My Detailed Top Christmas Recipes

As I've said. here are my recipes you've all been waiting for:

Recipe #1: Baked Chicken in Pandan leaves

Ing:

Chicken, cut into parts
Soy Sauce, 1/4 cup
Vinegar, 1/4 cup
Sugar, 2 tbsp.
Salt, 1 tsp.
Onion, medium size
Garlic, 1 clove
Ginger, grated about 2 tbsp.
Peppercorns
Annatto seeds with 1/4 cup oil
Pandan leaves

Procedure:

1. Mix everything together except for the annatto seeds and the pandan leaves. Marinate overnight.
2. Mix annatto seeds in oil and heat without boiling. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Brush the oil into the chicken.
3. Wrap the chicken with the pandan leaves and secure with a toothpick.
4. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour in an oven or a turbo broiler.

Food for Thought:

• Injecting the marinade to the chicken will make it more delicious and tasty.

Recipe # 3; Carrot-Pineapple Cake

Ing:

3/4 c. white sugar

2/3 c. oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. grated carrot

1/2 c crushed pineapple, drained

P.rocedure:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients. Strain 3 times. 

2. Combine all the wet ingredients then mix alternately with the dry ingredients until mixed well.

3. Bake for 45 minutes.

Cream cheese mixture:

1/2 c. cream cheese

1/4 c. confectioner's sugar

1/4 c. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

coloring of your desire

My Top Christmas Recipes

The breeze that barely touches your skin, the intricate decorations and the endless shopping sale and discounts in malls make me conclude that Christmas is getting near. Ok, gifts will be wrapped but have you ever thought of recipes that will be different and unique for this coming occasion?

I thought of giving you an idea of recipes I have cooked before that I think will make you drool and satisfy your great longing for food and will match this special event.

Recipe No. 1: Baked chicken wrapped in pandan leaves. The pandan leaves gives it a rich taste.

Recipe No. 2:  Eggplant lasagna
Recipe No 3.: Carrot-pineapple cake. Add cream cheese on top with carrot designs for a more decent and glamorous look.

Suggestions:

1. Try to do away with the usual dish as the event may not be considered special. If your kids love spaghetti, try adding twist on your dish. e.g. baked spaghetti with meatballs, spaghetti with corn, etc.
2. The eye eats first before the mouth (of course the nose too) so make each dish attractive and colorful. Appealing plating can change your impression of foods that you think are not delicious.
3. Have somebody taste your masterpiece. It may be good for you but it may not be good for somebody else. Oh, and by the way, their verdict matters most.

I will be adding the links once I have the time.

Dekada: A Review of our Roots

A truly inspired Filipino dish that lies in the heart of Quezon City is Dekada. Well, what do you mean by Dekada? Dekada is a Filipino word, meaning decade which connects its food lovers, Filipino or not to the history of the Philippines from its pictures of our late presidents to its food titles that only a Filipino can truly understand. 

Here, we celebrated my brother's birthday. Upon entrance, you will be welcomed by the prominent presidents hanging on the walls, presidents such as Manuel Quezon and Ferdinand Marcos. Their menu also gives a hint of our Philippine history as the foods whose titles are depicted from our books such as El Filibusterismo, Noli Me Tangere, etc. Don't worry titles have descriptions so that you will not be lost of your option. Price ranges from 250 to 300 up and it serves 2-3 persons. Back to the celebration, all in all we are 10 and we ordered 4 different kinds of rice worrying that we will make leftover, but because of their scrumptious rice no rice was left on the plate.

What's my Favorite?

• Kare- Kare. It offers a vibrant color standing on a modern pot that has a candle under to keep it warm. Their sauce has a very rich taste with ground nuts that gives a very distinct flavor and aroma. Also, with oxtail you cannot go wrong because it gives an authentic kare-kare dish.

  

  Oxtail Kare-Kare and Binagoongan Rice

• Binagoongan rice. It is not salty and you can truly say that " Kanin pa lang ulam na." If your saving enough then pick rice only. :)
• Rice with dilis. Although dilis is served on top of it, it doesn't have a fishy odor. Tausi/black beans also comes with rice adding a twist on it.

  

  Rice topped with Dilis

Our hefty orders

What I Like About It:

1. It's simple. It does not go through complicated dish which means everyone can relate to it.
2. It has a twist. Although it's simple, it gives a different spirit to every dish they offer.
3. Atmosphere, check. The ambiance is  fascinating and opens the eyes of food goers who want to see a little view of Filipino history.

My Suggestions:

I feel that the serving of rice is too small for a price. Flavored rice are priced at around 368 and I think it is a bit small for a group. If they can add more then I think it would be great.

My Verdict: 9/10

Have a taste of it at Fairview Terraces, Quezon City. 

I Dare You. Start Investing Now

At a young age of 22, I already once planned of starting an investment for myself particularly for my future but I always end in excuses such as: " I don't have money ( even after getting a payroll),"or" I have a lot of  expenses this month because of this and that." Believe me, these were the same phrases of every reluctant person once asked of adding insurance for their expenses. Not until I reached the age of 27 when I fully understood the importance of joining a life insurance through Sun Life.

Why is it imperative?

1. Protection. Believe it or not, tragic we may call it, I am not afraid of crossing the street or riding a furiously swift vehicle particularly a bus because I am sure that whatever happens, my loved ones will not suffer the difficulty of paying my death. True it is that the cost of dying  here in the Philippines is expensive. Personally, I have been hit by a tricycle at a very early age of 4 and luckily nothing happened to me. But what if something happened? Therefore, adding a life insurance will give security without putting your families to a huge debt.
2. Retirement fund. When I reached my retirement age, I am totally sure that I will have something for myself and buy the things that I want or use it for business purposes.
3. Independence. In worst-case scenarios, parents sometimes depend on their children on what their future holds. FYI, I do not hinder you in helping your parents but being a parent does not mean that each need will be guaranteed by your children. What if soon they have their own families as well?

Why now?

1. As you pay for the insurance, your money grows. Therefore, the younger you are, the larger your money becomes.
2. If you dread hold on to the next ten years waiting for the great big genie to make your dreams come true, it might be too late. As you age, you suffer from sickness and this will cease you getting an insurance.

Here are the links that will help you give an idea of starting a brighter future:

1. Top Insurance Companies in the Philippines as of July 2014: http://www.insurance.gov.ph/_@dmin/upload/statistics/RLICP11July2014.pdf
2. Contact a financial adviser. https://www.facebook.com/Chelly.Arreugse?fref=ts

So before buying anything always ask yourself, " Is it a NEED or a WANT?" Because if you are pressured with the trend, with a friend, or some very you-want-to-die- for actor/actress because of his/her amazing outfit then probably it just falls to WANT . So better save than suffer.

Cheapest Way to Reach Calaguas

This would be my first time to start up a blog, not because it is a trend but because I want to share my excitement and also because I am overwhelmed with how wonderful the island is.

You probably too are excited and wants to know immediately the answers from the questions " How much is the fare?" and "How can I get there?" Well, I will make it short for you.


How to get there:

1. From Manila, ride a bus going to Daet. Terminals to Daet are in Cubao area where bus lines such as DLTB, Cagsawa, and Pantranco offers travel to Daet. I sugggest riding on Cagsawa because it has limited stopover making traveling short for you. The travel takes roughly 8 hours alighting you to Daet terminal. 
2. From there, ride a tricycle going to jeepney terminal to Vinzons port. This will take 10 minutes which is a very short ride.
3. Ride a jeepney to Vinzons port. Travel will take approximately 20 minutes.
4. Ride a boat to the island. Boat ride will take 2-3 hours depending on how rough the waves are. I suggest taking motion sickness tablets if waves aren't really your friend.
5. Lastly, journey a 140-km walk which takes 20 minutes. This step is optional if you opted for a passenger boat, meaning, fare is cheaper (100php per person instead of the 4,000 php or 10,000 per boat if it is larger).