'Drinks' archive

Chocolate mint coffee

If there is one noche buena tradition in my husband’s family that I never really got the hang of, it’s drinking chocolate. If the noche buena meal consisted of bibingka and puto bumbong only, then an accompanying chocolate drink would be marvelous. But when the dishes in the meal are quite heavy — ham, chicken, fruit salad — drinking chocolate is simply too much for me. Besides, I’m a coffee drinker and I drink coffee for the caffeine. A few days ago, I discovered a great way to combine chocolate with coffee.

Melon and coconut milkshake

Buko (coconut) and melon is a popular ice cream flavor. The combination works as a milkshake too.

To make four tall glasses of melon and coconut milkshake, you will need half a melon (cantaloupe), one coconut with tender meat (mala-kanin, not mala-uhog), 2 cups of coconut water, a cup of milk, sugar to taste and ice.

Cucumber and coconut smoothie

Where we acquired the habit of serving punch for the noche buena, I have no idea. Probably the American influence. Punch is great, I won’t argue about that but punch for noche buena is just a bit too predictable. Here’s something surprisingly different.

To make four glasses of cucumber and coconut smoothie, you will need a [...]

Mango and melon (cantaloupe) fruit shake

Because mango season has long been over, mangoes these days aren’t all that sweet. They are what we describe as nag-a-agaw tamis — on the verge of sweetness but with a sharp tang of the sourness that it is about to discard. Half a melon and one not-quite sweet mango and the fruit shake was just perfect.

Home-made flavored iced tea

If I can’t stop complaining about the heat this summer, it’s because there’s still too much to complain about. Often, I feel I’m going to wither — literally. There seems to be no respite even at midnight.
Naturally, we’ve been consuming a lot of cold drinks. Ice trays in the freezer aren’t enough anymore. My husband [...]

Honey-lemon drink

Live interaction with readers is one thing that a column writer does not enjoy. Lucky me, I was a blogger before I was a newspaper columnist so I know the value of real feedbacks–minus, of course, the kind of muck that seems to be the staple of political blogs. I do get my share in The Sassy Lawyer’s Journal.

The interaction in this blog, in particular, has been a wonderful source of insights, information, cooking tips and even health advice. In the comment thread of my honey-lemon-ginger chicken recipe, reader Malou shares her favorite hot drink made, quite simply, with fresh lemon juice, honey and hot water.

After the school bus picked up the kids this morning, instead of going for my second cup of coffee, as is my habit, I tried Malou’s concoction and, I must say, I enjoyed it tremendously. It was very good.

Green mango juice

Mangoes that are just starting to ripen are best for making green mango juice. The skin is usually still green but the meat–or pulp–is starting to turn yellow. The very green unripe mangoes, usually diced for salads, don’t make very smooth purees. The ones that are still sour but with the meat starting to soften towards ripeness are the ones that make wonderful green mango juice…

Lasang Pinoy 8: mocha latte and choco latte

I know I’m done posting my entry for Lasang Pinoy 8 but my kids took turns making mocha latte and choco latte earlier tonight and… why waste such a wonderful story? Because it really was quite a story–I ended up drinking one tall glass of mocha latte and two short glasses of choco latte. How could I say no after all their effort, eh? Of course, after that, I swore I won’t eat a thing tomorrow.

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House On A Hill

Noche Buena

• Pepperoni and cheese stuffed bread rolls
• In my kitchen: taking it easy
• Food for the gods, a better recipe
• Spaghetti with longganisa (sausage) meatballs
• Cucumber and coconut smoothie
• Tilapia fritters with honey-lemon sauce
• Pork and pineapple stew
• An all-Filipino menu at a family reunion
• Corn muffins a la Kenny Rogers
• Home grilled pork barbecue

Oh, so sweet!

• Peaches and cream
• Easy dessert crepes
• Choco-mocha-cinnamon pudding
• Chocolate coated gummy bears
• Green tea and rambutan dessert
• Mango and jelly (jango) dessert
• Mango Royale
• Midnight snack: crepes, bananas and guava jelly
• Comfort food and home cooked meals
• Mango-rum sorbet