My Page Rank Went Down

I was so happy a few days ago that this blog of mine got a new layout but yesterday I was so disappointed. The PR of this blog was demoted. It went down from PR 2 to PR 1. I wasn't that surprised no more since three of my blogs were ripped off of their PRs a few months ago. First, My Colorful World blog was ripped off of its PR 2, then My Online Journal and Thoughts Of Me were ripped off of its PR 3 several months ago and never gained back the lost PRs. Those blogs of mine had made me money when they still have the PR. Until now they still do but it's not as much as it used to be. PR really helped in paid blogging.

But what really puzzled me is my blog Precious Words which was slapped by Google of its PR 2. I don't do sponsored reviews in that blog. It's purely devotional, inspirational and personal testimonies were posted in that blog authored by me and my hubby. Why did the high and mighty G took away the PR. I just don't understand. Anyway, since that blog is not for making money, it's okay. It just made me wonder what's the basis of mighty G in ripping off the PR from that blog. I know a lot of bloggers' income were affected with this PR ripped off by mighty Google and that includes me.

Pinakbet Ilocano

I posted this recipe here before but I just want to repost it again. One recipe that I always crave to eat is pinakbet. This is one of my favorite Filipino recipes. We always had this recipe in our house way back when I was still there in the Philippines. There are many variations of cooking Pinakbet but I like the Ilocano style with ampalaya. I think pinakbet is not complete without it. I won't get tired eating pinakbet even everyday. Hmmm... yummy.

Pinakbet Ilocano

Indgredients:

* 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
* 2 tbsp. garlic, minced
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1/4 kilo pork, thinly diced
* 7 small tomatoes, cubed
* 4 tbsp. bagoong
* 1 cup warm water
* 2 medium sized eggplants, sliced
* 1 medium sized Ampalaya
* 5 medium sized okra (ladies fingers)


Directions:

1. Heat Oil in a saucepan and saute garlic and onions.
2. Add pork and half a cup of warm water. Stir and cook until meat is soft.
3. Add ginger and tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the bagoong and remaining half-cup water. Bring to boil.
5. Mix in the Amplaya, eggplants and okra.
6. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve Immediately.

Here's a video for Pinakbet.

Green Bean Casserole

Here's one recipe that I love to cook and eat. It's easy to prepare and it taste yummy too. I first tasted this recipe on my first Thanksgiving here in the US. Stacy cooked it and I really like it. here's the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

* 4 (15 ounce) cans green beans, drained
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken and mushroom soup
* 10 3/4 fluid ounces milk
* 1 (6 ounce) can French fried onions
* salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix the green beans with the soup and milk. Gently stir in half the French fried onions. Transfer to a non-greased 9x13 inch baking dish, and season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining French fried onions.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve hot.

Kutsinta

Kutsinta is one of my favorite native cakes in the Philippines aside from puto, tupig and palitao. I used to buy bunch of it everytime I go to the market when I was still there. I searched the recipe of this and luckily I found it. I would want to try to make it one of these days.

Ingredients:
1 c rice flour
2 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c water
1 tsp lye water
grated coconut

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well...

Pour into muffin cups, until half full.Steam in a large pan with a cover; the water should be 2 inches deep. Cook for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let it cool before you remove from the muffin pans and serve with grated coconut.

Holy Cow Beef

For more than 2 years now, my hubby and I have buying meat from free range and grass fed cows. The owner operates an Angus cow/calf operation that produces "home-grown, pasture-raised/finished" beef. They had raised their animals by employing rotational pasture grazing on native Texas grasses, winter annuals and select introduced grasses. Their cows were never given growth hormones, antibiotics or pesticides. Their animals are finished" in the most natural and low stressed conditions. The Holy Cow meat taste a lot better than those meat sold in the supermarket which are not grass fed. It's not as fatty and also you can really tell the difference when you eat them. It's so delicious.

I order the meat once a month from a lady who placed the order that she got from other people and the meat is delivered into her house. My hubby went to pick up my order yesterday. I ordered 10 lbs of ground beef. I love cooking meatloaf, goulash, beef enchilada and also I mix the ground beef with my veggies whenever I cook them.

My Blog's New Look

I just love the new look of my blog courtesy of Ivy. Thank you very much girl. I am so happy with the outcome. She did a very good job. I've been wanting to change the old template but I don't have any idea how to make a template design. I am just impressed with people like Ivy and others who knows how to make a blog layout. Yesterday, I asked Ivy to make a layout for this blog. I told her what I want, an apple green color for this blog with three columns. I also wanted my pics in the header with scrapbook designs. Today she was done doing it. She did it so fast. I'm really impressed. Thank you girl.

Sapin-Sapin

Here's another native cake recipe in the Philippines. I used to buy sapin-sapin when I was still a student during our recess time. It's soft and sweet and I love it.

Ingredients:
1 Can Condensed Milk
1 Can Coconut Milk
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 3/4 Glutinous Rice
Food Coloring

Mix all ingredients together..except the food coloring. Divide the mixture into 3 .. white..purple..yellow.. Grease the round pan... Steam the white mixture first for 15 minutes. Then, put the yellow mixture on top of the white mixture and steam for 15 minutes. After that..add the purple mixture and steam for 15 minutes. Let stand for 30 minutes to cool down. ..fry grated coconut until brown or make your own latik..then sprinkle it ontop...