Strawberry Bread

During the papal visit in the Philippines (January 2015), three working days were declared holidays. Sandwiched in these days is a weekend so there was in-effect a 5-day holiday period. My siblings and I took advantage of this long weekend and decided to go up north and visit the Banaue, Sagada and Baguio areas. These three places are some of the top destinations in the Philippines. Banaue has the world-famous rice terraces considered as the 8th wonder of the world. Sagada is the place to go if you wish to go hiking, climbing, spelunking and engage in other extreme adventures. Of course, Baguio City with its cooler weather is considered as the summer capital of the Philippines.

Chicken and Bacon Chowder

There's something comforting about a hot bowl of creamy soup. The aroma from the soup scooped out straight from the simmering pan conjures an image of something so good and delightful! And when you are in the middle of winter you need a lot of this bowl of deliciousness.

Lechon Paksiw (Stewed Roast Pork)

Happy 2015!!! It seems forever since I last posted here. Please pardon my prolonged absence as my family and I have been on a much needed holiday here in the Philippines. As of this writing, my family are already in the US although I am still here in Manila as I still have some business to attend to.

Mango Guyabano (Soursop) Smoothie

My mom is quite the health enthusiast. Ok, not the obsessive one but the kind who tried her best to ensure that only the best and healthiest kind of food entered our stomach. I remember her making juice from fresh tomatoes and concocting all sorts of smoothies for our snack! I didn't like the tomato juice at all so even if she bribed me about Php 5.00 for every glass that I drank  (quite a good amount in the 80s) I never learned to love or like it and today, I still don't! :)