The (Mis)Adventures of Superboink

I am not sure what we're doing right but we (my lola and I) has never ever cooked bitter Ampalaya Con Carne. Ask my grade school classmates (who'd usually come over our house after class) or even my M. We don't dip our ampalaya into a bed of salt like others do but still we get the same results as they have. M told me before that once when he visited me at home (yep bf-gf moments haha!) and we served ampalaya con carne for lunch. I am not sure what else was paired with the viand as we usually have vegetable+meat/ fish combo at home. Anyway, he told me he's got nothing else to eat to avoid the ampalaya (and out of courtesy he has to eat!) and was surprised that there's no trace of bitterness in the dish. He won't eat ampalaya before despite his mom's prodding. So I guess that's a great proof! =) :: :: :: Ampalaya con Carne Ingredients: 2pcs medium-large ampalaya, seeds taken out, washed and cut into wedges 1/4kg ground beef (or any meat cut like l...

It's almost a year now since I posted about how my son W almost drowned during CAL (Coach Aris Lim) Swim School's Swim Meet . It was one of the most unforgettable moments that happened in my life.Unlike others who believe in "Forgive and forget."  I think there's just some things you can forgive but never forget.  photo from elephantjournal.com My son's able to swim again (they have swimming for school PE) and hopefully recovered completely from the trauma thank God - but I haven't. When we asked him what he'd like to do this summer, he told us he'd like to join swimming classes again but said, " pero wag na dun sa dati mommy ha ." To which I quickly responded, " Syempre naman. " A few weeks after the incident ( before the talks between our lawyer and CAL/QCSC ), I received a call from Aris Lim, apologizing and offering my son free summer swimming classes supposedly valid for this year 2011 . All I was able to say was, ...

For our family's summer vacation out-of-town(er), my brother suggested that we go to Anvaya Cove Beach and Nature Club.We were lucky to have a member-friend so it was a go for us. Located in Morong, Bataan, it is just about 2 1/2 hours drive from Metro Manila. We left at around 4:30am in Quezon City and took the NLEX-SCTEX route (had breakfast at McDonald's along the way) and arrived there early enough to be the first ones to dip in the pool and enjoy the beach. travelling The place is picturesque! After re-applying sunscreen, all of us headed to the beach! We didn't want to get too tanned so we planned to be in the beach under the early morning sun.  Here are some of the photos I took: the welcome sign the lagoon a beautiful feature  pool view pool view 2 pool view 3 view of the beach greens surround the place by the beach by the beach 2 by the beach 3 After dipping in both beach and pools, we headed to the Bamboo Cafe for our lunch....

*This is an overdue post.* In the spirit of Easter and the cute Easter bunnies...I am posting about 'HOP' , a movie we watched early this month. It was a story about family, acceptance and reaching for your dreams. The movie (for me) wasn't as good as the Disney movies like Cars or Finding Nemo, but I am sure it was able to send the moral lesson across to kids and even adults like me. I asked W what he learned from the movie and he said, "I learned that I should always listen to my mommy and daddy so I won't get into trouble." I think he got that from the scene when E.B. (the next-in-line Easter Bunny) ran away from the Easter Island in his attempt to avoid the big responsibility that is being the Easter Bunny and he ended up getting hurt. For a preview of the movie plot, here's a video of the trailer: We were lucky enough to witness a promotional for the movie right after the show. We waited outside the cinema for the lead characters (mascots) ...

I've been bugging M to take me to Mercato Centrale at The Fort for quite some time now but each weekend something comes up and so we never got the chance to pay a visit yet. So when a friend invited us to her daughter's 1st birthday party in Fun Ranch (near Tiendesitas/C-5), I told M there's no reason why we shouldn't go to Mercato! It'll be just a few minutes drive away from the party. Hooray for me! Days before that, I received a text from Fran (of frannywanny.com ) inviting me to drop by their booth as they were already selling Allies Wonder Peanuts (yup, the greaseless ones from Pampanga) in Tent 1 every Saturdays. I completely forgot that they were only there Saturdays at the daytime Mercato so I wasn't able to meet her there. My bad. I will definitely be back on a Saturday, promise. :: :: :: That was a Palm Sunday and we haven't heard mass yet so M told me we couldn't stay too long in Mercato Centrale so we can still catch the afternoon mass...

I was not feeling well a few days before my birthday. Post-tension maybe or because I got so busy with a lot of things. All I wanted was to lay in bed and sleep...and well, read a feel-good book or play some word search.  Feeling sick always brings me back to a time when I was hospitalized when I was about 6 years old. Yep, I can still clearly remember. I was confined in Lungsod ng Kabataan (Philippine Children's Medical Center) and was fed with potato soup. While as a kid, I was already a 'Pro' in digesting bland hospital food - but that potato soup was different! It was hearty, creamy and comforting just as how I want my potato soup to be.  It was the start of my love affair with the potato soup. Funny I even requested my mom to ask for additional ration of that potato soup. I think I got 3 extra portions. The nurses happily obliged as I was not eating well for the past days that time. Oh well, too much for childhood memories. =) So now, I am always feeling giddy when ...

Have a blessed Easter everyone! Like this post? Click to Subscribe to The (Mis)Adventures of Superboink by Email Xoxo,

I'll let you in a secret - I am still confused over which is my most favorite among Beef Tapa, Beef Steak (Bistek) or Pork Ribs Adobo. Funny right?! Anyway, they are almost similar in taste and in the manner of cooking so it doesn't really matter that much to me already. While I am already able to formulate my "This Is It!" Adobo recipe, I am still having problems with my Beef Tapa. The taste I've been craving for is somehow similar to Tapa King's Tapa Queen and Pancake House's Beef Tapa. Experimenting, I used the following marinade ratio and method: Beef Tapa Ingredients: 1/2kg beef sirloin (or tenderloin), cut into strips 1 1/2T salt 1/4cup sugar 3T soy sauce 1 head of garlic, minced 1tsp ground black pepper oil for frying How I did it: I marinated the beef strips in the salt, sugar, soy sauce, garlic and ground black pepper mixture overnight. I then fried it on some hot oil until cooked through. :: :; :: This is a very simple recipe...

I saw bundles of long screwpine leaves in the supermarket and so without thinking twice, I dropped two bundles in the cart. I first thought of using some in my steamed rice but remembering the chicken fillets I still have in the freezer, I've decided to just make some Chicken Pandan. :: :: :: Pandan Chicken Ingredients: 1/2kg chicken parts (I used breast fillet) about 10pcs pandan leaves 2tsp soy sauce 2tbsp fish sauce 2tbsp oyster sauce 1/2tsp sugar 1/2tsp ground black pepper 2tsp garlic powder (or you may use minced garlic cloves) 2tsp turmeric powder (or minced ginger) 1tbsp vinegar oil for deep frying How I did it: I mixed the soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, ground black pepper, garlic powder, turmeric powder and vinegar in a bowl. I marinated the chicken breast fillet overnight (though marinating for at least three hours will already render a tasty chicken meat). I then cleaned the pandan leaves, wiped it dry. I covered the chicken meat with t...

Holy Week is a great time for self-reflection and renewal of faith. Celebrating my Birthday today (a Maundy Thursday) is even a greater reason to give thanks to the Lord. The recent years have been a roller coaster ride but God has always been with me. He picked me up at my lowest and showed me that my miseries are just a blink of an eye compared to my 28 years of existence. I want to send a shout-out to heaven and say thank you Lord for the love in my heart and the peace in my soul. Thank you for giving me family and friends who are always there for me and with me. Like this post? Click to Subscribe to The (Mis)Adventures of Superboink by Email    Xoxo,