day 943 - bruschetta classic

at ristorante roma on bloor street. yummilicious!

day 493 - conches

at the chinese grocery store, there was a ton of these. i didn't even know these are edible. but, whatever.

day 436 - spring rolls

the vegetarian kind, not the meaty ones, but delicious nonetheless.

day 433 - mini marshmallows

at bradley's birthday party, i just kept popping these beauties in my mouth. yummy!

day 420 - thou shall not...

this is the stem part of an apple, the gala variety. i eat this usually with very old gouda cheese or old cheddar. good for the teeth, the gums and the stomach.

day 364 - super bowl dinner

these were cooking in my oven yesterday for this "what's the big deal" super bowl event that partner and my niece were so gung-ho about. i don't care much for meat as i don't eat them myself, but the house was filled with a delicious aroma, but that is because i made myself some gambas al ajillo.

day 289 - onions

a truck unloads its cargo: sacks and sacks of white onions. that's a lot of tears if you have to peel all of them. but if you just use one or two on pepper steak, that would be AWESOME, i say! AWESOME not to mention delicious.

day 261 - pumpkins again

these are supposed to be some kind of pumpkins, or gourds. they look funny, more like oversized acorns. i must admit i have never seen these before in my life. i was told they're also edible, just like any other gourds. ah, isn't mother nature really amazing?

day 220 - more peppers

the green ones, this time. these are what they call the banana peppers. these are good sauteed with red onions and made as topping for a nicely grilled steak, then put some feta cheese on top. where i got this idea is beyond me because i am vegetarian in the first place. hahaha.

day 219 - peppers

red peppers...sweet red peppers. it's that time of year. i know. i have an italian friend whose family make the best roasted peppers. they taught me one time how to roast and freeze them; and how to prepare them for eating: sliced, then seasoned with some italian dressing, fill up a buttered panini roll and lined with thinly sliced prosciutto. ay! mamma mia de gracia!

day 176 - exotic or erotic?

these are gourds indigenous to most southeast asia and other asian countries. they are mostly pulpy and watery, more like the zucchini and cucumber in the north americas. they come in shapes that are quite peculiar, obscene almost.

day 175 - captured aliens?

breaking news! this just in: the invading aliens have been captured and their plan to dominate the earth has been foiled. this photo shows the failed invaders being displayed from their prison. (that's my story and i'm sticking to it!)

day 150 - dried fish

my dearest friend and her husband and daughter are in town visiting. first stop, dim sum at chinatown then we went to buy fresh tropical fruits. whilst waiting for them, i took picture of these dried fishes. reminiscent of days when we were young children in the old country and those dried fishes were a "staple" during those poverty stricken years. seems like another lifetime.

day 126 - dinner tonight: salmon with rice and mushroom topping

sautee one medium onion, finely diced, a cup of cooked brown rice, a cup of sliced mushroom (here, i chopped the mushrooms because they were so big), in olive oil. season with pepper and sweet basil leaves. let the mixture cool down then stir in one-half cup of mayonnaise (i used the "olive oil" kind). place the salmon in a baking dish, season with a little lemon juice (fresh real lemon juice is preferred) and ground pepper. spread the rice/mushroom mixture on salmon, covering the fish evenly. baked at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, depending on size of salmon (i.e. thickness). when cooked, grill for about 5 minutes or until the topping looks golden brown. serve portions on top of mesclun mix salad with Kraft mandarin-orange dressing. wow!

day 125 - from the past...

my sister found this bread at a chinese supermarket in scarborough. it brought memories from when we were young children back in the old country when this was our favourite bread - the one with the red center. it tasted very good then, so that it's a wonder why i can't like the taste of this one.

day 114 - halo-halo

literal translation is mix-mix. this is a native filipino dessert: a melange of sweet stuff like chick peas, white beans, red mung beans, young coconut strings, pineapple jelly, leche flan (creme caramel), with crushed ice and then saturated with milk and topped with ube (purple yam) ice cream. it's like a celebration of your sweet tooth. perfect for a scorcher of a day like today. if you're watching calories, you need not try it.

day 94 - does this look appetizing to you? HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CYNCH!

tiny boconcini cheese with pesto sauce. cole slaw with dried cranberry. pineapple, carrot, celery and jello. all made from scratch and served on a white and blue china plate. they all tasted good and when you're vegetarian and there's nothing else to eat but these and a portion of a dead animal, you choose the non-descript salads and sides. everyone else can have the dead animal. eeeek!