Wacky Goodness

I wanted to try to bake a cake and since the brother-in-law is throwing a party tomorrow, I decided to make one. The cake was easy. The frosting was the problem. I don't have any confectionery sugar and I have to work on what I have on hand. I googled and found one... the only thing I didn't like is how messy it is since it is not the thick kind of frosting. Next time, I will try another kind.

This is the little one I made for the nephew. I might end up bringing this one tomorrow.

I will try making pandesal next time so wish me luck :D

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Kids just love them! I'm going to try bittersweet chocolate next time.

Sugar Coat It

I love Red Ribbon's Pastillas de Leche. I also love the pastillas sold in the supermarket that is wrapped in white Japanese paper. They are simply delicious! Really soft and milky and with just the right sweetness. My sister started making pastillas last night and got the wrong measurement for the milk so it was gooey. With some adjustment, I was able to improve the consistency and it turned out well in the end.

Pizza Roll

Whenever we have a family get together, we usually order pizza rolls. It's one of the regulars in our menu. Because they stopped doing delivery, we stopped serving it too. My sister and I always wanted to make it but seeing how laborious it is, we always give up to the idea of actually doing it haha But yes! finally, I did it!

Oh So Lovely!

Got a wonderful surprise from a friend of mine from the UK. It definitely made my day :)

Goodbye

Bien Louis Cruz Fermin

September 24, 2011 - August 23, 2012

We are deeply saddened by your passing. You left so suddenly when a better life was just within your grasp but it is still a blessing that you will no longer feel any pain.

As tragic as it is, your life has ended before it can even begin but nevertheless, you have put a smile on our faces and you have touched the hearts of many.

Farewell, little one.

Simple Shrimp Pasta

My attempt on the simplest shrimp pasta based on recipes I found online. It was okay given I have used what I only had here. If I have fresh herbs, it could have been better (plus garlic bread of course).

Also, nicer (for presentation) with spaghetti or angel hair pasta.

Not My Kind of Pain

Two aches that I hate the most - headache and toothache. I got them both last night, the bad kind, and still is bothering me until today. I need to get my teeth pulled soon. I wonder how many milligrams of antibiotic I need to take before the big day. I can deal with fever and cough and colds but not these two. It leaves me incapacitated. I just want the pain to go away.

Post Birthday Celebration

Yumminess and happiness! That's how I would describe that day.
My sister treated us for a hearty lunch at Holy Cow! I loved the baby back ribs and Dezato mochi ice cream! We also stopped by Toy Kingdom like we always do.

Cowboy Combo Platter and Creamy Clam Chowder

Lonestar Grilled Pork Chop

Captain Grilled Salmon

Ranch Steak and Ribs

Mochi Ice Cream

Longanisang Intsik

One of the simplest and easiest to prepare yet very delicious fried rice that I love to eat - Sinangag na may longanisang Intsik (Chinese sausage fried rice). A cup of hot cocoa will be perfect with it :)

Getting there

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Last July 30, the story of Bien Louis Fermin was featured in Sharon, Kasama Mo Kapatid. The show helped Bien to complete the needed money for his liver transplant in Taiwan. The family is very grateful to everyone who helped, shared, and prayed. This is only the beginning.

In a month, he will be undergoing liver transplant in Taiwan and a brighter life awaits him. We continue to ask for your prayers for a successful operation and fast recovery.

Again, thank you very much for giving baby Bien the gift of life.



Watch the episode of Sharon, Kasama Mo, Kapatid
Read more about his story in his Blogspot
Don't forget to follow his story in Twitter
Like and share his Facebook

A Fighting Chance

This is my niece's first born, baby Bien. He has biliary atresia.

We need help with the liver transplant fundraising campaign and raise P4,000,000 for his liver transplant in Taiwan. His lab results are good. He will have a higher chance of surviving the soonest the procedure is done.

Please help by sharing his story A Gift of Life.  You can also donate via bank deposit and/or PayPal. Thank you so much.

Green Peas

This is one of my favorite dishes that my mom used to cook. Nowadays, whenever we miss my mom's cooking, we just experiment and try to get the flavor of my mom's dishes. Sometimes we ask our aunt or just search online then adjust it to our taste. So for dinner I tried the dish "Green Peas."

Pizza Hut Delivery

Who would say no to a pizza? I know I wouldn't! It's one of my fave food on earth. I have been craving for a few days already and finally, we had some delivered!

And who can forget their famous jingle?
911-11-11, 911-11-11, 911-11-11 Pizza Hut Delivery

I was really impressed because they delivered not just on time but way before the estimated delivery time! Yay!

 Pepperoni Pizza

Supreme Pizza

I'm not that girl

I just can't stop listening to this song. It has been on replay for two hours now and counting.

Hands touch, eyes meet
Sudden silence, sudden heat
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
He could be that boy
But I'm not that girl

Don't dream too far
Don't lose sight of who you are
Don't remember that rush of joy
He could be that boy
I'm not that girl

Every so often we long to steal
To the land of what-might-have-been
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in

Blithe smile, lithe limb
She who's winsome, she wins him
Gold hair with a gentle curl
That's the girl he chose
And heaven knows
I'm not that girl

Don't wish, don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not that girl

Suman at Kape

Not your typical... midnight snack :)

Merl's Native Delicacies

Suman sa Lihiya

Lalud, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro

(043)286-7684/0916-3566381/0922-8473458

Ginisang Mais at Hipon

What did I have for lunch? Ginisang mais at hipon! This is a favorite in our household so I decided to share it here. Ginisang mais is a very simple and easy dish to make. It is very delicious and nutritious too. It is worth giving a try! 

You will need 8-10 cobs of white corn (lagkitan) - grated, garlic, onion, tomatoes, pork, petchay (ampalaya or malunggay leaves can also be used), labanos (raddish), shrimp (if preferred, peeled and deveined).

In a pan, boil the pork in a little water. Brown the pork on its own fat. Saute the garlic and onion. Add the tomatoes and squish it when it is cooked. Add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce. Add the grated corn. Mix well. Add the shrimps. Pour 6-8 cups of water (depending on how much you want. Adjust the taste by adding salt). Bring to a boil until corn and shrimps are cooked. Add the labanos and petchay. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Perfect as soup or with rice. Can also be served with fried fish.

The smiling puppy

 HELLO! MY NAME IS GARNET.

Last Saturday, the family went to the mall to beat the summer heat. We ended up having loads of fun! We had early dinner - me, settling for a bento take-out from Tokyo Tokyo while the rest of the family had KFC. We also ended up buying some stuff and grocery shopping. The most enjoyable time was at Timezone! My nephew loves going there to play in the video game section and other games like the claw crane, the coin pusher, basketball, etc. We have been saving the points so we can avail of a nicer and bigger prize. This time, we saw this very cute stuffed toy and decided we are going to get it!

MY NEPHEW WITH GARNET.

While we were on our way home, my nephew was busy thinking of a name. He kept asking us to choose which name is better and all that and finally decided with "Garnet." He was really happy to take home the smiling puppy and can't wait to return for another fun time at Timezone. He said he will be saving points again. It was a very pleasant weekend. Family bonding moments that I treasure.

What's your family's bonding activities?

My Pancit Canton

Pancit Canton is a dish of Chinese origin that has become a part of the Filipino cuisine. It is often cooked for special occasions such as birthdays (for long life they say) or just about any ordinary day since it is very easy to prepare and does not take a long time to cook. This is a favorite of my mom. Everytime we go out or visit the province, there will always be an order of pancit. She loved any kind of pancit as a matter of fact!

Ingredients for pancit vary and you can put anything that is available just like what I did today but generally, it will have noodles, meat (pork or chicken), seafood, and vegetables.

Garlic, Onion, Shrimp, Chorizo, Sayote, Carrots, and Chicken

Canton Noodles

Boil chicken until cooked and shred it. Keep the broth. In a pan, heat some oil. Saute the garlic and onion. Add the chorizo and shrimp. Add the shredded chicken. Season with pepper and let it cook for a few minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and a little broth. Add the carrots and sayote and cook as desired. Set aside.

In the same pan, pour the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and let it simmer for a few minutes. When it is cooked, add the sauteed vegetables and serve with a slice of calamansi.

And this is my version of Pancit Canton.

Crocheting, anyone?

Surfing on the internet, I came across people who crochet and how beautiful and cute their works are. It also reminded me of how my aunt would crochet clothes for us. This sparked my interest and I want to learn how to crochet and my dream that one day I will be producing beautiful things.

I started searching for free patterns for beginners and I have found so many! It made me feel more excited than I already am. I have copied a lot of the patterns and my only hope is that I have what it takes to crochet! I wonder though whether learning this craft is easy enough that watching videos and reading how-to's will do.

Next step will be buying my first hook and thread! What's the best kind of thread to use and what size of hook should I start with? I still need to do some reading I guess but still, I can't wait!

I will surely remember to take a picture of my crochet kit once I have it and of course, my very first finished product!

Hmm.. What should be my first project? A beanie, a bag, or a scarf?

A Gift of Life: Baby Bien

As part of the fundraising campaign for Bien's liver transplant, I made a video. I hope this little one gets all the help that he needs.

I got mine! You got yours yet?

If you want to have yours, visit the links below.
For only P350, you get to save a child's life.
Kiddie t-shirts are also available at P250.

Check t-shirt for a cause to know more.
Blogger: A Gift of Life
Facebook Page: Bien Fermin

Dairy Queen Delight

I love ice cream and I would never say no to a DQ treat! After a sumptuous lunch at Dampa sa Libis, the family went to Eastwood before heading home. It was pretty hot last Sunday and what better way to beat the heat than a cup of Dairy Queen Blizzard goodness! Yummy!

Dampa sa Libis - A Family Time

Sunday is family time. This is very common to most Filipinos including my family. Last Sunday, we went to Dampa sa Libis for a tummy-licious bonding time.

Dampa sa Libis is a restaurant that has a wet market and a dining area (air-conditioned and covered area with electric fan) and different stalls that will cook your food. Here, you get to buy your ingredients fresh!! There is a variety of seafood to choose from - fish, clams, mussels, crab, prawns, oysters etc., marinated meat and fruits. You will decide how you want them cooked and the staff will do it for you. The place offers good food with a friendly ambiance and a big parking space too. It is perfect for families and any celebrations.

I would suggest going an hour or so before lunch or dinner because you will have to wait for 30 minutes to an hour for your food to be cooked and for you to be able to get seats in the air-conditioned area  especially during summer time because it is too hot outside (depending how packed the place is).

Dampa sa Libis is highly recommended by our family! Experience it yourselves and you will know why we keep coming back.





Dampa sa Libis
No. 107 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue
Libis, Quezon City
(02) 667-3301
(02) 395-5050

The Black Cross

Today is Ash Wednesday. The first day of Lent.

Our resident turtles

Having their walk after the rain.

Even looking and posing for the camera! So cute!

T-Shirt for a CAUSE

This is part of Bien Louis Fundraising Campaign. As you can remember from my first post, I got myself a purpose, I am trying to help him get his liver transplant. The fun part is, you can help him too by getting the t-shirt.

For Adults

For the Kids

T-shirt for a cause - something to remind you of how you made a difference and how you took part in saving a child's life. How cool is that, right?

If you are interested to know more about his story or to purchase the t-shirt, check the links below:

Adult for only P350

SIZE         width        length

S               18''            26''

M              19''            27''

L               20"            28"

XL             21"            29"

Kids for only P250

SIZE         width        length

6                11''            13''

8                12''            14''

10              13"            15"

12              14"            16"

14              15"            17"

16              16"            18"

Facebook: Bien Fermin
Blogger: A Gift of Life

Have a good week!!!

Help!

So I took a shower a couple of hours ago and water accidentally got into my left ear. I have been trying to remove it but failed miserably. The feeling of having something in your ear and hearing differently in one ear as compared to the other is just plain annoying and uncomfortable. Water can sometimes be stubborn!

The so called chocolate

Chocolates! One of those foods that I simply can't resist. I like it plain or with nuts, milk chocolate or dark. It's certainly one of my comfort foods.

Awhile back, my dad tried making tablea (chocolate tablets). We have a cacao tree in the front yard and he wanted to see if he can make tablea out of the cacao beans since the tree was bearing lots of it. Unfortunately, it didn't work. Tablea is traditionally used here in the Philippines to make hot chocolate and it is really good and I love it. Nothing compares to this old-fashioned chocolate drink!

There have been studies about chocolate actually being good for us, in moderation of course! Dark chocolate is said to contain antioxidants which can help the immune system, the cardiovascular system and the circulatory system. That's good news for chocolate lovers, right? It is also said to be an aphrodisiac! Personally, I eat it for pleasure. How can I resist such a sweet treat?

I got myself a purpose

I'm just sitting in my room being unproductive so why not do something that can change someone else's life?

This is my purpose: help a child - Bien Louis Fermin.

At four months old, Bien was diagnosed with biliary atresia - a disease of the liver that affects infants with an occurrence of 1 in 10,000 and is the most common reason for liver transplantation.

Every child should be given the chance to live and enjoy life to the fullest. I want to give Bien that chance by helping him raise funds for his liver transplantation. He needs your help too and this is one way of doing that - sharing his story and including him in your prayers.

Please visit his blog - A Gift of Life