Beginning of a new lifestyle

I am in my third week of trying to live a healthier lifestyle. That's after I found out I'm only points close to borderline diabetes. Having diabetes in my mother's side of the family as well as my husband, I know how hard it is being diabetic. So I know I need to do something to stir my health far away from it.

When my doctor said, "you need to be in a low carb and low sugar diet", my heart got broken because I know exactly what the culprit is, white rice. Of course, in addition to zero exercise and my sweet tooth. I have to be honest that after I left my doctor's office, I went straight to Tiff's Treats for a dozen of fresh warm chocolate chip cookies and half of it settled in my tummy. But that huge cheat went with a promise of being the last one. My promised stayed true until two weeks after when Round Rock Donuts crossed my mind. So a dozen was brought home by my ever supporting husband, despite of it being against his will.

Changing ones lifestyle is nowhere as easy as switching from Food Channel to Discovery Health but with a realistic goal in my mind, I know I can get there. Yes, I am doing a more realistic approach this time. Which means I still eat food that I am used to (i.e. white rice) but with moderation and in a smaller serving. Then I'm looking for some healthier food substitution. I do go to the gym twice a week for weight training and doing some cardio with dog-walking almost everyday. And last Thursday  I was in my first Yoga class.

Each day for me now is another chance of being healthy as it is the best gift I can give to myself and my loved ones that cannot be bought or exchanged. And if it is taken away, I may not be able to get it back.

Cheers to a healthier lifestyle and better future!


Enjoy! XO, J. :)

My Favorite Childhood Dessert: PALITAW

I remember when I was in elementary, I always buy Palitaw from our cafeteria for snack or dessert. If I remember it right, it costs PHP 1.00 each. Then in high school, we made Palitaw in our culinary arts class but I don't remember a thing on how it was done. Sign of aging eh! :P

Today, I decided to make Palitaw for my dessert since this is the only thing I can cook which I have all the ingredients.

What is Palitaw?

My friend, Wiki, explains, "Palitaw (from litaw, the Tagalog word for "float" or "rise") is a small, flat, sweet rice cake eaten in the Philippines. They are made from malagkit(sticky rice) washed, soaked, and then ground. After excess water is let out from the grinding process scoops of the batter are rolled and the flattened to disk shapes and dropped into boiling water where they float to the surface as flat discs - an indication that they're done. When served, the flat discs are dipped in grated coconut, and presented with a separate dip made of sugar and toasted sesame seeds."

I know, she is pretty smart. ;) You're probably thinking how hard it is to "wash, soak, and grind" the rice. No need to worry because you can buy a package of the ready-to-cook grounded sticky rice. I know, for sure, it is sold in the Asian Store here in Austin. Your local supermarket may have it. I have not checked Walmart, but it's worth a try!

Trust me, this is very easy to make. You only have to look at the recipe once and after that you will have it down the next time. Thanks to my favorite online Filipino Food Chef, Vanjo, for his recipe. Check it out at Panlasang Pinoy - Palitaw Recipe.

Let me know if you have any questions about this recipe or the food itself.

Enjoy!

xo, J.

Mama Sita's Pancit Bihon Recipe

When I am alone and bored at home, I think about food. So when I got hungry for lunch today, I went hunting for ingredients in my pantry and fridge to cook because I cannot go anywhere. Yup, I am stuck at home because my car is in the shop. So, I found ingredients for Pancit Bihon because I have been thinking about it (other foods too!)


Sure there is a whole lot of recipes you can find online and I have my favorites, but this time I am not cooking with an online recipe.Instead, I am using a Mama Sita's Pancit Bihon Recipe mix. It's cheating, but who cares! It is easy and delicious!

PANCIT BIHON (Stir Fried Rice Noodle) Recipe 

Ingredients: 
1 pkg (8 oz) Rice Noodles - I cut mine in half so it can easily fit in the pan.Shrimp - you can also use other meat, of course.
2-3 cloves garlic
1 pc small red onion
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 cup carrots, cut into strips
2 tbps vegetable oil
1 pkg Mama Sitas Pancit Bihon Mix, dissolve in 3 cups water.
Procedure:
1.Saute garlic in oil until golden brown, then add onion, and saute until it turns soft and transparent. Add shrimp and saute for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add Mama Sita's mix and bring to boil. Turn the heat down.
3. Mix in vegetables and simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Add rice noodles and stir until fully covered. Let it simmer until noodles until cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Add more water if necessary.

Enjoy!

xo, J.

Busy Kusina In The Next Few Weeks

So it seems like my Kusina will be pretty busy for the next following weeks . Starting off with hosting a Bible Missionary Presentation on the 16th of February. It will be our first time hosting one. The most important thing about it is to be able to share our Faith to others. But it won't be complete without bunch of foods. I will be cooking and hopefully would be able to share some of the recipes of the food that I will be preparing.

Then on March 9th, I will be holding a Food Sampling at my house for my friends who will be soon to start a restaurant business serving Filipino Foods. At least I am not gonna be cooking for this event. But I will for sure share some pictures of the foods being sampled.

Of course, other than cooking, I will be busy cleaning the house. It will be fun though, that's for sure! Soon I will become a party host guru :D.

Thank you for reading!

xo, J.

Oven Cooked Baby Back Ribs Barbecue

I love barbecues but i hate grilling on the pit because of the smoke and the way i smell after. Thank God there is a way to cook barbecue without using the pit, like this Baby Back Ribs Barbecue and this is one of my favorite. This recipe does not require cooking skills, because it is as simple as boiling water...okay maybe not that simple! :D

Ingredients:
4 lbs Baby Back Ribs
2 tbps Worcetershire sauce
1 cup your favorite Barbecue Sauce (1/2 cup to marinate, 1/4 cup baste, 1/4 cup sauce after it's done)
Salt and Pepper

1. Take the membrane (white thin cover at the back) by cutting the corner a little and pulling it gently. Do not worry if there will be a little left. This is to help the meat to be more tender.
2. Rub salt and pepper on both sides of the ribs and let it stand for 15 minutes. Mix 1/2 cup barbecue sauce and woscertershire. Then brush it on both sides of the ribs. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. Wrap the whole ribs with foil and bake it in the pre-heated oven at 350F temperature for 90 mins.
4. Take the top foil and baste the top part of the ribs. Increase the temperature to 410F and place the ribs back in the oven for 30 mins.
5. Take the ribs out and baste with remaining barbecue sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Let me know what you think! ;)

xo, J.

Banana Cake Recipe

I don't really care for banana but I'd die for a good moist banana cake, not bread or loaf, but cake. I tried several recipes but did not really find anything moist and soft enough to my liking until I stumbled upon a recipe posted by Rhonda *J* from Canada on Food.com. She was not lying when she titled her post Best Ever Banana Cake. Her recipe includes cream cheese frosting but I did not try making one coz I'm not good with frostings plus the cake itself is already super moist, I don't think it will need any more frosting.

Please visit her page and look for more recipes that you want to try and don't forget to share it with us.

This my modified recipe. I didn't change anything major, so pretty much it is the same recipe.

My Favorite Banana Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
4 medium-sized bananas, mashed (the riper, the better)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/8 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 275°F.
2 Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
3 In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.
4 In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
5 In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
6 Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.
7 Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
8 Stir in banana mixture.
9 Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes (original recipe is only for an hour) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10 Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

Enjoy!!! ;)
xo, J.

Welcome to my Kusina

Kusina - means kitchen in Filipino.

Welcome to my new blog! My mom used to tell me that when I get married, my husband will send me back to my parents coz I do not know how to cook at all. Not even boiling water. But when I got married and moved thousands miles away from the home (country), I had no choice but to learn to cook the food that I grew up with and some that I learned to like. Most of the food I cooked are from the recipes I find online. And I created this blog so that I do not only share the pictures (via Facebook or Instagram) but also to give credits to the people whom I stole the recipes from, and also to share with you the best recipes (in my own tasting) I found and will find. If you find anything you like, please do not hesitate to leave your comments/feedback as it will be helpful to our fellow recipe-seekers/food-lovers. Also, I'd appreciate if you share whatever modification you made on the recipe and as well as your own recipe. Happy cooking!!! xoxo, J.

I Will Be Glad To Hear From You

Got any comments or recipes to share. Please let me know!