I Cook: That Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Just last weekend was the laziest that I can be for this month. Too lazy to actually do anything plus I had a massive head ache. It is one of those days that you are too tired to move or do chores. But it is only during weekends that we do our grocery. Luckily there was an on going promotion  which is buy one get one. Without thinking twice, it ended in our cart.

Cheddar is one of my favorite type of cheese. I usually stack it with Mozzarella and our local cheese on toast. Then while it is still warm, the Mozerella will all be gooey and yummy and the sharpness of cheddar and local cheese is the bomb diggity!

Try it out :)

What you need

Cheddar cheese
Mozzerella
Local Cheese (Eden)
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Bread

I used a square flat griddle pan. Melt butter on pan and place the bread. Place the cheese on top and this should melt the cheese while you have another grilled with butter.  Place the bread on top of the bread with cheese and season with a little salt and pepper. Then flip it to season the other side as well. Once your bread is toasted on both sides its time to take a bite and enjoy! Melted cheese... I just cant say anything but yummy!

That quick and easy!

Happy eating! xx

Thoughts: Something to remember

Let us not waste our emotions by despising.  There is much more that we can feel and do.

We can use these emotions to spread love if you feel hate. Motivate than Frustrate. Be humble than arrogant. Be simple than extravagant.

Remember that each person has their own battle to fight. May it be how to survive another day until the darkness ends and there is light.

If you think that you are above anyone else, remember that we are all stepping on the same ground.

Do not belittle, disrespect , judge, shame or ridicule. Remember that there is the One above who can see what you are as a whole.

So start your day and be awesome and great .For today you'll be the youngest than you can be and it's not too late. 

Weekend Baking : Apple Turnovers

I just can't believe it! It's June and I have not posted anything for 10 months now. Been really busy with work and life. Life is pretty interesting and everything seems to be a roller coaster ride. You just need to hold on honey. Make the most out of it. Okay, enough of the little drama. I will try my best to upload/post some of my randomness once in a while.

I've been browsing through my tablet's gallery and noticed that I have been doing a lot of cooking and baking in the past few months. I saw my Apple Turnovers and I was like "Why did I not post this?".Which reminds me that it was that time when the news broke regarding the Granny Smith and Gala apples recall. So I was a little hesitant since I bought 1 Granny Smith and 1 Fiji during that period. But it was still on display and they never pulled it out in the grocery so I am assuming it is safe for consumption.

This easy and delicious turnover is just divine! I start off by preheating my oven around  200 degrees C. for 15 minutes and prepare the following. By the way, since  I only made 3 turnovers the recipe is good for about 4-5 depending on the cuts you make with the apple. I chopped them really bite size because I don't want huge chunks in my pie.

2 apples peeled, cored and chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Puff Pastry ( I used Kawan Block Puff Pastry)
1 egg (for  brushing on top of the pastry before baking)

In a pan on medium heat, melt the butter and place the apples and brown sugar and cinnamon and mix until the apples turn soft.

Mix in 1 tbsp of flour to thicken the consistency and set aside the mixture to cool.

Meanwhile dust a little flour and place the puff pastry. Get your rolling pin and thin the pastry to a few centimeters. Place in the apple mixture and fold it forming a triangle.

Using a fork, seal the edges by pressing the dough. Don't forget to poke it in the middle so steam can be released. Brush with egg wash and pop it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

 And here is my first attempt.

It's easy and delicious! You can top it off with vanilla ice cream and drizzle some caramel sauce. My mouth is just watering right now.

Happy Eating!

Binondo: Food strollin'

MAY.

SUMMER.

OFFICE.

Temperature rising and wishing that summer is over and that the rainy season should come earlier as expected. Due to the hot humid weather, I happen to dodge all ideas about GA's, Team Building or Strategic Planning that is located anywhere else outside Eastwood during out of business hours and would require traveling, swim suits and booze.

Philippine Holidays are now time offs (Usually that is, but still insists to go to work for holiday pay) and our team needs to push through with the assembly. As I tried to avoid all ideas, a light bulb appeared. "Why don't we just eat? I mean not once but around Chinatown?" 

I was pushing to go with the "Binondo food walk". I heard so much how great Binondo is for delicious yet affordable Chinese food. Good thing everyone bought the idea and we settled with the time and place.

Friday came and I took the train (LRT) from Roosevelt to Doroteo Jose  Station where we will all meet. I suffered for 15-20 minutes inside with no aircon and  breathing other's air. But thankfully I was able to get a seat.

I was already late with our 12 noon meet up. Upon reaching D.Jose Station, I was beyond excited to step out the coach where it almost felt like an oven and just kneel and catch my breath. I met up with my colleagues and got ready for the walk.

FIRST STOP: WAI YING

Famished, we ordered Beef noodle soup which by the way comes in a huge bowl. For 100 php you can enjoy warm soup with chewy noodles with beef shanks and veggies. Warming the tummy is a good way to start the meal if you haven't eaten on time to avoid tummy aches.

Honey baked rib rice. Generous chunks of beef that is easy to chew in honey sauce.

Hakaw 70 php. I love how the  wrapper turned out to be soft, smooth and not dry. You can really taste the shrimp which looks like a fairly medium size shrimp inside that is moist and flavorful.

Roasted duck with fried rice 160php. Roasted duck as it is with like asado sauce again paired with fried rice.

Radish Cake 60 php for 3 fat pieces. To be honest this is what I enjoyed most, aside from the Hakaw.

I skipped on eating rice because I knew I'd get full fast and we are only in our first stop.

I can't believe that Wai Ying is just in Manila. I hope they get to open around QC.

SECOND STOP:  La Resureccion 

"That Tablea Shop" as I call it but we really didn't notice it while we were walking in Ongpin St. What made us stop is the aroma of sweet smell of chocolate and followed our nose where it led us to this small shop. 

More walks around Chinatown.

THIRD STOP: SINCERITY

Sincerity fried chicken which costs 300 php for a whole plate of deep fried crispy chicken is really really delicious! It's so tasty that I had to order a cup of rice. The chicken is well seasoned and tender. It's close enough to be called chinese style but in the boarder line of it.

Last food stop was at New Po Heng in Quentin Paredes St. We stopped by Eng Bee Tin first to buy some hopia and other sweets to take home. Good thing just across it is the Lumpia House.

For 50php,  you get a big fat vegetable roll with all the good things inside.  I was already full and we all shared 2 pcs of this awesome goodness.

Our last stop was at a huge grocery just outside the "Welcome to Chinatown" sign before the bridge. I bought my mum some dried plums and got myself some flavored strips of codfish like the ones being sold at Aji Ichiban.

I hate walking under the sun, but this one was worth the sweat and heat. :) Affordable delicious food around the town makes me crave at this hour specially the radish cake.

IKEA: Meat balls and happy place

 

When I found out that IKEA is so near our temporary home, I went crazy and asked BB if we can make our trip as soon as possible. We really didn't have an itinerary. All we know was that we gotta eat and get lost. 

So as soon as we got up we headed to IKEA. Excited like a little kid, I kept pointing and holding things and my eyes are so wide in every section we are at. We scanned each aisle carefully and promising that we are going to have that certain furniture in our home.You know you are getting old when you get amaze balls with furniture and kitchen stuff.

I think we spent hours walking inside and finally our tummy sends the signal. It was TIME. Time to finally eat! Yet, before our trip I was telling BB that the meatballs are being talked about. I felt he wasn't that excited (for some reason because he told me how IKEA is in his birth place) and I WAS.

So we found ourselves at the food court. We hung our shopping bag and went inside. Good thing it was around 4 pm on a weekday so there wasn't any queue at all.

 We got our little push cart and browsed through. 

The middle section has different sorts of bread, muffins and cupcakes

Pastries

Sandwich

Here's what we got.

We actually went to IKEA Food court twice in our whole trip. 

For our first trip I ordered this 5RM Meatballs with Mashed Potato

BB got us some dessert (like Pudding/Flan)

He ordered Penne Pasta and Meat Balls

Had to sneak in this deliciously looking cinnamon roll.

For our second visit, we had to stuff ourselves with this!

20pcs meatballs, 5 pc chicken wings, croissant, blueberry muffin, and tart.

Overall, I can finally understand the rave about IKEA Food. I mean the meat balls are great and the gravy is think and creamy. I wished we have this in Manila. Even the wings are really good! I'm starting to miss this again.

Sorry for the lack of description. I totally forgot I had a pending post. Work has really occupied most of my time recently. 

More posts soon!

xx

I Cook: Ta'amia (Falafel)

What makes Ta'amia or Falafel? Chick beans or Fava Beans or both. Falafel is a middle eastern food which is shaped like meat balls or small patties.Wrapped around with flat or pita bread. We like our Falafel with flat bread or tortillas and just fill in the sandwich with veggies such as tomato, lettuce, cucumber, and french fries (YES french fries!) and voila! A quick fix for lunch or dinner!

 I usually whip something up during the weekends.I seldom buy food from the office because pantry food (to which I call it) sucks. Yes, I did use the word "sucks". They often put cornstarch to any of their viands just to thicken the sauce and the quality just went down. Plus, it's quite unappealing too.

So one work day, I was looking at our groceries and wondering what I can bring to work. I saw Garbanzos (chick peas) and a few spices and I'm like "Let's do this! I'm gonna make Falafel!"  If you want to try it here's how I did it.

I used canned chick peas. I drained it and left it for a while just a bit to dry because the moisture will help the mixture later on.

Since I don't have a food processor, I use my trusty, cheap, over used blender and placed the chick peas in batches.

Press "grind".

It should turn out like this.

Now, I'm going to make my green paste. I made mine with 3-4 cloves of garlic (It really depends how much you want. But I like mine with that garlic kick) , a quarter of chopped onion and parsley. Place the garlic first and chop them using the blender. Add the onion and parsley and blend it. It will give you a green aromatic paste.

 In a mixing bowl, place in the chick peas and the green paste. Make sure that the mixture won't turn out too wet (but if so, don't worry, the bread crumbs will do the trick). The mixture should still have coarse like texture.

Add a tablespoon of flour,  quarter teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of cumin and cayenne pepper (adjust if you want it spicy) and 1/3 cup of bread crumbs (I used Marby).Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder when I'm about to fry it.

Using a polvoron shaper, I fill it with the mixture making sure that it is tightly packed to avoid it from breaking when frying.

              Heat your pan with oil and set it on medium heat.

When the pan is hot and ready, I fry them until golden brown on both sides. 

Place them on paper towels to drain the excess oil.

 

And that's it! Home made Ta'amia / Falafel!.

Hope you enjoy making this one as much as I did.

Happy Eating!

xx

Travel Food Series: Random Food We Eat : De Maju

 Street stalls and street food. That has always been in our list. With Malaysia's booming economy and  24/7 business centers, food seems to be the same. You have never been to Malaysia if you haven't tried Mamak food. These Mamak stalls are everywhere! 

Luckily, from where we are staying, right in front of it is called De Maju. They serve Malay-Indian and Western dishes. Sipping Teh Tarik (milk tea) and eating our usual breakfast, lunch and dinner, De Maju has been our kitchen for the week long vacation we had.

Here's how it works. You get a table, settle down and a staff will be with you shortly. Once he approaches you, you gotta have something in mind because everything seems to be a rush (most specially by night because people are off from work and are having dinner). The staff will hand you a piece of paper with your order with the price and that's your tab which you will show him when you pay up.

They even have like a "buffet" type of ordering. They have laid out food and all you have to do is just get the food that you want then they'll charge you after.

Our resident De Maju guy is Ramesh. He knows what we are getting everyday and been very swift that we always give him a tip after. At the end of our trip, BB gave him a Rado cap because he has been very nice to us.

 

 Teh Tarik with Ice RM1

 Roti Canai and Dal (curry dip)

 If you are a bit afraid of trying local food. They do have a western menu. I forgot how much this costs but i think its around RM12 or a little more. 

For one dinner, I had Chicken Chop Maryland, which is boneless chicken with hotdog, coleslaw, fries and soaking with gravy. This by the way is huge! It covers the whole platter and I have never finished this (considering I have a huge appetite). I'm already wishing for this now. I can still remember how juicy the chicken meat was and the well seasoned crust was superb!

 

Nasi Goreng

This is their fried rice. Stir fried rice with carrots, chili, choice of meat (beef or chicken), garlic, Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy sauce), strips of egg, onions, sambal or tomato sauce. Imagine your whole plate towering with rice. This is around RM7 and don't forget to have fried egg with it. Just don't think about the calories, because you can sweat it out after.

 Hainanese Chicken fried rice served with Fish Sauce.

Now this one is not from De Maju but by the poolside of where we were staying.

I'm pretty sure this was not the Hainanese chicken I was imagining. But HECK IT'S DELICIOUS! Bits of chicken cubes with carrots and corn. Another simple yet uber tasty dish.

Now, this one is their pasta. YES, it's PASTA. it has chicken strips, bean sprouts, crushed nuts in which tasted like our version of Palabok sauce.

Do you know what this dish is called? I totally forgot what it is.Let me know if you do! :)

Gosh I miss this place.

xx