Filipino Spaghetti Recipe Using Ingredients From American Supermarkets

Spaghetti with Hotdogs and Ham + Birthday Cake = Birthday Party!

If you tell me that there is a birthday party, you can expect that I will be counting “the amount of sleeps” before it happens. While I will be excited about the balloons and the party favors, nothing gets me to be more enthused about birthday parties than Spaghetti with Hotdogs and Ham. Forget the cake, because usually it is mocha chiffon inside *blech* but the Spaghetti! THE SPAGHETTI!!! Oh, I would think about all the twirling, swishing of the sauce and the melty cheese. I would keep the hotdogs to the side and eat them last. Aaaaah. Spaghetti! I was 6.

Spaghetti is what is mostly served in children’s birthday parties back home.  Even if it’s a birthday without a party, it is NOT A PROPER birthday without eating spaghetti. We also believe that eating noodles on your birthday will bring you long life, and it doesn’t matter what kind of noodles - but for me, nothing beats eating Spaghetti on your birthday.

Ingredients:

1lb box of Spaghetti, Cooked according to package directions then do step 1.

1lb ground pork (beef is a good substitute, but its not the same.)

½ lb of hotdogs, sliced

1 6oz pack of cooked sweet ham, sliced into squares (the sliced ones that are square shaped, found in the deli aisle)

1 medium sized onion, Minced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bottle of Ragu, Chunky Garden Combination (why? Other flavors have overpowering Italian seasoning. This was surprisingly the closest tasting one I found.)

1-2 Tablespoons of sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

3 Tablespoons of butter

1 Tablespoon of cooking oil

4oz Mild Cheddar Cheese, Grated

After cooking your spaghetti according to package directions,
Drain it (dont wash it - i used to). When it is completely drained,
toss 1 1/2 tablespoon of butter in it. Set Aside.

Heat up your oil. When it's hot, saute the garlic.

After your garlic cooks a little bit, add the onions. Cook until transparent.

Add your ground pork. Make sure the ground pork gets separated.
Season with a bit of salt and pepper.

When your pork has rendered out its juices but not completely brown,
add your sliced hotdogs. Keep stirring.

When the hotdogs are showing signs of doneness, add cooked ham.
Make sure to separate the ham stacks.

Keep stirring until the rest of the ground pork is browned like this.
All the flavors will be rendered by this time.
If you find it swimming in pork fat, drain out the fat.

Add the Ragu. Put about 1/4 cup of water in the bottle
to get every last bit of sauce, and pour it in.

Add some Salt, Pepper to taste and 1.5 tbsp of sugar.
If you cant taste the mildly sweet flavor, add more.
Remember, you can add but you cannot take away.
This Chunky Ragu flavor is sweet enough
that you don't need to add more than 1.5 tbsp of sugar.

Add in your grated mild cheddar cheese. DONT USE PARMESAN CHEESE.

Melt the cheese in and your sauce should turn orangey in color.
You know you did well when you achieve this.

Finish your sauce off with 1 1/2 tbsp of butter. Mmm!

Toss in with the noodles and you are good to go!
Serve with more grated cheese if you please. Happy Birthday!

I am posting this recipe, using ingredients found in regular American supermarkets because this recipe was requested by Fadra and Tammy. While you can add banana ketchup if you please, I don’t add it in my recipe because I outgrew the taste of banana ketchup. I used to pour the stuff over rice and make my rice pink. Don’t ask.

Also, I like the idea of having recipes accessible, even to people who do not have an Asian market around them. Enjoy.

Leftover sauce? Don’t throw it away. Take a piece of bread, spread extra sauce on top, grate some more mild cheddar cheese on it and toast!!

Dressing Room Hooks

Dear Graphic/Interior Designer of Marshalls in Flushing,

You have done my dressing room experience well with these labeled hooks. They have made me arrange the dresses properly on hangers before giving them back to the attendant (which I usually don’t bother to deal with). It had easily made my selection of clothes quite faster and none of the dresses fell to the floor because I had more than enough hanging space, thanks to the grid that you have placed on the wall. While this dressing room may not be at par with the ones in better department stores in terms of looks and feel, I feel that yours is the most functional one that I have ever gone in.

Thank you!!!

Love, Stella

PS. Enclosed are the photos of your design genius.

PPS. I hope you do this to all your existing stores too!

Marshalls
Sky View Center
40-24 College Point Blvd
Flushing, NY 11354
Phone: 718-463-2537

Spam Is Better Fried Masthead Recipe

I made this masthead for my friend Roxwriting. This started out as a joke on the weekend that both of us had nothing to do and we were making fun of her blog title. Staring at it makes me want to eat it.

Ingredients:

1 Can of Spam

A pat of butter

Some Olive Oil

Some Sugar

Equipment Needed:

X-acto Knife

Cutting Mat

Scissors (Optional)

Freezer

Tongs

Knife

Chopping Board

Stove

Frying Pan

Cardstock

Camera

Computer and Printer

1.       Take a photo of Spam Can. Make sure it is not tilted in any way.

2.       Template – Print out a 1.5 inch and 2 inch spam logo on cardboard stock. Make sure this is manageable for you to cut, and will fit in your printer. Printing on paper is fine too but you need it to not bend or disintegrate.

3.       Slice your Spam in about quarter inch thick, Taller than 2inches and a bit wider than 2 inches. The letter M is wide. FREEZE for about an hour or more. You need the Spam to be a bit firmer. 

4.       While it is freezing, cut out your letters either with an X-acto knife or scissors. Don’t forget to cut out the insides of letters P and A. (these “holes” are called counters.)

5.       Take out your Spam from the freezer. You don’t need it to be frozen as it will be hard to carve. Place your template over the spam for a proper fit. 

 

6.       Start carving. I carved most of the Spam using an X-acto knife. This paring knife looks good in the photo but is not a good carving tool.

7.       Heat up your frying pan. I use a Calphalon Hard Anodized Nonstick pan. This pan distributes heat evenly. Melt a bit of butter and some olive oil.Fry the right side first. Cook it carefully in the lowest possible heat setting. After a minute or two, take it out, and coat it with a bit of sugar. This will give it a caramel brown color. Once it is done on the right side, take it out of the pan so you can set your camera.

8.       This is what my camera set up looks like. Im using a Benro Flexpod C297EX. My wonderful tripod “bends” to a 90-degree angle. Inside that turquoise bag is a heavy saucepan, it keeps my camera from falling into the frying pan.

9.   Heat the frying pan again, and fry the Spam right side up. If you don’t have enough frying bubbling action, add some butter or olive oil. Butter makes those slow moving frying bubbles, and the olive oil will keep it from burning. 

 10.   Take all the pictures you want until you get that perfect bubble inside and outside the letters!

Just in case you are curious:

This is what the bottom of my letters looked like after I was done. It looks burned and it was just starting to burn, so I tasted it after taking this photo.

 

It tasted good, so I had it for dinner. MMMmmm. Spam! 

 

***I have been eating Spam since childhood as this is a special treat in the Philippines. I still love eating it from time to time and yes, SPAM IS BETTER FRIED (and eaten with rice and egg).

***** I did say "special treat." Spam is not cheap in the Philippines. So we sometimes eat substitutes like Ma Ling and whatever luncheon meat form we find. We love them all the same.

Salt & Fat, the restaurant where we ordered EVERYTHING!

We first came across Salt & Fat when we were going to PJ Horgan’s for our St. Patrick’s Day meal. We were across Queens Blvd and saw this gleaming sign. From afar, we can tell that the windows were still papered and really as soon as everybody got to dinner, we were all excited about this upcoming place.

After all, what is not to like about salt and fat?

My husband was going through the menu before we left and he exclaims “if we order the whole menu, it would cost us $147.” And so I told everyone at the table and we did. We ordered EVERYTHING on the dinner menu AND the dessert menu. There was a bit of creative cutting since we were splitting everything into 5 but it was so well worth it.

Lobster, Citrus, Mixed Greens, Banyuls Vinaigrette

Prince Edward Island Mussels, Thai Oyster Sauce-Dashi, Chinese Sausage

Yellowtail, Italian Speck, Pickled Jalapeno and Citrus

Scallops, Roasted Carrot Puree, Truffled Golden Beets

Short Rib Buns, Pickled Cucumber, Apricot Mustard

Korean BBQ Wraps, Hanger Steak, Pickled Daikon, Seasoned Miso

Oxtail Terrine, Caramelized Onion Puree, Roasted Mushrooms

"Crack" & Cheese, Fried Potato Gnocchi, Cheese Bechamel, Bacon

Meatballs, Spicy Tomato Sauce, Basil

Braised Pork Belly Tacos, Pico de Gallo, Kimchi Salsa, Queso Fresco

Whole Roasted Branzino, Bacon Vinaigrette, Greens

Half Bird Fried Chicken, Herb Ranch

Steak Frites, Hanger Steak, Hand-Cut Fries, Shallot Custard

Lychee Panna Cotta, Yuzu Buttermilk Sorbet

Rice Krispies

Ice Cream and Sorbet (Yuzu buttermilk, Mandarin Vanilla and *i forgot*)

When we came, Salt and Fat was probably on their first or second week of opening and the lights were dimming up and down intermittently. Apart from this, the lack of service staff was apparent. But that’s beside the point. We went there for the food and they delivered, exceeded our expectations and we have been thinking about going back while we were chewing the first few dishes.

Thank you, Chef Daniel Yi. It was a good dinner. Let me send my friends over your way.

Salt & Fat

41-16 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside, NY 11104

saltandfatny.com

they don’t take reservations, so don’t bother looking for the phone number.

Mahal Kita, Maharlika!

In literal Tagalog-English translation, it means “I Love You, Royalty!” If you say it fast enough, it sounds alike too.

I first heard about Maharlika via email from my friend Carol. Quite surprising news since I get all my Filipino restaurant intel from my Filipino friends. In any case, It has been piquing my interest since I heard about it. Eggs Imelda? Naming a tribute dish to the Queen of Shoes (she has a whole BUILDING for a shoe closet, and rumor has it that she gets custom-made shoes from Salvatorre Ferragamo) is mighty fine.

Contrary to Filipino custom, I ate at Maharlika by myself. My husband’s eating schedule and work schedule does not coincide with their 11am-3pm weekends only schedule inside Resto Leon, and I was just hungry. Seated at the bar, I was perusing the menu and having such a hard time deciding between the sisig and the stuffed chicken wings. I said to the bartender, “I’m torn.” Extending his hand, he answers “I’m Enzo.” With nice, warm and friendly staff, Maharlika is truly a blessing for solo diners.

While waiting for my food, I munched on these. They are cracker nuts. They are peanuts encased with a crunchy coating and some garlic flavoring. I know they visually remind you of whole chickpeas but they are far from it. 

True to the activity of weekend brunching, I had a glass of Kalamansi Mimosa. Kalamansi is the Philippine Lemon. The drink is refreshing and only has a hint of it in the end. This drink rounds out the whole meal perfectly.

The Pampangan-Style Sizzling Sisig with Egg and Garlic Rice was good. Totally what I expected it to be. The rice is garlicky good!

 

DON’T TOUCH THAT HANDLE. It's hot! Sisig has been part of the Filipino Cuisine way before snout to tail dining has achieved its present status in the US culinary scene. In it is pork belly, pig snout and ears. Some versions add liver, but truth is its all minced that you don’t even see it resembling any of the mentioned pork parts. The egg that goes on top of it is perfectly runny - when you mix it up (and you should!) the egg gets cooked and it just becomes heavenly.

Sisig started out as “drinking food.” The drinking culture in the Philippines is about drinking and eating “pulutan.” Pulutan – loosely translated is “something to pick on.” Something like tapas. I am speculating that this is brought about the Spain’s Colonial Era. (Thanks, Spain!) Since it is good, and we like eating EVERYTHING with plain white rice, it just became a meal.

This sisig wins my heart out of all the versions all over Manhattan, Queens and New Jersey because they provide the tables with this Maggi Seasoning. You have to taste it to understand it, but it is better than soy sauce. I should also have asked some Tabasco sauce for my sisig but I was just over the moon for this bottle of condiment.

Stuffed Chicken Wings! Aaaah. This is their take on Chicken Adobo. This is very good. If you don’t know what adobo is, here’s Sam Sifton waxing lyrical about it. I am so glad that they allowed me to order this as a side dish. See? Maharlika truly is a gem for solo diners who want to eat an entrée and a half.  (Funny enough, the maitre d’ thought that there were two people dining. LOL)

The dish is "chicken stuffed with chicken." In tagalog, we call this process of cooking "relleno." (We also do this with whole chickens, whole milkfish and sometimes lechon)

This is what the stuffing looks like while its inside the wing:

 

Dining in Maharlika is dining like royalty minus the royal prices. I have only managed to elevate my bill by getting extra food and the mimosa. The entree is a very good sized meal. I took home what was left of my Stuffed Chicken Wings and Sisig

Disclaimer:
Maharlika was once a pop-up restaurant. All these photos were taken when they were still operating inside Resto Leon in the East Village.They have recently moved to their new home in the Meatpacking District. Please note that the prices may be different from this post.

All opinions expressed in this post are entirely mine. I did not receive any compensation and I had paid the bill in full.

Maharlika
111 First Ave at 7th Street
New York NY
646 392 7880 (reservations of parties of 5 or more)
http://www.maharlikanyc.com/

Shrimp and Chive Dumplings in Noodle Soup

I love Hong Kong style dumplings. The wrapper is there merely to hold the filling together. Between these and the more usual doughy dumplings, I will pick these any day.

It was to my delight to find out about Sifu Chio thanks to Yelp. The glowing reviews sent me my merry way.

You see, I eat these dumplings in a “slightly different” manner. Here’s how I do it. mmm.

Provided on the table is a plastic basket full of condiments: soy sauce, chili oil, chili garlic sauce, white pepper and salt.

While waiting for my order, I mix chili garlic sauce and soy sauce in a dipping bowl. Don't forget to ask for your dipping bowl.

I know they kinda look like mini brains floating in noodles and broth - but take my word for it, these Shrimp and Chive Dumplings are good!

Up close, you can tell that the skin is very thin, you could see the chives through its translucence.

Dipping it in my soy sauce and chili garlic sauce dip before each bite is the way i like to enjoy them!

 

Each bite is filled with shrimpy-chivey goodness! I would suspect that there is a person in the kitchen who personally checks that each dumpling has at least 2 pieces of shrimp. How they do this perfect chive-shrimp-and-ground-pork balance in each dumpling is mind blowing.

 

This is always a wonderful and filling meal. I cannot pass up going here whenever I am in Flushing running errands. It is even better with it's wallet-friendly price tag.

One thing to note is that their outdoor signage does not reflect their name. You must come here knowing their address and knowing that their storefront looks like this.

To me, running errands in Flushing, Queens is always wonderful with this place. Mmm. I can't wait to go back!

Sifu Chio

40-09 Prince St

Flushing, NY 11354