He's so tiny he fits right in the palm of hubby's hand.
I named him Poe because he looks like Poe from Kung Fu Panda.
He's a bit under the weather now. I hope he gets better soon.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Meet our new baby
Meet our new baby Poe, he's a Shih Tzu and Lhasa Apso mix given by my brother. He's technically a mutt, he he he.
He's so tiny he fits right in the palm of hubby's hand.
I named him Poe because he looks like Poe from Kung Fu Panda.
He's a bit under the weather now. I hope he gets better soon.
He's so tiny he fits right in the palm of hubby's hand.
I named him Poe because he looks like Poe from Kung Fu Panda.
He's a bit under the weather now. I hope he gets better soon.
Beef Pochero
Pochero is a traditional Spanish dish that has been adapted by Filipinos and is usually served to guests on special occasions. A true blue pochero has about a million ingredients and take a few hours to simmer. Here is my simple but equally sumptuous version:
The picture was hastily taken but it was delicious.
Beef Pochero
Ingredients:
2-3 large beef shanks
1 kilo beef pochero cut (you can use beef ribs)
1-2 chorizo de bilbao, sliced
1 can garbanzo beans, skins removed
1 large onion, chopped
1 head garlic, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
Olive oil
1 pack tomato paste
1 head cabbage, quartered and cored
3 bunches of pechay (you can use Bok Choy)
1 bunch of Baguio or green beans, ends cut.
1 bunch of leeks sliced diagonally (white portions only)
2-3 Kamote (yams), peeled and cubed
2-3 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 Saging na saba (plantain bananas), peeled and sliced in half
1-2 Beef bouillion cube (optional)
"Sauce"
1 eggplant, boiled, peeled and mashed
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
white vinegar
Procedure:
1. Boil beef and chorizo together for for hours (yes, four hours), season with salt and pepper. Skim off scum. Set aside.
2. In a separate pot, saute garlic, onions and tomatoes. Add the boiled beef,stock, buillion cube and tomato paste. Simmer.
3. When boiling, add the kamote, potatoes, saba bananas, garbanzo beans until tender.
4. Add all the other vegetables.
Serve with sauce on the side. (Just combine all the ingredients together).
You can use beef and chicken too, in the same pot.
The picture was hastily taken but it was delicious.
Beef Pochero
Ingredients:
2-3 large beef shanks
1 kilo beef pochero cut (you can use beef ribs)
1-2 chorizo de bilbao, sliced
1 can garbanzo beans, skins removed
1 large onion, chopped
1 head garlic, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
Olive oil
1 pack tomato paste
1 head cabbage, quartered and cored
3 bunches of pechay (you can use Bok Choy)
1 bunch of Baguio or green beans, ends cut.
1 bunch of leeks sliced diagonally (white portions only)
2-3 Kamote (yams), peeled and cubed
2-3 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 Saging na saba (plantain bananas), peeled and sliced in half
1-2 Beef bouillion cube (optional)
"Sauce"
1 eggplant, boiled, peeled and mashed
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
white vinegar
Procedure:
1. Boil beef and chorizo together for for hours (yes, four hours), season with salt and pepper. Skim off scum. Set aside.
2. In a separate pot, saute garlic, onions and tomatoes. Add the boiled beef,stock, buillion cube and tomato paste. Simmer.
3. When boiling, add the kamote, potatoes, saba bananas, garbanzo beans until tender.
4. Add all the other vegetables.
Serve with sauce on the side. (Just combine all the ingredients together).
You can use beef and chicken too, in the same pot.
Monday, February 2, 2009
T House Tagaytay
This is a new addition to the Tagaytay landscape. Although they told me that they've been around for two years already. T House is a modern Bed&Breakfast and Spa located right along the highway so it’s easy to find. It’s just past the Picnic Grove on your left.
We read some nice reviews of the place and we were curious and ever eager to go somewhere new. The property sits on a modest piece of land. The structure as you can see is very modern and tranquil with all the water features scattered around the property. Hubby was very busy taking pictures.
We had our mid-afternoon snack there last Sunday. The California Maki Salad was great. It is a deconstructed California Maki but without the rice in a Japanese dressing of (I’m guessing) Japanese mayo and dashi.
My favorite is the Panna Cotta Duo. Green Tea Panacotta and Lemongrass. I can’t decide which one I like the most. They’re both equally delicious. I would go back to T House if only for this. I highly recommend the Panna Cotta.
Contrary to what you might have read in previous food blogs, Mang Rudy's Puto (rice cake) isn't found here. The puto is pre-ordered during special or private functions as we were told. There was another group that came specifically for the puto also (that's why we came initially too) but they decided to try other desserts instead. They seemed happy naman, I overheard because they wer sitting beside us. Drop by at T House for dessert, you won't be disappointed.
T House is also a spa that offers massages, facials, manicures, pedicures and foot scrubs. I wasn't too impressed with their spa facilities. The spa seemed just like an after thought to the facility. It doesn't look very modern or zen inside.
We read some nice reviews of the place and we were curious and ever eager to go somewhere new. The property sits on a modest piece of land. The structure as you can see is very modern and tranquil with all the water features scattered around the property. Hubby was very busy taking pictures.
We had our mid-afternoon snack there last Sunday. The California Maki Salad was great. It is a deconstructed California Maki but without the rice in a Japanese dressing of (I’m guessing) Japanese mayo and dashi.
My favorite is the Panna Cotta Duo. Green Tea Panacotta and Lemongrass. I can’t decide which one I like the most. They’re both equally delicious. I would go back to T House if only for this. I highly recommend the Panna Cotta.
Contrary to what you might have read in previous food blogs, Mang Rudy's Puto (rice cake) isn't found here. The puto is pre-ordered during special or private functions as we were told. There was another group that came specifically for the puto also (that's why we came initially too) but they decided to try other desserts instead. They seemed happy naman, I overheard because they wer sitting beside us. Drop by at T House for dessert, you won't be disappointed.
T House is also a spa that offers massages, facials, manicures, pedicures and foot scrubs. I wasn't too impressed with their spa facilities. The spa seemed just like an after thought to the facility. It doesn't look very modern or zen inside.
Chateau Hestia
Tagaytay has always been regarded as a short getaway from the busy streets of Manila. In just an hour or so of driving, you are transported to its lush, cool and fragrant embrace. No wonder so many garden restaurants are popping up to cater to Manila’s ever expanding gourmet demands.
Hubby and I often travel here, usually on a whim since it’s just an hour’s drive from where we live. Last Sunday, we decided to go an a culinary adventure, if you will. We wanted to eat somewhere where we’ve never eaten before.
As were driving by the highway, we noticed the sgn “Good Shepherd Sisters”. They’re quite famous for their ube jams. The original store is located in Baguio and we were pleasantly surprised that such store exists in Tagaytay. We bought some of their famous ube (purple yam) and some ube dimples, sweetened ube yam rolled in sugar. Yummy! Although nothing beats the ube that my mom makes, Good Shephers is a close second :-)
I’ve read some nice blogs about Chateau Hestia Garden Restaurant and Deli, a European themed garden restaurant found near the rotunda. The property is smaller than Antonio’s or Sonya’s but charming nonetheless. Flowers abound its fragrant passages. Their showpieces are the lovely hanging flowers of different colors that has hubby catching his breath and wondering if such flowers can be transported to our garden.
The restaurant proper is cozy and comfortable. Sofas and reading materials are available and encourages you to lie down on the chaise, read, maybe sleep a little. The cool breezes certainly encourage you to take it easy.
I highly recommend the fresh Dalandan Juice (local oranges), sweet on its own, no syrup or sweetener needed. Although, hubby still felt compelled to add syrup.
Complimentary Foccaccia bread with eggplant dip is given to every table. The eggplant dip is outstanding! Light and not too strong (or garlicky), a great way to start your meal. The bread basket is refilled for free.
Now, down to the food. For starters, we had the cheese platter which includes Pecorino, Asiago, Seamorza, Gorgonzola, Talleggio cheeses served with dried fruits and herbed liver pate. I love all the cheeses. They’re mild and just very tasty. The liver pate was not very good though. I usually like liver but I find this particular version is too strong. It doesn’t help that it looked like a hairball coughed out by my stray cat :-)
We were given complimentary Limoncello and Vin d’ Orange which is made within the property. Both wines pack a punch. I’m not much of a wine drinker so I’m not an authority to review this.
Of course, a Tagaytay trip won’t be complete without having some freshly picked salad greens from the garden. This was nice and fresh. Although the dressing at Sonya’s is much better.
Hubby and I split the Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup. I liked this very much although hubby said it was a bit salty for his taste.
For main course, I ordered the Roast Pork with Caraway Seeds. Um, how will I say this delicately, the flavor of the caraway seed is too strong and I didn’t like any single thing about it, even the presentation. Have you seen a dish quite so brown and blah?
Hubby had better luck with the Osso Bucco (Osco buko, as hubby called it). He finished all of it but took pity on me and gave me the marrow :-)
For dessert hubby couldn’t resist the Ferrero Ice Cream. Home made ice cream made with Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Really wonderful, we would definitely order it again.
Chateau Hestia also has a small deli shop at the back where you can find some European wines, beer, chocolates and other pantry items.
I would recommend Chateau Hestia to everyone because the staff is super friendly. The food is great too except for the Roasted Pork.
They also have a honeymoon suite that they are renting out for couples. Here is a picture of the bedroom, in case you’re interested. I wouldn't recommend this because you'll get bored after a few hours.
After our meal, we had to burn off some of those calories! The best way to do that is to explore the meandering pathways around the garden property. The chateau is a modest property with still a lot of areas to be developed. But it was fun walking around with all the flowers and the trees.
Hubby and I often travel here, usually on a whim since it’s just an hour’s drive from where we live. Last Sunday, we decided to go an a culinary adventure, if you will. We wanted to eat somewhere where we’ve never eaten before.
As were driving by the highway, we noticed the sgn “Good Shepherd Sisters”. They’re quite famous for their ube jams. The original store is located in Baguio and we were pleasantly surprised that such store exists in Tagaytay. We bought some of their famous ube (purple yam) and some ube dimples, sweetened ube yam rolled in sugar. Yummy! Although nothing beats the ube that my mom makes, Good Shephers is a close second :-)
I’ve read some nice blogs about Chateau Hestia Garden Restaurant and Deli, a European themed garden restaurant found near the rotunda. The property is smaller than Antonio’s or Sonya’s but charming nonetheless. Flowers abound its fragrant passages. Their showpieces are the lovely hanging flowers of different colors that has hubby catching his breath and wondering if such flowers can be transported to our garden.
The restaurant proper is cozy and comfortable. Sofas and reading materials are available and encourages you to lie down on the chaise, read, maybe sleep a little. The cool breezes certainly encourage you to take it easy.
I highly recommend the fresh Dalandan Juice (local oranges), sweet on its own, no syrup or sweetener needed. Although, hubby still felt compelled to add syrup.
Complimentary Foccaccia bread with eggplant dip is given to every table. The eggplant dip is outstanding! Light and not too strong (or garlicky), a great way to start your meal. The bread basket is refilled for free.
Now, down to the food. For starters, we had the cheese platter which includes Pecorino, Asiago, Seamorza, Gorgonzola, Talleggio cheeses served with dried fruits and herbed liver pate. I love all the cheeses. They’re mild and just very tasty. The liver pate was not very good though. I usually like liver but I find this particular version is too strong. It doesn’t help that it looked like a hairball coughed out by my stray cat :-)
We were given complimentary Limoncello and Vin d’ Orange which is made within the property. Both wines pack a punch. I’m not much of a wine drinker so I’m not an authority to review this.
Of course, a Tagaytay trip won’t be complete without having some freshly picked salad greens from the garden. This was nice and fresh. Although the dressing at Sonya’s is much better.
Hubby and I split the Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup. I liked this very much although hubby said it was a bit salty for his taste.
For main course, I ordered the Roast Pork with Caraway Seeds. Um, how will I say this delicately, the flavor of the caraway seed is too strong and I didn’t like any single thing about it, even the presentation. Have you seen a dish quite so brown and blah?
Hubby had better luck with the Osso Bucco (Osco buko, as hubby called it). He finished all of it but took pity on me and gave me the marrow :-)
For dessert hubby couldn’t resist the Ferrero Ice Cream. Home made ice cream made with Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Really wonderful, we would definitely order it again.
Chateau Hestia also has a small deli shop at the back where you can find some European wines, beer, chocolates and other pantry items.
I would recommend Chateau Hestia to everyone because the staff is super friendly. The food is great too except for the Roasted Pork.
They also have a honeymoon suite that they are renting out for couples. Here is a picture of the bedroom, in case you’re interested. I wouldn't recommend this because you'll get bored after a few hours.
After our meal, we had to burn off some of those calories! The best way to do that is to explore the meandering pathways around the garden property. The chateau is a modest property with still a lot of areas to be developed. But it was fun walking around with all the flowers and the trees.
Azule Spa
Me and my best bud luuuuvvvvv going to the spa. Last Saturday was one of our many excursions in our quest for relaxation and girl bonding.
Our destination is Azule Spa in BF Homes, along Aguirre Ave., just a five-minute drive from my place. We’ve been there before. We like coming there due to its proximity and their reasonable rates.
What I like most about Azule Spa is their very fragrant interiors. I often wonder how much scented oil they consume daily to achieve such a feat. The interior is dimly illuminated by the occasional low voltage lamps and candles. They have a sea theme going on, from the color scheme to the stones on their hallway. This is not a very swanky spa but it's clean, quiet and the therapists are very professional.
We previously tried their Body Scrub service. The body scrub is wonderful because it gets rid of your dead and rough skin. After the salt and milk scrub, your skin is guaranteed to be baby soft and smooth. The only drawback is that Azule’s shower facility is not very good. The water pressure in the shower is too low and the lowest setting on their shower is scalding. They should improve that. That’s why we didn’t have the scrub, otherwise we would have gotten a body scrub AND a massage. Body Scrubs cost around P700 (US$14) .
They also have another service called the Aromafacial Massage. Therapists will massage your face and will apply some nourishing mask to make your skin soft and smooth. I wouldn’t recommend this because we’ve tried it. The massage only lasted about 5 minutes and the mask used was just the commercial mask that you would find in Watson’s. Although in fairness, we noticed that our skin was extra smooth that day.
We come to Azule Spa for the massage. When you get a massage, your feet will first be washed in a basin of warm water with tiny river stones to rub your feet against to help you relax.
Their massage rooms are air conditioned and illuminated only by low voltage lamps and of course scented candles and oil. BFF and I decided to have their signature massage, a cobination of aromatheraphy, reflexology and shiatsu. An hour’s massage costs only P350 (approximately US$7, yes seven dollars). One hour is not enough so we opted to avail of the 1 ½ hour package of P525 ($10.50). Sheer bliss. OMG, I specially love when they massage my head, I fell asleep in sheer happiness. Next time I’m gonna get the two-hour massage. Time flies when you’re having fun. I highly recommend Azule spa for their massages.
Comlimentary tea and biscuits are given after each massage.
Despite Azule’s shortcomings, I would still go back ther for their wonderful and ultra relaxing massage. They're open until midnight. Friday nights are usually the busiest, so be sure to set an appointment, you may call (+632) 825-38-98. You can bring your kids and get them a kiddie massage for 45 minutes at P350 ;-)
Our destination is Azule Spa in BF Homes, along Aguirre Ave., just a five-minute drive from my place. We’ve been there before. We like coming there due to its proximity and their reasonable rates.
What I like most about Azule Spa is their very fragrant interiors. I often wonder how much scented oil they consume daily to achieve such a feat. The interior is dimly illuminated by the occasional low voltage lamps and candles. They have a sea theme going on, from the color scheme to the stones on their hallway. This is not a very swanky spa but it's clean, quiet and the therapists are very professional.
We previously tried their Body Scrub service. The body scrub is wonderful because it gets rid of your dead and rough skin. After the salt and milk scrub, your skin is guaranteed to be baby soft and smooth. The only drawback is that Azule’s shower facility is not very good. The water pressure in the shower is too low and the lowest setting on their shower is scalding. They should improve that. That’s why we didn’t have the scrub, otherwise we would have gotten a body scrub AND a massage. Body Scrubs cost around P700 (US$14) .
They also have another service called the Aromafacial Massage. Therapists will massage your face and will apply some nourishing mask to make your skin soft and smooth. I wouldn’t recommend this because we’ve tried it. The massage only lasted about 5 minutes and the mask used was just the commercial mask that you would find in Watson’s. Although in fairness, we noticed that our skin was extra smooth that day.
We come to Azule Spa for the massage. When you get a massage, your feet will first be washed in a basin of warm water with tiny river stones to rub your feet against to help you relax.
Their massage rooms are air conditioned and illuminated only by low voltage lamps and of course scented candles and oil. BFF and I decided to have their signature massage, a cobination of aromatheraphy, reflexology and shiatsu. An hour’s massage costs only P350 (approximately US$7, yes seven dollars). One hour is not enough so we opted to avail of the 1 ½ hour package of P525 ($10.50). Sheer bliss. OMG, I specially love when they massage my head, I fell asleep in sheer happiness. Next time I’m gonna get the two-hour massage. Time flies when you’re having fun. I highly recommend Azule spa for their massages.
Comlimentary tea and biscuits are given after each massage.
Despite Azule’s shortcomings, I would still go back ther for their wonderful and ultra relaxing massage. They're open until midnight. Friday nights are usually the busiest, so be sure to set an appointment, you may call (+632) 825-38-98. You can bring your kids and get them a kiddie massage for 45 minutes at P350 ;-)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Dessert of the Week - Coconut Macaroons
My best friend is coming over today for some girl/spa bonding time with me. I baked these simple coconut macaroons last night and they're super easy to make and can be made in less than an hour, baking time included. Here's the recipe:
Coconut Macaroons
1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs
1 can of condensed milk
1 Pack of Dessicated Coconut (200g)
Cupcake/macaroon liners
1. Pre heat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mix butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition.
4. Mix in the dessicated coconut and condensed milk.
5. Fill cupcake tins 3/4 of the way and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
Enjoy!
Coconut Macaroons
1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs
1 can of condensed milk
1 Pack of Dessicated Coconut (200g)
Cupcake/macaroon liners
1. Pre heat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mix butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition.
4. Mix in the dessicated coconut and condensed milk.
5. Fill cupcake tins 3/4 of the way and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
Enjoy!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Doggie Afternoon
After the kids slept for the afternoon, hubby and I escaped to Bonifacio High Street to buy some stuff and to just walk around the mall/park. Hubby took this picture of me with the hanging flowers because it reminded him of the flowers from our honeymoon in Bohol almost seven years ago :-)
As luck would have it, we chanced upon hubby’s cousin Mark who is very active in teaching others about pet care, as well as theraphy work for sick and disadvantaged children using his and his friends’ golden retrievers as theraphy dogs.
We met some of the cute doggies and spent more than an hour playing with them. Now, I feel like having a dog again. Okay, let me sleep on that. I’m still mourning the loss of my beloved Wiggle whom I’ve had for 7 years. I oost him 3 years ago, he would have been 10 years old already.
Anyway, the whole afternoon of playing with kids and dogs left us quite hungry. We chose to eat at Kabisera by Dencio's. Kabisera is tagalog word for head of the table, in case you're curious.
The restaurant is obviously Filipino hence the filipino decor found throughout the restaurant. There's even a mural depicting most of favorite the local games children play like iko, tumbang preso, luksong tinik and others. I'll tell you more about it in a different post.
Anyway, we had puso ng saging fries. I was picturing a french fry type breaded banana hearts but we got these triangles instead. It wasn't very good. I won't be ordering this again.
We had Baked Mussels. typical pinoy fare dring "inuman" or beer sessions. Neither hubby and I were inclined to drink that night.
We also tried their Sinigang na Lechon which was yummy and the lechon is very tender. Another way to recycle leftover lechon at home. Hubby liked this very much, I did too. I particularly like the skin which was still surprisingly crispy. We will definitely order this again.
You hungry? :-)
As luck would have it, we chanced upon hubby’s cousin Mark who is very active in teaching others about pet care, as well as theraphy work for sick and disadvantaged children using his and his friends’ golden retrievers as theraphy dogs.
We met some of the cute doggies and spent more than an hour playing with them. Now, I feel like having a dog again. Okay, let me sleep on that. I’m still mourning the loss of my beloved Wiggle whom I’ve had for 7 years. I oost him 3 years ago, he would have been 10 years old already.
Anyway, the whole afternoon of playing with kids and dogs left us quite hungry. We chose to eat at Kabisera by Dencio's. Kabisera is tagalog word for head of the table, in case you're curious.
The restaurant is obviously Filipino hence the filipino decor found throughout the restaurant. There's even a mural depicting most of favorite the local games children play like iko, tumbang preso, luksong tinik and others. I'll tell you more about it in a different post.
Anyway, we had puso ng saging fries. I was picturing a french fry type breaded banana hearts but we got these triangles instead. It wasn't very good. I won't be ordering this again.
We had Baked Mussels. typical pinoy fare dring "inuman" or beer sessions. Neither hubby and I were inclined to drink that night.
We also tried their Sinigang na Lechon which was yummy and the lechon is very tender. Another way to recycle leftover lechon at home. Hubby liked this very much, I did too. I particularly like the skin which was still surprisingly crispy. We will definitely order this again.
You hungry? :-)
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