It's The Day of Hearts!

Happy Valentine's Day from Arjay and Kim!

It's a special day for everyone. Make it even more special by preparing a home-cooked meal for your loved one!

Classic Chicken Adobo

At least once a week, we all allot time to basically do anything other than work. Some love Fridays since they can party with friends - but I've already graduated from that. Others keep their Saturdays clear to go malling. I particularly love Sundays because everyone's at home and it's the perfect day to bond over a home-cooked meal.

Today I decided to cook the classic chicken Adobo for Kim and her family. It's one of the easiest recipes I've done so far, so anyone can do it!

Ingredients:

• Cooking Oil
• Garlic (one bulb)
• Onion (medium)
• Ginger (around the size of your pinky)
• Black Pepper (1/2 teaspoon)
• Salt (pinch)
• Soy Sauce (3/4 cup)
• Vinegar (1/4 cup)
• Sugar (1 tbsp)
• Pineapple Juice (1 cup)
• Chicken Legs (1/2 kg)
• Bay Leaves (2-3 pieces)

Procedure:

1. Pour two cups of water with the chicken legs in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. This will take 5-10 minutes.
2. In a separate pan, heat about 3 spoonfuls of cooking oil (low heat). Cook the garlic cloves until brown first then add the diced onions and ginger strips. As soon as the onions are transparent, transfer the chicken legs to the pan. Cook until the chicken turns slightly brown.
3. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, pineapple juice, sugar, whole black peppers, and bay leaves to the pan and let it come to a boil. Lower the heat then let it simmer for 10 more minutes (just to make sure the sauce tastes).
4. Transfer to a bowl and you have a meal!

2011 is a good year to start cooking!

I have to admit, I love eating but I was never into cooking before. Kim and I would usually go to a restaurant or a fast food chain when we need to eat. But, when we found out that we are expecting, we decided to start eating healthy... and what better way to do this but by cooking our meals ourselves?

When I first tried my luck in cooking, I started out with unbelievably simple meals. I really had no idea about what I was doing - I destroyed even simple fried meals! But, with a bit of reading and loads of practice, I eventually learned my way through the kitchen. From cooking fried chicken and sunny side up eggs, I gradually upgraded to more complicated dishes. I remember serving my first Chicken Tinola dish to Kim, I remember waiting for her reaction as she took a sip, and I remember her proudly smiling and saying, "Ang sarap!" To make sure she wasn't bluffing, I served the same dish to her family who finished the whole thing before I could get another serving! With my first attempt a success, I decided to learn more recipes.

You will be reading a lot about all the recipes (borrowed and invented) that I try in this blog. I will also be writing about our favorite restaurants and my attempts to imitate their recipes. When our little angel comes out, I will also include recipes that are baby-friendly. So, keep coming back for updates!