Special Cassava Suman

My family and I went to Reno the other Thursday for a quick trip. I was surprised to see frozen banana leaves at a Filipino store and the first thing that cropped up on my mind was cassava suman :) I hurried to the other freezer for grated cassava and bingo! I got them! :D My late grandmother used to make a very special cassava suman or we call it in Jabonganon's dialect "lidgid nga balanghoy".

Ingredients:

2 packs thawed grated cassava

1 can (480ml) coconut milk

2/3 cup brown sugar (if you put bukayo or sweetened macapuno)

2 tbsp. condensed milk (optional) - mom likes to add this :D

vanilla syrup (optional)

1 pack frozen wilted banana leaves- be sure to wash them before using

Procedure:

1. Lightly squeeze the cassava to extract some liquid by using a clean cloth. Set aside the liquid to separate the starch from the water.

2.  In a medium bowl, mix the coconut milk and brown sugar together until the sugar is dissolved then stir in the grated cassava.

3. Discard the liquid to get the starch of the cassava and mix it evenly to the mixture. The starch somehow helps the suman kinda "glutinous".

4. Next, please refer to the photo above on how to make a "log" prior to steaming :D The brown in the center is a "bukayo" that adds more flavor  but I used sweetened macapuno in a jar since it is hard to find coconut meat here.

5. Steam for 30-45 minutes. Make sure that the cassava is cooked well before you eat them.

6. Enjoy!

I used my rice cooker with steamer in cooking and the suman came out so perfect! Yum!

Thank you for the photos Mr. Google!

10-10-10



A special day?

October 10, 2010 or 10-10-10 is kinda odd date. Well, for some reasons, like for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, business openings, etc., this day makes their celebrations extra special since it comes but once in a century only. 

Last week, my manager had me signed a birthday card for our former co-worker who is now based in Minnesota who will celebrate her birthday today. He said he promised to send her birthday card this year because it is 10-10-10 in the calendar :D And I almost forgot, today is Missy's 21st birthday (a night shift waitress). It is a significant day for her because she can now get drinks at the bar :D

But for other people, there is no significance on this date, for them, it is just another ordinary day except in Canada and USA because today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada and Columbus Day in USA. How about you? Is there a significance on this day for you? If you will ask me, my answer is yes :D As a shopper, I am enjoying the left and right huge discount offers and sales specials in both online and physical stores nationwide :D

Whatever your take on this, I wish you a blessed day not only today but all throughout the year!

Dogs: A Man's Best Friend No More...

... But a Family Member.



A doggie in a stroller :) 

I work in a pet-friendly hotel so I get to see different breeds of dogs too often, in fact, I just checked-in a guest who has a huge dog with him which he calls "Partner". My co-worker Ms. Debbie calls her four dogs "Babies" which sleep with her. Another co-worker Ms. Veronica calls her dogs "Grandkids". Ms. Jeanette, another co-worker, calls her dog "Zoey" which according to her, snores with her :D And so on and so forth.

As a member of the family, they have to be provided with everything which a family member deserves to get. They have to be brought to the doctor for vaccination, to the spa to trim their hair and paws and they have to be fed with dog foods which are outrageously expensive. Some dogs are pretty spoiled that they have bed couch, a blanket to keep them warm and they share the same bed with their owner. And so on and so forth.

Just recently, Ms. Jeanette told me that Zoey has been diagnosed having "Breast Cancer" and that her little darling has to undergo surgery which is scheduled this week. I heard she is hoping to get an extra day off because she can not leave Zoey alone after the surgery. Oh, poor poor thing :(

At first I didn't know how to react about pet dogs as a member of the family because I thought it was ridiculous but I have witnessed how dogs are loved unconditionally by their owners. When I told my co-workers that some Filipinos (I'm not one of them :D) eat dog meats, their comment was, "Oh, they are so mean!"

Arf! Arf! Arf!

Autumn Has Come!



Leaves have started turning green-ish to orange-ish here in Nevada



Autumn or Fall 2010 has officially started on September 23rd and it was the brightest autumnal equinox since 1991. Afterwards, the day becomes shorter. I sooo love this season for so many reasons :D

Firstly, after a hot summer, weather is cooling off.

Secondly, it's a harvest season :D I don't have a garden but I always get fresh veggies from my friends. I just got bunches of veggies and different kinds of herbs from my stepson's wife April (from her Mom's garden) and tomatoes from Ms. Wenda, my co-worker. She called her tomatoes "maters' and I started calling them the same :D I remember last year, the cab driver gave me bunches of tomatoes and zucchinis which I also gave them away because I had too much of them.

Thirdly, I get crazy with the Halloween decorations in the stores and in the frontyards of the neighborhood. Yesterday, my neighbors from across my house had their decorations already! I will post photos one of these days :)  I am looking forward to seeing children  (some adults as well) in their outfits knocking on our door for "Trick or Treats"!

Lastly, I love the color of the entire sorroundings! The trees are beautiful and the leaves in the trees and in the grounds are too colorful! It's really a big "Wow!" for me :)

But I have one thing that I don't like when Fall or Autumn comes: It surely means that coming up next is WINTER, brrrr!