Beefsteak is one of the first recipes I ever learned how to cook. In an effort to bring some life back into our kitchen after my mom passed away, I was determined to learn some of our household’s favorite Filipino dishes from “the experts” — my mom’s mom and mom’s aunt, of course. The summer…
Quaker Oats has the most perfect recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. I used to make it regularly for parties, gifts, picnics, or just when my sweet tooth was craving it. The thing is, it requires two sticks of butter and a cup and a half of sugar. On newer packaging of Quaker Oats, they even…
Giniling, like many other Filipino dishes, is not the prettiest in presentation. If done correctly, however, it has the perfect salty and slightly sweet flavor. Giniling is one of the first dishes I ever learned how to cook. My kuya (eldest brother) learned the recipe from our mom, and he passed it down to…
When I told my tita (aunt) that my boyfriend and I were coming to visit her and her family at the their home in Amherst, Massachusetts, she hilariously asked, “You guys aren’t vegetarian, are you? 😦” I assured her we most definitely weren’t, and in case we decided to cook for their family, I asked her if…
Upon returning from Paris, I had been dreaming about making crepes for breakfast. The funny thing about crepes is that they’re a total tourist gimmick. Street vendors and restaurants in Western Europe may serve sweet crepes (crepes sucrees), but according to a restaurant owner I met in Roma, no locals eat them; they’re too fattening.…
Food for the gods… So dramatic sounding, but really, it’s a traditional Filipino pastry, served usually during the holidays. It will always remind me of my childhood. I have never questioned the origin of its name, nor have I ever questioned the ingredients that make it up… except until recently. It may not be obvious…
In Filipino culture, it’s tradition to eat noodles on one’s birthday. The long noodles represent long life. A classic Filipino noodle dish is pancit bihon that uses Chinese rice noodles. It’s got a soy-citrus taste with some kind of meat for more flavor. In general, I usually only eat pancit during family parties, but I…
It’s not easy having to describe the most inspirational woman in your life in a few short sentences. I will not even try to capture my mother’s essence here in this one post, but for starter’s sake, she was one of a kind. She had an infectious laugh that echoed throughout the house when…
