The New Yummy Is Here!

The new Yummy Magazine was in the store today! And, of course, I have a copy.

I love Yummy. It was the first food magazine I found here in the Philippines. I'd cut my teeth on Gourmet and, after it started being an advertisement catalog with a few recipes, moved onto the far, far better Cooks Illustrated.

The magazine is slick and bright. Pictures are great and really make the recipes look appetizing. I especially like the pictorials of shopping in Manila. Of course, that's the problem "in Manila".

Often, for me, Yummy isn't a source of recipes. There are too many recipes in the magazine that require ingredients that are difficult or impossible to buy locally. But, that doesn't mean I don't buy the magazine religiously every month.

It's a great source of inspiration for me. Looking at the pictures, reading what other foodies are doing (much like other blogs that I read). This is where the magazine more than pays for its meager cost for me. P95 cover price (about US$2.15).

Recipes in this issue that I want to try:

• Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies. The author calls for vanilla, which sounds like an interesting choice. Of course, sans cranberries (I'm not a fan). Page 28.
  
  
• Cheese Fondue. OK, this one had me laughing in frustration. I love cheese. I loved melted cheese. Used car tires would taste good with melted cheese on them. So, I scan the ingredients and what do I see? Emmental cheese. Good? Oh yes. Available within 300 kilometers? Oh no. This recipe is telling me to try to make a halfway decent fondue using the local cheese blocks (Eden, Quickmelt, Kraft "Cheddar" ... in all three cases, think less flavorful Velveeta). That'll be a fun challenge. Page 31.
  
  
• Homemade Mushroom and Cheese Ravioli with Tomato Sauce. Fortunately, my mouth is dry today, otherwise I would've drooled all over this page. That looks and sounds so good. Only problem? The recipe uses cottage cheese. I recently figured out how to make a reasonable ricotta substitute. I'll use that. Page 45.
  
  
• Spiced Pound Cake with Apples in Warm Caramel Sauce. Just the name says "warning: sugar rush ahead". Yeah, it's a good thing. Getting reasonable apples will require the right timing (sometimes we have them, mostly we don't). And, I can't just hit Gaisano and buy caramel sauce ... but, that's another excuse to experiment. Page 46.

There are definitely lots more recipes this month. Those are just the ones that really caught my eye and demanded that I find a way to make them.

I had a good laugh with one recipe. "Cook 1 package prosciutto and cheese tortellini". Oh, that's rich. Packaged pasta ... here? Hahaha. If you hear a little pain in that laughter, you'd be correct. Sure would be nice sometimes.

Then again, that might take the fun out it.