Nature's Touch Monday: Holding On

"No matter how hard things get in life,

just don't worry about it,

hold firm to your grounds and fight with your head up 

because after a heavy rain there will still be sunshine."

- Brighton Simpsons

A balete plant that grows in a crevice on the wall.

Suman Kamoteng Kahoy (Cassava)

This is my first time to do this Pinoy dessert or snack. Most of the time I just watch Papa making this and he just gave me an instruction on how to do it.

You will need;

1 kilo kamoteng kahoy or cassava, grated.

¼ kilo white sugar

1 medium-sized coconut, grated

Banana leaves for wrapping

Grayscale Thursday: The Ring

“Dusk is just an illusion because the sun is either above the horizon or below it.

And that means that day and night are linked in a way that few things are there cannot be one without the other yet they cannot exist at the same time. 

How would it feel I remember wondering to be always together yet forever apart?” 

-Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

I took this shot in Tarlac just before the sun sets. I wasn't able to take a shot while the sun is still above basket to make it look like a ball of fire.

Kamote Taps Stuffed Tofu in Adobo-Mushroom Sauce

Kamote Taps-Stuffed Tofu in Adobo Sauce

This is inspired by Max’s restaurant. I read the description in the menu and made some modification:  instead of kangkong, I replace it with kamote taps. I also removed the shitake mushrooms.

You will need;

6 pieces tokwa or tofu, fried until all sides turned golden brown

1 bunch of kamote taps, chopped to about an inch long, blanched

1 cup water

2-4 tbsp soy sauce

2-4 tbsp vinegar

2-4 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 bay (laurel) leaf, crushed

1 small can button mushroom, sliced

1 medium sized onion, minced

2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsbp water

Roasted garlic

Family Day Sunday: The Little Drummer Boy

“Childhood is not from birth

to a certain age and at a certain age.

The child is grown, and puts away childish things.

Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.”

 -Edna St. Vincent Millay

Matt used to imitate Pocoyo after watching one of the episodes with drums. This is a stolen shot since he doesn't want to make a pose in front of camera.

Random Shots Friday: Bahay Kubo

“If you look the right way, 

you can see that the whole world is a garden.” 

-Frances Hodgson Burnet, The Secret Graden

I took this in one of our visits at our hometown. This is one of the views you can see upon staying at our bahay kubo. It only proves that Nueva Ecija is still the Rice Granary of Central Luzon.

Another Crochet Hello Kitty Set

Hi everyone! So sorry for not posting that often now. I have been busy with my work, crocheting and family. I also homeschool my son so please bear with me.

Here's what can I share with you right now. 

Crochet Amethyst Hello Kitty Set - Sandals, headband and shell hat

Stir Fry Radish

Stir-fry Radish

This is another all veggie recipe I got. This is very simple and good for those who are always on the go.

You will need:

½ kilo radish, julienned

1 medium-sized carrot, julienned

1 medium-sized bell pepper, julienned

1 onion minced

4 cloves garlic minced

4 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp oyster sauce

Dash of pepper

Grayscale Thrusday: Water Droplets 2

"In one drop of water
are found all the secrets
of all the oceans."
Khalil Gibran

 

I took this shots several months ago just after the rain. See how the water droplets rests on the leaves of the tamarind plant.

Up, Up and Away Wednesday: Double Rainbow

"And when it rains on your parade,

look up rather than down.

Withour the rain,

there would be no rainbow."

-Gilbert k. Chesterton

I took this photo last month at Tarlac. It was fascinating having two rainbows at a time wherein the other one seems to be a reflection of the other.

Flower Power Tuesday: The Onion

“In joy or sadness 
flowers are
our constant friends.” 

-Kakuzō Okakura, The Book Of Tea

I know that most doesn't have idea on how onion flowers look like. Just stare on the photo above or you can plant your own at home and see how they grow until their flowers bloom.

Grayscale Thursday: After Work

"The price of success is hard work,

dedication to the job at hand, and

determination that whether we win or  lose,

we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand."

-Vince Lombardi

Up, Up and Away Wednesday: St. Joseph Chruch

Who is the happier man, 

he who has braved the storm of life and lived or 

he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?

–Hunter s. Thompson

Bell Tower of St. Joseph Church, San Jose City, Nueva Ecija

Dome of St. Joseph Church, San Jose City, Nueva Ecija

 I took this shot on morning of Mother's Day 2013 when we visited our hometown then returned home in the afternoon. What a tiring but fulfilling day. 

Flower Power Tuesday: Peanuts?

"For happiness one needs security,

but joy can spring like a flower

even from the cliffs of despair."

-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I took this photo in one of the gardens in our Tarlac plant. I don't know the name of this plant but it looks like peanuts having yellow flowers sprouting from the ground.

Nature's Touch Monday: Big Hopper

"Thy crowned are as the locusts,
and thy captains as the great grasshoppers,
which camp in the hedges in the cold day,
but when the sun ariseth they flee away,
and their place is not known where they are.”
Nahum 3:17 King James Version

Last week, I posted the mini hopper, now it is bigger. Actually, this is not the same one I posted last week. I was lucky to have such creatures visiting our plants.

Ginataang Papaya

Are you bored of cooking papaya as atchara (pickled) or as part of tinola? Why not try make it ginataan?

You will need:

½ kilo papaya, peeled and chopped

1 cup kakang gata (First coconut extract)

1 cup 2^nd coconut extract

¼ kilo ground pork or pork belly

¼ cup bagoong alamang

1 thumb-sized ginger, minced

1 medium-sized onion, minced

1-2 pieces siling pansigang

Patis to taste

Family Day Sunday: Matt and Ring Stacks

Since I had a segment before on my Chemist Dad, I decided to have the same theme here. And for the first photo, here is our little Matt with his ring stacks toy. 

Taking shot of our little Matt is a challenge for me. Most of the photos I got are stolen shots. He doesn't pose and keep still in front of the camera. Good thing I got some like this one.

Enjoy the rest of the week with your family.

Photography Tips: Capturing Wildlife-Eye Contact

I decided to dedicate Saturdays for some photography tips I gathered from different resources like books and internet. This time, I will try to have series of tips in wildlife photography since one of my dreams is to take photos in the wild.

Wildlife is one of the challenging subjects when it comes to photography  since you have to deal with wild animals. The risk is there but one that really challenging is that animals are moving unlike flowers that are just stationary.

First tip is to keep an eye contact. There are some animals that are good to take photos because of their color or some amazing features. It is not bad but it is better to focus on their eyes as much as possible. Never mind the other parts if it will become blurred or out of focus. Animals looking directly on your lens create a connection between the subject and the audience. This also reveals personality of the animals making it more interesting compared to animals looking out of your lens.

Below is an example of capturing wildlife by having eye contact:

Photo by :Grant Ordelheide

Random Shots Friday: Fallen

“Most important thing in life is learning how to fall.” 
-Jeanette Walls, Half Broke Horses

I took this photo in one of my afternoon walks with Matt. These are yellow bells that scattered in street nearby. Got enhanced them by making the other parts grayscale.

Pancit Puti

Pancit Puti

Instead of the traditional light-brown pancit bihon, why not try the white version?

Mommy, who found this recipe, helped me in preparing the ingredients.

You will need:

½ kilo chicken, boiled and shredded, soup-stock set aside

½ kilo bihon noodles, soaked in water for 10 minutes then drained

1 medium sized carrot, cut into strips

½ medium-sized cabbage, shredded

1 head garlic, toasted

1 medium-sized onion, minced

Patis (fish sauce) and pepper to taste

Grayscale Thursday: Water Droplets Part 1

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.” 
-Dr. Seuss

Water Droplets over leaves of euphorbia plant

Editing of this photo, I tried to change it to grayscale and I was fascinated that water droplets made a great effect. I'll be posting another sets next week.

Up, Up and Away Wednesday: Sunset at San Miguel

“The first stab of love is like a sunset, a blaze of color -- oranges, pearly pinks, vibrant purples...” 

Anna Godbersen, The Luxe

Taken this photo exactly at the highway boundary of San Miguel and San Ildefonso on our way back home from Nueva Ecija.

This shows how time flies so fast. Intervals of each photo: about a minute.

Flower Power Tuesday: Red Ixora

"Flowers don't worry about how they're going to bloom.

They just open up and turn toward the light that makes them beautiful."

-Jim Carrey

Ixora or santan

I took this photo in one of the gardens in our workplace. We called this as Santan while others referred to this as Ixora. How about you, how do you call this plant in your local dialect?

Dalandan Iced Tea

I mentioned in my other blog that I bought dalandan. It was originally intended for juice since I cannot stand eating it as is since my teeth experience pangingilo after eating sour foods. I got plenty of tea at home so I tried making dalandan-flavored iced tea.

Nature's Touch Monday: The Mini Hopper

Green little vaulter, in the sunny grass,
Catching your heart up at the feel of June,
Sole noise that's heard amidst the lazy noon,
When ev"n the bees lag at the summoning brass.

- To the Grasshopper and the Cricket (Leigh Hunt)

Sardinas Burger

Sardines Burger

I posted on my other blog about our Sunday afternoon snack – burger. Some thought that I made the patties but actually I just bought a ready-made (shhh..secret lang natin yun. Hehehe). The following week, I made my own patties na. But this time, I used sardines instead of the ground meat.

You will need:

2 cans sardines, drained and mashed

2 slices loaf bread moistened with 3 tbsps. evaporated milk

½ cup minced carrots

¼ cup minced celery

1 medium-sized onion, minced

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

Salt and pepper to taste