Dec
2
Thanksgiving Day
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Being away from the U.S. this Thanksgiving, I decided to keep the spirit of Thanksgiving by cooking a turkey, ala Philippine style. I went to a grocery store and bought a 15 lb turkey for 1500 pesos or roughly $27 dollars, which is a lot of money to most Filipinos. This is a big bird to most Filipinos who are used to the small, but tasty native chickens.
At the grocery store, I was surprised to see a Butterball turkey, a brand I recognized. I bought it on a Tuesday and kept it in the refrigerator to thaw out for two days. The biggest challenge was where to find the turkey stuffing. I usually just get stuffing out of the box. So, off to the internet I went to do some research.
I did a google search and found out there are hundreds of recipes for a turkey stuffing. Well, I continued on my search and found a real basic stuffing recipe with simple ingredients that is available in the Philippines. Now, some of my Filipino friends never had eaten a roasted turkey before.
The good news is, this was not the first time I had roasted turkey. I had done it at least 4-5 times over Thanksgiving over the years. The challenge was, the stuffing. I never made turkey stuffing from scratch ever in my life.
So, I felt under the gun. The pressure was on. I had to deliver. The expectation was too much. So, back to the stuffing. The ingredients on the internet said celery, onions, garlic, butter, eggs, croutons or bread, salt, pepper, carrots, and chicken broth. So, I bought them. I did my best to mix them.
Thanksgiving Day. After 4 1/2 hours in the oven, the turkey was done. Nice and brown. Smells good, too. I sliced the turkey and started passing it out to everyone. Then, I urged everyone to try the stuffing and waited for their response. After a little bit of hesitation, I was relieved to hear that they love it. They really, really love it. The turkey was a success.
So, that was my Thanksgiving experience this year 2003, ala Philippine style. The bad news is, several of my friends want the recipe of the stuffing so they can prepare turkey for their respected families for Christimas and for any other occasions. I said great! Now, if I can only remember the right mix.
Dec
2
Weather In December
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Hello, Just wanted to say hi. I haven’t posted anything for a while. I have been staying here in Iloilo City, Philippines for the past two and a half months. Its December now. I say the biggest difference between September/October and now is the weather. Although it is still quite humid during the day, the evenings are much more tolerable.
Staying in the Philippines would not be so bad if the evening weather is like this all year long. During my first month here in September, turning on the air conditioner all day long was really a necessity.
What else is going on? Not a whole lot. Just taking it easy, although I have several things on my list that I have to do before I leave for the U.S. The first thing is looking for a lot for my mom. She’s retiring in Iloilo in a couple of years. There are several nice subdivisions in the area.
The lots are quite cheap compared to the U.S. These are the best lots in Iloilo. I found one for 400 square meters for roughly $20K. I also have other things to take care of such as my dad’s land just outside of town. Anyways, aside from family business that I have to do, I have been keeping myself quite busy here. Travelling for the most part. Well, ciao for now.