Chocolates and Recipes

Part of the Bunny’s series of pictures from Spain, she sent me this delicious, mouth-watering, tummy-rumbling picture of a black pasta dish with a sauce that is not so familiar for me. And I recently knew that it is part of her experiment in perfecting pasta sauces and recipes, a process that has been very interesting for me since for the past two years. In most cases, I have been her guinea pig. Often, she prepares for me breakfast or brunch which she prods me into eating before we went to our morning classes together. Noticeable among these are the toast with a taste of a cinnamon-sugar syrup coating; rice with soy sauce, vinegar, and other spices like chinese parsley for a food called Adobo (normally a viand); or Java rice with lemon grass and turmeric; eggplant and sushi rice rolls; and sandwiches with, of course, unexpected but wonderful ingredients that truly I can’t say no to them. But sometimes she'd discreetly slip ginger into some of the food, that spice being, well, not quite to my taste, but she tries to introduce to me for the sake of my health. Once in a while, a smiling boiled egg would greet me with black pepper eyes, which she adds for artistry and in the effort to make pretty these boxed lunches.

I remember when we had our lunch during one hot summer noon under a tree facing a football field that is seldom used. There we ate our meal together before we took a short walk in the lagoon for the afternoon.

The wind was blowing at that time, and the sun was in the middle of the sky. I took this opportunity to take a picture as a part of the memories I had and now keep.

But truly, she is a great cook. Her sister sometimes strongly suggests to her that one day they should have a family owned restaurant. But of course, a good business has also a price: wake up very early to prepare a ton of food for the hungry customers who come could come in any minute. I guess the only one who is so, so very dedicated can stand that kind of business; which is the bunny couldn't really afford to do, since she gets tired very easily.

Anyway, back to black pasta, she made-up the sauce, and she called it Cuttlefish Spaghetti with Mushroom Cream Sauce and Pan-Seared Scallops. Sounds delicious, isn't it? Especially for those who are seafood lovers like me since she says the black pasta has a strong, salty taste of squid. The sauce complements it by being earthy and sweet. I look forward to having a plate of this!

Another picture is a chocolate in a tin with an Art Nouveau design cover based on an Alphonse Mucha piece. And she wanted to to bring the case when she returns home, though she couldn’t promise to bring it back with the chocolate still inside. :)