Zucchini Cake for Eid Ul Adha

Like what I mentioned before, it's my sort of "tradition" to bake a cake during eid. Last Eid-Ul-Adha, I baked a zucchini cake. It's my 5th time to try this, using the same recipe but until now, i can't still perfect. Sometimes, if i baked two pans, one will turn out okay while the other one will be not perfectly done. I still have to find the culprit for that.

I gave the zucchini cake with walnuts to our host in Sylhet and the one with blueberries, we ate it during the trip.
Bon apetit!

The Lingo of Expiration Dates

In this part of the world, it's hard to find certain food items and ingredients that are not locally produced or locally patronized. There are lots of food items that you need for certain cooking or baking or even for your sudden bout of cravings but will not be readily available as they are imported goods. Most of the imported goods are not consistently available also, so sometimes if you see something, you just have to grab and buy it or miss the chance next time and who knows when are you going to see that food item again in the groceries or in the market.

I already experienced this things, that's why I'm a hoarder. Sometimes it's good but then there is also a downside because sometimes I end up with expired items and will just have to throw them away with a heavy heart as I didn't get the chance to use or try them. Really, when is a canned food/processed food safe to consume and when it is time to toss them away?

There is a difference between "Expiration Dates", "Best Before Date", "sell by date" and "Use by date". The first three, if I understand it correctly are more of "manufacturer's code" so that they know when are they going to pull it out from the grocery shelves as the quality is not at its peak anymore. After all, you should always give the best quality to your customers, so you have to know when a product is not at its highest quality anymore. Best before" is advisory (the food is best before that date, it's up to you if you want to eat it after that). while "Use by" isn't advisory, it's "throw it out after that date, you shouldn't eat it".

The following are some guidelines from this site

Food

Beer
Unopened: Starts to lose flavor after 110 days.
It’s best to store bottles in boxes, and then in dark place.
Stronger alcohol and higher levels of hops might extend the shelf life of a beer.
One example is Michelob Craft Specialty beers, which are often at their peak with 180 days.
(Source: Budweiser support)

Brown sugar
Indefinite shelf life, stored in a moisture proof container in a cool, dry place.

Chocolate (Hershey bar)
1 year from production date

Coffee, canned ground
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 month refrigerated

Coffee, gourmet
Beans: 3 weeks in paper bag, longer in vacuum-seal bag (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Ground: 1 week in sealed container

Coffee, instant
Unopened: Up to 2 years
Opened: Up to 1 month

Diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)
Unopened: 3 months from "best by" date.
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected.

Dried pasta
12 months

Frozen dinners
Unopened: 12 to 18 months

Frozen vegetables
Unopened: 18 to 24 months
Opened: 1 month

Honey
Indefinite shelf life

Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)
Unopened: 8 months from production date
Opened: 7 to 10 days

Ketchup
Unopened: 1 year (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Opened or used: 4 to 6 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Maple syrup, real or imitation
1 year

Maraschino cherries
Unopened: 3 to 4 years
Opened: 2 weeks at room temperature; 6 months refrigerated

Marshmallows
Unopened: 40 weeks
Opened: 3 months

Mayonnaise
Unopened: Indefinitely
Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchase by” date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Mustard
2 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Olives, jarred (green with pimento)
Unopened: 3 years
Opened: 3 months

Olive oil
2 years from manufacture date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Peanuts
Unopened: 1 to 2 years unless frozen or refrigerated
Opened: 1 to 2 weeks in airtight container

Peanut butter, natural
9 months

Peanut butter, processed (Jif)
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months

Pickles
Unopened: 18 months
Opened: No conclusive data. Discard if slippery or excessively soft.

Protein bars (Power Bars)
Unopened: 10 to 12 months. Check "best by" date on the package.

Rice, white
2 years from date on box or date of purchase

Salad dressing, bottled
Unopened: 12 months after "best by" date
Opened: 9 months refrigerated

Soda, regular
Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from "best by" date
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected

Steak sauce
33 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Tabasco
5 years, stored in a cool, dry place

Tea bags (Lipton)
Use within 2 years of opening the package

Tuna, canned
Unopened: 1 year from purchase date
Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can

Soy sauce, bottled
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 3 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Vinegar
42 months

Wine (red, white)
Unopened: 3 years from vintage date; 20 to 100 years for fine wines
Opened: 1 week refrigerated and corked

Worcestershire sauce
Unopened: 5 to 10 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Opened: 2 years

Household Products

Air freshener, aerosol
2 years

Antifreeze, premixed
1 to 5 years

Antifreeze, concentrate
Indefinite

Batteries, alkaline
7 years

Batteries, lithium
10 years

Bleach
3 to 6 months

Dish detergent, liquid or powdered
1 year

Fire extinguisher, rechargeable
Service or replace every 6 years

Fire extinguisher, non-rechargeable
12 years

Laundry detergent, liquid or powdered
Unopened: 9 months to 1 year
Opened: 6 months

Metal polish (silver, copper, brass)
At least 3 years

Miracle Gro, liquid
Opened: 3 to 8 years

Miracle Gro, liquid, water-soluble
Indefinite

Motor oil
Unopened: 2 to 5 years
Opened: 3 months

Mr. Clean
2 years

Paint
Unopened: Up to 10 years
Opened: 2 to 5 years

Spray paint
2 to 3 years

Windex
2 years

Wood polish (Pledge)
2 years

Beauty Products
All dates are from the manufacture date, which is either displayed on the packaging or can be obtained by calling the manufacturer's customer-service number.

Bar soap
18 months to 3 years

Bath gel, body wash
3 years

Bath oil
1 year

Body bleaches and depilatories
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 6 months

Body lotion
3 years

Conditioner
2 to 3 years

Deodorant
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 1 to 2 years
For antiperspirants, see expiration date

Eye cream
Unopened: 3 years
Used: 1 year

Face lotion
With SPF, see expiration date. All others, at least 3 years

Foundation, oil-based
2 years

Foundation, water-based
3 years

Hair gel
2 to 3 years

Hair spray
2 to 3 years

Lip balm
Unopened: 5 years
Used: 1 to 5 years

Lipstick
2 years

Mascara
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 3 to 4 months

Mouthwash
Three years from manufacture date

Nail polish
1 year

Nail-polish remover
Lasts indefinitely

Perfume
1 to 2 years

Rubbing alcohol
At least 3 years

Shampoo
2 to 3 years

Shaving cream
2 years or more

Tooth-whitening strips
13 months

Wash'n Dri moist wipes
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: Good until dried out

Beauty Supplies Expiration Dates

Anti-aging and acne treatment
Three months to a year. Antioxidants are easily oxidized, so be on the lookout for any changes in color.

Bar soap
Up to three years.

Bath oil
One year.

Blush/Bronzer
18 months after first use

Body lotion
Two to three years, particularly if it’s in a pump container.

Concealer
12 months after first use

Creme eye shadow
6 months after first use

Creme blush
12 months after first use

Deodorant
Up to two years.

Eye and lip pencils
Three to five years. Sharpen them before each use as a way to preserve them and keep them clean.

Facial Moisturizer
12 months after first use

Foundation
About two years. Most bottles are designed to last that long. And if you don’t use it, chances are you didn’t love it to begin with.

Hairstyling products
Three to five years. Most are alcohol-based, which helps preserve the formula.

Lipstick and lip gloss
18 months after first use

Liquid eyeliner
3 months after first use

Liquid Foundation
6 months after first use

Mascara and liquid eyeliner
Three to four months. Make sure you’re diligent about replacing these items to prevent contamination and infections.

Nail polish
18 months after first use

Perfume
About two years. To get more mileage out of a perfume, resist the temptation to display a pretty bottle on your vanity. Instead, stash it away in a cool, dark place.

Shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel
About three years.

Shaving cream
About two years.

Skin care products
6 months after first use

Sunscreen
6 months after first use

Some additional reads you wanna check:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Nutrition-Health-Food-Labeling-646/food-expiration-dates-faqs.aspx
http://ask.metafilter.com/17339/When-to-toss-canned-food-out
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftjan05.htm

So, now, I have to do some spring cleaning :-)

One Long Holiday

Ever wonder how a supposedly long holiday seemed so short after? We just have a week long holiday because of Eid- Ul-Fitr. Technically, the government holiday was three days but our company made up for the two days so that we can have a weeklong holiday plus the weekends a total of 9days. Before the holiday, I find it so long. Long enough to be able to do the things I want to do, like finish my creative swap, do some scrapping, read a book, update my blog, study bangla, rest and sleep. But alas, this is the last day of holiday, tomorrow is back to work again, but I haven’t done half of the things I want to do. I wasn’t able to get enough sleep as much as I want to because well, I spend the night finishing games after games at our newly bought PS2. We purposely bought the PS2 so that we have something to do during this long holiday. The only thing that I was able to do was baked my first attempt of cheesecake and make a no-bake cake. Both received a “thumbs-up” from H except for auntie who isn’t a fan of milk and cream and butter but funny that she loves icecream and other cakes that are not white. Will try to bake something that she can eat freely.

The recipe is here. Cheesecake in the making:
the ingredients for the cheesecake

the crushed graham crackers for the crust, that i brought from my recent break in manila, just for this project. And just recently, I saw a Bluskies Graham Crackers for the first time here in Dhaka at Nandan Grocery, Dhanmondi Branch. Will check the DCC market if they have it too

the blocks of cream cheese

that i have to manually whisk because I forgot to borrow an electric mixer, it's so strenuous. A good exercise to the arms hehehe

Add sugar and milk and continue mixing it.

At last, I'm seeing hope here...continue mixing...

add the eggs, continue mixing

now, pour it in the crust, 1st of two pan



i made a small sizes too. This are the silicon cups that I bought from saizen, 3 pcs for 88 pesos. It works.


my busted microwave oven because its not rotating


the finish product. It's yummy. The burnt top doesn't taste burn at all, and maybe that happened because the microwave was not rotating.

And this is the no-bake cake:

yummylicious!

LP 72: Hapunan

Ang tema ngayon ay hapunan. Sa totoo lang, bihira akong kumain ng hapunan. Madalas, isang baso lang ng gatas o kaya ay isang pirasong tinapay lang pagkadating galing trabaho ang pinakahapunan ko. (The theme for this round is dinner or supper. Honestly, I don't usually eat dinner. Most of the time, I just drink a glass of milk or eat a piece of bread whenever I reach home, and that is my dinner.)

Dahil ngayon ay buwan ng ramadan, ako din ay nag-aayuno dahil naiilang akong magdala ng baunan at kumain sa opisina samantalang karamihan sa mga katrabaho ko ay nag-aayuno. Kaya pagsapit ng alas-singko ng hapon, bago umuwi ay dumadaan muna ako sa tindahan para bumili ng iftar box. Ito na ang hapunan ko :-)(But because ramadan has started, I'm also fasting because I feel awkward bringing my lunch box while the rest of my officemates are fasting. So, at 5 o'clock pm, before going home, I always drop by to any restaurant or cafes to buy an iftar box. And that is my dinner.)


First iftar of the first roja: haleem, home-made paratha; on the plate: chicken shashlik, two types of aloo chop, jilapi, chana and roast chicken, dates & cucumber.

LP 71: Merienda (Snack)

Sa tuwing dumadalaw ako sa mga iba't-ibang branch namin, lagi silang naghahanda ng merienda. Karaniwan ay mga prutas o ang mga pagkaing-kalye O streetfood gaya ng pakora, piaju, beguni, aluchop at kung anu-ano pa. (Everytime i visit our branches, they always prepare a snacks. Most of the time, the snacks are fruits or their usual streetfoods like pakora, piaju, beguni, aluchop, and among others.)

Top left to right: pakora, alu chop, piaju, beguni

fruit custard



Pag nasa opis naman ako ay karaniwang doi fuchka ang aking merienda. Karaniwan din na may "tea time" sila dito, kaya madalas ay tsaa lang sa hapon ay solve na! (But if I'm in the office, doi fuchka is my fave snack. They usually have "tea time" also in the afternoon, so just a cup of tea with milk is enough for a snack.) doi fuchka


Ngunit, kung ako ay nasa Vigan, ito naman ang hilig kong merienda. Ang pipian! (But, if I'm in Vigan, this are my favorite snacks. The Pipian!) pipian

LP 70: Tanghalian

Simula ng ako ay nagtrabaho dito sa ibang bansa na kung saan ang karaniwang ulam o Bengali cuisine ay hindi ko tipong kainin dahil ito ay sobrang maanghang sa aking panlasa o dahil sa hindi ko lang talaga tipo ang macurry na ulam, ako ay natutong magluto :-) At madalas na may baon akong tanghalian sa opisina.(Eversince I started working here in this country wherein the usual food or Bengali cuisine is not my type because its too spicy for me or because I just really don't like too much spices and curries,I learned how to cook. I always bring my lunch box with me in the office.)Ito ang baon ko noong linggo, chicken, ginisang munggo at balichaw o shutki.


Ito naman ang karaniwang tanghalian ng mga Bangladeshi.(This is the regular Bengali cuisine.)
(Mula sa kaliwa, itaas) patatas na may curry, manok na may chili, hipon na may curry, shag (spinach), kanin, at dal. ( From upper left, potato curry, chicken with chilis, shrimp curry, shag, rice and dal.)

Makisalo tayo sa iba pang pananghalian.

LP 69: Almusal (Breakfast)

Sabi nila, ang almusal ang pinakaimportanteng pagkain sa loob ng isang araw. Kailangan nga naman ng enerhiya ang ating katawan para handa sa buong araw na trabaho at kung anu-ano pang gawain.
(They say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Our body needs anyway the energy for a long day ahead.)

Ito ang paborito kong almusal dito sa Bangladesh. Ang paratha at dim (itlog)at hotdog o kaya ay karnenorte na may kasamang mainit na duhd(milk) tzaa(tea), ang tipikal/tradisyunal na almusal ng mga Bangladeshi. Isa ito sa mga naibigan kong pagkain dito sa bangladesh, at mas nasasarapan ako at natutuwa sa pagkain nito kung kasabay ko si H sa hapagkainan.
(This is my favorite breakfast here in Bangladesh. The Paratha and dim (egg) plus hotdog or cornbeef and freshly made hot duhd tza (milk tea), a typical/traditional Bangladeshi breakfast. This is just one of the few things that I learn to love here and I enjoy eating it more whenever I share it with H.)

Silipin natin ang ibang almusal. (Let's take a look of other breakfast.)

LP 63: Dito Lang (Only Here)

Noong bata pa ako, lagi kong pinapangarap makulong sa loob ng SM at manirahan sa loob ng isang gabi na libre lahat ang pagkain at pwedeng gamitin ang mga paninda sa loob. Katulad ba ng mga nasa pelikula na yun mga bida kapag nakulong sa loob ng malls ay ginagamit ang mga paninda doon para sa kaligtasan nila. Hindi ko lubos akalain na mangyayari sa akin ang makulong sa loob ng grocery, at dito lang yan sa Dhaka nangyari.

When i was a kid, i always dream of getting stuck inside SM mall, and stay there for a night where I can eat the foods for free and use the merchandise also. Just like in the movies where the characters can use all the things inside the mall for their survival.I never expected that it will happened to me. I got stocked inside a grocery store and it happened only here in that Dhaka.


Kuha ito noong nakaraang Setyembre 2008 sa loob ng grocery.Pangalawang araw palang ito ng ramadan. Sa panahon ng ramadan, ang oras ng opisina ay mula alas nuwebe ng umaga hanggang 430pm lamang upang may oras pa ang mga empleyado na makauwi at makarating sa kanilang tirahan para sa kanilang "iftar" o "breaking of the fast".

This picture was taken last September 2008 inside a grocery store. It was just the second day of the Ramadan. During Ramadan, the office hours are shortened ffrom 9am til 430pm to give time for the employees to go home in time for their iftar or the breaking of the fast.


Kaya naisipan kong mamili sa grocery. Ang hindi ko alam, sa oras pala ng iftar na kadalasan ay 30 minutos, ang lahat ng tindahan ay nagsasara pansamantala upang magkapag-iftar din ang mga trabahador at empleyado. Kaya hayan, naiwan ako sa loob ng grocery. Ako lang ang nag-iisang kustomer sa loob at ng mapansin ako ng mga empleyadong nakaupo sa sahig at kumakain ng kanilang "iftar meal", ako ay kanilang inanyayahang saluhan sila.

So I decided to buy some groceries. I didn't know, that during the iftar break which is usually 30 minutes long, all the stores and shops closes to give the employees time to have their iftar. So, i was left alone inside the grocery. When the employees who are already seated on the floor and started eating saw me standing alone in the aisle, they invited me to join them.


At dito lang sa dhaka ako nakikain sa mga estranghero, sa loob ng grocery, ng pagkain nakahanda sa dyaryo at kumain ng nakakamay.

It is Only here in Dhaka where I accepted an invitation from total strangers to join them in eating, stock inside a grocery store, with the food that was served in a newspaper and eat by hands.


What an experience!

Narito ang mga ibang kalahok

Random Thoughts III

I can’t still think of a better title for my entries since they are still at random despite of the promise to blog accordingly, as per subject. Anyway, for the first thought:

Today, Bangladesh time is adjusted one hour ahead, better known as Daylight Saving Time. That means I’m just one hour behind Philippine time. Last night, at around 11pm, I adjusted my watch to 12MN of 20th. This morning I woke up around 7am (new time) and went out to my balcony, it’s a little cloudy today so the sun isn’t visible, and since I’m living at a street parallel to Road 11 banani area, vehicles and people are scarce in this s took some pictures then went back to sleep as I haven’t got enough sleep since the Sylhet trip last Wednesday.

Around 845am, I woke up again to check if my boua(maid) is here already but then maybe, she forgot that today there is new timing so it would still be 745am from the old timing. So, I cooked breakfast since I always get hungry as soon as I open my eyes from sleep. Around 930am, my boua arrived and I told her in my poor banglish (bangle-english) “you are late, its nohtun time”. She said sorry and given the fact that this is actually the first day of DST so earlier this month about her coming in so late. The agreement before is that she have to be here by 830am but then since May, she is coming in late that I got fed up. So one Saturday, I confiscated the apartment key from my boua, called my staff on the phone and told my staff to tell my boua that she needs to be here exactly 830am or early otherwise she won’t be able to enter my apartment once I leave for office which is usually 845 to 9am, then I have to deduct it from her salary which is so expensive. She only does my laundry and cleaning the apartment since I cook my own food. Guess, that tactic was effective because since then, boua is coming on time. My staff told me from that start that the bouas are really like this so sometimes you have to be strict with them otherwise they tend to take advantage of your kindness.

*****
Mixed mangoes of lengra & himshagor, airing them to ripe.

Its mango season again. And just like last year, H's mom bought a crate with at least 500 pieces of mangoes. Like in the Philippines, Bangladesh has different species of mangoes and they are harvested after another. The first mango the comes in the market are himshagor, then lengra and amrapoli, followed by fozli which is usually the biggest and then comes the chosha which is usually towards the end of the season already. This mangoes are all tasty and sweet! There are also other varieties coming in the market. Fozli mango

I saw one on the way to sylhet a very very huge one that looks like a pomelo instead of a mango. I really love mango season I just hope I have Philippine fish/shrimp paste with me all the time to compliment the mangoes.

*****
Yesterday, H's mom was craving for hilsa fish again. So off we went to the mini-supermarket to buy fish, while I went to the cosmetic section to buy some nail polish since auntie want to use light colored ones as opposed to her brown shade nail polish. H bought two big big hilsa fish, from the tip of my hand up to my elbow, much to auntie's delight. I find the hilsa fish looking similar to milkfish (Philippine's National Fish). Auntie was ecstatic to have the hilsa fish and cleaned it herself. And, I just discovered that H loves the hilsa fish eggs, the only fish eggs that he eats. I remember my father telling me once that his late grandmother loves to eat the fish eggs. As for me, I find the fish eggs too bitter for my liking. They fried some pieces of hilsa fish for dinner and i find it tasty.

Lutong Bahay 003

since it's the lenten season, i tried to cook and eat veggies and seafoods only on fridays. So last Thursday night, i cooked Chopsuey using the Mama Sita's Chopsuey Mix that i brought with me from the Philippines :-)

On the other note, I've been very busy with work that I'm always out of the office to the job site (meaning: showrooms). And, i'm so pre-occuppied with other works also at home, like the scrapping that I intend to finish on time for April 12. Luckily, I was able to send the package for the Creative Swap first week of March, and I'm crossing my fingers that she will be able to receive it at all. I'm not sure of the efficiency of the postal service here yet. Like, I received a mail only once even if my friends in the Philippines claimed that they send a birthday card for me last year hehe! But my sister in New Jersey never received the card that I send them while my sister in the Philippines received theirs. Oh well! I just hope the package will reach my Creative Swap partner soon.