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.

diggin’ daet

My recent trip to Bicol was long and sad, but it gave me a fresh look into Bicolano culture, economy and cuisine.

This entry zooms into the really great things I experienced while I was in Daet, bypassing my other Bicolandia stops in Sorsogon, Albay and Camarines Sur. Daet is the provincial capital of Camarines Norte, which can be reached via the legendary “bitukang manok.” With the construction of the Andaya Highway, Manila-Legaspi bus routes no longer traverse this infamous path, leaving bitukang manok territory with well-paved roads, forested mountain views and undercommercialized towns. There is no SM in Daet, which to me is an indication of a booming local economy and active local markets. These are the kinds of places I especially enjoy visiting.

The most memorable stuff for me in any trip is eating local specialties and shopping for local products. Here’s a list of some of the best things I discovered in Daet, Camarines Norte.

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.

the local food project

I had been mulling over this local food project for quite a time now. This project is one gigantic habit-breaking attempt to reduce our household’s “food miles“–the distance that food travels from the source (usually a farm) to our refrigerator, plates and eventually our stomachs. This really is a meager attempt at reducing carbon footprint in our daily lives, considering how much traveling our family does in a year. But while we cannot afford to cut back on our leisure trips, we can at least take conscious effort to reduce carbon footprint in the food we eat.

tacloban city food scene

At least I managed to cover some of the restaurants on my list before this trip ended. En route I discovered some more local hotspots that I’d be visiting on my return–Calle Zaragosa, Jose Karlos Cafe, Josephine’s Smoke Station among others. But for those that I was able to visit the last time, here’s my go-to list in order of (personal) preference.

1. Yolanda’s. I stopped by this humble restaurant after stepping off the plane, just a few kilometers from the DZR Airport. While I already grabbed a heavy breakfast at the Manila airport, I was obliged to take an even heavier second breakfast here. Fresh seafood can’t get any fresher here. This is a popular “bagsakan” among local fishers where some tourists stop by for an after-flight meal or buy fresh seafood to take to their vacation place.

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.

the garden kitchen

I have a new baby. As if raising two boys is not enough to get my hands full. I found the strength to give birth to a new one. Meet The Garden Kitchen. The little business that I imagined some 15 months ago, but is now a real and existing entrepreneurial activity.

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.

little shopping pleasures

When almost everything comes with a price tag, and when almost everything that comes with a price tag is getting less affordable, it’s a pleasant surprise to find stuff that are worth more than what they cost.