Author: Iska

Food Shots16 Comments
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LP#11: Pato Mang May Layang Lumipad…

Iska

(The Flying ducks)
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Sila po ang mga pato sa aming neighborhood. Kasama nila ay mga pukeko at kung minsan naman ay mga sea gulls na palipa-lipana lamang sa kung saan-saan. May isang linggo na kasi silang hindi nadadalaw sa tapat ng aming bahay kaya kahit malamig ang hangin pero mataas naman ang araw, nilakad ko ang malapit na reserve area sa amin. Wala pang limang minuto ay nandito na ako, dala ang aking bagong biling cookbook upang magbasa-basa. May dala din akong tinapay para sa aking mga paboritong mga kalaro. Kaysarap nilang tingnan, hindi ba? Malayang nagagawa ang mga bagay na gusto nilang gawin. Malayang manirahan sa kung saang lugar nila gusto manatili.

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Musings13 Comments

This Blog Turns 3!.. and More

Iska

wine.jpg That’s a bottle of wine I received as a gift from our lawyer clients just few hours ago during the opening celebration of my 1st completed project in New Zealand. A well-reviewed project matched with a pay rise in a little less than 6 months? Sabi nga ng mga Kiwi… “not bad aye?” Life is beautiful.

At tamang tama ang regalo hindi ba? Below is a glass of wine and a slice of cake… as this blog turns 3 today! Weeee! More than 2 years of blogging from Beijing and now from Auckland, NZ. What makes me go on? First and foremost, I still love to cook and ISKAndals is still my online recipe journal. But what really comes as a surprise delight is when I receive comments and emails of appreciation for my home-style recipes, how easy to follow they are, and how much they like my site. Isn’t it great?

Behold! Tis’ tiramisu adorned with a single red rose petal. Yum!

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Just like the previous years, my simple way of saying thank you will be another compilation of selected recipes posted since June last year.

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Food Shots23 Comments
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LP#9: Ihip ng Hangin

Iska

Taglagas na talaga! Sa ihip ng hangin ay naglalaglagan ang mga tuyong dahon sa likuran ng aking rock lobster.(Recipe na matatagpuan dito.)

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Sa pangalawang pagkakataon para sa Litratong Pinoy, ito ay larawang kuha sa aming hardin. Kung inyong madadalaw ang aking Binagoongan post ay makikita ang puno na kulay berde pa. Sa aking LP#8, taglagas na talaga at ang dahon ay medyo kulay dilaw na. Pero sa pagbagsak sa lupa ito ay singpula na ng rock lobster.

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Seafood5 Comments
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Rock Lobster!

Iska

It was around 3pm and funny how the sun rays were almost parallel to the ground and hit the crayfish plate on the kitchen bar from the living room glazing. Yeah, I know. It looks like a villain from a sci-fi alien movie.

Like shrimp heads, crayfish head is really yummy. Especially when this big. My friends E&T gave me 3 foot-long crayfish heads and this is my first time to cook this mean-looking freshwater crustaceans also known as rock lobsters. I followed my instinct and thought about halabos na hipon.

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Appetizers8 Comments
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Binagoongan (Sauteed Pork in Shrimp Paste)

Iska

For years, I used brown and sweet bagoong (shrimp paste) for pakbet, kare-kare, and binagoongan, as dipping condiment to the likes of nilaga and sinigang, and even as toppings to unripe mangoes. For some reason, my sister likes it and sends me jars of it when we were still based in Beijing. So just imagine how ecstatic I was to see pink bagoong at the Asian dairy. Pardon me but I just love this type – salty and no trace of sugar. Para sa akin ito ang tunay na bagoong alamang. Yung palengkeng bagoong na binibili sa tabi-tabi ng nanay ko. (I just couldn’t figure out why bagoong has to be sweet.) So I bought a jar and cooked pork binagoongan right away. My recipe here is really pretty basic.

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Food Shots30 Comments
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Ang Malungkot na LP5

Iska

Nagbakasyon sa New Zealand para hanapin si Gollum at Frodo. Kayganda ng Lake Taupo pero…

Magbakasyon ba namang mag-isa at hindi kapiling ang pamilya.
Nagising sa umaga sa lamig ng winter breeze.
Maulap at tila ayaw sumilip ng araw.
Pati kulay ng mansanas tila ba ayaw maging pula.
Hindi ba’t kaylungkot?
Yan po ako nung una kong linggo sa kiwiland. Larawang unang nalathala dito.
(Breakfast at Lake Taupo)

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Appetizers, Seafood6 Comments
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Steamed Mussels

Iska

There are so much ways to cook mussels. I usually have ‘em marinated in lemon, buttered, steamed with sweet chili sauce or baked with garlic and cheese. Friday night, I went back to basics but with a little difference. Mom’s way is to sprinkle salt all over the mussels, shelled and all, and steam until cooked. I basically did the same but with a dash of pepper and a bit of presentation.

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Food Shots21 Comments
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LP4: Hugis ay Pahaba

Iska

Ito na po ang aking pangalawang Huwebes para sa Litratong Pinoy na may temang hugis ay pahaba. Ano ang ibig sabihin? Ako’y magiging aprubadong litratista na ng LP… yehey! O sya… simulan ko na!

(The anchovy and Ikea chopsticks )

Opo, alam ko pong hindi tsina-chopsticks ang dilis pero for the sake of litrato e chinapstiks ko ang dilis. Ang matindi po nyan ay kinaliwa ko pa ang pagkuha ng larawan. Ang kahabaan ng aking mga daliri sa kanang kamay habang kinokodakan ko gamit ang aking kaliwang kamay. Mas mahirap sa akin ang humawak ng chopsticks gamit ang kaliwa.
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Food Shots19 Comments
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Litratong Pinoy 3: Apat na Kanto

Iska

Sa kabisihan, ngayon ko lang nalaman ang tungkol sa isa pang LP… ang Litratong Pinoy. Nakita ko sa blog ni kaibigang Cecilia. Sayang at sana nakasali ako sa mga naunang tema. Mahilig din po kasi ako kumuha ng mga litrato kahit na halatang obvious na hindi propesyonal.

Kaya tuloy para sa aking unang Huwebes…


(Milk chocolate with colorful, flavored crispy coating)
Mukhang pang-aquarium, may asul, may pula, dilaw at berde
Masarap, matamis at sa Peking ay kung sa’n sa’n lang nabibili
Tsokolateng mukhang batong pamukpok sa ulo
Pag hinati sa gitna lalabas ang apat na kanto.
Larawang una kong nailathala dito.


Ang garlic bread…
Masarap na kasalo ng spaghetti.
Kung paano ko ito gawin ay napakasimple.
Ang dinikdik na bawang sa butter ay igisa…
pagkatapos ay ipahid sa toasted bread. Sarap na!

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