Caramel Cream Puffs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.