Glamorously Simple

Healthy { Kale } Chips

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 23:03:00 +0000

I can't believe it's been six months since I last posted here! Even though I think about blogging everyday, I still can't find the motivation to sign in to my blog and start writing. But today I'm going to share with you my favorite healthy snack. This is probably not new to you, to me either, but it's not too late to post something glamorously simple and healthy snack alternative.

This is very easy to make and most of the ingredients are often available in your kitchen.

I use:

- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Pepper
- Bragg's Nutritional Yeast Seasoning

If you're feeling adventurous, you can try adding some vinegar or cheese or any flavor you want!

First thing to do is wash your pieces of kale leaves with water and thoroughly dry. Drizzle a little Olive oil and toss till leaves are coated. Spread kale on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lastly is to sprinkle some Bragg's yeast seasoning and bake on a pre-heated oven to 325 deg. for 10-15 minutes. It is crispy and yummy, you won't regret making it!

You have the option to sprinkle a few salt over your chips but I opted for a no-salt snack. The yeast seasoning is already giving it the cheesy and healthy taste you want. It is definitely a guilt free snack for everyone. It's not just healthy but also an affordable home made snack. This recipe is perfect for those who are watching their sodium intake, people who wants to lose weight, or anyone actually. My family and little one loved it so much..hope you like it too! Enjoy!

My Kind Of Peach Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 01:11:00 +0000

Don’t you just love those peaches?? Lately, peaches would often come to my mind each time I crave for a cake. Even though I was craving for the infamous Mango Charlotte Cake of Bistro Rosario in Davao, I find it satisfying enough to just have peaches in the cake rather than mangoes.

And since I couldn’t find their mango charlotte recipe online, I decided to be a little creative and sort of did some experimenting just to come up with a similar cake. I’m not really sure what type of cake they used so I went ahead and tried sponge cake. I’m not a professional baker so I don’t really know if Sponge cake is different from a Chiffon Cake.

Anyway, as I’m mastering the Chiffon Cake making, it tends to be easier over time. Here’s my first time making it (click here). This cake recipe is a no fail recipe for me as I'm always failing in that aspect (I mean with other cake recipes). I'm amazed at how good it turns out every time I bake it. As for my filling and frosting, I used custard frosting and a store bought cool whip frosting.

I know it's not the exact copy cat but for me it still tastes great and definitely crave worthy. I got two different custard filling recipes that I've already tried here and here, which by the way are both yummy, but I will only post the one I used on my peach cake.

(CHIFFON) YEMA CAKE RECIPE:

Ingredients :
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup canola oil
5 pieces raw eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Cooking Procedures :

Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare 10-inch ungreased tube pan.
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Make a well at the center and add oil, egg yolks, water and vanilla. Beat until smooth and no lumps occur. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar. Continue to beat on high until soft peaks begin to form. Add sugar very gradually and continuously beating until meringue is glossy and stiff.
Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the meringue until well blended, ensuring that you scrap the bottom of the bowl as you fold.
Pour into prepared un-greased tube pan. Bake until golden and middle springs back when touched for about 35 minutes.
Invert onto the neck of a bottle.
Cool completely upside down.

CUSTARD FILLING:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

6egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

Half can Evap milk

4 tbsp butter

In a saucepan, combine all together and keep stirring while cooking on a medium to low heat. Once the consistency is a bit sticky and heavy, it's ready.

I doubled the custard recipe so I can use it for filling and also to cover the entire cake. The cool whip frosting is just for added frosting as well as design. Top the cake with fresh peaches or you can also put peaches along with the custard filling. I don't mind the peach overload anyway.

Have a yummy and glamorously simple day! xox

Cake | Cream Frostings and Fresh Fruits

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Wed, 28 May 2014 19:11:00 +0000

I love whipped cream frosted cakes. It's my ultimate cake frosting favorite and the chocolate with condensed milk frosting would be my second. You probably have a bakery close to you that sells one but the bakeries where I’m at hardly ever make cakes like this since most of them either make buttercreams or overly sweet powdered sugar icings.

Luckily, all the ingredients for making any kinds of cakes are much easier to acquire at a very cheap price in any groceries here. So everytime there’s an occasion, I make my own cake rather than to serve a store bought one. So what's the occasion this time? Well....it's my birthday! I've been thinking about making fresh fruits topping for my cake for a long time and now I'm all for it.

I didn't have much time to bake and prepare everything in one day since I was also busy making French Macarons that whole morning. So I baked the cake a day ahead and frosted it the next day, right on my birthday.

The cake recipe will be listed below as well as the rest of the frosting recipes. I have been making whipped cream frosting for my sponge cake but this time I wanted to try something else. I guess you could compare it with the sponge cake too although this one turned out more dense. It holds up really well which makes it great for fondant icing and cake decorating.

FYI, I hardly ever make perfect made-from-scratch cakes but I'm pleased to say that this recipe turned out really well...and delicious too! So since this is my cake, it didn't scare me to try mixing and incorporating different frosting on it. I will be the one eating it anyway. Hah!

The cake recipe was a White Wedding Cake shared by Heather Baird of Sprinkle Bakes. I was going to try her Swiss Meringue Buttercream too but I ran out of butter.

White Wedding Cake Recipe

For a 6 x 2-inch round double layer test cake:
1 3/4 cups cake flour (such as Swan's down, do not substitute homemade cake flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 large egg whites, room temp
3/4 cup whole milk, room temp
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For a 9 x 2- inch round double layer cake:
3 1/2 cups cake flour (such as Swan's down, do not substitute homemade cake flour)
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 large egg whites, room temp
1 1/2 cups whole milk, room temp
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

For a 14 x 2 inch round double layer cake:
Note: A stand mixer is recommended for large quantity batters

8 2/3 cups cake flour (such as Swan's down, do not substitute homemade cake flour)
2 Tbsp plus 4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
15 large egg whites, room temp
3 1/2 cups whole milk, room temp
2 1/2 cups (5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups sugar
5 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pans and line with parchment. I suggest using Wilton's Cake Release to grease the pans. You don't have to use parchment with this product, and there are far less crumbs on the outside of the cake when it is turned out.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Whisk together egg whites and milk in a separate bowl; set aside.
Beat butter using the paddle attachment until soft and creamy. Add sugar gradually and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla.
Add flour mixture alternately with the egg white/milk mixture. Begin and end with flour mixture and beat until smooth on medium-low speed after each addition.
Divide batter between pans. Bake 6-inch cake at 350 for 25 minutes; bake 9-inch cakes at 350 for about 35 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees for 14-inch cakes, bake for about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, then turn out and cool completely.

Whipped Cream Frosting
(Recipe from Food Pusher )

1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
2 tbsp cold water
1 cup whipping cream (regular or heavy--I always use heavy cream)
2 tbsp confectioner's sugar

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl to soften.
Scald 2 tablespoon of the cream (this means you put the cream in a pan and bring it to a simmer on the stove); pour over gelatin, stirring till dissolved.
Refrigerate until consistency of unbeaten egg white. (This takes about 10-15 minutes.) Then, with a whisk, beat until smooth.
In a stand mixer with a whip attachment, or with a hand beater, whip remaining cream and sugar just until soft peaks form; whip in the smoothed gelatin mixture, stopping to scrape the bowl twice. Whip until stiff peaks start to form, but be careful not to over beat. You will probably only need to whip it another 10-20 seconds before it's done.

Fills and frosts top of 2 8" or 9" cake layers; or frosts 10" angel cake or spongecake. Tops one standard 9" pie with some left over to enjoy from a spoon. Stands up well, even in warm weather. Keep leftover frosting and any product topped with it in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Custard Filling
(Recipe from Adora's Box)

1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 can condensed milk
5 egg yolks
2 tbsps butter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the sugar and flour in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
Add the milk while whisking.
Add the condensed milk and egg yolks.
Cook on low heat until thick.
Take off the heat and add the butter and the flavouring.
Transfer to a bowl and cover the surface with a disc of baking paper to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate when cooled.

Enjoy your glamorously simple cake!

How To Add 'Pin It' Button

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 23:32:00 +0000

Pinteresting is kinda addicting! I personally would get hooked once I'm on it and the photos are just overwhelming. It is a place where you share your awesome ideas like crafting, sewing, diy stuff, recipes, and a lot more. You can search about anything under the sun and even advertise your craft and business. Most of all, Pinterest is a great way to attract traffic to your website.

Pinterest has this Widget builder that took me forever to setup because the script isn't really working. If you are here because you're already desperate about not having it to work and you're using a blogger platform, then try this code. Copy and paste the script into the bottom of your page, right above the closing </BODY> tag:

I hope it helped and happy pinning!

DIY Gift Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 21:53:00 +0000

Wrapping gifts is always fun but kinda aggravating when wrapping odd shaped things especially those without the box. I had this pink Pony toy I got my daughter for Christmas and it didn't came with a box so I decided to be a little creative and use the paper bag idea to wrap it. It was a bit challenging because I had to do a long and narrow bag to make it fit perfectly.

Good thing I have a thicker wrapping paper which is great for this heavy toy. Most of the wrapping papers sold nowadays are too thin to handle such weight as they tear easily.

1. Prepare gift wrap, tape and scissors.
2. Measure and estimate the size of your present.
3. Fold into half but make sure to overlap the ends, then tape.
4. Fold bottom.
5. Open bottom and fold it into a diamond shape like so (photo above).
6-7. Fold both ends towards the center, then tape.
8. Fold the sides then tuck them in (or fold it inwards) until they look like #9. It took a while to do that since my bag is pretty long and narrow. But with a small bag, I'm sure it'll be easy.

Happy diy wrapping everyone! xoxo

Foodie Tuesday | Green Bean Bundles

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 18:13:00 +0000

Cooking dinner is fairly easy for me especially when I have everything that I need but deciding what dish to make is kind of tough. It actually all boils down to what mood I'm in whether it's a lazy kind of dish mood or a fancy, too-much-work meal.

As much as possible I want to have some veggies on the side of our meals too, to atleast make me feel we are eating healthy somehow. And while doing some unexpected grocery shopping, I often pick up vegetables even though I don't know what to do with them yet. Which is why I'd rather do grocery shopping when I'm prepared and the dishes I'm planning to make are already listed.

So anyway, I just wanted to share this really yummy green beans recipe with you. I'm a picky vegetable eater too. Meaning, I only eat selected veggies. But with this recipe, it all changed. Now I know that there are many ways to make icky veggies turn yummy.

I used:

- Bacons

- Green Beans

- 1 Tbsp Butter (depends on how much veggies you need to coat)

- Garlic (minced)

- 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Directions:

- Combine melted butter, garlic, and brown sugar.

- Toss green beans to the mixture until coated well.

- Grab a bundle and wrap with bacon.

- Place in a pre-heated oven covered with foil.

- Bake for 20 mins at a 350 degrees temp.

It is very easy and also a great way to get your picky eaters to enjoy them. Do you have any favorite green bean recipe? Hope you are all having a glamorous Tuesday! xoxo

Fab Mondays | Blistex Deep Renewal

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 17:22:00 +0000

Fab Mondays is here again. It's the day I post about anything beauty and fashion related. As I'm writing this post right now, there is about a couple or three inches of snow outside keeping us in a freezer like situation. So I thought, why not share my recent lip regimen? It was last year when I first tried their medicated lip balm in my desperation to find a better lip balm to cure my exceedingly dry lips. It was so cold and dry (just like right now) as it resulted to swollen, cracked lips. It came to a point where the dryness spreads out on my skin in between my lip and nose. I kinda looked like I had a mustache and it was a complete eyesore.

Only Blistex Medicated Lip Balm worked amongst all other brands I've tried. I was running low on this so I was gonna pick up some more when I came across this new Blistex Anti-Aging treatment lip balm from the same brand. I did pick up the old one I'm using but I also wanted to try their Deep Renewal too. I've been using it for a month now and I can see some good results. Their Anti-Aging treatment lip balm is supposed to moisturize and reduce visible signs of aging as well as improve lip health and vitality when use consistently. It contains Coenzyme Q-10, Hyaluronic filling spheres, Vitamin-collagen anti-oxidant complex, and Light-refractors.

I must say, they are not exactly the same but it could also be a good lip treatment. It wasn't as heavily moisturizing and long lasting as the medicated one. It smells and tastes good. Yup! Once in a while I'd lick my lips (habit reasons) and there's a hint of sweetness to it. Another advantage is that it also helps prevent sunburn as it contains broad spectrum SPF 15. My lips don't feel rough right now considering the cold weather and I believe it does minimizes lines on the lips over time. I got it on sale last month for a pack of 2 for only $1.50.

Do you have any favorite lip balms? Have a glamorously simple Monday everyone! xoxo

The Divine Fruit | Persimmons

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 17:06:00 +0000

Persimmon is a fruit of Chinese origin which is best eaten when ripe as it tastes very bitter when it's not ripe. It has a high glucose content which is why it's very sweet and somewhat tastes like a ripe mango. I came across to this fruit at our local grocery store but they sell each fruit for almost $2! I mean...that is so not right! Well, my husband was ecstatic when he found it at the grocery because he knows how good it is and they do have a persimmon tree right at their backyard.

So, since I haven't tried them yet, I was curious and I really want to try them too. Nope, I didn't buy the $2 ones but thankfully I found these at an Asian market for 0.99 cents each! I wasn't sure if the peels are edible but I peeled them off anyway.

If you cut them across, you will see a nice core like this in the picture above. But you can cut them into any way you desire. When my mom-in-law came over, she told me that she used to make dehydrated persimmons for her horse back riding snacks. They make a really good candy-like treat but a healthy one. I'm not sure what else you can do with this fruit but I'm pretty sure some people have already created something like a pie or used in salads.

Have a great Monday everyone! xox

Wordless Wednesday | Winter Wonderland

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 19:56:00 +0000

This is our family weekend adventure at Bass Pro's Winter Wonderland event. My daughter was really excited because it's going to be her first meeting with a real (ahem!) Santa. And that's her at the bottom right of the picture taking her precious time with Santa even though there are still a lot of people waiting in line. :)

I'm Linking up with:
Bethere2Day | Sugar & Spice & All Things Nice |

Fab Mondays | Nail Polish Faves

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 22:33:00 +0000

It's Monday again...and there's only 9 days left until Christmas! Oohh...my favorite time of the year is almost here. Speaking of favorites, here's my all time faves when it comes to nail polish. I have been nail polish-free for almost a week now and since my nails need some pampering once in a while, I set out all the colors I always liked and then choose which one I feel that really stands out at the moment.

From L-R: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear 460 Wet Cement | Revlon Colorstay 190 Spanish Moss | Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant 215 Smokey Taupe | Sinful Colors 949 Nirvana | Salon Perfect Holographic 908 Fade Out

I actually prefer french tip manicure but I never get to perfect it so applying one color all over the nails is just plain easy. If you're wondering which color I decided to use? It's the first one. But for next time before Christmas comes, I will be using the Holographic one for a sparkly and festive look.

Friday Fancies | Sweater Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 15:05:00 +0000

It's a sweater weather again ladies! I'm really adoring the over-sized sweaters tops as a comfy style look. Though sometimes it irritates me to even think about bundling up just because it's too cold outside. There have been several storms hitting different states at an unexpected time. It's weird that it's not even winter time and we've already been getting snow.

Anyway, which one here is your bet? Well, I love all of them! With an over sized sweater, you can actually wear them with almost anything! Even sweat pants.

Travel Thursdays | Farmer's Market KC

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 18:32:00 +0000

This place is one of my favorite places to visit here in Kansas City. I love going to shopping malls and outlet malls but Farmer's Market is the first thing that comes to my mind if I want to unwind. Here you can find fresh produce, fresh baked goods, and handmade crafts exclusively created and grown by local farmers.

It is located within River Market neighborhood in downtown KC. If you don't have any plans for the day, you would absolutely enjoy being there. Not only they have the market to pick up some good produce, restaurants and small shops were also plentiful.

I have been there countless times and there's only one reason why I keep coming back. I love everything in the Farmer's Market but the Amish booth is what I have frequented. Amish pies are the bomb! And my favorite pie is the rhubarb pie. Haven't tried it yet? You gotta! But, if you are not a fan of tangy and sour flavor, well, sadly this is not for you. It is a bit pricey but it's all worth it.

It's been a while and I am missing it big time! I hope they are still selling rhubarb pies around this season. So, what are your favorite places to visit?

Have a glamorously simple travel Thursday everyone! xox

DIY Sewing Table

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 23:03:00 +0000

Hello there! How's your Wednesday so far? Well, here I am today sharing my first ever DIY post on this blog. On a side note, I plan on posting here regularly and I was thinking about calling it DIY Wednesday! I think that sounds in tune. Hopefully I could keep the pace, though. Now moving on, I just want to show you the before and after pictures of my sewing table project. If you want the step by step tutorial on sanding, painting and all that she-bangs, I can give you the link of another blog post that I found on Pinterest.

First off, I want to tell you a little history about this vanity dresser or a vanity table or what ever you call it. My hubby found it sitting on a curb waiting to be picked up by the garbage truck. End of story. He knew I wanted a table for my sewing machine and thought this table would be perfect for that. I knew too that it's gonna be great for that purpose as soon as I saw it.

If you are creative enough, I'm sure you'd be able to transform this table into something extraordinary. As the saying goes, the possibilities are endless. However, my creativity has a limit and at that moment I can only think of white and crystal.

It's really simple to re-purpose something but when it involves wood cutting and hammering, you definitely need a husband to do that. Or a boyfriend at least. There's two major changes made on this table. One was changing pull-out drawer into a hinged shelf compartment (Refer Photo below) and second is the drop-in table. Since I had to lower the sewing machine, I had to give up one drawer. And instead of permanently covering it, I decided to do it that way so I can also use it as a door for my machine's power switch. Everything worked as planned and I'm so happy that I finally have a table without spending a lot.

Materials used:

- Primer

- White gloss paint

- Sand paper

- New knobs

For doing the drop-in table, you might want to refer to this awesome tutorial in Marta's blog. Have a glamorously simple DIY Wednesday everyone! xox

Yema Cake Delish

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 17:37:00 +0000

One of my favorite things to do when I'm bored is baking. I love cakes and basically anything dessert. Every time I bake, I always wish I could eat everything but since I'm that conscious about my weight, I tend to forcefully eat just a little of it. Despite of the dieting frenzy, it never stopped me from baking.

There's this cake you can find in every bakery in the Philippines called Chiffon Cake. I mentioned it to my hubby long time ago and he wasn't aware of such kind. I guess in America, their counterpart is perhaps the Angel Cake (not sure though). Anyway, since I'm craving for some, I decided to look online for recipes. I found one that is frosted with Yema or simply a custard type of frosting made out of condensed milk and egg yolks. It tastes divine and it's not the usual super sweet frosting that you get from cakes at the grocery. It is creamy, sweet and very deliciouso!

I find it tedious to make the cake since you're making a separate mixtures to form that foamy texture. I don't mind especially when I think about how its going to ease my craving. By the way, the recipe I used to bake the cake shown in the picture above isn't mine . It was posted on Pinterest and now I don't know where I copied it. But if you want a different recipe or different approach on how to prepare this cake, there are lots of recipes out there...just google it! :)

(CHIFFON) YEMA CAKE RECIPE:

Ingredients :

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup canola oil
5 pieces raw eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Cooking Procedures :

Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare 10-inch ungreased tube pan.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Make a well at the center and add oil, egg yolks, water and vanilla. Beat until smooth and no lumps occur. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar. Continue to beat on high until soft peaks begin to form. Add sugar very gradually and continuously beating until meringue is glossy and stiff.

Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the meringue until well blended, ensuring that you scrap the bottom of the bowl as you fold.

Pour into prepared un-greased tube pan.

Bake until golden and middle springs back when touched for about 35 minutes.

Invert onto the neck of a bottle.

Cool completely upside down.

For the custard topping, blend together in a small saucepan:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

6egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

Half can Evap milk

4 tbsp butter

In a saucepan, combine all together and keep stirring while cooking. It's up to you if you want your topping runny or not. I kept it longer on heat and I end up having a lot stiffer than I'd prefer but if I ever do it again, I'd stop when I feel it's spreadable enough. I think it's better when the frosting is a bit runny but not too runny. I hope you get what I mean. :)

Have a glamorously simple Foodie Tuesday! xox

QOTD: Living Simple

noreply@blogger.com (Glamorously Simple) — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 21:00:00 +0000

Hello world! This should be my opportunity to introduce to you about this blog but since I will be working a lot on improving the looks of this boring site, I will just post a few words of wisdom first. So until next post! xox