CELEBRATIONS Part I

I figure out that reaching my 35th birthday is a milestone that has to be celebrated. Thus, I had series of birthday celebrations. I like hosting intimate get-together so I can really interact with guests and pay more attention to them. For my birthday, I hosted different intimate parties for different groups of people. 

A week before my birthday, I had simple comfort food for my pre-birthday celebration with my in-laws. I prepared Chicken Pastel and Sauteed Snap Peas with Bacon and Leche Flan for dessert. My in-laws gave me a Red Ribbon Mango Cake as my birthday cake. 

On my natal day, I decided to have a Greek-themed lunch. Why Greek? I wanted something different. I haven't done it before and was curious how will it turn out to be. I'm a great fan of Cyma, so why not do something challenging for an extra special day, recreating the dishes that I love in Cyma. Whooopahhhh! Thanks to Food Magazine (October 2011) for providing the Greek recipes. My Greek-inspired fete had the following:

• Pita Bread with Tzatziki - a dip made of cucumber, yogurt and dill. 
• Roka Salata or Greek Rocket Salad - composed of arugula and romaine leaves with candied walnuts and slivered sun-dried tomatoes drizzled with honey balsamic vinaigrette.
• Penne Rigatoni with Meatball Sauce (for the kids)
• Chicken Kebab with Garlic Sauce - chicken cubes marinated with herbs, spices and garlic sauce.
• Four-cheese pizza (for kids & adults too) - home-made thin-crust topped with special pizza sauce,  parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella and swiss edam. 
• Margherita Pizza - home-made thin-crust topped with special pizza sauce, cherry tomatoes and basil leaves. 
• Moussaka - layers of eggplant, meat sauce and Greek Bechamel sauce. 
• Baklava - layers of phyllo pastry, assorted ground nuts (walnuts, cashew & pistachio), cinnamon, sugar and melted butter. 
• Lemon Cheesecake - cookie crust, cream cheese and cream topped with lemon glaze. This served as my birthday cake. 
• Home-made Lime Iced Tea - brewed black tea with brown sugar syrup and lime juice. 

I did not want to sweat it out on my birthday, so I did most or almost all of the prep work a day before my lunch party. I'm happy with the result. The Greek menu was a hit with my family and friends. 

I had fun cooking and baking the food. Again, it was indeed a labor of love. I did it because I want to nurture my loved ones, and I have so much to be thankful for the past year.

At 35, I will try a new dish every week even if it's complicated. I will prepare more healthy and yummy food. Not just in cooking, I will conquer the fear of the unknown/unfamiliar territory. I will always try and give it my best shot. 

P.S.

Watch out for the Part 2 of the CELEBRATIONS

Bacon & Egg Fried Rice

I have just recently cooked this one, and it is a certified hit with my family. You can have this anytime of the day - breakfast, lunch or dinner. I've learned that with fried rice, you can mix it up with anything, veggies or leftovers. Fried rice has endless combinations. You  can make Adobo Rice with a leftover Adobo; or add flaked tinapa , scrambled egg and spring onions to make Tinapa Rice; or fried rice with flaked leftover chicken and dried fish, so you can have Salted Fish and Chicken Rice. The limit is your imagination. 

To add twist to our breakfast favorites - bacon and egg, I've decided to add rice to make it a one pot meal. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

4 cups of cooked rice (preferably 1 day old cooked rice, the ones that you keep in the fridge, to make it a fluffy fried rice), I used red rice 

1 tablespooon vegetable or canola oil

6 bacon pieces, thinly sliced

1 small red bell pepper

1 small broccoli, cut into 2 cms lengths

2 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

1/4 cup light soy sauce

4 eggs

Procedure:

1. Heat a wok or large frying pan over moderately high heat. Add oil, swirl to coat the surface. Add bacon; stir-fry for 4 minutes or until brown and crisp. Remove from wok. Add bell pepper and broccoli to the wok; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add onion; stir-fry for 1 minute ore. Add peas, rice and bacon to wok, then drizzle with soy sauce. Toss for 2-3 minutes or until combined and heated. 
2. Place remaining oil in a large frying pan over moderately high heat. Break eggs into the pan; cook for 2 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Spoon rice into shallow bowls. Top with fried egg. Serve with sprinkled extra onion. 

Enjoy!!!

This is what I call a feast....

Numerous parties and reunions are held to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fresh start of a new year. Aside from the stories exchanged, fellowship and camaraderie gained in these gatherings, the food served and shared made it more memorable. It is during this time that we make extra effort in preparing the food for our family and friends. Allow me to share with you my experience during the holidays. 

The Christmas season made me miss my Mom even more. So, to honor and remember our Mom, my sisters and I made  a Christmas Menu reminiscent of our childhood. We recreated the dishes that Mama used to make for Christmas Day Family Reunion. Our relatives would usually looked for my Mom's trademark dishes.

For our family reunion, we decided to add a little twist to our Mom's classic Christmas Menu. I prepared a Steamed Fish with Mayonnaise, Roast Hainanese Chicken, and Beef Caldereta. My sister, Ate Beng, brought Amber's trio of pansit, Pansit Malabon and pichi-pichi. While my sister, Ate Wendy, made a sumptuous dessert - Heavenly Mango Dulce de Leche Layers (like a Mango Trifle). I baked Leche Flan (Mama's favorite), White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies and Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies as addition to our dessert buffet. If these were not enough, our Uncle Roger had his Korean Beef Stew, my cousins Chariz, Erika and Innah and niece Sarah added  pasta dishes to the buffet table. Lastly, what we're all waiting for, my Auntie Ruby brought a big Lechon. To cap our lovely meal, brewed coffee was served.

Food is meant to be shared. It is more enjoyable when you share it with your family and friends. Wonderful memories are created in this partaking. I know this for a fact, since my Mom made great and happy memories for us.

Mom, you would have been proud of us, able to pull off your legacy of putting good food on the table on this special occasion. I'm sure my Mom had a great Christmas party in heaven =)

P.S.

Sorry, it took me awhile to post this piece. But, it's better late than never and I still have the holiday hangover.

Mango Granola Bars

I like oatmeal, so it is no wonder that I love granola bars. It also known as energy bars or snack bars. I usually eat this before or after a cardio workout. Whenever I want something crunchy with a hint of sweetness, this is my go-to-food.  I consider this to be one of the healthy snacks; but there are some granola bars in the market that are loaded with sugar - high fructose corn syrup, melted chocolate, chocolate chips, maple syrup. Since  most of the available bars in the market contain wheat germ, wheat cereals and corn syrup, and with my allergy history (allergic to corn and wheat), I decided to make my own granola bars.  I added a Filipino touch to this version by using dried mangoes instead of the dried apricots or raisins. This is an easy recipe, even kids can prepare this with adult supervision. Health buffs can have these bars without feeling guilty

My Mango Granola Bars Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Rolled Oats (old-fashioned oats)

1/4 cup rice crispies/rice cereals

3/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup peanuts, crushed (or any choice of nuts like pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup dried mangoes 

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚Fahrenheit.
2. Mix the peanuts, oats and sunflower seeds in a greased and lined baking dish or pan with waxed paper. Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they won't get burned. 
3. Prepare another baking dish/pan (preferably 11 x 13 inches) for your granola by lining it with wax paper. 
4. Put the brown sugar honey, butter, and salt into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add the vanilla and mix well. 
5. Stir the grains, liquid glue and dried fruit altogether in a large bowl. 
6. Mix everything really well until the grains and dried fruit are coated with the liquid glue. 
7. Spread the mixture in the pan with wax paper. Press well. Wait 3-4 hours. Wait for it to cool before slicing it into bars. 

If you don't have a convection oven, you can use an oven toaster to toast the grains. You can toast the grains in batches. You can make variations of this recipe. You can use little chocolate chips or raisins or any dried fruit instead of the dried mango. You can replace the dried fruit also with peanut butter if you like. You can make it all nutty-granola bars by mixing 2-3 kinds of nuts. There are so many possibilities for these granola bars. 

If you want healthier snack alternative, try this recipe. I'm sure you're going to like it =)

The Tea Series Part 2

As promised, I'm sharing my latest discovery in the milk tea craze. On a hot and humid day, I decided to try Gong Cha which is located at Sky Garden, SM North EDSA. I've been hearing a lot of good remarks on this milk tea station. It has always been in the list of Top 3 Bubble Tea Stores in the country today. So what's really the fuss all about?

Gong Cha, as their slogan says "Tea fit for Royalty," does not scrimp on their ingredients. It uses tea leaves not tea bags in brewing their tea, thereby infusing the flavor even more. It seems that they perfected the brewing process of tea. The drink comes in two sizes - Medium and Large.  It has seven categories to choose from: House Special (Bestsellers); Coffee Special; Pearl Ice Smoothie; Milk Tea; Creative Mix, Ice Cream Special; and Brewed Tea. It has four sugar options - 100%, 70%, 50% and 0%. Their ice options are Normal, Less Ice and No Ice. Gong Cha Milk Cream, Pearl, Coconut Jelly, Coffee Jelly, Grass Jelly, Fruit Jelly, Pudding, Aloe, Red Bean and Ice Cream comprise their extra options. These options make your drink customized to your taste. They offer not just tea, but coffee and chocolate drinks as well. They have kid-friendly drinks, like Lemon Juice with Aloe and Ice Cream Chocolate.

I chose the Gong Cha Milk Winter Melon Tea with coconut jelly, one of their bestsellers, and the Milk Tea with Pearl Jelly. I found the former to be refreshing. The drink is light-bodied even if it has milk cream on top. The latter drink is creamy not a watered-down version of milk tea. You can actually taste the tea in the milk. The pearl jelly in this drink has the right amount of sweetness. Also, it is chewy but has a certain bite. It's like 'al dente' for pearl jelly. 

There are four things that set them apart from the rest of the pack. First on the list is the deep flavor of their tea. You can actually taste the steeped leaves. Secondly, the right mix of tea, milk and flavorings creates a unique blend which leaves an impact on your palate. Their milk tea is really creamy. It's not watered down. You can actually taste the tea and not just the milk. Thirdly, it is their Gong Cha Milk Cream. I think they're the only ones who offer the milk cream as extra option. The milk cream is similar to the milk froth found in your latte and cappuccino. Lastly, it is their Ice Cream Option. I haven't encountered any other milk tea station that combines ice cream and milk tea.

The Gong Cha in Sky Garden, SM North EDSA has a fast and efficient service. The drinks are properly labeled. It indicates the type of drink, level of sweetness, ice option and extra option. I just wish that they will have seats inside the air-conditioned store, so customers will be more comfortable, especially on a extremely hot & humid day. I hope that they'll have more branches in the future.  Other than that, I really enjoyed my Gong Cha  Milk Winter Melon Tea.

If you want to try ice cream with tea or if you want to taste the milk cream (milk froth)  in your milk tea, you have to definitely try Gong Cha!

A Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party Theme for my son, Joaqui

In preparing for a party, I really plan ahead of time. I get really excited in planning a party. Maybe because I've been much exposed to party planning early on since my family had always been the host of gatherings/reunion; and the years of arranging meetings, conferences, seminars, formal dinners have further given me skills and experience in handling events. I treat events as special projects of mine. I' always like to be hands-on any preparation. I admit that I'm OC to details. I even organized my own wedding. To show you a bit of how OC I am, for my wedding, I drew a six-month schedule prior to my wedding and made a matrix - indicating the person responsible for a specific task, detailed date/time allotted for it, resources needed and the expected outcome of that activity. I delegated the tasks to my trusted family members and friends, thus ensuring that my wedding and reception went on smoothly. So it comes as no surprise to me and my family and friends,  that I would take pains in preparing my only son's birthday party. 

Six months before my son's birthday, I started asking him where does he like to hold his birthday party and what inspirations or theme he would like to have on that day. He explicitly asked for his party to be held in McDonald's Quezon Avenue. He was very specific about the place. He has good memories of the place because he attended a few of his classmates' birthday parties there.  Since Joaqui absolutely adores Disney Junior; he requested for a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme. It was a good thing that McDonald's Quezon Avenue offers that theme and their party package includes the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse loot bags and prizes.  Thus, it made it much simpler for me to concentrate on the edible giveaways.

Since I had the luxury of time to search and procure the materials needed for a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme. The internet has provided me answers how to execute the chosen party theme and where to buy the materials. I thought that I really wanted the party to be "Mickey Mouse kung Mickey Mouse." So, I decided to make these items - Mickey Mouse Character Cake, Mickey Mouse Cupcakes, and Mickey Mouse Sugar Cookies. 

The Mickey Mouse Character Cake pan is one of the earliest cake pans sold by Wilton, so it is not readily available in the local market. I had to order this one from ebay. With the Mickey Mouse Cupcakes, I got inspiration from youtube on how to do different Mickey Mouse Cupcakes. Lastly, I bought the Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse cookie stamps, ingredients and packaging from Chocolate Lover. 

I baked a Lemon Chiffon Cake for the Mickey Mouse Character Cake. It took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to prepare and bake the cake. For its icing, I made a buttercream icing or decorators' icing and used star tips to decorate the cake.  This is the arduous task - making and coloring the icing and decorating the cake. Tinting the icing to a darker color may take more than 20 minutes alone, especially the color black. Four hours were consumed alone in completing this task. 

For the Mickey Mouse Cupcakes, I chose to bake a Red Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing. I baked the 80 pieces regular size cupcakes in four and half hours. It's better to bake the cupcakes in the center of the oven. The cupcakes will come out perfectly in controlled temperature of the oven.  It will not have cracks or overflow from the liner. I made the icing and decorated the cupcakes in four hours.

With the Mickey Mouse Sugar Cookies, it took me two days to mix, chill, bake, decorate, dry and pack these cookies.

These tasks may seem daunting at first, but I had my handy helpers - Yaya Jane and Joaqui. We were like an assembly line at home. It was exhausting, but really fun to do. My son had so much fun in baking and decorating the goodies and had the first crack at tasting these treats.

It was indeed a labor of love. Seeing my son smile with much delight on his special day made all the pains and effort worth it.  Also, guests were appreciative of the edible tokens.

Mickey Mouse Party was pure HAPPINESS for my son - Joaqui. 

HALLOWEEN TREATS

My son's preschool holds an annual Halloween Party. Everyone gets excited in preparing for this event, including me and my son. Students and parents are requested to bring treats for all in this party. My son and I decided to make our own treats instead of buying it. It's cheaper to have it home-made, more personal and special. Also, it provides an opportunity for family members to bond. It simply spells "FUN." Plus, baking improves the child's motor-skills and helps him/her to do math. 

Joaqui always wants to help in the kitchen. He is my handy helper. He helps me in measuring and sifting dry ingredients. He loves the mixing part. But the best part of it all is that we'll enjoy a bite of our creations and share them with friends. 

Last year, we baked Monster Cupcakes. We had a great time decorating cupcakes, transforming them into creepy monsters. This year, we made spider webs, scary pumpkins and spooky ghosts sugar cookies. 

What shall we make for next year???