Cafe Maurice

Even if US financial analysts say that the worse financial crisis is over, it will take years before everything goes back to normal, or even better. People are still trying to recover from their losses, most have extended their retirement year because they need to work on their retirement plans again. Most people have been heeding advice to buy gold coins . Market analysts have said that gold has appreciated in value five times over the past year. It has never been known to depreciate in value (remember that’s why jewelries are always considered an investment?) so it’s a win-win situation.

I love bananas! I seriously can eat them all day. I was looking for hot tub covers to recommend to a friend when I came across banana recipes that look easy to try.

Bananas are rich in Vitamin B and potassium, and these two are necessary in the production of sex hormone. The sugar in bananas is easily digested by the body, thus it is a good source of instant energy boost for those times when you are feeling weak and fatigued. With a good amount of iron, banana also stimulates the production of hemoglobin in the blood.

I especially like the export quality ones – those are the best ones dipped in chocolate!

You might want to try these recipes:

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Banana Chocolate Trifle

Nutella Banana Panini

Strawberry Banana Tarragon Milkshake

I hope I can make the banana chocolate dip bread soon!

We never fail to have one whenever we Bebots have a party with balikbayan friends:

We actually prefer the fountain this year from the last because the chocolate was yummier (and their set up was better). They also had plenty of strawberries and bananas which were all I ate anyway. Fruits dipped in chocolate are the best!

I just know this would become a tradition in the future. I just hope the next time there will be a party, we will be complete. We still lack two friends in the US who need to come home. The two friends who came home hosted two parties for us and we felt humbled that all we gave were a basket of Filipino goodies and a personalized gift of t-shirts, slipper socks and bag organizers.

It is the season for Lent and I hope most people are still abstaining from eating meat during Fridays. I am practicing it again, after not being able to since 2006 (yes I’m bad. Ever since I got pregnant I lost all thought of abstaining!).

So who are the people who are exempted from abstinence?

The materially poor like our fellow Filipinos living in shanties or under the bridges, the very sick like those who are bedridden and immobile (the disabled also, whether they have or haven’t any disability insurance), the maids and houseboys and other laborers who have to work more than nine hours a day, employees whose jobs require them to be attentive like policemen and security guards, doctors and nurses on duty, and the like, must be exempted.

Fasting is one of those two means of Lenten penances which canon law obliges (the other being abstinence).  In canon 1251, fasting is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  In canon 1252, fasting binds those who have attained their majority. What does this mean? It means that this law applies to you from midnight of your eighteenth birthday until the beginning of your sixtieth year, that is, until midnight of your fifty-ninth birthday.

The law of fasting prescribes that only one full meal a day is taken.  Two lighter meals are permitted to maintain strength according to each one’s needs.  Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids, including milk and fruit juices, are allowed.

Have no fear, for those who just could not live without burgers and fastfood, here are veggie burgers you can try:

The Country’s Best-Tasting Veggie Burger: Boca Burger at Healthy Kitchen

The Healthiest Veggie Burger: The Vegan Tofu Walnut Burger at Corner Tree Café, Jupiter, Makati

The Meatiest Veggie Burger: The Streamliner at Johnny Rockets, Eastwood, Quezon City

The Best Value for Money: The GWDC Vegeburger at Green Wok Deli & Café

The Best Burger-on-the-Run: The Veggie Salsa Mex at Good Burgers (can be made vegan by asking for no mayo or cheese), C5 and Greenhills

Honorable mentions: The veggie burgers from the Hard Rock Café; Murray & D’Vine; Bliss Café; M2M at the Renaissance Hotel; Jeepney Café at the Intercontinental Hotel; Ima’s Gulay Bar in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; the Veganite at Fort Serendra’s Arama; Herbal Nook in Makati; and Greens in Quezon City. All the veggie burgers at these locations can be made vegan just ask for no cheese, butter, or mayo.

You can still have your fries and soda!!!

If you need a trivia about me, you should know I never shop for anything unless it’s on sale. It’s both a blessing and a curse, because I never buy expensive stuff and get really great deals but I tend to hoard and take advantage of sales because it’s on “sale”, even if on hindsight, I didn’t really need to shop. So you can understand how it is so easy for me to splurge during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I have a friend who shops for me during Black Friday – she receives my list and yes, shops for me (queues in line, goes to the store, etc) and the day after, we chat online on the great deals available on Cyber Monday. As early as now I am already thinking what to get on the biggest sale of the year!

Chowking Halo Halo

Whenever summer is beating hard upon us, what we do is make sure our airconditioning units fight back as hard and is on almost 24 hours a day. What we do not know is that it has a long term effect on our environment and we will be paying for it, literally and figuratively, in the end. GeOasis has found a revolutionary way to keep cool without further inflicting harm on our environment. The

geothermal heating and air conditioning systems use the solar energy stored just below our feet to provide heating, air conditioning and hot water. You can say geothermal systems recycle energy. You can have a geothermal cooling unit installed, now is the perfect time with tax refunds on the way! They also qualify for the 2009 reinvest and recovery acts 30% renewable tax credit.

I think these would make pretty accents in the kitchen:

Do you know you can actually make those kinds of decorative tiles? AMACO/Brent is a leading store and educational site about pottery, ceramic glazing and other crafts. You can learn how to make
art glazes in bisque ceramic tiles if you want to. They have the best products and able teachers. You can even buy ceramic kilns – complete with an Excel EX-365 round kiln, furniture kit and accessories.

I have always been a crafty kid but got lost with my use of hands when I discovered computers and the internet. I hope I can go back to being artsy soon.

I have been such a bad correspondent in my main blog, haven’t I? I know this has been such a lame excuse but I have been extremely busy. If you know what I do for work, you would understand that it is something I need to be aggressive and be on my toes all the time. We have some big goals this year and now is not the time to rest on our laurels, among other things. The free time I have I have been spending catching up with a first love: reading, scrapping, or living vicariously though seasons of House. The husband and I are addicted to the show. Since I have a kid who thinks she owns the DVD player I can only watch when she is asleep so whenever the husband is at home, we literally stay up all night watching as many episodes as I can.

It makes me want to buy some suits at Scrubs and Beyond – they currently have a sale on koi scrubs. You can choose from koi uniforms or stylish surgical scrubs and even go wild with stripes with veterinary scrubs. You can even just buy the koi scrub pants. Medical personnel have never looked this good!

Can you imagine a world without labels? How will we able to read road signs, grocery items, know the sizes of clothes, shoes and bags?  Labels range from the simple tags to big folders that come with instructions. They come in nameplates, overlays, tags, vinyl, plastic – name it, labels have been printed on it.

Data Graphics Inc. is an ISO certified company the makes Custom Labels. Lest you think Custom Labels are all for common places and things, think again. Industrial labels need to be quality-tested. They need to be a Custom Label – complete with the manufacturer’s logo, warning sign and other important information it needs to have. Labels like these come in large rolls, multiple sheets, individual pieces, multiple label sets and kits, pressure sensitive adhesive or mounting holes for windows and difficult surfaces. Available finishes include transparent, brushed, metalized, reflective, tamperproof, fluorescent or phosphorescent.