February Masala

February Masala

Image: Brian Patrick Tagalog I'm naming this by the month because there are many masalas for coffee and tea that I want to make, so I wanna leave room for others that I might post here. 😀 This is a mix that could easily be put together and kept in an airtight jar....

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Cooking Broccoli with Mustard

Cooking Broccoli with Mustard

Image: Disiana Caballero I'm cleaning out old drafts from this blog and found a draft for broccoli with mustard seeds, which I found (in 2006) from traveling chef Shuna Lydon's old blog Lucullian Delights. Well, fast forward to 2024 and I found these. The mustard seed...

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Raspberry-Sesame Dressing

Raspberry-Sesame Dressing

Raspberry-Sesame Dressing 2 tablespoons grainy mustard2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar2 tablespoons red wine vinegar2 tablespoons raspberry preserves2 teaspoons honeysalt and freshly ground pepper to taste6 tablespoons avocado oil2 tablespoons sesame oil Whisk all...

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Quezon’s Budin

Quezon’s Budin

I grew up with cassava growing beside the house, outside our fence -- so, not our property, but free to use since no one was using the land at the time. My mom tells me they used to plant it just outside their master bedroom, on the other side of the house. Anyway,...

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Sausage on Curried Lentils and Rice

Sausage on Curried Lentils and Rice

This is one of those use-what-you-have recipes, so I don't provide amounts. Sausage on Curried Lentils and Rice olive oilchopped onionscurry powderlentils (I used red here, but any lentil will work)cooked ricediced tomatoesadditional water or chicken or veggie broth...

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Grilled Tuna on White Bean Salad

Grilled Tuna on White Bean Salad

A super-quick and easy salad to put together, topped with grilled tuna. Canned tuna can be subbed, of course, just so happened that my local fresh fish monger (Seafood Station) had some fresh tuna and I couldn't pass it up. Great for if you're wanting to increase your...

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Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding

This is a dessert that not a lot of people talk about these days, though knowing that fads come and go, I'm sure one day people will remember it and start looking for the recipe again. I love this recipe because even though it's not allergen-free, I think it would...

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Moroccan Carrot Salad

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Carrot salad is one of those things that my whole family loves (except the youngest). It's quick and easy to prepare. If I'm being lazy it's really just carrot-vinegar-sugar-salt. But every now and then I add in a few things, like raisins perhaps. Or mayo. In one of...

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Binagoongang Baboy (Pork Stew with Shrimp Paste)

Binagoongang Baboy (Pork Stew with Salted Shrimp Paste) Just what it says. Pork and salted shrimp in all their delicious glory. 1 lb fatty pork, cubed (like pork belly)1 lb pork butt or shoulder, cubedOlive oil if needed1 medium head garlic, crushed and peeled1 onion,...

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Bicol Express

I'm not a Bicolana so I don't make any claims of authenticity for this dish. However, we did have several Bicolanas as household helpers when I was growing up, and my favorite, Ate Irene, would cook this dish once in a while, so that's how I learned. Bicol Express hot...

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My Favorite Autumn Stew

My Favorite Autumn Stew

This recipe is based on one from Deborah Madison's The Greens Cook Book. I first made it 15 years ago and fell in love with it, so I've made it every single autumn since. For copyright and personal reasons, I've adapted it to...

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Iced Chai (Tea)

Iced Chai (Tea)

Years ago I made a chai tea recipe, and it was soooo good, but I lost it, and I haven't been able to recreate it or find the original. What I liked about it was that the flavors weren't muddled, and the tea itself was a clear, dark golden brown. I found this one in my...

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Soy-Free Sugar-Free Yaki Onigiri

Soy-Free Sugar-Free Yaki Onigiri

Note on food allergies: M is allergic to soy. B is allergic to sugar. I had some sugar-free umeboshi (found at our local international store) that needed finishing up, so I made up some rice balls for hubby and me (and my mom). So not low-carb, but yummy. There really...

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Nut-Free Soy-Free Gado-Gado Sauce

Nut-Free Soy-Free Gado-Gado Sauce

Note on our family’s allergies: M is allergic to dairy, nuts, eggs, gluten, pineapple, kiwi, shellfish, and soy.B is allergic to dairy, nuts, eggs, gluten, shellfish, and cane sugar. Gado-gado is one my most favorite hearty salads. I am not providing a definitive list...

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