Hello Again

Over the years since I retired, I have made it a habit to start my day by attending the 6:30AM mass at my nearby parish church.  Doing so puts me in a positive spirit that would serve me well throughout the rest of the day.  These daily ritual has also afforded me the chance to make the acquaintance of several parishioners.  Mostly senior citizens, a sprinkling of empty-nesters and working folks who have time to spare before rushing off to work.

June is for Remembering

June. Start of classes, the rainy season and the countdown to Christmas. June. Philippine Independence Day, Feast days of the Sacred Heart and Mother of Perpetual Help. June. The wedding month. The month my father married my mother.

He was 37; she was 21. He was a man about town; she was a simple lady from the province. He was tall, dark and handsome. She was brimming with youthful energy and had the most captivating smile. He was the boss; she, an apprentice. He pursued her relentlessly. Not even a strict aunt could stop him from courting her. Nor the muddy conditions to her parents’ farm. It seemed that his resolve to make her his wife could not be shaken. Their story had the elements of a Mills and Boons romance novel.

Although coming from a well-to-do family, my father did not have nor sought the financial assistance to bankroll a grand wedding. Instead, in a very simple ceremony, my father married my mother one afternoon in June with his mother, my mother’s older brother and my mother’s aunt standing as witnesses. After the ceremony, there was no grand party. Not even snacks for the witnesses. Instead, after my father and mother had some siomai in a downtown Chinese restaurant, he brought her back to the aunt’s house while he went back to his house. It would be several days before they moved in together and lived as man and wife. It would be a year before my mother’s parents would talk to her again.  It would be a life that both would not have wanted any other way.

My siblings and I never tire of my mother’s stories. And stories are all we have now to keep our hearts from forgetting what June reminds us of.

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I would like to share with you an old fashioned recipe that I know pleased my father. Below is a recipe of Arroz ala Cubana. Easy to make but very impressive on any dining table. This is a good way to remember June.

Arroz ala Cubana

(This is an adaptation of a recipe taken from “Philippine Cookery and Household Hints”  by Herminia Villacorta (“Mimi Alvarez”).  If you are an old time resident of Cebu, you would recognize the name. She owned Black Princess—a sweet shoppe.  Unfortunately, it no longer exist.)

¼ k ground lean pork

¼ k ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion,  chopped finely

½ c tomato sauce

½ c raisins (more or less depending on your preference—I love raisins)

¼ c green peas (more or less depending on your preference)

Salt and pepper

4-5 bananas ( saba or cardaba or plantain), sliced and fried until golden

4-6 sunny side up fried eggs, one egg per person

In a wok or kawali, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the garlic and onions.  

Add the ground meat, tomato sauce then season with salt and pepper.  Stir until cooked through.  

Add the raisins and peas and stir for another 2-3 minutes. 

( Optional: Move the cook meat to one side of the wok.  Tilt to allow excess oil to collect.  Remove with a spoon as much oil as you can.)

Assemble:
Option 1

Pack the rice in a ring shaped mold. Turn over onto a large platter. Pour in the cooked meat in the center of the ring. Surround the mold with fried eggs and bananas.

Option 2

Place in the center of a large platter the cooked meat. On one side of the platter, add the fried eggs. Balance the other side of the platter with fried bananas. Serve the rice in another dish or bowl.

Interesting Option 3

On a tortilla, place a fried banana, some chopped fried eggs, rice and cooked meat in the center. Roll this up in a burrito fashion and wrap in a square of aluminum foil. Bake for a few minutes in the oven. Serve immediately once out of the oven. Some hot sauce would hit the spot.

Reunited And It Feels So Good

It had been 37 years since we were thrown together by fate to share our first college years in a poorly equipped state university in what then was a small Philippine city. Most of my classmates have spread their wings and settled down in different parts of the world— mostly in the US. Of the three major reunions set, this was the first time that it was held in the US. This time around, 15 college classmates (out of about 30 or so) came together once more to celebrate friendship. The same faces, albeit with a few added pounds, white strands of hair, and life lines here and there; the same funny stories that continue to be a box office hit, retold a zillion times; and, the same tight connection that could not be easily severed or forgotten.

It is this same tight connection that embolden each to reveal poignant experiences at every reunion: initially about our growing families, our work and our interests. And as we move to the present, our stories have evolved into deeper and thought provoking insights on spirituality, the hurdles passed or continue to experience, on growing old—menopause, health issues, empty nesting, and on views of what now is really important to us.

And it is this same tight connection that moves us to acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of each other. To accept, to forgive, to continue to love.

8 ~ 8 ~8 ~ 8 ~8 ~ 8 ~8 ~ 8 ~8 ~ 8 ~8 ~ 8 ~

My classmates and I never seem to tire of listening again and again about how so-and-so got drunk for the first time; or, how some of us cheated on a Spanish quiz; or, about the infamous trek up a mountain. Of course, we relived the moments with songs— ABBA, the BeeGees, Motown; and, dances of our college days--- twelve steps; swing; hassle; salsa; the bump.
But there were also newness to our get-together— some brought their siblings; some, their spouses; others, their kids ; and, still some, their best friends. Their presence and interaction widen further the circle of connection. They too felt the camaraderie and immediately felt at ease.

And our reunion would not be complete without the FOOD. Over the years, some of us have honed our cooking skills while others have stocked up on knowledge on contact numbers of delicious take-out restaurants.

What follows below is a breakfast pudding recipe prepared by a classmate who now lives in Virginia. Simple and easy. But the end result: impressive, delicious and not to be forgotten for a long while.

M’s Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients
• 1 (16 ounce) package Regular Flavor Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage
• 10 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups cubed bread (about ¾ of a loaf of bread)
• ¼ cup diced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. In large skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink. In large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, pepper and salt; stir well.
2. Distribute the bread evenly in a buttered 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the sausage, the onion and any other optional ingredient. Distribute the shredded cheese then pour egg mixture evenly over casserole.



3. Bake uncovered for 55-60 minutes, or until eggs are set. Tent with foil if top begins to brown too quickly.



Footnotes
• may be assembled ahead and refrigerated up to 12 hours before baking.
• You may substitute the sausage for any other preferred sausages or cold cuts like (just remember to crumble or cube before frying) :
o Ham
o Spam
o Luncheon Meat
• You might want to add the following optional ingredients:
o 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
o 1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
o 1/2 cup thin-sliced green onion
o 1/2 cup broccoli flowerlets or asparagus

It's Going to be Alright

Is it just me or are people today indifferent to law and order? And where has good manners gone?

Is it just me or are people today callous to the feelings and sufferings around them? Why is there so much pain?

Is it just me or has the world turn a shade less bright in its urgency to spin around faster and faster?

I ask because I noticed that men do not think twice about shoving women to get inside jampacked MRT trains-- no mercy even for pregnant women. Buses stop in the middle of the highway to drop off or pick up passengers. Men and women shove and push to get closer to designated lines-- be they fastfood counter lines or communion lines at mass. Used to be when children where thrown into the air and safely caught in loving arms so as to fill the air with their gleeful laughter. Now I hear that children are being thrown directly into a busy street so that the pockets can be filled with much needed cash as settlement.

The headlines of the newspapers are no help either. Depression starts to set in and I wonder if the world is better off ending in one sudden giant explosion.

And just when I am about ready to believe that the end is near, some sense is knocked into my blue brain. The world is not ending-- yet. The sky is not falling and it really is all right. And why is this so? Because...

• I took a walk and noticed the blue-ness of the sky. Turning a corner, I came across a boganvilla bush in glorious bloom. Along the way, a neighbor smiled and waved across her fence. My heart was beating so and my breath was coming in strong with every stride I made.



• I helped cover up a young mother as she tenderly breast-feed her tiny baby in a ride home on the MRT.

• I watched a group of street kids enjoy a game of tag. I heard their laughter and saw the sweaty grins.

• The scholarship program initiated by women of my parish for a depressed area beside our subdivision is doing so well. The contributions have been bountiful and generous.




It's these big heart-warming little occurences that happen everyday that prove the world will continue to spin on course. As long as there is still beauty around us; as long as there is still laughter and some generous hearts-- it will be alright. All is not lost yet as long as there is a little love in this world.

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But is there hope or any good that can come out of stale bread? The answer is also-- YES! So don't be too quick to throw it to the dogs or garbage bin. For like everything else, it's a matter of seeking out the good. And for old bread, the good comes in the form of (or transformation to) delicious french toast. Try this very simple recipe. My family's: they're better than alright-- they're fantalicious!

Fantalicious French Toast
• 4 pcs sliced bread
• 1 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar or less
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (may be omitted)
• 1/4 tsp salt (may be omitted)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine

Garnish with:
• raisins or choco chips or nuts or slices of fruit(depends on how much you love them)

Beat the egg slightly and add the rest of the ingredients except for the garnishments. Soak the 4 pieces of bread in the milk-egg mixture. Press down with a spoon to make sure milk has soaked through.

Heat up a lightly coat a non-stick pan with butter or cooking oil. When ready, slip in your sliced bread-- one at a time or as many as your pan can accommodate without over crowding. In two to three minutes, flip the sliced bread over as it would have turned a nice shade of brown. Brown the other side before transferring to a plate.

Once you have all the slices cooked or toasted, arrange lovingly these slices on two plates. Sprinkle with your garnishments and maybe dust lightly with powdered sugar. May be served with maple syrup, some sausage links and or bacon.



After one bite, you will definitely declare that life is alright!

In the Quiet of the Morning

I love waking up early on Saturday mornings. Carefully I leave the comforts of my cozy side of the bed so as not to wake my husband up. With a quick splash of water to wash the sleep from my eyes and a brief attempt to put my curls in order, I leave our room. At six in the morning, the house is at it's quietest. Like a thin mist, there is a gentle sense of peace that envelopes the neighborhood as the streets remain empty of the usual work and school day traffic.

I feel like I am in the twilight zone where time has stopped and I am the only living being moving about the kitchen to make some ginger tea.



With cup in hand, I unlock the French doors leading to my little veranda. Surveying my garden, my gumamela hedge as well as other bushy plants discreetly screen the garden from prying eyes. A good thing too as I would not want to startle an occasional neighbor out on a morning stroll with my "twilight look".

Soon a neighbor's cat join me. The cat keeps me company and without a sound, agree to respect the silence.



With sips from my cup, in the quiet of the morning, I hear the beating of my heart and am grateful to be alive. Looking up as the sun lights up the sky, in the quiet of the morning, I am moved to reaffirm my faith in all that is good and beautiful. And during times when I am troubled, in the quiet of the morning, the bleakness of the night before is quickly banished.

Suddenly, a cheery note breaks the silence from some birds that are nesting in a tree nearby. The cat dares a meow and a dog starts to bark. A phone rings somewhere in the neighborhood and someone turns on a radio.

The quiet is over but there will always be another Saturday morning.


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Saturdays are when I prepare a big breakfast for the family. There is more time to linger on the dining table specially when treated to a delicious spread of breakfast favorites. No western breakfast but rather a hearty meal of eggs, fried or made into an omelette; some tapa (sun-dried seasoned beef or pork or fish); garlic fried rice; and, some hot native chocolate to start the weekend with a big smile. So let me get on with the recipes.

Tapas are best prepared a day or two ahead as there is need to sun dry the dish so as for it to soak up the marinate.

You will need:

500 grams of pork or beef (thinly sliced and pounded upon using the back of a knife--this is to tenderize the meat)
or fish (makarel or milkfisH that has been slit from the back and butterflied)



Marinate:
1/2 head of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 - 3 tablespoons of vinegar (depending on how sour you want your tapa to be)
1-3 teaspoons of soy sauce (optional)
some peppercorns (optional; maybe smashed or not-- a matter of preference)
salt and pepper to season (a matter of preference on how much or how little to add)

Mix marinate into the pork, beef or fish. Set meat or fish on a plate or wire rack and place under a sunny spot. I just find one inside the house so as to avoid any attention from flies or pets. Usually, I leave under the sun for about 4-5 hours so that the meat or fish is no longer moist but has soaked up the marinate. Once done, I pack in plastic containers and freeze until it's time to cook it.

For the meat, before cooking, I usually cut the meat up into strips. There is no need to do the same for the fish.

To cook, just heat some oil in a frying pan and place the meat or fish in. Do not over crowd the pan. Since the meat has been sliced thinly, it should be cooked fairly quickly. Serve with eggs and garlic fried rice. If you have having the fish, don't forget to have chop some tomatoes and onions as a side dish. Lastly, don't forget to have some vinegar for dipping the meat or fish into. Yum!!!

BEEF TAPA



PORK TAPA



FISH TAPA