Sibuyas Republic

While sweeping dried leaves in the front yard early this morning, I noticed that there were too many golden coconuts ready for picking. Instantly, I got the cravings for fresh coconut milk and water. Yay!

I asked my nephew and niece to go get us some. Then, they must’ve enjoyed picking that they have got ten coconut fruits in all. What else must I do?

Good thing, the pantry had never run out of cremes, condensed milk…always stacking up on those. You’ll never know when kids would do fruit shakes, or any desserts that needed milk and milk products. I always opt for the products in tetra packs -cremes, evaporated milk, condensed milk- they’re cheaper than those in cans. Just make sure to check the expiration dates on the label. Other grocery shops tend to give off products with near expiration dates as freebies. Moreover, products in tetra packs can be safely stored directly to the fridge not unlike those in cans.

So, on seeing the “surplus” coconut meats in the kitchen cupboard, I decided to make a dessert so easy to make and a very popular dessert here especially on occasions/events. It takes only few minutes of preparation and not so many ingredients.

We have here:

1 small pack of powdered gelatin (cooked as per packaged direction)

half cup raisins

1 pack condensed milk 9used up 3/4 only)

1 pack cream

1 cup grated cheese (or cubed, perhaps)

Procedure:

When the gelatin is set, cut into small squares/rectangles (whichever^_^). Mix all the ingredients. Chill (not freeze).

Dessert is ready.

Kids will be surprised when they get home from school. They are always hungry when they do arrived. Always looking for anything to eat.

Summer was the best time of the year for enjoying as many fruits there is. My trip to the market became sort of exciting as I always looked forward to buying fruits which are in season. Prices of fruits come in a little cheaper when the are in abundance. That goes true with ripe mangoes. Though, they’re not in the best produce this year, as the extended rainy season in the last “ber” months leaves havoc on the trees when its flowers were a-blooming.

Nevertheless, ripe mangoes in our province are sweet, if not the sweetest of its kind. Pardon my bragging. We just so loved ripe mangoes here that next to bananas, its the fruit that will surely invade my fruit tray. Same as in any other fruits, mango fruit pulp packs a lot of essential nutrients -copper, potassium and amino acids, too. More significantly, Vitamin C and Vitamin A found in mangoes powers up its antioxidant properties that counteracts free radicals, the caused to many diseases and certain types of cancer.

There are a lot food preparation to enjoy ripe mangoes. Here in our home, we enjoyed the fruit as is, or be made into smoothie, or mango salsa, or mango pudding, even mango popsicles and other desserts.

But, sometimes, peeling this somewhat simple yellow fruit can be too daunting a task. My kids always end up with thinly slice mangoes, where most of the fleshy pulp were left at the seed part. Sad part is, the kids shun off the seed part and I always end up getting it as my share

Today, as we have fish over lunch, I tried making mango salsa. It’s a great combination for fried fish. I did asked my daughter to cube the mangoes while I diced up tomatoes and onions. Sadly, she doesn’t know how to do simple a task I asked of her. When I did showed her how the trick of cubing mangoes are done…I had this idea that I had to show here the simple and easy-to-do mango cubing technique.

Here goes.

However, my first tip goes on how to sliced off the mangoes to get thicker slices. Start off by getting a sharp paring knife and starting at the thicker part of the mango, slide off the knife guiding it through the seed all the way to the tip. Of course, it shall be a “bumpy ride”. But, a good paring knife will glide off easily.

When mangoes are sliced, make slanting cuts in each slice piece. Or, it is okay to sliced off in straight lines. However you prefer. Slanting slice will just make diagonal cuts, just as to achieve aesthetic food presentation/garnish.

Here comes the fun part. You might wonder what in the world was the wineglass doing in the picture? Sounds like a wrong glass for smoothie? Before I decided to run this post, I googled up similar post regarding how to make dice or cube mangoes. Top five on Google search I have visited have almost the same procedure/technique -slicing off the mangoes in either slanting or straight line, then, separating the fleshy part from the skin (peel) using the same knife! I used to do this procedure in the past, I end up with uneven slices and some flesh still attached to the peel. “Sayang!” Then, one particular site caught me off laughing because the procedure climaxes at the part where the sliced mangoes needs to be “pulled off” using the fingers. Ending the post with picture perfect photo of “more uneven sliced mangoes and uneven edges” showing in its undersides. I was laughing because I had tried the procedure many times. Many times. Ripe mangoes have soft pulp, pulling it off from its skin can cause pressure, it shall leave a hollow mark or dents, deforming the pulp. Plus, ripe mangoes can be too slippery to hold with fingers. Or, if you add more grip = uneven shapes. Sorry. I had to share my bad experiences.

So, here goes the use of the stemware. Slide off the mouth of the glass through the sliced mangoes and glide all the way down. Ripe mangoes are soft, did I say. The stemware will glide smoothly like a knife cutting through the mangoes…

Final product. Uneven shapes? That happens when the daughter makes double transverse cut on the sliced mangoes

I hoped the next time one buys ripe mangoes in the market and wishes to make fresh mango salads, make sure that a stemware is available up for grab. It will save time for preparation plus, it’s a lot safer than using a knife in an oval shape mango fruit

Hope this post helps

Just because I felt like a lazy cat these days, find myself lounging by the chaise, that my favorite binge eating on sweets were placed on  “standby mode”. Wouldn’t want to talk to anybody “outside” our home, never wanting to mingle with friends, even FB friends, for that matter. Don’t want to eat much. Just coffee and a loaf bread in the morning. Maybe half a cup of rice for lunch, it’s not too good to missed meals with no reason at all, not a good example for the kids. Hubby and the kids were used to seeing me enjoy my cooking adventures, even if it often resulted to “unflattering” dishes. I lost interest lately. I lost my appetite for sweet indulgences, as I would mostly fret if hubby would not buy me my favorite sansrival.

Not because I am sick.  Except for occasional vertigo, I sense nothing indifferent. Not that I am dieting. Yay, NO. I am a sucker for sweets!

Melancholy mood?

I shouldn’t be feeling this. IT IS DECEMBER. Heavens!

That time of year when peeps were thinking of too many celebrations, reunions, Christmas parties. FOODIE FEAST. Yay! Perhaps a magical juju beads should get me off this somber thoughtfulness…

Then, over lunch at yesterday’s Gat Boni day, the lad asked me what dishes/menus am I planning to cook at this busy month. December was that month were I am most exhausted as that carabao whom I watched today as I rested in the native hammock in our “kubo”. Was that the reason of the melancholia?

And, I haven’t started listing off the would-be menus in each celebration…two potluck class reunion…hubby’s 49th…noche buena…daughter’s 19th…hoped new year’s eve would be the last of the busy season…I AM BOOKED.

Wouldn’t even know how to start with the list…for sure…this familiar lavender color sweetened jam will never missed its show.

This was last Christmas where hubby had helped me cooked this one. Halayang ube is a dish too laborious to cook. It needs to be continuously stirred to make it sticky and dry but still moist and creamy.

For this recipe, since it is Christmas, I used 3 kilos of purple yam which cost around 30-40 pesos per kilo at the local market.

Other ingredients were;

2 cans evaporated milk

2 cans condensed milk

1 package of quickmelt cheese

3 cups of coconut cream (from 2 coconut)

half package of Anchor butter

 Cooking procedure:

1. Wash thoroughly and boil the purple yam. Peel when cooked.

2. Grate the ube. I used meat mincer in grating.

3. Mix in the coconut cream and bring to a slow boil.

4. Lower the heat and add in the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cheese.

5. Continue stirring until desired consistency is reached.

6. Add in the butter.

Cooking this sweet delicacy is a passion for both me and the hubs because it is what both our late mothers have prepared every Christmases…it is akin to reliving their memories.

Aw, now I do get the reason…feeling blue and nostalgic pala

Linking this post indeed to Rose’s Nostalgia

…and Sharing this Christmas favorite at Food Trip Friday , Foodie Friday, and Yummy Sunday