Last week was a pleasant change from our
usual days. Most of our days are spent
at home or within our neighborhood – my daughter calls our subdivision “Subdivision
ni Kuya” in reference to the confines of the Big Brother House. We were coaxed by my sister to join them in
the Moulinex You Cook 3 video recipe challenge launch at the SM Prestige
Lounge. Our normal schedule was
pleasantly disrupted by a trip to the mall.
We were a few minutes late on the invite time, but we still made it to
the event with some time to spare to register, fool around at the photo booth,
and settle down in our seats before the emcee opened the launch.
It was a cozy gathering of writers,
bloggers, and members of the mall’s exclusive club. We listened as the microphone changed hands
from the emcee, to the Moulinex and Krups brand marketing manager, to last year’s
You Cook 2 winner, and to this year’s panel of judges. It’s not a whole lot to take in. This year’s competition is open to ladies
aged 18-40 who have the passion for cooking and the personality to shine in
front of the camera. Unlike last year’s
competition, only amateur cooks (cook hobbyists as the organizers termed it) are
eligible to join You Cook 3. More
information about this cooking video cum cook off challenge is available at www.moulinex-youcook.com.
As the contest
mechanics were being rolled out, my sister kept nudging
me and was obviously excited about the prospect of preparing one of our signature
dishes for a You Cook 3 video entry. I have
always been camera shy, but I am definitely confident in front of any cooking
appliance. We definitely have a lot of
signature dishes in the family. My mom
raised us on “no-name” dishes that she put together with healthy ingredients
sans any cookbooks. We learned about her
dishes simply by actual cooking and tasting.
I now have my own family, and with my husband’s dietary restrictions, I
have also learned to get creative with “My Signature Dish” recipes.
Checking out my goodie bag from the event,
I decided to cook my Chicken Parmigiana with Shitake Marinara as a
post-birthday treat for my husband. The
Clara Ole tomato sauce and pasta sauce were used for my homemade marinara
sauce. This is a dish that is simple
enough for my 11-year old to prepare on her own – she loves taking charge of
the breading station. It just takes a
few minutes to put everything together once the marinara sauce is done. Reducing the sauce and letting the flavors
mingle for a while is the longest part of the cooking process. Served over spaghetti noodles or penne
noodles, this is a complete dish that is both hearty and healthy at the same
time.
I am not a professional cook, but I do cook
with love and passion. When my daughter’s
classmates give her compliments and ask about food from our kitchen, I always
tell her that there is only one secret – the food that comes from our kitchen are
always prepared with unlimited amounts of love.
Know
more about the Moulinex You Cook 3 Video Recipe Challenge at at www.moulinex-youcook.com or like the
Moulinex Facebook page www.facebook.com/MoulinexPH for more updates.
