Banana and Cheese Pudding-ding...

Here's a simple but delightful comfort dessert.  PUDDING!!!

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 pieces day old sliced bread broken to small pieces
2 bananas sliced diagonally (or any other fruit you like to go with the pudding)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (depends on what you like)
whipcream (optional)
lady fingers or vanilla wafers (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350F
Beat eggs in a mixing bowl.  Add milk, sugar and vanilla. You can add cinnamon as well if you like.
In an 8" x 8" baking pan put bread covering the whole pan. pour butter all over the bread.
Place sliced banana
Spread shredded cheese to cover
Pour over mixture and make sure bread is soaked up with the custard.
Bake for 45 minutes or until pudding springs back when pushed with fork.
Serve it as it is or make it fancy by adding whipcream and wafers or you can serve it with ice cream.
Enjoy!!!

Tomorrow is June 20, Father's Day. The root word of FATHER is also the same for PATRON, meaning to protect and provide; or PATERNOSTER as in the Lord's Prayer (Our Father).  We, Fathers, have a big responsibility to protect and provide not only material stuff but more importantly, love and spiritual guidance to our children.  We never stop being a father to them no matter how old they grow.

"Colossians 3:21 (NASB) Fathers, do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart."

Godspeed!

Changes and Decisions....

"Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

It’s been a couple of weeks since I last posted a blog and a recipe. Lately, I don't feel like writing at all. My better half (or is it bitter?..he he he) says I could be having the writers' block and for a while I thought that's just it. But I came to terms with it. It's just plain laziness or I just don't feel like writing at all. Or both. Just allow me for a moment to get away with my excuses.

There have been a lot of things that has happened the last couple of weeks. Decision that needs to be made and changes that needs to be done have been piling up. Finally, after so many sleepless nights, we finally did it.

DECISION and CHANGE #1
My business partner and I finally agreed to give up the office we have for the last couple of years and just do a home office for the meantime until economy picks up again. It's a hard decision to do. In my entire existence, this consultancy firm is actually the only business I actually owned (well, ok! half of it!). So, as much as I want to hang on to it, there's no other recourse but to give it up. I know I said we'll be doing home office and we’ll be fine but knowing the trend, I know I will be watching it die slowly. As a matter of fact, I am already seeing it happen before my very eyes. My business partner more saddened by this turn of event, hangs on to it more than I do. Financially, he will not be affected that much because he's already retired. It’s the love of doing what we do then giving it up, that’s what’s breaking his heart. He may not say it but I can feel it. July henceforth will not be what it used to be.

DECISION and CHANGE #2
I finally made up my mind to change career and go back to school. To be honest, I was just forced into it by my present predicament. I don’t know if I could hack it but you got to do what you got to do. I was contemplating whether to go to a culinary school (since I can cook anyways) or do the medical field. No, I’m not gonna be a doctor, you silly! I’m thinking more of the laboratory tech like in the MRI or CAT Scan. Something like that. SO, yesterday, I started applying for federal grant and scheduled my school orientations. Most probably, I will be back in school by fall this year. My better half, which’s been very supportive all these years is kinda excited with the prospect of me going back to school. She’s been persuading me to do so ever since although it was about pursuing a master degree on my field. So hello school! Here I come!!!

DECISION and CHANGE #3
Biggest decision as far as I can tell because it really affected my daily schedule, my relationship, my comings and goings. We finally added a new member in our family. No, not a baby! Well, it is in a way because you have to take care of it like one and it’s about a year and half old. Yup! You guess it right. We got ourselves a DOG! We adopted a mix Chihuahua (actually mukha siyang ASKAL if you ask me and it’s alright! See for yourself). We named him Sheldon after a character from The Big Bang Theory TV show because they share some similar peculiarities.

So there they are the reasons why I was taken away from my laptop and my blogs for two weeks.

“That’s all I have to say about that….”

(P.S.: I'll have a recipe tomorrow.)

Coming of Age...plus CHICKEN INASAL ala CARL!!!

I just finished watching a movie that has been a part of my young life and probably most of my peers of the same age. Do any of you remember the movie “Private Lessons”? I am pretty sure that a lot of you, especially the guys, are smiling right now. I know I am!

Private Lessons was released in 1980, the year we graduated from High School. The film starred the unforgettable Sylvia Kristel as Nicole, the 30-something woman and Eric Brown as Philly, the 15 year-old son of a wealthy businessman. It is basically a Coming-of-Age movie. I will not delve into details as to the storyline but it will suffice to say that this movie has fired up a lot of our imaginations back then. Sylvia Kristel always graced our imaginings a lot, oh yes she did!!!. Ah, the excitement of growing up and the thought of….really nostalgic!

Anyways, while we’re on the subject of reminiscing, our batch is planning of having a reunion in Las Vegas 30 years after graduating high school . Those back home already did and we who are in the other side of the ocean and were unable to attend will have a chance of connecting with our batch mates specially those here in the US, Canada and some from the Caribbean. So far, we have 16 confirmations and counting. Do try to attend if you are a member of our class. For sure, we will have so much fun remembering the happy times that is High School. And guys, I will try to get my hands on a copy of “Private Lessons” and we’ll watch it once again and go back to our memories of Nicole…

 Now, a promise is a promise so here's my recipe for Chicken Inasal.


CHICKEN INASAL

INGREDIENTS

6 to 8 chicken wings or legs
1 head Garlic, finely chopped
1 medium size ginger, grated
2 pcs. Siling pang-sigang, de-seed and finely chopped
½ cup vinegar
¾ cup Soy sauce (Kikkoman if possible)
½ cup sugar
Salt and pepper
Bamboo skewers
Oysters or mussels, depends on preference
3 to 4 bottles of beer
For dipping sauce, use vinegar/soy sauce or calamansi/soy sauce combination. With siling labuyo of course.

In a bowl combined vinegar, soy sauce. Add sugar and dissolve. Add garlic, ginger and sili. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add some more sugar, soy sauce and vinegar according to your taste preference. Marinate chicken for 6 hours. Skew chicken using bamboo skewers and grill slowly on a medium heat. Don’t use high heat because you will undercook the inside meat.

Now you’re probably asking where the oysters/ mussels and beer will come into picture. For appetizers while cooking of course! If you hail from Bacolod you know. But for us who grew up in Manila, the explanation is simply this: in Bacolod, chicken inasal and seafood go together! Plus beer and a heap of newly cooked rice….Kaon ta bala…Godspeed!!!

A Brief Respite On A Galaxy Far Far Away...

“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away….”


A line so familiar to geeks and videophile like myself. For more than two decades now, this movie franchise never cease to amaze the young and old alike, new fans and old fans. Ever since the first Star Wars movie came out in 1977, fans continued to drove in millions to the movie houses when the sequels, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi were shown. More fans were drawn in when the prequels came out knowing that the movies will finally reveal what made Anakin Skywalker turn to the dark side and became the dark lord known as Darth Vader.


Last Saturday, I was treated again to the genius that is Star Wars not via the movie but by its Original Score. John Williams whose career spans six decades composed the Star Wars scores as well as many of the most famous film scores in Hollywood history, including Superman, Home Alone, the first three Harry Potter movies and all but two of Steven Spielberg's feature films including the Indiana Jones series, Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park and Jaws. He also composed the soundtrack for the hit 1960s television series Lost in Space as well as the fanfare of the DreamWorks Pictures' logo. Williams has composed theme music for four Olympic Games, the NBC Nightly News, the rededication of the Statue of Liberty, and numerous television series and concert pieces. He served as the principal conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1980 to 1993, and is now the orchestra's laureate conductor.

The live orchestra and choir conducted magnificently by Lucas Richman treated hundreds of audience in The Orleans Arena to a brand new Star Wars experience by synchronizing the original scores with the footages from all six episodes beamed thru a huge high definition LED super screen with a recorded intro by James Earl Jones, the voice behind Darth Vader plus a brilliant series of introductions for each musical piece performed live by actor Anthony Daniels who appeared as C3-PO in all six episodes. The lasers and pyrotechnics thrown in for good measure were a spectacle to see.

Should the concert come to your city, don’t let it pass without you experiencing the Saga that is STAR WARS…may the Force be with you…

I promised a menu for today. I can’t post it right now due to time constraints but I will tomorrow. Stay tuned. Godspeed!