jakesprinter | The Eclectic Eccentric

Last year our Christmas eve was pretty silent. Some relatives living abroad weren’t able to make it. There was too much food, too little to do 😦 So unlike Christmas Eve 2010 when the whole family’s there… We all dressed up in green, each one trying to outdo the other.lol And we wrote our names down in little pieces of paper for our little Monito Monita/ Exchange gifts. To me Christmas Eve with family means a lot of things and one of the words that I can’t help but associate with the season is FOOD —- like LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of it. We eat like the world’s about to end.lol In fact, I feel like I eat more on Christmas Eve than the rest of the year combined. Oh boy.. ^^ Below are photos from Christmas Eve 2010.

lechon / roasted pig — a must in every huge Filipino festivity ^^

chef wang — kind enough to work overtime and spend Christmas eve with our family

palabok or rice noodles with shrimp gravy, seafood, pork cracklings and deep fried pork and eggs

cordon bleu

shrimp tempura

steamed fish by mommy (my grandma)

rellenong bangus — milkfish stuffed and deep fried

chicken stuffed and baked

embutido — ground meat stuffed

crema de fruta

mixed buttered veggies — an attempt to have “something healthy”– as if! lol

lumpia 2 variations fresh and fried aka spring rolls

caldereta — beef stew with tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. i know it looks gross but it’s yummy!!! my specialty

buko salad – young coconut strips with condensed milk, cream, preserved fruits

gulaman/ gelatine

By the time you reach the end of this post, you’re prolly already suffering from a stroke. ^^

Here’s my happy news… This year, the family’s complete again– well almost.. we’re doing exchange gifts again and dress up in green and it’ gonna be awesome! ^^

see and share how Christmas is celebrated all over the world at Sunday Post by Jake

Merry Christmas from my fam’ly to yours 🙂

In response to jakesprinters weekly photo challenge, I give you my FAVORITE… ^^

from the tree to your kitchen ^^

buko / young coconut salad — always present in every occasion ^^

I already told you how gaga I am over coconut water in my older post** — it’s nature’s soft drink! ^^ It’s a great way to rehydrate your body, raise metabolism, promote weight loss, detoxify, cleanse your digestive tract and prevent urinary tract infections. I’m glad that I get to kill several birds with this one ~~stone~~ post. It’s a great way to spark awareness on the health benefits of the coconut water as well as the other uses of the coconut tree from root to tip:

• Coconut Roots can be used for medicinal purposes.
• Coconut Trunk yields durable wood which is made to various pieces of furniture and structures.
• Coconut Husk is utilized to make rope, matting, and coarse cloth.
• Coconut Leaves are used for roofing, paper pulp, midrib brooms, hats, fans, bags, etc
• Coconut Inflorescence is used to produce Coconut Juice or Tuba – otherwise known as the “poor man’s wine”.
• Virgin coconut oil is used for cosmetic and healing purposes.
• Coconut Shell can be used as materials for handicrafts.
• And lastly, let’s not forget the coconut cooking oil and coconut vinegar which are staples in our household. ^^