putting on the tomato base with just a hint of basil

adding the pre-cooked sausage

Voila!

caramelized onion added to the Hawaiian pizza

little balls of fresh mozzarella all over the pizza dough with pre-cooked ham and caramlized onions as toppings

then of course there's the mess!

I should mention that last weekend, after reading Kristen @ The Frugal Girl’s blog on musts for pizza baking, I was convinced to invest in a pizza stone and peel.  See, I just started this love affair with bread making and if you must know, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE breads of any kind.  Ask my grandmother and she will tell you of the many mornings I spent in her kitchen chowing down as many pan de sal as was allowed for me to eat.  Left to my own devices, I could’ve attacked the whole bag’s worth of pan de sal each morning.  Only thing was, there were other people in our family who also needed pan de sal for their breakfast.

Bread, of course, is the epitome of carbs and frankly my body does not respond well to carbs.  I mean, now that I am older and more inert than say, my teenage years, carbs very easily settle themselves on my belly, thighs, and shoulders…oh, and face!  I probably really ought to be whipping my dancing shoes to that cha cha or rhumba or other exotically named dance routines out there but…that’s ok.  I’ll keep to chasing my little one’s floor routines.  Ha!  Really though, nothing deters me from good, delicious, and freshly baked bread.

Anyways…sorry about my tangents, I’m wired that way.  Back to the pizza stone and peel.  Unfortunately at the store that we went to, there was not a set available.  My budget only allowed me to settle for one of the two.  ’Course I went for the stone cause I would need that more than the peel and I thought I’ll just figure something out to use as a peel.  Suffice it to say, Steve and I had an adventure in the kitchen figuring out how to transfer the sticky pizza dough from the cookie sheets on to the pizza stone.  There were notes taken and we’ll try to make it work at our next pizza night.  As it turned out, the pizzas came out perfectly and the flavors were down right delicious.  Hey, it’s homemade, right?  Who needs pizzas to be perfect?  I know I don’t!

Ummm…that was three days ago.  These lush large green leaves are now in my freezer, transformed into pesto, waiting to be used for a quick pasta dinner anytime.  Gotta love summer gardening!

This dish is adapted from a recipe in a Cuisine at Home magazine I kept for a number of years.  It’s called Eggplant Parmesan Napoleons.  The star of this dish is the eggplant, which is one of our family’s favorite veggie.  It’s important to note that the dish was for four servings but Steve and I only ate one each.  However, it’s more important to remember that I did not expertly calculate quantity to cost; neither did I just pick out a number.  I tried as best I can to come closest to the cost of items specified for this dish.  Here’s the breakdown:

Grilled Chicken Breast – $1.00

Bought a 3-piece pack for under $3 but used a coupon of $1 to total just under $2.  We grilled all three pieces but only used 1-1/2 pieces between the two of us for tonight’s dinner.  That brings the chicken cost per quantity to $1.

Would you just take another look at the juicy tender chicken my Hubby grilled?  It looks delicious and it tasted like it too!

Eggplant Parmesan Napoleons – $3.00

The fresh mozzarella came in two packages from Sam’s at $7.00.  I used half of one package for this dish, which leaves the cost to $1.75.  We only ate two of the napoleons to make the final cost of $0.90.

The eggplant was bought for $1.00.  With two napoleons consumed, the quantity cost is at $0.50.

Too bad I did not get a picture of the whole tomato before it was sliced!  I say that because the one tomato we used was from our garden and came totally free!  However, the rest of the $3.00 for the napoleons is from the flour, eggs, panko breadcrumbs, and oil used to fry the eggplant.

Spaghetti – $0.30

Kroger had a good sale on pasta this past week so I was able to get a 1-lb. box of spaghetti for $0.88.  We only used a quarter of the spaghetti, which leaves our quantity total to $0.22.  I just threw in $0.8 cost to the two tablespoons of butter I added to the hot spaghetti since the butter came from a bulk butter purchase at Sam’s.  There was also a little sprinkling of parmesan on it.  The green flecks are chopped parsley, fresh from our garden!

Here’s how we did:

Chicken – $1
Eggplant Napoleons – $3.00
Spaghetti – $.30
Total = $4.30 (plus tax) = $5

You put the dish altogether and it looks like this:

Not bad for a $5 menu ha?

Got a $5 menu you can share?  Leave a comment!

Oh yeah, baby!  Slow-smoked BBQ with a side serving of scrumptious baked beans, chips, and cole slaw.  And the best part?  It’s absolutely FREE!  (Wooohoo, I didn’t have to cook tonight!)

Here’s for you to salivate over…(I’m evil, yes I know!)

Brad, a friend and colleague of Steve, invited us to this event tonight.  He is a friend of Joe, who is the owner of Black-Eyed Joe’s BBQ.  From what I understand, Joe built a trailer to use for his just-starting BBQ catering business.

This trailer has all his equipment for smoking the meat so that he can prepare all the food on site for whatever event he’s catering to.  He can also feed up to 800 people at one time.  As a promo for his business, Joe told Brad that if he could come up with the people, Joe will provide the food.  That’s where we come in.

Joe is the one with the hat (too bad you can't see his face!).

Unfortunately, Paul cannot eat BBQ meat yet so I gave him green beans.  He ate it like a real sport!

The BBQ was really good – tender and moist.  Apparently, Joe started smoking them since 2:00 this morning, not afternoon, but morning.  It’s spot-on delicious meat he is using.  I like Joe’s own BBQ sauce.  I combined both the sweet and spicy variation together.  Needless to say, my BBQ sandwich was delicioso!

I also liked his bakes beans.  They were chuck full of meat too.  I don’t know if that was also smoked but I imagine it was.  The meat in it were pretty chunky which makes for a stand-out baked beans texture.  The flavor is an exquisite balance of sweet and vinaigary taste to it.  (Believe it or not, my mouth is watering as I wrote that last sentence – and it had only been a few hours since I ate it.  Mmmm…)

Over all, it was a good night with incredibly delicious food, a great warm clear weather, and lotsa friends.  Paul even made a new friend.

Paul with Steve, my husband Steve's colleague.

Thanks, Joe of Black-Eyed Joe’s BBQ and Brad for the invite, the free food, and the fun.  Consider Black-Eyed Joe’s BBQ if you’re having an event catered.  I don’t think they have a website yet but if you’re interested, leave a comment in the comments section and we’ll hook you up with right people.

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Pizza A

Hey!  There’s actually a picture of me, not just of the food I make!  My Hubby took this as I was prepping tomato basil pizza A.  We called it A because there’s a B!  Genius ha?  Keep scrolling down.

Pizza A’s base is pesto sauce, which I made with bunches and bunches of fresh basil from our backyard garden!  I then topped that off with heirloom tomatoes that I bought from the Farmer’s Market and then some really good fresh mozzarella from Sam’s.  Ya, that was a splurge, which I really fought the urge to buy when we were at the store this weekend but I gave in to it when I was making the pizza dough this morning.  As you may have guessed, I asked Steve to stop at Sam’s to pick it up.  Lesson learned: stick to the plan, Stan!

(Oooh…but just look at that melted gooey fresh mozzarella…)

Anyways…here’s Pizza B:

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Pizza B

Pizza B’s base was made from whole tomatoes, basil, oil, salt, and pepper, all blended in the food processor.  Sprinkled on top were gobs of shredded mozzarella cheese and, as my added twist to the recipe, chopped basil leaves on top of the cheese.

This was such a feast!  We liked both flavors both ways.  Each seemed to have their own personality.  Steve said that the pesto pizza could’ve been a lot less oily.  Duly noted, Babe!

(In case you’re wondering, we didn’t really eat the whole two pans!  No, sir!  I’ve set aside two bags for Steve’s lunches the rest of his work week and the rest made their way to the freezer.  Yay for the freezer – gotta thank the man who invented them.)

Now…for our snack later, I baked the overnight twisted cinnamon, only mine was overday, not overnight.  This morning I prepared the bread and kept it in the fridge during the day.

Later in the evening, after Paul went to sleep, we baked these guys and each had a piece with tea while we watched “Race to Witch Mountain” (which is a fun light kids movie, by the way).

Mmmm...icing! (said in a Homer Simpson voice)

It had been a full day of baking and tonight I feel, well, full, but besides that, rather triumphant from the positive results of my trials on yeast in bread.  Never mind that we packed quite a bit of carbs in our system.  Well, there’s a stroller walk with Paul for that.  As for Paul, he had a much healthier meal tonight – pureed sweet potatoes.  By the way, thanks to Frugal Girl, Giada De Laurentis and Food and Wine, and Pioneer Woman for tonight’s meal’s inspiration.

And as for my kitchen, well…

Sigh…tomorrow’s another day.  Goodnight world!

I don’t know if eating sardines with rice is common here in the US.  When I was in Chicago, a good friend of mine said that she ate sardines by putting it on top of crackers.  I’ve never heard of eating sardines that way;  she also hasn’t heard of eating sardines with rice.  As for me, I’ve been eating the sardines-and-rice way for as long as I can remember.

Here’s what I had for lunch today:

This is the kind of sardines I buy at the Asian store. If you live in a big city, you may be able to find this kind in one of those produce stores that carry international products. Ligo, I like you!

I dumped the contents of the Ligo sardines, tomato sauce and all, on top of leftover rice and cooked this duo in the microwave. The rice soaks up the rich tomato sauce really well. I could eat this just like this any time of any day!!

In the pantry was a can of green beans waiting to be consumed so I cooked that in the microwave, drained it and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I also added some butter just to add some depth to the flavor of an otherwise blah canned green beans.

Ta-da! Doesn't that look good, not to mention, healthy?! Did you know that sardines are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and iron? That's right! You heard me!

This is what happens when I get so happy eating a can of sardines with rice! Mmmm...mmmm!!

Uh…Honey, don’t worry, I’ll have brushed my teeth by the time you get home!

Yes, folks, my Hubby can’t quite tolerate the smell of sardines, much less the taste!  As you may have noticed, I had this for lunch, not dinner when he’s home.  I tried, in our more than seven years of marriage, to convince him to give sardines a try but to no avail.  In fact, sardines is just one of those things I cook, amongst many, whose smell he just cannot tolerate.  Don’t get me wrong, my Babe is not a picky eater, but his nose is just a little too sensitive for the likes of fish paste, shrimp paste, shrimp crackers, dried fish, and fish sauce.  Yes, they just all happen to have “fish” or “shrimp” somewhere in their names and they all happen to be Philippine products.  And I bet you wouldn’t much fancy these things too if you didn’t grow up with them either.

Anyways…back to my lunch today.  If and when I had the time and patience, I would have cooked the sardines a lot different.  First, I’d saute sliced onions in a little oil until they’re translucent.  Then, I’d add the green beans, season with salt and pepper, and let them cook for a good 5 minutes, until the beans are tender.  Finally, I’ll add the sardines and a little bit of water and let that cook for another 3 minutes until the flavor has just infused into the green beans.  Quick and easy!

Sometimes, I will make the same meal but with a different vegetable.  Cabbage is one of my favorite sardine partner.  The sweetness of the cooked cabbage gives the meal a different dimension in taste.  Or, I’ll cook it with calabasa (squash).  Or, with calabasa and beans.  Those are good pairings too.  The possibility is endless here.

You’re probably wondering why sardines is being used as a meal, instead of as a snack like my friend in Chicago did, eating it with crackers.  See, where I come from, sardines is considered a meat and flavoring, only sardines is way way cheaper than meat.  So we would cook it alongside vegetables of all varieties.  We add a lot of water to the recipe too and that is so that the sardines’ flavor is infused in the veggies it is being cooked with.  This way, a small can of sardines can go a long ways in feeding a family of 8-10.

By the way, Hubby has come a long ways in eating fish.  He’s tried Florida grouper, tilapia, and salmon and he likes them.  A LOT.  The one thing he’s not sold on are seashells like shrimp and/or lobster.  But the thing he REALLY REALLY LOVES?  Sushi, baby!!  Ya, I’m still confused!

What You Need: water and sugar for simple syrup, two mangoes, milk, ice cubes, blender

Make simple syrup: combine 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar in a saucepan. Let boil until all sugar is dissolved; do not cover with lid. Let cool.

Cut mangoes up. I love the deep yellow-ey color of this fruit. It's very juicy when cut.

Scoop the flesh out of the two cut up sides and set aside.

And the seed? Well, there's the remnant. I didn't do it (not)!

In blender, put 20 pieces ice cubes, mango pieces, 1/4 cup milk, and simple syrup in jar and blend away until mix is smooth.

How's this for a smoothie?

Or this? There's a pure mango flavored mango smoothie.

My very pleased enough-of-this-picture-taking-thinking husband who just wants to enjoy his smoothie.

After his first sip, Steve said that it tasted much like the mango smoothies we so enjoyed having on the beach on our honeymoon in Boracay.  We had a great time reminiscing our days in Boracay, a place we would like to visit again someday. Maybe. After we visit Mindoro.  Or Batanes.

Anyways, enjoy your mango smoothie anytime on a hot summer, sweltering, sticky day!  And then jump in the pool and swim!  Or vice versa.

By the way, you can use the red mangoes that are widely available in supermarkets or grocery stores if you cannot find Manila mangoes.  But I would highly recommend that if and when you find yourself somewhere in the Philippines, eat mangoes, lots of it!

First off, the ingredients:

1/4 lb. ground pork, 3 lg. eggs, 3 Chinese eggplants, salt and pepper

This meal particularly calls for Chinese eggplant, the long type of eggplant.  They are readily available in any Asian store.  I’ve never tried this recipe on the the globe eggplant type.

Now to the fun part.

First, brown the meat.

ground pork

browned meat

Set the browned meat aside.  Heat your grill to medium and lay eggplants on the grate.  (You may also use the stove if you don’t have a grill.  Just turn it on and lay your eggplants, one at a time or as many as can fit within the range of the flame, and grill away.  Now is not the time to step away and watch TV or do something else in the kitchen if you go this route.  The eggplants are really jealous and will need your undivided attention.  In other words, you don’t want to burn the house!)

beautiful purple plants - they're healthy too!

Give it 5-7 minutes before turning over.  You want to achieve a good charring on the skin of the eggplant.

turnin' over

That’s my hunky babe’s hand working the first part of the cooking process.

Turn the eggplants over and grill for another 5-7 minutes.  Do the same on the other two sides.

char on all sides

At this point, your immediate vicinity and your whole neighborhood will start smelling like delicious grilled eggplant with a subtle charred scent to it.  I just love the smell of grilled eggplant!

When the skin is all charred and the eggplant has softened, you’re done.  At least, for the first part.

Done!

Back inside, let the eggplant cool a little.  Then peel off the skin, careful not to peel away the flesh.

peeling off the skin

Set aside.

Crack the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

three eggs

Heat a skillet.  I use non-stick on this one.  Just a little easier to cook that way for me.  Add oil, about 4 tablespoons for two eggplants.  Remember, you’re cooking eggs and eggplant and they need lotsa oil.  (Hmm…eggs and eggplant.  They belong together!!)

heat oil

Beat the eggs.  With a fork, gently smash the eggplant in the eggs on both sides.

one side

the other side

Add one eggplant, or two if space permits, in pan.  Remeber the browned meat we set aside awhile ago?  Now’s it’s time to shine, baby!  Scoop out a good amount and sprinkle it over the uncooked side.

one big eggplant

two small eggplants

Pour a little egg mix over the meat.  This will help hold the meat together when it cooks.

egg over meat

Turn over and cook the other side.

yum-olicious!

At this point, heat up some rice so you won’t be waiting to eat!  (Oh, I almost always have rice in the fridge because we eat A LOT of rice.  If you don’t have any rice readily available, make sure to cook rice before you even grill the eggplants.)  Look at that gorgeous jasmine rice.  Mmmm…mmmm!

eat me!!

Then wed the rice with the cooked eggplant torta and let your palate feast on this wonderfulicous food!

delish!

If you want a little seasoning, you may use soy sauce.  But if you happen to have Maggi Savor Kalamansi flavor, by golly, use it to your heart’s desire.  My hubby thinks savor should go on everything.  Almost.  I don’t think it will work with pizza!

Flavoricious!

Enjoy!

(If you’ve given this a try for the first time, let me know what you think!)

Inasin (salted pork for sale at the Bontoc Public Market) photo by Mariciel Fulangen Ballast, 2003

Mmmm…salty fatty pork!  Ever had one of these in your dish?  It’s a delicious flavoring to a delicacy in Bontoc known as “pinikpikan.”  Before I get to the pinpikpikan, I want to talk about inasin.  I’m no expert in the process of making this type meat because I have not ever done it myself.  However, I’ve seen some people do it.  It’s a simple process of preserving the meat, only this particular type is specifically used for the pinikpikan dish.  First, the pork meat is rubbed with a ton, and I mean, a ton of salt.  The salted meat is then stored in a tub for a couple of weeks perhaps while being periodically rubbed with more salt.  Then the meat is taken out to dry (some folks smoke the meat from what I hear) and then sold to the meat-eating public.  I personally would not eat inasin by itself.

Now to the pinkinpikan…the basic ingredients to this dish are chicken (prepped in a particular way so as to achieve the desired meat taste), inasin (salted pork), water, and a veggie (usually chayote or green veggie such as pechay).  The way the chicken is prepared is not for the faint of heart.  The chicken is slowly beaten on the neck until it dies.  The slow beating allows for the blood to coagulate making the meat fuller and a little more tasty.  Afterwhich, the big feathers are plucked and the rest are subjected to the torch.  The chicken is then scraped clean and cut into pieces ready for cooking along with the inasin and other ingredients.  Because of the torching, the resulting broth will have a slightly burnt but not too overpowering taste.  The inasin not only provides the salt for the dish but also balances out the burnt flavor, giving the dish its signature depth of flavor.  Tasting and truly enjoying the pinikpikan requires an open mind and a sense of adventure.   Man!  I miss pinikpikan!

How do you remember the process of making inasin?  Do you like pinikpikan that much that you would make your own inasin to prep the dish wherever you may be in the world?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.