Avocado Prawn Medley

It takes two to Tango!

This is such a lovely dish for me to share this day of mourning because I lost a great friend. He passed away yesterday because of diabetes. Prior to his departure yesterday he had his knee amputated and went on a coma in ICU. He supposed to have his amputation from waist down yesterday lunch but wasn't able to make it. I can't imagine my dear friend with one knee amputated, what more from waist down? Such a terrible pain. He had this illness for several years and he will just often take medicines and insulin to keep him going. What funny about this fat boy friend of mine is--- despite the huge figure he had and the diabetes thing, he still managed to eat sweets like chocolates but definitely sugar-free. His favorite ice cream is the sugar-free of "Better than Ice Cream." I remember a lot of good and funny moments with him. He always possesses this mean humor and outlandish words to joke or humiliate people in a very funny way. Despite that a lot of people in the Philippine advertising industry loved him. He left us a very special mark and each one of us has our own story to tell about the laughter’s we shared with this good friend.

I would definitely miss the man. The harsh words he uttered, the sweet thoughts and the inspiring advice he gave me is what I will always keep in my heart. I felt it was only yesterday that I used to feed him with my food that for sure he can eat the entire casserole of any dish I will cook. He's my companion pigging out and splurging on shopping funky stuffs. How I wish he remained healthy and lived a balance life. Now I realize the value of exercise and eating the right food especially when you have a special illness to take care of.

This dish is a combination of a good result that I can say it takes two to tango. The component of prawn and avocado mix with Japanese mayo is very basic, healthy and easy to prepare. I hope my dear friend would still smell and taste my cooking wherever he is...

This is for you, Harvey Diez +


AVOCADO PRAWN MEDLEY

Ingredients:

• Cube Avocado
• Prawns
• Japanese Mayo
• Salt & pepper
• Cayenne Pepper
• French Bread
• Olive oil or option for Butter (of course)

Procedure:

There is no special ingredient nor procedure in preparing this simple salad or bruschetta topping I want to share to all of you. Start the process by heating pan in medium fire then add little olive oil or butter then stir fry prawns with salt and cayenne pepper. Set aside and cool when cooked. Prepare a bowl and pour in the cube avocados then the prawns. Squeeze in the mayo then add salt & pepper. Chill for several hours then serve. You can either serve it as is or top it with a slice French bread or Baguette.

Bon appetite fat boy Harvs!

hugs,
joanie xxx

Matcha Jelly with Chocolate Worm Pudding

Just got back from my Singapore trip catching up with good friends. I just remember that I haven't posted this exhilarating dessert recipe I did couple of weeks ago. I just concocted this based on the emotional truth that I was analyzing recently. I love analogies so this is the food that I think would best embody about my thoughts below:

"Bitter endings. Sweet beginnings..."

There are a lot of things that is definite about life and one thing I am sure a lot of people have already experienced-- is getting hurt. They say you should experience defeat first so when you experience victory it is really triumphant. And same with the saying that we have to experience pains before the pleasures. It's also good to climb a mountain to get on the top than just riding a helicopter and go there. In short we should know first the bad side of the coin before looking at the good side so we can appreciate life better.

One thing that I am grateful for about my life is having experienced getting hurt tremendously and was able to bounce back in grand fashion. Fate has been good to me and it has shown me the bad side of the coin before lingering to the good side. Sometimes I often look back at my defeats, pains and how I climb my own mountain--it makes me smile and tell myself there's no sweeter beginning without experiencing a bitter ending.

One has to put period on the bitterness life has given you. You may call it misfortune or bad luck or whatever you call it but by closing a chapter and ending a cycle marks the beginning of one's joyful life. It took a while for me to feel this way but I can smile now and feel light and tell myself for the nth times that I am really ready for the world. It gave me a lot of signs already to finally have my own sweet beginning...


"It's about time, as everyone says!"

MATCHA JELLY with
CHOCOLATE WORM PUDDING

Ingredients:

• Matcha Powder
• Caramel Pudding Cream
• Plain Gelatin
• Milk / Sugar
• Vanilla Syrup
• Lime or Lemon
• Chocolate Chips
• Butter (of course)

Procedure:

Dilute matcha powder on a hot water then add milk, gelatin powder, sugar, lime and vanilla syrup. Stir constantly until smooth. Place it on a ramekin or small plain glass. Let it cool. Prepare the pan and heat it with medium temperature. Melt butter along with the chocolate chips then add milk and Caramel pudding cream. Let everything melt and stir until it thickens. When the matcha jelly is hard and ready you can put the chocolate mixture. Chill and serve cold.

Hope you like this... Have a good week mates! :D

hugs,
joanie xxx

LEAP YEAR - Dingle, Ireland

Leap year happens every four years and mainly that's the reason why this movie tickled me to write another blog about life's romance. It's been a while since I was smitten by a light romantic movie and the last one was 500 Days of Summer. That movie got a fresh review from rottentomatoes.com while this movie was declared rotten by the reviewers. For some reason I was really captivated by this film especially the actor and the setting. I just can't wait to share my point-of-view about this movie and how it can correlates to ones life.

The movie is mainly about the Irish legend that a girl can propose to a man on a leap year which is on the 29th of February and he must accept it as the tradition goes. The movie was set in the picturesque Galway Count, Dingle Peninsula to Dublin, Ireland. Movie flicks said that it's a total rip-off of the film "Jab we met" an Indian movie shown on year 2007 which I don't mind.

Meet Ana (Amy Adams - Julie & Julia) from Boston, in a relationship for 4 years and waiting for her boyfriend Jeremy (a cardiologist) to propose to her on their anniversary. Sadly instead of a ring the guy gave her a nice pair of earrings. Since then Ana was distracted by her Dad's story that her Grand Ma proposed to her Grand Pa on a leap year just like the Irish tradition. So she decided to fly to Dublin where her boyfriend was having a convention. On her way to Dublin the storm led the plane to divert its destination to Wales. From there Ana took a boat to Dingle. She was stranded on a restaurant to look for a help on how to go to Dublin.

From the Dingle Peninsula country side, let's meet Declan (Matthew Goode, an English actor) an Irish inn owner where Ana got stranded and He's the only person who could possibly help her. Declan helped her to make an unexpected cross-country trek to pull off the perfect marriage proposal in time. Their journey began as they both begin to fell for each other on their way to Dublin.

I find it really raw and real when a stranger will curiously ask you about your reason to propose to a man. Ana just said, it's romantic. Declan said, I think that's the most stupid thing I've ever heard. And for me it's the most desperate move a woman can do and it's just an excuse to pull a man who is not ready to marry you by asking him to marry you instead. The saga continues and there was this moment when they were climbing the castle on the hill and Declan asked Ana, "If your house is burning, what are you going to take?" Ana just find it a silly question that she didn't reply.

Ana missed her train going to Dublin from Dingle and ended up having an overnight stay at the best Bread & Breakfast house with Declan. They pretended to be a couple due to the disclaimer the owner had in the beginning. It was funny to see them with bits of bubbly romantic feud that its very predictable but I don't really mind. I was struck by this movie that I can't believe that I'm totally sharing the details and I don't know why I couldn't get my mind off it.

The cooking scene they have there is a hell yeah thrilling & giggling scene for me. Maybe I can relate to Declan because I cook also and it's just nice to share one moment of your life cooking with someone you are totally infatuated or just someone you tremendously like. How lovely to pick and analyze carrots from the backyard to the moment of chopping it and cooking the food for dinner. I can imagine that moment could also happen to me and whoah, I'm sure it wouldn't be a cooking disaster but will have a result of a delectable dish!

Meanwhile this is my favorite part where in the tension at the dinner table began and the romantic plot ascended to its maximum level. They were having dinner on table with two other couples and those couples began kissing each other intimately that the B&B owner dictated Declan to kiss his dummy wife. It was an awkward and blurry moment that this man cannot decide whether he'll do it or not. But yes he did give Ana a smack on the cheek. Quite unfair for the couples watching them, the man demanded for a real kiss. Then yes, it did happen like the picture shown below. It was very spontaneous that I couldn't imagine how many butterflies in my stomach were all flying. I giggled and my heart was pulsating than my average heartbeat.

The best thing one can get when you like or love someone is a spontaneous kiss. It maybe awkward after it, but what will constantly replay in your mind is the tender, passionate and intimate gesture that both of you shared on that moment. Moment like this doesn't happen everyday that you are dictated to kiss a stranger and bang the magic will just take you somewhere you have never been. We can intimately kiss a hundred or thousand people in our whole life time but they say you can just brush it away with your toothbrush. But one kiss will definitely be unforgettable that you can't afford to let go of.

Going back to the story, Ana finally got her ticket to go to Dublin and Declan was ready to set her off. Ana on the contrary asked him to accompany her to Dublin. They finally arrived at Ana's destination and they walked around and stopped in a park. Declan revealed his answer to his own question. If my house is about to get burn and I have 60 seconds to get something, I'll get my Grand Ma's ring.

Finally Ana met her Jeremy in the hotel and the guy proposed to her infront of all the people in the hotel while Ana took awhile before she gave her answer. She looked back where Declan was standing and she found the man was gone. But later on Ana found out that the marriage proposal from her boyfriend was just merely based on the house that he purchased. Ana realized something when she was in the moment when their house was about to get burn and she thought of the 60 second thing that Declan asked her. She realized what she needs to get is back there in Ireland. She flew again to Ireland and gave a proposal to Declan in front of a lot of people in the restaurant. Declan didn't say anything and went away. Ana felt humiliated and realized that she just got an Irish "NO."

But the story didn't ended sad. Declan chased her and explained why he walked away and that is to get the ring and after that he proposed to Ana. It's unfathomable why I am so enticed with this movie. The set up and all. I know there's nothing new, even the story plot is just a rip-off but the Ireland factor is the main reason I am so struck with this film. I am going to United Kingdom sometime September to pursue my dream and someone just told me maybe what I am looking for is just there waiting for me. I blushed last night when this guy told me that an English man could steal my heart away or I just have to be in the right place, right time and with the right company. Could he be an Irish or my man is just from the land of my favorite football player with an Irish decent.

I don't know what life brings. But after watching this film it was reinforced in my mind that there are millions of possibilities in your life that could happen and can totally change your fate. Even if you are with someone, doesn't guarantee that he's the one. I must say. Or it doesn't mean if you don't have someone will guarantee that you will never find the one. Life doesn't guarantee anything. Don't make promises... just try and things can happen in the most unexpected way.

This must be the longest blog I have ever written. I am just happy today since I had my pizza and beer last night that led me to finally write my opinion about this current favorite movie of mine. My joys are still in my system. The weather is gloomy but nice to cuddle with. If this movie is a man, I am definitely in love with him.

Ciao compagni! :-)

hugs,
joanie xxx

Arroz Caldo with Liver on the 4th of July

The inauguration of the new president of the republic of the Philippines was last June 30 and last June 12 we just celebrated our independence day. Much more reason for me to do some Filipino cooking on my table. To be honest I am not a fan of Filipino dishes so I rarely make them. If I make one, for sure it will no longer taste as the original. Some people say when I do Filipino cuisines, the outcome is very different but not in a negative way. The reason behind it is because I always add a unique twist.

Our Filipino tradition of making Chicken Porridge has originated from the colonization of Spanish way back 1500's. This food is something I did today. Same process how we do our porridge but I did some twist by adding too much ginger to achieve a more brilliantly yellow color. And aside from pepper and salt for seasoning, I added Paprika and Lemongrass powder for some spicy taste. To make my porridge meatier I topped it with Pork Liver Adobo aside from the chicken in the mixture.

My pledge today, on the 4th of July is to do more Filipino cuisines and not be influenced by the food Uncle Sam brought to my country. To be honest Philippines has become a fastfood nation and I completely hate it. People are more unhealthy and more lazy to do some home cooked meals. Well in general most of Filipino foods are also unhealthy like Bagnet, Pork Sisig, Liempo etc. But generally speaking what we are really missing when we settle for fastfood is the real essence of eating sumptuous dishes rather than processed burgers or artificial fries and so on. I think a new Food Revolution has to take over in our eating landscape.

ARROZ CALDO with LIVER

Ingredients:

• Glutinous Rice
• Ginger (Shredded)
• Onion Leaves / Shallots
• Chicken (thigh part is the best)
• Pork or Chicken Liver (cut into small cubes)
• Soy Sauce
• Salt & Pepper
• Paprika & Lemongrass Powder
• Cane Vinegar
• Butter/Olive Oil

Procedure:

Boil chicken and set aside the stock. Peel and shred the chicken then set aside also. Heat a casserole then add butter or olive oil. Saute shallots then add the shredded chicken and ginger. Season it with salt, pepper, parika and lemongrass powder. Add in the glutinous rice and fold it with the mixture. Add in the chicken stock and let it boil for 30 minutes. Stir it constantly 'til it thickens. Maybe you can have a total of one hour boiling it. Depends on the amount of rice you are cooking. While boiling the porridge, prepare a small pan then heat it with butter. Fry the liver cutlets then season it with salt and pepper. Allow it to cook the add a bit of soysauce and vinegar. Allow the sauce to evaporate then wait 'til it cooks. When the porridge is cooked top it with chopped onion leaves and pork or chicken liver then serve.

This is one of the best comfort food a Filipino can share on one Rainy Day afternoon :-)

hugs,
joanie xxx