It's getting Christmas-y in here!

Hand-me-down ornaments, fresh out of the storage box.
My mom brought these from Manila years ago.

Two hours later...


Merry Christmas!
(Briscoe is too excited about the tree.)

Chicken soup for the soul, Filipino style

During a recent trip to Las Vegas, I had occasion to calm my stomach (after a night of drinking) with a bowl of arroz caldo at the local Chowking. While their version was by no means special, even a little greasy to be honest, it had all the ingredients I needed to set me right again--a winning combination of comfort food, with a dose of nostaligia.

I love arroz caldo. Again, like champorado, it takes me back. Back to the Laguna of my youth. Back to Saturday trips to the wet market in Calamba, where my mom would drop us kids off at the arroz caldo counter so we can eat while she shops. Back to my grandma's house in Cabuyao, and the many afternoons when my siblings, cousin and I would have arroz caldo as our after school snack. It also takes me back to college, when my building-mates and I trekked to a new Goto King that opened at midnight, offering free food for the first few diners. We dug into our warm bowls of rice porridge alongside construction workers and tricycle drivers.

It is our version of the cure-all chicken noodle soup. Only heartier from the rice, spicier from the black pepper, and saltier from the fish sauce.

From Wikipedia:

Some provinces prefer the Spanish-influenced arroz caldo (literally hot rice), which is often mistaken for a European dish due to its name. Arroz caldo is actually a Chinese congee that was adapted to the tastes of the Spanish colonial settlers who patronized Chinese restaurants in the Philippines. As the Spanish could not pronounce Chinese, they gave it a Spanish name for easy reference.

A few weeks ago, Bayds, an old college friend (now a doctor in Florida), texted me about her misadventure in attempting to make her first pot of arroz caldo. Hers ended up looking like gooey fried rice. But it gave me the idea of attempting my own creation.

The recipe is easy enough that I wonder now why I never tried this before. Start with some garlic, onion and the all important ginger. Throw in some rice, some chicken broth and pieces of cooked chicken. Cook till rice is done and you have arroz caldo.

I cheated a little by using store bought chicken broth.

Threw in some hard-boiled eggs to make it a heartier meal.

The usual condiments include ground black pepper, fish sauce (not shown) and kalamansi (or in my case, lime). Add to suit your taste.

It wasn't that hard at all. One mistake though, I made too much and ended up eating arroz caldo for lunch three days in a row. It's safe to say that I've had my fill of the stuff for now.

There's hope for you yet, Bayds!

I loosely followed the instructions of Connie of Pinoy Cook, substituting regular eggs and omitting the kasubha. Her full recipe is here.

Spreading warmth, one cup of cocoa at a time...

Updated: 12/15/08
The finished product.


I must admit that I'm not always the best neighbor. I don't hang out in front of my house, having conversations with whoever might be passing by. I haven't attended a single homeowners' association meeting. I've never had coffee or tea with any of the other wives on my street. And I've never invited any of my neighbors into my house just to hang out.

That said, I wave when I see anyone on the street as I drive by. I say hi to anyone within earshot when I go to walk my dog. And if anyone ever knocks on my door asking to borrow some eggs or a cup of sugar, I'd be happy to help.

But since it is Christmas, it might be time to do a little something extra. Thus my Christmas neighborhood gift idea.

Initially, I thought a tin of baked goods should do it. After poring over recipes in cookbooks and online, after two trial runs (of a cookie and muffin recipe), I copped out and choose the easy route. For me, that means no baking at all.

I found this recipe for a hot cocoa mix on Food Network's web site, from one of my favorite FN stars, Alton Brown. It's super easy. Just mix all the dry ingredients, pack, and deliver. To make the mix a bit more special, I got good quality cocoa powder, organic too.


The recipe calls for a pinch of cayenne pepper. Don't be afraid though. It doesn't make the cocoa spicy, just adds a lingering heat to in your throat after a few gulps. Really nice actually.


It's very important to mix everything well, lest one gets a whole chunk of salt or cornstarch in one spoonful. Sifting helps too in working out the clumps.

To make the hot cocoa, just mix how at least two teaspoons (more if you like it rich) with hot water or warm milk.


Pack in jars.
Ready for delivery!

Full hot cocoa recipe here.

Living Green

I'm far from a strict environmentalist, but I try. Recently, things around my house have forced me to find greener alternatives to getting things done. Not only do they work, they're also much cheaper.

ANTS: I opened my pantry door last night and was shocked at the sight of ants crawling all over boxes and cans. The lure was a bottle of honey, but they made sure to stop at everything else along the way as well.

We had some leftover ant baits so I busted those out. They contains something that's poisonous to ants when consumed. But the tricky part is that the ants have to crawl inside the bait, take a bite, and go home to die or something. I watched as they circled the bait and walked away. What was attracted to the bait was my dog, Briscoe. After seeing her sniff around it, I thought, there's got to be a better way. 

A quick Google searched revealed a solution that worked so well, I was totally surprised: talcum powder. Apparently, ants hate it. I scrounged around for a stray bottle of baby powder. Nothing. Found a nearly empty bottle of foot powder under the bathroom sink instead. I sprinkled it liberally in my pantry, shut the door, and about 20 minutes later, the ants were all gone. And I didn't have to worry about poison spreading on our food, or having the dog accidentally snack on the bait. 

DISHWASHER: The combination of a crappy dishwasher and hard water has resulted in plates and glasses coming out of the dishwasher with all sorts of junk still on them. I use biodegradable soaps, which used to work well at my last house, but not here. The problem seems to be with the rinse cycle, since that's when I presume grimy things are being redeposited back onto my dishes. After two visits from the dishwasher repair guy, I was advised to buy the strongest detergent I can, and use a rinse aid like Jet-Dry. Only then, I was told, would my dirty plates actually come out clean. 

Begrudgingly, I did just that. See, even though I want to be as green as possible, the products I chose have to work first and foremost. Otherwise, why bother? 

I picked up some triple-action dishwasher soap with the rinse aid already added in. After a few loads, I found that not only did it not work any better, the strong smells it created were enough to knock me out.

Google again to the rescue. The solution? Good old white vinegar. White vinegar is pretty amazing. I've long since used it as a laundry detergent booster (great for keeping whites white), a deodorizer (mix with some water and spray on upholstery, carpet and the dog's bed), and as a natural disinfectant (instead of Pine-Sol, mop with this instead).

I loaded my dishwasher's rinse aid dispenser with the stuff last night, ran a load, and viola! Clean plates with no filmy white residue or food scum! I will now go back to my green dishwasher soap. Combined with the vinegar, I think it will get the job done minus the noxious fumes.