Sweet Nothings | Food, Travel, & Lifestyle Blog

Here's the 2nd part of my valentine's celebration. Had another pre-valentine celebration with the family last February 13, lunch date at home this time. :)

Pre-valentine lunch date with the fam ^_^

We already agreed of ordering Shakey's Pizzas for lunch...

Shakey's Manager's Choice Thin Crust Pizza

Shakey's Pepperoni Thin Crust Pizza

...and just have the rest of the "Shakey's treats" (chicken, mojos, salad, soup, and pasta) cooked by our master chef, my dad. ^_^

We were craving for Shakey's Chick 'n Chips, so daddy made his own version of it.

Home-made Fried Chicken

Home-made Mojos

Home-made Garden Fresh Salad

For the soup, daddy made the crab and corn soup.

Home-made Crab and Corn Soup

And for the pasta, we ordered Dolora's Pancit Malabon.

Dolora's Pancit Malabon

Here's our home-made super platter haha! :p

Gia's Plate

We also had ice cream and cake for dessert. :)

And of course, Valentine's day will never be complete without gifts! Here are my dad's valentine gifts for his valentine girls (my mom, Gia, and I). :p

<< Back to Celebrating the Day of Hearts ♥♥♥

Had a pre-valentine dinner date with my family at Bamboo Asia Grill last February 12.

Dinner Date with the Fam :)

with my Valentine Date :p

My mom and Gia took charge of the orders, but I made sure that they get the Crispy Kangkong. :p We had 2 orders of this and was surprised at how generous the serving was. For only Php 50 per serving, it was really worth it. :) It was kinda oily though but we all didn't mind. We all loved the garlic mayo dip that came with it that we even had to have it refilled. :p

Crispy Kangkong - Php 50

These Crispy Crablets were also a hit for me. :p Unlike other crispy crablets which tend to become hard or overcooked, Bamboo Grill's version were crispy but it still maintained its tenderness inside. Unfortunately, the spicy vinegar that came with it was a no-no for me. :p I instead had the crablets dipped in the crispy kangkong's garlic mayo dip. Wasn't able to take not of the price for this but it's around Php 120-150 I believe. :p

Crispy Crablets

There's nothing so special with their Sizzling Squid in Oyster Sauce, but I'm still giving them a perfect 10 for having the squid cooked just right and tender. :)

Sizzling Squid in Oyster Sauce - Php 120

I would have enjoyed their Sizzling Sisig if it didn't have a lot of chili in it. I'm not a fan of spicy food so the sisig was not a hit for me.

Sizzling Sisig - Php 180

If there's one thing that I loved the most, it's their Crispy Kare-kare. It was served with all the ingredients (pork and veggies) laid on a plate with the kare-kare soup at the center. The pork was fried to perfection and the veggies were steamed.

This dish also made me miss my Makoy even more. You won't find the word 'diet' in Mark's vocabulary if you serve him with kare-kare. I'm sure he'll love this one too. :) I forgot how much this dish was, but I'm pretty sure it's around Php 400. :p

Crispy Kare-Kare

Jaoey already had dinner at home so he just got a plate of fries and a can of soda at Bamboo Grill. :)

French Fries - Php 105

Aside from the ones above, they also have a variety of other dishes that I'm sure are great tasting as well. They also serve beer and other drinks which you can enjoy while being caressed by the cool breeze and being serenaded by their live band. Who would have thought something like this can be found at the heart of Antipolo? :p

Photo taken from Bamboo Asia Grill

Photo taken from Bamboo Asia Grill

BAMBOO ASIA GRILL
Palm Square, M.L. Quezon Ave. Ext.
Antipolo City

<< Back to Celebrating the Day of Hearts ♥♥♥

Mark and I have been apart for half a year now. I must admit that I'm still not used to him being not around, but this didn't stop me from being in love. :)

Thank God there's my family, we had not just one but 2 celebrations. ^_^

We had a pre-valentine dinner date at Bamboo Asia Grill last Saturday, February 12.

And a pre-valentine lunch at home yesterday.

Now who said that Valentine's Day is just for couples and lovers? ^_^

Happy Hearts Day!!!

An authentic Vigan delicacy, Vigan Empanada has always been one of my family's favorites. Whenever we go to Vigan we make sure to indulge into their tasty Vigan empanadas. But here in Manila, we usually get to satisfy our empanada cravings through Ilocos Empanada.

It is very much different from the usual empanadas. The crust is made from rice flour. And for the filling, nowadays they use grated cabbage, mongo sprouts, and egg. But my dad, being a true blue Ilocano, said that authentic Vigan empanada's filling is originally made from grated unripe papaya.

Here's my daddy's recipe of the Vigan Empanada. Now we'll get to enjoy it anytime we want yipee! ;p

Vigan Empanada

Ingredients:

filling:
2 large unripe papaya
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Knorr pork cube
salt and pepper to taste
eggs

crust:
1/4 kilo ground rice
30g butter
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
atsuete (with water) or yellow food color

Preparation and Cooking Procedures:

Peel off the papaya's skin, remove the seeds, and wash with water. Shred the papaya or if you don't have any shredder, you may cut the papaya into thin strips.

In a pan with a little cooking oil, cook the garlic over medium heat until golden brown and add in the onions. When the onions start to caramelize, add in the pork cubes and the shredded papaya. Sauté and stir continuously until all ingredients are well incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover pan and cook for 3-5 minutes. Pour into a plate and set aside.

Pour in the ground rice in a separate bowl and add in the egg, butter, water, vegetable oil, and atsuete mixture. Using your clean hands, mix the ingredients until it becomes a dough.

You will need to lay a plastic wrap, brushed with a little oil, on the table. Ordinary sandwich bags cut in half may come in handy. :) Now we're ready to make the empanadas. :)

Get a small amount of the dough, dip it in oil, and flatten into the plastic wrap using a rolling pin until it becomes a flat circle. Put 2-3 table spoons of the sautéed papaya over the crust.

Be sure to leave some space in the middle for the raw egg.

Hold one end of the plastic wrap and fold it over the other end, making a half circle out of the dough. Using a dough cutter, or a plastic plate, trim the rough edges of the empanada.

Here is what the finished empanada should look like:

Heat pan and pour in some cooking oil just enough for the empanada to be submerged. Gently slide the empanada and then cook over high heat until crispy. You'll know that it's ready when the color changes from light yellow to bright yellow orange. Cooking time is around 2-3 minutes.

Drain, serve, and enjoy!!! This may be eaten as is or with sukang Iloco.

Vigan Empanada with Egg

You may also make your own dip by mixing vinegar with soy sauce, onions, and sugar.

Vigan Empanada

Aside from eggs, ground Vigan Longganisa may also be added in for a more delectable treat. :)

More recipes HERE :)

<< Back to Kung Hei Fat ChoiShared at: Food Trip Friday, Food Friday

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kriskamarie

If we are not going to malls, we usually go to supermarkets to shop for groceries on Sundays right after hearing mass.

My sister saw this nail polish near the counter at the health care section of the supermarket, one Sunday, while my mom was paying for the groceries. I thought it would look good on my nails so I bought it. :p