Pesto Shrimp Pasta

This is something I made for Media Noche on New Year's eve---Pesto Shrimp Pasta paired with pesto bread.

Linking with Food Friday and Food Trip Friday

Happy New Year!

I woke up this morning with a bad cold and dry cough.  The smog from last night's revelry is the culprit.  At least, everybody has calmed down. It seems that the excitement of the New Year is almost over in my neighborhood.  Today was peaceful except for a random sound of a distant firecracker and a videoke party two apartments down the street.  But Fritz was still fidgety so I decided to take him out to his favorite place for a relaxing stroll.  Traffic to Bonifacio High Street was a breeze---I wish it was New Year's day everyday.:p

Fritz and I were glad to see this new extension of High Street---a new playground!  The new mall has not been opened yet but the gardens and fountains are open for people to enjoy.  Here are some snapshots I took this evening.  I apologize for the blurry photos---I forgot to set my point & shoot.

There have been a lot of changes in my life in 2011.  And I believe they were all for the better..."perpetual optimism is a force multiplier."  Everyday, I consciously focus on the positive, see the brighter side of things.  Time and again, I have proven that enthusiasm and optimism have a ripple effect.  With a "can do" attitude, anything is possible.

This year, I resolve to resist the urge to spend on unnecessary things; take stock of what's really important, and let go of  things [and people] that don't inspire me or give me joy.

I look at this New Year with renewed hope and a prayer for strength to weather whatever storm that may come my way.  Life is fragile, everyday counts.  Let's be kind to one another.  

To my family and friends (virtual and in real time), I wish you an excellent health, someone to love [and who loves you back], achievement of your goals, strength of spirit and boundless energy to enjoy life.  Continue to dream!  

Wishing you a rockin' New Year!

Linking to Smiling Sally's Blue Monday

First sunset [SWF]

@ mirandablue

A lazy Saturday.  Hung-over from the New Year's revelries.  Wallowed in Fritz' attention and a Dexter marathon.   It was late in the afternoon when I finally took a shower, grabbed my camera and ran to the roof deck to bask in the first sunset of 2011 with a cup of coffee.


Another new year, another roller coaster of challenges and opportunities.  From Brazil to Belgium, Moscow to Manila...no rest for the wicked in 2011.  Cheers!

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

Posted for Sky-Watch Friday

Asparagus and Seafood Pasta

I do get tired of the ol' tomato-based pasta sauce, don't you? Everyone in my family loves pesto sauce, so I concocted this pasta dish for Media Noche. It's asparagus and seafood pasta with creamy asparagus pesto sauce---my first attempt, and it was a hit! Even my mother loved it---a miracle.:p

I'll do my best to give you a recipe here but not really good at ratio and proportions so I'll leave it all up to you.

Things you need:
Pasta
Shrimps
Clams
Fresh asparagus
Mushrooms (fresh or canned)
Fresh Basil
Roasted Pine nuts
Olive Oil
Garlic and Onions
All-purpose cream
Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Boil spaghetti until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Boil shrimps and clams with a pinch of salt. Shell shrimps, clams can be left with shells intact or take the meat out of the shell. Set aside.
3. Cut asparagus diagonally. Set aside fresh asparagus tips. Boil the remaining spears until tender.
4. Cut mushrooms and set aside.
3. In a food processor or blender, combine garlic, fresh basil, boiled asparagus spears, pine nuts, olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, and all-purpose cream. Puree until a paste forms, and if too thick, thin it with a bit of boiled asparagus water. Add salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasoning.
4. In a skillet, saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add shelled shrimps and clams, then mix in mushrooms and asparagus tips. Don't overcook asparagus tips, it should be bright green and crisp.
5. Pour in the pesto sauce from the food processor and mix well.
6. Serve with a dusting of Parmesan cheese, a light drizzle of olive oil, and garnish with asparagus tips.

I like my sauce a bit spicy so I added more garlic in the pesto sauce. If you prefer a vegetarian sauce, you can leave out the shrimps and clams. If you're counting calories, don't add the all-purpose cream, add a cup of olive oil instead. And if I were to critique this dish, I think it had too much basil. Go easy on the basil, the flavor can be a bit overwhelming. Oh, and it's not very photogenic...I was about to eat when I remember to take a photo.:p

Posted for Food Trip Friday and Food Friday

Pasasalamat [Gratitude] - Litratong Pinoy

Ang sabi nga ng lolo kong si Epictetus, "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." Kadalasan, hindi tayo nagpapahayag ng pasasalamat sa maraming biyayang ipinagkaloob sa atin, sa halip, nakapako ang ating atensyon sa mga bagay na ating hinahangad. Sa layo ng tingin, hindi na napapansin ang isang magandang palubog na araw, o ang pagmamalasakit ng kaibigan, ang pagkain sa mesa, o ang tawanan ng mga bata.

Ang pasasalamat at pagpapahalaga sa mga tao o mga bagay sa ating buhay ay lalong umaakit pa sa mga bagay-bagay na tunay nating pinahahalagahan.

The Greek philosopher Epictetus once said, "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." We often take for granted expressing heartfelt gratitude for the many blessings we have been given. Instead, we focus our attention on the things that we desire and aspire for. Because of a yearning for greener pastures, a beautiful sunset becomes inconsequential, the constant things in life that used to provide comfort becomes trivial---the gaze is fixed beyond the horizon.

Being grateful and appreciative of people and things in our life magnetize more of the things that we truly value.

Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.

~ Oprah

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

Ruby Tuesday: tikoy

A red box for Ruby Tuesday, the purple tikoy inside was a pleasant surprise. I've never seen a purple tikoy before, or tasted flavored tikoy for that matter, so I'm pretty excited to try this one. Tikoys usually come in white (with white sugar) or brown (with brown sugar).

Tikoy is a popular give-away from the local Chinese community during the Chinese New Year. It is made from glutinous rice flour, sugar and coconut milk, a sticky glob offered to the Kitchen God one week before the Lunar New Year to ensure good luck and prosperity. It is also a way of ensuring the Kitchen God's mouth is too crammed with sticky cake to articulate a negative report to heaven. Called Nian Gao in Chinese, it means progress in the new lunar year.

Tikoy can be eaten straight from the box, or dipped in beaten egg and fried. My box of tikoy is a gift from a Chinese friend. So here's to a prosperous year of the Ox! Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Enjoy Ruby Tuesday

A sparkling 2009

Traditionally, New Year is a time for an optimistic attitude, new goals, and New Year resolutions. But this New Year, however, we are surrounded by gloomy news. The global economy in crisis, layoffs, bankruptcies, takeovers, hunger, poverty, natural disasters, war in the Middle East…the list seems endless. I contemplated at the slow-moving traffic this morning and wonder what this year is in store for me. Fluctuating situations at work make it difficult to feel secure. My sense of what is worthy is shifting and I know I have to make adjustments to accommodate the changing environment in the office. There are times when I feel that my current life seems confining. I feel hemmed in by my job, friends, obligations, responsibilities.

But just the same, I believe it’s a question of choice, not destiny.

Now, more than ever, I need to seek out and create my own sparkle. I need to make goals and resolutions that will inspire and motivate me to expand my horizons and break-free from whatever limitations I have, literally and figuratively. I need to polish my skills, create opportunities for myself when it’s possible, and drop the "I can't" attitude. I owe it to myself to continue nurturing my sense of awe and wonder, revitalize my spiritual interests, get uplifted by inspiring people, places, and imaginative works---to allow myself to appreciate life to a greater extent.

Simply put, I’m rejecting the idea of an inevitable gloom this year, and seek a positive, shiny 2009!

P.S. The video was my first attempt at using my camera's video. It was confusing so please bear with me.:D

Happy New Year!

This is the New Year party my friends, family and myself went to celebrate the New Year. The Makati City government organizes the countdown party every year. It used to be held at the intersection of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas but for the past 3 years or so, the party had been happening at the Ayala and Makati Avenue intersection. Local bands provided the entertainment and ABS-CBN covered the event. There were booths where food and drinks were sold. Vendors walked around selling beer and soda in cans. Makati hotels had their own booths for their guests. Mimes and dancers spiced up the crowd of merry-makers, and fireworks lighted up the skies when the clock struck 12 midnight.

It was drizzling the whole night. Some people brought umbrellas, and I wore a hoodie but a lot of revelers braved the light rain. Families gathered, friends bonding, tourists dancing while drinking beer. I always enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the New Year's party where people gather to have fun, forget our troubles and differences for a while to celebrate the New Year, the proverbial chance to start anew. It's a symbolic gesture to express our hope for the coming year, and our faith that whatever happens in 2009, we'd be able to persevere.

Here's to a New Year of renewed hope and strength for the challenges ahead! Rock on!

Lasang Pinoy: Media Noche

My family is not traditional, and for years now, I spend New Year's eve at the Ayala Avenue New Year's party countdown with friends, cousins and nephews. I start preparing for media noche in the afternoon then leave for the New Year's party after dinner. By 2 am, we are all back home, still excited by the fireworks, hungry, and a little drunk. So when the neighbors are already sleeping, we are having our media noche around 2:30 am.

A cousin requested Carbonara so it's in my media noche spread. It's creamy and tasty, topped with bacon bits, and served with an egg omelet (just the yolk). My mother cooked her signature Valenciana, but it all disappeared before I could take some pictures! I also made fruit salad and experimented on a new beef dish. More photos in the coming weeks.:D

One of Filipino customs in celebrating the New Year is the 12 rounded fruits for media noche. The rounded fruits, said to symbolize money, are suppose to bring prosperity for the New Year. No, I didn't buy 12 rounded fruits but it was interesting to see the fruits available in the market. Here are some photos I took at the Market-Market fruits section.

all rounded fruits---our talisman for the New Year :D

imported pomegranate

dragonfruit and green apples

apples galore!

watermelon and pomelo

More scrumptious Media Noche at spiCes

Photo-Hunter: Colorful

I snapped this photo of a “colorful” mime during the 2008 New Year’s party at the intersection of Ayala and Makati Avenue. I love her hair, don't you?!:D

More "colorful" photos at TN Chick.

P.S. This was posted in advance as I am out of town.

Pregnant with possibilities

I like the phrase and the sound of it. Pregnant with possibilities is what I’d like to be in the Year of the Rat. In my mind, there’s a picture of a psychedelic butete burping letters from its mouth --- P O S S I B I L I T I E S. Each letter bubbles on the surface of the water and turns into gorgeous men parading on the beach. I am the only person on the beach---judge and jury of this parade. It's Raining Men is playing in my iPod. :D

Kidding aside, I approach the New Year armed with lessons learned this past year and inspired by possibilities. There have been a great many things that happened to me in 2007, but I had blunders as well as things that I tried but fell short. In 2008 onwards, I’d like to focus on life's possibilities and develop a kind of optimistic hunger to try something new.

This year, I would like to be fearless in many areas of my life, make mistakes, take chances again…been a cautious observer for so long. At the back of my mind, there’s the fear of failure, disappointment, pain---but if I’ve learned something all these years, it’s ‘what won’t kill you makes you stronger.’

Life in a rat race is getting dull and exasperating, not to mention brain-numbing. I’d like to take it slow this time, take nothing for granted---‘suck the marrow from the bones of life’.

“To be a better person” has been my personal slogan for so long. I’d like to stop getting better, and start appreciating what I am. I’d like to give in to a little temptation once in a while, stop trying to make everything rational. I’d like to doubt again in order to test my convictions.

Yes, I’d like to live deliberately from now on…it’s about time!

The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat. ~Lily Tomlin