A break from my winter blues

What a nice and lovely Saturday!  A perfect day to take a break from the cold winter days which is making me lazy.  I don't remember being like this last year and I'm not digging it.   A lot of stuff is just getting in and out of the fridge; of the pantry; to cook/bake or not to cook/bake is the question which is answered on the negative and I hate that some produce will eventually be discarded without being given their moment to shine and be useful.  

There’s so much going on around me- news about death which is always sad especially when you know the people who were left behind.  I always think about them because the ones who left are already in a peaceful place while the bereaved ones have to deal with grief and the pain of loss. 

But life goes on and seeing how death could be so sudden and unexpected should be enough reason to enjoy life while we can; to put smiles into another person’s face in many ways.  It could be a simple smile; some words of appreciation or encouragement; small thoughtful gestures and sharing what you have.  With that said- I really should get out of this funk and keep the house warm by cooking more and baking some goodies to share.  Yeah, that should put smiles on people’s faces.

I started the day with Macho Banana con Queso which is basically microwaved macho banana served with cheese.  I have Asiago Fresco which complements the banana with its creaminess and semi-soft texture.  I love that it's not salty and it's mild and oh so delish. 

It may seem simple or weird but I would go through this mode - breakfasting on banana and cheese or banana and butter- you know, instead of bread and cheese or bread and butter.  That was yummy!  I'm so ready for action.

I've been silently craving for bibimbap and planning how I'm going to make it.  I used brown rice and ground beef last time so I want it to be different this time.  It started with the rice.  I am a big fan of the Korean purple rice but to date, I have not tried making it. But I have my "forbidden rice" and some red rice.  It's time to marry them together - who knows, they may even turn purple.

Not really purple but isn't this a nice, beautiful color?  I added a pandan leaf just to make it a little fragrant.

And then the usual suspects:  carrots, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts and royal fern

  

The meat is ground turkey which I cooked with garlic, onion,  hoisin sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, sambal oelek and freshly cracked black pepper

Here's how to make the perfect eggs! Crack the egg in a bowl to make sure it's a good one instead of cracking it straight into the frying pan.

You can't go wrong with a non-stick pan; right amount of oil and right temperature (medium heat)

  Scoop the oil on top of the egg to cook the yolk and season with a pinch of salt and pepper if you so prefer

Oh the rice of my dream!

 This is ready to be devoured!

That was scrumptilicious!

 But I'm not done!  A nice dessert is in order after that heavenly bibimbap!  I found sweet strawberries at the grocery store- really, just when I least expected it. BTW, don't you think this is an odd shape for a strawberry?  Someone said it looks like a tea bag lol.

honeydew melon which is surprisingly sweet even as it looks devoid of juice

I added pineapple chunks, peach cubes, chopped Fuji apples and bananas; drizzled a little maple syrup and my creamy concoction of creme fraiche, a little heavy cream and a little condensed milk for sweetness.

I need a little crunch so I sprinkled some blueberry muesli on top.  Yes!  that's my version of bionicos and in case you don't know, it's a Mexican fruit salad comprising (normally) of strawberries, bananas, papaya, apples, peaches, cantaloupe and other fruits in season.  It is dressed with table cream and honey or yogurt and topped with raisins, granola and shredded coconut.  But I go by what's available and what pleases my palate.

It feels good knowing I've accomplished my goal today- put smiles on people's faces by sharing good food.  It will be another exciting day tomorrow at the kitchen.