I don't know with the other girls but I am really a huge fan of tote bags because I'm the type of girl who just put everything inside. I don't want the hassle of opening way too many zippers whenever I put something in or take something out of my bag. I want my bag to be huge and spacious that's why I decided to make this bag plus it would be a practice for my beginner crocheting skills.
Pakbet or Pinakbet is a famous vegetable dish in the country. It is just sauteed mixed local vegetables plus shrimp paste (bagoong alamang) and sometimes pork or pork cracklings. In our house, we normally serve pakbet whenever there's fried fish.
Bisaya is just one of the variations of this famous dish. This refers to those who are living in the southern part of Philippines (Visayas, Mindanao area). Since I grew up in Mindanao, this version is the one I knew. Anyway, if you wanna have a taste, here's how it looks and how to cook it:
Sorry for the poor quality photo, I just took it from my phone. :)
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
tomatoes, diced
1/4 squash, sliced
4 pcs eggplant (talong), sliced
15 to 20 string beans, sliced
10 pcs okra, sliced
2 tbsp shrimp paste
2 tbsp cooking oil
200 grams pork, sliced into mini-cubes
Procedure:
Pour cooking oil into the wok then saute onions, garlic and tomatoes. Add the pork then simmer until pork is cooked.
Add the shrimp paste, simmer for 2 minutes then add the squash.
When the squash is half-cooked, add the rest of the vegetables then simmer until all the vegetables are cooked.
There you go, 3 very easy steps to cook pakbet bisaya. You may also add ampalaya or bitter gourd if you want to. Anyway, as I've said, we normally serve this with fried fish and rice. Enjoy! :)
Beef steak or Bistek is an easy-to-prepare Filipino dish. It is a favorite dish in our family so I hope you too can enjoy it!
Ingredients:
2 packs of beef steak meat (roughly around 250g)
3 pcs onions, medium size, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of soy sauce
approx. 5 to 6 tsp of calamansi juice
cooking oil
3 medium potatoes, cut into flat rounds
black pepper
1 tsp of sugar
Procedure:
Mix the soy sauce, calamansi, pepper and sugar in a bowl. You can adjust the taste by adding some more of the fore-mentioned ingredients until your desired taste is aquired.
In a separate frying pan, deep fry the potatoes for 5 minutes or more.
Separate one of the onions then slice it in rounds for garnish.
In a separate pan, saute onions, garlic and meat then pour the soy sauce mixture.Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the fried potatoes and mix. Add the garnish then turn off the heat and serve.
After the Mickey Mouse coaster success, I thought of another project that's a bit challenging than the previous one. Take note, just a bit of challenge, so I decided to make a scallop hat.
Tadaaaaah! Here's my finished product:
I'm so happy that it turned out great! My stitches have improved a bit but I still have to practice so that I could follow the recommended gauge. ;)
Do you wanna make a scallop hat too? Perhaps for your daughters or nieces or goddaughters or for yourself?
Click here for the pattern. Enjoy and keep crocheting! ;)
PS. If you think you can't follow the gauge, you can add more rounds on the base.
Disclaimer: I wasn't paid nor asked to write this blog. I just wanted to share this discovery to other mothers. ;)
Looking for a convenient playschool or daycare center that has a reasonable rate is one of the common problems of mommies living in Makati CBD. Most of the playschools within the community are often too expensive (well, what do you expect?) and some are difficult to access.
Well guess what, Colors and Shapes Learning Center is the answer to that problem. It is conveniently located at Prince Plaza 1, Unit G8 (just across Greenbelt 5). The place is a condo unit or an office unit that was turned into a playschool. Believe it or not, the ambiance is so child-friendly. It's colorful, neat, clean, safe and most of all, the teachers are so accommodating. They have 2 classrooms, a playroom and a receiving area, plus the whole place is fully airconditioned. They also maintain a small class size for better guidance and motivation.
Their regular programs are the Camp Baby, the Junior Toddler and the Senior Toddler. They accept children from ages 18months and up. They also have 2 batches of Summer Program plus they're accepting enrollees all-year-round.
My 2 year-old son attended the first batch of their summer program. He really enjoyed his three-week summer class with them. He learned when to properly use the words "Thank you", "Excuse me" or even "Sorry". He also learned to return the things he moved without telling him to do so. That itself is a really great improvement on his part. They don't encourage parents or yayas to stay over since it may affect the child's behavior or participation throughout the class.
Anyway, if you're interested, you can contact these numbers: 0917-527-1234 or 09275281234. I know they offer a trial class for those who are interested.
Before I decided to start crocheting, which was two weeks ago, I already had some projects to accomplish in mind.
The first one that caught my eye when I searched for beginner crochet patterns online is this Mickey Mouse coaster since my son's an avid fan of Mickey Mouse.
So, to get this project started, here are the materials needed:
Crochet Hook:H/8 or 5 mm hook
Black Yarn: (4) Medium Weight or Worsted Weight
Yarn Needle/Tapestry Needle
I know I mentioned on my previous blog the importance of using a not too light or not too dark shades of yarn for beginners. This project is the reason why I discovered its relevance. It made counting stitches a very difficult job! HAHA!
Anyway, if you're brave enough or confident with your eyesight, then let's get going.
Here's the full pattern:
Abbreviations:
Ch = chain
RD = round
Sl st = slip stitch
Sc = single crochet
Notes: The Ch 1 never counts as the first stitch
Center of Coaster
Ch 2
8 sc in 2nd ch from hook
RD 1 - Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around. Sl st to ch 1 space to join. (16 total sts)
RD 2 - Ch 1, *sc in next st, 2 sc in following st* repeat 7 times. Sl st to ch 1 space to join. (24 total sts)
RD 3 – Ch 1, *sc in each of the next 2 sts, 2 sc in following st* repeat 7 times. Sl st to ch 1 space to join. (32 total sts)
RD 4 - Ch 1, *sc in each of next 3 sts, 2 sc in following st* repeat 7 times. Sl st to ch 1 space to join. (40 total sts)
RD 5 – Ch 1, sl st in each st around. Sl st to ch 1 space to join. (40 total sts). Tie off
Ears (Make 2)
Ch 2
8 sc in 2nd ch from hook
RD 1 - Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around. Sl st to ch 1 space to join. (16 total sts)
RD 2 - Ch 1, *sc in next st, 2 sc in following st* repeat 7 times. Sl st to ch 1 space to join. (24 total sts)
Tie off leaving a 6 inch tail.
Using a large needle and 6 inch tail, sew ears onto the top sides of the coaster.
Crocheting was once a frustration of mine.We didn't tackle crocheting in elementary and high school so I never learned.
Alas! There's this 4-month break due to the shifting of classes from June to August and my planned practicum didn't push through because my 2 year-old son doesn't have a babysitter. To cut the story short, I got bored and I thought of something that could make me busy at home while babysitting. So that's when I decided to start learning how to crochet.
I didn't have the luxury to pay for crocheting classes but instead, I had Professor Google and Professor YouTube.
Here are thetutorials I watched to learn the basics of CROCHET:
With those videos you could learn the important stitches that every newbie should know.
Here are the basic materials you'll need to get you started (though it's already stated in the video):
Crochet hook size H (In my case, since my budget's tight and in this country, crochet isn't practiced that much, so I had size 7.0 and 8.0--japanese size)
Medium-colored Yarn *take note on the medium-colored, trust me, it is very important to start with not too light and not too dark colors because you'll be counting stitches.
Where to buy the fore-mentioned things:
National Bookstore (Crafting Section)
-They have local-branded yarns (Red Heart and Familia). They also have crochet hooks but they have the small sizes.
Dreams Yarnshoppe (3rd Flr., Glorietta 5)
-This shop is the bomb! They have a wide variety of yarns from local to imported brands. This indeed is a real YARN HEAVEN. The owner of the shop offers a crochet class also, so if you're a beginner and you wanna have a formal class in crochet, feel free to visit there and inquire. :)
Buttons and Wraps (3rd Flr, near the mall exit towards MRT Ayala)
-I bought my first hook and yarn here. Their hooks come in sizes and the biggest is 7.0 and 8.0 (double-end). They also have Monaco yarns and some crochet threads.
Powerbooks (Crafting Section)
-They have Red Heart Super Saver and Art Attack yarns. They also have a double-end crochet hook with size 3.5 mm and 5.0 mm.
If you're just starting to discover the wonders of crocheting, I strongly suggest you visit National Bookstore. Whatever you'll find there is enough.
And when you're somehow used to crocheting, you can start doing projects. You can find lots of free beginner patterns online. You just have to seek Prof. Google's help.
