Green, green grass!

My brother used to call green vegetables as "sagbot." One time when he was about four or five, he went to our neighbor's house to eat his lunch. Asked why he didn't take his lunch at home, he simply answered, "sagbot an amo sud-an (we have grass as our viand)." Yes, our viand that day was indeed a "sagbot"--ginisang pako (sauteed fern) cooked by Lola.

A dose of green. Green vegetables are healthy as they are good source of vitamins and minerals and fiber. Keeping this in mind, Bistro AiOli included this garden salad in the menu so one could enjoy a delicious meal without the guilt. The garden salad is packed with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, olives with pimiento, and cereal for that added crunch. Plus drizzled with our special salad dressing and topped with parmesan cheese and chicken slices.

You say POTATO, and I say POTAHTO :)

We always use fresh potatoes for our wedges--meaning no preservatives or food additives. :) And this goes out to all our food. Yes, even our burger patties are made from scratch every single day so are our sauces.

bistro AiOLi's potato wedges: crispy outside and soft inside

I love potatoes: fried, baked, with or without the skin on, andI bet you don't know that

• Potatoes were first eaten more than 6,000 years ago by indigenous people living in the Andes mountains of Peru.
• The Incas measured time by how long it took for potatoes to cook.
• Religious leaders denounced the potato because it wasn't mentioned in the Bible.
• Potatoes are the world's fourth food staple - after wheat, corn and rice.
• Potatoes are grown in more than 125 countries (even in space - in 1995).
• Every year enough potatoes are grown worldwide to cover a four-lane motorway circling the world six times.
• China is the world's largest potatoe producer.
• Namibians each eat an average of 110 kilograms of potatoes every year - not quite as much as the Germans consume.
• In 1778 Prussia and Austria fought the Potatoe War in which each side tried to starve the other by consuming their potatoe crop.
• During the Alaskan Klondike gold rush of the 1890's, potatoes were so valued for their vitamin C content that miners traded them for gold. (taken from  http://www.golivelife.com/funstuff/kidscorner-potatoes.html)

weekend market ♥!

We love markets--wet, dry, big, or small. There's something about the "noise" in the market that makes it "special." Plus the SMELL. The scent of fresh fruits and veggies, meats, and the sea will make you hurry home and whip up special dishes. And of course, there's that I-can't-describe smell that is the trademark of a wet market. I seem to "miss" this smell whenever I do my marketing inside a mall. :) And then there's this weekend market or "tabo" where farmers get to sell their produce or showcase local delicacies such as this one:

What's in a name? Hagikhik is the name of this kakanin, which I find funny since "hagikhik" is also the local term for scabies. FYI. This food is named as such since the wrapping or pambalot  is a hagikhik leaf, which gives the food that distinct and one-of-a-kind taste. Plus the filling of sweetened macapuno is simply irresistible.

Another local produce that I always look forward seeing in a weekend market is the "palaw," payaw," or "paw." Forgive me but I don't know it's English name. :( I love it this way: cooked slowly in coconut milk and brown sugar. Yum!

And lastly, weekend market is not complete without the presence of the mighty bananas! :)

minatamis na saging :)

'til we meet again next week, weekend market! :)

You're such a pesto!

Bistro AiOLi  advocates on the use of fresh and healthy ingredients. This pesto fettuccine is a sure hit for pasta lovers who are health conscious--made with basil, cashew nuts, and olive oil. 

Go local! We are planning on using malunggay and local nuts pesto next time. Watch out for that! :))

just delicious!

Yes, the wall clock my very dear friend Mydel gave me as pasalubong is just delicious! :) She planned on surprising me, and she was successful. We had a little chitchat over lunch like some giddy high school girls. BFF Quennie joined us and, it was a wonderful afternoon. :)

Mayang, thank you for this! :)

And for this:

Like a virgin... oil!

with my girls :)

LoveBOR Day!

We celebrated Labor Day with lots of cooking, baking, grilling, plating, etc! And we are loving every moment. We love being busy in the kitchen and making our customers happy. And yet we have this in the menu as the latest addition: LAZY lasagna. :) Hehe. How ironic.