The Halo-Halo Bistro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWOBMxBooII

 By Zack Chavez This method for cooking a standing rib roast requires dry-brining the prime rib 1-4 days before roasting to give the most flavorful taste, and slow-roasting at a low temperature followed by a high-heat sear ensures a delicious medium-rare doneness throughout with a savory herb crust. Ingredients One (8 pound) bone-in standing rib roast  ½ cup SPG* ½ cup butter, softened 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme Directions Step 1 - Season roast generously with SPG, Let it rest uncovered, on a rack in the refrigerator for at least overnight and up to four days.  Step 2 - Remove roast from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature, about 2 hours. Step 3 - Preheat oven to 200 deg F Step 4 - Mix butter, rosemary, thyme, and SPG together in a small bowl; spread butter mixture over roast. Place roast in a large roasting pan. Step 5 - Bake roast in the preheated oven until internal temperature reaches 120 deg F  for mediu...

 Louise Ann Chavez (April 22, 1942 – June 11, 2021) Born to the late Frances Cummings and Thomas Alfred Spratt in Cortland, NY.  The youngest of three children, she is survived by her brother, Gordon Spratt (Terry), of Tellico Plains, Tennessee.  Her sister, Doreen Holbrook (Earl), formerly of Coral Gables, FL, preceded her in death. Louise, or Weezer, as she was called by Gordon growing up, was beautiful and smart, kind and loving, hardworking, resilient and a bit of a rebel.  Her grandfather immigrated to the US from England and her family made its way to upstate New York, then moved to Florida from Cortland, NY when she was young.  Late in life, as dementia made recent memories fade, she’d happily recount details of childhood visits to a family farm in NY. Louise graduated from Dixie Hollins High School in St. Petersburg, FL in 1960 as salutatorian, and attended Florida Presbyterian College on a full academic scholarship.  (Did we mention she was smart?)...

By Celia White Panciteria Moderna was the place to go for pancit miki and miki bihon already wrapped in their version of 'tetra pak' (banana leaves on wrapping paper tied with a rubber band). Pancit bihon was the specialty of Panciteria Wa Nam .. Kung gusto mo naman ng chopsuey rice doon ka sa Hen Wah, tabi ng Avenue Theatre. At sa Ma Mon Luk, siopao was at 30 centavos; mami was at 70 centavos or 2 pcs. of siomai (large) with unlimited soup for 30 centavos.. So with one peso busog ka na. Ngayon bigay mo piso sa pulubi, titignan ka pa ng masama. The Shangri-la in the basement of Shelborne Hotel (at the back) was the place to go for dates if you wanted a dark and cozy atmosphere. The Black Angel along Shaw Blvd near the corner of Kalentong in Mandaluyong was a very good place to listen to soft music (Fleetwoods, Lettermen, Cascades) and the lights were also quite low.. Then with the introduction of the 'black light' you look like Dracula about to devour a beautiful victim...

By Thea Chavez Wedding vows are a serious matter, not to be taken lightly. Yet more than half of all marriages end in a divorce. And let alone to surpass north of the 50 year mark is nothing short of miracle. This is a love story between a New York Princess, Louise and her Filipino Sailor, Zack. “It would not work,” said the naysayer. Even if it did, other circumstances were stacked against them such as the lack of acceptance of interracial marriage, after all we’re talking about the 1960’s. Traveling to three different states and against all odds, Zack and Louise were able to find a courthouse in South Carolina that eventually married them on January 10, 1962. Through the gamut of life and with each venture that takes them to different parts of the country from Alaska, Ohio, Hawaii and eventually settling down in California after raising three wonderful children, their love never fizzles. What made their marriage work while others have failed, you might wonder. The answer is s...

By Zack Chavez Gardening in containers is a great way to grow tomatoes when you have limited space.  Using containers allows you to easily set up your plant with your choice of soil mix rather than in-ground gardening, and you won’t have to worry about underground pests that might want to feast on your plant roots.  The structure and limited space actually encourages upward growth that will give your plant maximum exposure to sunlight.  With the growing technique described here, you will be rewarded with delicious, large tomatoes at harvest time. I use  half-wine barrels for my containers.  They give plenty of room for the roots to grow and they are easy to maintain. Select your plant.  Choose a variety that is known for big fruit.  I grow Delicious and Big Zac varieties for my competition tomatoes.    I transplant my seedlings into the wine barrels during the first half of April.  Prepare the container by drilling 10 ¼-inch holes ...

By Dave Chavez It’s been more than a year since we’ve made a post, titled “Looks Who’s Home”.  A lot has happened, so  here we go. First, the tone of this entry.  Since we started this blog Dad has periodically brought up the subject of this final post.  “Do you think it’s going to have a happy ending?”, he’d ask, and we’d laugh.  I don’t think we’re the kind of family to set false expectations.  From us you won’t hear “Don’t worry, I’m sure everything is going to be okay”.  We’re a little more realistic:  “If the ending isn’t quite what you want, who gets your truck and the .45 semi-automatic?” (model 1911, US Govt Issue) This story is a good one.  Mom and Dad are home now, both “cancer free”, settling back into their normal routines.  It’s about as simple as that.  It wasn’t easy at all.  But as they’ve lived their lives, they got through all of it without complaining, by not giving up, challenging the status quo an...

By Zack Chavez Our daughter Tina practices tactical shooting with her 9 mm Glock 19 pistol on a sunny day at the Gedunk Shooting Range. This drill is to shoot at a silhouette target at 7 yards with 5 rounds, the first 3 shots to the chest and the next two to the head in less than 5 minutes. She can shoot!  The pistol was a birthday present from me last year. Video by our son Carl.

Here's a video of my favorite Kansas City ribs recipe from America's Test Kitchen:

By Zack Chavez I am trying to recollect my childhood days as far back as I can.  I remember being in an air raid shelter somewhere around Manila.  It must have been when the American forces had just started liberating the Philippines from the Japanese before the end of WWII.  Bombs were falling and exploding around us.  My mother wanted me very close to her while she was saying the rosary with other women in the shelter.  I was too young to be scared.  I can’t remember how long we stayed in the shelter.  The next thing I remember was when there was no more bombing and I was playing with other kids in the streets of Manila.  Occasionally, military jeeps would pass by loaded with GI’s and we would attempt to chase them yelling “victory Joe, victory Joe”, our arms raised with the ‘V’ finger sign for victory.  They would toss Hershey’s chocolate bars at us.  It must have been a fun experience because I can still remember it. ...

By Loi Gillera My recollection of my father to this day is of a middle age man with a perennial smile. Slightly balding on the crown of his head, his hair looks full in front with an unruly lock that dangles like a comma on the center of his forehead. Born in 1910, in a tiny islet called Bantayan north of Cebu province, he was a fisherman since he was a child. He came to Manila with my mother in 1936 to work in the government as a motor pool guard. He stand straight and appears taller than his 5'7" frame. Looking lean he must have weight no more than 150 lbs. A regular "Joe" so to speak. Like all fishermen, my father drinks a lot. Never miss a glass of "Shyok Tong" with lunch. On weekends, along with other Manila boy "Bantayanons", they muster in our house, drink, sing and tell the same war stories over and over again until they are stupor with alcohol where they sit. But my father was the one who taught me the rudiments of arithmetic. It wa...

By Herm Valenzuela I'm glad our e-mails are not always dull; Funny jokes and trivia a-plenty Face book and twitters not worth reading. Each day I booted-up to read I have to mull- Over friends every month of birthday greetings A joyous reminder that we are ageing ! Then listings of friend's obituary- Just reminds me we're on burrowed times. Not to mention different malady- Unhealthy bodies paying fines We shouldn't be alone and solitary; And sing Psalms each tme church bells chimes; Dance to your heart's desire even if no one is looking. To yourself  don't be contrary to these changing times Smell the  lilies in the Spring.while flowers a-blooming Too late when petals wilt and stems are thorny. Then the former beauties of Mapa High Out of a Falcon-blue came out a-listing. They were the ladies that gave us the eye And a certain smile with come a-tither; Wishing you'd come in a while a-courting; Instead was shy and caused a dither. ...

By Loi Gillera There were a number of significant events that took place in the world in 1957. But for the 2,000 strong graduating high school students of the cardinal secondary institution of learning in the Philippines at the time, the commencement ceremony of Mapa High School in the afternoon of 26 March, held in the imposing Rizal Memorial Coleseum was the centerpiece of their adolescent life. A day of festive activities for the young celebrants. A day capped with endearing hugs, kisses, bids of goodbye and promises to keep in touch as one after the other the young friends leave their classmates to start their own personal journey in life. Here is the few of them now that meet again and renewed their camaraderie.

By Zack Chavez Just before enlisting in the U.S. Coast Guard in the Philippines in 1959, My barkada (my close friends, all guys) and I got together one evening at the neighborhood basketball court drinking San Miguel beer. It was a farewell get together as I was leaving the next day for Sangley Point. We were having a great time singing Elvis songs at the accompaniment of Carlito’s ukulele. Carlito was good. He had taught me the chords to play Elvis’ “Loving You”. My friends were sad that I was leaving the barkada, and yet they thought it was a great opportunity for me to meet and date American girls, which they could only do in their dreams. Boy Fernandez reminded me to write often and to tell them about my social life in the United States. My first report to Boy Fernandez was about my experience in Los Angeles on my way to St. Petersburg by Greyhound bus. I was invited by a pen-pal, Barbara, to spend a few days with her family. I was introduced to Barbara by her brother, John, ...

By Christine Marie Chavez Once upon a weekend pass, a Filipino sailor and Floridian lass, Who had fallen in love not knowing what’s in store, tried to marry, how outrageous! Different races, youthful ages. But their love was raging, raging too much to ignore. Driving north they fled unjust laws; that’s not what the laws are for; They wanted only each other, and nothing more. Walterboro,SC Courthouse On the tenth of January, the sailor’s race began to vary, The marriage license in South Carolina tells the score. Suddenly, he was Hawaiian; it did not really feel like lyin’. They sought only freedom, freedom to love whom they adore. The couple, Zack and Louise, then bound to the core, Pledged in 1962 to love each other forever more. Back to St. Pete duty station, where their life was no vacation, Though they never really thought of themselves as being poor; Garage apartment, tiny bed; We will just make do, they said, And put the frig on the porch outside the kitchen door, And the dining...

by: Dr. Herm C. Valenzuela Lately, there has been much talk about a massive military build up. I was just wondering for whom does these mighty armada of steel and guns toll? The USSR is history and China’s regular military spending is about $160B a year (half of which the U.S. owes hence is “paying”) is far less than the Pentagon’s base budget of about $500B annually according to a recent 84-page Pentagon report. It has about 1,680 fighter jets compared to about 3,000 in the USAF and Navy and yet “China presently focuses on its desire for greater mobility to conduct operations at a greater distance from its mainland.” (Source: Air Force Times: Aug. 14, 2011). China is clearly “projecting” some kind of intention. Spratley Islands maybe with our potential $50B yearly revenue? India and South Korea are now becoming players in the neo-economic “war” without show-casting any modern military hardware! Our European allies are “limping” while the Middle East is a powder keg! The nation...

At the Cow Mountain Rifle Range, my wife Louise demonstrated her sharp skills with a 12-gauge tactical shotgun. We shot at paper targets at 25 yards with slugs, then with #00 buckshots at 1-gal water jugs. She is truly amazing with that weapon!

By Evelyn Manese We had just returned to San Diego, 2 days before 9/11 from a holiday trip to Greece and were still getting over our jet lag, when the phone rang and woke us up. Our son from La Jolla was on the phone and immediately asked us to turn on our T.V.. As Will and I fumbled and stumbled, searching for the remote control, our son continued to speak at a fast and nervous pace, describing what he was witnessing on his own T.V. When we finally got the T.V. turned on, Will exclaimed “Oh my God”, in a sullen, morose voice of distress, as he watched the 2 towers crumbled down into ashes. I felt aghast and huddled closer to grasp his hands for comfort and reassurance. New York was an old stomping ground for our family in the mid-70's to the 80's. Many memories of our young, family were rooted in the splendor and grandeur of the Big Apple. Will used to take the old, Erie Lackawanna line from New Jersey where we lived, to Hoboken. Then he catches the PATH train through the Hud...

By Myrna Ynares Celerian (chunsanit) Ten years is a long time but up to now, when I think about 9/11, I cannot help feel I was part of American history in the making, and I can vividly recall that day it happened as if it was only yesterday. I took an early retirement from the World Bank in 1998. By 2000, I decided I wanted to travel free so I worked for United Airlines (part time) from 2000 - 2003. On September 8, 9 and 10, there seems to be an endless exodus of customers, mostly arab looking or muslims as their women were all wearing the light blue burkas; whereas the Arab women were mostly covered except their eyes with black from head to foot. I remember asking one of the sales agents if there is a muslim holiday because most of those leaving Dulles International Airport in Virginia have no less than 6 largest size luggages and some even more. On Sept. 10, I was assigned to cover the economy class as they have the most number of passengers. One agent asked me to check the p...