Garden Chef's Needle and Pen

When the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) took effect in March this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were made to implement a skeleton schedule for a month. That caused most of us to report to work at least twice a week and work from home for the remaining days. Hubby was fortunate to arrive home from work before a lockdown was imposed in our region. That meant he would be home the whole time... and that also meant I had to prepare fish and veggie meals while he’s home.

Today, we didn't have the usual Jolibee meals which Billy, my husband take home every Saturday, so I fried some dried danggit (rabbitfish) and pusit (squid). Perfect for fried eggs and fried rice for breakfast! But that's not what this post is all about. Today, I'm featuring the Ampalaya and Pipino Salad (Bitter Melon and Cucumber Salad) I made for lunch. I discovered this new salad recipe from Yummy Magazine (again!). Yes, the same September 2012 issue where I got the Pork Stew in Unripe Mango recipe I featured last week. Very easy to prepare... here's how: Ingredients: 1 bitter melon (ampalaya), seeded and thinly sliced 1 cucumber (pipino), thinly sliced 1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced into small cubes 1 medium-sized red onion, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons white vinegar 5 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon sugar salt and pepper, to taste Steps: In a bowl, toss together bitter melon, cucumber, red bell pepper and onions. Chill u...