Homemade Gulaman

No other drink is best of summer than a tall glass of ice-cold gulaman, a traditional Filipino drink made of sweet syrup mixed with water, lots of ice and chunks of of the gelatin-like gulaman.

Tired of going out in the searing, summer heat to search for this drink, only to bring home a few in flimsy plastic cups, my mom and I learned to make this drink at home where we can whip it out of the refrigerator anytime for a fuss-free cooler.

my best friend for summer

Tita Rose's Chicken Barbecue with Ensaladang Mangga

Another one of my boyfriend's favorite dishes that we decided to master, cooked at our home and sampled by the family :D

The outcome was pretty good, just like my boyfriend's mom used to make; sweet and tangy, accompanied by a yummy sauce and refreshing ensalada. We just didn't have time to allow the marinade to sit for a longer period of time; if we had, the flavors would have been more pronounced. 

Nevertheless, the resulting chicken barbecue was a big hit with the family, with it's sweet, saucy flavor and the tangy ensalada that went with it.

Perfect summer lunch

Spicy Butter Wings with Cabbage Slaw

Technically, these were supposed to be Buffalo Wings, the recipe taken from Yummy Magazine.

Buuuuut...

We didn't have all the spices listed and I chickened out on making it too spicy because my mom might kill me if she wouldn't be able to eat it; we ended up veering slightly away from the original recipe to work with what we have The result was a not-so-red batch of wings and they were more buttery than hot. But  they already have that Buffalo taste and a nice zing, plus the wings were still very crunchy.

Also, the Cabbage Slaw (no particular recipe), was supposed to be good old coleslaw but my dad forgot to buy carrots.

Next time we'll make some really hot, really red, honest-to-goodness Buffalo Wings :D

For now, though, this makes a good family meal (especially if not everyone can handle spicy flavors)

mmmmmm..wings..

Quick Fix Salsa

My aunt came 15 minutes before our New Year's Eve dinner with a big bag of tortilla chips and said, "Do you have any dip?".

We didn't have anything prepared, and even though it was good enough on its own, the chips need one more thing: SALSA! 

My mom and I used to make homemade salsa before so it shouldn't be problem, unless you weren't expecting to make it so soon and not knowing if you had all the needed ingredients. But hey, I managed to make a quickie version of the salsa in 15 minutes' time with whatever I could find in the fridge, so there XD

Tortilla chips aren't tortilla chips without this

Red Wine Punch

My boyfriend stumbled on this recipe about a year ago when making a special holiday dinner for his parents. 

This simple drink requires just three ingredients but is really yummy and perfect for the holidays, which was why I decided to make it for our Christmas and New Year dinners. It's also perfect for parties because the taste is mild enough even for those who cannot tolerate the full-bodied flavor of red wine, and the additional ingredients can make one bottle go a long way.

Ahhhhhhh...

Tita Rose's Basic Spaghetti

My boyfriend's mom makes a really good spaghetti; it's one of those not too saucy, not to sweet varieties that's chock-full of meat and hotdog slices, very reminiscent of childhood. And with it being one of my boyfriend's favorite dishes, society dictates that I am inclined to master such a dish.

Super meaty spaghetti (the meaty-ness was totally by accident)

Quick Fix Stir-Fry Pancit Canton

One thing that's probably better than good old instant pancit canton is stir-fried pancit canton. I had one once at a free taste stand in the supermarket; I can't remember the brand but I do remember liking the way they stir-fried the noodles in hot oil until they became crisp (almost crunchy).

I tried making my own version at home and came up with something pretty good :p

Easy-cook

Creamy Garlic Dip

I'm not just bragging - my mom makes one of the BEST garlic dips I've ever had. It started out as a craving to have something with our chips at home and my mom started mixing ingredients together, tweaking and adding more stuff with each creation, until she came up with our new staple.

Mom's Creamy Garlic Dip garnished with dill and mustard dollops, served with potato/cassava chips

We love having this with a variety of potato chips and even plain crackers. No need for strong flavors though - the dip itself is already very tasty. Speaking of which, better bring a toothbrush when you dig into this; the dip doesn't go stingy on the garlic so it's got that spicy, super-garlicy kick.

Roast Beef Wrap ala Maetwine

My boyfriend likes the roast beef wrap they sell in the kiosk inside the gym where he works out - so much that he decided we should be able to make one at home. So with some help from his memory and a trip to the grocery, we came up with this.

 

Recipe by Melvin

*this also marks our first venture into 'cooking'.

Cowboy Food

My dad cooked this last weekend. I dont actually know what it's called (and neither does anyone in the family who has ever made it), but it's basically white beans and sausages (longganisa) cooked in a rich broth. The beans were generally soaked overnight and then stewed in the broth until they get all soft and mushy.

Mmmmmidnight snack!

My uncle was the first one to make this, when I was about 7; he called it 'cowboy food', probably because of the beans, and it's been my favorite ever since ^_^

It can be eaten with rice as an ulam, but I prefer it eaten in a bowl with a toasted bun; you just break the bread into pieces and dip into the stuff. Yum :p~

Maybe I'll ask my dad to teach me how to make this next time...