On our last day in DAvao City, we dared tried to taste  Durian. Have you tried this spiky fruit which is also known as Asia’s King of Fruit?  Exaggeratedly said “smells like hell but taste like heaven”   so our curiosity grew more to really find out for ourselves.  The locals really loved the fruit even though it has poignant smell.  Even when the husk is still intact, the edible flesh emits intense odor which evokes different reactions from others who are not accustomed to the fruit and for first timers like us, we can’t seem to appreciate the taste because we were anticipating how bad the smell is.   Imagine, it is not allowed in public transportation, hotels, and other establishments.

Our group accepted the challenge to taste durian.  All were reluctant because of the aroma but I think 2 in our group were able to appreciate the taste.   Gee, my friend was right afterall when she told me that it smelled like a ‘rotting gym socks”…lol…   But if you have not tried it yet..take time to read on how Wiki describes durian:

The five cells are silky-white within, and are filled with a mass of firm, cream-coloured pulp, containing about three seeds each. This pulp is the edible part, and its consistence and flavour are indescribable. A rich custard highly flavoured with almonds gives the best general idea of it, but there are occasional wafts of flavour that call to mind cream-cheese, onion-sauce, sherry-wine, and other incongruous dishes. Then there is a rich glutinous smoothness in the pulp which nothing else possesses, but which adds to its delicacy. It is neither acid nor sweet nor juicy; yet it wants neither of these qualities, for it is in itself perfect. It produces no nausea or other bad effect, and the more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop. In fact, to eat Durians is a new sensation worth a voyage to the East to experience. … as producing a food of the most exquisite flavour it is unsurpassed.

Anyway,  the experience is again for the books… And to show you how we reacted to the challenge, I’ve posted our pictures in our un glamorous moment ever..  We were really rolling down with laughter as we reviewed the pictures with Asia’s King of Fruit!

spit it out!

hold it!

raised eyebrows!

I have never  tasted lamb and I had this misconception about this food…..not that I opposed to ever trying it but somehow I thought it does not taste good and disgusting to eat so I hesitated for a while when friends invited us to eat at Cabrito restaurant – famous for serving roasted lamb.  However, due to much prodding and their convincing powers, I joined them in a cubicle where we gathered round and sit comfortably on the carpet like the Arabs do.  Whoa!!! the serving was enormous.. a whole lamb leg good for 4-5 person served in a big platter with assorted types of rice to go with it.   The lamb meat is tender and juicy and flavored with spices so our group really enjoyed it.  By the way, the lamb served before us was eaten using  a grabbing apparatus (the hand), just pick up a chop and put it straight into your mouth….

A few lectures about lamb… accordingly, lamb is a good source of “good fat” so it is good for health conscious people because it has less saturated fat than any meat products.

Tender..succulent meat

Honestly, it’s just the thought of eating lamb that was grossing me out but actually, it was not bad as I thought.  I managed to have few servings and I was done….  I would like to believe that another lamb attack will make me at ease eating it just like them.  The aftertaste (or I was just getting paranoid) was watered down with hot tea and I was full…..

Before….

The after effect…..

Well, what a lamb experience!

A friend brought us hope and good news when she came back sleek and slim and looking young.  Of course, we were intrigued on how she did it.  Knowing that she also had this love and hate relationship with her stored fats…lol…. and yo-yo dieting is nothing new.  It is an endless battle of the bulge.   She will lose weight and gain it again in just few weeks.   She had tried all diets.. fad diet pills, yoga, tae-bo .. countless means to fight her ballooning weight…

However, this time, it was a success!  There is no surgical intervention because she hates surgery like liposuction that is why she is trying all possible means to lose weight.   We cornered and let her spill the beans… apparently, she has been drinking a new brand of  Slimming coffee and she hit the bulls eye… it is effective on her.  Actually, the effect is different for all types of people…she did not experience any side effects at all unlike others who swore that it is not good for them.

This time my friend Annie is bent to continue drinking the coffee and will do her work out to hasten her weight loss.  She is focussed to reach her goal because 6 months from now, her beau is going to arrive for their church wedding.   Any lady would want to look her best on her special day!  I am now tempted to try the coffee because I am one of the principal sponsors and of course, jut like the bride to be.. I also wanted to show off my new curves (if the coffee will work for me).

Let me see if I can ask for Annie’s before and after photo to post here… Just hang on…

My hubby just celebrated his 51st  birthdays 3 days ago.   Prelude to old age?  Well, I believe that he must do something about taking care of himself more because he (or we) are not getting any younger…. Last Sunday,while driving to  a meeting, he complained of shortness of breath and numbness on his left arm.  Knowing him having history of hypertension, alarmed, we proceeded to the Emergency room of a nearby hospital to have him checked.   He had his ECG done and X-ray (??? wonder why chest X-ray) and an IV fluid administered.

According to the attending physician, the pain was not related to hypertension but a neck problem, suspecting some nerves might have been blocked or twisted that caused numbness.  What a relief…but still he needs to take care.  He should not rest with the thought that his ECG was normal… he might overindulge again.  Actually that  is his weakness, he would not listen because he loves to eat and most often than not he would not skip eating those foods that he needs to avoid confident that his medicines are ever ready… lol…   Of course, I want him to enjoy food but he need to watch his intake.  I am not imposing too much restrictions on him and really, I would not want to see him starving.   Hubby should eat sensibly and healthy before it’s too late.

This illustration is worth sharing to all (including him….).

Oh well, it is really true… we can never teach an old man new tricks!

When our children were here for their semestral break from school, eating was no doubt a family affair.  And since our children has been away from us for almost a year, making up for the lost time is what we prepared for.   Of course, our wallets are open for their little indulgences like dining out and shopping on the side.  So, we hardly rest our tummies for special dishes each night that we dined out.   Really, “the family that eats together, gets fat together” because no one amongst  us  has ever  thought of dieting those times.

Before hubby and I set off to work, we already had plans where to take our children to dinner.  Yah, kinda spoiling them but nevermind.. both of us are happy to see them full and satisfied!   We know that rarely they can eat to their hearts content because as students , their monthly allowances are on budget.  We are teaching them how to budget their finances and that they are accountable for their expenditures.   So, they really know how to budget wisely.  We have  had imbibed in their minds the value of money and we taught them to cook at home rather than eating out.  I was amazed that despite their limited budget, they can still manage to save.   Of course, the emergency money are sent to my sister and will be dispensed to them everytime a project , field trip or unexpected expenses comes.

Our  food tripping were done successively, till we have noticed that the pounds were slowly creeping in.   We promised to have another motto that is “the family that exercise together, looks better together”.  However, we put off that motto for and let them enjoy their favorite pastime.. eating!

So, we have to double time (?) with rounds of fine dining restaurants in the city.  I will be posting some dining places we’ve been to.  And you will understand why we gained weight…..

1. Turkish restaurant –  eating in a Turkish restaurant is only once a month treat for us especially after payday but for a while we did not follow our regular schedule.

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shawarma

shawarma in plate…grilled lamb chops, homous, khobous, cocktail juice

2.  Steak house

3.  Pizza

5.  Ice cream stands

The pictures posted already depicted how we indulged.   A lot of dining places we’ve been to but  I wasn’t able to take pictures…. next time when we have the chance to go there again, I will surely post or blog about the place.

Oh dear…yah.. we know that gluttony is a mortal sin….. but I believe that we are not in that category yet… Anyway, the children had left already and it will be in 10 months time that they will come back here.  Well, it will give our tummy the time to rest.

Right after we had finished from the Embassy with our passport renewal, we headed to Outback Steakhouse to sample their meals.  I’ve been hearing about the restaurant from my colleague. Very timely indeed because the place is just few minutes drive from the embassy.  This is it it!

The ambiance is good,  the floor to wall to ceiling designs give the restaurant a unique look and feel of the place.  the waiters are very attentive and well trained.  The menu consists of beef and steak, chicken, ribs and pasta items.  It was a pleasant dining experience and we will come back for more.  This is definitely an alternative steakhouse restaurant because we already have outgrown other steak houses in the city.

One thing we’ve noticed is how this bread looked like and how it was presented.   Lol.  like a sword of Lancelot??? In fairness, though the color of the bread is a bit odd, it tasted good with butter as spread.

The salad is fresh with Thousand Island dressings but uses serving spoon (maybe to scoop the dressing)

Our soups are Creamy Onion soup (surprisingly, it tasted good) and zucchini soup (hmmm.. fine)

I ordered what they called Chicken Barbie (where’s Ken????) with mashed potato

Papa had a medium rare steak with mashed potato.  Notice the serving of their steak is just enough… small serving for my Papa’s big appetite!

Our overall impression!  Good because of bold flavors, moderate servings, affordable prices, good quality service…  Definitely we will come back for more!

I am trying to trim down a bit because few months from now hubby and I will be celebrating our Silver wedding Anniversary… Since, we are planning to have a grand renewal of vows … I will see to it that it will be a formal party, the ladies in their gowns and the gentlemen dashing in their coat and tie.  Afterall, being married to the same man for 25 years is really an event to celebrate.   So, to start with, I have to live a healthy lifestyle… because I have noticed lately that I am gaining the lost pounds again.   Having a bowl of fresh fruits is what I love most!   Since it is rich in fiber, I know it is healthy… it helps me to avoid snacking because I can feel that I am still full till  my next meal.  Next that I have to do is to exercise , though it is hard to start the work out but as the saying goes… no pain, no gain…. We will see in the next few months….

love it!!!

I don’t know but for some reason,I fancied making this steamed rice cake (puto), after a long day outside.  There, I was as soon as we arrived home, found myself busy in the kitchen making my comfort food for the day!  Actually, days before, I had already prepared the ingredients and ready for steaming so it is ready anytime.   So, even how tired I was, I still managed to have colorful steamed rice cake for snacks.

If you happened to like the picture, I assure you it does not only look good…it taste good too!…. let me share with you how it is done.

Materials:
Steamer
Mixing bowl
Strainer
Muffin pan
Measuring cups and spoons
Wooden spoon or wire whisk

Puto Ingredients:
2 cups rice flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup white sugar
1 cup grated coconut (or coconut flakes)

Procedure

• 1. Sift the rice flour, salt, baking powder and white sugar together.
• 2. In a bowl, add the coconut milk to the sifted ingredients and blend until the mixture is smooth.
• 3. Add whatever flavoring you wish like vanilla and then mix, blend thoroughly.
• 4. Carefully pour the mixture into the muffin pans (greased with butter beforehand), making sure you leave 1/3 space at the top. This is to give space to expand upon cooking.
• 5. Steam for about 30 minutes.
• 6. Check if done by inserting a toothpick into the center of each muffin—the toothpick must come out clean.
• 7. Top with grated coconuts

Happy eating!

The fastfood that is the Filipino version of Mc Donalds

Right after office, we headed to the still ” talk of the town”  fast food chain that is Jollibee…..It is like a magnet that seemingly pulling all of us with an invincible force.   No matter what discouraging stories we’ve heard still it would not stop us in going there.   We still want to be part of the crowd that were patiently waiting in line just to have a taste of what we grew up with… the Chicken joy, the Yum Burger, the Jolly Spaghetti or the Burger steak.

I persuaded hubby to bring me to the place but he won’t give in to my request because he doesn’t have the patience to wait for hours.  He told me that my craving can still wait.  But I have cravings … cravings for fried chicken.!   “Forget it” was his quick reply especially it was the opening week and we heard from  friends that they braved the “almost crazy crowd” that snaked it’s way to the fastfood.

Hubby explained to me (as if I am a child that needed a good talk), that we should wait for a little longer say a month hoping the crowd will disperse or get tired of waiting in line.   So, almost 3 weeks since it opened last February 6, when I lovingly told hubby that it is about time to meet Jollibee.   When we were at the entrance, my heart was jubilant because the store seemed to be quiet but to my dismay,  it was jampacked inside.  To my  calculation it will take us about an hour to be able to reach the counter.   I was secretly checking on hubby,  who was somewhat fidgety and I know that any moment he might back up.  Since we were almost close to the counter,  I amused him with stories so that he will not get bored.

Is this all??? Oh my….

At last, we had our orders taken… but I guess, due to the long wait , my craving was gone…  We ended up ordering ONLY 1 chicken meal (chicken with a cup sized rice and gravy to go with it),  a piece of  chicken leg and palabok (they call it a combo meal), softdrink and juice and yes, no more…..  Lol… that’s the charm of Jollibee… you will go there crazy about the thought that you will be able to eat your homegrown favorite and then that’s about it.   You can’t resist to take pictures while inside (like what others are doing), which you will excitedly post in Facebook for your friends to see that you’ve finally made it there.

Waited almost 1 hour in line for this meal… I am not kidding!

The spacious Jollibee meal box!

My  profile shoutout “ I’ve been to Jollibee”….