Pink Lemonade

It was a big surprise to know that hubby hasn't heard of how the juice of boiled kamote leaves will turn pink when calamansi juice is added to it. My sisters and I had this kind of juice all the time as kids. I also remember a segment about this in Batibot with Ate Sienna (okay, this kind of gives off my age -- if you don't know who ate Sienna is or if you don't know what Batibot is I'd be a little hurt).  Also, we often use those 2 ingredients together in sinigang and now I wonder why hubby hasn't bothered to ask why our sinigang soup is pink. My recent post on "sophisticated" ice-candy flavors also kind of got the attention of some of the faculty members at work. They were quite intrigued. Hmm... I assumed all along that everybody knows how to make "pink lemonade".   

Alonzo loved the calamansi and basil flavored ice candy that I made. To be honest, he didn't care much about the 2 other flavors (he didn't like the ginger taste with the pineapple, while the chopped mint leaves with the mango and cucumber kind of threw him off). Anyway, here's a simple step by step tutorial on how to make pink "lemonade".

Step 1: Boil a few kamote leaves in water

 

Step 2: Squeeze the juice of calamansi

Step 3: Pour kamote juice on to a pitcher and add cold water

Step 4: Add calamansi juice (watch closely as the liquid transforms into a lovely pink color)   

 

 (I took a video of this but it is taking forever to upload!)

Step 5: Sweeten with honey or sugar

 

Step 6: Add ice

 Enjoy!

How to Wash Dishes and Save Water at the Same Time

One of the things I remember most about Lola Neneng, my paternal grandmother, was how she would teach me how to wash the dishes the proper way. She was a principal and supervisor of the home-economics department of a university in our province and was really very strict when it came to anything related to housekeeping matters. I will not deny that as a child, I often felt tormented whenever she would literally hover over and supervise each move I made as I washed and cleaned each tableware item.

An article that I wrote for Yahoo! She is, kind of my little way, of giving tribute to my grandmother for her patience and persistence in teaching us everything that she knows.

Lola,I tweaked your technique a little! I really think more water is saved by NOT filling the tub or basin with water :) 

Repurposing Your Baby's Old Stuff

Our baby is now exactly 27 months old. Not exactly a baby anymore. We have given away and donated tons of his old stuff but it seems that we never run out of things to pack away. There is always a shirt that can no longer fit through the neck hole, a pair of pants or pajamas that are too short and his hats can no longer fit! We have already placed a small crate beside his closet for any of the stuff that needs to go.

However, there will also always be some stuff that I will not be able to let go of. I have kept his pacifier/ binky (which had been his most favorite thing in the world) stored together with some keepsakes such as the onesie, booties, mittens and bonnet that he wore from the hospital; the "eye patch" he used for the phototherapy he had for hyperbilirubinemia; the "tube" used (as cleverly suggested by my lactation consultant) when I was struggling with breastfeeding, etc...

Anyway, I have here a couple of suggestions as to how you can re-use and re-purpose your baby's old stuff. I hope that you'll find them useful.

Re-purposing baby's old stuff part 1

Re-purposing baby's old stuff part 2

eggs 101

 It was because of my shameful kitchen encounter a couple of days ago that hubby handed me a copy of Rodale's Book of

Hints, Tips and Everyday Wisdom (a book which he apparently has had for the longest time but it was only recently -- no, literally just NOW, that he remembered to show/ give me!).

Alright, the copy may be from 1985 but it truly is a useful reference for just about every problem around the house and garden!

It is from this book that I learned the following directions for a no-fault hard cooked egg:

Step 1: place eggs in a pot and cover with COLD water

(this allows the eggs to cook gradually without cracking the shells) 

Step 2: bring to a rolling boil

Step 3: turn the heat off, leaving the eggs in the pot for about 17 minutes

(this allows the eggs to cook evenly without overcooking)

Step 4: cool the eggs by placing in a bowl of cold tap water for 5 minutes

Step 5: peel and serve

More egg tips:

To tell whether eggs are fresh or not, place them in a deep bowl of water. Throw away the ones that float!
The older an egg gets, it shrinks and air fills inside.   

To get more volume from beaten eggs, let them stand for about an hour at room temperature before beating them.

Adding a little vinegar to the water will help seal the egg, just in case an eggs cracks during boiling

Shaking the eggs a little just before placing it on a pot for boiling helps keep the yolks at the center of the egg

(a tip just in from hubby who admittedly learned this from either the Lifestyle Network or the Asian food Channel) 

You might also want to check out this noteworthy, not to mention photogenic site!