We’re talking about Compatibility at WifeSpeaks this week.
I don’t know about you, but I find Pakbet to be absolutely compatible with Lechon Kawali.
Pinakbet with Lechon Kawali
Halo-Halo and Quezo Real Ice Cream with Barquillos
I Scream!
Lest we forget, a true breakfast for the champs, one of the many “SiLog” choices, Longsilog:
Longganisa, Sinangag and Itlog
More WS entries here!
Here’s my entry for this week’s theme.
These are a couple of pastries that I got from one time we were out on vacation:
Some Interesting Pastries
To the left is Baba Au Rum, which according to WikiPedia, is a small yeast cake saturated in liquor, while the other is one of the moistest (?) chocolate cake I’ve had. When I ordered these two - specifically the Baba Au Rum - it was an ‘eye-bigger-than-mouth’ moment for me more than anything. I did not know the small vial inserted in the cake was filled with Rum. Suffice it to say it was one dessert that I did not enjoy, hah. 
See more alcohol-infused entries here!
To celebrate J’s birthday last May, we went to Petite Abeille on East 20th. A cafe named after a Belgian children’s book character, Petite Abeille is exactly the place you go to for Sunday brunch. With its sunny-colored walls, checkered tables and friendly wait staff, the place is an inviting burst of sunshine.
You can start with a big cup of Hot Chocolate.
Mmmm. Whipped Cream
And then order the classic Mac n Cheese with a twist: Gruyere cheese with Ham
Mmmm. Melted cheese.
or the Petite Abeille burger on brioche bun with their special sauce
Mmmm. Burger.
or the Eggs Benedict with mesclun salad and mashed potatoes.
Mmm. Fancy Eggs.
and the big daddy of waffles in the place:
Banana Split Waffle with Dark Chocolate
While dining, you may grab a Tintin book from the hallway.
Weee!
To cap a great meal, don’t forget to swing by the Gelato station.
Mmm. Frozen nomnom.
Petite Abeille
401 East 20th St.
New York, NY
212.727.1505
(with 4 locations in Manhattan)
We’re doing Foodie Questionnaires at WifeSpeaks today!
1. Kung ang mother in law mo ay isang dish or ulam, ano siya? Pwede mo rin sabihin kung bakit, pero kung ayaw mo, okay lang.
I don’t have an answer for this because I never met my MIL. She passed away years before J and I met.
2. Ano ang madalas ihandang pagkain kapag may party sa bahay ng in laws mo?
Baked Macaroni saka Buco Pandan.
3. Ano ang pinakamasarap na pagkain na nailuto ng in laws mo?
Sizzling Puso ng Saging. Grabe taob plato ko.
4. Anong pagkain ang nailuto mo na para sa in laws mo?
Wala pa, hehe. I’ve never stayed in Manila long enough to cook for them eh. Most of the time we always go out to eat.
5. Meron bang dish na itinuro sa iyo ang in laws mo, either traditional family meal or paborito ng iyong asawa?
Wala naman akong naaalala.
6. Mahalaga ba sa in laws mo na matuto kang magluto bago kayo nagpakasal ni Hubby?
Hindi naman. Alam naman yata nila na hindi ko pababayaang magutom si hubby so parang di masyado big deal yan, hehe.
7. Anong eating habits ng in laws mo ang na-acquire mo na rin through the years?
Actually, hindi ko nga ma-acquire eh. Coming from Bulacan, they love eating pandesal or rice with gatas ng kalabaw (carabao’s milk) and for the life of me, I couldn’t get the hang of eating that way.
8. Meron ka bang unforgettable kitchen moments with your in laws?
Wala naman.
9. Binibigyan ka ba ng cooking tips ng in laws mo? Ano-ano ito?
Wala pa.
10. Ano ang paboritong pagkain ng father in law mo?
Sabi ni hubby, basta libre daw favorite ni Tatay!
11. Mahilig ba sa desserts ang in laws mo? If yes, anong hilig nila?
I think yung Buco Pandan Salad saka Pichi Pichi.
12. Pagdating naman sa inuman after meals, “Go” ba sila or “No”?
Ayos lang, walang kaso.
13. Saan madalas mag-dine out for family dinners ang in laws mo?
My in laws are a big family so as long as the place is group-friendly dun kami.
14. Mahilig ba sila sa exotic food? If yes, ano-ano ito?
Medyo adventurous din yata sila sa ganyan.
15. Lastly, masasabi mo bang bonding moments are “food moments” mo with your in laws?
I believe so. Like I said, my husband came from a large, close-knit family, and one of the things I look forward to when we’re in the Philippines is bonding moment over food with my in-laws.
Sali na dito!
There’s been one too many occasions when my father has said that I am a lot like my mother, especially when I do grocery-shopping. My dad, and my husband are alike in the sense that they put everything they see in the grocery cart without giving much thought about whether they have any use for it now or not. Back in college, a couple of my cousins called me frugal (euphemism for kuripot?) back when we were all roommates because when we’re at a grocery, I don’t buy junk food, just things from our needed list.
You see, I am the type of person who only get what I need when I do food shopping. I don’t like it when food goes to waste (the guilt trip from childhood constantly ring in my ear: Think of other children who have nothing to eat; Too many people are starving, etc.), so I only buy stuff that I know I will cook immediately. Sure, I am guilty of putting things in my cart but when I get to the cash register, I “review” my items and get rid of non-essentials.
While others find it more cost-efficient to buy things in bulk, especially here in the States where every other Pinoy is a member of wholesale places like Costco or BJ’s, we do the opposite at home since it’s just J and I, plus the baby. If we were to buy an item in bulk but end up having to throw away because we can’t finish it, it’s more wasteful.
Anyway, here’s a recipe for the stale bread sitting in your pantry. Please note that this isn’t the standard bread pudding recipe I’m sure most people are accustomed to, but it’s how I remember my mother making it when we were kids. I don’t have an exact measurement for this, I played it by ear and added more or less of the milk as I went along. You can modify it to your liking as you mix it.
Warm Bread Pudding Ala Mode
I have not posted anything LaPis related in ages! I am finally able to catch up and join in time for this week’s great theme, “Pearly Shells”.
Seafood, particularly shellfish, tops the bill in my book. When our family goes out to dine, there’s probably not a moment where shellfish will come missing from our order. A few of our favorites:
Crispy Jumbo Prawns from Curry Leaves
Seafood Feast at City Island
Mussels from Gerry's Grill
Snails (Escargot) in Black Bean Sauce from Dampa
All this talk photos of seafood is making me hungry! See more shellfish options here!
Here’s a simple beef and veggie stir-fry for those nights when you’re in a time crunch and takeout isn’t an option. Unless of course, speed-dialing your neighborhood Wok N Roll is more your game.
You will need:
Beef sliced into thin strips
Minced Garlic
Soy Sauce
Sherry Cooking Wine
Vegetables of your choice - for this recipe I used:
String beans
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Carrots
Red bell peppers
Red onions
Scallions
What You Need. Teething Biscuit Optional
How-to:
Marinade beef strips into soy sauce and sherry for at least an hour. Of course I didn’t take a picture of that.
Veggies! Veggies!
In a medium pan, heat oil and stir fry beef for two minutes. Keep the marinade aside as you will use that for your sauce. Drain cooked beef and set aside. On the same pan, stir fry onion, garlic, scallions, bell pepper and carrots. Add the marinade and the rest of the vegetables and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until liquid has reduced, stirring occasionally. Add beef and mix through. Serve with rice.
Not Your Chinese Food Takeout
One thing I must mention, whenever I stir fry I always put fish sauce (aside from the soysauce) for seasoning. Gah. Overkill. I didn’t realize sherry enhances the flavor of stir-fried dishes, and it didn’t taste cornstarch-y like the usual beef broccoli dishes we’re used to. Yum.
Before I got married, I was not one to spoil myself. Oh yes, I do the occasional shopping splurge, but never more than a self-imposed budget. Somehow, I can’t always justify the hefty price tag of an item no matter how much I want it. I just shake my head and walk away from the coveted item and say to myself, I guess I don’t want it that much, after all.
My Buyer's Remorse
Lo and behold, after J and I got together, woman got spoiled! Although he doesn’t always get my hint dropping heehee, I don’t remember a particular material request that he actually turned down. Actually, let me put it this way: there’s never a time that I heard an arbitrary opposition from him. For the record, I don’t take advantage of his generosity (konti lang! hehe).
So on the rare occasion that I do fancy something that tips the scale a little bit, he gives plausible justification for why I deserve to have it, even though in my heart of hearts, I know I don’t. Naks! Eh what can I do, don’t they say it’s not nice to say no to blessings?
Since Father’s Day is only just a few weeks away, it’s never too early to start shopping for gifts for the Dads who are near and dear our hearts, is it? As early as now, I’ve been thinking about what gifts to get for hubby. And since this is his first father’s day, it has to be memorable.
It’s so easy to fall trap into getting thoughtless gifts for men though, because they don’t necessarily don’t want things us women “need”, don’t they? So you have to scour several online sites to find that perfect gift, or you have to get the word straight from the horse’s mouth!
I do remember hubby saying before we moved a couple of years ago that he’d love to have a complete set of tools and workshop equipment in case the ‘home improvement‘ bug bites him any moment. This coming Father’s Day, he may just get that wish! 
Some say that ‘You won’t really know a person until you actually live in the same house with them’. I didn’t understand what this meant until after I got married and adjustment became a word I became all too familiar with.
Who would have thought making me drink orange juice in the mornings or not putting your socks in the hamper would tick me off like a time bomb? And his jokes, oh his jokes. This man knows how to make you laugh, but when he feels that his absolute mission in life at a moment when you’re fuming mad is to make you crack a smile at this really funny knock-knock joke, well, that’s a true test of patience.
Those are just a few of the little idiosyncrasies between hubby and I. I must admit it was a little bit of a challenge adjusting to a behaviour and personality that’s different from yours in the beginning even though we’ve been together for a while, but I gues that’s how it is after your fairytale wedding and marriage begins, right? You learn to adjust and embrace each other’s differences as one of the many ways to make your marriage work. Pretty soon, orange juice in the morning didn’t seem like it’s such a bad idea after all.
