By 4:30 pm our table was ready.
The food, not yet. I did not plan beforehand what to serve at our Noche Buena dinner. Antonia volunteered to make her specialty Arroz la Valenciana and biko for dessert.
I gave her some money to buy for ingredients. The night before, she asked me if our breakfast would be the arroz. I got confused. I thought it would be for our noche buena.
“So mam, hindi na brikpast?”
It’s Christmas, not an opportune time to get pissed.
I ordered one Kinulob na Manok in advance. We picked it up after I came from Farmers Market. It’s ready to eat.
I saw one whole dressed chicken on the kitchen counter. I asked her what is that for? She said she’s going to cook fried chicken. I asked for when? And who’s going to eat? She said for our noche buena. “Antonia, di ba meron na tayong chicken pang noche buena? Manok din.”
She said terno daw sa chicken. ???
“So mam, hindi na ko mag fried chicken?”
It’s Christmas, not a good time to get pissed.
We made it to the 8 pm Christmas Eve mass. Edmund found a parking fast.
The church was overflowing with dutiful Catholics. Oyen and I found seats but Edmund and Nyke remained standing all throughout the one and forty minute mass.
Oyen and I were so distracted by the family on the front row. There were several kids and they were moving in every direction. The mother was also not paying attention to the mass, I caught her playing with her daughter during consecration. The guy seated beside Oyen said “That’s why I only have two kids”. Even people from the other alley were looking at them. I was trying to remember if there was ever an instance when toddler Oyen was that likot inside the church. Hindi. My kids were behave during masses. Kung hindi, kurot ang aabutin nila sa akin.
The schedule was just right, I still have time to cook before our traditional midnight meal.
Antonia—- I-steam na natin itong lobsters.
She started chopping onions and garlic. Placed a large frying pan and started sauteing the onions and garlic.
Omb———-“Antonia, ano’ng iluluto mo?”
A————“Yung lobster”.
Omb———-“Sabi ko steam, hindi ginisa”.
A————“Hindi igigisa?”
It’s Christmas, not a good time to get pissed.
Biko by Antonia
My menu would be a simple lettuce salad with choice of Balsamic dressing or miso dressing, fettucini pasta with blue cheese, mushroom, truffles alfredo cream sauce. I finished one fourth bottle of minced black truffles from Maison de Truffle. The kInulob na manok, Antonia’s Arroz. Fruit salad for dessert plus Antonia’s Biko. Drinks would be freshly squeezed 100% pure Kiatkiat oranges with fresh mint leaves, red wine.
Salad with Norwegian salmon, grilled scallops, grilled prawns. I totally forgot to put shavings of Gruyere and Parmigiano Reggiano. I bought pa naman from Santi’s.
Edmund opened a bottle of Saint Emilion red wine. We thought it came from Bordeaux yun pala he bought it from Rustan’s.
Goofing around while mom sets the table
Here comes food
May peace and love be multiplied. Jude 1:2
