Stella's 14th birthday

This is a super late post, as I got sick and then got too busy towards the end of August. But, still, I'd like to post this for the purpose of documentation. 

Stella turned 14 last August 16. How is she 14 already? In my mind, she is still 13. And how I wish we could still revert back to the time when she was a cute toddler or a primary schooler. I would gladly go through those days and years over and over. 

Anyways, we treated her classmates to pizza and had a simple family dinner at a restaurant in Estancia. Then the dutiful Google Photos sent me a then-and-now photo. Thanks for doing the work for me. :o) Just look at how my baby girl has grown. Sniff. 

 

Thanks to everyone who sent in greetings and well wishes. It's nice to celebrate a soul that you've been nurturing and will have to send out to the Universe in due time. 

Battled the bug!

Hello, blog! I was sick for a few days and needed rest in between chores and errands. I also took long social media breaks and decided to pick up a Nancy Drew book to read for when I had to be horizontal due to illness. I feel so useless when I'm sick, but there's no other recourse -- one must recuperate to function again. I lost my appetite for like a week, and that felt really strange. Even the yummiest fresh salads could not make my taste buds smile. 

Anyway, I'm better now and trying to think of ways to regain my appetite. I'm not sure how I survived more than 12 hours of not ingesting anything. I'll be having dinner with friends tomorrow, and I hope that by then I could find some excitement in a dish that's either familiar or unfamiliar. 

I hope you're well and safe and having a good weekend. :o)

Starting a collection of tree portraits

As my family and friends might have observed, I adore trees and I don't think I'll ever grow tired of them. So, I thought I'd start a collection of tree portraits by posting photos of trees that I took while we were vacationing in the US. I was happy to see that trees are practically everywhere in California, and many of them have that kind of breadth that makes me go ooh and aah every so shamelessly. I took a photo of this tree in Beverly Hills while waiting for the bus to arrive. It was a hot day, and I needed to stay in a shaded area. What else would rescue a humble human like me? Thank God for trees.

Another school year begins

The girls are back in school! It's been a long, interesting and fun summer vacation. I've got lots of kwento, I don't even know how or where to begin. LOL. But, here we are, back in Pinas and about to face another challenging academic year. Dicey is in her final year (Grade 12) under the IB Diploma Program, and Lala is in 9th grade under the Cambridge program. Both programs are tough as the toughest nut in the universe. I pray that we will all do better this time around. Cheers to all the parents and caregivers who put so much effort in putting children to school! 

A breakfast of leftovers: adobo tostado and tinapang bangus

Ang sarap talaga to enjoy a meal of leftovers, especially if you're having a combo of foods that you actually like. This morning, my girls and I had leftover tinapang bangus (smoked fish) and leftover pork adobo. Even the rice is day-old brown rice from the fridge. Yung tomatoes lang ang bago! Haha. I fried the pork adobo to a crisp (halos sunog na, which we like) and then fried the tinapang bangus doon sa oil na nilabas ng adobo. I know it's not the healthiest thing to do. But, please, DON'T ME. Hehehe... Pambawi naman the tomato salad. Para lang may contrast yung oily foods. 

Adobo will always be a favorite leftover dish. I actually don't like to eat adobo when it's newly cooked. I prefer to wait until it becomes "adobong matanda" and later on, "adobo tostado." I tried a different soy sauce - vinegar ratio for this adobo, and I like how it turned out. I'll have to test it a few more times before I share the recipe. 

How do you like your adobo? Saucy or dry? Do you eat leftovers for breakfast?

Penne Pasta with Spanish chorizo and diced tomatoes

On days when I'm hardly able to cook a "feast" for lunch or dinner, I often rely on some good ol' pasta dish. My kids love pasta, and they can consume almost every kind of sauce that I make -- red, white, or green. Last night I decided to try something new but easy to make at the same time: penne pasta with Spanish chorizo and diced tomatoes

This pasta dish is an easy-peasy as it doesn't require plenty of prep time. (I was actually journaling in between cooking!) What more, you will need only a handful of ingredients:

• penne pasta (I used about 250 grams of Cortina penne pasta by Del Monte.)
• diced tomatoes (I used 480 mL canned tomatoes.)
• 3 pieces of Spanish chorizo sausages, sliced diagonally
• garlic and onions, chopped
• dried basil and dried oregano
• processed cheese food, grated
• parmesan cheese, shaved
• salt, pepper, and brown sugar to taste
• cooking oil

Here's how:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Shortly before it turns al dente, turn off the stove and leave the pasta in the water.
2. Saute garlic and onions in cooking oil. Add the sliced Spanish chorizo. Stir for 30 seconds on high heat. 
3. Pour all those gorgeous diced tomatoes, stir and wait for the sauce to simmer. Add dried basil and dried oregano. Season with salt, pepper and brown sugar. (You can skip the sugar if you really prefer the sour taste of diced tomatoes.)
4. Throw in the penne pasta. Add a few ladles of pasta water (yup, that water that you used to boil the pasta) into the sauce. Allow to simmer and for the penne pasta to cook al dente. Add grated processed cheese food for added creaminess, but this is optional. 
5. Serve hot and topped with grated parmesan cheese. 

Hope you get to try this dish. If you have your own version to share, feel free to post it via the comments section or leave a link to your recipe.