LAKBAYAN: How Much of the Philippines Have You Visited?

I'm interrupting my 'vacation' to post this very interesting quiz that I got from Serious Fictions' blog. LAKBAYAN: How Much of the Philippines Have You Visited?

My Lakbayan grade is C+!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Have fun with the quiz!

I Need A Break!

I'm taking a much needed rest from blogging. Check back after a month.

that will be me for the next few weeks...

Spaghetti With Butter

Last Friday my daughter came home with her leftover dinner of spaghetti and veal scallopini. The container was so big I transferred the food in a smaller dish. The next day, when she woke up to have it for brunch she couldn't find it. She thought I threw it away. Well, somebody ate it. So to make amends I made a similar dish, Thin Spaghetti with Butter, Bread Crumbs and Lemon, and Beef Scallopini Marsala.

Thin Spaghetti With Butter
8 ounces thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup dry bread crumbs
zest of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

• Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
• In a small skillet, heat olive oil, add breadcrumbs, stir fry until golden brown, about 1 minute, then add lemon zest. Set aside.
• In a large pan, heat butter until melted and slightly brown, add salt and drained cooked spaghetti, toss well, add bread crumb mixture and parsley. Mix well. Serve hot.

This spaghetti dish is so delicious, I love the hint of lemon and the texture of bread crumbs. This will go well with any meat dish, including KFC fried chicken.

Menudo

I ate a lot of menudo when I was a child. It's a staple in cafeterias, carinderias, during fiestas and every household I knew, it's the second adobo in the country. They may have different ingredients but they seem to taste the same wherever you eat it. As an adult, I rarely had it, can't explain why and it's a wonder this is only the second time I made this dish.

Menudo
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ pounds pork, diced into ¼ inch pieces
1 Spanish chorizo, diced into ¼ inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 teaspoons sea salt
ground black pepper
1 large tomato, diced
1 cup water or chicken broth, or more as needed
1 large potato, diced into ¼ inch pieces
1 can green peas

• In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil, add garlic and onion, stir fry for 2 minutes. Add red bell pepper, pork and chorizo. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Add tomato, salt, black pepper and water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add potatoes, simmer for 5 minutes. (Add more water or broth if needed). Add drained peas and cook 1 minute until peas are heated through. Serve with rice or as pan de sal filling.

I remember menudo had liver in them. I don't like liver, if you do just add them with the potatoes, or cook them separately and add to the cooked dish.