ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE: LEGEND OF THE SEAS

I just got back from a trip the other day. I wanted to post my stories and photos but I was at sea. My family and I went on a trip, a cruise on the Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas. We started off in Shanghai and went to some parts of Japan - Miyazaki, Kobe and Fukuoka. Then Busan in Korea. It was a 7 day cruise and I have to say that it was quite relaxing.

This is the area where we checked in. Then you go through immigrations before you board the ship.

Here's our room with a view. It's quite tiny compared to a hotel but it works! We have a small sofa, coffee table and a dresser too. The bathroom is tight but it's very efficient. I love the bed. It's sooo comfy. The pillows were nice and fluffy too.

We departed right after sunset. This is our view as we set off to sea.

This is the ship. It's really huge. It can accommodate 2000 people!

Here's what we had in the Romeo and Juliet dining room... sparkling wine, good bread everyday,

Shrimp cocktail for starters,

Escargot in herbed butter,

Lobster bisque,

Mushroom tagliatelle with truffle oil

Seas bass,

More bread,

Duck consomme,

Wines,

Grilled shrimp,

Dessert sampler,

Strawberry mousse,

Berry cheesecake,

Cheese plate with crackers,

Chocolate pudding, etc. I didn't get to take photos of the other food. I remember having a turkey dinner one night with stuffing and cranberry sauce, and I also ordered grilled lamb chops with mint jelly another night. Oh I remember also having braised lamb shank for the farewell dinner.

During the day, when the ship docks, we're out exploring the towns for some shopping or we go out for lunch so we could try the local restaurants in Japan and Korea.

In the ship, there were a lot of restaurants to choose from. There's the Romeo and Juliet, which was the main dining area, then there's the Wind Jammer where they have a buffet, then for snacks and junk food like pizza and burgers, you can get them over by the cafe by the poolside. There's also an area where they served soda and ice cream the soft serve type on cones and that's where the kids always hang out.

Here's our farewell dinner at the dining room. I took a photo of Sabrina with her best friend in the ship, Sashko.

Here's the family, together with Sashko and Nan. They really took care of us during the cruise and we truly enjoyed our stay there.

Every night, after dinner, we head to the entertainment theater to watch the shows. It always had a different program every night. The kids loved the magic show. I liked the program where they had the Samba Night.

I actually felt sad when our cruise ended. It was nice meeting new people and getting to learn about different cultures. Next stop Shanghai...another 6 days of shopping, eating and sight seeing.

GUACAMOLE WITH TORTILLA CHIPS

This is what I had for my snack today...Guacamole with tortilla chips. I made some guacamole last week for a shoot and today I was craving for it again. Not a lot of people like avocados. I actually stopped eating avocados a few years ago when I found out that more than 50% of its calories are made up of fats. Then I went back to eating it again, not regularly though but just once in a while when I read that the fats from the avocados are the good fats. In Australia, when we went to a fruit farm, they had this logo...an avocado a day keeps the wrinkles away. That was such a good logo right? So now, I try eat avocados when I can , specially when it's in season.

Ok, to make the guacamole, here's the recipe. This would be a good snack for 2-4 people....Oh and please, do not finish this on your own if you don't want to gain weight.

GUACAMOLE

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Ingredients:

2 pieces avocado

1/2 piece onion, small dice

1 piece red chilli pepper, seeded, minced

1-2 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons cilantro, minced

1 piece tomato , seeded, chopped

Directions:

1 Slice avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel and slice into cubes. Place in a bowl.

2 Add the chopped onion, pepper, lime juice,and cilantro. Stir. Slightly mash some avocados.

3. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning as needed.

4. Add the tomatoes and immediately serve with chips.

5. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.

Serves 2-4.

Pair this off with a cool refreshing drink...Ice cold lime juice with mint. Now, I'm thinking if I should have beef tacos and/or grilled chicken quesadillas for dinner with a fresh tomato salsa...hmmmm???

EGGS FOR BREAKFAST

This is what I had for breakfast today, soft boiled egg with toasted bread sticks. I hardly cook eggs this way but I've been reading a lot about eggs lately so I decided to give it a try to having it this way today.

Here are a few pointers to getting it right...you can do it in two ways. The first one would be to boil water in a saucepan then turn the heat off. Using a ladle, slowly immerse the room temperature egg in the freshly boiled water. Cover with the lid and allow to steep for 4 minutes. The second way is to place room temperature eggs in a saucepan and fill the pan with water, enough to submerge the eggs. Heat on medium heat and as soon as the water boils, allow to boil for 1 1/2 minutes. The egg whites will be slightly set and the yolks will still be runny.

To serve, immediately place egg in an egg cup and tap the pointed end of the egg using a spoon to take off the top. Serve with toasted bread sliced into sticks so you can easily dip them in the silky and creamy yolks.

Have a good egg morning!

HOME CAFE BOOK LAUNCH

Last Friday, February 12, at National Bookstore Glorietta 5, we launched my book HOME CAFE. Here are some photos from the event.

Here's the buffet table for the food and desserts for the guests.

Here's a photo with the team of Equilibrium Intertrade Corp, supplier of Mauro Coffee and Torani Syrups.

Here are some of the desserts that we served, all recipes were taken from the book... red velvet cupcakes,

chocolate cupcakes and coconut cupcake (a recipe that I did for Yummy magazine which will be featured in the next issue).

Here are the chewy cookies that are worth trying... white chocolate macadamia, chocolate crinkles, and the deep dark chocolate cookies

We also served the sticky date pudding,

chocolate caramel bars, lemon squares, and I also served a chocolate truffle tart, a Valentine treat from Goodies N' Sweets

For the cakes, we served honey comb crunch cake and a strawberry shortcake.

Here's a table with the Home Cafe book.

Here's my favorite photo from the event, a photo with Mrs. Ramos of National Bookstore.

Then here's one with my sister Vivian, my mom, Mrs Ramos and Ms Gwenn Galvez of Anvil.

Here's the NBS team with Ms. Christine Correa.

Then here I am with friends Heny Sison, Mitos Juarez, and Gilbert Lee.

Here are our other guests...Partick Ildefonso, Paul Villegas, my brother of course, Lloyd Anastacio, and Paul and Lara Chico.

The next photo is with Pastor Nomer Bernardino with wife Dra Sylvia.

While waiting for the event to start, Tita Evie Singson, my mom and Heny sat together and chatted while enjoying their cappuccinos.

For the main event, Ms Gwenn called my sister Vivian to give a few words about 'the author' :-)

Then as part of the program, I gave a demo on how to make some drinks from the book. Here I am, putting the garnish on the Hot Tiramisu.

I also did a short demo on how to decorate the Red Velvet cupcake using the Cream Cheese Frosting. Ingredients provided by Magnolia.

After the demo, I invited everyone to try the food and the desserts at the buffet table while I chatted with the press.

Me, posing for the camera.

Next photo is with childhood friend Pam Ong-Chan.

Me in a Press interview.

Here's the Yummy team!!! Yey! thanks for coming!

Here we are, trying to look silly...my team that I did the book with... Angelo Comsti my food stylist and photographer Robby Sibal. We're missing Jaqui Franquelli in the picture who helped me with my book as well. She couldn't make it because she's on vacation.

Here I am with good friend Jackie Ang-Po with Robby and Angelo.

Here are photos of everyone having fun!


and so... I want to thank everyone who came to support me. I was glad that the launch was a success and was very well attended. For those who have not gotten their copy of the book yet, go to the nearest National Bookstore in your area already....because really, "life is too short to have a bad cup or a lousy dessert!!!"

VALENTINE TREATS FROM GOODIES N' SWEETS

Here are some Valentine treats that you can give to your loved ones.

Chocolate Cupcakes P60 each

Red Velvet Cupcakes P 60

Valentine Cookies... small sizes in a container P100, individuals between P30-60 depending on the size.

Chocolate Truffle Tart P750

Strawberry Shortcake mini P600, large P1200

Call or Visit our branches at:

GREENHILLS: 108 Carpark bldg. Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan MM

Tel: 722-8740

SHANGRI-LA: Unit K511 5th Level, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Edsa Cor. Shaw Blvd. Mandaluyong MM

Tel: 683-0411

RUSTAN'S MAKATI: 4th Level Rustan's Department Store, Ayala Center, Makati City

Tel: 813-3739 loc. 250