its been light years..

hopefully i could write again soon. miss blogging.

decisions

Decisions are tough. Tougher than any leather a hungry predator can devour to chew. It is even tougher to be mindful whether to gobble and ingest or to cough it out. The endless regurgitation is a race in concert with seamless doubt. That is, whether prey is abundant or scarce. To consume is to wander with thoughts towering as the canopy in the damp woods; except when finding your place to consume would paradoxically consume your thoughts.

There will be no looking up. Visions are only limited to the horizon; to graze after the winter withers and savor the springtime? To bathe in the muddy puddles in sweltering summer? Or delight with the colors of fall that would blind the hunger come another biting cold winter nights. Yet there can always be barnyards; readily available pastures as fresh as a decaying log unnoticed even by the quaint rivers. This refuge will open the gate to warm nights touched not by a single rain drop falling from the grinning skies. Could half the sunshine suffice to combat your hunger for freedom? Life is too short and decisions has to be made...now.

Going Thai with Pad Thai

I noticed that every time I put a number to my blog title it always ended up in unsuccessful trail. So I'm omitting the digits and just move on with my kitchen escapades. This time I wandered at something Thai.

Pad Thai (Thai fried noodles)




Following instructions at a thai cookbook, it was a lot easier for me to share this recipe

prep time 25 mins. <--------- so true!
cooking time 10-15 mins<----- i made it around 10 mins

250g rice stick noodles
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic minced
100 g peeled prawn chopped into bits <---- i used the regular shrimps which are quite big and I cut it some into half to create curls
2 tbsp. fish sauce/nam pla <----- adjust according to taste as long as its equal proportion with lime juice
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 med eggs beaten
1 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
150 g thinly sliced pork
1/2 bunch garlic chives chopped <---- I didnt put any
2 tsp. red chillies <---- i used chili paste/tobanjang instead
half medium onion julienne



Make sure you prep all ingredients first coz this is cooks really quick.

Boil water in a deep pan (this is for the noodles). On a separate hot frying pan with oil, saute onion, garlic and meat. Watch when the meat is about to cook, its the right time to boil your noodles so it will not overcook when its time to transfer to the frying pan. When the meat is cooked and you already placed your noodles in the boiling water, add the shrimp to the frying pan and wait till shrimp turns pink. 2-3 minutes probably had elapsed so drain your noodles and DIRECTLY put it in the frying pan, this will keep the noodles fresh and it will prevent from sticking. Put the liquid ingredients and adjust to taste. Put the sugar, bean sprouts and peanut last. Serve immediately. Best eaten hot.

I tried draining the noodles and letting it stand at the colander for 5 minutes before putting it with the rest of the ingredients, it greatly affects the quality of the noodles.

REPOST: UPLB reacts to ABS-CBN's Maalala Mo Kaya episode

Mar 9, '09 4:06 AM
Written by the Office of Public Relations
Friday, 06 March 2009 15:10



UPLB has issued an official statement to ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation in light of a recent episode of their Maalala Mo Kaya program which inadvertently cast a bad light on the University and its constituents.

The complete letter is as follows:

Our attention has been called by constituents and alumni to an episode featured in Maala-ala Mo Kaya entitled "Blusa," which was aired on ABS-CBN on Feb. 28 and on TFC recently. Our constituents and alumni were concerned whether the episode was based on truth.

The story was of a woman who allegedly graduated BS AgriBusiness, summa cum laude, from the University of the Philippines Los Baños or UPLB, who could not find a job, and ended up a stripper. We tried to find out who the subject was by tracking all 27 of our summa cum laude graduates from the time the University was established in 1909. We could not find anyone matching the subject as portrayed in "Blusa."

Whether or not the subject was a UPLB graduate, we deeply sympathize with her and her family. However, in the interest of maintaining its reputation as a truthful storyteller, the MMK should have a mechanism to validate claims by letter senders especially those that require a stretch of imagination as to be believed.

While indeed touching and a perfect example of a human-interest story, "Blusa" regrettably affected the reputation of UPLB as an educational institution and its constituents and alumni. We therefore request ABS-CBN to set the record straight and correct the wrong impression that it created among its viewers. We also make an appeal to producers of similar programs to be more prudent in reporting stories with claims that would affect the reputation not only of a school but also of its alumni in the Philippines and abroad.

Thank you.




http://uplb.edu.ph/index.php/news-and-announcements/79-uplb-reacts-to-controversial-maalala-mo-kaya-episode

needless to say, no matter how long my absence is in the cyberworld, i would resuscitate this blog if it could contribute to the call of perpetuating the good name of our university.

2009 kitchen experiment 1: Strawberry cream cheese puffs

Happy 2009! It’s a little bit late but better than never eh!

Not long ago I found myself playing in the kitchen with my latest toy... the puff pastry. Its versatility compliments my craving for all things sweet, salty, creamy and what-have-you! So I tried it and the success of every dish was well appreciated by the only man who still can’t get enough of my cooking

Here are cute bites that could easily fit into your petite fours.

Strawberry cream cheese puffs

Preheat your oven 200 C. Cut the pastry in desired size and put in a tray brushed with butter or margarine. Brush the puff pastry with beaten egg to give it a golden brown finish. I tried brushing it with milk but it didn't color much. Put in the oven for 20 minutes or until it turned to the right color.

In a small bowl mix softened cream cheese and heavy cream; Amount depends on how much you need but I prepared it with 1:1/2 ratio. If you want it extra sweet, add granulated white sugar in increments until the desired sweetness is achieved. Cut strawberries into small pieces.

When puff pastry is done, remove the middle part or just poke a hole and stuff the cream cheese filling then top with strawberries. Drizzle with chocolate ganache or syrup. Cool before serving.