Homemade Taho

-Silken tofu with tapioca pearls and caramel-

"The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach" goes Fanny Ferns's quote. Jokingly, Robert Byrne believes  "Anybody who believes that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach flunked geography." :D The last quote always makes me laugh. Thinking of it it should have been biography instead of geography but the author was  obviously suggesting something else, which I wouldn't want to talk about.

I can attest to the truth of the first quote though. My hubby has a penchant for spicy dishes which I strongly oppose. If I'm the boss in here I would rather not cook anything spicy...So what I'd do is to cook  specially for him, meaning I cook first for the kids or set aside something for them before putting in the chillies. Sometimes I just serve pepper and chillies for the boss to garnish his dish with. He's always thankful. :)

-Unadulterated silken tofu-

I did mention sometime ago that hubby loves Taho (soybean curd) and that one time during our vacation I had to follow the Magtataho 2 blocks from our house just to buy him some (I was below the house and he was upstairs so I had to go lol). Gosh, that Manong walked so fast! I bought 40pesos worth of taho for him that morning and another 40pesos two days after.

Oggi of I can do that! mentioned in that post that she made taho at home which got me excited. I had long planned to make some but the I'll-do-that-tomorrow attitude finally brought me to today. :D I googled and the search page showed two of my favorite foodblogs...Kuya Vanjo's Panlasong Pinoy and Weng's Munchkin Mommy. I was surprised at how easy it seems, and it was! A few minutes later, I had my first homemade taho.

So all you need would be:

silken tofu
cooked tapioca pearls
caramel

I cooked the tapioca pearls per package direction, caramelized sugar and heated up the tofu a little in the microwave oven...I topped the tofu afterwards with the first two ingredients and that's it!

After dinner, I served hubby a bowl of taho which he surprisingly refused...so I set it aside and observed. He was so not in the mood and I thought it must be work. Around midnight though he asked where is the taho I made...this time he's calmed down. So I served him the bowl again and he contentedly finished it...we didn't talk afterwards (I fell asleep I guess) In the morning, hearing him asking for taho as breakfast, I thought I did choose the right path...his stomach more than anything else that is ;)

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Breakfast @ Cafe Ritter

The Groupon.at deal experience continues. I have bought a lot of good deals from that website and am using them one by one. I bought a 9Euro deal that normally costs 21euro for a breakfast for two at Cafe Ritter. The deal would have ended on November 30 so I took a friend (well, she's actually the mom-in-law of a highschool friend) one Saturday morning. We were late for breakfast so we had brunch!

Cafe Ritter is located at one of Vienna's busiest street, the Mariahilferstraße. It is a shopping street housing many famous and not-so-famous fashion names. With all the shopping that's going on, they decided to close off the street; which surprised me. I haven't visited this area for a long time though we used to live just a few minutes away. The transfer to another home proved beneficial as I don't get to spend much because I used to idle time window shopping or --- shopping there. :D

Tita S and I had the traditional breakfast consisted of Semmel (roll), butter, jam and honey, boiled eggs, black bread plus cheese and ham plate. A cup of hot or cold drink of your choice tops off the list. We both had cappucino. Like always, we had a talk about life in general; her kids, my kids, her husband and mine, her work and mine...we were taking photos in between and sharing laughs as we finish our food. Talk about multitasking.

 

 

Cafe Ritter boasts of tradition having served guests for more than a hundred years. The wall-panelled interior is very classy and is the epitome of how Vienna Coffee houses should be. Chandeliers, leathered seats and a piano at one corner adds charm to its already elegant atmosphere. I regretted that I didn't bring my daughter along. She could have played a piece or two as we and other guests savor our bread and honey. (After she has eaten, of course.)

The server was really nice. Perhaps a tinge of surprise can be seen at the corner of his eyes as he asked us our orders but that's it.  He took the gift certificate that I handed without questions, served our orders and voila! He was quick and did the rounds on other tables too.

All in all, the place is commendable except for the non-smoking area being at the farther end...you have to pass by the open-area which is for smokers, I am so particular with the smell of smoke specially in the mornings and (emphasis on) while eating...I find it annoying that even if you want to avoid the smell of cigarette, you can't because that's the first thing you smell when you open the door. Such small things are negated by good experience and food anyway.

Cafe Ritter
1060 Wien, Mariahilfer Straße 73
Tel: 01/5878238
Fax: 01/5878238
E-Mail: cafe@caferitter.at

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We were so full we didn't finish everything up. We decided to walk around the shopping district a bit to shake off the calories and somehow lose the belly fat that has been bothering us both. lol. The street was so busy with constructions, stores having sale and people going about their businesses. Despite all the hush we found a street performer just across the train station showing his skills off.

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Apples on oatmeal

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Growing up in a tropical country, I have known mangoes, pineapples, papayas amd soursops earlier than apples, strawberries and oranges. Imagine a row of trees heavy with fruits that some would fall off the ground....well, it's not so dreamy because it's a farm, but that' the kind of life I actually miss. Where I can own a garden and grow roses, tomatoes, forget me nots, basil, cucumber, and orchids. A view of pink, blue, red and vibrant green when I look at my kitchen window in the morning...perfect!

Coming back to reality now,I miss those fruits I enjoyed as a kid, where I am now they are considered exotic as were apples and peaches in my country. The other day, I tried to make this healthy breakfast, oatmeal with cinnamon apples...despite having allergies with the fruit that came about 2 years ago. My throat gets itchy when I eat them, same goes for my 2 older kids. We all have allergies with Steinobst, fruits that have big seeds in them, I think, like pear, peaches, apples, nectarines...and an odd case, kiwi. My daughter's lips turn red when she eats them...which looks good anyway. :D

So here's a recipe I adapted somewhere, which would yield servings for 3.

Ingredients

* 1 cup water
* 1/4 cup apple juice
* 1 apple, cored and chopped
* 2/3 cup oats
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Combine the water, apple juice, and apples in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, and stir in oats and cinnamon. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until thick, about 3 minutes. Spoon into serving bowls, and pour milk over the servings.

P.S. I did eat a few bites of apples and a few minutes later not only my throat was itchy but my eyes too. It was so good that I forgot about the allergies for a while haha....but I will surely remove the apples next time.... *sigh*

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Lasang Pinoy Sundays - Breakfast

Lasang Pinoy, Sunday Edition - Breakfast

The kids and I usually have cornflakes or chocolate crispies in the morning, but Saturdays and Sundays could be different since I got lots of time to prepare. Two of our favorite breakfast food would be baked camembert and buttered veggies or sausage and beans, both eaten as is or with rice...

For more glorious Breakfast food, visit Ces' page.

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