Pepper Lunch

It's another workday lunch treat for me and my officemates. This time we tried the newly opened Pepper Lunch at the Shangri-la Mall in EDSA. Eversince I heard about it, I have been consumed with hungry curiosity.

Although the ambiance is akin to a fastfood joint, Pepper Lunch is not the typical kind. For one, the food is above diner stuff. I think this is Japan's answer to chowking. It is quite enjoyable and mouth watering to see meals served and cooked right before your very eyes. Meals are mostly rice and noodle toppings, served in a sizzling platter. I ordered the beef pepper steak. My officemates had chicken and salad. The greens tasted heavenly. Just the perfect blend of Japanese dressing and cold udon noodles. Yummy!

The price is, kinda steep for a fastfood joint but with the amount of serving and food variety, it's quite worth it. My only complaint was that the air was too smoky. Having a lot of pipping hot sizzling plates made the entire resto smell like ulam. The scent really sticks to your clothes.

love in the time of crisis

Since we are racked with a widespread economic crisis, Hubby and I decided to celebrate Valentine's Day simply. Gone are the expensive flowers and fine dining sort of thing. I admit, though, it was kinda difficult to do away with the frills. It was a challenge on my part but also a lesson for the family. You see, we wanted to teach our son the value of simple abundance. I will eleborate more on this in future posts.

Anyways, in keeping up with our "theme", Hubby, myself and the kids set out on an early morning date. We went to our local food joint, Macky's (Marikina) and odered my favorite comfort food, goto and tokwa't baboy. This particular food combination brings so much fond memories in my family. I heard so much about Macky's but didn't realize that the place is just a few meters away from the house. The verdict? YUMMY and CHEAP! A truly satisfying comfort treat. The ambiance, though is not really your typical date spot. But, hey, in this time and situation who cares. I'd go for taste!




I remember having the same food every morning with my parents in Roxas Blvd. I was barely four then and it has become my parent's ritual every year. Hay, a piping hot bowl of porridge with the salty breeze of the sea. An unforgettable serving of family and love...

Tuna Salad Sandwhich

I am always mindful of what I eat nowadays. I try to make healthy food choices to keep the weight off. But I also don't want to sacrifice good taste and flavor. Im sharing my favorite snack recipe. I've been making this sandwhich spread for months now. What I like about itis the protein and the twist of flavor I get from using my current favorite ingredient, yogurt.

you will need:

1 can tuna flakes (solid in water), well drained
2 tbps lite mayo
3 tbsp yogurt
chopped celery
pickle relish
salt
pepper
dash of sugar
few drops of olive oil (extra virgin) optional

mix everything and season with salt,pepper, and sugar. Adjust according to taste.

I serve this over lettuce cups or toasted wheat bread.

Morning Banana Diet

I've heard about, read about it, but haven't really tried it. Nor have I known anyone who swears by it. I am talking about the latest diet craze that hit Japan, the banana diet. It was all over the news a few days ago.

The diet was designed by Sumiko Watanabe, a pharmacist for her husband. She wanted a stress free diet that would increase her husband's metabolism. After sometime with the plan, Mr. Watanabe lost a total of 37lbs. The diet gained more popularity when a Japanese celebrity appeared on TV, 15lbs lighter under the program.

For the curious like me, rhis is how the Morning Banana Diet works:

1. You may eat more than one banana for breakfast and have 2 if you like (only raw, uncooked and unfrozen)
2. Eat anything you want for lunch and dinner as long as you eat diner before 8 pm. (many dieters report cutting back on rice and fried foods)
3. No dessert with meals.
4. At meals, eat only until satisfied but not full (The Japanese expression is "Hara hachibu ni isha irazu" - "A stomach eight-tenths full needs no doctor."
5. Drink only water
6. Eat mindfully
7. You may have an afternoon snack
8. Early to bed
9. Journal your food intake
10. Exercise only if you want

Here's what I think. I am not very sure if this diet would work perfectly in the Filipino culture. Though bananas are very nutritious, they lack fat burning properties. Exercise still works best. Besides, Japanese diet is condidered on of the healthiest in the world. They are known for eating freah and raw food (fish, veggies, meat).

Hmmm I guess I still have put this claim to the test.

source: dietblog

holiday movie marathon

Hello 2009! Enter the year of the Ox. Hmmm... it's been days since my D.I.S.H. This is the longest holiday break I've ever experienced. This one is for the books. Eleven days without work is heaven. But it could also mean hell.

I've realized that Im bored. The house is starting to grown on me. Maybe because I have imposed a holiday "no computer rule" this year. Kobe even didn't get to play his gameboy. For a week and a half, our entertainment was confined on boardgames and movies.

At some days, we enjoyed extremely well; some days was just so flat. I would get the kids to play in the park. Anyways, we did a whole lot of movie marathons. One of movies we truly enjoyed was Ratatoullie, and the DisneyChannel movie, Adventures of Foodboy

christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! I haven't been here in awhile. You know, the holidays are such a hectic time for me and my diet (lol!). Aside from work, I've been really busy with shopping and parties. Heck! with the long vacation approaching, I am 100% sure I'll be gaining a few pound or so. Yikes. God forbid!

In the meantime, allow me to share one of my favorite food related books. Actually, this blog has been inspired by it. I never get tired of reading this. I also like very much to try out some of the recipes here.

What am I talking about? Laura Esquivel's LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE

Incidentally, there is also a movie version of the novel. I was quite unfortunate, though that i missed it. Im still in search of the dvd version.

Anyways, back to Christmas... if, by any chance I get so caught up in the festivities, let me be the first to say. HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HERE'S TO A FRUITFUL NEW YEAR!

childhood memories...

It's All Saints Day once again. I have the fondest and yummiest memories of the season. Here in the Philippines, remembering our dead is a tradition that goes hand in hand with family reunions, homecomings, and a sumptous spread.

This year, my sisters and I took roadtrip to Daddy's hometown, Cabatuan City. This is where our biological mom and grandmother is laid to rest. Instead of going to the ancestral house (the way we always do), we decided to go directly to the cemetery to meet up with our other relatives for a "picnic". Lola Tina, who always kept track of our childhood favorites brought pandesal with giniling, freah carabao's milk, homemade chicharon, fried rice, buro, and adobo.

In Cabanatuan, no meal is complete without the cholesterol laden pork skin cracklings (chicaron). In our house, it is eaten not as an appetizer, but rqather as one of the ulam (viands). After staying a couple of hours, we knew it was time to head home. Mind you, we very much dreaded the traffic and still have to go cemetery hoping in Manila.



Of course a trip to Cabatuan is never complete without stopping by the local market and buying ourselves a few kilos of batute, a very garlicy variant of longaniza. Hmmm... childhood memories are filled of these tasty, meaty treat frying in our kitchen.

Recipe: Roast Chicken

Wanna impress Hubby and the kids? Are you looking for a exotic twist to the classic roast chicken? Wondering what to bring for potluck? No worries, I have the perfect solution. Here's my version of roast chicken. Aside from it being super yummy, it is also so easy to do.

you will need:
1 roasting chicken
salt
pepper
lemon grass (tanglad)
lots of crushed garlic, 1/2 cup
soy sauce
lemon juice

1. Clean roasting chicken thoroughly. Rub with enough salt and pepper, including the inside cavity.
2. Rinse with water and pat dry. Meanwhile prepare the marinade.

Marinade:
soy sauce
lemon juice

3. Marinade the whole chicken for 30 minutes or longer (overnight is best)
4. Stuff the chicken with crushed garlic and lemon grass
5. Turbo for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is done

Recipe: Sweet Style Spaghetti

This is the most requested pasta dish in my home. Eversince I started making this classic party pleaser, I have been asked a number of times to share the recipe. I did, actually in my other blog during my daughter's birthday. I feel festive today, so I thought it would be really nice re-printing the steps on how to make the:

BEST EVER KIDDIE SPAGHETTI

you will need:
500 grams ground beef
4 c sweet style spaghetti sauce
onion, chopped
garlic, minced
fresh parsely
3 tsp spoons sugar
1/4 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
beef cube

Cook noodles according to package directions. Saute onions, garlic and beef. Add sauce, beef cube, sugar and other spices. Season with salt and pepper (for my variation, I added grated cheese). Toss spaghetti noodles with the sauce and set aside.

White Sauce
1/4 c flour
4 c milk
1/4 c butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook in slow heat, whisking until it thickens. Spread over pasta, top with cheese ( i used quickmelt) and bake for 20 minutes

20 yummiest cakes in town

this is a cross post. i featured this article in my other blog, BOTH SIDES NOW. but since this is about food and other delicious stuff, i thought it best to do a second serving on these delectable taste ticklers.

my appologies, this is not a dieter's best friend. here's the yummiest link you'll ever find....

source: phil daily inquirer