Foot and Fire

The Midnight Library By Matt Haig I read fictions very far and wide but it's interesting that after trying to check out how David Lagercrantz continued the series of the Swedish author and activist Stieg Larsson known as Millenium Series whose one of the two protagonists is a journalist, I decided to read another book called The Midnight Library, which I later learned to be written by an English journalist and novelist Matt Haig. But of course, I chose this reading because of the title itself. Who does not like library? Or gets intrigued by a Midnight Library.  At first few chapters, I thought I wouldn't like the story but it paid me well when I waited a bit for the magic to happen, that is the appearance of The Midnight Library. If one is raring to find life changes or is nursing regrets, this is the book to go to. I love Henry David Thoreau and the Walden Pond and he is oft-quoted here. Philosophy is pepperred in the pages as well as dreams of becoming. This may b

When we were small, my father loved to cook for us. One of his staples is Carne Prita which can be bistek which is a Filipino take on the word beef steak. Bistek or Carne Prita or Tapa is a breakfast partner of rice, thus, tapsilog became popular. Tapsilog stands for “tapa” “sinangag” and “itlog”  which is a triumvirate of Pinoy power breakfast. The meat may be beef or carabeef sliced across thinly by the butcher. There are many ways how to marinade this bistek or tapa or carne prita. Basically, vinegar and soysauce are the basic ingredient. For this one, I put my own touch from the carne prita I grew up with.  Preparation for Marinade: 1/2 kilo Bistek or Tapa cut of beef or carabeef, cut into serving sizes about half-palm Szechuan peppers, grounded 2T Chili-garlic pepper paste 1T Chili-garlic in oil 1/4 C Rice Vinegar 1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar 1/4 Soy Sauce 1/8 Fish Sauce In a glass container with lid, place all ingredients.  Mix to cover the meat with the marinade   Refri

Bellpeppers are so good for this stuffed and baked goodness when plump ones come out in the wet market. But the native yet also tasty variety can do. I just so love eating bellpeppers. It’s costly and some opt out for this. But bellpeppers are so rich in phytochemicals and Vitamin C.  A friend ate this whenever she encounters one in a cooking because when she was single, she tended to leave it out on her plate but when she got married and did the cooking, she realized that this vegetable is pricey. Instead of the canned tuna, one can use boiled/fried fish, or leftover roasted chicken. Cooked rice or breadcrumbs can be added to make each serving a full meal. Canned Tuna in water, drained Cheese (all kinds available Parmesan, quickmelt, queso de bola etc.)  White Onion, chopped Herbs (any available dried or fresh but my staple are basil and oregano) Salt and pepper to taste Bellpeppers, halved and seeded Pre-heat oven at 180 for 15 minutes. In a bowl, place all ingredients ex

Chicken Mami is one of our childhood food fares. If it’s warm, serve Halo-halo but if it’s cold, serve arroz caldo or this. Since we don’t eat pork, my father always treated us then with this noodle soup instead of the popular Lapaz Batchoy which has pork broth and pork chicharon in it. We don’t eat pork at home but we do love vegetables a lot. He would line up vegetables, chicken strips, spring onions, toasted garlic in bowls and a big soup pot of broth. It was like having eat-all-you-can or buffet fare which was a fad pre-pandemic and even today despite the health protocols. The secret in this dish is the broth. If it can be made beforehand, it is much more better so it would taste great. Here’s how to treat your family at home with eat-all-you-can style. Chicken Breast Fresh Pancit (small size or medium) Vegetables like carrots, cabbages, onions Worcestershire, fish and soy sauce Mushroom seasoning Salt and pepper to taste Toasted Garlic  In a big pot, boil chicken breas

I have a lot of granola in my shelf because I could not abandon my Green Tea mornings for breakfast. Green tea calls for light partner like toast or nuts or fruits while granola is loaded and a meal by itself. Last time, I made an easy easy Granola Bars with Peanut Butter. I just made Granola Cookies. But for this recipe, one may use rolled oats and raisins or whatever nuts and dried berries available. My granola has rolled oats, cashew nuts, chia seeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and cranberries. 2/3 C Sugar (I use brown sugar and coco sugar 50-50) 1 C all-purpose flour 2/3 C butter 1 C granola mixture 4-6 T milk (any kind) 1/2 t Cinnamon   How To  Pre-heat oven at 180C. Sift flour and fold in butter. Mix until it looks like bread crumbs. Add sugar and cinnamon. Mix. Add granola and mix. Add milk, start with 4 T first. Mix but do not knead. Add more milk if needed. Scoop 3 T for big cookies or 1 T for smaller size. Arrange in the cookie sheet and flatten one by o

The squash is from our garden. It was a first pick from a plant which gave us three more as of this date. Katsoubushi is shaved dried tuna which the Japanese love to use in their dishes. If you put it on top of your steaming rice or eggs, you can see it like it's dancing.  For Filipinos, we have something like this since we enhance our broths by using dried dilis or dried small shrimps for our vegetable dishes.  Here's how I made my Squash Soup 4 cups Squash, cubed 1/2 cup water Katsoubushi Salt and pepper Chili pepper powder or flakes In a deep pan, put all the peeled and cubed squash easy for mashing then add water. It will not be beyond the squash but enough to cook the squash up to tenderness. Add the katsoubushi and let boil. When squash is tender, remove from fire and let cool.  Blend the squash, salt and pepper. Add milk or cream. Garnish with chili powder or flakes.