HOME COOKING PART 3: A TALE OF TWO NEW YEARS

New year, Same old appetite..

          Everyone usually braces themselves during the Holiday season, mainly because they know they're gonna get seriously fat (or is that just me?). As usual, my mom was going to go all out again for New Years eve, so I was strongly considering just eating lightly during the day, so I don't punish my body too much during the evening. 

        Unfortunately, of course, that was not going to happen. In fact, things got more complex, because I realized we were scheduled to visit Rina's family in the early evening before going back to my parents place in Antipolo before midnight. It's one thing to prepare your body for one grand New Year's Eve feast, but how do you prepare yourself for TWO amazing feasts? 

           Since I knew the weight gain was inevitable, no matter what, I decided to just accept it and chalk up my new year's resolution as " Lose Weight" once again, as it has been for the past.. umm.. two decades. 

         Fantastic food with the people I love the most? What  a great way to start the year!

       We started the evening at our Tita Lourdes' house which luckily isn't too far away from my parents house in Antipolo. Like my mom, Tita Lourdes always goes all out in her celebrations, especially when family is involved. Her usual caterer of choice is Pepeton's Grill, and this occasion was no different. The food of Pepeton's is quite good, especially if you like Filipino food, and they in fact, have a dish that made it into my "Best Thing Ever" List. Their Adobo Sa Gata is perhaps the best I've ever had in my entire life, and sadly, I've only had it once (coincidentally, it was also New Years eve 2009). And what's even more tragic is, It doesn't seem to be on the restaurant's menu, either.

           

       This isn't a review post, by the way.. it's more of a photo album of the stuff we had for New Years Eve.. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I did eating them hehe...

RINA'S FAMILY FEAST

Pancit Sotanghon Canton

No idea what this is.. Cauliflower, Brocoli and Tofu.. (I just realized That's the first time I've typed those words in years.)

      Pepeton's famous "Kapalmuks"... Deep fried, crispy, fatty pork cheeks. If you're a fan of Lechon Kawali, and prefer the skin to the meat, then you're seriously gonna get a load out of this.

         I think this was a Sinigang or something.. it was Bangus though... I didn't try it..

      Kare-Kare.. This was quite delicious, especially when mixed with the bagoong and hot white rice. (yes I eat Bagoong sometimes, believe it or not)

        The waiter said this was Roast Beef with Gravy but I really didn't believe him. I think it was Lengua. I got fooled before, so I didn't wanna take the chance again. (I don't eat lengua)

                 There was a cameo appearance by Conti's famous Baked Salmon. I think this is a fantastic dish, filled with buttery goodness. All of a sudden I don't mind peas so much anymore.

Rina with her sister Chaikka, cousins Nina, Nikka & Tita Vivian. 

I played with the two adorable boys, Antoine (who does an amazing Michael Jackson impression, by the way) and Ambiel.. they grow up so fast hehe..

RICHIE'S SIDE

        My mom's baked shirmps filled with cheese and herbs are my brother's favorite dish..

            My mom made this garlic chorizo pasta that I ended up falling in love with. I'm more particular to pastas with oil based sauces, as opposed to thicker tomato or cream based ones. This one hit the spot beautifully, and vaunted its way to the top of my Best Homemade Pasta Standings. (Yes, I have "Best Homemade Pasta Standings")

               My dad always needs a fish dish, so my mom baked him a Spanish Sole Fillet Casserole. I love how it was oozing with Cheese, and though it had a tomato base, there was a slight sweetness to it that further endeared itself to me.

            This beautiful work of art is my mother's Roasted Prime Rib. It was done Medium rare, but she had a griller right beside for people like me and my brother who preffered it a little bit more cooked. It was truly an amazing piece of meat, that made me appreciated my mother even more.

             

      And just when I thought my mom couldn't come up with any more things to contribute to the failure of my diet, she whips out her latest dessert creation. Every knows what fruit salad is, right? Basically fruit cocktail mixed with all purpose cream, and topped off with whipped cream, sure.. But my mom went on to make something different.. something to broke all the borders of the word, "Awesome". Instead of mixing a fruit cocktail with something like Nestle All Purpose Cream, she did something totally insane. She used Tapioca Pudding. Words cannot express how this dish blew my mind. I don't normally eat fruit cocktail because of my acids but I could not pass this up. The blend of the tapioca helped neutralize the over citric taste of the fruit cocktail, and the Whipped Cream totally balanced everything out so it could live happily ever after in my stomach. 

OTHER PICTURES:

We never really spend so much on fireworks, because the view from our backyard gives us this spectacular view of the fireworks of the city 

(Sorry it's blurry, but you get the gist) 

That one reminded me of the movie "Cloverfield"

My mom and Raquel enjoying the cool Antipolo air.

 Raquel and Julio with their kids, except Cara.. Miss ya Boom! 

(come back na kasi)

Dad with his newest Grandson, Matteo