Cook and Brew.

On New Year’s eve, I was tasked to cook my own version of Carbonara. Actually, my sister shared this recipe but I slightly deviated from the original ingredients. My in laws and my dear son loved my cooking dearly that they’re asking me to cook it again this weekend. Save for the ingredients preparation, total cooking time is fairly fast. It’s just easy to do but be warned though that this isn’t absolutely one of those diets for quick weight loss.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Onion – chopped
1 whole Garlic – chopped
Mushroom (1 can, sliced)
Beef cubes (1 box)
Nestle cream (1 can)
Cream of mushroom (1 can, campbell’s)
Evaporada Milk (1 can, alpine)
Cheese (1 box, grated)
Fetuccini/tricolor (spiral) pasta
Bacon or crispy fried Maling or luncheon meat
Butter

1. saute garlic and onion in butter
2. add on the mushroom
3. beef cubes
4. add on the cream of mushroom
5. stir constantly, under low fire
6. add: nestle cream and evap milk
7. add the grated cheese with continous mixing
8. boil the pasta (put butter to prevent pasta fromsticking)
9. fry bacon w/o oil (til crunchy)

serving: top on the bacon or you can mix it with the sauce

If you have a toddler, I bet you can relate when I say that meal time in the dining area can look like as if there’s always a food fight or of that sort. I guess, you would have also been used to having a broom or any type of sweeper, a dust pan or even a vacuum always on a standby because aside from dishwashing the plates, you are always engaged with a clean up routine removing the food particles, sauce smudges, liquid spills on the dining area caused by your little messy eater. Probably, you would have arranged likewise numerous San Diego carpet cleaning appointments already because you might have given up already cleaning those stubborn carpet blemishes.

My 19 months old son is at the height, or perhaps just starting to take off to being an overly inquisitive and playful toddler that he loves experimenting and exploring things. And that includes his food. He wants to eat by himself with this tiny Barney spoon and fork and doesn’t want to be guided anymore. That is why, since his dexterity hasn’t fully developed yet, the food would sometimes miss his mouth and off it falls on his high chair desk or on the floor. Well, of course, he’s just a tot and is too young to reprimand although of course, we started orienting him about proper table manners. We just let him explore because after all, he’s in his developing years and I can always clean up his mess anyway.

Last night, the husband and I had a little discussion about the status of our house hunt project as well as tackled our finances over dinner. Well, it really is tough discussing negative thoughts over meal times but on the other hand, the food eaten, especially if sumptuous, can serve as an antidote against the negative vibes. Somehow, it makes the mood, even how heavy the problem seems to be, lighter and brighter.

Well, last night was not really a serious money matters discussion. I just mentioned in passing that we must brace ourselves for the upcoming bill expenses next month especially that his credit card debt for the month of October is pretty hefty. Fortunately, it was just for one credit card so no debt consolidation is really necessary. My semi-annual insurance premium due will also be billed next month. Further, my toddler son’s needs and supplies consume a big portion of our weekly allowance. Nevertheless, we are still lucky as we can cope up with these neverending expenses. Payday loans are our ready options should our budget fall short. That’s what I appreciate about my husband because he would always be ready with a game plan. He’s knowledgeable about these money options and even about payday loan consolidation. I just know that our family would surpass all these money obstacles as long as we have the wise husband by our side.

You might have heard a lot of times already about the research study on cleanliness comparison between a kitchen sink and a bathroom sink. Odd as it may sound but according to the study, kitchens are dirtier than bathrooms when it comes to bacterial contamination. The “Hygiene in the Home Study 2009″ held in Egypt exposes that, internationally, 90 per cent of kitchen cloths, 46 per cent of kitchen sinks, 38 per cent of bathroom sinks accounts the majority of the total bacterial count in most of the households. Wet and damp kitchen cloths and sponges harbor bacterial growth that is why it is imperative that the kitchen should not just be mere “cleaned”. It should be disinfected in the same frequency that we do on our bathrooms. We must regularly wash our hands especially before preparing the meal or cooking our food, and most importantly, dispense old cleaning cloths and replace them as often as possible to prevent from attracting bacterial growth and infestation.

With this study, people’s notion about bathrooms dirt may be changed. Especially with luxurious bathroom suites such as those from betterbathrooms.com, people might even lounge longer in the bathrooms now. They might even prefer doing their daily routines there like sleeping and dining.

Filipinos are known for the custom of having close family ties. We naturally care for each family members that home for the elders centers and nursing homes are uncommon. For some married children, even if they have the means to live on their own, they would still prefer to live with either of the couple’s families or parents.

A family is one of the major factors or the basis of one’s happiness. It is also in this light that a kid’s values formation and development are immensely affected by his family’s circumstance or state. So it is imperative that a family must stand sturdy together at all times and remain joyous despite life’s troubles. It is said that families who spends more time together, especially during dinner, is an effective means to strengthen the bond of the family. According to research, dinner is the perfect time to connect with our family. The communication that occurs over meal time fortifies the parent-child relationships.

Every fourth Monday of September is Famealy Day as spearheaded by Lucky Me! with their advocacy of acknowledging the importance of family meals in strenghtening the family bond. So on September 28, 2009, be sure to be home early for dinner and eat together with your spouse and kids. Because as they put it, your children need more than just good food during mealtimes..they need you!

Mom and Grandma arrived early this morning from an 8-9 hour bus drive from the province up north. Their arrival would mean a giddy giddy stomach later because they have lots of native foods in tow: homemade longanisa, tinapa, tulya (a clam species that is good for breastfeeding moms, they say), tupig, carabao milk candies, and crunchy chicharon. And the happiest of all, of course, my overly delighted stomach and my son who’ll be feeding from me through my milk. Happy Feasting to me!!!