Happy Birthday Jamie Oliver

James Trevor Oliver. Born 3 years ahead of me on May 27. Today another birthday greeting to the man I call genius and with a golden heart. His enormous passion for food and to help other people with the food they eat are the things that I will always admire about Jamie. I am more than just a fan of him, I am someone who looks up to him in a different way. I support him not just because he was known as this cute guy from famous TV shows in Great Britain. I admire him more than the skin he wears, but the inner being in him. I am here on the other side of the planet just watching his life and how he lives it. From his school dinners, ministry of food to the food revolution campaign, I triumphantly rejoice in every victory he makes.

Aside from his talent and passion for cooking, he is also blessed with three lovely daughters and now his wife Jools is on her way to their fourth child. I am wishing him today on his birthday that he will finally have a little Jamie in few months time. Hopefully. There's so much about Jamie that I really like, like being the drummer to his band called Scarlet Division. That is really something. More than cooking, he can also give us his head-banging drum talent. My everyday life is totally inspired by him. A simple smile when I see him on TV, when I browse his website and when I get news from him really makes my day complete. The best thing that happened to me this year was when he gave me a personal message on my twitter and followed me at the same time. He acknowledged me as his number one fan in the Philippines. He just told me in his message that he read my blog and also told me also to keep it up the good work! He just inspires me everyday that I should never give up my dreams and believe that one day everything will turn into reality--and that includes meeting him in person :-)

Let me just share this simple dessert recipe I prepared for my Idol. This was inspired by his recipe on how to make Strawberry Jam. Instead I made apple jam that was simmered with Shiraz and matched with French Vanilla Ice Cream.

APPLE SHIRAZ JAM

Ingredients:

• Apples (cut into cubes)
• Shiraz Red Wine
• Brown Sugar
• Vanilla
• Cinnamon
• French Vanilla Ice Cream
• Water
• Butter (of course)

Procedure:

Heat pan with butter, then add the sugar. Allow it to caramelized then add the Shiraz. Once it dissolves, add vanilla, cinnamon and water. Next thing to do is to add the diced apples. Cover pan. Allow it to boil and let the apples simmer until it softens. When the apples are soft for sure the liquid will thicken. When everything is ok, ready a small plate put some scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream then plate it with this very nice apple shiraz jam recipe. For me, I had my cube French Vanilla Ice Cream given to me by my Russian friend Mischuin Zolot.

Jamie, enjoy this one head-banging birthday dessert for you!!!

Happy BIRTHDAY Jamie :-)

hugs,
joanie xxx

Salmon Omelette-Crepe-Pizza

Good evening England, France & Italy!

It's raining a bit here in Saigon and I realized that I've been living in this chaotic city of motorbike for a year now. Tonight I did again my recent favorite concoction. It was surprisingly a lip-smacking dish. The common reaction I get when I have this dish tasted among good friends-- they said that the taste is confusing but in a good way. Indescribable taste that you cannot identify so you just keeps slicing a piece of it from time to time. Actually that's the intention. Capturing three of my favorite comfort foods in one dish. Obviously I like English Omelette, French Crepe & Italian Pizza--- so that's the reason why this dish was born. The Mozzarella cheese and toppings of either Salmon or Bacon will surely makes this dish more gorgeous! And don't forget to put in some Tabasco's on top.


SALMON OMELETTE-CREPE-PIZZA

Ingredients:

• Salmon (thinly sliced)
• Eggs
• Milk & Flour
• Mozarella Cheese
• Basil / Marjoram
• Salt & Pepper
• Tabascos
• Butter (of course)

Procedure:

Beat eggs in a big bowl then slowly add the milk and a little of flour. Beat them all together then add salt. Heat your teflon pan in medium temperature then melt butter. Add the beaten mixture of egg/milk/flour. Turn the pan in low heat. Let it cook for 3 minutes then top it with Salmon. Next, add Basil/Marjoram/Pepper then sprinkle it with Mozzorella cheese. Cover the pan and allow it cook for 5-8 minutes under low heat. When the cheese melted, turn the heat in high temperature and remove the cover. Allow the flame heats for 30 seconds then it's ready. Slice it like a pizza then add some tabascos!

Hope you enjoy this confused dish of mine :)

hugs,
joanie xxx

Life's about Herbs & Spices

Good Monday Morning Mates!

Just woke up with a lovely morning and ate a nice bread and cheese for breakfast. If I would playback yesterday morning when I woke up, there were butterflies in my stomach. Today it's like smelling the breeze of daises and tulips. Life is sometimes boring--I have to say that. But surprisingly I can attest that some days are better than others. And that was my Sunday afternoon. Better than the days I had in months.

So I could probably say that life is bringing its flavors again since yesterday. It was very mild and subtle the past few months. Now I can see the taste coming out. To bring this figurative emotion to literal translation, I moved to my kitchen and checked out my cupboard and see what I got in there. I have different herbs and spices to play around for my quick photoshoot at my veranda.

Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Ground Black Pepper, Peppercorn, Cumin, Turmeric, Curry Powder, Tandoori Powder, Saffron, Cinnamon, Rosemary, Marjoram, Thyme & Basil --- They spiced up my everyday dishes in one way or another. I still have to get more of my herbs and spices like star anise, sage, cardamon, dill, fennel, nutmeg, oregano, tarragon, wasabi and some more that I might forget to mention.

Life is sometimes half full, half empty. Sometimes it's drought & empty but most of the time it's full & overflowing. Some famous proverbs say that in times of emptiness and you are in a deep well, you just have to climb up and tell yourself this too shall pass. On the other hand I read a famous poem from a children's book author Shel Silverstein-- it says, that someone has been to the land of happy and he said that life there is a bore. True. We can't just live a happy and perfect life. Sometimes the beauty of life is seeing the flaws and experiencing difficulties. Life offers a 360 degrees view. Don't just take one angle. Rotate and explore.

Live life from mild to spicy!

hugs,
joanie xxx

Saigon RAIDERS & SAINTS

One Saturday afternoon I headed to Tu Duc University in the outskirt of Ho Chi Minh city to watch a football game. World cup is about to begin in less than a month. So I am rubbing things up in time for FIFA's big event in South Africa. Let's flip the other side of the planet and zoom in to Asia and take a closer look on what's happening on Saigon Football.

I was invited by my friend Leny to watch a football game because her boyfriend is playing. Her boyfriend is Dominik Schaufler, a German midfield attacker of the Saigon Raiders. I met Saigon Raiders once upon a time last September 2009. I played with them on one of their trainings then eventually I didn't pursue after the bruises I got. It's just hard to play with an all male team. I told myself, I just keep doing Muay Thai instead. I can't master two things at the same time. Meanwhile, It was hot and humid when the Saigon Raiders' shuttle bus we're riding arrived in the venue. The Raiders were fierce and excited while anticipating for their rival team to come. Finally Saigon Saints arrived.

Saigon Saints is perceived to be an all-English football team in Saigon and to prove that I met someone from the team around November of 2009. He is Stuart Clark, an English Geologist who plays as a Midfield striker. Surprisingly Saigon SAINTS also have other nationalities in the team but 80% dominated by English people. One of the Raiders told me that these guys are serious about playing and they train hard to win while their team is playing for the fun of the game.

I witnessed the game, and I can say that yes...Saints are so serious about their game. Raiders didn't win but the game was fun! The score was 2-1 and let's call it an All Saints Day! Good thing Stuart wasn't playing that time because I was cheering for the Raiders. Who knows if I catch one of the Saints games, I'd be cheering for them.

It was nice to see passionate European footy players kick balls on Asian ground. The Saigon expats formed their teams to compete here in Vietnam and around Asia. This idea builds camaraderie and friendship among them? I hope.

FIFA is so near I am not quite sure if the team I am cheering for would bring home the FIFA trophy. Press from the globe said that Aussies and even the Kiwis have a very slim chance of winning the World Cup. I wish Tim Cahill of the Australian Socceroos and Rory Fallon of Kiwi FC a big good luck! No matter what let's wave our flag come June 2010!

Thank God it's Friday, Have great Footy weekend! :D

hugs,
joanie xxx

Devil Prawn Al Ajillo for Noynoy Aquino!

The color of my day is yellow. It reminds me of Philippine democracy way back 1986. Today the republic of the Philippines will have their national election. There are potential candidates among the list but I will tie a yellow ribbon again on my hair the way I did when I was this little girl. That was the time when the Philippine democracy was restored. I am waving my hair with yellow ribbon for Noynoy Aquino! He is the son of Cory Aquino former president & Ninoy Aquino our national hero. His parents were the people behind our democracy today. In spite of the hideous political accusations against him and tons of people underestimating him for being weak, I am for Noynoy Aquino!

Our country doesn't need an intelligent leader to change our political landscape. We already had that for how many years nothing has changed. I am not saying that Noynoy is not intelligent enough to be our president but he's very low profile and it's up to us to discover and give the chance to this bright man to shine. We need someone who has a genuine heart and has a selfless love for his country. We've suffered enough from corruption; it's time to wake up with a new beginning. And let's begin today.

PILIPINAS, VOTE WISELY!!!

Since Philippines was discovered and colonized by the Spaniards since 1500's, I am sharing this Catalan inspired recipe I did before I headed to Nha Trang last week for my birthday. Brace yourself to a garlic overload dish.


DEVIL PRAWN AL AJILLO

Ingredients:

• Prawns (deveined)
• Butter + Olive Oil
• Paprika/Cayenne Pepper/Black Pepper
• Garlic (minced)
• Fresh Chili (seeded & minced)
• Lemon + Salt

Procedure:

Heat pan in a medium temperature. Melt butter then add olive oil. Add garlic and stir it for 2-3 minutes. Add the chili then the prawns and stir it for 3-5 minutes. Add Paprika, Cayenne, Black pepper and salt. Then lastly squeeze some lemon in to it. Mix them well and stir-fry all together for another 2-3 minutes. Serve with nice Ciabatta or Focaccia bread.

Disfrute de esta receta deliciosa picante!!!

hugs,
joanie xxx