Cravings: Celine Luggage Tote

Hello, happy Tuesday! I got too many cravings lately, not that I am preggo. I mean material cravings. That's what usually happens when you're stuck at home with a headache.

A girl can never have too many bags, eh? Celebrities both local and international has been sporting this bag for a while now. When I went to HK, I had the chance to see the bag in person and actually carry it. Now, I regret the fact that I did because I can't take it off my mind. I am smitten. But damn, pretty expensive! It will set one back around 16,000HKD for a classic color. Do the Math. I can only imagine the exotics. I love how smooth the leather is and how heavy it was to carry. At least I know, If I am indeed getting it (maybe in my dreams for now), I am paying for one expensive leather. Unlike other designer handbags, you're paying more but not getting a lot of leather. I am so getting this, If my budget can afford. I am sure hoping my husband gets to read this post. Haha! For now, I will keep stalking it online.

Here's me, trying it on at the Celine store - The Landmark, HK. The feeling was DIVINE!

Celine Luggage Phantom in suede

Photo Credits: Celine.com

Tough Chic

Yesterday was a lazy day. Woke up late. Like 11AM, as we went home past midnight after meeting up with some friends over coffee at Boni High Street. I am lucky that I get to have my "day off" of my domestic duties over the weekend and the husband takes me out on mini dates. My reward for being a good housewife I'd say. *winks

I was not in the mood to dress up nice. Picked up my favorite shorts, my super comfy cotton shirt and Puma lace up shoes and I'm good to go. Instant tough chic outfit with simple silver accessories.  We had lunch at Eastwood and a bit of coffee again at CBTL before heading home for the usual movie night.

Can hardly wait for "The Hobbit" next week. 

What I'm wearing:

YSL dupe shirt - Greenhills tiange

Shorts - Gap

Belt - Gap

Shoes - Puma

Bag - Harve Benard

Watch - Kenneth Cole (borrowed from husband)

Necklace - Tiffany & Co.

Beef Stew

I made this for dinner December 21, 2012 aka the last supper according to the Mayan calendar's end of the World theory. Paired with a bottle of red wine and steaming hot rice, and good conversation with the husband to cap the night. Nostalgic of our Chicago dinners during the winter season.

Being away from home and not have any house-help or mom to cook for us, pushed me to my very limits in the culinary arts department. I bought this pressure cooker in Chicago and I could say it's been my bestfriend in the kitchen for quite some time. For this recipe, I would suggest you use one and possibly buy yourself one to make your life easier. I know most chef's would say otherwise. 

Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds Beef stew cut meat (in this recipe I used 2 cuts large size Osso Bucco, bone-in)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive oil
• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Cups Beef broth (try dissolving 2 beef bouillon cube to 3 cups of hot water)
• 3 Stalks Celery, chopped
• 2 Cups Baby carrots
• 3 Large Potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Teaspoons Cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoons of cold water

Cooking Directions:

1. On medium-high heat, add the olive oil to the pressure cooker or skillet.
2. Pat dry the beef and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper. Brown the beef on both sides.
3. Once brown, remove the beef from the skillet and add in the onion and saute until soft and transparent.
4. Put the beef back into the pot, then add the broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf.
5. Adjust the heat to medium-low. Put the lid of the skillet or seal the pressure cooker and simmer for an hour, 30 minutes for the pressure cooker. (follow the necessary instructions that came with your pressure cooker)
6. When the beef is tender, add in the celery, potatoes and baby carrots. Simmer for another 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Let it settle in the skillet for 15 minutes before serving with hot steaming rice. Enjoy!

Humba

My husband kept asking me to recreate a Visayan dish called "humba" he first had in Cebu. He never forgot the taste and has been constantly asking me to make it for him whenever his craving sets in. Honestly, I have never done it before. I remember my Mom and my Kuya used to make this at home. So today, I am in a great mood for cooking. Humba for lunch is in order. It was a winner according to the husband. I sure hope it wasn't just meant to please me. But hey, he had two cups of rice and a can of Dr. Pepper soda. Happy belly, I guess? haha!

So I'd like to share the recipe with you all. This is a Visayan version of the Tagalog's adobo, only that it's on the sweeter side and the addition of dried banana blossoms and salted black beans makes all the difference.

Ingredients:

• 1 Kilo Pork with lean fat (used pork kasim cut into adobo pieces from Monterey)
• 2 Tbsps Olive oil (used to brown the pork)
• 5 Cloves Garlic, minced ( I put a lot of garlic to cut the cholesterol)
• 1 Large Onion, diced
• 3 Pcs. Dried Bay leaves
• 1 Teaspon Whole Peppercorn
• 1 Cup Pineapple juice (I used the juice concentrate from a can of pineapple chunks)
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce 
• 2 Tablespoons vinegar
• Water

I tweaked the recipe a little bit by adding a sweet sauce later part of the cooking, here's the rest of the ingredients:

• 1 Can of Lemon-Lime soda (I used diet 7Up)
• 1 Can Pineapple Juice (I used Dole in can 12 Fl Oz)
• 1 Teaspoon yellow mustard (I used French's or any table mustard will do)
• 2 Tbsps Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

Note: Make the sweet sauce ahead of time. Make sure to simmer it down to thicken the sauce a little bit. Added half a teaspoon of cornstarch diluted in 2 teaspoons of water. This is a good basting sauce for leftover hams. 

Cooking Procedure:

1. Heat the cooking pot with 2 teaspoons of Olive oil. Brown the pork on all sides in batches. Transfer in any glass dish to drain the fat a little bit while waiting for the rest to cook.
2. On the same pot, saute the garlic and onion until soft and fragrant. 
3. Put-in the cooked pork, bay leaves, soy sauce, peppercorn and pineapple juice. Let boil and simmer until pork is tender. 
4. Pour-in about 3/4 cup of the sweet sauce and about 1/4 cup of water. Simmer a bit more.
5. Check the consistency of the sauce. Make sure it is not too thick. Add in more water and soy sauce if you need to according to your taste.
6. Add the vinegar but DO NOT stir. Cover and re-simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Spoon-in the salted black beans and simmer for 5-8 minutes.
8. Add the dried banana blossoms and simmer for another 5 minutes.
9. Transfer on a serving plate, share and enjoy!

Additional note: If you do not want to make the sweet sauce, you can just add the soda, pineapple juice, yellow mustard all together while simmering the pork. Just make sure to adjust the proportions and always taste your sauce. Add the brown sugar at the end when you are about to put in the black beans. Experiment on your own and use my recipe as your guide. Have fun cooking!

What A Year That Was: 2012

New year means cleaning up the hard drive to make way for new memories and new set of photos. In this day and age, I have more virtual photos than that of pictures printed out and stored in photo albums. I doubt if I had any this year at all. Too sad that we sometimes neglect to do it the old fashioned way because we are too caught up with technology and what is convenient. Well, printing pictures has become very expensive these days too, that we'd rather post it in social networking sites for everyone to see.

Going through a lot of our photos made me realize that 2012 has brought me a lot of memories, very good ones. In fact, I and my husband has traveled too much. We've gone to the beach more than anyone in the family or even circle of friends. Not having kids has made us travel more not that we decided not to have them. It wasn't happening yet, so we took all our time on the road. I wonder what this year has in store for us. Definitely will go to places in the Philippines that we both have not been to. Next on our must go to list is Palawan. I am hoping we could go this summer and maybe go back to Boracay. 

Sharing with you some of our fun times with friends and family:

Sto. Nino Church, Cebu

Island Hopping and Snorkelling in Bantayan Island, Cebu

Island Hopping, Cebu

Bolinao, Pangasinan

Camiguin White Island

Camiguin White Island

BE Resort, Cebu

BE Resort, Cebu

Hidden Valley Falls, Laguna

Hidden Valley Hot Spring, Laguna

Chocolate Hills, Bohol

Hanging Bridge, Bohol

Virgin Island, Bohol

Bohol

Tagaytay 

Subic Safari, Clark 

Manila Ocean Park

Manila Ocean Park

Boracay

Ocean Park, Hongkong

Pictures above are from Cebu, Pangasinan, Bohol, Hidden Valley, Camiguin, Bukidnon, Subic, Tagaytay, Boracay and Hongkong.
Cheers to another year of travel, of adventure and self discovery! Love and Light to us all. Happy New Year!