Pancit Bihon

in , , , , ,

Tom’s little man is half Filipino.  His mother’s family all come from that wonderful country consisting of a group of 7,107 islands off the mainland of Asia.  Did you know that the area occupied by the Philippines is slightly larger than the state of Arizona?

Wonderful what you can learn in geography class right?

Before I meet Tom my exposure to the Filipino culture was zero.

I knew a little of the history of the country, which is pretty fascinating once you really take a look - Nestle between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean this cluster of island was an ideal point for migrating people all over the world.  As a result the country is made up of a range of ethnic groups.

So its no accident with so many outside influences during its history, the Philippine cuisine is a fascinating blend of Malay, Spanish and Chinese cultures. To the Filipinos, food is very important and integral part of local art and culture as well as communal existence.

So, when I was invited to the little man’s birthday party, I saw first hand how food brought them together as one single unit.

Read More

FFwD: Hachis Parmentier

in , , , , , , ,


Ok guys, we are entering the forth week of cooking from the new book by Dorie Greenspan - “Around my French Table”.  This is my third contribution, since I skipped last weeks choice, the Vietnamese Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup.

But, this week I could not resist, because mashed potatoes and meat, in this case chopped meat - are like a great marriage.  

In France this is the equivalent of the English Shepard pie. “Hachis”, which means a dish in which the ingredients are chopped or minced, come from the same root as the English word “hatchet”.  I did not use a hatchet of course, but I like the mental picture of it.  The rest of the dish is named after Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, a French pharmacist, nutritionist, and inventor who, in the late 18th century, was instrumental in the promotion of the potato as an edible crop.

Let’s all stand up right now and thank THAT MAN!

Read More

GCC: Menu 3 - Empanadas and White Bean Soup

in , , ,

I had a surprise this weekend.  One of my friends that I have known for years was close to my side of town and decided to hop over to visit me and meet Tom.  I also got to meet her brand new husband as well.  Someone that I heard about for a while, but never had the opportunity to meet.

I’m talking about the duo that make up  SamCyn’s Edible Adventure blog.   Cynthia and I use to be co-workers when I lived in Miami, so we known each other a VERY LONG time.  We have keep in touch over the years, and she is a recent newlywed. I did know it at the time but, she keep tabs on me over the years by reading my personal blog and then Sweetbites.  And when I started the Gutsy Cooks Club, she totally jumped in with both hands in the air and dragged her very cute, sweet husband into the fold.

A couple of weeks ago, she sent me an email that they were going to be close by and if Tom and I had nothing planned, they wanted to stop by for a visit.  This time it was my turn to jump in with both hands in the air and sound off a hearty “YES!”, and promptly dragged along my boyfriend for the ride. The men in our lives have no say so in these type of matters.

Read More