Halabos na Hipon

Ingredients:

1 kilo hipon (shrimp)

1 cup 7up or sprite

1/4 block butter

1/2 head garlic, crushed

salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Trim whiskers and legs of each shrimps, wash thoroughly.

2. Put shrimp in a pot, add butter, 7up or sprite, garlic and season with salt to taste.

3. Bring to a boil, simmer and keep covered in a medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stirring occasionally.

4. Serve hot.

Diningdeng

Diningdeng is an Ilocano dish, this is one of my husband's favorite. It is a dish of boiled vegetables and grilled or fried fish flavored with bagoong na isda.

Ingredients:
3-5 tbsp. bagoong na isda.
1 pc. onion, cut into 4
1 pc. tomato, slice
1 small size kamote, cubed
kalabasa, cut into wedges
okra, cut into wedges
eggplant,cut into wedges
sigarillas,cut into wedges
sitaw. cut into 2” lengths
saluyot tops, leaves
malunggay leaves
grilled or fried fish, sliced crosswise

Cooking Procedure:
Boil 1-2 cups of water, onion and tomato in a casserole. Put bagoong na isda and 2 pcs. fried fish, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in kamote cubes and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add in all the vegetables, vegetables that will require longer time to cook at the bottom and leafy vegetables at the top. Add more water if necessary. Simmer until vegetables are cooked but firm. Serve hot.

Baguio City

We lived in Baguio City for almost 6 years. It’s nice to live there; I really enjoyed living in Baguio City. But there comes a time that I’m lonely because I miss my parents and my siblings, I am the only one who is away from them. Anyway, there are thing that I really miss in Baguio City:

1. The cold weather and the fog, especially during the month of December up
to February.
2. Fresh vegetables
3. Yummy strawberry
4. Peanut brittle, lengua de gato and chocolate cereal
5. The Panagbenga or the flower parade
6. My neighbor in Dacanay Compound at P. Burgos St
7. Last but not the least my very dear friends there.
8. And of course my parents-in-law who live there, they are good to me.

Hopefully this year we can go Baguio City to visit my parents-in-law and our friends, to stroll, feel the cold weather and buy pasalubong going back to Manila.

Childless

I’m a plain housewife, married for six years and still trying to conceive. I have a strong faith that in God’s time we will have our own bundle of joy. I really want to have my own family and I want to be a mom. But if we are not lucky to have our own child, perhaps that is God’s plan for us. No questions ask we will surely accept it for He knows what is the best for us. Besides there is another option to have a child, right? Maybe in the right time we will consider adoption to make our family complete.

Being depressed for not having a child is not healthy and wouldn't help me at all . Not having a child is not a sin, there's no reason to be sad and feel guilty. Life is beautiful if you will only look at the brighter side of it. For now, I'm enjoying my life as a wife. I’ll make sure that I have enough time for my husband and attend to all his needs. Once a week we go for a date, my hubby's weakness is to dine out, we’re enjoying each other. With or without a child we will love each other for the rest of our lives, nothing can separate us.

I will never give up, I always pray hard, for I know all prayers are being answer at the right time. God answer prayers in three ways: yes, no and just wait. There are gifts that are being sent a little bit late. There are couples who had children in their late years of marriage.

String beans with Oyster sauce

Have you ever wondered how a simple string beans turn into special dish? You must try my very own version of string beans with oyster sauce. It’s easy to prepare, and for sure your family and friends will love it.


Ingredients:

1 tofu, cut into thick strip
1 small can mushroom, slice into 2 or 4
2 bundle string beans cut into 2” length
½ cup oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 red bell pepper cut into strip
1 small Ginger cut into strip
1 Onion, diced
½ head garlic minced
Salt to taste
Cooking oil

Cooking Procedure:

Deep fry tofu until crisp outside and cut into strip. Set aside.
Sauté ginger, garlic, onion and mushroom.
Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, water and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add in string beans and stir cook for 3-5 minutes or until half cooked.
Add in bell pepper and tofu.
Thicken sauce with cornstarch diluted in ½ cup water. Stir cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot.

Enjoy eating!