It is one of those things that I look forward to in every fiesta in every places.  Apart from the fun of seeing a big crowd gathering in one place, screaming while taking a deep breath upon riding the ferris wheel, or even the excitement of winning your bet on huldam, it is these boiled peanuts that I’m after for.

When I arrive here in the US, I didn’t expect to see boiled peanuts.  Afterall, we have different cuisine and different style of prep.  But when we lived in the south – North Carolina, Florida and Georgia, it came to my awareness that the same style of preparing peanuts is not just a favorite snack down there but is also infact the official snack food in South Carolina.

In the south, boiling peanuts is a folk cultural practice.  When peanut crops would come in, unsold peanuts are then boiled.  Extended family, friends and neighbors would gather around the peanut boil for a celebration of the harvest.  When I was in Tallahassee, every Friday is a treat that is because it is on this day that vendors would put up their large barrel filled with boiling hot water and peanuts.  I was so excited when Travis first brought me some when he came home from work.

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I have been making this recipe for about a year now.  This turned out to be one of my specialties.  Although each batch of pork chops is different every time I cook it, it has never failed me and it always turns out to be perfect!  The breading doesn’t fall off the meat and the meat cuts almost like butter that you don’t need a steak knife to slice it.  What’s more important is that, these pork chops are baked so it is healthier than those that are fried or grilled.  I have shared this reciipe to my sisters and it turned out well for them too.  My sister- Rorie in Florida has prepared this last week with an attempt to use the available chicken breasts in her fridge, she substituted the pork chops with chicken breasts.  Adding extra 5 minutes, it turned out perfect! The images above are my sisters’ version of this recipe. Click on the image to zoom in.

Thanks to Emeril Lagasse of Food Network for giving me this scrumptious recipe that has delighted every single person who has tasted it.

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Yesterday I posted about the first dish that I prepared for Travis with the mention of the Kip Saté a La Mina recipe. When Travis arrived home from work, he had with him all the ingredients I needed to cook the Kip Saté.  So, I decided to prepare it for dinner and Travis loved it! He is not very good in words but his plate speaks more than words.  It was totally clean and spotless! So, I am sharing you this recipe courtesy of my sister-Rema Beckers.  It is a chicken dish with peanut butter sauce.  The recipe is a home-made invention so measurements are based on your own judgement.  I played it by eye and tasted it every now and then.  It turned out perfect.  It’s a delicious, simple and easy meal for everyone to enjoy.

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While I was having a good time chatting with my sisters on Yahoo! Messenger, it  came to a point that we were just exchanging recipes.  The recent one was the Kip Saute a la Mina of which recipe I will share later on when I am able to get a good picture of the dish.  For the meantime, allow me to share to you one of my successful recipes called the Breaded Chicken Fillet.

Ingredients:

• 4 pcs chicken breast fillets
• Chicken Cubes
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• oil for frying
• lemon wedges
• green peas, buttered

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yes i’m still up and was chatting with Eric (my elementary classmate and my fave chatmate in YM).  I had a great time but not until he mentioned the word – SIOMAI!  from that moment on, i can’t take it out of my mind.  gosh! i am craving for it these wee hours in the morning.  no drama, i feel like crying.  damn you, eric! i am drooling for it now and i can only have a wishful thinking of how it tastes especially when i dip it in the spicy sauce with calamansi, vinegar and soy sauce.  i’m not craving for just any kind of siomai.  no offense to harbour city, i do like their siomai but i love the siomai and i crave for the ones that can be bought at the corners of the street like the ones in fuente oval or at our friend’s siomai stop. tomorrow, i’m going to go to a filipino store if i can find a ready made siomai to satisfy my craving. if not, i’ll just have to make one myself.  it may not taste the same but i just have to put an end to my misery!