Category: Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

My Indoor and Outdoor Photography | Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas | Restaurant Review

Double-Boiled Winter Melon Soup with Assorted Seafood

By on November 2, 2019

The Double-boiled Winter Melon Soup with assorted seafood standing on a large holder for support.  The winter melon shell is a very attractive serving bowl for soup although it’s quite heavy and tough but it can hold up to the heat of the soup. Peking Garden, 4th level, Greenbelt 5 Makati City serves the best Double-Boiled Winter Melon Soup with Assorted Seafood. The big size is suitable for 10 to 12 persons, it is a hot clear soup almost boiling when served. The most delicious soup is when you bring up the total hotness on the table, the natural freshness of seafood and vegetable brings up the good flavor.

Peking Garden, 4th level, Greenbelt 5 Makati City

Double-Boiled Winter Melon Soup with Assorted Seafood, the shrimp tails hanging over the edge of the winter melon bowl.

It’s not oily, it is clear and tasty as I’ve mentioned previously, you don’t see any tiny floating particles on top.

Individual serving, Small bowl of Winter Melon Soup.

How it was served? The Double-Boiled Winter Melon Soup brought inside the room by the server.

The winter melon flesh It’s still smoky hot!

 Wheeled by the server using a service cart ( 2 shelf cart with wheels) along with soup bowls and a ladle.

The server carefully ladled in assorted seafood inside the shell and scraped the flesh of winter melon using a long-handed cup-shaped spoon followed by the clear soup to fill each bowl. For our finale, picking a piece of shrimps over the edge of the winter melon bowl.

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My Indoor and Outdoor Photography | Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Best Selection of Fruits for Growing Teens and Kids

By on October 24, 2019

One way to encourage a family member to eat fruits regularly is to buy some and store it in the refrigerator. Once they arrived earlier than expected especially during hot days,they go directly to the refrigerator and see something refreshing that will attract their taste buds, it would be tempting for them to take a bite of fresh cold fruits. Another way to make it easier for them to pick it up, make it readily available and ready to eat.

While it’s simply tempting to young kids and growing teens from buying junk foods, fruits make the best alternative for them, it is a good source of fiber, vitamins and natural compounds that helps the body to fight against diseases. For moms out there, when shopping food or planning family meals, vow to be organized, explain the nutritional value and make buying fruits a weekly habit. Be open to special requests, you ask your kids to make a list of their favorite fruits. It’s good to serve fresh fruits any meal of the day better than turning into unhealthy junks or fast food items.

Sliced fresh fruits with some selection. For the kids, it’s a choice of their favorites. Choices to choose from; kiwi, strawberry, dragon fruit, oranges, apples, grapes, avocados or any fresh fruits with the natural sweetness. 

Shown here, our daily selection of fruits for good health and everyday freshness.There’s no substitute to self-prepared fresh fruits, it requires only 10 to 15 minutes of your time to serve these kind, just a short time preparation without cooking at all. What a  handy effort to rush on. You may also want to add more ripe fruits and additional drops of Pineapple sauce, Yogurt, Ice cream, Cherry syrup and Sweet honey flavor is good too.

Have fun and enjoy eating fruits!

Thank you readers/ viewers for visiting my website! See you next posts!

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My Indoor and Outdoor Photography | Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Creative Ways to Serve Fresh Strawberries

By on August 2, 2019

Freshly picked strawberries has the best flavor, With the looks itself, it’s not only fresh but perfectly ripe and moist with redness. Frequently, we only think about the sweetness of the fruit, that’s important but many fruits have even more to offer, they may have both the sweetness, scent, nutrition, color and health benefits. Strawberries has it all!

The good variety of strawberries grown in La Trinidad, Benguet, it was all planted in rows and a feet apart with each other. La Trinidad has the good type of soil and a climate which is considerate to these kinds of fruits. Strawberries are people’s favorite, Indeed, my favorite too.

In La Trinidad strawberry farm, you can pick your own strawberries. The owners will guide the strawberry pickers around charging  Five hundred pesos per kilo. It is costly compared the price in the public market of Baguio city. Heavy cropping and picking done in the month of March to April when the fruits are abundant. The good thing about picking on your own, you can feel the excitement and the refreshing fragrance around that makes you more excited. It’s worth it!

Strawberry fields of La Trinidad, Benguet

The strawberry field is a very good example of a clean landscape, you can see here growing in many rows. The white flower appeared here is white in color, that’s the strawberry flower, it will soon turn into a white fruit. Details shown, beside the flower is the fruit which is partly red and white, the other one is still full white. When unripe, the fruit is white in color, however, as the fruit ripens, it gradually turns into color red. You can only pick strawberry when it is fully ripe.

Freshly picked strawberries in a box

Using fresh strawberries, I’ve created different arrangements such as; heart-shaped strawberries on a platter, forming letters using strawberries, circular-shaped arrangement and the standard grouping of strawberries.

Here are some ideas on how to serve it on a platter at the center table. With the guest around, it is also good to serve strawberries in the garden or in the backyard while having barbecue outdoors.

I used these fruits for making fruit salad delights, it looks attractive when mixed with other fresh fruits too. It is also a nutritious snack, a refreshing dessert, good for jams, jellies, ice cream, and shakes.

My Valentine masterpiece

I will show you example on how to please your loved one on Valentine’s day. This is just a simple art using fresh strawberries as the center of attraction on the table. It’s good to serve strawberries on this special day because the red color and heart-shaped not to mention the sweet fragrance represents love, it’s just like serving your love using these fragrant fruits.

Strawberry Valentine

This is a big Valentine party arrangement on the table.

Heart-shaped Strawberries

Lovely Strawberry Hearts 

A heart-shaped arrangement strawberries on a platter.

Modern Ways to Serve Strawberries

Rounded Form or Circular-Shaped Strawberries

To create a circular form, it is best to choose the firm and the ripe ones.

Strawberry Robot

My illustration of a Red Robot using strawberries, this is a big strawberry robot. It’s just a funny arrangement of fruits.

Strawberry Alphabet

I’ve arranged strawberries using the letter M it represents the first letter of my name on a platter, you can create one for you too.

Strawberry Pink Sprinkles

Strawberries in a Cocktail Glass

Unequal-sized strawberries, the big one must always at the center. This kind of arrangement will create specific mood on the table.

The freshness inside, strawberry slices with other fruits.

Strawberry Cocktail Delights

New ways on how to serve strawberries on a platter emphasizing the red color of strawberries, I used a clean white plate.

Serving fresh strawberries on the table without removing the stalk, it serves as a holder as you eat and it would be easier to pick it up, that’s the natural way to hold a piece of strawberry.

Strawberry Fan

Strawberries with other fruits.

The trendy arrangement of strawberries.

This kind of serving will emphasize the freshness of fruits.

One way of introducing strawberries as a pretty snack and dessert on the table.

Individual serving of fresh strawberries

It’s more enjoyable to pick your own strawberries and eat with your hands, you’ll appreciate more the freshness in natural state. To serve it fresh, you don’t need to clean everything, just after washing it, save the stem and calyx to show freshness and to the complete the whole fruit. It’s just a fresh fruit ready to go. All you have to do is to pick,wash and eat.   

Thank you for reading my blog!

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

How to Arrange Fresh Fruits in a Small Glass

By on March 23, 2018

It’s an easy way to serve dessert or a pick-up healthy snack that’s refreshingly good and in addition, the simplest individual touch to catch your own mood. Here’s how to arrange all-time favorite fresh fruits in a small glass, Fruit medley on the table gives you the freedom to choose your best favorites as well, a few slices of Kiwi, fresh pineapples, red strawberries, green/red apples and pomelo as the best example of my favorites.

You can try-out mixing different kinds of fruits to enjoy the balance of sweetness and refreshing taste.The basic arrangement and good combination applies here, fruits on the served should be fresh, bright and not cluttered.Using the appropriate size and right glassware for individual serving, it looks elegantly clean and at the same time, it’s safe for your health better than the plastic containers. I’m avoiding using plastic containers at all cost. Check other fruit servings and arrangement next posts..

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Biggest and the Longest Avocado I’ve Ever Seen

By on March 15, 2018

I haven’t seen a fruit like these before, it was exceptionally long and big avocado ! I was lucky to discover such a huge one. Awesome! It was shiny greenish skin, firm and hard fresh. When I bought it, it was still hard and green, it aren’t ripe yet. Day after, the color starts turning into a reddish one and the next day, it was already dark reddish and purple in color. That means, it was already perfectly ripe. However, some varieties when ripen stays the same in color but this one undergoes color changes.

Avocado is good when ripened on and off the tree. Ripening affect the flavor and texture so, it is good to eat when it is still firm and perfectly ripe. When underripe, it tastes bitter, however, when overripe, starts to become soft and the taste you might not like it. For a sweeter version, it is best eaten raw with honey and all purpose cream. Others, they like to eat it with a full cream chocolate milk. Other uses; avocado is good for snacks, salads, soup, sandwich, dressing and sauces.

Avocados nutrition facts is good. It is rich in potassium and vitamins. It is also very rich in fat and high in calories. My dietitian always reminds me of some benefits you can get with it and at the same time, it is bad to people with high cholesterol level and high blood pressure. You must also think of what you can get for the calories that counts also, just eat moderately to be safe.

Here’s the funny thing, I’ve measured it with a piece of foot rule, one foot in length or 12 in inches I’m curious, I want to find out how long?

Got 2 big avocados to measure. Amazing! You can see the foot rule here in between 2 avocados. The foot rule is by inches and centimeters. The measurement of one avocado is 12 inches in length while the other one is merely closer.

Viewing per piece, both avocados has tapered neck and this one is longer than the other one.

It was completely ripe inside, the color is just right, the flavor is perfectly great. The big size is just enough for the whole family to enjoy. Now, I want to prepare something using these fruits, there were many uses and what I have in mind is to make Avocado shake.

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Sinabalu / Piat Cagayan

By on March 9, 2018

Sinabalu is a local specialty famous in Cagayan Valley especially in Piat and neighboring towns of Tuao and Rizal. Sinabalu is a part of native cuisine, a glutinous rice wrapped with layers of treated banana leaves flavored with salt and coconut milk roasted in a bamboo tube over a low heat .The light taste is delicious that goes well with brewed coffee, hot chocolate and tea as well. With no artificial flavors, coloring and preservatives I’m sure you’ll like it. It smells really good and tastes its best when cooked over natural wood charcoal too.

Over the years, people of Cagayan developed their own unique cuisines and local specialties. Christmas, wakes, fiestas, weddings and special holidays would not be complete without the presence of Sinabalu and other local specialties like Pawa, Puto and Patupat ( all dekats fairly starts with letter P) to name a few.. It is a breakfast favorite, a mid-day snacks, and my favorite since childhood. When my brother and his wife pays a monthly visit here in Manila, they bring some local specialties from Piat, I live in the city and I don’t get to eat the same favorites all the time, this could be your favorite too. Be with friends with a cup of hot brewed coffee and slices of Sinabalu is a mellow accompaniment to any conversation.

The good quality you can buy it fresh in  Piat Public Market first hour in the morning and food stall vendors near “Basilica Minore de Nuestra Senora de Piat Church” You can find the best Sinabalu in a reputable source from Barangay Accusilian, according to my relatives from Tuao, a 2nd class Municipality in the Province of Cagayan.

The two versions; White Sinabalu which is the original one cooked with white glutinous rice and the newest version, Brown Sinabalu cooked with brown glutinous rice which is a good health benefits especially for the diabetics. It must be eaten fresh, it has a very short life and can only be freeze for 2 days and after that it deteriorates easily.

Visit my birthplace Piat Cagayan to taste all local specialties. I’m sure you’ll love it!

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

My Chopsticks-Special and Memorable Collection

By on November 27, 2017

I’ve been keeping  different kinds of chopsticks  for quite sometime now. I know for sure that’s it’s not that valuable but it holds a memorable value, a very sentimental one that I will cherished forever. I inherited this chopsticks from late ancestors, we’ve been keeping it for centuries passing from hand-to hand and it has been in the family for generations. Some of it was more than a hundred years old, it is already a  traced of history. Let me show you. Here are my beautiful chopsticks collection.

Everyone in Asia  loves chopstick. Nowadays, It is already common to all. According to my grandmother, it was first introduced in China throughout the Ming Dynasty. What is chopstick anyway?  How do you use it? I can just simply describe it as,” 2 small sticks use to pick up foods”. If you want to  know more about chopsticks history here.

How to use

Hold the top stick like a pencil, a little above the middle, small end down. Grip loosely between the tips of index and middle finger; anchor gently with the thumb.  Hands must be relaxed and flexible. Do not hold and pressed it too tight. Practice to move sticks few times till you get it.

Next slip lower stick into position. Rest it lightly in V-formed by your thumb and index finger and on the first joint of the ring finger. Resist temptation to watch the lower stick with the middle finger. Do not move the lower stick. Keep it still.

The most challenging to pick up is a whole peanut, it’s slippery and quite hard to hold but constant practice makes it perfect.

Beautifully prepared. We used chopsticks for most foods just like this. It’s the proper way and easy to pick-up foods using  chopsticks and spoon for the soup. In using  chopsticks, rice is usually served on a bowl. It would be easier per serving on a medium bowl, just like this.

A modern classic colored with a very unique design. A beautiful black/red bamboo inspired chopsticks.  Engraved as an art of Southeast Asia.

 

See how beautiful it is!

A unique ceramic chopsticks. It’s a bit heavier compared with the traditional ones. This is durable and an attractive reward selection.  It was a delicate art design , It’s my favorite.

This type of chopsticks reflects the style of old tradition. This piece was inspired by a late eighteenth century. It is made of fine wood, lighter in weight, and has its own box holder with a Chinese art design.  I prefer to use the lighter ones for everyday use.

 

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Fruit Farm

By on October 11, 2017

With so many kinds of fruit and vegetables to choose from; Kiwi, banana, strawberry, red watermelon, papaya and grapes. With a combination of different kinds, I’ve made the right selection suitable for my design to complement everything. Combining fruits and vegetables looks attractive with the striking effects even though, it was irregularly shaped forming all kinds in many shapes and sizes to a beautiful farm effect. All fruits was arranged and shaped according to today’s theme, full view of landscape farm on a plate .

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Recipes for busy moms/Fruits/Desserts/Salad/Decorative Ideas

Fruit and Vegetable Art

By on October 10, 2017

A lot of things that you can do while waiting for the food to be cooked. Tough foods like the beef ribs will cook longer and even takes more time than expected even though they may be sliced into the same sizes. Sometimes, the more foods you have to cook, the longer will it take for you to wait especially if you are not using pressure cooker.

Yesterday, while waiting for other foods, I’ve made myself busy by making something funny. It’s just a jolly ideas using fruits and vegetables, it is an art of creativity, it’s fun and enjoyable that will even make my hands and mind busy for a while. All pieces here is not difficult to make, it’s very easy and will only require a little time, attention and a bit of creative imagination. If you make use of your imagination to design any selections it will surely work it right for you and you’ll get it right in many forms and sizes.
Some pieces of creations was made of carrots, radishes, pumpkins, eggplant skins, red/green bell pepper, bananas, oranges, kiwis, green papayas, bitter melon and many more which also includes the stem, leaves and roots attached. Days ago, I’ve created some funny images such as; Penguins , Flower Garden, Beautiful Hula Dancers, Bicycle, Fashion Outfit, and the Zoo-Caged Salad. All my fruit and vegetable art looks stunning with the contrasting texture and colors.

My jolly creations using fruits and vegetables, it’s just a festive and funny ideas for the kids, the smaller is easy and enjoyable to make. While getting busy, you can even chat with friends around you and relax to have a good time creating it. I’ve used 3 different backgrounds; white and black, these plain colors will emphasized the neatness and brings out the full color as a whole. Let’s check the result!

Bicycle is made of only 3 different kinds; Kiwi, carrots and bitter melon.

Penguins is the funniest among my crafts.It i made of carrots, radish, eggplant and peppercorns for the eyes.

Fashion outfit for ladies is the most elegant and fashionable of all. Using pumpkin and seeds, red bell pepper skin and seeds, eggplant skin, carrots, papaya and chayote or christophene .

Hello Kitty fashion for the kids. (with white chopping board background)

Beautiful hula dancers is the cutest. Using papaya, radish, green/red bell peppers, peppercorns, eggplant skin and spring onion leaves for the grass background.

Flower garden is cool. It really looks like a real one.Using parsley leaves and stems for the whole plant,carrots,red bell pepper and eggplant skin for the flowers.

Reminders:
1. All fruits and vegetables must be fresh and must be in a cool room temperature.
2. Don’t forget to clean up later, always leave the table clean and spotless.Put all the things away as you finished and get ready for the next craft.

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