Wish fulfillment..

I've experienced a lot of difficulties and failures in life. I just had one wish, and that is to be truly happy. Then one day I woke up realizing why I have to endure everything. 

I was betrayed to learn how to love unconditionally. Lost everything to learn how to have faith in God's plan. Got rejected a lot of times to learn to have hope and trust that there is always something better in store for me. I became completely broke to learn how to appreciate compassion and kindness of other people. I got lost to remember that I will always have my family and our home. Give up some friends to appreciate the loyalty of the ones who decided to stay. But the most important lesson for me is also the key to fulfilling my greatest wish. Gratitude.

For the love of Korean food.

I love Korean food! Maybe because I was too brainwashed by all the korean dramas I've been watching. 

It's been a while since I've been craving for korean food. But all the good korean restos are too far from where we live. And so, I attempted to make one of the most popular korean dish... Bibimbap.

I am actually surprised how easy to prepare this. I will post the recipe next time. For now, here is the finished product. 

Frozen Brazo de Mercedes

For now, I will let the picture tell you how awesome this dessert is. 

On keeping the love alive...

“I think it’s great for two people to be together. That is a good number. I think, that to keep it alive though, you can’t spend every day together. It wears out the magic, Love means nothing to me if it’s not fortified with fierce, painful longing, brief explosive instances of furious passion and intimacy and then a sad parting for a time.

In that way, you can give your life to it and still have a life of your own. I think some couples spend too much time together. They flatten out the potential for experience by constant closeness.

Passion builds over time like steam. Let it rage until it’s exhausted and then leave it alone to let it build up again.

Why can’t love be insane and distorted? How can it be vital if it has the same threshold as normal day-to-day experience?  Why not let the days before you see her be excruciating and ferment in your mind so on the day you go to the airport to pick her up, you’re nearly sick with anticipation?

And then when desire shows the first sign of contentment, throw it back in its cage and let it slowly build itself back into a state of starved fury.

Then when you are together, it all matters. So that when you look into her eyes, you lose your balance, so that when she touches you, it feels like you have never been touched before. When she says your name, you think it was she who named you. When she has gone, you bury your face in the pillow to smell her hair and you lie awake at night remembering your face in her neck, her breathing and the amazing smell of her skin. Your eyes go wet because you want her so bad and miss her so much.

Now that is worth the miles and the time. That matches the inferno of life.

Otherwise you poison each other with your presence day after day as you drag each other through the inevitable mundane aspects of your lives. That is the slow death that I see slapped on faces everywhere I go. It’s part of the world’s sadness that’s more empty than cold, poorly lit rooms."

- Henry Rollins

From Tina Tagle's Blog

Baked Mussles with Pamesan Cheese

I was asked several times by some of my friends to share the recipes of the food I cooked on my Mom's birthday. The most requested recipe is for the Baked Mussles so I decided to put it in my priority list. It is so simple and easy to make. To those avid readers from the Philippines, this will surely be a treat because I know that mussels are so cheap there. But for those living abroad, this is best served during parties. I can guarantee you that this will be one of the most sought after food you could ever serve. The best thing about this recipe is, it is not like the regular baked mussles which is usually dry and chewy. The flavour of the mussle is locked in while it is baked because of the mayonnaise. Yes, there is mayonnaise. And I can guarantee you that if you do this right, you will never go back to the old style.

I will be updating the photos by next week since I will be preparing my aunt's baby shower. She requested me to make A LOT of this dish so for now, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Baked Mussles with Parmesan cheese

2lbs Mussles( remove one side of the shell)
1/2 cup minced garlic
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Clean mussles and place in a baking pan. Cook garlic in butter until golden brown. In a separate bowl mix the mayonnaise,lemon juice,cayenne pepper,sugar, salt and cheese. Adjust the taste according to how sweet you want it. Drizzle the Garlic butter into the mussles then cover each mussle with the mayonnaise mixture. Then garnish with green onions. Bake for 15 minutes or once the surface becomes golden brown.

Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet ala Fabulouanne

When there is limited resources in a demanding environment aka our house, when it comes to food, creativity is very essential to satisfy my family. We love our food and we are not easily fooled by presentation because being Filipino, the taste of the food is always the priority.

During Holy week, our family from Ohio decided to pay us a visit here. My Ilocano cousin is married to an American which made it difficult to serve food because Ilocanos love their bagoong. Let's admit that bagoong has a very offensive smell especially to those who are not used to it. And if the ratio of the people who loves bagoong against those who dislike it is 9:1, I guess we all know what it must be like for my cousin's husband. I was quite concerned because I was afraid that he might end up not eating for days. And so I decided to make a separate dish for him that special evening.

I actually didn't prepare for this special dish. I just saw a couple of Frozen Basa Fillet in the freezer, some Japanese bread crumbs and Pineapple chunks. Initially, I planned to just cook a plain Fried Fish Fillet that my girlfriend taught me but I thought it would be better if I make a sauce. Though it is probably cheaper to buy a bottle of sweet and sour sauce, I still decided to make it from scratch. I love the homemade sweet and sour sauce that I made. It has a perfect balance sweetness with a hint of sour taste. The good thing about doing it from scratch is that it will give you a chance to enhance its flavour to suit your taste.

Here is my recipe. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet ala Fabulouanne

2 lbs Fish Fillet( I suggest Basa Fillet or Cream Dory)
2 tablespoons garlic(minced)
1 egg(beaten)
2 cups of Japanese Bread Crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooking oil


Slice the fish according to the size you want, add the garlic, salt and pepper and marinade it for 30 minutes. Then add the beaten egg into the marinated fish then coat the fish fillet with bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 cup Pineapple juice
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tablespoon soysauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
 3 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in water
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1/2 cup celery
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup pineapple chunks

Saute the garlic and onions. The add all the liquid ingredients and brown sugar, adjust the taste before adding the bell pepper, celery,carrots and pineapple chunks. After a minute, pour the cornstarch dissolved in water until thick. Then add the fish fillet. Serve while hot.

Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Red is the color of  love and passion. This is probably the reason why this kind of cake is one of the best thing ever created in the history of baking. One look and you'll helplessly fall inlove with its taste and color. Top it off with a rich, smooth and creamy whipped cream cheese frosting. One bite and you're in heaven.

Hmm...Ok.... I think I got carried away.

A few months ago, I was craving for La Rocca Red Velvet cake but of course, it is always out of stock. It is one of those cakes where you have to try once in your life. I tried to fight the craving but when I raided our cupboard and fridge, I had every single ingredient to make this delectable treat. I was afraid that I will fail since it is the first time I will try making it but my urge is so much stronger than my fear, and so I gave in and I never looked back. I'm glad I did, because if not, I would never ever feel that glorious feeling on my first bite of this luscious creation. Here is the recipe. I hope you will love it as much as I did.

Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes Red Velvet Cupcakes: 1 1/4 cups (125 grams) sifted cake flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoons (10 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cups (150 grams) granulated white sugar 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring 1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda Cream Cheese Frosting: 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted 2/3 cup (160 ml) cold heavy whipping cream (double cream) (35-40% butterfat)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. 

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12  muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18 - 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and them remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream* (See Note) and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Note: You must use a brand of heavy cream that whips very easily to stiff peaks. If you are using a brand of heavy cream that does not whip easily to stiff peaks then whip the heavy cream separately to stiff peaks and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.

 

I got this recipe from: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCupcakes.html#ixzz2TKLuqThC

Easy and Moist Chocolate Cupcakes without Milk and Eggs

It's been a while since the last time I posted a blog even if I've already made a long list of topics and recipes I wanted to share. But since I made a promise that I will blog about this amazing recipe first, I thought, maybe I should force myself to do this now before I lose my enthusiasm. For now, I would like to share with you why and how I discovered this recipe.

A few months ago, a very dear friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer. I will go into details about it in another post because I don't want to get too emotional about it right now. Anyway, as part of her "diet" she is not allowed to take any kind of dairy in her system. That broke my heart because the last time I gave her a cake, she said her favorite is Mocha cake and she is requesting a Goldilocks style chocolate cake. Of course I thought, it is impossible for me to make her one because I thought all cakes require milk and eggs. For months, I gave up on the idea that one of these days, I can fulfill my promise to make her request until one random afternoon, I suddenly had a very strong desire to bake some chocolate cupcakes. I got so excited I prepared everything I needed until I opened our fridge and found out that there's no eggs and milk. I thought, there's no way I could satisfy my urge to bake without the most important ingredients unless I go outside and buy. But I was too lazy to go out considering the weather until I did the next best thing....Google a non dairy and eggless chocolate cupcake recipe. And of course Google didn't fail me.

At first, I thought that this will not taste like the chocolate cake I am used to eat considering that there's no egg or milk or butter is involved in the recipe. I admit that there's a part of me that is almost sure that it will suck. I guess the beauty in trying things for the first time is that feeling of satisfaction when things turns out to be amazing. This is definitely a must try recipe. It is easy, soft and moist you wont feel guilty eating it because it seems that it is a healthier option. I used buttercream but next time I will try a chocolate ganache without dairy again.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brewed coffee (or 1 cup of warm water mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons of espresso powder or instant coffee granules)
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 Tbsp (1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp) canola oil

Method

Cupcakes:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2 In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt until there are no visible clumps (cocoa tends to clump up).
3 In a separate bowl, mix together the coffee (or water plus coffee granules), vinegar, vanilla extract, and olive oil.
4 Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until they just come together. The mixture should be thin and rather lumpy.
5 Ladle the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about two-thirds of the way full. Place in oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a bamboo skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
6 Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack. Once cool, you can eat plain, sprinkle with powdered sugar, or drizzle or coat with frosting.

I got this recipe from simplyrecipes.com

Proverbs 13:7-17

7 A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life. 8 The rich can be sued for everything they have, but the poor are free of such threats. 9 The lives of good people are brightly lit streets; the lives of the wicked are dark alleys. 10 Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord, but wise men and women listen to each other's counsel. 11 Easy come, easy go, but steady diligence pays off. 12 Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around. 13 Ignore the Word and suffer; honor God's commands and grow rich. 14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, so, no more drinking from death-tainted wells! 15 Sound thinking makes for gracious living, but liars walk a rough road. 16 A commonsense person lives good sense; fools litter the country with silliness. 17 Irresponsible talk makes a real mess of things, but a reliable reporter is a healing presence.

Do it anyway..

“I’m going to tell you what a demon once told me: It is okay to want your own happiness. It’s okay to care about yourself the most. It’s okay to do what’s healthy for YOU.

When someone hits you, it’s okay to hit back and then ask them what the hell they expected. It’s okay. You are not obligated to sit there and smile and swallow every bit of shit everyone heaps on you.

You are more than furniture, you’re more than window dressing, you’re not their shiny toy. You’re human, and you have the right to say “That was shitty of you”. You have a right to say “Let me feed that back to you; tell me, how does it taste?” You have a right to protest your own mistreatment and set boundaries for respectful interactions.

The rest of the world doesn’t realize you have this right, and they will act offended and appalled when you exercise it, but it is yours.

And it’s okay.”

From Tina Tagle's blog

Merienda time!

It is the culture of us filipinos to enjoy some serious snack in the afternoon more popularly known as "Merienda". I remember when I was still in the Philippines. Around 3pm I would literaly hear merienda calling me courtesy of our favorite tindera. She would offer us different kinds of delicious kakanin or pancit, spaghetti, palabok or bilobilo. I would buy 3 orders and eat them all by myself. Yes, I am a glutton! Haha!

When our family migrated, we sometimes can't help but miss our afternoon merienda. And so, I decided to cook a few of the famous merienda. The arroz caldo, chicken mami, filipino style spaghetti and palabok.

Enjoy!

"Do not settle for less than exactly what you want. Your heart’s desires are there for a reason. Chase them. Pursue them relentlessly. Do not lose sight of your goals. They are your very reason for being."

-Franki Durbin

I am a proud Bilocana

It is not a typo error, I am a "Bilocana". My dad is Ilocano and my mom is Bicolana which made me a "Bilocana". Makes sense right?

I was born and raised in Manila so basically, I never learned how to speak my parent's local dialect. I think the people who grew up in the province carry their culture and practices everywhere they go. Maybe they will adapt to their new environment but the traditions will be in their hearts for the the rest of their life. But there is probably one thing any probinsyano or probinsyana will never give up...their local food.

Ilocanos are known to be creative and resourceful when it comes to food. I noticed that they love their bagoong and vegetable. They can eat almost anything. I learned how to become adventurous when it comes to food from my dad. He made me try almost everything. I love the vegetable dishes of the Ilocanos especially the Pinakbet. One thing i noticed is that they like their veggies half cooked or fresh. You can easily taste how fresh and sweet their veggies are because most of them are organic, handpicked from their garden.

I can say that I got my cooking skills from my dad. He is our "head chef" in the household. He is very traditional and sticks to the recipes he learned from my lola. I, on the other hand, am more creative and curious. I like to try new recipes and I dont like following a recipe. I always want to make it my own style. I usually follow the process but tweak taste it to make it "ala Lou Anne".

My mom isn't really a cook. She admits that her hands are not that skilled but he makes excellent desserts. She makes the best gelatin cakes more popularly known as the "Cathedral Gelatin" and other desserts. She doesn't make them regularly but when she does, it is consistently delicious.

Growing up in Bicol, I am quite surprised because she isn't fond of eating spicy food. She loves the ginataan dishes but not much of the spicy ones like bicol express. I am, however, thankful because being a half bicolana taught me how to be patient when it comes to cooking. Food cooked in gata requires a lot of patientce because unlike the ilocanos who liketheir food half cooked, gata requires time to get cooked. If you do it the wrong way, the food easily gets spoiled considering how hot it is in the Philippines. Seafood is quite famous too and I love how my grand father would wait on the shore and buy freshly caught fish by the local fishermen. I love how my grandmother makes an effort to feed us fresh seafood at every chance they get.

The passion for fililipino cuisine definitely is running through my vein. I have this belief system that if I want a particular food, I need to learn how to cook them. And so being the adventurous one, I tried cooking the dishes from both provinces and I am proud to say that it was a success. I was able to capture the taste and essence of being a legit Bilocana.

Here are the "ala fabulouanne" pinakbet and ginataang hipon at kalabasa. Enjoy!

This is to Siomai love for you!

I love dumplings! I personally think that making dumplings is a labour of love. There is a lot of process to go through to make these and its so funny because you can easily finish eating these so quickly because it is just so delicious.

My sister loves siomai and I love siopao. And so, I tried making some and they are just phenomenal! The whole family loved them! I need to work on wrapping the siopao dough to the meat but taste and texture wise, I think it is amazing.

Enjoy these steamed goodness!


P.S I took this photos a few years ago. i am reusing them for documentation purposes.

Taco Salad

I think a lot will agree with me on this but eating tacos is so damn messy to eat but you can't help but get addicted to it because it is just so delicious. It has a perfect balance of crunch and taste plus it has a lot of veggies you wouldn't feel guilty eating them.

I remember back in college, my friend Sam introduced me to a less messy version of this wonderful snack or maybe pulutan is more appropriate. I think college for everyone is the time when everyone started to learn to drink. Atleast for the "curious" ones. He made it using the same process when you make a regular taco the only difference is that he Taquitos as the tortilla and of course I fell inlove with it! I personally think it is way better to make this salad than to eat the regular tacos because it is less messy to eat.

I think I should give Sam the credit because he introduced me to this. This is so good I can eat this everyday. The only difference is that, I used tortilla chips instead of Taquitos and romaine lettuce instead of cabbage but the taste is almost the same. Sam, thank you for this recipe!

Chocolate Crinkles

I remember back in highschool, one of the famous snacks are chocolate crinkles. Many years ago, they sell this sweet treat for P2.00. I was having one of those nostalgic moments and I thought maybe I should try baking this yummy treat.

I always thought that it might be difficult to make but this is absolutely easy and it took less than half an hour to make. It also helped when my girlfriend's sister suggested to give this a try since I was also in the mood to try something new.

Here is the finished product. It is soft, chewy and absolutely to die for. Here is the product I used. Enjoy!

Filipino style Chocolate Crinkles

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar


Procedure:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hour. I kept my dough in the fridge overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. I like to use 1 tbsp measuring scoop for this recipe. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Hamonado

Majority in our family decided to give up rice as a sacrifice starting Ash wednesday until Black Saturday. It is quite a challenge because being Filipino meant eating rice for breakfast, lunch, merienda and dinner. Choosing this as a sacrifice pushed me to becoming more adventurous in cooking. One of my target is to cook Hamonado.

I remember eating hamonado during special occassions only. For me it is very similar to Fiesta Ham we always have during christmas. The only difference is that hamonado doesn't have the smoked taste. It was actually the last minute when I decided to try cooking this dish. I had all the ingredients so I gave it a try.

I will be completely honest. I usually cheat when I cook. I use Mama Sita mixes when necessary. With this dish, I used the Tocino Marinade for the meat. Since I only had 3 hours to prepare and cook this dish, I needed to come up with a plan to make this work. For those who are abroad, I think this is the best way to cook this dish easy and fast.

The first step is to marinate the meat. I used pork butt. I love this part of the meat because there is fat in between the meat which will make your hamonado tender and juicy. I marinated the meat with salt and pepper plus the Tocino Mix for an hour. Since I was in a rush, I combined the meat with 2 cans of pineapple, soysauce, and a cup of brown sugar then boiled the marinade and meat for an hour. While waiting I preheated the oven at 450 degrees. After boiling for an hour,remove the meat and pineapply slices and put in a roasting pan. Continue simmering the marinade until thick. You can add cornstarch diluted in water to thicken the sauce. Once it's done, pour the sauce on the meat then put in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes until the meat starts to brown.

Here is the finished product. It is easy , fast and super delish! Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Mom!

It was my mom's birthday last thursday so she asked me to cook something we could all share on that day. Being the official cook of the family I took charge and did all the cooking. I decided to cook Balamban liempo, Pancit Malabon, Fresh lumpia,Buttered Sugpo and Baked tahong. It was my first time to try cooking the Balamban liempo and i'm proud because it was a success. Everybody loved it! It reminded me of Chic boy liempo. With the rest of the food, I used my tried and tested recipes. If you want my recipe let me know but for now, let's all have some food porn. These photos doesn't give justice on how beautiful and yummy they are.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Today, I cooked a "chamba" recipe. I am definitely a better cook than a baker. I made this without following a recipe. I just trusted my tastebuds. Hahaha! It was a success and I will definitely make this again.

Enjoy!

On Positivity

Don't you just hate it when people flood their Facebook and Twitter account just to announce to the world trying to "teach" them something when in reality it is just a load of BS? I see this everyday and sometimes it really annoys me. You want to know why? Because it is so easy to become a positive person when everything is in favor to you. When you get what you want all the time. But let me tell you this, your true character shows when things are not going your way and yet you maintain to see the positive things in your life.

Gratefulness is the most important attitude to live a positive life. If you always complain and you always demand and never get satisfied with what you have, you can never be grateful. If you constantly crave for attention and always feel the need to have what your friends have, then you can't be a positive person. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to judge you. I just dont like it when people put up a front to make themselves look good to other people but in reality they are the biggest inconsiderate and selfish person ever existed(i'm just exaggerating of course). You see, your true attitude shows when you are around your family. You can trick your friends, classmates or coworkers but you can never trick your family. That sense of comfort knowing that regardless of your true character your family will have no choice but to live with it.

Here is the difficult part, how long are you going to pretend you are something you are not? When are you going to start to take responsibility to your own actions? When are you going to learn to put others first before your selfish demands? And most of all, when you you going to practice what you've been trying to tell to people?

Money, shows what kind of person you truly are. Ask yourself, what do I do with this blessing? Do I share it or do I use it exclusively to buy my personal wants and desires?Do I use it to help others who I know are in need or do I keep it because it is only mine to enjoy? Do I save it so that in the future if my family will need it I can share it? Am I sensitive to the needs of my parents, siblings or friends? These are the questions you need to ask yourself to know how much money manipulate you.

Back when I was in college, I only had P100 allowance everyday. I commute from Marikina to Morayta and I dont have packed lunch. During that time, riding an fx would cost P20 from Marikina to Cubao and another P20 from Cubao to Morayta. Imagine how I managed to save up with that amount of allowance. I thank my parents for making us understand the value of hardwork. Acquiring things on our own and not relying on asking money from them. I learned how to be creative and "madiskarte" that's why when I need something, I sold some of my artwork. I draw for people then get paid doing their projects, recycle some of my art materials and I only took the jeepney when I know is necessary. In fact, until now I love riding the jeepney. Observing people is amazing! Because of this kind of lifestyle my college life introduced me to my "Malulupit" friends, people who I know are loyal and true. We aren't the most popular group but we help each other be the best that we can be.

I never experienced feeling envious around my wealthy classmates back in highschool. I wanted them to appreciate me for my sense of humour, creativity, and my crazy personality. Im so happy that despite the lack of financial resources, I found amazing friends who are wealthy but disregard their material wealth and values friendship more. Experiencing these made me appreciate the little things. We didnt care if not everyone has the latest celllphone model. We didnt care if not everyone can afford to go to the movies. We didnt care if we wore the same outfit gazillion times. We didn't care because we are after the friendship, nothing else.

This is the reason why I feel bad for some youth of today. Their image mattered more than finding people who truly care for them. They crave to fit in when they can stand out. They need constant reassurance that they are important. This is why a lot of them grow up being bitchy ,demanding and selfish. It is because they don't understand the value of hardwork because everything are just given to them. They don't make an effort to study hard because even of they don't they still get what they want. They blame their parents for not achieving their dreams because they can't financially support them. They blame all the bad things in their life to others instead of making a choice to change their priority. Success lies within ourselves. And until we learn how to get things through hardwork, that is the only time you will learn to appreciate the beauty of life.

I guess the lesson here is before we say anything we need to make sure that we live by it. Because flooding in such social networking sites would mean nothing if we don't change Inside.Positivity comes from within, it resonates from the goodness of your heart. Though it is impossible to make a radical change in our life, how about we start small steps. Ask yourself, what did I do or what am I willing to do today that could benefit others and not myself? How can I give back? How can I make a positive change in someone's life?

You need to go

“you don’t ever feel guilty about removing toxic people from your life.

It doesn’t matter whether someone is a relative, romantic interest, employer, childhood friend, or a new acquaintance – you don’t have to make room for people who cause you pain or make you feel small.

It’s one thing if a person owns up to their behavior and makes an effort to change. But if a person disregard your feelings, ignores your boundaries and continues to treat you in a harmful way, they need to go.“

- Daniell Koepe

Review: Les Miserables (and how its story relates to someone I know)

 I just finished watching Les Miserables and I became compelled to write a blog post about it. It is a beautiful story about how love and compassion can change a person. The setting of the story evolved in 19th century France where Jean Valjean a man who is released from prison breaks his parole to give his life another chance while trying to escape the ruthless Javert. For the sake of those who haven't watched it, I will not be talking about the details in the movie. Besides, the lesson of the story is just as important as the movie itself.

"Always trust in the goodness of every person you meet." I was taught this lesson by someone who is very close to my heart. She taught me how to be compassionate and accepting. Yes, I admit that I used to only see things in black and white. Simply because I was given a gift of analyzing and knowing things even before it happens. Because of that, I grew up afraid and paranoid, always second guessing the intentions of everyone around me. Always expecting the worst in people. But it helped me prepare for any challenges that will come my way. Well, there was not a lot of challenges simply because I was always afraid of the risk and I can also forsee the outcome. But 6 years ago, my life changed because of this person. Especially when the turning point of my life happened a year ago. When I learned how to trust in people, I also learned how to let go and live.

We all go through that point in our life that changed us. The effect can be something positive or negative. Sometimes, because of our experiences in life, it molds us into who we are now. Situations whether it is good or bad has a huge effect on a person's character. Take Jean Valjean as an example. He was forced into slavery because he stole bread for his sister's hungry children. In the eyes of the law, he was a thief and will always be a thief. But in the eyes of his sister and children, he was a saint for he sacrificed his life so he can save them. During his time in prison, he grew angry and revengeful. He lost his trust in the goodness of man. Then came the turning point of his life. When no one wanted him, he found acceptance and love in the Lord. All that he needed was to feel that despite his awful past, he is given unconditional love, trust and forgiveness. Since then, he learned to be sensitive to the needs of others. He may not changed everybody's life but he sure made an impact to each person he helps. His act of charity is not entirely about giving financial support but also by giving encouragement and hope.

I saw a part of Jean Valjean in my very special friend. Sure, she did not have a very blissful past and made a lot of mistakes, but I know for sure that her future will be everything she could ever hope for. Simply because she embraced the lessons and not the heartache of her past. To her, the past is not important because the future is still spotless. I truly believe that whatever you give, it is also you receive. Maybe not according to how we want it, but how it should be for our own benefit. Sometimes, the things we think are good for us are the ones that will destroy us. Though we are in control of our future, we have no control on the people around us. All that we need to do is just trust in the goodness of everyone. This is exactly how she lives her life. That no matter how many times other people disappoint her, she loves them unconditionally anyway. She gives so much love and compassion to other people, not even considering if they will be willing to give it back to her. There is a huge part of her that if you only take time to know, you will be amazed on how beautiful this person is. How I wish, they can see her the way I do. Maybe they will start appreciating her more and be grateful because she is a part of their life. If they only know how much she is willing to do for them maybe they will be more kind to her.

At the end of the day, just like in the story, the quality of life you live is not based on how much success and wealth you acquired. It is not measured by accomplishments or fame. It is about how much love, compassion and trust you gave to others. It is about how you can change a man through your mercy and acceptance. Realize that all the material things in our life, we can lose them so easily. There is no point holding on to them. Instead, use them to change someone's life and trust in their goodness. Invest in building strong relationship with your family because it is true, family by blood or by love should always help and accept each other. "And remember the truth that once was spoken;  To love another person is to see the face of God."

Taho made from scratch

Today, I made taho from scratch. I will post the process I had to go through to achieve this yummy treat on my next post. But for now, here is the finished product.

Review: Life of Pi

Life of Pi is one of the most talked about movie of 2012. I loved the way Ang Lee depicted the book. The visual interpretation and filters used in the film was absolutely breathtaking and the story itself is surprisingly inspiring. Yes, I said it is "surprisingly inspiring" because all these years, I've been brainwashed by my brother who made a book report when he was in high school about this book. He said it is the most boring book he's ever read and I believed him, simply because he was the book lover in the family and he has an impeccable taste when it comes to books. I guess he is wrong about this one. When I watched the trailer after the Oscars, I became curious and thought I should give this movie a chance. Besides, I am very attracted to anything visually appealing and so I watched it and I fell inlove with it.

Life of Pi is a book about faith, hope, and strength in times of adversity. It is a story about survival in times of desperate situations. I was amazed on how courageous and pure the main character was. His curiosity and thirst for experience and knowledge is probably what made me so drawn to the character. Plus, I can totally relate to the story because I was also in a desperate and hopeless situation myself. A time when I thought there was nothing left for me. But after a while, this served as the turning point of my life and gave me wisdom and courage to face everything life has to offer.

It is true when they said that pain and suffering is inevitable in this life. But what makes us who we are is the choice we make after the fall. Are we going to stay on the ground or stand up and fight again? In the story, Pi had to go through major changes in such a short span of time. From moving to another country with his family and leaving his loved one behind, then losing the his family and livelihood because of the shipwreck and then surviving the days and nights he was in the middle of nowhere almost dying in thirst and hunger. On top of that, he feared for his life every single day because he was stuck with a tiger who is also hungry and thirsty. Of course, being a wild animal, he has no control over his urge but because of this fear and responsibility, Pi learned to fight, be alert and conquer everything he thought he couldn't do. This is where his faith comes in handy.

Sometimes, we find ourselves in situations when we are so scared we unleash our inner "tiger" because that is how we can only protect ourselves. We don't want to, but we are forced to for survival. I remember when I was able to unleash my inner "tiger". I'm not proud of it but it made me see how strong I can be. I know the people involved will never looked at me the way they did before and you know what, for the first time in my life, I didn't care. I was proud I defended myself. I was glad I was able to express the hurt and pain inflicted to me. I thought, I didn't deserve that, so why would I even be sensitive to what they have to feel when they didn't do the same to me. I lost everything and gave up everything because I thought it was worth it.  Whatever you give you receive right? But you know  what, I received what I gave. Maybe not with the person whom I expected to give it back me. But with the person who truly deserved it.  All we had to do is just have faith and hope that it will be given unto you, and the strength to let go of the things that doesn't serve you any good.

This movie will always remind me that life is beautiful regardless of how much setbacks or troubles I will experience. With faith, that God made us to be blessed and be a blessing; hope, that we are born to live a happy and prosperous life: and strength that even if life will sometimes be difficult, with the right attitude and positivity, we will get through anything.

Birthday cupcake

My sister asked me to bake vanilla cupcakes for their receptionist's birthday. Here it is!

Vanilla Cupcakes for Valentine's Day

A few days ago, the whole world celebrated Valentine's Day. A day filled with love, flowers and chocolates. My mom, of course, requested me to make something that she can give to her choirmates. And so, I decided to make some vanilla cupcakes.

Since I have been contemplating on learning how to make buttercream roses, I thought, maybe I can practice and put the roses on the vanilla cupcakes I am making for my mom. For a first timer, I think my buttercream roses are pretty decent. It is amazing how they made my cupcakes really pretty, perfect for valentines day. I just need to make it better by practicing. The buttercream I used is a little bit more difficult to use for the roses but it sure tastes so good. I guess Swiss meringue buttercream is not really the best icing to use for buttercream roses. Anyway, the response was phenomenal. Some of my mom's choirmates even brought home the leftover cupcakes to their husbands. I probably just need to refine the vanilla batter I used but the taste was awesome! Here are the finished product.

Enjoy!

Puto Pao

My parents are active members of Couples of Christ. It is a serious commitment being involved in this organization. Every weekend (even weekdays), they always have an activity and of course, potlucks are always involved. What's so funny about this is my mom would always volunteer me or my dad to cook something for them. And because of the constant demand for foods that are easy to make, i've come up with one of the most indemand merienda....the Puto Pao.

Puto pao is a combination of puto which is a sweet and fluffy bread-like steamed cake and asado which is the meat filling of siopao a popular dimsum introduced to filipinos by the chinese. I researched and found a lot of different types of puto pao recipes over the internet. It was a bitter sweet experience since I basically failed achieving the perfect consistency and taste that I like. Then came one afternoon, I tried this one recipe but tweaked the recipe and it became a success! Since then, I promised myself to stick to the recipe for the best results. I use the same recipe for the regular puto( the colored ones) and the puto pao.

Enjoy!

My Ube cake Evolution

I was trying to perfect my Ube cake recipe for months until I finally found my signature cake. The photos below will show you what it looked like a few months ago and now. Let me know which one looks the best. I personally love the one with whipped cream rosettes( the one from my other post.)

Mocha cake inspired by Goldilocks cakes

When I was little, everytime there is a party I would always expect that delicious light brown colored sponge cake. I was actually first introduced to Mocha cake before chocolate or vanilla cakes. I always wondered what makes it so delicious. Only to find out that the secret is COFFEE.

A few weeks ago, I was feeling nostalgic. I wanted to feel like a kid again and experience that happy feeling everytime I eat Mocha cake. Since i've been baking for a good few months, I have the basic tools to make a sponge cake. And on that snowy afternoon, I decided to give Mocha cake a try. I researched online to find a recipe close to what Goldilocks make and luckily I was able to find one. The recipe I found for me needs to be a little sweeter and should have a more Mocha taste. And so, just like any other recipes I find, I tweaked it to suit my tastebuds. Again, I used Swiss Meringue Buttercream in mocha flavor and the cake is the regular sponge cake. I know I need to practice icing the cake because it looks like a little wobbly but let me tell you, this one tastes like the one made from Goldilocks. Here is the finished product.

Enjoy!

On Pinoy food

I moved to Canada in 2003 and the thing that I miss the most is Pinoy food. My philosophy when it comes to food is if I love that food so much, I need to learn how to cook it. Of course there are some food that are so hard to imitate. In that case, I've got to leave it to the experts. But for everyday meals, I always try new things so that my family will not get sick eating the same thing over and over again.
Since I have been posting the food I cook or make for the past few years in facebook, I've decided to share with you some of the best Pinoy foods I made. Please forgive me if some of the photos have poor quality. I dont own a fancy camera for that. All I have is my trusty Iphone to capture all these beautiful works of art. So without further ado, here are some of my favorites.