It's a Beautiful World

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.

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 was making Chocolate Chip Cookies. She was so excited helping me gather all the ingredients and the baking tools we needed. We prepared everything on the table and she set the oven to 375degrees F. 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 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 we wanted it. All ovens are different. My advise to

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! Enjoy!

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 mo

Dom Perignon Cheese and Crackers Sans Rival   Lengua

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.

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

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.

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 of parking only. Oh well, maybe it won't take me that

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..

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.

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 vegeta

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 Birthda

"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.

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? This world will be in great chaos making us look like savages out of the jungle, uncivilized, rude, lacking  discipline and finesse. Good manners start at home. Our parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, foster parents who took care of us since birth influenced our breeding . Some were taught, some were acquired. Children are great copy cats. They will eventually pick up the good and the bad.

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, a