Scrumptious food made from scratch. That should be the benchmark of GREAT food. Given this, I am one to make some of my own cooking ingredients such as homemade tomato sauce, cream-based soups, pizza crust, dressings, marinades, etc.
However, there are instances when I just need to fast track my cooking. And, rush it is— I usually just pluck out great sauces from the pantry to make wonders on my meat given the VERY limited time I have. Ah, now, can you relate?
One of my favorites would be HUNTS honey-mustard BBQ sauce. The flavor is very intense yet smooth on the palate. Coats well with your favorite meat, too. It’s become my bestfriend when I need to dish out food that will cook under ten minutes (if, I decide not to marinate).
I usually marinate a coupla chicken breasts (like two whole breasts seasoned with salt and pepper) ahead of time. For convenience sake, I guess, everytime the need arises.
For the marinade, I just put in 3/4 cup of the hunts homey-mustard BBQ sauce and 5 cloves of minced garlic.
When it’s time to cook it, I cut it into bite sizes. Stir-fry them while adding slices of leek stalks for added flavor. Midway into the cooking, I add around 4 more tbsps of honey-mustard BBQ sauce for flavor reinforcement. There. Shockingly fast and easy.
Homemade stuff can wait until I’m load free again. Soon, I hope.
There’s something about Jollibee that makes Sam giddy. Aside from ‘Jollibee’ being one of Sam’s first words, it’s something close to her heart because her 1st ‘real’ party happened there when she turned two.
sam celebrating her 2nd birthday at jollibee
More than any other foodchain, Jollibee is the only one that can make Sam drop the world for chickenjoy! Haha!
Very recently, we trooped over to Ortigas to join friends and partners of Jollibee in its launch for the 39ers all-rice meals. Unbelievably mouthwatering meals for all of P39!!!!
We were treated to some grand shopping using ‘playmoney’ to buy jollibee mementos. Sam just literally grabbed whatever she liked! Sam’s heyday, you bet. She was to bring all those Jollibee loot for free!
sam's eyes sparked the moment she saw the jollibee mementos
mega shopping spree!
sam told me last night when she saw this photo, "mommy, please tell jollibee not to move because i get scared!"
Midway into the party, we feasted on yummy Jollibee rice meals served during the event.
So, who says you can’t have a feast for P39?
lumpiang shanghai meal
burger steak meal
beef tapa meal
Leaving the event, Sam kept whining. Why? She wanted to drive thru Jollibee for more chickenjoy. Waaaa!
“Mommy, are we going to ride a boat, an airplane or a bus?” Sam anxiously asked as soon as we set foot off the shores that would lead us to Camiguin’s sandbar or more popularly known as the “White Island”.
That day, Sam had a heyday sampling at least four means of transportation: taxi, tricycle, bus, ferryboat and a banca.
She didn’t mind the shuttle from point to point. All she knew was that she was off to Camiguin Island to scoop up some sand, build a castle and play some more.
She took with her a tiny pail and a mini cup all to mold the main castle and the “mountain” that she wanted to make.
She was petrified as soon as the motor of the banca went roaring. She demanded, ‘Let’s go home na lang!’. I had to coax her to go on with the fifteen minute banca ride that would take us to the island. Although the water was calm, it looked too overwhelming. God, I was minding both of our worries!
sam did not want to be photographed. she kept moving so i couldn't take her photo!
I felt like a droplet in the vast sea that surrounded us that morning. Of course, I had to brave that trip for us, anyway. I just had to talk to Sam to forget both our worries. Anyway, Jake was there plus ate Lisa, (Sam’s trusted yaya) to make me feel like there were other ‘droplets’ to keep me ‘stable’.
As soon as we got settled, we realized that island did not have a changing station! Oh god, how I hate swimming with long shorts and shirt! Haha! Not that I obsess in cladding myself with a sexy swimsuit , I just wanted to have the right attire for a major swimming pictorial este adventure. But what the heck, I just had to do with my shirt, shorts and beach poncho.
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The first five minutes in the island, Sam couldn’t be consoled. She was raising a howl like anything! She hated the waves that seemed to chase her tiny feet. She abhorred the texture of the sand as if it was dirt that stubbornly clung onto her skin especially on her feet. She did not want to be photographed. She just wanted leave. After all, that was just her first real beach bumming experience as a toddler (the past ones being justsightseeing trips).
But as soon as I scooped a big mound of sand using my hand,Sam instantly got amused and started to work on her sandcastle. Sadly, we weren’t too great in building a sandcastle that’s why Sam was successful only at making a ‘mountain’ (which obviously is simple to make).She raved about her ‘mountain’. Yes, like it was the highlight ofher Camiguin expedition.
sam in her element now...
She couldn’t be moreserious while she built her ‘mountain’.She was constantly commanding her yaya to fetch some pail of water from the sea, who knows, probably for the mountain’s ‘irrigation system’, hehe.
seriously serious this time!
she did not want to leave now...
she kept calling her yaya. she needed more shells and water for her 'mountain'!
Jake and I had a great time. Reminiscent of our honeymoonin Bora. Of course, this time, with our Sam in tow. We just had to take these photos.
bummin' around...
White Island is spectacular, save for the tiny rocks that made barefoot walking kinda discouraging. Overall, the island isso enchanting with the pristine white sands, clear water and the bright blue skies that crown the sea’s glistening glory.
Sam just had a GRAND time.
As we waited for the banca to fetch us toshuttle us back to the other shore, Sam spoke to her lola on the phone;
“Hi, lola! I made a mountain!” was her opening salvo. I was amused because in between her stories, I heard her say remarks like, “Oh, wow!” or “Ahhh…” presumably as response to whatever my mom was telling her.
sam talking to her lola
Then she went on to say, “I rode a boat, lola!”. Their conversation went on and on. I’m so happy at how she’s able to carry quite a lengthy conversation over the phone now. It quenches the thirst of her loved ones to hear her husky voice over the phone. So cute. Really. So, so cute.
Anyway, the banca finally arrived and off we went to our next stop: the sunken cemetery.
I used to pity kids whose moms did elevator speeches about their achievements at every opportunity. Elevator speeches are comprehensive stories you tell someone you run into elevators. Time is obviously limited that’s why you make the most of the ’story telling opportunity’ by saying a great number of short stories from the time the lift leaves the point of origin all the way to the destination. The stories usually speak of self-serving, narcissistic details about the person talking.
If there were olympics for baby milestones, they would’ve all included their brood in all the events, whether it was the “Where’s the light?” competition or “Where’s the lizard?” event. They all think that these were major events (being able to point to the lizard and show the light!) worthy of a full-blown publicity campaign. And now that I got my own kid, I can only hit my forehead in shame that I actually saw things that way.
Alas, I can’t be more proud now of Sam, my daughter. She’s all of two years old and now a wit, charm, brain and humor machine. I’ve been revisiting my favorite book, “What to expect during the toddler years”. Man, I was awed to find out that Sam’s development is advancing really fast way beyond what is expected from a toddler her age!
Well, for one, Sam is into photography right now.
sam taking a photo of her yaya
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Did you just say that? Am sure you did. I am posting photos here which she herself took very recently. Well-angled and precisely-framed photos of mostly me, Jake, her lola, nangnang and her yaya.
PHOTOS TAKEN BY SAM:
Can’t get enough of her lola’s pic…
Also, she prays the “Our father”, “Glory be” and “Angel of God” like it was taught to her by an angel. At one year old, she already sang songs like “Bahay Kubo”, common nursery rhymes, and, dig this, ”Catch me I’m fallin” by singer Toni Gonzaga!
Boy, and can she clean the house!!!!
Very recently, I saw her open a bag of tempura chips and quipped to the helpers, “Kain kayo ng chips o!”. My daughter is well-mannered! I am so happy that she’s got a giving heart. One time, she was watching TV Patrol with me, she caught this video of a child abuse victim and she said, “Kawawa naman the kid, mommy!”.
Once in a while she checks on the helpers. She frequently asks them, “Anong gawa nyo?”. Everytime she gets home from a simple stroll, upon seeing the helper at home she’d say something like, “Hi, Josie! Kamusta ka?”. She demands for a you-are-welcome reply everytime she says “Thank you”, though and says “Sorry” with matching kiss when she knows she’s hurt somebody.
Sam is majorly bilingual. She speaks both Filipino and English. She can translate Tagalog to English and vice versa verbatim. She knows what language to use depending on who she is conversing with. Funny, in a recent trip to Spain, while I pushed her stroller along that god-knows-where road, out of nowhere, she quipped, “Donde esta, mommy?”. I was cracking up in silence, floored at how she absorbed the little Spanish I know that I used in Spain.
She’s definitely gone a long way since she first learned about the abc of abc and the easy 1,2,3 of 1,2,3! She knows almost all the primary colors already and can identify almost all the common objects seen around (including words like “mascara”, “hair plantsa” and “extra ordinary beautiful!”) I listen with bated breath everytime she narrates to me whatever stories, opinions, feelings or impressions she may have at a particular moment. She tells them without skipping a beat. No baby talk. No fumbles. Just words. Very clear words.
Sam’s recent lines include:
“Mommy, do you want me to put sauce on your fish?”, “Ay no more salt na just pepper, okay?
“I’ll cook for you, okay? I’ll just defrost the chicken”
“I’ll put gas in my toy car. Ay, BLAZE pala itong gas!”
“Can I watch laughing babies on youtube.com, mommy?”
“Mommy, when I say thank you, you say you’re welcome naman!”
“Can I use headset? I want to be quiet when I watch TV eh”
Please remember that the girl talking is just all of 28 months old.
Elevator speech, it is. I am seriously laughing now as I am doing this. To all the proud moms in the whole Universe, continue the praise. Let’s celebrate the uniqueness of every child! Cheers!
“Marra, I’m at your place now. Where are you?!?” I rang up Marra wondering why nobody was at our appointed venue (Marra’s) at that appointed time for our belated Christmas lunch party. Worse, the owner wasn’t there! Haha, funny I thought.
“I’m a minute away!” she replied.
I was too excited catching up with Carla, Marra and Sheila plus the hubbies. I just had to be early in the party, I thought. Forever and a day would never be enough for our kwentuhan. I needed to know how Sheila is surviving a totally new life in faraway NZ. God, we just see her once a year! Welcome home, my friend. Our parties are never the same without you.
T’was great catching up with my high school friends Carla and Marra too. Although we make it a point to hook up every so often, we do not run out of new stories to tell. NEVER.
Marra’s been busy renovating her house. Despite the refurbishing, she still welcomed us to her home and shucks, served the meanest beef with mushroom plus carbonara on fettuccine to boot!
marra's creamy carbonara sauce
my beef caldereta
Potluck. Everybody brought along dishes to be laid out on the buffet table. I made some caldereta for us. Carla and Jojo brought chicken (sadly, as I was about to take a photo of it, I was surprised to see some traces of“chickeness”, yes, but mangled version. It was so yummy that everybody dug in quite too excitedly, messing the ‘chicken’ form of it. Kawawang manok, may it rest in peace!
The dishes on the photos were the ‘early birds’ on the buffet table. The other viands just arrived after sometime (and I was too hungry to take photos!).
Sheila and Jay treated us with some ’finger-lickin’ good’ bucket of chicken. Loved it!
Like always, the get-together was peppered with all the kwentuhan, asaran and pustahan! Yes, we’re in for some bet. Carla, Marra and I are on a race. What race? Well, it’s the race to our pre-pregnancy weight. How to get there should be the biggest challenge of our lives to date. The prize at the end of the race? A sumptuous buffet meal at either heat or spirals! Haha, not sure though if this one is a serious or a laughing matter.
carla and jojo
Oh how we love taking pics!
the baby is carla's youngest child, natalia.
everybody now...
The get-together wasn’t exclusive to grown-ups. We brought along the bulilits. But did they talk? The girls, not much. The boys? Oh yeah! Haay, we had to coax the girls to talk to each other but their shyness hindered them from talking and playing. Walang mana sa ina! Oh well, we just had a great time talking, talking and talking!
my daughter sam, carla's anika and sheila's jury
Now the gift giving. Thanks a lot for the gifts ha.
jury and sam exchanging gifts
Sam silently enjoyed the whole experience. I swear, she did. Her smile was a give-away sign.
marra's miggy (an atenean wearing a la salle shirt! perfect!)
jay, sheila and jury (not in photo: judo and justice. they were busy playing outside..)
Thanks for the good time. Thanks for the time, period.
Here’s looking forward to a meaningful, bountiful and a FAT-FREE(*wink* wink*) new year! Cheers!
I am saddened by the fact that Reproductive Health Bill is now close to being passed into law. There’s been a world of opinions said against the law already from some few quarters over the last decade that it has been tossed over to the Congress for deliberations but I feel that the civil sector hasn’t raised much howl to nag the Congress into backing down with the law. The problem is, the bill has not been explicitly explained, discussed and anlyzed in all the fora where various sectors are concerned. Is that bill a “kami-kami” thing among the legislators and some few chosen entities? That, to me, is grossly unfair. Parents, the majority of the studentry, religious groups, pro-life advocates and even tribal groups should have been consulted. These lawmakers only picked a handful from some sectors that do not exactly represent the whole spectrum of the people concerned.
The Reproductive Health Bill, according to the proponents would, among other things, promote responsible parenthood. It is to my understanding, that once the bill is enacted into law, the schools (both public and private) may already liberally include in their curriculum SEX EDUCATION. Does responsible parenthood mean entrusting this sensitive subject into the hands of the academicians? What if the teacher taking up this sensitive issue were gay? Or worse, a child molester in the guise of a doting, child-friendly teacher? Does responsible parenthood mean allowing the children’s minds to be corrupted with the concept of SEX at a young age? Are we cutting short their age of innocence? Are all kids on the same platform in terms of maturity and ability to take a solid grasp of what SEX is all about and what it’s not? You don’t have to be a Harvard graduate to understand that SEX is an extremely sensitive issue that should be dealt with utmost care at the right time and for the right reasons.
Why not close in on educating the parents on this sensitive issue? Parents are the ones who know their children best– whether their brood is ready to know about this topic or not. Sure, for the longest time this issue has been a taboo for the long-lost generation of the olden days, but now is the time for parents to be a bit bold and be in charge of this education but ONLY when they feel that the time is right. Not some teacher Juan or teacher Maria teaching sex education in an appointed time of his/her choice. No way.
Worse, to my knowledge, EVERBODY is mandated to embrace, follow and support this bill and will be penalized if they detest it. That’s asking for too much, I believe.
The government and the religious sector should join hands in strengthening FAMILY VALUES rather than on consequences that result from the LACK of these values. Is this a red flag for surrender since, anyway, times nowadays are already irrevocably modern and liberal? Do we give up just like that? I definitely hope not.
I don’t want my two-year old daughter to cut short her innocence by schools teaching sex education in grade school just because immorality has gone on a haywire that can, according to the proponents of this bill, be prevented by early sex education, condom and other contraceptives. The proponents of this bill mask all these reservations by saying that they are definitely not promoting immorality. To me, when you advocate contraceptives, it’s like telling somebody, “Hey, it’s okay to go to bed with anybody, just make sure you’re protected”. Of course, the lawmakers will shoot down this bold opinion again but it’s the sad reality, it’s the sublime purpose of this Reproductive Health Bill. Access to contraceptions by minors may be strict, but a free-spirited, adventurous and curious minor may have enough creativity to access a piece of condom and eventually ruin her whole life.
The voice of the parents should cry in unison now. We are our children and grandchildren’s heroes. Let’s save them from all this danger. It’s time to be heard, be seen and be understood. Time is running out–and fast.
It’s a big puzzle to me why Pinoy food hasn’t really made a mark in the global culinary scene. Never in the mold of, say, cuisines of Japan, China and Thailand among others. It’s barely up there. Nor anywhere, tsk.
I would totally undersatnd if pinoy cuisine lacked the gastronomic attributes worthy of a universal accolade. But it is not the case, really. Pinoy cuisine is exploding with succulence, character and potential. There’s got to be a way to shake up the global cuisine with the introduction of our mouth-watering adobo, kare-kare and lechon!
Sometime last year, I had the chance to visit a pinoy restaurant in New York City. The person who talked me into it raved about the food there which were mainly adobo and pinoy barbecue as the staple ones. My palate at that time was just pleading for pinoy dishes since it’s been weeks already last a pinoy dish landed in my intestines. I even thought to myself, good thing a coupla pinoy restos are in NYC in case some pinoys got homesick and wanted some of our local fares. Sadly, the moment I laid my eyes on their pinoy buffet, I knew right away I was not going to like what I would be tasting. True enough, I heard the music bed on my head that went “Kweng, kweng, kwwwweng!”. Food was a major letdown. The point of the matter is, if that was the kind of pinoy food we are showing the world, then we can’t expect the universe to praise our local fares.
We scoured NYC some more for pinoy food but we saw nothing better than the previous yucky one.
Luckily back here at home, there’s come about the burgeoning of pinoy grilleries. I love it! Good food are everywhere. My personal favorite pinoy food restos include, Abe (Serendra), Recipes (Grenbelt 3), Aristocrat (Roxas Blvd), Conti’s (Serendra), Pociana’s (Timog Ave.) and my all time favorite chicken at Max’. Lately, I have been addicted to Reyes babecue. Their bbq is so tender, juicy and moderately sweet. It’s so perfect with java rice, yum-o!
We have loads of great local restos serving authentic pinoy food here. It’s just a matter of being able to have the good taste for EXCELLENT pinoy food.
Here goes some of the photos of some pinoy dishes I have been crazy about. These are the viands I grew up knowing and loving.
Lately, I have been dishing out food cooked from either my bamboo steamer or oven. I found a sudden renewed wave of excitement in foods cooked in these two chambers. They release a certain kind of aroma that awaken my idle, sleepy palate!
I had the time to bake chicken tonight. I decided to do a pesto based chicken rub. I always keep a jar of pesto handy in my ref so that everytime I need it, I don’t have to belabour myself in doing it. Pesto may well go with your favorite pasta, crackers, rice (pesto rice), pizza or bread. In this case, I used it as my chicken rub. Pesto may be basil, spinach or parsley based. The most common is basil. Basil pesto may be hand pounded or processed. It really depends on your preference. To make it, chop about four cups of basil. Mix in a cup of extra virgin olive oil, one and a half cups of parmesan cheese, 3 cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of pine nuts (optional), salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Consistency of this mixture well depends on your taste, really.
Okay, let’s backtrack a bit and do step one of this Pesto Chicken with Gingered Rice Stuffing:
Rice stuffing is made from white rice (enough to fill the cavity of the chicken), pesto, some few slices of ginger, salt and pepper. Fuse all ingredients together to blend flavors in perfect harmony.
Stuff the chicken with basil rice. You might want to mix in some shitake mushrooms into your rice or throw in some scallions for added flavor.
Choose your veggie combi. I choose potatoes, red peppers and a head of garlic (upper head,chopped). Roasted garlic is best as rubs for breads like focaccia, ciabata or your regular wheat toast. You may opt to throw in eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, white onion and other veggies you might want to have. Season all veggies with salt and pepper and baste with olive oil or butter for extra gloss.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and smother with some more pesto. Squeeze in a swig of lemon or calamansi. Meantime, grease potatoes with olive butter and wrap individually in foil wraps (the foil makes sure the potatoes won’t dry out).
Bake with temp of 350 degrees for an hour.
Rice stuffing has all the juicy drippings of the chicken! The ginger component in the rice stuffing is crucial. It adds extra zing to the Pesto flavor.
The baked potatoes that went with the chicken is best with melted cheese, sour cream or just butter on top. Sprinkle in some chives for garnish.
I don’t normally give out exact measurements because everything is just based on my personal taste. Feel free to do adjustments. Let the flavors burst in your palate. Cooking is all about fun and adventure. Had this one-pot-wonder with matching Red Wine and a fantastic chat with Jake to boot.
Am still marvelling at the great time over lunch I had with ex officemates, Gene, Weng, Lia and Ron. We all trooped to The Old Spaghetti House along Katipunan to see Gene and Weng one last time before they leave and settle (for good) in New Zealand. Gene and Weng were evidently at their happiest when they spoke about this whole new adventure of theirs. They can’t seem to be happier now as they come close to finally leaving and giving their lives a total face lift when they move and settle in NZ.
Although Gene is almost certain that he’s not touching Philippine Media ever again, I’ve been bugging him to blog. Why? Because everywhere I go, people ask about him. “Where is Gene Orejana now?”, “Why did Abs-Cbn let go of him?’, etc. I can only shake my head in disgust thinking I too can’t exactly say why it was so. At least, the moment Gene decides to blog, even when he’s in far away NZ, he can do what he does best– giving the Filipino Journalist a good name.
My Dad was an avid fan of Gene. He literally dropped the world everytime On-Line was on air. He was the type who’d have the househelp whip up a great dinner to go with his On-Line watch. Like it was an Oscar’s event or something. My Dad was the intellectual, cerebral type and he wanted to opine on things but couldn’t be heard and so it was like Gene shooting away the questions for him and more! He was just too happy to have someone ask newsmakers very significant questions. Gene has this knack of asking sharp, crisp and cutting to the chase questions that normally (unintentionally or otherwise) made the guest say statements that were soundbyte worthy.
Daddy ached to see more Gene Orejanas on TV but like he always said, “Sayang di inaalagaan ng kumpanya nyo yang tulad ni Gene!”, and I say AMEN to that along with the other ten million viewers across the globe who glued themselves on ANC primetime’s On-Line for a good decade or so.
Teaming up with Gene was like TV Broadcast 101 for me. Learned a sea of lessons from him. He didn’t mind working with newbies, too. All that mattered to him was how efficiently things flowed in the set and how the show made impact on the people, the government and the world! Sigh, sayang, the guru is about to go.
Water under the bridge now. I did not see an iota of acerbity towards anyone or anything from the Orejanas as they spoke about their former careers (Weng, as a prized reporter, too, of ABS-CBN) in the Philippines. Obviously, this disposition emanating from the fact that they are chipper at the prospect of leaving and facing a whole new life elsewhere outside the chaotic life in Pinas. Gene, Weng and their kids are off to New Zealand now. About to start life anew. We can only wish them success, more blessings and peace. Stay ON-LINE, guys!
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