Showing posts with label italian food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label italian food. Show all posts

Monday, August 16, 2010

Aryana's Italian Cooking Project: Mozzarella Frittata with Tomato and Basil Salad


My Mozzarella Frittata with Tomato and Basil Salad

Weekends are usually time for family bonding. And, as you know, family bonding means getting together to eat foooood! It was Saturday night, My little sister, SM *we got it all for youuuuu, yes, it's her nickname*, was already done with her project, Mama and Steven was already home, and I had a very boring day, so it all ended up with celebrating togetherness. I feel like having breakfast with the moonlight, so I prepared frittata for everyone. A very expensive frittata.






Frittata is similar to omelet. It all starts with eggs and then mix whatever you want to add, like veggies, cheese, and herbs, and that's it. 




I know it sounds easy but when it gets thicker and thicker, it also gets harder to turn it upside down. So how did I do it? I got a chair, 2 wooden laddles, and self-confidence. Just try to imagine what did I do with those things.





Look how thick it is.

Now, this one's really my favorite!

It's a feast!

Buon Appetito!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Aryana's Italian Cooking Project: Rich Tomato Soup with Roasted Peppers



It's time for tomatoes and bell peppers. I love tomatoes because it's good for the skin and it's anti-cancer. Next in the book is Rich Tomato Soup with Roasted Peppers. I was hesitant to do it at first, *I have this something about making soups* but I still did. I'm not a soup-cooker, I'm a soup-eater! 




The procedures and the preparation

Italian soups are easy to cook, but really takes patience to prepare. All the waiting time when everything's in the oven, peeling the skins off from the veggies afterwards, creating a puree, and doing the finishing touches --- they are fun and exciting to do, but also at some point I felt that I was getting tired, esp. when Mama wasn't around to help me. But I was so happy because even if it took almost 2 hours to prepare for everything, at least everything was going on smoothly. And in the end, it was perfect and my tired-audience-stressed-out-from-work loved it. 

Looks good, tastes delicious!

I still wonder about what to cook next. Thursday *today!* is fitness *hiphop* day and Friday is party day, so my next cooking show *haha* would be on Saturday! Of course, I still have to make time for myself and my friends. I'm planning to cook from breakfast to dinner *family bonding, I  love!*. 

Buon Appetito!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Aryana's Italian Cooking Project: White Bean Soup with Parmesan Croutons



Woo, it's been a long time since I cooked for a number of people. It was when I cooked Italian spaghetti for my previous co-workers on a Christmas party. It was really something. For me, to be able to cook delicious dishes is an achievement. And it's hot *here comes my imagination, hihi*. That's it.


The ingredients and the procedures

Last night, I cooked White Bean Soup with Parmesan Croutons. It was easy but it took a while to wait for the beans to cook, even if pressure cooker is used. 

Attempt #1: FAIL

When I first made the croutons, they got burned so I had to make a dozen of them AGAIN (sayang 'yung olive oil and parmesan cheese T___T). I was busy preparing the soup that time, that's why I forgot about the bread *yeah, lesson learned*. Mama was observing me while doing my stuff. Her comments and tips really helped me through *she's amazing*. 

The Soup

It made me smile when I saw and smelled hope on the saucepan. It smelled and looked delicious. The herbs really tickled my nostrils *hahaha*. Yes, I'm a fan of herbs. I looooong to taste all of them! 

And after almost an hour, here comes the SOUPah star:


I think I need a better camera to make this more orangeeeeyyy *haha*. It was really delicious and creamy and full of taste. Mama and Steven were the taste the soup, and they said it was really good, esp. for them at that time because they just got back from work, and everything. It's a stress reliever! I am super happy that they liked it. :D

Buon Appetito!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Jam-Packed Saturday



My Friday night, as usual, was soooo amazing. We watched Inception *It's better than never, hihi*. Nolan, my Living Puzzle, you are really one of the greatest creations of God. More power to you. 


So it's about my Saturday, *hihi*.

You already know about my cooking fantasies, right? Fantasies can become reality if you do something to make it happen. I was insipired by the movie Julie & Julia. So I'm like Julie Powell of this time, in the main island of the Philippines, looking up to a Julia Child (who is Julie Powell now *it's confusing, I know hihi*). To fulfill my cooking fantasies, this would be my manuaI:

*Huhu* Not Everything About It Is Easy

Everything about cooking excites me, but when I scanned read the book last night, *Gosh I can't believe that* I will encounter not just pasta, and cheese, and soups, and salads, I will also say hello to rabbit, turkey, duck, and kangaroo *kidding on the K part hihi*. My God, please help me buy the proper ingredients. Just thinking about it makes me wanna buy another cookbook. BTW, I call this project, Aryana's Italian Cooking Project. If I successfully prepared all 163 recipes in the cookbook, I will definitely apply for a Culinary Arts course, or NOT.

Whatever happens, I know this about fun, and excitement, and bonding, and satisfaction, and, and, and... a lot more than I can predict today.

Aside from buying Italian cookbook, I also bought this:


I wanted to learn Arabic but there when I browse through the book, gosh, it was sooooo hard to understand I was shocked with the foreign characters, so I ended up with this one. And I love it already. :D

After lurking at National Bookstore, I, with my super HS friends, Yani *yes, we have the same name; it's destiny* and Vern, attended the 10th World Food Expo in World Trade Center, Manila. We were like in an educational tour. It was a different kind of fun. It's like my brain was also happy with everything it's having right there and there *hihi*.


The best thing from attending food expo, of course, other than free food and learning experience, is of course, the good buys in their lowest cost. For example, I bought a loaf of multigrain bread which usually costs around P120, in just P80 there in the expo. There were also lots of healthy foodums present in the expo *hihi, total fooooood madness!*

Whole Wheat Multigrain Loaf, P80

Foccacia w/ cheese and herbs, my ultimate lover since college, P60

Rainbow Pao! Asado, Ube, Dulce de Leche, Chocolate, Monggo Flavors! P6 each, P70/box

Plum Juice, P35                                                   8 Red Fruits, P50

Tomato Juice, P50

Super guiltless. WOFEX is the best! :D

Before going home, we decided to try out Cafe Dasmarinas, for a change. As I enter the restaurant, I felt a different ambiance --- cultural, classic, and gloomy. It was a perfect place and ambiance to match with the cold and rainy evening. I decided to buy a cafe latte but was surprised to see just one coffee-based item on the menu --- of course, brewed coffee. It would have been better if they serve a variety of coffee-based drinks. Even so, I am super satisfied with the food quality and servings, and the service. Uber delicious! I'm a satisfied customer. :D


But of course, at the end of the day, it'll always be Souk Cafe that I long for *it's true lurve, hihi*.

This is one of the busiest Saturdays of my life. And this is the kind of being busy that I love to do everyday!

No matter what the day is, busify it and enjoy!
Woo! *as in a roller coaster ride*