leche flan and maja blaca!

After weeks of immigration related stress I finally got my long term visa today. Yay! And what better way to celebrate a happy day than to make yummy desserts - leche flan and maja blanca! Actually, I have never made or even attempted making them before but since my housemate is a pro the whole process was a breeze! I think I will be making homemade desserts more often now :)Giant leche flan which i will bring to the new year's party at a friends house tomorrow. small spoon dent on the side due to my taste test :)

Total cost: about $3.50

Maja Blanca - Total cost: $7 (makes 2 and a half pans)

Merry Christmas!

This is the mini Christmas tree on my desk right now :)
Merry Christmas to all! I wish i was home in the Philippines though!

15 minute meal :)

I was really happy to find this quick and simple (yet yummy!) recipe for chicken in butter and lemon sauce. All you need is a few chicken fillets, butter, olive oil, salt, pepper a few drops lemon juice. Actually, instead of the lemon I used a lime and for the olive oil, I used olive grove butter (mixed olive oil+butter spread) since these were the only ingredients available in the refrigerator at the time I decided to make this meal. The sauce looks a little dry compared to the photo in the original recipe though but it's okay because it still ended up tasting good :) I will definitely be making this meal again!

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Thank you MarketMan for the recipe :)

The moon from my window

calling all werewolves...

what's up with steve?

When Erman went to New York last month I asked him to get me the "Stacii" (the one on the left) Steve Madden shoes that I wanted. I was already planning on ordering online and having them shipped home but changed my mind when I saw the shipping fee. Ang mahal! Unfortunately, despite all his efforts (he even got lost) Stacii was not in stock in the Steve stores. but it wasn't so bad because I ended up getting a very nice pair called "Cheerful" (right).

When I picked up Erman at the airport, his officemate went up to me and said : "so, you're steve madden!" haha. I think they really had a hard time looking for my shoes :)

Anyway, going back to Stacii... I finally got them :) My sister was able to order it online and have it shipped to her when she was in New York last month. Yehey! Thanks Isa!

happy shoes :)

Sinigang na Hipon by Meow :)

I love sinigang na hipon - especially if it's the very very sour kind! This was my very first attempt at cooking sinigang and I am very happy to say that it was a success :) Actually, how can you go wrong if you have the instant sinigang mix! haha :) I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't find any kamias, big green sili and kang kong in the grocery. Oh well, next time!Sinigang na hipon with pechay, onions, okra, sitaw and tomatoes! Yum :)

Hot 128 chicken meal :)

Thanks to Hot 128 for my yummy (and free!!!) Kfc meal :) Hot 128 is the prepaid phone card that i buy to top up my Singtel line. They have a promo that you get a free Kfc meal if you collect 4, 8 or 12 cards. My friend, She was kind enough to give me two cards to add up to the existing 2 cards (since she had 6!) that i have to get the free meal! Yay!

we each got 1 pc. chicken, 1 cup mashed potato (or should i say whipped potato) with gravy and 1 medium drink

Cat Welfare Society

I always look at the cat adoption ads every time I am in the grocery. I really wish I could bring a couple of them home but unfortunately pets are not allowed in the place where I am staying. boo! Anyway, I found this great site while doing cat research the other day (yes, I know I'm obsessed!) It's a Cat Welfare Society based here in Singapore. I think I'll sign up as a volunteer :)

visit the Cat Welfare Society page

Christmas at the Fountain

The fountain of Wealth in Suntec City is the world's biggest fountain! It is a gigantic bronze ring supported by 4 robot like legs. The first time I saw the structure I was almost waiting for it to transform and walk away :) In the morning you can go inside the inner ring to participate in a good luck ritual. All you have to do is go around the mini fountain three times with your right hand touching the water. Oh, don't forget to think of your wish while doing so :)

My friend and I didn't get to wish in the inner ring yesterday since they were busy installing the lights on the main ring so we decided to make our own ritual instead. We walked around the outer circle 3 times (yes, with our right hand extended) while thinking of our wishes. I think we looked a bit silly since the crew kept looking at us! A few hours after we were lucky enough to witness the fountain show with the Christmas lights installed. Merry Christmas Suntec city!

Don't forget to drop by the fountain for the show!

Read on my old post about the fountain here: fountain of wealth

Tako Pochi Takoyaki!

I tried the Tako Pochi takoyaki stall over at Takashimaya mall this afternoon. Yummy!!! The takoyaki balls come is 3 variants: octopus, prawn and ham&cheese (the last flavor seems a bit odd though!). I was pleasantly surprised to find more "meat" inside because the takoyaki I had back home had so much vegetable extenders in them and no octupus or shrimp. And the best part is that each order is generously topped with mayo and fish shavings! I will definitely be back for more :)

Takoyaki balls, SG$2.30 for 3 pieces

Adding the squidReady to eat

Yummy!

Sunday Grill

I had a nice grilled lunch with my friends over at College Green yesterday. The boys prepared a lot of food which included chicken, pork barbecue, steak, pink tilapia and a lot of veggies. Yummy! Pass the rice please :) my College Green friends :)Grilling the food! The garlic was so goodgrilled zucchinialmost done!

Meals for one

Singapore hawker food is great yet sometimes I wish I can have a nice home cooked Filipino meal... maybe chicken adobo, sinigang na hipon or daing na bangus! Although I cook most of my meals here nothing tastes the same as the food we prepare back home. The condiments are a bit different too. I bought a bottle of soy sauce the other day and was surprised that it tasted sweet!

Anyway, here are a few of my hawker and other store bought meals when I am too lazy to cook.

Chicken Rice (SG$3)

all hawker centers have this staple! The meal consists of either white or roasted chicken, flavored rice and a few slices of cucumbersNasi Lemak- prawn sambal version (SG$3.50)
prawns, cucumbers, fried egg, fish cake and a mix of peanuts and dilis on the sideAssorted maki from the grocery (SG$4)Pad Thai (sg$6)
from a Thai resto in the city

D' Original Osang's Homemade Pastries

Ever since I read about Marketman's post on Osang's broas a few months ago I have been very curious about it. It seems that the quaint bakeshop in Baclayon, Bohol has been around for decades making yummy broas, pastel and assorted cookies. During my first trip to Bohol, Osang's was not even mentioned by our tour guide but instead we were directed to more commercial pasalubong shops that had boxes and boxes of the famous peanut kisses. On our second trip to Bohol I was really glad that a trip to Osang's was in the itinerary.

The bakeshop is in a small house located a few blocks away from the Baclayon church. There is a small sign outside the house which says: D' Original Osang's Homemade Pastries. D' Original, huh? haha. I wonder if they are connected to the famous D' Original Buko pie in Laguna (I'm kidding, okay). Anyway, I was really amazed at the kitchen over at Osang's! Everything is done the old fashioned way. The products are all handmade and then baked in a pugon oven. Though Osang's is famous for their broas, I ended up buying a bag of yema filled Pastels instead. Yummy :)Fresh eggs, peanuts and cookies on the tableglazing the cookies with eggTime to bakeCooling on a wire mesh rackPastels at p8 eachYummy!

I miss my boys...

Just to be clear, when i say "my boys" I am talking about our three cats (Nugget, Kirby and Green). Nugget is a ginger colored cat and is the oldest and heaviest in the bunch. The last time we weighed him he was 21 pounds!
Kirby is a black Persian who loves to hang out on the terrace. He is very friendly to humans but turns into a monster when dealing with other cats. Green has gray and white fur and is the newest addition to the family. According to my mom he occasionally rides the elevator from the 7th to the 1st floor! Pretty cool, huh? :)

Hello Meow!

I was greeted by this huge black cat when i visited my friends a few weeks back. I approached my friend and told him, "I didn't know na may pusa pala kayo!" And then he replied, "Wala kaya, ngayon ko lang nakita yan!" Haha! I guess it was a lucky day for me then because I always think that seeing a cat is a good sign.

The other day i went to Ikea to buy a chair for my room. I had my mind set on getting a Herman (the model's name) chair which costs $19. Actually, I found it pretty cheap for a nice sturdy chair. When i was going down to the checkout counter I spotted a tri colored cat inside the store! Weird but true. Unfortunately I didnt have a camera on me that time but that unusual sighting was enough to make my day :) And true enough a bit of good luck was bestowed on me because I found a very similar but cheaper chair! I ended up carting a Jeff ($9.95!) home. haha! I know that there is no connection between the cat and the chair but for a cat freak like me it makes perfect sense! =^.^=

Breakfast Club at College Green

I didn't expect that watching the US elections on tv would be this exciting! It was a bit surreal considering that I was in a room filled with people from all over the world and that we were all watching the results on CNN as if it was a big basketball game. And to make the viewing more special, we had a mini breakfast party too! the breakfast clubhappy geeks

cheese on toastpotatoes and omeletstuffed sausage with bacon *yikes!*

lunch at meow's place

We had a very simple lunch at home for my farewell/ good luck party. We had assorted greens, brown rice and a few yummy seafood dishes :) Almost all the desserts came from our recent Bohol trip save the Razon's ensaymada that I bought from the mall! Yum.

A special thank you to my tita for preparing such yummy food :)

oven baked sea bass with red beet and cilantroshrimp with gata and corianderseafood noodlesBohol dessert showcase! Fragrant Ube, Osang's pastry and Kalamay

Cute faced cat saves the day!

I've been having 14 hour work shifts for the past 2 weeks and I am so tired... so so so tired. In fact, i was already on the verge of going insane until I found this cute faced cat online. *sigh* Thank you cute faced cat for making me smile today. I love you! Now back to work for me. roar.

Breakfast at Salcedo Market

Saturday mornings are great especially if you start the day with breakfast at Salcedo Market in Makati :) The market is located at the Velasquez car park along Leviste street and is open from 7 to 11ish in the morning (wow, 7-11! nyaks). Aside from the great food selection, there are also other items such as ornamental plants and ceramics for sale.

The first stall to catch my attention was the one with the grass juice because I have been looking for this type of plant for the longest time... not for drinking though but more on the decorative side :) hmm. I wonder how the juice tastes like.

Anyway, if you plan to go to the market a good tip is to go around first before buying anything on impulse. Actually, it's a bit difficult to decide since there are so many yummy food stalls to choose from!
will definitely try this on my next visit!lovely organic veggiesFresh seafood

if you look closely, the open crab on the left side is oozing with fat!piyaya roasted on the spotIlocos empanada at p60 eachyummy turnovers at P40-45 each. I had the spinach :)
Yummy Thai foodPad Thai at p140
fish fillet meal at p160 comes with yummy salad, tamarind sauce and ricecalzone, samosas, shepherd's pie and pizzafrench pastries
yummy macaroons at p60 eachUFO soya for all you aliens out there :D