Birthday week

This year my sweet husband made a big deal about my birthday, not just for a day but for the whole week.  I never really had made a big deal of my birthday and I never remember celebrating it in a big party it was always been a small celebration. This year it was really different and so amazing how Josh planned everything.

The birthday week started on Decemeber 4 with a surprise lunch with our friends from our church which Joshua organized so well.  The next day we went out for a fancy dinner in Carrabas. Tuesday we just have a fun dinner with small group friends. On the day of my birthday (December 8)  he cleaned the house and I went out with my sister-in-law Jenny and friend Rachel and watched a movie (Morning Glory) then when I came home there are flowers and card waiting for me. On Thursday, he bought be dessert.  Then came Friday, he told me that he want to take me out for a nice lunch so he picked me up from work. When I went out from our building I saw him talking to a couple and when I looked who they were, it was Larmi and Ochelle!, our friends  from the Philippines (who are now in Maryland. So they planned all this out so I can spend a weekend with friends whom I missed a lot. The last surprise was a birthday party with his family and friends.

I felt so loved and cared for on my birthday week...

And there's another surprise, my first niece was born on this week too, December 10, 2010.

Adelina's Ham

When I was a teenager we always work for a family friend's ham store (Adelina's Ham) on Christmas break.  It's a fun experience selling ham and just being with my brother, sister, my cousins (Jermain and Me Ann), and friends from church.  We get to meet lots of people, even celebrities! We will work all day and at night we will all go home together, share stories about funny experiences and interesting people we sell ham to. We always get tired but it's fun experience.  On our last day we will get paid which is so awesome because that means more Christmas money for shopping! Then the second best part is that we get to bring home some ham and other goodies for our Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Dinner).  Now this ham is no ordinary ham, it's actually one of the best in the Philippines and it's a favorite in our household. I always crave for this ham and for the past 7 years I hadn't tasted this heavenly ham.

This Thanksgiving  we brought home some left over ham and me being nostalgic about Adelina's ham I tried to recreate it using the left over ham.  I think what make's that ham especially good is that it uses a special sauce.  I don't know exactly what's in that sauce but all I know is that it's basically sugar, pineapple juice and rum.




So here is how I recreate it. I have some left over caramelized sugar from making flan, I used that caramel and heat it up on the pan, put a splash or pineapple juice and rum. Boil it to reduce then when it's reduced I put the sliced ham to coat. This is definitely a sweet ham, Josh doesn't like it that much but i love it since it brings back memories of my favorite time of the year in the Philippines, Christmas!

Fun desserts

Eclair and cream puffs are some of my favorite pastry dessert.  I like the soft airy texture of the pastry and the cream filling is delectable, and the added sweetness of the chocolate coating of eclairs is such an added bonus and the caramel toppings on the cream puff just pull everything together.

So when I was craving for these desserts I research some easy recipes and it really turned out easy, though it's a bit involve.  I discovered that the dough for eclair and cream puff are basically the same, it's a French dough called "pate a choux", only the eclair is piped into a log and cream puff round.

here is the recipe for the Pate a Choux that I tried (i got the recipe from foodnetwork.com)

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 5 eggs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a saucepan, over high heat, whisk the butter and milk together, until all the butter has melted. Bring the liquid up to a boil. Whisk in the sugar. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly stir in the flour mixture and continue to stir until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and turn into a bowl, of an electric mixer. Beat the dough on medium speed and add theeggs, 1 at a time. Continue beating until the dough no longer looks slippery. Remove the dough from the mixer and cool. Place the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and pipe out 3-inch logs (round mounds for cream puff) onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart or use a large spoon and spoon them onto the baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. and continue to cook for 25 minutes. Do not remove the sheet from the oven until the rounds are firm to the touch. Cool the shells before filling.

For the Cream filling I tried this recipe it's a vanilla cream

Basic Cream Filling

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a chilled large mixing bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until almost stiff.  (This cream is good enough to fill the pastry but I want to take it to the next level :) )

Vanilla Cream

1  1/2cup
1 package (1.5oz) instant pudding mix
1/2 tsp almond extract

In a bowl whisk 1 1/2 cups milk, pudding mix and almond extract for 2 minutes.  Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in 4 cups of whipped cream.


Assembly

Eclairs - piped in cream and dipped the top of the pastry in melted semi sweet chocolate

Cream puffs- cut a slit in the puff and pipe in the cream and dip the top in caramel.   

My new baby

I finally got my 2009 Christmas present. Josh wanted to give a sewing machine last year for Christmas but I hold off for a while. The wait pays off since the Brand I'm interested last December had a latest version that's marked down in Amazon.com. This is Brothe SE 450 sewing and embroidery Machine.

I had fun trying the different stiches

the embroidery machine is so cool too.

Josh and Joy in the kitchen

A few weeks back Josh went home with bag full of Indian spices and fresh curry leaves from work. His friend from the office gave it to him.  So we decided to cook chicken curry using the spices.

some of the ingredients.  The green leaves are fresh curry. The yellow stiff is curry powder  for chicken  curry dish.

Indian cinnamon bark and cummin seed

Josh cooking! a very rare occasion.

ready to eat.  It was really good curry... we grilled some naan  too.

The finished dish tasted good.  The fresh spices really made the difference.

I have to ask Josh where he got the curry recipe and post it here.

frozen banana

Thank goodness I discovered chocolate dipped frozen banana! It's simple to make, delicious taste like ice cream but healthier. It's rich in Potassium and minerals that is good for proper functioning of the heart and kidney.

Ingredients:

medium ripe bananas divided in two (make sure that the banana is not so ripe)
chocolate chips
nuts

Cut a banana in half and put skewer or Popsicle stick on the end, place in a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze the banana about 1- 2 hours. Melt chocolate in a double broiler or microwave (see package instruction). Remove the bananas freezer and immediately dipped in the melted chocolate.  To control the chocolate instead of dipping I spread the chocolate on the banana then sprinkle it with nuts. Then return the banana in the freezer.  I like to let the banana sit for a few minutes before bitting into it, it makes the banana a little softer.  Love it!

the essence of a woman

I love watching the Miss Universe Pageant, I once dreamed of being a beauty queen. My most favorite portion of the pageant is the Question and Answer.  In 1994 Miss India was asked "What's the essence of a woman?", this question stuck in my mind well probably because Miss Universe pageant was held in Manila that year.  Today while at work while the babies are napping I find myself contemplating and this question  popped in my head.  I vaguely remember Ms. India's reply as " the essence of a woman is being a mother and being a wife."  When I came home I google her answer and this is her exact response, "Just being a woman is God's gift. The origin of a child is a mother, a woman. She shows a man what sharing, caring, and loving is all about. That is the essence of a woman."

Why am I writing about this stuff? Well I have lots of thoughts about my role as a woman and studying "Becoming a Woman of Excellence" (by Cynthia Heald) makes me think about that a lot.  "What is my essence as a woman?"  this is the question I have in mind but I think I'm not satisfied with the idea Ms. India and all other woman who thinks the same and don't say that the idea is completely wrong.  I'm not a feminist I just want to think deeper and better understand God's plan for me.

Here are my thoughts... Let's define the word essence, in Philosophy, essence is the the attribute or set of attributes that makes an object or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity , and without it loses its identity. If motherhood is the essence of being a woman then a woman who can't bear a child or even is not fit to care for a child will forever not find her essence and be at lost of her purpose of existence.  If a woman's essence is to be a wife then unless one woman is married she will deem not fulfill her very essence. The reality is that even if God created woman to be able to bear child and be man's ally I think being a mother or a wife is not the very essence of a woman.

I know that God created woman to be man's helper and were commanded to pro-create, and God set this in every woman's heart.  But if this is what defines a woman, why did God allow some women to be infertile or called some to be single for life and not have a husband. Does this means that God created some woman that forever in their lifetime will never know her very own essence. If a woman was fundamentally created to be a wife and mother then those that can never be a wife or mother will cease to not to find her purpose and forever loses her identity. Is she a lesser woman compared to those who has a husband and children?

I believe that a being a wife or mother is not the ultimate purpose of a woman, it is not the essence of a woman.  I find my answer to the question "what's the essence of a woman?" In  Ps. 148, Isa 43:6-8; 46:11 Eph 1:3-14, Rev 4:11, 5:9 it is clear that I was created for God and for His pleasure... to worship God and bring him pleasure.  God created everything in earth for his pleasure, he created man to subdue the earth to lead it in giving glory to God. God's passionate for his glory so He appointed a man to rule the earth to bring Him glory. But the man needs help and is not good alone so then God created a woman to be man's helper in leading his creation's to give him glory. So it is ultimately for God's glory that he created woman, second is to be man's ally then 3rd to be a mother.  If it is not for God's pleasure he would have not created the earth, then there's no use for a man to subdue it much more for a helper. So the most foundational principle is the glory of God. This truth is a comfort for me because I find my purpose in God not in my role.  It is a comfort that even if a woman won't find a husband or bear a child, she will still exist knowing that she's fulfilling her essence her purpose in life, that is to worship God.

Thrift Store Finds

I'm a sucker for good buys and I usually don't buy unless I'm getting a good bargain.  I was like this since I was young, I love to get the most from our money.  I want to be a good steward of the hard earned money that my hard working husband makes.

Today I dragged Josh to go to thrift stores here in Houston. I love going in thrift store because you can really  find good stuff in there for reasonable price and the fact that every time I buy I actually help a cause is a big plus.

There are three store I like to go to and they are Blue Bird http://www.thebluebirdcircle.com/ResaleShop.aspx, Salvation Army Family Store and The Guild Shop http://www.theguildshop.org/Items_By_Department.php?view=thumbnailList&category=3.  Among the 3 i liked the Guild Shop most.

here are our finds this day...

a wicker ottoman for $15

a console table for $60

and a small table that Josh loves.

it has an interesting material on top and we love the design

Revamping a Table

I'm now in the process of re-arranging and redecorating our living room.  The way I originally arranged our living room set makes our living room so cramped. I removed the loveseat to make some room but that means less sitting when there's guest. I also want to replace our current coffee table since it's to big, I tried selling it in craigslist but no taker yet.  To solve both the sitting and coffee table dilemma I decided to revamp the old coffee table we got from Josh's parents house.

our living room

This is how the old table look like. The photo makes it look good but it's actually needing repainting. We got this table from Josh's parents storage to temporarily use as dining table when we first moved to our new apartment 2 years ago.

So this is how I revamp this old table.  I bought a home decorating fabric in Jo-anns around $10, some upholstery tacks $5, and foam $15.

I first I cut the foam to fit the table and covered it with the white thing used in quilting (i forgot what it's called) and to secure it I just stapled it under.

Then I placed the fabric making sure I have an allowance to cover the table entirely and to be able to tuck under.

I chose a 1/2 inch long brass tacks with flower design.  The design of the fabric has flower patterns which is perfect for the tacks placement I have in mind.  

I hammered the nail into the fabric and foam and it created this interesting detail and texture.

I tucked the excess fabric under table using a staple gun.

I have excess tacks so I evenly nailed it around the rim of the table.

The finished table/ottoman. So proud of this project.

This can be a table and an extra sitting.  (our wall is next in line to be decorated, I just hanged the canvas there, I hope to eventually paint on it.)

apple pie blunder

Last week we were invited to a dinner and was asked to bring dessert so I decided I want to make an apple pie. I looked for a good recipe and found the Ultimate Caramel Apple Pie recipe in www.foodnetwork.com. 

It looks delicious and easy so I decided to try the recipe.  Since I don't have time to make my own crust I just bought a frozen one, they said it's also good.  I really didn't follow the exact details of the recipe, I always tweak the recipe to suit my taste.  For the apple filling I used the 3 kinds of apple mentioned in the recipe and amount of flour, sugar and cinnamon.  For the caramel sauce I skipped the red wine.  Then I baked and it looked good to me so took a picture of it and went to dinner.

When I was about to serve the pie and  i noticed it was soupy inside.  I was upset that it didn't turn out the way I expected it to be, well it was my first time to make one so the chance of screwing it is high.  It humble me a lot, I'm not that great of a cook who will always cook a perfect dish so try it first at home before sharing it. I also learned to never make a pie 2 hours before serving. Our friend Erich said that I'm not the only one who had made a soupy apple pie and  mine still taste delicious.  He suggested to sprinkle the slice apple with sugar and put it in a colander to drip, the sugar will draw some of the moistures.

So I learned a valuable lesson about apple pie!  

But the blunder didn't end there.  That weekend we were at New Orleans for our anniversary trip and apparently that  same weekend there's an event called Southern Decadence (it's basically a gay Mardi Gras) I have no idea it was happening that weekend. I realized it when we entered this particular shop and inside were several  paintings, drawings and posters of naked men we quickly get out of the shop.  We tried not to go places where there's an event to enjoy our tour and not to see provocative images.  That same day while waiting for our lunch, I was scanning the picture I took in my camera and stumble upon the picture of my apple pie!  As I was looking at it carefully deciding which one to post in facebook I was shocked to see something on my pie... If you don't see what I saw good for you!   Josh and I had a good laugh when I showed this to him.  Dang you Southern Decadence! 

Below is the recipe for the Caramel Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
• 2 eggs separated, (yolks for the pastry, whites for the glaze)
• 3 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

Caramel Apples:

• 1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for the top
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 lemon, halved
• 8 apples (recommended: Granny Smith and Gala)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cinnamon stick, freshly grated
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the pastry, combine the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the chunks of cold butter with a pastry blender, a little at a time, until the dough resembles cornmeal. Add the 2 egg yolks and the ice water, and blend for a second just to pull the dough together and moisten. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.

To make the caramel sauce: place the sugar and water in a small pot and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until the sugar has melted and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner and add the cream and wine slowly. It may bubble and spit, so be careful. When the sauce has calmed down, return it to the flame, add the vanilla bean and heat it slowly, until the wine and caramel are smooth and continue to slowly cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and cool until thickened.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze in the lemon juice. Peel the apples with a paring knife, cut them in half, and remove the core with a melon baller. Put the apple halves in the lemon-water (this will keep them from going brown). Toss the apples with the flour and cinnamon.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap the plastic, and cut the ball in half. Rewrap and return 1 of the balls to the refrigerator, until ready for the top crust. Let the dough rest on the counter for 15 minutes so it will be pliable enough to roll out. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 10-inch glass pie pan. Press the dough into the pan so it fits tightly.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice a couple of the apples at a time using a mandolin or a very sharp knife. The apples need to be thinly sliced so that as the pie bakes, they collapse on top of each other with no air pockets. This makes a dense, meaty apple pie. Cover the bottom of the pastry with a layer of apples, shingling the slices so there are no gaps. Ladle about 2 ounces of the cooled red wine caramel sauce evenly over the apple slices. Repeat the layers, until the pie is slightly overfilled and domed on the top; the apples will shrink down as the pie cooks. Top the apples with pieces of the butter.

Now, roll out the other ball of dough just as you did the first. Brush the bottom lip of the pie pastry with a little beaten egg white to form a seal. Place the pastry circle on top of the pie, and using some kitchen scissors, trim off the overhanging excess from around the pie. Crimp the edges of dough together with your fingers to make a tight seal. Cut slits in the top of the pie so steam can escape while baking. Place the pie on a sheet tray and tent it with a piece of aluminum foil, so the crust does not cook faster than the apples.

Bake the caramel apple pie for 25 minutes on the middle rack. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the freshly grated cinnamon. Remove the foil from the pie and brush the top with the remaining egg white. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and return to the oven. Continue to bake for another 25 minutes, until the pie is golden and bubbling. Let the apple pie rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour to allow the fruit pectin to gel and set; otherwise the pie will fall apart when you cut into it.

New craft

While on vacation last May in the Philippines my mom thought me some beading technique and I enjoyed doing it.  While over there I finished a placemat which I like a lot. She send me some beads to work on and couple of weeks ago I tried making a a small purse and love it a a lot so I was inspired to make purse for my netbook too!

this is the small purse which i use a lot to care my iphone, credit cards, id and cash. I like this because it's big enough that it can hold my essentials and it's also small enough to fit at Josh pocket when I go shopping and want my hands to be free. :-)

This is the bigger purse that can hold my netbook.

and this the place mat I made while in Naga.

Jelly Belly

I love Jelly Belly!!! For our anniversary Joshua gave me a jar of  gourmet Jelly Belly.  It has 49 different flavors, and i tried every single flavor and halfway through it my tongue fells like it'c coated with sugar, eww!

Here are picture of my Joshy's sweet anniversary surprise.

he got all my teddy bears (most of them are his gift) and scattered flowers on the bed and he made a banner too.  I'm really not expecting this because we just decided to have a nice breakfast before going work.  I discovered this 2 hours after coming home from work. 

Then we went to s seafood restaurant then paly at Dave and Buster's and Joshua tried had to win me as many tickets he can so we can get new baby bear!

Learning new things

I enjoy learning new things and the most recent is nail arts!  When I can't sleep a usually watch videos youtube.com, mostly about the Philippines and some Filipino Soap opera, yeah I'm not ashamed to say that, I know even if it's sometimes absurd and so predictable I still enjoy it. I thinks it's because it make me feel connected to my country.  

So back to my nail art adventures, I found several how-to videos about it and tried it for myself.  This week I think I changed my nail polish 3 times just because I want to try new design i have in mind and I only have 2 stes of hand to wrok with!! If only Joshua would  let me touch his nails to paint! he he he 

Purple polish on the tip, four white dots across the nail and random red dots.  I only have few nail polish right now so this is what I came up with.

 This one I made using my sister-in-law's nail polish collection. 

Here I tried the gradation technique i learned in Youtube. Fun design so glittery. 

a nostalgic salad: watermelon-cantaloupe salad

We went biking today and got home really hungry so instead of eating high carb food I opted to make a salad for snack.  I found this watermelon-cantaloupe recipe in foodnetwork.com and I tell you it's good!  And it's not just good it also reminds me of the fruit salad my classmate's mom made for our class party when I was in 5th grade.  I asked my mom to make it but her's never turned out the same as the one I had. I'm happy when I can replicate food that I love.  This salad really bring back one childhood bliss!    

 I based this salad from the recipe below.  Instead of  scooping the watermelon into balls I just cubed it,(but i think if i will serve it in the party I will do the ball) since I'm just serving this for snack, I like quick fix! And instead of using Amaretto (an almond liquor) i substitute almond extract. 

Watermelon and Cantaloupe Salad with Mint Vinaigrette

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:

25 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

5 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup simple syrup, recipe follows
• 1/8 teaspoon amaretto
• 2 cups watermelon balls, from about half a watermelon
• 2 cups cantaloupe balls, from about 1 cantaloupe

Directions

In a blender, combine mint, lemon juice, simple syrup, and amaretto. Blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the watermelon and the cantaloupe. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Simple Syrup:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar

In a saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yield: 1 cup