Mango and Pandan Sweets

I know, I know, its been decades. I have been turn between work, home improvement, blog reading, marathons with a long list of tv series (not to mention the a lot of series are starting a new season this quarter) trips (work and pleasure) newly ventured activities (which I would be telling you soon) and a whole lot of other things that would and could justify my absence. Hahaha But it doesn't mean that I'm away that I have zero stories to tell. Believe me I have a lot.. alright, lot is too big of a word, let me use "few" instead. So yeah, I have compiled few. And to start with.. here is a sweet dish I tried over Halloween.

Mango and Pandan Sweets

This has been something I wanted to do, Halloween came and I made it my excuse to whip this up. :) This is a simple dish requires 5 ingredients only. Prep time is longer though because you need to chill it before serving.

You'll Need:
Prep Time: 20 mins + at least 2 hours for chilling

L-R: Condensed Milk, All Purpose Cream, Ripe Mangoes, Cheddar Cheese, Gelatin -Buko Pandan flavor

You'll Do:
Step 1: Prep the jelly according to the packaging. Or not so according to the packaging :) My first batch was a bit more solid because I strictly followed the ratio instructed in the packaging. Tip: If you're going to use the same brand as I used above, add half a cup more water to achieve the perfect gelatin texture.

Step 2: Slice the pandan jelly, mangoes and cheese into cubes. The gelatin and mangoes into 3/4 an inch and the cheese in 1/4 and inch thick. A little trick to get the best shape off your mangoes.

Use a glass to peel the skin. Insert it on one side and just push the glass up to the other tip of the sliced mango.

Step 3: Combine all ingredients then chill for at least 2 hours. Tip: Don't freeze it as the chilled gelatin becomes soggy when served in room temperature.

Easy breezy, but enough to satisfy the sweet craving. Enjoy!

xoxo

Food for the Spirit

Pinned interest for this Sunday. A few words to feed our spirit.

Happy Blessed Sunday everyone!

xoxo

Kitchen Quotes

I love decorating my kitchen with quotes, they serve as my daily inspirations and at times, my "kicker" when I'm feeling not so good and I need a little push.

At the moment, they are stacked strategically in one place -above our fridge. Definitely, a place that's hard to miss, and an area of the house that everyone visits at least once.

I am thinking of adding more (or moving some) to our counter tops, I am not sure yet how to go about mounting them without punching a whole to our wall. (Let me know if you have ideas..) And ohh, most of them are DIYs. I am currently addicted to black + silver.

Please excuse my pics, bad lighting..

"Be Curious, Not Judgemental."

Black paper + Silver pen + your favorite quote + a frame = your Own Kitchen Quote

"This House Runs on Love and a Cup of Strong Coffee."

black paper + silver pen + your favorite coffee quote + a tumbler = Personalized Message on a Tumbler

"It's nice to have a friend to talk to all the time

Sharing all your secrets with someone

True and kind"

a ceramic coaster

What is your daily quote?

xoxo

Addicted to Corn

Over the weekend, I bought a few fresh corn in a husk from the weekend vegetable market near our place. I have been wanting to recreate a dish I saw from one of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservation episodes.

On the show he featured a spicy fried corn (from one of his Mexican city trips I can't specifically recall where anymore), but since I am not more of a spicy gal, I tweaked it a bit. I went to the healthy crunchy fried corn route.

This dish is easy peasy and done in 5 minutes! Its a one-two dish yet its totally refreshing and healthy. Promise.

Sauteed Corn with Refreshing Cucumber Slices

You'll Need:
Corn
garlic, minced
onions, minced
a little oil
Salt and Pepper
Cucumber

You'll Do:
Step 1: Saute Garlic and Onions.
Step 2: When onions are translucent, add the corn and saute for 3-5 minutes.
Step 3: Before serving, add the slices of cucumber and a pinch of salt.

Told yeah its easy! Enjoy.

xoxo

Travel: Inspired by Limestone

Travel: The Rectory Shoot

Technically, this is not a Travel post. This is more of a going-home-to-hometown + impromptu photo shoot post. Anyways, just wanted to share the (again) impromptu photo shoot that hubby and I did. We (a nick more of me) got inspired by the beautiful limestone of the Dalaguete rectory and church.

limestone + gloomy weather

xoxo

Fashion: The Burberry Rose Gold Collection

When I saw these on my Facebook feed, I literally said "ooohh". Yeah, that long "oh" sound that is a mix of surprise, admiration and desire -that "oh" that usually accompanies swooning and drooling. J

Burberry and Gold in clothing, two of my favs in one collection. According to the release, this limited edition collection is in celebration of the launch of the Burberry Body Rose Gold Eau de Parfum. The range features beautifully crafted trench coats, dresses and accessories in elegant silk, intricate lace and striking metallic leather. I'm not much of a Parfum enthusiast, so I can happily settle with this clothing collection.

I admit, atm, I don't own a single Burberry (I would if I could, but I can't so I don't. Follow my logic? lol). But that doesn't stop me from wanting and loving these beautiful things. Their beige in tartan pattern trademark in bags and purses made me love them first. The clothing, scarves AND trench coats came second only.

without further ado, gents and girls, let's swoon and drool all together at these lovely, shimmering things..

"The Burberry Rose Gold Collection"

source

wow! nothing beats lace and gold! -except silk and gold maybe. lol

simple and classic! LOVELY!!!

Indian and cowgirl?

love the pleated design

metallic and gold. Shimmer + shimmer = clash
too much for my taste.

..and the winner is.. Gold and Silk Trench Coat.
If only the weather in the Philippines is made for Trench Coats..

What I originally liked with Burberry is the classic elegance of their design. This gold limited edition just made  me love them!

Just in case you wanna know more about BURBERRY.

xoxo

A night of Firsts : Simply J's and SLT

This gastronomic destination has been on our prospect list for the past 2 months, and finally last Sunday we had to celebrate a little victory, a reason to have a fancy dinner and indulge, not to mention a reason to be with the whole gang. I have heard several nice things about Simply J's Cafe, one of which is that it being a home decor shop and a resto in one. I would be swooning when I go to Simply J's, I thought. And I did!

Ops, the happy eating didn't stop there. Hubby said on our way to the resto that he likes to have dessert after the dinner (dessert is for me only of course, hubby doesn't like sweets) and chill some more. If you are from Cebu and have been checking out some new places, you would know that Simply J's is just a block from SLT and Sprockets. And I thought, with a huge smile on my face, can this night go any better?

Simply J's has been adorned with paintings and wall decors, table tops, plates!, cabinets with a price tag. Yes, they are for sale. In case you are in for some multitasking, dinning while shopping (or even window shopping, like I did), Simply J's is the place to go.

*Warning: The following scrolls is food porn!

Soup Fondue (Mozzarella and Spinach Soup with chunks of toasted bread *missing bread) 

The best order of the night. simutsarrapp!

Taco Salad. The usual greens seasoned with ground beef, taco chips, corn and their taco dressing.

Salsa Cream Dory. Pan fried Cream Dory with a tomatoes, onions and herbs

Chicken Citrus Marinade. 2 pcs steamed chicken with orange marmalade
Oh wait, have I told you that each Main Course is served with a cup of rice?

Hawaiian Pork Chop. Pork steak served with mashed potato and gravy

We also sampled their famous Baby Back Ribs (Chef's Signature Baby Back Ribs, which some of our companions said to be better than Casa Verde's), Garlic Mushroon Pasta (which was a bit dry), Pasta Vongole (spaghetti with clam sauce, which is too earthy for me. I like my pasta creamy. Just a personal taste.)

Overall, Simply J's is a (relatively) new resto offering its own taste of the usual menu served in any other restos in town. They offer not complicated, not overly flavored dishes which is a good variation from "the other restos in town" that mostly served strong flavored dishes. If you're looking for a subtle taste (take note, subtle and not bland!) for tonights dinner, Simply J's is the choice.

Food porn is not over yet. Here comes dessert!

Box of 6, (L-R) Red Velvet, Mud something (i forgot!), Lemon Custard, Cappuccino, Red Velvet again, Cookies and Cream
definitely a sweet way to cup the night.

Happy eating was once again accomplished!

Simply J's Cafe

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Js-cafe/160348150649487
Apitong St., corner N. Escario
Cebu City

Sweet Little Things
http://www.facebook.com/SLTCakes
Aside from the branch near Simply J's, they have a branch in SM Northwing too.

xoxo

For the Love of Chocolate

Unintentionally, brown became my black and over the years I have collected several pieces that have become my "uniform" and go to accessories. I feel that I would never go wrong with brown.

They say that people who prefer brown are conventional and orderly. The color Brown signifies material security, stability, reliability and approachability. Nice! I'd rather not consider the negative meaning of the color (I'm feeling more optimistic, than usual, today!)

Brown is a disguise that can be used effect to effectively hide your true nature. -Chameleon lang ang peg.

Zara Knitted Blouse, Sling bag, Hobo bag, Stripped double zipped blazer

what is your go-to color?

xoxo

What I Love Most!

I am a frequent visitor of Design Sponge site. If you have done several run through of my page, you would see that it is one of the recommended blogs in my Reading List. My personal favorite among their features is their own version of Sneak Peeks, wherein they would give everyone a more-than-glimpse of someone's inspiring home (yes, the way they feature the house would make you feel the home in it [excuse my patronage. lol]). One thing I love (aside of course from those BEAUTIFUL interiors that they feature) with their Sneak Peeks is every home owner's version of the "What I Love Most.." quote and how they each uniquely illustrate the quote/s.

source: www.designsponge.com

Since being featured on this Sneak Peek category is close to impossible (at the moment! i believe it is possible, but maybe not now. :)), I thought, why not create my own "What I Love Most.." version in the mean time.

version 1. At one point, I used this a FB cover page.

version 2. the printable/ more "framable" version.
Yes, I plan to have this printed, framed and hung in our wall.

What would your "What I Love Most.." look like?

xoxo

Pinned Interests : Wedding Dress

I have visited several blogs lately that hosted some mood boards and which talked a lot about Pinterest. I admit, for one moment, I was tempted to create an account on Pinterest.. those wonderful things are worth revisiting once in a while. Pinterest could host all those beautiful, wonderful things.. but on second though, dah!, another account to maintain.. another blotch on the world wide web. Nevermind! lol

Thus this idea, why not incorporate Pinterest on my blog.. I can even give it my own name (after its namesake, of course) Pin on Interest. I can have my own mood board, collect those beautiful, wonderful things, revisit them whenever I want to, not to mention a personal (yet online) scrapbook/aide memoire of the things I love but cannot put into action yet.

So there you go, history of the new category has been declared. Lets move on to the first item - a wedding dress! Every girl has a dream dress.. However, not all the time that that dream dress stays as is. At this stage of my life I had been so engrossed with Vintage weddings.

"I want people to see the dress, but focus on the woman."

                                                                                                    -Vera Wang

What is your dream wedding gown?

xoxo

Remodeling your bedroom -the peasant way :)

Some say, when you want to remodel or give a certain space in your house a new look, all you have to do is get new accessories for it. I say, those "some" are the socialites! The few who have a few penny (or not few) to spare to acquire new accessories. For most of us middle class who don't normally have a few penny to spare for occasional home remodeling -we do re-arranging!

I had lots and lots of time to spare (read as bored) these past days that it came to a point that I have done all the home chores and I was left there at my room thinking "what is would I do next?".. and well, after a few moments of deep thinking (lol) I thought, "how about a new look for our room?"

So there I was, bored.. Actually, before I started the hard work, I consulted Mr. Google for some tips. Not that this is my first time to re-arrange our room and that it is one big of a task that I needed some real guidance. I just wanted as much as possible, a look that I haven't tried before (I've tried several before). And I wanted to see if there is a better and schematic way of doing it.. Lol! See, I really had a lot of time to spare. :)

Here are some of the tips that I put together out of a few reads from Mr. Google:

De-clutter and organize - Get rid of empty shoe boxes, put those everyday knickknacks where they belong. Re-organize those storage bins so you can put the extra clutter in them. Decluttering and Organizing would help you reclaim those "wanted" spaces.

Stay within your color scheme - Remember that this is just a minor remodeling, a new look while keeping the rest of the big stuffs as is.

Move the bed first - Bed is the focal point of your bedroom. Once you have re-positioned the bed to where you want it to be, you can start arranging the little stuffs (like bedside table) around it.

Change your Beddings and Curtains - Fresh bedding and new curtains will add freshness to the "new" room. But remember to stay within the same color scheme.

Here's the result.. silly me, I didn't take the "before" photo.

Declutter

and Organize

change the bedding and curtains. And, remember to stay within your color scheme.

A small change, at times, would do wonders to your soul (if not to your sleeping habits :)).

xoxo

Pesto Chicken Roll with Buttered String Beans

I Got Bored. - Thus the new layout. lol.

So, in line with the new look, let me share another recipe (its been a while!). I realized I had a lot of new cooking sessions that I haven't shared yet. And while deciding which I would post first, (again) I had a realization -my cooking had been nowhere farther than Pasta and Chicken. There are those occasional variations, of course, and not that the world don't need another Pasta dish, or Chicken, but it seems that I have been pretty bounded by these two favorite ingredients of mine. Remind me to explore more!

Alright, for our first dish. Let's have Pesto Chicken Roll with Buttered String Beans.

You'll Need:
For the Chicken Dish
Boneless Chicken Breast (halved and filleted thinly)
Pesto Sauce Mix, dissolved in 3-5 tbsp of water (I use McCormick)
Oil for frying
S&P
toothpick

For the Buttered String Beans
String Beans (clean the ends)
Butter
3 cloves of Garlic (minced
1 large Red or White Onion (sliced)
S&P

You'll Do:
For the Chicken Dish
Step 1: Spread half a teaspoon of the Pesto mix on one end of the chicken fillet then roll it. Secure the roll with toothpicks. Do this with the rest of the fillets.
Step 2: Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Fry the chicken roll for 2-3 minutes (depending on how thick the roll is) on each side.
Step 3: Let it rest for a few minutes before cutting the chicken.

For the Buttered String Beans
Step 1: In a boiling water, blanch the string beans for a 2-3 minutes.
Step 2: Drain then submerge the beans into cold water to stop the cooking process. This process gives the beans that crisp green color too.
Step 3: In a non-stick pan, melt the butter and once melted, add the garlic and onions. Saute until the onions are nearly translucent.
Step 4: Toss in the beans. Add salt and pepper and saute it for a few minutes more.

And here's how you will plate it :)

Enjoy!!!

xoxo

Travel : Osmeña Peak

Oh yes, my blog is introducing another category -Travel. Let's just say, now that hubby and I have no chance but to indulge ourselves to other hobbies, and we chose Travelling. Particularly, over the weekend travels.

And yes, Southwestward was the first. Now that the origin has been discussed, lets go to the particulars of this post, shall we? :) Watch out for the 'lil tips that I'll be sharing along the way. :)

One weekday, hubby said he wants to climb Osmeña Peak. Don't ask how he arrived at that thinking. It's another long story. Anyways, he said that request, and I, being a local of the place (have I told you I am a local of Dalaguete, Cebu) didn't find the idea appealing at first. Not to mention that I mentally calculated the energy I have to spend for the activity.

THE view from the top

Luckily, a few people from our office had the same plan, on the same weekend. We ended up meeting each other at Mantalongon Market (the drop off of the local rides -habal-habal). They we're all geared up for the climb and overnight. Us, on the other hand had our rubber shoes, sweaters and a few ml of water.. and ohh, a few cookies for energy boost. We were "somehow", prepared too. hahaha

Mantalongon, or the "Little Baguio" of Cebu is 15-20 minutes away from the Dalaguete town proper. Habal-habal is the usual means of getting there. If you are from the city and is not so particular about airconditioned buses, you can also ride the mini-bus which is stationed at Taboan Market. The bus will take you straight to Mantalongon market.

goodness, the veggies here are soooo cheap. due to my excitement, i forgot to to take pic of my more than 5 kls of stash, which btw, cost less than Php 150.

Told yea, they're all geared up

It is a 2 hours walk/climb if you will start at the original starting point (the groto). I guess, due to improvements of the road, you can shorten that climb to just 30 minutes. Yes, they opened wider roads, wide enough for cars to pass and the second starting point is now at the bottom of the hill where the entrance fee is collected. Yes, there is 20 pesos entrance fee now (it was not like that during my last climb -which was like 10 years ago). Also, you can climb with ease and camp with luxury because there are local kids who serves as guides and "kargadors". They will carry your bags, your groceries, water, tents, cooking materials, anything you wish to have at the peak. You see, Osmeña Peak now open even for non-climbers.

But, if your goal is to sweat up while enjoying the company of fellow climbers and the view along the way, I strongly suggest you try the long and not-so-easy (for non-climbers) route. The feeling of success when you reach the peak is totally different if you invested 2 hours of walk and gallons of sweat. This is what you will miss if you go the easy way..

local kids fetching water

rows and rows of cabbage

this is one of the items in hubby's bucket list.
the basket is empty though..because when we asked
what is the weight if its full -its a whooping 200 KILOS!!!

Osmeña Peak,

Mantalongon, Dalaguete, Cebu

xoxo