Just at the Ripe Time: Bananas

Scientific Name: Musa acuminata

The Banana plant is a big herb that has very large leaves and this plant can be found in every tropical country. Bananas have a wide variety of species and the fruit when ripe, comes in different colors such as red, green, brown and the common yellow. The plant (yes, it is not a tree) grows about 10 feet tall and produces a big flower which is called "Banana Heart"  and the fruit develops from inside the flower until it grows enough to be harvested. They are in clusters forming from the "arm" which is developed in the middle of the flower then these arms has "hands" where each Banana is held. Bananas are propagated by replanting the offshoots or as they call it "corns". They grow well under full sunlight and the soil should be well watered. Each plant must be planted about 2.55 meters apart since the leaves become very large when matured.

Bananas are rich in Potassium and can be eaten daily. It also container high amounts of fiber, Vitamin C and antioxidants.

There are many ways to use Bananas. It can be made into cakes, smoothies and can also be added in dishes. One popular snack from my hometown made from Bananas is the Rebusao Saging (Sugar-glazed Bananas). This is made by deep frying sliced Bananas until brown then coat with caramelized sugar. Another one is the Dulce Saging (Sweet Bananas), made by simmering sliced Bananas with sugar syrup and flavoring.

Fresh or Dry: Rosemary

Scientific Name: Rosmarinus Officinalis

Rosemary is a native to the Mediterranean regions and are found on rocky mountains. Its name was derived from the Latin word ros (dew) and marinus (sea). This is a perennial bush that grows not less than seven feet with spiky, needle-like leaves and has blue-purplish flowers. The leaves are colored dark green and the texture of the stems are woody. Rosemary grows perfectly under the sun with grainy or sandy soil. It has a scent which can be compared with pines and has a strong taste. This herb is associated with the Virgin Mary because it was believed that after washing her shawl, she would spread it over a Rosemary bush to dry, then the white flowers turned blue! It was also used during the Medieval era as protection against plagues and was used in wedding ceremonies as good luck.

This herb is good for memory loss and has a rich source of antioxidants. It is good for digestion and can also help prevent cancer. But too much of this can cause vomiting. Rosemary oil can be used as scalp treatment and can also be used as pest control if used for spraying.

Rosemary is often used in kitchens as flavorings. Since it has a strong flavor, this must be used lightly. Preferably used for marinating pork and beef and also for adding flavors in soup and stocks.

From the Cupboard: Spatula

Inventor: John Spaduala

The Spatula is a broad and flat kitchen utensil with a handle. It is also called a Scraper because it is often used to scrape off food or sauces that stick to the inner surface of bowls and bottles. There are many kinds of Spatula that evolved over time. The usual Spatulas that can be seen before are the wooden ones and the metal Spatulas usually found in clinics or hospitals for medicinal use.

John Spaduala, a European man, had invented the Spatula during the late 1880 because he had an injured hand. He worked under a chef named Hans Krugar, who was ill-nature and it happened that the chef crushed John's right hand with a pot lid just because he did not added enough beet to a soup they were cooking. John's fingers broke and when it recovered, he could not move it at all. John still worked for the chef but cannot use his right hand well so he tried inventing things like small sticks to spread butter on toasts. He also used other invented tools for him to work in the kitchen easily. The first form of the Spatula was a piece of board then later on he further innovate it into a thinner board with a handle.

Today, Spatulas come in different shapes, sizes, colors and quality. There are rubber Spatulas and silicone Spatulas that can be used even in hot food. They really make cooking much easier :)

Weird and Wild: Starfish

Scientific Name: Asteroidea

There are over 2,000 species of Starfish or Sea Star. The most common is the five-arm Starfish but there are also Starfishes with 40 arms. They are closely related to sea urchins and they are not fish at all. They have hard bodies which prevent predators from eating them and they also have bright colors for camouflage. Their eyes are located at the tip of each arm and they have tubed feet which are actually gills that transports oxygen. Starfish have high sensory arms that can regenerate when cut. On some species, these arms have spines or thorns are are quite poisonous and this can be used for self defense. The mouth is located on the center which also acts as the anus. The lifespan of Starfishes depends on what type of species they are. Some reach about ten years while others live for more than 35 years.

The outer covering of Starfishes contains a kind of slime that acts as an anti-inflammatory agent which help cures fever and asthma. Scientists have been studying this slime or goo and found out that it can be added to medicines

Starfish skewers can be seen on the sidewalks of China. These are very unusual for most people but locals tend to eat it like they are eating barbeque. :)

Under the Sea: Shrimps

Scientific Name: Caridea

Shrimps, as what we call them in general, are decapod crustaceans. They have 10 legs and 10 swimmerets, thus the term deca. Shrimps are the smaller cousins of their family and their exoskeleton are thinner compared to other crustaceans. They grow about 24 centimeters in length and can be found on the seafloors. Shrimps have thin antennae, slender legs and a muscular tail. They have many different species and tropical Shrimps tend to be more colorful compared to the sea water Shrimps. The body or the tail of the Shrimp is usually grayish nearly transparent that will turn white with pink when cooked. They live about 6-7 years and they have about 16 different stages of development from egg to adulthood.

They have an excellent source of selenium, copper and astaxanthin (an anti-inflammatory carotenoid nutrient) but too much eating of Shrimps can really cause heart failure diseases.

Scampi is one of the most popular dishes that has to do with Shrimps and this is usually served in garlic butter. There are lots of different dishes that can be made using Shrimps like Creamy Shrimp Casserole, Grilled Shrimps and the famous Marinara Pasta. 

I Love Pasta~

~Hey guys! I have something so cool to talk about today and it's about a game!

I Love Pasta is an awesome game created by Pati Games which I've been playing for more than six months now. I introduced this game to my partner and he really loves it too! Pati Games is a company from South Korea where they develop and create cool games for Android and IOS gadgets. Most of the games are online (but it is so worth it!) and these are available in Google Play, Apple App Store, Kakaotalk, and Facebook, to name a few. Yes I know you might be wondering why I posted this here, knowing this is a food blog, but it's too obvious because this game is all about food and running your very own pasta restaurant :) So, let me give you a glimpse of what this awesome game is all about...

This is the Pati Games Logo

Upon tapping on the app icon this is what you will see, the loading screen. Just so you know, this loading screen happens to be a new one because during the first few months of playing, this game has a different loading screen. Selia (with the blue dress and taking her dog for a walk - she is a chef), will be one of your guides or helpers throughout the game along with Elena (on Selia's left side; she runs the market) and Melissa (on Selia's right side, smelling a rose; she is a Sommelier). This image shows it's Summer and it looks like the girls of I Love Pasta is enjoying their day off from a busy week at work.

After the loading screen, it will lead you to the game itself. You will see a popped up bulletin board on the screen, informing you on-going events, new features, some discounts (if you're using credit cards for in-app purchases), and other news. Different events are updated fortnightly and some are updated monthly. This image above is a zoomed-in picture of what my restaurant looks like on the first floor. You will get to see how I arranged my furniture, stoves, ovens and other stuff. The balloons with dishes in it tells you that a certain dish that you're cooking is already sold.

This is how the menu looks like. Each dish can be leveled up to 5 and for each star you get to add side dishes for more experience points and money.

The game gets more interesting with quests or tasks! :) Each level you are going to have sets of quests you need to accomplish so you can earn bigger experience points for leveling up; more money and when you finish them, you will get cool rewards.

This is the full view of my restaurant and my shops on the side that my friends are running for me. As you can see, you can tap on the roof for you to take a closer look what's on the second floor.

The second floor can be unlocked on a certain level. Even on the first floor, at the beginning of the game, the flooring is just small. As you go through the game and earn points enough, you can then expand.

You get to add friends from all over the world that also plays I Love Pasta. These friends help you run your shops and you get to receive daily rewards from them. You can also visit your friend's restaurants to give them a hand with their cooking.

On the upper left part of the screen you can see a gold bell. Visiting your friends daily and helping them will let you earn party points. With these points the bell will turn from grey to gold when full and this bell will be moving indicating that it's party time! Tap on the bell and the screen will shift into a different mode where you are going to paaarteeeii~. Pop as many balloons as you can before the time ends and this will help sell your dish faster. Even the production of pasta and delivery of market goods will be a bit faster too.

In running a restaurant you need ingredients and where do you get those? From the market or grocery store of course! Visit Elena if you need more stuff for your dishes :)

This is my character (you can add me up :) because I can still accommodate new friends on my list), you can basically dress up your character in any way you want him or her to be. There are so many hairstyles, facial features and clothes to choose from! As I observe, every event has a new selection of styles and I tell you they are very up-to-date with fashion. As you can see the circles just above my name, those are slots indicating the number of employees I have so far (that's about 6 now including me), and i still have one more which is still locked.

Add me and my partner! We'd love to be your friends :)
My user ID is: 20970387
My partner's user ID is: 2145841

You will also meet patrons. These are people who frequents your restaurant and you get to make friends with them. There are also level requirements for each patron and they give out lots of rewards if you talk to them frequently. Each one has a different personality so you better watch out what you say to each patron :) At level 5 they are going to reward you something very nice to display in your restaurant and also by time, they get to have transformations (class up) on the way they look.

Personally, this is my favorite part! :) You can shop at the store for kitchen ware, furniture, decorations, tiles, plants and a whole lot more. There are also some items which you need to purchase with real money through credit card though, but it's totally up to you. These items are so cool and you will be the one to decide what kind of theme your restaurant is going to have. For me the Miniature theme looks so great because it has the toy-like style but a little mix and match of items from different themes won't hurt. This will definitely test your creativity skills and your taste for interior decorating!

There are some mini games for you to earn more points, making the entire gaming experience more fun! d=(´▽｀)=b

     So that's the basics for I Love Pasta. There are so many things to do in this game and would keep you busy for the entire day! Go fishing; play bingo; do street fairs; so plenty and so much fun that's why I will recommend you to play this game. Over all, the graphics is so awesome and the music is cool perfect enough for a real restaurant. For me this is a perfect game for food lovers and for people who plans for having their very own restaurant - you can get ideas here! Do visit Pati Games website to check out more games like this one.

Shroooms: Portobello (Portabella) Mushrooms

Scientific Name: Agaricus bisporus

Did you know that Portobello Mushrooms are the matured versions of Button Mushrooms? As a matter of fact they really are! Native to Europe and North America, Button Mushrooms can grow up to 6 inches in diameter and thus becoming the Portabella Mushrooms. But why have a different name where in fact this is all along the Button Mushroom? There are many answers though but i could say one believable answer is that these mushrooms are usually found on the edges of the Portabella Road in London. The Portabello Mushroom has larger gills compared to the younger (Button Mushroom) ones. The cap tends to be browner in color, larger and a has a rough texture.

There are several ways to cook Portabello Mushrooms. You can grill them with salt and a bit of olive oil brushed on both sides or bake them with meat and vegetable stuffing. Well these are only two of the many recipes in cooking this mouthwatering mushroom :)

Going Nuts: Walnuts

Scientific Name: Juglans regia

Walnuts existed about 7000 BC and are very abundant in Nepal and in European counties. They are further exported to other countries, thus, there are many different types of species that came to be, one such is the Black Walnut. Walnut trees can grow up to more than 30 meters tall. The leaves are green, arranged alternately and the tree produces male and female flowers. The fruit is colored green and fleshy; when it ripens, it just falls off from the tree. Inside it has a seed that has a thin outer layer which eventually hardens later on. Inside the covering is the edible part of the seed - the Walnut.

Walnuts are rich in manganese, thiamin, folate, zinc, potassium, phosphorous, calcium and iron. It also has Vitamin B6 and protein. Eating Walnuts can reduce diabetes, cancer and brain health problems. It can also improve reproductive health in men.

This can be added to cake toppings, ice creams, and salads. Walnuts are great in carrot cakes, pumpkin soups, Banana-Walnut Shakes and a lot more. Also, it can be toasted and eaten right away :)