TBC: I <3 Chicken – Chixstek

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/Baon/
Filipino noun
1. Provisions
2. Packed lunch or snack
This is part trois of the I ❤ Chicken Recipe series. Bistek is the filipino version of beef steak. It is thinly sliced beef marinated and cooked in soy sauce and calamansi juice. Usually caramelized onion rings are added to the dish.
For my recipe I used chicken breast instead of beef and I added cream to neutralize the saltiness of the soy sauce.
Ingredients:
Meat
1/2 kg boneless and skinless Chicken breast (cut into chunks)
Sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup calamansi juice
1/4 cup all purpose cream
Other
2 cups water
1 tsp of iodized salt
1 tsp canola oil
1 medium size onion (sliced)
1 tsp ground black pepper
Directions:
  1. In a rondeau/brasier, heat two cups of water until it boils.  Add the chicken and 1 tsp of salt.  Turn the fire to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
  2. Set aside chicken.  Heat canola oil and saute onion until it caramelizes.
  3. Add chicken, soy sauce and calamansi juice. Simmer for 5 minutes
  4. Add all purpose cream and simmer for 3 minutes.  Add pepper and simmer for another 2 minutes.
  5. Serve. Perfect with bread with a side of steamed vegetables.
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TBC: I <3 Chicken – Chicken Carldeyreta

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/Baon/
Filipino noun
1. Provisions
2. Packed lunch or snack
This is part deux of the I ❤ Chicken Recipe series. Kaldereta is a well-known Filipino dish and is of Spanish origin. Basically, it is a beef/goat stew made with tomatoes, potatoes, spices, liver, olives, bell peppers and hot peppers. I tweaked the recipe and made a sweet and spicy version.
Ingredients:
Meat
1/2 kg boneless and skinless Chicken breast (cut into chunks)
Sauce
1 250g pack spaghetti sauce sweet style
Other
2 cups water
1 tsp of iodized salt
2 medium size potates (peeled and cut into chunks)
2 medium size carots (peeled and cut into chunks)
1 medium size green bell pepper (sliced)
2 to 3 finger/long chili (sliced)
Directions:
  1. In a rondeau/brasier, heat two cups of water until it boils.  Add the chicken and 1 tsp of salt.  Turn the fire to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare the pesto sauce based on the instruction at the back of the pack.
  2. Set aside chicken and save 1 cup of the water used for boiling.
  3. Boil the carrots and potatoes until slightly tender. Add chicken and tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Add sliced bell pepper and simmer for another 3 minutes.  You may add salt and pepper to suite your taste.
  5. Add the finger/long chili and simmer for another 2 minutes.
  6. Serve. Perfect with hot white rice.
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TBC: I <3 Chicken – Creamy Pesto Chicken

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/Baon/
Filipino noun
1. Provisions
2. Packed lunch or snack
I just love chicken (breast).  Mainly because it’s lean, it’s versatile and it’s cheaper than pork and beef.  That’s why I am making the I ❤ Chicken Recipe series and this is part une.
Ingredients:
Meat
1/2 kg boneless and skinless Chicken breast (cut into chunks)
Sauce
1 pack McCormick Pesto Sauce Mix
2 to 3 tbsp of chopped cashew nuts (cut into chunks)
Other
2 cups water
1 tsp of iodized salt
1 tbsp Canola oil
1/2 cup all purpose cream
Directions:
  1. In a rondeau/brasier, heat two cups of water until it boils.  Add the chicken and 1 tsp of salt.  Turn the fire to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare the pesto sauce based on the instruction at the back of the pack.
  2. Set aside chicken and save 1/4 cup of the water (chicken stock) used for boiling.
  3. Heat canola oil then saute the cashew nuts until light brown.  Add the chicken, stock and pesto sauce and simmer for 3 minutes.
  4. Add all purpose cream and simmer for another 2 minutes.
  5. Serve. Perfect with whole wheat bread with a side of salad greens.
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Ordinary Fairy Tale

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What happens when Prince Charming is not charming anymore? What if he’s not a prince after all? What if he’s just an average Joe?

But he really loves the Princess who was:

a) Cursed by the evil Witch
b) Locked up in a tower, guarded by a vicious fire-breathing Dragon
c) Kidnapped by a sinister Wizard who plans to marry her and make her the mother of his evil offsprings

If our hero was just an ordiinary guy:

a) Would his kiss be magical to wake up Sleeping Beauty?
b) Would he be brave enough to seek the tower where the Damsel in Distress was imprisoned and slay the Dragon?
c) Would he be able to thwart the evil plans of the Wizard, just in time for him and the Princess to sing their theme song while flying on a magical carpet?

“Love can make an ordinary man do extraordinary things”

Moving Closer (Never The Strangers Cover)

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Armed with a laptop, usb speakers, an Android recording app, my voice and my hipster glasses; I make music in the most Unschooled way
It’s been a while since I uploaded a “recording” on SoundCloud. I have been busy with work (both core and admin tasks), my weekends are usually booked (usually with my clingy high school friends.. haha) and it’s a bit hard to find a song that would suit my voice, range, etc.
Luckily, I heard this song over the radio and in an instant I knew I had to make a cover. Enjoy! 🙂

Fiction: Break-Even

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The theme for this week’s The Daily Post Weekly Writing Challenge is The Sound of Silence.  I am a person who is not afraid to say what I feel, especially in cases wherein it is important to say something.  The last thing you need in this life is regret.

For this post I want to challenge myself by focusing on the idea of leaving something unsaid and the regret that comes with it (something that I haven’t felt in a while).

Break-Even

Isn’t it sad how much effort you put into forgetting someone? You go to different places, you meet up with friends, you do everything and anything possible just to be ok. You drown yourself in work, watch tons of dvds, play with whatever console you have, just to remove that person in your head. But at the end of the day, it’s still her.

It’s been three months since she left for France. She’s my best friend… and then some… but like what she would always tells me “you’re more than a best friend to me.”… she was more than a best friend to me… I understood why she had to leave, it’s for her dreams and her family. What I did not understand was the way she left me. It was days before she left. I really blame the tequila, but more than the tequila I blame the kiss… because of that, all the emotions that I have been trying to bury resurfaced.

I loved her. I love her. She loved me, but not as much. She wanted an open relationship, I wanted exclusivity. I did not choose her, I chose someone else, who eventually made me regret. It was a mistake of epic proportions. I wish I held on and gave it time. I wish I gave her a reason to stay. I should have said those three words…

Now, I feel stupid for feeling these things. I mean there’s no sense. She won’t come back. She won’t come back in a long time. Time will soon erase what we had. Time is a difficult enemy to have. It’s hard when you want to fight for it and hope, but there is nothing you can do but let go. All I’m left with are unnecessary emotions and the good memories tattooed in my head (and in my heart).

TBC: Cheesy Chicken Wrap

Standard
/Baon/
Filipino noun
1. Provisions
2. Packed lunch or snack
This is an easy and quick Tex-Mex inspired recipe, for people on the go and who has limited time to prepare their own food.
Ingredients:
Meat
1/2 kg boneless and skinless Chicken breast (cut into strips)
Canola oil
Marinade
1 pack McCormick BBQ marinade
Wrap
Medium size Wheat Tortilla
Low fat/Non fat Cheese
Romaine Lettuce (cut into bite size pieces)
Tomato (cut into chunks)
Directions:
  1. Marinade the chicken for at least an hour.
  2. Preheat grill pan, add oil, then cook the chicken until it turns white and grill marks are visible.
  3. Place the tortilla on a plate and add the pieces of lettuce and tomato.
  4. Add grilled chicken on the tortilla, then add cheese.
  5. Wrap and Roll! You may toast in the oven until tortilla browns and cheese melts.
  6. Serve with a side of Tostitos and Salsa.
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Fiction: My Serendipitous Valentine

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For this week’s The Daily Post Weekly Writing Challenge, we are to write about Valentine’s Day. Personally, I believe the holiday/event is just for commercialism’s sake and I strongly believe that love can be celebrated any given day. Nevertheless, I opened myself up to the challenge and I wanted to challenge my creativity and writing skills.

I am a How-I-Met-Your-Mother (HIMYM) fan. The story revolves around the adventures and misadventures of Ted in finding his eventual wife. It tackles the ups and downs of romantic relationships and everything in between, which, almost everyone can relate to.

I decided to make a story that is HIMYM-inspired and Valentine’s-themed.

The Girl with the White Hat on

This is the story of how we met.

It happened on this day ten years ago (If I remember correctly, it was around 2:00am). I was in our favorite hang-out place with two good friends dancing my heart out (and clearly tipsy). It was a dance borne out of frustration, frustrations I had with dating and not finding the one.

Note: Yes, I am that type of guy, who believes in the one, fairytales, happily ever afters. A classic hopeless romantic who invests emotions, who later on finds out that he invested in watered stocks.

I was having a good time but my frustration-hands-in-the-air-dance was interrupted. I saw a friend, well an ex-friend, who I am not in good terms with. I literally panicked and asked my friend to hide me, he in turn told me he saw a former classmate. So in an attempt to conceal my presence, I went with my friend to say hi to this former classmate, Patrice.

Note: Before we went in the bar I told my friends I don’t want to meet anyone as I was supposed to take a break from the dating scene. Once again destiny would play another joke on me. The only difference is, this time it’s a good one.

As I danced with Patrice, I found out that she graduated from a prestigious state university, she works as an events coordinator, she did OT that Friday night and other information you can find in a CV (HR initial interview?..haha). In an attempt to ease my discomfort with seeing her dance with a hat on (it was getting quite hot and humid), I told her “Remove your hat.” It took a while before she removed it and once she did I was stunned. When she got tired from dancing, I saw it as an opportunity to further conceal my presence from the aforementioned friend. So I asked Patrice if she’d like to step out for a while and we did (it was around 4:00am).

Outside we got to know each other better. We talked about our families, educational background, past relationships, I even sang to her (Mr. Brightside and Use Somebody.. I think she somehow got impressed). We talked for two whole hours.

Instant chemistry.

Who would have thought that a means of hiding can turn into something meaningful, an unexpected meeting can turn into romance, that God would answer my prayers with a girl wearing a white hat dancing in a bar (who turned out to be sweet, kind-hearted and cute in many ways).

I will always find joy in reminiscing how we met, for it was…

Destiny. Serendipity. Tadhana.