HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOLLY!

Many happy returns of the day, our dearest Dolly! 

You are always the first birthday celebrant of the year in our circle; a celebration we all look forward to.

Today right after walk, we excitedly proceeded to Dolly’s home. It is always a pleasure to be invited to Dolly’s tastefully decorated home, always spic and span. Its latest update in the hands of a professional decorator, incidentally her niece, is more elegant than ever.

This morning’s breakfast spread left nothing to be desired. What’s more, it was Vener, Dolly’s partner who whipped up those delicious fares. Every dish is a winner, but to me, I’ll vote for the dinuguan, deserving of a Michelin star! 

We all know dinuguan and this photo does not do justice to the dish, but to me, winner talaga. I regret getting only 2 tablespoons of it since there were so much temptations all around. 

I don’t have a photo of the whole spread, but I have all the breakfast fares covered, except Vener’s signature dish, his famous and delicious arroz caldo. 

Fruits galore 

The native cakes that are all-time favorites
The famous adobo, known the whole world over. 

The healthy paksiw na bangus, once again, I liked the right combination of the sour and salty. 

The daing na bangus, a Friday dish, traditionally partnered with Mongo. 

The mini Taho contaners got a lot of oohs and aahs! 

An early morning nourishment for the young and the young at heart; the taho was presented in a miniature container that mimics the receptacle used by taho vendors. It is so cute, a real conversation piece that I’m sure everyone wants a set as well. 

All in all a wonderful morning. Thank you Dolly and Vener, you know how to give us a great breakfast treat!

CREATING MEMORIES

I had fun with three of my friends who are my neighbors and walking buddies at lunch the other day. Joy who lived in Japan for several years has mastered some Japanese dishes.  

Look at what she sent over to me last New Year’s day: Toshikoshi Soba. It is a Japanese tradition to prepare this New Year’s fare to dispel the old year’s misfortunes and welcome the new year fresh , hoping for long life and abundance. 

“I will prepare tonkatsu and soba for the three of you”; she said the day before. I can only prepare so much at a time so i can only cook for us and our husbands. Of course we were excited and looked forward to it. 

She prepared the tonkatsu, side dishes and brought sauces from her house which is just a stones throw away. 

 

Celine also lived in Japan for many years, was requested to prepare the soba on site. Celine in the photo feeling at ease preparing the soba in my outdoor kitchen while Jim took photos of us. 

And Juliet came in early to help in the lunch preparation 

Here are Joy and Kazu who initiated this lunch and lovingly prepared our food. 

We enjoy walking together, taking photos, sharing recipes with so much fun and laughter. 

“Creating wonderful Memories” is our New Year’s catchphrase, call it motto or battle cry if you wish. We know that we will also encounter challenges along this journey but we hope to take them all in stride. 

Happy new year!