OMG

 

What more can I say?

Thank you O powerful, all 

Good God for this gift. 

Keeping the thirst

 

for Him to fill the

void. not too smug that ones saved.

be one with oppressed. 

Expectations

 

Lower, lower. Heart

gets gentler.  Illusions gone.

Perception changed. Peace.

Air Fryer Portobello Mushrooms

These Portobello mushrooms are so good I almost ate the whole thing before I could take a photo.  Again this is an easy dish that is oil free thanks to the magical air fryer.  The marinade made from just three ingredients gives the mushrooms their great umami flavor.  The longer one marinates them the better.  

This is steak without your jaw getting tired from chewing through gritty meat. So good. 

Air Fryer Portobello Mushrooms

• 4 tbsps soy sauce 
• 2 -4  tbsps brown sugar or to taste
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3 Portobello mushrooms, gills and stems on (trim a bit the stem to level it with the cap)

Combine the first three ingredients.

Marinate mushrooms in the mixture for an hour or so. 

Place mushrooms stem down in the air fryer basket.

Air fry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 16 min flipping halfway. 

Finding ones centre

 

When east meets west. To

see Him in the sun, flowers, 

Nature. First great book. 

Fly Away with KaJamer 65

We have had so far three monthly ZOOM meetings of my Class 65 high school classmates at St. James Academy.  As usual photographs from high school days as well as past reunions are shared. Up in the list that elicits much attention are class pictures. One in particular that drew comments during and even after the August meeting  was our Third Year high school class photo shown below.  This was shared by our classmate Malou and is actually an extremely clear good copy.  We had a lot of fun the whole meeting but this photo became the most hilarious part of it thanks to a member's sharp observation of a pattern.

The identifying of who was who happened as when class photos are shown.  It has been more than fifty years ago after all when this photo was taken.  When asked where she was, Sylvia identified herself in the photo as the one with the fly away (or flip) hairdo, sixth from the left in the third row from the bottom.   As she carefully scanned the row she noted  that several others had the same hair style and cited in particular Nora who you can see ( third from left, third row from the bottom) had the most pronounced flips almost like hooks you could almost hang a coat to.  Eight of them actually have the fly way in the same row but none as obvious like Nora's. For some reason, the group went wild with laughter.  

This part of the meeting was shown in the unlisted not public YouTube recording  provided for the rest of the class to view. 

Our class happens to also have a so called Chat group in Messenger and one member who viewed the video had a lot to say and you can guess who it was.  Nora!  Here is her commentary that is both hilarious and highly informative in many ways.

"Mga bruha kyo! Mahirap pala pag d kasama sa zoom kc d lng nachichismis kundi nalalait din. Ha ha! For your information, yung lahat ng mga naka fly away, cla yung mga "in" kc nakasunod sa uso. Panahon yan ni Jacqueline Kennedy na naka fly away ang buhok. Ha ha!"

Loosely translated she said, " You are all witches or bi...is more what she meant.  I am beginning to realize it is hard to be absent in ZOOM meetings.  Not only are you gossiped about but also embarrassed.  Ha ha! For your information all of those with fly away are the ones who belong to the in crowd who follow the trends. Those are the days of Jackie Kennedy who had the fly away hairdo. Ha ha!"

Nora in her inimitable, witty way, in a nutshell, has elucidated on teenage behaviours and also showed the social landscape of an era in the sixties.

And then there is also a moral to this story, namely  do not miss meetings  But then again it was more fun viewing what you miss, right Nora? Ha ha! Thanks for being a sport.  

In a way, the fly away hairdo that night of the meeting became a sort of a get away from the pandemic doldrums.  It was an unplanned delightful surprise in the company of wonderful friends. Thank you all!

One of the most convenient uses of the Instant Pot is cooking risotto.  You just add the ingredients to the pot and let the pressure cooker do all the work.  No continuous adding of liquid and mixing.  Result is a velvety textured dish.  

Instant Pot Mushroom Spinach Risotto

• 1 cup alborio rice
• 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp dry toasted onion flakes
• 1/2 tbsp dry garlic flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• black pepper to taste
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves

Place all the ingredients in the Instant Pot except the spinach. Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes.  Quick release then add the spinach and stir until spinach just barely wilts.

Talk listen.

 

Distance causes lack

of mercy, justice. Be with.

See Jesus in them.

Note: In a reflection from Richard Rohr, it said "the opposite of poverty is justice"',  Being with others deepen our compassion. Didn't Christ come down and be with us Himself?

The Wonderful Truth

 

"He made me and He

remade me". Second chances

He gives lovingly.

Note. Inspired by Fr. Joseph Mary's beautiful sermon during the EWTN Mass this past week. 

A Profile of Tenacity

When I think of the virtue of tenacity, a person that comes to mind is Baby as she was called in my brother Benjie's household.  She was their housekeeper, cook and one time nanny for their grandchild, Gelay, during the years she was with them.  

I met her for the first time in 2011 when I stayed at my brother's house while I attended a meeting in the Philippines.  She was then the nanny of Gelay, my brother and his late wife Pinky's grandchild.  In fact, my brother used to kiddingly say that Gelay was looking more like Baby since they were very close.

Baby did not stay at my brother's house all the time through the years.  Occasionally she would take off to be with her family in the southern part of the Philippines.  She would have had enough money to tide her over for that time.  She told me what she did when she went home and how she made her living while there.  

She described to me how she patiently would raise baby pigs till they mature and sold them for profit. I was very impressed since I have never met a person who actually made a living from hog raising.  She described how big they would get and I would listen with eyes wide open with my imagination painting how they would have looked. 

She also told me that she dreamed of building a house that could accommodate her three children.  She was a single mother with her husband leaving her when the kids were young.  Her family had a piece of land which she shared with her mother and siblings and where she could build her dream house. I listened to her and imagined what it would be like as she described her plan.  Her life was evidently simple and humble and I relished her telling about it.  I found it refreshing to hear.

When I went home in 2018 she told me she gave up raising pigs for a living since feeding them was getting to be expensive that she could not get a good profit.  Instead she had a carinderia or small eatery in front of her house where she served food using recipes she learned from Benjie's wife, the late excellent cook Pinky.  She proudly told me that people relished her food.  I was not surprised since I have loved the dishes Pinky taught her to prepare when I was there in the Philippines.  She also told me that she had finally built her dream house and one more news that she was proud of.  Her daughter had found a job working for a company in their province which my brother also worked for in Manila, Through her hard work and savings, she was able to put through her children to finish college degrees and now with one successfully using it.

In the past two years, Baby was home most of the time.  About two weeks ago, my brother relayed the news that Baby passed away in her sleep.  Baby's daughter think it must be from fatigue since Baby was taking care of her ailing mother.  Baby, according to her daughter, hardly had any energy the few days prior of her death.

It is ironic that she died a month or so after the person she has served in various functions, my late sister in law Pinky.  I wrote my brother that Baby was now with Pinky and how they were both giving persons.

I had always wanted to write about Baby years ago especially after her story about raising pigs for a living fascinated me but also because I was impressed by her tenacity to fulfill her many dreams including building a house and raising her kids into successful citizens.  After hearing her caring for her mother till the end of her life, I am honored to also include also in my writing about her how lucky I am to have known a person who was also unselfish as she was.    

Have a great time up there Baby with Pinky.  God must be delighted with both of you.

Pray then shut up

 

He speaks in whispers.

The answer will unfold.  His

time not yours. Wait. Trust.

Instant Pot Thai Tilapia Loins or Fillets

I really like the convenience of cooking using the Instant Pot since it does not entail you watching over as the dish cooks.  The question is can you cook fish in it without being overcooked.  The answer is yes I am happy to say.  I even added some vegetables on top that more or less have similar cooking time or the ones that are bearable to eat a bit mushy like red pepper and onions.  I cooked the green beans in the microwave since I prefer them with more body.

For the sauce, I used a mixture of fish sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar which the Thais love to utilize in their cooking.  You can add Thai basil or plain basil if you like or if the members of your household do not mind.  My husband does.

I used tilapia loins from Aldi Grocery Store that were individually wrapped in a 14 oz bag.They have better even shape than the fillets but you can use either type.  

You can double the ingredients of the sauce if you like.  They are pretty delicious over rice.  

Instant Pot Thai Tilapia Loins or Fillets

• 4 tilapia loins or fillets (from 14 oz packet)
• Flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder for dredging fish
• 1 red pepper, sliced 
• 1 onion, sliced 
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp chopped Thai basil or any type of basil (optional)
• green beans, microwaved

In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar till sugar  dissolves.  You can add the Thai basil if using. Set aside.

Dredge the tilapia fillets or loins in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Place the fish in a dish that can fit the Instant Pot bowl.  Place the red pepper and onion slices on top of the fish.

Add one cup water at bottom of pot and place the trivet on top. Place the dish with tilapia and vegetables on top. Then pour over the sauce over the fish and vegetable mixture.

Cook at high pressure for four minutes. Then quick release. 

Serve with green beans microwaved or steamed.