21 September 2012

anyone can cook.


Remember that book from the movie "Ratatouille"? Apparently, its true! I can finally cook to save my life!

I started baking when I was in high school, and baking and cooking are very different from each other! In baking, every single measurement, the temperature, the time are all exact. While in cooking, I've been told, its more on gut feel. Naku! Hanggang fried egg at hotdog lang ang napapainit ko. But that was before.



Steak rubbed with salt, pepper, and rosemary, then cooked in olive oil and garlic.
Rice cooked in the pan where the steak was cooked.
Prawns cooked in garlic, onions, and butter.

It all started when JC came back from an out of town trip and to surprise him as soon as he would get back and visit me, I decided to cook. Just the most random thought! The day before he arrived, I got all the ingredients to cook steak and prawns, his favorites. Of course my mom and my yaya Virgie helped me every step of the way (para hindi naman masayang yung groceries dahil masusunog lang) to make the surprise meal a success!




Thankfully, he loved the meal. Woohoo! Plus points for me!

The next time, it was another random night where I was free from work and JC was free from work as well. I asked my mom and yaya Virgie for another easy recipe to cook, and they suggested a Pinoy classic.. Bistek! Yes, beef steak na Pinoy. I added buttered vegetables this time to balance the meal. 



Cauliflower and corn cooked in butter and sprinkled with pepper.
Beef steak marinated in toyo, calamansi, and pepper, then cooked in garlic and onions.


I was starting to enjoy trying to cook, plus, it became twice as enjoyable because the person I was cooking for liked the food too. Decided to make for JC a quick egg dish I've loved since childhood, that my mom calls "Argentinian egg". (Not sure why, but that's what they call it.)


Saute garlic and onions in olive oil, then put in sliced tomatoes, then the egg, then a bay leaf and pepper.

I think of the five (haha, yes just five) dishes I know to date, I think this is JC's favorite.

For reasons I still am not sure of, I was asked to share a recipe for a show. I wanted to make something not so common but still very basic, so my mom suggested I make pininyahang manok. And what do you know! After the episode aired, I got so many tweets and even photos about people who tried the dish! For a non-cook like me, that's so awesome!!!!





So to share with those who may want to try it, here is the pininyahang manok recipe:

Ingredients: chicken, pineapple chunks, liver spread, grated cheese, garlic, and onions.

Procedure: Saute the garlic and onions in very little oil, then place the chicken parts. Cover and allow to cook/simmer. After about ten minutes, put the pineapple chunks (with a bit of the juice), liver spread, and cheese. Mix it, then cover and allow to cook. Mix everything from time to time and in about twenty minutes, its done!



Thank you to everyone who appreciated this recipe. I still can't believe people actually tried it! Not to be biased, but it is really a delicious dish. One of my favorites, which is why I wanted to learn it.

I have no grand dreams to study culinary nor do I aspire to become a chef. I simply want to learn how to cook different Pinoy dishes and several lutong bahay favorites for my loved ones!

So if Anne Curtis had dreams of singing and is now a recording and concert artist, I've had dreams of cooking simple dishes at home, and now I'm slowly making that come true! To all those who thought they may be hopeless with learning how to cook, do not lose hope! I could never cook to save my life before, and now I know five dishes! And will hopefully learn another new dish soon. 






15 comments:

Vera said...

Thank you Bianca, may pag asa pa ko magluto. :)

Sheena May said...

So inspiring! I'm glad you learned something you didn't know you'd learn! Continue to inspire more people, Ate Bianca :)

mitchiekyuti said...

I love cooking!:) Everything I learned from my mom and by watching videos over Youtube and of course through experience:) Ako na always nagaasikaso ng food namen every Christmas and New Years Eve since 2009!:)Will definitely try your Pininyahang Manok version!:) Thanks!:)

KULAPITOT said...

ang cute naman at may time ka pa po para magluto :) gusto ko yung shrimp ...

kim buenafe said...

would love to whip out that egg recipe! i love eggs! and that egg dish looks yummy!

Theren Alexander said...

Hi Bianca, I am PASSIONATE about cooking and I am happy that the girl I look up to is enjoying it too. It is really a lifesaver. When I am distressed I find my way back to a happy disposition after I cook :)

laarni said...

you've made mention of those argentinian eggs before and you said that you love that dish because of your brother. now you've got to share it with another in your life.

stay happy...

Lourdes said...

Wow, you're awesome Ms. Bianca!

Aix Araneta said...

hi bianca.. i can relate to you! before i moved to another country and live on my own, i don't know how to cook.. but i guess the situation calls for it so i have to learn it.. now i know how to cook sinigang, nilaga, adobo, bistek, pork version of the stroganoff, afritada and my mom's special recipe of spaghetti and carbonara.. sabi nila, to be a good wife, you have to learn at least 7 dishes (one for each day of the week) so you need to learn at least 2 dishes more.. hihihi :)) and by the way, i have to say that my family also has a very delicious recipe for pininyahang manok.. every occasion, hndi nawawala yun.. yung mga first time matikman yun, from my mom's office mates to my high school and college friends, lagi nilang tinatanong kung paano daw niluto yun.. then sa mga sumunod na occasion, hinahanap-hanap nila.. hehehe..
okay, this comment is slowly turning into a fan mail.. haha.. but really, you are my super idol.. you can even ask my friends how i admire you.. you inspire me to be a better person.. oha! hihihi.. i guess kung gaano mo ka-idol si miss tweety de leon, ganoon naman ako sayo.. *blush*
good luck to you! i hope to meet you in the future! :D

Ehmjay Bornales said...

You're a super woman talaga Bianca! :) Keep on blogging, good luck to your career and may God give you more blessing! :)

http://ehmjaybornales.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

hi bianca! you might wanna try my Tuna Pesto Dish.

ingredients: oil/butter, garlic, onions, mccormick pesto sauce mix, canned tuna flakes (hot&spicy would be nice), all-purpose cream, any type of pasta, salt&pepper, cheese!

here's how: saute garlic and onions in oil/butter, add tuna, add mccormick sauce mix (dissolved in a cup of hot water), add all-purpose cream and let it simmer! add salt&pepper to taste. but actually i don't put salt na coz the tuna is salty already. you may also add evap milk to make it creamier.

my family and friends loooove this so i hope you will try this simple pasta dish! goodluck! - @chryss_3e

Unknown said...

Hi Bianca! I can relate. I just got into cooking as well. One of first things I tried to cook is Crispy Chicken Wings (http://notsomahal.blogspot.com/2012/09/crispy-chicken-wings.html), which I learned from a friend. I'm happy that my husband loved it. It helps that someone appreciate your cooking effort because it makes you want to learn and practice more. ^_^

i♥pinkc00kies said...

gotta try this!! i wanna learn how to cook too.

Joyce Lamela said...

Nice entry because I love cooking too!I want to learn baking because I plan to put up a home business about cupcakes. I love the pininyahang manok recipe, I will try it this Christmas. Thanks Bianca for sharing!

Joyce said...

Hi Bianca!

I love cooking too and I find your shared recipes very interesting, want to try it too. I've been reading your blog for a long time. Hope you can blog walk also in my sites :)