baby rambutan

for a change!
i know the photo is sort of squid-squarely-in-your-face…i guess you either love it or hate it.
a simple and easy pasta supper…just briefly grill squid and scallops to almost done-ness, then saute in extra virgin olive oil, with garlic and basil leaves, before adding the just-cooked angel hair (capellini).
i moistened the sauce with reserved boiling water from the pasta. then garnished with basil (these are Thai, i thought i’d experiment). season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. i also added “ichimi togarashi” the super-hot Japanese red pepper sprinkle on my portion. or else the kids might do this to me .
it was swell.

tagged by thess! i think i’m beginning to like it…

(time frame: Tuesday evening, 5:41 pm or thereabouts)

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? Rob Schneider as a politically incorrect Asian Canadian wedding minister in Niagara Falls

2. What were you doing at 0800? staggering out the door to deliver my kids to school.

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? chopping onions, therefore crying

4. What happened to you in 2006? i really turned old! carpal tunnel diagnosed with diabetes went to California…among other things

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? but why? to my 8 year old, viewing youtube on Wii

6. How many beverages did you have today? too many (mostly water! 1 cerveza, right now)

7. What color is your hairbrush? fake wood brown–don’t use it much anymore, don’t have much hair to brush *cry*

8. What was the last thing you paid for? fresh meat and veggies at the Chinese market

9. Where were you last night? walking around Downtown Boston, after dropping off college boy

10. What color is your front door? dark dark green

11. Where do you keep your change? goes straight to the glass piggy bank (that’s my Christmas shopping money!)

12. What’s the weather like today? rainy, windy, gloomy, cold: SADD-inducing

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? pistachio! rocky road! nocciola! wait wait…ube! mango! strawberry…gad…

14. What excites you? novelty.

15. Do you want to cut your hair? more like shave it off…. see #7

16. Are you over the age of 25? been there done that…ages ago

17. Do you talk a lot? only when inebriated, i’m actually the silent-waters-run-deep type of gal (NAAATTT)

18. Do you watch the O.C.? NO.

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? #2son’s best friend, a Fil-am boy, and a couple of Jewish-Am co-workers from the Camp..why? do you know them?

20. Do you make up your own words? a-fla-du-du!

21. Are you a jealous person? absolutement!, insecure to the bones.

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. in the blogworld: nom de plume of the Mrs. Atinna in Tokyokuni, AnnaBananamamanimatilda

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. KarengKengkay i miss you where are you???Canada? Project 6? magparamdam ka naman o…

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? “my darling,” calling from work

25. What does the last text message you received say? “i’m back’home’ safe Mom”

26. Do you chew on your straw? hardly ever use it but i might

27. Do you have curly hair? 4 siblings three have soft curly waves, the only one with stick-straight hair taken to Adelfa’s beauty parlor in Mahabagin (or was it Matiwasay?) St. for perms…

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? i wish? Tagaytay Boracay Sabtang Island MANILA!!!!

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? neighbor in front who’s been rude to us since we moved in here 11 years ago.

30. What was the last thing you ate? macadamia nuts! unsalted huhuhu

31. Will you get married in the future? my future is my past and my present (ehem…)

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? how about last movie: “i now pronounce you chuck and larry”

33. Is there anyone you like right now? Dash who’s reading this as i type and who’s right next to me pointing to himself

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? when was the last time i DIDN’t do the dishes???

35. Are you currently depressed? …hmmm…am i? hormonal eh..

36. Did you cry today? the onions did it. see #3

37. Why did you answer and post this? para matabunan yung mga kalokohan at sponsored post because it’s bad luck and you’ll get into trouble if you don’t?

38. 5 people you tag next? eeney, meeney, miney, moe, and the tiger who hollered when i caught him by the toe.

for years now i’ve used my heavy duty stand mixer and been pretty happy with it. in addition to being a stalwart workhorse it looks quite sleek and elegant on the counter.

but, what counter? i’ve had the misfortune, the last three homes husband and i have lived in, of having limited counterspace. i have to stow away the mixer in a shelf, and lug it out whenever i need it.

the heavy duty mixer is crucial to any mommy who wants to bake cookies for her family, with its dough-hook attachment and muscle power to knead cookie dough that’s laden with dark chocolate chips or nuts or, in our case, oatmeal.

the new Eclectrics® Mixer is so pretty on the counter you would never be inclined to hide it away in the cabinets and you’d be more likely to whip up some treats for your kids. it’s chic and elegant, with various color choices. i mean, pineapple, apple, sterling, licorice, sugar, or ultramarine… you can match it to your kitchen design.

having a stand mixer frees up both hands for thorough mixing, and! this machine is quiet.

i wouldn’t have too much hesitations to whip up a batch of our favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies using a machine with muscle power to mix heavy cookie dough laden with chocolate chips, oatmeal, and nuts, without fear of overheating.

this is our favorite recipe from Judy Rosenberg…owner of the famed Rosie’s bakery of Cambridge and Newton.

chocolate oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

3 & 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted in a double boiler over simmering water, cooled

1 cup plus 6 tbsps. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

1 & 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

6 tbsps. milk

2 & 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350F. line cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil, and lightly grease w/ butter.

whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. set aside. in the mixer bowl, medium speed, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until blended. add the eggs and milk. (scrape down the sides and beaters well during the mixing process). carefully pour in the flour mixture over low speed. when well-incorporated add the melted chocolate, mix well, then add the oats and chocolate chips.

drop by rounded spoonfulls into cookie sheets about 3 inches apart and bake for 17 minutes. let cool in pans over racks then transfer to air-tight containers.

so if you’re shopping around for a new stand mixer consider the many special features of the Eclectrics® Mixer. shipping is even free for the month of November!

this is one of the best presents i ever got.
it was such a huge surprise! my kids pooled their money together, and gave this to me, just as i was cleaning up and washing the dishes after my birthday celebration this past spring.
i love it everyday.
it keeps me company on my spotty attempts at physical fitness.
it entertains me on long car rides, on errand runs and chauffeur duties.
so i was quite…floored! flabbergasted!… when i saw this great big hulking display at the mall (i swear i don’t go there more than twice a year! but now-teenage-daughter’s birthday-present-hunting had me desperately trawling the aisles).

so decadent, don’t you think? you know, one swipe of the credit card, and you’ve indulged yourself without even dealing with another human being.
so this is where i’ve lived now for more than half my life.
where bigger, faster, shinier, flatter, pricier, tinier, etc….

will never be good enough.

happy weekend!

it’s cold, it’s raining, in other words we’re having seasonable weather.

it’s kind of a downer just thinking this season is going to take a loooong while, possibly till middle of next year.

i’ve had to give up my walking outside which makes me very sad, my body was getting used to the exercise. i will still grab every sunny and clear day to walk outside, and jump on my old skier when it’s grey and gloomy. pramis.

with the wind blowing the leaves about, i’ve been observing our cat Jack (“Bao Bao”) spend a long time standing on his haunches, staring out. sometimes i feel a twinge of guilt, for keeping him indoors, instead of letting him have the time of his life chasing birds, leaves, bugs…
just a twinge! because i know we are doing the best thing keeping him safe from cars and wild animal fights with squirrels, possums, skunks(imagine how disastrous that would be!) and raccoons. in our area there have even been sightings of coyotes wandering out of the forests and into city streets too. they love to feast on small animals….

one evening i saw him standing with his tail twitching, and heard him meowing short little gaspy meows…when i looked thru the screen window i saw a critter standing up on its haunches, looking in! they were having a staredown contest.

the raccoon ran away to the railing when it saw me, but paused long enough for a picture. she wanted to crawl up to our roof but i shooed her away.
then the other day i saw Jack’s latest object of desire.

she was fearless! instead of running away when i approached she crept up to the railing to take a good long look at Jack…probably thinking, “nyah nyah, nyah nyah, nyah! you can’t catch me!”
meanwhile Jack takes every opportunity to stake out all the windowsills and stand up to the screen door to peek out.

would you let your cat out?

well, why not, right?
we’re still blogging for fun, and it is an efficient way for advertisers to reach their targets. i’ve seen it all over the blogkingdom, and i’ve heard that it really pays. as. in. REALLY!
and they are looking for more posties! and of all the blog-for-pay opportunities out there, payperpost has generated the loudest buzz i’ve heard due to their reliability and great variety of posts to choose from.
it’s easy! just sign up, wait for blog approval, and once you’re in, blog away.
no need to compromise your blog, just pick the ones you feel passionate about, the ones you feel you can relate to.

“what are you going to do with all that money?”

this is the time of the year when my life goes on fast forward, the pace going non-stop until the new year arrives.
because we party!!!
with the two younger children’s birthdays so close together, it somehow adds up to 3 or sometimes 4 celebrations: each child on the real date and a family get-together. one year we had two parties in two weeks! i’ve acknowledged that i can’t do that anymore, my spirit is willing but my flesh bones are weak and aching now…
so in addition to the family favorites and take-out food, i cooked this as “something” new, and different to try.
this is a reconstructed? or deconstructed? shrimp toast. camarron rebosado, as i remember it, is a shrimp paste mixture slathered into little triangles of white bread then battered and deep-fried, then served with a sweet and sour dip. it was my Lolo’s favorite treat!

i’ve heard husband lamenting it’s absence from most of the appetizer menus of restaurants.

flipping through the Gourmet cookbook that i checked out of the library, i was immediately intrigued by the idea of this.

a tasty shrimp mixture rolled in tiny little bread cubes then double deep-fried, i chose to deep-fry only once, literally at the last minute, with guests hovering around and watching all the action.

this looks like little tiny pieces of edible sculpture. the recipe suggests Szechuan pepper and salt dip; i made a coconut vinegar and soy dip from Corinne Trang’s Essentials of Asian Cuisine*.

hundred corner shrimp balls ( from both online and book versions at Gourmet/epicurious.com)

1 1/2 lb large shrimp (30), peeled and deveined
1/2 cup water chestnuts , rinsed and finely chopped (if using canned, first blanch for 1 minute in boiling water before chopping)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely chopped chilled fresh pork fat or lard
1 tablespoons rice wine

1 & 1/2 tsps. finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 & 1/2 tsps. finely chopped scallion greens
3/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1& 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
20 slices thinly-sliced white sandwich bread, crusts removed, cubed into 1/4 inch dice, left to dry out at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours

click for a larger photo

About 8 cups vegetable oil

Pulse shrimp in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl, then stir in water chestnuts, egg white, pork fat, rice wine, ginger, scallion, salt, and cornstarch. Beat shrimp mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon and throw it against side of bowl until combined well and compacted. Wet your hands with cold water and form teaspoons of shrimp mixture into balls, arranging in 1 layer on a wax-paper–lined tray. Coat balls, 1 at a time, bread cubes, then arrange in 1 layer on another wax-paper–lined tray.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Heat oil in a 5-quart pot until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375°F and fry balls in 4 batches, turning, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until golden and just cooked through. (Return oil to 375°F between batches.) Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. When all shrimp balls are fried, reheat on a rack set in a shallow baking pan in middle of oven until just hot, about 2 minutes.

Cooks’ note:
• Shrimp balls may be coated and fried 1 day ahead, cooled completely, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before reheating.
#2son still counts each day after his real birthdate, but leading up to the family party, as the birthday week.
i looked for a recipe to use up most of the apples from our apple picking adventure and found this,apple bundt cake, deliciously moist and fragrant, again from epicurious.com.

running out of time, i persuaded daughter to pick out a cake from our favorite cake shop. she chose black forest cake, a toned-down kid-friendly version–it used to be drenched in kirsch and kids used to wrinkle up their noses at it–much more subtly flavored but still deeply darkly chocolatey.

it sure is nice to see the cousins hanging out but wow, they have all grown so fast….

p.s. i thought i could breathe a sigh of relief and start on our Christmas prepping. but husband’s siblings decided to draw lots for who’ll be hosting Thanskgiving dinner this year. guess who “won”?

*coconut vinegar dipping sauce recipe…. (more…)