IN SEARCH FOR LIFE'S PERFECT BLEND

Someone wrote that the theory of work-life balance where we try to give equal time and attention to our professional and personal lives, and treating them like two different things is no longer effective in this modern cyber world.  

Since we are not unplugged at home, emails and calls from work are inevitable; sometimes we even need to bring home work.  So, how are we going to manage this?  And what about those who work from home, how do they draw the line? 

Some say that finding the perfect blend works best.  One suggested to think like making a cocktail, what are the elements we want to put in?  A cocktail glass can only contain so much, and like our lives; we can only do so much in a day, a week, a month, a year.  That's why we must choose well which ones to include in our lives.  We need to prioritize.  

Well, I am not employed anymore so I don't need to divide my time between work and play, but I need a perfect blend more than ever.  We seniors know that we are living in borrowed time; so many things to do, lots to focus on with so little time. 

Here are the things I'd love to incorporate in my life.   I'm hoping to make a good blend so I can enjoy a wholesome lifestyle.  Wholesome meaning conducive to and suggestive of good health and well being. 

A load of family time

Time with my family is the first to go into my blend.   I don't want to miss any milestone in their lives.  I'd drop everything for a chance to bond with any and all of them. 

A dash of social life

I read about a lady at 80 who didn't want to bother with the workings of the Internet and does Facebook live.  Everyday she walks along main street and talks to people; sharing what she is currently doing, talking about her feelings like she is posting them.  She carries pictures of her grandchildren, her pet, where she dined last night to show around and she gets likes and comments personally from people.

Likewise she gives comments and thumbs up to peoples' stories.   As of her writing, she already has 4 followers.   Isn't that interesting, bringing Facebook to another level?  Instead of sitting down with her gadget, she's interacting with actual people.  I'd say that's a great social life.  It just proves that if there's a will, there's a way. 

Diet

I can't say which diet is best for anyone, this depends on our health condition.  My doctor says to go slow on sweets, fatty and spicy foods and I can eat anything I want but only in moderation.  I believe this is a good idea for everyone. 

It is challenging to eat right at all times especially when we have company or when we eat out or while traveling.  Im just glad I found a healthy everyday breakfast that I like. 

A heavy dose of exercise

I met this health-buff neighbor who became a good friend on my morning walks.  Her health mantra: "good health is based on 70% diet and 30% exercise.  That seems to work for her since she must be in her golden years but she runs 2 kilometers daily; when we walk together, I can't even keep up with her. 

Walking is my main exercise, I think it is the best and safest exercise for seniors like me.   While walking, I think clearly and I gather inspiration for my blog.   Exercise is necessary in our lives,  this is non-negotiable; we just have to do it in any which way that works for us. 

Double or triple splash of hygiene

Hygiene is very important to keep harmful bacteria at bay.  Moreover, we seniors should double or triple our hygienic routine otherwise we can't expect our grandchildren to stay on our laps, much less want to kiss or hug us. 

Stir in passion to realize our dreams

The pursuit of a dream will make us do and experience new things we never thought possible.  Doing what I love gives me great satisfaction mentally and emotionally along with a feeling of pride and accomplishment.  

The beauty of "blending a cocktail"  idea makes my life less of a monotony because I can change the formula as often as I want.  In fact, I can customize it  as I go along by allocating more time for those that make my life more interesting. 

Did you know that even if we failed to take better care of ourselves earlier and have been careless with our diet,  it would still make a lot of difference if we start now?  It is never too late to live healthy because at the end of the day our overall health depends on how we manage it. Therefore today is the best day to exercise good choices in our diet and activities. 

I hope that the basic recipe I chose would work for me.  My gauge?  I have to ask my self.  Do I feel that sense of well being?  Am I happy and fulfilled?  Do I feel great most of the time in spite some stiff joints and the little aches and pains due to old age?   Did I miss anything in the lives of my love ones?  

Have I found the perfect blend?  If not, I better change my concoction.  

Summer Garden Highlights

IT'S SUMMER!

The time of the year with plenty of sunshine, the time when veggies and fruits thrive in our tropical Philippines.   Now, let me update you on our edible garden, not only the backyard but the front lawn has herbs now. 

"Gardening nowadays is not all about getting plenty of flower arrangements for our homes but more for the hearty edibles and drinkables", says Kim Palmer of the Star Tribune. 

There is so much joy in growing part of our own food because we get  them fresh and organic.  I enjoy going to the front lawn every morning to cut tarragon, basil and mint leaves for our tea.  When I cook stew, I go to the backyard to pluck leaves of oregano for flavoring and pandan for pleasant aroma.  

"Are we having salad today?"  Jim would ask so he will gather lettuce.  "The bitter gourds are ready for picking, would you cook that today?" , he would ask to know whether my meat dish would compliment it. 

Let me show you our herbs. We moved most of them to the front lawn where there is more sunshine. 

BASIL

I prepared this PESTO using two cups of the leaves. 

THYME 

I always use thyme for my soups.

ROSEMARY

This herb is very useful for roasts though I love to sprinkle the leaves on baguette toast.  Rosemary with thyme and marjoram will make a great combination of flavors. 

TARRAGON

I pour hot water to two short stalks of tarragon in each of the mason jars. When the water turns Amber, my tea is ready.  There is so much health benefits and vitamins from tarragon that's why we drink this tea regularly.  Adding basil and mint leaves makes it more flavorful, it is even more refreshing when refrigerated. 

Mint in our front door. 

                                           

MINT 

is often used as garnish and/or dressing for salads and for tea. 

I also use mint as organic insecticide.  Water from boiled mint leaves and stems when sprayed on plants remove aphids and other harmful insects.  A cup of alcohol added to a liter of mint water eliminates insects when sprayed indoors, especially in dark corners and under the sink. 

OREGANO

This is great for stews, I chop two big leaves of oregano and add this when cooking the popular Filipino dish, the adobo.  I also use this in cooking caldereta, afritada and mechado.  

The juice of its leaves gives relief for cough.  When my cough persisted for two weeks of taking medicine,  my maid took pity on me, she extracted the juice from oregano leaves.  I took that for two days and I got my relief. 

GINGER and TUMERIC

This is a daily kitchen staple used in many different dishes, especially oriental recipes.  Water boiled with ginger soothes sore throat.

PANDAN

This is used as flavoring for cakes, jello and some dishes.  I use it to give a pleasant aroma to my soups. When I add a pandan leaf in the rice cooker, I have the whole house smelling great.  In Singapore some cab drivers use it as car freshener

LEMON GRASS

This is used to enhance the flavor of dishes and used as roast stuffing for chicken, lechon (roast pig) and even fish. 

Let me bring you to the backyard to see the veggies:

                                   Another view of the trellis

BITTER GOURD or Amargoso

Jim and I are so happy that his bitter gourd is bearing so much fruit.   

I sautéed our first harvest in yellow bean paste and it was so delicious.  Old folks believe that if one is the jealous type, his/her bitter gourd dish will turn out so bitter even after cooking. 

                                               Before

                                      After 10 days

LETTUCE LOLLO ROSSA

A type of louse-leaf lettuce has red leaves perfect for salads.  The curly leaves are sweet and tender and hold salad dressing well.  

It is also used to wrap barbecued meat and eaten like a taco wrap. 

This patch are now planted with lettuce LOLLO ROSSA (red patch), Ching chai pai tsai (pachoy) and at the far end is kangkong (local water cress).  Fronting the stone jar-and-bowl are mint.

MORINGA TREE is

dubbed as "the medicine cabinet" or "super food" because of the numerous vitamins and minerals it contains.  In our locality, we believe that construction workers get a great part of their strength from these leaves since it is often included in their daily viand. 

Ohh, I almost forgot!  Look where Jim planted okra; in front of the vacant lot next door.  

                                        Here's a partial close-up

How did you like our garden this summer?  

Jim and I tend this garden together, well, I propagate the herbs, sometimes I remove dry leaves, re-arrange some pots and basically that's it.  Jim practically does most of the gardening work and I take pictures! 

Dining At Michelin Star Restaurants In Singapore

On our trip to Singapore this month I took a fancy  on restaurants with Michelin stars.  This time I was more conscious of them that I did some readings and learned  more about the Michelin Guide and how restaurants can acquire a Michelin star.  

In the early 1900's, Michelin, a French tyre manufacturer came up with a Michelin guide published annually as a manual for car owners.  It focused on trouble  shooting and maintenance, maps, location of petrol filling stations and other information relevant to road trips so people were encouraged to travel.  In so doing, they thought it would enhance car sales and boost their business.  Included therein is a list of food stops for drivers which were marked with one, two or three stars.

From my readings,the prestigious Michelin star has evolved a bit differently from its infancy.  Nowadays it has become a status symbol for restaurants who earned these coveted stars.  In fact in the case of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay being stripped of his two Michelin stars in his New York restaurant has been frequently mentioned in my readings.   "It felt like losing a girl friend, that you want to get her back", said Ramsay. 

They say that there are a select 120 secret inspectors/reviewers who are schooled and expert in the culinary field and possess the discriminate palate to appreciate food.  

They cover about 40,000 restaurants worldwide, each one dining at 240 restaurants per year; visiting them every 18 months for evaluation.  They pay to dine like an ordinary customer so they blend in the crowd and remain incognito while doing their jobs.   

It takes at least four visits of consistent satisfactory observation and only after consultation with two of the world-wide Executives before a single star can be awarded ; 10 visits for two stars and so on.  This guide focused mostly in Europe and only later in the United States. 

In recent years, Asian countries have been included; among them are Japan, Hongkong, Macao and the latest is Singapore.  In 2016, two Singaporean hawker food stalls were awarded a single star for their delicious and affordable meals.   From there, many restaurants were awarded the Michelin star in Singapore that it warranted an Apps, a guide for Singapore restaurants with the Michelin stars.  

Our son brought us to lunch at Nabe Siezan, a 2-Michelin star Japanese restaurant for its Dashi soup (fish broth). We ordered their bestsellers;  

the wagyu beef 

This photo is lifted from Nabe's website

the Sea Bream  with dashi rice.  

I'd say that the dishes were not cheap. 

The Kam's Roast Restaurant is a spin off of the Michelin star restaurant in Hongkong, the Kam's Roast Goose.  In Singapore, Kam's Roast serve star-quality roast duck instead of goose using the same ingredients and method because they couldn't find a reliable goose supplier in Singapore.  Kam's Roast is still working on earning a star but the food is already Michelin-star worthy. 

Kam's Roast also serve roast chicken and Char Sui Pork.  Our son ordered all three dishes for us to taste and they were all great. 

The high quality of Dim Sum at affordable prices for the masses to enjoy is Tim Ho Wan restaurant's pride for acquiring it's Michelin star.  

There are the big four heavenly King  in the hierarchy of their dim-sum; pan fried radish cake, steamed egg cake,  bean curd of pork and shrimp and the baked ban with BBQ pork.  The latter seems to be a great favorite for many. 

Among the four, I only tasted the baked ban with BBQ Pork (their best seller) when our younger daughter bought some  for us to taste the last time we were in Singapore.  

Here we were at Tsuta Ramen, another Michelin-star restaurant.  Our son-in-law and younger daughter brought us there last September to try their Shoyu Ramen complimented with truffle oil that earned them the Michelin star. 

In the photo above we were waiting for our ramen being prepared by two chefs in front of us. 

Note that a Michelin star is awarded to a restaurant because of the quality, authenticity and exceptional good taste of a dish and nothing to do with the place and its ambiance.  However, having a Michelin star is a crowd drawer and before long expansion and beatification is inevitable.  

There are more restaurants with Michelin Stars that our children would like to bring us to but Jim said "enough of star restaurants".  So on our last night our younger daughter and son-in-law brought us to NamNam at Plaza Singapora for Vietnamese Pho Noodles.   The mint, spring onions and cilantro in the soup  were so refreshing and served with a generous amount of tender beef.  Now, I would rate that with a Michelin star. 

During my trips to Singapore I had the opportunity to dine in many restaurants,  (our children make sure we experience a new one most of the time) I believe that there are more deserving of that coveted star. 

Sometime ago, the Michelin Guide was said to be biased with French Cuisine, this maybe due to accessibility and their food orientation. Wouldn't you wonder why a tyre manufacturer is critiquing food at restaurants around the world?

Having tasted a few Michelin star dishes, I have to say that most of them are great but some are not to my liking.  Maybe my palate is not sophisticated enough  to appreciate a variety of dishes.   Still, I believe that if "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder", then delicious food is in the tongue of the taster. 

Today, a week after this was published, I learned further that restaurants having Michelin Stars is not really all that great afterall. Just recently, I read that Sebastian Bras, a French chef gave up his three stars and requested not to be included in the 2018 Michelin guide because he can no longer stand the pressure of being inspected or rated everytime he puts out a new dish. There were also a few other chefs who dropped out of the guide for the same reason. 

Staying Fit Is A Challenge That Can't Be Ignored

Like George Burns, the world's most famous centenarian who passed away two months after he turned 100 years old, I'll also say the same.

"Had I known that I'd live up to this age, I should have taken better care of myself".  

But who can really say how long one will live in this valley of tears?  Both my parents passed in their early 60's so I thought that I'd  also live up to about the same age.  Logical, right? 

Though my parents gave us balanced meals, their love for cakes, pastries and other sweets greatly influenced my growing up years.  That explains my fondness for bread and sweets, two diet no-no's.  But I couldn't blame my parents, they gave us what they knew was good for us. 

The holiday season was not yet over, that was between Christmas and New Year,  but many of us felt guilty having indulged ourselves too much.  So we pledged to go back to our normal healthy diet and exercise routine immediately.  In spite the resolve and the proper mindset however, the parties, the get-togethers, reunions and family bonding elude us from doing so. 

For what is a get-together without food anyway?  We always concoct the best recipes that are festive, delicious and really too much of guilty-pleasure food.  The result: we overeat, we can't help it! 

But here's a remedy that may help, Jim read that whenever we eat sinful food, we can balance it by eating an equal quantity or more of raw veggies to neutralize it.  Effective? Who knows, but there's no harm in trying. 

The good news is, health and fitness has become a world-wide obsession.  There are endless ways to eat right and stay fit.  Even governments are initiating ways to encourage citizens to embrace proper nutrition.  In the Philippines alone, they recently passed the sugar-sweetened beverage tax (SSB), a way  to discourage everyone from buying them if they cost so much more. 

We are all aiming for a healthy lifestyle, we all have our own kind of healthy juice or smoothie, we eat the best veggie that combats whatever ails us, we bring a healthy lunch to work.  Besides those, we are determined to do the most rigorous exercise that we can master. 

It may  interest you to know that the numbers, meaning vital statistics of weight and waistline is not the only determining factor of good health.  In fact, a medical research found that a good percentage of obese individuals doesn't necessarily  have the health issues like diabetes, hyper tension and other serious illnesses.  

It doesn't mean however that they can be complacent with their eating habits, after all studies show that about 85 percent or so of our health condition is due to our food intake. That is why they say that staying fit and healthy is a lifestyle, not a series of diet and exercise that we ditch after we reach our goal. 

Maintaining good health is a battle against our own selves.  If only to know is as easy as to do.  I say that we do not lack the knowledge to stay heathy.  Our physician and social media bring in almost every info we need.  We can always Google which foods are good or bad for us. 

Staying fit and healthy is the greatest challenge of every generation; it needs a strong will-power and determination, a challenge that we should never ignore. 

What's For Dinner This Christmas?

 I'm excited to make strufolli for the first time this Christmas.   

I'm doing Giada's recipe from familycircle.com. 

This is a common holiday dessert in Naples and Italy and can be prepared a day or two ahead of the party that's why it's convenient.   I'm sure this will add a festive touch to my Christmas table. 

Christmas should be the happiest time of the year but we homemakers are often anxious about Christmas dinner.  This feat can be overwhelming sometimes, yet we are determined to make it great. 

There is no reason to fret because there are lots of ideas going around.  On tv alone, celebrity chefs are sharing their ideas, claiming that they are all super easy; it's just searing the meat with herbs and spices, popped in the oven, forget about it until the oven dings.  

Supermarkets and bakeshops offer lots of endless delicacies to enhance our spread.  There are also plenty of delicious pre-prepared dishes for sale at delis and restaurants that we can easily put together a sumptuous meal and spare us the trouble if we don't have much time.  But if we want something different we can always Google for more ideas. 

Early on I felt I needed to gather more inspiration for my Christmas feast, so I spent sometime watching the Food Network, the Asian Food Channel and Lifestyle Network;  I've read holiday blogs, surfed the net and actually tried the recipes that I found interesting.  

I realized that too much information is not always good; at least to me. The idea of preparing what my family really want eludes me.  However, just like shopping for the right shoes or dress, when I see it, I know that's the one; the idea for my Christmas dinner dawned on to me just like that. 

I aim to make it like a home-cooked meal yet festive at the same time.  It should be special but simple, sans the fancy; light but nutritious because most of us are so health conscious nowadays.  Most of all, it should be something that everyone would enjoy. 

I wanted to depart from the traditional Filipino dishes like caldereta, afritada, menudo, mechado, adobo or at least put a twist on one of them to make it sound new and interesting. 

So this Christmas, I think I'll work with lamb and the other dish could be salmon.  I will cook the lamb like a traditional stew and make a complimentary side dish, I'm still debating whether it will be mashed potatoes or au gratin.  

One good tip I learned is stick to tried and tested dishes at times like this to lessen stress.  I'm not into roasting so much, so I won't roast.  

The salmon will be light and refreshing baked on top of fettuccine and asparagus that will blend with fresh herbs and lemon to counteract the heaviness of the lamb.  Since lamb is not everybody's favorite, I'll sneak in a dish of Osso buco to make everybody happy. 

I will include the Celebration Chicken Salad because I want crunch with apple, celery stalk, cucumber, red radish, almonds and walnuts.  

Did you know that this was first prepared and served at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II by two chefs at the Le Cordon Bleu in London?  The addition of curry and tumeric was borrowed from India due to their significant presence in the UK.  Isn't it interesting to know this bit of history? 

Dessert maybe fruit salad and hopefully I can squeeze sometime to make Angel food cake or bread pudding. 

Of course I will bring out the queso de bola and Chinese ham which is everybody's favorite. 

I don't believe in an over-flowing Christmas table so I limit my preparations but ample enough for everybody; I don't want to handle a lot of leftovers.  Do you think my menu is good enough and fitting for a holiday feast?

The Quest for the Best Breakfast Cafe in Alabang and Paranaque

It's been sometime now that Jim and I are more inclined to eat out for breakfast or brunch rather than dinner.  Every Sunday we wanted to prolong that great feeling after mass so we continue to celebrate by having breakfast in a Cafe; shall I say,  "to break the fast"?

 We rarely go out for dinner anymore because for one, it's becoming more difficult to drive at night.  Besides, we don't eat much at night; I myself don't eat dinner unless we dine out or have company at home.  

So breakfast or brunch is our thing nowadays.  That's when I ditch my banana-granola-oatmeal and green tea frap for a gourmet breakfast and special coffee blends, decaf and skinny preferably. 

 "Where shall we have breakfast today?" Jim asked one Sunday morning.   So I told myself what better time than now to start checking out whether the recommended breakfast cafes in Alabang and Paranaque are worth the reviews.

Let me clarify here that the quest is about small, stand-alone cafes only; definitely not those in hotels like the Belvue, Vivere, Crimsom, Hotel B, etc. 

Our first stop was the Exchange Alley Cafe House at Molito.  

We ordered each an open sandwich of toasted ciabatta topped with prosciutto, (the other salmon) and poached egg dressed with mustard-mayo. 

Their latte is great as well. 

Next Sunday, we located the L'Epiciere Gourmand at the River Park in Filinvest.

It is a French cafe and a deli as well.  So far this is our favorite. 

We enjoyed their cheese and cold cuts platter.  

Jim, a sausage aficionado like our son couldn't help but add an order of the kielbasa with fried potato cubes. 

Here we are at Cafe France 

We often go to Cafe France whether for breakfast, lunch or snack.  We always get an appropriate food for a meal, that is properly prepared to our taste, presentated in an appetizing manner and the price is reasonable.  It is frequented by seniors though the menu could be everyone's favorite. 

Today Jim wanted to go to Cafe France again but I suggested we check out the newly opened J-Rams cafe along Aguirre Ave so we can get on with our quest for the best breakfast cafe.  The place is bright, cool and nicely decorated but sadly, it was not our kind of food or maybe it was the manner it was prepared.  That's the problem when the cafe is not recommended.  

Our search for the best is a work in progress, I think we are not even halfway.  In Aguirre avenue alone, new cafes are being opened. Personally, I like to eat at a new place most of the time  and order something different, though I think most men often prefer to go to a familiar place and possibly order the same food like last time. 

Of course we've been to Pancake house many times; to Conti's and Mary Grace; and don't forget the Big Breakfast at McDonald's, the breakfast joys at Jollibee and the double burger at Tropical Hut.

Our quest is about finding the best cafes we can go to and enjoy a great breakfast on Sunday mornings.  We don't intend to critique them or find anything lacking about their food.   After all, people have different preferences, we just need to find out which of them serve our favorites. 

A Day In Tagatay

It was a heavy-traffic-kind of day going to Tagaytay on Tuesday but Tagaytay beckons me back for this big sumptuous breakfast sampler at the Bag Of Beans. 

On second thought, I think it's what they call in our language "takaw mata"(it's the eyes that is hungry).  The presentation is appetizing but it's hefty for me, even for brunch.    Besides I can have that in town, just not as beautifully presented perhaps, but I can also make that at home. 

We entered SLEX, Filinvest at 6 and arrived at the Bag of Beans for breakfast after 8.  I wasn't surprised to see a bigger establishment, afterall it has to accommodate the onslaught of clients.  Though they retained the open-air atmosphere, the garden ambiance is no longer as authentic as before when we used to frequent the place, but impressive nonetheless. 

Oh yes, they have wifi, so I was able to post our breakfast on Facebook straight away.

From Sta Rosa junction all the way was heavy, I heard it was worse during the Asean Summit weekend when thousands of cars were noted in Tagaytay.  The two lanes on either side as a result of road widening doesn't cut it due to the heavy influx of city dwellers who wanted to escape to the countryside.

Tagaytay became more popular in recent years due to it's vicinity to metro Manila; one can come and go in a day.  Because of the pleasant weather it became an alternative vacation destination to Bagiuo, the summer capital of the Philippines, 

                          With my sister 

The last time we were in Tagaytay was during the Christmas season last year when our son-in-law treated us to that great breakfast buffet at Balay Dako.  The trip back and fort didn't take long unlike last Tuesday.

After breakfast, we went on to pay the real estate tax, our main purpose for the trip. 

    The main dining room of Royale Tagaytay Estates and Country Club. 

We made a brief stop at Royale Tagaytay Estates Golf and Country Club for halo halo.

  

At half past 10 when we started back we saw to our dismay that both sides of the road were bumper to bumper.  Can you believe that we got home south of the metro at half past 2 pm?

Tagaytay is a fast-growing metropolis, bursting with new business  establishments.  As we droved passed, I saw new restaurants, BNBs and small hotels with attractive and welcoming facade. There are more souvenir and local delicacies stores, fresh fruit and vegetable stalls, ornamentals and herb gardens as well. 

I recall when we frequented Tagaytay 2 to 3 times a week after we bought our property some 20 years ago, (the only time in our lives that Jim and I worked part-time for half a year) we enjoyed the facilities of the new country club.  Back then Tagaytay was easily accessible to and from our home.

Lena, a friend in the US saw my breakfast post on Facebook and asked where to have dinner in Tagaytay this coming Christmas season.  Well, I can only recommend what I tried like Balay Dako, the Bag of Beans and Antonio's restaurant, 

     Taken the year before at Antonio's where we enjoyed a breakfast treat of our daughter and her family.  

I haven't been to Sonya's Bed and Breakfast recently, Jim brought me there for lunch when it was a newly opened vegan and nature restaurant, not yet a BNB then. Lena and her family may like its romantic ambiance. 

My friend Tess post this picture above among others on Facebook which made me curious to open Sonya's BNB website. 

     This llooks like the main dining room lifted from their website. 

A usual stop for us is Rowena's, a store of native delicacies. Their cupcake-size buko pie is to die for though there are numerous other goodies to choose from.  I noticed many customers as I walked in and a long queue at the cashier. 

I was able to get this box of the original flavor of buko pie (I intended to get two since they last long if popped in the freezer) but they ran out.  I also grabbed a box of egg tarts for my granddaughter, it's her favorite.  

If one has been to Tagaytay one would like to go back in spite the heavy traffic.  

 

  This picture I lifted from their website shows the view. 

Chill at the most beautiful Starbucks in the Philippines in that cool weather, sit outside and appreciate the overlooking-view of Laguna the bay and know that it is the place to be; to unwind and enjoy time with family and friends.