Special home pasta

Preparing something for dinner sometimes takes a lot of work. But there is one menu that is much easier to prepare with less cost on your pocket. Perhaps, many of you are already aware of what a pasta is. It is a kind of food that is widely known in many parts of the world, particularly in Italy, dating many centuries way back. In fact, it has spread and introduced in many restaurants throughout the world where it has gained popularity as a healthy food. Unlike those being prepared in commercial restaurants, my kind of pasta is a bit special in the sense that it has only a few ingredients and condiments and is less costly for your pocket.

What makes this special pasta distinct from the other pasta menu is that it is simple and easy to cook. I've been eaten a lot of pasta before during my rounds with some Italian restaurants but I found them to be lacking the blend of sweetness in it. This is the reason why I've made up my own home-made pasta meal. Here is my short menu for this kind of special budget pasta:

Ingredients

300 grams of pasta noodles, 4 pieces of hot dogs (pork, turkey, chicken or beef), a stem of celery, two spoons of chopped onions, a teaspoon of chopped garlic, a spoon of oil and half a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 cup of ketchup and grated Parmesan cheese for topping.

Preparation

Boil 2 quartz of water in a regular kettle and break the pasta noodles into pieces before putting them into the kettle just enough to submerge them. Put oil and salt and let it boil for a while until it is fully cooked. When you're done, let it cool in a strainer until the noodles are dry. Get a frying pan and heat it. Put two spoons of vegetable oil in the pan and let it heat up for a while. Then, put the chopped onions and garlic and the chopped celery stem all together. Mix them for a while until they are cooked slightly. This time, split the hot dog and chop them into small pieces and put the same in the frying pan. Let it simmer for a a couple of minutes before you put the Prego pasta sauce or any ordinary tomato sauce. Then, pour the ketchup into the pan and mix it. Let is simmer for a while and now ready for serving. On top of the each plate, put Parmesan cheese. Good for at least four servings.

Health Benefits of Pasta

According to the National Pasta Association, pasta is a healthy food and a good carbohydrate. In fact, "it has a low glycemic index of 41 and does not cause sugar in the blood to rise quickly so that consumers receive the benefits of prolonged carbohydrate absorption." The NPA also adds that pasta slows down digestion and absorption of glucose in the blood and provides essential nutrients such as fiber, protein and vitamins.

Quoting from the NPA: "Most pasta is made from semolina flour, which is ground from durum wheat. Pasta does not promote weight gain. Weight gain is not caused by one particular food – it is caused by consuming more calories than you burn. When eaten in the proper portions and in combination with healthy foods, pasta does not cause weight gain."

A taste of exotic egg embryo, anyone?

As dusk sets in, most of the city streets are transformed into a hectic activity, where peddling of goods and other food items are sold by enterprising mortals for survival. Lit by a kerosene lamp beside her basketful of balut eggs, the female vendor sits, hugging her knees to her breast to at least to warm her body from the night's coldness and oblivious of the risks that might occur.

From time to time, passers-by, some drunks and some are ordinary workers who just wanted to add more energy to their tired bodies, do drop by to buy one, two or three pieces, depending on how greedy the buyer might be. The vendor looks up with a welcome smile and readily unfurls the thick, white cloth that is used to cover the eggs and to preserve the heat inside the basket. Then she carefully picks the egg that is good for the unsuspecting customer, who makes sure that it contains more yolk , aside from the chick embryo inside its shell. After the customer pays for a piece of egg, he immediately breaks its shell and sips its warm liquid for more nourishment to the body.

As always, this is the case. But more than this, selling of "balut" egg has become a source of livelihood for the unschooled and for those who merely wanted to earn extra income. Everyday is a drudgery, from dusk till dawn, generating an income that is barely enough to buy them food. Although, Westerners look at it as a spoiled delicacy never seen elsewhere in the world. But an duck's egg embryo is a favorite food of average income Filipinos, whose penchant for this exotic delicacy have not slackened in years. But mind you, professionals are slowly smitten by this delicacy, too.

In fact, the balut industry has contributed a lot to enhancing the country's "livestock revolution", a program that is expected to bring brighter prospects for the poor. In the Philippines, for more than two decades since the 80s, poultry contributions to agriculture and per capita utilization has been steadily growing. The duck industry, for one, has been a great contributor. In fact, volume of production of duck eggs in 2001 was up again 0.84 percent, compared to its 2000 figures. But demands will continue to grow, particularly in the developing countries.

This, according to development analyst, is a livestock revolution that holds promise for relieving widespread micronutrient and protein malnutrition while intensifying smallhold agriculture, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) reported. From 1991 to 2000, for instance, volume of duck eggs grew from 33,456 to 53,631 tons during the same period. As duck raising is a lucrative business in the Philippines, it has therefore been an important source of income to the farmers, especially those living near bodies of water. Ducks are usually raised for their eggs, which are made into an egg embryo (16 to 18-day-old eggs).

It added that a 1000-head layer duck production module is capable of generating a return-on-investment (ROI) of 20 percent and 47 percent for the first and second year, respectively. Besides bringing in the needed nutrition and cash to resource poor farmers and enterprising businessmen, the "powerful duck" also help rid ricefields of the eggs of golden apple snail, a pest that is causing damage to the ricefields. Ducks also feed on the snail itself, which serve as intermediate host for larval stages of the parasite causing fasciolosis to buffaloes, cattle, and goats.

By allowing 4 to 5-month-old ducks to graze on rice 35-40 days after planting, at a stocking rate of 800-1000 ducks per hectare, farmers not only eliminate the snail but also minimize weed formation. As ducks trample and feed on them, savings on weeding are realized while taking advantage of rice leftovers after harvest. And with their fecal droppings all over the field, soil fertility is improved.

In some Asian countries and in some swine farms in the country, ducks are also used to aerate stagnant water in lagoons and canals where waste materials flow. By allowing the ducks to wade in them, the stagnant water is disturbed, allowing oxygen to penetrate and dissolve. Considering that the country has the needed breeds to make a profitable enterprise, the duck industry therefore has enough chance to make the livestock revolution work for the poor.

The Philippine Mallard duck and the Muscovy duck are popular breeds raised for egg and meat, respectively. The country earlier produced the Laguna duck, another meat-type duck produced from a three-way cross among the Peking drake, the Philippine Mallard and the Muscovy drake, a similar breed to the Taiwan mule duck. It has an average feed efficiency of 3.20 and offers better quality meat.

Furthermore, the duck industry has a competitive advantage over other poultry industries. Ducks require little attention and thrive well on almost all kinds of environmental conditions. They are also highly resistant against common avian diseases. Unlike chicken, they have a longer life span. It is easy to see that indeed the duck is a powerful and versatile animal, potent enough to be relied upon to sustain its role in the livestock revolution, the DOST said.

Cooking the Duck egg embryo

Cooking a duck egg embryo is simple. Depending on the number of egg embryo that you're going to boil, try to estimate the volume of water that you're going to fill in the kettle. But you must see to it that the embryo eggs are submerged properly. As much as possible, boil the embryo eggs for at least an hour before they are eaten. Mind you, it is always more delicious to eat the newly cooked duck egg embryo when it is still hot. Crack it open and suck the salty juice from inside the egg before eating it.

Living in Asian-dominated community

It's such a great pleasure to live in an Asian-dominated community. This is undeniably true, especially if the environment you're exposed to is bedecked with all things oriental. But most of all, you feel at home because almost everything you need are readily available all around you. Wherever you go, there is the Seafood City and the Tambuli markets are just a stone's throw away from where you live. Add to these the Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai and Filipino restaurants that offer various delectable cuisines prepared according to each group of nationalities' discriminating tastes.

On top of these, a variety of other amenities and conveniences are just awesome. Whenever I'm not feeling well, I'm not worried at all because health establishments such as clinics and hospitals are just close by. A mere call of an ambulance would bring me to the nearest hospital, while medical clinics, where most of the doctors are U.S.-educated and licensed Filipino medical practitioners are always ready to entertain all types of walk-in patients. This convenience is complemented by drugstores that are open 24-hours a day.

If I feel a little bit bored and wanted to be abreast with the latest news developments in and around the world, I can always visit the nearest public library, where a wide variety of books, magazines and other publications can be borrowed. While some cheap publications or books are immediately available for sale, if I need to add up to my collections at home. Just beside the library is a public elementary school, where many grade school children are taught to learn something.

Just across from where the public library stands is a complex where almost all the business establishments are located. Be it a bank, stores selling shoes, dresses, clothings, groceries, liquor and even lottery tickets, laundry shop, notary public and tax preparation offices, remittance center and others, are all accessible and within easy reach, any time of the week.

Perhaps, these are the reasons why I feel at home from where I live right now. As I said, almost everything are within my walking distance. Should I feel going to the big shopping malls, without using my car due to the high cost of gasoline, I can always ride a bus. Bus stops are not far from our house.

Compared to all other places, this Asian-dominated community exudes warmth and hospitality, character traits that are truly Asian. The only place in Southern California, where the first mayor then was a Filipino. But what makes this community truly unique is that most of its population are Filipino-Americans. It could be for this reason that many businesses sprouted within the surrounding area in order to get a good share of the pie, knowing that Filipinos like things oriental and American in tastes and culture.

Should I be given another chance to settle in a another community, I would but I'd see to it that the amenities and conveniences are similar to where I have been transplanted for the last several years. The most memorable time I couldn't forget is during the celebration of the Yuletide season, when Christmas lanterns and multi-colored lights dot outside each Asian home, a time when the feeling of nostalgia rushes back into my mind.

Herbs and spices enhance cooking tastes

Cooking is dull without herbs and spices. They are inseparable ingredients to make up the desired recipes for discriminating tastes. Culinary experts described herbs and spices as parts of plants used for medicine, cooking and pleasure all over the world.

Herbs are green, leafy parts of plants, while spices are derived from any part of the plant that is not a leaf. As such they are mostly grown in temperate to hot regions of the world. They can be found all over like under the sea, in the jungles, the plains, deserts and at the top of the mountains.

Most originated in the Mediterranean or Central Asia. Studies showed they were used as potherbs, making perfumes or in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. Historical records indicated that were discovered by roaming hunters who experimented with leaves, roots, flowers and seeds. As a result, an amalgam of knowledge was passed from one generation to the next, another study added.

Their discovery was prompted many years ago after the earliest humans had a problem on finding the right medicines for their ailments. At that time, ancient people made good business trading herbs and spices in exchange for other stuffs that are not common in their territory. And the Black Pepper was the most lucrative of all the spices traded before. Although cinnamon and cassia were used by the Egyptians in embalming their corpses before burial in tombs and pyramids.

While the Chinese first recorded use of spices dated back to 2700 B.C.E., from the herbal compendium compiled by Emperor Chin Nong. In India, herbs and spices were used mainly for religious rites, until they were discovered to be appropriate for cooking. Likewise, Queen Sheba had offered King Solomon the most sought-after herbs and spices as a means to expand trade relations between their empires.The search for herbs and spices at that time led to fierce battles in the hope of controlling the trade of these commodities.

For instance, Christopher Columbus discovered American on his way to look for the Spice Islands. While Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese navigator, explored the Cape of Good Hope and established the spice route to India.

However, Ferdinand Magellan finally stumbled on the Spice Islands in 1520, and eventually discovered the Philippines in March 1521. Since that time, many things had changed in the growing and trading of herbs and spices.

From the remote areas where they were first grown, they can now be found in most backyards for immediate and convenient use of households. Although, many people still go to the markets to find the right herbs and spices as ideal ingredients for their various home cooking sprees.

Coffee-break: Escape for bored employees?

Coffee break is such an inseparable part of man's habit, especially to people, whose jobs entail long hours of daily toils. Whether it be in the office, factory or somewhere else, workers make it a habit to enjoy coffee break as a means to easing up boredom at the work places.

In countries where reporting to work is always in a fast pace, workers just clean up themselves and rush out in a hurry whatever transportation they could take to get to work on time. Because being late or tardy could put them in jeopardy at work.

Suspension is a much better option, but when the management sometimes expresses no mercy of those who are often late. And the best solution is just to pack up with a cup of coffee on hand while driving your car on the way to work.But it is also used as an excuse when someone is bored in the office. To break this boredom, the worker has to make an alibi of going to the cafeteria to have a coffee break. In most offices, this practice is allowed for as long as the break is used in the right time.

Normally, coffee break in most offices is at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you try to compute it, so much is lost in terms of man hours. But it is already an accepted practice.But on the other hand, a coffee break is also a time for whiling away the time when workers can discuss things across the table, whether they are hearsay or office-related matters that need to be ironed out.

However, there are instances when coffee break tends to be abused because it has become an escape for others to just kill the time. Mind you, too much coffee intake is not good for your health, especially if it taken without any creamer. Although a large number of people prefer it that way in order to taste the real coffee.

Have a good coffee break, anyway!