Rain, rain …

I awoke this morning to the gentle beating of rain on the roof. Ahhh cool rainy day! I curled some more in the comfort of my pillows, too lazy to get up and hoping to fall back to sleep.  But my stomach was rumbling and complaining to no end, pushing me to get up. So much for some more sleep! Stomach needs breakfast!

 
The view from my window was a refreshing change.  The mango leaves were glistening from all that rain pampering they are getting now and have been missing for two long, hot and dry months. 

I was transported to childhood memories of rainy days - frolicking under the heavy downpour, sailing paper boats in ground holes filled with rain water, eating warm and sweet lugaw, or just hiding under the sheets while reading a nice book.

It has been raining incessantly all day. In fact, as of this writing, it’s still raining. I checked the weather program I have in the computer and it will be rainy until Saturday! Goodbye summer! No more craving for ice cream. No more dreaming of Europe’s cool summer air. And no more sweating!

I just remembered I have to send an email to some curious little boys hehehe.

Mother’s Day Dry Run

Though I’ve seen all those ads on TV, I was quite clueless when the supposed Mother’s Day celebration is. All the while I was thinking it will still be far off.

Yesterday, while I was in the kitchen cleaning and arranging the condiments in the shelves, my sister yelled from her room “I just got sms from mom, she reminded me to greet our sisters happy mother’s day!” Hehe Another way of telling us, You forgot to greet me!

Whattt??? Today??? Mom was out again for her SYNOD seminar, but she might complain later that we don’t care if we don’t do something extra nice. Now what to do…? I still have clothes spinning inside the washing machine; half-finished cleaning the shelves and it was already 10 am! Uhhh time flies so fast! Just like how apt I can multi-task in the computer, I can very well do in the kitchen!

Since we were young, mom encouraged us to create our own gifts.  As little kids, we usually gave our parents hand made cards or drawings on special occasions, and they appreciate it more than store-bought gifts.  I quickly thought of baking her chocolate cake. I got the recipe from the net (I can’t recall which site though) and it turned out to be a success (my critical sister thinks otherwise) except for the frosting! Mom came home in the afternoon earlier than usual, because she was finished with her part early too. After the kissing and greetings, she noticed the covered goodie on the table and immediately headed for it. Recipient was happy and munched right away!

Later, while I was relaxing, browsing the net, she approached me and said “The cake is for me, right?” I nodded. “So that means I can do anything I wish to do with it, right? Now, what is she up to this time? I nodded some more, with a questioning look. “I want to share the cake with my (SYNOD) friends.” Ahaaaa! That’s why! But mom it’s not that good! And besides, it’s for you!

Not heeding any of our protests, she divided and cut the cake into small slices, wrapped it in a plastic and sent our “househelp-for-a-day” to deliver the goodies to the seminar venue. 

———

We attended the 4pm Mass and planned to shop for supplies afterwards.

By the time we arrived Lopue’s, we were all hungry. So we decided to eat snacks first. Beside the supermarket, was a little dining resto (Rolis) where we frequently eat when we shop there. Mom and dad ordered batchoy, while my sister and I had halo-halo to cool us from the summer heat and some bread to go with it. Mom teasingly said “So this is our celebration.” We were so hungry and just ate hurriedly as we had so many things to buy and the shop closes at 7 (so early!). And we have to go to Robinson’s to do some errands for mom and rush home to watch the finals of Pinoy Pop. Too bad Aicelle didn’t win. We were rooting for her!

———

AND TODAY… to my surprise, I received an email from my sister-in-law about mothers. The last line says: Mother’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday May 14, 2006 (in the U.S.). In the UK Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the 26th of March, 2006.

I had to laugh! Whattt? How about in the Philippines? It might have really been yesterday. So I asked Uncle Google and here’s one of the results of my search:

 Philippines flowers for Mother’s Day -14 May

Last year, this happened with my dad too. We were celebrating and greeting him all Sundays of June “Happy Father’s Day.” It’s just so funny! So okay, on Sunday we’ll fare better than yesterday.

Baking Woes

 
I felt disheartened yesterday with my baking fiasco. That was the second time I tried baking muffins. As the cookbook said “Basic Muffin Recipe” and it should be simple. The first time I failed, mom said that the baking powder was not good anymore. So we threw it. When we bought a new one, my sister made a pancake, and it was fluffy and light, unlike those from previous attempts. She also baked a mango cake, and it turned out well. Aha! So it was really the baking powder.

With my sister’s success, I was inspired and excited to try my luck too. I chose to give the muffin another chance. The recipe suits me well coz it’s easy (I thought so) and also it has fewer ingredients. That means less effort for me as I don’t like measuring this and that. Having mixed all the ingredients and my batter turning smooth, I decided to leave it for sometime while I take a short nap. Summer heat can really sap out one’s energy!

Four hours later I was back in the kitchen.  I considered putting some mangoes (again!) to enhance the taste of the muffin.  I peeled off a ripe mango, sliced it into small bits and cooked it with few spoons of sugar and some cinnamon. I let it cool and added the mango jam and raisins into the batter.

Now it’s ready! I poured the mixture into the pan, set it to the required temperature and time. Waiting time - twenty minutes takes so long when you wait for it, so I left. When I came back, it was 5 minutes till it’s cooked. The muffin should by now turn into a mountain as I expected but to my disappointment, the muffin hasn’t risen yet! It was still a small hill. waaaaaaaa!

When I took it out from the oven, dad grabbed one and remarked “It’s heavy!” “It’s tikoy” mom said after tasting it. Oh well. Another failure, another lesson learned. It’s a disaster this time because I left the batter sitting for so long. Some more waaaaaaa!

What It Takes

The series of SYNOD education seminars given by our parish has finally reached our place last Sunday. Every Sunday, the SYNOD team (split into 3 teams) would go out to haciendas, barangays, and even far flung areas to reach out to the public. The parish spends for the snacks and lunch of the participants. All they have to do is listen and they get free food! Since my ever vibrant mom is part of the team and our house is near the venue, it was decided that the preparation and cooking of lunch will be done at our house.

Most of the participants were our neighbors who are squatting in some vacant lot within the subdivision. They have been living there for many years now and we consider them as part of the community.  Some of them were even our playmates before.  Most of these people rely on fishing from the sea nearby to feed their families.

The menu was simply a mix of fried fish, vegetable soup (pechay with ground beef) and radish salad. Nong Mar brought all the needed ingredients and dumped it on the table ready to be tackled on. He asked some of the ladies from the squatters to help with cooking but that would mean they will miss the seminar. So we just spared them. Fortunately, some friends came to help us out.

Soon, the kitchen was bustling with activity. Each one engaged doing her own task. One cleaned the small fishes and fried it, another was preparing the pechay, and still another one was peeling off the radish, slicing tomatoes and onions for salad. I volunteered to cook the rice – 5 kilos in all for the 37 participants (as listed in the attendance sheet) plus the 6 members of the SYNOD Team. I simultaneously cooked in two rice cookers, one batch after another, so it’s fast. We finished the task just in time for lunch, except for the rice. There was one more batch that was delayed and wasn’t able to grace the dining table.

The foods were brought to the dingy shelter where the seminar was conducted. As soon as the food was served, commotion erupted. The women were trying to beat each other, probably afraid to be left with nothing. Even the shabby and rowdy kids who were not part of the seminar also made their way to the table. Somebody remarked that it was embarrassing. One old woman overheard it and thought the comment was for her.  Amidst the sweltering summer heat and probable fit of hunger, blood pressure went high. The offended woman got mad and uttered some disgusting words. Good thing, somebody tried to appease both parties before a fight could ensue. Lunch went on peacefully with everyone full and happy.

Later that night, I was trying to calculate how much it amounted to feed the hungry people.  Probably a little over Php600 is a safe estimate. Wow! Just Php600!

It serves as a good reminder for us next time we dine out in a classy and fancy restaurant; try to think how the pricey food (with names difficult to pronounce) can bring smiles to the poor.  It takes so little, right?

Do Not Enter

 
While walking along the beach, my companion and I stopped on our tracks when we saw this eye-catching sign.

My Birthday & Mango Mousse

I received an email last Thursday from my friend Odeth who is now based in California.  It was a link to a greeting card which says:

Hi Dazee,

Happy Birthday! I can’t forget your mango
pudding many years ago. are you still making
it? that was very delicious.

anyway, hope you had fun celebrating your birthday!

Alex & Odeth

What’s wrong with this innocent-looking email? Definitely nothing wrong with it. In fact, it was very thoughtful of her to remember and greet me despite the elapse of years and the miles between us. I was even more delighted that she still has the mango mousse etched in her memory. It really made a mark on her I guess. *smile*

But, I was surprised and amused when I read the content. I thought it was a post Easter greeting, but my birthday? in April? Where did she get that idea? Or was it a post April Fool’s Day bug? I always have my birthday in May! weeeee

I must have made this for my friends in one of my birthday parties before. Too bad I can’t recall anymore. But I do remember that I gave a friend a mango mousse as gift for his birthday which also falls on May. Straight it went to his ref as it was already starting to melt.

Unfortunately Odeth dear, I haven’t placed that recipe into writing and it’s already in oblivion. I’ll have to pester my sister-in-law for the recipe of that creamy and sweet dessert. I hope she still remembers, so I can make that mango mousse and reminisce good old school days with each bite.

Euphoria over Euphorbia

 
What’s this craze over euphorbia? Why are people going gaga over this thorny plant? Here in Negros, I have noticed that many people, whether rich or poor have euphorbia plants displayed in their front yards. Some are planted in clay pots, black plastic pots and some are planted in lowly tin cans. It’s always a pretty sight to behold - euphorbia plants teeming with pretty flowers.

Around Bacolod City, it’s a staple in local gardens. They come in different colors of yellow, pink, orange, white, red in varying shades, some are combination of colors. It’s also available in different sizes, from cute button-like blossoms to inch-sized flowers. In our market, you can also spot them being sold by ambulant vendors during market day. On a trip to Cebu last year, I remembered seeing old ladies selling euphorbia plants outside the City Hall.

It seems that this craze has been going on for sometime now and vendors are making good money from it. But there are also cunning vendors around. I’ve read from a news before that a woman was deceived by a vendor who sold her a unique kind of euphorbia, only to learn later when she got home that the flower was just glued to the branch.  Awww! What a pity.  She must have paid a dear sum for it. 

I think that euphorbia (euphorbia milii) easily caught the fancy of plant lovers because it blooms abundantly all year round. I heard someone say that it’s not greedy with its flowers. How true! Just look at the plant when it’s in bloom. It has so many flowers, that sometimes there are more flowers than the leaves. And yes, the flowers in different sizes, variety of colors, and unique formation of petals are so captivating. You can also admire the flowers longer coz they don’t easily wilt. Another reason I suppose is that it’s very easy to propagate and grow.

The first collection of euphorbia plants I have were inherited from my aunt who used to live with us. She left her plants when she transferred to another residence and I took over in caring. I multiplied the little number of plants she has by cutting off the stems from the “mother” plants and planted it in pots. Soon, what started as a small collection grew to over 30 potted plants in less than a year.

My first few attempts were in vain though. The cuttings died after a week much to my disappointment. How ignorant I was back then! One thing I have learned from my experience was that the newly planted cutting shouldn’t be watered for at least a week or else the stem will turn soft and hollow inside. I got another helpful advice that it should be exposed to sun; so it will yield an abundant bloom. This is a low maintenance plant as it has high tolerance for heat, thus, no need to water it often. It also grows well in a soil mixed with sand, carabao poops and rice husks.

A pot of euphorbia with several stems would cost P200 going up while a young small plant would cost P100. You can also buy cuttings for P25 to P30. One tip from me, choose the plants which has plenty of stems. You can cut these off later and plant, thus increasing your collection. (That is, if you have a green thumb). I once bought a yellow variety with several stems for P200, and I have since then grown 7 new plants from it! Isn’t it great? Now I’m caught in the euphorbia fever too!

Lumpia

Wouldn’t it be challenging to prepare a tasty meal that would only cost Php50 or even less? You might be surprised and react… “Whatttt? It won’t even buy a burger meal in a fast-food joint, how much more a really good hearty meal! ” Let me prove that to you.

There was some left over grilled shells from last night’s dinner, so I thought of making use of it. “Why don’t you cook lumpia?” My sister suggested. And off I prepared the ingredients by washing, peeling, mincing, and cutting.

What makes a lumpia yummy? I’d say that the secret is plenty of garlic! But that’s just my personal opinion. Many times we tried mixing different ingredients of ground pork, ground beef, carrots, potatoes, and even tuna. It will always be tasty as long as there is a great amount of garlic added to it. So my lumpia would be basically anything as long it has garlic please.

I prefer using togue as you don’t have to mince it, unlike carrots or potatoes. It’s very time consuming. Besides, it’s already savory by itself and stays firm even when cooked for a longer period. I sometimes mix a little carrots or potatoes but this time we didn’t have it in our food supply, so I settled with just the togue.

I don’t like following a recipe when I cook. I don’t enjoy measuring the ingredient to its exact quantity. Thus I follow the “estimating” type of cooking.

Here’s my humble recipe, but I still encourage you to use your judgment.

1 cup of togue

1/2 cup of shells’ meat, sliced into small pieces

7 cloves of big garlic, minced

1 big onion, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten lightly

15 -20 pcs. of lumpia wrapper

In a pan, saute 1/3 of minced garlic, and 1/3 of minced onion until it turns light brown, (and exudes that aromatic smell).  Add shells’ meat, togue and salt.  Cook until togue changes its color. Remove from pan and drain.

Set aside the drained juice.

Place the togue in a bowl and add the beaten egg, the remaining minced garlic and onion. Mix well.

In a piece of lumpia wrapper, place 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture (depending on the amount of filling you want).  I suggest that you place little only as it will turn soggy and break the wrapper if filled lavishly.

Use the drained juice to seal the wrapped filling. 

Fry the lumpia until golden brown. 

Dip in vinegar crushed with garlic or your favorite sauce and enjoy this crunchy delicious treat!  I like my lumpia dipped in spicy hot thai chili sauce. Yummm!

Tip: You can experiment using any left over meal you have - veggies, meats. Just don’t include the soup.  And don’t forget the garlic!

Piaya’s Fault

Most of the blogs I visited before I created mine, were food blogs. I’m fond of cooking, and finding such entries about it made me happy. So I was glued to the net reading and reading, and I immensely enjoyed it! Hey, it doesn’t mean I’m a voracious eater, though I tend to eat more than my usual fare when I‘m famished or craving for certain food. Who wouldn’t?

I was sent on a mission by some piaya-deprived being – searching for a recipe of Bacolod City’s famous delicacy, until I came across a blog mentioning it. Sigh, it didn’t have the much desired recipe, but that discovery sparked my interest in reading blogs and I was hooked.

Tonight, I finally decided to join the world of blogging. But even the teeny-weeny detail such as choosing the username I’ll use took an awful lot of time. Plus I have to choose the blog site, template, font style, colors and then learn how to maneuver around the site and understand blog terms. After plenty of trials, refinements and patience on the blog design (yes, I almost gave up coz I was so sleepy!), I composed my thoughts and started writing. I’m posting this as my first entry before dawn comes. Yehey!