Weekend Sarap!

About 4 weeks ago I finished reading the book "Social History of Tea".  Nico and I bought this book in Greenwich, UK back in 2005 during our visit to Lukasz in London.  It is my second time to read the book and same with the first time, I have observed that my tea consumption at home and at work increased. Books are quite influential if you are really into it.

A week after that, so about 3 weeks ago, I started reading the "Authentic Recipes from the Philippines" I bought this book during our stopover in Malaysian Airport on the way back to Belgium from our Philippine trip back in 2005.  I know there are a lot in National Bookstore but I didnt find anything this nice so I said I will buy the one I saw in Malaysian Airport and I didnt have any regrets. After I read it that week, our weekend resulted to Filipino Lunch Treats!

Saturday: Tinolang Manok made with substitute ingredients due to lack of time to get the authentic ones at the Asian store.  Sayote was substituted by zucchini (as delicious but not as sweet).  Dahon ng sili substituted by spinach (cant tell the difference).  Ginger and Chicken stayed authentic, no subs!

Sunday: Pansit Molo.  And this with a fresh home made dough!  All ingredients authentic!

My stove was cooking the whole saturday and sunday morning since I also prepared four portions of vegetable soup using fridge veggies and some of the herbs we have in our garden.

Vegetable Soup: Ingredients from our own garden are paksoi and a looots of parsley.  Ingredients from the fridge: Tomatoes, onion, leek (from Oma's garden) and carrots.

After the soup, the next one I made were also four good portions of spaghetti sauce.  I always make sure I have spaghetti sauce in my freezer for those days that I dont know what to cook or have no time to cook. 

It was quite intensive but it was fun.  Nina and Niels were helping as well once in a while.  Nina wants too look into the pots and the pans to see what Im cooking.  She asks, "Mama, wat doen? (Mama, what are you doing?)" or "Mama, kijken! (Mama I want to look)" 

Niels likes to help kneading the dough or beating the egg or taking the wrapper off of the Knorr cubes (and I see him sometimes licking the wrapper off of the pieces that's sticking on it!)  Haha, oh well I did it also when I was a kid.  And I know its delicious hahaha.  Just have to make sure he doesnt go far into biting on the cube! Haha

And after everything else, it was too late when I thought of...PICTURES!!!  I forgot to take pictures of my creation!  Anyways, its the taste that counts!  I just have to think about taking the picture earlier next time when none of them is eaten yet or stored in the freezer. So for now, you just have to use your imagination.

Feeling-like-a-chef!

Neri