Happy 28th!

It's my birthday month! Like always, I claim the whole month of August as my chance to celebrate my birthday. So, what are we waiting for?

SATURDAY DINNER with PADUAS

Padua family came over to Sofia Saturday night.

It's their first time to visit the house after the construction and after we moved in. :-)

SUNDAY LUNCH with HUNNIES

Birthdays would not be complete without a celebration with Compassion 5.
Kaso nga lang tinulugan kami ni Ben! OK lang Koko!

Buti na lang we have a special guest... Cheska!

BIRTHDAY DINNER with MOMON

Momon and I celebrated my birthday at Cerchio Restuarant at Sct. Limbaga, just a few blocks away from our house. It's so convenient to live just a few blocks from Tomas Morato row of restaurants!

For appetizer, we ordered Grilled Shrimp and Pomelo Salad and Singaporean Crispy Squid Heads.

The salad was a little overdressed for my taste, but it was really good.  But the clear winner among all those we ordered was the crispy squid. I NEED to get a recipe of this squid heads!

For the entrees, we had some difficulty choosing because most the dishes are best eaten with rice. The grilled kare-kare was very enticing, but we'd miss rice too much if we ordered it. We also wanted to try the baked crispy pata but it was too much for two. Maybe next time when we come back with friends, we'll have them.

So we decided on Grilled Liempo with Mango Salsa and Pork Sisig. Both were so good, especially the pork sisig. But I realized, it's too much pork!

After dinner, Momon stood up on the premise of checking the dessert bar but came back with these!

 

Thank you Mymie! Mahaba pa ang birthday month ko!

Bicol Express Broiled Chicken Thigh Fillet

Here's a recipe I got from Chef Stephanie Zubiri of the Modern Epicurean Kitchen.
The photo below is not the best. I forgot to put in the gata sauce. :-)

This is spicy spicy good! But don't just focus on the hot/spicy taste, make sure to season the chicken with salt and pepper before pouring in the marinade.

BICOL EXPRESS BROILED CHICKEN THIGH FILLET

Ingredients:
  2 kilos chicken thigh fillets, skins on
  60 grams bagoong (shrimp paste)
  4 pcs red chilis (labuyo), minced
  5 pcs green chilis (siling espada), chopped
  5 pcs dried red chilis
  30 grams Jalapeños in can
  6 cloves garlic, pounded
  1 pc large red onion
  1 can coconut milk
  Salt and pepper
  Cilantro and lemongrass for garnish

Birthday Wishlist

My 28th birthday is on its way! Hooray! 

I actually didn't realize that my birthday is only about 10 days away until my bestfriend Ben reminded me that I we are again nearing the segment in each year when I am two years older than him. Thanks for rubbing it in! Hahaha!

Anyway, birthdays are for celebrations and gifts, right? So, inspired by my bestfriend Rhea's wishlist for her birthday last June, I am making one too. In my defense, Momon requested that I make a wishlist so he won't have to think about what to get me. But then again, there is no defense necessary.

So here's my no-holds-barred, I-want-all-of-them list of wants wants wants! Walang kokontra!

This is in no particular order...

1. GLASS SAUCEPAN/POT COVERS
I have two frying pans that do not have covers. So, I need a 22-cm and a 30-cm.

2. JOSEPH AND JOSEPH INDEX COLOR-CODED CHOPPING BOARDS
Been salivating over this since I first saw it in one of the classes of Stephanie Zubiri.
Available at Dimensione.

Grilled Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon with Cream Cheese Dip

 

Here's another low-carb, high fat dish that Momon and I tried. And, oh did we love it! 

It's so easy to prepare, so easy to cook and so easy to eat! The asparagus were still crunchy, the bacon was crisp and the cheese dip was a perfect complement. The whole dish is quite filling too.   

Here's the very simple recipe:

Grilled Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon with Cream Cheese Dip

Serves 2 (if you're in keto diet)

   

   30 spears asparagus

   10 strips bacon

   Olive oil

   Salt to taste

1. Lightly coat asparagus spears in olive oil and season with salt.

2. Gather 3 spears and wrap them with one bacon strip. 

3. Grill for 10-12 minutes or until bacon is golden brown and asparagus strips are tender.

For the cream cheese dip, combine 1 block cheddar cheese, 1 block cream cheese and 2 packs all-purpose cream in a food processor. Mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. This will make a big batch which you can use for your other dishes or your usual potato chips. 

 

I can't wait to make this again! Yummy yummy yummy! 

Easy clean up too, which Momon really appreciates. 

PS

Thanks to my friend, Dea, for the cheese dip recipe. :-)

Harry Potter Comics by Lucy Kinsley

Bukas na! Bukas na ang showing ng last film ng Harry Potter movie series!

So, as part of my countdown this entire week on FB, I'm posting these beautiful and immensely creative works by Lucy Kinsley. These are parody comics of the 8 films. 

I love them! I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I did. And please let me know what you think! Kahit pa-kilig comments lang on how you're anticipating the final film. :-)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

My Go-To Salad

If I want something fast, simple and delicious, I reach for some lettuce, grilled meat and fruit, and make myself a simple salad. It's so easy, you can actually make it later tonight.

Ingredients
Serves 2
Quick Note: I never really know how much I use, I just prepare this based on the number of diners. So, this list of ingredients is a bit inaccurate in terms of measurement. But I trust that you sense the proportion based on what I put below, and it really depends on how much you eat and if you are pairing this with other dishes.

Greens: 1 small head of iceberg lettuce or your lettuce of choice

Meat 1: 2 halves of boneless chicken breast
OR 1 can of tuna flakes in oil, drained and sauteed with onion 

Meat 2, optional: 2-3 slices of bacon, slightly crushed

Fruit: 1 cheek of ripe mango, cut into cubes
OR 2-4 tablespoons of canned mandarin oranges
OR 2-4 tablespoons of pineapple tidbits 

Dressing: My favorite is honey mustard, but it's up to you.

7th Book: Fish Without a Doubt

All right, I decided to include cookbooks in my 30 Books for 2011.

This book has been sitting in my parents' living room for quite some time. I never really paid  it any attention until now that Momon and I are going on a low-carb, high fat diet. I need to learn lots of techniques and ways to prepare fish to keep our meals interesting.

I scanned the book and saw that it has chapters and recipes on the most basic techniques for preparing and cooking fish and shellfish. It has pages on things as simple as grilled squid, grilled shrimp, garlic butter sauce, etc. Although I basically know ho to do these stuff, I would still love to really learn about the fundamentals and develop a certain level of expertise.

And of course it has the usual complicated stuff with titles I can't even pronounce. These will be my cooking challenges in the coming months. :-)

The ultimate motive: get Momon to love fish as much as  I do.

Hahaha! Hope to share some recipes from this book soon.

Baked Sausage, Egg and Cheese Casserole

This is one of the recipes I tried for Momon's keto diet, which is a low/no-carb, high fat diet. I won't preempt his account of how much weight he lost, etc. I'll just stick to the recipes, for now. But I'll tell you this much: if you knew how much he lost, the amount of time and the way he lost the pounds, you'd want to try eating style too. :-) More on this topic in later entries.

Baked Sausage, Egg and Cheese Casserole

Serves 4

1 large onion

2 pieces hungarian sausage, cut into discs

6 large eggs
6 tbsps water
1/6 cup low fat milk
3 oz grated cheddar cheese

1. Brown sausage and onion in frying pan. Drain sausage of most of the fat and spread sausage in bottom of baking casserole.

2. Beat eggs in large bowl. Add water, milk and grated cheese. Pour mixture over sausage.

3. Bake at 350 F for 1/2 hour. It is done when the eggs are firmly set.

Although it looks like a breakfast dish, it's great for any part of the day! The spicy taste of the sausages will liven up the egg mixture. The milk and cheese will make the eggs creamy and light. 

This recipe is pretty easy and does not need a lot of prep work and clean up. Enjoy!

If you're interested in the low-carb, high fat diet, visit LCHF for Beginners.

30 Books in 2011

I started this "project" last February 2009 when I got this idea from Rej Rosero who promised to read 50 books in 2011. I don't think I can manage 50 books, so I'm keeping it realistic and I'm aiming for 30 instead. It's now almost July and so far, I've only read 6 books! YIKES!

I'll be posting the covers of the books I'm reading, so I can keep track and stick to my word. No excuse that Momon and I don't have budget for books--I'm reading e-books instead. Got to watch out for my eyes, though. :-)

Anyway, please join me and start your own reading projects! Happy reading everyone! Here are the books I've read so far:

1: DEAD UNTIL DARK by CHARLAINE HARRIS

A Journey with Children

For the past one and half months, I've been going around the streets of Manila, Baguio, Olongapo, Davao and Zamboanga to search for stories of children living and working in the streets. I was contracted by UNICEF Philippines to be the writer and assistant to Italian photographer Giacomo Pirozzi on his latest photobook, which focuses on the street children of our country. Giacomo also visited Cebu and Cotabato for this assignment.

The product of 6 weeks of shooting, is a 256-page photobook featuring the lives of forty-six (46) children. Each story opens with a quote from the child and centers on his/her life story. Through their lives, we cover almost all of the issues related to a child. We have stories from as simple as  teenage love, fashion and self expression to as complex as health, human rights violations, physical abuse, trafficking, sex work, migration, discrimation and so many more. 

The book will be launched in October 2011.

My Journey

The addage that says, "You never truly appreciate what you have until you see what others do not have." or something like this, couldn't have been more apt for my experiences while making this book. Last Friday, typhoon Falcon brought in so many rains, and caused some water to seep into our new home. At first, I was so pissed at the incident and worried about the possible damage. But I remembered this eleven-year-old boy, Amsani, who lives in a pedicab in Baclaran, Pasay City. When it rains, he has to move under the awnings of fastfood restaurants just to keep dry. He has three puppies that he has to sell just so he and his family can rent a house for a month, even just for the rainy season. I've always known that there are children like Amsani. But now, I have someone specific to worry about.

This project has also tested my interviewing and people skills. I had to get people to warm up to me in a short span of time, and hopefully get some very insightful quotes about their difficult lives. I have proven that contrary to how we always think about street children--rowdy, drug users, dirty, uneducated--they still can be kind and respectful. Yes, they lack skills on how to read, they haven't taken a bath, they've worked day and night, and have seen and experienced more violence than most people, but bottomline, THEY ARE STILL CHILDREN. 

Also, Giacomo's analysis of the different situations we encountered has shown me a different perspective. It is so often that we get used to certain situations in our country that we just accept it as is. His insights helped me realize that we still need to question things and make some changes even for things that seem to work.

I am sure that this book will go beyond being a material to raise funds and spread awareness. As early as now both UNICEF's country representative and DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman have expressed that we need to follow-up on all 46 children and ensure that they have better lives. Even just for this, I believe that the book has succeeded.