RECIPE Greek Salad

I googled "Greek Salad"

• allrecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/greek-salad-i/detail.aspx

RECIPE: Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce & Cucumber salad

I googled "Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce"

• foodnetwork.com: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-satay-with-peanut-sauce-recipe/index.html
• allrecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/satay-sauce/detail.aspx

I googled "Thai cucumber onion sauce for satay"

• waitrose.com: http://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/c/chicken_satay_with_thai_cucumber_salad.html

DRINK: Guaro, Costa Rica's National Drink

Guaro-based mixed drinks usually consist of pouring a shot or two into a glass of Fresca and ice. That’s how most Costa Ricans prefer it. It also mixes well with other tangy soft drinks like Coke and fruit juices. I like it in a Mojito. Similar to other Central American versions. Limes are chopped up with sugar; guaro is added and the concoction is than poured over ice.




I googled "recipe for guaro"

• guaroliquor: http://www.guaroliquor.com/recipes/index.php
• explorecostarica: http://www.explorecostarica.com/newsmanager/publish/Costa_Rica_s_National_Drink_Guaro.shtml

TicoFUSION brand of foods is born!

TicoFUSION foods:
Which is better?
OPTION 1: Interestingly delightful foods for the discerning palette.
OPTION 2: Curiously delightful foods for the discerning palette.

HEALTH: Health benefits of Papaya - Papaya Sweet Answer to our Well Being and Health

I googled "health benefits of papaya"

• healthblogtips: http://www.healthblogtips.com/infamous-papaya-health-benefits
• dietary fiber
• vitamins and minerals. It is high in carotenes, antioxidants, flavonoids, and low in sodium. It’s also great for weight control because it is very low in calories; only about 39 calories in a 3.5 ounce serving.
• traditionaloven.com - Papaya Sweet Answer to our Well Being and Health: http://www.traditionaloven.com/articles/124/papaya-sweet-pawpaw-answer-to-well-being-and-health
• Papaya fruit is and excellent source of dietary fiber, folate, vitamin A, C and E. 
• It also contains small amount of calcium, iron, riboflavin, thiamine and niacine.
• It is also very rich in antioxidant nutrients flavonoids and carotenes, very high in vitamin C plus A, and low in calories and sodium.

RECIPE: Marinated chicken on pasta

• Marinate skinless, boneless with 1 packet of Knorr seasoning Completo with cebolla & chili dulce, 5 TB extra virgin olive oil
• Boil pasta before it's too cooked then set aside
• Fry chicken with oil it was marinated in, diced garlic & canned mushrooms
• Put in butter & mushroom soup
• Put in pasta & a bit of white wine
• Serve with Parmesan cheese
• Chayote on the side

I googled "Marinated chicken on pasta"

• AllRecipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/marinated-chicken-and-pasta-salad/detail.aspx
• AllRecipes Pesto: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/pesto-pasta-with-chicken/detail.aspx
• Cooks.com: http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,chicken_marinade_pasta,FF.html

Lots of recipes...I didn't use any...I got bored looking. A confused mind does not buy ;-)

MEAL: Roast Chicken, Broccoli

• Roast Chicken - Mom-sy taught me this
• Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parmesan-roasted-broccoli-recipe/index.html I did it a bit differently where I use 1/4 cup olive oil mixed with the garlic, salt & pepper, and that's what I tossed over the broccoli
• Rice and or salad

I did not realize broccoli is America's healthiest vegetable?!?

REFLECTIONS: TICOfusion is evolving into fusing world cuisine

When TICOfusion was born, I had it in my mind to take popular Tico dishes and modify them to include dishes I've had in the US or while travelling the world. Tico dishes are quite simple, and I was missing the varied dining experiences I had so easily in San Francisco.

Almost a year later, I've ran out of Tico dishes to fuse and I am getting bored! So, TICOfusion has evolved into fusing world cuisine. Now you will see recipes & meal suggestions with a lot of influence from my Filipino and Spanish upbringing. You will also get a peak into some of the dining experiences we've had as we traveled around the globe sans Tico food.

Some of our memorable dining experiences:

• Court of 2 sisters, New Orleans before Katrina hit (we've been back after Katrina & it was somehow different...perhaps we felt the sadness that still lingers).
• Some restaurant in a moder building with a view of the Eiffel Tower, Paris
• Another restaurant in the Latin Quarter, Paris - looking for the name.
• Highlands Inn, Carmel - the Tapas were great
• The Boulevard, San Francisco
• Prime Rib at the Hilton at SFO - sorry it's now gone after they expanded the International terminal
• Lena's in Bora Bora
• More coming on this list

Bon Appetit! http://www.bonappetit.com/
world cuisine recipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/world-cuisine/main.aspx

MEAL: Tamarind Chicken & Pancit

Tamarind Chicken
Filipino Pancit

-Coffee-

MEAL: Tamarind Pork, Chayote, Beans, Rice

Tamarind Pork inspired by the Indonesian Restaurant in San Rafael CA

Chayote sauted in olive oil & garlic

Black Beans

Brown Rice

Freezing Cheeses

I have yet to find a grocery store here that sells fresh Gorgonzola cheese. We found it in a Jaco Supermarket catering to tourists, but the cheese was so ripe. There are limited choices to fresh cheese in the Jungle, and it is also very expensive.

Our solution is to buy a lot in Panama, and freeze some to enjoy for many weeks after the trip.

BEST PRACTICE: Before freezing cheese, first try it on a little bit to see if it freezes well, and does not compromise the texture after it is thawed.

• Gruyère passes the freeze/thaw/texture test
• Cheddar is okay to freeze but becomes crumbly when thawed making it hard to shred. So, shred what you want before freezing.
• Swiss - still frozen and in the middle of testing
• Feta TBD
• Edam - still frozen and in the middle of testing

Sauce Packets are a great solution to lack of choices

Living in the Jungle has some limitations. There is a limited number of good ethnic restaurants, or just fine dining. There are also a limited choices of products one can buy in a Supermercado. Large Supermercados that offer products one is used to finding in a Safeway or Whole Foods / Molly Stones are far away, and they are expensive. This is why I started cooking my own meals - from scratch!

Well, not everything is from scratch. I try to use Sauce Packets for an easy way to get some familiar menus. For example, I like to use:

• McCormick Chili powder
• Simple Asia, Sesame Teriyaki marinade

I do have to buy these in the US. I am now looking for more pre-made sauce packets I can add to the shopping list for trips back to the US!

RECIPE: Mexican Straw Hat with Chili Seasoning Mix

This a a variation of a very easy dish.

• Cook spaghetti sauce from scratch. Ragu or other bottled sauces are three times as expensive than the US, the choices are limited, and why not use really yummy fresh and cheap tomatoes (when they are in season, which is not during the very wet months of September - October).
• McCormick Chili Seasoning Mix: you'll need to buy this in the US, Panama, or some grocery store that caters to Americans.
• Cheddar Cheese
• Sabemas "Hojuelas de Maiz, Sabor a Barbacoa" instead of Fritos Corn Chips. Barbacoa is BBQ flavor and it works well.

McCormick: http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes.aspx

How to Stay HYDRATED, put a bit of lime in your water

I hear that if you drink too much water, it washes away some good stuff in your body, like the Vitamins you drank...I know this sounds really technical, but I'm going off memory and hearsay.
I learned a trick to stay hydrated without having to drink too much water, when I was public speaking it was hard to go to the toilet a lot due to too much water.

Put a bit of lime in your water to stay hydrated and not have to drink too much.

I googled "How to Stay HYDRATED" and found this good site:
plasticsinfo.org:
http://www.plasticsinfo.org/Main-Menu/Healthy-Lifestyle/How-to-Stay-Hydrated.html

I googled "public speaking best practices" and found this good site:
lifehacker.com:
http://lifehacker.com/161531/public-speaking-dos-and-donts

A bit of history and a CELEBRATION!

My Grandmother Abuelita passed this weekend. I remember the Sunday feasts that Abuelita would cook for us. She loved to cook, and cook delicious meals she did. This is the perfect weekend to start this TICOfusion Blog to celebrate Abuelita!

I am also celebrating Abuelita's daughter, Mom-sy. Mom-sy loves to cook, and cook delicious meals she does. She taught me a lot great cooking techniques, and you will see that reflected in some of my creations. Mom-sy's passion for cooking has inspired me to cook.

My passion for cooking & eating healthy creative meals is the inspiration for TICOfusion!

ENJOY...Buen Provecho.