Oh My Gulay, Mangga't Bagoong

The long weekend gave me the chance to roam around and scout for fresh produce from my neighbor's gardens :-D (honestly, this experience made me realize that living away from the hustle and bustle of the city is not that bad after all!)

the crunchy fresh mango here
is not gratis(and it was not stolen by me he he he - I paid Php5.00 for this)
. . .and the shrimp bagoong was imported straight from Thailand (courtesy of Ms. Gay!)

steamed fresh okra and kangkong leaves with tomato and mango slices
and Gay's to die for shrimp bagoong!

This is life! The best is still for free. . .

It is Almost Pinakbet!

Pinakbet was one of the dishes I, at an early age, learned to cook. This is a popular Filipino dish composed of vegetables endemic to our native land and mixed with another Filipino pride, the bagoong.

Moving in our new home made me learn the basics of cooking dishes with one or two lacking ingredients. It's understandable because we are quire far from supermarkets and I still don't have a vegetable garden to be proud of yet.

Just the other day, I made Pinakbet sans bagoong and bitter gourd (ampalaya). Patis made a good substitute and the freshness of vegetables I used made the absence of ampalaya unnoticed :-) by my hubby and kids. . .

Even if my ingredients are incomplete, for me, it is still almost Pinakbet!

Thy Neighbor's Harvest

Transferring to a new home meant receiving a lot of blessings from God and neighbors. Who wouldn't be inspired if you wake up in the morning with these fruity blessings waiting for you courtesy of a good neighbor's bountiful harvest?

Thank you dear God for giving us neighbors like them!

Crunchy Veggie Sticks

My friend, Presy, taught my kids how to prepare this very healthy piece.
An assortment of carrots, cucumber and turnips sliced into sticks and paired with
Thousand Island Dressing as dip.

Fruity World

I am sharing with you pics of fruits thriving in our backyard. . . we'll be missing these blessings once we move out. . .

That's Patricia with avocados within her reach. . .

shining evergreen avocado

so sweet atis. . .

golden yellow balimbings. . .

Once we are settled in our new place, I promise to plant as many fruit trees as I can. . .
please wish me luck, folks!

Squid and Seashells on a Saturday

Early Saturday morning walks for me usually means finding the freshest bounty from the sea inside the Gensan wet market. ( I got this habit of waking up early on a Saturday from my dear lola!)

These are simple dishes made out of freshest catch from our seas!

sinabawang aninikad

adobong pusit

and I usually buy ibos from a dear suki of mine
sa may kilid sa bularan. . .

My kids love Saturdays because of these!

Kung Hei Fat Choi from my Family to Yours!

My family joins the entire community in wishing everyone "Kung Hei Fat Choi!". I took advantage of this celebration by doing some special dishes relevant to the occasion for my kids and husband.

Recipes of the foodies I cooked will be made available in my upcoming posts. Meanwhile, I am sharing with you, my friends, pictures of what I prepared for this evening!

Bon appetit!