Goodies from South Korea

I started my day at the office happily because an officemate gave me some goodies from our big boss who went to South Korea over the weekend. Chocolates are always a welcome sight for me. She gave me a white chocolate-covered strawberry which got me all wide-eyed, and another one which I picked from a big box and which came with a catalogue –yes, apparently choosing chocolates from a box requires some sort of special knowledge about it first. Talk about being fancy.

So I took a look at the catalogue and read the descriptions of each. In the end I chose Café Macchiato. Do I still need to explain why? =) I almost died. Haha. It was so rich and thick; quite bitter but just enough. It was small but I wasn’t able to finish it immediately. As I’ve said, it was too rich.

Aside from the chocolates, I was also given two small packs of nori, one kimchi-flavored! I’m not a fan of nori, but I love kimchi. It was yummy. I just gave the regular nori to my brother because it was too blah for my taste.

BUTTTTT it got me thinking. I want to make homemade California maki one of these days. Will research a bit more about it before I actually do it. I don’t want to fail miserably.

Watch out for future posts to see if I go through another would-be first. =) I’m pretty excited about making California maki already!

Rainy Monday Brunch—Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich and Iced Coffee

I woke up late today because staying at home for too long disrupts my body clock. I have been staying awake longer than I normally had the past two weeks, so I have also been waking up late. Good thing when I woke up though, it wasn't at all hot. As a matter of fact, there was a slight drizzle, which got me in the mood to fix me up some nice brunch to have outside.

I am normally not a fan of peanut butter. I just think it tastes awful. But weirdly enough, when combined with strawberry jam, it just works. Hah. The wonders of food.

Also, I am a fan of grilled sandwiches. I grill almost every sandwich I make, sometimes not even to have crispy hot sandwich, but just to have those pretty horizontal marks that makes sandwich looks fancy. Haha!

Having iced coffee today is purely accidental. We keep our milk in the fridge, so when you pour cold milk into freshly brewed hot coffee, the result is a weird lukewarm drink. So I decided to just put some ice and have it cold, a break in my usual morning routine.

So that’s how I ended up with my brunch for today—ice cold coffee and really delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which I haven’t had in years).

Best nomnom way: 

Having brunch while reading a good book or even just a blog. :)

Potato Croquettes on a Sunday

I love potatoes. I love them mashed, fried or grilled. Croquettes are very fun to eat because you bite into the initial crisp then get a wonderful surprise of oozing cheese and bacon.

The success of the potato croquettes I did last year was probably a big reason why I was encouraged to experiment and cook more. It was a bit tricky to do at first. I had to try three times before I was able to achieve the right texture of the potatoes so I could close them up and shape them into patties.

For this version of croquettes, I used bacon to fill the potatoes because I love the flavor of smoked bacon. It’s so tasty and you don’t need to add a lot to season the croquettes. I also like potato skins so I didn’t peel my potatoes here but I made sure that I washed and scrubbed them really well.

A dip that goes well with croquettes is roasted garlic mayo—similar to the one they have at Wham! Burgers. If you want to make something similar, all you have to do is put some garlic powder in your mayo and whip it until everything blends well. I’m usually not a fan of mayo, especially on burgers and sandwiches, but when consumed in moderation and used only as dip (especially with garlic), it’s tolerable I guess.

So for others who love potatoes and want to try something new, try making potato croquettes.

Best nomnom way:

It’s great with ice cold soda and while watching UFC on a Sunday! :)

Cake, Coffee, and a Rainy Afternoon

I consider last May 9, 2011 to be a perfect Monday. It had rained hard the previous day, which resulted to an overcast and windy Monday. I didn't go to the office and opted to work from home because I was afraid it would get flooded.

I started my usual day with hot coffee and some cake that Poi bought my mom for Mother’s Day. It was the first time I enjoyed sitting outside and reading because it wasn’t scorching hot. It's probably just me, but the coffee tasted more fantastic and paired with the cake, was just perfect.

That was also the time Poi asked me to help her write a paper, so I had fun reading some articles while having coffee and cake.

Some people get depressed or sad when it’s rainy because everything is gray and cold and wet. But I adore the weather (except for the resulting flood), I love snuggling, having some hot coffee or warm soup and just doing whatever—in this case, enriching my mind with a good read─Absence of Copula and the Notion of Simplicity: A Study of Normal Speech, Baby Talk, Foreigner Talk, and Pidgins—I'm a big dork when left by myself. o_O


So what’s your perfect day? :)

Veggie Fried Rice—Vegan Delight

I love the aroma of fried rice. I absolutely love the smell of garlic. Even if there isn't any other ingredient, fried rice with lots of garlic makes it very tasty already.

But a few weeks ago, I had an unusual craving for broccoli. We rarely have vegetables at home, which is actually a bummer because I am crazy for crisp and fresh greens, and other vegetable dishes.

So I decided to head out to Savemore supermarket near our house and shop for some broccoli and some mixed veggies. Making this veggie fried rice takes about only 15 minutes or so because you don’t have to dice or cut anything else aside from the broccoli.

It’s simple, it’s delicious, and it’s healthy. It’s a complete meal even if you eat it as is because of all the vegetables included.

Best nomnom way:

If you are crazy for vegetables also, toss in some cauliflower, mushrooms, zucchinis! Staying away from meat has never been this fun. :)

Minestrone Soup—Favorite Hearty Treat

Minestrone is one of my favorite soups of all time. I can’t even consider it as just soup because it’s so filling and it has everything in it—vegetables, pasta, beans, meat. I remember when I used to work in Makati, a good friend and I would always go to Chef ‘d Angelo’s to have a hot bowl of Minestrone soup. Unfortunately, the branch in Greenbelt 1 closed down, and the one in Glorietta 5 doesn’t serve Minestrone anymore.

Anyway, it really brings good memories, and this one of my top 5 comfort food when it’s raining. BUT, until this afternoon, I’ve never made one.

So today marks another first for me. It’s so simple to make. You just add all the ingredients in one pot and wait for it to simmer to perfection. The only tricky part is preparing all the ingredients. But when you see that it’s finally done, and you smell the aroma of tomatoes, herbs and spices, it’s really worth it.

For my version, I skipped adding peas and corn kernels because I’m not a fan of both. Instead, I added more tomatoes, spices and pasta.

Best nomnom way:

It’s perfect to eat on a rainy day with garlic bread and red wine or sangria on the side. Even more perfect when shared with girlfriends over an overly cheesy romantic comedy movie! Haha!