20 Dec, 2006
I rarely buy our desserts for a dinner party. The one exception in the past has been the Vargas butter cake that I bury in fresh strawberries and cream. I have also ordered the Yulo chocolate cake for weekends at the beach. But I do like to make my…
19 Dec, 2006
The first Christmas dinner this year had a Filipino menu in honor of a visiting balikbayan. The total guest list numbered around 20 people. Despite all the planning, the careful preparations, and tables set early, of course Mother Nature would choose to mess with the weather. So a last minute downpour…
19 Dec, 2006
His real name isn’t David. He just turned one this past summer, and he had/has cancer and was undergoing treatment at that time. His mother emailed to ask me if I would post my gingerbread recipe last April or May so that she might attempt to do it while on a trip…
17 Dec, 2006
It’s origin is probably the classic French Galantine de Poulard, and for the last 40 years, I don’t recall ever eating a memorable Galantina, our localized adaptation to the classic dish. We never made this in our home, but often got them as presents and I was never thrilled with a slice of…
17 Dec, 2006
When I was about 14 years old, my mom was away for a couple of months on a trip, and my dad called from the office and said he had a couple of guests coming over for cocktails and dinner. When they got to the house, I had arranged for some pistachio nuts…
17 Dec, 2006
My favorite foodie movies include: Age of Innocence, for its spectacular cinematography of the numerous elegant meals that take place in upper crust, turn-of-the-century New York, with the exquisitely dressed tables and all of the attendant porcelain, silver, etc. I also loved Babette’s Feast for the utter single-mindedness with which Babette decides to…
16 Dec, 2006
We must be one of the few countries in the world that can legitimately claim a different set of seasons from the rest of the planet… We have three: Dry and Hot Summer Season, Wet and Humid Rainy Season and the Fabulous and Fantastic Christmas Season…each lasts about 3 to 4 months each!!! …
16 Dec, 2006
Here is the Marketman & Family 2006 Gingerbread Edition… A Winter Scene in New England. And after attending the first Misa de Gallo this morning, a fitting post for today… Set on about 12 square feet of styrofoam, there are roughly three levels ranging about 5-6 inches from the lowest point to the…