Dear Darla

The pizza cut into rectangular slices

Step 1: Take a rectangular slice of pizza

Step 2: Spread a layer of arugula greens and top with alfalfa sprouts. Drizzle with chili oil.

Step 3: Roll the pizza crust tightly.

Step 4: Roll until it forms a mini wrap.

Step 5: Dig in!

Are you a part of the Yellow Cab’s Dear Darla fans club?  Dear Darla, my all time favorite pizza derived its name from the characters Darla and Alfalfa in the movie, Little Rascals. The main ingredients of Dear Darla pizza are alfalfa sprouts and arugula leaves. Alfalfa, a member of the legume family, contains a wide range of vitamins making it a good source of anti-oxidant. The very succulent arugula leaf is best known for its phytochemical components, thus, high in anti-cancer properties.  Fresh-from-the-oven thin-crust pizza pie is cut into rectangular pieces and topped with  a special tomato sauce, cheese, onions, pepperoni and olives. The crunchy greens give a flicker of freshness to each bite of the Dear Darla pizza.

Whoever is behind the concoction of the Dear Darla pizza is a genius. A masterpiece, indeed.

Pesto all the way

Birthday dinner with my grade school friends

Our homemade pesto pasta with Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and parsley

Sliced French bread and some Nachos with ground beef, mushrooms, and drizzled with cheese

Dipping sauce for the French bread- Olive oil seasoned with “Scarborough Fair” herbs and spices and Balsamic Vinegar

Dipping sauce for the French bread- Olive oil seasoned with “Scarborough Fair” herbs and spices and Balsamic Vinegar

A feast for my birthday

     A year ago, I said goodbye to my teenage years and welcomed my adulthood with a get-together with my closest chums from grade school (Maquiling School Inc., UP Los Banos campus).  We had an intimate dinner at our garden. I requested my lovely sister to prepare our family’s favorite and her specialty – PESTO PASTA. Thanks to our good friend, Chef  Bryan for teaching her how to cook this.  Now, she makes the perfect homemade pesto that never ceases to delight us. I take this chance to share my sister's amazing Pesto Pasta made of fresh basil leaves (from our garden), nuts, Parmesan cheese, sliced tomatoes, parsley and olive oil. My mom paired the dish with sliced French bread and a dipping sauce of seasoned olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Along with the nonstop exchanges of childhood memories, love stories and future plans was the nonstop munching on nachos with ground beef, mushrooms, and cheese spread.

       Maybe I should do this every 10 years, or perhaps 5. Lemme think…

Mexican Cuisine

Mexicali Restaurant

Sofas and tables outside the resto

The bar

The dining area

Ground Beef Burrito

The very affordable  and delicious Cheese and Garlic Quesadilla

My all-time favorite dish- Chicken Enchilada with Rice and Salad

      As part of our BS Nutrition curriculum, we the students are required to observe the operation and management of some food service establishments. A year ago, my group was fortunate enough to have been accepted to work at Mexicali Restaurant located at the Alabang Town Center. Mexicali serves fun-filled, flavorful authentic Mexican cuisine. The Mexican ambiance of the place is accentuated by the yellow lights which give a little more glow and brightness to the dining area. Outside of the resto, there are sofas and tables for people who would like to smoke, drink, and chill the days and nights away. The nonstop Mexican music floating cheerfully in the air makes you want to swing your head and shoulders to that Latin beat. Mexicali is a cozy and laid-back place with scrumptious dishes- A MUST TRY. Olé!!!

Pizza and pasta night

Regular spaghetti noodles. Some of my health-conscious friends prefer whole-wheat pasta. Though whole-wheat pasta tastes a little different from the conventional pasta made with refined and processed flour, it contains more dietary fiber and other nutrients, thus, a healthier alternative.

Fresh basil leaves. We get our supply from our very own small herb garden. Basil is a bestseller culinary herb in our home, especially since my sister’s most acclaimed dish is pesto pasta. Our relatives and friends swear by my sister’s expertise on this dish. Promise, I will feature her pesto pasta in my future blogs. Basil contains many chemical compounds that are known to have disease preventing properties. Also, it is a good source of Iron.

      Of course, the tomato sauce. Tomato not only satisfies our taste buds but also helps fight diseases because of its Lycopene content, a vital anti-oxidant.

The final product. Yummmm!

What's a pasta without a pizza? This simple pizza has grated cheese, hotdogs, ham, onion, tomato sauce. 

    

        
         I am so thrilled because this is my first blog. I can't wait to share with you all my food adventures. So last night, my sister and I decided to prepare a pizza and a pasta for dinner. She did the pasta, which was Spaghetti with tomato sauce, lean ground beef and fresh basil, while I made the pizza. She always cooks spaghetti, Italian style (not sweet). The rich sauce was made more special with the sweet aroma of chopped fresh basil leaves Please take note: Make sure to add the basil leaves towards the end of your cooking so that the volatile oils will not be dissipated by heat. For the pizza, I used tomato sauce, onions, hotdogs, ham, and grated cheese. A very simple and easy-to-do meal for your loved ones.