My First Dinuguan

I am not fond of  dinuguan or blood stew,  though I eat it occassionaly as accompaniment of lechon or puto.   Blood, entrails and offals are not that big on my list,  but as a cook, I have to overcome my difference if I want to be good at my trade.

So it was one of those lazy weekends, that I decided to make some.  I scanned through so many recipes, and my daughter-in-laws was the closest that I really liked.  And the ingredients I got from the Oriental store.

Last year, when I was at the Chocolate Show, Puerto Rican chef Martin made a pork chocolate sauce for his pernil (baked pork) and it tasted delicious.  I wanted to replicate the idea.

I tried at first to put more chocolate than blood, but at the first taste, it was more of champoradolike, so I added more blood.  Which after time, I did get the consistency and taste that I desired.  My ratio was 3:1 , more on the blood side.  What made it really like blood stew was the evident taste of the vinegar prior to adding the reds.  At least for me, I didn't really have that much of the rustic taste of blood because of the bitter chocolate that I incorporated.

After  cooking my first dinuguan, I procrastinated in taking pictures since I just wanted to enjoy my lazy day.  No sooner than I could think of, friends dropped by for some friendly chatter and my dinuguan soon vanished, leaving me with no pictures but the semi- mis en place of my dish.

Rocco di Spirrito said that before making it in print, he had to test his recipes 15 times, and every time he does, it comes out different.  Well, I'm 14 recipes short, but in due time, I will come up with my own version of the blood stew.....abangan!!!!! 

Who Stole my Sans Rival?

I've just been cruising in on my bed, after that roller coaster adrenaline rush during the holidays. Just couldn't keep focused on what to post or what to write. Too many things happening on my paid holiday leave of 10 days. Squeezing in 3 parties, meeting family and a short trip to West Virginia are all what I can handle. Snippets of these activities roam around my head like birds flying before my eyes.

I remember the preparations for the Holidays and on Christmas day with family, we played games and ate heavily . Then the next day my integrity as a cook was at stake. After all those articles I wrote about food and graduating from a course, I had to prove myself and had friends over for dinner. I got raving reviews from Baby Wamsley which meant I passed the test. 

Then there was the trip to Beckley, W. Virginia to meet my relatives, the Ramases, which was a first for me and a great one at that. One night, as we were having dinner, it dawned on me that I was amidst professionals. At the dining table were either medical doctors or nurses, an astro physicist and a rocket scientist who works for NASA, and here I am a measly kusinera from New Jersey. But nevertheless, I was not in the least intimidated. After all, they are my relatives whom I've known since birth.

Then back in New York, I missed my nephew , Anthony Huxley's debut as the cavalier of the famous New York Ballet ensemble 'The Nutcraker'. But nevertheless, we met after the show and had dinner with his mom, Generosa, Adrienne and Mike.

New Year's day just passed by like a breeze and before long, the last of the party plates have been stored and am back at work. Then of course there's the matter of the leftover food from the holidays.
Most are now frozen and labelled to be thawed as needed.

So I'm thinking of what to do in the next couple of days with the left overs we have :

Ham - to be made into quiches galore: some just plain, others with veggie lefties..and the ham bones to flavor the beans.

Lechon – paksiw tends to be boring already, and fried gets too greasy---hmm, why not make lechon filled ravioli and pour on a garlic flavored balsamic vinegar reduction. Now that's something

veggies – as these will just rot when left unattended, might as well plop everything in the juicer and squeeze out all its nutrients. Then drop a tinge (actually make it an ounce for every cup veggie) of vodka or cachaca rhum for that holiday hangover...hubog naman atong new year-- tiwasan nalang nato! Healthy pa!

And as for the desserts--- hey! Where's the sans rival I saved up for that coffee of mine?...I placed it in the freezer, with my name on it pa gyud!...hmmm, have to do a little investigating here...anyway, can't wait what's in store this tiger year...Rooaaaarrrr!!! Happy New Year everyone

Are you up for a party?

I have been so menlancholy these past few days. I just don't know why. So I try to log on as many times in facebook just to see if my friends are there and do a little chitchat. But alas! So few of them are logged on these days. What with Christmas coming next week, countless office parties, last minute shopping, wrapping gifts, cooking holiday treats—you know, that whole festivity shindig.

Even my children are so busy with their own families(the married ones) and my young adult boys are engrossed with their own happenings. The only person that really cares to be around me is my own labidabs husband. Am not that thrilled though, because he has squid arms, which finds its way all over me and sometimes gets to be annoying. REALLY! Am not joking.

If I were back home, I would probably be in one of those office christmas parties where we play games, eat tons of food and exchange gifts. Moreover we get to recieve our 13th month pay. There is not much difference here, except that the 13th month pay is never heard of. Some say, you're lucky if you get a 50 dollar gift check from your boss. And then there are the parties-- but then we do have party ettiquette 101 that I shall enumerate and call to mind:

1) I think every person who wants attention has a phone. Name brands such as i-phones and blackberries are usually expensive but aren't really much better, they're just more complicated.. In office parties, texting or checking facebook, emails or whatever you think is important, is a no-no. Well thats what I think. I once read that people who rely on their phones too much are 'socially challenged.' Which when translated in layman terms is probably having a case of 'don't talk to me' disability....maybe bad breath? A tich? Or a wallflower type? A party is a place for socializing with other people around...not with your phone or other peoples phone...hey! Why not have a phone party where no one talks but just texts...now that will be an original...unless of course you are fingerless.

2)Don't put too much food on your plate like you haven't eaten in a week. Many times, we tend to get more than needed then realizing that our thoughts were bigger than our stomachs. If you want free food, here are tips”
a. My cousin once invited me for lunch, and instead of going to a resto or a fast food pad
she brought me to costco, a wholesaler store . She told me to eat as much as I could on the sample food or giveaways that the store offered. True enough, every now and then, a vendor would have sample bits of pizza, pasta, dried fruit-- you name it, there was always something new. Not only did we get our shopping done, we had our fill as well. Look for a store that offer free samples of food such as a grocery store. The good ones have regular days-- keep that in mind if you want free food.

b.) If you saw my pictures earlier at the Philippine Embassy in NY, they had free food after the simbang gabi event. We didn't join the simba, because we were only after the food. Honest! Besides I was with an an atheist, a born again Christian and someone who cares less about religion, so what was the point in attending mass. Besides, we were late for the mass, but early for the reception...So the key to this is : Gatecrash an event which has food. By the way, be sure there are no secret service around. After the Salahi gatecrashed the White House, they learned their lesson.

3. And finally, don't drink booze too much, lest you make a fool of yourself. Just so you know...If you really want to drink and not get drunk but just feel like you're part of that 'social' group, there are lots of non-alcoholic wines nowadays, which has a similar taste as the regular wine. On the other hand, if you want to drink and also get drunk yet would not want any hangover ask your somalier for some advise on this. They have tons of information on the liquor your looking for.

As I write this piece, it just dawned on me why I am feeling this way. It's that cycle of a woman that gets suddenly hit by 'MEN' sickness. You know, that syndrome that leads to MENtal aggravation , MENstruation and finally MENopause. Knowing the cause, makes me feel better. Now am just ready to party....Happy Holidays everyone!