Buhay Bahay-Bahayan

Time for an ice cream weekend! :o:

And to help us bum over the weekend are these two tubs of Ben&Jerry’s ice cream in our favorite flavor, Banana Split, that were bought on sale at S&R, Aseana branch, in Macapagal Blvd. The other ice cream flavor on sale was Pistachio Pistachio.

Photos were taken in our empty freezer. :oups:

Ditch Selecta, Nestle, and Magnolia.

Have some Ben&Jerry’s ice cream.

Enjoy! :8

(Photo Source)

Warning: Source photo link contains graphic pictures of dead bodies.

Much has been said and written about the Maguindanao massacre. And I join the thousands, if not millions, of Filipinos grieving and demanding for justice. What saddened me the most was that people accompanying the candidates were also raped and brutally murdered.

There could have been more. Four survivors are said to be in hiding. And a few more journalists who were late because one needed to fetch his laptop and use the bathroom were spared.

Let no one doubt that the horrors perpetrated in Maguindanao, in which two candidates, media persons accompanying them to the Comelec office, and civilians were stopped by policemen and paramilitary forces who then proceeded to murder and rape the group, deserves the strongest condemnation.

…And yet we must acknowledge that this kind of political murder is par for the course among the warlord allies the administration has assiduously coddled and who have thrived in the era of impunity fostered by the present dispensation. The only thing different is the scale of the brutality, the level of brazen impunity, so that no one previously conditioned to shrug off such atrocities can do so now that Christians and media people have become targets as well.

…even as the President’s advisers darkly propose a state of emergency or some sort of emergency rule in Maguindanao, just how willing or able will the national government be to actually do something about the Ampatuans as the country—and the ruling coalition—braces for the 2010 elections?

More than ever, we need a leader.

(Photo Source)

I should have written this around three years ago, which was when I was obsessed with panna cotta.

I first tasted this Italian custard dessert in a now defunct restaurant in Greenbelt 3 called Cascada that my wife and I used to frequent. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know about my love affair with seafood, especially crabs and prawns, and how I hate beef. Anyway, it was another night of Prawns Termidor, and my wife and I decided to try this resto’s desserts in lieu of heading down to Cafe Breton (our favorite creperie after all these years). That’s when I first tasted a panna cotta, a buko pandan panna cotta to be exact. This milky goodness was sweet, rich and velvety, with the  hint of pandan and buko. I could have this on my deathbed. Thus, my search for the best panna cotta began.

I’d order one whenever the restaurant we’re in have it on their menu. One time, we even drove all the way to Tagaytay because a restaurant claimed it has the best, only to find out that they ran out when we got there.

But I did find it. It was in Restaurant Verbena, Discovery Country Suites.

At only Php 220 for this fantastic trio topped with saffron and caramel oranges, strawberries, and lemon balm and pistachios, the serving is big enough for sharing.

And it’s perfectly normal (for me at least) to drive more than an hour and order this. Add a cappuccino or latte, or maybe tea, and you’re all set. Enjoy it by their enclosed veranda with the cool Tagaytay breeze gently coming in.

Of course if you can’t or doesn’t have the time to drive to Tagaytay, you can always make one at home. They have the recipe online. Click here.