Shanghai Meatballs

I have been keeping this picture for quite some time now. I have been very quite about the recipe of my specialty, Shanghai Meatballs. Since I have time for blogging today, I decided to share this with everyone. I invented this by accident. During that time, there was no wrapper for the always-present-in-our-fridge-food Lumpiang Shanghai mix, and we have to consume it because it's been living there for ages (no, I'm just exaggerating). So I have decided to cook it as meat balls and add tomato sauce to spice it up, so it's not dry and boring. I am very proud of this recipe because I've learned this since I was 5 years old. The best cook I've ever known taught me this, and I am always in the kitchen when I was young (in case you're wondering who that cook was, that was my father, and yes, why didn't I took up Culinary Arts instead, damn!). So this recipe have been running in my blood for decades? Shall I say, a family specialty?

So this Shanghai Meatballs consists of Lumpiang Shanghai mix, fried and formed into balls, then cooked with  spicy tomato sauce. This is how I did it:

Lumpiang Shanghai Recipe

• 1 kilo Ground Pork
• 1 large onion
• 1 large carrot
• Kinchay (my favorite!)
• 2-3 Eggs
• Salt and Pepper
• Singkamas (optional)
• Shrimp (chopped finely; optional)

Add salt on ground pork and let it sit until salt dissolves. Then chopped everything finely. Add the veggies and lastly, the eggs to combine everything. I don't like using a blender for the veggies, I like to finely chop it because I think the blender releases some of its juice, and will make the mixture a little wet? So I like to do it with a knife (then smell your hands after, it feels like heaven). Form them into balls, and fry. As what I've learned from Mario Batali, don't brown the meat too much, for it will be overcooked and will be dry on the inside. 

After frying the meat balls, set aside, prepare the tomato sauce.

1. Saute onions and garlic. Onions should be cut in circles, I don't know how you call it, it looks like you're going to decorate something with onions. The cut that you have on burgers and onion rings. Add red chili pepper.

2. Add the meat balls and stir fry it for a few minutes. Then add tomato sauce. Lower heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add a pinch of nutmeg. I dunno why, but it was an accident when I put it, but does great wonders on the dish. For finishing touch, add a pinch of kinchay. Turn off the heat and serve hot.

Promise, my cousins love it when I cooked it once for lunch. Give this a try, and by the way, just put 1 red chili pepper or your family will die. But if you love spicy foods, then add some more! I hope you like this.

Chicken Pastel

My friends know me for being a cook aficionada. I haven’t posted anything yet regarding my love for cooking. This is going to be my first post regarding food. I have an old multiply site by the way, where I post all of the things I cooked and baked, but uh-oh, I forgot the site. Anyway, I had this great dish from our canteen; it was a chicken with creamy white sauce. I found out that it was the same dish my sister was telling me about. This was her favorite dish too from our canteen when she was still working there. So I get to know the name of this dish which is Chicken Pastel.

The ingredients were pretty obvious; cream, chicken, veggies, but I still researched on it just to make sure. Chicken Pastel is supposed to be a dish with some crust on top, which should be baked. I used chicken breast. I asked the lady in the market to fillet it and I cut it into cubes. To make life easier, I decided to cook the way our canteen does it. So here are the ingredients I used and the procedures:

1.     Cut the chicken fillet, potatoes and carrots into cubes.

2.     Sautee onion and garlic in butter. Add chicken and season with salt. Wait till it’s cooked (for about 5 minutes) or until the meat turned white.

3.     Add potatoes, carrots, red bell pepper, mushroom, and hotdogs. (optional ingredients). Simmer for about 5 minutes.

4.     Add all purpose cream, and I’ve seen a blog that doesn’t recommend powdered cream of mushroom, but this is what I’ve used since grocery stores are still closed when I got off from work. I didn’t get the exact amount of cream of mushroom but it’s pretty much like 2 tablespoon I think? Let the cream and cook for another 5 minutes.

5.     Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with rice or mashed potatoes?

So that’s the way I cooked it. Hope this helps! And by the way, this was an experiment. 

Aikology

"Aiko", that's my name; "-logy", meaning the study of something. I am really planning to "renovate" my youtube channnel and turn it into a new me. Aikology is the username I thought of very hard, which means,the study of Aiko. I realized I've been doing so many things, trying out so many DIFFERENT things, and when I say different, it's like a challenge, something I've never done before. I want to realize those things whenI get older. Curiosity is what make me do these things. A compilation of crazy things I do. One example was back in college, I asked the "taho seller" if I can sell the taho for him. I did the scooping-mixing thing, which I wasn't able to tape! Too bad... The feeling was cool! I also tried "sumabit sa jeep". (LOL too craziness in my life? yeah, that's me).

I will be repeating what I did and show it to you guys! Still planning on things... I also want to have this compilation so when I get older, I would remember and understand the youth. HAHA Aikology- soon to be youtube channel. Watch out!

90's music

I guess I have to do this, to write a post about the music back in 90's. I recently found myself so busy downloading music from www.4shared.com and www.mp3skull.com some, no, not some but a lot of music from the 90s like Nsync, Backstreet Boys, Hanson, The Moffats,Britney Spears, etc. I have been a huge fan of music when I was still a little kid. I found myself reliving the 90s through my Ipod and download more! The music back then was very meaningful, and has a good melody into it. Nowadays, I realized that I have been very picky on latest songs. If I dont like the melody, I stop listening to it and almost every song talks about sex, drugs, and party! Nonsense... But when I listen to the 90's, I never pressed "Next" on my mp3 player. I love every song  in it!

Im hearing people nowadays that they're too ashamed of themselves when they remember they sing and dance to the tune of the Nsync, Spice Girls etc. Well, I think you shouldn't be,because they contributed a lot, like MAJOR contribution on the music industry. They are my role models because I love singing ever since I was born. Hoping someday I'll meet every one of them. (:p)

I think that we should never forget those music that our artists made back then. Good thing I have good childhood memories with these songs. 

May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor... And so the odds are!

It's March 21, 2012 at 11:09 PM, (when I started this blog but probably be published tomorrow) and it's not just an ordinary day, but it is the advance screening of The Hunger Games! Written by Suzanne Collins and known to be a best seller novel; directed by Gary Ross; main casts are Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark and a lot more. This book was introduced by my friend, Shobe who's very much addicted to it. I started reading it and I swear, once you read it, you won't stop unless you get the good ending you want. I finished the book in like 1 week, I guess?

Anyway, we are very much privileged to be able to watch it before other people does. I can't sleep because I said I have to write something about it! I was actually in a verge of watching it alone, Shobe was supposed to be having a dinner with her relatives, but the odds are in favor of us, she was allowed to go. And one of my friends, Melo also came with us! I even ask my aunt to braid my hair, and went to the theater 1 hour early.

So after the long wait, there it goes! I was actually surprised on how big everything is! I mean, they must have been working on this for such a long time, with great effort, so I'm very pleased to see the setting and all that stuff. Everything was just mind-blowing and Liam is actually right about the show, not just focusing on Katniss but also on the people that surround her: on what's happening outside the arena. I want to congratulate all the people that are involve on this production. Peeta is so handsome by the way. And the camouflage-ing he does? It's so gooood!!! It's a must see on this movie. And I love the swift motion there when Rue got killed, and Katniss had her first kill, it was exactly what I imagine. I want to say everything I want to say about it, but I guess I'll just have to leave it for everyone to see. All I can say is, it really isn't just a cheapskate movie but I swear, it is really BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTION, a MUST WATCH. NO REGRETS OR DISAPPOINTMENTS. And I just want to add that my friend Shobe, remembered that I was the one that she doesn't want to go with when watching a movie, because I'm too noisy and I make weird sounds when I get really excited on the show and I keep on talking non stop. I remember, when we watch movies back in college, they let me seat beside another friend who keeps on talking while watching, nonstop! I think I miss my partner in theaters. LOL But anyway, I just love it when Shobe gets irritated, but I still talk. HAHA! Especially when Peeta Mellark was introduced as tribute and when they kiss in the cave. ARRRRH! (>o<)

I hope someone from them could read this because I definitely want to be part of the movie if obly I get th chance! Seriously, I want to be Johanna Mason or at least, Tigriss, a little exposure would be enough.


Ps I realize Katniss' braided hair falls on her right, not left. But when she's in the woods, it's on her left shoulder... Hmm... 

UPDATE! Please check out my Effie Trinket Impersonation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12HhAnpKsm8&feature=g-upl&context=G2305fa2AUAAAAAAAAAA

Getting There

It’s March 3, 2012, at exactly 10:34 PM. Not much to do, just watching youtube videos of my favorite girl group SNSD, until it came to my mind that I’d be turning 23 this year and I haven’t done so much in my life yet. I didn’t have great accomplishments aside from graduating college and learning other language. I promised myself that I should be stable at the age of 25, which I think I have to delay a little bit (hehe ^_^).  I wrote this blog for me to look into when I get there when I feel like giving up or feel like I’m losing track of my dreams and goals. Remember Aiko, you are nothing now! Without much perseverance and focus, you won’t reach your goal; and you know what I mean. And before I published this blog, I went to Mass on Sunday afternoon and the priest was giving a lesson about challenges in life, and giving examples such as singers who reach the top. I was like, “Oh my goodness, that’s for me! The message was exactly for me!” The priest said that we have to accept the challenges that will come our way in order to reach our goals. I agree that you can’t reach the top of the mountain unless you make your first step. If you’re too scared to do it, then you have to realize that you have to do it. Since flying is easy, and it will bring you wherever you want fast, God didn’t give us this skill because we will never learn to take one step at a time in reaching our dreams. I always lose focus when I’m on the way because I tend to forget what I really want in life and there are a lot of things that’s going on with my life right now. So another tip is to never lose focus; always remind yourself of the thing that you really want and you’ll be successful whatever happens. There may be storms or avalanche that will stop you for a moment, when that comes, you have to rest for a bit, take it easy, and when everything seems to be fine, go on and move forward.

I hope this bog will help not just me, but also some people who needs focus and inspiration.

Cheers, -Aiko-

Antel Grand Village Clubhouse

January 17, 2012 - My cousin's family from father side decided to go somewhere to have some bonding moments with them since they're going back to Australia on January 19, 2012 once again, and will not be seeing them fro 1-2 years again. So the Ramirez family merged with Calazan family on that day. We went to Antel Grand Village Clubhouse located between Kawit Cavite and Gen. Trias Cavite. At first we were in doubt of the place, and because we had a bad experience in Boracay of Cavite, but since Ramirez family suggested it, they think it would be good to give it a try.

The day came and wow. We were shocked! The place was amazingly beautiful and sooooo clean! It is only open for members on weekdays and entrance fee was Php 75.00 since Ate Sherlet was a member. The only thing that's not good with the place is that there are a lot of prohibited things, like:

No alcoholic beverages (of course that's ok)

No peeing (of course that's part of the cleanliness)

No diving, no horseplaying (haha!)

You cant wear cottons... (this is the only thing I don't like)

I hate the part where you cant wear cotton shorts or cotton sando, the caretakers would go near you and ask you to remove the cotton thing on you. They said it's because of the fibers of cotton that makes the pool dirty or unclear. There is also a man made Beach Pool which we all love! There are a total of 5 Pools:

Bar Pool - where there's a seat and you can order drinks while in the pool

Kiddie Pool - is beside Bar pool; 2 feet high, there's a bubbly thing on the other end. It's like a massage pool.

Beach Pool - which reminds me of Splash Island's beach pool. Has small white pebbles as sand. and has 2    slides.

Lap Pool - it has sunbathing seats submerged in the pool where you can relax in the water.

Spa Pool - it has beds beside and fountain which you can put your back and it feels like a massage.

The Shower Room? Ah! It was great!I just didn't get the chance to take a photo of it! It is the cleanest of the cleanest Shower room I ever saw! The janitor even asks us to wash our feet before going inside. It was the cleanest Shower room I ever encountered in my whole life! There's also locker rooms where you can put your things. The place was so relaxing and if you're really up to some fun, this is the place!

You can check out their website http://www.antelclubhouse.com/ for more information.