Friendship Tag

I am more than glad to have received this tag from blogger buddy, Kumagcow. Thank you! It's very much appreciated, buddy!


We need Friends for many reasons,

all throughout the season.

We need Friends to comfort us when we are sad,

and to have fun with us when we are glad.

We need Friends to give us good advice,

We need someone we can count on,

and treat us nice.

We need Friends to remember us

one we have passed sharing memories

that will always last.

Spread the Poem of Friendship. 1. Everyday Life 2. Words of Love 3. Sheng's Simple Thoughts . . . 4. good thoughts, good trades 5. Ours and Our Kids 6. Jengspeaks 7. Jacque 8. Snippets of My Mind 9.Melisse's Domain 10.Seize The Day 11. Living A' La Mode 12. Simple Delights 13. Motherhood in a Nutshell 14. RainCindy's Blogging Time 15. General Santos City 16. About Love and Relationship 17. KUMAGCOW - The Goodlooking Guy on His Journey : ) 18. Beyond My Quiet Zone

I want to share this wonderful friendship tag to the following blogger buddies 1) Juliana 2) Debbie & Dana 3) April Heart 4) J'laine 5) Race 6) Mira

Beef Broccoli

Inspired by the food blog posted by a blogger buddy, I managed to cook this one dish based on his recipe. I’ve been cooking this recipe since years back when I was yet trying to imitate those dishes we have tried from some authentic Chinese restaurants we have dined in. I didn’t know that one spice spells a big difference to the dish itself. The moment I tasted my finished product, immediately I realized what ingredient I was missing all along, it is ginger! Now, my Beef Broccoli taste like an authentic one from a Chinese restaurant. My thanks to Ken, of Manong Ken's Karinderia.


Beef Broccoli

Ingredients:

• beef
• broccoli flowers
• garlic
• onion
• soy sauce
• olive oil
• sesame oil
• ginger - (the one I've been missing all along)
• salt
• ground pepper

Procedure:

• Slice beef thinly. In a bowl, mix sliced beef, corn starch and soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
  

Cut broccoli into flowerettes.

• Heat oil in pan. Add the remaining ginger in the heated oil for a minute then add the marinated pieces of beef. This is done in high heat. Mix and toss. When beef is cooked remove from pan. Then saute garlic and onion. Dropped the broccoli floweretes and bring back the beef. Add a little water just enough to cook the broccoli.

• Cover and simmer. Add corn starch dispersed in water. and little soy sauce to taste. Add a dash of ground pepper. Serve hot.
  

For a more detailed procedure, you may want to visit Ken's Blog.

Six Things About Me

This is a meme from Mira, of A Moment to Exhale. I do admire her coz I think she's a Jane of all trade. Thanks for the thought, buddy! Well, it's time for me to share some things you don't know about me.

1. Link to the person who tagged you (see above).

2. Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading).

3. Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).

4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game)

5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.


Six Things About Me

1. In person, I don't usually make the first move to meet new friends.

2. I enjoy the company of my small group of friends.

3. I am very blessed being married to a loving and responsible better half.

4. I am a typical mother, very concerned about the welfare of my children. Always wanting to make sure that my children are safe and sound whenever or wherever they're out with friends.

5. I love long stemmed red roses, good friends and good food.

6. I'm acrophobic, have fear of guns and snakes.

Now I am passing this tag to six of my blogger buddies coz I want to know more about them.
And they are 1. Kikey Loo 2. Piggy (PL) 3. Eunice 4.Dhemz 5. Reanaclaire and
6. Richelle

Better on the second try

I was again in the mood to pull out the pan and mess up the kitchen. Though it was still a weekday, daughter was off from work and surprisingly hanged around the house the whole day. Son was in and out of the house. Hubby arrived home by dinner time. On days like this, there’d got to be some foodstuff stashed in the ref or served on the kitchen counter. Yes, there’d got to be! But unfortunately, I haven’t gone out of the house yet to pick some grocery fares. I really was so lazy the past days and I felt like I don’t wanna depart from my computer anymore. But yesterday, it was out of the ordinary. My craving for delicious food never ends. I am blaming it to AFC’s (Asian Food Channel) Cable TV program this time. Food, food, and more yummy food, all delicious treats you can find there. So now, after seeing some appetizing cuisine, I ended up cooking Carbonara, a pasta recipe with white sauce. I had no real recipe for this. It was all experimentation. I have tried it before but I used the wrong ingredients and understandably got a poor review from my bosses in the house. On its second try, sans the bacon et al,(fyi, I don’t eat pork) it received a good significant mark from the jury. Once more, there's no measuring done. Just some estimation and blending of ingredients together. Here’s how i did it.

My own version of Carbonara:

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti noodles
  
• Evaporated Milk
• Nestle Cream
• Butter
  
• Garlic
  
• Onion
• Olive Oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chicken breast- shredded
  
• Canned button mushroom (sliced)
• Crispy chicken skin(bacon substitute)
• Cheddar cheese (plenty of it)
  
• Salt or Patis (fish sauce)
• Parsley
  

Procedure:

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Drop the shredded chicken breast. Mix a heaping tbsp of butter. Place the mushrooms, sprinkle with dash of ground pepper. Simmer for a while. Then pour the Evaporated Milk followed by Nestle Cream. Sprinkle with salt or drops of patis (fish sauce) to taste, If the sauce thickens, drop part of parsleys and pour over cooked spaghetti noodles or blend and simmer shortly. Arrange on a plate and garnish with cheese, some crunchy chicken skins and the remaining parsley.

Here’s the finished project:

Note: The photo was taken by daughter on her Kuya's share. May not look inviting but taste A-ok. (Nah!)

Pasta Cravings

A while ago, I opened up my mail and found the subscription mail from my niece’s blog. It shows a mouth watering Penne Pasta recipe and a tasty looking Baked Roll. It has made me crave for those. If only she’s a house away I could have been there right away and would have grabbed for some. But can’t, coz she’s miles away on the other side of the globe, particularly in San Diego, California. Nevertheless, I just can’t stop my craving. It’s good that I still have some elbow macaroni left in the cupboard. Glad as I am that I could make some macaroni salad. But there was no chicken available so I made use of what is in the ref. I found some Crab Sticks and Shrimps so I substituted them for the chicken. I made it without any measurements. Just mixed the mayo, onions, pineapple tidbits together with its juice, salt, freshly ground black peppercorns, chopped shrimps, cut crab sticks, cheddar cheese and that’s about it. Hubby just came out from his afternoon nap when he saw what I was preparing and asked me if I am expecting a visitor. When he learned it was for them, he sat on the dining table and took it right away. After consuming a good serving, he gave his thumbs-up sign and that's my consolation. If not for Raquel’s pasta, they won’t be having some today. (Note to Jay: Do I make a good copy cat?)

On Nephew's Wedding

Our nephew's wedding was over and done. The young couple is now drowning in honeymoon bliss out there in Cebu and Bohol’s romantic getaways. Their wedding was a blast that was absolutely enjoyed by the whole town’s folks. I wasn’t able to catch a lot of pictures since I had to attend to my son’s celphone call outside the church. Nonetheless, I caught a few and here they are.

Metro Manila's Global City

After sending my mother-in-law off to her flight to Australia last Monday, September 1st, we passed by the so called “Global City” in Taguig City on our way home. We saw the continuous development and progress of the booming skyscrapers community and I can’t help but be awed by the pleasant environment it offers. Well at least it’s not as crowded as Makati City or any other place in the Metropolis. I had a glimpse of the infamous Embassy Bar and of The Fort, ( just the facade), where the sons and daughters of business tycoons and high politicians chill out and get into trouble after. This is also the favorite hang out of local celebrities and the rich and famous wannabes. This “Global City” is the ideal business hub in the future. Here are some photos I took while hubby kept driving around. Some photos of the Libis District were also included here.

Traveling the Northern Part of Luzon

The past weekend was very tiring for us who traveled to the northern part of Luzon particularly to Isabela. We passed by the provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Viscaya then finally, Isabela. However, the destination town which is Quezon is at the northern part of the said province so we had to travel a little farther. Here are some of the photos I took along the way.