Getting Fat With Pata

Today I decided to cook estofadong pata for lunch, the way my Mom cooks it.

Estofadong Pata is basically slices of pork leg (trotter) cooked in soy sauce. Tradition dictates that it should be sweet and have strands of dried banana blossom. The taste is somewhat a fusion of adobo, patatim and pinaksiw na pata. This particular anatomic part is ideal for estofado because of the abundance of chewy skin and sticky fat/soft tissue. My recipe (or more appropriately, Mom's recipe) also has chicken liver, pineapple chunks and saba banana slices added. As for the sauce (and the way we cook it), that's our family's secret.

Estofadong pata is best served hot with freshly-cooked steamed rice.

Gelato Love

Mom and I love ice cream.

After a very tasty Chinese dinner tonight, we decided to cap off our meal with something cold, sweet and simple. And so I brought her to Caffe Ti-amo.

Caffe Ti-amo Italian Gelato & Coffee is located at the ground level of Greenbelt 5, Makati City. Cozy, that's the simplest word that can describe this cafe -- dim lights, pleasant interior, comfy chairs, and, yes, a tree in the middle. But this establishment's design is actually an eye-catcher... a blend of the casual and the classy, as well as the classic and the modern; more French or English than Italian.

This cafe boasts of its colorful collection and wide array of gelato (that's Italian for ice cream), artistically sculptured and displayed in a very inviting fashion. This is temptation literally in the form of an ice cream. Other items are also present in their menu, namely, cakes and waffles -- Waffle Gelato being one of the bestsellers.

Mom and I chose our all-time favorites: pistachio and tiramisu gelato. The former was perfect for Mom, as the sweetness was just right. Hindi nakakaumay. The latter tasted like Bailey's ice cream (that's why I chose it), a pleasing and delicious deviation from the traditional, plain coffee-cocoa flavor.

There. The diabetic mother and diabetic-to-be son, enjoying the dessert moment, savoring a single-serving each of heaven. Ice cream is love.