This dish is easy to prepare, and this is one of my favorite foods on the table. It is light and healthy dish, but most kids don’t like ampalya or bitter gourd in English because of the bitter taste. However, there is a simple secret on how amplaya tastes not bitter when you eat it. When removing the seeds of the ampalaya, scratch or remove also the white skin that stuck to the wall of the ampalaya.  Scratch it by using a spoon until the green color of the vegetable is visible. That white thing is the culprit why the ampalaya is bitter when you cook it. Soaking in salted water for 30 minutes or more could also reduce the bitter taste.

 Unusual potato was what. Usually, I do mashed potato but such that time (while doing such image below) DH requested by cutting the raw russet potatoes (I still have a bag of ten pounds) and made it into soup. It just only took some minutes, if not only two to three minutes after boiled. Then, while having it boiled, I also put the beef into the reheated broiling pan. By the way, I put meat tenderizer and bell pepper unto the beef just the time a broiling pan reheated so it the meat won't overly tenderized. And so while waiting for the meat to turn, I checked the potato and after it was cooked, I drained the water then sit aside. Here comes the peas and carrots in a can, I warmed it up in a microwave high for about one to two minutes. Just in time, it was heated up, I have to turn the beef then waited again for ten to 15 minutes or until cooked.

(The article written by Victor Flowers)

I was watching Paula Deen again on the satellite TV I got from directstartv, and this time around she was making a recipe I found quite gross at first: Brussels sprouts and Bacon. I was watching Mrs. Deen cook this with my husband, who happens to be a fan of Brussels sprouts, and he asked me if I would be willing to try and make it. I agreed, but on the condition that he had to clean up the mess afterward!

The ingredients seemed simple enough: bacon, onion, garlic, Brussels sprouts, pepper, chicken broth, and butter. I had to fry the bacon, easy enough, then saute the onion and garlic in the grease left over, then add the sprouts. Once they were mixed in it with the broth, it all had to cook for about 20 minutes.

When I tried the quick meal, I found myself surprised at how flavorful it was. The sprouts were delicate, and the bacon added just the right amount of meaty flavor to the broth. My husband loved it, and as promised, he cleaned up the mess I made in the kitchen, and with a smile on his face! I plan on making this recipe again for holiday meals, and I hope these sprouts will be a hit with other people too!

What I did was that I (1) get the leaves of the sweet potato after it were washed. Then (2) boil a water, once it boiled I put the fresh raw sweet potato leaves. I then (3) put it on its vinaigrette. Yum-mm! And done. Oops how to make its vinaigrette? I just put the spices, namely: tomato, scallions, onion, bell pepper (in lieu of ginger, I was out of ginger so I put fresh bell pepper instead of it). Then have a dash of salt and vinegar. That's it! As easy as 1-2-3! Yum-mm!

this is the side view of the yellow sweet potatoes I cooked

A soup is good for cold times especially the season is winter. Today, my food trip for Friday is pork soup fresh from the pot and from my stove. :-) I was not able to take a pic on the bowl because I was drooling to ate it! Ha! :-) That is pork with chayote then spices like tomato, fresh bell peppers, pork bouillon, ginger, red round onion, scallions or onion leaves (green), and a bit of salt. The recipe is so simple to which I think most wives or peeps who are assigned for the kitchen knew. To those who don't, I boiled two cups of water with the spices on it (excluding onion leaves, fresh bell peppers, salt and pork bouillon). As it was already boiled, I put the pork (1/4 pound) and a dash of salt and let it boiled again. Once it was reboiled, I put the pork bouillon and let it dissolved through pinching it on a ladle and mix it all-together with the other stuffs in the pot. Then I put the bell peppers and onion leaves. When it was about to boiled, I turned-off the stove and done! Eating time.. :-)

Friday, it is time for food trippers! Food Trip Friday, here I/we come! (~_~) And now it is time to show "yummylicious" foodies folks... These time, my own cook---fresh from my skillet and kitchen stove which the date tells for proof. I cooked it early on that day because I had many chores to do so I just cooked first then preceded to my works so in time that I was hungry, the food was already waiting for me to scour. (~_~) I also cooked rice at the same time as well to save time since as I said I had a lot to do that time. What I did was just heated it up then ate after the works done. By the way, the ingredients with that were: beef, chayote, olive oil, a little water and soy sauce (more water than soy sauce), spices (green and red bell peppers, onion, garlic, tomato, scallions, salt), and pork bouillon. Yes I use bouillons whenever I cook even if there is already meat added. The taste is just different. So I guess you already know how to sauteed the ingredients to make it palatable depending upon your taste if you like it half cook or fully cook. It is good to have it half-cook when not eaten directly because the remaining heat in the skillet will make it fully cook even if the stove was already off. In case if you don't know how to cook it, this is just simple as like any other sauteed meat and vegetables with the spices and other stuffs. (1) Just heat up the skillet with the olive oil then toss the onion, garlic, and tomato. You could also put some bell pepper for taste and some afterwards when it is about to cook so the other bell pepper won't be fully cooked. (2)Then once the spices turned brown over the olive oil, put the washed beef and put some water, little salt and soy sauce then boil for two minutes. (3)After that, put the chayote then boil up again for two minutes the put the scallions. (4)Wait then for about a minute then done! Have a happy eating with rice and drinks.

Happy FTF! :-)