My Bouquet of Awards ♥♥♥

I am surprised, humbled and overwhelmed that I got yet another blogger award from my work colleague and hot momma blogger, The Vanilla Housewife. She gave me a triple award - Versatile Blogger, Sunshine Award, and Best Moment Award.

Here are the rules:

1. Display the award certificate on your website/blog:

2. Announce your win with a post. Make sure to post a link back to me as a "thank you" for the nomination.

TVH, I have always been a big fan and follower of your blog. This is my big "thank you" with lots of kisses!
For my readers who have not followed her yet, TVH is a working mom, really hilarious and her posts are always awesome and funny.

3. Present up to 15 awards to deserving bloggers:

This award is presented to the following bloggers who have inspired me these past few months. You don't necessarily need to respond back to this award, I just wanted you to know that you make a difference. :D

Shayne - Beauty blogger, new in the blog world but already has a lot of followers because she's always so sweet

Paupau - Travel blogger, she has inspired me to start dreaming about traveling within the Philippines again

Rubie - Beauty and food blogger who is about to be a mommy herself

Kittykat Miaw - Beauty and food blogger too who talks about random things that she does, and anything that inspires her

Nichola Allan - A beautiful up and coming Londoner. She has a beautiful blog and she takes awesome photos

Hollie - She's the first ever beauty blogger that I followed, and I always find her posts uber informative

Fred - Food blogger, and foodie partner in crime. He is the ultimate food blogger.

Rea - Lifestyle blogger who writes about anything that inspires her.

Ivan - Food and travel blogger who is amazing at codes and layouts.

4. Drop them a comment to tip them off after you have linked them in the post

5. Post 7 interesting things about yourself:

*My original plan was to go to law school thanks to the John Grisham books I used to read in college
*I've always wanted to travel around the world, and my ultimate dream is to live in Western Europe
*I got married to the guy I had an ultimate crush with at work
*I am a trainer, but public speaking scares me A LOT!
*I do not know how to cook (aside from my experiments)
*I always appear prim and proper when I'm a gypsy at heart
*My favorite food - anything that my hubby cooks. Including his experiments. I adore and love him soo sooo much!

Wow, don't know if those things are read-worthy, but there you go.
Thanks TVH for the nomination once again, and congratulations to my nominees! xx

Holy Guacamole!

It's been a crazy week for me and I've been looking for a little break, a breather to take it all in and reflect.

Last Tuesday was a holiday in our city, so I used that mini-downtime to create a nutritious and oh so yummy snack. I had no idea what to make, but a quick rummage in my fridge showed I had ingredients for my own version of guacamole, a Mexican dish. This dish requires a lot of avocado, a fruit that's packed with potassium, folic acid, Vitamin C, E, and K. Although it has a lot of calories, they're full of good ones that would actually help you lose weight, and not gain more (if eaten in moderation).

For this dip, I used:
1 Medium Avocado
Dash of Salt n' pepper
1 Medium Red Tomato (sliced)
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano/Basil/Tomato (if you have fresh cilantro - that would be better)
1/4 Teaspoon sweetened calamansi puree
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic ranch dressing
1/4 Teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

First, mash your avocado with your fork and season with salt n' pepper. Then add all the other ingredients, mashing and mixing as you go.

Check your fridge for toast. Check if you have a bit of meat too.

Eat that with your guacamole.

Satisfyingly great. Looks pretty. And best of all, GREEN!

The most beautiful food color - green :D

Try it and let me know what you think! xx

A Private Party at Cafe Sarree

Earlier in the week, we booked the upper floor of Cafe Sarree (a chic little establishment that I absolutely love - read post here) for a little family thanksgiving and an early birthday party for our wee one. We seldom ever get together as a family so we do our best to have a lot of gatherings when we ARE in one city.

Upstairs at Cafe Sarree

a little selfie attempt before everyone arrived

 

Awesome spread - we had almost everything from their menu
My favorites - beef stroganoff and lamb adobo


Some obligatory group pictures before digging in:

My husband's side of the family

with li'l sis DJ

And some more random pics when we started eating:

Magic tricks, pictures, and conversation

Father and Son

And best of all? I met Chef Sarree of Cafe Sarree who was warm, accommodating and very lovely!

With the beautiful and talented Chef Sarree

Their service was impeccable. We didn't have any problems in making a reservation at the last minute and sneaking in a couple kilos of lechon (at no charge!).

Thank you Chef Sarree, we will definitely be back for more! xx

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post*