Saturday, February 21, 2009
It's Over!
FASA Culture Night is over - I just wanted to post a quick notice here to everyone so that you'd all know that the pictures are now up on Facebook!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Being Filipino is FUN!!!
So my culture club, FASA, has its annual Culture Night show this Friday. After several months of hard work (and a very intense last few weeks), we are almost - almost - ready to perform.
As I've probably told you, this year's show is basically my (shared) baby. It tell the story of two couples - one in the present, one in the Spanish Colonial Era of the Philippines. The latter is a bit of a tragic tale.
Anyway, we've been working really hard on the play and the dances, and everything's coming together fairly smoothly. We only hit a snag when one of our main actors informed us (just last week) that he was taking a leave of absence and so couldn't participate in the show, but we've patched that problem up. The first full rehearsal of the show with dances (and one song) is tonight, so it's the first night that I get to see everything come together.
The poster looks like this...I had quite a fun time designing it this year.
If you're able to come watch (Friday at 6:30), I'd be really happy if you could! Of course, I know that you guys are pretty much all far away, so it'd be kind of difficult. Wish you could, though! It'd be so much fun :)
As I've probably told you, this year's show is basically my (shared) baby. It tell the story of two couples - one in the present, one in the Spanish Colonial Era of the Philippines. The latter is a bit of a tragic tale.
Anyway, we've been working really hard on the play and the dances, and everything's coming together fairly smoothly. We only hit a snag when one of our main actors informed us (just last week) that he was taking a leave of absence and so couldn't participate in the show, but we've patched that problem up. The first full rehearsal of the show with dances (and one song) is tonight, so it's the first night that I get to see everything come together.
The poster looks like this...I had quite a fun time designing it this year.
If you're able to come watch (Friday at 6:30), I'd be really happy if you could! Of course, I know that you guys are pretty much all far away, so it'd be kind of difficult. Wish you could, though! It'd be so much fun :)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Just keep swimming...just keep swimming
GUYZ! So I should really be studying like woah right now, but I miss you. Hannah came to visit me though!!! It was awesome - we basically did a 24-hour eating tour of the Wash U area. Lesson of the day: don't get green bean boba. DO get cookies and cream fro yo.
Also, last weekend I discovered the wonders of magic fruit / magic berries. Basically, it's this African berry that turns all sour and bitter foods sweet by coating your taste buds. It lasts for about an hour, but holy moly I never thought balsamic vinegar would taste so delicious!! And grapefruit and lemons were just as amazing. Only problem is that your stomach is still the same... so if you eat a meal of lemons, grapefruit, balsamic vinegar, tequila, and sour candy, it will still hurt. Sad.
What else? Oh, here's a youtube treasure that we got to watch for medical spanish. Who knew the circulatory system could inspire such musicality?
AND my contribution to the recipe book for now is gonna be limited to drinks... because with food i kinda always wing it. With that, I present some delicious beverages with nerdy names:
The colostomy bag (named that way b/c it looks disgusting but tastes awesome)
1oz vanilla vodka
0.5oz chocolate liquor (like godiva)
dash of kahlua
Add espresso and/or chocolate milk to taste
The Gran Mal
1oz rum
1oz triple sec
0.5oz peach schnapps
0.5oz flavored rum or tequila
Add 7-up or Mountain Dew to taste
Enjoy!! If you come visit me I will make you these (and other delicious stop-sign-colored) beverages!! hehe ok time to study...
Miss you guys!!
Also, last weekend I discovered the wonders of magic fruit / magic berries. Basically, it's this African berry that turns all sour and bitter foods sweet by coating your taste buds. It lasts for about an hour, but holy moly I never thought balsamic vinegar would taste so delicious!! And grapefruit and lemons were just as amazing. Only problem is that your stomach is still the same... so if you eat a meal of lemons, grapefruit, balsamic vinegar, tequila, and sour candy, it will still hurt. Sad.
What else? Oh, here's a youtube treasure that we got to watch for medical spanish. Who knew the circulatory system could inspire such musicality?
AND my contribution to the recipe book for now is gonna be limited to drinks... because with food i kinda always wing it. With that, I present some delicious beverages with nerdy names:
The colostomy bag (named that way b/c it looks disgusting but tastes awesome)
1oz vanilla vodka
0.5oz chocolate liquor (like godiva)
dash of kahlua
Add espresso and/or chocolate milk to taste
The Gran Mal
1oz rum
1oz triple sec
0.5oz peach schnapps
0.5oz flavored rum or tequila
Add 7-up or Mountain Dew to taste
Enjoy!! If you come visit me I will make you these (and other delicious stop-sign-colored) beverages!! hehe ok time to study...
Miss you guys!!
A little moment in my life
In the past three days, there has been a Pi Beta Mouse scare going on in my house. Aka, a mouse had been spotted in multiple rooms of the house, causing wide eyed girls' screaming two floors down from where the spotting occurred. So, this morning, I saw a pile of paper towels on the floor on which "RIP Pi Beta Mouse :(" was written. So being stupid, I nudge the pile away with my foot, and there's the mouse, dead, stuck in a mousetrap. Although I'm not very squeamish, it still made my stomach do back flips...
Oh and by the way, today was sooo warm! just about 50 degrees out, pretty much all the snow melted, making our quad into a large marsh, and creating whole walkways of ice in some areas. Also, I didn't wear a coat to class, AND, it rained for the first time I've been here since probably November. Yay Syracuse :p
Oh and by the way, today was sooo warm! just about 50 degrees out, pretty much all the snow melted, making our quad into a large marsh, and creating whole walkways of ice in some areas. Also, I didn't wear a coat to class, AND, it rained for the first time I've been here since probably November. Yay Syracuse :p
Monday, February 9, 2009
I swear I do constructive things with my time...
Yeah, I know I've posted twice relating to food. But these are two recipes that I really think needed sharing, especially the second. It makes sandwich-making SO much easier. I swear that I'm not just cooking here at college, and I'll write about my FASA show very soon. For now let me say that the show's coming together very nicely, and I actually am not too worried.
So anyway, the recipes are "One-pot Shrimp Scampi" (easy cleanup, as the name suggests...I swear I just use a knife, cutting board, pot, and serving bowl for the recipe) and "The Cheese Shop's House Dressing". Small descriptions come before each one, along with tips.
One-pot Shrimp Scampi
An easy recipe with relatively easy cleanup! You can substitute white wine for a fraction of the chicken stock, though I’m not entirely sure what that fraction would be. Make sure to use a pan that’s NOT nonstick for this particular recipe – that’s important! I recommend using frozen shrimp since they’re a bit easier to come by. You can use chicken in this recipe instead; use slightly under a pound of chicken, sliced thinly.
1 box angel hair pasta
1 ½ tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
16-20 pieces shrimp
Salt and pepper
¾ cup chicken stock (can substitute some of this with dry white wine)
Dash of ground red pepper (or more…)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp parsley, finely chopped
Cook the angel hair pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta and set it aside in a large bowl. Rinse the pasta cooking pot out with a little water and dry it to make sure that no starch or water remains clinging to the inside of it. Place the pot back on the stove at medium heat.
When the pot has heated up, add the butter and olive oil. Once the oil/butter mixture is hot, add the garlic and cook for about fifteen seconds. Do not allow the garlic to brown! Place the shrimp down over the garlic to cook on one side for about 2-2 ½ minutes. Once they have turned mostly pink, turn them over and cook on the other side for about a minute. Remove the shrimp from the pot and place them over the pasta.
Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock (or chicken stock/white wine mixture) by simply pouring the stock directly over the contents of the pot. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and mix them with the rest of the sauce. (This only works with a pan that isn’t nonstick.) Mix in the lemon juice, and add salt, pepper, and ground red pepper to taste. Boil the mixture for 2-3 minutes, then add the parsley. Stir well to make sure everything is combined before pouring the sauce over the pasta and shrimp. Mix well and serve while hot!
The Cheese Shop’s House Dressing
There’s this little place in Williamsburg called the Cheese Shop, which makes excellent sandwiches. They also sell bread ends (the unused end pieces of the loaves they use for sandwiches) for only a dollar, which makes a very tasty and very handy snack. Let me tell you, though – the Cheese Shop’s not all that special without the house dressing. It’s a delicious combination of flavors that somehow manages to go with any sort of meat (or even vegetables) and cheese. I love buying bread ends with house dressing, but the dressing is a tad overpriced. And so I decided to make my own version. Here it is, without further ado.
2 ½ tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp stone-ground mustard (the kind with seeds) or Dijon mustard
1 tsp steak sauce*
Mix the ingredients together – feel free to adjust the ratios according to your own personal taste. Use as a condiment for sandwiches of any variety.
*Make sure that the steak sauce you are using has Worcestershire sauce in it; that is where most of the flavor comes from.
So anyway, the recipes are "One-pot Shrimp Scampi" (easy cleanup, as the name suggests...I swear I just use a knife, cutting board, pot, and serving bowl for the recipe) and "The Cheese Shop's House Dressing". Small descriptions come before each one, along with tips.
One-pot Shrimp Scampi
An easy recipe with relatively easy cleanup! You can substitute white wine for a fraction of the chicken stock, though I’m not entirely sure what that fraction would be. Make sure to use a pan that’s NOT nonstick for this particular recipe – that’s important! I recommend using frozen shrimp since they’re a bit easier to come by. You can use chicken in this recipe instead; use slightly under a pound of chicken, sliced thinly.
1 box angel hair pasta
1 ½ tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
16-20 pieces shrimp
Salt and pepper
¾ cup chicken stock (can substitute some of this with dry white wine)
Dash of ground red pepper (or more…)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp parsley, finely chopped
Cook the angel hair pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta and set it aside in a large bowl. Rinse the pasta cooking pot out with a little water and dry it to make sure that no starch or water remains clinging to the inside of it. Place the pot back on the stove at medium heat.
When the pot has heated up, add the butter and olive oil. Once the oil/butter mixture is hot, add the garlic and cook for about fifteen seconds. Do not allow the garlic to brown! Place the shrimp down over the garlic to cook on one side for about 2-2 ½ minutes. Once they have turned mostly pink, turn them over and cook on the other side for about a minute. Remove the shrimp from the pot and place them over the pasta.
Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock (or chicken stock/white wine mixture) by simply pouring the stock directly over the contents of the pot. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and mix them with the rest of the sauce. (This only works with a pan that isn’t nonstick.) Mix in the lemon juice, and add salt, pepper, and ground red pepper to taste. Boil the mixture for 2-3 minutes, then add the parsley. Stir well to make sure everything is combined before pouring the sauce over the pasta and shrimp. Mix well and serve while hot!
The Cheese Shop’s House Dressing
There’s this little place in Williamsburg called the Cheese Shop, which makes excellent sandwiches. They also sell bread ends (the unused end pieces of the loaves they use for sandwiches) for only a dollar, which makes a very tasty and very handy snack. Let me tell you, though – the Cheese Shop’s not all that special without the house dressing. It’s a delicious combination of flavors that somehow manages to go with any sort of meat (or even vegetables) and cheese. I love buying bread ends with house dressing, but the dressing is a tad overpriced. And so I decided to make my own version. Here it is, without further ado.
2 ½ tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp stone-ground mustard (the kind with seeds) or Dijon mustard
1 tsp steak sauce*
Mix the ingredients together – feel free to adjust the ratios according to your own personal taste. Use as a condiment for sandwiches of any variety.
*Make sure that the steak sauce you are using has Worcestershire sauce in it; that is where most of the flavor comes from.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
How to write a new post
For those less-technologically savvy friends who come from a technology and science high school :p
Here is how you post: First you have to be signed in (use your google account, or create one) So once you are a follower of the blog... I invited all of you... There is a "New Post" link at the top right corner of the screen next to your screen name or whatever email you used for the login and the sign out link. And then your post is ALiiiiiVVEEee :) Please write about your lives. Mine is busy as always, kinda crazy at the moment, but I am GOING HOME on valentines day weekend; I'll be home by fri night, and staying till 5 ish on sunday. soo, besides being with my family, anyone who is around is welcome to come over/we should go out!
Here is how you post: First you have to be signed in (use your google account, or create one) So once you are a follower of the blog... I invited all of you... There is a "New Post" link at the top right corner of the screen next to your screen name or whatever email you used for the login and the sign out link. And then your post is ALiiiiiVVEEee :) Please write about your lives. Mine is busy as always, kinda crazy at the moment, but I am GOING HOME on valentines day weekend; I'll be home by fri night, and staying till 5 ish on sunday. soo, besides being with my family, anyone who is around is welcome to come over/we should go out!
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