Food Lava Blog

Small kitchen strategies

michelle — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:29:48 +0000

These past few days, I have been doing a lot of crawling on the web to pick up fresh ideas for our small (8X13 square feet) kitchen. Down sizing seems to the order of the day, but I learned that you don’t have to sacrifice style. In fact these small kitchens I found are beautiful! Here are a top to bottom strategies to make the most of the small space.

Have lots of light - Install window, skylights, compact lights under the cabinets and over the sink.
Cabinets - When using wood, choose those with a finer grain and keep the cabinet doors plain. Choose sleek simple handles or omit them altogether. Make the overhead cabinet and pantry extend all the way to the ceiling to visually extend the height of the room. Favor shiny surfaces to reflect light. You don’t have to be stuck with light colored cabinets. Dark cabinets can look cozy in small kitchens too! Just balance the darkness with light colored and reflective backsplash, floors and countertops. Here are a few examples
Edit your kitchen gadgets - Consider keeping only the things you frequently use for food preparation in the kitchen. Recently the small oven toaster we got for our wedding has gone kaput. So we began grilling our sandwiches in our big cast iron skillet. We discovered that the flavor is much better. We figured that we did not need the toaster anyway. I got rid of it so I now have more space on my counter top. In this renovating project the seldom used double oven that occupies to much space was removed to create space for a dining area.
Relocate - If you don’t want to get rid of things in the cabinets then consider storing seldom used items in other rooms. Dinnerware and cutlery may be kept in a cabinet in the dining room.
Use the space in between shelves and the space between the counter top and overhead cabinets to hang your frequently used kitchen utensils
Create an open floor plan - Breakdown walls so you can borrow space from other parts of the house
Backsplash - Use smaller tiles with a glossy finish. No big patterns please.
Install a big sink - Even small kitchen needs a big sink. It makes washing big pots and pans easier and it can hide dirty plates you have yet to tackle.
Island - Consider a movable island, it can be easily moved out of the way or double as a serving cart when entertaining.
Floors - Install planks or tiles at an angle. The diagonal lines visually ‘push’ back the walls.

I hope these ideas would help make food preparation in a small space more enjoyable. Do you have more ideas?

Scrambled Tofu

michelle — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:25:52 +0000

Yesterday, I promised to include some ’superfoods’ in my weekly grocery shopping. One of them is soy, which is my personal favorite because I found that it is so versatile. The recipe below substitutes tofu for the eggs in ’scrambled eggs’. This is a fast, tasty and healthier alternative for breakfast. Yum!

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp onions, chopped
1/2 c tomatoes, chopped
1 tub (around 400 gms) tofu, drained and mashed
2 tbsp milk powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter and saute onions in it.
Add tomatoes and cook until limp.
Toss in tofu and add milk powder. Mix well.
Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

michelle — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:23:40 +0000

In our country, Christmas season starts September and ends around the first week of the New Year. But before the inevitable end to the jolly season, our family celebrates by Grandma’s birthday. She turned 87 last January 3. This year, we had a special surprise party for her at a restaurant. My cousins dressed up the place with a colorful banner and a life-size cartoon of Grandma.

My hubby and I ‘premiered’ a collection of pictures from family members reminiscing the old days. Some of the pictures went as far back as the 1920s! Grandma’s sisters, both octogenarians, were there to celebrate too. Great food, dancing and touching stories made it a party to remember.

These events had me thinking if I will live long enough to celebrate my 87th birthday. To increase my chances, I promised myself to eat better this year. So, these are the foods that will be in my grocery cart each time I visit the store. My top 8 this 2008:

Oats - our yummy breakfast staple
Walnuts - we love putting this in pancakes
Pumpkin - my hubby is not a fan but I’ll try to learn recipes that he will probably like.
Fish - the wild, fatty, cold-water variety (sardines, mackerel, herring, salmon)
Soy - my personal fave, although this is a no-no for people with a family history of breast cancer
Spinach - and other dark green leafy veggies
Tomatoes - gotta love the cancer fighting lycopene inside
Yogurt - this will be my default snack. Great as dessert too!

OKra!

michelle — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:48:53 +0000

I recently purchased the ‘The Joy of Cooking‘ (affiliate link). I tried a few recipes, but my current favorite is ‘Sauteed Okra with Roasted Red Peppers’. Okra and bell peppers make such a sweet and colorful combo. It’s summer so, I think its a good idea to take advantage of the bountiful veggies.

1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb small fresh okra, trimmed and cut into 1/2 in. thick slices
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced (about 2 tbsp.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4 in. strips
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Heat a large, heavy skillet (preferably seasoned cast iron) over medium heat until hot. Add olive oil. Once oil is hot, add the onions.
Stir until tender but still crisp and translucent (about 4 mins.). Add the okra on top as a single layer and cook until it is bright green and crisp tender (about 3 - 5 mins.)
Stir in the garlic, bell pepper and salt. Cook until the okra is tender (about 2 mins. more).
Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro or parsley.

Vegetables used in this recipe, like okra and peppers are great sources of vitamins and minerals and are specially preferred by people attempting weight loss. Eating a diet of mostly vegetables is still one of the slow and sure ways to lose weight. While certain drugs like adipex are taken for short duration to loose the body weight fast (cheap adipex), some others, like abs diet, are reputable for reliable and effective results.

I Love Spam

sim — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:21:36 +0000

I love spam. I’m not talking about pieces of unwanted email or blog comments. I’m of course talking about the canned meat product from Hormel Foods Corporation. It’s not just food, it’s a pop culture phenom.

For those living under a rock or countries where they don’t get the internet, Spam is Hormel’s brand of canned luncheon meat. It’s supposed to be a contraction of the words ’shoulder of pork and ham’. Other sources say it stands for ’spiced ham’.

But the name was actually coined by Kenneth Daigneau, who back in the 1930s won a naming contest by Hormel. It was said that market share was slipping, so they held a contest to name the product then known as ‘Hormel Spiced Ham’. What bothers me is why they needed the contest in the first place, if all they were going to name it is spam. I’m sure it needed a lot of creativity to go from ‘Hormel Spiced Ham’ to SPAM.

Spam is supposed to be chopped pork shoulder meat, ham, sugar, salt, water and the ever wholesome, all natural sodium nitrite. These ingredients are pre-cooked and packed into a can that is neither round or angular. I actually like this unnatural union of ingredients. I actually like how it tastes. I eat it, even if I actually think that its jest meaning ‘Something Posing As Meat’ could actually be justified.

So what is really in spam? How you ever wondered? Could we all been had? Some say its all left over animal parts. This includes the eyes, snouts, hooves, the face and all those gross parts. But if that is the case, then I have no problems with it. Those things are edible and in fact they are eaten as delicacies in my country. There are worse things you can eat than random animal parts.

All these remind me of the famous Monty Python sketch, where they have this cafe where everything in their menu has spam in it. It’s a funny sketch. But in the Philippines, we actually have a restaurant just like that. Everything has spam except the french fries and the hotdogs. It’s called Spam Jam, which when I hear make me think of pureed sweetened spam. Which come to think of it, actually sounds disgusting.

So even though I don’t know what the hell it is, I eat and actually like spam. Hope I don’t die from hypertension due to excess sodium in my blood. If I do, then you’re free to pry the SPAM can from my cold dead fingers.

Baked Mussels

michelle — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:23:43 +0000

I am craving for mussels. The truth is I have not had mussels in a long time. So this is one recipe I am hoping to do, once I get hold of some fresh mussels. Most mussels available in markets are either blue mussels or the New Zealand green-lipped variety.

When buying mussels, you should only get the live ones and you should ask the vendors where they were sourced. You should do this because the quality of shellfish is dependent on the water where it was grown.

Bacteria and red algae blooms in an area would make the shellfishes there unsafe for consumption. You just need to be updated with such occurrences, as shellfish is too delicious and good for you to avoid altogether. It provides Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and protein without saturated fats.

60 pcs fresh mussels
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
3/4 cup mozarella or ‘quickmelt’ cheese grated
salt and pepper to taste

Remove the ‘beard’ from the mussels by tugging it off or cutting with a knife. Place the mussels in a pot and let a slow stream of cold water run through them for about 45 minutes.
Steam mussels until shells open. Discard mussels that do not open. Remove the top shell that covers the meat. Arrange the open faced mussels on a baking tray.
In a saucepan, melt butter and saute garlic. Add flour and mix well. Stir in chicken stock and milk and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat when mixture thickens slightly.
Spoon white sauce onto mussels. Top with the cheese.
Bake at 350F until cheese melts. Garnish with chopped parsley.

The mussels and cheese in this recipe makes this dish rich in vitamin B. One of the many vitamin groups, vitamin B is a vital one, because of being composed of various related vitamins to perform body functions efficiently. It is a compound vitamin including cobalt which is a trace element and choline that can be easily obtained from egg yolk and animal liver. Sometimes, vitamin B supplements are used in combination with calcium supplements to ensure the adequate intake of both nutrient elements.

Oatmeal is So Sexy

michelle — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 08:58:46 +0000

The quaker guy in the oatmeal packaging can hardly be seen as sexy. But now, it seems that what’s good for your heart is good for your sex life. It seems to be the new mantra for getting your mojo going.

So what are foods that are good for the heart? According to an article in Forbes, foods rich in L-Arginine, such as granola, oatmeal, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, dairy, green vegetables, root vegetables, garlic, ginseng, soybeans and chickpeas (garbanzos). These improve circulation - and is therefore good for the heart and every body part below that.

Yes, that is why oatmeal is so sexy! One time, when I was watching Dr. Oz in Oprah, he said one way to ensure your overall health is eating basically the same healthful breakfast and lunch everyday. That hardly makes anyone excited - especially, a food lava like me. Probably, the healthiest breakfast one can have is oatmeal.

At home, we only have oatmeal or Muesli at most, every other day. So, I looked up some enticing ideas on how to enjoy our oats in a different way, hopefully everyday.

Nuts and raisins

Plum, Pear and Orange juice mixed in the Muesli

Raspberries, blueberries and peaches

These bowls of oats really look yummy, but try to enjoy your oatmeal with low-fat milk, skim milk or soy milk. Saturated fat from whole milk may accumulate overtime to clogging arteries and might prevent blood flow from reaching the genital region.

On the other hand, soy binds estrogen receptors, which helps the vaginal area remain lubricated and combats symptoms of menopause — particularly hot flashes. It is also beneficial to the prostate, a crucial male sex organ. However, women who have a history of breast cancer should not eat large amounts of soy, because the binding of estrogen receptors increases the risk of relapse.

However, you still need fat to produce hormones (testosterone and estrogen) needed for your sex drive. But be sure to get “good” kinds of fats — monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Olive oil, salmon and nuts are a great source of good fats. So until next time, enjoy and have a good one!

I Love Ice Cream!

michelle — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 03:04:48 +0000

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. This year, it falls on July 15. I’ve done some searching and only the United States seems to pay this homage to ice cream. In fact, the US is the top ice cream consuming country in the world.

According to makeicecream.com, each American consumes a yearly average of 23.2 quarts of ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, ices and other commercially produced frozen dairy products. Here are the other countries in the top ten: New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, Belgium, Sweden, Canada, Norway, Ireland and Switzerland.

Ice cream has also come a long way from the usual vanilla and chocolate. According to the International Ice Cream Association, here are the top favorite flavors:

Vanilla and chocolate

Butter pecan

Strawberry

Chocolate chip

Praline

Note that there are no Asian countries in the list of top ice cream consumers. But a lot of new ice cream flavors are results of Asian cuisine influence - such as lychee and yam flavors. Here are others you might like:

Green tea

Red bean (adzuki)

Mango (bright yellow) and ginger

Hope you enjoyed these pictures and may you enjoy these treats in real life during the summer (or the winter depending on where you may be).

Pork Pineapple

michelle — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:08:14 +0000

Pork gets such a bad rep about its fat and cholesterol content. But picking lean cuts is as good as having that skinless chicken breast. The recipe below uses pork tenderloin and veggies, making it a complete one dish meal.

2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pc small onion, sliced
200 g ground pork
1 tsp soy sauce
234 g canned pineapple, drained, save syrup
1 pc small potato, quartered then sliced
1 pc small carrot, quartered then sliced
1 1/2 tbsp raisins
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 pepper

Saute garlic, onion, pork and soy sauce until pork is tender.
Add pineapple syrup, 2 tbsp water, potato, carrots and raisins.
Add salt, sugar and pepper. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked.
Add the pineapple and cook for another 3 minutes.

Fruity First Names

michelle — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 18:23:16 +0000

Last week, when Miss Korea, Honey Lee won third runner up at the Miss Universe pageant, I can’t help but remember the fruity names some parents give their children. In our country, fruit derived first names are not that unusual. In school, I knew 2 Apples and a Peachy. We have actresses named Strawberry and Cherry Pie. It seems to be the rage these days, Gwyneth Paltrow named her first born Apple. I tried to find out what other fruity names parents are giving their kids. It seems that the most ‘common’ food baby names can be categorized into three: fruity, spicy and flowery. Today, we’ll focus on the fruity names.

Anona \a-no-na\ - Latin origin meaning “pineapple”. Also possibly derived from the name of the Roman goddess Anonna, guardian of food and supplies.

Linda \l(i)-nda, lin-da\ - Spanish origin, and meaning “pretty”. Originally derived from “linde”, a Germanic name referring to the lime tree.

Linden \l(i)-nden, lin-den\ - a variant of Linda. Unlike the feminine name Linda, Linden may be for a boy or girl. It is of English origin.
Olivia \o-li-via\ - It is of Latin origin, and its meaning is “olive tree”. And of course Olive, is a popular name too.

Rice \r(i)-ce\ - Usually a boy’s name. It is of English origin. Anglicization of Rhys (Welsh) or a respelling of the German name Reis, possibly meaning “knight on horseback”, “gatherer of twigs”, “wood carver”, or “dweller in the brush”.

Coco or Koko - from Coconut. In our country it’s usually a nickname for Francisco or any other long name ending with a ‘co’.
Cocoa - I have found out this is a popular name for pet dogs and feline friends. Now if you are a chocoholic mom, why not names of chocolatiers? Back in high school, I had a classmate named Hershey. And for boys why not Leonidas, Lindt or even Milo?

Rimona \r(i)-mo-na\ - Arabic origin, and its meaning is “pomegranate”.

So, does having a fruity first name make a difference to one’s well-being? Perhaps, it will serve as a constant reminder to eat fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are naturally rich in vitamins and minerals. For example, spinach and turnips provide folic acid, potatoes and bananas are rich in vitamin b complex, iceburg, lettuce and lentils contain choline and avocadoes and green beans have vitamin b6 in them.