Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Holiday Cookie Swap 2015

I attended a Cookie Swap a few weeks ago. Because it's my first time to attend one, I did not really know what to expect other than being ready to bake and bring 12 dozen cookies, Mish of Momma 'N Manila invited me twice in the past, but my schedule was not so cooperative both times, and I had to decline. When she invited me again this year and my schedule was free, I just knew that the stars aligned to make this happen. Hahaha!

My friend, Mish grew up in a family that loves to cook, eat and entertain. She grew up in New York and relocated to Manila almost a decade ago. When she came over to Manila, she naturally brought with her this popular US tradition. She has been hosting cookie swaps for almost 5 years now, and the older participants claimed that it just keeps getting better and better!

A Cookie Swap, while not so common in Manila, is simply a gathering of friends who love to bake. Each baker brings one kind of cookie to share. At the swap, everyone trades and ends up with a whole lot of different delicious holiday cookies. Along with new cookie recipes, too! But it's not jsut cookies and recipes that gets shared, everyone just took a short moment to share a quick background of the cookie we brought, and our experience while we were baking them.



Thursday, December 17, 2015

Mothers Who Brunch Holiday Potluck Ideas

Christmas is going to be upon us in a week! How are you coping? Thankfully, I'm done with Christmas shopping already; and almost done with distributing my Christmas gifts, the few left under the tree are for the people I will see in the coming days for our scheduled holiday potluck get-together.

One of the things I enjoy most during the holidays is getting together with friends for a potluck party. Each of us bring something special, either a creation from our own kitchen or a scrumptious foodie discovery from a trusted supplier. The first potluck party I attended this year was for the Mothers Who Brunch Holiday Potluck event hosted by Mish Ressa-Aventajado and Sabrina Cristobal-Go during the last week of November. But what makes this potluck party different is that I didn't have to bring anything. Mish & Sab invited some of Manila's best food suppliers to bring in their specialties!


Thursday, December 10, 2015

Dove Deo Getaway to the Maldives

Yikes! Christmas break is coming soon! Holidays can be a busy time for us, ladies, as we plan for get-together with family and friends or Christmas trips.

Dove Deo believes that everyone deserves to enjoy the holidays with no concern for other things that don't really matter. And underarm care should be the least of our worries this busy holiday season! Dove believes that everyone deserves to experience real care. With its unique formulation, Dove lessens skin irritation due to plucking, shaving or waxing, leaving lighter and smoother underarms.



Tuesday, December 8, 2015

School Of Rock

For a big part of my parenting life, I have always assumed that my kids all leaned towards competitive sports. I mean after all, they all swim for the school varsity. At some point, one child was even playing double varsity, soccer and swimming. 

But as they grew into their teens, my 2 girls have started showing interests towards artistic pursuits. My oldest realized that she had an interest + talent towards visual arts and design. While my 2nd daughter have started to express interest about playing an instrument.  While my li'l man is content with focusing his energies on his academics and swimming. It can be really hard to find time for swim training and pursuing artistic endeavors when they also have to deal with getting good grades, homework, and you know, have time for family + friends.

But as their mom, I always strive to help them be the best that they can be. I think that playing sports and participating in artistic endeavors help my kids cultivate skills and develop character that can be useful in their lives.  It is certainly in their best interest to try to make time for both of them.

It was such good timing that School of Rock invited me to visit them at the Teatrino located at the Connecticut Arcade in  Greenhills Shopping Center. It was about the same time when B started signifying her interest to play an instrument and we started looking for someone who could teach her piano or guitar.




Thursday, December 3, 2015

My Not So Li'l Man


"Why do you always think of me as a rabbit being chased by a zebra? 
You should think of me as a jaguar being chased by a turtle."
-words of wisdom from my newly minted 11 year old 

He prefers to be likened to a jaguar... not a rabbit! Teehee!

My son expressed his frustration as I expressed my concern that I don't see him studying enough. He insists he's on top of everything daw. Sometimes I keep on forgetting that my youngest son is already a pre-teen whose parental leash needs to be loosened... a bit!


Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy

As a baon-prepping mama, one of the things I often think about is what food to prepare for my kids' lunch baon. I want them to look forward to eating lunch, and not complain that they are eating the same ulam all the time. When my friends and I get-together, we sometimes compare what we serve our kids. You know, to get new ideas from each other. 

One of the things that make my life easier as a baon-making mama is to have a ready supply of lean ground beef in my freezer. I buy about 2 kilos each time, and season them before I pack them in my Ready-Wrap Freezer-Ready containers. I use meatballs as a base for a whole lot of dishes.