Force of Habit

When my hb contacted amoebiasis in one of our visits in my homeland, he got very careful the next time around. No kidding, I had to rush him to ER due to dehydration. Actually he didn't get it from drinking water in my house as we always have supply of purified drinking water. He must have caught it in one of our out-of-town escapades in the north. I'm not sure if they have water filters installed in the inns where we stayed, though I was sure we only drank bottled water because I didn't have any stomach problem at all. Hb by force of habit probably drank water from the tap since it's perfectly ok to drink it here in US. Well that was a hard lesson learned for hb. It's not fun to take a trip to ER and missed the flight back home ;-).

Tuna Cakes

Yesterday while planning our lunch, I felt like using whatever canned goods I have in the pantry instead of thawing meat and slicing veggies. I wanted a quickie meal for my 'two' hungry boys. One of the staples I have in my pantry is Tuna in can, then I also have a pack of stuffing mix left over from Thanksgiving Day. I thought I could make a dish out of them so I checked my fave Kraft Foods website for tuna recipe and found this very easy Tuna Cakes. I was glad I've got the other ingredients in my fridge like shredded cheese, mayonnaise and pickle relish too so I didn't have to make a trip to the store anymore. So here's what we had for lunch and they didn't last long. I ate it with steamed rice, but hb ate it as appetizer.

TUNA CAKES

INGREDIENTS:
2 cans (6 oz. each) light tuna in water, drained, flaked

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1 cup Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

3/4 cup water

1 carrot, shredded

1/3 cup Mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. Sweet Pickle Relish

DIRECTION:
1. Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate 10 min.
2. Heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Use ice cream scoop to add 1/3-cup portions of tuna mixture, in batches, to skillet.
3. Flatten into patties with back of spatula. Cook 6 min. or until golden brown on both sides, carefully turning patties over after 3 min.

Source: Kraftfoods.com

Horrible Experience at ER

One of the things that we do when we visit the Philippines is to have executive check-ups. A thorough check-up in the Philippines is nothing compared to how much one major procedure might cost in US so it's obviously a worthwhile part of the itinerary. It's also not a problem walking-in a doctor's clinic or emergency room when you don't feel good. I remember in one of our visits to the Philippines, I had to rush my hb to the ER due to dehydration from diarrhea. He was reluctant to go to a hospital but was too weak to complain and it turned out he had amoebiasis. He was amazed at how a pathologist was available at midnight and his condition was diagnosed in few minutes. When he was discharged he felt like new again. We only paid a little over $10 back then.

Unlike here in US, in 2003 I had to be rushed to ER due to profuse bleeding through my menses. I was very pail and weak and I must have lost a lot of blood already. But when we got in, the staff was more interested in getting my insurance information than checking my vitals. I waited and waited for hours in the waiting area while my hb kept checking at the counter to see if they were ready for me yet. Six hours later a doctor was finally available to see me, and right there and then she said I needed blood transfusion. I was kept for the night in the hospital. I wonder what would have happened if we didn't have insurance or health savings account? After that horrible experience I would never go back to ER ever.

One Sunday at Edaville

Last Sunday we brought our son to Edaville, a family amusement park in Carver, MA famous for their old trains. My son is a Thomas and Friends fanatic so needless to say he had a blast. It was very cold and most people were in their winter gear. We left our place with temperature in the 60's so we were only wearing light jacket. It's a good thing that I keep extra jackets for my son in the car all the time, so he was all set. But the cold temperature didn't stop us from enjoying the rides; the lights; the food; and the festive mood of the place. We took the train and admire the lighted animal displays in and around the park. My hb and son rode the Ferris Wheel and Jumbo Elephant rides while I joined my son in the Carousel. I was glad I brought a lot of recordable cd's for camcorder with extra micro sd to capture our wonderful night at the amusement park. My son is still crazy about watching the video and pictures over and over again.

Plans for Next Summer

Hb and I have been talking about taking a European tour and we thought we could do it next summer. My FIL has hinted already that he couldn't visit us anymore next year like he always does every year because the long trip is taking a toll on his back, oh well he's 85 years old already so it's understandable. So we're thinking of visiting FIL and some of hb's relatives in England and then do France and Italy. But then we realized that our son is still too little and it might be a hassle to take him on a long trip again, so we might do orlando vacations instead. I'm sure he will appreciate Disney better at his age, and I'm ready to be a child again too.

Looking For the Right Kind of Home Lighting

One thing I haven't done in my kitchen yet since we had a semi-makeover awhile back is to change the outdated lights. Though the project was sidetracked for a little bit, it's never forgotten. I always frequent home lighting sites online to browse through different styles and designs of lights to hopefully find the right kind for my kitchen. I am looking for pendant light for my island; chandelier for the dining area; and light for above the sink and work area all in stainless steel finish.

I'm glad to stumble upon Lighting Sale website because they have a wide array of lights I can choose from. Their website is so easy to navigate because they categorized their products as to height and weight; finish; manufacturers; style; and special features. So it was easy to search and find the right kind of light I was looking for. I also liked that some of their products are energy efficient, so that's a plus factor in making a decision. In any products that I buy online, I always go for affordability but without compromising the quality. Also I look for great deals like free shipping; discount; and no sales tax too if possible. And the product being an energy saver as well is really an icing on the cake. All these features are offered by Lighting Sale, so obviously it is the place to shop for home lighting.

Christmas Present for Myself

I'm usually excited to visit the mall at this time of the year and sort of hang out at the home and kitchen area and admire their dinner sets and sterling silver flatware among many others. There are tons of different designs and patterns of dinnerware on display during the holidays, and I must admit that I'm literally drooling over them.

Two years ago I bought a set of dinnerware with Christmas pattern and this year I'm planning to buy a new set of stoneware for everyday use. I truly deserve to get myself a gift for Christmas, and I will go for things that get me weak on the knees, lol. I saw different great patterns that I like at Pfaltzgraff and they can be used not only for everyday meal but for sit-down dinner to entertain friends and family as well. And also they will easily compliment the food that I'm planning to make on Christmas dinner. By the way, do you know that you can get a lot of dinner idea recipes at Yahoo! Food? Yup, despite my numerous cookbooks, I still get recipes online.