Birthday Fun and Food

It was a blast when my youngest daughter, Jasmine, celebrated her 6th birthday recently. She was in euphoria because all her friends and sisters were present on that day. Also happier was the mom who prepared all the food to be served because my daughters were there to lend their helping hands during the preparation. At the end of the day, I could still smile for I was not dead tired from all the cooking with them in attendance.

Only a few of the foods we prepared were captured on cam by my daughter -Mimi. But it's all worth it for they all came appealing to the eyes :-D

prepared choco fondue with marshmallows and stickos for dipping

our maja blanca with crushed nuts on top

kropeck with organic vinegar and chilies straight from my garden

octopus shaped hotdogs (Inspired by cooking mom-bloggers)

sweet spaghetti loved by the kiddos!

mixed noodles for long life!

there's a lot more to show but nevertheless, thank you, Mimi! you've done a great job in capturing these photos with the IPod . . .

Let's Eat Tuna Omelette

Gensan is best known for our tuna. According to the wikipedia, tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus.

Tuna meat/flakes can be sourced out here at much cheaper price. I usually stock on tuna for easy reach during times when I can't go to supermarkets. Just like last week, because of work and other activities overload I had, I was left with no choice but to cook meals with whatever available ingredients in the pantry.

I still have tuna cans and eggs so I decided to make an omelette.

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 eggs
  
• 1 can of water-packed tuna
• garlic, onions, tomatoes
  
• cheese
  
• corn oil
  
• catsup
  

I sauteed in corn oil the garlic, onion, tomatoes and tuna. Seasoned it with a little bit of cheese, salt, and pepper. Once cooked, I set this aside.

I then pour blended eggs into a non-stick pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. While cooking over low heat, I added in the pre cooked tuna mixture. When eggs begin to firm, folded it in half and cooked for a couple more minutes on each side. Then placed on plate and drizzled with sweet blend DM catsup. Presto! I have a yummy fare for breakfast that is best served with rice or bread. :-D

Pancit Canton

I have been very busy the past few days. Busy with my job and my role as a mother. Nevertheless, I was still able to do some cooking for my kids.

I have to cook recipes that can be done in a jiffy. Whipped up this Pancit Canton Guisado in a matter of fifteen minutes :-D

The manner of cooking is very much like that of my stir fried Ramen. :-D

Stir Fried Fresh Veggies

Harvested this bunch of assorted veggies last Saturday morning.
Got some left over fried fish from our previous dinner.
Wasted no time in stir frying all of the above.
Resulted to a very crisp and green breakfast fare ! :-D

Gardening Perks and My Nilaga

I've been into gardening for almost five months now and the perks it is giving me is simply priceless!

Gardening now serves as my stress buster. It is very rewarding indeed because, aside from being able to share with others the fruits of my harvest, I am given the chance to have access to fresh veggies at all times.

Just this morning, I picked from the garden two ears of sweet corn and several string beans to become ingredients for my nilaga. A neighbor raising hogs organically, slaughtered one and gave me some "buto-buto" to be cooked according to my liking. :-D Thanks to Ms. Tina who came up with a very inspiring dish I would love to do too.

Pork Nilaga
Ingredients:
pork bones with lots of meat still intact
sweet corn
string beans
onions, garlic and ginger
peppercorns
Thai fish sauce

Boil in water the meat together with the spices for an hour or until the meat falls off from the bones. Add the sweet corn until it's cooked and lastly, put in the green veggies ( I just used string beans because I have not planted pechay/cabbage yet :-D). Season with Thai fish sauce.

Best served piping hot. Of course, please don't forget the steamed rice :-D!

Sauteed Shrimp Paste with lots of Tomatoes

According to wikipedia, the word "tomato" comes from the Nahuatl word tomatl, which means "the swelling fruit". It is known to be rich in lycopene. Botanically, it is known as a fruit but for culinary purposes, it is a vegetable.

For me, it doesn't matter at all if it's a fruit or a vegetable as long as I have a steady supply of it :-D

For several weeks now, literally, we had an abundant supply of these tomatoes fresh from my sideyard garden. It is very seldom that I prepare food without tomatoes as one of the ingredients now. From salad to soups to main courses, it's always there!

Last night, I tried using it as an appetizer. Sauteed lots of it with shrimp paste and some pork fats.

Ingredients:
oil from pork fats
garlic
onion
ripe tomatoes
thai chilies
locally produced shrimp paste

The result? An appetizing piece that would make you want or crave for more rice :-D

Scrambled Eggs with Hotdogs and Parsley

Got some parsley in my vegetable crisper so I decided to give my scrambled egg a little twist.

Frying some thinly sliced chicken hotdogs and sprinkling little salt and pepper completed my simple breakfast fare.

Bon appetit!

Stir Fried Shrimps and Sitaw (Long Beans)

I harvested my first batch of organically grown sitaw (long beans) over the weekend from my side yard garden. It was an awesome harvest! Literally, they were very long - 20 inches and more!

Wasted no time in stir frying the fresh veggies with fresh vanna mei (white shrimps). The result was excellent! Perfectly cooked mouthwatering seafoods and veggies :-D

Best served with steamed rice!