Egg is a staple food in our house because we use it for cooking and baking. There are tons of egg recipes that you can find online that you can serve for breakfast, lunch, snacks, or dinner. It is so easy to prepare and cook. And if you are starting to learn how to cook, you can start with eggs.
In our house, I usually prepare scrambled eggs and of course, there are so many ways on how to cook scrambled eggs but what I usually do is I don’t beat the eggs. I just crack it, season with garlic salt and parsley (you can add pepper if you want). Pour in the hot pan with cooking oil or butter and stir for few minutes.
You can add other ingredients, usually, if we have leftover luncheon meat, hotdog, sausage, bacon, ham, cold cuts, or other meat, I include this in my scrambled egg. Of course, if we have leftover rice I also add it, parang Yang Chow Fried Rice. Kanin pa lang ulam na. :)
I am cleaning my phone gallery and I found these Jim’s Recipe’s photos, it was my husband’s pasalubong two months ago. When I opened the box, the bread looks familiar so I made some research, and true enough, this is the popular jiggly and fluffy sponge bread that I have seen before. I have no idea that this is already available in the Philippines.
Jim’s Recipe is a bakery in Malaysia, they offer quality sponge cake and pastries which attract attention and now they have over 50 stores worldwide such as Singapore, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and many more. The sponge cake contains simple ingredients like eggs, milk, sugar, cheese, and dairy but it tastes and smells good. I also like their cute packaging.
My husband bought Cheese Sponge Cake for PHP250 but it is also available in other flavors like Original PHP180 and Chocolate Sponge Cake PHP250. You need to consume the bread within 3 days but it is not a problem because we finished the bread within 24 hours. This bread is not overly sweet so it is a perfect match with coffee or hot chocolate.
Last week, my husband went to DHL at Festival Mall and because of that, he bought Cheese Sponge Cake and Chocolate Sponge Cake. And between the two, we prefer the chocolate flavor with nuts.
As the famous quote says “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us”. I’ve read this quote several times already but I appreciated it more especially during this global pandemic. Since I am confined inside our home, sometimes I feel that time is just passing and I’m not living the way I’m supposed to. I really miss the old times when you can live your life and where you can travel without limits and boundaries.
Nowadays, you cannot just book and go because there are so many things to consider and it is kinda stressful so even I wanted to travel, nawawalan na ko ng gana especially when we experienced a canceled booking. Sayang ang non-refundable reservation. Moving on, just this month, my husband wanted to travel on his birthday, I suggested a farm in Laguna but there was no overnight trip. Fortunately, he found Gina’s Garden and Farm.
There was no available room on his birthday so extended birthday celebration na lang. He booked the Orchid Room PHP6,000 and paid the 50% downpayment. You can book via AirBnb or Facebook page. The owner sent us a list of information about what to expect, what to bring, and Guest Certification that we need to present at the checkpoint (2 checkpoints).
Fast forward to our trip, we left the house around 7AM, fetched our in-laws, and off we went to Gina’s Garden and Farm which is located in Real, Quezon. Travel time is 3 to 4 hours and we traveled via Marcos Highway and it was our first road trip there so we’re kinda surprised. I’ve been to Baguio and Sagada pero feeling ko mas maganda ang scenery dito. My brother-in-law said, parang broccoli ang mga puno. Hehehe!
After we passed the two checkpoints, we started looking for a restaurant because there is no restaurant at the AirBnb. We had early lunch at Riders’ Rest Stop and after eating we immediately went to Gina’s Garden. Check-in time is 2PM but we’re lucky because our room is already available so we were able to check-in at 12NN.
Here is the Orchid Room, we love our room because we have 180 degrees mountain view, a private bathroom, kitchen, inflatable pool, one double bed, and one bunk bed which is more than enough for 5 persons.
For the kitchen, there are gas stove, cookware, and utensils that you can use but we brought our own. Since there is no fridge, we did not bring a lot of food and I made sure that our food are easy to cook and prepare.
If you don’t want to cook, you can buy food at the restaurants which are just several minutes away or you can also order food for delivery at Hungry Tummy. There is a menu and contact number at the farm.
After several minutes, the owner tour us around the garden and informed us on what to do and where to go. We are aware that there are assigned areas for each guest but we have no idea na you have to reserve din pala so we settled na lang kung ano available but you are free to visit those areas if it is available, alis ka na lang kapag dumating na yung nakareserve. #socialdistancing
There are children's books, board games, archery, and dart equipment that you can use for free. I’ve seen some games inside our room too like Jenga at cards. You can have a bonfire or watch a movie too.
Pinlac Falls
Pinlac Falls is one of the falls that you can visit which is located in Infanta, Quezon. It is more or less 15 minutes away from the AirBnB and going there is not difficult. PHP30 is the entrance fee. What nice about these falls, there is no long walking or trekking from the parking lot.
We plan to take a dip at the inflatable pool after our waterfalls trip but we’re shocked when we opened the cover na wala pala tubig yung pool. Toinks. We saw the staff drained the water and we thought, lalagyan na rin nila ulit pero hindi pala. So make sure to check the pool kung may water kasi ang tagal din magpuno e.
Dinner Time
Anyway, we just prepared for the next meal, for dinner we’re going to grill. Our mini version of samgyeopsal. The staff prepared our grilling place and we brought our food, cookware, and utensils to the garden. For dinner, we had Meltique beef, mushroom, and salad.
We planned to have bonfire pero we felt tired na so we canceled it na lang so we can rest early.
Breakfast Time
For breakfast, we had Vigan Longganisa, fried rice, scrambled egg, bread, and coffee. Actually, we have leftover food pa that we can eat for our lunch but we decided to eat lunch outside na lang so we can pack our things na after breakfast.
Trekking and Duck Feeding
At 8:30AM, we started our morning trekking and duck feeding. I thought it is just an easy trek kasi nagpunta nga kami ng falls and madaling lakaran lang. But I was wrong, yung 15 minutes trekking feels like forever. Useful talaga yung tungkod namin. I was exhausted after the trekking and my legs are in pain for two days. Grabe talaga, ito yung nagagawa ng stuck sa bahay, hindi na ko sanay maglakad at lalo na magtrek. Ako lang naman ang ganito, wala naman problem yung iba ko kasama. Hehehe!
And of course, after our trekking we finally used the inflatable pool, nakakarefresh ang malamig na tubig. Laking tulong sa sakit ng katawan ko.
We only booked for an overnight trip, mas okay sana kung 3 days and 2 nights but we’re thankful for this trip because, after more than a year of no travel trips, we finally had a chance. It was indeed a breath of fresh air. I consider this a memorable trip because even there is no electricity, no wifi and no mobile signal we had a great time. I love this nature tripping. Sometimes you have to disconnect in order to connect with what truly matters.
"There is no wifi in the forest but you will find a better connection."
Some of the things that you need to consider before booking
1. The accommodation is powered by a generator from 6PM to 5:30AM. So don’t forget your power bank.
2. The weather is much colder than Tagaytay which is true kasi wala kami electricity during the day pero hindi kami nainitan.
3. Water is natural spring water from the mountain.
4. Cellular or wifi signals are weak.
5. Bring your own towels and toiletries.
6. Bring your own drinking water, cooked or uncooked food, and dishwashing soap and sponge.
7. The place is near the mountain so expect some insects, don’t forget to bring some insect repellent lotion.
Check-out time is 12NN but we left early so we can eat lunch at KM 90 Eco Park and Restaurant.
We have so many celebrations this month of June, we just celebrated my son’s graduation, and my husband’s birthday, and two days from now we’re going to celebrate Father’s Day. Just like last year, it is another Quarantined Father’s Day Celebration. To be honest, it is totally fine with us or I don’t know if we are already used to celebrating special occasions at home. The key is accepting that this is the new normal.
Like I’ve said before, it is hard to craft if my husband is working from home because he can already see what I’m doing so there is no more surprise. So again, I’m rushing this project while my husband is out but I have to remind myself not to share this blog post on my social media before Sunday so he won’t see it. Hehehe! I’m just sharing this project just in case you are looking for Father’s Day Gift Ideas.
Since I have very limited time, I don’t have the luxury to design from scratch so I used this Father’s Day Greeting Quotes that I downloaded from Creative Fabrica. I love using SVG files because you can do a lot of projects, whether you want to create digital or physical projects. You can make greeting cards, gift tags, stickers, photo overlays, personalized shirts, mugs, or pillowcases. Your imagination is the limit.
Anyway, after celebrating graduation and birthday, my husband doesn’t want to have a cake so I don’t need to make a cake topper but I created some Father’s Day Sticks that I can use as a cupcake topper or for a charcuterie board. I chose some phrases that I like, changed the color, and uploaded them to Cricut Design Space for “Print and Cut”. I can’t decide yet if I will use a black or white background so I did not put any stick yet.
Thank You Dad
Best Dad
Happy Father's Day
My Dad, My Hero
Super Dad
I Love My Dad
When I made my Easy Iron On Pillow Cases, I already cut this “Best Dad Ever” HTV but until now I don’t know if I will put it on the shirt, pillowcase, or wood materials. What do you think?
And of course, using the SVG files I made some greeting cards. Last time, I only designed one card but for a change, I designed two, one for me and one for my son. I used Photoshop to design the card, and downloaded and printed this on specialty cardstock.
This is my last-minute project. Good thing that I love DIY projects so even though I am stuck at home because of the global pandemic, I can still do some projects for special occasions. In addition, I don’t need to spend a lot of money because I can personalize my own gifts.
Here is an update on our Quarantined Father’s Day Celebration. Last Mother’s Day, I prepared our own meals but for Father’s Day, I suggested to my husband na mag-order na lang kami. So I sent him the Phoenix Court Set Meals of The Bellevue Manila for PHP2,500. The meal is good for 3 to 4 people but for our family, parang pwede nga for 6 persons. They have different sets and we chose Set 2 which consists of
Broccoli Millanes
Pan-Fried Fish with Teriyaki Sauce
Fried Chicken with Mushroom Gravy
Pork Stew with Vegetables
Beef Salpicao
Yang Chow Fried Rice
Last Friday, before my husband went home he dropped by at The Bellevue Manila to reserve and buy ensaymada but the guard informed him na call lang daw. So my husband called the hotel to reserve but unfortunately, fully booked na for lunch so we settled for Dinner Bookings. Pwede delivery but we chose pick-up (5PM) since we live outside Metro Manila.
As I’ve said before, my husband doesn’t like to have a cake for Father’s Day so I suggested Ensaymada, we love the ensaymada of Pastry Corner ever since we tried it during our staycation in The Bellevue Manila several years ago. Effort nga lang bumili kasi kelangan mo sadyain sa hotel and lalo na ngayon, hindi pwede pumasok sa hotel. You need to call to order and pick up or deliver lang.
It’s been a long since we ate their Ube Ensaymada and Leche Flan Ensaymada PHP95. I only bought 3 pieces of each bread because as far as I can remember, mabilis yung expiration but now, wala nakalagay na expiration date. You can also order Plain Ensaymada, Chocolate Ensaymada or Malolos Ensaymada. Anyway, we are all satisfied with our order, sulit yung bundle meals nila.
As far as I can remember, the last waterfall that we have visited in the Philippines is Taytay Falls or Imelda Falls, and it’s been almost a decade already. Taytay Falls was too crowded and you cannot enjoy swimming kasi halos hindi ka makalangoy sa dami ng tao. Lulubog ka lang talaga. But I suddenly missed those days when we had a staycation in my late grandmother’s house in Victoria, Laguna, and explore the nearby tourist spots.
Moving on, just this month, we had a chance to visit another falls in the Philippines and so far this is the 7th waterfalls that I have visited in the country. We had a quick getaway at Gina’s Garden and Farm in Real Quezon and the owner suggested visiting Pinlac Falls. Actually, there are other falls that you can visit, you can see those falls on your way to Pinlac Falls but we chose Pinlac since this is a tourist spot in Infanta Quezon.
The Falls is more or less 15 minutes drive from Gina’s Garden and Farm and you won’t miss the place because there is a sign of Pinlac Falls where you will turn right. There is a parking lot and I was glad that no longer walking or trekking just to reach the waterfalls. We paid PHP30 for the entrance fee.
Read: Gina’s Garden and Farm
You can bring your own food because there are tables and chairs where you can stay. There is also a sari-sari store where you can buy foods or drinks. Unfortunately, there is no vacant space where I could stay so I just sat near the falls while waiting for my husband, son, and brother-in-law. The owner said na may limit lang daw ng number of guests per day so we’re lucky na nakapasok pa kami.
The last waterfall that I’ve visited is Gullfoss in Iceland so when I saw Pinlac falls, naliitan ako. But to be honest I still felt happy to see the waterfalls, ito yung isa sa epekto ng pandemic. You will learn to appreciate even the small things. I was so glad because, after more than a year of being stuck at home, we had the privilege to have this nature trip.
Though we did not stay long, I think 30 minutes lang kami nagstay. Nanginginig na kasi sa lamig mga kasama ko, lumubog din ako for few minutes para naman hindi sayang entrance fee ko. Hehehe! I am not sure if there is a comfort room because I did not bother to check. Since malapit lang naman yung accommodation namin, doon na kami naligo pagbalik.
After our hearty meal at Riders’ Rest Stop, we passed by KM 90 Eco Park and Restaurant and the first thing that we noticed is the parking, it was full so we got curious and we promised ourselves that we will dine here. So after our staycation at Gina’s Garden and Farm, we had our lunch here before going home.
The restaurant is more or less 20 minutes away from Real Quezon. We arrived before lunchtime and we’re thankful that the restaurant was not full. In fact, there are only 3 occupied tables so may social distancing kami.
The staff immediately gave us the menu, they are offering silog meals, noodles, and meals that are good for sharing. We ordered Lechon Kawali PHP350, Chicken Sinampalukan PHP350, Ampalaya Con Carne PHP250, Rice PHP30 (per cup) and 1.5 Soda PHP150.
After several minutes, the staff served our food and asked us if we want Bulalo Soup and we said yes. Sayang, hindi ko alam may free soup sana ibang chicken dish na lang inorder namin. Hehehe! When the staff served the Lechon Kawali, feeling ko matigas but I was shocked, crunchy but soft siya. This was an instant hit for us, nagutom tuloy ako bigla while writing this blog.
When I saw KM 90, I thought it was only a restaurant so I was really surprised when I entered, this is an Eco Park and Restaurant pala, now I know why there are so many guests. You can pay PHP50 to enter the eco-park but I did not bother to check it kasi masakit na legs ko after our trekking so I just checked the view from afar. Maybe next time, we can visit this popular destination in Little Baguio.
It’s been more than a year since the last time we traveled and finally last week, we had our chance to have a quick getaway in Real Quezon. Gina’s Garden and Farm does not have its own restaurant so we made sure that we had our lunch first before checking in. It was our first time traveling via Tanay, Rizal so when we saw Riders’ Rest Stop, we immediately parked our car.
The restaurant is huge and you have the option to dine indoor or outdoor, of course, we chose the latter for fresh air. The place has nice scenery so it is better to eat outside to enjoy nature. Good thing that there is still an available table for us.
You can already see the menu outside the restaurant, they have food good for 2-3 persons, silog meals and even Thai food.
My husband ordered Bulalo Special PHP259, Pinapaitan PHP120, Chopsuey PHP140, Spring Rolls PHP85, Soda PHP25, rice, and Siopao PHP35(take-out).
The presentation of the food looks simple and the serving is good for sharing, it is more than enough for 5 persons. I haven’t tried the other foods that we order, pinapaitan and bulalo lang kasi kinain ko but we are all satisfied with the taste.
Riders’ Rest Stop
Address: KM90 Marikina-Infanta Hwy, Santa Maria, Laguna
