Frannywanny

It was a rainy evening and I have just completed one of the hardest course in my GM Bootcamp so I took a short break from studying and spent last night going through my blog files. Oh, there are just so many photos and stories that I have yet to tell and I hope that I'll be able to blog about them one by one soon. Let me start with one of my favorites last year.  Since the country went on lock down, I gotta give props to restaurants who were so quick on their feet and innovated their products to give foodies and their loyal patrons the chance to "dine out" within the safe confines of our own home. A few months ago, I received a brown box from Your Local  and upon opening it I was so happy to see cleanly packaged ingredients that will help me recreate their signature Chili Crab Buns  for me and my family to enjoy.  Everything was prepared so well! The crabmeat in chili sauce, the mantou buns and the veggies. Looking at this, I was so excited to give it a try and see ...

Are you #TeamNamDoSan or #TeamGoodBoy? To know what I'm talking about, you have to watch the Kdrama called "Start Up". One reason why I love watching Korean dramas is because they somehow manage to incorporate a specific Korean food into the storyline. From Chicken and Beer in Crash Landing On You to Corn Dogs in Start Up, I always end up craving for whatever is being repeatedly enjoyed in every episode. I haven't gotten around to watching a new Kdrama so I'm still hooked to Start Up and halmoni 's corndogs.  Given that, I decided to try making Corn Dog Muffins  using a pack of Mekeni Picnic Hotdogs.  I've been hearing about the brand Mekeni for years! It started when I began dating Paul almost two decades ago and heard that Mekeni is a household brand in Pampanga. Finally, I got around to trying it out and I was surprised at the wide array of products available! They have hot dogs, bacon, beef tapa, tocino and even longganisa.  I had so much fun trying...

If you're going to sum up my life quarantining myself at home this 2020 -- it just be about 4 things. FAMILY. WORK. FOOD. DANCING.   Actually, the last one is very new.. like 2 weeks new. Yet, I'm glad that I finally took the first step to be a bit more active as I've spent 9 months sitting on my office chair from 9am to 12mn with very minimal toilet, eating, walking-around-the-house breaks in between. Such sedentary life I've led and it doesn't help that I've been stress-eating like crazy too. Sushi Bakes, Milk Tea, Sweets, Carbs, Carbs, and more Carbs. I realized though that I can't just rely on diets and when I'm hungry.. I get incredibly cranky and moody and that's no good especially for the welfare of the people around me. So.. I decided that if you can't beat 'em (food) then just burn 'em (calories!). So yes, 2 weeks ago, I signed up for my first ever dance workout class and I got to say that I was super out of shape. I no longer re...

If there's one thing I realized while feeding my twins is that kids have this great love for anything crispy or crunchy. No matter how hard you try or how long you'd slave away in the kitchen, remember this -- prepare something crispy or crunchy and believe me, your kids will praise you like a kitchen god / goddess. Well, at least, as far as my twins are concerned. Save for the ever-reliable adobo which they love or their all-time fave Baked Spaghetti, my twins are huge fans of fried chicken, corn flakes, crunchy toast sandwiches, crackers and croquettes. This is why I always make sure to have a bag of panko breadcrumbs in our pantry cabinet to make it easy for us to whip up a deep-fry batter whenever the need arises. Don't get me wrong, they get their fair share of veggies and other protein too and we try our best to limit their deep-fried intake on a weekly basis but on days when it just gets slightly tough to satisfy our picky gourmands, well deep-fried crunchy creations...

Allow me to make yet another fearless forecast -- I smell another food trend coming our way and it's in the form of these nice corrugated boxes that's filled with all sorts of ingredients that's packed and carefully sealed. DIY Kits  are here and it means allowing all of us to take our cooking/baking skills to the next level! Since we all have to stay home and to keep ourselves safe from the virus, why not recreate some of your restaurant favorites and enjoy these with the family. I've actually been cooking and baking more since the start of the quarantine and I have to say that I have became more bold and creative in the kitchen. Back then, I'd stick to the usual baked goodies, easy pasta dishes, stir-fries and steamed dishes. For the past weeks, I've learned to make more seafood dishes, cook steak properly, bake a variety of treats and just tonight, I made Galbi Jjim -- a dish that I've been planning to make for months.  A few weeks ago, I rece...

Here are 3 main reasons why I love salmon: - It's rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, protein and all the good things making it good for your heart. - It's almost always served boneless which is perfect for people like me who do not like deboning their fish. - It's so easy to prepare and so versatile too! Regardless if you steam, bake, fry, pan-fry or grill it, you're pretty much assured of having a good salmon dish. So, when I received several packs of Seaking frozen salmon cuts a month ago, I was so happy! Well, it was perfect timing too that it arrived just in time for Paul's birthday and you all know how I love going the extra mile for his birthdays so I decided, we have a nice fancy dinner with Baked Salmon as part of the menu. Do you still remember the Baked Salmon dish that I've shared some time back? No? Don't fret, just click on this link to refresh your memory! Anyway, I used the same recipe but since Seaking makes use of Wil...

Just like that, the Ber months have officially begun. Slowly. we're starting to take our Christmas decors out from their usual hiding spot, dusting them to bring back their sparkle and soon enough, I'm sure we can start to hear Christmas carols playing all over town again. It will be my twins' 3rd Christmas and I hope I can make it extra special for them. Anyway, new month, new recipe! Recently, I experimented with a new main ingredient. One that I would always have in my freezer but all I do is to ask our helper to fry it. I'm talking about our National Fish -- Bangus  (Milkfish). I still remember learning about this little fact back in grade school. True enough, I think bangus is one of those fish that makes your dining table truly Pinoy . In fact, I had a hard time looking for bangus when I was in Singapore and I would ask my mom to bring me boxes of Rellenong Bangus  every time she and Papa would visit. We love boneless bangus as I honestly do not have the patie...

Just tonight, I came across a funny joke. It goes like this: Me: I'm good at multi-tasking God: Here, have twins. I must admit that I have said this line way too many times during job interviews from the time that I've graduated from my university up until my days in the Lion City. Funny thing is, I don't recall telling this to my current boss when she interviewed me last year. Can't really remember why I didn't but well, my plate has been overloaded from the day my twins came into this world and I think that will remain that way up until they probably graduate from college or when I retire..whichever comes first. Thankfully though, being a multi-tasker is normal in today's world. Gone are the days when we have the luxury to do one task at a time. In order to get things done while keeping your sanity intact, you just gotta hustle all day, every day.  I got to thank technology for making our lives easier. Not wanting to sound like a tech-crazy mille...

Finally, the long long long wait is over and this is one news that I've been soooo excited to share with you all. In fact, I had to keep it a secret for more than a year but now, the cat is out of the bag and here's the BIG news. The famous Instant Pot  is finally here in the Philippines and it's 220v ready!  Okay, perhaps not a lot of you are familiar with the Instant Pot  but let me tell you this, it's the newest innovation in home cooking where you can pressure cook, boil, steam, cook rice, make yogurt, saute and more. Back in the day when we would have the old school pressure cooker and my mom would warn us about getting close to it.  "I have a friend who's daughter opened the pressure cooker and sago shot up her nose and she needed to undergo surgery. So be very  careful, Frances."    I would still remember Mommy telling me this horrendous story and how that vision of mini sago (tapioca pearls) flying all around the room and one ...

Hi guys! It's been a while since I've shared a recipe here. My apologies. My entire family's (except for Little L, please spare her) down with the weirdest viruses since last week so we've been pretty much resting and getting drunks with meds. Anyway, J and I are recovering much quickly and we hope Paul's virus will go away pretty soon too as it's hard to watch the twins without Daddy. *waahh* Anyway, let me share with you one of the most recent kid-friendly dishes that Paul and I made for our twins. It's really not easy to have a picky eater but we somehow now have a better idea of what she likes and so we try to bank on that. For instance, L loves chicken. So, we try to be creative with this apart from the usual chicken soup, stir-fry chicken noodles, roast chicken and chicken nuggets, we try to introduce different dishes to them and while there's really no telling if the twins will like it or not, we will just keep on trying. We recently g...

It's March and that signals the tail end of the first quarter. I can't believe it. Pretty soon, summer will really roll in and before we know it, we're just about to bid 2019 good bye. Crazy! Time is zooming by in record speed. Anyway, March has always been one of my favorite months. It's the birth month of two of my bestest friends C and T, it's also when Paul and I found out that we were expecting (not knowing they're twins) and well, it's also the time when we would normally plan for our summer vacation too. I wonder if we can really go out and travel with our twins this year. Keeping my fingers crossed! March is also International Women's Month  where we celebrate women all over the world. Growing up, I guess I'm one of the lucky ones to be born to parents who never, at any point in my life, made me or my sister feel inferior being a woman. In fact, it's the opposite. They were very protective of us thus making us really feel so special and...

Wow 2019 is zooming by so so so fast, don't you agree? Look at this, we're half way in February and before we know it, we're halfway through the year and 2020 will start making its way through. Don't you wish that time would slow down a lil bit allowing us to breath, relax and have a bit more fun? As I was going through my blog archive, I realized that I haven't shared any recipes with you guys for the past 2 months. A lot of things have happened in 60 days that sometimes I feel like I just can't keep up! Anyway, let me have a good start to this exciting week by sharing one of my favorite easy-peasy recipes with you. This one can be done in less than 30 minutes and one that I love to do when I'm literally in a rush. That said, I apologize in advance for the awful photo qualities that you'll see below. No glamorized shots, no proper lighting, no stylized plating. I was seriously rushing to make dinner as I got stuck in traffic and came home with less th...

When you say Christmas in the Philippines, a number of things come to mind... Parol  (lanterns), Bibingka (rice cake with salted egg), Lechon  (roasted pig) , Noche Buena  (Christmas feast) and Queso de Bola.   Actually, I think I can name a lot more but that will definitely make this blog entry so so so long. Let me focus on Queso de Bola . Recently, I wondered how come this round cheese that's traditionally coated in red wax cover became so popular especially during Christmas. Well, a quick research showed that back in the day, edam cheese or queso de bola is one of the staple items during Noche Buena. I'd also credit this to brilliant marketing work of whoever is behind the brand who sold the first ever Queso de Bola. Imagine, while having cheese with crackers, nuts or fruits is something very European yet this was successfully adapted into our Noche Buena spread together with Jamon, Fruit Salad, Bibingka and Puto Bumbong.

The hubby has been extra busy with the opening of our newest baby project that he rarely has dinner at home. Despite how hectic our family schedule has been, I really am so proud of what he has accomplished and what he continues to do at his very best. So last Monday, in order to give him a good start to his week, I prepared a special lunch using one of our favorite pantry staples -- Japanese Curry . We always have a good stock of Japanese curry mixes in the house as it's so easy to use. Literally just saute veggies and meat, add this in, pour in a good amount of water and wait for it to boil. The result is this very umami meal that will make you say "oishi desu"! I got four types of curry to choose from -- Kokumaru Curry , Vermont Curry , Java Curry and the ever reliable Instant Curry . I've featured the Vermont Curry previously so this time, I decided to use the Kokumaru Curry  variant instead. What makes this different is how it produces an extra creamy textu...

Sardines is probably one of those canned goods that I don't think I'll get ever tired of having. That and corned beef. Oh, and also some real good luncheon meat. It has been my fallback food on days when I'm just too lazy to think of what to have for lunch or dinner or when I'm feeling extra picky about the food that's on the table. I personally like my sardines with sunny-side up egg. Regardless if it's the one with tomato sauce, chili tomato sauce or olive oil, I'd happily go for any of those. So, when I got a bag filled with cans of sardines, I wasted no time and I started cooking. I've been wanting to experiment with sardines for a long time now. Other than to just saute this with garlic, onions and to served is as is, I wonder if potato would go well with sardines too. Here's my personal creation using the basic croquette recipe which I jazzed up a bit more to complement the sardines that I have on hand. One thing that I love about this di...

This year, I got to play queen for two special occasions -- my birthday and Mother's Day . I swear, I was so thrilled by all the surprise gifts that came my way. Delimondo , one of my favorite corned beef brand, made Mother's Day extra memorable for me with their special delivery. Back when I was residing in Singapore, Paul and I would make it a point to fill at least 20% of our luggage with cans of Delimondo Garlic and Chili Corned Beef . It's the yummiest and easiest thing to have when we're in a rush and we don't have time to prepare our baon or dinner. I normally would even cook this with more garlic to make it more aromatic. Of course, it's either I have it with macaroni as how Mommy taught me or a piping hot bowl of rice. This time, we got their newest variants -- Delimondo Caldereta Corned Beef and their Sweet and Spicy Luncheon Meat . I got to admit that this is me taking a step outside my comfort zone as I'm just so used to their original flav...

Did you know that raisins can aid digestion? Furthermore, it can be a cure for anemia, insomnia and hypertension? In fact, a quick search online will point you to more benefits that eating raisins can bring however... I got to admit that I'm personally am not a fan of this healthy snack. I know that it has natural sugar making it a good treat option for young children. Perhaps, someday I'll train my twins to have raisins and pray that they won't grow up to be as picky as me. I hope they'll take after their Dad who doesn't have a single food aversion and he loves raisins too. So, if I don't eat raisins, then why would I make one with it? Simple. It's because my family loves it and since I love them so Oatmeal Raisin Cookies  it is! Another reason is because I got this huge bag of raisin sitting on my kitchen counter and OC me just can't bear seeing it untouched. I have to make good use of it and so here I am, baking away again while the twins were bu...

My birthday is still 3 weeks away but it sure does feel like I just received my first ever birthday present this year the day when I received a brand new (and sparkling) oven from De'Longhi Philippines . I couldn't believe it! For more than a decade, we've had our trusty and super heavy duty convection oven that was purchased right after my family moved into our new home. That oven has been with us through all ups and downs. It was our handy appliance as we began baking more after Mommy had a stroke, it was my late night buddy when I was feeling restless and I just wanted to bake to calm my nerves, Papa loved using it to toast his bread and Pan, as some point, even learned to bake some yummy bread too. I remembered how Paul and I would master getting the right temperature to perfect our cheesecakes back when we had our little baking business too. However, the time has come for us to bid our old oven good bye. The temperature has always been so off burning pretty much half o...

Lately, I always find myself running out of time. Do you have those moments too? In fact, my day starts earlier than usual as my twins are now extra playful and they're usually wide awake before 8AM. Despite how hard I try to keep my eyes shut, I can't ignore their playful kicks and non-stop babbling with high pitch shrieks here and there. That's how my morning begins and this is followed by a more regular schedule of feeding and napping. Sometimes we would go out either to the mall, to play with their Achie A or to visit my in laws. Before I know it, it's close to dinner time and we have to prepare them for bedtime. Add to the fact that good help is so hard to find and we take turns in doing a couple of chores to help lighten the load for our current staying help. Eating out or ordering food may be the best option to go for but we also miss that homey flavor of our home-cooked dishes. Thankfully, I recently received a 700g pack of Original Angus Beef Tapa (Php. 6...

Growing up in the Philippines, there's a common practice wherein some items (common nouns) are referred to by a particular brand (proper noun). For example, "Don't forget to close the Frigidaire (a popular brand of refrigerators)"  or "Do we still have Colgate? (toothpaste)"   As a marketer, I'd honestly take great pride if my brand will be used as such. Perhaps, this is one indication that the brand as made it as a household name. Similarly, when using butter, I often times would hear my Kongkong would say "Just add Anchor and sugar" when he actually meant "Just add butter and sugar". Well, Anchor Butter has been around for as long as I can remember and growing up, this is what I would also see in our fridge which we use to spread on bread, pancakes, on sweet corn and more. In fact, my favorite childhood breakfast was pretty simple. It's a piece of toasted bread with melted butter and sprinkled with white sugar. So simple but s...