Baked Mussels

I made these dish for New Year's Eve last year and for my dad's birthday (January 10). Hehe. I love this one. It is heavenly and it's easy to make too! As long as there's lots of garlic, cheese and butter you'll be okay! It's yum-o! :D

Sans Rival

Sans Rival

This is my dad's favorite cake of all time. :) I decided to try and make one a week ago since I'm bored again! Lol. I got this one in the net again (what's new -_-). My mom tasted it and told me it's not too sweet (I lessened the amount of sugar in the buttercream), it's just right. Sans Rival (pronounced as Song Rivo -- something like that) is made out of meringue that is baked all through out (unlike the pavlova, this one is crunchy both inside and outside) then layered with french buttercream and topped with toasted nuts. (You can use any nuts: cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, etc. I recommend hazelnuts, the smell is wonderful and it matches the cake perfectly but any nut will do. Hazelnuts are expensive but I think it is worth it.) You may think this is easy but in reality it's like hell when you live in a humid country and there's no a/c in the kitchen. You need to act fast! Lol! :D

Anyway, aside from plain sans rival, you can also make chocolate sans rival, mocha sans rival, and espresso sans rival. :D

Apple Cake Tatin

Apple Cake Tatin

I got the recipe from Barefoot Contessa. My mom watched with us and told me it looks good so she told me to make one. Being a good daughter, I made it. Lol. :P I really didn't like the cake that much though, it's too sweet because of the caramel and the apples. This is like the Pineapple Upside-down Cake, just so you know. Maybe I need to look for my Pineapple Upside-down cake recipe that I got from college. Ho hum... :D

Muffins Galore!

Banana Crunch Muffins

Banana Crunch Muffins - If you love to watch Lifestyle Network/ Food Network (depends on what country you live in). Then you should be familiar with the show Barefoot Contessa and its host, Ina Garten. I love watching this show, she really makes good stuff, I've tried some of her recipes, like her Pan-fried Onion Dip (I had this posted in my blog too.) which is simply heavenly. Anyway, I also got this recipe from her, (actually you can find her recipes in the Food network website) it looked so good, that's why I decided to try and make some. After cooling the muffins, I decided to taste one, and my critic? It's good, the crunch you get from the Banana Chips on top plus the creaminess of the mashed bananas and the coconut shreds that is in the muffins really makes you fly on top of the world! I'm not saying this because I'm the one who made it but it's really good and healthy too. I simply loved it, just eat one for breakfast and you'd be full. It's heavy but it's insanely good! :D

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins - My mom asked me to make this after she tasted the Banana Crunch Muffins. :) So I decided to look around the web again and get at least one satisfying, yet effective recipe that I can follow and understand. (Believe me, some recipes found in the internet are hocus pocus. They're sometimes have excess sugar that makes it too sweet or some recipes doesn't sound right. I'm not too fond of super sweet pastries so I tend to lessen the sugar and my mom being known as a perfectionist, you shouldn't make mistakes or you'll hear the end of it! This is my life trust me. :D) So we went to this Costco-type of store where my mom usually buys our food (meat, chicken, etc.) I saw a pack of wild blueberries so I told my mom to buy one and I'll make blueberry muffins for her. She agreed and we bought a pack. I love blueberries simply because you can't really find them fresh in humid countries, and I also love them because of their color and taster. :) This muffin out of the two is my personal favorite because it simply stands out, its yummy and tasty yet not too sweet. The sweetness basically came from the blueberries and not from the sugar (remember: I lessened the sugar), the sour cream makes them balanced (Tartiness + Sweetness = perfection). So there! :D

Korean and Japanese Invasion

Just for the heads up: I did not make this all in one day. :) I would be dead if I did. :D Anyway, my mom asked me to make some sushi for Christmas Eve, I agreed and then I also decided to make two types: One Korean and One Japanese. I wanted to eat some Gimbap so I decided to make it too and to have variations since we have some visitors that will also be celebrating with us on that day. 

I've been making sushi since college days where one of my classmates father works at a sushi place here in Manila and during summer he kind of works there part-time. He taught us how to make sushi rice, and how to roll it properly. I even remembered making sushi (about a hundred rolls or more) during our finals buffet.  :) Anyway I didn't make the original California Roll (the rice is outside) since it will take m

ore time, so I made the California Roll with the rice in. Then I also made Gimbap.

For the Sushi - I used crabstick, mangoes, japanese mayo and fish roe.

For the Gimpab - I used cucumber (I used this instead of the original spinach), stir-fried carrots, fried spam and yellow raddish.

The difference between these two? 

I think Gimbap is used as fast lunch by the 

Koreans somewhat similar to the Onigiris for the Japanese. As for the rice, Kore

ans use sesame oil and seeds that is mixed in while the Japanese used Mirin or the sugar-vinegar solution. :)

Most of my friends know how I love to eat Kimchi. Even when I'm living alone back in the States when I'm lazy to cook I'll take my jar of Kimchi and make some Kimchi Fried Rice. I'm so interested of how it is made so I took a chance to look through the internet (I usually find these awesome recipes on the net) and found one. I tried and made it and to my surpris

e it worked! :) I'm so happy now I know how to make one and I can have it anytime I want. :)

Again, last time our food was Filipino Chicken Curry, I got tired of it so I decided to make Kimchi fried rice again. I ate it with content. :D

Kimchi is a fermented vegetable with varied seasonings. Cabbage is usually used but from what I've heard, they also make raddish, scallions, etc. Kimchi is never absent in the traditional Korean table, they usually make it before the winter months. Since Kimchi is spicy when eaten it also brings warmth during the winter season to the Koreans. :) Kimchi is also used in Korean soups and rice (fried rice)

I first saw this dish in the Korean drama Princess Hours when Yoon Eun Hye is eating it with her friends. It looks yummy and I found it thru the net (again). 

According to Wikipedia:

Tteokbokki - is a popular Korean snack food which is commonly purchased from street vendors. The original tteokbokki was a stir-fried dish consisting of garaetteok (rice cake) combined with a variety of ingredients such as beef, mung bean sprouts, parsley, shitake mushrooms, carrots, and onions, and seasoned with soy sauce. 

My tteokbokki consists of rice cake, fish cakes, carrots, onions, garlic, red bean paste, korean chili powder, soy sauce and sugar. :D

According to Wikipedia:

Bibimbap - is a popular Korean dish. The word literally means "stirred/mixed rice" or "stirred/mixed meal". It is usually served with a bowl of warm white riced topped with namul (sauteed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beed) are common additions. Vegetables that are used in bibimbap include julienned cucumber, zucchini, mu (daikon), mushrooms, doraji (bellflower root), and gim, as well as spinach, soybean sprouts, and gosari (bracken fern stems). Tofu, either plain or sauteed, or a leaf of lettuce may be added. Chicken and seafood may also be substituted for beed. For visual appeal, the vegetables are often placed so that adjacent colors complement each other.

For my bibimap I used: Bean sprouts, spinach, Bulgogi, and shitake mushrooms.

It's really good, my brother loved it. Even till now he still keeps on telling me to make one again. Too bad, I haven't bought the ingredients yet, and he has to wait! :)

Onion Rings with Pan-fried Onion and Garlic Dip

Onion Rings with Pan-fried Onion and Garlic Dip

These onion rings are insanely good. It's not because I love to eat onion rings but its perfect! I got it from some site then took Ina Garten's Pan-fried Onion Dip and added some toasted Garlic. It's a perfect combination. :) I simply love it!! You also dip veggies, and potato chips. I bet it would be good too! :)

Double Chocolate Walnut Cookie

Double Chocolate Walnut Cookie

I got this awesome cookie recipe in one of my trusted baking websites. :) It's just a plain chocolate cookie when I got the hand of it but I decided to put some walnuts in it (I have some spare walnuts at home that time, so why not use it?) :D It's really tasty and yummy. Chewy and chocolate-y if I may say so! :D

Wonderful World of Cupcakes

Cupcakes or Fairy Cakes are I think one of the most popular desserts today. I'm not fond of cupcakes really, but I tried to make it anyway, it is simple and I think you'll have fun while making this when you're with your friends, with all the decorating and stuff. :) 

I prefer the chocolate cupcakes better since it moist and yummy. My sisters loved it. I baked this cupcakes about 15 p

ieces (I think) in one day it's all gone. As for the decorations, I got it from our Christmas Tree haha. I just finished building up our Christmas Tree that time (November is usually the time where we set up our Christmas stuff , if we are in the mood, we usually set it up last week of October. And I guess November is my free time? Lol.) 

I guess you can work this pastries with kids also, just add some

sprinkles and let the kids do it. You can top cupcakes with anything you like, ganache, fondant, candies, gummy bears, etc. So it's like edible play food. Lol. I had fun making it myself though with lack of sprinkles and stuff, I didn't get to play with it. Playing with food is bad but decorating cupcakes is considered as playing with your imagination, innovativeness and passion. :D

Caramelized Apples in Chocolate Sauce

Caramelized Apples in Chocolate Sauce

Now I know what boredom can do to me. I also made this dessert November last year. I got so many leftover apples that time (came from Pavlova) and I was doing nothing except surfing around the net. We got no orders that day so I was home alone. I decided to make this out of the blue. It just popped in my mind, literally and I immediately went to the kitchen and made everything. 

I caramelized the apples, after that I added some semi-sweet chocolate chips and cinnamon (to add spice). It's yum-o especially when you eat it with the whipped cream on top! :D

Fruity Pavlova

Fruity Pavlova

I made this last November. I was so bored that time that I decided to look around the internet and fine a recipe that catches my eye. I went to the site where I discovered the ultimate fudgy chocolate brownies that my friend and I are selling in our small business. 

Pavlova, that is what they call it. The base is basically made out of meringue that is baked and cooled then topped with sweetened whipped cream and fresh fruits.

The meringue is not thoroughly cooked so there's this marshmallow-y texture inside. The bad side of this dessert is that once you've build the cake you need to serve them immediately since meringue is so light (Meringue as you all know is made out of egg whites and air + sugar) that it easily breaks down and doesn't hold it shaped that long. :)

What I love about this dessert is that the tartness of the Kiwis and Apples balances out the sweetness of the baked meringue and the creaminess of the whipped cream. I added some Pineapple and Ponkan to add more color (I couldn't find any Strawberries in the grocery *sigh*) Instead of using white vinegar for the meringue, I bought some lemons and decided to use them so that it has this lemon-y and fruity effect. 

My mom loves it so much and I loved it too! My mom was like in heaven when she tasted it, she's telling her BFF that its good, too bad she can't taste it, she should come here, and I'll make her one! :D

Focaccia and Ballons

I was convinced by a friend to create a blogspot account. :) I did have one before but I decided to delete it and move to Wordpress since my other friend recommended it to me. :D Now, I have to maintain two accounts! Haha. Great. But enough of this, my first blogpost (again) in blogspot. :D I made these about a year ago, took me long enough to post it. (I think I didn't upload this in wordpress) V^o^V.

Focaccia

Focaccia - An Italian bread made out of olive oil and yeast. Traditional Focaccia is usually topped with Fresh Rosemary and Olive Oil. When you want to be innovative then you can make a pizza like Focaccia or a pesto-like one (Pesto- Basil, Olive Oil, Garlic, Salt and Pepper). I made a Mushroom, Garlic and Cheese Focaccia, a simply yet very tasty. :) I love how the cheese, garlic and mushroom contemplate each other. Those three ingredients 

never fail me, I'll always have them and never get tired of it! :D

Ballons in the oven

Ballons - Also known as Kaiser Roll, Vienna Roll, Hard Roll. Usually served in hotels, most people eat this in hotels. :) It's not really hard but it's soft and tasty. The milk in the recipe acts as a tenderizer and traps moisture to keep the bread soft and y

ummy. :) I really love this bread, in school back in SF my friend and I used to make different stuff out

 of it, like putting Pork floss on top, Chillis and Cheese, stuff like that. The top is egg washed to add a shiny effect. :) My oven is not evenly distributing the heat so the result the top is unevenly browned. But still my dad loves it. :D

Ballons after baking

Okay, I'm having a hard time putting up pics here. It's so confusing, I like wordpress better..... I hope blogspot will make this thing more user-friendly. >.<

*Update: I kind of know how to manipulate this blog a little. However it is still not user-friendly. -_-