No Self-Respecting Bacolod Girl Would Be Without Her Sinamak

If you were born and raised in Bacolod City like I was, the one phrase that makes you drool is "inasal kag sinamak" (Bacolod Chicken and Spiced Vinegar).

I dip almost everything in sinamak, from grilled pork chops to broiled fish to steamed shrimps to egg rolls. The rule of thumb is, the simpler the dish(as in, plain ol' salt and pepper and no heavy, creamy sauces), the better it tastes with sinamak.

Being a Bacolod Girl at heart, I'm a snob when it comes to sinamak so I make my own. The ones that I've found at Filipino stores, if they have them, just don't have the aroma and the pungency of the sinamak that I grew up on.

So here's how I make my sinamak:

• Chop ginger (4 thumb-size pieces), hot chili peppers (10 pcs., jalapenos are best), garlic (10 cloves), black peppercorns (10) and a small red onion and put in a mixing bowl.
• Pour coconut vinegar into bowl and mix.
• Pour vinegar mixture into clean long-necked glass bottles.
• Seal tightly and let sit in a cool, dry place for at least 2 weeks.

How do you know when sinamak is ready to use for dipping? Uncork it and take a whiff. If it punches a whole through your nasal passages and tickles your salivary glands, you know your taste buds are about to have a party!

You can make your sinamak as spicy or as mild as you want by adjusting the amount of spices that you add to the coconut vinegar.

I love salty stuff so I always sprinkle a bit of sea salt into my sinamak before dipping into it as well.

Happy eating!

For more cool ways to live well on a budget, visit us at www.thecheapchiccouple.com !

A Honeymoon Registry Is The New Way To Go

Like a lot of couples, we lived together long before we got engaged. Between Corey's stuff and my stuff, to say that we have enough dinnerware, flatware, linens and household appliances to furnish two homes is an understatement.

Given that one of the things that we love to do is travel, we opted for a honeymoon registry instead, so that our family and friends could give us wonderful memories to look back on for the rest of our lives in lieu of the usual Waterford-and-Lismore stuff.

We checked out several websites, and chose honeyfund.com over the rest, simply because unlike the other honeymoon registry sites which charged as much as 9% of the total cost in fees, it was free. Do keep in mind that the fact that it's free means you do your own honeymoon planning so it's not for you if you prefer to have a travel agent do all the planning and coordinating for you. Personally, we prefer to be in control of every single detail so honeyfund.com works perfectly for us.

Other honeymoon registries that we also checked out are the following:

• Traver's Joy
• thehoneymoon.com
• thebigday.com
• honeyluna.com

Handmade Wedding Invitations

We wanted to make every aspect of our little green wedding as meaningful as possible, so we decided to handmake our own wedding invitations.

I turned our used paper into a slurry, which I proceeded to turn into handmade sheets (for instructions on how to make handmade paper, the best resource is the Arnold Grummer website). The leaves and flowers are from bouquets we've given each other over the years, or picked at various places we've been to.

I did the calligraphy myself. (At the Catholic school that I attended from kindergarten through high school, I didn't see why they were such sticklers about having perfect penmanship. I remember spending hours in grade school doing page after page of loops and swirls. Looking back, I'm thankful for the experience, because being able to do the calligraphy myself has not only saved me tons of money, I've been able to do the calligraphy for my friends' weddings as a unique gift.)

With no two invitations being similar due to the variations in the paper, as well as the florals and leaves that we used on each invitation, we came up with beautiful pieces of artwork that truly represented who we were as a couple. Best of all, something that would have cost us hundreds of dollars only cost us several hours of hobby time.

www.thecheapchiccouple.com

Looking For A Beautiful But Inexpensive Ceremony Venue? Try The Japanese Gardens

Corey in front of the lake.
Canoodling at the edge of the Admin Building that overlooks the lake.

The waterfall that cascades just a few feet away from the tea house.

The bridge where we'll be saying our vows.



Yes, it's gorgeous. And yes, you can get married here for only $750!

We know our $5,000 wedding budget is absurdly low, considering that the average wedding in Los Angeles is $30,000, but we're unwilling to go the let's-just-go-to-the-courthouse or let's-get-hitched-in-Vegas route either.

Fortunately, after months of research, we found the perfect ceremony venue that that tied in to our love of Asian design and sustainability at The Japanese Garden in Van Nuys.

What's unique about The Japanese Garden is that not only does it offer absolute tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, it is an example of how beauty can about through recycling and sustainability. It is the water from the recycling plant next door that nurtures a Japanese garden of exquisite beauty.

We recommend snagging a Saturday, because on other days, it's open to the public. After all, you don't want some stranger in flip-flops and shorts or a bunch of rowdy kids spoiling the solemnity of your ceremony, or worse, walking in the background while you're having your pictures or video taken.

Just because it's such a beautiful setting, even though our ceremony starts at 4:30 in the afternoon, we're encouraging guests to come earlier so they can meander through the gardens while a violinist plays beneath the willow tree.

In case you're interested in having your ceremony at The Japanese Garden, here's what you need to know:

• wedding ceremonies only (no food or drinks allowed)
• 84-guest maximum
• 3 hours maximum
• $750 for 3 hours ($150 for each additional hour)

How To Make A Kimono Binder

I love wearing kimonos when I'm at home. They're as comfy as they are pretty, and I don't feel like a bum wearing a kimono at 3pm the way that I would if I were in a raggedy bathrobe or worn-out pj's or sweats.

I bought my favorite kimono about five years ago in Little Tokyo for $55 and I wore it until it was so torn and hole-y that I looked like I'd narrowly escaped a bear mauling.

I didn't have the heart to throw it away because it was still very pretty, so I figured I could turn into something else that I could still use. The result? A kimono binder to keep me organized while planning my Japanese themed wedding.

Here's how I did it:

1) I sprayed starch on the kimono, and ironed out all the creases.
2) I cut just enough kimono fabric to cover a regular 3-ring binder, making sure to leave an extra two inches on the edge so I could fold the fabric into the inside of the binder. I also cut out the excess fabric where the spine of the binder would be.
3) I spray-glue'd the fabric, waited a few minutes and then laid the binder on it, making sure that there were no creases.
4) After a few hours, I used a paintbrush to put varnish on the binder cover.
5) Over the next few days, I layered more acrylic in order to protect the kimono from dirt, smudges and protect it from moisture.

Voila! A kimono wedding binder that I can keep and pass on to one of my kids long after I've stopped wearing the actual kimono!