Broccolli Cheese Dip

Brocolli Cheese Dip with Breadsticks

I was looking for some hors d'oeuvres recipe that I just felt researching in the net last night. I saw this recipe at Epicurious. :) So earlier this day, I went to the local market in Manila and bought some brocolli, the rest of the ingredients was bought in the supermarket (after I made some back and forth exhausting errands this afternoon, I also forgot that I haven't eaten lunch yet! :) I just realize it around 5 pm, I was really hungry. I bought some Jamaican patty by the way plus Fruit Magic's Strawberry Yogurt drink) since you wouldn't be able to find Yogurt, Sharp Cheddar or Cream Cheese in the market streets, well you might see one but I don't think it's 'safe'.

Anyway, I just made the dip tonight. When I first tasted the dip, it was really bland. I decided to add some salt (pepper was included it the recipe) to add some saltiness in it, a couple of teaspoons is good (taste, taste, taste). Then done.

My brother liked it, he said the saltiness of the dip contradicts the sweetness of the breadsticks that he liked. I like it too, I agreed to what he said, its like a match when you think about it. My sisters loved it too. :)

The dip itself has cream cheese and cheddar cheese (sharp) which contains fat and cholesterol but I think with some Yogurt, Scallions, Garlic, and Broccolli it evens out. It's a healthy-fun dip. I'm sure kids will love it.

I also added more garlic, my family loves garlic-y dishes. So there! :D

** You can also dip in Brocolli, Nachos, Pretzels, Chips, etc. :D

Crispy Water Spinach

Crispy Water Spinach

Or we call it "Crispy Kangkong" in my country. :) I don't eat vegetables that much when I was a kid, I was a picky eater back then (of course, you're a kid right?). We went to this party (which I vaguely remember) and they serve this as appetizer, my mom told me to try it, at first I was hesitant but decided to try one. I loved it, ever since then, whenever this dish came up I would be delighted to eat it.

I ate them last year when my friends and I celebrated our friend's birthday outside Manila (we went to Laguna, we stayed overnight). We went to a certain supermarket and decided to eat lunch there as well. :) I saw it on the menu and immediately ordered it. Then last night, one of my friends made these and told me online, I asked him the recipe and he gladly gave it to me. So I told my godmother to buy me two stalks of water spinach (which costs Php 20/stalk in Divisoria). I made the batter and cooked it as our afternoon snack.

The dip I made is Wasabi Mayonnaise, well, I really dislike the mayonnaise we have, it's too sweet so I decided to add some salt and pepper and wasabi. I like the combination of the two.

You can also substitute mayonnaise as your dip, sour cream is good, a friend of mine even dipped it in ranch too. :D

Munchies Galore

My mom went to HK to do some business stuff and came back and now she's there again. Anyway, she bought these yummy snacks for us. The picture above is a cookies with chocolate on top. I've only tasted one and it's really good. I think they were made in Japan, well of of them actually.

I really love these candies, they are mint drops and my mom bought two flavors - Blueberries and mint and the other one is Apple and Lemon (I vaguely remember the flavor). I got addicted with these candies too bad they're all gone now. My mom haven't bought them again.

The Chocolates are totally delicious, there's nuts in it. Its really good, I can't stop popping it in my mouth! I rarely eat milk chocolates but this one simply stood out! I'm not fond of milk chocolates that much, I'm more of the dark chocolate person so it was a shock to me that I really enjoyed eating this fabulous candy.

This one is a rice cracker with center-filled cheese. It's really good, I've two other products similar to these ones (rice cracker with cheese and almonds on top and rice crackers filled in with cheese in the center and wrapped in seaweed -- I simply love the latter one!)

I loved M&M's since I was a kid. I always loved to eat M&M's peanut back then. But when new products came out, I simply adore their Crispy one, the seasonal mints and dark chocolate. So when my mom brought home some packs of these, Crispy Mint-flavored M&M's, I was ecstatic, why? Because I have these certain addiction with mints (my favorite ice cream is Mint Chocolate Chip, I love mixing mint and chocolate, oreo mint flavored cookies or mint candies) I just simply love mints. It's really good and I'm satisfied when I ate these chocolates. My mom even brought Andes mints home too bad I only get to eat a few since my dad and my sister hogged all of them!

My mom also bought shrimp crackers, chips, melon filled biscuits, and other chinese biscuits. I haven't taken their picture and some of them are already gone since we've been eating them as snacks. :D

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder

My friend gave me the recipe after she tested it and tweaked it on her own. She gave me her tweaked recipe and I also tweaked it on my own version. I simply loved the tangy, buttery and savory flavor of this soup. Too bad we don't have sourdough bread or just plain baguette to dip this soup with during that time. 

I bet Clam Chowder would be sumptuous too! :) 

Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate Truffles

It's been a while since I last posted here. Well, I can't bake anything since my oven is not working. :( But I called La Germania and told they'll send their mechanic tomorrow to check what's wrong with my oven. :)

I made these Chocolate Truffles before Maundy Thursday, one of my friends told me he needs to give something to his girlfriend's family and asked if there's anything that I can make without using the oven. I told him I can make him truffles. He agreed and ordered 35 pieces. :) 

The truffles are great, it really tasted good (got the recipe from Barefoot Contessa) I tasted them myself. The only problem is, the weather conditions, having a really humid, sunny weather, the truffles tend to soften quickly. That means you have to work double time and I have to put it in the freezer (so that it will firm quickly). You really have to have a chocolate room for this, otherwise it will look blah!

My sisters loved it. I really like it too!