Fruit Basket by Teacher Juvy. "Sineguelas"

Fruit Basket. photo by Teacher Juvy

And Jelly Beans For All

Strawberry Shake for Summer

Strawberry Farm, Benguet

Drink Water For A Healthy Lifestyle

Our bodies need water more than ever. The recommended daily amount is 64 ounces. Most tall drinking glasses are sized about 12 ounces and individual plastic bottles are about 20 ounces. It is known that 75 percent of people are chronically dehydrated. And watch out! Dehydration is serious. Lack of water is the number one trigger for daytime fatigue. Even mild dehydration will slow down ones metabolism by as much as 3 percent. A mere 2 percent drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty facing the computer screen.

It is vital that we drink water before we even feel thirsty because thirst is already and indication that we are dehydrated. A lot of people even mistake their thirst for hunger, and about 37 percent of us do this constantly. A glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100 percent of dieters who participated in a study.

Moreover, preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of the sufferers. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79percent, and one is 50percent less likely to develop bladder cancer. Water clears the skin and flushes our impurities better than any other cosmetic. There are no negative side effects drinking too much water.

For some people, water is just too plain. A few lemon slices can go a long way. Nowadays, some beverage companies, have gone a step further - and flavored water, with different colors, and attractive bottles.

While plain water is always the best choice for health, flavored waters can count glass-for-glass towards the daily requirement, says a spokesperson from a beverage outfit. There are many brands of flavored water available today and vitamin filled, too. Some of bottles of it, can even be substituted for a bottle of dextrose.

So to drink or not to drink? Drink. Drink lots of water, for a healthy lifestyle.

/rosealinda flores martinez

Love

THE HOLY BIBLE:  ON LOVE 

1Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. 

Love does not demand in its own way. 

It is not irritable or touchy. 

It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.

It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. 

If your love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost.  You will always believe in him, and always stand your ground in defending him.

All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever.  

HOW TO COOK FRIED RICE

Fried rice is a variant in cooking rice. Rice which is the staff of life is the main ingredient in the different recipes of fried rice with eggs, meat, or shrimp with vegetables and scallions, among others.

Try this simple Fried Rice Recipes:

1. Traditional ( with Garlic)

Saute minced garlic in oil. Mix in cooked rice. Sprinkle salt. Turn, scoop, and blend the rice in the frying pan well.

Tip: Use a small amount of oil, but more garlic. Rice must be cooked and fried well, so as not to taste rice is just being heated.

2. Chinese

In a pan, sauté garlic, some meat or sausage, and rice (newly boiled rice or clean left over rice). Turn rice from time to time and blend well. Put some green peas and bits of carrots. When fried rice is almost cooked, add some salt, chopped beaten eggs, and bits of spring onions. Serve.

3. Thai

In oil, mix onions, garlic and some salty fish called "bagoong." Set aside.

Beat 2 eggs, then fry in low fire. Cut into strips. Set aside.

Get a green mango. Peel and slice in strips. Set aside.

In another pan, saute with garlic boiled rice. Mix the rice well. Add sautéed salty fish "bagoong." Again, blend well. Set aside.

In a serving plate scoop the fried rice, top it with eggs (strips) and put green mangoes on the side. Serve.

Cooking fried rice is fun. It is just frying rice in many ways and styles. It is easy cooking and with lots of variations to create. In supermarket shelves, ready packs of cooking mixes and herbs are available. You can even find the ready mixes and simply pour it to the rice in pan, and you've got a ready fried rice.

Tip: Don't make cooking, too oily. Butter and 1 teaspoon oil will do.

Rice Trivia:

Some old folks say that rice probably originated from wild species of grass that grew along the shores of lakes in Africa, India and Southeastern Asia.

There was also a legend that rice first came to China during a famine: Once, a young girl went fishing, and caught the king of frogs. The king told the girl to hold out her net to the sun while he croaked a magic song. The girl did what she was told. And slowly, golden light fell through the meshes of the net and there sprouted golden grains.

Rose Flores Martinez
Ishalleatandcook

Traditional Filipino Food Art And Delicacies

Traditional Filipino Food Art and Delicacies

By Rosalinda Flores-Martinez

The artistry that goes with how you package and present food affects how others will receive it. What is pleasant to the eye tends to see the palate. In one small town in the Philippines, where people are known for their sweets and fruit jam, care is taken in wrapping their sweet delicacies.

Raymond Castelo and Luz Ocampo, in Bulacan shared their traditional art. Luz has been known as the "Master in Fruit Carving and Candy Wrapper Making."

According to Raymond and Luz, "Deliciously sweet!" adequately describes the town's jam specialties made of pomelo, lime, wax gourd, breadfruit, pineapple, jackfruit, native oranges, and soursop, among others. They are preserved in light transparent syrup, and then stored in glass jars.

The artistry that goes with preparing and packaging them is breathtaking. First, the fruits are made or carved with flowers, leaves, rosettes and varied patterns. They are bottled with the design facing outwards. Imagine a store-shelf, full of jam delicacies. They look to be inviting you in a most fetching manner to crave for such delicacies.

Below, their instruction on how to prepare your own jam and candy.

1. Lime or pineapple jam
Prepare the materials and ingredients. (Lime, pomelo, sugar, fruit caver, jar, kettle, and a medium basin)
Embroider or carve the fruit with your desired design.
Wash the fruit with warm water.
Peel the fruit carefully, and slowly remove the seeds.
Soak in water for one day and one night.
Pour in syrup made from sugar to preserve the fruit.
Store in sterilized jars.

2. Milk candies made from milk and sugar. The candies are not only famous for their taste, but for their colourful, cherry wrappers, as well.
They are wrapped with Japanese paper, which are cut into stars, leaves, flowers or holiday greetings pattern producing a veritable showcase of design and color. The milk candies, which are usually just a little more than an inch long, can be shaped as desired (but commonly the familiar rectangle shape will do). Then they are wrapped in the plain portion of the paper. The long, specially designed, cut patterns are used as the outer covering. The candies can be later displayed on "fiesta" or party tables.

Candy Wrapping Tips from Ramon and Luz:

Prepare the materials needed: Japanese paper, scissors, cutter, pencil

Cut 1/4 and 1/8 sizes of Japanese paper (the 1/4 size the outer wrapper and the 1/8 size the inside wrapper).
Fold the 1/4 size wrapper into four parts, putting aside the 1/8 size.
Draw sketch of your unique design.
Cut the created design carefully.
Arrange and store the stripped designed pieces, that are now ready for use in wrapping the candies/sweets.
Indeed, fruit carving and candy wrapper making are traditionally precious Filipino food art. This old craft has successfully been passed down from one generation to the next, the next, and the next.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rosalinda_Flores-Martinez

HUNGRY AND FULL, WHATEVER

"You are what you eat," dietitians tell you repeatedly. "Okay," you say to yourself, "I'll cut down on high cholesterol food, skip the saturated fats and stay clear of sugar. Instead, I will take lots of fruits, vegetables, and lean meat." That solves the problem, right?

Or maybe you promised not to eat dinner and have a snack instead of chocolate cake, ice-cream, barbecue, just for once - because you feel hungry. And hungry as you feel, you eat almost everything inside the fridge. Then, you'll swear by the heavens "I will not eat supper tonight!" There goes the cycle.

Whatever the case, a low-fat, low-calorie diet is probably one of the best ways to stay healthy to make you really feel good about your body benefiting from all the right food. But apart from the vitamins, minerals and proteins your body is soaking up, you may be getting more than you want of chemicals and bacteria that could be in the food you eat - without you knowing it. It may surprise you to know that almost all the foods you eat contain pesticides, the long-term effects of which are not well understood.

Probably the most frightening thing about pesticides is that you cannot determine the risk they present - you simply cannot see, taste or smell these chemicals in your food, which means that nobody knows how much pesticides was in your dinner last night or breakfast this morning. There might have been none or there might been content levels considered hazardous to your health.

Another worry is the method of measuring the amount of potential danger of a substance, which is usually tabulated according to the intake of the "average person." But where eating patterns are concerned, there is no "average." Eating habits are as diverse as people, so as some of us may consume none, others may eat well above the accepted quota of toxicity-laden foods. That pesticides have boomed as big business for international corporations is no help, either.

Perhaps worst of all is the fact that children face the biggest risk of developing diseases from the ingestion of these chemicals. Having lesser body mass and density and quicker metabolism mean hampered immunity against these chemicals.

The most obvious and extreme alternative to these circumstances would be to eat organic food - that is, food grown without pesticide. The problem is with organic farming, and owing to the absence of drugs which speed up growth and guard crop against pests, yields are not too high and food is highly perishable since it is preservative-free. Hence, the less ample supply and higher cost of organically-grown vegetables and plants.

Still as hungry as before the diet? Or sticking to it like glue? Whatever the case, you'll still be eating - sooner or later, in larger or smaller quantities - foods that have been touched by chemicals. The key to everything is moderation - and in this inescapable scenario, I guess that covers the pesticides, too.

DINNER

Dinner

(Supper Time)

You are my  light,  come close –

In Trinity, we boast!

And though we are afar

We pray for peace not war.

And everyday,  we’re missin’

You and me, heaven kissin’

White host and wine,  be food

Glory to God, let all be good!

/rosevoc2.Jan. 22.2013

/ishalleatandcook.blogspot

LUNCH

LUNCH

Two candles, oh three, one candle near the kitchen.  Lights off, the candle lighting the vast space.  Silence again with coffee, ramen and banana.  Last night’s left over to garnish ramen.  Without you, a quiet lunch on a Sunday.

Those splinters of God’s light, those times our bodies, nothing came in between but thin air and shafts of light.  You were so close like my own arms.  We felt each other.  We rolled the stairs kissing mad, you and me.  Hot soup for lunch and a warm bed to sleep, I awoke, alone, hugging my pillows. 

Afternoons are like Golgotha, like hiking a mountain in a hot summer, like watching an arid field.  It is like waiting for a day to end, and a night to come, or passing time, and no one’s coming home.  Afternoons are like those times, Dad had just died, those times, I awake in my sleep, sobbing, “Dad is never coming back, but he is truly Home.”

“Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and the whole world.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and the whole world.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and the whole world.

Jesus, King of Mercy, we trust in You.” 

Rosevoc2.ishalleatandcook

BREAKFAST

January 20, 2013

BREAKFAST

Coffee boils in a cup for one and four biscuits.  I wonder what happened to the victims of fire outside the village. Wailing, fire trucks and smoke, last night;  crying and thieving, too.  The morning is silent again, and the walls, mute.  It is another day to write. 

Red and green, your vestments, the Sto. Nino, smiling inside the glass, like Infant Jesus of Prague , a morning bliss of calm and joy to a street of dark splintered memories of last night’s burning.  Why? 

‘I’m here now,” says the angel of my letters.  Those barren days of nothingness and blank pages, no thoughts, no zeal; that winkle cracked! That sadness that gripped in the afternoon of a new year, culled me turning rhythmic.  Read me again.

Don’t be friable like the biscuits in the coffee.  Smile like a child! 

O Holy Child, hear the pleas of our hearts.  Let us be like you in all the troubles of our days, serene, asking the Father and believing the hope of our faith.  Let us come to you in joy, in sorrow, in all the mornings of our hearts, light us with your smile, strengthen us with your spirit.  Wipe away all our tears.

Most Holy Child, today, we come to your in prayer. 

/rosalinda flores martinez