Learning to Cook and Other Things

Hello Again

2022-08-09T02:32:00.001-07:00

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 ending process - death-life-death.

And I have not even spoken about cooking..

Consumer groups urge labeling of mechanically tenderized meat products | barfblog

2012-08-25T18:27:00.001-07:00

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 outside of the steak to the inside?"

Organic Sabah Tea

2012-06-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

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 .

Car brand sounding chocolates

2012-06-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

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

A Dangerous Herb

2012-04-11T19:02:00.003-07:00

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

The lowly but healthy alugbati

2012-04-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

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

2011-11-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

Factors Governing the Benefits of Honey

Potato Salad as Prelude to a Typhoon

2011-09-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

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 the availability of raisins we have in the cupboard.. oh great!

The result - one great tasting potato salad, according to partner.. hehehe

But before I remembered to take a photo of the finished product, the salad's all GONE!

I have been a friend of Ginger for a long time now

2011-08-31T00:55:00.000-07:00

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 prepared with scrambled eggs (thin strips) and could help reduce coughing
as a paste can possibly prevent headaches when applied to temple
can help reduce fatigue, rheumatism
can prevent heat cramps as ginger water

I take ginger as tea in the morning. It is always my first drink and also my last. I use it in green salads; as an additional ingredient in preparing adobo, in fish dishes, whenever I steam fish.. and it has been nothing but healthful eversince.

Hydration for any old hot and humid day

2011-05-04T02:42:00.000-07:00

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!

Of Nephews and the future

2011-05-04T02:26:00.000-07:00

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 earn a living, to support his girlfriend and daughter. It goes without saying that girlfriend stopped school as well. She was pregnant. and the new life meant carefree student ways are gone. Night outs are out. No more wearing of their nursing scrubs. It was time to step up and live up to the responsibility of taking care of another life brought into the world - their daughter.

And yes today, the baby is getting baptized. She is one beautiful looking angel from heaven. Eyes, like her Mom's and mouth like my nephew's. Another child born into the world with unprepared set of parents. What would be her future? I could only mutter a silent prayer of hope that all will be well.

It's Been Awhile

2010-10-14T00:16:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-04-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

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 syndrome (Diabetes, 2009, Vol. 58, pp. 2198-2210). Other studies focussing on hesperidin have also reported potential cardiovascular and neurological benefits".

"These data emphasize that a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal is profoundly and rapidly proinflammatory, and that this process occurs at the cellular and molecular level," said Prof Dandona.

“In addition, specific proinflammatory genes are activated after the intake of glucose and a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal, and these changes are observed in mononuclear cells that participate in vascular inflammation and insulin resistance,” he added.

I must assume that these anti oxidants will only come from fresh oranges and not those tetra-packed and harvested from the supermarts. Otherwise, what is the use?

I would have been happy for those who'd like to switch to orange juice instead of the usual colas, because much as I'd want to, drinking orange juice gives me stomach cramps.

Pancit Canton with Chinese Sausage and Olive Oil

2010-03-01T20:44:00.000-08:00

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 cup soy sauce
chicken broth (if available) otherwise water is enough
1/8 vegetable oil
1/8 olive oil
salt to taste
fresh milled black pepper
lemon

Heat oil. Saute garlic and then onions. Add sausage, soy sauce and water. Stir. Add carrots, cabbage, kinchay. Slightly simmer. Veggies must not be overcooked. Add pancit canton noodles. At this point noodle mixture is soaked in soy sauce and water. Add salt to taste. Then freshly milled pepper. Garnish with green onions.

I add olive oil just before I remove the pancit dish from the cooking pan to dilute the not so good cholesterol (chinese sausage) inherent in the dish. Olive oil provides HDL. And to make it perfect, I use lemon instead of kalamansi to dissipate the oily taste and feel on the mouth.

Cheers!

Valentines Day Suggestions

2010-02-14T02:22:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-14T02:08:00.000-08:00

"Hoping you see what your love means to me"

Learn Italian Cooking while you are on vacation

2010-02-12T01:50:00.000-08:00

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. Its topography is dominated by the Apennines to the east, with the highest point in the region at Monte Vettore on the border of the Marche, and the Tiber valley basin, with the lowest point at Attigliano.

Imagine the scenery, and already I am envious of those lucky beings who are able to afford this luxury.

Anyway, some samples of Umbrian cooking are:
1. Lentil Stew with Umbrian sausages called Lenticchie di Castelluccio con salsicce
2. Spelt Soup called Minestra di farro
3. Carp in fennel sauce known as Regina in porchetta
4. Spit roasted pigeon called Piccioni all spiedo

Other Specialties of the region:
1. Barbozzo - cured, matured pig's cheek
2. Mazzafegati - sweet or hot pig's liver sausage, the sweet version containing raisins, orange peel and sugar
3. Budellacci - smoked, spiced pig intestines eaten raw, spit-roasted, or broiled
4. Capocollo - Sausage highly seasoned with garlic and pepper
5. Coppa - sausage made from the pig's head
6. Prosciutto di Norcia - a pressed, cured ham made from the legs of pigs fed on a strict diet of acorns

So anyone wealthy enough to afford this cooking on vacation package, check out this site. All I ask is give us an account of the experience.

Fried Pork? or Crispy Pata, take your pick

2010-02-11T01:22:00.000-08:00

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 of the pata. On a deep stock pot, place the pata in water with soda and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the baking soda and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove the pata from the pot and hang and allow to drip dry for 24 hours. An alternative to this is to thoroughly drain the pork pata and refrigerate for a few hours. After the above process, rub patis or fish sauce on the pata and sprinkle flour liberally. In a deep frying pot, heat cooking oil and deep fry the pork pata until golden brown.

That should be crisp enough to eat with a crackle. There should be no left overs for this dish. Because, the next day it won't be as crisp anymore.

Sauce:

Mix 3/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 head of diced onion and 1 hot pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.

Thanks to the chow site for this recipe. And thanks to this site for the pic.

If ever I get the chance to cook this dish again, I will take a pic snippet. My son's camera is now available for borrowing ha ha.

Plastic surgery anyone?

2010-02-07T00:59:00.000-08:00

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 waistline size matters. Are you a cup C or merely a B? Do you have that pouty lip sexiness, or a nose perfectly sculptured in an aquiline fashion? Is your tummy so large that it needs to be tucked? Or would you say an eyebrow lift would be in order? These were everyday issues women in this town take to heart? It is as if, my friend says, "beauty" can take precedence over character.

Is it a psychological issue then? Do the woman who resort to "improving" her physical appearance have emotional insecurities? My friend says that most women she knows from her office as well as other social circles are gorgeous women... women, she thought not needing surgery at all. But it has come to becoming a habit. Boohoo.

Maybe, lack of self-confidence then? The implications maybe varied and complicated.

And what about movie celebrities? These people certainly want to look their best. It is part of the package in order to sell themselves as talents. It could be that people get their ideas from these celebs. It is no longer surprising to hear about movie personalities getting plastic surgery at their whim, with no apparent logical reason. Perhaps, it might be quite understandable if that celebrity wants to enhance or get a new face or a slimmer waistline because of age. Like Joan Rivers, maybe? Why not? Even hers, I think has gone overboard.

Also, take the case of Heidi Montag. She wasn't bad looking to begin with. But has she turned to become an addict to plastic surgery or not? If only for her and a host of other movie, tv and music industry stars, surely, the Los Angeles plastic surgery business is a thriving endeavor. Well, I am far from being a celebrity, nor am I rich nor famous, so plastic or cosmetic surgery is not and will never be a problem for me.

However, if you think that the solution to your self-esteem problems is plastic surgery, go for it. But be sure to consult your health care professional first. It could be vital to your life survival.

Cheers!

Hello There

2010-01-22T01:17:00.000-08:00

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 outstanding.

So is there anything else that I could contribute? Who knows? I may still have some, up my sleeve. For now, I am cranking my head crazy, thinking of topics I should do to make a page view, visit or a drop-in worthwhile.

Cheers!

Ibanag's Wish fulfilled with Compaq Notebook

2009-12-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

I am so happy that it looks like I will be back in the blogging world for good. First, because we have somehow settled in our new place. Still in Marikina, despite our experience In Provident Village during Ondoy.

Second, because my very dear children have just gifted me my very own Compaq Pressario Notebook Computer. The loving thought of giving despite the realities of the moment add to the luster of their action.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, mga anak. Salamat. You have really made my Christmas a season distinctly unforgettable.

And to the Lord above thank you for this undeserved grace.

One prayer: Please protect my children always.

Machiavelli is not just a philosopher

2009-08-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

But a brand of Philippine fruit based chocolates as well!

There's this new type of chocolates created by a Filipino. As i understand it, the chocolate used by this brand are belgian and french chocolates; considered to be two of the best types of chocolates in the world.

Imagine ube or yam, lychee, mango, cashew and pili nuts, guava, buko pandan, muscovado sugar langka or jackfruit, mangosteen, jasmine and curiously, mungbean, fused with belgian and french chocolates shaped in delectably stunning shapes. Ooolala!

Cheers!

And the brand? Cunningly machiavellian -- Machiavelli of course is the modern day politician and philosopher, idolized by many political figures we know.

See more of Machiavelli chocolates here and here.

Where to get them in the Philippines?

Please visit them at Rustan's Makati, ground floor, Essenses area,
in Glorietta 4 . Their store landline is 63 (02) 4839854.

Goodbye Cory

2009-08-02T19:03:00.001-07:00

I learned that Cory was a good cook. Noynoy, her son said in an anecdote that when he felt he was doing good in his public life, food served to him was extraordinarily good. But during times when he was unsure, he noticed the food wasn't so good. And he thought, was she angry with me?

Truly a typical Filipino mother!

So many things have been said about her Presidency. I don't care about that. I just want to remember the good. But what I most admire about Cory is her mothering; how she exemplified sublime motherhood, sacrificing, and unconditionally giving love to her children.

Godspeed Tita Cory!!!

Fair Trade Chocolate and Organic Chocolate - Organic Chocolate Brands - thedailygreen.com

2009-04-18T06:59:00.001-07:00

Fair Trade Chocolate and Organic Chocolate - Organic Chocolate Brands - thedailygreen.com

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Healthy chocolates please

2009-04-18T06:18:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading one food subject I like a lot . And this is about organic chocolates. Choco goodies that allow indulgence and yet friendly, both to our health and the environment. I didn't know that there were a lot of brands commercially produced, already in the market. Because I don't see them around here where I come from, I thought there were no such bananas.

I love learning something everyday.

By the way, for food items to be classified organic, they need to adhere to certain standards. The concept originated in 1939, when "Lord Northbourne coined the term organic farming in his book 'Look to the Land' (written in 1939, but published in 1940), out of his conception of "the farm as organism", to describe a holistic, ecologically-balanced approach to farming -- in contrast to what he called chemical farming, which relied on "imported fertility" and "cannot be self-sufficient nor an organic whole".

Generally, food /food items or processed food can be considered organic if they:

1. contain only organic ingredients
2. free of artificial food additives
3. if, processed, less artificial methods or conditions and must use energy efficient technologies, packaged with biodegradable materials
4. usually come from small farms
5. must be organically certified

Brands that have organically produced chocolates are:

1. Dagoba from Ashland, Oregon. Once referred to by CNN as the world's best chocolates
2. Green & Blacks fair trade maya gold organic chocolate
3. Vivani from Germany
4. Alma Chocolates from Portland, Oregon
5. Vere Chocolates from Ecuadorian cocoa
6. Sjaaks
7. Deans Beans
8. Equal Exchange
9. Yachana
10. Sweet Earth

and a host of others