Still A Cooking Mama

I haven't been updating my blog with the things I've been cooking since our Yayay went on a last-minute vacation. That's 'cause N finally took pity on me (either that, or he really hates my amateur cooking skills) and we've kinda been ordering take-out lately. 

Last night, I had the chance to cook again and challenged myself by preparing this

Chicken Afritada

And yes, it's all from scratch *pats self on the back*

No mixes, no shortcuts

Guess what ... I think it's one of my best outputs so far

Yayyyyyyyy!!!

Cooking Mama Challenge : Day 1 (dinner)

I think dinner was better than that haphazardly-prepared lunch hee hee.

I took out some shrimp from the freezer

I took the shells off so we won't have to struggle with them at mealtime, but left the head on because I've been told time and time again, this is where the flavor comes from.

Lotsa chopped garlic and ginger, then seasoning and Tabasco to taste

Note : the Tabasco is really optional. I wanted to make sure there was a slight "kick" so I used a few drops of this 

Fried the shrimp in canola oil on medium heat for a few minutes then added the seasoning and Tabasco

Tadaaaaaa! Looks like Gambas to me. Anissa and N liked it.

This 2nd dish was mainly for Sabine but I made 2 pieces just in case

The walang kamatayang Liempo.

Aaaahh Day 1 is over. Tomorrow's another day.

Cooking Mama Challenge Day 1 (lunch)

This only usually happens every August. So why is my yaya not around? She had to go home to the province to attend her son's graduation from high school. So for the next week or so, call me 

Cooking Mama.

Disclaimer : I'm not a kitchen person. In fact, the kitchen doesn't like me so the feeling is mutual. But I do know how to follow recipes and I welcome the challenge each time I'm forced by circumstance.

Yaya left very early Saturday morning. But we usually find ourselves out on weekends, so I didn't have to spend time in the kitchen at all. Ergo, today is Day One of the Cooking Mama challenge. 

I'm so not into the kitchen. It was past 10am when I realized I hadn't even thought of what to serve the kids for lunch. Thank God N isn't here and won't be having his usual lunch at home. That's one less critic to feed hahaha.

And since it's my kids who are gonna be having lunch with me and it was late when I started preparing, I took the easy route.

A few pieces of chicken and a small-sized tilapia for myself

I rubbed both of them with salt and pepper then made them sit for half an hour

Then I coated the chicken pieces in bread crumbs, which you can also use to make Tempura. I don't really like other brands that taste like they're overloaded with unhealthy stuff. You can use cornflakes, too, if you want. Naks, feeling kusinera.

Deep fry the chicken until it turns brown. We use only Canola Oil and Olive Oil at home. 

Hooray! Success! 

Meaning ... not sunog. Har har har!

No photos of the tilapia because fish is fish LOL.

Already looking for a shrimp recipe for dinner. Bring it on!

The Kitchen Is Starting To Like Me

Whenever someone talks about cooking or baking or anything that involves spending hours in the kitchen, my reason for not actively participating in the discussion is...

THE KITCHEN DOESN'T LIKE ME

That's really a sorry excuse which should read : I don't know how to cook because I never tried to learn. Sure I've had a few attempts. It's not like I've NEVER EVER cooked anything in my 42 years. I just never really got into it. It wasn't something I was interested in.

Weeks ago, there was this rare moment when I suddenly was in the mood to cook. I even posted photos of my finished products here. They don't look so bad right? Yesterday, I felt that sudden urge again (yeah right, like a month later?! hahaha!). Just like weeks ago, I got some ribbing from Neal and the kids, otherwise known as my "board of judges". No offense taken. After all, they almost never see me touch anything that's kitchen related.

Here's what I prepared for dinner for mi famille...

Glazed Pork Bellies with garlic, ginger and soy. I found the recipe on the internet, of course. It was pretty easy to do and with ingredients that you don't need to run to the store last minute to get. Don't mind the Pinakbet though because it was Yaya who cooked it. I was scared I might not get it right.

I was sticky and stinky after I was done preparing everything but it was all worth it. My "board of judges" gave me three thumbs up!

I'll share the recipe in a separate entry later.