Ginisang Bulaklak Ng Katuray (Sauteed Corkwood Tree Flower)

I bought the katuray or corkwood tree a couple of years ago and it's now yielding flowers. I planted it in front of our house, outside the fence. This is a seasonal vegetable and the tree yields its flower during summer. It gives a lot of flowers almost everyday. It's best to cook it as salad or ginisa (sauteed). Most Ilocanos love this veggie and I don't know if it's true but they said it's good for people with high blood pressure.

Ingredients:

2 handful of bulaklak ng katuray

2 tablespoon fish sauce

3 tomatoes

1 onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1/4 cup water

Cooking Instruction:

1. Remove the pistil or the long stem-like on the central portion of the katuray flower

2. Cook the flower in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Remove from water and set aside.

3. Heat cooking oil in a pot, saute garlic, onion and tomatoes until soft and fragrant.

4. Add fish sauce

4. Add the flower and mix.

5. Serve with rice.

Eggplant with Eggs and Tomatoes

My late mom used to prepare this recipe for us during my younger days. It's another method in cooking eggplant aside from frying it with eggs. I love this food and whenever I eat this, it reminds me of my mother. During my high school days my mom used to packed this together with fried fish for my lunch that I take to school. Those good old days, sigh! I miss my mom.

Here's the recipe from my mom.

Ingredients:
4 eggplants
3 eggs
fish sauce
1 onion (sliced)
4 cloves garlic(crushed)
3 tomatoes sliced)
salt

Procedure:
1. Grill the eggplants until it's cooked. Removed the skin then sliced and mash the eggplants.
2. Beat the eggs and put a little salt.
3. In a skillet, put cooking oil and saute the garlic and onions. Add the tomatoes and fish sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Add the mashed eggplants and cook for a few minutes. Add more fish sauce if needed. Add the eggs and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from fire and serve with rice and fried fish.

Hubby Cooked Corn Bread and Meat Loaf

Corn bread is one of hubby's favorites. He likes to eat it with chili. Since we were here in my homeland, he missed it terribly. The grocery stores here don't sell any corn meal. We've been to bigger grocery stores but still they don't have it. Boy, was he glad when my God-daughter sent us a corn meal mix! He said it would have been better if it's just the regular corn meal which he can make corn bread from scratch and it's cheaper. He cooked the corn meal mix after he bought some ingredients to cook meat loaf because he said corn bread goes well with meat loaf. He used a round baking dish, I don't know why. We have a rectangular baking dish but he preferred the round one. When it was already cooked, he took it out from the oven and he was in a hurry to slice it. Hence, the result was uneven slices because the corn bread was still hot and soft. The verdict, the corn bread was okay but too sweet for us. The corn meal mix was sweet unlike the corn meal that hubby used to make in Texas. That's the reason why hubby prefer the regular corn meal with no sugar.

Next, hubby cooked the meat loaf. Did I tell that hubby was the one who taught me how to cook meat loaf? I am so glad that he really can cook when he wants too. So here's the meat loaf that he cooked. The verdict, it was yummy to the tummy!