funny side up

I n my little kitchen world, I dare say, SPAM is the next best thing that came "out" of World War 2.   Next, of course, and not saying this lightly or dismissively, but just in totality to what happened then, to the triumph of good over evil of that time. T astes differ, but personally, I like the taste of SPAM.  In this health-conscious generation, need I say that it is not organic?  Definitely lots of preservatives there.  But my oh my, what do i not like about that salty goodness? :)   And I am sure I have kindred palates out there. :)    I have fond childhood memories of my mom serving fried SPAM to our family.  It will be a rare occasion (as SPAM was very expensive then in the Philippines) and we are quite a large brood.  I remember while my Dad or Mom was saying grace, I would be peeping out to that plateful of SPAM on the table, getting ready to grab a slice or two right after the "Amen!". :)  I am pretty sure my sisters were also doing the same :).

S ince the plane that we flew in touched down here in Singapore late quarter last year, up to today, I have seen, I have come, but still I am not anywhere near to conquering Singapore food :).  There are just so many many more yet to try!   For one, there's that infamous chili crab!!!  (oh, hubbytot, let me try one someday :P)   But for the ones that i did get to try, most I liked, only a few I have yet to acquire my taste buds to.  P ratha or pa-ra-tha .  Have you ever heard of it?   Neither did I.   But thanks to my adventurous hubby, who in the family was the 1st to try it, and enjoyed it, and introduced me & our little tykes to it, it has now become another staple in our pantry.   What is it? Merriam-Webster defines it as:   " an unleavened Indian wheat bread that is usu. fried on a griddle." "A picture paints a thousand words"... here's what this pratha looks like. A nd here is one yummy eat we can whip up with it!     Crunchy Pratha "T

E ggs are a staple in my pantry, and a favorite in my family.  My hubby, the padre de pamilya , isn't "E99y" (read: "eggy") for no reason.:-)  I know there must be hundreds of ways to serve eggs but I am always on the lookout for those simple recipes that still deliver a great punch!  So when a friend posted this on her Facebook timeline, I just had to try it!   Simple things are really the best, eh?   Easy to make, pretty to look at, and because it's tasty, it's pretty easy to gobble up too! ;-p    I wonder how I never thought of doing eggs this way!   I say, "Great job!" to whoever came up w/ this idea first.  I could just imagine him to be one artsy person, wouldn't you? S o without further ado, here's one pretty meal our family had a few weeks ago...       Bellpepper flower eggs       ingredients:             olive oil             bellpepper sliced to 1" rounds             eggs             salt             ground

L ately, my tastebuds are tickled with thoughts of tasty pork bits cupped in soft,yet firm white lotus buns and drizzled w/ rich brown satay sauce.   mmmm.   though i know of some Filipino recipes that use peanut sauce, like Kare-Kare (oh my, i should try that sometime too!), but what i am craving for now is that distinct taste of Thai pork bbq in satay.   And i've always loved pao... when i eat one, it feels like im transported to some place sunny, warm & happy.   H ey brain o' mine, this is some curious combo.. and y'know what?   the mix of flavors & textures may come out just right! S o to indulge...  i checked if i had pao in the freezer.  check.   i went to trusty google for an easy peanut sauce recipe that works.  check. and then, i racked my imagination & my food memories, for the pork filling.  check. ... A nd here's how it came out.   it was definitely good eats for family dinner :-).    Peanut Sauce       2 tablespoons pea

i & our achi are having a bout of colds & flu.  she got hers from school, i think.  and i got mine from hers, from the all-nighters i had taking care of her the 1st few days onset.    but by God's grace, we are better, it's just a matter of time :-).  our shobe is just like her papa, healthy as a horse, (er maybe pony would suit her better), and still all by God's grace! :-)    s o anyway, i just had to cook some soup for us.. something easy to swallow w/ our sensitive throats, not oily, and with a chock-full of vitamins to help our bodies in this battle with the virus.  to me,  tinolang isda (translation: fish) is just the right answer! t he last time i cooked tinolang isda was in Cebu 7-ish months ago.   when I and my family got here, i was hesitant to cook the same, because i was not familiar with the fresh fish in this region.  Always, all i end up buying at the grocery is the same packed frozen suchi fish.. and i had tried these fried, and steamed and they

o h no...i got the overripe bananas situation!  i remembered i still have them, but too late!  they're now brownish and eeeky soft.  still, i dont want to just throw these away.   b anana cake sounds good, but i don't have an oven. got to think half-full...  what is my alternative?    could it be....my trustworthy microwave? <googling....> a ha!  here's one interesting recipe that just might be the solution. thanks to Avery at Avery Cooks for this recipe (refer to link below).   <cooking...> i tweaked a bit coz i wasn't sure of the banana size...  & i didn't have cinnamon on hand, as well as non-stick oil spray..  Didn't put Peanut butter toppings too.  And I nuked for an additional 30secs.                             Microwaved Banana Oats Cakes       1 banana, mashed       6 tbsp quick-cook oatmeals       2 tbsp brown sugar       makes 2 servings.       - mix banana, oatmeal & sugar.       - spread 1 serving into parchment

I am no master in the kitchen.  I am in fact, a newb.  Some days i whip up good food using my own imagination, some days, i get inspired by another recipe (so thankful for YouTube!) i start tweakin' and 30 mins or so later of drooling for the finished product, voila, the food from my stove is just blah. T_T A lthough my hubby has got way more kitchen sense than me, i am the cook in the family, because i am the full-time homemaker these past few months.  It has been a real real real real challenge to deliver good food on the table.  Oh how the pressure piles up!  😭 3 meals plus AM & PM kids snacks in a day    7 days, 1 whole week, every week, every month    not just edible or palatable, but it must be finger-lickin' good   very important, it should be healthy!    not to forget, varied too, to keep taste buds excited!  bonus challenge -- young palates that are still on training for more adventure I bet this is the challenge for most of us assigned in the family k