Today's Dispatch: Ten Things

This post is brought to you by this delicious smidge of cuteness in French Bulldog form, whose doppelganger was spotted walking alongside The Hotness in NYC a few days ago.

Source: images.google.com

Yes, The Hotness has been reading my mind. (See also: this previous entry on manly men with tiny dogs.)

*****

So the lovely Laura from Ladies Who Critique came up with this blog-posting prompt, which I thought I'd try out for this blog. It's a great way for me to get folks updated on what I've been up to lately, since I do a lot of regular rambling on this blog as well. Thanks, Laura! :)

1. Eating this: Oatmeal with two slices of raisin bread, with a side of papaya cubes. Every morning. No fail.

2. Reading this: Actually, the storm ruined my chances of getting some work-related reading done because the power outages prevented many of my students from submitting their papers. After this, however, I'm going to Manila to pick up more books.

3. Browsing this site: I've been following How Sweet It Is through Twitter. And why wouldn't I, when the cupcake photos look like this?

Photo credit: HowSweetEats.com

4. Writing this: I've started making a few dents on Nominated (my WiP from Camp NaNoWriMo), which means I am close to rescuing my protagonists from plot-mired limbo. Currently I have three critique partners looking at this manuscript, as well, which means that this baby should be in tip-top shape when I'm ready to send it in for publication.

Once Nominated is fixed - with a deadline of possibly mid-October - I will have the NaNoWriMo proper in November, though I haven't decided on what to do for this. Originally I was going to use this time to revise the previous year's NaNo (World on a Plate, aka "the Pinoy foodie novel"), but now there might be a possibility that I'll have time to write a new one, either a new chick-lit or possibly an alternate-reality espionage thriller with fairy-tale elements.

Photo credit:
We (Love) Delicious Food

5. Drinking this: I would have said "water," since it's the only thing I've been drinking lately, but right now I could really use more Oreo milkshakes. This, I blame on the mysterious #CookiesNCream hashtag that the rugby boys from the Philippine Volcanoes have been using every day on Twitter. No, I do not want to know what that's about, either.

6. Using this: In the software department, yWriter5 (excellent novel-writing software!) and the desktop version of Tweetdeck (faster than Tweetdeck for Chrome, plus it doesn't get in the way of work). In terms of beauty products, Neutrogena Rapid Clear acne treatment, Bench Fix Clay Doh, and Nivea's Fruity Shine tinted lip balm in Pomegranate, which is a lovely red stain that will get its own Glosswatch entry soon.

7. Watching this: TV-wise, I'm getting sucked into Law and Order: Criminal Intent, which is still my favorite series within the franchise. (Law and Order: UK is a close second.) I also caught my first episode of Sherlock (so intense, and Martin Freeman is so, so good as Watson), plus I've also downloaded the pilot for New Girl on iTunes as well.

As for movies, I have added The Descendants to my must-watch movie list for the fall. George Clooney, Alexander Payne, and gorgeous shots of very familiar neighborhoods in Hawaii? I am so in.



And I can't wait till Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy comes out, too.



8. Buying this: Mascara and (possibly) eyeliner. The last time I went shopping for makeup, an overzealous saleslady tried to push a lipstick on me, even though the lippy I wanted was in a different formulation. She was stubborn and persistent, and I gave her none of my money. This time, I'm going to branch out and try more mid-price Asian brands, like Etude House and Majolica Majorca.

9. Listening to this: My three favorite podcasts right now.

The Moth:



The Sporkful:



and Popspotting.

Screencap: mine.

And "Called Out In The Dark" by Snow Patrol, whose actual video isn't as awesome as the song itself.




10. Using this new word: Inveigle. 


From Dictionary.com:

From Thesaurus.com:

Want to chime in on the discussion? Show us some blog love by leaving a comment below, or following @stella_meimei on Twitter!

Today's Dispatch: A Conclusion in Sight

This post is brought to you by the good folks in charge of wrangling the hair, makeup, and wardrobe duties for Rihanna.



- This week will (hopefully) mark the end of the Long Rough Patch that I've faced in the last few weeks... and when I say rough, I mean rough: pressure at work, graduate school, and my mom getting sick and landing in the hospital for a few days due to dehydration and exhaustion. (No worries - she's actually doing OK now; just needed the rest.) The good news, however, is that I have a four-day weekend ahead of me before I head out to that big campus in Quezon City first thing Wednesday morning, to take my admissions test for the PhD program, so I'll be up to my ears with studying and keeping in touch with my students. Wish me luck.

- Okay, back to our usual blog content... and I hate to say this out loud, but did Barbra Streisand get a little "work" done on her face? Seriously, take a look at the cover art for her new album and tell me that there's something un-Barbra-ish about that face right now. I personally want to believe that it's a bad camera angle and/or a furious photo retoucher, but as long as nobody touches that profile - and that nose - it shouldn't be so bad after all. (And also on my wish list: an all-Streisand episode of Glee. You know you were thinking it!)

- Current favorite "thing" of the moment: bubble milk tea, which I have been craving since Nathan Fillion mentioned it in one of his tweets. (Just try to imagine him saying the words "boba tea" out loud, if you can.) Right now it's having a foodie renaissance of sorts here in the Philippines... which is weird, since I've been drinking the stuff for the last decade or so. Haven't tried the trendier versions of bubble tea in Manila, but I've been getting mine at the local Zagu outlet: not exactly made with real tea, mind, but their tapioca pearls strike the right balance between smooth and chewy - just the way I like it.

- And yes, there is a Glosswatch entry in the works! Stay tuned.

Last Song Syndrome: Let's Not, and Say We Did

Shallow note: I'm not the only one who has noticed the awesomeness of the lead singer's color-blocked sweater in this video, right? Seriously, that is one cool sweater. Even if I don't like the way he's pushed the sleeves up to 3/4 length over his elbows.

In my defense, I've already heard this song on the radio dozens of times before, so it was inevitable that I would hunt down the lyrics and watch the video, which apparently explains... well, everything.

Which then leads us, in a way, to another explanation of why and how it ended up in the Halloween Spectacular:

And I wanna know what happened to your boyfriend
Cos he was looking at me like "woah...!"
Yeah right before the kitchen was a dustbowl
And tossing me the keys and I can't forget how
everything just coming through the windows
and half the street was under my nails
it's like we sitting in the Faraday cage,
when the lights all failed

And now everybody gotta go hungry
and everybody cover up their mouths
And I haven't seen the body count lately
but looking at your faces it
must have been bad - 


(...I'll stop here before we end up at Sandra Lee's house for dinner. *shudder*)

Domesticity Halloween Spectacular 2010

A note from Meimei: 
Now, here's a Halloween entry for you, chock full of shocking revelations and terrifying twists. Unfortunately, I had to put this entry under a break due to the sensitive nature of its contents - especially when you consider  that the bulk of this entry contains memos and documents retrieved from the offices of TLC Southeast Asia (and/or possibly hallucinated by yours truly during a Dairy Milk binge) which may prove to be extremely scandalous. If you have a low tolerance for scandal (and/or satire), proceed at your own risk...

This Week, (Once Again) In Pictures

Every Little Step with Mike Tyson and Wayne Brady from Mike Tyson

Sorry for the inconsistent posts. It's just been a crazy week, what with my Dad's birthday (yay!), the crippling stress I get from computing final grades (sad face), and being bombarded by neighbors with karaoke problems (blech) - not to mention overdosing on cake. Here's how I'm dealing right now:

- The IKEA cookbook. I cannot bake and will probably not set foot in an IKEA store unless I end up in Stockholm, but I am obsessed with the high quality of design for this one. The picture shown above is for a "Radio Cake," so called because the slices look like little transistor radios.

- Professor Green. It's hard to classify this guy without pointing out the influences. He's kind of like The Streets, but with better pronunciation; he's the British Eminem, but half as angry. Either way, I'm obsessed with the two singles that he has released this year, if only for the back-to-back sampling of my favorite '90s dance tunes.

- Cloth masks. I finally got to try one of the masks from Kuri's care package. and it was a practical game changer for me. Not only was it more pleasant than using my regular face masks, but it actually felt really relaxing. Plus the results were amazing: my skin actually felt very much calmed down and smooth. Just make sure not to rinse off afterwards, though, since the liquids on the cloth mask are actually serums that are meant to be massaged on the skin. 

For similar products, check out the ones below: 

Pump and Lift, Episode 19: Carbs and Veggies

Above: How to eat a la Gwen Stefani. 


I'm not the kind of person who can afford to get sanctimonious when it comes to diet advice. In fact, I don't even recommend the exact diet that I'm on right now, because I'm also on doctor's orders to watch my risk of arthritis and gout due to hyperuricemia. No red meat, no peanut butter, not even a little bit of whole wheat bread or oatmeal. I wouldn't wish that kind of diet on anyone at all.

What I can recommend, though, is a battle plan that addresses carbohydrates and vegetables.

Let me put it to you this way: I'm not a fan of the low-carb diet. I can't think without carbs. In fact, I can't even start a decent day without a single carbohydrate. Back in college, it was bagels and brown rice; in my working years, I switched to cereal and granola bars. Now, more than ever, carbohydrates have become very important in keeping myself from spacing out in class.

It all boils down to a single concept: Carbohydrate front-loading.


Let's say that you've got a stressful morning ahead of you. You could truly use the energy to forge ahead with the rest of your day, and you can't do that with just sugar and caffeine.

So what do you do? You front-load by eating two to three servings of carbs for breakfast. 


Yes, it sounds crazy, but consider: According to the American Cancer Society, the average 4-inch supermarket bagel constitutes three full servings of carbohydrates. You don't even have to eat it dry to make the most of all that energy - I get around it by spreading only 1 tbsp. of cream cheese and 1 tsp. of strawberry jam, which is half of what a normal serving should be. Then, to make sure that I'm still full, I would follow up that bagel with, say, a handful of papaya cubes (1 cup), or any other high-fiber fruit.

This leads us to our next topic: High fiber fruits and vegetables are your friends. 


I'm not usually a big fan of papaya, but I'm the kind of person who likes to eat mindlessly... and papaya always fits the bill, since my parents already have it on the table every morning. If I'm already carbed out during my regular meals, I will stop and eat whatever form of protein I have on my plate with some salad leaves. That doesn't mean I love my vegetables - there are just some things that I won't eat for no discernible reason - but the vegetables that I do eat, like steamed fresh spinach leaves (lemon juice and no sauce) and grilled eggplant, are always a deliberate choice for me at every meal.

Of course, this leads to the inevitable discussion of salads, and whether or not vegetables are your friends when they're slathered in olive oil. I'm on the fence vis-a-vis olive oil - it's a good fat, but still a fat - but I can say for sure that Mediterranean restaurants no longer have the monopoly on salads; in fact, most ethnic restaurants that I've tried in this country will always have a form of salad at one point or another.  In most Filipino restaurants - or at least the ones here in the Philippines - you can always get mangoes and tomatoes with rock salt and the occasional hard-boiled duck egg. If you're eating Korean food, your bulgogi comes with lettuce leaves to wrap around your meat with a dab of hot sauce and a little rice. And then there's the cuisine of Thailand and Vietnam: summer rolls, banh mi, and even pho come with tons of fresh vegetable accompaniments, so there's barely a single excuse to "pig out" and stay unhealthy.

It's easy for me to talk about vegetables now, seeing as I've naturally switched to eating by season - along with corn soup with moringa leaves (seriously, people: canned corn + chicken broth + leaves from your neighbor's malunggay plant = gold) and fuss-free detoxification through steamed greens. But like I've said, you have to take the risk of trying a new vegetable or fruit once in a while, just to see if it works for you.

(NOTE: I do have another upcoming entry that might end up contradicting all the diet-related Zen meditations that I've expounded on here. It won't be part of Pump and Lift, but it will deal with other body issues related to food and nutrition... and depending on the craziness that comes with the rest of my schedule, that rant essay should be up by Saturday at the latest.) 

Trendwatch 2010: OMG Chef Iz Daddeh!

And now... a return from a much-needed Lenten mini-break. 

Fact: Having kids changes everything. I'm a childless singleton myself, but I've seen it so many times with my friends who've just had kids (including Scribey) that it's definitely undeniable.

Fact: Having kids changes everything, especially when you're a dude. This I don't have to explain, since I live with my parents and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the things my dear PapaMei did before fatherhood changed his life.

Fact: If you are a male chef - and especially if you are a male celebrity chef of certain prominence and/ or notoriety - having kids will change everything in ways that you would never expect.

Okay, so "celebrity chefs as dads" is not a new trend. Gordon Ramsay and Tom Colicchio have kids; so do Mario Batali, Emeril Lagasse, and Tyler Florence. Heck, even Christopher Kimball has kids. (Not that I'd doubt Mr. Bowtie's ability to reproduce; I just don't want to know how, is what I'm saying.)  Some of the chef-hosts I've seen from the Food Network Canada reruns shown here, like Michael Smith and Roger Mooking, have talked about how Becoming A Dad has changed their culinary approaches.

What does stand out as trend-worthy, however, is the concept of fatherhood as a signifier of major change in a chef's public image.

Witness, for example, Jamie Oliver's speech at the TED 2010 conference:




And then, there's our favorite potty-mouthed culinary bad boy (and known embodiment of the chef-as-debauched rock star archetype) Anthony Bourdain, turning up as a guest star in - of all places - Yo Gabba Gabba! 



In fact, now that I've mentioned this, I'd like to go ahead and nominate a few more food-show hosts for the inevitable on-screen "OMG I IZ DADDEH!" epiphany:

• David Rocco (Food Network Canada): I want to hate him based on his show alone; he has the face and body of a GQ model, lives in Italy with his gorgeous wife, and gets to cook - and eat - all sorts of fresh and delicious Italian food while exploring a life that I can only dream of... in other words, the male version of Giada de Laurentiis. His Wikipedia entry, however, mentions that he and his aforementioned wifey just had equally beautiful twin daughters, so I'm totally looking forward to the episodes where he cooks for the girls.
  
• Adam Richman (Travel Channel, USA): Now here's a thought for you - the guy from Man Vs. Food, taking time out of his busy schedule of chowing down and pigging out to reproduce. Regardless of how that thought is coming into your mind right now, you gotta admit that it's more palatable (pun intended) than seeing Andrew Zimmern on Sesame Street.
  
• Bob Blumer (Food Network Canada): Not that I would know if he's available - let alone willing, for that matter - but I've already stated in this very blog that I am willing to volunteer myself for the cause, so that's that...
  
• Curtis Stone (late of TLC, though I still prefer him on Surfing the Menu): ...Annnnnd, in the off-chance that Bob Blumer really isn't up to the task, I'm going to join that very long line of female shoppers at Whole Foods who have been waiting for him to, um, be taken home for the purpose of spawning his messy-haired babies. Heh.
  
• Guy Fieri (Food Network USA). On second thought... um, no.

Ga Ga, Drool-La-La

Via the Fug Girls and Craft Magazine:

You've read that right, folks: LADY GAGA COOKIES. (Detailed descriptions can be found here, in the original Flickr set.)

Wonder if somebody has already told Ange de la Cruz (currently the "it" girl of Manila's pastry world) about this yet? Because I'm sure she'd love to make this happen. :)

Ange's "couture cupcakes," as pictured on the banner for her blog

(ladycupcake.typepad.com)

EDITED (7:10 PM Philippine Standard Time) to add this bon mot from my actual inbox: 

 

Perez Hilton-style paint job, mine. ;) Seriously speaking, though: do check out these babies below and throw a little coin into your mama's Amazon Associate account!

Fairytale Brownies Valentine Sprite 24

Fairytale Brownies Valentine Keepsake Dozen
Fairytale Brownies Valentine Truffles
Fairytale Brownies Valentine Dozen

Randomesticity: It's Cranktastic!

It's no joke to be a moving gal: I just got my apartment clean, my suitcases half-packed, and plans for a goodbye party under way... and yet, I've also become deeply cranky, to the point where I'm tempted to get all up in somebody's business if I ever so much hear somebody ask me why I'm moving, let alone why I should even think about trading in this lovely, lovely Hawaiian paradise for the creature comforts of the Southern Tagalog Region.

So let's all go to the happy place together, shall we?

- I actually think that the new, celebrity-studded Drive Safe PSAs sponsored by E! and Ciroc Vodka are pretty cute... and not just because Dave Annable and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are en fuego, and Tom Green naming Kathy Griffin as part of his "list" just makes me giggle. But if you like your anti-drunk-driving PSAs without the bar-hopping celebrities - but with a touch more Biz Markie - here's the soon-to-be-classic Let a Stranger Drive You Home from Heineken.


- Here's what the cashier at the Walgreens on Keeaumoku Street has to say about my most recent purchase: "I see this everywhere! Everybody, always buying this! My co-worker, she got the Colossal! My manager, Colossal! Everyone, they like the Colossal!" (To be fair, however, I also bought Define-a-Lash Volume as well. What can I say, I love BOGO days at Walgreens... and yes, it has been *that* long since I got a new mascara.)

- Speaking of purchases: It's no secret that I am deeply in lurve with Marks and Spencer, especially now that they have branches in the Philippines. I especially love the fact that I have no problem finding stuff in my size at their Manila stores, even if it's just for basics like T-shirts and bras. That being said, the only way I could love their Philippine stores even more than I do is if they constantly keep these chocolate-covered digestive biscuits in stock. Yes, you heard me - and don't let the "digestive" moniker fool you, because it's just there to remind you that they're chock-full of whole grains. Dee-lish.

- And because I can't let this pass without any comment...

Sevin Nyne, besides the fact that it's nothing more than celebrity-endorsed self tanner: a) industrial-strength pesticide, or b) pornographic Star Trek-themed fan fiction?

Don't Call It a Diet

Suuuuure, I tell myself. Of course I'm not on a diet. I only got those cans of Slim-Fast Optima because I'm too lazy to wash dishes after breakfast. I only got the mini plate because I wanted to make room for dessert. I only got those apples from the store because I got used to my parents eating fruit after every meal.

(...Wait, that last part is a bold-faced white lie, and I know it. My sister will tell you how much pie I destroyed over the holidays compared to the amount of fruit and veg on my plate.)

And then it hits me, when I get to the store and pick up the 5-lb. bag of pink grapefruit because it was "more affordable" than the bag of apples, that I really should stop lying to myself.

The fact remains that I did gain a lot of poundage back - not just for the lack of exercise and the roller-coaster cycles of depression and stress that besieged me all of last year, but because I didn't watch everything I ate for the whole year. That doesn't mean I've stopped the stress-eating - yet - but judging by the way I went through four pounds of apples since Sunday, it looks like I'm beginning to get the hang of this whole "healthy eating" stuff.

That's why, when my friend proposed going on a diet together, the first thing that came out of my mouth was "I'm in." Trust me, I don't like cutting calories and eyeballing portions as much as you do, but there's a very competitive person who's dying to get out from under all this cellulite - and that person would practically kill to fit into another pair of Size 14 jeans this spring. That's also the same person who's sick and tired of being the person who takes home cake and macaroni salad from every party. (And why does it have to be the cake and the macaroni salad? I can't even make sandwiches out of that stuff, people.) I may be broke, but this one-person pity party isn't going to stand back and go home with sloppy seconds any more... not just with food, but with, you know, practically everything else in my life.

Still and all: I'm not going on a "diet."

Here's what happened during the last few times I went on a "diet": I tried so hard because I wanted to be loved. I thought that cutting portions would make me smarter, sexier, or a better person over all. I always went in thinking that my friends and family were going to love me more if I lost X pounds in Y amount of time, in greater direct proportions. When I failed, I failed spectacularly, to the point where I did become suicidal. Talk to me about the times when I stopped eating in college because I just stopped "feeling like it," or the times when I wanted to overdose on fatburners because I felt like a loser at work, and I'll be quite blunt with you. Talk to me about the last time I tried intense high-impact cardio - with the hope that I'll burn off pounds and meet hot guys while doing so - and I'll tell you how my lungs gave out so much that I ended up with relapses of both my asthma and bronchitis.

This moment, with all the shakes and the fresh fruit and the smaller portions? Doesn't feel like a diet to me. The shakes really are there because my mornings are always rushed and I'd rather not blow all my calories on a greasy omelet. The fruits are there to take care of both the fiber and the stress-eating, especially during the times when I would rather eat than knit. (Also because I hate the processed-food aftertaste that I get from most snacks.) And the mini plates? Not only are they easy on my pocketbook and my calorie counts, but they're also easy for my stomach, since I can't handle big meals any more... or at least any big meal that isn't attached to celebrations at hand.

No more sweets, mac salad, or leftover fried whatevers from other people's pupu platters that I can't recycle into legitimate meals the next day. And definitely no soda. Not even diet soda, which I used to drink by the gallon. That stuff I have to cut down to no more than 2 a week, because anything more than that would just irritate my stomach on top of the bloating and the heartburn.

Not a diet, really. More like a change of pace.

Not Another Recipe!

Still life of stock pot on stove. Taken with the webcam.

If I wasn't already laid up with bronchitis this weekend (boo), I would've taken all this crazy weather we've been having as a good time to start experimenting with soup - and in particular, the graniteware stock pot that I purchased for myself at Wal-Mart over the holidays. However, given that my respiratory health hasn't been the greatest lately, I decided that now was a good time to play around with our family's panacea of choice: chicken and rice soup.

Call it what you will - congee, jook, bubur, arroz caldo, lugaw, pospas (what up, Visayas!) - whatever it is, it's definitely comfort food for the days when you could really use the strength. Being the urbanized Pinoy that I am, I usually prefer to make the stuff with chicken because 1) chicken = good, and 2) I've had lugaw with tripe before, and it does nothing for me. In the Meimei household, the only spices that go into our rice soup are ginger, onions, garlic, and other members of the onion/garlic family, to keep the porridge "blonde"; anything else is either optional (Sriracha and fish sauce, hayyyy!) or just plain showing off, which explains why I never liked the saffron-laced versions I've seen in Manila restaurants.

Beyond that, however, there is much considerable debate - starting, of course, with the rice itself. Traditionally most home cooks make arroz caldo with sticky rice, which gives the soup a risotto-like consistency. (If you've ever been to my Mom's kitchen, where jasmine rice is a daily staple by decree of Dad, you'd understand why.) Pinoy expats, on the other hand, like to use a base of regular Calrose or supermarket medium-grain, which has more of the desired soupy-starchy texture found in congee; it does get watery after a while, but some cooks would rather put a lot of Calrose in the stock pot and let it boil until it's thick and porridge-y.

And then there are cooks like me, who just make what I feel like making.

Over the holidays, I got to try SisMei's mother-in-law's legendary Leftover Turkey Jook, made with the remains of this year's Thanksgiving turkey - starting with the carcass in the stock. Not only was it delicious (made even more so by me adding tons of pickled ginger in my bowl) but it was also the perfect antidote to the eat-fests we've had over the holidays. That gave me an even more wicked craving for my Mom's usual sick-day porridge, fueled more so by both my actual sickness and my curiosity about using leftover turkey.

Smoked turkey drumsticks happened to be on sale at Safeway over the week, so I decided to go with making the stock from those - along with dried shiitake mushrooms, which are supposed to be good for your immune system, and brown rice for fiber. The rest of the recipe - which I've now rechristened Turkey, Mushroom, and Rice Panacea - is outlined below...

• Start with 1 whole chopped yellow onion, 1 tsp. crushed black pepper, and 2 tbsp. of ginger-and-garlic paste (or 2 cloves of garlic) in a 5- or 7-quart stock pot. Add 3 skin-on smoked turkey drumsticks (about 2.5 lbs. if you can find them), then add enough water to cover the meat (about 3-4 quarts). Cover with the stock pot lid and simmer for about 2 hours on low heat or until meat and cartilage starts falling off the bones. (Note: The smoked turkey eliminates the need for salt and any additional flavoring at this point; if you're an umami junkie, though, I'd recommend holding off on the soy sauce and other condiments until later.)
• After 2 hours, discard the bones; the meat and cartilage should fall away easily when prodded with the back of a spoon, leaving you with a clean bone to toss in the garbage. Stir constantly to separate meat further from cartilage and/or any of the tiny pin bones you might find sticking out, which you can also throw in the garbage. (Note: It's important that you do not throw the cartilage away; not only does it add flavor to the stock, but they're also an important source of collagen. I also like to keep the skin on in this case, since the skins lend a ham-like texture to the proteins in the soup.
• Once you get rid of the bones, add about 2 tbsp. (an entire 1-inch knob) of chopped fresh ginger - you can add as much as you want, depending on how much you like ginger, but if you're as sick as I am you will need a lot of ginger. If there's a significant amount of water loss, add 1 can (2 cups) of low-sodium chicken broth, put the lid back on, and let simmer on the stove for about 30 minutes on low heat.
• Meanwhile, soak a 1-oz. package of dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water for at least 2 minutes, to soften them up. Add the mushrooms and the water to the pot once they're soft enough to be pliable, but not too soft to be mushy.
• Now here's the tricky part: Because of the smokiness of the turkey drums, and also for health reasons, I decided to add some brown rice to the mix, which maintains more of the soupy balance without sacrificing the heft of the starch. Since we have about 3 quarts of liquid in the pan, I went with a ratio of 1 cup brown rice to 1 cup regular white, which makes 2 cups of starch altogether. Depending on how soupy you want this, you could also make this with half Calrose and half sticky if you want the thicker, heartier version, as long as you limit the brown rice to no more than 1 cup - it really does make a difference, since the brown rice does cook into a barley-like consistency.
• Once you've added the rice to the pot, put the lid back on and let it simmer on low heat, again, for at least 30 more minutes or until the rice has expanded to twice its size and the soup is thick. Turn off the heat and let it cool before serving.

Voila: a perfectly Asian-American rice soup with all the healthiness and heft from the mushrooms and brown rice, the smokiness from the turkey, and the kick from the ginger. You can eat this straight from the pot, or you can go all Fusion on it and top it with green onions, tofu, soy sauce, fish sauce, and even more ginger (pickled or fresh, your choice). You can even eat it with breadsticks, if you are so inclined.

This recipe should last you at least three days if you're single, or should serve at least 4 to 6 guests; refrigerate or freeze any leftovers - but reheat on the stovetop for best results, since microwaving sometimes leaves portions too soupy.

The Birthday Girl Speaks

I'm not the most demanding person... but if there's ever a chance that Jason Statham Gerard Butler an unexpected loved one would show up at my doorstep today, I would be thrilled to receive this as my omiyage:

Oh, Lilyfield. Never before has a sustainable box looked so downright glamorous.

Of course, I could go ahead and turn this blog entry into a sugar-daddy shopping list of Things I Want, but... right now, as I stand, I think this song (and the can't-embed video*) says it all.

*Why, yes, I also want to see Iron Man, too... maybe next week?

Mei's Red Beans with Sausage and Rice

Okay, so this isn't *real* red beans and rice, but I thought it'd be a good idea to share this recipe...

PART 1: BEANS FROM SCRATCH

I like to use beans from scratch because I'm watching my sodium intake and I'm a little wary of the sodium levels posted on most canned beans.

For this you need 12 to 16 oz. of dried red kidney beans which should be soaked overnight in 6 cups of water. I came up with the guesstimate because I started with an entire package of dried beans (16 oz.) but took out so much gunk and bad beans from the pot that I ended up with 3/4 of the package as my final product, so you may need to be very vigilant about taking out the bad beans. They will be easy to spot because 1) they will float to the top immediately and 2) their skins will start breaking as soon as you add the water. Also don't forget to take out any stones or impurities that may come with your bag of beans.

If you have no dried kidney beans, use any kind of dried bean you may have on hand - I think this would work with black beans or garbanzos.

Soak them overnight without any salt or baking soda. If you want, go ahead and soak the whole deal in the fridge as long as possible. When you're ready to use them, don't drain them yet - let them sit for a while.

PART 2: THE SAUCE

In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat about 2 tsps. of canola oil and saute about 10 oz. worth of Portuguese (linguica) sausages - in Hawaii that's about two 5 oz. packages of the skinny ones - sliced to pieces about 1/2 inch thick. Saute the sausages until they are golden brown and have rendered up to 2 tbsp. worth of fat. Set the sausage aside and drain, but leave the remaining sausage fat in the pan.

To the sausage fat left inside the pan, add the following vegetables:

1 medium yellow onion, diced
5 stalks of celery, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 green bell pepper, diced and seeded (or use a whole fresh poblano if you want)

Saute everything until vegetables are tender: you will know it when the onions and the celery become translucent.

As soon as the vegetables are ready, add the UNDRAINED beans to the pot with about a cup or two of the soaking water. Bring the whole pot to boiling, then cover and reduce heat to as low as possible in order for the beans to cook thoroughly, about 30 to 45 minutes. You want the beans to be soft enough to cut in half with a spoon, but not too soft that they're practically mushy.

Once the beans are cooked the way you want them to be, add the sausage that you have set aside back to the pan. To this you also add 1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes and let simmer for another 10 minutes - this way the acids in the tomatoes don't slow down the cooking process from the beans. The sauce will eventually thicken up on its own once the tomatoes break down and the beans cook at their own pace.

Serve with hot cooked rice.

This recipe makes about 4 to 6 generous servings, or about 2 to 3 days' worth of lunch and dinner for a hungry graduate student.

PART 3: RECIPE TROUBLESHOOTING

Not spicy enough? Assuming that you've used mild ingredients in the first place (no poblanos or "hot" Portuguese sausage), serve the recipe with extra hot sauce on the side.

Beans not cooked all the way through? If you've already added the tomatoes and the beans are still too hard, turn off the stove first. Then put the sauce in a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 2 days; there's something about the freezing process that breaks down the beans and turns them into mush. When it's time to reheat, you can defrost the sauce in the microwave and cook from there, or you can do as I do and chuck the whole frozen chunk of sauce into the pot with exactly 1 cup of water. Cover and leave on low heat for at least 1 hour or until completely defrosted.

Guava Jam and Other Delights

This week I'm on a fruit spread-and-cheese kick.

It started with me inheriting a pack of Wasa Multigrain Crispbread from my neighbor, which we both agreed was basically nothing more than edible - albeit good for you - cardboard. So I thought I should use what's left of my Fig and Orange Spread by eating it with the crackers.

Seriously, guys, the Fig and Orange Spread is the bomb - alone with the crispbread, the soft-and-crispy textures are just out of this world, and the flavor of the spread is so indescribably rich that it goes beyond sweet. It's a pity that this stuff is so darned expensive in the store... it's the kind of spread that just elevates practically anything and everything.

The only problem I have, however, is pairing the fig spread with cheese - which is my own problem, because I end up purchasing the Kraft Extra Sharp Cheddar when I should be springing for aged gouda or goat cheese. Yeah, I know, I ought to live a little (remember, I used to be the person who lived on pate and Brie as a college freshman) but my priorities just aren't the same this time around. Anyhow, every time I pair the fig spread with the cheddar it's the opposite of a taste sensation - the tartness of the cheese always competes with the bittersweetness of the figs - so it was more of a letdown when I put them both on the crispbread.

Now, to compensate for my loss of the fig spread (and in keeping with the broke student theme) I bought a jar of Hawaiian Sun Guava Jam, which was on sale at Foodland. (Technically, it's the Hawaiian Sun Lite Guava Jam, with reduced sugar, but I digress.) So for dinner I paired the guava jam with the cheddar, sliced extra thin with a tiny sharp knife, on top of the multigrain bread.

Again, the bread did nothing for the flavor, although the texture remained pretty crisp. The sharpness of the cheese was still pretty tart. And yet... the contrast of the creamy cheese and the stiff cracker ended up putting the focus back on the guava jam, which turned out to be especially decadent. As much as I used to hate anything related to spreadable guava (it used to get under my skin when Lady's Choice in the Philippines had peanut butter with guava jelly stripes), this combination of guava jam and cheese was pretty unbelievable. I understand that the combination isn't exactly original, but... still, it was so decadent that I almost passed up on dessert.

(Speaking of dessert: Dried apricots + Chips Ahoy = yum. No, I am serious. If you'd told me this combination worked wonders ten years ago, I would've thought you were way, way too high.)

For sure I'm going to have this combo again for breakfast tomorrow - maybe skip the cheese and go with the guava jam alone first - and if I ever run out of the crispbread I'm going to see if I could invest in a better-quality loaf of whole grain bread, or at least a good sourdough. But it's making me think about other combinations, too. (Guava jam and... Brie? Edam? Manchego? Feta? Pepper Jack? PARMIGIANO REGGIANO!?) At any rate it shouldn't hurt to be this adventurous, right?

Domesticity Reviews: Dark Chocolate M&M's

The point of dark chocolate, in my opinion, is that it is meant to be enjoyed slowly. Dark chocolate - especially the good stuff, though this applies to the "regular" dark chocolate from the supermarket - is meant to be savored bite by bite, melted gently on the tongue to release all the latent flavor elements within the dark, buttery morsel. It is not meant to be gnawed off and eaten on the fly; once those distinctive chocolate elements become evident on the palate, you have no choice but to savor the moment of pleasure - to lie back, sigh softly, and melt slowly.

The point of M&Ms, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of what dark chocolate - or any other chocolate, for that matter - is meant to be. They're not supposed to melt in your hand - in fact, they're not supposed to melt, period. M&Ms are what you reach for when you're going through the mid-afternoon funk, when you need to gnash your teeth upon something that's meant to shatter and make noise. Chocolate content notwithstanding, you're not supposed to enjoy M&Ms for the taste. You want those damn M&Ms, and you want them now - or else, before the unsuspecting dork in the cubicle next door gets it.

So what happens when you put dark chocolate in the familiar hard candy shell coating of an M&M? I tried a packet once (they're the ones in the purple baggy) and the first thing I noticed was that they tasted vaguely like Smarties - or at least the Smarties I remember from 20+ years ago, when my Dad used to bring them home from his travels. But still, I couldn't get over the extreme oxymoron of putting dark chocolate in a hard candy shell - no matter how much the slogan tries to convince me otherwise, the stuff will never melt in my mouth.

After eating my way through a whole package, I finally concluded that, while the dark choco/candy shell combo does taste pleasant, it's not exactly what I would consider a mind-blowing gourmet experience either. If you're stressed out and you need the flavonols, that's fine, but I'm sticking to my usual Special Dark.

Come to think of it, there is something else that I'm reminded of after eating those M&Ms... and it's not who you think.

Attention, all ladies. The Candyman is on the prowl. And for those who want to get busy, you've gots to speak up now.

Domesticity Reviews: Scharffen Berger Nibby Bar

Hi, my name is Meimei, and I am a chocoholic.

Not just any chocoholic, mind you. I approach chocolate the same way I approach alcohol: Why settle for "regular" when the good stuff's still available? There's no way of explaining why I've become such a stickler about this, apart from the fact that I'm getting older and my taste buds aren't what they used to be.

Case in point: Two weeks ago I was able to track down the Scharffen Berger Nibby Bar at Fujioka's in Market City. At first I thought I was never going to be able to eat this at all - I was just so happy to have found one that I almost forgot that I had one at hand. Finally, after days of speculation, I broke down, unwrapped the bar, broke off a quarter... and had my first taste.

Here's the thing: This isn't my first bar of Scharffen Berger, at all. I've had their dark chocolate before, so I'm used to the fact that their dark chocolate often starts off really sharp and metallic on the tongue. (I've experienced the same thing with Lindt's Excellence Dark Chocolate, too, so I'm sure it's not an isolated phenomenon.) That's why I usually have a tendency to eat dark chocolate slowly - letting the stuff melt in my mouth so I could get used to the sharpness and let the other aromas permeate.

Not so with the Nibby Bar. The first time I bit into it, I immediately recognized the crunch of the cacao nibs, which I immediately wanted to crunch on with my teeth. The chocolate used for the Nibby Bar is 62% cacao - which makes it no stronger than your average Toll House morsel - but it's the crackle of the nibs that gets to you. The sharpness eventually gives in to a pleasant bitter-sweetness, not unlike snacking on a chocolate wafer.

This isn't just chocolate, folks. This is instant gratification.

I've heard descriptions of the Nibby Bar as a "candy bar for grownups," which I believe is pretty spot-on. I could come up with a more graphic description than that (ahem), but suffice it to say that for $2 an ounce, it's pretty damn good instant gratification, so grab one while you can.

The Case For Not Going Too Fast

Two things just occurred to me right now:

1) I've been totally under the weather since Saturday afternoon.
2) My birthday is coming next week.

I'm not sad about #2 happening, but I'm sure I'd be more thrilled about it if #1 didn't happen first! It's not sitting well with me, especially since I should've seen this coming and I have a tendency to get all space-cadet-y when I get sick. But, as a friend of mine put it recently, getting sick is God's way of telling you to slow down and perhaps stop for a minute, so I'm looking at this as a way to deal with one less worry.

In the meantime, here are some things that I've got on hand to carry me through this moment:

- Aveeno Ultra Calming Moisturizer. I had a coupon, and I saw that this was on sale at Wal-Mart, so I bought both the lotion (SPF 15) and the cream (which comes in an un-tacky plastic tub) since I was on the market for another moisturizer that won't make my skin freak out. So far so good: Both formulas go on like (non-greasy) butter and have left my skin soft without the freakouts. The folks at Aveeno say that I should see results in seven days - and if I keep blowing my nose the way I've been doing since the other night, that's as much time that I'll need to test this adequately.

- Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs. I just bought the Oreo Thin Crisps, and they are fantastic - all the taste of an Oreo cookie without the grease, or the bother of licking the white parts.

- Cheesy dance music from obscure-in-America pop bands. Mark my words: "Faded" by Soul Decision is the best boy-band song to come out of Canada, ever. Also, if you've ever had that moment (as I have recently) when you realized that one of your exes is now working behind the bar at the restaurant where you just had dinner with your friends, no truer words have been spoken than this line from Sugababes: "Ooh, won't you miss me like a hole in the head? Because I do, boy, and it's cool, boy."

- Airborne. Which reminds me: Has anyone noticed that Longs Drugs just came out with their own generic house-brand version of the stuff? Complete with funny cartoons on the box? Cute. But ain't nothing like the real thing, baby.

- Zicam. Not the spray, or the chews, but the old-school Zicam that you have to swab into your nose. Best thing to do in the morning after you blow your nose.

The Case for the Growing Blogroll

Those of you who have been reading my blog may have noticed that my blogroll has been growing significantly. Here's a chance to get to know some of these featured bloggers at hand:

- Blogdorf Goodman. I will concede that Annie of Y-town has exceptional taste in shopping and fashion, as evidenced by the content on her blog. While she may have given up shopping for Lent, she and her in-house beauty editor Cavewoman are currently doing 40 days' worth of foundation primer reviews, which have become a must-read for me. (My pick: Sephora Perfection Makeup Base, which will be the first thing I purchase as soon as Black Saturday comes around.)

- Real Girl Beauty: The lovely and stylish Zoe may be honest in her take on beauty, but it's an honesty that isn't at all intimidating or brutal.

- Rubbah Slippahs in Italy. Before the recent events that brought her back to Kauai, Rowena was a local girl working as a pastry chef in la bella Italia. Her blog covers travels and recipes that will make you swoon with joy.

- The Life of a Ladybug: For some reason, Toya and I seem to share the same passions - in particular red lipstick and the entire L'Oreal True Match product line - and her blog is just so beautifully done. Also worth reading for her takes on pop culture, and the surprising tidbits she shares about her life.

- Manolo's Food Blog and Manolo for the Men: The Manolo, he has begun the expansion of his super fantastic media empire! Luckily for us, Izzy (who covers the menswear) and Mr. Henry (who writes about the food) are both surprisingly insightful.

The Case for the Random Celebrity Commentary

Or: I Never Thought I'd Say This, But This Blog Could Use More Sarsgaard

Aww, check out two of my favorite celebrity boyfriends in this photo! Peter looks especially happy to see Ludacris, don't you think? Too bad about the Maggie impersonator right in the middle of them.

(I kid, I kid. But, seriously, Luda must be looking at Jake and thinking, "Yo, P, why you gotta dress your woman up like a dude, bro?")

*****

Speaking of Maggie Gyllenhaal: You know that new Real Simple show on PBS? One of the reasons why I started watching was because I noticed that one of the co-hosts - the twee-soundingly-named Cydnee Welburn - looks like a cross between M.G. and Kimberley Locke, but more adorable. The rest of the show is OK - the hosts aren't bad, but the concept and the editing makes America's Test Kitchen and Everyday Food look like Ken Burns documentaries by comparison.

(And I'm not even going to start with that punk Ming Tsai, who moved to PBS from the Food Network. Caramelized onion sambal?!? No wonder I dropped him from the TV-boyfriends list after I heard about his arrogant 'tude.)

Domesticity Friday #3: Yay, a Food Entry!

Top 5 “Extreme” (yeah, right) Potluck Makeovers

- Store-bought chicken: For roast chicken, cut up whole bird into pieces, then sprinkle with rosemary or Mrs. Dash and bake in warm oven until ready to serve. For fried chicken, follow as directed above, but skip the cutting if it's already in pieces, and substitute shoyu or teriyaki sauce for herbs.

- Canned or vacuum-packed tuna in plain oil: Drain, then combine with lemon juice, Italian parsley, olive oil and capers. Serve with crusty bread and grape tomatoes on the side.

- Plain cream cheese: Dump whole tub or block onto plate, then top with jalapeno jelly, Thai sweet chili sauce, or mango chutney. Serve with crackers or toasted bagels.

- Microwave burritos or frozen dim sum: Prepare as directed on package, then slice in half crosswise and serve with cut ends facing out. If using burritos, make sure you dispose of all plastic wrappers before serving. WARNING: Recipe does not work with Hot Pockets.

- Fruit platter: Serve with a bowl of li hing powder on the side to use as a dip.

Obligatory (but still on-topic) reference to Rohk Stah: Eeeenick Sess: I need to bake JD Fortune a great big semi-homemade casserole for performing Seal's “Crazy” on Tuesday's episode. Way to go messing with my favorite song, asshat, and that's in addition to what you've done to "We Are The Champions." So if you mess with U2 or Crowded House on this show, I'll be shoving beergaritas through your nose all the way to September. Also, I hold Ty Taylor responsible for getting "No Woman No Cry" stuck in my head, which led me to dig out my copy of Legend. Yes, folks, Bob Marley does sound better when you're sober. (Now if only I could get JD to perform "Night Nurse," which fueled my inexplicable hatred of reggae in college. Long story.)