Weekend Eating | Independence Day Lunch

The past months weren't as good for us as far as food choices is concerned. At home, we usually just eat whatever is available - canned goods, or cooking meat as is (fried, adobo, or paksiw). Vegetables weren't a big part of our diet...though we do eat them, it's just that, sometimes we just cook whatever is there. Anyway, we do know the importance of eating vegetables, so last Friday, I just listed some dishes I hope we could prepare and eat.

One of those dishes is Kare-Kare. This is a dish that we don't usually eat because mom used to stay away from anything with nuts, because of her arthritis. Well, during our last visit to the doctor, he said that my mom indeed has arthritis, but she could eat nuts (hers is a different kind of arthritis), so I immediately wrote this on the list. The problem then was the meat, but sister thought of something to present this classic Filipino dish...


... by combining it with another well loved Filipino dish - the Crispy Pata.

Since we don't have a big frying pan and we didn't want to use too much oil for the meat, we decided to buy a small one at the supermarket and have it cut as well as they do use electric saw to cut through bones, making a clean cut compared to the ones in the public markets that uses manual chopping, making the bones crack and shatter.

Cooking the dish, she first tackled the pata. Seasoning the water with salt, pepper and bay leaves, she let the meat boil in it and later pressure cooked it to ensure the meat would be tender. Then, she baked it for a while to take out excess moisture then she fried it 'til it became crispy.

The vegetables she blanched in boiling water 'til it reached the "just cooked" stage and dunk them in ice bath to keep them cooked yet crunchy.

Last thing was the sauce, and the pata was already time consuming as is, so she decided to just use the Mama Sita mix - the creamy one, not the powder. We prefer to use the creamy sauce mix because it had real peanuts.

Plating was better when done this way...but of course, once all pictures were taken, we did mix the vegetables with the sauce. One thing we overlooked - the bagoong. Sister just seasoned the sauce with a little salt, so it wasn't completely bland.


For dessert, I baked Caramel Custard Cake. Actually, I had no intentions of baking. Sister planned to use the cake mix we bought from MAFBEX, but it was tricky to cut the the recipe in half, so she canceled it. Seeing we have enough ingredients, I baked this, as this still fits the Filipino theme, leche flan being a favorite dessert of many Pinoys.

I still cannot share the recipe as this was a trial cake, and it didn't turn out to be 100% good...but still very good. Problem was, the custard just wouldn't set. Baking this in baine-marie method, I baked this for over 1 hour (the recipe says 40 minutes), and it just wouldn't set. I decided to dry bake them and after 10 minutes, the custard finally set. However, the long baking time dried the chiffon cake a little, and oh dear, when I cut the cake, I realized I didn't pour enough custard...it was so thin! Actually, the recipe I followed used a round pan, but we don't own one yet, so I used two loaf pans and cut the batter in half, though the custard, I just couldn't gauge the level in the pan as I poured it.

Despite the problems, it tasted really, really good. I now know how to handle this should I bake this again, and when I do, I can then share the recipe.

For us who is used to eat out during Sundays, it sure felt great to stay in the house and be slaves in the kitchen. I am not sure if we can do this every weekend, but we will try.

Recipe | Choco-Banana Cupcakes

If you follow this blog for sometime now, you might already know that I into cupcakes as they are big enough to satisfy the sweet tooth, but small enough to ease the guilt. It's been a while since I last shared a cupcake recipe here, so here is a very easy one you can try making.

Of course, this isn't my own recipe, but another I learned from my favorite educational channel on earth - YouTube. Hehehehe. This particular recipe is by Joy of Baking.



Choco-Banana Cupcakes
makes: 12 regular sized cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
• 1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (35 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed)
• 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 1 medium sized banana)
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) canola, corn, or vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350*F and line your cupcake / muffin tin with your choice of paper liners, or just butter or oil the surface if you don't have any paper lines or if you are opting not to use any.  
•  In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In another large bowl, whisk together the egg, mashed banana, water, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir, or whisk, until combined.
• Pour or scoop the batter into the muffin cups, about 3/4 full
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. 

Things to know - choose very ripe bananas as they are softer and sweeter. The milk, you can use any liquid milk you want - be it full cream milk or skim milk. Personally, I used evaporated milk for this and it came out well.

It is good enough to eat as is, or you can add frosting of your choice.


Joy of Baking used chocolate frosting, but I tend to prefer the white and dark brown contrast, so I went for the Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting, which I did here for the first time. It was good way to frost cake without too much sugar, and I think this will be my go-to frosting from here on out.

Though easy, this is a tricky one to make, so I suggest you check different videos on YouTube to find different techniques. I used Bake Like a Pro's recipe for this. We don't own a standing mixer, but I was able to create the frosting using our handheld mixer.

Weekend Eating | Remembering Daddy

Nine years ago on March 5, we lost the head of the family. It was a very devastating loss as everything happened so fast, I personally wasn't able to react well to it and it took a few months before everything sunk in on me. Every year on this day, at least one member of the family travels to La Union to light a candle on his grave, but this year, none of us weren't able to travel (we vow to travel in November though).

Anyway, on daddy's 9th death anniversary, sister and I met up with mom at the mall to have early dinner at Conti's in Ayala Fairview Terraces. I guess my mind was floating that day, because I wasn't able to take any pictures of the restaurant considering it was my first time to dine there (but this was the third Conti's branch I visited).


Lasagna
At first glance, this seemed to be a little too pricey at nearly 300 pesos (I forgot if this was 270 or 280 pesos), but, it sure tasted awesome! It was meaty, it was very cheesy, and it was very flavorful. For its price, for sure this wouldn't be something I would eat every now and then, but during special occasions, I think I might go for it again.


Garlic Sotanghon.
My sister and my mom both loved it, but it was my first time to taste this dish. Again, another plain looking food - something that would make you question if they priced this right, but at first mouthful of the noodles, and I was shot straight to foodie heaven. Saying it was delicious would be an understatement, because it was more than delicious, but I don't know if there's a proper adjective for that. The noodles were cooked just right and it tasted like it was cooked forever in chicken broth because every chew screams chicken! Even if this didn't have vegetables, it was able to satisfy my tummy that I didn't feel the need to eat dinner at home anymore.


Mocha Tiramisu.
We do love their Mango Bravo, but I didn't want to pass the moment without trying their other pastries, and this one sure was a delight.


Mango Bravo.
Of course, a food trip at Conti's will never be complete without Mango Bravo. This particular slice had mangoes that are slightly tarty, and it just went well to the cream. If you have tasted this cake already, you do know why we love it...if you still haven't, I hope you can taste it the soonest possible time, especially now that summer has kicked in.

Between bites, us girls talked about the many "What ifs" - what if dad is still alive, would he be on Facebook... would he be traveling with us (or, would he allow us to travel)... would he be baking goodies with us... would he be lining up at the cinema every Mondays and Tuesdays for free movies? It was crazy answering the questions, but part of me was sad that daddy wasn't able to enjoy a better part of the century - the boom of social media that drove establishments to change rapidly.

Nine years. Seems so long ago, but a pinch of pain still lingers on.

Miscellaneous January Food Pics

This week was quite a blah for me, because I had to endure a whole lot of sneezing every day. Worst day was last Thursday, but since yesterday, the sneezing lessened, though I am now experiencing itchiness around my eyes and forehead. I really should be taking anti-histamine, but I don't really like taking meds.

Anyway, I haven't tried any new recipes and we haven't been to any food trips lately, so in an effort to update this blog, I decided to just share some food pictures I have on my phone. Now, most of these weren't plated or composed well; I took these pictures mainly to remember the day by, or to share to my sister who is usually not eating dinner with mom and I.


>>> On the second day of 2016, my sister and I went to Quiapo Church, then to SM Manila after, where had snacks at Starbucks so she could finally claim her 2016 Starbucks Planner. It was my first time to try their Corned Beef Pandesal, and though it tasted like any ordinary pandesal filled with corned beef, but I liked the idea of these three pandesal joined together.

>>> My sister and I bought chicken and requested mom to cook Arroz Caldo for dinner. However, when we got home, mom already cooked something for dinner, but the next day, she surprised us by cooking it for our breakfast. Thank you mommy.

Divine Sweets Bakery and Cafe (Puerto Princesa, Palawan)

Today marks the first death anniversary of my cousin Gie, and because her real name is Divina and she married a man from Puerto Princesa, I decided to unearth these pictures from my files and make this post as my way of remembering her.

April last year, my mother attended a conference for Handmaids of the Lord, a branch of the Couples for Christ group of ministries. She is more active to her household in CFC, but she also wanted to attend this conference, and asked me to travel with her, so we both could set foot in Puerto Princesa. She attended the conference that entire weekend, so whole day of Saturday, I found myself alone in the inn. That afternoon, I decided to go out and check their museum, and after, I took a jeep going to Robinson's Place Palawan to check if they have a Booksale branch, as well as wait for my mom so we could eat dinner together.

I couldn't eat a meal or a heavy snack at 5 in the afternoon because it might ruin my appetite for dinner, so walking around the mall, I saw Divine Sweets Bakery and Café, and thought this would be a great place to try.


For some reason, I wasn't able to take pictures of the café. I guess I truly am not used to solitary dining, but the place had a good dining space - it promotes closeness without being crowded, and they set tables good for families, big groups, as well as for those who are couples, or alone (like me).

The café offers rice meals and sandwiches, but because I didn't see any bake shops or pastry shops nearby, I felt the need to try their pastries instead. After all, I only wanted a "light" snack, let me eat my desserts first, so to speak.


Amnesia Cake
Of all the cakes available that day, I chose their Amnesia Cake, based solely on the name of the cake. I am not sure why they call this "amnesia," but while it didn't really make me forget my name or where I was, it was definitely delicious! The cake itself was dense but moist - just the way I want my chocolate cake, and the caramel icing provided a contrasting yet complimenting flavor. I also liked the shaved nuts, but the most interesting about this cake was that it was so rich, it was quite addicting, but a mouthful was already enough. I know it was contradicting, but I do hope you get what I mean - this cake made me crave for more, but it was also able to satisfy me.

When I finally met my mom for dinner, I still couldn't get over this cake that I was hoping she could try it, too. Unfortunately, she told me the organizers of the conference gave them a take out dinner rice meal and that they were already full.


Iced Coffee Latte
As much as I love hot coffee with my pastries (at home), I am always drawn to ordering iced coffee drinks. In my years of food blogging, I truly believe that people eat with their eyes first, and with the age of social media, people would definitely get interested with a certain food place or food item if it looks good in pictures or videos. Eating with my eyes, I am very satisfied at the ombre look of my drink (I usually order hot coffee latte, so this was my first time to see that ombre latte look, my apologies for fangirling a little). The taste? Even better. It was rich, it was creamy, it had a good balance between sweetness and bitterness... that even if my tummy couldn't really tolerate a big amount of cold creamy/milky drinks, I drank up all my latte.


It was definitely unfortunate that this trip to Puerto Princesa was short and that my mom and I didn't really have the time to explore more of the city. My mom is the kind of person who doesn't really travel to a place twice (unless needed), but as soon as we got home from Puerto Princesa, she was already longing for that time for us to travel back - hoping that next time it will be us three girls traveling together.

*** Jenn ***

Read. Sip. Dine. at Book and Borders Cafe (Tomas Morato, Q.C.)

My Facebook post for my sister, dated 17 June 2015

The very first time I heard about Book & Borders Café was thru a Facebook group I am part of. That very moment, I messaged my sister thru Facebook as well, because I am such a big bookworm and both my sister and I love to eat as well. We, including my bookish friends have wanted to check this cafe, but I guess fate has its own way of rewarding me.



Last Tuesday, I was one of the blessed attendees to the grand opening celebration of Book and Borders Café, located at 281 Tomas Morato, Quezon City.




Entering the cafe, I was in awe at how beautiful it looked inside - definitely a bookworm's dream. There are lounge seats for comfortable seating, as well as a long table for big groups who are about to review or just enjoy a time together reading their own books.

I wasn't able to fully browse Book and Borders Cafe's book selection, but those I have browsed, I am pleased to see that they grouped together books based on their genres and authors. They have a wide selection of YA fiction, which will definitely attract more high school and college students, but they also have a good selection of adult fiction, as well as some children's books, to satisfy people of all ages. Aside from letting customers enjoy a good read while having snacks, they also provide book stands to those who need it, making reading and eating easier to do at the same time.

{More after the jump...}

A Quick Trip to Tartland Baguio Pasarabo Factory

When one say "Baguio City," the first three food items that would come to mind would be -- Peanut Brittle, Strawberry (anything strawberry), and Lengua de Gato. Though Lengua de Gato is not my favorite Baguio City food item, it has been our usual pasalubong for family and friends.

On my last trip to the City of Pines, thanks to Azalea Residences Baguio, I was blessed to see how these delectable goodies are made.


Entering the Tartland Baguio Pasarabo factory, this electric mixer set and piping tube would be the first that would capture one's attention. This has been the family's source of inspiration, because back when they started the business, this was their tool in making their Lengua de Gato. Now that their business is constantly upgrading, this set of tools is a good reminder of their humble beginnings, that great things often start with a simple idea.

But how did Tartland Baguio Pasarabo start?

In the early 90s, Angie dela Cruz started making cheese tarts and offered them to fellow mothers at her children's schools. The product clicked, and she would then make more and more cheese tarts, but doing so caused her to throw away big amounts of egg whites, as the tarts would only use egg yolks. She was able to find a way to use the egg whites - by baking Lengua de Gato.

This new product was such a hit, that it even penetrated the Baguio pasalubong stores. Soon, they upgraded their tools to accommodate the growing demand for their products. They now employ about 25 employees, producing about 1,200 jars of their very delectable Lengua de Gato.


This was taken from a window before we entered the factory. As a food business, the need to make sure of the quality of their goods, so we were asked to wear hairnets and were asked not to touch any of the equipment and food product.


A good Lengua de Gato starts with the mixing of the ingredients. Ms. Angie dela Cruz told us there are a lot of recipes available online, but should we decide to try it out in our own kitchen, we have to make sure we use fresh ingredients.


After the batter is mixed, it is then loaded to this machine that pipes out 12 Lengua de Gato at one time. Cool!


They didn't divulge the temperature and the cooking time for their Lengua de Gato, but obviously, the next step is to bake them.


Trying not to break any of the delicate cookies, next step is to cool them and separate them according to their color. They might be cooked in the same temperature and time, but not all of them come out of the oven looking the same. They do have their standard color, but those dark ones are not completely discarded - they still pack them for other use.


Final step is to pack the cookies in their respective containers.


We truly enjoyed the short time we spent inside the factory, but aside from savoring the wonderful smell and buying the freshest Lengua de Gato, it was the story behind the success that was the biggest blessing I received from this trip. At this point, I am still trying to learn how to bake and I still don't have the strength to sell the baked goods I have tried, but I will keep this success story in my heart and hope that in time I will be successful in my own little way as well.

*** Jenn ***