"Link Me Up" Blooper.. oops! =D

I've been trying to exchange links with some friends and I realized too late that I sent them the wrong link for my other blog.. UH-OH!

The URL of my other blog, Quench My Thirst is supposed to be quench-my-thirst.blogspot.com (with the dashes). Sorry guys! ;-)

And so far, I'm having a hard time importing my blogs from my old site, Ketchup, please? so if you'd like to peek into my previous posts.. please feel free to drop by there! =)

Astounded by a Pot, I am.

Don't be weirded out... it's really just in my nature to be astounded by "domestic" discoveries.

I was introduced by a friend to "Thermal Cooking" and now I want one sooooo bad, I'm at a loss on how and where I can find a Thermal Cooker here in Dubai! I'll be starting to work soon and was considering buying a slow cooker so we can still have hearty meals at the end of the day, but I don't feel 100% secure leaving an appliance turned on the whole time we're out.

And so, my friend told me all about her Thermos Cooker. It works like a Crockpot or a Slow Cooker, WITHOUT ELECTRICITY! Amazing, isn't it? You just have to combine all ingredients and boil it for about 10-20 minutes, then transfer it to the Thermal Cooker, and it retains the heat and slow-cooks the food for you. One time, she said, out of curiosity, she opened hers after 4 hours and it was still simmering.

Here it is...  Kinda costly, but I think it's a good investment considering all the electricity and gas you'll save over time. It's nice as well to bring to picnics, camping, parties...

I told hubby about it last night, and I just said that I wanted it, and it was one of those non-negotiable deals (har har). Anyway, so I can order it through my sister maybe... then she can send it to the Philippines in my parents' balikbayan box... Ok, so it's gonna arrive in Manila.. BUT I need it here, in Dubai. Now what? =(

I want one. NOW! How? *think* *think*

Gone Loco over Choco!!!

My love affair with chocolates is spinning out of control. In a month, I use PMS as excuse for almost 2 weeks.. and when "the day" comes, I'm excused again for a while.. On other days, it's "migraine"... or "low blood sugar", or "that my lola trained me to always have dessert.." or as simple as "I have sweet tooth, I just can't resist".

I've so far mastered the puppy-dog-eye look and hubby can only laugh and shake his head as I walk out the chocolate store with a bag of goodies, and a "sparkle" in my eyes. Aaaahh.. *heaven*...

So I thought... why don't I try my hand at making home-made chocolates, give it as Christmas presents, or even sell it too!

My parents are in the US right now visiting my sisters, and now's my chance to order some stuff from Amazon through them.. Uhmm... I'm actually thinking of asking these for  "pasalubong"... They asked me what I wanted, anyway! I'm sure they're gonna buy me some stuff, so I might as well request for something I really need like. *teehee*

My cocoa-filled heart (and veins) is pumping with excitement.. I simply can't wait to get my hands on these chocolate paraphernalia :-)

Here are what I plan to order... I hope it's not too much... it just costs as much as a pair of shoes --even cheaper! ;-D (Thanks Mymy and Daddooooooo!!!)

         

Cheese of the Week: Emmental, Brie & Camembert

Swiss Emmental Cheese

You might have guessed it already... yessir, I'm a Cheese-lovah! 
My favorite has always been Camembert (but I'll talk about that later). Anyway, I thought of including a different kind of cheese in our grocery list every week... just a little each time cuz hubby and I can only consume so much (since I'm the cheese-lover, at least 80% goes to me.. oops, there goes my diet!)
Anyway.. for this week, I chose Swiss Emmental Cheese. I like it... Gentle flavor yet it has a little sharp taste.  Perfect for nibbling! =)


Here's some Emmental Cheese Trivia:
Emmentaler is a yellow, medium-hard cheese, with characteristic large holes. It has a piquant, but not very sharp, taste. As the cheese cures, the bacteria inside generate a great deal of carbon dioxide. The thick rind on the outside traps the gas inside, causing it to form distinctive large holes. Typically, the cheese is aged for at least four months, and often much longer. 
The cheese melts extraordinarily well, making it a popular choice for grilled sandwiches and baked dishes which include cheese. It can also be sliced and eaten plain, and is a popular inclusion on cheese plates. 


And now, let's talk about my first love... CAMEMBERT CHEESE: 

 

Ohhhh, Mama Mia, doesn't this look heavenly? *drool*

I developed this love affair with Camembert a few years back when we went to Rome for a trip. Every morning we had a breakfast buffet which included a wide selection of cheeses... ohhh I was in Cheese Heaven!!! So every morning I wolfed down this certain cheese, and a couple of years after, I still couldn't forget it.  On our trip to Finland, we stayed in a hotel and every morning I read the same magazine they had in the stand... a magazine about Cheeses and the perfect wine to go with it! On my last day, I snuck off with it... sorry, I just couldn't resist. ;-P  Anyway, so that's where I found out the name of this Cheese that has captured my heart, lol. It's called Camembert Cheese (which looks similar to Brie Cheese.)


Now, this is BRIE CHEESE:

Since they look very similar, here's some Camembert vs. Brie Cheese Trivia:


Brie /ˈbriː/ is a soft cows' cheese named after Brie, the French province in which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern département of Seine-et-Marne). (an area south-east of Paris where the cattle grazed on stony river beds)


Camembert is a soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Normandy in northern France. (where a different breed of cattle grazed on lush green pastures.)


Brie and Camembert are both types of soft white cheese. 

The process used to make Brie is very similar to that used for Camembert, but Brie is made in larger wheels, ranging from about 1 to 6 pounds (500g to 3kg) in weight, 9 to 15 inches in diameter and 1 to 1.5 inches in thickness, although it also can be found in 8-ounce disks.

Camembert’s smaller size will affect it in several ways. It tends to age slightly more quickly, and the flavor of a true Camembert will be a little stronger than that of a true Brie. Gilles, a fromagier at Artisanal Premium Cheese in New York City, explains that, because of its smaller size, Camembert will lose moisture more quickly, which concentrates its flavor.

Brie and Camembert are not for dieters (hence, the heavenly taste, haha!) ; both are high fat cheeses, which is part of what makes them taste good. Steven Jenkins describes the taste of a true, raw milk Brie or Camembert as “simultaneously fried-eggy, garlicky, nutty, truffle-like, and mushroomy” and adds that both will “melt on your tongue with a sensuous feel” that factory-made cheeses cannot hope to replicate.

Removing the more desirable tip from a wedge of brie is known as "pointing the Brie" and is widely regarded as a serious social faux pas.

(info from Wikipedia)

Pinoy na Pinoy Dinner!

I was craving for some Pinoy Barbecue so I made some as soon as I was able to buy some calamansi and Jufran Banana Ketchup. 

I just googled some recipes and came up with this combination for the marinade:

minced garlic

minced onion

calamansi

toyo (soy sauce)

banana ketchup

7up

The only thing is, I "barbecued" it in a Turbo Broiler. :P Good enough, it has that Pinoy barbecue marinade taste but without the smoky taste though huhu. (We're trying to avoid grilling on coals for health purposes).

BUT... with some atchara, and kamatis at itlog na maalat salad, and a Sosing's-inspired bulalo soup (beef broth with petchay, onion, potato and LOTS  of pepper!), and of course, sukang maanghang na sawsawan, it was Purrr-fect! =)

Purrr-fect enough, that 15 minutes after hubby finished, I was still chowing down the food... And as we say after a wonderful meal -- Tumba lahat! ;-)

Race against Grey Hair :-P

I'm so due for a visit to the parlor.
I hate it when I look at the mirror and I see 3 grey hairs which spurted on my head on a very visible spot!
What bothers me more is feeling that these 3 grey hairs just grew without standing for anything in my life's experiences or growth. It just grew while I lived my life on "Pause" for the past 2 years. Long explanation, but that's just the case. 

I dare not ask hubby to check if there's more in the back. It will just make me more upset. waaah...
I got grey hairs and hubby has none. Hmmmp.

I better do something good with my life before a fourth one grows! (knock on wood)

Egg-citing Tip!

The best SCRAMBLED EGGS I've ever eaten was in Sokos Hotel Torni in Finland. I was there with hubby for almost 2 weeks a couple of years back, and every day we had buffet breakfast with the most wonderful scrambled eggs... Perfectly fluffy, creamy/milky yet very light, almost bland yet it tastes perfectly yummm! Just pure dreamy, creamy goodness in every bite! Ahhh, that was the best "eggs-perience" I've ever had so far and I was never successful in my attempts to replicate it. 

Anyway, I just found an egg-citing tip in Hello! Magazine which I think is worth a try...

The slower you scramble them, the creamier eggs become. Remember that they'll continue to cook after you've removed them from heat. 

Those Hotel Torni scrambled eggs must have been cooked  real slow. hahaha just kidding. I'll definitely try this tip and will let you know what happens. =)