My New Toy

You know already that I got a Cuisinart hand blender on Mother's Day.  Yesterday, Aly and I played with it.  Whee!!

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For the blender's inauguration in Krisan's kitchen, we made salsa.

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I just threw in a mix of tomatoes (cored and seeded), white onion and a couple of sprigs of cilantro. 

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My new toy looking so badass in my kitchen :)  Pardon me, we're still on the honeymoon stage here.

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There goes my new baby!

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Mexican salsa with cheese sticks.

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I normally like my salsa on the chunky side, but Aly and I got carried away pressing the button on the blender/chopper.  Naging puree tuloy.  Heehee!

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We also made lumpiang shanghai that day and we used it to chop the carrots and onions.  It cut my prep time in half.  I love it!

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Oh, to be young and in love...yes, I'm young (walang kokontra) and yes, I'm love with this baby!  Thanks again, sweetie for my new toy!

Mother's Day Presents

Mother's Day in Thailand is actually in August (in time for the Queen's birthday).  But we're not Thai, so we celebrate it just like everyone else back home.  Besides, I can't wait until August for my mom's day gift.  May is a lot quicker.  Heehee!

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Richard and Aly surprised me with these cards when I woke up.

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This is why I love being a mommy.  I have the best daughter ever!

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Gifts from the hubby.

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Yipee!

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He took a look at my wishlist and chose the Cuisinart hand blender.

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Thank you, sweetie!  I love it!

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He threw in a new cookbook too!  I chose this myself at Kinokuniya.

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He also bought me a white chocolate cake.  But now that I have a blender with a whisk attachment, I think I'm going to say goodbye to store-bought cakes soon.

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The spoiling doesn't end there.  He didn't want me to cook so we ordered pizza instead.

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He also got me a tub of ice cream because he knows I've been craving for more than a week already.

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That's only because I was on a diet!  I've been deprived so mother's day was the perfect excuse for a cheat day.

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Swensen's ice cream, I love you!

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Oh yeah, I had more cake too!  Cheat day kung cheat day!

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It truly was a great day!  Thank you, Richard and Aly for making me feel extra special.  The hubby missed the Pacquiao fight for our mother's day thing.  I feel bad about that, but he said it's ok.  And that's why I love him more! :)

Krisan's Cooking Goals for 2011

This year, I want to to be more productive.  I want to have a purpose.  I want to have direction.  Ooh lala!  Big words!  But seriously, ayoko ng pabanjing-banjing lang.  Now, I don't really make new year's resolutions simply because I know that I do not have enough self discipline to see them through.  I love making lists, though.  So for 2011, I decided to make a list of cooking goals instead.  Para naman magkaron ng silbi yung mga cookbook at Yummy magazines na iniipon ko.

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Krisan's Cooking Goals for 2011 or KCG 2011 for short.

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What's on my list anyway?  Stuff that I've always wanted to do in the kitchen, but I never found the time or courage to actually do them.  I know you won't see much in the photo (no thanks to my kahig-ng-manok handwriting) so let's go through the list again.

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1. POMODORO or homemade tomato sauce - garlicky and chunky ala Chelsea Market (at Serendra) or Pasta 54 (need to use Dy's garlic crusher for this!)  I tried making one before but I know I can do better.My goal is to perfect it and make it my own so I can eventually say goodbye to store-bought ones.
2. FRESH PASTA - check out Jamie Oliver's cookbook.  I cook pasta for dinner at least once a week so I think it makes perfect sense if I learn how to make pasta at home.  That way, I can also say goodbye to store-bought ones.  Now this project will be a bit of a challenge because I don't have a pasta machine.  I will only be using a rolling pin.  Good luck to me!
3. HOMEMADE PIZZA WITH GOURMET TOPPINGS - cheese, pesto, etc. This is for Aly who loves pizza.  I will also get to practice two kitchen skills for this project: baking with yeast and mastering the use of a rolling pin.  Yay!
4. RED VELVET CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING - Yes, I already found the best red velvet cupcakes in Bangkok, but I want to see if I can do a better job.  That way, I won't need to go all the way to Siam for my cupcake fix.
5. PALITAW - the challenge is getting fresh niyog from the market!  Recipe-wise, this is easy peasy, but getting fresh grated coconut will definitely be a challenge because I don't know where to get it.  Plus, if I pull this off, I won't miss Filipino food so much.
6. PULLED PORK - I've read a lot about this on the internet and I've never really tried it before.  I'm adding this to my list out of curiosity.
7. LYCHEE JUICE - ala Baan Naam (my fave place at the lunch market).  If I can do this at home, then I won't need to pay Thb40 for a glass that's so bitin.
8. CHICKEN STOCK FROM SCRATCH - check out chicken cookbook.  Oh, the many magical things you can create with chicken stock!  First on my list is chicken mami.  But first, I want to perfect it, make several batches that I can store in my freezer and eventually graduate from the preservative-laden chicken cubes.
9. HOMEMADE BREAD - (either of the ff not all:) tortillas, dinner rolls, pandesal or even just use ready-made puff pastry.  I've made cake and cookies before, but never bread.  This will definitely be something new.
10. HERB-CRUSTED FISH FILLET - inspired by Junior Masterchef!  I want to do a more sophisticated dish.  I want to create a restaurant-ish dish for a change.  Those 8-12 year olds at Junior Masterchef can definitely put a lot of adults to shame -- me included!
11. ANY RECIPE USING VANILLA BEAN - buy from JJ.  I've used a lot of vanilla extract before but never vanilla bean.  I added it to the list for the experience.  If only I can remember the exact stall in Chatuchak where I saw them...
12. HOMEMADE TOCINO - sans preservatives!
13. SALAD DRESSING FROM SCRATCH - garlic herb, ceasar, poppy-seed...The first and only time I bought ceasar dressing from the grocery here in Bangkok was a far cry from the ones we have back home.  I'm too scared naman to bring home the ones from Santi's because it just might spoil.  So it's this way or the highway!
14. TRES LECHES CAKE - I've read about this on the internet as well.  I only got to try it once in Manila -- bought two slices from Cake@Go (Quatros Leches, actually) in BF while Richard was buying shawarma from SSC across the street.  It was good!  I loved it.  Too bad they don't have it here in Bangkok so I will just have to make one myself.
15. COOKIES THAT WOULD REQUIRE A COOKIE CUTTER - Aly's been bugging me dropped hints several times that she wants to make cookies in different shapes complete with colored frosting.  It would also be a good time to use the cookie cutters we have at home.

BONUS: KOBE BEEF/WAGYU from the Gourmet Market :)  I only get to admire them when I'm at the supermarket but I never really bought them because #1 they're too expensive (Thb1000+/100grams), #2 I'm too scared to mess up such an expensive piece of meat!  Being able to buy and cook this at home will really be something else. 

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So there you have it, my cooking goals for 2011.  I originally wanted to put only 11 items on my list so I can make at least one per month, but so many ideas popped into my mind as I went along.  I eventually had to keep it down to 15.  Anything more than that won't be good for my diet.  I mean, sure I can do them but who's going to eat them when they're done?  And also, I may not do them in that particular order.  I just placed numbers so we'll know how many are on the list :)  Oooh!  I can't wait to get started!  I wonder which one I'm going to do first?  

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Now since we're on the subject of cooking, I want to share with you the new kitchen gadgets that I brought home.

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My new Peugeot salt mill.

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I saw this baby at Santi's in Silang when we were buying rib eye steak for our new year's eve party.  It's a lot cheaper there than here in Bangkok.  Like, half the price cheaper -- Php1,700 in Santi's, Thb3,400 in Central and Paragon.  I knew I would regret it if I didn't buy there.  And I didn't care if we had no more room in our luggage!  I would literally hand carry it if I had to!  Heehee!  So we made a quick stop at Santi's before going to the airport last Wednesday.

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Now I have a salt mill to go with my pepper mill (a wedding gift, not Peugeot though).

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This other gadget is really special because it's a gift from my kumare who brought it all the way from Belgium:

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IKEA garlic press from Dy :)

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I used it when I cooked pasta the other night and I love it!!  Thanks Dy!

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Do watch out for all posts related to Krisan's Cooking Goals for 2011!  And to all my friends and family who have new year's resolutions or goals for the coming year, best of luck to all of us! 

Cheap Thrills at Daiso

Oh my gosh...I think I'm starting to get addicted to Daiso. Everything in the store sells for Thb60. How can you not fall for that?
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I paid them a visit yesterday. Here's my latest Daiso loot:
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A digital kitchen timer to replace the one that I got from Gourdo's. I only got to use it twice, then nasira sya when I turned the dial. The timer still works since it's not digital, but the bell won't ring anymore. Useless dba? I hope this one lasts longer.
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aI love this one because it can double as a ref magnet. Kewl!
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aInstructions at the back of the package. Buti na lang may English.
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aI don't really need this, pero ang cute kasi ng kulay kaya binili ko na.
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a"The handle with a spring makes squeezing job easy." This is true. Richard and I used it for dinner last night and he liked it. Perfect for dinner parties with pancit. Haha!
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aI love it when the directions are as clear and concise as this.
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aNow, squeezing lemons/limes can be mess-free.
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aDifferent colored threads for my sewing kit at home.
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Let me share with you the other Daiso items that I've accumulated so far:
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Bookends. A for Alyannah...
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a...and C for me (Christine). Wala kasing K.
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aI don't know what you call this, but I got it for Aly's closet.
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aI used 3M adhesive hooks to stick them on the door.
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aFor Aly's knick knacks.
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aMagtools.
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aBottle opener.
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I swear, I can spend hours in that tiny store! Mainly because it takes me a while to figure out the package instructions (all are in Japanese!). Heehee! Although I have to admit that most of the items in the store are just abubots, there are also some really goods finds in there. Case in point: I buy my coffee filter in Daiso because a pack of 80 pcs. costs only Thb60. The one found in the supermarket sell for Thb80 with only 40 pcs. San ka pa?

Grilled Tanigue

Like I said, I have a few photos from last year that are yet to be posted and since we're on the subject of grilling, let me share with you the first meal that I cooked on my grill pan.

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I got the pan on sale at Central Chidlom, by the way. I think it was only Thb300 or maybe less.
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Grilled Tanigue or Spanish Mackerel. This is super easy to prepare! Just season the fish with salt + pepper, brush with a little olive oil and grill.

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Drizzle some garlic butter on top and serve with steamed broccoli.

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Yum!

Chocolate Chip Cookies and My New Baking Assistant

When I came home, mom told me that there was a bag of Ghirardelli chocolate chips in her ref waiting for me. I love baking in my mom's house because it's super easy! First, she has a KitchenAid Mixer so I can cream, mix, whip anything with zero effort. Ooohh, the KitchenAid Mixer really is my dream gadget. I wish I had a bigger kitchen here so I can buy my own. Anyway, I digress. Second, my mom's helper, ate Gelyn is there to help me clean up. And third, just last December, I had a new assistant. Hehe! My little brother, Jofe, helped me bake cookies.

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Okay, so he's not so little anymore. He's way taller than me. But he's still my favorite 2nd brother. Heehee!

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My assistant has his own assistant -- ay, usisera lang pala!

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Let's see Jofe in action...

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She can't wait to taste the cookies.

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Guarding the cookies closely in case somebody (tito Mick) gets to them first. Haha!

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Sandali na lang...

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...yey! Luto na sa wakas! Wait, what's that thing in the background?

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Ayun...si Aly pala! At naka buena mano na! Teka, parang may mga naka-bantay pa sa likod...

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...aba, may panel of judges pa! Haha! My One and Only and my Favorite 1st Brother look happy. I guess they liked the cookies!

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They look yummy indeed!

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Great job, Jofe! Not bad for a first-time baker :)