Foot and Fire

In 2009, I raised a birthday fund to buy a desktop personal computer, printer and prepaid globe tattoo for my local elementary school. For every gift given to me, I complimented with a collection of my essays and poems. The collection is called, Framed Words. It was a fun and productive birthday made possible by friends and relatives. In fact, I recalled that some belatedly given fund were used to pay the tuition of some children.  I came across this note of one of the essays in the collection. Hope you'll enjoy this too. Forgive that these were screenshots only. 

WARNING: This is not about what I think about the book because I always love the collected PDI columns of Ambeth Ocampo because they leave morsels of some historical facts. Nevermind all of his side thoughts on them. Thus,  Rizal Without Overcoat by same author will be my next reading companion after this book and I think I need some time to breathe in between and this includes expressing my thoughts on Rizal while reading Ambeth Ocampo's lectures.  A lot has been said about Rizal which praised him as our national hero and demeaned him because he should not be our national hero, but of course, both extreme polars left me to decide for myself why Rizal deserves to lead our rooster of national heroes, and does not deserve to be demeaned or doubted or compared to others.  My own measure was my take on When Rizal was exiled in Dapitan where he lived a fruitful life. I likened his exile to our present quarantine and isolation. During his exile, Rizal did not spend his time w

This post is long overdue. I practiced this last October as I have no glassware to use inorder to showcase the beautiful layering that is the highlight of this cake. I called it no-bake because I am fortunate to find that the chiffon cake of Merci Bakeshop is the right one to use for this  recipe. Find some chiffon cake or bake one. I liked this chiffon because it is fluffy and has soft texture when it touches my tongue.  I used fresh and canned as well as bottled strawberry, and canned peach during my practice but feel free to use fresh ones. Luckily, on the birthday of my nephew, I had fresh strawberries to top my trifle.  This christmas, I will be using canned blueberries. This was a hit because of the ice-creamy filling. Recipe: The cake: Chiffon cake Slice cakes, thinly and in uniform sizes if possible The Toppings: Fruits, fresh, canned or jam Granola, if desired Slice fruits flat and thin. Set aside imperfect ones. Reserve the fruity jam or juice from can

Two years ago, I set out to make my four wishes to come true. I am indebted to all friends who contributed for making my wishes a reality. The projects evolved and took shape and life of its own. Here is my inventory: Our laptop and accessories gifted to Panay Bukidnon is now being used to encode the soon-to-be book of Daddy Caballero. Previously, they also used the same to run the software for their "panubok." I am happy and proud of our collective intent to give PB a vehicle to facilitate the cultural documentation. SPECKsyal thanks to you my friends. Our bookshelf which envisions an open honest shelf  did not take a permanent spot but I was happy that your SPECKtacular gift brought me to a shopping spree at the BIG BAD WOLF BOOK FAIR in Cebu in 2018. Book readings at my garden, ongoing book loans, donation of children's book for Brgy Ayungon Elem. Sch. were achieved. I believe this will be a perpetual project you can enjoy with me... Flower

Well, well. One has to do something what's on hand. As I always say, hunger is the mother of kitchen inventions. It is not only the hunger or that physical pang that I refer here but that wish to create something because it satisfies your creativity or your real desire for good food that any commercial products can easily give but can't provide. One of them is is Christmas Cake. I LOVE nuts and berries that when I travelled in China and in Thailand as well as Cambodia and Singapore, I brought home dried fruits and nuts to match my teas. But since online shopping makes it easier now to find them, I have a constant supply. So I'm turning them into Christmas Cake. Well, I used my Syrah Red Wine here, thus a big tweak from the traditional recipe which calls for rum.  Preparations: Cashew Nuts Cranberries Almonds, whole or slivered Raisins Apricot, sliced Goji berries Mix all nuts and dried fruits in a jar and add Syrah Wine or any red wine

Chives is one rewarding plant I have. I had them for at least 5 years already and it started from a small number of stalks given by a friend. I think I have 3 varieties basing from their tiny stalk-like leaves.  I saw and tasted this in vietnamese pancakes as well as in the sidewalks of Hutong in Beijing as well aa markets in Xi'an. It got my attention and I instantly loved it. For neophyte gardeners who wants to have a go-to herbs, I recommend chives. I saw vids that this can be grown hydrophonically and in shallow planters as well. I have not successfully sown Seeds of Chives but I must try again. Sunflower Oil Chives, chopped Carrots, grated Eggs, scrambled Scramble eggs, add salt and pepper. Set aside. In an iron pan, spray a little oil or use no oil at all. Add the chives and carrots just until wilted. Add scrambled eggs just thin enough to cover the omellette pan (About 8-inch pan). Using a bamboo or silicon spatula, gently roll the cooked portion. Repeat until al

One of my instant fancy food fare is chili con carne next to sushi, of course. I said so because if we want something different from rice + viand combination which we have for the whole week, I cook something special and almost staple to our table. This time  I departed a bit and added vegemeat flakes, a dried vegetable protein. Vegemeat flakes is like ground beef in size and cheaper than the Vegemeat cutlets or the chunks in size. NEW TIPS: When sauteing, I now do not wait for the oil to get hot. I might not use oil in sauteeing in the future but use water only. We are in a month now in not using oil in frying after using an airfryer. Heated oil is not healthy, so I minimize using the same now. SPICE TIPS: Stacking up Spices is a good idea but only stack a few portions at a time. My paprika and taco seasoning are almost depleted. I use it to spice up our potato fries or fried rice. And of course, the comforting Chili con carne and its derivative. 1 C vegemeat f

Do you like it? He did not answer but extended his tongue inside the glass to reach the foamy residue of our pineapple cooler which has a new pair, lettuce from our garden.  I already made pineapple and some mint from our garden and that is the staple in our table, but yesterday, we had an extra special juice. The second batch I made for the day was still a hit, and I asked the boy if he liked it. He said, medyo (a bit).  I instructed him to harvest a tray of lettuce today and I want to hear a 5-star rating from him next time we make the cooler. Let's see if he can give it five stars if he harvested the lettuce himself.  Fresh Pineapple chunks Pineapple Juice in can or water Bunch of Lettuce Mint Honey Ice cubes In a blender, blend first the pineapple slices and add the juice. Add the lettuce and mint, and blend again. Add honey and ice cubes then blend for the last time. Serve cold and foamy. 

It's a friend's birthday and to celebrate, I made him a Spiced Chicken which I airfried. He is one of my few friends who uberloves chili so I used my dried and garden fresh mixed chilis, my garden fresh lemon for the lemon peel, lemongrass, ginger and turmeric. I used my store-bought and shelved peppercorns, mustard seeds and star anise too. More photos here.  However, spices for this recipe can be in powder forms, so feel free to substitute. Recipe Whole chicken Chili Lemon peel lemongrass stalks ginger turmeric Himalayan Salt Pepper Knotted Lemongrass leaves Clean and pat dry the chicken. Set aside.  In a food processor place all spices except the knotted lemongrass leaves. Pulse blend the spices until grainy. Transfer in a mortar and pound the spices to bring out its juices.  Rub the mixture inside and outside the chicken. Insert some in between the flesh and skin. Pound the knotted lemongrass leaves and insert in the body cavity of the chicken.  Roas

Bokchoy from my garden is a long-time dream that is coming true during this pandemic where we all have time to literally tend our gardens. Check my greenhouse greens here.  I wanted to roast my bokchoy but I made a soup for everyone. However, I spared some stalks to make an appetizer.  Recipe: 3 cloves garlic, chopped Bunch of bokchoy Pinch of salt and pepper In a pan, arrange the bokchoy and mix the garlic and salt and pepper. Oven-roast at 190F for 10 minutes of just wilted. Serve as is or with sauce.  Sauce: Soy sauce Vinegar Honey Sesame oil Add all ingredients in a bottle and shake. Drizzle over roasted bokchoy

Let's kick-off the Bokchoy series here. I am so happy to finally harvest the mature parts of my bokchoy which I grew in my greenhouse from seeds. I opted not to harvest the whole thing but only cut the leaves with mature stalks. I'll wait for the young stalks to grow more and I added more soil to nourish it more and support its stem and roots. Check my urban garden greens and a photo of my  bokchoy in instagram. My Corned Beef with Bokchoy is a first try since we always cook it with ground beef but it was a hit so I am posting this for you to try.  Recipe: Garlic Onions Corned beef Bokchoy stalks with leaves Brazilian Spinach pesto (optional) Salt and pepper Heat the pan, add the corned beef until heated and its oil comes out. Add garlic and onions and stirfry until translucent. Add water (I used my reserved pasta water) and let boil. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. Add the bokchoy and press down so it will be covered by water. Let it cook for 1 minute covered b

LASWA, an Ilongo vegetable soup that is worth featuring for the nth time in this blog.  One secret to a good laswa is to use odd number of vegetables so it can have a perfect result. So in this one, I used squash, malungay or moringa, saluyot or locally called tugabang, balagay or winged beans and okra.  My nephew asked me what are the other names of okra as.my readers might not understand it. I said, it is mostly known as okra but Wiki suggested "English-speaking countries as  ladies' fingers  or  ochro." So be it, but lady's finger here in the Philippines refers to a small fragrant and tasty banana that looks like its name, a lady's finger. So back to laswa, I have 5 ingredients and they all went well together.  I used miso paste as my seasoning and it went well with the fish sauce. That is a must try inlieu of the usual dried anchovies or shrimps. 2 tomatoes 1 onion Saluyot, 1/3 chopped and reserve the rest Winged beans Squash Okra Fish

Yesterday, we harvested Upland Kangkong which we grew from seeds and we just had it for breakfast today. It's pretty special because it is the first of the green plants we grew after building a greenhouse in our backyard.  It is so named as upland Kangkong because it is not the usual wetland Kangkong which grows in marshy areas. However, this recipe can be replicated using the wetland kangkong. And while I am typing this blog, my nephew asked me while laughing that other people might not understand what a kangkong is. So, kangkong is also known as watercress, water spinach and wikipedia enumerates, " water spinach ,  river spinach ,  water morning glory ,  water convolvulus , or by the more ambiguous names  Chinese spinach ,  Chinese watercress ,  Chinese convolvulus  or  swamp cabbage , or  kangkong  in  Southeast Asia  and  ong choy  in Cantonese."  I blanched the Kangkong stems in boiling water for two minutes and transfered it in cold water to arrest the c

Today is Cinco de Noviembre in Negros Occidental wherein we observe this non-working holiday to commemorate a local Independence day for the Negrosanon.  How else can I make something as memorable as Cinco de Noviembre but to have a liberty to cook something out of our ordinary fare. So, I made Meatless Caldereta, Meatless Barbecue, and Spicy Stringbeans with minced cutlets out of dried vegemeat cutlets and these threesome turned out so well and yummy. Sadly, there's no photo of the Spicy stringbeans as we had it while my phone was charging upstairs.  Vegemeat Cutlet Preparation In every cup of vegemeat cutlet, put two cups of hot water or broth of choice or hot water and dashes of bonito/mushroom granules. Let soak for 20 minutes. I added katsoubushi or bonito flakes in mine to lend flavor. After 20 minutes, separate the cutlets from water, squeeze out the water from the expanding cutlets, and reserve the water. By weight or volume, the cutlets expanded up

Love and other foreign words Erin McCahan Speak, 2014 This young adult novel came to my hands when I ordered online for the autobio of Jackie Chan. Of course, I love the title.  Anything about words capture me. And the author did not fail me in grabbing her book though the age-appropriateness (or mental or emotional appropriateness) of this book is just so far behind me.  I enjoyed the book though I got the ending early on because as I said, I am far ahead for this kind.  There are finest points in the book dissecting  "language of all sorts" that only a teenager like Josie can come up with which I wanted to quote here but I rather not because they are the icing to this piece.  Coming-of-age, over-thinking, experiencing love and lost friendships, STYX (No, I'm more of Bread person). This is a warm read for a day. 

Jackie chan: Never Grow Up With Zhu Mo Translated by Jeremy Tiang Gallery Books 2015 2018 Hardbound cover I'm so happy to have gotten hold of Jackie Chan's autobiography. I had so much fun reading it. As a child, I watched The Drunken Master with my siblings and enjoyed it very much. All his succeeding movies that we watched were all heartwarming, fun and we enjoyed the behind-the-scene cuts at the end of the credits. I laughed a lot and cried some. There were portions of his storytelling that I cried, like when he was left to the China Drama Academy at age 7 and his mother carried bucket of hotwater from home to the academy and on the 2nd year, he was teased as spolied and rejected his mother to impress or be acceptable as cool to his peers in the academy. His mother has to ride buses and walk many times to bring the water with her. I think he has been like that to the women in his life, a macho who wants to show off to his peers. I can't blame a child who lite

Well  I'm not a bread person. But I love blank canvasses like french breads and pandesal.  I bought a big pandesal, made a hole in the center and removed the crumbs and mix with cheeses, chili, chives and bellpeppers. It was awesome bready breakfast I concocted. I used parmesan, cheddar and mozarella so it was just so tasty.  Please try this and have an awesome breasy breakfast too!!! 

Why fishcake? Well, I was asked by everyone who partook the popular Korean foodfare called fishcake. Well I told tgem that it's not in ball form but flat so it's fishcake like pancake, and not like our fishball. In addition, our usual fishball  may shape like a ball but I doubt if there's fish in it but this fishcake tastes like fish. Do you think I got away with this clever explanation? Hahaha So, on the left side of the picture above, I had fishcakes in a soup base I made from mushroom granules, bellpepper and chili garlic sauce.  On the right side is a sweet spicy saucy version. I added hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, and some liquid to let cook the fishcake from the soup on the left. It was a hit. There we go with our fishcake adventure. 

Please check my previous post on how to achieve a long mungbean sprout. Here, I enjoyed my mungbean sprout omellette with spring onions. Today is easy day with gardening ahead of me. Heres the recipe: Stirfry enough sprouts and spring onions in oil until tender, add seasoned two scrambled eggs and let cook on each side.  I wish I can have this sprout every day for my noodle soup, omellette, pan cake. 

Tau chiam for Pinoys refers to dry flat noodles with about 1/3 inch width. It accompanies molo soup balls or misua with sardines combination. Here is my quick supet soup. I used canned sweet corn but a fresh one is the best if it is in season. I used a handful of tau chiam so it won't absorb the soup base. I enjoyed this ala carte for my light supper. Oil Garlic, choped Onion, chopped Tomatoes, chopped Tofu, cubed Squash Italian Parsley (reserve some for garnish) Sweetcorn 25g Tau Chiam Salt and pepper Mushroom granules 2 pcs Chilis Malunggay aka moringa  Saute garlic, onions and tomatoes in oil. Add tofu, squash and parsley. Cover for 3 minutes in medium fire. Add sweetcorn and enough water for serving. Cover and bring to boil.  Add tau chiam and seasoning. Cover and boil for 3 minutes or until noodle is cooked. Break chilis into two and add to soup. Finalize the taste. Let boil for 1 minute and add malunggay. Cover and Remove from fire.  Serve ala carte garnished with

I love chicken gizzards because they have this chewy texture while I also love chicken livers because they have melt-in-your-mouth texture. Cooking both with masala kari or mixed spices sauce, one can bring out thw taste of these chicken parts. For this one, I didn't use coconut milk. Oil Garlic onions 500g Chicken gizzard 500g Chicken liver Potatoes, cubed Turmeric powder Paprika powder Bayleaves Cracked Peppercorns Chili powder Chili peppers Salt In a wok, Saute gizzards and livers in oil, garlic and onions. Add water and bayleaves. Cover for 5 minutes in high heat.  Add water and potatoes. In a bowl, place all spices and mix well and add hot water. Add dissolved spices to the wok. Add the chilipeppers and Cover. Let cook for 10 minutes. Adjust taste with salt. Mash two livers to thicken the sauce. Serve hot with rice. 

Appetizers are appetizing. I really wanted to make a pomelo salad but either I have no othet ingredients around when pomelo is in, or we all devoured it by just pairing it with salt. But I got a chance one time and I did it. Fresh tuna to go with this is my other goal.... Canned Spicy Tuna flakes, reserve oil Cucumber, cubed Pomelo, peeled and separated Salt  Pepper Mint leaves Mix first three ingredients in a bowl. Mix lightly. In a jar, place the reserved oil, salt and pepper. Shake well. Add to the mixture. Garnish with mint leaves and served chilled. 

Dalandan is my most favorite citrus. It has this particular pleasant fruity fragrance that I love and it has a subtle acidity. Some wanted to eat dalandan like oranges but I liked mine as juice base. Last time, I have 9 kilos and I squeezed all of it and saved the juice in an airtight pitcher. We slowly drank and use all up. I used it to sour my fish or aas addition to dipping sauces. We had a gusto of fresh smoothies using fresh pineapples too. My honey is the last batch of summer picks in my community, procey but they sure tastes and smells like the local pollens which I have a memory of because my mother gave us a spoonful of honey evwry day when I was a child on top of our other vitamins.  Pineapple slices Dalandan freshly squeezed juice Cucumber slices Small fresh ginger Honey Blender all ingredients until smooth. Add water to adjust consistency and taste. Serve in glasses with ice cubes. 

Here is my first crunch of my first ever successful sprout. I had been trying to do sprouting of mongo but I just can't get it long enough to my liking. So when I successfully grew it into 2 inches long, I stir-fried it the next day.  Oil Garlic Onion Mungbean sprout Button mushroom in can, reserve water Mushroom broth granules Salt Spring onions Saute garlic and onions, add the mungbean sprout. Add reserved water and cover for 5 minutes. Add mushroom, broth granules and salt and stir for 2 minutes. Add spring onions. 

Constant practice makes perfect. Hunger is the mother of kitchen innovations. Try and try and eat all you tried. These are some kitchen wisdom one can wield while doing some expwriments. We sprout mongo here but it is not as long as two inches as those used by the Vietnamese in their Pho. We only have a day or two of soaked mongo and we remove the outer skin one by one. Ours is what we put in our fried lumpia. I love sprouted mongo because it has high Vitamin C content and I want to prove a point among people who bwlittle our humble bean because it causes their arthritis. Well, this protein rich bean do mot have skin anymore, so arthritis is not going to work here even after eating it for three meals. We can add this to our pansit, stirfried beef or chicken, omellette, ukoy, soup and many more. I can also eat it as is as its taste and crispness remind me of singkamas.  Well, my secret in achieving the length is in the basket I used and the allowance for the roots to go down