
I remember how, back in grade school, whenever there was an occasion (Christmas, Valentine's Day or whatever), we would sometimes have class "visitors" who would be selling … [Read more...]
Family, food, photography

I remember how, back in grade school, whenever there was an occasion (Christmas, Valentine's Day or whatever), we would sometimes have class "visitors" who would be selling … [Read more...]

The time we bought fruit trees to plant in the garden, Speedy bought a talumpunay (sometimes spelled talampunay) tree. He planted it in a far corner of the garden near the … [Read more...]

I don't normally get up before nine o'clock in the morning but Speedy came into the room with a breakfast tray and I didn't want the coffee to get cold. So, I sat up and ate … [Read more...]

Too excited to sleep. Too worked up to rest. No, not caffeine. The last cup of coffee I had was more than seven hours ago. It's not alcohol either because alcohol makes me … [Read more...]

It seems that not ever flower that grows on water is a water lily flower. And it seems, furthermore, that there is a botanical difference between a lotus flower and a water … [Read more...]

If you're the kind of person who's meticulous about what people's first impression of your house should be, chances are, you chose very carefully the plants near your front … [Read more...]

Over a year ago, I posted photos of empty planters on top of two posts on the garden fence and another on the corner of the second floor balcony. You can see them here. I had … [Read more...]

Black and white photography has never really interested me. I've heard and read all the arguments in its favor from the dramatic effect to the play on lights and shadows but I … [Read more...]

There were two bees -- one black and another with yellow stripes. I stalked the darn things for over two hours to take these photos. Location: Balay Indang. Camera: Canon EOS … [Read more...]

We were at Balay Indang during the Pacquiao-Hatton weekend and, on the way home, because the way home is through Tagaytay City, we passed by Mahogany Market as has been our … [Read more...]

They create plant seeds, they are carriers of ecological information and, recently, they are being sold as food too. Pollen grains appear as a coarse powder to the naked eye; … [Read more...]

It would have been nicer if if the sun weren't directly overhead but one really can't be too choosy when photographing bees that might not be there when the sun is in a better … [Read more...]

The white flower buds may look like sampaguita but they're really another variety of jasmine. It started drizzling after lunch and it looked like a heavy downpour was … [Read more...]

I wanted to take his picture; he declined. So I pretended to take a photo of the Anthurium instead. As a sidelight, Sam thought that was a plastic flower in the vase. Happens … [Read more...]

December 30 was such a perfect day. Cool. Milky sunlight. Breezy. My mother-in-law called and we had last minute discussions about the next day's New Year's Eve party at our … [Read more...]

You can prepare this drink in two ways -- as a cocktail drink or as a non-alcoholic iced beverage. If course, the non-alcoholic version won’t be a anything similar to a mojito and you can … »»

Need to get dinner on the table in 15 minutes? No problem. Season some ground meat, form into patties, throw into the skillet and cook until nicely browned. Cook sliced mushrooms in the … »»

One of the most widely known Chinese dishes outside of Asia is General Tso’s chicken -- floured bite-size chicken pieces fried until crisp then tossed in sweet-salty sauce. This is the … »»

It's tempting to simply ask that you Google "Connie Veneracion" or "Sassy Lawyer" or "Pinoy Cook" and have this page done with. But that might give you the wrong idea about me. A third of what's been written about me is true, a third is half-true and the rest consists of drug-induced hallucinations. I suppose I'd better let me, rather than them, tell you about me. I'm … »

*This article was last updated on October 2, 2011. In 2003, a time when I hadn't heard of the term "blog", I started a recipe website at cooking.houseonahill.net using a now defunct content management system that ran on ASP. Ok, never mind the geek talk, I'm sure you're not interested in that. The contents easily multiplied and, in 2004, I moved the food site to … »






Except for quotes, all text & photos © Connie Veneracion. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No reproduction without prior written permission.
Conversations