Don’t be a kitchen slave

November 19, 2009 • Hello. I am currently out of the country and unable to respond to comments and e-mails. Rest assured, however, that future posts have been scheduled so new recipes will go live almost everyday during my absence. I'll be back soon with lots of stories and photos. Ciao for now! ~ Connie
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Much as I love to cook and spend time experimenting with new dishes, when summer comes, I enter a stage of non-inspiration which is often combined with lethargy. It is simply too hot and with the stove on, the kitchen is the stuffiest and hottest part of the house. It doesn’t matter whether you install an industrial fan and open all the windows. Summer in the Philippines can be agony. Still, it isn’t an excuse for taking the easy way out by calling the pizza delivery service. The trick is to spend less time in the kitchen without subjecting my family to reheated leftovers.

Strips of chicken thighs stir fried with diced white cabbage, sliced carrots, snap peas and whole shallots

Last night, for instance, dinner consisted of the stir fried dish that you see in the photo above — strips of chicken thigh meat with diced white cabbage, carrot slices, snap peas, bell peppers, cucumber wedges and whole shallots. I served it with rice and, on the side, century eggs and jellyfish. To make sure that I wouldn’t have to cook lunch from scratch today, I made enough stir fry last night for two meals.

A pre-cooked stir fried dish is mixed with egg noodles for a totally new look

Half an hour before lunch today, I blanched some egg noodles in a pot of boiling water. Then, I reheated the stir fry and tossed the noodles in. I added more soy sauce, Kecap Manis and oyster sauce to balance the seasonings. Presto! A new look, a new feel, no evidence that I was too lazy to cook lunch.

Want another no-sweat cooking idea? Click the link to page 2 below.

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April 22, 2008  Print This Post   
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Comments

13 Responses to “Don’t be a kitchen slave”
  1. noes says:

    I wish I’m like you in terms of cooking. I’m thankful there’s YOU. So, I just have to print your recipe and just follow through it, hehehehe. Thank you so much for your effort to share your expertise in cooking. I love your cooking. I tried other recipes from other blog/website, but I would say that there’s no one else like you. Your the best and no one can take your place.

  2. Connie says:

    Noes, that is so heart-warming and inspiring. Thank you. :)

  3. i am so with you on the summer lethargy. as soon as the temperature goes about 70, i no longer want to turn the stove on.

    fortunately, my husband loves to BBQ, so just as i’m waning, he’s waxing!

  4. VLolit says:

    Oh yeah. I remember the heat during summer time in the Phils. We couldn’t use the oven as much because the kitchen itself becomes like a giant oven. We had to stock up our freezer with ice cream and every 3PM was halo-halo time.

  5. LES says:

    hi Connie:
    what is the update on your cookbook? just
    wondering & would be glad to buy it.

  6. Connie says:

    LES, huge problem. My external hard drive crashed and everything’s in it. Still trying to find a way to recover the files.

  7. sam of kuwait says:

    Huwaaaaaaaaaatt???! :O
    super abang pa naman ako ng cook book mo ms. connie :(
    i hope magawan ng paraan..

  8. Connie says:

    Bad trip nga. It happened before Holy Week pa. I have the recipes here in the Mac, it’s the photos that’s that problem. So if the external hard drive is beyond repair, I may have to reshoot the photos.

  9. JOEY TOSINO says:

    buti na-save ang recipes.
    pictures na lang kulang.
    sana marecover para di na ulitin ang mga pics.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Hi connie, you might want to try this data recovery center in alabang. They charge about 10k depending on file size if they were able to recover the files. Let me know if you are interested.

  11. Connie says:

    Anonymous, I brought it to so many shops already, the data can’t be read. But 10K? Lemme think first.

  12. Paula says:

    I have printed a lot of your recipes for my personal use. You are really a great help especially for moms like me who do not know a think or two in the kitchen. I appreciate your brief introduction to the recipes you post. Thanks!

  13. marya says:

    I am one of the many who are looking forward to the publishing of your book. Good luck on your photos.

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