Arts. Eats.

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Today, I chanced upon a Filipino food blogger, The Hungry Giant. He made his own foccacia and shared the recipe. I find it inspiring to see a fellow amateur cook try his hand on cooking and baking. Aside from being a foodie, he is also a self-confessed carnivore, something to which I can strongly relate too. Hahaha!

His post on foccacia reminded me of a close friend of mine. We were arguing Facebook chat regarding a debt advice that we both read online. She seem to agree with the advice but I wasn’t. And then out of the blue, during that friendly argument, she requested for foccacia. Now, I have two electric ovens but I have not baked anything edible yet. Besides, I had no idea what foccacia is but a little research did help. I told her that we’ll just buy her a loaf somewhere but she disagreed and demanded requested that I bake instead of buying. But since I still lack the confidence to bake real food (as I have been baking sweet treats using polymer clay), it can’t be done any time soon so we have to settle for store-bought foccacia for now.

Now that I am a full-time domestic goddess (cook, laundrywoman, housemaid, school bus and everything in between), I started dabbling on cooking. Now, I have put into good use the recipe books that I have hoarded for many years. Also, I am grateful that I have my father to consult and ask for advices whenever I am clueless on something or when Google does not give me the answer that I need. It is from him and my two grandmothers (may their souls rest in peace) that I got my late-blooming love for the kitchen. I have been a foodie but I rarely cooked.

Just this morning, I tried a noodle recipe which I hope to last until tomorrow. During the weekdays, there’s just me and my daughter so there are some food that lasts us for days. Most often, I just keep them in the refrigerator and heat up a portion whenever we eat. And I do cook something in between because eating the same food for several days is never fun. During the weekends, I try to prepare something special since the most special man in my life (ahem) is home. This weekend, there’ll be fruit salad and kare-kare which I think to be very intimidating. But with the help of a prepared and store-bought mix, I know I will survive.

Wish me luck!

I turned 30-ish before the year ended and we had a different and exciting celebration. We did not eat in a fancy restaurant nor did I receive luxurious gifts like diamond necklaces but just the same, it was an extra special day.  Along with two of my closest friends, my family and I visited Corregidor Island for a day tour. We oohed and aahed over the sights we saw and the stories shared by our tour guide. We also felt sorry and sad for what happened to the island. Moreover, we feel for the lives lost as our country fought for freedom. Corregidor Island would have been a very wonderful place if it did not experience the destruction brought about by the wars. We took photos of the remains of the beautiful place and in our imaginations, we see how wonderful it was in the past.

That birth day made me appreciative of the gift of life I have received. But also for my heritage and the beautiful country I have been gifted with.

It’s early evening and surprisingly, the nearby convenience store is playing their radio rather bit loud. I don’t mind it really as it’s still seven in the evening. However, it is a different story if it’s bedtime. And if I am working on a difficult task. I like music, I really do. I even got some really nice and new music CDs last week. I am proud of that purchase since they are cheap and from what I learned, it is because of the efficient music cd duplication system that the producers utilized. Anyway, I know someone who can review her notes and seriously work with a loud music in the background. However, that I can’t do, especially when I am writing. That’s why I admire my friend for what she can do despite the noise. And my husband too, for being able to sleep not matter how noisy the surroundings can be. He credits it to living in the dorm which I never experienced.

Some weeks back, I attended a basic training on polymer clay and I was surprised to learn that there are really small and compact ovens for baking. Pardon me if you perceive me now to be living under a stone. Haha! I have been longing to try baking and along with a new house next year, we also hope to invest on a good oven. When my mother learned about it, she offered to pay for the oven! Woot! I got the best Mama, really. Sure, she doesn’t know anything when asked about Delafield Corporation tube bending (since that’s my father’s area) but her support to almost anything that I did and want in life is unmatched.

So yes, I am very excited to cook and bake with my monstrous oven. But we also need to buy a smaller and cheaper one for my polymer clay playing. I will definitely share what I come up with once I start baking food and clay.