Hybrid Cha

Sosyal o Tanga (Classy or (Plain) Stupid)

2012-02-15T14:28:00.000+08:00

So I am listening to my favorite radio station and they have this portion: What's up Pussy Cat...simply the news update for the hour.

Here's the catch. The DJ will replace pussy cat with some other animal (say lion, crocodile, rat etc).

DJ1: What's up.. PALAKA? (frog)

So two senior DJs were like "kokak" "kokak" except for this student jock. I was picturing her gaping, as if lost in translation.

DJ2: Why? You don't know what palaka is?

Student Jock: No.

DJ2: it's frog. Wow ha, you're so sosyal you don't know palaka?

So tell me, is this student jock SOBRANG SOSYAL or SOBRANG TANGA LANG TALAGA?

PS the student jock is Pinoy! IDK if she was raised outside the country but I doubt.

#effinannoying

What can you say? Sarap lang sapakin!

Now how awesome is my father's hair brush?

2012-02-11T14:44:00.000+08:00

my dad took this from the Bench counter, decided he needed a brush and bought it.

how cute!

Guess what I found...

2012-02-11T13:54:00.000+08:00

May 2005

Around 130 lbs and stressed out!

OMG

Wish I was still 130 lbs

Who wants Beef Broccoli?

2012-02-11T13:52:00.000+08:00

Come join me!

The Effect of "Toot" in "Toot"

2012-02-05T10:47:00.003+08:00

Why do you have this effect on me?

The moment makita ko lang na "toot" ka...

PANIC MODE!

Waaahhhhhhhhhh!

#ValentineBlues

(yeah I just really need to vent this out, I thought nothing, but really, literally, my heart went frantic. What is kilig? Taranta? Asar lang!)

Tarty Enough???

2012-02-04T10:46:00.000+08:00

Tired, sweaty...and wearing red lipstick

A friend says "not enough (to pass the tarty test)".

This photo could never give justice of the dreaded lip color.

MAC Russian Red is a force to reckon with. It's matte (the lippie formula I love love love! I am a fan of matte and creme), highly pigmented (insanely pigmented it seems like cray pas) and pricey (a little less than a thousand Philippine pesos for a tube darn it...but no complaints, just worth buying!).

Nah, not my Russian Red but my colleague's. She just wanted a test run or something (I truly appreciate it!). Oh just one downside however. I do not want to eat wearing this lipstick as there's a tendency to be all over the place. Nah, when I eat I mean the type of eating wherein you stuff yourself, the simple snack will do but if you're up to lunch and dinner of rice and sauce-y viands then I am not quite sure if the lippie cooperates. Told you it's insanely pigmented and the last thing you want is to look like a clown if you wipe that stain of curry sauce off the corners of your mouth.

Enjoy the weekend guys! I slept for 12 hours could you believe that? if my mom did not wake me up for breakfast, I would sleep a couple more. HEAVEN!

Dream....

2012-02-04T10:28:00.000+08:00

My dream last night.. Something I clearly remember until now.

Taylor Swift having a concert here in Manila, oh well I was not able to see her when she flew here a year ago. It was a frustration.

Then some shifts... and saw this girl crying (like crying, not sobbing or anything). The girl crying is a grade school classmate. I don't know if I mentioned it here (or somewhere) but when we were on the same train, we're just opposite each other, we just made deadma of one another. Then this dream...She's sharing her misfortunes and I am her crying shoulder.

My God.

I was really awakened by it.

(I searched the meaning of "crying" in a dream and it says: If you dream of someone else crying this could mean that it is easier for you to identify with sadness by seeing it through someone else or it could mean that your shoulder will soon be needed for a friend to cry on. Another site says: To see others crying, forbodes unexpected calls for aid from you (this one I don't get).

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Workfood - Fish Fillet and Stir Fry Veggies

2012-02-04T10:08:00.000+08:00

G'day everyone!

How's everybody doing?

So far... I am back on my game! Was a bit annoyed the other day but I think I am all good now.

Trying to eat "as healthy as possible", check out what I had for lunch!

Ingredients

cream dory

salt, pepper, tad bit of flour (for the fish)

snow peas

string beans

garlic

ginger

canola oil

bell pepper

oyster sauce

hoisin sauce

sriracha sauce (optional)

sugar

sesame oil

sesame seeds (garnish)

Just toss everything in a pan! I like my veggies half cooked... Got a "rave response" from my mother! Perfect for the Lenten season too!!! ENJOY!

Love Month

2012-02-01T13:13:00.000+08:00

For Filipinos who are soooo hopelessly romantic, the love month is such a big deal.

As early as last week, I have seen red roses being sold in every street corner.

These establishments started playing those sappy love songs too as if setting the mood for some romantic dinner.

While here I am, like all those months in the past...

Love Month...what???

HAHAHA

#CheerstoallSingles

Dear Me**

2012-02-01T13:09:00.000+08:00

...for sure he does not care.

...so here you go again.

... you know where this is headed to. Yeah, waley!

... kurutin kita sa singit wala ka talagang kadala dala!

...oooooppppssss you did it again.

...okay ka pa?

...so far you are doing a great job.

...I know you are excited!

...stay cool and happy.

...I know if you can have it your way, you'll be away now.

**inspired by today's topic on The Morning Rush with Chico, Delamar and Gino.

Erwan Heussaff's DIY Barbecue Party

2012-02-01T12:40:00.000+08:00

How to Throw a Barbecue Party from erwan heussaff on Vimeo.

grabbed from his Vimeo account

...inspired much!

Check out his blog post here.

I really, really want this!

Errr, maybe I should plan a mini one for July (as early as now, you kiddin' me???)

Anyhow my BFF told me the other day: Pakain ka naman! Hahaha parang feeding program lang.

Yeah, I am sipag to cook like that it's just that, now, I have to be more disciplined (read: frugal) with my cooking escapades because of some other plans.

Whew!

But really, this one by Erwan is just COOOOOOOOOL!

A Little Miserable

2012-01-31T13:14:00.002+08:00

Thanks to you for ruining my mood.

For being too good to be true (to the point I thought of it as hypocrisy)

Yeah if you take back what you said

No I don't think there is a change of heart.

I only ask once.

#GameOn
#WatchHowIPlay

My California Dreams Tour Experience: January 22, 2012

2012-01-26T20:14:00.000+08:00

I will see a peacock soon.

The long wait is finally over!

After two years, one best selling album, five number one hits on the Billboard Chart, 124 cities toured, 14 million followers on Twitter, 38 million likes on Facebook, a handful of awards/nominations and one failed marriage, Katy Perry, one of the biggest pop stars of today closed her California Dreams Tour at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds on the eve of Chinese New Year.

Silver tix baby...

My friend Xmond and I were both at the venue around 4PM (concert scheduled at 8PM) yeah we're early birds like that. MOA ito plus silver tix ang hawak namin so malamang mala Hunger Games ang drama namin, matira matibay, mauna winner.

So this was taken while waiting outside the venue. In all fairness it was a typical sunny, windy, happy, promising January in Manille... love it!

Yeah, McDonald's... My friend and I ordered cheeseburger and Coke for snack. It was a little past six, just minutes after we were ushered to the open grounds.

The California Dreams Tour stage

While waiting for Katy, SM, a Chinese-Filipino owned conglomerate had a mini fireworks display. Sobrang mini. Mga five minutes lang ata ito. Medyo fail!

Okay so the concert's supposed to be at eight. Guess what happened?

Katy Perry started at 10 PM!

She tweeted of a certain security issue (fine!!!) but how can she explain the other day's three hour late during her perfume launch?

Yeah it was very annoying. Silver at SM Concert Grounds is ABSOLUTELY NOT THE BEST PLACE ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE SET FOR SOME WAITING GAME. It's the place where you get fifty fifty chances of a good view and a not so good view. Of course you will pick the good view right? Who would not.

The struggle to save our spot (this is free standing okay), the inefficiency of the bouncers to at least remind the people from the Gold section not to use the chairs (to stand), the loooong wait and the "stand up game", the evaporated urine (hehehe), the sweat, the breath of different people (most of them already hungry I reckon, I can smell hello!)... Needless to say, my friend and I were both stressed out!

Katy worked the crowd pretty well but I know may ibubuga pa ang crowd had she started earlier (and she brought this autistic na DJ na parang siya lang nasisiyahan sa spins niya HELLER naman).

From my 'calculation' she dropped four songs (one of which was a fave, Thinking of You) because it's too late already. It was a fun concert really. I just hope it'd be better by starting earlier (kahit one hour late lang two hours in that setting is waaaayyy too much).

Whoooo! Rant tong post na 'to! Bare with me guys! XOXO

Your Nails will Determine the Diameter of your "Choovaness"

2012-01-26T19:43:00.001+08:00

"ChoIs there any truth to this?

We have a colleague who "willingly" (or was he forced??) to "model" for us during lunch time.

I know right?!!!

Diamond shaped choovaness!

What the ---

Two more from two girls (interesting!)

And this is me with my niece "modeling' for the diamond shaped choovaness:

Try this at home!

"HG" STOKED!!!

2012-01-24T14:37:00.001+08:00

Will start reading "The Hunger Games" trilogy soon.

Actually, I've been hearing a lot of buzz about this set since last year but the "deadma ever" I am, hell yeah, I just made deadma.

Then, two weeks ago, the fave radio station played "Safe and Sound" (a different Taylor Swift!) and I just said: oh boy I have to read this na, as in now na.

Excited lang ako!

(The book is goooooooooooood daw according to my friend)

Happy Chinese New Year Y'All

2012-01-23T10:59:00.000+08:00

Eng Bee Tin Sweet Corn from my aunt

Best tikoy sooooo far!

Daydreamin' a California Dream

2012-01-21T13:54:00.000+08:00

"Ano kaya mangyayari? marami kayang tao sa MOA? ibibirit kaya ni Katy Perry yung dulo ng Hummingbird Heartbeat? normal version na kaya ng The One that Got Away yung kakantahin niya? Marami kayang Firework? Musta naman yung mga male back up dancers niya, wafu kaya???"

"Di bale na! Fight na! STOKED!"

Green Salad

2012-01-21T13:48:00.000+08:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE GREEN SALAD

that's my dinner last night (it's partnered with mayonnaise+EVOO+honey)

#YUM

(not on a diet, I just find it delish)

Paper Talk

2012-01-21T13:43:00.000+08:00

Notebook courtesy of my boss -- another year of dividing the workload to the team.

Papemelroti mini calendar to plot all my vacations, to write down all my work passwords (a lot!) etc. Can't start my new year without a calendar like this... been going on for a couple of years now.

Excited to fill those pages out.

Adele's Chasing Pavements and Make you Feel My Love

2012-01-19T13:07:00.000+08:00

Okay I know this is very late but I think I am officially Adele'ized!

♫Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements?♪

#nowplaying Make You Feel My Love

This is MYFML at the Royal Albert Hall, in an instant, goosebumps in all areas possible. Can I just shed a tear?

Adele I promise if you come over here in the Philippines I will watch your concert.

The Morning Rush with Chico, Delamar and Gino! (January 13, 2012)

2012-01-14T12:11:00.003+08:00

the book that makes me laugh and giggle and ticklish

I've been an official RX listener, a "Silent Rusher" in particular January 2011 when my colleagues "inspired" me to listen to the station.

Since then, my mornings are never dull, never nega, never a bore! Yes, I am not a perfect fan, there are times I would turn off my radio during the Morning Rush (I didn't like the topic that's why) but I still am an avid listener.

My colleagues would hear me giggle thank God they have not (or have they???) seen me clap alone, at my work station because ChiChi (Chico Garcia) is such a huge ball of wit and humor. Delamama (Delamar) is the more serious part of the show but I love her "corniness" and her voice! Recently, they added the handsome Gigi (Gino Quillamor) to the program and now I have my fix of "girliness slash bromance".

Last year, November 18th to be exact, my wonderful work friends and I decided that we visit the station. To our dismay Gigi was out for some work related gig. We postponed the "trip."

When Delamama returned after a two month maternity leave (she gave birth to a cute baby boy named Cooper) in December, we decided to push for a radio visit in January.

Holler, guys! It was a success! We were there yesterday, Friday the thirteenth! Anak ng pating, ang aga ng call time!

Myself, Kathleen and Karing: we found love in the RX Booth! LOL
In fairness aahhh?? If you are going to visit the booth around 5:30 AM to catch a little bit of The Morning After and the entire The Morning Rush shows, brace yourselves, you have to get inside Strata 2000 through the basement and that creepy "light-less" lift! I was on "Kris Aquino mode" that morning in case a dead body falls from the upper floors.

Sorry for the shot but just so you know, RX 93.1 is a multi awarded FM station

Strictly No Eating inside the booth? you crazy? The episode was about all the champagne and cheese! The hosts were eating the whole time it was insane!

with DJ Alven of The Morning After. He was very shy (or was he just a bit suplado) -- with JP (left most) from Globe Telecoms. Anyway Alven, if you get to read this don't worry Imma continue listening to TMA no matter what! Thank you for perking up my early (early!) morning!

with FHM vixen DJ Karen Bordador! The ONLY reason why I listen to the RoRo Show. If you get to read this Teacher K, keep up the good job! Wag ka papabara kay Rico Robles ever! (hey guys you must be drooling now! you should! Karen is bait in person!). Speaking of Rico Robles and Jude Rocha (RoRo Boys) I wanted to have pics taken with them too bad I didn't know how to approach 'em! Especially Rico!

SCORE TIME!

The candy cutie Gigi!!!
Though medyo emotero si kuya, check lang. My girls really had a wonderful time with their "ganda points".
I thought Gigi was "isnabero" because he was "emo-emohan" but when we starting handing out our books for signing, he was cool pala! And game with photos! I was glad I was able to call him GIGI. Ang reply ni kuya? So kailangang Gigi talaga??? #LOL

Am not really a fan of DJ Fran...until yesterday... she's the only DJ who greeted us (booth visitors) "good morning", the only DJ who said "bye guys" and the only DJ who asked us "is it your off today?". Did I tell you she smiles all the time too? Wala na, love ko na si Fran!

Finally...

What an honor to keep in touch to the icons of Philippine radio:

CHICO AND DELAMAR!

15 years and counting...
Del is a tiny woman with a pretty face (no make up fresh off the bed my God a breath of fresh air) while Chico is such an insane man! Tumbling! I asked him to do greets for my colleagues, for the people inside the booth, my mom and the good friend Yolly (who's listening!) channeling his inner call center guy. OMG. Hilarity to the nth level. Why call me CHACHA when you can call me CHUH-CHUH eh?!!! ChiChi I LOVE YOU FOREVER!

We ended the morning with a brunch at Milky Sunny -- cheers to the girl's day out.

Indeed, the booth visit was a blast! Wanna do it again! Thank you to the lovely Kariza and Kathleen for the wonderful time!

Before leaving RX 93.1

Thank you for signing the book ChiChi, DelDel and GiGi!!!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Workfood - Back to Back Beef (Easy Peasy)

2012-01-14T11:19:00.000+08:00

Hi there!

I've eaten beef for the last two work days off this work week and I am sharing with you the easy peasy meals I have done with the beef strips.

This is Honey Mushroom Beef. You just have to have beef stock, garlic, honey, sugar, salt and chili flakes (optional). Too bad I think I put a little more sugar to the dish, it's kinda sweet. A bit of a boo boo but there's nothing that a little more beef stock, salt and reduction can't do.

This is the legendary bistek tagalog which I have not cooked for quite a long time. Ingredients are soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, calamansi, onions and potato. This one is delicious the Hybrid Cha way. One thing though, wish I put more sauce to the dish because it was a bit dry for my me and my steamed rice.

Enjoy y'all! XOXO Hybrid Cha

You! Yes, You!

2012-01-10T16:22:00.004+08:00

If you get to read this, I just want to say "hi".

Hugs and kisses,

Hybrid Cha
(PS I don't usually do this on my blog, this random "hi" thing, but hey! there's always a first time for everything right? cheers!)

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Gravy Love

2012-01-07T11:28:00.000+08:00

My first time to make gravy turned out as a disaster. While my chicken was a success it was all over the place, for sure.

Not yesterday!

I received raves for my gravy YES! Aside from the wonderful texture it did taste amazing! My dad said: parang KFC tong lunch natin!

chook tenders cooked by the sister

my plate

Just make a roux from butter and flour then add chicken stock. Bring to a boil then season with salt and pepper.

YUM!

If This Was a Movie on RX 93.1 The Daily Survey

2012-01-02T13:53:00.001+08:00

Call it a "bad day" for me... New Year just got me feeling insane and in less than 12 hours, I've vomited twice, had my head spinning like Kylie Minogue plus my stomach's a little grouchy too. Oh well, too much for me to handle but still managed to go to work -- that's simply how I roll!

Failed to eat my lunch and munched on that apple instead. Not a hundred percent today yeah but guess what??? Such a sweet surprise to hear "If This Was A Movie" on RX! Yeah, the Taylor Swift track off "Speak Now" that I have been raving since November 2010. Read here!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the DJs...Whew! Now that woke me up!

#thesimplejoys

#Ireallyappreciateit

Hybrid Cha's Make Up Assignment: Jasmine May de la Vega

2012-01-01T11:30:00.000+08:00

Hi everybody!

How was the New Year's Eve celebration? I hope you had a wonderful time!

This is actually a "late" post as I've completed this look last week (Christmas Day) but since I got a little busy I only get to post it now.

Just a simple look... baby powder, eyeshadow, lippie and eyeliner...and...faking eyebrows!

This is my cousin's eye. Look at her brows! She's got very unruly ones and she hates having her brows touched.

As a "remedy", what I did was "erased" her brows with concealer and topped it with eyeshaodw. Then, groomed her brows by drawing arches!

Tada! Nice brows right??? Happy New Year mga Teh!

HAPPY 2012 TO Y'ALL!

2012-01-01T10:38:00.000+08:00

YUP!

Kailangang excited talaga kasi nga New Year.

Much love,

2011 is a year of eating yummy!: The Hybrid Cha Year Ender

2011-12-31T13:30:00.003+08:00

Two thousand eleven. Is over. Soon.

Heck, I think I watched waaaaayy too many cooking shows this year! It seems that I had too much of it, my whole year basically revolved around MasterChef, Hell's Kitchen, Iron Chef America, Chuck Hughes (well he's a crush), Tyler Florence, Ina Garten, Giada de Laurentiis, Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray, Adrian Richardson, Bill Granger, Ben O'Donoghue... yes, all those celebrity chefs! And this list is almost endless! Like love, endless love!

With this said, absolutely, what follows is that, I would be inspired to practice (and practice...and practice) cooking and... yup! post my finished products here on my blog (applause!).

Cooks however, have good days and bad days. Bad days? I had heaps of 'em. Like this. This... This one too... and this as well!

Of the 100+ (yeah, a hundred plus! Damn!) recipes filed under "Cooking Assignment", a bulk of it from 2011, for sure, I have missed out on a couple more "bad days". But hey! I did cook some wonderful food this year! It was still a yummy year after all!

Since 2011 was a blessing to me and my family, I am sharing with you 11 recipes that I handpicked to be (re)featured here. I hope you try them as well! My dish are simple, straightforward and yummy. Enjoy!!!

1. My Bangus Sisig -- who can ever, ever go wrong with this classic Filipino dish? What makes me proud of it is that I tried it for the first time and boy was it sooooooo good! My recipe could be dry and crispy (like what my colleagues want) but I suggest to try the "wet" version (with mayonnaise and gizzard). Up to now, the idea of cooking this wonderful dish again makes me uber giddy.

2. Chicken balls in a Thai stir fry -- sweet, salty and spicy anyone? If you are like me, hundred percent you are a fan of some amazing Thai flavors. By getting a little inspiration, I was able to whip up a dish that entices the Thai woman in me. Lovely! (and did I say it was really fragrant when I was cooking it?)

3. Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and fresh green salad -- I love peanut sauce. It's one of the sauces I really tried learning since I know no one at home is interested at learning this. I love chicken satay too because it's a curry based dish and yeah, it's chicke3 en. My love for green salad is likewise huge. I love the crunch of iceberg lettuce, the succulent cucumber, the freshness of tomato and the edge a dressing brings to everything. To combine everything in one plate is just love.

4. The Healthy Pasta (Pasta in Coconut Milk) -- another celebrity chef inspired dish, it's a twist to the traditional pasta that you either load with tomato sauce, ground beef, cream, pesto, olive oil and cheese. It has a super Asian flair to it -- definitely, a must try!

5. My Potato Salad -- let me borrow SMART's former tagline: SIMPLY AMAZING. #nuffsaid

6. Tuna Inasal Rice -- Gosh! A dish I got from... a fashionista! Another inspiration! Bam! This is one of the most precious times that I rocked some pantry ingredients (and the meatballs were yummy too but the real star of the plate was the rice, hands down). I just love this rice meal. I am Filipino like that!

7. My Skinless Longganisa -- ahhh, the Filipino sausage. Who would thought that I made one this year? First time and I nailed it that my parents and sister could not believe it was actually homemade??? Next time I'd do it, I will make it bigger. Yes, the bigger the better. Plus the performance, yes... bigger longganisa that performs better... on the taste buds. Oooopppsss! No pun intended *wink wink*

8. Anything TOFU -- tofu is a family fave! Hands down! Oh maybe you would like to cook your tofu with oyster sauce, or maybe with the classic tausi or maybe something with loads of spice.

9. Sausage with Tainga ng Daga Pasta -- an offshoot of my boss's blockbuster three sausage pasta, this dish is really a winner for it is easy and quick to make... not to mention that it's delish! Heck, was I really surprised! Even no-cook folks will find this dish a lifesaver! (an epic pantry ingredients thingy there!)

10. Pasta Marinara with Meatballs -- an early Christmas treat! Yummy yummy yummy pasta there!

11. Beef in Thai Red Curry -- end the year with something sizzling hot! Without a doubt, the best curry dish I cooked for 2011! Oh by the way, did I tell you that I made the curry from scratch? Now that's some extra lovin'...

I guess 2012 is still going to be yummy, don't you think? As for me, I will not stop learning and learning. I will experiment and try. I will seize any opportunity to explore a pantry, kitchen, supermarket and my own taste buds. I can hardly wait...to cook and eat! Happy New Year everyone! ♥

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: REDEMPTION! Beef in Thai Red Curry

2011-12-31T13:19:00.000+08:00

At last!

After the horror that was this, I can proudly say that I have redeemed myself! And it feels good! The family gave an approval, YES!

Too bad I will not be making Thai Red Curry anytime soon, I was heaps naumay!

garnish with basil and lime for an extra punch... yummy!

Ingredients (curry)

shallot

lemongrass

garlic

ginger

cumin

coriander stems

coriander seeds

fish sauce

sugar

chili

chili powder

tomato paste

lime

Ingredients (for frying curry)

coconut milk

cinnamon stick

bay leaf

lemongrass

EVOO

Veggies

spinach

basil

sweet peas

eggplant

I hope you replicate this one too! Fairly easy peasy!

Noche Buena supermarket galore later!

2011-12-23T09:02:00.000+08:00

And I can hardly wait!

Tonight, probably around 8:30 PM (yes eight thirty pee ehm) mom and I will go to SM North EDSA to purchase the noche buena ingredients -- draft courtesy of yours truly, approved by the mother. Some ingredients I will buy myself HAHAHA as always!

Just super excited! Tomorrow is going to be busy. At least for me. BTW my mom changed the original plan (menu)...I will just make kwento once Christmas is over. Just excited! I hope no more anxiety attack anymore!

Mwahhh!

Hybrid Cha's Make Up Assignment: Lhalaine Thelma de la Vega

2011-12-21T19:28:00.000+08:00

It was the cousin's party at work and she asked me to do the make up for her!

Oh di ba??? What can you say about the before and after shots? From stressed out to party ready all out!

For the eyes, I applied a green shimmery eye pencil topped with brown and black eyeshadows. Highlighted the browbone and applied falsies too! #yesfalsiesisthekey

Of course, I shaped her brows, contoured her cheeks and...applied a pale pink lippie, Revlon Pink Pout!

One flaw though. My cousin had this super huge pimple on her nose. I was not able to "fully correct" it as I do not have a make up that could cover up the surface seamlessly (I only used foundation, BB cream and concealer). I explained to her and my aunt (her mother...yes! She was watching me do the make up! Thank you for the support!) that I need this type of make up if I want to really cover up the blemish. Too bad, MUFE is pretty expensive! Do you have any inexpensive suggestions for correctors?

Whew! Love love love this post... One of my most fave works of art!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Pasta Marinara with Meatballs (a prelude to Chrsitmas! #delish)

2011-12-21T19:19:00.000+08:00

Gidday world!

For the past few days, mom and I have been busy "planning" our Noche Buena menu. I was excited by the suggestion! And hell yeah, I'm the cook! My mom entrusts the dish to who else but me? I am stoked! But hopefully, no Christmas anxiety anymore, pretty please.

One of the requests I received from mom was pasta with red sauce. What red sauce shall I prepare then?

Surprise, surprise! Pasta marinara! And since there is a kilo of ground beef inside the fridge, I might as well put some meatballs too! YUM!

Had I known that my dad wanted the authentic "sour" taste of fresh tomato on his pasta, I would omit that "tad bit of sugar" to kill this asim. Haaayyyy...anyhow, the mom and the dad were a bit bitin -- I told them, especially dad that it's only a "sample" so I did not cook a lot. Glad to receive a go signal from them to prep this on Christmas!

Ingredients (meatballs)

ground beef

flour

egg

salt

pepper

Ingredients (marinara sauce)

tomatoes

basil

oregano

salt

pepper

tad bit of sugar

Very simple ingredients indeed, but loads of yummy-ness! Of course I will post what I just made for Noche Buena! you just wait! And hopefully in January... hmmm... I will embark on something. I hope I get that something right.

David Guetta's Without You

2011-12-19T13:02:00.002+08:00

I love this song! And video!

Can't get enough of this... haaayyyy...

Party! Party! The IHG-Manila Team Christmas Party (December 6, 2011 -- InterContinental Hotel Manila (yes, t'was a rainy Tuesday!)

2011-12-12T22:39:00.002+08:00

Folks! Howdy???

It's the time of the year when the boring office junkies turn into party freaks!

This post however is a bit different from last year's. Why??? Because I was glad to have "clients" for this day, given that our party was on a Tuesday!

Four gorgeous ladies entrusted me their faces and heck was I effin' honored! With that said, I think I want to go to make up school NOW NA as in NOW NA.

Client number one: Kariza

Originally client number two, I decided to do smoky eyes on her (she's a huge fan of eyeliner like me! Too bad that my eyes are too watery for this beauty weapon). Applied pale pink lippie to complement the strong eyes (hahaha this pink lipstick is Revlon Pink in the Afternoon and oh boy was this harassed that day!). Kitten turned lioness!

Client number two: She She

Originally client number three, Bombshell rocked the gray/black eyeshadow and pale pink lips. The vixen in her!

Client number three: Kath

The original client number one who had some minor wardrobe issues (fixed in the nick of time my goodness!) wore neutrals that emphasized the contours of her eyes).Yeah, the Revlon Pink in the Afternoon completed her look too. In animal print? The tigress!

Client number four: alias Mia

Requesting for a simple look for the night, I just highlighted her outer V and bam! Revlon Scarlet Velvet there you go! That's how this momma rocks... simple pero rock talaga! She's the only one wearing red lippie and I did not hear any complains whatsoever! Apir!

Again, I am such a loser for not bringing my own camera so I can take before and after shots. Anyway, here are some sample photos on last Tuesday's event (very, very limited though, I am still waiting for two more upload batches edited 121511 -- too bad the uploaded ones do not have the ones I'd love to have here... hulas na ang muk ap nang karamihan! WAAHHHHH! #tantrum):

L-R: Kariza and Kathleen (yun oh!)

front row, L to R: She She, Lei (I did her eyeliner oh yeah!), Mitch (she borrowed my eyeshadow quad) and the very pregnant Mia

L to R: yours truly, Joyce, Mia, SheShe and Alainey

I am very glad that my lovely dolls just let me do what I wanted to do on their faces. Thank God too that their faces are same with their necks... no grey casts on pictures! Whoooo! Such a pet peeve, super thank you that there's no "foundation day" that night. I wish though that I had put more blush on their cheeks or maybe just to do some contouring. Parang nangawala sa ere si L'Oreal blush!

Anyhow, THANK YOU HEAPS to these ladies, for trusting in me. I promise to practice more. I am getting better by the day because learning is a constant, unwavering process. So... pa'no ba yan? Till next year!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Daredevil Wings a la Hybrid Cha

2011-12-12T21:17:00.000+08:00

Not for the faint of heart.

If you are not a fan of spicy food but would love to try these wings, hahaha, eat this after a couple of hours so the spiciness decreases (my mom was the best example, kinaya niya yung anghang; she went some place and we had to keep two wings for her).

Very easy to make! All you have to do is marinade overnight then... fry the next day! I made coleslaw to accompany this hot dish. Om nom nom!

charred spicy wings yum!

fresh off the pan

Ingredients

chicken wings

paprika

cayenne powder

sugar

honey

garlic

salt

white pepper

ENJOY!

My Chef D'Angelo Eat All You Can Experience (December 10, 2011)

2011-12-12T20:51:00.000+08:00

Hawaiian pizza for you

My mom and I decided to have lunch at Chef D'Angelo SM San Lazaro branch. I was quite insistent about this because I wanted to reward myself -- last week WAS HELL! I was STRESSED OUT I almost cried! WAAAHHHHH! Never again, comrade, never again! Hmpft!

the other side of the buffet table -- too bad I was too busy eating. This makes me a horrible photographer #inuunaangbituka

pizza and salad!

Okay, back to business. At 175 PhP/pax you're in for salad, pasta, soup and pizza. Though the selection is a bit limited, I could say it's still a good deal!

FIRST ROUND! fish fillet with aioli sauce, pepperoni pizza, baked veggie, potato salad and Alfredo pasta

For the salad, CDA offers potato and Caesar. The pasta (choice of fettuccine and spaghetti) has four sauce choices -- two red (vodka sauce and olive and caper sauce) and two white (Alfredo and another one, a very bland one I forgot what it is called).

CDA also serves cream of mushroom soup, rice pilaf, sesame crusted fish fillet and baked vegetable melange which I looooove looooooove looooooove! All the veggies slathered with olive oil and cheese baked to perfection, heck yeah loveehhhhttttt!

eat all you can wrist band (and yes I am balbon that way!)

The star of the buffet however is the pizza. Pepperoni and Hawaiian. But my super favorite is the four cheese pizza. Too bad, it was not there that time (epic disappointment).

Before I end this post, I just took a shot of the "models" of Chef D'Angelo.

take your pick

Can you guess who I was rooting for?

I was hoping he'd leave the kitchen and introduce himself to us! ULTIMATE YUM!

Chef D'Angelo Eat-all-you-can

175 PhP/pax (approximately 4 USD per head)
Monday to Sunday
11 AM to 2 PM
5 PM to 8 PM

Chef D'Angelo
Address: 3F SM San Lzaro
317-318 SM City Felix Huertas cor Lacson Streets
Sta. Cruz, Manila
0922-874-1732 or 0927-330-1947
Official website: http://chefdangelo.net

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Green Mango Shake

2011-12-12T19:48:00.000+08:00

Refreshing!

If only my blender was cooperating it will be more puree'd. Yes, there were mango tidbits, no fuzz though, it was still good. I love it!

'kala mo summer!

Ingredients

green mango

ice

water

milk

sugar

Enjoy! slurp-slurp-slurp!

Bye hair!

2011-12-10T11:04:00.000+08:00

22 July 2011

03 December 2011

PAK!

Hybrid Cha's Make up Assignment: FULL EYEBROWS ang peg

2011-12-10T11:02:00.000+08:00

Obviously, I love doing full eyebrows lately. Wala lang, feel ko lang talaga tumodo sa eyebrows.

Okay to be honest, I really love how her MUAs do the brows of Kathryn Bernardo. Hell yeah umamin din sa tunay na pinaghuhugutan!

guinea pig: sister

mother with son

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Workfood - Sausage and Wood Ear (Tainga ng Daga) Mushroom Pasta

2011-12-10T10:50:00.000+08:00

Gidday everyone! Greetings from the gloomy, stormy and abnormally rainy December here in Manille! Absolutely, not the best way to rock December. Should be sunny and cold! Not rainy and (therefore) cold!

For work, I cooked this easy peasy pasta dish -- yep! pantry ingredients to the rescue! I must say this is good and fragrant! The oregano and basil did wonders. YUM! Can hardly wait for lunch.

see the steam? yum at 5 o'clock in the morning

share tayo!

Ingredients

pasta

EVOO

garlic

CDO bologna sausage (with a drizzle of honey)

wood ear mushroom
lemon juice (just for a hint of acidity)

dried basil

ground oregano

salt

white pepper

chili powder or paprika (optional; garnish)

parmesan cheese (optional; garnish)

I promise, this was amazing. Very simple yet very tasty...and smells soooo good too! Hope you replicate this dish at home, share it with your friends and colleagues as well!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry

2011-12-10T10:44:00.000+08:00

Another pantry ingredients parteeeeyyy!

I just whipped up a wonderful beef dish. Haaayyyy... forever pantry ingredients ang peg ng lola n'yo.

Ingredients

beef strips

garlic

shallots

ginger

carrot

zucchini

hoisin sauce

salt

pepper

sugar

fish sauce

chili powder

sesame oil

sesame seeds (garnish)

spring onion (garnish)

Optional

iceberg lettuce

basil

coriander

Enjoy!

"Remember me this Way" gift

2011-12-10T10:41:00.000+08:00

Per our Monito Monita organizer Alainey: it's not necessary that you buy a gift for this MM session.

My plan A failed. Epic fail talaga!

I was supposed to give my baby a wonderful photo (with matching frame) but when I had the picture printed, it absolutely did not give justice to the photograph. Baka sakalin ako ni *toot* pag nalaman niyang 1. I kinda "stole" one of his photos (but he would not mind I am sure, malakas ako ro'n eh) 2. the print out of the photo was super chaka.

So, plan B tayo. Here it is!

You may get the ingredients here. I just added beet root to today's recipe (hence the colour).

Enjoy enjoy enjoy! PAK!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Apple Salad

2011-12-10T10:39:00.000+08:00

Hiyahhh!

This recipe I learned from Chef at Home himself, Michael Smith. I do not know if I got all the ingredients right but most likely, I got the dish right!

The smurfs (nephews and niece) freaked out a bit with the smell of the apple cider vinegar but the sisters and the dad (and the father dear consumed the entire salad kalurky) enjoyed it! YUM! I had a wonderful appetizer.

Ingredients

apples

bacon (drizzled with honey before frying)

shallots

apple cider vinegar

EVOO

salt

pepper

tad bit of sugar

Enjoy this simple but delish salad! :)

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Workfood - Pesto Pasta with Ham Bits

2011-12-10T10:35:00.000+08:00

My gosh! I was a bit in the mood today to cook my food. My shift starts 8AM but I woke up around 4:30 AM to prep and to eat a portion of it too (hahaha).

Ingredients

pasta (cooked according to package directions)

EVOO

basil

garlic

peanut

ham

salt

pepper

tad bit of sugar

cheese (optional)

Nothing so special about this dish but it's good. Oh by the way, my blender is such a loser! Am an epic fail on blenders! I was not able to 1. crush the peanuts very well 2. get the consistency I wanted for the pesto. Anyhow, it was still fun consuming the entire thing -- half for breakfast, half for lunch at work *burp!*

Orange Chicken a la MasterChef Australia

2011-12-10T10:31:00.000+08:00

One of the dishes I wanted to replicate since I started my MasterChef Australia addiction is Claire Winton-Burn's Fried Masterstock Chicken with Chili Caramel and Orange Salt. I had the recipe printed out and tweaked it just a bit. The result was awesome! The family loved it! And I loved it too! I nailed the masterstock and the chili caramel I guess. Awwww... Up to know, the chicken dish still lingers on my mind and I want a sequel to it!

Ingredients (masterstock)

water

soy sauce

star anise

cinnamon stick

ginger

garlic

sugar

(two) oranges (zest and segments)

Ingredients (chili caramel)

water

sugar

chili flakes

tad bit of salt

Ingredients (orange salt)

rock salt

orange rind

gosh I want this again

An easy dish that you can serve on a super fun Sunday afternoon with the family, if not on special occasions. Have a blessed day to y'all!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Sinful Shake

2011-12-10T10:26:00.000+08:00

On the eve of my sister's 24th birthday, we decided to whip up the "traditional" Javier girls' shake. I grew up drinking daddy's fruit shakes and when it was our time to take the reins of the blender, voila! We concocted this epic shake that, from then on, I called the "sinful shake".

What you need: ice, water, Oreo cookies, milk, sugar, Milo and peanut butter.

milk + ice + water + oreo

milo + sugar + peanut butter (yes, not poo)

cheers!

Now that's sinful! Have a happy day y'all!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Workfood -- Curry Beef Cakes with Dip

2011-12-10T10:17:00.000+08:00

Left over Red Curry + ground beef + flour, bread crumbs, egg = beef cake

Fish sauce + vinegar + sugar + garlic + ginger + lime juice + sesame oil = bonggang dip!

Cheers!

DeadMa

2011-12-09T08:22:00.000+08:00

Deadma - (v) to ignore someone or something intentionally with or with no apparent reason; (n) a person who does the ignore something or someone intentionally with or with no apparent reason at all.

That was the case this morning! Gosh!

I was face to face with a grade school classmate on the LRT. FACE.TO.FACE. From Monumento to Gil Puyat. I was trying to sleep and she was reading.

She was one of the coolest girls around when we were classmates and catching up with her could have been awesome, it's just that... WHAT WILL I SAY TO BREAK THE ICE? I never met up with her since waaaaayyy back 1998 so there. Epic deadma.

PS several posts coming up...maybe tomorrow. By golly. It's been a while.

K-kinda Beseeey!

2011-12-05T08:06:00.000+08:00

Howdy world???!!!

It was raining non stop the whole Sunday AND now, it's freaking smoggy/foggy! Yikes! I am not celebrating Christmas under the rain...count the New Year as well!

As usual, I am still busy and have a couple pending entries (food, food and food!). Tomorrow is the office's Christmas Party and I have not had my mani-pedi session yet. #laternalang

I miss this blog. This is my outlet, this is where I channel my passion, frustration, happiness... at times I think of shutting this blog down para matapos na, I will not feel anxious of my pending posts etc but I've come this long, sige na nga, try ko pa ituloy. Haaayyyyyy... and by the way, I got dizzy looking for some vintage-y bling bling at SM North EDSA last Saturday! WHAT IS SUPER KADUPER THE DAMI NG PEOPLE?!!! I was about to purchase a blouse as well but the queue on the fitting rooms just went on forever and ever (amen). Hell, that can wait, in January na lang. Also, the bling bling I found were... mahalia jackson! At 399+ PhP and I am going to use it for tomorrow (good luck to me if I'd get to use the necklace more than four times, it'd probably end up inside my closet lang) I do not think it's a wise idea (to purchase it).

With this said, I ended up purchasing three huge bottles of Apple Cider vinegar, Hoisin sauce and yeah, I literally jumped at the supermarket (I was kilig like crazy!) when I saw Sriracha sauce! There, my 300+ PhP all went to my sauces/condiments. I used everything yesterday. Ang saya ko lang. Told yah, I hate dressing up, I am bad at it. But I love cooking and experimenting... duh! Just don't bring me any closer to the supermarket's Asian/spices/condiments sections, you'd go nuts with my passion for those things.

Yikes, wrote a lot! See you sometime... Maybe Thursday (?) or Saturday (?) IDK still when to get those posts live on my blog. Cheers to Monday!

It's This Time of the Year

2011-12-01T09:09:00.000+08:00

Heck yeah December, how could you be so cold each year?

I've been listening to my Mariah (Oh Santa, All I Want this Christmas) and some Britney (My Only Wish this Year) and yeah, another case of malamig na Pasko.

Fret not, I am used to it... HAHAHA

Anyway, I just thought of being with someone this Christmas. I am planning to roast a chicken on Noche Buena. The idea of sharing this dish with a boylaloo would be cute... whatchathink???

Disaster ang Ganap!

2011-11-29T10:01:00.000+08:00

Howdy world???!!!

I have been heaps busy for the past week! And for sure, even busier this coming week!

I am down couple of blog entries. I plan a photo shoot too because I promised a friend that I will send several pictures with my...

Haaaayyyy...disastrous much! Ngayon pa lang ako nakakaluwag luwag! And this weekend, my super friend Xmond is inviting me for another event he has organized. Then on Tuesday, the epic weekday office party (kabog ang parties n'yo. Tuesday ang amin! Parang Tuesdays with Morrie).

IDK, wish me luck. But as always, once I return there'd be lots of food and muk ap. HAHAHA

After that "I-thought-it's-real" dream last night...

2011-11-23T07:49:00.000+08:00

I can therefore say it's still you.

#officialcrush

#ididnotwanttowakeupyouknow

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Pantry Pasta Oooohhhlala!

2011-11-19T22:12:00.000+08:00

We had a surplus of pasta since it was mommy's birthday yesterday.

Mommy was quite hungry and had asked me to cook the pasta stored inside the fridge.

Talk about being unprepared and exploring the pantry for some decent combination of ingredients for a good dinner pasta.

The result???

Corned Beef and Mushroom Pasta in EVOO. Verdict?? Ang galing ko, pwede na ako sa mystery box!

garnish with cheese

yummy yeah?

with bread

Ingredients

pasta

EVOO

corned beef

salt

chili powder

mushroom

shallot

garlic

red bell pepper

Have a great Saturday evening!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Thai Curry Parade!

2011-11-19T17:59:00.001+08:00

At effin' long last!!!

I got my hands on working on my dream project... to create curry paste from scratch! Kaeng khiao wan and Kaeng phet here I come!

You just do not know how much this means to me. A curry from scratch? a la Thai homecooking???

Alright, alright, let me share with you my two daughters -- Beef in Thai Red Curry and my Chicken in Thai Green Curry.

Beef Thai Red Curry
Ingredients
beef strips
coconut milk
fish sauce
sugar
spinach
eggplant
snow peas
basil (garnish)
lime (garnish)
for the curry component
red chilies (for this one I put six pieces of dried chilies soaked in water first)
lemon grass
shallot
garlic
ginger
tad bit of shrimp paste
tad bit of salt
soy sauce
fish sauce
cinnamon bark
cumin
coriander seeds
tad bit of EVOO (for frying the curry)
...and yikes I forgot to add tomatoes/tomato ketchup to the curry paste (recipe I used calls for at least a small part of it)

Chicken Thai Green Curry
Ingredients
chicken wings
coconut milk
evaporated milk
fish sauce
sugar
red bell pepper
baby corn
snake beans
lime (garnish)
for the curry component
green chili
lemon grass
shallot
garlic
ginger
tad bit of shrimp paste
tad bit of salt
fish sauce
cumin
coriander seeds
tad bit of EVOO (for frying the curry)

My verdict??? Goooooooooooooood! I will absolutely make one again in the coming days!

I may not get the consistency I wanted (paste-y) as well as the vibrancy (color-wise) maybe because of several factors (like I added the beef and chicken stocks to the dish and I was not able to reduce it as much as I wanted it to since it's already past one pm) I could say that both were really yummy.

The beef curry was a blast, nothing's left of me to chum for merienda. The chook was quite plenty so there were several parts left (but still, knowing there was a beef dish, konti na lang din yung natira sa maraming chook wings).

One more thing... WHERE IS THE CORIANDER?? I went to two supermarkets and one wet market but to my ultimate shock none of these places sell coriander (wansuy). My gulay! HELLO MARKET/GROCERY OPERATORS, IF YOU CAN PUT MALUNGGAY LEAVES OR ALUGBATI IN THE MARKET YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO PRODUCE CORIANDER TOO.

Whew! What a semi rant here.

If you would ask me which dish I love more it has to be... oooppppsss... I love them both. I thought the green curry was yummier but I love the beef red curry more. The fragrant dish with uber kaduper lambot na beef with lime juice, sweet, spicy, a bit salty... I was transported back to Thailand.

One more thing...not for the faint of heart. My dishes are SPICEEEEEEEYYYY! It's like burning my throat, esophagus or whatever internal organ I could think of (and this "ad" is coming from a noted spicy food lover take note).

Shining Shimmering Splendid on Christmas! Penshoppe's Sexy Shimmer!

2011-11-19T16:33:00.000+08:00

I was just strolling at the mall when I chanced upon Penshoppe's stall and guess what I found.

Christmas parties are just around the corner. Something glowing would be a cherry on top of your beautiful get up right?

It's not just a body shimmer by the way. It's also a body spray.

@150 ml, it's smells yummy and looks pretty!

the consistency of the body spray cum body shimmer

Selling at 199 PhP, Sexy Shimmer has three different scents: Vamp (coloured white), Bombshell (coloured orange) and my mom's choice, Sultry (above).

Gosh. Absolutely in love with Sultry.

I will see a Peacock soon!

2011-11-19T16:01:00.000+08:00

...and since this is my fifth anniversary at work, I do believe I deserve to roll with a peacock!

Remember what I just said on this post?

Guess what??? The waiting game formally begins now.

Would you like to join me?

Mark the date.

#012212

(Quick Post) Food Trip: Orchard Road

2011-11-18T23:19:00.001+08:00

Earlier, my brother and I decided to try dining at Orchard Road.

Yeah, we had a quick merienda there before heading someplace, kumbaga, inabutan ng gutom.

Hainanese Rice at 45 PhP

Char Kway Teow at 195 PhP -- just okay, nothing special (though the shrimps were cooked perfectly)

Beef Satay at 145 PhP -- appalled when I saw the tiny serving. By the way the beef was freaking tough

The verdict? a little MAHALIA JACKSON for those small servings :(

Orchard Road

2F Bridgeway SM Megamall

Mandaluyong City

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Orchard-Road-Restaurant-Philippines/

See what (almost) five years and some forty pounds can do...

2011-11-18T22:48:00.000+08:00

2011 and 2007

I just had my ID picture retaken and boy was I flabbergasted!
The photo on your right was taken (you bet that's masking tape on the right photo, old na eh, need to have it attached to the proximity card not by hook but by crook!) January 22nd of 2007 while the one on your left was fairly recently, perhaps mid October 2011.
Not soooo funny!
See all the fats deposited on my cheeks???

If You Asked Me To

2011-11-15T10:24:00.000+08:00

YES, I just might change my mind

And let you in my life forever

Hey, hope you are reading this *wink!*

#justask

Hybrid Cha's Make Up Assignment: Party Make Up

2011-11-13T18:01:00.000+08:00

Wake up y'all! It's barely a month and for sure we will be bombarded by Christmas Party invites from friends, family members, workplace or from random folks (like what happens during Halloween, kaliwa't kanan the Halloween parties right?).

I just did a party look for my sister and this was what I came up with:

you can never go wrong with red lips

Some key points for this look:

1. Apply BB Cream/Foundation on your face and... neck. Oh please, it's so ghastly to see a grey face not matching your neck :(

falsies for life! the secret to celebrity eyes

2. Apply falsies. It changes the look a notch (or two!) higher from the usual. Soooo fancy!

3. Groom your brows. Yes, do not overpluck, and do not take them for granted. Groom, groom, groom (for this shot, I used black eyeshadow by ELF since I have not bought an eyebrow powder just yet).

4. Prep your lips. Moisturize! Apply petroleum jelly before going to bed. For extremely flaky ones, try brushing them with sugar on your toothbrush. You would not want to have red, crusty lips right?

5. Enjoy the evening by rocking your look.

All set for the evening -- makapal the make up? NAH! The party lights will complement it, believe me #thatswhyitsaparty #licensetobeglamalthroughout

How about you? What party make up are you planning to wear? Any tips on how to achieve it?

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Pinoy Style Spaghetti for Merienda

2011-11-12T17:00:00.000+08:00

A classic Pinoy merienda definitely is spaghetti. Who relates to buying it from your suking carinderia? At 12 to 15 PhP usually?

I just cooked a delicious Pinoy Style spaghetti for sharing at home and it was a blockbuster! Sweet and a little spicy at that. Who can ever go wrong with this Filipino staple? And yes, there's absolutely hotdog chunks there.

Come let's eat!

Ingredients

pasta

ground beef

hotdog

garlic

shallot

tomato paste

banana ketchup

water

salt

pepper

paprika

sugar

Maggi Magic Sarap

Hope you are enjoying Saturday so far!

Katy Perry's The One that Got Away

2011-11-12T07:47:00.000+08:00

...awwww and Diego Luna died here.

Good job Katy!

and the two of you looked soooo vintage-ly hot here.

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Beef Pares and Cucumber Salad with an Asian Dressing

2011-11-11T23:27:00.000+08:00

I am back with a cooking assignment entry... isn't that awesome?

Tonight I cooked beef pares and a cucumber appetizer. Must love this type of dish -- savoury good and something that cleanses the palette.

Ingredients (beef pares)

Beef strips

water

soy sauce

cinnamon sticks

star anise

cloves

garlic

onion

salt

sugar

pepper

vegetable oil

flour

Ingredients (cucumber salad)

cucumber

lime zest

leek

shallot

chili powder

salt

sesame seeds

Ingredients (salad dressing)

fish sauce

vinegar

lime juice

chili powder

sesame oil

garlic

ginger

sugar

Happy weekend y'all!

I Lime You!

2011-11-11T23:00:00.000+08:00

Officially a fan of lime, Asia's perfect source of dish acidity!

Nestea + Lime

Refreshiiiiiiing!

This is iced tea with lemon zest and a little lime juice. Can I say it's good? Perhaps better? Yay!

Dr. Carl von Cosel and his "Undying Love" (MORBID, SICK, GROSS, WTH, WTF... but I am absolutely INTRIGUED)

2011-11-10T14:17:00.001+08:00

Now this is DISTURBING.

I kind of stumbled upon the story of Dr. Carl von Cosel and his love for a 22-year-old tubercolosis patient Elena Hoyas who succumbed to the disease in the 1930s.

The German born radiologist fell head over heels in love over the Cuban-American beauty that...

Okay, I think I am going to apply my filters. Watch the video pretty please??? Let me know your thoughts after.

PS. if you have a copy (physical or EBook/PDF) of Undying Love: The True Story of a Passion that Defied Death (Ben Harrison) can I ask a favor from you? Can I borrow it? Or have a copy of it? You can find my email on the "About/Contact" tab (if it's an EBook).

Skylar Grey's Invisible

2011-11-07T09:21:00.001+08:00

Even when I'm walking on barb wire

Even when I set myself on fire

Why do I always feel invisible, invisible

Awww now isn't it something you have felt most likely?

Familiar eh?

#Sapul

A Halloween Gone By...

2011-11-06T11:52:00.000+08:00

The Glamtastic Party of last year never had a part two this year. The good friend Crisanto Mercier just visited me at home and we ate heaps of siomai.

Since October 31st 2010, I've been obsessed of dressing up (or doing make up) for Halloween. Let's say I was waaaaay tooooo shyyyy when I was younger so I did not quite enjoy activities like this.

I would sit down in one corner trying to come up with looks for a there-could-be-a-Halloween-Party-this-year. Haaaayyyy...

The thought of a frustrated party brought me back to the topic of channeling our inner vixens cum pop icon. The BFF and I was planning of doing a "Britney through the Years" Halloween Party!

The first Britney look that came to my mind was this:

TADA! The video that catapulted her from teeny bopper to sexy pop icon: I'm A Slave 4 U

Guess what? Just took a Cosmo quiz earlier and this is the result. Talk about POP-session.

Have a blessed Sunday!

TEASER!!!

2011-11-05T23:13:00.000+08:00

Call me desperate but dang... you kiddin' me Katy? 11.11.11 is soooo tagal!

Been waiting for this song to be released since ET days!

Definitely, my fave off Teenage Dream -- reminded me of Thinking of You, the first video that made me love you.

We shall meet Katy, chill ka lang.

On Travel

2011-11-05T23:09:00.000+08:00

Famed pyramids of Cairo, Egypt. "Stolen" from a friend's Facebook album

"Ang gusto sana namin, lagi kaming makapagtravel nang sabay."

The words of a friend who got married fairly recently just left a mark on me. How many Filipinos are able to travel at least twice a year, at least for leisure?

I bet, a lot of households have not even been outside the outskirts of the Metro (wherein a plane ride is deemed practical than a silly aircon bus) and hell yeah, what more beyond Luzon? outside the country?

Budget constraint is the number one reason. Hell, why travel if you're struggling to feed yourself a decent meal three times a day, yes? Next is... come on... this perhaps is my BIGGEST frustration. Visa application. If check out the websites of those "big guns", you'll see a lot of heartaches regarding VS application -- property, business, bank account, proof of blah blah. Yeah, believe me, browsing VS application process on the internet has been a hobby since last year. One country have different requirements than the other, less or more difficult maybe but one thing's quite the same -- for an average Pinoy like me, visiting a country needing Visa SUCKS.

Whew!

But you know what? It's free to dream! Well I think, dreaming's all I can do for now.

Why am I bringing this all up? Maybe "Eat, Pray, Love" is the reason. Yes, that Julia Roberts film.

I want that! You know... being gone for a year just wandering and enjoying places and culture. I win ll not stay in hotels. I'd stay in hostels! HAHAHA. Or in a simple, cozy and little apartment or flat or room wherein I can cook! Yeah, I think the second's better than the first. What else? Oh here it is! As much as possible, I will minimize booking tours. I'd make friends with fellow tourists (or locals) and I'd get lost and discover the place! I'm sure to make many, many friends out there.

Everytime I see updates on my Facebook timeline of recent travels, I couldn't help but smile. I hope that these people get to write something about these travels too. While pictures entice my senses, I'd love to hear stories too. How was the trip, were they able to mingle with the locals, did they get drunk, did they hook up with someone etc.

Travel... a dream that's just taking a lifetime for me to realize. But I am a hundred percent super hopeful :)

Christmas Party and a Challenge to my Glamtasticness

2011-11-05T14:33:00.000+08:00

The other day, I received a shattering news (shumashatter??).

Hep hep hep! Not as exaggerated as the adjective I used but really, our office Christmas Party will be December 6th. Check your calendar for the day and you will be surprised ;)

I mean, hello, I don't think I have attended a Christmas Party on a TUESDAY. As in.

Count in grade school.

Count in high school.

College days.

And all my working days.

Le Sigh...

Too bad the nature of my work requires to report even on holidays (but not naman on weekends). We have business partners that need our reports and to say we are going to hold our Christmas Party on a Tuesday thus request for a "Tuesday time off from the hotel reports" is very lame. Alagan namang pa-cancel nila their hotel calls just because the Manila Team is on "Party Mode"?

With this said... how will I do my make up at work? I do not bring my vanity kit at work noh or at any place at that as I hate bringing this type of excess baggage! (I'm basically a J and J powder, lippie, lipbalm girl). What will I wear? (bumu-Broadway ang theme namin my gasssss!) what kind of look will I sport since I doubt if I can be "broadway"? and again, I am not planning to bring my entire vanity kit (good luck! Currently working on that!) and finally my hair... how can I rock my temporary curls if we go straight to the party after work? For the hair thing, I've got an awesome plan for that.

Will keep you posted guys! Supah challenge itey! Mwah hugs!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Workfood - Fried Cream Dory, Curry Potato and Honey Mayonnaise AND AN EPIC FAIL

2011-11-05T13:52:00.000+08:00

I know, I know, I did post past entries about a fried cream dory (fail sha!) and curry potato (must love curry potato dude!) but this time with a sweet/sour mayonnaise with honey dip! Too bad I was not able to buy lemon in the supermarket (read: lack of an acidic kick).

Well, the cream dory (at least the frozen ones bought in packs) really could not take the flour+egg+breadcrumbs. It could have been a super combination! Dang! The end result? Fried the fish while the coating is being peeled off by the heat of the oil (gaaaaahhhh!). Then I have my curry potato chips with a little bit o sugar so expect it to be a little caramelized. Also, I sliced it very thinly... yum!

Should try this one guys, a quick fix of fish and... chips? Hahaha!

GUESS WHAT GUYS. I EFFIN' DELETED THE PHOTOS. DEYMMMM.

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Pickled Veggies and (for the third time) Ginataang Kalabasa (Workfood)

2011-11-05T13:46:00.000+08:00

My third "ginataang gulay" post. Great. Cheers to the first and second too!

my secret weapon!

extra spicy is yummy

For this one I used a pack of coconut milk -- yeah, wag muna magdunung dungan with the niyog itself LOL. My protein for this dish too is a can of sardines. My mom thought it was yummy that she even texted me regarding this prized opinion. Thank you mom! Much appreciated!

Also for the test run is pickled veggies -- cucumber, bell pepper and shallots. Next time, I will add cabbage and carrots.

perfect for prito

Happy Saturday y'all!

Heck Yeah, what's the date today?

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

November 1st.

All Saints'/Souls' Day.

A little wink and voila... Christmas!

Stoked?

I sure am!

Hybrid Cha's Make Up Assignment: Maroon (?) Lips

2011-10-29T12:00:00.000+08:00

Lipstick/s: Avon Eternal Flame and Avon Vintage Vamp

...baby powder

...and gel eyeliner

#yesthatsit

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Honey Bagoong in da House!

2011-10-29T11:35:00.000+08:00

Sounds bizaare, yeah?

Glistenin' Honey Bagoong with Green Mango, Tomato and Shallot

Putting honey to the bagoong was merely a tripping. The whole sweetness should be given to the sugar !nevertheless it was still an awesome experiment. My bagoong was gooey and (ehem!) very good! Sarap siya! It's the type of sweet spicy bagoong you would like to have. Yeah, and since it's gooey, it's an alien texture to the classic Pinoy condiment!

Cakes* make my day...

2011-10-26T23:22:00.001+08:00

A trip to a bakeshop takes away my stress, anxiety and other "uncool" vibes.

Hope you feel the same way too...

*Aristocrat Bakeshop in Malate, Manila

Jessie J's Domino

2011-10-26T22:48:00.000+08:00

Hiya guys! What's up?? I am pretty happy that after that after three months, I am taking one day off work! Hahaha!

Well, this very random post is just basically to ask you if you heard of Jessie J's "Domino"?

I sang it here at home and nah... not good...the notes are quite high.

But there is no way that I'm gonna back out from this! Go Hybrid Cha!

Try and sing with her! She really can belt it out!

Tokio Hotel's Automatic

2011-10-26T10:29:00.000+08:00

It's almost two years ago since this song charted in the country. Yikes! How time flies!

I remember waiting for this song to be played on MYX just so I can sing along Bill Kaulitz hahaha!

I just remembered.... wala lang. It's November next week and it was November 2009 when I got hooked to this song, even attempted to learn some German by myself.

If you love eyeliner, you might as well check this out, who knows you might get an idea to do yours lalo ngayon it's almost Halloween. Boo!

If you don't believe me and my two-year Tokio Hotel confession, check this out.

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Century Tuna Inasal Rice with Meatballs

2011-10-22T17:19:00.000+08:00

Now this is yummy! Good stuff!

This is inspired by Jenni Epperson's Inasal Rice.

I did make meatballs too for an extra something. Actually you can eat this as it is and you can likewise prep something that would accompany this delish rice meal.

Ingredients (corned tuna inasal rice)

Century Tuna Inasal flavor

rice

garlic

shallot

carrot

cucumber

salt

pepper

red and green chili (garnish)

tumeric (for color)

Ingredients (meatballs)

ground beef

egg

flour

breadcrumbs

salt

pepper

five spice

Everything is basically tossing everything together, adjusting the taste and eating it with a smile. My dad thought it lacked a tad bit of salt but my mom thought it was just...yummy. Oh well, sarap siya really...

Sbarro's Chicago White

2011-10-22T17:10:00.000+08:00

One moment....

the other...GONE

Food Trip! The Aristocrat

2011-10-22T16:57:00.000+08:00

If there is one restaurant serving authentic Pinoy dish that I literally grew up with, it's definitely The Aristocrat in Malate (yes, facing the then lively (Atienza era) Raja Sulayman park).

This was our go to haven since it is very accessible to our place. Oh well, maybe we all are fixated with its signature Java rice and sauce.

Iced Tea -- sooo refreshing! This is not an ordinary iced tea, there's something fruity in there that is just so good! (Honey lemon perhaps? IDK, it was just good like good good!)

Ampalaya con Carne -- nothing so special except that the beef is melt in your mouth. Haayyy... can replicate this dish at home.

Calamares with Tartare Sauce -- the squid is quite dry you really have to dip it into the sauce.

Pork Spareribs Barbecue

Boneless Chicken Barbecue

Lumpia Ubod -- nice crepes!

Pancit Canton -- the absolute hero of the night! I love love love pancit canton and Aristocrat's Pancit Canton is to die die die for!

Just one more thing... I think it's really high time to have the whole place renovated. They're doing half of it for now (good!). #nababakbaknaangpaint #lumelevelnasatagal

The Aristocrat Restaurant

Address:

432 San Andres cor. Roxas Boulevard

Malate, Manila

Phone number: 524-7671 or 521-8147

Food Trip! The French Baker

2011-10-22T16:34:00.000+08:00

Gidday sunny Manille!

When these shots the sun was freaking hot outside the mall that I felt my underarms start producing eggs.

A week ago we just went to MOA to unwind. I wanted to eat something Thai or Chinese but our tummies were growling like no other (it was around 2PM, little breakfast, absolutely not a shadow of lunch). We were about to set foot to this Chinese restaurant (my sister and I were suki of this chain way back) when, to our dismay, just found the resto jampacked. IDK why MOA was full of mallgoers that day, it wasn't some three Sundays ago when mom and I went there. Okay, so I was about to become ambitious to aim for the Thai resto that's quite not accessible for starving people like us.

This was where we ended:

What we had:

Beef Lasagna 155 PhP -- happy with this one. It was tasty and rich. Glad to have ordered this.

Fettuccine a la Carbonara 140 PhP -- you could easily tell the sauce used was cream of mushroom or maybe they had the cream absorb the delish taste of mushroom hahaha. Whatever it was, I am determined to replicate this dish at home. It's a very simple one you basically have just the mushroom on your pasta. The bacon was used only as garnish.

Baked Chicken 198 PhP -- I did not taste this one

Red Sauce Supreme Pizza at 130 PhP -- oozing with cheese! I was in heaven

Chocolate Truffle at 84 PhP -- this was where my real strength came in. KABUSOG. ANG. CAKE. (if you'd ask if it's good sure was but nothing so special about it).

Four Seasons at 48 PhP -- a light and fresh drink! Wish I had more of it!

Cream Puffs at 26 PhP -- for the kids, it was okay; I will not order this though.

Our dining experience was good. The orders were delivered quick. The cashier said 15 to 20 minutes but I guess it was less than around 10 to 15 minutes. For that, bravo!

It was a fun experience dining with French Baker again! XOXO

PS By the way, I saw this cute guy buying bread there. Uggghhh he's cute, it's just that he had sticky hair, seemed he missed out on shampoo for two weeks. But still, gwapo pa rin, too bad was not able to point him out to my sisters and mother.

The French Baker
Address:
G/F SM Mall of Asia
SM Central Business Park
Bay City, Pasay City
Phone number: 556-0162

Girl Crush!

2011-10-20T13:54:00.000+08:00

I love having a girl crush. Right now, it's...

Zooey Deschanel!!!

You know how much I adore 500 Days of Summer right? Gosh, whether she's Summer or Jess, doesn't change a thing, I like like like her!!! Girl crush for the win!

PS and I miss rockin' that "Zooey" bangs! Abang-abang lang guys, Imma bring 'em back!

Britney Spears' Criminal

2011-10-19T09:25:00.000+08:00

HOT HOT HOT!

And Jason Trawick (the boyfriend) is showing some chops here!

Indeed, a modern day Papa Don't Preach... bolder and edgier though!

Gosh, Britney = Sexy...now she's talking again!

Enjoy everyone!

Steamy, steamy, steamy one!

My Aunt's Pork Knuckles in Creamy Lemon Cider

2011-10-18T09:29:00.001+08:00

Hi guys! This is a follow up post!

My aunt was kind enough to share this delish dish -- take note! It's so easy!

If she was confident enough to present this to the MasterChef judges, you might as well serve this during gatherings. You guys ready? Here it is!

pata lover? try this!

Ingredients (pata)

Pork knuckles

Soy sauce

Vinegar

Sugar

Fennel Seeds

Garlic

Pepper

Salt

Sugar

Pineapple syrup

Bay leaf

Ingredients (apple cider)

Sour crème

Lemon juice

Spring onion

Apple sauce (unsweetened around one cup)

Onion

Salt

Pepper

Parsley (garnish)

Procedure

Put the pork knuckles to a boil together with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, pepper, salt, sugar, fennel seeds and bay leaf. Adjust according to taste.
Once the liquid starts to reduce, pour pineapple syrup. Bring to a boil again for 10 minutes. Set aside.
For the lemon cider, put the juice of two lemons. Stir in low heat.
As it boils, put apple sauce, spring onion and chopped onions. Season with salt and pepper.
Finish off by adding the sour crème.
Garnish with parsley. Serve.
Feel free to modify the dish to your liking! YUM!

Rock en roll guys!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Workfood -- The Healthy Pasta!

2011-10-16T12:02:00.000+08:00

Gidday everyone!

Wow this dish is just... mwah! It's very easy, it is inexpensive and it's very good! I had a wonderful time consuming this for breakfast and lunch!

For this one, I used Del Monte merienda pack. At 20 PhP, you can feed two people! The pasta is easy to cook and it's not maanta as well. Del Monte is really love! Thank you for releasing to the market a product such as this.

Ready?? Here it is! Damn, all you have to do is pop and toss and season and voila, you have a tasty and healthy pasta!

OMG

closer please

Ingredients

pasta

tomatoes

canned tuna

garlic

shallot

salt

pepper

basil

rosemary

EVOO

chili powder (garnish)

See? A lot of your pantry ingredients are here! Yay!

Scarlett Velvet

2011-10-16T11:53:00.000+08:00

bye!

Mommy will miss you

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Sardine Triangle Dumplings

2011-10-16T11:48:00.000+08:00

G'day everyone!

How is life going?

As of writing this article the sun is very much up and happy! What an inspiring one!

The other day I prepped dumplings with a little twist... I used sardines! Going healthy eh?!!!

The result is quite okay, not super yum (like I am going to rave about it) but definitely not bad. Just in the middle. But it's an easy dish, even if you can't cook you can prep this. All you have to do is boil water about half of your casserole and voila!

Ingredients (dumpling)

sardines

wanton wrapper

cabbage

spring onion

shallot

garlic

ginger

salt

pepper

coriander

Ingredients (dipping sauce)

soy sauce

sesame oil

ginger

garlic

sugar

This is not as good as the pork dumpling we all grew up with but not bad, really a good alternative. You can try tuna if you want too.

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Longganisa and Greens with a Spicy Asian Dressing

2011-10-16T11:38:00.000+08:00

How will I start this post?

Will I start by saying that this only cost me 24 PhP for the romaine lettuce?

Will I start by telling everyone that a filled pantry is one of the best things you could ever have?

Will I start by suggesting that you add croutons to this salad for an extra crunch?

Will I start by saying that you should try this because I love this and my sister loved it too?

Will I start by asking you to do what I just did by adding the longganisa I found inside the fridge, chopped it and fried it? Or maybe, to be more convenient, check out for some left over longganisa at home.

Okay fine, here are the ingredients. I think I wrote too much (read: thinking out loudly).

Ingredients (salad)

romaine lettuce

longganisa

tomato

shallot

cucumber

Ingredients (dressing)

fish sauce

vinegar

red chili

ginger

garlic

sesame oil

sugar

slathered with the spicy Asian dressing... my goodness... NO FAIL! This will get you a boyfriend CHOZ!

Go ahead... indulge! YUM! Swear!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Salad with Tartare Sauce

2011-10-16T11:31:00.000+08:00

Just a basic tartare sauce of mayonnaise, pickle relish, salt, pepper and sugar to perk up my salad. Yum! Really satisfied my craving that I was able to share some to my mother and niece and nephew. Yummy yum yum!

quail eggs, crouton, shallot, iceberg lettuce, cucumber and tomato -- salad galore!

Tartare Sauce

Have a fab Sunday y'all! XOXO

The "Inspiration" I Was Talking About...

2011-10-12T16:25:00.003+08:00

A few months back, I wrote this simple and short entry. This was a meaningful one, it kind of started something exciting for me. Something I sure will watch out for.

I know you treat this as a grain of salt (well you really should! LOL) but since malakas kayo sa akin, share ko na nga.

Sister and aunt, I said... Hmmm... It was only my aunt. Guess what.

moment of truth

This is Oceana Events Place at SM Mall of Asia. Do you see that famous logo on your left?

YOU BET.

It's MasterChef Philippines.

The original plan was, my aunt and the beautiful sister Joyce will audition on the 24th of August. Too bad, my sister felt that she still lacked the guts, skills, technique (or whatever she lacked pa kaloka!) so she decided to forgo with the audition and hope the best of luck for my aunt.

I tell you the audition was huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge!

they want to be the first Pinoy MasterChef

How huge?

According to my aunt there were at least 1,000 applicants. ONE THOUSAND FREAKING APPLICANTS. A MINIMUM OF A THOUSAND with their specialty dish. Imagine.

That day, the judges selected 60 (out of the effin' thousand hopefuls) and the next thing they know, they'd be brought to the next level which is taping. Ngarag ang ganda!

Why ngarag? Well, my aunt left the house around 5 AM so by 6 AM they were in MOA. The judges just tasted her dish. Asked her a few questions... Not so long after, they (batch of 10s or 15s) were called and the person/s through to the next round is/are named. The rest may leave. My aunt left unfortunately. She came home around past six. Imagine that. Most probably it took midnight or the following day to complete the lined up "taping" she was referring to (I was thinking it might be an invention or a basic skills test). I wonder kung may ibubuga pa yung nakuha nilang contestants. Oh dear, I know, adrenaline will provide :)

as soon as she was called she started plating up

this was her dish. I forgot the "complete name" but definitely it's pork knuckles. I heard her mention some apple cider thing Will update once I receive her email :D

If things went pretty well, probably, by now, the contest is heading halfway. Yikes, stoked! Can hardly wait. These people are the best homecooks of the country... I wanna see them roll!

XOXO Hybrid Cha

Edited 14 October 2011: The dish cooked by my aunt was Pork Knuckles in Creamy Lemon Cider. By the way, photos are from her Facebook account.

MasterChef Australia's Hayden Quinn... and a hasty generalization! (pak na pak!)

2011-10-12T15:58:00.001+08:00

If you are a huge MasterChef Australia fan, even if StarWorld has not yet shown it here in the Philippines, you'd know that there was a hunky/cutie contestant on Season 3 by the name Hayden Quinn.

A professional lifeguard from Sydney's Northern Beaches, this 24-year-old did not win the title however. Haaayyyzzz... and that is despite being one of the show's front runners.

Anyway, just wanted to share a mini chit chat between me and my sister Joyce last night about Hayden.

Me: Joyce, pag napalabas na ng StarWorld, may cute dun sa Season 3.
Joyce: O, sino?
Me: Hayden. Hayden is his name... Hayden Quinn. Basta cute siya.
(dinedeadma ako ng kapatid ko)
Me: FAFA HAYDEN.
Joyce: (laughs) hahaha C, may bago ka na namang Fafa?
Me: Oh well! Siempre naman!
(silence konti)
Me: Pero pang iyo yung level nya, di ko siya masyado feel, Fafa J pa rin! Saka... basa kasi kili kili niya eh! For sure mabaho yon (yon = Hayden, when he perspires)... buti pa si J, no fail ang kili kili! HAHAHA!

Hahaha it was just funny that it all came to that conclusion. Huh! I should know, I really should!

Check this out as proof that the underarm is sweaty and it shows! LOL

See? Brace myself for "aroma" (yes, 80 percent sure meron yan!)

Physical Exam Yesterday

2011-10-12T09:22:00.000+08:00

Whew!

At last! Done with my annual physical exam!

I look forward to this time of the year as it's not everyday that you get to be examined by doctors -- blood, urine, stool, vital signs, breast, lungs (xray) et al. I feel good!

There is one good news and one bad news though.

The good news for me is I am soo healthy! Am at the pink of health! I love it!

The bad news is that... I am really faaaaaaaat! For almost five years in the company I was able to put on some 40 lbs and that's eight lbs a year stuck in my body! Major hate!

Looking at the bigger picture, hell yeah, I'd rather be fat and healthy...than skinny and sickly.

Yeah, ganon na lang ang labanan. Call it "palubag loob" or anything but heck, thank God still for the wonderful health! #HealthisWealth

By the way guys... it's really dark around six PM yes? Gosh! Christmas is in the air! Hep hep hep! Before Christmas, it's Halloween first. For now, no plans from the barkada yet. Tsk tsk tsk. I have a huge concept inside my head though! Gidday everyone!

Junior Masterchef Australia Season 2's Caroline

2011-10-10T08:44:00.001+08:00

I fell in love with this 11-year-old young girl from NSW.

Oh well, obviously she has Asian roots -- from an Aussie mom and a Chinese dad.

I think she will pass as my daughter don't you think? (since I have quite a good amount of Chinese blood naman).
Look at her built too, you can tell she's quite leaning towards the "heavyset" side (read: chubby)... oh gosh I can see my future daughter to be as gorgeous as her! Love ko na si Caroline!

Eto nga lang: Okay, calling Aussie dad!

CHOZ!

(BTW young Caroline has a "rival" (not just in cooking chops but in beauty). Her name is Aya with a Japanese mom and Aussie dad...hmmm... Japanese mom, fine....)

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Rosemary Cream Dory with Potatoes and Lemon Butter Sauce

2011-10-09T12:28:00.000+08:00

A dinner I created for me and my mother :)

It's supposed to have green beans (blanched) but the wonderful mom forgot to buy from the supermarket. I looked inside the fridge and found this wonderful plastic of potatoes and voila, popped them in a pot and tada!

Ingredients (fish)

cream dory

cloves

rosemary

salt

pepper

Ingredients (potato)

potato

milk

salt pepper

Ingredients (lemon butter sauce)

milk

butter

lemon

salt

pepper

sugar

How easy could this be? Yes, it's simple, healthy and quick. Must love this dish :)

YUM!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Sardine Salad with Pesto

2011-10-09T11:36:00.000+08:00

This is another yum yum healthy dish!

Guys this is very easy and perfect for those on a diet. Then again I am not on a diet just craving for some greens.

For you...

eat this on a wonderful Sunday like this

Ingredients

romaine lettuce

sardines in tomato sauce (flaked)

shallots

peanuts (garnish)

lemon

Ingredients (pesto sauce)

basil

EVOO

garlic

peanuts

salt

Easy peasy right???

Goodness! I want some more sardine salad but with a different dressing this time perhaps :)

Any suggestions?

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Spicy Tofu

2011-10-09T11:19:00.000+08:00

G'day guys!

How is everyone?

I've been a little busy over the week yikes, I do not want to comment on this...artista??? numu-No Comment!

Anyway, here is a quick dish I prepped one day I came from work starving. This is a yummy one, my mother loves it. Also healthy :)

Ingredients

tofu (coat with flour and season with salt and pepper; fry it first)

salt

pepper

shallots

garlic

ginger

chili powder

oyster sauce

fish sauce

sugar

ground beef

coriander (garnish)

Enjoy! XOXO

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Chicken Balls with a Thai-inspired Stir Fry Veggie

2011-10-09T10:54:00.000+08:00

I love cooking stir fry! That hot wok, the aroma of garlic, shallots and ginger... oyster sauce... sesame oil... half cooked vegetables and a hint of protein YUM! If you've been reading my blog for quite sometime, you know I have been posting stir fry dishes since I enjoyed doing so.

The other day I whipped up an easy dish inspired by a favorite MasterChef Australia contestant who is half-Aussie and half-Thai. I was watching one of her cooking videos and she, the legendary Marion Grasby mentioned that you can use eggplants, baby corn, bell pepper and finish it with basil in stir fry. Which I did!

Oh well, I got an approval from my mother. She loved the dish as much as I did. Very, very simple!

Ingredients (chicken ball)

ground chook

salt

pepper

parsley

Maggi Magic Savor (optional)

flour

breadcrumbs

shallots

garlic

Ingredients (stir fry)

garlic

shallots

ginger

eggplant

baby corn

bell pepper

basil

oyster sauce

fish sauce

sugar

salt

pepper

sesame seeds (garnish)

eat with me!

virtual chook meatball for you my dear!

Gosh I want to cook this dish in one big batch! It's an easy one I swear! And the flavours are huge! Love love love!

Steve Jobs Dies at 56

2011-10-06T08:59:00.000+08:00

image from ABC News

I may not own an Apple product but I have to say my heart was crushed upon hearing that Steve Jobs passed away. Just a month or so ago, I just saw (stumbled upon!) a video of him, speaking in front of a bunch of Stanford University graduates and boy was he charismatic! The strong man behind the IPhone, IPod, IPad... all gone.

Since that very day, I hold in my thoughts this wonderful quote from him.

About finding what true happiness is whether in your passion, your career, in your aspirations:

"As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

Rest in Peace, Steve! You will be remembered always!

Hybrid Cha's Cooking Assignment: Bangus Sisig (YUM!)

2011-10-01T10:52:00.001+08:00

Now this is YUMMY as we say "hello" to October! Gosh! In 30 days it's Halloween! I wonder if the Shouting Fish Barkada is going to prep for this time of the year. Remember this "uma-Adam Lambert (freaking eyeliner anyone?) at kume-Katy Perry (loud wigs please?)" theme? Wow, I want part two of a Halloween party! Na kami kami lang! HAHAHA! #WorldOfOurOwnMoments

Too much of that. This post is a dish I made yesterday for lunch. The family loved it! My mother said she wanted to include this to her list of "panghanda". Yeah, it's sarap!

I got inspired to cook Bangus Sisig because the other day, I tried Binalot's Pork Sisig and my God did it feel disappointing. The serving was sooo little (for an 80 PhP dish!) it's like only two teaspoons! The sisig was so liquid-y it's like Binagoongang Baboy na masarsa, argh! such a waste of money. Thank God they served it with fried egg, I think I got full with the fried egg and rice. I was expecting something goooooood!

Also, if you've been reading my blog for quite sometime too, you know how much I root for Sisig Hooray's Bangus Sisig. Click here and here for proof hahaha. I thought, it's high time that I make something like this! Whew! High time, my goodness...

So here it is! The culmination of my disappointment and fanaticism on a plate. Who says it's only through writing that you an infuse and present strong emotions?

closer...closer...

zoom!

Ingredients

bangus fillet cut into cubes

oyster sauce

Maggi Savor (just because I have one at home)

sugar

paprika (because my mother forgot to buy red chillies GREAT)

onion

garlic

salt

pepper

green chilies

chicharon (pound with mortar and pestle)

calamansi

mayonnaise

gizzard

vinegar

Jeez! I am drooling right now! The "food critic" dad loves it too so I know I did an awesome job! Mwah guys!