Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Halloween Season Again!

The term Halloween, originally spelled Hallowe’en, is shortened from All Hallows' Even – e'en is a shortening of even, which is a shortening of evening and Hallow is a word usually used as a verb, meaning "to make holy or sacred.

Halloween is fast approaching. It is a favorite occasion for people who like costumes. Costumes are said to be used to scare off demons. Actually, Halloween is a pagan practice which started hundreds of years ago. But lately, it has become so popular that a lot of people (young and old)  are looking forward to it every year...



A few days ago we went to SM Toy Kingdom and they have a lot of costumes and accessories available for all ages. Most of the items are really affordable and your imagination is the limit.


From the costumes,


to make-up,  hair accessories and wigs,  creepy hands, anything, including long black nails…


or something to dress-up your place...

Monday, October 19, 2009

My Daughter's Blog...


Hello Friends,
Please visit my daughter's blog.  It's seeing the world through the eyes of a precious little girl ...   it's a work in progress, just launched it today...  See you there!!!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Beautiful Smilies ...

Just like to take this opportunity to thank Jays   - from Babydoll.nu for the beautiful smilies....
Take care friend ...    and thank you for sharing your cuties...


HAINANESE CHICKEN (or Chicken Rice)

Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of Chinese origin, a local specialty from the island of Hainan off the coast of China, most commonly associated with Singaporean or Malaysian cuisine, it is also commonly sold in neighboring Thailand. The version found in Singapore region combines elements of Hainanese and Cantonese cuisines. The dish was popularised in the 1950s by Moh Lee Twee.

This is one of the favorites of the family. I love this one dish meal, you have the chicken, rice and vegetable in one recipe, very light yet filling. I happen to develop my version of this dish because my husband loves this so much, one time when we were in Singapore, he was able to finish 2 orders of this dish in big bowls. And when my sister tasted this recipe, it became an instant favorite as well. I hope you’ll enjoy preparing and eating this dish as much as we did. We consider this as one of our comfort foods.

Ingredients:

1 to 1 ½ kilo Whole Chicken
1 Head Garlic, peeled & smashed
½ Tbsp. Whole Black Peppercorns
2 Large onions, diced
2 Tablespoons rock salt
½ tbsp of Ginger, sliced julienne
1 to 2 pcs Chicken broth cube
Enough water to boil the chicken
2-3 cups of rice
4-6 cups of chicken broth (the broth of  boiled chicken)

Dipping Sauce for the cooked chicken:
½ cup Soy Sauce
3-4 tbsps. Sugar
1 tbsp Finely Chopped Ginger
½ tsp of Sesame Oil
Red Chillies (optional) Chopped coarsely

For garnishing:
Bunch of cilantro (optional) Coarsely Chopped

Optional: For the vegetable soup
Carrots, Pechay Baguio, portion of the Chicken broth

Directions:
Get the whole chicken, rub the skin of the whole chicken with rock salt. Wash it thoroughly with water, let it drip for a moment, and set aside. In a small bowl mix the stuffing - crushed Garlic, Whole Black Peppercorns, diced Onions, Rock salt and ginger very well and stuff it inside the whole chicken. Put the whole chicken in a big casserole, fill it with water till the chicken is covered with water. Cook it on high heat till it starts to boil, let it simmer on medium heat, add the chicken cubes, simmer slowly till the chicken is fork tender, add salt and pepper in the broth if needed.

Take out the cooked chicken from the broth, put in a separate container with lid so it will stay warm while you cook the rice.

On a separate cooking casserole, or you may use rice cooker if you like, wash the rice with water, drain all water from the rice. For every cup of rice, put 2 cups of the cooked broth from the chicken. Adjust the amount of the broth according to your prefence, if you find the 1:2 ratio too much. Cook the rice on medium heat, stirring it once or twice for even cooking. Cook it till its done.

Meanwhile, you may prepare the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients, except the Chillies (optional). Mix it very well. 

Serving suggestion:
Put a big scoop of hot rice in a plate, cut up the chicken, and put sliced chicken beside the rice and serve together with the vegetable soup and the dipping sauce for the chicken.

Note:
For this dish, we really need a whole chicken and put the stuffing inside. I’ve tried using other parts and just put the flavoring in the cooking water, the chicken didn’t came out as tasty. You may choose to use the Cilantro as garnishing when serving the meal, or mix it with the dipping sauce (we prefer it mixed with the sauce, it has a very nice taste). If you like more vegetables, you may add steamed Petchay Baguio or Bakchoy (whatever is available in your area), some carrots and other vegetables that you like. Sometimes, what I do, if ever there’s more broth than what I needed for  the rice, I cooked all the vegetable in it and this can serve as soup. Or you may put cut up vegetables on top of the almost cooked rice and let it steam there for awhile.

As for the dipping sauce, it you don’t like it to be too sweet, you may adjust it according to your preference (but from our experience, the sweeter, the better the sauce will taste). Should you choose to use the chillies, just mix it with the dipping sauce.  Enjoy! 

Sunday, October 11, 2009

My 1st Award! Getting to Know Me Award

I would like to thank Mabel of SWIRLING THOUGHTS for giving me my 1st special award. Thank you Mabel for including me in your tag and making me feel that you want to get to know me, I really appreciate this.



This award comes with a tag of telling your five things you love to do & passing it to 5 friends.

5 Things I Love
I love to cook, I was inspired by the many wonderful cooks in our family

I love to craft, turning simple/ordinary things into works of art.

I love watching romantic movies.

I love taking pictures, capture every special moments of my whole family.

I love surfing the web, I could spend many hours in it and be fascinated by the new things I learn.


I'd like to pass this award to the following 5 friends:
(how I wish I could still add more names to this list …)

Enchie of From My Kitchen and Beyond

Lulu of Mouth’s Delight

Kim of At My Tabletop

Kaye of Random WAHM Thoughts

Cecil of Kitchen… the Heart of Our Home


Sunday, October 4, 2009

Thank You Lord...


After typhoon Ondoy, I was again reminded to thank each day as it comes… Count my blessings – big or small.  Sunday morning (September 27) after the typhoon, when I woke-up, I prayed a simple prayer of thanksgiving, “Lord, thank you that my whole family is safe, our whole house is ok inside and out, and Thank You Lord for a new day ahead of us …

I came across this website - Circle of Prayer, and just wanted to share with you this prayer shared by one of the contributors …

Father, we ask for your mercy especially in this time of a great ordeal. Last weekend, I have seen the wrath of nature before my eyes when the super typhoon came to my town. There was non-stop heavy rain and the amount of water it brought in 6 hours is equal to a month's rain that it all the rivers and the dam overflowed resulting into a massive flood that claimed the lives of thousands of people in my town and althroughout the metropolis.Praise you for sparing my family from losing any member of my household even if the flood already reached the second floor of our house. But Father, my heart cries out to those people who lost their homes, their properties, and right now are short of food, medicines and a warm shelter.This is a very difficult time for us. In fact,We have been informed that there are still 2 more typhoons coming in the next few days and you know that we have not even recovered yet for the past calamity.There are still a lot of dead bodies yet to be found by their families as they are burried beneath the mass of mud and flood waters. Father, we do not know what to do now. Please don't let another typhoon hit our country. Have mercy on us, Father if we have been sinful people. I know that this circumstance is a wake up call for all of us to become more concerned with our environment and not be consumed by worldly things for everything in this world is just but temporary and they could all vamish in just one snap. Father, forgive us and give us a chance to redeem our nation. We still want to see the future with the young ones around us, more time to be with our family and loved ones. I lift this up to you, Father for I believe that you have plans for all of us. We commend our spirit into your hands, if it is thy will that this shall be our time. If it is not yet, heal my country father and all its people of the wounds that this tragedy brought us and let us find you and yearn for you from this day on and forever. For only i you can we find salvation and deliverance.

Praise you Father for all those people who have reached out to my fellowmen by sharing food, clothing, and medicines. Bless them father for their good hearts and let them have their rewards in heaven.

Father, we know that your love is divine and your heart does not seek to let your children suffer. We rest our faith and lives on you.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Circle of Prayer (Website of American Bible Society)