BlackBerry French Toast

Found some slices of bread in a fridge. 

I soaked it in a mixture of beaten eggs and milk. 

I then fried it in a pan greased with a little butter until they are browned and cooked through.

Day-old bread is often used as dried bread will soak up more egg mixture without falling apart.

I'm a big fan of cinnamon so I sprinkled some of it and sugar. 

It was perfect!

Partner it with scrambled egg and bacon perhaps?

Eat well!

Green Breakfast

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.”
― Ruth Reichl

Breakfast this morning was a bit on a theme. lol. We were going green! Using my so loved basil plant I made a spicy pesto pasta the night before for dinner from scratch (Basil, Olive Oil, Garlic, Chili and Pine Nuts). We got a little left over which I heated up for breakfast. 

Mom was nowhere to be found when I woke up. Then she arrived with some broccoli and asked me to steam it, and so I did. Then I saw the fresh potatoes we bought yesterday from the market. Made me think of making omelet! 

So with 3 eggs, butter, potatoes, sweet onion, cheese and herbs - basil and oregano - I get to make my favourite Potato French Omelet. 

Just for the fun of it, I put a show in front of my Mother, I was flipping the omelet from the pan without messing it! lol. She was pleased to see I was able to fold the egg perfectly! I bet she was proud! lol.

And where else can we graze all these grits but at the terrace! It was perfect! Definitely perfect way to start your day. Eating hearty breakfast with people you love most! 

Desserts with Mom

Mom and I have been very productive last Tuesday. We were able to sort out her clothes, clean the house, get my medical abstract from the hospital, repot the plants that are dying and we're able to FINALLY position mum's queen size bed, which turned into like a California king bed because of the  big bed frame, in my room (no more Japanese style bed) It was crazy.. And with today's weather I was sweating like hell! lol.

We finished at around 5pm. We had an early dinner at home and decided to have dessert somewhere. I remember going to a cafe somewhere near in the area when I was a kid and by 8PM we found ourselves in a jeepney going to Padre Faura.

Café Adriatico

As we were walking along the frisky street of Padre Faura, we saw a Japanese convenience store and saw a pickled ginger I love eating (Beni Shoga) So we bought a medium pack of it.

Finally we arrived at the Café Adriatico, an adored cafe in Manila, beautifully furnished with an old world impression starring Manila on its heyday.

It's been years since the last time I was here with my mother,  I have a bit of a blur idea of how their food tastes therefore I cannot really say much about all their food since we only went there to have desserts BUT judging their last course of the meal, I must say they were excellent.

Their food may be expensive but if you want an ambience close to an 1800's and experience a collection of divine Filipino and Spanish-Mediterranean dishes, then it is worth it.

Café Adriatico is known for having Chocolate Eh (thick and rich) and Chocolate Ah (watered and thin). Chocolate Eh has a bitter sweet taste while Chocolate Ah has more sweetness because of the milk added as per our server.

Mom had Halo-Halo espesyal (special), I asked Mom how was it and she liked it. She said that the amount of shaved ice, milk and other ingredients (fruits, beans and other sweets) was perfect. She was actually wondering what kind of milk was added as it was too tasty to be an ordinary evaporated milk. lol. Oh by the way, it was topped with vanilla ice cream too!

I had "Mango Jubilee" and "Chocolate Eh". The Mango Jubilee is basically made of mango balls with vanilla ice cream served in a glass. It was scrumptious in many ways. It may be too sweet because of the ripe mango plus the sweetness of vanilla ice cream but it's a perfect dessert for someone craving for something sweet.

I guess I made a wrong decision to order the "Chocolate Eh" for my "Mango Jubilee" but it cannot be denied that the "Chocolate Eh" is superior! I can already imagine pairing it with their "Kesong Puti with Pandesal" That could have been perfect!

What was entertaining was Mom, telling some old gossips of Manila on it's prime. From the enigma of some wealthiest family in Manila to the dirty world of politics. lol. I don't know how she got those classified informations but it was really entertaining. lol.

After settling the bill we bid goodbye to our server, gave him a tip despite our bill having a service charge and rode a taxi. It was a great night spent with my Mom. I cannot wait to have another spontaneous night out with her.

Happy Birthday Mom!

We celebrated Mom's birthday last March 10. The celebration also happened to be like a thanks giving for her, just this January mom was seriously ill that she needed 3 bags of blood for her transfusion.

Mom woke up at 5am to go to church. I woke up 30mins after to make a birthday breakfast. I made pancakes and some salad. I want to make the day cooking free for her. I manned the kitchen this time. lol.

Pancakes and Cucumber, tomato w/ egg salad

The celebrant.

My friends wanted to come and celebrate with us. Jaydee was the first one to arrive. She went straight to Mi Casa with a cake in the morning from her work.  Thank you Jaydee and Olive!

While waiting for the others I was pretty much busy cooking for the "feast". lol. I was cooking shanghai rolls, pasta, grilling some fish and asked a little help from mum on how to make her specialty, Pakistani Chicken. Then Jose chipped in some buffalo wings. Thanks Bang!

The second one to arrive was Valerie, she brought with her a chocolate cake and cutie cup cakes. They were very tasty I tell you.

Cakes and cup cakes! Yum!

Mum was so excited to blow the candles but then other visitors have not arrived yet. So we kind of bluffed the blow the candle scene for the sake of pictures. lol.

Act as though she was.. lol

Finally the visitors have already arrived. She got to blow the candles on her cake! She looked so happy! I'm happy too!

Taste testing time! The cup cakes that Val made were really tasty and moist. Love the cream cheese on top!

The colours of the icing are mum's favourite colour. The cake was topped with powdered sugar.

My friends enjoying the food!

The last one to arrive were Jody and Donna. They brought some cassava cake which was also delish! Thank you guys!

After a magnificent meal we stayed at the terrace, had some drinks and amazing chat. Mum was also joining us from time to time. It was a fun night.

The Austria couple

I can't thank my friends enough for spending their precious time with me and my mum that day. Mum said she was very happy that she get to spend time with them and get to know them more.

Mom is thankful for another year that God has given her. She was very thankful that we get to celebrate her day even in a simple way. After all the trials and struggles she endured the past year, I'm glad I can see her so pleased and joyous.

No daughter who would not want a good life for her parents and no parents who would like their child in a bad situation. I am lucky that she's not expecting much from me.  All she want is to see me settle down with the right guy. lol.

My relationship with my mum has been an open book to my friends. After what happened to her early this year, it just hit me that I am not ready to lose a mother. That I would do anything to give her a good life, which she has given me growing up. I felt like this time, it's my turn.. It's my turn to take care of her.. It's my turn to give her what she wants.. It's my turn to surprise her with good things.. It's my turn to be more caring.

It may sound a cliche but i can so atest to it - When everyone has turned against you... Our parents are the people who will always be there and love us the most in this world.