Baker Beach

I had to overcome one of my fears earlier today (blood drawn and needles) for my doctor's appointment. So, dear husband Joseph decided to take me out to San Francisco as a reward. In an instant I forgot the whole ordeal at the hospital and fell in love with view.

This is a nice vantage point for those wanting to get that perfect landscape of the Golden Gate bridge. It's quite cold as summer is about to end in a few weeks. I have to warn those of you who wants to spend a day here to be prepared seeing perverts hanging out in this area. I mean half-naked old guys walking around watching girls or kids (yes, there's a lot of them). I don't know why they're allowed to loiter in this family beach park. So don't blame me if you see something you hoped you hadn't look. 

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you all are having an awesome weekend!

XoXo

Stanford University and Then Some

Sometimes that one thing you wanted so much in your life never comes easy. Quite elusive actually. I might be living the dream of that so-called-domesticated-housewife-in-a-white-picket-fenced-house. Not the grandest but it is what I have imagined my life to be a few years ago. Funny how I envisioned myself as a housewife and a mom..The latter is the most challenging for me for quite some time now. I wish I have the courage to share my story but I couldn't even put into words what I feel about it. I may be able to in the future if success is on its way.

I can only disclose that I've been through a lot. Because of this, I got to go to Standford University and Hospitals. I am so excited to be able to visit the University as I have only read about them in books and magazines before. It's a nice school and pretty expensive I'd say. They have their own shopping mall that sells high-end brands to boot. Here are some of the pictures we took around the campus with my husband.

Are you in the same boat? Share your success stories in the comment box below. 

Lots of love. XoXo.

Tinolang Manok (Filipino Style Chicken Soup)

When I'm stressed I tend to cook more of my home-grown recipes. I've been dreading this month actually as we will be meeting with our RE (reproductive endocrinologist) at Stanford University hospital tomorrow and I am quite anxious. We've been trying to have a baby for three years now and not getting any luck. What better way to calm my nerves a bit is to make my comfort food for dinner tonight. It made me happy in an instant. Praying that all is going to be alright tomorrow. For now, let me share with you this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound chicken (composed of at least wings, thighs, drumstick), cut in serving pieces and unnecessary fat removed
• 5 Cups water or low-sodium chicken stock
• 4 Cloves garlic, roughly sliced
• 1 Medium onion, sliced
• 2 Thumb-sized ginger, pounded
• 2 Pieces sayote  (chaiote,vegetable pear), cut in quarters
• 2 Cups spinach
• 2 Pieces Jalapeno peppers, cut in half diagonally (rib and seeds removed)
• 1 Teaspoon whole peppercorn
• 1 Tablespoon patis (thai fish sauce), substitute with salt if you don't like the fishy smell and taste 

Cooking Instructions:

1. In a large pot, saute onion, garlic and ginger in medium-high heat until fragrant. Add in the chicken and brown on all sides for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce and coat the chicken accordingly.
2. Pour in the chicken stock or water and peppercorn. Boil for 15-20 minutes of just until the chicken is tender when poked with a fork. 
3. Add the sayote and jalapeno peppers and cook covered for 5 minutes more or until the sayote is tender. Season to taste.
4. Lastly, put in the spinach and turn off heat. Cover and let the spinach cook for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy with fish sauce on the side.

Meatless Mondays - Vegetable Stir Fry

 There are just some days where I am too lazy to think of a dinner recipe. Planning a weekly meal is not as easy as you think. It's quite daunting actually. I came up with this idea of making meatless Mondays and from then on, it made my life a little bit easier in the kitchen. These are my favorite grocery finds at Trader Joes: the Asian vegetable stir-fry mix and the Italian sausage-less sausage. 

 And this is my favorite local store find: the vegetarian stir-fry sauce from Lee Kum Kee. It's a perfect combination to any vegetable you have in your fridge.

All you need to do is take out your wok and place in medium-high heat. Pour in a teaspoon or two of Sesame oil. Stir-fry your veggies with the Lee Kum Kee sauce. You can either slice the sausage and add it on the stir fry or cook it separately.Voila! Dinner in less than 30 minutes.

Burger Steak (Salisbury Steak) Recipe

When I was in Texas, my niece told me that one of her best memories when she was in the Philippines growing up as kid was eating at Jollibee and ordering burger steak. If you are a Filipino, you are well aware of what I am talking about. Who doesn't love Jollibee anyway? 

So I made my own version of the burger steak upon her request. The problem was we didn't have any ground beef in the fridge. She told me there was this frozen Wagyu beef burger left and suggested we try it out.

And so we did. I took out all the patties from the pre-cooked burger and put the rest of them back in the fridge. My sister is really busy with work and she doesn't have time to cook hence the frozen food. This was pretty much easy to make and it only has three major ingredients and the rest is already a staple in your pantry. Believe me, you don't need to know much in the kitchen to whip this up. Your kids or husband will surely love it! 

Ingredients:

4-6 Pieces beef burger patty (80% lean,20% fat), you can make your own if you want or buy the the pre-shaped patties at Trader joes.

1 Large onion, the size of your fist cut thinly in rings

1 Can Campbells cream of mushroom sauce

Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Black Pepper

1/2 Can water (measured from the Campbell soup can)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grill beef patties on a non-stick pan sprayed with olive oil or PAM. Cook both sides for 2-3 minutes or just enough to brown each side.
3. Arrange the beef patties in the baking pan and cover with a foil. 
4. Meanwhile, make the mushroom cream sauce. Saute the onion in a little olive oil until translucent. Add the cream of mushroom sauce and water. Stir and let boil for 5 minutes or until creamy.
5. Add a 2-3 glugs of Worcestershire sauce and freshly ground black pepper to taste. 
6. Turn off heat and pour the sauce over the arranged beef patties.
7. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or longer (depending on how you like your beef cooked).
8. Remove from oven and let it cool down for a few minutes before serving. Serve over rice or your favorite mashed potatoes recipe. Enjoy!

Note: I love a lot of onions in this recipe. It tastes so good. You can even make a crunchy onion rings to top it off.

Thai Sticky Rice

I was feeling a bit homesick and was craving for "biko", a Filipino sticky rice cooked in caramelized coconut milk and brown sugar. It is a very tedious process and I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. So I remember when we were in Thailand for our honeymoon, thai sticky rice was one thing I had then and loved it!

I thought it was complicated to make as I wasn't so sure on how to cook the rice. But found this very easy recipe online and gave it a shot. I won't be re-writing the recipe in my own words as I have to admit I did not make any modifications on this recipe. I was worried that I might now make it right. So feel free to use the link as your guide. My husband loved it and my cravings satisfied. I think I will make it again in the future. Just a tip though, make sure to buy sweet Manila mangoes. Otherwise it won't taste as good. I kind of miss our mangoes back home. I believe it's the sweetest in the world.

Turkey Quiche

Who doesn't love a french quiche in the morning? Since my husband had a grand time shopping loads of turkey bacon while I was away, it's only fitting to make use of it as my crust. It turned out really well than I had hoped.

 We used Jenny-O bacons for this recipe. Cut it in half and arranged it in a muffin baking pan. Make sure to spray PAM or any olive oil cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat 3 eggs until frothy, then add 1/4 cup of almond milk (you can use whole milk or whatever dairy you prefer). Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. He loves anything with Parmesan so that is optional. Fold in a tablespoon of minced green onions.

Pour them in the prepared turkey quiche crust and bake them for 20-30 minutes or until the egg is cooked through. Serve with your favorite smoothie for a power breakfast. 

Thai Inspired baked fish

After my short Texas trip, I went home with a fridge full of turkey bacon. I guess that sums up the meals my husband has been having while I am away. He doesn't cook but at least he does the dishes so well. So, this is what I made him for dinner. A thai-inspired baked fish as a treat.

I forgot the kind of fish we bought for this recipe. 

 Baking fish is the easiest to make for me. I hate frying because I don't like oil splattering on me and the kitchen gets messy every time. And it is not very healthy too. Try this one out, you might like it.

Ingredients:

1-2 Whole fish of your choice
3 Cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon ginger, julienne
5 Tablespoons Lee Kum Kee vegetable stiry fry or Oyster sauce
4 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 Teaspoon fish sauce
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
Dash of black pepper
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Teaspoon Lee Kum Kee chili-garlic sauce
Handful of coriander or cilantro for garnish
Foil for wrapping or if you have banana leaves for a more authentic feel

Cooking Instructions:

1. Have your fishmonger from your local market clean the fish. It is easier that way.
2. Make 2 slits on both sides of the fish to cook them evenly on the inside. Rinse with cold water and pat dry.
3. Mix all the ingredients together for the marinade. Taste test and adjust the saltiness.
4. Arrange the fish in a baking pan lined with foil. 
5. Pour the marinade over the fish. Making sure to spread them evenly. Cover with foil and let sit for 30 minutes or so.
6. When ready to bake, make sure to preheat the oven at 400 degrees.
7. Bake for 15.20 minutes, Make sure not to overcook. If the fish flakes if poked with a fork, it is done.
8. Serve with lemon wedges and cilantro for garnishing.

Visiting my Sister in Texas

I know I've been away way too long. I promise to make it up to you. Here's a photo diary of a time well spent with my sister and my nieces and nephew in Texas. I had a blast!

 Flying solo these days can be pretty scary. The Asiana airlines mishap in San Francisco earlier this month still gives me chills. But honestly, although my husband and I have been travelling a lot, I'm scared to fly. I close my eyes and say a prayer one or too many times.

 I am finally in Texas after seeing this greeting from my favorite Texan restaurant, Pappa Deaux! It was an easy flight. I wasn't too scared. I sat with a 3-year old kid who was very well-behaved. Thank God! He didn't whine or cry the entire trip. Props to his parents for teaching kids to behave on long haul flights. 

These two greeted me early in the morning. I miss them a lot!

  We had a lot of girly time. Playing with make-up and pretend to be a model with my adorable nieces.

 This little boy however naughty is very sweet and he is two. Gave me a kiss while watching their favorite cartoon show.

 Jimmy goofing around. 

  We went swimming at Splashtown and the kids had so much fun!

 My 14-year old niece asked me to do "ombre" on her hair to cap off her summer fun. I think we used the Loreal Feria ombre kit on her. Who would have thought I was born to become a hairdresser. Lol.