June Busting Out All Over

June is the month we shower our motherland with love as we celebrate the 117th anniversary of Philippine independence as well as the 154th birth anniversary of our National Hero Jose Rizal. Some of you are probably flying back this month to attend weddings of kin, as June is also still the month of promising eternal love, even if December or January are giving stiff competition for the marrying-est month of the year.

To all the Filipino communities in the world who are celebrating Philippine Independence their own unique ways, we are one with you in spirit.

We start off this issue with a plea: Please Stop Calling the Philippines "P.I." That term is outdated and wrong, a colonial appellation that should have been banished along with the colonialists. So please, delete it from your vocabulary. History professor Dr. Michael Gonzalez explains why.

We have two recipes in The Happy Home Cook this week: the first is for "Adobong Dilaw," the original of which was created by Maria Agoncillo, the second wife of the first Philippine president, Emilio Aguinaldo, from whose balcony in Kawit, Cavite, Philippine independence was first declared. Our resident foodie, Elizabeth Ann Quirino, recreates the recipe for the modern cook and flavors it with some historical vignettes. Find out why this adobo is yellow in "Adobong Dilaw, A Timeless Recipe."

The second recipe is for Fried Chicken Sandwich that uses pan de sal made from scratch, a creation of Ria and Matt Wilson, the innovative and enterprising chef-couple who headlines WILD at Canele in Los Angeles. Savor Anthony Maddela's report, "California French (and Filipino) Cuisine Goes WILD."

And for another look back at history, Read Again John Silva's "A Valiant People's Army," featuring rare photographs of the Filipino American War.

Our Video of the Week is a heartwarming collection of testimonials from non-Filipinos who have chosen to live in the Philippines. Enjoy "Sarap Maging Filipino."

And my blog this week is dedicated to some friends who just reached the big 6-0. It's not as bad as you imagine.

Happy summer!