My life as a MOM!

A very LATE Happy New Year greeting!

2012-01-05T12:19:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!

This has got to be the longest time I haven't posted on here. First I want to greet you all a SUPER late Happy New Year!

My last post was 2 months ago and that's before I got sick. A week before Thanksgiving I thought I was just having a little cough so I took some over the counter meds. Then over the next 3 weeks I was still sick and getting worse. So, I finally gave in and went to the doctors. I found out I had pneumonia :-( NOT GOOD! I was on more meds. A couple days before Christmas I was not getting better. I am now coughing, sneezing, NO sore throat, really bad sinus and I was loosing my voice. I finally went to the docs again just to see what's wrong. I should be better by now. I come to find out I had bronchitis this time. OMG! I am falling apart. So fast forward it is now January 2012 and I'm still coughing a little bit but now much. I can't seem to get rid of this damn bug, but I am back.

I will be posting stuff again, I promise. I have collected soooooooooo many recipes and I have to try them all.

So how was your Christmas / Holidays with your family? Did Santa bring you something good? Oh and I got into crocheting again. LOL!

Good to be back :-)

Apple-e-scrumptious Apple Bundt Cake Recipe

2011-10-17T11:24:00.000-04:00

When I was growing up you will be a lucky child if you get to eat an apple. Where I used to live apple is expensive and it only comes during Christmas. If you do get to eat one, it's a treat and it's nothing to waste. So when I went to my very first apple picking 2 decades ago. I felt a sense of sadness seeing those apple on the ground, just rotting, and the whole entire time I kept thinking. My goodness, those kids back home would go crazy if they see all those apples on the ground. Every time now, after all these years of apple picking, I still keep thinking of those kids back home.

Last week we took the whole family went apple picking and they went nuts, specially the ~~kids~~ adults. We took the kids to the pumpkin patch too. We bought 2 bushels of apples and I knew I had to get to work, while the apples were fresh. Didn't want to make anymore apple pies, since I've made a lot of them every year. I wanted something different this year. I looked everywhere for an apple cake recipe that didn't require orange juice, and most of them calls for it. Sooooo, I had to tweak it and it turned out great.

I really love this recipe, that's why I'm sharing it with you. Normally, I can honestly say, If I find a recipe that I love, I won't share it, but this is just too good to not share 'coz I love you guys.

Here's what you need:

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground all spice (decrease cinnamon to 2 tsp. if adding this spice)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups chopped apple
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecan (optional)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Sauce:

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cream or evaporated milk

What to do:

Mix all dry ingredients and sift, including sugar. Mix all the wet ingredients and mix well. Combine the wet into the dry and mix well. A stand mixer can used as well, but I just used my handy wooden spoon. Add the apples, nuts (optional) and vanilla extract. Mix well.
Spoon the cake batter into a greased or sprayed with Baker's Joy baking spray bundt cake pan and bake at 350F degrees for one hour and check for doneness with a toothpick when inserted comes out clean. Bake for another 10 minutes interval if batter still sticks to the toothpick.
Remove from the oven and poke holes on top.
For the caramel sauce. Over low heat, melt brown sugar and butter. Stir in vanilla and cream, cook till boiling and until thick, stirring occasionally. Spoon over the top of the poked cake and let it cool in pan for 1/2 hour.
Invert on cake plate and dust with powdered sugar. ENJOY!

Cake is best when chilled, but if you have a family who loves apples and cakes, they won't last long on the counter.

Pair this with hot tea, coffee or hot chocolate and it's just sooo yummy!

Very moist and delicious!

Make sure you leave me a comment if you have tried this recipe and let me know if you liked it. Also visit my Facebook and post your creation there and share with me. I love hearing from you guys!

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Hamburger / Cheeseburger Cake - Recipe

2011-10-05T22:22:00.001-04:00

Ever since I learned how to make pretty looking cakes, my best friend has asked me to make a cake for her daughter. This would be the 3rd time I've made her cake. The first one was the Dino Cake and the other one was the Tom and Jerry Cake. The Tom and Jerry cake, I would say is the hardest cake I've ever made. I have baked a lot but I still consider myself a novice baker. I wasn't really sure on what to do with this cake. I avoid working with fondant because of my carpal tunnel. Good thing I saw a post using just butter cream frosting. You wouldn't believe how happy I was. I actually did a happy dance. LOL!

For the top and bottom I used a regular yellow cake. For those who do not have time to make from scratch you could always use a cake from the box. For those who prefer the scratch version here's the recipe.

What you need: (This is for the bun)

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
8 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

What you need to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round pans or use Baker's Joy Spray. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly tapped and a bit golden brown. Cool 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks.(Make sure you don't turn the top side, the one you will be using as top bun onto the cooling racks, or it will have the indentations from the rack.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What you need: (This is for the burger part - Chocolate cake)

2 oz. Baker's bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup strong-brewed coffee
1 cup buttermilk

Direction:

Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Spray a 2 - 8 inch round pans with flour spray. Since you're only using 1 of the chocolate cake, only if you want, make the other one into cake balls. In a small saucepan, melt 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Scrape the chocolate into a medium bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the oil and sugar until smooth, then whisk in the egg.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture along with 1/2 cup of the coffee and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk; whisk until smooth. Add the remaining dry ingredients, coffee and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cake cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out and let cool completely.

When all the cake have rested and cooled down. You can start putting them together. Start with the bottom yellow cake and then add your colored frosting in. I thought I over did the frosting but the birthday girl actually loved the cake. I was happy and they were happy. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture with the birthday girl, 'coz I didn't make it to her party :-(

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Humba (Braised Pork Belly) Filipino Dish Recipe

2011-09-24T10:14:00.002-04:00

Another Filipino Dish that I love-love-love, did I say LOVE to eat. I would eat this everyday of the week if my cholesterol would let me. LOL!

This dish is called Humba (Braised Pork Belly) is one of the comfort foods in every Filipino household. It's a popular filipino food dish somewhere in the Visayas and Mindanao regions (I knew it because I used to lived there). I don't know how they called it in the Luzon region, but I knew they have a version of humba too. This dish is sometimes used to make Siopao, but that's a different blog I have to post.

OK! You need to cute the pork this small or if you prefer them bigger, it's fine too.

You will need about 3 bay leaves.

Whole black peppercorn

Vinegar

Garlic

Brown sugar

Soy sauce

Mix well and cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge
for 3 hours or more to marinade.

When it's ready to cook, place on a deep enough pot and boil and turn the heat down to simmer till the liquid is almost gone and the meat is tender.

Here's the recipe so you can make it as well :-)

1 lb. any pork you want, I used the think pork chop
3 bay leaves
1.2 tsp. whole peppercorns
1/3 cup vinegar
6 gloves of garlic, chopped
4 tsp. brown sugar
4 tbsp. soy sauce

Direction:
Cut meat from the bone and cut into small pieces.
Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and marinate the meat in this mixture for about 3 hours. Then transfer to a large enough pot with cover. Boil and turn the heat down to simmer till the liquid is almost gone and the meat is tender. You can add the hard boiled eggs during this process. Serve over hot rice and enjoy.

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Rainbow Pancake Recipe

2011-09-15T21:50:00.000-04:00

Doesn't it look pretty? I thought so too. I made this because I was inspired the rainbow cake, which I saw at Whisk Kid's site. I made that rainbow cake too, remember? Everyone loved that cake. It was too pretty to eat but, we did. You betcha! I was so inspired by the rainbow cake that I had to make pancakes as well. If the kids enjoyed the cake so much, why not color other things too. So rainbow pancake it is.

There's no recipe to share since I just use a regular Bisquick batter, but I added 2 tablespoon of sugar. Ahh heck I will share the dang recipe. It's so much easier than explaining and it would take as much time. So, recipe on the bottom. You can keep reading this while contemplating if you want to make some rainbow pancake for the kids or for yourself OR be ballsy and make the rainbow cake instead. Come on now, I know you can do it :-) Both will taste good, so it doesn't matter which one you make.

Are ya licking the screen yet? I hope not. LOL! I'm telling it's finer lickin' good :-)

Here's what you need:

2 cups Original Bisquick Mix
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs (beaten)
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Food coloring (I used gel, the color appears bolder)

What to do:

Stir all ingredients until blended. Divide the batters evenly, depends on how many colors you wanted. I didn't have an exact measurement on how much batter is divided. I just separated 5 batters in each bowl and color. The more color you but it the brighter the pancake gets. ** Don't put too much or you will have a bitter batter pancake. (Say that 5 times fast).
Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or electric griddle to 375°F; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening. (Surface is ready when a few drops of water sprinkled on it dance and disappear.) Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle or however you want them to be.
Cook until edges are dry. Turn; cook until golden.
ENJOY!!!

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Double Trouble Choco Bundt Cake with Choco drizzle Recipe

2011-08-23T09:19:00.000-04:00

I've made this recipe a few times already and now it's time to share. This moist and light bundt cake is perfect for any occasion. The coffee in the batter makes the chocolate flavor intensify and combined with the sweetness.

Here's what you need:

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped ( I used Baker's chocolate)
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup strong-brewed coffee
1 cup buttermilk

Ganache:

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped ( I used Baker's chocolate )
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
Chopped up bittersweet chocolate (Optional, to sprinkle on top)

Let's bake:

    1.    Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with Baker's Joy or your own creation of cake release. In a small saucepan, melt 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Scrape the chocolate into your mixing bowl (I used my Kitchen Aid mixing bowl) and let cool slightly. Mix in the oil and sugar and beat until smooth, then add in the egg.
    2.    In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture along with 1/2 cup of the coffee and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk; beat until smooth. Add the remaining dry ingredients, coffee and buttermilk and beat until smooth.
    3.    Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake in the lower third of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
    4.    Let the cake cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out and let cool completely.
    5.    In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. In a heatproof bowl, combine the remaining 3 ounces of chopped chocolate with the corn syrup and butter. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes.
    6.    Pour or drizzle the ganache over the cooled cake. Let the cake stand until the glaze is set, at least 30 minutes, before serving.

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OH so colorful Rainbow Cake - RECIPE

2011-08-08T23:06:00.002-04:00

Today was a bit muggy out and I was bored. YUP! B-O-R-E-D to death and the house was quiet, even with my little man here. Sister is at Lala's house visiting, so the house is really quiet. I have no idea why I got up and decided to make a cake. Of all the simple cakes to make, I decided to make the rainbow cake.

I only have 2 same size round pan, but I managed and it went well. I made 6 colors, since indigo and violet is close, color wise. I did make a boo boo with the yellow. I wanted to make it really bright yellow and I added a little dab of buttercup yellow and it turned orange. So in the cake it looks like I have 2 orange, but I know in my heart it's yellow. LOL!

I first saw this cake about a couple of months ago in this site, and it has been sitting in my to do pile. So, now I can finally erase it, WOOHOO! Whisk kids site is awesome, yeah I know I use awesome a lot. I think my brain is stuck in the 90's. I even used her recipe, which I copied. For the buttercream recipe I've always used Seriouscakes recipe, but I used coconut extract instead of the vanilla.

Here's what you need for the cake (This is Whisk Kids Recipe)

2 sticks (226 g) butter, room temp
2 1/3 c (463 g) sugar
5 egg whites, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (you can use coconut extract if you want it to match the frosting)
3 c (426 g) flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 1/2 c (355 ml) milk, warmed for 30 sec in microwave to bring to room temp
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple GEL food coloring. Liquid will not be vibrant enough!

Here's what to do:

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Oil and line how ever many 9” cake pans you have (I have 2 and I just reused them).
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Cream the sugar and butter, then add the egg whites (I cracked them all into one bowl) and add them a little at a time. Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Then, alternating between wet and dry, add the milk and flour mixture in two parts.
Divide the batter amongst 6 bowls (It's about 1 c each, but I did it by weight. Weigh your mixing bowl before you begin adding ingredients and then subtract the weight of the bowl from the final measurement after the batter is completed. Divide that number by six and add that weight of batter to each bowl), and then whisk a fair amount of the appropriate food color into each bowl. Keep in mind that the color of the unbaked batter will be the color of the baked batter. Pour into the pans and bake for 15 minutes each.
When you remove them from the oven, let them rest on the cooling rack, in the pan, for ten minutes. Then flip, cover, and stash them in the fridge to cool quickly.

When you do make this cake, make sure you let me know in my Facebook Page and post your creation or comment below with your link. I would love to see it. I had a great time making this cake, specially with my little man helping me. I did end up with about half the batter which we turned into cupcakes. Which he colored blue and red. He even frosted his own cupcakes and he was very good at it. As you can see below he's very serious about his sprinkles. LOL!

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NO BAKE Choco Chip Peanut Butter Cheesecake Recipe

2011-08-01T00:44:00.000-04:00

New York had a heatwave for a couple of weeks and turning the oven on when it's over 90F degrees outside is just nuts. So when my girlfriend handed me a recipe that doesn't require turning the oven on, I was like YES!!! So when they invited us for a get together (Hmmm, funny how she gave me this recipe a week before the get together?) I knew I had to make it as a dessert. Perfect for a warm night with a cool dessert that doesn't require baking??? Another YES!!!

This was super easy and super fast to make, and I tell you what. It was delicious, but, it was super rich and thick. So when you slice it up, make sure you slice it like a bite size pieces. Trust me, 'coz when I served it I sliced them in 2 inch squares and most of the ones that got them couldn't eat the whole thing. You wouldn't want them wasted do you? So, remember, small pieces.

Here's what you need:

2 cups crushed chocolate wafer cookies
8 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. powdered gelatin
2 pkg. 8 oz. cream cheese
14 oz. can condensed milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups mini chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

What to do:

Mix crushed cookie crumbs with the melted butter; press into a 9x13 baking dish / pan.
Combine gelatin with 2 tbsp. water and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, condensed milk and peanut butter and mix well.
Microwave gelatin 20 to 30 seconds to melt; add into a cream cheese mixture.
Stir in the chocolate chips. Fill pan and freeze for 30 minutes. Cut into bite size square and either put it into a wax paper lined plate or a mini cupcake paper liner. ENJOY!

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Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Muffin / Cupcakes Recipe

2011-07-28T23:02:00.001-04:00

I buy Bananas all the time, sometimes we eat it and sometimes it site and gets mushy. Most of the time I just bake banana bread. Although for the past 3 or 4 times I've made banana bread, they don't get eaten. So this time I figured I make muffins / cupcakes instead. This recipe is also a banana bread recipe, so, if you prefer to make the bread you can do so. Just make sure you grease the bread pan before putting the batter into the pan.

I have tweaked this recipe so many times and this time I finally, I think, perfected it. LOL!

Here's what you need:

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 eggs

1 cup (2 medium) mashed bananas
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts (No one in the family likes nuts on anything so I OMIT this) OPTIONAL
2 cups chocolate chips (We love chocolate chips instead) OPTIONAL
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Here's what to do:

Heat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pan with the paper liner / cupcake liner.
In a large bowl, mix sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and blend well. Add bananas, milk and vanilla, blend well.
In a small bowl, combine flour, nuts, chocolate chips, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture , stir well until all the dry ingredients get combined and moistened. Scoop a big spoonful into the paper liner.
Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan. Cool for another hour or until completely cooled. Wrap tightly or a tight container and store in the fridge.

The kids loved it and so did I. I can just have one piece and I'm good to go. With the banana bread, I usually cut a big slice and eat a lot. With this cupcake / muffin size, it's well proportion.

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BIG Thank you!

2011-07-25T11:08:00.001-04:00

Hey Everyone!

I know my blog is small and I don't post that much, well as much as I want to, but I really do appreciate the new followers and those who have followed me for a while now. I post as much as I could because of you guys.

Sometimes soon, I will be posting recipes or things that I have tried or liked, but I didn't make it myself. Then I will have more postings in the blog.

Again, thank you for following my itty bitty blog :-)

PS. Look out for some giveaways soon.

Claire

Chocolate Jell-O Mousse Treat (RECIPE)

2011-07-22T00:12:00.000-04:00

New York is having a heat wave and it's HOT, HOT, HOT! outside. I think we reached about 100F today and I don't ever remember reaching that hot. I haven't even let the kids outside to play in fear of dehydration, and it's b'coz I'm such a worry wart mom.

So, what does a baker do when it's too hot outside, where you can probably bake or cook something off in the driveway, do? You make something cold. I have been meaning to make this with the kids but never had the chance. We actually made this last week. This is the perfect time to share it though.

Here's what you need:
1 pack Chocolate supreme mousse or if you have your own Mousse Recipe (use that)
1 Chocolate Fudge Instant jell-o pudding (small box)
Chocolate chips
White chocolate chips
Chocolate shaving (optional)

Milk
Small shot glass or small glass

What to do:

Mix the mousse; follow the direction on the box and chill.
Mix Jell-o; follow the direction on the box and chill.
When ready, assemble it in the glass. Starting with the pudding, layer of white chocolate chips, layer of mousse, layer of chocolate chip, layer of pudding, more chocolate chips and some chocolate shaving (optional).
Just repeat the layers, and wait 30 minutes and serve. I'm not sure if you could wait but, you can probably eat it right away.

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Ground Turkey with carrots and potato -RECIPE

2011-07-11T13:48:00.006-04:00

Hot out there! I wish I have a pool :-) That would be awesome! I would just lay on a float all day long, LOL!

Here's another recipe for you to try out. This one is super easy and you only need one skillet or wok to make it. Simple ingredients and it's healthy for you. Even my kids loved it. Although, I am blessed and lucky to have kids that aren't picky. They pretty much eat anything I give them.

This dish in particular they love and they even asked for seconds. If you're a Filipina or born to a Filipina mother, you would know that Rice will always be in your staple. Although I am guilty of not cooking rice all the time. I might cook rice, maybe once or twice in 2 weeks. This dish definitely goes with rice.

Here's what you need:

   •   1 lb. ground turkey
   •   1 tbsp. minced garlic
   •   1 medium sweet onions, chopped
   •   1 cup of cut up carrots
   •   1 cup cubed potato
   •   1 cup sweet peas
   •   1 can of tomato sauce (8 oz)
   •   1 cup chicken broth
   •   powdered cumin
   •   salt and peppers
   •   soy sauce

Here's what to do:

   1. Sautee onion in a large wok or large non-stick pan, until transparent in color and caramelized; add garlic.
   2. Add ground turkey and cook until brown.
   3. Add carrots and potato with the chicken broth. Cook in medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the potato and carrots are done. Then add the tomato sauce and sweet peas and simmer on low for 10 minutes.
    4. This time you can add the *soy sauce, *powdered cumin, *salt and pepper. Simmer on low for another 10 minutes and serve over hot rice.

* If you notice that I didn't put down how much Soy sauce, powdered cumin, salt and pepper to put in your dish. It's because each person has a different taste on their food. I don't put a lot of cumin on this dish because of the kids. Plus it's a very strong flavored spice. You can even omit the salt or the soy sauce (for less sodium).

Questions? Email me at CLAIREPFENDLER(at)yahoo(dot)com

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Spaghetti and Meatballs CUPCAKE (Recipe)

2011-07-06T23:24:00.000-04:00

July is a the most busiest time of the year for us. Almost every year our July calendar is pretty much filled with birthdays and parties on weekends. This year hubby's Birthday fell on a Monday. YUP! He's a 4th of July baby.

He has requested this Spaghetti and Meatball cupcake last year, which he saw in my Hello, cupcake! book, but never had the chance to make it. So this year, our daughter and I decided to surprise him with this simple dessert. I baked a batch of vanilla cupcake and I just used a regular white paper liners. The frosting on the other hand I made from scratch. The book, called for 1 can of vanilla frosting, but if you know me, I hate anything pre-made. It's less special too :-) if you put a lot of work into something, then you might as well go all out and make everything fresh. RIGHT?

Since I'm so nice and I'm in a great mood I'm sharing with you on how to make your own Spaghetti and Meatball cupcake. This is what the book says. If you decide to make your own frosting then you're going to have to eye the ingredients they called for and add onto the frosting.

What you need:
*Note: I'm copying what the book says. I made a whole batch of cupcakes so I used 14 cupcakes and made added fresh blueberries on the rest of the cupcakes. It was yummy!

10 vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liner
1 can (16 oz.) vanilla frosting
1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 drops yellow food coloring
11 Hazelnut chocolate (Ferrero Rocher), unwrapped (It's hard not to eat one while unwrapping, LOL!
3/4 cup low-sugar strawberry preserve (low sugar has the best color *I used SMUCKER's)
2 tbsp. grated white chocolate, plus and additional chunk for garnish (Optional)

What to do:
1. Tint the vanilla frosting with the cocoa powder and yellow food coloring and spread a thin layer on top of the cupcakes. Arrange the cupcakes on a swerving platter so that they are touching.
2. Spoon the remaining frosting into a ziploc bag. Press out the excess air and seal the bag. Snip a 1/8-inch corner from the bag. Pipe the frosting all over the cupcakes to make the spaghetti, piling it high and allowing some of the spaghetti to hang over the edges.
3. Place the hazelnut chocolates and the strawberry preserves in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Spoon some of the preserves on top of the cupcakes. Place 1 hazelnut chocolate on each cupcake and 1 on the platter. Top the cupcakes with the remaining strawberry preserves.
4. Sprinkle with the grated white chocolate. Place the chunk of white chocolate on a separate place with a small hand grater and bring to the table with the platter of spaghetti.

This would also be great for April Fools Day. Just watch and enjoy everyone who falls for it. The kids would absolutely love it!

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Tabirak, Binignit, Ginataan Recipe (Filipino Dessert / Sweets)

2011-06-28T22:51:00.000-04:00

Another Filipino dessert / sweets. Another one that I really love to eat, specially when my mom makes it. She doesn't make it too much since it's got coconut milk and it's too sweet. This typical dessert is good to eat warm or cold. I prefer it warm, I have tried it cold but it's not my thing.

This recipe my my moms, so this is the way she explained it to me.
Water (How much water mom) Ahhh, it depends if you like it watery or thicker (LMAO). She then proceed to say, a little bit of this and a half a bag of that and so on. So anyway, I have it changed so you can understand it. This type of food is hard to mess up since it's already a messy mess to begin with.

What you need:

WATER (like mom said it depends on how much you want to make or how thick you want it, so start with 8 cups of water and if it's too sticky for you you can always add more but you can't take out)
1 CUP SWEET RICE ( Pilit or sticky rice)
2 CUPS TAPIOCA
2 RIPE PLANTAINS / PLATANOS (Philippine banana if available - SABA)
2 SWEET POTATO (Medium size)
1 YUTIA LARGE (This is optional if not available just add more banana or sweet potato)
1 CUP OF JACKFRUIT (Or one can, this is also optional, I don't like it so I don't use it)
Brown sugar (You have to taste it as you do the cooking)
2 CANS Coconut milk (or fresh coconut milk, if available)

Direction:
1) Soak the tapioca in a warm water and let it sit for 30 minutes or so, since tapioca is hard and sticks together so you want it to sit for a while.
2) Boil water on a large pot.
3) Place the sweet rice on the boiling pot, constantly stir the pot so the rice won't stick.
4) Place the tapioca if you think the rice is almost cooked, then just jeep an eye and stir to keep them no to stick to each other. (You can add more water little by little if it's too sticky, and don't forget you still have the coconut milk in the end)
5) Add the banana and make sure the banana is almost cook before adding the yutia and yams. Cook until all is soft and done, then add the brown sugar and just keep tasting it until you reached the sweetness you want.
6) place the coconut milk in the end when everything is cook and stir well.
7) Taste one more time *smirk* and make sure everything is cooked, then enjoy! You can share some or not but you better share coz there's a lot.

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Kitchen ODORS 101 - Tricks and Tips

2011-06-24T11:42:00.002-04:00

From time to time, I post kitchen tips and tricks. I know it doesn't have anything to do with food, but it's somewhat related since it's about our kitchen. It's where you cook and bake so you want to keep it clean and smelling good.

These are some of the problems and the solution to prevent or get rid of it.

THE STINK: Garbage Disposal
THE SOLUTION: Pour a cup of boiling water through the disposal, which will clean of the blades. Then grind up citrus peels like lemon or orange rind.

THE STINK: Refrigerator
THE SOLUTION: Soak a cotton ball in vanilla extract, then put it in a little bowl on the lowest ope shelf. remove in a few days when dry. (If you prefer the smell of coffee, try a bowl of used coffee grounds instead)

THE STINK: Dishwasher
THE SOLUTION: A half-full dishwasher can stink up a kitchen in no time, so run the light rinse with no soap. The steam will remove most of the food. If odors persist, get in the empty machine with a sponge and nailbrush, and clean out all the filters and parts on the bottom-something is likely stuck.

THE STINK: Stove
THE SOLUTION: Before you turn on the burner, turn on the range hood - every single time. Why? Some of the particles and gases that come off the stovetop while you're cooking have been connected to respiratory health problems, particularly in children. And regularly clean your range hood filters (you can actually access it by snapping of the tabs near the vent)

4 Safe anti-smell cleaning weapons

BAKING SODA mix it with water to create a paste to wash walls or other surfaces that smell, or leave an open box in enclosed spaces that are odorous, such as the bottom of the laundry bin or garbage can.

BORAX just as useful as baking soda, but more concentrated. Dump 2 tsp. in the garage disposal, wipe down smelly surfaces with a mix of 1/2 tsp. of borax and a cup of warm water, or spray the mixture on plants to kill bugs and mold (and not the plant).

VINEGAR white vinegar and water, mixed in equal parts, sanitizes. And that vinegar smell disappears as soon as it dries. Try the mixture in coffeemakers, as well as on any non-stone surfaces around the house.

THE VACUUM vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Really. It removes an array of particulates, which prevents all sorts of future smelly growth. HEPA vacuum filters are ideal because they capture and remove many more particulates, but even a regular vacuum will help substantially.

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Banana cream pie w/ chocolate chips, marshmallow and chocolate drizzle Recipe

2011-06-20T21:07:00.006-04:00

Super easy Banana pudding recipe for a quick dessert and with the summer in full gear, you don't have to turn your oven on. All you need is your fridge to set the pie.
WANT TO MAKE ONE? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED.

1 Large store bought graham pie crust (Yup, I was feeling lazy. It was one of those days)
1 Large Box Banana instant pudding - JELLO
3 cups really cold milk
1 large banana sliced
Marshmallow (optional)
chocolate chips (optional)
chocolate drizzle (optional)

* Pour milk on a large bowl and add the jello pudding (powder). whisk or use an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes. Add in some chocolate chips (depends on how much you want to add into the bowl, I just took a handful and dump it into the bowl)
* Transfer into the pie crust. Add the banana slice on top and marshmallow (optional)
* Add some chocolate chip sprinkle on the side (optional)
* Place in fridge for 1 or 2 hours to set, then enjoy!

Great for a warm summer treat and the kids loved it. I mean who doesn't like Banana?

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Sweet Bread Dough RECIPE

2011-06-02T15:04:00.004-04:00

My last post was 2 weeks ago, but it felt like I haven't posted anything in over a month. Time does fly so fast these days.

So with the weather heating up, I haven't had the chance of turning the oven on. Even with the AC the house still gets too hot if I bake something. So this bread, I baked a while back and has been on the to post hold for while.

I got this recipe from a good friend and I've made this bread a few times differently. I have tweaked it a bit, depending on what fillings I add, or not add.

You need:

1 cup of lukewarm milk
1 tablespoon of active dry yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup soft butter
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

What to do:

1. Put the lukewarm milk into a large mixing bowl and add the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes to ferment. Stir and add sugar, salt, butter and eggs, beat thoroughly
2. Add just 1 1/2 cup of the flour ( the remaining 1 cup will be used later). Let the dough rise for 40 minutes, then add the remaining flour.
3. Use enough flour to make the dough just barely firm enough to handle.
4. Cover and chill for a least 30 minutes in the fridge
5. Now, this dough is ready for shaping.
6. You may transfer the dough into a lightly floured board and shape it into balls or place the dough into a greased loaf pan (if you plan on making it with filling) or muffin pan if you want to just make it into rolls.
7. At this point, the dough will deflate, so you have to let it rise again until it doubles in bulk covered with clean dish cloth.
8. Brush with melted butter or egg white and bake at 400F for 12-20 minutes (depending on the size ) or until it is golden brown.
9. I sprinkled mine with sesame seed, but you can omit it if you don't like sesame seed.

Banana Pound Cake Recipe

2011-05-16T21:35:00.004-04:00

I know this has been a long, long overdue. I have promised you this recipe a couple of weeks ago and I never got around to it, so here it is. Sorry for the long wait.

You need:

3 cups sugar
1 cup butter (not margarine) softened
6 eggs
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (ripe)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 to 4 tsp. milk or cream

Instruction:

Spray a 12-in. fluted tube pan with Baker's Joy OR grease with some butter and sprinkle sugar, then set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in bananas and extract. Combine flour and baking soda and add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating just until combined.
Pour into prepared pan (pan will be full and might and might over flow while baking, i suggest you place a baking mat or parchment paper under the tube pan).
Bake at 325F for 75-85 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a small bowl, whisk glaze ingredients until smooth, drizzle over cake. Store in fridge.

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Want to make your own PLAY DOUGH? RECIPE

2011-04-29T09:25:00.003-04:00

Everyone loves Play-Doh, but they don't have any smell to it. At least the ones we have here doesn't have any smell. They could also get expensive. So if you want one that smells good, then you have to try this super EASY to do play dough. Make it with your kids, they will have a great time.
Plus, you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry so no need to go out and get them.

What you need:

1 cup flour, sifted
1/2 cup salt
3 tbsp. cooking oil
1 pkg. Kool -Aid (individual packages any flavor)
1 cup boiling water (BE CAREFUL)

Here's how you make it:

Mix together the sifted flour, salt, oil and Kool-aid. Make sure you mix it well.
Add the cup of boiling water and mix thoroughly.
Knead the mixture (CAREFUL IT'S HOT) until it forms a soft dough.
HAVE FUN!
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

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Beef with pasta - EASY RECIPE

2011-04-25T15:37:00.004-04:00

This yummy and easy recipe will be a hit if you love beef and pasta. Something different from your regular pasta dish and from your Chinese restaurant Lo mien.

Here's what you need:

1/2 lb. wheat spaghetti or linguine, uncooked
3 cups broccoli florets
3 carrots, peeled, sliced
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing ( I used Kraft)
1 /4 cup teriyaki sauce
a few slivers of fresh ginger (optional for taste)

What to do:

COOK pasta as directed on package, add the vegetables to the boiling water for the last 2 minutes of the pasta cooking time. Drain pasta and veggies in the strainer.

MEANWHILE, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add meat; cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing and teriyaki sauce and ginger (optional) and cook 2 min. or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

Add in the drained pasta and vegetable and toss gently and serve in a large serving bowl.

ENJOY!!!

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Banana Bundt Cake Recipe

2011-04-20T13:45:00.004-04:00

I've made this a while back and it's finally posted. I'm posting this today 'coz I saw some pretty ripe bananas in the counter and it made me think of this cake. Make sure you let me know how it turned out by commenting below or let me know in Facebook. I love hearing from all of your experience with the dish or dessert you've made.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 large egg
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup mashed ripe banana
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (OPTIONAL)

GARNISH:

1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup white chocolate chips

INSTRUCTION:

Heat oven to 400F. Lightly coat 6 or 10 cup bundt pan or tube pan with Baker's joy or any flour spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.
In a large mixing bowl or / if you have a Kitchen Aid, beat together egg, sugar, mashed banana, oil and vanilla until smooth, about 2 minutes. Turn it on low and add in the flour mixture just until blended. Stir in walnuts (OPTIONAL). Spread the batter into the bundt pan evenly.
Bake in 400F over for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack and invert into a plate or cake rack and let cool completely.
To garnish, place semi sweet chocolate on a microwavable bowl for 40 seconds and add 20 seconds after that until melted. DO NOT OVER HEAT OR THE CHOCOLATE WILL HARDEN. Drizzle on the cake, then repeat with the white chocolate.
Enjoy and share, or not!

This won't last long in your house if you love banana bread. It's way too yummy!

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Tips : Marinating meat, poultry and seafood

2011-04-13T13:39:00.003-04:00

Just a tip on how I marinate our meat, poultry and seafood. When I buy meat and poultry I get them in bulk. It's much cheaper that way. So when I get them home and get them all prepared and divided in Ziploc freezer bags, I usually add whatever marinade I want to use.

I have 2 favorite marinade, Lawry's Hawaiian with tropical fruit juices and Ken's Steak house Marinade and sauce Honey Teriyaki. Those are the only one that I really had the liking, maybe it's because it reminds me of the Philippines.

First I get all the meat or poultry separated and place in each in the freezer bags. I usually put enough meat that will feed my family. Then I add enough marinade in the bag and zip close, swish it around to coat the meat inside, then I place them in the freezer.

When I need the meat, I just take it out a few hours before grilling and let it thaw while it marinates the meat. That will save you time and waiting in the long run.

Happy Grilling!!!!

So, have you ever wondered and get confused what marinate and marinade means??? I was. I though it meant the same, but I guess not. So let me tell you what my dictionary says.
MARINATE; to steep (meat, fish, or vegetables)
MARINADE; a savory usually acidic sauce in which meat, fish, or a vegetable is soaked to enrich its flavor or to tenderize it.

** Make sure you MARINATE your chicken with the Teriyaki MARINADE overnight.

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Ube pianono roll with Ube creamcheese filling RECIPE

2011-04-11T21:51:00.005-04:00

This is one of my most favorite treat when I was little and it's super easy to make. I found these in New Jersey when we went to visit my brother I bought one in the Filipino bakery house. I almost ate the entire thing. The only problem is that it was almost $20 bucks for a roll. So my mission was to find a recipe and I found it. Kusina ni Manang was one of the recipe sites that I've followed a while back. She has the most easiest recipe for this Pianono roll.

*Note, I copied the recipe from HER site. I did change / added something to her instruction a bit.

Ingredients:

6 egg whites
6 tbsp sugar
6 egg yolks
6 tbsp sifted flour

Instructions:

To 6 egg whites beaten until stiff, add the following by spoonfuls, beating well after each addition 6 tablespoons sugar, then add 6 yolks of eggs (well beaten).
Blend well. Cut and fold into the mixture: 6 tablespoons sifted flour Pour into a jelly roll pan lined with greased paper.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400F. Turn out on another sheet of paper sprinkled with sugar. Remove paper lining, then roll while it's still warm. Cover with towel and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Unroll and spread the Ube cream cheese filling. Serve and enjoy!

Ube Creamcheese Filling:

Ingredients:

8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter
1 - 2 cups confectioner sugar
2 tsp. ube flavored or pandan flavored extract
purple gel coloring until desired color is reached

Blend all the ingredients, add food coloring and beat some more. Spread on your pianono and place on the fridge or serve immediately and enjoy!

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BIKO Recipe (Filipino sweet rice dessert)

2011-04-05T15:04:00.005-04:00

This is one of my favorite sweet treat from the Philippines. If I could eat it everyday I would, but they are mostly made on special occasions or gatherings.

For sweet rice mixture

4 cups sweet rice
1 can coconut milk
1 cup white sugar OR brown sugar

For the topping

1 cup coconut milk
1 can condensed milk
1 cup white sugar OR brown sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Procedure
For the sweet rice mixture:

Wash sweet rice by swirling and rubbing it gently between your fingers and drain. Continue until water is clear, to eliminate dirt, impurities and odor. Let it soak for about 2 to 3 hours, replinish with water if necessary. Transfer into a rice cooker and cook with 1 to 2 inches of water level than the usual (rice cooker graduated measure). Set aside.
In a large wok or any non stick large pan, cook the coconut milk to bouling over medium high heat, add sugar, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed and the cinsistency of the mixture is thicker. Add the sweet rice. Mix thoroughly until the mixture is very well blended. Put the mixture into a well greased 13 x 9 x2 inch pan, spread evenly, leaving a gap on top for the topping, set aside.

For the topping:
In a large quart pan, combine together 1 cup coconut milk, 1 can condensed milk, 1 cup sugar, 2 beaten eggs, and the 1/2 cup flour over moderately high heat. Cook, constantly stirring until thick and smooth. Set aside.

For the biko cake:
Pour the topping mixture over the cake and bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 15 minutes to 20 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Cool completely or until it's not too hot to eat. Ya'll know you can't wait to dig in, but not worth it burning your tongue or roof of your mouth and then you won't be able to taste your delicious biko :-)

Please note that THIS IS NOT MY PICTURE!!! I found it online, since I can't seem to find one in my album. This is just a reference so you know what BIKO looks like (if you don't know what it is).

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RECIPE Post 4/4/11

2011-04-04T19:54:00.002-04:00

My post for cakes have been slowing down lately. I know, it's pretty bad, but I would like to start posting recipes for food in here as well. I've tried so many already but I don't ever take pictures of them. I will also share recipes from friends and families, so there might not be any pictures with the recipe.

Starting this week I will post or at least try to post recipes for everyone to share.

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