2nd PYROMUSICAL COMPETITION

At 4 pm yesterday, we checked in at Rm. 945-947 of Sofitel for the 2nd International Pyro-musical competition. Since we had much time to kill, the kids wanted to take a dip in the pool and so I relented and went down to watch over them. Alex (a half-cousin) had already been in the pool an hour earlier and so Kaye and Kit joined her in playing with the other kids. By 5, when the sun was almost setting na, the kids felt a bit cold and wanted to leave the pool na. We went up to the room where they continued bathing in the warm water of the bath tub. Soon after, some of our relatives arrived and we made small talk while waiting for the fireworks to start.





By 7 pm, we decided to eat dinner na. My sister arrived a few minutes before 8 (coz she got stuck in traffic!) and just in time too coz a few minutes later we saw that the fireworks competition had already started… we didn’t have a schedule on hand but we surmised (because of the proliferation of red and green lights) that the first country to perform was Portugal (because their flag was red and green). It was great and we all were wowed with what we saw… after about thirty minutes, the show ended and so we resumed our dinner and watching TV while waiting for the next country to perform. U.K. started its performance at around nine and for me it was better than the first one – well, after all they were the defending champions and so they had much to prove and show the world they deserve to be called the best diba?



After the show and eating some dessert, the others left for their homes while we stayed behind to sleep in the main suite’s receiving room (because Rachel and family had taken the adjoining suite) It was OK naman because they placed beds inside the sala (one for myself, the hubby and Kit) while Kaye slept in a cushion in Rachel’s room beside Alex. Anna was supposed to sleep with us but changed her mind coz she was planning to meet a friend. It was a bit late when she left (around 12:30 am na) and it was only then that I turned the TV off, covered myself in sheets and snuggled in to sleep.



I was awakened by the extreme cold at around 5:30 am and so I decided to stay outside in the verandah to wait for the sunrise…too bad though that my particular vantage point does not have an actual view of the sunrise (sunset lang talaga!). Instead, I took pics of the moon setting na lang… when the others slowly awakened, we got ready to eat breakfast at Spiral for their breakfast buffet – and as always, Spiral did not disappoint. Just check out the following pics of their breakfast spread… truly its goodbye diet muna!









We returned to our rooms feeling so satisfied and thinking we may eat lunch today a bit later than usual… The kids frolicked a bit in the pool and the elders watched the Donayre-Montiel fight. By 2pm, we checked out of Sofitel, and said goodbye to what could be considered our third home here in Manila… and truly my favorite hotel in the country, but of course I may just be biased!

THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW

Today, I finally finished Book 1 of C.S. Lewis books – The Chronicles of Narnia entitled – “The Magician’s Nephew”. This particular e-book has long been with me but I never got around to reading it until I decided to put it in my cellphone and so now I am able to read it via the phone’sPDF reader during lull moments when I am waiting for a ride or when I am in between meetings…

My interest was sparked to read the book when I saw the two films already created – ‘The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe’ and ‘Prince Caspian’ but I was quite surprised to learn that these weren’t the first two books at all but there was another one – a sort of prequel that was published sixth but actually came first because it narrated the origins of Narnia and how the story’s two protagonists – Digory and Polly began an adventure that would take them from their wicked uncle’s dinghy study in London to a world totally different from their own thru some magic rings. In one of the worlds that they explore, they meet the wicked queen Jadis and unknowingly transport her back to their own world in London.

They attempt to return Jadis to her own world but in the process bring with them a horse, its cabby and even their magician uncle. They mistakenly enter Narnia and got to witness its creation with Aslan singing and because of their mistake of bringing Jadis into Narnia, Diggory and Polly had to fulfill a mission for Aslan – to get an apple of immortality from a secret garden and plant it in Narnia as protection against Jadis. When they succeed, Diggory, Polly and the magician uncle are bid to return to London but before they go Aslan gives Diggory an apple for his ailing mother. The cab driver, Frank and his wife stay on in Narnia to rule as its first king and queen. In London, Diggory’s mother is miraculously healed and so he plants the apple core in his backyard where it grows into a big and sturdy tree. Years later, when the tree fell due to a storm, an older Diggory has the tree trunk made into a wardrobe --- yes the same wardrobe that Lucy will discover in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – that will provide the link between both worlds…

It really was just a short story although it provided a relevant history to the creation of Narnia. I hope to start reading the next book in the series… by then, I would be able to compare the film against the book so stay tuned…

FAREWELL TO A BRAVE SOLDIER

Today is a day for mourning for the AFP, for today they are putting to rest someone some would consider a hero while others condemn him as a coward for doing what he did – I am talking about General Angelo Reyes – former Chief of Staff of the AFP, former DND Chief, former DOE Secretary, former DENR Secretary and more recently, the subject of a Senate investigation for ‘alleged’ anomalies like ‘pabaon’ and other perks that he, as well as other former AFP COS, received during their incumbency.

I do not know Angie Reyes from Adam…I have no idea if he ever was a good man, a good husband, a good boss, a good father, a good son… all I know about him is that he was my uncle’s ‘mistah’ at the PMA – they both belong to PMA Class 66 and they were together during the EDSA Dos that ousted PJEE and installed PGMA as President. What I know about him only comes from what I read in the tri-media…which is why I refuse to judge him – and why I hate those who condemn him to high heavens for choosing the easy way out instead of facing the music, so to speak…but what do they know really what went on inside his head during those final moments before he finally pulled the trigger???

Do I believe he was guilty of all the things that he has been accused of? Honestly, I am not sure – maybe he is… some writers believe it so because they say his suicide says it all! But me, I would prefer to believe that he just inherited an already ‘corrupt system’ in the AFP and the one thing he did wrong is to go with the flow and just DO NOTHING! I could sense it with his statements during the Senate hearing and his final interview granted to PCIJ.

I guess, too, he felt singled out for what he did during EDSA II and was now powerless to do anything about it, since the ones he turned his back on are now back in power with a vengeance. Some perceive him as a coward for choosing suicide, but it can also be viewed as an act of bravery – for not everyone can do what he did – shoot oneself in the heart!

Instead of condemning him, I guess the people should do well to learn lessons from his passing… especially those in the AFP and in government, in general. It’s high time for our soldiers to do what they truly were trained to do – to defend and protect the citizens of this country and look out for the welfare of each and every soldier within their command…they are not in the AFP to enrich themselves and line their nest eggs with gold in preparation for their retirement…the country do not owe them that! They entered the service on their own free will and if they live each day with one foot in the grave – it was their choice! No one forced them to be a soldier…thus, they have no right to believe that they can just dip their fingers in the country’s coffers because they had a right to that…of course not!!! I just hope everyone who has chosen to SERVE would come to such realization otherwise, Angie’s death would just be in vain…

PIC WITH P-NOY

Had the chance to pose for a pic with President Noynoy Aquino today at an office event which the President graced - an inauguration gig. We waited for like an hour before he came out of a meeting with some cabinet bigwigs also in attendance at the same event. I am just glad that when he came out, he gamely posed for photos with the staff. I am not really a P-Noy fan, if I could vote during the last elections I would’ve voted for Gibo or Gordon. As of now, I still haven’t seen if the rest of the nation did right in voting for him. He is barely a year in office, and yet, oh well, I guess I’ll give him more leeway being a newbie in the executive position, maybe there’s still hope for him yet!

KITCHEN MISADVENTURES SERIES 19: FRIED CHICKEN ALA MAX

I have noticed that the time I am prone to experimenting in the kitchen is when the hubby is away – maybe because I do not like to be ridiculed if the recipe goes wrong or if I may have miscalculated some of the ingredients. Well, he doesn’t really react very negatively like shout at me or throw his dinner, no nothing like that but still I hesitate because I hate for him to see me prepare something so unpalatable. So instead, I try to test out some of the recipes that I see on my kids – anyway, they are so easy to please! So today for our lunch (even if Max's is also my hubby’s fave!) I tested the recipe I saw from another food blogger – Dennis (of Lutong Bahay blog) The one thing different from this recipe is the addition of tanglad when you pre-boil the chicken and frying the chicken twice to achieve the crispiness that Max is famous for. So did I achieve the same effect? Well, not quite! I guess I went easy on the salt so the chicken itself came out a bit bland but the tanglad truly did wonders although I still cannot say if that truly is Max’s secret ingredient --- I will keep on experimenting and searching though! And I’ll share it with you as soon as I have truly found it.

IN THE HOPE OF CLEANING AND CURING THE RABBITS

Yesterday, my daughter and I embarked on a very important project. You see it has been our problem for a few months already concerning the rabbits but we never really got around to fixing the problem, well, until now. I cannot remember anymore when it was that we started noticing some crusts forming on the noses of our cutesy rabbits and then it spread to their ears. After some research and browsing at pictures I have come to realize and diagnose that our rabbits had mites (small garapata like insects) and they are infected with ear mange. I tried to find some remedies for it but all the resources I found on the internet recommended giving them some ivermectin injections from a vet. But since there is no nearby vet available to see them, I tried to find some other solution – I finally found some home remedies this week and so during the weekend, my daughter and I decided to try them out.



First, we cleaned and disinfected their cages. This was a bit difficult for me since the cage was so large so I had my daughter go inside the cages to scrub it clean with detergent and bleach. This we shall be doing for about two months – to ensure that the mites (in case they would be cured will not be coming back!) Then afterwards, a solution of borax and hydrogen peroxide was wiped on the rabbits’ affected areas. I earlier bought borax from the hardware (it’s a natural cleaning agent so there’s not much danger to them in case of ingestion, or so I’ve read) but putting it on them is a different story altogether coz they didn’t like it much when I touch or much less place anything on their ears. I learned the trick though to wipe the ‘solution’ on them while they’re inside the small cage – so they’ll have less room to run away from me. I also petted them on the head to soothe their frayed nerves so that I was able to successfully apply the borax-peroxide solution on their ears and a bit on their noses. Hopefully, they will be cured of the mites (hopefully before the babies come so they won’t get infected too!)

PROM NIGHT

Tonight, I witnessed yet another grim reminder that I am indeed getting old… because it’s my little boy’s prom night – well, he’s not quite so little anymore, in fact, he’s a lot bigger than me! Funny how time flies so fast and you never really realize how fast until it suddenly stares you in the face… in a few more years he’ll be going to college and depending on whatever college he may eventually chose to enter – be it the PMA or MAAP or whatever college he ends up with – it would turn out the same – I would cease to see him everyday…harassing him to take out his baunan from his school bag and pick up his clothes which he is perennially leaving on the floor and all over his already messy bedroom. Truth to tell, despite his hardheadedness --- I am honestly going to miss him! So I guess I really do need to savor moments like this while he’s still with us…and maybe create more bonding moments to spend together...

GOYA MINT CHOCO

I saw this as I was searching for a quick dessert to eat after lunch… would’ve been happy if I found my favorite chocnut…but now I’m so much happier because I found my two favorite things in just one package - chocolate and mint! My super duper ever favorite chocolate in the world is Andes chocolates…but I only get to buy these things at the airport duty free stores or whenever I visit Clark or Subic. But now I think I have found the next best thing – and at a much cheaper price pa because it is made by Goya! (I think only PhP30 for a pack of nine chocolates)

KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES 18: BAKED CREAMY CHICKEN AND POTATOES

This is one recipe that I got from my favorite food blogger Connie Veneracion at Home Cooking Rocks. It is actually already an old recipe of hers (posted way back in 2006) but the moment I saw this recipe, I knew I just had to try and cook it…well, now I finally did and it was truly delicious and a definite hit with the hubby and the kids! Here’s the recipe – lifted in full from Connie’s blog – I did no tweaking whatsoever – since none was needed!

Start with 8 large chicken thighs (use skinless breasts for less fat), 4-5 potatoes, an onion, a cup of cream, chopped parsley (fresh or dried), salt, pepper, 1/4 c. of butter and about a cup of grated quickmelt cheese. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and let rest in a bowl while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges. Peel the onion, cut into halves and slice thinly.

Melt the butter in a non-stick saute pan. When hot, brown the chicken thighs, turning them for even browning. Lift with kitchen tongs as they brown and arrange on a baking pan. Note that the chicken thighs need not be cooked through at this point. Just brown the outside then transfer them to the baking pan. Brown the potato wedges in the remaining butter and add to the chicken. Saute the sliced onion and sprinkle on top of the chicken and potatoes

Take a cup of cream (substitute yogurt if you’re watching your fat and cholesterol intake) and pour over the chicken, potatoes and sliced onion. You may sprinkle more salt and pepper at this point since the potatoes will absorb most of the salt from the chicken that will get mixed into the liquid as the dish cooks. Sprinkle chopped parsley all over after pouring in the cream. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil, piercing it with a fork in a few places to create steam vents. Bake in a preheated 180oC oven for 20 to 30 minutes (I used a turbo broiler, though). Take the baking pan out of the oven and peel off the foil. Do this carefully since the steam that will escape can burn your fingers. Spread the grated cheese over the cooked chicken and potatoes. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes longer or until the cheese melts.

KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES 18: BREAKFAST FRITATAS

For quite some time, I have been seeing recipes of omelets, tortas, and frittatas (from different foodsites I normally browse)…. I really do not know the difference of one from the other but I guess they may be the same since they have more or less the same ingredients although the manner of cooking varies – some are cooked in a non-stick pan, others baked like a pizza. And since, I have been getting a bit bored cooking ham and eggs separately, or bacon and eggs, or tuna and eggs – making an omelet with both or all of the ingredients present is truly a time-saver!

So today, I tried doing my own breakfast frittata/omelet with ham, potatoes, eggs and lotsa lotsa cheese! (my daughter’s favorite ingredient!) And thankfully she enjoyed it! I have also tried using other ingredients like ground pork with potatoes and tuna with carrots…and the verdict is still the same – the kids loved it! And it’s so easy and less time-consuming to prepare pa! My daughter likes to call it a pizza…and I guess in a way it could be --- I guess I’ll just try to do more variations for this truly very basic frittata/omelet/torta recipe.

HACHIKO

We started watching this movie on DVD during our get-together at Lopez farms in Cavite in November of last year. But we were unable to finish the movie because at the time, we were just killing time before going home to keep away from the heavy traffic along Coastal Road. We forgot to continue watching the movie until last week when HBO began advertising Hachiko as one of its featured movies this coming February and so rather than wait for its screening, my kids and I decided to look for the DVD and watch the movie ourselves one lazy Sunday afternoon…

Hachiko is a very heart-warming but TRUE story about a dog who shows undying loyalty to his master. It narrates how Richard Gere, a professor, finds a lost dog at a train station. The next day, his wife compels him to search for its owners since they don’t want to take care of the puppy (but it’s such a cute pup!) So he tries to locate the owners but to no avail so they eventually end up keeping the dog. The succeeding scenes showed how dog and master developed a strong bond with each other with Hachiko going daily with Gere to the train station and returning each afternoon to the station to greet his master returning from work.

The pair continued on with this daily routine until one day when Richard Gere suffered a heart attack and didn’t come home…Hachiko waited at the train station until Gere’s son-in-law came to collect him. The next scene showed a funeral service being given for Gere and yet the dog continues with his routine going daily to the station and being cared for by numerous friends he has made along the way (the meat vendor at the street corner, the hotdog seller outside the station, even the ticket seller looks out for his welfare) The family eventually sold the house and Hachi is sent to live with Gere’s daughter. But when they left the gate open one time, Hachi escapes and goes back to the train station where he continues to wait for his master to come home. Gere's daughter and son-in-law soon arrive to take him home once again. One day, however, seeing how restless Hachi seems inside their garden, she decides to set Hachi free and he dutifully returns to the station to wait. He does the same routine for nine more years gaining the attention of the locals who usually see him there waiting at his usual spot. His story even caught the attention of media and the people around the vicinity of the station were interviewed about him.

Ten years later, Gere’s wife is shown with Ken (Gere’s Japanese friend) visiting his gravesite. At the station, she is astonished to find Hachi old, weak…but still waiting patiently for his master to return – to me this is the most tear jerking part of the movie! She talks to the dog and waits with him for the next train to arrive. A few more scenes later, Hachi is shown going to his usual spot and sleeping for one last time at the station… there he is met by the spirit of his master and they are reunited once again to be together – for eternity!

This is truly a must-see movie for the entire family – for it teaches values on faith, devotion, and undying love… definitely not just for dog-lovers!

[photo grabbed from IMDB]

COOKING POPCORN IN A MICROWAVE

My daughter just adores popcorn…in fact, she can eat it everyday and not grow tired of it! Most nights after we had our dinner and we settle in for the night on our sofa to watch our daily dose of telenovelas, she asks her father to cook her some popcorn…most of the time he relents and cooks for her but during moments when he comes home tired, he doesn’t have the energy to cook anymore in the evening and so my daughter gets upset and a silent word war ensues between father-and-daughter which lasts even up to bedtime and before they go to sleep…and so since I could not help them out by cooking her the popcorn myself…(well, most of the time the popcorn I cook ends up getting burnt!) I thought of doing for her the next best thing – teach her to cook popcorn herself! With microwaveable popcorn, of course! Expectedly, it costs double than the regular popcorn that we use but still the aroma it leaves the house when it gets cooked after just 2 minutes in the microwave is just so delicious…it’s like we're in a real moviehouse!

SHOPPING FOR THE KITCHEN

We needed some new items for our kitchen like a new dish drainer because our previous one was bought about ten years ago…when we moved here to Bulacan and so expectedly the plastic cover had become quite brittle and broken in a few places and hence provides no protection at all to the dishes inside. I would’ve wanted my dishes to be organized inside built-in kitchen cabinets (something like the San Jose Kitchen cabinet system)… but alas I don’t think I have that kinda money to buy such cabinets just yet and so I had to settle for the next best thing…

We found the dish drainer from Orocan at the SM Homeworld, they were on sale so the price was something like P999.00 from a previous price of PhP1200, I think…We also bought a new rice dispenser with a 25 kilos capacity because our old dispenser could only hold 10 or 15 kilos and so most of the time the rice left in the sack would be infested by rats. Finally, the hubby decided, too, to replace our old thermos since the one we had been using couldn’t keep the water hot for an entire day so we had to heat water again if we wanted to have another round of coffee in the afternoon. We bought a few other knick-knacks like some black bowls and some water jugs so our total bill amounted to about PhP4,000.++ The clothing allowance we were expecting since early January is yet to be given to us so I used my credit card for the meantime – thank God for plastic!

NEW LANGKA FROM OUR TREE

Finally, after almost three months of waiting our langka is finally ripe for picking…the first pic was taken on October 3 last year when I saw that this



particular langka fruit has already gotten a bit bigger than my hand and is in no danger of falling off (like the others before it)… this is the second time already that our langka tree has borne fruit and this is the first langka from this batch that became ripe. We all hoped that it would be ripe in time for Christmas for our espasol but alas it did not… so now we have an almost 20-kilo langka and we don’t know what to do with it?!? Halo-halo season is still two or three months away – so I guess we’d be able to give some to our neighbors and friends, make langka preserves, langka shakes, langka maja, maybe even pastillas, or whatever dessert we may think of …anyway, this is just the first fruit that became ripe…we still have five more fruits to wait for … yum..yum!

RED

I started watching this movie on DVD (pirated, of course) and it was truly a very engaging action-comedy film with a powerhouse cast of characters led by Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren among others. One review I read compared it to another recent movie, The Expendables since both films had a cast of actors of very high caliber (although a bit aging…so to speak) but the reviewer gave the film Red a better review because of a better plot. Well, I haven’t really watched The Expendables yet so I truly can’t compare…but I do agree that the movie has a riveting story since it tells of the lives of RETIRED but EXTREMELY DANGEROUS (hence, the title R.E.D.) CIA agents already living sedate and lonely lives who suddenly found themselves marked for liquidation.

So the group of retirees had no choice but to reassemble themselves once again (with the help of an old enemy – a KGB agent who happened to be an ex-lover of Helen Mirren’s character, Victoria) to find out who is trying to kill them. The film has many funny moments with John Malkovich’s crazy character providing most of the gags while Morgan Freeman keeps them all in check with his wise words and actions. I was already right smack in the middle of the engrossing film when the film suddenly faltered and just stopped altogether! You can just imagine my consternation! I felt so bitin!!! (serves me right for wathcing pirated huh!) So I had no choice but to try to find a video streaming site and thankfully, it was available in tubeplus although downloading was a bit slow. But at least, I was able to finish the movie and found that though the storyline became a bit thin through the end (since it turned out that an ex-CIA agent was behind everything and the earlier nemesis they fought – the guy running for Vice president was just a mere pawn) …it was still quite entertaining! Even the romantic angle brought by Willis and his phone pal was just enough to keep the movie balanced – definitely one of the few good films I have seen for quite some time!

(photo grabbed from IMDB)

KITCHEN MISADVENTURES 17: COOKING WITH A TURBO BROILER

After Christmas, we bought a new turbo broiler because we planned to cook crispy pata for media noche...and since we were all quite apprehensive with frying the pata in lots of oil (due to health issues and the possibility of scalding from oil splatters), we decided to use a turbo broiler instead. Sad to say, the crispy pata did not come out as crisp as we expected it to be. Although it was still quite delicious and tasty!



This time however, I decided to try cooking lechon kawali since I figured if the heat of the turbo couldn't make the large chunk of pata crispy maybe it would be able to do so with the much smaller slices of liempo...and thankfully it did! I started boiling the liempo the day before in salt, pepper, garlic and tanglad; refrigerated the meat overnight and placed the liempo in the turbo broiler at around 7 pm, last night. After 30 minutes and with much time to spare to prepare some waldorf salad - my liempo was done!

MISSING DITSE...

Since mid-October of last year our regular companion in the house (my husband's sister,whom we fondly call Ditse) who takes care of the kids and cooks our dinner left us (temporarily, I hope!) to join her son, a vendor in Divisoria. She does this every year, during this time of the year because this is when sales at Divisoria's streets are brisk with numerous shoppers swarming the place looking for bargains during the Christmas season.

It is also during this time of the year that we are left to fend for ourselves every night and sometimes end up buying cooked food that either tastes too bland, or may be too expensive. There are times when despite being tired from a long day's work, we had to buy food from the market and cook dinner ourselves upon arrival home ... and so I am missing her terribly! I miss her cooking...and her chitchat about the life and loves of our neighbors...I miss the times that I could just put my feet up to rest upon arrival home and simply wait for hot dinner to be served...

What's worse is that even if she left her daughter here with us to look after my sons and daughter - she's not much of an authority figure because she's only eighteen. And when my pesky daughter insists on not eating anything for lunch - she just lets her have her way - so my daughter is looking so undernourished now more than ever...I guess she needs Ditse here more than I do so she'll be well-fed once again...well, it will only be a few days from now and she promised to come back here(after the Santo Nino fiesta)... I just wish she'd come home soon!

MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2011

Started the year by looking back at my previous year's resolutions and realized something really really bad --- I HAVE NOT ACCOMPLISHED EVEN HALF OF THEM! Oh dear, so I guess my very first resolution for the year 2011 will be - TO STOP MAKING NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS ALTOGETHER SINCE I NEVER GET TO KEEP THEM ANYWAY!!!

SO there...I guess I'll just take each day as it comes...enjoy every moment...and live life to the fullest...after all I am turning forty this year (ugh!) so I might as well start living my life the way I want - no daily schedules... nothing at all to hold me back from enjoying each moment as if it were my last... nope I'm not waxing nostalgic here because I feel my life is about to end (hope not!) But rather I just want to set my mind free to wander and explore the numerous experiences out there that I still have not tried--- so here's hoping that the new year would bring me more exciting places to visit; more exotic restaurants/food to taste; more people to meet and bond with (both old and new friends)and a whole lot of new experiences to savor!!!

DIVS FOR XMAS SHOPPING!

It’s a Monday but I went on leave today to go with my mother and sister to Divisoria to help her shop for toys to giveaway for Christmas. We rode the MRT and my mom wanted to stop over at 168 to start shopping there but my sister insisted that the cheaper toys can be bought at Divisoria Mall and so we walked all the way there and true enough, Mama was able to buy so much toys to her heart’s content. Our problem now is how to bring this all home, uh-oh! Then, I was also able to buy a few knick-knacks for myself (just a few because we had been to Divs last weekend lang) like umbrellas, ring and necklace watches as gifts to pamangkins, the electronic flyswatter I failed to buy last time, and what’s more, Ma gave me her advanced Christmas gift, Angel speakers for my PC – just cool! Then, after shopping, my sister took us to this authentic Chinese resto that serves hand-pulled noodles and dumplings. It was around 2 pm already when we hauled off our asses from the restaurant and took a cab going home. We were all quite tired but happy with our purchases and the thought that we would also be making some kids very happy this Christmas.

(photo from clipart)

KITCHEN MISADVENTURES SERIES 16 – Chicken and potatoes with cream

This dish is a bit like the one that I cooked in 2009 (from Casa Veneracion) but this recipe is one that I got from Dennis’ Lutong Bahay blog. Their ingredients are somewhat similar except that this one does not have cheese. The process used in cooking is different though since Dennis’ version required some sautéing first. First thing to do is to season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. After a few minutes, fry the chicken pieces in butter until browned then set aside. In the same pan, sauté some garlic, onion and ginger and add back the chicken. Place ½ c of water, cover the pan and let the chicken pieces cook. Add in potatoes until cooked but still firm. Add in the cream and a bit of cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken the sauce. Add more salt and pepper, if needed. When the sauce has thickened, serve with rice. Thank you Dennis for another yummy dish!

KITCHEN MISADVENTURES 15 – GINATAANG ALIMASAG

I enjoy eating seafood dishes though my mother said I did not used to like them so much when I was younger...probably because I don’t really know how to eat them as a kid and would rely on my mom who would patiently pick off the flesh from the shell and I would gingerly dip the soft white meat in vinegar, with my fingers pack it with some rice and put in my mouth – ah! Just heaven! So whenever, I see crabs like alimango or alimasag on sale at our local market, I can’t resist but buy some of these delicious crustaceans. By the way, the main difference between the alimasag and the alimango is its color and the legs – the alimasag usually has a spotted shell and thinner legs while the alimango has a solid orange-colored shell (when cooked) and large fat front legs that are just so yummy to eat!

Here’s the recipe for the ginataang alimasag that we had for lunch today – first, thing to do is to sauté some garlic, onion and a bit of ginger in oil. Then add the squash or string beans (if using). Add in the coconut milk (second extraction) and the crabs (which may be steamed earlier for a few minutes until they have changed color). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finally add in coconut cream (kakang gata) and let the sauce simmer until it thickens. Wash your hands and serve with plenty of hot rice.

TAKE 2 AT LOPEZ FARMS

It’s our second time to visit this place and this time we spent my sister and niece’s birthday. My sister was not with us the last time we were here, it was just my brother, my half-sister and her family and my Dad and step-mom. So this time was a first for her together with an Aunt and her family who weren’t able to join us also the last time. It’s good that they also enjoyed the ambiance of the place but this time around, the climate was much cooler since it was nearing December. We still occupied the same rooms downstairs while my Aunt and her family stayed in the room they were supposed to occupy upstairs beside Papa’s room. My sister stayed in my Papa’s bedroom since it was quite big while my half-sister was in the room next to ours, in the basement, where just outside there’s a billiard table, table tennis and a swing.

We still enjoyed the second visit that we made here at Lopez farms. Though we were a bit late in joining them since I had to go to work for a bit yesterday then we just followed them to the farm in Cavite. Admittedly, we got lost a bit and had to ask many times for the right directions but we got there at around six in the evening pa din...just in time for dinner. Mt Aunt and her family arrived just as were about to eat and after eating, the boys got busy downstairs playing billiards while the rest of us stayed in the family room browsing over the old photographs in Marinduque...too bad that I just brought that album since that is all that Papa asked for e...next time I will bring the others. We had fun goofing around and stayed up until very late with the kids watching movies in the laptop.

The next day, we did nothing much but eat and laze around all day...the kids swam in the pool again and played basketball and the numerous fun games and swings the place had to offer. I tried to read a book but ended up sleeping and not reading at all, the place is just so conducive to sleeping! I just love their hammock and wish that someday I would be able to install one just like it...in our teensy weeny home hehehe. We feasted/gorged ourselves with food... and took naps in between family chats. In all, it was a totally relaxing and fun-filled weekend, spent meaningfully with the people we love. Till next time and next foodtrip!

KITARO FOR THE HUBBY’S BIRTHDAY

Aside from Italian pasta and pizza, another favourite cuisine of our family is Japanese. In fact, our fondness for Japanese food is displayed even by our children who also love eating sashimi and sushi. And so for our lunch today, we decided to eat at a small Japanese resto near the office – Kitaro and we were quite surprised since their meals are priced reasonably and yet still offer enough authenticity to make it seem that we were truly dining Japanese fare. When we entered the resto, the staff were quite courteous and attended to us immediately (I guess it helped that we were the only ones there, hehehe) We ordered our favourites – California Maki, Tofu and Mixed Tempura...all were made fresh and tasted good but the one we were quite surprised about is the Tofu steak which was crisp and breaded outside but quite gooey and still fresh inside. Someday I hope to bring my kids to this restaurant since they too are such suckers for Japanese food. But due to its exorbitant prices, we are usually only able to partake Japanese food whenever we go to my dad’s place in Makati. So now with this new discovery of a truly affordable Japanese resto, Kitaro, we’d surely be able to eat Japanese a bit more often.

KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES 14 - KALDERETANG TILAPIA

This dish is one of the hubby’s favourites and since it is his birthday, this is what we had for lunch yesterday. I only learned about this kind of dish from his relatives in Pampanga. I only knew that kaldereta can be cooked using beef, pork or chicken, I did not know that tilapia can be cooked this way too but it was just delicious! The first thing they do is to fry the fish normally in hot oil. Then garlic, onion and tomatoes are sautéed and when the tomatoes are soft and mushy, liver spread is added and some tomato sauce. Pour the second gata of the coconut milk into the pan. Add the fish and let simmer until the sauce is a bit reduced. Season with salt and pepper and finally add the kakang gata before turning off the fire. And voila another super yummy dish!

KITCHEN MISADVENTURE SERIES 13 - BAKED MACARONI

This is one dish that I have done countless times before in different versions but I believe that this version that I got from my favourite food blogger, Connie Veneracion is the best that I have tasted so far. In fact, way back in 2000 while I was still pregnant with my daughter, I remember I used to always be craving for baked mac but at the time, we simply did the quickie version with cooked macaroni smothered in spaghetti sauce then topped with shredded quick melt cheese then baked in a microwave oven until the cheese melts...that easy! But this recipe is a bit more complicated than that with a whole lot more ingredients to make the cheese all goooey and just simply delish!

For the exact recipe, please just visit the Casa Veneracion blog site:http://casaveneracion.com/