You’re A Bastard!

Me and My Dad… I was 13 in this picture, a few days before i left home to live with my half-sister…

“You’re A Bastard!”

“No I’m not!”

“Yes you are!”

“Why would say that?”

“Are your mom and dad married?”

“Yeah.  They called themselves husband and wife.  So yeah, they’re married!  My mom was called Mrs. all the time… and my dad Mr.”

“Me and my brothers and sisters, have been baptized in a Catholic church and on the birth certificates Felix M. was listed as our father.  So there.  I am not a bastard!?”

“But you are.  Just say – you are a bastard.”

“You know… if you don’t leave me alone… I’m going kick your fuckin’ ass!”

Of course I’m in no position to kick anyone’s ass.  I might get my ass kicked instead.  But hey… at least I can bluff!  But this is how cruel our jokes can become at times…

OK… One fact did exist.  “No Eday (baby)… your dad and I were never married in church.  He loved me and I loved him.  So… we just started living together.  And then I got pregnant with you.  And then your two brothers came… four more children after that.”

They lived together and they had us!  I have never ever heard of the word bastard.  Nobody called anybody a bastard and I am sure most of the people we knew their parents did not marry in church either.  Getting married in church wasn’t an issue with my parents.  I don’t ever remember them discussing it.  They were too busy trying to figure out how they were going to feed their babies.  Babies they were cranking out as fast as a factory in China cranks out Ipads.

In my heart and soul… I am a legitimate daughter of Vicenta and Felix and so as my brothers and sisters. Them not being married in church really has nothing to do with us.  We’ve arrived into this world and can’t say a damn thing about it.

Was I bothered about it?  Yes… maybe a little.  I never hated my dad.  But there is one thing that I hold against him ‘till he died… The fact that after he left my mom, after 13 years of being together, and seven children later, though their second to the youngest died when she was only two… my dad had the audacity to marry another woman in a civil ceremony!  I had already left home at that time.  I was 13 years old when I found out.  I felt sorry for my mom… because she was left to support herself and two young daughters and a son – ages seven, five and three.  My younger brothers, who were 11 and 9 years old went to live with him… Well, really, my mom sent them to live with our dad because she cannot afford to feed them.  But I think the worst part about what he did was that the woman she left my mother for, was a widow with five children of her own.  What the fuck!  What was he thinking?  Of course at that time I was only 13… I was hurt by what he did but did not express my feelings to him.  Part of me blamed my mom… with her snide remarks and constant nagging.

In the Philippines… when poor men or husbands leave their wives and children for another woman… there’s no collecting child support or alimony.  The wife is basically left with nothing and must shoulder the responsibility of feeding and clothing the children.  She doesn’t get help from the ex-husband.  She has to endure the pain all on her own…

Recently though… I decided to read up the on the family code of the Philippines.  Here’s what I found out…

“Art. 34 of the family code states: No license shall be necessary for the marriage of a man and a woman who have lived together as husband and wife for at least five years and without any legal impediment to marry each other. The contracting parties shall state the foregoing facts in an affidavit before any person authorized by law to administer oaths. The solemnizing officer shall also state under oath that he ascertained the qualifications of the contracting parties are found no legal impediment to the marriage. (76a)”

But how would this code be interpreted then, when my dad married another woman, in a civil ceremony after he left my mom…?

But does it really matter?  Yeah.  Maybe.

I wanted to win this argument!

I guess… I have to keep reading the family code…

On a second thought…

Maybe… maybe I’ll dig my dad from his grave……

~~~

The orange juice glazed on the pork chops is what makes the pork chops tender… and all the herbs and seasonings… make it spicy.  Of course…. If you don’t like it spicy… you can always cut back on the cayenne pepper.

This is fairly easy to make… I think.  I have served this dish with potato pancakes, roasted potatoes, corn bread and rice.

Herbed and Spiced Pork Chops with Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:

• 4 thick pork chops (center or ribs chops)
• Cajun spice mix – see recipe below
• 6 TBSPs. extra light olive oil or vegetable oil divided
• Glazed carrots – see recipe below
• 1½ freshly squeezed orange juice – about 3 large oranges (seeds strained and discarded)
• Glazed Carrots:
• 3 carrots – peeled and julienned
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 TBSPs.  olive oil
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, combine carrots, thyme, olive oil, salt and black pepper.  Set aside.

Cajun Spice Mix

• ¼ cup kosher salt
• 2 TBSPs. cayenne pepper (reduce according to your heat tolerance)
• 2 TBSPs. paprika
• ¼ cup granulated garlic
• 2 TBSPs. black pepper
• 2 TBSPs onion powder
• 2 TBSPs dried oregano

In a medium size bowl or plastic container, combine all the ingredients listed for Cajun Spice Mix.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven at 425°F.

Wash pork chops.  Wipe excess water with paper towels.

Measure 8 TBSPs. of the cajun spice mix into a deep dish or baking pan.   Store the remaining spice mix in a glass container, tightly covered.

Dredge each pork chop with the spice mix.

Heat a frying pan and add 3 tablespoons olive oil.  Sear pork chops, two at a time, until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.

After searing first batch, you may have to scrape the spices that got stuck in the pan and reserve this in a small bowl.  Wipe the pan with paper towel.  Add the remaining olive oil and continue searing the rest of the pork chops.

Transfer the pork chops into a large baking pan.  (I use a Pyrex glass rectangular pan.)

Pour the freshly squeezed orange juice into the pan, add back the bits and pieces of herbs reserved in a bowl.  Bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat. And then pour the boiling mixture over the pork chops.

Bake pork chops for 15 – 20 minutes or until the orange juice thicken a bit.

After 15 – 20 minutes of baking… spread the glazed carrots on top of the pork chops and bake for another 10 minutes.

Serve hot with potato pancakes, roasted potatoes, corn bread or rice.

Pork chops after searing in the hot pan.

Freshly squeezed orange juice.  Just need to strain and discard the seeds.

Julienned carrots with olive oil, herbs and spices.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – freshly squeezed orange juice.  the acid from the orange juice makes the pork chops tender and juicy.

#2 – by cleaning and wiping the frying pan, the pork chops brown easily

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

AVOID Pain and Frustrations and SAVE $$$ Next Time You Move

I can’t live in one place for too long. My limit is six years living in the same place. After that, I get bored. I yearn for change. The nomad in me wants to move, she gets restless; she wants to be on the road, to another city, another state, another place…

Moving is in my blood. I was born a nomad, always moving, from one unfinished nipa hut to the next; from one barrio to another; from one island to another. By the time I was six, we have moved more than 6 times.

The fifth house we lived in was by the seashore. A house my dad built but never finished as he has repeatedly done all his life. But this house was different. It was bigger and better than any other house we’ve had before. It had wooden floor instead of bamboo like we’ve always had. I was very young then, not even in school yet. I remember waking up in the morning and running on the white sandy shore, blanketed with fire red crabs. I would run after them, but the crabs were a little too fast for my little feet. Just when I was closing in on them, they would run back to their little dug holes and hide.

And then one afternoon, in this same house, I woke up from my nap, my clothes soaking wet, like I had just bathed in the sea. I bolted onto my feet screaming, calling my mom: “Nay… Nay… Nay! (mom), waah-whooaah…waahh… Naaaahnaaay!” I stopped crying, and slowly opened my tear filled, swollen eyes. I looked around but no one answered. The floor was covered with water five inches deep. Everything in the house was floating: clothes, pillows, plates, pots and pans. I ran and looked out the window; our chickens were quacking while floating on the water. The pigs were floating too! The dog was standing on top of a wooden plank, quietly observing the commotion between the chickens and the pigs. The tide was high that day and our house wasn’t built high enough above the ground to sustain the high tide. While I was asleep, my mom thought it was a perfect time for her to run up the hill to collect some sweet potatoes we were having for dinner that night. I was scared and didn’t know what to do. I stood by the window frozen, and motionless… wondering where everyone had gone…

After this incident, we moved again.

We moved inland into another nipa hut, only a stone throw away from my maternal aunt and grandparents’ huts. We did not live here long. We had to move again. And here’s why:

One day my dad came home, from a plowing job where he was offered coconut wine (tuba), which he happily accepted and drank. And when he’s drank, bad things happened. He was half a mile away from our nipa hut, already we could hear him belching out screams, the same loud, animalistic scream that he does when he is pissed off. He has had enough of my grampa and gramma’s insult, and this day seems to be the perfect day to let them know his feelings. As he was closing into my grandparents’ house, he pulled out his long knife and started striking, cutting and slicing everything on his path. He was only 10 feet from my grandparents’ porch, after he had cut all the banana trees in the front yard, when grampa and gramma jumped out the window, rolled down the green grassy hill to escape my dad and ran to the Barangay Captain 5 miles away.

Few days later, he was tipped off by a friend that several police men are on their way to arrest him. So he hid in the cave all day, and that night he boarded a small motor boat and escaped to Leyte. Few years later, my grandparents dropped the charges against him and they moved to Mindanao.

It would be three months before we join him. During this time, he’s been living with his relatives, moving from one relative to the next. When we came, my dad wasn’t ready for us. His uncle gave him permission to cultivate and live in his land up in the mountains, very far away from the barrio. It would take us from sunrise ’til sundown, by foot, to get there. We lived here a few years before my dad decided that we need to live closer to the barrio so my brother and I could go to school. And so we moved again, and again, and again. From when I attended first grade up until I graduated sixth grade, we have moved five more times.

For most people, moving is a dreadful thing to do. And YES, there are things involve in moving that is not fun – like packing all your household goods and belongings, and then unpacking when you get to your new place. And between all the packing, shipping, and unpacking, your things will get broken. Of course when I was a little girl, we didn’t own much of anything other than a few old clothes which we rolled and tuck into the rice sack and off we went. So moving was effortless. But when I met my husband, an American, he had already accumulated things, and accumulated more things once we were married. By then, moving then became a bit of a task. The furniture we had custom made lasted 17 years, some didn’t even last that long. We learned not to become emotionally attached to our possessions. Because these things come and go.

Each time we moved, we filled a Goodwill truck with books, furniture, clothes, and everything else that seem too bulky to take with us. (My husband is a firm believer of donating to Goodwill or Salvation Army. He believes that the universe will bless him many times over more than what he gives.) When we decided to leave Las Vegas, we had a beautiful, black old Mercedes Benz we gave away to a guy who worked as a mechanic at car shop. His family could use an extra car, and it was far too expensive for us to ship it, and even more expensive to maintain it.

YES, moving is a BIG decision and not an easy thing to do for most people. It’s even more daunting if you have to pay for the move because it is expensive and you are more likely to get ripped off. Like what happened to us when we moved from Las Vegas to South Carolina six years ago.

This was our first move on our own, without the military; therefore, we had to pay. So I shopped around for a moving company we can afford. I found one called Nationwide Moving Company. Their price was several hundred dollars less than the other, more nationally known company, so we decided to hire them. BIG MISTAKE! Lesson #1: Trying to save a buck could cost a lot more money in the long run and a lot more headaches than necessary. It’s better to pay extra if it meant dealing with a more recognized, and more reliable moving company. The key is to ask for references – people who have used them before and find out what they have to say. Another thing to do is research the internet for customer reviews. Back then, internet reviews weren’t as readily available as they are today. You have to invest a lot of time in research.

I sometimes wonder… that maybe it was just because our move got complicated. Our household goods were scheduled to be shipped and delivered to South Carolina, but things did not work out for us in there. In a short turn around, we had to move to Texas. So we had our household goods diverted – shipped and delivered to Texas. This is where the problem came in. Lesson #2: Do not rush into shipping your household goods to your destination. Instead, rent a storage space to store them. You can always get them later once you are stable and firmly rooted in your new location. Nationwide, the moving company, charged us few thousand dollars more to have our stuff delivered to Texas. I was confused and puzzled by this. Commonsense tells me, our household goods were still in Las Vegas, and Texas is several hundred miles closer to Las Vegas than to South Carolina. But Nationwide had the upper hand in this situation. If we weren’t willing to pay the additional money they demanded, they weren’t going to deliver our household goods. They had us by the neck; our stuff held hostage. We if we had to do the whole thing over, we would have just let them keep our stuff and started over. But there were a lot of things that were very sentimental to us. So we coughed up the money and paid. Lesson #3: Don’t let your emotions get in the way because it is going to cost you. Be ready to say: Fuck it and cut your losses while you’re ahead.

When my husband was in the military, the military paid for all the moving expenses, including our travel and temporary lodging. We didn’t have to worry about choosing a mover; the military took care of that. And then when he retired, we could choose a place – another city, or another state where we want to move and retire and the military would move us one last time… But life outside the military is different. Very different.

Years ago, I used to wonder why a lot of people move themselves. This was back when the military paid for our move. We’ll be on the road driving to another state, our new military base, and we’d see people driving huge U-Haul or Penske trucks, sometimes, towing a car in the back. Or the wife drives the family car and follows the husband. We’d say to ourselves: Why can’t this people just hire a mover and ship their household goods? It’s certainly much easier to just drive to your destination, in your car. And when you reached your destination, your new home, your stuff would be there waiting for you, instead of going through all this trouble driving a big U-Haul or Penske truck. Well… now we certainly know why. At minimum, it is $3,000 – $5,000 difference on your pocket, maybe more. And if you move yourself, at least you are guaranteed to have your household goods, in fair shape, when you get to your destination. So moving in a U-Haul or Penske truck with our household goods is now our preferred method. And this is even more so if you have a limited moving expense budget, and cannot afford to ‘pay an arm and a leg’ to the unscrupulous, shadowy moving companies. It’s cheaper and fewer headaches.

Despite of all these factors… moving can be a life changing event. It takes you out of your rut and of stagnation.

~~~

From all the moving we’ve done throughout the years, we learned plenty of valuable lessons that could save you money, headaches and pain. Learn from our mistakes.  Consider these things before you move:

• Research a place, a city, or a state where you are more likely to find a job. The bigger the city the better.

When we were in Las Vegas, a city with over 1.8 million populations, we had a dream of living in a small town. Thinking that living in small town would be so much cheaper and better. WRONG!
We discovered this by living in Abilene, Texas, a city with population just a little over 120,000. The housing – single family homes and apartments are expensive, and not much to choose from. Restaurant prices are no cheaper if not more expensive than the ones located in major cities. Though we found that one of the reasons why small town like this is expensive is because of the military base present here. The businesses – real estate developers and apartment owners knows that the military personnel receive a monthly housing allowance of between $771 – $1,134 depending on rank, for enlisted without dependents (no wife and children), and significantly more – $1,005 – $1,485 if you are married with with children; even more – $946 – $1,824 per month if you are a commissioned officer. So the housing and apartment rental rates in this town are based on these allowances. If you are not in the military and are living in a small town like Abilene, you are pretty much resigned to living in poor areas with the only housing you can afford. My advice? Do not live in a small town with military base. You are better off living in a big city with more job opportunities. Don’t feel like you are stuck. MOVE!

• If possible, it would be very beneficial to visit and survey the city a few months ahead before your pending move. This is called “reconnaissance mission” in the military. While there, make note of important information i.e., nice and safe temporary housing or extended stay hotels and suites, proximity to major interstate highways, parks, shopping center, etc. Anything that will make yours and your family’s life a little easier and convenient in a new city. If you don’t have the time and money to visit the place in advance, it’s OK. Just make sure you do as much research about the place before you move. You can do the rest once you get there.

• Assess your resources. How much money – cash in hand or in the bank do you currently have? What’s your available credit limit? With the money you currently have, how long can you survive with that money before you need to have money to start coming in? Meaning. how long can you afford to not have a job?  With the advent of online banking, where you can access your money virtually anywhere, anyplace and anytime, people can now live anywhere in the United States or any country in the world for that matter.

• How are you going to move? If you’ve sold most of your belongings i.e., extra car, furniture, and other household items, then there’s not that much to take with you. You could just rent a U-Haul and fill it with what you’ve decided keep and your most valuable possessions. Tow your car in the back if you have to. If you are married and have kids, and you own two vehicles, you’re wife can drive the other car with your children aboard. If you are single and moving alone then you have less to worry about.

• Decide where you are going to stay. If you are new to a city, your best bet would be to find an extended stay hotel with full kitchen. There are plenty out there to choose from: Homewood Suites, Candlewood Suites, Residence Inn by Marriott, Budget Suites of America, Homestead Suites, Extended Stay Hotels and Suites, and etc. The whole point of this is to find a place where you can settle temporarily, while you are looking for a job and getting to know the city. So that when you do find a job, you can then find an ideal place for you and your family. I would not buy a house right away. Staying in an apartment with a 3 – 6 six month lease keeps you mobile in case your new job doesn’t work out and you have to move someplace else.

Depending on what city you are moving into, most extended stay hotels will allow you to pay affront, for the whole month, to avoid paying taxes which can range between 12 – 16% or more. But I would suggest paying weekly during the first week or two so you can move to another hotel if you are not happy. And if you are happy with the hotel, you can always ask for their monthly rate. Though keep in mind that once you pay upfront, most extended stay hotels may not be willing to refund your money if you decide to check out sooner.

With extended stay hotels and suites, all utilities are covered. They may charge a small one-time fee to use the internet. Housekeeping may or may not be included; in some cases the hotel will charge you a small amount for a full housekeeping service once a week. Most extended stay hotels and suites have full kitchen with full refrigerator, stove with four burners and ovens (in some places), microwave ovens, kitchen utensils such as pots and pans, plates, forks and spoons, etc. They also have on-site coin laundry. I don’t like to their towels. So I bring my own. NOTE: Be sure to ask if you could see the room before you pay. And check for the items listed above. You do not want to get stuck in a place you don’t like for a whole month.

Before you start searching for an apartment, make a checklist of what’s important to you and your family. For me my checklist usually looks like this:

Kitchen:
• 2 large, deep sinks
• Plenty of cabinet space
• Plenty of counter space
• Good ventilation
• Good oven and stove – not old and rusty
• Good dishwasher

Bathroom:
• Large tub OR strong, good flowing shower
• Large counter space
• Good amount of drawers and cabinets
• Full size toilet – enough room around it
• Good sink and faucet

Laundry:
• Full size washer and dryer connection
• Linen/towel closet

Apartment MUST have good reviews:
1. Good, responsive maintenance
2. Friendly staff
3. Safe environment – Low crime area – In addition to seeing the apartment complex during the day, it is also best to drive by at night to see what type activities going on in the area.
Covered parking and plenty of parking space
4. The newer the apartment, the better.  Apartments must not be older than 15 years! Old apartments mean somethings are going to break more often than not. And unless the apartment leasing employ a responsive efficient staff, it might be too much headache and frustration living here.  Also, old apartments are not energy efficient.  Which means your electric bill is going to be very expensive.

• While you are on temporary housing or living in an extended stay hotel, you could rent a storage space to store your belongings so you can return the U-Haul truck. Unless you’ve left them in storage back at your old hometown and would retrieve them later once you are settled.

• Make sure your computer and printer are easily accessible. You are going to need these equipments while you are staying in an extended stay hotel. In addition to updating your resume, writing thank you and follow up letters, it is much easier to get around if you have a printed map of the local places you need to go such as banks, grocery stores, public parks and recreation areas , etc. Getting maps and detailed directions to local places are readily available from Google Maps.

• Have computer games or PlayStation game console and games, and extra monitor available for your kids to play with. This should keep them entertained and busy so they won’t be bored out of their minds.

• Bring several interesting books for you, your spouse and your children to read.

• Bring plenty of bath and kitchen towels. I do not like the towels in some of these hotels so I bring enough for the whole family.

• Two weeks before you move, fill out a change of address form at the U.S. Post Office. And then rent a mailbox at Mail Boxes Etc. or UPS Stores and have your mail sent here. For additional fees, Mail Box Etc. (MBE) can hold and forward your mail and packages wherever you are. So this way you don’t ever have to ask favors from your relatives and friends, and you’ll get your mail.

Below is a list of food items to buy and cook when you are on a budget:

• rice – white or brown rice. I like to cook my rice the old fashioned way, and I prefer Jasmine rice.
• sardines
• ramen noodles (known to be staples for young adults who don’t have much money and who don’t know how to cook
• baked beans
• Campbell Chunky Stew and Soups
• canned chili
• canned fruit
• microwavable vegetables (Birdseye Steamfresh is good and in expensive
• frozen and microwavable beef and bean burritos
• bottled water (it’s cheaper to buy them by the case at Sam’s Club)
• Panda Express Chinese food – If I’m going to eat fast food, I would rather eat Panda Express. They are available in most big cities. You can have a good satisfying meal, with 2 entrees plus chowmein, fried rice or noodles for only $6.48

This is just a  list to get you going. You could add your favorite foods on this list.

~~~

I usually make this chili with my own blend of spices and seasoning. But when I’m with Ramon, I don’t have access to my varied spices that I have at home. So… I use the good ole McCormick chili seasoning mix. And then very recently, I have been serving my chili with Indian bread called Naan. A bread made from tandoori oven. It taste slightly sweet and chewy. I now prefer to eat my chili like this instead of eating it with corn tortilla chips. Again, I always cook a lot. So this recipe serves six people or more.

Hot Kickin’ Chili Too!

2 pounds ground beef – 96% lean
6 TBSPs. Olive oil – divided
5 garlic cloves – minced
1 large red or yellow onion – diced
3 large jalapeno peppers – seeded and chopped
2 packets McCormick Chili Seasoning Mix (I like the HOT one.)
2 tsps. dried oregano
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 dried bay leaves
1/2 TBSP. coarse sea salt (adjust according to taste)
1 – 28 ounces can crushed tomatoes
2 – 15 ounces can dark red kidney beans – undrained
Juice of 1 large lime
½ cup firmly packed chopped cilantro
4 stalks green onions
Garnish: grated cheddar cheese and sour cream

Brown ground beef in 3 tablespoons olive in an 8 quart pot. Drain meat and set aside.

Using the same pot, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and sauté onions until translucent. Stir the garlic and jalapeno peppers and sauté a few minutes.

Add ground beef into the sautéed onions, garlic and jalapeno mixture. Stir to blend. Add the two packets of chili seasoning mix, dried oregano, ground black pepper, and dried bay leaves. Stir to combine.

Add the crushed tomatoes, undrained kidney beans,and sea salt.

Stir and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, while stirring occasionally to avoid scorching the bottom. Lower the heat and simmer chili for about 30 minutes, while stirring occasionally.

Taste for additional salt and black pepper.

Add chopped cilantro and chopped green onions a few minutes before serving.

Top each serving with grated cheddar cheese and sour cream if you like.

Serve chili with warm Naan bread or tortilla corn chips and Fritos corn scoops or chips on the side.

NOTE: Follow the heating instruction on the package for Naan bread. Naan bread is available at Wal-Mart in their bakery section, and in other supermarkets.  It cost $2.50 per pack at Wal-Mart and slightly more at other supermarkets.

There are 2 pieces of Naan bread in each pack.  Allow 1 – 2 breads per person.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Eat Your Rum and Drink Your Pork

“Dad… wake up!” the little girl shaking his father on the left shoulder.

“Huhh…?  ssshhhhhh… ssshhhh…” the father snored while leaning his head on a big rock.

“Dad… c’mon, let’s go!  Let’s go home…!”

“It’s getting dark and I’m scared…” the little girl is now on the verge of crying.

This man is my dad.  He is drunk.  He is too drunk too keep walking and so he laid down right in the middle of the dirt path beside a big rock.  We are about 3 miles from our nipa hut, five miles away from the town.

As a little girl, I always wanted to go with my dad wherever he  went.  And this day was just one of the days I went with him.  He couldn’t refuse his friend and  drank too many shots of Tanduay Rum while we were in town.  He managed to head home with me… but midway to our nipa hut, he couldn’t keep his eyes open and slump right in the middle of the dirt road… This is not the first time he’s done this – got drunk and slept in the dirt path halfway home.  My mother was hoping that because I am with him, he wouldn’t get too drunk.  But she’s wrong.  I am just a little girl, no match to his friend who was offering him free drinks…

At least this time he is sleeping, instead of going to one of his violent and crazy rage…

Five years back… when I was even younger, probably four years old… I remember running with my little brother, while my mom holding my other youngest brother and youngest sister, yelling:

“Let’s go, Eday (baby)! Let’s go… let’s go.  Hurry!”

I was confused… I was dazed…. I didn’t understand why we were running.  And where we running to…? What’s happening…?

Finally… we arrived at the Barrio Captain’s house, all wet  and covered in mud…

I was sitting on the floor, in the corner, still holding my little brother’s hand, shaking… trembling from fear and exhaustion.  We ran through the rice fields,  and across the muddy and wooded marsh before we reach the small town…

“Mrs… what happened? How can I help you?” asked the Barrio Captain.

“My husband… Please hide us.” said Mrs… in tears and shaking.

“Why? What did he do? Why are you so afraid?” The Barrio Captain with a worried look on his face, wanted to know.

“My husband… He is very angry.  He pulled out his long knife and was going to kill us – me… and my children.  Please hide us? Please!” said Mrs, signaling for me and my little brother to come to her.

She pulled me and my little brother closer to her… She, looking at the Barrio Captain, pleading… look at me and my children… I don’t want to die… I don’t want them to die…please help me…

I don’t exactly remember why my dad was angry that night.  Something must have set him off, but I didn’t know what.  Could it have been my mother? What did she said?  I sensed that he came home drunk again and the slightest thing made him angry…

My father did not drink every day. Not even every week.  He got drunk intermittently.  But when he did, he became aggressive… mean… and very intimidating.  He looked for fights and we hoped that no one would engage him.  We hid when he’s drunk because we were scared he is going to physically hurt us.

My mother… she drank occasionally, at party celebrations.  When she did, her face turned bright red and she’d start crying.  She became depressed.  She strummed her guitar and cried uncontrollably.

~~~

I was 16 when I had my first drink.  It was white, clear, liquid.  Very strong, intense and fiery on the tongue.  I was with my cousin who was 18 and my step sister, who was 19.  We were on our way to the big city… to school.  That night, before we boarded a small boat, our friends – much older than us, persuaded us to have a drink…

“Here, drink some!” Said Renato, pushing the small glass towards me.

“What is that?” turning the glass with my finger.

“How does it taste?” I asked curiously.

“Well, try some and you’ll see.” Renato assured.

I picked up the glass and drank the content.  It burned my throat as the clear liquid went down my esophagus.  I felt my stomach burst into fire.  My head felt funny…  my eyes were seeing double… and the wall was spinning.

I don’t like the taste of straight alcohol and my body has low tolerance for it.  I very,  rarely drink, and won’t drink any alcohol unless it is camouflaged with sweet juices or sweet syrup. And even this, I can’t drink that much.

But… I like how some alcohol make certain dishes taste.  So I often use medium dry sherry or white wine in my sauces and marinades.  I use white wine with chicken and pork, and red for beef dishes.

Here in this dish, I used Myer’s 100% Jamaican Rum.  Dark rums are ideal for cooking.  It makes food and sauces very flavorful.

Pork Steaks with Rum Barbecue Sauce

Serves 3

3 large pork blade steaks – about 3 pounds

Sweet RUM Barbecue Sauce:

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup hoisen sauce

2 TBSPs. dark rum

1 TBSP. genuine wasabi or 2 TBSPs. deli style mustard with horseradish

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

Combine sauce ingredients in a medium size glass bowl.  Stir until well blended and smooth.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line a heavy duty cookie sheet with heavy strength foil.

Wash pork steaks and pat dry with paper towels and place them on foiled lined baking sheet.  Using a pastry brush, liberally brush pork steaks, on one side with the barbecue sauce.

Roast pork steaks in a preheated oven at 400°F for 30 minutes.

Remove pork steaks from the oven and pour off excess liquid.

(Usually, I  temporarily transfer them into a large plate, while I pour the liquid from the baking sheet.)

Turn the pork steaks on the other side and again, liberrally brush with the barbecue sauce.

Return pork steaks to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes.

Serve with rice or potato salad.

OR

Chop pork steaks into small pieces, discarding the bones, and serve pork steaks as sandwiches…

Sweet RUM BBQ Sauce

Pork steaks freshly brushed with the sauce

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

The Journey Home

“Salmons’ sense of smell is far superior to humans, in that they always go back to their natal stream – the same exact place where they were born to spawn and die.  There’s only one salmon specie that do not die after spawning, and that is the Atlantic salmon.  After spending almost 8 years out in the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic salmon does all sorts of acrobatic leaps, and swims with great strength against strong currents to go back to that special place where they were born.  And then after laying their roe, they cover it up with gravel, and swim back down the stream and rivers to the open seas.  Though only a few of them go back to their natal stream for the second time to spawn again, because going up and down that stream for hundreds of miles, and in some cases close to two thousand miles, take a great toll on their bodies.

Wow!

What an amazing thing to do for a fish.  They know exactly what their purpose is. And that is to preserve their species.” This was part of what I had written during the past few days.  But I couldn’t quite put this writing into a cohesive piece that means something, something that I could tie in with my life and my past experiences.  The only memory of salmon that I could recall is that, growing up we eat canned salmon when no fresh fish was to be had.  When, during the typhoon season, the sea is turbulent that no fisherman is fool enough dare to fish.  And the other times we eat salmon is if somebody, a relative died, and the family of the dead has to feed a large number of people – relatives, friends and neighbors, with very little money they had; a can or two of sautéed salmon in garlic and onions, and tiny strings of wheat noodles called misua (mis – wah) doused with large amount of water to create ‘salmon noodle soup.’ This would be enough to feed 20 to 30 people.  As a kid I was right there with the adults, bowl in hand with rice, topped with ‘salmon noodle soup.’  If my mother happened to be the cook that day, my brothers and I were the first ones to eat in the corner, hidden behind a curtain, so nobody would see us.  As I got older, I started disliking the taste of canned salmon because some adults would joke how “those weren’t salmon.  They’re python.  Just look at how they’re shaped – round and bony!” they’d say.  So from then on, whenever we had canned salmon, I’d think about it being a python – a snake! And I’d start gagging.  What a horrible thing to inflect on a child.  Adults can be very mean at times.  Back in those days, I was just a little girl and didn’t know any better.  I really thought that was true.  And to this day, when I see a can of salmon – I’d think “hmmm, could that really be a snake?” which is silly because I know they’re not.  Imagine how much more of a hassle to can a snake? I’d be too much hassle.  It would be far easier to can salmon – real salmon.

It wasn’t until I came to America that I started eating salmon again.  Not canned salmon though, fresh or frozen salmon.  Though, a few times, when my husband made fried salmon patties – a favorite dish his dad used to make when he was a young boy.  I tried.  I tasted it.  I didn’t like it.  I didn’t like the taste of pink salmon, I never do.  I don’t like the taste of any other salmon, other than Atlantic salmon.  And I kept wondering why.  Then I started reading up on salmon.  I found that of all the salmons – the six varieties of Pacific salmon:  Cherry, Chinook or king, Coho, pink or humpback, and Chum, and Keta salmon, these salmons mature in salt water, in the open seas, but do not stay as long as the Atlantic salmon.  Atlantic salmon, however, spends most of its life on salt water, up to 8 years in the ocean.  So I’m thinking… this is why.  Maybe their longer stay in the ocean is the reason why I like the taste of Atlantic salmon.  It tastes similar to salt water fishes which I prefer to fresh water fishes.  I don’t care too much for fishes such as catfish, carp, milkfish and any other fish harvested from fresh water.   To me, they taste strange.  And I find them to have a more intense fishy taste, and sometimes they can taste muddy.  I know some of you would say: “Well, its fish! It should taste fishy!”  No, no. All fish do not taste the same.  Blue fin tuna is good.  Red snapper is good. Sword fish is good.  Usually, fish with firm flesh do not taste too fishy. And that’s maybe why I like Atlantic salmon more than any other type of salmons.  If I can’t have Atlantic salmon, I’d settle for a Chinook or king salmon, and that’s because it too, spend a long time in the sea.  The other type of pacific salmon?  Forget it.  I definitely do not like the taste of Coho, Keta and pink.

There are several issues with Atlantic salmon, especially the wild ones.  They are an endangered species here in the United States.  In Canada a person is limited to catching 7 Atlantic salmons per year.  Its also more expensive compared to the Pacific salmon.  Even farmed Atlantic salmon, which comprise 99% of the world fish market, are just as expensive, and may not be as healthy as we might have been lead to believe.  Farmed salmon, especially the ones coming from Chile, are feed with more antibiotics, than the ones farmed in Norway, according to one report.  I don’t recall eating the ones from Chile.  They sell them at Sam’s Club and I haven’t convinced myself to buy them.  I prefer the ones coming from Norway, especially the wild ones.  I don’t think I’ve found an equal.

As for cooking Atlantic salmon, I cook them simply.  I cook them pan fried with simple and spicy breading.  I love them baked with fresh rosemary and fresh citrus juices.  Also excellent grilled.  Here are a few of recipes I’ve developed for cooking salmon.  Each recipe serves four people.  Please cook according to how many people are dining.

Pan Fried Salmon with Simple Breading

4 Atlantic salmon fillets (boneless), about 8 ounces each

2 tsps. Kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

¾ tsp. cayenne pepper

Seasoned flour – see below

½ cup extra light olive oil

Season salmon fillets with the kosher salt, ground black pepper, and cayenne on both sides.  Dredge with the seasoned flour.

Fry in hot extra light olive oil for 5 minutes on each side over medium heat.

Serve.

Seasoned Flour:

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. cayenne (optional or use less)

Look how beautiful these fillets are.  Light breading makes the salmon slightly crispy on the outside.

Pan Fried Salmon served with roasted vegetable medley

Citrus Rosemary Baked Atlantic Salmon

4 Atlantic salmon fillets, boneless – about 8 ounces each

Marinade:

Juices from 2 large limes

Juice from 1 large lemon

2 inch piece ginger – peeled and grated

2 sprigs fresh rosemary (about 1 TBSP.) – chopped

3 tsps. Old Bay Seasoning

1 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsps. kosher salt

4 TBSPs. extra virgin olive oil

In a medium size bowl, combine marinade ingredients.  Stir until well incorporated and salt dissolves.

Place salmon fillets skin sides up, in a rectangular (10 x 15) glass baking dish.  Pour over the marinade.  Marinade salmon for at least 20 minutes but no longer than 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Turn the salmon fillets skin sides down.  Bake salmon with its marinade, uncovered for 15 minutes at 400°F.  Spoon marinade over the salmon and bake for another 10 minutes.  (Keep an eye on the salmon; be sure the juices/marinade do not dry up.)

Remove salmon from the oven.  Cover with foil and rest 5 minutes before serving.

Serve the salmon with the remaining juices spooned on top of each filet.

Citrus Rosemary Baked Salmon. I’ve served this with garlic sautéed asparagus.  I’ve also used this for California sushi rolls.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Our Quest to Find Tender, Juicy, Bursting with Flavors Barbecue

We have now lived in Abilene Texas for over five years, and we have yet to find a barbecue place that’s good.  When we first arrived in this town, late November 2004, I looked through the yellow pages to find a good barbecue joint.  I even went as far as calling the local newspaper, and they told me Joe Allen’s Barbecue is what they recommend.  Joe Allen’s is supposedly known for having catered for one of the Presidents – President George W. Bush, I think.  So we took the advice and went to Joe Allen’s. When we got to the place, there was only one other car on the parking lot. And we noticed that it was close to being a ‘hole in the wall’ kind of place.  Probably not a good sign, but we went in anyway.  I think I ordered ribs and brisket; which were both dry and didn’t have any sauce as is typical with Texas Barbecue.  I thought – fine.  I’ll just have some sauce on the side. The green beans were overcooked and the potato could use some seasoning.  I think my husband had brisket and sausage.  I forgot what Ramon ordered.  But to cut this story short, the food wasn’t anything to brag about.  We won’t even come back to give them another try.  We were highly disappointed.  We were staying at the hotel at that time and have been surviving on microwave foods for over a month; we were so looking forward to eating something good.  But too bad it wasn’t.  Maybe we just came in on a bad day.  Or maybe he just cooks well for dignitaries.  But we were unforgiving.

Square’s Barbecue Pit & Grill.  We all came here one late afternoon for dinner.  I thought the ribs were okay, at least they were seasoned.  And I had the peach cobbler; and it was good.  But then it’s kind of hard to mess up a peach cobbler.  Still I liked it.  But Willie didn’t care much for what he ordered.  He had ribs too but thought that the barbecue sauce tasted as if it was just poured over the ribs and wasn’t allowed to cook in with the meat.  This might have been true.  I think what they’ve done is cook the ribs, sliced them, and then pour the sauce over them.  We haven’t been back since.

Betty Rose’s Little Brisket.  One afternoon, Jed – the maintenance guy, was over at our condo fixing an electric outlet.  He’s lived in Abilene all his life, so we thought he might know a place or two.  He might even know the best place… NOT! He told us, “You might want to try Betty Rose’s Little Brisket. It is pretty good. That is where we get our turkey and ham during Thanksgiving. And their ribs and brisket are good too.” Of course we are suckers on the idea of maybe finally finding the best barbecue place in Abilene.  So I went and ordered their brisket, ribs, and sausage for three people; with sides of green beans and potato salad.  The food was bland; and tasted as if it’s been under the warmer all day.  The potato salad was more like watery mashed potatoes; and the green beans were overcooked.  Another disappointment.

And then finally, it looks like we really might find the best barbecue place in town.  In 2008, they began construction for a place called “Famous Dave’s.”  Supposedly known for the good barbecues.  We were excited on the prospect of finally finding a good barbecue joint.  The whole town waited in anticipation for the opening.  After almost one year of construction, it finally opened.  The first month they were opened, the parking lot was packed.  Looked like the whole town and their extended cousins and grandmas from neighboring towns, came to see what the hoopla is all about.  So we decided to wait until all the crowds died down.  By the third month, the place had less than half the crowd when they first opened.  But then we also started hearing from people who’s been to “Famous Dave’s” that their food – their barbecue is not as good as people had expected them.  Undeterred, my husband had me ordered three combo plates, all for “take outs.”  We ordered the usual: brisket, ribs, and sausage; with baked beans and fries on the side.  They gave us great servings for each order.  But when I finally got home, and got to taste the food… What a bomber.  Other than the French fries, and the sausage, the food was cold and had no flavor.  The brisket and ribs tasted as if they have been cooked one day before – and had been in a warmer all day.  It was stale and barely lukewarm.  The only item that was decent was the sausage.  But how can they mess up cooking the sausage? Disappointed again!

Harold’s Pit Barbecue.  My husband recently hired a new guy on his team.  And of course, my husband asked if he knows a good barbecue place in town.  He said, “Yeah man!  Harold’s Pit Barbecue.  That’s a good place.  That’s the place I always like to go.”  OK… so we took his words for it.  My husband and I drove by the place during lunch time.  The parking was a bit crowded, so I went in – while he waited in the car, to order slices of brisket and ribs – all to go.  Oh, and “hot water cornbread” which all the reviewers on the internet seems to brag about.  So we got home and ate the food.  The briskets were dry and needed seasoning, and the ribs were nothing special.  The only item that my husband thought was good was the “hot water cornbread,” which I did not care much for.  I thought it was hard, and really couldn’t appreciate it. We’re disappointed yet again!

Though there are steakhouses in Abilene that I liked.  My favorite is Texas Roadhouse.  I like their steaks, and I love their sweet dinner rolls – freshly made in-house.  Off all the times we’ve eaten here, my steaks have been seasoned well.  Though I can’t speak for my husband.  He’s had a “hit or miss” experience at this place.  And their booths are tight and cramped, which makes it uncomfortable if you are a man size.  Of all the places here in Abilene, “Texas Roadhouse” is always packed.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a Monday or Tuesday, and they’re only open for dinner on weekdays.  It’s worst on weekends. I often wonder what makes all these people kept coming back to this place?  I know they’re grilled steaks are good in my experience.  Like I said, my husband had a “hit or miss” experience at this place.  He enjoyed his meals twice out of seven visits…  Still I wonder why are they always packed?  Maybe it’s the free – all you can munch roasted peanuts…? Or maybe it’s their steaks and dinner rolls… I may never know.

There’s another place that I like – Lytle Cattle & Company. I’ve been here three times.  The first time was good, and I remember liking the small loaves of bread.  But the next time we went, they didn’t serve me the bread.  I don’t remember asking for it either.  And my third visit was when we attended a going away party here for a Lieutenant Colonel.  They had the food catered to one of their party rooms.  I thought the grilled ribeyes were well seasoned.  And the green beans and mashed potatoes we’re not bad either.

Still, this doesn’t answer our search for a great barbecue.  Both Texas Roadhouse and Lytle Cattle & Company are not barbecue joints, they’re steakhouses.

The only barbecue place we have ever been, that is truly worth revisiting, since we’ve lived here in Texas is “Hard Eight” in Brady, Texas.  We’ve stopped by there while we were on our way to Fredricksburg, Texas back in May of 2006.  Someone from my husband’s work told him about this place.  So we made a point to stop there.  The place is a typical ranch style barbecue joint with a barn like building with long tables and benches inside.  Outside at the entrance is a covered barbecue pit, where they slow cooked their brisket.  We were greeted by a tall and lanky elderly man, who looked like he’s worked there all his life.  “What can I get you folks?” asked the man.  I was first to place my order.  So I ordered two slices of brisket.  As the knife runs smoothly through that big, tender, mesquite smoked, big piece of meat, clear and brown juices oozed out of  it.  My senses were swept by the sweet, mustard spiced, charcoal, grilled, aromatic meaty flavor that burst out into the open air… Ramon ordered the same thing, and Willie ordered 3 slices.  I can’t remember what side items we had.  I think they only had small containers of green salad, and slices of bread.  But we didn’t care about the sides; we cared most about the brisket.  It was so tender, so juicy, well seasoned and freshly out of the pit.  The best brisket we’ve ever had, ever!  But they are three (3) hours away from Abilene.  And then, there is this fear that “what if we just got lucky that day? What if we drive the three-hour drive, and then when we get there their brisket won’t won’t taste the same…?”  We’re afraid to go back.  We are afraid to be disappointed again.

There’s one thing we’ve discovered from our search for a good barbecue – barbecue joints are highly overrated.  “Good” is subjective.  And it depends on who you are asking.   People become attached to a place, a lot of times not because of truly great food, but more likely the experience they’ve had in that place, the feelings they’ve felt while eating there with their love ones.  So they’re biased on their opinions.  They have convinced themselves that the food is good, when in fact it’s not the food.  It’s the psychological impact the place has on them and they don’t even know it…

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So… since having a good barbecue in Abilene seems to elude us.  I decided to just cook them myself.  Though I wish I could have cook this ribs slowly in a grill, but cooking them in the oven is the next best thing.  They came out juicy and tender all the way to the bones.  The keys to these ribs are the marinade and the glaze.

Tender to the Bones – Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:

2 racks of baby back ribs (about 3½ pounds each) – washed and cut in half along the rib bones

Glaze – see recipe below

Marinade:

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup teriyaki sauce

1 can soda (I used 7-up)

½ cup apple cider vinegar

6 TBSPs. brown sugar

4 TBSPs. 100% maple syrup

3 TBSPs. honey (I always use clover honey)

4 TBSPs. spicy brown mustard

2 TBSPs. kosher salt

2 tsp. fennel seeds (ground or smashed)

1½ tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. liquid smoke (I use hickory)

Juice of 3 limes (medium or large)

8 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped

2 inch piece ginger – peeled and grated

Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a large glass mixing bowl.  Stir until sugar and honey are dissolved.  (If you are using 2 – gallon freezer bags, pour half of the marinade over the ribs in one bag and the other half in another bag.)  Otherwise, pour all the marinade over the ribs placed in a large non-reactive container.

Marinate the ribs for 6 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven at 325°F.

Line a heavy duty baking sheet with a heavy duty aluminum foil.  Place the marinated rack of ribs, meaty part down on the lined baking sheet. (Keep the marinade in a bowl to baste the ribs if necessary.)   Cover baking sheet with another piece of heavy duty aluminum foil.  Bake ribs at 325°F for 3 hours – using the center rack of the oven.  Check after 3 hours.  Use a fork to test if the meat is tender.  The meat should easily full off the bones, if not, bake another 45 minutes or up to one hour longer; covered with aluminum foil.  Be sure the baking sheet and ribs are not dry, otherwise, generously baste the ribs with the marinade before baking for 45 minutes to an hour.

Once the ribs are fork tender… remove the foil cover.  Liberally baste the ribs on one side, with the “Apricot White Wine Glaze.”  Turn on the broiler and broil the glazed ribs for about 7 – 8 minutes.  Turn the ribs over and liberally baste the other side (meaty side) and place under the broiler again for 6 – 7 minutes.  The glaze on this side usually sets faster.  Be sure to keep an eye on the ribs to avoid burning the glaze.

Remove ribs from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Serves 4 people – half rack each.  Serve with potato salad.

Apricot White Wine Glaze

1 – 18 ounces jar apricot preserves

4 ½ TBSPs. white wine or medium dry sherry (I use soft and fruity wine)

2 tsps. ground fennel seeds (fennel seeds are available whole so I grind my own)

¼ tsp. Chinese five spices (see recipe below)

Combine all ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl.  Stir until apricot, wine, fennel seeds and five spices are well incorporated. Use this glaze to baste the ribs as directed above.

NOTE:  If it’s too much hassle, you may decide to omit the five spices.  The taste is going to be a bit different but that’s OK.  These ribs are still going to be well seasoned and tender.

Five Spices:

Combine 1 tablespoon of each:  ground star anise, ground anise seeds, fennel seeds, ground cloves, and cinnamon.  (A typical Chinese “five spices includes schezuan pepper.  But I have not been able to find this here in Abilene, Texas so I use anise seeds instead.)

Store these “five spices” in a tightly closed glass jar for future use.  You need only a very minimal amount of these spices to give a dish that aromatic flavor.

Potato Salad

3 pounds red potatoes with skins (about 9 medium large) – sliced to ½ inch rounds

1 TBSP. sea salt

1 tsp. olive oil

4 garlic cloves – unpeeled

Potato salad dressing (see recipe below)

Fill a large pot, half full, with tap water.  Add sea salt and bring pot to a boil.

Scrub potatoes under cold running water to remove sand, and slice off imperfections.   Cut potatoes into ½ inch rounds.  Once the water starts to boil add the olive oil, sliced potatoes and garlic cloves.  Boil potatoes for 35 minutes or until soft.  Remove garlic and set aside.  Strain potatoes and place in a large bowl.  Peel garlic, mince and add to the potatoes.

Add the dressing to the potatoes.  Mix and chill.  Garnish with boiled eggs and serve.

NOTE:  I understand some people like their potato salad without mustard, and that’s fine, because in our home, my husband loves his potato salad with mustard while Ramon cannot have mustard in his food.  So I’ve also made this potato salad with and without mustard.  Without the mustard, the taste is slightly different but it’s still good, though I prefer mine with mustard too.

Potato Salad Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons French style mustard

3 tablespoons sweet relish

¼ cup minced red onion

1 TBSP. fresh chives – chopped or 1 tsp. dried

¾ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

¾ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. fresh black pepper

In medium size bowl, combine all the ingredients, stirring until smooth, creamy and well blended.   Pour dressing over the potatoes and mix.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Welding A Life Decision… And Food on the Side

Welding.

I had no clear understanding, of what welding was, or what it entailed until my son, Ramon, took welding in high school. More importantly I had no idea how dangerous it is…

He must take proper precautions, and wear protective equipment, such as heavy leather gloves, leather aprons, and long sleeve jacket to avoid exposure to extreme heat and flames; protective goggles and welding helmets to shield his eyes from ultraviolet light; a mask to protect him from dangerous gases and particulates and toxic fumes; ear plugs to protect his hearing and steel toe boots to protect his feet and toes!

Welders are always exposed to fire hazards and explosion because of the compressed gasses and flames used in many welding processes.  And now I understand why some welders, especially the highly skilled ones, could command a six figure income… a well deserved salary, if you ask me.

When he decided to take welding as one of his electives in his senior year, my husband and I were completely surprised.

“Welding…?  Arrrrrrr… you – sure…?” looking at Ramon quizzically.

My husband and I looked at each other puzzled, bewildered, and confused. We were thinking to ourselves… “How could he…? Why would he…? But he is neat and clean.  He goes to school in style.  He’s got expensive taste in clothes” – RoundTree & Yorke – top of the line black leather blazer, Murano pants, Oxford shirts, Vera Wang sunglasses and shoes, whose name brand I can’t remember.  This was Ramon’s attire during his junior and senior year in high school.  Good thing he’s our only child, otherwise, we’ll be eating ramen noodles every day. Ramon went to school looking more like a genius supermodel than up and coming welder!  No wait. He looked more like one of the stars in John Woo’s movies, or maybe both!  OK… you may not agree with me here, but hey! I’m his mother.

“Most of all, this boy is highly intellectual, and simply hates physical work.  So why in the hell is he choosing welding?” were the thoughts we kept to ourselves.  His dad was thinking “becoming a college professor because of his analytical mind and laid back attitude would be perfect.  Maybe become an author and write several books.”  But then before Ramon was introduced to welding, he also had a budding thought to become a surgeon.

Deep inside, my husband was relieved that Ramon foregoes the idea of becoming a surgeon.  “Welding, well at least we can afford that.  But going to medical school to become a surgeon? I don’t know how we’re going to afford that,” thoughts he shared with me one day.  I however, my ears perked up like rabbit’s ears, upon hearing his desire to become a surgeon.  I was transported into a dream like state, soaking up the idea like a sponge soaking up water.  I reverted back to being a typical Asian woman – hanged up in prestige and status.  I can see it now… “So, Tess, what does your son do for a living?” One of my friends would ask.  And I’d reply with dignity and pride, and a hint of snobbishness… “My son is a surgeon!”  I would have earned the right to be a snob like those Asian women whose children became doctors, lawyers, engineers, and other so called elite and white collar professionals.  But on a second thought… I don’t think I would have been able to pull it off.  I know where I come from.  I came from a dirt poor family who used to live in unfinished nipa hut.  Sooner or later I would have been reminded of this fact.  But I would not have cared.  I would have reached the pinnacle of my life – making up for all my failings…

But Ramon has always been his own man.  He was his own man since he was a baby. He hated sleeping in cribs.  Just when I think he was sound asleep and safe for me to lay him in the crib, he’d wake up just as soon as I take my first step away from it.  He’d scream as loud as he could, to which I’d quickly pick him up out of the crib and lay him next to me.  And just like that, he is back sound asleep as if he’s never awakened moments ago.  Another one of his resolute moments is when he learned how to read.  He pretty much forced us to teach him how to read, shoving books in our faces to read to him, over, and over, and over again.  He was barely one, and couldn’t talk yet, other than “mamma… dadda…”  Armed with a book, he’d force his way up into the sofa where I or Willie would be seating, relaxing watching TV.  Ramon would say: “Omm, Omm…” his little finger tapping on the picture book.  That means he wants me to read the book to him. He’d open the first page, and would again tap his littler finger on the picture.  “el-uh-fuhnt… el-uh-fuhnt…” I’d say. “Omm… omm!” again, his finger tapping to the same image.  “el-uh-fuhnt… el-uh-fuhnt…” I’d say again.  I’d have to repeat these two or three times.  Only when he is satisfied and felt he understood what the picture was, is when he’d tap the next picture on the page, and until we finish the whole book.  There were occasions when we hid the books so he couldn’t find them.  Sometimes we got tired of reading the same book over, and over, and over again.  But the boy was persistent.  By the time he was 3 years old and 4 months, he was able to read pages of People’s Magazine, impressed and entertained our friends during our 14 hour flight to Okinawa, Japan.  He was in kindergarten barely three months when we got a call from his teacher.  “We’d like both of you to come in to talk about your son, Ramon” said Ms. Williams.  “Oh, oh… what our baby did now…” was our reply.  “Oh no, no… no… no… it’s nothing bad.  I have good news.”  Ramon wrote a short story with sketches to boot, about our travel from Jacksonville, Arkansas to Okinawa, Japan.  Ms. Williams was very impressed that a five year old boy could do this.  She thought Ramon was highly intelligent for his age and should be jumped to first grade!

To this day, Willie firmly believes that Ramon taught himself how to read.  He always knew what he wanted and settled with nothing less.

We allowed him to flourish and nurtured his individuality, and his many talents.  And we think because of this, he is such a strong person, both mentally and emotionally.  Very mature and responsible for his age.

Again, the questions remains… Why welding?

He has so much talent.

He could write.  We saved most of his essays and stories he had written in high school.  He could have been a bestselling fiction writer for all I know.

He could draw.  I was in awe of his sketches.  I even framed six of his charcoal and pencil drawings, four of which are hanging on our walls, and I am still waiting to find the best place to hang two beautiful portraits of a girl.

I know I am his mother.  And adoring his only child’s many talents is nothing out of ordinary.  But I envy him.  I really do.  I wish I have as much talent as he does.  And I wish I have the same parents as he does.  Willie feels the same way.  We both come from a dysfunctional family.  Only mine was worst.  Ramon’s knack for creating something with his hands came from my genes, I think.  (My dad was illiterate but great with his hands.)  And his quick wit and ability to express himself in writing came from his Dad.

I mean he could have taken anything.  And welding was so out of left field in our opinion!  But he fell madly in love with welding.  Ever since he took welding during his senior year… that’s all he wanted to do.  He found his other classes boring.  He just wanted to weld… all day, every day!  Something extra ordinary happens to him when he welds.  “I don’t know if this makes any sense, mom.  But when I’m welding, I can shut out everything else around me.  All I have is peace and serenity.  And I get this laser beam like focus when I’m welding.  I lost track of time.  Sometimes when I come to, three hours has passed…” I remember him saying one morning as I was driving him to school.

I admire any man or woman who knows exactly what they want to do in life.  And it seems that my son knows exactly what he wants to do with his life…

He found that he could very well express his talents in welding.  He’s got great “hand-eye” coordination, manual dexterity, and attention to detail – a rare combination, and exceptional attributes of a great welder.  Matter of fact, he’s already demonstrated and still demonstrating this in welding.  He has achieved “top one” in one of the phases, and currently is on top in “high frequency – TIG welding” – that is welding on aluminum and stainless, his chosen field of specialty.

We don’t know where welding would take him.  But if we know our son, welding would take him places we have never imagined.  He is only 18… And sometimes I wonder where he would be 20 years from now.   My heart flutters in excitement when I think about it…

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I am in Tulsa with him.  I have been here for several weeks now.  He loves the break from cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping. And he has me for company.  He is more relaxed and less stressed out, and therefore has more energy to only focus on his welding studies.  Other than helping him with the much dreaded house chores, I am also here to help him with his resume, work references, and job search.  His school is going to play a big part in referring him to companies who need welders, but at the same time, I am here to make sure that happens.  So in just a few weeks, we’ll probably be moving to another city or state, depending on where he accepts employment.

Since I have been here with him, he welcomes anything other than cereal and granola for breakfast.  He is excited to eat something different.  And one of the foods I have been cooking him for breakfast is a combination of hash and scramble eggs, with shrimp, garlic and onions.  This recipe was his idea.  I’ve also cooked this with Italian sausage instead of shrimp.

He’s been eating this for breakfast for more than two weeks now. I don’t expect anyone to do the same.  But my son is just like that.  When he likes something, he’ll keep eating it for days, and sometimes weeks, and then stop.  No more of the same thing.  He’s ready for something new.

This stuff is hearty, with plenty of protein and complex carbohydrates.  Maybe that’s why he likes it.  This supplies most of the calories and nutrients he needs in order to keep up with the physical and mental exertion when welding.

I like it too, because it’s simple and fast to make.  I can usually have this cooked and served in 25 minutes, and that’s pretty fast for me considering how slow I am in the kitchen.

Shrimp Hash Scramble

(This serves one, maybe two at most. So if you are cooking for a family of two, please adjust the recipe accordingly.)

Ingredients:

1 medium size potato – peeled, cubed, and precooked

1/3 medium onion – diced

3 large garlic cloves – peeled and sliced

10 medium size shrimp – peeled and deveined, cut in halves – crosswise

2 large eggs, well beaten

2 – 3 TBSPs. extra light olive oil

½ tsp. kosher salt – divided

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne (optional)

Fill up a small sauce pan, half full, with tap water.  Add one teaspoon kosher salt and bring it to a boil over medium high heat.

Peel, wash and dice the potato into ¾ inches cubes. Add potatoes to boiling water.  Boil and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove and strain.

(While potatoes are boiling, I peel and chop the garlic and onions.  Slice each shrimp into three pieces.)

Heat a large nonstick skillet and add 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil.

Add potatoes into the hot skillet and fry until golden crispy on both sides.  This would take about 3 minutes on each side.

Push the potatoes to the side and sauté garlic and onions, until onions are translucent and garlic light golden brown.  Again, push these to the side next to the potatoes.

Add the shrimp, stirring occasionally, until cooked about 2 minutes on each side.  Stir to combine with potatoes and sautéed onions and garlic. Sprinkle ½ tsp. of the kosher salt over the potatoes and a pinch of cayenne if using.

Scramble the eggs and season with the remaining ¼ tsp. salt, black pepper and cayenne.  Pour eggs over potatoes and shrimp mixture.  Cook one side and then flip the other side.

Serve.

with the shrimp

with Italian sausage

Variation: If using Italian sausage instead of shrimp.  Use one link sausage and removed its casing.  Crumble the sausage and cook in a separate skillet.   Pour excess oil and keep the sausage warm in the skillet, until ready to be added in place of shrimp.

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Another dish that Ramon requested I cook for him was spaghetti with meat sauce.  So for several days last week, he ate nothing but spaghetti with this sauce, and with toasted Italian bread.  Again, this is an easy recipe, yet very good.

I made this sauce spicy as in most foods I cook.  So if you’re not into spicy foods, just buy the non-spicy sauce.  To save time, I buy pasta sauces made by Classico which I love.  It’s a bit pricier than other brands, but I think it’s worth it.

Oh, remember to get these too:

2 boxes of spaghetti noodles or other pastas you like (I like the Ronzoni Healthy Harvest 7 grain pasta)

Italian Bread or French Bread

Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Spicy Spaghetti Meat Sauce

(This serves least 4 – 6 people.  So you might want to cut the recipe in half if there are not that many people eating.)

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons extra light olive oil – divided

2 pounds ground beef (I use 85% lean)

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic – smashed, peeled and chopped

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 – 8 ounce jar mushrooms (pieces and stems) – drained

1½ tsps. coarse celtic sea salt (use less if using other type of salt)

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

¼ tsp. ground Thai hot peppers (optional)

2 – 24 ounce Jars Classico Spicy Tomato & Basil sauce OR any pasta sauce you like

½ cup green olives – chopped (optional – to be added just minutes before serving the sauce.)

In a deep stew pan or large nonstick deep skillet (with cover), brown ground beef in two tablespoons olive oil.  Remove and strain.  Wipe the skillet and place back on the stove over medium heat.

Add the remaining three tablespoons olive oil and sauté the garlic and onions.  Add the strained ground beef.  Stir and add the green bell pepper.

Stir until the green bell pepper turns bright green.  Add mushrooms, oregano, bay leaf (laurel), sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and ground hot pepper.

Stir and allow the whole mixture to blend for about five minutes.

Add Classico Spicy Tomato & Basil sauce. Stir to fully combine the meat and the sauce.  Cover and let the sauce comes to a boil over medium heat.  Turn the heat down and simmer sauce for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so sauce won’t stick at the bottom of the pan.  Add the chopped olives, if you’re using it.  Stir and serve over spaghetti noodles or other pasta you like.  Topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Cook spaghetti noodles as directed on the package.  (I add about 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the boiling water, to keep the noodles from clumping together.)

Toasted Italian or French bread

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Slice the bread into one inch thick slices.  Line bread slices in a heavy duty

baking sheet.  Toast for 8 – 10 minutes.

Serve on the side with the spaghetti noodles and sauce.

NOTE:  Ramon likes his bread garlicky.  So I peel a large clove of garlic and cut about 1/3 off from the bottom.  Once the bread slices are toasted, and while still hot, I rub garlic on the cut sides of the bread.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Life Of A Welding Student … and the Food He Eats

As an 18 year old welding student, Ramon lives a well regimented and disciplined life.  He lives by himself in his own apartment.  He learned how to cook, clean and shops for himself.  And of course he drives himself to school. All of which he’s never done while home with us.

He wakes up at 4:15 in the morning. Fixes himself breakfast, usually a bowl of Kashi cereal mixed with homemade granola , topped with frozen blueberries and raspberries, and doused with soymilk.

For lunch, when he comes home at around 12:45 in the afternoon, after drinking a quart of spring water while reading his emails, he cooks himself chicken breast, breaded and pan fried, with roasted Vegetable Medley.  On some days, he’d cook himself New York steaks or shrimp, but always with a side of roasted vegetables.  He prefers to cooks something that’s easy, and with minimal preparation.  Simple but good and nutritious.

He goes to bed every night at 7:15p.m.  And then he gets up the next day and does this same routine all over again.

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Before Ramon moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, he researched, and we experimented with several recipes, especially when it comes to vegetables.  Like other teens, he did not like vegetables. Steamed and stir fried vegetables were simply not appetizing to him.  But he knows that he’s gonna have to change the way he eats if he is going to sustain his body with proper nourishment, especially now that he is away from home. And with welding, being physically and mentally taxing, all the more that he needs proper nourishment.  So he started exploring the internet for alternative ways to cook vegetables.  And in his search he found vegetable recipes posted by other young adults like him.  These kids are new converts.  They all concluded, and we agree, that the secret to cooking vegetables, vegetable that kids will eat is roasting them.  Honestly, I was skeptical at the beginning.  But my son insisted on having me try them.  So I sat down and look through the recipes he compiled.  Read and decided which ones made sense.  In our experiments, he found that he liked and ate several of these vegetables as long as their roasted.  And the best tasting ones we’ve tried are broccoli, roasted cauliflower, roasted green beans, vegetable medley, Brussels sprouts, egg plant, and kale which I was highly skeptical at the beginning but equally surprised on how great it tasted!  I would roast two pans of kale and we just sat there and ate them by themselves.

All of the vegetables I’ve roasted were frozen, (I buy them in big bags at Sams Club), with the exception of the eggplant and kale.  So it requires very little preparation, which my son loves. No peeling and no chopping required. Just simply place enough amount of the vegetables in the baking sheet, drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the seasoning, and wallah, it’s ready for the oven.

I also found that the perfect oven temperature for roasting these vegetables is at 425ºF, preheated oven, and the time varies between 35 minutes to 50 minutes, depending on how hot is your oven.  So you may have to watch them closely until you get the perfect timing. (Kale cooks a lot faster – about 15 minutes, and at a lower heat – 4ooºF.)

As for the seasoning, I use basic seasoning such as kosher salt and or sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper. My husband likes to add garlic powder, chili powder and paprika.  We’ve also tried roasting these vegetables, with peeled garlic cloves.

NOTE: If you don’t have one already, I suggest you buy a professional grade or heavy duty baking sheet with sides, also called jelly roll pan.  I bought mine at a restaurant supplies store.  I think I paid $12 for each and I have four.   These pans are great for roasting vegetables.

Roasted Vegetable Medley

(Allow at least ½ pound per serving)

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Ingredients:

2 pounds frozen vegetable medley (mixture of sliced carrots, broccoli and cauliflower florettes)

3 TBSPs. extra light olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. black pepper

¼ – ½ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Place vegetable medley in the baking sheet.  Drizzle the olive oil and add the seasoning.  Toss to combine.

Roast in vegetable in a preheated oven at 425° for 45 – 50 minutes or until broccoli and cauliflower are caramelized in color, but not burned.  (The broccoli should be slightly brown and crispy.)

Roasted Vegetable Medley with Johnsonville Bratwurst

Pan Fried Chicken Breasts

(Allow 2 medium chicken breasts per person)

4 medium size chicken breasts – boneless and skinless

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne

Seasoned flour – see recipe below

½ – ¾ cup extra light olive oil for frying

Season chicken breasts on both sides.  Allow to sit for about 10 minutes so the seasoning will have time to penetrate the meat.

Heat the skillet and add the olive oil.

Place 1 cup of seasoned flour in a large Ziploc bag.  Place all the chicken and shake to coat.

Fry chicken breasts in hot olive oil, over medium heat, about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Removed and place fried chicken breasts over paper towels.

Serve with Roasted Vegetable Medley or other vegetables.

Seasoned Flour:

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. cayenne (optional or use less)

Combine all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag.

Note: I use this seasoned flour for all my pan frying.  I’ve used this with chicken breasts, pork chops, and shrimp.  So, what I do is mix a big batch of this, 6 – 8 cups at a time, in large Ziploc bag, and store in the refrigerator.  Whenever I need a breading, I just scope out a cup or two into another Ziploc bag. I do this for Ramon, whenever we visit him, so it’s one less thing he has to do.

Ramon eats this for snacks:  Mango – Raspberry Smoothy with frozen blueberries and raspberries.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Thai Beef Salad

I wasn’t sure what I was going to post today.

All I know is I wanted to share something easy.  Something good that everyone can make.

I should be spanked, because I had all week to think about this, but instead I have been burying my nose in a book I’ve been reading.  “Baby, Let’s Play House ~ Elvis Presley and the Women who Loved Him” by Alanna Nash.  A very interesting book.  A deeper look into the life of Elvis Presley.   I’m not a diehard fan of Elvis Presley.  I’ve only seen parts of his movies, and heard him sing a few songs.  Still, I simply couldn’t put this book down.  I am now on page 335, halfway through the book.  I learned one juicy information about him and his ex-wife Priscella Presley:  she wasn’t a virgin as everyone made to believed she was when Elvis married her, and even when he met her when she was 14 years old!

Anyway, I’ve decided on Thai Beef Salad.  Something spicy, tasty, simple and easy.

I first tasted Thai Beef Salad 23 years ago back in the Philippines.  But I did not make it until years later, when we moved to the U.S.

This is one my husband’s favorite dishes.  Since he loves spicy foods, I made this salad extra hot.  Though if you cannot handle the heat, you can still make this salad work for you by reducing the hot peppers or removing them all together.  Don’t worry, the only thing you’ll be missing it the fiery taste in your mouth, the salad will remain tasty!

I’ve made different versions of this salad, using romaine and lettuce heads.  I’ve also pan seared the steaks in a very hot skillet, without marinating the meat, and simply seasoning them with kosher salt, ground black pepper, ground coriander and monosodium glutamate.  But I think the best ones are when the steaks are marinated and grilled. But since I don’t have access to a patio with a grill, I’ve settled for broiling the steaks in the oven.

Here’s what you need…

Ingredients for Salad:

2 (1½ pound each) porterhouse steaks – marinated

½ large yellow onion – finely sliced – across

½ large red onion – finely sliced – across

3 large cucumbers – peeled and seeds removed and sliced.

4 medium size tomatoes – quartered

1 Romaine lettuce – chopped

Dressing:

½ cup chopped cilantro

2 – 6 red chili peppers – stems removed and chopped

2 Jalapenos – seeds and membranes removed; chopped

6 cloves garlic – peeled and halves

½ cup or juice of 2 limes

½ cup fish sauce

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. kosher salt

Place all dressing ingredients in a blender.  Pulse to grate.

Or you can simply chop all the ingredients and mix as shown in the picture below.

Drizzle over the salad.

Steak Marinade:

4 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasonings or Lemon Pepper

4 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. MSG – optional

1 tsp. dried oregano

5 cloves garlic – smashed, peeled and finely chopped

¼ small onion – finely diced

4 TBSPs. balsamic vinegar

Juice of 2 large limes

Combine all marinade ingredients in a large measuring cup.

Wash the steaks and squeeze out excess water.

Place the steaks in a gallon size freezer bag and pour the marinade.

Swish the bag around until the steaks are well coated with the marinade.

Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes or an hour.

Cook over a hot grill or broil steaks in the oven.  As for broiling, preheat the broiler for about 10 minutes.  Then broil steaks for about 8 minutes on one side, and then turn the steaks over and broil for another 5 minutes.

When done transfer steaks to a plate and cover with foil.  Let it rest for 5 minutes.  This process will allow the steaks to recover its juices.

Slice the steaks across the grain into thin slices.

In a large mixing bowl, combine steaks, sliced onions, cucumbers and quartered tomatoes.  Add the dressing and toss to coat beef and salads.

Add the chopped lettuce and toss.

Serve with rice on the side.

I pan seared the steaks in this picture.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Beautiful Morning Muffins

I love muffins!

My husband thinks I’m weird because whatever food I eat in the morning, I can also eat them any other time during the day. I love eating breakfast items for dinner, snacks or dessert. I eat pancakes for dinner, or granola with rice milk for a midnight snack.  Who says I can’t?

Ramon is the same way.  We’ve never given him any restrictions when it comes to food and drinks (except alcoholic beverages, of course), ever since he was a little boy.  He can eat whatever he wants, and whenever he wants.

I’ve been around parents who imposed so many restrictions on their children, especially when it comes to food and drink. “Mom, I’m thirsty! Can I have a drink?” “No, it’s already 9 o’clock (at night) and it’s time for you to go to bed! You know the rule: no more drinking before bedtime! Now, go to bed!”

Now… I grew up in a nipa hut, if we’re thirsty, we drink.  In fact, if that’s all we want – something to drink (water) my poor parents was more than happy to oblige.  “Water is free. You can drink all you want!” What is so bad about drinking before bedtime? She’s thirsty for chrissake!

Or… “Mom can I have some cookies?” “Fine, you can only have one and that’s it!”

One…? Who eats only one cookie? If my son wants to eat 5 cookies, he can.  If he doesn’t feel well after overeating cookies, then he won’t do it next time… and if he doesn’t learn the first time, he is guaranteed to learn sooner or later.

For me, I think that’s wrong. I think the more you restrict your children, the more that they are going to rebel.  They might pretend to do what you want them to do while you are in sight, but once you’re not around, they are going to let loose, and do everything you did not want them to do.

My husband, Willie, is really the person that needs to be credited with this type of thinking on how we raised our son.  He believes that the more you forbid your child, the more they want to do the forbidden. It’s just human nature.  It makes us highly curious when something is forbidden.

And, you’re probably wondering what’s this got to do with the muffins?

Well… probably nothing.  But with these muffins, you don’t have to worry about any restrictions or an ounce of guilt for eating one or more. You can eat them anytime, other than in the morning.  They are good for you, or at least good for me, in my opinion…

And, they’re easy to make, and every time I hear the word “easy” I get excited.

Here’s what you need to make these muffins:

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamom

½ tsp. kosher salt

Wet Ingredients:

2 eggs

¾ cup extra light olive oil or coconut oil

¼ cup rice milk

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Other Ingredients:

1½ cups shredded carrots (3 medium sizes)

1 cup shredded apple (peeled and cored – pink lady, braeborn, etc.)

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (available at health food stores)

½ cup raisins

¾ cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line 18 regular size muffin cups with paper baking cups.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients, by whisking them. Set aside.

In another mixing bowl, beat eggs, olive or coconut oil, rice milk and vanilla with a wire whisk.  Pour this mixture over the flour mixture.  Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Add shredded carrots, apple, and coconut; raisins and sliced almonds.

Fill each muffin cup with the batter, about ¾ full.

Bake in a preheated oven for 26 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean, when inserted.

Remove from the oven.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Pan Fried Colossal Shrimp

This is the easiest and quickest shrimp dish I ever made, and tasty too.

I like to stock up on shrimp (unpeeled) when they’re on sale.  My favorite ones are Colossal Jumbo Shrimp harvested in the seas of Texas.  Our local supermarket here, HEB, usually a sale of this shrimp every two weeks.

I prefer to buy unshelled shrimps because they are minimally processed and therefore the have a better taste compared to the ones that’s already been peeled and deveined.  Yeah it adds a little extra work on my part, but I don’t mind.  I’m willing to spend the extra 10 minutes peeling and deveining the shrimp for the sake of taste. Of course, if you are short of time, and you want to make this dish and have it ready in less than 30 minutes, by all means, buy the peeled and deveined ones…

NOTE:  In all my recipes I use two types of salt: kosher salt and coarse celtic sea salt  for soups.  Kosher salt tastes better than regular salt – it is not bitter, compared to regular salt.  If you don’t have access to kosher salt, use regular salt slightly less than the recipe calls for…

The shrimps only takes 3 – 4 minutes to fry.  And if you want to turn this dish in 15 minutes or less, buy shrimps that have already been shelled and deveined.

Ingredients:

2 pounds Colossal or Jumbo Shrimps – peeled and deveined

1 ½ tsps. kosher or regular salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

½ – 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

½ cup light olive oil (or any vegetable oil)

Breading – see below

Season the shrimps with the kosher salt, ground black pepper, and cayenne.

Heat a skillet and add the oil.  Dredge 8 shrimps at a time, depending on how big is your skillet, and fry in hot oil for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden crispy.  Remove and place fried shrimps in plate lined with paper towels.

Serve with rice or any potato dish you like.  I usually serve this with rice or potato salad with sautéed green beans and or roasted vegetables on the side.

Breading:

2 cups all purpose regular flour

2 tsps. kosher salt

1 ½ tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. cayenne

In a ziploc bag or any deep dish, combine flour, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess