Happy Thanksgiving

Just like any other Filipino family, we always find a reason to celebrate and have the family and friends get together and have a good time. That's why not so long ago, my family started celebrating Thanksgiving! I remember the first time we attempted our first Thanksgiving but our cook got it wrong so we ended up having a barbecue instead of the traditional turkey dinner. Felt more like 4th of July minus the fireworks haha!

But as the years passed, our family has been able to have really successful Thanksgiving dinners complete with all the trimmings. So this year Im sharing with you how our family celebrates Thanksgiving.

Since Car's still in the States and celebrated Thanksgiving over there with my aunt and cousins, our family had the Antolin's and Tito Jun over for the celebration.

The star of the show..the TURKEY

My plate of Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and Winter Vegetables

Mom's Famous Cheesecake

She tried a new thing by actually incorporating mango bits inside the cheesecake and using this new crust recipe instead of the usual graham cracker one that made this cheesecake have a lighter taste and feel.

It was a really great night to get together with good people, catch up, and be thankful for what we have received the past year! Even though it's not a very popular holiday here at home, it's definitely one of my favorites!

Miks

Everything is Bigger on the Other Side!

I know its been a few months since I got back from the States, but here are some pictures from my trip showing that some things are really BIGGER on the other side of the world.

COSTCO Frozen Yogurt in Vanilla-Chocolate Swirl
For a Dollar Twenty-Five, It was definitely a steal!
My sister and I couldn't even finish it



Frozen Mocha Chip Java Chiller from SONICS!
It might seem like a regular large size shake back here in the Philippines...
But the size of this shake was SMALL!
Was a really good "drive-in" dining experience

Here's a meal I got from the foodcourt of the Premium Outlets in Jersey
This was the Mardi Gras Chicken if I got it right..
Believe me, this kept me full up to breakfast the next day!


Even the pumpkins are way bigger!
Just a little something Camille and Neal carved for Halloween.
Now who said Hello Kitty isn't scary?!



Hello Panda Got an Upgrade!
While shopping in an oriental store in San Francisco,
Car and I saw this and just had to take a picture!
This was the only size they sold..so imagine bringing this to snack time back during preschool days hahaha!

Their sizes might be bigger, but the grass is definitely greener over on this side...well I think it is hahaha!

Miks

New Moon Premiere!

"and you think I'm kinda Beautiful..."

While my friends and I were just reserving tickets for the regular screening of New Moon, my very wonderful sister Sher was able to pull some strings and scored us two tickets to the New Moon Premiere in Greenbelt! It was gonna be shown the same day as when they premiered it in the states which got us all hyped up since we would be one of the first!

I actually just started reading the series a year ago right before Twilight came out and my sisters were reading the book right before the premiere of the movie and it really got to me why they seemed so enthralled to the book so i figured why not read it and see. So after reading and watching Twilight, I was hooked!

So upon hearing about the premiere, this meant having the "need" to cut class...and I must say it was worth it coz the movie was really good If I could say so myself.

To get to Greenbelt though, I just hitched a ride with my dad and since we got their three hours early, dad treated me to a snack in Pia y Damaso.

I had a Croque Queso

(Sandwich stuffed w/ Manchego Cheese, Goats Cheese and Spinach)

After that satisfying snack, we were off to the cinema for the premiere!

Now that was definitely a fun night to play hooky and watch New Moon! You should definitely go and see it for yourself :D

Miks

Sushi 101

What's better than spending Friday Night but with the company of really good friends? This Friday Night was different though because instead of catching a movie and eating out, we actually

learned how to make sushi.

Usually, the whole gang would just head for Omakase to get our sushi fix.. but this time, Stu invited is over at her family's new house and there she taught us how to make California maki roles.

And so we began..

This one's mine

Here's Mon, showing the Ateneo way (of making sushi)

Isha hard at work with Stu helping out

Ranscee's turn to make one

All smiles when we finished our California Rolls

Next step, coating the rolls with fish roe

Once we finished coating, it was time to cut them up

This Finished Product

Another version of the California Roll that we made where

the nori was on the outer layer instead of rice

Aside from sushi, Tito made us the Famous Stewart's Shepherds Pie

Now all we had to do was dig in!

That was some feast! It was really fun and different to be the one to make the food we we're all gonna eat instead of the usual dinner out at the mall. Although it was intimidating at first, making sushi was quite an experience and it actually wasn't that hard to make! What a great night! Thanks again to the Stewart's for having us over for dinner in their new home! :D

Miks

Patron Tequila

..Mom and her MARGARITA....

While still in New Jersey, Mom and I celebrated her Birthday with our relatives, the Zamora's, and Car who flew in from SanFo for the occasion. We started the day with some intense shopping at the Premium Outlet in Philadelphia and then headed back to New Jersey for our celebratory dinner in honor of Mom!

Aside from the very fresh and mouthwatering seafood dinners, We we're all in for a treat for it was here where they served the "Perfect Margarita" which was made of all three varieties of Patron Tequila!

=

The PERFECT Margarita

The Birthday Girl

My stuffed "King" fish with veggies

Car and her huge Fish Fillet!

For the Finale, Brownie Ala Mode!

Now that was some feast! There's no other way to celebrate one's birthday but with loved ones and really good food! Happy Birthday Mum!

Miks

Continental Breakfast

Just a quick post...

Who says you can only have really good continental breakfast in a 5 star hotel or buffet...

Chicken Fillet, Spinach Quiche, and Biscuit

Just a little something Tita Rosie put together during our our stay at her place in SanFo!

Now that was sooomee breakfast :D

Miks

SanFo Treats (Day One)

Great place, great people, great weather, this also means great TREATS! Hahahahah! 

So on our first day in Newark, the whole gang (cousins, aunts and uncles, parents and so on..)headed for Monterey to go sight seeing. 

The highlight while we were walking was the Ghirardelli Ice Cream we had!

We got Coffee, Butter Pecan, and Classic Ghirardelli Chocolate

While going around we also saw this sign on a shop window which reminded me of mom! 

She did agree that is suits her hahahah!

Miks

Bday Sprinkles

Since it's "pre-sem-break" week, I finally had the time to bake this "Sprinkle's" cupcake mix which Pam gave me long time ago. Coincidentally it was also Isha's birthday, so the cupcakes made a very festive addition to the occasion. 

The Mix

Fresh from the oven

The leftover batter was used to make a "mini-cake"

The Finished Mini Cake

The Final Product

(with all the trimmings and box)

and it was off to Isha's house to celebrate:D

Miks

Buon Compleanno Sherrie!

It was Sherrie's birthday last Sunday, so the family headed to Tagaytay for an Italian lunch in Amo Roma! The pizza, lamb, and gnocchi was just excellent. But I have to say that the highlight of the lunch were the desserts!

We ordered the tiramisu

(It's sooo good that you wouldn't want to share so order your own)

andRicotta Cheescake (the honey garnish was just clever) 

The trip to Amo Roma was really worth it! It's truly rustic Italian dining. Happy Birthday again Sherrie!

Miks

hindi pwedeng "Tayong Dalawa"

On the Friday night before Ondoy hit Manila, MIX mobile bar was one of the caterers at the finale party of the popular telenovela "Tayong Dalawa". I tagged along to give Jarv a hand in serving the stars of the show.

Unfortunately, I had to leave early because of class the next day so wasn't really much of a help. It was really fun seeing the stars like Gerald, Kim, Jake and Regine as well as being able to watch the finale episode with the whole cast just a few tables away! Hahahahaha!

 On my way out, I was able to get one of the party favors which was the cupcake. It looks cool and colorful. That's about it for the cupcake (it just looked good...hehehehe)

Miks

"Im such a pig"

Due to hard economic times, it seems a wise decision that one would bring baon to school. Not only do you save money, but you also control your the preparation of your food and have the option to make it healthy. So as avid supporters of the healthy baon movement, three wise (big) men shared one baon! The victim...Mon and his focaccia bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dip.

...The BAON...

As you can see, the food was only enough for one, but we tried very hard to share it evenly which we were able to do. But being three big men...it didn't work out. We all ended up buying additional lunch! Hahahahahha! At least the intention was there right? Hahaha!

Miks

Awesome!

Since it is SOM week in Ateneo, why not drop by the booths at the Promenade in front of Colayco Pavilion. 

More importantly, you should visit AWESOM CUPCAKES! Not only are their designs very patriotic(featuring the trademark glasses of Ninoy, the Philippines flag, a cool Jose Rizal) but they're also really good and very affordable!

Here are some of the cupcakes being sold at AWESOM Cupcakes...

So don't miss Awesom cupcakes this week at the Promenade. Also, 10% of the proceeds would go to Gawad Kalinga! Not only do you get a sweet treat but you'll be supporting a good cause:D

Miks

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Unfortunately, Dad had to go out of town but Sher and I we're there to be with mom and celebrate hahaha! Since we hardly eat steak out because mom's is the best (if I say so myself), why not eat in Melo's? 

We ordered the Seafood Tomato and Caesar Salad which were both really good. For the main event we had.. 

Grilled Lamb Chops

and..

Wagyu Steak!

That was a really good dinner! For dessert, we headed to Cafe Breton for some crepes (sadly no pictures of that)

Happy Anniversary again Mom and Dad! and dad...we're willing to celebrate again when you get back! Hehe!

Miks

Have a break...

After spending the usual Saturday afternoon in GK teaching kids..you sometimes need a pick-me-up to make the day better. So when Ranscee, Stu, Abby, and I we're headed back home, Abby treated us to Xocolat! 

The box of brownies!

We got the coffee one, the revel bar, and original sin! Unfortunately, the citrus one which we all wanted was not available...

Abby modeling for Xocolat haha!

After we dropped Abby off at her place, the three of us decided to critique the three brownies we had. We all worked like a pro, even sipping tarragon tea care of Stu to "cleanse the palate" Hahahahaha! Feeling professional food critics hahaha! 

We voted the original sin as the best since it had just the right amount of gooey-ness to it. But if you can get your hands on the citrus brownie go for it! It's definitely a must try!  

Miks