Food from home: Filipino, Mexican and more comfort food

     As promised... I'm back. Since I have been missing in action, I thought of sharing my cooking for the past months. One of my goals for the year, to cook Filipino food. I admit to like a few dishes and added something else.

Mango salad

    Not sure if this should be called salad or salsa... but this turned out to be a perfect condiment which adds a refreshing feel. I used green mangoes, red onions (just added a bit since my family doesn't like raw onions), tomatoes, coriander, salt and pepper. 

Adobo

     One of our favorites. After looking at several recipes, I just cooked based on my gut feel. I marinade the chicken and pork for around 1-2 hours. The pork and chicken are fried, then simmered with the marinade until thick. Also it's a must to have chicken liver for flavor, which is added last. It tastes better the next day.

Bicol express

     If you like spicy, this is for you. This is made with pork, chili, coconut milk and bagoong (shrimp paste). Ironically I'm not a bagoong fan... but I love it!

Let's go international...

Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon

     Eggs Benedict is always a treat since I don't have it all the time. I always choose salmon to be healthier. I promised my sister, Nicole I'd make this for breakfast when she slept over at our place. Making the Hollandaise sauce will give you an arm workout since you whisk around 5-10 minutes until sauce is thick. However, making the eggs became easier because we have an egg poacher, wherein the egg is placed and immersed in boiling water. I tried garnishing it with dill and caviar... which one is better? :D

Huevos Rancheros

     A lot of times we get tired of the usual breakfast (usually oatmeal, grilled cheese, cereal, etc.) I came across this recipe online and tried my luck. Another breakfast idea... Yey!

Pico de gallo, chicken enchilada and chile relleno

     I've made pico de gallo and chicken enchilada several times and became a favorite. A light bulb moment came when the chile relleno came to mind. The recipe uses Poblano peppers stuffed with cheese, dipped in egg and fried. Since Poblano peppers aren't available in our local groceries, I just used the pointed green bell peppers. This is served with tomato sauce. Surprisingly it wasn't too rich or oily. 

DIY Burrito Bowl

     This was inspired from the Mexican restaurant, Chipotle, from our US trip. This was really the works... Chicken and beef marinaded with cumin, chili powder and lemon, Cilantro rice, caramelized onions, mushrooms, cheese, Pico de gallo, Guacamole and corn salsa (made with corn kernels, jalapeno, red onions, coriander, salt and pepper). 

Chocolate covered strawberries

I believe both are healthy as both have antioxidants (dark chocolate was used).

Fudge brownies with cashew nuts and chocolate chips

     I usually go for plain brownies but thought of adding cashews and chocolate chips to make it more exciting. ^_^

Missed you all

Hi everyone,

     Hope all is well. I apologize for missing in action. There were a series of events that happened in the past months, namely an emotional period, setting up my new business, my Japanese exam for level 2 (which I passed... Yey!) and a vacation. In spite of all these events, it didn't stop my cooking and being my foodie self. Once again, thank you everyone for your love and support for the blog. As Douglas McArthur said... I shall return. Take care and God bless. ^_^

The second stop @ Karuizawa -part 2

     We were happy to know The Prince has a shopping area, so we went there after freshening up. We went to the food court for a snack before shopping.

Rosu Katsu

     Katsu is comfort food for me. When I saw the picture, I placed my order right away. This was my Noche Buena... I didn't join my family for dinner that night because I was feeling under the weather.*

Soft-served ice cream

     I can't resist ice cream! This was from the same place I bought the Rosu Katsu. Seeing the picture just lured me, so I gave in to my curiosity. You could taste the milk here... Yum!

Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza

Karuizawa, Japan

Visit their website

     

     We had a Noche Buena part 2 in the villa. The Japanese Noche Buena... Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki and chips. ^_^

     It was a breakfast buffet at The Prince. I'm known to be Miss Buffet in the family, so I was ecstatic.  Although it was limited, it was enjoyable, which meant we didn't leave hungry. ;)

We love the milk!

I always have cereal in a breakfast buffet just because it's a privilege. ^_^

Sausage and egg were also available. 

Eggs in sunny side up...

or scrambled.

     After lunch, we decided to have dessert in the center house. Love it!

Apple pie and blueberry pie

Christmas cake

Strawberry ice cream

Vanilla ice cream

The Prince Villa

Karuizawa, Japan

Visit their website

     We went to Ichiryuu for dinner, which is a Korean restaurant which specializes in Yakiniku. This had a distance from the villa, which took around 10-15 minutes. Hooray for another discovery!

Ichiryuu Karuizawa
Karuizawa, Japan
Visit these websites: Ichiryuu Karuizawa and Gurunavi

     As a first timer in the cold (temperature of 10 degress and below), let me share with you some survival tips...

1) Have the necessary winter outfit: coat/jacket, gloves, scarf, bonnet, leggings, winter boots. The key is to layer. You may get your winter outfit at Uniqlo. It's recommended to use their heattech camisole and leggings. Use fleece or thermal jacket. 

2) Take vitamins... especially if you're not used to the cold. Best to have cold and cough medicines and Vicks vaporub in handy.

3) If you experience winter, be extra careful as you walk. Avoid icy pavements at all times to avoid accidents.

Noche Buena -Filipino Christmas eve dinner 

The second stop @ Karuizawa -part 1

     Karuizawa most probably doesn't ring a bell to many... Don't worry, you're not alone. We only learned about it recently from Dad as this is supposedly a ski resort, similar to Lake Tahoe in the US. We were all counting the days because it was a new place and the first winter for the kids, my niece Sofia and nephew Enzo and myself. We left Christmas eve and took the bullet train. There's no direct ride from Osaka, you would have to stop to Tokyo to get there.

One of the breathtaking views on the way. I could already smell the snow. ;)

     Bento box

     Refreshments are served during the train ride. When I saw a picture of the bento box, of course I just had check it out. :D

     We stayed at the The Prince Villa. They have a receiving area in the train station and the ride to get there took only a minute. Seeing the snow and the log cabin, we knew our White Christmas dream would be fulfilled. ^_^

The Prince's Center House

Welcome refreshments

Our villa

They have complete amenities. :D

The modern fire place in action. 

    We woke up Christmas day with this picture perfect scene. My family purposely woke up early to see this with the snow falling. In my 34 years (as much as I want to say 25) of existence, I couldn't believe to be experiencing winter for real. This was something I'd see on TV, movies and postcards.

   Here's a clip of the snow falling so you can see what I'm talking about. ^_^

     To go to the villa, from the center house, you could either go by foot or with the electric cart. Overall, everything was impressive. We love the lovely and cozy ambience! All the staff are friendly and helpful. Food was enjoyable too, which I will talk about in part 2. We're hoping for a repeat real soon.


The Prince Villa
Karuizawa, Japan
Visit their website