Posts

Of Nephews and the future

It was the baptism of my nephew's daughter Dana,  last Sunday. He and his girlfriend Rachel,  had a baby daughter seven months ago.  As we waited at the church courtyard  for their arrival, I thought how fast time flew. Wasn't it just yesterday that they were studying to become Nurses and were visiting us at home in their sleek looking white school uniforms . Typical of today's young, they had grand plans:  finish their studies, get their diplomas, go abroad, earn good money, send some back home and visit places they only dreamt of.  Looks like all that's gone now. The dreams will just remain that because,  in the heat of the moment, the young forget.  It appears that  all these plans will go down the drain. Both have thrown  caution to the wind as they say, unmindful  that  there is the whole future ahead,  waiting for them. There was no need to hurry.  When my nephew learned that girlfriend was pregnant, he stopped going to school.  He had to. He must get a job to

It's Been Awhile

How do I get the motivation to post again.. about food.. or food safety..ahhh,  anything, as long as it is about food? There are countless food site that I have seen. I ask myself, what else can I add? I think everything has already been written about this wonderful topic.  What more can I add that hasn't been said before? Whattttt?

Orange Juice and Fast Food A healthy Combination?

I read somewhere that taking orange juice with meals ala fast food may deter the development of  heart related ailments. This is because, according to the study orange juice contains flavonoids; specifically, naringenin and hesperidin. According to one study:  “Data show, for the first time to our knowledge, that drinking orange juice with a meal high in fat and carbohydrates prevented the marked increases in reactive oxygen species and other inflammatory agents,” said the first author of the study, Husam Ghanim, PhD. “This did not happen when participants drank water or a sugary drink with the meal,” he added. “These issues of inflammation following a meal are important because the resultant high glucose and high triglycerides are known to be related to the development of cardiovascular events.”  Furthermore:  "Previous studies have reported that naringenin may prevent cholesterol increases, and changes in insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism linked to metabolic synd

Pancit Canton with Chinese Sausage and Olive Oil

Image
This is one breakfast and dinner dish I prepared recently. This is my own version of a pancit canton recipe which I have cooked and concocted in countless ways based on what ingredients are available at the time of cooking. I used chinese sausage as flavor enhancer since I didn't have anything in the fridge; no chicken, no pork, no seafood. It turned out okey, according to my partner. He normally eats a hearty breakfast. For awhile back, during younger days,  his breakfast was a cup of black coffee. That's it. Over the years, I convinced him that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. It doesn't matter if you just eat  fruits for lunch. But it is a MUST to eat a nutritious breakfast. My version of pancit canton was complete in terms of balance. Look here: 250 gms pancit canton package 3 pcs chinese sausage, diced 2 cups diced cabbage 1 cup diced carrots 1/4 cup kinchay 1/2 cup onions 1/2 cup green onions for garnish 5 cloves of garlic, crushed 1/2

Valentines Day Suggestions

Image
Not mine, though.. For those located in the Philippines, check out this link from GMA's wmn.ph. The link provides information on the  10 best date places for Valentines. And for those staying at home, check out  the naked chefs dinner or meal suggestions here .

A Valentine Song

"Hoping you see what your love means to me"

Learn Italian Cooking while you are on vacation

Image
The Gourmet Vacation Package is essentially learning to cook the Italian way conducted  in an authentic Italian setting. What can be more authentic than being in Italy to learn how to cook the Italian way?  You don't just learn the techniques. The greater value  is in the process of immersion.  Students not only enjoy the rudiments of  Italian cuisine but at the same time get exposed to its much vaunted Italian culture. In other words, students get the real feel of the Italian lifestyle.What could be more exciting than that? Additionally, I would think the mentors, would be teaching in the Italian language. The package allows a choice of location for the cooking lessons.Students can take the lessons in Umbria. Located in the Central Italian region, it is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. On the west border is Tuscany, the Marche to the east and Lazio to the south. With a  land area of 8,456 km² it has about 900,000 inhabitants. The Umbrian region is mostly hilly or mountainous.

Fried Pork? or Crispy Pata, take your pick

Image
I saw an interesting news clip about 'fried pork'. Seems unappetizing if called by that name. Actually, fried pork is really Crispy Pata. It's prepared from the pig's front legs, "unahan" as the pork vendors call them. Perhaps, chefs call them  knuckles. The following is a borrowed recipe from this site. It is very similar to what my Mom used to prepare whenever there is a special occassion. Preparation & drying: 4 hours to 1 day Estimated cooking time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 1 Pata (front or hind leg of a pig including the knuckles) 1 bottle of soda (7Up or sprite) 1 tablespoon of salt 2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce) 1/2 tablespoon baking soda 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG) 4 tablespoons of flour Enough oil for deep frying Enough water for boiling Cooking Instructions: Clean the pork pata by removing all hairs and by scraping the skin with a knife. Wash thoroughly. Make four to five inch cuts on the sides

Plastic surgery anyone?

Image
I know that this seems to be  off-topic from this blog which is supposed to talk about food and cooking. But one night, while having dinner with friends who were on vacation from the United States, plastic surgery  among other subjects were heatedly but happily debated on.  If only to commit the discussions to memory,  I  am now compelled to write a snippet about those conversations here. After consuming  a simple dinner consisting  mainly of lasagna of the beef/pork meat variety, (that went pretty well with the customary red wine), my friend said that back at her  American  work environment, women were inclined to get something augmented periodically. One way or the other, it can be a boob job, a noselift, or perhaps an "angelina jolie lip like" augmentation. Plastic surgery was something considered as normal as getting a shower. Why the penchant for plastic surgery? In L.A.  particularly, says my friend, everybody is so consumed about looking good. Breast and waistlin

Hello There

And yes, it seems like I will be a web-tizen once more. The idea thrills me. But on second thought, what could I still write here that no one has ever said or written about before? I have seen hundreds, if not thousands  of wonderful food and cooking blogs.  Most of them made me gasp in awe;  by the way they were written, by the way their food pictures were taken and by the sincere gestures of sharing them with others.   I must single out  sassy's   blog. She of the lawyering-turned family chef kind. I just love her unpretentious style; the unique ways in which she fuses her recipes though  her never ending experiments in using ingredients,  of  taking the traditional to make the flavor eclectic and the taste truly her own.  There are countless others who have amazed and at the same time made me envious. Sometimes, I dream that one day I could be a chef savant with my own place, managing  meals that are consistently healthy and  most importantly delicious. That would be outstan