Daydreams of an eating and writing life
My life will be pretty much on the go from this day forth. It’s been busy as a meantime housewife in Dubai (house chores, writing, projects, quality time with the husband and all), but it will be busier. Because of some happy developments 
I’d love to shout it out to the world, but I’d prefer to keep it hush-hush. Just say a “I’m so happy for you!” and I will accept it with grateful arms. Hehehe!
The Arroz Caldo (chicken congee or porridge) is a bowl of comfort for millions of Filipinos out there. Perhaps the counter part of chicken noodle soup from the North Americas, it is a cure all for the sick. It is also a warm hug for the grieving, often present during memorial services, especially in the chilly evenings.
Unfortunately, the Arroz Caldo does not earn a coveted spot in my line-up of comfort foods. It not one of my favorite Filipino dishes. In fact, I don’t like it. There’s something about dishes with boiled chicken, especially those with the bumpy skin on, that have me heading for the hills. *insert Goofy yoddle here*
But then as The Husband and I were menu planning, he wanted arroz caldo to rid our wee pantry of the not-so yummy jasmine rice we bought. Then arroz caldo it is…Gulp!
There is nothing like kicking back your feet and celebrating little housewife wins in the wee kitchen with a few bottle of beer. Yes, I celebrated my freedom from headache and fever with two bottles of Hoegaarden in a stew, a hearty macho one-pot wonder that any beginner cook (like me!) could easily replicate.
So if you have some extra beer to spare, this would be a nice home cooked way to share the love…
Recycling never tasted this good.
I hate to see food go to waste, so good thing I’ve learned howto recycle, or rather upcycle food from my mama. One of the most basic Filipino food items upcycled is almost stale rice.
If you’ve been reading my posts, I really, really love my Filipino breakfast. I still miss my beef tapa (cured beef), but I’ve moved on to other Filipino breakfast cravings. This time it’s the longganisa, the Filipino sausage.
Now this is HOME.
I miss home a lot, especially the food that my mama (or helper, Ate Joan, who knows all the family recipes by heart) prepares for us. Now that I am “on my own” with no mama or helper to cook our food, I have no choice, but to try and recreate some of those dishes from here.
Again, because I am a beginner level cook, I will start with the easiest dishes of the lot. Today, I cooked one of my most favorite comfort food of all time (part of my Project 30) is our family’s version of arroz ala cobana…
The sun, the kids, the rope and a big fat clown. Can you spot the clown?
Yesterday, we were invited by one of The Husband’s friends to celebrate their son’s 6th picnic birthday treat at the Dubai Creek Park to partake in a feast of Filipino food treats and a two-layer Ben 10 themed birthday cake, to frolic on the grass and be silly with the kids, and to be blown away by magic tricks of a big fat clown. This is one of the things so beautifully ironic about this desert city. There are public parks with ponds and rolling greenery found in almost every community. And birthday picnics at the park are one of my favorite Dubai activities. Do you know why?
Image from littlethingsxoxo.blogspot.com
I know I started off the year with a big happy smile and positive energy because 2012 will be a beautiful year for me, but, tonight, I just feel quite off the mark. It’s the kind of sadness that is curable by a big steaming mug of a hug, homemade hot chocolate…
Literally roasting aye?
As I was planning our wee household’s menu, I thought tortang talong (eggplant omelette) was a brilliant idea. It was easy, healthy, cheap and, of course, yummeh. Today, I proved that cooking tortang talong isn’t as easy as it seems to be…
Scrambled eggs with onions as the Husband requested
Moist, creamy scrambled eggs are one of the best accompaniments to a hearty breakfast. Though I did not have an evening breakfast meal, The Husband requested me to make some scrambled eggs to go with his chicken pork adobo. So I was excited to try out one of the ways to achieve the perfectly moist, creamy scrambled eggs as recommended by food writing idol Ruth Reichl.
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