Creamy Mashed Potato and Buttered Lemon-Pepper Swai Fillet

What's for dinner tonight? I decided to make some creamy mashed potatoes, since we haven't had it for a long time, and some Swai fish fillets.

A little break from heavy meaty meals, I opted for a fish menu for tonight. And it is easy and fast to cook, too. I bought some nice, frozen Swai fish fillets instead of the usual frozen tilapia fillets. Swai is a white-flesh fish. It has such a mild taste and my family likes it because it does not have such a fishy taste, lol, if you know what I mean. I sprinkled some lemon-pepper powder on it and leave it to marinate for a few minutes. And then I pan seared it in butter and a little olive oil.

As you can see, the plating is like East meets West. A little Asian condiment/side dish of kimchi and the fish which are common food from the Eastern part of the world. And the mashed potato and pickled pepperoncini, usual fare on the Western part of the globe.

The sourness and slight spiciness from the kimchi and pepperoncini compliments very well with the creaminess of the mashed potato and the lemony, buttery fish. 

Simple meal but very yummy, appetizing, and such a fulfilling dinner!

Halu-halo for Summer!

It is the time of year again, when the sun is blazing hot and I feel like submerging myself in a pool of ice! Our place is very dry this time of the year and sometimes very windy. I cannot stay out longer under the heat of the sun. It feels like being inside the oven. Anyway, living here for years already made me learn to embrace the heat. For an Asian woman like me, the heat is still better than the cold, cold winter!

SO... this kind of temperature, ranging from the 90 degrees to more than hundred degrees Fahrenheit, makes me imagine eating a cold, sweet, mouth-watering, and delectable halu-halo! But I don't have the ingredients to make, so I'll just stick to my imagination for now, lol. I was browsing some photos from my recent trip to the Philippines and saw these photos of the halu-halo I ate in Dumaguete City. By the way, for those who doesn't know what a halu-halo is, it is a refreshing snack/dessert made up of different kinds of fruits, liquid milk, shaved ice, cereals, and sometimes topped with ice cream. Actually it has a lot of varieties, depending on the person that prepared it. Sometimes it has sweet beans, nata de coco, kaong, etc. More Asian stuff, lol. "Halu" literally means mix. So halu-halo means mix-mix. You just mix everything and then once it's all mixed up, start eating! If it is still not sweet you can add more sugar. The shaved ice in it makes it refreshing.

This is what I miss about the Philippines. If I crave something, I can just buy it anywhere. Here, I have to make it myself, lol. It takes hard work to get what I want to eat! Anyway, I guess I feel more satisfied afterwards though, because I satisfy my craving and feel accomplished for making something myself.

So if you get to visit the Philippines, try eating halu-halo, especially during summer!

Chocolate Cake with Choco Glaze

I made this chocolate cake for New Year's Eve. It is a two-layer chocolate cake with caramel in the middle of the layers. Then I pour fudge chocolate glaze on the cakes. And lastly, decorated it on top with chocolate-dipped strawberries. Yummy! The family liked this fudge glaze better than the usual buttercream frosting.