Pilipinas 2010

Can't believe it's been almost 6 months since my last post. I keep saying that I'll be better but I just can't find the time.

Anyway, we went home to the Philippines for a 2 week vacation. We had a blast! It's great to have spent some time with family and friends. Met my nephew Biboy for the very first time. He is so cute and definitely not cranky. We had his Christening the day after we arrived. A lot of relatives came. Also met some friends from Castrol (now BP) and college buddies from St. Paul. We also went to visit Adoy and Lanie in Cebu. Thanks to both for being very good hosts. Definitely enjoyed our stay and won't think twice in going back. Loved the food... fresh seafoods at very affordable prices. We also had the chance to go to Bohol for a day trip. Took a lot of pictures but I must say didn't really enjoy with the weather being so humid and hot. Had lunch at Loboc River Cruise. The 2 things I regret... Nanay was hospitalized for almost 3 days and I wasn't able to visit Tatay's grave in Laur. I'm just glad Nanay recovered instantly. Oh and before I forget, went back to Korean Airlines. All I can say is they're still the best! Customer Service is just outstanding.

Happy Easter!

IFC's friend was supposed to come today... well that wasn't even sure in the first place. Anyway, he probably ended up working over time.

I tried some new recipes from Campbell's again... the pork roast came out good actually. I baked it for 3 hours and put it in a grilling pan to brown a little. Couldn't wait for the sauce to dry. The lasagna is kind of bland... guess the salt and pepper I added weren't enough. I also made mashed potato and corn on the side.





Apricot Glazed Pork Roast
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Chicken Broth
1 jar (18 ounces) apricot preserves
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1 boneless pork loin roast (about 4 pounds)

1. Stir the broth, preserves, onion and mustard in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the pork to the cooker, cutting to fit, if needed, and turn to coat.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours* or until the pork is fork-tender.
3. *Or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
4. Serving Suggestion: Serve with Idahoan® Original Mashed Potatoes and steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. For dessert serve apple-cranberry crisp.

RECIPE TIPS
•Tip: For thicker sauce, mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl until smooth. Remove the pork from the cooker. Stir the cornstarch mixture in the cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 10 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens.

Beef and Mushroom Lasagna
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/4 cup milk
1 pound ground beef
2 cups Prego® Fresh Mushroom Italian Sauce
9 cooked lasagna noodles
1 cup shredded Italian-blend or mozzarella cheese

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Stir the soup and milk in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth.
2. Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it's well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat. Stir in the Italian sauce.
3. Layer half the beef mixture, 3 lasagna noodles and 1 cup soup mixture in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with 3 lasagna noodles, remaining beef mixture, remaining noodles and remaining soup mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese. Cover the baking dish.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until the lasagna is hot. Uncover the baking dish.
5. Heat the broiler. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 2 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Simple yet Delicious!

Pancakes for breakfast, canned tuna for lunch... I was like what else could we be eating for supper! I just didn't know what to prepare until I realized I bought tilapia fillets the other day.

And so, I thawed 4 fillets, sprinkled them with Mrs. Dash original blend seasoning mixed with plain bread crumbs, and baked them for 40 mins. Then, served with a few pieces of brocolli florets and a slice of lemon on the side. IFC liked it and that's all that matters. :)

Being Good Friday and all!

I'm off today in observance of Good Friday. IFC had to go to work though. Anyway, I was able to get that much needed rest... overslept I must say. :) And since it's a "no meat" day, I tried this great recipe from Campbell's. This is so easy to make not to mention that I have always liked white sauce on pasta. The only improvisation that I made was add salt and pepper. You should give it a try!

Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Celery Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup Birds Eye® Sweet Garden Peas
2 tablespoons chopped pimientos
2 cans (about 6 ounces each) tuna, drained
2 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Stir the soup, milk, peas, pimientos, if desired, tuna and noodles in a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Stir the bread crumbs and butter in a small bowl.
2. Bake the tuna mixture for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Stir the tuna mixture. Sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture.
3. Bake for 5 minutes or until the bread crumb mixture is golden brown.
4. Serving Suggestion: Serve with your favorite vegetable combination. For dessert serve ice cream.
5. Ingredient Note: To melt the butter, remove the wrapper and place the butter into a microwavable cup. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds.
6. Easy Substitution: Substitute Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup for the Cream of Celery.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

It's IFC's birthday today and we went to a Japanese Seafood Buffet Restaurant named Minado. The food was good. We're really stuffed. Going back? Oh yes!

Cooking galore

I know! I know! I still haven’t finished my post on our Canada trip… just realized how hard it is. Hehe.

On another note, we try to eat home-cooked meals as much as possible. But no matter what we cook, we still run out of ideas and eventually get tired of the same thing. It’s better to have dishes that would somehow need the same vegetables so we don’t waste anything.

Having said that, I cooked a lot today…

Pinakbet;

Fried “Galunggong” (mackerel scad);

Fish Escabeche using the same fish – my recipe is much simpler though compared to the one provided in the link:

- Minced garlic
- Julienned onion
- Julienned ginger
- Soy sauce
- Vinegar
- Water
- Sugar

and Bean Sprout Lumpia.

IFC helped me prep the ingredients and even washed dishes for me. I don’t mind cooking at all as long as I know IFC likes them and actually eats them. :) Now I can relax and watch TV!

hello!

Gee it's been a really long time since my last post. I wonder if people are still visiting this blog. Hope to blog about our vacation in Canada soon. :)

i'm getting there.

Went to the Supermarket yesterday… driving… by myself. O-ha! :)

Birthday Lunch

P.F. Chang's China Bistro

Happy Birthday!

Picnic at Cunningham Park!

More pictures here...

Fun Day in the City!

We’re off today because of the 4th of July holiday. Anyway, we went to see the movie Transformers at the Imax Theater AMC Empire 25. Well what can I say! It’s so good! We enjoyed it a lot. It’s highly recommended.

When MJ died, Madame Tussauds immediately put out his wax statue as a tribute. We were hoping to see it earlier and maybe take a picture but it’s no longer there. Instead, we found Morgan Freeman.







We had lunch at Yoshinoya and headed to SOHO. We’ve been in NY for years and I must admit it was our 1st time to go there. It was alright! I mean there are a lot of stores if you are there for shopping. We explored every single street and there were many people enjoying the nice weather. We bought ice cream at Tasti d lite and ate it outside the store while watching the passersby.

Then, we called it a day!

Let's laugh out loud!

We were talking about how I sometimes need to refer to a dictionary for words that I’m not sure I understand. I mean I’m not ashamed of it. English is not really my 1st language. Anyway, the next thing you know we were looking at an excel file. A word caught my attention and I didn’t even bother reading the whole sentence. Then I asked her… “I’m not sure what methodover means?! Is there even such a word”?! She replied saying, “Oh that! Well, that’s a typo. That’s actually method over!” I just can’t stop laughing. I felt kind of humiliated but it was just hilarious that I can’t help but burst into laughter with actually some tears in my eyes. I can really be a dork at times you know!

where I'm really from...

I found this article on CNN which made me smile thinking that somehow there are people who still appreciate the beauty of the Philippines. It may be considered a “third world” country… there may still be a lot to improve on… but I know there are so many great things that we can be proud of.

please pick one...

something new...

I started yesterday… basically filling out forms and reading some “tutorials”. It’s been decided that I will drive since it’s further from where IFC works. But I made a little “boo boo”… was wearing driving shoes and forgot to bring my other shoes. IFC had to take me instead. I also didn’t feel well in the PM… headache, dizziness and heartburn.

Today was a lot better. I had a headache again. I think it’s the reading. Anyway, she told me she’s going to show me where the drop box is so I just waited. She forgot apparently. I wasn’t able to charge my cell so I can’t even text IFC. The drive going to IFC wasn’t bad but I was 5 minutes late. As soon as I arrived, his co-worker was telling me how worried he really was. Oops!

Anyhow, so far… so good!

Easter Sunday 2009

Coney Island;

New York Aquarium.

Tita Zeny's visit

I’ve been really busy these past few days. Tita Zeny (childhood friends’ Mom from Cabanatuan City) was here. I just can’t express the excitement and happiness seeing her after 22 years. I was just 12 years old back then. There was definitely a lot of catching up. The weather may have not cooperated but… everything else was great. Here are some of the pictures…





More pictures here...

On another note, I went for a 2nd interview yesterday. It was pouring... I didn't have a choice but to drive. I must admit I was kind of scared but I did it again! :)

all alone

Went for an interview yesterday… first time to drive by myself. I must admit though that I cheated a little… 1) scouted the place before the actual interview; 2) IFC was on the phone while I drove (no talking though). Ok so maybe not a little. Nevertheless, I’m happy! :)

late winter snowstorm!

I thought we've already had enough. I guess not! A huge snowstorm hit the Northeast again.

I went out earlier (for my laundry) but had to go back. It’s so messy outside... there's about a foot of snow... and most people haven't even finished shoveling yet. IFC knew I won't be able to push the cart. I did go to the Laundromat to get coins though so I could at least wash our clothes here in the apartment building.

It took IFC almost half an hour to clean up the car. I also went to where he was parked and took these shots…