I was extra busy for more than a couple of weeks.  Just imagine having deadlines while you’re moving to a new place.  Chaos. The fact that my phone line and broadband weren’t transferred right in time added to my stress level that went on overload.  Anyway, all’s well and I am so happy to be cooking in my new kitchen.

Isn’t it lovely?  Happy to have used the oven more than a couple of times now.  Weeeeh!  My heart won’t jump anymore with the smoke alarm.  Not that we don’t have one in this new place but at least, it’s located where it should be.  Not so close to the kitchen.

And here is my creamy chicken pesto pasta.  Normally I don’t add cream but why not? I didn’t make the pesto from scratch, too. I bought a small container of fresh basil pesto with pine nuts. Yum.

Oh no, this was dinner months ago back in our old place. Haven’t really cooked anything worth talking about but I definitely will.

Ingredients:
Approx. 300g Fettuccine (or spaghetti)
3 pcs boneless chicken thigh (or breasts)
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
300ml light cream
Approx. 100g fresh basil pesto
3-4 stalks of spring onion, sliced thinly
Parmesan cheese

Dry chicken on paper towels then season with salt and pepper.  Prep the other ingredients while marinating.

Pan-fry chicken on med to high heat for about 3 minutes each side.  Set aside for about 7-10 minutes to let the juices set in.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water.  You may also chop or slice chicken when pasta is almost done.  When al dente, drain pasta but set aside half a cup of the cooking liquid.  Turn off your cooking hob.

Put back pasta on the still heated pot over hob.  Add reserved liquid, pesto, chopped chicken, and 1/3 of the sliced spring onion.  Toss to coat evenly for 1-2 minutes until heated.

Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with Parmesan cheese and spring onion.

Iska

I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.

My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.

Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.