funny side up

"Pansit for loooooong life!" is how we say it in my country, drawing a parallelism to the length of the noodle to the length of one's life. 😎 Pansit or pancit means noodles. The origin of noodles in Filipino cuisine can be traced back to the era in Philippine history when the early Chinese migrants, traded and then settled in the archipelago.   According to Wiki, the word pansit is derived from the Hokkien word "pian i sit" meaning convenient food, attributing to the ease and speed of preparing this dish. Since its introduction, noodles has been adopted and has evolved into its many variations islands-wide that are a staple today. As such, growing up, pansit was part of my family's tradition, as is typical in most Filipino homes. It is a regular in the family's menu. And how can a fiesta, party or special get-together be ever complete without it? It is just one of those dishes that someone in the family or clan prepares for sharing. Pansit canton

There is the dilemma that some of us ask at some point in our life.... which came first, salted egg or chicken? ۟🐔 Harhar.  (But carryin' on... 😁) I will say they both came at the same time exquisitely! Here in merlion city, almost every type of food has got a salted egg version of it. No kidding! There's salted egg burger, salted egg prawns, salted egg pasta and even salted egg pastry. The latest fad, it seems, is the salted egg potato chips. I wonder what salted-egg-ish concoction will come up next! Despite the hype for some other salted-egg-ed things, this chicken recipe is more of a classic Singaporean dish. It is very tasty and, happily I learned, quite simple to make too. For this delicious food, i will gladly point you to Meatmen.sg's video recipe. I'm a huge fan. If you aren't yet, let me just tell you that their take on this is  e a s y  to follow. Their video is a feast for the eyes, the music will pump up your energy in the kitchen. 👍👍 ❣By t

If I've not mentioned it already, my little family is in love with chicken  🐔  eggs. 😍 We do not have the  e99y as our beloved padre de pamilya for no reason at all.  Omelette, sunny side up, egg sandwich, deviled eggs, scotch eggs, adobo eggs, salted eggs, egg soup, oh the list does go on!  Another of our favorite take is steamed Eggy Pie . Much-loved by my brood, this one is perfect for merienda in school and at work or right in the comfort of home.  Dessert? Easily so! Simple and delicious, this is also a no-bake recipe. Instead of oven, only a steamer  is needed. And THAT makes it an absolute keeper in my recipe list!  😎 Steamed Eggy Pie Serving size: 8-inch pan 1+1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup cold butter 2 tbsp sugar 3 large eggs 1 cup evaporated milk 3/4 cup condensed milk Vanilla essence Prepare the crust: 1. Mash and mix the dry ingredients below.     1 +  1/2 cup all-purpose flour     1/2 cup cold butter chopped to small cubes     2 tbsp sug

Hummus is long overdue; this was my hubby's request for the longest time already. The classic take is always using chickpeas. M y easy excuse was that chickpeas here in our region is not as cheap; no main ingredient, no hummus! 😝 But ever so thankful for foodies around the world who share their recipes online... was I happy t o find that there are versions using eggplants, squash, and cauliflower!!! Definitely cheaper alternative to the peas. F or sure there are quite a few more options out there. But Google already had me at eggplants . Our eggplant hu mmus turned out delicious. Hummus really try this!  Sorry, but pun intended 😁.  This hummus is apparently called Baba Ganoush, originating from the Arab region.  (F ile exotic name in a shelf along long-term memory aisle. Check!  Ohhh lots of yummy dishes in those places. But that's for another day in the kitchen. For now...)   Let me it note down for future Arabian-esque dinner nights at home. Baba Ganoush 2 tbsp

Kitchen jargon can be quite a mouthful. It can get really confusing, especially if you have just started cooking or are giving instructions to one who is. However, if you also need to translate an English cooking term into your own dialect, the challenge level rises even more! 😕🤔 We really got to watch that language, yes? 😅 I compiled here the words I fairly use in our kitchen. I included in the list those that are pretty self-explanatory, but of huge importance to recall my Visayan version of these words. I hope this helps you too in some way! Here's a visual of the usual mince vs cube vs dice, and others 😉. By makezine.com (pinterest):

Are you both a foodie and a movie buff? If so, then surely you love watching on the big screen movies that largely incorporate scrumptious food! For being such deliciously charming movies, what are your favorites? Top in my list are these two:   1.  Ratatouille (2007)  Set in France, this is the story of an unlikely friendship of a one-of-a-kind rat, Remy, and a hard up, clumsy but kind young man, Linguini; where one has an unusually refined taste for a rodent, and the other an unbeknownst inheritance. Their circumstances take them to a partnership they never imagined to reach for their dreams! This being a family movie that entertains the young and young once is a huge plus! 2.  Chef (2014)  This is a heartfelt and funny story of a 50-something chef in California. He is divorced and had no time for his young son. His career once started promisingly; foodies were on the lookout for his gastronomic creations. But pressure from the restaurant's prudent management, wh

It was my sister who introduced me to Nancy Drew and her posse, Bess and George. Back in 4th grade, from a book she brought home from the school library.  Erm, at least that's how I remember it. One Nancy Drew thing stands out in my memory though. The title "The Secret of the Old Clock".  I vividly remember how the book looked, hard-bound, yellow spine, thick pages. The picture in the front cover showed Nancy, alone, crouched on the grass in the quiet woods at night, opening that old clock and looking so, well, so secretive about it!  I recall how i felt then, seeing that picture, there is a thrill, like you were on the verge of discovery of a very precious secret!   Thus, i got hooked in a much enjoyable way.  I had graduated from fairy tales, fables and legends and had moved into mystery. It was one mystery solved after another! A different kind of adventure! How about you?  Were you, or are you an avid Nancy Drew fan? What was your 1st mystery solved wit

What is   your   method for cooking ? Apart from wielding a spoon 🍽, what is the best way to approach a dish? 😁 In my limited experience, I can only think 🤔 of 3 ways: ------------------------------------------------------- By calculation You are the systematic  researcher.  🔍 You're one to pore over a variety of FoodTube videos until you settle for the perfect recipe resource.  Or if your mother gave you her precious & thick recipe notebook, you sift through it until you find THE one!   You then follow a l l the steps to the very last comma and dot. Is it safe to say every kitchen fledgling begins like this? By serendipity You are the eccentric inventor , who adds into the pot just about anything!  And zip-zap  🗲 , by chance some unique and delicious, and hopefully, fine-looking, concoction comes out from your food experiment. (Oh, lucky you!) You are somewhat of an  adventurer , like Indiana Jones, who just wings it every time; trusting that your gut

What's not to like with pesto? I say, "None!" I am certain there will be some of you with a ready answer.  And to that I say, "To each his own, my friend." :-) I am so thankful for my precious big sister who introduced me to this heavenly Italian sauce. She has lived in Italy for so many years, and when she came home for a vacation, she had brought so much Italian food to take our brood on an Italian gastronomic tour! I have to admit, i did meet my first green mix with a wary eye. I remember I gave a tentative taste to my very 1st  pasta la pesto, which   my sister had excitedly prepared for the family.  At that moment, my brain, together with all my tasting senses -- tongue, eyes and nose, reconciled to one wonderful fact -- what a pleasing pleasing pleasing thing this is indeed! From then on, i have tried many a jar from many brands.  Consistently, I have never been disappointed. Very recently, I made a batch from scratch, but with a spin. It was

🍲 To you, what confirms a happy meal ? In mi casa , these are the criteria:     50%    - spontaneous appreciation from the one who eats👌                    like,  that  precious nod from hubby!                    thumbs-up Gladiator/Roman emperor style from kids!  👍     50%   - unforced clean plates, another serving and repeat!  ----------   100%   🍲 To you, what is the recipe for success ? In mi casa , after ~n years in the kitchen, it's finally dawned on me:      100%    - Abba's grace! As I do the needful, busy but restful -- hands & feet in the kitchen, taste buds that wonder (sweet enough?  add more salt?  too sour?) brain that wander through my food memories and the vast internet 🤔 for the weekly menu (whew!), and  my earthen-weak heart, admittedly worrying most of the time,  ...but in the end trusting that even in the daily ordinary, Abba is there. To me, finally, it's no rocket science anymore. This is my kitchenuymics -- it'

Are you one of those who just cannot get enough of food of the purple hue? Grapes , yam , blueberries , eggplants and that red cabbage . Traditional Filipino snack recipes like Halaya and Sapin-Sapin .  Even Ube Ice Cream ! Refreshing Berry smoothie  and Grape juice slush ! The list can go on! I surely have a penchant for such.   To me, any dish with this bright shade never fails to turn up a notch in my yummy chart. 📈 So, sharing with you this colorful dish that my family gobbled up a few suppers ago. Hope you give it a try,  tweak here and there to your taste and let me know how your version goes! RECIPE:    Purple Omelette ☙ 2 tablespoons olive oil                                 ☙  1/2 onion minced                   ☙  1 russet potato, diced            ☙  1 purple sweet potato, diced  ☙ 6 eggs                                    ☙ 1/2 teaspoon salt                     ☙ ground pepper  ☙  1 garlic minced                       ☙ a  pi