The past few weeks have been worrisome and chaotic in different parts of the world. Many people are scared and clueless about the world pandemic that is called Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19.
Many nations in the world are affected. Thousands are confirmed positive and killed by the disease. The virus is highly transmissible and it is spreading as of this writing.
The number of positive cases and the death toll is increasing. Many areas are on lockdown with hopes to prevent the viral disease from spreading.
Businesses and establishments are closed. Supermarket and grocery shelves are being emptied very fast because of panic buying. People are placed under home quarantine to prevent transmission.
There is much information spreading on social media and the internet about COVID-19. But some of this information is false and can only cause unnecessary fear and panic.
I believe that knowledge is a powerful thing. This is why I am sharing this simple walkthrough, so you’ll know the facts about this disease and the necessary precautions that you can do to avoid it.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China.
Can I get COVID-19?
Yes. COVID-19 is spreading from person to person in parts of the world. Risk of infection from the virus that causes COVID-19 is higher for people who are close contacts of someone known to have COVID-19, for example, healthcare workers, or household members.
Other people at higher risk for infection are those who live in or have recently been in an area with an ongoing spread of COVID-19.
The current list of global locations with cases of COVID-19 is available on CDC’s web page at https://www.cdc.gov/ coronavirus/2019-ncov/locations-confirmed-cases.html
How does COVID-19 spread?
The virus that causes COVID-19 probably emerged from an animal source, but is now spreading from person to person. The virus is thought to spread mainly between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
It also may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
Learn what is known about the spread of newly emerged coronaviruses at https://www.cdc.gov/ coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/transmission.html.
Patients with COVID-19 have had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of:
fever
cough
shortness of breath
What are severe complications from this virus?
Some patients have pneumonia in both lungs, multi-organ failure and in some cases death.
People can help protect themselves from respiratory illness with everyday preventive actions.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
If you are sick, to keep from spreading respiratory illness to others, you should
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
What should I do if I recently traveled from an area with an ongoing spread of COVID-19?
If you have traveled from an affected area, there may be restrictions on your movements for up to 2 weeks. If you develop symptoms during that period (fever, cough, and trouble breathing), seek medical advice.
Call the office of your health care provider before you go, and tell them about your travel and your symptoms. They will give you instructions on how to get care without exposing other people to your illness.
While sick, avoid contact with people, don’t go out and delay any travel to reduce the possibility of spreading illness to others.
Is there a vaccine?
There is currently no vaccine to protect against COVID-19. The best way to prevent infection is to take everyday preventive actions, like avoiding close contact with people who are sick and washing your hands often.
Is there a treatment?
There is no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19. People with COVID-19 can seek medical care to help relieve symptoms.
I could not believe that my last post was in 2014. That was 4 years ago and I only have one kid at that time. Now I am a well-versed mom of three, though I am still learning new things each day.
The past 4 years had taught me so many things which made me the person I am today. I am glad that after all the worse trials and tribulations, I am still standing here, living and breathing by God’s grace.
Let us now fill in the gaps of the past 4 years. In 2015, I gave birth to my son, who is my second child. He is so precious. But along with his birth, there are many financial difficulties which we have experienced.
During that period, we went from one place to another, wandering helplessly because of our financial ignorance. I am a little young that time, but not too young. However, there was no one there to teach me how to be financially responsible and equipped for the future.
I do not want my other relatives, most especially my siblings to experience those same difficulties. So now, I want to break the cycle and let them be financially educated as early as possible. I always tell them, “Save for the rainy days.”
What helped us a lot to overcome our trials in 2015 was my part-time job as a content writer. That job was really low-paying than my present job. But what I did was to work like a carabao (work hard with heavy loads). I do not want my eldest to be hungry because she was still bottle-feeding and I thank God that my son was breastfeeding that time. Luckily, my husband got a new job.
In 2016, there are still many turning points in our lives. I think that God is really preparing us well for the blessings to come. We are still on the verge of difficulties. My husband was not earning enough and I cannot earn enough, as well.
We also went through many other problems, which made me depressed. But thankfully, God moved one of my friends to reach out to me. They helped me regain my strength and they let me know that I am loved by God.
In 2017, we moved to another place which we did not expect to live in. But by Gods grace, many blessings had poured unto us while we were there. That was the most amazing year of our life so far. It was the time when we experienced so many changes and miracles. I got a full-time home-based job, and I also became pregnant with my third child.
Now, in 2018, we have finally turned our backs from our old ways and decided to walk each day with Jesus. Of course, we are still works-in-progress and we still have our weaknesses. But we put our hope in Christ that we shall continue to walk with him and be good stewards of his blessings.
Right now, I want to continue sharing the many wonders of my imperfect life and how amazing our God is through this blog.
Here comes the rainy days, here comes August. In the Philippines, the month of August is usually composed of rainy days or a combination of fair mornings and wet afternoons. It is also a month when typhoons bombard the country from all direction. But since it is El Nino season, the weather now is mostly warm and fair. During the wet days, you may want to eat soups, stews and hot dishes. But during warm days, you can enjoy any dish that you like.
There always comes a time when you just can’t satisfy your sweet tooth by just eating desserts. Here is the answer to your sweet cravings. It is a balance of sweetness and sourness all packed in a savory dish. It is very simple and easy to prepare. Here’s how:
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
For the meat balls:
1/2 kilo of ground pork, washed and strained
A teaspoon of all-purpose seasoning
Two large white or red onions, minced (red onions are more flavorful, in my opinion)
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour (to be used as a binder)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking oil
*you can also add minced boiled carrots if you want to add veggies
For the sweet and sour sauce:
A tablespoon of cooking oil
One medium onion, chopped
Three cloves garlic, minced
Two red bell peppers, seeded and jullienned
Two tablespoons of banana catsup
Three tablespoon of white sugar
Two tablespoons of white vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of water
A tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in water
How To Make:
For the meatballs:Β
First, mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix using your hand until well incorporated and form into balls of your desired size.
Heat some cooking oil in a skillet. Deep fry the meat balls until cooked. Strain the excess oil and set aside.
For the sauce:
Heat the cooking oil in a sauce pan.
Saute the garlic, onions and bell peppers.
Put the water, vinegar and catsup. Bring to a boil.
Add the sugar, salt and pepper. Adjust according to your taste preference.
Add the cornstarch.
Simmer until you achieve desired thickness.
Put the meatballs into the sauce and simmer for a few minutes to let the flavor sit.
People love pizza… with all its cheesy meaty crispy taste…
Who would not take a bite into this versatile delight?
Pizza can fit into breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner.
It can be a complete meal on its own.
But for those who are avoiding carbs, here is a pizza version that can still satisfy your craving without the extra carbs.
I also call it egg pizza.
.
Flourless Pizza
You Will Need:
Two whole eggs, beaten
¼ cup of ready-made pizza sauce or tomato ketchup
⅓ cup of cheddar cheese, grated
1 small green or red bell pepper, julienned
1 small red or white onion, sliced
1 regular hotdog, sliced and cooked
¼ cup of sliced button mushrooms (optional)
How To Make:
Simply cook the beaten eggs as a plain omelet but do not mix it. Let it cook into a round piece of omelet.
Put the cooked egg on a plate or a baking sheet.
Spread the pizza sauce over the omelet.
Sprinkle the grated cheese.
Top it with the rest of the ingredients.
You can serve it as is or cook in the microwave or oven until the cheese melts.
*sorry if i cannot provide a picture of this because i have mistakenly deleted it…. this is a repost fron my other blog at blogspot….
Here’s a different way of cooking menudo.
A recipe I learned from my
uncle. Menudo, which is a popular and indispensable dish in fiestas
and parties in the Philippines.
What you’ll need:
2 tbsps cooking oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped
2 pcs red bellpepper, cut into squares
10 pcs kalamansi, sliced into halves
2 medium potatoes, cut into cubes
1 medium carrot, cut into cubes
1/2 kilo pork kasim with fat, menudo cut
1/4 cup soysauce
2 tsps MAGIC SARAP seasoning granules
1/2 tsp fine black pepper
1 small can RENO liverspread
1 small pack tomato paste
1 small pack tomato sauce
1 small can green peas
1/4 cup dried raisins
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water
PROCEDURE:
First off, you need to separate the pork fat from the meat. Set aside
the fat and marinate the pork in soysauce, kalamansi, pepper and
seasoning granules mixture. Set aside. Heat a little cooking oil in a pan and put in the pork fat. Cover
until the fat is reduced. Set aside the reduced pork fat. Use the oil
from the fat to saute other ingredients.
Fry the carrots and potatoes until half-cooked.
Set aside.
Strain the marinated pork to remove excess liquid.
Fry pork and set aside.
Saute the garlic, onion and bellpepper. Add in
the marinated pork and
fat. Sprinkle some seasoning granules. Put in
the liverspread, tomato
paste and tomato sauce. Mix and pour a little
water. Add in the
potatoes and carrots. Let boil. Put in the
green peas and raisins. Add
sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until
meat and other
ingredients are cooked. Serve with rice.
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Bangus is one of the most delectable fish that can be found in the Philippines. Its soft white meat and fatty belly is suitable for any kind of dish. Be it fried, with sauce, with soup etc. Bangus truly deserves to be called as the National Fish.
This recipe is one of the many others that I have learned from my mom and grandma.
Bangus steak is the healthier version of our Bistek Tagalog, which is usually pork or beef.
For those who are health conscious, this Bangus recipe is the one for you.
You will need:
1 medium bangus or milk fish
2 large red onions, sliced into rings
¼ kilo of calamansi, seeded and juiced
⅓ cup of soy sauce
1 pack of all-purpose seasoning
4 tablespoons of cooking oil
Ground black pepper, to taste
Here’s how to cook:
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medi high heat.
When the oil is heated, fry the fish until golden brown on each side.
Set aside.
In a sauce pan, pour the soy sauce and seasoning. Let it boil and season with pepper.
Adobo has been the most favorite viand among Pinoys and foreigners. It suits every palate and taste buds. Who would not love the blend of saltiness and sourness of our toyo (soy sauce) and suka (vinegar). This simple yet tasty dish had evolved from generations through generations. Every ethnic regions in the Philippinea has their own version of the classic adobo. But still, adobo is still adobo. And we love it, anyway and anyhow it was prepared.
For this dish, you will need the following ingredients:
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small red onion, chopped
1 thumb of ginger, sliced into strips
½ kilo of chicken, cut into pieces (any part)
1 pack of all-purpose seasoning
½ teaspoon of whole black peppercorns
4 tablespoons of soysauce
2 ½ tablespoons of vinegar
Here’s how to cook:
In a medium pan, heat the cooking oil over medium high heat.
Sautè the ginger, garlic and onion.
When the ginger is already fragrant, and the garlic is golden brown, put the chicken and stir-fry until slightly cooked.
Season with all-purpose seasoning and pepper. Mix well.
Pour the soy sauce and vinegar.
Let it boil.
Simmer until the sauce is well absorbed and the meat is cooked.
Big Black Plate by Cham 