So how I prepared it… you have to read this!

I asked someone to get an old coconut fruit. Then once cut and opened I shredded , and produced a fresh coconut milk.  On the stove I cook (over low-heat) the “rice” special rice for BIKO, we call it malagkit.. I describe it as sticky rice..lolz  Anyway my way of cooking Biko is separate from coconut milk.. I used to cook coconut milk over a high heat temperature and stir continuously until its natural oil comes out.  When that happens I add on the Brown Sugar / and the unrefined sugar.  Then I mix the rice on it.  Biko is served!!

Of corz I never eat Biko with out  hot pure chocolaty drink..

Tuna Fettuccini Carbonara

Yes! The taste is incredible and indescribable… try my recipe!

My version tastes perfect which includes mushrooms and tuna with more sauce than the Italian versions, a tasty meal that family members will love and ask for more.

Ingredients:

1 big can of Tuna flakes                                    250 ml all purpose cream

1 cup Button Mushrooms, sliced                 150g Fettuccini, cooked

2 Tbsp olive oil                                                   ½ cup evaporated milk

2 Tbsp minced onion                                      1 Maggi Chicken Broth cube

2 Tbsp minced garlic                                        Parmesan cheese

2 pc of red bell pepper                                     pinch of pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cook fettuccini for 10 min.
2. In a small pan, make a white sauce by combining the following: Hot oil and sauté garlic, onion and mushrooms just until slightly brown.  Add in tuna and bell pepper. Pour into broth and milk then simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off flame and stir in all purpose cream.
3. Toss in fettuccini and serve with parmesan cheese and a pinch of pepper.

This is what keeps me busy these days!  I love making ice candies and sell them!  Because Ice Candy is one of the usual summer treats of the Pinoys, especially the kids, I got a non-stop customer calling outside the gate to buy one or more.

It just started when I was at home for almost three weeks.  Nothing to do much while the sun warms above 32 degrees Celsius.  It was really hot!  I just made few pieces of buko flavor.  Then I realized I could do more and open my gate for kids…

Ice candy is very easy to prepare.  I could make 50 pieces in a half hour.  These are all I need: Ice candy wrapper (approximately 10×1”); a funnel; fruit/juice; water; milk and sugar.

After mixing all the ingredients, you just need to put an amount of it to a wrapper and tie it. Then hola! Your candy is ready for freezing time. My refrigerator looks like this…with piles of iced candy in different flavors; I do have Ice Candies available in different flavors: orange, mango, buko and avocado. Moreover I need to turn the freezing temperature to #5. It takes me 3-4 hours long to wait for the ice candies to get frozen.

Now it’s time to nibble the end of the plastic to sip or bite your desired iced candy!!  So refreshing against the warm day, keeping you cool in just one sip of its chilled sweetness. Gosh!! .. I remember my childhood years.

Who could refuse my iced candies? When they’re the most luscious taste in my place!

ice candies piled in refrigerator

..Saffron is mentioned in classical writings and in the Bible; Saffron is named among the sweet-smelling herbs in Song of Solomon 4:14.
..The poet Martial, mentioned the use of saffron as an air freshener with approval (Ep.5.25.7-8).
..The emperor Elagabalus (218-21 C.E.), an eccentric character from Emesa in Syria, swum in baths into which saffron or perfume had been poured (HA V. Elag.19.8).

Saffron Flower

Saffron (Zah’Fa’ron) is,..
Exotic, as a spice that adds pungent and aromatic flavor to food
Arty, as the flower of health gives a beautiful golden color
Costly, as it takes anything from 70,000 to 250,000 flowers to make one pound of saffron. Besides, the flowers have to be individually hand-picked in the autumn when fully open.
That is why Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world!!
Saffron is sold in two forms, powder and threads, and each behave very differently in the kitchen.
And if you’re a chef or cook, you should know how to best release that flavor and aroma in the food. You’ll need to experiment it by yourself.  Experience the aroma and flavor of Saffron’s chemical make-up which cannot be duplicated, then you can be famous for your great food taste creation!
To be sure that you are buying the good saffron, the commercial saffron comes from the bright red stigmas of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) the female part of the flower. In a good year, each saffron crocus plant might produce several flowers.
Each flower contains three stigmas, which are the only part of the saffron crocus that when dried (cured) properly, become commercial saffron. Each red stigma is like a little capsule that encloses the complex chemicals that make up saffron’s aroma, flavor, and yellow dye.
In order to release these chemicals, you must steep the threads. Powdered saffron is more efficient because it does not need to be steeped.
Luckily, half a teaspoon/a small amount of powdered Saffron goes a long way, so be sure to follow amounts listed in recipes.
Here is a universal guide:
1) If using mostly for color, such as in sauce, 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads soaked in 2 Tablespoons of hot water will be sufficient for a recipe using up to 5-6 cups of flour.
2) If using for flavoring, 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of saffron threads soaked in 2 Tablespoons of hot water or white wine will flavor 6-8 servings of soup, rice, pasta, or dessert.
The strong, exotic aroma and a bitter taste of Saffron flavors many Mediterranean and Oriental dishes, particularly rice and fish, and English, Scandinavian, and Balkan breads. It is an important ingredient in bouillabaisse, paella and risotto.  What a glorious food to add on to your menu!
Given a glimpse of what Saffron is, now it’s your turn to go search for more about it and be inspired with the ..
… beauty of Saffron.