Hot like Tabasco

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was never really a fan of hot and spicy food, until I met my husband.  He has such a high tolerance for spicy foods that I learned to eat them in moderation of course.  

Everybody loves Adobo.  But when I started using TABASCO® Original Red with it, I swear I couldn't eat it without Tabasco anymore.  I don't actually include it in the dish itself, I add in in the dipping sauce (which is fish sauce).  I used to add Bird's Eye Chili.  It just gives the sauce a certain hotness, but with Tabasco, it added flavor.  I guess it's because Tabasco has perfected the 3-year aging process of combining salt, red pepper and vinegar.  They've mastered the art of coming up with a hot sauce that brings out the most in any dish.

Just like with pizza, Tabasco works wonders.  The spice and hotness of the Tabasco adds a unique flavor to the pizza as well.  It just keeps you wanting for more, which is especially good while watching the Super Bowl or other athletic games. Taking a bite of pizza with Tabasco is perfect for those crunch times and buzzer beater shots.  Those crucial moments are like Tabasco, they're "so much more than hot".  

Speaking of the Super Bowl, need ideas for your Game-Day Party Menu?  Or maybe order a super delicious Pizza Perfected.  You can never go wrong with Pizza and Tabasco.  

Cafe Mary Grace and Red Kimono

Daddy had a couple of things to do at work, last minute papers to sign/notices to give. He said it wouldn't take him too long so we decided to go with him.

We waited for him at Cafe Mary Grace at the Rockwell Business Center. Little Missy enjoyed her time there because she was given coloring pages and tons of colors. I guess at 2, it's her semi-heaven. She also had a notepad and a pen when she wanted to doodle or take a break from coloring.

What I love about the place was they also had a couple of children's books to entertain the kiddies. Again, little Missy spend hours reading them over and over. She particularly loved the book about Clifford the big red dog. She just went on and on reading, she didn't even want me to teach or help her out.


When daddy finally finished his errands, we went home. It was almost dinner time so we decided to have a go at one of the restos at Westgate in Alabang. Daddy treated me to Japanese food since he knew I was craving for some sashimi and tempura so we ended up at Red Kimono.

The food itself was good. The only thing that wasn't right was that the Salmon Sashimi had bones in it. Not just one, Daddy had 2 pieces with bones in them. We didn't even finish it because we lost our appetite with it already. The other dishes we ordered were actually ok. We left the restaurant with the manager apologizing profusely.

Daddy actually said it probably wasn't the chef's fault since they are delivered cut already. It was the supplier who was at fault. It's just sad that we started our meal on a bad note. I wasn't able to take a picture of the sashimi anymore but Daddy made sure I was ready for the next ones.


^Chicken Yakitori (I think)


^Tempura


^Ginger Garlic Steak


^Sizzling Tofu Steak
I'd still recommend eating at Red Kimono. I guess it was just an unfortunate incident and I hope it doesn't happen again. I felt sorry for the chef and the manager that I didn't make a formal complaint anymore. It is after all the season to be jolly.

Pork Sinigang - my comfort food

It's noon and the sun isn't that hot. The smell of Christmas in the air, as well as rain coming down maybe in 4 hours or so.

It is during these times that I feel so lazy to move around. Then Daddy requests for Pork Sinigang which is my comfort food. So...

You think I'll be moving around much after lunch? I don't think so :)

Crispy Kare-kare

Last night I decided to order food for delivery again. I called my ever trusted Putsi Ko Noy and ordered Kare-kare. This seems to be a favorite of my little Missy. She doesn't eat the beef nor the twalya but she loves the veggies that come with it (stringbeans, eggplant and pechay).

When it was delivered, the guy told me they ran out of beef. It still had the twalya but he said this is now their Crispy Kare-kare. Interesting.

Crispy Kare-kare is crispy liempo. Instead of beef, they put crispy pork, just like their Crispy Dinuguan. I must say though, it's yummy! I love how the crispy balat tasted with the kare-kare sauce. The only thing I'd rather not have in there was the fat. The liempo was a bit fatty.

For P150, it's definitely worth it.

The Riches and McDonald's

I didn't get to have pizza last night. It didn't matter anyway since I was so glued to the TV rooting for Team Riches of the Philippines to win the 4th Amazing Race Asia.My daughter and I opted to have food delivered from McDonalds. She had the 6pc nuggets with Rice and I had the Chicken Fillet meal. I didn't eat the meal though while watching, I ate the Twister Fries and Monster Green Fizz Sprite McFloat. Oh so, so yummy while watching the race.

I'm so happy that the Philippines finally won this season. I feel sorry though for Hussein (and Natasha). He just couldn't go through the challenge because of severe phobia. I don't blame him though after what happened in Sri Lanka. At his age, pushing that wire-crossing thing could have ended in a disaster with him having a stroke. It just wasn't Indonesia's time this season, in my opinion.


Photo courtesy of axn-asia.com

Photo courtesy of The Amazing Race Asia Facebook Fan Page

The highlight of the finale though was when Rich Hardin proposed to his girlfriend Andrea. Congratulations Team Riches and to the Philippines. Congrats too to Richard and Andrea.

Dinner? hmmm

What to have for dinner? Was thinking of Pizza and chicken!!

It would be perfect while watching the Season Finale of The Amazing Race Asia 4! Go Philippines, Go Team Rich!!!

What's for Christmas?

Have you decided what to prepare for your Christmas feast? Honestly I haven't. I've been slacking in everything lately that I'm beginning to think I'm actually sick (just low in iron).

Anyway, for those who want to share what they're having, please leave me a note (comment). Maybe I can pick up this and that from what you all share :D One thing that won't be missing though... the Christmas Ham and Hot Chocolate... ahhhh, can't wait for Christmas!

Food and more food

We went to the Cuenca (St. James the Great Parish) Bazaar today. Met up with old friends and ate super great food!

We had sandwiches and pasta from PEDeli's Gourmet, plus a Snowman cupcake and Oatmeal and Chocolate Cookie for my little girl. We also had a lot of grilled treats on the side, barbeque, puso, balunbalunan and chicken bottoms.

Can't wait to blog more about PEDeli's Gourmet. Watch out for it.

Can't get enough of... crabs!

What's for dinner? Crabs in chili-oyster sauce from Putsi!

Perfect timing finally. We've always wanted to order this but it seems he wasn't buying crabs because they weren't of good quality. I was surprised to know it was available today (well, last night actually since it's almost 3am).

As always, we were right. It was so good I couldn't resist a second cup of rice. And I didn't use my utensils. It was truly finger-licking good!

Ugh, seafoods. Why can't I ever get enough of you??

(Sorry, in my excitement I forgot to take a picture. I do promise to order it again though)

Pochero please Putsi?

Yesterday I blogged about craving for Putsero. I got the next best thing. Ordered Kare-kare from Putsi Ko Noy! Yummmm, even my little girl ate about a cup of rice with the vegetables.

Next step? I told Kuya Arnold maybe he can add Pochero to his menu :) If or when he does, I will be their first customer.

By the way, I'll be compiling all my pictures of the food from Putsi Ko Noy and upload them all for you :) Watch out for it.

What are you craving for?

I've been too lazy to cook lately. I just don't have enough time in a day to complete everything I need to do.

Last night, after going through my list of for delivery menus, I suddenly had a craving. I was craving for Pochero! I used to cook Pochero at least once a month, at most three times a month before but it takes hours to prepare and cook. But I want it soooo bad now, with Ensaladang Talong.


Photo courtesy of VisualRecipes.com

I think it's time to tell hubby to be a full-time Nanny for one day, Saturday perhaps. If we won't spend the day out, I definitely have to cook Pochero again.

How about you? What are you craving for today, or recently?

Pork Binagoongan - Putsi Ko Noy

I totally love their food. Even this Pork Binagoongan. Yes I can cook this, but buying it from them saves me from all the preparation and the smell it leaves the house when cooking the bagoong.



Even my little Missy ate it, the bagoong and the Pork. The Pork was tender so she didn't have a hard time chewing it, as with other pork dishes. I know it's still best to cook your own food, but for such a bargain price, sometimes I think it's more practical to buy it. Saved on washing everything you will use, pots, pans, etc. Saved time for prep and cooking. Saved time from washing the dishes afterwards too.

Just a couple more dishes I haven't tried from them but I'm pretty sure we'll try them all out real soon.

I was about to cook when...

I'm soooo late. I had to do a couple of things that it was almost 12 noon before I could prepare lunch for me and the little Missy.

So I had the rice cooking of the rice cooker while I prepared our food. When the rice was done, and food prepared (not cooked yet), I go to the kitchen and voila... no more gas!

Now I have to wait an hour or more for the gas to be delivered. I said "or more" because I need to charge up my old phone to get the dealer's phone number. Charging it up takes at least 20 minutes before it turns on. Ugh!!!

I should have just called Putsi Ko Noy or McDonald's or something. Oh well... gotta go pressure my phone to open.

Putsi ko Noy

Friends, meet Putsi 'ko 'Noy.




I've tried more than 5 of their dishes already and I can say I am very satified. I'll try and look for the pics I took.. will upload soon!

Hotdogs and Onions, with Ketchup on the side please.

Okay, so ketchup really wasn't "on the side" but I thought it sounded good! For the story of this dish, please read my post about it on My Tots Exactly! soon.



Ingredients:
Hotdogs (with cheese is better :D), cut diagonally
Onions cut in circles
Banana ketchup
oil for frying (or add a little spot of butter)
some soy sauce to taste

Serve with steaming hot rice!

Hope you enjoy your Hotdogs and Onions, with Ketchup "ON IT". Have fun!

Beef Caldereta - Putsi ko Noy

Yesterday was Crispy Dinuguan. Last night we tried their Beef Caldereta. I must say, we've only ordered 2 items from their menu but I'm impressed.

Photo copyright by My Tummy Calls. May not be used or reproduced without permission.
Daddy and I still think the serving is good enough for 3, or 2 maybe if you're really famished. I agree that the foil where it was wrapped in was pretty oily, I can't complain though since it was delivered by a scooter. It had about 10-12 pieces of beef (bigger than bite size), peas and lots of cheese. I say lots because some big restaurants don't even put cheese anymore. The sauce wasn't too spicy either, in fact my little Missy ate the sauce and cheese with her rice and she loved it.

With the success of their Crispy Dinuguan and Beef Caldereta, I'm looking forward to trying out their other dishes. We've already planned to order Kare-Kare (Beef and Twalya) and Crispy Pata on Sunday. Or maybe, we can even try out something else later tonight. With all these great stores just around the village, sometimes I find it more economical to just buy, hopefully not everyday though.

And, they also serve Rice, so all I had to do was wash the dishes and utensils afterwards :) Oh and the pitcher of juice and glass we used.

Click photo to enlarge

Putsi 'ko 'noy is located at 268 Rose Ave., Pilar Village, Las Piñas City
Phone number for delivery: 632.543.8671
Also accepts bulk orders.
They have a small area if you want to eat there, maybe good for 6 to 8 people.

I'll try to post another entry when I've taken a picture of their location when we pass them by on the weekend.

Crispy Dinuguan

Last Sunday, we had lunch at my mom's house. Since we were running late, we decided to just buy something as our share. We found this great little store along one our villages main road. We weren't actually buying for there, but from the store next to it, but the tarp bearing their dishes intrigued us. The first that got both our attention was... Crispy Dinuguan.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a picture as eveyone dug in as soon as we opened it. Everyone loved it! I love dinuguan but hate that most of the time they contained innards. With this one, it was made from Crispy Liempo then cooked in Dinuguan Sauce! Love, love, love it! I haven't had enough of it yet, so maybe later tonight, I can have them deliver and this time I'll be sure to take a pic. And, I'll also post a pic of their menu once uploaded.

For those in Pilar Village, the store is along Rose Ave. and named Putsi 'ko 'Noy. It where the old Kowloon House store used to be, right in front of Discovery Drug.

Have you seen your dream kitchen?

We decided to eat out a couple of days back and of course, because it was a spur of the moment thing, we had to wait for a table. Fortunately, like most places, they had a selection of magazines you can browse through ranging from fashion to entertainment to home and garden. Absentmindedly, I picked up a copy of one of the latter types and lo and behold... I saw my dream kitchen.

A couple of years back, when hubby and I decided to move out, our first investment was a lot. As soon as the first payment in series of many was made, we started planning for our house. We never really finalized it until now, but I remember him telling me, that once we start designing it, I get complete control over the kitchen.

Since then, every time we'd go to a builder's depot, I would start looking around for stainless steel kitchen sink sets. That's one thing I told hubby I wanted, to have a grayscale kitchen, almost everything in stainless steel or in shades of black and white. I also started window shopping for a black or white kitchen pantry cabinet, like that of Nigella's. I absolutely love her pantry cabinet, and what's inside it.

Also, I wanted one of those nooks. I personally haven't been to a kitchen with a nook but I love how cozy it looks when I watch cooking shows. It seems so comfortable eating a quick bite in those cozy little nooks, with their cozy kitchen chair pads.

Looking at these types of magazines make me so giddy with excitement especially because we're planning on having our house designed by next year, and I get total control over MY kitchen. I have a lot plans with my kitchen, especially since I have a little girl already (who turned 2 today). I dream of baking and cooking with her, and sharing lots of mommy-daughter bonding and stories.

How about you? Have you seen your dream kitchen? Or are you already living in it?

South Invasion

Don't you just love Facebook?

Finally, Fish & Co.'s "There's Meat to our Name" Promo hits the south. This time, the first 25 responders win free dinners to their branch at the Alabang Town Center. I don't know if I made it to the first 25, but I'm hoping I did since I've been very curious about their line of food.

I'm not much of a fish lover, thus the reluctance to eat there. But I've seen pictures of MEAT everywhere from them that I know I just might love them too :)

Let's wait and see if I qualified. If not, then... we shall still see. Who knows, my next blog may be my first experience in Fish & Co. on the 23rd. What a great birthday treat to my little girl who's turning 2 on Friday.


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Pork Menudo (minus the liver)

This is my mom's recipe and I'm so happy it turned out great (or maybe I'm just used to her cooking). I never learned to eat liver so I used liver spread instead.

Pork Menudo
3/4 kilo pork rump, cut into strips approx 1 inch by 1/2 inch, washed and drained
1/2 head of big garlic, crushed
1 big red onion, minced

6 small tomatoes, sliced
2-3 small boxes of Sun Maid raisins, approx 300-400 grams
2-3 pieces bay/laurel leaves
1 small pack tomato sauce
1 can liver spread (or 1/2 if a toddler will eat with you)
2 medium carrots, diced
3 medium potatoes, diced

1. In medium sized skillet (there will be a bit of sauce in the end), saute garlic and onions. When onions have caramelized, add tomatoes and saute to soften. Crush tomatoes when soft to add flavor. When all the tomatoes have been crushed, add raisins and saute for about 2 minutes on medium heat.
2. Add pork and sear for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the pork changes it's pinkish color to white, cover and simmer on low heat.
3. When pork is half-cooked, add tomato sauce. You can put 1/2 cup of hot water in the pack to rinse the remaining sauce, it will also thin the sauce a little. Add liver spread. You can put the 1 can in it if you want. I just used half because I have a toddler who doesn't like the taste of liver much.
4. Season with salt and pepper, or add soy sauce to adjust saltiness.
5. Add potatoes and carrots. Simmer for 5 minutes until they are tender.
6. Serve hot, preferably over cooked rice.
7. Enjoy!

Will post picture tomorrow. Waiting for hubby to come home so I can use his lappy.