The day everything went PURPLE

Everything was set in purple - the church, flowers, suits, cakes, bridal car, etc for it was the most unforgettable day in the lives of Arvi and Edward.

The flowers and trimmings reflect the brides passion for the color of royalty.

Arvi arrives in a purple bridal car ....

She dons a head-turning purple gown which her mom specially designed and Edward sports a purple bow tie complementing the suit that almost has the shade of dark purple.

And after all the ceremonies and the smooching in the church it was time for the purple brigade to invade the reception.

The Venue Function Rooms served as the gastronomic kingdom for the royal couple was all garbed with the color of the day.

And the centerpiece was the three tiered and cupcakes-galored purple and white wedding cake which Tinapayan specially made for the newly weds.

And I didn't waste time to capture this "royal cake" in all its purple glory while everybody was waiting for the couples grand purple entrance.

With purple and white butterflies and flowers it was like a royal oasis and I almost took one away just for a taste test.

Still in their purple glory the newlyweds had their first dance as a couple and while Edward was looking at Arvi's tummy which will eventually become a vessel for Edward Jr.'s or little Miss Arvi's.

Then it was time for the ceremonial slicing of the cake (hurry up, please) ...

And I finally tasted the one food I've been dreaming all day - the cupcakes! Sure enough, they were as good as they should be!

With these herbs as the wedding giveaways it was time for us to give them our Best Wishes

- health, wealth and happiness,

- little Eds and Arvi's very soon (as in now na!)

- and togetherness through thick and thin (literally LOL)

But my personal wish ...

I wish I ate more cupcakes and took home some to share LOL

Best Wishes Arvi and Edward!

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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