Happy Valentine's Day!

We didn't make Valentine's plans this year. We've decided that we'll just spend the night at home and I make a nice meal for both of us. It has been quite a tradition, I think. This was due to the fact that we don't want to be in the middle of the V Day traffic and end up missing out our dinner reservation and get all stressed out. Nevertheless, the husband made such sweet efforts that night by surprising me with flowers, a giant balloon bouquet as well as a giant card. And like a teenager, I blushed and the smile never disappeared my face the whole night.

 

Not the usual Valentine's day story you'd hear the next day. But I guess as the relationship grows, we don't need special occasions or a holiday to make each other feel loved and cherished. Everyday should be a love-filled day! It is a chance to be the best that you can be for the person you love. Anyways, before I go all out mushy and cheesy, I wish you all had a wonderful Valentine's day!!

XOXO

Beets and Pear Salad

The first time I had beets was when we were  living in Chicago and we had a shopping trip at Whole Foods supermarket. They have this "make your own" salad bar and one could just put anything in the takeaway box and weigh it at the counter once you're done. I tasted it once and never forgot about it. I had a lot of ideas already by the time we went back to the Philippines. Every time I make this, it gives me good memories of Chicago. I miss the kind of lifestyle we used to have despite the cold weather. I spent my days just daydreaming of going back. And the shopping trips, the fresh goods..and the list goes on. Maybe someday...Anyway, so much of the drama. This salad is best paired with pasta, chicken or fish in the menu. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Bag of Mixed greens, preferably with Arugula (about 3 cups)
• 1 Medium sized Beets, boil, peel and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 Small Onion. sliced thinly, soak in water for 10 minutes
• 1 Medium sized Pear, peel, core and cut into bite sized pieces (soak in 2 Tbsp of lemon juice)
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Unsalted Roasted Cashew nuts (walnuts if available)
• 1/4 Cup Goat Cheese

Dressing:

• 1 Tbsp Orange juice (fresh)
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar or Champagne vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp Dijon or yellow mustard
• 1 Tsp Honey
• 1 Tsp Minced onion or shallot
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

• Prepare the dressing by combining all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Adjust taste accordingly.
• Coat beets evenly with a teaspoon of the dressing. Discard the lemon juice from the pear.
• Arrange the mixed greens on a salad bowl, top with beets, pears, onion, nuts and cheese. Drizzle with the rest of the vinaigrette. 

Cheesy Tuna Pasta

When I can't think of anything to cook for dinner, I make pasta. This is something I can accomplish for well under thirty minutes. Believe me it's fast and easy. Plus my husband likes pasta or at least he likes this version. I am not a big fan of the Pinoy spaghetti. Although I must admit I have sporadic cravings here and there for Jollibee once in awhile. This I think is a healthier version.

So here goes.

Ingredients:

• Fistful of pasta cooked according to package instructions (good for two persons, I used Real veggie pasta) 
• 4 Cloves Garlic, minced (if you like garlicky pasta then put more
• 2 Tbsps Olive oil
• 1 Can Century Tuna flakes in brine (this is healthier than flakes in oil)
• 1 Small Pack of Clara Ole' Chunky Tomato with Basil pasta sauce
• 1/2 Cup of Kraft Eden melt cheese, grated
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Fresh Parsley for garnish, chopped (optional)

Cooking Instruction:

1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Usually 8-10 minutes tops. 
2. In low fire put oil in the pan and then add the minced garlic. Let is stand for two minutes or until garlic smells good. This is done to incorporate the garlic into the oil. DO NOT overcook or burn the garlic. 
3. Turn the heat up to medium and saute the garlic with the tuna flakes, juice included.
4. Add the Chunky tomato. Let it simmer for three to five minutes minutes. 
5. Toss in the grated cheese. Adjust the seasoning. Add salt if needed and a pinch of pepper too. If the sauce is too sour adjust by adding a little bit of brown sugar.
6. Turn off the heat and toss in the pasta and half of the chopped parsley.
7. Garnish with grated Eden melt cheese or Parmesan. Enjoy!

Travelogue: Sumilon Bluewater Resort

I haven't seen a lot of post about this little island paradise in Oslob so I wasn't so sure yet what to expect. After our whaleshark encounter, we drove five minutes to get to the reception. They have a nice decent receiving/waiting area as well as a huge restroom/bathroom for when you need to get dressed or even shower before getting on the boat to the island. They serve you welcoming drinks while waiting for the next boat with tables and lounge chairs for convenience plus free wi-fi. They also have a guarded parking area for your cars if you're staying in the island for a few days. It's off the coast of Oslob about 20 minutes ride depending on the weather.  The sea was calm and nice when we got there.

Lounging while waiting for our boat has never been this relaxing. No stress. Just enjoying the view and the smell of salty air. Ah! summer came too early. 

This view greeted us. The docking area for the boats and all the guests who come to the island. A nice sandbar when you simply want to enjoy the clear blue waters. The sand felt a bit like the Virgin Island of Bohol.

From the docking station to the reception area to the Villa is a long walk. Maybe one kilometer away by foot and 5-10 minutes via the mini-cart. That's me taking it slow. Enjoying mother nature. 

 The infinity pool is lovely, isn't it? The view is just amazing.

 You can enjoy all the amenities provided by the resort even if you just availed of the day trip. Staying here is pricey. Can range from 5-15 thousand a night. Here's one of the guests we saw having a swell time para sailing for free.

 If kayaking is your kind of stuff they have it too. Just a photo op for me. I wasn't feeling sporty that day.

 Laying out on the swing under the tree. Perfect escape.

 My mother and sister-in-law having a lot of fun.

 ...and the husband too wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

 Ocean view. Can it get more beautiful than this? Paradise in Cebu.

 The reception and restaurant hall. This is where they serve the buffet breakfast, lunch or dinner. For the dy trip, we were served set meals. It didn't dissapoint. More bang for the buck! Five-star quality.

 Our view while having lunch.

 Soup and appetizer. Too bad, I didn't get to take a picture of the giant shrimp for the main course. I guess we were all hungry to snap away a picture. Haha! But it was really good. Great value for money. The day trip cost Php 1,500 per person which includes round trip boat transfers, welcoming drinks, and a full set lunch and free use of all the resort facilities. I would suggest to come here early if you want to try everything the resort has to offer. For us, we were here to relax and enjoy the view.

 Sharing our funny stories about the whalesharks earlier in the day. 

 I'd come back for the massage service. I would say for the price and the view, it's all worth it. Paying Php 1,500 for a 45-minute massage isn't that bad, right?

 I love the lounge chairs that were strategically placed around the resort. A perfect location to just do nothing or maybe read a good book.

 This was my favorite part. Laying out by the pool with my iPad was surreal. The wifi works by the pool so I got to update my social network while enjoying this view.

It was sad to be leaving this place. I think there was so much to do but so little time. I am even planning my second trip to this place and might even try glamping one day. 

Travelogue: Oslob Part 1

Part of my bucket list is to actually swim with the whalesarks. Crazy, right? For someone like me who doesn't even know how to swim properly. When our tickets were finally booked for this trip I was beyond thrilled!

I did not expect that the local government of Oslob has been doing a lot of effort in ensuring that the Whalesharks won't be harmed or abused in any way. All the tourist will go through an orientation on what not to do when in the water and during the encounter. It's good to know that they're not only trying to gain money from tourism but are also protecting them. Who knows until when these whalesharks will come around in the shores of Oslob.

The brady bunch before we hit the orientation area happen to meet Slater Young who just got off the shore too! Lucky us, of course we wouldn't let the opportunity pass without a photo op. He was kind enough to accommodate us and even wore shirt his shirt before posing (it would have been better if we was half naked lol).

 The happy trooper. Our bangkero's (fisherman/boatmen) for the day.

He is the only assigned whaleshark feeder for the day. NO one else can feed the whale but him. He fed them little shrimps (plankton) while the whaleshark was happily swimming with us. This was the first encounter. I was left in the boat along with the other fisherman, as I wasn't ready to jump in and volunteered to take the shots instead. Everyone wasn't so sure yet on how to interact with them. The orientation was very very specific, to swim at least 3 feet from the head 5 feet away from the tail. And when swimming: no bubbles please if you don't want them to think you want to be eaten too! Bubbles would appear like plankton's and the whaleshars might think you're food and just swallow you whole.

 This was the medium-sized whaleshark who followed us throughout the time we were in the water.

 My sister-in-law was crying.. She was pretty scared at first when the whaleshark followed her. Who wouldn't? I tell you myself, it's creepy. Even if you know for a fact they don't eat anything other than planktons.

 Look how they take in the food and how their mouth can actually swallow a lot of water in a vaccum-like way. Interesting.

 Here's another baby whaleshark following us. We seem to be an interesting group as we had two whaleshark following us the whole time.

 This was them. Already having fun after a few minutes of shock and amazement.  I had as much fun laughing at them seeing how silly their faces become when the whaleshark tries to come near them. Sometimes they get too close for comfort.

 My husband having a moment with the whaleshark. I think he was faking excitement but beyond the smile is a whole lot of fear. Look, Honey! The shark is behind you! Haha!

 I am not sure what happende here. My mother and sister-in-law having a blast. 

 This was my scaredy-cat moment. I am not sure if I was excited or trying to escape away from him. Caught off-guard. LOL

Despite their size, they are very friendly. The only thing that makes you scared is the fact that they're still a shark. They're still animals and pretty much don't have human instincts. What if suddenly they feel irritated? With one whip of it's tail for sure you will suffer drowning. But in any case, according to the fisherman, there hasn't been any reported incidents of anything like that since they started.

It was a very memorable experience! Another bucket list checked off, woot! I will come back. I will have a better underwater gear by then.

Thank you so much for reading.