Old Habits Die Hard

Need I say more?

Through the Eyes of an Electrical Engineer

The below was written by MacGyver.  He posted this on his FB page last month and I am posting it here with his permission.  

(You can tell he is a deep thinker and a serious writer.)

Through the Eyes of an Electrical Engineer

25 June 2013

We're a family of engineers so I guess it's not surprising this point of view would come out from me. Na-aliw lang ako when i thought it through.

From wiki - "Ohm's law states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the potential difference across the two points." or in equation form:

I = V/R

where I is the current

  V is the potential difference

  R is the resistance of the conductor

A parallel in life would be something similar if:

  I is the flow of love (instead of current)

  V is the potential of the consciousness and

  R is the resistance which limits the flow

Call it mushy, corny, hard-sell but it's true.

One's potential is limited by various factors like pride, fear, greed and the likes which are all forms of resistance that would characterize a person.

The universe, I believe was designed, created and driven by love (check Catechism).

If we resistors, we will have to reduce the resistance by overcoming pride, fear, greed...if we are to increase our potential.

Kids are like capacitors. They receive (and store) so much love and eventually discharge later in life :)

Highly enlightened people are like light bulbs - low resistance with intensity being proportional to the flow :)

Electrons (negatively charged) flow opposite the current - ha!

God as the source of infinite love I guess comes with omnipotence (infinite current equates to infinite voltage potential but impossible to define if resistance is zero, logical?)

I believe our existence on earth is meant to lower our resistance and increase our potential (easier said than done).

Someone came and said "I am the way, the truth, and the life.".

What GI Wants, GI Bakes

And he wants Coffee Walnut Cake 

GI baking his first cake.

Start : 22 July 2013 23:30hrs

End  : 23 July 2013  00:45

I See the Moon

Do you see the moon?

Yesterday, MyGirl and I went to the mall

to buy an apron for her Food Tech class.

GI met us there after coming from work.

I SEE THE MOON

I see the moon, the moon sees me

The moon sees somebody I want to see

So, God bless the moon and God bless me

And God bless the 'Somebody' I want to see

Spanish Bread

If you are craving for something that the local bakery doesn't have, one has to be resourceful.

The solution :   Just make it yourself!

That is what MyGirl and I did when we wanted a taste of some Spanish bread two weeks ago (when I took a day in lieu in the middle of the week).

The recipe we used didn't indicate the expected yield.  In fact, the original instructions involved flattening the dough to about 8mm thick then spreading the filling ingredients over the dough, then cutting the dough into isosceles trapezoids which would then be tightly rolled before rolling them in breadcrumbs.   And the filling was a simple mixture of butter and sugar.

I suppose that is how desperate we were to have some Spanish bread.  It was an impulse decision to bake it that I jumped into the first recipe I had come across.  By the time it came to assemble the Spanish bread, I decided I didn't like that recipe and started checking others online.  

I asked MyGirl if she wanted to go with the instructions we had or if we should look for one that involved dividing the dough and rolling them out individually.  She said she wanted the 'traditional' Spanish bread, so we decided to divide the dough into twenty-four.  (I figured it was better to have small portions.  That way we could pretend to be eating less.)

I opted to look for a different filling recipe because I like my Spanish bread to have that sugary blobs in the middle.  A simple butter and sugar mixture (unless there was a ton of sugar) would probably just dissolve into the bread.  So we opted to add breadcrumbs (and a splash of vanilla for taste).

They turned out great!  I was happily surprised.  Everyone home at the time had at least one piece fresh out of the oven.  (Thank goodness for more pieces.)

Now MyGirl wants to try to make pan de sal.

MyGirl started taking pictures when we were half-way into forming the dough.  

As you can see, not all Spanish bread are created equal.

How does one divide the filling into twenty-four?  

Divide by four then divide by six.

These are the Spanish bread rolls before ...

 ... and after.

This is to prove that we didn't eat the whole batch

fresh out of the oven.

We were still able to pack some away.  

SPANISH BREAD (makes 24)

2 t      yeast
1/2 c  warm water
1 t      sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c  sugar
4-1/2 c  flour (or bread flour)
2/3 c  warm milk
1        egg
2        egg yolks
6 T    butter, softened
bread crumbs for dusting

Filling*  
1/4 c   butter, softened
1/2 c   sugar
1/4 c   bread crumbs (or up to 1/2 c)
1/2 t    vanilla

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  

Sprinkle yeast and 1 t sugar over warm water in a small bowl.  Mix to combine.
Let sit for about 5 minutes until bubbly.

Combine salt, 1/2 c sugar, and about 4 cups of the flour in a big bowl.
Make a well and pour in the yeast mixture.

Combine warm milk, egg, egg yolks and butter in a small bowl 
(ok to use the bowl that held the yeast)

Add egg mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture.

Mix together.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead until dough is elastic (about 8 to 10 minutes).
Add rest of the flour as needed.

Divide dough into 24 pieces.
Combine filling ingredients in a separate container then divide into 24 portions.
Place bread crumbs in a small clean bowl.

Flatten one piece of dough into a rectangle and place one portion of the filling along one of the long sides about a cm away from the edges.  
Roll up the dough tightly the roll in bread crumbs to coat.
Place on prepared pan.

Do the same with the rest of the dough.
Cover tray with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour.
Bake in preheated oven at 180 C for 12 minutes.
(Or 160 C for 15 minutes if lighter colour desired.)
Let cool on wire rack.

*The regular filling recipe calls for twice the amounts indicated however I know that the extra butter and sugar would just go straight to the hips, thus the "toned down" recipe. Of course I can imagine if I doubled the filling recipe (or divided the dough into 12 instead of 24), I would get that sugary crusty filling I look forward to when biting into Spanish bread from the bakeries back home.

'Round the World

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of round food is FISH BALLS.  In the Philippines, fish balls are typically sold along busy streets (particularly outside the schools), deep fried in a wok set in a food cart, then served with a sauce made from a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, water and hot sauce. 

America has Dunkin' Donuts making MUNCHKINS and Mister Donut selling DONUT HOLES.  Both of these are likewise deep fried.   

Do all round goodies have to be deep fried?   Of course not!

One day, I saw these cake pop pans on the store shelf.  These made little spherical cakes that are baked.

Interesting.  Very interesting.

Then I came across this strange pan.

For a long time I wondered what kind of food was made with this type of pan.  

Eventually I discovered they can be used to make little Dutch pancakes called POFFERTJES.

I've actually tasted a couple of these beauties.  There is a stall that sells these mini-pancakes at the weekend market nearby.  They offer free samples sprinkled with powdered sugar and a hint of syrup.    Yum!

Having been introduced to poffertjes, I understood the purpose of those specialty pans with grooves.

The more I looked, the more things I found.   

In Thailand, they have coconut pancakes called KANOM KOK.

In Japan, they make octopus balls called TAKOYAKI.

(Did you see that guy make takoyaki?  That was impressive!)

Interestingly enough, I discovered that I had copied out a takoyaki recipe from one of the cookbooks I had borrowed from the library.  At that time I had not seen the above video and had no idea what a takoyaki pan was. 

The picture in the cookbook must have really looked good because it was enough to make me want to note down the recipe.

However, I must say that the one I would most like to try to make would be the Danish AEBELSKIVER.  

Aebelskivers are the traditional Danish pancakes that are somewhat a cross between pancakes and popovers, usually made with a small slice of apple enclosed in the batter.   

When I saw a video on how aebelskivers were made, I said to myself, 'Oh that is so amazing!.'

(Don't you think so?)

One of These Things

I still had to finish the asado filling

so I asked GI to help me with the siopao dough.

And this is what happened...

One of these things is not like the others.

One of these things just doesn't belong.

Can you tell me which thing is not like the others

By the time I finish my song. 

Did you guess which thing was not like the others?

Did you guess which thing just doesn't belong?

If you guessed this one is not like the others 

Then you're absolutely ... wrong!

(Because after the dough had risen

all of them looked alike.) 

Timeless Favourite

As for me, I'm a child at heart.

I still love this little hungry caterpillar.

Bumping Into Old Friends

GI and I went to the mall

and bumped into some old friends.

Folded and Hung

GI and I were walking home from the mall when

I decided to say hello to Emily.

 Remember the $100 scarf?  

This is what it looks like folded and hung. 

Emily was willing to give me a 50% discount.

Even with that deep discount,

it was still too expensive for me.

Besides, I had just gotten myself 

a nice reversible wrap from a stall at the city.   

So I am quite happy with that one

but it doesn't stop me from

admiring how beautiful this one is.

The other one is now on display at the window.

It is also pretty but not as exquisite.

Just so you know, 

I entered the store

to say hello to Emily

not to admire her goods.

Keep Warm With Style

One of the stores along Old Northern Road is manned by a Filipina named Emily.  She has an 18-year old son and a 6-year old daughter who she had when she was 47 years old. (No need to do the maths.)

I had entered the store one day to see what the store had in terms of overcoats and shawls.  So Emily and I got to talking. That is how I found out she has been here for over 20 years and still has a kid in primary school.

On my way home from mass one day, I saw a wonderful scarf on the store's display window.  It was BEAUTIFUL.

The store was still closed  but I said to myself I will return when the store is open.  If it is $10 or less, I'm getting it.

I dropped by the weekend after when the store was open.   The store display had been changed so the scarf was no longer on the mannequin. I found it in the corner.

"Hi Emily!  I noticed the scarf on display the other day. It's beautiful!"

"Oh yes, you should get one of these. I only have two left."

(Remember, the last time I dropped by the store I was looking for things to keep me warm.)

She proceeded to tell me how versatile it was.  She took the piece from the corner and opened it.  Apparently it was not a simple scarf because it was much bigger that I thought. Emily showed me that it was big enough  to be used as a dress.

"How much is it?"

"Oh, $100," she replied casually.

[OH MY GOODNESS!]

I smiled and just said, "Well it really IS beautiful."

Two for Tea

It is wintertime.

A nice cup of tea would be nice.

I discovered that I like Earl Grey tea.

And though Twinings is the known tea brand,

I prefer the Coles house brand Earl Grey to Twinings.

At the office, they have a wide selection of tea in the pantry.

I was told that green tea is good for your health.

I tried it.  Ummm... I don't like it.

My friend says I'm the first Asian she's met

that doesn't like green tea.

Depending on the tea (and my mood),

I would add milk and sugar to my English Breakfast tea.

I wonder what London Eye would say to that.

 Whenever I take my tea

regardless of what flavour I choose

I think of Mother.

When we were staying at home with them,

Father would brew his coffee in the morning

while Mother would put water in the kettle

for her cup of tea.

I chanced upon these two specialty tea strainers

in one of the stores this morning.

I thought they were super cute.

(Definitely not essential, but cute nonetheless.)

On the left is Mr. TEA.

"He's steeped in fun."

When Mr. TEA is in the cup,
it looks like he's having a warm bath.

On the right is MANATEA.  

"It's mana-tea time."

This MANATEA looks like he's having fun.