Petchay for Breakfast

Brenzie woke up early today and whispered to me, "I'm so hungry."

I answered, "What do you want for breakfast?"

He said, "Petchay!" 

I didn't quite understand what he said, so I asked, "French fries?"

He was a little irritated, then said slowly, "P-e-t-c-h-a-y!"

I couldn't believe my ears, so I checked if he really knew what he was asking for, so I asked, "What is the color of 'petchay'?"

He immediately answered, "Green!"

His wish was granted right away and he had "petchay" and rice for breakfast. 

Conversations with the kids

Brenzie is such a talker now.  Just this afternoon, he came into the room feeling a little sad.  He told me, "I am starting to cry" while showing me his very sad face.

                                                                              ---

On our way to school today, Trixie asked me this question, "Mommy, is it very hard when you have an itch and you don't know where to itch [scratch]?" 

                                                         

digistamps

http://digistamps.wordpress.com/

Pancakes

Description:
The first order of the day- pancakes. This morning's breakfast is Brenzie's special request. The recipe makes fluffy and yummy pancakes, plus the texture absorbs the maple syrup. So delightful! After Brenzie's first bite, he said, "So sarap!" Take it from him, these pancakes are really good. (I previously posted Nigella's pancake recipe; throw that one out if you copied it, and use this one from now on. This one is really a keeper.)

Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Mix the dry ingredients together; do the same for the wet ingredients.
Combine the dry and wet ingredients using a whisk; it's okay to have some small lumps.
Cook in a skillet (I don't add oil anymore).
The pancakes are ready to be flipped when bubbles appear on top.
Serve with butter and maple syrup (there's really no substitute for the real thing).

First Day of School Fever

I remember my first day of school in kindergarten.  I remember crying in the classroom and looking back once to check if my mother was still there and looking back the second time only to find that she's gone.  I remember I was terrified to ask permission to go to the toilet.  I remember being lonely and scared and not liking school at all.  I remember my first day of school so well that over the weekend, I was anxious about Trixie's first day of school.  I so don't want my kids to go through the same trauma that I did; I want them to like going to school and be passionate about learning. 

Yesterday was Trixie's first day of school at Reedley and even though I was feeling sick and groggy, I had to bring Trixie to school because she "needs" me (or so I thought.)  When we got there fifteen minutes early, we found that the school prepared a special program to welcome the lower school students and the parents.  The teachers told a story, sang some songs, got the children moving with some exercises.  The teachers and assistants were introduced; school programs were explained.  It was a simple program really.  But what made it special was the energy and enthusiasm that the teachers showed that made the children (and me) feel welcomed and at ease.  When it was time to go, Trixie looked back at me and waved good-bye.  She was happy to go to her class.  No crying, no clinging, no trauma. 

Today was Trixie's second day in school.  She woke up and got ready for school without me forcing her to.  She got home today and told me, "I love my school.  You were right, Mom!"  Oh what joy.      

Turkey Meatball Spaghetti

Description:
This is another way of transforming my turkey burger recipe into a fabulous dinner. Instead of making patties, I made them into meatballs! I adapted Giada de Laurentiis' recipe in her Everyday Pasta cookbook for the pasta sauce.

Ingredients:
Turkey meatballs, using the turkey burger recipe

For the pasta sauce:
1 pound pasta, cooked according to instructions, reserving some cooking water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil
(Recipe also calls for 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, but I didn't have any.)

Directions:
Add oil in a medium saucepan and heat over medium fire.
Add tomatoes, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the cooked meatballs and cooked pasta and toss to coat.
You may add some pasta water if sauce appears too dry.
Lastly, add the basil.
Serve with freshly grated cheese.

Bangus Belly in Teriyaki Sauce

Description:
I love bangus but sometimes the usual daing or paksiw or sinigang can be a little tiring. This is one easy and tasty recipe that could jazz up bangus.

Ingredients:
2 pcs bangus belly fillet (or 1 pack Sarangani Bangus Belly Fillet)
1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced

Teriyaki Sauce:
1/4 cup light soy sauce (Kikkoman)
1/8 cup mirin or Japanese rice wine
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 cup water

Cornstarch Slurry:
1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tbsp. water

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce then set aside.
In a medium sized saute pan, add about a teaspoon of oil and saute the ginger strips until aromatic.
Lower heat then slowly pour in the teriyaki sauce; the mixture will bubble and boil.
Slide in the bangus fillets and let simmer until done, being careful not to overcook the fish.
Remove the fish from the pan and place in the serving platter.
In a small cup, combine water and cornstarch to make the slurry.
While the teriyaki sauce is boiling, add in the slurry and cook until thick.
Add a dash of sesame oil.
Pour sauce on top of fish and serve.

Note: Next time I'll cook this, I'll drizzle some Japanese mayo on top.