MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 20 - HOUSEPLANT
When my paternal grandma, Ah-ma (η₯ζ―) lived with us, she had so many of these in the house. I often saw her cut across the aloe vera stem and run her comb against the juicy pulp. She then combed her thinning hair with the aloe gel. Did it work for her? Not at all.
Cooling Our Heels
Coffee for the boys, tea for me.
CBTL in Robinsons Galleria is very busy today.
MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 19 - ANALOG
My trusty, rusty oven thermometer has carried me through good times and bad times.
π€ Many thanks to my friend Seth for helping me out on this one.
Because making and baking your own bread is tiring business, I ate one straight out of the oven. Yikes, the filling burned, hahaha.
My passion for making bread started when the pandemic hit and everything suddenly ground to a halt. Cooped up in the house, I got doomsday feels especially when our mobility was hampered. Thank goodness for the internet, I watched many videos and zeroed in on how to make pandesal. Pandesal is a local bread that is soft and covered with bread crumbs. It is many Filipinos' comfort food.
So I had it in my head that pandesal will be my first-ever bread project. My first attempt wasn’t my best; heck, it wasn’t the best of my worst even. But I did not let that failure stop me. I have always been obsessive, especially when my interest is piqued and I like what I’m doing.
After a yearlong hiatus (Chronic tendonitis sidelined me, that’s another story), I started baking again. Following a spate of savory and sweet bread, I asked the husband what he wanted and he asked for pandesal. I made a batch and, right before the last proofing, divided the portions- half with corned beef filling and the rest just plain pandesal. Most of the time, I like my bread to have filling because it simplifies eating, just heat it up and voila, instant breakfast or snack. How lazy can one get, right?
BTW, I knead my dough by hand 100% of the time. My husband offered several times to buy me a quality mixer (Hello, Kitchen Aid) but I decline. Not yet. My hands are my best tools. Besides, I love the smell of butter and dough on them. Nothing even comes close to the feeling of home.
If anyone is interested, here’s the recipe youtu.be/4RiNlBSRi…
MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 18 - PORTICO
Something about this walkway spelled haunting, literally and figuratively. I am glad I was able to preserve this memory on my phone.
πDomain Wintergardens, Auckland, NZ
It’s a slow Saturday so here I am thinking what bread I’ll make today. Do I go with my trusted recipes or do I try to be adventurous?
Note to Self: What I cook, I MUST eat.
Two of my handmade items come together.
Blu is the second cat to share our home. Being a junior cat, she’s quite a handful, always jumping over Snow, thus getting on her nerves. She gets her quiet time once in a while which allows Snow to breathe a little easier.
After plowing through more than three hours of LOTR: The Return of the King: Extended Edition, I see Frodo finally standing on the precipice of boiling fire inside Mt. Mordor. Destroy it, Sam urges him. Damn Hobbit is taking FOREVER deciding whether to destroy the ring or go home with his preciousssss. Ai-yay-yay, I just want to shove him and be done with it, πππ
Poor Sam for having to put up with this nincompoop. Really.
MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 17 - EARLY
We took a sleeper train from Amsterdam to Munich. While it was a unique experience (to us, at least), I slept fitfully. At a little past midnight, I felt the train shudder to a stop. I peeked outside and saw we were on German soil already. Guten Morgen, I said to whoever was ‘listening’ π
But that was the funny thing about wishes. Sometimes all it took to make them come true was a first step.
~ Klune, TJ. The House in the Cerulean Sea
MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 16 - ROAD
Come walk with me….
πNiagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 15 - PATIENCE
This mosaic rendition of Birth of Venus was done entirely using discarded railway tickets. I can’t imagine the depth of patience needed to accomplish this!
Someone finally got his cravings… Kebab for him, schnitzel for me.
Basmati rice is the longest grain variety of any rice that I have ever eaten.
πArya Persian Restaurant in Shangri-la Mall, Mandaluyong City.
MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 14 - HORIZON
This photo paints a thousand words. No caption is necessary π
We were pleasantly surprised with this dish which we ordered out of curiosity - Wok-Fried Black Curry Lamb. My picture does not do it justice. @BananaLeaf in Estancia Capitol Commons, Pasig.
MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 12 - SHINY
The biggest attraction in Arashiyama, Kyoto is the famous Bamboo Forest. We were very surprised to discover the Kimono Forest which was right there where the train stops. Pillars bearing kimono silk textiles light up the path, simply breathtaking especially at night.
I’m so hungry I cut up my Sausage Roll at once, thus ruining its photogenic state. This coupled with #StarbucksPH hot Coffee Americano was a great way to start the weekend.
I just finished from getting my blood taken for diagnostic tests. I can’t be the only one who looks away just as the needle is about to prick my skin π
Bruno Mars’s Just The Way You Are is currently playing in the car radio. I used to love the song but a nephew’s lavish wedding “spoiled” it for me. Now I can’t hear the song without thinking of them, π
MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 11 - GIMCRACK
This Coffee Smoothie looks better than it tastes. The coffee flavor is barely discernible, it’s too sweet for my taste, but the worst part is the tapioca pearls. They’re not chewy ; they’re hard.
RANDOM CAT SIGHTING
The cats that roam in Ayala UP Town Center all look well-fed and taken care of. This fat calico did not mind all the humans that were passing by.
MARCH PHOTOBLOGGING CHALLENGE DAY 10 - RITUAL
Purify oneself before entering Itsukushima Shrine for prayers
