Monthly Archives: August 2014

Personal Trainer for Four Generations

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My lolo is 93 years old and he stays healthy by exercising three times a week with his personal trainer, Ned.  Previous entry:  Another Day with Lolo April 3, 2013

After he exercises for an hour, he still sometimes goes to different malls and parks to walk some more.  He always keeps himself busy and the most important thing is he is always surrounded by the people he loves 🙂    

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Ned is our very good friend and our personal trainer.  He started with James about 15 years ago and then I took over in 2003, then my Mom started training with Ned as well.  And this year, our son also started working out with him.  That is four generations in our family 🙂  

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Spanish Dinner

By | Celebrations, Foodie, Household Tips | No Comments

We had a beautiful Spanish dinner at a friends also beautiful home!  

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Though curtains are known to collect dust and hard to maintain, I still love the effect of curtains in a home.  It gives that cozy feeling.  

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They had beautiful Soumak curtains which are proudly Philippine made!  

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Our special guests from Thailand. They requested for Spanish food because it’s rare in Thailand and they enjoyed Spanish food during their visit to Spain 

Prasong

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Chananya

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and their pretty daughters Phantila and Sariya 

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The cocktails were all so well presented and of course tasted so good

Jamon 

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Boquerones with olives.  Notice the white gloves 🙂  

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Love the staff uniform which is not off the rack but specially made

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Tortilla de patata

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Bread with olives

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Croquettas de pollo

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Beautiful dining room!

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Elegant flowers and table setting.  I love the personalised ceramic dinnerware which is from Italy and has the initials of the owner

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Under the embroidered Filipiniana table linen is a liner which is non slip.  It serves as a non slip pad at the same time as a protection so the table is not scratched when the plate is placed on the table.  This was sourced from Spain

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Everything is proper in this household.  All silverware are engraved with their initials

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Our buffet

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Mediterranean Fish Fillet

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Chicken with mushroom

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We contributed as well homemade bacalao which is cooked by my Mom’s cook, Manang Flor.  It is a family favourite.  We like it because it has potatoes and queso de bola cheese on top

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Desserts!

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Homemade turtle pie by our host!  YUM!!!

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Sweets

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Caviar Pie by Vbkitchen

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Thank you Cat Ilacad for this beautiful Caviar Pie from Kaye Yao of Vbkitchen.  Whenever I receive something so beautiful, I don’t want to open it or destroy it ! 🙂  It seems lie caviar pie is making a come back nowadays.  There are things that are trendy, they they disappear and the goon ones make a came back and stay forever 🙂  

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  This caviar pie has hardboiled egg but no onions 🙂  and it’s yummy 🙂 

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Last night I was so happy to meet the maker of this delicious creation 🙂  Pretty and young Kaye Yao

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For orders and inquiries, text Kaye Yao at 0917-536-7230 or email:  Vbkitchen98@gmail.com

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Chef Javs Cooks for Chef Vicky

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 Chef Javs loves Chef Vicky.  Whenever we are at Mamma’s table, Chef Javs learns so much from her.  And he always asks her for advice 🙂  So this time, it’s his turn to cook for Chef Vicky.  We invited her over to the house in Baguio and he prepared a degustation and we all enjoyed!!  

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 Potato croquettes with cheese

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Mushroom risotto balls

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Chef Javs version of Momofoku pork buns- He made the pork bun from scratch!  So yummy 🙂

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Salmon tartare and tuna tartare with caviar 

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Banana and prawn tempura with Wasabi mayo and truffle honey- YUM!  Everything was really good

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Sous Vide 30 day dry aged Bryan Flannery Rib Eye with Truffle Bernaise Sauce – WOW! Super Yum!!

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For dessert he already asked the help of Chef Vicky and she assisted 🙂

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Banana Flambee

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Fight ALS with the Ice Bucket Challenge

By | Giving Back, Health and Fitness | No Comments

Heart2Heart loves how people help other people.  And how other people help for a good cause even if it means doing silly things 🙂  My kids joined and told me about this.  Here are some of my favourite and creative videos I saw on youtube  

 

Published on Aug 15, 2014

Bill Gates accepts Mark Zuckerberg’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and nominates Elon Musk, Ryan Seacrest and Chris Anderson from TED to participate and raise awareness for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

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Published on Aug 12, 2014

We’d like to thank Keith Yandle of the Phoenix Coyotes for the nomination of Paul Bissonnette, and we’d like to call out LeBron James, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. 

We’d also like to dedicate this bucket drop to Keith Yandle’s good buddy Pete Frates for his continued fight with ALS.

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Click below to go to their website for more information

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Mamma’s Table 2014

By | Foodie, Travel | No Comments

I have a feeling we go to Baguio because we like visiting Chef Vicky in her home 🙂  But definitely this is something we always look forward to when visiting Baguio.  We have been going here almost every year since it opened, we missed only last year.  Previous entries: Mamma’s Table by Vicky Tinio Clemente January 9, 2011

Mamma’s Table the Second Time Around July 10, 2011 

  Anniversary Celebration at Mamma’s Table 2012

Here is the Mamma behind Mamma’s table 🙂  So happy to see her that day  

Posted on the refrigerator in the kitchen 

The famous appetizer spread.  I took it with the girls so you can once again see how long it is 🙂

Artichoke and Parmesan spread

Chili Con Carne

Smoked Bangus Mousse

Kani and horseradish spread

Amuse Bouche – Caramelized onion, sauteed mushrooms, gruyere cheese and truffle oil custard baked in the eggshell served with finger toasts with anchovy butter 

Interesting soup!!  French pressed gerb infused chicken consomme serve with Chicken mousse line with sage, brunoise of carrots and zucchini.  Another use for a French press!! And the soup was so good – yet light and healthy!  

 Foie gras with Balsamic vinegar pearls 🙂  

Broiled fish on leek, dill, saffron coulis and brown butter lemon parsley sauce

 Intermezzo

Seared tenderloin served with red wine reduction and mushrooms jus, served with rissoni with mascarpone and mushrooms and blanched French beans

Leafy green Lolo rossa, romaine, watercress and arugula with orange supremes, pomelo, pineapple and almond with citrus vinaigrette

Chocolate beignet with chantilly cream and mangoes

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Paella at the Kneedler House

By | Hot Off the Press, Travel, Yummy! | No Comments

We love also visiting the Kneedler House when in Baguio 🙂

Previous entries:  Dinner at the Kneedler House Baguio Jan 3, 2011

Cottage at the Kneedler House January 4, 2011 

  Lunch at the Kneedler House July 9, 2011

Lunch at The Kneedler House Baguio Part 2 September 9, 2012

Visiting the Young’s 🙂

Angels from Tita Emily Campos of Touch of Craft 🙂

Thanks to my cousin Edward for this old photo from 2005

 We love taking photos by this wishing well

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The beautiful wishing well that eventually became the inspiration for Tito Stephen and his new magazine publication, Taste and Travel  

Previous entry: Taste Travel and Trends July 1, 2014   

It’s so nice to eat at home in Baguio because the weather is so nice and so conducive to cooking outdoors and just hanging out in the house.  Tito Stephen and Tita Reggie have such a beautiful home!  A country home 🙂 

This is the usual appetizer table and we look forward to it 🙂

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Playing in the background was Tito Rj’s CD which is now available in Starbucks!!  I love this CD!!!  Tito RJ is Tita Reggie’s brother in law 🙂

Best Foodie friends 🙂  Mom and Tita Reg

yum yum homemade paella 🙂

Grilling 🙂

Special macaroni dish for Mischka 🙂

This is the salad table 🙂

Seasonings and spices

Dessert table

Inside the Master bedroom dressing room is this Mosler vault.  It is behind a mirrored sliding door so it looks like it’s just a closet.  For 20 years  they have been trying to open this safe wondering what could be inside the vault.  Finally a friend knew someone from Mosler and it took them 24 hours to open it.  

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There was nothing inside only another Mosler cabinet that was also a safe.  There was nothing inside the cabinet too 🙂  So nice to use this old vault door as a door! 🙂   

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