Sick Children: Chicken Pox and HFMD

July 21, 2015

This July has been a skin slash viral disease kinda month for me. Nurse/Doctor Mommy has clocked in overtime hours like crazy.

A few weeks ago, my two-year-old, Z complained of itchy hands and feet. I noticed her palms and the soles of her feet were quite red. Initially, I thought she had an allergic reaction to something she ate. So I just gave her anti-histamine. In the morning, I noticed that her rash has worsened.

My 9-year-old daughter, N, also showed me a pustule on her thigh which I suspected to be chicken pox because she had several on different parts of her body. Not in clusters but solo.

In the meantime, the rashes on Z's hands and feet were getting redder. I was then suspecting Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD).

I consulted my husband's cousin (doctors in the family really come in handy) and she confirmed my suspicion (seconded coz she did not really confirm). (She also seconded my opinion on N's chickenpox.) Her mom (who was also a Doc) told me to bring Z to the pedia already. Because if she has rashes inside her mouth, she might have difficulty swallowing, eating and breathing. So I did. Doc said both N and Z have HFMD.

They were contagious. (N said, "so is yawning.") N missed school for a week. I needed to disinfect and change sheets every so often so D, my 7-year-old, did not get what they had.

For Hand-Foot-and-Mouth-Disease, Doc advised to just apply Bactroban ointment on all pustules. Let the kids take anti-histamine to minimize itching. The blisters might be painful at times so if they have on the soles of their feet, keep them off them for the time being. Z had so many blisters on her feet she wanted to be carried all the time. I also let her wear socks and mittens so she wont scratch.

Upside? Z no longer sucks her thumb. She couldn't suck her thumb while she was sick because she had big-ass blisters on her fingertips.

Fast forward to last Friday. Kids were home because of the end of Ramadan. D, my 7-year-old, showed me a budding blister. I told him that that was just a mosquito bite. And he said he has a huge one on his genitals. When I checked, the blister looked like a pox. But I was hoping it was just HFMD that he got from his sisters. Trip to Doc confirmed that it was HFMD. Doc said since both my girls still have scabs from their HFMD, it was unlikely that they would get it again from D. I gave D the same treatment as I did my girls.

Saturday. His chest was peppered with blisters. And it hella looked like chicken pox. I sent the picture to cousin-doctor and she confirmed.

Unfortunately, Z also developed blisters on her neck. She also acquired chicken pox.

My diagnosis/analysis: I was correct that N had chickenpox and Z had HFMD. N's chickenpox was controlled because, being my eldest, her vaccines were fairly complete. She had the varicella vaccine. And since she already scabbed, she gave away her chickenpox to the younger ones.

As advised by the pedia, I gave them both Aciclovir, an anti-viral medication. For Z, Herpex syrup. For D, Herpex tabs. They had to have them 4x a day for 5 days. Aciclovir is pricey. Herpex tabs cost me P101 at Rose Pharmacy and they only had 3 tablets available. Pricey and hard to find! Zovirax is a pricier brand at P171. The pharmacist said there is a discount (30% off) that you can get from the pedia.

I found a RiteMed version of the tablets at only P68 at La Nueva Pharmacy. (We had to drive around town to find the Herpex brand. Hard-to-find!) I also found out that they were also selling the Herpex Syrup at only P500 something. Way cheaper than Rose Pharmacy's P600 something for a 50mL bottle.

However, cousin doc and tita doc told me not to buy any more anti-viral medication for them since the disease will still just take its course even if they take medication. They told me to just apply calamine lotion on the itchy parts and let them take anti-histamine at bedtime. Oh and Vitamin C! I guess to speed up the healing process.

As of today, they are both feeling a little better. No more fever for Z. Many blisters have also flattened. The worst is over. Thank you, Lord!

(Medicine dosage depends on the weight of the child.)

The Temple of Leah: A Symbol of Undying Love and Ceaseless Devotion

22 April 2015

When my sister, Twinkle, came over to visit, we checked out the newest tourist spot in Cebu.....

The Taj Mahal of Agra is one of the most famous structures in the world. The emperor had the monument built in loving memory of his wife (third), Mumtaz Mahal.

The Temple of Leah is slowly becoming one of the most famous in Cebu. Perched high above the hills of Busay, the "temple" is breathtakingly huge.

We entered through the side near the parking area. (We found a really neat spot under a tree.) And then I discovered that Facebook pictures do not really show that the building is still under construction so we had to go through dusty stairs to get to the main floor. But oh when we got to the main floor, wow! Transported to Rome! Or the Parthenon.

The Roman architecture was constructed in 2012 by Cebuano businessman, Teodorico Adarna, as "a symbol of undying love for and ceaseless devotion" to his late wife, Leah Adarna, whose golden image sits regally in the middle of the temple. Awwww...

As inscribed in the temple, he also wanted a structure that would withstand time so that future generation of Adarnas who came from her would be able to go back to their roots.

(A detailed family tree may also be found in the temple.)

When finished, the temple will have 24 chambers that will showcase the lifetime collections of Mrs. Adarna. We saw a library and sections upon sections of porcelain and marble statues and figurines. The items were just covered in plastic and not in glass cases befitting them.

Guarding the entry way of the temple were two giant golden lions (sphinx inspired). On one side, a naked Roman archer poised ready to shoot. There is also a coin operated telescope on the temple grounds apart from the statues found sporadically.

Unfinished, the building was already impressive. The Adarnas are very generous in sharing this edifice for FREE. (Although, I wonder how the workers get things done with so many people checking out the place daily.)

On our way out, I saw mermen lying on the floor. I am not sure where they will be placed but I sure am coming back to find out.

Cooking Mama: Bangus Belly ala Pobre

22 April 2015


My children are fond of fish. The boneless kind. Maybe because that's all we have in the fridge most of the time. Normally, I'd marinate it in calamansi juice, soy sauce/Worcestershire sauce and magic sarap. But since a friend shared his instant fish rub, I'd been using that ever since. But of course, toyomansi is still good.

Deep-fried and crispy. That's how we do our fish. Until I got bored and I tried this....

BANGUS BELLY ALA POBRE

INGREDIENTS

1 boneless bangus belly, marinated with toyomansi
2 tbsp calamansi juice
1/4c soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar / muscovado
1 med onion, cut into rings

PROCEDURE

1. In a bowl, mix calamansi juice, soy sauce and brown sugar. Set aside.
2. Fry bangus belly on non-stick pan (if available). Fry both sides but do not overcook. Fish shouldn't be crispy.
3. Add onion rings.
4. Pour over the fish your calamansi-soy sauce-sugar mixture.
5. Simmer for a few more minutes to cook the fish with its sauce.

Serve with garlic bits on top. (I couldn't coz hubby is allergic to garlic!)

Summer Mommy? Hah!

April 22, 2015

What was I thinking? Posted too soon, I guess.

Once again, I find myself without a yaya. Between my last post and today, I have had a barrage of problems but I am still fortunate to be alive and breathing. So, from "summer mommy", Super Mommy is back. (Super Mommy is sometimes mistaken for Always-Angry-Mommy because of the many things she needs to juggle day in day out. Lol!)

Let me warn you about the yaya who recently deserted us.

GEMMA RODRIGUEZ. Native of Manjuyod, Negros Oriental.

I liked her. She did not cook but she cleaned very well. She took care of Zasha, too. And I knew she genuinely liked my 2-year-old.

BUT she did not like Draco, my 7-year-old. What irked me most was that she once sent Draco out of the house, out the gate, to the street -- because he was misbehaving. She also lied. She'd say one thing and then the kids would tell me differently. And when I confront her, she'd say sorry like it was nothing. I know, I know. I should have fired her then. I didn't. I needed a helper. Who's gonna watch over the kids when P (my husband) and I go to work? Yup, losing end --> moi.

She was referred to us by the helper next door (who eventually upped and left, too). When I interviewed her last February, it was her first time to set foot in Cebu. She had two previous employers whom she stayed with for also just a few months. (IKR? Alarm!) True enough, a little after a month, she said she was leaving because she was going to school in June. By first week of April, she already found a replacement. Yaya sent her money but she was a no-show. And so...yaya killed her dad. At least that's what she said. She needed to go home. ASAP. Her father died. Fell off the coconut tree. Or so she said. She was a liar and I did not believe her. But I let her go right then and there because she sulked to kingdom come. And I HATED IT.

And so now I am hash tag yayaless once more.

Summer Mommy.

25 March 2015

Summer break is here! Actually, it started last weekend -- and I didn't even know it!

No more waking up at 5 in the morning to get the big kids ready for school. Woohoo!!! But Cooking Mama is still on so I wake up at 7. I change to my sweat clothes and get my yoga on. And after that, apron over the gym clothes and Cooking Mama is on. I still love cooking so this is like a happy place. (And I can't believe I'm saying that! LOL! Cooking and me??? Who would've thought we'd be a happy couple?) And then I don my office uniform -- my least favorite of all because this would take me away from my beautiful babies.

Oh, I wanna have a 'me' day. I wanna have a haircut. If my hair stylist of over 20 years was not absent last weekend, I'd have short hair by now. I did my nails last weekend, too. Painted them a nice bright red. Haven't had polish on my nails since December 2014. Me with the hash tag nailart almost every week. Sadly, color lasted for 3 days. It was just nail polish after all. My family is enjoying the ChocNut Kare Kare that I made for them today. (Slicing the vegetables was what killed the nail color. But I'm not complaining!) Mommy. Happy to serve.

I have so many things planned for my children but I have two obstacles to conquer -- our budget and my husband.

Budget is budget.

Hubby, on the other hand, is difficult. He is not one to cooperate immediately according to my plans. He is also not very keen, initially, on things to do for the kids. Whenever I tell him, I have something planned for the weekend, for the children; his automatic response is -- "We will see" or the Cebuano favorite "pohon" which means, yes, "we'll see".

I say initially because he always gets on board, eventually. Although, sometimes, he doesn't do it on time. Which is sad. For me. For the kids.

I've already gotten the application forms for the McDonald's summer kiddie crew program and I think hubby has approved. So that's one of the things the kids would definitely be doing this April. But that's just five (5) days down. I have more planning to do. So help me God!

Cooking Mama: Yummy Hammy Burgers

24 March 2015

YUMMY HAMMY BURGERS

I wanted to make something that would make the kids smile when they opened their lunch boxes. But I failed.

I'll still share the recipe though. It might turn out differently for you. Plus, this is a nifty recipe using the remaining processed food you might have in your fridge.

Ingredients:

1 c sweetened ham, minced
2 tbsp green bell peppers, finely chopped
2 tbsp carrots, finely chopped
2 tbsp onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 tsp rock salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 pc. egg, beaten
2 tbsp flour
1/4 c bread crumbs
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp butter

1. Combine ham, bell peppers, onions, parsley, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
2. Blend in beaten egg, flour and bread crumbs with hands or wooden spoon.
3. Divide mixture into 5 portions and shape into burgers.
4. Chill to set for at least 1 hour.

5. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat until hot.
6. Fry hamburgers for about 5 minutes on each side.
7. Drain on paper towels before serving.



Note:

They formed beautifully. They were frozen when I deep-fried them. But they dissolved. :(

Comment if you improved this recipe. Thanks!

Cooking Mama: Fried Chicken Curry

24 March 2015

This is a Cooking Mama post. But before that, lemme share this story.

I have stomach problems. Acid reflux. GERD. Basta, I have tummy booboos.

I remember that whenever I was pregnant, I'd get this burning pain right in the middle of my chest. Right below the cleavage and just above my very preggy belly. It felt like there was a huge hook that was pulling my entire rib cage out of my body through that one area. It made me throw up everything I ate. Nothing stayed down at all. And when I've thrown up everything I had eaten for that day, it made me puke my guts out.

I was not allowed to drink coffee (which almost killed me). Okay, I exaggerate. I had ginger tea. Yaya would boil fresh ginger and I'd have it before I sleep. Until I discovered this ready made salabat like instant coffee. Just add hot water. So I had that. And then when that was not available from my supplier and yaya left us, I bought this ginger powder from the supermarket. Salabat is ginger, right? Wrong.

When I tried drinking the ginger powder, it tasted like shit! Sorry. I mean, like tinola! Not at all like salabat! When I asked my officemates what that was, they said it's for arroz valenciana and/or curry. It smelled like curry! So maybe it was curry powder!

Since I had a lot of ginger powder, I made Chicken Curry. With a twist.

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp. Oil/Butter
3 pcs. Potatoes, peeled (or not), quartered
2 pcs. Carrots
1 lb. Chicken, cut into serving pieces (Thigh or Breast part)
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 large Onion, quartered
1 tbsp Patis
3 tbsp Curry Powder (hah!)
Salt & Pepper
1 c Chicken Broth
1 pc. Red Bell Pepper, cut into squares
1 pc. Green Bell Pepper, cut into squares

2 packs Powdered Coconut Milk or
1 c Coconut Milk

To cook:

1. Pan fry potatoes and carrots using butter. Add a little salt & pepper. Set aside.

2. In the same pan, fry chicken pieces and brown a little.
3. Add garlic and onion. Saute for a few minutes until soft.
4. Pour in patis and season with curry powder, salt & pepper. Stir for 2 minutes.
5. Add chicken broth. Cover and bring to a boil.
6. Lower the heat. Add bell peppers, potatoes and carrots.
7. Simmer until half done.
8. Add coconut milk. (Dissolve 2 packs of coco milk powder in 1 cup of water.) Stir occasionally.
9. Cook for a few more minutes while stirring.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Cooking Mama: Pinakbet

24 March 2015

Pakbet you'll love this!

1/4 lb Pork, thinly sliced (any part -- belly, pork chop...whatever you like..)
1 large Eggplant, sliced
1 med Bitter melon, chopped
(I still haven't gotten to liking ampalaya. My tongue literally crawls down to my stomach when I even try a teeny bit!)
1/4 lb Squash, cubed
3 pcs Tomatoes, sliced
1 pc Onion, chopped
1 tbsp Ginger, minced
(or not! Hahaha! I hate biting into a piece of ginger unknowingly. So huge slices of ginger for me!)
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
6-8 pcs Okra, sliced
1 bunch String beans, cut in 3 inches length
4 tbsp Shrimp paste / Bagoong
(I use Barrio Fiesta or Zaragoza. Nothing of the fuchsia kind found in Cebu!)
1 c Water (I used pork broth for more flavor.)
3 tbsp Cooking Oil
Salt and pepper

Okay, before I share the procedure, I'd like to explain my improvisations. :)

I did not eat vegetables when I was a child. I think I've already shared that I only started eating veggies when my kids were already talking.
Eating veggies is fairly new to me. And if that is new, cooking veggies is a whole 'nutha level of new!

I don't like ampalaya. Bitterest melon ever!

I love ginger. I drink salabat (ginger tea) every night. I used to chew on a piece of ginger when I lost my voice and I needed to sing. But eating it, accidentally, ugh! So no. I need to see the ginger slices in my meals. It should not creep up my mouth and make itself known.

There. Now let's start cooking!

1. Saute garlic, ginger, onion and tomatoes.
2. Add the pork and cook until color turns light brown.
3. Put in the shrimp paste and cook for at least 2 minutes.
4. Add pork broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until pork is tender.
5. Put in the squash and cook until squash is soft.
6. Add the remaining vegetables and mix gently.
7. Simmer briefly until veggies are perfectly cooked.

For meatless Friday, substitute pork with prawns.

Cooking Mama: Chicken Liver Steak

24 March 2015

I love chicken liver. Or any kind of liver for that matter. I love how it kinda melts inside your mouth.

No matter how it is cooked, I like. Certified -> liver lover! ;-)

Here is my Chicken Liver Steak recipe.

1/2 k Chicken Liver
2 whole Garlic, minced
1/4 c Soy Sauce
4 pcs. Calamansi
2 med Onions, ringed
1 tsp Ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp Pepper, ground
4 tbsp Canola oil
2 pcs Eggs, hardboiled, sliced (No need!)
2 stalks Green onions, sliced for garnish

1. Mix calamansi juice, soy sauce, garlic, ground pepper and ginger together.
2. Marinate chicken liver in the mixture for an hour or more.

3. Heat oil in frying pan at low fire. Fry liver on both sides but do not overcook. Set aside. (Do not throw marinade.)

4. On the same pan, add onions and cook until soft.
5. Add the liver and the marinade in the pan and simmer until sauce thickens.
6. Add the sliced hard boiled eggs then mix. (This one's optional. I could do without the eggs.)
7. Garnish with green onions and serve.

And enjoy!

Cooking Mama: Easy Siopao Sauce

My kids are kinda fond of siopao. (Although, for me, nothing beats Roberto's siopao from Iloilo.) Here in Cebu, there is no sauce for siopao. I have not seen that special sauce in any of the dimsums I've been to. So I decided to make my own. Of course, the recipe came off the web, too.

QUICK AND EASY SIOPAO SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 c Beef Stock (or beef cubes)
1 pc Star Anise (or 1/2 tsp 5-spice powder)
2 tbsp Corn Starch diluted in 4 tbsp water
1/4 c Onions, diced
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
Dash Ground Black Pepper
4 tbsp Brown Sugar (I used Muscovado)
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Rock Salt

1. Heat the saucepan and pour-in beef stock. Bring to a boil.
2. Add onions, garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, black pepper and star anise. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Make sure to cover the
saucepan to trap the steam. Add extra water as needed.
3. Turn off the heat then filter the liquid using a strainer.
4. Heat another sauce pan and pour in the filtered mixture. Bring to a boil.
5. Add the diluted cornstarch and stir continuously until the sauce thickens.
6. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.

(Noticeably, my siopao sauce still has tidbits floating in the dispenser. I did not do procedure #3. Shortcut. Tee-hee!)

Cooking Mama: Beef Nilaga

10 March 2015

Here's another Pinoy fave. I cooked this but once because beef is so hard to tenderize! And I already used a pressure cooker at that! (If you have tricks as to how to shorten the palambot part of the cooking, do comment!) Although I also heard "cooking people" say that cooking has no shortcut. Oh well...

BEEF NILAGA

Ingredients:

1 k Beef sirloin, cubed (I used Beef Ribs, tho. It's really just up to you.)
2 bunches Pechay
1 sm Cabbage, chopped
6 pcs. Banana saba, halved (crosswise)
4 pcs. Potatoes, quartered
1 L White onion, halved
4 stalks Celery, chopped
2 pcs Star anise
4 c Beef broth (you can boil the beef before starting anything)
4 c Water
Salt & pepper to taste


1. Combine the water and beef broth in a large cooking pot. Boil.
2. Add the onion, star anise and celery. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover the pot and continue to boil for 20 minutes.
3. Remove the onion, star anise and celery from the boiling liquid using a strainer. Discard.
4. Add the beef. Simmer for 60-90 minutes or until the beef becomes tender. (See? Takes forever! I used a pressure cooker to cut time -- a little.)
5. Add water if necessary. Put in the banana and potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add pechay and cabbage. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Cover and turn the heat off.
7. Let the pot stay with the cover on for 2-5 minutes to cook veggies.

Note:

I also added carrots and chayote coz I like.

Enjoy!

Cooking Mama: Kangkong In Oyster Sauce

10 March 2015

Since I decided to do meatless Fridays for Lent, I have been googling vegetable recipes using veggies that I don't normally eat. Take for instance kang kong. I never ate kangkong because I remember seeing them growing right beside my lola's pig pens with the pigs feeding on them. Kangkong for me was kaning baboy.

I only started eating vegetables when my eldest daughter could already talk. That's when she would tell me to eat MY vegetables. However, I only ate veggies with English names. Cabbage, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, string beans, etc etc. Kangkong, alugbati, tugabang? I don't know them. That's why on my first attempt to buy kangkong, I was tricked. I asked the market tindera if the bunch of leaves on her table were kangkong, she said yes. Since I don't know my green leafy Filipino veggies, I bought a bunch. When I got home, yaya told me they were alugbati and not kangkong. Grrrrr!

I finally bought the correct leaves at a supermarket where the veggies were clearly labeled. And kangkong is not Filipino, btw, it's Chinese! (Should've known by how the name sounded!) Price tag read: Chinese Kangkong P62 - 1kg.

So here's last meatless Friday's dinner. (My husband wanted adobong kangkong which I will eventually try to prepare soon.)

KANGKONG IN OYSTER SAUCE

Ingredients:
A large bunch of kangkong
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp garlic, finely minced
1/4c oyster sauce
2c chicken/beef broth
1.5 tbsp corn starch
Salt, pepper & sugar
1 tbsp cooking wine
Sesame seed oil

KANGKONG

1. Wash the kangkong well. Cut off the tough (lower) ends of the stalks.
2. Boil 6c of water. When water is boiling, blanch the kangkong for 3 minutes. Pour into a strainer and douse with cold water.
3. Let the excess water drip off then arrange the kangkong on a platter.

SAUCE

1. Turn the stove to medium and heat the cooking oil in a small pan. When hot but not smoking, toast the garlic.
2. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off the oil.
3. Pour in a cup and a half of broth and bring to a boil.
4. In a mixing bowl, stir together the remaining broth, oyster sauce, corn starch, salt and pepper to taste, sugar, cooking wine, and a drizzle of sesame seed oil.
5. Pour #4 mixture into the boiling broth and cook. Stir until thick and clear.

6. Pour sauce over the kangkong and top with toasted garlic.

Thank God It's meatless Friday!

CookingMama: Tuna Pasta

04 March 2015

Perfect for those doing meatless Fridays this Lenten season. Quick and easy and yummy!

Ingredients:

Cooking oil
1 large White Onion
1 head Garlic
2 cans Chili Corned Tuna
Butter
1 can Mushrooms
1 pack Spaghetti Sauce (I used the 4 cheese kind)
Basil
1 pack Cheese sauce or slices
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 k Pasta (cooked according to package instructions)

Saute onion til transparent. Add garlic.

When garlic turns brown, add tuna. Add 1-2 tbsp butter, basil leaves and mushrooms.

Add spaghetti sauce and mix well.

Add cheese sauce, evaporated milk and cooked pasta.

Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

Let it simmer for 3 - 5 minutes.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Cooking Mama Me

05 March 2015

Finally. I have gotten to this blog again. I've redesigned it, added a newer selfie and have now resolved to write again.

Last December 23, 2014, our yaya (stay-in-babysitter) of two years upped and left us without a proper goodbye. I will be posting about her soon. But since she left I have been mommying for my family a little bit more.

I have been cooking a whole lot more, too. Not just fry. Really cook. Real food.

My alarm sounds off at 5AM and this is how my day looks:
* wake up schoolkids (N & D) * get them to shower & dress for school * cook rice  * cook N & D's baon for school * prepare their breakfast * pack their snacks & lunch * send them off to school * cook lunch for my husband and dinner for everyone * get ready for work * 8-hour shift * wash dishes & prepare the children's stuff for the next day * watch tv and sleep for a few * repeat

My husband and I would just take turns watching the baby since we still have a 2-year-old. He gets no rest, too.

Nope, I'm not complaining. I am happy taking care of them. I am tired all the time but I'm happily tired.

I have a new yaya now. She has been with us for about two weeks already. Some load off my back but I still do the cooking because she cannot cook.

So now I'd like to share my recipes to busy working moms like me. Easy recipes I got off the net. Most of which I have tweaked because some of the ingredients are not in my shelves. Oh boy, if my old friends could see our kitchen now! My shelves have so many spices that I actually use! My fridge has vegetables and not just the frozen ones! Real veggies. Leaves! (Back when I was single, all my fridge had were just unhealthy, liquid stuff -- beer, vodka, soda and no water!)

I have compiled the ones that I have tried in an old Starbucks planner and labeled it "Cooking Mama" off that game that my daughter adores.

CookingMama: Creamy Tomato Soup

6 December 2014

I know, I know. I haven't blogged in so long but I'm glad my sister in San Diego insisted on a link to the Tomato Soup I just made.

We've been anticipating the arrival of this typhoon-turned-super-typhoon-turned-typhoon-turned-super-typhoon again since yesterday. And I've been craving for Italian food for the longest time. So, while the skies are gloomy, I whipped up this super easy Creamy Tomato Soup.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps. Butter
2 medium-sized onions, diced
1.5 c Tomato Sauce
Salt
Basil
Oregano
Italian Seasoning
Magic Sarap
Full Cream Milk

1. In a pot, saute onions in butter over medium heat until translucent.
2. Slowly whisk in tomato sauce and add water depending on how thick you want your soup.
3. Add a pinch of salt, magic sarap, oregano, basil and Italian seasoning.
4. Cook until boiling but turn off heat before it actually boils.
5. Cool a little then slowly stir in milk. You may add parmesan cheese if you wish.
Serve immediately.

...just droppin by

August 8, 2013

It has been quite a while since my last post in February 2012. Over a year! Whoa!

I have since gotten pregnant again (after the miscarriage), given birth and baby number 3 is now seven months old! We have moved houses (yet again!), too. I have been unfaithful to this blog but hopefully I can post some more soon.

Just wanna share that last week, someone broke into our house and left with my husband's white Ice watch, cellphone and some lose change. I still get the shivers whenever I think about it but it has been only been a week. Burglar accessed our bathroom window at the second floor and got the items from the living room at the ground floor. I am just thankful we didn't hear a thing and that we weren't awake at that time. I am suspecting the culprit was a kid based on the hand print and smudges he left in my bathroom wall and laundry area. (Will post photos soon. Crossing my fingers!)

2012 was a good year for us. 2013, um, I can't say. So many things have happened which has changed our lives but I am afraid I am still not ready to talk about it. Until I feel that we have actually moved on, I still won't budge.

...the February 6 Earthquake

February 7, 2012

I wanted to write about what happened yesterday but the aftershocks kept going last night that's why I couldn't write just yet.

Anyway, my husband and I were at our children's school to pick-up Nyx and drop-off Draco. After I walked Draco to his classroom, Papoy, Nyx and I left for SM. A few seconds after we got out of the school, I noticed people looking up an unfinished building. I pointed them out to my husband and just then construction workers started running out of the building. Papoy said the electrical transformer might have blown-up. I told him that the cables and wires were all shaking but there was no fire. Then he said there might be an earthquake because people were coming out of their houses and buildings to the streets. (We couldn't feel the quake because we were in the car.)

Papoy wanted to go back for Draco but I said it might not be much. But all the way to SM, people were still pouring out onto the streets.

When we got in the mall, I was able to go online and read that the earthquake was 6.8 strong and included Negros island. I immediately called my sister who was in Bacolod and she told me that she was scared but they were safe. And while we were still talking, the earth shook yet again! And again, I couldn't feel it because I was on the escalator! (Talk about luck!) But the flags in the kids' cart in the mall were waving like crazy. Watsons staff also ran out of their store to the lobby. Mantaring, a local fix-it shop, had their keys for duplicating jingling like bells. I couldn't help but notice that Jollibee, Chowking and Greenwich were still serving customers and people were still queueing. (No quake can stop hunger?)

Papoy told me to hurry so we can go to a smaller mall for lunch. At this point, SM City's PA system already made several announcements calling people not to panic and to proceed to the exit doors slowly and that there was no need to run. This was when tenants started running to lock their stores and flee. We rode the car and joined the long queue of cars making their way to the street.




I was already worried about Draco and so we went straight to CIC to pick him up. By then, there was already mild traffic outside the school and parents were coming out of the school with their kids in tow. When I got inside, the students were in the quadrangle and were being appeased by their teachers. I tried to look for my little boy but I couldnt find him in the sea of students. It's a good thing Nyx's teacher saw me and motioned me to go where they were as she asked Draco to stand up so I can see him. It was beginning to drizzle so I told Draco to hurry to his classroom and get his bag. Being the OC that he is, he took the open book on the table, placed it in his bag, got the pencil, placed it in the pencil case and tried to make his books stand properly in his bag. I grabbed his bag and told him to hurry because the other students were being asked to line up by the corridors and we might get trapped in the crowd.

Draco told us that while they were writing in their Language book, the floor started turning underneath him. They were asked to go outside and stay at the quadrangle. When they were about to go inside, the earthquake started again. So they stayed at the quadrangle and prayed which was when I arrived.

I am thankful that Papoy and I were there right away to be with our children. I am very, very thankful that I was not on duty yesterday and I was with the kids when the aftershocks kept coming even when we were already in bed.

God is so much greater than any earthquake and tsunami combined. And like He said during the tempest that scared the disciples, we all just need to have faith in Him.

. . . So Sad!

December 5, 2011

The Sunday before last, we went to the Carmelites Church to light some candles since we missed mass because of the carwash. (I'd rather not elaborate on that.) And while my children and my husband lit the candles, I knelt down to say a word of prayer. One word led to another and then my tears started flowing.

My daughter asked me why I was crying. I told her because I was talking to Papa God. I realized that I have been doing that a lot lately -- talking to God and weeping. I do not understand why but I also find myself looking at the altar and then telling them symbols that 'sometimes, Lord, I wish I were dead.' Seriously. And then I think about what if I had died while they were 'completing the abortion.'

Yesterday, I just wanted to be alone. I wanted to be left alone. I wanted quiet. I did not even want to hold my children's hands when we were at the mall. They both tried to hold my hands but I shook them off. I told them to go to their Dad because we have been together all day while their father was working. But they still wanted my hands.

I am not sure what this is leading to but I am just trying to get my feelings out. It's almost Christmas and at mass yesterday, it was one of the things I cried about. It's almost Christmas and yet look at us. I'm just sad. Really sad.

... Recipe: TUNA FRITTATA

December 1, 2011

My husband and his brother love torta. So even if I tried making Tuna Frittata, they still called it 'Torta'.

At least, they loved it.


TUNA FRITTATA

Ingredients:
1 can Century Tuna in vegetable oil, drained
2 pcs. medium sized onions, minced
1 clove Garlic, minced
½ cup Mixed vegetables – green peas, carrots and corn
1 pc. Potato, diced
1 1/2 tbsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp tartar sauce
2 pcs eggs
1/2 tsp salt and another 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
a pinch of magic sarap
3 slices white bread (torn to small pieces with crust removed)
salted butter
pepper
Japanese style bread crumbs

Procedure:
1. Heat 1/2 tbsp butter in a warm pan over medium heat.
2. In a bowl, whisk eggs, tartar sauce, a little pepper, magic sarap, worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.
3. Saute garlic, onions and 1 tsp salt til garlic is brown and onions are clear. Add the potatoes, corn, green peas and carrots.
4. Add the tiny pieces of torn bread. Mix thoroughly till the bread blends with the mixture.
5. Fold in tuna. Mix again.
6. Add the egg mixture and cook until the edges are all set. Slightly lift around the edges to allow some of the uncooked egg mixture to run under the sides.
7. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of the slightly formed frittata.
8. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until it is set around the edges but still soft in the middle.
9. Invert the frittata onto a plate, and slide back into the pan until almost cooked in the middle. Remove from the heat and allow the frittata to stand for 5 minutes in the pan.

... Recipe: Homemade Pork & Beans

December 2, 2011

Seriously, this maternity leave is doing wonders on my cooking skills. I bought this pack of white beans a long time ago but unfortunately, my then yaya and my then manang did not know what to do with it.

And since I have a whole lot of time in my hands (and I spotted the white beans stashed at the back of the cupboard), I decided to give Homemade Pork and Beans (HPB)a try for the very first time.

HPB always remind me of Sundays at home when I was a little girl. It was either Nanay or Tatay who cooked it. Now I know why they don't wanna do it nowadays. It takes forever!!!

Anyway, here's my version of the HOMEMADE PORK AND BEANS:



Ingredients:

1 kilo White Beans
1 tbsp Salted Butter
6 cloves Garlic, minced
1 large Onion, finely chopped
4 pcs Potatoes, cubed
6 pcs Red Tomatoes, sliced
1 kilo Pork Belly or Adobo Cut
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp knorr Seasoning
2 cups Pork Broth
1 small pack Delmonte Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 cup Canola Oil
2 tsp Salt
4 tsp Brown Sugar
3 pcs Pan de Sal or white bread, dissolved in water
1 tbsp Powdered Milk
Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Magic Sarap

PROCEDURE:

1. Pre-soak the beans by covering with 2 inches of water overnight.
2. Drain and rinse. Drain again.
3. In a pot, boil pork cubes with a tbsp of salt to make it a little tender. Do not throw away the water after boiling. Drain and set aside for later.
4. In a saucepan, heat oil then saute garlic, onions and potatoes (in that order).
5. Add pork cubes and cook until brown.
6. Add soy sauce and Knorr seasoning.
7. Add pork broth.
8. Add the beans and cook covered until tender. (This part takes forever! I was able to wash my children's uniform, cook rice, wash dishes, and clean my prep area while waiting for the beans to be tender!!!)
9. Add spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, salt, pepper, milk, Italian seasoning, butter, Magic Sarap and lastly, brown sugar.
10. Let it simmer for a few more minutes.
Serves a lot!