Christmas 2015: Makati Lights and Sounds at the Ayala Triangle

Every year we go to Ayala Triangle Gardens to watch the Makati Light and Sounds. Since it started, it has been a yearly tradition for us to watch the yearly light display.

Aside from watching the light exhibit we also decided to eat dinner in one of the restaurants. My husband suggested Chef Lau's Pugon Roasters. He said he had eaten from this resto in their McKinley Branch and he said it a tasty and filling.

We ordered Pugon Roast Chicken for only 99 pesos, Sizzling Chicken Sisig for 99 pesos and Chunky Chicken Croquettas for 89 pesos.

The Pugon Roast Chicken is for my husband, Chicken Sisig for me and Croquettas for my daughter.

We love the Pugon Roast Chicken. It is seasoned well, it is like an enhance version of the authentic Chicken Inasal. The Chicken Sisig is spicy, it is perfect with a hint of kalamansi. However, if you’re expecting crispy roasted chicken in the Sisig, you might get disappointed. It is mostly made of chicken isaw. For the Croquettas, it is more like a snack but it comes with rice. If you wanted to order some appetizer and extra rice better go for the Croquettas. It is crispy and filling, but it needs to be eaten with the mayo sauce for it to be complete in terms of taste.

The selection of food is enticing I would also want to order the Kaldereta Mac, Angus Roast Beef and their version of Pancit Lukban, but I know my tummy can only finish one meal. So we might try the other meals some other time

We were so full we can no longer go for dessert, so we decided to stroll around the park while watching the Light and Sound show. The Light and Sound show is really spectacular. Photos will not justify the magical moment,

It is our Christmas bonding day so from here will go straight to BGC to burn the calories and take some selfies in one of the spectacular Christmas displays in the metro. And eventually, we will eat dessert before we end the night.

Christmas 2015: Pizza and Us

                After watching the Lights and Sounds show in Ayala Triangle, we decided to stroll around Bonifacio Global City (BGC). We would like to have some pictures with all the gigantic decorations for the holiday season.

Aside from the nice deco around the area, there was also a live concert for free. With just a few people strolling around, you can simply just sit and listen to good music.

We are planning to buy some donuts for dessert, when my niece Lulu joined us. She won some Papa John’s pizza gift certificate so she brought with her one whole pizza for us to devour.  

It was around 11:00 PM in the evening when we decided to call the night off.  We still have a few slices of pizza so put it in the fridge and ate it the next day for brunch. :)

Atcharang Papaya -- A Labor of Love

  

Hubby volunteered to do the cooking for the Christmas Potlock party in Paranaque, so for this year I'll have a break from my cooking chores.

However, cooking is really something that I love to do, so for this year I'll attempt to make Atcharang Papaya and a little bit of Atcharang Sili. This is an attempt to replicate the Atcharang Papaya of my sister-in-law Ate Vi. Atcharang Sili on the other hand is for us to store the chiles.

The Atcharang Papaya that Ate Vi gave us was so good, I ate 90% of it. :). The one that I cooked is not as perfect as Ate Vi's version, but I think it will be a good side dish for all the sinful and fatty foods for the holiday season.

Making Atcharang Papaya is very inexpensive. For 100 pesos you can already make 3 medium size bottles. I bought most of the vegetables in the local market so it is quite inexpensive in comparison to the prices at the grocery store.

The twist or the kick of the atchara would come from the quality of the vinegar that will be use. Since we have some sukang sasa from Bicol, which is sweeter compared to other vinegar, I have used it to reduce the amount of sugar for the dish.

This very inexpensive dish is labor intensive. Grating 3 papaya takes a lot of time, energy and patience. As I remember, this side dish is usually served in local barrio weddings. It is usually cooked and made by groups of women in the barrio. I remember watching them as they chat and grate the papaya to perfection. It is then stored for a day or two before it is served on the bride and groom's feast day.

Ingredients: grated papaya, grated carrots, diced bell pepper, red onion and garlic

with vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar

3 easy steps:

1. Grate and chop all ingredients. Squeeze the excess liquid from the grated papaya and carrots.

2. Cook the vinegar, sugar, with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves, Do not stir.

3. Once the vinegar mixture is ready and slightly warm, mix all the ingredients. Store and enjoy.

*The process for atcharang sili is the same, just replace the papaya with chilies

I remember my Aunts with neighbors and friends as they make this dish during special occasions. There is like an assembly line of cooks with assigned tasks. There is someone who grates the papaya, another would chop the other ingredients and another would do the cooking of the vinegar and the mixing of the ingredients -- and before the dish is stored, the designated "specialist" would taste the dish to ensure the right blend of spices. 

This is how I inherited my love for the kitchen, spending my childhood with my Aunt's who spends most of their time cooking and preparing food for everyday meal and special occasions.

And so, after recalling all the good memories to enhance my energy to finish the dish, I finally made it. After the labor intensive grating and chopping process, I think I won't be doing it again. It is a dish that needs to be cooked with some companions. :)

Love at Sixth: Remembering our Wedding Day

A Second Chance is a very timely movie for our 6th Wedding Anniversary. We may have our own set of arguments and misunderstandings, but just like Popoy and Basha, we can relate to the love that they shared with each other and as well as their commitment to keep their marriage bond.

Marriage is a commitment and a test of maturity. Love is the core of marriage, but as time goes by new values needs to develop in order to shield the love. These values needs to outgrow immature emotions like jealousy, insecurity, anger and dormancy of passion.

Some would disagree with our threesome date, but sometimes we need to make a better choice. Since we cannot just leave Rhian, she is always a part of our date. Since it is a decision that we both agreed to, we are still able to enjoy each others company.

We've always wanted to make things simple. Thus, a movie and a dinner date is good enough to celebrate our married life for six years. Sometimes we have grand plans for vacation, but we make it to a point that it is well-planned and well-spent. We are always after the memories -- it is what makes life meaningful for us.

A simple date started with...

A movie...

A movie is never complete without some popcorn, so we bought some drinks and Chef Tony's popcorn. My husband suggested that I buy some tissues as well-- just in case. It was good though I did not end up with tears as I watched the movie. It may be due to the fact that our relationship had gone through tough challenges and we were able to go over it with God's love. And so, every scene was enjoyed with the popping goodness of Chef Tony's popcorn.

Dinner date...

After the movie we went to Banapple for dinner. Banapple food is on the sweet side so Raffy and Rhian enjoyed the meal, but the cake we ordered was too sweet even for Rhian.

Chicken Breast Parmigiano

Salpicao Rafael

Super Caramel Fudge Cake 

The ambiance in Banapple was so homey, it feels like dining in an indoor patio.

After dinner, we had a few stroll around the area, with all the simple memories for the day.

With God, I have high hopes and confidence that the bond between me and my husband would last a lifetime. I cannot share any perfect formula for a perfect marriage, but what I am certain of is that with God as our guide we will always be able to walk on the right path and make the best of both of our lives.

Christmas 2015: The Moon, the Lights and Everything Nice

                Christmas is in the air. Since we spent Christmas in our home last year, we will be spending Christmas at Lolo and Lola’s house for this year. As we wait for Rhian’s Christmas vacation, we decided to enjoy the beauty of our home and the decorations around the area.

                Since the place is new last year, there were no Christmas decorations around the area, just a few corners with Christmas trees and decors. For this year, the place is filled with blue Christmas lights. It may not be grand by it is nice to feel the spirit of Christmas.

Aside from strolling around our place, my daughter also enjoyed the big round moon that lights up the sweet dreamy nights.

As the breeze cools down each night, we spent more and more time outside – playing and chatting with some hot chocolates, coffee or tea.

We decided to go for simple decorations for our own unit for this year, since we projected intensive work loads after Christmas. Just like our growing relationship, memories and love for each other, we will make Christmas happier and fancier in the upcoming years. Happy Holidays. :)