bits and pieces

So St. Patrick's Day has come and gone.
But I remember my first St. pat's Corned Beef dinner, really promdi..I didn't know their corned beef came in those weird slabs with spice packets....akala ko I'd have to cook at least 8 cans of carne norte....hahahah. Years later, each kids mastered the art of corned beef for St. pat's JB topping it off with wilted cabbage leaves for effect when he served his masterpiece. Bambi does a good one but this year, she followed her mom's advice and had 2 roasted and one boiled for flavoring the cabbage and potatoes, her entire sibling group bravoed the end result. (Note to Sam, boil the root crops to near tender before adding the rest, then your Irish Stew which everyone enjoyed immensely would be more stew instead of pulled meat)
But on St. Pat's itself, on the prodding of sister Patricia, I did one better, had the boiled corned beef with potatoes and cabbage (and I had to pressure cook this because I was short on time and it really worked!!! It would've been 50 minutes per pound so a 4-5 pounder would've been done by 10pm, and instead, I got it to 80minutes and tender) I pulled out the meat and added the potatoes and cabbage to the cooker and then put back the meat..But I did the pinoy version, guisadong corned beef (garlic,tomatoes, onions with corned beef, diced potatoes and shredded cabbage. Came out a good side dish to the dinner and of course...freshly cooked white rice, didn't know which we liked better...hahaha.

Sauces, Mixes, Marinades

I am a fan of sauces, mixes, marinades, packaged rice. OK, lets qualify, the ones you have to cook like Vigo, Near East, Louisiana Purchase and some others. Not the rice a roni or uncle ben although they should be good but too american for my taste.
But I tweak the instructions by adding regular jasmine rice and cooking these in the rice cooker, oh, and no butter, shudder and cringe especially when grand daughter Lynn uses "I can't believe its not butter" stuff with dried dill, yeccch.

Barbecue sauces, marinades you name it and I may have it in my pantry. Right now, I just raided a food show and have Iron Chef, Jack Daniels, Sweet baby Ray, Open Pit, Kraft and whatever is on sale, preferably under a dollar. And again, tweak with soy sauce, banana ketchup lea and perrins or whatever I can grab, garlic, paprika, turmeric, lemon to name a few.
Of the Philippine mixes, I think Mama Sita rules. Not because I knew her personally, and have known her daughter when they first started Marigold in a small facility In San Juan, but because through the years, they have really come up with an awesome product line that I am never without. There are other companies but sooo pale in comparison. The only one I have along with mama Sita is the Knorr tamarind sinigang mix. I tried others, but really, quality and taste wise, Mama Sita and Knorr rule.
I recently started with Lee Kum Kee's new line of sauces and I still have to get it right but they really are good. I try odd companies for the Bulgogi marinades. Can't think of one that jumps out.
I must be a snob too for there are so much more out there but I don;t use them because they sniff too commercially for me, but I will use Goya's sofrito and adobo seasonings over Preferida et al.
No matter what it is, by the time I use these, they would have undergone a lot of tweaking as I never follow the recipes, which makes them mine!
Do you want recipes? Coming soon!