" see the beauty "

PHILIPPINE TRAVEL

Philippine travel destinations guide gives you an overview  of popular  tourist spots in the Philippines.  On each of the featured tourist destination  in this travel guide,  you will find places of interest on each destination,  things to do and how to get there. We have included  a page of travel tips, a list of interesting Philippine festivals that runs year round, a collection of underwater scuba diving pictures,  and a map of the  Philippines for your reference. Communications and getting around the country  is easy as most  Filipinos understand and speak English.  Mobile phones are used  throughout the archipelago. Foreigners can buy "pre-paid" SIM cards for  their cell phones for temporary  use in the  country to avoid costly roaming charges.  Also, foreign currency can easily be converted into Philippine Peso  and all major credit cards are accepted in  major establishments. Filipinos are a fun-loving and friendly people.

features:

Surigao Del Sur: Adventurer’s Shangri-La by 

the Pacific

Surigao del Sur is on of the last remaining frontier provinces of the Philippines and has been describes as an “Adventurer’s Shangri-La by the Pacific.” Cagwait White Beach is on of the best unspoiled beaches in the Philippines.

Bislig Surigao Del Sur Tinuy-An Falls

The waves of Luzano Bay are ideal for top performance surfing. The kissing islets of San Agustin are a unique natural formation. The multi-tiered Tinuy-an Falls located in Bislig are among the spectacular in the country. The soothing Malinawa Cool Spring in Cantilan also attracts tourists.

BORACAY

Philippines the Archipelago of Asia

This Large water body is also called as the Captain of the South Seas and is adored for its tranquility and splendor. This Filipino Republic is the paradise and the beauty of the world. This little piece of land is consisting of 7,107 islands located between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam, and north of Sabah and Borneo.

The Philippines is an archipelago abundant in nature, rich in culture, and filled with discoveries. The natural wonders, colorful history and warm, engaging people make living there more presentable and a collection of memories. With manila as its Capital city, the land spreads to an area of 298,170 km2 and with the Pacific Ocean surrounding it. With a varied culture, over a dozen languages and a fusion of groups, living at Filipino makes it worthwhile.

The major cities swarming with population are Manila (Capital), the Angeles, Bacolod, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Vigan and Zamboanga City are some of the well known.

Grotto In The Sea

Pinsal Falls

" home cooking "

Baked Macaroni

Ingredients

• 225 g. of macaroni (you can use penne or ziti as well)
  3 tbsps. of butter
  3 tbsps. of olive oil
  1/4 kg. of ground beef (sirloin, if you want minimal fat)
  1/4 kg. of smoked ham or bacon, or salami or pepperoni (sliced as thinly as you can)
  1/4 kg. of fresh button mushrooms, sliced
  1 kg. of tomatoes, chopped
  1/4 kg. of onions, chopped
  4-5 green or red bell peppers (or 6-8 pimientoes), cored and chopped
  1 whole garlic, peeled and finely minced
  1 c. of good meat broth
  a bunch of fresh basil leaves, chopped, or about a teasponful of dried basil leaves
  3 sprigs of fresh oregano, stripped, or 1 tsp. if dried oregano leaves
  salt
  pepper
  sugar
  For the topping :
  1/3 c. of butter
  1/3 c. of flour
  about 3 c. of milk
  half of a 225 g. block of 
  quickmelt (processed)
   sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  half of a 225 g. block of cream cheese (thanks to reader Rowena for this tip), softened then cut into small pieces
  salt
  pepper

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, undercooking by about 5 minutes. This will allow the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce, absorbing the flavors. Drain, rinse and set aside.
   Heat the butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat in a sauce pan. Add the ground beef, breaking up the lumps. Add the garlic and cook until the meat starts to brown. Add the ham, bacon, salami or pepperoni. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add all the chopped vegetables and herbs. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften. Pour in the meat broth. Season with salt, pepper and some sugar. The sugar will neutralize the acidity of the tomato paste. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
   While the sauce simmers, prepare the cream-cheese topping.
   
   Melt the butter in a saucepan.
   
   When frothy, add the flour all at once, stirring. Let the flour cook for about 5 minutes to remove any floury taste in the cooked topping.
   
   Usually, the flour is cooked when the mixture starts to turn golden brown.
   
   Pour in the milk slowly, again, stirring as you pour. By the time all the milk has been incorporated into the mixture, it will appear to be a little thin.
   
   Don’t worry, the cheeses will thicken them to the required consistency.
   
   Add the cheeses.
   
   Set the heat to low and let the cheeses melt, stirring the mixture occasionally.
   Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper.
   Now, back to the meat sauce. When the sauce is done, add the cooked pasta and toss well. Let the mixture cook over low heat with an occasional stirring. This should allow the pasta to finish cooking. Usually, this step takes about 5-6 minutes.
   Pour the pasta and sauce into a baking dish. Make sure that the dish is large enough so that the mixture is an inch below the rim. You will still be adding the topping. Everything will simmer and bubble during baking and you don’t want the sauce and topping falling onto the oven floor.
   
   Pour the topping onto the pasta mixture, spreading to seal the edges. If you don’t seal the edges, the exposed pasta will dry up during baking.
   
   Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. How brown depends on you. A well-browned topping is more aromatic and attractive but, if there are leftovers, the topping does have a tendency to get overbrowned during reheating.
   
   Let the baked macaroni rest for about 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with garlic sticks or buttered toast.

Quick Notes

See readers’ versions of my baked macaroni here and here.

See photos from the many times I have made this baked macaroni for various occasions here, here and here.

Cooking time (duration): about an hour

Classic Beef Lasagne

INGREDIENTS:

600g lean beef mince
700g tub Latina™ Fresh Italian, Tomato & Garlic Sauce
375g pack Latina™ Fresh Lasagne Sheets
425g tub Latina™ Fresh Creamy Carbonara Sauce
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Wild rocket leaves for serving

PROCEDURE:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced oven). Brown beef in non-stick pan. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Spoon a little of the meat sauce into the base of a 28cm x 18cm ovenproof dish. Layer Lasagne sheet then a quarter of the meat sauce and a quarter of the carbonara sauce, repeat twice. Top with mozzarella.
3. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until pasta is tender and lasagne lightly browned. Serve topped with rocket.

Mighty meaty pasta with tomato cream sauce

Ingredients

• 225 g. of pasta (I suggest spaghetti, linguini or fettuccine), cooked al dente
  For the sauce:
  4 tbsps. of olive oil
  250 g. of ground beef
  250 g. of spicy sausages
  1 large onion, chopped
  2 c. of chopped tomatoes (I used canned)
  3 sprigs of oregano
  salt
  pepper
  sugar
  1 c. of cream
  To garnish:
  grated cheese
  chopped flat-leaf parsley or sweet basil

Instructions

1. 
   Slit the skins of the sausages, peel off and discard. Pull the meat part into small pieces.
   
   Heat the olive oil. Add the beef and sausage meat. Cook until no longer pink.
   
   Add the chopped onion, stir and cook until the meat is lightly browned and the onion bits start to turn translucent.
   No garlic? Whether or not garlic should be added depends on the kind of sausage you’re using. If using a spicy and garlicky variety, adding more garlic might be overkill. So, I’ll leave the garlic part to you.
   
   Pour in the chopped tomatoes. Strip the oregano leaves off their stalks directly on top.
   
   Stir. Season with salt, pepper and a bit of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
   
   Pour in the cream.
   
   Stir and boil gently, uncovered to prevent curdling, for about a minute. Adjust the seasonings, if necessary.
   
   To serve, place some cooked pasta on a plate or shallow bowl. Ladle a generous amount of sauce and meat over the noodles. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Garnish with parsley or basil.
   Have a lovely meal.

   
   

   Creamy Carbonara

    

Ingredients

2 cans Creamed of Mushroom Soup (preferably Campbell)
250 ml All Purpose Cream (Nestle)
200 grams sweet ham, in small squares
200 grams bacon, shredded
Spinach Fettucine (400 grams noodles are green and I like the contrast of the white creamy carbonara sauce against the green noodles)
1 head garlic
a dash of nutmeg
a dash of pepper
Olive Oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese for topping

Preparation

1. Prepare the pasta (fettuccine noodles) based on instructions. Set Aside.

2. Fry the bacon until brown and not too crispy. Set Aside 1/4 for topping and the rest for the sauce.

3. In a sauce pan, saute garlic with olive oil. Add ham and 3/4 of the fried bacon.

4. Add the 2 cans of creamed mushroom soup with 2 cans of water.

5. Add the cream. Mix well.

6. Season with nutmeg and pepper.

7. If the bacon or ham you bought was too salty that it made the sauce salty as well, just mix in additional cream to neutralize the salty taste.

8. Serve the sauce and noodles separately. Top with bacon bits.

"liquors and juices recipes"

Stars and Stripes

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 to 7 Fresh blueberries
• 1 oz Stoli Blueberi Vodka
• .25 oz Lucid Absinthe
• .25 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• Splash of lemon juice
• G.E. Massenez Framboise Sauvage Raspberry Brandy
• Ginger beer

Garnish: Sugar cube

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

In a shaker, muddle the blueberries. Add the vodka, absinthe, syrup and lemon juice, and fill with ice. Shake, and pour (unstrained) into a highball glass. Drizzle with brandy and top with ginger beer. Garnish with one sugar cube.

Categories: Cocktail Recipes, Cocktails & Recipes
Tags: absinthe, brandy, holiday recipe, july 4, stars and stripes, vodka

Cranberry Liqueur
Ingredients: 1 cup water 2 cups sugar 2 cups cranberries, washed and coarsely chopped 1 Tablespoon grated lemon rind 1 Tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate 2 cups Vodka (if you prefer a stronger alcoholic mixture, substitute some of the water with vodka)
Directions: Combine water and sugar in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer sugar syrup for five minutes,  making sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the cranberries, lemon rind and orange juice concentrate.  Remove syrup mixture from heat and cool enough  so that you can safely pour the mixture into a blender.  Use the chop setting, making sure that the berries are just barely chopped.  Allow the mixture to cool. Add vodka and stir. Pour into a large glass jar, cover and store in a cool,  dark place for three weeks, stirring every so often.  If you make this during the winter you can store in a cool place in the house.  If you make the liqueur in the warm weather, store in the refrigerator. After steeping for three weeks, strain the mixture  several times using a mesh strainer or cheesecloth  until the mixture comes out clear. Pour into glass jars,  cover and store liqueur and pulp in the refrigerator.  Reserve the pulp for other great things! Yield: 2 ½ to 3 cups liqueur Summer Punch Ingredients: 1 quart fresh, unsweetened tea 1 46-ounce can of unsweetened pineapple juice ½ gallon orange juice 1 small can (6 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate   1 can (11.3 ounces) apricot nectar (often found in the ethnic section or Hispanic aisle) 1 liter ginger ale Directions: Step-by-step Mix all ingredients and chill. Serve with mint sprigs.  For parties, you can make an ice ring of ginger ale.  This helps keep the punch chilled. Float orange or lemon slices in the bowl. Watermelon Punch Ingredients: 1 lemon or orange, washed and sliced 1 2-liter bottle of lemon lime soda, chilled. Reserve half 1 large watermelon 1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate ¾ cup sugar or to taste Directions: The ice mold should be made earlier, in time for it to freeze.  The punch needs to be made just before serving. Ice Ring: Slice the lemon or orange and arrange in the ice mold.  Pour 1/2 the lemon-lime soda into the mold and freeze. Punch:Cut watermelon into halves.  Scoop out pulp and place in blender, seeds and all. Blend for several seconds on medium speed.  Strain through a fine-sieve colander, squeezing out juice.  Discard solid parts. Pour watermelon juice into a large container with lid.  Add orange juice concentrate and sugar and stir until  sugar and orange juice are dissolved. Chill until ready to serve. When ready to serve, pour punch into clear glass or plastic punch bowl.  Add the lemon-lime soda and stir. Place ice ring in the punch bowl. Serving Suggestions: This is a gorgeous red punch,  so be sure to serve it in a clear glass or plastic container.  It looks great served in wine glasses.