Noche Buena Cooking : Baked Macaroni with Cheese Topping

Last dish I cooked for our family Noche Buena, Christmas 2007: Baked Macaroni with Cheese Topping.

I followed PinoyCook.net's Baked Macaroni.
recipe for this dish. Click here to view the recipe.

Pretty rich but tasty. Not your everyday dish but reserved for those special occasions.

By the time I got to cooking this dish, I was already getting pretty tired
so I was rather slow in cooking it. It still made it to the 7 PM Noche Buean dinner.

Instead of the Recipe's Magnolia Quickmlet cheese, I used Velveeta Cheese
and combined it with Philadephia Cream Cheese that's easily available here in
North America.

Once again, thank you Connie Veneracion for the Recipe, mabili yung recipe mo, he, he.

-Julius

Noche Buena Cooking : Pork Barbecue

My take on Pork Barbecue:

I cooked pork barbecue for our family Noche Buena, Christmas 2007.
I followed PinoyCook.net's Home grilled pork barbecue
recipe for this dish. Click here to view the recipe.



I must say it was a hit for the grown ups with its spicy
taste and hint of citrus flavor. The kids, well they
liked it as well but had to get a glass of cold water
ready for them to drink because of its spicy after taste.


I used Vietnamese Chili Paste that comes in small jars
for the chili component of the Recipe.

For the basting sauce, I used honey instead of sugar.



I cooked this twice, first for a trial run and second
the actual Noche Buena. The second time around I forgot
to add minced garlic. A family member's comment: its more flavorful
with the minced garlic added. So, huwag kalilimutan ang bawang
sa inyong marinating at basting sauce.

Thank you Connie for the Recipe.

-Julius

Noche Buena Cooking : Sweet and Sour Lapu-lapu fish

***********
I cooked Sweet and Sour Lapu-lapu fish for our family Noche Buena, Christmas 2007.
I followed PinoyCook.net's Sweet and Sour Lapu-lapu
recipe for this dish. Click here to view the recipe.

My family liked it. It was a good variation from the meats served such as Ham or Turkey.

I had to modify the cooking procedure, instead of frying the 15 inch length Lapu-lapu fish (bought from a local Seafood market), I greased the fish’s skin with Olive Oil, wrapped in foil then grilled it. I couldn’t find a frying pan large enough to pan fry that size of a fish. The sweet and sour sauce had a good fruity sauce to complement it. -Julius

Steamed Tilapia

I made Nilagang Tilapia tonight good for a solo dinner.

Its healthy to cook by steaming and stay away from
fried foods if at all possible I guess.

Also, fish or any seafood is good for a balanced diet.

As usual I used a recipe from my favorite website:
Steamed Tilapia by PinoyCook.net.

With chopped ginger to remove the fishy odor and a distinct Asian flavor,
diced onions, crushed garlic, Soy Sauce, juice of fresh
Lemon, and served with steamed rice, this dish is heavenly.

Click here to view the Recipe.

-Julius

Slow Cooking, Chicken and Rice Casserole

If there is one thing I can't stand, its having to be
at the kitchen still on my work clothes to cook a Dinner
good for four people after a toxic day at work.

I mean who wants to stand there for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs
when you can be putting your legs up to let them rest.
Eating out is not option for me either. I like to take my time
and enjoy dinner at the comfort of my home.

Well, one Solution I'm using now is the slow cooker.

I still have to master the secrets of cooking recipes meant for the
slow cooker, but it sure is convenient to come home to a warm pot of
comfort food given the cold weather and a tiring day.

Well here's a sample slow cooker recipe.
Not a Filipino dish but a Spanish Paella dish.





The dish has the familiar chopped Onions and minced garlic
as base that is common in Filipno ginisa dishes, bit it takes off
with Chicken thighs, sauteed bell pepper, bacon bits, Chicken stock,
oregano, kasubha, and lots of rice.

Interested in the Recipe?

Noche Buena Food Blog

Have you checked out the Noche Buena Blog
by Connie Veneracion yet? I'm so excited,
I just had to share it.

Click on the URL below to be transferred to
her Christmas Food blog. Go to:
http://www.pinoycook.net/nochebuena/

-Julius

Delayed Entry- Kristen's Fourth Birthday 2007

Delayed entry:

November 4, 2007

We celebrated Kristen's fourth Birthday today November 4, 2007 at home.
I guess it was just a simple celebration. I invited some close friends , Ate Christine and Kuya Chito, Kuya Raul, Joan and kids,some neighbor's kids, and served a fare of home cooked dishes. It was enough to commemorate my dear Kristen's fourth Birthday.

Happy Birthday my dear Kristen. May you God bless you with more birthdays as you grow up.

Click on the image to see more pictures.




-Julius

Guinatang Bilo-bilo

Back during my childhood years, I regard Bilo-bilo
as my favorite dessert after dinner
or merienda on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
Laden with tapioca balls, bilo-bilo balls,
kamote (sweet potato), lanka (jack fruit), and gata (coconut milk)
it is indeed a gastronomical delight.

I made a pot full for the kids tonight.
They were delighted with the sweet dessert.

You know, I look at food as one way of passing
my Filipino culture to my US born kids.
Later when they grow up, they'll look
back to food as a way to identify with their
Filipino culture.

Well, my version of bilo-bilo is not any different from the
bilo-bilo recipes available on the Internet. I used Connie Veneracion's
Pinoy Cook.net Bilo-bilo Recipe with some slight variation.
I added Jack fruit on my Bilo-bilo otherwise everything else follows her Recipe.

Click here to view the Recipe.

I'm providing a more detailed procedure to make Bilo-bilo for folks
out there who can't buy Galapong or bilo-bilo in the local Market.

Bilo-bilo balls:



Ingredients:

1 cup glutinus rice flour
1/3 cup water

Bilo-bilo procedure:
1. In a bowl of rice flour, gradually add water while using hands to clump flour
into a dough ball.

2. Wrap the rice flour dough ball with cling film and
let rest for 20 - 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

3. Sprinkle Rice flour in a flat surface.

4. shape bilo-bilo balls from the dough, about 1/4 inch diameter.

5. Roll the formed bilo-bilo unto the floured surface.

6. Store the formed bilo-bilo balls on a flat plate and resume with the rest of the recipe.

Pampano Wrapped in Banana leaves with Ginger, Cilantro, Chile, and Coconut Milk for dinner

I cooked Jamie oliver's* Recipe: Monkfish Wrapped in Banana leaves with Ginger, Cilantro, Chile, and Coconut
Milk and what a seafood delightc was this dish.

Here's a link to the Recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_19207,00.html

With the Recipe's unmistakable Asian ingredients, I suspect Jamie discovered this dish on one of his trips to Thailand (just a guess).



I got my ingredients such as fresh Pampano fish, wansuy leaves (cilantro), Patis (fish sauce), tanglad (lemon grass), ginger,
banana leaves (yes we buy banana leaves here in North America while it just grows anywhere in the
Philippines),juice and zest of limes, red chili, a can of coconut milk, sesame oil from our reliable Seafood City Market.
Although, I'm sure you can get all these ingredients in a wet or seafood market.
Any white meat fish such as Tilapia, Mahi-Mahi, Sea Bass, or Catfish will do for this recipe.

To serve it, I made individual fish wrapped in the banana leaves and serve it in a plate with steamed rice. Allow the diner
to open the individually banana wrapped fish.

Try this dish! You'll really love the aroma, and of course the taste of fresh fish.





*Jamie Oliver is a well known cook in the UK. He had a show titled "The Naked chef" shown in Food Network
years ago but I think it has since been discontinued.

Trinnie's Chicken Pastel

You might ask who Trinnie is and what is Chicken Pastel. Trinnie's one of my online friends, hails from Cavite Philippines. She shared and asked me to try cook her recipe. Since she describes the recipe to me through Yahoo Messenger chat session, then there is no way for her to quality control (QC) what I’ve cooked whether it was cooked according to her specifications.

Obviously, she can't QC it because a large Ocean divides us.
Well maybe in the future, I'll cook this in the Philippines and ask her to
taste and give me a feedback whether I paid tribute or made disservice to the dish.

Chicken breasts in a thick cream sauce, reminds e of Cream of Chicken
or Chicken a La King. Try it sometime. She describes it, it is pretty special and rich. Trinnie, for now, you would have to take my cooking of the dish at face value.


Ingredients:
3 tablespoon Butter
1 onion chopped
2 chicken Buillon cubes
2 pounds of Chicken Breasts cut into 3 inch strips
1 four ounce can of Cream (Nestle Cream)
½ cup Cheese, shredded
½ cup carrots

Cooking Procedure:

1) In a pot, melt butter in low heat.
2) Add and Saute the carrots and celery until cooked.
3) Transfer the vegetables in a small plate and keep warm.
4) In the same pan, saute the onions in melted butter still in low heat.
3) Saute the chicken breasts in the melted butter.
4) Add the Chicken Buillon cubes to season the Chicken.
5) Simmer the Chicken until it starts to sweat.
6) Mix in the Cream, stirring often so it doesn’t stick to the pan
7) Return the vegetables to the pan.
8) Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
9) Shred the cheese on top and stir.

Food for the gods for the Holidays

Finally, I tried my hand in making Food for the gods cake.

The fragrant aroma and sweet taste of this cake reminds me of the Holidays.
It reminds me of another cake, the Fruit Cake which as a child came this time
of the year - Christmas time and New Year.

I always get little squares of Food for the gods wrapped in foil
whenever I visit my sister-in-law Ate Marivic. Well its about time
I demystify and explore the how-to's in making this cake.

I used PinoyCook.net - Connie Veneracion's Food for the gods and Christmas Cake recipe. Click here to view her recipe.

One of the ingredients Molasses, I had to buy in a gourmet food specialty store.
The other ingredients pretty much you can get from a regular grocery market such as butter, eggs, baking powder, brown sugar, vanilla, raisins, mixed nuts, pancake syrup, alcohol such as rum , brandy or whiskey.

It wasn't hard to make this cake at all. I was just be mindful of the cake while its baking. After 20 minutes, I made sure it wasn't burning , and checked on it every ten minutes. Total baking time: forty minutes.

Also, it takes time to make it. Total time to make the cake: one day. I had to moisten the cake with the syrup-whiskey mixture with a brush, every one to two hours throughout the day. But, its worth the wait to enjoy this marvelous cake. After the syrup mixture was used up, I cut up the cake in small squares, and placed it in a cookie jar. I'll see the reaction of the kids when they get back today.

Here's a couple pictures of cake in the making:

combining flour with the coarsley chopped nuts and raisins




brushing pancake Syrup/Whiskey on the cake

Buffalo Chicken Wings with my flair-Julius, 20NOV2007

I decided to make Buffalo Chicken Wings
with my flair.

Why Buffalo you might ask? Well, the original
Buffalo wings were invented in Buffalo New York, I suppose.

Think of Buffalo Wings and it stirs memory
of Beer Pubs, bars filled with smoke, or as a side dish
at Pizza Parlors, expensive and can't seem to have
enough.

My kids love to eat them as a pulutan (finger food)
while playing their favorite video games ,
watching their favorite cartoons on a cold rainy day.
They smother the chicken with Blue Cheese dressing,
and while eating it get the Buffalo Wing Sauce and dressing
all over their face and shirt. Kids, will always be kids, he, he.

Here's my version of Buffalo Chicken Wings, with a touch
of Asian spice using Sambal Oelek, a Malaysian Chili paste.
I also put in Sesame Oil for fragrance and sesame seeds.

I was inspired from a Food Network
Show, Chef Bobby Flay's Showdown with Drew Cerza, a
famous cook of Buffalo New York. Both have their own versions
of what a spicy Chicken Wings should be, and I somewhat combined both
their rendition of this famous finger food into the recipe below.
Click here for Drew Cerza's Bourbon Street Buffalo Wings recipe and
here for chef Bobby Flay's Hot wings for Blue Cheese-Yogurt Sauce.

Here's my version of Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese sauce:

Ingredients:

1 pack chicken wings about 3 pounds, wing tip removed and split at the joint

Sauce ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
14 ounces Sambal Oelek chili paste
12 ounces dark barbecue sauce
Frying oil such as Peanut Oil
cilantro (wansuy) leaves, for garnish
Celery sticks or Jicama sticks

5 ounces Blue Cheese
A bottle of Ranch Dressing

Sauce preparation:

1. In a sauce pan, melt butter.
2. Saute the garlic, followed by the onions.
3. Add the vinegar, brown sugar, and whisk in sambal oelek paste, just enough to melt the sugar.
4. Add a dash of Sesame oil, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
5. Remove mixed sauce from heat and transfer to a bowl.

Chicken preparation:

1. Put Oil into a frying pan and heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit on the thermometer.

2. Prepare the chicken wings by removing the wing tip
and split at the joint using a butcher's knife.

3. Place the chicken in a bowl and season the wings with salt and pepper.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

5. Coat the chicken wings by putting the wings into the dry four mixure
a peice at a time.

6. Deep fry the coated chicken wings into the hot pan of oil,
a batch at a time, about 6 to 8 minutes each batch.

7. Put the cooked chicken wings on a plate covered with paper towel to drain the grease.

8. Coat the cooked chicken wings with the sauce by putting it into the bowl of Chcken Wings sauce
prepared earlier.

9. Transfer to a serving plate.


Blue Cheese dipping sauce and Celery/Jicama sticks:

1. Put the Ranch dressing into a serving sauce bowl.

2. Use a shredder to garnish the Blue cheese into the dipping sauce.

3. Chop the cilantro leaves and garnish the Blue Cheese dipping sauce.

4. Put the Blue Cheese dipping sauce bowl beside the chicken wings.

5. Neatly arrange the Celery or Jicama sticks at a corner of the Serving plate.

Secrets to a juicy and tasty Steak

I cooked New York Steak today. Everyone who ate it complemented it and asked why it it so juicy and tender.

According to Food Up Blog, a New York steak is cut from the short loin area next to the tenderloin. They continue on to say that this is another great steak—good beefy flavor, and tender meat.

My cut up New York steak with Mushroom Sauce gravy and freshly chopped mushrooms.



Yet part of the trick to a juicy and tender steak is the method of how you cook it.

I learned how to cook and cut steak from a recent Cooking class I took.
I don't claim to be an expert on this topic. I just wanted to share what I learned in the class. The Instructor is a chef so I guess the teacher knew what what he was talking about based from experience and knowledge.

First technique I learned is that it is best marinate a Steak for two days prior to cooking it. A Steak Marinate recipe is provided below. My teacher told us that this technique is old school, a practice done before the 1950's. Modern Restaurants and Steak houses these days do not prepare Steak meats this way anymore. I have yet to find out why the trend changed.

Second Technique I learned is, leave the steak alone for a good five to ten minutes as soon as you take it out of the oven. The steak continues to cook even when taken out of the oven. This 'rest' period allows the juices to distribute throughout the steak resulting in a juicy steak. Cut it sooner and juices will ooze out of the steak resulting in a dry steak.

Third technique I learned in cooking Steak is that, the way you cut the steak will determine whether the steak is tender or tough to chew. YOU ALWAYS CUT THE STEAK PERPENDICULAR TO THE GRAIN OF THE MEAT. You can cut it such the the blade of the knife is perpendicular to the chopping board or at an angle about 45 degrees incline.

Try experiimenting one time if you can tell the difference. Cut the Steak parallel to the grain and perpendicular to the grain of the meat. You will notice that the meat cut perpendicular to the grain will be more tender.

Here's a London Broil Steak Recipe you can try at home.

London Broil Steak or flank steak

Marinade:
3/4 cup Salad Oil
3/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup yellow mustard
2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoon chopped garlic

1. Make marinade and put in a resealable plastic bag.

2.Put the steak in the resealable bag. Squeeze out air and seal. Put the bag in a bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours up to two days.

3. Occasionally invert the bag to distribute the marinade.

4. Pre-heat an oven at Broiler setting. Keep the oven's door open ajar so that the temperature is maintained. A closed oven door will trigger the oven's thermostat which temporarily shuts off the oven. adjust the oven grate at the higest level

5. Broil the Steak in oven for 3 to 4 minutes each side. Put the steak at the highest level to get the maximum heat. Less time for Rare Steak.

6. After cooking let the steak stand for a good 5 minutes or more to let the juices redistribute.

7. Slice meat across the grain of the meat, in thin slices and serve.


-Julius

An invitation to Kristen's Birthday

Lalaine, kuya Raul, Joanne and kids, Aguirre kids,


I'd like to invite you to

a simple fourth Birthday celebration of

my daughter


Kristen Chanelle


on


Saturday, November 3rd, 2007, 1:00 P.M.
at our residence


San Diego California

92***

Thank you.


Julius

Another Halloween night for the goblins ...

A halloween night for the goblins

'Tis the night when the kids wore their Halloween costumes and roamed the neighborhood asking for Halloween treats.

Justin, Trevor, and Kristen, our neighbors Joshua, Ayson, and Melvyn joined together to roam the neighborhood and celebrate a happy Halloween night.

Candies of all sorts, play doughs, and yes marshmallow eyes my favorite, just a kid's delight.

Click here to view more pictures:




-Julius

Autumn Party

October 27, 2007,

Today, October 27, I took the kids to a block party at Alfred Bajet's house here in San Diego. The party idea started as a Block Party where Alfred's band and a neighbor's would play Music for all to see. Well, after a week of Wildfires here in San Diego California,
the party morphed into a "Thank God our houses are not burned and we're not crispy pata" kind of a party.

Its sort of a follow up party after the Saint Louis University Reunion from the previous weekend. My friend Lalaine Velasco as well as other Louisians such as Robert Tadeo,(fellow SLU Boys High Alumni) attended the Party as well. It was nice to take time and talk to them as oppsoed to the Reunion where there was so many distractions and things going on. In today's event, I just took my time to talk to them and get to know them better.

Here's a video of the group Third World playing their music:



Click on the picture below to see more pictures:



Since it was a Potluck event, I marinated Thai Chicken well in advance and grilled it during the party. Lalaine brought fried Wontons with sweet and sour dipping sauce. I have to get her recipe and try making it myself because they are delicious and my kids liked it.

For side dish I originally thought of Potato Salad but decided to make Vegetable and Fruit Salad with Ceasar's Salad dressing upon the prodding of my friend Lyn Mendoza. Pictures and recipes are provided below.

I got the Thai Chicken idea from the book Weber's Real Grilling by Jamie Purviance ISBN: 0-376-02046-6, and the Vegetable and Fruit Salad from my friend Lyn Mendoza and also from Connie Veneracion's PinoyCook.net website. I also got the Ceasar's Salad Dressing idea from the same website.

I always prepare Thai Chicken at home and my kids like it. It takes 12 hours to marinate the Chicken and another 40 minutes to grille it so it requires lots of preparation time. I 'kicked the recipe a notch' (as Emerill Lagasse always say) by adding Malaysian Chili Paste (Sambal Oelek) for added spiciness.

Here are pictures while the Chicken's being prepared and the final product.







Here are the Recipes:

Bangkok Barbecued Chicken

Marinade:
4 large Garlic Cloves
1 large shallots
1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1 medium jalapeño chile pepper, stem and seeds removed and roughly chopped
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 table spoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 whole chicken, 4 to 5 pounds

1. To make the marinade: In a food processor with motor running, drop the grlic, shallots, ginger, and jalapeño through the feed tube and process until they are finely minced. Add the basil until they are finely chopped. Add the remaining marinade ingredients until they are well combined.

2. Cut the Chicken into 6 peices: 2 breast peices, 2 legs with thighs,
and 2 wings. Cut 3 to 4 slashes,about 1/2 inch deep, into the meatier side of the breast and leg thigh pieces. Place the chicken in a large resealable bag, and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of he bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, place the bag in a bowl, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, or as long as 12 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

3. Remove the chicken pieces from the bag and discard the marinade. Grille, skin side down, over Indirect Medium heat until fully cooked. The breast and wing pieces will take about 30 minutes. The leg-thigh pieces will take about 40 minutes.
During the last 10 minutes of grilling time, move the chicken over Direct Medium heat until well browned all over, turning once. Serve warm.


Vegetable and Fruit Salad:

Click link to view the recipe for Vegetable and Fruit Salad

Caesar Salad Dressing:

Click link to view the recipe for Caesar Salad Dressing

Saint Louis University Alumni Reunion 2007

October 20, 2007

Manang Christine, Kuya Chito and myself went to Las Vegas this weekend to be part of the Saint Louis University Alumni Reunion for 2007 at Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas Nevada USA. Manong Dan and Ate Myrna were present in the event as well.

My classmate Alfred Bajet and his wife Aida all attended the Night Dinner and Dance
Ball event.

Its nice to see several High School and College acquaintances after so many years. It was also nice to hear Bishop Cenzon (Bishop of the Dicoese of Baguio City-Benguet), and Mayor Bautista (current mayor of the City of Baguio) address the SLU alumnus.

The pictures were taken from the camera of my classmate Alfred Bajet.
Thanks Alfred for sharing these pictures.

Click on the photo below to see more of our reunion pictures:



Hope you enjoy the pictures.

-Julius

Miramar Air Show 2007

October 13, 2007

I brought Justin, Trevor and Kristen, and our neighbors Joshua and
Ayson to a whole day of viewing the Miramar Air Show here in
San Diego, California.

What's different this year, the US Air Force Thunderbirds were the highlight of the
show instead of the US Navy Blue Angels. I must say the Thunderbirds have different aerial stunts than does the Blue Angles.

Nevertheless it is spectacular to view
them at the comfort of camping chairs set amidst a flight deck while munching
on potato chip snacks.

The kids had fun as well. It is comforting to a parent to hear their thank yous
for the fun they had all day.

Here are some of our Air Show pictures. Click on the image to view our online photo album. I hope you enjoy.



-Julius
(Sinlao)

Dexter's 15th Birthday-Sept. 28, 2007

September 28, 2007


We celebrated Dexter's 15th Birthday today Friday, September 28th, 2007.
Dexter is the third child of the Aguirre family. Their family is our good neighbors
here in San Diego.

Thanks for inviting us and be part of Dexter's Birthday celebration.



Click on the image to see more pictures.

-Julius
(Sinlao)

School Opens 2007

I can't believe Summer is over and a new School Year
awaits Justin and Trevor. It seems like
they were just getting warmed up for vacation during
the warm Summer months.

This year, we’ve moved Justin and Trevor from
Riverside School District to Poway School District.

They’re both excited of the school change. We've just finished buying all their
items for their required School Supply list shown below and
I can feel the excitement and anticipation in their behavior.



Walking Trevor first day of school to Rolling Hills elementary School

Is it because they have all new school belongings from new backpacks
to clothes or a new school district? I still have to figure that out.



I myself feel the excitement too because Justin and Trevor have returned back to San Diego.




Well, in case you’re curious, here are their School Supply list:

Justin’s School Supply list:
- 2 blue or black pens
- 2 pencils (I'll get those mechanical ones)
- 2 pens of different colors
- Ruler
- Calculator
- Highlighter
- Scissors
- Pencil Sharpener
- Glue Stick
- portable 3-hole punch
- A three ring binder with
> 6 tabbed dividers
> supply of lined notebook papers
> A supply pouch
> two pocket folders
> a supply of clear sheet protectors
> Reminder sheet

Trevor’s School Supply list:
Pencils (12)
-Colored Markers
-Colored Pencils
-Twistable Crayons
-Dry Erase Markers (4)
-Glue Sticks
-1 1/2” White Binder
-Colored tab dividers
-Spiral notebook wide rule
-Composition Book
-Pencil Box 8”x4 1/2”
-Clorox Wipes
-Box of Tissue
-Standard Eraser not for pencil top


-Julius

An afternoon at the pool

Justin, Trevor, and Kristen spent the afternoon
by playing at the pool to welcome Jed and Keanu back
to San Diego, and play with Jaela and Ricki as well.

Seems like Summer has laready passed as school
has started which signals the coming of Autumn.

An afternoon outside with a nice sunshine is
a late Summer treat.

Welcome back Jed and Keanu.



Click on the image to see more pictures

beginning body boarding

beginning body boarding

-blog entry by Justin

According to Wikipedia,

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:Boogie+board&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

Boogie Board (n): A slang term used to refer to a small roughly rectangular piece of foam, shaped to a hydrodynamic form. This is used in bodyboarding.

The bodyboard is ridden in a similar way to the more well known surfboard, but is predominantly ridden lying down, (or 'prone').

*******

I went out to Beach today to try my hand on Boogie boarding.

Man! that was a lot of fun. The surf at the Beach has not been as big lately.

I'm still learning how to do it. Riding a wave can take you as far as 50 feet

maybe further as I get good at it.

I can't wander out to the deeper water yet but it was a lot of fun just the same.
Check out some of our pictures.

Click on the picture above to see more pictures.

-Justin

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Sagot ko sa "Get to know me!"

1.. What time did you get up this morning? 4:30 AM , aga ano ...

2. How do you like your steak? Medium Rare, pwede na rin, yung may Barbecue Sauce ha ….

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Transformers, kasama ko si Calvin at Justin

4. What is your favorite TV show? Don't watch much TV eh, Discovery or Food Network pag sinumpung. Pag di ako maka labas on a Sunday, EWTN Network channel para doon na lang ako attend Sunday Mass.

5. What did you have for breakfast? Mabilisan eh, cup of black brewed coffee na Barako with sweetener atsaka toasted Pan De Sal na may palaman na peanut butter and Jelly.....sarap kaya!

6. What is your middle name? my Mom's last name: Estabillo

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Siempre sariling atin: Filipino Cuisine. I've been into learning Filipino classic dishes: Chicken Adobo, Pinakbet, Sinigang na Baboy, bachoy or Igado, o gutom ka na ba? ha ha

8. What foods do you dislike? makulit ……basta't hindi lason at maanghang masyado OK lang!

9. What are your favorite chips? Yun bang may halong suka na … ano ba yun?

10. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would it be? Hmmm … siguro sa Holy Land: Jerusalem , Palestine

11. What kind of car do you drive? Truck lang na tacoma

12. What is your favorite sandwich? Ahh gusto ko yung Vietnamese Sandwich ... kasi may maraming pickled vegetables : bánh mì gà – yung may chicken, banh mi trung – may itlog, bánh mì bì may shredded pork, bánh mì thịt nướng yung may inihaw na baboy, o bánh mì xíu mại yug may pork meatballs, haaay… ginugutom mo naman ako eh ..

13. What are your favorite clothes? Di ako mapili eh …

14. What is your favorite CD at the moment?

15. Favorite brand of clothing?

16. Where would you want to retire? Sana nga maka retire na, kaso walang pang retire eh, kayod balat at buto muna ako????

17. Where were you born? Sa Pilipinas

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Basketball okay din lang, Football pag Super Bowl Sunday

19. Who do you think will NOT send this back?

21. Pepsi or Coke? Coke yung Classic ha, huwag Diet, ewww….

22. Beavers or ducks? Ewan ….

23. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Ewan, night owl ata

24. Pedicure or manicure?

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Tsismoso/a ka nga …. AHAHAHA

26. What did you want to be when you were little? Gusto ko maging engineer. Natupad naman.

27. What is your best childhood memory? Pag nag order si Dad ng Apple Pie, Burger at French Fries sa 19^th tee sa John Hay pag may Birthday. Alam ko di mo na alam yun, tanda na kasi ako eh ...lols!

28. Piercing? Ay hindi eh

29. Ever been to Africa ? hindi eh …

30. Ever been toilet papering? Ano yan ?

31. Favorite day of the week? Pag kasama ko mga anak ko …

32. Favorite restaurant? Yung may pagkaing Pilipino, Salo- Salo Grrille sa Los Angles area.

33. Favorite flower? Bakit bibigyan mo ba ako ? Pulbusin ko kaya dibdib mo, AHAHA...

34. Favorite ice cream? yung ube flavor

35. Favorite fast food restaurant? In-and-Out, sarap burger nila eh, hindi dry

36. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Dalawa …

37. From whom did you get your last email? Hinihintay ko pa eh …

38. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Ayy.... hindi ko na gawain iyan

39. Bedtime? Pag natapos na ako nakikipag chat, LOL

40. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Yung mga utu utong katulad ko nga (I second Tessa's answer) AHAHAHA!

41. Who did you go out to dinner with last? Si Lalaine, kumain kami ng Vietnamese Pho, nakaka gutom ang maglipat ng gamit eh …

42. What are you listening to right now? Tahimik sa paligid ko eh ….

43. What is your favorite color?

44. How many tattoos do you have? Wala nuh …

45. How many are you sending this email to? ito lang....

At the Beach on a hot summer afternoon

August 12, 2007


What's to do on a lazy and hot August Summer afternoon?
Ahh... the cool, refreshing Ocean breeze seems to be calling
out its name to the kids.



Click on the image to see more pictures

I took the kids to the Beach on a lazy Sunday afternoon
just to play sand, build castles, play with the surf.

They had a blast. Its a delight to see them play, enjoy the
outdoors.

Julius

Trevor's Kindergarden Graduation

Dear family and friends,


I just wanted to share you

Trevor's Kindergarden Graduation Protrait.




I hope you like it.

Julius