Paradise Island Park & Beach Resort - Island Garden City of Samal, Philippines

These photos were taken at Samal Island, Philippines.


approaching Samal Island.



Angkan ni Corazon going to Samal Island.



Jarod & Maman.... riding the speeding boat.



having fun under the sun!



Yaban and Maman .... parehong siopao!



trio (Jarod, Yaban & Ogene)



after a day in the beach.... eto ang tatlong batang negnag at wasted na!



angkan ni Corazon with Tin-tin.

Jones Beach Resort - Davao City, Philippines

According to my brother, this beach is the version of Matabungkay (pang-masa baga!). The only difference is, the water here is still clean. The sand though greyish black in color still have shells you can pick and it's clean also.

Tumble Tots' International Moving-Up Ceremony

In our family, he's nick is Jarod. But in school, he's Ethan. He just finished nursery and this coming school year (2007-2008), he'll be in kindergarten. The baby of our clan (siya ang pinaka-bunso sa lahat kaya laging pinagkakatuwaan!)



Ethan having fun before the ceremony begins



Ethan with Mommy



Ethan with teacher.... crying!



Ethan and Tina .... tsoo-tsoo train!



Ethan with classmates --- dance presentation "Bop to the Top"

Davao City, Philippines

This trip was our very first family vacation. Tita Tin-tin came along with us also (ang asungot)!! We visited my brothers and their families in Davao. Now, my mother is living with them (bakasyon grande si general!!!). They were surprised, I didn't informed them we were coming... hehe! (",) We also visited our house in Davao (mala-jungle din tulad ng bahay dito - Nayon Base 2 nga eh!!!).




Addams Family at Davao International Airport




Lola, Maman, Jarod, Ogene and Tin-tin (Clark's House)





Clark playing with the kids (Susana Homes 3, Davao City)





Lola with Ate Jen, Leo and Butchay





Jarod posing in our backyard.




Our backyard in Davao - Nayon Base 2

Chef D' Angelo

It's too pricey and yet there's not much to rave about their food. Though , I must say they have huge servings. That's the only good thing I can say about this resto.

1st photo: "Sweet Porky Pizza"
2nd photo: "German Cheese Chocolate Cake"
3rd photo: "Double Decker Burger"

"Daing na Bangus"

I was the one who prepared and marinated the fish but my hubby did the frying. One of his favorites ... that was the reason why I needed to learn this recipe. My hubby loves it! Eventually, I've learned to love it also (",)


You'll need:

• 5 small pcs (650 grams) of milkfish, butterfly-cut
• 1 heapful rock salt
• 1 big head of garlic
• 1 tsp of whole peppercorns
• 1 cup white vinegar or native vinegar

Here's how:

Make a slit in the flesh beside the fish bone. Wash. Drain well. Arrange the fish in a tray, flesh up. Sprinkle half of the salt over it.

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic finely along with the skin. Put the whole peppercorns. Crushed lightly. Add the rest of the salt and vinegar. Mix thoroughly using your hand. Pour over the fish. Stand for at least 2 hours before frying or place the marinated fish inside a container with cover and refrigerate.

Serve with "Garlicky Fried Rice" and slices of tomato.

"Garlicky Fried Rice"

It's my version of the famous Garlic Fried Rice. It's very basic, you just need five ingredients... cooking oil, garlic (pounded finely), salt, left-over cooked rice (well-mashed) and liquid seasoning (I used Maggi's garlic flavor). My secret is to crush the garlic until it sticks to the side of the mortar. Using a wok, I slowly cook the garlic in oil until it render a rich golden brown color. Dump in the rice. Add the salt. Drizzle lightly with liquid seasoning. Mix until heated through. That's it! Easy, right?!! (",)

"Meatballs Sarciado"

Supposedly, this dish was our lunch but Ate Vicky gave us food. We ditched what I had cooked, saving it later for dinner, hehe! We happily munched the "Ginisang Sayote" (Sauteed Chayote) and "Paksiw na Hasa-hasa" (Short-Mackerel Poached in Vinegar & Spices) and lots of freshly cooked white rice.


You'll need:

• oil for deep frying
• half head of garlic, crushed finely
• 2 pcs (100 grams) red onions, minced finely
• 4 pcs (150 grams) red ripe tomatoes, minced finely
• 2 tbsps of fish sauce
• 1-1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 ground black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten

for the meatballs:

• 500 grams lean ground pork
• 2 pcs (100 grams) red onions, minced finely
• 1 pc (175 grams) potato, grated finely and squeezed out the liquid
• 1 tsp of rock salt
• 1/2 ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 egg, beaten

Here's how:

In a large bowl, put the ingredients for meatballs. Mix until well-blended. Form into balls, about an inch in diameter. Deep-fry until golden brown. Set aside.

Take about 3 tbsps of oil from where you deep-fry the meatballs. Put it in a skillet. Place over medium-high fire. Saute the garlic until golden brown. Add the onions and tomatoes. Cook until very soft. Pour in the fish sauce. Let it cook until liquid evaporates or fragrant.

Add water. Cover. Bring to boil. Put the meatballs and pepper. Cover again. Let it simmer in medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Add slowly the beaten egg. Mix. Cook until egg is done.

"Paksiw na Tilapia" (St. Peter's Fish Poached in Vinegar and Spices)

I haven't had this dish for quite sometime now. My mother who always complains about food, doesn't like it, maybe weird tastebuds come with getting old. It's just a thought because my mother is like that! Years ago, when she was still young, she loved food, cooking and had a big appetite. I can still picture her using her hands while eating and having her one knee on the seat while munching the food. Now, having diabetic neuropathy, she has a hard time holding a spoon let alone use her hands.

Now, my hubby is around, taking his vacation from work. My kiddo and I have someone to share it with! It's one of our favorite "ulam" (viand), specially with garlic fried rice. We like sucking the fish head ... yum! c",)


Good for 2-3 servings.


You'll need:

• 3 pcs (1/2 kg) of tilapia, scaled and gutted
• 50 grams ginger, pounded
• a piece of finger chili
• a teaspoon of rock salt
• 1/2 cup of white vinegar
• a cup of water

Here's how:

In a stainless casserole, put half of the ginger at the bottom. Put the fish. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Do not mix, just swirl the pan. Cover. Place over medium-high heat. Bring to boil. Let it boil for a minute before removing the cover. Then, lower fire to medium-low. Cook without the lid on for 10-12 minutes or until soup whitens.

"Cheesedog with Green Onions"

Green onions are a variety of onion harvested immature before the bulb has formed. Both the green leaves and white bulbs are used raw or cooked for their mild but still pronounced onion flavor. They are also known as scallions or spring onions.


Good for 3 servings


You'll need:

• 3 tbsps of cooking oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 pcs footlong cheesedog
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• a piece of finger chili (siling haba), seeded and minced finely
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 3 tbsps oyster sauce
• 2-3 tbsps banana catsup
• a bunch (25 grams) of spring or green onion, minced

Here's how:

Slice the cheesedog at 1/2" thick at an angle, approximately 14 slices per cheesedog.

In a non-stick pan, heat over medium-high fire, put 1/2 of cooking oil. Fry lightly the slices of cheesedog. Drain in paper towels. Set aside.

Back to the pan, add the rest of the cooking oil. Saute garlic until fragrant. Put onion. Cook for a minute. Add the cheesedog, finger chili, black pepper, oyster sauce and banana catsup. Mix. Cover. Reduce fire to very low. Simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens a little. Remove from fire. Put in a serving platter. Sprinkle onions on top. Serve.

"Chicken Bistek"

At around 11 am, my kiddo got home from school. We, my hubby and I, didn't noticed the time, it's almost lunch. We were talking about Davao, if we're going there this summer or not. We're discussing the budget for that and the schedule. We're also checking the airfare. If ever, we're going .... it will be the first family out of town vacation. Back to my kid, lunch wasn't ready yet. In short, I needed to cook something fast! (",)


Good for 3 servings.


You'll need:

• 1/2 of a chicken, about 600 grams, cut into small serving pcs.
• 3 pcs kalamansi
• 3 tbsps of soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup of cooking oil
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 pcs (150 grams) white onion, cut into rings and separated
• 1/2 cup water

Here's how:

In a bowl, put the chicken. Squeeze the kalamansi over the chicken. Disregard the seeds. Sprinkle the ground pepper. Add the soy sauce. Mix until chicken is well-coated with the marinade. Let it stand for a few minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.

In a wok, over medium-high fire, heat through. Pour half of the cooking oil. Saute the garlic until golden brown. Add the onion. Stir-fry until half done only. Remove from pan. Set aside.

Back to the wok, add the rest of the cooking oil. Put the chicken, reserve the marinade. Stir-fry until it changes color about 3-5 minutes. Pour the marinade. Let it boil. Keep boiling until half of the liquid has evaporated.

Add water. Bring to boil with the lid on. Reduce fire to low and let it simmer for 12 minutes. Put the cooked garlic and onion. Mix. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Serve with cooked rice.

"Misua Soup with Meatballs"

This soup was last night's dinner. For us, it's also served as a main entree. My hubby and kiddo liked it with white cooked rice. Misua or miswa is a variety of an egg wheat noodle. It is white, thin and delicate, usually used in Filipino and Asian Dishes.


Good for 4-6 servings.


You'll need:

• 3 tbsps of cooking oil
• 4 cloves of crushed garlic
• 2 pcs of red onion, minced
• a tablespoon of fish sauce
• 5 cups of rice wash or water
• 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper
• 1 pc chicken or pork cube
  
• 30 grams of misua noodles
  

for the meatballs:

• 1/2 kg of lean ground pork
• a bunch (30 grams) of spring onion, minced
• a tsp of rock salt
• 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper

Here's how:

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. Mix until well blended. Divide into 24 pieces, about an inch in diameter. In a pan, heat oil. Carefully fry the meatballs on all sides lightly, just to hold it together. Don't worry, you'll drop the meatballs in the soup later to make sure they are thoroughly cooked. Set aside.

Back to the pan, saute the garlic until rich golden brown in the same oil where the meatballs are fried. Add the onion. Cook until very soft. Pour in the fish sauce. Stir-fry until fragrant or until liquid dries up. Add rice wash, ground pepper and chicken cube. Increase heat to high. Cover. Bring to boil.

One by one, drop the meatballs. Bring it again to boil with the lid on. Reduce fire to low. Then, simmer for 12 minutes. Add the misua. Cover. Cook until it boils again. Remove from fire. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

Serve hot.

Assorted Siomai & Siopao from Dimsum & Dumplings

A pasalubong from my hubby. He went to Robinson's Galleria yesterday, did some stuff. Actually, I requested him to bring home these little dumplings. I love their siomai with different flavors. He got a "Siopao" for himself which he ate this afternoon for his merienda.

BSP Camping 2007

It was St. Andrew's School Annual Institutional Advancement Camp held in Mt. Makiling, Laguna last March 2-4, 2007. Photos courtesy of Riza. In the photo, is Mr. Renato Guevarra also known as "Sir Rene". He is the Master Scout.

more photos ....

"Ground Pork with Raisins and Eggs"

I tweaked the recipe a little by adding oyster sauce instead of just plain soy sauce. Also, I added the saltine crackers that my kiddo brought home from school. I didn't want it to go to waste... I used it as a thickening agent for the sauce.


Good for 4-6 servings.


You'll need:

• 3-4 tbsps of cooking oil
• 6 cloves of garlic, finely pounded
• 3 pcs (120 grams) red onion, minced
• 3 pcs (120 grams) red ripe tomatoes, minced
• 2 pcs (250 grams) potato, minced
• 1 small pc (80 grams) carrot, minced
• 300 grams of lean ground pork
• 1 tsp of ground black pepper
• 2 tbsps of fish sauce
• 1-3/4 cup of water
• a pack (25 grams) skyflakes or saltine crackers, pounded finely
• 2 tbsps of oyster sauce
• 25 grams raisins
• 1 small pc (30 grams) bell pepper, minced
• 6 pcs hard-boiled eggs, shelled

Here's how:

In a wok, over medium-high heat, put oil. Saute garlic until golden brown. Add onion and tomatoes. Cook until soft. Put the potato and carrot. Stir-fry for about 4 minutes.

Add the ground pork, pepper and fish sauce. Stir-fry until ground pork changes color or until liquid evaporates.

Pour water. Put the saltine crackers, oyster sauce, raisins and bell pepper. Mix thoroughly. Cover. Bring to boil. Then, simmer in low fire for 13-15 minutes.

Increase fire to high, put the hard-boiled eggs. Cook for another 3 minutes.

Dheck and Dhang - 11th Wedding Anniversary

Two nights ago, a small "salo-salo" was held for the celebration of Kuya Dheck and Ate Dhang's 11th Wedding Anniversary as promised last BSP camping. In the photo is my friend, Tin. She's holding Kuya Dheck's new version of "Tokwa't Baboy".

continue reading....

Chili Flowers and Fruits

A few weeks ago, I posted some pictures of chili plants in our backyard. And still, they're brimming with flowers and fruits. They're very nice to look. I just want to share them with you c",)

Sbarro, an Italian Restaurant

We had a late breakfast today, it was almost lunch already. At around 4 o' clock in the afternoon, as we arrived at SM-Southmall, we were hungry. My kiddo had skating lesson and practice. My hubby requested for pizza again. He's choice was Pizza Hut but I didn't feel like eating their oily pizza. We agreed to eat at Sbarro. It was our first time to try their "Pan Supreme". We both liked it .... very scrumptious! Though a little expensive but it's worth it. I ordered my favorite, "Ziti with white sauce"and "Garlic Bread". My hubby liked the pasta and bread too. As for my kid, we dropped by first at Mc Donald's to buy Mc Chicken and fries for him. He just ate it at Sbarro!

"Hotdog with Catsup"

I woke up late, I needed to cook something quick! It's almost lunch time. Well, I came up with this recipe again, very easy dish. You just basically dump and saute all the ingredients (",)


Good for 2-3 servings


You'll need:

• 1/4 cup of cooking oil
• a clove of garlic
• 1 pc (75 grams) white onion
• 3 pcs jumbo-size hotdog ( I used Purefoods tender juicy)
• 1/2 cup banana catsup
• 1/2 tsp rock salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Here's how:

Crush lightly the garlic, peel, then mince. Coarsely chop the onion. Cut the hotdog lengthwise, then, cut into 6 pieces at an angle (diagonal-cut).

Over medium-high fire, in a pan or skillet, moderately heat the oil. Put the hotdog. Saute for 10 seconds only. Place the hotdog on one side of the pan. Put the garlic. Saute until light brown. Add the onion. Stir. Cook the onion until transluscent. Pour the catsup. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Reduce fire to very low. Mix until well-blended. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Serve as rice topping or "pulutan".

"Longganisa-Garlic Fried Rice"

It's another leftover-makeover dish. Being a mom, it's my job to make sure that all the food in my kitchen will not go to waste. So, I do makeovers. I'm planning to bring this for our "baon" to the rink later.


Good for 2 servings.


You'll need:

• 2 tbsps cooking oil
• 3 cloves finely crushed garlic
• 1 small white onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 pcs leftover skinless longganisa, coarsely chopped
• 3 cups of cold cooked rice, mash to separate grains
• salt
• liquid seasoning, garlic flavor
• an egg

Here's how:

In a non-stick wok, put oil. Saute' garlic until golden brown. Add onion. Cook until soft. Place the longganisa. Stir-fry for 10 seconds.

Put the rice. Sprinkle moderately with salt. Drizzle with liquid seasoning. Mix until well-blended and heated through.

Make a well. Break the egg at the center. Stir continuously until egg is done.

Serve immediately while hot.

Merienda at Chowking

We went to my son's pediatrician for his vaccine shot. After that, my kiddo asked if we can go to Chowking and have our snack there. He wanted to eat "Mantao" and "Halo-halo", which also I would like to try. In their advertisement, They claim its much delicious and creamier now. Though, we're regular customers of Chowking, I was disappointed by their halo-halo, it's much still the same, too much sugar and the taste of the ingredients don't blend well together. They just changed the melon ice cream topping to cheese ice cream, so that when it melts it would render a much creamier halo-halo. Sad to say, I felt like I was cheated. But no worries this is the only produst, as of now, I don't like in this resto. I still love their "Breakfast Meals". I ordered "Pork Siomai" and my hubby had their "Special Siopao Asado".