Cook and Brew.

Just recently, I withdrew my US dollar savings from paypal and I was surprised to see the downward peso conversion trend. It means that the Philippine peso is doing good. In times like this when the peso is at a bit strong status while the dollar weakens, financial advisors and trade experts say that this is a better time to invest in some asset ventures that include rare coins and precious metal investments. First step is to familiarize one’s self in how the trading goes then buy gold coins, not necessarily that much, just enough for a startup. Reading resources such as the usgoldbureau.com helps in leaps as one gets the necessary information and tips about metal investments. Check out their site to learn more on how to go about maximizing your gold coin dollar investments. Who knows, you could hit big with this kind of investment.

My husband isn’t alcoholic. He does drink when an occasion calls for it but he barely finishes a bottle of beer even. He doesn’t smoke, too. That’s why an electronic cigarette, no matter how interesting it may sound, has not been ever a part of our shopping list. He has a lot of friends but it’s very seldom that he joins late night beer bouts in bars or wherever guys normally hang out.

I’m one proud wifey that my husband got no vices. Thankful that he has always been a supportive and responsible husband and daddy to his unico hijo. Our son looks up to him and I’ve got no objections with that since he’s really worth idolizing. Way to go, Dad! We love you.

Guess what’s my fascination lately.

It’s collecting cook books and recipes from magazines. When we went to the mall last time, the husband was surprised when he saw the four small special edition cookbooks (from my favorite local food magazine) that I was carrying on my way to the cashier. I’ve also been frequenting my favorite online food sites and madly downloading their featured daily recipes. Again, the husband was surprised to see how my laptop memory is chock-full of saved data because of the tons of recipes I collected. Well, I told him not to complain because I’m doing this for the good of his “tummy”. He may not yet “reap the rewards” for now but definitely he will when we transfer to our very own Little Mansion soon and by then, I get to be the Queen of the Kitchen.

A couple of hours ago, the husband and I were chatting over YM when he suddenly remembered something. He said that he slid a Php 1000 bill into my wallet this morning before he went to work and it’s supposedly for our son’s vaccination this noon. When I told him that he didn’t have to because I have enough money, he immediately exclaimed that he will get back the bill later. I replied that he won’t be getting back any money because I’ll be shopping later unless he’ll scour the POS systems in the department store later just to find it. He just laughed and he thought I was just kidding. Let’s see what his reaction will be later. I’ll let you know.

My dad, who’s on a one-month vacation from his work abroad, is thinking lately about possible business options that he can venture on, next year when he retires. Among his franchise options are Mang Inasal and Figaro. If ever, his business venture will be very timely because my brother, who’ll be graduating this month with a degree in Marketing can help him setup the business. But for the mean time, my brother will get a job for experience as he waits for my Dad. Perhaps, he can also “practice” venturing into small business, like owning Vendstar vending machines and renting a small place in a school canteen or any other nearby eatery. This is a 100% cash business, profitable and is just easy to manage even if he has a full time job in the corporate world. Not only he’s gaining venture experience but he’s also earning some extra income.

At one point of our teenage years, we may have experienced being troubled by dreaded pimples, acne and other face blemishes. Hormones usually are the primary culprits and it’s something we can’t stop. But before we go helpless and hopeless undergoing each and every acne scar removal procedure available, it’s delighting to know that we can do something to prevent acne from worsening and to help scars heal faster through good nutrition and detoxing. When we say good nutrition, it means eating the right amount of these foods:

1. Organic Green Tea – The abundant anti-inflammatory chemical called catechins help in combating free radicals and preventing fine lines.
2. Olive oil - contains essential fatty acids that are needed for good health. Nourishes the skin and gives it an inner glow.
3. Walnuts – rich in omega-3 oils that helps to keep the skin plump and flexible.
4. Berries – rich in phytochemicals that are protective of skin cells.
5. Lemon Juice – It’s a natural bleach and can be used to fade sunspots and freckles.
6. Watermelon – The pulp of the fruit is a good exfoliant and it is rich in vitamins A, B and C. The fruit contains a lot of water which hydrates the skin.
7. Low-Fat Dairy Products – very good source of vitamin A. Experts say that the health of our skin cells is dependent on dietary vitamin A.
8. Whole-Wheat Bread, Cereals and Brazil nuts – Rich in selenium that plays a key role in the health of skin cells.
9. Yogurt – This will keep the complexion smooth, healthy and fresh when applied with such in the morning. A mixture of yogurt and lemon juice is ideal for softening hands.
10. Water – good hydration plays in keeping skin looking healthy and even young.

Eating is something we do more than three times a day. It’s something that we do often but sometimes this causes social embarrassment because we fail to observe the proper dinner table etiquette:

DO’s:
1. Once seated, unfold the napkin and use it for occasionally wiping the lips or fingers. After eating, leave the napkin tidily on the place setting.
2. If the food presented is something you don’t like, it is polite to at least make some attempt to eat a tiny amount of it.
3. It is quite acceptable to leave some food to one side of your plate if you feel as though you have eaten enough. On the other hand, don’t attempt to leave your plate so squeaky clean that it looks as though you haven’t eaten in days!

DON’TS:
1. Do not start eating before the host’s signal.
2. Never talk about gross things over the table like murder, neck acne or cadavers.
3. The number one sin of dinner table etiquette is eating loudly through sounds of: slurping and burping.

Reference: gourmet-food-revolution.com’s compilation of table etiquette

I really do like the HP games that come with my laptop. I may not be a great cook in real life, I feel like I’m getting familiar with all the cooking terms and recipes I need to know in the cooking games that I play. There’s the Flo Diner Dash series and the Cooking Mania wherein the game involves “cooking” various recipes from different parts of the world. It also has interesting facts about the recipes origin and even seemingly coach how to properly cook the menu. Albeit time consuming sometimes, these games relieve my stress when I try to relax from a hard day’s online work. It’s also impressive that these games which are developed by various gaming companies can be consolidated and simulated by a main HP console. It’s as if they’re having a free directory submission because there’s no need for them to spend and work on the marketing of their gaming products.

It’s still a day early but I’m wishing you all now:

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

It’s the time of the year again when a Chinese food boxed in red is a common sight, not only in Binondo streets but in almost every non-Chinese household. We’re fortunate that we don’t have to storm the busy streets of Binondo just to taste this special tikoy delicacy because we’re always gifted by a Chinese neighbor (along with a few pieces of arcona products because they’re into beauty product distribution for business). We usually cook ours the most popular and easiest way..cut into strips, dip in an egg mixture before frying. I’m searching on the web now for other ways to cook this..anyone care to share their tikoy recipes?

I stumbled upon this photo while organizing my Flickr gallery. This was taken at hubby’s godson’s Christening last year. Instantly, it made me drool and now my tummy’s seemingly screaming “please feed me!”

I intended not to browse food and cooking blogs and checked out instead sites of varied topics from home blogs to web pages about long distance moving but the image is stuck in my head.