speaking of dieting...

I am really serious... I really want to lose weight... i will be honest... i have gained almost 10 lbs during the holidays and i am having a hard time getting back to my 120 lbs. body. then, i thought of my hubby, reff, we have been herbalifers for almost 2 years now and yet both of us are still having problems with our health. we had a talk a night ago and we both decide that if we really want our customers to appreciate more of what we are teaching them about health then everything should start from us first and if we really want results then we should have the guts to discipline ourselves from being slaves to good 'ole fatty delicious foods. at least it would be very beneficial for our business (herbalife) and our health as well.

Here is a quick berry-melon shake recipe:

Blend 2 scoops (25 grams) of Formula 1 with 8 fl. oz. of iced nonfat milk/ soy milk/ water and 1/2 cup of fresh melon fruit. Enjoy its smoothy and heavenly taste...

** since melon fruit is seasonal, any instant juice in melon flavor will nbe great as well for this shake.

Cable Car Rice (Yummy and Spicy)

Last Sunday I have eaten another new rice dish. My friend Lav cooked it for us and she said that it was her boyfriend who gave her the recipe. It was called CABLE CAR RICE since it was adapted from the Cable Car’s rice recipe. =) It was a nice dish… everybody in the group even my nephew loved it. Cooked Rice sautéed in garlic, onions and pork cutlets, Oyster sauce adds color and the bigger credits goes to it because the taste of the rice depends on it. Pinch of salt and pepper are just one of the small players in this dish. Topped with chives and voila! The cable car rice is ready for dinner! There are ways of eating it… it will not be called cable car rice if you will not add liquid seasoning and Tabasco on it… can you imagine that? But it is funny because the taste is really different with or without the seasoning and Tabasco. I like it better with just a few drops of seasoning and Tabasco since I am not a big fan of heat but my hubby really enjoyed the Tabasco. He even added a couple of splash of our thai red chili sauce kept in our pantry just to enjoy the heat. Everyone should try it. It is just a simple dish yet excitement is added.

spicy chicken wings (very asian!)

In our restaurant, we offer different kinds of chicken specialties. One of them is the famous spicy chicken wings. My brother made the recipe, adapted and improved some of the published and known ingredients for the recipe. Of course i like the western-style spicy wings but we created the asian version of it which i like better. Many of our costumers like the dish and often ask me the secret behind its spicy yet so rich flavor. Of course, i would not disclose them the recipe but i just tell the brands of sauces we are using to come up with its spicy sauce. Brands matter because they really differ in taste, flavor and color, believe me... We use heinz tomato ketchup to add color aside from its taste, lee kum kee oyster sauce for the asian flavor and we have this thai-made red chili sauce but i would not disclose the brand in this blog just to at least keep something a secret. We use chosen cuts of chicken wings (about 1/2 kilo), marinade overnight in a mixture of 1 teaspoon sea salt, pinch of freshly ground black pepper, pinch of lemon pepper, juice of half lemon, and about 4 tablepoons of thai red chili sauce (To be honest, I really don't like measuring my ingredients because I believe and I depend on my taste buds if I tasted it good then I know others will definitely like it also, but just for the matter of accurate cooking I estimated the measurements). Roll chiken in flour or bread crumbs and deep fry for about a 10-15 minutes or until gloden brown. Set aside. For the sauce, 1 teaspoon of lee kum kee oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons heinz tomato ketchup, 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, pinch of salt and pepper, 1/8 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of chili oil (ground chilis cooked in vegetable oil for about 15 minutes), let it simmer for 5 minutes then add the fried chicken wings. Coat the wings with the sauce and let the sauce dry a bit for about 2-3 minutes. Serve with fresh chilis on top and a couple of drops of sesame oil. A must-try dish for cocktail parties and even for your family dinners.

burgers and fries

one of my biggest passion in life is cooking. since i was a kid i have been learning stuff in the kitchen from my grandma (mamang betty), papa, mama and even my brother. I was so interested in my home economics subject back in elementary especially when my class is being assigned inthe school canteen. we tend to cook meals for the students and teachers, there i learned how basic viands were made and pair with other foods. like grilled fish paired with sauteed veggies in shrimp paste (pinakbet), ground beef omelet (torta) paired with beef bone and kenchi soup (nilagang baka), burgers and fries and fried chicken paired with just simple dip called ketchup or gravy. as i was growing up, i was interested in watching cooking shows whether in cable or local tv, even if it is in chinese, japanese, korean, spanish, or german, i would still keep watching shows as long it is visually educational for my cooking passion. i remember "the urban peasant," "caprial's cafe," "cooking with the daza's," and even "del monte kitchenomics." i just can't miss any cooking shows in tv, whenever i do, i am having a bad mood and there is this weird feeling that my day is incomplete. i learned that even the simplest burgers and fries that i can get easily in the fast food restaurants are cooked in their most delicious and accurate ways. in 2001, i went to california and it was my first time to know that there is an existing tv channel that features food, food and everything about food, the food network. i learned about wolfgang puck, sweet dreams by gail gand, emeril's live, mario batali and my favorite 30 minute meals by rachael ray. back home, when we got the lifestyle channel in our local cable, i was so happy learning that they feature more cooking shows from the food network. i get to remeber the schedules of the shows i am fond of watching and whenever i don't have work, no one can get me out of the tv watching the food network shows. now, that i have my own food business, i was able to use everyrhing that i have learned and stilll learning from the shows i grew up watching. different techniques and ideas helped me a lot being a cook without obtaining formal education in culinary.