Gifts For Andreas (Part 2)

Ceasar was a little tipsy but insisted on inflating the gift from Ninong Patrick and Ninang Lanie. Check this out:

And the boys insisted on spending the night in it!

That is Ninang Lanie and Ninong Patrick (in gray shirt) during New Years Eve at the rooftop. Thank you so much for the fun and friendship, guys! We stick no matter what. Cheers to the future!

Our new neighbor Tito Levy (from Ifugao also) gave this oh-so unexpected ZARA cargo pants and sweatshirt. Fab!! I feel guilty 'coz aside from the housewarming gift we gave them early this month, we did not wrap anything. He even invited us to spend Christmas Eve on their apartment but since the lasagna i baked was made for another Christmas party, i could not share it with them. Guilty, guilty me. We have to make it up ASAP.

Gifts for Andreas (Part 1)

"Saying thank you makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

Before I blog further on 2010 goalie, my succeeding posts will express our gratitude to the generous people who sent/gave gifts to Andreas. We admit that among the reasons we did not throw a birthday party was because we did not want to bother others to spend on buying gifts. I confess we did not even wrap anything for Andreas. At these trying times, we know that it is always best to hold on to your hard-earned cash.

Still, the uber bleak economy did not prevent these wonderful people to be kind and generous. I shall start with Ninong Ronald and Ninang Phoebe.

They gave this truck which kept Andreas awake for New years Eve.

And this magic ball house that excited the whole family! We never imagined Andreas will have his own soft play area. He dragged Chuckles and Barney inside. Often he will play peek-a-boo with us.

The huge Barney and this gold necklace with dolphin were also a gift from the couple back in December 2008. Andreas had used the necklace on three occasions (I still have to take his photo, sowee), and boy it suits him like a son of a mafia hihihi.

Thank you so much to both of you. For always being there to listen, for simply being there when we need help on just about anything. You are always in our prayers.

Caviar & Foie Gras

Happy Three Kings to all my visitors!

When we had Andreas' birthday brunch, we were fortunate to taste something new from the hors d'oeuvre menu -- caviar and foie gras. I always read these kind of appetizers in novels and magazines and even movies (remmeber the Godfather?) so i looked forward how they would taste on my palate.

This is the Filipino chef stationed at the caviar section. He was kind enough to show us how it was to be consumed.

Caviar is an expensive delicacy consisting of the unfertilized eggs (roe) of sturgeon brined with a salt solution. Classic caviar comes primarily from Iran or Russia, harvested by commercial fishermen working in the Caspian Sea. A specific species of sturgeon called beluga provide what many consider to be the best caviar in the world.

Caviar Canapes. They were too salty for my liking but of course hubby and I really enjoyed the experience.

Better tasting was the French foie gras or baked fat goose liver.

Although the literal translation from French is "fat liver," foie gras is the term generally used for goose liver. A goose or duck is force-fed and fattened over a period of four to five months. These specially bred fowl are not permitted to exercise, which, combined with the overeating, creates a huge (up to 3 pounds), fatty liver. After the bird is killed, the liver is soaked overnight in milk, water or port. It's drained, then marinated in a mixture usually consisting of Armagnac, Port, or Madeira and various seasonings. The livers are then cooked, usually by baking.

Thank you to Bogie of Yummy Sunday. I am honored to be a featured participant.

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