Fahrenheit for perfect searing.)

.... picture above is his Kamado -- the one in orange and yellow egg-shaped thing....

I Can Follow A Recipe

A few times I have tried cooking for special dishes following a recipe and I shall say I can definitely do it as long as there are proper measurements or list of all ingredients needed for a certain dish to be so tasting great. I usually cook Filipino foods at home but I seldom use a recipe, depends on the mood or the kind of dish I long to eat. I meant to share this delicious Chicken Afritada recipe to my readers days ago but I got pretty busy outside.

Here is a photo of my own cooking that I can proudly say "lamian gid". I followed the recipe that Panlasang Pinoy has provided. There is a step by step video of how the dish is done so there is no reason you wouldn't get the right and exact taste of his afritada. Happy cooking everyone!

My Lunch

I can't ask for a better and perfect lunch than this sauteed long yard beans with shrimp and pork slices. I got the taste so perfectly right,  trust me "makapangiyod kas kalami"! I had a big bowl of rice and this delicious beans right there that I find it hard to breathe afterwards.  Not only that, take note I also cooked some shrimp paste with pork which is shown below...

..shrimp fry with tomato, onion and pork! oh la la la!

Chopsuey, Yummy!

I say I am no expert when it comes to cooking nor do I have culinary skills but at least when I crave for something I am able to satisfy my craving. I usually cook my own foods at home. I love veggies a lot. I do experiment throwing in some veggies into a frying pan and I am not afraid whether the food comes out good or not. If it the result is good then I am very happy, if not then what can I do? I hate tossing out foods so whether I like it or not, I must eat the bad food that I make. Anyway, it is part of my learning and it is one way of cooking food to perfection. 

One of the many dishes that I like is this chopsuey. Proudly say it tastes so delicious cooked in our own kitchen stove.  When I crave for something, I try to cook it right away to please my hungry stomach. 

........color chopsuey although it doesn't contain all the ingredients that a chopsuey should have but at least I got all the basic ingredients for me to call it YUMMYLICIOUS!

Our Brunch For Today

I think I cooked too much for today. There are only two of us here yet I prepared too much food for two or three people including the small fetus in my womb. Guess I will be eating these foods until tomorrow morning which I have no problem eating. I love them all and also this is also good for it saves me time in the kitchen. I cooked them all at once and next meal I will just be heating them! How easy and convenient.

Eating these kinds of foods is like being home in the Philippines. I eat exactly the same foods there. I am glad the Asian market isn't that far from where we live. When I crave for something Pinoy, I will have my husband drive me over there and buy Filipino veggies.

...our brunch includes eggrolls, fried daing milk fish with soy sauce, vinegar and Philippine pepper, utan-bisaya and my crispy squid..YUM!

P.F Chang's Mongolian Beef

This Mongolian beef dish right here has become my favorite at P.F Chang's Chinese Bistro for its delicious and great tasting recipe. When we go there, we order a meal for two which includes starters, soups, main dish and a dessert. I would order for Mongolian Beef right away since it is just so pleasant to my taste buds. 

It is not always we go dine out but if ever we go to P.F Chang's I make sure that I'll take home some of this dish so I can still have some left to eat for the next meals. If only I know how to do it, I would cook myself this specific dish to contain my stomach.

A Sweet Treat

I had this sweet treat last Sunday. After church I went to treat my cousin and her family this delicious Filipino delicacy with matching cacao hot drink. It is Sunday again here in the Philippines and I might treat myself  with this yummy puto-maya snacks after church. This kind of treat is something I seldom eat in Texas just because I don't find purple sticky rice there. Of course if I do, the taste would be different. No doubt, nothing beats the Philippine made puto-maya eh!

Food For The Poor

These are the kind of foods I haven't tasted for almost two years. The ingredients are freshly picked from the garden or bought from the public market. The bamboo shoots and horse radish leaves (first photo below) especially, they are something that can't be bought fresh in America.

......... second photo right here is the lukot, I don't know its term in English...it's a seafood mixed with spices, vinegar, a little bit of salt and native pepper...

....... third photo is of pork blood pudding that can be bought in carenderias all over. I love it's soft and tasty soup in my taste buds.