The beginner goes to school

I didn't tell mom where I was going until the last moment. Actually, she wouldn't have known if hubby hadn't let it slip (bad hubby! Palo!). At my age and status in life, I am still subject to my mom's monitoring that I've always had when I was sixteen, worse, eleven.

Here's how our conversation last Friday went (and this is how similar conversations generally go):

Mom: May pasok ba kayo bukas?

Me: (nonchalantly) Mayroon.

Hubby: (clueless as always) Mayroon po. Ako po mayroon. Si Karen wala, pero may pupuntahan siya.

Me: (throws discreet dagger looks at hubby)
Hubby: (absolutely oblivious to me)

Mom: (to me) Saan ka pupunta?

Me: Diyan lang.

Mom: Saan nga?
Me: Diyan nga lang.

Mom: Ano 'yun?
Me: Cooking class.

Mom: (looks at me incredulously) Cooking class?

Me: (nods, feeling weak all over) Thai Cooking Class. Wala trip ko lang.

Mom: Ano 'yun, buong araw?

Me: 10 to 2 lang.

Mom: May bayad?

Me: Of course. Pero naka-promo siya.

Mom: Magkano?

Me: Nasa nine hundred.

Mom: (looks unconvinced that it's "mura lang")

Me: Kasama na lahat--apron, ingredients, everything.

Mom: Mahal.

Me: Mura na 'yun.

Mom: E saan nga 'yun?

Me: (hesitates but spits it out anyway) Sa Chino Roces.

Mom: Saan?

Me: Chino Roces.

Mom: Sa Makati?

Me: (nods) Sa Magsaysay Institute.

Mom: Saan doon?

Me: Doon siya sa Waltermart doon.

Mom: Ang layo.

Since I've already registered for this class, she wasn't anymore able to do anything about it (believe me, even at my age and status in life, she will try to stop me).

Growing up with a mom like that, I'm sure it will no longer surprise you that I'm not very much of a traveling person. To be honest, I don't even know how to commute to Makati. So, needless to say, until the day before, I was not very certain how to get to Chino Roces Avenue. Hubby was supposed to accompany me. He wanted to go and visit Don Bosco Makati, but they had work scheduled that Saturday so I was going solo. It was great that I was able to ask my cousin Joyce, who works somewhere in the area, for directions, else I don't know where I would've ended up. But I had faith in the Alabang terminal (I've constantly joked that one can get anywhere from Alabang, even to Hong Kong) and I am sure, as insan Joyce pointed out, that one will take me near there.

So the moment I got off the jeep at Alabang, the rest of my July 16 was an adventure (and I haven't even started cooking yet, LOL). You've probably heard the line "dayuhan sa lupang tinbuan". I felt just like that--a tourist, asking the vendors lining the bangketa where to ride going where I was going.

The trip wasn't difficult at all. I just took another jeep ride, after getting off the bus at Mantrade, and there I was. Actually, I got off too early (excited? Hahaha!), and I had to walk along the gates of Don Bosco Makati for a minute or so to Waltermart.

Caramel frap for here for Karen (yes, that's my real
name--among a few others)

I was there very early; Waltermart was still closed. I ordered a caramel frap and sat down at Starbucks, whiling the time with a newspaper. The moment the rest of Waltermart showed signs of waking, I went up to the fifth floor (I was finally able to bring out the longganisa sandwich I brought along with me) and found the impressive facade of the Magsaysay Institute for Hospitality and Culinary Arts.

The moment I saw MIHCA, I was actually *kilig!*. LOL.

I can't believe it--I REALLY got HERE all ALONE!

I almost immediately made a couple of new friends, Teteth and her boyfriend, Reggie. While I was filling up my registration form, I noticed that most came with either their partners or a friend. Maybe one time I'll bring mom along, of course, if I could handle another looooong conversation ("Sasama ako?", "E bakit ako samama?", "Anong gagawin ko doon?", "May bayad?", "E 'di doble babayaran mo?", "Mahal."...yeesh).

Another alias I go by.

The class began with a short lecture. There was a lot of us, I think over 30 or 40 people. Two chefs handled the class, the main being Chef Mike Navarra. He briefed us on kitchen ethics as well as the recipes we were expected to cook that day.

Lecture by Chef Mike Navarra.

I found myself grouped, naturally, with Teteth and Reggie, and Joel, who was also solo and happened to be sitting next to Reggie. Turns out Joel is already a pro, and the class was given to him as a gift. It was great to have him, as he was quite comfortable during the lab.

Here's a rundown of our menu:

Thai sinigang, Tom Yum Goong, Teteth's favorite

Chicken Satay, the real thing!

Pork Stir Fry with Green Curry, my favorite

The Thai pancit, Pad Thai

Simple but yummy dessert, Sticky Rice with Mango

I'll admit--it was mostly Joel who did the cooking. Hehehe. He's a pro--works at the Midas Hotel. I did my best to be as useful as possible. I had a hand in prepping the ingredients, stirring, making bantay whatever's on the stove.

I heard that instruction in MIHCA was good, even better, compared to some other culinary schools. Even for just a half-day course like the one I took, the chef-in-charge didn't skimp in teaching valuable know-how and sharing tips and tricks. We made sauces, curries and everything else from scratch so that we could enjoy Thai dishes anytime, even if bottled ready-made ones are not available in the supermarket.

Chef Mike and a handful of MIHCA students

went around to assist the participants. Here
he demoed and produced the lovely green
curry (inset) for the entire class to use for
for the pork dish.

If I didn't attend this class, I would never have known that Thai cuisine wasn't that complicated. We finished dish after dish in a few minutes, as most involved stir-frying and overcooking would be a crime. What would probably be my main problem is finding some of the ingredients. But recently, weekend markets have popped up here and there (though I have yet to visit the one in Ayala Alabang) and even SM Supermarket has expanded its product line.

Group 1: me, and (L-R) Teteth, Reggie and Joel

Teteth was kind enough to snap this commemorative

photo--the first of many more MIHCA adventures.

I had a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to the next one, even if I came out of this one smelling like fresh cilantro. ^_^

*BB*

WCS turned ILYS: Beef with Garlic Oyster Sauce

I don't get to see my in-laws often. To be honest, I'd rather spend the weekend somewhere nearby, if not at home. There's also Saturday night choir practice and Sunday morning mass service midway through the weekend, so going somewhere far is not really advisable. Usually, it would just be hubby who would go to Calamba on random days. So when I do go to visit hubby's family, I've made it a point to bring something, usually ulam. Once, I also bought some of my Cheater Cookies, which my mother-in-law liked.

After a very long while, I visited with hubby just this Saturday and brought some Stir-fry Beef with Garlic Oyster Sauce.

Stir-fried Beef with Garlic Oyster Sauce

I'm very happy with this stir-fry. It's simple but really delicious. My mom told me it was something worth serving to guests and my dad complimented me that I've really gotten good in cooking (palakpak ang tenga, hehehe). Hubby's parents liked this dish, too. They even served it to a couple of guests who dropped by their house shortly after hubby and I finished lunch.

Because we planned to leave early on Saturday morning--supposedly at 8:00 AM, but because I suddenly decided to make a cheater breakfast, we were not able to leave until almost 9:00 AM--I planned to already cook the evening before. However, I had to render overtime on Friday night. Hubby and I arrived home almost 11:00 PM. We just took a quick break then went to work. I asked hubby to help me prep up as I had two recipes in line: the beef dish for lunch, and my very own chicken sandwich spread for the choir's after-practice merienda.

"Men for a Month" featuring...hubby! Hahaha!

While the rest of the world sleeps, here's
me and hubby toiling away in the kitchen

As I said, I love this recipe. My only complaint is not on the dish, but on the meat. Beef takes so long to cook, even if you have them sliced thinly. I'm afraid of pressure cookers so don't suggest that I use one. The good news is, because it does take time, the flavors in the sauce would have been well absorbed by the meat and all the waiting would be worthwhile.

Stir-fry the beef until it changes color.

Not the usual sequence. The garlic and onion

come in after the beef has been stir-fried.

The bell peppers make this dish colorful.

Add oyster sauce, water and brown sugar. Season with

salt and pepper, stir in sesame oil. Before serving, you
may top with spring onions and sesame seeds (if you
have). Easy, no?

With the two recipes, I finished sometime between 2:00-3:00 AM (take note, the beef was still somewhat rubbery, hahaha). Hubby already went on ahead and went to bed an hour before and I let him go lest he started slicing his fingers. ^_^

Other recipe this evening/midnight/early morning: Chicken Sandwich Spread

Stir-fried Beef with Garlic Oyster Sauce

Recipe in Yummy Menu for a Month and Yummy.ph

*BB*

ILYS: A quick fix for Saturday (finally, it's a pork dish)

On non-working Saturdays, I revert to what I call "housewife mode". For people who know me as a working girl, they probably could not picture me in such a mode. Some actually can't and they seem surprised that I can do household chores. Probably because I've always been the unica hija and people probably think I live like a princess. But I know my way around the house like any pauper would.

So on weekends, even before I got married, I do laundry (at least, the laundry that we do not send to the laundry shop), put our things in order, mend clothes, etc. And now, I also cook (and yes, I don a duster to complete the housewife look, hehehe).

Just this Saturday, I did something very housewife-y also: I went to the market. I usually tagged along whenever mom goes there. But I wanted to experience doing the marketing myself so I decided to go alone. Anyway, the market is nearby, about a ten-minute walk (or less) from our house. Hubby, who was on his way to work, and I caught a backride on a trike about a quarter past 5:00 AM, and I dropped myself off at the village plaza. I didn't walk as it was still dark as night.

I was at the market very early, early enough to catch the delivery of fresh meat taking place at Boyet & Belle's, mom's preferred vendor. I think they unloaded about 5 or 6 large pigs. I waited for a while as Mang Boyet and his boys chopped the meat into the different sections and cuts (liempo, kasim, pigue, even isaw, dugo, etc.) with such ease you'd think they were working on toys.

The nice thing about going to the market very early is there is very little crowd. In fact, almost zero. Mom's usual shopping schedule is around 8:00 AM, when there's already more than a handful of people in each stall. In some instances, a certain cut of meat is no longer available, or some kinds of fish and vegetables have also run out. I must say I did my pamamalengke quite leisurely that morning. I took my time consulting my Menu for a Month copy, and comparing and selecting what I needed. I had first pick of everything, so to speak.

I would've stayed longer, but the sun was finally out. And my load was heavy. For a while, I completely forgot I was shopping solo. On top of the meat I bought, I also had a number of different vegetables, a whole piling of lacatan bananas, and a loaf of sandwich bread. I must've looked like a walking store already. =) But if I had not yet felt the load, I would've probably shopped around some more. Maybe next time I'll bring a bayong.

I made mini pancakes for breakfast when I got home. Because I also started cooking early, I finished just as my parents and brother were waking up. I haven't quite made up my mind what to cook for lunch. But despite that and the laundry I had to do, I was looking forward to a relatively lazy Saturday...

Until the doorbell rang. Surprise, we had visitors. =) In came my mom's nephew (but because of our age gap, I was often confused whether to call him "uncle" or "kuya") and his wife and their driver. They had some business with my parents. At first, I thought they weren't staying long. We served them chips and biscuits and ensaladang mangga. I still had the lesiurely feel around me. But as was always the case with relatives, a visit which is "saglit lang" would last at least half a day. LOL. I ended up suddenly snapping out of it and rushing to cook lunch.

I bought several kinds of meat and fish: a kilo of semi-sukiyaki-cut beef for gyudon and half a kilo of ground beef round for pasta sauce, a kilo of pork strips for stir-frying, a whole fresh chicken for tinola or afritada, and some fresh sapsap, one of my favorite fish, for pinangat. After quick consideration, I opted to cook Pork Stir-Fry. And ASAP!

Marinade pork in a mix of soy sauce, honey and garlic

I always like to marinade meat longer, overnight if possible. So I marinated the pork for more than 15 minutes, while I was preparing the other ingredients.

Aside from their health benefits, veggies give dishes
beautiful colors so I try to cook with more of them

The beans and mixed vegetables were "cooked" quickly in boiling water with salt. I made a miscalculation with the mixed vegetables and bought too little. What I did to compensate for the lack was dice a big carrot.

I heated oil in our trusty old wok. Although it wasn't specified, I used olive oil and it was fantastic. The pork was stir-fried in high heat.

When pork is cooked, lower the flame and pour in the
marinade (ah, this is what I did wrong...I chucked everything
--pork and marinade--into the wok at once...no wonder it
was soupy, LOL).

In went the the bell peppers and mushroom. Then later, during the last few minutes of cooking, the rest of the veggies.

Serve warm.

Wow, ready in a jiffy. =)

I immediately made a disclaimer that it was my first time to cook the dish. The fast stir-fry was received well by my family and our guests. I recall my cousin's driver commenting, "Sira ang diet ko dito." Mom assured her it was OK because I used olive oil. Of course, I cannot answer if the amount he ate was OK even if I used olive oil. ^_^

It was remarked that the dish tasted like higado. I'm thinking perhaps it was the amount of bell pepper I used.

Pork Stir-Fry
Recipe on Yummy.ph or Menu for a Month

*BB*

ILYS: It's chicken day once more

19-20 FEBRUARY 2011. I promise myself to cook a bit more beef, pork or fish next time. Because today, it's chicken once again.

I was finally able to try Chicken Satay with Cucumber Salad recipe on Yummy Meals in Minutes. I got myself to buy--at last--a bottle of satay sauce, a small bottle of which costs P98.00. Ouch. O_O I also purchased breast fillet at SM Southmall supermarket on my way home after work on Friday.


Saturday found me in the kitchen once more, bent on finally cooking this dish I have earmarked a long, long time ago (since I bought the cookbook, so that's more than one year ago already).

The stage is set for another yummy meal.

Cut the chicken breast fillets (skinless, 1 kilo) into
bite-size cubes and wash 'em real clean!

Although I find the nutty scent of satay sauce yummy, my mom was alarmed by it. Even hubby thought something smelled spoiled. =)

Prepare the marinade. Combine 1 tbsp. chopped garlic,1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup peanut butter,
1/4 cup satay sauce, and 2 tsps chili-garlic sauce.
Season with sugar, salt and pepper as needed.
Mix 'em real well!

Toss the chicken cubes in the marinade.

Make sure the chicken is mixed well in the nutty marinade!
Set aside for about 15 minutes.

Easy cucumber salad. Combine 2 diced cucumbers,
2 tbsps lemon juice, 3 tbsps minced red onion
and 1/4 cup sesame oil.

Hubby joined me in the kitchen after a while. He wanted to help out so I requested him to do the frying. I think it would help to use a non-stick pan. The one we used was no longer non-stick, so the marinade did stick until there was an accumulation which soon toasted into a black mess inside the pan (some of the chicken had burnt spots on them).

Pan fry the marinated chicken.

This dish deserves porcelain plating. Dinner time!

Long after I managed myself to stop scooping rice into my plate, I still found myself popping chicken pieces into my mouth as we were still hanging around the kitchen table listening to mom's story (I think it's one of those from her dalaga-days again, which we've heard a half dozen times already and which she is repeating for hubby's benefit). It's addicting. Ang sarap papakin. Hahaha! And the cucumber salad really goes well with the chicken.

The recipe above was for 1 kilo of chicken. As we're a family of five (hungry people), I used about half a kilo more (so if you'll do the same, just adjust the measurements). There was still more than enough of it until the next day when my kuya's family came over for lunch, and even for our breakfast on Monday. =)

Chicken Satay with Cucumber Salad
Find the recipe on the Yummy Meals in Minutes book


*BB*

ILYS: High-calorie Saturday

11 DECEMBER 2010. I think I did nothing today except cook. My goodness. And eat. OH MY GOODNESS.


We had a few relatives coming over and choir practice later in the evening. On top of that, mom and dad had cake orders to do.


Early this morning, I got up and started. I made my so-easy carbonara with an extra shortcut... Del Monte Carbonara sauce. Hahaha! It wasn't really a shortcut though. More of an "extender". I still used all-purpose cream and cream of mushroom. I tried putting in parsley this time. It was good.

The luncheon meat carbonara was for:

1. Our breakfast this morning

 2. Our guests' snack in the afternoon

3. The choir's after-practice merienda (late night)

And we still have half a pot full of carbonara sauce for breakfast tomorrow. LOL


Mom made nilagang baka and fried chicken wings, as we were expecting our relatives for lunch. The latter dish I spiked with chili garlic sauce.

Mom's favorite fried chicken recipe is very yummy

but very simple: calamansi + patis.

Telltale signs that Renn Xu was here: chili bits

The chicken didn't turn out to be spicy (or maybe it was just me...little bro always comments that I've burned my tongue with excessive intake of chili a long time ago). But the taste did change. I served it with a dip made of mayo and sandwich spread, Worcestershire sauce and minced garlic on the side.

Looks like my relatives liked it. Only five pieces
were left.

I ended up with the task of frying the chicken, after which I vowed I shall steer clear of frying until after the wedding. I have so many spatter marks on my hands. And they hurt! =(


Mom and dad were starting to bake when our relatives arrived. I think I got a bit stressed helping the bakers and serving the guests at the same time. But I did get a treat. After mom poured the cake batter into the baking pans, I asked her for the mixing bowls. I got three of the four bowls (I wasn't able to catch the mixing bowl for the carrot cake in time): mango (my favorite!), ube (we have one mini-loaf! Yay!) and chocolate (sugar high...). No picture of me "cleaning up" the mixing bowls. It's kinda gross. LOL

I admit I'm not in a very artistic mood today. Little

bro's cake order/gift turned out to be a confusion of
multicolored edible flowers and gold pearls. But it
was still cute anyway. And delicious.

Me tired. Bride-to-be must get some beauty rest (which is impossible as it's midnight already. Pfft.) and dream up a game plan how I shall lose all those calories...


Thirteen days to go till the wedding! Oh, make that twelve days to go, because it's midnight already.


P.S. Happy 1st Birthday to my nephew, Zeus! ^_^ *BB*

ILYS: Seafood Fried Rice

2010 JULY 10. This dish is self explanatory. LOL. My stupid colds is making me tamad...

Azumi trying to supervise my progress. I'm wondering
if she made any progress with that herself.

Anyway, I also planned this ahead of time. The thing was, I left my Quick and Good on my desk in the office Friday. Hubby-to-be, who was on night shift, wasn't able to retrieve it; maybe it got lost amongst my pile of to-do's... so I'm perfectly sure I didn't follow the recipe. LOL

My take on Seafood Fried Rice.

Seafood Fried Rice

(serves 4 and a bit more)

1 medium onion

1 head garlic

half a pack of frozen mixed seafood (got this from Shopwise Alabang)

half a pack of frozen mixed vegetables (got from the takal-takal section of SM Supermarket, cheaper than frozen)

soy sauce

oyster sauce

hoisin sauce (a teeny bit; not necessary kailangan lang gamitin dahil mage-expire na LOL)

chili garlic sauce

leek (actually not necessary rin, decoration lang LOL)

2 eggs, cooked scrambled and sliced

*BB*

ILYS: Tuna Kani Canapés

2010 JULY 10. It is truly an I Love You Sabado for two reasons: I can try out another recipe. Second I'm sick. I really need to rest. =( I was supposed to spend the night at Danes's with Juligel. But as the weird heaviness in my head developed into full-fledged colds and a headache Friday, I had to pass.

With the modest success I had with Charlie Tsong, I decided to tackle a new recipe without asking the person I got it from if I recalled the ingredients correctly. I put my flavor memory to work. Anyway, the dish isn't as hard.

About the recipe. For some reason, I don't like crab sticks. Funny thing is, I haven't even tasted them, so I don't really know why I don't like them.

Until one Saturday night a few months ago. After choir band practice, the host brought out a chilled bowl of tuna kani. While everyone else was excited to dig in, I wasn't, seeing the telltale red strips all over the thing. There was an alternative, chili con carne. But, as I'm very known to be the "last man standing" in any meal and food trip, I gave the kani a shot and was glad I did. I was so surprised how the strange assortment of ingredients yielded such a nice flavor. I tried to memorize the ingredients as our host dictated them to one of our singers.

Fast forward to this last Thursday. My parents and I got groceries from Shopwise. However, the lettuce there were big heads, the cheapest costing around P70. Mangoes also cost like gold since it's not in season. So the next day, I bought a fat mango from a vendor at our village kanto and dropped by SM Supermarket for the lettuce. I also grabbed another can of tuna, which turned out to be a good idea.

I was greeted by a terrible headache when I woke up around 6:00 AM, so I spent another couple of hours of broken sleep to wear it down (which did to some extent). I got up a bit before 9:00 AM; the kitchen beckons.

The ingredients make the recipe seem elaborate.

Mom found me at the kitchen table preparing the ingredients. She wondered what I was planning to do, as the ingredients weren't my usual thing. She watched me chop, cube and throw everything together and finish in almost a flash (almost, as I had a lot to slice) like magic.

The tuna kani mixture. So easy to do!

For our breakfast, I first made 16 pieces and toasted them, which was both a good and not-so-good idea. The heat toasted the bread and made the mixture settle on the baguette slices, but it dried up and wilted the lettuce, which may look unattractive after some time.

The first batch. Mom already got one piece.

The recipe yielded 32 pieces (I made another batch after we annihilated the first). Sounds like a lot, right? That's what I thought, until I finished the leftovers from the second batch without realizing it.

I thought I was going to store leftover tuna kani in the
refrigerator so I whipped it up in a plastic container.

I so want to rave about the recipe, because it's easy, delicious and healthy, but I can't. Stupid colds. I have to stop here... I hope this entry made sense. LOL. Whether it did or not, feel free to try the recipe below.

Tuna Kani Canapés

Makes 32 pieces (serves 4 or less, hahaha!)

1 can tuna chunks (or solid) in water, drained

1 (or 2 if small) crab stick/s, sliced

half a small onion

1 cheek ripe mango, cubed

half of a small cucumber, cubed

lettuce, sliced

mayonnaise (Japanese mayo if you have, although I used Miracle Whip)

1 French baguette, cut into half-inch thick pieces

P.S. If you don't have a baguette, never fear! Serve on ordinary bread like pandesal, Skyflakes or even Fita!

Also made some to be brought by my mom to big bro's,
this one on pandesal halves.

*BB*

ILYS-Rewind: Accidental pasta

17 April 2010. OK, so I was bored. In times of boredom, crazy ideas sometimes come.

It was at this bored moment that I made up my mind to be a vegetarian for once in my life. I was home alone, and I had a 400-gram pack of spaghetti sealed away in a Lock & Lock pasta keeper, tempting me from the kitchen shelf.

I had a basic pasta recipe--just olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and basil--which I read from a Yummy feature on Sharlene Tan. I made up my mind and chucked in a boiling pot half of the pack of spaghetti. I tossed together the other ingredients.

Everything was going as planned, until I saw my kuya's whole pepperoni in the freezer. I kissed my vegetarian-for-a-day plans, and in flew a few rough slices of pepperoni.

Now I had no idea how this thing in the pot would taste. Odd, maybe. I've only encountered pepperoni in pizza.

OK, whatever.

Taking a seat in the dining table, with a plate of pasta topped with parmesan cheese and a glass of cold pineapple juice, I spent the afternoon leisurely. I had a very stressful week, so I deserved this. The pasta, I found, was OK. Nothing really grand. My kuya and his wife came home to find me in a very this-is-the-life attitude. Kuya took a bite (and did not get mad that I touched his pepperoni), said it was masarap, and disappeared upstairs.

My accidental pasta recipe

Now Snow, our dog, who was asleep awhile ago came to the screen door. She was looking at me so pitifully, i na pahingi-naman-ako way. I threw her just a couple of strands of spaghetti, knowing very well that she wouldn't eat it.

The pasta disappeared no more than 5 seconds after hitting the ground. After sniffing the ground it there was more, Snow looked up at me again. I gave her some more until I decided to hide less she finished the whole pan.

Only then I realized that I had had half of the pan already. I quit eating (with some difficulty). I thought about reserving some for my youngest brother, who was coming home in a while. I went online. Kuya came with his own plate of pasta, which he shared with my sister-in-law.

And just like the strands I gave Snow, the remaining contents of the pan also disappeared. Kuya finished everything. LOL. Masarap daw.

My younger brother complained when I said there wasn't anymore of the weird spaghetti I made. The next morning, I cooked the rest of the remaining pasta (more or less 200 grams). The amount of pasta my kuya and I shared, I now had to divide among 6 people. Naturally, the pasta also disappeared this time. And the accidental pasta (which still has no name until now) was an instant--and unexpected--favorite. *BB*

Lessons today:* Unlike saucy pasta (like spaghetti in meat sauce and carbonara), pasta in oil is less nakakaumay.
* Since pasta in oil less nakakaumay, then don't be surprised if you consume by yourself a serving good for 4. =) *BB*

I Love You Sabado (ILYS): To bread for the first time

24 APRIL 2010. Since I started taking cooking to heart, I always looked forward to Saturdays (Saturdays with no work, of course). It's a day for me to practice. Sundays are hectic, as my brothers and I have church commitments in the morning.

The day began like any other day, with me waking up to the tune of my baby nephew's meowing in the other room. Played with him for a while and went down to get ready. I already knew what I'd be doing today.

I liked eating breaded stuff: breaded chicken, breaded pork, breaded fish, breaded whatever. But I've always thought breading is difficult. It seemed like such a hassle. So, back then, if you'd ask me to cook breaded chicken, I'll just fry the thing and say I didn't hear you say "breaded".

My nephew asleep in his carrier on the dining table while
I was cooking, oblivious to the chaos I was making in
the kitchen.

Now that I actually tried breading, I found the FEB (flour-egg-breadcrumbs) process quite entertaining. I thought before it was a hassle. Well, there were a lot of soiled plates and bowls after, but it was cool. Used to a workplace where the Toyota Production System is standard, a simple setup for cleaning up while cooking is in progress became second nature. It was of course quite tricky when doing breading, as you need all the containers at the same time and you finish using them at the same time. But it was OK.

OK, so they're supposed to be golden brown,

and they're just, well... brown. LOL.
Hey, there's my reflection on the kettle! 

I finished frying the breaded breast fillets... and it turned out we didn't have rice yet! LOL. So I took a break... to fold up some clean laundry and finish washing my own clothes the moment my sister-in-law vacated the sink (talk about multitasking!)

My Meals in Minutes propped like the Holy Bible next to the stove.
Breaded Chicken with Lemon Glaze on page 31.

Just as the rice was almost done cooking, I made the lemon glaze. I didn't exactly follow the quantities here, though, as my 3 lemons yielded 2 extra tablespoons of juice (I just needed 6 tablespoons). So I just made mental calculations on how much more water and honey I should put.

And voila! My first breaded project was plated, drizzled over with sweet-sour lemon glaze and topped with not-so-very-finely chopped parsley (OK, tinatamad na ako, noh! Gutom na ako!).

Breaded Chicken with Lemon Glaze

Dad was the first to have a bite. Was quite flattered when he said I can already cook for a restaurant (palakpak ang tenga, hehehe). =) I also got positive comments from my mom, older brother (who cooks better than I do and is very hard to please when it comes to food) and his wife.

Baby can't eat with us yet, so he settled for his favorite finger food.

Personally, the dish was OK. I think I should season the chicken a bit more. I was also afraid to dump the entire all the glaze on the chicken when I served it. I was thinking that it might be too strong, but I put some on a small bowl and served it on the side. As it turned out, we ended up pouring spoonfuls of it on our plates like soup and I had to refill the bowl. =)

I started prepping for this dish past 9:00 AM. We ate by 12:30 noon. Not bad, as I had to wait for the rice to cook (which involved some bumming around and lying on the bed) and did laundry and cleaned up and had to call my parents several times to come to the table. 


Breaded Chicken with Lemon Glaze
Find the recipe on On Yummy Meals in Minutes


*BB*