I Scream ICE CREAM!

Do you ever have those days when your mind is totally a complete blank? I'm not talking about the Big A creeping in but something like an overdrive of your brain. Exhausting ones self to oblivion either mentally or physically will eventually result to a breakdown or fatigue.....It will lead to those "duhhh!" moments. when one just stares and gapes at nothingness....However, let me remind you, that if you do have those moments, make sure you're not in the presence of people because with a blank stare and mouth open, it will lessen your face value...if you know what I mean.

This whole week, I was just totally spent. In between sneezes and hot flashes, I was floating like a zombie. Reminds me of Michael Jackson's, "Thriller" song. One minute, I was dancing and gyrating to the 70's music, reminiscing my teenage years, and the next minute, am sitting down not even conscious that I'm staring at something.

Frozen in space is my theme for this week. Which means that I will be playing with ice cream, sorbets/sherbets, gelatos and granitas. So what is the difference...A lot and not so much...Ice Cream is simply what it suggests--frozen cream. Gelato is just the Italian name. Technically, sorbets are never made with milk or cream, and sherbets often have milk or buttermilk added. But then again, many professionals use the term interchangeably. Granitas are the simplest form of ice dessert. It's simply shaved ice.

Photographing ice cream is not easy since they easily melt. Many photo stylist often fake their shots by using mashed potatoes or shortenings. And there are many other tricks of the trade for this. But as of now, in my case, this is the real thing. For my three photos, my theme was MAHJONG......

Anybody for a chow. Am using melon balls on vanilla ice cream with green kaong for chips

Okay, so how about a PONG! Mga bintos pa gyud ang pong. Kuwang nalang ug usa para ma Cang! Vanilla ice cream with green kaong.

Kani ang pinaka WAITING! Seven balls para Mahjong! All up single, siete pares, paningit and jai alai.....Oh usab pa ta!


Then I made kiwi granitas which I placed in the ice maker and turned it into sorbet. It tasted so good.
I placed the cherry because I had a funny thought in mind which I will keep to myself the explanation.......

Another glass serving with dollops of whipped cream. How cute those small dots look.

The recipe is so simple: 1 kilo kiwi fruit peeled and chopped (take off the center stems)then place in blender or food processor. Mix with3/4 c. sugar which was dissolved in 1 1/3 water. Chill.

To make granitas, when it starts to set, scrape it down. And to continue into sorbet, place in your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.




Then my experiment of the frozen ice cream. My Thai friend said to shape a round ice cream and freeze it. Once frozen, totally wrap it in bread, making sure there are no holes that would expose the ice cream when you fry it. Leave in the freezer for hours until frozen hard. Then heat oil and fry for a couple of minutes until the outer layer turns crispy. (it doesn't look appealing when served as a whole. It looks like a meatball) So when serving, cut it up and pour in chocolate sauce, and powder with granulated sugar.

Oh, by the way, I froze several ice cream balls and one of them I coated with pecan nuts. And when I served it, I had to cut a portion to display the inside. I placed it on top of my granddaughter's over run chocolate cake...cool!

Pinoy ala Pobre

“Ma, kung puputi ako, yayaman ba ako,” (Mom, If I turn white, will I be rich?“) was an inquiry my eldest brother made as a kid. This was when the American soldiers would roam Cebu streets with their transistor radios and chocolates, and Cebuanos would go, “Hi, Joe!” . I often wondered what my brother's real intentions were. Would he want to be fair colored like the Americans or did he want to be rich? Or is being white a prelude to being rich?…

For me, being rich is a state of mind. And being poor is not the absence of wealth, but the absence of meaning. I often tell my children that the best investment is relationship, and if you put your time, effort and resources into having real, true friends, you will reap more than you can ever imagine.

Being rich is what many aspire in the material world. Commercialism abounds so much that sometimes we even measure success by having the means. Because many filipinos cannot fulfill their dreams in their own country, they opt to leave. A prominent school in Bacolod, has half of its population in the nursing department, while the other half is a combined mixture of business, the arts and the sciences. That just goes to show you how desperate filipinos are for a better life and their only recourse is out!


Some look for the American dream which is: German car, Italian Wardrobe and Swiss bank Account. or , the Chinese dream which is : an American house, a Japanese wife and Chinese food...but what is the Filipino dream? I asked a lot of my friends about this, and many replied - to get out of the country which is really a sad plight. But I guess it's a host of many things. The best answer came from an old 'boyfriend' who composed this song and which the apo sang...I heard this for the first time today and just loved it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ2ynVPactM

okay, so do you know who my 'boyfriend' was???? he was a cutie then...hahahah! (but this was in high school, silly!! so no need for explanation on both sides..)...so much for that..

Last week I spent my birthday with brunch at a Brazilian resto in Union Square. I ordered the breakfast menu complete with beans, kale veggies, cassava carbs and a glass of caiperinha. At 2 in the afternoon they were serving me cocktails with the meal! The drink was so yummy, that I had to try making it myself when I got home.

Caiperanha is a poor man's drink in Brazil, like tuba is for the Cebuanos. Cachaca is the alcoholic beverage from sugar cane and is different from rhum, which is a byproduct of molasses. To make the drink, simply cut up lime, mix it with sugar and mash it with a pestle. Put in crushed iced, and add the cachaca. Mix and enjoy. You can even brush the rims of the glass with colored sugar. (i placed brown sugar in mine) Drink moderately because it has the same effect as the agave (tequila)

Imagine, they even have my age printed on the bottle...Talking of coincidences..


A la pobre in spanish means 'of the poor'. And many recipes are called ala pobre because they are either missing some ingredients, or it is the dish which the lower level of the economic chain often eat. But for me, it is a matter of semantics. Anchovies to italians, bulad for us. Same thing. We may not have Brazilian coffee, but we have kopi luwak (the most expensive in the world). Or tequila to the mexicans, lambanog for us. Same thing.

For me, we are all the same-equal, whichever way you look at it. Even when it comes to taste. Everyone has taste, but not everyone has exposure or experience. For as long as we do what we like and are happy, money will just follow us. (that is another law of attraction!) So,..what then defines the rich from the poor...this is what i got:

" Rich people pursue their dreams, read a lot, are curious and they are still kids...Yet a poor person will always try to look damn smart, spend too much on shitty things, and will always hate rich people."

Well said, but as for me, how would I know, I'm just middle class!!!!!

And talking about the pobresitong pinoys, why is it that the filipino culture has the crab mentality....so for today's dish, I have made 2 kinds of crab recipe...relleno and salad. The salad has the costly ingredients like apples, cucumber, green pepper and the caesar salad dressing. The relleno has the leftover veggies I had in the fridge, potatoes, carrots, okra, raisins and seasonings.


Whether one is a rich man's side meal and the other a poor man's main, they still both are yummy either way...Enjoy!

Are you sure it's my birthday?

Birthdays are such a fun event when you're young. Not so much for gifts, but for the fun that it brings when celebrating with friends. When I was younger, my birthday gifts were so limited to mostly clothes, dolls and hair accessories. And my birthday parties consisted of cake, ice cream, spaghetti with sweet hotdog sauce and pork barbecue on a stick. Although they were fun and memorable, I just couldn't wait to be thirteen when I was officially declared a 'teenager'.

At 13, I wanted to be 15 right away so I could attend discos or 'mix' parties. I was popular then, and I got invited to many of the soirees, but not without a chaperone, which was either a yaya or a sibling. Turning 16 was cool, because I could then watch movies that had a 'for adults only' sign, which meant I was an adult. Moreover, I was able to get a student driver's license, even if I wasn't driving, much less have a car. At 18, I went on dates unchaperoned mainly because I was already dating Mike, and he was a familiar face in our household.

At 21, I got my license to drink in bars which really didn't matter because I was already drinking anyway. A few months later, I got married and had my first child, Wiggy...After that, I started counting all my children's birthdays as well, and got.....

The nice thing about marriage is, its a partnership where one remembers a birthday while the other one forgets. In my case, I already stopped having birthdays at 32...and Mike keeps remembering it for the past 18 years. If I'd have a debut, this is it. Am at the age, where there is so much selective memory. I often catch myself in these scenarios....

"Where the heck are my glasses?"
"It's on your head, mom!"
"Where's that sanamagan ballpen I was just using?"
"It's behind your ears, mom!"
"Okay, now where are those keys?????"
"It's on your hands, mom, you're holding it!!"

And with all these answers, I get embarrassed and the only thing that comes out is an "OH"!!

If that's not bad enough, how about meeting a friend at a mall, and you both shriek with glee. She remembers your name, but you can't hers. What do you do? Try to recall--pudgy nose, pimples like potholes, and a body to die for--then your brain goes--downloading....downloading..downloading....and..ERROR!..then you try to upload an image of betrayal, ..a sexy body, boys...aha!..Nadia!!!your classmate that stole your best friend's boyfriend...but that was years ago, and both of you start to reminisce ....

Ohhh! if only our brains had those microchips, that can store data and then retrieve it when needed. As a matter of fact, I am believing that I have such an implant. Every night when my hubby tries to touch my keys for his rations, I turn to him and say, "access denied, access denied". But then, he eventually gets the password correctly: a diamond ring, a new camera, dinner at an expensive resto...then it's "password approved". Or how about those request your children make.

"mom, can i have a car?"...and you say, "deleted"
"mom, can i go to so and so's place? "...and you say, "with attachments!"
"mom, can i have money?..and you say, "virus, warning, virus in your wallet"
"mom, are you okay?"...and you say, 'system failure'.....and the diagnosis--"menopause, menopause,...reboot!

To be asked what a person would be 20 years from now, is easier to answer for a person in his teens than that of a golden ager. The former would have outlined his goals and dreams, because of his youth. But the latter, whose physique has taken its toll, would reminisce on the things he should have done. Such were my thoughts a couple of days ago.

As I ponder and think about my life, I am thankful to God for allowing me the joy of living, the ability to stand up inspite of the many wrong decisions I made, and for giving me what I really needed: supportive family, loving friends and my health. That's just what really matters.
In time, the health will wean and the physique will give its way. Friends will soon be gone - as the saying goes, "my parents told me to respect the elders, but I've reach that age when there are very few of them."...and my family --well they will move on and have their own families.....

Coming to America was an eye opener for me in terms of the elderly. Here, families are too busy to care for their own, and that they are left to many Filipino caregivers. It is so sad, and I thank God that in our society, we do take care of our own elders , regardless...it is our culture, and Thank God I'm Filipino!!! But then again, my children are opting to move to different shores, and so am wondering again...and pray...will they still be living the Filipino culture?...That made me think..I should start being doubly nice to them because they will chose my nursing home...

But then again, I thought to myself, what if I lose my mind to the Big "A". That's the 'in' thing with the elderly isn't it? Tears just started rolling because then the 'what ifs' of not remembering friends, or recognizing my own children or even forgetting how to chew came creeping in. I started to feel depressed, but just as I was sliding into it, i snapped out of it realizing that negativity just won't help.

Life is what you make of it. And I have resolved in my coming years, that I will take each step as they come with a teaspoon of sugar, and not a grain of salt (kay it's ASIN), and not to sweat the small stuff. I will look at every adversity with a smile, and remind myself that it is temporary. I will keep a positive attitude and stay away from people with long faces (read the "Law of Attraction"--and long faces aren't attractive)...and even if I do become mentally lost , I pray that I will never loose that sense of humor......and so at this point ARe you sure, it's my birthday? or was it 9 months before, when my parents had sex? hmmmmm....

Itlog, Manoy , Orange!

If you are Cebuano, you would definitely know what "itlog, Manoy, Orange!" means. This phrase is so commonly heard from food vendors. When riding a bus to the province, there are necessary stopovers which will often have the food hawkers advertise their wares simultaneously shoving them into your faces.

For those with confused conjugations, or have a muddled mind, it is presumed that a person's yard balls are a reddish yellow. (Probably from hours of tight sitting--you know how buses can be so crowded during the holidays).

So now why am I talking about eggs and orange. It's because Easter is a time for eggs..and lots and lots of it...First of all, what's with hiding them, and then letting little children look for it? Second, what's coloring the eggs got to do with it? And third, don't they know that eggs cost so much nowadays, don't they think of those poor chickens that have to push their embryos out so humans can have fun? What's with you people??! Oh yes, and do you really end up eating those eggs you find after it has been crushed and probably peed on by dogs.....Eating all those eggs you find will cause a GAS-tronishing catastrophe which equals that of eating the musical fruit....(pinch nose)...pheeew!

Okay, so before I get carried away, here's my Easter contribution for the day...




breakfast fare for my grandchildren....and the title of my article.
(check out the hair--groovy fried quail's egg)

Finally, there is this argument about which came first, the bird or the egg?
My take on this is that they came together when creation was made--they came
in between Adam's legs!!!!
Now my question is, was Adam Cuacasian or Asian!




unsa man dong! Itlog Manoy Orange?

Ataya oy! (a cebuano expression)

Ataya oy! is many a cebuano expression when translated literally would mean "livered up". But what does it really mean? Atay is Liver in the Visayan dialect, and so a person using the phrase might just have had a moment of exhilirating experience...or something.

As a young child, we never had any liver food, except liver spread on toast. Since we were not tagalogs, we had menudo sans the liver. But after I got married, my mother in law made the best liver and onions. After that I grew more adventurous.

I am anemic, so when I was pregnant, I had to eat liver as source of iron. Then I finally had liver in menudo...then when I had drinking friends, they had paklay...then of course, there was dinuguan which I ate only when everyone was eating it too..(but now I prefer to make my own, or my daughter in law's or issa's)..Then there is the grilled chicken livers or wrapped in bacon then baked or slow cooked.

Today, I passed by the deli, and bought a pound of chicken liver which I made into three appetizers/tapas. But before I show you my creations and their recipes let me tell you a short story about three brothers to go with my three tapas.

Here's the story:

There were three Cebuano brothers who were so close with each other. Even as they grew up, had jobs and got married, they needed to bond. So every Friday afternoon after work, they would meet at a bar and would have a few drinks before spending the weekend with their respective families.

The bartender and the locals would always expect them. However, things changed and two brothers were relocated to other cities. One brother was assigned in Manila while the other was signed in Mindanao. The three brothers, because of their commitment, promised to continue the habit of drinking every weekend as a reminder of their closeness and brotherhood.

Every weekend, the lone Cebuano brother would go to the bar, order three drinks and after consuming it, would then leave. Many months later, as he came into the bar, he ordered two drinks. The locals were surprised and thought something happened. Everyone at the bar approached the Cebuano and offered their condolences.

Local: Bai, sorry about your loss.

Bisaya: Ngano man bai? (WHY?)

Local: You ordered ony 2 drinks so we pressumed one of your brothers died.

Bisaya: Oh! No! Both my brothers are still alive and I'm still continuing our promise. I am drinking for both of them...Di naman ko mo-inom,Bai...Kay BORN AGAIN naman ko! (I'don't drink anymore because I'm born again) ...

Local 1: GI ATAY NIMO OY!!

Local 2: ATAY MAN KA OY!

Local 3: ATOTS PUD!

Okay, so here's my three chicken liver tapas


#1 Chicken Liver terrine
(cut up chicken livers sauted in butter with onions and garlic with seasonings plus madiera wine. Pureed and placed in a dish, then cooled to form) serve with crackers or in this picture..wheat thins.






#2 Chicken Liver in Skewers
(marinaded the chicken livers on ginger, garlic, soy sauce, seasonings and drops of red sherry wine. Wrapped in home made roasted pepper, skewered, then broiled)














#3 Sauted chicken livers
(sauted in olive oil, with garlic, onions until brown but still pinkish inside. Transferred to bowl then remaining onions deglazed with wine and poured over livers)




After the shoot, Mike and I ate my creations with the pairing of a drink...vodka, tomato juice, lots of ice and a celery garnish...which by the way, is excuse number 7 which my friend, issa and I placed in our book entitled: "1,000 ways to refrain from sex without saying NO!".....BLOODY MARY!





ATAYA OY!

Lechon Kawali

The first thing that a Filipino misses when he goes abroad is its food. And aside from not being able to cook them due to lack of time, or too much splatter, it is my contention that a filipino must haves are: rice cooker, slow cooker and a turbo broiler.

When i visited the wine shop to purchase a bottle of red, I was surprised that a certain brand of white wine was on sale for a dollar a bottle, which in the regular market could have sold for at least 8. The sommelier then informned me that the liquid has oxidized and is just considered better for cooking than for the table version than it was suppose to be. I bought a whole box since i do a lot of cooking with wine.

The night before, I had already placed the pork belly in the slow cooker, poured a bottle of wine and some store bought broth to cover the meat. I then added some garlic, onions, bay leaf, salt and peppercorns and left it overnight to boil for 8 hours under the slow cooking method. When I woke up, I took it out of the slow cooker and strained it on a rack. At this point I got the turbo broiler.

An hour before lunch, I started to cook my rice on the rice cooker, placed the belly on the turbo broiler and set the timer for 45 mins. Then I just forgot all about it until I became hungry for lunch.

Did I need to watch the pork while it was boiling? NO
Did I need to stir my rice while it was cooking? NO
Did I have too much splatter while making my lechon kawali or did I
need to turn it and keep watch over it while making it crispy? NO

Did I have a good, complete Filipino meal without having too much hassle:

YES!YES!YES!....
(the side dishes are your choices...mine came from a bottle)

In conclusion, are you a filipino that has a rice cooker, slow cooker and a turbo broiler...

GUILTY AS CHARGED!

Food Pairings

I am now into food pairings which means that the food I cook or eat should be paired by a drink that not only pushes its way down from the mouth but must leave a full memory of the whole epicurean experience.

Wine, beer or any other alcoholic drink is more often associated with merriment. A time for celebration, relaxation and bonding with buddies. For others, it is to be shunned when religious beliefs are suspect to it for being of a different spirit. An evil temptress that takes away the guards of inner inhibitions. But then that is the perception of many a fundamentalist. And it was mine for several years, until my views have been altered by a more knowledgeable approach.

There are many stories in the biblical text that mentions of wine with meals. Even the first miracle of Jesus conerning the wedding in Canaan, was about wine. John Wesley, founder of the methodist church, said that "wine is one of the noblest cordials in creation", and Martin Luther even mentioned that, "Beer is made by men, wine by God." But how come, many associate it with drunkeness? The real problem is best explained by the chinese proverb:" it is not the wine's fault, but the man's".

When I offer an alcoholic beverage to a serious fundamentalist christian (especially pastors...hahahaha!), it is more often rejected. Why? because of the bad publicity alcoholic/fermented beverages has had, and the amplification of man's weakness/sinfulness. Until we understand what it is really to take in beverages with alcohol content and our goal of why we do so, it then become a totally different experience. In previous years, where drinking was an excuse to loosen inhibitions, it is my quest to be able to marry the solids with the liquids that play around my palate. It is an integral relationship that is personal, intrinsic and satisfying.

Combining food with drinks are often best when we know how to pair them. Fish with white wine, or red wine with meats are often the safe choice. But that was the norm years ago, mainly because fish or seafood meals were lighter and should have a lighter beverage such as whites. And thus vice versa the red. But a few years back, that has already changed. Many white wines have been grown in different regions globally that can produce a full bodied heavy texture similar to the reds.

One thing I have learned to food pairing is that if it grows together, then it goes together. Simply put, if you have pasta on your table it is a wise choice to order italian wine, or that tapas are great with Spanish wines. It would be exotic to drink Austalian chiraz with an emu meat, or that French wines with sock stinking blue cheeses with worms sticking out.

In the travel chanel, Andrew Zimmern's show "Bizaare Foods", he was eating among other Filipino delicacies, the famous "balut". The pinkish beak and the tiny fleshy hair coming out of the bird makes me cringe. Although he particularly liked the taste of its meat, he wasn't keen on the juices, which to us Filipinos consider it so tastily delicious. Yet as I pondered on the way he said it, I came to the conclusion that the taste of the juice is actually the excrements of the bird itself. You probably would do the same thing being stuck in a shell for 16 days, having poo and pee all over and getting boiled along with it. Best pair for this salty balut, is the sweetness of the tuba!..hmmm..that one Zimmern has to try.

Last year, I went to a tequila tasting in Chelsea Market, home of the Food Network. As i recalled, we had different dishes that went with the 3 kinds of tequila. We had a sort of ceviche for the blanco, a black bean concoction with the reposado and the churros for the anejo. It was a totally satisfying and educational experience.

Two weeks ago, Mike and I purchased a few ounces of foie gras. I have heard so much about it being paired with a sauternes, that I went to the wine shop and asked to see a bottle . Behind the cash register and on a shelf was an 8 oz of yellowish liquid, that had an engraved gold plated sign "cheap wine". The sommelier picked the bottle and presented it to me as the only sauterne he had. When he told me the price, my jaw dropped with amazement. The small sweet tasting 8 oz. alcoholic beverage known as a sauterne cost about $499.00 per bottle. No way, Jose! am I going to buy such an extravagant liquid. Instead, he suggested a cheaper beverage such as a muscat. Why do most expensive stuff be so grossly extracted--cheese with worms, roes from 20 year old beluga fishes, and sauternes made from noble rot...

I was priviledged one time to dine at a fine dining resto somewhere in Manhattan. Where once I get intimidated by well dressed waiters who ask for your first order of a drink, i then got to know the importance of wine stewards or sommeliers. They are the buddies of the chef, the matchmakers of the food served, the friends of vintners. They are the ones who make a living out of drinking wine and telling you which goes best with what. In as much as I did want to order several drinks for several courses he suggested, it was just over my budget to try them all. Later on, I bought a bottle I liked which cost a little above than what I would have spent over just a glass in a fancy restaurant.

Last December, Mike and I had lunch at Morimoto's restaurant. I had a Morimotini while Mike had a saporo beer, Japanese food with Japanese beverage. Coming home, this gave me an idea of coming up with my own drink to eat with my own namesake, Silvana (actually it was sans rival but similar in recipe). I called my drink Silvanatini which is a combination of tequila, exotic fruit juice and several cuts of strawberries, cucumber and cherries. Yummmm.!

Thinking about this blog, made me want to picture my friends!






Red wine with cheese, chocolates, crackers and fruit:



tequilla and tomatoes is tempting:




white wine with chocolates



fruit flavored water:



the gang's all here:


the gang and the ladies:

Bird Talk

Two birds were sitting by a corner , oblivious to their surroundings. Mr. Quail and Mr. Duck, were sitting accross each other when they started to talk.

Mr. Quail: You looked plastered ! Wazzup,bro!

Mr. Duck: Man!!!This economy really sucks. I was having such a good time at
my Hamptons abode then, but now everything's gone caputz!!!

Mr. Quail: same here, man..what happened!

Mr. Duck: Well, me and my friends were minding our own business when
we see our friend, Duck White in his A-flock commercial that
earned him big bucks. We wanted a good life too so we
thought the best thing was to join the market. So my buddies placed
a lot of their eggs in one basket and asked me to check Wall Street
to check the market. There were many banks to
choose from but I thought the name Lee Man was better sounding than a
girly name, Mary Lints. Besides, my friend Peking, a household name in
China was a rich mogul and having a Chinese sounding name could bring us
luck.A month after, the bank collapsed..I should have known than to invest
in one of our kind….Imagine,I then realized I was banking with Duck Fold…

When the bank went belly up, I thought to myself, “I’m deader than a
dead duck!” How could I face my buddies now. I went to the Hudson and
swam my way around thinking….You know, that kind of swim where they think
you’re floating very well but under the water you’re paddling like hell…
That was what I did for a couple of days.

Then the news hit me that Lee Man was going to be bought out by a
relative. There was hope, I thought. What a jerk that relative, I think
he was called Bark Lee. Some dog! He only took the meat and didn’t care
for the rest. However, I was told we’d get our basket back without the
eggs of course. The insult is that the basket would be given when
everyone flew to a warmer climate.

Mr. Q: Did you eventually tell yor friends what happened after that?!

Ducky: Yes I did. At first, there was a lot of quacking, I thought I’d go deaf.
Then as expected, they chopped my head off and fed it to the dogs.
Plucked my feathers and made it into a feather duster, and skewered my meat
for barbecue. As for my bones, the pounded it to make into fish meal.

Mr. Q: what happened after that!

Ducky : What more could they do? At least I still had my dignity. I didn’t lived
in the Hamptons for no reason. I had a good life…But it’s not the same
anymore…..How about yours, what’s your story?!

Mr.Q: Am just an ordinary quail leading an ordinary quail’s life. Peck to peck
existence. Then I wrote a fiction about a Woman Featherweight Champion
which I entitled, “Loves and Life of Manilyn Quackyao”. I worked so hard on
the book which I considered my nest egg, and it became the No#1 bestseller.

Duck: What did you do with the eggs you earned.

Mr. Q: I heard this St Bernard canine, Maddog. You know he’s rich but the quiet type. A friend of mine convinced me to invest with him. Even during the economic slump, he was giving high yields of interest. AT first, the checks came every month, then it got delayed, and finally the checks started to bounce. I was stunned. When I saw on t.v. and learned about his Ponzi scheme, I ran like a headless quail. Clueless at just what happened.

Mr. Duck: What did you do..

Mr. Q: Then as fast as I was running, I stopped. I realized I just got burned. That’s when I stopped running. Now am just here sitting down, thinking that my life is over. But hey, I have no regrets. I’m just about ready to be gobbled up. I don’t care anymore.

Mr. Duck: Ho hummmm…Me too. I’ll probably end up on a toast or cracker. Or if am lucky I might be on board a rare dry aired piece of fillet mignon. I might even end up meeting my buddies, Truf Fle and Cav Iar. Then all of us can go in the slammer.

Q: That's the spriti!.…at least am sure that we’ll both be going out of a shit hole.

D: That’s for sure! And hey! Who knows , we’ll probably end up in the same loo.

Q: Two in a Loo Loo! Boo hoo hoo! ….But hey, let’s not gripe…who knows! Maybe next time we’ll reincarnate as humans. Now that’s something to look forward to.

Three Appetizers on St.Patrick's Day

Yesterday, Mike and I went to Louie Armstrong’s house which was converted into a museum in his memory. The tour of his house was informative, but I really did not sense much of him. Probably because the house was more for his wife, Lucille, than for Louie due to his absences because of his tours.

Being the person that Louie Armstrong was, outgoing and all, I could feel him in his garden, amongst his friends, enjoying the parties and jamming. Another place where his presence was alive was the den, where he kept most to himself. And of course, the gorgeous wall to wall to ceiling mirror covered bathroom. He had humble beginnings but was very successful as a musician. It is unfortunate that he left no heirs, thus donating everything to the city.

After that visit, we headed to Manhattan to check on the St. Patrick’s parade, only to realize that we had missed it. Nevertheless, we strolled to the upper side of Times Square towards the theatre where David Letterman holds his night shows.

On the side street of the theatre, there was a crowd that gathered. Mike thought there was a film shooting going on, since cameras were clicking everywhere. As we approached, we immediately heard shrieks of “Julia!!!” And to my amazement, there she was in her black dress.beautiful like in the movies, my idol in ‘my best friend’s wedding”--Julia Roberts! In the flesh!

Anyway,....of course nothing completes my day without having to cook up in my to-do list of cooking which included appetizers. Earlier in the day, I made salmon ceviche with wasabi vinagrette and this is it:



-salmon cut up in bite sizes
-wasabi powder
-grated ginger
-minced scallions
-few tablespoons of vinegar
-salt and pepper to taste

we ate this for breakfast and boy it was so yummy. Then I rememered that the Japanese ate their sashimi's in the morning when the morning catch was still so fresh. And that's just what we did.

Later on I baked some bone marrow after seasoning them. When the fleshy part was smooth and spreadable, I plated them with condiments and toast. There was also a little radish salad to wash away the oiliness but the buttery taste was yummmmmmm.


I also made scallops on cheese cups...

Starting the Weekend

The sun was still bright when the train rolled into the New York Penn Station at half past three in the afternoon. The station‘s main lobby had people scampering like ants anticipating the drops of rain, running in all directions, while others stopping to look at schedules posted on strategic locations. It was a Friday

My country pace and restful demeanor were so contrary to what was happening around me. I was thankful that I didn’t have to be in any ’rat race’even if I was witnessing one at the moment. After all, it was the start of my vacation, and I wasn’t going to do much than what was already planned. Or so I thought!

Earlier in the week, I listed the things I wanted to do. No long trips just so I can relax in some remote vacation spot. Besides, wherever one went with a phone, there’s a bunch of people following right behind. Isn’t that what the phone advertisment always insinuated, even amidst a dead spot? Besides, with today’s economy, every penny saved is important.

A broadway play, a comedy show, museum visits and lots of dining out were at the top of my list. A few weeks ago, I had gotten an email which entitled me to discounts at several restaurants. These were gift certificates that cost me only about 10 percent of the total cost. I chose some Spanish restos that had a whole lineup of tapas, some Mediteranean with their mezzes, Asians with their curries and sushis. And a mixture of French, Italian and American cuisine. Using these certificates would go a long way with my budget.

With eating, there also will be lots and lots of cooking, plating, styling and photographing my creations.. One of my project was to create and plate individual servings of Filipino dishes. Normally, Filipino dishes are served with family style mentality. Several dishes are ordered to be shared by everyone. My thoughts are to make single servings as palatable and appealing as buffet style eating.

And finally, in my last few days, I would like some alone time with my laptop and my thoughts.That is what I want to do…and I hope I can achieve something aside from resting my aging physical existence.

My first attempt at pinoy food evolution was an inspiration of 'rellenong bangus'. Back home, I would labor myself pounding the bangus, extracting the flesh side, sauteing it with vegetables and stuffing them right back in, only to fry or bake them once more. Here in America, time is precious and bangus is a commodity in some states.

Salmon is readily available and rice wrappers can be found in asian stores. It's one of those must haves of an asian pantry. So I thought of making a salmon encased concoction. And this is how it came out.



I know I can do a better job, but hey! it's my first attempt. If I rate myself as a photographer I'd get a mediocre grade...for a styling/plating newbie, I'd flunk myself, but as a chef! hands down!!!!my critics say it tastes so much like the rellenong bangus but with a salmon taste..ofcourse,silly! it's made of salmon. By the way, I fried the salmon skin like chicharon and it came out so crunchy. Don't we do that with our fried rellenong bangus?...I mean the crunchy side of it.


And yesterday, my daughter-in-law Aileen made this superbe ice cream out of raspberries and mascarpone cheese. So rich, and yummy, I just had to style it. And this is how I served it to my husband.



And this is how the ice cream looked after everyone had their fill of the dessert.

See Food Weekend

I have had a wonderful weekend because I not only made delicious meals,complete with drinks, but I as well took pictures of them. My son thought I was so busy, but in reality,I didn't really feel busy because I was having fun.

Since, it's been awhile that I made Tempura, I just needed to brush up on it. Normally, when frying shrimp with batter, the moment the shrimp hits the oil,it just curls up. I tried many ways of cutting the shrimp, after deveining, either make a slit in front or the back or whatever,it just curls...So this time,I wasn't going to fail, and I stuck them with a stick.That ought to keep them straight.



It was so funny how they looked all lined up when I laid them on the paper todrain the oil. So when I did plating, I had to let them stand and captioned it "more heads are better than one" since all the shrimp heads were cuddling in one direction. What a funny way to put it...all shrimpheads are better than one...

Then I had a friend who took a picture of some fish in the market all laid in a line and on top of another. He called it death and daing...I had this butter spreader that looked like a hangman's tree,where the butter spreader was hanged and the cup containing the spread was down below. I used it to hang my head shrimp and titled it, "Battered, Beheaded and Hanged" It was so funny....




Last week, I bought some fish that I saw at the oriental store. I wanted to make them into anchovies. First, I cleaned off their heads and guts and then burried them in salt inside a ceramic dish. A week later, I took them out and discarded the old salt as it was being contaminated by the fish blood that melted off the fish. It was too early to bottle them and preserve it, so I took out 3 pcss. AT this stage, they are considered daing or buwad. The pinoy in me just needed some dried fish and rice. And boy, did it taste yummmmmm.



Okay, so then, am done cooking at my son's house and decided to pair my food with some of the drinks I also made up. And i made 2: Ms Crummy (cranberry juice and rhum)



and Maldita Margarita (tequilla, lime, jalapeno slice and ice)



So if that wasn't enough, after visiting my son, I still had to make my gourmet fish ball and the vietnamese spring roll. Not because I wanted to cook this time, but because I just needed to see some photographic effects on similar backdrops.


And so it was

Vietnamese Spring Rolls....



Over all, I had so much fun. Can't wait to try more this weekend.


Black Sesame Crusted Salmon

How to explain bible stories to kids

Wanna be a philosopher? Just stick around with toddlers and young kids, and in no time will you become one. By the time they’re teenagers, they think they know everything. Believe me, I’ve been there and even the intellectually correct can be humbled.

Why do you think that shows like, “are you smarter than a 5th grade” has a high rating. Most adults think they know everything, but we have been outsmarted by these know-it-all midgets who are our very own sons and daughters. There were times when young minds would ask the experienced , matters of concern, but nowadays, they don’t trust our judgments. They’d rather ‘google’ it. And today’s term, googling is the generic term for ‘you want answers, get it from google!”

Children nowadays, would rather pound on the keys of a computer rather than ask an older person, lest they be given a fantasy of a story. In my previous blog, I joined a group that was asked to explain racial differences to kids. There were 50 entries and mine was number 11. Not bad for a newbie. So I decided now to venture on ’how to explain bible stories to kids.”

Yup, every question a child asks is always a “Why?….Why?…Why?”…and every ultimate answer, after everything else, always ends up with a Creator. So when you start telling them biblical stories, it will surely be followed up by more questions. Therefore, here are some suggestions you can give your toddlers and young kids, straight and logical answers .(and I mean logical)

ADAM AND EVE
:

In today’s world, there is so much talk on creationism, intelligent design, evolution and the big bang theory that even the most intelligent people in our society are still debating over such issues. So regardless, when we start introducing our children about the ‘first parents’ of this world, and then having boys as children there is always a follow up question: “
Where did they get their wives?” or “How were the girls made”

Trust any toddler to ask that question and you’ll catch yourself making up stories. One such story would be that after God made Adam and Eve, he then created other humans…Why didn’t he make them all at the same time?
(big bang theory etc…)…and so on and so forth which will make you say “BECAUSE GOD IS GOD AND HE CAN DO WHAT HE WANT!” and then making you upset and the kid more confused .

So I suggest, that until your kids learn about incest and homosexuality, stick to the premise of your story.

Eve was created from Adam’s ribs. So Cain and Abel asked God to take a rib from them to be their wives, and so did their children---until that line of affinity is not close enough for relatives to intermarry lest they produce abnormal kids. After which, everyone can start cohabiting with one another. Thus the human race was born. Logical enough?

So girls, when your husband comes home tonight, make sure to check on the number of ribs he has. There are a total of 24 ribs in the body, which is 12 on each side. So if there’s any rib bone missing, hmmmm…you’ll probably need counseling or maybe a divorce lawyer?…



NOAH’S ARK

Remember that bearded man who made a huge boat on dry land and everyone thought he was crazy? His name was Noah and after the boat was built, he got a pair of every animal conceivable and housed him on his boat until the big flood arrived. (too bad they didn’t have a Noah in New Orleans, when the tsunami came). Anyway, this is a good story for kids, not until they ask
“WERE THERE DINOSAURS TOO?”

Let’s face it, we teach our kids about of T-Rex, Spinosaurus, Gigantausaurus and all the outher ‘sauruses’ in the guise of learning about science. Let me remind you that there is a false war betwee science and religion. Some contend that science teaches “how” and that religion teaches “why”….so before we go in the discussion of how the dinosaurs came to be, and why they were created are two different spectrums.

In answer to the kids question, we should ask him/her another question. How big do you think is a dinosaur? If he’s concept is smaller than the boat, then yes, there were dinosaurs. (no other explanation necessary after that).. If the dinosaur , was bigger than the boat, then, he was the bad dinousaur and would be washed away like all the bad men, which of course was the reason why the boat was built. The dinosaur became big because he ate all the good people, so Noah didn’t invite him in his boat.

So then, the next time he asks more about dinosaurs, and unless you know the true answer, shut him up by saying, “when you grow up, just be a paleontologist”. or better still, “just google it!”. end of story



DANIEL AND THE LIONS

We all heard about Daniel being placed in the lions den and had not a scratch on him after his ordeal. In this story, we emphasize on God’s invisible power and that is the lesson we impart on kids. Yet more often than not, kids would ask, “
WHY DIDN’T THE LIONS EAT DANIEL”.

Simple questions often require simple answers like, “Because the lions weren’t really hungry.”

Then followed by a simple explanation, “The lions were many, and Daniel was only one, so they decided it wasn’t smart to fight over small stuff. It’s just like many kids fighting over dinner, and finding out they’re not even hungry, right?”

The best way to move away from a possible argument is to focus on another issue. So instead of getting caught up with more explanation, try to take the easy way out before it gets you deeper into the muddle.

JONAH AND THE FISH

Jonah was a person who disobeyed God because he didn’t want to go where he was suppose to go. The story goes to say that because of his disobedience, Jonah was gobbled by a huge fish and stayed in its belly for 3 days. The question most kids ask, would be, “
HOW DID JONAH GET TO EAT IN THE FISH’S BELLY?” or “DID HE HAVE A BED TO SLEEP IN” or “IS IT DARK INSIDE?”

Try answering that one without sounding fairy tallish. You can’t be closer to the truth if you concoct up another story, therefore, I suggest be flat and open about it…Tell the kid that this is just a story and there’s no such fish that could eat a human being and survive. The truth is Jonah ate a fish he wasn’t suppose to. (at least that’s the whole concept about disobedience). And because he did, he had diahrea. (consequence of disobedience). And after having diahrea, he told his friends about it. (which gives the kid an idea of evangelizing about obedience.) it’s as simple as that!

Be truthful about saying that most stories in the bible are not to be taken literally . It only says so, because it wants to convey a lesson. In this age, unless there is physical evidence to support a claim, it will always ends up as hearsay and fantasy. Why do you think CSI, Law and Order and, Dr. House gets all these T.V. awards-- I think it’s because they’re closer to reality and to the point.

And finally……THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

When I told my grandchildren that their daddy was my baby, they never accepted it. That’s because they believed their daddy was never a child like them. Just like many children, they think that Papa Jesus was a lanky man with long hair, a beard and wearing sandals. (someone that looked like a hippie from Woodstock) . Nevertheless, we always tell the story of the first Christmas, and how it came to be.

About Joseph and Mary looking for an inn, and ended up in a stable. Then three wise men coming in to give Jesus gifts predicting that the baby will help save the world. And although this is a nice way to convey the origin of Christianity, it was a great surprise to me when a young mind emphatically said,

“I think Jesus was bad when he was a kid?

“Why?”

“Because if he was good, then Santa would give him a nice home and better toys than what those old men gave him?”

So how can you reconcile Santa and Jesus Christ? We make up stories to filter information for the child’s benefit, not realizing that we are initially responsible for the input of those bits and pieces of data. And when we mess up, we try to cover up by a larger lie and thus end up worst than when we started.

The best way to explain biblical stories to kids is to understand their minds and how they process information. If our goal is to teach values, then stick to the simplest explanation without sounding too spiritually religious. The stories are man made but the lessons learned are valuable. And it is our responsibility, as parents and members of society, to relay it with utmost clarity and meaning.

Children will not remain as such for long….they will turn to grown ups and then do their own searching…..

Different Not Alien

I have been writing this weekend and I really enjoyed it. I am posting my essay on how to explain to children racial differences and I hope you will enjoy reading as well. Here it is:

Different Not Alien by S.J.C (me)

“Brown is best!” my grandfather used to say , when as a child, I asked him why we had such skin color. The inquiry stemmed when a U.S. navy boat landed in our home port, Cebu, Philippines during the 60’s and many Caucasian sailors roamed our city.

With a pointed finger upward, my grandfather reiterated of God having a huge oven in heaven and making three batches of people. The first batch , he took out too soon and was white as snow. The second batch, he took out longer than should be, so it became the dark race. But with us, He just made a perfect batch. With a sigh, Grandpa would shake his balding head and then interject his favored reply on our race

I adhered to that belief, because in my growing years, many beach resorts were being built for tourists. I would would often see many pale skinned people basking under the sun for hours in their skimpy swimsuits. Grandfather must be right, and that these white people wanted to finish God’s baking

However, as I expanded my knowledge through school and travels, I knew better than believing my grandfather’s folklore. And respecting differences in culture, tradition and race was part of it.

Fast forward many years later and having migrated to America, I am faced with a similar situation yet under different circumstance. Baby sitting a 4 year old, blue eyed, blond hair boy who became curious of my skin, he placed his small arm alongside mine. While comparing , he asked, “Why am I white and you’re brown?”

My best explanation about melanin cells without sounding scientific led me to a story about me having more tiny dots in our body which I inherited from my grandparents. Adding to the fact, that my ancestors lived in a place where it was warm all year round. I further explained the difference that his daddy’s daddy came from a different climate as well and so needed less cells, which made him fairer.

The political aspect I injected was again another story about us having the same color of blood and same emotions which my little ward perfectly understood with a language he was very familiar with.

My grandfather is not a bigot but explained my toddler question the best way he knew how . Several of his best friends were Caucasians who stayed months in our country. But my grandfather treated every one of them with utmost care, humility and respect, which I emulated as well.

If I gave my grandfather’s explanation, my little ward would probably think I was silly as he did some of my fantasy stories. Children today learn more and faster with technology and exposure to different races and culture. Along the way, they will learn so much without having to ask us. But if they do, it is our responsibility to explain within the capacity of their understanding and our ability to set a good example which should portray the epitome of a human being that is just, unprejudiced, unbiased and compassionate.

After all, they will be our future!

Make do Curry

I really don't have much choice sometimes, when I have to cook and all i have are just left over chicken from KFC or that Mexican roasted chicken that tastes so good the night it was bought,but comes out dry the next day.

Normally, after a day of having lechon manok in Cebu, it would still be just as good eaten with dukot and ginamos (or gipusil-- ginamus na gi pusan ug sili). Eaten with the hands, the ambience is really still there. But what if you're many miles away and outside the window, the snow is pouring like cotton balls. If it were not for hot flashes heating me up, I would probably be back snuggling in my bed.

So finding myself in this predicament, and thinking that my grandchildren will be hungry in a few minutes, I mustered up courage to take out all the leftover chicken, veggies, seasonings and all. Time to be creative now and we also need to clean out the fridge since New Year was coming in a couple of days, and we wouldn't want leftover Christmas food to still be there.

I saw some Jamaican curry in the shelf, so I was thinking of making chicken curry. But no potatoes, no coconut milk--can't use the 2%fat milk since am in no mood for any dairy now...Oh well! here's to my version of a curry noodle kaboodle:



left over chicken pinched into pieces
left over carrots, green cabbage etc..
onion
sotanghon noodles and canton noodles
jamaican curry
salt pepper
oil
chicken broth or (chicken cube dissolved in water)

saute onion, add in chicken and carrots
mix in the curry and broth
boil for 5 minutes
pour in the noodles until soft but not mushy
turn of the fire
pour in leafy veggies and season with salt and pepper
if too dry, put in a little olive oil and pepper
serve

this is the curry i used.

Truth or Fantasy

Why is it that parents or the oldies have to lie their way just to satisfy a child’s curiosity ? Why can’t they just tell it as it is and give the child the responsibility to understand. Am not saying, that a child should be told scientific or graphic details, but one that is understandable to the level he is capable of absorbing.

Most little minds would ponder on the question “who made me” and the proverbial reply would always be “God made you!”…why can’t they just say that parents have sex and after nine months, out comes a baby. Well I guess, talking about sex in those days was taboo. Even just the words ‘sex’ was rarely mentiond unless some bisdak with a loose tongue would say that it’s the number which comes before seven.

Then also, the tradition of leaving peso coins under the pillows when a molar has been extracted. The real tooth fairies I realized where those gay dentists who pull out your good teeth and charge you exorbitant rates for a porcelain implant.

When we were younger stories we were often told were that of princes saving the princesses and then lived happily ever after….NOT…In reality, they get married which translates to moments of passion, hours of leisure, and days of ceasefire from arguments. The rest is spent in juggling children’s activities, balancing house budgets, cleaning, washing, cooking etc..etc..etc.

How do you know Snow White’s prince didn’t leave her because of the meddling seven dwarfs? Or that Cinderella’s step sisters were successful in achieving their wanton desires over the prince leading them to have affairs? Or that Beauty had botox because every time she looked at the Beast, was a reminder that when you get married, you end up looking alike. Who knows, right?

The truth of the matter is, we only realize that most of what we had read when we were young, were either myths or far from reality. And adding to our curious and rambunctious state, how many times were we told to behave or else…
….the police will lock us up in jail
….or that your daddy will give you a whacking when he gets home.
….the moomoo would come and get us

Fear is a very powerful tool in instilling discipline in a child. That is why our parents often would concoct stories of monsters, evil persons and beings, who will be responsible for stealing the comfort or happiness in our lives. But fear is not the absence of courage, it is the absence of knowledge. It is because we did not know any better.

As we grow older, the truth will often reveal itself and the myths that once held our belief would be discarded. Being creative in disciplining children to be good persons, is the ultimate goal of every parent. Therefore, we often adhere to what our own parents had taught us because, hey..we came out to be fine, didn’t we? If not, how else would we train if not from our very own experiences.

But like it or not, what may hold true in their time may not be relevant in ours. It is time for us parents, to face our children with utmost honesty but with the creativeness of handling situations depending upon the level of maturity.

Take this holiday season, where Santa is the flavor of the week. Mike told my grandchild that Santa does not exist and that the real Santa was just daddy and mommy giving them presents. Elise, my grandchild, started getting teary eyed. She did not want what Mike had said. And she blurted, “no, lolo, mommy and daddy has no white hair and don’t have beard, so they can’t be santa!”

Oftentimes, we believe what we believe because it brings comfort to our understanding . It gives us assurance that what we know is indeed the truth and veering away from it would lead us to an unknown territory needing to be explored anew. For a little child, Santa represents judgement of being good during the year and rewards of gifts are inevitable. Whoever invented him is brilliant because he has created a multi billion industry that brings the economy into a rock and roll mode.

And speaking of Santa, weren’t we told that he would go back to the North Pole and start preparing for next year’s Christmas? Well, that’s a LIE. Santa lives in New York, drives an SUV (and not reindeers anymore. He goes with the times, you know) His red suit is an ARMANI and he doesn’t hire elves , but has an assistant just like his size. He probably realized that he’d get in jail for hiring child labor. You don’t believe me…I have proof…probably joining in the ‘After Christmas’ mega sales since it’s easier to buy the ‘made in china’ stuff than making their own. Here it is:

Aay Doe Beng Menak ala Noo Yok

You are not Filipino if you do not know how to cook adobo. But there are many ways of cooking adobo. It's either pina-uga (dry) or sarsiado (with lots of sauce). But the commonality of the dish, is that it is made with vinegar, soy, garlic, (sometimes onions),salt/pepper and a little sugar for added flavoring.

Adobo in spanish really means marinade. My tagalog friend normally marinates her adobo for a few minutes before boiling them together. After which, she takes them out from the sauce and fries them. After frying, she puts them back for a few minutes more and then serves it.

My aunt, stews it for awhile and instead of frying, she takes it out of the pot and places them in a cookie sheet to bake (frying them per piece is tedious and oily). Then she places them back with the reduced sauce.

Some prefer to stew them until the sauce is all gone and if your meat pieces have a lot of fat, they will eventually just fry in it's own oil. This is the dry kind.

The procedures above, although handed down through generations, are a bit dry due to the shrinkage of the meat. The sauce camouflages its dryness and gives it the wonderful taste that Filipinos love. I decided to make my own version of adobo by innovating and still keep the juiciness of the meat.

With 4 pieces of leg quarters (cutting them in half thus making 8 pieces composed of legs and thighs) I massaged the meat with salt, pepper, garlic onion and garlic powder, herbs such as rosemary and tarragon. I fried them until golden but half cooked. Place them on a pot with 1 piece of cut up celery rib. Then I poured 1 can of chicken broth. Boil till tender. This way, I not only have cooked chicken but the sauce/broth I can use to boil my vegetables for later use. Cooking it this way retains the juiciness and flavor of the chicken.

In a sauce pan, I placed balsamic vinegar, datu put vinegar, bay leaf, lots of garlic and onion. (No need for soy sauce since the balsamic vinegar is dark as it is) and a little sugar. This is the basis of the adobo sauce. When the sauce has been reduced and the spices are soft, I mashed them and returned them to the sauce pan. If the concoction is too thick, I took broth from the chicken, and mixed it with the sauce for the right consistency.

this is my aay doe beng menak ala Noo Yok





Of course nothing is complete without the side dishes.

The mangoes here do not compare with what we have back home. They are not as fibrous and lacking in flavor. I grated the mangoes, chopped one piece of small red onion, placed cut up salad and mixed them together. To add flavor, I mixed a few tablespoons of the olive juice which is salty.

Another side dish I made was cucumber in salty kyamoy. And that's just what I did. Peeled the cucumber. Separated the skin from the flesh. Mixed the flesh with kyamoy and bwalah! Red flat strands of cucumber.

The other pinky item is the Japanese ginger--store bought and still yummy to go with my adobo.



Notice in both pictures above, you can see the kyamoy sticking out.
The above picture, I placed the sauce right below the chicken piece, and garnished it with my cucumber and manggo side dish. This plating, I gave to my husband who is my critique.

Below is another plating style, where I placed the sauce separate like a condiment, and the side dishes atop the rice.



Okay, so if you want to know how to make it the regular way, check this out.
(my aunt sent this to me last year, but I saw it again last week from a friend's site)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTwagrvCJ4o

Oon-oonan nga Salmon

During the week, I am bombarded with bagels and cream cheese for breakfast; pizza, hotdog, mac and cheese/quiches for lunch and cheese casseroles for dinner. So overwhelmed with American junk that when I get my weekends off, I look for rice and any filipino viand I can think of.

Yesterday, my sister in law had a pre-thanksgiving dinner since the whole family was leaving for Ohio to spend Thanksgiving there. So again, I was bombarded with the traditional turkey, green beans, yams, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. Typical American Thanksgiving dinner.

So early this morning, I find myself at the Oriental Store looking for pork to make humba, crispy pata or lechon kawali (whatever meat fits the above criteria) There was chicharon that was too hard to resist. But the best find that morning was a plastic bag of discarded salmon fat and bones that had too much meat still on them. The fish vendor would fillet several salmons and the discards were collected and sold for a song. Since I was an early bird, I had the choice, and they were really very limited items. And this find cost me a dollar. (about 3 lbs total at least).

I prepared my slow cooker and washed the salmon parts. Seeing the translucent fat of the salmon and the thick meat still stuck to the bones, made me salivate just thinking of the dish I was going to make.

I placed cut up tanglad, green onions and ginger at the bottom of the slow cooker, Then I spread a fourth of a pack of sinigang mix. I strategically placed the salmon pieces then covered it again with cut up tanglad, green onion and ginger. I then placed again a fourth of a pack sinigang mix with a cup of water. Placed the lid, set it to low and forgot about it for 2 hours. (well that was about how much time I forgot it)....My son said it was delicious....

(sorry! couldn't take pictures since I left my camera at my sis-in-laws house after the thanksgiving dinner-- however, this time, I have my digi cam cable with me--- now that's what I call having a senior moment- BIG TIME!)

Okay...so before I leave you, don't think that we filipinos eat all those lechons, crispy patas, chicharons and yet have fewer heart attacks....well...they say...

THE JAPANESE eat very little fat, and suffer fewer heart attacks than the AMERICANS

THE FRENCH eat a lot of fat, and suffer fewer heart attacks than the AMERICANS.

THE MEXICANS drink very litte red wine, and suffer fewer heart attack than the AMERICANS.

THE ITALIANS drink excessive amounts of red wine, and suffer fewer heart attacks than the AMERICANS.

THE GERMANS drink a lot of beer and eat a lot of sausage and fats, and suffer fewer heart attacks than the AMERICANS.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like: Apparently, speaking English is what kills you

Fish Sticks and Fish Soup

During the week, my meals are American inspired because of the company I keep. However, when weekend comes, my palate tends to be more on the adventurous side, when I have more time to make recipes from scratch.

I am not one to go for ready made frozen food, but when necessity dictates, I have no choice. However, if there is one item that I would rather make from scratch is the fish sticks. First, because ready made frozen fish sticks have more of the breadings than the fish. And second, I really don't know what kind of fish they put in. Since they are so even like, I presume they mash it and then shape it to uniform thinckness. Similar to the fish ball type which I have never really liked even when placed in those chinese soups.

So given the time and resources, I do my own



Cut the fish into desired finger shapes. Wash and pat try with paper towels
Season with salt and pepper. Then toss in seasoned flour to coat.
Dip in beaten egg and then roll in bread crumbs. Then fry.
Serve with your favorite dip. In this picture, I got the garlic caesar salad dip. There are so many gourmet dips in the market today that you should try at least some. There is this wasabi dip made from rothschild farm, that is to die for. If you get a hold of it, try it. (that's if you like wasabi).

Yesterday, after visiting my son, Mike decided to make fish soup (his version) I was too tired to cook, and so I let him be. He wanted a sweet version so I told him to use miso. Well! he didn't listen and instead was very adventurous.



He had half of a huge fish head cut up into pieces. He sauted chopped onions and let it carmelize, then added water. He then placed the cut up fish head plus all the other ingredients which included the juice of one orange. (I guess this also took the langsa out), a small piece of glazed ham, scallions, and some seasonings. When the concoction boiled, he turned off the heat and dropped the bokchoy. The pinkish thing on top of the fish is my garnish of pickled ginger. Yummm...Surprisingly, the taste was excellent. It had a sweet taste (due to the onions and ham), the fatty meat of the fish melted in your mouth, and there was no fishy smell nor after taste (probably the citric orange did this). When I asked Mike what he called his soup, he said VOS (Victory for Obama Soup) since he thinks his soup was also a success.

Chicken Liver Canape and Bihod Tempura

In the Philippines, there is no food wasted. EVery part of the animal is eaten or used for a variety of purposes.

Let's take the case of a chicken. The feathers are used for a duster or as adornments for a dress,and the rest for food. We all know the edible parts such as the breast, thighs and legs which are fried, adoboed or stewed. Then the parts of the neck, wings, backbones and wingtips can be used for broth while the innards such as gizzards and liver are often made into cocktail bit sizes like what I did.

wrap chicken liver in bacon and bake/broil
serve with your favorite dip. I would have placed a decorative bamboo toothpick on it but I ran out of it. My favorite dip would be aoli -smashed garlic mixed with a little oil to form into paste. Or the ranch dressing with little mustard is doable.Especially if you have vegetable strips to go with it.


My next project on this will probably be the famous chicken feet in soy sauce. But I have to process my thoughts on this yet. Am not so keen on making it if I also don't make steamed fried rice to go with the chicken feet in taosi.

Anyway, when we went to chinatown last weekend, Mike saw bihod (fish roe) from a huge fish. It costs a dollar a pack and I guess it weighed about a kilo per pack. It was so cheap that he couldn't let go of it. This is one third of a pack.


Mike washed the bihod and placed a lot of salt. The next day, I drained the water that build up because of the sale. Then I patted it dry with paper towels and cut them into bite size pieces. I rolled the roe in flour to seal, and then rolled them again in crushed black pepper. I made tempura batter and fried it. The result was just amazind and this is the outcome





I made tempura sauce by grating ginger and mixing it with ready made tempura sauce which we bought in the oriental store.

Here in America, there are places where you can get this kind of fish roe for free. In the next town where we live, there is a fish market that gives away tuna head and tuna belly. And boy! we have a feast everytime we visit our suki...in return we buy the most expensive fish cut of whatever fish he has in season. So either way is a winwin situation.

And speaking about fishes---it's one of the best pet you can have. Why? because you don't have to scoop poop like you would in a cat or a dog. You wouldn't have to bathe your pet since a fish is always in water. A fish is quiet yet talks to you all the time. Just watch his lips and figure out what he's saying...It can be theraphy ..and when you lose your job, well! he could be your last meal, as well.

Plating

Lately, I have been obsessed with presenting my food in artistic ways. Even my own lunch of crackers and Mike's cut sashimi, I just had to have presentation.



Then if there are any leftovers, like quiches, I look for ways to make it appealing.. As they say, you eat with your eyes, before you really put it in your mouth and confirm if it tastes as good as it looks.




Near our place in New Jersey is a fish store where they just almost always give away what the 'puti' don't eat, and this includes salmon fish heads and belly. So when the opportunity came, that there were fresh fish delivered, we had sumptious sashimi..and this is what we had