My Essential Pantry

milk: goat
oils: olive, coconut
vinegars: balsamic, ilocos (sugarcane)
sugars: honey, muscovado
herbs: basil
lemon, calamansi
peppers: black, labuyo, spicy (for bicol express)
eggplants, sundried tomatoes
sprouts

My dream menu

I made it my goal for 2008 to learn to cook everything on my dream menu. Or at least a decent part of it. Step one was to come up with the menu, which was just a delight to do!

Created while on Holy Week holiday in Bicol last March 19, 2008.

Appetizers & Sidings raw pineapple salad with chili, lime juice and cilantro (santi) pumpkin soup - not creamy french onion soup (terry's) minestrone salmon salad (gourmand) mashed potatoes vegetable samosas(bananaleaf) dolmades (manos)	Breakfast & Merienda champorado (max's) ginataang halo2 (no bilobilo) ginataang kamoteng kahoy banana pancakes german potatoes w/ bacon (flo) kopi roti coffee bun deli sandwiches (santi's) cassava cake arrozcaldo (cuisine) banana chips fresh guava with kiamoy dried figs, apricots suman taho grilled corn (baguio style)
Lunch & Dinner
Vegetables veggie panini veggie pho fresh veggie rolls crepe dracula (cafe breton) veggie burrito (mexicali) laing with gabi bits pako with gata grilled tomatoes with sauce (behrouz)	Pasta penne/angelhair putanesca penne with liver pate (cibo) spinacci cannelloni spaghetti with tomato sauce
Pizza pita eggplant/zucchini pizza (greca) seafood feta pizza (fat michael's) garlic & cheese pizza (shakey's) 4-cheese pizza pepperoni pizza	Rice machang (no meat) callos paella veggie rice (sagada) nasi lemak
Meat lengua (tomato sauce) callos yakiniku rice (UCC) babyback ribs (gastof/hawaiian bbq) chori burger baked chicken roll (pricemart) tacos chicken feet sio long pao (soup dumpling) bola-bola siopao kansi ilocos longganisa grilled porkchops (italianni's) italian sausage (amici) chorizo de pamplona (Terry's Selection)	Seafood ginataang adobong pusit (lola ludy's) kinilaw na tangigue fried tawilis with suka dip sauteed snapper (cafe med) steamed lapu-lapu (dampa) hot shrimp salad
Sauces & Dips chinese chili spinach/artichoke (italiannis) garlic mayo viet peanut sauce hummus curry dip with roti	Drinks fruit smoothie lemon water teh tarik (hot and cold) tsokolate red wine fresh goat's milk (Mr. Moo's) choco carabao's milk (Mr. Moo's) strawberry milkshake
Dessert
CHOCOLATE decadent cake (nina intengan) devil's food cake (choco kiss) chocolate pudding postre de timbaon (madrid) tartufo (cafe med) french truffles royce truffles royce choco-covered chips turtle pie (coffee bean) choco cupcake (mom & tina's) choco cupcake (sonja's)	FRUITY creme brulee (plain & flavored: lime!) blueberry cheesecake lemon squares kalamansi muffin (real coffee) dayap cake (choc kiss) mango a la mode (jade garden) halo-halo (razon's) ube jam (good shepherd)
COLD mocha gelatin (tita non/nels) strawberry salad (sagada) gelato (strawberry, hazelnut) yogur berry	HOT blueberries & cream crepe (cafe breton, cuisine) flambe roasted marshmallows

My comfort food

At home
Cerelac wheat banana
Toasted bread/pita with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, basil
Chorizo de pamplona (Terry's Selection)
hot chocolate
pita pizza

Restaurants
AMICI DI DON BOSCO - spinaci cannelloni - 4-cheese pizza - gelato (strawberry, hazelnut)
CAFE BRETON - blueberries and cream crepe, dracula
CAFE MEDITERRANEAN - vegetable sandwich with garlic & hot sauce - sauteed fish with veggies - greca pizza - tartufo
CAUSEWAY - machang, hakaw, chicken feet
CIBO - vegetable panini with chips & mayo dip - penne with liver pate - red grape / pomelo shake
FIGARO - grilled eggplant sandwich
KOWLOON WEST - bola-bola siopao with hot sauce
MAX'S - champorado
MEXICALI - veggie burrito
MEY-LIN - sio long pao - chicken feet with chili dip
PANCAKE HOUSE - banana pancakes - western salad - rootbeer float - tacos
PHO HOA - veggie rolls with peanut and hot sauce - veggie noodle soup
SHAKEY'S - garlic and cheese pizza with extra cheese, extra garlic
UCC - yakiniku rice - xanadu! - blueberry cheesecake

My first brush with raw food

In 2004, I met a raw foodist who introduced me to the world of sprouts, enzymes, 110 C "cooking", zucchini lasagnas, and many weird and wonderful herbs and spices. But I knew I couldn't commit to a 100% raw diet EVER when he made me taste carob as a substitute for chocolate (horror of horrors!).