A Break From Home-cooked Meal

I love eating at home. But I also love exploring different restaurants. And with all the increasing prices of good and services and recent expenses, it is more prudent to stay home more. However, I can't resist sharing this great deal I saw which could give us a break from home-cooked meal and indulge a bit!

Just quickly then, Restaurant.com is running a wow promotion from today 8/12 to Saturday 8/17. You can buy a $25 gift certificates of participating restaurants for only $5!!! Use this coupon code to make sure you get it for $5 only!

COUPON CODE: GOODBUY

These $25 gift certificates are usually worth $10 which is already a good deal as shown below. So getting it at $5 is even a much better deal, don't you agree?



You can search for by state, city, neighborhood, zip code and cuisine type. Nothing for Boise, Idaho though. Sorry, Boise boys and girls! Also, make sure you read the fine print, as a lot of them have some form of minimum or another.

After I do this post, I'm going over there and buy me some! I now have a "secret weapon" for our date night. Hahahah!!! (Our date night's rule is to plan for no cost or low cost dates.)

Go get your secret weapon too at Restaurant.com and enjoy the break without breaking the bank!

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The Art of Lumpia

UPDATE: Wheeeeee!!!! The Lumpia recipe is a semifinalist at the Saucy Eats contest. So I brushed up this article a bit...

Vote for the Lumpia!!!


Lumpiang Shanghai (or Lumpia for short) is a crunchy Filipino dish that always delight friends who are introduced to it. Some have asked for the recipe and I thought that was funny because I'm not really a good cook :) (right, Beth?). If my mother could only see me now, she would be proud that her daughter has mastered at least one recipe.


Anyhow, I thought it would be good to post it in this blog as well so anyone interested can use it as well. Here goes:

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 150 pieces.)
Lumpia wrappers (Use TYJ Spring Roll Pastry - 2 packs of the biggest size 25 pcs each)

1 pound ground meat (I use turkey but you can use any kind of meat. If you use beef, suggest to mix it with any of the white meats because beef is hard when it is fried.)
2 fist size carrots (I use baby carrots)
1 fist size garlic
1 fist size onion (any color but red onion is strongest)
2 eggs (beaten)
3/4-1 cup soy sauce (use Silver Swan brand. Reduce according to taste.)
1-2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp flour
1/3 cup water
cooking oil (for frying)
Sweet and Sour Sauce

DIRECTIONS:
A. Thaw the wrapper either by leaving it outside the ref for about 30 minutes or in the microwave for a few seconds.

You can separate the wrappers individually even before you start wrapping. Just make sure that you cover it with damp cloth/napkin to keep it moist. Otherwise, you can just separate them as you go through "D" below.

B. Prepare the mixture
1. Chop the carrots, garlic and onion. (I typically use food processor.) Add the soy sauce and sugar, stir. Taste and adjust, if necessary.
2. Add ground meat and egg. Mix thoroughly.

C. Prepare the "sealant" by mixing 1 tbsp flour in 1/3 cup water.

D. Wrap the lumpia (I picked up this faster method from Charmaine. (Thanks, Charmaine!) It was 3x faster than what I used to be doing which was the fine and fancy way. :) So, it was a no-brainer for me to adopt the faster way.)
1. place about 2 tbsp mixture parallel to any of the edges. Distribute mixture from end to end so that it is about 1cm thick.
2. roll the wrapper over the meat and continue to roll until about only 1 inch is left.
3. apply the flour/water sealant and complete the roll.


E. Taste test by wrapping 1-3 pieces first.
1. Cut the lumpia into 3 pieces.
2. Fry and taste. (You can deep fry but I usually just shallow fry.)
3. Adjust mixture, if necessary.
4. Proceed to wrap the rest of the meat mixture.

F. Fry the lumpia.
Remember, for every 1 lumpia, you can cut them into 3 pieces. Typically, if eaten with rice and the sweet and sour sauce, I can eat 10 pieces.

G. Freeze the raw lumpia. You can then just thaw, cut and fry later.
1. Store the lumpia in separate freezer bags so that you can use just what you need at a time.
2. You can thaw the raw lumpia before frying. Or you can dunk it in straight (but be careful of oil splatters!)
3. Cut the raw lumpia into 3 or your desired size.


That's it! Have fun making the lumpia.

For me, I usually eat the lumpia with rice, cucumber and the sweet and sour sauce. Yummy!!!

I would love to know how yours went, so let me know!

And remember to...
Vote for the Lumpia!!!

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CareCalendar - A Very Useful Tool!

I was introduced to CareCalendar recently. It is a free, internet-based tool for signing up to help someone else in need of "care". This is typically used for helping those who are going to go through some medical procedures like a surgery or giving birth. It can be used for other circumstances as well.

Here is a screenshot of a CareCalendar. It looks plain but don't underestimate its value! You got to try it to believe it!



The CareCalendar can schedule help for meals, visits, childcare, rides, errands, housework and yardwork. Name, address and phone info of the person needing care is already included. A map can be added as well.

The Care Calendar is a time-saver and reduces confusion because:

• Sign-up is open 24/7, not just when a sign-up sheet is passed around.
• Everyone who needs to know will be given access to it to either check the CareCalendar and to schedule and update.
• It is secure enough that you can only edit your own entry (or the coordinator can, too.)
• It is updated on a real-time basis so that one can see which items and dates are/are not filled out.
• It can be updated if the care needs are changed and no need to call everyone on the changes.
• Helpers sign up from home where they have their own calendars to cross-refer to so that they can better identify best time to help out.
• Reminder emails are automatically sent out to those who have signed-up.

The only things that I can think of as disadvantages are

• Internet access is needed.
• Sign-up can be deemed "impersonal".

Can't do anything on the first. But for the second, the 2 methods can also be used together if so desired. That is, you can still pass the paper around and then transfer the sign-ups to the Care Calendar PLUS make the Care Calendar available for those who would later like to have that opportunity.

CareCalendar is a donor-supported ministry of the Dave and Suzane Bortel and their 10 children! It was created based on their experiences of coordinating meals and other care for the several weeks that were offered when Suzanne went for an emergency surgery. Go here for more details about them.

Someday, you might find the CareCalendar helpful, too!

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It's a Crazy Week-end!

Last week-end was one of those jampacked ones!

On Friday night, we celebrated Josh's 5th birthday at home. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSH!!!) Each of the Manigsaca ladies prepared her own recipes. I, of course, prepared the now famous Lumpia (ehem, ehem) and my own version of Sago't Gulaman (thanks Beth for your recipe!). The inflatables were up only for at least an hour because then it was time for games and facepainting. (I should call it arm painting because everyone wanted it on their arms instead of their faces!) The birthday celebrant was not in the mood (he didn't join the games) and before we knew it, it was already getting dark.

The kids went to play, play, play inside while the adults looked at Jupiter through the telescope for a while. Later inside, the adults played "guess my drawing" and got a lot of Mexicans, 1 American, an ice and even a "tsinelas". That was fun! The drawings eventually run out, so we settled for Pictionary. It was almost midnight when we bid adieu to our last guests.

The "official" pictures of Josh's birthday are not out yet, but will post later when I get a link to them from his parents. (They're busy with closing on their house and preparing to move!) Meanwhile, here are some photos from Karen's camera (Thanks Karen!).


Saturday night was when our subgroup at church were meeting at home. This was the subgroup that was assigned to discuss Chapter 6 (Movement) of the Simple Church's book. I baked the ultra-black and ultra-soft bananas in the ref as banana bread (as muffins). (Our pastor's wife, D'Lynda, said the blacker the bananas, the better flavor they would give out. So, everyone in the house must have given out a sigh of relief that they no longer have to see them in the ref!). I cooked another batch of the lumpia which were made together with Josh's birthday. (Good thing you can just freeze them and cook them in batches when you need to.). And I cooked my own version of pancit.

After the meal, we had a great discussion on how our church out to strategically and sequentially arrange our programs so as to intentionally move members through the spiritual maturity continuum. Hmmm... that sounds high-falluting...

Let me try it simpler: People's lives must not remain stagnant or stalled. People must not stay the same, unchanged or unmoved. The believer's life need to be transformed more and more, becoming more like Christ. It is the church's responsibility to design its process and programs to facilitate this growth, this movement.

We had great discussions and we think we are ready with our outline and example for our 25-minute presentation next Sunday.

Of course, Sunday Morning was reserved for church. And this weekend was our turn to set up the C.O.W. signs. And this was the weekend (in 6-7 weeks) that I was teaching the toddler's Sunday School. I missed the Wycliffe missionaries' presentation about their bible "translation" work in Thailand's Sonu tribe. Actually, it is more than translation. It is creating a written "alphabet" for the Sonu language so that they can use it to translate the written Word.

On Sunday afternoon, we "went to the city" to attend Hannah's 5th birthday. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HANNAH!!!) (The invite was actually for noon, but of course, we went there after church.) The kids were already playing games when we got there. They were having lots of fun with the Pin the Clown's Nose, Trip to Jerusalem, Pass the Ball. And the adults had fun cheering them on, too! More food again! I stuck to the pork inihaw since I have had no pork in my diet for the past few weeks. (Remember Daddy is cooking healthy fish-based vegetable meals!) Yummy, yummy, specially with the vinegar and sili! Ayayay!!! (And to think that we ate after church before going over at Hannah's!.

Here are the pictures of Hannah's birthday. See someone you know? :)


Then on Sunday evening, the church had "The Big Party". (Again, it started on Sunday afternoon but of course we signed up for the evening shift (7-9pm) to avoid the heat. Apparently though, there were still plenty of people who came in starting at 4pm!)

It was an event in lieu of the Vacation Bible School which the subdivision and the school did not approve the use of their grounds. There were inflatables - dry and the ones with water were a big hit because of the heat. There were crafts - beads and bears. There was music and dancing crazy dances. And did I mention there was food??? Yes... delicious barbeque chicken galore! And my, my... I discovered the big dill pickles. They were delish! Just the thought of it makes my mouth taste vinegary...Good thing, I got to bring home one bottle!

The Big Party was very fun, but the more important part was that we were able to meet a lot of people in the community who are unchurched. Lots of opportunities there! Meanwhile, I have no pictures of The Big Party but if someone at church sends out a link, I'll try to post it here.

That's it! That was our crazy weekend! Phew!!! Tiring but fun, fun, fun!!!

Tell me about your busy weekend as well! You are most welcome to the comments section!

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It's A Southern Thing

The America I knew from most of my times and travels to the West and East coasts is any of the following: stew-loving, potato-loving, healthy food-loving or even fastfood-loving America.

I was pleasantly surprised that there is part of America that likes the deep-fried stuff. Check out the not-too-healthy Fish Fry get-together for the C.O.W. set-up group.


Recall also that our July 4 meal in Dallas was cholesterol-laden but yummy, yummy Seafood Boil! Must be a Southern thing to eat to your heart's delight!

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My Mother's Favorite...

Or at least I think so. I think I heard her read these verses aloud or maybe saw her bible with that chapter underlined or maybe I saw them written on a piece of paper with her handwriting.

Can't exactly recall now but this just came to mind when I saw this adorable videoclip version of Psalm 23:


And again, here is Psalm 23, a psalm of David:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Have a good weekend!

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Saying Good-bye is Never Easy

As a "JetSetter", I received this email from ExpressJet Airlines last Tuesday.

Dear JetSetter,

As you may have heard, ExpressJet will be flying as a commercial airline on our ExpressJet branded routes only through September 1, 2008.

Due to fuel prices and other market conditions, it's a difficult time for commercial airlines and we've had to make some tough decisions. Naturally, that will affect your JetSet membership and the points you've earned.

This is your official notice that the JetSet Program will be discontinued on September 2, 2008. You will continue to earn through September 1, 2008 for all qualified travel on Expressjet. All Travel Awards and JetSet Points that you've earned will be valid for use through September 1, 2008, but will hold no cash value and will not be valid for travel on ExpressJet or other airlines as of September 2, 2008.

If you have any questions about your JetSet Membership, we'll be here to help. You can reach us at the JetSet Desk...or email us... We've also posted FAQs about the program termination on expressjet.com.

We've really enjoyed serving our customers and getting to know many of you as JetSet members and friends. On behalf of everyone here at the airline, thanks for flying ExpressJet. We will miss serving you.

Sincerely,
(signed)
Jim Ream
President and CEO

Too bad ... I actually liked them and even blogged about ExpressJet in February.

I did a little digging and one travel blogger wrote that aside from the high fuel prices, ExpressJet were hit by 2 other issues that resulted to low cash.

1. Its credit card company imposed a 100% holdover on sales, so ExpressJet only receives funds after the passenger flies (not when the passenger buys a ticket).


2. It parked its cash to some illiquid investment that ExpressJet cannot get its money right away, now that they needed it.

Wow, if these were true, then I think those are 2 bad business decisions. On the credit card company, it would have been wise to review/negotiate upfront the conditions of holdover when they signed up with them. On the illiquid investment, I am guessing that the company did not diversify and thus tying down its assets to one investment, and an illiquid asset at that as well. Asset allocation or diversification is basic - I wonder who adviced them on that?

Meanwhile, it was interesting to note that based on the reactions on this news, there are people just like me who appreciated ExpressJet. Well, I hope some other companies rise up to fill that niche that ExpressJet was serving.

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I Now Know the Secret...

Twice while in Seattle in 2005 and 2007, we went to Crab Pot at the pier and ate SeaFest for Two or More! The menu copy is so effective - "Our specialty. We take a variety of fresh seafood, steamed with mouthwatering spices, we pour it out on the table on butcher paper, give you a mallet, bibs and let you go at it!"

Frankly, the taste was okay but it was more of the novel experience that I liked. Good to experience it once (or twice) only since it costs major dollar$ at $24 per person for the mid-option (with crabs).

Anyhow, I always wondered how they cooked it - it's supposed to be "steamed with mouthwatering spices". But steaming takes a very long time...so do they really steam it?

Well, I now know the secret! But before I reveal it, let me tell you about our July 4 long weekend where and when I "discovered" this secret! We went to Dallas for a mini-reunion cum despedida.

The mini-reunion was with Li and Tin, 2 of my high-schoolmates from eons ago. Yeah, we're old... but age is in the mind and heart, not the face :) We agree in chorus - "40 is the new 30" :) The last time we probably got together was in 2000 back in the Philippines. With the internet though, we "saw" the children grow up and "knew" what was up with one another on a, more or less, real-time basis - I imagine much more than if we did not have the technology! Nothing replaces getting together face-to-face though - even if we did not have karaoke this time :)

The despedida was for Tito Ben and Tita Andrea, Li's parents who were here on a visit. They are our wedding "godparents". Anyway, they said that returning to the Philippines feels bittersweet. Sweet because they are going home, yet "bitter" because they will be missing their grandchildren. Not sure when they will be back to visit here in the US. We hope to visit them in Kidapawan in the future though.

Photos are available here: Mine, Tin, Li

Anyway, going back to the SECRET!!! (Actually, Li still owes me the recipe. Hehehe...) But, let me try to recall it:

• Basic Ingredients:


• tiger prawns
• crabs
• baby carrots
• corn
• red potatoes
• mushroom


• Magic Ingredient: Crawfish, Crab and Shrimp Boil spice. (I really do not remember the brand. I went to the grocery and got me Zatarain's but I know what we used was a different brand. Warning - 213% sodium!!!)


• Instructions: BOIL!!! (It is not steamed!)

There are more details to that but let's leave this here for now. I will write the blow-by-blow instructions once I have actually done it successfully myself or whenever Li sends me the recipe, whichever comes first.

Deal???

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