My Favorite Things

Ribbons, beads, flowers and trinkets. Scissors, glue, needle and thread. These are just a few of my favorite things-- musings patterned after a song from the movie, "The Sound of Music".

To keep my mind off the sweltering summer heat, I decided to make something out of the craft materials squirreled away in several plastic containers. Out came the glue gun, empty containers, paper boxes, scraps of textiles, paper flowers and old roll of lace.



At first I did not know what I wanted to create. Then like the proverbial light blub, I got it! Containers for Easter surprises!!



I admit that I got carried away with some of my creations... I should have remembered that less is more. Oh, but I love them more.



And some creations brought back memories of weddings



and giggly debutante nights



and tender baby showers.



Like anything in life, it is not what you have but what you make of it. And most important of them all, you are happy with what you make of what you have.

: * : * : * : * : * : * : * : : * : * : * : *

After I was done with a particular batch of tiny round containers, I arranged them in a circle and called my hubby for his comment.



"They look like cupcakes-- good enough to eat.", he said.

That was enough to make my day.

What follows is not a cupcake recipe but a muffin recipe but I like to think of it as a cupcake because it's baked in a cupcake pan. What's the difference between a cupcake and a muffin? hmmm.. good question. I read somewhere that cupcakes are minature versions of a cake and usually iced while muffins are considered a close relative of bread but easier and quicker to make. That's all I need to know.

The recipe below is not only easy to make but pretty to look at when it's baked. Best of all, it's yummy and baking it makes me happy!



Mocha Walnut Wonder Muffins
(adopted from 1993 Ladies Home Journal Magazine)

2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1 c butter milk or plain yoghurt or in a measuring cup put in 1 T vinegar and then add milk up to 1 cup level
3/4 c cooking oil (corn or canola)
1/2 c water mixed with 1 1/2 t instant coffee powder
3 large eggs
1 t vanilla
1 c chopped walnuts or casuy
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 regular size muffin pan with paper cups.
2. Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Set asie.
3. In a large bowl whisk buttermilk/yoghurt, oil, coffee, eggs and vanilla until blended.
4. Stir flour mixture into the buttermilk mixture just until blended.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.



6. Sprinkle the walnuts and choco chips on top of each muffin and press lightly.



Bake 20 to 25 minutes until pick inserted near centers comes out clean.



7. Remove muffins to a wire rack to cool.

Vegetables: Love-Hate Relationship

When I was a little baby, my mother would boil and mash all sorts of vegetables and lovingly feed me. No complaints then. Like any innocent and hungry baby, I just gulped down all that goey stuff. But when I developed a taste of my own (maybe around the age of seven), I remember how my mother did everything in the book to force me to eat my vegetables. ("No dessert until you eat up all your vegetables") Except for corn-- the only vegetable I seemed to like because of its sweetness. The rest, well I had found many ingenious ways to make my mother think I had truly eaten them. I would excuse myself from the table with vegetables discreetly on the sides of my cheeks, proceed to the toilet to spit and flash it all down. If I had done too many visits to the comfort room, I would next pretend to wipe my mouth with the napkin. After the meal, I would bring my plate and napkin to the kitchen and efficiently dump the napkin's contents into the garbage can. And when we started to have dogs, disposing of my vegtables was a breeze.

Well, as I grew older, I started to crave for that certain clean and fresh taste only vegetables bring to the palate. This is so true for veggies in soups, salads and those lightly cooked using the least seasoning. Now why is that? Does age bring about the realization that eating ones vegtables do have merit? Or are we no longer the rebelious child nor the dare devil who was once not afraid of vessel-clogging steaks and chops?

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Whatever the reason might be, there is no better time to begin enjoying your vegetables than NOW. To help you get a headstart, below is the basic cream style soup recipe and salad vinegarette that you can apply using any vegetable or a combination of vegetables.

Cream Soup- Basic
Ingredients

1 c milk
1/2 c cream
1 chicken cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water
3 T buter
1 t salt
1/4 t white pepper
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 T dry sherry (optional)
1 c of any of the following boiled vegetables:

broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, lima beans, corn, green beans, squash, spinach, mushrooms, potatoes, leeks

Procedure:
• Cut up the vegetable of choice to make blending easier and quicker. Put all ingredients into the blender's pitcher or food processor. DO not overload your appliance-- make sure that the blender is only two-thirds full.
• Press the liquify button for 30 seconds. Stop motor and push down with spatula if necessary. Blend longer if smoother consistency is desired.
• Empty contents into a saucepan and heat gently (do not boil) until hot.
• Serve with some croutons and a dash of cayenne pepper. You can also sprinkle some parmasan cheese to your soup.

Note 1: If you don't have cream, you can increase the amount of milk to cover for the absence of the cream. And if you find the soup to thick, dilute with some water or milk. Correct the seasoning after each addition.

Note 2: You can also use non-fat milk for this recipe

Note 3: Use the liquid that you boiled your vegetable in for the water to disolve the chicken bouillon.
Cream of Squash Soup



Basic Vinegarette
Ingredients:
Vinegar
Olive Oil or any cooking oil
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Water

Start with a tablespoon each for the vinegar and the Oil and water. Add a teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper. Mix well. Adjust to your taste--- by adding more of any of the ingredients.

You may or may not heat up the vinegarette prior to adding to your favorite vegetable: carrots, salad greens, peppers, onions, tomatoes and the like.

Bitter Melon Salad (Ampalaya)



Mustard Greens Salad with Flaked Smoked Fish

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

Kitchen Treasures

Last weekend, I went thru my drawer of recipes I keep in the kitchen. Gosh, you should have seen the amount of "treasure" I had in that drawer. I would make any pack rat proud of the horde that I have amassed-- newspaper & magazine clippings; labels from soup cans, juice cans and food packages. This is not to count the recipe cards and printed recipes I came across on the net.

To achieve some order, I did the following:
• I had on hand the following:

Cheap Clear books
Bond Paper
Scissors
Paste & tape
Garbage Can

• I brought out every bit of paper and spread them out on my dining table.
• I then went thru each and every recipe and piled them according to:

meat
seafood
noodle/rice
vegetable
dessert
whatnots

• I threw the ones that were clearly going to remain deep, deep dreams;
• And neatly cut the torn-up clippings I liked. For short recipes, I stuck
them to bond paper.
• Once done, I move on to inserting them in the clear books.

This is my cheap way of coming up with my very own personalized recipe reference book. Every now and then, I will open this drawer to fish out one particular recipe; then put on my apron and cook up a dream.

=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=X=

I will keep my chit-chat short today and give to you a recipe I recently used and found worth passing along. You can then make copies of this recipe and promptly deposit it in your own recipe drawer of dreams.

Chicken Pastel



If you like chicken, you will find this delicious. This is adapted from a reciped I printed out from femalenetwork.com

Filling

1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup bacon or ham, chopped
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, crushed
1 kilo deboned chicken meat,cut in cubes
2 medium carrots, medium dice
2 large potatoes, medium dice
1 1/3 cups soup stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup Vienna sausages, cut in 1" cubes
1 cup green olives (optional)
1/4 cup pimiento, cut in strips (optional)
2 large eggs, hard-boiled, quartered
1 piece chorizo, sliced diagonally (optional)
2-3 teaspoon cornstarch

Glazing
1 small egg, slightly beaten

Procedure:

Filling
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Heat the oil in a large pan. Saute the bacon until slightly crisp and fat renders out. (If using ham, no need to crisp). Add the garlic and onions. Cook until soft.
3. Add the chicken meat and stir until slightly pink.
4. Stir in the raw carrots and potatoes. Add the soup stock. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the Vienna sausage, olives, chorizo and pimiento. Thicken sauce by spooning out some of the liquid. Then add 1-3 teaspoons (if very watery add more; if not, add less) of cornstarch to the liquid. Stir and add to the simmering pot.
5. Spread the chicken mixture on a Pyrex dish or ceramic dish.
6. Cool slightly. Lay out the quartered eggs on top.



Crust
( for a large rectagular pyrex dish (like in Lasagna); half the recipe if you are using a 9 inch pie plate or deep dish.)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Crisco, or margarine
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using margarine)
1/4 cup cold water

Crust Procedure
1. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the Crisco or margarine. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cold water and pat lightly to form a ball. Do not knead the dough or the crust will become tough.



2. Roll out the pastry dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper until 1/4 inch thick. Make sure the crust is bigger than the dish you will put chicken pastel in. Allow 1 1/2 inches around the sides of the dish.



Assemble:

Lay the crust on top of the mixture and seal the edges. Make a decorative rim if you wish. Brush the crust with egg. Bake in 350°F oven for about 30 minutes or so until the crust is golden. Serves 8.

Note: I boil the chicken so that I can easily remove the meat from the bone. I used the resulting stock for the recipe.

Easy does it tip:
Don't want to go thru the trouble of making the crust? No worries. You can serve the filling as is with crusty bread. Or, prepare bread cups by pressing into a cupcake pan sliced bread. Toast in the oven and when done, spoon some of the filling in--- similar to chicken ala king.

Good Morning Sunshine!

I used to be a night person. Like an owl, my energy level peaks the later the hour. I remember how productive I was when the clock stuck five. Reports and charts seemed faster to do later in the day. And when I got home from work, I'ld check on the kids' homework and still have the energy to bake up a batch of cookies to take to the office the next day. Then there were all those "midnight madness" shopping expeditions at the malls with friends. And let's not forget the "I could have danced all night" chapter of my life. Like Dracula, I would rather sleep in late than wake up with the roosters. It was torture having to get ready for work in the mornings.

It's funny how ten years ago,while on a night out with friends, I would be disappointed when one of the more "senior" member in the party would start yawning. And it was only 10 o'clock!!

Now I can say that I still have the samba moves that could heat up a dance floor and the skill to whip up something interesting in the kitchen. But all, I find, are better done way, way before the clock strikes the Cinderella hour.

Where I used to love the burst of energy and excitement that the evening brought, I now find myself drawn to the freshness of the morning light. Sleep is eagerly sought in anticipation of what the morning will bring. What new wonder will greet me? What new thought, what new idea? The mornings signal so much possibilities up ahead in the day.

Where before I gave thanks for surviving another day, I now give thanks for being given another day.

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Need an energy boost to start your day? Try my sunshine packed breakfast drink that will surely see you glow and go.

Have ready:
1 cup chopped fruit (may consist of a ripe banana or strawberries or mangoes or papaya or melon or a mix of these fruits to make 1 cup)
2 heaping tablespoon of raw oatmeal ( quick cooking, instant or rolled)
1/2 to 2/3 cup water
some sugar or honey (optional)




Procedure:



Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend away until smooth.

Find a relaxing spot to leisurely enjoy the resulting drink.



Pointers:
*You may use cold water and add some ice cubes.
*If using bananas only, I find that two will do.
*When combining fruits, choose the ones that are known to combine well-- bananas usually pair off well with strawberries or mangoes.
*You could also add some cinnamon to add some interest to it.
*Remember that the drink tends to firm up because of the oatmeal. So it is best to drink this as soon as it's ready. Otherwise, just add water if the drink thickens too quickly for you.

The Home of the Heart

My husband and I has been living in the same subdivision for the last twenty years. When we first moved into the neighborhood, there was not much neighbors to be neighborly with. There were only 8 houses stretched out along our 1-kilometer long street. My immediate neighbor was 5 lots away on either side.

Twenty years ago, there was only 1 phone inside the subdivision. It was in a house at the corner of the next street. As our area was relatively quiet, we could hear that phone ring when a call was coming in. Oh, how green with envy I was for the next five years. Celphones were not heard of then-- those were the primitive days.

A long and narrow dirt road lead to the entrance of our subdivision; going out for groceries or medicines was a great inconvenience; there were no fastfood outlets willing to deliver to our area; and, there were but 5 for-hire tricycles (motorcycle with a sidecar) serving our subdivision for certain hours of the day only. Water was pumped up and distributed through the subdivision's tired and old water system. The water contained interesting foreign objects.

But what little there was in terms of urban convenience was made up for by 30-year old acacia trees lining up the streets; views of rice fields on each side of a river; the sound of my children's and their friends laughter as they race through the streets in their bikes; clear night skies blanketed with a million stars.

Friendship with the neighbors were forged initially through the children. It is the natural progress of things. First the kids learn to play in the enclosed gardens. Then they move onto the streets and finally into each others homes. Soon birthday parties were not complete without including our neighbors in the invitation list.

What I lacked in terms of family relations, was made up by the warmth and cordial relationships developed with my neighbors. A cup of sugar, an egg and a bowl of cooked rice would be requested over the fences. A cry for help was never ignored and thankfully emergencies have so far never ended tragically.

Twenty year after, we have a phone plus several celphone lines. A few years ago, we finally got connected to a reliable water provider. The flow of water is strong and clean. Our present access into the subdivision is now a well-lit, wide concrete-paved road. We have a mall, a gas station and a McDonald's Restaurant a mere 20-minute walk away. Where once was a horse stable, now is a taxi company operating so close to the subdivision that travelling to the airport at 5 in the morning is no longer a pain.

Gone though are the rice fields. In its place is a large squatter colony whose size continues to grow each year. And what once was a river is now a thin excuse of its former self. But we do still have the trees and the occasional quiet starlit nights. The neighborhood has considerably filled up and new relationships are getting harder and harder to form. (Is this the price to pay for progress/urbanization?)

Many of the neighborhood children have left their homes to work, to migrate, to marry. Although they may have outgrown street games and slumber parties, they still keep in touch: thru celphones; at chance meetings in coffeeshops; and, Facebook.

My children too have moved on but my neighbors and closest friends, thankfully, remain. It is comforting to know that should a serious need arise in the middle of the night, we need not think twice about waking each other up.

As my daughter once aptly put it in a submitted neighborhood newsletter write-up so many years ago: "You can get a person out of our neighborhood, but you wouldn't be able to get the neighborhood out of the person."

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How do you start relationships with your neighbor? By taking the initiative! And nothing gets things started better than a homey gift-- a potted plant or a bunch of garden flowers; a delicious bowl of soup or a plate of home-baked cookies. Timing is important and if you are observant of their comings and goings (read: nosey ..he..he) you would more or less know the best time to drop in with gift in hand. But if you are shy and fear rejection, you could simply ring their doorbell, hand over the goodies and wish them a good day. Do not be discouraged if nothing happens right away. Good relationships take time and need nurturing. A smile, a wave of the hand, a greeting over the fences can do wonders to hasten things a bit.

To get you started, try out this neighbor-pleasing recipe:

Clementine's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
(I found this written behind a bag of choco chips-- the brand escapes me right now. Why they call it after Clementine is probably an interesting story--if I decide to make one up).

You will need to cream the following together:
1 1/4 c margarine or butter
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
Then add to it, these ingredients that have been stirred together:
1 1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
3 c Ouaker Oats (Quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked!)
Fold in the following:
2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c chopped nuts
(you can add raisins as well but just cut back on either the chips or the nuts)

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in a 375*F oven for 8 to 9 minutes for a chewy cookie, 10- 11 minutes for a crisp cookie.

Cook for 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling racks. Store in tightly covered containers.

A Tea Party

I took from the drawers
Cups and saucers.

Tea and coffee
All ready by three.

I skip, I hop
I can’t be stopped.

My guests are here,
Now pass those cupcakes, dear.

It seems that I have always had a fondness for parties. When I was little, I would be in awe as I quietly observed the grown-ups at parties at my fraternal grandmother’s house. My grandmother took her parties seriously. She ensured that the invited guests would be comfortable with each other; the food superbly matching the occasion, and little details, like flowers and music, were in place. The perfect eventologist!

Although parties at my parent’s house were not as big a production as that of my grandmother’s, my mother put into practice what she learned from the parties organized by my grandmother. And we did have quite a lot of parties at home albeit at a smaller scale. And unlike my grandmother, who would normally have her parties catered, my mother would cook all the main courses, including desserts, that would be served—sometimes feeding as many as 50 guests. It’s amazing how she still had the energy during the party to chat and laugh with the guests—fresh as if she came from a spa.

But the parties that I loved best were the small, intimate gatherings at home or at friends’ homes. These were the ones with no more than ten friends or relatives casually dressed and relaxing with a cup of coffee, tea or a cool drink. To keep the conversation flowing, there were usually a plate of homemade cookies or cupcakes, deity sandwiches and some sliced fruits for the grown-ups. The kids would have their own treat with ice cream thrown in for good measure. The talk would take a leisurely route— first off would usually be family updates; then to the latest office rumors, followed by the new fashion trends and the movie star of the hour. The talk trails off with other light subjects like hobbies and recipes. Nothing serious nor threatening. Somehow the hours just slowly matched along and then with a startle, someone notices the time. Good-byes are the longest when happy times were spent together with those whose company we enjoy having.

I sometimes wished that life could be just one tea party after another. But then I think about all the pounds I would put on from all the eating and sitting around. So I content myself with the occasional invite and busy myself with the planning, the calling, the cooking and the bringing out of my good cups and saucers.

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I recently found the occasion to hold a tea party in my garden. To be truthful, there were three occasions!! All three gatherings were a breeze to have: a casual set-up with some garden flowers in small vases, scented candles to ward off wondering bugs and an uncomplicated menu. At all three gatherings, my guests immediately felt at home and pampered all because they were comfortable with each other and they noticed that I had the best plates, glasses and cutlery set out for their use. No paper plates nor plastic spoons, please.



Now if you are thinking of having a tea party soon, let me share a great idea: serve a chocolate pudding pie in tiny tea cups. Not only will you impress your guests but there will be less washing ups later.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

1. Have ready three egg yolks that have been slightly beaten. Set aside.

2. Mix ½ cup cornstarch with ½ cup water. Set aside.

3. Place some water on the lower portion of your double boiler. Set on the stove and bring heat to medium.

4. On the top pan of a double boiler, mix 1 can condensed milk with ½ c cocoa powder.



5. As the mixture heats up, stir in 1 ¼ cup of hot water.

6. To ensure that your pudding doesn’t get lumpy, add a tablespoon or two of the chocolate mixture to your egg yolks and stir.

7. Slowing add the egg yolk mixture to the content on your double boiler.

8. Stir gently and continuously.

9. Add the water-cornstarch mixture to the chocolate pudding and stir.

10. The mixture will come to a pudding consistency and you can add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 tablespoon of butter to give it a shine.



11. While hot, spoon the pudding into teacups whose bottoms have been lined with graham cracker crust.




12. Cool and refrigerate.

13. Before serving add a dollop of chilled cream on top of each teacup.

Note: This can be done a day or two before the party and kept in your fridge.

Graham Cracker Crust

Mix together 1 1/4 cup crushed graham crackers and 1/3 cup melted butter. Divide into 12 portions of about a tablespoon for each teacup. Press each portion into the bottom of each tea cup. For presentation purposes, it is best to use tiny tea cups.

The Dirt about Composting

With plenty of time on my hands, I find myself spending more time in my little garden. At least an hour or two in the morning and another hour in the afternoon when the sun is less cruel. There is something that draw me to getting down and dirty with nature. It has an uplifting and cleansing effect-- if you know what I mean. I welcome the perspiration that drips off my brow when the tugging at weeds becomes a challenge. Then there are no words to describe the beauty of seeing tiny flowers peeking out of a cluster of pepper foliage heavy with red and green fruits. And the thrills I get when confronted with a wiggly earthworm or a startled frog-- yikks!

My son says that my sojourn into the world of gardening is a sure sign of aging. But I beg to disagree--somewhat. You see with every new shoot the pops out of the ground and with every butterfly that wings itself through the flowers, I feel recharged! Isn't that strange? You have to grow older to appreciate what it is to be young and new and full of wonder.

Do you want to give it a try? You do not need a large plot of land to start your garden. You can go slow and maybe buy an easy-to-care-for plant at your local nursery as a starter. When you are comfortable about the idea about getting soil between your fingernails (actually, there's no rule that says you can't wear gloves), then you can move on to bigger things.

One of these "bigger" endeavors could be composting. The garbage crisis has made many of us sit up and seriously think about our environment. Our landfills are quickly turning into mountains; the air is fouling up; and, there is no end to the diseases that plague us. How does composting come into the picture? Well, "compost returns organic matter to the soil in a usable form. Organic matter in the soil improves plant growth by: stimulating the growth of beneficial microorganisms, loosening heavy clay soils to allow better root penetration; improving the capacity to hold water and nutrients particularly in sandy soils; and adding essential nutrients to any soil. Improving your soil is the first step toward improving plant health. Healthy plants help clean air, conserve soil, and beautify landscapes."

I do not want to impose on you or want to bore you with the technicalities of composting. That would be too presumptuous of me. Instead, I hope that the seed I have planted will bear fruit in your interest to cultivate a green thumb and help the environment as well.

Now, what follows is a different sort of recipe--

Food for the Garden: A garden version of "Food for the Gods"

Ingredients:
two large containers-- 1 empty and 1 filled with soil
kitchen vegetable scraps
some water
a ladle

• Line the bottom of your empty container with 1-inch of soil. Layer your kitchen scrap right on top of the soil. Brown (leaves, shredded paper) and green (grass clippings, vegetable scraps, etc.) and white (eggshells). No meats or grease, please. You don't want to invite mickey mouse.



• Cover with a 1-inch layer of soil.



• Continue your layering.



Finish off with a nice topping of soil.



• Moisten by sprinkling top with water.



• Keep the contents moist but not wet. Cover and set aside.



• Take on another large pot and repeat the process.

• To keep the bacteria active, turn or aerate the contents in your pot from time to time.

• To quicken the "cooking" process, you may add a little nitrogen-- plant fertilizer, coffee grounds, even urine if you dare ( yuck! but it works)

• The compost is ready for use in the garden once it is dark brown, crumbly and earthy-smelling-- about three week to a month.

If you don't have the time to do the above process, do your decomposing the easy way by burying organic material right in the garden or potted plants. During the weekend, collect your kitchen scraps in a covered container, and then take it with you on your stroll through your garden. (Pretend that you're the Easter Bunny with a basket of eggs.) Tuck cut-up mango peels, wilted lettuce leaves, and other scraps in small dug-up holes near your plants and cover with a few inches of soil. If you have weeds and clippings to compost, lay them under shrubs and cover with garden soil. Let worms and microorganisms do the dirty work -- the decomposing, conditioning of soil, and distributing of nutrients -- while you hardly lift a finger.

The Truth of the Matter

What makes the heart skip a-beat, eyelashes a-flatter, and steps a-lighter...... Is it....
a) a bonus in your payslip?
b) hunger?
c) the Bird Flu?

Could it be love?

I would like to share with you an incident some 10 years ago that somehow helped me focus on what love really is. One day my daughter noticed my son intently whispering sweet nothings on the phone. She brings this phenomena to my husband's attention and ask, "Daddy, what is love?"

My husband ever the teacher wanting to have his student grasp the lesson in one easy step began with, "Well, what your kuya is experiencing right now is a lot of excitement and the feeling of lightness. That is not love. Because love is boring. Now go ask your mom why..."

As I was there at the time of enlightenment, I did not know whether I should be elated because my husband considered that what we have was love or I should be depressed because my husband considered our "love" boring.

Well, not one to let it go without clarification, I asked, "What do you mean by boring?"

Well, love indeed is boring, explained my husband, because it is as constant as night follows day; it is as comfortable as warm bedroom slippers; and it is dependable as paid-up insurance.

Okey, okey, I conceded that my husband had a point and well, also pulled a fast one on me too. But love is trust and so I will once more put on something red because Love-is-thine day is just around the corner.

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Don't have a red outfit but would like to mark a special date? Why not try out baking some chocolate cupcakes that is sure to fire up those old fashion feelings.



Old Fashion Chocolate Cupcakes

2 cups all purpose flour
2 t baking soda
½ t salt
¾ c cocoa

½ c butter
3 eggs
2 cups brown sugar

½ c milk
1 T vinegar
1 t vanilla
1 cup hot water

Set oven to 350 degrees. Drop cupcake liners into 2 12-cupcake pan.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa. Set aside.

Cream butter until light yellow in color. Then alternately add sugar and eggs. Begin with the sugar and end with the sugar. ( divide the sugar into 4 so you add ½ c sugar then an egg, and so on and so forth)

Mix in the vinegar to the milk. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the batter—in four . Begin with the flour and end with the flour. (divide the flour mixture into 4 so you add about ½ c flour then 1/3 portion milk, then flour and so on and so forth).

Once well blended, add vanilla and the hot water. Stir until mixture is of smooth consistency.

Pour into rectangular pan or cupcake pan and put into the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes for the rectangular pan or until toothpick comes up clean when inserted in the middle of cake. For cupcakes, it will take only 20-25 minutes to bake.

When done, cool on rack. You may ice this with your favorite frosting. For the cupcakes, I like to frost them with Fluffy White Frosting. Then sprinkle some colored candy bits to give them a happy and festive look.

Fluffy White Frosting
2 egg whites
¾ cup sugar
1/3 c light corn syrup
2 T water
¼ t salt
¼ t cream of tartar
1 t vanilla

Combine first 6 ingredients in top of double boiler. Cook over rapidly boiling water, beating with mixer until mixture stands in peaks. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Continue beating until think enough to spread.

Painting Rainbows

I always marvel at the way some people manage to smile and keep a pleasant disposition inspite of the daily challenges they encounter. They are the ones whose smiles extend to the twinkle in their eyes. Their greetings always run true. Their interest in you always genuine. Surely they are gifted!

As babies, I imagined them being fed honey by their smiling moms while they soaked up the warm rays of the morning sun. Their fathers must have taken them to Walt Disney movies every single Saturday while they were growing up. Tragedy never visited their homes nor hearts. Could this be it?

So in my quest to find the answer, I went ahead and asked these gifted persons the reason for their "good naturedness". I found out that some grew up in happy homes and some in sad homes. I found out that some were loved dearly by their mothers and fathers and some were orphans or never knew a kind word from their parents. All have not been spared from moments of despair and loneliness. All have at one time or another had their share of sadness-- in varying degrees. Simply put, their lives have been less than perfect.

But there is one thing that sets them apart from most of us.

Attitude. "The paintbrush of the mind" as one author calls it. These happy people have willed themselves to be what they want to be; to feel what they want to feel; to say what they want to say. They chose to paint rainbows, sunny days at the beach or cartoon characters. They chose not to put their "paintbrush" in the hands of an angry customer or a nasty sales person. They chose not to hand over their "paintbrush" to their doctors, their bosses, their significant partners or their friends or even the weather. They chose to be pleasant and thus, they harvest the gains. No hyperacidity, no hyperventilation. As their personalities glow, so do their skin. And as their popularity grow, so do their number of friends they keep.

And most importantly, I found that these people have chosen to put their lives in the hands of God. They trust that God in His infinite wisdom will always paint the loveliest rainbows for them. Indeed, they have every reason to be happy.

Who's painting your mind today?



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Want to paint rainbow days for your kids or favorite gangmates? I tried this recipe two weeks ago and got four thumbs up from my kids. I now have their unconditional loyalty.

Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce (adopted from Dawn Carter's submitted recipe on Allrecipes)

1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder or 1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups milk
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 c)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (500 grms) pack spaghetti or fettuccine noodle (follow cooking directions on package)

Directions

Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

Notes:
1. Bring cream cheese to room temperature and cut into cubes so that it will combine with the melted butter quicker.
2. You may use fresh garlic and add other spices like nutmeg or herbs like basil.
3. You could cut the fat content by using reduced fat milk products.
4. You can use the pre-grated Parmesan cheese -cheaper.
5. You can add steamed flowerets of broccoli, cauliflower and diced carrots to add color.
6. For kid-friendly dish, add bacon bits or diced ham.
7. Left over sauce may be stored in the fridge for at least a week.
8. Do not pour all of the sauce onto the pasta. Do it a portion at a time so that you can stop at the point you think that the sauce has coated all of the noodles evening. Remember this is a very rich sauce.
9. If you feel that the creamed noodles look dry, add a little of the hot liquid used to cook the noodles in. Adjust seasoning.