Country Lanes And Byways (What Lies Ahead?)

I’ve always been fascinated by distant places where all you see are a vast sea of green, hills,  mountains, highways, country roads, the clear blue sky and clouds. Oh, not necessarily in that order because aside from flowers, clouds are my favorite subject  in photography. Never mind that sometimes, I have to tell hubby or whoever is driving  to slow down a bit so I could take shots of the place.Hubby knows this and he is indulgent enough to offer to stop for a few seconds but then, when it is not practical to do it and we are traveling a winding road, I just click my camera even when I am inside the car.

Last January 2,  hubby and I went on our first road trip for the year going the long distance route from our place in Cainta to Tanay, Rizal. Passing by Marcos Highway was such a breeze because there was no traffic.  Hubby loves driving along curves and bends on a concrete long highway where sometimes all you see are just mountains and the fantastic view of foamy and cotton clouds hovering above.  These are those times when you think of life and how blessed you feel communing with nature. Here are some more shots I took (sorry, if they  look a bit grainy, took them all while traveling) on our way to Regina RICA. The Sierra Madre mountain ranges and the view overlooking Laguna De Bay are simply breathtaking. You won’t even think that this is just about 70 kilometers away from Metro Manila.

 

Traveling in the heart of the country….what bliss!

 

And all these remind me of the song, I See You Lord which goes this way:

I’m so blessed my Lord
I can see you
In all the lovely things
So fine and true
I see you in the beauty
Of the flowers and the rain
I see you between the lines
Of a sweet refrain
I’m so blessed my Lord
I can see you
Even when I’m lonely and in pain
I see you in the beauty of the stars at night
I see you in my life
I feel alright.

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More Practice On Macro Shots

I always love snapping pictures of some blooms in our garden or just across the street where Canna plants  were planted by one of our village helpers. And it’s good to take some shots  when raindrops are still lingering on the tip of the blooms.

 

 

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Penne With Tomato And Chorizo de Bilbao

There are many ways to cook pasta.  My daughter and I have tried so many variations of pasta dishes using different kinds of sauces that sometimes we just invent.  There are as many list of pasta which you can choose from – from the ordinary spaghetti pasta that we are familiar with to the foreign sounding Italian names like fusilli, conchiglioni, farfalle, penne  to name a few. Among our comfort food, pasta is on top of the list. My son prefers it cooked the Filipino way, a little sweet while my daughter and I even use simple ingredients like tomatoes, parsley, canned tuna,  deboned chicken breast or ground pork.  Two days ago, a friend from our Catholic group came over for a chat and the easiest dish to prepare is of course pasta. I have left-over Chorizo de Bilbao which I bought before Christmas to make Callos and a 200 gram pack of bacon. I thought of preparing Penne Arrabbiata  but I was not sure if my friend like something hot and spicy, so the option was,  prepare it with fresh tomatoes, parsley and  I added the stick of Chorizo de Bilbao, cut into thin slices and bacon.

I don’t measure when it comes to cooking except those recipes which need precise measurement. When cooking pasta dish, using olive oil makes it more flavorful. It was a hit with the family and my friend.  The chorizo made all the difference.

I paired it with chicken curry and some left-over-veggies from the ref.  Sometimes we only need to be a little resourceful when it comes to using ingredients that are normally not included in the recipe. Don’t be afraid to experiment because in doing so, you’ll never know what you’ll come up with – something delish and yummy!

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