Great news..

Posted on June 24, 2010 by amstravelgeek

Great news. It looks like the family will be traveling down to the Caribbean this fall. Of course, I hope to be a member of the caravan. I’ll have to make sure this doesn’t interfere with my work hours.

Or maybe I can work from home?

Here are some pix of a dinner (Thai food) that ended badly (concerning conversation, not the food). Lol, will have to tell you more about that story in another post.

Table covered with Thai food: chicken curry and pad thai.

Checking out the goods from a different angle.

Cake in the States.

Posted on November 17, 2009 by amstravelgeek

Here’s a gallery of a Filipino bakery in Elk Grove, California. They weren’t too happy when they saw me snapping pictures and insisted that I should have asked for permission first before I did. Whoops.

Heading Home.

Posted on November 4, 2009 by amstravelgeek

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Well, today is my last day in Kingstown. I’m flying out to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Chicago before returning to California. I should be back in Washington state in time for my father’s birthday, my niece’s birthday, and Thanksgiving! There’s plenty to look forward to but I already miss this place.

I intend to keep my promise about posting recipes and I still have an enormous amount of pictures to post so keep checking back for new material. It’s currently up in the air – I’m hoping to return July of next year. Don’t forget to visit the bakery if you get the chance. 🙂

– Anthony

Salt Fish, Breadfruit, and Sorrel.

Posted on October 30, 2009 by amstravelgeek

Frying a hot pan of salt fish.

Salt fish and breadfruit is a local dish that’s terrific for the taste buds. Add some tangy hot sauce and a cold glass of sorrel tea and you have a winning combination.

Breadfruit, which is native to the western Pacific islands and the Malay peninsula, is a staple food similar to potatoes. It’s comprised of 70% water, 25% carbohydrates, and has an average amount of Vitamin C.

Sorrel is enriched with Vitamins A and C and is commonly found in French cuisine.

The leafy green plant (which is related to the rhubarb) also contains calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. Sorrel is increasingly popular among the health-conscious crowd and fairly easy to make.

Pot full of sorrel.

I must advise you that sorrel is particularly rare in the states and difficult to find in your local supermarket. Now if you live in a place like Seattle, I’m sure you’ll be just fine obtaining a bag of sorrel from the specialty food stores religiously stocked with high-priced organic offerings.

Try Whole Foods Market.

I pulled this classic recipe from a web site strewn with spelling errors and such. The blaggards.

No worries. I did a fair amount of editing.

How to Make Sorrel Tea

Ingredients:

1 gallon of water
2 cloves
1 large fresh ginger root (optional)
8 ounces of dry sorrel
Brown sugar (to taste)

Instructions:

1. Grate the ginger using a standard grater. Do not blend or chop the fresh ginger.

2. Place the grated ginger in the pot with 1 gallon of water. Bring to a boil under medium heat.

3. Place 8 ounces of dried sorrel into the boiling water for approximately 30 seconds.

4. Immediately remove and let the contents cool for approximately 6 hours or until the water returns to room temperature. This allows the sorrel to draw.

Note: You have the option of letting the sorrel sit in the water overnight. The longer the sorrel is allowed to draw, the stronger it becomes.

5. Strain the contents using a fine strainer. This process removes sorrel particles. Sweeten to taste with brown sugar and chill before serving.

This recipe yields about 6 to 8 servings.

(Some individuals opt not to use ginger in their sorrel and others have the option of adding a dash of rum before chilling.)

I say add the rum! 😀

Plenty good plate.

Papaya Tree.

Posted on October 30, 2009 by amstravelgeek

About a year ago, my cousin Janice planted a young papaya tree out in the front. Here’s a picture of that same tree bearing fruit. Hope you like this Ja!

Janice Doncillo's papaya tree.

Taking Off to the Market.

Posted on October 30, 2009 by amstravelgeek

I have plans to head into town by myself today. Guess you could call it shopping, but not necessarily buying stuff that I need. I think I may have semi-consciously given away my Armani sunglasses to Rizaldy on the return from Bequia.

[Background info: Rizaldy is a friend of Ate Jhoanape and works at the bakery.]

Bummer. I really liked those glasses too. Time for new ones.

The Kingstown Cemetery.

Yesterday, I walked past this cemetery.

It felt more historical than haunting. Some of the graves are over a hundred years old.

I helped JirahMae with her spelling words for 15 minutes; hope she does well on her test today. She attends a private Catholic school in Kingstown. I’ll make sure to take a picture of the building when I head down and prowl the streets.

Plans, plans, plans.

Wow, watching the news about the U.S. economy is a total downer. Switching off the tube and time to eat!

Golden Apple Chutney.

Posted on October 24, 2009 by amstravelgeek

Golden apple chutney.

Right now, it’s 4:23am back in Seattle. The folks here are busy frying up breakfast and getting the kids in uniform for school.

I’m feeling super-lazy today.

Fourteen hours later…

Back. Didn’t go anywhere or visit any sites. Just chilled on the balcony and read JirahMae some kiddie stories. Heh, talk about laid-back. I nearly fell asleep twice. Should have. But instead, buzz-cut my hair and started revising and typing up the letter Uncle Fidel is sending to Dr. Bienvenido V. Tejano, the Philippines ambassador to New Zealand and a relative of his…

…which in effect, makes Dr. Tejano a relative (if not by blood) of mine. Sweet.

Back to the foodstuffs. Chutney, it’s awesome. The island variety. From Trinidad and Tobago. Buy, buy buy.

The hot sauce here is AWESOME. I can’t specify all of the peppers that are crushed and bottled (I know there are habaneros and jalapenos in there, extra ripe) but dannnnggggg, I started twitching massively after a good dose.

My jaws were trembling and my brain basically went blank. I was running laps in the house until Ate Jhoanape gave me some brown sugar, melting ice, and yogurt to cool off.

I think I’m going to sleep outside on the swing tonight.

Late.

Birthday Wishes.

Posted on October 22, 2009 by amstravelgeek

Today is Kuya (older brother) Randy’s birthday.

I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me saying how old he is (49) seeing that he looks about 10-15 years younger than his age.

I took some pix of food everybody was preparing for a short lunch celebration.

We wished him a Happy Birthday and said a prayer before he headed out to take JirahMae (Jhoanape and Randy’s five-year-old daughter) to school.

I’m expecting cake today!

And I got it 😉 . We’ll be heading off to Fort Charlotte soon. You can check those pictures here: http://islanderpunkandtechie.blogspot.com.

: Raw empanada.

: Roasted stuffed chicken.

: Vegetables and meat.

: Getting there.

: From the side.

: Kuya Randy cutting the cake.

: Pink paint to commemorate the birthday festivities – not really.

: JirahMae adds candles.

Pecan Tarts and Coconut Macaroon Cupcakes…and Pizza.

Posted on October 22, 2009 by amstravelgeek

Pile on the pecan tarts.

Freaking delicious! Today, which was actually the 21st, Ate Jhoanape (Ate means “older sister” in Tagalog, the predominant dialect in the Philippines; it is usually said with respect to one’s age) concocted some scrumptious sweets: pecan tarts and coconut macaroon cupcakes.

Spent hours at the bakery switching from bread to cakes and eventually pizza! This explains my reason for posting so late.

I managed to pull together my own brand of pizza with sprinkles of 4 different cheeses, traditional tomato sauce, pepperoni, ham, bell pepper and chunks of young green habanero peppers.

Ate Jhoanape, of course, had her own version which wasn’t as spicy and a little bit more circular than mine.