Pizza Boys

Honey, who loves to cook is training the boys to cook pizza. While not strictly from scratch, at least "assembling" the ingredients from supermarket available items. It would probably have been cheaper to buy from the local Pizza Hut store, but the joys of making the pizza is much more rewarding.

Honey's Pizza:

1 X Bazaar (or equivalent brand) single serve 3 gourmet pizza bases (if not available, try using Lebanese bread)

1 X Coles 500g (or equivalent brand) shredded mozzarella cheese

1 X Ardmona 405g pizza sauce (Tomato paste mixed with ketchup and water will be a good substitute, mix to right pizza sauce consistency.)

Toppings: sliced salami, shredded ham. You can go crazy on this and have pineapple chunks, smoked salmon, cooked shrimps, canned asparagus, anchovies, vegetables, etc. Obviously kids like the basic ham, cheese and pineapple combination.

Follow the instruction on the pizza base package. Otherwise it is just a matter of simply spreading tomato sauce on the pizza base, putting the toppings and lastly; to hold everything together, add the shredded cheese. It does not have to be mozzarella, it could be tasty or what is available. Being inventive is half the fun.

Next, simply preheat oven to 220 centigrade, brush baking tin with vegetable or olive oil and bake the pizza for eight to ten minutes, or until crisp and golden as desired. A good indication is when the cheese is melted! Just make sure you don't over baked as it will burn and leave a nasty taste.

Be as creative by using what is available in your pantry; like at one instance, in a friend's house I saw her kids using slice bread, tomato ketchup, onions, shredded ham and cheese and just using the griller to melt the cheese. Presto!

Other hints and tips:

For extra crispy base, preheat oven to 220 centigrade and lightly grease pizza pan with olive oil.

For a basic pizza crust, brush olive oil on the pizza base and spread with crushed garlic, add herbs if available or desired. Bake in oven for eight minutes or until brown and crispy. Serve with your favourite dip.

Mine is simply with hommus (just your basic cooked and crushed chickpeas, olive oil, sesame seeds paste, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and sugar to taste in a blender); or even with store bought salsa dip.

Bruschetta, prepare as described above and topped with fresh (de-seeded) diced tomato and spanish onion. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Add ground pepper or chillies if desired, or to taste (again for adults!)

Enjoy!

Father's Day 2008 and beer glass sizes

That's my Lowenbrau litre bier glass from the staff of The Bavarian Bier Cafe at Parramatta. It was an unexpected gift and I was thinking of buying a souvenir and this beer glass is the perfect memento.

I have a collection of beer glasses, (mostly schooner size (425 ml) or pints in other states) with logo of the establishment. This is my first litre size beer glass.

It is interesting to note that while in most countries there is only a glass of beer or a mug, Australia, New Zealand and the UK has some interesting names for different beer glass sizes.

There is the glass (or butcher, six, seven or bobby; depending on which state you are in), which is 200 ml. Then the middy (again different in most states or territory) which is 285 ml.

In an article by the University of New South Wales:

"The Australian dialect of English is remarkable for having virtually no regional variation over the entire continent. However, there's one place that regional terminology runs rampant: the Pub. You can always pick a "foreigner" because they come in and ask for a beer using the wrong glass name or the wrong brand (although the big commercial brands are pretty much national nowadays)."

By the way, my Father's Day post is here. I had a great time to say the least... thanks to Rea, my daughter; Honey who claims I am not her father and to the staff of the Bavarian Bier Cafe (a favorite place, beer and coffee!) for the beer glass.

New addiction to...

... sunflower seeds. Like a bird that needs feeding, Honey is addicted to these sunflower "butong bulaklak" like anything. This one is even coconut flavoured!


I don't know the why and the wherefore, but I was getting addicted to it as well! Imagine sitting in front of the telly with a bagful of these seeds. The only thing with this particular brand and type is that it is not too salty, hence one does not have that sore lips from too much salt much like the Pinoy's local "butong pakwan".


Border security should confiscate these. Help!

Goodbye to ...

... cold nights.

... heavy winter coats.

... very cold mornings.

... cold morning showers (even with hot water!).

... fireplace (which I don't have at this house) and heaters.

Sleepovers and TV Shows

Picture taken while one of Jay and Aiyee's friend, Kiara slept over during one of the kids' school holidays.

As usual they are watching TV, but as they get older their taste turns from cartoons to more TV shows reflecting their ages; like High School: The Musical. It just shows how fast these kids grow up.

Jaylen On cooking TV shows: Honey and I usually watches either travel or cooking shows (or lifestyle) on Foxtel cable.

Jaylen: "Honey, why are you watching that (cooking show)?

Honey: "So I can learn how to cook."

Jaylen: "Honey, everytime I watch that it makes me hungry!" And walks away.

Aiyee on the Beijing Olympics: Honey and Aiyee were watching the weightlifting event.

Aiyee: "Honey, what is he doing?"

Honey: "Oh he is lifting the weights."

Aiyee: "Why is he doing that?"

Honey: "So he can get gold medal!"

Aiyee: "I am not going to do that."

Aiyee: "I am just going to do swimming! Like this Honey... " Demonstrating how he would swim.

So there is still hope that one of my grandsons will be in future Olympics, but don't bet on Aiyee will be lifting weights.

Kallen on TV, even while half sleeping.

Kallen: "Look Honey, look!"

Kallen: "Power Rangers Honey... SPD, I want SPD!"

Playing with Nintendo DS

Isn't Aiyee looks so grown up and cool! What a poser... He is cute though!

Some Saturdays

Some Saturdays, the boys will spend sometime with us by sleeping over the Friday night. In the morning, we will have our usual cappuccinos, while the boys will have baby chinos, which is just steamed and frothy milk.

Then we will have either eggs and pan de sal or Spanish bread from our favorite Pinoy bakery, Starlight Bakery. But most times the kids love my pancakes, as the case here with Kallen!

Pensive Hood

Aiyee in his pensive mood, either that or he is already hungry. This is the same day that they went to the museum and we were just waiting for his mom and dad at the King Street Wharf.

I was going to meet up with them at the museum but was "banned" from going. I guess I have this notoriety for spending too much time at the museum. But my daughter said it is their "family time". Good, I was able to spent time around Sydney CBD and shot some photos.

Our shadows, while feeding these pesky sea gulls!

Coke Addicts

A month ago the kids were treated to their first Australian Museum visit, with the Dinosaurs Just Moved Into Sydney “650 square metre” exhibition. As any other kids, they loved dinosaurs.

After which we met them for lunch at Wagamama at King Street Wharf. That is where the picture above was taken. The kids just guzzling their cokes served in this retro coke bottles.

After lunch, we went into Darling Harbour for a walk, ice creams and mini-train rides. What a day...

Goodbye Amy...

I received the following email (see below) and the above flyer yesterday.

I last saw Amy in our last high school reunion in San Diego in 2006. She looks fine and bubbly and news from the grapevine is that she is recuperating and in remission from breast cancer. I did not spoke or talk about it. The important thing was that she was there, obviously happy to see her classmates. To me, that is all that matters...

So how do we cope when someone we know, someone we love, someone we are close to pass on to the "great divide"? Obviously we feel sad and regretful of what could have been. We could have spent more time, laugh more and shared life more. Death and mortality teaches us that. When the end (at least in this life, as we know it!) is near, when we felt near death or have had a brushed with death; life becomes more fuller and colourful. When our lives passed before us in that single instant, we tend to take stock of our lives and focus on what we want our lives to be. What we want to cross out in our "bucket list"... what we want to accomplish and experience.

Amy, (far right with glasses) seated beside Noi at the last reunion. Photo courtesy of Maria.

So Amy's death (and the death of so many friends and relatives), teaches us to "seize the day" everyday. Carpe diem!

Edna's email:

"Hello Batch Mates,

It has been a week since we met our batch mates and friends, when we paid our last respects to Amy. We shared our love and grief with one another. The following were present: Janet, Beth, Ruby and husband, Lota, Jean, Virginia and husband, Kim and Ben, Butch and wife, Ver, Alan Bravo and wife, and Chato de Castro. (My apologies to some that I probably missed).

Memorial service is a time for mourning but we know in our heart that this is also time of joy. Amy ran the race, and fought the fight. Now she is resting with the Lord and will receive her crown of glory from the Savior that she loved and served.

We learned from listening to her family and close friends that her battle with pain and illness is over. We know that she is now in a better place. We know that she is finally at rest after a long time of battling sickness.

After the memorial service, some of our batch mates went to Chow King to continue our catching up on how each other were doing; because we know that after we separated from each other who knows when we will have the time to see each other and sit down and talk.

We decided that we need to keep in touch more often on better circumstance. Our first OCNHS Batch 74 get together will be on September 20, 2008. We just want to sit down and talk awhile, and also to set aside this time in memory of Amy."

I know how "busy" your lives are, with work and family commitments. We only ask that you spent this day, 20 September 2008; with us. Take a leave of absence from whatever you are doing, rest and recharge with your batch mates and friends... and finally say goodbye to Amy!