The Bubble Chef

If there is one thing I like in the US that I hate to compare in my native homeland is the weather. There are only two seasons in the Philippines -- the wet and the dry. Dry season usually occur between October until June and the wet season during the rest of the year. Normally, the wet season is different depending on where you are. Typically, the north-western part of the country is visited by the monsoon while the climate on the south-eastern part is practically the same during the entire year. Although the rain can be quite massive during this hour, many people still go travelling in the country during the wet season. Temperatures in Manila are quite steady around 86 F all year with a slight peak in May.

When the rain accompanies the howling wind, people tend to look for a favourite one-pot meal-- Arroz Caldo. Since some recipes are better at certain times of the year, the wintery evenings in the US reminds us to warm ourselves with steaming rice stew mostly known as Arroz Caldo. Read more »

Filipinos often cook vegetables with meat and other ingredients. In fact, you can rarely find plain vegetable dish. Normally, vegetable dishes are simmered with beef, pork, chicken, fish or shrimp with soy sauce, lemon juice, patis(fish sauce), garlic, onions, vinegar and tomatoes. But how could you tell if a vegetable dish should become a main dish when their together? I say it depends on the proportion of meat to vegetable.

The Philippine version of egg roll consists of a lumpia wrapper (a thin "skin" made of flour or cornstarch, eggs and water) wrapped around a filling of minced vegetables and bits of meat, then deep-fried. It is also called Spring roll. Today, I'll show you how to cook an easy, timeless and yet delicious Fried Lumpia to be served at anytime.

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The Filipino way of cooking and its recipes are greatly influenced by American, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and European cooking. The versatility and difference in tastes makes it unique. Stir frying for instance came from Chinese who have ways of manipulationg food in its simplest form thru ancient techniques. In fact, if you'll check out the meaning of stir-fry in the dictionary, you can come up with a simple meal at no time using a small amount of oil, a wok or large skillet over high heat with the prepared ingredients usually vegetables, together with shrimp, chicken or beef. While it is important to preserve the flavor, color and texture of the food, it is necessary to constantly stir the ingredients to keep the vegetables crisp.


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A common notion of a pie would be a special meat, fish, fowl, fruit, or vegetables that is baked with a crust of pastry, or pastry shells filled with custard or pudding. It could be sweet and generally served as dessert like they do in the US and has remained popular since then. There are savory pies on the other hand, that are served as a main course or appetizer. In Italy, pie or pizza consists in its most basic form of a spread dough covered with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and baked in an oven. Today we see pies crusted at the bottom, or top only, some both on top and bottom and, as with deep-dish pies, only a top crust. Crusts can be made of a variety of mixtures including short crust pastry, puff pastry, cookie crumbs, meringue and even, as with shepherd's pie, mashed potatoes. On this pie, I'll be using mashed potatoes on top and spinach, egg and salmon fillet at the bottom filled with creamy vegetables and cheese.Read more »

"Yes we know the muffin de men, muffin de men, muffin de men" That's how Denyse sings Barney's song--The Muffin Man. At an early age of 2, I have seen her interest in cooking. That's why we never have second thought of buying her that kitchen with matching apron and accessories. I've always assured myself that she will be able to discover how to prepare foods at no time and will never experienced my self-taught knowledge in cooking. I could still remember the day I found out that I'm gettting married that I hurriedly shopped for cookbooks and brought them all the way to the US. Its not that I am not interested in cooking while I was still single but we were never had hands on experience on making a dish. All I ever did then was watching my mom and some helper do the dishes in preparation for special occassion and gatherings in the house. That's why on our first day together under one roof, Den thought me how to cook Nilagang Baboy and the rest was history.
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The origin of the expression “Cordon Bleu” [kordon 'bleu] comes from the 1578 foundation of the Order of Knights of the Holy Spirit. The members of the order wore a medal suspended on a blue ribbon and their spectacular feasts became legendary. The expression “Cordon Bleu” was then later applied to mean an outstanding Chef. Cordon, derived from french word corde means a cord, example is a line of troops or of military posts enclosing an area to prevent passage, an idea that prevent bleu(something containing a blue mold like blue cheese or any cheeses) from escape. Read more »

This dish is so quick and easy, I'll guarantee you'll love it. I remember baking this for our breakfast one morning when my friends sleepover in our house and one asked if I bought it frozen because it really taste good you won't believe its very easy to make and its better than the frozen pot pie. Moreover, this is a healthy treat to anyone, even a lifesaver at the end of a long workday. Stew beef and golden mushroom soup can be substituted in this recipe, as well as turkey left over. If you don't like to use bisquick all-purpose baking mix, you can substitute it by using frozen pie shells but be sure to thaw it for at least 10 minutes.
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