Discovering Pinas

Basilica Minore del Santo Nino was founded in 1565. The first structure was made of wood and nipa. The stone church was constructed from 1735 to 1739 so the church itself is 270 years old. The church houses the image of Sto. Nino de Cebu, the patron saint of Cebu. It was a gift from Magellan to Queen Juana. It’s considered a sign of the alliance between the Spaniards and the natives. A story was told that wood and nipa church housing the Sto. Nino image was burned down. After the fire, the image was found safely intact. The image of the Sto. Nino de Cebu is now displayed on a shrine on the left side of the church’s altar. The queue for viewing the Sto. Nino is always long even at noontime when most people are having their siesta. I remember going to the church to accompany my friend to light candles and pray. I wanted to see the image closely out of curiosity but I didn’t have the time to stand in line because I had chores to do later that day. All the 10 years I’ve lived in Cebu, I never got to see the image at a closer view.

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Who could ever imagine someone from the slums can be a millionaire? How did he do it? That’s the first question in the opening of the movie Slumdog Millionaire. He got the answers correctly only by chance because it happened in his life. Answers that were either funny or sad but it happened in Jamal Malik’s life.

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You can now own a 1:38 scale model Grand Turismo Ferraris for only Php80 with every Php500 purchase of Shell V-Power. There are seven car designs to choose from. The best thing about these cars is that it has real engine sounds and a high-speed ‘pull-back and release’ action. Hey, it’s not actually for kids only but for grown-ups too. If you’re a Ferrari fan, add these babies to your collection.

The ‘racing car for road use’ the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale has a centrally mounted V8 engine reaching 425 bhp at 8500 rpm.
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I’ve just watched Chocolat on TV and was craving for some chocolate. And then I remembered this.

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Europe’s latest craze is now here. Coffee pods are “teabag” versions of ground coffee, ready to be made into espresso, cappuccino and even simple brewed coffee. They are vacuum packed in 45mm biodegradable paper filters, compressed to pack in all the wonderful flavor to make a freshly-brewed cup. OWG Coffee Co., the country’s authority on coffee pod technology has brought in two kinds of machines, the AutoBarista for restaurants and cafes and the MiniBarista for board rooms, offices and homes. Log on to www.soltazza.com.ph for more information on how to make coffee even without a professional barista around.

coffee pods from OWG Coffee Co.

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The Holy week has started and the people have already made some sacrifices. My family’s not Catholic though we agree on some customs during Lenten Season. One of the customs that we agree on is not eating meat except, well, seafoods. It is synonymous to our diet of wheat, oats and fish. We’ve been on this diet from the start of April so giving up meat is not shocking for us anymore. And recently, I attended another Dona Elena Cuisinera Club cooking demo and Chef Golda Liamson got this really healthy and perfect recipe for the holy week. It’s Vongole (clams) Pasta.

Here it is:
1/3 cup Dona Elena Extra Virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 cans minced clams
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1/3 cup Dona Elena White Wine
2 Tbsp butter
grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper
Spaghetti noodles or angel hair noodles

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