Tuna Steak Solo

I cooked this fish a couple of days ago. Took the picture before my husband could finish it all. It was funny 'cos I thought I could help him a bit with it. He normally leaves his fish unfinished, but not this time. So, I bet I just created the best recipe for his tuna. This is why I'm sharing it now.

Ingredients:
- 1 big slice of tuna
- 1 tbsp. calamansi juice
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion, sliced into rings
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Procedure:
Marinate the fish with calamansi juice, soy sauce, black pepper, and salt for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better).
Heat the oil in a pan. Remove the fish from the marinade and pan-fry both sides until brown. Cover it with marinade and onion rings. Remove from heat when the sauce thickens. Serve hot with rice.

A Beach Wedding on my Birthday

I don't really celebrate my birthday with a party every year. I didn't grow up blowing candles and receiving presents, so to make a difference this year, we decided to have our beach wedding on my 29th birthday!

June 8
I arrived in our home in Romblon with my daughter and sis-in-law.

June 10
I went to the municipal hall to get the wedding on schedule.

June 11
I was in Odiongan to meet Langga of Ramietess Bakery to book our cake.

June 12
The ticketing office told me that there will be no flights scheduled for Manila to Tablas for dates June 16 and 17.

June 13
I called the groom about the inavailability of flights. Told to him some options to make it at least a night before the wedding.

June 15
Langga apologitically informed me that they can no longer bake my cake for some reason. So, I ran to Looc, met the owner of Ashley Bakeshop, talked about the details of the cake, paid it, and got home relieved.

June 16
The groom took the Batangas to Odiongan trip. My uncle accompanied him to the Batangas port for safety.

June 17
He arrived home around 7 in the morning. We went to the barber shop before lunch time then managed to check the wedding hall for decorations.

June 18
As planned, the wedding ceremony was held by the beachfront, the reception at the big hall, and the birthday party at home. It was all fun!


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Check more of preparations here.
I was not able to wear my dream bridal gown for my beach wedding, but you may check it here.

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You may want to read more about weddings, so here they are:
Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo's Wedding
A Modern Civil Wedding
Wedding Gift Ideas
Marth Stewart Weddings

Creative Mom Blogger Award!

Since the day I got very busy with wedding preps, I haven't had time to repost all the tags and awards that my blogging sisters gave me. I was bad. Very bad.

Now that I'm back, I promise to repost all upcoming tags and awards and won't let them wait in my drafts anymore. Yeah, promise!

Here is the first from Michelle of Hits & Mrs. Thank you so so much sis for this award.



Here's the simple rules:
♥ Take your award and put the logo on your post.
♥ Link the person who awarded you. Remember each recipient of the award should acknowledge the person who honored them and go to Mom's Special Diary to copy and paste the award.
♥ Put your own blog title and link.
♥ Nominate at least five deserving moms.

Enjoys GT moms!

Easy Vegetable Salad

I'm back! And as a Father's Day special, I have this recipe to share that all wives would love to make for the head of the family. This is a very simple salad with the Mediterranean touch.
To my bebeğim who loves snacking this salad, Happy Father's Day po. I love you so so much. Thanks for being a very good father to our baby.



Ingredients:
- 1 medium cucumber
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 stalks of spring onion
- 1 small onion
- 1 hard boiled egg

Ingredients - For the dressing:
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- salt to taste

Procedure:
- Cut the tomatoes and cucumber in bite-size pieces.
- Cut the spring onions and onion finely.
- Put all the vegetables together in a bowl.
- Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper, and salt.
- Pour the dressing mixture over the salad and toss.
- Top with sliced hard-boiled egg and serve.

Diy Headband

Headbands are very fashionable these days. It's a favorite hair ornament for babies. It's easy to make and not too costly. I made a baby headband for my daughter last Thursday. For mommies out there, check the steps and try to DIY a headband for your lovely daughters!



Like 2 weeks ago, I bought a flower girl dress for my baby which came with a free cap. I didn't like the cap so I thought of buying a headband which color matches the wedding motif. Unfortunately, I was not able to find a metallic cream headband.

Today, my imagination worked quickly when I looked at the cap again. I decided to create a headband out of it. The photos below is the transformation of the boring cap to a very lovely baby headband. I am so happy with this project!



the cap



the inner lining



starting with the garter



the finished garter



making the rose ornament



attaching the thin ribbons



attaching the thicker ribbon



the finished product

Photohunt 6: Advertisement

I was absent last week. I actually found a photo under theme, but didn't post it 'cause I got too busy. Today, I am posting my last post before catching a plane going to the province. I'll be out for a short while, so I'll miss blogging.
Anyway, I have here a photo of an electronic jeepney taken in La Mesa Eco Park. Printed in the body of the jeepney is an advertisement by the Philippine Tourism. Jeepneys are very popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. This jeepney serves as tourist vehicle in Eco Park.

Choosing a Wedding Theme and Motif

To be a June Bride is one of my dreams. I didn't dream of a beach wedding or even a destination wedding, though. All I wanted is to say "I DO" on my birthday. Seeing the reality of that dream is really wonderful. Just wonderful. So, today, I am sharing some things about my wedding.

My chosen color motif is gold, yellow, and ivory. Whatever shade of those three colors will do. In my color palette, I can see yellow gold, metallic gold, lemon yellow, tangerine yellow, ivory, cream, and... a lot!

My chosen theme is a simple tropical beach wedding. It will be held in my province in Romblon, so imagine just some small crowd of family, close relatives, and friends under a wedding hall by the beach. Hopefully, it won't rain a lot (please). You know in the Philippines, when you think of June, you think of weddings, back-to-school, and at the same time, you think of rains. When it rains, it pours. And when it pours, there is a bride getting wet (sad).

Anyway, I will be marching in a gown made by Arleen Sipat of Salsa Trends. It is a one-shoulder or assymetrical grecian ivory gown with gold belt as accessory. Matching the belt is a pair of gold sandals.

The groom will be wearing a traditional barong tagalog which is similar to a guayabera or the Mexican wedding shirt. Matching the barong are khaki trousers and brown beach sandals.

I cannot post pictures of wedding stuff we already have and prepared, but I think, the photo above represents them well. The grecian dress, the yellow arch, the gold rings, gold sandals, etc.

These days, every new day is getting busier than the other. Just wanted to share some thoughts here. I will miss blogging the next two weeks. But probably, I could blog some more before going to my hometown.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Here's another yummy recipe that my family loves. I have been serving meals cooked in tomato sauce for over 2 years now. I always have packs of tomato sauce, tomato paste, and fresh tomatoes in my kitchen. They're a must in most of my meals, so I don't usually leave the grocery without them. Plus, tomatoes have lycopene which is good for health. Almost anything cooked with tomato sauce are good-tasting, too. If you think about your family's well-being, make it a habit to cook with tomato sauce and start the habit now!

Ingredients:
- 1/4 kilo ground chicken
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 small onions, minced
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 medium carrot, cut into thin cubes
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into cubes
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into cubes
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp sweet & sour banana ketchup
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
- small pc of ginger, minced
- salt to taste
- vegetable oil for frying / sautéing

Cooking procedure:
Combine the first 6 ingredients. Mix well. Form into balls.
Heat the oil. Pan-fry the meatballs until half-cooked. Sauté garlic, onion, and ginger until brown in the same oil together with the meatballs. Stir in carrot and bell peppers. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

In a bowl, mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, tomato sauce, and ketchup with water. Pour the mixture into the meatballs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

* This recipe is good for 6 people.