Breakfast is Served!

I rarely cook breakfast since Mark and I usually skip breakfast, either we have a late breakfast or an early lunch altogether but never a true one except this morning which wasn't even an early breakfast (served at 11am). The kids do have breakfast, a cheese sandwich, nuggets or sometimes pancakes. Once I give them their food that's when I start working on our lunch. But today I prepared scrambled egg with chorizo and mushrooms and I opened a can of sardines plus leftover rice from last night. I think from now on I'll start cooking a proper breakfast and have it ready way earlier than 11am!

Pre-Christmas Jitters

Pork all tied up for my Hamonado

We've been busy attending parties lately, few more days left before Christmas and I still have a lot of catching up to do with all the household chores. Thank God I had the will and energy to finish the laundry (with the last batch still on the dryer, lol). I still need to do some cleaning and finalize my Christmas menu. I am on panic mode!!! So many things to do and the excitement is slowly turning into anxiety. Fast forward to Christmas Eve so I can cook Paella, Fried Chicken, Beef/Pork Nilaga and Hamonado (yup, my revised and latest Christmas menu).

Mixed Paella once more (accdg to Mark, he can eat this everyday)

Pre-Christmas Cooking and Eating

Beef Sukiyaki

The best thing about making puto is knowing that I will be making Leche Flan too because of the unused egg yolks and that's what I did yesterday. It's not even Christmas yet but I'm just too hyped up. I am tempted to cook paella again, I actually took out the bag of mixed seafood, green peas and chicken from the freezer this morning only to return them back and cook Dinuguan instead. It's Lance's Christmas Concert anyway, a special feast afterwards would be awesome! Aside from the Dinuguan, I'll be making Crispy Pata and Beef Sukiyaki. I have a feeling that tonight's gonna be a delicious night!

Crispy Pata

Yummier Puto

I just made puto from scratch and it's a success! It's more delicious compared to my previous putos. I can't wait for Lance to go home from school. From now on, no more puto mix, I'll just stock up on flour and eggs, the rest of the ingredients (butter, milk and sugar) we always have and maybe I now have a reason to buy a hand mixer.

The only difficult part was beating the egg whites until stiff, I only used a whisk and it took me awhile, not to mention my arm got sore but the end result, soft and fluffy puto, was worth getting sore. I don't mind going through all that again but since it's Christmas, maybe I could write to Santa and ask for a hand mixer. Promise Santa, there'll be puto and milk waiting for you!

A few inches taller

Our little girl is growing up real fast. I surely miss my babies but at the same time, I can't wait for them to grow up and see what kind of children we raised.

More headaches in the future that's for sure, Thank God I have a high tolerance for pain!

A Spanish Meal on a Sunday

Sunday's special dinner was Mixed Paella. Sumptuous indeed especially after squeezing lemon on it, OMG it's really yummy!!! I still can't stop thinking about it and much as I'd like to eat again, the pan is empty. Last batch went into Mark's lunch box and the rest on our satisfied tummies.

Pretty easy to make when you have a bag of mixed seafood. I wasn't able to add chicken though because I'm too lazy to thaw the chicken but I put pork and chorizo, lots of bell peppers, green peas and several spices. It's not really complicated and difficult to cook as I previously expected.

Next stop? Arroz Valenciana.

Update on My First Apple Pie

My apple pie tasted better the next day compared to when it was freshly baked. I was afraid it's going to end up in the trash but Mark heat it up in the microwave and served it with ice cream. All of a sudden I'm brimming with pride and joy again and it all sank in, I successfully baked my first apple pie and we finished it! I am definitely going to make another one.

My First Apple Pie

I just baked my first apple pie! It's not a success but it's not a complete failure either. Next time, I'll make a thinner crust, make the filling sweeter and really pile up the filling with lotsa lotsa apples. The recipe called for 6 cups of apples and I only put 3-4 cups. I doubled the amount of sugar already but I didn't get the right amount of sweetness. Anyway, atleast it's still edible and I'd hate it if it went directly to the garbage.

I'm not good at baking but that doesn't stop me from trying. Before making the apple pie, I was really getting sleepy but it was still too early to sleep, the kids too were wide awake and since Mark needed a nap before going to work, I ushered the kids out of the bedroom and decided to try my luck in baking an apple pie. I first googled an easy apple pie recipe and got myself busy in the kitchen. An hour or so after, the pie was out of the oven and into my mouth.

I would definitely try this again, probably with a better recipe or another kind of pie until I get better at this. My new motto? Try and try until I cook a perfect pie!

Winter Fun at Sugar Bowl

Lance and Lei on their way up

We finally brought the kids sledding yesterday and this time they went down the steeper side of the hill at Sugar Bowl. Last year both the kids were still afraid to go sledding as it was their first time to experience such. Over the summer Lance had been anticipating for snow so he could go sledding. Since it was too cold to go when the snow first started, Mark improvised so they could go sledding in our front yard. For weeks we maintained the snow covering our stairs which we discovered was a bad idea since the snow hardened and we really had a hard time cleaning up. I guess no more sledding at home after that and besides that's what the Sugar Bowl is for.

Alex, Lance & Mac

We headed there around lunch time and met up with Alex (Lance's bestfriend). The good thing was, we had the Sugar Bowl all to ourselves. The kids had so much fun including Lei who went down all by herself several times but we had to get her at the bottom since it was a long walk back to the top. I told her to just sled down the lower hill but according to her it was too low. Really a Tapang in the true sense of the word!

brave little girl

A Match Made in Heaven

Woke up late but managed to cook what I'm supposed to. Just had to take a picture before the puto disappears. Lance would probably finish all the puto by the time Mark wakes up unless I save him a piece or two. Might as well have a bite myself before it gets all devoured by my puto monster.

Tomorrow's Menu

tomorrow's menu

Another trip to the Asian Supermarket, this time to buy spring roll wrappers, sunflower crackers, longganisa, sardines and blood. Tomorrow I am going to cook Dinuguan and puto, a match made in heaven! I will never get tired of looking at those familiar items. Next on my list is the powdered ube, I still have no idea how to make halaya using that but I will figure it out before Christmas comes or I could just buy the bottled one if laziness strikes.

Christmas Menu

December '09

Three more weeks to go until Lance's Christmas vacation. One more snack day, Lance's Christmas concert, just a couple more gifts to go and we're all set for Christmas. I haven't decided yet on my Christmas menu. It won't be grand unless we decide to have visitors but it's something to look forward to, another reason for me to obsess in the kitchen again.

I'll probably cook baby back ribs or pork BBQ, roast a whole chicken or chili wings, pasta for the kids and maybe some pancit, a dish with tomato sauce (could be any of these: mechado, kaldereta or menudo), vegetable salad or any other vegetable dish, either embutido or meatloaf, seafood (baked mussels, garlic butter shrimp or our favorite Snow Crab), beef/pork nilaga, a cold salad (potato or macaroni), grilled milkfish or pompano and for dessert, I want to make fruit salad, puto, leche flan and refrigerated cake.

Thinking of what to cook makes me hungry and makes me want to rush Christmas but then, I'll have to think about my New Year's menu! And while I'm preoccupied with my Christmas menu, the kids are all about opening gifts.

New Look

my handsome boy's new look with our Christmas tree's old look

Lance got a new look and so is our Christmas tree. Lance is now sporting a very short haircut for a change and since he is a beautiful boy, be it short or long he still looks handsome. He didn't like it at first but he told me the other day that from now on he wants his hair like that. He's always looking at himself in the mirror, first thing in the morning, during the day and before he goes to sleep. I don't know if he is aware of his good looks, lucky kid!

Our tree after the makeover

Our Christmas tree on the other hand had a makeover last night. I removed all the decorations and put them back in a much more organized manner meaning, the kids we're not allowed to help. My vision of a Christmas tree is one that has so many ornaments that you couldn't see the tree anymore. Maybe next Christmas I will try that. I'm also entertaining the thought of having a white Christmas tree for a change, or a real tree perhaps?

Precious Moments

tidying up a bit while Lance is in school

I love those hours that Lance is in school, I do miss him but I know he's happy in school and that is such a huge relief for me. I just make the most out of those few hours and get busy (with unfinished chores) but before I could do any of these, I make sure first that my little girl is busy or those few hours will just pass, and I hate it when I don't get some things done.

busy playing Boowa and Kwala

It's the same thing when Lei is asleep. I get to spend some quality time with Lance, we eat together, or just cuddle up together in front of the TV.

My whole day basically revolves around these two. There maybe less quiet times or some 'Me' time but who cares? Having them around keeps me going, keeps my blood pressure up and my vocal chords exercised.

Say Macaroni and Cheese!

Lance doesn't like meat and vegetables that much so when he's eating spaghetti or baked macaroni, he ends up taking out the ground beef and bell pepper but he loves pasta as long as it has oodles of cheese on it. During gatherings with friends, he would usually eat whatever pasta dish is available with me finishing off whatever he removed. It  kind of inspired me to experiment a bit and cook something that he will like. I ended up making macaroni and cheese, a simpler version but yummy according to the kids. I love cooking this because it's so easy, I just literally throw in the cheese, ketchup (to add color), some salt and sugar to taste and that's it.

Seeing the kids enjoy what they're eating and hearing their comments make me wanna stay in the kitchen and experiment all the more and during my delusional moments I sometimes feel I'm the next Iron Chef (LOL!)

Say Macaroni!

Lance enjoying Mac and Cheese after school

garlic bacon mushroom macaroni topped with parsley and parmesan for Mommy and Daddy

Winter Challenge #3: Driving and Walking Safely

Winter '09

Mark had the car tires changed to winter tires yesterday, expensive but all worth it. The car kept sliding the other day and my heart literally stopped on our way home because of this, I would rather stay home than go out. It is so dangerous out there in this weather, whether you are driving or walking. I should know because I slipped on my way home from school. I now have an ugly bruise on the left knee but thank God, nothing worse happened as I was carrying Lei at that time. Beautiful as it maybe, snow has its ugly side too.

Winter Challenge #2: Staying Warm

Layers of clothing, winter jackets, boots and gloves plus ample time to get prepared before heading out are just some of the hassles during winter but necessary to keep oneself warm, especially when you have kids who are so eager to go and play in the snow. The hassle doesn't stop there though, it also comes the moment they go inside the house.

Snack Time!

lettuce and ranch dressing for Lei

In between chores and meal preparations, I also have to think of easy and fast to prepare snacks for the kids. Lance loves bread making it easy for me to make him either a cheese or peanut butter sandwich while Lei is at a stage wherein she still eats anything. Yogurt, cheese, cookies, fruits, frozen pizza, nuggets and loaves of bread are among the mainstays on our grocery list.

apple slices and yogurt for Lei, pizza for Lance

they love cream cheese!

Snow Crab Dinner

Dinner was superb last night because we had snow crab legs!!! This is our latest addiction and Lance's new favorite. I have been missing all the seafoods back home. I'm used to eating crabs, shrimps, squid, mussels, clams, etc. bought fresh from the market. Here, most seafoods are on the freezer. They don't taste as good as the fresh ones but this snow crab is delicious enough to satisfy my seafood cravings. I want you on my grocery cart on a regular basis!

Winter Fun

The kids have been dying to go sledding, one reason why they've been waiting for snow but we couldn't go yesterday because our car was going through some winter makeover. Since the kids won't accept any excuses, Mark improvised. Armed with their new sleds, they went sledding on our very own front yard!

Repost: A Mother's Love

Lance

Leila

Children are gifts sent from above.
They bring not only joy but a sense of innocence and truthfulness.
Seeing them for the first time is the best experience a mother could ever have.
It will be forever planted in my memory.
My children...my life...
I could never imagine myself without them.
When problems arise, you know you couldn't give up because of them.
They make you rise when your down...
They make you fight when you're losing...
They give you hope when everything else seems hopeless...
They are the reason why I get up each morning and why I'm forever thankful to Him.
If only they would stay as babies...
Forever needing me...
& loving me...
But I know, they will always love me
because from the moment they were born...
every second, every minute...
my love
has given them life...
has nourished them...
It will never end...
because, a Mother's love...
is one of God's greatest creations.

Lance with Mommy

Leila with Mommy

Journey from the Past

from the album Slim and Slender days

at my slimmest

While putting the kids to sleep, I thought of eating lettuce dipped in vinegar and bagoong na alamang (shrimp paste) but I fell asleep.
I've always been skinny when I was younger until I discovered snacking on leftover rice topped with bagoong and calamansi after school when I was in Grade 3. By the time we moved to Manila when I was in Grade 4, I started packing on the pounds. That's when every food became my favorite.
It didn't help that my mom's a great cook. She let me help in the kitchen by mincing the garlic, cutting onions and tomatoes. For years that was my role and believe me or not, I wasn't really paying attention then. The very first meal I cooked was sauteed corned beef with cabbage and bell pepper until I progressed to cooking adobo, nilaga, sinigang and the rest I should say was history.

Lei helping Mommy to cook

Lance cooking

back at being heavy :-)

Beef Mami

yummy!

I cooked beef mami last weekend unfortunately, the picture got erased so I wasn't able to post it. According to my husband, my beef mami tasted like the ones sold on the street, which is a compliment by the way.

I made another batch today, beef mami on a snowy day!

My Growing Babies!

my babies then (winter of last year)

I will never get enough of my kids' hugs and kisses. I may lose my patience sometimes (or is it most of the time?) but at the end of the day, I know that without them our lives will never be the same again.
Last night during dinner, Mark asked Lei, "Why are you looking at me?" Lei replied, "Coz I like you Daddy." What she said just tugged my heart. Years from now, she's going to say that to another boy.

and now (taken during our walk to school)