Thursday, March 12, 2020

The New Gloria Maris Greenhills

Gloria Maris has been a fixture in the Greenhills area for as long as I can remember. I have celebrated with family, relatives and friends so many events and happy occasions here - birthdays, baptisms, weddings, ting huns, even just ordinary Saturday dimsums with the kids. 

This is one of the fave dining spots of the Greenhills Chinese community.

For my own mommy group, one of the fave brunch/lunch meet-up places is Gloria Maris because of its proximity to our kids' school and if we can't decide where to eat, this is usually our default choice because we also really can't get enough of its' food.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Palanca Letter + Bouquet for B

Our middle child just finished with her Days with The Lord (DWTL) weekend.
Days with the Lord is a 3-day retreat all juniors in my girls' school have to attend.


Thursday, February 13, 2020

Why I Still Make My Teens’ Lunches?

I still prepare lunch and snacks for my teens. I know they can very well do it on their own, but I enjoy doing it for them. Acts of service is my love language and this is the best way I show my love.

With 3 teens (1 turning into a young adult this year), I am very much aware that I will soon be an empty nester. So while I still can, I want to do this for them. 

Even my college girl still prefers home-cooked baon. She tried buying lunch from the school canteen for 3 months when her siblings were on their summer break, and she wanted to cry as she found herself putting on pounds. But other than that, she also still appreciates my effort in still preparing food for her.

On my part,  I get great satisfaction and joy from doing things for them that's not out of necessity but as an extra. I mean, I know how busy their lives are - from studies, to extra-curricular, to sports. If I can show them that I support them by preparing food to nourish them and satiate their hunger, why not, di ba?

I chronicle the lunch baon that I prepare for them on Instagram and Facebook. If you search for This Momma Loves, this is what you'll see:



Quaker Smart Heart Challenge

It may not be obvious just by looking at me, but my cholesterol levels are out of range. 

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Weekend Footnotes: La Vita Ristorante Italiano at Podium Mall

Every so often, usually on weekends, I get a taste of the empty nesters life when all the kids have plans to go out with friends. When that happens, c and I try to enjoy our time together by trying out a new resto. We enjoy these long dinners together when we can take our time and not worry about having to pick up a child from training or a late law class.

It's a good time to have time as a couple, instead of just functioning as mom and dad.

A few weekends ago, we had one of those nights and we chose to try La Vita Ristorante Italiano, an newly opened Italian restaurant at Podium Mall. I wanted to try La Vita because I've seen friends post about their Burrata Pizza. Imagine a whole burrata ball on top of a pizza! Yum!

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

How I Enjoy Me Time

When moms hear "Me Time," the first thing that goes to mind is that we need to get away for some time alone. While a trip abroad would be a fun thing to do, the reality is most of us can't just jet away for some personal alone time as often as we'd like.

In order to make Me Time a daily habit, we need to realize that this much-needed personal escape is something that we can all do during our pockets of quiet all throughout the day.

For myself, one of my favorite ways of spending my time alone is to curl up on my side of the bed. I often do this in the early afternoon, right after lunch, to prepare me for the busy pre-dinner time. There are times this happens at night, right after dinner, before I go to bed. With a good book in hand, I am content with everything in my life. If there's no book, there are a lot of saved online articles to read or sometimes I enjoy watching Gordon Ramsay's Masterchef, too.

What completes this ritual for me is catching a whiff of the mild clean scent of my sheets. For me, the scent of my sheets is like an anti-stress agent which helps to relax me. Parang when I smell it, it sends a signal to my brain to relax.

Monday, September 30, 2019

#TPMkitchen: Honey-Soy Glazed Salmon

Salmon is one of my family's faves. My kids enjoy it and they really look forward to having it that I have learned many ways to cook with salmon. Aside from the kids, C  has also learned to appreciate the health benefits of salmon now that he's older and has a lot of dietary restrictions.
Salmon is loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids 

I usually cook salmon with just salt and pepper and a bit of butter. Taking it out of the pan when it's medium-well, cover it and letting the residual heat cook the fish.

We also enjoy salmon when cooked with honey and soy sauce. The combination of honey and soy creates this umami combo of sweet and salty that's a perfect foil to the salmon. I figured that since I'm using the Keta Salmon variety, cooking it with sauce is one sure way to ensure a juicy and tender flesh.

When I first made this years ago, I followed the recipe that says to marinate the salmon in the honey-soy sauce mixture, but then I find that it burns so fast because of the caramelization of the honey. Through the years, I've tweaked the recipe, and the one I'm using now is, in my opinion, the easiest way to do Honey-Soy Glazed Salmon.

Salmon is quite pricey, and its a good thing my kids love to eat everything - including the skin!



How To Get That Crispy Salmon Skin

First thing I do is to make sure that the scales have been removed.

Then, I dry the salmon very well with paper towels to make sure I can get the skin to sear and crisp. I also season the skin with a generous amount of salt.

I place it on a pre-heated lightly oiled pan. You'll know its hot enough when you hear a sizzling sound when the fish touches the pan.

Let the salmon cook for 80% of the time on the skin side. This allows the skin to crisp up, and also results in a gentler cooking for the flesh.


How to Ensure Tender, Flaky Salmon 

Depends on the size of your fillet, but for me it would be approximately 3-5 minutes on the skin side and another 2 minutes on the other side. Again, this would depend on the size of your fish and the heat of your pan. If it's a big and thick fillet, I partially cover the pan to make sure the insides cook at the same time. I don't cover it fully to allow steam to escape because it is important for me to have crisp skin. Pinag-aagawan kase yung balat dito sa bahay.

This will give you salmon that is perfectly cooked to medium – the flesh is flaky and moist inside. It should retain that slightly pink color. You know you've overcooked it when the inside turns into pale pink that's bordering on white.


Honey-Soy Glazed Salmon Recipe
For a quick and easy meal, serve it with a side of steamed bokchoy or any other vegetables. You’ve got a quick dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes!


Ingredients

SAUCE
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 heavy dash white pepper
1 large garlic clove (or 2 small) , minced

SALMON
2 SeaKing Keta salmon slab
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

OPTIONAL GARNISHES
Sesame seeds
Finely sliced chives or shallots/scallions


Instructions

1. Take salmon out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. Pat salmon skin dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Whisk together the Sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

3. Drizzle oil in a non stick fry pan and heat over medium high heat. Place salmon in the pan, and cook skin side up 3 - 5 minutes until skin crisps up. Turn, then cook the other side for 2 - 3 minutes.

4. Pour in the honey soy mixture all over the pan as soon as you flip the salmon, and cook until the fish is tender and flaky.

5. Serve salmon drizzled with sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives/shallots/scallions, if desired. Arrange bok choy/vegetables on plate.




I also like to make extra of this because the kids like it when I turn the leftovers into Salmon Onigiri the next day.

Give this Honey-Soy Glazed Salmon a try and let me know if it becomes a greatest hit for your family, too!


*     *     *

SeaKing Wild Alaskan Keta Salmon

I used SeaKing Wild Alaskan Keta Salmon slab in this recipe. One of the things I appreciate about SeaKing is that each slab is individually wrapped in serving portion. Unlike the other brands that I buy where I have to purchase a very big slab and cut it to serving portion size by myself.



It's my first time to try the Keta variety. When I opened the pack, I immediately noticed the paler color. It also doesn't have the strong salmon flavor that I am accustomed to, so this is perfect for people who prefer a milder salmon flavor. No fishy after-taste whatsoever.

While cooking, I discovered that Keta Salmon is leaner. I'm used to cooking salmon with a higher fat content, and I had to adjust my cooking time and method to make sure that I don't put a dry salmon on the dining table. I found that the best way to cook Keta salmon is to let it simmer along with the sauce to ensure that the meat stays tender. Overcooking salmon is a sure way to get tough and chewy meat. Not appetizing at all!

SeaKing Wild Alaskan Keta Salmon is imported from Alaska and is caught in the wild, 
and not farmed.

When C was diagnosed with very high triglycerides levels a few years back, I have added salmon into our diet. I have researched about the benefits of Salmon and found out that

Salmon can contribute to a healthy heart by:
Lowering triglycerides and cholesterol levels
Contributing Omega-3s to maintain healthy arteries and veins
Strengthening cardiac muscles and repairing cardiovascular tissues

Salmon can contribute to a healthy brain by:
Promoting mood related signals and optimal brain function
Reducing the risk of depression, ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and dementia


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Thursday, September 12, 2019

What's New At Promenade Greenhills?

We are always in the Greenhills area. I do my grocery there, eat merienda with the kids or lunch/dinner with the entire family. Even brunch meet-up with mom-friends are also done in the area. There's so many new establishments to try every time we visit.

Just a few days ago, I had lunch at the newly opened hotpot restaurant in the area. Since I was early, I decided to go around first, and I spotted Beard Papa's!
I have heard that they opened a few years back, and eventually closed down. 
I havent had the chance to try them then, but I'm glad that I've tried 
their new product offering called Lange de Chat puff because it's soooo good!


Friday, August 16, 2019

#TPMkitchen: No-Bake Cookie Butter Cheesecake

A few months back, I worked with one of the brands I often use in my kitchen. I did a blogpost for them (which you can read here) and posted some of the photos on my social media accounts. 

Since then, I got a lot of request from friends and followers to share the No Bake Cookie Butter Cheesecake... so due to public demand, here it is! 

Thursday, August 8, 2019

#BeautyThatCares (Unilever X Shopee Online Sale)

Unilever is in every Filipino family's grocery cart. I don't think its possible to do the grocery and not have a single Unilever item to purchase.

On Friday, August 9, 2019, you can look forward to just that with Unilever’s first ever
#BeautyThatCares Sale, exclusively on Shopee! 

A round-up of some of my fave brands joining the @shopee_ph #BeautyThatCares Sale on August 9 - that’s this Friday na! For this one day only sale, select @unileverphilippines brands will go on sale for upto 75% discount!