I don’t know if going meatless on Holy week is still being observed by many. But we do. My entire family including the kids observe the tradition. The only difference now is that we are at home and not in Bicol. We used to travel to the south and stay with my in-laws for the Holy week in the past years. But with my mother-in-law’s passing several months ago, my hubby decided not to go this time. And so I had to prepare the menu for this meatless week. And I thought of something my family haven’t tasted yet. That’s the homemade bangus sardines in the photo.

The recipe was given to me by a friend- a medical representative who’s mom owns a catering business for decades now. He knows the procedure but was not quite sure of the proportions so it was trial and error for me. First time I did it and it turned out well. My kids love it. And that’s for me is the most important thing.

I used a kilo of fresh bangus, well cleaned and gutted. Put them in the pressure cooker with just enough water to cover them (this was my mistake, too much water). Add laurel leaf, an onion, sliced carrots, whole peppercorns, salt, and a tablespoon of olive oil. If you want you can add hot chillies. But I omitted them because I want it for my kids. Cover the pressure cooker and start the cooking. By the time you hear it whistle, start timing for one and a half hour. And that’s it! you’re done. Now, this procedure is water-based. If you want it to be oil based like the ones available commercially, use olive oil or corn oil (less expensive) instead of water. Be free to use any spice that you want.

As soon as our stomach fills with solid food, contractions start which marks the start of digestion. Some of us, and that includes me, down it with water even with just a few tablespoons of food. It is just too difficult for me to continue eating without drinking water every now and then, allowing me to consume around three to five glassful of water during the entire mealtime. The end result is a bloated feeling with a heavy stomach which disappears only after two to three hours.

The practice is bad because it causes the protein in the food to be partially digested or not at all. The voluminous water intake prevents the pepsinogen to be converted to pepsin which is responsible for digestion of protein.

I am not saying that drinking water is entirely prohibited. Small sips are allowed. And drinking to the max is best for the digestive system only after two hours.

Now, some people cannot wait that long. So, to enhance or augment digestion, a tea or coffee will help after meals. Alcoholic drinks, wine, also help. That is the main reason why Italians down their food mostly with red wine or any alcoholic beverage.

I was meaning to cook some new dishes for quite sometime now but the problem is time and finding the ingredients. I finally found the time last week so I searched the internet for easy-to-find ingredients for dumplings. I found one simple recipe from imom but I had to substitute ku chai with onion leeks after searching several groceries but to no avail.

I thought it was difficult to make one. But I pushed myself to try it because it is one of my kids favorites. I finally found the guts and the ingredients one lazy afternoon and I enjoyed every moment of it – from mixing, to wrapping, up to cooking. The most challenging part is pleating the wrapper. It took a big part of my time because I am not used to doing it.

After wrapping the mixture, I decided to fry half of the dumplings and steam the other half. The result was great and my family loved it.

Another recipe which I found challenging is frittata. I found one which does not use too many expensive ingredients from dennis. I had to wake up earlier than usual one Sunday morning to prepare this dish. I was quite pessimistic if it will really turn out the way it looked in his site. And I was very happy and surprised that it turned out perfectly. My family loved this new recipe and I am pretty sure it will become a regular in our daily meals.

One way of enjoying Tabugoc aside from exploring the waters is to take pleasure from viewing its lush greenery and enjoying the fresh produce it offers. While my husband took no solid food for three days as he annually does in the observance of Holy Week, the rest of the family, my in-laws included, had to abstain from eating meat. It was not so hard as we are all fish lovers. My kids, young as they are, also love to eat fish. In fact, I only prepare meat once a week (on Sundays) in our house even on regular days.

The parents of Lanie, my maid of ten years, invited us in their home for a visit. From the house they led us to the top of a small mountain, a land they own, to partake of the freshest coconut fruit I have ever eaten. Everybody in our group enjoyed the experience – from the food, to the view from atop the mountain, and the fresh air. Though we had the same experience two years ago when we last visited the place, climbing three mountains is beyond me this time.

One thing which never fails to catch my attention is their expertise on turning a part of the coconut husk into a spoon-shaped thing which we later use in scooping the coconut meat.

While we were enjoying the coconuts they gathered, the couple (Lanie’s parents) were busy harvesting corn from their farm. We cooked it immediately after arriving home and nothing tasted better than corn cooked straight from the farm.

raymund trying to climb a coconut tree

If you plan to go north coming from Manila, the place is a good respite from the long travel. It offers a fresh and very Pinoy ambience, a wide array of Filipino food to choose from, and park-like open-air area where you can take pictures and roam around while waiting for your meal. Though there’s nothing so extraordinary with the food they serve because these can be prepared at home.

Plain rice is served per order in a small kaldero

Lechon is being cooked in an open kitchen where diners can watch

Big stone and metallic statues of fishes, monkeys, and people where picture-taking is for free

Feeding fishes is the thing for the kids

If you feel the need to release tension or anger, there is a wall called “Tacsiyapo” where anybody can throw plates, mugs, etc. I failed to take pictures though as the wall is being re-painted and is closed to visitors when we were there.

And for those who want more challenge, crossing the Sang Kilo bridge with a pail of water on one hand will earn a kilo of rice for free if you make it back and forth.

If you are familiar with diabetes, or has a family member who is diabetic, you probably are familiar with the drug metformin. It is a first-line drug in the treatment of diabetes. It is usually taken at 1000 to 1500mg daily.

In a meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Medicine 2008, it has been found that the drug metformin can delay the onset of diabetes in patients who are at risk over a three-year period. This means that the drug can be taken too by pre-diabetic individuals or IGT (Impaired Glucose Tolerance) individuals.

Nothing still beats regular exercise and lifestyle modification in the prevention of diabetes. But this is something we can turn to in order to ease the fear of having this condition.

If you want to read more about diabetes, you can read it here, here, and here in my other blog.
photo from this site

Summer is here again and along with the upcoming school vacation, people will be trooping to the provinces again where there are lots of beaches and fresh air. Owners of resorts will be making lots of money as these places become fully booked during the entire summer time. Stalls selling halo-halo begin to sprout at every corner of the street. And hawkers carrying fresh buko, ice buko, ice candy, dirty ice cream, and the likes mushroom in the streets, especially in places full of people. Very common scenes during summer time.

We take part in all these activities just to beat the heat that summertime brings. But apart from all these, there is more that we can do to lessen our body heat. Choosing the right food to eat helps a lot in this aspect. And what is the right food for summer? Fruits and vegetables. And since fruits abound during the summer time, why not take advantage of them?

It has been said that a high protein diet tremendously increases body heat production. Thus, it worsens the uneasiness that we feel after eating. It is better to have a low protein diet during the hot summer days.

The way we dress also makes the heat bearable. Wear light colored clothes as they do not absorb too much heat. Thus, going to the right places, wearing the right clothes, and eating less of proteins and more of fruits and vegetables makes the summer full of fun and less irritating.

I figured that instead of going out for dinner which we sometimes do to celebrate the occasion, why not prepare something special instead? And since pasta is my kids’ all-time favorite, I thought of preparing again, for the second time, the pasta with ground beef. The same recipe I prepared for the Media Noche. This time I made sure it would be perfect. And it truly was a hit again.

The kare-kare was a traditional one but it never failed to satisfy our craving for a perfect Filipino food. I just failed to prepare the desert because I ran out of time. I was cooking and treating patients at the same time (on call in the clinic when a pedia patient arrives).Anyway, there is still the left over cake that I baked (my first time!) yesterday and it was really good.

Happy Valentines to all!

Creamy Spaghetti

Spaghetti, my kids’ all-time favorite, was one of the many meals I served on Christmas eve. I was just planning for a cake and chicken macaroni salad which I  had readied the day before. But my kids pressed me on cooking spaghetti and nachos, too. Well, they know very well that my pantry is full and all ingredients are available at home. And so I gave in. Anyway, Christmas is for the whole family, especially the kids, to enjoy.

I was chatting with my student, Mary, a few days back. That was three days before the Christmas break and the bulk of our discussion was about food. She was giving me tips on how she tweaks certain recipes. And since pasta is the most frequently prepared meal in my household, not just on special occasions, her tips on pasta stick to my head and I made use of them this Christmas season.

The preparation is simple but it surely was a hit. The kids were still craving for it the day after Christmas. I substituted cream in lieu of tomato sauce making the final product sweeter and less tangy.

I sauteed ground beef and minced onion in a mixture of butter and olive oil, let the beef cook thoroughly before adding the sauce (1:3 proportion of spaghetti sauce and cream) and the result is perfect!

The picture above is the left-over which I served the day after Christmas.