just a thought

There were times when you can’t help but wonder if it’s possible to have love, as plain as the word, without complications and interruptions. Do you think it’s possible considering all the temptations, lies and betrayal that could possibly go in between and ruin the relationship? Sometimes it’s too difficult to believe anymore. Sometimes life can knock you down and it feels like you cannot get your knees up from the floor. But I believe, there will always be someone who will hold your hand and lift you up. The question is, would you dare to trust again despite of the pains and disappointments? All you can do is hope, more than anything, that someone out there will genuinely love you and will never ever dare to knock you down again. Because the next time you find yourself alone with scarred knees, I don’t think you will still be capable of trusting anybody including yourself.

Almond Roulade

This is my 4th attempt to do this uber delicious roulade with fresh fruit inside. Since the Peach and Cherry cake was long gone, I need to make another cake for Fany because she cannot live without anything sweet and yummy inside the fridge. This roulade has been her constant favorite aside from chocolate cheese cake and cheese pie which I will share with you in the coming days.

What i love about this roulade is the almonds. It gives a rough texture but at the same time it gives a little edgy taste. It’s too tricky to roll up because you can possible break the cake but it will always depend on how you prepare and bake the sponge. I can’t say this is easy to make but for 4 attempts, i guess I’ve already perfect this cake.

As much as I want to make this with ripe yellow mangoes from the Philippines, I don’t have any choice but to settle for peaches since I cannot find any “Philippine mangoes” here in Israel. The original recipe is actually with ripe apricots and nectarine but you cannot find apricots in the supermarket or in fruit stands at this time of the year. And, I kinda like peaches than apricots so…yeah, peaches it is. I’m quite sure you can put any fresh fruits or berries you like as long as it’s ripe.

Ingredients:

25 g. flaked almonds
115g. blanched almonds, finely chopped
150g. sugar
5 eggs, separated
40g. plain flour
1/2 tsp. almond essence
150ml. double cream, whipped
150g. greek yogurt
3 large peaches, peeled and thinly sliced (or mangoes, apricots or any fresh fruits you like)
1 tbsp. sugar for sprinkling

• Line a 13×9 inch Swiss roll tin with non-stick baking parchment and sprinkle with flaked almonds. I also buttered the parchment up to the sides to make sure the cake won’t stick to it.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

• Place 125 g. of sugar and egg yolks in the bowl and beat together until thick and creamy. Remove the bowl from your mixer and fold in the grated almonds, flour and almond essence.

• Using a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the remaining 25g. sugar until they are stiff and form peaks. Carefully fold into the almond mixture, making sure not to knock the air out of the mixture.

• Pour into the prepared tin and spread out evenly. 
• Bake for 15-18 minutes until well risen and firm to touch. 
• Remove form the oven and leave in the tin. Cover it with non-stick baking parchment until cool.

• Whip your double cream until it just holds it shape. Fold in the Greek yogurt and spread over the roulade.
• Sprinkle over the fruits.
• Carefully roll up the roulade using the paper to help. Dust with some sugar and transfer to a serving plate. 

Enjoy!

Break a Leg! (or should I say Eat a Leg?)

I woke up depressed because I miss Bacolod Chicken Inasal. Yes, Bacolod City from Negros Occidental in the Visayas is known for its chicken barbecue which you cannot find any comparison all over the Philippines. My cousin Vhon ( click to view her blog ) made a review of this in her blog and I cant help but read over and over again and it’s torture. Though I wanted to have something like chicken barbecue where I could eat with chili-spicy soy sauce, onion, lemon and RICE, I decided to make this simple oven-baked chicken legs, a regular favorite and baked some sliced potatoes to go with it. They say, when you crave, you have to find something taste-like. But this recipe is no way near Bacolod Chicken Barbecue. First of all, this is baked and not grilled or barbecued. But anyway, this can cure the craving and definitely tasty. A home-made baked chicken legs for a gloomy Thursday evening.

So here’s the recipe:

6-8 pieces large Chicken Legs

2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. hot paprika

1 spn. granulated garlic

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

1 tsp. salt

olive oil

rosemary

thyme

• mix all the spices (paprika, hot paprika, salt, garlic, pepper)
• coat the chicken legs with the mixture.
• preheat oven at 375F
• heat oil in medium heat, fry the chicken legs until brown or half-cooked.
• grease baking pan with olive oil or butter, place the half-cooked chicken legs.
• pour some of the oil you use for frying into the pan.
• pour about 50 ml. of hot water.
• sprinkle with dry thyme and put some fresh rosemary. You can use dry herbs if you can’t find fresh ones.
• put into the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes. 
• turn occasionally until golden brown and crispy.
• serve with baked potatoes or rice. 

For baked potatoes, there are a lot of ways to make it. Usually, it takes a lot of time to bake raw potatoes. What I normally do is cut the potatoes in cubes and put it in microwave oven for about 10 minutes just to soften it a little. Then I wash it in cold water, strain and put spices on it. Same spices I use for the chicken legs. I also put dry herbs and oil on it then bake it together with my chicken. I love it deep brown and crispy so i let it cook about 40-50 minutes too.

And oh, I watermarked my pics too.. Yey! 🙂

Enjoy!

Peach and Cherry Streuselkuchen

I was thinking about cakes lately but since I’m into “diet” and “i-will-not-eat-too-much-sweets” state of mind, I pushed away the idea of making chocolate or cheese cake and the likes. I want something with fresh fruits inside.

I asked the help of the ever reliable internet for any light and unsweetened cakes but unfortunately, the “logic” says that cakes are supposed to be sweet. (well, there are unsweetened cakes, right?) Anyways, since I cannot find anything in youtube and google, I settled for the cookbook which came with the box of my Kenwood Mixer. There are a lot of good recipes in this booklet and most of them are very easy to make.

kenwood recipe book

I found the Peach and Cherry “i can’t read” Streuselkuchen and decided to make it. First of all, it has fresh fruits. Second, the rest of the ingredients can be found inside my cupboard. And of course, the sugar content is fair enough for my preference.

Now, Streuselkuchen means crumb cake or any cake topped with a mixture of sugar, butter and flour called streusel. It sounds German but I’m not really sure if it is. 

So here’s the recipe. It’s a no fuss cake, easy to make and so yummy. It goes well with coffee or tea. 

250      g. self-raising flour

5ml      ground cinnamon

175g    butter, softened and cubed

175g    sugar

75g      ground almonds

1          egg

4          fresh peaches, halved, stoned and slice

175g    fresh cherries, stoned, or fresh raspberries

10 ml   cornflour

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Grease a 23cm (9 inch) spring-form cake tin. Place the flour, cinnamon and butter in the mixer bowl. On minimum speed, mix together until the mixture starts to stick together.
• Add the sugar and ground almonds and mix to a coarse, crumbly texture. Do not over-mix.
• Weigh 175g of the mixture and set aside. Add the egg to the remainder and mix to a dough.
• Transfer to the prepared tin and press over the base and about 2.5cm up the sides of the tin. (More like a pie base)
• Mix the peaches, cherries and the corn flour then place in the tin.
• Sprinkle over the reserved crumble mixture and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden. Leave to cool for 30 minutes then remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Have a slice 🙂

Breaded Chicken Breast (The Israeli Way)

When I came to Israel to work as a caregiver, my first employer asked me what kind of food I can cook (yes, we’re the one cooking for our patients). I didn’t know what to answer because if I’ll say adobo, pinirito, sinigang, lechon paksiw and sinangag na left over rice, she will probably go berserk and throw me out before I could lay my hands on her.

I said “Anything. Just give me the recipe.” Fair ’nuff. Then she said, “First of all, you have to learn how to make Schnitzel“. And I was like, What the hell is that?? 


Schnitzel can be anything breaded and fried. It’s an Austrian dish but Israel is somehow trademarked with its own version typically made of chicken or turkey breast since pork is not allowed to be used. I think every restaurant here in Israel offers varieties of Schnitzel and you can really find it anywhere. It’s usually served with mashed potatoes, french fries or rice with hummus or ketchup dips and green salad.

For almost 5 years of living here in Tel-Aviv and for 5 long years of making Schnitzel once or twice every week, I found lots of ways to make it. Then I came up with my own version of the dish which my employer will never get tired of eating. I’m sharing it with you today. It’s so easy to make and very delicious.

With these things, you can make the best schnitzel ever

you also need this MALLET to pound the meat to make it as thin as possible

1. 4 medium-sized boneless chicken or turkey breasts.
2. 2 eggs
3. 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
4. 3 tbsp. milk
5. 1-2 cups of Panko bread crumbs (usually they use crumbs from Matzot but I prefer Panko. You can find it in any local supermarket or japanese/chinese stores).
6. salt and pepper.

• Pound the meat using the mallet to make it thinner. Season with generous amount of salt and pepper.
• Beat eggs together with flour and milk.
• Soak your meat into the egg mixture, cover it and let it sit for 2-3 hours inside the fridge. (Some let it sit overnight but for me 2 hours is enough).
• Prepare your Panko bread crumbs. Put a bit of salt and pepper in it and mix. (you can put sesame seeds if you want).
• Heat your oil in medium heat.
• Coat your soaked chicken breast with panko bread crumbs. Make sure it’s coated well and every part is covered with crumbs.
• Now the trick here is not to let your oil boil or too hot. It will burn your crumbs in no time and you will end up with burned schnitzel on the outside but raw inside. Heat the oil to be just enough to simmer. 
• Fry your coated meat at least 2 minutes on both sides and let it dry on a paper towel before serving.

I normally like my crumbs to be a bit brown and burned. I love it a bit more crispy so I let it cook a little more than usual. Serve it with buttered mashed potato and you will never go wrong with it.

Enjoy!

Pasta Primavera

 ..from Fridge Leftovers!


      I found some asparagus, leeks and zucchinis inside the fridge this morning and I spent half an hour figuring out what to do with them before they go to waste. Then I remember the Pasta Primavera video that I found in youtube about a year ago. It was from Chef John, my favorite internet chef ( www.foodwishes.com ) and I decided to make my own version of this healthy spring vegetable pasta. Though I didn’t find the other peas at home, I think what I had was enough to make it yummy. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 large leek chopped, (discarding the green part); washed thoroughly 
2 jalapeno, diced
1 bunch basil
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic
2 green zucchini, diced
1 bunch asparagus, stalks diced, tips left whole
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, or as needed
1 pound fettuccine/or any pasta
1/2 cup green peas
salt and pepper


1.  wash all your vegetables thoroughly and cut them in cubes.
2.  boil a pot of water for your pasta.
3.  hold the bunch of basil by the stem and soak it in boiling water in 2-3 seconds then wash it with cold water.
4.  tear off the leaves and put it in the blender or food processor with the cloves of garlic, olive oil and  chicken broth. Blend it until smooth or puree.
5.  On medium heat, fry your leeks and green onions in 2 tbsp of olive oil for about five minutes.
6.  Add the jalapeno; add salt and cook for another 5 minutes.
7.  Add your zucchini and peas; Add a quarter cup of chicken broth; turned the heat to medium high.
8.  After 5 minutes, throw in your asparagus for another 3 minutes.
9.  Add half of your basil puree and cook for 1 minute.
10.Turn off heat.
11. Drain your cooked pasta and put it in a large bowl (Don’t rinse with cold water)
12. Throw in your vegetable mixture into the pasta and toss it around.
13. Pour in the rest of the basil mixture; Toss and dump in your grated Parmesan; Toss again
14. Cover it with aluminum foil or plate and let it sit for about 5 minutes for the pasta to absorb the water.
15. Toss it and serve with Parmesan on top.


Enjoy!

Carrot-Apple Juice Craze

When I stumbled upon a replay video of Kris TV (a local morning show in the Philippines), one live caller asked Kris Aquino about her secrets to maintain her healthy skin and she answered carrot-apple juice. That was the beginning of my uncanny craze about drinking fresh juices. I normally buy bottled juice but I am aware of the sugar or sugar substitutes and preservatives that lurks inside these bottles. There’s nothing healthier than fresh fruits and vegetables.

According to studies, if you include fruits and vegetables to your diet, you decrease the risk of having chronic diseases. Apple and carrot has phytochemicals that reduced the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Carrots has antioxidant called beta-carotene which helps fight diseases by getting rid of free radical formation. Apples has antioxidants too that helps lower cholesterol level and prevent production of cancer cells. These two are rich in vitamins such as Vitamin A, C and B6.

When I started to hit the gym three weeks ago, I was thinking about fresh juices and vegetables that I could eat after every workout. For several days, I’ve been a constant customer of fresh juice store near my place spending 14 shekels for a glass of fresh carrot apple juice. Today, Fany (my employer) decided to buy a juicer for us to make fresh juices at home. We were both expecting that it will cost a lot of money but we were surprised that it was only half of our expected price. Yey!

499 shekels (approx. $120 USD) in Hamashbir inside Dizengoff Center

I was not a health buff until lately when I realized I have the potential to have serious health problems because I have a wide family history of chronic diseases. I didn’t expect that I will love going to the gym. Though I’m not so strict with my diet, I lost about 3 kilos for 3 weeks. These are my life’s simple pleasures. Trying to be happy and grateful even for a glass of carrot-apple juice. =)

My First Photoshoot

I am well aware of the fact that I am 30 years old, single, not attached to anyone, not looking either and yes, most of my friends are married or getting married. Though I quite detest the idea of marriage at this point in time, I didn’t say no to a dear friend when she asked me to be the official photographer for their prenuptial photoshoot. I was quite hesitant at the beginning since I am just a hobbyist and not a professional photographer and not to mention, I don’t have those gears to pull off the entire pictorial. But then, “there’s always a first time” they say. And since I cannot be there for the wedding, I told her that I will take the job, print the pictures and that will be my wedding gift for them. Sounds good (and fair because I was not so sure if I can produce good pictures).

I was so disappointed when we do the photo shoot at Hayarkon Park because my battery was acting up and I realized, there were a lot of good takes that my memory card didn’t save. Bummer! But then we found time to have another shoot at the beach and this time, my camera and battery cooperated well. Got some good shots and nice angles and I did my best to compile everything though I really don’t know how to use the Photoshop. So, I just edit the pictures using the reliable Picasa and managed to produce about 36 pictures.

Here are the samples and the others you can view in Flickr.

The pictures turned out to be “fine” and the couple told me that they love it. (Not quite sure if they really do, hihi) but some friends asked if they can hire me for their prenup too. I am just happy with the results and for a starter like me, I somehow did a good job.

Insecurity, Jealousy & Envy as I know it!

People live with so much insecurities and jealousy that they sometimes cannot contain themselves and they become so obvious despite of their denials.

Insecurities. I have that. Since I usually consider myself so underdog in anything. Physically I’m over the hill insecure of others. Spiritually, I have this self drama of God- is- punishing- me and stuffs like that. Mentally, I’m somehow secure with this. Maybe because I am surrounded most of the time with naive people so I’d like to think that I’m better than them. Or maybe I’m not. Because sometimes I feel that they know a lot and i know little. Insecurities always haunt me in disguise using people who are stronger, smarter and prettier than me. I always feel small.

Jealousy. I have this because of insecurity. Sometimes I become so selfish that I always want people to listen to what I am saying. And if they find someone else to listen to, I get jealous. So as to relationship. I’m always in doubt of the feelings of the person towards me. I always think that eventually he will find someone else better than me. Yes, because I’m insecure and sometimes I don’t believe that I’m capable of keeping someone forever. Jealousy usually occurs to me in expense of people who are very close to me. Family, boyfriend and friends. Maybe I’m just so paranoid. Maybe I’m just afraid that I’ll wake up one day and they don’t love me anymore. Maybe I’m just a drama queen. Maybe… i know there’s a possibility that it will happen…because I’m insecure.


Envy. I don’t know how you will define this. For me it’s a strong and very compelling word. If you will define it as potent as I know it, I’m sure I don’t have it. Envious people tend to do something more than just admiring the things that they don’t have and other people have. They develop hatred towards others and destroy them. Gossip! First step for them to project their hatred. They became identity criminals and spread wrong cue about others. Some are able to kill because of envy. It’s like counting the blessings of others instead of your own. They condone themselves and they spent their whole life hating someone. Maybe people are born without contentment. What they have is nothing and what others have is everything. For one man to understand envy is hard-won. Once in our lives we became so superficial and we wish. Wish to have what we don’t have. But some sticked on wishing. They didn’t even do something to get what they want. They even wish ill on someone only to get equal. And the most dangerous of them all are those who cannot admit to themselves that they are spiteful. They will not accept defeat. They will do everything to show the world that they are better than others. And for them to show this, they deface others while at the same time they destroy themselves too.

I don’t know if I’m capable of absorbing and hording envy inside me. I’m always happy for someone who get something and makes ’em happy. Why can’t we be happy if someone else is happy? For me insecurity is normal. It’s just a personal battle that one can win if he or she will try. Jealousy is part of loving. Sometimes it’s another form of love and fear of losing a love one. For me it adds spice to relationship and it helps you grow. But envy is heavy. It destroys you and at the same time weakens you. But there is only one counter force to get rid of this — SELF-VALUE. If you cannot appreciate and love yourself for what you have and for who you are, then you can never believe that you can be happy. You have to clear your life with bad experiences and memories. Then try to find your self-worth. Focus on building your emotional, spiritual and personal security. Life is not always about getting what we want. It’s about acceptance and contentment without compromising your capabilities as a person. Dream and make a goal. Get what you want. But never ever step on someone else toes. Because ENVY is tangible and in a shape of a boomerang. It will all come back to you… one day!

The Fes!

I know!

I don’t have the prettiest face for you to take any advise about health and beauty but I just wanna share what I found a month ago. A facial wash and cream that suits my skin type. Honestly, I seldom get pimples in my face. Maybe because I don’t have oily skin which is prone to acne and pimples and I don’t even wear make-up or anything but I have… DRY SKIN! Yes, this kind of skin which easily peal off and get white spots and all. And the worst of all possible worsts is visible or enlarged PORES! Again Yes, pores which are often clogged with white heads or even blackheads.

How can you clean pores? As I read about skin pores, it usually soften or open if the temperature is high. I remember one interview with Kristine Hermosa and she said she usually put ice on her face to close the pores. And no doubt shes one of the prettiest face in local showbizness. I’m not dreaming to look like her but I think there is a logical explanation about temperature and skin pores.

I always start my day with washing my face. Last month, I decided to try Clean and Clear exfoliating daily wash. It has microbeads to help unblock pores. It’s not the cheapest facial wash in the market but it’s worth it. I can say that my skin became clearer and cleaner. Then I use Pond’s spot-less white cream (the yellow one) with UV protection. I really believe that the sun makes a lot of damage to skin and hair. If possible, put on some sun screen before you hit the road especially in the Philippines where its sunny all year round. I really don’t know which is which that helps my skin but I think these two is a good combination for girls with skin type like mine.

So my beauty regimen everyday is washing my face first with luke-warm water to open the pores. Clean it gently but thoroughly with Clean and Clear then rinse it with warm water. When I’m done with rinsing, I finish up with very cold water. The coldest I could possibly get from the faucet. I can feel that my skin is tight and dry but very clean. Then next is the Pond’s cream while massaging my face and let it absorb the cream. I usually wash my face 2-3x a day (and I wash my hands as often as I could). And that’s it. Simple as that. I’m not really a typical girl who’s obsessed with my skin, figure and fingernails. But I always want to feel clean and I’m happy I found the right product for me to use everyday.

Anyways, I’m using Neutrogena Cold Cream as body lotion. It’s unbelievably good for dry skin. It was on sale so I bought it. I hope it will be on sale again by the time I whip up the whole 200ml 🙂

PS: I cannot find a big tube of ponds spotless white here. Can somebody in the Philippines send me one please?