Feyma Martin

September 22, 2015 by feyma 10 Comments

Delicious Homemade Biscuits!

My family really likes eating biscuits. As you know living here in the Philippines we don’t have those Pillsbury frozen products on our supermarkets here like what the supermarket in the West have. If they have here it’s just so limited. So to keep up with some food that my family are kind of used to when we lived in the States. With the net nowadays I can cook anything even with the ingredients in the Philippines sometimes are limited, still I can cook it. Lol

The ham & cheese biscuit sandwich!

The yummy biscuits sandwich!

Drop Biscuits Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar (if you want sweeter put more sugar)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt/kosher salt/iodized salt
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (the grated one that sold in the store is good too)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup whole milk (I used slim milk here in the Philippines and it’s good too)

Procedures:

Preheat oven to 400°C
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cheese. Whisk to combine well. Add the melted butter and milk and stir to combine.
Prepare cookie sheets, grease or brush with butter.
Drop biscuits using the spoon to make a rounded form and place in a oiled cookie sheets and place it in the oven for 12 or so minutes, until biscuits are golden brown. Enjoy

Many uses of biscuits: (For us anyway)

Chicken or beef stew
Ham & cheese sandwich
Chicken biscuit pot pie
Sausage egg biscuit casserole
Strawberry shortcake biscuits
Many uses for desserts

Feel free to drop me a note if you tried the recipe. Have fun cooking!

September 18, 2015 by feyma Leave a Comment

Squash – Pumpkin Cookies Recipe!

Since Thanksgiving is coming up soon in the States, I am gearing up for the feast. Ever since living back here in the Philippines we do celebrate every year. We just celebrate on a different day (Saturday) since no holidays for the the kids here on the Thanksgiving day Thursday.

I’ve been cooking some food that usually had squash ingredients with it. Trying really some new stuff too on Thanksgiving day. We found this recipe on the net for cookies and been cooking for a few years now with this recipe. The main ingredients was the pumpkin. Well since we don’t have pumpkin here in Philippines I substituted it with squash. Some stores carry nowadays but it’s not often though. Quite honestly, I can’t even tell the difference between the two. It just taste like pumpkin to me. Everybody in the house loves the squash cookies. Really yummy.

Squash – Pumpkin Cookie Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ white sugar
½ cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 cup homemade squash puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Glaze

Procedures:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease or brush with butter the baking sheets
Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl.
Beat sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Beat the squashed, egg and vanilla until smooth. Slowly beat in the flour mixture.
Using tablespoon drop onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the edges are firm. Let it cool at the cookie sheets for 2-3 minutes. Then transfer to the wire racks to cool completely.
Drizzle with the glaze.

***For Glaze: ( Combine 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a bowl until combined and smooth). ***

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July 9, 2015 by feyma

If accidentally burned in the Philippines!

I am writing about this subject for the awareness of some of our readers here. Not sure if everyone knows that there are not so many burn centers here in the Philippines. As far as I know only one burn center in Mindanao. Only here in Davao City (Davao Medical Center or DMC).

Why do I know that there is just one in Mindanao? A few years ago, when my nephew got an accident in school in General Santos City. He fell in the hole with a fire burning. He almost lost his feet. Luckily they were saved. He was brought here to Davao and was at the Davao Medical Center for almost 2 months if I remember. Whenever I visited him there, I saw lots of people in the hallway sleeping. I asked my brother and one of my nephews why too many people there. They told me that a lot of those people there where from other places here in Mindanao. One of the nurses confirmed that too. I saw some patients from Agusan, some area near Cagayan De Oro, near Zamboanga, near Isulan and many more. Can you imagine being the patient and you will wait for a long time to be transported to Davao City? That’s a long journey.

As I’m typing this, my left hand, some of my fingers have blisters. I just got an accident a few days ago. I accidentally burned by a boiling water. 4 of my fingers have pretty good size blisters. It’s really painful. Luckily we almost always have burn ointment/cream here in the house. I did apply right away. Then I also put some aloe vera in it. We have plants of aloe vera here in our yard. Thank God for that. Bob was asking me if I want to go to the hospital, I said no. It’s not really that bad.

To be honest I’m not going to complain. My injuries are not even a tenth of my nephew and my helper’s injuries. Our helper when she was about 6 years old she got burned by a lugaw (rice porridge). The whole pan tipped over part of her chest and tummy. She showed me her scars and its really bad. She told me that she really suffered for long hours because they lived in the mountain and they’re far from a hospital. Luckily the hospital in their area managed to take care of her. Just hearing from her story, she’s lucky that she survived that ordeal. Watching my nephew suffer it’s really hard on our family. Seeing him in pain really was hard to see. Hearing him cry finding out that he lost some of his toes was heartbreaking.

I’m hoping that none of us will ever need the facility in the future. But I guess for prevention. For a start try to plant lots of aloe vera plant in your yard. It’s really soothing and helpful, I know that for sure. Have cream or ointment in your house always. The most important of all, know where the location of the burn facility in your area.

Stay safe and God bless!

June 4, 2015 by feyma

Married At First Sight; TV show in the US!

We are watching a new show right now that got me intrigued. The name of the show is “Married At First Sight”. It is really an interesting show for us anyway. For me it’s kind of similar to the way we got married, but the good thing for ours, at least we did know the name of the person we are writing with. At that time no internet yet, at least we are writing letters a few times a month, some even for years. Now with the internet, meeting someone through chatting. Then email, then talk through skype or any other kind of social media communication, then meet up in person later, then it develops from there.

Well, on the TV show (Married at first sight), the couple will not know the name or see the person they’re about to marry. It’s really like a blind date (I mean blind marriage. Lol). You will meet the person you’re about to marry at the wedding ceremony. The family of the bride-to be will meet the groom first while the groom waits for his bride in the altar. The anticipation is a killer. Even us watching we are also a bit tense waiting for the couple if they will be liking each other seeing one another for the first time. Really it’s kind of intense.

On the show they had 3 couples who were selected by the experts of psychologist, sexologist, spiritual adviser and a sociologist. Those participants had to undergo a lot of questions and answers, one on one interview, and also a home visit from the expert to check the house. Bob and I, we’ve been shocked that the expert that will visit the house she really checked out inside the closets and also what’s inside the refrigerator. Wow, that’s really thorough checking. LOL. I guess to sign up for that show you have to clean up every corner of your house. Ha ha ha, they will find out later if the person is messy anyway.

We just got done watching the first season. First they had to be married for 5 weeks. Then the experts will question the couple if they still want to be married or get divorced after 5 weeks. Then the couple will be filmed for 6 moths of how they lived their lives. Then the one year anniversary of wedding. Out of the 3 matched couple, 2 were successful so far. The one that was divorced, it’s a bit shocking to see them go their separate ways, because they’re the one that were so at ease with each other after seeing for the first time and during the first few days. Just watching the couple, they seem like they hit it off. It just sad that it didn’t work out good for them.

For one of the couples, the bride was just crying because she’s just not attracted with her groom. But she married her anyway, her family told her to give it some time. She’s lucky to have that guy, because he has been patient with her. The bride really had problems growing up. It’s not small stuff. The groom was just there to help her and try to encourage her to do what she felt like doing in her own time. They stayed together after 5 weeks. Then she feel in love with her husband. Then during 6 months to 1 year, she’s even talking about having babies with her hubby. The husband, he is just not ready that time.

The other couple they’re also good. They hit it off good. You can see the attraction between the 2 of them by just watching them. It’s just sad that the family of the bride didn’t accept that kind of marriage so they did not attend the wedding. The mom of the groom did not attend the wedding either. Her reasoned was valid though, she was in chemo during the time of the wedding. She’s just too weak to attend. Few weeks after the wedding the mom of the groom died.

Honestly, I’m hoping for the success of each of the marriages on that show. It would be a good story to tell to their kids, grand-kids and to their offspring later. For me in every relationship both parties has to work hard on nurturing it. We’ve known people that married their childhood sweetheart but later they still get separated/divorced. Some people married and they’ve known each other for ages and still go their separate ways. I’ve known a few in our neighboring town, the husband and wife were arranged by their parents to be married, they just met in the church during the wedding and almost 40 years later they’re still together.

If you’ve seen the show, let me know what you think? For those that didn’t see the show, try to see it. Feel free to drop a note here.

A few good quotes that I saw on the net:

“Make your marriage Your Own. Don’t look at other marriages and wish you had something else. WORK to shape your marriage so that it is satisfying for both of you.”

“Don’t worry when I fight with you, worry when I stop because it means there’s nothing for us left to fight for.”

MABUHAY!!!

April 16, 2015 by feyma

Would you buy?

I was just walking at the downtown area just here in the city with my son, Jared too. We saw a kid (might be around 11-13 years old) coming towards us, as soon as he was a few feet from us. He opened his hands, inside his hand was a small box. I think he was really offering it for me thinking I’m the one that would pay if ever. When he opened the box it shows a gold chain with pendant in it. It looks real. He was offering for me to buy the jewelry. I turned around and told him I’m not interested. I think he was shocked that I didn’t even try to see the jewelry and also I refused to buy the item. Immediately played in my head where did this kid get this nice piece of jewelry and offering around. Of course it went through my mind that, that piece of jewelry could be stolen, snatched or taken from the jewelry store. I don’t really know. Everything was just playing my head.

Just then a lady was looking at the kid and she seems interested. As soon as she got out from the bank the kid offered it to her. She was checking it and brought the kid to her car. She also had 3 other ladies inside the car and they were really checking the item. I think the first lady were negotiating with the kid. I just didn’t bother to checked them out. To be honest that really shocked me that she’s thinking of buying the item.

Street Vendors are common in the Philippines

While those people negotiating with the kid. I asked my son, Jared if he will buy any kind of items offered to him like that. He said immediately “No Way, I’m not buying anything like that, I’m not sure where those items comes from. It could be stolen or being snatched from somebody else. I don’t want to be involved with that kind of stuff”. Wow, that answers from my kid really made me happy.

That incident reminds me of what I witnessed in Manila almost a decade ago. I went there for a business. My friends brother (Jun) was my tour guide. He was taking me to the place for my meeting and other areas there that I needed to shop. Somewhere in Greenhills we were waiting for the stop light. Jun reminded me to be very careful with my purse and my cell phone. He told me to hugged tight my purse and put my cell phone away inside the secret pocket in my purse. Which I obliged. He knows Manila than I do. While waiting a teenager approached us and offered a cell phone. I didn’t even pay attention that much to the kid, plus I don’t intend to buy cell phone on the street. I guess Jun was asked by these kind of people a thousand times while his traveling the city. Just for me to see, and to proved to me why he said to be careful and pay attention. He asked the kid: Where’s the cell phone that that person was talking about? The teen’s lips pointed to the person just a few feet away from us. He said that cell phone. It was the newest phone model at that time. I guess what the kid would do, if we said yes he will snatched the cell phone and sell that to us. My mouthed just went wide open and my eyeballs just about to pop out hearing the kid. I said “What?”. I was gonna say some bad words. Jun knows that I’m like his sister will say what’s in our mind. He pinched my arm and his making a gesture for me to shut up. Which I did. Jun was scared those people might hurt us if ever I said too much.

Jun then turned towards me and said see what the snatcher will do here. That’s why you have to be very careful here. Just then I was thinking, why would people buy such items if offered to them that you know that those people took it from somebody else for you to have them? Are you not feeling guilty about it?

Anyway, just some thoughts. I know too that those kid will do anything out of desperation. Especially if living with irresponsible parents or other family members. Felt sorry for the kids, they were manipulated and used. Some are being force to do for them to have a better life and to have lots of stuff. Really as the saying goes in America “Just to keep up with the JONES or in the Philippines to keep up with the AYALA’S “.

Cheers!!!