MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan

Summer Gift Baskets

May 12, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

Great go-to gift ideas for this summer

Whether they’re still in school or graduated ages ago, everyone looks forward to the summer break. Family outings are planned and beaches are swarmed; resorts are overbooked, and all of a sudden, everyone is posting “Summer 2014!” albums on Facebook.

You can expect that anyone having a birthday during the summer months will be having a party designed to help the guests cool off. Be it a pool party or a trip out of town, friends and families all appreciate being given the chance to wade in some cool water to let off some steam. These summer parties are perfect, because not only are they a joy to attend, but they make picking the gift for the celebrant so much easier.

Deciding on a gift can be extremely stressful; especially when 1) you don’t know the celebrant well enough to know what they’ll really like, or 2) you love the celebrant too much and want to get them something they’ll really be able to use. For both of problems, though, a gift basket can save you so much trouble. Gift baskets are usually seen in the Christmas season, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not adaptable. In fact, they’re probably the easiest to assemble, and they’re always appreciated, no matter the occasion.

In fact, you could even create gift baskets for Christenings and birthdays, just as the community on NetMums.com has suggested. A few days ago, the Worksop Guardian announced that it would be giving away a Marks and Spencer hamper of baby care products to lucky parents too, so the idea isn’t all too novel. Everyone loves a good gift basket, and this summer, you can be sure that the lucky recipient will appreciate a gift basket full of summer essentials.

When building a gift basket, it’s always important to think of what the recipient will need, thus giving more value to your gift. It should be easy to come up with a list of things that can go in a Summer Gift Basket, but here are some ideas:

A great beach towel

These are relatively inexpensive and shouldn’t set you back by more than 200-250php if you know where to look.

Some sunblock, or suntan

Depending on whether your friend is going for a tan or trying to avoid getting too tan, you can get them a bottle of sunscreen or tanning lotion. This alone should make the gift basket a welcome sight to the celebrant!

A summer hat

Extremely whimsical and great for relaxing at the poolside or on the beach, everyone loves summer hats! Save your friend the trouble of going to the department store to look for one and get her one in her favorite color.

Some fashionable sunglasses

Oversized sunglasses are always in fashion, and the summer look isn’t complete without a pair! There are many discount sunglasses available online, but your friend probably wouldn’t mind a pair of fake sunglasses either, as long as they do the job!

A Summer Gift Basket is a great idea, because you can be sure that the recipient can put it to good use. In fact, if you choose just the right items, you might see them being used right then and there at the party!

This entry is an original guest post submitted to Mrs C’s Sugarcoated Life.

Our Spiderman Movie Date with PLDT Home DSL

May 11, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 15 Comments

The boys and I rarely catch a movie on opening week because I don’t like crowds, and I’m not fond of crowded movie theaters. I was more than happy to make an exception for The Amazing Spiderman 2, though, when my friends Millie and Janice asked if the boys and I would like to attend a special screening that PLDT Home DSL was setting up. Of course our whole family said yes to that! I love family-oriented events like this one, and I love how PLDT Home DSL is an enabler of family-sized connections.

I was so happy about being invited to this event that I actually made the super mega effort of driving to Makati with the kiddo on a post-football afternoon, and with a fussy stomach, to pick up MrC from work so that we could make it to Eastwood Mall by 7pm. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we were really pooped because we had just arrived home from our Pico de Loro escapade the night before.

One of the highlights for me was seeing little Diego and his mom Lara, members of the Ledesma family who are featured in the PLDT Home DSL TVC. My son loves watching families and kids on TV, and I noticed that he really is influenced by them. He picks up jokes, shows an interest in things that they have and do, and even wants to try out the activities that he sees them engage in onscreen.

I like that Little MrC sees Diego interact with people online in these commercials through his Ask Diego Fan Page. See, we have a lot of family members who are abroad, and it’s only through the internet that they get to watch him grow. We’re on Skype often, and we make an effort to share photos and stories on Facebook also. I share stories here on the blog. MrC and the little boy like to shoot short videos that they share on a secret YouTube page that family members can access. Yep, we like to keep our kiddo’s videos private as a sort of protective measure.

Similarly, Daddy Paolo and Mommy Lara screen Diego’s page to be sure that the stuff he gets to see are all age-appropriate. Before he sees the questions, Paolo and Lara delete offensive content, and sometimes answer the more difficult questions themselves. Then they help him type out answers, especially when he asks about how to spell words. On occasion, Diego also gets ideas for answers from his Ate Trisha. I think that monitoring the age and answering the questions also provides their family with a fun bonding activity online.

In this sense, we can totally relate to the Ledesmas, who are a tight-knit family that enjoys doing things together online using multiple gadgets simultaneously to help one another out. And for us to be able to keep up with our online lives, we need limitless sharing with the strong reliable family-sized connection, exactly what PLDT Home DSL provides.

To sign up for your own strong, reliable family-sized connection of PLDT HOME DSL, visit pldthome.com.

Oh, and no, I’m not posting about the movie because I don’t want to be a spoiler in case any of you haven’t seen it yet. Just know that we LOVED it, and we are so glad we came to the event. Since you won’t get any movie info from me, #letsaskdiego about it on Facebook if you really wanna know!

Recipe: Chicken Menudo Made With Love

May 8, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 22 Comments

I went to the kitchen mid-morning to get water, and I saw ingredients laid out. I asked my mom what she was planning to make and she said Chicken Menudo. I stopped her right there and said that I was gonna take care of preparing lunch.

No one, and I mean no one loves menudo in this house more than I do. I believe that the most important ingredient that goes into any successful dish is love. Because I have lotsa love to give for this dish, I knew that it had to be me in that kitchen. I mean, I don’t think that you could look at the finished product and tell me that I’m not right. I know you can’t because the love just totally shows.

It’s actually a really easy recipe to make, and I can say that because to tell you the truth, today was the first time that I ever made menudo. I asked my mom how she used to make it, then I looked for other recipes online. I saw this one, and sort of just combined it with my moms, made a few adjustments on my own, and the rest is tasty history.

I started out with a kilo and a half of cubed chicken breast, plus 1/4 kilo of chicken liver. Even if you don’t like liver, add some. It does wonders for the sauce. Marinate the meat for at least half an hour in soy sauce, vinegar, tomato paste and black pepper.

Chicken pieces that have been chilling in the fridge

While the chicken is marinading, you might want to start sauteing the cubed potatoes and carrots in a little bit of oil. Cook them just enough so that they begin to become tender, but not too much that they get too soft and fall apart in the sauce later on. This significantly cuts the cooking time of the menudo so that you don’t overcook the chicken.

After 30 minutes in the fridge, the chicken is good to go. So you saute garlic and onions in the same pot or wok you used to precook the other veggies. Add in the chicken and the marinade and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until all the pieces are completely cooked. Stir this occasionally.

Lots of garlic and onions – a must for me when cooking

Add carrots, potatoes, bell peppers and peas. Mix, mix. Throw in some red hotdogs, sliced so that they look like coins. This is optional, but in my world menudo makes no sense without hotdogs in it. Then, add the tomato sauce and water. Finally, add 2 tablespoons of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir up everything in the pot and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Once the sauce is as thick as you like, which is most likely around the time that the chicken liver starts to melt into it, you are done. All you need now is some fluffy steamed rice.

I’m so glad I made a big batch coz that means that we can have this again for lunch tomorrow. Yay!

MrsC's Chicken Menudo

2014-05-08 07:22:18

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Ingredients

1.5 kilos chicken, cubed
1/5 kilo chicken liver
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 tbsp black pepper
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, cubed
1 large potato, cubed
1 red bell pepper, sliced into squares
1/2 cup green peas
3 jumbo sized red hotdogs, cut into circles
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking oil

Instructions

Combine tomato paste, vinegar, soy sauce and pepper. Pour over chicken cubes and liver, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Fry cubed potatoes and carrots in a little bit of oil until tender, but still firm.
In the same pot or wok, saute garlic and onions.
Add the marinaded chicken and liver pieces, as well as the marinade. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are completely cooked. Stir occasionally.
Add potatoes, carrots, peas, and bell peppers. After a few minutes, add the hotdog slices.
Pour in the tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of water. Add sugar.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then, allow to simmer until the sauce thickens.
Serve menudo over steamed rice.

Notes

You can also opt to add raisins for a little bit of sweetness, but I would rather not have them in this dish.

By MrsC

Adapted from Lucky Mom's Recipe

At Home With MrsC https://blissbysam.com/

I would love to hear how this recipe turns out for you, in case you decide to try making it at home! Hope your family loves it as much as mine did.

SBC’s April and May BOMs

May 6, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 23 Comments

Before we begin, let’s have a definition of terms. SBC stands for Secret Book Club, which is the name of our book club. It just started out that way, and none of us felt the need to change the name. BOM means Book of the Month. In our book club, we have two to read each month. I think I explained this already when I posted about our first book club meet-up, but I just thought I’d do it again. And now that that’s clear, we can move on.

Meeting up to discuss our March BOMs! L-R: Me, Liz, Russ, Balot and Joei (who owns this photo) — Meet-up #2 to discuss our March BOMs!
L-R: Me, Liz, Russ, Balot and Joei (who owns this photo)

April’s books were polar opposites. Balot suggested Arabian Nights by Sir Richard Burton. Honestly, I didn’t go very far with this one because I got sidetracked by Book Four of A Song of Fire and Ice. Had to catch up on my reading because the Game of Thrones series started up again on HBO. Feedback from those who actually got to read Arabian Nights was that it’s a pretty long book. I’m definitely keeping this on my to-read list, even though it’s been decided that we will forego the discussion for it because it’s so lengthy.

I was in charge of suggesting the second April book. I chose Losing It by Cora Carmack. Oh my gosh this book was so funny. I would choose this over Fifty Shades of Grey any day because unlike 50 Shades, this book doesn’t take itself too seriously. The characters are a lot more endearing, not at all annoying, and a lot more real. Sorry Fifty Shades fans. Hehe. I actually read all three books in that series and, well, I wasn’t as swept away by it as the rest of the universe. I would recommend Losing It, though.It’s a really easy read, super light, and a great “breather” book, if you’re looking for something to read in between heavy novels.

It’s Janice’s turn to suggest a book this month, and I love that she picked a Filipino author. Liz is also suggesting a book this month, and her recommendation is pretty interesting.

I’ve just finished downloading our two May BOMs into my Kindle, Belong To Me by Marissa delos Santos and This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith, and I am excited to start reading them both.

First, I need to finish A Feast For Crows. And of course, the only way I’m gonna be able to do that is if I get off this computer and start reading. Right? Right.

What’s on your reading list this month?

Gourdo’s Scrapbooking Yard Sale

May 5, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

Wait, oh my gosh I should have posted this a week ago. Haynako, momnesia strikes again. Anyway…

Gourdo’s is inviting everyone to come and shop at their Scrapbooking Yard Sale, which actually started last May 1, and will go on until May 18. This is happening at the Gourdo’s Fort Bonifacio store. They’re offering a lot of great scrapbooking items at 50% off. Crafty friends, I think that you guys would totally go nuts here.

Gourdo's Scrapbooking Yard Sale — Gourdo’s Scrapbooking Yard Sale

Apart from great deals, there are also exciting activities lined up on the weekends. Bonus: There are gonna be lots of freebies, too! On Mother’s Day weekend, May 10-11, they will be having the I Love Mom Because… A Mother’s Day Craft Weekend. This is perfect for you guys who have no plans yet for mom’s day.

There’s going to be a mom and kid crafting activity, the Make n’ Take Activity by Mom and Me. The mom and me pair gets a free photo from Fuji Instax, which they can use to create a card or a scrapbook layout when they purchase a Make n’ Take kit.

If you do visit, don’t forget to check out the free demos from 1-5pm on May 10-11. There’s Calligraphy by Imma Frias, Punchers and Stamps by Ime Oranga, and other demos on Paper Flowers, Project Life and Smash Books.

Sounds like a lot of crafty fun!

For more details, visit the Gourdo’s website or Facebook Page.

Life Bliss Weekend

May 4, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 1 Comment

If you visit my blog regularly, you will notice that every once in a while I write about taking a break or going for a reset after a busy season. I find myself really lucky that I can afford to take breaks. I know that these are such luxuries for a lot of people, especially for a lot of moms. A timeout in whatever form is really essential in order for us to be able to continue functioning properly. I see the value in taking a breather so much more now, as compared to when I was younger and believed myself to be somehow related to the Energizer bunny.

Busy people tend to forget that they need to hit the pause button every once in a while. Most of the time it’s because they feel that they simply cannot afford to take a break. Maybe they can’t. Maybe YOU can’t. But you should. After you’ve hit reset, you may find that things are clearer and you may emerge with a stronger, more accurate focus. But you’ll never know unless you try, right?

The Life Bliss Weekend is actually the perfect opportunity for you to claim that much-needed me-time.

This creative-living weekend retreat for women is the first of its kind. This is a partnership between Martine de Luna of Make It Blissful and Apa Alviar of The Exuberant Life Consultancy. Both believe in leading a mission-minded lifestyle, and also in life-purpose integration in whatever it is that you do. Their goal is to provide the women in attendance with a meaningful break from their daily routines. As an attendee, you can expect exercises and activities that integrate your life-purpose setting, creativity and blogging all in one.

All women between the ages of 20 to 50, whether single or married, are invited to attend this life-changing retreat. It takes place in the beautiful Casa Luminaria in Lipa Batangas on May 24-25. For complete details including the schedule of activities for the two days, and to sign up for the Life Bliss Weekend, click here.

Relax. Connect. Create. Enliven. Go ahead and give yourself a break. You know you deserve it.