Media Noche Eats

FOOD FRIDAY

This is our Media Noche spread yesterday.



I prepared the pepperoni and cheese rolls and the sotanghon soup. Hubby requested the sotanghon, for long life na din.

Round Fruits with fresh fruit salad on the side, Tikoy Rolls and Hopia for Good luck.

Pork Barbeque and Crispy Pata courtesy of my brother.
The Crispy Pata is bought in Jamicos Restaurant in Malabon and my brother is a frequent customer because of their famous Judy Ann Crispy Pata.

Happy New Year Everbody. Wishing us all happiness, success, peace, prosperity, good luck, good health and love this new year. God bless always.

Good bye 2009, Hello 2010

Today is the last day of the Year 2009, looking back, this year has been good to us. All honor and glory is of course to the Lord.

In my birthday wishes posted here in my blog (click link to read post), I had four material wishes and two of them came true. Its kinda surreal kasi parang suntok sa buwan din when I wished for those things. This year, we were able to buy our own house, my material wish number one. And together with the house, the previous owner also sold his entertainment system for a very reasonable price, with a LCD TV, my material wish number four. Next year, I'm eyeing on an oven para makapag aral na mag bake. And my last material wish then, ang manalo sa lotto. I guess I have to bet first before winning huh? This one I can't promise since Im not fond of betting. I'll just do my best to be able to be more giving/generous ng maitreat ko ng bonggangbongga ang mga mahal ko sa buhay (family & friends syempre).

I don't really make resolutions. I just do my best to change whatever needs to be changing. As per my personal evaluation, i hope to be more patient, more organized, more understanding and more giving.

For wishes and hopes for me and my family: first and foremost good health for all, second: blessings that are enough to have a decent living for anything in excess is not good and more time to spend together.

As the year comes to a close, in all that has been said and done, I wish everyone a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. In everything that we do, the key is to do your best and leave the rest to our Lord and all will be fine. God bless Everyone.

Best Buy sa Riles

I bought this early this morning at our local palengke here in Caloocan. Dun nakapwesto sa may riles at kailangan mo pang pasukin para makita. Simula nung nahilig ako magluto, naging interested din ako sa mga ceramics to where I will present my cooked dishes. And since I go for the "cheaper alternative" having good finds like this makes me giddy inside. Its a good thing I was able to wake up early to go with my mama. The medium size bowls cost me Php 70.00 each. I find them cute. Dun ko lalagay pag nagluto ako ng pansit or chopsuey. The big pot with the swirls I bought for Php 100.00. I was planning to transfer my herbs there na hangang ngayon nasa plastic container pa din simula nung binili ko sa Sonya's garden sa Tagaytay nung anniversary namin. I hope to find more "good finds" the next time I go there.

Pic A Boo Pics

Kahit nung mag bf/gf pa lang kami ni hubby, we make it a point that we have some studio pics together everytime he's on vacation. Last year, may family picture kami nung binyag ni Marianna, maliit pa nga lang sya nun syempre kaya di pa display worthy yung mga kuha namin. This year, we were glad we had the chance to have our pics taken sa Pic - A - Boo sa SM City North - the Block. The top frame costs us about Php 3600+ including the pictures and the actual shots syempre. Marianna was allowed to wear three outfits. The dress that she has on for our family portrait and two costumes. Mark and I choose the Snow White and Duckie outfit for her. Madami naman mapapagpipilian na costume and it took as quite a while to decide on those two settings for her. Kung di nga lang medyo mahal, i would like all the pictures to be on a frame. Super cute kasi. May kuha pa sya nun sa Snow White outfit nya na kinakagat nya yung apple. Snow white na snow white talaga talaga yung dating. Tapos nun sa Duckie naman, super cute din yung mga kuha kahit yung nag iiyak na sya kasi nag mamaktol na. Pagod na kasi ang bata. Sobrang dami ng nagpapakuha dun, biruin nyo, we were there 1pm, 6pm na kami nasalang. Kasama nga namin sila mama and sila Ria and Raine, papapikturan ko din sana kaso gabi na. Nagpaiwan na nga lang kami kaya kami nakapag pakuha. Anyways, nung nakuha naman kahapon yung mga pics namin, sulit naman at tuwang tuwa din si Marianna. Hangang ngayon nga lagi syang nakatingin sa picture nya na nakasabit sa ding ding namin.

And here is the solo framed family picture. I insisted on this one kasi di ko masyado feel yung kuha ko dun sa isa. But since cute na cute naman ang mag ama ko, i agreed on that picture na din. This one is also placed in our living room. Ganda ng anak ko dito syempre. Very angelic with very round innocent eyes like mommy. he he.

Our next studio picture will be next year. Pag dating ulit ni Mark for vacation from work.
In our family, we haven't got the chance to have our picture taken as a family except nung debut ko na ginupit ko naman yung album at kailangan kong i-scan para sa mga tita ko sa US.
Ngayon na may sarili na akong family, I will make it a point that we'll have our family picture as often as possible. I want these moments to be saved for Marianna to appreciate in the future.

Preserving Family Food Traditions- A Priceless Gift

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know that the initial inspiration for starting a blog was to preserve family recipes and traditions for my 6 children. When I think back to my own childhood, many recipes that I would consider heirlooms from my family and friends have been lost. To the extent I can I do try to pass on the stories that go with the food traditions of my family, even if I don't have the recipes like how my Grandmother Knighting cracked scores of black walnuts for her famous applesauce cakes that she made as gifts. Even though money was very tight for her she would not compromise- English walnuts would not substitute. And despite her arthritis, she used cast iron bundt pans that gave her cakes a deep color, richness, and moistness that I have not been able to recreate with any recipe. Or how my Grandfather McKinney, who had been a cook in the National Guard, always made us breakfast when we were at my grandparents' home (we always requested SOS (shit on the shingle) because it was the only time we could say that word!). And how my Grandmother McKinney was an incredible bread and pie baker, and she would take the pie crust scraps and let me and my brothers spread them with jam or peanut butter and roll them up to make pinwheel cookies.Or how our neighbor in Hilton Village, Mrs "D", made me an apple pie (the best I have ever had) when I returned from the hospital after Andrew was born that was so good it made me want to get pregnant again.How about how my dad's favorite expression when something was really good was "It will make your tongue slap your brains out!"

This year for Christmas, my oldest daughter Colleen(Left, the blonde with her sister, NOT eating my food!) took this to the next level. Before Christmas, she sent us all a questionnaire with questions about food memories, favorite recipes and the like. We became more and more curious about how the information was going to be used and the answer was truly impressive. We all had to open our gift from Colleen at the same time under the tree so that the surprise would not be spoiled. She presented each of us with a binder that was covered with a version of the Dowd Family crest with some of the crossed swords and maces supplanted by mixing bowls and wooden spoons. Inside was a special introduction that choked me (and some of the siblings) up about how special our family is and how much she hopes that we hold to the traditions we have established over the years.Inside the book are recipes and stories she pulled from each family member's responses to the survey. She pulled from my blog and threw in some of her own recipes and stories as well. And to make sure the book is a living document, she established an email group with all of us as members where we can share new recipes or stories that we remember so that they are not lost and everyone can share. It was a very special and thoughtful gift, for everyone who received one, but particularly touching for me. To hear how important those memories are to my children and how much they treasured them and wanted to share and preserve them really touched my heart.

I guess I am sharing this since it has to do with food and family, two very important topics on this blog but also to encourage you to think about doing something similar as well. Whether it is a binder or a website, take the time and effort to save those special traditions for your family, it is a priceless gift that they will treasure forever. And a special thanks to Colleen for pulling it all together and to all those who provided their input to make the Dowd Family Recipes unique and special!

An early New Year wish!

As I'm off for a long awaited holiday (will be back mid of next year), here's an early wish to all of you :-)

Have a Blessed and Wonderful New Year!!

Sanbanto, SS2, PJ

Hi guys! How was your Christmas weekend? Had a great time?

Planning for your year end party now? :)

My weekend was fantabulous, as it's not only the long weekend break, I'm also a december baby, so I got loads of makans with my dear friends.

One of my birthday dinner treat ended at Sanbanto, for some porky goodness..

My friends left all the ordering to me- since it's my privilege for the day..hehehe

Ordered some House green salad (RM8) and Pork Belly Salad (RM13) to start the meal..

The bed of salads for both were almost identical, except the pork belly salad was, well, laden with heaps of pork belly. Generous portion, the pork belly was slightly over fried, but ok with the accompanying honey mustard dip. Greens were crisp fresh.

The mains were serve, coincidentally arrived very much like an italian meal...

Primo first?

We got the Sanbanto Pork Bolognese(RM17)..

The thick, flavourful pork bolognese goes well with the homemade pappardelle. There were mixed feelings on this dish though- I liked the texture of the thick pappardelle, which gave a bit more bite and chewiness to the dish. Some of my friends find it a tad hard.

The Short Ribs Spaghetti (RM21) was an unexpected order..

Well, I did not order this dish but my friends attacked it before I could say "it's the wrong order!". Dang 'em wolves! :p Anyways, this dish felt more asian, the sauce was sweetish- akin to teriyaki. Also, the fried lard bits in the pasta malaysianize this dish. The ribs was tender and well marinated, but sweetish pasta may not be everyone's plate of pasta?

The Secondi starts with some attention grabbing meat...

The BBQ ribs (RM38) looks scrumptious..

Tasted as good as it looks, the ribs were fork tender, the fats were meltingly good and the meat was wonderfully basted with sticky BBQ sauce. Delicious indeed.

Alicia requested for a Bacon and cheese burger (RM17)

Quite a substantial portion, I'm happy to see the mountain of chips coz I like anything potato. Excellent chips but the pork patty was a tad salty.

The owner's son recommended the English Roast Pork (RM42- good for 2 to share) which was only available on weekends.

I'm glad I took his advise, this, to me, was the best dish of the day. The slices of roast was juicy, tender and oozing natural sweetness of the pork. The layer of skin, though extremely thin, was so aromatic and flavourful- I had to nibble by small bits so that I can enjoy the skin a bit longer :p. The accompanying wine sauce paired beautifully with the roast- such satisfaction to eat this.

We were stuff, but after much convincing from the owner, we had a plate of Char Siew to share.

Mr Ng explained that this char siew was from a premium cut, but he cant share more that that. I must say, this char siew had a slight difference from the usual melt in mouth types- yes, it was tender, but the pork was very sweet, and light in texture. The exterior was cooked akin to bak kwa, which Francis loves.

The friendly owner told us that the pork served in Sanbanto were direct from their farm in Jemaluang ( Sam pan Tuo in Mandarin- hence Sanbanto), Johor. Their farming and production of pigs products are certified by Moody's and ISO approved- he even showed us the health/ cleanliness level of their pig's meat and liver. We can definitely rest assured that we were fed with premium pork that night :)

My final surprise came in the form of a dolce- on the house :)

The warm choc brownie cake was rich, slightly bitter and filled with lots of walnuts. Such a good way to end the meal. And Sanbanto made this a real memorable meal for me when their whole kitchen staff burst out singing a birthday song for me..So embarrassing (luckily we were the only patrons left), but I'll definitely remember this :D.

Sanbanto is located at 32, SS2/63, Petaling Jaya, 47300 Selangor. Tel 03-78761728. As Sanbanto sells fresh produce at it's front counter, the tables are rather limited. To avoid long waits for a table, you may want to make reservations.

Merry Christmas

The hustle and bustle is over. No more shopping or Amazon, or UPS trucks bearing packages. Thousands are at their holiday destination-home. One this day when the focus is on the Holy Family welcoming a new addition that has impacted millions throughout generations, may you enjoy all the blessings of family, no matter what that looks like. A very Merry Christmas, and a safe and Happy New Year to all of you and yours. And to those families who cannot be together because their mothers, brother, fathers, and sons are deployed, a very special wish for a successful mission and a safe return home.

Now, I am going to surround myself with family and enjoy my time with those I love! Now that is the magic of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!

Chips and Dips

This is my entry for FOOD FRIDAY this week
I had these prepared yesterday for our movie marathon for Noche Buena
Cheese, Chili con Carne and Salsa dip for Chips
With ice cold root beer and green tea, a perfect snack that would keep you awake and alert to open and give gifts this Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone. Happy eating :-)

Jonker's other trail, Melaka, Part 2

We tried a few more places at Jonker's but alas, the chicken rice spell could not be broken. We still ended up there.

The long queue at both Hoe Kee and Chung Wah was absolutely ridiculous- patrons were queuing under the hot sun, even under the rain.

We decided to have Hoe Kee for breakfast the next day, believing that we don't need to queue since we're early. Surprise, surprise, we still needed to queue, about 3 groups of people in front of us. We waited a short while and finally got in. To my disgust, there were plenty of seats available in the inner court yard- I'm not sure why they kept us waiting- to create the illusion that it's so packed even at 10 am??

Ordered minimal, since it was still breakfast time. Not allowed to order all with chicken rice balls, we had to take the normal chicken rice too. The loose chicken rice actually tasted better than the balls, it was more aromatic and less soggy. I feel that the rice balls here fared better than CW's. But the accompanying chilli sauce was not as nice as CW's.

The chicken (RM16) was very smooth, but the flesh lacked the sweetness and springiness of Chung Wah.

Andrew's request for vegetables (RM5)

A rather greasy plate of stir fried cabbage. Was just average.

A slow walk to the adjacent road led us to a purported famed wantan mee shop.

We were rather unsure about this place- it was empty and quiet. Only 2 tables were filled. But, this is the only wantan mee shop on this road, so it should be correct, no?
But we're here and we must try- so we had the wantan mee..

Looks old school, the wantan noodles was slightly bland and had a strong lard flavour. The noodles was slightly sticky and gummy, definitely not everyone's cup of tea. You can mix generous amount of chilli sauce into the wantan noodles to enhance the flavours- supposedly a special way of eating the wantan noodles here. I find the wantan noodles just average though.

Wantans were ok, goes well with the noodles.

Sun May Hiong satay was within acceptable walking distance from Jonker's, we still decided to drive over :p

Dont need much ordering, we just sat down and waited for the sticks of satays to be served..

You dont get much choice, they just plonk what ever cooked satay they have onto your plate and you can eat how much you wanted and ask for top-up when required..

The pork satay was scrumptious- the outer layer was crisp and slightly smokey, the meat was springy and very juicy.

Think their trick was to layer the pork satay- meat, fat, and meat- alternating it creates yummy burning of fats on to the meat. I liked this better than Ming Sate Hut.

Their satay sauce was wonderful too..

Rich and thick, this beautiful blend of peanut, spices, pineapple and starfruit sauce goes perfectly with the yummy pork satay. Delicious!

We tried the intestine, liver and chicken satay and concluded that the pork satay reign supreme!

Sun May Hiong Satay House is located at 50/50A, Jalan Kota Laksamana 1/1, Taman Kota Laksamana, Melaka. Open 11am-6pm. Close on alternate Tuesdays.

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice is located at 4,6,8, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka.

Kedai Makanan & Minuman Wantan Mee is located at 40, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Melaka. Open 7:30am- 2:30 pm.

HS Buds Mini Christmas Party

Yesterday, a mini Christmas party was held here at our house. Attendees were good friends of mine that were also my former high school classmates at La Consolacion College Caloocan. I'm very fortunate to have friends like them and that we don't loose touch through the years. Counting, its been 13 years since we graduated from high school, through these years, its nice that we still get to see each other once in a while to chat. They were so gracious enough to bring food and we had a mini feast to share. I prepared some tuna fussilli pasta and tacos. I had a great time Florence, Peachy, Emielyn and Romelia. Hope to see you guys again soon. Merry Christmas !!!

2nd Year Wedding Anniversary Celebration

It was our 2nd year wedding anniversary last 15th of December and to celebrate, we decided to go to Tagaytay. We left Marianna with Mama Wena and Tita Rio and its just the two of us who went there. We got there by bus and was able to check in the Taal vista hotel at approximately 3pm on the 14th. Swerte na din at nagkataon, there was a promo on the superior suite. It was normally priced at Php 6,500.oo/night but because of the promo to SMAC (SM advantage card) holders, we were able to avail the same room at Php 2,888.00. A room with a king size bed, a bath tub and a great view of the Taal lake, not bad huh?

Front view of Taal Vista Inn

Great view of the Taal lake, taken from the hotel.

From there, we had a quick snack at a near Mc Donald's place and head on to Picnic Grove and Peoples park. Wala kaming sasakyan kaya nag tricycle lang kami. Kinontrata kami of course, he asked for 500 pesos. We agreed and then we head on our way.


Zip Line at the Picnic Grove. Mark is willing to try this but not me. I'm not the adventurous type.
Kabayo nga ayaw ko sumakay e. Nagsawa lang sila kakaalok, he he.


Medyo gabi na when we arrived at the tallest part of Tagaytay, the Palace in the sky/Peoples Park.
Sooobrang lamig dyan. Ang lakas lakas pa ng hangin.

After this, we were able to stop by at a convenient store to grab some stuff then I insisted that we stop by BAG of BEANS and the MUSHROOM BURGER store to grab some food to take out for our dinner. Our tricycle service was gracious enough to take us there.


Blueberry Cheesecake and Caramel Machiado from Bag of Beans for Me

Royal Mushroom Burger for Mark

The next day, as suggested by Laarnie, a good friend of ours, we decided to go to Leslie's for Brunch.


We had Sinigang na hipon, Sizzling mixed seafoods and Leslies Special Turon for dessert.

We ate here in the resto's "kubo type" dinning area

Site from the Kubo Dinning Area of Leslie's

After checking out from the hotel, i insisted to go to Sonya's Secret Garden to buy some of its famous Parmesan Cheese hopia.
Taken at Sonya's Panaderia. We bought some hopia and kapeng barako for mama. I also bought a pot of basil and mint plants.

I just can't resist not having my picture taken in this set up.

We're very fortunate that we had the chance to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary together considering hubby frequently leaves for work.
Sweetie, having you with me, during this special time means a lot to me more than anything.
Looking forward to more anniversaries to celebrate.
You and Marianna means everything to me.
I love you always.

Leslie's Special Turon

LESLIE'S SPECIAL TURON

We had this for dessert when we ate at Leslie's in Tagaytay (Php 175.00).

I was expecting finger food turon and what we had were 3 extra large version of the ordinary turong saging. It has lots of langka. I presumed that the bananas were pre boiled before it was rolled with the lumpia wrapper and fried. Topped with condensed milk, langka, sesame seeds and cherry halves, they are really a must try if you happen to pass by Tagaytay.

This is may entry for FOOD FRIDAY for this week

Happy eating and Have a great weekend ahead

Let them eat steak!- An Omaholiday Giveaway!

This is the time of year when thoughts go to Christmas cookies, and glistening hams and roasted turkeys or maybe even a goose the shade of one of the Real Housewives of Orange County. But here is something designed to help you escape the monotony of leftovers during the holidays- a $50 giveaway from Omaha Steaks. If you are not familiar with Omaha Steaks, they are a large company specializing in the processing and delivery of prime steaks, meats and other gourmet foods. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska (imagine that) Omaha Steaks has many retail outlets as well as shipping their high-quality meats all over the world. Their mail-order business has soared with the interest in food as a gift, perfect for those people that you have no idea what to buy for. Like many I have heard of the company, they have been around since 1917, so when they contacted me to see if I would be interested in hosting a giveaway for a $50 gift certificate, I jumped at the chance. As a bonus they sent me a box of filet mignons, so that I could write about their product.

Good meat needs very little in the way of seasoning, the meat should be the star, yet there are ways to complement a good steak, bringing out its flavor. When my filets from Omaha came packed with dry ice, we were looking forward to a great dinner. My steaks benefitted from my recent Julie and Julia experience- I learned that to sear meat you must dry the surface first. I used only some fresh ground pepper and kosher salt and then seared the steaks and cooked them until rare (for me) and medium rare (for my husband). I decided to make tow complementary condiments for my beautiful steaks - one, sauteed mushrooms with port wine and the other, avocado butter. Both of these added a different dimension to the delicious, tender beef.

Mixed Mushrooms with Port - Slice 2 cups assorted mushrooms into fairly uniform pieces (I used hen and chicks and button mushrooms). Melt 2tbsp butter, and saute the mushrooms until just tender, then add a tablespoon each of soy sauce and worcestershire sauce, and then 1-2 tablespoons of port wine. Stir until liquid is reduced by about half. Serve with steak.

Avocado Butter - Mash 1/2 a ripe avocado with 1/2 cup softened butter (since my husband is a diabetic, I use Smart Balance, and it works just as well). Form into a roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Cut slices and serve with your steak- this is amazing- adding a richness that complements the beef perfectly.

So you want to win some steaks of your own to complement with these or other condiments? From now until December 31, do the following to win a $50 gift certificate from Omaha Steaks to create your own memorable meal:
1) Leave me a comment telling me your favorite complement to a great steak
2)Sign up to follow Omaha Steaks on Twitter @Omaha_steaks and ReTweet the contest details using the hashtag #OmahaHoliday.

The winner will be selected at random, and can start the new year with some fabulous beef!

Restoran Wei Kee, KL

When I asked my bro what he'll like for his second belated BD meal, he said he wanted nothing fancy. Just simple chinese food would do.

He then declared that roasted goose was his choice. But there's 3 on the same road, which one should we go for?

He only wanted Wei Kee, since it was also approved by his ex Hongkie boss. Definitely made choices easier :)

We were there brunch time on a weekend, so we still had the luxury to choose our table..

Started the meal with kerabu goose web (RM7)

Sourish and sweet, it complements the springy texture of the webs. Pretty appetising I must say.

Special for the day- braised goose webs (RM1 each)

I prefer the braised version as the webs had absorbed the spices and herb's flavour, while the texture was slightly gelatinous and sticky. Nice....

And the reason we were there..

The Roasted Goose (RM78 for half)

The skin was crisp and aromatic while the meat was juicy and quite tender. We were fairly surprised that their version of goose was not too fatty, which I am glad of. Though there's just the 3 of us sharing this portion- the amount was just sufficient :p. The roasted goose tasted pretty much like those I've tried in HK, albeit without those yummy broth/ sauce they poured over the goose in HK.

The roasted goose was served with chilli sauce or plum sauce. I liked mine all naturel- no sauce dipping required..

The choy sum (RM5) gave us carnivores the much needed fibre..

Very fresh, crunch and sweet choy sum. Delish.

Restoran Wei Kee is located at 50, Lorong Yap Hin, Off Jalan Pasar, Pudu, 55100 KL. Tel: 03-92218428.