Love is in the Air

Children are very expressive of their love. They love unconditionally. Oh how I wish everybody loves like them,  trusting, true and overflowing.

Our activities are always coupled with a fine picture book.

1. Book: Cranberry Valentine

We fell in love with Cranberry Thanksgiving, so we continued with the series. After reading, my daughter is inspired to do Valentine cards.

2. Arts and Craft- Valentine Cards
As simple as it sounds, but it develops fine motor skills on cutting, pasting.
Brainstorm ideas and let those creative thoughts coming.
Practice writing, drills might bore a young child, but expressing their thoughts get them writing.

3. Bake
A recipe is provided at the back of the book, or celebrate with a special treat and make the whole activity memorable

4. Quotes and Bible Verses
Make a heart chain filled with verses about love, open one per day and discuss further.

5. Sensory Play: Color Baskets
 Present one color at a time for your toddler, starting with primary colors, in this case it is red.

photo from Counting Coconuts

6. Sensory Play : Find the Heart
Identify the shape, use visual discrimination.
Touch the sides and contour, let him feel and trace the shape.
Games to play, blindfold the child let him find the heart shape thru sense of touch.
Another variety, put several shapes inside a pouch and let him find the shape.

photo from Orange and Coco

May your love overflow unconditionally. 

Noodles from Scratch

This month's theme is Jazz Kitchen, singing, dancing to Jazz music and of course activities to make it memorable

1. Book:

2. Practical Life & Math
Grocery list, ingredients listing , money counting, and measuring are among the things you can learn in this simple task

Count, pay and go

3. Project Noodles from Scratch
Learn cooking terms by doing and seeing it

insisted on making noodles just like the animals in the book

mixing and measuring

kneading the dough

cutting by an adult (start with banana slicing for your child)
the one we did is still too thick

twirling some noodles for drying, we tried different shapes

4. Cooking: 

tomatoes, cheese & mushroom

Viola, finished product

5. Music : Singing and Drums
- Note reading: quarter note and eighth note, getting a beat

pum pa dum dum

Happy Eating, Reading and Singing everyone!

Home Cooking #3 Maki

I am still doing recipes from this book, adding a bit of my own.

Book: The Sexy Chef Cookbook

I prepared a maki before, but it takes me more time to prepare. Also, I always have leftover rice since I am only preparing for 3-4 persons. 

Cutting out some of the rice in our meals, here is an alternate to your heavy appetizers. Check out the book for more details.

Appetizers or Snacks: California Pinwheel Maki

Smoked Salmon Maki

It is so easy to prepare, even my husband stepped in to take over!

Happy eating everyone!

Home Cooking #2 Potato Soup

I have bought cookbooks, but they are mostly on my shelf untouched. This however has me trying one page after the other.

Book: The Sexy Chef Cookbook

I usually buy canned soup then add veggies on it. Yes I know it has msg and loads of salt. Now I'm doing a proper and healthier option, replacing whatever's missing in my pantry.

Soup: Creamy Potato Soup with Broccoli

I used broccoli instead of asparagus because it is unavailable at that time.

Main Dish: Japanese Fried Cauliflower Rice
In this dish I tried to make a bigger serving, underestimating my cauliflower quantity, I added rice to my supposed no rice meal. Wait for the second run of this dish.

Happy healthy eating everyone!

Home Cooking #1 Stuffed Tomatoes & Seafood Thermidor

Moms with two kids and without help means a challenge to fit all the time to do things.

Complicated recipes are not an option for me, but I need to include healthy cooking in our diet.

Local recipe book is the best way to start since all the ingredients are readily available. 

Book: The Sexy Chef Cookbook

It is Holy Week. Fasting or abstaining from meat is a common practice for Catholics. 

Here are our choice for the seafood recipe.

Appetizer: Stuffed Tomatoes

Smoked Fish or Tinapa mixed with cream sauce

loved the taste of tinapa on tomatoes

Main Dish: Seafood Thermidor

Shrimp, Cream Dory, Squid and Carrots

need to add mushroom green peas and corn,
most market are closed so we have to make do with what's available

I am trying out new recipes to explore my daughter's palate and to improve her eating preferences.

Wish me luck and Bon Appetit!

Tour: Kulinarya Tagala II

From morning activities, it is just walking distance towards our next destination, the Gala-Rodriguez Ancestral House

3. A Walk in History

Local conservationists has been fighting to keep the Art Deco gate.

the wife, Gala-Rodriguez' Ancestral Home,
designed by Architect Juan Nakpil furniture commissioned by Don Gonzalo Puyat

cameras, radio and a lot more from the 40's to 60's

secret passageway

4. Pit Stop for  Pasalubong

We can never resist to bring home food for family and friends.

Uraro, Broas, and the famous Yema Cake, yum!

4. Lunching on a Quezon Cuisine

 Graceland Estates & Country Club, Memphis Garden  Cafe 

  

The best one of all is the Sinigang (photo courtesy of Inquirer, we devoured on it as soon as we had it leaving nothing to take picture of!)

a specialty, sinigang sa buko

5. Art 

You enter and hear a local song being played accompanied by the sound of these chimes.

beautiful and locally made chimes

The artist Ugu Bigyan at work

Butterfly Chimes

perfectly done pots, later deformed and shaped by the artist's hand, making it unique and simply remarkable

6. Dessert 
Ugu Bigyan's Restaurant,  Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines

Halu-halo in a goblet,
a great way to cool off the afternoon

6. Tagay (shot) ritual

Our tour guide and  tanggera (host for the lambanog shot)
of the day , Ms Tina Decal caps the day

The shot ritual, all having our round to accept or to decline

All in a day. I hope you'll take the tour and experience it.
I didn't write about the whole story of Quezon, it is up to you to find out.