Baking

I was craving for cheesy baked pasta since last week. Though I wanted to bake some, I was anxious it won't turn out the way I've craved for. Hubby, on the other hand, has been longing for a leche flan (custard cake) since time immemorial. The last time I baked him his favorite, I have to divide it into 8 equal slices so he can have a portion each day for a week’s time. Otherwise, he can consume it all in one day.

As expected, he’s taken more than he should have,
so I decided to stop baking it for sometime.

Leche flan surely is a big YUM but
it’s also considerably unhealthy being made from 12 egg yokes.

My craving plus my boredom plus my desire to please hubby resulted to google-ing for baked lasagna and custard pie recipes yesterday. I thought custard pie would be a good alternative for his favorite since it’s only made of 3eggs. There’s really not much cholesterol involved and it’ll most likely taste the same. And so I skipped my afternoon driving lesson and we headed to get the needed ingredients at Walmart.

I started all the preparations as soon as we got home.

I was pleased with my lasagna...

and so was hubby with his custard pie.

I consider baking as one of my stress therapies. It relaxes me regardless of how long the preparation time is. Although I always combine an existing recipe with my own experiment, the end result would nevertheless make me smile- whether it be good or bad, I count on every outcome as a learning experience.

Chutney

One of the ECST guys in the office is getting married! So his team had a potluck party for him last Friday. I am not with the team but my desk is in the lab so I was invited. I know most of them by face but I don’t really mingle with them. I feel like slowly creeping into somebody else’s pocket whenever I have to be or deal with people I really don’t get to be with a lot.

Anyway, my Iranian officemate forced me to get up and get some sweets so I did. We stayed with the group while we enjoyed watching the groom-to-be open the gifts from his teammates. Not long after I got back to my desk, an Indian officemate brought me a plate with a little of everything, since there was just too much food for everyone. What caught my eyes the most though, is the green thingy on the plate.

This is what they call chutney- a hot and spicy condiment
made of cilantro, ginger, garlic, hot green peppers and some lemon juice.

I love it! I brought it home and it completed my dinner of rice and fried chicken. According to Wiki, this can be made with fruits too! I wanted to try making my own version with crunchy green mangoes. YUM! Now, I'm drooling...

So there goes my green ruby Tuesday for St. Patrick's day!

Shrimp Paste (Bagoong)

Favorite Filipino appetizer; also YUM when eaten with crunchy green mangoes.