the not-so-secret recipe of the ultra-delicious toasted flaked beef con crispy potato tots

Also known as Corned Beef with Potatoes.

The maid is currently out of town (wow, maid na ngayon ang nag o-out of town), and I've been assigned as the reluctant chef of the house. Having been an apprentice of Rachel Rae for two years (that was before post grad school, 30 minutes every late afternoon), I consider myself a savant of delish food to go.

Procedure:

First, get those potatoes and wash them. I used Joy dishwasing liquid but my aunt said that was unhealthy, so I just soaked them in water for a few hours (lost track of time--I was reading Gaiman).

Second, cut them into tiny bits. Don't peel 'em. My aunt scolded me for not peeling them. I told her, matter of factly, that nutrients are stored in the skin of legumes and to remove it would be a waste. She bit it. Whew. Because really, I just forgot.

Third, fry 'em in butter till they turn crispy. Amount of butter--depends on how much you love your life. How long to fry--about two commercial breaks. If you didn't peel your potatoes, maybe it'll be a good idea to make them extra crispy. Think Safeguard commercial, except that the soap is really a potato. 99.9% of germs.. Then, set aside.

Fourth, open your corned beef can. Be careful. And choose Purefoods. For once let's agree with and not question Kris Aquino. But don't choose the chunky ones that look like pet food unless you want to emphathize with Brownie, or Bruno, for that matter.

Fifth, put in garlic in your pan like there's no tomorrow. You're eating at home and to hell with hellish breath. Fry, again till they turn a bit crispy.

Sixth, put in your corned beef. Don't add water. Ugh. You want a toasty effect on your dish. It is not a stew. If you think it's cooked (I leave this to your judgment because I personally can't tell when beef crosses the thin red line between being "rare" and being "done"), rejoice. You're about to finish.

Finally, put in the crispy potatoes. Sautee a bit. Then shout "I am the Iron Chef!" in a husky voice. Woof, woof. That seals the cooking procedure.

There. Thanks to the glory of canned food, you can have a gourmet dish in less than 30 minutes.
Don't ask me though what's inside those beef flakes, or if they really are beef. We are not privy to such secrets. This is one of the rare times that we should concede and think that ignorance is bliss.

If you've tried it and didn't like it, call 911-1111.

si blueboy at si yellow 4...

Two superhero names, one not-so-super day.

Kanina sa kantina, puno. Nalilito na nga si ate sa mga sineserve niya kaya nung nag order ako ng melon shake, sinulat nya: "1 large melon shake--Blueboy." I-dedeliver daw.

Hindi dumating ung melon shake. Marahil dahil naka-VIOLET ako.

---

Isang conversation noong undergrad:

Ikaw, para kang si Yellow 4

Ha?! Yung sa Bioman? Yung naka indian outfit, at namamana..yung tumbling nang tumbling kahit walang kalaban?

Oo, dahil lagi kang namamatay. Pero makalipas ang isang episode, biglang buhay na ulit.

He was right. I guess. I've lost more than once, only to stand up and fight again. Pano naman kasi, bioman ata to. Pano na lang ung Bio Revolver, Bio Team Kick, at ang Bio Electron Wave kung mawawala ako?

look ma, he can use a knife and fork!

There's this really buff guy reminiscent of the bouncers in Ascend (who scared me to death) who ordered a cheese-topped empanada and hot coffee. Good combination. Then he religiously cut his empanada using his knife and fork. The arm positions were perfect and the strokes, superb. I could almost see the perfectly sized morsels cleanly put aside on the plate. Neither too think nor too thin. And he wiped his mouth before he sipped his coffee! Wow. I don't see that much these days. Miss Minchin would have been proud.

I felt like an eight-year old in a zoo, dazzled by a wii-playing Panda.

Spank. I suddenly chastised myself. I was born in the 21st century, I thought. Literally, anything IS possible.

Makes one amused, but proud and hopeful at the same time. *grin*

a typical saturday?!

Lunch at SR Thai with Edward. 11 years ago we first ate here. Pleasantly, it hasn't lost its taste.

Banapple merienda c/o Joy. The best cakes in the world. (fyi, they have an army of fairy cooks operating a cake factory past those cherry red kitchen doors! I've seen them!) Advanced happy birthday.

Eastwood videoke c/o Chris. Belated happy birthday. Everyone's notes seem to have improved... save for Nikko's. Ehe. Peace.

Fazoli's c/o of Block T1. God, how we've all changed, and not changed, the past 2 and a half years.

Mom & Tina's dinner. A cozy, heartwarming meal attended by searing conversations. Serious exchanges one second, and libelous remarks the next. God, I miss college and Oscar.

(Costume party in Cubao X, cancelled due to shortage of wizards' robes and, um, the boy who couldn't decide)

Malate with newfound friends. Smoke, beer, and pheromones--the perfect cocktail, anyone?

A busy, busy, busy Saturday. This is so different from my usual weekend spent with coffee and a pile of work, but nevertheless as fun... ahem. Ahem. *choke*

a child scribbles

I remember the cheesy line quite well. It was in a French movie. A musical of sorts. Have you ever loved for love's own sake?

Now let me rephrase. Have you ever written for writing's own sake?

Interestingly, I find it hard to say yes. Because as far as I'm concerned, I've written for all sorts of reasons. Vengeance is somewhere near the top of my list. Good grades is probably at the peak. To make people fall in love, or fall out of love, is also somewhere at the summit. Occasionally, I write to save my ass from some trouble I've brewed (i.e. excuse letters, medical certificates, ahem, ahem). But rarely, almost never, just for writing itself.

Maybe that is what I have to redo. To write as a child writes--to never worry of spilled ink, of hidden meanings, of superficial purposes, of what word to write next, of whom to please and, more importantly, of whom to irritate. To write with complete freedom. To write for writing's own sake. And to hell with everything else.