spiCes

…Sunday. Summer. Salad.
rolled into one. on a warm, lazy family day such as today…a refreshing SALAD is a must. ones that are particularly made of fresh and citrusy ingredients such as fruits and gourds flavored by minty and syrupy dressing, never fail to ease the unbearable heat even for just a bit.

…consider the pleasantly unique, light and fresh flavor that this MANGO and CUCUMBER SALAD is made of plus the fact that it can be easily assembled in as little as 10-15 minutes! no cooking required. just simple slicing tossing and mixing. pair it with your favorite chicken, fish or any meaty dish…and you’re golden!
recipe is now up on MOMCOOKS.DADCOOKS!

…its bright nd vibrant colors against the bright and sunny outdoor backdrop make for one delicious beat-the-heat photograph too! too bad i only had yellow onions instead of red, but as it is, i think it does the job!

Lasang Pinoy, Sundays is a bi-weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style!

…this one’s for Ayen! i posted last night on my Facebook status that i was eating these together with pistachio nuts…and yup! my guess was more or less accurate. not such a good combination after all! it’s not that bad, but better beware if you have sensitive tummies! hehe! one go was all it took for me though.

So this is how Longans look like Ayen:)
it is somehow hard to find here in the country but i would assume that any Asian store will have this when in season. that’s where i got them:) must be a cousin of sorts, this sweet, succulent almost lychee-tasting fruit brings back memories.. that of my mom, more importantly. we both loved this and we first had a taste of it together during that special trip, when she gifted me with my very first airplane ride to nearby Hongkong.

and now it’s my daughter Samantha who shares this love love love for snacking on ‘em!:)

the magic bullet. that’s how i know it is called. we received this as a Christmas present from one of my cousins in CT, and it is the Bella Cucina version of the said smoothie maker. it does ‘replaces a food processor, blender, and coffee grinder’ all in this one simple gadget and it is in fact a breeze to operate and ‘can do virtually any job in the kitchen in 10 seconds or less’ as the original bullet claims. this brand does all those too. i’m glad. Marco is glad, beyond glad. he just loves making fruit smoothies and milk shakes, which is good. he even promised to make the kids a glass of vanilla milk shake everyday.

these photos were taken during my cousin’s demo of the said product…on Christmas day. hehe! with all the round fruits that night, it was a hit and it still is in our household! thanks again, ate Vic! i love it as you said i would!:) health-wise, it is a good product because it has lessened Marco’s soda intake since we received it! plus the design fits oh so perfectly with my other kitchen toys!  more importantly, i am loving the idea that it saves in cleaning up time too since you can go ahead and drink from the cup itself.

TOMATO

When Ces asked if I would be interested to do the second “Iron Chef LaPiS Challenge”, I was honestly both excited and a wee bit, ahem, “apprehensive”.

Excited because this would probably be the closest I would get to rubbing (virtual) elbows with “foodie greats” and “iron chefs extra-ordinaire” in cyberspace and apprehensive because I was quite afraid that my entry wouldn’t quite measure up to LaPiS’s “discriminating” standards… hahaha! J

I know…‘nuff of my cheesy intro… Obviously, I welcomed the “Tomato Challenge”!  So, here goes…

to·ma·to  (tə-mā’tō, -mä’-)

n.   pl. to·ma·toes

A widely cultivated South American plant (Lycopersicon esculentum) having edible, fleshy, usually red fruit.

According to Wikipedia, tomato consumption is believed to benefit the heart among other things and has been associated with decreased risk of breast cancer, head and neck cancers and might be strongly protective against neurodegenerative diseases.

And if this isn’t enough reason to munch away on this “veggie-fruit” or include this is our daily diet, tomatoes contain lycopene, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants.  Lycopene has also been shown to improve the skin’s ability to protect against harmful UV rays.

Tomatoes are also used extensively in Mediterranean cuisine, especially Italian and Middle Eastern cuisines. The tomato is acidic thus making it especially easy to preserve in home canning -  be it whole, in pieces, as tomato sauce, or tomato paste. Tomato juice is often canned and sold as a beverage while unripe green tomatoes can also be breaded and fried, used to make salsa, or pickled. The fruit is also preserved by drying, often by sun, and sold either in bags or in jars in oil.

As for me, since cooler days are upon most of us especially with the onset of winter, what better way to keep warm and toasty than with a steaming bowl of this…

For the recipe, click here.

Yes, a definite comfort food – both for the tummy and for the soul. Couple this with a grilled mozzarella sandwich and I’m in “foodie heaven”! (*sigh*)

How about you? What’s your take on the terrific tomato?

This is Pinky of The Kingdom Kitchen Tales – honored and privileged to be this week’s LaPiS guest contributor. A blessed Sunday to all!

is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style! thanks a lot for guest hosting PINKY!

…to kick off our IRON CHEF inspired themes, this week is all about succulent and sweet strawberries! and all i can come up with is everyone’s favorite in the house…CREPES. this one is specifically for moi and my girl. we love crepes with strawberry filling, loads of whipped cream, slathered with a bit of cream cheese…more whipped cream on top and finally fresh cut berries to garnish. the downside of this? making the crepes in itself requires a whole lot of time and effort, but eating them…not even a minute!

is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style!

…my very first ever home-made Atchara [pickled papaya] as requested by the husband. his most favorite appetizer. yeah right. like he needs one, huh? okay…palate cleanser? allow me to say that it was really good!:) the big bowl didn’t even make it to at least 2 weeks of having it every single night? i only managed to bring a small bottle to my cousin in Connecticut. got some good raves as well from their end:)

credits to my neighbor Stel for her SPECIAL ACHARA recipe, thanks! i will be posting it on my other blog soon, promise!:)
UPDATE: RECIPE is now POSTED @ MOMCOOKS.DADCOOKS

is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style!

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.

true. i, for one can attest to that. those days during my childhood when we always looked forward to heavy downpours if only to play out and marvel on the fun that it brings as soon as we get soaked. literally.
[thanks to lynn for that quote i plucked out of her FB status]

but i also learned how to value the beauty of warmer sun shiny weather, more so when we moved here in the US. summer for me now just comes a quarter of a whole year. all the more it is well appreciated.

after all, there are small and simple ways out there to counter the heat that the summer tags along….like CHILLED DRINKS! which qualify as a grand solution to defy that thirst.

for breakfast. a CHOCOLATE MILK SMOOTHIE. made by M for last week’s Sunday breakfast.

lunch. fresh WATERMELON SHAKE. still made by M one weekend.  mah man truly knows how to quench his thirst, you see.

and for dinner [onwards:)]. mah tall glass of CHILLed KIRIN. what i had to CHILLax on my very recent Shabu birthday dinner.

is a weekly FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style!

…that while i was sleeping [sort of] nursing a flu, ‘wine’ flu [that is according to my neighbor Stel]…my daughter S was concocting this facial mask.

at alam nyo rin ba na ito ay gawa sa kalahating avocado…the other half, kinain ko hehe!

at isang carrot.
a little bit of EVOO, honey and cream… and voila! instant @ home pampering by-from-with my dear sweet dalaginding…

An entry to

Ingredients for a great facial are no further away than your own refrigerator. Avocado and carrots may sound like something healthy to eat, but then when blended together, they make a wonderful facial for dry or mature skin. The vitamin E in the avocado, combined with the antioxidants and beta-carotene in the carrot, will improve your skin’s texture and tone and fade age spots.
[source:e-how.com]

…you can click on the link for the complete instructions!:) try it! your skin will definitely feel soft, smooth and supple after:) pramis!:)

Welcome to another week of foodplay, if i may say so. Looking at the photos of this Pan-Roasted Lime Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa and Almond Rice Pilaf, I believe foodplay is perfectly inherent. I had so much fun making this dish a few days ago…the tenderloins served warm and rice pilaf…toasty, the mango salsa , oh so refreshing. delicioso!
What made it more enjoyable was the photo shoot, of course.

…first, it was the star of the show this week…the SLICED PORK TENDERLOIN.

…funny how the salsa and other garnish came in second, you might ask? ..the RICE pilaf was just a hurried decision. i completely erased that part due to lack of exact ingredients until M and I decided, what the heck…make do with what we have. and guess what…still, yummy maybe even better! and without it, the whole enchilada [as they say] will not taste as good!

…i am posting the recipe in a few! and this brings us to the last part of this so-called foodplay! showing it off! hee! now, it’s your turn!

is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, PINOY style!

…as is. or,

thinly sliced, to add flavor and zest on to your cereals, together with a half a handful of dried cranberries.  topped with almond slivers/slices for some added crunch…ishgooood!!!

An entry to .