Ginataang Bilu-bilo

My late mom used to make bilu-bilo for our snacks when she was still alive. She love making different native delicacies because she was a good cook. When she passed away, we seldom eat bilu-bilo because nobody had the time to do it. It takes a while to form balls from the dough and it takes patience to do it.

During the 2nd wedding anniversary of my brother and his wife, they prepared bilu-bilo here in the house. It was my sister-in-law who formed the balls and our maid prepared the other ingredients. After it was cooked, it was time to eat. I really missed eating bilu-bilo and we enjoyed the food together with the other foods that we prepared like maja blanca, pancit and ice cream.

INGREDIENTS:

5 pc saging na saba
3 c kakang gata
1 pc kamote
1 tsp salt
1 pc ube (optional)
½ c galapong for bilo-bilo
½ c sago (small)
2-4 c grated coconut
2 c sugar (white)
Pandan leaf (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and cut into desired sizes the saging na saba, kamote, gabi, ube (optional). Form the galapong into tiny balls or bilu-bilo. Prepare strands of langka and pandan leaf for aroma and have ½ c tiny sago ready.

Prepare 2-3 c gata. Set aside the kakang gata for use later for that extra-creamy taste and presentation.

In a big pot, mix all the ingredients together, except bilu-bilo, using the second gata. Bring to a boil. Add sugar and then bilu-bilo.

Let boil until all the ingredients are cooked. Serve hot in a small bowl. Add kakang gata if more creamy texture is desired.

Patupat

I've been enjoying eating native delicacies since I arrived here in my homeland. I've been buying tupig and patupat. Patupat is made of glutinous rice and wrapped in a weaved coconut leaves. They cooked it by dipping in a molasses from sugar cane. It's kinda sweet but not really that sweet. I don't know how they call it in Tagalog but in Ilocano, we call it patupat.

Pistacchio Pudding

The first time I tasted pistachio pudding was in Alvarado. My youngest step-daughter made it and it was good. I searched for the recipe and I tried to make pistachio pudding one time and it turned out good. Here's the recipe.

1 small can pineapple tidbits, save juice
2 c. small marshmallows
1/2 c. nuts
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 pkge. pistachio pudding mix

Save juices; mix with pudding mix. Pour over ingredients and refrigerate.

Squid Adobo

We just ate the squid adobo tonight. This was the 2nd half of the squid that hubby and I bought in Dagupan last Sunday. My hubby loves this recipe so we cooked it the way he likes it. It was so yummy, hmmm...


INGREDIENTS:

* oil
* 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 medium-size onion, chopped
* 1/2 kilo pusit (squid), cleaned
* 1/2 cup vinegar
* 1/2 cup water
* patis (fish sauce) and pepper

PROCEDURE:

1. Heat oil on a skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion.
2. Add cleaned squids. Add patis and pepper to taste. Saute for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add water and vinegar. Do not stir. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until squid is done.

Note: Do not over cook the squids. The meat can get tough.

4. Serve with steamed rice.

TIP: How to tell if squid is fresh? the skin should be shiny and patters still intact (sometimes still moving), as well as the body parts. Before cooking, remove the cartilage inside (it's a strand of thin transparent plastic-like like membrane that works like the backbone of squids) and the sharp teeth in their mouth right in the middle of their tentacles. Just push them out like a toothpaste and they'll come out easily. Nasty.

Fried Squid

Hubby and I went to Dagupan and we bought some fresh fish like squid, galunggong and dorado. This is what we missed when hubby and I were in Texas, fresh fish. Hubby was so happy because he really love squid. We bought 1 and 1/4 kilos. I divided into 2 parts the squid and my brother fried the first one. It was my first time to eat this kind of squid recipe and it was so yummy. Here's the recipe. Sorry I forgot to take a photo of the fried squid.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo medium size squid, cleaned and sliced thinly like a ring
2 eggs beaten
fry mix
cooking oil

Directions:

Pour cooking oil into the pan and heat it. Dip the sliced squids into the beaten eggs. Roll it in the fry mix. Dip fry it until it turn brown.

Veggies For Our Lunch

Yesterday, my brother cooked veggies for our lunch. Our neighbor here in the Philippines gave us 2 papaya from there yard. We have banana heart and okra in our house so my brother cooked it all together and he just mixed ground beef and fish sauce. My youngest brother, his wife and their baby were also here yesterday so we all ate together with our maid. I was surprised to see my hubby ate a lot of rice and the veggies that my brother cooked. He even poured the vinegar with hot pepper in his food. He even got a second serving. When we were in the US, he ate little rice only. Maybe, he enjoyed the fellowship with my siblings or he really love Filipino foods. My brothers were amazed!

Maja Blanca

We had lots of foods in our house last night because it was the wedding anniversary of my brother and his wife. We had pancit, bilo-bilo, banana pudding and maja blanca. They were all home-made and we really had a great time eating. All my siblings and their family were all present and we had a blast. My sister was the one who cooked the maja blanca. She learned the recipe from me. I taught her before I went to the US. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 c Cream Cornstarch
3/4 c corn (canned)
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 cup evap milk
2 coconuts (grated)
grated cheese

1. Place grated coconut in a cheese cloth. Squeeze to get 1 cup of kakang gata and set aside. Mix 2 cups of water water with the grated coconut and squeeze to get thin coconut milk. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine corn, cornstarch and sugar and mix well. Add 1/2 cup water and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened.

3. Grease pan or mold with cooking oil. Pour the mixture in and top with cheese. Let set until cool.

No Bake Cheesecake

I love cheesecake but it's a lot of work to bake it. Then I learned to make a no-bake cheesecake and it's a lot easier to prepare. It taste good too. Here's the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/3 cup butter, melted
* 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
* 2 teaspoons lemon juice
* 1 pint heavy whipping cream
* 1/3 cup white sugar
* 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter and mix well. Press into the bottom of an 8 or 10 inch spring form pan. Chill until firm.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and lemon juice until soft. Add whipping cream and beat with an electric mixer until batter becomes thick. Add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff. Pour into chilled crust, and top with pie filling. Chill several hours or overnight. Just before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan.

My Hubby Made Banana Pudding

I wrote here before that my hubby loves banana pudding. He's very good in making it. In fact, he made it for our dessert last night here in the Philippines. My siblings love it when they tasted it. It was their first time to eat banana pudding and it was all gone in a few minutes. Hubby didn't make that much because he said he will see it first if my siblings would like it. They did and my hubby's banana pudding was a hit. If you want the recipe of my hubby's banana pudding, just click it here.

Good Foods

Since Hubby and I arrived here in the Philippines 2 days ago, we've been enjoying the foods that my siblings had been cooking. I gave my brother money to buy the vegetables, meat and fish that I want to eat and he bought it and cooked it for all of us. You just can't beat fresh vegetables and fish. Hmmm, they're so yummy when it was cooked.

Buridibod

My hubby and I are in the Philippines right now. We're having a great time eating Filipino dishes and today my brother cooked buridibod. I missed eating this Ilocano recipe and today my craving has been satisfied. The food was great and my siblings and their family were all in the house and we had a good time eating. I was surprised that my American husband enjoyed eating buridibod. He said it's good food. After we ate our lunch, my hubby wanted to eat ice cream so I asked my brother to go buy ice cream for us. We really had a blast.

INGREDIENTS:
3 pcs camote
1/2 lb katuray
1/4 lb parda
4 pcs eggplant
10 pcs malunggay fruits
fried fish or ground beef
fish sauce
water

DIRECTIONS:
Boil some water in a pot for the fish sauce. Peel the camotes and cut them in to cubes. Clean and wash the katuray, and parda. Peel and cut the malunggay leaves. after the fish sauce is boiled for some time, put in the camote cubes first and let it cook. here, you can prefer your buridibod somewhat drier or soft and pulpy. if you want a pulpy buridibod, boil the camotes some more or you can mash it by using a ladle. But mash it not too mushy so enough broth remain. you have to retain enough broth for your souping purposes. when the camotes are cooked, put in the malunggay, katuray, talong and parda and let it cook for some time. Serve with rice.