Christmas Like A Child

Credits: Christmas Treasures Bloghop kit. Papers from PWD, S Lane AT Snow, S Kelly D-Treasure dots; Elements from Nadi Designs frame, SFj, T Circeo Dicken’s Word Art, Jaki A Red scallop border, C Queen border 02.

Do you ever get side tracked by life in general? It has been my story lately. There were too many on my plate – work and the routine of Christmas shopping, get-together etc. So busy has my life been that I felt that Christmas just came too quickly. I didn’t get the chance to look forward to it. I remember when I was a child and I would always enjoy Christmas because of the festivities that goes with it – the parties, the decoration and the gifts, they all culminated into one huge celebration, Christmas dinner and then Nochebuena. I also remember the excitement going to Cubao would bring. I can imagine now how a nightmare it must have been but we’d be with the crowd to witness this splendid, mechanized decoration at the COD department store. At that time this was huge for us kids when theme parks were practically unheard of and Disneyland is this fantasy far, far away. This was the next best thing, I guess – this just aged me, I know :-D. Because things were simpler than, we were easy to please. Those were fun times…

I chanced on this Christmas song that describes my thoughts succinctly and I instantly fell in love with it. Written and performed by my favorite Christian band, Third Day, it is about feeling Christmas like a child and how it used to be. But more importantly, it reminded me of the baby child born for us. That baby asleep in the straw is the reason for the celebration and that, my friends, should be the true essence of Christmas. Honor it in your heart and try to keep the spirit all year round. Have a joyful Christmas everyone!

Christmas Like a Child

by Third Day

I want to feel Christmas, how it used to be
With all of its wonder falling on me
This season has felt so empty, oh for quite a while
I want to feel Christmas like a child

I want to see snowflakes fall to the ground
My brothers and sisters all gathered around
Singing “Away In A Manager” as we sit by the fire
I want to feel Christmas like a child

It’s been so long now, I can’t say
Just when I lost my way
But I’m going back to how it was
When this day meant everything
And we spent our time remembering
The baby Child born for us

It’s all about Jesus, asleep in the straw
This infant, this King, this Savior for all

So I don’t need bells to be ringing
‘Cause I’ll join with angels singing
Gloria
And I can feel Christmas like a child
I want to feel Christmas like a child…

Posted on December 24, 2010December 24, 2010 by Jenn 2

Kung Pao Pasta in a Snap

In the Sichuan Province where this dish supposedly originated, Kung Pao Chicken is usually eaten with rice. I like it either way, mixed with pasta or over rice. I first came across Kung Pao Chicken absurdly in the US, Panda Express most likely but many of the Chinese restaurants would have it on their menu. In fact, even the place just across our apartment, where we always order take out, have it. Since then, it has become one of my favorites and when I came back to the Philippines some 20 years ago, I found out that it was practically unknown then. So I soon forgot about it until a few years ago when it finally caught on here. Some establishments (CPK, I think and recently KFC) came out with their own version, introducing it as a pasta dish even – to my delight.

The sauce has soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine, sesame oil, garlic, chili and sugar, making the dish sweet, sour, salty and spicy. While I love the dish, I never attempted making it at home until recently. If you have all the ingredients (which could be a handful) it is a relatively undemanding dish (with a lot of flavor to boot) that’s made even easier with this.

Have it over rice or with pasta, up to you. I am all for cooking from scratch but some days really calls for a meal in a snap. This is a great pick for a stressful day – I just followed the recipe at the back of the pack. Experimenting is for another day as I can imagine it absolutely wonderful with shrimps and rice.

Chicken Kung Pao

What you’ll need:

225g Clara Ole Kung Pao-style Pasta Sauce
250g pasta of your choice
150g chicken breast, cubed
Peanuts, salted or unsalted, with or without garlic
Spring onions (optional)
Salt to taste

Here’s what to do:

Sauté chicken in oil. Season with salt.
Add in peanuts and cook for a few minutes.
Pour in the Kung Pao sauce and cook until heated through.
Toss in pasta and the spring onions.

Yes, that simple and very flavorful too.

*Note: I only made half of the recipe.

Posted on December 23, 2010August 6, 2011 by Jenn 3

Vivere Azure: An Oasis of Calm

Every now and then this good friend of mine and I would spend a weekend together… just the two us. So one weekend in September, having just emerged from a harrowing few weeks, my friend S wanted to veg-out somewhere away from the metro. Being a good friend and someone who hardly pass up a chance to any kind of adventure (kaladkarinin in filipino hee hee! :-D), I agreed to keep her company. At the recommendation of a mutual friend, we booked ourselves a room at Vivere Azure.

A refuge, I call it, just 2-1/2 hours away from Manila, this premier deluxe resort is found in the sloping hills of Anilao, an excellent dive location thriving with divers and tourists alike.

Reception Area

The unassuming entryway from the road, as with many of the resorts in Anilao, does not do justice to the place but once inside the gate, we were transported to an oasis of calm. It seemed like we had the whole place to ourselves. Warmly welcomed by very gracious staff complete with a welcome drink, we were ushered to our room.

Clockwise: Inside, the balcony, the beach just a few steps away from our room, the view

The Cobalt Room albeit a bit snug was well appointed and very comfortable. We oohed and we aahed over our room and the splendid view it afforded us.

The Presidential Suite

The bar

Then we oohed and ahhed some more as we walked through the entire resort. I liked it that the resort even had a sandy beach to speak of (a rarity in Anilao) and that our room was just a few steps away from it.

The rate per head (P6,500) is inclusive of 5 meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner plus 2 snacks.

The cozy dining area overlooking the sea was where they serve lunch and dinner. The breakfast area was a different area closer to our rooms and the beach.

Our lunch was pretty impressive and satisfying – a good sign that we will be enjoying our meals here (and we were not disappointed). After lunch we decided to enjoy the pool, which was not quite “infinity” but close enough.

A great way to enjoy the view and the sunset

The pool and the loungers were extremely de-stressing; I was in slumber land as soon as my head hit the lounge.

The following morning, I decided to go snorkeling. They supposedly have a beautiful house reef. For Anilao standards, it could be better. I think Dive ‘n Trek has a better house reef. But overall, I was pretty impressed and for a non-diver, I think the reef was acceptable. The thing that totally won me over though was the pampering – impeccable service, I tell ya! It’s like having a very discreet butler at your beck and call.

I frequent Anilao but hardly splurge on a resort as my main goal always was to go diving. Not this time. Our goal was to do nothing. Besides, S is not a diver and Azure, although can arrange dive trips through their affiliate dive centers, is technically not a dive resort.

Our farewell snack — turon à la mode (fried banana roll)

That September weekend, I got acquainted to a whole new Anilao. So was it worth the splurge? I say yes but don’t take me word for it, go book yourself a room. 😀

Getting There:

Other Useful Info:

Km. 108 Barangay Aguada, San Teodoro, Anilao, Mabini, Batangas

Contact Nos.: (632)771-777 or +63917-843-0912

Email: info@viveresuites.com

Posted on December 16, 2010September 3, 2012 by Jenn 4

Sausages to the Rescue

I love sausages and always have a few stashed in my freezer. These tasty bangers save the day for me many times over. There are days when A is famished and I am worn out. This scrumptious dish has become a winner because it does not ask for much attention or preparation for that matter and yet delivers such great flavors. I’ve experimented quite a bit on this and one can use anything to team this up with but the combined flavors of kielbasa with apples is simply amazing. Sweet and savory is my favorite thing of late and this dish incorporated with onions, garlic and some carrots simmered with a bit of broth… delightful. And the gratifying part is all you need really is to slice up the veggies, pop in the oven and voila. Happiness is…

A Simple Sausage Supper *adapted from Jules’ Stonesoup

1 brown onion, peeled & cut into segments
2 small apples, peeled and cut into segments
2 small carrots
1 small head garlic, unpeeled but broken into individual cloves
2-3 thick pork sausages
1/2 cup chicken stock

Here’s what you do:

Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Place the apples and other veggies in a baking tray, drizzle with some olive oil, top with the sausages and pop it in the oven.
After about 30 minutes, give everything a stir and add the stock.
Bake for another 30 minutes or so until the veggies and bangers are brown and the stock has reduced and thickened a bit.

The recipe actually called for another hour in the oven but I wanted more stock left just because it goes so well with rice. Go with 1 hour if you prefer the dish drier and the sausages browner.

Remember that very little is needed to make a happy life. -Marcus Aurelius

Posted on December 7, 2010December 8, 2010 by Jenn 3

Chilling in Sta. Ana

Yeah. It’s a long ways just to chill I know. But A and our good friends convinced me to go all the way to Cagayan Valley so that I can spend some down time with them away from the hustle and bustle of my town that is Manila.

But what really convinced me was the surprise birthday party planned for our dear friend J. And so I obliged and found myself on a bus one August evening en route to Tuguegarao. A 10-hour bus ride had me arriving at 7am the following morning. After breakfast and a bit of a rest, I was soon off again with the gang on 3-hour drive to Sta. Ana.

Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised when we reached the unpretentious entrance that lead to a simple structure,

that is the resort’s reception lobby. Located at the northeastern tip of Luzon, in a 7-hectare waterfront of Cagayan Valley facing the South China Sea,

Cagayan Holiday & Leisure Resort provides

112 spacious villas,

a seashore swimming pool,

a Spa and Holistic center and a fine dining Chinese Restaurant.

Our ocean front villa came with a private pool where we of course spent most of our time chilling.

Each of the 17 ocean front villas has 5 bedrooms with its own bath and albeit not to my taste is fully furnished and in fairness, tastefully designed. The kitchenette does not really allow for real cooking but we had a feast just the same.

We bought most of our food from the local market and for a fee, asked a restaurant — JnJ Seafood Restaurant along the highway — to cook for us. We had a feast. A seaside town, Sta Ana is known for sweet, inexpensive crabs and lobsters, which suffice to say, was the highlight of our stay.

News of disgruntled residents somewhat taints this Chinese owned resort in the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport (CSEZF) area — they are accused of employing many Chinese citizens offering less opportunities to the locals. There were undeniably Chinese-speaking employees working alongside Filipino employees during our visit, perhaps to cater to the mostly Chinese tourists billeted at the resort. This town was once only known for game fishing without much facility, it is today attracting tourists from Hong Kong and China, mostly gamblers. The resort complex is really known for its casino but if gambling is not your thing, there is the spa and some watersports facilities such as jetskis and kayaks that can be rented.

The beach however does not boast of the same esteemed white sand of many Philippine beaches.

The sunset though managed to get my seal of approval. 🙂

If you are in the area and only if you are, I’d recommend that you check them out.

Posted on December 5, 2010December 7, 2010 by Jenn 11

Clearing the Crisper

I think I buy way too much stuff. It’s either that or I need to eat in more often. I get over excited when I see produce that I like in the market. You see, shopping for 2, sometimes just for me is not an easy task. And more often than not, I tend to go overboard. And so I always have fruits and veggies that are somewhat at the end of its prime. Not good. Because you don’t get the most benefit out of a wilting produce I don’t think.

So one day I saw a need to clean the crisper and get rid of all those droopy foodstuffs. But I hate throwing hard earned money away so I decided to cook them at two goes. They’re all left over stuff, a piece of this and a piece of that. And this was what I whipped up for dinner.

I call it Left-Over Omelet. Pretty straightforward… here’s what I found in my crisper:

2 carrots,
1 green bell pepper
a piece of white button mushroom
some shallots

Here’s what you do:

Dice all ingredients.
Whisk eggs and add milk for a fluffier omelet.
On a skillet coated with oil, spray or butter, add the veggies and cook for a while seasoning with salt and pepper and in my case, I also seasoned it with this*.
After a minute or so, add the egg mixture.
Use a spatula to push the eggs from the outer edge of the skillet toward the center. Alternatively, you can also tilt the pan till the egg runs to open areas.
Do this till the egg turns white and edge a bit crispy.
Flip the omelet and cook for another minute or so.

The next morning, here’s what I did to these sorry pieces of sadness.

Peel, core and chop the apples. In a saucepan, combine the apples with the following:

butter
brown sugar (I used coco sugar which is not so sweet)
cinnamon (I used cinnamon sticks)
vanilla bean (optional, I just had some so I used it)

Cook until mixture thickens and apple is tender.

I used this to top my Multigrain French Toast. Yum.

* Note: Veg-Sal Spike Seasoning can be found at the seasoning section of Healthy Options.

Posted on December 3, 2010December 3, 2010 by Jenn 1

my adventure odyssey

travel tales, gustatory delights and beyond