Blueberry sauce

We still had a substantial quantity of blueberries left from the muffin recipe and so we decided to make a quick and easy blueberry sauce which we can use to jazz up ice cream. This recipe is so easy to make, and you can also use this procedure for strawberries.

New cooking shows in New Zealand

We have two new cooking shows we look forward to here in Wellington.

Firstly, there's MasterChef New Zealand



It's on the third episode so there's still a long way to go for the contestants. Last Wednesday, the main ingredient was chicken. I'd say one of the easiest meats to cook, and each contestant was given the chance to choose 10 ingredients to go with it. But MasterChef is about adding flair to dishes and so they had to innovate. I would have cooked tinola with rice on the side but I don't think it's MasterChef material, unless I make the soup really really yummy, like one of the contestants did for his chicken and corn soup. Come to think of it, our tinola might have a good chance...

MasterChef New Zealand is shown on Wednesdays, 7:30PM, TV One. The website is a great accompaniment to the show, with contestant and judge profiles and recipes from the episodes.

Blueberry muffin

We went blueberry picking one sunny Saturday afternoon with friends, and went home with lots to spare for a recipe or two. One thing that comes to mind when blueberries are mentioned are the muffins. So I tried this recipe and it worked out real yummy. This one even features a crunchy topping, making it something different from what I have baked before. This recipe makes 12 regular-sized muffins.

A Valentine's date to dine for

It feels like it was only a few weeks ago when my wife and I were in a Greenhills venue watching a concert of Raymond Lauchengco. That was a wonderful experience indeed, made extra memorable because we had an animated chat with Raymond's wife Mia, we were greeted by Raymund himself on stage (and Tina was smiling from ear to ear) and I was even able to get an autographed poster for my wife. That sort of interaction was totally unexpected, and the nice surprises of the affair made us admire even more the artist from our colourful 80s generation.

We would surely be there again in his upcoming back-to-back concert with his sister Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo if we were not oceans away. But if you are still looking for an extra-special way of celebrating Valentine's Day in Metro Manila, this may very well be the event you are looking for to share with your loved one.

Dining in a chef's home

One night, from out of the blue, we got invited for dinner at a family's friend for a celebration. I thought it was just going to be a regular dinner, but we were in for quite a treat because Peter was studying to become a chef, and he's had some experience honing his culinary skills in food establishments here. It was fun seeing him at work in the kitchen (at the same time trying to see if it's something we can replicate at home), and when he served up the food, we would rate it with stars a-la Top Chef.

Topping off the meal was this yummy pie which was made from scratch, crust, filling and all. It was grrreeeaaatttt! That was truly a fun night. Great company, great food. Salamat Peter and Weng!

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