The Unofficial Cook

On our last visit to Younger Sister in Florida last Thanksgiving, she handed us a tub of Olivio Premium Spread for our toast at breakfast.  I was first intrigued by the packaging because it carried Lee Iacocca’s name on it.  But when she told me that it was made from olive oil, I got even more intrigued.  My first taste convinced me that this was the one product I would always choose to have on my toast.  No matter who makes it, or what it’s made of, IT IS DELICIOUS.  it doesn’t hurt that it is also has 85 percent less saturated fat than butter and is cholesterol-free. (more…)

According to published reports and because another new year has just began, someone has again come up with a list of Super Foods which are all supposed to be G-R-E-A-T for you.

Not unlike the Super Heroes of our youthful fancy, they are supposed to fight the evil cancer-causing whatever it is that causes cancer by supplying your body with phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Alrighty… I can believe that.  My mother always told me to eat my vegetables when I was a kid.  This kid was smart enough even then that before Momma could shove it down this little carnivore’s throat, I would gulp down a few greens now and again – chewing and tasting it was another thing though.

And so here I still am – a not so rundown forty-something.  Please don’t ask proof of this last statement – just take my word for it.  Please.

But do these Super Foods TASTE good?  Now that is the question we shall seek to answer today.

First of all, what are these foods and what do they do for us? (more…)

This is a photograph of an ampalaya (bitter melon or bitter gourd) vine grown organically by my newly found cousin, Pito Garcia. We’re second cousins actually and we connected through a website on geneology my maternal relatives have just discovered.  It’s the coolest thing to find relatives online and meet them for the first time in person.  If not for the internet, our paths may not have crossed for a long time.

His farm is located in a beautiful spot surrounded by gentle hills in the Zambales town of San Antonio.  It was a stormy day when Spouse and I went to visit.  You can probably tell by the dark clouds over the hills that more rains were on the way.  The rain and winds came in bursts, strong and surrprising…an amazing display of nature’s power and beauty.  I’m getting all poetic because it was a truly awesome experience.

Pito is currently  experimenting with organic farming. He’s been growing vegetables commercially for about three years now. Going organic is the next logical step. When you’ve lived the life of a farmer, enjoying the clean air, healthy lifestyle, and beautiful, beautiful surroundings that no man can build, going organic is the only way to go.

Watch out in the coming months, the unofficial cook might just turn into the unofficial farmer!

This is a recipe I picked up after coming from a 3-month Bangkok work assignment several years ago.  The photo was taken just before the final stir, aftet I just threw in the scallions, diced tomato and scrambled egg strips. 

The street food of Bangkok fascinated me of course.  The little soi where our office housed their foreign employees was just behind Bumrungrad Hospital, before it became famously world-class.  The street had several little motels, restaurants and several food hawkers selling, fried rice, pork hocks simmering in a sweet brown sauce, grilled seafood, mango salads, fresh fruits with sugar and chili powder…and so much more….which I all tried BTW. (more…)

I was just going over my regular news sites while having my Sunday morning cup of coffee when I found a Yahoo news report about scientists making pigs with heart-healthy fats.

I saw the headline, read it out loud to Spouse, who was in front of his computer next to mine and told him jokingly, “What did they come up with…Omega-3 producing pigs?.”

Imagine my surprise when I clicked on the full report and found that indeed, these super pigs do produce Omega-3 fats that we all know is good for our health and is something we get from fish!

Yes, Omega-3 producing pigs!  Pork, baboy, babi, bacon, pancetta, jamon, longganisa, Virginia ham, Italian sausage, pork chops, Inihaw na Baboy…all that and more suddenly becoming health food! This has got to be a dream…

Happy days….happy days….happy days!!!!!!!