A Bewitched Halloween ! ...LBA Trick or Treat 2013

It was the annual "Trick or Treat" in our village last October 26, 2013 and dubbed as "Bewitched."  I have been enjoying this event every year since my family moved here.  I enjoyed putting up scary decorations with my step mom but what I love the most is seeing children in their cute halloween costumes and all smiles as they knocked on every house and receiving their goodies. It is fun and how  I wished we had this event during my childhood.  Trick or Treating is not part of Filipino culture.  It came from western culture and is gaining popularity in the Philippines.

Cupid and Twinkle

 "Our family prepared some candies for the kids.  Somebody might stole these goodies so we are guarding them"

 The living dead made by my step mom

Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,
Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!"
~Dexter Kozen

Welcome. The witch is in.

"When witches go riding and black cats are seen,

 the moon laughs and whispers this is near halloween"

 Our Halloween decors in front of our house

Kids and their pumpkins... It's the season for 

Halloween howls and pump grins

 There is a cute little angel !

Trick or Treat! Give me something good to eat. Give me candy.

 Give me cake. Give me something sweet to take!

 What a boo-tiful mask !

 The monster is taking a photo of my dog, Cupid

 Little devils... Just hanging out with their ghoul friends

Run for your life ... there is a walking dead on the lose !

 Sit for a spell and have some brew

 Felix and Anne, our house members... Boo to you from our crew !

The kids with their mommy... Having a spooktakular 

good time !

Caution ! Scary pumpkin head

My father and the children

Trick or Treat. Be so sweet. Give me something good to eat.

 Our "Boo-tiful" and special family members ~ Twinkle and Cupid

We are too cute to spook

Look at my head dress, this is cool ! Mama Zen made this.

From us... 

 HAVE A HAPPY SPOOKY HALLOWEEN ! 

May our best "witches" go with you

The witches fly
Across the sky,
The owls go, "Who? Who? Who?"
The black cats yowl
And green ghosts howl,
"Scary Halloween to you!"

~ Nina Willis Walter

Photo from hokiang.com

A Prayer of Hope for Bohol and Central Visayan Region

October 15, 2013 is an unforgettable day for Filipinos in the Central Visayan Region.  A destructive earthquake of 7.2 magnitude shook the island of Bohol and nearby provinces. The epicenter is found in the interior of Bohol, 6 kilometers south of Sagbayan town .  My parents are Boholanos and I was born there.  My father is from Carmen and my mother is from Loay, Bohol.  Both towns were affected by the earthquake.  Although we now live in Laguna (Luzon Region), most of our relatives and friends are there in our home province.  I am deeply shocked and saddened by the devastation brought by the earthquake which is now recorded as one of the deadliest in our recent history.  People lost their homes and are staying in the streets and evacuation areas where they feel safe. The aftershocks made it very hard for the emergency workers to retrieve bodies trapped in the rubbles. The death toll now is over 170 people and rising. Infrastructures.... power lines, roads and bridges are heavily damaged making it difficult for relief goods distribution.  It is heartbreaking  to know also that the centuries-old churches are destroyed by the quake.  The churches in Bohol is a distinct collection of Roman Catholic Churches built during the Spanish Era and these are our National Heritage.  At least ten (10) churches are damaged and heritage experts will do an assessment and hopefully restore these national treasures.

LOAY CHURCH 

(Photos from Wikipedia and GMA Network)

This is the  Santissima Trinidad Church   (Most Holy Trinity Church) of Loay, Bohol founded in 1815.  I was born in Loay and I was baptized in this church. 

LOBOC CHURCH

(Photos from Time4teaparty and GMA Network)

Originally built in 1602, the Church of San Pedro in Loboc is the second oldest church in Bohol.

THE BACLAYON CHURCH

 (Photos from Wikipedia/Elysplanet)

The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Baclayon, Bohol is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines founded in 1596.

 DAUIS CHURCH

(Photos from Wikipedia and Inquirer)

  The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Dauis, Bohol on the Island of Panglao which was built with a mixture of Byzantine and Romanesque architecture.

 MARIBOJOC CHURCH

(Photos from Wikipedia and Rappler)

The Santa Cruz Parish Church is located in poblacion, Maribojoc and was founded in 1768.  It entirely crumbled to the ground.

LOON CHURCH

(Photos from Wikipedia and Inquirer)

The Church of Our Lady of Light (Nuestra Señora de la Luz Parish) is the biggest church in Bohol which was built between 1855-1864. It was completely destroyed by the earthquake.  This statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was found undamaged.

 CHOCOLATE HILLS 

(Photos from  Bohol-Philippines and Philstar)

Bohol's famous chocolate hills in Carmen, Bohol was not spared by the quake.  The viewing deck to see these beautiful hills collapsed as well.

DAMAGED HIGHWAY IN GETAFE, BOHOL

(Photo from Interaksyon)

BRIDGE IN THE TOWNSHIP OF CORTES COLLAPSED

(Photo from Channel News Asia)

A HOUSE THAT FELL IN THE RIVER IN BUENAVISTA, BOHOL
(Photo from Yahoo News)

The Loboc Children's Choir of Bohol sings "The Prayer" to bring hope for the people in the Visayan region affected by the killer earthquake

The All-Time Favorite...Pandesal !

 Pandesal is a popular Filipino bread roll

Today, I tried making Pandesal, an all-time favorite of every Filipino. This bread was introduced during the Spanish Era in the Philippines.  The name came from the Spanish phrase"Pan De Sal" meaning "Bread of Salt" or salt bread.  It is not salty though but slightly sweet.

Ingredients :

2        Cups all purpose flour
2 1/4  Cups  bread flour
3        Tsp dry yeast
1        Tsp baking powder
1/2     Cup sugar
1        Tsp salt
1        Egg
1 1/4  Cup milk
4 1/2  Tbsp melted butter
1        Tbsp vegetable oil
Bread crumbs for coating

Directions :

1.   In a small bowl, combine and dissolve the yeast and sugar (Get 1 tbsp from 1/2 cup sugar) in warm milk  (115 degrees fahrenheit). Let stand for 10 minutes and set it aside.

2.   In a big bowl, combine and mix the all purpose flour, bread flour, baking powder, salt and remaining sugar.

3.   Add the melted butter, vegetable oil, egg and the yeast mixture.  Mix continuously until the dough is formed.

4.   Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10-15 mins. or until the dough is elastic and smooth.  Kneading the dough manually is tiring but if you have a mixer or dough kneader it will be so easy.

5.   Prepare a lightly oiled bowl and transfer the dough. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise for at least an hour in a warm place.

6.   After letting the dough rise,  transfer it into a lightly floured surface so it will not stick.

7.   Divide the dough into four equal parts using a dough slicer.

8.   Roll each part until it forms into a cylindrical shape like a log and cut each log into equal pieces.

9.   Coat each sliced dough with the bread crumbs and place it into a lightly greased baking tray.  Make sure you place it flat side down.

10.  Cover the tray with a damp cloth and let it rise for 20 minutes.

11.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

12.  Bake for 13-15 minutes and serve hot.

Freshly baked hot pandesal

Hawaiian Pizza Delight

My Hawaiian Pizza

Craving for Hawaiian pizza ? This one is very simple to make as I used a ready made pizza dough or crust.  It saved me time in preparing the pizza dough especially when you are in a hurry. There are many variations of Hawaiian pizza but this one  is "easylicious" (easy and delicious)  with only pineapple, ham and cheese as toppings.

Ingredients :

1   Large  pizza crust or dough (ready-made)

1   Envelope Del Monte Quick and Easy  pizza sauce (Italian or sweet depending on your preference), 115 g

1   Small  can  of pineapple tidbits, drained

1/2 Cup ham, diced

2    Cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions : 

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit.

2.  Brush the crust with olive oil and place it on a pizza pan.

3.  Spread sauce on pizza crust. Top with cheese, pineapple and ham.

4.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crust is crisp and cheese is melted.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A Slice of Carrot Cake

I told myself that every week I am going to bake some pastries and goodies to improve my baking skills.   This weekend,  I made a moist, yummy and flavourful Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting. Carrot is  an excellent source of vitamin A, and a good source of vitamins C and K, fiber and potassium.

My carrot cake fresh from the oven

 Here are the ingredients of this soft and yummy carrot cake:

3     Cups  grated carrots
2     Cups  all purpose flour
4     Eggs
1 1/2 Cups white Sugar
2     Tsp. ground cinnamon
1     Tsp. baking powder
2     Tsp. baking soda
1/2  Tsp. salt
1     Cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 Tsp. vanilla
1     Can (8 ounce) crushed pineapple with juice
1     Cup chopped cashew nuts

Ingredients for the frosting :

2    Cups confectioners' sugar
1    Can (8 ounce) cream cheese
1/2 Cup softened butter
1 1/4 Tsp. vanilla
1    Cup chopped cashew nuts

 Directions  :

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit  (175 degrees Centigrade)
2.  Grease and put some flour into the 9x13 inch baking pan
3.  Combined the dry ingredients in a large bowl : Flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cashew nuts.
4.  Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl and mix  : Eggs, oil, vanilla, pineapple, carrots.
5.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until fully mixed.
6.  Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake in 40 mins.
7.  For the frosting, combine the confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla and beat until smooth. Then add, the cashew nuts.

Preparation Time : 30 mins.
Cooking  Time     : 40 mins.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Million People March to Luneta !

Million People March to Luneta

August 26, 2013

August 26, 2013 is Philippine Holiday commemorating "National Heroes Day."  Today, we do not only remember and honor the national heroes throughout the Philippine history.  This is a significant day for ordinary Filipinos from all walks of life as they participate rain or shine in the "Million People March to Luneta".  The controversy surrounding the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam which  broke out recently linking the now fugitive Janet Lim-Napoles to several legislators.  It was said that Napoles had established a number of NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) which were getting financial assistance for projects from some Legislators' Philippine Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).  The said NGOs turned out to be bogus and Napoles and some legislators were said to have pocketed the fund and benefited from the Filipinos' hard earned money.  This controversy was highlighted in various media which ignited the anger of millions of Filipinos prompting them to go out and hold a big rally versus "Pork Barrel" and corruption. It was very disgusting to hear this at the time that a number of Filipinos were affected by the heavy flood and torrential rains and who were in need of great help. 

Big Rally vs. Pork Barrel System at Luneta Park

Photo from Xinhuanet.com

Protest against corruption

Juana Change, a comedian disguised as a pig joins the Million People March

Photo from GMA Network

People and pigs call for the abolition of the pork barrel
Photo from Inquirer.net

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) show support to the anti-pork barrel rally
Photo from GMA Network

This message was shared in Facebook

Where is  Janet-Lim Napoles ?... I think she disguised herself into a frog (Posted in facebook)

Jeanne Lim-Napoles, daughter of Janet Napoles  and her lavish lifestyle (Posted in facebook)

This van which resembles like a pig was described as "The Senators' Van" which was posted in Facebook

No to Pork Barrel !