Merry Christmas to you all!!!

My family and I want to wish you 

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS...

Despite all the holiday activities you have, may you not forget the real meaning of CHRISTmas which is Christ Jesus. It's shouldn't be about parties, expensive gifts, gorgeous clothes, nor delicious food! It should be about LOVE and GIVING which are the main reasons why God sent us His son.

And as we celebrate this special day, I want to ask all of you to say a prayer for all the families in Newton, Connecticut especially those who lost a loved one in the school shooting that happened more than a week ago. While nothing can fill the emptiness this tragedy brought into their lives, your prayers can give them a source of strength in this very difficult time...

Sapin-Sapin

Just three more days before Christmas! Have you made up your mind on what to prepare for your Christmas feast??? I've shared an album of some Favorite Filipino Christmas Food on Facebook that you might want to add to your menu. :) And now, I have here another dessert that I'm sure you will like. This is popularly served in the Philippines on special occasions and during holiday feasts, and is called Sapin-Sapin. I've actually featured a variety of this dessert before which is almond and pandan flavored. This time, I decided to make a Christmas version of it. 

Sapin-Sapin which is the Filipino word for "layers” is a layered dessert made from rice flour, coconut milk, sugar and flavorings with coconut flakes or fried coconut milk curd sprinkled on top. The usual Sapin-Sapin has a deep purple colored bottom layer which is ube (purple yam) flavored, an egg- yolk yellow middle layer which is langka (jackfruit) flavored and a white top layer. To make this Sapin-Sapin Christmassy, I changed the purple color to red and green. I made the green layer pandan flavored, the white layer vanilla flavored, the yellow layer banana flavored and the red layer langka (jackfruit) flavored. I only added little flavorings on both the yellow and red layers so they won't overpower the flavor of vanilla and pandan. The result was amazing! I must say that the flavor combination gave a delicious twist to this Sapin-Sapin. The only problem I had was transferring it from the non-stick baking pan I used to the serving platter. I wanted my sapin-sapin to be round so I didn't use the square glass baking dish that I usually mold my sapin-sapin with. Now I know that if I want to use a metal one, I should really put banana leaves or parchment paper at the bottom so I could take it off the pan easily. :)

Ham and Spinach Puff Pastry Pinwheels

Only 6 days 'til Christmas. I'm sure many of you are busy with all the holiday preparations--- buying and wrapping gifts for family and friends...cleaning and decorating the house...thinking of what dishes and treats to prepare. Wheew...the holidays are indeed the busiest time of the year and can bring so much stress into our life! I, for one, love the holiday season and want to enjoy it to the fullest. Putting myself under so much stress during this special time of the year is a complete NO NO for me...that is why I do all my Christmas shopping and decorating in advance...and I try not to take on difficult recipes that consume a lot of my time. I don't want to be in the kitchen all day and miss all the Christmas festivities, you know...so I prefer sticking to my tried and favorite recipes like this one I am sharing with you today.

Preparing these gorgeous appetizers called  Ham and Spinach Puff Pastry Pinwheels is totally stress-free...

I got the recipe for this from the box of Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry. You may think it's difficult to make but it's actually very simple and really quick to prepare. What I love most about it is that you can be flexible with the filling. For this, it's cheese, ham and spinach which make these pinwheels perfect appetizers...but you can fill it with anything you want. If you want it savory, you can try other combinations like sun-dried tomatoes and pesto, bacon and cheddar, or pepperoni and cheese. If you want to make a mouthwatering dessert, you can use apple caramel, apricot, cherry or raspberry for filling. The possibilities are endless, I tell yah! 

If you want to prepare something for your Christmas feast that only takes little time and effort, you should definitely try this! Making these pinwheels is fun and easy, and your guests will surely love them!

Neapolitan Christmas Cake

It's time for another Baking Partners Challenge, and since it's Christmas season, this month's challenge is all about Christmas Cakes! Do you like the sound of it? Well I do! I honestly consider this challenge as the most exciting so far! Not just because the three recipes suggested by Suja of Kitchen Corner - Try It and Archana of Tangy Minds are all fabulously yummy, Christmas is my favorite time of the year (because Jesus & I have the same birthday) so I like everything Christmassy! :)

We were given three recipes to choose from...Chocolate-Brazil Nut Cake, Neapolitan Christmas Cake and Plum Cake...and yes, I decided to make Neapolitan Christmas Cake. I am a big fan of Neapolitan Ice Cream so I didn't find a hard time choosing which recipe to try and besides, I think this cake looks so festive.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the term "Neapolitan", it is use to refer to a block of ice cream with 3 different flavors (usually vanilla, strawberry and chocolate). Neapolitan Ice Cream originated in the U.S. in the late 19th century, and is named after the natives of Naples, Italy called Neapolitans who are credited for introducing their famous ice creams to the world. This ice cream flavor became so popular that now, the term Neapolitan is also used to refer to any tricolor dessert. For instance, this cake which has green, white and pink layers is what you call Neapolitan Christmas Cake...

 

This is a no egg yolk cake that's really light and airy. It is also very quick and simple to make which makes it even more perfect for the holidays. I'm pretty sure you'll love this cake! I didn't do any big alterations with the recipe (which Suja got from Family Circle-Best Ever Cakes and Cookies), except that I decided not to put coconut flakes into the filling. The hubs and the kids don't like coconut in cakes, so I just used strawberry jam and whipped cream for the filling, and then I decorated the top with strawberry jam and strawberry slices. I also used three 9-inch round aluminum pans instead of the suggested loaf pans. I was afraid I won't have enough whipped cream to fill and frost the cake so I doubled the whipped cream ingredients. I'm sure you're wondering how it turned out. Well, I must say, the cake was AWESOME! It's light and soft...and the almond flavor together with the whipped cream and strawberry jam filling made the cake heavenly!

I want to thank Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen for another wonderful challenge...and of course, Suja of Kitchen Corner - Try It for choosing this recipe!

Ensaymada

Christmas is just around the corner and I'm pretty sure that some of you will be doing a lot of baking for the holidays. For my family, baking has been part of our Christmas tradition since Clarise (my eldest daughter) was 3. It all started in 2005 when she thought that helping bake cookies for Santa would be a good way to say thank you for the gifts she will get from him. Cherlin (my youngest) was only 2 months old then. Clarise is 10 now, and Cherlin is 7, and the love of holiday baking is one thing that the three of us share. Now it's not just about baking cookies for Santa...it's more of our bonding time as we help each other make something special for our own holiday feast or to share with our close friends. We've baked all sorts of goodies together for the past 7 years...and I always see joy and excitement in their eyes as they add and mix the ingredients or mold the dough into fancy shapes. It's true that baking with kids can be messy, but I love it! When the baked goodies come out of the oven, seeing the pride on my daughters' faces as they say "We helped make that!" is priceless!

This year, just like the previous ones, we'll be making peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies for Christmas. We'll also be baking a chocolate cake and these lovely treats as per Clarise's request. We call these Ensaymadas in the Philippines. 

Ensaymada is one of those delicious baked goodies that we Filipinos got from our Spanish colonizers. Known as Ensaimada in Spanish, it is a pastry that originated in Mallorca, Spain and is made with flour, water, sugar, eggs, and lard. The Filipino version however is made with butter instead of lard. Some are topped with just butter and sugar, and some have grated cheese (usually aged cheese locally known as keso de bola) and butter cream in addition to the sugar. Ensaymada is popular as an afternoon snack and during the Christmas season, it is considered to be the best match for hot chocolate.

This Ensaymada recipe that I am sharing with you is from the Goldilocks Bakebook which was authored by the founders of Goldilocks (one of the leading bakeshop chains in the Philippines),  Milagros Leelin-Yee and Clarita Leelin-Go. This is really a good recipe. I must say that the ensaymadas came out almost like that of Goldilocks. Though I didn't used the exact kind of cheese because I couldn't find it here, the ensaimadas were awesome. I also added more sugar to the dough and used bread flour instead of all-purpose flour...and I guess that made the ensaymadas even better for my family's taste buds! :)

You should try this recipe! If you have kids, I'm sure they will be happy to help. Kneading, rolling and twirling the dough will definitely be fun! 

Bulalo (Beef Shanks with Bone Marrow Soup)

The province of Batangas where my dad came from is known not only for the  famous Kapeng Barako (Batangas coffee) and its beautiful beaches, but also for this comforting beef dish called Bulalo. For many, Batangas is a favorite spot for swimming or scuba diving, and on the way to their destination, it’s always a must to stop at one of the many bulalo restaurants along the way. 

So what is Bulalo? Well, bulalo is actually the Filipino word for kneecap. It is use to refer to this very tasty soup which was originally made from beef shanks cut with the kneecap included and the bone marrow still intact (though nowadays, most bulalo are cooked without the kneecap). This dish is said to have originated in Batangas where the best grown cattle in the region can be found. Traditional Batangas bulalo is cooked with onions, garlic, corn cobs, cabbage and pechay and is usually served with fish sauce, calamansi (Filipino lime), and a kind of chili called siling labuyo. This dish is very similar to Beef Nilaga and the only difference lies in the use of beef shanks with bone marrow for the bulalo.

Bulalo has been a favorite soup of mine since I was a little girl...and when the cooler temperature comes or whenever any of my family member feels under the weather, this is my go-to dish. It has a very rich taste and satisfying broth that makes it very comforting! It takes time to cook, but I tell you, it's worth the wait!

Pork Sisig

I've made Pork Sisig a number of times already, but I always failed to take pictures. Either I didn't have time before I leave for the party that I had to bring it to or I was too excited to eat it to find time for a photo shoot. Though I love pork sisig, it's something I don't make on a regular basis mainly because of how wicked this dish is and also because of all the chopping involved. Thanks to this month's Kulinarya Cooking Club Challenge hosts, Jenn of Storm In My Kitchen and Frances of ISKAndals.com, I had the reason to make sisig again! And because I didn't have to bring it somewhere, I had time to take some photos to share with you before it was all gone!

For those of you who don't know what Sisig is, it is an appetizer which is traditionally made from pig's cheeks, ears and liver and has become every Filipino's favorite accompaniment for beer and other alcoholic beverages. For many, it is also a very appetizing dish to go with rice. According to our friend wiki, it originated from the province of Pampanga where the word sisig means "to snack on something sour", and is now used to refer to any dish made from chopped seafood or meat (like chicken and pork) seasoned with vinegar, calamansi juice, chopped onions and served in hot plates. Pork Sisig is the original and most popular version of sisig, and because of its popularity, several versions like chicken, tuna, bangus(milkfish), tahong(mussels), tokwa't baboy (tofu and pork) and mixed seafood have emerged. 

For this month's Kulinarya Cooking Club Sisig Challenge, I decided to stick to the original version. I couldn't find pig cheeks though, so I used pork belly instead. It's equally good, I tell you! But I must warn you...Pork Sisig tastes really good but it is one fatty food, so be sure to eat it in moderation! ;)

Shaped Dinner Rolls

Thanksgiving Day is almost here...and because one of the favorites parts of every holiday feast is homemade dinner rolls, our host for this month's Baking Partners Challenge, Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen chose Shaped Dinner Rolls as our theme.  Part of the challenge is making at least 3 shapes of rolls. We were given 7 shapes and two recipes to choose from...and I chose Lion House Rolls Recipe. I decided to make 4 shapes out of it which include small braid, rosette or kasier, clover leaf and lion house rolls. I was also able to make a small loaf pan of pull-apart garlic parmesan rolls.

I'm sure that to many of you, making dinner rolls from scratch is very intimidating (just as much as it was to me before)....but I have to tell you that it is way easier than one usually thinks. The best part is, they are much tastier and healthier than store bought ones.

It was actually my first time to make shaped dinner rolls and I'm glad to tell you how happy I was with the outcome. Though I was kinda disappointed that the shape of the rosette rolls didn't come out fully defined, everything else was good! These rolls have the perfect taste, texture and softness, and the secret is simple --- giving the dough enough time to rise. Now, I just have to practice my dough shaping skills so the that the next time I make shaped dinner rolls, I can really say it's PERFECT!

If you have time, you should try this! I tell you, homemade buttery dinner rolls are worth the time and effort and they'll surely make Thanksgiving dinner and other holiday meals even more special! Making dinner rolls is also a perfect way to spend time with the kids. You know how they love to get their hands in the dough! They will definitely enjoy helping out and creating their own shapes! :)

Pork and Mushrooms in Teriyaki Sauce

So how's everyone doing? I've been busy with a lot of stuff lately that's why I haven't been on the blogosphere as much as I used to...and I am really sorry about that! One post a week is all I can do now...but hopefully, things will get better and I can get back to posting more recipes for you. Hope you will bear with me and continue to visit PiTCC despite my seldom posts. To all my blogger friends who I haven't visited for so long, my apologies! I promise to make it up to you one of these days! :)

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What I have for you today is something similar to the Teriyaki Pork Chops & Tofu that I shared here before. Unlike the Japanese Teriyaki wherein the meat is grilled, this dish doesn't require grilling. You just have to simmer the meat in teriyaki sauce until it's tender and the sauce is thick enough to give the meat the luster that's needed in teriyaki dishes. The hubs and my girls are big fans of this...and I am too! Though I know that teriyaki isn't really teriyaki without the grilling, I must say that this is such a good alternative! You should try it!

Scottish Shortbread

A couple of high school friends who are now living in London visited us two weeks ago, and they brought me a tin of Marks & Spencer Scottish Shortbread. Shortbread is one of my favorite things in the world, so even though I haven't tried Marks and Spencer's, I was definitely delighted. The tin itself is very nice. It's depicting an old red English telephone box with a variety of characters each waiting their turn to use the phone. Such a collector's item! When I tried what's inside, I was even more delighted. I just loved how delicious these all-butter Scottish shortbread by M&S were! They have the usual melt-in-your-mouth goodness but have a different texture compared to the ones that I usually make and the shortbread brands that I usually buy here like Walker, Archer Farms and Voortman. I checked the ingredients and found out that aside from wheat flour, it also has rice and corn flour. So what did I do? Of course I tried making them! I added rice flour and corn meal (since I don't have corn flour) to my favorite recipe...and my goodness, those two ingredients added the most heavenly texture to the shortbread which I've always thought was the best! Now, I know there's a better shortbread recipe...thanks to my good friends, Ces & Elaine! I'll surely be thinking of them and their visit to Texas everytime I bake Scottish Shortbread (^.^)

Baked Filipino-Style Spaghetti

Like me and Ryan, our two daughters love Filipino-style spaghetti. They love it so much that it's something they very often request me to cook. Well, it's the irresistible sweetness in it that makes it seem addicting for them. Whether it's with meatballs or with the regular ground beef and hotdogs, this pasta dish never fail to bring sweet smiles on their faces. But there's a special version of it that they love even more. I'm talking about this Baked Filipo-Style Spaghetti...

...which is so creamy, cheesy, and truly irresistible for children and adults alike. This has the same cheese topping as the Baked Macaroni that I've shared here before, wherein I used 3 types of cheese: parmesan, cheddar and mozzarella. 

Though the Filipino-Style Spaghetti is pleasing enough to eat as is, this baked version takes it to a whole new level. Baking it not only let the spaghetti absorb more flavor from the sauce, it also makes it extra comforting because of the added gooey cheese! 

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

It's fall here in the US, and pumpkins are everywhere...so for this month, it is the star of Baking Partners Challenge! We were given three recipes to try, and I chose the Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from Country Living suggested by Priya R. of Cook Like Priya.

These cupcakes are absolutely delicious and are perfect Halloween treats and Thanksgiving dessert as well. You'll surely love the wonderful combination of chocolate, cinnamon,  pumpkin and nutmeg! The orange flavor in the frosting is also something to fall in love with! A truly great fall cupcake --- you should try it!

Filipino Style Fruit Salad and Cherlin's 7th Birthday Party

Hi everyone! Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the week! I was very busy preparing for Cherlin's 7th birthday party that's why I've been MIA. But it's over now, and I'm happy to share with you that the party was a big success and the birthday girl had a blast! 

It was truly a memorable day for my little princess! She had so much fun spending time with her friends designing their tiaras and wands, and of course, playing at the bounce house and doing the pabitin and piñata.

We had a total of 70 guests. i.e., 36 adults and 34 kids. Whewww! Honestly, I couldn't believe that we were able to pull it off! I even thought that we would run out of food. Good thing, we didn't! There was enough for everyone and we even had extra for some guests to take home. 

Though the star of the party was this very fabulous cake made by my dear friend, Christy...

...every dish we prepared was a hit! The guests (both Filipinos and non-Filipinos) really love the Filipino Style Spaghetti, Beef Caldereta, Pork Menudo, Embutido, Macaroni and Cheese, Chopsuey, Chicken and Mushrooms in Teriyaki Sauce, Custard Cake, Tres Leches Cupcakes and this Filipino Style Fruit Salad...

Unlike the American fruit salad, Filipino Style Fruit Salad has condensed milk and cream. This is a very simple yet very delicious dessert that requires no cooking. All you need to do is a little chopping and mixing, and it's ready to serve! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake for My Princess Cherlin

Today is my youngest daughter's 7th birthday...a day she has been anticipating since the start of 2012. Just like any other typical girl her age, she has been very excited and busy planning about it for months now --- from the food she wants to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the treats she wants to bring to school for her classmates, down to how she wants her birthday party to be. As her mom, it's (of course) my job to make it all happen. :) Oh well, I'm glad that her wishes aren't out of this world! They are actually simple and attainable. She said all she wants is a Nintendo 3DS or an mp3 player...a cookie cake, and a princess themed party where she can invite her friends. She also requested that I prepare fried rice with sausage and egg for breakfast and pancit canton and egg rolls for dinner. For lunch, she asked that her dad and I bring her McDonald's Chicken Nuggets and french fries in school. 

Well, Mommy Tina got everything covered! :) Yesterday, while she was in school, I made her a chocolate chip cookie cake. This morning, she was so thrilled to see it and her birthday gift when she woke up. The breakfast I prepared for her also gave her so much delight. Can you see her big smile??? I know she seems more happier with the DS, but she told me she loved everything and I believe her. :)

During lunch, Ryan and I went to school to eat with Cherlin. She was really happy to have both of us there. It's usually just me so it's a big deal to have daddy this time. For dinner, we'll be having her requested pancit canton and egg rolls. That's pretty much her birthday celebration today...but on Saturday, she'll have her princess party, which she's really looking forward to! I made the personalized invitations and I was able to send them out last week...

Adobong Kangkong (Water Spinach Adobo)

Back when I was young, there was this TV commercial in the Philippines of a school boy reciting a poem about kangkong (water spinach) which became so popular with the tagline, "Ang Kangkong, Bow". That commercial was one of those launched by the Philippine Department of Health in its effort to promote healthy eating among school children. It specifically tells about the nutritional benefits of kangkong --- how rich it is in Vitamin A which is needed for good eyesight. Kangkong wasn't one of my favorites...and that commercial was like a wake up call for me. I was only in grade school that time, and my mom was already wearing eye glasses. She couldn't read nor sew without it...and I knew that I don't want to be like her. I always want a 20/20 vision so I told myself if that's what I want, I better eat lots of kangkong...and that's what I did! Little did I know that time that the Vitamin A content of kangkong is actually very little which is only 2.9 mg per 100 g. Oh well, no regrets! I'm still thankful to that commercial...at least I learned to eat kangkong which is rich in protein, calcium and Vitamin C, though not as rich in Vitamin A as I expected it to be. 

Kangkong is a widely spreading vine that grows on land and water. The land-grown type has long, narrow leaves with pointed ends while the water-grown has broader leaves. It can be found throughout the Philippines in stagnant streams, fresh-water swamps, and ponds. Filipinos mainly used the shoot tips and leaves of kangkong in sinigang, but it can also be cooked on its own. It can be steamed and served with bagoong (shrimp paste)...or it can be cooked adobo-style like this...

This is a very simple and easy way to enjoy this nutritious greens...all you need is soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and onions. Just do a little sauteing and you'll have a delicious and healthy vegetable dish in no time. I usually cook it with ground pork just to encourage my daughters to eat it...but it can be cooked with no meat at all. It can be served with rice and fried fish/meat or with rice alone. 

Chocolate Cake with Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting

More than two decades ago, I prayed for someone who will love me truly...and yes, God answered that prayer! He gave me Ryan...the man who has been by my side for the past 19 years and who's now my husband and father of my two beautiful girls. He is all that I've asked for and many more...he's a wonderful and loving husband, a great father, a good and loyal lover and friend, and above all that, my hero and strength. I'm truly lucky to be blessed with a man like him in my life.

Today is his birthday, and as he turns 39, all I wish and pray is that God will keep him healthy and give him long life so we could spend more wonderful years together. I can’t remember life before him, and I never want to imagine life without him.  I love him so much and growing old with him is one of those things that I truly look forward to...

Because it's a special day, I want to share something special with you! This is one of Ryan's favorites among the few cakes that I make. It's a simple chocolate cake which is actually the same one I made for Clarise's birthday last year but the filling/frosting is what makes it a big hit to Ryan! It's freshly made cherry compote mixed with cream cheese...which are both Ryan's favorite. Does it sound good to you??? Well, I tell you, it really is!

As you join me in wishing Ryan a happy birthday, check out this recipe and see for yourself the goodness that this cake has to offer...

Sinampalukang Manok (Chicken in Tamarind Broth)

Just 3 more days and fall is officially here. I am really enjoying the weather! The temperature nowadays only stays in the mid 80's which is a big relief from the scorching 105°F! Though my family love soup all year round, it's during days like this when we enjoy it more....and Filipino soupy dishes like nilaga, sinabawan, sinigang and tinola are very often seen on our dinner table. 

This recipe that I have for you today is what many call the chicken version of sinigang. Sinigang (as some of you may know) refers to any dish with sour broth. The main ingredient that makes it sour can be tomatoes, guava or tamarind, though tamarind (or what is know in the Philippines as sampalok) is most commonly used. This dish here is one of those that make use of tamarind and it is called Sinampalukang Manok.

Unlike in other sinigang wherein only the tamarind fruit is used, in this dish, tamarind leaves plays an important part. Tamarind leaves have subtle tart flavor and is a good addition to this dish. It can be released by stripping them from the stems and then crushing them a little using mortar and pestle. Fresh tamarind leave aren't available here so I content myself with bottled pickled tamarind leaves. They're good enough when it comes to flavor...but they are bottled with the stems which are too hard to eat so I still have to remove them one by one. But that's all right! This delicious and comforting Sinampalukang Manok is worth the effort! ;)

Ultimate Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

It's the 15th of the month again...and that means it's time to share with you what we made at Baking Partners! The theme for this month's challenge is...

Yes, COOKIES!!! And I got the privilege of selecting one of the three recipes that we could choose from...and I went for this Ultimate Cream Cheese Cookies recipe from Baked Owners Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.

I've tried making these cookies before (when I first got my Food & Wine Best of the Best Cookbook Recipes Vol. 14) and I want my friends at Baking Partners to experience its melt-in-your-mouth goodness, hence I chose this recipe. This is very easy to make and the end result is fabulously delicious! You will definitely love the wonderful combination of chocolate and cream cheese in it! It has a very rich flavor and a distinctively chewy texture, and really good by itself...but my daughters insisted that we put frosting on it. Well, I gave in to their request. I made a white chocolate, cream cheese glaze and I let them decorate some of the cookies. I included the glaze recipe here just in case you would like to try it too! 

Some of my friends at Baking Partners made Cornflake Cookies and some others made Homemade Oreo Cookies. Wish I had the time to try them out too! They look really good! Be sure to check them out too! 

Creamy Broccoli Soup

So how's your week going so far?  Mine didn't start good. I woke up yesterday with a stuffy nose and a terrible headache. I'm not sure what caused it...but thank God, I'm well now. I guess the fresh orange juice that I made helped. By the end of the afternoon, I was already feeling better...and I got to cheer for Christina Wilson and Christine Ha in the Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef finales last night. I've been rooting for them the whole time, and I'm glad I didn't miss the chance to see them win! 

I'm also glad that I can be here today to share with you a book review and at the same time, this very flavorful soup...

A few weeks ago, I was asked to be part of the Back To School, Healthy Living Recipe Tour which features nutritious recipes from the book, Must Have Been Something I Ate by Registered Holistic Nutritionist and author Peggy Kotsopoulos. As you know, I am always in search of healthy meals that I can prepare for my daughters, so I decided to jump on the opportunity. Well, I'm glad I did! Peggy's book is very informative! The concept she's trying to give emphasis in this book is very simple: what we eat affects the way we look and feel...but is something that's usually taken for granted. If you are interested to delve into this topic, and want to discover the connection between food and your mood, weight, beauty, and overall health, then this is the perfect book for you. Peggy has a very good sense of humor so I tell you, it won't be boring to read. The book is divided into five sections for easy reading: Food-Mood Connection, Food-Weight Connection, Food/Beauty Connection, Food-Health Connection and Recipes. In the first four sections, Peggy clearly discussed the most common health issues and at the end of each, you'll find food suggestions that can help alleviate those issues. In the fifth and last section, she provided some recipes that will help you put everything you learned from the previous sections into practice.

I must say Must Have Been Something I Ate is a good book and is a must read especially for women. Though I noticed that the book has no index and has some typo and grammatical errors, I still like it, especially the section on natural beauty treatment. Now I know olive oil is a good anti-aging moisturizer...and that my favorite strawberry isn't just for cupcakes and ice cream, it can be used as skin exfoliator and teeth whitener too. Of course, I also like the recipe section. There are only 25 recipes included so you shouldn't expect too much. But they all look delicious and really healthy. I tried the BeYOUtifying Cleansing Cocktail which is a simple combination of celery, cucumber, apple, ginger and lemon...and it was really refreshing. I also made Peggy's Creamy Broccoli Soup for the recipe tour, and this is what I am sharing with you today. I must tell you, this is packed with so much flavor! Why wouldn't it be when it has broccoli, celery, yellow onion, garlic, fresh ginger, lemon juice, dried oregano, black pepper, sea salt, veggie stock, olive oil, and avocado? It’s a thick raw soup which is very filling and satisfying and perfect on warm weather. The best thing about it is it doesn't require cooking except for steaming the broccoli. It's so easy and simple to make, and is really very creamy even if it doesn't actually have cream. The creaminess of this soup comes from the pureed vegetables. I didn't have arame and dulse flakes nor kelp granules, so I wasn't able to top the soup with everything Peggy recommended. Nevertheless, the soup was awesome! My daughters both enjoyed it...though they said it's more like a dip so they ate it with tortilla chips. :) 

Here's the recipe! You should try it!

Cherry Ice Cream with Cashews and Marshmallows

It's Friday again! Can't believe two weeks have already gone by since school started! But I'm glad that my daughters are really enjoying school! Would you believe that my youngest, Cherlin is already receiving an award today? She'll be awarded "Hippest in the House" this afternoon! It's how they call the star student award in their school. This award is given every month to one student in each class who has best exhibited the identified monthly character trait. For September, it's RESPONSIBILITY. As Cherlin's mom, I know that she's such a very responsible little girl...but I'm not sure how she was able to impress her teacher within such a short span of time! For her to be able to do that in just 1 week is really amazing...and I am truly proud!!! (^.^) Oh well, before I get over excited about it, I better go on with the real reason why I am here, and that is to bring you this yummy treat...

It's Cherry Ice Cream with Cashews and Marshmallows! I made this a few weeks ago, and it's so good that I want to share it with you before summer ends. I used a pound of fresh sweet red cherries for this. I blended ½ cup of the cherries with cream and milk and the rest was made into a compote which I added to the ice cream in the last few minutes of churning. My daughters requested that I added cashews and marshmallows too, so that's what I did! The result is a delicious and refreshing frozen delight that I'm sure you'll love just like we did! 

Pork Afritada

In June of last year, I've featured a Filipino dish called Afritada. It is a tomato-based stew which is commonly cooked using chicken. This time, I'm sharing with you the pork version of the said dish...

The ingredients and the manner of cooking are the same with the chicken version...the only difference is the longer cooking time for Pork Afritada. For this dish, you may use whatever cut of pork you like. You can even use pork ribs. But if you are using boneless pork, be sure to cut it into cubes and not into thin strips so your dish won't be mistaken for Pork Menudo. Pork Afritada and Pork Menudo are both tomato based stews, and though the latter is cooked with liver, they may look similar at first glance. The way the meat is sliced: cube for afritada and strips for menudo, will make it easier to distinguish the dish from each other:

If you like pork, you should definitely try this dish! It's very delicious and comforting!

Grilled Lemon Rosemary Salmon with Black Bean Salsa

The last big holiday of summer in the US is here! Whether you're just spending the long weekend relaxing with your family or you're throwing a Labor Day party for friends, here's a no-fuss recipe that you and everyone else will surely enjoy!

It's grilled salmon paired with black bean salsa. I got the very easy salmon recipe from pillsbury.com over a year ago, and my family enjoys it so much! It takes little preparation, few ingredients, but the result is so delicious and flavorful! The black bean salsa, on the other hand, is my version of a favorite Mexican side dish. It is also very quick and simple to prepare. Just toss everything in a bowl and you'll have a delicious side dish in no time!   I used freshly cooked black beans and corn, but canned or frozen ones will work fine too! And for the corn, you can also use grilled corn for added flavor. My daughters just don't like it so I stick with freshly boiled corn cut off the cob.

Guest Post at Nava-K.com Featuring Suman sa Lihiya

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

I am glad to be doing another guest post today. This time it's for my Malaysian friend, Nava who has this very wonderful lifestyle blog called Nava-K.com where she shares her love for beauty, fashion and food. I am one of the lucky bloggers she asked to do guest posts for her while she attends to some important matters. I am truly honored for this opportunity, and I've chosen to feature a favorite Filipino kakanin (sweet rice delicacy) called Suman sa Lihiya. This is basically glutinous rice with lye wrapped in banana leaves and is something we, Filipinos enjoy either as snack or dessert.

Please drop by Nava's blog and see for yourself how to make this very simple yet so delicious kakanin! While you're there, be sure to check out Nava's recipes as well as her fashion, beauty and travel tips! Don't forget to subscribe to Nava's blog and follow her on Facebook  and Twitter too! 

Guest Post on Wok With Ray Featuring Filipino Custard Cake

It's a wonderful Friday morning and I am super excited to be doing a guest post at one of my favorite blogs! (^.^) Which blog am I talking about? It's Wok With Ray...which is owned and written by Ray Gingco. Does that name ring a bell to you? Ray is a popular Filipino blogger who I admire a lot! He's one of those guys who enjoy cooking and do it so beautifully. A simple dish can turn into something very appealing with his food styling and photography skills. But that's not all! I admire him more for being able to maintain a wonderful blog while juggling an IT career, a catering business and a family life. I find him so AWESOME...and I'm really a big fan of him, I tell yah!

For my guest post, I am sharing my favorite Filipino Custard Cake. I've been reading Ray's blog for a year now, and I've noticed that he hasn't shared any baked treats yet so when he asked me if I could do a guest post for him, I thought it would be nice to share a cake with his readers for a change.

Hope you'll all head over to Wok With Ray to join me and know more about this delicious upside down cake! While you're there, be sure to dig into Ray's archives!  You'll surely be amazed with all the recipes you'll find! And please don't forget to subscribe to Ray's blog and follow him on Facebook  and Twitter as well! 

Happy Friday to y'all!

Sinabawang Isda

It's about to rain and the sky is all grey and gloomy here...so instead of following my original plan of posting another homemade ice cream recipe today, I thought of sharing with you a comforting fish and vegetable soup. It's called Sinabawang Isda. Sinabawan came from the root word "sabaw" which means soup. It's a dish I've first tried when I was in Davao, and is very similar to a dish I've featured before called Pesa. In both dishes, fish is cooked in boiling rice water with ginger and an assortment of vegetables. The only difference I know is that Sinabawang Isda has no onions and has less ginger compared to pesa and there's no sautéing involved. 

Sinabawang Isda is a dish that's very easy to prepare. Just put everything in a pot of boiling rice water (or plain water)...add some seasoning...wait for a few minutes and voila! You have a delicious, healthy and very comforting meal in no time!

Dulce Dé Leche and Coffee Cake with Caramel Latte Glaze from Chic & Gorgeous Treats

It's Friday! That means the weekend is almost here again...and I know you guys are excited! But before you indulge into whatever weekend activities you're planning, check out what I have for you today! I'm pretty sure that just like the thoughts of the weekend, this will excite you too...and will definitely give you delight!

Are you drooling now? So mouth watering hah! Well, I didn't make this one...I wish I did though! As I've mentioned many times before, I am not much of a baker. I bake but I can't say I'm that good at it...so I really admire those who are, and Joanna Tham (or Jo as I call her) is one of them! She's the Malaysian blogger behind Chic & Gorgeous Treats...and she made that cake! I requested her to do a guest post on my favorite Dulce De Leche Cake...but to my surprise, she made something even better - a combination of two of my favorite cakes: Dulce De Leche and Coffee! Wow! She's truly amazing, isn't she? Well, I've known that for more than a year now, that's why I am a big fan of her and her blog! Jo is one of the most passionate baking bloggers I know and I tell you, she makes the most fabulous baked treats...from cakes, cookies, cupcakes to donuts, pies and tarts! She's a gifted baker I tell yah! She truly is admirable and I am thankful and honored to have her here today! Without further ado, I give you Joanna Tham...

Hi there foodies! I’m thrilled be able to guest post for Tina today. If you don’t know who I am, or that is because I am still new in the whole food blogging era, I’m Joanna, the blog owner of Chic & Gorgeous Treats. By day, I am an IT consultant and by night or mostly weekends, I pretend to be a patisserie chef, and I suspect this could be my alter ego too.

What do I have installed for you today? This is quite a mouth full. I baked one of Tina’s favorite cake but with my own spin to it. It’s DULCE DE LECHE & COFFEE CAKE with CARAMEL LATTE GLAZE. These flavor combination is truly inspired by one of my favorite caffeine drink, Iced Caramel Latte.

If you’re curious, and wondering what is the difference between Dulce De Leche and Caramel? Apart from the color and taste, they are both rich amber brown and sweet. Dulce De Leche, a Portuguese version is made from sweetened milk (in this case condensed milk), where it’s either baked in an oven, using the bain marie method or cook in a double boiler until the sugar caramelizes.

In my opinion, I think it’s much easier to make compared to Caramel which I believe is the English version. Caramel requires you to cook sugar and water together until its golden brown in color over low heat without letting the sugar burn, and lastly adding the cream to the caramelized sugar to transform it into a caramel. All it takes is 1 second of your attention away from the sauce pan and you will end up having burnt sugar. It sure has happen to me a number of times.

While I might steer away slightly from the original Dulce De Leche Cake; I assure you this DULCE DE LECHE & COFFEE CAKE with CARAMEL LATTE GLAZE pound cake is just as good. Maybe double or triple the goodness. Let me break it down for you. It has 2 flavors in a cake dulce de leche and espresso. I was really inspired by my favorite caffeine drink Iced Caramel Latte; and just knew that the coffee would help tone the sweetness level of dulce de leche and also adding that extra aroma and richness to the overall pound cake. The smell of your kitchen will be heavenly when it's freshly baked out of the oven. To emulate some classic steps of Dulce de Leche cake, I made my own Caramel Latte Glaze, with something extra too "Bailey's Irish Cream" to drizzle over the cake. To finish off, I topped off with heaps of crushed Snyder's Salted Pretzels.

Have a wonderful weekend and hope you enjoy this post as much I enjoyed baking this cake for you. Do pop over and give me a holler!

Reine de Saba avec Glaçage au Chocolat: Chocolate Almond Cake

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”

― Julia Child, My Life in France

There are a lot of chefs that I admire...and Julia Child is one of them! She's the author, chef and TV personality who introduced the French Cuisine to the Americans. But that's not all that I admire about her...it's actually her being fearless to be herself, and the way she taught the public that cooking can be easy and fun! Julia taught a lot of people (especially those who have the passion for food and cooking), including me, that cooking can be tricky but the best way to deal with it is to never stop trying and embrace every mistake in the kitchen as part of the learning process.

August 15, 2012 would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday. To celebrate, we at Baking Partners, made Julia's Reine de Saba avec Glaçage au Chocolat...

This is  a chocolate almond cake with chocolate icing and I tell you, it is extremely good! The recipe calls for short time baking so that the center remains slightly underdone. When I checked it after 25 minutes, the center of the cake seemed kinda watery so I decided to bake it 3 minutes longer. Well, it ended up a bit overcooked, hence is not as soft as it should be...but it's still moist inside. I made my cake 2 layers, filled and covered it with chocolate-butter icing, and we didn't see any form of dryness at all. My hubby and daughters said, it's just perfect!

Check out the recipe and celebrate Julia Child's birthday with us...

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Like most kids, my daughters love meatballs! Whether it's beef, chicken, pork or turkey, they wouldn't say no to it! Well I love meatballs too...but I'm sure it's not just a "gene" thing. It's more of the easy-to-chew goodness that makes it a hit to everyone.

Aside from Spaghetti & Meatballs and Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce, this simple Sweet and Sour Meatballs is one of our family's favorite meatball dishes...

This is called Sweet and Sour Bola-bola(bola is the Filipino word for ball) in the Philippines and was my late mom's favorite. This is one of the first dishes that I learned to cook myself. I love the wonderful flavor of this dish. It may seem time consuming to prepare but it's all worth it. You can use store bought frozen meatballs, or you can make, cook and freeze the meatballs ahead of time for an easy meal. Clarise and Cherlin enjoy this a lot, that is why I always make lots of meatballs and just store it the freezer. When they ask for it, I'm always ready! :)

Bulanglang (Boiled Mixed Vegetables with Broiled Dried Fish)

I can say that my parents really did a pretty great job at introducing me to vegetables when I was little. Unlike most kids, I grew up eating my veggies and loving them. I still do. I enjoy all kinds of vegetable dishes - from blanched, sautéed and stir-fried to boiled, broiled or baked. But truth be told, there's one vegetable dish that I hated back then...and that is Bulanglang...a dish that's popular in the Philippines especially to those who have access to fresh vegetables. It's a mixture of different vegetables cooked in rice water seasoned with fish bagoong and then topped with broiled fish which gives its distinct bitter-burnt flavor. I really didn't like it when I was kid. I don't exactly remember why. All I remember is that my mom always served Bulanglang with fried fish, and everytime we have this duo for dinner, I would only eat fried fish. My parents didn't force me into eating the bulanglang, but they would always tell me how delicious and nutritious it is. I've always believed in the "nutritious" part. With all the vegetables in it, I'm sure it's packed with all the vitamins and minerals! But "delicious",  I always doubted it. How can boiled vegetables be delicious? I remember that I was already in high school when I decided to finally give it a try. Well, honestly, I was surprised with how good it is! It's different but my parents were right --- it's delicious! Since the first time I tried it until now, Bulanglang became a favorite Filipino vegetable dish of mine. You may think of it as bland because it's boiled, but I tell you, it's not! The combination of all the flavors from the vegetables plus the bagoong and the dried fish worked so well, making this dish extraordinary but really tasty and comforting. I'm sure you won't believe...but my daughters love this, though they don't eat the slimy okra. :)

The manner in which Bulanglang  is cooked varies from region to region. This one I'm sharing with you is my dad's version from Batangas. Though the vegetables I used for this recipe are what's available here in my side of the world and may be different from what's commonly used, the way of cooking is the same. 

I'm bringing this to you in connection to Kulinarya Cooking Club Challenge. In the Philippines, Nutrition Month which focuses on the importance of eating vegetables is celebrated in the month of July. That is why Isabel of My Expat Mommy and Kai of Bucaio chose the theme "Pang-Habang-Buhay", and we're supposed to share a nutritious dish that contains either vegetables or fruits. Bulanglang is just perfect for that!

If you want to eat a "guilt free" meal, with no oil, no fats, no meat at all, Bulanglang is the answer! The best thing about this dish is that you can choose the vegetables according to your liking. Just be sure to know which vegetables should be added first. The hard vegetables like papaya and kalabasa should go first, and the soft and leafy vegetable should be added last.