Learning to Cook and Other Things

Wooow! It's been quite awhile. Has it been that long? So many things have happened - the covid pandemic is still around, monkey is poxing  in some parts of the world; while Ukraine and Russia are still at it. Then there's the heat in Europe. Climate change anyone? Jump to the  campaign season before the May 2022 elections. Funny and thankfully, Covid seemed to have temporarily rested;  with the caveat from infectious disease experts saying the new cases will come around soon. They were right. Looking back at the elections,  some candidates sounded like a repeat of what has been said before - sorry. I fear for the future, truth be said.  Recently, the rain started coming as always, so there were the floods again. Let's not forget the earthquake that devastated Abra and other Northern Luzon provinces. Damage was estimated at 2.1B I think because this is what is going to cost the rehabilitation.  What new thing can be said?  Indeed, life - is a never endi...

Oh my and this beef story  happened in the United States.. just wonderin', have the food authorities  truly done something about this? "On Christmas Eve, 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced some 248,000 pounds of tenderized beef were being recalled and was eventually linked to 21 E. coli O157:H7 infections in 16 states. Needle or blade tenderized beef is typically used on tougher cuts of beef or pork to break down muscle fibers or to inject marinade into meat. About 50 million pounds of needle- or blade-tenderized meat is produced in the U.S. each month, according to a federal study, but it’s not required to be labeled. All hamburger should be cooked to a thermometer-verified 160F because it’s all ground up – the outside, which can be laden with poop, is on the inside. With steaks, the thought has been that searing on the outside will take care of any poop bugs like E. coli and the inside is clean. But what if needles pushed the E. coli on the outsi...

An awesome tea from Malaysia given by my son who did some mountaineering there. This tea has the freshness that is so unique, i have never tasted anything commercial like this before. Packaged cleverly because it comes in a  re-usable box that's neat, but the  real package is made of  foil which i think is non biodegradable.. ooops.. "Sabah tea is cultivated in the pristine foothills of Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia,  first ever world heritage site, where nature offer the most conducive natural environment for tea growing. Only choice tender leaves from quality 'camellia sinensis (black tea) plants are selected and used in Sabah Tea. Grown naturally and pesticide free and excellent source of flavonoids." For more information on sabah tea look here .

A delicious brand of chocolate, (from my daughter who's on work break) that's creamy, somehow sweet, and almost and yes actually melts in your mouth. My daughter says this has a bitter version which I told her was perhaps healthier (dark chocos are said to be). The packaging though not environment friendly is awesome because it comes in what I think is called thermo-protected (the box was with an small square ice like thing that allows coldness to be retained for the chocolate to remain firm). Too bad i think it is not yet available locally. More info about this  chocolate brand  here

Beware of this type of herb. Pls read the full details here .

I am continuously growing this "for enchilada" type of veggie called alugbati which is so endemic in the Philippines. Studies revealed the isolating of "Basellasaponins A, B, C, and D, oleanane-type triterpenes oligoglycosides, together with betavulgaroside 1, spinacoside C, and momordins IIb and IIc, from fresh aerial parts". The alugbati leaves yield saponin, vitamin A and B while its fruit are known to containe mucilage and iron. These two pots have already yielded a small salad bowl of veggie eats made more delicious and healthful with the addition of olive oil, tomatoes, freshly milled black pepper and apple cider vinegar.. oohh ahhh nice!

Factors Governing the Benefits of Honey

Got our laundry early from a shop at the Riverbanks and then went to the supermarket to buy something for potato salad. We have a couple of potatoes on standby so I thought might as well do something before it rots, sayang naman. Got a piece of sugar beet and three packs of mayonnaise, plus a small bunch of celery. I forgot to get some pineapple tidbits - i realized as soon as i rode the tricycle.. oh well.. As soon as we finished breakfast I started the preparations for the potato salad -- boiled the potatoes and sugar beet.. began dicing the celery stalks and red onions.. as soon as the potatoes were done, started peeling the skin off.. had to endure the heat of the potatoes.. it's important that the mixture gets on the way while the potatoes are hot to get the mayonnaise thoroughly mixed with the the potatoes and the rest of the ingredients.. I thought this is going to be a bland potato salad for lack of the the pineapple tidbit component.. what the heck partner mentioned ...

With my hypertensive condition, I take every wellness advice I get from friends and relatives to heart. For one, my mother told me that ginger could be a powerful health food. This root crop grown in most Asian countries could possibly in the following instances: reduce arthritic pain has cholesterol reducing properties may be good to thin the blood helpful in treating or preventing heart ailments could aid in reducing anxiety possibly prevent diabetic induced cataract could prevent entererotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin induced diarrhea  could help prevent seamotion sickness, morning sickness in pregnant women and nausea after  chemotherapy ginger oil could possibly  help prevent skin cancer possess sialogogue properties which makes swallowing action easier could help prevent dyspepsia, constipation, colic, colds, sore throat with palm tree juice can possibly prevent flu can be prepa...

The weather seems to prove 'hell'. Especially to mature and elderly citizens, a human grouping I belong to. No matter what we do, the humid and hot tropical climate is here to stay perhaps,  at least for another month or so. So what can we do aside from closetting  ourselves in an air conditioned room (energy costs can kill you know).. Drink, drink, drink. Drink something cold. Fruit juice especially those prepared from what's in season,  like melon. Coconut (buko, in our native dialect) juice with the customary strips of young coconut would be nice to have in a decadent climate as what we are having this afternoon. Why not iced tea? Or simply iced water. As long as there's hydration it shall be good!

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 stop...

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?

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 ...

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...

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 .

"Hoping you see what your love means to me"

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 mos...

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 ...

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 ...

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...