Friday, October 27, 2006

The Famous Filipino Adobo

Most people say the 1st dish that one would learn making is ‘adobo’. Why? It’s easy and simple. The ingredients are very basic too not to mention that it doesn’t get spoiled right away even without refrigerating. Sure I know how to cook ‘adobo’ but I think I prefer Irvin’s…




I just asked him to modify it a little by adding some potatoes which he never did before. And it’ll definitely taste better with salted egg and tomatoes on the side. No salted eggs? Hard-boiled eggs can be a substitute too.

Hmmm... now I feel like eating 'adobo'. What about you? :) This recipe might help...

Recipe:
8 whole chicken legs (about 4 pounds), cut into drumstick and thigh sections
1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, crushed lightly
1 cup water
3/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Chopped scallions, for garnish

Accompaniment: Cooked rice

In a large kettle combine the chicken, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 1 cup water, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer it, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the soy sauce and simmer the mixture, covered, for 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken with tongs to a plate and boil the liquid for 10 minutes, or until it is reduced to about 1 cup. Let the sauce cool, remove the bay leaves, and skim the fat from the surface.
In a large skillet heat the oil over high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it saute the chicken, patted dry, in batches, turning it, for 5 minutes, or until it is browned well. Transfer the chicken to a rimmed platter, pour the sauce, heated, over it, and serve the chicken with the rice.

*You can also use pork meat instead of chicken if you wish.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Happy Birthday, Mama!



I just wish you the best of everything that you truly deserve! I love you!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Vachon's Wildlife Sanctuary

Backgrounder: Tita Laling, a 1st cousin of my mom, is married to Kenneth Vachon from Leominster, MA since 1988. They have a son named Joseph “Joe” Edmour Vachon who is now 13 years old.

For 40 years, the Vachon family has operated Grandview Country Club. Uncle Kenny said it was never easy being a greens keeper… you start from 2AM till 2PM everyday. They think they had enough and so they shut down the golf course on November 2001.

They have then decided to make the former Grandview Country Club into a wildlife sanctuary. Uncle Kenny and his family has donated 148 acres of land for wildlife… a home for black bears, moose, hawks, deer, red foxes, beavers, coyotes and other kinds of birds. Charles Wyman, a representative of the Audubon Society said they are very grateful for this gift. This land will forever be protected and preserved, he added.

I remember when we had to make a trail for this land. Uncle Kenny was cutting down the small trees using a chainsaw. Tita Laling, Joe and I had to pick those up and throw on the sides and put a pink ribbon to mark the trail. It was an extraordinary experience for me. I had fun! I even saw the trails which the American Indians did hundreds of years back.

Furthermore, they have renovated the 2-storey building which they plan to rent out for weddings and other events next spring. Uncle Kenny, Pepey (Irish term for grandfather), Tita Laling, his brother Uncle Dennis, his friend Tim, and David have worked so hard for this project. They have just started when I came to the country more than 4 years ago. I was a witness to everything they did. I recall Tita Laling saying she didn’t even think she could paint. She has just done so many things she thought is impossible for her to do. Uncle Kenny can actually hire a contractor to do the job but… he just has this “passion” which maybe not many of us have.

The party they hosted on October 7th to introduce Vachon’s Wildlife Sanctuary was a fun-filled event full of support from friends including the mayor and the ex-mayor. The flowers for the centerpieces were gorgeous. Their planner Erin did a great job. Food was good. The Mariachi Band performed really well that the people really had fun listening to and dancing with them.

Two thumbs up to the Vachon family!










Click here for more photos…

And for some articles from their local paper…
Worcester Telegram and Gazette News

Sentinel And Enterprise

Sunday, October 01, 2006

1st Wedding Anniversary, etc.

Anniversary

It was around this time (10:42AM) a year ago when Jasmine was preparing me, using all her powers to make me look and feel beautiful on one special day… my wedding. Yes it’s been a year since we got married. I couldn’t believe how fast time flies! I couldn’t be happier knowing that he’s now here with me. We’ve waited for such a long time… I’m very thankful for having a husband who loves me so much… who accepts me for who I am… who supports me in any way he can… who understands my flaws… who adjusts to our differences.

Originally, we’ve planned to go to Tavern on the Green to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. We really want to make it special. For us, there is nothing like the 1st for anything. But everything that we planned just remained a plan. Irvin has to work today (this’ll be another story). He just got home a couple of hours ago and right now, he is sleeping. I’ll just go out later to buy some Chicken Caesar Pizza and Shrimp Parmigiana which he likes very much.

Also, we went out for dinner last Wednesday. Let’s just say it was an advance celebration of our anniversary. We were supposed to go to Cheesecake Factory but ended up going to Red Lobster. It’s been a little over than half hour that we were waiting for the bus to go to Cheesecake Factory and it was getting late. I was so desperate asking Irvin why we can’t push through our plans. He enjoyed the food anyway. We had…

New England Appetizer Sampler (Crab meat with Mushroom, Scallops wrapped with Bacon, Breaded Shrimps)





New England Clam Chowder Soup





Caesar Salad and Biscuit





Shrimp and Lobster Pasta





Salmon New Orleans





And he had Heineken Beer and I had Strawberry Margarita





Yep there was no dessert! We were just so full we didn’t even finish what we ordered. Too bad I missed the best part! :)

Irvin’s job

Irvin has been working for almost 3 weeks now as a cashier at a BP station. He is ok with it so far other than the shift being 12 hours and he has to stand most of the time. He doesn’t have a permanent schedule yet so there are times he works during the day and sometimes at night. It’s kind of hard for us at 1st. Imagine not being able to see each other for a few days! He leaves in the PM before I get home and arrives in the AM when I’m already gone. That’s one big sacrifice that we’re currently facing. He works mostly with Filipinos so I think that’s a plus. He has already adjusted in a way with his sleeping pattern.

Anyway, he would always set the table with the food already prepared before he goes to work. I remember the very 1st day he went to work when there were two plates on the table which made me cry. Why? He said he did that so I won’t think I’m eating all by myself.






Then there was a note saying…






He would leave me love notes most of the time and I find it really sweet. Oh and there was this time that he was on a rush and he just sautéed sardines for our dinner. He sprinkled it with parsley making it look like an Italian dish. Haha!





Party in MA





We are going to MA on October 5th to attend the opening party of the Vachon Wildlife Sanctuary. Tita Laling has been so busy these past few days and so is Uncle Kenny. Everyone is just excited for this. We’ll be there for 4 days and we hope to come back for Thanksgiving. Probably not… Irvin said he couldn’t ask for a vacation every month. We’ll try our best to spend Christmas there. Anyway, it’s not really a formal party. The invitation said… casual. So here’s what I’m going to wear…





TV shows

I’m getting so hooked on Grey’s Anatomy. I don’t know but the twists of the story… the life’s experiences of these interns just makes me so interested that I wouldn’t want to miss an episode. Irvin and I have also been watching Prison Break and Vanished on the Fox Channel. Actually, there are a lot of nice new shows this fall on TV. I just couldn’t watch everything. I kind of feel bad also that I can’t watch CSI because of Grey’s. But maybe I should since I noticed they’ve been replaying Grey’s episode during Fridays for 2 weeks in a row now. Hmmm… Oh and I shouldn’t forget Dancing with the Stars. I also like this show. It’ll be great if I could learn to dance the way they do. If I could just dance like that, I think I could lose a lot of weight and have a nice lean body. What do you think?! Haha!

Birthdays, New Baby, New Job

August 30 - Dudes
September 9 - Manuel
September 15 – Uncle Kenny
September 18 - Rene
September 24 – Tita Laling & Tito Ariel
October 1 - Olan

Happy Birthday, guys! All the best! Mwah!

Congratulations, Rommel and Cherry for a healthy and pretty new baby!

My sister Aou has finally found a job at Watson Wyatt. Though it’s just a contractual job, I’m still happy she was able to get it. Congratulations, Aou!

Storms in the Philippines

’Milenyo’ (Int’l Name:Xangsane) has just left a few people dead when it struck the southern part of the country. And now ‘Neneng’ (Int’l Name:Bebinca) is coming in. Read more...

Let’s just hope that it will not cause much damage and that everyone will be safe.

*****

This is all for now! I hope to blog often in the coming days.