Christmas 2014

It's never too late to post about how our Christmas went. I'm just not sure if I remember all the details. Pretty sure it was a merry one :D

Lalaloopsy and Pokemon

Daddy opening his gift from the kids

Nintendo DS for this guy

happy with her tea cup set

Priceless reactions :D

My Perfect Valentine's Meal

memorable Valentine's Day meal :)

Another busy week has passed. I cannot be more thankful it is the weekend though I still have tons of chores to do but to be honest, I am loving our hectic schedule these days, Friday as the busiest.

The weather was awesome this week. Leila and I had fun walking to school, we also frequented the bakery, did some last minute valentine gifts and of course, Mommy had fun in the kitchen. Attribute my eagerness in the kitchen to Pinterest. I thought I'd never say it, but yes, it is quite addicting.

I will start off with the kids' food. Lance went home from school one day with a bag of snack mix. I told him he can pretty much make his own when we get home. Conversations like this make our walk from school pretty fast. So when we got home, he made his snack mix out of Cinnamon Pops and Frosted Flakes cereal, Bugles, Crispers and chocolate chips. Such a perfect sweet and salty snack mix plus he can't believe the fact that he did his own snack.

snack mix made by Lance

Since we had boxes and boxes of Rice Krispies cereals, I made them into rice krispie treats, heart shaped of course!

heart shaped rice krispie treats

Leila is a pain to wake up in the morning so I surprised her with Ice cream waffle cone waffles for breakfast.

my baby girl's breakfast

I got some free Kellogg's crackers this week and was surprised on how good they taste, even the kids ate them. I will definitely buy this product again!

BBQ crackers with tuna salad

perfect snack!

I may love cooking but some days I just wanna lie down. Pork belly is what we always have in our freezer these days. Season with salt and pepper and they're ready to go the grill pan. No boiling needed and just straight into the pan. Delicious grilled pork belly!

grilled pork belly

one of my favorites!

Another Pinterest inspired recipe is Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Bell Peppers. We had some left over roast beef in the fridge which was perfect for this one. Instead of provolone cheese, I used some cheese slices we already have. One of these days, I'll throw a left over themed party and this is gonna be the star!

roast beef and mushrooms sauteed in butter, garlic and onions

bell peppers stuffed with mushrooms and roast beef, cheese on top

garnished with bacon bits

Today, I experimented on some mackerel. I seasoned the fish with salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Broiled them for 20 minutes, transferred into a pyrex dish where I added, carrots, whole peppercorns, bay leaves, bell peppers, pickles, pickle juice, soy sauce, more olive oil then baked for 30 minutes. Such a pretty sight and so yummy too!

broiled then baked mackerel

Lastly but not the least, hubby cooked this dish for Valentine's dinner. OMG! Best home cooked meal ever. We literally couldn't stop eating it and we felt sad when we finished it. Definitely doing this again soon. It is a combination of two dishes, grilled pork belly marinated in banana ketchup, soy sauce and brown sugar and raw fish (yes, raw!) soaked in vinegar.

fresh tilapia, chopped ginger and onion, serrano peppers, cucumber, coconut milk, lemon juice

pork belly bbq

combination of the two dishes = Sinuglaw

Hands down! Loved this dish. So much flavor from both dishes that complimented each other and made it perfect. It is like two people from different worlds that clicked :D

Celebrating Birthdays, Friendship and More!

Volcano cake for Lance's 8th Birthday

Again, busy as a bee mode! After recovering from my illness, I had this drive to try new recipes. I had to make up for my cranky mood the past few weeks. I was pumped up and tried Beef Bulgogi and Crispy Pork Belly with Asian Five Spice. Hubby made yummy Beef Teriyaki as well. Finally tried making egg tarts too as taught by my friend Jocelyn.

the marinade

marinating the beef

Beef Bulgogi

spicing up the pork belly

fried to perfection

best Beef Teriyaki ever!

egg tarts

Aside from the new recipes, our week was completed with our old favorites. Kare-Kare, Monggo with Pechay, Imbaliktad and Sweet Pork Adobo.

Kare-Kare: Pork Hocks & Beef  Stew in peanut based sauce

Green Mung beans with Bokchoy

Beef Stir fry in Vinegar

Sweet Pork Adobo

It was also a week of belated birthday celebrations. We held Lance's 8th birthday at home. I made my favorite recipes for Pancit Canton, Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken and I decided last minute (again!) to make a birthday cake. I settled for a Volcano cake since I am no great baker and volcanoes don't have to be pretty at all. The whole family helped in doing the cake and it turned out volcano like I think. We had hotdogs, pizza, chips and popcorn for the kids.

Happy 8th Birthday Lance!

toppings for the pancit

looks plain but yummy with my not so secret ingredients :)

my new favorite--baked sweet and sour chicken

Lastly but not the least, me and my good friend Meanne's belated birthday party!!! It was a night of delicious food, laughs, friendship and great company. For a second, I thought it was our other friend Ate fe's birthday too! Her loud voice and jolly mood can sure brighten up anyone's day hehe! Thank you Meanne for hosting a great party, loved the Bibingka, Roast Chicken, Squid, Shrimps etc. Everything was sooo good!

a table full of nothing but delicious food!

BURP! :D

♪♫♪ Happy Birthday to Me ♪♫♪

thanks dad and kids for my birthday breakfast :)

My 34th birthday came and went. Unfortunately, I was too sick to enjoy it. The moment I woke up I knew I had to go to the emergency room. I couldn't deal with the pain and swelling anymore and I just want some antibiotics ASAP. Of course a trip to the ER is far from being a wonderful experience, the waiting part is always terrible but I got my antibiotics anyway.

I have never cared how I celebrate my birthday, with or without a celebration is no big deal to me. To be honest, I feel like it is just any normal day. A sign I think, that my youth has drifted away. Gone are the days that I look forward to this special day. Wow, I feel OLD!

Thank goodness for the kids' birthdays though. I share their excitement which helps me feel YOUNG again! I am only 34, too young for midlife crisis, right? I feel like I'm going through something haha! I blame my illness, the CULPRIT! I don't get sick often, so to be sick at this time of the year really really set me off.

Thanks to hubby for putting up with my crankiness and for making it special. Thank you kids for the birthday cheer. Thank you friends and family who remembered ♥♥♥

Leila's Princess Party

This was Leila's first ever kiddie birthday party. She used to have adults as visitors and never her own party. Last year she was going through a stage of not wanting to age or grow up. But this year was different, she couldn't stop talking about her upcoming birthday party. She wanted to wear a costume, she wants a princess themed party, she wants everything PINK and only wanted girls as visitors. She only has five girl classmates so I decided to have her party at home. I figured having only five visitors won't be that difficult. Well, it wasn't until I decided to stress myself with the preparation, menu and the birthday cake!

Barbie cake

vanilla and choco cake

Two days before the party, I decided to make Leila's cake. She is fond of watching those Betty Crocker Youtube videos and I already forgot how many times she asked me to make a cake. Her reaction was priceless when I told her I was going to make her cake, even more priceless after I finished the cake.

Because I am used to preparing real dishes, making those dainty party food fit for princesses are so not my line. Honestly, I had to google ideas. I planned on having a fruit tray with a strawberry yogurt dip, strawberry and yogurt pretzels, strawberry cream cheese sandwiches and pink juice. My hubby kept contradicting and was very vocal in saying "Is that all?" I probably finalized my menu only the day before adding spaghetti, hotdogs, jello with yogurt, wafer sticks, crackers, granola and cheese. Yes! Menu was revamped at the last minute :P

We had one game (Pin the Tiara), one craft (Wand Decorating) and they were free to play whatever. Leila had a blast and claimed that this was her best birthday ever. It really touched my heart since Leila is the easiest to please, she has simple wants and desires except she is into Littlest Pet Shop toys these days. She can't wait for her Christmas, her next birthday, etc. It's all she can talk about. What I would do to be a kid again :D

Happy 5th Birthday baby girl! We love you so much! 'Til your next birthday party, Mommy has already picked out your next birthday cake :-*

Thanksgiving 2012

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.  ~W.T. Purkiser

Thanksgiving Dinner 2012

 

A lot has happened since last year's Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for this year. Our prayers have been heard regarding our status here in Canada which was our biggest concern, we were able to go on a trip to the United States, the kids are both healthy and doing good in school, and many more.

We have been through a whole lot as a family and being grateful is something I won't forget. We have made changes in our lives lately by reconnecting with our faith. It is a promise hubby and I both made at the same time without even talking about it. We have everything except our relationship with God and now that we have it back on track, I feel like I don't have to ask for anything more. I feel like I'm on top of the world :)

On top of my prayers always, is good health. More than the material things I desire, I always pray for safety and for each and every member of my family to be spared from any illness. It is also about time to pay more attention with our health. I want to see my kids grow, have grandchildren and I want to experience growing old with hubby. I see hubby and I driving a Buick Enclave maybe 30 years from now or having breakfast with him at the Casino :P

It's been one heck of a roller coaster ride. Exciting and yet full of ups and downs and yes, I am talking about LIFE in general. I am so glad that I was raised having an attitude of being content and happy whatever life brings. I embrace positivity as if it's a life saver and it really is a life saver.

I have learned not to entertain negativity in any way, bitterness, anger, envy and jealousy aren't in my vocabulary. I am HAPPY with who I am and what I have. I am thankful for EVERYTHING in my plate, my DREAMS and ASPIRATIONS that help me ACHIEVE. I can't wait for my time to SHINE, I feel it in my bones haha!

Patience and courage are all I ask for the tasks I'm about to tackle, and of course, SUCCESS! :D

Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.  ~Seneca

Christmas 2011

I am still full with so much food from Christmas. As usual, I cooked more than we could eat and everything was so good. I haven't cooked in days just reheating leftovers. Unfortunately, my kids got sick after the holidays so we're always in bed these past few days. I was also able to finish ironing a basketful of clothes.

So what did we have for Christmas?

Hubby experimented on making stuffed chicken. He successfully deboned a whole chicken for the very first time the night before. We marinated it in soy sauce and lemon and stuffed it the next day with ground pork, chopped ham, bell pepper, onions, raisins, carrots, panko bread crumbs, hard boiled eggs, salt and pepper to taste then oven baked for an hour or so.

I also prepared tempura, steak, twice baked potatoes, crispy pork hocks, baked fish, store bought hickory smoked ham and sweet macaroni salad. Too much for a family of four! We didn't have any room for our dessert/drink root beer float.

Christmas is such a fun time especially for kids and those who love food like me. But the true essence of Christmas is not on the gifts and food but our savior's birth, He who makes it all possible :D