By Rica EspirituFeb 12Feb 12
Yes, I do love my slow cooker. I just dump the ingredients inside and then leave it for 5 hours or more to catch up on my sleep. However I learned a few things after using it for almost a year. The food tastes better when the sauce is cooked before hand. This means, you can schedule your meals too. That is, cook the...
By Rica EspirituJul 5Jul 50
Any foreigner who meets a Filipino will soon discover what Adobo tastes like. It’s one of those dishes that we call our own and it is quite easy to make. Of course, there will always be that “secret ingredient/technique” that would be handed down from generations to generations. There’s no defined way of cooking adobo....
By Rica EspirituJun 13Jun 131
I am not a chef. I didn’t even take up cooking – well I did in high school, but that doesn’t count. I am just a mother who wants to eat food that’s healthy and tastes good. Filipinos love fried food because it is easy to cook. However if I can dump something in a pot and come back to a hearty meal 8 hours later, that...
By Rica EspirituJun 10Jun 130
Chicken Pastel is a version of Chicken casserole – the Filipino style. That means – we get and put whatever is available and add sugar to taste. I didn’t like putting hotdogs in this because it would turn the sauce pink. No matter what you do, the hotdog would always dominate the dish with its strange chemical...
By Rica EspirituJun 9Jun 90
I always loved cooking- I just never had the time for it. I’d look up “20 min cooking” or “30-minute dinners” online, only for me to realize that it would take 1 – 2 hours because of prep time. Prep time includes cutting up the veggies, thawing the meat, and measuring everything. Forget the last part – I’m a...
By Rica EspirituJan 6Jan 60
I’ve always loved onion soup. I’ve tasted good ones and a few strange ones. I loved it for both the broth and the fact that I could have it with bread and cheese. I checked the recipes online and most of them looked simple enough. That is until I came across one that suggested I use both chicken and beef broth. Knowing...
By Rica EspirituAug 1Aug 1
I like pesto so much that ever since I learned to make my own, I try to do it every time I can. In fact I make sure that I always have a bottle or two of pesto sauce in the fridge. This PERFECT pasta combination is one of the reasons why. It is quick, easy, tasty and healthy. I got this combination from a good friend...
By Rica EspirituJul 18Jul 18
A former boss taught me this recipe. My son loved it as much as I did, so now it’s one of those dishes that we cook at home when we want to feel good about life. Ingredients: 1/2 kilo chicken 1 1/2 cups honey 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 tbsp. chopped kinchay [Chinese celery] Roasted sesame seeds Instructions: 1. Fry your...
By Rica EspirituJul 11Jul 110
I’m not a foodie, bloggie, chef or connoisseur, this blog speaks of good but nameless cheeses, good company, and how everything comes together to create a perfect blend of tastes and experience. Sofitel celebrated Bastille Day with 101 Cheeses. I know nothing about cheeses, except eating them. That’s why when Billie,...
By Rica EspirituApr 13Apr 13
I never gave this much thought until I tasted Marise’s homemade Chili-Garlic oil. It used to be something I’d just put on chinese food [dumpling and soups]. This one is tastier and more flavorful. Mars placed it on almost everything – eggs, fried fish, veggies and salad. I got hooked. I never realized that when...
By Rica EspirituMar 3Mar 30
When I was in grade school I hated my lunch. It was a single hotdog on 2 cups of rice, squished in a Sanrio plastic lunch container. By mid noon, the rice would be cold, tough and the hotdog in the middle would taste boiled. I had a nanny who dutifully prepared my meals which consisted of either a drumstick or a...
By Rica EspirituMar 1Mar 10
I am not a chef. The last cooking lessons I took were back in high school. I am, however, a mother. Like most mothers, I try to make sure I cook something healthy for the family. So when I come across something that I really, really like, I try my best to replicate it. This is one of those instances. I was able to...
By Rica EspirituFeb 28Feb 280
I mean really… how many nights a week do you cook at home? What do you usually cook or end up doing?
By Rica EspirituFeb 26Feb 260
There’s no way you can cook good Palabok in less than 30 minutes. I tried and failed. I can’t be miserable about it because the main ingredient, aligue, makes everything taste heavenly. This was an experiment. It succeeded the first time we tried it at home because I had several people helping me out to prepare the...
By Rica EspirituFeb 24Feb 240
I remember cooking this the first time to try it out. It wasn’t at my place – it was at my friend, Frances’s place. We both wanted to try something different but at that time I was in college and I couldn’t afford to buy shrimps. So I told my friend to buy the shrimps and I’ll bring the ingredients. Since I’m...