My dearest boy is now a year old. He’s become quite the little spark plug — crawling, squirming and cruising away, tugging at my heartstrings with his happy vibe and lovable gummy grin. I can’t believe we have a one-year-old! Thank you dearest God for this beautiful gift. A baby (toddler!) really brings so much love into a home.

This means I’ve also been a Mommy for one year now. Hurrah! Motherhood is love, love, love. It’s the biggest responsibility and the best I’ve ever been blessed with. I cherish every moment.

Being a working mother is really tough. Big big big cheers to those who’ve been at it for many, many years. I still struggle with balancing both, and I wonder if it’ll get any easier. How are you working Moms holding up? Here are some wise words from one of my favorite blogs that I’m keeping to heart now:

Live happily, dearest friends. Have a beautiful week!

How’d you guys like this Top Chef episode? Here are my random thoughts. Would love to hear yours!

The title of the show is “Covert Cuisine.” Hmmm, what kind of challenges will the cheftestants engage in?

Alex is clearly painted as the villain of this season. I don’t blame the producers. He even has that evil scientist look going for him.

There’s a bunch of boxes marked with question marks at the kitchen. Riddler’s the guest judge? No, Wylie Dufresne is. Quickfire challenge: Create a dish with contents of mystery boxes. All the boxes have similar ingredients. As the challenges progress, more boxes will come in. I like what Angelo said about keeping your vision loose.

High stakes quickfire! $10,000 worth of bath products! Oh wait, furnished by Dial Nutriskin is what Padma said.

Boxes open!! Fish, fava beans and an unlabeled can. What’s that in the can? Hamani? Harmony?

Woah, a secret agent guy enters the kitchen. So kitschy!! I’m expecting maybe Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones will follow. You know, Men in Black? Mystery box holds squid and black garlic. Black garlic! That looks interesting. Kelly says she doesn’t want the flavors to get too confusing.

Secret agent guy comes in again and the 3rd mystery box is passion fruit and a what? It looks like petchay.

Secret agent guy comes in AGAIN and there’s jicama. Ten minutes left!

Random thought: You know what would be a nice challenge? Incorporate all the ingredients in the song Bahay Kubo into one dish. Now THAT’s a Top Chef challenge. Singkamas, talong, sigarilyas, mani, sitaw, bataw, patani, kundol, patola, upo, kalabasa, labanos, mustasa, sibuyas, kamatis, bawang, luya, linga.

Utensils down, hands up!

Alex makes rockfish with fava bean puree, ramp fondue (oooh the petchay looking thing is RAMP) and sauteed squid. “Alex Quickfire equals Bottom” I didn’t say it! Alex did!

Tiffany makes a fish stew with hominy (so that’s how it’s spelled), fava beans, saffron and black garlic. Hey, this looks like it could work! Broth is very nice, Wylie says.

We’ve got another stew! Kelly makes a Yucatecan (yucawhata?) Seafood Stew with black garlic, fava beans and grilled ramps. It looks hearty too.

Amanda tends to create foods that are BROWN. Always brown. Just an observation. She makes a crispy skin striped bass, squid fricassee, leek and mushroom fondue.

Kevin makes pan-seared rockfish, hominy puree, jicama and passion fruit salad. Hey, I didn’t see passion fruit in the first four dishes.

Ed makes a rockfish sashimi with hominy-basil puree and grilled squid marinade.

Angelo makes a smoky hominy pot-au-feu, squid, rockfish tataki and passuin fruit gel. Angelo looks mighty sweaty.

Least successful: ALEX’s dish was all over the place, Amanda’s was too oily.

Successful: Tiffany, good integration of components and flavor. Kevin had a nicely balanced dish. The winner is… Kevin? Oh, Tiffany!!! This is really the woman to beat in this competition. She won the quickfire before right? She’s won $20k on the show so far! Good for her! Her wedding AND honeymoon could be totally paid for now. Thank you Top Chef right!?

Elimination Challenge is a case of national security, Padma says. Ooooh Create a new identity for a classic dish. That’s tough! Knife block is out. They get their classic dishes and are told they’re serving the CIA, specifically the head of CIA. Serving AT CIA Headquarters. SO COOL. Winner gets a trip to Paris, France.

Here’s Ed with his girlfriend talk again. We know he’s dated Angelo’s girlfriend, had a bunch of Chinese girlfriends and now girlfriend talk.

Angelo says he’s serving Beef Wellington pizza style. I like where he’s going.

Cooking time! 2.5 hours to prep and cook.

Amanda looks extra hyper in her interviews so I’m guessing she’ll be the one eliminated. Hmm. She says she respects Alex even if others hate him, something like that.

Oh, Kevin reminds us that Jon (1st guy who got eliminated) got sent home partly because he used a storebought puff pastry, and now Angelo’s got a storebought pastry. Uh oh on that insight!

If you deconstruct a dish, does that mean it’s got a new identity? Hmmm.

The chefs walk into the CIA office. Wow! Awesome. Restricted government property, Amanda says.

1.5 hours to cook! Ooh even the plates have CIA seals on them. That’s a collectible!

Amanda’s worried that even Helen Keller would be able to guess what her dish is. Well Amanda, you have French Onion Soup and what do you create? SOUP. *head on desk*

Kelly’s rice is complete mush, totally overcooked. Tiffany keeps Kelly’s shiz together. Tiffany looks like a great Executive Chef ‘no? I’d love for her to be Top Chef.

Leon Panetta and the officers/staff joins the Top Chef judges at a very cold-looking room. They all look so stern!

Angelo’s: Tartlet topped with slivers of beef (Beef Wellington). Padma asks them to guess what it is and Eric Ripert answers it. Poor disguise, Leon Panetta says! “They would’ve captured this individual and hung him.” Ow! IT was salty with a hard pastry, tsk tsk. Eric Ripert says it looks easy and Beef Wellington is usually more challenging.

Kelly: Spicy Shrimp Broth with Rice and Szechuan Shrimp Tempura (Kung Pao Shrimp). Leon Panetta doesn’t know what it is and Wylie jokefully boasts “for once I know something you don’t.” Hahaha! Pad Thai? says one lady. Tom Colicchio guesses Kung Pao Shrimp. He liked the flavor. Wylie says the sauce turned into a broth went well.

Tiffany: Roasted Leg of Lamb with smoky Eggplant, Tomatoes and Pickled Onions (Gyro). The most elegant gyro, Eric Ripert says.

Kevin: Romaine lettuce, tomato, bacon, roquefort, avocado, cucumber and Turkey (Cobb Salad). Leon Panette thought it was something Mexican and then he shares a hearty laugh. Seems like a nice guy ‘no? A nice guy who knows everything about you. Yikes! Tom said a salad became a salad, but it tasted good. Seems like’s biased.

Hey, Leon Panetta has to leave! Business calls, he says. Is this scripted?

Amanda: Consomme with oxtail marmalade, caramelized onions, shaved gruyere (French Onion Soup). Too sweet?

Alex: Beal and Parmigiano Cheese Tortelloni with Tomato Sauce and Tempura Cheese (Veal Parmesan). Meat’s tough. Poor execution. Bad feedback.

Ed: Nothing’s going wrong on his mission, he says. Roasted Chicken Breast, Ham and Cheese Croquette, Spring Onion Soubise (Chicken Cordon Bleu). Pretty obvious, the judges say. Good flavors but not much of a disguise.

Okay, stew room! Tiffany, Kelly and Ed are called in. Great feedback all around for the trio. The winner is TIFFANY! WOW! She’s going to Paris! She’s got a honeymoon!!! Wow, I got shivers just for her!

Who’s getting called into the deliberation room? Alex, Amanda and Angelo. Kev is in the middle. Okay let the criticism fly!

Amanda says her dish was not disguised. Not following directions, tsk. You took a soup and made a soup with an overly sweet marmalade, Tom Colicchio says.

Angelo’s dish was sloppy and he didn’t go very far. Kind of sad, Eric Ripert says.

Disguise was poor execution, Wylie says about Alex’s dish.

The judges deliberate and they make a decision. I think it’s Alex. Tough meat, bad execution right? But at least he put in effort. Versus Amanda, who made a soup still a soup. So I’m thinking Amanda. If we go by logic, it’s Amanda. Plus there’s her overly perky talking head so let’s see.

Please pack your knives and go… ALEX. Oh. PEA PUREE THIEF GOES. Everyone I’m sure is relieved.

Next Top Chef: Concession stand? At a baseball stadium? All chefs behind one stand? Let’s see what happens next!

The dish I would love to have tasted? None. I guess nothing intrigued me!

Pizza is one of my comfort foods. If I were stuck on an island, I’d probably bring pizza with me. Pizza with a side order of mojos from Shakey’s, or a side order of those Asian noodles (Charlie something) from Yellow Cab, or the cheezy volcano one from Pizza Hut, or the big slice from S&R. Ooh la la!

What’s your favorite pizza? Do you prefer baking your own or having one delivered?

• I was dipping the bread part of my corned beef sandwich into my hot coffee this morning when a chunk of beef fell into my cup. I forgot about it until I was sipping up the last drops of coffee. Corned beef soaked in coffee does not taste good.

• The (relatively) newly open Forever 21 at SM Megamall has been getting a lot of buzz. I finally got to check it out last weekend and found myself prey to its wares. Gah. I love the clothes I bought, but am not so sure about the quality. Let’s see how long they last.

• I tried out A&W Soda Pops from S&R. Nothing super spectacular. It’s like you poured down Coke into ice candy bags and froze it. Hey maybe I’ll do that this weekend. Cheaper too!

• When I was preparing for work this morning, I could hear my son crying in bed “Baba! Baba!” Oh, the life of a working Mom. We played a little bit before I started preparing again, and he was pretty satisfied with that. Mornings are really the toughest.

• I have two books on my work desk: “Keeping Life Simple” and “Simplify Your Life.” They are surrounded by a clutter of documents, a full calendar, a bunch of calling cards, two work notebooks, unread letters and some bills. Ah, the irony of it all.

One more day then it’s the weekend! How’s your week so far?

Junkfood of the moment — Cheetos Cheddar Jalapenos. Great when partnered with cream cheese or french onion dip. Mix pretzels into the bag for added crunch. Prepare for an explosion of flavor. Yowza!!! Best shared with friends over lots of afternoon laughter. Just be warned about your front teeth turning orange, which can induce more laughter from friends.

How’d you guys like this Top Chef episode? Here are my random thoughts. Would love to hear yours!

Restaurant Wars time!

Red and blue aprons with blindfolds! Tag team cook-off, nice! Each team has 40 mins to cook a dish. I loved last season’s tag team cook-off.

Alex gets picked last. Yes, Alex the Pea Puree thief. Okay so he’s not really the thief. Or yes.

So the teams are Kevin, Kenny, Kelly and Amanda (Blue). Tiffany, Ed, Angelo and Alex (Red). Kenny’s happy that Amanda’s caught on the pasta dish he’s preparing.
Wow, lots of tasting with my fingers going on here! Chef Hubert Keller would be pissed!

The red team looks like they’re oversalting their fish. Tiffany’s salted it, Alex as well, then Ed, then Angelo. Yikes.

To taste the dishes, it’s a special judge! I’m thinking Bryan from last season but ah okay, it’s Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House.

Blue Team’s Dish: Sauteed Shrimp, Angel Hair Pasta, Mustard Sauce and Crispy Basil – yum! It gets top scores from the Speaker!

Red Team’s Dish: Roasted Red Snapper, Wilted Greens and Maitake Mushrooms — Speaker calls out the saltiness even if it’s delicious.

Team Blue wins! They share $10,000! $2500 per winner, not bad! Elimination Challenge time! Restaurant Wars!

We’ve got guys from Terlato Vineyards who share two lines each. Hello!

Angelo and Ed decide to put Alex in front of the house so they don’t deal with him in the kitchen.

The Red team looks they’re all over the place.

Cooking time! Angelo says it naturally fell into place, so Angelo’s Executive Chef. And there’s lamb with pea puree as part of their menu. Ah pea puree. You are the ceviche of this season.

Alex is assigned the butchering and Angelo isn’t happy. Red team’s running around while the blue team’s all organized. Dun dun dun.

The next day, the team heads over to Redwood and takes over the kitchen.

Tiffany realizes that the fish Alex was supposed to prepare for her wasn’t scaled or deboned well. Tsk tsk.

Angelo’s all agitated. Is his irritation with Alex getting the worst of him?

The Blue Team does the tasting with the servers. This is the first time that I’ve seen a briefing like that.They look pretty organized.

Alex is pretty rude with the servers. Maybe the assertive kind of boss is kind of style, but his manner of talking’s so bad. I wonder how he’ll treat the guests.
The servers are being yelled at by Angelo too.

Uh oh the judges are here and Alex isn’t there to welcome them. Eating time!

EVOO is the name of the Red Team’s restaurant. Their dishes:
Confit of Tomato Soup, Squash and Olive Crouton (Angelo) – Frank Bruni enjoys it.
Crudo of Black Bass and Yellowtail Sanpper with Meyer Lemon-Caper Relish (Tiffany) – Gail calls out its saltiness.
The second course is taking too long to come out. Tsk tsk.
Striped Bass, Stewed Spinach, Chorizo and Clams (Tiffany)
Slow-Baked Turbot, Eggplant Caviar and Black Olive Jus (Ed) – High praises for this one from the judges! Very Mediterranean.
Third course!
Pan-Seared Lamb Chop (which Alex first introduces as Pork Chop), English Pea Puree, Smoked Bacon and Parmesan Foam (Alex) — Ah, pea puree! On Alex’s dish! Are you guys convinced yet that he has a special connection with pea puree?!? – Tasty but lacks texture say the judges
Seared Rib Eye Steak, Crushed Walnut Potatoes and Balsamic Fig Reduction (Angelo and Ed)

Service was hit and miss says Frank Bruni. Water glass is half-empty. Alex doesn’t see the judges out. Tsk. The judges head over the Blue Team, Progressive American cuisine. The name is Twenty One 21.

Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with Maryland Blue Crab Salad (Kelly) – Soup was very thin, no flavor. According to one diner, the broth didn’t add anything to it.
Beet Salad with Chorizo-Citrus Vinaigrette (Kenny) – Too much going on.
Oakwood Grilled Strip Steak with Roasted Sunchoke and Maitake Mushrooms (Amanda) – Cut too thin, sauce was good.
Pan-Roasted Halibut, Fennel Marmalade and Tomato-Fennel Emulsion (Kevin) – Pretty dish, lot of flavor, really good sauce
Crispy Aged Goat Cheese and Strawberry-Rhubarb Relish (Kenny) – It looks great! It’s awful according to the judges. Too big for one person. A cheese stick with strawberries says one diner, which isn’t dessert. Uh oh Kenny’s dishes both got terrible feedback.
Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart with Blackberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream (Kelly) – great tart, no flavor

Padma would like to see the Red team. Uh oh. The RED team wins. Ah. Tiffany’s bass and Ed’s turbot were highly praised. The winner is Ed? Ed? ED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow good for him! He wins a trip to the Terlato vineyards in Napa, and gets a huge bottle of Terlato wine. Good going!

The Blue Team is aghast they’re the losing team. I guess cool and collected doesn’t win the race.

Kelly’s “clumsy charisma” worked. Soup was too thin though. Kenny had too many things going on with his salad. Execution was terrible. Kevin’s dish got good feedback. Amanda’s beef was overcooked and was shocked about it.

Now the Blue Team disses on how Alex didn’t do anything, and how Ed and Angelo did his dish.

Deliberation time. Kenny’s going home I think. Or maybe Amanda. Hmm.

Please pack your knives and go… Kenny. Aaaaack.

This is SAD. Everybody’s shocked. Hey I’m sad too. Alex is like the Robin of last season. They both are getting really lucky. That’s from my perspective as a viewer only of course.

Next on Top Chef: CIA!!!!!!!!!!! Wow! Is Chuck going to be here? Heehee.

“I know what it is. But for once I know something you don’t,” says Chef Wylie to the CIA head. Funny!

The dish I want to taste: Kevin’s Halibut dish since it got so many praises from the judges, and the sauce looked awesome. The pic’s not up in the Bravo site yet though.

Step 1: Find a colorful box at home. Clean it well. A box with an attached lid is preferable, so it doesn’t go flying off when baby opens it.

Step 2: Fill with baby’s toys. Done!

This box is fun because it’s colorful, portable and can be filled with handy toys. In Timmy’s toy box are two small books perfect for his small hands, a coaster, some balls, a few blocks, a toy apple, and a taggie blanket from my friend J. Ana.

He has a bunch more toys outside of this box, but what draws him to this one is the open-close magic it brings. It’s easy to open using his tiny hands, and colorful toys welcome him as he digs into the box eagerly. It keeps him busy before he moves to other toys in the house.

I think it’s the box that fascinates him. He seems fascinated by how a container can hold so many goodies. I’m fascinated that he’s fascinated!

The box also helps manage clutter. Instead of the handy toys all over the place, they’re all placed in one box.

See, it’s as easy as 1, 2! There’s not even a 3!

It’s time to baby-proof our home! Our baby is becoming more and more mobile, and more and more curious. His sense of wonder is quite entertaining, but along with outstretched fingers come cries of “No! No!” from adults. A baby’s hand can be really swift. For example, I’d be carrying him while I opened his closet. In a swift motion he had grabbed two shirts from the neat pile. Ack! Then there’s the walker empowerment. He walks around the house with such purpose! Often times it is to touch things he’s not supposed to, like the dirty wheels of his stroller.

Here are some basic tips on how to baby-proof your home once he begins learning how to walk. If you have any more ideas, feel free to leave a comment. Let’s learn from each other!

• Keep small items out of reach. Accessories, coins, food — anything that poses as a choking hazard shouldn’t be reachable by baby.
• Keep potentially dangerous substances out of reach. Liquor, cleaning aids, medications, gasoline, bug spray — lock these away in high cabinets so a child can’t access them.
• Keep houseplants out of reach. Know what kind of plants you have in case a child eats one.
• Cover electrical outlets with a child-resistant outlet cover. This one I still have to hunt for; anyone recommend a good brand? The plastic ones are easy to take out.
• Install safety gates at the top and bottom of stairways.
• Position electronic equipment so baby can’t pull them off furniture. Watch out for those portable stereos!

If you have any more ideas, do share! Let’s enjoy playtime with our babies without compromising their safety.

My husband and I enjoy spicy food. Since not everyone in the household likes lots of spice, one way to spice up a dish is through condiments. We enjoy squashing a piece of siling labuyo in a small bowl then smothering it with either soy sauce, patis (fish sauce) or vinegar. Gah, that’s so good.

What we like about this brand is that the spices are already mashed and blended into the vinegar, so there’s more kick and spice. We use it as a dip every time there’s fried food at home. We love the liveliness of this Datu Puti Pinoykurat!

I was told it’s good as a marinade too. I’ll have to try that! Ah, the possibilities when you have a really good product in your hands!

What are your table staples? Calamansi, toyo, ketchup? Share, share!