Cooking and Sewing With TPS: Filipiniana

Last Friday, Sharkteeth's school held the culmination activity for the Buwan ng Wika. From what I remember, it was only Linggo ng Wika before, but now, it's apparently a month-long affair that is combined with other Filipiniana activities.

Ang tagal ko nang tinatanong si S if she needs a Filipiniana costume, and wala naman daw sinasabi. Come Wednesday, "Mymy, I have bad news. We need a Filipiniana costume." Arrrggghh. "And Pinoy-themed food," she added. Arrrggghh. Arrrggghh. Kasalanan ko rin naman. Ever since she started school, lagi namang kailangan ng costume. Di ko na dapat hinintay pang i-announce. I initially thought of just buying a costume from the mall, but aside from the flimsy material and very common designs available, it's a bit expensive as well. An expense that is not only out of the budget but is also going to waste after the activity. Mag-re-rent sana ako sa Noelle West (a gown rental  boutique here in Visayas), but the remaining dresses are in black (di feel ni S ang color), green (same reason), or black and yellow (di ko feel ang color -- bubuyog ang peg?!). Idagdag pa ang Pinoy-themed food. I suggested we just purchase from Red Ribbon or Goldilocks, but S insisted I make pastillas. "But my classmates LOOOOOVVVEEED the pastillas you made last year." So I made pastillas. *Uto-uto* Hay, puro gastos. So I did what I'm good at -- improvise. I have a two-meter-long bolt of eyelet lace over sheer fabric that I was supposed to make into Roman blinds plus another cream fabric lying in my stash and turned them into this:

Not too shabby, right? I'd even dare and say that I did a good job sewing her Filipiniana dress. And I'm glad I did because nobody had a similar dress -- especially since S doesn't like having an outfit similar with others'.

Well done, me! *Hehehe, purihin na ang sarili. False humility what?!* 

"Faux" Pastillas De Leche

I call this "faux" pastillas de leche because it's not the traditional way of making pastillas de leche. That doesn't mean it's actually fake and inedible. Masarap naman, but it's way too sweet for my taste. And for the remaining pastillas de leche purists out there, I have the recipe for the traditional one as well.

Faux Pastillas de Leche

Ingredients
1 medium pack of unsweetened powdered milk (~2.5 cups)
1 small condensed milk
0.5 c sugar for rolling


1. Mix the powdered milk with the condensed milk until it looks like a dough.
2. Form into half-inch balls, then roll into little logs.
3. Roll the logs on the sugar.
4. Cover the logs with parchment paper or even bond paper cut into 2x3-inch rectangles.
5. Wrap the paper-covered pastillas with papel de japon.

You don't have to decorate it -- it's just a wrapper after all. However, I'm a sucker for good packaging, and because it was Sharkteeth's Linggo ng Wika food contribution, I thought making it look nice wouldn't hurt. Instead of the traditional way of cutting the paper into lace-like patterns, I just used my old puncher to decorate the scalloped edges. Ganyan talaga ang mga harassed na nanays, kung ano-anong shortcuts ang natututunang gawin. Hahahaha! I was able to finish this in less than an hour, from the mixing to the arranging in a wicker basket. *Triumph for the harassed nanays!*

For the traditional way of making pastillas de leche, you need 1.5-2 liters of fresh milk and sugar for rolling. Just simmer the milk, stirring continuously until it is reduced to about a quarter or a third of the original quantity of milk. You'd know when it's done when it is starting to look like a ball of soft dough. Remove from the pan and let it cool, then follow steps 2 to 4.

My mother used to make pastillas the traditional way, which entails using the freshest milk from our mama cow. (The fresh milk makes all the difference. It tastes so much better than the "faux" kind.) It's a labor of love -- it takes hours to simmer and reduce the milk, while stirring the whole time. It starts off easy, but when the milk is starting to reduce and ball up, it can be a drag, literally!

I might try doing this one of these days if I'm able to get fresh milk from the local dairy.

♥♥♥

Sharkteeth in her Muslim princess costume for Linggo ng Wika