'Twas Merry and Bright

There's nothing like spending Christmas with family. This year we spent it with my husband's family in Las Vegas. Although we see them regularly, I felt something magical about this trip... I like to think it's the Christmas magic.

Going to my in-laws' house is like going to your favorite all you can eat buffet. Believe me, they always prepare tons of food. And for Christmas, it's doubly exciting because aside from the food, my mother-in-law decorates the entire house so festively, and it is a sight to behold. So here, I eagerly share with you some of our Christmas pictures.

Here's the entry way that greets you!


Mama Bernie starts decorating right after Thanksgiving. She has collected the Christmas decors through the years. And as a tip, she buys her decorations a day after Christmas - you know, during the (in)famous after-Christmas Sale. That's something that my eldest daughter finds weird, but I find it to be a smart shopper's idea.

I've been married for 21 years and, since I married young, I practically grew up with my parents-in-law as my second parents. Over the years that I've known them, what I find remarkable about their relationship is the acceptance they have for each other (a key ingredient that makes marriage successful). My in-laws are two different persons yet they complement each other. They are always in sync, always working as a team. That's why our vacations are always memorable... Take this Christmas, for instance...


Meet Mama Bernie, who is in charge of the asthetics, as well as organizing and planning the whole production. She is very particular about food presentation. She has different sets of utensils, for different themes, and for different moods. When you set the table, make sure to use the right setting. If you use the wrong set, oh no! You definitely won't pass Mama B's standards. Her pantry, let me tell you, is Impromptu Diva heaven. I could whip up any dish with the ingredients in her pantry: be it Asian, American, Italian, ahhh-- name it and she's got it! I have yet to emulate her organization skills... Papa Tony always praises her for her planning. She had the menu and the itinerary sent to us a month prior, which definitely helps build up the holiday excitement and anticipation.



My father-in-law is in charge of the execution in the kitchen. He's very particular on how the food is cooked. Everything must be precise. And he has a very sophisticated palette. I love Papa Tony's lifestyle... he has so many passions and hobbies and he commits himself to those 100%. I think that's his secret to staying young. He is very well versed in so many aspects in life.. and of course it includes food. He has shared so many techniques with me that I am excited to share with you in the coming posts.

My daughters and I pitching in....


Christmas for our family is always centered in the kitchen. We're always surrounded with food, but somehow, we're always making more food. I thought I was food'd out already; as several days before the trip, I told myself: GO SLOW ON THE FOOD WHEN YOU GET TO VEGAS. But alas, I FAILED! Tell me how I can possibly resist this glorious food:

Christmas eve dinner spread

Custard Flan oh it was so rich and creamy... oh so divine!

Christmas Morning... breakfast spread
Sponge Cake (mamon) bought from Red Ribbon.. It's undeniably everyone's favorite...
Christmas Dinner

What I love about family get-togethers is the bonding that takes place. Whether it's through shopping, enjoying cocktails, playing family games (like Jenga and Scattegories), attending Church together, or just plain chillaxing, the bond that ties us is magical. This special bond is both magical and strong: how else can our family still be so close when we're geographically so apart? And in our busy lives, spending a few days together is just sweet and wonderful... surely it builds memories that warm our hearts. It makes us grateful for the kind of family we have, and wishful that there will be more Christmas dinners like this together. And for the other members of the family who are not in our midst, the holidays makes us miss them even more! It makes us constantly hope and wish that the next Christmas will be spent with them.


This was the piece de resistance during our Christmas Dinner... and I'm going to present the recipe below, which Papa Tony shared with me:

RIB EYE ROAST ALA PAPA TONY
We need:


Rib Eye
Olive oil
Mustard
Rosemary
Bay Leaf
Salt
Pepper
Garlic



Directions:
To cook evenly, the roast must be at room temperature. Our roast was previously thawed and we let it stand for about 3 to 4 hours at room temperature. This will ensure that the roast will be cooked evenly. You don't want your roast to be well done on the sides then raw in the middle.

It is also important that the prime rib is tied. Fortunately, we bought ours tied up. If your meat isn't prepared as such, tie the roast on both ends using cooking twine. You can also ask your neighborhood butcher to tie the meat for you. This will allow the roast to be evenly cooked.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Wash the roast and pat to dry.

Make a slit on the sides of the roast, and insert garlic cloves.
>

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, bay leaf, rosemary together. Set Aside.


In a mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil and mustard together.
Add garlic-rosemary to the mixture. Rub it generously around the roast.
Use a heavy stainless steel roasting pan and place the roast, ribs down. Make sure to use a pan that should be able to catch all the drippings from the prime rib while being roasted. You need all the drippings to make au jus and gravy later on.

Put the oven temperature at 450 degrees F to sear the rib roast. This will take about 15-20 minutes.


Then turn the oven to 325 degrees F for the rest of the cooking time, which depends on how big your roast is. Our roast, which was about 18 lbs, took 3 1/2 hours to cook. Cook until rib roast reaches an internal temperature of 130-140 degrees F. Make sure to check the internal temperature by inserting the thermometer right in the center of the rib. (Another tip, invest on a good meat thermometer. It eliminates guess work; you don't want to mess up cooking your prime rib.) Remove from oven and let the roast sit approximately 15 to 20 minutes covered with foil before serving.

Carving directions:


Place the cooked prime rib on a large cutting board. Make sure to have something that will catch the drippings. We made a well out of aluminum foil to catch the juice. Remove the twine. Using a sharp carving knife (we used an electric knife), separate the ribs from the meat.
Slice the meat across the grain with your desired thickness. Serve it with sides of Au Jus Juice, Mushroom Gravy or Horseradish Sauce.


As the year comes to an end, I'd like to say, Happy New Year to all of you dear readers... as I look back, 2009 gave me and my family some highs and some lows, yet we are still always grateful. We look forward to 2010... very hopeful and yes thankful...

Christmas Snapshots

I just stepped out from church and my phone signals me that I have 6 missed calls. Who would call me six times on a Sunday morning, I thought as I was checking the call log. It was my friend Teyene, who announced that she was on her way to visit me and she is travelling by train. "By train? Who takes the train in SoCal?" I asked. "Well I want to try riding the train, especially now that it's raining" she excitedly told me. Sigh...another hopeless romantic... just like me!

Teyene and I are good at impromptu moments like this, more spontaneous and random than planned, but I got excited for her and her hubby about the train ride. "Train thrill starts" was the next text that I got from her. I was thinking how crazy romantic the trip would be for the both of them, with the panoramic coastal view of the Pacific as their backdrop.

With my husband in tow, we met Teyene and her husband, Buddy, at the Solana Beach Train Station, located a few miles north of downtown San Diego. It turned out that we were about to discover that across the station lies a charming design haven called the Cedros Design District. I liked the vibe of the place. So full of creative energy, stylish stores, good bargain finds... a farmer's market, gourmet cafes, ahh it was like a kindred spirit enclave. And to think that this was only 5 minutes away from my place, how could I have missed it???

I don't want to use the trite saying: A picture is worth a thousand words. But in this case I must, to share with you my fun Sunday get-together with one of my dearest friends. Also, I'm hesitant to post my pics because it seems amateurish, (I told my husband it's the camera... *wink, wink* a good Christmas present maybe...), but here it goes.

Christmas Snapshots ...

It was a late hazy afternoon, hazy due to the rain or maybe it's due to the cheap camera I was using, hahaha... but that's me and my friend and her hubby.

One of my favorite stores, where you could buy novelty gifts from around the globe. So chic! I went back the next morning! It's definitely another place to get a lot of inspiration from!
...it's so cool!!!

Off to downtown we went. Took the 101 highway to see more views of the ocean...and we passed Del Mar, just next to Solana Beach(train station).

Right in our backyard... a view of the Pacific Ocean... living in SoCal has its benefits, and with a view like this??? It's priceless!


We're now at the Gaslamp district in downtown San Diego. This is one of our favorites... NO! This is NOT a STRIP CLUB, so calm down folks!! It's only a steak house.

Our hubbies grilling our own steaks... that's the fun part that men enjoy in this joint.


Our next stop was a gelato place called CHOCOLAT...

Their Tiramisu was the bomb! It blew my mind away...
Guess what happens when you had a really good time? You go back the following day. This time with our kids... Right after we picked up my daughter from the airport, who's on her winter break from Berkeley, my hubby took us to CHOCOLAT again.

Different flavors yet...

my three children found a common love... for gelato!

With the colors of Christmas around me, it definitely puts me in the mood to make my Brownie Mini Pizza . This is something fun to do with younger kids, wherein they could put their creativity to use.

We need:


Brownie Mix (using a ready mix simplifies this recipe)
A can of fruit salad
1 cup of cream cheese spread (so easy to spread, no need to use a mixer)
1 cup of Whipped cream
chocolate chips

Directions:

For the "crust":



Prepare the brownie mix as per the manufacturer's instructions. Put a thin layer on a lined round baking pan. The liner will make it easier to remove the brownie crust from the pan. Bake it for about 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Keep a close eye on it as it may burn. Allow the brownie crust to cool down before removing it from the pan.

For the "sauce":

Mix the whipped cream and cream cheese together in a mixing bowl. Make sure to blend it well. Set Aside.

How to Assemble:

Apply a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on to the brownie "crust". Arrange the fruits on the brownie "dough". Sprinkle chocolate chip cookies. The mini-pizza dessert is ready.



This will give you a "heavenly" piece to savor... Merry Christmas!

The Red Raincoat

Twas a rainy Wednesday morning and I loved it! So there I was in the mini-van waiting for the kids to take them to school, as I was enjoying the blaring sound of the car stereo: the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ hit single Snow. Perfect music to go with the weather. Ok fine, it was not snowing, it was just raining but I love it anyways, and I love the music, so it was all good… for me it was still perfect music for the moment.

I get excited when it rains here in San Diego because it seldom happens. My husband says that if that’s the case, we should move to Seattle. I guess he wants to see me in a happy mood for most times of the year. But San Diego‘s weather is almost perfect and it can’t get any better… but with the rains right now I'm just loving the change in the weather.

So after I took the kids to school, I grabbed my red raincoat and I stepped outside not afraid to get wet. And like a little girl, I just wanted to splash in the puddle with my boots…and I walked and sang in the rain!


I walked to the Del Mar Highlands Town Center, our neighborhood shopping arcade. I love the area, it kinda gives you a feeling of Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow, only with a modern twist… and it’s just a 15 minute walk from where I live. We have a tall Christmas tree (it’s not like the tree at the Rockefeller Center in NYC) but it’s still tall enough to say that Christmas is here. Climb the stairs and you have a good selection of places to eat with an al fresco dining setting… it’s just simply lovely! Our favorite place to eat for breakfast is Champagne Bakery and Bistro… I love their crepes! Then I went to a store called Papyrus: I love to take inspirations from there. I don’t buy their cards, oh no, I make my own. Of course there’s Barnes and Noble, where I love to skim the pages of cookbooks and my favorite magazines… Hahaha yes I do sound like I’m el cheapo, right? Next stop is Bath and Body Works, where I love to smell and try every scent of their hand soaps and lotions… there are boutiques and jewelry shops, very tony! And oh our Mcdonalds is not your usual Mcdonalds, with its modern/eccelectic interiors, along with serving Panini, soups and several gourmet selections. I just felt like suddenly, I began to appreciate all the things around me that I usually take for granted. It’s one hallmark moment, that I wish I could permanently capture. That’s how much I loved the moment.

I spent most of my time people watching, and this time of the year is the best time to do that. I see people rushing frantically down the wet pavement. I see ladies all made up and clad in designer outfits. I felt amused because they don’t seem to impress me anymore, I was just there feeling content, as I sipped my hot cocoa…wearing my red raincoat.

In the few stores I stepped foot in, I saw people scavenging for gifts, trying to cross them off their lists. I saw kids bored in their strollers trying to get mom’s attention, but their moms were oblivious as they were busy scouting for anything with red tags. But what caught my attention was an old man trying to reach for a musical stuffed toy on a shelf. I reached for it and gave it to him, and with his fragile old frame, he asked me what I thought about the toy. I said it’s beautiful, and he said, ”it’s for my great grandson… not grandson, it’s MY great grandson… he emphatically pointed out, “I’m a lucky old man ain’t I? That I lived long enough to see my great grandchildren and it gives me profound joy!” I wanted to hug him, or wished he was related to me… and I wanted to take him home because I was afraid that with the rain, he might slip, or afraid that with the rain and knowing how people drive crazily, he might get into an accident. Cut it out Malou! Probably, he’s just like me, who wants to be out there in the rain… I greeted him "Merry Christmas"...I smiled and left him.

It was such a lovely morning walk… and when I went home, all wet, chilly and cold, I craved for a creamy rich soup. Oh what a morning.. a lovely morning indeed. I wanted to sing: "listen to the rhythm of the pouring rain"… ok enough… here’s the recipe for the creamy potato shrimp soup!

Creamy Potato-Garlic-Shrimp-Soup

Ingredients




1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 pcs. Potatoes with peel, diced
4 cups broth (chicken or shrimp bouillon dispersed in water)
1 cup milk or cream
butter -garlic croutons
1 stick butter
1 medium egg
Salt and pepper, to taste
pre-cooked shrimp


Microwave the potatoes for about 4 minutes. Then mash together with butter and the cracked egg. Don't mash it too well, you may want to leave some lumps so as to give the soup some texture. Set aside.

In a stock pot over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in butter. Add mashed potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Add a handful of croutons. Turn heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until potatoes get mushy and croutons are soft.


Remove from heat and add milk or cream. Season with salt and pepper. You may now add the cooked shrimp. Leave it for a few minutes to warm up. Garnish with croutons and toasted garlic. You may also add cheddar cheese if you choose to.

Top Chef Finale Spin

I guess Christmas is always the busiest time of the year! My to-do list is longer than usual, and in fact writing it takes longer than usual too. It's been almost a week since my last blog entry and oh the number of my shows recorded on the DVR is increasing... oh no! hmmm it's definitely a sign of busy-ness! I have to watch two shows today, my kids forewarned me, as it will be erased soon to make room for more shows. So today I decided to watch the finale of Amazing Race and Top Chef: Las Vegas back to back. Thank goodness for DVR! I could still watch the shows that I love when I have the time. But the only downside of watching the finale a few days after is that a lot of times you will know who the winners are…spoiler alert indeed, what a bummer... I knew who won the Amazing Race before I watched it but even then, I was surprised at myself that I was still crying when I watched it. I guess what moved me is seeing how these couples worked hard to get to the finish line and I was so engaged during the whole season, that I cried with their victory.

Sniff. Sniff. Sniff.

I then proceeded to watch Top Chef. Of course I was crying again. But watching Top Chef? Oh no something must be wrong with me? How can I possibly be crying so hard watching chefs wanting to make it big via a reality show. But ok, before you think I’m loony, the portion that touched me most in the finale of Top Chef is when they brought in the moms of the final 3 contestants. The chefs were asked to prepare a dish inspired by their mom's dishes in their childhood. I was moved seeing clips of their childhood, and how Bryan and Michael, realized that they were competing with each other but at the end of the day, they are still brothers! Each of them had two different "inspirations" from the same mom.

I tried to put myself into that situation. Nope I'm not a chef, or will I ever be in a Top Chef episode anytime soon but I thought if given that challenge, what dish will I make my mom to remind me of my childhood?... and I thought right away, a fish dish… This is what reminds me of how she meticulously selected the freshest fish/meat in the market for us. So in this particular entry I would like to post Salmon ala Isi. My mom's nickname is Isi. Although she doesn't cook as much as other moms do (or I do) because she was lucky to have a good cook to do all our meals when we were growing up. But as I’ve said, she gets fresh produce and meats from the market daily and she plans our meals according to the fresh ingredients she gets. Yes, daily! Even if we remind her of what the fridge is for, she insists and up to this day she still goes daily. It’s part of her routine, wake up by having coffee with my papa, then go to church and then the market... a routine that is hard for her to break.

The farmer's markets in the Philippines are quite interesting and it will be another entry on its own. I remember I used to tag along with my mama going to the market, clutching my own native basket. We live in a small town, so everybody knows everybody, and as we pass the vendors they would greet my mama by her name and invite her to take a look at their "fresh produce". Through my child’s eye back then, the local market looked like a maze with so many stalls around it but my mama knows her way and goes straight to her "suki" or preferred vendor. She would carefully select a piece. She would touch it, feel it, she looks at the gills, if it's red and it’s firm, presto... it's fresh. Then the haggling begins.... She has her own negotiation skills but mostly she uses her charm as a local and a daily shopper, the vendor usually gives in. I guess that’s where I got my negotiation skills too…Hahaha!

In Salmon ala Isi, I’m going to put my spin on one of her recipes commonly served during fiestas in my hometown. The fish is usually steamed then it's covered with mayo and decorated with carrots, green onions. The dish looks so colorful with the variety of condiments on top of the fish. But let's start with my concoction:

Salmon Ala Isi (this is another recipe under you can't believe it's so easy recipe list)

We need:

1.5 lbs of salmon
3/4 c mayo
3 tbsp hoisin
4 cloves garlic minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Green Onions (sliced)




Preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.
On a bowl, mix together all the other ingredients. Then spread it over onto the salmon. Sprinkle the green onions on top.
Place the salmon on to the pan, with the skin-side down. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Make sure not to over cook it. You wouldn't like the salmon to be as hard as cardboard..





For the side dish:

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:
Asparagus
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and peper to taste

Before tossing the asparagus on to the pan, make sure to wash off all the dirt from it. There's usually sand on it because it grows on a sandy soil. Get one piece and bend it, it will show you where to cut the stems. Make that as your template and slice the whole bunch of asparagus altogether. You could set that aside and make cream of asparagus with it in the future but with this dish, you don't want to have all the fibrous feel to it.

ON a pan, place the asparagus and drizzle Olive oil on it. Add salt and pepper and bake it together with the salmon. Asparagus should not be overcooked either. IT shouldn't take more than 10 to 15 minutes, so just about the same time as you cooked the salmon.

Together it will make for a great dinner! And it takes you less than 30 minutes to prep and cook it... It will give you time to put up your feet up and enjoy the holiday season, and of course your back log of TV shows. Enjoy!

Weekend Express

I always have a perfect description on how to spend my weekends: purely having fun and relaxing. It makes you feel like time is on your side, no deadlines and pressure from work and home. Well you know how it goes during the weekdays: when the alarm starts to buzz, you crawl out of bed, find your way to the kitchen, make coffee, then breakfast, (and well for me it includes preparing 3 brown bags for lunch). Thank goodness for weekends... the days to recharge myself... no jumping out of the bed early, spending my time instead to sleep, cuddle up in bed, sleep some more and as a bonus I have the privilege of waking up to the sweet aroma of bacon and toast that my hubby makes.

After breakfast, the pace of the day often changes. Ok if this was a movie this is the part where the calm music fades and changes to a different rhythm... I'm thinking from the piano-based music of Amelie to the orchestral bombast of The Gladiator. Having 2 teenage kids who are actively involved in serving the community, I have to drive them around, and on some weekends having an early start. Yes, early as in 5:30 AM when they volunteer for fun runs for charity, like Run for the Hungry in downtown San Diego, or Race for the Cure held at Balboa Park.

This weekend was one. A battle between the alarm clock and the comforter ensues. “Wake up!” the alarm clock commands, while my comforter seduces me to tuck myself in tighter and place the covers over my face. On a chilly December morning, the comforter wins… zzzzz. I need more sleep, I justify. My son comes in to my room and reminds me that they have to go in a few minutes… “Why do you volunteer so early!" I protested. "I think you’ve overbooked yourselves again this weekend” I whined some more... and my son was stunned, and sheepishly reminds me that I should be proud that they are part of the concerned youth movement trying to make a difference in the world.

Embarrassed by my own behavior, I instinctively got up. My son's words shook me and awakened me... Act like you’re the mom here I challenged myself… So off I go to the kitchen. I have to have breakfast ready in 20 minutes... so think fast Malou, work even faster... as I was trying to think what to prepare for them. I wanted to serve them something that would say, “Mommy is so proud of you!", like a cheerleader, I wanted their breakfast to say GO Kids , GO !

STUFFED FRENCH TOAST… came to my mind. Yes stuffed with a combination that is out of the ordinary: BACON and Nuttela. They love French toast and the extra stuffing should be able to perk them up. I love to see their pleasantly surprised faces after having a bite...Seeing their faces transform and hearing their praises for the food, the feeling is PRICELESS! So let’s begin:


STUFFED BACON AND NUTTELLA FRENCH TOAST

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tbsp French vanilla creamer
8 slices of white bread
3 tbsp butter
Break the eggs into a bowl. Whisk it lightly then add milk and French vanilla creamer.

Spread the nuttela on one slice of bread and arrange the bacon strips on a second slice. Pair them together.
Heat a skillet coated with a thin layer of butter.
Soak the pair of bread with the egg mixture then put it on the skillet. Cook it until golden brown. Flip it and brown the other side as well



Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Garnish it with chocolate chips all around the plate. Serve it hot. As they bite, the bacon and nuttela will reveal itself. It would be gooey sweet and the saltiness of the bacon will stand out yet complement the chocolate spread… No need to add syrup.



P.S.
Thank you for the emails and the FB messages you've sent me... I got a suggestion from one of the readers, Cathrina (check out her amusing blog about design, shopping, food, and being a career-mommy at http://cathrinadionisio.blogspot.com/) that I should start a series where I'll be answering questions from the readers, and I think I'm convinced based on the emails that I receive. So I'd love to hear from you! If it’s a recipe, an ingredient or maybe a suggestion I would prefer that you ask it on the comment section of the post. That way everyone can benefit from the information. I will turn your questions and suggestions into a blog post.

Thank you and looking forward to hear from you!

xoxo,
Malou
a.k.a Impromptu Diva

Lessons My Papa Taught Me

I had a great conversation with my father over the phone today and I realized that I haven’t had that kind of talk with him in a long time. Due to the time difference (16 hours to be exact) I rarely could get him on the phone. He’s always at work, yes even at 77 he refuses to slow down, and you would always find him in his law office always working on a case… and if you're lucky you would catch him whistling along to the tunes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, or his favorite song, “What a Wonderful World”. That’s lesson number 1 my Papa taught me: Do something that you really love, and you won’t quit doing it.

He was excited to tell me that he was orchestrating a surprise party for my oldest brother, Fr. Gerry, who is celebrating his 21st year in the priesthood. "Paul(my younger brother) is arriving too and that’s one of the surprises… but wait" he tells me, "guess what the other celebration is all about". “What?” I asked him and he said: “well let’s see if you still know your father”, Oh no, please Papa don't do this to me! I silently mumbled. Hmmm!!! Think Malou I said to myself... Think hard or else: "Oh is it your investiture as a Knight when you received the Papal Award 15 years ago???" I inquired. … At this point, I heard a burst of laughter and he said, “You still know your father, Hija!” Judging from his laughter, I made my Papa happy and I heaped a sigh of relief...and deep inside I wished that I could have been there with them to celebrate.… Lesson number 2 my Papa taught me: Celebrate life’s happy occasions!

With Christmas around the corner, I cannot help but think about the “traditions” we had with my father. And of course, in retrospect, I would think about food… FOOD TRADITIONS! So for him Christmas is not complete without apples and grapes (we don’t grow them in the Philiippines so it was expensive back in the days) or ham and chorizos... And oh, his stuffed chicken. My Papa, would make his “special” stuffed chicken. “Make sure it’s the Jumbo chicken” he would specify when my mom goes out to buy the bird. It’s special because he makes it himself (in the Philippines, you have an army of helpers, so it’s rare to see the men of the family in the kitchen). He used to make just 2, one for our family and one for the Archbishop. Then, when I got married, he made 3, to be given to my in-laws… then 4 when my sister got married... I think now he makes 6. But in the process of making it, everybody is involved… deboning the chicken, buying the ingredients, etc. And he would ask me(when I was still there) or my mom to “style” the food that would proudly say: I MADE THIS ESPECIALLY FOR YOU!!! And yes to be hand delivered. Lesson number 3 my Papa taught me: Special gifts are from the heart and created by your hands!

As I was typing this entry, I got a call from my sister, Marvie. I was flabbergasted when I heard: “I decided to continue Papa’s tradition this year!” she happily announced. "Hey I'm writing about that in my blog today", I said. Apparently she's been thinking of what to give her partner in her clinic. "Well obviously I'm not going to make it, it's Benedict" she goes further. (Yes her husband is the one who cooks in the family, one lucky wife she is huh!) Benedict is a terrific cook and he is meticulous enough in following directions, so I think he will do justice to my father's specialty. My butchering skills are not good enough yet for me to completely debone a chicken but in my attempt to continue Papa’s tradition, I am going to do an Impromptu Diva spin on traditional meatloaf. You might think there is a weak connection between my Papa’s traditional stuffed chicken to my meatloaf but let me tell you, the chicken is stuffed with the same ingredients as meatloaf... well almost. So let me call the dish, Meatloaf with an Asian Twist… and hopefully you'll give this recipe the OH-SO-Delish trademark of Impromptu Diva.



Meatloaf with an Asian Twist

Ingredients:
4 lbs. ground beef
Strips of bacon
3 dinner rolls (you could use bread slices)
1/3 cup milk
¾ c ketchup
1 large onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
Salt (word of caution, go slow on the salt, it will make or break the recipe)
Pepper
5 large eggs (3 boiled eggs, 2 to go to the mixture)
5 tbsp hoisin sauce
5 tbsp oyster sauce



(The Asian twist comes from the hoisin sauce and the oyster sauce, plus of course the boiled eggs. Embotido and morcon are Filipino versions of meatloaf, which are rolled, shaped like a salami. Traditionally it is steamed and not baked like the meatloaf… and the center has surprising ingredients like boiled eggs, hotdogs or sausages!)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, break the bread into small pieces and stir in the milk. Set aside..

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix all the wet ingredients: hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, 2 eggs. Add the onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Add bread-milk mixture. At this point you may want to mix them well so that when you put in the ground beef, all you have to do is mix it gently as you don’t want to over mix the beef.

Apply a cooking spray on a baking sheet or line it with foil.. Place the meat mixture on the prepared baking sheet and form into a loaf. I used a baking pan to shape it. Make sure to press it hard to make it compact. (When baked it will give you a solid piece of meatloaf ) Dig a canal like so…

Add the peeled boiled eggs and cover it with the remaining meat mixture. Baste it with ketchup. Arrange the strips of bacon like so.





Bake until the meat is properly cooked, about 45 to 55 minutes at 400F. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.



While baking it, the aroma from the kitchen flows out into the living room and you will hear your family ask, “Mom, what are you cooking? It smells so good.” You know it's the aroma from the bacon blending with the flavors of the meatloaf. Slowly, they will all come to the kitchen table and pretty soon you will be hearing “is it dinner yet mom?” and maybe just maybe, they begin to realize the valuable lessons you teach them through your deeds, just as how I appreciate the lessons I learned from my Papa.


P.S.
Thank you for the emails and the FB messages you've sent me... I got a suggestion from one of the readers, Cathrina (check out her amusing blog about design, shopping, food, and being a career-mommy at http://cathrinadionisio.blogspot.com/) that I should start a series where I'll be answering questions from the readers, and I think I'm convinced based on the emails that I receive. So I'd love to hear from you! If it’s a recipe, an ingredient or maybe a suggestion I would prefer that you ask it on the comment section of the post. That way everyone can benefit from the information. I will turn your questions and suggestions into a blog post.

Thank you and looking forward to hear from you!

xoxo,
Malou
a.k.a Impromptu Diva

Orange You Glad It's Chicken

“Who's going to drink all the soda dad?" I overheard my son, Joey, asking my hubby about the sodas he just bought. We usually don’t drink soda at our house, so my son was puzzled as to why my husband bought a few 2-liter bottles. I thought that he just got it because it was on sale, but then I heard him say, "No, mom is sick and soda will help her feel better." I don't know if there is any scientific explanation to it, but thinking back on it, soda was one of the "comfort" drinks that we had growing up. Is it just a Filipino thing? Maybe, but I don't really know.

I was so touched by my husband’s sweet gesture. Even if there is no scientific reason as to why you feel better after drinking orange soda, I know for a fact (and apparently so does my hubby) that it works for me. I guess that’s what having “comfort” food or drink is all about. It’s all about the feeling of being wrapped up, cuddled and cared for… especially when you are sick. It makes you feel like a child again. The sweet tangy taste of orange soda (we had Royal Tru Orange back then but Sunkist is close enough!) and the faint fizz from the carbonated drink warms your heart… You might think it is über cheesy, but hey let me savor the moment.

I think my husband over did it though because a week later most of the Sunkist was still sitting in our pantry. So I used the orange soda as a cooking ingredient. And I used it to take center stage in cooking my Orange Glazed Chicken. I wanted to capture the sweetness of orange and let it stand-out by adding orange rinds and wedges. The result was a sweet orange flavored dish.

Along with the Orange-Glazed Chicken, I prepared a bean sprout (togue) and cucumber salad. I got the salad recipe from my Mama. She calls it Kimchi. I always tell her, “Mom kimchi is most commonly served as spicy pickled cabbage, not bean sprouts,” but she still insists in calling it kimchi salad up to this day. LOL! Oh well, that's why I love my Mama. But let me name the salad- Bean Sprouts-Cucumber Duo.

The combination of the Orange-Glazed Chicken and the Bean Sprouts-Cucumber duo is so divine… it’s like a perfect marriage. Plus, when it’s all laid out on the plate with all of the garnishing of orange wedges and toasted sesame seeds, it will definitely get an oh-so-delish remark from your loved ones… Happy cooking!


Orange Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:

10-12 pcs of chicken (I used thighs)
1/4 c soy sauce
1 c orange soda (I used sunkist)
1/4 c white sugar
Pepper and salt to taste
4 cloves garlic (minced)
3 bay leaf (crushed)

Directions:

Wash the chicken thoroughly (I use salt to clean my chicken). In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients and let it simmer. You want all the ingredients to blend well. Place the chicken on the pan, skin side down. Cover and cook until chicken is done. Cooking time takes about 30 minutes but if chicken is not cooked yet add water. Wait until it dehydrates. You must turn the chicken twice so that the sides won’t burn but allowing it to caramelize.



The chicken at this point needs some TLC - never allow it to burn, as it will have a bitter/ burnt taste. Add orange rinds and cook for a few more minutes. When serving, garnish it with orange wedges and toasted sesame seeds.

Bean Sprouts and Cucumber Duo

Ingredients:

1 package of bean sprouts
1 whole cucumber (sliced)
1 c white vinegar
¾ c white sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 medium onion (chopped)

Direction:

Blanch the bean sprouts. Drain and set aside. In a pan, boil the vinegar and sugar together. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the onions and sesame oil. Let it cool.

Arrange the bean sprouts and cucumber in a serving plate. Pour in the vinegar mixture. Make sure that the vinegar is already cold.
Serve the Orange Glazed Chicken alongside the Bean Sprouts–Cucumber Duo… ENJOY!