Seafood Cook Off

It is almost like a given when the hubby defines a special dinner then it has to do something with seafood. By that, it also means that shrimp must be present. It is almost my frustration that this is the one thing that I hardly prepare for the hubby in our almost seven years of being married. I only tried one special shrimp dish and that is “Gambas,” and I hope to learn more shrimp and crab dishes. We all know how pricey all those dishes are when served in our favorite restaurants. I might as well do it myself.

This is why when I browsed through the Great American Seafood cook off, I really had to spot one recipe that could be the first for me to try out. The recipe Louisiana Shrimp and Andouille Cassoulet by Brian Landry of Louisiana. I also saw one crab recipe that the same chef has presented and I also hope to try them out. The recipe ingredients look kind of easy to get a hold of. I know there is no more better time for me to try these recipes out but very soon. It’s I and the hubby’s birth month and I hope to be successful as I try them out.

It is always best to prepare your very own domestic seafood. You are assured of freshness and it suits your taste. You have to check out www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com and I am sure you will love the recipes by those incredible chefs who joined in. And while you’re at it make sure you vote for your favorite recipe to win a trip to New Orleans!

One Month and Four Days

Here are snapshots of the car before it underwent major body repair and during the repair when the hubby went to visit the project. Today the hubby leaves to retrieve it from Malabon. It took the hubby's long lost uncle exactly one month and four days to finish the project. I know it's more of a vintage car project and we don't really mind, this is the best that we can do for now. Maybe in time the Lord might entrust us with a brand new one. :D

Our car before the California Project

Shot from the rear left

At Tito Adolfo's house when repairs began

Body repairs almost done


With the primer

On the way to its first coating (this is not yet the final body color)

Major Car Repair

The car was finally taken by the hubby’s uncle early this morning. It is a blessing that things got delayed or else we could have settled for someone who will not do a good job in fixing the old car. It probably rained the whole month of July and if you are from the same part of the planet that we are you would know how bad the rains were. It was a pity to have the hubby’s beach towel get soaked inside the car every time it rained. We prayed about having this car fixed and later have its car insurance cover. We had no choice. If only the Lord will provide a down payment for a brand new one then that will be sweet, but for now, we have a great deal in having the car fixed.

You would not believe all those rust eating up the car. The engine is good all right, but of course we could help feeling pity over the car. We always have to take care not to get nicked and bruised by those wayward rusty steels all over. Yes, we are more than thankful that we can finally get the car fixed. But more than a luxury, it has become more of a necessity to get it fixed because it is almost raining as hard inside as it is in the outside when it does. We are all thrilled how the new face lifted car will look after a month and a half. Yes, that’s how much work it needs! You could just imagine!

He is Able

If there is anything that can be pretty obvious in family to create chaos and conflict it is this – financial matters. It is one of the major reasons why most families are double income. Meaning both the husband and the wife are working, leaving the children in the care of their grandparents or even nannies. Although this is not the ideal set up, for so many decades after the baby boomers era, this has practically been the norm.

It is not easy to go against the flow. This is what I did when I left the corporate world some six years ago to be a full time help meet to my husband who is a pastor. You will be surprised how different local pastors are compensated compared to those from different regions. It is understandable. We live in a very poor country. So despite the intelligence and abilities my husband has, he has put in his heart to do what God has called Him to do – against all odds and for me to embrace this reality and struggle with him in the ministry and otherwise.

It goes without saying that the majority of our struggle was that of the finances especially when our little guy arrived. But the Lord has been truly great to have allowed me to use my gifts in coordinating weddings and even the little that I know of writing to help in the family income. As much as availing of a cash advance payday loan gets into our mind sometimes, we go back to the things that the Lord has shown us in the past and see that He will be faithful in the concerns we go through everyday.

The Caifornia Project

In a couple of days the old beat up car that we have been using since 2002 will be subjected to a month long of major body repair. This is long overdue and we are thrilled that the Lord has allowed for us to afford this project. :D

Our Seafood Jig

The hubby especially likes seafoods. This is the primary reason I had to get myself to learn different seafood recipes. I used to not like seafood so much, especially because I don’t like having to debone fish. But I later loved them all especially, mussels, crabs and oysters! As a part of our family’s quest to live healthy, we have tried to add seafood in to our regular meals. It is healthy to eat seafoods, they are rich in iodine. You just have to make sure that you know the source and the seafood is fresh.

We hope for the most deserving to win that Great American Seafood Cook Off.

What if Cartoons Got Saved

Sharing a fun old video of Chris Rice's Cartoon Song. I just had to post this one when I see it in youtube. It brought me to the days when the hubby would play the drums to the song back when he was still the youth pastor of our mother church. :-)

My Victory Hair

Pick up lines never became a hit to me. I always thought they were downright trashy, maybe because those I heard them from were not subtle enough and probably did not fit their personalities. Lol! I guess some guys resort to using these nasty pick up lines because they are just not confident enough to show their true selves. More like a façade of some sort. But truth to tell, I have heard some pick up lines that are really sweet. The hubby still uses some lines on me from time to time. ;-) If you’ve heard about the new Ultimate Flirting Championship game by Extreme Style by VO5, you know just what I am talking about. Go grab the widget below, paste in on your blog and have some fun entertainment. I just found this stuff interesting even as it brings me back to the dating games of my single days.

This game is obviously sponsored by VO5, the leading expert in hair care. I have always patronized VO5. The first step for that Victory Hair is the right hair formula. I love being able to walk around with the confidence of having my hair flow the way I want it. It’s really either that or I have a bad hair day and when I have a bad hair day, things just seem to fall apart. This first and ultimate step will lead the hubby giving me that second look all over again.

Toxic!

First, I am more than glad that I am over with the two loads (thank goodness it's just two!) of laundry for the week. It's probably because of the cool weather lately that the hubby and our son didn't change clothes as much. They both change clothes twice a day during more humid days. The sun shone today and I found it best to do the laundry. Before I finished the laundry I have finished an $8.50 job, which was not so much, but is still something. I did it in less than 10 minutes. I just thought it really is a blessing to be able to stay home and get my juggling skills honed. :-)

I originally planned to get the beddings and curtains washed as well. But I figured I have got to prioritize the things that I have yet to do. Clean up my closet and pack away things to be given away. Okay so that's still in the list of my backlogs! This can really get me pressured. And now another assignment is due. This one is worth almost $11. Lots of things in my shoulder now, but I am okay and good. These are a few of the reasons why I begged off from going with the hubby as he officiated a wedding this morning. I was just too tired and still have lots of backlogs to work on. See you around later! ;-)

Beating Deadlines

These last couple of weeks have been really tiring and hectic for me. I find myself cramming to beat deadlines. This is something new for me. If the hubby rises when in pressure, my tendency is to get rattled but still focused. Because so far, I have just a two more assignments left to do. With the load that I currently have, I sometimes feel that I’m working on a Doctoral thesis of some sort. Two days ago, I had eleven. Can you imagine! I really felt everything piling up on me by the day. At one point, I had to ask the hubby help in writing an essay. But he then declined and I understand because there are things he is occupied with.

Aside from my assignments, I also have been really busy turning the house around. Sorting closets full of clothes, which I honestly believe I have to give out half of it. Most of them I have not used in so long a time. It can be hard though. Because I don’t really go shopping for clothes and my weight seriously jumps from 95lbs to 105lbs in a snap of a finger. That’s normal for me. It has always been that way. So my point is, my stock of clothes are for the thin me and the heavier me. Like last Sunday for instance, I had to change four times, because I end up looking like a sausage with my ultra fit clothes. Because I gave away most of my bigger clothes, I am now having a hard time getting the right clothes for my current size.

Oh well, I will have to figure something out soon. For now excuse me as I go back to doing some coursework essay that is soon due.

Get Paid to Try

One of the prevailing interests that keeps me up in most days as a work from home mom is look into more options to learn online. Aside from writing for advertisers, I recently just found out that I could also venture into the likes of GetPaidToTry.com. This platform pays opinions and surveys. If there’s anything, their quick sign up bonus is something, unlike most I have seen that only offers $5 for a sign up bonus, they actually give out $20 straight to your account, with no obligations that you should purchase. You do not get asked for your credit card information and what’s sweet is payment is done via PayPal.

Internet is now accessible to just about anyone in this generation and for sometime now it has been the advertisers channel to get their products and services get that needed buzz. Last year alone advertisers shelled out $259 million for online advertising. I’m sure bloggers would not mind to get that piece of that pie. I have only been around doing this for more than half a year and I am making decent money from it. This came as a totally unexpected blessing, which we are really grateful for. So, if you’d love to try it out… Click here to begin your journey towards making money online.

Yard Sale in the House

We have launched our garage sale last week, but we decided to get it relaunched last Saturday. We will open our garage again this coming Saturday and will add on some more stuff that I dug out from our house, that have been in hiding for the longest time. Several ceramic decoratives that are just gathering dust, no matter how pretty they are to look at they just have to go. I want more space and I don't want to stick on clutters anymore.

One of the major stuff I am had the hubby carry outside is the black entertainment rack. It used to house amplifiers, VCR player and recorder and an old DVD player that fails to play anymore. Agh! I don't know why we kept it for so long. It should have been junked a long time ago! Now our CRT TV sits pretty on what used to be our little guy's baby closet. Nope, I don't think it's an eye sore. We had to take the baby closet out of his room to make way for his brand new study table that his father is painstakingly working on. :-)


I am getting busy today to do some more house clean up. I will just finish some online jobs then I'm off to getting rid of half of the clothes that are just in the closet.

Great Eyewear

With the recent eye strain I have been experiencing, one good news I could use is that of those incredible stylish new frames from Zenni, primarily because they are ultra affordable. Imagine, Zenni Optical $8 Rx Eyeglasses, now that's a real steal. No wonder Zenni Optical was on FOX news!

Look Alikes

I have received this a number of times from random people in my mailbox. I recently just viewed this and it gave me quite a laugh. I especially like the Joe de Venecia look alike! It's hilarious! Check out the doggy and the baby with lotsa folds... and Gollum, too! :-)

Quality At A Low Cost

Are you looking for non-expensive but high quality eyeglasses? The variable dimension frames from zennioptical.com is probably what you are looking for. They are completely UV protected, with thin and light 1.57 index lenses and includes a quality hard eyeglass casing. Visit their web site and choose from a wide variety of designs.

WW: Stone Fish

This is one of those interesting fish specie we have seen in those great aquarium in Ocean Adventure we went to October of last year. I wouldn't have had thought this was anything more than a stone. The label on its glass said it was a stone fish and we really had to have a closer look to see for ourselves. It's really a fish! Now, I wonder, does this fish ever move.

July 17 Show

Say what? Are you asking who Glenn Beck is? Well this man is an entertainer that enlightens people with his funny approach to current issues. In his website there are many featured videos about different topics ranging from presidential elections to energy independence. Although I may not agree with all of his views, I like the way he approaches issues because it educates or makes people aware of things we sometimes lose interest in when discussed. His Dallas show on July 17 will be broadcasted nationally to select movie theaters. Visit his site and secure your tickets now and look forward to an enjoyable show.

And Pacquiao Rewrites History

This is Pacquiao at his best yet! Pacquiao took his fourth world title in four different weight divisions. Now, that's history! We also have to give it to Diaz who has such big heart for an opponent. This is the one fight that I did not get to see. We were in church the whole day so it was only today that I got to read the papers. I know I should have seen it all, I cannot imagine how it would be like if I got to watch the fight for myself. You see I only got to read today's spreadsheets and I got goosebumps already.

It was interesting to learn how the fight has brought peace to the country. Imagine, in this crime-crazed country we are in, practically zero crime rate from eight in the morning until three in the afternoon. That alone says how passionate Filipinos are. I can only pray that we all would be as passionate for the Lord and maybe then we will all do our share for God to finally redeem us from the miry place we are in.

I'm sure that even as I have not watched the fight, that must be Pacquiao at his best. He said that this is the weight division he is most comfortable in and he sure made that manifest. It's just great that YouTube is around, now we get to see the full versions of each round of yesterdays fight.

It is such a great break for all the Filipinos the world over after the tragedies that befell our country the past week. I really pray that Manny receives Christ as his personal Lord and Savior if he still hasn't yet. May he find in his heart to give glory to the Lord despite the fame and fortune he is currently experiencing. Here's to you, Manny! God bless you more!

Traveling the Hensley Arrow Way

Almost a month ago, the hubby and I took the core members of our church to a day of planning, recreation and retreat to The Highlands in Boso-Boso. It was a real treat for all of us. The place we went to was a cool, breeze place in the Eastern part of Metro Manila.

We pray that the Lord would allow us to make this a yearly event. Our church is already five years old and this is really something that is necessary for the core group to share one vision and have one heart towards the ministry. It would be fun if we could all do a long drive to Laguna, Subic or even far North to Banawe on a neat RV or even a Hensley Arrow trailer and have every one enjoy the ride to our destination. It’s pretty much a given that with this kind of trailer, its Hensley Arrow Advanced Towing System totally eliminates what they call trailer sway. We will easily travel around with another smaller vehicle in tow.

Feel free to visit their web page to watch their video and maybe subscribe to their newsletter that promote economizing fuel and safety measures to keep in mind during long distance travels.

Oysters!

How I love oysters! This has been one of my favorites. A fresh, spanking plate can really make my day or even week, if I'd be given two plates. :-) It has been a while since I had my share. I believe it was some two wedding anniversaries ago. It's really been a while now. I can so relate with Ernest Hemingway when he said:

“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.” — Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

And how about a top notch oyster recipe from a top notch chef, Ernest Reynoso Gala:

Oysters Rockefeller

1. 24 large oysters; wash, scrub, remove upper shells.

2. One oven-proof serving tray; sprinkle 2 cups rock salt on a tray. Put oysters on top (the rock salt will keep the oysters in place).

3. For the topping: 1/2 cup finely chopped bacon

4. Sauce: 1/2 cup Magnolia Gold butter, 2 tbsps. each of finely chopped white onion and chopped parsley, 1 cup blanched and drained spinach or kangkong leaves, 1/2 tsp. each of rock salt and pepper, 1/2 cup fresh milk and 1/2 cup grated Quickmelt Cheese.

5. Procedure: Put butter, onions, parsley in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for two minutes. Turn off fire and mix in spinach/kangkong, salt, pepper, milk, cheese.

6. Spoon spinach mixture on oysters. Top each with a teaspoon of bacon. Bake at 400°F or 200°C for 12 minutes. Serve one with cocktail forks. Serve 6 to 8.

7. Note: To blanch spinach or kangkong leaves, boil one cup water in a pan. Add two cups spinach leaves. Cook for two minutes until wilted. Drain.

And if you just can't afford to run the risk of failing as you you try the above recipe yourself, then you might just want to go to any of the restaurants below and gobble up those spanking great oysters without fussing over ingredients and worrying about failing.

Here are the aforementioned chef's best oyster restos:

1) Via Mare Oyster Bar, Rockwell: Top-quality oysters, some of the best in the country!

2) Heat, Edsa Shagri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong: I always line up at the buffet line to taste some of the sweetest, mouthwatering, fresh oysters you can find.

3) Mr. Rockefeller, 2nd level, Greenbelt 3, Makati City: The cheese oozes and definite value for money!

4) Restaurant Red, Makati, Shangri-La: The lemongrass-steamed New Zealand oysters with cauliflower, panna cotta, and Osetra caviar are a masterpiece!

5) Harbor View Restaurant: Oysters are topnotch and great quality. Great View of Manila Bay! Located at South Gate A, Rizal Park (between Manila Hotel and the US Embassy).