Sisters and Coffee

It's hard to be responsible adult and sensible all the time.  How good it is to have a sister whose heart is as young as your own.  ~ Pam Brown

I report to work last Monday after my almost 1 week leave. After that busy day at work, I met up with my sister Sol before she goes to Laguna (where she's working). She's Xian's spoiler no wonder she's the little man's most favorite tita ninang.hehe. We only see each other during weekends and whenever she's off from her work. Just like the last time when she accompanied me on my hospital moments. I mentioned in my posts before that since I grew up with my lola, Sol and I we're like twins no wonder she seldom calls me ate. I'm just 1year, 11months and 24 days older than her kase. But we're really close to the truest form of being sisters. Same thing with my other sibs. That's one of the perks of having a big family. Pero dahil siguro magkasunod kami,mas close talaga kaming dalawa. To her, I'm Johan. Minsan Joanna. Pag badtrip na yan,Johanus. Kung siraan na din lang ng pangalan, para saken sya naman si Marsola (Marisol is her real name). Pero kay Xian, she's Ninang Asol.period.hahaha!

She's my maabilidad sister. We're both born under the zodiac sign of Virgo, that's why we have the same personality but compare to me, there are a lot  more things she's  really interested with like traveling and photography. She also loves to read novels. Yung makakapal talaga ha. She goes hiking with her friends every once in a while. She loves to discover new things. Between us, she's really the adventurous one. She loves to talk on just about anything,kahit politics updated sya. Tanungin mo nga sya kung ano ng updates sa impeachment trial ni CJ Corona,alam nya eh.hahaha! Kung ako introvert, sya extrovert. Kung ako kuntento na sa galang malapit, sya mas feel na malayo. Kung ako friendly (ehem) sya friendlier. Pwede ding friendliest.

She had been to different places here in the Philippines and had her first trip out of the country last year para lang maglamyerda. Kung may Jack-of-All-Trades, she's the Jill-of-All-Trades. She's simply amazing (I can't think of any other adjective na kaya sagad na yun!)

Kfine,Kaw na talaga sis.Boypren na lang kulang sayo.hahaha.
 

Anyway, dako na tayo sa coffee part, enough na sa sisters. chos! This is  sort of Part 2 of "our celebration" after our Shakey's lunch last Wednesday after my minor operation.We're supposed to go to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf but ended up at Figaro. You know naman us girls,pabago-bago ng isip at nangunguna na kami dun.

So here's the best way to end my semi-stressful Monday, a date with my twin sis.

 our favorite frost (Blackberry Mocha and Chocolate Light)

Arrabbiata (again) for me. I had the tendency to order the same food again and again hangga't di ako nagsasawa.lol.

Pesto for sissie.

multi-tasking.lol.

 big little sister and little big sister!

After our date, hinatid pa nya ko sa sakayan before having our separate ways to make sure na safe ako.Sweet! If I know gusto lang nya paramdam saken na engot talaga ako tumawid sa kalsada.hehehe.Then when I got home,after I checked my fb, nakapag-status na kagad si dear sister sa fb nya:

"Behind every good conversation is a substantial amount of coffee together with the best sister in the world who pays for it"

Naks.Yun pala ang nakalimutan ko i-mention, bolera din yan.hahaha!

Hopefully mabasa nya 'to kase over-over na puri ko. I think I also deserve a libre after this! lol.

I love you sis,alammonayan! Mwah!

Simple Joy: Homemade Blueberry Cheesecake

Blueberry Cheesecake is one of my favorite cake ever since I tasted it. Love at first taste, I must say. I always go to Red Ribbon since they offer one of the best blueberry cheesecake and whenever we're at the coffee shop, that's always my choice of dessert to match with my favorite frappe.  Anything about blueberry cheesecake makes me drool but I don't have the willpower to do it because I thought it's complicated. I'm not an expert in making dessert, but I'm an expert when it comes to eating! :P

That's why it's an achievement for me to make my very own blueberry cheesecake. Thanks to Em and Lanie's post which became my inspiration and of course,big thanks to My Mom-Friday's where I got the procedure. Head on over to her blog for recipe.

So here's my first ever attempt to make a no-bake blueberry cheesecake. Everyone in our household loves it,we actually ate half of it last night.haha!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!♥

Breakfast @ McDonald's

I came early for work today because of our scheduled school activity and since I have not had any breakfast, I just headed to McDonald's near our workplace since I'm still 20 minutes early. Since I'm very much in the mood for pancakes today, I order their 2-piece pancake meal (or hotcake as they usually call it,although mas gusto ko pa din tawagin na pancake.pancake.pancake!) along with coffee. It's been a long  time since I last had their pancakes since I always resort to their Sausage McMuffin with Egg most of the time.

 Namiss ko 'to!

soft,fluffy pancakes!

The taste is still satisfying although I think we wouldn't see each other again anytime soon since it's so easy to make pancake at home which is a great alternative for breakfast at the fast food chain,mas masarap pa.hehe!

Happy Weekend everyone! :)

Xian and the Peppermint Mocha Frappe

Despite the much awaited Pacquiao-Marquez Fight, we spent our Sunday Family Day in a nice and serene place outside the city for some relaxation (I'll do a separate post about it as soon as I have my much awaited luxury time) 

On our way home that afternoon, we dropped by to Starbucks to have our favorite frappe. I was supposed to have my Java Chip Frappe again but at the counter,I changed my mind and tried one of their seasonal offering which is the Peppermint Mocha Frappe. I already tried their Toffee Nut Frappe when they introduced it last year and I liked it. 

While waiting for our order, Xian is busy doing his pa-cute pose for his Tita Ninang's camera.

For my Grande Peppermint Mocha Frappe, I love the  ruby red sprinkles with the right hint of peppermint (duh,ulit-ulit?!) leaving my mouth with that slight minty coolness (malamang!) without overpowering the mocha flavor in my tastebuds. I paired it with Toffee Nut Loaf (which by the way became a hit to hubby's palate). These two really smells and taste like Christmas which instantly gives me this yuletide high!

the little man's hand and his choice of frappe

hmmmm,mesmerized?

When we asked the little man what he can say about the taste, his quick answer "Mommy,Asim!" Huh,Ano daw? Iba ka talaga anak!

 
  

Craving for Burger

Been craving for Hungry Hippo's burger yesterday so after office hours I went to where their store is located a couple of blocks away from our building. If you're a burger person like me, probably you had a taste of their tasteful burgers. I love their cheeseburger and BLT with cheese at a very affordable price. As far as the taste goes, it does fare better than the burgers from Jollibee and McDonald's (well at least for me and my taste buds) What I also like about their burgers is that it was wrapped in aluminum foil to keep them warm especially when I order it for take-out.

It's been 3 months since I last had their burgers, (Trivia: it's one of my favorite food when I was pregnant with Xian)  Imagine the feeling of dying craving to taste a particular food  only to find out that they're not available, well in my case they're closed and undergoing store renovation. Pasensya naman di ko alam, iba kase way ko pag pumapasok and lumalabas from work that's why I'm not aware.

 photo source: image from Google

 photo source: image from Google

Because of disappointment I wasn't able to inquire to the people present that time when are they going to operate again. *Sigh* Hopefully soon!

 

The Coke and Me

I'm a self-confessed COKE addict. I don't know since when. I cannot exactly recall the details pero malamang bata pa ko kase di ko na matandaan but since then, I'm hooked. For me,drinking soda is like drinking water. yes, ganun. I drink them everyday. Every time we dine out, a meal is not complete without coke. (Go large please!) Addict nga eh. Well, except breakfast syempre. Sobra naman kung pati morning coke pa din.

Kung may coke rehab siguro malamang pinasok na ko dun. Chos!

I'm aware that softdrinks is not good for the body, but I still drink them. So obviously nasa akin ang problema. Blame those coke commercials, tempting masyado!

 photo source: image from Google

eto pa:

 photo source: image from Google

That's why as much as possible we seldom buy at home and it's not included in our grocery list kase baka masanay din si Xian.sapat ng ako na lang ang coke addict sa pamilya, lagot ako sa tatay nya,tsk tsk!

Then I stumble upon this post regarding the effects of soda to a person's health.

 

Hala! I guess meant to be na makita ko yan. Wake up call for me. Kawawa naman ang heart ko, ang aking kidney, ang aking reproductive organ at kung anu-ano pa. 

When I was pregnant with Xian natiis ko nga coke cravings ko,although I drink sometimes pero moderate lang.mga twice a month. 

note to self: I.CAN.DO.THIS.AGAIN!  So dapat pala pregnant ulit ako? haha!

Seriously I should really watch my soda intake A.S.A.P! This is just a matter of strong willpower.

Good luck to me.

Shrimp-y Weekend

During weekends, hubby mostly do all the cooking for our lunch and dinner since I do have halfday of work also every Saturday. Oftentimes while I'm at work he'll text me what dish I want to eat for lunch so he'll cook it for me. Ganun sya.

Allan knew that I love seafood... crabs, shrimps, mussels, squids, name it, I'll eat it. If you're a constant reader of my blog ever since, you'll notice that most of the food that I post here are seafoods.

Salamat na lang talaga at wala akong allergy. 

Last weekend for two consecutive days, he cooked Sinigang na Hipon for our lunch then for our dinner the next day, he cooked Ginataang Gulay at Hipon then made Ensaladang Pipino.Pinoy na Pinoy!

hipon sa tanghali

hipon sa gabi

ensaladang pipino

Of course,a happy meal always ends up with a yummy dessert.

cake roll.so chocolatey!

I'll borrow Sis Jenggai's line for this post, this is my life's simple pleasures.

Happy Weekend! :)

Comfort Food on A Wednesday Night

I tend to be an unhealthy eater sometimes and binge on chips, chocolates, anything that will satisfy my sweet tooth,fast food, and then coke. Masarap kaya.Aminin! They're one of my stress relievers (aside from my two boys,of course!) 

During the time I was pregnant with Xian, I make sure I have my Cheat Days (yes days, kase di ko carry pag day lang!) and eat these kinds of food pero in moderation naman. I remember my OB before she said that it's ok to indulge every once in a while, which is right kase ang boring naman ng 9 months na yun kung wala neto. Although I faithfully comply to her advices since I don't wanna put myself and baby Xian's health at risk especially the husband is working abroad that time to watch everything I eat 24/7 that's why I need to develop self-discipline. I believe I had a healthy balance diet of wholesome food and "not so healthy foods" that time. But still, I gave birth to an 8.7 lbs. baby Xian via cs that time!

Ang haba ng intro ko pero comfort food lang naman sasabihin ko.

Anyway, last night while Xian is in the mood for playtime,and I had no choice but to stay awake since he kept on tapping my arm every once in a while checking me as if saying "mommy don't sleep ha!" So there, we're both awake and busy with our own thing,the little man is watching and playing at the same time while me at the corner of our room curled up with my book of the moment.

 COKE + DORITOS GRILLED BASIL CHICKEN WITH MY CURRENT READ