Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo

Somebody made magic and cooked Cinderella's pumpkin for dinner! Another cooking feat for the soon-to-be mother: Pumpkin (Kalabasa) Soup!

PUMPKIN SOUP WITH FRESH GROUND BLACK PEPPER

I searched a pumpkin soup recipe a few days back, but haven't had the time to actually try it out, until tonight. With the help of Juancho, my ever reliable baby brother, I had him prepare the ingredients and cooking tools prior to my coming home from work, so that all that was left to do was cook.

I consider the cooking process an entire success, considering the baking and blending that went into it, except that the finished product came out too salty. Even the additional dollop of cream wasn't helping. But it was still good nonetheless, especially if you have a palate for all things salty, like I do.

This soup was paired with another cooking invention of mine for tonight, sausage & vegetables in barbecue sauce, and my favorite wheat bread toast. The boys had theirs with rice and a slice of bread.

SAUSAGE AND VEGETABLES IN BARBECUE SAUCE

TOAST, YUM <3

All in all, I think we had a pretty good dinner. The soup will definitely be served again, but this time with less salt. Best bit for tonight was that there were no left overs! Yes! Success!

Veggies & "American" Dinners

I am a meat lover. Burgers, steak, and sausages are just some of the types of food that call to me! Add on to that shawarmas and kebabs, plus ham and bacon sandwiches. But!!! These meats need to be balanced out with some greens. Something I have been neglecting for some time now. Hence, I am on a mission to put more vegetables (not necessarily green) and fruits in my diet; an apparent necessity to up my fiber intake. 

Since Monday, I have been searching for quick and easy recipes for kalabasa (also known as squash or pumpkin), carrots, cabbage, and string beans --- vegetables I feel like eating. So far, I have tried cooking ginisang calabasa with longganisa as a main dish and on another night, stir-fried cabbage and carrots as a side (I should've taken photos, I know). 

Last night, I whipped up a kalabasa and tomato stir-fry, inspired by this recipe here, along with two German franks and buttered raisin bread toast.

The kalabasa-tomato combination was made fragrant by the Italian seasoning and butter that I cooked it in. I sort of found it a bit bland though, considering the amount of seasoning I put in, but that could also be because I just really like salty food. Salty food --- something I should be eating less of in order to avoid swelling during the pregnancy. The sausages made up for it though. They came out just a tad bit salty. ;) As for the toast, it has just been me and the baby brother at home every night for dinner. Juancho doesn't feel like having rice so we have sandwiches (cue ham, bacon, and cheese sandwiches) or toast instead. When I told this to my mother, she said "how American!" --- no racism here folks, its just that we noticed that Americans don't have rice often or any at all.

Kalabasa is becoming one of my favorite vegetables. But to deviate from the norm of ginataang kalabasa at sitaw, a Filipino staple recipe, I'm out to try new things to keep my interest piqued! Here's to more cooking adventures for the soon-to-be mother of two!

KALABASA & TOMATOES: A VEGGIE & FRUIT DISH IN ONE! <3

Promise No. 03: DATE ONCE A WEEK

Deviating from the Regular Movie-Dinner Date

HTB and I did something quite different for our date last weekend. We went on a little unexpected adventure last Sunday, 29 April 2012. It was Saturday when I heard from my parents that they and their biker friends would be making a ride the following day to Palo Alto, a subdivision in Baras, Rizal that housed their very own waterfalls. With the heat of summer and with the desire to go on a trip (even for just one day), I decided to make sure that I would be able to join this mini-adventure.

We met up with my parents at our house up in Antipolo. My brother, Juancho, took the bike up with Pogs whereas Eric and I took the motorcycle. Don't worry, we were careful! The original plan was that once we got to the Antipolo house, we would take the car to Palo Alto. However, upon arrival, we discovered that the car had a flat tire. Bummer. Determined not to lose to the situation, Eric and I decided to take the motorcycle to Palo Alto. This was, of course, with the reassurance of my parents that it wasn't going to be such a long drive. Thus, our first family mini-adventure came into being --- the twins' first trip!

It was a beautiful ride with lots of nature scenery. Eric and I would stop often to rest and wait for the bikers to catch up. We took in fresh air and good sun. We also had breakfast at Mang Vic's Bulalo in Bosoboso, their bulalo is to die for by the way, before continuing on to Palo Alto.

When we got to the falls, the water was so cold! We all went for a swim, except for my dad who isn't too fond of super cold water. We had to climb a pretty lengthy steep incline of stone steps to get there, mind you, so the fresh, cool water was definitely something to cherish in this intense summer heat. All in all, it was a really wonderful trip that satisfied my wanderlust (and need for exercise).

Some Words on Me Being Preggy

Now some of you, or maybe even most of you, would gasp at the thought of little pregnant me travelling this distance on a motorcycle. You may even want to reprimand me. But please, I wouldn't take on something I knew I couldn't do. My babies are toughies. We like adventure too.

To be honest, I've been having sad feelings brought on by the fact that by being a young expectant mother, my activities are limited. For example, my adjusted bed time limits the time that I am able to spend with friends for dinner. By 9:30 pm-ish, I'd start to get sleepy and cranky, especially if people push the wrong buttons. I would have to turn in early because of feeling rather sleepy and to avoid my "night monster" as Eric would put it, not wanting to ruin the mood of the get together. Also, because I knew that sleep was what was good for the twins. I couldn't go biking or hiking, due to safety precautions, or swim in a public crowded pool (just think of the foreign bodily fluids in there!). It was also recommended to avoid excessive commuting to steer clear from reckless drivers. I felt tied down... or I was starting to feel tied down, excluded, uninvited. This made me sad.

But those were just what they were - thoughts and feelings. This trip proved things otherwise for me. I'm really glad that I stood by my desire to get out there and experience it. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish all this without my family and my beloved HTB. They were there every step of the way, being encouraging and welcoming. We took the trip slowly and carefully, making sure we avoided potholes and we stretched our legs when we had to. The twins were cooperating that day too, with practically no complaint! I think they had fun too!

PREGGY BUMP AT 21 WEEKS

There's no stopping this preggy lady, people! I was tired at the end of the day, but we were all happy! One happy and exhausted family! <3