Hypocrisy is Having a Party

The RH Bill.


I tried to shut up and not be part of the debate. However I am disturbed by how a big deal this is becoming. The house debates are actually being aired live for everyone to see politicians spewing  principles of purity and freedom of choice and how these debates also digresses into off tangent topics and eventually personal insults. In my mind, this seems to be a very sensible move in helping alleviate poverty in our country that's why it puzzles me how other people and religious personalities is making it such a big deal. It's as if our nation will fall to the pits of hell if we allow reproductive health to be a part of the Filipino's mentality.


This is how I see it. Withholding contraceptives from our people does not assure us of a morally upright, sexually pure nation. 


Read more of my thoughts about it here.:
http://anneandlifeingeneral.blogspot.com/2011/05/31-hypocrisy-is-having-party.html

#38:Friendly Oatmeal Biscuits

If you feel that the Mango Sesame Cookies  was a bit too much for beginners, then this one should be good fit for cookie rookies like you. I present to you the Oatmeal Biscuit! Not only can you boast of cooking something that is packed with fiber, this baby also boasts of a buttery melt-in-your-mouth texture with little crunches here and there. It is perfect with your milk tea and a good book like, say, the Hobbit or Remember Who You Are by Ed Lapiz. You only need the bare minimum of cookies, of course, with the addition of the oats: butter, sugar, flour, vanilla. So yeah, this is certified for beginners. :-D

Oats. It's such a friendly pantry item. You can make porridge from it, granola, muesli and desserts like cookies. Whenever you are attacked with a hunger pang, oats always lend a helping hand, filling (and cleaning) your tummy and patting you on the back, affirming you that you made the better choice by snacking on them. In this era where people are suddenly clamoring for wellness, oats have been elevated to a new level of popularity and for a good reason.

#38: Peeling Pineapples

A cyber-friend of mine was talking about her woes of wanting to eat a pineapple but not knowing how to eat it.  I thought it will be a good entry for this blog because I used to have the same problem too. It may be convenient to just pop open a can of syrup-drenshed pineapples but it already lost all the enzymes it has and just has Vitamin C that was artificially added to it.


Now there are two ways to skin a pineapple. The classic way and the easy way. Let's discuss the classic way first.

Slowly, Gently

Food is probably just a microcosm of this bigger wok we call life. You can't make instant food and expect it to be the most nutritious piece of gourmet morsel there is on earth. Good things take a lot of work and sacrifice. It's the same with life. Read more about this little piece of wisdom I was reminded of one lunch with my daughter.


Slowly. Gently.

#37: Leek and Broccoli Soup

I love soups! I think I said that before in my Pumpkin Bisque recipe. I am always thrilled at the prospect of a meal starting off with a warm hearty bowl. Actually, sometimes, a big bowl of soup and a buttered toast can comprise a satisfying dinner for me. (I think I said that before too). So before I become redundant, I'll share with you a soup that I tasted from one of my marriage-and-life-in-general mentor Joanna Cheock. She and her husband Kuya Hubert invited us over for lunch and served Broccoli and Leek soup with Kuya Hubert's juicy lamb steak and shrimp and mango salad. I remember eating twice my weight that day.


What amazed me was how tasty it was even if the soup was not made from any meat broth. This proves that meals can be totally vegetarian and totally tasty too! A small bunch of broccoli will do for this recipe because this soup uses up the flowers and stems - everything! The potatoes create its creamy texture but the leeks give this soup the umph. 

#36: Macing's Year-Round Puto Pumbong

This is the "bumbong" used to cook this
rice cake. Nice picture from Female Network!

Puto Bumbong is a classic Filipino rice cake snack that is most popular during Christmas time. Over the years, it has become a traditional snack for those who are attending the early morning Christmas mass that starts from December 16 to 25. This rice cake is made from a special kind of purple sticky rice called Pirurutong. The rice is soaked in salted water, dried and ground then placed in a narrow bamboo called bumbong then steamed. It is then placed on a banana leaf and served slathered with butter, shaved coconut, ground raw sugar also known as muscovado and sometimes, grated cheese. This is officially my favorite rice cake variety. Nothing beats the warm, soft texture of the cake, this made more lavish by the creamy butter, the milky coconut and the sharp, melt-in-your-mouth sweetness of the muscovado. Oh yeah. Then the cheese... This must be the gate of rice cake heaven.

If I had my choice, I will want to eat this regularly all year round. But as I mentioned earlier, these only litter the streets during Christmas. And lately, the really good puto bumbongs have gotten far and few in between. Most of the puto bumbongs sold during Christmas has mostly become imitation versions. They don't use pirurutong anymore. They just use the regular sticky rice and color it purple. Baaaah! I had no choice but to endure the longing until the next Christmas season. That was my plight until my husband introduced me to Macing's.

#35: Coffee Roasted Chicken

Coffee.. I am so in love with it that I even add it to my chicken! Haha! you may think that this will taste funny but really, what coffee adds to this is the smoky flavor without the actual carbon crust on the chicken. This is so delicious and simple, you can almost do this even if you don't have any cooking experience at all. And, it adds a truck load of pogi/ popularity points if you serve this to your friends. Little do they know that it is made of only 5 ingredients.