Culinary Art 101

I have been busy. Busy teaching myself the art of cooking. Since I was a kid, I have enjoyed being my mom's assistant everytime she cooks for us. I would always be excited when asked if I can cut the veggies, or peel garlic, or slice onions even if they make me cry.

Now, I can proudly say I have prepared meals which are not only delicious but also pleasing to the eyes. And I do this by browsing recipes from Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay, Rachael Ray, etc, then watching cooking shows, and giving the dishes my own 'twist'.

Although I miss my 'Cooking with Nora' recipe book which has a lot of yummy Filipino dishes, I'm sure it is in good hands and I am hoping that Vanessa is still cooking her delish adobo, shrimps in coconut milk, and fusion aglio olio.

I just wish my family and friends can taste my version of aubergine parmigiana, carbonara, grilled salmon and rainbow trout, sweet pepper aglio olio, bloomin' brilliant brownies (from Jamie's recipe), jam cookies, veggie stir fry with oyster sauce, and made-from-scratch-pancakes.

But my biased and only critique makes up for that by giving me 5 stars each meal review. Yay!

Surprise.

Yesterday, I received a nice surprise from Nick --- flowers in autumn colors! My smile was molar-to-molar (as my dentist, Doc Rica, aptly called it).

Not to be outshone, I also had a surprise treat for him --- quesadillas and home-made iced lemon tea.

Quits na ulit.

Now, I have to think about my happy-it's-Friday-surprise for later.

*Quesadillas Recipe
- Soft tortillas, cheddar cheese, salsa, spring onions
- Heat pan and layer tortilla, cheddar cheese, salsa, spring onions, and another tortilla. Once cheese has melted, turn over, remove from heat, and slice into triangles.