Frannywanny

Before anything, let me greet you and your family, 恭喜發財!!! I can't believe that January is over and we have officially entered the L♥ve Month. I've been away for more than a week and I apologize for not being able to update my blog during the said period. But..but I got a really good reason. I was back in Manila to spend time with my families and friends as we celebrated a couple of birthdays, a fun wedding and the much awaited entrance of the Year of the Wooden Horse. Forecasts say that this will be a good year for both Paul and I so... we're keeping our fingers (and toes) crossed as we do hope luck, happiness and a certain stork are on their way to our doorstep SOON! I do hope 2014 will be a prosperous and lucky year for all of you too! I'm back and I got a lot of stories to share. Let's begin, shall we? One reason why I went home was to celebrate the birthday of my dearest Mommy . Of course, how can I ever miss out on not celebrating the special day of that...

I always believe that the internet helps connect lives and build relationships. When used properly, strong and real friendships can be made. While I've been pretty much invisible in the local blogging scene since the start of 2013, I'm lucky to still keep in touch with a few of my fellow food blogger friends who would drop in a message via any social media platform to say hi and to check on us from time to time. They would also update me on the newest must-try restaurants in the metro which I would make sure to try whenever I get to go home for a visit. As Christmas is the must-awaited season for partying and lots of eating, we joined the K.T.G . for their 1st ever Christmas Party! While a number were old friends, we were also able to finally meet the faces behind the blogs that we've been following for months now. Boy, were they a fun and happy bunch! Of course, what's a KTG Party without yummy food, right? Let me share with you some of the dishes that we were ab...

Paul's birthday is coming up in 2 days! :) It has been our tradition that our birthday celebration doesn't last for just a day. Instead, it goes on and on for WEEKS! We normally get to celebrate our birthdays with our two families (his and mine), our various groups of friends and of course, with one another. Paul's birthday celebration started today as we had a simple yet fun lunch get-together with his family. What made it fun were the 3 tiny tots who happily ran around the house as they played with one another for hours! It was cuteness overload as we tried to decipher their baby talks and watch with amazement as these kids, at their very young age, can easily navigate their way around an iPad! Since there were 13 of us today, we tried 8 Spoons' Party Trays which were said to be good for 8 but believe me, the serving was very generous that almost everyone got second servings and there were still a lot of food left for dinner today (and maybe even for lunch tomo...

It's a common scenario to hear our family discussing what to have for our afternoon snack (merienda) while having lunch! I guess I took after my Kongkong who just loves to snack and who considers this part of his daily dietary requirement. He's an amazing cook so we always enjoy his homemade bihon soup or together, we will visit one of his favorite restaurants along Banawe to have a tall glass of really good halo-halo on a warm summer day. Let me share with you what we have on our snack stash that got us addicted on for days weeks: Happiness in Cupcakes (a.k.a. HIC) specializes in alcoholic-flavored cupcakes that makes a great dessert choice actually for adult parties. I got to admit I don't drink that often but I do appreciate a glass of mojito or a strawberry margarita to end a stressful day. They sell their cupcakes by the dozen (Php. 650) and requires a short lead time of 3 days. We were able to try the following flavors: Car Bombs, Red Hot Choco Peppers, Mojit...

Today I celebrated another milestone in my life. I finally turned 30 and He surely has blessed me with a wonderful life. With a heart filled with optimism, I am looking forward to another decade filled with love, happiness and more successes in all aspects of life. Looking at my archive, I realized that you, my dear readers, have been there every time I blow another candle out from my cake. When I turned 27 ....as I wished and celebrated my 28th birthday ...and lastly, when I waltzed into my 29th year .  Today, I greet the big 3-0 with open arms and I'm so happy that you're all still there. Thank you dear readers! This year has been pretty amazing. To celebrate this I threw a simple lunch party for my families and closest friends at H Cuisine in Quezon City. The highlight of my lunch debut was the presence of a special guest who flew in all the way from Davao that morning! Meet Porky! *oink*

I can't believe it's finally December ! It just seems like yesterday when Paul and I celebrated our first Christmas as a married couple and in 24 days we'll be celebrating it again for the 2nd time! Time surely flies extra fast when you're having fun and I am sure having a blast this 2011! Imagine being able to attend the weddings of two of my closest friends, spending more time not only with my family but with my in laws, taking out of town trips and a million food trips with friends and a whole lot more! Mommy and I can't help but get emotional whenever we see our house well-lit with Christmas lights which were carefully installed by my Dad. Three years ago, we were still unsure if Papa can fully recover from his brain surgery as he was still undergoing motor and speech therapy and was 100% dependent on his personal nurse. Today, he can move around, talk, listen and eat on his own. Best of all, he would even walk all the way to Greenhills just to get his regular...

I remember saying once before that I'm getting drunk with dessert. What I really meant then was I was experiencing sheer dessert overload leaving me in such a happy, drunken state. That was before I was introduced to Retox Ice Cream which is definitely NOT your regular wholesome ice cream. For one thing, this is off-limits for the kids (sorry kiddos!) as it's mixed with various liquors that complements the ice cream flavor. This is perfect for people like me who simply do not appreciate the taste of beer, wine or any other alcoholic drink at all as the ice cream somehow covers the bitter taste of the alcohol. I got to try all 6 flavors of Retox and each have varying alcoholic content. To guide you further, their menu has martini glass labels to show the alcohol strength. For instance, the one flavor that will surely get you tipsy could probably be the Whiskey Hangover while the The Ex-Lover is just right for alcoholic newbies like me.

"Oh, how time flies!" I have heard my mom say this in numerous occasions whenever she would hear news that her friend's child is getting married or is having a baby. This would be followed with a short update on our (mine and my sister's) lives and a brief travel back when we were still kids. This is me on my 3rd birthday with my cousin Ken I guess, this is what Elton John meant when he sang " The Circle of Life. " How we go from infancy to childhood then to our teenage years and later on to adulthood. It was just ten years ago when my school planner was filled up with debut parties that we have to attend almost every weekend. This was combined with college entrance exams and of course our Senior Grad Ball. Fast forward, ten years after we're now attending each others weddings and lately, Paul and I have been getting more and more invites to kiddie birthday parties hosted by our high school and college friends. The table is going around now. No ...