Farewell Erica

It breaks my heart to hear about Erica's death. I weep for her parents whom I know are shattered. Just when we thought Erica has been gifted with a second chance in life, she was all gone in a snap. I know that the life we live is borrowed. However, knowing this doesn't make it easier for us, parents, to come into the realization that our children might go before us.

Weekend Recipe: Vietnamese Spring Rolls

My mom has been craving for Pho Hoa for a while now. However, the restaurant we used to go to at SM closed so we have no means of getting a Pho Hoa. As I was surfing the net the other month, I came across a post by MaketManila on how to do a Vietnamese Spring Roll (see the post here ). The ingredients were relatively easy to find. Also, we started growing our own herbs so the recipe is a perfect in enjoying the "fruits of our labor." MM's recipe uses shrimps in his rolls, and that I think is what the vietnamese really put in their rolls. I used that the first time but mama suggested I use imitation crab meat for the next batch as the shrimps are too expensive. Personally, I like the second batch even though it's not an authentic version of the rolls.

So for our version of the Vietnamese Spring Rolls, here's what we used and did:

First, you would have to prepare all your stuffing as the slicing of carrots and cucumber can get a bit tedious. I'm not sure if you need to steam the mung beans but mama suggested that we do, so that's what we did along with the imititation crab meat. We also washed our herbs: coriander, mint, and basil leaves, then removed the leaves from the stem. We only used the leaves and discarded the stems. Oh! and before I forget, we also soaked the vermicelli noodles in boiling water for a few minutes (to soften them up).

It is best to assemble your ingredients in a tray so you don't forget anything when preparing the rolls.

Next, we got our rice paper. These are now readily available in the asian section of major groceries and supermarkets. They are hard to the touch but all you need to do is soak them in water for a few seconds and when they are pliable enough, they're ready to be used.

Rice Papers are readily available at the Asian section of major groceries and supermarkets.

Next, you spread the pliant wrapper on clean cloth or plate, lay out the stuffing (careful not to put too much as the wrapper might break during the rolling) then roll it making sure the sides are tight enough so the stuffing won't spill.

Serve with a mixture of hoisin sauce, peanut butter, chillies, and sesame oil, this would make a great healthy and light  snack or lunch.

Have a happy weekend Momiis! :)

At mass today...

At mass today, just before the holy communion, a lady a few pews before us launched into a monologue. At first, I thought, our parish gained a female version of Carlos Celdran. After getting over my initial shock, curiosity (read :chismis genes) instantly kicked plus we're a good 10 feet away from her so we couldn't help but hear her speech. We (people within 10 feet) were not sure on how to react so we ignored her but her oration was growing louder by the minute. It didn't help too that when someone tried to stop her, she got even more louder. I got scared that she might turn violent. I sang louder to drown out her voice but silently I was calculating how much she weighed and my chances of winning against her should my children be harmed-- accidental or not. Thankfully and slightly disappointingly, nothing sort of news breaking happened within the next ten minutes. She was just escorted by two guards after she took the hostia and "shhhh" warning from the celebrating priest.

Funny how the homily was about letting go of anger and practicing forgiveness then a very angry person launches into a monologue just when the mass is about to end.

On a happier scenario, I joined the signature campaign with the advocacy of stopping Palawan's illegal mining. I think we could all agree that Palawan is one of our most beautiful islands here in the country and not only would mining deplete and destroy our environment, it would also cause great harm to the residents within the mining vicinity. I feel happy I got to join this advocacy. If you too would like to lend us your signature, please feel free to visit this site http://no2mininginpalawan.com/

It's another hectic Monday for us all tomorrow and many are going to be grumpy so I'd like to leave you with something to think about as you wake up in the morning tomorrow :

“More powerful than the will to win is the courage to begin.”  -- Author Unknown