BUSOG

I posted my wishlist of food that i really crave for like cheeseburger, apple pie, slurpee, caramel sundae, pinangat na sapsap, etc..... and delightfully surpriising they are coming in 1 by 1 courtesy of friends and family!

I feel really blessed, it somehow eases my pain. God is really good. Everyday I pray to him that he guide me to last the da and He,s never failed.

Oh Lord, You're beautiful.

Your face is all I seek.

For when Your eyes are on this child,

Your grace abound to me.

I wanna take your Word and shine it all around.

But first help me just to live it, Lord.

And when I'm doing well,

help me to never seek a crown.

For myy

DEXTROSE

When I was young, my dream is to experience dextrose! Hahaha! Now, that dream has come true! I'm pierceed with an IV line where the dextrose flows and where they course through other medicines and blood transfusion!

In my 22 days and running here in the hospital, they have transferred my iv line at least in 3 different locations coz I keep on complaining; been through 5 xrays including chest and even abdomen because my stomach is bulged filled mostly with water; Ive had a total of 3 bags of blood transfusion; 1 session in the ultrasound room tring to know what's in my big stomach.

It's not easy lying down all day, all night for 22 days except for some occassional attemps to sit in the wheelchair for no longer than 1 hour occassionally. Right now, my breathing is supported with oxygen.... it used to be not. Sigh.

Still, I'll be staying here for a very long time. treatment takes long and I'll also be enrolled in smoe program. I'll be stayinng here for a very long time. I hope I can survive it!

If You're In The Hospital, You CRAVE!

I'm here at the hospital and all I'm missing right now is tapang kabayo from the famous Spare Strike eatery in BANGKAL. Oh the goodness it brings to the mouth! Pair it with sinangag and sunny side up egg and dipped in vinegar with sili, oh my!

People flock there to eat and be merry! This shots were from way back sitting in my archives. I wish I can recover soon so I can visit spare strike soon!

SO YUMMY!


LOOK AT THE CROWD!

My cousins. I took the pic!

Golden Pakwan

It's summer and the heat is definitely getting into the skin, intensifying by the day. Yesterday it was 30C, today it's 33C! OMG, 2 more days and I'll die of dehydration! But despite the killing heat, I love summer! The sun, the beach and of course he summer fruits!


Sweetest of them all is the watermelon! It has the most water, too! (Well, maybe next to Singkamas!)
Nowadays, you can find lots of variety of watermelon in the market. The classic, gigantic round, deep green-skinned with the reddest red flesh inside and the distinctive seeds scattered all over; the elongated light green ones that resemble kundols.... and I found this golden type that at first you'll think is not sweet enough.

Yes, I thought, too, at first taste. Maybe because it's not red. But when I bit into it with my eyes closed, believe me, it's sweeter than sugar!



Next time you are browsing the market for fruits, look for some of these golden watermelons that IMEE MARCOS has been promoting for years now.

Apparently, the variety was bred in the Ilocos by Ilocano scientists!

It's Been Such A While

Goodtimes at eclipse with co-employees and guests.
There was I, the one with the thinnest hair!

Yeah, it's been months since my last post on The Quack Chef. The reason? I became soooo busy being a real chef at eclipse resto, bar and grill in Remedios, Malate. Try it out, it's one of the better place in that part of the world. Food is great but affordable. They have this unbeatable offer of FREE MEXICAN PIZZA for every 2 buckets of beer you order!

Anyway, now that I'm back to being the Quack Chef, I hope I'll have more time blogging and write about my real passion: Food, Festival, Fun!


I was digging into the archives and found these photos I long meant to publish. These were from my last commissioned cooking before I accepted the eclipse offer. It's Danny's Birthday which coincided with their barrio fiesta in San Pablo City.


One of the highlights of the ocasion was the Palo-Sebo where it took adults and children close to 2 hours to succeed in pocketing the jackpot price atop the greased bamboo! Twas really fun!

Beef Steak, one of my client's favorite. Always a feature everytime I cook for them.

This is my version of Chicken Cordon Bleu. Unlike most I tasted which are steamed, mine is pounded chicken breast rolled with ham, minced sausage and japanese bread crumbs, then fried to golden brown. Makes it more tender. The sauce is made up of cream cheese and chives.


But perhaps the most celebrated dish is my signature dish-- Pork Hamonado. I'll share with you the recipe some other time. I'm quite in a hurry rightnow and I don't have enough internet credits to do that.


It's interesting to see what Danny's been collecting in all his travels here and abroad.... below are some curious artifacts that dot his property.

Leftover on Fine China

(A typical weekend dinner in our house with the kids )

Party's over and there's some leftover food in the fridge. We didn't get to eat much during the party because we were busy entertaining the guests, ensuring they are having fun and enjoyment.

And so, the dinner after is our chance to savor the delicious food we prepared, alas all that is left are, you guessed it...leftovers!

As usual, it's difficult to keep Jeiel at the dinner table.

Talk normally, whisper, shout, rant....the kids will not come. When calling the kids to the dinner table, nothing beats sounding this cast iron bell.

Despite that, we enjoyed dining with our new set of dinnerware that is zen-inspired in design look and feel. Nevermind if we're eating leftover food as long as we eat on fine china!

It feels like fine dining.





The four-piece dinnerware set consists of an entree plate that is so supersized, it can double as a serving plate, too; a starter plate that we use as our main plate for everyday use, a soup bowl reminiscent of Japanese rice topping bowl and a mug.



The color is that of the sea, neither green nor blue but both! And it has this soft and subtle finish to it that calms you. It looks good on our kamagong table.



We enjoyed dining with the new dinnerware as much as we enjoyed dining together and the leftover food.

Food styled? No! Ate Cielo just dumped this leftover ribs into the bowl and it turned out to be magazine material!

Send Off Party for the Roños

We gave a sendoff party to the Roños whose family will be migrating to the US this Wednesday. They are one of the closest family friends we ever have and so it is just fitting to celebrate the friendship (which definitely is not going to end upon their departure) and the new chapter in the Roño family's life.

On the impromptu menu is a combination of Chinese and Italian dishes that, as expected, was a hit! For the main entree, I prepared Chinese sweet and spicy ribs, the recipe of which I cannot share because of proprietary reasons. The ribs will be featured on the menu of an upcoming Grill and Bar where my contract has a confidentiality clause. I'm honored to serve this dish to the Roños and I also feel they are lucky to preview the shape of things to come.


To accompany the main feature, I also prepared an Asian salad to get the ball rolling on the dining table. The salad is made of raw bean sprouts, carrots, white onion, steamed tofu, fried wanton wrappers, sesame seeds and a dressing of sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar.

Of course i will never ever forget to serve the Roños' favorite Crispy Pata. Same old dish for same old faces, I guess. We have it every single party, every time; so much so that it has become the single most served dish on our table. Ever!



Then, for merienda, while we're busy on the videoke, I made a simple lasagna as requested by Ate Cielo. It was a four layer one with the usual tomato-meat and creamcheese sauces, garnished with basil leaves and green bell peppers. There was button mushrooms, too!

Flowers and foilage were provided for by our garden, arranged rustically by Ate Cielo with her super creativity. That saved us around P200 in achieving the mood we're trying to set.

We will certainly miss the Roños especially Jerson whom we all call NINONG. We feel a little bit sad that we're parting ways but we are definitely glad that their dreams are starting to come true.

I, personally wish them all the best that their new life has to offer! Happy trip and always remember.... always eat right! (And that means eating as much as your tummies want!)