Auditioning for the Mafia

One weekend in April, I attended a Filipino Heritage Session.  I don’t want to talk about the session really, but suffice it to say that I ended up pumped with patriotic juice (maybe I was homesick) that I got inspired to actually get involved and volunteer at the Filipino Community Centre in town. Naturally I wanted to find out what I’m getting myself into so I decided to invite the board members of the Filipino community for dinner. At lunch time the conversation naturally veered towards food. These after all, are the people who cook for the traditional Sunday lunches served at the Centre. They know their stuff. They have Filipino recipes imbedded in their genes. They cook without following a recipe or exact timing, they rely on experience, their memories and their senses. These people live and breathe Filipino food. I don’t know about you but they sound like a tough dinner crowd. I was doomed!

Confessions of a Lobster Killer

I'm a killer. I am a murderer. I murdered a helpless innocent lobster today. God (who I highly doubt exists) knows it was never my intention to hurt much more kill a lobster. I was supposed to buy a crab, which by the way I was also planning to kill by plunging a knife right through its belly but for some reason lobsters were on sale at the Superstore today.

Like a true predator, I stalked my poor victim. I was looking for a crab but this frisky lobster fellow caught my eye, he clawed his way up the top of the tightly packed crab and lobster tank. He swam back and forth, flipping its tail now and then, asking me to pay close attention. He was quite a character, he has joie de vivre compared to his other buddies who seemed resigned to their gruesome fate and of course, I was just simply and utterly mesmerized. I checked out the price $9.99 a pound. Not bad at all. They don't sell them like that very often. It was fate. The poor little guy was bound to end up on my dinner plate.

Mexico

I spent a month in Mexico and what can I say? I just simply can't get enough!!!

Mussels with Thai Red Curry

I always get excited every time I find fresh mussels in the market. They are an acquired taste I must say so it's probably not for everyone (my husband included) but they are definitely my favourite. It's a nice break from our usual chicken dinners and they cook really quickly so if you're starving or you have a whole bunch of people coming over for drinks, they are just the perfect thing to serve. Yes, I use canned curry paste. There's nothing wrong with canned curry paste. Freshly made curry pastes are fantastic but duh! Seriously, who has the time? Plus there are a lot of really good canned ones in the market so I often just use them. And the results are often luscious!