I Cook! : Palapa

 This is not exactly cook. But this is more of  pounding all the ingredients together. I made Palapa for the first time. If you've been around Quiapo and around the muslim area, you will see plastic bottles (similar to the peanut butter) being sold for 100php each. A mixture of Sakurab (some type of onion), ginger and chili mashed up together forming the best ingredient and side dish that would compliment any viand.

Honestly, I've been a sucker for chili sauce, like you know those dried chili then cooked in oil and oh my oh my it goes with everything. When I tasted this years ago It also became part of my staple food =)). I have been doing Maranao dishes for quite some time since it has also become my soul food. 

We had a couple of Sakurab left and I decided to give it a test in making Palapa. I mean it looks easy to do so I gave it a try. It took me 3 hours of cleaning and pounding all the ingredients.

So here's what you need.

Some Sakurab.

BB said this is only planted in Marawi. I was wondering why. I have been searching for a tagalog/english name for this but can't find any.

Red and Green Chili

Some ginger (not in the picture) and Salt.

What to do:

Clean and cut the Sakurab, Chili and Ginger.

I use scissors to cut the leafy part of the sakurab and remove the first skin and clean the "bulb" part. That's what you need. the bulb end.

 Combine Sakurab, green and red (your choice) chilis and ginger(not too much) and POUND POUND POUND!!! until it looks shredded or so.

Add Salt according to taste and POUND POUND POUND.... Great exercise! =)

And here is the finished product. This also becomes an ingredient on all Maranao dishes to add that spicy kick. I love this with scrambled eggs and the Chicken I make.

Happy eating! 

xx

SaladBox : Review

 Hi Guys! I was supposed to do my review but I was swamped with reports and deadlines to meet. So anyway as promised and as I am in my WEEKEND mode :) Here it is! My first box from Saladbox!

I made a post about saladbox before. Basically it is a subscription box. Each box contains sample or full size items that you can enjoy straight to your doorstep! The boxes are 500php a month but costs less depending on the subscription. I got renewal / monthly subscription to test it for a few months. There has been a number of beauty boxes popping in the Philippines like crazy. One in particular is GlamourBox which I also want to out try soon.

So anyway, my much awaited box came this Wed. I was at work and my mom texted me that a box came. When I got home, I went straight to opening it.

Behold, a very minty green box. I find it very sophisticated but rather small.

I have been watching some unboxing videos in youtube from different countries and this is quite smaller as I have expected. But again,big things also come in small packages! :)

Opening the box, I can already smell something nice. It's like entering a store  and the smell of wrappers and scents gives you a feeling of shopping in the mall. When I opened the box, a card sits on top of the white parchment.

Under the top cover shows a neatly looking logo.

Tadaaaan!!! here are the items cradled in pink paper. 

 If you are wondering what's on the back, it gives you detailed information about the products included in the box.

Tadaaan! First item, Sakura Foam Hand Sanitizer!

Reminds me of the Etude House Bubble Hair Coloring kit.

Peeking at the bottom of the bottle, its just liquid.

And once you give it a pump, bubbles come out!

Smells really nice too! I honestly think I'll use this over alcohol :)

While others got a charcoal soap, I received pillow mist in Relaxing Mint.

I love going to spa and I love Mint and this can be very relaxing. I would love to use this on my pillow and on long travels. This came in full size by the way!

Next, Ive got 2 Virginia Olsen Mineral Eyeshadow. I was really happy with the Plum but not really sure with the Gold Bars. But again very happy since I would love to try more mineral makeups.

Up close on Gold shimmering eyeshadow.

Plum - Lovin shade

Lightly swatched. Not bad. Just glittery for me.

Black Beauty Shampoo.

I'd love to try this brand. My grandmums send us bottles of Mane and Tail.

Let's see how this will go with my hair. :)

I forgot to take a picture of the last one which is a room spray of fig and spiced tea. I have to say I'm not a fan of it.  What I also noticed is that not all of the boxes are giving the same items. I was hoping of getting the soap by the way. They also mentioned that there is like a beauty profile but I haven't seen anything on the site. So I'm kinda afraid that they maybe sending me cosmetics that may not compliment my skin color/undertone.

Overall, (in  my own opinion) I have expected more considering that this is their first box. More cosmetics, because that's what most of the subscribers want. But I'm happy with the pillow mist. =))

I'm still giving it another try.

Until the next SaladBox!

xx

I Cook! : Malaysian Chicken Rendang

Hi Guys! :) First of all, I'd like to apologize for the not so appetizing picture of the Rendang I made last Sunday. I had to transfer it in a container and was really dead tired to have each picture taken. This recipe is quite easy :)

What you need:

Chicken

Garlic

Onion

Ginger

Lemon Grass

Dessicated Coconut

Coconut Milk

Chili

Rempah Rendang Mix

Salt

Pepper

Turmeric powder

How to:

I would suggest pounding  garlic,onion ginger and chili's  or finely chop them.

For the chicken, add some salt and pepper and turmeric powder and let them cook on their own juice.  put a little oil so as not to stick on the pan. Add a cup or more (depending how many chicken you have) and boil until chicken is soft and tender. Once the water has evaporated, remove the chicken.

Add oil and saute the paste made or the finely chopped garlic, onion ginger and chili.

Bring in the chicken and place 2 cups of coconut milk. Place dissolved Rempah Rendang Mix and season with a little bit salt if needed. Mix all ingredients. Place the dessicated coconut and on medium heat boil until what's left is the dessicated coconut and the milk has evaporated.

Enjoy! :) BB and office mates enjoyed this so much! :)

Happy Eating!

xx

My Salary Haul : Confessions on an addict

 Happy Monday! Salary came too early and I promised myself that I'll buy nothing fancy until November. But then, just this Saturday I had my 2 dogs groomed. I arrived at the pet shop around 2:30 I think and there were a lot of dogs on queue. By the way I have 8 dogs in total :) 5 Shih Tzus, Chihuahua, Doberman and a Retriver Mix. But these furry creatures have like the most expensive type of maintenance tho it will take a while before I need to have their fur cut.  Anyway, this is Leila. She's my spoiled dog. She barks and I follow. =)) Look at her all caged up in queue for grooming. In this picture she is barking at me to release her. HA! Prisoner!

 And yes I spoiled her to much. So this is what we did since she wanted to be out the cage. STARE AT THE ROAD and WATCH CARS PASS BY.

 Now this is Lira. My sweetheart. The most lovable of all the 5 shih tzus. :) She just sits and waits for her turn. I love her to bits. She always kisses me and be with me wherever I go.

So I went to the Baking Supply Specialty shop and got myself some piping bags and tips. I planned to make some macarons but then there was no almond meal there.  So next, I went to lay bare first and had some threading and waxing done. I got myself some Milk Tea and headed to have some lunch. When I got back to the pet shop they are still in queue. So I just waited and they started at 6pm. OH MY GOODNESS... goodthing Im not in a hurry or so.

So this is what they look like after. This is my princess Leila all comfy on her bed. 

 Anyway, afterwards, BB picked me up and the dogs and headed home. But then he told me that there is a party in the compound and we have to get a gift or something.  TRUST ME, I was trying to stay away from the mall. But HECK. I just tried to reason out to myself that I really didn't get anything nice for my birthday (because I didn't want to spend at all until December) except for a flat iron. So Yeah... tragedy! These are stuff I got.

 I love everything natural now. I am staying away from what is thought cancerous or so. My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer early this year and thank God that she is now A-OK! :) I was searching for things to be aware of like food and products that is believed to contribute in causing breast cancer. Anyway for cosmetics, I stay away from anything that has paraben. So I have some stuff from human nature like balm tints and so.  Now this time I found a really amazing product from Body Recipe (which is like Human love Nature).

Like every woman in this planet, I am too lazy to get whitening stuff on clinics. Of course it costs some bucks and a lot of patience. I used the underarm deo from a bazaar which costs around 180php for 100ml. It has a sticker with "Florence" on it. The seller said it was made by the nuns. I did use it and notice a wonderful change on my u.a. Great huh! so I was going to buy like 3 more and found it expensive. One day, I went to HBC and found Calamansi Tawas Facial cleanser. I used it on my face and the dark spots were removed and tried it on my u.a. Amazingly, it brought the same results as the florence one. It became whiter from the plucking. So I ditched my Nivea deos and used The Body Recipe one. I tested it on a high performance level. I went on a Pole Fitness Class (YES I DID! After a year of persuading from my friend! maybe next blog or so) and my u.a didn't smell funny or anything at all. The best about it is that its all natural!Another plus for this because I spent 100 pesos for the facial cleanser and roll on.

 I picked up a dupe for Denman fine tooth comb. Sturdy one indeed and grip is awesome! 2 pcs of bangs holder. (the one you stick on your hair to prevent the bangs from falling and a cheap facial oil control film.
 

I had my how many years old brush from Pagani retire and bought a new brush from Pagani again. Cute color like blue ish green. An atomizer to place my facial wash on and stuff from Fanny Serrano.

A lot of Guru's are raving about Fanny Serrano cosmetics. Most specially the 2 way cake. I am an NC25-NC30 in MAC. I was really looking for a compact foundation and the trust me, the sales assistant in the department stores are totally giving the wrong shade. For example. I got myself an HD cream foundation from Ever Bilena. It was just too white for me. I had to put another yellowish powder to like neutralize it. But THEN, I found Fanny Serrano in Duchess just right. The Sales Lady did a great job. It did match my skin tone although not exactly like MAC. But cheaper and just great.

 I got a shade in Duchess and it does really work good. I made some searching over the net and the packaging seems to be different compared to the compacts the made before. Now it looks like MAC.

 It has a sponge when you lift the pan area.

 Since I spent like over 500 pesos I got a free Liquid Lipstick. What's so cool about it is that it had LIGHT.

Of course, my ever so waited item in my bucket list, GEL LINER.

Now this one is from Sophie Martin. In Iced Pink. It has always been sold out. I loooveee this color like one of my NYX and Forever 21 lippies. I am a Pink and Red Lipstick addict. Trust me im a sucker for lipsticks. They instantly flush your face made up.


So I guess that's for now. I'm gonna make some more entries in the next few days. Watch out I made Malaysian Chicken Rendang! :)

Random Thoughts: Stuff around the World

Hi you guys! I know I have this long due stuff to blog about. I've been very tired for the past few weeks literally. It has been very stressful at work. Never ending deadlines and reports to meet. I have missing out to dine out on my list. I even had to tweet about it. But anyway let me just share to you what I've got from my friends and boss just last month :)

My friends went to Singapore and Malaysia and one of my dearest friend who is based in Malaysia sent me some spices to work with. I have been trying to cook new recipes and hope to get it right. One weekend, BB and I went to the market and bought a couple of stuff for my packed lunch. I picked up chicken, fish and some spices and greens. When we got home, I was left to wash the fish and chicken. He was still out talking to the neighbors and I was really hungry. I wanted adobo that night. So I geared up and attempted to cook one. You must know :) I haven't cooked adobo in my entire life :). I know it's easy cause it's just soy sauce and vinegar and pepper and basil. But I wasn't that sure how the portion is. Besides, I love my mom's adobo. In the end I think I did something right. :)

So anyway, here are the spices I received from Malaysia. Kari Daging (Curry Powder), Rempah Rendang (Rendang Powder) and Serbuk Cili (Chili Powder). I'm still typing in google the exact amount of powder I'm going to use for making Rendang. But I guess I'll just do an experiment this week or so. I'll blog about it anyway. :)

Well a keychain from Malaysia and another keychain from Singapore. But what I love most is the Teh Tarik Milk Tea. One of the best I suppose that I have tasted :)

My other boss who went on a Euro trip with my other 2 bosses gave me 3 yes THREE BOXES of Larnicol Macarons. :) Sweeettt right! :) They are my favorite :) Each one of them tastes divine. :) See that? I have 3 smiley faces on this one. That made me really happy!

I just want to share what my boss gave my friend :) I bet it tastes FUNNY. :) :) :) This one is from Cologne.

Our company was in charge of the IT for the 2012 Olympics. I'm glad that my proclaimed Uncle, Dawed sent this over to me and some of the guys here in Manila. All the way from the UK. :) I wanted one so bad and I was surprised that he sent Wenlock! Woot Woot! :)

 

And this one is from Starbucks in Eastwood. PHILIPPINES! ;-) A midnight birthday surprise for me by my friends <3 p="p">
So I guess that's all for now. I will blog soon I promise :) It's now October and I'm pretty sure alot of things will be happening for this and the coming months. I will talk to you guys soon! :)