What to cook this summer? I put together some favorite Filipino and Asian summer recipes for the Memorial Day weekend and the coming sultry, hot months. Memorial Day, a moveable holiday here in America, falls on the last Monday of May and marks the start of the summer season. It is a time of remembrance for the military men and women who lost their lives in the service of their country. It is also a long weekend of family and friends gathering and celebrating with food ..read more

This Mushrooms and Spinach Adobo is an easy, quick-cooking, all-vegetable dish of button mushrooms, fresh baby spinach, and tomatoes sauteed in a tart, tangy, garlicky sauce of garlic, onions, cider vinegar, soy sauce and thickened with a splash of coconut milk. This recipe has the familiar adobo flavors Filipinos love, but is a wholesome blend of vegetables ..read more

Pichi-Pichi in the Microwave are classic Filipino delicacies which are bite-sized, gooey steamed cassava morsels coated with grated sweet coconut meat. Traditionally, Pichi-Pichi is cooked by steaming stovetop. I'm sharing how to cook this kakanin in the microwave, in half the time, without losing the delectable, mild-sweetness of this favorite snack or dessert ..read more

My Pork Chops Adobado is a one-pot meal of boneless pork loin chops cooked the Filipino adobo way in garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, peppercorns and seasonings. Adobado is the Visayan term for 'to cook the adobo way', and this was a dish I watched my mother cook all the time during my youth. I recreated Mom's recipe and added onions, potatoes, tomatoes and bell peppers. just like she used to ..read more

Pollock Fillets in Coconut and Vegetables is an easy Filipino-style sauteed one-pot fish meal. This is a basic saute of Wild Alaskan pollock with garlic, onions, tomatoes with coconut milk and seasonings. Leafy greens are added, as well. This is a hearty meal that cooks in minutes and best served with steamed rice ..read more

Lobster Thermidor are stuffed lobsters with a rich filling of the meat previously sauteed in butter, garlic, onions, heavy cream, white wine, and topped with cheese and bread crumbs. This is a special-occasion type of restaurant-style seafood dish that can be cooked at home. Serve this as a main course or a side to other family favorite meals ..read more

Putong Babi (say ‘pooh-tong bah-bee’), is a favorite bread snack in Pampanga, Philippines. These are open-faced Pan de Sal, the Filipino bun, sliced in half, with a ground meat- potatoes mixture nestled on it, coated with beaten eggs, cheese and bread crumbs on top. This whole assembly is then  pan-seared stove top, and pressed down with a turner to cook Panini-style. Makes a great snack ..read more

My Baked Macaroni has several comforting layers of elbow macaroni, a hearty sauce of ground beef, crumbled pork breakfast sausage in tomato sauces with a hint of sweetness from Filipino banana ketchup, and heaping amounts of grated mozzarella cheese. This makes an ideal family meal, a casserole for gatherings or a great potluck dish ..read more

This is a classic Banana Bread recipe made special with the addition of semi sweet chocolate chips in the batter. This is also one of the easiest desserts to make with over ripened bananas and baking ingredients you probably have in your pantry. The combined chocolate-banana flavors and aromas within the moist loaf are hard to resist. And the creamy, luscious Chocolate Frosting slathered on top and the sides make it even more decadent ..read more

Pork Siomai are Chinese dumplings steamed stovetop. These are wrapped in wontons, thin wrappers made of flour and water. My version consists of the favorite filling of ground pork, shrimps, water chestnuts, soy sauce, rice wine and seasonings. Filling and shaping is done by hand, and each dumpling resembles a tiny, open cup, with pleated sides of the wonton. Steam the siomai and serve with a side dipping sauce of soy sauce sprinkled with calamansi. Serve as an appetizer, side or main dish ..read more