Kangkong with Oyster Sauce

A continuation of my Crispy Kangkong  post a week back, where I used only the bigger part of Kangkong leaves. Thus, the smaller ones were made into a delicious Kangkong with Oyster Sauce. And thanks to Anne of http://annecooks.blogspot.com/, I have learned a substitute for oyster sauce if its not available. Which was the case when I was cooking this one. The recipe below also credits back to her. But since I am not a fan of spicy food, I didn’t include the siling labuyo on her original recipe.

Early Mother's day gift

Hubby got me an early mother's day gift! I cant wait to see, hold and play with it. Its a HP mini N210. And got it at a very good deal! I Love You Be!
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AJ's Summer Enrichment Program

Our little boy no more. To prepare him for the coming school year (SY2010-2011), we have enrolled him to a summer enrichment program at the Montessori Education Center of Asia Pacific (MECAP) an Internationale Montessori School to familiarize him to school settings so that transition to regular school would not be traumatic (as I remembered my nursery days..oh boy!)

AJ has not attended any preschool. He was just taught to count and memorize the alphabet at home (with the help of Mamita & Mommy). So since he will be entering nursery this June (he also turns 4years old that month), we decided that this program would help him be more independent and socialize with other people aside from us.

AJ's first day, holding his snack bag and my umbrella

Earthday at Starbucks

Its Earth Day today and if you happen to be near Starbucks, bring your own tumbler today and tomorrow to enjoy a P40 discount on your beverage.

A small way that goes a long way to save our mother earth.
This promo is only valid in the Philippines. See you in Starbucks! :)

my brother's father

My brother is back in Manila visiting from Alabama. Last weekend, we went to visit Dad. After being hospitalized last January and February, I remembered he was so thin for lack of appetite. But I was surprised to see him in pretty good shape. Not the same as he was when he was healthy but he looked better than the last time I saw him. He was actually at church when we arrived and waited for him to arrive. He didn't know that my brother was in town already. But he was expecting him for I have told him in the beginning of the year that he'll be spending summer her. I saw his delight when he saw his only son again. And they talked for endless hours. Didn't felt jealous at all for I know I am just around. I was just glad to observe them. 

Dad, though not that old, he is only 63 but already looked more than 70 years old. Life has good to him during his younger days but he has taken it all for granted and  made bad decisions along the way that affected and hurt the family. I no longer hold grudge as I used to. But I can't help think what our lives would have turn out of the past didn't occur. I would be very different from our current one for sure. But I was born to this family and we can't choose our family. So I accept whatever I have and live with it. Promising myself that I'd keep my family together…whatever it takes.

Appetizer & Snack: Crispy Kangkong

Nowadays, I feel the need to cook whenever I get excited. Whenever I craved for something, I cook it. Last Saturday and Sunday was that kind of day.

I found myself thinking of what to cook.. something that I never had before. Then I saw those big leafy kangkong from Dizon's at the supermarket and I knew what I wanted to make for dinner.

While searching for some Kangkong recipes.. I learned that its English name is Swamp Cabbage or Water Spinach, not so delicious thinking that this veggy grew on swamp. (not so many clean swamp here in the Philippines).. anyway since the Kangkong I'm cooking is from Dizon's Farm, so I'm guaranteed that where swamp they go those kankongs.. sa safe and clean for cooking J

Since Dizon Farms packs the kangkong more generously from the one you get in the wet market, I used the bigger leaves for the appetizer: crunchy crispy Kangkong (good for snacks too!)

Ingredients:

1 bundle Kangkong

1 piece whole egg

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/4 cup cornstarch

1 cup cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cooking oil

Directions

Separate the leaves from stalk. (use stalk for other cooking). Wash leaves and drain well. In a mixing bowl, beat egg, add cold water, cornstarch, flour, salt and pepper. Whisk well.  Heat oil in a deep fryer. Dip Kangkong in batter and let excess batter drip before deep-frying.  Cook until nice and crunchy.Drain well in a kitchen towel.  Serve with any favorite dip. (I used Garlic Ranch)

This is also good for snacks and pulutan.

National Pot Smoking Day

Happy 420. Today, 20 April is National Pot Smoking Day and much people say Happy 420. but what is 420? Why people said Happy 420 on "National Pot Smoking Day? Some people said today is a day where people all over the world celebrate by smoking weed.

According to the editor of High Times, Steven Hager, the term "420" originated at San Rafael High School, in 1971, among a group of about a dozen pot-smoking students who called themselves the Waldos. The term was shorthand for the time of day the group would meet, at the campus statue of Louis Pasteur, to smoke pot. Intent on developing their own discreet language, they made 420 a code for a time to get high, and its use spread among members of an entire generation through various vehicles like the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. Other versions say 420 originated from a police dispatch code that identified pot smokers or that 420 was the number of chemical compounds that are found in pot.

Disclaimer: We'll I definitely don't encourage smoking of pot. posted this one just for historical info. And besides you don't need a 420 just to be happy.. there are other means, I'm sure of that. xoxo.

ANNIE's (American comfort cuisine)

What a tiring day! We just concluded our team's planning for this Q2. Aside from the planning was held at a very 'planning' conducive environment (function room at Summit Ridge in Tagaytay), a lot of sharing, learning and brainstorming happened today. And I believe that we are going to hit another big time this quarter (positivity is the key to every success!) I just hope all our plans will be realized. But this post is not about the planning (why would you be interested in that!? haha!). Instead this is about what happened during lunch that surprised us all come the afternoon.

The story goes a little something like this:

After the morning session of the planning (which was on time as per our agenda schedule), we all went to the restaurant called ANNIE's (American comfort cuisine) by Cravings which is inside Summit Ridge. As I looked into the menu, I knew that this is such a pricey place.

missing the single me (just for this summer season)

I have to admit that I don't keep many friends. I choose those that I can trust. I have my bestest friends from highschool but I rarely see both of them due to our geographical situation ( one migrated to California and the other recently moved to Hong Kong- all of us are married with little boys ). I have those chosen few in college but we rarely see each other due to busy schedules. Though we have an annual Christmas gathering which became a tradition. This is usually during or near my birthday. Then I have those other few whom I had the pleasure of meeting at work and spent more than 8 hours a day with them for years.. and thus became close. Some of them have already moved to another company but I'm glad that we still keep in touch.


I think I still have more single friends than married ones. And when I see some of my single friends who frequently see their friends for out of town trips, road trips, dinner/lunch out, it makes me realize that I used to be like them. Always ready to go when their friends says that they want to go here and there. May it be an out of town, or out of the country or just a night out. And I have to admit that I miss it. Not having any obligation to go home immediately afterwork. Planning a trip over the weekend without hesitation. I miss that too. I miss being single.

How To Train Your Dragon

After 2 months of haitus from watching movies in theater, hubby and I finally watched How To Train Your Dragon. They said its a great movie for kids but I think its too violent for my 3 year-old. So it was a good decision to watch it without AJ. When I first saw Toothless (the dragon) it remind me of another animated character. But during the movie, I can't pin point who it was that looks like him. .

Anyways, since I am reviewing this movie. I'd give it 4 Stars. Yes, its a very unique plot and the characters are lovable. Hiccup is inspirational and Astrid is on tough gal but a softy too. I think America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) was a great choice to do her voice..Gerard Butler's voice for Stoick was perfectly match with his size. Animation was very good. I'm beginning to like Dreamworks but nothing will replace Pixar in my heart. The story is an adaption from a children's book written by  Cressida Cowell.

I'd recommend for the whole family to watch this film. But due to some violent scenes, I'm keeping the little ones away from this one... may be for those 5 and up kids only. Its a feel good movie and you'll be glad to know that there's goodness in everyone, even Dragons have it.

And by the end of the movie.. I knew who Toothless looks like.. Stitch without the wings.

Photoblog: What's for merienda?

Piaya and Barquillos are the favorite pasalubong of people visiting Ilo-ilo. This includes my hubby, who recently visited my birth place for an official business. He was able to taste an authentic La Paz Batchoy and has proven that Ilo-ilo has one of the best tasting liempo lechon that tastes like a lechon kawali but was actually roasted not fried. He even texted me "mananaba ako dito.. ang sarap ng pagkain". 

Unfortunately, he was not able to roam around the province to see the sights. Not even a chance to visit my old school ( Angelicum ) which I heard is a tourist spot nowadays. Maybe someday..and this time, I'd be enjoying the sights with him.

e63

I have been meaning to post this but never had the time to do it.. anyway.. I'm here now. I got a new phone! Hurray! its an brand new but old model of the Nokia eSeries. the E63. It was hubby's time to renew his contract with SMART, a mobile phone provider, and as part their retention program, he was elligible to avail of a new phone. So he asked me if I wanted to have a new phone (who would resist this kind of offer?) and of course my answer was a big YES. He sent me the units that he can avail and once i saw that the eSeries is one of them, I didn't think twice. I want the eSeries model. But the catch its, he has to shell-out a P4,000 cash for the phone unit. So we agreed that we'll do a 50/50 split of the cash.

I got the phone last March 23 and I was so excited to use its features: wifi, wlan, camera, radio, download apps, setting up of email, nokia messaging and all. before trying all this, I checked my balance which was at P235 at the time. after a week, lo and behold, I got the shock of my life when I check my balance again , it was at P1,333 already! I was in panic and I checked the phone on why the hell I was charged with such when I was mosty using wi-fi and not connected to GPRS /Smart internet... apparently, even if you are using wi-fi, data connection charges are still charged. So its not totally free even if you are connected on a free wi-fi.

Aside for this, I've very happy with my new phone :) But for now, I'm not using any data connection, wi-fi and wlan on my phone until I get to settle this bill. No more mobile blogging for me at the moment.