Mediterranean kitchen

We had Mediterranean food and best-in-the-world ice cream in Fr. Ronnie's kitchen in his parish. Good food + good friends + good conversation = great time!

Salads

Greens with tomotaoes, cucumbers, and carrots. Food styling c/o Yaya Neneth. Ganda, di ba?

Our family love salads, homemade or restaurant-ordered. Not only for their nutritional value but the beautiful play of colors, flavors, and textures in them. Here's some we have enjoyed!

Food & Love

Our home-cooked Valentine dinner menu:

*Garlic bread
*Kalabasa soup
*Popeye & Olive Oyl Salad (Spinach w/ green apples & feta cheese with olive oil & balsamic vinegar dressing; I know, ang corny ng pangalan! Haha!
*Pasta Carlyn (Shrimps with sun-dried tomatoes, & parsley in lemon-butter sauce; named after Kara kasi favorite nya ang hipon)
*Pasta Paolo (Tuna with red pepper, mushrooms, & parsley in white sauce; created for Powie kasi allergic sya sa hipon)
*Dulce de leche ice cream with coffee jelly
*Sparkling red grape juice

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     It has been a tradition in our family that we celebrate dinner on Valentine's day as a family. As a young couple, we braved the Valentine crowd and traffic the first years of our relationship. In some years, we would celebrate with our friends in fancy restaurants. But as the romantic flavor of the day begun to wear off for us, we thought of expanding our idea of what should be celebrated on this day. It should be about love & boy, did we love a lot of people so why not include them all in the celebration! I remember the first one we had was done in the deck of our new home. In addition to our kids, we had Mama and Papa over with their whole household which included cousins and in-laws. My friends who were all single were invited to the festivities. Anyone who was dateless on that day was welcome to join us. With food that we cooked and wine to make all of us (who were not allergic to alcohol) a little giddy, I could say that these parties were quite enjoyable! 

With each passing year, with family members and friends either moving on or moving away, the number of people would dwindle. This year, I thought that the tradition had died. There was a tinge of sadness that Papa and Mama could no longer be with us. 

But as we still have each other, the reasons remain for celebrating! And what better way to do that than with a home-cooked meal prepared with much love!

World Youth Day 2011

Aug. 16-21, 2011

Mekong Delta

Discovering Siem Reap

Instead of throwing a big party to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, we decided to go on a trip to where we've never gone before. First stop was Siem Reap in Cambodia!

Pearl Anniversry

Had to work the whole day but upon being picked up by hubby, my spirits were lifted by the sight of a dozen red roses! Then dinner with family at our latest discovery, Mesa, on Morato Avenue. Great food and speedy service! More pink roses& carnations from the Calaguas family. Great way to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary!

Mothers Day 2011

Dinner at Crustacia, Trinoma

At DAP & Hermie's

March 2011

Going bananas over bananas

     Last February 28, I had lakatan banana in fresh fruit salad for breakfast. For morning snacks, I had one boiled saging na saba. Before lunch, I had a little latundan banana in our room ( I don't know why. Maybe I just felt guilty about the growing stash of uneaten bananas in our room!)  For merienda, I had 2 pieces of bananacue and followed later by one leftover boiled saba. That would be roughly 6 pieces for someone who isn't even crazy about bananasI Dessert for dinner was... you guessed it, bananas! Suko na ako!!!

      But whatever the nuns serve, no matter what or how much, you seem compelled to eat them. Like I was transported back to the days I was a half-intern in St.Joseph's College in my elementary years. Then, you risked getting an invitation to visit Purgatory if you as much left a crumb on your plate!

      So after a a few days of (forced) banana bingeing, I realized that there were so many variety of banana that were available to us and that I actually liked some of them. The saba would probably be first in line, considering the many ways I have enjoyed them: pritong saging (sliced horizontally & fried), bananacue (fried whole with brown sugar & then skewered like a barbeque), turon (sliced, put inside spring roll wrappers and then fried with brown sugar, sometimes with jackfruit slivers), maruya (sliced like coins, put in batter and then fried and then when done, sprinkled with white sugar) , boiled or steamed, baked with panocha (block of raw sugar) in an earthenware pot , minatamis na saging (cooked in brown sugar syrup), inihaw (grilled over charcoal, with or without the banana skin), and my all-time childhood favorite,  nilupak (semi-ripe banana combined with fresh, shredded coconut, margarine and brown sugar and then pound together into a yummy mass using a big mortar and pestle). Whew, I've never felt so blessed!

       To my dear friends and high school classmates who live abroad and shared in my FB account that they long for Philippine bananas, I have only one thing to say .... Eat your puso ng saging (banana heart) out, guys! Hehehehe!

Rainy & Foggy

Pamana Restaurant
March 1, 2011

The Rest of New Year's Day

Marimel after 30+ years

A date at Clawdaddy's

If crabs are your thing, then don't fail to have some of the best I've ever had. I swear one could drown in all that garlic! Oysters were heavenly too!

The Search

Instead of soul-searching (which I usually do on my birthdays since I turned golden), I spent my 50+ birthday searching for the best sisig in Angeles, Pampanga. Another discovery was the original Red Crab in Clark. Yummy day!

Sixty is Sexy!

Tito celebrated his 60th birthday on September 27, 2010. The party was held in Cerchio Restaurant.

Tagaytay once again

August 28-31, 2010

Weight loss program in Palawan. Not!

Part of the fun during our stay in Puerto Prinsesa was trying out the restaurants in the city. Mabuti na lang Legend Hotel lunches were terrible! Otherwise, I'm sure I would have gained a pound or two for each day that we were there!

Dinner with the Fernans of Darwin

The Casino

No, didn't play at the tables. Instead, gambled with the chance of not gaining more weight after a sumptuous buffet at the casino restaurant. I probably lost that bet but discovering wholegrain mustard with roast beef sure made me feel like a winner. Burp!