Seven Wooden Spoons

My Seven Wooden Spoons

Cooking and eating has become my favorite past time ever since I became a housewife.  Before, I love collecting shoes and clothes but now  things have changed.  Everytime we go to the department store, I now go to the home and kitchen section.  I buy pots, plates, mugs, glasses, utensils, basically stuff for the kitchen.  Little did I know that I already have seven wooden spoons, yes, seven!

My seven wooden spoons are not assigned by the day, even if there are seven days.  I use them depending on my mood and need.  I also have my favorite.  Would you like to make a guess?

L-R      (1)        (2)           (3)        (4)           (5)      (6)          (7)

My favorite is the second from the left.  Isn't it obvious from the looks of it?

my favorite

My husband's favorite is the third.  He uses it to make pancakes. Yes, makes pancakes!

my husband's favorite

I first bought a wooden spoon in Divisoria for ten pesos.  I bought one coz I need it for my non-stick pan. That's the first one from the left.

my first wooden spoon

Now, this is my mom's favorite.  She uses it everytime she comes over to cook for us.  This is also my second favorite wooden spoon.

my mom's favorite

The newest addition to my collection--the eco-friendly, bamboo wooden spoon that I bought for only twenty pesos.

my new favorite--eco-friendly, bamboo

Honestly, I haven't used these two.  Not that I don't like them, its just that I haven't felt the need for them.  Eventually I'll be using them too.

never been used

also never been used

These wooden spoons are like my armory when I'm cooking.  They help me flip my pancakes, stir my sauces, check my steaks and cook up a sumptuous meal everyday.

Afritadang Manok with a twist!

I always cook Chicken with Tomato Sauce.  Something always seems to be missing.  This time, as I was trying to imitate a version that I once tasted I decided to put a twist to my "Afritadang Manok"

Afritadang Manok with a Twist

Before my version seemed boring and lacking with flavor.  After several times of trying this dish out I finally came out with what my husband and I believe to be my best version.
I never thought two secret ingredients (which I'm gonna reveal later) can be very helpful.

Now let's start by enumerating the ingredients:

1/2 kilo chicken wings
chopped onions
minced garlic
1 small pack of Del Monte Tomato Sauce
fried potatoes
carrots (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
patis or fish sauce
1 tablespoon grated cheese
1 tablespoon pickle relish

grated cheese

pickle relish

So there goes my two secret ingredients--grated cheese and pickle relish.  Believe me, you must try adding this to your Aftritada.

How to cook:
1.  Saute onions first then garlic. Add chicken and cook until slightly browned.  Pour some patis or fish sauce.
2.  Let it cook for about 5 minutes before adding the tomato sauce.  Add tomato sauce and cook for another 10 minutes.  Add some water.
3.  Add fried potatoes.  Mix well.  Then add the grated cheese and pickle relish. Mix well again.
4.  Season with salt and pepper.  Let cook for several more minutes or until the sauce has reduced to your desired consistency.
5. Serve and enjoy with steaming hot rice.

Sweet Wings for my Sweet

I love buffalo wings but I can't stand its spicy flavor.  My mouth often feels like burning after eating 'em.  So last Friday night, the idea of making Sweet Wings dawned into me.  I had the chicken wings thawed early and seasoned it with fish sauce or "patis".

I then started mixing my marinate.  In a bowl combine the following:

• 2 tablespoons tomato catsup
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce

By the way, I am using 8 pcs. of chicken wings for this recipe.  You see, I'm an expert at cooking dishes for two.

Marinate the chicken for about 30 minutes. Do not throw away the mixture.

Once you are ready to cook, fry the chicken wings until caramelization occurs in its skin and it is well-cooked.

Gently pour the marinate over to the pan.  If you prefer a thicker sauce, mix 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch with half a cup of water to create a slurry.  Cook the sauce until it thickens.  

Best if served with fried rice and soda!

My Sweet Wings

Fried Rice

Tip for the Fried Rice:
Use the same pan you used in cooking the chicken and capture all the flavors left on the pan.  Just add a little oil.

Ginataang Sitaw, Kalabasa at Manok

This was last Thursday's dinner--Ginataang Sitaw, Kalabasa at Manok.

I've learned to loved this dish.
I never thought that I'd be cooking it often.
My husband loves it too.

Here's the recipe for Ginataang Sitaw, Kalabasa at Manok:

1/4 kilo chicken wings or breast fillet

1/4 of a whole Kalabasa or squash

Sitaw or string beans

chopped onions

minced garlic

salt & pepper to taste

1 pack Knorr Ginataang Gulay Mix Sitaw at Kalabasa or 1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water

How to cook:

1. Saute onions and garlic.  Add the chicken, cook until slightly brown.
2. Add the kalabasa or squash and let cook for about 10-15 mins.
3. Before adding the sitaw or string beans, get a few pieces of cooked squash and mash it.
4. Dissolve 1 pack of Knorr Ginataang Gulay Mix in 1 cup of water before adding to the dish.  Lower heat.
5. Put the mashed squash back to the casserole and mix evenly.  Let it simmer for another 10 minutes of until everything is well-cooked and incorporated.

Best if served with hot rice and fried fish!

Made a Dress from Old Shirts

Last September, I went into a flare-up for a while so I had to rest and stay in bed.  Feeling so bored and looking for something to do, I checked out our closet an found a couple of old but not-so-used shirts.

I decided to make a project--a dress.

• First item is my black baby tee from year 2004. 
• Next is my oversized (for me) company shirt, also black.  
• Last is my husband's really old ash gray T-shirt with a hole on one armpit.

I grabbed my sewing kit, scissors, ruler, measuring tape and started with my project.

Procedure:
1. I cut the sleeves of my black baby tee to make it sleeveless.

2. Using the black T-shirt, I measured 5 inches from the bottom of the shirt. Cut another one measuring 5 1/2 inches.  Do the same procedure for the gray T-shirt.

3. Sew the 4 pieces of cloth alternately putting the gray on top, black next, gray again and black at the bottom.
4. After sewing the pieces together, measure about 26 inches of garter for the waistline.  Insert the garter on the top part which is gray.  Make sure the measurements of the waistline and the baby tee are the same, for you will sew them together afterwards.
5. Sew the top part (baby tee) and the bottom part (T-shirt cutouts) together.  You now have a new dress from old shirts!
TIP: Ask a tailor to sew the edges of the dress for you. Thanks to Tito Man for sewing the edges! :-)

I plan to do another dress from my old clothes.  I still have to find some materials to put together to make a new one.

My Favorite Lunch

When I'm alone for lunch and I don't feel like cooking up something special, I eat Fried Chicken Breasts with my choice of dip.

Fried Chicken Breasts with potatoes

My dips include tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, Mang Tomas, suka at bawang and toyo kalamansi.  I sometimes fry some potatoes to complete my meal.

Don't get me wrong, this may be very simple but I can have it everyday for lunch.

Chicken Marinate:
Patis at kalamansi

On some days, I eat fish.  One of my favorites is the "Hasa-hasa" fish.  I also marinate it before frying.  I use rock salt and kalamansi.

Fried Hasa-hasa

The other day, my husband requested if he could eat pork.  So we bought pork belly or "liempo" at the grocery.  He preferred it fried also with a vinegar and garlic dip.  As usual I had fried chicken breasts that day.

Fried Liempo & Chicken Breasts

Cooking Tip: Before frying your Liempo, boil it in little water and 1 tbsp. of vinegar for about 5-10 minutes. Makes it more tender and tasty.