Blissful Nibbles

A Huge Thank You

2012-01-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

Woah! It's 2012 and I barely saw it coming... The past few months have been quite busy for me with regards to work and cakes that I have to apologize for hybernating from the blogging world. Things have changed, a lot and now that we are approaching the second anniversary of Blissful Nibbles, I am thinking of a grand way to do it. Problem is, I can't think of any. It would be in February, just in time for Valentines Day so maybe the theme this time will be something 'hearty' [?] What do you say?

As of today, allow me to show you some of the things that I have been busy with these past few months.

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

Ain't life awesome? :)
I'd like to thank my customers for giving me this chance to express my creativity and to make your celebrations extra special. It has been my pleasure to somehow be a part [though how little] of your lives.
Thank you! :)

Missing. Always Missing.

2011-07-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Yup. That's probably how I see myself lately with regards to this blog. And I'm sorry for that because things have really been quite hectic for me these past few days and weeks and months. Since duty days have increased, time spent for other things such as blogging and even baking have shortened. However, the hospital can't stop me for doing what I am very passionate about. So whenever I get orders, I try to do them and finish them on time.

Without further delays, I will show you my previous unpublished projects.

MAY

Spongebob sugar cookies. There were like 20 of these but I only got to photograph just 1. hihi :)

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies for Dallas

[in the heat of the NBA finals :)]

JUNE

Football Cake

Winnie the Pooh themed Cupcakes

Indian Colors inspired flowery cupcakes

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cream Frosting

[another for Dallas win.]

Patrick Star/Derrick Rose and Xbox cake

June also marked my and my sister's birthday soooo I made...

S'mores dessert

layers of Grahams, chocolate pudding and toasted meringue

... and of course, my birthday cake

Carrot Cashew Cake with Cream Cheese frosting or C5 :)

It looked kinda bare so i randomly added some gummy bears for color. I didn't know I put up 24 of them. Fits my age!

happy birthday to me! :)

Inspired

2011-05-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I'm sorry for being missing in action [then again] for like more than a month. Things have been pretty hectic for me both with work at the hospital and baking. So many things have happened and I have been more than eager to share them here. But time constraints always keep me from doing so... I'm glad I have this day off all to myself and I'm excited to do my sharing now.

Well firstly, I have had major milestones in the past few weeks. I have catered for a debut party and a wedding for the first time.

The bookings are all thanks to my cousin January Tan of Debut's and I Do's. :)

Other than these, I also had small orders for cupcakes and cakes.

Ain't life grand? :)

Now, how about my blog title? Inspired? Well yeah I am. With a lot of things. My family. My friends... and [what you might be waiting for] my 'uhmmm' pretty boy. :) yeah he is a pretty boy. I get ispired to try things that appear intimidating. I d k. It's different now that he's around. But you know, I don't expect him to like me-like me. I just like it that he likes and enjoys what I do. I d k if he knows [and I hope he doesn't]. I don't want to ruin our friendship. But yeah, right now... he does inspire me. hihi. I don't want to sound all cheesy and elementary-ish now so I'll be sharing the pastries I've tried doing and succeeded anyway [because(again) I am inspired].

Sylvanas

Oatmeal Bars

Copycat Oreo Cookies

Pavlova

Cream Puffs

See? Hihi. It's been fun. :)

Way Behind

2011-03-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

OMG! I'm so sorry for being missing in action for quite a long time. You see, I just got back to work at the hospital and our duty days have increased in number thus taking away a lot of blogging and lazing time for me. :/ I've also decided to go the healthy way lately so I try to make time for walking/jogging as often as possible. I've lost weight already but I'm still kinda fat so I have to do a lot more to achieve my normal BMI. I have set an appointment already with the endocrinologist by the end of the month and it's kinda getting me anxious. duuuuuh.

The good thing though about my hectic schedule is that I still have time to bake. Been doing it for the past month, major highlights being Valentines Day and Blissful Nibbles Anniversary. So without further much a do, I'll show you the stuff I did.

VALENTINE CUPCAKES

VALENTINE COOKIES

me after packing them individually

VALENTINE CAKE

SOME BIRTHDAY STUFF

Superman Cake

Ocean theme birthday cupcakes

BLISSFUL NIBBLES ANNIVERSARY

February 16, 2011

It's the blog's first birthday. :)

I made Chocolate Mocha Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting topped with chocolate chips.

Brought some to the hospital.

Was a sure hit!

And here are my early March creations.

Tink theme cupcakes

Motherly birthday cupcakes

and monthsary cupcakes

Weeeeeeeeeee. I'm sooo glad I have finally updated my blog after a long long time.

I will try my best to keep posting soon.

I have something in mind but I'll keep it a secret for now. hihi

Superman Cake

2011-02-10T03:54:00.000-08:00

Hospital Duty seems to be taking most of my time lately. I have been in the hospital almost daily but it's fun. I'm assigned to the ER now. I still get a little confused as hospitals do have some differences with policies. I also have new friends and a new set of 'bosses'. hihi :))

Well anyhoo, I came from a night shift and went straight to making this cake. I planned this for days though so I was kinda organized. I baked the cake the night before and did the decos today. I finished early and went out for a walk. I do walk a lot nowadays too as I want to have a beach body by summer. haha:D It may sound ambitious but hey, I'm working on it, okay? :)

So here's the cake.

It's a Superman cake ordered by a friend, who now lives in the UK, for her brother here.

I had fun making this and I was pretty meticulous. hihi :D

I also notice that my hands get really colorful after doing things like these.

I've washed my hands a number of times already.

The food colors are stubborn.

I still have a few to post about but I get too lazy sometimes so maybe I'd do them in one post only sometime soon.

My blog anniversary is at hand too and I'm planning to make something special. I hope I can pull through. :)

Tinkerbell Doll Cake

2011-01-27T23:55:00.000-08:00

Ooooh the holiday gifts thanking never stops, does it? That's because I received quite a number and I feel really excited when I get the chance to make use of them.

You see, I received a Wilton Doll Cake pan from an aunt and I was wondering how and when I'd be able to use it. Thanks to a number of Youtube videos, the Wilton site and a niece who fell in love with Tinkerbell, I got to make a doll cake for the very first time last wednesday. It was really fun to do. I enjoyed decorating it as much as I am in awe of the pan. haha :D

Here's my finished product. My brother says, I did a pretty good job for a first time cake like this. hihi :D

That's her with her cake and party food. :)

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-01-27T23:42:00.000-08:00

One of the many many food gifts our family had received for the holidays is a jar of Skippy Peanut Butter. It was actually given to my cousins family then her turning out to give the jar to us because she couldn't find any use of it since the little kids don't like its taste. It's more salty than sweet which is not very appealing to the Filipino palate when it comes to peanut butter. Well that's per observation though I don't mean to generalize.

And so I make use of it by pairing it with jelly as in PB&J sandwich. They mix together so well that I end up gobbling up not just one but a few more sandwiches. I have also thought of making cookies out of them. And so I browsed through Tastespotting again [my go to site] for a good peanut butter cookie recipe. I decided on this one from Confabulation in the kitchen because of the rave reviews. The only little tweak I did was adding a cup of chocolate chips. I then teamed up with my cousin and her kiddos so we could bake in the new oven of their new house since her mom keeps asking me to 'baptize' her oven. hihi :D

Here's one of my neices with the waiting batch of cookie doughs

Us patiently waiting...

...for these babies to cook.

And Voila! Beautiful and uberly tasty cookies!!!

The perfect blend of Peanut butter, Oatmeal and Chocolate.

Mmmmmmmmmmm :P

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking oats

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat shortening, butter, sugars and peanut butter until smooth, about three minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to peanut butter mixture and mix well. Fold in oats, stirring until just combined.
4. Drop by teaspoon-fulls onto cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until cookies are just brown on the edges. Cool for a couple of minutes on sheets before moving to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Thanks, Abby of Confabulation in the Kitchen for sharing this recipe. This sure is a keeper!

Lingerie Cookies

2011-01-24T22:02:00.000-08:00

After the holidays, I wasn't really very busy anymore. Add to that the fact that I still wasn't taken back by the hospital so I didn't have to go there. I got bored. Sure I had to bake a number of goodies but they were box mixes and those simply aren't my thing. Take this red velvet cake for example. It's better than the first one I made but still I don't feel so fulfilled as I know I did it using a cake mix. It looks so pretty though. I just wanted to share. Fudge frosting btw is also store bought.

Fortunately, I got an order of 150 cookies for a bachelorette party last Saturday. I started baking them on Monday and finished packing them on Friday night. I know it took quite a long time but it's okay. I also didn't have much control on the blacks so they were like bleeding. Good thing the client liked the end products.

Here they are.

150 cookies in the making.

the start of the decoration job.

finished products.

another view.

The red lace looking part of the packaging were actually strips of cartolina run through a Martha Stewart puncher gifted to me by an aunt for Christmas. :)

Hope you enjoyed them. :D

Oatmeal Choc Chunk Cookies

2011-01-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

We have a big bag of oatmeal gifted to us during the holiday season and I swear it begs to be noticed. The holidays never seem to stop for us. I guess that's because some of our cousins who don't actually live here[they're from the US] are still here and my Lola[grandmother]'s dining table is never empty. Meat mostly and sweet sweets[know what I mean?], foods like these make me miss the good stuff. I mean those that are really good for the body like veggies and fruits, and maybe oatmeal. :)

I was browsing through Tastespotting days ago and found this Oatmeal Kiss Cookie Recipe from Within the Kitchen Blog. Like her, I am looking for a good oatmeal cookie recipe. Hers looked really appetizing so I decided to try it. I found the chocolate addition interesting as it wasn't mixed with the batter like the ones with chocolate chips, just placed on top. I didn't have 'mini-kisses' but I still had about two thirds of a bar of dark swiss chocolate sitting in the fridge [one of the many chocolate gifts last Christmas.] Please forgive me if I didn't get the name. I found it wrapped in foil when I decided to use it for the recipe. I then used a knife to cut it into small bits and topped them on each cookie.

So here they are.

Wish i took better photographs.

Guess I'm just not a pro in that aspect.

The Verdict? Right after baking it, I said to my mom that I want to just give them away because they're not sweet. I didn't like them. She grabbed a bite and so did my sister. They both disagreed with me and my ranting. I then decided to pack them and keep 'em in the fridge. Yesterday, we went to an island and I gulped up considerable amounts of salt water like more than three times! So when I got home, I needed a quick sweet fix. I opened the fridge and looked for my cookies. I grabbed one, then another, until I finished what were left in the bag. [Don't look at me with accusing eyes yet. There were only about five left and I gave one to my sister so I ate the four. haha] In short, I loved them and I'm going to make more of them soon. :)

Thanks, Within the Kitchen Blog for the recipe. [I'm sorry I can't find the name of the writer].

If you need the recipe, head over to her blog entry.

Pirate Cookies

2011-01-10T22:17:00.000-08:00

Aaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrhhhh!!!
The treasure must be here somewhere....

Well here they are! My first project for 2011. Pirate Cookies for a birthday party.

Aren't they adorable? :)

I'm kinda sick right now[cough and colds] and looking at how cute they turned out is kinda making me feel better.

Haha so much for self love.

But I do hope you liked them. :)

Holidays of 2010

2011-01-06T00:03:00.000-08:00

First off Happy New Year, Everyone!

I know it's been quite a long time since I last posted. The holiday season has been quite busy yet very rewarding for me. I've baked quite a number that's why I got too lazy to post.

Anyhoo, 2010 has been a fun year for me. Especially that I got to get back to work at the hospital and travel even to just nearby destinations. It also marked the start of my baking blog which will be a year older next month.[Yay!] And it was on that year that I kinda fell in love and got broken hearted a few months after.

Now 2011 is here and I'm looking forward to a number of things. I know so many can happen within a year and we'll never know what might come our way. Well anyway, I only have fond wishes and hopes of continued good health for everyone.

Right now though, I'd like to share to you the last few goodies I made for 2010. Did them through the holidays. Btw, my aunt brought more than 10 cake, muffin and brownie mixes for me to do. I'm not a fan of those stuff but sometimes, it's just the most convenient and because my family thinks of me as the 'baker girl/cupcake girl' already, I have to do the baking for them. It's not always fun but there's something with the sound of the mixer and the heat of the oven that makes my day. hihi

Here are the stuff I sold during the holidays.

Holiday Cookies [Poinsettia, Christmas Tree, Santa Claus, Winter House, Hollies and 2011 Bunny Cookies]

Chocolate Fudge Frosted Chocolate Cakes for Christmas and New Year

Here are the ones I made for the family.

Scorched Cheese Lasagna :D

Berry Medley Cheesecake

[Pie crust was ready made by Honey Maid but cheesecake was made from scratch. Berry Medley Filling by Comstock.]

Chocolate Mint Brownie

[Brownie Mix by Pillsbury]

There are still a lot more but haven't taken pictures of.

More box mixes to bake.

Happy New Year again, Everyone!

Championship Cookies

2010-12-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

Wow. We're almost in the middle of December and I've been having fun so far. A day away from the oven is like a day without life! And yes, I still have those days...but I think it's a good thing because I get to rest. I'm thinking of Christmas cookies to sell and give away so I'm testing recipes that I find in the net and in cookbooks.

Well I bought this book from Bacolod City at Book Sale[ something like a garage sale store for books] at Php 55.00. It's called Southern Living Holidays and Celebrations compiled and edited by Julie Fisher. It's copyrighted and first printed in 1994. It's kinda old for a book but recipes never grow old, you know... :)

So yeah, I found this Championship cookie recipe meant for Father's Day but it has cinnamon on it so I guess it could qualify for a Christmas cookie. haha I don't know the rules really. I just associate cinnamon with Christmas. hihi So yeah, in place of Snickers [which are expensive here] I made use of Cloud 9, a cheaper but still good tasting version.

Lights on. These are how they really look like. :)

Christmas Lights on and this is how they look like. :)

Pretty. :D

They didn't come out at their best form immediately. I had to tweak the temperature a little to make them look like cookies. The Cloud 9 bits were just melting all over making the cookies look like they were bursting with awesomeness. haha Well yeah, caramel out and white stuff molten. Well, it worked after the tweaking and tastewise, yeah... champion! [for me]

2/3 cup butter flavored shortening

1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1//4 tsp salt

1/2 cup regular oats, uncooked

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 (2.07 ounce) chocolate coated caramel peanut-nougat bars coarsely chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat shortening at medium speed of an electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed 5 minutes. Add egg, beating well.

Combine flour and next 5 ingredients. Add to shortening mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in candy bar and vanilla. Chill dough 30 minutes. Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes (cookies will be soft). Cool Slightly on cookie sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Giant Christmas Cookies

2010-12-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

A friend suggested the idea of making a giant cookie because she wanted to order some. I didn't make it to her deadline though because something came up causing me to decline. My brother wanted to bring some cookies on his way back to his work place in Cebu City. And so I suggested the same idea to him. When he said yes, I started doing my thing. I was on graveyard shift last night and I'm dead tired but nothing can stop me from doing something I really want to do.

So here goes.

Christmas Tree

Wreath

Mistletoe

Snowflakes [not thoroughly dry yet.]

Notice they're not your ordinary cookies.

They're approximately 7 inches in diameter and tastes just as good as the small ones. :)

They're not the most gigantic ones but they are giant enough for me. :D

Decorated Cookies

2010-12-05T23:52:00.000-08:00

Well well well... Christmas is in the air and it's the season for all kinds of sweets. As for me, it's starting to get a little busy already. It's getting into me and causes me lack of sleep at times, but you know when you love what you're doing, you don't mind getting tired.

Anyhoo, here are my latest creations. :D

Bridal Shower Cookies

Dress

Shoe

Bouquet

And here's my Christmas bunch. I sold these during our church's Thanksgiving Sunday Bazaar.

Christmas Tree

Wreath

Snowflakes! :D

Woah, I'm so excited to let my imagination run wild and decorate some more... and more!!! :D

Happy Holidays, Everyone! :D

Snoopy Cupcakes

2010-12-01T23:23:00.000-08:00

It's my first time making these and I'm glad they turned out quite good :D

December's Here!

2010-12-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah and it only means one thing for me : THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE! Weeeeeee!! I cannot contain my excitement. Anyhoo... We always celebrate the beginning of December with a blast because the first day of this month is my Mama's birthday!

Last year, I was struggling trying to perfect my marshmallow frosting and presented to her a store-bought chiffon cake. I was just starting then and my techniques are so novice.

Lookie here! hihi

Very novice indeed. :D

Well I went up a little level higher this year and made my mom a Coffee Cake with Coffee Frosting that I found on Tastespotting yesterday. I printed the recipe from Gastronomy Blog. I hurriedly made it since I was going on duty at 12am.

Lights off and here it is :)

This is how it looks like with the lights on.

cake innards

My mom is a coffee fanatic and it is needless to say that she loved the cake and so did the family. I brought some to the hospital and one of my colleagues just licked the frosting 'til there's so little left. I love coffee too but don't drink much so my tolerance for coffee is not so high which I think explains why I didn't feel so sleepy last night while we were taking care of our lone NICU patient. I must admit though that I slept a little.... about 3-4 hours after eating the cake. :D

Btw, here's my mom. Pretty noh? :D

Happy Birthday, Mama

and

Happy Holidays, Everyone! :D

Special thanks to Catherine of Gastronomy Blog for the recipe of this cake.

Cakes and Cookies for November

2010-11-30T18:04:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it is true else where but I think November is a really fun month because many people are born on this fateful month. Many of my friends and family have celebrated their birthdays in the past few days which left me so full like almost everyday. I made a box mix cake for my grandma last sunday.

Add to that the baby shower cake and cookies I had to finish on the same day...

How's this for a rush cake? :D

...And some cookies... :)

Bib Cookie

Onesie Cookie

Baby Shoe Cookie

Smiley Cookie

Feeding Bottle Cookie

Hey, I have to add this cake I finished yesterday.

Anniversary Love Birds Cake

and matching cupcakes :D

Ain't November Sweet?

Erin's Birthday Carrot Cake

2010-11-24T01:36:00.000-08:00

It's my good good friend Erin's birthday today but we had a little celebration yesterday since she was going somewhere else today. We went to KFC and had chicken and a dose of Krusher's. [Yum!] A party[though how little] is never complete without dessert. So I baked her a Carrot Cake, taking the recipe from Lovin' from the Oven by Kim [I know, I'm such a big fan. :)] Instead of Cream Cheese frosting though, I topped the cake with a crusting buttercream recipe I found at Cake Central so as to try it. Just for the record, it didn't crust. Maybe this is because of the type of weather we have here. Well at least it didn't melt away.

The Carrot Cake tasted really good and so did the buttercream.

That's us girls.

This is how her cake looked like.

I opted for an Indian inspired design.

But hey, look closely... the colors bled. :[

But she liked it anyway... :))

She said she didn't know if it was really the design or if it was a big blunder.

There you go. Uneven slices. Eating to our hearts' content.

I baked some flower cuppies too. That was her order.

Happy Birthday, Erin! :D

Sour Cream Apple Bars

2010-11-16T22:15:00.000-08:00

This month indeed is a busy month for me not just for baking stuff but also for family and work. I've been trying to and still am catching up with my messed up schedule at the hospital. Yup, you read it right. It's been a mess because of my absences last month and for this month, a new set of absences as well. You see, my Papa was confined yet again at the hospital for a week not because of stroke[Thank God!] but because of Aspiration Pneumonia. The doctor says that's because he can't swallow properly anymore as an after effect of his previous stroke episodes. Anyhoo, he is in better shape now. Still coughing but at least, recovering.

Part of the hospitalization was also receiving some fruits from friends, family and from the meal tray. We had bananas, papaya and APPLES which by the way will be the main ingredient of my post today. I found this recipe from an awesome blog called Lovin' from the Oven which is among the first blogs I ever read when I started rediscovering my passion for baking. The photos looked yummy and so I wanted to make some so as to taste some. The apples my pop received from my best friend Glysa were the ones I made use of for this one. I also tweaked it a little as I used peanuts instead of pecans[because I don't see 'em a lot here] and a square pan instead of a 9x13[which wasn't a very good idea because the finished product turned out thick... I did it anyway because my oven is too small for a 9x13].

Here's the finished product.

Slightly scorched crust because of the size of my oven. hihi

This is the bar I tried to cut out nicely but didn't go out perfectly.

Soft innards coming lose.

But hey, this tastes really good you wouldn't mind the way it's cut. hihi

I had my family taste the bar slices and they said it was good. My mom even gave some to my grandma who is kind of a critic because she was once a baker. I still have to ask for her comments. As for me, it tasted really good.[Did I just say that again? :)] and I'd like to thank Kim for sharing this recipe that intrigued me enough to make me keep thinking of baking this while I was still in the hospital watching over my Papa.

Right now, we're still busy finishing our job on...

...decorating the house for Christmas.

[This is a cropped photo of our tree this year.]

Holidays, come quick! I'm so excited. :))

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

This year's Halloween by far is the most fun for me, I must say. Not only did I get to bake some goodies, but also I got the chance to don a costume for the first time. You see, I grew up spending halloween watching spooky themed cartoons and TV shows... and on the first day of November, we go to the cemetery to visit the remains of our departed loved ones. Cemetery day [All Saint's Day here] have been fun too but a costume party is way way better!!!

Since one of my neices' birthday is on the 30th of October, she wanted a halloween themed birthday party and so my cousin ordered a witch cake for her and some cookies. I didn't think I would be wearing a costume to the party because I thought it was just for kids but when my cousin said they'd be wearing costumes as well, I decided to join them and make a last-minute costume for me...

I ended up dressed as a...

COW. haha

And now for the goodies...

Look at this Fruit Punch with floating eyeballs. :)) [love it!]

the Sugar Cookies I made. Too bad the Frankenstein and witch cookies didn't turn out perfectly.

Now, this is the first fondant cake I sold. :))

I remember, it's been a year already since I first tried my hand on fondant. I started with a cake but found it really difficult to cover so I ended up starting to sell fondant cupcakes instead.

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

[That's my sister. Dressed as a cat... or mouse? Idk. Haha]

Chocolate Pudding Pie

2010-10-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

It's not the first time I made this but it never fails to please my chocolate loving taste buds. :)

I made this for dessert this lunch time still in connection to Jonatz's presence here. hihi

Lookie!

No crushed grahams in the grocery so I manually crushed them a while ago and yielded chunky grahams. hihi

Slice me! So yum, I can't get enough.

Lookie!

Coconut Nips Blondies

2010-10-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

My brother Jonathan is back in Bohol again and since we see him rarely already [but of course, Jovan's presence is 'rarer'], it becomes a great excuse for me to heat up the oven and make something special for the family to enjoy. And so I was browsing over Tastespotting as I do almost every single day to look for something simple but 'yum'. I was thinking brownies but I've been using cocoa powder pretty much lately, I wanted something else. And so I stumbled through these blondies from Honey and Butter that looked ever so pretty. However, I couldn't copy the recipe straight from her blog [I don't know why.] so I hopped on to her source Brown Eyed Baker's site and looked for the recipe there. I printed it right away, shopped for ingredients and baked it after dinner.

I didn't have chocolate so I chose to use colorful Nips[candy coated chocolate] instead. And here they are.

[I baked them last night but opted to take the photos this morning for better lighting. :) ]

up close

This batch turned out really crispy and with just the right sweetness. [for me]

This is the original recipe found at Brown Eyed Baker's Site.

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Yield: 16 two-inch-square bars

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. Combine the flour and salt; set aside.

3. Stir together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla extract until well blended.

4. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until blended, then stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth even with a rubber spatula.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set in the center but still soft. Do not overbake. Let the bars cool slightly before drizzling with chocolate, then cool completely before cutting into squares.

packed some goodies for my brother's friends in Cebu. :)

[He's going back there later btw. :( ]

Chocolate Flan Cake [2]

2010-10-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

I have always been fascinated by this type of cake because they describe it as one that will trigger 'Oooooohhh's and 'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh's. You're supposed to place the flan mixture above the cake batter then when it's cooked already, you'll find the flan at the bottom of the pan and the cake on top. That's because the flan is denser than the cake.

I usually have the urge to bake this when I have lots of egg yolks in the fridge after baking something else. And so when I found out I was stocking about 8 already, I thought it was time to pull the idea out again. :) So I did but the people I asked to get me condensed milk bought me evaporated instead. I was clearly upset at first but realized that I couldn't do anything to reverse the situation. I first opted to just turn down the whole thing but then I was so excited I mixed the chocolate cake batter ahead of time. In the end, I made use of what was available and hoped for the best.

As expected, the cake didn't come out perfectly. Still, it turned out good. I invited a friend to come over and have a taste for herself. She kinda enjoyed it as well. She says though that she didn't like the flan so much. My sister and I still liked the flan though. hihi

See for yourself.

The Flan is supposed to sink to the bottom.

Dusted with confectioner's sugar for aesthetic purposes.

Took a slice and that's how the innards look like. :)

The recipe for the chocolate cake I used for this is found here.

I used the eyeball technique for the flan.

I read through recipes of chocolate flan cake for the directions on how to bake it.

A slice as my World Teacher's Day offering.

Just like a teacher, this cake offers a good learning experience.

[The names listed above are those of my near relatives who are great teachers as well.]

Holiday Cupcakes

2010-10-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

My holiday cupcakes are making a comeback. :)

Well it's undeniable that Christmas is in the air and everything about it is making me excited at fever pitch! Oh yeah!

[Back to normal self.] I made these cupcakes for the holidays last year and posted photos on my Facebook account. Lucky me, my most recent client took notice and wanted exactly the same look for her birthday/grandchildren's christening cuppies. I delivered the box to her personally this morning and felt awesome as she is a complete stranger to me. I think she heard about me from my granny during the banana muffin bake sale at the mall.

With regards to the cupcakes she ordered, she said she liked them. I am so relieved.

Without further much a do, here they are.

She ordered 18...

...moist chocolate cupcakes...

...under marshmallow frosting decorated holiday style with colored sanding sugar. :))

Whoopie Pies

2010-10-02T02:46:00.000-07:00

I've read about these a number of times and have seen them in many blogs I have visited. I've always imagined making my own but I didn't think I'd do it today. I was just searching for something to make for one of my friends who is celebrating his birthday today. Well, the party is tomorrow [I think] but since I will be on graveyard shift tonight, I decided to make them along with the cupcake orders. :)

I thought working with it was going to be tedious but it turned out pretty easy. I'm surely going to make some more in the future and try different fillings for these sandwiches. :D

I whipped up strawberry buttercream for these babies and here they are.

up close.

I promise more of these coming soon. :))

The recipe I used for this is found here.

Happy Birthday Jesthony!

Piglet Cupcakes

2010-09-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

My cousin Ella ordered some cuppies for her daughter's birthday. Piglet theme. Pink with a touch of yellow. :)

Piped some flowers for the Marshmallow Frosted Ones

And here they are. :)

Here's a closer view. :)

It's not perfectly copied but hey, it still looks like piglet, doesn't it? :))

September Cebu Trip

2010-09-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

I went home early from Shiela's birthday bash because I had to get some rest as I was about to take on a journey towards the nearby island of Cebu again to attend to something and also to visit my brother, Jonathan. And so I did wake up early and got to the boat running because I came in time for the final boarding call. [Haha]

To make the story short, he brought me to his place then we went to the office where I had to get something then went malling at SM after. We actually spent the whole afternoon there. Something like a date. Yup, a date with my brother.

Had F.O.B.I Baked Ice Cream.

Chocolate

We had lunch at Chika-an sa Cebu in the North Wing.

Sizzling Sisig

Sinigang na Hipon

Grilled Tuna Belly

Then dessert at Gelatissimo.

Forest Berries

and Panna Cotta.

Yum! :D

Shiela turns 23

2010-09-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

Shiela is one of my closest childhood friends... one of my few bestfriends actually. Though we had a lot of time apart [we weren't in the same school during high school and college], we never ceased to become friends. And after a long long time of being apart, we have been close again ever since. We work at the same hospital with Erin.

It was her birthday on the 23rd and she had a dinner bash from her loving parents so I also made her something that I imagined making. Chocolate Pudding Pie. Yes, that's right. Sounds like yum, huh? It is definitely yummy... She loved it very much.

That's her boyfriend, Shiela and Me.

Look at that cookie in the middle.

It says, 'happy birthday shiela!'

[Too bad I didn't get to take an upclose photo. I was too hungry I guess. haha]

Those are her cakes.

Love the slippers by the way.

That's us minus Erin. :|

But anyways, we had fun. Too bad I had to go home early.

Granny's Banana Muffin

2010-09-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

The City Women's Club will have some form of a bake sale tomorrow and my granny a.k.a. lola tasked me to do the baking for her. :) So I started early today and baked close to a hundred banana muffins. Sad to say, I can't share the recipe because she made it herself[she says] and you know how it is. Family recipe. Someday, I might share it.

I only got to take home two.

One was eaten by my mom.

And the other one is mine.

Taste is not so sweet. Also has lots of banana strands.

Chocolate Pudding

2010-09-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

... heals the weary heart.

Man, my heart is weary. That's so true at this point. So many things to think about. But hey... there's a rainbow always after the rain, right? I don't want to delve in more about my personal sentiments. I'd just like to share to you this simple yet wonderful confection that I have just made a few hours ago.

Yesterday, I've been wanting to eat anything chocolate and I wanted to eat it with a spoon. I've thought of ice cream but nah I was too lazy to even go out to my grandma's house which is just a few steps away. I have some cocoa powder and sugar and other stuff hidden in the cupboard. So I browsed through tastespotting and alas... I got the idea of making pudding. My siblings and I made some before but were never satisfied because we used a low quality cocoa powder. Not very chocolatey. This time though, I know better.

So here it is.

beautiful eh?

It's actually a very simple recipe I found at Cooks.com.

Easy Chocolate Pudding

1/2 c. sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
2 1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt in saucepan. Slowly stir in milk, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick. Stir and cook 3 minutes longer; stir in vanilla. Chill. Makes 6.

Absolute winner!

Now I feel a little better. :)

'Corporate Event': Rio Twins' 1st Birthday Party

2010-09-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

Since I don't get a lot of orders lately, I found this party to be a great excuse to whip up some cuppies and cookies for my two dear boys. They are the sons of my sister Jackie's classmate and the pastor's first grandsons. They then are dearly loved by everyone in our church community. I especially love them. They have a special place in my heart.

conventional chocolate cuppies with boiled frosting

sugar cookies with royal icing

johann and nathan cookies

look! blue hand and foot. hihi :)

here they are. the one with longer hair is the mom. :]

Caramel Cream Puffs

2010-09-08T02:04:00.000-07:00

I didn't make some but I'm going to make my own version soon. I've heard of these long long ago. I even have some recipes in an old cook book we have here at home but never had the guts nor the urge to make them. I tasted them for the first time last Monday while I was out on a date with one of my girlfriends, Erin. She bought this for us before we went home. It was at Tarsier Exotica, a pastry stall in our local mall.

At first I thought it was just bread with some caramel on top...

But I was wrong...

Look at that beautiful surprise... :D

Creamy creamy chocolate filling inside.

Yummy!!!

I promise to make some of these pretty soon. Not sure when though but soon. Yey! :P

Lagunay - Blanco Wedding

2010-08-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't really contribute much to this occasion other than being present to witness and to eat. hihi...

Yeah I'm so much a big fan of weddings. I love playing spectator to how a man and a woman decide to live together, vowing to love each other forever.

I will be pouring out more of my thoughts about this in my diary blog Ponder Spills. For now, I'd just like to share how great the wedding was. It was on one of the most private beaches here in our locality. Beach wedding nearing sunset... so romantic, so beautiful... Comfy clothes, slippers... Not so many lavish decos... just mostly white and purple. Perfect weather. Really pretty.

There were lots of food too at the reception.

The buffet table

centerpiece... :)

my dinner plate

Queen Elizabeth cake.

It's kinda sad I wasn't able to take a photo of the wedding cake. We were seated quite far so that was the best I could get. haha

But for overalls, the wedding was almost if not perfect. :)

Chocolate Chunk Nips Cookies

2010-08-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

I just came from a graveyard shift duty and I'm so drowsy right now. But I feel the need to share my baking adventure last night. I was browsing through some photos at Tastespotting when I found this cookie photo that looked really yummy. I clicked on and was brought to Bakergirl's blog. As I read on her story, I realized that I am somehow in a similar situation as her.

Well anyway, I copied the cookie recipe and commented that I would make my own. And I did, last night. I used Nips instead of M&M's as they are cheaper of course but taste just as good. The cookies turned out really chocolatey and she was right about the cinnamon. It makes the chocolate flavor pop. Needless to say, the cookies were a success and I felt so fulfilled.

beautiful eh?

cookie on my hand... will bite soon :D

packed some for my childhood nurse friends :)

Thanks, Bakergirl :))

Glysa's Birthday Cuppies

2010-08-24T00:22:00.000-07:00

Yep, it was one of my girl best friends' birthday yesterday. Her name is Glysa and she was my classmate since first grade until high school. We've parted ways in college but never lost contact. We've been through a lot. A whole lot actually, and yeah, it's made our bond stronger than ever. In celebration of another year of her existence, we held a pre-birthday bash at the 'Balwarte' [don't know how it's spelled.] We went there with our other girlfriends and we had a blast. It was a simple dinner actually and my offering to her this year is a set of birthday cupcakes I baked a day ahead. I decorated them with seven-minute frosting and here they are.

And here are some photos of us. [Glysa's the one wearing shorts.]

Shiela, Erin, Glysa and me :)

Felt like we're still first graders. haha :D

Time flies so fast.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-08-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Things have been a whirlwind lately with regards to life and love for me. Been on duty most times at the hospital with changing shifts and trying times. A lot of people have been getting sick lately and some too are bringing more children into the world. I am currently assigned in the Delivery Room and helping women give birth has been my thing lately. Although it's mostly a doctor-nurse team tasking here, watching the whole birthing process is utterly amazing. Labor though looks really painful and scares me a lot. Some of them really get irritable but you know, that is so understandable. With regards to love, uhmmm... I'd like to keep it a secret for now. I'd like to savor the 'funny feeling' it while it's new and while it lasts.

So much for that. Hihi. This weekend, one of my brothers went home from Cebu City and so it called for some baking. I still had left over chocolate chips in the fridge and my sister was dying for choco chip cookies so that's what I decided to make. I used my sugar cookie recipe because I wanted to make cut outs but somehow, it didn't work. haha. I still pushed through anyway and didn't yield much because I halved the recipe.

Here are two of them.

Bit the one on top. Haha.

They tasted good... but not best.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

2010-07-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

Whew. It's been a while since I last felt oven heat and I missed it so much the other day I prodded myself to do some baking. A good friend of mine gave me a bag of Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chips and so I've thought of a lot of things to do with them like cookies, cupcakes and of course, muffins. She particularly requested for banana so I kinda baked it for her. I was and am still inspired to bake because I have something special that is brewing as of the moment. Well it's not coffee though but it leaves me awake a lot. I choose not to talk about it a lot here because I want to enjoy it while it lasts and while it is new.

Now back to my muffins. I googled and found a recipe at allrecipes.com. Made it and here are the products.

This one's for my Bes.

New Beginnings

2010-07-14T01:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time, hasn't it?

Well that's because I didn't do a lot of baking lately. Business is on a low down. But good news is, I'm back to the hospital. Yep. I work at a maternity and children's hospital now as a volunteer nurse. No pay but it isn't very toxic so I guess that's okay.

Here I am in my uniform.

It's actually the first time I wanted my picture wearing this to be posted on the net. haha

Oh by the way, days after my birthday, I went to Cebu again. I stayed there for days. It was a good visit... went to many places and many many food points. Unfortunately though, I wasn't in the mood to be a food photographer at that time so I only took photos of my superduper favorites.

One is this Opera Cake from the reunion dinner.

Love the G-clef. :)

And the other one is this one.

Passion Fruit Topped Frozen Yogurt at

Fruit Farm Yogurt Bar.

This is by faaaaaar, my 'most favorite' of all.

One of the bestsellers of Quickly.

I forgot the name of this one though, sorry.

But this has something to do with Taro Ice.

Everytime I'm in Cebu, I look forward to tasting it again.

Right now, I'm back to my same old routine life. And something good is beginning as well. Hope it lasts though. Something that has to do with Elton John's 'We All Fall In Love Sometimes'. :)

P.S. It was Char's first death anniversary yesterday and I went to their place for dinner last night. I saw a number of butterflies yesterday that I symbolized as her. As a way of letting go also, I deleted the last text message she sent me while she was in Singapore. A lot of things have happened in the past year and we who are left behind are slowly moving onwards. But stumbling on old photos and hearing old songs bring back painful and fun memories. I still miss her. I don't know if I'll ever stop.

Birthday Weekend!

2010-06-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

Had a really really fun weekend with family and friends. Saturday was my sister's birthday and Sunday was mine. :D

Cooked Spaghetti with for her birthday and basil pasta for mine.
I also made blueberry cheesecake for her.
That day we spent with our immediate family only.

yup. that's her. my sister Jackie with her cheesecake.

Now let's go to the fun part.

My birthday of course.

Started the day with church. Had Lechon Baboy for lunch. [didn't get the whole pig set up though.] Also had native fried chicken. :D Since nobody at home can make a cake for me, I did it myself. I made use of a black forest cake recipe I found at Brown Eyed Baker's site. Unfortunately, the cream I used didn't fluff up so I ended up using seven-minute frosting for it. Maybe it's just too warm here for whipped cream frosting...or maybe I just didn't do it right. But all's well that ends well.

here I am with my cake. :)

got to celebrate it with a childhood friend who celebrates the same birthday as me. :)

had a candlelit dinner with my bestie-best friends...

and karaoke after. :)

had so much fun.

and did i mention that it was the first time i went out at night on my birthday?

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

No words can ever fully express how fortunate I am to be born in such a close-knit family as ours. I have my loving and hardworking mother and an equally loving and hardworking father as well. Add to that combo the most fun to be around with brothers and sisters you can have in your life. I remember when our father was still in the prime of his life when we were little kids, he used to take us to the beach during weekends and even if we weren't the richest family in the world, we were the happiest kids around. He sent and fetched us to and from school and made his way through our needs and wants. He never allowed my mother to have a day job so she can take care of us while he's making money.

Now that he is kinda weaker from suffering a stroke, and not making money anymore, I know he is still working hard to get over the weakness and get back to the way it was before. Although it's kinda bleak to be as strong and as vibrant as during the younger days, at least he is improving now. And we, his kids along with our wonderful mom, are here for him just as he was there for us in when we were kids and growing up.

So for Father's day this year, our offering to him is a yummy tasting mango cake. It's similar to my mom's mother's day cake only with bits of fruit cocktail on top of the whip cream instead of mango. :) We originally planned Ube[Purple Yam] cake as it is his favorite but we didn't find a good recipe and I couldn't risk spoiling his cake.

Here is Papa with my Mama and the cake

innards. :)

didn't look as cassava cake-ish as before. :D

Something's brewing up again for my sister's and mine's birthday weekend.

Basil Pasta Again

2010-06-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

Since my brother Jon is here again, and he's leaving for Cebu again tonight, we decided to make him a sumptuous lunch. It's been quite a long time since we last ate pasta. [We ate noodles last night. That's a different thing. Haha] And we also missed the taste of basil. So here it is. I whipped up the pasta again, except that I didn't make pesto anymore and added the chopped basil leaves instead.

There you go.

And needless to say,

I'm so full.

My first ever...

2010-06-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Cheesecake! :D

ooooooooooh yum. I didn't expect it to turn out so nicely. See, it was my forever friend, Char's, birthday last June 8. Her sister, Achi Em, invited me to come to their house and bake a cake for her with all the ingredients and tools readied for me. Not just that, she also tasked me to make the blueberry cheesecake for the first time... which she doesn't really have that much idea on how to do, she told me. It wasn't the first time I worked in their kitchen but it sure was the first time I worked there almost alone. Achi just checked on me once in a while and I also had some people helping me get the things I needed. Anyhoo, I made use of the easy no-bake cheesecake found inside the pack of cream cheese that we used. It turned out well until the creaming point. I don't know how to whip cream using the hand mixer. It didn't fluff up! I tried doing it manually before using the wire whisk. It did somehow rise and look pretty but it wasn't very sturdy. I tried to look for a wire whisk there but didn't find one until I was done so. I settled with the soggy cream. haha :) I fervently hoped that the gelatin and cream cheese will make it set properly. When it was served at the party, I was sooooooo relieved that it did and that it turned out absolutely yummy.

That was my dessert plate.

Hahaha so fat looking eh.

Catch a glimpse of the watermelon, pineapple and ube cake on the sides. :)

...and the star of the show, my first ever blueberry cheesecake.

And of course, I baked Char a birthday cake. It was a chocolate cake with fondant icing. I didn't fully cover it with fondant because I didn't find their rolling pin. I don't own one as well. Anyhoo, it took us hours to get to have it cooked since the oven didn't light up immediately. So anyway, to make the story short, I got it finished on time for the party. Didn't get to go to the cemetery though because I was late already.

Here's the cake. :)

[Pardon me for this photo. I took this shot using my mobile phone.]

They say Char guided me through my baking adventure that day.
I hope she's happy up there.

I still miss her everyday.
Happy Birthday, my darling girl Pating.

Native Chocolate Polvoron

2010-06-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

It's kinda sad I don't get to update this blog a lot anymore like I used to. I get occupied with other things even if I don't have a job yet. haha :) I wish I get a job real soon.

Anyhoo, days ago I made some native chocolate polvorons and they're sooooooo yummy. I don't know, I've been crazy about native chocolate lately. It's so addictive. It smells so good, raw cocoa goodness. Milk and Native chocolate never tasted this good. haha of course, I am exaggerating. :) But here is a photo for you to see.

see the spots?

those are the bits of native choco :)

I also made the cake version and intended to pair it with ice cream.

Here's the photo.

beautiful texture but didn't come out in perfect shape.

still, it turned out yummy. :)

Will be off to my friend Char's place to celebrate her birthday tomorrow.

Native Chocolate Cake

2010-06-01T03:23:00.000-07:00

Well.. It's the first day of June already which only means that today marks the beginning of my birthday month. I don't know if I ought to be excited because I still don't have a job and my life's been stagnant all these months that I don't know now what to expect if I ever get back to work. I have sent some application documents to different institutions already and I am just keeping my fingers crossed for the days and weeks to come. I hope I get a job before my birthday strikes but if I never get any, well... I'll have to accept that as well and continue on waiting.

Anyhoo... the past few days, I didn't really do a lot of baking because I don't have orders lately which is kinda sad because it means no cash inflow. But that's okay, I guess. I will just have to start anew this month. This particular cake I mentioned above is a cake I made for my brother, Jonathan. He works in Cebu already and he posted as his status message on Facebook that he misses my chocolate cakes. Awwwwe... He went home in time for our church's Family Sunday so I made him one. I tried the cooked frosting again and failed. The frosting was crumby.. lots of flour solids. But still, the cake, tasted good.

how does that look?

cake innards. :)

pretty huh?

and here's the rose I gave my parents on Family Sunday. :D

Chocolate Coated Polvoron

2010-05-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

I've tasted some of those before and lately, I've wondered if I could make my own.

Polvoron is a common treat for the Filipinos and one that those living overseas surely miss. An old favorite of mine is that of Goldilocks. No matter how I tried to copy the taste before, I never got it right. I ended up making my own without measurements and recipes... just toasting and mixing and molding and wrapping. :)

It's been like years since I've made these candies and I totally forgot already how to. The only things I can remember about it is adding dried fish to it as an investigatory project in high school. That earned us a decent 3rd place in the competition. I've been craving for it for days already, that's why I googled a recipe and made them last night. I then used the remains of my chocolate bar and used Ate Claire's techinique in coating cake balls. :) Sadly though, I ran out of chocolate so I only had a few finished products.

Here are the finished products.

decent looking, huh.

i know there are already a lot of commercial versions of this in the market,

but nothing beats home-cooked goodness. :)

right?

still have to ask my critics about their comments on the taste.

at times, me and my sister don't trust our tastebuds anymore. :D

Pesto Pasta and Mango Island Cliff Cake

2010-05-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

Right now, there are only three people left in the house. Me, my sister and my Papa. Sadly, my grandfather passed away the night of the election day and so my mom and cousin left for Leyte to attend to the wake and funeral. My brothers are far away too so the house is almost empty with my sister off to training at a pharmacy and me and my papa barely talking.

So last night, to liven up a bit, I made a pasta dish for dinner. I just googled how to make pesto to add to my white sauce. The white sauce recipe by the way was taught to me by my late friend, Char. I feel like she was with me all the while. She made the best carbonara I've ever tasted. Now she's gone and I can't taste it anymore. I feel that however much I try, mine will always be second best to hers. I've been missing her a lot lately as many many memories keep rushing back into my mind. Add the fact that her boyfriend who now works faraway is here and seeing him is like feeling that she's just around too. I tweaked the recipe a bit with basil, which by the way might be one of my favorite ingredients from now on. It just adds oomph to the food you make and if used properly adds to the market value of your meal. It makes food taste expensive. That's in my opinion, of course.

Here it is.

Sorry for the poor quality photo.

My mom brought my camera with her to Leyte so I had to use my phone.

I didn't succeed making the real pesto. I just improvised and ended up using it still. haha:D

Today, I went out of my chocolate comfort zone and went for microwave mango cake. :) I used the leftover mango we had from mothers day. I also wanted to mimic the one written about in the previous post. It wasn't a flop this time. haha Oh just the whip cream. I still have to practice. It looks like an island cliff... a mango island cliff. :D

There you go.

A Mango Island Cliff Cake surrounded by a sea of cream. :P

Mother's Day Mango Cake

2010-05-08T23:22:00.000-07:00

In honor of my Mama who raised us well through all these years, here's for you.

i'm sorry if you find it hard reading the writings.

it says "Happy Mothers Day Ma!"

This is my first try on Whipped Cream Frosting and it turned out really yummy. The mango cake looked like cassava cake too maybe because of the puree. :) Anyhoo... here.

And if you wanna see my Mama cutting it, here it is.

We LOVE you MAMA!

<3

Dizzying Boat Rides

2010-05-08T23:16:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been fun for me as I went places and did boat rides for three straight days. I still feel dizzy.

Day 1. Thursday, May 6.

We were off to Cebu so early in the morning to prepare for my granny's check-up. After that I had to accompany her as she went to places to fix some papers and stuff. It's a good thing we had a good car courtesy of an aunt who lives there whom I just met. I absolutely love her because she's so accommodating. Life was less stressful to me because she made sure we were comfortable and well fed always. We had lunch at her place and I didn't take photos to avoid being offensive. For snacks, we went to the Metro Cafe in Ayala which I didn't know existed until the time we went there. It was located in the basement so it's really kinda hard to find. Choco Freeze was really yummy. Still, no photos. After that, we had dinner at T.G.I. Friday's. We had Friday's Three-for-all, Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta, and whatever else... hehe I can't remember anymore. I had mashed potatoes and Strawberry Slush.

three-for-all

i don't know what this was called.

the pasta

my slush.

wasn't really very impressed with the taste. wished there were more ice.

Day 2. Friday, May 7.

Early in the morning, we went to the doctor's clinic and had my Lola checked. After that we headed over to Aunt's place and stayed there for a while. We also had lunch there. Then they dropped me and my cousin, JC to Robinson's so they can go somewhere else and we can also go to his school to know the results of his applications. Story short, he got accepted. After that, he dropped me off to the business park so I can go to Ayala while waiting for my Lola to come back. I really was excited to go home already because my tummy wasn't in a very good mood for the past few days. The day before too, I had chest pains. It was awful. Thought I'd have a heart attack already. Thank God, I survived. When my Lola got back, we went straight to the pier and ended up running to the terminal because the traffic was really really heavy. We rode a boat once again and were seated in the front most so you can just imagine how it felt when the boat met the waves. It makes me dizzy thinking about it.

Day 3. Saturday, May 8...

...is my favorite boat ride of all. It's the day of our college classmates reunion and it was uber fun. We went island hopping. First to Balicasag Island, and then to Virgin Island. Despite the heat, it was fun hanging out, catching up, rekindling old friendships, reminiscing memories. You might wanna see some photos.

The box of Squash Muffins topped with Chocolate was my contribution to the affair.

Yummy looking lechon, huh?

The waves on that boat ride are the ones I'd love to meet again soon.

Oooooh I love it! <3

Welcome, May! :D

2010-05-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a long time since I last posted. That's because I didn't do a lot of baking until recently and internet connection was down again.

Remember the cousin I've mentioned about before, the one who's coming home? Yup, he's here alright. :D He arrived on the 30th of April and I couldn't be happier. May in our place is the 'fiesta month' when there are feasts held almost every day in the different towns of our island province. And so he's here while waiting for the call from the school he wants to attend to; and also to participate in some of the festivities.

I made him some cake balls. Sadly, he found it a little lacking... in butter. Then I realized, oh yeah, I used the mug cake recipe which calls for vegetable oil instead of butter for the cake. I also didn't use up a lot of buttercream so that's how he found it. He also said he was on a diet that's why he didn't eat much.

So here goes.

And here's something I was busy with last night. :) It's for a priest so....

I'm looking forward to something happening[I mean aside from mother's day, of course.] this weekend...

so keep posted! :D

Send Off Cake

2010-04-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

Yup. Send off I say because my second brother, Jonathan, already left for Cebu last night to start his new found job there. Of course, there has to be something special for dessert last night since we had eggplant omelets for dinner. Sounds nice eh? But the main dish was just a typical dinner dish in our family. The event wasn't really very sad too since Cebu is just a boat ride away. But still, we have to cross the seas, right?

The Magic Chocolate Mug Cake has been doing wonders for me too because it makes an instant delicious cake during times when everything's uptight that I can barely even make way for it. It's fairly easy and doesn't involve taking out too many utensils and equipment. I only use a wire whisk, a bowl and some measuring spoons to mix the batter; a mold and I put the mixture into the microwave to cook.

I've also done my first attempt of Cooked Chocolate Frosting last night and it came out really delicious. I mean really delicious. I made use of the cooked frosting recipe I found at Tummy Yummy's site. I halved the recipe and added a few tablespoons of chocolate powder to the mixture.

So needless to say, we were all sated. We ate the rest of it after lunch today. :D

a closer look

my brother making the first slice.

[looks pretty small huh. that's the mug cake recipe times 4]

ooooooh yummy gooey innards.

enjoy! :D

Magic Chocolate Mug Cake

2010-04-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

My heart is still quite broken because of my sick oven still in the repair shop. I miss it so much. It feels like a part of me is missing everytime this comes to my mind but well, yeah, things happen and my broken oven and broken heart are part of it.

So while it is healing, I also wanted to make a little something just to satisfy my urge to use the ingredients that I have sans my oven. I've done some baking through microwave before. The most recent one is the Moringa cupcake rescue. Before my parents bought me my oven, I used the microwave to bake us some brownies and cookies. It didn't taste as good as those oven-made goodies but sometimes, it's just the way to go to satisfy a craving.

So here I am again, hungry for some sweets. And because of that, I've been busy this morning googling a microwave cake recipe that's just a little serving because I don't want to put so many ingredients to waste if in case it doesn't work. I also don't want to overeat again. I came across this recipe and it made my afternoon. I want ice cream on top of it but I'm feeling lazy to get out because of the bright and shining sun that's burning hot these days.

On to some photos...

a close look

how the cake in the mug looks like

[quite a mess eh?]

looks pretty to me

[as per experience, i've never tried yielding perfectly shaped goodies from a microwave]

took a slice to see its innards

[tastes chocolatey but it doesn't beat the oven-baked cake version. 'twas good enough though.]

It fascinates me how the microwave really works like magic. :D

Yakult Chocolate Cake

2010-04-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

I've always wondered how my favorite pro-biotic drink, Yakult, would taste if used as a substitute for milk in baking.

taken from the site above.

I love Yakult. I grew up loving it. I don't know how I came to love it. All I know is that it's been there since I was a child. It's good for the tummy too.

So last night, the thought hit me. And so I pulled out my Magic Chocolate Mug Cake recipe and mixed in the Yakult and microwaved it. Here's the result.

Looks like tree barks. :)

still has the microwavey texture.

Taste-wise, it was good enough.

I wouldn't recommend it though because it's not something I think everyone would like. :D

My Second Award

2010-04-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

Yup. I have a new one. :) It's nice to hear that some people do appreciate what I have been posting here since I started blogging in February. I received it this time from my good friend, Ate Claire. Thanks, Ate and Yaaaaaaay! :D

Here are 10 things that make me happy:
1. Having a healthy and loving family.
2. My baking hobby almost becoming a habit. It gets addictive every time.
3. Reading and hearing beautiful comments and helpful criticisms.
4. Meeting my friends.
5. Hearing from old friends.
6. A good movie.
7. Chocolates... tons of them.
8. Falling in love. [seldom happens]
9. Marrying the man of my dreams. [not yet happening though but it will surely make me happy. :D]
10. Getting doses of God's Words. They get me going through life.

I'm passing this award to:

Ate Jerosha

When you get your award, you:
1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog (or hyperlink).
3. List 10 things that make you happy.
4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know about the award.

Chocolate Flan Cake Yummy Flop

2010-04-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Yup. You read it right. I saw it once at TasteSpotting.com and I knew I had to make it. Having lots of egg yolks from a weekend of baking was the perfect opportunity. I was inspired and made use of the microwave to get fast results. Talk about fast. After about 2 and a half minutes of cooking it, when I poured it onthe plate, I realized that the center was not cooked yet! It was a total flop. But anyway, it was not worth stressing about because the cooked parts were really yummy. I took them out, placed the uncooked batter into a mug and shoved it back to cook a minute more. It didn't come out as I have expected. Maybe because I tried to do it on my own and I didn't make enough flan to equal the amount of chocolate cake. But still... it was a yummy flop.

cooked part after 2:30 minutes

see the uncooked batter looking like chocolate sauce?

a cleaner slice

here's from the mug.

A Special Day

2010-04-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

...for Lola Bebing [my deceased grandfather's sister].

Yup, she turned 80 last Thursday but had her party yesterday. She's still her same smiling self despite senility taking its toll on her. Almost everyone came to the luncheon in red because in the Chinese culture, it carries a largely positive connotation, being associated with courage, loyalty, honor, success, fortune, fertility, happiness, passion, and summer. My Lola is Chinese after all.

The Rose sugar cookies made their show with of course, the cupcakes. Lunch was sumptuous. I was sooooo full. I went home soon after because I had to attend to something else.

Here's the cake table. I felt so fortunate having been able to match the cupcakes to the cake. They were supposed to be red but ended up pink because it's so hard to attain red using liquid food color. It alters the consistency of the icing.

Just so you know what I ate. :)

And on to that 'something else' I told you about. I finished a client's cupcake order.

for Pam's dad.

and for her 'love'. <3

So that's it. The weekend was pretty much done and I was so happy to be back in bed last night.

Today marks a new week and it will be one busy week as we are to start a new activity today.

Rose Sugar Cookies

2010-04-16T02:05:00.000-07:00

My grandmother assigned to me quite a tasking project for the weekend and that's to make cookies and cupcakes as gifts for my other grandmother[my deceased grandfather's sister]'s birthday party which is going to be held on Sunday. This and another project that was booked way earlier than hers will keep my hands full throughout the weekend. That's why I am planning very well each and every move I'm going to make in the next few hours and next few days. Okay, I'm exaggerating. But yeah, I don't want to stay up late again like i did before when I had to make and frost 40 cookies in one night. I almost died. [Exaggerating again.]

So here's my product for today. I tried to look for a design that would be most fitting for the occasion. I mean the grandma I'm talking about is already old and I don't think making too kiddie designs would be so not appropriate. I looked up some sites and chose this one from Bakeat350. As I have mentioned before, I'm such a big fan. I also tried to make it red since it's the theme color but I didn't quite make it. Red is such a challenge to achieve. Argh. It turned out something like reddish violet. I don't know... must be the food color. It says strawberry red but it makes more of the pinkish side of things.

Anyhoo... have a look.

I didn't make a template like she did. I just made round cookies and piped the outlines like those of her cookies.

a closer look.

another closer look

all packed and ready for Sunday.

And Oh!

I'd just like to show off what I had for lunch yesterday.

Grilled 'Tulingan' with Sautéed Onions and Tomatoes

YUM! :D

Off to Cebu Again

2010-04-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, we went to Cebu again to have my father's heart checked. My brother, Jonathan, was there ahead of us as he was already doing his share of job hunting. Upon arriving there, we met up at a pension house that I ended up hating. I kept repeating that I'm never going back there ever again. It was noisy and so uncomfortable.

Anyhoo, enough rant. Let's go to the good stuff. Our schedule was early the next day so while we were waiting, we went malling and had dinner at Sunburst. They're known for their fried chicken and my parents claimed it to be the best. So when the opportunity arrived, I went for a go and grabbed it. We ordered molo soup, chicken drumsticks, their version of chopsuey and their lumpia shanghai. I must say, I loved the chicken...not too salty and the skin is thin and not starchy.The Molo soup was good. The lumpia is so-so but the chopsuey is not good. It was something [I thought to myself] that I could figure out cooking at home.

Molo Soup, Fried Chicken and Chopsuey

Lumpia Shanghai

We went home after and prepared for the check up the next day. To make the story short, the check up went fine and the test results were okay. My father still has a healthy heart. After the check up, we went to another mall this time and had lunch there. Sorry, no photos. I was too hungry. Anyhoo, we just had it at the Food Court. But my visit to Cebu is never complete without paying a visit to Leona Cakes and Pastries. I bought my favorite Choco Chip bread and a slice of Mocha-Choco Mousse to take home.

this one tasted good... :) soft, creamy and not to sweet.

I also got to use my Green Bag Lady bag there. :D

Brownie and Mocha Chip Oatmeal Drop

2010-04-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to do this before but never got the chance until last night. I saw this post from Ate Claire's site and I remember commenting that I will make some soon... and from scratch. I made them but not really soon soon. :) You see, I've searched for a good brownie recipe and decided on one last night from Diamonds for Dessert, a new site I found at Tastespotting.com. And to make it a little easier, I used the remains of the Mocha Chip Oatmeal cookie/bar dough I made days ago.

So here's the end product.

I made two batches. One Brownie batch and one Brownie Mocha Chip Drop.

Here are the real end products.

And here are the brownies... very good tasting ones.. :D

Mocha Chip Oatmeal Bars

2010-04-11T01:33:00.000-07:00

I super love the Apple Cinnamon Cookies from Quaker Oats and I was inspired to make my own version.[though not Apple Cinnamon.] I made use of the ingredients I had in stock. I tried baking the mixture I made as cookies but with the size of my oven, I never found a cookie sheet that fits in it perfectly. So I used aluminum foil instead and end up having imperfectly shaped but still good tasting cookies. This one though, didn't work with the foil as the cookies were gooey and sticky thus making them hard to remove. I ended up baking them as bars in a loaf pan.

Here they are.

Mocha Chip Oatmeal Bars

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
a pinch of baking soda
a pinch of baking powder
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mocha chips

1. Preheat oven at 350F.
2. Sift together all dry ingredients.
3. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add egg and beat well.
5. Add vanilla and milk
6. Mix in the dry ingredients and the mocha chips.
7. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes.
8. Bake for 13-15 minutes.
9. Cool for about 10 minutes then cut into desired sizes.

Enjoy! :)

Limited Edition

2010-04-10T03:20:00.000-07:00

Today was quite a busy one. In the morning, I went to church to participate in the remaining parts of the workshop that was meant to prepare us for the activities this summer. I didn't get to finish though because I had some baking to do. I made for a cousin what I call a LIMITED EDITION cupcakes. It's a mix of two flavors in one cupcake. I rarely ever do them because they take me a lot of time to make but if a close friend or relative really wants one, I think twice and mostly end up making the cuppies for them. So here goes.

My camera's with my brother so I took the shots using my phone camera.

Cookies and Cream under Chocolate

Another View

Here's a pretty GUMAMELA I found at my Lola[Grandma]'s garden.

Is it just me or is Blogger acting weird lately? I'm having a hard time editing my post.

Almost Forgotten

2010-04-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

Would you believe we almost forgot that it was our parents' anniversary yesterday?

Yeah, we quite almost did. Even my mom almost forgot. We really didn't make a big fuss about it before because they never told us the date when we were young. We only took note of the date when we were browsing through some documents and found their marriage contract. That explains why we almost always forget about it.

And so yeah, better late than never. I whipped up and decorated a chocolate cake, again from the microwave since we had little time left. After that, on to some picture taking and then some eating. :D

here's the finished product

and here they are. :)

Something 'Green' and Cake Balls

2010-04-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

Yey! :D My 25th Post. [Nothing.. just happy about it. :) ]

And I have a few reasons to celebrate too apart from this being 25th and I'm so excited to share them with you. I have to warn you though that these are just little things that I'm very happy about.

Number 1: I got my green bag from Green Bag Lady from the mail yesterday. It's not literally green but the fabric and colors are pretty. Its size is just right and fits a lot of things. Ooooh I'm loving it. Definitely a keeper.

Just so you know, Green Bag Lady is an artist from the US who makes bags and sends them as gifts to spread the word of using fabric instead of plastic bags to minimize the negative impact of plastics to the environment. Her dad and some volunteers help her out in making and sending the bags. I just happened to stumble on her page sometime ago through Ate Claire's blog. I saw a bag I liked and so I commented. Later, her dad a.k.a Bagette Dad sent me an email to tell me that they'd like to send me a bag. So to make the story short, I got the bag yesterday from the post office.

Here are some photos.

Here it is. On top of it is the envelope that held it.

authentic :)

guess I'm the first one in the country to have her bag.

*happy smile :D

And on to Number 2: I made some smoother cake balls last night. Thanks to the video I found on Ate Claire's site. They're still made of the microwave chocolate cake recipe but with Peanut Butter Buttercream this time as inspired by Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

oh look at those beauties... :D

here's one for me.

[okay, I lied. I ate three last night ;) ]

and you won't know it has peanut butter until you get to take a bite.

sorry I didn't get a shot of the insides. i was totally lost in it that i forgot. :D

Awesome April

2010-04-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

has just begun.

I woke up early yesterday to prep my Pop so we could go to our little fishermen's warf to witness the first harvest our our fish-friends-now-food, the Milkfish better known at our place as BANGUS!

harvesting mode.

[It was really fun watching the men trying to catch the fish with the net only seeing the fish fly over them. They did rounds of catching but still never finished until today. The had to stop at high tide.]

fresh from the sea.

[aren't they lovely? Some bones got stuck on my throat today. I'm okay now and I ain't giving up eating them at all. ]

Next Topic.

Family gatherings are just plain fun. I like having little chitchats with some cousins and aunts... I also like seeing little children run around, shout and speak like big people do... making negotiations using their toys and making their own game rules. It makes me miss those days when I was just a kid playing house with my older cousins and allowing them to feed us petals. Last night was one of those fun gatherings because it was a joint graduation party for some of my cousins and it was kinda sad too because one of them is leaving us and no one can tell how long she will be away. Anyhoo, enough for the sentiments.

I was busy yesterday but it's not the kind that gets me ranting. It's the fun kind of busy because it's for the said family gathering. My cupcake tower also made its show again last night... the same chocolate cupcakes but different owners this time. My aunt asked me to make them and you can imagine what I went through making those. Baking and frosting about 48 cupcakes in about 5 hours? But I don't want to complain because I must admit, I had fun. I also think that baking for family or close friends add an additional amount of pressure for perfection. So yeah, I did my best and thankfully the batches turned out really great. I also baked some cookies days before as my present to the kiddos who graduated from preschool.

On to some pictures. I didn't take much because I was to tired to do so. I only chatted my way through the night with an old college friend.

Here we go.

girly cookies

boy cookies

[Both cookies were inspired by Bakeat350 and Sweetopia]

I know, they scream for more practice. :D

And here's the cupcake tower and the cookies laid out on the dessert table. :D

Now, my cousins have left and there are a few still staying.

Oh, did I tell you that we don't have water right now? Our water pump broke so we have to ask [or buy(?) ] water from our neighbors.

And I burnt a small part of my left hand yesterday with the glue gun. Arggh.

Mocha Chip Cookies

2010-03-31T15:45:00.000-07:00

Part of the new treasures my mom bought from Caro & Marie is a bag of mocha chips...and it has been dying to be taken out of the fridge[or was I the one who's doing to take it out? haha] Yesterday morning, I tried to search for a recipe to make good use of it and I found this one. I immediately went to the kitchen and did my thing. Instead of 5 tbsp. of coffee, I only used about 1. I don't want it too strong on my cookies. :)

Here's the recipe I used:

Mocha Chip Cookies [modified from the Nestle Toll House Recipe]

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup (6 oz.) mocha morsels

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Lightly grease baking sheets. COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.COMBINE Taster’s Choice and water in small bowl; stir until coffee is dissolved. Add to sugar mixture; mix well. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto prepared baking sheets. BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are crisp. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*I didn't use Toll house though, I didn't see those here.

see the molten chips in the cookie. :D

Last Hurrah for March

2010-03-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Okay... so March is almost over but Summer fun has just begun.

Yesterday, we went to Cebu City for the main purpose of having my father checked up by a doctor there. And so we did, so early in the morning for the lab tests. The doctor's check up was scheduled the next day[which was today] so after the lab

tests, we took time to find ourselves a resting place. We walked around a few blocks only to end up at the pension house right in front of the laboratory we first arrived into. After that though, we did go out to have some lunch and to just roam around the at Ayala for 'exercise'[haha]. I didn't get to photograph much of the foods we ate. I was just too hungry or too tired to do them.

Today, I tried my best to get some photographs. I still didn't take a shot of a meal though. I always forgot. My favorite part of the trip was the visit to Leona Cakes and Pastries at SM Northwing. I don't know but eversince I've gone there, my feet always tend to walk to the 'cafe's' direction. My parents and I had a few bites there. The doctor's check up went well and we are supposed to start a new diet as soon as possible that's why consider this day our last day to indulge. I don't know if this is my last day though. I don't think so. However, I'm thinking of joining them in their diet change because the doctor said strokes are hereditary and being the 'obese' person that I am now makes me so prone to it.

Now here are the little photos that I took of my little indulgences. Most of the shots I took were photos of my parents but I don't intend to include them in this post so here we go...

A photo of the the print on the table napkin at Leona's.

I think this is called Chocolate Swirl.

[It tastes like a chocolate flavored bread with some chocolate chips mixed with it. I loved this one.]

This one is the Chocolate Mamon.

[It's from my mom but I ate most of it. haha It was soft and chocolatey. Not very special but good enough.]

Have a look at some goodies my mom got for me.

Most of them are from Caro & Marie(a baking supply store at SM).

And here's what we had for supper at the boat.

It's called Eden Green Salad from SM Supermarket.

You get to pick what your veggies and dressing to put in your salad, they weigh your choices and you pay them. :D

A lot of things are brewing up in my head and I'm so excited to bring them to life.

My First Award

2010-03-26T03:04:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful surprise!

I just found out right that Ate Jerosha gave me an award...

I never really thought that I would receive an award from blogging but here it is...

You can't imagine how happy I am today for receiving my first one. :D

Thanks so much, Ate Jerosha!

I'm now passing this on to fantastic bloggers I keep following everyday single time I log in to blogger.com. :

1. Ate Claire - My Sweet Life, One Cupcake at a Time

2. Bridget - Bakeat350

3. Teresa - Green Bag Lady

4. Bakerella

5. Michelle - Brown Eyed Baker

6. Rachel and Nichelle - Cupcake Takes the Cake

7. Donal Skehan - The Good Mood Food Blog

8. Kim - Lovin' From the Oven

9. Marian - Sweetopia

For the "Beautiful Blogger" award, the nominated needs to:

~ Thank the person who nominated you and make link to their blog.

~ Copy the award and paste it to your blog.

~ Pass this award on to fantastic bloggers you have discovered.

~ Contact your nominations and let them now they've won.

Pancakes, Barbeque and Graduation Cuppies

2010-03-26T01:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after the Mongo cooler, I also tried to make pancakes from scratch. I got a recipe online[now I'm too tired to look it up] and yeah, it was about 65% of a success. Hihihi... I didn't follow the recipe ingredients accurately and decided to pull a stunt by not following the instructions. I didn't have to please anybody but myself anyway so I suffered my own consequences. :) It tastes like pancakes but it was not that light and it didn't 'bubble up' that much in the pan. I added chocolate sauce [sweetened cocoa powder+water].

Last night though, we had a candlelit barbeque dinner under the moonlight. We wanted to go to Burgos St. to eat barbeque there but we just couldn't so we made our own barbeque place, in the comfort of our home. I sliced up the meat and made the marinade and sauce but my mom cooked them. I was really filled to the brim last night.

Here's a lousy shot.

[I got too excited to munch on the meat that I got too lazy to take a more presentable shot]

And this is what I've been busy with today.

Pretty ain't it?

It's for my niece, Rai, who's graduating today from kindergarten today.

Her mom ordered it for her. :D

Mongo Cooler Adventure

2010-03-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

It's summer here and it's uberly hot... Feels like the country is turning into a barren desert with the El Nino Phenomenon bugging us day after day. It's killing the crops and fish even the farm animals! Oh well, not everything though[just exaggerating a little] but those that aren't tough enough would really die from the heat we are experiencing here right now. It, thus, isn't safe to be out at mid-day. Knowing this keeps me inside the house 'til sunset since I currently do not have a day job. Being idle at times makes me think of going on adventures... mostly gastronomic ones. :) So written below is one of them.

Today, the main ingredient is Mongo a.k.a. Mung beans. We had it for lunch[the guisado type with squash and malunggay leaves]. I set aside about a cup of it so I could put it in the fridge, add milk and sugar and munch it while it's cold. It makes a pretty good and healthy snack. Here goes the adventure. I was wondering how it would taste like as a shake so I took the blender and shoved the mongos in. I poured about a tablespoon each of milk, sugar and cocoa powder. I added some ice[about 4-5 cubes] and blended the mixture until smooth enough. So there goes. It was really simple and it tasted good. The downside though is that it felt gritty and powdery[not a very pleasant sensation]. To be honest, I told myself that I should have sticked to the snack I was talking about. I finished my 'adventuristic' drink anyway. It somehow cooled my system.

notice the pretty flowers...

[we have lots of those at our yard.]

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

2010-03-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

My brother Jovan asked me to make some cookies for him the other night. We were supposed to get the box mix for brownies and crinkles but I didn't want to cheat on myself so I told him that I'll make from scratch. And last night, I pushed through. I didn't make brownies nor crinkles but decided on a recipe at Bakeat350 that I have been eyeing for like weeks already. The recipe was the one she used as last-minute valentine cookies that looked like scrabble pieces as they were squares. I used a heart cutter for my version and also did away with the icing decoration. I wanted to but didn't have the time. Just in perfect timing did my nieces come for a visit and took their share of the cookies.

These were the ones at Bakeat350.

The cookies were chocolate flavored but I used sweetened native cocoa[Tableya] powder instead of dutch-processed cocoa and cut one-fourth of the sugar needed. The cookies were great for me even without icing... They cracked though but it didn't really matter.

Here's a copy of the recipe.

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies
{modified from Cookie Craft}

2 & 1/2 c. all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/2 c. dutch-process cocoa (natural is OK, too)
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 c. unsalted butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour,cocoa, espresso powder and salt; set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light an fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.

In 3 additions, add the flour mixture at low speed. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl as needed.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured and cocoa-ed surface. (I mixed the 2 of these, then spread on my rolling surface, on my rolling pin, and used it to dip my cookie cutters.)

Cut the cookies with a square cutter, then divide into smaller squares, if necessary, using a bench scraper.

Freeze cut cookies five minutes.

Bake 8 minutes. Let cool completely.

With white royal icing and a #4 (or so) plain tip, pipe the x's and o's.

With red icing and a #3 or #4 tip, pipe hearts on some of the cookies.

Let the icing dry (overnight is fine).

Mix equal parts meringue powder and water. Brush onto piped designs with a small paintbrush and sprinkle on sanding sugar. Shake off the excess.

Stray sanding sugar REALLY shows up on these cookies, so use a dry paintbrush to remove the excess.

different views of the cookies

[weren't as brown as the ones of Bakeat350... maybe because of the type of cocoa used.]

here are the girls, Rai and Zoie taking their share...

[Sad to say, Zoie didn't like it that much. We really can't please everyone, can we?]

I must say, I'm such a Bakeat350 fan.

Head over to her page and feast your eyes.

Julie and Julia [Another Addition to My Favorites]

2010-03-23T00:40:00.001-07:00

I have a whole ton of favorites that sometimes I just can't remember everything anymore...

This one though, is something worth keeping in mind.

On my brother's graduation party, our eldest cousin Michelle, lent part of her DVD collection and prodded me to watch one of the DVD's about cooking. I don't think I've heard about it before though but when told that it was something I am quite passionate about, I decided to give it a try. I watched it with my sister Jackie. That night, I've decided to add it to my favorites. It's entitled Julie and Julia starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.

I've been teary-eyed at many parts of the movie because a number if not most of the scenes were heartwarming. I love the idea that they were so passionate about cooking and that Julie was a blogger too like me who wanted to do something that she can lose herself into aside from her day job. I also love the fact that both of them somehow had a lot of similarities other than their names like having a wonderful husband, never giving up and even the down moments when surely something else would pick their mood up. It was really a fun movie to watch and I'm willing to watch it over and over again...

Paul Child: [to Julia] You are the butter to my bread, you are the breath to my life.

Celebrations and Firsts

2010-03-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

Whew! I'm so glad to be back to posting. This, I believe is going to be jam-packed. Our internet connection was down for days, you see. Sooooooooooooo..........

My brother, Jovan, arrived from Bacolod City last Friday for a family celebration and we are more than happy to have him around. I always love making excuses to bake and this occasion is the perfect excuse! hahaha:D So I did whip up something with the use of my magic microwave[again]and made a special upsized[this time] version of the chocolate mug cake.

I've also read about cooked frosting and that it is [as they say] the best frosting for chocolate cake so I decided to go for it the first time. I didn't make much as it was just a test so I downsized the recipe to one-fourth.[I know, right? I do a lot upsizing or downsizing of recipes to fit my needs.]

Texture-wise and taste wise, the chocolate cake was in its best form... doesn't feel "microwavey" at all. And the frosting? I don't know if I did it right because it's kinda runny but it tasted good.

On to some photo-sharing...

view from the top

side

closer

Jovan cutting his cake

view from our dining table

sliced.

Back to the celebration I was talking about, yeah, it was quite a big one. It's my other brother Jonathan's graduation from college. Yeah, three out of the four Tan siblings are already out of school[in a good way]. Only one left, our baby girl [she's 18] Jackie. :D So the celebration made me really think of building a cupcake tower for the first time. Nothing really fancy, just a simple one to grace the table aside from the cake. Hence, I was really busy the whole day since my parents had to join him in the school festivities. I helped in setting up the tables, chairs, food and the venue. By the way, I used cake boards and old milk cans for the tower, covered them in blue and black cartolina[paper] and glued them with Mighty Bond. I was really a little scared that the tower will tip but I was really glad it stood sturdy[though a little wobbly when moved] the whole time.

So here's another photosharing...

here goes... that's Jonatz right there with his sweets. :D

[i didn't make the cake... that's BQ's]

here I am

basking in my stressed 'glossy' look. hahaha :D

[it's worth the time and energy ain't it?]

By the way, that day, a very good news came to me.

My OVEN is FIXED!

I love it! :D

Sweet Escape

2010-03-15T02:15:00.000-07:00

Okay... so I've been complaining... It's been really hot these days[as I say time and time again].

Makes me wanna crave for something sweet and cold at the same time. My baby oven is still in the repair shop and I so miss it every time. I don't know when I'm gonna get it back but I really wish I will soon. Back to my craving, well there's no better way to satisfy it than making a concoction... and here's what I came up with.

I used the Magic Chocolate Mug Cake recipe but downsized it to half. You can imagine how little the measures are already but the serving is just right [for me]. The mug cake I made days ago, I shared with my family. This one, I ate alone. :D I made use of a small bowl too instead of a coffee mug and cooked it on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds instead of 2:30. I also used just the egg yolk instead of one whole egg. When cooked, I let it cool a bit and transferred it to a small plate/saucer. I then topped it with leftover Double Dutch ice cream from last night and ate it all away.

So here are the evidences:

mmmm... look at the ice cream melting away... :P

sorry for the bubbles but well, that's how it is when the ice cream melts. [i think]

i loved the texture of this one.

I didn't really know what I was going to call it thus the title...

It tasted more like brownies than cake but it was yummy... really yummy. :D

Never Say Die!

2010-03-08T16:28:00.001-08:00

[outdoor shot]

It's been almost a week since I have last posted..

Well today, I feel sad because my oven broke. I don't know what happened but it just won't heat up. We have to bring it back to the store soon to get it fixed.

Anyhoo... it was a good thing i made another attempt[never say die!] at Moringa/Malunggay Cupcakes last night. That way, I discovered that my pet[oven] is sick... Ooooooooo it makes me feel bad.. really really.

Anyway, I have already made my own recipe of the cupcakes and this is the first recipe I will share. Yey! Here it is.

Joanna's Moringa/Malunggay Cupcake

(Makes 24 cupcakes)

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/4 cup blended Moringa/Malunggay leaves

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.

2. Blend the leaves. Add about half a tablespoon of water when blending.

3. Sift dry ingredients together.

4. Cream butter and sugar.

5. Beat in eggs one at a time.

6. Add blended leaves.

7. Pour milk alternately with the dry ingredients and beat until throughly incorporated.

8. Add vanilla.

9. Pour batter in lined cupcake pans.

10. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

11. Cool and enjoy with or without frosting. :D

i topped it with seven-minute frosting/boiled frosting.

took a bite.

look at its beautiful shade of green. :)

*Since my oven broke, I resorted to microwaving them instead. Though it wasn't totally safe, I had to do it because I wouldn't want to waste those beauties... I just stood on standby at a safe distance on the ready to pull the plugs anytime something went wrong inside. Well, needless to say, nothing bad happened. Thank God.

Cake Pop [My version]

2010-03-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

I've read about this idea a lot of times before [the most popular ones(I think) coming from Bakerella] and I have been wanting to try them myself. Yesterday, my mom and I were getting some groceries for our household and the idea of making some cake pops got into my mind.

For my first try, I grabbed a box of Goya Dark Mints. The chocolate need not be expensive, I think. :) We also bought some cupcakes [I used 3] at a local bakery just for the sake of trying out.I didn't have time to bake because it was night time already, you see. In lieu of cream cheese frosting or buttercream, I used 2 tbsp of Milo dissolved in 2 tbsp water to hold them together. I rolled the cupcake and Milo mixture into balls and I didn't put them in the freezer anymore. The mint chocolates were then melted in the microwave and I dipped the cake balls in them. I put them in the fridge for the molten chocolate to set and got them out a few minutes after to finally taste them. I didn't have some lollipop sticks so I used toothpicks instead.

Though I made just a few, it was enough dessert for our family. I passed them around and they loved the pops! yey! :D

the Goya Dark Mint box

they look more like truffles on a stick, don't they? :)

I tried cutting one in half so you'll see what's inside.

[hope it's clear enough]

In a slightly different note, I also had chocolatey breakfast toast and a cup of Milo this morning :))

cake & champagne

2010-03-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

I've been itching to get my hands on the pc yesterday to write about this but didn't get a chance.

notice our rusty GI fence and grills. :D

Yeeeeeey! It finally rained yesterday! I'm so happy. I took some photos because I've been really ecstatic about it. All my ranting about the heat was tamed after seeing our dry soil dampened and the plants quenching their thirst for much needed water. Now it's back to sunny again and I am soooo expecting a hot day. I might be staying inside this house the whole day[as usual. :)]

Anyhoo... I'd also like to share that I had a fun time the evening of March 1. My parents were invited to an intimate birthday dinner party and my pop couldn't come so I went in his place with my mom. It was my mom's friend's birthday and it was a gathering of moms in gradeschool... mostly moms of Jackie's classmates.

Well I went there mostly for the food. Yep, there was lechon[oops! no photo] and some veggie, meat and fish dishes...

but of course my favorite was dessert time with Ramirez chocolate cake and authentic French champagne. I also had a taste of Red wine but I didn't like it that much. I also didn't get to take a photo of it.

Ramirez chocolate cake

[i wasn't really impressed with the way this cake was decorated(I know they've done better) but I still loved the cake.]

my [demure] slice :D

[taste-wise, this cake is good but I've tasted better choc cakes.]

my share of champagne

[the taste is quite stronger than the ones i've tasted before.]

but bringing them together made my night anyway.

sweet.

Braving the Heat

2010-03-01T01:22:00.000-08:00

It's 5pm right now and the sun is still out... not like it's something new here but the heat is really almost unbearable these days[El Nino Phenomenon] and today I guess marks the beginning of the summer season. I had no plans of going out today until I remembered that I still had to submit those documents that I should have submitted last Friday. I got really sick back then with my tummy ache and matching colds. I'm still suffering from colds until now. I don't get it but everytime it gets too hot for me, I suffer from colds. :) I thought my sense of smell got back already but now, I still can't smell a thing.

Back to my apps, I'm done submitting the documents already. I did brave the heat and went out at around 3pm. If it's hot now that it's already 5, how much more at 3? Upon arrival to the hospital, I wasn't immediately allowed to come in so I stayed outside in the shade. Waiting seemed to increased the agony of wallowing in the heat. Anyway, after giving her the documents, the supervisor/head nurse told me to just wait for a form of communication from the hospital.

I really hope the wait won't be too long. Anyhooooo, I think I'll just be waiting for orders and exploring new recipes to make use of my time. :)

Buzzzzzzzzz... :)

2010-02-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

It was extremely hot here at our place yesterday... The afternoon made me scream for ice cream like I always do during times like these. My mom and I then entertained the idea of going to the mall with my father and sister to get our dose of Buzzz Cafe ice cream. I obviously really love Buzzz Cafe.

So we did, with the little cash I had, enjoy our ice cream and shake. Me and my sister had the time of our afternoons [instead of lives haha]! We also had some herb bread with my favorite spreads, pesto and mango. You guys should try this cafe I'm raving about. This is my current favorite.

the Buzz Cafe Herb Bread with Pesto and Mango Spread

Me and my sister Jackie enjoying our homemade ice cream on 'kabkab' cone

mine's chocolate-malunggay, my sister's is chocolate-mango

yum!

and here's an uber yummy eye candy!!!

Coco Martin looking like a god in this Bench stall :D

What's Next?

2010-02-25T03:04:00.001-08:00

I've been a bum for months.

...unemployed but I don't feel like a burden to my parents since I help out a lot in the house... I have also started this little business of selling out goodies per order so it's not much of a bore actually. However lately, I've subjected myself to lots and lots of thinking about going back to the hospital. I don't know but thinking about it before irked me a lot. Now, I have to really set my mind to going back if I want to be a step further in my nursing career.

So this afternoon, I did it. I finally brought my application to my hospital of choice. I was accompanied by my childhood friend and classmate for so many years, Erin. We went there together this afternoon and met the doctor/director of the hospital. We have to go back there tomorrow though because the documents have to be submitted to another 'boss'... I hope the wait won't be too long... by the way, I applied as a nurse volunteer which means, no wage for now. :(

But that's fine, I hope some orders come along too if in case I get accepted.

my documents :)

Moringa Cupcake

2010-02-23T23:31:00.000-08:00

Health is wealth.

Yesterday, I thought of making something organic for today. Moringa, better known as MALUNGGAY, here in the Philippines is said to be a miracle plant. This particular vegetable is also my favorite Buzz Cafe ice cream flavor. This encouraged me to make a cupcake variety of the said veggie. I first intended to make my own but also tried my luck at googling a recipe. I found one but found it a little questionable because its pattern isn't the same as that I am used to making. I decided to try it thought since it's just the lone recipe I found and it was made by a doctor. :)

So here goes. It's done and I've tasted it. The product taste is good. A little too sweet for me and lacked the 'malunggay' feel. It was good enough though for my mom and sister. I topped it with lemony buttercream to give it some oomph. Generally, it was good but not the best. I intend to make my own recipe soon because sadly, I'm not very much satisfied.

Here are some photos.

A New Favorite

2010-02-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I received a very pleasant surprise.

My deceased friend Char's sister, Emmylou, tagged me in a photo of a chocolate bar and its caption says that it was for me. I thought it was just meant to tease me and it was not really mine to have but I was wrong. It was indeed for me! It came from Char's boyfriend, Chino who was my classmate in college. He now works in an international airline company and has flown to many different places. Wherever he bought this doesn't matter anymore. I just enjoyed the goodie sooo much!

It's not too sweet, bittersweet in fact.... chocolate mousse variety.

Having a bite of it makes you want more and more and having it all consumed is soooooo heartbreaking.

it has my name on it.

wish i had unlimited supply... [just a wish though]

Happy Birthday JC!

2010-02-21T22:38:00.000-08:00

Yep. Today is my closest cousin's birthday and since he's not around, i prepared for him something... It's somewhat a dummy cupcake since he can't taste it anyway. I ate it for him... The real thing will be made when he comes home this year.

OOOOOOOOOOhhh I am so excited. :)

here it is.

and I got a little emo. hahaha

just in case you're wondering how he looks like.

Here we are in a photo taken about 2 years ago. :)

Coffee Flan (?)

2010-02-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

Last night, I was craving[as almost always] for something sweet. I looked through the fridge and saw some leftover egg yolks and milk. And so some form of bug invaded my mind telling me to whip up something to satisfy my craving... And here goes, I thought of making coffee flan. It's an alternate to leche flan which I saw last Saturday on Youtube.

Feeling a little adventurous, I took on the challenge of making my own recipe simplified using the microwave oven to cook it. I took four little bowls/sauce containers and placed a tablespoon of sugar on each one. Then I added a tablespoon of water to the containers with sugar. I then put them in the microwave to boil and make a syrup... of course it didn't turn out the way it's supposed to be but still, I moved on. I then got my egg yolks and mixed it with drops of calamansi to remove the stench then added milk and sugar. I didn't measure anything, i just felt my way through it. hahahahaha It's a bit crazy but what is an adventure? :D

Continuing on, I added some instant coffee granules until it was brown enough. I then took a strainer and poured my mixture through it[to remove the lumps] into the containers with the syrup. After, I put them into the microwave and cooked them for a minute. And another minute... and another minute... until i got tired because it never stopped boiling...

So I took it out and had a taste... I also asked my siblings to taste it and of course, they didn't like it that much. They said it was too sweet! :) I gobbled up some of them and realized that indeed it was too sweet. And it didn't look appetizing to me at all... So much for the adventure.

Looking at it right now makes me laugh at myself for doing it. :D

end product. :D

poured out. :)

Lessons Learned

2010-02-20T03:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I got busy. I didn't expect it to last until today, but it did and I'm so worn out right now. I know it's not nice to complain but you know, sometimes you just ought to let it out. Maybe I'm just tired but I believe I'm still sane.

Well back to business, I got busy yesterday because I baked 50 cookies. [take note: just 50 but I'm already feeling like this.] I didn't only bake but iced and individually packed each and every one of them. I ended past 3am and woke up around 6:45am today. I was used to doing that before, sleeping only little hours especially when I was still volunteering at a hospital but I don't do it anymore now that's why it's kind of a new experience again...

After breakfast, I baked a dozen chocolate cupcakes [still an order] and made Marshmallow Fondant to frost it. I was molding my toppers with an aching tummy. This usually happens when my body is under stress. Anyway, I got done with everything and I'm happy that I'm going to rest now.

So here are a few lessons learned:

1. Don't act so heroic. Ask help if you need to.

2. Manage your time well.

3. Learn to say no to temptations that might distract you.

4. Focus.

Being a 'home baker' certainly is not easy especially for someone like me who is just beginning. But still, nothing beats a "Thank You" from a satisfied customer so I do my best to be the best.

Here are the photos of the goodies. :D

Chinny's

a closer look

Phoebe's

I Scream for Ice Cream!!!

2010-02-17T17:22:00.000-08:00

I don't know.. Last night, I had the urge for something sweet other than cakes/cupcakes/cookies that I have indulged with in the past few days. :D Of course, it should be something really cold because it's very warm at our place lately due to the El Nino Phenomenon. Luckily, I had a few bucks from the goodies I sold to buy us an ice cream tub. It wasn't much but it was good enough.

And it bore two of my favorite ice cream flavors, Cookies and Cream and Coffee Crumble from Selecta.

Eating this reminds me of my now deceased friend. We used to eat these flavors of ice cream every time I visited her when she was still alive and sick. She had cancer. It was sad but she never made me feel bad about it until she got too sick... sick enough to give up. Just like Valentines day, this food makes me miss her and wish she was here to enjoy it with me.

But she is with the Lord now and I am positive that she is smiling up there, free from all sickness and worries...

my favorite photo with her

Love Day

2010-02-16T16:57:00.001-08:00

Wow! My first post.

I know Valentines day is over and I'm happy about it. It's not because I didn't get myself a date but because I'm done with my cupcake and cookie orders. All have chocolate bases and fondant topped. I also made my family a special chocolate cake as my love day offer.

We don't usually celebrate Valentines day at our church because we are not Catholics but we do know about Love and it's deeper meaning... especially that it is not just an emotion... it's some form of a state of mind. However, I still made my cake to show my love for my family. :)

So no more fusses... Here are the photos of the cupcakes I made and the cake of course. :D

Happy Love Day everyone. :)

Clarice's

Gayle's

another one of Gayle's

Gayle's cookies

Karla's

Sherwin's

and of course, the decadent chocolate cake. :D