A Simple Christmas Dinner This Year

I forgot to take the picture of this roasted duck before I tasted it. It was yummy. It was a Christmas gift from our Italian-American neighbor. The duck and pasta was our lunch.

For our dinner menu:

Honey baked Ham, Pancit, Eggrolls ( both Pinoy and Chinese), Cheese and macaroni casserole, puto ( both white and Brown( kutsinta), German chocolate cake, Fruit Tart, Goat cheese and Crackers and Hawaiian sweet rolls. For drinks we have Champagne, apple cider, wine and beer. No letson or Dinuguan or calderetta this year.

What was left of the German Chocolate Cake, Fruit Tart, Puto and Goat Cheese Appetizer

The highlights of the day: Playing Katague-Jambalos Family Jeopardy and Mahjong( David III prepared the Questions). It was fun and Informative.

Alix received as her Christmas gift this year an expensive Mahjong set from her DAD and Mom. Alix was inspired to learn how to play the game after she saw the movie- Crazy Rich Asians.

After dinner, David III, Macrine and I watched the movie ( Crazy Rich Asians) in Comcast Infinity TV for free. It is an entertaining movie and it reminds me about Filipinos vs Filipino-Americans also. I highly recommend the movie if you are an Asian-American.

For more information about mahjong read my posting on the subject:https://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/search?q=mahjong

Learning to Enjoy Canned Menudo with Tripe and Garbanzo Beans

Yesterday, I tasted my first canned menudo with honeycomb tripe dish (see photo). It was good but not as good as the taste of my own Filipino recipe. I added a small canned of tomato sauce and it tasted better. I also boiled it for another 10 minutes and to soften the garbanzo beans.

For my own Philippines recipe of a tripe dish read: https://myfavoritepinoydishes.blogspot.com/2014/10/have-you-tasted-tripe-soup.html

There are 6 other canned of menudo made by Juanita's food as follows:

https://www.juanitas.com/kitchen/menudo/

Enjoying Mexican Food-Beef Tamales, Chile Relleno and Menudo

Beef Tamales

For the last two weeks, Macrine and I had been enjoying Mexican Food. We have hired two more Mexican-American aides (LC and CB) just these past two weeks on a part time basis and on trial. Both of them love cooking Mexican dishes. One day, I mentioned that my favorite Mexican dish is Chile Relleno. The next day LC brought us 4 Chile Rellenos(CR), she cooked the night before. Besides the CR, she brought with her one dozen tamales. She said her MOM ordered the Tamales from a friend. I have not eaten a Tamale for quite sometime. The first Tamale(TA) I had was in Chicago in the mid-1960's. Both CR and TA were delicious. My taste buds for TA were awaken by this event, I searched for frozen Tamales in our local Mexican-American Grocery store ( Food Maxx). I found the El Montery brand( see photo) that I really enjoy for breakfast.

For the Chile Relleno, two Mexican Restaurants in our neighborhood have it in their menus. However, it is expensive. I was searching for frozen CR that I could just heat in the microwave. The Internet shows, Walmart carries the Goya brand. I called our local Walmart store, and they have no stock. There are several brands you can buy on-line but expensive. I decided to check our Food Maxx store. Food Maxx carries the Frida brand. I purchased a package of 4 for only $10.50. It is still in the freezer, since yesterday LC cooked us again six Chile Rellenos costing me only $10 for the ingredients.

Another Mexican dish that Macrine and I enjoyed just recently is the Menudo soup purchased from our neighborhood Mexican restaurant(TH). I purchased the dish from Tres Hermanos(TH) which is available only on weekends. The dish serving for 4 cost me $10. Besides the tripe it has one pig's feet but no hominy. The dish was good and the tripe was soft. The pigs feet just melted in my mouth. To the left over two servings, I added Garbanzo beans and Macrine and I enjoyed the soup again the next day.

Speaking of tripe, I have a favorite Filipino recipe for tripe that I cooked every now and then. The recipe is listed in my Food blog as follows:

https://myfavoritepinoydishes.blogspot.com/2015/02/how-to-cook-pinoy-menudo.html

Another Food Discovery Near Us-Chili Rellenos

Photo from Food Network

Last week, Macrine and I were talking to our new Mexican-American Home Health aide about Mexican food. I mentioned that Chili Relleno(CR) is my favorite Mexican dish. The next day she brought with her a Chile Relleno dish that she cooked the night before. It was good and it made me craved for more.

So I googled on the nearest Mexican Restaurant that has CR in their menu. There were 4 restaurants and Taquerea listed. Two of the restaurants are only about a mile from our residence. I looked at the two restaurant menus. Valencia Taqueria has the Chile Relleno Combo ( one pepper with rice and beans, tortillas) for $11.99. I purchased this yesterday and it was excellent.

The other restaurant Tres Hermanos has two Rellenos menus with trimmings( rice and beans tomatoes, avocado, lettuce and tortillas) for only $12.50 and one relleno with rice and beans, tortillas for only $8.50. I will try this restaurant in a couple of days.

Here's my favorite recipe from www.allrecipes.com

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/219646/authentic-mexican-chili-rellenos/

Here's a video on how to make Chili Rellenos

Food Delivery-Another On-Line Convenience of Life

Today, I ordered my first on-line order and delivery from TugBoat Fish and Chips about 3 miles from us. I was not confident on giving my credit card online, so normally I would order via telephone, have it delivered and just pay cash when the food arrives. However, today I had a longing for Fish and Chips ( London style).

I found that there are three Fish and Chips restaurants within 5 miles from our residence. The nearest one to our residence that we normally patronizes is rated 4.5 Star. However, another Fish and Chips about 1 mile farther is rated 5 star. I have never ordered food from this place, but since the rating is excellent, I decided I will try this restaurant. I called the restaurant and asked if they have delivery service. They said they are associated with Doordash.com. Since this is my first order, the delivery charge is free and tips to the driver is optional.

I went to the Doordash web site, ordered three items, paid it with my credit card. I placed my order at 1.30PM. The screen showed delivery will be at 2:20PM. At about 1:15PM my ordered arrived. The food was warm and excellent. I was delighted with my achievement of the day. The delivery fee was free but I gave a 10% tip to the driver.

I was curious if there are other food delivery service near me besides Doordash.com. In our area there are postmates.com, foodjets.com, grubhub.com and Eat24.com food delivery services. They cover more than 100 restaurants near us. Most of the restaurants have free delivery service for first time orders. Other wise the delivery service varies from $2 to $6.

Today, I also learned I could order Dimsum (chinese dumplings) from the Dumplings and Tea House of Sacramento on line with only a $2 delivery charge. I could have my favorite Dimsum anytime I want it just tapping the keys of my computer.

Note: I am currently enrolled on Recurring Food Service once a week from Munchery.com. I am happy with Munchery but the food is getting expensive.

Ordering Food on line and delivery is a must for those who does not like to cook or those who do not drive or can not drive because of commitments in the house, for example being a primary care giver for a love one just like me.

Another service I have not tried is grocery delivery. I will probably do this when my driver's license expired in two years.

Sinigang na Sugpo ( Prawns)

Today in spite of the hot weather outside I had a hankering for sinigang na sugpo. I have a bag of frozen prawns in the freezer, but no vegetables. So while Mele was watching Macrine, I went to the store for 30 minutes purchased all the vegetables except kangkong( I used spinach) and cooked sinigang using more or less the recipe below. I still have a half-pocket of sinigang mixed that I used. The soup was delicious as tasted by Mele. My hunger for sinigang has been satiated.

https://myfavoritepinoydishes.blogspot.com/search?q=sinigang+na+sugpo

I feel like Eating a Tripe Dish Today

Here's my favorite recipe:

myarticlesfromviewshound.blogspot.com/2013/11/tripe-dish-caribbean-versus-pinoy.html

Have You Eaten a Macopa Fruit?

When I was growing up in the Philippines (late 1930's), we have a macopa (tambis) tree in our backyard. Here in the US it is called Jambu Wax Apple or Mountain Apple.

I have not tasted the fruit since then. Recently a FB friend posted a picture of the macopa fruit( from her backyard) that aroused my interest and reminded me of the taste of this delicious fruit. The blog below list all of the tropical fruits growing abundantly in my orchard in Boac, Marinbduque. Needless to say, the macopa tree is not in the list.

I did some search and here's what I found: ( see reference).

Macopa – Syzygium samarangense – is a tropical fruit that grows very well in the Philippines. The fruit is bell shaped but the name macopa is from the Spanish word copa which means a goblet or wine glass. If you look at the fruit upside down it resembles a cup. The fruit has light fibers and one seed inside. The color is varied from light green to pink and red to dark maroon coloration. It is often the dark colored one that’s the sweetest of all.

The tree grows up to 12 meters and quite prolific when its time to flower. The flowers are white and keeps flowering even if some fruits are ripe, so you have a continuous supply of macopa all summer long.

The fruit is not so sweet compare to a regular apple, its actually a bit on the bland side. But it is a refreshing fruit and have enough moisture to quench your thirst. Besides, there are healthful benefits (https://drhealthbenefits.com/food-bevarages/fruits/health-benefits-of-macopa-fruits) you can get from this macopa fruit. It contains vitamin C and other antioxidants which are considered cancer-fighters.

There is a fruit called “tambis” in other parts of the country. I’m sure it is in the same family as macopa with a slight difference in size and coloration. Here's also a short video of the fruit for your viewing pleasure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbqabzKaykc

Reference: http://www.maribehlla.com/fruits/macopamountain-apple-2/

*The blog below listed all the fruit trees in my orchard in Amoingon, Boac, Philippines.

planningtovisitthephilippines.blogspot.com/2013/10/tropical-fruits-in-gardens-of-chateau.html

Do You Know the Best Way to Cook Bacon?

I found the following video on 8 ways of cooking bacon. Yesterday I tried the microwave. It took 6 minutes to cook evenly, but the flavor of the bacon was poor, compared if you used the hot pan. Anyway, try the methods described and let me know your results.

https://www.facebook.com/littlethingscom/videos/1088013764741328/

Why Saffron is the Most Expensive Spice!

Saffron threads for Spice (More expensive than gold)

A Camel Ride in Tangier, Morocco during our visit in 2000.(http://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/search?q=tangier%2C+morocco)

Macrine and I had our first experience with buying Saffron when we visited Morocco, North Africa (in 2000) during our one day tour to Tangier from Gibraltar, Spain . However, the price per ounce in Tangier was still cheaper if you compared the spice sold here in the US.

Saffron, the most expensive spice, estimated price is about $1,500 per pound and up so it is usually sold only by the gram or ounce-just a small cluster of slender red threads in a tiny glass bottle. At the Spice House in Chicago, owners Tom and Patty Erd sell a gram of superior grade saffron for $6.79, and an even finer version, known as coupé grade, for $8.29.

The threads are the stigmas of tiny crocuses, grown primarily in Spain, Iran, Greece and India. Since each flower only has three stigmas, many blossoms are needed to produce even a small amount of spice. It takes an acre of land and hundreds of thousands of flowers to produce one pound of saffron threads.

Saffron, which Patty Erd calls "a classic," has been a key ingredient in cuisines since ancient times, and it is commonly used to make risotto, bouillabaisse and paella. Fortunately, a little saffron goes a long way and most recipes call for just a pinch.
"There are 200 to 300 threads per gram, and you only need a few threads at a time," Erd says. "You use it so sparingly that in the long run it's not much more expensive than any other spice."

Saffron as a Appetite Suppressant

Vanilla Saffron Imports president Juan San Mames advises buyers that they invest on a good quality product. His San Francisco direct-import business currently offers saffron for $1,162.24 per pound, or $72.95 per ounce, and carefully vets its saffron for compliance with ISO standards. (Yes, the ISO has saffron specifications.) Cheap saffron producers often leave in the tasteless yellow stamens, adding weight and diluting the red stigmas that give the spice its famous taste.

If you still can not afford Saffron for spice, a cheaper and good substitute is turmeric powder/extract. We called turmeric dilaw ( means yellow) in Marinduque, Philippines and is the most popular spice ( yellow coloring) for a few Filipino dishes, such as chicken adobo sa Gata. Both turmeric and saffron had anti-inflammatory activity and are used as herbal drugs/dietary supplements for a variety of ailments.

References:

1. money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fsb/0807/gallery.most_expensive_foods.../4.html

2. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2823029/How-ounce-saffron-expensive-gold-Cultivation-exotic-spice-returns-Essex-time-200-years.html