Home for Christmas

Hi all!

It’s been a busy fall quarter (September – December) for me at college. Being a Resident Adviser for 60 freshmen has been a fun experience. Balancing my job, school work, family, friends, and spiritual commitments has been a learning experience (to say it lightly). But I’m so thankful for all that has happened this quarter.

Coming home has been a good break from my job and school work responsibilities. It has meant decorating my home, spending time with my mom, going Christmas shopping with friends and family, and baking (yes baking!).

I’ve done some cooking too like the Filipino macaroni!

Can you guess what the sauce it made out of?

It’s strangely sweet but so good…

…

…

…

Ketchup!

And it’s usually served with spaghetti noodles and sliced hot dogs.

You might call it a “poor man’s spaghetti and meatballs” but it actually makes a tasty dish!

For a more detailed and authentic recipe, check out this Filipino blog here: http://www.busogsarap.com/2011/01/filipino-sweet-style-spaghetti.html

Summertime Calls for a Feast

With no more school (until September – yay!), I’ve had a lot of time on my hands.

I’m not complaining though. I get to wake up late, lounge around the house, finally get dressed after 2 hours, go outside and walk around my neighborhood, and annoy my cat to no end. Of

course there are other days when I actually see friends but having all this me-time is wonderful. I can feel my batteries recharging. I suppose that

makes me a introvert, right?

Anyway, today started off as the same except that I knew that I was going to do some baking and cooking. Yesterday my mom was craving a “brownie-like chocolate cake without frosting” but because of my doctor’s appointment, I didn’t have time. And just last Friday I was craving chili because of the chilly weather, which then got my mom excited for chili too.

She told me that I had the option of making

either today but I decided that I had the whole day why not make both? So that’s exactly what I did. I even made fresh corn bread!

 

 

The Dinner Table Components

Bowl of chili sprinkled with chopped chives and cheddar cheese - turned out a little sweet due to the canned diced tomatoes but with the ground Cayenne pepper it still had a kick!

Buttermilk cornbread - reminded me of the potluck at UC Davis

Oranges and blueberries - to clean the pallet of course!

Chocolate almond torte - delicious, delicious delicious! A thin little slice of this dense (yet flaky) chocolate torte is all you need to satisfy any chocolate craving. Recipe from Joyofbaking.com

Mom and I also had an mixed green salad with chopped apples, mushrooms, and candied walnuts but I forgot to take a picture of it – whoops! Next time.

If you want any recipes, comment or email and I will be happy to share them with you.

Until next time, I hope summer is treating you well!

Summer Tip: Check out your local Farmer’s Markets because summer fruits (melons, blueberries!, peaches!, etc.) and veggies are in season. This means great-tasting produce for good prices and a big “thank you” from Mother Earth. :)