spiCes

…when you reach the big 4-oh. it’s a total eclipse of the heart! haha! it stops there. sabihin nalang natin na lampas na ng kaunti ang aking butihing asawa sa numerong iyan, kaya ang birthday cake nya..hayan…3 lang ang kandila…for aywabyu! hihi!:) and so…life begins, again!:)

 OLD-FASHIONED CHOCOLATE  CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING AND TOASTED COCONUTS para sa kaarawan ni Marco noong nakaraang 2 linggo.  recipe to follow over at my 1 and only food blog 

lahok para sa Litratong Pinoy…NUMERO.

…something that we all look forward to when we go for a night or so hotel living, or should i say living of reality for a few days. when we get away to unwind a little. when we forget about everything behind to have room service, a nearby pool to wade in and yes…eat all you can breakfast!

…and i love love love this muffin! yummm-eeehhh! i even got another one with blueberries to go! haha!

…we can never have complete breakfast without the scrambles right?

this one’s S’s bagel. definitely with cream cheese.
had to end it all with a bowl or two of fresh fruits! no photo though, sorry..i decided to enjoy the last few bites without the camera getting in the way.:)

…my take on this theme, a heart healthy dish.  a bowl of warm and delicious vegetable noodle soup, or any kind to most will always be comfort food…but more importantly, it’s good for someone who needs to cut down on sugar and carbs . shhh…this will be our little secret, ok? he doesn’t want me to talk about it here on my blog. maybe it’s just a result of the depression that came with the sudden realization, and a very recent one too [just last week, ironically...even before i thought of this theme] that he is now a diabetic. he must’ve had Diabetes for a time now, we just didn’t know since he hates going to the doctor. this time though, i made sure that he is scheduled for his annual check up, whether he liked it or not. and this is what we found out, unfortunately. incurable and genetic as it is, we are still thankful that it’s a disease that can easily be controlled with the right food, change of lifestyle and correct attitude.
i still have so much to learn about it, believe me.  unprepared as we are about this,  we have decided to take those special classes for Diabetes soon.

so what’s this chocolate cupcake doing in this post, you may ask?  since day 1, i have been researching and shopping for ’special’ food and ingredients for M. it has slowly dawned on us that this is a total change of diet and lifestyle not only for him, but for all of us. the children being very susceptible on having the disease too…has to be educated as well.

this…is called LOW-FAT VEGETABLE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE. i was treated to a trip to the full house on a Saturday morning FLOUR, a very popular bakery in Boston, well..it was featured in one of Food Network’s shows that i cannot remember which one exactly at this moment, pardon me.  and so  i chose a few sweets for myself and Samia, who has a sweet tooth just like dad!:(… just as i was going to pay for my loot, came right in front of me was this guy from the kitchen with a full tray of freshly-baked chocolate cupcakes, so it seems.  i don’t know why i asked for its exact name, but i did. and was so delighted to learn that it’s the healthier version of the sinful dessert! yay! he deserves some prize for being a good boy the whole week…don’t you think? and so he had it for dessert after lunch.

and as Marco himself puts it…this is like a ‘wake up call’ which should be taken in a positive way.  it’s not the end of the world and so….here’s to a whole new HEALTHY-er and HEARTY-er life ahead!!!

is a bi-monthly FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style!

Advance Happy V Day to all!!!

yay! i am back! i am back! not only to posting an entry to one of my most fave weekly memes in the whole wide and wild world!!! [tarush! titaT! hehe] but i am back to blogging…paid blogging, working per se! i have finally snatched that groove back and i simply wish that this doesn’t end here. wish me luck!

ah, syanga pala…manipis diba? e di manipis na klase ng pasta? pwede na duhbuh? oo? oo! hehehe!

an entry to

A continuation of the lechon kawali/deep fried pork roast post which we enjoyed for our New Year’s Eve dinner which also happened to be my birthday dinner as well. I did not make any appetizers since we actually went out for lunch which served as my birthday eat-out celebration.

This is the lechon kawali which the Hubs handled wonderfully using a turkey deep fryer. Crispy skin and moist meat inside were just delish.

Egg Rolls or Lumpia was part of our dinner too. I guess this could have been an appetizer but I included it in the main menu. I used  broccoli slaw by the way instead of cabbage coleslaw pack.

To balance the meat entrees (lechon and egg rolls), a vegetable side dish was a must. We always have a vegetable side in any of our meals, holidays or not. I made this vegetable stir-fry which you can make anytime.

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 1 large zucchini, sliced
• broccoli florets
• asparagus
• mushrooms, sliced
• lemon-pepper seasoning
• salt and pepper
• oil

Toast  the garlic in oil for about a minute, Don’t burn. Set them aside in a plate. On the same pan, add the broccoli. Cook for 3-5 minutes or so. Then add the asparagus and zucchini. Stir in 1/8 cup of water, cover and let the vegetable cook until tender but not too soft. You want them still crispy. Add the button mushroom last, then season with lemon-pepper, salt and pepper. Stir gently and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer the stir-fried vegetable into a platter then sprinkle the toasted garlic on top.

The white rice and 2 sauces. On the white bowl is a combination of soy sauce, half of lemon juice, finely shopped scallions and a pinch of red pepper flakes. This was the sauce for the lechon kawali. On the black bowl is a sweet & sour sauce for the egg rolls.

Here’s my dinner plate of second helping. I forgot to take a picture of my first serving .

And since it was my birthday, we had ice cream cake for dessert. Hubs bought this cake and proudly told me that it’s a layer of whipped frosting which I LOVE, chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream and another layer of chocolate cake on the bottom. It was delicious of course.

The whole meal was delicious actually. We didn’t finish everything so leftovers for launch the next was also delish . For our Christmas dinner recap, check it out here.

LASANG PINOY SUNDAYS: HOLIDAY RECAP . Please join us at Lasang Pinoy Sundays and share with us your own Holiday Dishes Recap.

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Thank you so much to Dexie for initiating this!:) I hope this would be a very good start for LaPiS! and just a short announcement…maybe we can do the meme on a bi-monthly basis for the moment…say every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. and for those who might want to guest host, as i’ve always said…just give be a buzz! not that kind of buzz though! hehe!
I hope you all had a fab Christmas and New Year celebration guys just as we did!:)

finally my website is back to working order. thanks to Anton! my virtual tech support. haha! it turns out my previous theme has been corrupted by all things SPAM! and so now i can go back to that blogging feeling that has been stashed in the dumpster for a very long time.

here’s wishing my sweet little man a happy happy 8th birthday! i hope he’s happy with his loot!:) the lego set that he so badly wants over a party.

the simple and lowly carbs filled POTATO…is this week’s theme. simple? i had a difficult time deciding on what to post here! geesh! seriously. but more importantly i was so swamped the whole weekend and with that…i offer my deepest apologies again this time for posting oh so late!

anyway…i was able to come up with anything Potato in a jiffy…what better way to eat them but having them baked! slathered with loads and loads of butter, a dollop of sour cream and a drizzling of chopped chives. deelicious!!! even my daughter loves it!

is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style! we are off next week in lieu of All Soul’s /Saint’s Day…and so i bid you all a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

kids and nutella…what can possibly go wrong, right? and if i may say so, even for big kids like me! i made these on one of those playdate days. tried to make the simple bread and nutella spread a bit more fancy by making them into cutesie nutella sushi! an easy-piecey, quick-in-a-jiff, eye-candy solution for KIDS and their friends!

is a weekly FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style!

update: we will be doing some Iron Chef inspired themes soon as per Jay’s suggestion and as agreed on by most of you. do not fret though…the concept of having a ’secret ingredient’ is all we are borrowing from the show. and to kick off this new game, next Sundays theme is STRAWBERRIES! have fun and happy week ahead guys!:)

…after a long while, we came back to Panera for a simple yet hearty dinner for Samia’s 90909 birthday.

and this is what i had…the Lobster Sandwich.

…coupled with a bowl of deliciously warm Broccoli Cheddar chowder.

is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style! this week…freestyle!:)

“Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit” is a schoolyard saying and children’s song about the capacity for beans to contribute to flatulence.[1] The song is also variously known as “Beans, Beans, the Miracle Fruit” and “Beans, Beans, the Wonderful Fruit”. One variation of the song is titled “Beans, Beans, They’re Good for Your Heart.”[source: Wiki]

BEANS in my burrito. i like! [not too much though, haha!] i had to specifically give proper instructions to have them in a separate bowl since M doesn’t want his burrito with beans. they were from Chipotle, where i first learned to appreciate rice and tortilla eaten together! lol! we used to have them in New York, street food fashion. i wasn’t much of a fan although they were authentic [read: made by true blood Mexicans lol!] the ones from Chipotle were humongous, good for 2 and deliciously spiCy, the way i want it!:)

is a weekly thematic FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style! eat your beans!:)