Cream and blueberry top plump firm extra sweet slices of local white peach above peach sorbet and peach yogurt within strawberry syrup and chunks of peach at Momoko (Momo = peach; Ko is a suffix for girls’ names). Hisako-san joined me for this perfect end to our lovely walking tour, adjourning early before the typhoon…
Category: Food
Cod Roe Ice Cream at the Kanefuku Cod Roe Factory
Cod Roe Ice Cream! It’s surprisingly refreshing and yummy. It also comes with a savory cod roe cracker on top. Kanefuku Mentaiko (Japanese for “cod roe”) Factory in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture has a little museum in their factory that explains the kinds of cod that are used to extract the roe which is a popular ingredient…
Stuffed Pasta Shells, Chocolate Chip Cookie Bake and Music Day
When these lovely kids’ lovely mom had to take care of business, I had the joy of cooking with J, KS, and KT. On our menu: Stuffed Pasta Shells and Chocolate Chip Cookies. For the stuffed pasta shells, you can substitute with canneloni or any pasta that can be filled. Sauce Ingredients: ¼ c. olive…
Batanes Tour Day 3: Southern Batan Island (UnMarlboro Country, Honesty Coffee Shop)
“What do you do in Batanes on a rainy day?” I called Front Office to ask. We had the morning free as Kuya Art, our tour guide, had to attend a tour guide association meeting in Sabtang Island today so our meeting time was moved to 12:30pm. Ramil suggested a massage. Oh I love this…
Batanes Tour Day 1: Boulder Beach, Vayang Rolling Hills
Our tour, hotel, and flights were very ably and excellently arranged by Pio Luistro of Pacific Bound Travel and Tours. It cost P4,333 per person for six persons sharing a nice airconditioned van inclusive of three-day tour guide, lunches, boat ride and driver and keep on Sabtang Island, pickup and return from airport for arrival and…
Fundacion Pacita, Basco, Batanes
If you love an outdoorsy adventure but not in terms of answering the call of Mother Nature, you will feel pampered and at home at Fundacion Pacita in Basco, Batanes. Regally situated on a hilltop surrounded by picturesque seaside cliff mountains, meandering pasturelands, and the Pacific Ocean, this sprawling property has become a refuge for…
Casa Pam, Tali Beach, Batangas
As early as two months prior, Eric and Pam decided to host a weekend reunion for our high school batch at their beach house as batchmates were coming in from abroad. To make it to breakfast on D-Day, Olive, Vicki, and I left Manila at 5am. Here’s a sweet reminder for us from a bus…
Kota Paradiso: Get a Slice of Paradise
Kota Paradiso in Mabitac, Laguna is a hidden jewel of a destination for nature and farm lovers. On the way here, you will catch glimpses of heaven with azure skies, lush tropical mountains, and the largest lake in the Philippines—Laguna de Bay. Energy mills pepper the route…… so do these mango trees which look like they’re…
Porto’s Bakery, Southern California
1960. Cuba. Political turmoil in your country and you attempt to leave. Straightaway, your husband gets terminated and consigned away to manual labor. You, too, get terminated with three children to feed. Can you imagine? That was the crisis Rosa Porto found herself in. In Chinese, the word “crisis’ is represented by the characters for…
Black Bear Diner
Twelve-foot wooden bear sculptures mark the entrance of each of the over eighty Black Bear Diner locations in the western United States. (Each sculpture, carved with a chainsaw by Ray Schulz, depicts the bears in a way that is telling of its location… stomping on grapes, skiing, playing baseball, climbing trees, etc.) This is heaven…
BUTTERFLY IN THE SPRING 