I took a day off from work today. I had planned to do chores and run errands I would otherwise do on a weekend. I have a long list of to-do including finishing this blog entry for Thanksgiving. As I finished my second cup of coffee, listening to a Patsy Cline record, I thought, “How lucky am I?” How lucky that I get to have a day like this? A day when I can appreciate moments of silence buried in my thoughts, drinking good coffee, and listening to music as loads of laundry go through their wash cycles. My days are busy…even during this time of pandemic. My days and weeks go by so fast, that sometimes it is difficult to remember what happened just yesterday. For this blog post, I wanted to remind myself of how lucky I truly am. I am grateful for the little things that make my life grand.

1. A six-mile commute to work (that actually takes 10 minutes) is as good as it gets, if you are an Angeleno. My previous job was a nine-mile commute that took 45 to 60 minutes, each way. I might just be forever scarred from those times when I sat in traffic on Sunset Boulevard, full of worry that I would not be able to pick up my son from school in time.
2. Having a great team who shows up to work with me as early as 3 a.m. in the morning, full of energy and positivity, is an exceptional piece of good fortune.
3. A workplace that prioritizes on keeping my co-workers and me safe every day.
4. I am grateful for being able to afford to stock our kitchen with bacon, eggs, cheese, and pasta. This allows me to create simple and delicious family meals quickly.
5. Salt.
6. I am thankful for rest breaks, no matter how brief, when I can gather my thoughts, write, listen to music, read a few pages of a book, online shop, crush candies, check on people’s lives on social media or simply do nothing.
7. In the last year and a half, my work shifts usually start before dawn. Getting my mind and body conditioned to sleep at 7:30 p.m. and wake up at 3 a.m. was not an easy feat. I am ALMOST used to it now. However, I am thankful for quick afternoon naps that help recharge my brain and body.
8. Coffee.
9. I am thankful for the early morning text exchanges with my family. The heart emojis, “xoxo’s,” and positive wishes help fuel my day.
10. I am grateful for the mornings I get to take Max to school, and for the afternoons when I pick him up. The 10-minute morning commute gives us time to share with each other what we are looking forward to in our day, while the afternoon drive home is usually full of conversation about how our day actually went. Some days are better than other days, but all are improved when I get this “car time” with my son.
11. I am thankful for the free after school program provided by LAUSD. Without it, our day-to-day schedule would be very challenging, if not impossible.
12. I am grateful for having choices on almost everything I do daily. What to eat, what to say, how to act, how to spend my day, when to take it easy on myself and other people, how to manage stress, how to be. Whether I choose correctly or not…it is my choice.

I could go on and on, but the point is this: with all the chaos, noises, ups-and-downs, busy days, lazy days, bad days, unpredictable situations, and even the days when my best is only OK, my life is good. It is a beautiful world.

On this day off, I decided to make myself a breakfast reminiscent of my childhood with my grandmother. I made Filipino-style eggplant omelet. It looked delicious, and tasted better. I ate it with gratitude, savoring each bite as it satisfied my cravings of family, childhood memories, and flavors of the country of my birth. I am grateful for this moment and all the moments that make my life.

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you celebrate the little things that make your life terrific!

Eggplant Omelet (Tortang Talong)

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

2 Japanese or Chinese eggplant

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp of canola oil

4 eggs, beaten

1.5 cups of picadillo, cooled (recipe below)

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F. Place eggplant directly on the middle oven rack and roast for about 15 minutes. The skin will be lightly crisp and will start to detach from the eggplant meat. Take out the eggplant from the oven and place on a plate. Let the eggplant cool completely. Carefully remove the skin from the eggplant, keeping the eggplant whole. Discard the skin. Flatten the eggplant using a fork, fanning the meat. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper.

Beat two eggs in a bowl. Place the eggplant in the beaten egg and let soak for about 2 minutes. Beat the other two eggs in a separate bowl. Add two cups of picadillo mix in the bowl of beaten eggs.

Heat a non-stick sauté pan over medium heat. Add two tbsp. of canola oil in the pan. Place the eggplant in the sauté pan and top with half of picadillo-egg mixture. Cook the omelet for about three minutes then flip over and cook for another two minutes. Remove the eggplant omelet from the pan and place on a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining eggplant.

I eat this omelet drizzled with lime juice and fish sauce over hot steamed rice.

For the Picadillo

1/2 pound ground turkey

1 tablespoon grape seed or canola oil

1 cup finely diced potatoes

½ cup finely diced yellow onions

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup finely diced red bell peppers

½ cup finely diced green bell peppers

Salt and pepper to taste In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground turkey. Once the turkey is completely cooked, remove from heat and drain the excess liquid. Place the skillet back on the stove over medium heat and add the oil. Add the potatoes in the skillet and cook until tender and lightly browned. Add the onions and garlic in the skillet and cook until tender and fragrant. Add the bell peppers and cook for about 4 minutes until tender. Add the ground turkey and sauté for 3 minutes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Pasta Carbonara

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Salt

2 large eggs and 2 large yolks

½ cup grated pecorino Romano or parmesan, plus additional for serving

Coarsely ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ounces of pancetta or bacon, cut 1/4 inch cube

2 oz maitake mushroom, chopped coarsely

12 ounces spaghetti

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season with about 1 tbsp of salt.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and cheese. Season with a pinch of salt and 2 tsp of freshly cracked black pepper.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the pork, and cook until the fat is rendered. Remove the pork from the pan. Using the same pan over medium heat, lightly sauté mushrooms for 1 minute the edge of crispness but not hard. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add pasta to the water and cook until a slightly firmer than al dente. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water, then drain pasta and add to the skillet over low heat. Stir for a minute. Add 1 cup of reserved pasta water to the skillet and continue to cook the pasta until al dente and most of the water have evaporated, about two minutes. Add the cooked pork and mushroom to the pasta. Stir for a minute. Turn off heat.

Add 1 tbsp of hot pasta water to the egg-cheese mixture. Whisk to combine. Stir in the egg-cheese mixture to the pasta. Add some more of the reserved pasta water if needed for creaminess.

Serve immediately, top with additional grated cheese and black pepper.