Garden Chef's Needle and Pen

Stir Fried Sambal Belacan Long Beans That's the Malaysian dish ordered by Billy, my husband, for lunch on our last day in Kuala Lumpur.  We both liked it so I tried to guess how it is made by giving the ingredients a good munch. I saw anchovies among the beans! Billy said he misses anchovies. I was certain I still had some in the ref at home. :) Challenged by what I tasted but too tired from the trip back to Manila, I had no time to search about how to make sambal belacan. I ended with this--- Stir Fried String Beans with Dried Anchovies and Shrimp Paste.  Yeah, I had to make do without the sambal belacan sauce. Afterall, I wasn't sure if any of us would have tolerated the real spicy flavor. Here's how I did my own modified version of the dish.  Ingredients: 1 cup dried anchovies oil 1 tbsp garlic 1 medium onion, sliced 2 tbsps shrimp paste 1 bunch string beans, cut 1 large tomato, cut  Steps: 1. Heat anchovies in pan until brown and crispy. Add just a very little oi...

This is not the first time I'm writing about making a Business Card Sleeve. In my previous post about crocheting this project (click here to view post), I shared about my experience from a spiritual standpoint. This sleeve can be used to keep business or loyalty cards. This time, the feature is about how to crochet on the opposite side of the chain. This tutorial  by Rachel Choi of Crochet Spot talks about how to do that. This is very easy and simple because all you have to do is repeat the rows round and round until you reach the desired size.  Enjoy making as many business card sleeves using different colors for your friends. 

Thinking of a dish to serve for breakfast? Or pack lunch for kids? Y ou might want to try this! For the past weeks, office work has seemed to drain my energy that when I get home I just prefer to prepare simple and easy-to-cook dishes.   Here's exactly one of those quick veggie and egg dishes that I cook for dinner or lunch the following day --- Corned beef-veggie omelette. Here's how. Ingredients: oil 1/2 large onion, sliced 1 can corned beef  1/2 carrot, sliced 1/2 green bell pepper, diced 1/2 red bell pepper, diced 1 small broccoli florets  1 large tomatoes, sliced pinch of salt, ground pepper and other spices of choice (allspice, thyme) 3 eggs, beaten 1 tbsp leeks Steps: Heat oil in pan.  Saute onion and corned beef.  Add carrots, bell peppers, broccoli and tomatoes. Simmer.  Transfer sauteed mixture to a platter. Set aside. Heat oil in pan. Add 3/4 of beaten egg mixture. Allow egg mixture to settle at bottom of...

Home-church-home is our family's usual routine on Sundays. Between church and home, after attending the Sunday Worship Service,  we would often stop for lunch at Toni's Grill. Located right in the middle of Shakey's Pizza and Dunkin Donuts  at Pearl Drive Mall, Fairview, Quezon City,  Toni's Grill has become a frequent weekend hangout of our family for lunch.  Opening the door, this is what you will see. Did you say ambiance? Well, not a very formal atmosphere inside. Homey is more like it. We do see familiar faces almost every week. Toni's Grill is gradually becoming a luncheon melting pot of families coming from different churches in the Fairview community. A very practical place to dine where one can enjoy simple legitimate Filipino cuisine at very reasonable prices. We have a favorite spot at one corner where this big wall painting is the background. Now it's time to order! Com'on! Pick your choi...

Enjoying an afternoon cup of coffee alone? Tired of staring at your old plain mug? Here, let me introduce you to this Mug Cozy! Your new coffee mate from now on. Isn't it a cutie?  It has been three weeks since I made this mug cozy but I haven't publicly acknowledged the author of its pattern in my site yet. So here it is. That's my little  Samsung Galaxy S3 buddy keeping me company, showcasing the Mug Cozy pattern from Bubblegirl Boutique Hand Knits   at the background. That's the Red Heart variegated yarn I used. I still have some left-over in my stash that I can use for another project. My finished Bubblegirl's Mug Cozy before the button was sewn into place I worked on it while watching TV before I went to bed. It was very easy to make. Only that I just had to guess where to fasten the button because I wasn't sure about the exact circumference of the mug. I gave it as a gift last Fathers' Day to a dear brother in our church.  ...

Wow, Facebook is flooded with photos of fathers today, being Fathers' Day. Hmmm... I hate to admit that I started my Fathers' Day crochet marathon verrryyyy late, two days ago, to be exact, and working only in between chores after office work. As a result, I was only able to finish eight items.

The moon is at her full, and riding high,  Floods the calm fields with light.  The airs that hover in the summer sky  Are all asleep to-night. - William C. Bryant A very peculiar view of the moon in the sky last night I went home a little late yesterday. I was a few steps away from our gate when I noticed the moon's peculiar face. As if it was looking down at me, I couldn't resist taking a picture of it so I hurriedly fumbled for my camera from my bag. Tadah! I was able to get some shots. I am no professional photographer. Neither do I have a high definition digital camera so I had to be contented with these photos I collaged out  of what I took last night. Have a restful and enjoyable weekend!

I was googling for some images to post for Mother's Day last Sunday. I found one which reminded me of one Sunday exactly 24 years ago.  For some reasons though, I wasn't able to post the image but here it is... Photo from  google Why did I pick that image? Well, it reminds me of this... 4.4 lbs! Oh yes, I never ever thought she would see the light that early! I (I mean, we... Billy, my husband, and I) was not yet ready! May 13, 1990, that's exactly 24 years ago when I went under the knife for the first time. I was diagnosed to have preeclampsia (a medical condition in a pregnant woman characterized by increased blood pressure and high levels of protein in the urine. Praise God it didn't progress to eclampsia, which is even more life-threatening, as it is characterized by seizures during pregnancy.) I was treated with intravenous fluids containing antihypertensive medications. My blood pressure went as high as 180/110 and wouldn't go back to normal,...