Roast pork belly with baby potatoes and carrots

This isn’t exactly what Gordon imagined his pork belly roast to look like. I’m trying to eat less now but I still want to enjoy my food so I just bought a small chunk of pork belly which was supposed to be rolled and tied up with all the herbs inside. Apparently it was a bit of a challenge to do that so I opted out and did my own thing. Though I believed it would pretty much taste the same as I followed everything except for that one thing.

It would have been prettier if it were rolled up and sliced. You could imagine the herbs hugged by the pork’s flesh and a little bit of fat..

But at the end of the day, it will all boil down to its taste..

Exquisite… for a hungry donkey like me!!! LOL 🙂

Red Salmon in Hollandaise Sauce

End of the week means almost too tired from everything. Usually I cook a special dish once a week. Special for me means Gordon’s recipe. No I’m not really a big fan of him, am I?? Then the other two dishes that I prepare are either ovenbake friendly or just-toss-in-the-bowl kind of thing. And I spread those three dishes within the week for my dinner and lunch at work. This dish is obviously an end of the week one. The biggest task there only was the preparation of the hollandaise sauce. I took the chance to master the sauce as it was my second time to make it. I’m pretty happy with the result. It blended well with my greens and my red salmon. I made it in replacement of my usual vinaigrette. Then of course I wouldn’t miss my shaved parmesan. Here’s to healthy eating!!! Bon appetit 🙂

Risotto of Wild Mushrooms

I have cooked risotto before but this time around, I followed Gordon’s recipe. It took a lot of effort and patience to prepare this as it needed to be stirred constantly and you have to scoop a ladle of veggie stock everytime the rice absorbs all of it. At the same time you have to maintain a creamy and moist consistency. I think it took me around sixteen to eighteen scoops!! Geez!! It better be good!! With a dollop of creme fraiche, of course it was!! 🙂 Thanks again Gordon!! I think I’m your best donkey now!!

Prawns in creamy tomato sauce

Wow! I’m surprised with myself because I just did a post yesterday and now I’m still going!! Good on me!! 🙂

Anyway this recipe was from Gordon Ramsay’s Makes It Easy book. I used prawns instead of lobster as it wasn’t available again. I wasn’t really a big fan of creamy tomato sauce but I should say Gordon really knows his stuff. Imagine mixing double cream with diced cherry tomatoes and one deseeded chili to add a little bit of a kick! It is hellishly wicked!! What more if he makes it by himself??

Yeah I know my plating sucks but who cares?? I was the chef, and the customer and the judge!! It was absolutely phenomenal (just mimicking one of Gordon’s favourite lines) for someone who was so hungry!! Only Gordon can call me a donkey! ;P

I miss my bibimbap!!

It’s really a shame that it took me quite a while to get this blog going again. I just kept postponing it because I’m always caught up with a lot of interesting things online about travel. But I should stick with it as I do not want to be just keeping my pictures in my album roll. They’re for sharing and they need stories to go with them or else they will just turn up useless. And besides, I just recently came up with my own new year’s resolution list and that includes more reading for me and less watching, more writing which means doing this blog and my more recent ones are travelling and exploring Auckland more even just once a month and listening to my body to keep myself more healthy and fit! Big tasks I know!!
Ok let’s get to business. A couple of weeks back, my love for Korean stuff suddenly got back again. It didn’t last that long though. I prepared an all time favourite korean dish called bibimbap.

Yes it has got minced pork, carrot strips, different kinds of mushroom and beansprouts over steamed rice. I wanted the dish to be more colourful but those were the only ingredients available during that time.

And of course I topped it off with an egg. I cook perfect over easy eggs. I don’t know why this time I failed myself..

The dish needed the korean red chilli paste as well but there wasn’t any available also (talkin’ about being in a countryside). That’s why I just resorted to my ever reliable Heinz tomato sauce. Yes not ketchup it’s tomato sauce and that’s truly a kiwi thing which I will never win over..

Beat the Heat

Strawberries, vanilla & marshmallows

These three ingredients have almost been always available in all groceries I’ve been to back in the Philippines. It was just now that I’ve realized..hmmm.. why have I not thought of putting them all together?? I guess because usually we just have our ice creams taken plain and simple as they already have their own flavours and they are great as they are. The marshmallows could just be an extra sweet treat as the cream itself is already sweet though they add another element of texture in your mouth to break the impact of cold from the cream and they’re also chewy and less softer.

But the addition of fruit brings the dessert to another level of goodness.

The sourness balances the taste as it mixes up with the sweetness which all brings a delightful end of day summer dessert..

dream of me!!! 🙂

Delicacy

I think I’ve watched too many series lately and it’s just too much online streaming that I reckon I should stop now and nourish my hunger again for reading books. When I was still in primary school, I read a lot. Mostly fiction. I loved the Sweet Valley and Nancy Drew series. Those were my series before. All I could ever wish for during special occasions were those books. I wanna relive those days again. I want to have that same hunger for books now.

So I got myself this book earlier this afternoon. I just bought a not so thick one because right now, it will really be a challenge for me to finish it! As I progress maybe I’ll buy the much thicker ones. But for now, I have to learn to get back into the rhythm first. I want to be as realistic as possible. Take note as well that the font and spacing used were quite to my advantage lol

So this year, I hope to be more of a reader than a sloucher for television series (gulp!)…

Christmas Feast 2011

I know.. I know.. this is really too late now. But hey.. I guess everyone felt the christmas rush and obviously I was one of them. Better late than never though.

This was my first christmas in NZ. I spent it with special people who were there for me during my settling period last 2010. It was a great decision to stay with them as I never felt lonely during that time. I didn’t even think about wishing I was home. Though I’ve quite prepared myself for a long time before this great event and well, good that it worked for me!

Tito Dan cooked this ham painstakingly the whole day and it was wickedly good!!!

And of course my beloved teacher colleague/friend/big sister prepared something sweet to balance our savoury appetites.. strawberries, cherries and marshmallows..

This made it really more balanced which I loved as well.. avocado and cherry tomatoes on greens

By the way, these are my loveable “siblings” Justin and Cath.. they really made my christmas much more fun. Need I tell you more? 🙂 Hey where’s Faustin?

Here’s Tito Dan, my Nazi Zombies partner who nags me like crazy when I don’t do my job well putting those zombies down. I’m trying!! Thanks Tito Dan for the wonderful ham! Are we having midnight snacks now???

Teacher Raf, preparing or enjoying our snack?? Who cares?! We’re gonna dig in soon!!

And is this how we’re gonna end our christmas celebration??

WHAT A TREAT!!!!! Thanks Faustin for this 🙂

Hello 2012

It was my very first time to celebrate the new year literally out of the house, away from my family, camping. Though it was my second time to visit Kai Iwi Lakes. It was like an hour and a half away from my place heading northwest. It was all worth the long drive seeing the beautiful lake right in front of the camping ground.

You may have noticed the sudden change in the colours of the lake as the shallow part of it has been widened and filled with sand to accommodate
more people, well especially children. But still it looks very natural.

I went with my good friend Cai and her twin brother Banjo..

And with Ann and Dee as well..

After a drunken night celebrating New Year’s eve, this is what welcomed 2012

This was quite a scene of hope though waiting for the weather to get better..

But with a very reliable barbecue grill..

and our relentless appetite for food..

It was one huge new year celebration! Cheers to 2012! 🙂