the unoriginal dummy cooking

I was never interested in learning to cook until the time I started living on my own and I realized how expensive, not to mention unhealthy, it was to keep on eating fastfood.  So I started to learn the very first thing about cooking.  Making instant noodles. 

After instant noodles came the tentative attempt to learn to cook rice, in a rice cooker and in a kaldero (pot).  I found it easier to cook rice with the latter and for some strange reason always ended up burning or undercooking rice with the former. 

Then it was eggs…scrambled or sunny side up or poached.  Next came the "prito" stuff…pritong isda, pritong manok and etc.

Until I started gaining enough confidence to buy those pre-packed ingredients for certain dishes such as pochero, sinigang, bulalo and the likes.  After a while, I started reading cookbooks and checking online for simple recipes. 

Now I'm a relatively passable cook.  So far I haven't poisoned myself or anyone else.  My family hasn't complained about my cooking yet.  Once in a blue moon, I even get compliments from friends about my cooking (hehehe or maybe they're just being polite since they're visiting).  I've read so many blogs and online journals showing how they cooked this and that.  Being the most unoriginal human on this planet, I have now decided to follow suit.  Of course since I'm not capable of cooking up gourmet food or baking heavenly goodies, I've opted for my own dummies version.

Chicken Fingers and Mash Potato:

  I always like using whole chicken breast…I find it soothing to fillet it, not to mention it's way cheaper than getting fillet chicken breast.  Given a whole one, I could cut it up the way I like it.

  I was feeling too lazy to even take off the skin…it's one of those days when I'm craving for unhealthy, fatty food.

  This is perhaps one of the best things I found that's so rare if not, impossible to find here.  McCormick's Old Bay Better Batter.  You can actually find copycats recipes online but somehow even the ingredients are hard to find here. SIGH.

In any case since I'm using this batter, I don't have to make anything from scratch.  YIPEE.  I like to add a dash of salt and pepper to the batter as well as a good helping of Parmesan cheese.  Dunno why, just like to.

Coat chicken fillets really well with batter and drop into hot oil. 

Viola! Chicken fingers

My version of mash potato is perhaps the simplest you'll find.  Trust me, I've scoured hundreds of cookbooks and the internet for so long trying to find something as simple as this and ended up making my own version.  Sorry no step-by-step pictures though, got too impatient by the time I started doing the potatoes.

Bring to boil a pot of water and add a dash of salt.  Drop in quartered potatoes and let boil.  Once potatoes are softened, transfer to a bowl.  Add Magnolia's Dari Creme Buttermilk…I always use the buttermilk instead of the regular one because it's tastier.  Mash potato with a fork along with chunks of Dari Creme.  Once potatoes are completely mashed, add a dash of salt and ground pepper.  Mix well.  If you like, you can add a bit of milk to make it more creamier and maybe sour cream or minced garlic for variety.

Serves 2.

story of the growing gator, day 3

  Last night when I got home, Terrence was halfway out of his shell.

Today, he looked like this: 

You can see his hind leg already. hehehe.