Bibingka at 21

Bibingka at 21. Succulent and filled with buko shavings!!! I love it!

Cheese Cake Feast at Calea

I

JUST

GOTTA'

HAVE

IT!

the cake with peanut butter filling topped with choco-creamed shavings

the simple cake with caramel top

Cutie Jars

These cutie and just "can't resist" adorable jars I found at a sort-of flea market in Dumaguete.... and I thought my spiced vinegars would feel right in their new abode. Thoroughly cleaned and sterilized, I then poured in what's left of the "sinamak bisaya" made last Christmas. Then tied with silver and rose silk ribbons. How swell is that!

Coffee and Chocolate

Two of my favorite things in the world are coffee and chocolate. It's one dynamic confection, genuinely a gourmet experience! And so finally, I was able to taste a glimpse of heaven when our aunt gave me this.

The delicate rich, dark chocolate envelopes a burst of smoky, authentic espresso-roasted coffee bean inside. It gives a smattering crunch to every bite!!!!

AAAAhhhhhhh,,,,,,,,,, truly, Heaven at first bite!

Only in San Carlos

My husband and I went on a road trip to San Carlos with his bike last week. From that trip, I discovered a mystery, and a few good find munchies (well, you guessed.... I always tend to find something for my palate).

First, the mystery. A mind-puzzling phenomenon. I knew about this but never took the initiative to really test it. The mystery is found at Salvador-Benedicto route. Km. 34. You will find the sign post by the roadside. The road going to the north slopes down but what buffles me is that, if you put the vehicle on neutral (or anything that has wheels for that matter), it goes up to the opposite direction which is uphill. Watch the video for the evidence. My husband was just holding the bike so it will not fall. As you can see here, the bike just moved up mysteriously. There should be a scientific reason for this. Ah, I'll leave that to the scientists. I have seen a similar thing at Ara-al. Quite a mystery, huh?

Then the munchies.

Bucayo. Sweet to the tooth, moist and delicious.

ER's Peanuts. It is what the place is famous for. It's greaseless, very fresh. I happen to witness how it was done. I used to think it was baked, but not this one. The peanuts were sun dried and cooked in very hot oil then drained to dry. You can never tell it was deep fried in oil.

Peanut Turon. Ah... this you gotta try. It's crisp and hhmmmm... It's just good, it's beyond words.

Thanks, Manang Edith!

Feasting with "Immensely" Sweet

We received from family and friends, among others... loads of chocolate crinkles, some unusual fruits coming from god knows where, and a variety of scrumptious, delectable, to die-for pastries and sweets this Christmas. They're just too good not to make them known here.

First, let me introduce to you, Chocolate Struffles. Baked by Jemjem, the beauteous daughter of my very good friend who owns Lola’s Bakeshop. They have branches at SM, Lopue’s East and Mandalagan. The whole thing is just delectable. Chewy and mouth-watering! Actually, it’s a great find!

Second, our cousin H, who is a superb chef gave us her choco chip cookies. Crammed with white and brown chips, exceptionally yummy and dreadfully moist! Yum… yum big time!

Third, my bestfriend Yo’s Chocolate Cake. Oh boy, I never had so moist, so deadly, and so sinful a choco cake ever!

Fourth, Carrot cake by KusinaMia given to us by our cousins, Ro and Yenne. Best with afternoon tea. Just gorgeous! Gorgeous!

Fifth, a variety of melodious squares from JD Bakeshop, Iloilo …. truffle bars, macapuno bars, tropical bars, chocofudge, revel bar, espresso, choco chewies, and oatmeal. All are heavenly!!! Sixth, homemade Almond Rocca from Jing and Manong Dan…… let the pictures speak for itself! Our sweet teeth aches for it!

Seventh, Baguio’s the ever exquisite! Mountainmaid (Good Shephered products) Peanut Brittle and Strawberry Jam from Tom and Grace. Always have been and will forever be my family's front runner!

Now, would you say, I haven’t gained a bit?

After a month….

If you're a frequent visitor of my blog, about a month ago, I featured an article about drying your own herbs.

Last week, I finally harvested the long-awaited herbs that has been hanging to dry by the roofed patio for a month!

And here they are.... my fresh dried herbs. It looks and smells like heaven after I crumpled them into bits and pieces. I used this convenient flip-flop air tight container for storage. Whenever I need a dash for my dishes, it's just a flip-flop away!

Cinnamon and Cheese

I found these favorite of the kids at SM Bakery: Cheese Rolls and Cinnamon Glazed Bun. I thought they're a good find and reasonably priced too! You might want to try them. They're best when warm!

Cebu Must-Munch

I just arrived from Cebu for the Nursing Licensure Exams held Dec 1 and 2. How did I do? What I know is that, I was more focused and physically amp for the exams. Only God knows how I did. Some parts were easy, some were difficult. Oh well, at least I did my best.

Cebu is becoming one of the great cities in the Philippines. I was surprised of their speedy progress. I recall the times when my Mom brought me with her as she frequents Cebu when I was little. Oh, It was around my grade school years, I think. We crossed the seas via those “very slow” ferry boats that took almost 4 hours of agony and torture between San Carlos, Negros and Toledo, Cebu! 35 years later, they have this fast crafts that make traveling between the islands effortless for only 35 minutes! By accident, my friend, Georgen and I, as we were looking for a place to eat, alas, brought into being “Hotel de Mercedes” in downtown Colon (well I guess at that time, colon was the only place to go around).

It is still standing alright after 35 years since I last stayed there! The façade is the same but the inside was completely renovated from what I recollect. Across the hotel was my favorite restaurant, Pete’s Kitchen. Oh, I remember the food they serve!!! At that time, the place was always full. Every time we went there to eat, I always had a mound of rice with only “lato” (grape-like seaweed) and “sinamak” (spiced vinegar) on my plate. Unfortunately, when we ate there, the place was never improved nor had any face lifts. Food was nothing great compared to my day... and the worst part was that “lato” is no longer served.

My only Mom’s sister, Tita Gamay, who’s blind since birth along with her yaya, Tita Acay, stayed in Cebu almost half of her life. My Mom built a small little cottage for her to stay at the blind community of Banilad. Those were one of the most fun times I have had with the company of great and wonderful, group of people. Inspite of their disability, they remained warm, energetic, jolly, gifted with musical instruments and ideal masseuses regarded as their major source of income. This community once held a concert with Nora Aunor as their special guest. Tita Gamay, my aunt, had a solo with her, as she played the acoustic accompaniment for Ms. Nora. Don’t be surprised if I did, too performed that night. Not to sing nor to play an instrument, but to dance the hula to the tune of the familiar Hawaiian song, “To you sweetheart, Aloha…”? I was about 8 or 9 years old then. Both of my brothers went to Cebu for college. So you see, Cebu is quite a big part of my life.

Of course Cebu, being so progressive has SM City and Ayala. One of my favorite places i love to hang around is the Pearl section of the Malls. Ayala used to have a large space for Philippine cultured pearls alone. When I came to visit recently, i was saddened to see only a few stalls with very limited jewelry selections.

One of the greatest things I love about Cebu are the food delicacies.

There’s this Pork CHICHARON, traditionally deep-fried pork skin, crispy, salty and hot. They now come in exotic flavors such as garlic and vinegar, sour cream and onions, and chili. I like the traditional ones with a little meat in the center. The famous kind are the ones of Carcar. But what I got was a large pouch of Chilen (this was my surprise gift for my husband). I heard the Villalonga Chicharon is good too. I serve this with my spiced homemade sinamak or with some balsamic vinegar and VOO (virgin olive oil) as sawsawan.

Why, I wouldn’t go home without some dried mangoes! I got a large package of dried mango chips from Chilen too. I find it tastier than the ones in small packages.

Georgen, my friend bought some AMPAO, a Carcar delicacy made from sweet crunchy rice crispies. They come in shapes of round, squares and rectangles. Sometimes, they are also in all sorts of colors: red, orange, green and yellow. Little kids love to munch these.

Great tasting MASAREAL a bar-shaped concoction of crushed and ground peanuts, sugar and milk, wrapped in white paper, which is then secured by a piece of string or twine. It's gritty, sweet, and absolutely delightful. The famous ones are that of Didang’s. But this will not hold long coz they usually develop molds if not consumed right away. This is far better than Choc-Nut!!!! Yum yum!

I wouldn’t miss PUTO MAYA (murag budbud sa bisaya, negros), two varieties of glutinous rice (pilit and tapol) mixed together and boiled in rich coconut milk flavored with salt, sugar and ginger. This is usually best served with sun-ripened Cebu mangoes and tsokolate, a traditional hot chocolate drink blended from cacao (tablea). This is great breakfast treats!!!

Then, there’s BIBINGKA A LA CEBU, a steamed rice cake made from ground glutinous rice mixed with sugar and coconut milk, and topped with strips of exotic goat or carabao cheese. I happen to get a bite near the Santo Nino church in Colon while waiting for my friends light some candles for Sto Nino. Look at that! It's generous with coconut meat! Now, what could be more spectacular than that?

(Me and Georgen in Ayala Cebu)

Handy Andy/Hannah Bridal Shower

Bim and I were married in October 5, 1991. But a couple of days back, a group of church friends gave us a bridal shower with a different twist called: Handy Andy/Handy Hannah. Believe it or not, in some places friends and families have opted to forgo the stag/bachelorette parties simply because they are opting for more practical things. Hardware stores are gold mines of widgets and gadgets that everyone always needs and never gets as wedding gift. This is the simplest of showers since the type of things one buy are scissors , batteries, lamps, flashlights, brooms, hammers, nails, laundry clips. You get the idea? For me, it was the most practical of all bridal showers I have ever imagined. Each of our guest brought a gift with the hardware logo on it and tied with a pretty ribbon. Each one gave helpful suggestions written on a 3 x 5 card.

One of my favorite of all best gifts we received that day was a book titled: 1001 Helpful Household Helps. I got tons of super great ideas on housekeeping and tips from that handy book. And one of them is the many uses of Bicarbonate of Soda.

Here are its many, many uses:

* Clean a microwave oven: Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on a damp sponge, scrub, and rinse.
* Remove tarnish from silver: Mix a thick paste of Bicarbonate of Soda with water; apply the silver with a damp sponge, rub, rinse, and buff dry.
* Clean a stainless steel sink: Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on a damp sponge, scrub the sink, and rinse clean.
* Boost the strength of liquid laundry detergent: Add one-half cup Bicarbonate of Soda with the usual amount of detergent in your regular wash cycle.
* Clean a fibreglass bathtub or shower. Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on a damp sponge, scrub, and rinse clean.
* Clean bathroom tile: Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on a damp sponge, scrub, and rinse clean.
* Maintain your septic tank: Flush one cup Bicarbonate of Soda down the toilet once a week. Bicarbonate of Soda helps maintain proper pH and alkalinity, controlling sulphide odours.
* Deodorize cloth diapers. Mix one-half cup Bicarbonate of Soda in two quarts of water, and soak diapers in the solution.
* Clean a refrigerator: Sprinkle on Bicarbonate of Soda a damp sponge, scrub, and rinse clean.
* Deodorize a dishwasher: Sprinkle one-half cup Bicarbonate of Soda on the bottom of the dishwasher between loads.
* Boost the strength of dishwashing liquid. Add two full tablespoons Bicarbonate of Soda to the usual amount of detergent you use.
* Remove burnt-on food from cookware. Dampen area, sprinkle with Bicarbonate of Soda let soak overnight, then scrub with a sponge, rinse, and dry.
* Clean and deodorize a cutting board. Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on a damp sponge, rub the cutting board, and rinse clean.
* Deodorize food containers. Mix one-quarter cup Bicarbonate of Soda with one quart water, swish food containers in solution, soak overnight, and then rinse clean.
* Clean coffee and teapots. Wash in a solution of one-quarter cup Bicarbonate of Soda and one-quart warm water, then rinse clean.
* Deodorize kitchen garbage. Sprinkle a handful of Bicarbonate of Soda in the garbage pail each time you add garbage.
* Deodorize carpet. Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda lightly over the dry carpet, let sit for fifteen minutes, then vacuum up.
* Deodorize a cat litter box. Cover the bottom of the litter box with one-quarter inch Bicarbonate of Soda then add the litter.
* Soothe poison ivy rash or insect bites. Make a paste of Bicarbonate of Soda and water, and apply to the affected area.
* Soothe sunburn, windburn, and prickly heat. Dissolve one-half cup Bicarbonate of Soda in a tepid bath. Soak in the bath for fifteen minutes.
* Take a refreshing bath. Dissolve one-half cup in Bicarbonate of Soda a tub of warm water for soft, smooth-feeling skin and a relaxing bath.
* Brush your teeth. Plain baking soda is a gentle abrasive that cleans like the strongest toothpaste. Apply Bicarbonate of Soda to a damp toothbrush, brush as usual, and rinse.
* Wash your mouth. Add one teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda to one-half glass warm water, and swish through teeth for a refreshing mouthwash.
* Neutralize vomit odour. Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda generously to cover the stained area, let sit for an hour, then vacuum up.
* Soothe tired feet. Add three tablespoons Bicarbonate of Soda to a basin of warm water and soak feet in the solution.
* Use as a deodorant. Dust Bicarbonate of Soda under arms.Clean dirt, grime, and scuffmarks from doors, stoves, laminated tabletops, linoleum floors, and tile.Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on a damp sponge, wipe clean, and dry.
* Remove coffee or tea stains from china. Dip a damp cloth in Bicarbonate of Soda gently rub the china, and rinse clean.
* Minimize the smell of dirty laundry. Sprinkle some Bicarbonate of Soda into your hamper or laundry bag.
* Deodorize a closet. Place an open box of Bicarbonate of Soda on a shelf.
* Deodorize garment storage bags. Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda into the bottom of the bag.
* Deodorize shoes or training shoes. In the evening, sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda inside shoes to eliminate odours. Shake out in the morning.
* Remove crayon marks from walls or wallpaper. Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on a damp sponge, scrub gently to avoid mussing the paint or wallpaper, then wipeclean.
* Clean dirt and grime from hands. Sprinkle on Bicarbonate of Soda to wet hands with liquid soap, rub vigorously, rinse, and dry.
* Remove conditioner and styling gel build-up from hair. Wash hair once a week with a tablespoon of Bicarbonate of Soda mixed with your regular shampoo; rinse thoroughly, then condition and style as usual.
* Refresh stuffed animals. Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on the stuffed animal, let sit for fifteen minutes, then brush off.
*Clean high chairs, car seats, strollers, and plastic mattress protectors. Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on a damp sponge, wipe clean, and dry.
* Clean baby bottles, nipples, and bottle brushes. Soak in a solution of warmwater and Bicarbonate of Soda , then sterilize before use.
* Whiten socks and dirty clothes. Add one-half cup Bicarbonate of Soda to regular liquid laundry detergent.
* Clean chrome bumpers and hubcaps. Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on a damp sponge, rub surface, and wipe clean with a dry cloth.
* Remove dead insects from a car or truck windshield. Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on a damp sponge, clean glass, and wipe clean with a dry cloth.
* Deodorize carpeting in a car. Sprinkle Bicarbonate of Soda on the carpet,let sit for fifteen minutes, then vacuum up.
* De-grease and clean barbecue grills. Make a paste by mixing equal parts Bicarbonate of Soda and water, apply with a wire brush, wipe clean, and dry with a cloth.

Cheese Slicer

Found this really neat gadget in one of my trips to Dumaguete… it’s a cheese slicer. You really do not slice the cheese with it. You simply slide this gadget unto the cheese. There’s a lever where you can adjust according to the desired thickness of the cheese. If ever you find one of these? Get one without thinking otherwise. It’s cheap and a very nifty gadget guaranteed to give you great results!!!!!