Garden Chef's Needle and Pen

I don't know what's with zucchini that I've learned to like and love it the first time I tasted it! The first recipe I tried using zucchini was ratatouille… oh yes, I can still vividly remember, that was shortly after my family and I watched the movie, "Ratatouille". I was so intrigued at why Anton Ego, the critic, "was rocked to the core", that I made efforts to look for recipes so that I could try the dish myself. Well, my very first ratatouille dish was a hit in my family, especially to my husband who had a one-year stint in France, where he had his first taste of it in 2004. He and my eldest daughter, Ayana Grace, liked it.   Their reaction to my first experiment inspired me so much I had to give it another try, this time, as toppings to pasta. Another big hit! From then on, zucchini has been a mainstay in my grocery list (as it's not available in nearest wet market). Having at least one piece in my vegetable bin has made it a regular...

It's been three long weeks that I haven't posted anything! Office work has kept me away and I've been so excited to post my latest craft and meal experiments that have been fast piling up. :) For today, I'm featuring the instant dishes I prepared for lunch. It's got to be instant because I slept last night with body weakness after coming home from the grocery store with my hubby. This morning I had to spend some effort getting up from bed (it's a Sunday and missing the Sunday Service was just not among the choices!). The paracetamol I took before retiring to bed last night seemed to have worked after all.   Oh yes, it was quite an effort getting up to prepare the usual Sunday breakfast (pan de sal with cheese whiz and coffee). But what's for lunch? Hmmm… good I found some slices of dowry (marinated in salt, pepper, paprika and very little soy sauce) which I haven't cooked the other day as planned. It made my morning much lighter as I only had to pa...

Hello! I've been silent for a week, yes, but to tell you the truth, I've been containing my excitement the whole week through! At last, now I could write about the reason why.  Here, let me tell you. Close friends and family know that I like green. Mint green, apple green, lime green, I love them all! That's why the first time I came across Patricia Wells' Zucchini Carpaccio with Avocado and Pistachios  featured by Kristen Miglore in her foodie blog, I so fell in love with how it looks. I kept dreaming about it but I couldn't complete the ingredients as avocado was not yet in season then. Until one day, a friend gifted me with a bunch of avocados. (Thanks to Ruby!) So there, I remembered the zucchini with avocado salad.   I'm not very good at choosing good avocados and deciding when they are ready to eat.   I just learned that there are several varieties of avocado . Definitely it's not the Hass variety because this type turns purple to blac...