My 12 Days of Christmas

As I was thinking of a story to tell about Christmas, what came into my mind was Simbang Gabi.  It is a nine-day novena to the Blessed Mary that begins on December 16 as early as 4 AM and culminates with the Misa de Gallo on Christmas Eve to welcome the birth of Jesus.  I wanted to go through this tradition so I could write a journal on account of my everyday Simbang Gabi experience.  But being a born-again Christian, I doubt my parents would allow me.  So I thought of another tradition to do for Christmas. 

When I was a kid, I was fond of singing 12 Days of Christmas.  I memorized it like my ABC’s.  Eventhough I didn’t understand the other words of the song, I sang it wholeheartedly wishing that when I grow up, I could also receive those gifts from my true love.  Sad to say that until now, I haven’t received such gifts yet because as I was always telling you, I’ve never been courted since birth.  So, I decided to send gifts to myself everyday starting from the 12^th day before Christmas since nobody loves me but ME, MYSELF, and I!     

12 days before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 12 pan de sals! :)

I love bread especially pan de sal!  It’s very yummy that you can have it even without palaman.

11 days before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 11 post-it notes! :)

This was inspired from the movie, My Amnesia Girl.  I haven’t experienced receiving love letters so I wrote the love letter myself!  But the words came from my students when they gave me letters upon leaving them.  Hence, I considered they were my sweethearts.

10 days before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 10 twinkling stars! :)

Somebody told me that counting 10 stars for 10 consecutive nights would make me dream about heaven.  I believed him/her (I forgot who he/she was) just as I believed my mom that there’s a Santa Claus.  I religiously did this when I was little but never did I dream about heaven (maybe if I do so, I’m probably dead).  Now that I’m matured, I automatically count 10 stars everytime I look up the sky at night.  I just don’t know why.  It just became part of my system.

9 days before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 9 mini cookies! :)

These were supposedly 9 Cloud 9’s because these were my favorite chocolates when I was again, a child.  But I haven’t gone outside the house that day because of the heavy flood that happened in our city.  So I just picked whatever that was available in our pantry as substitute.  Anyway, the cookies were also chocolate.

8 days before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 8 cake slices! :)

This was supposedly 8 pizza slices because I truly love pizza since birth!  But I didn’t have time to buy pizza or had it delivered so I had the custard cake just like in 9 days before Christmas.

7 days before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 7 oh my siomais! :)

Siomais are just my favorite!  I love its juiciness, meatiness, and oh that chili garlic sauce!  I always had these tiny pleasures everytime I walked store from school when I was still working at MUHS.  

6 days before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 6 packs of candies! :)

When I was littler, I always asked for piso and ran immediately to the sari-sari store to buy candies!  I always pampered my sweet tooth then.

5 days before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 5 banana cake slices! :)

Banana cake for me is the most native Filipino cake and the cheapest ever!  I love it and this was always my merienda when I had my OJT at Mabuhay Vinyl Corporation.

4 days before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 4 seasons juice! :)

Pineapple, mango, orange, and guava combined!  Who would say no to this delight?  I order this in restos when there’s no iced tea available.

3 days before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 3 mini bouquets of flowers! :)

I never received flowers from suitors.  So, I picked myself some!

2 days before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 2 large fries! :)

French fries are a hit for me!  I could spend the whole time just munching fries at McDo!

1 day before Christmas, my true love sent to me – 1 fried ice cream!:)

When I was a kid, I always went to Gaizano with my mom just to have a scoop of ice cream.  With this new invention, it shouldn't be missed out.  I tried it and had my teeth burst because of its extreme coldness.  It was an awesome experience that cracked my head!

Then my 12 days of Christmas were through.  I successfully did a unique personal Christmas tradition hoping that next year, it would be a real true love sending 12 gifts for Christmas to me!:)

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Oplan Kaagapay (Bagyong Sendong Relief Operation)

December 16, 2009 – I woke up with flood outside the surroundings of our house and for the first time, water entered our comfort room and June Ann’s room.  That was the highest flood that happened in Ozamiz since my birth!

December 16, 2011 – I woke up with a heavy flood outside the surroundings of our house and for the first time, water entered our entire house!  That was the extremely high flood that happened in Ozamiz, surpassing the highest flood exactly two years ago.

Coincidence?  History repeats itself?  Or signs of times?  No matter what that was, my initial reaction was – furious!  Blame it to the authorities!  Blame it to the drainage system!  I complained, I grumbled!  It’s not easy to have belongings soaked in water and it is not easy to clean-up!  For two whole days, me and my whole family were very busy bringing everything back to normal because I had a house party to host by Monday.

Meanwhile, I heard from the news and from the people’s discussions that Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City were greatly affected by the typhoon (I didn’t even know that a typhoon came that caused the flood in our city).  I also heard that people died because of the flood but I cared less (I also didn’t know that there were plenty).  Because all I wanted was to finish all the tasks for the party. 

Monday morning came and our phone kept on ringing.  I didn’t answer it because I was so busy in the kitchen.  Timely, Papa came home when the phone rang again.  It was MM who was calling.  She talked to me about sending some help to the flash flood victims in Iligan for some of our fellow Jaycee members were also affected.  I told her that I was busy because I had guests coming and I decided to myself that I didn’t want to be disturbed yet. 

After that whole busy day, I had the time to sit down and watch the evening news on TV.  That was when I saw the massive destructions the typhoon Sendong brought.  It claimed hundreds of lives and millions of properties.  I didn’t expect the devastation would be that immense.  Then I got so guilty because the flood inside our house was just ankle-length while other people died due to it.  It was so heart-breaking seeing the news and I realized that I was so selfish.  So selfish because I complained, I grumbled, and I blamed.  I was so bad!

Anyway, that was also the “later” time when I texted my friends in Iligan and asked them how they were doing.  Luckily, nobody of them was harmed.  But Cathy requested me to help through my organization, the JCI-Ozamiz Red Rose.  Then I realized that I had to do something.  Having lived in Iligan for almost six years, I had to give back to the city for I won’t be who I am today without it.  I had to act as soon as possible so I started texting my Red Rose family.  I was glad that they were already waiting for the call to help. 

Moreover that night, I couldn’t sleep.  I kept on thinking of the victims especially those who had lost their loved ones.  Properties can be replaced but lives could never be replaced.  I was so troubled and something inside of me said to have an extensive call for help.  So the following early morning, I texted all people in my phonebook, posted in my Facebook status, and tweeted in Twitter the call for help.  Surprisingly, help came to the store one by one that made Donations Day 1 a success!

Then our friends and relatives also extended their help!  More and more help came in-cash and in-kind.  I didn’t expect that in Donations Day 2, we didn’t have enough room for the relief goods already!

The support of all Ozamiznons was so overwhelming that in Donations Day 3, the store was about to burst! 

Then on Day 4 of our call, we had to deliver everything to Iligan!  We left Ozamiz early crammed in the van with everything that we had collected.  We arrived in Iligan by 9 AM and we went straight to the JCI – Iligan Jaycees, Inc. clubhouse.  

After having our breakfast, we waited for a while for the military to come.  We had to ride in military vehicles and be escorted by them to Brgy. Mandulog.  It is the barangay upstream the Hinaplanon River that overflows.  All houses in the river banks were washed out and trees were uprooted.  There were white flaglets all around and one volunteer told us that those were markers of the places wherein dead bodies were recovered.  I was so saddened with the information.

When we arrived at the farthest evacuation center, I could see in the eyes of the victims their loss and pain.  Then we started distributing.  While doing so, I realized that what we were giving them were only small things for us but for them, they were treasures.  After the distribution, one Muslim woman approached us and thanked us for what we had done.  It was so heart-melting upon seeing the smile that painted her face.  Then everyone of them thanked us as we bade goodbye to them.

JCI-Iligan Jaycees Inc., JCI-Dayang Dayang, and JCI-Kulintang in Action

And as we left, I realized that we, Ozamiznons were fortunate enough that only ankle-length or knee-length flooding happened to us.  That we owe to Mt. Malindang which protected us and we have to take care of.  AND WE ALSO OWE BIG TIME TO ALL PEOPLE WHO HAD EXTENDED THEIR HELP.  I MAY NOT MENTION ALL OF YOU BUT YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.  Truly, the Filipino Bayanihan Spirit had lived on!  Let us continually pray for Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.  Prayers can move mountains and it is much better to push forward through actions.  For actions speak louder than words!

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For a complete coverage of Oplan Kaagapay, watch out for the special report at Kalamboan News Channel (KNC) Channel 17 by Expedita "Thata" Roxas.

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Christmas Recipes

It’s only 10 days before Christmas and we’ll all be busy in the kitchen to prepare for Noche Buena!  Don't know what to cook?  Let me share to you some of my Christmas recipes.  Yes, I do have!  For those who don’t believe that I cook, here are the proofs that I do!

I’ve been cooking since I was only 11 years old.  Prior to that, I loved helping in the kitchen that I even got my arm burned when I was only 6 when I forced my yaya to let me fry.  But I was not traumatized.  In fact, I was challenged that I had cooked paella at the age of 14!  I am so proud of that because I don’t have proper trainings in cooking.  I just learned by myself.  And maybe, being a good cook is part of the genes that I inherited from my Kapampangan lola, Pacencia Naluz De La Torre.

Without further ado, here are my Christmas specialties that I perfected for ages!

Barbequed Spareribs

 

You will need:

1 kg          pork spareribs, cut up

1 pc          medium onion, chopped

1 pouch    200 g tomato sauce

3 cloves    garlic, minced

½ cup       brown sugar

2 tbsp       Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp       calamansi juice

¼ cup       prepared mustard

3 tbsp       sweet chili sauce

2 tbsp       soy sauce

1 stalk      leek, sliced

Here’s how:

1.     Preheat oven at 375⁰F.  Season pork spareribs with ¼ tsp iodized fine salt and ¼ tsp pepper.

2.    Mix all ingredients except pork.  Shake in a covered jar to blend well.  Pour into meat and marinate for 1 hour.  Transfer into a baking dish.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Turn once.  Bake for another 20 minutes.  Garnish with sautéed vegetables if desired.

Fiesta Humba

You will need:

          1 kg          adobo-cut pork

          5 cloves    garlic, crushed

          ½ cup       brown sugar

          ½ cup       soy sauce

          ¼ cup       vinegar

          ¼ cup       pineapple juice

          Peppercorns

          Laurel leaves

          Salt to taste

Here’s how:

1. Mix all ingredients except brown sugar in a casserole.  Heat to a boil.  After boiling, add the brown sugar and simmer in low heat for 20 minutes or until pork releases its own oil.

Hamonado

 

You will need:

          ½ kg      pork pigue

          5 cloves garlic, crushed

          ½ cup    sugar

          2 tsp      rock salt

          1 tsp      praque powder

          1 cup     pineapple juice

          Peppercorns

          Salt to taste

Here’s how:

1.    Combine sugar, salt, and praque powder.  Rub mixture on pork.

2.    Marinate pork in pineapple juice overnight.  Simmer meat in marinade for 1 hour.  For a tastier result, use a crock pot.

Chicken Pot Roast

You will need:

          1 whole       chicken

          8 cloves      garlic, crushed

          ¼ cup         flour

          1 large        onion, sliced

          4 stalks       green onions, sliced

          2 pouches   200 g tomato sauce

          Laurel leaves

          Salt and pepper to taste

Here’s how:

1.    Rub chicken with garlic, salt, and pepper.  Sprinkle with flour and brown all sides in a little oil.  Place in a cooking pot.

     2.  Add ¼ cup water and remaining ingredients.  Simmer over low heat for 55  minutes, turning chicken occasionally. 

Grilled Tuna

You will need:

     1 kg    tuna belly

     Calamansi juice

     Butter

     Salt and pepper to taste

Here’s how:

1. Wash tuna with a little calamansi juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

     2.  Grill in butter and serve with a variation of sauces like mustard sauce, sweet chili sauce or ketchup.

Baked Macaroni

You will need:

 

    300 g   Elbow Macaroni, cooked per package directions

          6 cloves    garlic, crushed

          1 pc         medium onion, sliced

          200 g       ground beef

          1 pouch   250g spaghetti sauce

          ½ cup      cheesed, grated

          Salt and pepper to taste

White sauce:

          2 tbsp      flour

          ¼ cup      evaporated milk

          ¼ cup      water

          1 pc         beef bouillon cube

          1 tbsp      margarine

Here’s how:

1.     Sauté garlic until brown.  Add onion and beef.  Cook for 1 minute.  Add spaghetti sauce, ¼ cup water, salt, and pepper.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Set aside.

2.   White Sauce:  Mix all ingredients until flour is dissolved.  Cook over low heat, constantly stirring for 5-10 minutes or until thick.

3.   Blend spaghetti sauce with cooked elbow macaroni.  Arrange in a square pan.  Pour white sauce all over and sprinkle with grated cheese.  Bake in preheated oven at 350⁰F until cheese melts.

Carbonara

You will need:

 

      400 g        pasta, cooked per package directions

      6 cloves    garlic, crushed

      1 pc          medium onion, sliced

      200 g        ham, diced

      100 g        bacon, fried and crushed

      100 g        mushroom, sliced

      ½ cup       evaporated milk

      ½ cup       all-purpose cream

      ¼ cup       water

      2 tbsp       flour, dissolved in water

      ¼ cup       parmesan cheese

      Grated cheddar cheese

      Salt and pepper to taste

Here’s how:

             

           1.      Sauté garlic and onion.  Add ham and mushroom.  Pour evaporated milk, all-purpose cream, water, and dissolved flour.

           2.      Add parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.

           3.      Mix with pasta and top with bacon and cheddar cheese.

     Fruit Crêpe

 

You will need:

Crêpe:

          2 tbsp      melted margarine

          2/3 cup    flour

          ¾ cup      evaporated milk

          ¾ cup      water

          3 pcs       egg, beaten

          ½ tsp       rock salt

Filling:

          1 can      850g fruit cocktail, drained (reserve syrup)

          1 tbsp     sugar

Here’s how:

1.     Beat all ingredients for crêpe until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2.     Brush Teflon pan with oil, then heat over medium flame.  Pour ¼ cup crêpe batter into pan.  Tilt to cover bottom.  Cook for 2 minutes until top is set.  Lift edge of crêpe then invert.  Cook other side for 1 minute.  Repeat procedure with the remaining batter.  Stack each piece between layers of wax paper to prevent it from sticking to each other.  Set aside.

     3.  Simmer fruit cocktail syrup and sugar for 15 minutes.  Set aside.  Spoon ¼ cup of fruit cocktail across the center of each crêpe and roll.  Pour syrup on top of crêpes.

Of course, Christmas won’t be Christmas without ham in the table.  I just purchase cooked ham in the grocery.  I garnish it with cloves and bake it in the oven with pineapple juice and cinnamon.  The hint of cloves and cinnamon brings out the real taste of the ham.

Food cocktails are also my masterpiece because these add more color to the table and don’t forget the Keso de Bola, fruits, wine, cakes, and candies!  Then you’ll surely have that sumptuous Noche Buena everyone is excited for!  Never mind the budget and the calories.  Splurge and indulge for the celebration of Jesus’ birth only comes once in a year!  Have a festive Christmas, everyone!

ONE LUCKY BLOG READER WILL GET AN EAT-ALL-YOU-CAN GIFT CERTIFICATE AT JOHANN'S CUISINE!

1.  Click LIKE on the Facebook button and TWEET on the Twitter button below this post.
2.  Send name and address to maryrosalieo@yahoo.com on or before December 22, 2011 with the subject "Christmas Recipes".

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Gift-Wrapping Ideas

Done with the shopping? Now let’s move on to gift-wrapping! There are people who just take gift-wrapping for granted. Gift wraps would just be teared, crumpled, and trashed upon opening the gift anyway, so why bother? But there are also people who are meticulous with wrapping gifts. For who would not want beautifully wrapped presents under their Christmas tree, right? This would bring a more Christmasy feeling in the atmosphere!

In this regard, I invited a friend, Divine Grace “Irish” Ebale to help me with some gift-wrapping ideas.  She had experience in this field and she just has an eye for details.  The number one thing she shared to me was to be creative.  So, read on for her gift-wrapping ideas wherein we also made use of some recyclable materials in order to save good ol’ Mother Earth.

Irish’s Gift-Wrapping Idea #1  Cloth Gift Wrap

Scrap cloth, old scarves, and worn-out table cloth or picnic blankets can be used as gift wraps.  Just simply wrap your present with it and tie it into a knot then into a bow.  That’s just so easy and unique that your recipient would surely love!

Irish’s Gift-Wrapping Idea #2  Eco-Friendly Paper Gift Wrap

Old calendars, magazines, and newspapers can be used as gift wraps.  Never throw these stuffs away, learn the art of recycling ‘em!

Irish’s Gift-Wrapping Idea #3  Kids’ Artwork Gift Wrap

The works of the kids are just so lovely to look at.  They resemble playfulness and innocence that whoever receives the gift wrapped with it would definitely have that big smile on his/her face!

Thanks, Honey Grace for Your Special Participation!:)

Irish’s Gift-Wrapping Idea #4  Stamped Brown Paper Gift Wrap

Brown paper is made from recycled paper and it costs very low in the bookstore.  Had it stamped with the name of your recipient so you can have it personalized.  Take note, personalized gifts are much more appreciated for they symbolize your thoughtfulness!

Irish’s Gift-Wrapping Idea #5  Japanese Paper Gift Wrap

Japanese paper is also cheap and convenient to use.  You can have it in plain blue, plain red, or plain green colors.  So if you want to emphasize the ribbons and other decors you’re accenting your gift with, use Japanese paper for this would not go against with ‘em.

Irish’s Gift-Wrapping Idea #6  Boxes and Yarns

If the box of your gift is already presentable enough, just tie colorful yarns around it.  That’s just no fuss at all!

Irish’s Gift-Wrapping Idea #7  Miniature Plants and Ribbons

If you wish to give a plant, see to it that it is a bonsai.  Then just tie ribbons around its stems and the pot.  It’s respectful not to give it bare!

Irish’s Gift-Wrapping Idea #8  Broken Accessories

Got a pine leaf fallen from your Christmas tree?  Don’t throw it!  Use it.  I know you’ve also got a lot of other broken things in your accessories box – broken fashion bracelets, earrings without pair, buttons, etc.  Use them to accentuate your presents!

Irish’s Gift-Wrapping Idea #9  Modern Gift Wrap

If you ran out of the above-listed recyclable materials, modern gift wraps always come in handy.  Just put some ribbons around it for gifts without ribbons are lifeless! 

These are only a few gift-wrapping ideas.  Do take time and effort to give your loved ones more of your lovin’ this Christmas season by giving them beautifully wrapped presents.  But if in case you don’t have time and don’t want any hassle, just drop by at Fascino Boutique!  We offer Kris Kringle Gift Packs wherein you can choose from a variety of Fascino products to include in your pack.  Prices start at P89!  So, grab one now and have a stress-free happy Christmas!

One lucky blog reader will also get a Fascino Kris Kringle Gift Pack!

1.  Click LIKE on the Facebook button and TWEET on the Twitter button below this post.

2.    LIKE the Kris Kringle Gift Packs album at  http://www.facebook.com/fascinofabfinds.

3.    Send name and address to maryrosalieo@yahoo.com on or before December 15, 2011.

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