Happy Halloween 2006!!!
Last year I wrote a short post on the origins of Halloween. It has perhaps surprised some Filipinos who now live abroad, that locals have embraced or adopted 
this holiday with incredible speed. Commercialization more than westernization is probably the key culprit but personally, because it is primarily a kids holiday, I don’t really mind the trend… in the same way that I have done Easter Eggs for decades, gingerbread houses, left money under the pillow for the tooth fairy and well, ate the cookies that were left out for that jolly white haired overweight gift bearer at Christmas… While I understand that we are getting so much more westernized in many ways, I more than most, I think, have also sought to discover more and more of our native produce, cuisine and customs — so I think it balances out. While I am proud that I stradle multiple cultures, that does not mean I would fuse everything together… At any rate, Halloween is probably here to stay… from the outrageous office costume parties (isn’t that incredibly Filipino in a way?), to the ridiculously decorated malls (hanging pumpkins my pet peeve), the made-in-China masks for PHP20 and the excessive amount of sweets…how could it not?
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I took a swing by the candy aisle to make sure I had enough treats for the legions of kids who are expected for Halloween…and I spied this strangely familiar package of Senorita lemon drops. How bizarre is that??? I haven’t had them in perhaps 30 years and yet I was instantly drawn to them. I could almost feel my taste buds salivating at the thought of the sweet/sour taste of this yellow hard candy. These were a real treat as a kid; we didn’t have them too often, and yet I remember them extremely fondly. Because they were locally produced, they were relatively cheap and accessible so that also meant we could eat a bit more of them when they were around the house. These were the default hard candy when that other favorite, but definite PX good, “Sour Balls” were simply unavailable (remember how they all used to stick together due to the humidity?)…
most bug-eaten specimens (organically raised, after all) and crisping it up in the fridge for a couple of hours, they looked incredibly appetizing just by themselves, a nice bluish green tinge and a pleasant flavor even when uncooked… Here is the simplest of recipes, and it took no time at all. Heat up a large stainless steel pan, add some chopped bacon or pancetta and let it render its fat a bit. Add a drizzle of olive oil, some sliced onions, a few cloves of garlic and toss vigorously for about 2-3 minutes, until onions are slightly translucent. Then chop up the kale and add it to the pan and toss until wilted, no longer than 2 minutes of total cooking time for the leaves. Serve immediately. I ate mine with some brown rice and had a delicious and nutritious meal. Super easy and totally worth the effort!
I realize next week was a huge holiday week and people are probably heading out of town and therefor not stocking up. There was less of a selection at the market but I still found some interesting things. First up top are some nice long thai chillies. I will have to do a curry or perhaps a stir fry to use them. Also at the market, from one of my absolute favorite stands at Salcedo, Gil Carandang had lots of kale which I snapped up despite only vaguely knowing how to use it in a bean and kale soup… He suggested I just stir-fry it and that sounded like an easy and nutritious idea.
end thought the kids might find it a bit strange. So I copied the look but not the recipe… Instead, I made my standby chocolate chip recipe (toll house or slightly more complicated Maida Heatter recipe), added a half cup of good cocoa to the dough, added small dark chocolate chips in addition to the large semi-sweet chips and chilled the dough for at least half an hour before baking. I formed the cookies with my hands dipped in ice water and when placed on a pan, flattened the dough with the bottom of a glass to get large and even cookies…
but mottled green and orange (bizarre looking in a way and I would have also purchased that one if I could carry it to the car!), two more traditional orange pumpkins and a couple of ghostly white pumpkins. Who to thank??? The DOLE Company, which has been bringing great produce to the groceries in the past couple of years, first with lettuces, asparagus, and then humongous onions (I bought some but didn’t feature them since at PHP100+ per onion I thought I would draw flak from some readers) and fruit as well. They have been branding these great finds that they either grow themselves or contract farmers to grow for the company. I was truly thrilled to find these fresh pumpkins and at a reasonable price…
for many days and finally decided to take her inspiration from the Phantom of the Opera. She designed her own dress (and I mean literally drew up her own design on a piece of paper) complete with preferred colors, asymmetric hemline and ruffles in strategic places. Thankfully, my sister-in-law agreed to sew it up and got it ready in a just a few days. The Kid also wanted to make a mask with feathers and with a quick trip to Divisoria, Mrs. Marketman got a basic black mask for PHP40 and an ostrich, peacock and several chicken feathers in the requested color scheme. Take out a glue gun, some synthetic gems and The Kid made her mask completely on her own… I think she could be ready for Project Runway, the pre-teen edition… looks pretty cool, don’t you think???