Sterces Reunion

When I was in High School, I had a special group of friends and we called ourselves Sterces. The group was formed in 1998. We decided to have our first official reunion this December 2009 (for once, we were all on the same island!).

It's been 11 years, and here we are now!

I cooked my Pesto and Cheese Pasta recipe. Donna got garlic bread to go with it.

(Recipe to follow)

Mayang had a very cool idea about preparing a "Create Your Own Dessert" dessert which consisted of fresh fruits, broas, and cream with cheese (wicked wicked yummy thing should be called a "waistline buster"). Had a wonderful time, of course!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, from my family to yours!

Our Noche Buena was a wonderful result of great teamwork. :-)

Due to popular demand, the pasta in white sauce was present again. It seems that everytime I'm home I have to serve time in the kitchen. LOL


I made the stuffed mushrooms for hors d'oeuvres...


Four out of six children were at the nest for Christmas this year, so the folks were pretty happy.

For dessert, we had my mother's buko & fruit salad, which was sooo yummy...



...as well as my twin sister Lili's mango float. Somebody stop me from eating all of these! They're the best!

Will post recipes next time. I have a backlog of recipes to post, but it's still too busy.

See ya all in the new year!!!

5 Days Before Christmas!

I'm officially on a holiday starting today and I'll be flying home tomorrow. Can't wait!
Will be cooking for a reunion with the Sterces (Lili, Mayang, and Donna). :-) Of course there's the usual Noche Buena on Christmas eve and Media Noche on January 1. I hope I remember to take pictures despite the busy schedule. :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY!!! :-)

In the Land of Oz

Pooped from this evening's workout so I ended up making something very simple: Tuna Pitawiches. When I was in university there was this place called Oz Cafe. Their Tuna Pitawich was my favorite. I tried to make my own based on what I remembered of how it tasted. Added black olives to make the recipe my own. Will post it later. ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Another Stuffed Mushroom Recipe

It's Friday, and after a long, busy day, I decided to just stay at home and take a breather. The formula is pretty simple: watching reruns of “Friends”+ whipping up something new in the kitchen+ going for an evening run. I didn’t realize running would be so much harder in the evening during this time of the year. It’s pretty cold out there. After a while I was able to adjust to the cold evening breeze, but the first few minutes, I felt like my lungs would burst into smithereens. But enough of me and the weather. How have YOU been? :-)

Pesto and Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 16 pcs whole champignons, stems pulled out
• 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1 slice of whole wheat bread, shredded into crumbs
• black pepper
• 2 tbsp butter

Here’s how to make it

1.) The Stuffing:

a. Combine bread crumbs, pesto, and parmesan cheese in a bowl.

b. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan. Turn off heat right away as soon as the butter has melted. (Do not wait for it to brown!) Pour into the pesto mixture and mix well. (It’s not supposed to be too moist; only moist enough that the ingredients have a paste-like consistency.)

c. Pour mixture into the pan and cook in low heat for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently. Transfer to a bowl.

2.) Slightly grease the pan and sauté the champignons until slightly brown. Add a dash of black pepper.

3.) Using a teaspoon, stuff each champignon with the pesto mixture. Once done, use kitchen tongs to arrange them inside the same pan stuffed-side up. Cook in low heat for 5-6 minutes or until brown. Do not stir.

4.) Transfer cooked champignons on a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel to get rid of the extra butter.

5.) Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot.

I keep my computer nearby because I usually write down the recipe rightaway. At the same time, I watch movies or reruns of my favorite shows while cooking. :-)