For my Mom’s birthday three days ago, the family and I decided to have dinner at Cyma at Trinoma.  You’ve probably read so many times how much we enjoy dining there and here’s one of the reasons why: their Greek roasted potatoes.  I wanted to try making those potatoes at home, but I haven’t really thought of the right way to go about the process.

Lucky for me, I turned the television on at just the right time to catch Chef at Home at the Asian Food Channel two nights ago, and Chef Michael Smith was preparing Greek Potato and Spinach Salad (click on the link to get the recipe off his microsite at Food Network Canada).  After watching him prepare the dish, I decided to use Chef Smith’s recipe as my guide in trying to make a home-made version of Cyma’s potatoes, and here’s what I ended up with:

I followed most of the things Chef Smith did, but I didn’t prepare the potatoes with spinach.  I also minimized the amount of butter and salt used in the recipe to make it a little healthier for my Mom to eat.  The verdict?  It didn’t taste exactly like the ones they serve in Cyma, but it was pretty close!  Everyone enjoyed it as part of our family dinner, but Pointyman did say that he found the sourness of the lemon a little too sharp to his liking so I might have to do a little adjusting here and there when I prepare this dish again.

I know it’s been a while since I last posted items we ordered from restaurants and so here I am with one for you lovely people! *grin*

My family and I decided to have breakfast at Conti’s Trinoma this morning after Mons said that their Malunggay (Moringa in English) Omelette was very good.  This was the first time that I actually had breakfast at Conti’s since I normally just have lunch there with family or friends.  Let me show you what we ordered:

Malunggay Omelette with Toast (Php145).  You can choose to have rice instead of toast.

French Toast (Php105).  This is what I had.  Pretty tasty and filling.  My mom loves the sausages!

American Breakfast (Php105).

Hot Chocolate (Php55).  Definitely a winner!

I must say, the food is pretty good and yes, that Malunggay Omelette is yummy.  By the way, the entrees that you order for breakfast will NOT include drinks, so you do have to order coffee, tea or hot chocolate.  I really enjoyed the hot chocolate since it was very rich and it kind of reminded my of the drinks I had when I was younger.  Mons’ coffee came with a one-time complimentary refill, so for Php55 I guess that was well worth it.

I have to admit though, the food was really good but what really made our breakfast delightful was the good conversation.  I hope we have more breakfasts outside the house in the future.

**Conti’s can be located at Trinoma Mall, Serendra, Connecticut Street in Greenhills and at BF Homes Commercial Center in Parañaque.

I spent the last few days of the Holy Week in Subic with The Boyfriend and his family.  I had a great time at the beach as there were not a lot of people during our stay and it was a newly opened resort.  My companions also did a bit of shopping here and there, purchasing souvenirs and clothing.  There was one pair of shoes at the Freeport that I really liked, but they didn’t carry my size.  =(

However, things took a turn for the better when I managed to buy these delicious chocolates at The Royal Subic Duty Free.  They cost a bit less than what I would’ve paid if I bought them here in Manila, and since I was already there in Subic, I just couldn’t resist!

Note: That Swedish chocolate Daim (red bag) is my personal favorite!

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I would also like to share that Open Game Table: The Anth0logy of Roleplaying Game Blogs, Vol.1 is now available for purchase.  It costs $22.95 if you purchase it through Amazon.com.  I’m just not entirely sure if a bookstore or a hobby store will be selling the book here in Manila.

Congratulations to my brother, Pointyman, whose article is featured in Open Game Table Vol.1.  One of your other literary pieces was in Philippine Speculative Fiction, and now this?  You make us proud.

One Sunday a couple of weeks ago, I went to Starbucks with my brother Mons, and The Boyfriend.  We spotted this tumbler, which resembled a Venti container for Starbuck’s iced drinks, that were for sale.  I wanted one for myself just because I found it ridiculously cute (okay fine, and because I’m in love with their iced caramel macchiato).

The three of us went back to the same Starbucks branch last Sunday and I noticed that the tumbler was no longer on display.  We thought they were already sold out, and I felt a little sad.  No more tumbler for me.

Guess what?  Mons surprised me with a package this morning and it contained this:

Nyahahahaha!  The Starbucks tumbler is now mine!  It looks a lot like the regular ones they use to serve the iced beverages, but wait until you actually hold it between your beautiful hands….this tumbler is seriously way better than those!  Look at the screw on lid:

Thank you for this, Mons!

…..Oh, the glorious perks of having older brothers!

I was having a great time in the kitchen since being able to purchase fresh parsley from the market the other day, and after using some of them in my corn chowder, I decided to try making my own Shirazi Salad. It’s a salad made primarily of cucumbers, tomatoes and onions.  I remember reading somewhere that this type of salad is a favorite in the Middle Eastern countries.  Here’s a photo of the final product:

I ate the salad during lunch with my pan fried tangigue (Spanish mackerel), which I have pictured below, while Mom and Pointyman had it with rice and steamed shrimp.

I really enjoyed the salad, especially since the lemon juice I used gave it just the right amount of tanginess.  The rest of my family will definitely being seeing more of it in our future meals together!

My Mom and I decided to try our hand at preparing our own mapo tofu for dinner.  We wanted to replicate the dish we used to serve at our restaurant, sans the AA flour that is used to thicken the sauce.  Here is the outcome:

And I have to say, it was DELISH!  I ended up eating too much rice (and I would probably have to jog it all off), but I don’t really care.  The mapo tofu became the highlight of our dinner and I was just so happy to have finally eaten it again! 

I have no explanation for this, I just know I want a floppy hat like this one from Banana Republic:

(photo from http://www.outblush.com)

Just thinking about it makes me giddy!

Back in China, I used to run in the track and field stadiums during the late afternoons.  There were two of them inside the university grounds and they were perfect areas to jog and/or brisk walk.  I did the one hour sessions almost everyday, so most of the other people who exercised there became familiar faces.  Most of the runners were older people, and I have to admit that some of them are in better shape than I am.

I was glad when my brother, Mons, asked me to resume my running/jogging last Sunday when we went to Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan, Manila. We were there a little before 7:30 am and there were already a lot of runners/joggers.  Greenhills has always been a place for people who wanted to exercise.  There are those who run/jog or walk, and there are even those who occupy the empty parking lots for belly dancing classes.  Most of the runners run around the mall’s perimeter and finish their routines before the mall opens at around 10 a.m.

for morning jogs – by jua_moxy on Polyvore.com

I ran out of breath pretty quickly last Sunday, especially since I’ve stopped running for almost a year.  I will be heading to Greenhills again tomorrow morning in order for me to start increasing my stamina.  I will probably look for a place to run and brisk walk nearer home since the mall is a little far from our place, but for now, Greenhills will do.

This is going to sound a little crazy: Most of my muscles are sore right now, and yet I feel incredibly happy.  It’s REALLY great to be able to start running/brisk walking again!

The Boyfriend and his family went to Bohol (in Central Visayas, Philippines) a couple of weeks ago and came home with a couple of treats for me and my family.  One of which was this box of Peanut Kisses:

These little things are freakishly good!  I don’t remember eating them before, so I was pleasantly surprised when I popped one in my mouth today.  Peanut Kisses are made out of peanuts, cane sugar, egg whites and vanilla.  I know they don’t look very appetizing, but they’re really good.  No wonder they’re one of Bohol’s delicacies.

Thanks again Boyfriend and family!

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Oh, and to my good friend Mikey:  THANK YOU (again) for teaching me how to use Adobe Photoshop the other day!

Nobody can deny that summer is definitely here in Manila. With temperatures reaching up to 38 degrees celsius in the afternoons, people can get pretty cranky.  Some people, I’m guessing most are students enjoying their summer break from school, rush to the malls to take advantage of the air conditioning in order to keep cool.

For days when I can’t join the crowd at the mall and turning the air conditioning on at home is a definite no-no, I’m thankful our fridge is stocked with the handy Wong Lo Kat Herbal Tea.

I’m sure you’ve seen this can in the grocery stores at one time or another, but just didn’t pay much attention to it.  A lot of people still reach out for the usual can of soda when they need something cold to drink.  When my Dad introduced this tea to us a couple of years back, I was hooked!  It’s very clean to the palate and when served cold, it’s reminiscent of the (black) grass jelly dessert you usually get served with in Chinese restaurants.  So yes, it’s sweet, not bitter.

Wong Lo Kat boasts of being good for your health, as it removes the “heat” in your body when you’re down with a fever or a sore throat (this works for me).  It’s an herbal tea introduced during the Qing Dynasty, and it still is very popular among Chinese families today.  I suggest you get yourself one and drink it this summer.  I guarantee you’ll feel refreshed afterwards!

***Wong Lo Kat can be bought in most supermarkets in and outside the Philippines.  It costs Php30 per can in The Landmark, and I know it’s cheaper in some other areas.