FAMILY CHRISTMAS 2023

​Last night was wonderful! 

It was a happy Christmas dinner with the people I love most; my two daughters, their husbands and my granddaughter. The presence of my sister, Annie and my comadre Marie completed my Christmas Table and rounded up a happy group. 

The elegant dinner set I used for the first time is a birthday gift from my walking friends, the Sweet Magnolias from the @ At Home With Maria collection. Jim, Annie and I had fun prepping up the place. 

Here are photos before dinner. 

After grace, a toast to get dinner going. They loved the Sweet Magnolias signature drink, the Barefoot Sweet Moscato. 

Dinner went smoothly with lots of fun and laughter. 

For the first time in our family history, my son did not make it for Christmas. In the past he would always turn in for Christmas dinner. Well, there’s always a first time, right?

But they did FaceTime, full of joyful wishes led by our 9 year old grandson vacationing in France. This photo was taken in Lourdes. 

It is a family tradition to dine together on Christmas Eve. This helped the children when they got married; it simplified Christmas scheduling between in-laws.

Back to my Christmas dinner which I personally prepared; not a dish ordered out. This time I tried porchetta and to my delight, it was s success! 

This caldera 

And Callos 

As well as the asado were prepared ahead. 

 

And the crispy shrimps 

My older daughter brought this Ube cake, the ube used is from the famous sisters of the Good Shepherd, claimed to be the best ube preserve in the country. 

I couldn’t show the other desserts, I was preoccupied that I failed to take photos. 

Before turning inside for the gift giving part, we can’t help but take another photo. 

Looking back to last night, I still feel the joy and the love that went round and round the dining table amidst the laughter, the jokes and stories told. 

CLASSIC CALLOS: PAMPANGA STYLE

​This classic callos is an adaptation from the recipe of my friend, Lana. She claims she got it from her Mom, a kapampangan. 

Her Mom hails from the province where most of the restaurants serve the best authentic dishes using recipes handed down from past generations. 

I adapted the recipe and tweaked it a bit. Here is the finished product. 

                      Ingredients 

1/2 kilo beef cut in strips 

1/2 kilo ox skin cut in strips 

1 kilo tripe cut in strips 

3 tbsps olive oil 

2 tbsps paprika 

3 tbsps garlic minced 

1 big onion chopped 

2 bay leaves 

1 big star anise 

1 pc cinnamon bark

2 chorizo cut in thin rings 

1 can pimento, drained and chopped 

1 tbsp ground pepper 

2 tbsps tomato paste 

2 tbsps fish sauce 

12 pcs pitted olives halved

1 can garbanzos 

                           Procedure 

Clean ox skin and tripe with baking soda, wash and rinse well.  Keep the meat cuts as bought; it will be easier to separate pieces that become tender earlier. 

Put water enough to cover  ox skin and tripe in a pan and allow to boil. Throw water and wash meat in cold water. 

Boil water again and put the ox skin and tripe, add cinnamon bark, star anise and 2 bay leaves. Simmer until tender, takes about two hours. You can use pressure cooker, just time it well since you do not want to overcook the meats. 

When the meats turn cold enough to handle, cut into strips, about 1 1/2 inches long. 

Cut the beef in thin strips as well and sauté in a separate skillet with olive oil, garlic and onions. Continue stirring until beef changes color. Add 3 cups water and allow to boil, simmer until tender. 

On medium heat add a tbsp of olive oil in a separate container big enough to hold all the ingredients. Put in chorizo and  remove quickly when oil comes out. Set aside. 

In the same container, put in the remaining garlic and onions, the meats, paprika and fish sauce. Mix well and stir for 3 minutes. 

Add tomato paste and stir until the meats are fully coated. Add in the chorizo, garbanzos, olives and pimento. Mix well. 

The resulting mixture is thick due to the ox skin. Should you desire more sauce, just add more water and stir. Final sauce should be thick so go slow in adding water. Adjust to taste. 

BRAISED EGGPLANT

​i saw this recipe on YouTube and I became curious. I went further and checked it on google and found many different ways of cooking it, so I concluded that it must be a popular dish. I wonder why it’s not in the menu in Chinese restaurants or did I  just missed it every time I dined in one? 

At home we broil eggplants, peel, add salt and vinegar for pochero or slice, dredge in soy and vinegar then fry. Of course we put it in pinakbet, I am an Ilokana. 

Today I made the dish for lunch. I tweaked this simplified recipe after browsing over many different methods, combining some ideas, lessening, the sugar; etc to suit my taste. 

               INGREDIENTS 

4 big eggplants approximately 600 gms 

 2 tsps salt in enough water to soak the sliced eggplants 

                      SAUCE 

3 tbsps soy sauce 

4 tbsps granulated sugar 

2 tbsps cooking wine 

3/4 cup water 

1 tbsp cornstarch 

1/4 cup cooking oil 

2 tbsps minced garlic 

1 tsp sliced spring onions for garnish 

                     PREPARATION 

Cut eggplants into 2.5 inches long, then quartered lengthwise. 

In a bowl cover eggplants in water with salt and soak for 15 minutes. 

Put a heavy plate on top to keep the eggplants submerged in the salted water. 

Remove from water, wash with cold water and squeeze out the liquid and pat dry with paper towels. 

          COOKING PROCESS 

In a heated saucepan 

Put oil and eggplants, add pepper and stir for 1 minute. 

Add garlic and continue stirring for another minute. 

Add sauce mixture of soy, sugar and cooking wine and continue stirring for about 2-3 minutes until the eggplant is done. 

In another bowl combine water and cornstarch and pour it into the cooking eggplants. 

Keep stirring until the sauce thickens

This dish is done. 

A WONDERFUL BREAKFAST

​It was a beautiful morning with shimmering sunshine.  It’s been awhile that the Magnolias sat down over a sumptuous breakfast together. 

We welcomed the joy we had, the fun, the laughter, the jokes, the teasing and the overall excitement of being together, it was priceless. We felt great knowing our friends are around us; those who understand and care for each other. 

L

Overjoyed over the fun that still prevailed,  I almost missed mentioning the awesome ambiance by the swimming pool; the table perfectly set which is par for the course, as always at Tess’s home. 

An array of fresh fruits artfully arranged on on their unique containers was beckoning to be devoured.  We were not left wanting for drinks, there were our fave power drink and freshly opened coconut water. 

There was the coveted spread on the kitchen island comprising of our favorites; the star being the humba, a Samar delicacy. 

The famous tinapa, smoked fresh fish from Calbayog

Dried dangit and dried iliw paired with fresh tomatoes 

I failed to take a photo of the omelette but i was able to borrow a photo of the palawan dessert being made. A kind of yam, sliced in big strips and slowly cooked in coconut milk and a little sugar. 

But I must tell you that we were not remiss of our health; there was an abbreviated Zumba session before we sat down for breakfast. 

Earlier as well, we completed walking 7 kilometers at dawn accompanied with a lot of chatting and laughter that awakened the endorphins and gave us a ravenous appetite. 

We wish you safe travels and happy landings Celine as you fly to Japan tomorrow. 

WHAT IS A GRAB BAR?

​How many people know what a grab bar is? I didn’t even know what to call it when we got to the Home Depot until I described it and we were directed to where we could get it. 

A grab bar is a safety device to enable a person to maintain balance; something attached to the wall of a bathroom that we can hold on for dear life to prevent a slip or fall. 

Today we had our grab bar installed in our bathroom. When I told Jim that I needed one, he didn’t hesitate, in fact that very day we bought one ASAP. 

No more denying the fact that the time is right to get it. Though we use a stool, it is when we stand under the shower to wash away the soap that is tricky. 

Many a time we hear about bathroom accidents and we ask: “was it a stroke that caused the fall or a hard fall that caused the heart attack?”  

Most often we are still in denial, so we say: “oh, I don’t need it, I’m okay, I can manage”. But isn’t it better to be safe than sorry? 

So we chose to be safe. Now I feel more secure when taking a shower. 

CRISPY SHRIMPS WITH SHRIMP PASTE-COCONUT DIP/DRESSING

​Today I made this dish I saw on TV, on Casa Daza specifically. I thought it is something that my family would like. 

Here is the recipe of Sandy Daza that I’m trying to duplicate. I just hope I will be able to do justice to his recipe. 

                 INGREDIENTS

1/2 kilo jumbo shrimps, deveined and peeled leaving the tail intact. 

1 egg white 

1 cup corn starch seasoned with 

1 tsp ground pepper and 1 tsp salt 

Oil to deep fry shrimps 

                   

For sauce 

1-2 tbsps oil

1 tbsp cooking wine 

2 tbsps minced garlic 

2 tbsps chopped onions 

1 tbsp shrimp paste   (alamang)

1 tbsp sesame oil 

1 1/2 cups coconut milk. 

                  Procedure 

Soak shrimps in egg white

Coat shrimps in seasoned cornstarch 

Deep fry shrimps, putting them one at a time to the boiling oil. Don’t dump all the shrimps at the same time. Fry until crispy. 

When done, remove shrimps from oil and put them on a wire rack to maintain crispness. 

In another sauce pan 

Put oil, garlic, onions and cook awhile 

Add shrimp paste, cooking wine and sesame oil, mix well

Pour in coconut milk. I used 2 tbsps coconut powder dissolved in 1 cup water. 

Sandy put in all the crispy shrimps into the sauce to coat and plated it with the suggestion that it is also good to separate the sauce for dipping. 

I did both ways today; notice that in the photo the other half doesn’t look crispy because I coated them with sauce. Jim and I liked it better just to dip. 

This dish can be an appetizer or a dish served with soup and salad and you have a complete meal. Like Sandy always say:  “winner ito”.  

MY BURGUNDY RUBBER PLANT

​Last week i was so happy just looking at my burgundy rubber plant; so amazed how fast it is growing. That and the lemon yellow one were given to me by a friend and walking buddy, Josie. 

I took a photo and sent it to my daughter.  We planned for her to trim it when she visits this Christmas. 

The plant in a pot stands on two blocks of brick . When I looked underneath I found that the roots grew into the ground; one was already an inch in diameter. So I asked my assistant to cut the roots. 

To my dismay, after an hour, the three major branches drooped, as if they were lonely, the leaves near the tips started to wilt. I was worried that the plant would die. 

I was tempted to cut off the top of the biggest branch to lessen the demand for food and sustenance and give the whole plant a better chance to recover 

Again, I took photos to send to my daughter about my plan to cut about 18 inches from the top. But my daughter said to let the plant adjust. So I added more soil to the pot and watered it three times that day. 

I pinched and pulled holding the pinch until I reach the tips, the red tip part that eventually becomes another leaf. I did that more often than I used to and kept telling the plant to hung on for dear life. See the arrow pointing to the tip that I usually pinch and pull upwards?  This works specially when the tips are still small  

The next day the plant looked better, the tips started t strengthen a bit and I became hopeful. Still it was not like it was before. 

After my walk the second day, lo and behold! They went back to their former glory. Every tip pointing upwards and the leaves stood straight like they were earlier. 

I’d like to share this to my fellow plantitas so they can observe their rubber plants. We all know that rubber plants can become enormously big that’s why we put them in pots to control their growth.