Thanks for the Memories

Memories... light the corners of my mind... misty, water-colored memories...

I love looking at photo albums, especially the old ones. They stir certain feelings of nostalgia and happiness. I love staring into space while recalling the moments captured by these photographs. Even if the people in the photos are no longer with us, I seldom get melancholic. Maybe because I choose to remember the times I shared with them more than thinking about the moments we can no longer share.

Take this photo, for instance. This was taken a few months before I resigned from my first writing job to take on another post in another publication. My friends here are still my friends up to this day, after 10 long years. I am still in touch with my former bosses from time to time. We have common friends, so more or less we still get to catch up. Although I stayed here for only a year, I learned so much (professionally and personally) and I truly treasure the memories of that stay.

Memories about food somehow produce the same effects on me. Every time I eat guinatang halo-halo, or suman cassava, or turon, or guinatang munggo, I remember my mom. She used to make these for meryenda for us kids, especially on Sundays when cousins would come over. Also, certain weathers or occasions evoke certain cravings like typhoons equal champorado and tuyo, or Christmas is to puto bumbong, bibingka and thick hot chocolate.

And so, while I was browsing through my multiply account and ran into this recipe (see below), memories of last year's Christmas came flooding back to me.

Why was last Christmas significant? Well, let's just say it was a dark moment for me. But because I was around people who love me, it became more meaningful.

And so, as I look back at Christmas 2008, and move forward today, let me share with you this pasta recipe that will give you a warm, fuzzy feeling--like the one I had back then.

Pasta with Creamy Mushroom and Ham

• 400 grams pasta (I used fettucini for this one)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup diced white onions (native onions are too strong)
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large can sliced button mushrooms
• 1 cup diced cooked ham (try the scrap ham from Majestic)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tetra bricks all-purpose cream
• salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside. Melt butter in heavy sauce pan. Saute garlic, onions and mushrooms for about 2 minutes. Add cooked ham and green peas. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Pour in cream and stir until ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Reduce heat so as not to scorch the cream. Season with salt and pepper (you may want to go easy on the salt; remember, your ham is already flavored.). Simmer for about 5 minutes, or just enough for the flavors to blend. Remove from heat; toss in the pasta and mix well to coat noodles evenly. Transfer into a serving dish. Goes well with herbed bread.

PS: By the way, we got this from The Best of FOOD Magazine. It was one of those recipes which we happen to have the ingredients for, so we gave it a try. I'm so glad we did!