about Heart and Hearth

Hello everybody! and welcome to Heart and Hearth!

Who am I?

My name is NING. That's my alter-ego, Mommy Penguin looking out to the sea. I am a Chinay - that's Chinese-Filipino living in this tropical "Pearl of the Orient" we call home. I have 2 kids, Princess Penguin and Optimus Prime Penguin. If you have watched the "March of the Penguins", then you would understand we Penguins take our parenting job seriously. And an important part of parenting tasks is to provide nutritious, delicious food to our baby penguins!


Why did I start blogging?

At first, I just needed a place to write down my recipes where I can easily access them in the future. (I tend to lose my notes on paper.) I also needed a space where my family and friends can access my recipes easily. Thus, I started this blog - November 23, 2007. All the contents of this blog are certified edible. What you see here are the real food we eat on our dining table or the dishes I bring to Bible Studies or other gatherings.

Later on, when I joined the blogging communities like Weekend Herb Blogging, Grow Your Own and Weekend Wokking, and many others, I have learned that blogging can be a wonderful place where we can learn from each other. We learn from each other's food cultures and eating habits. We "visit" markets and other places on the web. I have "met" wonderful people bloggers who are generous in sharing their recipes as well.

I did not take up any cooking classes. Most of the things I know, I picked up from my grandmother's and my mother's kitchen. And after I got married, I scoured cookbooks and the internet for recipes and ideas about food. I have done many kitchen experiments (read: failures). But I still persist because it is what I love to do! Daddy Penguin is my worst critic because, well, he loves food as much as I do.


What else have I learned from blogging?

Before I started blogging, I had no interest in photography. I was just content to let Daddy Penguin and Princess Penguin handle the camera. But I have to learn (and fast) how to take pictures so I can make the dishes look yummy. Until now, I am only using a Panasonic Lumix (DMC-LX1) digital camera, set on auto mode when I take the food pictures.

Everyday, I am still learning how to improve the look o f my blog...

I am trying to be consciously healthy in our food choices. I am trying to grow some edibles in pots (limited space). I try to buy and serve fresh foods to my family. I now look at the nutritional contents of foods. Daddy Penguin always says: "Life is too short to eat bad food." So, we choose good healthy food.


What's the main focus of this blog?

To present healthy, nutritious, and delicious food, that are easy to prepare, easy to cook; with ingredients that are readily available and affordable.


Soli Deo Gloria?

I am neither Sol nor Gloria. That's my shout-out. It means to God alone be the glory. I have to put that there to remind me everyday, that whatever I do, it should be for God alone.