The majestic mountains!

The other side of the world lies a breath-taking view . Taken from my trip to the Philippines.

 Tropical bananas waving their hands at me while I pass by.....

 Cornfields as wide the grass grows....and blue skies as wide as your sight goes......

Don't go Banana!!!

Banana Blossom Fritters.....

 You would need some plastic gloves  to protect your hands from the blossom sap, it stains your hands and fingernails. Peel the outer layer of the blossoms and pull out the blossoms. Pinch and pull the tips and pull out the pin looking stuff out because they are hard. Do the blossom layers until you reach the soft blossoms. Once you reach the soft parts. You are able to tell the softness by pinching it with your fingers. You will need two cloves of garlic, onions, bell peppers and green onions.

 Of course salt and pepper. I also sprinkle it with chicken bullion, the powder one to boost the taste.

 Once blossoms and the soft heart are out, dice them and sprinkle salt and leave it for five minutes.

 After five minutes, wash and squeeze the salt and water off the blossoms. Saute onions and garlic. I also added shallots and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Let it cool.

 After it cools of, add 1/3 cup of all purpose flour or corn starch and egg. Mix all the ingredients in. Heat some oil in a pan. Make sure it is hot so the fritter batter won't stick. Flatten it on the pan and add three or four batches at a time until golden brown.You can serve it as finger food or with rice and stuff.

Don't Clam Up!

 These little morsels are not just for making chowder. You can get creative and make into clam soup, pour it over pasta, remove the shells and saute it. It can be practically used just like mussels. Today I made it into a soup type. Just melt some butter in a pan, wash the clams over running water, if you have time soak them in water overnight and they will spit out the sand and what not, and wash it again before cooking to remove any  sand or anything that they have ingested.

 In the melted butter, I added thinly sliced ginger and the stalks of green onions and garlic. When they are transparent add the clams.

 Then add your condiments like salt and pepper and other seasonings and herbs you want in your soup. You can even add some baby spinach leaves. Let it cook for ten to fifteen minutes until all the clams have openned. Discard any that have not opened  That's it, You can add some fresh chilli peppers to add some kick to it. Then you are ready to pick the little morsels inside the shells and slurp the broth yum!

Beauty is everywhere....

To Dine with thee.....

Imagine you and me having a candlelight dinner, there's roasted turkey and stuffing. Fluffy bread rolls, puto  or pandesal. Sauteed king oyster mushrooms and roasted sweet potatoes. There are two glasses of our favorite wine. Pumpkin spice aroma in the air. The sweet cat hanging with us. How delightful.

bead crafts!

A photo I snapped somewhere in the park when we were out during earth day!