Halo-halo, anyone?

It's summer time once again! Excited to wear that skimpy swim wear of yours and flaunt your drop-dead body in Boracay under the sultry sun? Or ready to hit Baguio to escape from getting unwanted sunburn? Btw, I'm not your ultimate travel guide so don't expect a list of must-go summer destinations, alright? Let's talk about some refreshment. Something that keeps us cool this hot season. Something like halo-halo? Yes. And sunblock, of course. ;)

In fact, a colleague sitting beside me has started devouring a cup of halo-halo taken out from Chowking. Did he ever know that, at this very moment, I was writing about this summer's cooler? The law of attraction is in the works! Haha!

Last night, I chanced upon our neighbor preparing halo-halo in her stall right in front of our apartment. (FYI, I prefer dirty halo-halo rather than the kind served in some local fast food. Dirty halo-halo is still the best!) Anyway, it was already past 7 in the evening yet next-door neighbors still flock to her.

The steps (and ingredients) are simple. First, she scooped a cup of crushed ice to a bowl, then added kaong, macapuno, caramelized saba banana, ube yam, kidney beans, langka, leche plan and sprinkled with sugar. And for the finale, condensed milk was poured into the mixture. No brainer. (As if I've never seen how it is prepared before.) Depending on one's preference, ice cream and fruit toppings may also be included to make that sweet and creamy dessert. Slurp. ;)

Btw, halo-halo is one traditional dessert popularized by Filipino. Halo means "mix". So it's up to you what ingredients will compose your own halo-halo. ;)

'Til here. Just a piece of advice: Be sure to enjoy one before you kiss summer goodbye!