Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Off to Hong Kong!
We're off to Hong Kong for a company holiday! Yipee!
Will post pictures when I get back :-)
Will post pictures when I get back :-)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
ACV & Honey...Baby, this could be it!
I've been suffering for migraines for as long as I can remember. Well, maybe right after college when I found out the harsh reality of life......
Anyway, I was at my wit's end on how to cure my migraines which I practicallty have on a daily basis. It just doesn't show on my pretty face (gag!). My poor husband even had to drive me to the emrgency room on several occassions to help me, gave me nightly massages and probably prayed over me while I was sleeping (Hubby: "Please please let this woman be migraine free for my own sanity!"). There were times that I thought I was having a stroke, but no, just migraine according to the doctors who gave me shots of painkillers. No cure. Sigh. There was only one pain reliever that helped, Mesulid. Later I found out, it was recalled due to the fact that the medicine turns your liver into mush. Thank heavens I didn't take it daily! I restricted myself to just taking it once a month when the pain level reaches 8 on the Richter Scale.
I was ready to pull my hair out and bang my head on the door. Out of desperation, I googled for natural remedies for migraines (since none of the pain relievers provide lasting relief and I have no ambition to be a druggie), apple cider vinegar and honey keep popping up. So, I asked hubby to drive me to the nearest grocery store to buy organic apple cider vinegar (the clear ones already lost their healing enzymes during the distillation process). Organic ACV looks like one of those liquids found in a science lab, brownish in color with suspicious particles of web-like material and fine sand inside. Yeah, that's the one that you should get.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) and honey are also believed to help with high blood pressure, cholesterol and weight loss. The weight loss benefit is b^!!$#!t. If that was true, all women would have swallowed it by the gallons.
Anyway, I digress....I tried drinking 2 Tablespoons of ACV, 2 tablespoons of honey dissolved in a glass of water. It was vile and putrid and just plain awful tasting. It is probably the worst tasting concoction that you could possibly put in your mouth. Yech! But it miraculously kept my migraine away, I slept so well last night. It was a friggin' miracle.
I've read that I have to take that vile concontion three times daily. When I woke up this morning (with no headaches!), stupid me, decided to take the acv straight. Like what you would do in a tequila shot, yeah? Bad idea, that thing packs a punch. It was so strong, my head hurt again! Darn. I'll try to drink it with water next time. Don't mess with the recipe, man. 2 tablespoons of ACV, 2 tablespoons of honey mixed in 8 oz of water. Got it.
Wish me luck!
P.S. Pinching that space between your thumb and forefinger works too but only if someone else does it on you and pinches it all day :-) I tried using a clothes pin, it's not very attractive but sometimes it helps (for a little while).
Anyway, I was at my wit's end on how to cure my migraines which I practicallty have on a daily basis. It just doesn't show on my pretty face (gag!). My poor husband even had to drive me to the emrgency room on several occassions to help me, gave me nightly massages and probably prayed over me while I was sleeping (Hubby: "Please please let this woman be migraine free for my own sanity!"). There were times that I thought I was having a stroke, but no, just migraine according to the doctors who gave me shots of painkillers. No cure. Sigh. There was only one pain reliever that helped, Mesulid. Later I found out, it was recalled due to the fact that the medicine turns your liver into mush. Thank heavens I didn't take it daily! I restricted myself to just taking it once a month when the pain level reaches 8 on the Richter Scale.
I was ready to pull my hair out and bang my head on the door. Out of desperation, I googled for natural remedies for migraines (since none of the pain relievers provide lasting relief and I have no ambition to be a druggie), apple cider vinegar and honey keep popping up. So, I asked hubby to drive me to the nearest grocery store to buy organic apple cider vinegar (the clear ones already lost their healing enzymes during the distillation process). Organic ACV looks like one of those liquids found in a science lab, brownish in color with suspicious particles of web-like material and fine sand inside. Yeah, that's the one that you should get.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) and honey are also believed to help with high blood pressure, cholesterol and weight loss. The weight loss benefit is b^!!$#!t. If that was true, all women would have swallowed it by the gallons.
Anyway, I digress....I tried drinking 2 Tablespoons of ACV, 2 tablespoons of honey dissolved in a glass of water. It was vile and putrid and just plain awful tasting. It is probably the worst tasting concoction that you could possibly put in your mouth. Yech! But it miraculously kept my migraine away, I slept so well last night. It was a friggin' miracle.
I've read that I have to take that vile concontion three times daily. When I woke up this morning (with no headaches!), stupid me, decided to take the acv straight. Like what you would do in a tequila shot, yeah? Bad idea, that thing packs a punch. It was so strong, my head hurt again! Darn. I'll try to drink it with water next time. Don't mess with the recipe, man. 2 tablespoons of ACV, 2 tablespoons of honey mixed in 8 oz of water. Got it.
Wish me luck!
P.S. Pinching that space between your thumb and forefinger works too but only if someone else does it on you and pinches it all day :-) I tried using a clothes pin, it's not very attractive but sometimes it helps (for a little while).
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sango Burger Master
My blog is so out of whack. I'm catching up on posting recipes, restaurants and food out of order. Please bear with me. I think it's the side effect of the anesthesia. He he he :-)
Anyway, prior to my operation, hubby took me to Sango Burger Master in their newly opened branch in South Supermarket in West Gate Alabang. I've had this burger before but hubby hasn't, so we gave it a try.
The place is simple yet comfy enough, for a burger joint. Obviously from the interior and background music videos, there is a Japane-theme going on. Although I would never have imagined the Japanese making burgers.
Anyway, I like this origami frog sitting on the window sill overlooking their kitchen, which was clean when we came (the minute obsessive compulsive gene in me was very pleased about that, he he he).
Their burgers are good. Hubby and I both ordered the the Master Burger with Cheese which is a single patty burger. All their burgers come with a tomatoes and meat sauce, sort of like a less sloppy version of sloppy joe. You pay a bit extra for the lettuce. I'm not much of a burger fan but, so far, this is my favorite burger. Juicy, tasty and not too overpowering and very filling. You won't feel hungry for a few hours after eating one. It's quite messy to eat, best eaten with somebody you're already comfortable with :-)
Of course burgers won't be complete without some greasy fries. I like their fries because they're made from real potatoes :-)
Hubby and I ordered their Salad with Japanese Vegetables. The "japanese vegetables" are just carrots and green peppers sauteed in a sweet and salty sauce (similar to a tempura sauce). I didn't like this very much.
Hubby finished off his meal with a huge cone of vanilla ice cream. Sorry, he ate it all before I could take a picture :-)
Overall, I would recommend this restaurant. They have other Japanese dishes on the menu like Tempura, Gyudon, Tendon and such if you're companions are not in the mood for a burger. They're a little pricey for a burger joint but I think for the burgers, they're well worth it. For the salad, nah, skip it. Expect to pay around P500+ for two, including salad, drinks and an ice cream cone (P19).
If you have a big appetite, order the Master Double Cheese Burger (double patty). For us ladies, the single patty is more than enough :-)
In case you're interested, I took a picture of their burger menu.
Anyway, prior to my operation, hubby took me to Sango Burger Master in their newly opened branch in South Supermarket in West Gate Alabang. I've had this burger before but hubby hasn't, so we gave it a try.
The place is simple yet comfy enough, for a burger joint. Obviously from the interior and background music videos, there is a Japane-theme going on. Although I would never have imagined the Japanese making burgers.
Anyway, I like this origami frog sitting on the window sill overlooking their kitchen, which was clean when we came (the minute obsessive compulsive gene in me was very pleased about that, he he he).
Their burgers are good. Hubby and I both ordered the the Master Burger with Cheese which is a single patty burger. All their burgers come with a tomatoes and meat sauce, sort of like a less sloppy version of sloppy joe. You pay a bit extra for the lettuce. I'm not much of a burger fan but, so far, this is my favorite burger. Juicy, tasty and not too overpowering and very filling. You won't feel hungry for a few hours after eating one. It's quite messy to eat, best eaten with somebody you're already comfortable with :-)
Of course burgers won't be complete without some greasy fries. I like their fries because they're made from real potatoes :-)
Hubby and I ordered their Salad with Japanese Vegetables. The "japanese vegetables" are just carrots and green peppers sauteed in a sweet and salty sauce (similar to a tempura sauce). I didn't like this very much.
Hubby finished off his meal with a huge cone of vanilla ice cream. Sorry, he ate it all before I could take a picture :-)
Overall, I would recommend this restaurant. They have other Japanese dishes on the menu like Tempura, Gyudon, Tendon and such if you're companions are not in the mood for a burger. They're a little pricey for a burger joint but I think for the burgers, they're well worth it. For the salad, nah, skip it. Expect to pay around P500+ for two, including salad, drinks and an ice cream cone (P19).
If you have a big appetite, order the Master Double Cheese Burger (double patty). For us ladies, the single patty is more than enough :-)
In case you're interested, I took a picture of their burger menu.
Surf and Turf and Empanadas?!
What an unlikely combination, but we had it from one of our lunches at LP. Angus steaks cut an inch thick with a creamy pink pepper sauce, with grilled prawns, mashed potato and corn on the cob.
Melscun salad with strawberries ang grapes in rosemary wine vinaigrette. Fancy, huh? Tasty too. The dressing was superb. Tita Socky made it.
And yes, the chicken empanada which is the only thing that I contibuted to our lunch, which JJ helped me bake.
For dessert, I made a Peach Refigerator Cake which is very easy to do. Here's the recipe:
Peach Refrigerator Cake
Ingredients:
Broas (lady finger biscuits)
3 cups of Nestle (easy whip) cream (chilled)
1 can of condensed milk (chilled)
1 large can of paches in syrup, well drained and cut in crescents
Cashew and walnuts, chopped
Rhum
Procedure:.
1. In a chilled bowl, whip the Nestle cream and condensed milk until fluffy. Set aside.
2. Brush lady finers with rhum (if you want a stronger rhum flavor, roll the lady fingers very quickly in rhum because they easily absorb it and people might find it too strong, I prefer just brushing them. If you have kids eating the cake, just brush the lady fingers with mango or peach jam or skip this step completely).
3. Layer the lady fingers in a square baking dish, followed by the whipped cream mixture, cashew and walnuts and the peaches. Repeat the procedure until you end up with the peaches.
4. Chill for at least two hours. You can freeze this too and it tastes like ice cream.
The broas can be substituted with pound cake, taisan cake, or crushed graham crackers (same procedure as you would do in a cheese cake).
This recipe is also great with ripe Philippine Mangoes and would be a nice refreshing dessert to bring to a pot luck. Easy, simple, reasonably priced and delicious.
Melscun salad with strawberries ang grapes in rosemary wine vinaigrette. Fancy, huh? Tasty too. The dressing was superb. Tita Socky made it.
And yes, the chicken empanada which is the only thing that I contibuted to our lunch, which JJ helped me bake.
For dessert, I made a Peach Refigerator Cake which is very easy to do. Here's the recipe:
Peach Refrigerator Cake
Ingredients:
Broas (lady finger biscuits)
3 cups of Nestle (easy whip) cream (chilled)
1 can of condensed milk (chilled)
1 large can of paches in syrup, well drained and cut in crescents
Cashew and walnuts, chopped
Rhum
Procedure:.
1. In a chilled bowl, whip the Nestle cream and condensed milk until fluffy. Set aside.
2. Brush lady finers with rhum (if you want a stronger rhum flavor, roll the lady fingers very quickly in rhum because they easily absorb it and people might find it too strong, I prefer just brushing them. If you have kids eating the cake, just brush the lady fingers with mango or peach jam or skip this step completely).
3. Layer the lady fingers in a square baking dish, followed by the whipped cream mixture, cashew and walnuts and the peaches. Repeat the procedure until you end up with the peaches.
4. Chill for at least two hours. You can freeze this too and it tastes like ice cream.
The broas can be substituted with pound cake, taisan cake, or crushed graham crackers (same procedure as you would do in a cheese cake).
This recipe is also great with ripe Philippine Mangoes and would be a nice refreshing dessert to bring to a pot luck. Easy, simple, reasonably priced and delicious.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Halloween Extravaganza!
Our office organized it's first ever Halloween Party!
Art: Sydney Alcala
Copy: Missy Galang
Check out our pics!
Art: Sydney Alcala
Copy: Missy Galang
Check out our pics!
Birthday Catch up Part 2 Grams Diner
Blogger.com only allows a certain number of photos to be uploaded so here's the second part of my post...
After browsing the mall, hubby and I came upon this Diner called Grams Diner which promised "comfort food". This is a misnomer, for me at least, since I was brought up right here in Manila, where my comfort foods were adobo, sinigang and pork stewed with red beans :-) But hubby and I wanted to try a new restaurant.
We ordered Cheese Sticks with Pimiento. It's akin to an ordinary cheese stick dish that can be found in a stall along Legaspi Street but one hundred times more expensive, the mayo/tartar dipping sauce made it "nakakaumay". A dipping sauce of fresh salsa would have made it better.
I also ordered the cheese steak sandwich. They have a huge serving which I couldn't eat because the bread they used was crusty French Bread which hurt my gums when I bite into it :-) The serving was huge, you just can't eat it :-) If you have detures, I urge you, don't order this, your dentures will get stuck, he he he!
Hubby had the Banana Split. Which was ok, I guess since the ice cream was store bought. I'm guessing Magnolia.
Overall, I would steer away from this diner. Aside from so-so and overpriced food, lousy service, our orders took ten years to be delivered, kidding! With just two tables occupied at the time, I shudder to think how they cope up with a full house. I felt robbed of my hard earned cash. Skip this. As hubby and I always say, "That's another restaurant to cross off our list, forever" he he he :-)
To make up for the lousy diner, hubby took me shopping again the following day! Yey! Happy times.
After browsing the mall, hubby and I came upon this Diner called Grams Diner which promised "comfort food". This is a misnomer, for me at least, since I was brought up right here in Manila, where my comfort foods were adobo, sinigang and pork stewed with red beans :-) But hubby and I wanted to try a new restaurant.
We ordered Cheese Sticks with Pimiento. It's akin to an ordinary cheese stick dish that can be found in a stall along Legaspi Street but one hundred times more expensive, the mayo/tartar dipping sauce made it "nakakaumay". A dipping sauce of fresh salsa would have made it better.
I also ordered the cheese steak sandwich. They have a huge serving which I couldn't eat because the bread they used was crusty French Bread which hurt my gums when I bite into it :-) The serving was huge, you just can't eat it :-) If you have detures, I urge you, don't order this, your dentures will get stuck, he he he!
Hubby had the Banana Split. Which was ok, I guess since the ice cream was store bought. I'm guessing Magnolia.
Overall, I would steer away from this diner. Aside from so-so and overpriced food, lousy service, our orders took ten years to be delivered, kidding! With just two tables occupied at the time, I shudder to think how they cope up with a full house. I felt robbed of my hard earned cash. Skip this. As hubby and I always say, "That's another restaurant to cross off our list, forever" he he he :-)
To make up for the lousy diner, hubby took me shopping again the following day! Yey! Happy times.
Catch up - Birthday Post Part 1
It's been a while since I blogged. Honestly I wanted to, but I didn't have the time and I felt so tired when I get home this past month. It must be my 35-year old bones creaking at the end of the day :-)
Speaking of age, here's a super belated post and super compressed on my birthday festivities. My birthday celebration was a blast and it lasted three days! The first day, which was a Saturday was spent with family members. We had A Japanese-themed dnner at LP. It wa truly a family effort. My aunt Socky made some Yakiniku Steaks marinated in garlic, soy sauce, grated apples, sesame oil and sesame seeds and grilled very quickly on a griddle. Yum.
My sister in law Angel, Angel, made some California Maki on site. Also a hit both for the kids and adults. Would you believe she learned how to make it from YouTube?
I made Mango Kani Salad with Wasabi Dressing, Sesame Peanut Noodles, Prawn and Vegetable Tempura (although I didn't do any of the frying).
And for dessert, I baked some chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cupcakes for the kiddies.
The following day, hubby took me to Seaside Wet Market (behind Mall of Asia, or MOA for short) we shopped for fresh seafood and had Sis Rose Seafood Palutuan cook it for us.
The restaurant "barkers" in the area will come up to you offering discounts and such. We chose Sis Rose because they offered "Money Back Guarantee", if we don't like the way they cook the dishes, we don't pay :-) Not bad eh? I just wished they didn't have a karaoke machine inside. We only realized there was one when one of the customers belted My Way by Frank Sinatra, sheesh my ears! Aside from the crappy singer who stopped singing after I sent him dagger looks, he he he, everything was great.
This is a nice way to celebrate my birthday, we had fresh seafood, nice view of the Manila Bay as we dined and hubby let me pick my birthday gifts at the mall :-)
To be continued on my next post.....
Speaking of age, here's a super belated post and super compressed on my birthday festivities. My birthday celebration was a blast and it lasted three days! The first day, which was a Saturday was spent with family members. We had A Japanese-themed dnner at LP. It wa truly a family effort. My aunt Socky made some Yakiniku Steaks marinated in garlic, soy sauce, grated apples, sesame oil and sesame seeds and grilled very quickly on a griddle. Yum.
My sister in law Angel, Angel, made some California Maki on site. Also a hit both for the kids and adults. Would you believe she learned how to make it from YouTube?
I made Mango Kani Salad with Wasabi Dressing, Sesame Peanut Noodles, Prawn and Vegetable Tempura (although I didn't do any of the frying).
And for dessert, I baked some chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cupcakes for the kiddies.
The following day, hubby took me to Seaside Wet Market (behind Mall of Asia, or MOA for short) we shopped for fresh seafood and had Sis Rose Seafood Palutuan cook it for us.
The restaurant "barkers" in the area will come up to you offering discounts and such. We chose Sis Rose because they offered "Money Back Guarantee", if we don't like the way they cook the dishes, we don't pay :-) Not bad eh? I just wished they didn't have a karaoke machine inside. We only realized there was one when one of the customers belted My Way by Frank Sinatra, sheesh my ears! Aside from the crappy singer who stopped singing after I sent him dagger looks, he he he, everything was great.
This is a nice way to celebrate my birthday, we had fresh seafood, nice view of the Manila Bay as we dined and hubby let me pick my birthday gifts at the mall :-)
To be continued on my next post.....
Spoiled
I'm so spoiled since my operation. I have a helper for the week to cook, clean, and wash our clothes for us. I could get used to this :-)
Anyway, I've been itching to cook but I get tired easily and have slight bleeding if I stand up for too long. I managed to make some empanadas yesterday with the help of the househelp. I didn't have to knead and roll the dough. Sweet. Hubby calls me "senyorita" he he he :-)
Anyway, I've been itching to cook but I get tired easily and have slight bleeding if I stand up for too long. I managed to make some empanadas yesterday with the help of the househelp. I didn't have to knead and roll the dough. Sweet. Hubby calls me "senyorita" he he he :-)
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Live from Asian Hospital
Hi. It's been a while since I blogged. I hoped it was under better circumstances. I just had an operation yesterday to remove some polyps and have a D&C (raspa). It's quite depressing getting the D&C even before I got pregnant. Sheesh.
There's avideo of my operation taken from the camera probe. I told my doctor I'll show it on our next halloween party. He he he.
My operation almost got cancelled since my blood pressure spiked. Fortunately they were able to bring it down immediately. I guess I have to lay off the pork from now on. Bummer.
My room has a great view though, I have a view of Laguna de Bay on one side and a park on the other side. My family was here alst night to welcome me from my surgery. That was great seeing familiar faces after such a gruelling experience.
I had an interesting adventure with the anesthesia. It was a love hate relationship. First, I loved the feeling of euphoria and bliss. But I hated waking up from it. I was awake but unable to move my legs and had to lay flat on my back for six hours.
I'm ok now. All limbs working :-)
There's avideo of my operation taken from the camera probe. I told my doctor I'll show it on our next halloween party. He he he.
My operation almost got cancelled since my blood pressure spiked. Fortunately they were able to bring it down immediately. I guess I have to lay off the pork from now on. Bummer.
My room has a great view though, I have a view of Laguna de Bay on one side and a park on the other side. My family was here alst night to welcome me from my surgery. That was great seeing familiar faces after such a gruelling experience.
I had an interesting adventure with the anesthesia. It was a love hate relationship. First, I loved the feeling of euphoria and bliss. But I hated waking up from it. I was awake but unable to move my legs and had to lay flat on my back for six hours.
I'm ok now. All limbs working :-)
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