plate na

PUTO[!!] he yells as he's biking down the community streets with his merienda goods in the side buggy. I call out to him, he comes to the gate, I ask "how much", he tells me just how much and we all knod with a jovial "yes!" 

"Plate na?" 

he says. Running into the house the ten year old daughter comes out with a plate. He spoons two pieces. But he wants to sell more. Even though I don't look foreign, I sound and act foreign. That makes me the candidate for giving/selling me more in his oh so strategic way. He insists on putting two more pieces on my plate with the insentive of a bonus piece. I laugh as I mimick "bonus". After all, it's pretty clever just how he manipulates the situation. Heck, why not. With a knod of reluctant approval I watch him give me that bonus piece. He lavishly spoons on the shaved coconut which turns the plastic plateful of puto pieces into lip smacking eye candy. 

For P10 these little rice flour steamed cakes do nothing to satisfy the appetite. Instead they tantalize and trick the body into believing it needs/wants more. Steamed with coconut milk into these fluffy delectables it seems as though home had never tasted any better than the day before. We stuff our maws like ravished vultures and in seconds the plate is empty. We look at each other as if to say, "where'd it all go??"

seed sower

inside the Grand Canyon University Arena at the station table

There is truly nothing like those moments where God reveals himself in ways that do nothing but catch you by surprise...followed by humility, humbleness and the supernatural satisfaction of having been reminded that living in His will and control is far better than anything we could dream up for ourselves......

It was Sunday.  Three days after my 39th birthday.  That one that tends to be the resounding reminder [for some] that #40 is only 365 days away.  Mike's intention was to treat me to a day of culinary pampering before and after working the Third Day concert.  The night before we were out with the kids at a Sundogs' hockey game...thanks to Tim and Jamie for the free tickets.  Not watching the clock Mike later stayed up with the kids to watch a movie that ended at 1am.  So, it was a good thing we slept in.  But not for long.  Driving down the mountains to Phoenix is rather time consuming.

Mike wanted to check out the Filipino Red Ribbon restaurant in the Arizona Mills mall.  We weren't really all that sure what to expect when we got there.  Next to the food court, it was in a small sit down space with a very limited savory menu.  However, the desserts were a plenty.  We chose to indulge in what more the food court had to offer for the main course.  Then we walked back into the Red Ribbon where we enjoyed a few yummies [ube and chiffon cake].  They were quite the yummy-licious symphony.  While our druthers included a halo halo, the cakes were good and helped literally fill us up to the brim.  We purchased several bags of pandesol to take home as our Thanksgiving dinner rolls.

what's any cake without some whip cream on top?

We arrived at the Grand Canyon University at the same time that David and Jay Lene did.  Micah White is incredible  with his public relations skills making sure that everything goes smoothly....and continuing to build relationships during events to keep his work plate over flowing.  Seems to be a very easy going person almost incapable of stress or frustration.  

It's always fascinating when I'm behind the table to see/meet the various people Michael has built relationships with over the past decade in Arizona.  It's also weird, at the same time, to be introduced as "the wife" they know so much about...yet I know none of them.  After ten years, I still really don't know what to do with that.  Or, does anything necessarily have to be done with that?  One of the ticket winners that approached our table, during intermission,  had driven down from Flagstaff.  Oofta!  That's twice the distance as Prescott/Prescott Valley.  So, what....three hours for him?  He was quite the fascinating character with so much to share of God's profound impact on his life. Because of my earlier days of having wastefully occupied my time in front of the television, I was more than well aware of what he was talking about as far as his career goes.  He's one of those guys that operates those monstrous cranes [at the top of the crane] loading and unloading shipping crates in ship yards.  Crane operators make up to 600k/year.    His work is in Dutch, Alaska where he says 1/4 of the population is that of Filipinos.   He's spending one of his three month work breaks to spend his time and money with/on his young boys.  Working three months.  Off three months.  What a nice set up.  However, he was quite interested in us as well.  After a few questions the subject settled onto or pending move to the islands as media missionaries and a little background information on the young people of the Philippines.  He asked to pray for us, took our hands...and did just that.  WOW.  Then the most fascinating God moment took place. He asks, "Can I do something?  I want to sow seeds into what you guys are getting ready to do.  I want to help fund your work."  Just as I was starting to explain how he could do that via our website [for which I wrote down the URL on a piece of paper for him minutes earlier] he says, "I want to give you some cash right now."  He pulls out his wallet, starts counting ["one, two, three.."] and hands Mike $400.  Yah, what do you follow that with but a heart full of gratitude, humbleness and "Thank-you"?  You don't.  You just let God bless you and you give no one but him all the credit for it.  After all, his blessings don't stop with you.  Imagine how self centered the Christian mentality would be if his love, grace, mercy and other blessings did.  However, his intent is that those blessings get shared/spread around the world for HIS glory and no one else's.  It's his global plan as he uses every single one of us individuals for his purpose.  It's that big picture of his that reveals the greatest [and] most incredible life purpose beyond ourselves, and is far bigger than us, that can't be explained in human words. Those $400 are for the Filipino people ["my" people], the Philippines...and the rest of the world that still needs to be introduced to a personal relationship with him.  It's for him.  This isn't the first time we've been blessed with such a big gift.  Yet, it was this night, and this incident, that seemed particularly fascinating for reasons I haven't quite found the words for.

As we drove away, later, we gabbed of God's amazing methods of proving just how strongly he desires to work through us...thus, how he clearly intends to keep his promise of continuing to provide for all our needs to get us to the Philippines....for Him.

on the way home we stopped at Cracker Barrel  for some sweet tea......

.....and some great southern food.  Fried okra is always a must.

shadows of sadness and curious intrigue

my heart bleeds of sorrow when I am away from you

every picture brings me to tears as they tease

shame on me for not making the most of the time's you've been near

for what I'd feared is here

longing to fix my eyes on you again

because some of the best things I've forgotten

overshadowed by sorrow with these miles between us

as time away grows with each passing hour

it's time for another embrace

of familiar smells and sounds gone by

that only you can re-ignite

the passions, the joys

sweet faces of little girls and boys

the burning sun pierces this heart

for it sees where I long to be

shadows of sadness and curious intrigue

dim the rays of life's light

as I wonder just how I'd find you after all these years

how much of what I remember will be intact

will there still be the sweet innocence

or will there be evidence of evolving character

from outside influences reshaping what once was

only when I'm with you

can my heart peacfully pulse

no more sleepless nights

followed by, yet, another lonely day

I'm coming home

pacific seafood

Feb 3, 2011

Something Asian.  Something seafoodish. Something buffet-ish. That's what Mike wanted for his celebratory dinner.  Now he's two years away from turning "over the hill".  Since I'm close myself, there's been more notice-taking of how the 40's offers youthful hope.  It may not need to be such a dreaded milestone after all.....er...um....we hope.  Ha!

Phoenix's Pacific Seafood Buffet looked promising with over a hundred different offered items.  What was interesting was the limited indulgence of crab....both steamed and fried.  The steamed ones disappeared even faster creating a competitive line.  What an odd sprint moment to be in it with very young orientals with adrenaline to get our tab's fair share.  The steamed meat was so much easier to pull out of the shell than the fried meat.  [A point taken for future maw shoving].  The fried meat was that stubbornly attached to the shell.  This hardly seemed to be the "appropriate" setting to be shoving any kind of food up into my maw with greased fingers as a result.  Until today, I'd never been to a seafood buffet restaurant where steamed crab was so limited.  We were there 1 1/2 hours taking our gormandizing time and it was only ever replenished two....maybe three times.  That was the only disappointment.

Unlike Mike, I discovered that no matter how flavorful the seasoning, octopus will never be any level of affinity. Bleh......

This was the second or third day I was experiencing the affects of not having been on any green food supplement for over three months.  So, not only was the fatigue at it's highest, but it was accompanied by headaches that didn't want to go away.  I found myself pining for some bowen works and/or the energy to use the tension releasing magic balls I'd purchased at Costco days prior.  However, it took three mores days of the unpleasantries to make the connection.  Of course, within just a few hours of having gotten some of the berry green down the feeling of pounding head compression was almost entirely gone after the Super Bowl party. 

The deserts were just as unimpressive as that of any other buffet restaurant.

nothing beats Fry's Market....not even Wally Wal-mart

While Wal-mart prices may be superior for the poverty stricken wallet of  millions, combine their prices with quality, and good probably doesn't even cut it.  Yes, I do possess Wal-mart issues with their atrocious community impact, but those have only recently developed. 

A beautiful 61 degree Sunday morning spurred on the laid-back idea of just grabbing something from the store cooked and ready to eat.  Something about having the money to do that [because I'd been frugal with the food budget] was satisfying on a whole 'nother level.  Words can't describe that simplistically luxurious feeling in our current financially mediocre strata.  It was nice.  Adding to that was walking into the buzzing Sunday market ambience in the newly renovated Fry's.  Despite Wal-mart's into pocket six million dollar move into town, Fry's was doing well to keep up with the beastly competition.  Even the quality of food  is more worth the extra dollar.  So, the competition might as well be null and void.  Especially now that I'd been most recently defogged of the ball and chain "I can only afford Wal-mart" mentality. 

It wasn't until today that I'd noticed the new sushi stand.  It's large enough to fit four of the busy culinary crafters who make the fresh delights everyday.  These were genuine orientals making the genuine article.  Brilliance!

       

The eye candy variety made it so hard to pick and choose.  The California dragon roll one could never go wrong with.  Very impressive was a 11-12 year old boy that approached the stand asking a chef to add some more pickled ginger to his packed order.  He glanced my direction and took notice of which packs my eyes lingered over more.  That mango spice he effused over including a few others.  Rarely does anyone cross paths with an American preteen who speaks of such oriental cuisine as a copacetic luxury.  Wow.

 So, I eventually settled on the california rolls and the shrimp dragon rolls.

Mike and I shoved those babies in our maws as if they were getting ready to sprout a few legs and run off.  That was some incredible stuff.  And of what I remember of the sushi from Costco....these were delectably superior.  As long as these guys are cheffing out quality sushi, we need not pine for the Costco copycats a-la-bleh.  

another bean-less bowl of chilli

ground turkey, one pack of  taco seasoning, a whole red bell pepper chopped up, garlic and onion powder...all slow cooked for six hours.  Very satisfying...and great with ube biscuits ......

ube-licious biscuits

In searching the internet for ube-licious recipes one can easily find several recipes for pancakes, muffins, cheesecakes, cupcakes...etc.  However, I haven't ever found one for ube biscuits.  Thus, mine are definitely the first. (^_^)  I just used the same pancake mix  but added 2-3 more cups (that has 1 cup of sugar) and a little sesame oil to keep it from sticking to the layer of aluminum foil (for easy clean up).  The slight sweetness is identical to honey whole wheat biscuits.  But, hey....these are ube biscuits! 

ube-licious pancakes

I used the Krusteaz Buttermilk pancake [from Wal-mart] mix 2-3 cups, 

one pack of the frozen ube from the Asian market, and replaced the water 

with coconut milk.  In order to get the sweetness I was expecting 

I added a 1C of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla

chicken and veggies

while the rice cooked to fluffy perfection in the rice cooker....

a mix of chopped veggies frying furiously on high with
garlic, onion powder, chicken......and soy sauce.....

I threw in some purple cabbage....

....and it's nearly all gone!

beef and asian spinach

Every time I go to the Asian Food Market, without fail, beef and chicken are a must purchase.  The guys always ask me, in their oriental accent, if I want the beef cut like Korean BBQ.  That's the best cut as far as I'm concerned.  Nice and thin (makes for quick stirfrying without cooking everything else to death and the meat's not tough).  The produce is always the best bargain.  Last year was the first time I'd tried the oriental/asian spinach....yumbo scumbo.  Some Asian meals are so easy: throw everything in the wok for a high and quick stir fry, add tons of garlic and onion powder, soysauce to liking and add the spinach for the last 1-2 stirfring.  Immediately remove the wok from heat, serve and munch to your tastebuds' content....

Cali spring roll

this afernoon's fresh satisfaction....