Domestic Goddess

CC - I await your further writings with bated breath...

Glad to be of help. Oh, we Filipinos would dip our chicharons in vinegar that had some salt and pepper and some chopped onions in it. Now makes me wanna buy piggy skin (but without the nipples). LOL

My open-faced oyster po'boy sandwich (it was closed later to fit my hungry, salivating mouth).... On one side it had lettuce, deep-fried oysters and the other had tomatoes, red onions, pepperonci peppers and more lettuce.

I almost fell off my chair reading this topic's title. LOL... I agree with 007, make cracklin's (called chicharon in Tagalog or Spanish). Aaaah, chicharon... Oh, don't just deep fry right away. You need to boil that piggy, nippled skin in water with spices like salt, whole pepper and bay leaf. Boil cut pork rind in water and salt for approx 30 minutes. Spread out the cooked pork rind on a baking pan and bake at 300oF or 150oC for 3 hours. Set aside and let it cool down. Prepare wok and heat oil over high heat Gently put cooled pork rind into heated oil and deep-fry it until the pork starts to 'puff' up. Serve with some dipping sauces eg. vinegar sauce, or chili sauce. Your chicharon would look like this.

Pizzabrazil - now that's what I call dedication. I will def. try to make your version of empanadas. I think that will knock the socks off my boys (not to mention my hubby).

Angel - I really disliked it when my grandmother would add bitter melon to the mung bean soup (which is my favorite). I swear I could taste the bitterness in the soup. But I do give credit to my grandmother who is the only one I know who could take most of the bitterness out of the bitter melon (her salting, squishing through her fingers method). Here is another way to cook bitter melon, in another Filipino dish called Pinakbet. You would need aubergines (eggplants), string beans, squash, shrimp paste, etc. for the recipe. Here's a link where you can find the entire process and recipe: Pinakbet

Sheena - I have never cared for bitter melon (called ampalaya in Filipino). My grandmother usually fixes it with eggs or a can of sardines (the ones in tomato sauce). For the egg kind, she usually would cut the bitter melon half and then thinly slice each half. She would salt this liberally and squeeze out the bitter juice. Then she would saute garlic, thinly sliced onions and tomatoes in a wok. After the tomatoes have exuded their oil she would add the bitter melon. More-stirfrying and then she would pour in lightly scrambled eggs into the wok and stri everything together until all the wok contents are coated with the egg. Salt and pepper to taste and pour everything into a platter. Serve hot. This is a traditional lunch fare in the Philippines. For the sardines version - Follow all the instructions above and substitute the scrambled eggs with the contents of one can of sardines in tomato sauce. Add a little water and simmer until the kitchen is fragrant. Serve hot with lots of steamed rice.

Grub, those biscotti are perfect for my cuppa hot chocolate. (confirmed chocoholic back here) Patrick - that tart looks heavenly... I can almost taste it.

Make it one of the components of your pasta e faglioli and it will give your soup a heartier flavor.

When I was pregnant with our first son, I only had a week of morning sickness. I did crave Washington Apples which I had my sisters find at the fruit stalls in the wet markets of Manila. They had to look for perfect red ones with 5 bumps on the underside of each apple. But I wouldn't eat the apples but would just look at them and make my sisters eat one. For my second pregnancy, I had a month's worth of afternoon sickness. Everyday, at 6:00 pm on the dot, I would rush into the bathroom to emerge 10-20 minutes later with a sick look on my face. Saltine crackers helped a lot. For my cravings, I had my hubby go out and buy balut (boiled duck egg embryo in its shell) and onion dip. The balut I ate. The onion dip, I would open, smell and keep in the fridge until it got moldy.

Empanadas are so much a part of my culture too. Here is a Filipino version of empanadas. My Mother's Empanada Ingredients: For the filling - 1/2 kilo lean ground beef 1 carrot, peeled and diced 1 large potato, peeled and diced 1 medium onion, peeled and minced 3 cloves of garlic, minced 3 tbsp. tomato paste 1/2 cup water salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp. oil For the dough - 4 cups of all purpose flour 2 tbsp. baking powder 2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk (or just plain milk) *1 cup of oil for frying, although I prefer to bake mine in the over at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. To make the dough: Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well and pour in milk and stir until everything comes together. Knead slightly until the dough is well mixed and even. Let the dough rest before rolling out thinly and cutting into large circles (use a small saucer as reference). To make filling: Heat oil in a large wok and fry garlic until golden brown. Add onions and fry until it sweats a little and it becomes translucent. Add the carrots and potatoes and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and fry for 4 minutes. Add the beef to the wok and stir-fry until the beef is nicely browned. Add the half a cup of water and let the mixture simmer until the water evaporates. Let the mixture cool before assembling the empanada. To make the empanada: Take a circle of dough and place about 2-3 tbsps of filling in the middle and fold over to make a crescent moon shape. Crimp the edges to seal the mixture and repeat procedure until you run out of dough or mixture.. Fry in a deep wok or frying pan (oil should be medium hot) or bake in an oven. Optional ingredients to make the filling more special: Boiled eggs wedges (added before sealing the empanada) peas and raisins (added to the mixture after adding the beef to the wok) *Frankly, I don't add raisins as they tend to make the empanadas a little sweet.

Put the heat on medium to hot first (to get your pan nice and hot) and when you put the shallots in, turn down the heat to low. Don't leave your pan unattended. Gently move the shallots all around to get even exposure to the bottom of the pan. When they turn opaque, it won't be long when they get caramelized (brown at the edges). Turn the heat off the and remove from the pan to prevent overcooking.

Melissa that film on all types of food-on-a-stick was fun! I admit drooling and gagging at the same time. LOL

Lemongrass-Ginger Chicken (Chicken Inasal) grilling ... Chicken Inasal with garlic fried rice and roasted eggplant salad.

I wonder if they have konnyaku products here in Korea. If there are, what would be its name in korean?

Right you are Andie, right you are...

We have this same recipe in the Philippines, only we call it Pata Tim. And yes, it's of Chinese origin and yes, it also comes with the hardboiled eggs. Great over hot, steamed rice!

Hey ATram, no apologies needed. It's very pretty and it's also making me drool.

I wold have pointed to the fly and told them that I'm not paying a single cent for the crappy meal, service and added insect bonus in the meal.

Sounds heavenly Marlena. I wish you had pictures!

Ann - those muffins look heavenly! I'll have two pieces please.

Peter - Empanada recipe pm'd to you in your inbox. Those mangoes in your picture look like carabao mangoes from my country - Philippines.

Peter - if you want a Filipino empanada recipe, just holler. I'llsend them to you.

I agree with Peter Green. I store frozen lemongrass in my freezer for my grilled lemongrass chicken. Lemongrass freezes well for a couple of months at least.

Count me in with Rachel and Carrot Top... aaaaaaaaaah! I also fondly remember the first time I had freshly baked bread. I was raised with grocery bread store - baked days before, languishing on the shelves pumped with preservatives. I was fresh out of college, working in the business jungle of Makati when late one night I stumbled across a tiny deli behind the Makati Peninsula hotel. I discovered the joys of focaccia, the rapture of herbed bread and the tasty delight of crusty tomato rolls. I would save up my meager earnings (as a copy writer for a PR firm) and once a week indulge in yeasty heaven. Now, I find freshly baked sandwich loaves in our inhouse grocery bakery and have started baking my own bread. Thank you for triggerring such wonderful memories.