That's it, Pancit! My Take on Pancit Cabagan

I have always enjoyed Pancit Cabagan. Though I have eaten this many times, I wasn't really familiar with its origin. The name makes me think of kabag, the Filipino term for stomach gas, which constantly afflicted me when I was a baby. This meant incessant bouts of crying, leading my Lola to think there was something wrong with me, and prompting her to bring me to an albularyo (faith healer). It turns out, Cabagan is a town in Isabela where this noodle dish originates.

My Pancit Cabagan

There is a store near our home that sells Pancit Cabagan, but the foodie in me wanted to try it in my own kitchen. This way, I can control how much of each ingredient goes into the dish. I also wanted an excuse to bring out my Minnie Mouse chopsticks.

Tilapia En Papillote

Sounds fancy, no?

But when you learn that en papillote simply means in foil/in parchment, then it seems less sophisticated. This method of cooking entails placing the food in a pouch and then baking it.

Tilapia en papillote

At home, tilapia is most often fried. But this is such a pedestrian way to cook this fish. I tried baking it once, simply placing them on a baking sheet. The result was dried out fish.

Caramel Popcorn

My uncle in New Jersey sent a Balikbayan Box loaded with candies, snacks and chips. One such item that made its way to us was a box of popcorn.

On Friday, my sister sent me a text message saying she was lent a DVD of the movie Serendipity. So, it was movie night and it was time to bring out the popcorn.

Celebrations by Sharon - Party Cupcake Mix

There is no shame in using a baking mix especially if one cannot think of a recipe off the top of her head is pressed for time.

 

I was doing the groceries this afternoon and remembered 2 friends were stopping by. They were celebrating their birthdays and I wanted to bake them something for the occasion. I was browsing the grocery's baking aisle and figured I would use a baking mix. There were many choices, from the internationally renowned Betty Crocker to Magic Time and even the local Maya line. But I chose to go with the "Celebrations by Sharon" mixes. I was drawn to the boxes (I'm weird that way...)

Talk about visual appeal!

Chicken Shepherd's Pie

I have to say that I love potatoes. Whether it's french fries or mashed potatoes swimming in gravy, I just love them. When I was younger, I heard that consumption of potatoes contributes to an ample bust. Nowadays, I share this tidbit with everyone else, adding that if you stuff your bra with a potato, you will indeed get that decolletage you are dreaming of. LOL.