hubby doodle

here's a doodle that i made of hubby (then boyfriend) a long time ago.

i have always loved drawing but i have never done portraits before --- not even caricatures. imagine how surprised i was that it turned out looking just like him!

spaghetti night

one of our ninangs hold this tradition of having spaghetti for dinner every friday. their house would be open for everybody --- friends, friends of friends, classmates, neighbors, co workers, fellow church goers, etc.. and their kids. anyone is welcome to drop by for dinner and even help with the cooking and clean-up. it's all informal. dinner is anytime between sun down until the late hours. you don't have to bring a gift or anything. you don't even need an invitation. just drop by, ring the bell, go straight to the kitchen and serve yourself. several batches of sauce is made and the pot never gets empty. guests bring home whatever is left over. hubby and i intend to follow this tradition. we plan to have spaghetti or any pasta dish, for that matter for dinner every friday (so technically we should call it "pasta night") but since our son really loves this daddy's spaghetti recipe (more about that next time) we'll stick to "spaghetti night" for now. in the long run, maybe we could diversitfy with different sauces and pastas. cooking spaghetti would be as enjoyable as eating it. oh, considering the security as well as economic issues, our spaghetti night would be by invitation only...but still welcome for very close friends and family.

cream puffs

these little nuggets of sweet, yummy goodness may seem intimidating to make to a novice baker. i was almost half execting failure the first time i made these but was pleasantly surprised (and, if i may say so, quite impressed at myself) at how easy it is to make. it's been more than 15 years since the first time i tried this recipe* and can't count how many batches i have made since but i still can't help get excited each time i watch how the batter puffs to form delicate, heavenly clouds of flour, eggs and butter.

ingredients:
cream puff pastry
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs

pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
heat water and butter to a rolling boil in a saucepan
add flour all at once and stir vigorously over low heat to form a ball
remove from heat
beat in eggs one at a time
drop batter from a spoon onto ungreased baing sheet into mounds 3 inches apart
bake for 45-50 minutes or until puffed and golden brown
split cream puffs and fill with cream filling
drizzle with caramelied sugar (or nuttela!)

cream filling
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

mix sugar, flour and salt in saucepan
blend in milk
cook over medium heat, stirring until it boils
remove from heat and stir in half of cream mixture into egg yolks
pour back in saucepan and stir
bring to boil
lower heat and stir for 10 minutes or until mixture coats spoon
cool, add vanilla and fill puffs

*Let's Cook with Nora by Nora Daza; 1969

DIY pretend food: sandwiches

i prefer referring to "play food" as "pretend food" for fear that my son gets the idea that food is something to play with. anyway, i found these wooden coasters and placemats inside what i call the "clutter kitchen drawer".

i thought that i could turn these into "pretend food" to go with my son's play oven (maybe i should start referring to his play oven as pretend oven too?).

here's what i did:
step 1: shade border of wooden coaster to resemble the crust of a loaf of bread step 2: cut placemat according to shape or form of food desired (as in a slice of ham, cheese (already pre-cut) lettuce leaf and strips of bacon

step 3: assemble to make a ham and cheese sandwich

..... or a BLT

now, wasn't that super easy and fun!

meet mr. and mrs. sweatpants

mr. and mrs. sweatpants are a lovey-dovey couple made out of the cut off leg part of a pair of very long sweatpants (hence their names) here's a feeble step-by-step illustration (sorry, i still have to get the hang of taking pictures during each step of the process)step 1: draw pattern on underside of fabric, cut and sew, leave enough opening for stuffing



step 2: turn inside out, add face details using felt fabric and crochet thread


step 3: insert nylon stuffing material


step 4: sew opening closed


step 5: stich a hoop or loop onto top part of head to allow it to hang (this step is optional)

re-using plastic mesh bags

mesh bags or tubes, the kind used to hold fruit or vegetables in the grocery, may be re-used for various cleaning jobs in the house.

by simply scrunching and tying them up to form a ball these may be used for scrubing pots, pans, bath tubs and even toilet bowls!

they may be used to hold and protect delicate articles of clothing (such as undies, hoisery, scarves) in the washing machine.

at my son's toddler class, they hang them around the faucet to hold soap (what a clever way to keep the slick, wet soap bars from slipping off little toddler hands!)

we also use the mesh bag to tote around wet slippers, sandals, toys or what-nots (a practical way to prevent sand from collecting at the bottom of your beach bag!)

what to do with empty yogurt cups: part 2

when stacked, empty yogurts cups may be used to measure/ estimate your child's height (okay, not really)

create bizzare spaceship figures

helps create an opportunity to teach your child to clean up after

(again, not really)