Risotto Love

I've recently discovered a love for risotto. The first time i tried this dish was in Amici. I forgot the exact name of the dish but it had seafood in it. I love seafood. People who know me well would understand that saying "I love seafood" is an understatement. So you would imagine my disappointment when that risotto dish left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe the ingredients were not fresh enough or perhaps the recipe itself was not good. Either way, it was clearly a traumatic experience as i steer cleared the risotto dishes whenever i was out. Until years later. With enough scenes from foodie tv series like Master Chef, No Reservations and all the other common suspects... I finally was ready to face my fear and eat risotto again.

I was out with Pat and Joel one night scouring Alabang for some good eats. We decided to head over to The Black Pig. They've been in operation for a few months i think and we only had the time to try it out this month.

And there it was... Truffle mushroom risotto. I thought what the hell... I love mushroom.. And so far all the dishes I've tried that had truffle were damn good. How can this combination go bad. And so we ordered the risotto along with some other yummy dishes.




It. Was. Divine. The parmesan shards made it even more tastier. Trying that dish makes me want to learn how to make risotto!

A week later out i was out with Nica and just had to try Draft's Mushroom Risotto.



Pardon the bad photo. It was a little dim where we were seated. This dish was quite different than the one i tried at The Black Pig. It had bacon, spinach and of course mushroom. A bit much.. But still yummy.

I'm hoping to try other restaurants' versions. Send me your recommendations!

Hugs & besos!

posted from Bloggeroid

Hazelberry by Ara Mina

I visited a bazaar in Pasig last May, where online retailers are having a "private" sale. One of the products sold there were these home-baked goods, Hazelberry. They sold red velvet mini cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, macadamia cookies and many more (as seen in above photo). Of course, how could i resist?! The sight of red velvet is heaven.  I like trying different brands and finding out which one's the best (based on my preference).

I grabbed a tray of mini red velvet cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies and macadamia cookies. I liked the macadamia cookies, the rest, not so much. I love the size of the cookies. Haha! I think all cookies should be that size. Its not too small, not too big either. Its rare that i find cookies with macadamias in it. So i liked the fact that its uncommon. I'm not a big fan of macadamia nuts but this is making me appreciate it. The chocolate chip cookies were nothing special at first bite. Nothing special again after the second. Its not like its terrible its just nothing special. My cousin says its good with a glass of fresh milk so i guess that means she liked it. :) The red velvet was essentially bland and a bit dense. It was moist, but that's it. Cukay's red velvet is still the best for me.

I'm no baker. I just looooove to eat and i know what i like. I still suggest you try the products for yourself to see if this is something that you would like.

Banana Watermelon Smoothie

I know its an unlikely combination but just look at that color! Haha! Its summer and watermelons are in season. I wanted to incorporate watermelon into a dish but I failed miserably with the avocado-watermelon salad i made since well, my balsamic reduction was a big flop. *sigh. So i made a smoothie instead. Haha! It was surprisingly light and refreshing considering there was yogurt in it.

What you'll need:

4 cups of seeded and diced watermelon

2 frozen overripe bananas, sliced

1 1/2 cup of low-fat yogurt

6 ice cubes

Pop all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. This should make about 2 glasses.

Enjoy!

Honey Banana Oatmeal

Easiest breakfast ever! I used to eat oatmeal with non-fat milk and brown sugar. I can never eat oatmeal on its own 'cause its too bland. And then i figure i could add more flavor to this by putting in fruit and replacing sugar with honey. So i did. I'd rather make my own "flavored" oatmeal than buy the ones at the supermarkets. It'll have too much preservatives and you don't really get the nutrients from the fruits.

What you'll need:

1 1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1 1/2 tablespoons honey (i love Palawan honey)

1 ripe banana, sliced

Cook the oatmeal according to package instructions and place in a bowl. Add the honey and sliced banana. And that's it. 

Enjoy!

Honey Chicken

There were a few chicken fillets in the fridge and i'd thought i'd make dinner out of it. So i came up with this. I aptly named it "honey chicken" because well... the recipe has honey in it. Not necessarily because i saw a recipe online. This is my own version i guess. Sweet with a little bit of a kick. :)

What you'll need:

2-3 fillets of boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon chili flakes (you can adjust this according to your preference)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon tomato ketchup (i used del monte)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Wash and pat dry chicken fillets then place in a medium bowl. In a small bowl mix the rest of the ingredients until well incorporated. Add the sauce to chicken fillets and toss together until chicken is well coated. Let sit for 15 minutes. Heat olive oil in a pan and fry chicken fillets until tender. Serve while hot.

Enjoy!