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2008 is through, welcome 2009!

Obviously this was my first post for 2009. my plan yesterday was to write my last post for the year, but unfortunately, due to my hectic schedule plus the fact that I reported to work the day before, I didn’t get the chance to write something. An additional factor for this is my very slow and intermittent internet connection. Thanks to my ISP, I lose any interest in writing one last night.

Well, much for the ranting, I think it will not do me any good. I will just channel all of my energy in concentrating to what matter most, and that is to stick to my 2009 targets. I know some of us do have some new year’s resolution and mostly those were broken. I just made mine a lot simpler and doable.

Hopefully, everyone spend their new year’s eve with their love ones, and most of all, I do hope that 2009 will be much greater than the past year for all of us.

Wow, the countdown is through and the day everyone is waiting for are mere hours left. You’ll definitely see smiles in everyone’s faces. Everybody is jolly. Being grumpy is not welcome at this day of the year. Everybody should welcome the day of nativity of Jesus Christ above anything else.

I’m too busy this week and I haven’t got the chance to attend midnight mass or “Simbang Gabi” in our parish but I do hope that I’ll be able to celebrate the last mass before Christmas later this evening with my significant other and finish off the night with a sumptuous Noche Buena.

So, are you done with your Christmas shopping? Me, I actually haven’t finished yet. Just bought some gifts for my “inaanak” or godchildren and some for my family and loved ones. It’s been a hell of a month for me, been too busy, got no time for shopping really.

Well, time to hit the sack to prepare the long night later…Merry Christmas to everyone!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbs. unsalted butter
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter stirring nearly continuously.
2. Remove from heat as soon as melted.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar until it gets fluffy.
4. Beat the vanilla extract in.
5. Stir the melted chocolate and butter in.
6. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (the chocolate mixture) and stir just until it is blended.
8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3-4 hours. Overnight is best.
9. When ready to prepare, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
10. Sift the confectioners sugar into a shallow dish.
11. Grease your hands lightly and roll a small amount of the chilled dough in your hands to form a 1 inch ball. Roll the dough ball through the powdered sugar until it is well coated and no chocolate is seen. Remove the ball and place on a prepared baking pan. Keep forming balls and rolling through powdered sugar until all is complete. If the dough seems to get too sticky to roll, go ahead and place it back in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or more and then retry.
12. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes at 325 degrees. You want the outside a bit firm, but the center to be chewy and moist.

I received another email update from our company and I just paste it below so that you may read the whole article.

The Department of Health (DOH) released yesterday, October 24, 2008 the last batch of milk and milk-based products that were tested by Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD). BFAD cleared all 32 products of the kidney-stone causing melamine.

During the entire stretch of the BFAD laboratory testing, a total of 204 milk and milk by-products had been examined for the presence of melamine.

The last batch of melamine-free food products include:

- Captor Classic Lollipop
- Cham Hoopie Milk Flavor Candy (Special)
- Columbia’s Chocquik Instant Choco Malt Drink, 80g & 300g
- Dairy America Skimmed Milk Processed/Spray processed (repacked)
- Dongguan Mayong Guang Feng Biscuit
- Golden Haosheng Candy
- Good Taste Strong Candy (Assorted Flavors)
- Harden Foods Milkshake Candy (Assorted Flavors)
- Harvey Lacto Strength Milk (Assorted Flavors)
- Le Tian You Ice Candy
- Liantong Biscuit with Chocolate Coated
- Meihua Fusion OHI Chocolate Cookies w/ Filling
- Meiji Clack Chocolate Bar
- Meiji Hi Milk Chocolate Bar
- Miramar Confectionery Nougat Candy
- Candies (Prosperity Flower) (MM)
- Cindera Toffee Roll Candy (MM)
- Really Savory Candy (MM)
- Soft Candy (MM)
- Yamyam Circle Pebble Candy (MM)
- Nicefoods Whis O Ring Candy
- Nutri-Express 15 Nutritional Elements (Colored Orange Cap and Label)
- Nutri-Express 15 Nutritional Elements (Colored Red Cap and Label)
- Pioneer Skimmed Milk Powder (repacked)
- Qualify Food Coffee Candy
- Sweet Dart Coffee Milk Candy
- Sweet Dart Milky Milk Candy
- Wanfu Foods Coffee Mail Tea Cookies Biscuits (yellow wrapper)
- Wanttone Orange Egg Rolls
- Want-Want Hot Kid Milk Candy (I * Milky & Chewy)
- Want-Want Sen Rei Rice Crackers
- Yalilai Olympic Star Candies Beijing 2008 free of the chemical substance

Meanwhile, the products found to have traces of melamine are:

- JollyCow Slender High Calcium Low Fat Milk (more calcium & Vitamin D) 1 Liter,

- Greenfood Yili Fresh Milk

- Mengniu Drink

- Lotte Strawberry Snack Koala Biscuit

- Lotte B+W Koala biscuit

- Lotte Chocolate snack Koala Biscuit

For more information, you may visit http://www.gmanews.tv/story/129187/DOH-clears-last-batch-of-Chinese-milk-products.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

I received this email from our company’s email blast and I will simply paste the complete email in this post.

The Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) cleared Tuesday at least 41 more milk and milk-based products from the list of items possibly tainted with melamine.

In ads placed in the Manila Bulletin and Philippine Star newspapers, the BFAD said that as of Oct. 13, NO melamine was detected in the 41 products.

These include:

* Anchor Fresh Milk;
* Caidenly Biscuits (Milk Flavor);
* Candyman Kendi Mint Chocolate Filled Center;
* Candyman Vi-Va Caramel Sweets Chocolate Filled Center;
* Dairy Champ Evaporada;

* DongGuan Bairong Chocolate Cream Biscuits;
* DongGuan Wanjiang Wan Fu Papaya Cookie;
* DongGuan Bairong Apple Biscuits;
* DongGuan Golden Paddyfield Giadenjy Biscuits;
* DongGuan Golden Paddyfield Little Biscuits;

* DongGuan Mayong Guang Feng Food;
* Engtian Layer Biscuits;
* Eugnitan Layer Biscuits;
* F&N Blue Cow Condensada;
* F&N Daisy Condensada;

* Farmhouse Skimmed Milk Powder;
* Fat & Thin Milky Soya Drink;
* Fudielai Biscuits;
* Keko Candy;
* Kyoto Cookies;

* Liu Wei Bang Lollipop Candy;
* M&M’s Minis Chocolate Candies;
* Mai Wei Su Cookies;
* Milky Soya Milk Drink (Chocolate);
* Milky Soya Milk Drink (Green Apple);

* Milky Soya Milk Drink (Melon);
* Milky Soya Milk Drink (Sweet Corn);
* Pengtian Thin Cracker;
* Pokka Soy 4 U Soy Bean Drink;
* Prime Roast Calcium Enriched Nutritious Cereal;

* Prime Roast Oligosacharide Nutritious Cereal;
* Sally Sikaoqi Milk Candy;
* Sally Sikaoqi Coffee Candy;
* Sukacita Little Bear Biscuits (Chocolate flavor);
* Suntree Coffee Candy;

* Tiong Hwa Soya Milk (unsweetened);
* Vitasoy Calci Plus Healthy Soya Drink (Low Sugar Hi-Calcium Low Fat Cholesterol Free);
* Yeo’s Drink;
* Zhen Xin Sandwich Biscuits;
* Zhongshan Lewwa Food Jelly (Pudding); and
* Zhongshan Meihua Butter with Filling Cake

For more information, you may visit http://www.gmanews.tv/story/126860/41-more-milk-dairy-products-passed-govt-lab-test—BFAD

Moreover, Department of Health (DOH) BFAD also released an official list (last October 10, 2008) of milk and dairy products positive with Melamine contents. Please see attached file for your reference.

These include:

1. Greenwood Yili Fresh Milk (in Chinese characters)

2. Mengniu Drink (in Chinese character)

3. Sanlu (Shijiazhuang Sanlu Group Co.)

4. Panda Baby (Shanghai Panda Dairy Co. Ltd.)

5. Syrutra (Syrutra International Inc.)

6. Gucheng (Shanxi Gucheng Dairy Co. Ltd.)

7. Mengniu (Mengniu Dairy)

8. Hero (Jiangxi Bright & Hero Dairy C)

9. Huimin / HMDP (Baoji Huimin Milk Co. Ltd.)

10. Kocci (Duojiaduo Dairy Industry {Tianjin} Co. Ltd.)

11. Yashili (Guangdon Yashili Group Co. Ltd.)

12. Nanshan Beiyi (Hunan Peiyi Dairy Co.)

13. Heilongjiang (Qinin Dairy Co.)

14. Yashili  (Shanxi Yashili Dairy Co.)

15. Jinbishi (Shenzhen Jinbishi Milk Co. Ltd.)

16. Scient (Guangzhou Shien Dairy Co.)

17. Jinding (Guangzhou Jinding Dairy Co.)

18. Yili (Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co.)

19. Ausmeadow (Ausmeadow Nutriment Co. Ltd.)

20. Suncare (Aikeding Qingdao Suncare Nutritional Technology Co. Ltd.)

21. Yubao (Xian Baiyue Dairy Co. Ltd.)

22. Leilei (Yantai Leilei Dairy Products Co. Ltd.)

23. Baoanli (Shanghai Baoanli Dairy Co. Ltd.)

24. Hikid (Fuding Chenguan Dairy Co. Ltd.)

Beware of these products. Everyone is advised to avoid purchasing / consuming these products.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

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Forming friendship in the workplace is sometimes tricky. As much as you would like to bond with different kinds of people, complications starts to arise.

 

Being careless with your words in the office may lead you into something nasty and you would not want to create havoc in your peaceful nest.

 

If you want to avoid certain disputes, you should learn to refrain these 5 topics and keep your mouth shut:

 

 

1. Money

 

It is not ethical to discuss money matters in the workplace. One should not divulge how much you earn from your co-workers. You will surely invite envy and jealousy right in front of your doorstep. You will always hear this kind of gossip where one worker lent money to another and the other refuses to pay when time comes. Fighting will surely erupt when money matters are being talked about in the office.

 

2. Religion

 

Personal beliefs caused wars over several centuries and definitely you don’t want to happen it in your own office. Clearly, you should refrain in discussing this kind of issue. Different personal spiritual beliefs contradict with one another and several cultures cannot agree which one is more superior than the other.

 

3. Personal Problems

 

When you come to work, it is inevitable that you will keep your mouth shut about the problem with your personal life like sibling rivalry, couple issues, family feuds etc.

 

These matters should not be brought up in the office because in the first place, it will not help your co-workers with your personal issues do their duties. You as a person will seem to be vulnerable to some kind of attacks when trying times comes.

 

4. Politics

 

Everyone has a political preference and when it comes to political issues, strong opinions abounds. Differences in political opinions always, and I should strongly stress this, ALWAYS created vocal arguments. We don’t want another casualty in the office because of one lousy argument because of politics.

 

5. Relationship

It is ok to talk about personal relationship in the office but not too much. Who wanted to hear about your own sex life unless you’re a maniac or wanted to hear the latest scandal.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1 kilo pork belly (Liempo)
• 1/2 kilo pork liver
• 1 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 medium size potatoes cubed
• 2 medium size carrots cubed
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 dried bay leaf (dahong laurel)
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil for sauteeing

 

Instructions:

 

1. Saute garlic and onions. Add the pork and cook until no longer pink.
2. Add the pork liver. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 15 minutes or until liver is cooked (turns gray in color).
3. Add the bay leaf and pour the tomato sauce. Add water and let boil.
4. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the meat are cooked and sauce slightly thickened.
5. Add the carrots and potatoes. Simmer until the veggies are tender. 

In Western-style cuisine, the Chinese dumpling is a simple staple, a source of carbohydrates and great comfort food. Done Chinese style, it is a work of culinary art.

This is a concoction made of dough stuffed with meat and/or vegetables. It is often served as part of dim sum. Proper preparation takes a bit of time and effort. But the results, when done correctly, are well worth it.

Ingredients

Wrap:

• 4 cups white flour
• 1-1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt

Chill the water to just above freezing and dissolve the salt into 2 cups of it. Blend thoroughly and add the extra 1/2 cup only if the dough isn’t completely wetted. Knead well and ensure that the result is firm. If needed, sprinkle in a bit more flour. Then chill the dough.

Filling:

• 1 lb lean ground meat
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp brandy
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp white pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine all the ingredients, then stir. Don’t overdo it in order to avoid making the meat mushy.
2. Bring out the chilled dough and separate a piece into two parts. Flatten each section until they’re about 1/8 inch thick. Layer the meat mixture onto one then cover with the other. Crimp the edges until the result looks something like a white fortune cookie crumpled around the rim.
3. Repeat until you’ve used up all the dough and meat.
4. The raw dumpling can be boiled or fried, as desired.
5. To boil, use a pot large enough to cover the dumplings with a couple of inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, then layer the dumplings along the bottom of the pot. Stir gently to prevent them sticking together. Continue heating until the mixture boils again. Add a cup of cold water and allow to come to a boil again, then remove from heat.
6. To fry, simply line a wok with a layer of sesame oil and bring to a high heat. Then toss in the dumplings. Remember that woks cook very quickly. You’ll need to keep the dumplings moving in order to get them evenly cooked on both sides. It’s particularly important to ensure that the meat inside is well done.

Serve
The results are often dipped into a sauce of equal amounts of black vinegar and soy.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti pasta
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
• salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 1/2 pound hot Italian sausage
• 1/2 medium onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• Fresh Thyme
• Fresh Basil

Directions

1. This will be a very long direction to follow, so please bear with me hehehehe!
2. Remove the casing of the sausages and crumble.
3. Add two teaspoons of olive oil, and proceed to browning the sausage.
4. Put the tomatoes in the blender and puree it.
5. Diced the onions.
6. Chop the basil, thyme and garlic.
7. Add onions and garlic to now-browned sausage. Cook for a few more minutes until transparent.
8. Add the tomato puree.
9. Add the chopped spices (basil, thyme and garlic). Stir this up and let it simmer on low for 10 minutes.
10. Cook the Ziti.
11. Grate your own parmesan, and get FRESH mozarella. You can tell the difference. It’s wet and sweet like ricotta.
12. Cut the mozzarella half of it into 1/2 inch cubes, the other half in as thin of slices as you can manage.
13. Add a can of tomato paste to your sauce to thicken it up and give a more intense flavor.
14. Add the pasta, your sauce, the mozzarella and half the parmesan in a baking dish. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
15. Mix all.
16. Top with the sliced mozzarella and the remainder of the parmesan.
17. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo beef, cut into cubes (select a cut good for stewing)
• 1 small head of a cabbage quartered
• 1/4 kilo Chinese cabbage (pechay)
• 2 medium sized potatoes quartered
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 5 Saging Saba peeled and sliced in the middle
• 1 big can of pork and beans
• 2 cups water
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 small onion sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Start by frying the saging saba. Just let them fry until slightly golden brown. Take off the oil and set aside.
2. Saute the garlic and onions. Then add in the beef. Saute until it changes color. Season with some salt and pepper.
3. Next add in the tomato paste and water.
4. Mix and let it boil. Cover and simmer over low medium heat until beef is tender.
5. Once the beef is tender, add in the potatoes. Let it simmer some more until the potatoes are cooked.
6. At this point you can add in the rest of the ingredients. The veggies, pork and beans and plantains. I usually just pile them in and cover for a few minutes allowing the veggies to wilt a bit.
7. Afterwards, gently mix them into the sauce.