For the love of postcards

September 24, 2014February 2, 2015 / iamsupercarla / 1 Comment

Do you still believe in postcards?

I ask this question now because as of late, I’ve been travelling a lot. As of late, my niece Machiko Skye has been learning to write. With a command of language and comprehension beyond her years, she never fails to ask for a postcard whenever she would hear about my departures.

Source: Instagram – @margoks

My Paris trip definitely amped up my creativity. The City of Lights were not short of picturesque postcards. I immediately sent her a couple, and if it weren’t for the faulty postal service in the Philippines, it would have arrived before I came home.

Source: Instagram – @margoks

During my NJ visit, Machiko wrote letters for her cousins.

Machiko Skye New Jersey Postcards Letters

The NJ kids enjoyed it so much, we actually had a letter writing day just so they can reply to her! And she was more than happy to read them!

Source: Instagram – @margoks

The advent of technology is phasing out the relevance of stamps and mail couriers, but there really is no better way of practicing handwriting, communication and interpersonal skills more than letter writing. I’m very blessed to have so many of my family still in love with old school pen and paper. Even the little Jared Franco.

Source: Instagram – @jannicasusi

So… do you still believe in postcards?

RECIPE: “Roast” Beef

September 22, 2014September 22, 2014 / iamsupercarla / 1 Comment

One of my missions when I went to New Jersey for a visit was to be able to recreate the dishes my parents were famous in my family for. It may seem so simple, but really it’s not. Our NJ family has had this recipe for years! They were just too um, busy to execute them. So naturally, with my visit, they requested that I teach them how to make those dishes. One of those was “roast” beef.

This recipe was originally from Tita Pinky, whose love for cuisine only grows through the years. With ovens that are stuffed with Tupperware and microwaveable containers and a deep-seated desire for boldly flavored meat, you can easily spot where the need for this recipe came about.

There are air quotes on “roast” because we don’t really roast it; it takes far longer to do that. It’s a stove-top dish that is sure to hit the right spot for all carnivores in the family. Oh and it comes with really good mushroom gravy too.

To be honest, I am quite hesitant to share this recipe. A part of me remains selfish and would like to keep things that relate to my father. But then, I don’t think he would have liked that.

I would like to apologize in advance the lack of while cooking and actual photos of ingredients for this recipe. When I made this, everything was happening all at the same time — laundry, baby sitting, basement movie dates — that I didn’t have the time to take pictures in between. No worries, I’ll do my best to describe each step as precisely as possible.

Here’s what you’ll need:

– Around 2lb. US Beef Chuck Roast. We got ours at A&P for $5.99/lb.

Source: http://www.asadoargentina.com/

– A whole onion and a whole head of garlic

Source: http://eatingwell.com/

– Worcestershire sauce. I am very partial to the Lea & Perrins brand.

Source: http://www.theperfectpantry.com/

– Soy sauce. I used Less Sodium Kikkoman Soy Sauce for this recipe.

Source: http://www.theperfectpantry.com/

– Half a stick of butter

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/

– 1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup

Source: http://www.campbellsoup.com/

– Mushrooms, sliced and washed

Source: http://girlof1000faces.blogspot.com/

– About 3 tbsp of your choice of brandy (though this is always optional)

The first thing you need to do is prep the beef, the onion and the garlic. Wash the beef and pat dry. And grab a bowl to soak the beef in; you’ll have to marinate it for some time. Half of the garlic, you pound and rub on the beef; throw it in the bowl. The other half, you mince and set aside. Then mince the onion too, rub it on the beef and throw it in the bowl as well. Grab some sea salt and rub it on the beef.

Next, grab the two sauces. Here’s the thing: there is no exact measurement for the sauces. It really does depend on your liking, or as long as the beef gets coated with the sauce. What we usually do is to add equal parts of Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce.

Get dirty; you’ll have to mix all of the contents in the bowl with your hands to make sure the beef is well coated. Cover with cling wrap and let it marinate for about 2 hours. (If you’re adding brandy, mix it in as well. The brandy adds to the boldness of the flavor. For those concerned about serving the dish to kids, no worries because the brandy usually gets cooked off in the process, but you may also choose to not add this in as well.)

Next, grab a frying pan and heat it up, as in slightly smoking hot. Take the beef out and sear all sides, as if sealing the marinate in the middle. Be careful to not cook it too much though, but do not ever skip this step. Searing the beef makes your dish cut-able for presentation purposes.

After searing, grab a pot big enough to fit your beef in. Then, toss in the pot the mixture the beef marinated in. If the remaining amount is too small, just add equal parts of Worcestershire and soy sauces. In my experience, an additional 2 tbsps would do. Then add water, just enough to cover 2/3 of the beef. Bring up the heat to medium and boil for 45-60 minutes or until tender.

In the middle of boiling, flip the beef. I did this at the 20 minute mark. It would also give you a chance to pinch the meat and season some more, if you wish. You will notice that the beef is close to being cooked when you can visibly see that fat separating from the marinate mixture. When cooked to your desired doneness, turn off the heat and take the beef out. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE MARINATE.

Now, let’s make the mushroom gravy.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and stir fry the garlic until slightly brown. Mix in the mushrooms until brown. Then, mix in about 3/4 cup of the marinate. Stir slowly as it simmers. When it does, mix in the cream of mushroom soup. Stir until well blended. Serve over the beef or on the side. Or both.

The thing with the mushroom gravy though is, because of the cream of mushroom, it tends to expire easily. Sometimes, we would skip the cream of mushroom and just add 1 tbsp of cornstarch mixed in water instead to get the same consistency. Without the cream of mushroom, it would definitely last longer.

Don’t worry about making so much of the gravy. I swear it’s really good. My niece used it over her rice. Hahaha. It also goes well with meatballs and pork chop.

You can serve the “roast” beef with garlic potatoes or steamed rice. Because we’re severely Filipino, we went with rice.

There you have it! The recipe of ages, at least in my opinion. Hopefully when we make it next time, I can post and show pictures.

Let me know how this goes for you.

Back to regular programming

September 17, 2014September 17, 2014 / iamsupercarla / Leave a comment

So the last three weeks came and went, and I am now back in the Philippines. As much as it breaks our hearts (hyuck), Le Beau and I are back to regular programming, Facetime and iMessaging forever.

But then I cannot deny the joy of dating him for the last three weeks. It was absolutely divine.

What I am most enthused about is the time I spent with my nephews and nieces. I don’t think I would have gotten to know them well if I didn’t take this vacation. I now have new breakfast buddies and new park buddies.

Breakfast with Miko and Marcky

Juliana Louise and Myah Alyssa

Lily and Madie

I got to take care of the youngest member in the family, the beautiful and fast-growing Olivia Mackenzie.

With Olivia

I am so ecstatic to be part of this memory. I remember her visit from last year. She welcomed me from work, I came home past lunch time. The first thing she said, “You’re not in iPad anymore!” Ah, Lily. <3

Lily's First Day

I met Le Beau’s best friend and his family.

The Almanzars

I never imagined that I will be back in this house after ten years.

Yale

But then again, I never imagined this either.

Love and I

Life sure knows how to surprise you.

My mother and her iPad

May 15, 2014May 20, 2014 / iamsupercarla / Leave a comment

My mother is modest. She was never attentive to designer labels or overseas travels. Not luxury cars or big houses with walk-in closets and large kitchens. She has always been self-assured and has always known what she wanted. And the things she wanted were simple.

Nanay portrait

The third among four siblings, my grandparents raised them in a modest household, where giving is a mandate and food is always shared. I have never seen my mother — or any of my uncles and aunt rather — want more than what they can afford. What they have always taken pride in was the fact that their family was raised by parents, who never even made it past grade school, that worked hard for them to finish college.

Nanay graduating

My grandfather passed away some years ago, but my grandmother just turned 90 this year.

Nanay in the province

My mother grew up in a household where cousins and second cousins stay and go for free. They have shared clothing, housing, food, basically everything, without expecting anything in return. They are the model family of selflessness; they are the change they wished to be in the world. They have worked hard in making sure that we, their children, become as giving as they are. We hope to never disappoint them in that respect.

So when we realized our mother is turning 60 this year, we only thought of one thing to give her: an iPad. She looooves the iPhone I handed down to her when I upgraded to the iPhone 5. She uses it religiously, playing Candy Crush to relax after a long day at work, streams iWantTv whenever she misses her soaps. She doesn’t really use it for the purposes it was originally intended to be — managing contacts, businesses, emails etc. — but it’s her source of entertainment. And it’s such a small screen.

The iPad is the perfect gift for her. Because she will never get one for herself. Because she will just keep saying she doesn’t need it. That it’s too expensive for her. That there’s no need for it really.

But there is a need. We need to make her happy. We need that validation that, in spite of the emotional roller coaster of the past year, we can make her so damn giddy still. That we can get her something she finds expensive. That we can take care of her whims as she grows older. That she can have whims now as we are here to get it for her.

AND IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE TO SURPRISE HER BECAUSE SHE IS A DETECTIVE TO THE BONE. My brothers and I worked extra hard to keep the gift under wraps because the woman that is my mother — or rather ALL mothers — have this uncanny manner of finding out everything effortlessly.

My mother loves Japanese food so we took her to Mangetsu in Jupiter Street, Makati for dinner on her birthday last May 15. She was completely unsuspecting.

Mangetsu 1

Mangetsu 2

I love the food here, and I’m happy that my brothers trusted my taste. I ordered for everyone on the table. Prepare to drool.

(L-R, clockwise): Salmon Sashimi, Spicy Tuna Sashimi, Chicken Thigh Karaage with Three Kinds of Salt, Beef Sukiyaki, Pork Gyoza, Shio Ramen

My brother couldn’t wait anymore. He was too excited.

Screencap

So I handed over the gift box that she opened ever so slowly. Ted captured it all on video: Nanay and her iPad.

Nanay reading her card

I have never seen her smile so big in her life. Moreover, WE MANAGED TO SURPRISE OUR MOTHER. That is the true accomplishment for the night.

Nanay and her iPad

We filled the iPad with her favorite apps: Facebook, Candy Crush, iWantTV. Now, she wants Clumsy Ninja installed also. We even arranged it in order of priority. Hahaha. We set up her Apple ID and put Facetime right on the first page so she can call our relatives in New Jersey whenever she wanted.

And of course, every single photo of our father that we can scour.

I think to date, she’s still in awe that we gave her something like that. I mean, for some people, you’d think that a gift like this is easy peasy, but not for my modest mother. She wouldn’t even think of getting one for herself. It’s too much for too little a function for her.

Now, this is how she watches her soaps. Hahahaha. Lola doesn’t get what the fuss is about. Hahahaha.

But then, we all know mothers more than know better. They deserve the best.

Happy birthday, Nanay. You do not look a day over 40.

Working Nanay

To my mother

May 12, 2014May 12, 2014 / iamsupercarla / Leave a comment

Cliches of all cliches, of course I just had to make a mothers’ day post. Hahaha.

A lot of people repeatedly say that I look like my mother. But that’s probably the only thing we have in common. She’s a math person, I am not. She’s neat and tidy, I am not. She does not trust cabs, I can practically run a franchise. We have almost absolutely nothing in common.

I take a lot after my dad, from the positives to the negatives. I think that’s why my mother and I are pretty close. It was because of my dad. Much like a thief hating the existence of another thief, she makes sure that my father and I understand each other, at the risk of me misunderstanding her. Which is often the case. It’s not ideal, but I think she knew that being the only daughter, my relationship with my father has to be built on rock solid foundation.

And that is her. I don’t think I would have appreciated my father if it weren’t for her constant reminder that it was the both of them that constantly brag about me and my achievements, from the most minute to the biggest. If it weren’t for her, I would have rebelled so much in my youth (but this is not a complete admission that I am fucking old) to the point of self-destruction. I got that from my father; we both have the ability to self-detonate.

But my mother held us together. That one is for sure.

She still hates that I swear. And that my skirts are too short. And my dresses are too frilly. My pants too tight. That I color my hair in the most outrageous shades by her standards (red, copper, blonde). That I shop too much. That I eat out too much.

But if I want a night of pure talking — both gossip and fact — about the future, about the news, basically about anything under the sun, without judgment or prejudice or bias, over a good meal and maybe a movie — definitely over dessert after whatever we do — my default companion will always be my mother.

Nanay