Home-made Chicken Nuggets

Hey, hey hey, it's Fri-YAY!!

I am not too busy at work earlier today, and I was thinking what to eat for lunch. I found some ground chicken on my freezer and wondered what I could do with it. Then, the idea of making chicken nuggets from scratch came up.

I called it garlic and cheese chicken nuggets (with sweet and sour sauce)

Good thing it was a success! So yummy! There are just few minor flaws that can be adjusted next time; like I put in too much egg, and the sizes of the nuggets are not the same as the other (hehe)

What I needed:
1/2k Ground chicken
2-3 cloves of garlic grated or you can also use garlic powder
Dash of Salt & pepper to taste
Cheese cut into strips
2 Egg( one to mix in, the other one for coating later on)
3 table spoons of flour
Bread crumbs

What I did:
I just mixed the ground chicken, grated garlic, salt, pepper, 1 egg, & flour into a bowl. When they have been mixed properly, I shaped it rectangularly, putting some strips of cheese in the middle. Then I soaked it with flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.

I put it in the freezer for 3-5mins. so that it will be easier to fry. Then I deep fried it, and...tadah! A home made chicken nuggets.

I am not a professional cook(obviously) but I grew up in a household where my mom used to cook so many delish stuff for us. Now it's my sister, (who just graduated culinary arts) who is continuing mama's legacy. I am super lazy when it comes to cooking, though I know how to do some dishes because of my curiousity when mama was still alive. I would sit in the kitchen, watch her cook, and ask her too many questions on how these stuff works.

Maybe someday, if I'll have to cook for "someone" that is the time I'll get more active, and practice what mama told me. :) For now, I am a proud professional taste-tester of my sister's cooking. ;)

Baguio City, Revisited

February is a special month for Baguio City because this is the time when the Panagbenga Festival, also known as Flower Festival is celebrated.

I 've been to Baguio numerous times; with friends, family, but this time, I decided to go alone, to visit a good friend as well whom I haven't seen for years already.

I decided to take the Victory Bus going to Baguio, and back home. Just a quick tip, if you want to have a smooth trip, especially during peak seasons like this, I encourage you to book your ticket in advance. I booked mine few weeks before my scheduled trip in their Cubao (new York) terminal. For fare rates and trip schedule, you may want to visit their website. Their buses leave on time, and they have the friendliest staff. So I had a good experience riding the said bus line.

We left Cubao at 4pm sharp and with less traffic and 2 stop overs, I arrived in Baguio City at around 10pm. It was a Friday by the way

The next day, Saturday, we went to some places which I haven't visited yet, and some, I've been into but I can say that there were some changes since the last time I've been there.

Our first stop is the Tam-Awan Village, which I haven't visited yet. It is a place to visit if you love art, Cordilleran craftsmanship with an artist’s concept for a village adapting to Baguio setting.

Then we visited the usual spot- Mine's View Park, Botanical Garden, Wright Park, The Mansion and the all time favorite pasalubong center- Good Shepherd Convent.

By the way, we had lunch in Ketchup Food Community, It is a cozy, nice place where there are around 4-5 restaurants with different cuisine which you can choose from. There is the Rancho Norte (where we ate) where you can find yummy Filipino food, Green Pepper who offers pasta, salads, Rumah Sate offers Indo-Malay cuisine,Canto who is popular for their ribs, pizza, pasta and other Western American dishes, and Happy Tummy who offers Thai cuisine.

The next day, Sunday is the much awaited Panagbenga festival. It is my first time to witness this kind of float parade in Baguio, and I should say that it is a bitter sweet experience. I was awed by all the floats because I realize how creative the people behind these were. Everything was beautiful! The hard part is, you need to wake up early.. as in early to get a nice spot because session road was already flooded with people even before the parade started. We have experienced a lot of pushing and everywhere is crowded. it is also important that you eat heavy breakfast, and wear comfortable clothes to avoid fainting.

Just wanted to share few photos my friend and I took. Sorry, we are not professional photographers, and these photos don't do justice on how beautiful they really are in real. :)

Then I went back to Manila by Monday night to avoid all the crowd going home, cause I am pretty sure if I'll go back by Sunday, I won't make it through, as I did not book a ticket in advance. 

This experience had helped me to relax more, because I believe I deserve a vacation like this for working hard, and it is also a best time to catch up with a long time friend.