Gadgets do we need it: Baster

I had planned on reviewing the gadgets that I have, what works and what doesn't. When I noticed that Amazon does this, a link to the products it it selling.

In a friend's kitchen, while K was basting the turkey with her baster, a new one, because she threw away the old one a while back, not having a use for it. L, was mesmerized but what it can do, commenting that there she didn't know that such a tool existed.

I responded that sometimes the practical cook does not really need that, especially if they are not in America. She is from France and she is reminiscing her grandmother's cooking.  My family didn't have too many kitchen gadgets either, until the advent of the motorized appliances. Ha ha, my mom is such a acquirer when it comes to things for the kitchen, sometimes she does not even use, some of which we  kids refer to as "for display only".

Remember, the marketing tactics post, how the advertisements are designed for us to be familiar with the product and to desire and sometimes obsess with it. It worked for me ha ha, I have obsessed for many a product that at the time that I was purchasing it, I was pretty sure that it will help me with my kitchen chores that I have no recourse but to purchase it. Thing is, I have a small kitchen, which has now extended to the dining area, ready to take over my living room, all for the satisfaction of owning ha ha.. what a consumerist world.  So a baster, is it really needed, how much roasting do we do in a year.  I have a baster too, of course. L said her family uses a spoon, makes sense, tilt the pan a little bit and the drippings is there to baste.

Guess, we can do away with it. Thoughts?

Monday..the Weekend is Over..

Image linked to nomad4ever.com (permission pending)

Yup, it is Monday and I am not ready yet.  I have yet to clean the kitchen and do the laundry.  Really having a washing machine and drier does not really mean they are automatic as it requires human intervention still.

The past two weekends has been busy, I was on a film for a graduate student thesis, read the Second Reading, hosted a movie night, what else, I know I did more than that. Then there was thanksgiving and a lot of movies to watch.

I know, I am not going to be an actress, it is not an enjoyable trade, I thnk I will enjoy being part of a movie,if I will be in the planning or in charge of logistics and similar activities.  More on the management part.  Not all is lost in that activity, I met a lot of wonderful people aside from being able to help. More details to come..

Chicken Liver pate

We used to raise chicken for our own consumption, so we eat everything as it is all organic. A piece of chicken liver would normally go to a tinola and divided among us. It is also included in chicken/pork adobo to provide additional flavor and act as a thickening agent.

When I was a kid, probably the closest to pate that we had was liver spread or potted meat or liverwurst. Not too much threat of high cholesterol in our diet.  It's funny that when our tastes mature, become sophisticated and are able to afford these lovely dishes, we have to watch out for our numbers ha ha..

So a teaspoon of pate has 26 calories it doesn't seem to have a lot, but i can feel that it is loaded. So rich.. so fflavorful.

I have tagged this recipe from Jacques Pepin in Food and Wine for a while now, when I discovered that for $5.00 bucks I can get a good one from Whole Foods, in moderate portion, not the artery blocking size. Restaurants are using chicken liver more than they do ducks (foie gras) these days. I guess it is more expensive and does not have with the cruelty issues. I know in some states foie gras is banned form being served in restaurants because of the inhumane way that the ducks are raised to get a fatter liver.

Chicken liver is different though in the sense that it is being harvested from the chickens that we purchased in the market. No chicken is specially bred for this purpose.

But this is the easiest to prepare, from this recipe. I added a little chopped pecan nut for the texture, it turned out pretty good. Next time, I will probably make it a little courser than it is now. I used a tub of chicken liver, instead of what's in the recipe and only 1 and a quarter unsalted sticks of butter.

Best served with toasted baguette and said to be best paired with pinot noir, cabernet, or a frappato wine. The frappato I have yet to discover. But I am a merlot drinker or even Bordeaux or Burgundy red with less tanin. Tanin makes me feel that my whole mouth is being sucked of air making food less enjoyable. I am even thinking riesling or something light white, am no expert though, :) so these recommendations does not hold much water.

But enjoy, some get scared easily with things like liver, but this is the most inexpensive dish, easy to prepare, yet so fine tasting.

Cheers,

Giving Thanks to God...

Yesterday started on a good note, attended mass officiated by the Bishop. His sermon spoke of the reason for the celebration of Thanksgiving. I didn't know that the declaration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Abe Lincoln declared it as a day to give thanks to God. That amidst all the fighting there is still something to be grateful about. In closing, the Bishop said that he will not be able to greet the parishioners after mass as he will be on a rush to fly to San Diego to be with his family. I had to smile, I forgot that the Bishop is "human", I now wonder how he relates to his family. Does his mother say, Bishop you don't an opinion on this issue? Or is he referred to simply as Salvatore? ha ha, that's a sign of small mind for you,

Anyway, it was my first time to have brined turkey, that was so delicious. It has so much flavor, moist, and is not confusing such that it complements the rest of the menu. We were guests at a friend's with her son Tyrone. He was so polite that he didn't asked to be excused at the table, he stayed through tea. Anyway, the stuffing was marvelous, the salad was spinach with dried cherries, mandarin orange, boiled eggs, and home made dressing, will have to ask her for the recipe. There was also mashed potatoes, cheese bread, cranberry sauce, and green beans. This was paired with a good pinot noire.  For dessert there was pumpkin and apple pie. Aside from rinsing the spinach and adding a thickener to the gravy, that is my only contribution to this wonderful meal.

The smaller photos on the side were the crust that L can't eat as she is sensitive to gluten. We ended up eating more than we should. That was a great celebration of Thanksgiving, except that it was so cold when we left. It was one of the coldest night that it almost felt like I was in East Coast in the dead of winter.

That was a wonderful celebration indeed.

Marketing Tactics..

Do you notice how you can be familiar with goods and services that doesn't really interest you, from the advertisements, or things that people you know own.  It is called familiarity, cars, for example that we don't pay attention to, we noticed because we see it a lot on television.

I have observed to that in stores, the sales associates-the ones that are serious about their work, at least will make you think that what they are selling is what you needed, effectively changing your initial decision. The feeling that you get is that the decision is yours too.. ha ha..

Even with the Google adsense, they are paying the blog owner only with clicked ads, but-but, constantly having an item visible on a page, creates a familiarity that intrudes in the sub conscious of the reader and they are hooked.

I thrive on online shopping because there is less intrusion on my mind, I only have my obsession to deal with :) and of course Lordy's reminder that it is idolatry and is separating me from him.

On another note, do you notice that we are getting spendier with small things, things that has no significance sometimes, sort of a justification that we can't purchase big ticketed items. Therefore, we are pacifying ourselves with itty bitty ones, totaled comes out the same as the cost of big ticketed item. The self is indeed hard to figure out, the pride is always angling on the top.

What do I have to be thankful for?

 I just this in an email today, and I feel had to share because it is so true..



http://www.joyfultoons.com/

I am thankful for you.

Discoveries..

It used to be, having the  upbringing that I had, that there is always a benchmark. A measure for everything and respect is measured by wether one meets that criteria.  As I mataure and get closer to Lordy, understanding His teachings, I discovered that there is no such thing.  That the benchmark is only to determine categories but not to judge or marginalize people.  People are individuals and are humans.. No objectifying required.

It made me understand that people are behaving as a response to their being "them". Like how I was reacting because of how I was brought up, until I realized that there is another way. That made it better more livable, otherwise I would have lived in a glass jar and the walls are getting closer and closer, a boring existence. It is wonderful to discover then how a person reacts, thinks, what brings them joy and ponder on it.

Image from: http://www.hivangiang.org/

The same goes for food, while there are constants like, ginger and garlic does not seem to go well together,  but if you make a mistake, perhaps a little sugar or more onions will do the trick. Or following a recipe to the letter, if a good one will make a good dish to serve to guest, but where is the excitement there.  Discovering what flavors meld well would be my preferred method. The joy is in the discovery, not of what others have done but what your tastebuds is telling you. Spitting it out and hastily throwing things out is acceptable.

That's how I cook, how I deal with life, why I am enjoying little discoveries, and if things don't turn out right, I can spit it out :).

Of tongues and other horrendous delights

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. Proverbs 21:23 Indeed this is a very important verse, for if we are not able to watch our mouths and tongues, then we are like animals who has no respect for others and seem to desire their downfall. But then again, somebody said to me if people are interested in talking about others, then they lives are not so interesting that they are trying to divert attention from themselves. It does make sense, huh!

Thank you specialty's cafe for the editing capabilities on your online ordering store.

I had friends over one time and of course conversation led to food, comparing cultures and childhood experiences foodwise.  A friend was talking about a tongue sandwich, and the picture that I painted from that story was this, a sandwich with the rolling stones tongue logo.  The way he was describing it, how nasty it was, just didn't do much for me.

So after that event, I bugged an artist friend to create an image of that concept, this is after my niece who is into cartonology (invented word) declined my request.  She probably thought that is rather odd, even a perverted one. So my friend, acquiesced and gave me this true to my concept image:

Now, this is a nasty image of a tongue, the grossest picture ever. This was used as a prop in our filming efforts 2 weeks ago, another story for another time,


We have lengua estofada and pastel de lengua, more like a chicken pot pie but it uses tongue as the main recipe.  And the way it is prepared, one will hardly recognize that it is tongue except for the texture. The tongue is thoroughly cleaned and the outer skin removed, such that what is left is a pinkish meat, cut in cubes.

The texture is not quite like meat of beef or pork, it is a little bouncy, not sure about flavor or smell, but it provides a good main ingredient that can blend well with others without overpowering it. Here's the nutrition facts of a cow's tongue:



Hot Soup on a Cold Day

This past week has been wet and cold, not your typical early fall weather.  Did we even have summer? So, G, will have to tell you all about her next time, we go out to lunch most Fridays--when it's not crazy. Which is not for me, another topic for another day.

Anyway, we said soup will be good on a cold day, this is the second Friday, when we opted to have soup.  I wish I can tell you the name of the restaurant, but it just escaped my mind and google was not very helpful.  Anyway, I had shrimp wonton and she had beef and shrimp wonton soup.  I must say that I can make better soup than they did.  They tried to make it safe to the multi-cultured clientele that it is bland.  I would have put ginger and a little salt, may roasted garlic.  There is no flavor at all, the warm soup hit the spot anyways because of the warm weather.

I like to make soup, so I know what I am talking about, the broth is different from the actual soup the you're making. It is just one of the ingredients, so it you put noodles or wonton to the broth and call it soup, it is a direct violation of the Soup Standards Treaty, ha ha.  And the fortune cookie says,

For dessert we went to the contraband shop mentioned on this blog more than once, I think. G had cookies and I had this wonderful coconut ceam pie.  Oh, it was heavenly, very thin crust so as not to offend, creamy lightly sweet with sparsely mixed roasted coconut top with browned coconut shavings, sugar, nuts. A good way to close a meal.

Recipe: Arroz Caldo

Last night was movie night, we saw John of the Cross, a wonderful inspiring movie of a Carmelite monk who defied his order, so that he can participate in the movement. The movement, led by St. Therese of Avila, works on a deeper relationship with God.  I resonate with what he said, that we should have less to have more. To ignore the attempts of others to distract oneself, through gossip or other (pedestrian) means. If only it is easy to achieve.

It was a little cold so I thought I'll let friends have a taste of arroz caldo, it is a Filipino porridge with chicken. Here is a link to a recipe not my own. It is a very filling soup, a meal in itself.

Tips:

Ginger: I normally freeze my ginger so that it's available when I need it, for convenience, I grate the ginger using a zester or a cheese grater instead of slicing.  The flavor melds with the other ingredients and does not surprise the diner when accidentally biting on a piece of ginger.

Sweet Rice: When cooking sweet rice, the ratio is 4 cups of water to 1 cup of rice.  If the recipe calls for a lighter consistency it is best to dilute the sweet rice with regular rice.

Ingredients:

   tumeric or yellow ginger, regular ginger will work too
   onions -- chopped
   green onions
   chicken (drumstick) cut in three (a personal preference, it is easier to cook, cut up chicken
    it is also appetizing)
   fish sauce
   roasted garlic
   ground pepper
   sweet rice
   olive oil
   saffron
   Lemon juice to season
   optional: hard boiled egg, shelled and added to the porridge when ready to serve.

Directions:

In a heavy bottom pot, heat the olive oil, caramelize the onions. Put the chicken in the pot, let it cook for a while, add the sweet rice, then add water, noting the proportions mentioned above. It is cooked when a soupy consistency is reached.  Season to taste, the fish sauce complements the porridge well. Add the green onion and roasted garlic when ready to serve.

Eat with lemon, a cold drink of soda or juice go well with this food.

Eye Candy: Oakland

As I walk around the neighborhood, I am beginning to appreciate Lordy's gift, the beauty around us. I have taken to stopping at my tracks and snapping a picture, no matter how late I am. I would like to share it with you, which I will just tag as eye candy.

Here's a sample, yesterday it was raining and I was walking to church, I had to stop at this beauties. It is called penstemon garnet.

Enjoy!

Orangie Food

Lunch at work on last week consisted of a salad, mandarin orange, peach halves and this multigrain chips. It's funny that I would sometimes prefer canned fruits versus the fresh ones. See, when I was growing up fruits were organic and fresh nothing of the canned variety. So, it is more of a treat than anything else.

Except that the bug killer then was DDT, later on banned from use because of it's cancer causing properties. Paregoric the cure all stomach ache elixir was also banned because of opium properties. This was banned in the 70's, boy I grew up with all these. I now remember, merthiolate, merchurochorme, and all the medications then seems to start with sulpha. Sorry, this is so off topic.

I was talking to a friend at breakfast yesterday after mass at Cafe Trieste having rubberized scrambled egg and country potatoes that seem to have seen it's glory days, I didn't have what they are known for beautiful cakes and pastries and just delicious.

Anyway, the conversation led to thanksgiving food and how she hated creamed corn. I said that it's one of my favorites. She said it's canned and not tasty at all.  That's when we realize the contrast in our lives, how she liked the organic and fresh foods, while I would approve canned fruits etc, as cited above.

So, where did the orangie food, the topic of this posting come from and going to.  Hey, I didn't promise that my posts will be sane and flowing correctly.  But do you notice that sometimes the color of the food makes for an appetizing one?  Although, I must admit that the color blue, or any non food color will have no appeal to me.

Are you planning your thanksgiving already? Don't forget the reason for the holiday, it is not just to gorge on turkey, but to be thankful for what we are and where we are today.

Rhum Balls

 

Last Wednesday in our Bible Study, Louis brought these lovely rhum balls. To die for, these are just delicious. I just admire this guy, married to a friend of mine. He can whip these great desserts without miss.

He said what it has are vanilla wafers, crushed with nuts laced with rhum and topped with cherries.

Breakfast Casserole and other nice goodies

There is a Women’s Bible Study that I go to every other Saturday; the hosting is rotated among the members. Because there is just the four of us and we all like to cook, even if it only breakfast that consists of eggs, muffin, and fruit, we still manage to make it presentable and appetizing, or NOT.

In this case, we had spinach casserole, we learned about this recipe from a dear friend who passed last year. It consists of eggs, milk, cheese, bread, onions, spinach, mayonnaise, and such other items calling your attention in the kitchen. Like raisins, tomatoes, if you don’t have spinach it can be potatoes, carrots, etc. This recipe does not really call for specifics. The milk will soften the mixture and the bread will provide texture and consistency. Cheese and mayonnaise will add flavor, of course herbs like basil, or if you want a little Mexican blend add cumin or cilantro, parsley will not do damage to the flavor too. This mixture is placed on a baking tray, preferably Pyrex and let stand overnight. Remember that movie Family Stone, that’s what they made. Here’s the more formal recipe, if you wish to try.

The joy is in the presentation too, the milk jar was an irregularly designed pottery, so beautiful. Notice the collection of different designs of spoons, even the mis-matched plates rendered a rustic effect making for a wonderful dining experience.

Although, honestly, we did admonished ourselves for purchases that are not needed but wanted to complement a dish that we are going to prepare.

Being Green

I am a cabber and a member of the green team at work. So I am pleased when the cabbie is turning green too. Not sure how much carbon footprint riding the green cab is. I know, I know, I should be taking public transportation instead, but sometimes it gets too cold that it is so inconvenient.

Speaking of my being a proponent of being green, I sent a message to the CEO saying the pounding of the gavel should come from the pulpit, that he should encourage green practices. He probably thought, this crazy woman is stepping the line. Oh well, we can only try.

How green are you? I reuse, I recycle.. I have glass jars from pickles, etc. that I save and send soups to friends, instead of the unsafe glad containers.

Thai Food in the Work Hood

We had a craving for Thai food, there is but one Thai resto in the work hood (linked in the title). We were surprised at the attempt to prettify the place, there were curtains that I am sure was not there before. There were not too many people, our food came so fast that it feels as if the food has been pre-cooked. So we were talking to the owner, it turned out that it is their last day. He is retiring from being a restauranteur and will return to Thailand to be a farmer. His son, who is managing another restaurant in Piedmont will take over and convert the place into a white linen restaurant worthy of a Zagat Rating.

There goes the cheap lunch venue, an easy order for meetings, they have been witnessed to some BS'ng at work ha ha. Reportage of yorn, giving assurances that everything will be alright, despite the battle cries outside that damnation is far far from happening and the storm will be over. So for this final lunch, a few hours before the closing, we opted for the specials. This is what I had, rather salty, a combination of fish and shrimp with basil, and beans in brown sauce. Notice the garnish of carrots shaped like a flower.

G had a bowl of chicken with vegetables that looks good. She didn't complain, so it must be good. But then again, she is a happy camper, always smiling. Notice, how Thai food just like other Asian cuisines will have the same sauce and flavor with the vegetables and the meat or sea food that is changing.

While I look forward to the new addition to the list of restos in the work hood, I will certainly miss this no pretense hole in the wall.

The Contraband

The Scene of the Crime

Some Wednesdays after lunch we would go to this nondescript building behind the burger place in front of our building. At about 12:30, a long line would form on the street leading to this place. You would think that they are queuing for a contraband, something that is illegal. Well dressed, some wearing their work badges, carrying their wallets, patiently waiting, some having just just followed the aroma. In this premises, the best-fresh out of the oven cookies or cobblers, pies are lined up, ready to be devoured.

Indeed, it is a perfect picker-upper, those gloomy Wednesdays where there is no inspiration at all. I know, i know, there is the Specialty's Coffee shop downstairs and Farley's Cafe a few doors down. But this place, renders something that is truly desirable. Maybe the defiance to the norm, where the products are beautifully lined in a glass case, tempting the patrons. In this case, the trays are lined in, what looks like cooling racks

This is a new creation, it is a milkshake in a crust, reminiscent of a chocolate drink advertisement, it goes "it is like a chocolate cake that you can drink". Here, it is like a chocolate drink that you can eat.

There is always the romantic in us, desiring tne nonconformist ways, finding the best sugar source.

Ahhh...

Pinoy Food

Pinoy food does not really score in terms of food porn, it sometimes look like it is just a blob of food. There has to be appreciation for the flavor. The pictures here are from the Nayong Pilipino Restaurant in Union City. Hardly a white linen resto, but it hits the spot if one is craving for different flavors of home cooked Pinoy Food.  My friend who is a picky Oakland native, opted for the tamer ones, like adobo and sauted veggie.