Beatrice the Ballerina

I just learned that it requires commitment from the parents for a child to take ballet lessons. But seeing Trixie dance ballet well and become confident in what she does are worthy reasons for us to support her in her dream of becoming a ballerina. Trixie will have her first ballet recital at the end of the month and here's a look-see of what's to come on the big day.

Trixie's Favorite Soup

Trixie's favorite soup is pumpkin soup. It's hearty and healthy so let her have all she wants! (FYI, the recipe is posted here http://pamcyu.multiply.com/recipes/item/43/Cream_of_Pumpkin_Soup)

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Description:
Making pumpkin soup is quite a task, but due to insistent Trixie request, I happily oblige. We already had cream of pumpkin soup two nights in a row, but seeing Trixie consume bowlfuls is good enough reward for me. Her next request is Cream of Mushroom Soup, but that's for a future recipe post.

Ingredients:
500g pumpkin, seeds and skins removed and cut into small cubes
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 of an onion, chopped
4 cups hot chicken broth (I always make my own broth so that's one of the parts that's tasking; you have to prepare this ahead of time.)
1/2 cup all purpose cream
Pinch of dried thyme
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Saute onions and garlic in a small stock pot until aromatic.
Add the pumpkin and continue cooking.
Gradually add the hot chicken stock and continue stirring.
Add in the thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cover and let cook until the pumpkin is tender. (Use a fork to check for tenderness.)
Once the pumpkin is tender, carefully transfer everything to a heat-proof blender and pulse until the pumpkin is pureed completely.
(Make sure to leave an opening in the cover of the blender to let the liquid steam off during blending.)
Pour everything back to the stock pot and continue to cook until the pumpkin turns more orange, and it doesn't taste raw.
Season as needed.
Add the cream and with a wire whisk, combine everything well.
Serve piping hot!

Many ways of saying thank you

Brenzie gets so excited when he tastes something he really likes.  To express his excitement, he says "Hmmm! Tastes good! Very good! Thank you!"  Now that's a mouthful. :)

Are mosquitoes bad?

Over lunch today, Trixie asked me if mosquitoes are bad.  I answered yes.  She then asked why they are bad.  Before I got to say anything, she answered, "Because they bite without asking permission?" :)

Pork Medallions with Gravy

Description:
With the goal of being healthy this year (aka lose weight), Brandon and I are trying to consume less meat in every meal. We still eat pork, particularly pork tenderloins. Pork tenderloin is one of the leanest meats available, comparable to chicken breast. It's a bit pricier but it's tender and healthier so it is worth it. Here is a very simple recipe for pan-fried pork tenderloins which I fancily call pork medallions. (I got the recipe from America's Test Kitchen.) The gravy is a nice extra that the kids just love so I always serve it with this dish.

Ingredients:
1 piece pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper

Gravy:
Pan with browned bits from cooking the pork
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup broth, chicken or pork
Worcestershire sauce


Directions:
Remove the white membrane from the tenderloin then cut into half inch rounds.
Pat dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Add a little oil just to coat the pan and wait until hot and the oil shimmers.
Place the tenderloins and cook each side for 80 seconds. (I even use a timer for this.)
Place on a plate and serve with gravy.
Tip: Flip the tenderloins using a tong to keep the brown color of the meat.

For the gravy:
Using the same pan for cooking the tenderloins, add butter and swirl it around to melt. Add the flour and cook very shortly, mixing briskly.
Slowly add the stock while scraping the bottom of the pan.
Continue cooking until gravy thickens, whisking everything to ensure there are no lumps.
Add worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Bok Choy with Topshell in Oyster Sauce

Description:
Topshell is a kind of snail meat that resembles abalone in texture. I only got to know about how good topshell is because I got two cans from my in-laws. This recipe is printed at the can's label and the result is really easy and very, very good. You can tweak the recipe by replacing the bok choy with broccoli or kailahn, or adding in mushrooms. You can omit topshell altogether and it will still be wonderful. My version has tofu and we all loved it. This recipe yields quite a lot, but because it was so good, we consumed it all in one meal.

Ingredients:
1 can topshell in brine, drained and sliced thinly
600g Bok Choy, cleaned well
2 large cubes tofu, cut into big squares

Sauce Mix:
6 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsps. rice wine (I used mirin.)
2 Tbsps. cornstarch
1 cup water

Directions:
Boil bok choy until soft. Drain the vegetables and place on plate. (Do not discard the water.)
Combine all the ingredients for the sauce mix.
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in pan and saute topshell lightly.
Add the sauce mix and cool until thick and bubbly. Add the tofu. (Add more vegetable stock from boiling bok choy to thin out the sauce.)
Pour the sauce on top of vegetables and serve.

Brenzie Going Potty

These are so cute that I decided to post these, but this is the last time I'll show photos of Brenzie in the toilet.

Home-baked Bibingka

Description:
In my search for a dessert using buco, I came upon Panlasang Pinoy's recipe for bibingka. I thought it would be a good idea to top mine with lots of fresh buco strips instead of niyog. The result was a moist, scrumptious bibingka, with a nice coconut flavor and the right saltiness from quick-melt cheese. Another good thing about this bibingka is that it is baked in the oven and it stays moist even at room temperature. I am truly happy for this bibingka recipe and I don't think I will be buying Ferino's anymore. You can check the cooking video at http://panlasangpinoy.com/2010/03/22/rice-cake-bibingka-recipe/.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice flour
1/8 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tablespoons butter (I prefer it softened to make creaming easier.)
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup coconut milk (I used Kara coconut milk.)
1/4 cup fresh milk
Precut banana leaves (Pass the banana leaves over the fire on the stove to soften the leaves.)

Toppings:
1 piece salted duck egg, sliced
1/2 cup grated cheese
(For my version, I used fresh buco strips and cubed quick-melt cheese for the toppings.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Carefully place banana leaves inside a 9-inch round pan, making sure the leaves reach the sides as well (the banana leaves lend a nice flavor to the bibingka so don't skip this part by using baking paper).
Combine rice flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
In another mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients then mix some more.
Gradually add in the combined coconut milk and milk, and whisk together well.
Pour mixture in the prepared pan.
Baked for 15 minutes then take out gently, not turning the oven at this point. The bibingka is just a little set and not fully cooked so be careful.
Place toppings on the bibingka, then put it back in the oven to bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the top is puffed and golden brown.
You can brush tops with butter and sprinkle with sugar if you like (but I opt not to do this anymore; bibingka's perfect the way it is).