Coming soon... Mad Mixology!

There are rumblings in our kitchen, but alas, what could cause such a stir? Or perhaps a mix, such as this? LOL....

Today was a day just like most other at work, except for the sound of a UPS truck, and a rather small driver comparative to the large package he was carrying --- with my name on it. But what could be inside?

As the driver unloaded the package, a quick glance proved my suspicions were true! The kitchen gurus have spoken and a new KitchenAid Pro mixer has arrived. My mind was in a tizzy as I began to daydream about all of the stuff I could create with this appliance at my disposal. My officemates were quick to interrupt the fiesta I had going on in my cabeza (head) by mentioning that the 6-quart mixer was simply "too big" to be of use for my husband and I. But I know that time in all of its fullness will invariably prove them incorrect. Mr. J told me to start making tons of delicious food for ourselves and our friends, and in conversation mention, " hey, by the way, (I) made that with my new mixer"...LOL.

I will let these pictures and my future blogging tell the rest of the story.
Here's my new KitchenAid mixer in all of it's glory....

Chop Suey & Elections '08

I am so glad that the elections are over. It was a drawn-out spectacle that left me really spent at the end of it all. It’s not just because the candidate I voted for didn’t win. It’s more because I’ve never been so much into all the drama that was the Elections ’08. In the last few weeks before the Election I felt burned-out; I wanted for everything to be over and done with. So you can just imagine how much anticipation I had on Election Day knowing that finally, the verdict will be revealed before the day ends.

Though disappointed of the fact that my candidate didn't make it, I have to admit that Obama’s triumph was a single event that changed the history of this nation. No doubt, it has impacted many a people’s lives not just in the US but all over the world. As I listened to him deliver his victory speech, I marveled at his charisma, that X-factor, if you may, that he possesses which attracted people to him, almost worshipping him like the Messiah. But more than that, I applaud him for all he has achieved. He has indelibly inked his name in history. My sincere congratulations to you, President-elect Obama.

Now, it is time to move on. I gladly wave adieu to all the political hustle and bustle that almost consumed me for a time. As a good citizen of this great nation, it is my responsibility to pledge support to our newly elected President in whatever capacity I can as an individual. I do hope and pray that he will have the wisdom that he needs to confront all the challenges that he will be facing when he takes office early next year.

Anyhow, enough about politics…….

Have you had those days when you want to eat something, yet you really don’t know what you want??? LOL… I had one of those days and that’s how this dish came about. I figured, I’ll just throw together my favorites (whatever I have anyways) and it should cure my unidentified craving. And I'm glad I did as this dish did really hit the spot!

I’ve mentioned in my earlier blogs that Philippine cuisine is heavily influenced by many cultures, predominantly Spanish and Chinese. Well, this one is an example of a Chinese-Filipino dish called Chop Suey.

Chop Suey or “mixed pieces” in Chinese consists of just that – stir-fried mixed pieces of vegetables with meat. In the Philippines, our Chop Suey version traditionally includes cabbage, chayote, cauliflower, carrots, red bell pepper, snow peas, fish ball, wood ear mushroom, quail eggs, shrimp and either chicken or pork.

Well, my version here is slightly different in that I just used whatever veggie I had on hand. Also in the Philippines, we usually eat this with plain boiled rice, but this time, I thought of pairing it up with cooked vermicelli (bean thread) noodles, chow mein style.

Let me tell you, this is certainly better than take-out. Any day. Any time.

Chop Suey (as shown here)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 /2 c vegetable oil
1/2 lb med sized shrimp*
1 med carrot, cut to about 1/4" thick
1 c cauliflower, cut into bite-size pcs
1 c broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 c red bell pepper, cut into thick strips
8 oz fresh baby corn (or 1 8 oz can)
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into bite-size pcs
1 tsp of soy sauce (or more)
1 tbsp oyster sauce (or more)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 c water with 1 tsp of cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
drizzle of sesame oil

1. Mix together the water, cornstarch, oyster sauce, sugar and soy sauce.
2. Heat a wok or skillet. Pour in about 2 tbsp of the cooking oil. Heat to smoking point.
3. Fry the carrots for 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain and paper towels and set aside. Repeat this process for the cauliflower, broccoli, baby corn, red bell pepper. Keep adding the cooking oil bit by bit as you saute your veggies, but set aside 1 tbsp.
4. When all the veggies have been stir fried, then add the last 1 tsbs of your cooking oil. Saute the onions till transluscent, and then add the garlic. Stir for 30 seconds. Then add the shrimp (or whatever meat you're using).
5. As soon as the shrimp turns pink (or your is meat cooked), return all the veggies to the wok/skillet, including the cabbage. Stir.
6. Then add the the cornstarch mixture. Stir until the sauce thickens and clears.
7. Adjust seasoning to your liking at this point. Add oyster sauce, if you want.
8. Season with pepper but be cautious with salt. Remember, the soy sauce and oyster sauce are already salty.
9. Turn off heat. Drizzle Chop Suey with sesame oil just before serving.
10. Best served warm, with rice or boiled vermiccili noodles.

* You may substitute shrimp with chicken or pork cut into bite-sized strips. To make a vegetarian version, substitute shrimp/meat with firm tofu cut into squares. I suggest marinating your tofu with soysauce for more flavor. Then saute tofu until golden brown.

Taste & Create: Pesto Pasta

"When are you going to blog again?" was Mr. J's question to me a few days ago. "Soon.." was my non-committal response.

I have to admit, I've been stuck in a rut lately. After my trip to the Philippines, I never expected that I would have a hard time blogging again. Don't get me wrong, the desire to blog never left me, and I've never stopped cooking -- it's taking the time to write, take photos and posting them up that I wasn't inspired to do somehow. It's as if my blogging "mojo" was sucked out of me. Ha,ha...

I don't know how others are able to get back into the swing of things immediately after a long break, 'cause I'm finding out now that it is not easy, uh-oh. Not for me, at least.. But I know that I should not stay in this rut for long, so in an effort to take myself away from it, I have decided to once again particpate in Taste & Create. I figured, it would be a good motivation for me to get out of this stupor and force myself to blog again, huh?

For those who don't know, Taste and Create is a monthly blogging event where bloggers are paired up, and then the partners get to cook/bake something from each other's blogs. It's basically swapping recipes, if you ask me.)

And so here I am, barely making it to the deadline, but I'm here nevertheless. That's what matters, right?

For this month's Taste and Create, I was paired of with Scrumptious of In My Box. Her blog is about the weekly CSA box that she gets from Eat Well Farm. It's not only a fascinating blog, but an enviable one as well. I wish I get the same fresh, organic produce regularly myself! Some people just have all the luck, huh? :o)

To keep things simple for me being that I'm not totally out of the rut yet, I decided to do her Pesto Pasta.... It looked so good to me and I needed something quick for lunch yesterday.


Her pesto is a vegan version, though, and since I am not one, I decided to do the regular pesto. (Check out her recipe here) For this, I changed up the nutritional yeast to parmiggiano reggiano - which I absolutely love! And for the veggies, I roasted a mix of zucchini and squash which I added to the medley of tri-colored spirals along with halves of cherry tomatoes.

All together, this pasta made up for a really colorful, light, healthy and quick but flavorful lunch.

Thanks, Scrumptious, for taking me out of this rut! And thanks Min, for hosting this month's Taste and Create. You did a good job!

I'm Back..

Hi, foodie blogville.. I am back in the homefront, after 5 weeks or so of being away. Whew! Wasn't that long??? Can't wait to get blogging again. But first, I just want to get over this jet lag. I'll be fine in a few days.... and then, I'll be back on board again!

Hope you'll come back to see what's up.

Hiatus

Hi foodie blogville... if you've checked my blog lately, you'll notice that it's been a couple of weeks since my last post. I have an important reason for this, which I am about to share with you.

I am currently back in my homeland, the Philippines. This was an emergency trip, as my father has urgent health issues that I needed to attend to being his one and only child. It sucks big time to see your parents get older and in failing health. If you're curious and would want to know specifically what the emergency is about, then please check my personal blog here and here.

Suffice it to say that I am having one of the most challenging times of my life and would appreciate if you can say a word or two of prayer for my father and our family.

I miss cooking and blogging. But I gotta do what I need to do, and for now, my priority is my father to get well. I may be checking in once in a while, but I won't promise that I will be able to post anything till I get back to the U.S. a couple of weeks from now.

Hope you'll continue to check my blog... For Jude and Bethany, thanks for the tag/awards.. I will blog about it later when the dust settles.

Thank you.

Ricotta Pancakes With Roasted Apples & Prosciutto

I am thankful that when it comes to television, Mr. J and I don't have a problem as far as what shows to watch. We like almost the same programs - I watch what he watches, and he likes to watch what I watch. My only problem with him is when he's got the remote control - he changes channels so much I get dizzy! He loves to scan the channels, and when commercial break comes, his fingers get busy with the remote almost like an instict. He can't just stay in one channel. He just has to look around.

I know though, that this is a habit not unique to Mr. J alone. This is a guy thing. It must have something to do with the nature of men.. their nature to explore and conquer?


Anyhow, we were watching Tyler Florence over in FoodNetwork on Saturday afternoon. We just got intrigued with these cheesy pancakes. Coupled with the prosciutto and the apples.. this breakfast looked like a winner.

"Hmmnn... Why don't we try that?" Mr. J. said. "But you don't like cheese", I said to him. Mr. J always teases me because I love cheese a lot. He smiled and said, "well, it's ricotta. I'm willing to try it". So that settled it. I have no problem trying Tyler's ultimate pancakes.

So that very day I went to the grocery and picked up what we needed. Mr. J didn't expect for us to have the pancakes that very next day,so he was a bit surprised. Since it's Sunday, I thought it was a good time. So, why wait?

This breakfast then is a collaborative effort between Mr. J and I. I love it when we cook together. I made the pancake batter, but Mr. J took care of the flipping, and cooking. The prosciutto and apple wasn't much of a problem because both gets thrown in the oven.

As for these pancakes, one really has to be careful not to use too much heat. The pancake is different in that it cooks very slow, due to the cheese in it I suppose. So if you use very high heat, the outside will get burned and the inside will be raw.. that's not going to be good at all... So this breakfast particularly needs a lot of TLC (tender loving care). (Incidentally, in the Philippines, we call them HOTCAKES, and not pancakes..)

So just be patient, because you're going to be rewarded with a very delicious breakfast.. heavy and rich, but delicious. This breakfast sustained us, so much so that we didn't get hungry until dinner!

Ricotta Pancakes With Roasted Apples & Prosciutto
recipe from Tyler Florence

For the topping:
12 slices prosciutto
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, optional
4 Golden Delicious apples
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup

For the pancakes:
2 cups ricotta
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
Butter, for cooking
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting, optional
1 cup maple syrup, warmed on stove-top

For the topping:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Lay the slices of prosciutto out in a single flat layer. Season with some salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired, and pop into the oven. Roast the prosciutto until crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3.Cut each apple into thirds, remove the cheeks and discard the core. Slice each piece into 4 and toss with butter and maple syrup.
4. Transfer to a roasting pan and place in the oven. Roast the apples until they are fork-tender and slightly caramelized on the top, about 30 to 45 minutes depending on ripeness of the fruit.

For the pancakes:
1. Combine the ricotta, egg yolks, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl.
2. Sift the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together into the ricotta mixture and stir until fully combined.
3. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and then gently fold into the batter.
4. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and add a little butter. Cook pancakes at a time using a 6-ounce ladle or measuring cup to pour the batter into the pan.
5. Cook the pancakes on 1 side until they set. When small bubbles appear on the uncooked surface, flip the pancakes and cook until golden on both sides, about 6 minutes (or longer). Keep the pancakes on a plate set at the back of the stove under a dry towel to keep warm while you make the rest.

To serve, lay the pancakes on a plate and dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve with roasted apples, crispy prosciutto strips and warm maple syrup.

Brilliante Blog Award

I got my very first award, yay! Many thanks to Selina of Let's Chow for passing this award on to me.

When I started this blog, I was hoping to maybe meet some people but I wasn't really prepared to discover a whole "foodie world" out there; people from all corners of the world who share the same interest and passion in food as I do. Awesome.

It's been an exciting ride for me, so far, for the last 6 months. And I have learned a lot, which is why, in the first place, I thought of doing this blog. I wanted to learn more about food, about the cuisines from different countries. And along the way, I am meeting very talented, wonderful people. And I'm so glad.

Now, it's time to return the favor. I'd like to pass this award on to six other bloggers, following these simple rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when their entry is up.

So, for number 3 above, here are some little stuff about myself:
* Though I grew up in the Philippines where "balut" or fermented duck egg is a huge delicacy, I do not eat it. I tried but just couldn't swallow the stuff. It grosses me out.
* For the same reason as above, I cannot eat any food that has any animal organ in it such as liver, brain....... you get my drift.
* I love jazz and lyrical dancing, and have taken some lessons on it. I have been a dance minister in my church both in Philippines and in the U.S. So you'd understad if I tell you why I love the TV show, So You Think You Can Dance... love it!
* According to the latest typing test I've taken, I type 96 words per minute.
* When I was a kid, I wanted to become a CNN reporter, which led me to study Communications. I don't know what happened.. :o)
* I have a mini-spoon collection which I always get from souvenir shops whenever I travel to new places (cities, countries). So far, I've 52 of them and counting.

There you have it, folks. Now you know just a little bit more about me.

So, it's my time to tag 6 people. These are some of the sites I frequent:
Divya of Dilse
Jude of Apple Pie, Patis & Pate
Rita of Mochachocolatarita
TS of Eating Club Vancouver
Nicole of For The Love Of Food
Gert of My Kitchen Snippets

Have a good day to y'all!