Breakfast food

Tuna Bistek

One bright morning, magluluto na sana ako ng almusal bago ako pumasok, nang bigla kong na-realize, wala pala akong iluluto hehe

Akshuli, para sa akin, ang pinakamahirap na lutuin ay breakfast meals. Pagkaing-almusal ang ultimate challenge ng aking culinary  imagination.

I know, I know, madalas eh prito-prito lang ‘yan, pero guys, ano naman ‘yung ipiniprito? Processed food? Hotdog, bacon, tosino, tapa, itlog? Lalo na kapag nagmamadali? Yup, tapsilog, the typical Pinoy almusal.

Once in a while, ok lang ang fat-laden, chemically enhanced processed food pero ingat tayo, guys. ‘Yan ang number one cancer-causing foodstuff na ipapasok natin sa ating katawan. And yes, I know, kung alin pa ang masama, ‘yun ang masarap. Pero nasa huli lagi ang pagsisisi.

To the working moms, this corny message is a reminder  from your friend Ella.  We may not be that nitpicky para sa sarili natin pagdating sa tamang pagkain but I think we should be when it comes to the kind of stuff we feed our children.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  What we  eat first thing in the morning can make or break our day… and the rest of our lives, too,  for that matter.  This meal deserves the extra attention in our kitchens.

Fruit is our best bet – fresh,  as a juice drink or as preserved spread. Next is bread -  pan de sal, loaf bread, danish, croissant etc. Then there is rice in all its forms – puto, bibingka, lugaw, champorado atbpa.

Bibingka at puto bumbong

Dynamite Lumpia

Nandito na naman tayo sa sili. Talagang starring sa kusina ko ang siling pansigang

I dunno if  I can rightfully claim na naimbento ko ang appetizer na ‘to. Baka naman meron nang ganito dati, iba lang ang pangalan at hindi ko alam.

Eh kasi, we had burrito for lunch tapos ang daming tirang cooked ground beef  at saka cheese. When I checked my fridge, ang dami ring sili. Tapos meron pa akong lumpia wrapper. Nag-isip ang Ella kung anong magagawa  sa mga tira-tirang ingredients. Nang araw na ‘yon, ipinanganak ang “dynamite lumpia”.

It was surprisingly good, naubos namin ang 20 pieces of lumpia. Next time you have a small party, this will be a hit, pramis.

Warning: Dynamite lumpia  is not for the faint of heart…or stomach?

We will need:

20 pieces or more New Mexico cayenne pepper a.k.a siling pansigang

1 cup ground beef cooked with buritto or taco seasoning (or plain cooked ground beef)

matchstick slices of cheddar cheese

lumpia wrapper

oil for deep frying

Fish Fingers

Masarap ang chicken fingers. I know,  pero sorry po, hindi mahilig ang ate Ella ‘nyo sa manok. It will take a lot of cajoling from Tatay and Ana bago ako humawak ng hilaw na manok sa kusina.

But no worries,  I know how to cook a lot of chicken dishes.  I can even dress the fowl, naks. Nag-iinarte lang ako kapag ako ang maglilinis sa kanya. Hindi kasi ako kumakain ng manok, eh.

Puwera na lang kung nag-transform na siya bilang chicken at nag-ibang anyo na hehe . As in nuggets na siya or chicken popcorn 

Kaya eto, imbes na chicken fingers, fish fingers ang recipe natin ngayon. But you can substitute chicken tenders (fillet) sa fish. Pareho din naman ang procedure.

For this recipe, I used Cream Dory fillet (Fresh Catch brand). Meron nito sa mga supermarkets. I like working with this fish kasi wala siyang kalansa-lansa. Akshuli wala rin siyang lasa haha

We will need:

1 kilo fish fillet (kung anong type ‘nyong isda basta walang tinik)

bread crumbs

1 egg  beaten