Birthday Celebration 2010

I had a simple but fun birthday celebration at home. I really couldn't ask for anything more- I have two precious little ones and a wonderful hubby. My life is pretty blessed, thank you God!

Mandarin Sky

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Restaurants
Cuisine:	Chinese
Location:	Banawe, Quezon City

This resto serves good Chinese food at a very affordable price. For a lauriat set with crabs and steamed suahe good for 10-12 pax, the price is P4,880! Of course, the place isn't posh and classy, but they serve good Chinese food.

Squash Cake aka Kim-kwe Keh

Description:
This week, my mother-in-law taught us how to make her special Kim-kwe Keh. I consider this a passing on of her legacy as a really good cook and homemaker, and I am grateful. I consider this recipe as a special gift that I will treasure. I'm glad both my kids like this a lot; it's a healthy Asian snack that I hope their kids will enjoy too when the time comes.

Ingredients:
1.5 kilos squash
3-5 cups of water, as needed
375 g rice flour
1.5 cups broth from hibe and dried mushrooms

Filling/ Topping:
150 g ground pork
1/8 cup hibe, rinsed very well and soaked, then minced
4 pcs dried shiitake, soaked and minced
4 pcs shallots, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
Remove skin and seeds from squash and grate. Put grated squash in a sauce pot and add 3 cups water. Cook squash until soft and moist, adding more water as needed. (Approximate weight of cooked squash is 1.8 kilos.) Scrape the bottom of pot to prevent scorching.

Prepare filling. Saute shallots in oil until fragrant and light brown. Add in drained hibe, and continue to sauté. (You may set aside a portion of this mixture to serve as toppings.) Add the ground pork and shiitake mushrooms, and continue sautéing until brown and fragrant. Add in oil as needed to prevent drying and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Combine rice flour and broth, then add to the squash. Add filling mixture, season with salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly. Pour in lined loaf pans/ round molds, then flatten top. Steam for 1 hour or until done. Let cool completely before serving.

Note: Squash cake has a shelf-life of about three days in the chiller.

Serving Squash Cake:

Slice squash cake into about ½ inch slices. Pan-fry until golden brown on both sides, then serve with hoisin sauce or sweet chilli sauce.

Birthday Dinner Date

I consider it purely providential that my birthday falls on the week of the annual Restaurant Week (where the finest restos in the Metro offer this fabulous menu of less than P1000 net per person for a gourmet meal complete with wine, Italian water and coffee, check out www.winedepot.com.ph.) Since last year, it has become tradition for Brandon and me to celebrate my birthday at Zucchini's- a mere 2-minute drive from our house (again, providential!). It was a lovely dinner.

Family Portraits by Lito Sy

Here are my family's recent portraits shot by Lito Sy.

Bangus with Sweet Onion Glaze

Description:
Jazz up your plain fried bangus with a special teriyaki-style sweet onion glaze.

Ingredients:
1 whole boneless bangus, daing style
2 onions, sliced into rings

Glaze:
1/8 cup mirin
1/8 cup light soy sauce
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 tbsp. brown sugar (or honey)
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsps. water

Directions:
Cut the bangus into 4 large pieces, fry accordingly.

In a separate pan, saute onions in little oil until caramelized or until it becomes brown with a sweet aroma. While the onions are cooking, combine in a bowl the mirin, soy sauce, water and sugar. Pour the liquid into the onions and let boil. Make the slurry by combining the cornstarch and water. When the mixture with the onions boils, add the slurry and cook until thick.

Pour glaze on top of the bangus and serve.

Ratatouille

Description:
This has got to be one of my favorite vegetable dishes. Nothing beats the color and freshness of a medley of vegetables served on the table. Make sure to use fresh produce and good quality olive oil with a rich taste when cooking this dish.

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchinis, cubed
3 medium eggplants, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, cubed
2 red bell peppers, cubed
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 medium tomatoes, cubed
a dash of dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
In a large saute pan, pour about 1/4 cup olive oil and saute zucchinis and eggplants until a little brown and slightly tender, around 10 minutes, depending on the size of the vegetables. Remove from pan and set aside.

Using the same pan, add about 2 tablespoons olive oil and cook the onions until slightly tender, then add the red peppers and garlic. Continue to cook until tender but not brown. Add the tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf, then season with salt and pepper. Lower heat, cover and let cook for about 5-8 minutes.

Add in the cooked aubergines (zucchinis and eggplants) and continue to cook until everything is tender but not mushy. There should still be a crunch to the zucchinis and peppers. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

When everything's ready, turn off heat then add in the basil and give it a quick stir. (You may serve leftovers cold or without reheating. Trust me, the flavors do improve.)