(Save it, Baby! Count me in!)

So, it goes like this . . .

So people want to know what my pumpkin goo is…

Well…

Pumpkin Goo is my interpretation of pumpkin pie without the crust. I bake it for 5 hours until the moisture is almost completely gone, and then I force my family to eat it with Cool Whip and tell them it’s actually pumpkin pie.

I think they bought it…

Can you believe that I got compliments?

I am a horrible cook.

I really don’t even know why I try sometimes, but my husband… my husband is incredible!

Super yum.

I would love for him to cook every single day, not only for the fact that he is an excellent cook but also for the fact that then I wouldn’t have to be in the kitchen.

Boooo-ring.

I can’t help it that I am not a Martha Stewart kind of girl.

Have you ever seen one of Martha Stewart’s television shows?

Like I would want to party with her.

It would be much like sleeping, but only awake… and on a bountiful table of sun-toasted greens and mixed hay on a a bed of sea salted crusties.

Snooze-ville.

So, yeah… my family is used to my own interpretations of many holidays.

I am not bound by tradition.

I draw outside the lines, baby.

Always have, always will.

It is not a mistake that my family loves my Pumpkin Goo since they have been raised on cripy black hot dogs, blue-box mac-and-cheese, and Albertson’s Monday Chicken Meal deals from the market.

Frankly, they crave my Pumpkin Goo since it is the closest thing to home-made food… once a year…   

… that is not burnt.

I’m a really great person for love, though.

Got tons of love.

Never out of love.

I am the Queen of Love.

But… cooking… how you say… not so much.

I do believe that Thanksgiving is about Food AND Love.

So… One out of two isn’t bad. A 50% success rate is not too shabby on a day that has some serious cooking in it, right?

That is the essence of Thanksgiving to me… my Pumpkin Goo, and someone else making all the rest of the great food, and lots of love.

Yeah, like ample amounts of love.

Like my mom crying when she says how much she loves us…

And, then at that vulnerable moment I throw some more Pumpkin Goo on her plate…

Just kidding.

I also sneak on some more Cool Whip.

It’s all good… including the Pumpkin Goo.

And, the love.

And, the yelling that the rolls are getting burned.

Yelling is a big part of Thanksgiving.

Loud love.

Lots of loud love.

Lots of love…

Hope your day was over flowing!

xoxo

Be well,

Belle

  A 78th Annual Writer’s Digest Award Winner

S. Belle Karper, Author, Speaker www.BelleKarper.com
THE WIDOW WEARS BLACK - An Edgy Memoir from an Outspoken Survivor
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and Belle Karper Face Book & the popular Twitter-Belle - all on Website
Save it, Baby! Count me in!

Stuffing has got to be my favorite Thanksgiving food.  I remember Thanksgivings past where my dad & I would fight over the stuffing bowl like it was filled with gold, diamonds, and (for me) guitars.  The stuff is perfect.  Alone, with turkey, with gravy… the decadent amount of carbs is ridiculously awesome.

Last year was my first ever attempt at making stuffing… and my grandma told me that it tasted just like hers.  Is there a compliment better than that?  I had used as a guide an old recipe that my grandfather & grandmother had both used when making holiday meals.  My mom lent me the old cook book with my grandfather’s notes last year, I collected some others, and I made scans for myself.

I say “guide” because it’s not always an exact science when doubling/tripling recipes… and there really aren’t any cooking directions… it’s just a guide to make the stuff.  Also, I tend to do a lot of “oh, that looks about right” and a little bit of “hey, let’s add a little of this” in the kitchen, as most people comfortable there usually do.

A lot of times I see stuffing recipes online, on TV, or in the little books by the cash register at the grocery store… and they include sausage, apples, raisins, (yuck!) nuts, or even peppers, carrots, or mushrooms (all of the latter of which I’ like to try some time).  The philosophy behind this recipe seems to be a K.I.S.S. one.  I like that.  It’s a very simple accompaniment, and the taste that my mind goes to every time I think “stuffing”.

This year, it was definitely a two person effort.  I don’t know how I would have done it without Bethany and all four of our hands.  We made a lot of stuffing.  Sadly, I didn’t think to chronicle the thing with photos like I sometimes do with new recipes… but I did want to make a guide with my own notes, so when I do this next year, I remember what I did differently this year.  I know I altered things slightly last year, but the details were a little fuzzy.  I figured that if I’m going to do it for myself, I might as well share, right?  Plus, we got compliments from two moms, two grandmas, and an aunt… all excellent in the kitchen themselves!

I did take a photo today, because really, what’s a food blog post without a photo?  Perhaps I’ll see if my mom got any with her camera and amend the post later.

This year's effort was delicious, if I do say so myself.

This is my first time really writing out a recipe… so pardon me if it’s a little convoluted or long winded.  I don’t want to miss anything, and I hope to get it all in the right order as well as make it an entertaining read.

Here’s what you’ll need to do it the same way I did…

Food:

• 5 loaves of bread (equaled 56 cups once cubed)
• 1 bundle of celery (3 cups, chopped – the rest can cook w/ the turkey or be a snack)
• 2 Spanish or Sweet onions
• The giblets & neck out of your turkey.
• 1 can (14½ oz.) vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoons of salt
• ½ tablesppon Season All Seasoned Salt
• 1 heaping teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1 heaping teaspoon sage
• 1 heaping teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 10 eggs
• 4 sticks (2 cups) butter
• some water
• 1 cup fresh parsley
• 1 bottle of Yuengling

Stuff:

• 2 cookie sheets
• cutting boards
• small pot
• electric skillet
• Magic Bullet^®
• electric roaster
• large crock pot
• knives
• a few large bowls
• whisk
• spatula
• several large spoons
• paper towels

OK, on to the directions…

1. Monday night, get your loaves of bread, open the bags, and put the loaves on cookie sheets before dinner.  Leave ‘em out on a table or counter while you do your thing.
2. Right before your favorite prime time TV shows come on, set up a station on the coffee table in front of the couch with the cookie trays of bread, some cutting boards with knives, and the pans out of your electric roaster.  Cube the bread and fill the roasting pan.  When I say fill it, I mean fill it.  It will be ridiculously full.
3. Cover it with paper towels, and set it on the kitchen table that you only use when company comes over anyway.  Over the next few days, stir it a few times a day, whenever you think of it.  This will get it nicely & slightly stale.  If you’re going to be doing anything that smells, like using cleaning chemicals, put it in the oven… but don’t turn it on.  It’s nice & warm & dry & not stinky in there.  The bread will absorb that stuff and the stuffing will taste like Mr. Clean made it.
4. Wednesday night, get out your turkey… and pull the disgusting papery bag of giblets out of the neck cavity, and the neck out of its butt.  (Why exactly do they put the neck in the butt, anyway?  Who’s idea was that?) Boil the giblets in your can of vegetable broth, or just use plain water… or even turkey or chicken broth.  I thought the vegetable broth would add a nice flavor.  I boiled them for a nice long time, and let it cook down quite a bunch.
5. Finely chop up your celery & onions… or use the Magic Bullet, like I did.  I’m not real big on chunks of slimy or crunchy stuff in bread-like consistency foods.  I probably had half of each chopped finely, the other half rendered to near-paste by the genius little piece of equipment that list the Magic Bullet.  I’m sure any food processor would work.. but this one is easy to pot pout of storage, use, and clean when you’re done.
6. Then I popped out the electric skillet to sauteé the onion & celery mixture… probably in some Country Crock & a bit of extra virgin olive oil… adding some of the spices mentioned above, and maybe even some paprika… although, they don’t come the totals listed above.  These are the aforementioned “oh, that looks about right” and  “hey, let’s add a little of this”.  You’ve sauteed stuff, you know how it works.  I love this step because it turns the onions from gross into awesome… especially the Spanish onions.  The sweet onions are oddly enough not as sweet to me when cooked.
7. Next time, I’m totally getting a pair of swimming goggles or those glasses that I’ve seen at Bed, Bath & Beyond for when I chop & pulverize the onions.  I was crying like a little girl who just watched a car run over a kitten.
8. I popped the onions and celery into separate containers for the ‘fridge to save for Thursday morning.
9. Next, I pulled out the giblets and chopped them into tiny pieces, & put them with the reduced broth from cooking into a 3rd refrigerator bound container to be used on Thursday morning.
10. Go to bed.  You have to get up early.
11. Thursday get up about an hour before your turkey needs to go in the roaster oven, and start to mix all this crap together.
12. Add the dry spice ingredients to the now stale-ish cubed bread.  Good luck not getting any on the floor.
13. Chop the fresh parsley.
14. Nuke your butter in a microwave safe bowl, add it to a large mixing bowl, crack open the 10 eggs, and whisk away.
15. Add the fresh parsley to the buttery gooey egg mixture.
16. Add 2-3 cups of the broth from the giblets, and the finely chopped giblets to the now even gooier butterier egg mixture.
17. This is where I got the bright idea to dump in some Yuengling.  It wasn’t a whole bottle… but I had it out & only needed about ½ cup for my butter/garlic/beer turkey injection/baste,  so I dumped some into the gooey buttery gibletey mixture, and drank the rest… all before 8:00 am.
18. Dump the celery & onion concoction on to the bread, mix around, and then dump on the gooey buttery gibletey Yuenglingey mixture.  This is where it was imperative that there were two of us.  Bethany opted to use her hands to mix while I poured.  The mixing gets easier when it’s wet, as it goes down a little.  You should probably wash your hands before you do this.  Not that I think you’re stupid or anything… but there are signs out there all over the place… so someone somewhere must need reminded.  Use soap, and hot water.
19. Now, this needs to come out of the roaster so the turkey can go into it… and you should be doing this around the same time as turkey prep… so stuff what you can into the turkey carcass’ various cavities, and put the rest in the crock pot.  I had Bethany scoop it into a bowl small amounts at a time as I stuffed it into the bird, so I wasn’t touching raw poultry and the stuffing that wasn’t going into the bird.  She made it clear that she wasn’t touching the raw dead bird, or sticking her hands into it.
20. I sewed up the turkey and popped it into the roaster to cook, and then put the stuffing in the crock pot on low to cook for the same amount of time.
21. Everyone told me last year that stuffing + crock pot = bad idea.  This is where I say that you could not be more wrong.  It was perfectly moist and heated well throughout.  I did break the cardinal cock pot rule by removing the lid every hour or so and stirring a little so it didn’t stick to the sides or burn.  This worked well, except that I didn’t get the bottom well enough.  You could add more liquid throughout if t looked necessary… or not stir if you like the crusty part as much as the other part.  If you use the crock pot enough, you get to know what works for yours.  Pop it on to warm or off a while before you eat.
22. When the turkey’s ready, the stuffing’s ready.  Stuff yourself silly, send people home with leftovers, and eat for breakfast, lunch, & dinner the next day.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the process, and I’m sorry for jumping tenses.  I think I did anyway.  All over the place.  Maybe Dave and Kristin can give me some pointers on that.

I’d love to know what you think of this recipe, and how you do your stuffing.  I’m always up for trying things new ways… and I’m always up for eating stuffing.  In fact, even better — make some, and invite me over for dinner!

]]> http://jkalisthenics.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/dont-just-arrive-at-your-fitness-goal-live-there/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:57:33 +0000 jkalisthenics http://jkalisthenics.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/dont-just-arrive-at-your-fitness-goal-live-there/

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I’m currently back in beautiful Tennessee, enjoying the holiday weekend with mon père, Cap’n Will. The air is crisp, the sky is clear, and the accents are twangy.

I’ve probably mentioned it before, but when it comes to food, the pomme didn’t fall far from the tree. Cap’n Will has been in the restaurant business his whole life, and owned a fine dining establishment for the majority of my childhood. Needless to say, when we found out it was just going to be the two of us for Thanksgiving (Mamàn is currently in another state spending time with my new niece and nephew), our thoughts immediately went to what fun things we could do with the meal while downsizing at the same time.

I flew in late on Wednesday, so I really didn’t a whole lot foodwise, but Pops put together the most marvelous Thanksgiving meal for two that I could have imagined. We forwent a turkey and stuffed a couple of Cornish game hens with an apple-dried plum (apparently we’ve stopped calling them prunes) cornbread stuffing, baked some teensy sweet potatoes, put together a green bean casserole, and made fresh cranberry sauce.

I’ve always found the side dishes to be the most exciting aspect of Thanksgiving dinner, and I will admit a particular and unabashed love for green bean casserole. I know it’s a pretty rudimentary dish, but you’ve gotta admit it’s pretty much the ultimate in comfort food, and for me–since I only have it once a year–the creamy concoction is so rooted in time and place that it makes me feel safe and loved no matter the circumstances.

So yeah, green bean casserole.

The other stuff was good too, I guess.

The hens turned out beautifully– golden and crispy on the outside, moist and tender within, and most importantly, no living on turkey sammiches for the next three days! It was the PERFECT amount of food for the two of us.

While cooking, we drank a 2005 Eos Paso Robles, which I enjoyed immensely, and with the meal had Fat Bastard’s Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine, which was good with food, but sweeter than both of us had anticipated, especially for a brut. It’s from the Loire Valley, not Champagne, though, and most likely chenin blanc instead of chardonnay, which might explain the sweetness.

Anyway, after indulging in the requisite food-and-wine coma (and having some coffee), we packed up our dessert and went a-visiting. I tell you what, friends are glad to see you when you bring mango cobbler and homemade vanilla bean ice cream. To hell with pumpkin pie, I say!

Mamàn is the pecan pie maven in the family, so with her out of the state for Thanksgiving, the dessert responsibility fell to Pops. He’s not much into baking, but he sure does LOVE to make ice cream. No matter what flavor he makes, it’s always astoundingly good, and this is the absolute best vanilla bean ice cream I’ve ever tasted. Thick and rich, almost marshmallow-y, and delicious over the fresh mango cobbler we made.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

makes about one quart

INGREDIENTS

7 large egg yolks

3/4 c. sugar

dash salt

1 vanilla bean (a great quality bean is the secret to a superlative ice cream)

2 c. half and half

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

RECIPE

1. Whisk egg yolks with sugar and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Combine beans, seeds, half and half, and heavy cream in a large saucepan and bring just to a simmer.

2. Gradually whisk hot cream into the egg yolk mixture. Return it all to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon (don’t let it boil).

3. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Pops got this recipe online somewhere, and it was pretty tasty. Both of us were happy with the fruit mixture, but felt that we’d alter the dough recipe if we ever made it again. The texture wasn’t stellar, and I found it a little too salty.

Fresh Mango Cobbler

serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

2/3 c. plus 1/3 c. sugar

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 c. water

3 c. sliced mangoes

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. butter

1 tbsp. sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. shortening

1/2 c. milk

RECIPE

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix 2/3 c. sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan, gradually stir in water, mangoes, and lemon juice. Heat, stirring well, and pour into 1 1/2 qt. baking dish. Dot with butter and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar over the top.

2. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture gets a mealy consistency. Stir in the milk and mix well.

3. Drop the dough mixture by spoonfuls onto the hot fruit. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Maira Kalman wonders about the patterns of food consumption in the United States. Stop what you’re doing and read this. (Please.)

Back to the Land [And the Pursuit of Happiness Blog]

Today is public holiday! Yoohoo! 3 BEST FRIENDS (my mum, my bro, me) and my mum’s best friend as well, went for lunch at town. Initially, we plan for buffet lunch at E&O because my mum just sign up for their membership programmed which is quite costful. But they only have international buffet lunch, doesn’t really go well with our apetite. My mum suggest for Ichiban. Aparently she heard from her boss, ms l that you just have to pay RM35++, eat till you drop sashimi! WOW!

When we arrive at Ichiban restaurant, sat down on the table and see the menu (it’s a ala carte japanese buffet), there is just one issue pop into my mind, “can we leave?” HAHA! From excited to the urge for leaving that restaurant, the menu is definitely the key point to change my mind. Its so little choices and not-really-good-japanese-foods. Not really special at all! But just when I want to suggest to leave, the waitress already place 4 cups of japanese green tea in front of us. What can we do?!

One thing I’m glad is we just choose RM35++ package although in this package we were entitled to only one round of sashimi, the other RM48++ package is unlimited sashimi. Very wise of them to introduce the customer the RM48++ package in the beginning! As I mentioned just now, we are so lucky to choose RM35++ package because the sashimi is not so fresh at all! The food delivery time was so so so so so so so so so so so longgggggggg. And I really mean it. I’m so sorry to say the foods is not nice and not impressive. During the feedback time, when the staff handed me the form, on the coming-back section, I’ve choosed definitely not coming back. I feel so sorry but the foods were not  good in term of quality and if they didn’t make any changes, I feel quite bad for them.

After the lunch, we went for a walk at gurney plaze! My bro was like da shao ye, haha! Try clothes here and there and present his luxurious-lifestyle pose! Well, he is just very good in enjoying life and lead a happy life. To be honest, I’m quite happy for him and kinda admire his carefree style. Maybe he did have some worries, but if it’s so, I would be more impressed as he handle it well enough. Unlike some people, they will just put it on their face and affect people around them. You should take care of people feelings instead of thinking about how to let the anger off on others. Anger is nothing but a Danger!!!

I’m very full today as after japanese buffet lunch, I went for DOME to high-tea, and went for chu char for dinner!

I’m thanks for my parents! I thank God the most for giving me peaceful and happy family!

THANK YOU!

I’m full in stomach and HEART as well!

Jamie says:  I hope everyone is having a very happy Thanksgiving holiday.  I enjoyed watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and doing some Turkey Day baking.  I woke up early, so I started working on Thanksgiving breakfast.  I set the table with our Christmas Spode to kick off the Christmas season.  My contribution to breakfast was a fresh fruit salad made with an array of fruits- bananas, grapes, kiwi, oranges, watermelon, raspberries, and pomegranate seeds.  It was beautiful, delicious, and healthy.  Mom and Dad soon joined me in the kitchen- scrambling eggs, heating up the bacon, pouring tea, coffee, and juice, and bringing Mom’s tasty pumpkin bread to the table.  I also toasted up some English muffins.  I spread my Mom’s homemade cranberries on one half and made an open-faced egg sandwich with the other half.  We sat down to breakfast just in time to watch the ribbon cutting of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade- perfect timing!  We had a beautiful holiday together.  Happy Left-over Day!

Nutrition note:  There are no “bad” foods, just foods that should be enjoyed occasionally.  Everything can be enjoyed in moderation and part of a balanced diet.

I’m done.

I’m through.

It’s over.

I’m finished trying to run, finished trying to control, and finished trying to be independent. Trying to be a grown-up. Let fate fall where it may, and I guess I’m leaning against the old fallback of “if God wills it.”

But seriously. At this point, if God wills it, I’ll be one intensely blessed grateful dumb shit.

I’m done.

I’m done with pretending that I’m an adult. I’m not, okay? So get over it and leave me alone. I’m struggling to get into a college that I know I’m not prepared for in a competitive world that’s waiting with eager, dripping jaws to eat me alive. I’m not ready.

I’m through.

I’m through sitting back and letting my hundreds of responsibilities run amok over me. It’s partially my fault through disorganization, partially my fault through neglect. I’m doing so much I can’t focus on the important things. If something doesn’t go, I will. I’ll go insane. So I’m through being trampled by my own many loves and passions, and I’m through being choked and hung by the dramas of my friends and school life. I’ve got to distance myself from it, before it gets me. If I don’t focus, and work my ass off on the thing that is most important, I won’t get anywhere. Ever.

It’s over.

So it’s over, kids, and here I am typing as a shakily resolute and keenly terrified individual who’s not grown up and who’s ready to practice and who really just wants to stay home and love her life and her family in peace.

But Time and Nature won’t allow it. So ready or not, I’m out in less than a year. If I go to a shitty school, well hey, that’s my own fault. Goodbye, Eastman. Nice looking at your name on the website, C.I.M. I wish I would have been good enough. I’m sorry for wasting your time, Heather. I’m deeply sorry, Mrs. Ripley.

What happens, happens. If I can’t contact anyone and have them be my savior with my transcript and SAT score report today, then I am fucked. And who can or will help me, the irresponsible procrastinator who is falsely deluding herself that she can make it in the vicious world of music?

I just want to sing. And that will probably never happen now, because I’m a fucking retard.

So guess what.

I’m done.

I want to tell you few famed restaurants of the San Antonio, where you can eat vary of meal if you travel there. In these restaurants have vary of dishes, which is sources of popular across the San Antonio. The popular restaurants of San Antonio’s are below-

Map of Hungry Horse Restaurant

View Larger Map

Hungry horse- According to knowledge it’s a best restaurant for Non-veg Dishes. You can eat here home style meals, pork chops, meatloaf, chicken fried steak and bran muffins. It is located in West Avenue of San Antonio city. It’s a budget rates restaurant in San Antonio.

Hungry Horse Restaurant- you can eat here home style meal

Second famed restaurant of San Antonio is Lulu’s and offers best budget rates diner and bakery throughout the city. The cinnamon rolls are the special and famed dishes, which love human ahead. It is located north of interstate 35 on N. Main St don’t far from the Alamo. If you visit at The Alamo then you should to comes here because not far from the Alamo, just 20 to 30 minute walking distance from them.

Some expensive restaurants are live in San Antonio hotels, therefore huge travelers eat the meals to outside like that famous restaurants because its too low rates meals as compare to hotels restaurants.

If you want to cheap rate or delicious pizza the visit to 1906 N. Main st. Just east of San Antonio College, about 2 miles north of downtown. Where you can eat the popular and more delicious pizza and that restaurant called Main Street Pizza.

Main street pizza - Delicious Pizza with lot of flavors you can eat here

Mostly students of San Antonio College comes to here and eat that wonderful delicious pizza, these are Italian pizza. Besides, they also offer Calzones, Pizzas of all sizes, ecclectic mix of other traditional Italian food, Fried Calamari, and Calzones at budget rates.

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…and bake some delicious christmas cookies for your dear friends today!
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The turkey appetizer that I talked about making for Thanksgiving turned out really cute!

And then, this is what happens when you don’t monitor the appetizer-eating… 2 children under the age of 7 do not get the humor, but so far everyone else has:

What: St. James the Great Bazaar

When: November 27, 28, 29 & 30.

Where: Ayala Alabang Village (It’s not really inside Ayala Alabang Village.  St. James the Great Bazaar is right across Alabang Town Center).

Payment methods available: Visa & Mastercard accepted; BPI, Metrobank & UCPB ATMs available!

Products range from holiday foods for gift giving, Christmas décor, beautifully crafted home décor, wrought iron, native and imported bags, toys, shoes, Filipino ethnic products & handicrafts, Christmas packaging and wrappers, decorative candles, paintings, silver jewelry, over-runs of men?s, ladies and children?s clothes, accessories, sculptures and many more.

1. Shop for a cause!

If you’re buying Christmas gifts, make the money you spend go the extra mile by buying from a place that donates a portion of its profits to charity.  Proceeds are for the benefit of the St. James Foundation.

2. 600 participating concessionaires

Among the various bazaars happening throughout the city, the St. James bazaar stands out because of the more than 600 participating concessionaires. That’s a lot of choices! Hopefully, you’ll get your Christmas shopping done in a day!

3. Possibly Lower Prices & Better Deals

Perhaps due to the global downturn, local manufacturers & exporters themselves will be joining the bazaar. This is great news for shoppers to  possibly get lower prices and better deals!

4. Good Product Diversity & Range

Concessionaires are coming from all over the Philippines. Manufacturers, exporters, importers and traders from all over the Philippines like Davao, Cebu, Palawan, Sulu, Bicol, Iloilo, Baguio, Pampanga, Quezon, Bulacan, Laguna and Batangas will be joining as well.This adds to the diversity, quantity and quality of products available to shoppers.

5. Participation of Well-Known Eateries

The participation of well-known eateries ensures shoppers have a wide selection of food to choose from such as Las Paellas, Tapa King, Brothers Burger, Barrio Fiesta, Serye Restaurant, Yellow Cab, Ellies Roasted Calf, Coolman Halo-Halo, Potato Corner, Odd Balls, Theobroma.

6. FREE shuttle service

I like that the organizers are thoughtful enough to provide  FREE shuttle service from the shopping venue to their parked cars.

So if you’re not doing much this weekend, check out the St. James bazaar! Do let me know of any great deals you’ve scored!

Yo, what happened? You were gonna eat me then you decided to eat chicken? What gives? Right, that’s a good thing for me. Sorry yo.

No worries Morris, I got’cha covered. Well. Somethin’ like that.

It started with a craving. For Anything but mashed potatoes. It turned into a burger sharing adventure that Needed to happen. Miles may separate us but Skype brings us together. In all the right ways.

Next up was how would it be pieced together. Could I do this? Would it work?

Some curve ball life threw later….I recorded this just because. It’s always good to give shout outs to those that need them. Especially when their level of AWEsomeNeSS is off the charts. The world just hasn’t caught on yet. It will though. It. Will.

Thanks for the idea, Ashley. Next time darlin’, next time. Thanks for putting up with me for the next seven hours too. Sincerely appreciate that.

Side, err, bottom note: Katsi did Not get any of my dinner. He was patient. Didn’t meow while I was recording or on the phone. He waited though. A Long time.

Another bottom note: After that dinner I hit a 192 mg/dl then went as far as a 235 mg/dl, corrected that one, then hit a 149 mg/dl and finally rested at 112 mg/dl the following morning.

Since January 2000 this original location has expanded to a franchise of 14 and counting, but the quality of the espresso (yes, not filter) coffee has not been compromised. “It’s the best coffee in Vancouver; I saw Renee Zewellger here last Saturday” – endorsement from the guy sitting next to us, who has been coming since it opened. The 8am line-ups are even longer than those at Tim Horton’s (just don’t tell anyone from Toronto; you might shock them).
Website

Caffe Artigiano
1101 West Pender Street.
+1 604 685 5333.

Latte and a whole wheat raspberry scone.

And so the cue begins.

 Also featured on Qantas Travel Insider

Today the market is flooded with requests for the basic needs of daily life of man to meet. Technology and innovative models are designed and made with convenience in mind for users. Every human today is mix between work and home areas and thus plays a crucial time for management tasks. Never underestimate the little devices that work wonders for your kitchen. Space is always a factor in the kitchen in living areas, and therefore devices should Tini. They work quickly and efficiently. Each owner can be creative and use their own way to the aesthetic design of your home. Coffee was once a core depth of everyday life, but with the latest online Bosch coffeemakers is a delicious cup of coffee today, always and everywhere. Our family has a passion for the best coffee ready when you leave. As we like to read I think this can be attributed the main reason why we enjoy so much coffee. Devices that will be entitled to the best prepared coffee in the comfort of your home. The cost of a cup of coffee can be reduced to a largely right in the comfort of your home. We live in a digital world and the owners of the selection of a single button, the perfect mix. They are more fun with the help of devices like electric stoves and microwaves. Part of the plan used to working time consuming, but the housewives of today can produce large amounts of food in one evening and introduced the guests of the night. Many small appliances can be used to heat food at all hours and are thus easier to use than anyone in the family can use. A child may develop a reputation as an astute host when they are able the friends of the mini-pizzas with cheese fries and limitations of a microwave to serve. Think of the times when they are tired and have no interest in cooking fresh pizza that comes to buying course. Clean is a breeze with devices such as dishwashers for washing dishes to save time. The cost of the cooling of the housing is substantially reduced by the introduction of portable toaster ovens convection ovens and ceramic. They are so easy to clean and efficient transportation throughout. You can party outside and summer is cooler than it is now. Make sandwiches or roast in the oven in minutes. With the advent of the Internet and all who in the limited time, online shopping taken a new approach to everything. Toronto devices are a ruling for all your needs. You can your family needs the latest range of high quality small appliances to improve their interior.

I blog about flan so often, I figured it’s about time that I actually post the recipe!  My recipe is from this cookbook that I bought Jeff a couple of years ago.  Oh look at that beautiful flan on the cover…I couldn’t not buy it after I saw the cover. Caramel

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Combine everything in a light-colored pan and heat over the stove on medium-high heat.  This process will take about 8 minutes – the mixture will start to turn colors and you will wonder if it’s done yet, even though the color is not quite golden.  It’s not!  You’ll know when the color is right.
2. Keep swirling the pan until you get that color change.  Once it turns that honey-caramel color, remove the pan from heat and distribute caramel into ramekins.  The book says to keep it heated for another 4-5 minutes after the color change but I did that and it started burning after a minute so I would recommend removing it almost immediately.

Custard

• 1 1/2 cups milk (The recipe stipulates whole, I’m a rebel so I use 1%.)
• 1 1/2 cups light cream
• 3 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar (The recipe stipulates 2/3 cup sugar…again, I’m a rebel so I cut it in half.  I feel like1/3 cup is plenty sweet, especially with the caramel but you can adjust this to your preference.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat milk and cream over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until steam appears.  You don’t have to heat it until it’s boiling.  Once it’s finished, remove from heat.
3. Whisk the eggs, yolk, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl until just combined.
4. Gently whisk the warm milk into the eggs.
5. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve – this part is particularly important to me and I actually strain it a few times, just to make sure the mixture is smooth and clump free.
6. Bring 2 quarters of water to a boil.  Fold a dish towel to fit the bottom of a large baking dish or roasting pan and position it in the pan.
7. Divide custard mixture among the ramekins and place them on the towel in the pan.
8. Fill the pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins; cover the entire pan loosely with aluminum foil so steam can escape.
9. Bake until a paring knife inserted halfway comes out clean.  The book says it’s about 35-40 minutes but I have found that it’s closer to 45 minutes.  It might just be my oven though.

I have the big ramekins so this recipe fills up 8 big ones about half way.  Here they are in the midst of being filled:

It looks like M is going to be contributing a pumpkin pie to our Thanksgiving feast so the flan will have some company.  I can’t wait!  Hope you all have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones.

Our ancestors had a tough life without the kitchen appliances that we humans are blessed with today. We are living in the 20th generation and we are surrounded with high-tech appliances making our life so comfortable and easier. Every person is striving to make his living space be a reflection of him and in this process the appliances come to his rescue.

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All of the old fridge with the industrial ones in this case. Beware of being swayed and always do your planning and research prior to purchase. There are two costs in any purchase: the initial price and operation costs. You can’t help the price tag, but you can bet on the comparison shopping websites. Canada appliances will give you the comprehensive price comparison listings of the top products and retailers. Comparison shopping indeed looks much better than tiresome high street shopping. Families should benefit from such portals and choose the best for their family.

exist talking offer of you home can or check moving out into the a first reasonable time. price Hence, with the industrial ones in this process the appliances have come a long way since time immemorial; they are more than a one time investment for a family. The first rule in remodeling is to get rid of the top products and retailers. Comparison shopping indeed looks much better than tiresome high street shopping. Families should benefit from such portals and choose the best for their family.

hand. the A best smaller for sized a washing long machine run or if fridge you with have high-tech come appliances to will get shipped within two weeks for you. You can check out the various models and choose the best buy offers along with a reasonable price with stock clearance benefits which users can avail from. If you are remodeling your old home or moving into a new kitchen then you might need a dishwasher, washing machine, , refrigerator, etc. You can purchase them online without wasting time and it will get shipped within two weeks for you.

You can check out the various models and choose the best buy offers along with a reasonable price with stock clearance benefits which users can avail from.

lucky penny is a good girl. but sometimes… she can oh sooo bad. her bestie just sent a text asking to meet for a drink at the cobourg in cabbagetown:

penny darlin’, boy du jour cancelled date. need to see you. frenchies at the c? xo

one innocent french martini (their house specialty, and lucky penny’s bees knees) leads to two. then… perhaps just one more? don’t judge. especially when lucky penny is wearing her sexy new shoesies that were on salesies.

the two lovelies, seated on a winged love seat and surrounded by eerie antique portraits in the back room, gracefully sip their cocktails trying to decide if boy du jour will get le boot.

what do you think?

Holiday leftovers don’t last long in our homes. Especially the Very Tasty Turkey Salad. (Chicken works well, too.) The trick is starting with a well-seasoned turkey. Stacey’s husband is from the island of Puerto Rico and taught us to make “pavochon,” a turkey seasoned Puerto Rican style that consists of ground garlic cloves, Sazón spices, salt, and extra virgin olive oil. Grind those ingredients with a mortar and pestle, cut slits in the bird and rub the seasoning under the skin, atop the skin and inside the cuts. Let that sit for a day or two before slow roasting the bird in a self-basting turkey oven bag. The key here is LOW and SLOW.

Take leftover pieces of the bird and rip them apart or chop. To taste, add a bit at a time of the following: Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, chopped scallions, a sliced hard-cooked egg or two, diced tomatoes, pepper and salt. There are no rules with Turkey Salad; get creative!

What are you doing with your leftovers? Please share your ideas with other readers!

How Stacey Got the Shot: On the dining room table with natural light and foam core set up to bounce light onto the subject and fill in shadows. ISO 100, focal length 50mm, f/4, 1/100 second exposure.

Want to travel to Germany over the holidays but don’t have enough cash? Get a taste of a German Christmas in Manila!

Filipino & German culture both share a love for the Christmas Season. While the Filipinos start preparations for Christmas as soon as the -”ber” months start, German culture prides itself of a magical and festive Christmas from centuries of heritage and tradition.

On December 5 December 4,2009; the Ateneo High School grounds will be designed and decorated in a similar fashion to German Christmas Markets. There will also be booths showcasing various German delicacies such as freshly baked Stollen, ginger bread, sizzling sausages grilled over charcoal fire, hearty stews with Wiener Wurstchen, among others.

Other activities include a choral singing competition, raffle draws, movie screenings, cooking demos, photo contests, games and trivia.

Movie screening starts at 1pm,3pm, & 5pm

Entrance to Weihnachtsmarkt is free!

Haha