funny side up

Garlic. Good for the heart. Butter. Yummy for the tummy. (Ehrm.) Olive oil, healthy. out-guilts butter's bad cholesthingies. Crispy-topped toast. Lightly roasted cherry tomatoes. Uhm, ah, uhm. Super-garlic-frolic-lickin-espially-docious good eats. The 2nd attempt, big on flavor and perfect crispy texture-- the little ones, blooming ones and young once-more can take just the right bite. None of that gnawing, why-cant-my-teeth-bite-thru struggles (whew).   1/4 butter melted 1/4 cup olive oil 1 head garlic minced Herbs- parsley, basil, rosemary, etc. (optional) Sweat in a shallow pan to bring the juice out & cook the garlic slightly (not browned, it will be roasted enough with the bread later on). 1/4 butter softened 2 singles cheese grated A dollop of heavy cream (or natural yoghurt for a healthier option). A little salt (adjust if cheese is salty already) Mix all in a bowl. Easily slather that spread on the bread! The more, the better. :-p Warm up the stove.  Bring in the g...

No oven, no steamer, no problem! All you need is hunger and LOVE to find a way 😜.  ...well, also a not-so-shallow non-stick frying pan . With staple ingredients, you're set for this comfort food! My teen-to-be Chef  M  tried this stove-top method, 🙆"So smart", she'd quip. Yup, it was easy as 123! Tools- Non-stick pan (not deep) Clean kitchen towel (to wrap the pot lid) Mixing bowl Whisk Measuring cup & spoons Strainer Ingredients- All purpose flour Sugar Salt 1/2 cup cold butter (a tad softened, like 5 mins out in room temp. ~113g) 3 eggs Milk Vanilla Tip(s): * Making a smaller portion, you need to reduce to a smaller ratio of every ingredient. ALSO, reduce the cooking time! (e.g. half portion in 45mins-ish) 💡 Inspired by: Kusina Chef

Stove-top Lasagna (no bake style) Lasa.gna - in my very own urban  dictionary... that puns to " Ang lasa nya ! " in Filipino ("its taste!"). An incredulous retort blurts out unhindered, befits this remarkable Italian dish. Dig in layer after layer after layer of flavors.  Buon appetito! 😘👌 Tips:  for pre-cooked pasta * Save cooking pasta for last. Once its cooked and not too hot to handle, assemble the dish immediately. * Olive oil in boiling water for lasagna pasta to avoid the sheets sticking together. 💡 Inspired by: Simpol! https://youtu.be/0QSpl48QOhQ?si=oszoYHN7nQdMHAkJ

The quicker, way easier to prep version of KatsuDon. Love that i dont need to bake or fry the protein. But still packs the same flavor punch. This has become my nest's comfort food. Ingredients Chix breast, sliced bite-size (smaller is better) 2 large onions (or MORE!), sliced THIN 2 tbsp Japanese noodle soup (daiso) 2 tbsp mirin (optional) ~1 tbsp Brown sugar 2 tbsp Soy sauce 1 cup Water Cooked Japanese rice Tools-  Whisk & bowl Not-so-shallow cooking pot Pot cover Spatula Add onions to the pot, add 1/2 of the sauce. Fire up to medium heat. Add sliced chicken, make sure its coated in the sauce. Let the chicken cook for 2 minutes, flip on each side. Cover and cook for 6 mins. Add the whisked egg. Cover for 30seconds. Top with spring onion. Turn off heat & transfer to serving bowl of warm rice. Inspired by: Just One Cookbook   (1:37 cook!) https://youtu.be/Vlp6ufKYDzk & Netflix's The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (Ep 2)

You know the feels when watching fleeting clouds shift shape as the wind blows ?  Yes, a happy moment.🙂 In this fast-paced generation, simple things are precious, and helps put us back in the right track. Eating onigiri in any shape and form likewise evokes the same fillings  (pun intended!)  for me and my family. Onigiri is a traditional Japanese rice ball. (Hurrah! Nihon!)  There are many variations on its filling. In the few times I've been to Japan, I noticed that it was usually enjoyed for lunch or snacks; mostly by  students or busy workers on their quick breaks. Onigirazu is similar to onigiri, only it's not round, but flat, quite easier to prepare for tiny hands of the little ones. TACTILE PREP ping  - kids can literally get their hands on this to help you prep (and how much do kids love to just get their hands into anything?) FUN TASTE TWEAKS - a smorgasbord of choices can cater to the unique tastes of the entire brood. want sour? use plum flake...

The aroma of sardines sauteed in oil leads me down Childhood Memory Lane.  Of busy cleanup weekend mornings, each to his own task, happily or grudgingly 😆, nail down that shining shimmering spotless clean ✨ as Mum would like it.  When all's done, there will be lunch al fresco on a bright sunny Saturday. A flurry of us back & forth from the house to the garden, plates, cutleries,  pitcher of fruit juice & cups, warm rice and viands on trays in tow, not to forget pitching the giant picnic umbrella ⛱ , and voila, everyone seated, said grace, and dug in! Growing up, many a times canned sardines got my family through difficult times. Back then, a single can of 555 or Hakone was inexpensive. When m ixed with a lot of veggies like sayote, ripe tomatoes, aromatic onion, and odong noodles, it can make for a satisfying and substantial meal. Thank God for my wise mum, our huge brood was filled to the full! Nice one to cap with our 🧹🚮 mission accomplished! In this di...

Ok, true or false: Caesar Salad is a staple in Italy 's menus. False. Caesar Salad was invented by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar. Veni, vidi, vici !   False. This classic salad hails from Mexico .  TRUE! ✅ Caesar salad was in fact invented by Caesar Cardini, an Italian-American chef & restaurateur who lived in Mexico in the 1920s.  So, is this salad muy delicioso?  TRUE! ~~~ 🥗 Croutons -   2 tbsp Olive oil 1 garlic shredded 4 slices of bread, diced Parsley bits A small knob of butter dash of parsley 🥗  Dressing- 1 cup plain chilled yoghurt 1 garlic shredded 1 tbsp chilled mayo 2 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 cup cheese shredded Salt, pepper (to taste) Mix well in a dressing serving bowl. 🥗 Veggies & Proteins- 1/2 Japs cucumber sliced not so thin 1/2 carrots julienne 8 cherry tomatoes, halved 1 head Lettuce, washed, spin-dried 1 small bag of chips, crushed roughly crispy croutons olives, sliced* jalapeno, sliced* roasted chicken* grated cheese (best: pa...

Listen to the thunda rumble when the drum rolls. Our contender for best dessert comes into the ring. 🥊🥊 Clad in golden purple gear, looking crisp and ready. The audience of 5 is ecstatic, excitement is palpable. DING !  Round ⓵ !  And, it's a KnockOut ! 🍇 Ingredients - Crust : 2 cups APF / plain flour 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 cup white sugare (better to err on less ) try lesser next time (maybe 1/3 cup?) 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 + 1/2 stix) 1.5 tsp vanilla extract 2 LARGE eggs (yolks only: "crumbly"; ALL: "solid" 1 to 2 tsp apple cider vinegar *add 1 TSP water if need more to "clump" 🍇 Steps : mix, clump, put in mold/pan, press to form crust. set in fridge. (don't press too much tho, so it's less dense) 🍇  Ingredients - Fruit mixture : 3 cups fresh berries / stone fruit (peach, etc.) 1 tsp lemon zest 2 tsp fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup white sugar 1 to 4 tsp cornstarch  (the more, the firmer the fruit filling will be) pinch of...

"Well, hello there, Mr. Baked Sushi .  🤵  So very pleased to make your acquaintance." Somehow, I relate this dish to a wonderful and kind gentleman, looking crisp in his tux, at a midnight ball in his elegant chateau, everything sparkly and cozy lit up.😜 Likely because all this happened on Christmas in the Philippines, and hands-down  n othing is more festive and wonderful than Christmas in the Philippines with family .🎄 ⭐ 🎄 ⭐ 🎄 And so, settled back in our humble abode in the little red dot  after the Yuletide holiday,  the baked sushi experience was not over yet. I prepared it for  Media Noche ( New Year's Eve). My other sister made it too for their's . Noice noice.👌  This "gentleman" and the grand ball  ⧓  surely left a wonderful impression in our memories. 🍣  Tools  🍣  knife & chopping board spatula scissors baking pan/mold oven 🍣 Ingredients - base 🍣 Japanese rice, cooked - 4 cups salt - 1 tsp sugar - 1 tbs...