How To Be A Domestic Goddess... During the rainy days

Though its August, the mid months of the year has been decidedly become the most horrid of months since the rainy-cold days. I've became a bit more of a lone wolf carrying my grocery load through the rain at most times. Fortunately, my drinks bar has always been a good friend in times of my retoxification needs after work or a long day out of the house.

Since I wasn't really in a mood of drinking I decided to put a spin on a favorite summer drink and make it edible so my other friends who don't drink enjoy the scintillating depth of liquor without the after-party drunkenness so to speak. They shouldn't be penalized for that since they don't drink.

Pineapples are every in and reminds me of the summers that seem to last for ages. My caramelized pineapple skewered kebabs with Hot Malibu chocolate sauce definitely hits the spot. Malibu is just coconut rum and less viscous than regular rum and is available locally as it reminds me the Caribbean dreams I still harbor.

What you'll need:

1. 1 ripe pineapple, hacked vertically, of course skinned

2. Demerra sugar or regular sugar for drenching

For the chocolate:

1. 200 grams of dark chocolate with 70% cocoa solids

2. 120 ml Multi-purpose cream or Double Cream (for Double Creaminess)

3. 125ml of Malibu or Coconut Rum of choice

Pro-tip: When using barbecue sticks make sure to soak them first in cold water so they wont catch fire or heat from the babbi or the barbecue grill.

Impale the pineapple with the soaked barbecue sticks (I used bamboo, strength matters) and drench them to the sugar making sure they are covered on all sides. Immediately decant them to the hot grill and allow the sugar to caramelize and lightly scorch the pineapple. It doesn't take that long to grill the fruit. What's important is the caramelly-sugar melts and welds into the pineapple giving it's smooth, enriching flavor.

For the chocolate dip, decimate the the chocolate, pour in the cream and the rum into a hot pot and allow them to melt. Then stir to make sure all of the flavors fuse together, also squeeze some of the juices from the pineapple to instill the depths of the fruit into the chocolatey substance. Decant the dip into a earthenware bowl to keep its warmth for eating.

Once the pineapple skewer or fruity lollipop I would call them, simply dunk the fruit into the chocolate mess. I knew this pineapple is born to dunk in chocolate.

Early Christmas Gift Wishlist...

 

PSP-3000 Dissidia Final Fantasy Bundle: Includes a silver-colored PSP-3000, Dissidia Final Fantasy UMD game and Final Fantasy VII Advent Children UMD Movie and a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo.

How To Be A Domestic Goddess... and buy stuff from 7-11

My inner Nigella Lawson emerges and was bound to do some kitchen therapy each time I pass by my mother's house during the weekends. At the expense of the fridge which is sacked with lots of ingredients waiting to be mixed and pleasured into waiting mouths or in this case mine.

 

I am undoubtedly selfish sometimes when making food and perhaps not sharing to my friends who most are in their zen-like nature not to make a deal about it because they can cook better than me. I decided to take a different turn; make something for both of us and a few of our relatives. One of my friends decided to make dinner and I was tasked to do desert. Apparently, there was a shortage of fruits and cream in our hefty pantry so I decided to go to the local 7-11 store and buy some vanilla ice cream. I decided to make some ice cream cake.

 

The ingredients are pretty simple to make and does require a strong hand to whisk the ice cream and later immerse in some de-stressing.

 

What you'll need, available in 7-11 as always:

1. A gallon of vanilla ice cream, or dairy based flavor, don't use fruity ones I'm afraid

2. A good box of chocolate candy bars, I used jumbo-sized Kit-Kats for this, choose anything you like

3. A good bunch of some chocolate chips used normally for endearingly sublime chocolate chip cookies

4. Honey roasted peanuts if you like

5. A steady hand and a rolling pin.

 

Put the chocolate bar of choice in a freezer bag and with much gusto smash them with the rolling pin until they are chunked, crumbled and delectably dusty. Make sure to soften the ice cream so after buying them from the store leave it to soften for 5 minutes. Once soften or if the ice cream melts into a creamy concoction and less firm, go ahead mix in the chocolatey goodies and the peanuts altogether. I am a creature of habit and I use the stand mixer my Mom left in the house, I know you don't have one so carefully fold the ingredients with a spatula. Get a standard size baking pan and carefully line some cling form both in the bottom and on the sides for some overhang, it also makes sure its easy to turn it over, believe me it works

 

Pour in the alchemized ice cream to the baking pan and leave it to set n the freezer for an hour or so to firm up. Immediately if not serenely serve the ice cream cake to the awaiting lucky people. Pour in some chocolate syrup if you have and enjoy the desert!

Pencils Out For This Street Fighter IV Concept Art

With the game now out, there's not as much work for the Street Fighter IV dev team to do over on the game's official blog. So they've decided to start posting some concept art instead.

Proper concept art, too, with pencils and sketchbooks and everything. Very nice stuff. Wish more developers did this, instead of releasing "target renders" and whatnot. Something tells me the Sagat-Ryu illustration is scintillatingly insinuatingly bi-curious.

I'm Really Sorry...

I just love laughing at these random pictures that were emailed to me by a friend.

With Utmost Care...

A friend sent me a couple of pics via email.

These captions are too die for...

Was this deliberate?

How to be a Domestic Goddess... and steer away from the regular spaghetti

 

I've uhmmed several times when my friends ask why I rarely eat the usual spaghetti served in parties, especially the ones served in children parties that I forcefully if not humbly decline and go for the chicken lollipops instead. Though there's nothing wrong with the sweetened Filipino version of the spaghetti there's a part of me that harbors craving to more gastronomical pasta experience.

 

Rustic and simple to make, less fuss on ingredients since most are available in every cupboard or if not accessible to purchase in local supermarkets. My version of Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino is a work of moments and easily appreciated by foodies and commoners alike.

 

The ingredient lowdown:

 

1. Pasta (Of course)

2. Garlic infused oil, or go for chopped garlic bits

3. Dried chili flakes, or just pull out one live red chili

4. Parsley, if you like

 

Cook the pasta until it becomes al dente, which is defined as cooked but still has that starchy bite. Note to collect a cupful of the pasta water will be used later as an added magic touch to the dish. On a separate pot, gently pour 3-4 tablespoonfuls of garlic infused oil. If you don't have that go for regular oil and flicker but chopped bits of garlic and release their sweet edge until they turn into a bronzed state in which you do have the option to remove it or add to the dish, the reason I use garlic infused oil is obvious, no chopping and mincing, its all in the infused oil.

 

Then add in the dried chili flakes. The dried ones still has their fiery bite and turns out to be less the edge I want, but palatable. If you are looking for some intensity during the rainy days turn up the spicy edge then go for a freshly chopped chili like a tablespoonful of some and slowly wither them in the garlic blessed oil. Then drain the pasta and convey them to the pot containing the lovely sweet smelling lubricant making sure every strand of the pasta is covered, add the cupful of pasta water to add provide the oily sauce more lubricant. This particular recipe requires the pasta to be swimming in its spicy pool of pleasure. Add the parsley if you have.

It's True: Fox Confirms Paula Departure

Fox, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment have officialy confirmed Paula Abdul's departure from American Idol and released the following statement:

"Paula Abdul has been an important part of the American Idol family over the last eight seasons, and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show. While Paula will not be continuing with us, she's a tremendous talent and we wish her the best."

We love how they make it sound like they had nothing to do with her leaving, when we all know if they had paid up, she'd still be on the show.

But the question remains, if Paula really worth that much money?

Sources say Abdul asked for about $20 million to continue with the show. She even rejected a 30% raise which would have given her an eight-figure multi-year deal.

Whatever the amount was, we're betting it still wasn't as much as Ryan Seacrest's raise, which is probably why she declined.

So now we're stuck with boring Kara DioGuardi.

DioGuardi better loosen up or develop an alcohol problem a personality, because she's just too dull to fill the shoes of our beloved Abdrool.

Now what will Paula do?

Paula Abdul leaving American Idol [James Hibbard's The Live Feed]