Chicken Siomai

Siomai is a Chinese original food, but because of trading and tourism, this is now a Pinoy favorite. In fact, you can find numerous siomai vendors along the streets and siomai food stalls in malls of the metro.

I normally eat pork and beef siomai from a local fast-food. Whenever I'm with my hubby, he sometimes wonders about the taste of siomai. Unfortunately, he doesn't eat pork. It is against his tradition. To bring the taste at home, I decided to create a family siomai recipe.

This recipe requires shrimps and sesame oil, but then again, my hubby doesn't like shrimps. It is not traditional this time, though. On the other hand, I don't like the smell of sesame oil. That the reason why I considered these two ingredients-- optional. For those of you who wants a tastier siomai, feel free to add them to the mixture.

Ingredients:
- 300 grams of ground chicken
- 1 small carrot, peeled & finely grated
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 thumb-sized ginger, peeled & grated
- 3 stalks of spring onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 small egg, beaten
- salt and pepper to taste
- medium-sized siomai wrappers

Optional Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup minced shrimp
- 2 tsps sesame oil

For the Sauce:
- 3 tbsps soy sauce
- 1 tbsp calamansi juice
- 1 tsp chilli paste

Cooking Procedure:
- Mix all the ingredients together.
- Get a teaspoonful of siomai mixture, form it into a ball.
- Put the ball at the center of a wrapper, then gather the edges together.
- Repeat the same process with the remaining mixture.
- Steam in briskly boiling water for 30 minutes.
- Serve with a mixture of soy sauce, calamansi juice, and chilli paste.

* This recipe makes 20 pieces of healthy siomai.

My Favorite "Kakanin"

My all-time favorite "kakanin" is bibingka. It is a kind of rice cake which is baked using banana leaves as liner. Rice flour is typically used in making bibingkas and to add flavor to it, they are served with sugar, margarine, and grated coconut on top.

As far as I can remember, people started serving very plain bibingkas like the one in the picture. As time passed by, some vendors begun to introduce different tastes by adding salted egg, cheese, pudding, etc. on top. This is why one can find bibingkas with a variety of flavors nowadays.

The sweetest bibingka that I ever tasted can be found in Vigan. They have popular bibingkas with pudding on top similar to an egg tart. I think, those Vigan treats may be one of the many reasons why I should be back to that place.

*Kakanin in English is native delicacy.

Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap

this is from the bookstore



and this.. is my creation

I am fascinated with organic and recycled papers. I just love them for cards, scrapbooking, and gift-wrapping. Last week, I was able to find that blue organic gift-wrapping kit with a marked-down price at a local bookstore. I loved it!
Up there, I'm also posting a photo of my organic gift creation. I did that like a couple of years ago. I made like five of those gifts for friends in Christmas. Notice the handmade card. That's my design.
Using organic materials for cards, scrapbooking, gift-wrapping, etc. helps our nature and our kids in the future. These days, "getting green" is becoming more popular and I think it's cool. So, let's be a part of it!

Simple Potato Borek

My hubby eats this pastry in the morning for breakfast. I was able to learn cooking this quickly because we have a similar dish in Filipino called "embutido". The only difference is the filling.

Ingredients:
- 2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
- 4 spring onions talks, snipped into tiny pieces
- 1 cup flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup water
- cooking oil for frying

Cooking Procedure:
- Mix the spring onions and mashed potato. Set aside.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, egg, and water to form a dough. Knead well.
- Divide into small pieces then form those pieces into balls.
- In a clean working table sprinkled with flour, flatten a ball with the use of rolling pin. Spoon and spread some potato mixture in the flattened dough. Fold the dough and seal the side by crumpling them; creating the shape of a half-moon. Repeat the same process with the remaining dough pieces and potato mixture. When done, heat the oil and fry them in a pan until brown. Flip and fry the other side. Serve with tea as breakfast or snack.

Yield: 10 pcs

The City Outside My Window

Living in an urban area means seeing endless buildings and private residences. Check these images I took outside my window.


Here is the beautiful Makati skyline just a little ahead of Boni, across the Pasig River.


These are the Dansalan Towers surrounded with private residences, offices, apartments, and small condos. You may also notice a storm coming in the background.


Here is the array of buildings called California Garden with some private residences and townhouses around them.

Now, you know where I live. Haha!

Chicken Embutido

This is a very simple recipe which turned to be my favorite. Like chicken nuggets and meatballs, this could be a great "baon" for your kids. Plus, it's healthy and yummy at the same time, too. It only needs a quick pan-fry then, it's ready to go!

Ingredients:
- 1/2 kilo ground chicken
- 1 medium egg, beaten
- 1 medium red bell pepper, shredded
- 1 medium carrot, shredded
- 1 small onion, shredded
- 1/4 cup of shredded cheese
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- salt & black pepper to taste
- aluminum foil for wrapping
- cooking oil for frying

Cooking Procedure:
- Mix all ingredients.
- Make sure that they blended well.
- Fold some meat mixture in foil.
- Create a log with the size of a jumbo hotdog.
- Seal both ends.
- Repeat the same process to the remaining mixture.
- Steam for 30 minutes.
- Pan-fry until brown.
- Remove excess oil with a kitchen towel. Serve.

Photohunt 9: Rocks

How many times do I have to get late? Bad. But oh, I'm still posting my entry. See? It's better to late in posting that to never post at all, right? Hehe.
This photo was taken last December vacay. This is a picture of Nabang in my province in Romblon. Notice the rocky road with the cliff on the left and the sea on the right. This place is accident-prone area. It can take not just a single life, but lives sometimes. Blame it to politics and politicians in the Philippines! Still A LOT of roads are not concrete in my province and many other provinces in the country.

Chicken Curry

For the first time today, I cooked chicken curry at home. And my hubby ate chicken curry from home for the first time, too! Well, the first time was great. I enjoyed cooking.. and eating. I never thought that cooking chicken curry could be as easy as ABC.

Ingredients:
- 300 grams chicken, cut into serving pieces, skin & fats removed
- 2 pcs medium carrots, peeled, cut into cubes
- 2 pcs medium potatoes, peeled, cut into cubes
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into medium squares
- 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into medium squares
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 thumb of ginger, peeled, julienned
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 tbsp. sauté mix
- salt to taste
- 2 celery stalks*, cut into bite-size pieces

Procedure:
Put the chicken in a cooking pot under medium fire. Let it parboil for 3 minutes or so. This technique will allow the chicken to render its juice and fat. Remove the chicken and its juice from the pot. Set aside.
In the same pot, sauté the ginger, onion, and garlic. Add in potato slices, carrots, and bell peppers. After sautéing for 3 minutes, you may add in the meat and its juice. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour in the fish sauce, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste. Stir for 2 minutes then cover until it boils. Add in the coconut milk. Cook for another 5 minutes, but don't forget to stir occasionally until the sauce gets rice and creamy. Remove from heat. Serve hot.

* I don't like the taste of this vegetable, so I didn't use it for my recipe. I consider this vegetable optional.

10 Things About Me

These are things that you may or may not know about me.

1. I am married to a Turkish guy and we have a 9 month old baby girl.


2. While abroad, I was once mistaken as Japanese. Once mistaken as Indonesian. Once mistaken as Nepalese. And lastly, once mistaken as Italian. Yeah, twas crazy!


3. I don't like sesame oil, baharat, sushi, sashimi, kimchi, mustard sauce, plain yogurt, caviar, chorizo, and rotten cheeses.


4. I believe I have a talent in drawing, painting, writing, sewing, cooking, singing, dancing, and making friends. Haha. But I'm not kidding.


5. I used to be a tomboy while in college. I had really short hair and I wore boyish clothes.


6. I'm an inactive member of the LDS church.


7. I can't drive. While in a dark highway, I always feel like all the cars are going my direction to hit me.


8. I worked as an English teacher online and offline. I had Filipino, Chinese and Korean students.


9. I never had a bf until I was 22.


10. I had an imaginary friend whose names is George.
    

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Thanks to sis Golden of One Proud Mom, One Proud Wife for passing me this fun tag.

White Strappy Wedges = Happiness!

Shoe shopping is something that most women love to do. In my case, I don't just shop like crazy 'cause I have to first consider some things before indulging in extravagance at the mall. Last week, I grabbed the chance to find a nice pair of shoes with SM's mid-year sale, though. I went round and round for 5 hours just to find these: a lovely pair of white Figlia strappy wedges.


love that gold insoles

and the straps!

When it comes to shoes, I usually go for quality and style, but cheap. I mean, not something that could cost a house rent. Yeah, I know luxury shoes or designer shoes are beautiful. All girls will be envious if you have the grandest pair of gladiator shoes, but see, I don't have legs like Mariah or feet like Sarah Jessica! :D
With this one, I just paid 40% of the regular price. It was a marked down item at P599 or around $12 only. So, this item really is happiness for me. I would be wearing this one with my black and white Paris Hilton free tote. Haha.

Photohunt 8: Garbage

Yey! I'm early today. For some reason, I promised myself that I will be early this week. So happy 'cause I made it.
This photo was taken last month in a beach park in Romblon; the same beach park where our wedding was held. In the picture is the cottage where my family stayed. Notice that there is a large green garbage can right next to the door.

2009 Close-Up Commercial

I looooove this new close-up commercial so much. The jingle "Come Closer" is really nice and catchy as well as the guy model. Everytime I see it on air, I have to stop and watch really close.
According to my research, the guy model from this commercial is J. Jetrin Wattanasin, a singer/ actor from Thailand. He is cute, right? A lot of girls wonder about this guy. I was able to trace his website, but unfortunately, I don't know anything about Thai language. His site is not available in English. Errr!

Photohunt 7: Pink

I know I shouldn't miss this week's theme, so here's my share. My hubby took this photo of me over 2 years ago. This was taken in the SM Mall of Asia. I was wearing my favorite i ♥ cosmo shirt. Notice that the ♥ is PINK in my shirt.

Yellow Tail Fusilier in Sour Soup

What is your favorite seafood? As for me, my favorite seafood is fish! On the top of my list is the yellow tail fusilier (dalagang bukid na lapad). One bad thing about this fish is it's smell. But once properly cleaned and prepared, it can give you an unforgettable taste. Just make sure to buy the fresh and fat ones.

Today, I'm sharing a very simple recipe that my grandparents taught me. People in my province usually cook this way. We call it Inasluman, which translates as 'soured' in English. Anyway, if you want a provincial fish soup, here's the perfect recipe for you.

Ingredients:
- 2 heads of yellow tail fusilier
- 2 fresh tomatoes, cut into halves, seeds removed
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 4 stalks of spring onions, snipped into pieces
- 3/4 cup water **
- salt to taste

Procedure:
- Bring the water into boil together with sliced onion and tomatoes.
- Add the fish and cover for 5 minutes.
- When the fish is almost done, stir in spring onion, then add salt to taste.
- Let simmer for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Serve while hot.

* This recipe is good for 2 to 4 people.
** The bigger the size of the fish, the more water is needed to cook it.

Choosing the Right Baby Stroller

Last weekend, we spent over 30 minutes in choosing the right baby stroller for our 9 month old baby girl. We checked infant strollers of different sizes, colors, and features. Some of them have average price. Most of them are expensive. But just a few are cheap.

Anyway, we ended up buying a three-way stroller which price is twice the cost of our monthly cable, water, and electric bill altogether. Whew! Why do babies don't come with a bank account? Haha.

We actually have an infant stroller for our little darling. We bought it when she was around 2 weeks old. It was lightweight and easy to carry. The problem was it's seat. Not like other strollers, the seat cannot be reclined into a sitting position. We had to use a pillow to support her back. Now I'm sending it off to a distant relative in the province. What a waste of money, right? If we only considered the following things before buying it.


2 Important Things to Consider Before Buying a Baby Stroller

• Number of Children You and your husband must have talked about family planning. If you want to have two or more kids then why not make the stroller a little investment? Decide on something with very good quality. Something that your other kids could use in the future.


• Family Lifestyle Do you love picnics or out-of-town trips? How about long walks in the mall or jogging in the park? These days, there are lots of baby strollers to choose from that could fit either a farm life or urban living.

Baby Stroller Features to Check Before Buying

• Brakes They should be able to lock the wheels in place. This reminds us of Mr. Bean babysitting in the park. Tsk! tsk! tsk!


• Adjustable seat From 0 to 6 months, your baby won't be able to sit yet. However, from 6 months and up, he/she might be able to at least hold his/ head or sit. In this case, having a stroller with adjustable seat to sitting and sleeping position is very important.


• Buckles It should include crotch straps. They prevent babies from slipping out.


• Canopy It's always sunny here in the Philippines. The adjustable canopy will be able to protect your baby from too much sun or rain.


• Materials Strollers made of steel and aluminum usually last longer, but they can be a little heavy. Stroller made of more plastic are lightweight though they may not last longer that you expect it.


• Fabric Babies can be messy. Very messy. Check if the seat of the stroller is removable and washable. Most of them can be easily cleaned, though.


• Adjustable handle height The father could be higher than the mom (or vice versa). The adjustable handle is the only answer to this one.


• Storage Basket Very helpful while shopping. The stroller we bought has a basket which capacity is up to 5 kilos.


• Easy open and close mechanism This is self-explanatory.


• Wide wheel base / Swivel wheels These last two make it easy for you to maneuver the stroller.

Lovely Blog Award vs. Best Blog Award

Wow, these are my 2nd and 3rd award since June! Love it! Thanks Viva Pinay for this twin awards..^^

The rules for these awards are:
- Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
- Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I'm passing these awards to the following friends in the blogosphere:
Sweet Seoul of My Lapland
RJ's Mom of my bLogbook
Yami of Mom Writes for a Cause
Rors of On my Left Hand Corner
Shy Kulasa of Shie's Asylum
Michelle of Hits and Mrs
Larla Anne of Larla's World
Jhaney of My So Called Life
Soapaholic of Confessions of a Soapaholic
Janelle of Embracing the Clutter in my Head
Larla Anne of Larla's World
Golden of One Proud Mom, One Proud Wife
Lily White of MixNotes Etc.
Chie of Chuchie's Hideaway
Anita of Anita C. McCants