Pumpkin Treats

With Halloween just looming around the corner, I have been dropping hints, almost everyday, about what I miss most about this HOLIDAY - more than the costumes, more than the festivities, I miss Just Desserts' Pumpkin Cookies & Cakes.... and probably because he is soooo tired of hearing me go on and on about it, David actually made some PUMKIN treats for everyone... and for two consecutive days, too!!!
Yesterday he made us all Pumpkin Flats (pictured above)... simple and healthy with sprinklings of Cranraisins (who invents these stuff?)... and tonight his variation of the Pumpkin Cookies (Pictured Below)... some topped with white chocolates... some with cherry preserves... so you see, it helps to drop hints... okay, whine about these kind of things...
Okie Dokie... now that I have satisfied my Pumpkin Cookies desires - bring on the REAL HALLOWEEN!!!!

Taiwan Burrito... or is it Lumpia... or Crepe???

...who cares... it IS Delicious!!!!

Yesterday, Saturday the 18th I was able to TASTE what I think is, something fresh and different... and combines two of Yilan's BEST offerings: Taro Ice Cream & Candied Peanut...

Not sure what the name is - as most just refer to it as, Wassen hen bing chiling (peanut and ice cream), very original.... and simple... but there is nothing simple in the making of this delicious treat.... as a matter of fact, each and everyone made took a lot of laborious preparations... even though the two main ingredients, -- taro ice cream and the candied peanut -- are already pre-made....
Shaving the candied peanut alone took so much labor, and if one has to make so many of these a day to make a living - you will have one really tired vendor at the end of the day.... an ample amount of shaved peanut are put on the lumpia wrapper, then two scoops of Taro ice cream... and add a sprinkling of cilantro for additional flavor and aroma, too... the results is one heavenly treat... total delight to the taste pallet...
Am told that this was first invented here in YILAN - a few years back... so it became one of their most famous delicacy.... and it is apparent as all the little towns surrounding Yilan that we went to had their own offerings of this refreshing treat....

if all else fails... CHEEZE IT!!!!

One of the things that I could never, ever, give up from my diet has got to be one of the most fattening things there is for me, as well... heck, it is fattening for anyone... but what's a few more km to run, laps to swim, calories to burn when you can enjoy the flavours of cheese... any kind of cheese.....

In my opinion, they are some of the most SAVORY things ever invented to spice up most dishes... from cookies to sandwiches... to cakes to pasta dishes.... I cannot even tell you how many macaroni and cheese lunches I had throughout High School... Okay, even well into my college years.... and then I discovering GRILLED CHEESE sandwiches during one of my late nite, after clubbing food stops with friends... WOW, I was like a PREGNANT WOMAN craving it anytime of the day... and nite!!

Through my travels I have had the pleasure of trying all kinds of cheeses... from exotic ones to unpronounceable named ones -- but the ones I still crave from time to time, and still stock up as much as I can, when I can are the different types of Cheeses made locally by Magnolia, from The Philippines... they are nice and creamy, easy to slice, and made from natural cheeses - so that has to be a good source of Calcium eh... and BEST of all, it brings the familial aspects to me having spent my younger days in The Philippines - where I first discovered, and fell in love with, Cheeses...

The Hills are Alive.... with FRUITS!!!

Growing up in California - I had the pleasure of doing weekend treks to the Napa County now and again... am not much of a drinker,well, none at all but still one can savour the views, the fresh air, and seeing all that grapes growing... Who would have thought I would end up having the same kind of experience here in Taiwan... while visiting one of my roomates' home in the Nantou County -- we were treated to a whole different kind of living... away from the hustle and bustle of city life... and into the relaxing calmness of country life... with lots of FRESH AIR to boot...

Saturday morning, while most are still asleep, we decided to take advantage of the fresh air and walkabout the neighborhood.... first we come across papaya trees, then lycee trees - lot so of them - too bad the season is over so none to try... we lucked out though as we came across some LONGYUEN (Dragon Eye Fruit) - the season is almost over but still some lingers on unharvested.... and they were just so easy to reach, practically growing on the sides of the roads... so needless to say, we picked them off the trees and ate - A LOT!!! Sweet, Juicy & Delicious!!!!

Then it was lot, after lot, after lot of grapes.... unripe green grapes, just beautiful to look at and feel.... good thing they were not ripe yet or else we would have been in biiiig trouble... we learned later on that grapes grown in this area are very much sought after Island wide... David talked to a couple of the farmers... interrogated them actually about growing grapes and when is harvest season... so we learned that is is around December when they start ripening and farmers get ready to harvest... YOU CAN BET WE WILL BE BACK THEN!!!

Bawan : Taiwan's Meat Balls

Bawan is Taiwanese for Rou Wan and is also known, amongst foreigners like me, as Taiwanese Meat Ball.

This Taiwanese delicacy is such a popular street food, and is actually one of David's most favorite street style dishes. They are basically dumplings stuffed with meat, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots, with the glutinous outer part is of sweet potato flour or steamed rice dough (for me, the BEST PART of the dish!). There are also regional variations to this dish but for the most part it is consistent to the ingredients above.
The sauce, am told, is made of 3 different kinds of things... no one - to date - has been able to tell me what they are, but it is definitely good.
This one above we drove around looking for in Yulin, for about 20 minutes, we specifically stopped by this area to taste this - which is the town's special dish -- and it was worth looking for, indeed!

LUGAR: Home Bread Bar

Saturday - Sept 4th
Another get together brunch with Juliana... David and I met up with her at this place called LUGAR, a type of Bread Bar that DAVID happened upon online.... I thought the name alone is worth checking out - as LUGAR, in TAGALOG literally translates to Place... so it had a nice ring to it - for me anyway....

The concept is very interesting, different types of freshly baked bread to choose from and all sorts of sauces to dipped them into... one can have PASTA meals, as well, but for the most part the BREAD is what people come here for....

For a lite brunch - it is not a bad choice at all... filling enough especially if you opt for the SET meal... by adding another NT$130 (a little above US$4.00) soup, salad, dessert and coffee will be included.... but if you are on the really HUNGRY side - then I suggest going elsewhere as the portions are not very much...

The Best part of going to this place, for me, was that i got to walk around this neighborhood that I was completely oblivious of... such a cool nice neighborhood with lots of little restaurants running the gamut of fancy to home-style, quaint little shops (one even sells retro furniture) and other specialty shops...

oh what a treat!!!

Last nite, David came home with a wonderful dessert called Canele... I had never heard of it before but am sure I have seen it at one point in bakeries in the US, if not Europe or Asia... but it was never anything I cared to order as it did not even look good -- as you can see in my accompanying photos (or maybe my photos are just bad... lols) -- anyway, it was never one to tempt my sweet tooth.... it looked like a miniature size pound cake that was a bit burnt from over baking....

I cannot even tell you how glad I am that DAVID did bring it home -- it was like biting into a piece of heaven, SWEET HEAVEN!!!! The brownish shade of the outside is due to the caramelization of the crust... But one bite into it and you will surely enjoy the soft and tender, savory taste of the custard center. Like my other favorite dessert, Flan, caneles are made of egg, milk & flour... and rum and vanilla are used to caramelize the outer part.

So this just goes to show me, once again, "I should never, ever "judge a book by it's cover...", this French dessert will surely become one of my all time FAVE!!!!

The Thing ABout Seafood

All my life I have always hated eating seafood... not because I do not like their taste... on the contrary I love the taste of most.... growing up I had gotten used to eating nothing but fish and veggies...as it was all that my MOM liked to feed us.... then in High School our DAD would drag us to go crabbing around the Bay Area, almost every other weekend... then it would be CRAB FEST at home....

The thing that I HATE about them is the trouble one has to go through in order to savour each taste.... I hate having to de-shell shrimps -- so I only like them when they are made the tempura way.... I hate having to pick all the bones off of them... not to mention having to deal with one that you actually makes it to your mouth and pricks you... Lols... then there's crabs - tastes GREAT but even messier to eat.... So when at parties or out to dinner in public, I do try to avoid eating these -- as much as I would love to have them...

Instead, I look forward to the times when am dining with family and they actually debone, de-shell, de-everything and anything for me... as they all know that it is one of the things I hate having to deal with the most... right up there with lining up for anything....

Then there are the, even more special times, when David gets inspired and actually cooks seafood for all of us.... he knows enough to choose fish that are not too bony... or larger shrimp which he prepares and de-shell already.... and now and again, SQUID.... already cleaned and one can pretty much eat everything and not fret about having to make a mess.... Recently he treated us all to this delicious SQUID dish... made totally from his IMAGINATION and just sooo full of flavour... it was savory, chewy and most of all, not messy to eat... TO me that IS the BEST TYPE of SEAFOOD!!!

Something Different: Dairy Queen

Last nite of the Manila Trip in September...we decided to go and check out the progress on the CONDO high rise in Eastwoods City... we were caught in such heavy rain that we decided to weather it out and enjoy some desserts --being that was COLD & WET, we opted for ICE CREAM - naturally!!! Hahahahahaha....

Our choice was Dairy Queen.... something different for the family as they have never had it before.... Haagen Daaz is much more available in Shopping Malls in Manila... though I know of this place growing up in the Bay Area (California, USA), I did not get to have it again till I went to Vancouver to visit David, who was studying at the Culinary School at the time.... his rented home happens to be walking distance to a Dairy Queen.... and no matter where we are headed, we seems to be walking by it... so enticing but alas, always too crowded and busy... We did manage to enjoy it a couple of times though... once while suffering through the long lines... and another time in LANGLEY with Larraine and Jill (With David in photo above)... such a sweet treat and very much lining up for!!!

So during this last trip in Manila, it was such a pleasant surprise finding one at GATEWAY Mall, in the Cubao Area... needless to say, we immediately went up to the counter and ordered a couple of BLIZZARDS -- just as good as we remember it... So I made it a point to take the whole family to try it out.... and it worked out well as the last nite before heading back to Taiwan, after checking up on the progress of the EASTWOODS Condos, I was able to take everyone for Blizzards at the DAIRY QUEEN branch there... so everyone got to try something different and became Dairy Queen converts instantly...

And a bit more INFO according to WIKI:
"Dairy Queen, often abbreviated to DQ, is a international chain of ice cream and fast food restaurants. Its first location was founded in 1938 by John McCullough and since 1940 it has used a franchise system to expand its operations globally. Its largest franchisee is the Texas Dairy Queen Operating Council which runs the majority of DQ locations in the state of Texas.

Dairy Queen International is the parent company of Dairy Queen. In the US it operates under the American Dairy Queen title. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. At the end of its fiscal year 2006, Dairy Queen reported over 5,600 stores in more than a dozen countries; about 4,600 of its stores (or approximately 85%) were located within the United States."

Burger, Burger, & Burjer???

...and they say AMERICA has more BURGER joints!!! During last month's visit in Manila -- we came to realize that The Philippines comes close in being the second Burger capital in the world.... sooo many Burger Joints to choose from, ranging from dives to upper class joints... and that is not counting TGIF, WENDY's, Burger King, McDonalds & The Philippines' answer to McDo, Jollibee -- the latter two btw, can be found not just in every mall in The Philippines but a lot of busy street corners as well....This trip though, we opted to check out a few other places.... off the beaten, tried, path, as one would say.... with the first being Burger Machine... now these joints are practically everywhere there are a lot of foot traffic... mostly where there are blue collar worker... they look like little buses that was turned into an eatery.... and true to their clientle, the menu is simple and really, really cheap... of course, the actual burger leaves a lot to be desired...

2nd stop was quite an improvement, Belgian Fries... not sure really why this is the joint's name as their most famous products are burgers called, SLAMMER... the Burgers are quite tasty and packs a punch in the cheese department... they are also a good size so most would opt to get 2 to satisfy the hunger.... Price is Moderate... I would definitely recommend this one and for sure, will go back to again and again... I only know of the one at Greenhills.... really worth trying out....

Another disappointing stop was Ben's Burjer, a new joint recently opened on Libertad Street...walking distance from our CONDO.... the name alone should have tipped us off... when I asked the cashier why is it called Burjer (thinking that they might have just spelled it wrong, she simply replied: "just to be different..." It was different alright.... different as in hardly edible and price on the high side...

There are other places to try am sure... ace even insists we need to go to the all you can eat burgers in 1 hr for one price... or the one where yo ahve to down a big sized burger in a matters of seconds, and you get your money back... LOLs, my stomach is hurting just thinking about them.... For now this is all my stomach could handle... and the one thing we have decided on is that - nothing still beats the YUMMY taste of the YUM Burgers from Jollibee...

Angel's Kitchen - Manila, Philippines

Have you ever read a REVIEW about a movie or a restaurant; get excited by it to see or try; then be soooo disappointed??? Sadly, that is just how our LUNCH EXPERIENCE turned out to be with Angel's Kitchen...

The FOOD magazine review talks of fusion and modernizing the Filipino food.... tasty delicious concoctions.... and moderate pricing.... boy it was wrong on all count by our standards....

The ambiance was nice enough... the staff, friendly and accommodating... but the food was not up to par at all... most everything was on the BLAND side --I mean how can Pinakbet Rice not be tasty when you already have sooo many things thrown in there? and this is one of their most famous specialty dish? Mandarin Chicken, was basically friend chicken with some lemon sauce.... and worse, the chicken was cold and dry... only the sauce was HOT!
(Right Photo: Possibly the BEST part of the dining experience for me.)

I really do not mind paying for food but if one has to pay an average of 350.00+ Pesos for each plate on the menu (roughly US$7.50) - the restaurant should really make sure that the food is at least good... even not excellent.... maybe it was an off day for the chef -- who knows? it just made for a very unsatisfying dining experience... and from noticed with the other diners - no one seemed to have a smile on their faces leaving the place... surely, they, like us, did not have a Heavenly Experience!!!
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Angel's Kitchen, San Juan
57 Connecticut St., North East Greenhills
San Juan, Metro Manila
(02) 744-1018
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Biscotti ala David

Biscotti with my morning coffee - YUM!!!

This morning I woke up to a special treat - freshly baked BISCOTTI.... David was inspired once again to bake something different and so he tried his hands at these Italian treat cookies....

He basically tried to retraced the way of making it, learned from Chef Fausto, from his stint in Turino, Northern Italy... made his own twists by changing it a bit... instead of a regular biscotti - he made it a chocolate flavoured one ... and even added raisins instead of chopped nuts.... I have not had them in a while so it was a very nice treat to start the day, indeed!!!


And as an added bonus - I even get to learn more about Biscottis, as David also fed me some facts:
-Biscotti is the plural form of Biscotto in Italian - which literally means "twiced baked".
-They were prepared this way during the war eras to preserve them longer for journeys.

Shake Shake Shake

One of the BEST THIRST QUENCHER ever, in my opinion: ORANGINA!!!!

First discovered it back in my High School Days in San Francisco -- and have loved it ever since!!! One look at the glass bottle and I was captured. It was almost a daily treat for me throughout HS.... it was the best way to satisfy my thirst.... love the actual pulp in the drink, and the not-too-sweet taste of it... it was simply heaven... a bit of a get away from my school sched.... After HS, my LOVE for ORANGINA never waned... though my budget did.... so I would grab a bottle now and again... not an everyday occurrence anymore - SADLY! And when I moved to Taiwan, it altogether disappeared and became just a memory... or occasional trip to the US and/or EUROPE... that is until last month when ORANGINA was introduced in TAIWAN!!!! So my LOVE for it was rekindled and at basically US$! a bottle... alas, though it retained the sexy shape - the bottle here i plastic not glass... actually in TAIWAN, it is available in 2 sizes of plastic bottles - original shape and a taller skinnier version, see photo below... plus a canned one...

The Drink is not just tasty - it is actually fun -- the BOLD COLORS of the drink and label.... the FUN ads - both PRINT and COMMERCIALS... the of course, the routine of having to shake it to revive the great Pulpy Taste!!!! So next time you are in the supermarket - be sure to keep an eye out for this stylish bottled drink... you will LOVE it - for sure!!!!



-and this SEXY, SMOKING HOT French advert... MUST SEE!!!

Hot Pandesal Anyone????

So this last trip I got to reacquaint myself once again with the HOT PANDESAL -- Filipinos most FAVE breakfast bread - that is just as good at any time of the day!!! It really is a Spanish bread called Pan De Sal (literal translation: Salt Bread).

Growing up, breakfast is never complete without the HOT Pandesal on the table... they can be eaten with slices of cheese, CHEEZ WHIZ (a type of cheese spread), or go even more Native and serve them with Vienna Sausages and some fried fish ( as seen in the photo). As for me, it is just as good by itself and with a strong cup of coffee in the morning or dipped in Hot Chocolate in the afternoon. It's soft, powdery texture is attained by its' core ingredients: flour, eggs, lard, yeast, sugar, and salt.

Pandesal has been around since for many. many years... and from the taste of things - it will be around for much more....

CUTEST CHINESE FOOD PACKAGING

During last month's visit to my Mom in Manila, we happen upon this signage for a Chinese Fast Food/Take Out Chain.... and right away, we could not help but laugh and be drawn to it - has got to be the cutest packaging around for a Fast Food/Take Out Chain Shop - in the Philippines, or even the world....

SINGKIT, I believe, is a slang word for SLANTY EYES... in The Philippines, am told that it is not a derogatory term but more of an endearing one... and just take one look and tell me, would you be offended???
This is the complete singage for the Chain Shops - next trip I would love to actually see one of the shops....