Why Retire in the Philippines/Marinduque Vacations: THD Christmas Dinner Menu and Filipino Traditional Dishes

Planning to Retire Soon!

If you are planning to retire in the Philippines soon, I suggest you visit several excellent websites on pro's and cons of retiring in the Philippines. However if you want to retire in the provinces, where life is simple, standard of living cheaper, less traffic congestion and pollution, availability of fresh seafood and vegetables compared to the big cities, my island province is the place for you! If this is your first time in my site, welcome. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on the infringement of your copyrights. The photo above is the front yard of Chateau Du Mer- Our Retirement Home in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Saturday, December 23, 2023

THD Christmas Dinner Menu and Filipino Traditional Dishes

Our Christmas Dinner Menu Here at THD, December 23, 2023

My Capiz Parol Christmas Decor and Poinsettia here In My Apartment at THD, 2023

Our Christmas Dinner is scheduled for Saturday, December, 23 ( 4:00- 6:30 PM) today so the Kitchen Staff can also observed Christmas with their Families. The menu is attached above. Meanwhile, I am posting the traditional dishes in the Philippines during Christmas.

The Philippines has the longest Christmas Season all over the World. The Christmas Season starts on September 1 and ends on the Feast of 3 Kings, the first week of January of the coming new year.

However, formal celebrations begin on December 16. All over the country's islands, people gather for pre-dawn Christmas masses called “Misa de Gallo” or “Simbang Gabi”. These masses run for nine days and trace their roots back to Spanish missionaries who introduced the practice in the 17th century.

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2023/12/simbang-gabi-philippines-christmas.html

Food is a big part of the Christmas celebrations in the Philippines. During the 💥Noche Buena feast, you get to experience some of the rich and bold flavors of Filipino cuisine. For the Christmas feast, families bring out their best dishes, from Filipino spaghetti to Filipino roast turkey, along with some unique desserts.

💥 https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a34628883/noche-buena/

If you’re wondering about Filipino Christmas food ideas, here are 20 Christmas foods you may find in the Philippines.

Not in this list are Macrine's (RIP) Favorite Dishes- Chicken Relleno and Crab Omelette.

1. Lechon

Lechon is one of the most popular dishes in the Philippines and is traditionally served for festivities and celebrations. It is a slowly roasted pig, often stuffed with other ingredients like lemongrass, garlic, spring onions, chilies, ginger, peppers, or pineapples and served with a dipping sauce.

2. Bibingka

Made from glutinous rice, coconut, sugar, and margarine, bibingka is a rice cake that’s especially popular during the Christmas season. Traditionally cooked by street vendors, bibingka is baked in a clay pot lined with leaves over hot coal for extra flavor.

3. Filipino-style spaghetti

Unlike any spaghetti you have had, the Filipino version has hotdog slices along with ground beef. And its unique sweet flavor comes from its sauce made from tomato puree, brown sugar, and banana ketchup.

4. Buko salad

This Filipino fruit salad is made from shredded young coconut and other ingredients such as fruits, jelly-like sweets, tapioca pearls, sago, sugar palm, cream, and condensed milk. It is served chilled.

5. Lumpiang ubod

This is a fresh spring roll stuffed with a julienned heart of palm and carrots along with other veggies, coconut, shrimp, and pork. It is served with a lumpia sauce made with brown sugar, soy sauce, and other ingredients.

6. Embutido

Another popular Filipino Christmas food is this meatloaf made from ground pork, veggies, cheeses, and raisins. It is stuffed with hard-boiled eggs and sliced ham or with hotdogs and other sausages.

7. Pancit Malabon

Photo of freshly cooked Filipino food called Pancit Malabon.

This is a Filipino noodle dish with a characteristic yellow-orange sauce that comes from annatto seeds. The recipe uses thick rice noodles and is topped with an array of seafood and sliced boiled eggs.

8. Morcon

Morcon is quite like embutido. It is a braised beef roulade where beef flank steaks are stuffed with various sausages, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, pickles, and carrots.

9. Leche flan

This delicious dessert resembles a caramel custard or a crème caramel and is the perfect way to celebrate Christmas. This classic flan recipe is made from sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk for a richer taste.

10. Puto bumbong

This purple-hued rice cake is traditionally sold during the Christmas season. Made from steamed glutinous rice cooked in bamboo, puto bumbong is wrapped in banana leaves and served with warm butter, grated coconut, and brown sugar.

11. Lechon manok

Lechon manok, or spit-roast chicken, is another Filipino favorite for festivities. The chicken is marinated in a mixture of garlic, onions, bay leaf, black pepper, soy sauce, and fish sauce and roasted or cooked on a rotisserie.

12. Kaldereta

filipino beef kaldereta in bowl close up

A Filipino beef stew, kaldereta can be cooked with chicken, pork, beef, or goat meat in a tomato-based sauce with liver spread.

13. Macaroni fruit salad

This easy and simple fruit salad dish is a Filipino classic made with macaroni and fruit cocktail, pineapple pieces, condensed milk, and mayonnaise, along with some other ingredients.

14. Arroz Valenciana

This Filipino-style paella is another favorite for Christmas celebrations made from glutinous rice, coconut milk, chicken, sausages, boiled eggs, and seafood, along with potatoes, red and green peppers, and other ingredients.

15. Rellenong bangus

A popular party food dish, Rellenong bangus is stuffed milkfish, which is filled with its own meat, potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers and fried until it is golden and crispy.

16. Buko pandan

Buko Pandan, a dessert from Philippines, made from jelly, young coconut, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and ice.

Buko pandan is a Filipino cold dessert that immediately gets your attention with bright green jelly cubes and tropical palm fruits infused and mixed with shredded coconut and sweetened cream.

17. Beef mechado

Another tomato-based beef stew similar to kaldereta, beef mechado is also one of the many dishes served for a Christmas feast in the Philippines. Meats like pork and beef are cut into cubes and cooked with potato, bay leaves, soy sauce, and lemon rind or lemon juice.

18. Liempo

Liempo is grilled pork belly in Filipino. The pork belly is marinated in soy sauce, banana sauce, black pepper, and lemon and grilled on a barbeque.

19. Lumpia Shanghai

A delectable Filipino appetizer, Lumpia Shanghai is basically an egg roll with a filling consisting of pork, onions, carrots, and seasoning wrapped in a thin egg crepe and then deep-fried.

20. Hamon

Also known as “Hamonada”, this Filipino-style pineapple-glazed Christmas ham is one of the main meals for a Noche Buena feast.

Don’t forget Filipino Christmas drinks

Filipinos enjoy their Christmas feast with their favorite holiday drinks such as:

Sangria made with fresh fruits
Filipino fruit punch that’s non-alcoholic
Herbal tea, especially ginger tea with lemon and honey
A classic tsokolate, or hot chocolate, made from a paste of roasted cocoa beans and sugar

https://www.instacart.com/company/ideas/filipino-christmas-foods/

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Fruit Trees in the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer

The Mango Tree-I have three varieties in my Garden-The Indian, Guimaras and Carabao Mangoes My caretaker/gardener informed me last month that due to the El Nino drought in Marinduque, two of my Durian trees died in spite of his vigilant watering. One of the tree was attacked by insects that looks like a big fly but yellowish in color that sucks the sap of the seedling. The roots of the other tree was attacked by ants residing in the soil. However, my other fruit trees, the rambutans( 2), the lanzones(2) and the jack fruits ( 2) trees are doing well. The above eight fruit trees were given to me by Retired General Recaredo Sarmiento of Boac and Lucena., about three years ago. General Sarmiento is the “atid” of my wife. “Atid” is the colloquial term for brother. Evidently, Macrine's father, the late Bernardo Jambalos was the Godfather of General Sarmiento during his baptism and comfirmation. Gen Sarmiento's hobby is orchard planting, reforestation and farming. The other fruit trees in my garden are guayabanos, cashew, avocados, starapples, duhats, ates, guavas, mangoes( 3 varieties) and papayas as well as several varieties of bananas . Of the above fruit trees, my favorite is the guayabanos, also known as soursop tree known for its anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties . The following are photos of the fruit trees. The Durian photo is from the web. Note that it almost look like a jack fruit tree, except that the leaves are bigger and shiny. My desire is to have a passion fruit tree in the near future. You are welcome to visit my orchard and flower gardens any time, if perchance you are in the vicinity of The Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center.

The Rambutan Tree and Fruits

The Lanzone Tree and Fruits

The Jack Fruit Tree

The Durian Fruit Tree