Creamy Carrot Soup

Last Saturday, I made some carrot soup at home. It's actually very seldom that I get involved in the kitchen, it's just not my talent to come up with fantastic dishes for the family. But sometimes, I can also whip up a dish --- with the help of a recipe, of course. This time, I searched my Del Monte Kitchenomics Cookbook, and I found the recipe for Creamy Carrot soup. It's very easy to prepare and anybody can do it.

Creamy Carrot Soup

2 tbsp margarine
1 beef bouillon cube
5 tbsp flour
1 can evaporated milk
2 medium carrots
1 can Del Monte Tomato Sauce
2 stalks green onion, chopped
1/4 cup grated cheese (optional)

1. Boil carrots until tender. Peel and mash half of it, then dice remaining carrots. Set aside.
2. Melt margarine in pan. Add bouillon cube and flour while stirring. Add milk and 5 cups water gradually while stirring until well blended. Add diced carrots. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add Del Monte Tomato Sauce, cheese, mashed carrots, 1/3 tsp. iodized salt (or 1 tsp rock salt) and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes. Top with green onions.

Makes 6 servings

Water Therapy

How much water do you really need?

Water plays a big role in our physical health. It keeps us hydrated and gets rid of metabolic substances and waste byproducts from certain processes in our body. According to some research, there's a way to compute how much fluid we need, which is not limited to water. Our maintenance requirement also include juice and milk. This is called the Holiday Ciger method. This system says that for every kilocalorie of energy that we expend, we need one milliliter or one cubic centimeter of fluid replacement. It's a one-to-one replacement.

For infants, milk is the only nutrient that they need until they reach six months. Breast milk contains all the water that they require. Increase their water intake (distilled or boiled mineral water) when you start supplemental feeding because formula milk does not contain as much water as breast milk.

As the child grows older, increase the amount of solids he eats so that by the time he reaches one, he should be eating table food and supplementing it with three full glasses of milk a day.

Juice is necessary for the vitamin C it adds to our diet. However, do not introduce juice to a child too early because you don't want it to replace milk or for the child to develop a sweet tooth.

Some adults develop lactose intolerance. Lactase, the enzyme that breaks lactose into sugar and is found in our intestines, tends to decrease as we grow older. People who don't eat cheese, ice cream, milk or are lactose intolerant must take lactase in table form or from lactose-free milk.

The recommended six to eight glasses of water might not be enough. So eat and drink up! Fruits and vegetables like watermelon, grape, orange, lettuce and cucumber have lots of water. Low-fat milk and juice are also good sources of fluids.

I Love Walnut Pie!

Last Thursday, my friend Marie and I had lunch in our Executive Dining Room. I just wanted to have a break from the monotony of food in our cafeteria --- actually, that's just my opinion, the fact is, as compared with cafeteria in other offices, ours is one of the best, with lots of choices, from fruits to vegetarian to pasta to salad to Thai to Japanese, and a lot more, it's just that sometimes it's a much better experience eating in our EDR, better ambiance, fine dining, gourmet food - though a bit more expensive, of course.

There's even a pianist that entertains us while eating. But there are times when her music is not soothing to the ears, so we sometimes ask for a table which is far from her. But still, having a live background music makes our dining experience a little bit more special.

There's always bread and butter while waiting for our order to arrive. There's even a running joke among us that we could just order soup and then take advantage of the free bread --- we have satisfied our hunger --- and then we can pay for the soup and leave. But of course, when you're there, and you've seen the menu, you'll be tempted to order more. The soup that I ordered was Corn Crabmeat soup. It was rich and creamy, and goes well with the bread, and after consuming it, I almost felt full, and would have wanted to go straight to the dessert.

For the main meal, I ordered Ebi Tendon. I would have preferred Shrimp Tempura, but it's a bit more expensive so I just settled for this, anyway, it almost tasted the same.

Marie ordered Caesarette Salad, a smaller version of the Caesar Salad. It looks so boring, with not much color, but she was satisfied and was okay with it.

This is the best part of every meal --- Dessert! I love this Walnut Pie, so yummy and delicious. Actually, I didn't eat it in the EDR, I asked the waiter to wrap it and shared it with my husband, and he simply loved it. So, next time I will order 3 slices, one for me and the other 2 for the kids and the hubby.

Marie said next month we'll go there for the Filipino Buffet. Our motivation? To take photos and blog about it!

Capturing Sunrise

We were on our way to Batangas two weeks ago when I had the urge to get my camera and took this shot. I think it was just right timing that I captured it with the tree in the foreground. But still, with or without the tree, it is still a magnificent view of the sunrise, and our first glimpse of God's blessings as the day unfolds before our eyes.

New DNeero Homepage

So, that's why DNeero has been busy lately!

A Pretty Cardboard Vase

This is Faye's school project. It's a vase made of cardboard and covered with brown paper. I even scolded her for doing it at the last minute which caused us to sleep late just to help her finish it. Actually, she had assembled it already but the bottom was not flat and it was leaning on one side.

We didn't realize that it wasn't easy, Earvin had to disassemble it again because the sides did not fit the bottom part, and when he taped the lower parts together, the upper parts didn't fit anymore. So, in the end, it was still Faye's technique of sticking each part together one by one which eventually finished it. The next problem was how to cover the entire vase. Again, it was Faye's idea to individually cut the paper according to the shape of each side. Finally, it was finished at 11:15pm, complete with Kuya Earvin's designs.

This morning Faye said she got a perfect score for this vase. I said half of it should be Kuya's grades because he was the one who made the designs.

Would you Dare to Eat Balut?

Last night, Faye texted me to ask me to please buy her Balut, Penoy, and Chicharon for her school assignment. I was like, Huh! and why would a teacher ask her students to bring those kinds of food? There's no problem with Chicharon - though of course it's not healthy either, but Balut and Penoy? Faye said their teacher wanted them to have a sort of a taste test of exotic Filipino food. For those who have no idea what Balut and Penoy eggs are, they are Filipino exotic food. Balut has a 14-day old duck fetus inside, incubated and boiled alive, while Penoy has no fetus and it's like a hard-boiled egg.

So, OK, I had no choice but to look for a Balut vendor on our way home. Next concern was, where are we going to find a Balut vendor? We asked around and fortunately, we found one, although I also told Faye to watch out for the Balut vendor which I usually hear passing by our place every night. I bought one Balut. There was no available Penoy. When I went back to the car, Earvin said he want one also. So, I said, "Are you sure?" His Dad asked, "Do you know how to eat that?" He said "Yes". OK, go buy one for yourself. He seemed excited and wanted to eat it already, but I said to hold on to it until we reached home because I wanted to take a photo and put it in my blog.

So, when we arrived home, I told Faye that there was no Penoy available. She excitedly told me that the Balut vendor passed by and she was able to buy one Balut, one Penoy and a pack of Chicharon. She even said she ate one pack of quail eggs. Of course, here comes her Mommy's shocked reaction! What??? You ate one pack? but didn't you know that it's high in cholesterol? Of course, she didn't know, and she even said, "It's not every day that I eat quail eggs." Then, we turned to her Lola to ask why she allowed Faye to consume one pack.

Earvin was so eager to eat the Balut, his Dad even showed him how to crack it - through the flatter side of the egg. When he opened it, and Faye saw how gross it looked, she was so shocked and said, there was no way she was going to eat it.

Well, admittedly, Balut eggs really look gross! I have eaten just the yellow and the hard parts before but never the duck fetus inside! And as Faye said, there's no way that I will ever dare eat it. But Earvin was so adventurous, he ate everything. I asked him afterwards how he felt. He couldn't describe it, but he said it left a severe after taste and he waited 30 minutes before eating a proper dinner. He couldn't get the image of the duck's head out of his mind!

And Faye? Of course, she still brought the eggs to school this morning, I just told her not to eat the duck fetus, because I wasn't sure if she could take it. I even jokingly told her not to eat it even if her teacher forces her to eat it, otherwise I'll report her teacher to the Department of Education!

Is SPF15 Enough?

It's summer!

And with it comes the excitement of going to the beach with the family and with friends! But of course, with all these excitement, we shouldn't forget to take care of our skin, because we've seen how harsh the sun can be to our face and our skin. In fact, even if it's not summer, we should always remember to put sunscreen on our face, and all the exposed areas of our body as protection against the sun.

How do we know if the sunscreen that we use is really giving us enough protection? Is SPF15 enough? Actually, SPF15 is enough if we will just apply it to our skin properly. Regular application is very important, as well as the right amount. Most often we're guilty of scrimping on the usage of sunscreens, we just apply it the first time we take a dip in the pool, then forget to re-apply even after staying under the sun for more than 8 hours. Ideally, it should be reapplied every two hours for it to become effective, otherwise, your skin won't benefit from it.

So, enjoy summer but be sure to be kind to your skin.

Best Family Friendly Resorts in the Philippines

Summer is just around the corner, and I'm sure everyone in the family is so excited. Kids are going on vacation also, so, we should really come up with plans on what to do even at this early stage, otherwise, we'll be bombarded with, "We're so bored!"

A trip to the beach is a must in every family's itinerary during summer, because aside from a great bonding experience, it's also a way for the kids to release their energy. They can run around freely along the beach, spend the nights strolling and just simply having fun with the entire family.

So, when the school officially ends this coming March, be sure to plan for a great summer getaway for the entire family. But of course, with kids in tow, make sure to go to places which are family-friendly and which would make your vacation a really memorable experience, and that you wouldn't be so harassed and tired that you end up worse than when you left the house.

20 Best Family-Friendly Resorts in the Philippines and more...

Is your Child Hyperactive?

Children who can't stay put in one place are often labeled as hyperactive. However, being hyperactive is actually common among kids between 2 and 6, and parents shouldn't worry about hyperactivity disorder at this stage. Preschoolers who are exceptionally hyperactive, inattentive, and impulsive most of the time, as compared to other kids his age, may be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). So, how would you know if your child has ADHD? If your child's hyperactivity interferes with his ability to perform in school, in public places or at home, you need to have him checked by a developmental pediatrician, so that a formal diagnosis and assessment can be made.

You also need to observe your child and record his daily behavior. It's also important to have a dialogue with his teacher and other people who interact with him regularly so that they can also give their inputs and observations about your child. You need to carefully discuss with them the symptoms of hyperactivity in children and jot down everything that you've learned, and bring these to the pediatrician for formal diagnosis.

Simple Gifts for Little Girls

There will come a time when you would hope that you could stop the hands of time. I always feel this way whenever I think of how my kids are growing up so fast, especially my youngest daughter. There are certain occasions in which I really feel that she's no longer a baby, and that she is growing up so fast and sometimes I can hardly keep up with her. One such occasion in which I felt this way was when she had her first communion. Although it was such an eventful occasion for the family, somehow I still felt sad especially when I saw her wearing her all-white dress. She looked so grown-up!

I was just so grateful for my daughter's school for conducting the ceremony in the most solemn way. The school had prepared them well for the occasion and made sure that the kids knew what to do during the ceremony. Weeks of rehearsals were spent to prepare the kids for the occasion. My daughter was very excited and she was able to memorize the songs in no time at all. She also knew that the occasion was a solemn one so she prepared herself by being aware of all the details of the ceremony. And during the ceremony, all the kids were really well-behaved and really respected the ceremony.

Of course, as in every special occasion in our family, I always make it a point that I give my kids little gifts to make the occasion more memorable for them. For the girls communion, bracelets with heart charms were just perfect for the occasion. My youngest daughter who is really fond of wearing bracelets simply loved it, in fact, until now, she still has it with her. I also gave each of my kids a prayer book and a rosary. I'm sure every parent would also love to make sure that their kids have something to keep in their hearts to help them remember this kind of special occasion, or any occasion for that matter.

Happy 10th Birthday, Faye

It's my youngest daughter's birthday today. She's excited about turning 10 and been looking forward to this day weeks ago. I don't know what's with it, but she said she's excited because her age is going to be 2-digit already. Oh no! If only I could stop the time, I prefer her to be my 9-year-old little girl forever.

I bought a Rocky Road Cake, and it was so yummy! and the kids loved it!

We had an advanced celebration last Saturday in SM Mall of Asia. Her only request was for Kyla (her favorite cousin), to spend the day with her. In fact, we could just have stayed home, and I'm sure she wouldn't complain, for as long as they're together. But still, we opted to take her out, and we decided to just spend the day in MOA. Too bad, Earvin had classes so I told him to just go straight to MOA after his dismissal.

We initially planned to watch the Alice in Wonderland movie (I will accompany Faye & Kyla, while the others will watch another movie since my sister-in-law had free movie passes for four), but we decided against it, because the two movies had different schedules.

Then someone suggested going to X-Rider which was located on the ground floor where Cosmic Kidz was also located. Fee was Php100/person for a 3-minute 4D adventure. You get to choose the adventure that you prefer: forest, jurassic, car race or roller coaster. Faye and Kyla chose Forest adventure. Izah and I chose Jurassic adventure. I was trying to convince Faye to join us but she didn't want because she got scared when she watched T-Rex movie in Imax with her Kuya Jeje. She said she just kept on removing the 3D eyeglasses that she was wearing because she was scared of the big dinosaurs that were suddenly popping out of the screen.

It was a fun experience, I even enjoyed it myself. A monitor was even installed outside where you'll get to watch what was happening inside the booth --- though not the movie, of course, but you'll have the chance to record on video the facial expressions of whoever is inside. When I asked Faye how it was, she said she didn't remove her 3D eyeglasses anymore, she just closed her eyes whenever she was scared. Kyla was cool because it wasn't her first time there.

After enjoying X-Ride, we had some ice cream before letting them choose another place where they want to play.

We then decided to go for a stroll at the back of MOA --- unfortunately, we missed the sunset! There were lots of people enjoying the cool breeze of Manila Bay, and it was such a relief to see lots of families preferring to go for a walk outside than inside the Mall.

The kids tried Wow Balls, it's like a Zorb experience, but instead of going down the hill like in Boracay, the ball was floating on the water for 10 minutes, and it was a steal for Php50. There was a very long queue, I think it took almost an hour before it was finally their turn. When they got out, they were sweating profusely and Faye said she almost couldn't breathe because she felt suffocated. But then, I think it was because they didn't just lie down and relax, they really enjoyed themselves and did some somersaults inside the ball.

After this, it was time to unwind, and what's the best thing to do but to ride the carousel. Imagine seeing a Grand Carousel beside the sea! It was relaxing and gave them enough time to cool down.

Then of course, we all got hungry, after all, it was already 8:30pm! I think we weren't just hungry, we were starving! So, we headed for Mannang/Mann Hann --- which unfortunately was packed and we had to wait for 30 minutes before there were available seats for us, fortunately, we were allowed to order our food even while still waiting for a vacant table, so we didn't have to wait long for our food to arrive.

After dinner, Kuya Earvin arrived, and then their other cousins also joined us for a short bonding time.

Faye enjoyed herself so much, she even said, it was her best birthday ever!