START the day right with a good breakfast. That is what our mothers would always say. We all agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But we often ignore it. One of the reasons we skip breakfast is the lack of time. Preparing breakfast can be time-consuming for some. But there are recipes like this egg recipe that is as easy as 1-2-3.

One of our favorite egg recipes is the omelet or omelette. In his book, An A-Z of Food and Drink (2002), John Ayto writes that Randle Cotgrave first described the omelette as ‘”haumelette” or a pancake of eggs during the 17th century.

In this episode of What’s Cookin’? with AHA, chef Paul Samson demonstrates the proper way of cooking the famous omelette.

Here are the ingredients:
Salt
White pepper
5g white onion (minced)
5g green bell pepper (diced)
5g mushroom (sliced)
2 tbsp. Oil or butter
2 pcs. Whole eggs (beat then, set aside)

Procedure:
1. Heat the pan. Then, add the oil.
2. Heavily whisk the eggs.
3. Season with salt and white pepper.
4. Sauté green bell pepper, onion and mushrooms.
5. Add the beaten eggs.
6. Scrape the sides of the omelette.
7. Flip the omelette.
8. Fold into half.
9. Add spring onions and parsley for garnish.

Here’s a tip from the chef: Make sure to scrape the sides of the omelette consistently. This will prevent the browning in the omelette.

WHO says skydiving and acrophobia–the medical term for fear of heights–cannot mix?

We had a chance encounter with Master Sergeant Alex Busto (of the Philippine Army Parachute Team) while he was folding his parachute moments after landing.

He was among a number of skydivers who joined the recent Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark Field.

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By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

What else can you do with eggs? Sunny-side up, boiled, fried. But have you ever tried a different twist to your mundane egg meal in the morning? American Hospitality Academy Assistant Chef Instructor Paul Samson Paul Samson shows you how to cook one. It’s called the Potato Fritata.

Here are the ingredients:

1pc potato sliced thin
2T clarified butter
30g onion, white, sliced
salt
pepper, white
3 eggs
30g bacon (optional)

Procedure:

Sauté onion in butter. Add potatoes, salt, pepper. When potatoes are half done, add three eggs, beaten. Cook in low heat.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

Gently add the ingredients on the medium heat Saute Pan

Cook eggs until the top part is left uncooked. Then finish the eggs in the oven broiler for three to four minutes.

Now, that’s a better way of cooking your plain eggs. Happy eating!

Editor’s Note: Here’s our answer to the “missing egg yolk” issue. According to AHA assistant chef instructor Paul Samson, the egg yolk is optional. It is used to thicken the sauce. But in this video, he chose not to use one (although it was in the list of ingredients) since the sauce’s consistency was already good. And no, the egg yolk didn’t fall on the floor

By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

WHAT else can you do with shrimp? Well, you can turn it into a Shrimp Carbonara. This is an easy-to-prepare meal that is good for dinner. And since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, follow these simple steps and start cooking and impress your date.

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CLARK FIELD, Pampanga–Aside from the grand spectacle of seeing gigantic floating balloons dotting the sky, this year’s Hot Air Balloon Fiesta also aims to promote aviation as a career.

Twenty-five hot air balloons of different shapes and sizes took off this morning here for the opening of this four-day event.

These balloons were flown into the country by cargo firm UPS from participant countries including Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, France, United States of America, United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Netherlands and Malaysia.

Touted as the country’s biggest aviation event, the event also includes skydiving, paragliding and kite-flying exhibitions by military and privately-run flying clubs.

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SEVENTY five skydivers will jump. Twenty five colorful balloons will fly. And balloons shaped like elephants, tigers, sugarhouse, mug cup, para-gliders, kites, helicopters, and planes will take to the sky during Clark Freeport’s 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF).

Apart from the Philippines, other countries including Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, France, United States of America, United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Netherlands and Malaysia will participate in this year’s event.

“Our objective is to open the eyes of everybody of what aviation is about. It gives the country an opportunity for aviation tourism. This is an opportunity for us to show that we have a friendly sky. We welcome them in flying in our airspace and see the beautiful country side,” says Joy Roa, events director of PIHABF.

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Passengers flying United Arab Emirates’ Etihad Airways can now choose between European and Arabian cuisines.

Part of its “inspired service,” these gourmet meals are served a-la-carte or through fixed menu and kitchen menus anytime.

Etihad Airways is a five-year-old airline based in Abu Dhabi. It has a recorded six million passengers in 2008. It claims to be the first carrier in the Philippines to offer fully flat beds for passengers.

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By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net

How do I love thee? Let me cook the ways.

In Filipino culture, every occasion is celebrated with food. This is true for Valentine’s day when couples flock to restaurants to have candle-lit dinners coupled with fine cuisine.

But instead of braving traffic and the crowd during that day, there’s a better way of scoring a date without the need to go to a posh restaurant in Makati. Try cooking dinner for two this Valentines’ day.

Cooking a romantic dinner will surely make your night less stressful, as you avoid the late night traffic jams. This is also one way to make a lasting impression on a Valentines’ day. Besides, this 30-minute meal is easy on the budget but not in style.

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IT was when I was around 14 years old I remember buying my first Swatch. I saved enough from my allowance along with discount coupons cut out from newspapers at that time.

The only place I know where to buy one was in SM North in Quezon City–specifically in the Annex area because I’ve seen a Swatch store when our teachers took us there during a class field trip to Manila.

A field trip then wouldn’t be complete without a visit to an SM mall.

I never went to Manila on my own before then, but in previous trips (by car or bus) I’ve always figured out that once you’ve seen it you know you’re already in Manila.

And so I skipped class one morning and instead hopped on a bus bound for Cubao, told the conductor to drop me off at SM North, hopped on the bus a few hours after and was back in Tarlac in time to show off my brand-spanking new Swatch to high school buddies who may have thought I was sick that day.

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By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net

Why is duman an expensive rice delicacy?

One pati equivalent to 1.8 kilogram of the very young grain of duman sells for P2,500 or $40. To know about the process of duman making and the state of this industry, we trooped to Sta. Rita, Pampanga.

Pampanga provincial tourism officer Ian Mejia said the existence of the duman-making tradition dates back to pre-Hispanic Kapampangan society.

He said Friar Diego Bernardo has mentioned duman in “Vocabulario de Lengua Pampanga” published in 1700.

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