Foodgasm

Ever since getting married, we(?) found a new fascination with food, not just eating it but making it. I don't know if this is because we are the boss of our household now (meaning we dictate our meal plan) or this is a common occurrence in our generation seeing our FB friends posting their creations or from Popy making me watch too many Gordon Ramsay shows. One thing I can say is that there is definitely satisfaction seeing and tasting something you made. It also helps (my ego :p) that my husband appreciates it. I love how Topeng's cooking style complements with mine. I like following a recipe while he likes cooking "from the heart". So pag palpak ang recipe, siya ang nagreretoke.:))
So that my cooking skills will develop and our meals will not be repetitive and boring, I came up with a "bunutan" system which I had Popy approve the list. The entries contain mostly Filipino foods and recipes I got from Mama Sita's or McCormick Philippines website. Some are asian dishes based from Asian Home Gourmet mixes and others from pre-packaged meals already existing in our kitchen (e.g. corned beef, pansit canton). I know, I know... paano ko gagaling sa pagluto nyan e puro mix at instant ang pinagbasehan ko?:))
Since I am not in the Philippines, most of these mixes might not be available so I can still choose to make it from scratch so that's my excuse.:p Thanks to a Leelee Supermarket located in Tucson, I can buy most of the Asian ingredients so I have no excuse not to make it from scratch.
During the process, one website stood out on my google searches for recipes: Panlasang Pinoy. The website owner also lives in the US so he knows which items might not be available in the stores and his recipes are easy to follow. Ang galing lang! :p

That being my #1 cooking resource, my #1 baking resource came from our dear friend Au. It is a Goldilock's bakebook she gave  me on my bridal shower. For someone whose favorite kitchen utensils are measuring cups and spoons, my success rate for baking is not that good. My weakness: Bread! Whoever said "Pagbinato ka ng bato, batuhin mo ng tinapay" will not benefit from my bread making skills because my bread is as hard as a stone!:)) The only time my bread came out decent was when I used a recipe at the back if a bread flour package. The recipe is for 32 servings but I found it too many so I only used a fourth of it. Mas maliit pa sa tasty ang kinalabasan pero sa wakas medyo malambot na sha thanks to Pop's kneading.:))

Bread aside, my siopao, empanadas, cakes and cupcakes are eatable naman. Bagsak lang sa presentation. This might be the reason why my husband is not a food photographer.:)) I have yet to learn how to assemble a cake properly, pipe icing and such.

You might be thinking: "Pano naging 'Foodgasm' ito, eh hindi naman ako nagutom?" Wala lang! Masyado lang ako natuwa ikwento ang pagiging domesticated ko in the kitchen.:))

Another thing that you might be thinking: "Where is the 'topengandnina' in all these? Parang mostly nina lang to e" (Sorry, mashado akong defensive.:p) Aside from being my resident dishwasher and food taster/cooking "retoke-der", I believe Pop's passion is meat. He likes grilling it and eating it because "that's what a man does":)) Di na sapat si Gordon Ramsay sa kanya, pati yung mga barbeque cook off shows pinapatulan nya.:p  No complaints here.:))