Bam-i is a noche buena dish that we ate as kids growing up in Cebu. It is a Visayan dish as I’ve never seen it serve here in Manila. I love the two kinds of noodles: vermicelli and the egg noodles. It’s sad that my kids don’t really like the combination of the noodles. I think the taste is so tasty and different from the usual pancit guisado. Timing is important so as not to overcook the egg noodles. Usually the vermicelli or sotanghon is cooked first before the egg noodles are added.

Here is my recipe:

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Posted: December 17th, 2007 under Filipino Food, Noodles, Recipes.
Comments: 10

It’s December 16 and the first day of the Misa de Gallo. For nine consecutive early mornings before Christmas Day, Catholic Churches throughout the Philippines ring their bells around 3 am to invite the faithful to worship and announce the start of this holiday custom. After the mass, the parishoners including myself headed off to the Puto Bumbong stand where it was sold for 20 pesos per pack.

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Posted: December 16th, 2007 under Christmas, Filipino Delicacies, Recipes, kakanin.
Comments: none

Here is a playlist of Filipino Christmas Carols I collated for you to add more joy to your Christmas celebration. The first song in the track is Pasko na Sinta ko sung by my two girls and three other members of the Manila Children’s Choir in 1999. The second track is “Kasadya ni Takna-a” composed by Vicente Rubi, the original Cebuano version which is not as popular as the Tagalog version “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit”.

And English Christmas songs sang by Filipino artists. The first two songs are sang by the 1999 Manila Childrens’ Choir where my two daughters were members back then.

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Posted: December 15th, 2007 under Celebrations, Site News.
Comments: none

One of the dishes I prepared for Christmas day lunch in the year 2005 was Chicken Cannelloni. The young ones particularly raved the rich creamy Chicken Cannelloni. The recipe came from my sister, Lorna who modified it many times. I forgot to take a close-up photo of the Cannelloni dish but it’s the rectangular pyrex on the table. The great thing about Cannelloni is that I can prepare it a day before , freeze it and heat it on Christmas Day itself. It takes the stress away from cooking so many dishes in one day.

Cannelloni usually refers to rectangular pasta sheets that are rolled with a filling. However, sometimes the pasta dough is replaced with a cooked crepe, generally 3 to 4 inches in length and once rolled, one inch in diameter. After cooking the crepe (or boiling the pasta), it is typically filled with a savory stuffing which may include ricotta cheese, spinach, and various meats. It is then covered with a sauce, typically classic tomato or bechamel sauce, although many variations exist.

(wikipedia)

My Cannelloni version uses Bechamel sauce, chicken and ready made pasta as shown below:

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Posted: December 11th, 2007 under Noche Buena, Pasta, Recipes, chicken.
Comments: 7

That’s me and my family in last year’s Christmas Eve Noche Buena. I am sure a lot of you are planning your noche buena dishes for Christmas and New Year. That’s why you are here. I have my black book of recipes that serve as my recipe resources. I like to do a lot of preparation just before the actual cooking so I don’t get stressed out. Here are a few recipes that I have cooked in the past. Some don’t have photos yet because years ago, I didn’t think I’d put them in a food blog. This page will be updated often so bookmark this page for the rest of December.

There are Holiday Cooking Ideas and recipes and also places to buy if you don’t want to bother cooking or baking:

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Posted: December 9th, 2007 under Noche Buena.
Comments: 1

When roasted chestnuts (Castañas, castanas) appear along the sidewalks in Divisoria, Manila, that means Christmas season is in the air. Only that Jack Frost is NOT nipping at my nose. Eating roasted chestnuts bring back the memories of my childhood when dad used to buy a kilo of it every December. Munching on the starchy, crumbly texture and distinct sweet smell and buttery sweet taste is such a comfort. No wonder I look for it every Christmas season especially dad is not around to buy for me anymore.

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Posted: December 8th, 2007 under Noche Buena.
Comments: none

I started craving for Majestic Ham when I read Manolo’s twitter which said “Happiness is a Majestic Ham”. After reading his twitter, I have been badgering my husband all day to buy Majestic Ham for me. That evening, he brought slices of Majestic Ham to my utter delight.

I used the ham slices as filling for my pan de sal.

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Posted: December 6th, 2007 under Filipino Food, Noche Buena.
Comments: 6