Nur's Turkish Spinach and Egg Dish G-BOMBS-nized and The Small C Part III - Ways I Coped

The Small C Part III -  Ways I Coped

I am not presenting any tips on how to cope with cancer in this post.  I just wanted to tell stories of how I coped.  Perhaps it might help somebody out there in the same situation to realize that your reactions towards events while you have cancer can be unpredictable at times and can range from being absurd to something deeply enlightening.   In other words one does not have to be heroines or heroes during this time but just human.

I found that I had cancer on a Monday in December.  I remember the next day on Tuesday I was home and, to my surprize, in high spirits.  I even cooked adobo, a Filipino comfort food and ate it with gusto. 

I met with my oncologist that Wednesday accompanied by my husband.   I not only bombarded the radiation oncologist and his resident with questions but interviewed them to death about irrelevant stuff.  I tend to do that when I am nervous.  I ask silly questions like where they were from originally.  Perhaps it was my way to help lighten up very stressful situations.

Dr. Greg Kubicek, my radiation oncologist, his resident and my husband, Bob.  I took the picture of these three during my first meeting with Dr. Kubicek since I found out they were all coincidentally originally from the Midwest.

That Thursday I remember going for sushi with my two daughters and I asked them a stupid question,  "Are you scared about what is happening with me" which was unnecessary to ask.  Again I was saying it jokingly but I noticed neither one wanted to look me in the eye.  I am not sure but I think I saw one of them with eyes a little bit glistening with tears.  But she was able to control it while the other who usually had a sassy comment did not say a word.  It dawned on me then that members of my family were as frightened as I was.   But I still continued to make light of the whole situation. 

When my son-in-law was at our house I jokingly convinced him to ask his mom to make me homemade pierogies and to tell her I have cancer so she cannot refuse.  I could not believe I was just making a joke of it all and neither could he.  This will not last however.  The harsh reality that I have cancer though at its early stage would finally sink in. 

How do I pray was one that I struggled with when I found out about my cancer. Through the help of my husband I was able to resolve this dilemma.

"I am very confused on how to pray",  I remember telling my husband.  "I really do not want to ask God to cure me.  That is not how I am used to praying.  I always pray to do God's will.  For me to ask to be cured of cancer is going against that." 

From him, I learned how to do both. This was what my husband said, "Lulu, this is how I usually pray.  'I know God that you want me to do your will but I just want to request if it is possible please help me ...' ". I know it was just a matter of rephrasing thoughts and words.  I also know it does not matter to God what I say since He or She knows what I mean.   Since I am complicated person I wanted to say the right thing even to an all-knowing God and this way of praying taught by my husband helped me.

I also kept everything much to myself even though I am known to have a life that is an open book.  I did ask prayers from members in my prayer groups and my husband's choir.   I did not tell anybody about my cancer except for a few in my workplace.  I did not announce it to my classes either that semester not until after I was done with the treatments in the middle of February.  They were in shock when I told them since I did a good job not to show any indicators I had cancer.  

I did tell my pastor, Fr. Tony, in the middle of a busy fellowship doughnut session in the basement of our church about my cancer.  I just learned about my condition and I was dying for prayers especially from a priest.  I came from out of nowhere when I approached him.  I abruptly and nervously told him I had cancer.  From his face I could tell he was taken by surprise but he regained his composure and he gave me the phrase that will help me the most through this episode of my life.  He said , "God will take care of you".  God has indeed done so and I am very grateful.  I have been cancer free for two years now. 

A Dish to Fight Cancer

I had a former roommate from Turkey named Denginur or Nur for short at the Buchanan Hall dormitory while I was a graduate student at Iowa State University.  She went out of her way to make a meal for me and her then boyfriend, Ahmed.  It consisted of a typical Turkish Spinach and Egg dish, macaroni and cheese and Kipper brand canned sardines which she carefully transferred to each of our plates.  It was not elaborate but with the limited cooking facilities we had at the dorm it was quite a feat for her to prepare this.  She chose these three dishes because they were her favorite among what her mother used to lovingly prepare for her back home in Turkey.

I tweaked the Turkish Spinach and Eggs dish to make it a more cancer fighting one.  I based the ingredients I added in my version on the G-BOMBS diet recommended by Dr. Fuhrman, who developed it to fight cancer, obesity, diabetes and other diseases.   G-BOMBS is the acronym for the following: 

• G for greens
• B for beans
• O for onions
• M for mushrooms
• B for berries and
• S for Seeds or nuts. 

I added to the traditional Turkish Spinach (which is the Green component) and Eggs dish, black beans, chopped onions and mushrooms to meet four of the six requirements of the G-BOMBS diet. When this powerful, anti-oxidant laden dish is served with toast spread with seed or nut butter and berries on the side, all six components of the G-BOMBS diet will then be met in one meal.   Here is the recipe of this dish.

Nur's Turkish Spinach and Egg Dish G-BOMBS-nized

Ingredients:

• 1 medium dized onion chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 cup of chopped mushrooms
• 8-10 oz frozen cut spinach, thawed or you can use fresh ones
• 1/2 cup black beans from a can, rinsed and drained
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 eggs

Procedure:

Heat a 10-inch non-stick pan on medium setting and once heated add the olive oil.  Once the oil is heated saute the onion, garlic and chopped mushrooms until the onion is cooked and translucent. 

Add the thawed frozen spinach, black beans, salt and pepper to the sauteed mixture and spread the contents throughout the pan and continue to cook until the spinach is heated through.  

Continue to heat the mixture and carefully break the eggs one at a time on top of the spinach mixture, cover the pan and allow the steam coming from the moisture from the spinach mixture to cook the eggs.  You can add a splash of water if you see the spinach mixture getting too dry.  You are done cooking when you see the egg whites turn opaque.

                        



Serve with toast spread with coconut or peanut butter and strawberries or any other berries on the side. 





                   

Eggplant Mornay and The Small C Part I - Capturing a Teaching Moment

The Small C Part I - Capturing a Teaching Moment on an Emotional Day

I remember that day very well. It was around noon on a Monday in December 2011 and there was a zoo-like atmosphere in my office.  I had several students looking over their lab final exams while others in my lecture class were inquiring about their grades going into the finals.

As I recall this day, I particularly remember the face of my student in Organic Chemistry Lab who I knew was there to ask whether I had written the letter of recommendation he requested for medical school.   He was by the door ready to ask me that question when my cell phone rang. 

  

I picked up my phone before I could answer my student since I had an inkling it might be the one I was expecting.  Once I learned who it was, I already knew it meant one thing. The news that I dreaded was now a reality and I did not even wait for him to tell me what his call was for. 

  

First thing I said was, "It is positive, isn't it, Dr. Johnson". "It" refers to the results of the biopsy of the parotid mass on my right salivary glands he surgically removed more than 3 weeks ago.  I waited a long time for these results which usually take less than one week to get.  They had a  difficult time putting a handle on what exactly it was they were observing in the three lab tests they conducted thus the long wait.

During this phone call, I remember Dr. Jonas Johnson spelling out the name of the type of cancer which up to now I could not remember. However, in plain language it was the cancer of the sweat glands. He explained it was a very rare form of cancer (0.03% of all cancers) but luckily it was at its earliest stage.  He also said he had already contacted a good radiation oncologist, Dr. Gregory Kubicek, to zap it away. 

I remember asking him the question, "What did I do wrong". Being sort of a control freak, I wanted to have an idea what I did to cause this unwanted malignant mass. His answer surprised me in its directness and brevity, "You were just not lucky". 

After I finally told my student by the door, who heard everything at this point,  that I had already emailed his recommendation as he requested, I went to Room 208, where my CHEM 101 lecture course was held. Since I had time before my lecture, I called my radiation oncologist on my cell phone to make the appointment to see him.  I did this right there and then behind the long teacher's table in the midst of the noise of students babbling in the background. I just could not wait for a better time.

After the call I felt ready for what I perceived the battle of my life.  But first I still had to give the last lecture for the semester which ironically was on radiation. 

I remember delivering this introductory blurb to the class, "I always had second thoughts about teaching this chapter on radiation since that would mean less time for the other nine chapters. Now I do not regret my decision one bit to cover it". With tears in my eyes I continued, "I never thought that radiation will save my life. Today I just learned that I have cancer and I will be undergoing radiation therapy to remove it". 

Not only was I able to share my feelings to the most available persons at that time, my stupefied students, but I had also the opportunity to capture a teaching moment. What better time I instinctively thought then and even now to drive the point that chemistry was indeed relevant. That it was useful. That it was the central science that makes the world go round. After the emotional and I would admit a little bit too dramatic a speech of my life, I regained my composure and finished what I intended to teach that day. 

The next semester, I learned how frightened my students were during that emotional teaching moment. They were asking me when they saw me at the hallways how I was with such sincere and heartwarming concern in their eyes.  

I am grateful in a way that I was not at home by myself when I got the news from Dr. Johnson but had 80 persons, my students, to share it with.  I thank God for this gift and thanks to all my students that day for their understanding and compassion. 

Let me explain the main title of my essay, The Small C.  Upon hearing that my cancer was at its earliest stage, a friend started calling it the small c as opposed to the common term used for cancer, the big C.  This is Part I of a series of essays on my experience as a cancer survivor.  

These two pictures show my CHEM 101 students with whom I shared the news about my cancer.  These were taken during Halloween when they could come in costumes.

This recipe I have posted is in a way related to the foregoing essay. I took my daughter and her then boyfriend to Nardi's Restaurant (now closed) during the time I had my radiation therapy. I remember I had cravings for some of Nardi's enticing dishes. To my disappointment, the radiation affected my taste buds and everything I ordered either tasted like paper or the spices were too pronounced. Aside from this connection, you will see Nardi's direct influence on this recipe as you read the following.

Searching for the recipe for Eggplant Mornay

Eggplant Mornay is one of my favorite appetizers at Hoffstot’s Restaurant in Oakmont, Pa. I googled for its recipe but came empty handed. I decided instead to try my luck finding the ingredients for the Romano batter which was described in the menu as being used to prepare this appetizer. My search led me to the one described in the Veal Saltimbocca dish recipe provided by Nardi’s Restaurant (now closed) in Monroeville, Pa. Here is how I used this batter in my copy- cat version of Hoffstot's Eggplant Mornay.

Eggplant Mornay

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (I actually used Kraft Parmesan cheese)
• 1 tbsp chopped dry parsley
• pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large eggplant (either the regular or the slender Asian types can be used)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper,
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• olive oil and canola oil
• hot sauce

Procedure:

To prepare the Romano (or Parmesan) batter: Whisk the eggs. Add the lemon juice, grated Romano (or Parmesan), parsley and pepper. Whisk together and set aside.

To prepare the eggplant: Cut the eggplant into round slices with 1/8- 1/4 inch thickness. (Do not cut greater than 1/4 inch thick). Combine flour with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dredge the eggplant pieces in flour mixture and then dip them into the prepared Romano mixture.

Pour one round each of olive oil and canola oil into a skillet that was heated on medium high heat. Place the eggplant pieces in the blended oil and pan fry till one side turns golden brown. Flip and pan fry the other side. Place on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Pour more olive oil and canola oil for each batch of eggplant pieces.

Sprinkle with hot sauce before serving.

Taste was close to Hoffstot's. Even my husband said so.

Notes:

1) I used the same batter and procedure to make shrimps and yellow pepper (see picture below). They were delicious. Hoffstot's actually serves the Eggplant Mornay with shrimps dredged in the same batter.

2) The picture at the very top of the post was made using the slender Asian eggplant while the eggplant used shown in the other pictures were the regular ones you find in the grocery store.

3) You can thin out the batter using a splash of wine as suggested in the original recipe by Nardi's Restaurant. 

Fusion Version of Filipino "Tortang Talong" or Eggplant Omelette and The Small C Part II - Strength in Vulnerability

The Small C Part II- Strength in Vulnerability

What I found most challenging when I had cancer was how to mentally  deal with it.  How strong and tough do I want to be or should I even be so.

This may seem an odd dilemma. I remember one friend saying to me, "Be tough Lulu. I know you can overcome whatever is called for. I know you very well".  I was grateful she believed in me but I was apprehensive not because I did not believe her that I was tough.  My fear was that I might get too tough.  Say what?

Memories of one particular incident in my life might explain this. I faced some difficult times many years ago. I lost a job where I did my very best.  I did cry but I also pushed myself not to cry. Perhaps a little too much of the latter since I got really depressed. 

I remember picking up a book in a garage sale or was it the Goodwill Store and in one of its chapters I saw this quote from Kahlil Gibran that gave me some clarity of what I was going through.

"Keep me from the wisdom that does not weep, and the philosophy that does not laugh, and the pride that does not bow its head before a child".

                                                                        - Kahlil Gibran

I did not want this to happen again, namely to push myself too hard to be strong and tough that I have no time to "weep" during my radiation therapy. But I did it again. 

I put my game face on during the 33 treatments I underwent daily except weekends for seven weeks at 7 am. I remember never missing or even being late for my 9:30 am class at IUP on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This was quite a challenge since Shadyside Hospital where I had my treatments was one and half hour drive to Indiana county where I taught. I actually made a game out of the travel I had to make. I always wanted to find out how early I could get to IUP each time I drove.

The state of the art radiation facility at UPMC Shadyside Hospital where I went through my treatments.

                                                

People who knew about my cancer were complimenting how good I looked. I think it was more a matter of expectations. I am suspecting they were thinking I had chemo also which can really be devastating to one's looks at times. But I graciously took the compliments anyway.

It seems others could not really tell what was happening to me and neither did I.  I was on denial that I was tired in fact too tired to prepare for one particular class which I seldom teach which I will talk more later in this post. Luckily, I was on autopilot for my other classes since I had taught them every year.

I kept a tight upper lip all throughout this episode in my life. I actually can remember crying only a few times during this period. Once occurred before the treatments started. I got the news that the PET scan showed it was localized and had not spread. The news came after a whole day of waiting for the oncologist to call me back. I remember the torture of waiting anxiously and picturing all sorts of worst case scenarios. The sobbing was one of relief.

The other time was on the Sunday before the last three treatments. I remember crying in church during Mass. It dawned on me then, as I was looking forward to the end of the radiation therapy, that I had undergone quite a lot. I was so preoccupied with being strong and tough that time passed so quickly to stop and reflect.

One other time that I broke down stood out among the rest since it happened in June, months way past the treatment period which occurred in January and ended in the second week of February. This was the day I read the student evaluations for the class I have taught only occasionally. 

All the time I was under treatment, I kept on telling everyone I was not tired unlike everyone else I knew in similar situation. I did not know I was on denial. The treatment did affect me physically and even mentally. I had the worst evaluation for that class. I gradually recalled how I could barely grade the complex lab reports. Memories of my struggle to prepare the prelab came back. I had dismissed these unusual work performance then to procastination or I was just not motivated or just plain lazy.  

I cried because I finally realized I was naively pushing myself too hard to be blind to the fact that I was actually weakened by the treatments when I was undergoing them.  For me then that would have meant losing my fighting spirit and the battle with the Big C or small c in my case.  I did not want to lose.  I wanted to win all the time.

 

There are many reasons I decided to continue writing my blog from where I left off two years ago. Several of my friends have cancer right now. Some are keeping a tight upper lip so to speak. I wanted to tell them at times that it was okay to be weak and vulnerable, to want to cry and to just cry. But I never could tell them for I was not sure if it was appropriate nor was it the right time to say so. 

I hope they read this or some others like them do. It is okay to fight with all your might but it is equally wise to weep and to accept you are indeed sometimes losing the battle.

Fusion recipe for a Filipino dish - "Tortang Talong" or Eggplant Omelette

The same Romano batter I used in preparing Eggplant Mornay in a previous post was recycled in this fusion version of a Filipino dish we call "Tortang Talong" or Eggplant Omelette in English.  I termed this as a fusion version since we do not use Romano nor Parmesan cheese in the traditional version of this delicious dish we serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

The version I prepared using the fusion recipe actually was the closest to the one I always craved for and which I had many, many years ago at the cafeteria at the University of the Philippines where I was taking graduate courses. 

The ingredients are the same as that of Eggplant Mornay except for the addition of cumin.  The procedure also has an added step since you are dredging in flour and cooking a whole eggplant not just slices unlike in the case of Eggplant Mornay.  One needs to be sure that the flesh is soft and cooked before it is fried whole with the batter.  We usually serve this with catsup or the Filipino version called banana catsup which is a bit spicier as well as sweeter because of the banana in the ingredients.  Mafran brand comes to mind.  You can also just add schriacha or even hot sauce to catsup to mimic the taste of the banana catsup.

Filipino Eggplant Omelette ("Tortang Talong")

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (I actually used Kraft Parmesan cheese)

1 tbsp chopped dry parsley

pinch freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

4 slender Asian eggplant

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

canola oil

catsup or banana catsup like the Mafran brand

Procedure:

To prepare the Romano (or Parmesan) batter: 

Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, grated Romano (or Parmesan), parsley, pepper, and cumin.  Whisk together and set aside.

 To prepare the eggplant: 

Mix the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder and set the mixture  aside.

Take the whole Asian eggplant, carefully cut it in half so that the stem is still intact and then spread or fan it out.  Place a paper towel on top of a plate and then put the flattened eggplant on top of the paper towel. Place another paper towel to cover the eggplant and microwave it for five minutes.  (See note below for an alternative way to soften the flesh of the eggplant). 

Dredge the whole eggplant in the flour mixture and then carefully place it in the Romano batter. 

Pour canola oil into a skillet that was heated on medium high heat. Place the whole eggplant  in the oil and pan fry till one side turns golden brown. Flip and pan fry the other side. Place on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Pour more oil for each batch of eggplant.

Serve with catsup or banana catsup.

Notes:

1)   Another way of softening the flesh of the eggplant was how I saw Lola May, our cook in the Philippines, used to do it. Broil the whole uncut eggplant first on top of the flame in a gas stove then cut it in half leaving the stem on and then flatten it out.

2)  Feel free to add other spices this is after all a fusion version of this delectable Filipino dish.

3)  In the picture above the post, one will notice I did miss keeping the stem on.   But you can do better. 

 

Healthy Green Ice Cream

It is good and delicious being green  

 



 



I heard from my daughter, Wendy, and her husband, Matt, that their child, Maddie, loves eating fruit but not green vegetables.  So I decided to take the challenge of incorporating vegetables into a healthy but appetizing ice cream which even grown ups like me will eat. I do not want to end up with baby food in other words.  I also wanted to make a grown up food that she can eat unlike the last time I made healthy ice cream with honey in it.  Babies cannot eat honey since being unprocessed it has spores that can cause botulism in babies.

Here is the recipe of the Healthy Green Ice Cream I made for Maddie.  First thing my daughter asked me when she learned of the name of the ice cream was what made it green.  I texted her that it was actually good old spinach.  Knowing that, she did not believe Maddie would eat it but I was not discouraged since I know I can make a believer out of her. The other vegetable I incorporated was peeled and seeded cucumbers.  I also added orange juice, fresh pear and bananas.  For improving the texture and taste,  I added coconut milk and peanut butter.  I added maple syrup as a sweetener since the mixture despite the presence of the fruit was not sweet enough for me especially after being frozen. 

I based the recipe on two online recipes,  3-Ingredient Healthy Ice Cream and Peanut Butter Coconut Ice Cream.  The challenge for me is how to make the preparation low maintenance in terms of making its texture like ice cream.  The second online source, Peanut Butter Coconut Ice Cream, suggested re-blending the frozen mixture if using an ordinary blender, but I still came up with a hard brick of an ice cream when I did this.  I did not want to buy a powerful blender or an ice cream maker as yet so I had to find way around doing this. 

The one that best worked for me was to just microwave the whole container of ice cream once it was frozen for around 20 seconds or so at high then scoop what was needed.  In fact at one party recently, the ice cream stayed in a soft enough stage for everybody to scoop their share.  By the way, I thought at first only one person in this party would be brave enough to eat the ice cream but I was shocked to see practically everyone having a scoop.  I know it is for curiousity sake but it was encouraging. 

In fact at this party, everybody who was wary about this ice cream because of the name (Matt announced it to everyone as Spinach Ice Cream) and the ingredient was pleasantly surprized by its yummy taste.  While Carl, Matt's dad, was feeding this to Maddie, I heard him say to his wife, Carol,  "It is not as bad as its name make it sounds".  Carl did not have a hard time at all feeding this ice cream with spinach in disguise to Maddie cuz she loved it. 

I am so happy we now found a way for Maddie to eat her green veggies finally.  Maddie's family especially her picky eater of a dad Matt loved the coconut flavor and my once sceptical Wendy became a believer that green and healthy can be good and tasty and you will too.

Healthy Green Ice Cream

(based on 3-Ingredient Healthy Ice Cream and Peanut Butter Coconut Ice Cream)

1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp peanut butter
4-6 oz fresh spinach (or frozen spinach)
1 whole cucumber peeled, seeded and sliced (or zucchini)
1 pear (or 1/2 cup applesauce)
2 bananas

You can mix all the ingredients  together if you have a powderful blender.  If not add the orange juice, coconut milk, maple syrup and peanut butter first and blend using an ordinary blender.  Then add the fresh spinach (or frozen ones) till it turns mushy, and then add the cucumber, pears and bananas till the whole mixture is thoroughly blended.

Place the mixture in a microwave proof container and freeze it.  The mixture will turn hard like brick.  Just microwave it for 20

seconds or so and scoop out what you need.  You can also place the mixture in ice cube trays and freeze it and take out what you need or place the cubes in an ice cream maker.  It can also be placed in popsicle molds if you have one.  I unfortunately got rid of mine or misplaced them. 

Makes around 1 pint.

Notes: 

At one year old, Maddie can eat maple syrup, peanut butter and coconut milk but still no honey for her.

There is another way to make the mixture like ice cream in texture.  It is commonly used in science classes to demonstrate the use of salt to lower temperature.  You place the ice cream mixture in a ziploc bag and you place a mixture of ice and rock salt (or just table salt) into another ziploc bag.  You then place the ziploc bag with the ice cream mixture into the bag with the ice and rock salt.  Mash the bags until the ice cream mixture turns to the desired consistency.  You can make this fun by passing the whole set up from one person to another in your family or party and make a game out of it to see which of the two or so groups will come up with the ice cream of the best consistency the quickest.  Another method is placing both bags of ice cream mixture and that of salt and ice in a large coffee can and you roll it back and forth using your foot and another person's like that of your boyfriend or husband who will think you are crazy.  Never mind what they think they will love the ice cream. 

Another way, which however is inappropriate for babies like Maddie, is to place booze in the ice cream mixture before freezing it.  It lowers the freezing point of the liquids so it will not harden as much when frozen.  This will be reminiscent of jello shots you had in college parties.





 

Recipe for Joe's Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge and A Nobel Laureate's Awesome Talk

For this post, I am featuring the recipe emailed to me by one of my former students at Indiana Universty of Pennsylvania (IUP) more than 5 years ago.  His name is Joe.  He was one of a few adult students in a predominantly young class consisting of mostly 18 year old freshmen.  He brought to class a whole 13 x 9 pan of this delicious treat securely covered with foil and adeptly loaded it in his backpack together with his books to share with me.  Here is the exact emailed recipe for all of you:



Joe's Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge

Dr. Herold,

Here is the microwave peanut butter fudge recipe:

18 oz. jar of Jif peanut butter

3 sticks of Parkay margarine

2 lb. bag of powdered sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Line a 13" X 9" cake pan with wax paper.

Put peanut butter and margarine in a large microwavable bowl and cook on high for two minutes.  Stir, then heat an additional two minutes or until completely melted.  Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix thoroughly, pour into pan.  It is easier to cut it while it is still warm.

Joe

When I first made this, it did not have the same consistency as the one Joe brought to class.  The secret according to him is to use Parkay margarine and not butter. This was emphasized to him by the source of the recipe - a lady from the church he belonged to (or church lady but I am reluctant to use this term since it reminds of Dana Carvey's Saturday Night Live character on TV and I am sure Joe's friend from the church is not that outrageous). 

It is apparent that Joe was comfortable enough to bring me a whole pan of peanut butter bars or else he would not do so for fear of being accused of sucking up to me.  There are students in my class who achieve that level of relationship with me their teacher and I appreciate that since it helps in their learning and also my teaching.  Having this wonderful and fruitful rapport with some of his teachers have been cited by a Nobel Laureate I met in a recent meeting I attended to be one of the reasons for his success.

During the annual meeting of the Philippine American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE) held at North Carolina State University, May 23-24, 2014, we had the privilege and honor of having the 2007 Nobel Laureate in Medicine or Physiology, Dr. Oliver Smithies, as the main speaker for the event.  He won this honor with two other scientists for their "discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells".



Dr. Smithies gave one of the best talks I have ever heard in my life and I have listened to many including those of other Nobel Laureates in the past.  He craftily wove his life experiences with details of his research which would otherwise be boring to hear by themselves. 

He started his talk with the picture of where he grew up in England and regaled us with his stories of his childhood. 

He then went through persons who taught him from his grade school up to his graduate school years that had an impact on his education and life in general.

One of the most delightful and yet highly informative parts of his talk were the slides featuring his research notebook entries.  By using them he was able to cleverly and with a lot of humor brought in nuggets of wisdom and tips on how to conduct good research, develop strong work ethics, build up inner strength and make serendipitous discoveries along the way even deserving of a Nobel Prize.  It was an exposition of eloquence without being pompous or arrogant.  Awesome! 

This part of his talk on his research notebooks is very similar to the ones he covered in his Nobel Prize presentation and is worth listening to.  As he mentioned at the beginning of his Nobel Prize presentation  he was addressing particularly the young audience.  I am pretty sure that every person that day, young and old alike, got a lot from his presentation as we did in our recent meeting. 

One thing he always went back to in his talk at our meeting is his gratefulness to all who taught him especially those he developed a close and mutually productive student-teacher relationship with.   He himself believed in putting a hundred percent to teaching to the point he just did not do research when he taught classes.  He alternated semesters of teaching and research was how he was able to accomplish this.

His other message is to love what you are doing and he exemplifies that.  At 89 years old, he is still doing research and on topics he had not done before.  

It was one those talks that you feel so happy being there to hear it and even long after.  Thank you Dr. Smithies.  I would like to also thank all of the organizers of this PAASE meeting headed by Dr. Francis de los Reyes for making this possible.  Special thanks also to the host, North Carolina State University.  This meeting, we the attendees felt, was one of the best PAASE if not the best annual PAASE meeting we have gone to.

Fresh Spinach Dip

I had a bag of fresh spinach that I wanted to use before they got really soggy and inedible.  I also had this craving for some kind of dip that I could use with the mini Pretzel Crisps I bought from the McGinnis Specialty Store in Monroeville, Pa. 
                     

 

Here is the recipe I came up with using what I had in my pantry and refrigerator. The water chestnuts give the dip crunchiness while the green onions, Parmesan cheese, dried minced onions and garlic powder enhance its flavor without you having to use any dried soup mix which some recipes call for.

I happened to have a facial appointment right after I prepared this and I brought some to Diane, the facial technician at the Beautiful Image, to sample.  She loved it so much she just had to have the recipe right there and then before my facial.  You will adore it also.

Diane, wonderful facial technician, at the Beautiful Image.

Fresh Spinach Dip

Ingredients

1 9 oz bag fresh Spinach  (or you can also use 10 oz of frozen spinach thawed and liquid squeezed out)
1/3 cup chopped scallions (around 3 stalks)
1 8 oz can of chopped water chestnuts
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp dried minced onions
2 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
pepper and salt to taste

Instructions

Microwave the fresh spinach in a bowl for 3 minutes at high setting.  Squeeze out the water from the cooked spinach.  Add to the spinach the rest of the  ingredients.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours for the flavors to blend.   It is also OK to eat it right away if you cannot wait like I did. 

Layered Fudge Ice Cream and Life Changing Writers Workshop

Life-changing Writers Workshop

Everyone has a bucket list.  Mine includes fulfilling a dream to be a writer. 

I always wanted to be a writer ever since I was in high school but I made a mistake of comparing myself to a classmate named Amanda.  She was clearly a natural and the teachers recognized that.   I on the other hand was showing more an inclination towards the sciences.  Since I felt that I would never get to reach the standard set by Amanda, the natural born writer, I just decided pursuing a journalism degree was not for me and went on to become a chemist.

Later on in my life I used different types of media to express myself.  I volunteered to put together a couple of newsletters for our chemistry department and also created Power Point presentations and then later on videos during our yearly graduation.  During the summer of 2012 I was so obsessed with the Movie Maker software that I made YouTube videos of every event that occurred that summer.  

Though I found an outlet for my need to express myself through multimedia,  I never really wrote anything except technical papers and lecture packets for my classes. 

In the past few years, I got hooked on cooking shows on TV and voraciously read cooking blogs online that I felt this urge to have my own blog.  I set one up in November 2011.  However,  I only got to do the welcome post. Something unexpected happened the following month.  After the removal of a parotid mass, my doctor found during its biopsy that it was actually malignant though at its earliest stage.  I had a small c not a big C.  It is, however, a very rare type of cancer, namely, that of the sweat glands which is only 0.03 % of all cancers.   

I put my mind into being strong and tough during the radiation treatments and the idea of pursuing the blog was furthest from my mind.  I would also admit that at the back of my mind I was afraid that blogging might make me too introspective and self-engrossed especially in the vulnerable state I was then in.  I also did not feel comfortable sharing my thoughts publicly  though several persons use their blogs during this period as therapy.

I always love to take pictures of anything, especially food, and anybody even random persons I meet.  I always wished afterwards that I could write about my reflections or stories of the pictures I have taken. Most of the time I thought of continuing the blog I set up in 2011 but I was afraid I did not have what it took to write (the Amanda syndrome never left me).

A few weeks ago, I found out that the Monroeville Library in my hometown was holding a Writers Workshop.  Three published writers, Chris Rodell (Use All Your Crayons), Adam Matcho (The Novelty Essay),  and Scott Silsbe (Unattended Fire) were invited to tell the audience their experience in writing their books and offer advice in writing them.  I decided to attend.

Left to right:  Adam Matcho, Scott Silsbe and Chris Rodell.

The three guest speakers were very inspirational and the attendees, who themselves were writers, were very encouraging.   The workshop gave me the courage to take the jump. I started writing for my blog a week later.  This was almost two and half years since I posted my first and only post.  I just needed the support and encouragement of the speakers and the attendees to convince me that I can do it.  Thanks to you all. I also would like to thank Sharon Lippincott for organizing this workshop and Ellen DeHouskie for facilitating that day.

Once I started I was pleasantly surprised that the needed patience to do rewrites after rewrites came easy since that was what I have been doing when I wrote the instructions for calculating chemistry problems and explaining concepts in my lecture packets.  In the past two semesters for example I spent countless hours writing and rewriting questions for online quizzes and homework making sure there were no confusing words or phrases that could lead to misinterpretations.  I was afraid that I would get an avalanche of emails from frustrated and upset students as a result of any error on my part. 

A Good for You Dessert 

This particular recipe was based on one that I found in the health conscious Chocolate- Covered Katie blog and it was called 'Eatmore' Fudge Squares.  It was actually created by her friend Chrystal.  I made substitutions for some of the ingredients based on what I had on hand but I followed most of the procedure.   Since the prunes are not as sweet as the dates used on the original recipe,  I had  to add  Splenda artificial sweetener and honey to the prune, almond and cocoa powder mixture that composed the bottom layer.

Layered Fudge Ice Cream

(Adapted from Chocolate-Covered Katie)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup prunes
• 3/4 cup almonds, unsalted
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp Splenda or any other sugar substitute
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp more unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp more honey

Procedure:

Mix the prunes, almonds, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, Splenda or sugar and 2 tbsp honey in a food processor until thoroughly blended.  Spread the mixture in a loaf pan evenly and press down gently with a spoon or your fist. 

Mix together the banana, peanut butter, the other 2 tbsp cocoa powder and the other 2 tbsp honey in the food processor.  Spread the mixture over the bottom layer evenly. 

Place in the freezer for about 2 hours or until the top layer hardens.  Cut into 8 squares.  Refreeze whatever is left since the upper layer melts easily at room temperature and also in the refrigerator.   It is ice cream after all.

Slow Cooker Beef Caldereta and Reunion with Former Filipino Officemates



My version of Caldereta as cooked in a slow cooker.



Rick and Offie posing with the dinner fare consisting of: clockwise from the right, fresh lumpia, shrimp, pickled cucumbers, baked mackerel, achara, Mongolian beef and empanada. In the middle are the fresh Maryland crabs. 

Rick and Offie gathered former co-members of the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) for a reunion at their house in Maryland this past Saturday, June 21.  There were people from different states in the US, namely, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, who made it to the well-planned event.  I drove four hours from Pittsburgh, Pa for this occasion that day and it was worth it.

Seated l to r:  Rick, Seville, Nini and Flor. Standing l to r:  Ed, myself, Ernie, Eden, Offie, Vilma and Myrna.

It was  a joyous occasion which featured sharing stories and jokes, really very funny ones for the most part, and as in all Filipino gatherings partaking of food glorious food.  Offie was the hostess with the mostest as she even planned two different menus namely, one for lunch and a totally different one for dinner.  Lunch consisted of caldereta, fresh crabs, chicken on a stick, lumpia Shanghai and pancit palabok.  Dinner menu is listed in the caption of the picture of Offie and Rick. 

Ernie who is on the right is preparing to tell one of his hilarious jokes.  One I particularly remember is referring to Filipinos in Hawaii as Hulapenos. 

There were also numerous Filipino desserts served like espasol, leche flan, guinatan, turon and fruit salad.  

Shown are guinatan (top) and espasol (bottom)

There were several dishes that I fell in love with in this reunion and one of them was a Filipino beef stew called Kaldereta or Caldereta served during lunch.  It is similar to other tomato based beef stews but this one is unique in that it is thickened by mashed liver.  The taste of the liver imparts a different flavor that enriches the dish rather than detracts from it.  You would not even notice the liver taste.  Ironically, however, you will know it is not there once you have tasted Caldereta and get smitten by its luscious unique taste since it is not Caldereta without it.

Caldereta that was served during lunch at Offie's house.

I researched the Internet for different versions of this dish and the one I decided to use came from Casa Veneracion.  The directions in this Internet recipe, as in almost all of the other versions I read, call for slow cooking the beef on the stove for at least 2 hours.  Since it was a busy Sunday when I tried cooking this dish, I decided to call on my reliable beloved Aroma brand rice cooker/slow cooker type to the rescue. 

I also tweaked the original recipe this is adapted from by cutting down some steps since I was planning a long shopping activity after Mass that Sunday.  What resulted was this succulent melt- in- your- mouth rich beef stew.  Cooking it in a slow cooker actually worked.  Picky family members who never had it before did not even notice that there was liver in the sauce. 

My version of Caldereta as cooked in a slow cooker. 



Caldereta in a Slow Cooker

Ingredients: 

• 2 lbs beef chuck cut into 2" chunks
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
• 5 finely minced garlic
• 2 bell peppers cut in 1/2 inch strips
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 dried red chili peppers crumbled
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups water
• 3 oz liverwurst which I got from the deli, mashed (or you can use canned liver spread)
• 4 potatoes cut into 1 inch wedges
• 4 peeled carrots cut on a bias 1 1/2 inch long
• 12 green olives

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil directly in the slow cooker if it has a saute mode or in my case at the "white rice" mode or use a heavy sauce pan or casserole. Add and saute the garlic, onions, the beef chunks, tomatoes, bay leaf, chili peppers and chopped bell peppers. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft and the beef chunks are brown. (If you have time you can be more conscientious and brown first the beef till brown and in batches). 

Season with salt and Worcestershire sauce (optional). If you are using a sauce pan for the sauteing step, you can transfer the mixture in the slow cooker.

Add the tomato paste and liverwurst or any other kind of mashed liver to the mixture and stir well. Pour in about 2 cups of water and stir well.  Add the potatoes and carrots.  Cook on low for 8 hours in the slow cooker or 4 hours at high.   In my Aroma brand rice cooker/slow cooker (older model), I used the slow cook setting for 2 hours.  You can add the olives before serving.  Serve over hot rice.

You may also like these other slow cooker Filipino dishes

Crockpot Filipino Pork Barbecue 

Slow Cooker Filipino Chicken Curry

Slow Cooker PataTim Style Pork Roast  

Slow Cooker Filipino Pork Menudo 

Slow Cooker Chicken Afritada  

Slow Cooker Bulalo

                                                                                                               

           Slow Cooker Arroz Caldo 

 Slow Cooker Easy Pork Asado

  Slow Cooker Ginger Stew (Tinola)