Louie Giglio - Encouraging Video

God is good! All the time!

Bibingka at 21

Bibingka at 21. Succulent and filled with buko shavings!!! I love it!

Cheese Cake Feast at Calea

I

JUST

GOTTA'

HAVE

IT!

the cake with peanut butter filling topped with choco-creamed shavings

the simple cake with caramel top

Daisy's Scrambled Eggs

Daisy, our little chef, had a blast cooking her scrambled eggs. She experimented on the recipe and turned out really good. Uncomplicated, yet the flavors blend with ease. She simply scrambled the eggs with some fresh milk and just a dash of the homemade herbs. She then topped with buttered garlic sauteed carrots, paklay and sayote.

Great job, sweetiepie!

Crossroads - "Piranha Moments"

Journal entry: 13 March 2008

Bible Passage: Isaiah 40: 29-31

6:30 am - It’s a sunny morning. “I think I’ll stay home today. Maybe I’ll take a nap.” I attempted several times to take the much needed rest but it was just not possible. My daughter is home from school and I am here attending to her needs. “Ah, a classic Piranha moment,” I gasped. In two hours will be my English class.

11:00 am – Done with my English class. I have to hurry to prepare lunch! A fast-tract Piranha moment….. “Tuna Sandwiches, coming in a jiffy!” I mused.

1:30 pm – Job applications! I almost forgot about that. I need to complete and print out my resume, photocopy the transcripts and, along the way, pick up the passport-size photos I took yesterday. A typical trafficy Piranha moment! That would give me enough time to think of dinner. But first, let me take a nap!

3:30 pm - Oops! Staff meeting for Operation Care Ministry... that's this week. I better make some calls.... a Piranha sidetrip.

4:30 pm – Dinner! What’s cooking for dinner? There’s nothing in the fridge, just a couple of canned goods in the pantry! And I’m having a panic attack, a horrible Piranha moment! I’ll swing by quickly at the grocery and get some supplies. But where’s my rest? Time sped by so quickly. How in the world will I ever get me some rest? I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

5:45 pm – I’m sitting and finally able to find some time to write in my journal. “Lord, I am tired! No time to nap. I have more things to do and the kids will be home any minute from school. Where’s my rest? I just can’t do this anymore. I want to cry”. A dreadful Piranha moment.

5:50 pm – I hear the car honked! Moments later, a little girl’s voice came shouting, “Mommy, I’m home!” Oh my heavens! The true and long Piranha hour is just beginning!!! I anticipate that everyone, including our pets, are coming to get a piece of me! It’s like being encased in a fish tank filled with piranhas, wanting a bite of Mom!

I don’t know if I’m crazy or not, but the sound of my little girl’s voice, the musky smell of my hubby’s perfume, the glow of my boys’ eyes, and the tight hugs of my little princess, saying, "You're the best, Mom", make my heart leap for joy! Just like any day, is one that's filled and surrounded with piranha moments. But then, I did cry… and prayed for these times and thanked God for them. Through the kindness and mercy of God, and to see my very own five hungry and happy faces masticate the freshly fried chicken, I was at peace, a great Piranha feast! What a sight!

9:30 pm - God gave me four beautiful and wonderful children under my care, a loving husband to attend to, and knowing exactly what to do at a piranha moment, makes me wonder if I would ever survive the day without them? Ah, Piranha hours, or piranha moments, or piranha sidetrips.... whatever you want to call it. They eat me up at all sides! But they give me life! I wouldn’t mind having them close by. As long as they are around, by God’s grace, I’ll give everything I got! His word says, He is sufficient enough to supply for my every need. I stand by that promise!

At the end of the day, I have gathered the strength to face another one.... and that's tomorrow, for another set of unique piranha moments!

Operation Care Ministry Website

Please visit Operation Care Ministry Website and be updated with our missions activities. God bless you!

Enjoy Harmony in Your Home - Part VII

Set school day rules. Save energy that you would otherwise use to argue with your kids by creating rules to manage school days well. Give your kids the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings about school day logistics such as how they should get ready for school on time, do their homework, communicate with you about important items like permission slips, etc., and seriously consider their input when setting the rules. Then, presenting a united front with your spouse, let your kids know clearly what you expect. Keep in mind that your rules can change as your kids grow, according to what works best at a particular time.

Salsa La Bamba!

I really don’t know what to name this recipe. However, the word, "La Bamba", sounded appropriate, so SALSA LA BAMBA, it is! Don't laugh! Well, by the way it turned out, it rang well to my ears!

I made this two months ago when I had my share of voluptuous tomatoes freshly harvested, among others, from church friends at their place in Camp Prayer Mountain.

Canning was out of the question. So I made some Salsa and homemade spaghetti sauce for the kids.

To make homemade Salsa, firstly, a big basketful (about 8 kilos) of carefully selected ripe tomatoes, is very important. The fresher, the better. The tomatoes above are the best variety of tomato to use: Roma; also called paste tomatoes. They have fewer sides, thicker, meatier walls, and less water.

Next, remove the tomato skins. Here's the trick: put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute (30 - 45 seconds is usually enough). Then, plunge them into a waiting bowl of ice water. This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes! If you leave the skins in, they become tough and chewy in the sauce and not very pleasant.

After you have peeled the skins off the tomatoes, cut them in half and squeeze of the seeds and water. Yes! Just like it sounds: wash your hands then squeeze each tomato and use your finger or a spoon to scoop and shake out most of the seeds. You don't need to get fanatical about it. Removing most will do.

Toss the squeezed tomatoes into a colander or drainer, while you work on others. This helps more of the water to drain off. You may want to save the liquid: if you then pass it through a sieve, screen or cheesecloth, you have fresh tomato juice; great to drink cold or use in cooking!

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped onions
1 Tablespoons of oregano
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup diced, fresh cilantro
1/4 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups of lemon juice
1 cup diced green and red bell peppers
freshly ground pepper
1 to 4 diced jalapeño peppers or use according to how hot or mild you want it
3 (6 oz) cans of tomato paste - if you like a richer thicker flavor and texture
Optional: 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
Optional: Add pine nuts or sunflower seeds.

Start with the chopped tomatoes in the pot. Add the seasonings and bring to a gentle simmer. Taste it as it cooks. If you like the sauce hotter, add 1 Teaspoon of chili powder. And if you like your salsa thick, add 4 Tablespoons corn starch, dissolved in the vinegar before adding to the mix.

For an afternoon snack, place a spoonful of salsa on crackers and add a dash of parmesan cheese! Or mix this with some al dente spaghetti noodles or fetuccini!

Heaven!