spiCes

yay! i am back! i am back! not only to posting an entry to one of my most fave weekly memes in the whole wide and wild world!!! [tarush! titaT! hehe] but i am back to blogging…paid blogging, working per se! i have finally snatched that groove back and i simply wish that this doesn’t end here. wish me luck!

ah, syanga pala…manipis diba? e di manipis na klase ng pasta? pwede na duhbuh? oo? oo! hehehe!

an entry to

…generously sprinkled with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano a.k.a. parmesan cheese, this Spaghetti alla Puttanesca imitation turned out really delicious! made with linguine instead and without the capers but with the luxury of meat and of course tomatoes and olives.

as it was known, this pasta was originally made for a group of friends who came in heavily starved one night in a famous Italian restaurant, but the owners ran out of ingredients and so made something out of what was available then…olives, capers and tomatoes. the 3 main components in making Puttanesca. my version….with a sprinkling of lots and lots of fresh basil and fresh cheese!!!!

Spaghetti alla puttanesca (whore’s spaghetti) is a spicy, tangy and somewhat salty Italian pasta dish that culinary experts regard as modern and reflects the bounty of the market rather than the garden. The ingredients are inexpensive, easy to find and typically Mediterranean. Italians refer to the sauce as sugo alla puttanesca. [source:wiki]

is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style! this btw, was still part of my birthday pow-wow and also for my late mama. we happen to have 1 day in between our special days. and a cousin recently enlightened me about how i must have been the best birthday blessing she ever received on her birthday then!:) a gazillion years ago! yikes! haha!

This week’s theme is all about alcoholic beverages, be it wine, beer or spirits… or any alcohol infused food, at that.  I still prefer wine among the three general classes.

…specifically, WHITE ZINFANDEL. between a red and a white,  i fancy the otherwise in between rosey color of a Zin and the fact that it is not as dry and tart but sweet enough for my taste bud. i may even consider cross country moving just to be near this beloved wine!

an off-dry to sweet, pink-colored rosé wine. White Zinfandel is made from the Zinfandel wine grape, which would otherwise produce a bold and spicy red wine. As such, it is not a grape variety but a method of processing Zinfandel grapes.[source:WIKI]

…now, if we talk about food with a sprinkling or more of alcohol…what tops my list is one that is literally a pick-me-upper! a slice of TIRAMISU. i’ve made a number of tiramisu variations in the past, with or without the alcoholic content. but this one is store bought. the cheapest one there is i think, selling for less than $3 for one 8×8 square. good enough for a sudden rum-flavored rich and creamy dessert or snack craving.

is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style! Btw, this is just a prelude to our upcoming theme WE are ONE! next Sunday…as we turn ONE! [HINT: anything that is ONE, FIRST, the number ONE...just about what you can post with these words in mind!] Enjoy and CHEERS!

…one ordinary day when i craved for something truly Pinoy tasting like Chicken Afritada and did not exactly have all the required ingredients. the twist? i used a can of Minestrone in lieu of potatoes and olives. i only had to remove the pasta that’s inside the can and voila! Afritada to the bones! hee! even the beans made the stew  better with that unexpected starchy texture and taste.  i can aptly say that this can also be called Chicken Minestrone meets Chicken and Beans Afritada, whateva! haha!

an entry to

…i have mentioned in this blog that weekends are my days off in the kitchen. this past mother’s day weekend is no exception…more so if i must say, right?

kaya naman heto ang isa sa mga niluto ni M to cap the whole brouhaha. hee! nang matapos ang pagpapasarap ng isang ina. isang masarap na pizza, pasta and those Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti that i got to taste-test care of Foodbuzz for free! it was totally awesome! Raviolis are another must have in our kitchen, even the kids love ‘em! anyway, everything [except for the ravioli] was good and homemade by M…which meant a lot more than anything else, korek?

…this on the other hand, ay larawan ng isa sa mga tunnels na dinaanan namin pauwi ng Massachusetts nang matapos ang aming kamakailang bakasyon sa Virginia.

An entry to Heto pa ang isa kong lahok.

This week has been very spring-like here playing between the 50’s to lower 70’s, which is always a welcome atmosphere for most of us. not too hot, not too cold. as they say, it’s just about right…and it’s so nice seeing all the greens with reds, yellows, oranges and pinks a-blooming outdoors!

Now that the warmer weather is fast approaching and bikini season is in full blast in the Philippines, we would like to tackle the colors that signify the beginning of spring that eventually leads to summer. As for my photo this week, I am sharing something with a prime ingredient that never fails to enthrall me when I bump into a recipe in magazines, cookbooks or even TV shows…pasta.

This PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATO is actually more of a salad dish as it can be served fresh and warm or even in room temperature. As the weather warms up, I find salads and pasta dishes so much fun to make as the bright and vibrant colors of different ingredients that can go with it is, as they say can only be limited by ones imagination. These often result to light, fresh and mild flavors infused with zesty and citrus ingredients such as lemons and limes.
for the detailed HOW-To, go here. This is so filling yet you do feel that it’s so light, you won’t even think of checking out diet pill reviews. Not this time anyway.
is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style! Come and join the fun as we celebrate the colors and flavors of SPRING and SUMMER!

Tedious as it may seem, I almost always make it a point to make LASAGNA at least once a week or every two weeks. Not only because I personally like the dish, but more importantly because the kids love it! Proudly too, this has been my most successful attempt so far, structure-wise.In spite of getting the right flavor, the consistency of previous ones tend to be on the runny side most often than not, mainly because I put too much meat sauce and/or cream layers. This time though, I tried to follow a recipe I found online. Well, I incorporated one key ingredient, which is sweet Italian sausage. I rarely follow exact measurements except when I bake, so this is still ‘champective’ [as we call it in Architecture, coined for ‘chambang perspective’:] One thing to take note of is that I tweaked the layering method a bit, adding more pasta layer than what was called for, due to the smaller size of my baking pan and because the kids really liked it with more pasta than filling. Hence, it came out more manageable, both in serving and eating.

Anyway, Lasagna is the ultimate LAYERED food that I can think of and it’s something that I know I can possibly come up with anytime [and yes, even in the midst of all these boxes that has yet to be unpacked], be it the vegetarian version with eggplant or the carnivorous one such as this. The recipe is posted here, for those who might want to do the said recipe. It may seem long and difficult to follow, but it is in fact easy, a lot easier than expected. Credits to mylasagnarecipe.

Here’s a step by step look at the process…

is a weekly FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style!