Reminiscing and Cooking

Yesterday marked the first anniversary of that shooting spree in Arizona. Six people were dead, sixteen wounded including US Congresswoman Gabrielle "Gabbie" Giffords, wife of retired NASA astronaut and commander of the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavor Mark Edward Kelly, Captain, US Navy. Per news media reports, the gunman charged in the Tucson, Arizona shooting was  Jared Loughner.

I remember that fatal incident last year. Admittedly, I was one of those who were touched by what happened and that prompted me to write a simple poem, not in English but written in my native language, Ilokano. (I need to find out where my notebook/journal was where I penned that poem in connection with that deadly event. Once I have it, I'll try to share it with you, folks. How's that, huh?)

Believe me, folks, I did pray fervently to Jesus and our Almighty God  for the dead and their loved ones, and asked for the intercession of the late Pope John Paul II, now Blessed John Paul (one more step closer to his becoming a saint to the Catholic Church.) to spare the lives of those who were seriously injured, especially Arizona US Representative Giffords who has had head injury and now been recovering as evidenced by his active participation in the first commemoration of the shooting . That was the second time that I seriously prayed to Jesus and to our father God and asked the intercession of the late the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II. The very first one was five years ago when I came to know, while then watching watching Diane Sawyer one of the former co-anchors then of ABC's Good Morning America, that ABC News correspondent-reporter Mr. Bob Woodruff and his Canadian cameraman Doug Vogt were seriously wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED). The two journalists were embedded with the US 4th Infantry Division covering the Iraq War. I don't know if you guys are familiar or have heard about Mr. Woodruff (who suffered from traumatic brain injury and underwent surgery. His chance of survival or recovery was uncertain but he did. Thanks to God!). But I  I'm familiar about him because I have been watching ABC News since the days of the late ABC newsman-anchorman Peter Jennings.Now, he has recovered since, and occasionally does his correspondence with ABC network.

Such a miraculous recovery for the two personalities I've mentioned above. I do believe that my prayers have been answered. I really do! Thanks to Jesus and Our Lord God, Ms. Giffords and Mr. Woodruff are alive and doing well. I continue to keep praying for them for their speedy recovery. You know, folks, I haven't told this revelation to anyone except my wife. If there was one person who's so happy to learn of the recovery of the two, that would be me. I'm serious, folks. But, of course, I do pray also for others, especially our military personnel who have had the same case or similar critical or tragic experience. We live for one another, folks; therefore, we should or ought to pray for one another, too. As I've been stating always, we're brothers and sisters in the eyes of God. We try to live and practice or observe the Ten Commandments and The Golden Rule. Let's continue to pray for one another and to pray for world peace.

On a lighter side, friends, let me tell you that, this afternoon, I did try to cook Wasabi Mashed Potato, a simple recipe that I learned from watching YouTube, in addition to that five-piece sweet Jacksonville's Italian sausage I cooked with water in a pan/skillet. let me tell you that I didn't follow exactly the recipe. I did modify my cooking of the said recipe. I added chopped bacon and a small amount of Organick milk, aside from a stick of sweet cream unsalted butter. Now, since I couldn't find a Wasabi Powder, in the Commisary  when my wife and I bought our groceries there last week, I was lucky to have their 5.3 fl oz S & B Wasabi Sauce (Japanese Horseradish Sauce) in a plastic tube (with the help of a Filipino American sales associate there). That tube costs me less than three dollars.

So, how did your cooking go, you ask me, folks? Well, success, I guess! I did it! My wife and my sis-in-law liked (loved) it! I told them off the bat, before we ate our dinner, that I didn't put too much wasabi sauce because I don't want it to be that "hot' or "spicy." Before I forget, I did spray a small amount of crushed red pepper. Not too buttery, not too hot or spicy, not too salty. It just tasted good.

I have already planned to cook another dish or recipe from another recipe of  this YouTuber/blogger, Bryan. This time, I'd try his pesto pasta. Until next time around, folks. Thanks for being with me. Ciao!-chris a. quilpa, 09Jan2011