Ah, the charcuterie board! A mish mash of cold cut meats, cheeses, dried fruits, grapes, crackers, honey, chocolates, olives, and more — all the good stuff arranged in a very artistic and tasteful pattern guaranteed… More
My ‘Zaru Soba’ (Japanese Cold Buckwheat Noodles)
I happened to come across some packets of Japanese buckwheat noodles (soba) sitting on the shelf, during our grocery run at Metro Baybay City the other week. Being on the third month of our “no rice” “low carb” and “dirty keto” diet, I was looking forward to our “cheat day” and have been thinking for a good dish to eat. So, I decided to take a packet of soba noodles (6 bundles good for 3 servings) to make my own “Zaru Soba” or Japanese Cold Buckwheat Noodles. It came out great!
So, here are the ingredients and easy steps to prepare the mentsuyu (dipping sauce) good for 3 servings
Kikoman soy sauce (1/3 cup)
White part of spring onion (4 pcs)
Ginger (thumbsize or less)
Onion (halved)
Kombu seaweed (dried kelp)
Dashi powder (2-3 tbsp)
Mirin (1/3 cup)
Water (2 cups)
Sugar (4 tbsp)
Niboshi (buwad bolinao) (4 pcs)
Combine all ingredients and simmer for at least 20 mins. Strain and refrigerate before serving.
Cook the noodles according to packet instruction or boil for 4-5 mins. Rinse with running water. Drain. Put noodles in an ice bath. Drain again and put in a bowl or soba serve bowl.
Condiments:
Grated daikon raddish
Sliced wood ear mushroom
Wasabi
Chopped green onion
Shredded Nori seaweed
Side dish:
Fried tofu
homechef #homecooked #homecookeddinner #japanesefood #soba #sobanoodles #zarusoba
Inspiring Marginalized Kids to Dream through Art
For Joseph, a teenager living under the care of the Social Development Center for Children (SDCC) in Tacloban City, making art is a way of expressing ones self and also a way out of poverty.
Joseph is only one of the eighteen kids and teenagers living under the SDCC, a center operated by the City Social Welfare and Development Office of Tacloban, who got the chance to attend an art workshop called “Heart to Art” from June 19-20, 2018 at Summit Hotel Tacloban.
The workshop was organized by Summit Hotel Tacloban in partnership with the Visual Arts Association of Baybay (VAAB) as part of the hotel’s corporate social responsibility.
The boys of SDCC aging 5-17 years old were rescued from the streets or were abandoned and neglected by their families. Formerly, they would resort to staying in the streets of Tacloban to beg so they can provide food for themselves…
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Sip and Paint at Summit Hotel with VAAB Artists
The Summit Hotel Tacloban, in partnership with the Visual Arts Association of Baybay (VAAB), conducted a “Sip and Paint” activity with the members of of the Visayas and Mindanao media and blogosphere on June 20, 2018 as part of their activity for the run up to their grand opening the next day.
The activity was part of the partnership between Summit Tacloban and VAAB where the latter conducted a series of art workshops and art exhibits in the hotel.
By definition, paint and sip is an activity consisting of painting lessons accompanied by wine and other beverages. The paint and sip was held at Summit Tacloban’s new and lofty Naval Function Room wherein around 20 participants turned up to the event consisting of the members of the media and Summit’s management staff.
The activity started off with VAAB Member Jude Nonie Sales introducing the members of group and VAAB’s vision…
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Baybay City’s Lintaon Peak
What better way to reinvigorate from a stressful week than to go on a joy ride with your friends and family and enjoy mother nature. Thankfully here in Baybay City, a chartered city in Leyte, there is an emerging tourist destination that is free to tourists and is just relatively accessible to vehicles.
Dubbed by some as Baybay City’s highest point (although I highly doubt it since there is the Mt. Pangasugan), Lintaon Peak is becoming a go-to destination for those living in the city who want to breathe in some fresh air and experience the cool breeze. It also gives one a picturesque view of Baybay City similar to that of Cebu City’s Tops or Mountain View or Cagayan de Oro City’s High Ridge.
I first heard of Lintaon Peak maybe four or five years ago when some of my friends posted their “jump shots” on Facebook. Like any…
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Re-learning Acrylic Painting and Stretching Your Own Canvas Board
So lately I have been trying to go back to acrylic painting and thought I should give more time to learn the medium. For the past five years, I have been painting in watercolor where I joined my first art exhibit and sold a number of watercolor paintings already. Right at that time, I had also made a couple of artworks in acrylic on canvas. I did a commission work for a koi facility in Ormoc City, Leyte called Leni’s Garden and Kois. I did 2 or 3 more acrylics before I decided to give more time on watercolor. For some reason, I was not really that happy with my works and I got frustrated with the medium. To me, acrylic dries fast and it is difficult to blend and mix it. It is also hard to apply the paint and I don’t like the consistency of it when I paint. Another factor that discouraged me to develop my acrylic painting skills in the past was the expensive price of pre-made canvas boards. For a standard 15″ x 22″, you get to pay 500 pesos in an art store.
Just lately, I came across a Youtube page by John Magne Lisondra who posts tutorial videos on acrylic and oil painting and then and there my quest to learn more on acrylic was rekindled. He is also a FILIPINO from Negros Island. I watched his basic tutorials and I have learned new things about acrylic painting. I was also able to point out the mistakes I made before and learned why my paintings were not the way I expected them to be. Watching the video tutorials is one thing and doing the actual painting is another. Good thing I still have my basic acrylic paints from Reeves and an 18-color Reeves acrylic paint set and a set of brushes so I can commence painting given the time.
One thing that is holding me back though is the availability of canvas and canvas boards so I really asked my artists friends here in Baybay on where to source the art supplies out. I also realized that I can save a lot and do a lot more paintings if I make/stretch my own canvas. John Magne also posted a video about DIY canvas boards and stretching the canvas. I was told by my artist friends that they sometimes buy their art supplies at Shopko in Ormoc City. Shopko is located at 79 Lopez Jaena St, Ormoc (see map). I bought my Reeves Acrylic Gesso and some Sakura acrylic paint tubes at Shopko. If you are looking for art supplies, chances are Shopko has it.
Here are the materials needed in making your own canvas board:
1/4 inch plywood or plyboard (available at any local hardware)
2 inch or 3 inch nylon flat paint brush
Gun tacker with 10mm staple wire (I bought mine at Alison’s Store in Baybay City, Leyte for only P180 and I’m sure it can do the job well). Some gun tackers are quite expensive so maybe you can find this in your local Chinese “insik-insik” store
Acrylic Gesso Primer. I bought mine at Shopko Ormoc. This is important as this makes sure that the canvas is ready to be painted.
Last but not the least is the canvas cloth. At first, I asked Shopko Ormoc if they have one but they said they don’t. However they were kind to provide me a lead that it can be available at “Kings” Ormoc. Kings is a textile store just near McDonalds and BDO Ormoc. I bought 6 meters at on P79 pesos per meter. If my math is right, I can make 12 to 20 canvas boards with this. Quite a bargain indeed.
Morpheus 