the little things

new read

There's a lot to learn from this.

it's the new year

La Union

This year, I am hoping for more travels, more firsts, and more risks.

I am feeling now more than ever the need to take advantage of my twenties, to start whatever it is I've been thinking of starting and to do whatever it is I've long delayed.

I've become complacent. Too comfortable and boring. Too filled with dreams, each accompanied by an excuse not to pursue them. It's sad really.

But this year I'd like to step out of my cave to do more and be more for myself.

Start small.
Spend wisely.
Do.

she cooks: huevos flamencos and cibo's penne al telefono

I wanted to try to make a famous dish from a restaurant so the first few things that popped into my mind were Bamba's Huevos, Omakase's Spicy Tuna Salad, and Cibo's Telefono. The salad didn't fit in much so I decided to go for the other two. 

Huevos Flamencos

It wasn't Bamba, but it was good. I was so tempted to add cheese to it (it was really calling out to me) but I decided not to because it was my first time to make it and I didn't want to screw it up by adding things outside the recipe.

The recipe I followed: this and this

What I could've done better: chop all the ingredients smaller

What I'm happy about: it was good altogether, and I'm happy my egg didn't break! The recipe says to bake it in the oven until the egg's ready to go, but the only oven friendly container I had was so ugly and I didn't want to serve the Huevos in them so I baked the egg separately and place it on top of the Huevos after. Ideally, it would be best to have the egg baked on top with the egg white all over the Huevos, but since I baked it separately I lost a lot of the egg white. Good thing the yolk didn't break during the transfer. It broke beautifully on top of the dish when it was eaten.

This one would've been near perfect if only I made enough sauce! I thought I had enough since the pan was about halfway full, but once I put in the pasta, I realized that I should've only put in half the bag of penne. Gah.

The recipe I followed: this

What I could've done better: add in just the right amount of pasta

What I'm happy about: the flavor. And that I didn't cook it all the way in the beginning so that it wouldn't end up overcooked after mixing it in with the sauce.



My sister's Herbed Chicken

We didn't plan for the two dishes to go well together, but once we had a bite of my sister's chicken then the pasta, the combination of the two was unexpectedly good. The strong flavors from the chicken sort of made up for the lack of sauce of my pasta, so when biting into the Telefono, the flavor of the sauce came out more.

I'm pretty happy with the outcome of tonight's dishes (considering I really am a kitchen newbie), but there's always something to improve on for the next kitchen experiment:

1. Read more than one recipe.
2. Allot more time for preps.
3. Organize. Especially if you're cooking with a lot of ingredients.
4. Make a better estimate of the different ingredients needed.
5. Bring out all the needed kitchenware beforehand.

Man I sound like a mess. But I swear the family enjoyed it!

cold cuts

One thing I cannot refuse is a good plate of cold cuts. Actually, I don't think I ever refuse food at all except when I'm extremely full. And even so, I try to take a bite of whatever it is just so I don't regret it later.

Tonight I am cooking Cibo's Penne Al Telefono for dinner because we've all been wanting to have it here at home. I'm contemplating on joining it with Huevos A La Flamenco, and I'm hoping it comes out just as good as Bamba's (HOPING, haha).

I am also officially naming my cooking sessions as "Dummy's Cookout She Cooks." No explanation needed there!

she cooks: wings and things

Cooked some buffalo wings and made some mash on the side for dinner tonight, while my sister took care of the Agliolio pasta. That's Bleu cheese for the wings (but I didn't make that because the help made it before she found out I was playing cook for the night).

It's been a while since I cooked anything outside of egg, hotdog and bacon which is odd considering I love to eat and watch food shows. I've always wanted to cook but laziness would take over before starting and before I knew it I'd end up being on the other (eating) end. This time though I'm pretty glad I gave into it and decided to cook something as basic as buffalo wings.

I think the turnout wasn't bad for someone who doesn't cook regularly. I accidentally let the tongs slip through my hands leading to some really hot oil sprinkling by my eye, and I probably over-spiced the chicken a bit too much (I love spice!), but in the end it still came out as a good meal.

#danielaeats: bamba bistro

A special dinner for a birthday and a graduation.

We wanted something close by so we could head home right after for drinks. First on the list was Bamba Bistro since it was highly recommended by me, my sister and parents.

The Artichoke Crostini P290 - Artichoke, Basil puree, Ricotta, sweet balsamic, almonds

There's not much I could say about this starter since I had a small bite. I enjoyed the Ricotta but didn't taste so much the Basil, sweet balsamic and almonds.

Mesclun Salad P354 - assorted fruits, Feta, Grilled chicken, Papadom chips, house vinaigrette

A refreshing starter amongst the many filling starters we had. I enjoyed the fruits and greens altogether, and the house vinaigrette was good too.

Sangria. Love the jars and also the Sangria! You should order this when you pay the place a visit. It could sometimes be too icy that you have to wait for it to melt a bit so you can sip more drink out of your straw.

Huevos Flamencos P210 - Chorizo, Ham, Ground Beef, Stewed Tomatoes, Egg

Hands down, my favorite anything from this place. The flavor of the different meat altogether with toasted bread is to die for. It usually just comes with 3-5 slices of bread so you're bound to get an extra order. It's also so good that you munch on it so much as a starter that you end up getting almost halfway full by the time your main course arrives.

Braised Beef P320 - Slow cooked Sirloin simmered in a Sesame Soy Sauce with Crispy Sprouts and Cream Cheese, served with French fries

More Sangria.

No photo:

Porcini Crusted Steak P995 - Grilled Angus Ribeye, Duckfat Corn Kenels, Arugula Salad

I think this dish would've been excellent if our piece was less salty and peppery. One bite from the one we were served had way too much seasoning, it was hard to get a second without alternating it with another dish.

 Duck Ravioli P495 - Duck, Ricotta, Porcini mushroom cream sauce, Truffle

This was good, but very heavy. It's definitely a dish for sharing if you plan on eating other dishes (or even if it's the only dish you plan on getting). Maybe if the bite sizes were a bit smaller and there was a little more flavor in the duck too, it could be excellent. 

Classic Caesar Salad P220 - Romaine lettuce, Bacon, Croutons, Parmesan cheese

A simple dish done well. At first it wasn't being touched in the table, but once I tried it and found that it was pleasantly more delicious than most of the Caesar salads I've tried, more people attacked it.

The Morning After Sandwich P310 - Ham, Cheddar cheese, Fried egg, Mozzarella, Truffle oil, Honey, served with French fries

A recommendation from my sister which I absolutely enjoyed (of course, there's Truffle!). Another Bamba favorite because I enjoyed the levelled up breakfast for dinner meal. It's also pretty heavy so I suggest you share it with someone.

The place is pretty small and gets full right away so I suggest you make a reservation. Despite the full house though I must say they served us pretty quick! Definitely a place to visit when in BF.