random

New Project :) I am working on something BIG for our humble home. I shall post more photos very soon. :) I hope i'd be able to grow them well and beautiful :)

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My little boy didn't go to school today because he's very sick. Bad colds and cough. He's kawawa because he has sorethroat also :( I hope he gets well soon.

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Three days straight. Lunch date with dear husband. Wowee!!! Feels like the old times :)

once again @ INYO

I am a big fan of houses turned into cozy restaurants. Two years ago, I surprised Jp on his birthday when I brought him to this house in Katipunan area. That was my first time to experience INYO Cuisine too. It was just the two of us there at that time which made the whole thing more special and intimate for his birthday. I guess INYO is that popular already.The place was packed when we went last Saturday. From sweethearts to old lovers and families, they were there and you'll happy oohhs and ahhss for every bit they made. The restaurant is something that you'll love over and over again. The place is perfect and the food is even better :)


I've encouraged my family, relatives and friends to try the place and i'm happy to hear that they loved the place too :) If there's one thing that I can freely give out to friends, I think that would be a perfect dining experience. No, no.. not a treat! Rather, an experience that they can always look back to and smile about :) Yes, most of my relatives and friends would call me up and ask for suggestions on where to eat for so many important ocassions. I'm happy that I get to share good experiences with them by being part of the special events in their lives :)

Last Saturday, Jp & I went to Inyo Cuisine with our cousins. We had another perfect meal for our dinner. The husbands we're so tired from our badminton game that afternoon so with no hesitation they ordered the US Hanging Tender Steak (yeah this was literally super tender!). We tried their asparagus soup which was just right. Nina and I had pasta. Pesto Cream & Grilled Chicken for me and Nina tried the Pasta Alle Congolle. Both good and the servings were really big. This is another fun fun Saturday night for the four of us :)

For dining at Inyo Cuisine, you can check out details here :)

pinoy costume

Once again, our little boy had to dress up for his school's Linggo ng Wika this year. We've been switching from barong to "magsasaka" costume from time to time only because it's the simplest, easiest and most practical that we could get =) Photo taken last Friday, August 22, 2008. The hat is re-used from our Palawan trip, the camisa chino is what Kyle used during my wedding & the "bandana" is from thoughtful mother in law =)

for pinkmonster =)

For my very sick friend who is super craving for ensaymada, this one's for you =)

Get well soon fwendship =)

photo credit: MSN photos

on walks, talks & everything else :)

We are becoming big on long weekends! I get to do my wifey duties at home like declutter, cook and most of all, spend enough time just talking and acting lazy with my husband and my kyle :) We didn't plan any out of town trip during the long weekend because we have planned something special for the family & Kyle's birthday on October. We stayed home the whole time and made the most out of our quality time together. Husband and I watched dvds while Kyle played psp with my brothers, who spend most of their weekends with us. Last Monday, Kyle and I rearranged his room. I asked him to decide where to put his bed, study table and all his stuffs particularly his toys :) I'm happy he did a good job! The room has bigger space now for other activities and his toys are arranged properly. I can see the whole look of the room is better :) Galing talaga my little boy! little chef & interior designer at the same time! teehee! :D


WALKs with my husband is one activity that I look forward to every weekend. This is better than any other gimmick that we have. Actually we figured, we're enjoying food a lot much so might as well burn some fats too!hehe! Walking around the village is fun :) More than the calories that we intend lose, it's good that we get talk about everything under the sun (or under the moon, at times). We get to talk about future plans, little problems that we need to sort out, how both our weeks in our offices went and a recap about events in our wonderful life together. This is a real "alone time" and "quiet time" for us :) We usually wake up early as 6am on weekends to walk and enjoy the morning sun and we've been trying to squeeze in an hour on weekdays to walk before dinner time.


I look forward to more walks (&jog maybe) with my husband even when our hairs are all grey :D Try it with your loved ones! You gotta love it! It's fun! =)

Sunday Cooking

These was last Sunday's menu :) Guess who helped prepare dinner? :)

My Certified Blue Chef! :)

We had home-made pizzas. Two margherita with white cheese (this I brought home with me when I went to IRRI for Qatar Airway's Roadshow), basil (my must have ing) & pepperoni (a staple food we always have at home), one classic ham & cheese for the little boy, and one gourmet pizza with spanish sardines & basil for the old ones. hehe! We had garden salad on the side and marinated chicken dipped in ranch.Perrrffect! :)

barcino

I read about Barcino Gourmet a long time ago but it was only two Saturdays ago when I finally tried it with my husband and some cousins. Unplanned.

Located along Julia Vargas in Ortigas, this Spanish deli reminds me so much of my favorite Galileo Enoteca. The ambiance and how the place is presented is so much alike. Limited tables, wine cellars around, sweet & cozy :)

I ordered the mexican salad which was A LOT! I ended up taking home half of what I ordered. Jp ordered the shrimp nuggets which he said was not so great. Nina ordered the callos & Ponch tried this ground beef in olives. Both ok. We loved their chorizo platter! The wine is good but we still love Galileo's Lambrusco more :D

Our damage in Barcino was quite high compared to that of how much we'd usually spend for Galileo. Me & my husband usually craves of their set meals there because we get to try a little bit of what the deli' specialty menus. From cheeses to cold cuts to pasta, and we get one round of house wine for free too! Nevertheless, Barcino is worth a try. We will definitely go back for their chorizos. :)



Barcino Spanish Wine Deli is located at 2nd Level City Golf Plaza, Julia Vargas Avenue, Mandaluyong. You can call 632) 636-2963 for reservations.

perfect cup on a monday

I got this from my childhood friend Nice. This is perfect to start my day on a Monday and keep me going for the rest of the week. Thanks! thanks! :)

I'm passing this to my blogger friends. Joy, Tricia, Naomi, Franny, Tina :) It's always nice to have your perfect cup of coffee beside you when blogging :)

couples dinner

We had another potluck get together at ate ina's house two Saturdays ago with cousins and in-laws. This is our supposedly monthly "catching-up" dinner but the husbands & wives are most of the time preoccupied with work and family duties so this thing became quarterly instead. Nevertheless, the wives are always excited to prepare something special for everyone especially for our dear husbands :)

Ate Ina's table setting was really beautiful with all these white stuffs from tita mona's collection. We used to have our dinners at Bambi & Ria's garden but it rained that night so we moved the venue at the Tulio's. Buti nalang, we live so near to each other so unexpected changes like this aren't that too much of a hassle anymore.

(l-r) My chilli shrimps with mushroom & paprika. Ria made this mofaletta pasta (sausage and olives) , nina's ceasar salad is present of course! and the superb t-bone and rib-eye steak completes our sumptuous dinner.

Nothing beats good food and compnay of course :) Martin, another cousin of my husband joined us and Laureen, the sweet and pretty girlfriend. She made this yummy banana nutella dessert that my husband loved too. We ended the night with wine and absolut mandarin. :)

The family tree is getting bigger! lovin' every bit of it :)

on SPICES & FLAVOURS

Walking inside this small shop outside Market, Market (Fort, Taguig) is amazing. Bottles of spices that you can't usually find in regular supermarkets are all here (hidden). This is such a WOW! Overwhelming. This is just just a perfect place to go to if you are someone who loves to experiment in your menus/ recipes. From Italian , Greek, Mexican, Thai spices that will add flavor to your dishes. THIS will definitely make your day.

The place is just small but every space is maximized. When you enter the entrance to your right, are rows of bottled loose tea leaves which you can buy in grams. From fruity tea flavor apples and orange to flower teas like rose. Don't you just love that?

From regular basil down to neverheard herbs and expensive kaffir lime leaves and dried chillies. It's all here :)


These are sugar crystals that are use to sweeten your cup of coffee and tea. They have sugar crytals in cinnamon sticks also for a aromatic flavor. I love!

This set of teapots are for sale too but I already have a number of sets at home so I had to just let go of this one. A must-have & good investment at home if you are a tea-lover.

I had the chance to visit Spices & Flavours years back with a special friend with whom I share my passion for cooking and good food. I wasn't into blogging yet at that time so no chance for me to spread the good find with on-line friends. I went back last week with Aj to check if it still exists. Now, I am happy to share this with my foodies :)

photo credit: pinkmonster