Roasted Vegetable Salad

Description:
I love roasted or grilled vegetables, and there's a variety of ways you can prepare them or the sauce drizzled onto them.

Preparation time is about 20 minutes, while cooking time is approximately 35 minutes. Quick enough for a veggie dish.

Ingredients:
3 potatoes, cut into wedges
3 red onions, quartered
2 courgettes (aka zucchini), thickly sliced
2 yellow peppers/capsicums, thickly sliced
4 tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
parmesan shavings (optional)

dressing:
3 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons clear honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
juice and finely grated zest (rind) of 1/2 lemon


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Centigrade. Place all veggies in a shallow roasting tin, drizzle with oil and season. Shake tray gently to coat the vegetables. Bake for 35 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

2. In a small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients. Pour over the roasted vegetables, tossing gently to coat. Serve topped with parmesan shavings if prefered.

Reminiscing in Cebu: Crispy Chicken Skin

Pit Senyor!

January 10, 2010
Sunburst Fried Chicken
Cebu City, Philippines

Visiting downtown Cebu with my mom to look for ukay-ukay and probable overruns I admit I was also keen to drop by Sunburst restaurant to have another taste of a childhood favorite - crispy chicken skin!


Sunburst has always been the name I associate with chicken, although Max's is also a close second. Probably because Sunburst has been with us here in the Visayas for a good long while. They also serve other parts of a chicken as a dish - example you might like to just eat just chicken wings, or have an all-chicken liver dish etc.


Since I had to have rice, I ordered also their pork chop while Mom had the vegetable curry. I looked around and noted approvingly that Sinulog was indeed in the air - not only was the statue of the Sto. Niño in the middle, but other Sinulog decorations were strung about.



All in all a good Sunday - from palate to pursestrings :-)

Samurai Champloo on Animax

Start:	Jan 27, '10 8:00p
End:	Jun 15, '10
Location:	Asia

Samurai Champloo (サムライチャンプルー, Samurai Chanpurū) is a Japanese animated television series consisting of twenty-six episodes. It was created and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, whose previous work, Cowboy Bebop was also one I watched since I loved its jazz music and dialogue.

From wikipedia are some facts about the show:

Samurai Champloo employs a blend of historical Edo period backdrops with modern styles and references. The show relies on factual events of Edo-era Japan, such as the Shimabara Rebellion ("Unholy Union;" "Evanescent Encounter, Part I"), Dutch exclusivity in an era where edict restricted Japanese foreign relations ("Stranger Searching"), Ukiyo-e paintings ("Artistic Anarchy"), and fictionalized versions of real-life Edo personalities Mariya Enshirou and Miyamoto Musashi ("Elegy of Entrapment, Verse 2").

Incorporated within this are signature elements of modernity, especially hip hop culture, such as rapping ("Lullabies of the Lost, Verse 1"), graffiti ("War of the Words"), bandits behaving like "gangstas" (both parts of "Misguided Miscreants"), censorship bleeps replaced with record scratching, and much of Mugen's character design, including a fighting style influenced by breakdancing. Samurai Champloo's musical score predominantly features hip hop beats. Aside from hip hop, anachronisms include mon resembling Adidas and Converse logos, baseball ("Baseball Blues"), and references to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki ("Cosmic Collisions").

Samurai Champloo is considered to be an example of the popular "chanbara" film and television genre—the trademarks are a setting in the Edo period, a focus on samurai or other swordsman characters, and lots of thrilling, dramatic fights. Chanbara was used in the early days of Japanese cinema (when government political censorship ran high) as a way of expressing veiled social critiques.

The word champloo comes from the Okinawan word "chanpurū" (as in gōyā chanpurū, the Okinawan stir-fry dish containing bitter melon). Chanpurū, alone, simply means "to mix" or "to hash."

I'm reminded why we are called "patients" when we go to hospitals and clinics - because we need tons of patience!

My left foot has done it again - getting twisted when I walk on the streets of Makati...argh, I can't limp gracefully at all!

Going home for the Philippine elections

Start:	May 8, '10 4:30p
End:	May 16, '10 12:00p
Location:	Cebu, Philippines

slash vacation..

Congratulations to Patricia, Manuel, Vito, Tito Rudy and Mommy Loy for the newest addition to the family - a brand new, bouncing baby boy named Raoul!

I just remembered my Christmas revelation - "I would give up chocolate...but I'm no quitter!"

LOL over breakfast = from procession to carachoochoo

An unexpected bad attack of a bum stomach made me afraid of missing an important trip to historic churches in Southern towns of Cebu, but in the end my will prevailed :-)

Weird thought: I visited a columbarium on Monday..had dinner at "Dove" Street on Thursday. On Friday, I found out that the etymology of columbarium is - Latin, literally, "dove"cote, from columba dove. Uhmm....

I hear people say "Think out of the box!"...and I always think, "What box? For me there is no box at all!".

The GOOD: I've just been to 10 Dove Street here in Cebu...*burp, burp, burp* -> Delicious and filling gourmet sandwiches with your choice of soup, salad and a slice of yummy cake - all for Php 185 (~USD 4.04)! The BAD: my memory card for my cam was left at home :-(

Free Guitar and Cello Concert - The Jones and Maruri

Start:	Jan 18, '10 6:00p
Location:	Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines

"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." - what a novel idea for me...

During my stay here in Cebu, I've asked my mom to give me "maize" (corn) instead of the usual rice. Sometimes she embeds "kamote" (sweet potato) in the rice or maize to make "sandoloy".

A lovely, gently steamed, female crab with heaps of Alavar's sauce was my spur of the moment dinner in Cebu City....mmmmmmm....

Sleeping While The World's Awake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8j-3BPzrzw
I wanted to blog about this as I felt the title of the song had very personal meaning for me.

However, *sigh* I am unsuccessful in embedding the video in my blog's body..so I might as well do it this way...and ruthlessly also cut out any mental ramblings I might have about the subject.

Sleeping while the world's awake is something I am always trying to avoid. Like typical Aries folks I'm afraid of sleeping for fear of missing marvelous life-altering things passing me by.

The link above shows the official video to the M.E. (Miguel Escueta) song.

Sinulog Snippet: The Sinulog beat is infectious - am dancing, bouncing and stepping about for the last hour...while doing my emails!

The Official Website of the Sinulog Festival in Cebu City, Philippines

http://www.sinulog.ph/
As a Cebuana, tis sad but true that I've not attended the Sinulog festival for many years (living and working as I have been in Manila). I have had to fall back on the youthful memories of how the festival was THE EVENT to look forward to in the first month of each year.

From the site's write-up:
The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest and most colorful festivals in the Philippines with a very rich history.

The main festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is essentially a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity.

The festival features some the country’s most colorful displays of pomp and pageantry: participants garbed in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs. The streets are usually lined with vendors and pedestrians all wanting to witness the street-dancing. Smaller versions of the festival are also held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a Sinulog sa Kabataan, which is performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the Grand Parade.

Aside from the colorful and festive dancing, there is also the SME trade fair where Sinulog features Cebu export quality products and people around the world flock on the treasures that are Cebu.



Recently, the cultural event has been commercialized as a tourist attraction and instead of traditional street-dancing from locals, Sinulog also came to mean a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is traditionally held in the Cebu City Sports Complex, where most of Cebu’s major provincial events are held.

The image of the Santo Niño is the oldest religious image in the Philippines. The wooden image, made by Flemish artisans, was brought to the island by Fernao Magellan in 1521, just like the Magellan cross. Magellan gave the image Santo Niño to Queen Juana as a baptismal gift.

The Philippines is unique in Asia!

From a religious point of view, the Philippines is unique in the Asia, because it is the only country with a dominating Christian religion. In 2003 ninety percent of the Filipinos is Christian! A remarkable difference with Indonesia, where 95 percent of the people is Islamite. A great difference with other countries in the region too, for instance..Buddhism is dominating in countries like China and Thailand.

Had to madly dash to CD-R King - work laptop had problems so bought USD + PS/2 external keyboard. Then I had an idea and bought also retractable mouse, notebook cooler, and combo card reader. All in all around USD $19! Not bad.

Sinulog 2010 Snippet: Along with your camera and face towel, tuck in some earplugs in your pockets! Jones Avenue has been festooned with sound systems blaring out the Sinulog beat every couple of meters...my heart was thumping to the rhythmic beat, but my ear canals were being cleaned by the volume of the sound.

Sinulog 2010 Snippet: Its best to just venture out without any plan and be pleasanty surprised. I had gone out to change my ticket, search for some cheap IT gizmos and decided to walk the long way home. I ran across the parade of colorfully-clad dancing students from different schools, all swinging around to the Sinulog beat.

Sinulog 2010 Snippet: It's best to walk during this time. Doing the "cadillac-kad", a familiar face hailed me from the other side and we had a conversation on the opposite sides of the road for a good 5 minutes while cars passed by between us. Amusing if it was caught on camera. It was only when I returned home that I remembered her name :-)

My first encounter today with a "crazy coconut" a.k.a. "buang nga lubi"...I wasn't even aware there were any.

Puerto Princesa, Palawan Trip

Start:	Mar 4, '10 5:00p
End:	Mar 7, '10 7:30p
Location:	Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

Thanks to Keen's sudden phone call about Cebu Pacific 50% promo airfares....after deciding on a Mindoro trip, we were snagged by the idea of a trip to Palawan...literally another spur of the moment decision! This is where you see travel-mad people buy tickets and just plan later...*grin*


The City of Puerto Princesa (Filipino: Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa), the capital of Palawan, is a first class city in the Philippines.It is famous for its crocodile farms, underground rivers and dive spots.

It is also the second largest city in the Philippines (after Davao) in terms of total land area.

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features a spectacular limestone karst landscape with its underground river.

A distinguishing feature of the river is that it flows directly into the sea, and the lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The area also represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation. The site contains a full mountain to the sea ecosystem and protects forests, which are among the most significant in Asia.

San Jose, Mindoro Trip aka "Where's the Tamaraw?"

Start:	Feb 20, '10
End:	Feb 22, '10
Location:	Mindoro, Philippines

This was the first spur of the moment decision..due to seeing Cebu Pacific offer promo fares at 50% discount. Bought ticket, and just hoped I can get some vacation leave to enjoy this :-)


Known tourism facilities are beach resorts, hotels and restaurants.

The major attractions of the industrial town of San Jose are its three offshore islands - Ambulong, Ilin, and White Island. San Jose is also a favorite jump-off point to the world-class diving site - Apo Reef Marine Park.

Ambulong Island
Ambulong Island is a 30 km² island with fine beaches, cliffs and abundant coral formations. It is characterized by white sand beaches, cliffs along pillars jutting out of the water, and underwater caves. Coral gardens and tropical fish are abundant in several coves. The coral gardens and the white sand beaches are fantastic. A fisherman's village is located at the sheltered side of the island. Ambulong Island is also a jump-off point to some of the dive spots in the area, such as the Iling Point, Baniaga Reef, Ambulong Bank, Dungan Reef, Sardines Reef, Apo Reef, and Manadi Island. These dive sites are about an hour away by pumpboat from the Caminawit Port.

Ilin Island
Ilin Island has a village of shell divers, being abundant in shells and coral reefs. Mina de Oro Beach Resort (Barangay Inasakan, Ilin Island; an hour by boat from surrounding islands). This resort serves as a jump-off point to other attractions of the island of Ilin. There are ancient burial caves of early Chinese traders, ethnic fishing villages, and numerous dive sites from which to view many tropical fishes. Lush foliage encircle the clear blue waters of the South China Sea. There are scuba diving facilities, a 6.8 CTM compressor, seaport facilities, diveboats, and PADI and NAUI-certified instructors.

White Island (Manadi, Barrio Ilin, San Jose; 15 minutes by pumpboat from Caminawit Port)
White Island has a long powdery beach where buried turtle eggs are occasionally found. It has an almost mile-long beach with smooth and powdery white sand. The tranquil and peaceful island is an ideal place for swimming, scuba diving and fishing. Turtle eggs are occasionally found buried in the sand, and visitors are cautioned to keep them undisturbed.

Apo Reef
Apo Reef is located in the territorial waters of the municipality of Sablayan, but San Jose is one of the points of entry of those who wish to get there. The Apo Reef Marine Park includes the fascinating bird-populated islands of Binangaan and Cajos del Bajo, which are surrounded by waters with over 500 species of marine life and luxuriant coral growth represented by approximately 400 to 500 kaleidoscopic coral species.

Mt. Iglit National Park
It is located in an area shared by the municipalities of Sablayan and Calintaan, but San Jose is also the main gateway there. It is a sanctuary for the 'tamaraw (Anoa Mindorensis), an endemic specie of buffalo found only in Mindoro. It provides a nice eco-tourism, trekking, or mountaineering alternative to beach/dive resorts.

am now @ a car service center up in Nivel Hills Cebu City, I thought I could use their WiFi and surf happily for free, but ended up using my SmartBro instead....*sleepy*

Royal Doulton - Royal Doulton.com: Shop for Fine China, Gifts and Collectibles

http://www.royaldoulton.com
This is one of the most renowned English companies producing tableware and collectables, with a history dating back to 1815.

From wiki -
Operating originally in London, the company's reputation grew in the area known as The Potteries, where it was a relative latecomer compared to other leading names such as Spode, Wedgwood and Minton. Today, its products include dinnerware, giftware, cookware, porcelain, glassware, collectables, jewellery, linens, curtains, and lighting, among other items.

The company's three key brands are Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and Minton. Together, the three brands make up Doulton Home, which is now part of the Waterford Wedgwood group. Most of the pieces in these three brands are today manufactured outside the United Kingdom, in the Far East and Indonesia.

Ang Kayumanggitos - a "forced poem" from Annette

Lady Luck smiled upon me during the exchange-gift session we had in the Christmas Party-Eyeball (EB) last December 26, 2009 in Tagaytay.

I received a package of some exotic cheese (which is still in my fridge in Manila as I am now in Cebu) partnered with the infinitely more precious poem penned by Annette and written on the Christmas card. What a combo, food and food for thought!

For my fellow Multipliers and/or Kayumanggitos who have the talent, please feel free to translate into English (with matching rhyme and meaning, okay?) I will then include in this entry the translation you have graciously provided.


(Isang Pilit na tula from pelkmans-balaoing)

Ang Kayumanggitos ay hulog ng langet
"Kindred spirits" na pinatagpo ng internet
Ito ay kasagutan sa mga nagdududa
na friendship-in-cyberspace, ay pwede pala.

Ano ang sikreto, pa'no ba ito nangyari?
Iba't-ibang pinanggalingan, kuro-kuro'y sari-sari
Ito ba'y isang kaso ng "birds of the same feathers, flock together"?
O baka naman isa lamang "lonely hearts club'" ni Sgt. Pepper...

Mga blogs and postings ng kung ano-anong samut-sari
Binabasa, ine-enjoy, sinasagot kung maaari
Usapan ay masaya, malimit at malalim din
Ngunit ano mang haba ng replies,
mauuwi din lagi sa pagkain

Nitong nakaraang taon, medyo naging busy,
naka-kompetensya pa ng Multiply ang FB.
Nagkatampuhan din ilang myembrong beterano
Ngunit parte lamang yan ng pagtanda,
kahit di sila aminado.

Ngunit ang pagsa-samasama natin sa kabila ng mga ito,
ay palatandaan ng pagkakaibigan na totoo
Ika nga nilay "without pain, the heart is hollow"
o kaya'y "after the storm, the sun will follow".

Pasensya na kayo, sa mahabang tula ko
(Lalo na si Jack, na mapapagamit pa ng diktyonaryo)
Bundok at dagat man sa ati'y pumapagitan
Turing magkakapitbahay tuwing sa Multiply ay magkakatagpuan!

December 26, 2009

With kind thoughts and best wishes
for your happiness at Christmas
and throughout the coming year.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just got my own copy of "Balaanong Bahandi" (Sacred Treasures) book which features beautiful photographs and erudite write-up of the historical churches in the island of Cebu from whence I came from....I wish more people outside of the Philippines could see this!

Joey, don't "wuri", I found some "Nuri"!

Dear Joey,

Fish be with you..how are you doing, my friend?

Well, as for me *excited grin*, I had a spate of good luck over the holidays - I went to visit a couple of stores on a whim...and guess what?

I unexpectedly found a stash of some green teas I had not been looking for as well as...*deafening drum roll* the last few cans of Nuri sardines we talked about in one of the posts I had about...uhm...something not sardine-related.

I bought two types. I've only tasted the one with tomato sauce though as of this writing.

You are right. Nuri is delish also (though I still prefer the smaller sardines of the Mabuti brand)...and it made for my impromptu dinner or rather..after dinner snack on January 1, 2010.

I had won a significant number of meatrolls, Spanish bread (hmm..don't know why its called that) and wheat pan de sal (again!, its a long story) from a computer game offered by the store we went to...and popping them in the oven toaster, then pairing them up with the first can of sardines was a simple repast I shared with my parents. Solved!

Here are the pictures I've taken of that delicious surprise find!




Thank you for telling me about this brand..I'd never have given it a second glance if you hadn't mentioned it.

Happy New Year! *burp*

Sardinely yours,
Cat


Posted 2nd of January 2010;
Cebu City, RP
Mood: toothpick-toting

Reflections from a New Year's day brunch

As I gave a sigh of satisfaction and happily surveyed the demolition zone which faintly resembled our breakfast table, I again realized that there were a lot of people I had to thank for my current state of gastronomic felicity. It is during the Yuletide season when almost all the people you know give food as gifts.

I had for my breakfast/lunch a little bit of each:

Home-made yogurt and Bibingka (rice cake) from lodger Helen
Mangoes from White Gold Store
Roasted chestnuts from Dennis, my bro
Maize (corn) from a Sibonga harvest
Crispy dried fish (small bolinao) with Pinakurat vinegar from Iligan City
Carcar Chicharon from Dennis, my bro
Nagasaki kasutera cake and a pastry from kumare Benjie and her hubby Joy
Mompo (mass wine) leftover from my dad's birthday gifts
Boiled sweet potato (kamote) from Carbon wet market
Grapes from Gaisano Country Mall
Penne with pesto sauce from Ms Guia of the Kayumanggitos' Kitchen Goddesses

....and had to pass these by for another meal...

Apples from my mom's friend at church, Dra. Ursula
Papaya (pawpaw) from Nang Naty of Sibonga, my mom's hometown
Croquettes which my mom made
Bihon tostado and paella from our tenant, Sheila
Fruitcake from my dad's older sister, Tita Milagring
Grilled sab-a (banana) from the vacant lot beside us
Meatroll and wheat pan de sal which I won from a computer game in White Gold Store
Omelette which had sliced sweet ham given as a gift from another relative
Sisi (oysters) from White Gold Store with sliced tomatoes, onions, garlic, and a dash of Pinakurat vinegar
Tagactac (crispy bihon-like sweet cake) and Puto Balanghoy (boiled cassava cake) from Mandaue City

What a way to start the year!

Thank you to all the food-givers who made my day - all of you have enriched my life (especially my palate) and with each food you have given, I cast my mind back to the times our paths have crossed.