how the dough’s not as tough as before

 My grandmother is a baker by profession. She’s tried to teach me to bake cakes since I was in grade school. But I cursed baking ever since my first (flop) pineapple upside down cake, and the rest of the flop cakes and flop cookies that followed.

For reasons I could not explain, Turo and I find ourselves with much more free time now than when we’d lived in the city. We’ve started to enjoy lazy weekends even when we have more housework now than when we lived in my parent’s house. Before we had a laundrywoman and an ironing lady, now I am both. It used to be my parents who took over house repairs and garden work, but in our tiny apartment, this was Turo’s domain. In addition to the usual cooking and cleaning and looking after the kids, now we also take turns fetching Ari to and from school.

Running a household on our own certainly means a lot of work. But it’s the kind of work we lovingly attend to however physically exhausting it gets. Still, at the end of the day we get to sit down with a cup of coffee or a couple bottles of beer before getting some real rest. And in the morning we are woken by our hungry little monsters clamoring for breakfast that we all enjoy without the rush.

I also found myself accessing the internet less, reading more, bonding with my kids more, even cooking more. Proof of this is my recent reunion with la germania. After years of enjoying my lola’s perfect pastries without ever having to learn to make them myself, I realized I still wanted to learn how to bake—bread in particular. I love bread, I love herbs in my bread, but gourmet bread is not as easy to find here. No Rustan’s, no delicatessen anywhere close. If you can’t buy them, why not bake them yourself.

After some serious consideration and more second thoughts, I signed up for Italian Bread, Pizza and Pasta lessons in Sylvia Reynoso-Gala’s Culinary Studio. Up until the first day of my cooking classes I felt reluctant to go. What if I start baking perfect flops again?

But my hands found themselves kneading dough for the first time that day. I felt liberated and satisfied.

blueberry breakfast

I finally woke up early. I didn’t get to jog. But I finally got to make those blueberry pancakes I’ve long planned to make.

Yes, some wild variety of blueberries grow in this country. I bought a few grams of fresh blueberries when we were in Baguio last Feb. I love blueberries because they’re among the superfoods. Together with avocados, apples and pomegranates, they’ve got tons of antioxidants and lots of anti-aging properties, including fighting memory loss. These little berries have also earned the distinction as the fruit with the greatest anti-cancer properties, compared to other fruits.

rosemary-lemon chicken

We had a few pieces chicken quarters leftover from the dinner I prepared for Turo’s officemates the other weekend. I pan-roasted the chicken quarters while I cooked last night’s leftovers for lunch today. Ideally, meat for roasting should be elevated on a rack so that it’s the heated air that cooks the meat. This process causes browning or caramelization on the surface of the meat and enhances flavor.

gadgets galore

I’m no techie and when I talk gadgets I mean kitchen gadgets. Not those electric types that Rosebud Benitez use in her MSG-laden show. But those traditional yet currently practical tools that everyday cooks could use to make cooking quick and fun.

clockwise from left: cyclone whisk, citrus zester, jar lifter

Finally, I have a wire whisk. Since I’m not a very good baker, I never saw the need for one in my kitchen. I’m content with using a fork for egg beating. But now that I plan to experiment more on salad dressings and sauces I think having a wire whisk + osterizer could temporarily take the place of a food processor in my kitchen–something I’m saving up for along with an immersion blender. This is a Wilton cyclone whisk. The red spiral in the middle is supposed to help aerate mixtures more.

I also bought a citrus zester because I tend to waste a lot of citrus peel everytime I juice lemons and oranges, which we do quite often. The outer layer of citrus fruits contain high amounts of aromatic oils and flavor that can add an instant kick to your recipe. While a vegetable peeler or a box grater can also be used to zest, a citrus zester will yield the best possible results. If you want finer shreds, you can also use a microplane grater. Unfortunately this is way out of my budget.

My current favorite is the jar lifter. I’ve been studying home canning methods for a while now. As a working mother learning food preservation techniques is important if you want to save time and money by cooking ahead, but do not want to compromise the nutritional content of the food you serve your family. If only I had the time, I’d like to take classes on food technology and preservation. There is a science behind kitchen works and it’s something I would eagerly want to learn.

The jar lifter I bought was from a brand called Antique Gadgets. The company specializes in making everyday helpful kitchen gadgets that have been out of production or replaced by electronic devices. I wish they had more products available here. But for now this cool tool that will allow me to pull out hot jars without having to dip my potholder in boiling water.

Now I’m really excited to use my new gadgets. So I’m off this early to the wet market to do a little shopping and whip up a few bottles of my specialty sauces, preserved in the traditional way, despite this day and age of vacuum sealing and microwave reheating.

eating the holidays away

My holidays officially end today. You’d think three weeks of christmas vacation would be enough but it hardly was. On some days i’d be dead tired cooking and serving food to guests, other days i’d be dead tired cleaning up after the mess that party guests left. And just this week i was tired day after day looking after my incredibly active little boys, then sneaking up on some cooking, cleaning and laundry while they sleep, just because i sent yaya on vacation (househelp deserve holiday breaks too). Despite the exhaustion, christmas remains my favorite season. I can’t believe I keep looking forward to such a tiring time of the year.

So how were your holidays?

I probably gained a few pounds from eating too much holiday food. Heck, I don’t keep cooking just to watch all the good food disappear in front of my eyes. I also eat what I cook, y’know?

And before I forget them, I’m listing down some of the great holiday menus I came up with for this year. A lot of seemingly fancy but very easy to prepare food fare for the most special of your guests.

grill pan road test

We did our grocery the other day and decided to buy a new grill pan as well. Now we could do some quick grilling without having to borrow the neighbor’s ihawan. I woke up early this morning just to try it out. On homemade burger patties.

what makes a good soup?

We love soup. Even in hot weather. Maybe because Filipinos hate eating dry food. Either we have sabaw, or we have sarsa/sawsawan.

I consider soup as one of the more patriotic culinary symbols any country or culture can have. It does not require a particular type of meat ingredient or cooking utensil. All it takes is boiling water and all the local ingredients you dare put in.

the fridge has cancer

The refrigator is an unsung kitchen hero. But we hardly notice it’s importance unless it’s broken or it’s brownout.

The freezer in particular, has been a trusty partner for health and nutrition. It’s where I stock breastmilk to feed the baby while I’m out or on travel. It’s where I freeze mashed vegetables in ice cube trays so baby food preparation is as quick as reheating 2 cubes for a single serving. And who can forget ice cream.