Tag: About Me

Parmesan Oatmeal

Credits:  Snack Bag, Sunshine, Fun Surf papers from LivE SSunFun collection; Floral clusters and journal tag from LivE U R Awesome kit.  All from LivE Designs.  Ribbon Acrylic from Scrapmatters Life Little Surprises kit.

After a 3-month non-stop feasting on all sorts of food, my test results finally manifested negatively on this indulgence.  Cholesterol levels are a tad higher than normal so I run to old, reliable oatmeal to deliver me back to health.  Aside from its many benefits – one being a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber, which helps reduce LDL cholesterol, I just absolutely love it – especially this Scottish oatmeal.  It is a quintessential start to my day until recently, that is.  I’ve been lazy in the morning, preferring easy, instant fares such as granola with milk or yogurt, toasted breads with loads of butter and jam (tsk, tsk.), or just plain coffee (if I’m really, really lazy).

Plain oatmeal is bleh so I almost always cook it with milk (instead of just plain water), somedays I sweeten it with agave syrup and a fruit (like bananas or mangoes).  More often though it’s the savory kind that I crave for – topping it with spicy tuna from the can, grilled sausages or even pork floss.  And recently I discovered that cheese goes very well with oatmeal too when I stumbled on Stephanie Izard’s recipe that suggested fusing olive oil, cheese, salt and pepper – but of course!  An instant favorite!!   😉  So here’s my version.

Here’s what you need

  • Oatmeal, preferably steel-cut
  • Milk
  • Parmesan cheese (you can also try gouda, edam or manchego)
  • Extra-virgin Olive Oil
  • Sea salt (I used flaked salt)
  • Freshly cracked pepper

Here’s what you do

Cook the oatmeal (as directed on the pack) with milk (or water if you prefer).  Drizzle some good EVOO, add a fair amount of shaved or cracked cheese and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper (adjusting to your taste).

Satisfaction twice over – healthy and great tasting to boot… is this a winner or what?   😀

Useful Info:

*  Bob’s Organic Scottish Oatmeal is available at Healthy Options.

Posted on by Jenn 4

A Glimpse of Central Park

I am not a runner.  Ever since I joined track and field in high school, I hated running.  I excel more on the field – high jump, javelin… but I digress.  Marathons are cool, but my lack of enthusiasm and my bum knee kind of decided for me that I am most likely not joining a marathon soon.  Yeah.  So why am I up early one Friday morning in October dragging myself to Central Park with 3 runners?  1) I’ve never been to Central Park 2) I didn’t want to sleep in on a beautiful day 3) They promised me coffee.  Yeah I’m cheap.

Heckscher Ballfield was where they left me.  While they started their 6-mile run, I sat in one of those picnic tables overlooking the ball field, sipped my Grande non-fat latte, and read some.  Not too long after, I felt the itch to go wandering around the area but not too far because I just might not find my way back.  I soon realized that one could easily get lost in the park because of the various confusing paths and turn-offs.

I was in the company of dog walkers,

photography enthusiasts and

some ordinary people just wanting to get away.

The portion of the park I was in had some beautiful view of the skyscrapers of Manhattan.

After their run, we walked to what is considered as the heart of Central Park,

the Bathesda Terrace and the fountain.  Gorgeous.

Posing for a keepsake with my dear, dear friens with the Loeb Boathouse in the background.

We then headed to the most photographed area of Central Park,

the Mall and Liberty Walk – still is the place to see and to be seen.

And this sums up my morning walk around Central Park.  Located in the center of Manhattan, this 843 acre green rectangle that stretches 51 blocks is indeed one of those places that make New York City a great place to live.

Posted on by Jenn 2

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 by Jenn 2

The Season of Giving

Alas the season of giving is here and the child in me still loves the mystery of a carefully wrapped gift – the thrill of unwrapping a gift to discover what’s in it… ahhh!!  Which is why it brings me great joy come Christmastime to search for the perfect gift, perfectly wrapped for the people I love.  If I love the surprise, so would they, yes?   🙂

Recently, I was invited by friends to join their gift-giving mission.  Six years ago, the burden to help the needy and the desire to share the blessings they were bestowed with gave rise to this endeavor. Good friends pulling resources together just for the joy of giving – no agenda, just pure passion.  I have been donating to their effort for a few years now but this year, I was invited to take part in it first hand.  I’m glad I did.

It was heartwarming to see how a simple gift,

a simple lunch and a bit of entertainment

can add excitement and joy in their lives.  It actually took so little to put smiles on their faces.

Because of its poverty and remoteness the group decided this year to give to the students of Cumao Elementary School in a village in Gattaran, Cagayan Province.

What they lack in materials things are compensated by the beauty of the land and the pureness and the childlike enthusiasm of the people.  The teachers, who chose to stay in remote Cumao and devote time and energy to teach, care and nurture these kids; they are heroes in my eyes.  There is no season for giving for these teachers.  It happens the whole year round.

More snaps captured that day:

 

Posted on by Jenn 8

A Taste of Greece

Greece has always been at the top of my bucket list.  The Mediterranean has always fascinated me.  I only had a couple of opportunities to wander through some of the countries bordering its seas – Italy and a teeny-weeny bit of Spain to be exact. One day I came across this post.  It not only revived my fascination for the Mediterranean — more specifically Greece, it had me craving for some Greek food too.  And since souvlaki is only the most popular Greek food, I thought of savoring a bit of Greece by re-creating Jen’s souvlaki recipe.  Although souvlakis are usually small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer, I pan-fried mine and did away with the skewer.  And instead of pita, I topped it on my basmati rice.  Equally as yum.

Yogurt Marinated Chicken Souvlaki

  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp. dried oregano
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • ½ cup Greek or plain yogurt
  • 300g. boneless chicken breast cut into cubes

Here’s 2 ways to do this:

  • In a large glass bowl, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, yogurt and garlic; add chicken (or pork / lamb) and stir to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Option 1: the traditional way

  • Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers.
  • Lightly oil grate. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or to desired doneness, turning skewers frequently for even cooking.

Option 2:  If like me, you don’t own a grill

  • Lightly oil pan or a cast iron grill pan with a little bit of olive oil.
  • Cook the chicken for 10-15 minutes or to desired doneness.

Because the enzymes of the yogurt helped tenderize the meat, this chicken was moist, juicy and very flavorful to boot.

Posted on by Jenn 1

PB&J and Oatmeal

So I love oatmeal.  I didn’t always but learned to love it when I discovered this and this (available at Healthy Options).  Unlike the oatmeal my mom forced on me every single school day of my elementary years, these provided some texture that took my fancy when I first tried it.  I’ve acquired the taste for oats since my recent illness.   It’s supposed to be good for me.   😉

Also available at Healthy Options

Sweetened with some kind of sweetener – honey, muscovado or a recent discovery, agave syrup and a sprinkling of some dried fruit, that’s how I normally like my oatmeal.

I recently uncovered though a liking for peanut butter and jelly to go with it. Guava is a favorite but I so happened to have an opened bottle of tomato jam – it worked for me too!  Don’t judge until you’ve tried it.  It can be very addicting!  Umm, that is if you love PB&J as much as I do.  Aside from the sweet-savory taste, the PB adds a certain richness to the oatmeal while the J takes care of sweetening it in a special kind of way.  I would add more liquid than usual so not to end up with oatmeal that is too thick when mixed with the peanut butter.

So go ahead, give it a try – this might just end up becoming a favorite too.   🙂

Posted on by Jenn 3

The Binondo “Wok”ing Tour

Possibly, no definitely the best way to see Manila “on foot” as their leaflet suggests and I completely agree.  It’s literally experiencing Binondo or Chinatown one bite at a time.

I am of Chinese descent but I don’t really know my way around Chinatown.  My parents would occasionally take us there for lunch or dinner when we were growing up but really, I am clueless as to their whereabouts.

An “old-time” favorite of the family

Binondo is like a maze, although the street names are all very familiar, I have no sense of where they are in relation to each other.  Leave me there and I am helpless.

I grew up with home cooked Chinese food.  Not the stuff that you eat in “Cantonese-style” Chinese restaurants in the metro, but simple home cooked meals that really is more everyday stuff to me than “Chinese”.

So taking this tour was somewhat nostalgic and enlightening.  We journeyed through old and new adventures.  There were food that I grew up with and there are those I encountered for the first time.  The places we walked through were likewise familiar, yet unfamiliar.

Binondo Today and Yesterday

Ivan showing the group a “grandma” slipper that is almost in the brink of deletion.

Our gracious host, Ivan Man Dy met us at the Binondo Church located across the Plaza Calderon dela Barca along Quentin Paredes St.

It is today a well-known landmark in Chinatown.  Because the saint once served there as an altar boy, it is also known as Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz.

At the Plaza across the church, we talked briefly about how the early Hokkien (Fookien) immigrants arrived from Fujian province in China during the Spanish rule and the time when Binondo was the main center of business and finance in Manila with mainly the Chinese, Chinese mestizos, and Spanish Filipinos anchoring the bustling banking and financial community many decades ago.

Today, the community is still vibrant as ever and continues to keep alive its heritage.

Café Mezzanine

After a brief reminder of our history, we walked over to a café above Eng Bee Tin where we were served a bowl of “kiampung”, which literally translates to salty rice.

This rice dish is a mixture of pork, chicken, dried shrimps, mushrooms and peanuts mixed together in soy sauce and topped with caramelized and spring onions – a simple dish that reminded me of my childhood, my grandmother, actually.  Opened and run by a group of volunteer firemen headed by Gerry Chua, all of its proceeds go to the Binondo and Paco Volunteer Fire Search and Rescue Brigade.  So if you find yourself in the area, head on to Café Mezzanine and eat up a storm, every bite you take is a contribution to a noble cause.  Located at the corner of Ongpin and Yuchengco (former Nueva St) Sts., it opens its doors at 7am and closes at 10pm.

Dong Bei Restaurant

Fried Kutchay Pancake

We then walked over to a hole in a wall that serves perhaps the best dumplings in town.

At the storefront (as you enter) there will be someone making fresh dumplings by hand for everyone to see.

Owned by new immigrants Ivan calls “bagong salta” (new arrivals) from Northern China, they serve prominent dishes from that region.

Heavenly with the sauce!

The steamed Kutchay dumpling is a blend of minced pork, kutchay and fresh shrimps – juicy pork dumpling flavored with kutchay and fresh crisp shrimp adding another dimension to the taste of the dumpling.  This is truly a wonderful blend of flavors and is heavenly with the soy-vinegar sauce.   I loved it so much, I bought some frozen ones to savor more of it at home.  Heard that they also make a mean dish of hand-made noodle with Soybean sauce.  Must get myself back there to try it.

Fried Siopao

Another favorite and a first for me is fried siopao from a small take-out stall along Benevidez St. Yes folks, this siopao is not steamed but pan-fried.  This might be the best tasting siopao I had ever tasted in my life.  Not the typical asado filling, this is more like bola-bola siopao but much more tastier.   Definitely a must-try.

Aside from the siopao, I also bought to munch some sugar sprinkled bicho-bicho (Chinese crullers).  This was a favorite and truly a blast from my past!

There’s more and best to experience it first hand.  The Big Binondo Food Wok.  Go book a tour today.  And oh… make sure you’re hungry.

Posted on by Jenn 4

Orange You Glad?

Credits:  Typed letter paper from JSprague’s Thank Ya Kindly kit; Brush from J Crowley’s Beautiful Evidence.

That’s one in a series of vinaigrettes that came out in the market of late.  One thing I love about salads aside from the healthiness it accords one’s body is the ease of preparation.  Packed washed salad greens are plentiful in the groceries with so many varieties to choose from nowadays.  And although I like making my own dressings, sometimes ready-made dressings are a blessing especially if all you want to do, after a long day’s work, is to plop on the couch and have Ellen Degeneres liven up your evening.  So yes, orange you glad there are washed salad greens just waiting to be eaten or served, yummy ready-made dressings to perk up your salad and of course, the frozen chili I made a few weeks ago, apportioned and ready to be heated anytime you feel like it?  Yes, I am glad to have these on lazy nights such as tonight.   😀

Posted on by Jenn 2

My Very First Chili con Carne

I love food and cooking has always fascinated me.  But cook I seldom do.  I can come up with a good number of reasons why but that would just be justifying.  Admittedly, it has been a while since I endeavored to cook something new and exciting, let alone raved about it.  I attempted to start several years ago and failed miserably.  The sorry number of posts listed on my “culinary endeavors” category is proof of that.  But that will hopefully change soon.  Yeah, I have resolved to cook one new dish a month.   Pretty doable, right?  Who says you can’t start a resolution mid-year?

So I flipped through my cookbooks that were collecting dust, wandered through some of my favorite blogs and stumbled on this.  I love Chili con Carne but A (I found out) is not too crazy about it.  Yikes!  He gave the thumbs up though, but maybe that was just to cheer me on.  Hee hee!   😛

I was enticed to try this because of the many versions that can be made depending on one’s preference.  It’s a recipe that I can own.  A good first attempt, don’t you think?  Here’s the recipe I ended up with.

Baked Chili Con Carne

  • ½ kilo ground beef
  • 1 cup diced onions
  • 3 chopped garlic cloves
  • 1 cup corn kernel
  • 1 16 oz.  canned kidney beans
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp. ground cumin
  • ½ bottle of dark brown beer
  • 2 14 oz. cans diced or crushed tomatoes with liquid
  • salt
  • pepper
  • dash of cayenne pepper

For Garnish:

  • shredded cheese (I used cheddar & mozzarella)
  • 2 eggs

Here’s what you do:

  • Brown the beef in a large pot.  Remove. Set aside, drain the fats.
  • Add around 2tbsp. canola oil to the pot and cook the vegetables until soft.  Add the beef back and then the seasonings.
  • Add the beans, tomatoes, and beer.  Then add salt & pepper to taste.  Adjust seasonings if needed.  Let simmer, partially covered, for an hour.  Stir every 20 minutes.
  • Transfer to a baking dish, crack the eggs and top with cheese.
  • Bake in 180˚ C until the egg white is set.

I would have loved to try it with chocolate, which goes well with chili, but A is not a big fan of spicy hot dishes so I decided against it.  This one turned out well.  With a little inspiration here, I added eggs and truth to tell, I think this was what won A’s  approval.

Posted on by Jenn 3

More than Tuna…

General Santos has an array of good eats that made me more than smile.  Here’s what has landed on the top of my list.

Durian Gatchpuccino – cappuccino with a twist

Named after its owner Gatchi Gatchialian, I reckon. Blugre Coffee, originally from Davao, became famous for their Durian coffee concoction.

Heard so much about it and the first thing I did was head over to GMP building, along South Osmeña Street to see what the rave was all about.

It’s cappuccino with durian bits, indeed something to rave about if you love durian – of course.

Durian – the fruit

As you have probably noticed by now, I have this love affair with durian – wasn’t love at first sight though but I was rather introduced to it gradually.  I first tasted Durian flavored pastillas (milk candy) years ago and loved it, and then I discovered Durian ice cream, totally adored it.  I eventually had a go at the actual fruit, frozen at first — tasted very much like the ice cream.  And for more than a decade now, I am more than smitten.

GenSan, as with many places in Southern Philippines, is Durian haven and walking home from dinner,

we (the durian addicts) grabbed ourselves some and had a feast.

Six’ Bling’s

(Not a very good shot of an ) Ostrich Sisig

The only restaurant in GenSan that offers ostrich and crocodile delicacies but more than these, we had some pretty good appetizers too.

One that caught our eye was “Dili Ka GuaPo” (translated in English as “you’re not handsome”) – a mix of crispy fried dilis (anchovies) kag (is “and” in Bisaya) sliced guava, and pomelo dressed in vinaigrette, hence the name.  Aside from its eye-catching name, it is a refreshing combination of salty, sweet and sour.  Located at the NCCC compound off the National Highway, this wonderful find is a must-try when in GenSan.

And since it’s GenSan, we had to have our tuna, this time we had it kinilaw (tuna cooked in vinegar),

and grilled, as recommended.

Best paired with perfectly chilled San Mig Light beer below zero.  Ahhh…

Useful Information:

Six’ Bling’s
Contact No.:  (083) 553-8808; (083) 3021961; (0917) 715-2528; (0922) 859-1961
Posted on by Jenn 0