KabSi (Kababaeng Sillimanian)

Buglasan 2012

What is in October why people in Negros Oriental are so excited about? Is it because students will have their long awaited semestral break or because of the October fest? I don’t think so. It is the annual Buglasan Festival, the festival of festivals. Buglasan Festival is the memory of the beginnings of Negros, when its cultural character began to take shape. The event usually consists of booth exhibits, indigenous culinary competitions, street dancing, parade, and presentations of various local cultural productions.

So to speak, this year’s Buglasan Festival is the best! Why? It is because the venue is back in the Capitol area. Although there were just 7 booths found there it is still enough for you to enjoy the festival. Not like when it is still located in the Sidlakan Village.  It’s too crowded there. The place is too small. You will not enjoy the festival. It is also prone to accidents too. Like you might lose stuffs because it is being snatch or if you’re bringing children with you, you might lose them because of the crowd. While in the Capitol area it is not that crowded. It has a wide space. So you really don’t have to worry about anything. (But you still need to watch your children and your belongings) :). Booths are done with so much passion and love than in Sidlakan Village. So I really prefer today’s Buglasan Festival. :)

If you feel tired of roaming around the booth area you can rest in the open area in Freedom Park. Where you can relax and sit on the grass. How about the food? You don’t have to worry about that. Food stands are found everywhere. They are serving mostly barbeques...Different kinds though! :D

I really love this year’s Buglasan Festival.  It is the most festive festival I ever seen! I hope next year and the coming years they will continue to hold this event in the Capitol area. Everyone will really enjoy it. Truly it’s more fun in the Philippines especially in Negros Oriental! :D Proud to be a Negrense! :D

Cookies and Cream Milk Shake

I oh so love shakes. Wanna know why? Isn't it obvious? Shakes are easy to make. You just have to blend all the ingredients and poof! You have a shake! :D Here's one of my favourite shake. :)

Cookies-and-Cream Milk Shake

Ingredients

5 chocolate sandwich cookies such as Oreos 

2 cups vanilla ice cream, slightly softened 

1/4 cup milk 

Preparation

Place 3 cookies in a ziplock bag. Seal bag and crush cookies with a rolling pin. In a blender, combine ice cream and milk. Blend until smooth. Add crushed cookies and pulse a few times just to blend. Pour into 2 tall glasses and garnish each with a cookie (or a dollop of whipped cream drizzled with chocolate syrup, if desired).

Raspberry Tiramisù Bites

Raspberry Tiramisù Bites

Ingredients

3 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves

1 tablespoon orange liqueur

1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ladyfingers, halved crosswise

8 fresh raspberries

Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Preparation

1. Microwave raspberry preserves in a small microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 20 seconds.

2. Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy (about 1 minute).

3. Beat heavy cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Spoon into a zip-top plastic bag. (Do not seal.) Snip 1 corner of bag with scissors to make a hole (about 1/2 inch in diameter).

4. Press 1 ladyfinger half onto bottom of 1 (1 1/2-oz.) shot glass. Repeat procedure with 7 more shot glasses. Drizzle about 1/2 tsp. raspberry mixture into each glass. Pipe a small amount of cream cheese mixture evenly into each glass. Repeat procedure with remaining ladyfingers, raspberry mixture, and cream cheese mixture. Top each glass with 1 raspberry. Cover and chill 2 hours.

This one looks a little complicated but its not. You just have to work on the presentation. The unique presentation the better. ;)

Homemade Ice Cream

Check this out guys..Easy to make!! :D :D :D

Balut

Have you ever heard the food "balut"? Sure you have heard about it. A balut is a fertilize duck embryo that is boiled and eaten in a shell. It is a common street food here in our place.

My friends love to eat balut. I don't know why they love to eat it but for me I cant dare. I mean It looks disgusting (no offense). They told me that it taste good, really good. But the way I look at it, it doesn't. Whenever we hang out the first place we go to is the "tempurahan" in the boulevard. Its a popular place in Dumaguete. They serve different street food like tempura, squid ball and especially balut and penoy. Every time we go there the only food that I'll order is the tempura and squid ball. What about balut? A big NO NO NO. I cant. I really cant dare to taste it. They've been telling me that I wouldn't be able to tell if it taste good or bad if I will not try it myself. What can I do? I really cant dare to taste it.

Whatever you do. Even if you'll say that I'm just being "maarte" because I will not eat balut. No one will be able to let me eat balut. (I think so) ^-^

Be different!

 Every village, town, city, province and baranggay in the Philippines has its special fiesta or Festival Day. Fiesta is really a tradition to us Filipinos. I'm sure your wondering why am I talking about this? Well everyone in school is talking about the upcoming fiesta in Valencia. They're been planning their schedule for that. We cant erase the fact that when there is a fiesta in a place their will be fun and lots and lots of food. In a fiesta we serve all the different yummy food and especially lechon. All this foods are made up of meet. But what if? What if during fiestas we serve food that all made up of vegetables, fruits and fish. No meat at all. I told my dad about this a couple of days ago. He told me that in the rural areas, especially those places that are found in the mountains, during fiestas serve food made of vegetables. He also told me that during his days meat is not a common dish. Only a few can afford to buy meat. When my dad told me about this it makes me think. Why not?? Its not necessary to serve meat during a fiesta. The importance of it is that we are celebrating the day of our patron saint. Have you ever thought about it for yourself? If you haven't think now. Its good to be different sometimes.. :D :D :D

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Parfait

This oh so yummy Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Parfait will make your day complete. You just have to prepare the following ingredients...

SHORTBREAD

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

BLUEBERRY COMPOTE

2 cups blueberries (12 ounces)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

CHEESECAKE CUSTARD

1 cup whole milk
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus extra strips for garnish
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

How to prepare:

1. In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the cornmeal and salt. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, mix the butter with the confectioners' sugar at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the orange zest and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat at low speed until the dough just comes together. Pat the shortbread dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the chilled shortbread dough and roll it out between 2 sheets of parchment paper to an 8-inch round (1/2 inch thick). Cut the dough into 1/2-inch-wide strips and transfer the strips to the baking sheets; leave 1 inch between each strip. Refrigerate the dough strips for 30 minutes, until chilled.

3. Bake the shortbread for about 20 minutes, until golden; rotate the pans halfway through for even baking. While the warm shortbread strips are still on the baking sheet, cut them into 1/2-inch cubes. Let cool, about 30 minutes.

4. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of the blueberries with the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer and cook over moderate heat until the blueberries break down, about 5 minutes. Scrape the blueberry sauce into a blender, add the lemon juice and puree until smooth. Scrape the blueberry sauce into a bowl and fold in the remaining 1 cup of whole blueberries. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

5. In a medium saucepan, bring 3/4 cup of the milk to a boil with 3 tablespoons of the sugar; remove from the heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the cornstarch and the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg yolks, then pour the mixture into the saucepan and whisk constantly over moderate heat until thickened, about 2 minutes. Over low heat, whisk in the cream cheese, lemon juice, grated lemon zest and vanilla extract until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the cheesecake custard into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

6. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream to medium peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled cheesecake custard until no streaks remain. Spoon the shortbread cubes and custard into bowls. Drizzle with the blueberry compote, garnish with the lemon zest strips and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The baked shortbread can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The assembled parfaits can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Filipino style Carbonara

Yummy carbonara!! Another way to enjoy spagetti!! It is easy to make. You just have to prepare the following ingredients:

1 kg pasta (spaghetti noodles)

butter (at least 2 tablespoons)

button mushroom (sliced)

2 cans of all purpose cream

evaporated milk

1/4 kg bacon (sliced into squares)

1/4 kg ham (sliced into squares)

4 beaten eggs

grated cheddar cheese

garlic

onions

salt

black pepper

How to cook

For the sauce, heat the pan on a low flame. Melt the butter in the pan. Put the garlic and onion. Add the mushroom slices and cook until tender. Mix in  the evaporated milk and the all purpose cream. Stir occasionally. Wait for the mixture to boil, then add the eggs. Continue stirring until the mixture is to the desired thickness of your carbonara sauce. Add salt to taste.

For the pasta, boil first two liter of water in a large pasta bowl  wait for it to boil, then add a bit of salt. Carefully add the noodles and stir every now and then to keep the noodles from sticking in the pan. The pasta is cooked if no white shows in the core of a noodle. The noodle must not be too soft so try not to overcook the pasta

place the cooked noodles on a plate. Add carbonara sauce. Sprinkle bacon, ham and cheese. And there you have a carbonara pasta dish!

Pancake stacker topped with strawberry and whipped topping

Are you the type of person who loves eating pancakes but  you are tired of eating a classic plain pancake with a pat of butter and syrup and you want to put a twist on it? Here's an example. I present this Pancake topped with strawberry and whipped topping. Definitely a different breakfast anyone should be eating everyday. But I think it would be a nice dessert or treat to have once in a while.Many places have re-invented pancakes by putting something different on it. We can always put our personal touch on it.