> Funny food names for me include the Ilocano food - Poque Poque, Kabatiti, Warek Warek, and Utong... maybe because it sounds the same as some of Tagalog words. One other food that I find amusing (not totally funny though) is Budbud Kabog, a Visayan suman made of millet seeds.
> Kitchen dreams? Well, our kitchen isn't that elegant... in fact we set up a dirty kitchen (adjacent to the kitchen inside - where we store the plates and cooked food in pots), because cooking inside the house would cause the whole house to smell. Our original house wasn't that big, so when we had sister and that brother and I were growing up, parents decided to have a house renovation to make way for brother's room as well as widening the living room. It resulted in poor air circulation, so we cook outside where air is free flowing.
I do wish that in the future, we could have a kitchen makeover - maybe have a gas range with hood so we can cook inside the house (it sucks cooking outside during windy days). I also wish to have an oven because it is a dream to bake my own pastries, for special occasions. I don't really wish more as to how the kitchen will look like - as the whole house has its own color motif, just to have a spacious, easy to clean kitchen is enough for me, after all, it's not about how lavish the kitchen is, but the food that matters most.
It's still October, but pretty soon, it's Christmas once again. When I was a kid, mom would just prepare pansit bihon, macaroni salad and gelatin for Christmas... and when I was in high school, we would just wait for what the neighbors will give us for Noche Buena, since we will just sleep right after - no need to prepare that much. What we normally do is to prepare lots for Christmas Lunch, and as the years passed, parents have given us siblings total control in the kitchen.
These two pictures were taken in 2006. This (I think) was the time when sister and I hailed "kitchen queens" because we prepared the main dishes: she cooked Pork Pina Rolls, while I cooked Chicken Inasal (my first time to cook and taste the dish) and Penne with Mangoes. All the dishes tasted great, so the following years, we would be the ones cooking. Sister and I would take charge during Christmas, brother would take care of New Year's Day.
This year, I am planning to go a little healthier than the usual ultra-caloric food served during the holidays. This early, choices in my list include:
- Spinach Ravioli
- Penne with Pumpkin (Squash) Sauce
- Cabbage Rolls
- Haianese Chicken
- Grilled Spice Coconut Chicken
Obviously, that's not the complete list of choices, but whatever I decide to cook, I would go for 1 pasta dish, 1 main dish, and 1 dessert. It's a staple for us to have Buco-Pandan salad as well as hamon de bola, so I might not think of a dessert dish anymore, but if I find something that is healthy, then I might go for it.
I can't pig out anymore - even if it's Christmas and all have the "license" to be merry, so I have to make my choices good this year.
