Still Mommy

“Must not worry.”

I found some comfort from repeating this mantra to myself.   

It all started so unceremoniously. A forgotten name, a story repeated more than twice in a short span of time,  a misplaced list.  So easily and lightheartedly brushed aside and attributed as part of the aging process.

There was a debate on whether a medical explanation should be sought.  But we were all in denial. For really, what was the point.  There still is no cure for memory loss. 

And so it was for my mother.  And for us, her children.   We laughed.  We cried.  We moved on as we left matters up to time.

Then that time came and my mother herself realized she needed to face this memory eating monster head-on.   And we, her children, planned with her, stood by her and held her hand as we moved forward.

Moving forward, my mother has recently completed  the necessary medical rounds— tests and scans.

The jury is still out on her case.  In the meantime, I should take in the positive and must not worry. She is still mommy.

---xoxoxox---

While visiting with my sisters, M and V, I had the opportunity to watch our mother cook up meals for us. again  She started to apologize for her forgetfulness and hesitated. She felt she would mess things up.  But these negative thoughts vanished as everything came together so naturally.  A chopping board, a sharp knife, a good pan and her confidence was back. 

She outdid herself with her Sotanghon Pancit (recipe here) , Chicken Asado (recipe here) and Pork Sinigang (recipe here).   She also did a green peppers and beans with ground beef dish.  This was something new and delicious for me. I quickly took notes so I won't forget.  And thought it worth passing on to you.

Mom’s Sauted Green Peppers and Beans with Ground Beef

1/2 k ground beef
3 strips of bacon, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, cored and sliced into strips
A handful of green beans (about a cup), string removed and chopped diagonally
Splash of worchestershire, perrins, or soy sauce—whatever you have on hand
Salt and pepper

Place the bacon in a pan and render the oil.  Remove the bacon and set aside. In the bacon oil, saute the garlic and onions then add the beef.  When beef is done, return the bacon and throw in the peppers and beans.  Stir quickly and season with seasoning sauce, salt and pepper.  Remember: Do not overcook or your veggies will be mushy.

Goes very well with steamed rice.

Sibling Rivalry

She was a person I loved to hate. My enemy, my adversary, my competitor.  She was always in the way. Taking what was mine.  And when she failed to get her way, she would run after me with murder in her eyes.

Funny that she thought of me in the same way.  She is G, my sister.  She was born a year after me.  She was a skinny child with sharp features.  She had piercing eyes and very curly hair.  She seemed to have a perpetual scowl on her face.  As pictures in old family albums would bear me out, her smile was a rarity.

We were the proverbial cat and dog.  Forever arguing, forever fighting. Tired of mediating between us, I remember my father setting up this rule: fight with words not with fists.  When it became impossible to follow this rule, my father made a new one: if you must hit each other, do so but avoid hitting the head.  And so it went.

It started with name calling, then a push, then a punch on the arm or a kick on the shin.  After that all hell broke loss giving way to a mad chase.  A door is slammed shut followed by loud banging on a locked door with shouts of revenge.

The fights did not stop as we became teenagers.  Most of the time, the fights revolved around the use of the telephone—what else! She would be on the phone for hours knowing that I was expecting a call.  I would then press the phone button to cut the call and she would then give chase. I would slam my bedroom door shut and she would bang and kick at my door  with vile threats of bodily harm.  Some things remained the same it seemed.

Then one day, she cuts short her college studies and decided to work.  She left for Manila and the house became quiet.  In between long absences, she would come home with suitcase full of exotic gifts from far off places.  There were chocolates and candies for everyone.  And best of all, there were stories of where she had been and the people she had met.  As time went by, we became the best of allies.  I cannot count how many times she had been generous with her support nor the times we had to hold on and be strong together.

We now look back fondly to our “war years” and have a good laugh.  And I am taking this opportunity to express my deepest affection.  I love you G…… there, I said it!  : )

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

A few weeks back, my sister, G, was visiting a younger sister, M. G had heard that M loved the way I prepared Afritada while I had visited. G decided to make Afritada for M.  G looked up my recipe and got busy.

When M came home from work, G presented her Afritada and asked, “Please taste my afritada and tell me if mine is better.”

“Please don’t make me do that,” M pleaded.

“Come on, I won’t get hurt.” Countered G.

After partaking of G’s Afritada, M declared, “Sorry, yours is not the better one”.

You can take the mad aggression out of siblings but you can’t take out the competitive spirit.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

I may have the better Afritada recipe, but I have to concede that G has the better American style meatloaf recipe (think: giant baked hamburger).  Give this a try and see how it measures up to the meatloaf you have tried in the past.    

G’s American Style Meat Loaf

You will need:

1/2 kilo lean ground beef

1/2 kilo lean ground pork

1 egg, beaten

1 can Campbell cream of mushroom

1 cup bread cubes - toasted and ground finely (may use store bought bread crumbs)

1/2 cup  white onion, minced

4 cloves garlic - minced

1 1/2 tsp salt

dash of pepper

5 strips of bacon for lining

What to do:

Mix the first 9 ingredients.  Line a loaf pan with the bacon, pour in meat mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours in a 350F oven.  When done, let rest for 10 minutes then invert meat loaf in another baking dish.  Broil for a few minutes to make the bacon crispy. 

Enjoy!

Note:

I sneaked in some diced carrots for color.  Since I did not have a loaf pan, I used aluminum foil.  I devided the mixture into two.  On one square of foil, I laid out the bacon on the foil before putting the mixture on top.

Then I rolled up the foil and sealed the ends. 

I did the same for the other half of the mixture.  I then baked the "rolls" but for a shorter duration (about 45 minutes) since the portions were now smaller.