baby rambutan

blame this entirely on the Travel Channel! viewing the episode on Pizza Paradise between two duelling pizzerias in Connecticut, baking crispy, flatbread like pizzas with sliver-sliced toppings made me go restlessly bonkers, and catapulted me out the door to get all the necessary ingredients.

now if only i could build a brick oven!

the works: Italian sausage, pepperoni, sweet green peppers, red onions, mushrooms and extra cheese for the kids

anchovies, olives, jalapenyo, red onions(my favorite!), tomatoes…for me. okay one slice for husband

i took out my California Pizza Kitchen family cookbook from Wiley’s, and followed their particulars: use only cooled, thickened marinara (store-bought or homemade), and use a light touch(very thinly sliced, and do not pile them on too thick) on the toppings.

this is now mama’s preferred pizza as of this moment (mama’s the cook AND the queen of this pizzeria after all), it’s just thatthe deep dish pizza seems to be too much and too heavy now, EVEN for mama. or until the next Pizza Paradise episode .

recipe for the crust follows…for a change! i’m in the mood to practise my typing! (more…)

made this the other night, and did not tell #1son, in college and immersed in papers and final exams…i would have never forgiven myself if i caused him to catch a train home and get sidetracked!
i just set a platterful aside for him…
honestly there’s nothing like salty bistek (marinated beef steaks) with fried potatoes and sweet caramelized onions over rice to make my mouth water and my stomach juices rumble. i don’t know if it is a Pinoy thing, in our genes? it’s making me hungry, the thought of this. right. now.

i tried to tone down the saltiness by adding mirin (sweet cooking wine) and sugar to the calamansi and light/dark soy sauces and it worked just a little. it might put off people who don’t like salty food or who don’t like to eat their entrees with rice…all the rest of us, dig in!
everyone knows how to make Pinoy bistek am i right? how-to here, just scroll down please