Early Cooking Lessons with Mom and Sis

December 1, 2012 by

A few weeks ago, I got a care package from our eldest sister who sent over some of our favorite dishes that she used to prepare for us when we were in college.  It was a simple fare of Spaghetti in Puttanesca Sauce, Homemade Garlic Bread, Grilled Chicken, and Freshly Baked Mango Squares.  

As I take each bite of these flavorful and lovingly prepared dishes, I get transported back in time when my mom and my sisters would bond in the kitchen as we prepare meals for family gatherings.  It was then when I learned my first cooking lessons.  We have used a wide variety range cookers that grew and improved along with our cooking skills.  Here are some of the early cooking tips that I learned from my mom and our eldest sister.

On Cooking Pasta:  Pasta is best enjoyed when cooked Al dente, this means that the pasta is cooked with a soft yet firm consistency.  This means that you have to keep a close watch to your pasta as it gets close to the cooking time specified in the pasta label.  Once the pasta has expanded, take a piece of it from the pot and cool it for a few seconds before taking a bite.  It should be soft enough to bite through but firm enough to remain a bit chewy. Remove pasta from heat and drain water immediately once this consistency is achieved.  Leaving the pasta in the water even when the heat is turned off will lead to over cooking.

On Sautéing:  Heat pan first before putting the oil or butter in.  Add a little oil before placing the butter in so that it won’t get burned easily. Start with medium fire when heating the pan and turn it down to low when sautéing finely chopped vegetables. 

On Grilling:  Lightly brush the grill with oil before cooking to prevent of minimize sticking. Watch over the cooking temperature especially when using charcoal grills.  Temperatures can be adjusted by a sprinkle of water or moving the charcoal around to lower heat of fanning the flames to get more heat.  Marinating helps in tenderizing the meat you can marinate tough meat cuts longer to get the tenderness that you desire.

These are some of the first things I learned about cooking when I was young and it came handy when I had my own family and started preparing meals for them.  Until now, I still consult my mom and my sister whenever I am faced with difficult or tricky dishes to cook. 

Filed Under: Eat-Outs, Family Fun, Handy Tips, House Matters Tagged With: , , ,

A Whimsical Halloween at GOLDILOCKS CAKE CITY

October 31, 2012 by

There’s a new party venue in town and I’m certain kids will love it here.  The Goldilocks Cake City, with its fanciful decor and ready access to delightful Goldilocks treats, is perfect for any Goldi-good celebration.

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Last Saturday, our family was invited to a Whimsical Halloween Party at The Goldilocks Cake City where we experienced firsthand how well Goldilocks plans and hosts a party.  When we arrived, we were ushered to a table and given a cake to decorate.  My Jade soooo loves to do this and eagerly started to pipe icing on the cake.  She would have been happy doing this all day had we not stopped her when she accidentally burst one of the piping bags.  Jakei though just stuck a couple of the Halloween decors on the cake then set off eating all the sprinkles.  Oh, and he had a grand time doing just so. 😛

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After about half an hour,  the program started and the kids had fun joining various games.  Though they didn’t win in any of the games they joined, they still got treats just for participating.  With lollicakes and choco lollipops, I’m sure they both felt like winners!

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Lunch was the usual party fare of spaghetti, fried chicken, and barbeque.  There was also rice and beef caldereta available.  Halloween decorated choco cupcakes topped our meal off.  The kids were in party mode and didn’t really eat much.  Not wanting to be party poopers, we just let them play with the other children.  (There were more than a handful of them playing, so I guess a lot of parents there didn’t want to be party poopers :D).

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Special prizes were given to Mommy Peach of The Peach Kitchen for her awesome cake decorating skills and the Mommy Louise of Mommy Practicality for wearing the most whimsical costume.

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Though they didn’t get any special awards, both my little ones went home laden with goodies from Goldilocks.  They gifted us with pumpkin baskets filled with popcorn, cookies, cupcakes, and polvoron, and a bitbit box full of delightful cake slices.  Oh, and we also got to take home the cake the little ones decorated.

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Goldilocks has truly transformed from our favourite bakeshop into a one-stop celebration specialist.  Aside from delectable cakes and pastries and a full menu of sumptuous food, Goldilocks has created an amazing venue for us to celebrate any momentous occasion.  All you need to do is choose a theme, a cake design, meal package, and other amenities and Goldilocks will take care of everything else for you.  Come party time, just show up in your prettiest and have fun with all your guests.

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For inquiries about Goldilightful and Goldilicious Party Packages at Goldilocks Cake City, call 727-6505 or 727-6504.  Better yet, visit the Goldilocks Cake City and see the fancily decorated rooms yourself.



Filed Under: Eat-Outs, Events, Family Fun, for the KIDS, Products We Love Tagged With: , , ,

FRABELLE FOODS: The Brand With A Promise

October 4, 2012 by



Hotdog, Bacon, Longganiza, Tocino and Tapa – ask any child, or adult for that matter, what his favourite food is and one or all of these would most probably be on top of his list.  Growing up, hubby’s fave ulam was tocino and mine was bacon.  Yes, I’m one of those who love to eat bacon with rice.  Actually, I can eat bacon with almost anything – bread, baked potatoes, pancakes, etcetera.

Our little ones, naturally, have the same liking for these food.  Good thing though that my little girl eats vegetables and fruits with more gusto than these meats so I  don’t mind serving them processed meats every now and then.  Moreover, we don’t just buy the cheapest available brand in the market.  We pay particular attention to quality and patronize select premium brands.

Just recently, we tried a fairly new brand in the processed food industry – Frabelle Foods.  I have seen the ad (shown below) on television but didn’t really pay much attention to it.  What prompted me to give Frabelle a try was when it was recommended by my kids’ school teacher. Also, the promo person of the leading competitor of Frabelle was pushing their product so hard at the grocery store that it seemed that they were really threatened when Frabelle entered the market.  Frabelle must be that good if it’s getting a fair share of the market from the leading brand.

Prior to receiving an offer to try the new products of Frabelle, we have already heard great feedback from friends who have tried their products.  So we included them in our grocery list, tried (and loved) their Yummy! Hotdogs, Yummy! Cheesedogs, Longganiza, and Pork Ham Tocino. It seemed to me that the Yummy! Hotdogs taste like those of the brand we’ve been patronizing for years but hubby’s more discerning taste said that Yummy! Hotdogs were sweeter and had a distinct flavor.  Suffice it to say that he prefers the Yummy! Hotdogs now.  The kids and I prefer Yummy! Cheesedogs though which definitely do not come cheap on the cheese. If you’re on a tight budget like us and can’t buy two different packs of hotdogs, you can still please everyone in the family with the Yummy! Combo pack where you can get both hotdogs and cheesedogs in one 250 gm pack for only P 40 per pack.

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Little ones give Frabelle Longganiza Hamonado a thumbs up! That’s even if dear Mama overcooked the longganiza. 😛

I have mentioned that I received an offer to try products of Frabelle Foods and since we have already tried a few of their products, I accepted the offer.  It was through this offer that I got to know more about the brand and all their other products.

 

FRABELLE FOODS: The Brand With A Promise


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Believing that every single meal must be made special, Frabelle Foods brings to us quality meats that taste a notch higher than other products in the market.  By providing consumers with fresh, premium quality products  that make every meal a fine experience,  Frabelle Foods endeavors to be a trusted name in every Filipino household.

Frabelle Foods products are deliberately made more delicious (Sadyang Pinasarap) with the use of premium meats, finest ingredients, and meticulous preparation of curing every product.  The Pork Ham Tocino is made from fresh pure lean ham leg, Honey Ham and Hickory Smoked bacon are cured with pure unadulterated honey, and the hotdogs and bacons are naturally smoked using imported woodchips.  All these give each product a distinct flavor that sets them above other products we have long been used to.

More than just providing us fine meat products, Frabelle Foods takes an extra mile and gives us new and healthier ways to serve them to our families through recipes created at The Frabelle Culinary Center.  It doesn’t always have to be hotdogsilog, longsilog, or tocilog that we serve on our table.  Try the Longganiza Hamonado Pasta Aglio Olio, the Macaroni Salad with Hickory Bacon and Rosemary, or the Honey Ham and Cheese Croquette and surprise your loved ones with fine delectable meals.  Visit http://frabelle.com for the recipes or leave your email address in the comment section below and I’ll send you a copy of a recipe booklet from Frabelle.

For more product info and promo updates, like Frabelle Foods on Facebook or visit their website.

Filed Under: Eat-Outs, Family Fun, for DAD & MOM, for the KIDS, Products We Love Tagged With: ,

Mashed Vegetables Art

May 11, 2011 by

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No, those are not made of clay nor playdough.  We actually had those for dinner. Those are the mashed potatoes and carrots we had with our barbequed chicken.  I know that I have much to improve on when it comes to food decorating but my children are still toddlers who are still so very easily pleased.  (Good for me!)

This is one of the best ways we’re able to make our toddlers eat their food on their own and finish it up to the last bite.  It really makes mealtime fun for them and they look forward to what they’d be eating next.  The shapes don’t even have to be so complicated. My little daughter is easily delighted by a heart-shaped serving of rice.

We also do this with pancakes and sandwiches.  Pancakes don’t necessarily have to be round, we make them in all shapes and sizes. We even have fun figuring out or giving names to pancakes I messed up shaping.

Toddlers can be quite difficult to feed. At their age, all they want to do it seems is to run around and play.  Do try to create funny shapes with their food to make mealtimes enjoyable.  Pretty soon, they might even actually start eating by themselves.

Filed Under: Eat-Outs, Kids At Work Tagged With: , , ,
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