RR (rachael ray) i’m not.

 
i was no princess…  and i have no excuse when i say that before i came here, i didn't even know how to boil an egg (of course i knew how to fry it).  it took me a few minutes on the net to find out that the way to do it is to put some water in a pan, put the egg or eggs in, let the eggs stay five minutes after the water has boiled, and then voila! — hard-boiled eggs.

come to think of it, i do have a couple of excuses.  we had a cook at home, and my mother never ever  cooked.  i never even saw her hold a ladle once in her life.  so imagine my horror when, moving out of my aunt's house (where we stayed for 4 months), i realized that i had to do the cooking.  

my lifeline came in the form of K, a friend who grew up here but went home to the pinas to finish her high school there.  she moved back to the US some years ago but never lost her bisaya accent and her penchant for cooking.  so from time to time, in between the corned beef and spam lunches/dinners that i subjected the hub to, i would call her up and ask her how to make adobo or crispy fried chicken.  in time, i learned to experiment with recipes i found on the internet.  some became favorites, while others ended up as disasters.  

i go for really simple dishes, those that are less complicated than rachael ray's 30-minute meals.  adobo, humba, fried chicken, pork chops, shrimps, pasta and the like.  if there are more than 5 ingredients on a dish, it's out.  i don't have enough patience for all the chopping and the preparation that goes with say, chop suey or a true blue pancit dish.  if i can buy it pre-marinated or frozen-and-ready-to-fry, you bet i'd buy it, like those marinated pork barbecue and frozen lumpiang shanghai at the filipino store.  still, on most days, i like to make things from scratch.  i want to know what goes into what i'm eating.  canola oil and no MSG, please.  easy on the salt, if i can help it.  well, this is to compensate for all the meat that is our food, the hub being averse to veggies.  (oh i've tried, let me tell ya.  the potatoes and carrots go uneaten and the one time i forced him to eat green beans, he almost puked.  poor thing.)

part of the problem is i do like meat as well.  take me to the local max's resto and i'd order crispy pata faster than you can open the menu.  one of my favorite things to cook is rib-eye steak, rubbed with salt, pepper, garlic powder and steak seasoning and pan-fried in olive oil and butter.  simple, quick, and oh so delicious.

some nights ago, i had a craving for something greasy and crunchy.  so i made my own version of chicharon.  well, we'd like to call it pinakupsan.  the hub told me how his dad used to make it and i just went from there.  i am happy to note that it was a success.  crispy and oh so good dipped in vinegar laced with lots of salt.  yum!

i think i might have to cook it again one of these nights.  and maybe pair it with shrimp sinigang.  perfect for these cold winter nights.