The Best Chicken Adobo Ever and Ever and Ever

     Ask any filipino what their favorite native cuisine is and chances are Chicken Adobo is right up there in their list. This comfort food is perhaps the best known recipe among filipino dishes in that it tastes just simply awesome. There are many variants to the dish depending which part of the archipelago you ended up asking, but the key ingredients remain the same for generations. These regional variations only adds more flavor and flair to the country's national dish. The proportion of the key ingredients themselves can vary ( soy sauce, bay leaves, garlic, black pepper) and depending on what your taste buds feel like you can add more spices, in the form of siling labuyo, jalopeno pepper, and bell pepper. Onions, pineapple chunks, and onions can be added as well.

     Chicken adobo is a dish inherited from the Spanish during colonial times. Although pre-spanish filipinos marinate meats in salt and vinegar to extend it, it was ultimately during the Spanish Period that the dish we know as Adobo was brought into fruition. Although many variants such as pork adobo, and beef adobo came soon thereafter, it is Chicken Adobo which gained worldly fame.

So, enough talk. Let's get cooking. You'll need the following:

• Chicken legs, wings, and thighs, about 5 lbs in all. 
• half a cup of soy sauce
• half a cup of white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons black pepper corns
• 6 bay leaves
• 7 cloves of garlic
• 1 whole onion diced
• 1 bell pepper, cut into strips
• a can of pineapple chunks
• half a cup of olive oil
• two and a half cups water

As in all filipino dishes, the secret to taste is in the preparation. Dice garlic and brown them in the olive oil. Add onions soon after until onions are tender. Let cool. In a large pot combine chicken soy sauce and your sauteed garlic and onions and let stand to marinade for about 3 hours or so. I usually marinade for a total of 5 hours to really let the flavors sink in.

Once marinated, brown the chicken pieces a bit in olive oil just enough but not too much. Then add in the remaining marinade as well as water and bring the mixture to a boil for about 30 minutes or so or until chicken is tender. Add in the black pepper corns, bay leaves, and if you decide to make this one spicy, add in the siling labuyo ( bird's eye chili).

when the chicken is tender, open the pan to allow the sauce to reduce. bring it down to a simmer then add in the bell pepper and pineapple chunks. Stir once. Then add the vinegar. Stir again and let cook for another 10 minutes or so.

Chicken adobo gives off that aroma you just can't resist once cooked. I serve mine hot over white rice topped off with chopped chives. If I want to get real fancy I would sprinkle some crushed pork chicharrones (think of it as filipino bacon bits) or browned sesame seeds. Dig in and enjoy!! 

Bon Appetit!!!

A Life Unhindered

Ever imagined how life would be like if we stop wanting for more, if we stop and take a deep breath and step back to see what we actually have RIGHT NOW? Wouldn't it be great if we actually say to ourselves," Yeah, I'm happy. I am where I'm supposed to be.". Do you think we'll ever get to that point?

Let's face it, the world we live in today is a world full of compromises. It is also a world riddled with dilemmas and issues yet to find reasonable basis not to mention solutions. Oh, we haven't gotten to the "solutions" part yet. Did you notice that anybody who is anybody out there seems to have a solution in mind for one of our problems. It can be in the form of a product or a service but the premise is the same; to solve a problem we may be having. All in the name of sound progress and efficiency, you might add.

Well, let's take a minute to imagine, just imagine for a second, what if we lived in a world devoid of material   things, devoid of schedules, devoid of tension and stress? Can you find your place in it? Putting the question more aptly, can you function in such a world? Do you know what your assets really are in this imagined world? My point in all this is that we often forget what our blessings really are and that we get caught up in the hubbub of everyday world that we forget to appreciate the little special things that are granted to us.

Living a life unhindered means some changes must be put into action. We cannot sit around idealizing such a world without putting at least some effort to see it to fruition. Living a life unhindered means you have to learn to let go of a lot of things. You have to let go of your desire for material things, your ambition for more money, the many different causative factors which put stress into your daily life. It also means having an open mind. You have to be mindful of what your options are. Remember that the path of least resistance is the best way to take. Learning to see through situations and changes in your life enables you to be more in control; to be able to step back every once in a while and see things in perspective gives you more freedom to exercise your power to choose what is best for you and when.

Lastly, learn to count your blessings. Don't wish for a fuller cup when you don't see a half-empty cup as being half-full. Don't want more than is necessary. Be forgiving and be more giving. When you learn to do these things a special feeling begins to dawn unto you. It is the feeling of being light, being content, being worry-free. Leave what you can behind. Carrying excess baggage only slows you down. Remember that life is about journeying and not simply just living. Don't try to find yourself in the universe of things. Chances are, more often than not, you are already where you are supposed to be. You just don't realize it yet.

Learn to see with your mind's eye and learn to feel with your heart. Don't be wasteful of your emotions. Rest when you can. Work when you aren't resting. Love all the time. Share what you have and share your gifts and skills. Learn to acknowledge the resounding truth that you are never alone and that you will never be complete until someone completes you. Respect the world around you. Listen to what mother nature teaches us over and over again. Learn to be a conservationist. Clean and green is not just a movement, it's a way to save a planet. When you finally get old and sit in that little stool of yours out back in the garden somewhere, take a deep breath. Recount back the years and just like the beautiful large tomatoes you see yourself planting someday, your life was indeed beautiful and unhindered. 

Live a life unhindered. Start now.