the christmas aftermath!

i will not deny, i pigged out during the holidays. not really because we were feeling festive (my family doesn't celebrate christmas anyways) but more because i was left to take helm of the kitchen.

my mom went on a christian retreat during christmas with my grandmum and since we have this unspoken rule that if she goes on holiday, i stay home and serve as her proxy, that was exactly what happened. being her proxy would mean being chief of the house. i was to maintain order and see through errands that she would normally be the one to handle, the top most of which, meals. my mom honestly hates this most of all, thinking of what to cook. she handles all of the other duties of a housewife quite well but when it comes to planning meals, she gets all uninterested and heads for the instant noodles. well, not really. in fairness to her, though she may not be the best cook in the family, she tries to be inventive and experimental as much as possible but still, you know she would rather dive for the take-out menu or the nearest cup of ramen!

being the assigned cook during the days she was out was a daunting task. i mean, i have been used to cooking for myself for the past year or so, but now that i have to feed 2 extra mouths (my dad and my older brother), there seems to be more pressure to out-do myself. i mean, i can cook, but it's more like if i fuck up a recipe, i won't feel as bad since i can still eat it anyways and not complain. however, feeding 2 other people, with a fucked up recipe could mean utter disaster! i'm pretty sure they'll be nice and recognize my efforts, but still, the fact that i fucked up is too much for me to think about, more so BEAR!! so.... i made sure there were no messes!

i made a second attempt in making the lechon kawali (oven-roasted pork). last time i made it, it turned into asado instead because of the sugar. this time however i made good. i had it on a slow, tenderizing boil in the cooker for an entire night making sure the meat was so soft, you could mash it with your tongue! i then put it in a slow roast in the convention oven until the skin was bright and golden and CRACKLING! the result, a slab of soft, succulent and crispy pork bacon! i had to drain it of all the fat of course. i didn't want my family to die before they could praise me of my success. no applause unfortunately, but an empty platter was all the thanks i needed.

the menu for the following days included chicken adobo, tagalog style; broccoli with scallops; stir fried spinach with garlic and steamed tiger prawns. not really the most stellar of food choices if i may say so, but enough i guess to push my weight beyond what i think is reasonable!

o well, i guess it adds to my credibility. they did say you can't trust a thin chef.