promding chamimay's 2011 summary!

this picture tells everything about my 2011. :-)

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got myself a husband and the cutest little dude ever this year. super love!

so cheers to 2011!!! and hello 2012!!! :-)

my little dude Paolo!

my little dude's about to turn 2months in 2 days and i have not blogged about him... well actually i haven't blogged about anything at all during my 2months maternity leave! yeeha! just wanted to spend most of the time smelling, playing and cuddling with my new little man hehe :D

meet my little dude... :-)

he was born really small... only 4.9lbs and just around 49cm... but then who cares, he's growing faster the past 2 months! im pretty confident he's having my height! :D

he was left in the hospital for another 7days because of a little infection or something... pero dun namin nakita how strong he was....loooove!

he spent most days sleeping lately... trying to be taller and bigger talaga! he's becoming more and more interactive each day, responding to small talks we have with him. even laughing hard at times which makes his lola and lolo go gaga over him...

im trying to identify when exactly he turned from this very fragile little baby to my toughy little man. hope i can control time and make it run a bit slower... he's really growing up waaaay too fast... i'm trying to take photos of him every day.... :-) although im excited to play with him and travel with him... but i want more of this baby paolo time pa muna... 

Philippine holidays for 2012 (Proclamation No. 295)

Malacanang issued Proclamation No. 295 declaring the regular holidays, special non-working days, and a special school holiday for 2012. 


Here is the list of holidays and long-weekends of the Republic of the Philippines for 2012:

• January 1 (Sun) - New Year's Day
• January 23 (Mon) - Chinese New Year (three-day long weekend from January 21 to 23)
• February 25 (Sat) - EDSA Revolution Anniversary (holiday for schools only)
• April 5 (Thu) - Holy Thursday
• April 6 (Fri) - Good Friday
• April 9 (Mon) - Araw ng Kagitingan 
• May 1 (Tue) - Labor Day
• June 12 (Tue) - Independence Day
• August 21 (Tue) - Ninoy Aquino Day
• August 27 (Mon) - National Heroes Day (three-day long weekend from August 25 to 27)
• November 1 (Thu) - All Saints Day
• November 2 (Fri) - Special Non-Working Day (four-day long weekend from November 1 to 4)
• November 7 (Wed) - Eid'l Adha
• November 30 (Fri) - Bonifacio Day (three-day long weekend from November 30 to December 2)
• December 25 (Tue) - Christmas Day
• December 30 (Sun) - Rizal Day
• December 31 (Mon) - Last Day of the Year (four-day long weekend from December 29 to January 1)

zambo resto review: Mang Paeng's Inasal

first heard about this place last March, when the kaladkarins  told me they had lunch there after their fire brigade competition.... i'm not really a chicken BBQ fan so i did not bother to try it... but when my dude wanted to have some BBQ one day, i suggested that we check out Mang Paeng's. I'm not sure if i heard it right that there are several Mang Paeng's already in zamboanga... but what we checked out was the one in Sta Maria... along Governor Ramos, somewhere near the side of the Sta Maria Parish Church. That place used to be St. Mary's Grill... 

we intended to try the chicken BBQ... it was really good! for only Php70 you'll get this already.... :D

we noticed the chicken pianggang in the menu... it's a Malaysian style way of cooking BBQ... it taste like there's some coconut milk somewhere during the preparation... i've already heard about people raving about the chicken pianggang in Mindpro, i still can't get myself to try it, so i grabbed the opportunity to have a taste of what pianggang is once i saw this in Mang Paeng's menu.... i initially thought it's sauce-rich... but it looks like the usual BBQ... but i love the spicy and flavor richness of the chicken.... this is a must try!!!

and this is my super star during that meal! i'm a very vinegar lover... and this.... their vinegar is just one of the best i have tried.... hehehe... it may just be me... but really i love their vinegar mix! :D

photographed their menu.... just in case you want to check out what else is available in Mang Paeng's.... definitely it's a no pork place! :D

   

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Mang Paeng's Inasal

Governor Ramos Avenue

Sta Maria, Zamboanga City

Tel No. (062) 955-0288

zambo resto review: Country Chicken!

been on a hunt for a good gourmet resto in zambo... there's just a few to consider but there's only 2 that i favor... Lantaka Hotel's resto (though i'm not totally impressed still) and Country Chicken. I am no stranger to Country Chicken because this had been my family's go-to resto during special occasions when we were still little.... i can remember their bilao and clam soup... that's what we always order back then... then i haven't been there for so long... until last year, when i met up with my elementary classmates... i made sure we'll meet there hehe... before that i always try to put off plans of trying country chicken, it's my last hope of a good gourmet resto in zamboanga... i always get disappointed with the restos we try around the city... and based on some friends' recommendation about gourmet food in Country Chicken, i hold on to the idea that at least there'll be one good resto here... i'm not so sure if the gourmet dishes had been in Country Chicken's menu... i can only remember the bilao.

the december meetup at Country Chicken did not disappoint me. I am raving about their pizza! and pasta too! although not as good as some of my fave restos in Manila, it's still good! It met my expectations.... hehe. Went back there several times after... and then we got a treat from Ma'am June Bugante who promised us a Country Chicken dinner once she starts to work again.... as the Region's Department of Tourism's Director! coolness!

this was served to Ma'am June before we arrived. The Chef wanted her to try this new patte that's not yet in their menu... it was supposed to be made of  olive oil with eel or something that exotic.. i forgot already, even failed to remember the name (i know blogger-fail again!). but this was good! 

and the bread that goes with the patte! made me miss Italiani's free focacia bread... hehe the soft freshly baked feel of this bread complements the patte.

ceasar's salad with parmesan cheese, nachos and bacon bits! this is one of my major frustrations here in zamboanga, there's only one variety of lettuce... just the iceberg lettuce... so any green salad you'll find in any resto here (or even if you want to have a home-made green salad), it'll just be iceberg lettuce...

this is callos i think.... name slipped my mind again! ugrh! hehehe but this is one of my fave dishes served that night!

and pasta! just as how i cook my version! super like... :-)

their homemade ice cream! tastes like sorbetes. I was too full to appreciate it but enjoyed it somehow...

ambiance-wise... pasadong pasado!!!! i love the homey feel.... :-)

and what's good food without good people to have good chitchats with! :-) Kaladkarin's food trip again!

i got too excited about the pizza served that i forgot to take photos of it... t'was my fave pa naman.

it was just me, edsel and ma'am june who really enjoyed the gourmet dishes.... the rest of the kaladkarins wanted to have rice, so the usual bilao was served. I guess this is one major reason why gourmet restos do not flourish here in zamboanga.... most people here prefer rice-heavy meals, that's what they're used to...

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Country Chicken

Pasonanca, Zamboanga City

02 June 2011

camera: Canon Powershot D10

zambo trip ng mga igits - 2 of 2

we were supposed to go to Sta Cruz island that day.... but just that weekend, weather's bad for zamboanga city... major fail for the planned trip to the pink island... big waves that the small boats that would take us there even backed out (although there was one group who still dared the waves)... i cant take the risk, i have this little buddy inside me.. too sad though, it would have been dianne, etz, ray and ryan's first time to go there (and some CMZ friends who came that morning at Paseo del Mar to join us). we forgot to summon the power of itlog....

just to make sure the day's not wasted we just brought them to Puerto Villa, a beach resort somewhere in Patalon.... when we got there big waves still welcomed us... but it contributed some fun to the Patalon trip (pseudo-body surfing of some sort for them! hehe although, you will definitely end up with a bruise or wound because the beach's not pure sand... stones are aplenty!). i've been to this resort in Patalon several times, and most of the time i find it boring, except for that day... the big waves really added character to the beach... 

my travel buds from manila... ryan, ray, ezra, dianne and etz

i was not able to really prepare good food for their trip but still found a way to have something to answer their seafood galore craving (wala nga lang crabs... suri!)

my dude and his buddies... they were the first ones to play crazy with the waves

first time i saw ray play with waves this big was during our bataan trip... i didn't expect he's the type who would have fun for something like this! hehe

we had 2 underwater cams with us that time... while ezra and me were doing my underwater preggy shoot, this is what kept them busy... nice! :D

videoke session at Bojol... t'was their last night anyway... just trying to make the most of their time... i think we tire them too much!

and as if we were not yet stuffed that day... we still had a little late dinner at chinito's! (my fave find that night.... grilled sinigang! yummy!)

zambo trip ng mga igits - 1 of 2

it's nice to have friends come over and visit me here in zamboanga... although i know their ulterior motive is to go to Sta Cruz island... hehehe just kidding... they're my travel buddies back in Manila. This is ezra's 2nd time and first for Ryan & Ray (naiwan sila ng plane last time), Dianne (marami kasing excuses dahil takot pumunta ng Zamboanga) and Etz.

Last time i have friends over, my preps was over the top... and we had so much fun going around zambo & sta cruz island. (2009 zambo trip ng mga igits posts: GE Pips in Zambo , Mt.Pulong Bato, Freedom Park, Jardin Lobregat, Camp Atilano & Tree House, Sta Cruz -1, Sta Cruz - 2, Canelar Barter, Sta Cruz - 3, Fishpond, Sta Cruz - 4, Kape Zambo, Cawa-Cawa). But sadly this time, i barely did any preparation because of work and my pregnancy... i hope somehow they still had fun during their super quick trip...considering the planned sta cruz island trip was cancelled due to bad weather.

Guiwan Market

i was this unprepared that i have to drag them to the market after picking them up from the airport... :D but looks like they had fun going around that small place... hehe


Fort Pilar Shrine

last time i brought the previous group here there was a mass going on, we made sure there's none at the time we went there.

Zamboanga National Museum

they didn't get to come here last time too! so we made sure this is one of our first stops...it started to rain after we went around the museum. btw, they've closed the "aquarium"-like part of the place.

Canelar Barter

they have a shorter trip this time so we made sure we'll have their barter needs covered soonest so we'll have the rest of the time going around.

Pasonanca Park

weather's not really nice to us that day. We made a quick stop at the Pasonanca park for a little shoot and for them to see that famed Tree House.

Kape Zambo

and to end the day... we spent time to just chillax at Kape Zambo. Sound trip and food trip galore.

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everywhere around Zambo

11June2011

some photos used were from Ezra Montemayor (as indicated)

colette's buko pie now in zamboanga!!!

i'm not really a huge fan of Colette's buko pie... i was actually turned off when i cut the first and only colette's i bought during one of my Laguna trips before was only half filled with buko... but last month an officemate brought a colette's at the office and told us that it's already availble in zamboanga. i took one slice and surprised to see a different version of colette's... it's buko galore! and their pie here is only Php175!!! compared to the Php200+ in manila (even in laguna i guess). 

so one weekend, we went out of our way to visit the store... they cook the pies there. good thing the displays were newly cooked so we got really fresh pies! 

it's a bit weird to find a Colette's sign here... hehe 

good ol' classic Colette's Buko Pie!

they also have Buko-Langka & Buko-Pandan Pie variants

and the Buko Pie Supreme... i guess it's the topping that's different about this one. But i find this too much for me... so i'm sticking with the classic buko pie... :-)

Dulce Recuerdos de Zamboanga - name of the store. They also sell other famous food from various places.

they also have a packaged lokot-lokot! now aside from the usual barter's coco jelly this is something i can bring as pasalubong.

Colette's or should I say Dulce Recuerdos de Zamboanga's exact address. It's near Claret School.

just so you won't completely miss it, it's inside this building. the only building you'll find at the back of Jollibee-San Jose, Zamboanga City.

kusina experiment: mango crepe w/ butterscotch sauce!

i have days when i would think of something to cook out of nowhere... most of the time trying to mix different food ideas i get from all my food trips... for this, i combined the idea i got from that unforgettable butterscotch banana we had during our Pagudpud trip (had it at Kapuluan Beach Resort) plus that "orgasmic" (according to my friend ezra) deja vu crepe of Cafe Breton... :-)

months ago i've discovered how to make fresh lumpia wrappers... well not really discovered but tried what i found online... and decided i could use the same for a crepe... although texture was still a bit different, so i've tried to search again for a crepe recipe... i should have added milk.... i will still have to try that later. :D 

anyways, for now here's my mango crepe with butterscotch sauce recipe. it's basically made of 3 parts: the crepe with mango, butterscotch sauce, and the ice cream! :-)

the mango crepe

     what you'll need:

          sweet ripe mangoes - as many as you want!!!

          1 egg, lightly beaten

          1/2 cup water

          1/4 cup cornstarch

          dash of salt

          oil to grease the pan

     here's how:

          1. Mix egg, water, cornstarch and salt thoroughly until smooth

          2. Take about 1/4 cup of batter to make each crepe (piece of wrapper)

          3. Brush some oil on a non-stick pan. Spread the batter thinly by turning the pan 
              around. Cook only one side of the crepe over low heat.
          4. Using a spatula, lift the crepe out of the pan.
          5. Arrange the mangoes on the half part of the crepe then fold.


      tips:
          - Don’t keep the crepe too long on the pan as it will be toasted. 
          - When it turns slightly brown or small bubbles appear on the surface, it’s cooked!
          - if you don't have a non-stick pan, a brush and the cover of that trusty saingan is a 
            good alternative

the butterscotch sauce:

 what you'll need:

          4 tablespoons unsalted butter

          1 cup of brown sugar

          3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream (nestle cream would do!)

          1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

          dash of salt

          

     here's how:

          1. Melt butter under low to medium heat.

          2. Before the butter is completely melted, add the brown sugar. Stir until sugar is  

              uniformly wet.

          3. Stir infrequently until mixture turns from looking grainy to molten lava. This will 

              take about 3 to 5 minutes.

          4. Once you'll notice that the caramelizing brown sugar begins to feel and look more 

              liquid than a thick wet sand, add the cream. Use a whisk at this point.

          5. Lower the heat while whisking the cream into the mixture. Once the liquid is 

              uniform turn back the heat and continue whisking for another 10minutes. Turn off 

              once this boiled after the 10minutes.

          6. Add the salt and vanilla extract. Taste, and add salt and vanilla until your desired 

              butterscotch taste is achieved.

      tips:

          - The whole process will happen really quick so make sure all ingredients are 

            measured and are ready within reach before starting.

the ice cream and the final touch!!!

 what you'll need:

          mango crepe (arranged as mentioned above)

          butterscotch sauce

          mango or vanilla flavored ice cream (other flavors may not be good for this!)

 here's how:

          drizzle butterscotch sauce all over the mango crepe and on the sides as you wish. 

          Add a scoop or 2 of mango or vanilla ice cream. Best served while crepe is hot and 

          ice cream is at its perfect state! ENJOY!!!

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sourced of recipes:

Simply Recipes - for the butterscotch sauce

Pinoy Recipes - for the crepe

mango crepe arranged and photographed by my dude!