Filipino Lovin'

 Have you ever sat on your kitchen counter while eating a bowl of cereal thinking, "Why is this so easy?" I haven't. But I did sit on a kitchen counter this morning, eating a bowl a cereal thinking, "I'm going to regret this later." DO I EVER!! Who knew such a small amount of light cereal could be JAM PACKED with fiber.

Tonight was amazing. Tonight has made up for all the other nights I made not so impressive meals. Oh but this one! You...you're good, you. Bistek is the most simple filipino dish made that doesn't require a ton of effort. For those of you who can't understand this Bistek concept, Bistek = beef steak. Alpha Kenny Body. This "flavorful" dish has three basic main ingredients: beef, garlic and soy sauce for days. Onions make an exceptional garnish and an amazing side. Lemon juice bumps up the flavor. I made the marinade without measuring and with my mind glued to a ceiling with textures that reminds me of meringue. I've seen my mom and nanay make this dish so often, I know what to do just by the way it looks. I can proudly say, this Bitsek tasted exactly like my mom's. Man Friend was very happy with this dish and mentioned that the onions were quite pleasing. A lot of people choose to cut the onions fresh and saute them after you cook the meat. Personally, I think marinating them with the meat over night is the way to go. If you happen to have a bottle of soy sauce laying around, that you know you're never going to touch, USE IT. IN THIS. It's simple and "flavorful." Flavorful happens to be a big word when it comes to Man Friend and meals. One thing I would like to make clear, is Sinangag. Filipino fried rice. You can't do Bistek without Sinangag. Two to three day old rice, garlic, salt and pepper, skillet. Good to go.

Not to mention, dessert was absolutely delicious.Thanks to my Auntie Bining who gave me the idea of making Strawberry Delight; she had made a Blueberry Delight the other night I went to visit her. After taking a few bites, I wanted to turn into a bear and cry. It was so good. Thus instantly putting me into a baking craze. I put my rage mask on and went to town. Then I put on my wizard hat and robe. All jokes aside, I made our dessert with strawberries because it was less effort and cheaper. Had I used blueberries instead, I would have had to make blueberry sauce. Man Friend approved of this, and he actually ate more than I did. I don't know whether I should take this as a compliment, or a sad realization that I should, in fact, cut back on my sugar habit. Much like the main course, I made no measurements with this tasty creaminess. Though if I could change one thing about it, I would have made double layers of graham crackers, instead of singles. Ain't nothin' wrong with a little crust.

Bistek

1 lb beef sirloin, thin cut
1 small onion, cut into rings
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
juice from half a lemon

Remove fats from beef and cut into preferred sizes. In a glass dish or tupperware (I used tupperware but mom uses glass baking dishes), place first layer of meat. Sprinkle a third of the garlic, and a third of the onions. Place another layer of beef, then garlic, and onions. Last layer of beef, garlic and onions. In a small bowl, pour enough soy sauce to cover the beef. You don't need to completely drown it in soy sauce, but just enough so the top layer gets some lovin' too. Add the lemon juice to the bowl and mix. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the tupperware. Cover and refrigerate overnight. It's worth the wait. When you're ready to start cooking, heat a skillet and add about a tsp of oil. Fry the meats and saute the onions to your preferred doneness. A lot of the meat will be cooking in it's own juices, so after frying everything, it wouldn't be a bad idea to pour the left over meat juice over the Bistek.

Sinangag

two day old, cold cooked rice
2 gloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch of salt
oil for frying

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add a small amount of oil and the garlic. You do not want to cook the garlic thoroughly as they will cook on its own when you add the rice. I would leave it on the pan for about two minutes. Add the rice. Try to break apart the chunks, it will have a better texture and consistency. Fry the rice for about 7-10 minutes. Not everyone's stove works the same, so keep an eye and stir every now and then to promote even frying. Add salt and pepper. Continue frying until you reach a nice dry type of stickiness, or your preferred doneness.

Looks unappealing, but very, very delicious.

Strawberry Delight

1 lb strawberries, sliced
2 8oz tubs of cool whip
2 bricks of cream cheese, room temperature
2 packages of graham crackers (not boxes)
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. In a small glass cup, melt butter in the microwave. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool. Break apart graham crackers into perforated rectangles. Place in a baking dish and pour over cooled butter. Be sure that all pieces are coated. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until they turn almost a chocolate graham color. They will be soggy but will harden when cooled so separate the pieces for easy layering. Set aside. Cream the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the whipped cream.

Begin layering by spreading a thin layer of whipped topping on the bottom of a glass baking dish, or tupperware. I used a rather large tupperware. Then add two layers of graham cracker. Then whipped topping. Sprinkle half of the strawberries evenly. Carefully spread another layer of whipped topping, then two layers of graham crackers. Again, spread more whipped topping, then finish with the rest of the strawberries. Chances are, you won't use all the whipped topping. It would be a good idea to NOT use all of the whipped topping, because then you will end up covering the graham cracker and strawberry tastiness. So be sure you are spreading a thin amount of whipped topping, but enough to cover the graham crackers and strawberries.
Cover and let it sit in the fridge over night.