it's a beautiful world..

DINNER MENU

2011-03-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

Mercy Friends Get-Together

January 18, 2007

6:00 PM

Appetizers:

Artichoke Tapenade on Sliced French Baguettes

Creamed Spinach on Sliced French Baguettes

Honey Mango Tomato with Capers on Mini Tartlets

Smoked Salmon and Caviar on Wheat Crackers

Salad :

Mozzarella on Endive with Baby Greens, Romaine, and Butter Lettuce with Pineapple Ginger Chutney Vinaigrette Dressing

Main Dish :

Fresh Champagne, Cremini, and Portabella Mushrooms with Stewed Tomato Marinara Sauce Spaghetti topped with Shaved Parmegianno Reggiano Cheese and sprinkles of minced flat-leaf Italian parsley

Desserts :

Chocolate and Lemon Cannoli

Tiramisu

Mango Cake

Creme Brulee

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Beverages :

Beringer Chenin Blanc 2005

Orangina (Courtesy of Rosanne)

Jazmine Tea

Given only a day to prepare for a vegetarian meal, we wanted to serve something light but filling without using any meat. We went to Draeger's in San Mateo where we could find the most freshest vegetables and a variety of ingredients we needed.

The desserts were store bought (at Draeger's), for even if I wanted to make them, time was not on our side. We ended up getting different kinds of small cakes.

We couldn't find a local white pinot noir, so we settled for Beringer's Chenin Blanc Vintage 2005. It turned out to be just the right pairing for our main course. Rosanne brought a small case of Orangina, the drink she preferred.

After the main course, desserts were served with hot jazmine tea (they preferred tea rather than coffee), Christina's gift to me from her trip to Beijing, China with her brother, Bernard Kho, and her dad last June 2006.

A Wedding of a Lifetime

2009-07-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last May, I was invited to a wedding of my son's best friend, Nick P. and his then fiancee, Amy D. which was held in Healdsburg, California. The wedding ceremony was held in Asti, California, in a small catholic church in the middle of the vineyards and the reception was at the Simoncini Vineyards, a vineyard owned by the uncle of Nick P., the only living brother of his mom, Linda Simoncini Peruzzaro.

Marley

2009-01-31T17:53:00.001-08:00

How to Crack Open a Sea Urchin to get Uni

2008-11-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

Crawfish Boil

2008-06-23T16:50:00.002-07:00

Roses in Bloom

2008-06-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Banana Bread

2008-06-16T01:10:00.000-07:00

I was ready to go to bed last night when I noticed the overripe bananas in the fruit bowl. I had to do something to save those bananas from going to waste. After all, it was only about 11:00 PM, not quite late to bake a Banana bread.

I set the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F, gathered all my baking paraphernalia and all ingredients needed. My playground was once again alive as my hands began mashing the bananas. I purposely omitted putting any nuts, pecan or walnuts, because my granddaughter will be coming tomorrow, and if I want her to eat this bread, I better not put any nuts in them.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-06-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

Wondering why Samantha's eyes are closed? She could hardly wait to eat the cookies and she said, "she's falling asleep because the cookies are taking too long to cook..".

Samantha's 3rd Lesson in baking is making Chocolate Chip Cookies. She was so excited helping me gather all the ingredients and baking tools we needed. We prepared everything on the table and she set the oven to 375degrees F before we started.. We also decided to use the portable mixer so she could get used to handling a mixer.

The first time she handled the mixer, I told her "pretend you are the strongest girl on earth and control the mixer wherever you want it to go. Do not be afraid of it". Since then on, Samantha enjoys handling the mixer.

Our cookies came out so delicious and everyone enjoyed a bite of it. Although it was a little sweet to me, the cookie turned out rich and delicious. Using premium butter gives it a rich flavor. Just the way Samantha and I wanted it.

All ovens are different. My advise to new bakers is to know your oven. My new oven is so strong that if you don't watch what you're doing, you'll end of having super golden brown cookies or if you're roasting beef , you'll end up with a well done roast instead of an ideal medium rare.

I had to adjust my oven down to 300 degrees F to get the temperature to what was best to cook the cookies. Your oven might be different. Start with 375 degrees and adjust as you cook some batches.

Check out the recipe at my other site: www.cookingenthusiast.blogspot.com.

Just Plain Pancakes

2008-06-11T01:52:00.000-07:00

It was 1:00 AM and I was craving for soft melt-in-your-mouth pancakes. Why not? I had dinner at 6:00 PM but my tummy seemed to be wanting more food.

Check out the recipe at my other site http://www.cookingenthusiast.blogspot.com/ if you want to try these pancakes. It will be worth all your efforts.

Enjoy!

Making Cupcakes with Sam

2008-06-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

Apple Pie, anyone?

2008-06-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I last posted a blog on this site. I think I can say the past two months were the busiest time of the year for me. I had a daughter who graduated from college, a business deal that was closed, correspondence done on time, estimates submitted, and calls and emails that were done. Now, I can enjoy the eerieness of the night, look back, and relax.

It is 1:23 in the morning and I still cannot fall asleep. My thoughts are miles and miles away, thinking wether my daughter and my son were able to get tickets to Boracay, a supposedly pristine beach, south of Manila. This trip is her graduation gift from her dad. He brought her to Singapore-Malaysia-Indonesia last week and they just got back to Manila. The trip to Boracay is her next stop before she returns to SF and leave for Sydney to join the rest of the delegates from USF to attend a youth conference.

On top of my dining table were the baking paraphernalia which I prepared earlier, in case I get the mood to play in my kitchen tonight. Seeing my baking tools and glancing at the luscious granny smith apples on the fruit bowl, I suddenly felt a craving for a mouth-watering, melt-in -your mouth Pate Brisee pastry crust, and caramelly tart apple crunch.

I sifted 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 cup unsalted chilled butter cut into 1/2" cubes, and 1/2 cup iced water. I used the food processor just by pulsing being careful not to overwork the dough. I then formed them into two cylinderical round balls and stored them in the refrigerator, while I worked on my filling.

If you want to get my revised recipe, please go to www.cookingenthusiast.blogspot.com . I said revised recipe because before I come up with of my own version, I have studied a lot of recipes and revise them to my taste and preference. The word traditional does not work for me, because most of those recipes are made to the taste buds of the people from that country. Sometimes that doesn't work for everyone. We have to make some adjustments somewhere to suit our situation.

To continue my blog about why I have to adjust recipes of foreign dishes to my taste. For example, I know that to make a good crust, crisco is one good fat to use, but we know that it contains trans fat. Lard is also, they say, one of the best fat to use to make pastry, but, for people like me, who is under medication to lower my cholesterol, it is better to stay away from those unhealthy stuff.

I also modify the sweetness, use brown instead of white sugar, decrease saltiness, etc. I do not add nor leave out any main ingredients though. Just modify and adjust here and there to enjoy good food.

Enjoy your sweet tooth!

Sushi Dinner

2008-03-21T01:02:00.000-07:00

The Fruits of Our labor

2008-01-21T07:46:00.000-08:00

Dom Perignon

Cheese and Crackers

Sans Rival

Pastel de Lengua

This Will Touch Your Heart

2008-01-18T22:16:00.000-08:00

Click on the URL below to hear the recording that resonated around the world:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdZwitrNoY

Thank you, Marissa E. for emailing me about Logan Henderson, a 12-yr old cowboy from Nebraska.

the secret to a happy life

2008-01-12T08:01:00.000-08:00

free yourself from any entrapments that can stop you

from living a full and joyful life

forgive those that you think have done you wrong

instead have mercy and pray for them

so that they can be enlightened

do not dwell in the past no matter

how bad anyone has wronged you

you must release yourself

by forgiving

rely on your own strength

to survive in this world

for that's the one you can call your own

your parents' fortune is not yours to claim

you have to build your own nest

out of hard work and determination

focus on no other but your future

invest your time in education

for there is no short cut to success

live simply and spend only within your means

draw a line between wants and needs

save and secure your senior years

for we do not want to burden anyone

not even our children

they too have their own life to take care of

teach your children not by preaching

live your life as a model for them to follow

you will be their first teacher

and your home will be their first school

the secret to a happy life is not

all about money, fame, and fortune

the secret to a happy life is being free

from subconscious imprisonment

of your soul..

forgive everyone for absolutely everything

including yourself

Name Change: One Day At A Time

2007-11-05T13:56:00.000-08:00

If you have been following my blog, you will notice a name change in my title. Why? Because I no longer feel the former title, "Autobioblog: My Journey Through Life" is what my blogging is all about.

The new name, "One Day At A Time", closely depicts my struggles as a person, a mother, a grandma, a caregiver, a businesswoman, a mentor, a CCD Teacher, a minister, a blogger, a million and one roles I have to play, multi-tasking in my fast-paced life.

Sometimes, I wonder how I have managed to do all the things I had to do, juggle my time between trying to do work, supervise my children and sometimes my granddaughter, follow-up with my customers, talk to suppliers, bring my cars for change-oil, repairs, and maintenance, and still manage to cook a freshly cooked meal for my children.

Life is such a great challenge. I learned in time that if I wanted to stay on top of things, I should take one day at a time.

Temaki Sushi Night

2007-10-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

Today was a hectic day figuring out the symmetrical aesthetics of my client's not so perfect wall and how the chosen custom silken drape be made from the manufacturer's point of view. It must have taken hours before the custom rep from the workroom and I came to a solution, after which I told myself I needed a break.

I needed to go somewhere where I could lay my eyes to feast on, so off to the Japanese grocery store in San Mateo I went. I had planned weeks ago to have a Sushi Night Dinner for my family and I have also written down the ingredients for the recipes which I wanted to make.

The drive to San Mateo took me about 25 minutes along El Camino Real (the old highway), the route I prefer to take rather than taking the freeways. I just want to take it easy driving leisurely. Parking was easy as I was able to find parking right in front of the store. But, there was a parking meter with a sign that says 25 minutes parking only. Oh well, maybe it won't take me that long. I put a quarter in the meter and started my way in to the store.

What a gastronomical feast it was! On the left hand side of the store were ready-to-go bento boxes, sushi plates, sashimis, and other Japanese sweets, seaweeds, and cakes, displayed in clear plastic food wraps, newly made and so fresh. It took a lot of courage to walk away from that aisle, but I told myself if I wanted to get this dinner on time, I should focus on the things I needed.

Aisle after aisle, as I gazed with joy, admiration, and delight, I managed to find my Japanese ingredients by looking and browsing around. Silken Tofu was easy, it had an english writing on it. I needed miso and dashi but I found dashi miso. In my cart it went. I thought I could make can make use of that if I could not find a powdered dashi or just plain miso for my Miso Soup. With the help of a very nice accommodating American-Japanese saleslady, I was able to get all the things I needed for my Temaki Sushi Night dinner for my family.

For dinner we had Miso Soup, Iceberg Salad with red tomatoes, chopped green onions, roasted sesame seeds, with seasoned rice vinegar dressing. We had sushi rice which I cooked in the rice cooker and mixed the rice vinegar with sugar and dashi at the same time fanning the rice. We had Hamachi, Tuna, and Uni which were made into sashimi and sushi. We also had seaweed and pickled ginger. Our light soy sauce with the wasabe was "fantasgormic"(I coined the word). Check out the photo at my other site: http://www.cookingenthusiast.blogspot.com/.

My son made some Temaki Sushi himself and I also helped make some. It was a sticky experience but we had a bowl of water and rice wine vinegar ready on hand to dip our hands in. As usual, there is nothing like sharing a home-cooked meal with the family and enjoying the fun of making it. Arigato!

good friendships don't die..

2007-09-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

i am grateful for having a friend like you,
not only for a reason, a season, or a lifetime,
but forever..

we may not be seeing each other as often
as we did before,
email each other when there's good news
or bad news,

but we know deep in our hearts that we care,
understand, and have
a deep concern for each other..

good friendships don't die
they mature in time
like any adult good relationships..

good friends understand
good friends care
good friends are there
when you're down and bare..

good friends give their helping hand
when you need them..
they are supportive and sharing
good friendships don't die

they endure

in time..

Delicious Homemade Pizzas...it is fun and easy to make.

2007-09-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

Do you want to make dinner at home with your family? Try the delicious homemade pizzas. They are fun and easy to make.

All you have to do is make the dough (recipe is on my other website: http://www.cookingenthusiast.blogspot.com/) ready for them to fill, set the oven to 500 degrees F, and tell them to cook their own pizza for 10 or 12 minutes depending on how they want it. Lay all the toppings: pepperoni, italian sausage, ham, sliced tomatoes and onions, mozzarella cheese, romano, parmegiano reggiano, and other delicious toppings.

Last night, my family had fun making their own pizza . One made a heart shape crust, while the other added more onion slices to get a tangier taste, and I made mine to share with my daughter with lots and lots of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.

The gathering of all family members to share a home cooked meal is such a blessing, a lot of fun, and so easy to make.

Greatest Kitchen Gadget Ever Invented..

2007-09-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

Gone were the days when christmas and new years' eve dinner food preparation entailed staying up days and nights working on the menu. Making our yearly traditional fresh authentic chinese lumpia needed the whole family's help to julienne the snowpeas and the side pork, chiffonade the cabbage, thinly slice the shallots, grate the carrots, and many other tedious ways of preparing the ingredients before actually cooking them. Nowadays, all that is gone.

Thanks to the genius inventor of the food processor. Life for cooks have been easier since. It can chop, knead, slice, dice, and shred in seconds. We can now make pizza dough for a few seconds, make the dough rise in 30 minutes, put our favorite topping and cheeses on it and in 10 to 12 minutes, we have a homemade delicious pizza that each of my children can cook for themselves.

Food Processors come in different sizes. The biggest our kitchen has is the 7 cups with 1.5 quarts bowl capacity, which we use for making purees of vegetables which were cooked with the meat, like the boneless moroccan lamb, to make a sauce. We also use this size to knead our dough to make pizza. The medium size food processor is good for chopping onions to make hamburgers or meat loaf. The smallest one is a special gadget to chop garlic, and dried herbs like cumin, thyme, oregano, and rosemary.

Dinner: Mexican Tacos and Freshly Made Salsa

2007-08-31T19:17:00.000-07:00

What's a better way of enjoying your dinner in a hot weather than eating exotic food that refreshes your palate and cools you down physically and mentally.

When the temperature started soaring the other day, I couldn't think of any other dish to make for dinner than freshly made simple ground beef tacos with chopped iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and taco cheese, served on a choice of soft corn tortillas or hard taco shell topped with freshly made Salsa out of fresh roma tomatoes with a hint of lime juice. On the side, I also served crispy corn chips to be eaten with the freshly made Salsa. Both recipes you can find at my other website: http://www.cookingenthusiast.blogspot.com/.

Living next door to a gourmet mexican-american neighbor, Blanca and Hector Gonzales and their three lovely children is so much a blessing. They cater and cook delicious authentic mexican dishes. We were lucky enough to have them cater for my granddaughter, Samantha Kho's, 4th Birthday Party which was held at my home in 2006.

International Alliance Conference - Denver, Colorado July 25-27, 2007

2007-05-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

"The Hunter Douglas International Alliance Conference is a gathering of the best and the brightest.", is what Hunter Douglas claims at their website.

A network of window covering professionals will be inspired by our nationally acclaimed speakers like General Colin Powell, and others on July 23 to 27, 2007 at the Colorado Convention Center.

This forum will be attended by over 3,400 participants which include Hunter Douglas Gallery Dealers, Showcase Priority Dealers, Priority Dealers, International Hunter Douglas Dealers, Hunter Douglas Full-Line Fabricators, Alliance Service Providers, Hunter Douglas product brand teams, and Industry Experts from around the world.

My company, Window Coverings By Chris, being one of Hunter Douglas Gold Priority Dealers, received an invitation to attend this significant event.

By attending this forum, we hope to work and think together, embrace and face changes with new strageties and more energy than ever to reach new heights of success.

Good Manners and Right Conduct

2007-05-26T05:29:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine what this world would be like if people didn't have good manners? If people just do and say what they felt like without any consideration to others' feelings, young and old?

This world will be in great chaos, making us look like savages out of the jungle, uncivilized, rude, and lacking of discipline and refineness.

Good manners start at home. Our parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, or other foster parents, who took care of us from birth up to the time we learn how to interact with others in this world, made an influence on our breeding . Some were taught, some were acquired.

Children are great copy cats. They will eventually pick up the good and the bad.

Determination

2007-05-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

Our typical family saturday morning starts at 10:00AM when we all get up from bed and help share to cook brunch, each one pitching in to share in a conversation about significant experiences that transpired in the week.

Last saturday was different. My son, Bernard Kho left early in the morning to report for work, while I stayed snuggled in bed on a lazy morning, a result of my staying up late the previous night.

My short repose was cut short by the intrusion of my daughter, Christina Kho, who slowly snuggled beside me being careful not to wake me up, at the same time wishing I was.

"Mom, are you going to drive me to Oakland to attend the graduation party of my twin friends?", she whispered when I opened my eyes.

"Oakland? No, didn't I tell you before that I have never driven to Oakland? I heard a lot of bad things about Oakland and I don't want to go there.", my voice sounding audibly stronger.

"But mom, my friend told me it's in downtown Oakland, and it's pretty safe. It is going to be in a restaurant called, Le Cheval on Clay St. I have printed the driving directions from Yahoo. Please mom, I really want to go.", her voice sounding so desperate.

"Christina, you know I hate driving on the freeway, especially to places I am not familiar with. Now that I am older, I developed this fear of driving on freeways. I do not drive beyond the city of San Francisco and beyond Palo Alto in the south.", I explained.

After saying that, my recollections of my driving on freeways in the past flashed on my mind. I remembered having driven on freeway 5 from San Diego to Los Angeles, and back to San Diego, when I picked up my sister-in-law, Lolita and her daughter, Didi to stay with me and to visit San Diego in 1986.

I have also driven on freeway 5 from San Diego to San Francisco and back to San Diego, to Houston, Texas from Los Angeles and back to San Francisco in 1990, as an alternating driver (I did most of the driving as Christina's dad slept most of the time) with Christina's dad in 1990, to Monterey, California and back to San Francisco when my son, Bernard Kho, took the open sea-diving test in 1998.

She offered to call the restaurant to ask for better directions and I saw how much she really wanted to attend this lunch party of her twin friends. It didn't take me long to make a decision.

"Okay, why don't you print out another driving directions from Mapquest, to compare. After that, go take a shower and get ready. I will drive you there.", I said with my determined voice.

Her eyes lit and she said, "Thank you, mom. You can also blog about the restaurant and rate it on Citysearch. By the way, my friend called and she said that they are still in traffic on bay bridge, but it's not that bad."

It was 11:30 AM when I showered and put on my clothes. I went to my office and printed a driving direction originating from my client's address in Union City on freeway 880 south going north to the restaurant in Oakland. I also printed a reverse direction, just in case.

From San Bruno, where we live, there are two ways you can take to go to the restaurant in downtown Oakland. You can either take freeway 92 over San Mateo Bridge, or take freeway 80 over Bay Bridge. I compared both directions and I decided to take the bay bridge route. It is shorter in time and distance, as we were already running late.

Before we left, Christina and I had an understanding to work as a team. I, as the designated driver and she, as the navigator. I reminded her to read to me beforehand the exits we were to take, to give me enough time to maneuver or change lane.

We were doing okay for a while, but somewhere along the way, we found ourselves traversing on freeway 880 going south.

She was getting a little panicky and I said, "Christina, I will make an exit on the next ramp that has a ramp on the other side going back north. Meanwhile, look at the directions I printed from my customer's address in Union City going to the restaurant in downtown Oakland. Give me the directions one at a time before we approach the exits.

"Mom, you printed the directions?, she asked surprisingly with a relief on her face. "You are so smart!"

As I was driving back to 880 north, after finding an exit ramp, I became more determined to get her to the luncheon party on time.

We exited on Broadway St. to a nice business district with tall buildings just like any downtown in any city. I have never ventured to this part of the bay area before. The downtown Oakland I feared before was not that bad after all. It is actually a beautiful city, with its own unique character.

We got to the restaurant at around 1:30PM and Christina was so happy to join her friends to celebrate the graduation of her twin friends.

With determination, I conquered my fear of driving on freeways to places I am not familiar with, opened my eyes to an inaccurate impression of a beautiful city I have never seen before, made life happier for my daughter, her friends, and myself.

Farewell Sr. Mary

2007-05-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

We all meet different kinds of people in life. People come and go, but there are some we seem to have a hard time saying goodbye to especially those who made an impact in our life and those who connect and maintain the community that God wants us to have.

One of the people I treasure in my heart is Sister Mary O'Donnell, who was my partner in educating the young children (Grade 6 and Grade 7) at the parish of St. Robert's Church in San Bruno, California from 1995 to 2001.

We were on the phone the other day, and it saddened me to hear that she will be going back to Ireland for good, to spend the rest of her retirement days in her home country. It was hard to contain myself, without sounding so downhearted.

MOMA

2007-05-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

It is not affiliated with SFMOMA which is the San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art in the city. It stands for Mothers Of Mercy Alums , a newly formed club for mothers whose daughters are alumnae of Mercy High School in Burlingame, California.

Mercy High School in Burlingame is a catholic, college preparatory high school situated on a hill at the Kohl Mansion, a historic building formerly owned by Bessie and Frederic Kohl in 1912.

This remarkable place was the spotlight of many memorable events that took place during the four years my daughter, Christina Kho, endeavored in high school. It will also be the venue for the first wine and cheese event for the MOMA on Friday, May 4, 2007 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.

There were countless activities and events in one schoolyear. We had the open house, the father-daughter dance night, phonathon night, mexican night, soup night, musical night, christmas fair night, etc.

Many meaningful friendships were developed during those years. Mothers have bonded and remained friends even years after their daughters had graduated.

Machu Picchu

2007-04-29T23:01:00.000-07:00

Some of you might be wondering what Machu Picchu is, and some of you might already know what it is. But for those who do not, it is a well preserved pre-columbian Inca ruin located at 7,970 feet on a mountain ridge located at the Urabamba Valley in Peru.

The decor was modest, with huge paintings of local Peruvian sceneries, artifacts, a map of South America, clearly showing Peru's geographical location, and a flag displayed at the front of the restaurant with the Machu Picchu Peruvian Restaurant sign in San Mateo, California.

For appetizers, we had the mouth-watering Ceviche de Mariscos, a seafood mix marinated in fresh lemon juice with sliced onions, sweet potato and corn, followed by Antichucos, cubed beef heart marinated in a very special peruvian sauce in skewers (with just the perfect timing of cooking ) so tender and delicious.

Lomo Saltado,juicy strips of beef loin sauteed in tomatoes, onions, and sweet potato fries for our main course, followed by sips of Chicha Morada, a thirst quenching drink made out of corn, apple, and pineapple juice.

Why I Want to Write

2007-04-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

I regret the days when I was oblivious to the times when my mother, my aunts and uncles, godparents, older cousins, would tell me stories about our family history. I wish I could go back in time and bring back those days, but no matter what I do, they will only be memories.

For my mother, my aunts and uncles, my godparents, my older cousins have all passed away.
They are all gone now, but the memories of those stories will live. I am committed to preserving those stories about our family heritage, for my children to know.

I want my children to get to know their mother, where she came from, and what her life was before them. I want my children to have a written memoir of their family history and heritage, because nothing and no one lasts forever..