Feeling foodie

Recently been doing a lot of stuff in our little kitchen. And I must say I've been enjoying the time I spend there. It's one of the blessings I consider that God has given me after the major changes in our little family. 

Just for the record, here are some of the stuff I've been busy with, serving my little big man and little girl these past weeks.

Hungarian sausage and scrambled eggs

The last 2 months, I also started the habit of going to the palengke every Saturday morning to buy food, fruits and... shrimp! Shrimp is the little girl's favorite and being the picky eater that she is, this is the only food she would eat with gusto. She would even help with the cooking.

Then there's my obsession with plating and instagramming my work. I search the internet for recipes that not only taste good, but look good as well. It feels good to prepare these for my kids. And I know they appreciate the effort, esp the little big man who even told me last week that I should stop working and just stay home and take care of them like this. Oh how I wish I could do that!

Tuna pesto pasta + Four seasons

Lemon infused water + Fruit loops + s'mores + 3-cheese & tomato pasta

Tuna & alfalfa rolls / sandwich

Salad composed of cucumber, lettuce, carrots, avocado and yes, alfalfa sprouts + vinegrette

Food for the body is not enough. 

There must be food for the soul.

~Dorothy Day

guess who's cooking!

so i've been proud of the little achievements i've had about cooking for the family. 

but today, the little big man did it too. a couple of times, i've told him that it's about time he learns to cook simple meals, and rice. so last night, i taught him, with the lights out and we were about to go to sleep, how to cook instant noodles. i was specific about how to turn the stove on and off because i don't want him causing a fire or getting himself burned. i told him the danger of turning it on and not having any flame being that the gas is coming out in the air and he doesn't know it and once he clicks it again, it might burst into flames. yeah, quite morbid to imagine but it's better that he knows than to regret later.

this morning, he texted me and asked again the step by step procedure. i called him and again, told him how to fire up the stove, how many cups of water to put for 2 packs, when to put in the noodles, when to pour the seasoning, how to find out if it's cooked...i told him again to be extra careful with the stove and to make sure it's turned off after cooking.

in less than 30 minutes, he texted me: 

Mommy success! Ang sarap 15 May 2014  9:49am

i'm so proud of him. he's learning to be a more responsible young man everyday. he still has a lot to learn i know, but these baby steps are all he needs and he'll be on his way. makes me a bit dreadful that soon he won't need me anymore. just this morning, he was talking about going out and exploring the world on his bike. i told him he can only bike around the neighborhood but never outside the subdivision but i will never know for sure, right? the last month, he and his little sister have been on their own during mornings (being that it's summer break here) and although they still fight a lot, i know that soon, he will be able to take on, seriously, his role as big brother.

i only pray for him and the little girl that God guides them always and that i will be able to instill in them the right values and morals they need to become the best that they can be when they grow up.

It's easier to build strong children

than to repair broken men.

~Frederick Douglass

growing plants

i am not into plants. i'm into pets but i don't have a pet because i cannot take care of one, what with my hyperactive, choleric, type A personality kids who take up my time and energy. i do not want plants in my life as much as i don't want pets because of the responsibility they bring.

but i've been watering my mom's plants daily for over a month now. i don't have a choice because they are placed in the front yard of our little penthouse for the longest time and there is no one to take care of them now but me. so just this summer, i get up at 5:30 in the morning to water them. everyday.

and i dunno... i've grown a slight attachment to them. i pick out dried leaves and weed out those unsightly grass that grow here and there.  i got guilty when i went on vacation for 2 days and i got home and some of them dried up a bit. i also began to treat my daily watering chore as a form of exercise, what with me dipping the tabo in the timba for each potted plant. and boy, have i got a lot of potted plants to pour into so you can just imagine how many times i bend over and carry each tabo of water to each plant.

anyway, this morning, i was in awe to find most of "my" plants healthy and.... flowering!

over the last month, i've grown too with my plants. just as i did my best to nurture them, i nurtured myself. i've learned to be self-reliant now more than ever. things i never did before on my own, i can now do by myself. cooking. laundry. house-cleaning. more recently, driving. and basically, managing my household. i have re-affirmed that God gave me trials and hard times for me to become a better person. just as those plants experienced dry season, they are now blooming in summertime.

yeah. me. blooming in summertime. :)

belated happy mother's day to me.

A garden requires labor and attention. 

Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions.

They thrive because someone expended effort on them.

~Liberty Hyde Bailey

Good Day

I must say I had a productive day today. Second time this week. The first was last Monday, I didn't go to work but ended up enrolling in driving school, getting my student permit and finally getting my kids their new Samsung Tab3 and Samsung S Duos.

Today, a Friday, I didn't go to work again. Spent the first two waking hours driving. My teacher, Aban, is as short as me. Literally same height. He is so cool and kind I don't want anybody else to teach me.

After my lesson, the kids and I went to Notre for their enrollment. How can hard-earned money just go like that in an instant?

Insert picture here of receipt

When we got home I cooked for my mom. Later in the afternoon, I suddenly wanted to cook spaghetti for the kids. Yes, I did. Butbi found that my speghetti sauce ia expired by over a year. (Remember? I dont really cook, right.) Ran off to SM with tge little girl to get Three-cheese pasta sauce. Shopped a little too and got the little girl's school supplies.

My spaghetti was a hit. Then cooked fried chicken (in Japanese breading) later tonight for a late- night supper which the kids really enjoy. The late-night supper, I mean.

If you don't know me well, let me tell you that it's a big deal that I am cooking. And it's making me happy that I am able to do this for my kids.

Real proud of myself today.

how to cook eggs properly

i so need this video as future reference. indulge me.

it's been a while that i've been cooking meals for my kids at home now. i'm getting the hang of it. 

last week, my only fail was the pineapple chicken which turned out to be too sweet.  so far, i've done chicken sinigang, pork sinigang, sauteed squash and sitaw (which was a hit even with my parents), fried pork chops (which was kinda hard, according to my son, but tasty)...

but my fascination with all kinds of egg recipes is getting bigger. next thing you know, i'm making eggs benedict!

i should start stalking following this erwan heusaff guy.

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: 

it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. 

We are like eggs at present. 

And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. 

We must be hatched or go bad.

~ C.S. Lewis

chef duties

This may seem like I'm patronizing myself but really, you all know I hate cooking, and now I cooked yet again.

Some of you know why I am sometimes forced to cook for my kids. Some of you don't. But then I won't explain it to those who don't.

So here is what I did this morning.

Yesterday the little girl asked for chicken sinigang. She wanted soup because she wasn't feeling very well. I must say I did a fairly good job because she end her brother ate it all.

The last few times the hubby was away, I've got to say, I've been enjoying preparing my kids' food. I've enjoyed going to the grocery and the wet market even, and being able to choose the stuff our little family will eat. If this situation keeps on, I might as well get an oven and learn to bake. Hah! That'll be the day.

Sometimes I think ma be if I wasn't working full time, I may be able to domesticate myself and really be good at it. Oh did I tell you I've been doing laundry too?

trying hard chef

i've been meaning to blog about something that i started doing a few months back but never got the time to actually write about it.  today, i'm not missing that chance again.

since july, i've been trying my hand at... (don't squeal)... cooking.  yes, and to those who know me well, i know you squealed.  

i've never liked cooking.  i always thought it was boring and tiring just looking at how you cut up and prepare veggies or measure the teaspoonfuls of ingredients and spices.  my hubby has always been my ever-dependable cook.  he's the best for me.

but over the past months, i've been literally forced to cook for my kids with him not being around the house anymore what with the new and exciting things happening in his career.

so here are some of the stuff i've cooked.  my kids are my critics and most of the time, i pass but i guess they just love me too much to tell me i'm no good.

mommy matters

resilience.  i feel this word.  i want it to drench me in its meaning.

i've never felt more "mom" than i have been the last couple of days.  i was on leave for 3.5 days last week to physically take care of the kids' needs, without a nanny and without a husband.  

last tuesday, i had to leave work midday to fetch the little big man because classes were suspended while the little girl was sick at home.  from that day onward, i prepped them every morning, brought them to school, fixed the house and did errands, fetched them later and had dinner somewhere or at my parents'.

over the weekend, i spent time at our canteen while finishing "fifty shades of grey."  i haven't read a whole book (novel) for the last 4 or 5 years and it felt really good although i wasn't too fascinated with the story of this one.  sunday the kids and i went to morning mass, had lunch at max's and spent a quiet afternoon and evening.  to top all that, i cooked dinner.  

and cooked breakfast and "baon" the next three days till today.  and i think i'll be doing that for the rest of my life because i realize i love doing it for the kids.  

i did some laundry and ironing too last week for the kids' uniforms.  but i did arrange with the laundry woman to come every monday since i know for a fact that i will not be able to handle that on a regular basis. 

i arranged for the kids' school service so that i wouldn't have to worry about them while   i'm at work.  good thing the kids liked the idea although they have to prepare for school an hour earlier than when the hubby used to bring them by car.

i bought a can opener.  this is monumental for me.  because for a long time, i never had one because cans at home were always opened by the hubby or the nanny or the house help using a big knife.  but last monday, i was gonna cook meat loaf for the kids' baon and i almost ground the meat inside the can using that big knife to open it.  i also bought a new cutting board since i wanted to replace ours a long time ago but never gotten around to doing it because i wasn't the actual user of it, until now.  and guess what, i bought a flat "sandok" for frying.  i know i will be frying a lot these days so might as well get my own.

last night, i went shopping for food.  i always did that with the hubby before because he's the one who knows that stuff.  (if you've known me long enough, you'd know i'm not that kind of girl and that he's that kind of guy.)  but last night, i was picking which cooking oil to buy, getting a pre-packed dozen eggs, deciding on whether to get the boxed milk or the chocolate milk, buying potatoes and tomato sauce... i was actually thinking of cooking a real meal (which is giniling na baboy) and not just something out of a can or a foil pack.  

i am also making time to fix, clean, arrange things in the house.  little by little.  i am now aware that trash is being picked up every wednesday and saturday so i always have to make sure it's out our door those days.  i am also aware when the mineral water is running out so i can request for a delivery.  i have asked for the help of one of our helpers at the canteen to prep the little girl every morning.  i have also commissioned our cook to make our dinner everyday.

one of my mom's borders offered to assist the little girl with her homeworks and study and although i do like to do that with her, i welcomed the kind help, silently thanking God for all of the good things that He's giving me and my family.

it surprised me that i could actually do things by myself.  and the things that i can't do, i am able to ask for help.  and i felt more fulfilled than i ever was.  it's tiring, i admit, waking up at 4:30am everyday, squeezing everything we have to do the whole day to be able to put the kids to bed at 9:00pm.  but i do get a little "me" time too, a quick browse through facebook, an online old movie, sewing my kids' names on their hankies, game of thrones during lunch time at work, a new lipstick... a quick quip on twitter and this blog.  i guess i just might be blogging a lot more than i used to.

i feel like i'm starting over.  love life!

Resilience is the ability to work with adversity in such a way that one comes through it unharmed or even better for the experience. Resilience means facing life’s difficulties with courage and patience – refusing to give up. It is the quality of character that allows a person or group of people rebound from misfortune, hardships and traumas.

Resilience is rooted in a tenacity of spirit—a determination to embrace all that makes life worth living even in the face of overwhelming odds. When we have a clear sense of identity and purpose, we are more resilient, because we can hold fast to our vision of a better future.

chef chari on the loose!

so before the tuna and toenail tragedy, there was supposed to be the "moment" when plain old me turns to chef chari. so this is my blog entry about it.

the can of tuna was really meant for me to cook. when i took it off the shelf from the grocery, i already knew i was the one who will put it on the stove a few days after. something about that can told me that it should be the start of something new. (to the tune of high school musical)

anyhow, i found the perfect recipe on the internet. the step by step instruction was easy enough for me to comprehend. the dish turned out fine but nothing exceptional. migo said it was ok. cesar said it was ok. so i guess..... i should try a new recipe!

yesterday, it was sinigang na baboy day. another free consultation on the world wide web and off i go. it tasted ok. again, just ok. cesar did say it was good enough. the only problem was that i put the gabi last together with the leafy veggies so the gabi didn't soften. cesar said later i should've put it in together with the pork.

anyway. so i cooked a second time this month. so i'm living up to my secret new year's resolution. or should i say, i'm starting to accomplish one of my secret goals for 2008. i hope i get to accomplish ALL my secret goals. i won't write them down but will just write them when i've accomplished them already. that way, no one knows if i get a passing score or not. and i can only have myself to blame if i don't.

the tuna and toenail tragedy

julla broke her left big toenail.

friday night, i was preparing a tuna dinner. i left the can of tuna on top of the dining table while thawing the combination of green peas, diced carrots and corn kernels. (YES, I WAS GOING TO COOK DINNER! and cesar was proud of me, but that's another blog entry...)

so there i was busy with my "moment" because as you all know (or not know yet), i don't know how to cook. i searched the internet that evening for a good canned tuna dish and i was excited and sort of proud of myself. suddenly, a loud scream. no, more like a short, high-pitched yelp, followed by loud, ear-splitting wailing which could only come from julla.

then there she was, pointing at her bleeding toe. and it bled like crazy, i didn't know what to do! hydrogen peroxide and balls of cotton! wailing julla in the background while i rummaged through my cabinet with all the bottles of cologne, lotion, contact lens cleaner, etc already in disarray even before the rummage. she wailed and wailed like an ambulance siren. while silly me, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. and her brother, migo, looking over my shoulder and breathing a loud "eeewwwww!" then darting away, lest he gets this communicable disease that his little sister acquired.

30 minutes later. a hiccuping julla, drained from all the crying, but quiet finally. her big toenail, cracked crosswise, 3/4 of it might eventually chip off.

damn, i hope the remaining 1/4 grows out nice and smooth just as it has always been. i don't want her to be eventually all grown up and pretty... but hiding an ugly toe.