Saigon

So my trip last week was canceled. We booked the wrong date and didn't even realize it until the day we had to leave. No worries though cause in an hour I am about to leave for Vietnam and I double checked our tickets just to make sure we didn't do the same.

It is my second time to go there, the first was to learn how to make Vietnamese food which was about 5 years ago. But this time i'm going with my family for vacation and we'll be going to Cambodia as well.

This may be my last out of the country trip of the year because I'll have to play catch up with work when I get back. I'm trying my best to forget the piles of orders that will meet me at the end of this trip just so I can at least enjoy my last ounce of vacation for 2011.

QOTD: How's your year so far? Are you expecting it to get better/worse?

Hear from you guys soon

RUBEN IV

P.S. I'll share some photos when I get back which is on the 26th

Zzzzz...

Good Morning Nerdy Bunch it's Monday,

I am very tired and probably will be for a while adjusting to having a job again, to working eight hours a day and especially adjusting to working evenings is wiping me out right now. It is such a good kind of wiped out though. I finally feel like I'm doing something. After the stress of spending a month frantically looking for a job finally having one is a relief, even though my head frequently feels like it is going to fall off from all the information that is being shoved into it. Hopefully after a couple of weeks I'll be on track.

Best Wishes,

Allysa

Wait what?

My life has been fairly uneventful, unless you find a person who feels like a jumbled ball of stress a fascinating thing to gawk at. In that case, I might be one of the most interesting people out there right now. Although I might have to redirect you to people who work on disarming bombs or something even in that case. I've been busy procrastinating writing for my thesis. Sure I've also written some of it, because I would have been too ashamed to face my thesis counselor if I hadn't written anything. Rest assured, had there been no shame factor, I wouldn't even have a table of contents sketched out.

I also went through a flu last week. Which was not all too convenient since I was needed at the university. We were supposed to measure some reindeer teeth. I was not all that up for the job and I predicted the situation was going to be like this:

Turns out it was more like this:

Even in a dimly lit storage room it was a bit too bright for me and my flu ridden eyes. It was a bit of a Jack Nicholson moment. My friend told me I look like a hungover Nicholson. I couldn't argue against it. I was pretty sure it was 100% true. I'm pretty sure it's the closest I will ever get to looking like a celebrity.

Today there was some weirdness going on at a part of the university I go to.

There were others too, located at random places...yeah, I don't even....

VACATION!!

Ok so I really don't have anything to say except that it's a Wednesday here and tomorrow i'm off to the pastry capital of the Philippines, Bacolod for their annual MassKara Festival. This is one of many prestigious festivals in the country, Considering the fact that we have 7107 islands and at least 1 out of 20 islands have their own Fiesta (that might be an exaggeration or an understatement, not really sure lol)

The festival was established to battle against the depression of low sugar prices a few decades ago.  Bacolod's main revenue comes mostly from the cane industry so MassKara, which means many faces, is basically a big party to say that even though they're under economic crisis they should still put on a happy face, or something like that.


Anyway that is all

QOTD: what Festivals do you have in your country?



Hear from you guys soon,



RUBENIV

What the what?

Hello Nerdy Bunch, It's Monday.

Oh goodness I can't remember my own intro. Anyway here is a list of things.

1. My head hurts

2. Happy Belated Canadian Thanksgiving

3. I just love turkey so much

4. Yesterday i drew some things and gave one of them to my brother

5. Do you have siblings?

6. I start my new job on Wednesday wish me luck.

7. I am 23 now hooray!

8. I may have already titled a post with this title, that is okay because it is a thing that I say sometimes.

Best Wishes,

Allysa

Giving myself up in the warm embrace of the kitchen

          I have been swamped with work lately and my lazy nature isn't exactly helping. My desk is messy and I have so much documents to update that i'm already tired before I even start. I detest paperwork, which is why I became a chef in the first place. But as you progress in your career as a chef things become more theory than actual cooking.  Actually I still do most of the work in the kitchen but having to go home with even more work isn't something I signed up for. I just want to sit in my chair and watch some TV or Listen to some music with my ice cold beer in one hand and a nice thick sandwich in the other. Don't get me wrong, i'm enjoying what i'm doing, but we're allowed to rant sometimes right?!?
          What keeps me focused and relaxed is just cooking at home, taking my time, and enjoying the fruits of my labor. I specially like making things that takes time, it gives you something to look forward to.
          Reuben Sandwich
Ingredients:
brine
2 Liters Water, 3/4 cup Salt, 1/4 cup Sugar, 2 tsp Pink Salt, 3 cloves Garlic, 1/2 tsp Clove, 1/2 tsp Ground Allspice, 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes, 1/2 tsp Corriander Seeds, 1 Stick Cinnamon, 2-3 Bay Leaves, 1 inch cube Fresh Ginger Root
          Put all of the ingredients in a stock pot over high heat. When it starts to boil stir for 1 minute to make sure all of the sugar and salt has melted turn of the stove. Cool completely before Using
meat
I kg Beef Brisket
          Brine in the chiller for 5 days making sure that all of the meat is submerged in the brine.
After 5 days, strain the brisket and rinse well with water. Place it in a stock pot and add enough water that it is completely covered.

Ingredients
Spices
1/2 tsp Clove, 1/2 tsp Ground Allspice, 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes, 1/2 tsp Corriander Seeds, 1 Stick Cinnamon, 2-3 Bay Leaves, 1 inch cube Fresh Ginger Root
          Add all the spices in the pot of water and brisket and put over high heat. When it starts boiling lower the heat and let it simmer for about 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. If the water level is getting low just add water to keep the corned beef submerged. Strain out the corned beef and slice thinly

          Russian Dressing
Ingredients
5 Tbsp. Mayonnaise, 1 1/2 tsbp/ Ketchup, 2 tsp. Horseradish, 1/2 tsp worchestershire Sauce, Salt, Pepper
          Just mix everything together
          Quick Sauerkraut
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp Caraway seeds, 300 grams Cabbage, shredded, 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 Tbsp. Sugar, Salt
          This one is a shortcut I learned form my aunt who is an Austrian. Saute everything in a pan.

          Get your slice of rye bread, spread some russian dressing, put large amounts of corned beef, add large amounts of saurkraut on top of that corned beef, top that with some swiss cheese, and sandwich it with another slice of rye bread. Toast your sandwich if you like.

          For some it's drinking out with friends, and for others it's a day in the spa but for me it's giving myself up in the warm embrace of the kitchen.


QOTD: What do you do to relax or unwind?




Hear from you guys soon,


RUBEN IV

Stranded at Home = Ginger Carrot Soup

Typhoon is almost a way of life here. It's been constantly raining for 2 days straight now and people we're adviced to stay at home. So now i'm stranded at home doing nothing.

When I was still in school I remember being all excited about a typhoon cause it would mean that there will be no classes. Of course I didn't know better then, but anything to get me off school is awesome. You'll be stuck at home but still awesome. I haven't been in some form of schooling for 5 years now and people are almost never excused from work except for maybe instances like these. So what do you do when you're stuck at home?

It was so dark and gloomy out, almost like when just a hair of the sun is peaking from the horizon when it sets. I thought I should make something warm to get me through this weather or this boredom because, I have forgotten how to have fun during typhoons. So I made myself Ginger Carrot Soup.

Ingredients:
3 Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 inch cube Ginger Root. peeled and roughly chopped
Pinch of Nutmeg
Water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute everything together and add enough water to submerge the carrots. Cover and wait for it to boil. When it boils lower the heat and let simmer for 30-40 minutes

 While I was waiting for my carrots to be tender I went outside to check out my small herb garden. My one of my Calamansi's branches broke (Photo Left). Calamansi is a tree that bares mini citrus fruits and is indigenous to our country. I didn;t want to wast all of the blossoms that it had an thought that I would go really well with my soup. I also picked more flowers and herbs to add to my soup (Photo Right from top clockwise Basil flowers, Chili Flowers, Tarragon, Oregano, Basil, Calamansi Flower).

When the carrots are tender puree the soup in a blender. When everything is smooth  put it back in the pot. If it is too thick, add more water until you get the consistency that you like. Season with salt and pepper then serve while still piping hot.

Serve the soup with a drizzle of sour cream and extra virgin olive oil  then garnish with your herbs and blooms.

Now as an adult, I can't seem to enjoy the typhoon as much as I did when I was younger. Too many things to worry about like work, time, responsibilities, and ,in this particular case, floods that you see in the news. A lot of the things that comes in our lives are things we really don't have control over and something that I've forgotten, including my youth, Is to stop and eat the roses.

QOTD: What's your favorite thing as a kid?


Hear from you guys soon,


RUBEN IV