Mama Wendy's Malunggay Pesto

I can't believe how easy to make and how delicious this pesto turned out! I made a trial batch of this the other night and my family loved it. Even the kiddies who normally don't eat pesto had some. Nigel ate a bowl full and picky-eater Zoe ate her daddy's share! I am a big fan of malunggay because of the health benefits. I'm integrating it as much as I can in my cooking. Here's my version of malunggay pesto I'm sure your family will love too.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup cashew nuts

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup olive oil

1 cup basil leaves

1 tablespoon powdered malunggay leaves

4 cloves of garlic

1 pack 400 grams spaghetti pasta noodles

What to do

1. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package instructions. Set aside.

2. Rough chop cashew nuts, basil leaves and garlic

3. Except for the noodles, put all the ingredients in a blender and process till a smooth consistency is achieved.

4. Pour the pesto all over the cooked noodles and stir till all the noodles are coated with the pesto then your done!

Yes, it's that easy! The cashew nuts make the dish creamy and gives the pesto a sweet taste kids will surely like. Do remember to wash the basil leaves very well. Too bad I wasn't able to take a picture of the dish. It ran out before I could get a camera...it was that good!

My grocery cart when I shopped for the ingredients. This is
my first time to make pesto. I'm very happy people liked it!

Not about flower arranging

I've always wanted to have a flower garden- an English garden where I could grow flowers. Then, I’d decorate my house with the lovely blooms! I have neither land nor time to grow one. So for the time being, I've decided to make the cloth flower Section of a department store that “garden”.

I wanted to adorn our staircase with a tall flower arrangement so I visited SM Araneta Center's Homeworld. I am absolutely clueless about making flower arrangements. For thirty minutes, I roamed around the cloth flower section not knowing what to get. Then, I thought of just picking the flowers I liked the best and follow my gut. Also, the sales attendant was helpful. Her name was Marita and she patiently answered my questions like if the flowers I picked could go together in a vase and such. I gave her a small tip (looking back I wish I gave more). It wasn't much but the look on her face was priceless when I gave it to her. It feels good to bless people. I say God allows certain events in our day so we can be a blessing to every person we encounter. I was there to buy plastic flowers but God’s real agenda is for me to meet Marita.  I could have just made flower decisions by myself and ignored the sales ladies (who can be annoying at times). But I chose to relate with her and gained much- flower arranging knowledge and a chance to be a blessing. I will definitely go back to her when I get the itch to arrange flowers again. Or perhaps say hi when I go to SM Araneta Center again. Then, I can tell her about Jesus. So I went home with a heart so full and excited to do my first arrangement.

Honestly, I'm not sure what flowers these are. But aren't they lovely! Amy said it warmed up the corner. I'm not exactly proud of this arrangement, but I think this is a good start for me. My inspiration for this was the flowers I saw in Sonya's garden. I love how haphazardly arranged yet comforting and lovely the flower beds there are.

God will always be about people. If we miss that, we will miss what God is showing us. I always keep this in mind wherever I go. So, I never have an excuse to be nasty or indifferent… even when shopping.

The Intimate...

They say God doesn't play favorites. But He has Intimates.


For the intimate everything is fake and God's the only one that's real. She hears only His voice and drowns out all else. He is more real to her than the clothes she's wearing or the the problems that plague her.


The intimate has perfected the elusive art of selflessness. In her pursuit of God and because of her Love for Him, she has become a tremendous blessing to her generation.


The intimate sees God in every thing and in everyone. Her every days is an angle of God's beautiful face.


The intimate prays and if God decides against what she asks for, she would still be happy.


And at the end of the day, she curls up in the arms of God. Their faces in kissing distance. She sighs in pure contentment- a scenario she lives for.


They say God doesn't play favorites. But He has Intimates...


... I've made it my life's goal to be one. It's the ONLY way to live.