Sinulog (Mardi Gras) Festival hosted by the Barangay Club of Indiana

Hello & welcome to our Fil-Am Foodies page! We hope to keep you abreast of the Filipino -American food scene, happenings and events around the state of Indiana this year! It has been a while since we have made a good formal post! This has been a very busy but exciting month of February here in Indiana!
Maria and I were invited to the Barangay Club of Indiana's Sinulog Festival (Mardi Gras) and we had a blast! Thank you to the officers of the Barangay Club for hosting this event and a special thank you to Marife Cabaluna Calendar, President of the Barangay Club of Indiana for setting up and hosting!

President: Marife Cabaluna Callender
1st Vice-President: Walter Avila
2nd Vice-President: Gloria Hughey
Secretary: Michaela Iglesias
Asst. Secretary: Teresa Merrill
Treasurer: Linda Avila
Asst. Treasurer: Lyn Mosher
Business Manager: Remy Engle
Asst. Business Manager: Mhatet Tambot
PRO: Maria Solito, MD
Asst. PRO: Jof Enerva
 Asst. PRO Jr: Joshuah Solito

It was so nice to see all of our friends and family there, not to mention the spread of food that ranged from fried chicken, diniguan, pancit bihon, Menudo, puto, babinka, lumpia shanghai and of course rice dishes galore!
There were two caterers invited and a lot of home-cooked foods brought in. Rosebud's Kusina was there in full effect to help set up and catered a few delicious dishes to add to the mix!
This was the first event of the year for the Barangay Club of Indiana and it was quite a success with over 100 attendees! There was lots of dancing, food, fun, and pageantry as the Santo Nino's made their way around the participants in a form of yearly blessing to the group! It was quite an experience to take in and such a blessing to be a part of!

Dr. Maria N. Solito started off the events by explaining the history of how the Santo Nino and Christianity were first introduced to the Philippines from Spain. The first Santo Nino was given as a gift to King Humabon and Queen Juana of Cebu, Doctor Solito's home town! It was such a blessing to share in the culture and history of the Philippines and the Filipino - American families who have made Indiana their home!
Representatives were there from Lafayette, Indiana and surrounding counties also including a representative, Phil Smith from the National Association of Filipino-American Associations (NAFFA)! Announcements were made for the first Filipino Census to be held in Indiana via the group. Madam President, Marafie Cabaluna Callender expressed the clubs want to reach out to surrounding communities in the near future, stating that, "we'll be coming to you in the near future for upcoming events"! 

The following is a list of upcoming events for the Barangay Club of Indiana for the year 2020: 

2020 Calendar of Events(Save the Dates)
 Feb 22 - Sinulog/Mardi Gras
April 12 - Easter Salubong
May 23 - Indy 500 Parade
June 12 - Philippine Independence Day
July 4 - Fil-Am Friendship Day
              Carmel Parade
Aug (TBD) - Picnic/Fiesta
                      Santacruzan
Sept 28 - San Lorenzo Ruiz Feast Mass
Oct (TBD) -Consulate General Outreach                     - Living Rosary
Oct 31 - Halloween Party
               Undas camp-out
Nov - International Festival
Dec (TBD) - Christmas Party
Dec 15 to 23 - Simbang Gabi
BCI Website:
http://www.barangayclubindy.org/

***Follow Fil-Am Foodies for future food posts, recipes and food events in Indiana, U.S.A.

Good afternoon to all of our Filipino and American families here in the Hoosier state and abroad! My wife Maria and I have been so, so busy. I have not had a chance to update my blog. I actually have started a life changing journey that is starting to pan out! I'm working on transforming my life and my body with Yoli Better Body System. I am taking the 30 day challenge and my goal is to loose 14 pounds in 14 days. After that the sky is the limit!
Well, back to the matter at hand. I wanted to share with you all one of my all time favorite recipes. This is something simple that my Mother cooks every Christmas or Thanksgiving. I LOVE THIS STUFF!!! Well here it is and I hope you enjoy:
~David

Zucchini Bread
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup oil
2 cups zucchini, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup nuts (optional)
3 teaspoons cinnamon
Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine all ingredients.
• Pour into two greased loaf pans.
• Bake for one hour.

Yield: two loaves (16 servings)

Tonight we dine like kings! This was the first time I had cooked this for my wife and I.

Adobo Manok sa Gata

Ingredients:

Chicken 8 thighs

1 13 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk

3/4 C. cider vinegar

8 garlic cloves

4 bay leafs

2 t. black pepper

1/4 C. soy sauce for marinade

2-3 red chili peppers

Directions:

1.) Prepare your chicken thighs by trimming the fat and leaving the skin on top of thighs.

2.) Add in a medium sized bowl 1/4 C. soy sauce  and mix in with hands. Allow to marinate for 1/2 h.

3.) Remove thighs and place into cold skillet, skin side down. You want to bring skillet and chicken to a medium heat allowing the fat to render off of chicken.

4.) Drain the fat into separate container, use skillet to brown peppers and garlic.

5.) Add  coconut milk, vinegar, pepper and bay leafs.

6.) Allow to simmer on medium low heat for 20 minutes.

7.) Transfer chicken to a plate then reduce your sauce for 5 minutes  stirring occasionally to allow          thickening.

8.) Pour thickened sauce over  1 C. bed of white rice with chicken and sauce atop.

9.) Enjoy!!!

 

Hello, hello! Greetings and salutations to all of our Filipino and American families of the Greater Lafayette, Indiana area. Sometime better known as Fil-Am Families. I have been thinking about food today! It seems most days I wake up just starved and this morning I am ravenous. You know, I have eaten all over the world in my travels and there is one meal that really satisfies me to the core and that is Sinigang Na Baboy. Masarap!!!!! Sinigang is a sour and spicy soup traditional to the Philippines and most of our Filipino - American households. There are many different ways of making this and nothing Progresso or Cambles Soup makes can compare. So if you would like to try this simple recipe tonight I guarantee it will put a smile on your tastebud's and a warmth in your tummy.
Here is our family recipe and I hope my wife does not kill me. TOP SECRET!

In America it's generally hard to find fresh ingredients that you will find in the traditional dishes so sometimes substitutes can be made by shopping at most general markets like Wal Mart, IGA and Marsh a.k.a. Market Street.

Sinigang Na Baboy:

Ingredients:
3 pkgs. Knorr Brand Tamarind Mix (found at local Asian market)
2 lbs. thinly sliced pork (boneless if preferred)
3 medium sized turnips
1 medium sized red onion
2 medium sized tomatoes (optional)
5-6 medium sized "Anaheim peppers" *** Very important that you get the yellowish green pepper shaped like a cow horn and more yellowish than the green. The wrong pepper will ruin your meal. IGA carries this.
1-2 pk. spinach or bokchoy (I like spinach as we have grown accustomed to substituting with this here in the States) bokchoy leaves a bitter after taste to most who have been here Stateside.
Another option for this dish is milk fish wish I love. You might find a medium sides one already cleaned at your local Asian Supermarket. (rinse, scale and clip off fins, then cut into 1" pieces) CAUTION: contains small bones towards the tale of the fish!

Directions: 
Bring to a boil in a medium sized stock pot approximately 2.5 gallons of water. If you have a a medium sized steam pot used for sioapao this works wonderful. I just fill it up about half way.
While your water is boiling on a medium heat, quarter your meat and trim the fat if desired. I like a lean cut boneless pork, approx. 2 - 2.5 lbs. Rinse your meat and add to the boiling pot. Boil on low for 45 minutes.
On a separate cutting board for vegetables, rinse and prepare your turnips as these take a while to cook. I cut them into thin slices, throwing away the ends of course. 2-3 medium turnips should do. You may wish to add long beans to the mix if you can find these fresh. (rule of thumb: if they are spongy and have black spots don't buy them). If somewhat crisp when you break then these may be added. I rinse and cut about a handful into 1" pieces and add to pot. Next, rinse and add your onion.
Cut a couple of your Aneheim peppers down the middle, length wise and add to pot. You will also want to add 3 uncut. Depending on the spiciness you may cut three and add no more than six total.
Lastly, add your tamarind mix. My wife and I use 3 packages of the Knorr brand.
Let this entire stock boil for the 45 minutes total time, skimming the soup scum from the top with a soup ladle. If you prefer bokchoy you may rinse and cut the root end off and add or use spinach substitute.
After the mix has boiled for 45 minutes or so give it a taste. You may add a bit of sea salt if needed. Wash and rinse two medium sized tomatoes and add this to the pot. Your final ingredients is your spinach. Make sure you rinse this WELL and only blanch the spinach for about 7-8 minutes. I lower my heat and allow to boil for another 15-20 minutes.
Serve with one cup of white rice!
Enjoy!!!