Multitasking

I got to do 3 things at the same time this morning: cook my seafood spaghetti for my potluck this lunch time; eat my breakfast/lunch (brunch); and do this blog.
I wonder which would go awry first, burn my spaghetti, pour coffee on my net book or misspell all my words in this blog. Hmmm, the last would be the most welcome if ever.
It’s a friend’s birthday today and my other friends planned a surprise (surprise in Pohnpei?) party for her this lunch time. It will be a seaside luncheon cum birthday party. They called me up last night and informed me of the plan. I was thinking of bringing a vegetable salad (again) but since it’s a seaside party why not a seafood spaghetti instead? Logical isn’t it? So I went to the nearby grocery and purchase seafood mix and the pasta. I have tried this experiment of mine so many times and no untoward complaints or problem happened so why not try again.
I was looking through my personal cooler (I don’t call it refrigerator for it cannot even freeze a hotdog) and remembered somebody gave me some beef. It thawed alright and started to have a bit of change in color. So I decided to tapa some of it and cook nilaga for the rest. So I got some cabbage and potatoes and boiled the beef. Looking at the clock, it’s almost 10:00 am. Deciding whether to have early lunch or late breakfast, well there is this thing that they called Brunch. So brunch it is. Coffee anyone?
Now this blog. I tried to make one last night about another birthday party I attended last December 24 and straight to the Christmas noche buena I shared with friends, but I was not in a mood and no thoughts were flowing. I think I had 3 to 5 sentences and it was for about an hour already. So I just gave it up.
Well, my spaghetti is done, almost finished my food and so I also have to end this blog. So if anybody out there is interested in ordering my seafood spaghetti you know my e-mail……

Friday Dinner Buffet

It is my Friday day-off today. I will be On-call tomorrow at the main hospital’s Emergency Room so they placed me off today. It was a typical Friday for me, on second thought; it is not quite a typical Friday off for me. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. this morning which is again early for a day-off since I usually wake up at 8:00 a.m. or past 9:00 a.m. in may day off. Anyway, I slept very early the night before so therefore waking up early as a result is expected.

Though its my day-off today, I was asked to join a meeting with the representative of the Pacific Islands Health Officers Association (PIHOA), who is on-island for several days, the Director of the Health Department, PCHC Chairman of the Board and the Executive Director of PCHC which was scheduled at 9:00 a.m. So I still had time to do my chores.
I started to do my laundry for the week and cleaned the house as usual. I was done at about 7:00 a.m. so I still had time for myself. I don’t really know what pushed me to do my 10,000 steps for today but I had this urged to do so and so, I walked on my usual route after which, I lifted some weights on my new Gym set (ahem). I was done by 8:30 a.m. and so I started preparing for the meeting.

The meeting was held at the Health Directors Office and it went well. We finished at about 11:00 a.m. I went home directly to prepare lunch. I had two visitors for lunch today. I invited my friend at work over for lunch and another one came by to ask for help with her computer. We had tuna sinigang for lunch.

After lunch and after they left, I started again using my Gym set until about 3 p.m. then rested. At 4:30 p.m. I have this urged to do my walk again. So I went out and walk to the causeway and passed by KSP restaurant on my way back to pick up the food for my two pets.

Along the way, I had a phone call from a friend and he reminded me about our plan to try the new Dinner buffet with Island Girls Performance they are offering every Friday night only at Ocean View Restaurant. He said to pick me up at about 6:30 p.m. since it starts at about 7:00 p.m. Then it struck me. This is probably the reason why I was doing extra work-out this day because subconsciously I know I will be eating a lot tonight. And also the light lunch I had was also because of this. So with this in mind I said YES.

At 7:00 p.m. we were already there at Ocean View Restaurant. It has been quite a while since my last visit to the place and it has been renovated and looks better than it was before. I noticed that the light setting was low which is probably to my advantage so that they wont see how much I will be eating. There is now a big stage on the front area and the veranda is now wider and cozier than before. The only thing that did not change was the bar.
There were not as many people as we anticipated this night so there was no line to the buffet table. They offered barbequed chicken, pork spare ribs, hotdogs and STEAK. There was tuna sashimi and vegetable salad. They have several local foods and there were noodle dishes, one of which became a point of discussion between my companions. One said its pancit the other claims that it is sukiyaki. What ever it was its good, well actually everything was good since at this time I was already starving. I was looking for the chicken kelagen, a Guamanian recipe, which they claim to have in their flyers, but there was none. Anyway, food was good and plenty.
After dinner, we were entertained by the Island Girls, a group of young female who performs local dances. I really admire how they sway their hip on dancing the hula. They do it effortlessly and graciously. These set of Island Girls are the nth generation of these Island Girls group. I have seen at least three groups of these girls before this but these new ones still has the appeal graciousness in dancing.
The opening number was a fast one and boy, they can really dance! They performed seven numbers and they danced to both fast and slow hula music. There was even a slow solo dance by one of the young lady. There were three young ladies and a young girl in this group. The youngest one performed solo. And she was really good. I know the parents of this young girl and they were there to watch her perform. I was even teasing the father to perform the dance himself. The three young ladies looks familiar to me but their names skipped my mind.
All in all, the evening went well. I had good food and was entertained by good dancers. You would really get your money’s worth. Anyway, I was so full that I asked my friend to just drop me off at Palm Terrace so I would just walk back home. He insisted to drive me back home because its far from where I want to get down and he said it might rain, but I explained that I am really full and I need to walk it off and I don’t mind if it rains and get wet because I am on my way home.
So I did walk home and felt better after that slow leisurely walk home. It was a little windy too at that time and good thing it didn’t rain. In my mind all through the walk was, will I be there again next Friday, hmmmm, I’ll blog it later……

Chicken Inasal and Lumpia

Its a Sunday, a day of rest before the start the coming work week. I woke up early this typical Sunday morning for what reason, I don't know. Early, meaning at 5:30 am. Anyway I woke up on the right side of the bed this morning and as usual I started my day by brewing my coffee, sweeping the floor and mopping it right after. After feeding both pets, I had my morning ritual of using the rest room and showering right after (never tried it the other way around).

Contemplating of whether doing my daily walk that early in the morning or in my usual afternoon walk I chose the latter and decided to just lie around and read a book. A little past 6:00 am, a friend send a text message bragging that she was on her way to the track and field and explaining how glad she was that the road going to the track and field was all her own at that time of the day. But later send another message that she was almost attacked by street dogs. Well I was to warn her earlier about the possibility of being attacked by dogs along the way especially she's walking alone but I don't want to spoil her fun. Anyway, she later text me that she survived.

I continued my day passing the hours reading my novel when a little past 8 am my phone rang. It was another friend (and neighbor) on the line. She reminded me that we are to have lunch at their house today and I would help her pick up some ingredients for her recipes' for today's lunch. I asked her what was she planning to cook for lunch and she said she learned new recipes and would like to try it. She mentioned a chicken recipe which she said is popular in Southern Philippines and it is a grilled one. What came to mind immediately was Chicken Inasal and she said that's it. Then she added she also remember a dish she tried in Guam that is a combination of vermicelli (sotanghon) papaya and carrots wrapped in lumpia wrapper with lettuce. Having had an early and light breakfast made me say YES without any hesitation.

She picked me up at around 9 am and we went around buying the ingredients for both recipes and were at their house a little before 10 am.

Lumpia, are dishes of Chinese origin which is similar to spring rolls. Variation of the dish would depend on the ingredients being wrapped by the thin pastry made of flour and egg (that is why it is sometimes known as egg roll). I have tried a lot of varieties of this dish from Lumpiang shanghai (with ground pork, minced onion, carrots, and spices with the mixture held together by beaten eggs), lumpiang sariwa (minced ubod, flaked chicken, crushed peanuts and turnips) and its "naked" variety, Lumpiang Hubad; Lumpiang prito (fried and filled with bean sprouts and other various vegetables), to Banana Lumpia or Turon (wrapped sliced banana).

Anyway, this particular lumpia is somewhat different for the filling consists of sotanghon, grated papaya and carrots, deep fried and after frying, wrapped again in fresh romaine lettuce. The dipping sauce preferably is sweet and sour sauce. It was good and tasty and apparently a good meal for people on diet, like me (ahem). It was really good and it gave me an idea to make some for me to store in my ref and cook some as needed. Try it folks....

My friend then asked me to de-bone the chicken leg quarters that we bought earlier to prepare it for the next dish. After which I also minced some garlic (actually crushed) while she steeped some achuete in olive oil. After this she mixed the chicken fillet, achuete oil, garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper and some chili together and let it stand for an hour. This is the Chicken Insal dish.

Chicken inasal is another Filipino dish, this time one for the grill. This is an Ilonggo dish, or more specifically, Bacolod dish. The chicken pieces, imbued with a reddish hue from achuete or annatto seeds, is nothing but appealing to your sight, but it’s the smell of inasal cooking that always brings about rumblings in the stomach, and you can’t wait to sink your teeth into it. Different variations in preparation and cooking are known but this is the simpliest I ever learned (actually this is the first for me). And so after an hour of soaking the chicken in the mixture, I started barbequing it.

While doing so my friend also prepared some tuna sphagetti as an addition to the menu she had. It was a warm Sunday afternoon but it was a good and satisfying one with the food we had for lunch and later followed by a freshly brewed coffee.

Now I am ready for the new week coming...

Sinanglaw

Sinanglaw, an Ilocano popular dish. The ingredients include the innards and skin of a cow sautéed in onion, ginger, garlic, peppercorns and kamias, cooked over medium heat until tender. In its original recipe, a moderate amount of the cow’s bile (or papaet) is added for more zest. Cooking time would be for 3 - 4 hours depending on the tenderness of the innards. Use of pressure cooker to cut the cooking time is not advisable. But the wait is well worth it really.
Well for me it was worth it anyway......
My friend called me up around 10 a.m. and invited me to have lunch over his house because he will be serving Sinanglaw. Surprised he was awake at that time on a Sunday so I thought he really prepared early for the dish. Anyway, I took my time preparing to go and at about a little past 11 a.m. I started my journey to his house.
I was not even halfway to the destination when it started to rain softly but the wind was harsh. Good thing I have with me my very sturdy umbrella and was able to continue my journey. All the while imagining the hot and spicy taste of the dish that will be served.
Almost 3/4 along the way, still raining and windy, I was about to pass a big puddle of water on the road and noticed a car nearing the puddle. So in anticipation, I tried to get back on the sidewalk area, which was more flooded for which reason I was walking on the road, when lo!!!! I slipped and fell on my butt!!! The first instinct was to stand up and get hold of myself, then slowly and inconspicuously look around if any body was looking. A little farther down the road was an old lady standing by the front of a grocery store and I thought, well probably didn't see me because of a poor vision. The car that passed by prior to the fall didn't stopped so, the driver nor the passenger probably didn't see me. And still looking around saw no more people in sight. But as I continued on, and almost in front of a hardware store, there was a boy who was looking at me as I pass by, eyeing me as if to say, "hahahahaha....I saw you fall"...that bastard.
So with a drenched right side pants, hurting butt and painful wrist, I continued on with my walk towards my friend’s house. Still salivating with the thought of the hot and spicy soup and tender meat, I moved on.
Finally, I reached the house, but wait, how come there was no distinct smell of a cooking sinanglaw? How come no table set for lunch? I looked at my watch, which was on the left wrist so it was not banged when I fell so it’s still working, it was almost 12 nn. So where is the food?
I went in, still soaking wet from the waist down, that's when I realized they were just finished slicing up the innards and other ingredients! Whoa! So that means 3 more hours to wait!
Nothing else I can do but wait, so I asked my friend to provide me with a pair of dry shorts for the meantime, because I was not only feeling cold because I am hungry but also because of my wet pants.
He gave me a pair of shorts and when I was a bit warmer, I try ransacking through his refrigerator and looking for anything to eat. There were few left over, bread and a Cinnamon bread. Got hold of the cinnamon bread and mixed me a cup of coffee. Feeling warm and still anticipating the hot and spicy soup and soft and tender innards to be served, I set my self in front of the TV and my friend played a movie about who knows what starring who knows who which I slept half way through anyway. When it was finished, it was 2:40 p.m. and now something is really cooking!
You can smell the distinct smell of the dish and it makes my mouth water a lot. I stood up and checked the pot and boy, it looks so good. I ask my friend if it was ready and he said it was not soft enough and it would be better to wait for a few minutes more.
I was thinking, yeah it should be at least 3 hours, I just sigh and sit and tried to listen to music on my MP3 player which, after several music, went dead because I forgot to charged it this morning. So much for passing time listening to music, I went out and looked around the backyard for some Sour sop fruit (guyabano) but there is no fruit that would be right for the picking. So I just tried to get some more kamias from the tree instead and was planning to preserve it.
I was really into the picking when my friend called out and finally, the dish was done.
I hurried back to the kitchen and there it was, steaming hot and looking so tasty was a bowl of Sinanglaw just for me. I got some ground pepper and chili and put some on my bowl. At long last it was ready.
My first sip of the soup and wowww! It is as I imagined it would. Hot, spicy, tasty and the innards were as soft as the way it should be. Sinanglaw, from a recently butchered cow. Newly cooked, hot and as spicy as I wanted it to be. I didn't just settle for a bowl mind you, I finished 3 bowls of it. One for every hour I have waited. And the aching butt? it is not aching anymore, for I am enjoying with my hearts content the hot, spicy and very tender Sinanglaw.
Now it was really worth all the trouble and wait......