paella lessons from Chef Ed Quimson

What will I serve next is a niggling question indeed! So, on a Friday-holiday, I was among the eager ones who enrolled at paella lessons to be conducted by none other than the maestro of Spanish cuisine, Chef Ed Quimson at the Heny Sison Culinary School.

According to articles I've read in the net, Chef Ed's strong Spanish culinary background started when he was still in grade school. He learned his skills and has cultivated his taste buds right in the heart of his Lola's kitchen. While his classmates had to content themselves with cafeteria food during lunch breaks, Chef Ed is feasting on authentic Spanish cuisine lovingly prepared for him and his cousins at the mansion.

So, when an opportunity to learn a Spanish specialty dish from him came, there's no reason not to join. It was a dream come true meeting Chef Ed because I've read a lot about him. Plus, The chef seems to be a nice person. And, I've found out during the lessons that he's not only nice, he is generous also. He shared a lot of tips and secrets that you cannot read in cooking books but can only learn from an experienced chef.

The three hours intended for the 5 paella dishes transpired in a beat. I did not want the lessons to end. I still want to hear more of his stories and learn more Spanish delectable dishes from him. I was somehow in trance. Hehehe:) I didn't know if it was because of the exotic smell of saffron, or the lingering taste of the jamon serrano. But, whatever it was, I walked away from the lessons with a stomach and a heart filled with gastronomic pleasures. And I have Chef Ed to thank for!

peace:)

a simple reward

I promised D to cook something hearty and delicious after we got his card. a simple reward to his efforts in passing all of his 14 subjects.

He wanted pasta, so pasta it is. He picked the ingredients. Now, it was a challenge to whip up something edible.

Spaghetti with shrimps, anchovies, etc.

It was my first time to try this recipe. I just experimented on the idea of shrimps and anchovies. And, I am happy that it turned out delicious. D was asking me to cook it again the following day. He liked it very much. DA was not saying anything but I knew that he liked it as well judging from the clean plate left on the table.

more cooking experiments to come;)

time to bond with the kids

Family Day, na!

We were in D's school earlier than the prescribed time. Are we excited? Maybe. But more so because we were anticipating a large volume of traffic inside the school. Parking is scarce if you check-in late. Had a shared breakfast with DA at the caf. Sweet? Nah... :O

The field was sticky with mud as it rained last night. The students' collective prayer was strong enough to force the sun to come out to everybody's relief. The parade was much anticipated.

The four batches are identified through their house color. Of course, ours is definitely the color of the moment, Yellow! and sun shiny yellow at that! Yellow two-oh- one-three (2013) shirts, yellow caps, yellow fans, and some came with yellow umbrellas.

Program was short. There was a dance off among the 4 batches and a balloon relay where students, teachers, and parents participated. Yellow batch was second place over all but we were the biggest earner for the day. I heard we won first prize in another category.

The field and grandstand was for the Yellow batch for the taking after the rest of the batches proceeded to their respective areas. The Yellow students played patintero and another parent-child brainy/funny game. Lunch followed afterwards.

Card giving was scheduled at 1 pm but we got D's card earlier. Praise and thank God! No failing marks! Yahoo!:)

I'm thinking of something special to reward D's effort. Hmmm.. A special home-cooked dinner, perhaps?

:)

i now know why

I now know why I haven't blog for a year...

It all started September last year when Metro Manila was struck by Ondoy... life stood still... No one saw it coming. Everyone thought it was just another typhoon hitting the city. The rains did not let go, it was as if the flood gates of heaven were left open that even angels could not in their mighty powers close the gates. The downpour sank large portions of the city. People living in areas not likely to get flooded were astounded by the surprise Ondoy was bringing. Lives were taken by the dangerous floods. Electricity was out for days. Food stores were out of products to sell. The aftermath was like a scene in a war-torn hell city.

Our car was half-submerged in flood. Ooohh. Crawling insects were side by side with us as we bravely wade into the chocolatey mud-filled water inside our house. Eeeeww. That fateful September day will forever be painfully etched in our being.

It was a slow recovery for the majority of us... Our car was checked in at the Honda Casa for more than 3 months (thanks to my good friend, Baby E., for facilitating the major repairs and for keeping up with our kakulitan and impatience at times). Also, our internet connection was down at almost the same number of months. I learned from Globe that their switch boxes were heavily damaged that they need to replace them totally new. You could just imagine my agony of not being connected to the web for such a long time. Painful. Ouch!

So, when all was well and working, I lost my appetite to continue posting. And then, a lot of things happened. Summer came. School opened. And when I last checked in, it was September yet again...

Peace:)

mama mia, it's been a year!!!

Mama Mia! I've resurrected from the bed! :O

I haven't noticed the time. It has been a year since I last posted an entry. I can't exactly recall what happened why I stopped posting but I here I am, suddenly wanting to write something, anything. To begin with, I must tell you that I'm not a professional writer so my hibernation is not something like a writer's block (hehehe, wishing...). Guess, I was just lazy...really lazy to do some mental exercises.

A lot of things happened. A lot of stories, laughters, tears, and sighs, and not to mention the many ohs, ahs, eews, awws... I hope to write about each event as I remember them.

In the meantime, I'm really happy to be back... And, I hope to stay a little bit longer.

Peace:)

10 P.M. snacks: shrimp pesto pizza

after the verdict for the pepperoni and cheese pizza was handed down, the "young master" is still craving for some other flavors... he wants something different, something that will excite his taste buds, something that will inspire his dreams... (hirap naman maging nanay! haaay...) so, the following night, i again prepared some pizzas for him.

here is what i came up with:

Shrimp Pesto Pizza with extra cheese and grated garlic

The aromatic scent of the garlic teased his taste buds. D loves garlic, so there, the "young master" liked the taste... Ooops, actually, he loved the combination so well that he requested another 4 pizzas for his breakfast the following day... ;)

It's a bit tedious preparing the snacks but it's all worth it! "Anything for my "young master," the slave thought so submissively.

Hahaha! ;)

10 P.M. snacks

Lately, D has been requesting for some 10 P.M. snacks. His appetite seems to grow by the day. Judging from his physique now, stress seems to be a good appetite booster.

So, what should a loving mother gotta do? Of course, prepare something special for the "young master." (this is a running joke in our fam, we tease him as our young master and we, as his ever diligent slaves... hmmm, and, he seems to enjoy the it so well!)

The other night, i was inspired to prepare some mini pizzas for him... Yum! Yum!;)

Pepperoni and Cheese pizza

D, said the pizzas tasted good... But, he wants something gourmet...

Haha! mag-request ba? ;)