Homecooking: 'Japanese' Baked Dory

I can't wait for dinner time so I can have me some of this dory goodness! :)

Been queued for months in my to-cook list and finally, today's the day the dory is baked. Let me make it clear, I'm not sure if there's really a Japanese dish like this but since there's a whole lot of Japanese Mayo (I used Kewpie) that went on to make this, then I guess we can call this "Japanese" 

＼(^o^)／

Of course, partly the reason I'm able to do more kitchen stuff -- the littlest boy can now be "back carried" Yay!! ☺️ #lilleletsme cook again, and I love the feeling :)

I know you want to try this out so here's how it's done (credit to: The Eating Room blog). I followed majority of the instructions, and just tweaked a little :)

Ingredients

2 Cream Dory fillets

2 Lemons (sliced thinly & de-seeded) 

3/4 cups Japanese Mayo

5 cloves Garlic (minced)

1 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp dried Rosemary

3 Tbsp Breadcrumbs 

3/4 cups Cheddar cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350c. Season fish with salt and pepper. Freshly cracked peppercorn imparts better flavor, try it :) Set aside.

2. In a baking ware, bed  lemon slices vertically. Lay dory fillets on them.

NOTE: I bought my lemons from Rustan's supermarket, was surprised they have no seeds at all! :)

3. In a bowl, mix mayo (I used Kewpie), honey, rosemary and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. 

NOTE: Adjust rosemary quantity if using fresh herbs.

Don't panic! That's the manufacturing date :)

4. Top fish with mayo mixture. Sprinkle cheese and breadcrumbs on top. I used Panko brand for my breadcrumbs and Emborg cheddar toppings for the cheese. Guess you really can't go wrong with Panko, I've been looking for a long time and luckily found it in Lander's Otis :) The original recipe calls for Parmesan cheese, but the kids (and big kids haha) don't like it too much so I substituted with cheddar cheese.

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese become bubbly hot. Serve warm.

NOTE: Adjust baking time / temperature if using a convection oven. 

VERDICT:

In my book, this is simply a winner! Quick, easy and sooo tasty! The only thing I should have done is to make 2 batches or 3! Hahahahaha...that's how yummy it really is. Serve with brown or black rice para hindi masyado nakaka-guilty if you end up going unli-rice with it :D

Mmmmmm....just blogging about it makes me want to do it all over again...aaaahhh!!!

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Mommy "albularyo" time

Yes you read that right! I've been feeling out of sorts for the most part of the week. Very mild cough and colds but it's really irritating..like fever that's about to come on, but is hesitating. I don't know what this is, slight fever, malaise, mild flu? Waaah..with two kids and a busy hubby, all I know is I have to get rid of this pronto! 

I've taken my daily dose of vitamins and even added paracetamol to the mix, to no avail. I even went back to my online research (aka online shopping haha) on which gadget would benefit our family the most.

Essential oils & ultrasonic diffuser seems really promising but I can't fully commit right now because we have a baby. From what I gathered, there are some limitations on using it for kids below 2 years old. Not sure if that includes diffusing or only for topical application, but when in doubt...well I have to research more and also ask our pedias advise.

Humidifier...I've been asking hubby if we should be getting one, especially since Miss Z has allergies. I also read that it helps relieve congestion for people with colds & cough. What's stopping me from investing in this are the diverse opinions online. Some would say that t isn't really helpful for allergies, better to get a vacuum cleaner (and clean up!) and an air purifier (which we already have). Also based on reviews, it looks cumbersome to clean and with two kiddos, I don't exactly have much time to baby another machine. They also warn that if the humidifier is not cleaned properly, it could potentially have molds and bacteria build-up as part of the mist it produces...yikes!

Last on my gadget list would be the vaporizer. They say there's less chance of it having bacteria in the vapor since there's a warming element. However, hubby thinks this is just similar to a nebulizer. So, no dice.

Maybe it's because I'm sick that I'm also indecisive about these machines. Or, maybe when we're sick, our brain's research and shopping mode are automatically shut off too! Hahahaha..well, you'll definitely know in a few week's time.

 So what to do? Lucky I guess that I stumbled upon a "cure" that can be concocted with things that are already in the pantry! Yeah, the shopping mode is really turned off now. Lol :D

What's in that, you say? Look closely and you'll see everyday kitchen ingredients that have medicinal properties. 

How to make Honey Onion Syrup

[I got this from https://www.bulkherbstore.com/blog/calm-that-cough-with-a-honey-onion-syrup/ and modified to my liking]

1. Slice one red onion into half rings

Onions are said to act like an expectorant when ingested. It helps to thin out the mucus inside the airways of the lungs.

2. Add few cloves of crushed garlic

Garlic has anti-bacterial property

3. Add peeled & sliced ginger

Ginger has always been my go-to whenever I have sore throat, so it's a no-brainier here hehe

4. Add lemon or calamansi juice (I used 5 calamansi)

Makes for better flavor and also adds Vitamin C to the mix

5. Add honey, just enough to cover the other ingredients

Honey coats the throat, therefore giving relief when sore

6. Let it simmer on low fire for 30 minutes.

7. Let it cool for a bit before transferring to a jar or container.

There you have it! I take a tablespoon of this every mealtime and also gave my hubby and eldest daughter so they have extra protection and not get the nasties from me. Our littlest love is exempted of course, because honey is not yet allowed for babies under 1 year old.

Praying for everybody's wellness! :)

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Baon for hubby: Pork Tonkatsu, Rice with Furikake, Ginataang Kalabasa

This is probably the first time in how many years of married life that I'm doing this...and here we are! Officially preparing food or baon for the traveling hubby :)

Last week, Daddy A was knocked out by a terrible stomach flu :( He had some snacks at a popular convenience store and he suspects the nasty came from the water of his instant coffee. Somehow, I feel guilty because with two kids (toddler and a baby), he ends up last on my list of the people I tend to. I realize this is something that I should correct and besides, hubbies do feel cherished when they are babied too, right?

So the solution is to make baon for him, for when he has an out of town site visit. It's not the easiest thing because (1) babies and (2) he can't plot on a calendar the days he'll be away. Yikes! 

What do I do now? Basically the resolution is (1) cook make-ahead meals we can reheat (2) prepare ready to cook meals (3) cook when the schedule permits (4) always factor in his baon when we shop for groceries. Another important thing would be packing for him both hot (for his coffee) and lukewarm water.

Honestly, I don't know how well we can keep up with this (hahahaha) but I really hope we can have more healthy home-cooked meals for him. If all else fails, I can probably reheat and spruce up clean left-overs from the previous night hahaha.. :D

Homework for me: Research more about bento meals, find a good stainless food jar

Meal for today: Pork Tonkatsu (breaded pork chop), Rice with Furikake (rice toppings), Ginataang Kalabasa (dinner left-over)

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Back at the Kitchen!

Late post *peace!* We're 7 months pp now and have made/experimented more in the kitchen :)

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Hurraaay for me! Hahaha..6 months post-partum and I finally found the extra time and energy to work my butt off in the kitchen. How I missed this special place where, for me, the "magic" happens hahaha.. :)

No meal "meal" for now, just reheating things (LOL), tinkering with the Zojirushi rice cooker and baking.

Here's a 'shabby' looking lactation brownies that I made -- specially infused with galactagogues. I added Flaxseed and Brewer's Yeast to help me in my breastfeeding journey. Oh I hope it works! Otherwise, I still love it because it's healthy and tasty ☺️ You can find the recipe here: (https://community.babycenter.com/post/a24430091/here_it_is_lactation_brownie_recipie)

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