It was Friday the 13th and I had the spare time to walk around the streets of my neighborhood. It was the first time I tried walking home. I found this small bakeshop where they serve different kinds of cakes. Not a really a big fan of cakes, I hesitated unto entering the place. Still I decided to enter because in the corner of my mind I was trying something new, right. I ordered their specialty the blueberry cheesecake. Amazing as it may seem every bite I do it melts inside my mouth. As of that day I declared myself as a regular customer to that bakeshop.

2 slices of whole wheat bread or whole pan de sal bun
slices of tomatoes
sandwich spread
fried tapa, sliced
slices of cheese
slices of cucumber
lettuce leaves

Procedure:
1. Spread sandwich spread on both slices of bread.
2. On one slice of the bread, layer slices of tomatoes, cheese, tapa, cucumber, and lettuce leaves. Top with the remaining slice of bread.

Ingredients:
½ kl. Green beans, cut I inch.
1 cup white beans, cooked
1 cup corn kernels, cooked.
Dressing:
¼ tsp. salt
4 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. calamansi juice
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. hot sauce (optional)

Mix well.

Procedure:
1. steam or boil green beans until tender
2. drain. Set aside
3. Mix the white beans and corn kernels
4. Combine them with the boiled green beans
5. pour the dressing into the beans and kernels mixture. Mix well.

Ingredients:
1 cup jackfruit, finely sliced
3 cups pineapple (cut into small pieces)
2 cups white refined sugar
1 cup glucose

Materials:
Sterilized jars
Cooking utensils and stove.

Procedure:
1. In a saucepan put jackfruit, pineapple, sugar and glucose.
2. Cook this, constantly stirring until mixture becomes thick.
3. Pour into sterilized jars while mixture is still hot, allowing air bubbles to escape.
4. half seal and sterilized the jars again for 30 minutes in boiling water.
5. Seal completely and store in a refrigerate area.

Ingredients:
1 can condensed milk
11 tsbp. Kasuy nuts, ground
2 tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. flavoring (of your choice)
White sugar (as needed)

Materials:
Wax paper (for wrapping)
Board and rolling pin
Knife
Cooking stove and utensils

Procedure:
1. Combine ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until a soft dough is formed.
3. Transfer dough onto buttered board and roll out to ¼-inch thick.
4. Cut into desired piece.
5. Wrap in wax papers and store.

Native pickles is easy to prepare and can be used as a side dish when preparing grilled fish or meat. The ingredients are green papaya, green pepper, carrots and ginger cut in strips, native onions, vinegar, sugar and salt. We first blanch all the vegetables and in a separate bowl, we mix the vinegar, salt, sugar and ginger. We boil and then we pour it over the vegetables and let it cool. Store in a jar and serve when necessary.

One of the most loved recipes by bicolanos in the Philippines is the “Laing”. In cooking, we first sauté the garlic, ginger and onions and when the onions become transparent we add a little pork. Then mix the coconut milk and the dried gabi or taro leaves which have been hand shredded. Let it simmer till the meat and taro leaves are cooked. Then add again coconut milk, dried fish and hot pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes and add salt to taste.

With the prices soaring high, it is but practical to prepare foods that are cheap and healthful and one of these is baked squash pudding. We first cook the squash and mash it. Then combine with the mashed squash the sugar, molasses, salt and cinnamon. Add the beaten eggs and milk. Then pour it in a greased baking pan and bake it for one hour.

I’d like to share with you one of the best Filipino dishes. Other people call this recipe as “SWEET & SOUR FISH”. Here are the ingredients:

fish (any frying fish will do)
calamansi juice (lemon or lime juice)
oil
green & red bell peppers (cut julienne style)
ginger (cut in julienne style)
tomatoes
onion (sliced)
garlic
carrots
pineapple juice
pineapple chunks
sugar
vinegar
cornstarch

Rub salt on fish (outside and inside after splitting the abdomen and taking the guts out). Fry in hot oil. Set aside.

Pound extra ginger, add a little bit of water and squeeze the juice out. Collect juice. Set aside.

To make the sweet and sour sauce: In another frying pan, heat oil, then add sliced onions and pounded garlic, stir fry. When the onion has become transparent and the garlic pieces become brown, add the strips of ginger and the green and red peppers. Stir fry. Add pineapple juice and tomato sauce or catsup for coloring. If you desire a sweeter sauce, add sugar; for more sour taste, add vinegar. Add pineapple chunks. And don't forget the ginger juice. This is really the secret of a good sweet sour sauce. The zesty taste of ginger. Thicken with a little bit of cornstarch*. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes.

You can now pour this over the fish and serve. However, I prefer the fish to be cooked a little bit in the sauce so it could absorb the flavor. To do this, put the fish into the simmering sauce and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

Sayote or chayote is now available in your friendly neighborhood grocery store especially if you live in bigger cities where there are a lot of Mexican and Asian immigrants. This one is an experiment which turned out to be a very tasty dish meal.

2 sayote
½ lb pork
½ lb shrimp
onion
garlic
1 carrot
½ tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp oyster sauce
salt
2 tbsp red and green bell pepper
olive oil or any vegetable oil

Mix a teaspoon o cornstarch in about ¼ cup of water. This is optional, too. Set aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Add garlic, onion into the hot oil. Once the onion is transparent and the garlic brown, add the pork (constantly mixing) until brown. Then add the sayote and carrot. Season with oyster sauce to add taste. Add the cornstarch in water again constantly mixing. Add the shrimp, red and green bell pepper. Simmer for about 4 minutes in their own juices. If you want the sauce to be a little thicker, add the cornstarch in water or oyster sauce, again constantly mixing.

You can substitute pork with beef, chicken or shrimp or a combination of any of these ingredients. For a vegan dish, omit the meat.