Blueberry Bread

My daughters are now in the second week of school...and I'm really loving this new book from Laura Fuentes called The Best Homemade Kids' Lunches on the Planet! It has really given me a lot of new ideas on what to make for their packed lunches. 

On the first day of school, I tried one of the sandwich recipes in the book called Kid's Philly Steak Sandwich. I tweaked it a bit by adding caramelized onions and bell peppers. The result was amazing, and both Clarise and Cherlin loved it!

During the past week, I have tried five other recipes from the book, and I must say that they are all good! Love Laura's easy and healthy ideas! The book has over 200 recipes which are not just for lunch, but for snack and for breakfast as well!

This Blueberry Bread recipe that I'm sharing with you today was from the said book. It's a little different from the blueberry bread recipes I've tried before because of the use of coconut oil as substitute for butter, and yogurt as substitute for milk. I followed the exact recipe except for the amount of blueberries. Instead of the suggested 1½ cups, I just used 1 cup which I think is just the perfect amount. The result was wonderful! It's soft, moist, yummy...and healthier compared to the usual blueberry bread!

Soft Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

I've loved Auntie Anne's Pretzels from the first time I tried it in the Philippines in the late 90's. Since then until now, it's one of those things that I just couldn't resist when I'm at the mall. How could I, when I can smell its wonderful aroma wafting over from like hundred feet away. But it's not just me, the hubs and the girls love Auntie Anne's too, and we all have the same favorite flavor --- Cinnamon Sugar. We never fail to buy some whenever we pass by an Auntie Anne's store. But when we feel like eating our favorite soft pretzels and we 're too lazy to go to the mall, we just make some at home. 

Yes, you read it right! We make pretzels at home! Whenever we crave for soft pretzels, we just whip them up at home...just like what we did last weekend. Thanks to this recipe from Food Network that I found a few years ago, we can enjoy homemade pretzels anytime. No need to stand and wait in a long line at the mall!

You should try this, I tell yah! Not only are these pretzels better tasting than store bought ones, they are also way cheaper! Making them is also a good way to spend time with your kids! You'll all have so much fun rolling, stretching and shaping the dough...and I'm sure your kids will learn a very important lesson...i.e., store bought food can be made even better at home. ;)

Whole Wheat Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

My youngest daughter has long been requesting me to make Strawberry Cookies. Well, I finally gave in to her request the other day. But since my eldest daughter isn't a big fan of strawberries, I thought of making Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies instead of just plain Strawberry Cookies. That way, I can be sure that both my daughters will eat them...and to make the cookies healthier, I used whole wheat flour.

We all loved how the cookies turned out! Indeed, the combination of strawberry and chocolate never fails to please. The only drawback is that the cookies turned kinda soft and a bit soggy the next day. So I suggest you either make a smaller batch and eat them fresh from the oven, or you refrigerate your leftover cookies. My daughters enjoyed eating the refrigerated cookies for dessert. 

Hope you'll get to try the recipe...and if you do, let me know what you think.

Oh by the way, let me take this chance to greet you all ♥A HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY!♥
Hope your day will turn out as lovely as you want it to be!

Mamon Espesyal

With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought of sharing with you one of my favorite Filipino treats. It's not something chocolatey, but who says Valentine's Day is all about chocolates? It is a day to show our love and appreciation for those we care about, and I believe one of the perfect ways to do that is to give them homemade sweet treats (which doesn't necessarily mean something with chocolates!). Homemade treats never fail to show your thoughtfulness and for me, it's the simplest but sweetest way to say "I love you". The effort and time you spent in making them will never go to waste, I tell yah! But don't get me wrong...you don't have to spend the whole day in the kitchen. Neither do you need to be an experienced cook to make something lovely and yummy. Like these Mamon, for instance...

It only took me a little mixing and less than 30 minutes to make them! Mamon is the Filipino version of sponge cake which is really soft and tasty. What makes Mamon different from regular sponge cake is that they are baked in small molds which are good for individual servings. They are usually served for merienda (snack), and can be eaten plain or topped with butter and grated cheddar cheese. The ones with toppings are what you call Mamon Espesyal (Special Mamon). When I was growing up, only the regular Mamon was available. I was already in college when I first got to try the one with toppings. Well, I honestly love them both...and believe me, they make perfect gifts for any occasion.

Follow these easy steps (adapted from Goldilocks Bakebook) and enjoy Filipino-style mini sponge cakes yourself!

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!

Mais Queso and Ube Macapuno Ice Candy

It's now summer in the Philippines, and it's that time of the year again when I feel like I really want to go there so I could enjoy summer the way I used to. Just like here in Texas, the scorching heat of the sun back home can be annoying, but our weekly beach picnics,  the deliciously refreshing coolers that my mom used to make and our vacations in Batangas and Bulacan (where my brother and I got to bike and play kites as much as we wanted) always made summer time so enjoyable and memorable for me. I don't remember any dull moment during my summer vacations...it was always fun, I tell yah. Even when I was just home playing with my dolls or reading my books, there was always this excitement within me because of the thought that when afternoon comes, my mom will always surprise me with a delicious treat.

For this month's Kulinarya Cooking Club Challenge, our wonderful hosts, Arnold of Inuyaki and Jun of Jun-blog, want us to share Ice Candy or any frozen treats that remind us of summer in the Philippines. Back when I was a little girl, my mother used to supply ice candy to our school cafeteria so she used to make ice candy all year round. This is the reason why I've always considered ice candy as my most favorite Pinoy frozen treat, summer or not summer that is. So even though I've already featured a number of ice candy flavors here on PiTCC like strawberry, avocado, chocolate, buko and sweet corn, I still chose to share ice candy for this month's KCC Challenge. But this is no ordinary ice candy...the flavors I chose to feature are two of the most famous Magnolia ice cream flavors when I was growing up. They were actually my favorite flavors back then. I'm talking about the Mais Queso (Corn & Cheese) and Ube Macapuno (Purple Yam & Coconut Sport).

I know this may sound intriguing for non-Filipinos...but I tell you, these two combos are really good. For those who liked the other ice candy flavors that I've featured before, Mais Queso (Corn & Cheese) and Ube Macapuno (Purple Yam & Coconut Sport) are two flavors that you should also try. They're definitely delicious and refreshing! If you can't find ice candy plastic, just use any popsicle mold you have...it won't really matter. :)

Total Temptation Strawberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

It's Monday again! I hope the weekend went well for all of you! I don't know if it's the same for everyone...but weekends always seem too short for us. I guess it's how it is when you're having fun. Though it was disappointing that my poor blog was flagged as an "attack site" by Google for more than 15 hours last Saturday, my family and I had a great time during the weekend. We visited a close family friend and enjoyed some good movies and yummy food. The sun came out long enough so we were able to go to the park and get some fresh air. Then yesterday, we had fun watching the Super Bowl! It was really a good game between NY Giants and NE Patriots, and Madonna's half time show performance was amazing! We also find some of the commercials really funny so we all had a good laugh.  Before that, the girls and I had a lovely bonding time baking these delicious cupcakes which we ate after watching the game.

It was truly another well spent weekend...and there's no better way to end it than with these cupcakes. 

These are Strawberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting which my husband calls "total temptation". He just couldn't resist these beauties! The goodness of strawberries and chocolate combined in one delicious treat is something he couldn't avoid. Well it's true for me and the girls too! 

Because February is a month when all I could think of is chocolates and the color red, I think this is the best time to share this recipe with you! These cupcakes are wonderful Valentine treats for you and your loved ones.

And oh, speaking of cupcakes, I came across this e-cookbook on How To Start A Cupcake Business. If you are someone who loves cupcakes and you are considering to start your own business, this will be helpful!

This book was written by Danielle Aimes and is available in Kindle Edition at Amazon.com. It has step-by-step guide and helpful tips on naming your business, creating a business plan, even on developing a theme and logo and stocking your kitchen so you can create and sell the product. Do check it out! It's such a great read for anyone thinking of starting a cupcake business!

Ok, now time to check my Total Temptation Strawberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting recipe! Do give it a try! I'm sure you and your family will love it...

Bibingkang Malagkit (Sticky Rice Cake)

A very happy new year to you, my dearest friends and readers! I am hoping that you all had a wonderful New Year's celebration with your loved ones.

I know that you are all looking forward to the new possibilities and opportunities that this brand new year has to offer. For sure, many of you did some preparations to have the best possible start for 2012! 

Do you know that we, Filipinos "eat for luck" on New Year's Eve??? Though we believe that everything is all dependent on God's will, we still practice this tradition which is one of the influences we got from the Chinese. Every New Year's Eve, we prepare and eat special foods that are believed to bring us riches, long life, love or other kinds of good fortune during the rest of the year. We cook uncut noodles to signify long life. We also prepare sweet delicacies which symbolize a rich, sweet life. Traditional delicacies made from glutinous or sticky rice like this Bibingkang Malagkit are also prepared so good fortune will stick around throughout the year.

This dessert has always been on our dinner table for Media Noche (New Year's Eve feast) since I was a kid. But this isn't just for special occasions. It's a favorite everyday Filipino dessert or snack that's so good with a cup of coffee. This is almost similar to biko, the only difference is the topping and the color of the cake. Biko has latik (coconut milk curd) for topping and cake is brown in color because brown sugar is used, while bibingkang malagkit has condensed milk and coconut milk for topping and the cake is white. I will share with you my biko recipe soon. For now, enjoy this bibingkang malagkit that will definitely be a hit for all types of occasions!