All the traveling last May calls for a break. My wallet agrees with that idea. Besides, I never equate happiness with having deep pockets. There is something new to discover and sometimes these things can be found just around the corner.
And sometimes, you have to ride a jeepney to take you there. Well, in my case, not all the time. The first week of June, my friend dropped by my city from a road trip. They traveled from Manila to Iligan by land. It was Sunday when we arrived and they wanted to go to some tourist attractions in the city like the museum and the Balangay Shrine. I have experience in this aspect. Alas, every attraction we went to was closed. My last hope was the Bood Promontory. It is a public park with no gate but we were in the area where we need to cross the river to get there but there was no boat! Nevertheless, I got this view.
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A local ice cream factory is just 5 blocks away from our house. Whenever we crave ice cream, we just walk and buy a half gallon ice cream. I always love it when we pass by this house.
This house is a favorite of mine since childhood. My cousin and I would dream that Cinderella lives here. I am glad this house is still in good condition.
My aunt and I decided to use a different route going home. We took the a detour near the river. This area used to be full of informal settlers. They have been relocated years ago. 
My aunt got creative with the ice cream. She tried to create a ‘healthier’ version. 
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My cousins went on a trip on the second week of June. They left this cutie in my care.
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My aunt got tired of our adobo-prito-guisado recipe cycle that she requested afritada. Good thing there are mixes available in the grocery. I used UFC Afritada sauce in this one and followed instructions in thepackaging. 
As I was looking at my June photos, I realized I did a lot of cooking last month.
I cooked palitaw (sticky rice dumpling with coconut).
The stormy days called for guinataang bilo-bilo na may mais (Sticky Rice Balls with corn in Coconut milk ). 
This mushroom soup is a regular dish in the family but it is usually my aunt who cooks this dish. This is the first time that I made this myself following the instructions from my aunt.
Not every dish I made was a success. I tried Connie’s perfect custard cake. I think I have undercooked this one. It looks perfect on this side. 
It actually looked like this! Fail! 
So we ended up freezing it and it was delicious. 
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I also tried to learn how to draw a realistic eye. 
I still need to practice more. This is the Youtube video if you want to learn, too.
Oh, we have a new cutie pie in the family. 
The fact remains that this other cutie is still the biggest baby. I am referring to the dog, not me. 
How was your June?
What a great month you’ve had.
Can you link or provide a recipe for the sticky rice balls with corn in coconut milk? And the custard cake? They look intriguing and delicious (in spite of your fail)
Hi!
Try this one: http://blog.junbelen.com/2013/01/09/how-to-make-ginataang-bilo-bilo-sticky-rice-dumplings-in-coconut-milk/ I skipped and replaced the other ingredients. I only used glutinous powder, water, coconut milk, sugar and canned corn kernels.
For the custard cake, this is the recipe I used: http://celebration.casaveneracion.com/the-perfect-custard-cake/
The mushroom soup looks HEAVENLY! Sounds like you had a wonderful June. I can’t even remember my last week. 🙂
That happens to me, too! I review my photos to recall my week!
What a lovely staycation! I am visiting my family and friends, so my month has been filled with trying to connect with as many old friends as possible. It’s been a lot of fun.
Great! I love meetups and reunions with family and friends.
You’re very creative! And, you live in such a lovely place!
your June was remarkable, you did a lot of cooking…love the ginataan and custard cake!
I love the rustic beauty and the food photos make me crave for some of them now !
I am really craving for bilo bilo… Ang gaganda ng photo sis. Like them all 🙂 Do you have instagram?
I don’t have instagram. I still don’t have a smartphone. I’ll post when I have one.
my June was so hectic. .. and I think all months next to it.. I promise to save ad will go to a bonggang vacay if I got time. 🙂
That custard cake got me.lol I like how to document your whole month. I sometimes tend to forget what happened that fast.hehe
I love how the photos were photographed! Prfo na ang dating sis! Love it! 🙂
Thanks! OA na pagka-TH ko sa photgraphy. hehehe
Indeed, it is still nice to stay at home during vacation. hehehe
my June was my breaking point. i was so busy. but reading your post made me so hungry. 🙂
i’m curious about that mushroom soup. looks yum. and the custard cake, despite the uhmm, fail as you mentioned. it still looks sweet and delightful.
gusto ko yung mushroom soup. haha. i’ve had my share on experimenting with various desserts for june. 🙂 staycation is not bad. sometimes you’ll be amazed with what you can discover when you re-explore your hometown.
You’ve had a great month, Kat! I love that you live so near an ice cream factory. Parang Disney shows lang! And everything you cooked looks delicious. 😀
Pahamak din sa mga pinaplanong diet. 🙁
You’ve got a nice neighborhood…parang stress free as you look at the surroundings. And you’re talented too…di pa ba realistic ang eye na yan hehehe…I also practice with that but it’s hard pag 2 eyes na and you have to balance them hehehe..
Oh, I have not tried drawing a face witht his technique. Will look for a tutorial. 😀
ganda ng eye! i would love to go back to painting. with all these “stressors”, one of best remedies is a creative outlet hihihi
My June passed by so quickly. I was busy as a bee but I was conscious too that the year has gone by so fast. Soon December na!