Cravings

I really do not know when a craving for a certain food will come to me. One time for some reason on my way to my Zumba class I caught a whiff of fried chicken when I entered the gym.  I could not get out of my system the longing for chicken coated with heavy crispy breading the whole time I was in my dance class.  I could hardly wait to go to KFC but surprisingly I got lazy to drive to the other side of town for this dish.  I actually was able to wait two weeks later when we celebrated Father's day at Wooden Nickel where my husband and I savored crispy fried chicken wings as our appetizer.  So good.

Another time while I was at a weekday Mass, out of the blue, I had this yearning for Indian food. I was really distracted while I was salivating for the rich curry spiced dishes but then again it was easy to daydream during Mass.  I was on a mission to hit an Indian restaurant in town for lunch.  However, for some weird reason during this same Mass, my craving switched to Chinese food, specifically pepper steak.  This took me by surprise. How did that happen?  I am not sure what triggered this change in my palate. Update: The Indian curry won and I went to Mintt Indian Restaurant.

One thing I have cravings for most of the time is Panera bagels.  Two weeks ago, I dropped by at the Monroeville branch and picked up a dozen of them. While munching on one at the restaurant before going home, a lady remarked that I must be feeding a crowd when she saw the package of bagels on my table.  If she only knew that I would be having two more when I got home.

Cravings are my motivators for preparing the dishes in my food blog.  I could not always just go to a restaurant to satisfy my yearning for Filipino dishes since there is none in Pittsburgh. I have recreated dishes I have had during a trip or cruise like the oxtail stew from our Alaskan cruise and the rum raisin ice cream.  In a way, cravings have been good in making my blog interesting.

Air Fryer Sticky Barbecue Chicken

Are you craving barbecue chicken coated with sticky sweet and spicy sauce but do not want to grill outside or inside with your huge oven? Then use your air fryer. The sauce takes only three ingredients and they make a delicious mixture.

Air Fryer Sticky Barbecue Chicken

• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup catsup
• 1-2 tbsp garlic chili paste 

Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on both sides of the chicken pieces. 

Mix the Hoisin sauce, catsup and garlic chili paste in a small bowl. Set aside one third of the sauce. Using the rest of the mixture, baste the two sides of the chicken. 

Spray the air fryer with nonstick spray or oil spritzer. Place the chicken pieces on the air fryer. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. Flip and add more sauce on top of each piece. Bake for 5 minutes more. 

I Called Them by Name

I never grew up with pets and never had any. But wait I did have two but only for a very brief time.

Anita and I hang out during my graduate school days at Iowa State University.  I met her on a weekday student Mass at St.Thomas More and we just hit it off.  I had been to their house for Thanksgiving and she was one of the sponsors in my wedding. I forgot now whether she was a veil or candle or cord sponsor.  Sponsors are given tasks in rituals unique to Filipino weddings and were assigned to ones closest friends to do.

We loved to eat out and I remember eating at Long John Silvers where we over indulged one time.  We were ready to burst when we burped. We also loved to go shopping. We decided to go to a pet shop one day where they were having a sale on gold fish.  Anita convinced me to buy a couple of beautiful ones which I brought home in a plastic bag filled with water.  I transferred them to a fish bowl where I even decorated with plastic leaves and a bluish decorative thing which I think I still have.  

I excitedly put the pair of fish in the bowl and fed them with some food I bought.  We decided to name them after the two young actors in the movie we just saw, The Turning Point. Their names were Mikail after Mikail Barashnikov and Leslie after the female lead actress.  I placed the fish bowl right beside my bed in Buchanan Hall.

When I woke up the next day, I was stunned to see my two new pets floating not swimming in water.  They were dead and I was devastated.  I have heard before that once you call a pet by name it is very hard to let go of it.  I named mine and though I had them only for a day I had become attached to them.

I called Anita since I had to ask her how I would bury them.  I was thinking of doing so on the pot with my plant beside my bed.  She nixed the idea since they would smell.  So I reluctantly and sadly flushed them down the toilet.

I had to attend our weekly group meeting with our research adviser, Dr. Russell, that morning.  I spent a lot of time fretting over the loss of my two pets and was emotionally drained,  I did not feel like attending the meeting. I called Dr. Russell up on the phone and told him I could not make it to the meeting.  I was dying to tell him why but I felt he might think it too looney a reason to say I was grieving the death of two pet goldfish.

My life with my two pet gold fish was short but somehow after 40 years, memories of losing them still linger in my mind.

Olive Tapenade (Oil Free)

I sometimes want something salty to spread on my bagels or crackers for breakfast or snacks. This recipe is easy to prepare and spreadable despite having no oil which is added in most tapenades.  It is delicious and satisfying. 

Olive Tapenade (No Oil)

• 1\2 cup green olives with pimiento center
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp cashews
• 2 tsp tomato paste

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend till well mixed or up to the texture you like.