Marriott Hotel, Manila

Last week I attended a function that was held in Manlia Marriott Hotel.  It was my first time there and I have to admit that the place was amazing.  I like the lay-out of the lobby and, of course, the Ladies’ Room. 

The food was also great.  Unfortunately, I was only able to take a picture of the dessert.

The creme brulee was amazing.  However, the other dessert, the one on the left of the creme brulee  (I’m not sure what it’s called), was not that good.  It was messy to eat.  I actually gave up on it.  It was just too messy!

 

Sauteed Cabbage and Cauliflower

I love to experiment, especially with cabbage.  I don’t really know why but cabbage has a special place in my heart.  Or should I say stomach? 

I am posting my most recent adventure with cabbage but you’ll have to forgive me.  I was not able to take any pictures.  And as this is an experiment, I really didn’t have any measurements.  Guess you’ll just have to use your imagination.  Well, here goes.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Ingredients:

• cabbage
• cauliflower
• ground pork
• onion
• garlic
• oyster sauce
• ground black pepper
• dried thyme
• fish sauce
• MSG
• oil
• butter

Procedure:

1. Saute garlic in oil and a little butter.  Add onion once garlic is a bit brown on the edges.
2. Add pork as soon as garlic turns transparent.  Add oyster sauce.  Let simmer for a few minutes.
3. Add cabbage and cauliflower.
4. Add fish sauce, black pepper, thyme, and MSG to taste.

 

Marinated Fish

It’s Saturday and that means time for me to try out a new recipe. 

This time as I still have some fish in the freezer I decided to go with a fairly simple recipe (http://www.grouprecipes.com/51380/fish-marinade-for-people-who-hate-fish.html).

For some odd reason the author decided to call it “Fish Marinade for People who Hate Fish”.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate fish but I got curious with the title and, as it’s fairly simple, I decided to try it out.

And, as always, I do made some minor changes because my cupboard is not that equipped.  I used onion, kalamansi, and cayenne pepper instead of shallot, lemon, and paprika, respectively.  I added a little bit of MSG for that umami taste.  Also, my fish is salay batang (yellowstripe scad) and not tilapia.

The ingredients

Marinated Fish

As the author of the recipe recommended the fish to be cooked any way you want to, I decided to fry it with the same olive oil and spices I marinated it with.  The result?  Fried fish that is bursting with the taste of the spices.  I love it.

Finished Product

Recommendations:

1. Marinate longer.
2. Try baking it, as what the author usually does.  It might bring out the spice more than frying did.

 

Black Beans Salsa with Chicken

I just tried a new recipe (http://www.freequickrecipes.com/recipes/black-beans-salsa-chicken.php) and it’s called Black Bean Salsa with Chicken.  And as I rarely follow all recipes to the letter I have decided not to post it here, only the link and some pictures, which are not that good because I only have a point-and-shoot.

The recipe is pretty simple.  Just mix the following ingredients for the salsa and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to blend.

Black Beans Salsa ingredients

I had to replace lime with kalamansi since I do not have lime.

Seasoned Chicken

I also seasoned the chicken ahead of time to allow the flavors to seep into the meat.  I added basil leaves since I love how it taste and smell.

Black Beans Salsa with Chicken

And here’s the finished product.  I’ve never tried salsa with beans and corn but this one’s pretty good.

Recommendations:

1. Try with other beans.  I am thinking of trying it with green peas. 
2. If you would like to stick with black beans, try lessening the salt as the beans itself is already a bit salty.

 

An Amazing Blog

I just found an amazing blog of recipes.  It features step-by-step preparation of all sorts of dishes, i.e. desserts, main course, soup.  And I just have to share one recipe I found there that I am thinking of trying out for myself.

It’s called “10-minute Stir Fry: Beef, Asparagus, and Corn”.

I edited this post upon request of the author.  However, you can still find the complete recipe by clicking on the link below.

http://pinoycook.net/10-minute-stir-fry-beef-asparagus-and-corn/comment-page-1/#comment-69394

 

Recipes (Greenbelt 3, Makati)

It’s the 1st of January 2010 and as part of our celebration we decided to eat out after attending the 6 p.m. mass.  But because we weren’t sure which malls and places are open, as it’s a legal holiday today, we played it safe and went to Greenbelt.

When we got there we surveyed the restaurants in Greenbelt 3.  We wanted to eat in a restaurant where we’re sure we’d be satisfied without shelling out too much money.  However, aside from the budget, there’s one more factor we needed to consider.  My father doesn’t like too fancy cuisines and loved Filipino dishes.

So, after we made our rounds on Greenbelt 3′s 2nd floor restaurants, we finally decided on Recipes.  A relatively new restaurant that serves Filipino cuisine, including Kare-Kare that happens to be my father’s favorite.

And as this blog is all about food, I’ve decided to add another category and share my dining out experience too.  So, here goes:

Recipes

Recipes

And now for the food we ordered:

Bangus Belly with Mango Salad

The presentation is ok and it tasted real good.  The mango salad was delicious and it complimented with the Bangus real well.  You wouldn’t need to dip it into anything, as most of us would do when eating fish.

Tofu Steak

Up next is Tofu Steak.  It’s basically steamed tofu (I think.:)) with this really good sauce.  If you love tofu, however it’s cooked, you’ll love this dish too.

Kare-Kare

And, of course, my father’s favorite, Kare-Kare.  It was really good, for a restaurant cooked dish.  Normally, I’m not satisfied when eating Kare-Kare not cooked by my mother and/or aunt but this one was more than ok.  It’s a bit sweeter than what my mother’s recipe but not by much.

Burp!!!

We had a great time and I’m sure we’d be coming back for more.

 

Fudge Balls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup chocolate chip morsels
• 3/4 cup honey
• optional: toppings

Procedure:

1. In a sauce pan melt peanut butter, chocolate chips and honey. Pour it into a bowl and refrigerate 2 hours.
2. Roll mixture with your hands into bite size balls and put them on a tray.
3. Optional: powdered sugar to coat the balls.

I prepared this recipe for our Media Noche as it is a superstitious belief that it will bring you good luck in the following year if you serve food that has a round a shape.  I think I was able to approximate what the end result should be.  And I have randylovesdar (from mylot) to thank for this recipe.

a ball of fudge heaven

Recommendations:

1. Chill properly, make sure that it is a bit hardened before shaping them with your hands.

 

Choco Marble Renaissance

Ingredients:

• 2 250mL Nestle All Purpose Cream
• 1/2 cup condensed milk
• 1/4 cup hot evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup Milo powder
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 pieces Nestle Dark chocolate
• 14 pieces chocolate Graham crackers
• 1/2 cup chocolate marshmallows
• 3 pieces Nestle Dark chocolate or other favorite store-bought chocolate, chopped

Procedure:

1. Mix well Nestle All Purpose Cream and condensed milk.  Set aside.
2. Combine evaporated milk, Milo powder, egg yolk, and chocolate in a pan and cook over low heat until chocolates are melted and mixture is thick.  Set aside.
3. Spread 1/4 cup of the cream mixture into the bottom of a square glass or aluminum container.  Arrange Graham crackers on top of the cream.
4. Add a second layer of cream and drizzle half of the prepared chocolate sauce.  Add marshmallows and chopped chocolates.
5. Finish with another layer of Graham crackers and the rest of the cream and chocolate sauce.  Decorate with more chocolates and marshmallows on top.   Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

I prepared the recipe above for our Noche Buena.  I was not able to achieve the correct appearance but it tasted good.  I will prepare this dish again and, hopefully, I will be able to achieve right appearance and consistency.  When that happens, I will surely post another pic.

a slice of choco heaven

Recommendations:

1. Chill Nestle All Purpose Cream before mixing to achieve proper apperance and consistency.
2. Chill the cake overnight for better settling.

 

Hello world!

Welcome to my online kitchen where you will get to read about recipes I have recently experimented on.

I am not a professional Chef or Cook so some of the dishes I have so far experimented on failed.  But I love to cook and would love to hear comments from everyone and anyone.  So, let’s share kitchen secrets, shall we?