Penne in Tomato and Cheese

I had a craving for Sbarro Baked Ziti, but since it's impossible to find that here, I wanted to make anything Penne. I have a Penne Pasta, my friends left me with fresh tomatoes from the last party and I have a bag of Mozarella Cheese, what to do? So after searching the net I found this recipe which originally requires baking but because I don't have an oven, I used the oven toaster instead.

My camera phone ran out of battery so I wasn't able to take a picture of it, also I thought it would come out just okay and not worth blogging about. But I was wrong, it turned out delicious and if I just added more mozarella cheese and salt, it would have came very, very close to baked ziti. I now love toasted mozarella cheese. Even reminded me of Pizza Hut... yum, yum.

Again here's something vegetarian for a change, and fitting for the lenten season. It's so, so easy pa I swear!

Ingredients:
single serving of Penne Pasta (basta ndi marami, yung tama lang for 1 person)
1 fresh tomato, sliced in to cubes or 1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon of dried Oregano
garlic and onion
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
salt and pepper
lots of mozarella cheese (at least 1/2 cup)

How to:

1. If you're using fresh tomato, the first step is making the tomato sauce. In a heated casserole, put in the sliced tomato, mix it, flatten the tomato cubes, put 2 tablespoons of water and the sugar, when you think the tomato has been juiced out, meaning there are more juices and less tomato cubes, set it aside.
2. Cook the Penne Pasta like any pasta.
3. Heat vegetable oil, or any cooking oil, saute the onion and garlic.
4. Pour in the tomato sauce, and add the oregano, adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Then simmer.
5. Turn off the fire, add in some of the mozarella cheese.
6. Mix it with the cooked Penne Pasta.
7. Put it in an aluminum plate or bowl and put the rest of the mozarella cheese on top.
8. Place inside the oven toaster and heat it for 7 minutes.
9. If you're a cheese addict, you can sprinkle it with parmesan cheese upon serving or eating.
   

Eggs and Buffalo

I'm in search for light meals that doesn't require pork or beef in accordance to this season of lent. I found this Egg in Tomato Sauce recipe which is just perfect. I tried it, it tastes goood but because I have no talent in cooking eggs in any style(they just manage to appear ugly), I opted to post the pic from the blog where I got the recipe instead.

I followed the recipe (saute garlic, put the tomato sauce and the rest of the seasonings, then break the egg) but I made changes with the ingredients because some are not available here.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
tomato sauce
dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt, black pepper, & cayenne pepper or chilli pepper to taste
1-2 eggs per person (up to eight)
parmesan cheese

Try it for your breakfast, or light dinner... i now love the taste of egg and tomatoes together!

**********

Because it's just impossible to satisfy my hubby with just an egg for dinner, especially when he only had bread for lunch (yeah bad wife), I made him Buffalo Wings which I just discovered is easy to make. Yes it's the same buffalo wings we enjoy at Don Hen's or Hooters in Singapore.

Ingredients
chicken wings (cut the small part of the wing)
oil for deep frying

for the chicken breading:
1 dash pepper , Ground
1 dash garlic powder

1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika or chilli pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

for the chili sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup hot sauce (or depending how hot you want it)

Mild: Use 3/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup hot sauce.
Hot: Use 1/4 cup butter and 3/4 cup hot sauce.

Directions:

• mix the breading
• wash and dry the chicken
• completely coat the chicken with the breading.
• chill for at least an hour (This will help the breading to stick to the wings when fried.)
• deep fry the chicken until brown
  
• place in a paper towel or strainer to drain the oil
• Then melt the butter, mix in the hot sauce
• pour the chicken into the pan to coat it with the butter and hot sauce mixture
• serve hot

I served this during our house warming and little Chelsey's mexican themed birthday party.. and the guests loved it! I am sure you will love it too! =)

Bad Hair Days

I called the Salon to make a weekend appointment for haircut and hair color, then I realized my dry scalp also badly needs of moisture so I added hot oil. Since I'm already at it I figured to just do a complete overhaul with a facial, manicure and pedicure. So there, I was slated for an early 10 am appointment for the next day, it's rather early but I have to make it on time if I am serious about beautifying myself, you know how strict Japanese are with appointments.

But alas! the following day I woke up at 11 am... I was so so late! Before I could grab my phone to take my chance on my appointment, I realized it's just a dream, heck I can't even speak nihonggo to make that appointment! And of course, I don't have that money to waste for those kind of services.

I guess my subconscious is missing my regular salon visits back home, as well as my aching ingrown toe nails. How I miss our condo in MET where my favorite salon was just in the ground floor. For only P100 I could just ask Bong, the stylist to blow dry my hair straight if I just feel like having a straight hair for the day. He is also the best colorist I know coz hindi "nangangalawang" yung color even if 4 months have passed when I had it done.

I have been wanting to grow my hair long but I didn't realize it's so hard to maintain a very, very curly long hair without the help of those trims and hot oil treatments. I didn't even bring my ever reliable virgin coconut oil! Every day, it takes at least 10 minutes to untangle every strand and now, I can't sleep without the hair clamp Rose gave me because I had to tie it up while sleeping or else that 10 minutes will become 30 minutes just for the hair alone.

I love my hair now, but I think I have to give it up. Not that I'll go bald, but I am thinking of having my hair shorter for easier maintenance. I wonder if these styles will work for me, hehe.

Egg Tart

the box says "Please enjoy our taste!", oh I surely did!!

Let me share to you the most delicious egg tart i've ever tasted. We were ordering Cooc pizza for dinner when I saw the egg tarts on the brochure, it's been a while since I had one so I ordered a box. It costs Y299 (113 php) for two small rounds but it was definitely worth it!

It was still warm when it arrived which lasted even after we have finished the pizza. The crust is like a soft biscuit, it's crunchy but you won't be afraid to lose a teeth when you bite it like the normal pie/tart crusts I have eaten. It breaks on your first bite and the egg filling practically melts in your mouth that you don't need to chew it. The caramel on top gives that sweet after taste.

To give a better picture, it is an egg tart that tastes so much like a creme brulee.

I love it! I love it! from now on, we're surely be ordering pizza more often. =D

Top 1

I was very, very shy and anti-social back in gradeschool and because of that I only made 1 bestfriend then. She was rowdy, tactless and "burara"(which is why after 5 yrs the boys in our batch got the shock of their lives when she was crowned Mutya ng Dabaw), very opposite from my passive persona which I forgot how we were able to bond, but we managed. And she is the longest/oldest (how would you describe that) friend I have.

Her being studious influenced me to do better in school. I think I have never studied harder in my entire life. We even spent our recess and lunch breaks at the library studying. Ever since I made friends with her, I became consistently in honor roll and graduated in top ten. We never competed with each other, however there's this girl she wanted so badly to beat. This girl is our top 1 and she gets upset whenever she slips in her race.

When I asked her why she couldn't be happy with her top 2 spot, she answered that because her dad promised to stop drinking if she was able to land on class' top 1. See, her dad couldn't make a day pass without at least a bottle of beer. He wasn't a bum or a drunkard, he is actually a doctor and a very good father. As a child who descended from a family of doctors(her mother is also a doctor), she knew very well that this is bad for her father's health. While I enjoy the P10 my grandfather pays me per honor certificate, her efforts are all for a more serious cause. There was a time that I wanted to ask miss top 1 to study less and let my bestfriend go ahead, or maybe I asked her that and she just smiled at me. I forgot. Well anyways, my bestfriend still failed to land on that precious spot.

Last Sunday night, my brother broke the bad news, my bestfriend's father died of liver problem probably all those alchohol took its toll. It was said to be sudden, one day he just went in coma then died the next day. And these memories loomed over my head when I heard about it.

The last time I talked to tito was during my wedding preparations when I went to their house to look for my friend. And he gave me pointers about marriage. Well, you never really know.

It makes me sad thinking about her and how she is right now. I asked my bro to buy flowers or mass card but I want to call her or send her a message, but what would I say? When you know there's nothing you can do to make her feel better. Oh what to do... =(

Happy Valentine's Day

Unlike in the Pinas, UK, US or Singapore where all my friends were whining about how hearts and commercialism about this day flutter all around the places, it is the complete opposite here in the land of the rising sun. It is as mundane as usual, quiet and no im-so-sad-i-don't-have-a-date-today faces splattered on the streets.

But the stores are filled with chocolates though, because on this day, the girls actually have a chance to send their feelings across a clueless man with a pretty box of chocolate, hoping that at the same day next month they will reply with another box of chocolate or flowers if they are lucky.

Days before valentines I get fliers for a session of chocolate making lesson or valentine cake baking lesson. And the hundred yen shop is brimming with cute wrapping stuff and baking ingredients that are not ordinarily available. While stocking up on confectionery sugar, dried fruits, peanut crush.. etc.. which I don't plan to use for valentines but just contingencies in case I will need them in my future cooking or baking attempts, I see lots of giggly high school girls shopping for their ingredients and wrappers for the chocolate they were going to make. All these because if you want to send your feelings across with a stronger impact, the chocolate should not just come from a store's shelf, but should be lovingly made with your own hands from scratch. If Maria Clara have known about this, it would definitely make her gasp for air in protest.

One may see this as a male chauvinistic part of their culture, but after seeing those high school girls smile with excitement and after a walk down the memory lane, I wished we had a day like this back home. A day where girls are given freedom to say how they feel without fear of being judged. If we just had a day like this, it could have saved a lot of young and not so young hearts from suffocating which is much worst than breaking. I personally think it's fun too.

I think this is the only part of the planet where the commercialism of the Heart's day cannot penetrate. Maybe Japanese are just too stoic for that or maybe they just want to keep it real. I never hated valentine's day, even if I am no longer the "I AM NOT BITTER" kind person that I used to but I still hate the commercialism that engulfs the whole meaning of Love which is the reason for the celebration. The pressure and expectations that are pumped to the limit cheapens everything and make you wonder if it's real or obligatory.

I spent this day working, actually forgetting that it's the V-day if not for my friends back home who greeted me. I had no expectations because I am in a V-day twilight zone, if the day ended without a date or flowers, I'm perfectly fine with it. Workday ended with a plan to just cook for dinner and make my Hubby a heart shaped strawberry cake. But Hubby took me to Hotel Centraza, with a reason that he had to meet a Japanese client, he is a bad liar but I believed him still because he always meets with clients so I thought this is just one of them. But instead of meeting another Japanese to impress, I was greeted with a table with a "Reserved" sign on it. He made reservations to that expensive restaurant I have been wanting to go! The place was not full but he insisted on making a reservation because he said it is more special. I was suprised and very happy, especially with the buffet of crabs, incredibly tender steaks and the DESSERT table that can make you cry. And he just grinned from ear to ear saying "akala mo hahayaan ko na wala tayong valentines?". We left the restaurant with very full bellies so we opted to just walk home. It was romantic.

I had no bouquet of flowers to boast this year, but this time the day was unexpected and more sincere and special. I think this is how we should celebrate it, it doesn't really matter if its with friends or loved ones, as long as there's no expectations, no pressure... just love.

just one of those on the dessert table

ADDU HS

got this from my brother, about our High School way way back

1) section mo nng 1st yr high ka?
• 1-Red

2)eh nung 2nd yr high?
• 2-Blue

3)3rd yr?
• 3-Red

4)4th yr?
• 4-Red

5)anong best year for u? bakit?
• 3rd yr. kasi that's the year I got out of my shell and made my barkada. Atsaka marunong na ako tumakas at mag malling.

6) Kung naabutan mo si Sir Calotes,like mo ba siya? miss mo na ba xa?
• yes and wala ata ako natutunan sa kanya hehe.

7) san kau kumakain kapag lunch?
• Sa canteen or sa classroom, pag may extra cash or craving for pancit, punta sa Magallanes para kumain sa isang cheap bakery.

8) san tumatambay after skul?
• front field at magpa-dooding sa mga gwapong soccer players or CAT commanders.

9) lagi ka ba late pagmorning?
• oo, hanggang ngayon kahit ndi na ako highschool

10) nasuspend ka na ba?
• wala

11)Bakit?
• kasi I see to it na 3x lang ako ma-late sa isang month

12) masaya ba pag fiesta days?
• super! walang pasok and daming activities and pwede akong pumunta ng school pag gabi.

13) have u ever danced on stage?
• sa stage wala. pero sa gitna nang covered court oo. yung inter-year folk dance contest 2nd year tapos nagchampion kami.


14) nagka bf/gf ka ba nong highschool days mo?
• how I wish but then, buti na lang hindi

15) sinong all time crush mo nun?
• dalawa actually, si Erwin Santos nung 1st year, and si Carlo nung 3rd year and many more years after.

16) would u go bak?
• Definitely!

17) ano lagi mong binibili na panwich?
- tuna panwich

18) overpricing ba ang tali s hair??
• oo! P2 for one tali sa hair.

18) nakakita ka n ba ng multo s skul?
wala

19) u ever sang on stage pag may program?
• wala

20) fave subj?
• Theology by Fr. Reyes, English by Mrs. Baldovino(the best!)

21) Nabagsak k n ba?
• Hindi pa

22)have u ever been sent out?
• Yes, Theology class nung 1st year by Brother Alex, bestfriend ko noon kasi muslim kaya ayaw niya ng Theology kaya nag cchika lang kami during classes. Na-high blood si Brother.

23) feel mo ba malau ang HS bldg till kanto bnda s space burger?
• wala pang space burger noon. Pag hindi close ang Acacia gate, malapit lang.

23) have u ever ran the oval??
• wala pa ring oval noon... teka, meron nang oval ngayon??, sa front field lang ako tumakbo punishment for being late.

24) varsity??of wat?
• wala

25)do u miss addu high??
• I really do. I also miss the Ateneo HS wooden building... syet naabutan ko pa ang wooden!

Home Sweet Home

We just finished moving to our new house in just one weekend. Thanks to the help of our pinoy friends here who helped Dan carry all the heavy stuff and Juliet's bf who donated a washing machine(that works faster than an ordinary one) and a decent light set!

We also bought second-hand stuff from an american guy who left for Korea, they are mostly kitchen stuff (stove, rice cooker, toaster, and lots and lots of pots and pans), and since he loves to cook he left us with lots of gadgets for cooking which I luuuvv!! By tinkering with the stuff, I learned that you can schedule the rice cooker on what time to cook rice for you. Just set its clock time correctly, click the "予約" (yoyaku, or appointment) and set what time it will cook. Of course don't forget to put the rice inside. No worries, coz contrary to what Lola warned, the rice here doesn't turn into lugaw even if left emerged in water for hours.

Adding fixings to the house is the easiest thing here in Japan because everything you need and can think of can be bought from the hundred yen shop. Like there are endless types of cleanser you can choose from like kitchen oil stain cleaner, kitchen anti-fungus cleaner, refrigerator cleaner, furniture cleaner, etc... and different types of hooks, basta everything! Just a few trips to the hundred yen shop and our house is clean and fixed, and you wont even see messy wirings.

To solve our dilemma with the lights, we found this light socket set from Bic Camera, it's a bulb socket with a pull string for on/off (wala kasing switch dito for lights, so we need that string), and we only plugged to the light socket on the ceiling. No fancy fixture, just that which costs only Y1000 and a light bulb for only Y580 and we now have a light for the other room! I learned that even light bulbs don't come cheap here because the only brands you can choose from are National, Toshiba and other popular Japanese brands which spell E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E. Ironically, the lights in the house gave us more pain in the butt than the aesthetics.

Also, our bathroom is changed to a more modern module from Hitachi, with a bigger ofuru or bathtub and a computerized water heating system! No more twisting and turning of knobs, just one click of a button and we instantly have hot water. The previous owner also left his airconditioning unit, so we're looking forward to one cool summer. Our verandah is also bigger than the usual, as in it's big that we can have a party there or set up a kiddie pool.

My life here in Japan is almost perfect. I have a house that I love to bits, lots of genuinely helpful friends and enjoyable get togethers, we have the world's best and most systematic transportation system, we don't have to pay for house rent, electricity, gas and water are all taken cared of by the company, I love the food here and I have mastered doing grocery and finding the ingredients that I need without nosebleeding from all the overwhelming kanji and thanks to Maila, I can now cook a gyudon comparable to Yoshinoya's!

If not for their work culture, I can live here forever, I might even get inspired to get serious in studying their language. Oh why can't everything be perfect!