We Are Family

We are planning to go to Ilocos to visit my parents sometime this August. I hope it pushes through as it has been months since we last saw them. Lately, they’ve been getting sick and I worry a lot because they do not have any other companion at home.

I’m also looking at some pasalubong to bring home. While browsing the net, I saw a very nice line of leather goods from Johnston and Murphy. I’m pretty sure my dad would love their bags and wallets. Just sharing this information as some of you might be looking for gifts to give to the men of their lives.

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My youngest sister is a certified foodie. She loves going to new restaurants, trying new food, and trying out new recipes at home. We’re fortunate to have her because we always have something nice to eat at the table as she does the cooking most of the time.

Recently she told me that wine really interests her. And if she’s going to have a house of her own, she’s going to have her own wine collection. She would also want to have wine refrigerators in her kitchen so that she can serve the best wines she has to visitors in the right temperature.

That’s how she is…always dreaming big. I could only imagine how magnificent her house would look like. I hope she gets all that she dreams in life in the years to come.

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My mom’s recent project is to decorate our verandah. As such, she is looking for nice patio furniture that she could put in that area. Dapitan Arcade has a lot of these and if only she is nearby, she can buy all that she needs there. I’m wondering if there is a similar store in Ilocos for those kind of stuff.

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MARRIAGE—for some, the word evokes pleasant thoughts. For others, it elicits heartache. “I feel emotionally divorced,” laments one wife. “I feel neglected and lonely all the time which prompted me to obtain Marriage Therapy.”

What causes two people who once vowed to love and cherish each other to become so distant? One factor is a lack of education about what marriage entails. “We enter the institution without any training whatsoever,” observes Marriage Counselors.

That few today possess such know-how is borne out by a study conducted by The National Marriage Project, a research initiative of Rutgers University in New Jersey, U.S.A. “Many in this study have grown up with unhappily married or divorced parents,” write the directors of the project. “They know exactly what a bad marriage is, but they are less sure of what a good marriage looks like. Some can only describe a good marriage as ‘the opposite of my parents.’”

Has the love that once existed between you and your mate begun to fade? Do you feel trapped in a loveless marriage? One wife of 26 years said: “The pain that is experienced with this kind of relationship can hardly be described. It is constant and all-permeating.” Rather than resign yourself to an unfulfilling marriage, why not resolve to do something about it? Saving your Marriage is worth your efforts.

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We attended Jerome and Joy’s wedding last Saturday. It was a joyous occasion despite the heavy rains that poured early in the evening. They are M0rn1ng’s family friend and my mom in law is one of the principal sponsors.

It was a nice evening of love, fun and laughter. If only her dad was here. Kuya Toti passed away two years ago. But I can see the full support of her family especially her mom.

It is also memorable for our family because it is the first wedding reception that we brought B.boy with us. He has grown up a lot and I was really amazed on his social skills. He knows how to mingle with other people and he even joined the kids dance number. Look how he grooves.

Needless to say, the guests were very amused with his surprise dance number. Hehehe.

Here are some more pics taken by Shang.

Congratulations Jerome and Joy! May you find bliss and happiness in each other’s arms.

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Here’s for this week’s recipe. My sister cooked this last Sunday and we shared some of them with our neighbors. It’s an instant hit.

Sambusa is a recipe that we got from our Lebanese friend when were still in Riyadh. It’s a wonder how delicious it could be with only parsley and cheese as ingredient. Please feel free to try it out. Here’s the recipe.

Sambusa

Ingredients:
2 tbsp garlic (minced)
4 tbsp onions (minced)
50 g parsley (minced)
½ tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
¾ box cheddar cheese (finely grated)
20 pcs siomai wrapper
2 cups cooking oil

Directions:
Combine minced garlic, onions and parsley in a bowl
Season with salt and pepper
Add grated cheese
Mix
Wrap about one teaspoon of parsley mixture triangularly in a siomai wrapper. Make sure that the ends are tightly sealed.
Deep fry

Serves 5

Beefy Penne

 Ingredients:
1 big canned tomatoes (whole)
2 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp garlic (minced)
8 tbsp onions (minced)
½ kg ground beef
1 big can mushrooms (pieces and stems)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 g basil (chopped)
250 g penne rigate
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Red beefy sauce
Boil tomatoes in a casserole.
In another burner, heat pan
Add oil
Sautee garlic and onions
Add ground beef once the garlic turned golden brown and the onions became translucent
Mix until the ground beef turns golden brown
Add the mushrooms
Transfer the sautéed ingredients to the casserole of boiling tomatoes.
Season with salt and pepper
Add chopped basil

Pasta
Cook the pasta according to the its packaging directions

Mix together the penne pasta and the red beefy sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4

**If you decide to publish the recipe, please give credit to where it is due. 

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My youngest sister Noreen is a very good cook. She does most of the cooking in our house and I am super duper grateful to her for doing that. She would whip out a very special dish once a week and I personally think that each of these occasions is truly a gastronomical experience. It’s like eating out at a fancy restaurant for a parcel of the cost. Here is what she prepared for us last weekend.

It looks good and it tastes even better. Below is her own recipe. Please feel free to try it out.

Aubergine Penne Pasta

Ingredients:
For the breaded aubergine/eggplant
1 pc Egg
Pinch of Pepper
Pinch of Salt
3 pcs big eggplants (sliced diagonally with about 2 cm thinness)
20 g kasugai (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 cups vegetable oil
For the sauce
2 cups water
1 big can diced tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup minced garlic
¾ cup minced onion
1 big can sliced button mushrooms
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
100 g finely chopped parsley
For the pasta
250 g penne rigate
100 g shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Breaded aubergine/eggplant
Beat egg
Add pinch of pepper and salt
Coat sliced aubergine/eggplant with egg
Dredge it with breadcrumbs
Heat a pan and put oil
Deep fry the breaded aubergine/eggplant
Set aside

Red sauce
In a casserole, boil water and tomatoes
Heat pan
Add olive oil
Sautee garlic, onion, and mushrooms
Add the sautéed ingredients to the boiling mixture of water and tomatoes
Lower the fire and wait until the red sauce thickens
Add sugar, pepper and salt to taste
Add parsley

Pasta
Cook the pasta according to the its packaging directions

Mix together the pasta, sauce and breaded eggplant
Put it in a 9×5x2 baking pan
Top it with mozzarella cheese and parsley
Bake it in a preheated oven at 185 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts
Serve

Serves 3

Note: For crispier eggplants, put the breaded eggplant in the freezer for at least an hour before frying.
For a richer red sauce, real tomatoes are better than tomato sauce or paste.
Cheddar cheese can be used as a substitute for mozzarella cheese.
If you love herby pasta, add oregano for a refreshing mint flavor.

Chicken-Basil Roulade

Ingredients:
1 kg chicken thigh fillet
Salt
Pepper
¼ bar butter (sliced thinly)
1 beaten egg
80 g kasugai (Japanese breadcrumbs)
3 cups vegetable oil

Directions
Sprinkle chicken fillet with salt and pepper
Put sliced butter on the middle of the chicken fillet
Stuff the chicken with basil by putting the chopped basil in the middle of the chicken fillet and then rolling it
Coat it with the beaten egg
Dredge it with breadcrumbs
Deep fry

Serves 5

Note: For crispier chicken, put the breaded chicken in the freezer for at least an hour before frying.
It is better to use chicken thigh fillet (though chicken breast fillet is an alternative) because it is juicier and tastier.
For an aromatic meal, serve it with fried whole basil leaves.

*If you want to publish the recipes in your blog, please give credit to where it is due.

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Ever since B.boy was born, I had this desire to quit my full time work and devote more time caring for him and the family. My ideal setup will be to work maximum of four hours, five days a week. I try to envision if this will work if I do it at home. But my guess will be no. This is because the little boy is super clingy to mommy when I’m at home and there will be a tendency that I will not be able to do anything at all.

So I think the best is for me to go to a nearby coffee shop with a laptop computer and work at the quiet nook there. After I’m done, I could go back at home and take charge of my other role: that of a mom.

Thank goodness there are a lot of nice laptop computers at a reasonable cost nowadays. We could easily get one should I pursue this plan. I’m just waiting for M0rn1ng’s business to stabilize a bit and I’m all set for this.

The only question now is when?

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Just think about the difference it makes in our family when:

INSTEAD OF MAKING WITHDRAWALS BY
Speaking disrespectfully, putting people down or acting in rude and discourteous ways
WE MAKE DEPOSITS BY
Being kind

INSTEAD OF MAKING WITHDRAWALS BY
Never saying “I’m Sorry”
WE MAKE DEPOSITS BY
Apologizing

INSTEAD OF MAKING WITHDRAWALS BY
Criticizing, complaining, and talking about others in negative ways when they are not around
WE MAKE DEPOSITS BY
Being loyal to those not present

INSTEAD OF MAKING WITHDRAWALS BY
Never making commitments to anyone, or making commitments but rarely following through.
WE MAKE DEPOSITS BY
Making and keeping promises.

INSTEAD OF MAKING WITHDRAWALS BY
Being quick to take offense, holding grudges, throwing people’s past mistakes up to them and nurturing grievances.
WE MAKE DEPOSITS BY
Forgiving

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I love this poem because it reminds me as a parent that children learn by example. That thinking and actions of children are shaped by what parents think and do. It’s good to reflect on it and watch what we say and do.

If a child lives with criticisms, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself.

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with acceptance, he learns love.

If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive
If a child lives with recognition, he learns to have a goal.

If a child lives with pity, he learns to be sorry for himself.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.

If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with friendliness, he learns that the world is a nice place in which to live.

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My mom and dad were here over the weekend and we have a grand time. Yesterday, we went to the Manila Ocean Park to see what the fuss is all about. We arrive there at around 5:30pm and there are a lot of people queuing to buy tickets. You will be given with a number stub upon entering and you have to wait for your number before you could buy.

We reached the 6pm cutoff, so we have to wait a little longer before we could enter. However, somebody sold M0rn1ng with complimentary tickets at a discounted price so we were immediately ushered inside.

Here are some of our pictures.

Here are some facts and additional information.
(1) Tickets are discounted 6 pm onwards.
(2) The park is open during weekends from 9am-9pm.
(3) 400 bucks is the ticket price.
(4) Flash photography is not allowed inside.
(5) Be ready to see more people than fishes. Hahaha!

Despite the huge crowd, we enjoyed our stay. But it could’ve been better if the place not too overcrowded.

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We met our uncle who has been in the US for so many years. He’s encouraging us to migrate there as he sees no future in the Philippines. He said it is easy if we are in the medical field, such as sonography technician because these are the in demand jobs there.

He said that even sonography tech people earn a lot. So he’s encouraging us to look for sonography schools and take the course and he’s going to help us find a job in the lab that he’s working for.

Well, the offer seems lucrative and a lot of friends have already left the country. But M0rn1ng and I have no plans to relocate yet. If we still have enough to get by here then we will stay.

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My youngest sister is really into cooking. She will soon have a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration and I’m asking her what field she would like to specialized in. I wasn’t surprised when she told me that she wants to be a chef. She’s been wanting too ever since but dad wants her to take HRIM so she will have a background on businesses and administration.

Now that she has fulfilled our dad’s wish, she wants to do what she wants; that to enroll in a culinary school. Finding the right chef school is a bit hard because it doesn’t come cheap too. Studying in culinary schools can be very expensive but if that’s what she wants then we support her all the way.

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