Father's Day Gift Ideas / Guide

Can't find the perfect Father's Day gift yet? Here's a curated list of some best sellers that will surely bring a smile to loved ones on Father's Day. These products are available at Amazon (click on this link or on the photo) #ad

Balay Dako in Tagaytay City, Philippines

Located on Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway, overlooking Taal Lake and Taal Volcano, Balay Dako serves Filipino food at its finest.

Link to video on YouTube

Makati Shangri-La Hotel Tour and Restaurants, a 5-Star Luxury Hotel In The Philippines

Some clips from our 2-week stay at Makati Shangri-La Hotel in the Philippines. Link to video on YouTube. 

Makati Shangri-La - Breakfast at Circles Event Cafe

A wide array of delicious breakfast dishes to choose from and very friendly service. A big shout out to the entire crew.

Link to video on YouTube

Yung Kee Restaurant at Hong Kong International Airport

Where to eat at Hong Kong International Airport? This Yung Kee Restaurant at Hong Kong International Airport is a branch of the iconic Michelin star restaurant in Hong Kong Island. Their most famous dish is roast duck.

Link to video on YouTube

Los Angeles, USA to Manila, Philippines via Cathay Pacific with Layover in Hong Kong

Traveling from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Manila (MNL) with layover in Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). 

Link to video on YouTube

Garden Sleeves Are Essential During Summer

Garden sleeves can help protect our arms from the scorching sun during hot summer days, from the UV rays and from insect bites. Here are the garden sleeves (#ad) I have been using for a couple of years now.

Harvesting oranges, grapevines and picking flowers

 It's the start of the season of bounty. Today, we harvested some grape leaves to add into the Filipino version of sour soup "sinigang," harvested some oranges and picked some gorgeous flowers while using a pink Garden Stool/Kneeler from Deerfamy. Video posted here (#ad).

How To Get Rid Of Garden Pests and Diseases Fast and Easy

We have a lot of garden friends like the bees, the butterflies and the birds, but we have garden enemies too. To get rid of them organically, I mix dishwashing soup, cooking oil and water and use a sprayer that connects to a hose. If you are interested in this method, I posted a video here with a link to the sprayer. (#ad)

What Is The Best Stand Up Weed Puller?

Are you losing your battle against the weeds growing wild and invading your garden? This weed puller available at Amazon (#ad) can uproot them effortlessly.

 

How To Make Snow Cones At Home

Making snow cones at home is a quintessential summer activity especially when you have kids. If you are planning to do one, but don't have an ice shaver, please check out what I am using and a few other suggestions on this video (#ad)

Outdoor Dining Set for Summer Gatherings

Summer is a great time to have breakfast or dinner in the backyard garden. It’s relaxing and memorable. If you are planning to have one and don’t have an outdoor dining set, the one we have is already off market, but there are endless of other options you can  you choose from. I picked a few suggestions at Amazon (#ad).

Dinner at Home With Some Garden Harvest

A simple and easy to prepare dinner at home with grilled sausages, shrimp, cheese and some backyard harvest - strawberries, kumquats and beetroot.

Video on youTube

The Shops at Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City

The Shops The Shops at Sportsmen's Lodge is an upscale chic outdoor shopping mall with gourmet restaurants and fabulous boutiques in Studio City, Los Angeles. We were here for a weekend lunch and weekday dinner at Uovo Pasta where they serve fresh pasta handmade from their kitchen in Bologna, Italy. Plus ice cream at Van Leeuwen.

Video on YouTube:

Shredded Pancake with Berries

Pancakes and waffles are some of my favorite breakfast to prepare especially if we have berries in the backyard edible garden that are ready for picking. On this video, I made the Austrian version of the pancake, the shredded version called "kaiserschmarrn" drizzled with syrup, topped with berries and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. 

Video on YouTube...

Making Seafood Paella

Seafood paella is a favorite meal, delicious and doesn't require that much effort, perfect for a leisurely Friday night dinner. The arsenal: chopped onion and sliced garlic, paella rice, diced tomatoes, a pinch of saffron, shrimp, seafood broth, mussels, salt & pepper to taste.

Video on YouTube...

Beef, Potato and Leafy Greens

Cold weather, hot soup, a perfect combo! I used chuck roast and cut it into cubes, russet potatoes diced into almost the same size as the beef, a fresh cracking of black peppercorns, a pinch of salt, beef broth and the leafy greens from the backyard edible garden.

Video on YouTube:

4th of July BBQ

Summer BBQ | 4th of July Lunch | It's time to fire up the grill once again to celebrate 4th of July or America's Independence Day! On the grill - filet mignon, pork and chicken. The sides - freshly harvested tomatoes, lemon and cucumber and sliced watermelon. God bless America... our home sweet home!

Video on YouTube on the link below...

How To Cook Bitter Melon/ Bitter Gourd

Bitter melon is a popular vegetable in Asia, disliked by most children because of the bitter taste, it is packed with nutrients and also used as medicine to treat diabetes, infections, and immune disorders. In this video I harvested bitter melon or bitter gourd, called "ampalaya"in the Philippines, "karela" in India, and cooked them two ways - with mung beans "ginisang mongo" and with eggs/omelet "tortang ampalaya."

On YouTube, link below...

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bitter melon recipe - how to cook bitter melon - superfood - growing food - organic gardening - gardening in Los Angeles - gardening in zone 9 - gardening in zone 10 - what to plant in Los Angeles - California gardening

What to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner?

What to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner? Turkey of course! Here are some snapshots from last year's Thanksgiving. We roasted turkey and cooked the typical side dishes - green beans, mushroom, potatoes, sweet potatoes and gravy. The herbs were freshly-picked from our small edible backyard garden -  rosemary, sage and thyme. 

Thanksgiving dinner was prepared with help from my little sous-chef.  

Video on YouTube on the link below...

Video on YouTube on the link below...