Visita Iglesia 2016

We planned for a Visita Iglesia for the Lenten Season on Maundy Thursday. We originally planned to visit 3 churches, but we are only able to visit one of the churches since we left the house late and the other church was closed.

This is our first time to plan Visita Iglesia on our own. We used to go with Kuya Benjie, Ate Vi and kids every Lenten season for the station of the cross and Visita Iglesia. For this year, we decided to explore the churches in the south part of Metro Manila.  Kuya and Benjie and family on the other hand planned to proceed with the churches in the north part of Metro Manila, so we might just bond together on Black Saturday or Easter Sunday.

It was around 4:30 PM when we left the house. Our dear Rhian was sick a day ago so we have to make sure she is already well before we proceed. On our way, we decided to skip the first church that we planned to visit and proceed with Saint Jerome Emiliani & Sta. Susana Parish for the Station of the Cross. It is getting late, so we decided to just visit one church.

In our family, we both practice Catholic and Christian traditions. My husband is Christian and I am a Roman Catholic. With much love and understanding, religion was never an issue in our relationship. Our faith is always one in raising our family.

And so our spiritual journey begins. Before we left, I also packed some food in case Rhian get’s hungry along the way. For the Lenten season we made our “baon” simple and of course without meat -- nilagang saging and vegetarian pancit with fish balls.

After completing the station of the cross and praying at Saint Jerome Emiliani & Sta. Susana Parish. We decided to visit Madonna Del Divino Amore Quasi-Parish. 

Along the way, we bought some watermelon for 130 pesos. There were less travelers in the road so our journey was fast and stress free. When arrived at Madonna Del Divino Amore Quasi-Parish, we were advised that the church was close and they have suggested we go back on Sunday for the Easter Mass.

We were still glad we are able to pray and complete the station of the cross on this day. After all, it is what matters most – remembering God’s love and strengthening our faith.  As we journey back to our humble home, we bought some sweet corn for just 20 pesos per kilo and some bread and yema cake at Pantoja. :)

Here is the map of the churches that we planned to visit:

Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

Hillsborough Village, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines

Saint Jerome Emiliani & Sta. Susana Parish

Commerce Avenue, New Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City, Philippines

Madonna Del Divino Amore Quasi-Parish

Portofino South Daang Reyna,

Las Pinas, Metro Manila

Lenten Season in Binmaley

Years back, we usually spend the Holy Week in our home in Binmaley, Pangasinan.  The infrastructure in Poblacion, Binmaley  is design in such a way that the church, market place and local government offices are  in the center of the barangay, just like how pueblo’s are during the Spanish regime.

 There are usually religious processions during lent and sometimes there are play/sinakulo in the plaza depicting the life of Jesus Christ.  Aside reflecting during the Lenten season, there are numerous things that you can do when you visit our place. Here are the list of our Binmaley tour:

Binmaley is a small town, what we have below are activities of the things that we do when we spend our vacation in Poblacion, Binmaley. Nowadays, there are already places where you can spend the night in our place like JT’s Beach Resort.

A.      Visit Binmaley Church – It is an old church with some interesting stories. My mother told me that during the 1972 flood, the church was miraculously spared from the flood. She said it became an evacuation area for most people. Today, the church’s architecture is well kept maintained. I used to go to this church after before I walk home after school.

B.      Walk around Binmaley Plaza- After attending mass, you can simply walk towards Binmaley Plaza and visit the nearby market for some good finds and pasalubong. It is also a good afternoon escapade, you can also visit Binmaley People’s Park, and we used to call it Children’s Park way back during my childhood.

C.      Swimming in Binmaley Beach – You can just ride the tricycle in the plaza to go to Binmaley beach, there are also a few resorts (e.g. JT’s Beach Resort) in the area where you can check in and spend the night. If you just want to stroll and swim, you can simply go there with your picnic mat and some food for a quick dip.

D.     Easter Sunday Lunch at Rudy and Jing – Easter Sunday is also the day when we need travel back to Manila, so if we do not have the time to cook we just drop by Rudy and Jing Restaurant to eat lunch.

E.      Pasalubong shopping at Magic Mall Binmaley – One  of the things that we buy aside from our favorite daing, bangus and talaba is the peanut butter in Magic mall. It is also a good place to buy some personal essentials in case you forgot to bring some.

If we have more time, we usually travel a few kilometers away to explore other places like Baguio, Bolinao and of course Hundred Islands in Alaminos. Other simple escapades includes a tour in the nearby town Lingayen or attending Sunday mass at Manaoag, Pangasinan.

JT Beach Resort  

Address: Baybay Lopez, Binmaley, Pangasinan

Phone:(075) 513 7081

How to get there: Take a tricycle ride in the plaza and advised them to take you to JT Beach Resort. For private vehicles, just drive to San Isidro Sur Street or the street going to Binmaley beach, then turn left towards Baybay Lopez.

Rudy and Jing Eatery

Lomboy, Binmaley, Pangasinan

0920 966 6952

How to get there: From Binmaley Plaza, take a jeepney ride to Dagupan, then ask the driver to drop you to "Nangsangaan" take a tricycle ride going to Lomboy, Rudy and Jing is located on the right side from “Nagsangaan". For private vehicles, from Binmaley Plaza, take the road going to Dagupan City, then turn right in Biec West Road, Rudy and Jing is located in the right side of the road.

*for the other spots and establishments, it is located in the plaza, so it is easy to find it when you are just  around Poblacion, Binmaley, Pangasinan.

Located: Jeany's Food House

Every Sunday, we always crave for Bulalo or BBQ, so after mass, we always pass by one of the carinderia located in BF Homes to buy some Pork BBQ for dinner.

There are a lot of good restaurants in the area but during school days we opt to buy some Pork BBQ and just dine in at home to maximize our bonding moments.

We tried the other nearby carinderia, but it was not as good as the one located at the back of BPI in President's Avenue. Also, we have been looking for Jeany's to buy Bulalo, but we cannot locate the place.

Until this day came, after hearing the mass for Palm Sunday, we decided to park beside Puregold to buy some BBQ for dinner. As we walk towards our favorite carinderia, we saw the name of the place and it was Jeany's. :)

For the past months we are not even aware that the carinderia where we buy or favorite BBQ is the same carinderia where we wanted to buy Bulalo.

Here are some of the reasons why we like Jeany's. First, the place is very clean and organized. Second, the food is really good.  I searched online and I saw that they actually have 3 branches. The one that we always go to is the branch near the church, located at the back of BPI, President's Avenue.

Their Pork BBQ is actually tasty but the flavor is not overpowering. It is 15.00 pesos per stick. We've tried the other nearby carinderia's that sells BBQ's but it was not as good as Jeany's, it was either too sweet or too sour. 

We also bought some Bulalo, and it was also good. We used to buy Bulalo in the Sucat area (the one located near East -West bank) but it was too fatty. Jeany's Bulao is more loke Nilagang Baka, with a lot of lean meat and the soup is not too oily. For the regular serving it is 120 pesos and for the large serving it is 180 pesos. 

It is not something to be compared to Tagaytay's Bulalo, but it is one of the best Bulalo that we have ever tasted in a carinderia. :)

Since the Pork BBQ and Bulalo is for dinner, we need a quick snack to satisfy our hunger. We skipped lunch for this day to be able have a long nap, so we decided to stop by Gryn Wasabi (check my article Craving Satisfied at Gryn Wasabi) as well to buy some Sushi and California Maki. We need to do some groceries before dinner, so we decided to have a quick snack before doing so.

When we arrived home, we ate dinner while chatting and laughing together -- no rush.  We always opt to just eat dinner at home to spend more quality time together and also to listen to our daughter’s unconventional stories. :) 

Jeany’s Food House

17 A President's Ave, Parañaque, 1700 Metro Manila

Tip: The branch where we go to is located at the back of Puregold and BPI President’s Avenue.

Craving Satisfied at Gryn Wasabi

We wanted to satisfy our craving and hunger so we decided to buy some Sushi and California Maki in Gryn Wasabi.

My daughter is also a fan of California Maki. She was inspired by an online game where the character mainly eats sushi.

It was our first time to buy from Gryn Wasabi, so we decided to just buy the Mix Sushi Sampler for 75 pesos and Solo Mix Sushi for 125 pesos. My husband suggested we buy one bilao of California Maki, but I told him that we might not be able to finish it since we already bought Pork BBQ and Bulalo from Jeany’s.

As I wait for my order, I get to watch the crew as they make some maki and sushi. The item is not pre-packed, they only assemble it if they receive an order. The place is very organize and clean.

After we got our order, we decided to devour it before doing our groceries. It was so good, I was only able to eat one maki. Rhian love it so much,  I think next time we need to buy one bilao for the three of us. :)

Gryn Wasabi (BF Homes Paranaque Branch)

Address: B.F. Homes 37, Presidents Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque City

Tapsilog (Inspired by Rodic's Tapsilog)

          This recipe is inspired by Rodic's tapa in UP Diliman. My daughter love it so much when we went to UP Diliman so I decided to recreate it at home.

          UP Diliman is a nice place to spend time during Sundays.  Every Sunday you can roam around the Sunken Garden, since cars are not allowed to pass by that area. It is the best place for kids to bike or just run around for some exercise.

          After such you can feast on some street foods like ice cream, dynamite, fish balls, kwek-kwek and of course Mang Larry’s famous Isaw.

          But if you want to take a morning jog it is best to eat at Rodics or their famous tapsilog.  Now, let us recreate Rodics Tapsilog at home.  To make it simple we used ingredients that are readily available in groceries.

Ingredients:

500g ground beef
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp oil
2 cups water
garlic rice, to serve
sunny side up egg

Cooking Time!

1. Boil together beef, sugar, garlic powder, pepper and water.
2. Boil until beef is tender or liquid evaporates.
3. Add oil, fry the beef
4. Put rice on plate, top with fried beef.
5. Serve with sunny side up egg.

Rhian's Kitch: Heirloom Traditions

               During my free time or when I need a quick break from any routine task or activity I breath and relax by  entertaining ideas and creating plans. I usually document things, create and upgrade. I also use it as a form of activity in teaching Rhian some of the basic and practical things in life.

This is how the concept of "Rhian's Kitch" came into life. It is a module for Rhian to learn the basics of cooking. When I was just about her age, my Tita's thought me the basic process of cooking rice, vegetables and festive meat recipes. Google is not yet around at that time, so all kitchen secrets and stories were passed on with the process. It was my passion for food that made me enhance and enjoy the kitchen duties at that time.

Nowadays, with just one click you can simply extract the needed information in order to whip up the dish that you want. Learning it in real life is still an advantage. In cooking a certain dish you need to experience the process, the hands on experience will show how each ingredient should be cooked in order to achieve the authentic state of the dish.

Creating two of the listed dishes in Rhian's Kitch was sparked when Rhian's Manay Banggi from my husband's side visited the Philippines for the 2015 Christmas Holidays. As a part of managing time effectively, every time we do some cooking for parties, we also use it to document and test the consistency of our recipes.

At dawn my husband is bound to go to the airport to fetch Manay -- to help hubby make Manay Banggi happier, we decided to cook some traditional Filipino dishes.

Pinakbet/Pakbet

This recipe was thought by my Aunt Ely and was mastered by my mum after her retirement. It is already modified in such a way that the some of the meat/sahog were fried just like Bagnet. As an alternative, Bagnet can also be used in order to enhance the taste.

Usually the popular process of cooking Pinakbet is to saute the garlic, onions, tomatoes and meat before adding the vegetables (Tagalog style). Another method is to add all the ingredient in a palayok with bagoong isda and then it is cooked until the vegetables are wilted (Ilocano style).

My Aunt Ely cooked Pinakbet the Ilocano way. She creates the broth then she adds in the vegetables until cooked. 

The secret of Aunt Ely's Pinakbet is the process of cooking the broth and the ingredients that she uses. She adds ginger to the broth. 

For the Rhian's Kitch Pinakbet. It is a combination of the Ilocano and Tagalog style of cooking Pinakbet. We create the broth, then, we set it aside. After that, the vegetables were sauted with the wilted ingredients of the broth. The bagoong isda is used to season the broth while the bagoong alamang is sauted with the vegetables. As a final touch, fried Garlic Liempo or Bagnet is added to the dish.

Pinangat/Paksiw

For Pinangat/Paksiw, the ingredients are simple: fish, ginger, garlic, vinegar and green chiles.

The secret is on the vinegar used for the dish

To make it more special deboned milkfish belly can be used.

  

These are just two of the heirloom recipes from Rhian's Kitch. Most of the recipes listed are from the North. However, new recipes from other parts of the country are also being developed and documented. One of those is hubby's version of Adobo. It was good and tasty, but I would like to enhance it by combining it with another recipe which is Bicol Express. We will be calling it the Adobong Bicol Express. :)

Ocean Adventure: Rhian and Pap's School Field Trip

School field trips are already a part of our yearly itinerary. As parents, we have learned to embrace such precious moments in order to show our support and love for our daughter's academic tasks. Aside from that it also a way for us to mingle with her peers at school.

For Rhian's First Grade field trip they went to Ocean Adventure in Subic Bay, Zambales. For this trip, my husband is the best choice as Rhian's companion. Since, I am for a fact clumsy and slow in terms of reactive action in case of emergency situations, I am not confident to accompany her for this trip. However, before the trip I have talked to Raffy regarding patience and understanding in terms of handling Rhian's "kaartehan" during the trip. :)

In preparation, I cooked some liempo for their "baon". It is always a must to have cooked rice and Rhian's favorite “ulam” for any out of town trip. She always gets hungry during the unconventional time of the day. Also, since Rhian is a small girl relative to her age, we always make an effort to feed her and be ready with some munchies every time she gets hungry.

Aside from the food and other travel essentials,  Raffy, my husband was loaded with tons of reminders in handling Rhian. Raffy was also advised on how to negotiate with Rhian in terms of buying toys and souvenirs. My daughter always have a way of showing a sad face and making convincing statement in order to get what she wants from me and Raffy. As her parents for more than 6 years now, we already mastered the art of negotiating and enlightening her in terms of her childlike wants and in teaching her the values behind every decision.

It was the dawn of 27th January 2016 when I woke Rhian and Raffy to prepare for the trip. Days before, I already packed the things that they need and without any difficulty both of them woke up early and prepared for the field trip -- and so the journey begins. 

After a two hour trip from Manila, they arrived at Ocean Adventure. Their first stop is Encounter Cove.

For Rhian to remember the things to learn at Ocean Adventure, my husband took some photos of the pictures about marine animals.

Also the scenic view of the cove is also worth remembering, so he took a lot of those pictures.

Finally, he took a picture of the dolphins, one of the main attractions in Ocean Park. Swimming and up close encounter with dolphins is one of the activities offered by Ocean Park. That activity however, is usually availed by small groups, for large groups like field trips they go for the shows and environmental lessons offered by the park. 

Aside from marine animals they also have some shows about endangered species in the wild. According to my husband, Rhian with her classmates and peers are able to touch the scales of a python.  Here are some of the pictures that hubby have taken during the Walk on the Wild Side show.

  Among the shows in the park their favorite is the Sea Lion Marine Patrol Show. As I watched the video from their trip, I heard tons of giggles for each funny act.

They are also able to tour the park and viewed some marine fishes and creatures in the Ocean Adventure Aquarium.

After the tour they went to shop at Duty Free Philippines. Of course, my daughter and my husband bought some chocolates. They both share the likes for sweet stuff. Aside from that, my daughter was able to convince my husband to buy her some “shark” souvenirs, since she cannot eat ice cream at that time.  Also, since my daughter got fascinated with the balancing eagle she also lured her Papsi to buy her that stuff and an ocean adventure key chain for her bag.

When she got home, she became creative in using the souvenir that she bought; she now uses the "shark" like souvenir to open the faucet and the bathroom light. She also said she can also use it to pick up some stuff that fell under her bed. :)

At the end of the day, as I reviewed the pictures and videos of Rhian and Raffy's school field trip, I saw smiles and heard a lot of giggles (most of it is composed of Rafael's laugh). I am thankful that God had made that day safe and happy for the two people that I dearly love. :)  

:)