What Paolo Cooks: Singapore Chilli Prawns

I would like to start this post by admitting that I used a sauce kit for this dish. Yes, I cheated, but only because my grandmother bought these really fresh prawns late in the afternoon and if I tried to make "real" chilli prawns, I wouldn't be able to because of incomplete ingredients (and partly because I was feeling just a tad bit lazy. Hmmm).

During the family trip to Singapore last year, my titas hoarded these Prima Taste sauce kits that were available even in 7-Eleven. I had tasted the Hainanese Chicken Rice sauce kit here at home and was pleasantly surprised by how amazing it was = or maybe I was just biased, considering the fact that Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of my favorite dishes. I haven't found it for sale here in Cebu, but if you know a place selling it, I will be your servant forever. I actually still have a box of it highly guarded in my room, and I'm waiting for the perfect occasion to use it.

Anyway, my tita gave me her last remaining sauce kit (not expired yet, thank you very much) for Singapore Chilli Crabs. When my grandmother bought the prawns I mentioned, I decided to use the sauce kit for them instead.

The sauce kits are extremely easy to use and I must say that I was really happy with how the prawns turned out... especially since I had mine with a bottle of beer. Just perfect.

The Existence

All roads (or the one I was driving on, at least) led to The Outpost last Friday night for the launching of Shuffled's new album, "The Existence". The place was filled with so much people that it literally shook when because of the crowd's jumping when the bands started to play. Also, when Shuffled's set was done, my friends & I looked like we had been pushed into a pool - we were literally soaking wet (which didn't matter, of course, since the lack of air conditioning will not stop us from supporting our other friends. Char).

Local celebrity (uuuuyyyyy hahaha) Ken Cuizon signing his band's CD

Last minute memorization of "No Diversion" (link to this fan made video with lyrics here)

 

Psychkada (yes, that's what we call ourselves when we get together haha our group name sprang forth from hanging out together during our psychiatric ward duty days when we were still in college hahaha. Baduy, we know, but whatever)

 

Leslie, Marj, Mel, Faj, & Kat

This is where we were originally standing before the band started playing. See, the place was packed!

But thank God for our crowd-pushing skills. Hahahaha.

Xane Castillo sings with the band on one of my favorite songs, "Happy Times". How aptly titled - the song does make you happy when you hear it.

More guests: Mamyk Paredes & Morris Mantilla sing on "All New Way"

 

Leslie, Faj, Perci (Shuffled's bassist), Mike, and Hannah

Support Shuffled. Buy their album. Like their Facebook page by clicking here.

Baked

My friends can attest to the fact that I cannot resist strawberry flavored food & drinks, so when I saw that Baked, an online store selling cakes & pastries, had strawberry cupcakes for sale, I just had to order (and also because I promised one of my sister's best friends Amanda that of course I would support Baked, which is owned by her cousin).

I had to resist eating these cupcakes in the car because I wanted to take proper pictures of them, something that took a whole lot of self-control. Haha.

After I took the first bite, I said, "Ngano diayng lami kaayo ni uy?!" (Why is this so good?!)

Now I am torn between eating them all at once or slowly savoring each and every one because they. are. so. good.

To see what other items they have (currently deciding what I should order  next), like Baked on Facebook by clicking here.
Contact 0917 325 5882 for inquiries.

What Paolo Cooks: Buffalo Thighs

Here's a segment that I would like to call "What Paolo Cooks". I originally wanted to name it "What Paolo Experiments With In The Kitchen (With A Great Probability That What He Comes Up With Could Fail Terribly)", but that would be too long.

So anyway, I decided to cook dinner today. I had been having this intense craving for buffalo wings, especially since those we had during our Hell Week were amaaazing, so I decided to make them today... except that I didn't use wings. Haha. I chose my favorite chicken part, thighs!

These were the ingredients I used for the sauce + tomato catsup & honey - Frank's is usually the hot sauce used for buffalo wings, but since we didn't have that, I used Tapatio instead. The thighs, on the other hand, were marinated with cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and white vinegar:

 

After marinating the thighs for a few hours, they were dredged in seasoned (salt & pepper) flour...

 ...deep fried...

...then tossed in this sauce...

 ...and ta-daaaa! My buffalo thighs:

Last Song Syndrome: No Diversion

So there's this local band called Shuffled, and I have been friends with one of their guitarists, Ken, for years... but I will have to admit that I only heard their music for the first time about 2 months ago. Why this was so, I have no idea, but since then, I cannot stop listening to their song "No Diversion":






It's very catchy, no? It's actually been stuck in my head for days, thanks to my constant raping of the video's replay button. I'm pretty sure you won't be able to get the song out of your head after you first listen to it, too... which will lead you to NEED to listen to their other songs (all equally as good, trust me - I didn't want to take the headphones off when I got to listen to the rest of their tracks)... which will then lead you to want to buy their album... which they're launching this Friday, October 14, at The Outpost:

Support local music! See you there!

Off The Streets

"Off The Streets", a fashion show to benefit the Mobile School Programme under the Cebu City Task Force on Street Children, was held last night at The Penthouse. Designs by Cebu's young designers were featured on the runway.