baby rambutan

…led us to a sweet and cozy get-together with our new “neighbor”!

(more…)

A watch is not just a watch, it’s a fashion statement, an accessory, a wardrobe essential.
That’s how I consider timepieces. Growing up with my parents who regularly exchanged watches as their presents for each other, and especially my dad who had a good collection and who started us off with our learned penchant for watch collecting (not to mention turning us into incessant “clock watchers”)… I’ve turned into quite a shameless watch collector.
I do look out for good bargains though and wait for my favorite timepieces to either conk out or get lost before I move on to the next. I also have become loyal to certain brands for their durability and “timelessness” in terms of classic styling. I favor the leather straps over the metal but once in a while I crave a more dressed-up steel bracelet.

One of my all-time favorites are Seiko Watches. I’ve found an online site that is Biz-Rated. Aside from being safe and secure, they offer free sizing and 2nd day delivery.
You’ll get dizzy from the array of brands and styles to choose from!

caught at a private (grooming) moment. he thinks he owns my bed.

#2son can’t help but get tickled at the alias of Jaime Oliver and though i tried to explain what it means, he just can’t stop grinning and imagining things.

i didn’t watch many of his cooking shows because i got dizzy and motion sickness both from the handheld video camera shots and from his hyperactive leaps and jumps while cooking. Jaime Oliver is much more bearable agreeable to me in print, with his simply and starkly photographed dishes, than animated in a tv episode. also the techMaMa* of dis blag has highly endorsed his dishes, as seen on her foodblog.
and now i have a couple of his cookbooks, picked up my from my favorite salvage store, and i tried first the roasted chicken with sweet tomatoes sauce, from “Jaime Oliver’s Dinners.”

it was simply and starkly delicious, and well worth a train ride home in the pouring cold rain for my sick-of-dining-hall-food-famished #1son.

then i was inspired by his “concertina squid” with its Jean Paul Gaultier-style bands of squid…yes you guessed it i’ve been watching too much Project Runway! (i was rooting for Sweet P since the start )
what i got from the recipe is the special surgical technique (see below) to get that concertina/accordion effect–i roasted/broiled the marinated squid (garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme), surgically enhanced and skewered so they’d keep their shape) and served on top of a saute/stew of garlic, onion, parsley, red pepper, cubed potatoes, chick peas, and spinach and chorizo.



no one say “p-u-k-k-a” or else (eh ano nga ba’ng ibig sabihin non?)

yes! dis blag is fixed now, neverending cascading and undulating thanks to my *techMagicianGuru Thesserie for my transfer to a new bargain webhost … working so hard despite everything .

pssst…
Looking for a Wii? The hottest gaming system in this day and age?
My kids, and husband, have been enjoying their Wii for the last few months, and I know that the system is so hot that people line up and prey on the delivery trucks and do backflips and handstands, just to get it.
It has been featured on the news about its being considered a requirement for nursing homes and elderly housing, because it encourages activity and exercise.

There’s a sweepstakes going on for a chance to win a complete system: console, remote controller, Nunchuk controller, 5 starter games (Wii Sports bundle with boxing, tennis, baseball, golf, and bowling) stand, sensor bar, cable, adapter…
everything you need to start playing.

AND! There’s an auction for high speed internet for life, with a minimum starting bid of ten bucks. $10! The winning bidder gets the fastest connection forever, along with a modem, a router, plus free professional installation.

Check out the Charter site for the auction and sweepstakes rules.
There is just a short form to fill out, and you need to fill in your zip code to see if your area is covered by their networks. Registrants for the auction, which starts March 12, must be living in areas serviced by Charter.
Click Here for a Chance to Win a Nintendo® Wii™!
For complete Action and Sweepstakes Rules check it out!

i am the very lucky recipient of this beautiful little baking book. i feel like i’ve just won a contest!
the Sweet Melissa Patisseries in the New York City borough of Brooklyn has been around for 10 years (i lived in another borough long time before then, and therefore missed out… ) and chef/owner Melissa Murphy, a native New Yorker, specializes in the application of French technique to homey American sweet treats.
and this cookbook illustrates how easy that is!
i can’t wait to try the chestnut honey madeleines…the chocolate malted layer cake…the sour cherry pie with pistachio crumble…
it just makes me want to load up the minivan and take a little field trip to Brooklyn, NY, to sample the goodies from “Sweet Melissa”.
many many thanks to the Penguin Group/Viking Studio for this lovely book.
(you all know the Allman Brothers’ song right? )

under construction, etc., will be up and running again soon, hopefully.

blood oranges are in season:
somewhat pucker-up-tart, with a little hint of grapefruit and a hit of raspberry. usually juiced.