Spears of Pears

Do you sometimes feel that your heart is being pierced by spears of words that you don't even deserve? Yeah, I notice that the world is turning into an arrogant dwellers. They feel that they are the only children of God, there is no more compassion, no love for others, I can only feel for those who have no capability of taking care of themselves.

It is rather crass, to just address a person so bluntly just to prove that they are better individuals. But the truth of the matter is they are proving themselves to be uncouth and therefore lower than the stature that they are trying to put themselves into. Ah life..

And so to protect myself from such piercings I feel I don't have to protect myself and rather allow them, spears to shame themselves, what I do is enjoy some spears of pears as pictured below. Ha ha was that trying too hard to connect the pears from the difficulty of one's existence? I hope not distastefully, but I know you see what I mean.

I like pears when they are chilled and crunchy, a healthy way to chase the blues away. The sweetness of this one at least, certainly changes one's disposition.

One further trick to enjoyment is to present it on a better plate, make it like you are presenting it for someone else. Not just much it with big bites knowing noone's looking.

Of Grief and Lamentations

Saturday, I was catching up with movies from Netflix, a lot of soppy romance movies, I'm telling you. A good excuse not to do laundry. It was almost mid-day when I woke up, so I tossed the idea of running errands, and a walk around the lake to burn off the gained calories during the week.

In the middle of the Dear John movie, a friend called, asking me to accompany her to purchase an iphone 4. So off we went, me wanting to trade my old iphone, there was a deal going on at AT&T buy two accessories, get one free.

We left the store happy, then off to dinner, I sugested Long Life in Piedmont, an inexpensive Japanese restaurant, but alas, it has closed. I didn't even notice, it was Miechelle's find, it has been a favorite, which turned out to be our once a month place, until she passed.

So we landed at Holly's Mandarin Kitchen, the food was great, service was perfect and the food presentation was wonderful. There's nothing to elaborate on the food, these are comfort foods, familiar, flavors that does not surprise or assault the senses, perfect for a cool evening to update with friends.



Seafood combo, steamed and dipped in soy sauce with lemon



Mongolian beef, not spicy

For dessert, it was fried banana with coconut ice cream with a side of grapes

Drink of choice: Diet Coke

Holly's Mandarin
(510) 652-9678
4080 Piedmont Ave

Oakland, CA 94611

While she was happy with her accomplishments, she was able to buy a brand new car with a five thousand dollar deposit, got her new iphone, and was able to purchase land, vehicles for the business, and is building a house in the Philippines, she is almost giddy that she felt like she has arrived. Of course she credits Lordy for all this, but why are some people not happy with what she has. There is an apparent jealosy, of envy.. hmmmm I griped that if only there is no jealosy, the world will be happy place to live in.  To which she readily responded, öf course, or Satan will have nothing else to do".

True, life is indeed a plate of Chinese noodles, too plain without the sauce, the sauce provides the flavors, melded otherwise it will not be palatable.

Today's Special: The Movie

I saw this at the Albany theater a week or so ago, I totally enjoyed it.  I am not one to look at the personalities in the movie, like who directed, etc. but the lines are fresh.  There was a scene when the main was arguing with his dad and he muttered, "Jesus", this was a scene where he was being thought how to pray, and the Dad character said,"not that".  Or the cab driver who gave his business card with just his name on it.

The story line is good, acting could have been better. But the display of colors of food, even the bazaars, it was amazing.

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 :).

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.

High Tea..

 

Tea, not just the beverage can be referred to as a meal -- dinner in England or an afternoon snack in the US. High tea is a fancier manner of having an afternoon tea with petite fours, tea sandwiches, and all that fancy goodness.  When I was growing up, drinking tea was not really a part of our culture/family, tea was said to provide relief for upset stomach and is said to be good for the complexion.  My mom had these fancy tea cups that you can't hold the handle without your pinky poised up. 

So delicate that it seems more of a ritual than actually appeasing hunger.  Found these old pictures from a High Tea that I went to in Rockridge, can't even remember the place, you will notice that the pictures were not as rich as the newer pictures.  But going back to the high tea, it is actually a good social activity, it somehow forces one to be demure and gentle.

 The picture below was taken from the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, a birthday celebration.  The place is grand with ornate decors, but they don't seem to have high teas anymore.  The petite fours are soo good, I remember it was a pre fixe deal.  A certain amount for limitless tea and an assortment of pastries and tea sandwiches, yum. 

Looks like this tradition is dying, with the present way of life being so busy, there doesn't seem to have time for events like this. Before we forget how it is, I had to have my own version, as I have a little bit of a collection of different tea pots-mostly Asian inspired.  I got the tea sandwiches from Whole Foods--egg and cucumber. Not so great, it was dry, such that the crumbled eggs were not even bound together.  I did love setting this up, this was for someone at work, but I brought in my stuff. It is actually a fun activity.  You can even make your own tea sandwiches and pettite fours. Perfect in this stormy, wet weather. 

  

 

Beautiful Images of the Philippines..

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="542" caption="Pahiyas images from http://my_sarisari_store.typepad.com/"][/caption]

 Here's food art, before there is such a thing. This event in the Philippines is inspired by a Catholic (note Catholic) saint during the Spanish regime. The website noted that it is by way of Mexico, no wonder there is a similarity in the culture.

Click on the image to get to the photographer's website.  The pictures are awesome, I am inspired.

Enjoy. Note: I did send the photographer an email asking for permission to link to his pix, but it bounced.

Another new cafe..

There is a new cafe at the ground floor of the building where I work, it is part of chain in San Francisco and other cities, providing lunch to workers and tourists. I can't say I am thrilled with it, except that it is convenient for people working through lunch. Rather silly but Oakland is cool in the sense that it does not have a mall, save for the coffee shops, drugstores and grocers is free from chains, there are a lot of independent stores, restaurants and bookstores. Oakland, one of the biggest cities in the US is not safe from the assult of Corporate America. I wonder what this will do the Grand Avenue Grill (GAG) and the other restaurants in the neighborhood.

So the aroma of freshly baked bread replaced the stench of human existence. Yeah, that is part of Oakland, a coexistence of hard life, the pain of existence, the result of this trying econmic times and a luxurious wealthy life, a backdrop of the mansions up in the hills. A tableu of reality, a mixture of culture-of backgrounds, and everything else.

Okay, I said enough already. The food is good, cooked fresh all the time, and they deliver for just 2 bucks.

Eggspectation..

Kudos to the eggspectation restaurant, not sure if that is a chain but I was working in the Chantilly, Va office that I had their omelette.  Their eggs are just the usual ones, it would have been nice if they have eggs prepared in every way imaginable.  Remember that commercial? I love eggs, ta na na na.. I do, tamago, omelette, torta, quiche, casserole, egg salad, or fritata.

I also love eggplants, espcially with eggs. What to do then is make eggplant omelet. I didn't want to take out the tabletop grill or the foreman, nor do I want to use the oven, the effect is just different. I like to grill the old way, hot almost touching the embers, so there you are there is CO2 in this process because it does not use charcoal. It may have emitted some in the frying process. What was I trying to make here? Eggplant omelette if it has no filling embotido if it is filled.

So I first grilled the eggplant to a bit of overdone such that the skin is almost charred. Once it is done, on running water I removed the skin, which is fairly easy since it is burnt therefore almost crumbly.  Pat dry and dip in a beaten egg, add salt and pepper, you can add curry or italian seasoning, if you so prefer.  In a frying pan, heat vegetable oil--olive oil tends to heat faster, an olive canola or olive butter can be used too. Once the oil is hot enough pour the egg-eggplant combination, push the egg into the eggplant so that it does not spread throughout the pan. Turn the eggplant for an equal doneness, remember the eggplant is already cooked. We want the egg cooked, not runny or crunchy.

I had some shrimps and mushrooms crying for attention, I gave in, shelled and deveined the shimp, sliced the mushroom.  On the same pan, I caramelized some onions, put a little garlic and added the mushroom, then the shrimps last. A little salt and dinner is ready.

Did that gross you out? I assure you those coils are clean after all it is hot. Anyway it is good eating. :)

 

There is a new resto in my neck of the woods..

Some weeks ago, I met a friend at the Sidebar on Grand Avenue, we didn't have reservations, so we sat at the bar--who did we see, people from church, ha ha you can't have an affair in this neighborhood, you just might bump into your confessor. The food was good, we had crostini topped with duck liver, deviled egges, frites, beans with trout, and something else that I can't remember.  For a new place, the place is abuzz, price is good, the ambiance is good, service is surprisingly outstanding. I said surprisingly because it doesn't seem to be a priority anymore.

This first outing -life, projects, faith filled the conversation. On a second outing last week, I was starving and had a bowl of mussels over shoestring potatoes in cream sauce, it's different but I liked it and I had the crostini with duck liver, what can I say, I love foie gras, and there is a new drink that I discover called Zamboanga, which is an island in the Philippines. I have always been a red drinker aside from a rare ameretto, but this is the bomb, ha ha, not because of the name but it is a good cocktail drink, very light with a slow kick.

Single women, that we are conversation of course led to dating and all that.  So, as we were seated at the bar, my friend told me to scope the room and see if the one I would be attracted to was in the room, I said, no. Well, because my type is an average Joe, a boring looking caucasian man, sorry I have the Kingkong mentality ha ha. She talked about a blind date who was all that when they were talking on the phone, a Catholic, prays the rosary regularly, hmmm possible. Who turned out to be a middle-aged Berkely man, long hair, fit, seemed like, he just stopped what he was doing to meet her. Liked beer but didn't check if the Trappist is open on Mondays, wanted to see a movie (on a first date?) can't decide what he wanted to see, went instead for ice cream but he didn't have cash on him. Whoops that's too many whammies! Next, she said.

But going back to the food, it is good, the noise level of the restaurant is a bit high but tolerable.

      542 Grand Ave
      Oakland, CA 94610-3515
      (510) 452-9500
     Get directions

Now, I am going back to bed :) Good morning!

The Saturday that was a while ago..

Yesterday morning, I attended a mass officiated by the Bishop of Oakland in the Cathedral, it was a mass for the youth of Oakland--not to say I am one. It turned out to be a celebration for St. John, one of the first priests, it is the year of the priests, after all, didn't know that. The Bishop was wearing his hat, as an inspiration to the youths in their vocation, to answer God's calling. He said vocation is not a career is not something that you have to be good at, often mistaken for as ways to be famous, make money, an oxymoron if you would look at it. The former being selfless, a response to a deeper call, giving of oneself without any expectation of a reward. Whereas the latter is so full of self, popularity, wealth, and success. Wow!

So after mass, I went next door to do a little bit of work until it is time to go to a celebration for a friend.  It was her birthday it is also a sort of celebration to her liberation from her aversion to anything techie, (oooh that's too may tion there) she just got an Iphone and is enjoying it.  What is it that they say, there is an app for that.  All in all it was a good gathering, easy and relaxing. Ohhh, the margarita was strong and I discovered a summer pie, a no bake lemonade pie.  Yummm.. no pix this time, in the next gathering perhaps.. hint hint.. 

One of the gifts that she received was a book on zodiac signs (Catholic readers, don't flinch it's just a game :)) where there is a category called luncheon meat, the Libran spam is corned beef. My friend's husband's spam is olive, he cringed saying it is something that he hated as a child, eliciting a question as to what would he prefer listening to Elvis or eating an olive spam, he said none of the above.

Anyway, as soon as I got home, I went to bed being tired from all that activity, I am getting old, one event is enough for me.. Well an early bed does not work for me, woke up from a NAP energized to update this blog.

Oh! some days you will read me weaving words around subjects that does not seem to matter or those that matter but would segue into something else, consider it as a practice in writing. An effort to rehearse the crafting of worthy prose, I have not given up on my desire to write when I grow up, he he.. Factoid or urban legend, did you know that these days part of one's portfolio includes Facebook, Twitter, and a blog, so if you are applying for a job that involves writing, you should have a blog to show proof , the others are I guess proof that you know and use the technology available. They do search for you online, word of the wise, go easy on what you say as it may haunt you when you don't expect it.

Saging na Saba (plantain to you)

It is rare that I find this type of banana in the local markets, I looked up the English translation and it says plantain.  But plantain looks different, this variety has corners sweet with a bit of a tang when ripe. It can be prepared in different ways, it is edible uncooked but we hardly eat it that way. It can be grilled skin off, baked, sweetened and eaten with crushed ice and milk, fried with batter, deep fried in sugar, wrapped in lumpia wrapper with jack fruit and fried, or boiled in this case.  Oh, there are also a hundred and one options for the green- not ripe ones. The easiest of which is to let it ripen to a soft state and put it in a pot of water let it boil to maybe 15 minutes and voila breakfast is ready.  I put a little butter and sugar for the kill, otherwise it can be eaten as is.

[caption id="attachment_662" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Yummy bananas prepared Filipino Style"][/caption]

Banana Factoids:

Here are some images from Google.  Did you know that banana is a member of the palm family, once it has bore fruit, at least this variety, then it has reached it's full lifecycle and it will dry and die. But before that happens it would have multiplied and created havoc on the area.  The leaves can be harvested to a degree even before it has reached it's full cycle and can be used for wrapped rice, another Asian delicacy, or fish, it enhances the flavor and allows tiny ingredients to be cooked together without crushing it. Oh, as the tree or the palm matures, the blossom where the fruits develop has the shape of a heart, literally called, heart of banana, duh, this is harvested once the fruits have developed.  It is said that if it is not removed, the banans will not grow fully. That heart is also edible and is cooked with either coconut milk or vinegar. The whole bunch of fruits is harvested green, letting it ripen on the tree will invite insects, birds, and other critters.  The stalk of the leaves can be used to as a base for cooking if you want to simmer fish and don't want it to stick on the pot. In some cultures it is also cooked in coconut milk. Nope, it's not over, once the fruit has been harvested, the trunk of the palm has a core that is soft and is also edible, as a salad, sauteed or cooked in coconut milk.  Wow, I just realized that having a banana tree must be good for this economy, it is not just decorative as I see around the neighborhood.

Other traditional uses of banana leaves, let it pass through heat on a stove cut it into circles and you have liners for your serving dishes or picnic plate holders, that's really being green. Before the advent of teflon on flat irons, they used the banana leaves a stand for flat irons that way it wouldn't stick.

This plant is good for those with a sore green thumb, as it does not need caring for, it is a survivor :), it does not even need watering. Dried leaves need to be removed periodically and the buds replanted for aesthetic reasons.

Have a banana, it will drive the zits away.

Yama Sushi Restaurant on Franklin St.

Beside the Bistro Manila Restaurant of the previous post is Yama Sushi. The first time I came in after a noon-time mass at the Cathedral, I was surprised-hmm this used to be a Vietnamese sandwich shop where I can get lunch for a measly 5 dollars. So I pulled a chair, can't say no to sushi or California roll with heaps of Japanese Mayonnaise (zero cholesterol.)This is a little different, most items are ordered by piece.

Three pieces of sushi or rolls for 99 cents after 1:30 pm.  who can't dig that.  1 order and a bowl of udon soup with a bottle of soda will certainly hit the spot. One of the servers used to work for the Chinese Restaurant on the other side of Grand Avenue, who remembers my preferred drink is diet coke on a glassful of ice. I can almost see my friend smirking, they don't put ice on their from their side of the world.

This place is a good find, fresh inexpensive, friendly staff, not crowded. You can people watch while eating or immerse on a good book. 

     Yama Sushi Restaurant
     1814 Franklin St. #2
     corner of 19th St.
     Oakland, Ca 94612
     510.986.1226 
     M-F: 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

Bistro de Manila (Filipino Restaurant) in Oakland..

It's not really the bistro that we know of, metal and glass tables with antique looking chairs, outside seating, cozy. It turned out that the origins of bistro is french and russian and that it means something that is quick.  This Bistro is actually an all you can eat restaurant.  Although, how much can one eat for lunch is relative,  it is a place lined with trays of different types of food, certainly can make one eye-hungry.  I think in the 70's  this type of restaurant is called smorgasboard.

 And here is what yelp had to say.  I have sworn off this place several times, but I always come back-to fulfill the craving from Pinoy food.

365 19th Street
Oakland, Ca 94612

Newsflash! We were at the restaurant that week, chatting with the owner who gave us a frequent diner card. What do you say, a few days after I came back, the place is closed and is under construction for a Vietnamese restaurant.  Oh well, that's the PInoy.. no details whatsoever..

Pizza,mousse, and churchie talks

I think this was the week before the Holy Week, they were going for a retreat in Denver  (not sure about this link, they will comment on it, if it is not), So they decided that we should cook and enjoy a movie or something. But I wasn't feeling up to it, T came with her organic and healthy pizza ingredients, we were both lazy. L came late of course, with the dessert ingredients, she was the only one cooking :).  We ended up ordering pizza from pizza rustica, gluten free and vegetarian, how sad is that ha ha.. 

Whatever we do, discussion always segued into churcie talks, how progressive can a Catholic church be without defying the dictum, the teachings of the church.  Recall that the Catholic Church does not only rely on the Scripture, the teaching and the doctrine, and its traditions. Sometimes we got hangup on what should and what shouldn't be, but then when do we stop participating in activities that defies the things that the Church represents.

 It is certainly a call that we each have to answer, we are answerable to our conscience, to God, and the creatures that we co-exist with. It is indeed mind boggling to say that we comply, that we are not rightfully the children of God.  But we can't be that, we are forgiven, absolved of our past sins and justified of our future sins. So what is the problem, maybe we just don't know how to enjoy the combination of pizza and an avocado mousse and a raspberry mousse.

It was enjoyable,  I take it back, there was sausage in a section of that rice-crust pizza. But then again, T has not taken a lead in these cooking experiments that we do, how about these samosas recipes?

Macaroon is not a cookie and does not have coconut..

This was the fact laid down to us by a friend, creating such a snob noise in the process.  Silently I was thinking, anything that's round is a cookie and macaroons do have coconut in it.  Because I grew up in a small town where one of the largest manufacturing plant of dessicated coconut is located, I had to insist that there has to be coconut in it.  Of course the argument ended there, because my friend's mom owns a macaroon industrial processing plant.  It is that huge, they bake macaroons by the ton.  I will have the link the next time you check this page.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="466" caption="Macaroons are not cookies and does not have coconut in it."][/caption]

Anyway, her mom visited and showed us how to make the to die for macaroon, that is not a cookie :0

Of course, I can't tell you how to make it here as it is a business and I don't want to jeopardize the trade secret, but I can say that the ingredients are:

almond meal (I was just imagining that it will be nice to make something out of ground almond, not realizing that it already exist in the market, how ancient is that)

vanilla bean

coffee essence or chocolate or pistaccio

sugar

egg whites and some yolks

The end result was an airy very light delicacy, it was so good that t took so much to reach a satiation point.  Notice that it has a sandwich-like look where 2 pieces are glued together, not by cream or -sugar glue but the moisture generated from putting the oven-fresh macaroons over a tray of hot water and gently putting them together. It is such a laborious process that is best done with a group of friends either with a movie or sufficient alcohol to imbibe such that it is a fun activity.  Great for bonding, I should say.

Oh and if the mixture has a little bit of light consistency then it is aired under the sun so that evaporation will occur.

Pinoy recipes from my bro..

Whenever I talk to my family, conversation will always end up with food, who cooked, who discovered new recipes, of course mom will always have the final say as to "what is the best".  Kudos to mom, though, she got married with no clue as to cooking, she discovered the kitchen out of need -- to feed the hungry kids he he..

I remember my brother was telling me how frustrated he was, when he made country soup and the family just took for an entree and put rice over it.  Filipino cooking though relies on fresh ingredients so there is I feel nothing one can do to improve, unless another dish is created a fusion with another cuisine. But the traditionalists will not go with that, if it is shrimp then it is with this or that.

So, I will get this emails from another brother with cool pictures of food, I suspected he was a new blogger with a different name.. ha ha, he was just testing those Filipino recipes online and that was his way of giving a thumbs up. So, I thought I had something to share here.. but nada.. oh well

Pili nut butterscotch brownies

Pili nut butterscotch brownies

Sorry, I didn't mean to drop this link here with nary a word. Ni ha ni ho as what we Pinoys, would say. I tried to make butterscoth bars over the weekend and I must have used a recipe for a different butterscoth as it didn't come out right. What I was aiming for are the Filipino holiday butterscotch bars.

I said holiday because I usually get this during the holidays with blocks of fruit cake. This is what I came up with, it reminds me of the shortbread biscuits that comes in those plaid-painted tin cans.