Buhay Bahay-Bahayan

I rarely remember any of the dreams I have at night. Often, I would wake up in the dead of the night from a really fascinating dream, and I would try really hard to remember the details while the dream is fresh so I could share it with my wife in the morning. Of course when morning came I can barely remember anything.

Whereas my wife Riza, on the other hand, can vividly recall her dreams. In the morning, while driving to the office, she would usually tell me about two or three dreams that she recalls, which we would often laugh about as her dreams range from something ordinary as having dinner with friends to something more of a sci-fi movie, complete with actors and actresses, laser guns, and spaceships. So it’s only fair that I try to recount this funny dream I had:

We had this small party set up for a friend who’s leaving the company. With a microphone, she called a few people, mostly professors in college that we invited, and some very close friends to come up in front with her. You see, she and I are close friends too. She and I went through many nights drinking all our worries away. So when she didn’t call me, I still came up and joined the group, thinking that she might have just forgotten, as all of her close friends are there too, where I belong too. She then thanked each person, calling their name, and saying specific things she valued in them and was thankful for. She was in tears, as most of the people. I was excited for my turn to come. I was wondering what she’ll say. I was wondering if she can make me cry. When my turn came up, she was a tiny bit surprised to see me and was speechless. I thought she was just overwhelmed. After all, we go way back. Then she said “Uy Rico nandyan ko pala,” smiled, and moved to the next guy.

Guess who was the girl in the dream? Si Mordsith! Stupid dream.

Magandang Huwebes muli mga ka-litratista! Oras na naman para sa Litratong Pinoy.

Nakakatuwa ang tema ngayon: “Alam mo na ba?” Parang showbiz tsismis! Pero syempre pa, hindi tungkol doon ang aking lahok. Alam mo na ba na takot ako sa mga matataas na lugar? Parang hindi siguro dahil sa mga canopy walk, zip line, at rapelling na pinaggagawa ko .  Pero ang totoo, takot talaga ako. Sabi nga nila, may libido ako, este vertigo pala . At kahit takot ako ay lakas-loob at pikit-mata ko pa ring ginagawa ang mga ito.

Itong nasa mga litrato na yata ang isa sa pinaka-nakakatakot kong ginawa: ang sumakay ng Cable Car mula Lowland Gradens papuntang Marine Land sa Ocean Park, Hong Kong. Eh kasi ba naman ang tagal ko yatang nakabitin sa mga iyan. Kumpara sa rapelling at zip line na ilang minuto lang, eh parang kalahati na yata ng buhay ko ang naubos sa sobrang bagal ng andar ng mga iyan. Sobrang ninerbiyos at kinabahan ako. Grabeng stress yun. Nakaupo lang ako at hindi masyado gumagalaw, baka kasi mapatid yung tali.

Ito ang aking mga lahok para sa linggong ito ng Litratong Pinoy na may tema na Alam mo na ba? Tayo na at tignan ang iba pang mga lahok ng mga partisipante dito.

I love cheese. I love it so much that I used to buy bars and slice it, or maybe grate it, or both, and nibble while I watch TV/DVD. And here’s a little secret. When right time to get married came up, you know how I choose my wife? I made her make me a cheesecake first . Because my then-girlfriend-and-now-wife didn’t know how on earth does one make a cheesecake, she asked an “older” officemate for a recipe. The big day came when she tried making it herself. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as successful as we all had hoped. But she never gave up and tried it again. This time to great success. She has since then altered the recipe to something of her own and to the glorious kinds of cheesecake (blueberry or oreo, anyone?) that we now enjoy.

But while glorious as it is, I craved for something much more pure, and/or perfect. 100% pure cheesecake, that is. And I found it. Ok, technically, Lori found it, and then I found her site . Ok. Moving on. As Lori of Dessert Comes First said:

The perfect cheesecake is tall, dense, and heavy. When you place a forkful into your mouth, the silkiness of the cheese rolls languorously on your tongue, leaving a velvety-smooth path as it melts, languidly coursing down your throat.

Now that’s what I call food porn! I just love the way she said it. She even went as far as experimenting for ages until she found the right recipe, which she fortunately shared. We’ve had this recipe for quite some time now and I was having second thoughts sharing, it is after all THE BEST cheesecake I’ve had so far.

So here’s her recipe to a champion cheesecake.

2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted

2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 can condensed milk (I like Alaska Condensada because it doesn’t leave a “milky” aftertaste)

3 eggs

juice of 2 calamansi or 2 tsps. lemon juice (if available)

Preheat oven to 300ºF. Combine crumbs, sugar and margarine; press firmly on bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside.

With mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth. Add eggs and calamansi or lemon juice. Mix well.

Pour into prepared pan — it doesn’t matter if crust is still warm. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until center is slightly jiggly but perimeter is set. Cool 1 hour. Chill at least 4 hours to let flavors develop. Will keep in refrigerator for two weeks (but do you really think it will last that long?)

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Photo and recipe from Dessert Comes First. Visit her site for more tips and yummy goodies.