Happy New Year!!!

Christmas is over. Now I'm looking forward to New Year 2009. It's year of the OXpersonality. I am an OX so I hope this year will be lucky for me, both in business and health
Year of the OX : 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009

Horoscope for the 2009 year of the earth Ox:

The earth Ox is the second earth branch year and is the sixth heavenly stems year. 2009 Chi Chou year is the twenty-sixth cycle in the sixty-year cycle of the Chinese astrology's heavenly stems and earth branches cycle. The Chi Chou 2009 year symbolizes strength gathered through unity, harmony, obedience, courage and hard slog.

- 2009 year is a dutiful, family oriented and dependable year.

- 2009 year of the earth Ox, may show his love in terms of how hard he can work for the loved

ones.

Now in 2009 year of the Ox you may not express your feelings in words but make up it by deeds.

Chinese astrology is different from the Zodiac of the West. Chinese astrology follows the cycles of the moon while the Western astrology follows the cycles of the sun.

THE OX

The Ox of Chinese Astrology is no bull in a china shop. Steadfast and solid, this powerful Sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. Oxen tend to be plodding and methodical; they approach projects in the step-by-step manner that serves them best, and they never lose sight of their goal. They are tireless workers who are detail-oriented and believe in doing things right the first time.

The world may perceive Oxen as being far too serious or incapable of loosening up. This sturdy sort is less than social by nature and tends to become introverted in a crowd. To make things worse, they can't be bothered with what other people think and prefer to do what makes them feel best. Behind that calm facade, though, lives an Ox who can feel hurt, lonely and unable to connect with others. Friends and family are a great source of comfort to this beast, even if they don't always understand what makes the Ox tick. As a lover, friend, family member or housemate, the Ox makes a wonderfully strong, tender and affectionate companion who is protective and always reliable.

Out in the world, though, Oxen tend to be stubborn, dogmatic, my-way-or-the-highway kind of people who have no concept of when to back down. Oxen don't care to be pushed, especially since they think they're the good guys of the Chinese Zodiac. There is some truth to that theory, since the Ox is smart, trustworthy, caring and honorable. If you need honest, steady and unbiased advice, call on the Ox.

A good lesson for mighty Oxen is to strive to overcome a judgmental nature that keeps them from getting close to others. If they can learn to value their own good qualities, they'll have more room in their hearts to invite others in.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

I always have this Christmas blues feeling especially when the month of December is here. It has been a long time since my last post (August) have stopped posting regularly, it's not because that I was running out of ideas, but there were times I feel like quitting. I have readers from different continents who frequently visited my blog, and this is the reason why I am not giving up.

I have been visiting other blogs such as cooking,baking, decorating/home, travel blogs which tops my list. Blogs has been an important part of my life - crossing borders of different cultures, learning from them, sharing their ideas and looking at the beautiful pictures of sceneries around the world.

If you have any comments and suggestions about my blog please feel free to contact my email add: jaylanuza@yahoo.com

Season's greetings and wish you all the best for year 2009!!!!

Red Rocks Amphitheater

I watched a concert here one summer many years ago.

The 868-acre Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, nestled in the Rocky Mountain Foothills just 15 miles outside of Denver near Morrison, was once listed among the Seven Wonders of the World—and with good reason. Ship Rock and Creation Rock, the largest of the monoliths, tower 300 feet above the Red Rocks Amphitheater. These massive brick-colored sandstone monoliths are taller than Niagara Falls.

Red Rocks Park is home to a healthy population of Colorado’s beautiful plants and wildlife. In this area, the Great Plains run into the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of more than a mile, creating a home to a unique blend of animals. An excellent way to spot the various birds, deer, foxes and smaller rodents is to utilize Red Rocks’ hiking trails. The Trading Post loop is 1.4 miles and meanders through the gorgeous rock formations of the park.

Red Rocks Park has been named one of the best concert venues in the world. This incredible open-air amphitheater was designed to preserve the natural beauty of the great sandstone ledges. The massive monoliths act as natural sound walls, creating unparalleled acoustics. The Amphitheater has seen several world-renown acts, including the Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, John Denver and The Beatles.
The natural beauty of Colorado is captured in this amazing park and concert venue, providing 360-degree views of Denver and the Plains for over 200 miles.


Red Rocks is a geologically formed, open-air amphitheatre set in the Rocky Mountain Foothills. The amphitheatre's unique features include two 400-foot monoliths and a naturally occurring theatre set on a mountain stage. This setting, which seats 9,450 people in 70 rows, provides perfect acoustics and has attracted performers worldwide. The amphitheatre, completed in 1941, is part of the 818-acre Red Rocks Park, located 15 miles west of Denver. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre hosts nearly one million day visitors and concertgoers each year from all over the world. The new Visitor Center offers park visitors a newly designed facility, intergrated into the natural rock formations.

Click image to enlarge

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a rock structure in Red Rocks Park near Morrison, Colorado (west of Denver), where concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large boulders angled outwards from stage left and a seating area for up to 9,450 people in between. The amphitheatre is owned and operated by the City and County of Denver, Colorado.

Christmas Tree in our Shop

the bare view of the 7 ft. Christmas tree

Putting the ornaments, I guess I have to add some more decor

A souvenir hand-painted Christmas ornament from a friend in Michigan. She made this specially for me.

I can't believe that Christmas is just around the corner. I haven't posted anything on my blog for quite sometime. I just wanted to post some pictures for the festive season.
We dont really decorate our shop during Christmas except for Christmas lights we hung in our shop window. But this time I decided to put up the 15 year old artificial Christmas tree.

Angel Cake or Chiffon Cake Tube Pans

Angel Cake/Chiffon Cake Tube Pan. There are 3 little feet as pictured above.

Tube Pans has removal bottoms

Chiffon and Angel cakes are baked in tube pans. When I was in the US I had a hard time "pan shopping" for pans, so my sister ordered directly from the pan manufacturers such as Wilton. We waited for about two weeks before our orders arrived. Here in the Philippines the tube aluminum pan is easy to find.

I have 2 tube pans in my dozens of baking cookware. I seldom use this pan except for special occasions like birthdays & holidays. It is easy to order special cakes in bakeries or cake shops but angel and chiffon cakes are no longer made in bakeshops, so making your own angel cake is something special.

Tube pan and electric mixer are essential gadgets in making this kind of cakes. Don't ever buy a non-stick pan as I did before or you'll end up baking a fallen angel. The cake will collapse as it will not cling to the tube and sides of the pan. Do not grease the pan.

What do you do with your egg whites??? Here's the recipe for Angel Food Cake

Angel Food Cake Recipe

12 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups white sugar, divided
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/4 tsp salt


Oven Temp ~ 375° Ore-heat oven
Cake Baking Time ~ 30 - 40 Min. Pan Type ~ 10 x 3 3/4-inch - Angel Food cake pan

Directions:


In large bowl, using a mixer, beat egg whites with cream of tartar at high speed until foamy. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are glossy and stand in soft peaks. Beat in flavorings.Sift together flour, remaining sugar and salt. Sift about 1/2 cup of the flour mixture over whites and gently fold just until flour disappears.
Repeat, folding in remaining flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time. Pour into ungreased 10 x 3 3/4-inch Angel Food pan. Gently cut through batter with metal spatula.Bake in preheated oven until top springs back when lightly touched with finger. Remove from oven immediately and invert cake as soon as possible to maintain its volume and to keep it from shrinking. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. With narrow spatula or knife, loosen cake from pan and gently shake onto serving plate.Top with fruit or frost, if desired.



Chocolate Angel Food Cake Recipe:

Omit almond extract and increase vanilla to 2 teaspoons. Reduce flour to 2/3 cup and sift in 1/3 cup Cocoa Powder. Prepare batter and bake as above.
Yield: 12 servings - 1 (10-inch) cake

Guava Jelly

The finished product!

We made five bottles..
Beautiful & pungent smell...

Fresh Guavas

Guavas are one of the rich sources of Vitamin C. They contain more than 5 times Vitamin C as oranges or fruits listed in the vitamin C categories. They are cheap when in season. For two consecutive days, my brother gave me a bagful of native guavas. My sister suggested that I make a guava jelly.

The pictures shown above is a testimony that we were able to perfect the guava jelly.The smell of guava was overpowering our next door neighbors where curious as to where the pungent smell came from.

Choose green and ripe guavas. Wash and slice into halves. To every kilo of guava, add 2 litres of cold water, cheese cloth, let it drip (overnight), do not squeeze the bag to obtain a clear juice. To every cup of juice extract, add 3/4 cup white sugar. Boil once to dissolve the sugar. Cook over high heat until a soft ball is formed when the jelly is dropped in a cup of water. Immediately pour into sterilized dry glass jars. Let cool before covering the bottles.

To sterilize bottles: Wash bottles with soap and water. Rinse properly. Place the bottles in a pot and cover with water. Bottles may stand up or lie on their sides. Bring water to a boil for about 20 minutes. Remove the bottles immediately and drain.

Now it's ready to be used as spread on crackers and bread.

Fried Fish (Tamban or Herring-Sardinella)

Herring (Sardinella) or tamban, salinyasi, tunsoy, in Tagalog are popular fishes in the Philippines which can be processed into sardines (bottled in oil), canned, tinapa(smoked fish) dried salted fish(daing), fried fish, etc. Prices of this fish variety is not expensive and is lower compared to other fishes. Fish is a good source of proteins, calcium, iodine, riboflavin, and fats from fish is easy to digest.

Yesterday I bought a kilo of Tamban. Frying the fish is the only way to entice the appetites of my sisters, so without further ado, I cleaned the fishes and drain off excess water for about 15 minutes before adding the salt.

1/2 kg Tamban (herring)

• 
  
  1/2 tsp. salt


• oil for deep frynig
  


• 2 big tomatoes sliced, for garnish


• 2 med size onions, sliced
  


• Vinegar & soy sauce for dipping

Preparation:

You may or may not scale the fish. Lay the fish on a cutting board use a sharp knife to cut the heads. Remove the entrails in the stomach. Rinse the fish inside out in running water. Drain off water. Salt the fish.

In hot oil, deep fry fishes in batches.

Arrange on platter. Garnish with slice tomatoes and onions.

Clams

• 1 kg. clams
  2 tbps. oil
  2 cloves garlic, chopped
  1 small onion, chopped
  1 small thumb-size ginger, chopped
  
  Procedure:
  Wash and clean clams in cold water. (Water will help to remove the sand from the clams). In a deep pan, saute onions & ginger in hot oil, add clams (don't put water unless your recipe is for a soup) they release a natural salty juice and cover pot and cook over high heat about 5 minutes or just until clams open. Do not overcook as clams becomes tough (discard clams that will not open).
  
  
  Tips: Do not put salt. Clams juice are naturally salty. If you'll make a clam soup then add about 8 cups of water and salt to taste.
  

Pork Braised in Soy Sauce

Braised Pork Belly
1/2 kg pork belly with skin on

• 1 medium onion, diced
  
• ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices
  
• 3 cloves of garlic
  
• 2tbsp cooking oil
  
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
  
• 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
  
• 1 pc. bay leaf, crushed
• 3 cups water
  
  Procedure:
  Heat the pan over medium heat, add the oil, then the diced onions, chopped ginger. Continue cooking the onions and spices, about two minutes.
  Put the pork belly flat, on the pot over the onions and spices. Add enough water to completely cover the belly, add the soy sauce, crushed garlic cloves, brown sugar and crushed bay leaf.
  Put the lid on the pot and turn the heat up to high and bring the pot to a boil. Let simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes or until the pork is cooked and tender.

You can serve this over rice or any kind of noodle you have. You can add as topping blanched bok choy or diced carrots.

Chicken Lollipop

Cut joints of chicken wings & scrape, push meat down to form a ball.

Coat with the dredging flour

Chicken Lollipops

10 pcs. chicken wings (upper portion of the wings)

1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
oil for deep frying


Dredging mixture:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. garlic powder
dash of red chillis (optional)

Procedure

Cut chicken at the joints. Pull skin and scrape the meat and push it down to the other end of the joint to form a ball. Set aside. Reserve the ther parts for soup or other purposes.
Marinate chicken with salt and pepper for half an hour Mix the dredging mixture. Combine the chicken and coating mixture. Let rest for half an hour. In deep pan, dip fry chicken over medium heat until golden brown. Serve hot with your fave dips

About Sweetlee

ABOUT SWEETLEE

Sweetlee interest in cooking has been influenced by many diffirent cultures having lived and travelled in 3 continents including her own country. She had worked in the hotel industry for over 15 years(not food related) a corporate executive until cancer came into her life but it didn't stopped her from traveling and working. As a survivor of 17 years (peri-ampullary) she was able to adjust her daily routine like cooking, baking, internet business, travel, and blogging for many hours (complaining of eye strain & poor eyesight - lol). The main reason why she made this blog is to talk about her recipes, cooking, baking and travel. She incorporates her cancer experience in this blog to let people know specially those who are "survivors" that there is hope, chance of survival and be normal again and do the things that you want to do while you are alive. You can say at the end of the day thank God you are alive. I need to live without regrets... to live the remainder of my life to the fullest and appreciate the simple things that sorrounds us, whether I will last for a number of years or for many decades more.

Sweetlee favorite food:

Noodles: She loves noodles. She can cook noodles in many ways. She can eat noodles everyday but she wouldn't do it, too much carb.

Veggies: When she was small she disliked veggies. But now it tops on her list.

Milk: was her favorite drink until 5 years old. Now she feels nauseated just thinking of it.

Sugary food: Because of her diabetes, she is careful about eating sweets.

Pop Soda: was top on her list as a favorite drink until diabetes stopped her from taking it.

Rice - to give her energy

Things you'll find in her kitchen cabinet:

All kinds of Noodles, canton, bihon, sotanghon, thai noodles etc.

Spices - pepper, bay leaf, 5-spice powder, curry, star anise,

Cooking condiments - oyster sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, cooking oil, cornstrach, Wasabi, dried mushroom, canned Tuna, canned mushroom, eggs, onions, chilli pepper

Baking - baking powder, yeast, brown sugar, butter, cocoa, chocolate chips, flour, cream of tartar, vanilla,

Kitchen gadgets

baking pans, mixer, bread machine, spatula, peeler, pasta machine, turbo, ovens of different sizes aside from the six-burner Elba gas/electric range, slow cooker, coffee maker and many more.

Collections:

hundreds of cookbooks and cook & house magazines, cooking ware.

Others:

PC, scanner, webcam, printer, fax machine

Eggplant Salad (Ensaladang Talong)

This week, I'll be posting some Filipino recipes that are easy to make. I started off with Sinigang na baboy. My second posting is Eggplant Salad. Talong or eggplant is one of fave veggies. You can cook a variety of eggplant recipes like Tortang Talong, Rellenong Talong, Ginataang Talong, and many more. Eggplant can be prepared by grilling but I prefer boiling 'cause it's time consuming.
Ingredients:

2 pcs. med. size eggplant (long purple ones)

2 med. size tomatoes, sliced in wedges

1 pc. green onion

For the dressing:

3 tbsp. fish sauce or bagoong

2 tbsp. white vinegar

dash of black pepper or chillis

Procedure:
Boil eggpant (cut-off the stalks) in water until cooked. Remove from pan and let it rest and cool. Cut or chop into bite-size pieces with the skin on. If you don't like to eat the skin, cut in half vertically and scrape the meat. Set aside. Slice tomatoes into thin wedges. Slice green onions.

Mix in a deep bowl or in a shallow platter all of the above ingredients. Season with fish sauce, white vinegar and dash of pepper. Mix and toss lightly. If you want a spicy taste you can add chilli powder cut red chillis. Let stand for 15 minutes minutes in the ref. before serving.

Colorado Scenery

Aspen Town

Continental Divide Map
In the USA it is located in the Rocky Mountains.

Indepence Pass (Continental Divide)
The Independence Pass connects Aspen with Twin Lakes. The elevation is 12,095 feet, because of the altitude I'd seen a lot of tourists throwing-up especially people coming from low altitude places. The scenery was dominated by snow-covered peaks

Colorado tops among my favorite state in USA.

Freemont Pass and Mt. Elbert (click photos to enlarge)

On our way to Aspen Colorado, passed by this breathtaking scenery. We stopped and took photos of the peak as my backdrop. It was an amazing sight, picking flowers was prohibited but nobody was watching, can't resisit the temptation, so I picked one anyway. The mountains were covered by snow on a sunny day . The drive over Indepence Pass to Aspen is one of the most beautiful scenic drives in Colorado. You can see the beautiful scenery out of your car window. It was awesome.

Sinigang na Baboy (Pork Sour Soup)

My sister and I were debating as to what vegetables and souring agents to use in cooking pork sinigang. There are many local veggies to use such as eggplants, radish, beans, etc. and souring ingredients such as tamarind, kamias, guava, vinegar and calamansi. After 15 minutes of deliberation she had chosen kangkong and gabi plus the sinigang mix. If I have my way, I like to use radish, cabbage and okra in my sinigang.

Ingredients

2 lbs. pork belly, cut into 2 in. cubes

1 medium size gabi(taro roots) cut in 2 in. cubes
1 medium onion sliced thinly
1 small tomato, diced
4 cups of kangkong or spinach or pechay (bok choy)
2 pcs. chillis(long green chilli)
½ packet of Knorr Sinigang Mix
Salt to taste
6-7 cups of water (add more if necessary)

Directions:
In a large pot bring to a boil 6 cups water. Add pork, cover, and let it boil. Remove scum from the broth. Add onions, tomatoes, salt to taste, the sinigang mix and let cook for 15 minutes or until pork is tender.

Add gabi, cover, and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. Lastly, add Kangkong, long green chilli. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Serve with hot rice.

Note: If kangkong is not available, you can use spinach or bok choy

Moussaka (Eggplant Lasagna)

This is a dish of layered eggplants and meat topped with white sauce and baked. Moussaka means "casserole". Origin is Greek.

For Filling

3 large eggplants
1 cup oil
3 large onions, chopped
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 cup bread crumbs
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For cream sauce:
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
3 beaten eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
dash white pepper
dash nutmeg

Wash eggplants. Slice eggplants (with skins) into 1/2-inch rounds or cut into 1/4 inch lengthwise. Sprinkle with a little salt and let stand 20 minutes to remove any bitter taste. Rinse in cold water; pat dry. In a frying pan, heat oil, fry eggplants briefly about 1 or 2 minutes or brown slices of eggplant on both sides. Set aside and drain on paper towels.

In skillet saute onions in 1/3 cup oil until tender. Add ground meat and saute around 5 - 10 minutes. Drain off any excess fat. Return to skillet. Add tomato paste, water, parsley, salt, pepper. Simmer until liquid is nearly absorbed. Take off heat, add 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 2 beaten eggs, and 1/4 cup cheese.

For cream/custard sauce: Bring milk almost to a boil. In another saucepan, melt butter. Blend in flour with wire wisk stirring constantly. Add warm milk slowly to butter-flour mixture, stirring vigorously. Continue stirring and cooking. When mixture is thickened and smooth, remove from heat. Cool slightly. Slowly add a little of the cream mixture to beaten eggs, then pour back into cream sauce and stir well. Add white pepper, nutmeg and cheese.

To Assemble:

Grease 9" x 13" baking dish or pan. Sprinkle bottom lightly with bread crumbs. Cover with a layer of eggplant slices. Spoon on all of meat mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Arrange remaining eggplant over meat mixture. Pour cream sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake custard uncovered until custard is set about 1 hour.Bake 350 degrees F. If custard oozes out, cook longer another half hour. Remove - cool slightly before cutting into squares.

Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho Segment

June 14, 2006 (Sat) - I had a very brief part on Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho show (Daboy segment) but the experience of appearing on TV was a rare opportunity for me, Ms. Soho being the country's top TV journalist and an award winning show, was indeed a privilege.

My neighbors, my internet shop customers, and my friends watched the show. When I went to the meat shop at the wet market, he remarked "Ate" I saw you on TV. I was an instant celebrity. In the market, they asked me what is peri-ampullary cancer. They had no idea what that cancer is all about. So I pointed to the "laman-loob" displayed and hanged in his meat shop.

I pointed out the pancreas, the small intestine, the stomach, the liver & the gall bladder. Inside these areas are pancreatic and bile ducts connected to the head of the pancreas, liver, gall bladder and the duodenum(upper part of the small intestine). The cancerous tumor had grown here somewhere. It was hard explaining, but I was able to describe where the tumor originated.

They asked me several questions: Why I survived? What are the symptoms? Where I was operated etc...

GMA Kapuso Jessica Soho Reports

June 8, 2008 - Surprise, surprise!!! I got an email from GMA Channel 7 Jessica Soho inviting me for an interview with regard to peri-ampullary cancer. They were looking for survivors to relate their story on their show.

I have a number of reasons why I was hesitant to do the interview. First, time element, they wanted to conduct the interview the same day they called me. I wasn't prepared, I have a shop to attend to etc. Secondly, I was shocked parang showbiz ang dating, di kaya ng lola mo at ma expose ang beauty ko (lol), third, I don't want publicity, the whole Philippines and other parts of the US will see me discussing my illness.

But, when they informed me that they will be doing the story for Rudy Fernandez, I finally agreed. I was not a fan of Rudy but I considered him as one of the "Pogiest" macho actors in the Philippines. I have stayed abroad for many years so I lost track of showbiz happenings. When I came home in 1998, I started updating myself with the current TV shows here. I enjoyed watching Daboy comedy sitcom in GMA.

I truly admired Lorna for being strong and a faithful woman till the end. She is a remarkable woman.

Rudy Fernandez and Peri-ampullary Cancer

June 7, 2008 - actor Rudy Fernandez passed away at age 56 after a two- year battle with peri ampullary cancer.

Why am I upset? Why am I affected? His friends, fans and everyone who knew him mourned his death. How am I related with Daboy, what is my connection to him?

What do we have in common?
The answer is Peri-Ampullary Cancer! Yes... we have the same illness. The only difference is he was diagnosed at stage IV in 2006 and mine was diagnosed early in 1991. We both have Whipple Surgery (pancreaticoduodenectomy).

Last year, I started this blog to write about food, recipes and my travels. When I learned about Rudy's CA, I decided to blog my experience with this type of illness which only a survivor could relate, explain, and feel what its like to be stricken with this rare type of cancer.

What is a Whipple operation?
In the Whipple operation the head of the pancreas, a portion of the stomach, bile duct, and the duodenum is removed. Occasionally a portion of the stomach may also be removed. After removal of these structures the remaining pancreas, bile duct and the intestine is sutured back into the intestine to direct the gastrointestinal secretions back into the gut.

Daboy will suffer no more.

How to Peel & Cut a Pineapple Fruit

How to Cut & Peel Pineapple Fruit

Cut off the top & the bottom. Cut off the rest of the pineapple skin by slicing down from top to bottom along each row of eyes.

Don't try to cut off too much of the skin, the "eyes" of the pineapple are arranged in a diagonal manner. Using your knife, cut out several "eyes".

If you like to cut the pineapple into wedges or chunks, first cut the pineapple into four sections.
Slice the fruit in half, and then into wedges:

Pineapple is a juicy sweet fruit, which is delicious, healthy and nutritious and can be eaten raw or used in cooking. The fruit is rich in a variety of minerals and vitamins and therefore has numerous health benefits.