We are going to meet with our Wednesday group again tonight. It is like a weekly get-together of friends where we can share, laugh, and play with each other. The kids can also play.

But the adults–we talk and eat. Now I am thinking of what to bring later. Hmmmm…It will not be a sit down dinner where we can eat our filet mignon with knives and forks. Now, just something light…and maybe sweet.

I still have some things to finish so I will decided in about an hour or so. By then, it will have to be done in 30 minutes. LOL So that means, it is going to be a simple recipe. Last week, I brought pasta, so what is it going to be tonight? Hmmmm…

Any suggestions? Oh…maybe I should check out the website of Rachel Ray huh? She’s the expert in 30-minute meals!

Whenever I drink either Coke, Mountain Dew, or Pepsi Max in the afternoon or after dinner at night, I could not sleep early. It seems that at midnight, I am still awake and very lively.

They must have a really high caffeine content to keep me awake like that. I don’t think it is about the sugar because Pepsi Max is sugar-free. Or if I take Moutain Dew and Coke, the effect is doubled because of their sugar content?

I do not know really. But I try to avoid these carbonated drinks now, especially at night, so that I can sleep normally during my normal sleeping hours.

As many of you know, my daughter is now addicted to Tinkerbell. LOL One our friends, Tita Toni, joined in the fun and she keeps looking for sites on the net that are selling Tinkerbell stuff.

And guess what? She gave Dindin half a dozen Tinkerbell cupcakes from Flibby’s! Boy, that was a really sweet gesture, literally and figuratively.

Dindin did not notice it at first but when she learned that those were Tinkerbell cupcakes, she dived onto the box from where her Papa was holding her. So she had some icing on her hands! haha She loved them. The fairies made of gum paste actually looked more like Fairy Mary, the supervisor of all the tinker fairies, but nevertheless, when Dindin saw the yellow hair and the green dress then that was already Tinkerbell for her!

And because it was made by Flibby’s, the rainbow colored butter cupcakes tasted really good! And the icing was sweet and buttery! We loved it! Dindin of course ate some of the cupcakes, too.

Flibby’s was the one that made the birthday cake of Tita Toni’s daughter when she turned 18 and had the theme Molls and Mobsters. They were all dressed like the Mafia and the Mob Wives for that party.

Thanks again Tita Toni! That was sooo sweet!

Last time, I cooked Eggplant Parmigiana upon the inspiration of friends who were talking on Facebook. I thought it was pretty easy and an upgrade to our usual Eggplant Omelet. The ingredients were just readily available and it is easy to cook, so why not?

So anyway, one friend of mine said that she had her share in Tuscanny while the other one had tasted it in an Italian restaurant. I looked it up on the internet, found a workable recipe, and started on it. Ahhhh…my husband and I both loved it!

I am just thinking though, I really love the rich taste and aroma of Mediterranean dishes. I loved cooking with spices, all kinds of them, and experimenting on their different tastes. I would rather have them fresh, but for lack of it, I use the dried bottled ones like McCormick.

I really think that I would certainly enjoy a holiday in Europe, especially in England, Italy, and France. I would love to stay in one of those Holiday villas in France that I have looked up a long time ago.

After I came back from the United States, I thought it is not impossible for me to reach Europe. So I really hope someday that we are given the opportunity. hihi That would be a great time to see the sights and also sample the tastes.

We have been to so many parties this month of December. There are just so many Christmas parties, birthdays, baptism, a wedding, and just informal get-togethers. And we have consumed so much wine this month.

A friend shared to me that they are selling wines at wholesale prices that they are even cheaper than the wines offered in the oldest wine store in the city. Cool! And they are actually giving us a bottle. My parents in law got a couple of bottles of wines from relatives while my husband and I got a bottle of white wine from his cousin.

But last time, my husband and I stopped by at the 24-hour convenience store here in Bacolod called Munsterrific and we bought a couple of bottles of Tanduay Ice. Well, it was just an indulgence but my mother in law said that we should not drink too much as we might get used to it. haha Well, that was our first and we are not sure when we can buy again. My husband likes the taste of Tanduay Ice. Yeah, it is pretty good. But I still prefer wine because Tanduay Ice is so filling. But yeah, based on the taste, it is good. And it is pretty cheap at P26 per bottle.

On second thought, I have to agree with Mama, we might get used to it and keep on buying alcoholic beverages. haha

I have never eaten dinuguan in my entire life. I only started eating it about last year and I was already married.

Dinuguan is “a Filipino savory stew of blood and meat (typically stomach, intestines, ears, heart and snout) simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili (most often siling mahaba), and vinegar.” (from wikipedia.org)

When I tasted it, I loved it! And they said that the dinuguan that I had was not exactly the best. And yet I loved it. Anyway, since then, I would eat dinuguan at parties. Or we would buy at Quan Native Delicacies or Sharyn’s Cansi House whenever I had the craving for it.

So one time, while we were having our grocery at Robinsons Supermarket (at Triangle Plaza), my husband saw a small can of CDO Dinuguan (155g). Since I was craving for dinuguan at that time, I said, “why not?”

We bought a can just to try how it tastes.

It is not really bad. It is just too salty and yet it lacks sourness that makes dinuguan appetizing. It could really use some more vinegar. Additionally, that can of dinuguan came with a big lump of pork meat. It would have been good if the meat, fat, skin, liver, and other internal parts of the pork were chopped–the flavor of the blood stew would seep into the meats. And it would also make the dinuguan thicker. Yep! It was malabnaw to say the least. But I did not mind that. All I am saying is that, if they added meat like that, why not make the meat work for the improvement of the taste and texture of the whole package, not just add meat for the sake of putting it in.

All in all, this product is mediocre. I would not buy it again if it is not improved. I like their CDO lechon paksiw in the can though.

Despite the hard times economically not only for the Philippines but for the rest of the world, there are still people who splurge without a care…worse, who splurge without a conscience, because it is not actualy their money that they are spending.

I will not name the person or the group who did that. But let us just say that a very prominent figure in Philippine government was reported by the New York Post to have spent about $20,000 or almost P1 million in a single dinner! Well, of course, she was not alone, but was with a very big entourage. They had dinner in the swanky Le Cirque Restaurant in New York, living like they are among the Forbes’ billionaires of the world. And this happened while the entire country was still mourning the loss of their beloved ex-president Corazon Aquino. I wonder what the occasion is that it called for a celebration that is about the cost of several classrooms (or houses for that matter, courtesy of Gawad Kalinga). Was the celebration because her staunch critic is already dead and was about to be buried at that time?

While the rest of the people are encouraged to save and make wise use of their hard-earned peso, leaders are not setting good examples to their citizens.

P.S.

In another light, the smell of Korean appetizer kimchee seems to be wafting through my window. Now, I am salivating.

waaaaaa!

I am upset. Well, just awhile, I am so happy with my new phone. Actually, I chose the Nokia E63 as the free phone for my Plan 1200 with Smart because I was told that it had wi-fi connection. And it did.

So while my husband is at the coffee shop, I started tinkering with my new phone and actually had fun. Then I started to blog. I reviewed the phone, etc. and ranted over Bob’s Restaurant at Robinsons Place Bacolod. But just as I was about to finish the blog entry, which was about 30 minutes, I accidentally hit the red button and I was brought back to the menu. When I went back to my wordpress, my entry was gone! waaaaa I typed to hard on the key pad because it is QWERTY and needs getting used to. I wonder why a draft was not saved with WP just automatically saves a draft. hmmm

Anyway, all in all, the Nokia E63 is a nice phone. The keys are small though and will need some getting used to. I wanted the red one but it wsa not available, only the blue one. It has so many features. The only bummer is that I cannot upload the photo I took from my phone. I wonder why, the image is too big? But I am happy, after all, it is free.

In a different note, we had our snacks at Bob’s Restaurant. I missed the pancit luglug that I always ordered at Bob’s Restaurant Gaisano City. So I had one this afternoon. And my mom, too, as she always has hers at SM. But we were both thoroughly disappointed. The serving was a wee bit smaller. The sauce was thin and the mixture was bland. The toasted bread was one meager slice of petite French bread. What happened to Bob’s? Anyway, my snack was really disappointing. To top it off, we are used to establishments giving my father a senior citizen discount. And the most expensive item on the order will be the one that will be discounted. But not with Bob’s. The cashier refused to discount the most expensive item but rather asked what my father’s item was. I didn’t want to lie for such a small thing, so I told her the truth. And well, she actually heard my father say it. So, she only discounted the smaller item. My husband said, maybe she just loves her bosses so much. My mother says, that is why she likes Jollibee so much. Not only does she patronize their fried chicken, all their orders get discounted.

I got this news from the e-mail. I am not sure how true this is, but I have eaten many of this fruit when I was younger. I haven’t eaten this though when I got older as it was no longer available. But I liked the taste and now that I am pregnant, I am considering eating this, too. Thank God I saw this e-mail. Please read below:

We were advised to have a few servings of fruits a day in order to rep the benefits of fruits right? But obviously this is one big no-no fruit to be excluded from your fruity feast!

In Shenzen, more than 10 people who consumes the star fruit had died. And now a 66-year-old, Malaysian who has been suffering from kidney ailment fell into coma after eating the start fruits. Yes, all it takes is one fruit or 100ml of its juice and the ordinarily harmless star fruit transforms poison in a matter of hours for kidney patients. So does this mean, people without kidney problems should be fine with star fruit! My take: Not at all! Prevention is better right?

Universiti Malaya Medical Centre consultant nephrologist said that star fruits contain a neurotoxin which is not present in other fruits. It affects the brain and nerves. In healthy persons, the kidneys filter it out. But for those with kidney problems, this potent toxin cannot be removed and will worsen the consumers’ conditions.

The symptoms of start fruit poisoning include:
~Hiccups
~Numbness and weakness
~Feeling confused
~Agitation
~Epileptic fist

The risk of death is high if you are having kidney ailments! But healthy individuals should beware of this fruit’s potential toxin too. It could also cripple your vitality if you are not lucky. So don’t take it for granted. It’s better to avoid them. Please pass this news to others.

Oh how i love chocolates! I don’t like dark chocolates though, I love the milky ones and the white ones, too. I love them sweet.

But my ultimate chocolate fantasy is having a playroom of my own. It will be one big room with lots and lots of toys. They don’t have to expensive, just filled with lots of toys. like a toy store. Then in the middle would be a spring flowing with milk chocolate, then this flows into a river of chocolate! Then sailboats of wafer and candy canes float there too. There are mallows as fences and anyone can dip there anytime. then the grass covered floor would be dotted with M&Ms. hehehe

Oh the aroma of sweet chocolate is wafting around the room. Then of course, at the end of the hall, there’s a rainbow.

This is a heavenly dessert!

I like the fruit durian in itself. I just think it is savory, and so aromatic…hehehe

When i was a kid, I used to eat durian candy and i would go near my classmates and blow my breath to their face. They would run away because they said i smell awful. But i like it. And I kinda enjoyed the feeling that I was the only one enjoying the smell and the activity.

And there are times that i would really crave for the durian fruit.

Then came the ice cream. Yum! I used to enjoy it only in Davao City. Now, this flavor is available here in Bacolod City. I love it! It is marketed by Nestle. We had durian ice cream for after lunch dessert and it is really good. There are gooey chunks of durian in it and it tastes good and smells heavenly. haha Try it!

I met a wonderful couple from our island. They come from a city called Victorias in Northern Negros, known for its world-class sugar mill, golf course, and Spanish sardines.

This couple, who are both researchers, have gone into the commercial production of fruit wines, namely Bignay and Duhat wines—made from two local island berries. The wines are actually sweet, but even without alcohol added, the alcohol content is at 13%. I was told that even if one finishes the entire bottle in one night, there’s no hangover whatsoever in the morning. But I think that those with high blood sugar should watch out for it. I think it has high sugar content.

Bignay wine is quite heavy on the stomach while Duhat wine is smooth. Recently, they introduced the pineapple wine, which I prefer more than its predecessors. It is not so sweet and it goes down smooth. I think it is a wonderful casual table wine.

Afterwards, they may offer Mango Wines.