SWEET MAGNOLIAS’ VALENTINE NIGHT

​Valentine has been celebrated centuries ago and went on passed the turn of the millennium. It is a consequential moment to think not only of our significant other but of people close to our hearts. It is a time to showcase our love, gratitude and appreciation to those dear to us. 

Certainly, Dolly did just that; she did no limit her attention towards her “Love” alone but set this day to glorify friendship; she invited us all to an awesome dinner at her lovely home. 

“Wait, there’s more”, (Dolly would often say when retelling stories), she invited a quartet from the UP Madrigal Singers. They entertained us throughout the night with their melodious repertoire making the night so enjoyable. 

Not to be outdone, the Magnolias have great singers too, but only Celine and Joy were confident enough to sing. 

Celine belted “Just Tell Me You Love Me” in her smooth and southing voice. 

Followed by Joy in her rendition of 

“Isang Linggong Pagibig”

This was when we missed Claire, our very own Disney Princess, who could have shown her prowess in anything Disney. 

The rest of us were just

Dinner was a wonderful affairs with sumptuous food and dessert galore. After dinner we continued sipping sake from Joy’s Japanese husband while we listened to the sentimental OPM love songs. 

The quartet concluded the night with one of the best renditions of “The Prayer” I’ve ever heard. It got them a resounding round of applause from all of us. 

We thank Dolly for the invite that made our valentine one of the best ever.  We fully appreciate the welcoming attention of Vener, as well as her brother Chito and his understatedly beautiful wife Princess, who was so nice and sweet. 

Happy Valentines Day everyone! 

MISO SOUP WITH WAKAME

​Today I’ll share with you my version of miso wakame soup 

I got interested in cooking simple Japanese food from my friend, Joy. As we cover ground walking everyday; I often ask her what meals she cooks for her Japanese husband. 

She shared some salad and soup recipes and I thought I’ll make miso wakame soup since she gave me 

Miso with dashi 

and dried wakame 

Since Joy doesn’t measure, she said: 

“put enough water for the number of servings you want and boil, grab a handful of wakame, when it’s done, put miso and turn off heat. Add some herbs if you like”. 

I searched on line for more info; I even ordered miso wakame soup when we dined at a reputable Japanese restaurant to familiarize myself with the taste. Here is a photo of the miso wakame soup I ordered at Sensei restaurant. 

When the opportunity came up, I prepared the soup and here is my version. 

                         Ingredients 

6 cups water 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1/4 cup chopped white part spring onions 

1/4 cup chopped green part spring onions 

2 tbsps dried wakame 

3 heaping tbsp miso with dashi; if miso available has no dashi then add a tablespoon of the dashi powder 

2 tbsps soy sauce 

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 

1 tbsp sesame oil 

Tofu cut in 1/2 inch cubes

                        Procedure 

In a pot boil 6 cups water 

In a separate ceramic serving pot that could stand high heat like the sukiyaki bowl I used;

Put oil and white onions and cook until translucent 

Add the water and let it boil awhile 

Add the wakame and stir until they open 

Add the tofu, when they float turn off heat 

Add miso and soy sauce; this is when you can add dashi powder if your miso has no dashi. 

Sprinkle green onions and toasted sesame seeds 

Drizzle sesame oil 

Adjust to taste 

And this dish is done. 

When I made this I paired it with tataki salad and we had a meal. 

BOQUERONES EN VINAGRE: Spanish Anchovies in Vinegar

​My family loves anchovies, in fact our favorite pasta sauce is anchovies slightly cooked in olive oil with garlic slices and sprinkled with grated Parmesan. 

Boquerones en vinagre is one of the most popular tapas in Spain; it is claimed that the best known Boquerones is served in a restaurant, Rincon de la Victoria in Malaga, Spain. 

This recipe is an adaptation from the Andalucian Cuisine with a tweak; more infused garnish is added, a departure from the original authentic recipe. This is a photo of my version. 

The most important part is cleaning the anchovies; removing the head and tail, deboning and taking off the guts. I am lucky to find anchovies already cleaned. Wash with baking soda and rinsed well. 

Freeze for two days to ensure that bacteria is totally eliminated. 

After two days, defrost in the refrigerator, once defrosted, soak in ice water for an hour in the refrigerator. 

                     Ingredients 

1/2 kilo anchovies cleaned and deboned 

150 ml white wine vinegar 

50.  ml. regular vinegar 

100  ml ice cold water 

30.   gms salt 

Soak the anchovies with the liquid mixture, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight. Notice that the fish will turn white. 

                    Garnishes

6 cloves garlic sliced thinly 

6-8 pcs olives cut in rings 

1-2 tbsps slightly crushed capers 

3-4 pcs bottled sun dried tomatoes sliced in strips 

 Set aside

Arrange the anchovies in a glass serving container 

Add the garnishes 

Pour olive oil enough to cover the ingredients 

Cover and put in refrigerator for 12 hours before serving so oil infuses with the garlic, olives, capers and sun dried tomatoes. 

Eat with crusty bread. I found it great to put a piece each of anchovy, garlic, olives, capers and sun dried tomatoes on a piece of bread and when you bite, all the juices of the garnishes blend together in the mouth. Wow, it is the yummiest! 

TATAKI TUNA SALAD:MY VERSION

​

I enjoyed my tataki tuna salad today and I am sharing my version.

                          Ingredients 

1/2 kilo fresh tuna 

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds 

1 tbsp crushed black pepper 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 tbsp olive oil 

Sprinkle salt lightly on all sides of the tuna cubes 

Combine toasted sesame seeds with crushed pepper 

Coat all sides of tuna with the mixture 

Put 1 tbsp olive oil in a heated skillet 

Sear all sides of tuna quickly 

Notice that tuna turns opaque, no longer pink on the outside but the inside is still pink. 

Slice the tuna and set aside. 

                            Dressing 

1 tbsp & 1 tsp lemon juice 

Zest of 1 lemon 

4 tbsps mayonnaise 

2 tbsps kikoman soy sauce 

1/2 tsp wasabi 

Adjust to taste 

Mix dressing well until the mayo is fully incorporated 

Meanwhile 

Slice half of an onion in thin slices like half moon 

Soak this in lemon juice to soften pungency 

Cut lettuce in serving sizes

I only had romaine but adding lollo rosa lettuce will add color. You can also add other leaves like spinach or rocket should you wish to. 

In a serving platter, arrange a bed of lettuce

Put on top the tuna slices

Scatter the slices of onions on top 

Drizzle the dressing on top around the salad

Sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds 

Drizzle several drops of sesame oil 

And this dish is done 

BRINGING IN THE NEW YEAR

​What a year it has been!

Walking together everyday, taking our photos on facade of beautiful homes and sharing on Facebook 

Occasional breakfast together; most often at Tess’ who shares delicacies from Samar. 

Celebrating our birthdays together. 

Indeed, it was quite a year!

Last night the Sweet Magnolias has gone a full-year circle. After the hassle and buzzle of Christmas, we ushered our new year with sumptuous food, sweet music and lots of sharing and laughter. 

We thank our hosts, especially this gracious man of the house who made us all so welcome and never stopped topping up our drinks. I met Atle twice for breakfast in their home and once, Tess was able to lure him over at our garden for breakfast. 

Look at this elegant table setting laid for 15, including the husbands. It felt so enticing to sit and admire it at my appointed place yet hesitant to touch. There’s a lot of love put into setting it up. 

Unlike my earlier blogs, I’ll not dwell much on the food but it was a generous and mouthwatering spread. Though we bring our “little” dishes too, Tess’ kitchen never left us wanting for anything from drinks, appetizers and hot food; not to mention our penelophine, the take home after the party. 

The “take home” tradition has been carried over among Filipino friends and family the world over; it translates to “sharon” in local lingo derived from the name of a singer whose song “balutin mo ako”, meaning “wrap me”. 

Back to the party and more photos. We are a group whose second nature is posing for photos.

We gathered around the appetizer table munching on chitcharon, sushi bake, kinilaw na tangigi paired with fried plantain. 

Once again time flew so fast when we are having fun. No dancing this time but mellow music conducive to friendly conversation. 

We did a lot of catching up, this party is really something to write home about, a wonderful way to start the year with great friends. Like we would often say, thank you everyone for the love and friendship. 

FAMILY REUNION HIGHLIGHTS 2023

​Our Christmas family reunion took place in the beautiful home of my sister. 

Everyone brought their signature dish. The “star of the Christmas spread” is the Elar’s lechon partnered with the best; the Aboy’s fresh lumpia.  

I concocted my version of Paella, nothing compares to the undisputed best recipe done in Valencia, Eastern Spain, the home of “Pa-e-ya”.  My version is more to my taste but I still adapted the basic ingredients. I usually vary the meats and seafood like this one has crispy shrimps, chorizo and salami with French beans and bell pepper. 

My Paella could have been the centerpiece of our spread but nothing can beat Annie’s amazing charcuterie boards. 

There was Annie’s spinach signature dip 

The dishes were plentiful and lots of dessert galore; I couldn’t even remember who brought what but I love them all. 

Photos were taken in between the eating; here are some of them. 

Amidst all the talking, Santa Claus descended the stairs, not down the chimney; at broad daylight. There were clapping and “ohhs” and “ahhs”;  there was excitement and a queue was formed to pose with Santa. 

The gift giving was followed by the anonymous exchange gifts. If someone brought a gift then he surely took home one. Someone forgot to bring one so he took out a bill for the exchange gift, and everyone aimed to get that. 

Not wanting to end the day, a talent contest was proposed with a promise of big cash prizes. This encouraged everyone especially the teens. 

The more we got together, the more we wanted to do it again. We then agreed to have it midyear since Christmas is too far off. 

We concluded the party with a group photo 

It was a wonderful party, thank you everyone for the bonding time, the love shared and the memories made.