When I first came to Switzerland about eight months ago, i didn't know how to cook anything except fried dishes and instant noodles. Imagine the panic I felt when it dawned on me that I had to learn to cook or else Michael and I would either starve or spend so much on instant food or restaurant meals. The former was not an option while the latter was not sustainable (plus I wanted home-cooked meals).

And so I scoured the internet for easy to follow (Filipino) recipes and tried my hand at cooking. I found this food blog (www.pinoycook.net) in August and I have been a follower ever since.  

I was fortunate enough to have a husband who is willing to eat what I cooked even if these are mostly Filipino dishes, which are sometimes very different from the European palate. My early attempts were okay but it was only recently that I gained enough confidence not only to try other recipes aside from the usual adobo, pansit canton and stir fry but more importantly to cook something from scratch using ingredients that I have available in my pantry.

One example is the chicken pineapple dish that you see in the picture.   I have chicken bits in the freezer, fresh young corn, a jar of pineapple tidbits and a pack of coconut milk in the pantry.  Michael and I also bought a small jar of Sambal Oelek from the supermarket's Asian section. And so, I cooked this for lunch a few weeks ago and Michael loved it.