Cafe Munchkin » Wordless Wednesday

WW #42: Arroz Caldo / Chicken Congee

munchkinmommy — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:54:00 +0000

I made arroz caldo last Sunday for dinner. Arroz caldo is a Spanish term which literally means “rice soup” and is the Filipino version of the Chinese congee. A complete meal in itself, it is one of my favorite comfort foods and is perfect for cold weather.

This looks waaaaay better than my first arroz caldo, which looked like sticky rice pudding…

I learn from my mistakes, you know. ;)

WW #41: New Year’s Eve Feast

munchkinmommy — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:03:15 +0000

We said good-bye to 2008 and welcomed 2009 with a bang of a feast. As party host, we prepared the following:

Holiday Ham bought from Target but baked and glazed at home. Market Pantry didn’t disappoint!

Lengua (Ox Tongue) with Cream of Mushroom Sauce

Steamed Wontons – I meant for this to come out like siomai but I used the wrong wrapper. I suggested to our guests to discard the wrapper. :D

Halabos na Hipon (Steamed Shrimps)

Our guests brought the following:

Pork Barbecue – This is how pork barbecue is usually done in the Philippines…skewered!

Lumpiang Shanghai (Fried Spring Rolls)

Papaitan (Ox Tripe Stew with Bile)

We also had fried chicken and meat balls. I don’t have a decent photo of either.

For dessert, I made the following:

New York Cheesecake – Hubby requested that I make a non-chocolate cheesecake. He loved this! :)

Leche Flan – I wasted 4 lbs. of sugar trying to caramelize it. I thought I’d have to blast it with air tools. Grrr. I’ve made leche flan before but whenever I’m cooking for other people, something seems to come up all the time. That’ll have to change!

Mocha Cheesecake – which, I’m afraid, I overbaked. :)

Our friends brought the following tummy tickling desserts:

Fancy Homemade Cupcakes and Cookies

Creamy Fruit Salad

That purple goodness on the oval platter is Halayang Ube.

The night’s run away favorite was Chocolate Banana Cream Pie, which, I didn’t have the chance to take a picture of.

Gosh, I can so make myself hungry. Hee hee. :D

WW #40: Happy Holidays!

munchkinmommy — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 06:07:27 +0000

WW #38: Fried Catfish Fillet and Green Mango Salad

munchkinmommy — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:38:38 +0000

Meals don’t always have to be such a big production. One night last week, we were more than pleased with a very simple fish meal…Fried Catfish Fillet served with a side of Green Mango Salad and steamed rice.

The catfish fillets were seasoned with salt and pepper then coated with seasoned flour then fried to a golden brown. Fillets cook very quickly so make sure to check your Movado watches for time. The rice, on the other hand, was sprinkled with crushed garlic chips.

To make the green mango salad, simply toss cubed green mango slices and sliced tomatoes in shrimp paste. You can add chopped onions and a bit of cilantro if you want. I’m just not such a huge fan of uncooked onions. :)

There you have it…a meal that is simple, stress-free and satisfying. ;)

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

WW #37: Beer

munchkinmommy — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:16:35 +0000

I never really warmed up to beer. Even the light ones. Just a few gulps and I’m red as a tomato. A few more and I’m sure to be tipsy. It’ll probably take me two bottles before I start talking about Wilmington NC real estate, something I know absolutely nothing about! Hee hee. It fascinates me that some are able to drink bottle after bottle of beer as if it were life giving water. I like champagne more, which is like me…sweet and bubbly. Hee hee! Kidding! :)

WW #36: Birthday Slice

munchkinmommy — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:52:22 +0000

Hubby celebrated his birthday last Sunday, November 23rd. The restaurant where we had lunch, Mimi’s Cafe, gave him a free slice of chocolate mousse. Now that’s sweet. ;)

I have another WW entry: Poker Face?

WW# 35: Homemade Shrimp and Pork Siomai

munchkinmommy — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:22:15 +0000

I made these entirely from scratch yesterday. As in everything including the wrapper! I will post the recipe shortly. :)

Happy Wednesday!

***Update***

I already posted the recipe here. :D

WW #34: Texas Renaissance Festival

munchkinmommy — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:51:57 +0000

Last Saturday, we spent close to 7 hours at the Texas Renaissance Festival, a renaissance theme park located in the town of Plantersville, Texas. True enough, the sights, sounds and tastes of the 16th Century was very much alive in the park.

Craving for fish and chips?

Wish granted!

Care for some sausage?

Tada!

How about a side of sauerkraut?

Cool off with a cup of ice cream.

Grab some pretzels to munch on while watching a jousting match!

The pretzels were certified bestsellers!

Who would have thought Kettle Popcorn go as far back as the 16th century? Tee hee. :D

We had a wonderful time immersing ourselves in the Renaissance period, a time when auto insurance quotes were unheard of. *wink*

The above photos are the “tastes” from the festival. Here are but a few of the “sights”, my other WW entry.

WW #33: Strawberries Dipped in White Chocolate

munchkinmommy — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:00:03 +0000

My friend, Veron, brought these goodies to our potluck post-halloween party on November 1st. Strawberries and chocolate are such a perfect match, don’t you think?

I have another WW entry here.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

WW #32: Monster Cupcakes

munchkinmommy — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:41:43 +0000

I got this pack of cupcake pix from Michael’s two weeks ago. I “test drove” them last Saturday on freshly baked chocolate cupcakes as a dry run of sorts for the treats I will be making this upcoming weekend. There are six designs of two pix each, for a total of twelve.

Bat. Check. Ghost. Check. Frankenstein. Check.

Witch. Check.

Mummy. Check

Dracula. Check.

All six monsters accounted for. *wink*

Abby made a “Skeletoni”, my other WW entry, a craft she made in school. :)

Enjoy the rest of the week!