Pasta with Peanut Butter

and because i could not get over how tasty that spaghetti i had at Peanut Butter and Co. was i decided to try and experiment cooking it on my own. it is fairly easy since i used pre-mixed pasta sauce. i chose the spicy variety thinking that it won't be nakakaumay with the addition of the white chocolate flavored peanut butter i picked up from the store.

it's definitely not a dish for anyone who is on a diet, LOL! i used smoked ham which i got from the deli section of the supermarket, sliced it into strips and fried it with butter. when it became brown and crispy, i took it from the pan and placed them on a plate with paper towels to drain out excess oil. i merely poured in the ready made sauce, added a bit of patis, some white pepper, oregano, basil and 3 teaspoons of peanut butter.

i tried googling for the suggested amount of peanut butter but could not find any similar recipe with the one i was making. i initially placed two teaspoonfuls but it wasn't peanut butter-y enough so i added one more. yum, i could not resist licking off the excess peanut butter from the teaspoon, hehe.

i mixed in the strips of fried ham, leaving some for toppings. poured it on the pasta (spirals), mixed and sprinkled more basil, pepper and parmesan cheese.

and here's the finished product-- it's creamy, not sweet at all but very tasty and the spicy kick is an added burst of goodness in the palate. yummmmm!

Bonchoned!

Bonchon Chicken in Katipunan has been opened for about a couple of weeks now. I only had the chance to try it tonight since queues have been unbearable the past days. i passed by there tonight, took a peek and when i found a couple of empty tables immediately went inside to fall in line behind the counters.

My first Bonchon experience was in Ayala Triangle and their branch is a bit small compared to this branch. I can see that customers are of mixed backgrounds and ages, it was a school night and though majority of them are students, there are still a handful of families with kids.

My order of 2-pc drumstick with rice and a regular softdrink costs P145.00. i remember loving the crispy yet thin glazed skin i could almost compare it with some crunchy turon. i love the spicy variety, i find the regular ones a bit boring. the two drumsticks aren't too feeling though. or sadyang gutom o matakaw lang ako hehe. but i'm kinda wishing that just like the other more popular chicken houses, they would also offer bigger chicken parts like breast, thighs, keels. uhm, wishful thinking.

So the best chicken in America is made in Korea??? Nah, i still love Popeye's to bits! :p

i heard that Manang's Chicken, another chicken factory that is making waves lately is set to open here in a couple of weeks. I'd definitely try that and compare it with this Bonchon. ;)

peanut butter overload!

" i love peanut butter but i don't want it in my roast beef!!"

i have just enthusiastically finished my classic spaghetti and was about to take a big bite off my PBB Burger when i heard an elderly woman exclaimed this. i wanted so much to poke her to tell her to go ahead and give it a try. i mean, we do add peanuts in our kare-kare, right? i guess we only have this notion as kids of having peanut butter for our desserts and snacks. it still is quite a strange idea adding it to our viands and meat dishes.

this Katipunan branch recently opened and like that elderly lady, i was hesitant at first in trying this out when i heard about their branch in SM MOA. after reading several reviews about the food however i could not wait to give it a try.

unlike their other branches, this branch is definitely bigger and encourages more dine-in costumers. it was a rainy afternoon when i went there and there weren't other guests yet at that time.

this stall displays several interesting peanut butter flavors, there's curry, chili, cardamon, green tea apart from the usual butter, white chocolate, creamy, etc. the smallest tub costs P55.00

i ordered their classic spaghetti thinking the additional peanut butter in it is adventurous enough already. the pasta was cooked al dente, the sauce extra creamy but not too sweet it was actually very good. i meant to eat half of it and take the rest home but nah, i finished all of it!

this half order costs P75.00.

i read somewhere that they are mostly for take out orders thus the use of disposable utensils, i really hope they could provide real plates and utensils next time for dine-in costumers.

i also ordered their PBB Burger which costs P180.00. i was pretty hoping that like their other sandwiches they have this in half orders too but they don't. i still had it halved thinking i could no longer finish all of it.

i love how juicy the patty is, and i imagine tasting real beefy goodness in every bite. i am not a fan of sesame but the sesame flavored peanut buttered is what's giving it it's more unique, exotic appeal.

i would definitely go back and try out their other fares. there's the fish diablo pasta, chicken curry spaghetti, butter fish steak sandwich, black forest sandwich, ahhh my list is endless! hehe...:p

memories of 9/11

Sept. 11, 2001--we have just arrived in our hosts' house in Chiba, Tokyo when we saw them sitting in front of their TV enrapt. we just came from a long flight and another long drive from the airport to their home. it was past 10pm and we were weary lugging in our bags. the hosts were not able to greet us at once so we sat beside them and watched as an airplane crashed into this tall building and people screamed. i initially thought it was a scene straight from a Bruce Willis movie since we could not understand anything with the voice over in Nihonggo. then we were told it was the World Trade Center in New York and it was a news cover happening almost in real time. i was already tired yet i felt my knees got weaker.

most of the days we had in Tokyo was spent watching the news. even if we could barely understand it their graphics and illustrations were pretty impressive. we didn't have that kind of news reporting yet back then in the Philippines.

a few days later we were on the 48th floor of the Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku for a view of the city. our host told us that we must still be very careful since there might be some prank terrorists in Tokyo. By that he meant people who only wanted to mimic any celebrated crime just for the heck of it. weird people eh!

when i went back home to Manila a couple of weeks later i was able to talk to an old friend who was then lovelorn and depressed. she called me up and in between sobs told me about her realization on the said tragedy, that at least her heartbreak is nothing compared to the loss of all those people who were victims of 9/11. that at least she was still alive and her loved ones were still okay. something like that. such a realization indeed.

stories and powerful photos now abound once again as we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks but i'd like the words of then New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani's "We will rebuild!' to reverberate most of all.

early this year i was able to visit Ground Zero, and yes on its site now is the rebuilding of the new towers which will include a memorial and a museum. it is a stark reminder that people's lives, like these buildings can still be rebuilt and rise from the ashes and tower once again. here's hoping that most if not all of the victims and their loved ones were able to rebuild their lives somehow.

Gourmet breakfast on the streets, anyone?

recently saw this stall featured on local TV, the meals just looked so yummy and the prices so affordable i just had to check it out myself. it so happened that my food trip group, yes there's such a group in my end lol, opted to go to a nearby establishment so i resolved to myself that i visit this place first before i go follow them.

Kanto Freestyle Breakfast is located in the inner streets of Mandaluyong, I am not familiar with the place so that's how i must say so myself. From Boni station of the MRT we looked for the tricycle stand to take us to San Joaquin St. where they are located. Riding a jeep towards Kalentong will also pass by near the location but as I've said I am not familiar with the place.

True enough, it's but a simple stall like some sari-sari store here in the country except that they don't have grocery items but a menu for breakfast fares served 24 hours a day. we chose to sit on their table for two with my friend Andy and started ordering to our hearts (and wallets) content.

i basically came here for the eggs benedict. i am an egg person, i could eat a piece or two each day. it's like my comfort food. and i've never tried having this yet i am just curious.

their eggs benedict only costs 60 pesos with a sidings of fried potato wedges. i love the slight sting of spice on the creamy and buttery hollandaise sauce, the ham is cooked just right, the egg is a bit runny. love it and definitely recommends it!

i also ordered their banana and peanut butter pancakes which costs 55 pesos. it's a bit crunchy on the sides and fluffy in the middle with generous amounts of peanut butter and some thinly sliced bananas as toppings. the maple and chocolate syrups drizzled all over gave it its more festive and rich taste. thumbs up!

our total bill cost 255 including fish and chips also for 55 pesos and crispy pork belly for 65 pesos. and 2 Coke sakto for the two of us. too bad they don't have any brewed coffee.

after having a couple of beers at the nearby Lime 88, we went back to Kanto with some of my food trip group. they also sampled the eggs benedict and this time i tried their tuyo flakes with kesong puti also for 55 pesos.

i love their staple garlic rice and pesto tomato for all their meals. it just compliment the viands perfectly. darn it, i dream about their food all the time too bad i live a bit far from them. kudos to the people behind this resto, i hope they don't jack their prices up just yet. i really want to go back there again and again.

Kanto Freestyle Breakfast is located at 549 San Joaquin St., Brgy. Plainview, Mandaluyong City and is open 24/7.

the blackberry story

(photo credits to the owner)

i'd almost always come home via cab each time i have a night out with friends. last night was quite atypical though. a few minutes after i got in the cab, the driver asked me if a blackberry is expensive. not really knowing where the conversation could lead to, i merely said yes, but i'm not so sure since i don't have one. he then said it was because somebody left a blackberry in his cab and he does not know what to do with it. he hasn't been turning the radio on thinking he might miss a call in case it rings. i told him to take it to a radio station like the one where Papa Jack works since he's always onboard during the wee hours of the morning and i'm thinking he's a got a lot of listeners and fans. i could have told him to go the police station but i realize we might not be able to trust them (bad!)

then he showed me the phone and asked me to check how it could work. i saw that there were already several messages but since i never had a blackberry i didn't know how to operate it. i tried to compose a reply but i didn't know how to send it. i tried to call but i could not hear anything.

so i asked the driver if it is alright that i copy a number from the phone. one message there said that whoever found the phone will get a reward, or something like that. i copied the number and also asked for the driver's contact details.

when i reached home i just bid the driver adieu wishing him good luck with the phone and he also told me to try contacting the owner as well. i then tried to call the owner using my phone and sent him a message about a blackberry left in a cab.

the following morning i got call from the owner. i gave him the details and he said he's going to contact the cab driver.

a couple of hours later he said he finally got his phone and was thanking me profusely. i told him to thank and reward the driver instead

so to Mang Ben Martinez of Glowing Stone taxi with plate number UVH 133, good job!!!

Death by Chocolat

for quite a while now i have been on the prowl for the best chocolate cakes in the metro. i love chocolate cakes and i love them soft and moist with a hint of bitterness. not too sweet at all but i prefer it with some bit of caramel or even yema filling too. yum!

i've heard of this tiny store in Xavierville called Chocolat. they say it has the bestest chocolatiest cake ever and since it's just in my neighborhood i'd definitely need to try it.

i instantly saw the freezers showcasing all those yummy treats and i got so excited i almost didn't notice their quaint interiors.

it looks homey and cozy alright but i don't think i could ever sit still and enjoy whatever i have on my plate without trying to check out the freezers again and find out what else i'd want to try eeek!!!

so anyway, i was there to just choose a slice for take out and run away as fast as i could before these tiny choco monsters would squeal out my name and beg me to take them too. i ended up buying two slices though hihi.

Chocolate Caramel (P75)

I love caramel...be it the caramel sundae of Mcdo or the caramel macchiato in Starbucks, or the banoffee pie at Banapple, argh!! So of course, I've gotta try this caramel cake. And it did not disappoint. I was given a slice which was already standing there for quite a while and i would have wanted a fresh slice thinking it could have been aired out a bit and have already lost its moisture. i let it go thinking i'll just have to give it a chance just the same. Yes, it's still moist but still has enough texture. The icing is a bit bitter which i love since the caramel is already sweet and creamy and buttery. I love how everything exploded in my mouth like bittersweet symphony.

Death by Tablea (P80)

The Death by Tablea is entirely different. It reminds me of a mother's love, sweet, traditional, very comforting. It's like those cold nights when we are soothed by a cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows and quilted blankets. Okay enough of these dreams! If you are fond of the tablea, you know those bitter round chunk of goodness usually blended and mixed with hot milk using a batirol to give you that traditional chocolate drink? This is exactly like it. We call it sikwati or tsokolate in my hometown. It's really good with the same soft and moist cake that doesn't melt in your mouth but leaves some texture that could tickle your palate. I can't wait to get some more!

My other great chocolate cake finds are the ones at Cafe Sweet Inspirations in Katipunan and Cafe Xocolat in B. Gonzales. Hands down though to these chocolate slices too found in some stalls at the malls, Hungry Pac which deliciously sells for barely 50 bucks a slice, yumyumyum!!

Gayuma ni Maria

this quite schmaltzy restaurant then simply called Gayuma is used to be located in 86 Abada St. in Loyola Heights. i remember it so well because i used to live in that very same apartment back in the late 90s. :)

We had a sort of reunion there with my then boardmates and how we marveled at how they turned the place into some cozy nook what with all the scented candles and linens and different knick-knacks and the food was just superb. We had out first taste of the chocolate called Better Than Sex and this dish called Ring of Fire, among others. Unfortunately the place burned down and they had to transfer to another place also along Abada.

It closed down again but to cut the story a lot shorter it IS now back again but along Sikatuna this time just near the cluster of interesting joints along Maginhawa St.

It still has the same ambiance and homey feel but i feel like the quality of food has watered-down. Did they change management? Their BTS is now Beats Sex Any Day and gone are some menu items we used to love. I ordered this chicken dish called I Love You, Cross My Heart. It's very filling with rice and a good enough portion of breaded chicken fillet with some asparagus and mushrooms for added drama.

a friend ordered I'm Wild For You but he said it didn't make him go wild at all. i tried it and it tasted like carbonara but a lot sweeter and creamier, well the exaggerated taste of cream it almost tasted like it was sprinkled with a lot of powdered milk.

the desserts were good though it's just that there were only a few cakes available when we got there. we sampled the Beat Sex Any Day, their best seller, Broken Promises which is also very good with it's chewy flaky chocolate crinkly taste, and this coffee cake called All Night Long.

Our group sampled other dishes like the following:

Lumpiang Barako (green peppers)

Rock Me Baby (Baby Back Ribs with corn and mashed potatoes)

Three's a Crowd, pork, beef and chicken barbecue

Exotic Lover, spaghetti with basil and dried fish in olive oil

and this one's their famous Beats Sex Any Day

people might want to go there with their dates but it would also be fun if you go there with your friends and hang out upstairs where you could play around with the different outfits on display.

and some stuff there might also be useful for a more fun bridal shower or get together with your female friends haha!

here comes the blog...

and so i got engaged!

i know it's been more than a week since the proposal but i'm still a bit floating and dreaming as i continue hearing well-wishers and even suggestions for the yet undated wedding. i am grateful for everyone though and everything is still overwhelming.

so how did it happen?

no, there weren't any frills, no fanfare, but i have to say i was a bit surprised. it was a Sunday, July 31 to be exact, we just got home from a really heavy lunch with friends and after tinkering with my laptop for a while he turned the TV off (which i barely noticed), sat beside me, held my hands and started telling me about quite a long list of people who actually knew what he was gonna say to me that very moment. heck, i didn't even know these people were his confidantes! i was bewildered for a while that when he finally asked, "will you marry me?" i merely hugged him and cried and said "shit! ! shit! shit!" that he asked me "are you really saying shit?" so yes, he had to ask me a second time because i didn't know that just like what we see in the movies I have to actually say "yes!" instead of just nodding and hugging him.

wedding preparations are in the works but we are not in a hurry yet to plan out the details after all it's still but a year before he could finally graduate and come back home to us. the girl in me continues to daydream and fantasize about our big day though but most likely we'll just have a formal but fairly simple event with close friends and family. what matters most is that in those dreams there's us and my little boy in it. we will surely keep you posted.

suffice it to say i feel like i'm the happiest girl in the world!

oh hai there!

i haven't really been blogging lately, hey i've been busy and facebook has taken over my internet life lol! but i do wish to come back soon, real soon...:)

SKOW, wow!

we walked and walked around Marikina looking for this restaurant, turned out we were looking for it in a different church neighborhood. SKOW or Some Kind of Wonderful is actually located across St. Paul's Parish in Concepcion and not in Sta. Elena/San Roque, toinks! i was thinking it was just walking distance from the shoe trade fair in Marikina Sports Complex where we headed first. amidst rain, a bit of sunshine and rain again we walked and asked around but no one knew where it was i had to stop and google the exact location. there weren't any jeepneys in sight good thing a cab passed by.
i was half cursing and hoping the food better be great or it would have been a major letdown. Xan was already grouchy especially after having passed a Jollibee and a McDonalds while we walked and sweated profusely.We got there around 5pm and they were supposed to open not till 6pm but seeing our exasperation they let us in. My son was able to borrow the big Tonka truck to his great delight. we had bottomless iced tea for 55 pesos, and started ordering food! and yeah, they came fast and everything tasted good, no make that great!

Total bill was 605, i gave them 700 hoping they'd give me some change so i could give them a tip, but no, they returned my 100 saying quits na daw yun 5 pesos ko. yey, so i have to write this, give them a good review, go back soon and bring some more friends. punta tayo, punta kayo! the food, the ambience is really worth it.
My little boy had a field day, look at his pic! :))

because i love this commercial and i don't really think there's anything wrong with it. aren't kids supposed to be shallow and cute? what's wrong with it? why does it have to be pulled out, why? pray tell!

winter in central park

It is cold but everything just looks so magical walking around Central Park during winter time. ;)

so you won't entirely get lost, look for the signages and arrows.

This statue is located west of East drive and 67th St. He is Balto, the Siberian Husky the sled dog who led his team which transported the serum of the anti-diphtheria vaccine in Alaska back in the 20s. He is now one of the more popular statues in the park having stood there for the past 80 or so years.

The park is also a famous place for sledding. Many kids along with their parents will brave the cold and enjoy such popular and fun sport.

Alice in Wonderland: The sculpture was constructed in 1959 by José de Creeft under the commission of philanthropist George Delacorte so that children could visit and experience the wonder of Lewis Carroll’s classic story. Atypical of most sculptures, children are invited to climb, touch and crawl all over Alice and her friends. In fact, through the decades thousands of hands and feet have literally polished parts of the statue’s surface smooth.

This is located at East 74th St.

If you feel tired and thirsty, you may opt to grab some coffee or hot choco at the Sweet Cafe at east 74th St, sit down and relax on some umbrella protected table and chair.

Belvedere meaning "beautiful view" is at the mid park of 79th. Sitting atop a hill, the castle as the name suggests indeed gives a beautiful view of the Central Parks famous views and landmarks.

The Bethesda Fountain also known as the Angel of Waters is seen at the mid-park on 72nd St. I remember this fountain from the movie Enchanted and in Home Alone 2.

The Mall is the open walkway going towards the Bethesda Terrace and runs through the middle of 66th to 72 Streets. I gather now that this is a different mall from what we are most familiar with in the Philippines hehehe. I recall this in the movie My Sassy Girl.

after walking around the park, you may want to look for the subway and hop on the connections towards the 7th train and alight at 69th St. in Woodside to check out Krystal's for their piping hot arroz caldo. :)