tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43700716091557086402024-03-13T10:58:30.560-07:00The Solo HomemakersThoughts and ideas of a single mother and a single freelancer. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-73956054713427450742015-01-11T12:55:00.001-08:002015-01-11T12:58:18.879-08:00Garden Project 2: Growing Arugula Lettuce<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QelZvwRxtZs/VLLh2ckaJOI/AAAAAAAAAqM/3hx7r6q3VY0/s1600/DSC_2416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QelZvwRxtZs/VLLh2ckaJOI/AAAAAAAAAqM/3hx7r6q3VY0/s1600/DSC_2416.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arugula planted on improvised planter made from an old Pepsi crate.<br />
Behind my arugula are mature Cos lettuces that I am growing for seeds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Working in the
garden is a task that I enjoy the most. It is therapeutic and also healthy
because I can eat organic produce anytime of the day. Around the same time I
planted my <a href="http://thesolohomemaker.blogspot.com/2015/01/garden-project-1-growing-black-rose.html" target="_blank">Black Rose lettuce</a>, I also planted some Arugula seeds that I got
from an online seller. Honestly, I have never tasted arugula before but after
watching so many cooking shows that featured this leafy green, I was convinced
that it must the most delicious leafy green ever.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cQQoAbHjiW8/VLLh2eUiXSI/AAAAAAAAAqI/jbee_vTpS4E/s1600/arugula.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cQQoAbHjiW8/VLLh2eUiXSI/AAAAAAAAAqI/jbee_vTpS4E/s1600/arugula.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young arugula seedling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Arugula is
another variety of lettuce. But unlike its other relatives, arugula has thicker
leaves and stalks. It is never a delicate plant and it grows well on any types
of soil but it prefers rich loamy earth.
What I love about this plant is that it is not prone to any insect
attacks so you don’t have to worry about spraying insecticides on them. You
also need to water it at least once a day but twice during the summer months. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The best thing
I like about this vegetable is that you can continuously pick the leaves as the
plant continuously grows. I never seem to run out of arugula leaves even if I
pick them every other day. I have already used arugula for my soups. In fact, I
love to put arugula on <i>sinigang </i>(sour
soup) or your regular <i>law-oy </i>(vegetable
soup). On the other hand, I would never dare eat it raw. Well, I did try
putting a few leaves on my tomato sandwich but I have to spit it out. I guess I
really don’t like its strong nutty taste as it is a bit overpowering for me. I
have yet to try making arugula leaves into pesto but I think I will do it once
they start to flower. That way, I can save the leaves which will eventually
wilt and fall off the plants but I will
also get seeds which I can use to grow more arugula. The problem is, I have to
hustle and free more space in my garden for future planting activities.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-52318074938391032372015-01-05T18:58:00.003-08:002015-01-11T13:01:10.453-08:00Garden Project 1- Growing Black Rose Lettuce<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFB-SpoE6Ak/VKtMPZY36jI/AAAAAAAAApw/4RQcL_8_hRQ/s1600/DSC_2418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFB-SpoE6Ak/VKtMPZY36jI/AAAAAAAAApw/4RQcL_8_hRQ/s1600/DSC_2418.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Rose lettuce planted on a raised bed and its neighbors<br />
purple sweet potatoes (kamote tops) and malabar nightshade (alugbati) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Lettuce is an
annual plant that belongs to the daisy family. It is grown as a vegetable leaf
and it is not only used as an ingredient in making different types of
food.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">There are different types of varieties
of lettuce and recently, I have planted a variety called Black Rose which is
characterized by leaves having deep burgundy color.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Black Rose
lettuce looks very attractive with its colored loose leaves. It has a crisp yet
slightly bitter taste that adds interesting flavor in salad dishes. I enjoy the
Black Rose as a lettuce wrap which adds crunch to the food. Aside from using the leaves in salad, I also
use them for soups and any kinds of dishes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J486mjVvVz0/VKtLl6Ty1dI/AAAAAAAAApY/Xcl3GU0FTIA/s1600/black%2Brose%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J486mjVvVz0/VKtLl6Ty1dI/AAAAAAAAApY/Xcl3GU0FTIA/s1600/black%2Brose%2B3.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Rose lettuce seedlings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQ86shkTlwk/VKtLkj0_m1I/AAAAAAAAApQ/tCH1vdLsiJQ/s1600/black%2Brose%2B%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQ86shkTlwk/VKtLkj0_m1I/AAAAAAAAApQ/tCH1vdLsiJQ/s1600/black%2Brose%2B%2B1.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of young Black Rose lettuce. They first appear green but develop into <br />
deep burgundy after a few weeks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
This particular variety of lettuce is very sturdy and it grows well in any types of soil. I planted several on slightly clay soil mixed with plant ash and they grew well. They also thrive well
on rich loamy soil. This particular
type of lettuce prefers to grow in areas where it can get a lot of sunlight.
Although they also grow well in shaded areas, they do not develop that rich
burgundy color and are not as bitter as those raised under the sun. </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9xyUU9QXnd4/VKtMN9HWqJI/AAAAAAAAApo/WLepL9aMLxk/s1600/DSC_2417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9xyUU9QXnd4/VKtMN9HWqJI/AAAAAAAAApo/WLepL9aMLxk/s1600/DSC_2417.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transplanted stunted Black Rose lettuce (bottom) which were originally planted in small pots. Its neighbors <br />
arugula (upper right) and variegated lemon (upper left) looked very healthy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background: white;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GmfUsxdkGNY/VKtMFRJ6xFI/AAAAAAAAApg/FYM3_8pIGbg/s1600/DSC_2419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GmfUsxdkGNY/VKtMFRJ6xFI/AAAAAAAAApg/FYM3_8pIGbg/s1600/DSC_2419.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Budding Black Rose lettuce. I will have more seeds soon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jwTVyAzGigU/VKtMWgXSbSI/AAAAAAAAAp4/pfYUuaLmpZU/s1600/DSC_2433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jwTVyAzGigU/VKtMWgXSbSI/AAAAAAAAAp4/pfYUuaLmpZU/s1600/DSC_2433.jpg" height="276" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Rose lettuce in a pot made from a 5-gallon mineral bottled water. It does not have a deep burgundy red color as it is planted in the shade. I have yet to transplant if I can find space in the garden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">When planting
this lettuce, make sure that you do not plant them on small containers. I
noticed mine getting stunted so I transferred them on to the my raised bed and
they somehow recovered. Lastly, what I
love about them is that they add color
in the garden.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-38796226673581332602014-10-06T22:51:00.000-07:002014-10-06T22:55:40.018-07:00Blueberry Crumb Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z43YCnRl3ig/VDN8Wp2b6jI/AAAAAAAAAo4/s5S5vTxgDqs/s1600/blueberry2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z43YCnRl3ig/VDN8Wp2b6jI/AAAAAAAAAo4/s5S5vTxgDqs/s1600/blueberry2.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Blueberries
are not common in tropical Philippines and getting them fresh is a rare treat.
So </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">instead of getting them fresh, you’ll
just have to contend yourself with those preserved in cans. So what would you
do if someone gave you a can of blueberry preserved?</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Most people make canned blueberry preserves
to cheesecakes. Blueberry is not a common ingredient in Filipino cuisine so the
things people make out of them are limited to</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">cheesecakes</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">and muffins. There are many desserts that you can make from fresh or canned blueberries. Making desserts using blueberries does not require you to buy expensive ingredients just so you can make something delectable.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Here’s</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">a blueberry recipe that requires very common ingredients that you would want
to make one at home today. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blueberry Crumb Cake<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 egg<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup softened
butter<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 cups
all-purpose flour<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon
baking powder<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup white
sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">¼ teaspoon
salt<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 cups
blueberry preserves, mashed<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat the
oven to 175 degrees Celsius.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a bowl, mix
together sugar, flour and baking powder. Add the salt while mixing the
ingredients together. Blend in the softened butter and egg and use a fork to
blend the flour mixture together. The dough should be crumbly. Divide the dough
into two equal parts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Grease a 9X13
inch cake pan. Put half of the dough on the greased pan. Spread the blueberry
preserves over the dough generously.
Crumble the remaining dough on top of the blueberry layer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bake in the
preheated oven for at least 45 minutes or until the crumb top layer turns
slightly brown. Cool before cutting them into squares. Put blueberry preserved on top for added
color and flavor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_i9dEU5MDbI/VDN8c75P0PI/AAAAAAAAApA/q6ynREAR_F4/s1600/STRAWBERRY%2BSTREUSSEL%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_i9dEU5MDbI/VDN8c75P0PI/AAAAAAAAApA/q6ynREAR_F4/s1600/STRAWBERRY%2BSTREUSSEL%2B1.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Note: If you
notice, I didn’t put sugar on the blueberry preserves because they are already
sweet. This is a very simple recipe and anyone who has flour, sugar, baking
soda and butter can make this at home. This dessert is not too sweet that you can eat a lot of them without making your taste buds bored. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The best thing about crumb cakes is that you can use other types of fruits instead of blueberries. You can replace blueberry with strawberries or mango puree. I have yet to try mango crumb cake but I bet it would taste divine and it is cheaper too. ^^,</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-64742031510040793702014-09-27T05:36:00.000-07:002014-09-27T05:41:16.898-07:00My Hydrangea Is About To Bloom<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EfPLYMjtZV8/VCatln83p1I/AAAAAAAAAoo/c-yHgPsY2nM/s1600/HYDRANGEAS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EfPLYMjtZV8/VCatln83p1I/AAAAAAAAAoo/c-yHgPsY2nM/s1600/HYDRANGEAS1.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My potted (literally on a pot) hydrangea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am a big fan of hydrangeas which is also called million flowers or milflores by many people. I chanced upon a flower vendor outside the entrance of a large shopping mall in Uyanguren Street selling different kinds of plants including hydrangeas. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was at first hesitant to buy it because I am not sure if it will blossom in the kind of weather that Davao City. I testily told him maybe he grew it in the boondocks where the temperature is colder but he insisted that he grew it in the city and that his garden is just near the shopping mall. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
He was really bent on selling me the plant and he kept on pushing me to buy two of them but I declined and only bought one. The thing is, I have never seen a hydrangea successfully growing in the hot lowland regions in the Philippines but I could be wrong with my assumptions. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Moreover, I have doubts whether this plant will bloom anyway considering that most literature indicated that it prefers colder temperatures. However, I was so hooked on the idea of owning my very own potted hydrangea that I was willing to be conned. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWIppejtPb4/VCati3SBJ7I/AAAAAAAAAog/oNHXX8Ffdag/s1600/hydrangea%2Bbuds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWIppejtPb4/VCati3SBJ7I/AAAAAAAAAog/oNHXX8Ffdag/s1600/hydrangea%2Bbuds.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small flowers peeking through the leaves! <br />
I can't wait for them to turn blue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now, I regretted for my prejudice against the plant vendor for thinking that he is a conman because my hydrangea plant is about to bloom. If I can see him again during my next visit in that mall, I'll definitely buy potted plants from him and I hope he still has several hydrangeas. This is one of the ways that I can make up to him for thinking something bad about him. Well, he really doesn't know about it but this is just my excuse to buying more plants. Haha!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-20921164368305613562014-09-25T19:45:00.002-07:002014-09-27T05:43:48.671-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Radishes Growing In The Garden<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XGiU5aM9nkc/VCTO6UHLXKI/AAAAAAAAAoA/fnWCmxmMQac/s1600/radish5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GR8I3Ehs_zU/VCTO89iNWZI/AAAAAAAAAoI/k55uSLE8mjs/s1600/radish4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GR8I3Ehs_zU/VCTO89iNWZI/AAAAAAAAAoI/k55uSLE8mjs/s1600/radish4.jpg" height="320" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The small radish plot in my backyard garden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A lot of things have happened since I last posted in this blog. Most of them trivial while some of them were big. But I am just glad to pick up on my writing again. Anyway, I got a seed
packet from a cousin a few months ago and she told me her daughter bought it
from a seed vendor who visited her school. Since she does not have any space in
her house to plant them, she gave the seed packet to me instead. The seeds were
spray painted blue so I was not sure that they would grow. Sorry, I did not have any pictures of them while they were sprouting. </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="text-align: start;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fast forward today, I was able to grow the radishes (both in pots and in a small garden plot) and I am also growing two of them for seeds. Honestly, I never really liked the taste of radishes. They have this strong and spicy taste on them but after eating a handful of my harvest each day, I can now tolerate the taste. I have planted my radishes near the compost pile so they grow very big leaves and ample-sized tubers.But since I live in the tropics and my house is only five meters above sea level, will I ever be able to grow gigantic radishes I often find in cold regions? Nevertheless, I am so contented with what I have.</span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XGiU5aM9nkc/VCTO6UHLXKI/AAAAAAAAAoA/fnWCmxmMQac/s1600/radish5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XGiU5aM9nkc/VCTO6UHLXKI/AAAAAAAAAoA/fnWCmxmMQac/s1600/radish5.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my radishes growing in the dirt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tsO9Z0W5E8A/VCTO1MGV81I/AAAAAAAAAn4/0Zs-fh4IgK8/s1600/radish1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tsO9Z0W5E8A/VCTO1MGV81I/AAAAAAAAAn4/0Zs-fh4IgK8/s1600/radish1.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two types of leaves my radish seed packet produced: I suspect the right one as a<br />
Daikon variety but I couldn't be too sure. Radish leaves are also great in <br />
stir fry or, at least, that's what my taste buds said. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yU5njwPlfa8/VCTOuMZp0YI/AAAAAAAAAno/aNjDQYDtl0k/s1600/radish2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yU5njwPlfa8/VCTOuMZp0YI/AAAAAAAAAno/aNjDQYDtl0k/s1600/radish2.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am growing this radish for seeds. I have yet to try out whether I should harvest <br />
the pods or let them dry up while still attached on the plant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y-NzUcUQP4c/VCTOu9GmsSI/AAAAAAAAAnw/7vK9c-ODby4/s1600/radish3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y-NzUcUQP4c/VCTOu9GmsSI/AAAAAAAAAnw/7vK9c-ODby4/s1600/radish3.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flowers and pods of radishes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">I am excited to make seeds from them so that I can continue growing radishes in the future and may harvest everyday. But since my supply is still not enough, I still get radishes from the local market. I just hope I won't get too lazy to continue what I have started and so last week, I bought more seeds from a supplier I found online and I will be busy in the garden from now on (hopefully). I might also be busy with this blog starting today, too, to document my gardening adventures. </span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-56373311843794965152014-05-23T05:44:00.000-07:002014-05-23T05:44:45.717-07:00Keep Calm And Start A Garden<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yOb8EQrko-4/U383nJtbK-I/AAAAAAAAAl8/sfdNx19t3FM/s1600/DSC_1693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yOb8EQrko-4/U383nJtbK-I/AAAAAAAAAl8/sfdNx19t3FM/s1600/DSC_1693.JPG" height="273" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZnJkaa7WO3Q/U383orDpAxI/AAAAAAAAAmA/NIGOQEQFrbA/s1600/DSC_2153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZnJkaa7WO3Q/U383orDpAxI/AAAAAAAAAmA/NIGOQEQFrbA/s1600/DSC_2153.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not everything
that I do is spent on work and in the kitchen. I am also a person who loves
digging dirt on the ground and watch things grow from it. As much as I would like to spend my time in
the garden, I do have other pressing things that I need to attend to. Unfortunately,
I haven’t done a lot of things except
plant seedlings haphazardly within its limited space. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Growing my own
garden started out as a need to create a space where I can seek solace. It is a
great therapy for me to work surrounded by greeneries. I also started this
garden so that I can grow my own organic fresh produce and shorten my trips to
the market but I have yet to achieve this particular goal because I am still
starting out. Deciding which vegetables I should grow and mustering the courage
to destroy my mom’s not-so manicured lawn can be tough.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsMLd2CetFQ/U383bOdzN7I/AAAAAAAAAl0/wonaT2_aMDM/s1600/DSC_2167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsMLd2CetFQ/U383bOdzN7I/AAAAAAAAAl0/wonaT2_aMDM/s1600/DSC_2167.jpg" height="136" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although my
vegetables are still growing and I am not yet really enjoying fresh produce, I
can say that I am starting to love my garden and so does my daughter. What I do
have now are several <i>Zinnia </i>plants
that my daughter loves collecting everyday to make rustic floral arrangement in
the kitchen. I also have several edible leaves like sweet potatoes, water
spinach, cos lettuce, turmeric, okra, peppers and a few baby corn ears. I am so
excited to take pictures of my weekly harvest. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5x2JwNGhZP8/U383x62-NZI/AAAAAAAAAmM/zM1WJ7Esc4M/s1600/DSC_2169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5x2JwNGhZP8/U383x62-NZI/AAAAAAAAAmM/zM1WJ7Esc4M/s1600/DSC_2169.jpg" height="136" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’d like to
see my garden grow soon and I hope that</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> it is not just some passing fancy that I have just like the other projects
that I have started. I still have a lot of
plans and I am still starting my journey
but blogging about it will definitely help me keep track on my gardening
journey. Besides, I get to see these cute boots everyday too. I wonder if I can
buy adult sizes for it.</span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-54923459337019529812014-05-22T06:45:00.000-07:002014-05-22T06:53:35.839-07:00Yema Roll Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q6Y0WvxnxFA/U337zalIDQI/AAAAAAAAAlg/d2YfNz65LaU/s1600/DSC_2128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q6Y0WvxnxFA/U337zalIDQI/AAAAAAAAAlg/d2YfNz65LaU/s1600/DSC_2128.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DyCZq0xvR_I/U337pmCL1ZI/AAAAAAAAAlM/Ezca4kSA6Zk/s1600/DSC_2107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DyCZq0xvR_I/U337pmCL1ZI/AAAAAAAAAlM/Ezca4kSA6Zk/s1600/DSC_2107.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is
something about making cakes that make me happy (probably it is the sugar rush
that I get after eating them). A week
ago, I tried this cake recipe after an old colleague introduced me to it. As
chocolate cake no longer appeals to me, I am now trying different kinds of cake
recipes to update my palate. I am not sure if this is an old cake recipe or a
new one but it’s called <i>yema </i>cake
which, I believe, is a mash up of sponge cake and <i>yema.</i> Yema is sort of custard candy that is overloaded with
sugar as it is made from reduced
condensed milk, eggs and butter. It is one of the most sinful cakes I have ever
tasted. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">As a child, I
really enjoyed eating </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">yema</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">. I
remember when a cousin of ours made </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">yema</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">
candies and would ask us to sell them in school at 50 cents each but we never
get to sell them because we would eat the merchandise before we even arrive in
school. Looking back, I have many fond memories of this sweet comfort food and </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">yema </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">cake brings back these nostalgic
memories. So for this cake recipe, here are the ingredients and procedures.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recipe For Sponge Cake <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup cake
flour <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tbsp baking
powder <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4 eggs <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2/3 cup white
sugar <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Recipe For Yema Frosting</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<span style="background-color: white;">3 tbsp unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">1 can condensed milk</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">3 egg yolks</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">cheddar cheese (optional)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sponge Cake</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat the
oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a baking sheet pan and line it with wax paper. Set aside while
you are preparing the cake recipe.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Beat the eggs
and sugar in a large bowl for six minutes until the mixture becomes pale and
triples in volume. Sift flour over the egg mixture and fold it using a spatula
until combined.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pour the cake
mixture to the baking sheet pan prepared earlier. Spread the batter using a
spatula. Tap the pan three times on the kitchen counter to remove the air
bubbles. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cake have shrunk away from the
sides of the pan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let it cool
for an hour. Meanwhile, prepare the <i>yema
frosting.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yema Frosting<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j86_yPIvIiA/U337qHNlPQI/AAAAAAAAAlU/fFRwLoSMneA/s1600/DSC_2087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j86_yPIvIiA/U337qHNlPQI/AAAAAAAAAlU/fFRwLoSMneA/s1600/DSC_2087.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Place the
butter in a shallow pan and melt using low to medium heat flame. Add the
condensed milk and let it simmer for three minutes while stirring
constantly. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Add the egg
yolks and continue stirring the mixture. Continue mixing until the mixture for
five more minutes or until you notice reduction of the mixture’s volume. Make
sure that the mixture is not to dry otherwise it will easily harden on top of
the cake. Set aside. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Assembling The Cake<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hrvzn-K-0n4/U337pj6kBVI/AAAAAAAAAlI/j8q5HSSClDo/s1600/DSC_2100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hrvzn-K-0n4/U337pj6kBVI/AAAAAAAAAlI/j8q5HSSClDo/s1600/DSC_2100.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cut a diagonal
line from one of the long side of the cake to make it easier for you to roll the
cake later. You</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> need to start rolling
from this side.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spread the
frosting on ¾ of the cake. Leave the side with the diagonal edge free from any
frosting. Use a spatula to spread the
frosting evenly on the surface of the sheet cake. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Carefully
remove the wax paper by peeling it gently from one side. Use a new wax paper to hold the roll cake
together. Store in the fridge so that it will
easily form into a roll. Unwrap it from the wax paper and add the
frosting on top of the cake. Sprinkle with cheese for additional flavor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Note: </b> The saltiness of the cheese brings out the
sweetness of the <i>yema </i>frosting. I
have to warn you that making <i>yema </i>can
be a painstaking process. All the stirring made my hands go numb! Nevertheless, eating a slice of this cake is
the best reward that you can give yourself after preparing this cake. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-57705973060273680092014-05-19T17:32:00.000-07:002014-05-19T17:32:06.779-07:00Watermelon Rind Candy<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QQouy9khp-E/U3oQ3gTsKfI/AAAAAAAAAko/Cg-jp1w7blo/s1600/DSC_2067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QQouy9khp-E/U3oQ3gTsKfI/AAAAAAAAAko/Cg-jp1w7blo/s1600/DSC_2067.jpg" height="274" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Watermelon is a simple fruit but I just can’t get enough of this fruit. This is the reason why I
decided to make use of every part of this fruit to make something unusual –
yes, unusual – but delicious recipe. Here’s another nifty way to upcycle
watermelon rinds that you would normally throw into the trash bin. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GerSFnJrE2w/U3oQ5-GEOeI/AAAAAAAAAk4/DzaeK4MZK4E/s1600/DSC_2047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GerSFnJrE2w/U3oQ5-GEOeI/AAAAAAAAAk4/DzaeK4MZK4E/s1600/DSC_2047.jpg" height="136" width="200" /></a><u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Watermelon
Rind Candy <o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup sliced
watermelon rinds, peeled<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1cup white sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup water<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Extra sugar
for coating<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uiXp6JOO5Jg/U3oQ4IorieI/AAAAAAAAAks/mrNI0uzdH74/s1600/DSC_2075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uiXp6JOO5Jg/U3oQ4IorieI/AAAAAAAAAks/mrNI0uzdH74/s1600/DSC_2075.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Place the
peeled watermelon rinds in a small saucepan together with 1 cup water and
sugar. Bring to a boil until the watermelon rinds become translucent. Let it
cool for an hour before you transfer it to a tray. I used baking sheet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Place it under
the sun to dry for two days. To protect it against dust, ants and even bird
droppings, cover the tray with a ceram wrap. That way, your watermelon rinds
will dry up hygienically. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After two
days, pour the dried watermelon rinds into a bowl of white sugar. The sugar
will absorb whatever moisture left on the rinds. Let it stand overnight for the
sugar to crystallize on the surface of the rinds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can also
use this recipe to make candied lemon and oranges. This recipe is sickeningly sweet but it is a
great way to use your seemingly useless watermelon rinds. Although this may be
the case, I think this is still a better snack compared to giving your kids
factory-made lollipops that are laden with artificial sugar and sweetener.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-53335781078365608072014-05-14T18:42:00.003-07:002014-05-14T18:48:04.967-07:00Watermelon Pickles (Atchara)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJdPt4oUJzg/U3QY2dI2SjI/AAAAAAAAAkU/7j6p3kOQJeM/s1600/DSC_2083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJdPt4oUJzg/U3QY2dI2SjI/AAAAAAAAAkU/7j6p3kOQJeM/s1600/DSC_2083.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N18mOU2H17k/U3QYluhN8xI/AAAAAAAAAkM/384n44WPPSw/s1600/DSC_2079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N18mOU2H17k/U3QYluhN8xI/AAAAAAAAAkM/384n44WPPSw/s1600/DSC_2079.jpg" height="135" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I LOVE
PICKLES. Well, papaya </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">atchara </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">to be
exact. I tried a pickle recipe the other day and instead of using unripe
papayas, I used watermelon rinds instead because apparently, that’s all I have
in the fridge. Honestly, I have never thought about using watermelon rinds to make
food because I always throw them out after enjoying the red juicy flesh. However, the thought about making something out them crossed my mind most of the time. I was
wondering what I can do with them aside from throwing them out. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">In any case, I was craving for </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">atchara </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">(Filipino pickles) the other day
that was why I decided to save the watermelon rinds that day to make pickles in
the afternoon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Making
watermelon pickles is really easy but I decided to make a small batch of it
just for precaution. I wouldn’t want to throw heaps of pickles to the compost so
I julienned some of it and the other
half, I made into dried watermelon candies. The recipe for the watermelon candy
will be posted some other time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3hKgIHpRb8k/U3QYfhGclUI/AAAAAAAAAj8/Fq9mSgI8Qxs/s1600/DSC_2050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3hKgIHpRb8k/U3QYfhGclUI/AAAAAAAAAj8/Fq9mSgI8Qxs/s1600/DSC_2050.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N18mOU2H17k/U3QYluhN8xI/AAAAAAAAAkM/384n44WPPSw/s1600/DSC_2079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Watermelon
Pickles <o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup peeled watermelon
rind, julienned<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup carrot,
julienned<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 bulb onion,
sliced thinly<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5 cloves
garlic, sliced thinly<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 large bell
pepper, julienned<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">¼ cup salt<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup white
vinegar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/3 cup sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Peppercorn<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bay leaves<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Basil seeds
(optional)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5fagiDlppz0/U3QYjpCnwXI/AAAAAAAAAkE/jKpmGHhzzHE/s1600/DSC_2081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5fagiDlppz0/U3QYjpCnwXI/AAAAAAAAAkE/jKpmGHhzzHE/s1600/DSC_2081.jpg" height="136" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Soak the
julienned watermelon in ¼ cup salt
overnight. This is your brine solution.
The next day, rinse the watermelon and squeeze it to dry using a cheese cloth.
Set aside<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On a separate
pan, pour vinegar, sugar and ½ tsp salt and bring to a simmer until the sugar
and salt dissolves. Turn off the pan and
let the mixture cool before adding the vegetables, spices and the watermelon
rinds. Store in fridge for 24 hours or longer before eating.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Watermelon
pickles are unheard of by most Filipinos and to tell you the truth, I was a bit
hesitant about eating the vinegar-soaked julienned watermelon rind. I find it
even tastier and more aromatic than papaya pickles. It has some slightly rosy
aroma to it and it is crunchier than your usual papaya pickles. I can’t wait to
upcycle more watermelon rinds in the future. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-2329457621190806432014-04-14T14:38:00.001-07:002014-04-19T06:48:15.986-07:00Spaghetti Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g91MCa2bsV8/U0xTJMDDIEI/AAAAAAAAAjU/uFdu59NN9gY/s1600/DSC_1958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g91MCa2bsV8/U0xTJMDDIEI/AAAAAAAAAjU/uFdu59NN9gY/s1600/DSC_1958.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is
supposed to be posted after April Fools Day but apparently, I have been hanging
out lately with my best friend PROCRASTINATION. Recently, I have been hooked in
looking at YouTube videos about making desserts that look like savory dishes like
hamburgers made from cookies (you get the idea) . There are tons of videos in
YouTube that shows tutorials on how to make them and feeling inspired, I made
this spaghetti cake last week.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zmGBkqDChXA/U0xTJ-FQElI/AAAAAAAAAjk/VticQoJ62gA/s1600/DSC_1976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JU1OgxbmJOA/U0xTJAwl2II/AAAAAAAAAjY/1Xpp-KOm9wk/s1600/DSC_1960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JU1OgxbmJOA/U0xTJAwl2II/AAAAAAAAAjY/1Xpp-KOm9wk/s1600/DSC_1960.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JU1OgxbmJOA/U0xTJAwl2II/AAAAAAAAAjY/1Xpp-KOm9wk/s1600/DSC_1960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Assembling
this cake is easy and you really do not </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">need to follow an exact recipe. You can
make </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">your cake and your frosting from scratch or you can buy them from the
grocery – whichever works best for you. For this cake I used the following ingredients
to assemble this cake.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spaghetti Cake<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Scraps of leftover
vanilla cake <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Strawberry jam
for the filling<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Butter cream frosting<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Strawberry gelatin
for the red sauce <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maltesers
chocolates for the meatballs<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mint leaves<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zmGBkqDChXA/U0xTJ-FQElI/AAAAAAAAAjk/VticQoJ62gA/s1600/DSC_1976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zmGBkqDChXA/U0xTJ-FQElI/AAAAAAAAAjk/VticQoJ62gA/s1600/DSC_1976.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Assembling
this cake is so easy and you really just need to rely on your creativity for
this one. Layer the scraps of vanilla cake and put strawberry jam for each
layer. Pipe the butter cream frosting on top of the layered vanilla cake. Put
the cake in the fridge for at least an hour. This will make the butter cream
harden and it will be easier to pour the
strawberry gelatin on top. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After an hour,
put several maltesers on top of the hardened butter cream and slowly pour
cooled strawberry gelatin on top to mimic the tomato sauce. Place inside the
fridge for another hour. For the final presentation, you can add mint leaves or
shavings of </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">white chocolate on top. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Notes:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Make sure
that you put the cake inside the fridge after piping the butter cream. If you
skip this part and directly add your gelatin, the butter cream will melt and
you will end up with a messy cake disaster.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* To create
the textured look for the strawberry gelatin, constantly stir the gelatin to
break to prevent it from forming into a thick sheet. <u><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-57002502720361983222014-01-24T23:03:00.000-08:002014-04-19T06:48:57.749-07:00Bento - 6 Catbus from Tonari no Totoro<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-towCNycl6iI/UuNfuCDvVII/AAAAAAAAAi4/tAqV7H9FCI4/s1600/DSC_1893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-towCNycl6iI/UuNfuCDvVII/AAAAAAAAAi4/tAqV7H9FCI4/s1600/DSC_1893.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I promised myself that I would be more creative this year so I decided to update the <i>bento</i> section in my blog today.
Honestly, I love making bento but my problem is cleaning up afterwards. Since I
am currently experiencing a glorious day, I decided to make something that I have always wanted to make since I
started blogging about my bento creations. If you are a big <i>Ghibli</i> fan like me, then you will
definitely enjoy this one, too.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nbWFdYejCJo/UuNfmxOIt2I/AAAAAAAAAio/ThoDEx4ZHq0/s1600/DSC_1838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nbWFdYejCJo/UuNfmxOIt2I/AAAAAAAAAio/ThoDEx4ZHq0/s1600/DSC_1838.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For this
bento, I made Catbus for <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3934051840/tt0096283?ref_=tt_pv_md_3" target="_blank">Tonari noTotoro</a></i> out of fried spam. The accent on the cat’s body includes potatoes
for the eyes and windows, nori for the stripes and boiled egg for the mouth. I also got chives, spring onions and sweet
potato tops from the garden and made decors and side dishes out of them. For
the flowers, I cut out yellow squash and slightly boiled them in salted water. I
also inserted my sketch so that I will have an idea on what to do once I
assemble the bento. And look, there's also <i>Olaf </i>from Frozen about Catbus' sketch. He's going to be my bento project next. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cooking the
side dishes and the spam took longer than usual. I was
afraid that the spam would break down if I am not too careful in handling
them. I assembled everything on top of boiled rice and used some of the side
dishes to prop the cat’s body. Applying the finishing touches is very easy and
this is the part that I love the most. It looks like cat bus is happily
strolling in the meadow. It is so ironic since it seems that he is the busiest
character in the anime. Below are some pictures on how I assembled the entire bento in the lunchbox.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tOT6qRxY7qI/UuNfxoKwvyI/AAAAAAAAAjA/hDhfXdwEgM4/s1600/catbus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tOT6qRxY7qI/UuNfxoKwvyI/AAAAAAAAAjA/hDhfXdwEgM4/s1600/catbus.jpg" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Honestly, I do
not have the heart to eat any of the bento creations that I make so until now,
my cat bus bento still sits in the fridge. I guess I will have to reheat it
later for dinner but if someone wants to save me the trouble of eating it, then
you are welcome to drop by the house. ^__^</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lkjSxp4D2ro/UuNfr2AAcKI/AAAAAAAAAiw/QR33ZOR1KOc/s1600/DSC_1886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lkjSxp4D2ro/UuNfr2AAcKI/AAAAAAAAAiw/QR33ZOR1KOc/s1600/DSC_1886.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Note: I just realized now that I am missing Catbus' whiskers. Oh well...</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-37739144265926358972014-01-21T02:47:00.000-08:002014-04-19T06:49:30.758-07:00Turmeric Mint Ice Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ONy2lajFAlg/Ut5Ob8laWGI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/rh2OTOrBn4Y/s1600/DSC_1786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ONy2lajFAlg/Ut5Ob8laWGI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/rh2OTOrBn4Y/s1600/DSC_1786.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My yearly
harvest of turmeric yielded more than the usual amount that I need for my
kitchen. So for the excess yellow treasures that I have dug from the
earth, I sliced them up as thinly as I
can manage and dried them under the sun. I was thinking of pounding them so
that they would turn into powder but halfway through the process, I felt a
little lazy so I never really bothered doing anything further to my sun-dried
turmeric.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W8ePq6rcCUo/Ut5OaYzGMuI/AAAAAAAAAiI/LJIR-I--G8Y/s1600/DSC_1684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W8ePq6rcCUo/Ut5OaYzGMuI/AAAAAAAAAiI/LJIR-I--G8Y/s1600/DSC_1684.JPG" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Turmeric is a
popular medicinal plant in the Philippines and most people make tea out of it.
Unfortunately, I am not such a big fan of its earthy taste. The first time I
tasted turmeric tea was a few years ago when I almost embarrassed myself in
front of a colleague for almost puking the concoction she has prepared for me. Although
this may be the case, I still love turmeric but I only use them in small
amounts when preparing savory dishes. Anyway, I was thinking of using them to
make curry and beef <i>rendang</i> in the
future but I still want to try something else. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I often
wondered how turmeric would taste like if I put it in ice cream? So I have a
weird palate but I am not alone. Turmeric has been made into semifreddo or ice
cream by many people all over the world. If you have an adventurous palate,
then you should try making one for yourself.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NoBng--AYVY/Ut5OcoQ7tsI/AAAAAAAAAiU/pPxfsUJemm0/s1600/DSC_1828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Making
turmeric ice cream does not require you to own an ice cream maker. For this
recipe, I tried to use my muscle power to mix the ice cream every two or four
hours so that I would get the same airy and silky consistency that homemade ice
creams have. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Turmeric Ice
Cream Recipe<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tbsp chopped
sun-dried or fresh turmeric* <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A sprig of
peppermint leaves<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup whole
milk<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup all
purpose cream<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">¼ cup sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 egg yolk<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 pinch of
salt<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">whichever is available</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NoBng--AYVY/Ut5OcoQ7tsI/AAAAAAAAAiU/pPxfsUJemm0/s1600/DSC_1828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NoBng--AYVY/Ut5OcoQ7tsI/AAAAAAAAAiU/pPxfsUJemm0/s1600/DSC_1828.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Set the stove
on low heat. In a double boiler, mix together, salt, sugar, whole milk and egg
yolk. Add the </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">turmeric and mint leaves and let the mixture boil slowly. Use a
whisk or a spatula to incorporate the mixture. Stirring constantly avoids the
mixture from sticking and burning on the side of the boiler.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stir the
mixture constantly until the mixture becomes thick. You would know that it is
ready when you see a membrane forming at the back of the spatula when you lift
it. The membrane can easily be scraped off if you run a finger through it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NoBng--AYVY/Ut5OcoQ7tsI/AAAAAAAAAiU/pPxfsUJemm0/s1600/DSC_1828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Strain the
mixture to a deep bowl using a mesh
strainer to remove any clumps from the mixture. Let it cool by submerging half of the bowl in iced water. Mix the all
purpose cream and stir the mixture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Place the mixture
in a container and place it inside the fridge. Since I do not have an ice cream
maker, I have to manually mix everything every two hours. Do this five times or
until the ice cream has doubled in volume. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">Note: </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">And 12
hours or so after a grueling task of mixing the ice cream, it was finally ready.
I was hesitant to taste it at first but after a few spoonfuls of semifreddo was
so delicious that I regretted not making this ice cream before.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-48922944726623271942014-01-09T02:22:00.003-08:002014-01-09T02:38:52.402-08:00Rocky Road Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WtbzY80I-nc/Us53fyUZXDI/AAAAAAAAAho/s05uAH36cE4/s1600/DSC_1630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WtbzY80I-nc/Us53fyUZXDI/AAAAAAAAAho/s05uAH36cE4/s1600/DSC_1630.JPG" height="273" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">I ought to
change the name of this blog into </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">Chocolate
Homemakers</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> since most of my posts are all about chocolate goodies. The
thing is that I really love chocolates and as I have yet to devise a way to
include chocolates in savory dishes, I have to content on making chocolate
sweets for now. Anyway, here’s another chocolate goodness recipe that you will
surely enjoy.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="background-color: white;">
</span><span style="background-color: white;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This recipe is
just a fancy name of brownies. It is called such because it resembles a dirt
road. If you were to ask me, I’d lick on dirt roads anytime if they are made
with chocolates. Haha! Making this recipe is so easy and you don’t need a lot
of skills nor elbow to perfect this recipe.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> You can also add a lot of things in this recipe and, in my case, that would be more chocolates.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">
</span><span style="background-color: white;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="background-color: white;">
</span><u></u>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rocky Road
Bars</span></span></u></u><br />
<u><u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></u></u></div>
<u>
</u><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup butter</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 cups white
sugar</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/3 cup cocoa
powder</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 eggs</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 ½ cups flour</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp salt</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tsp vanilla</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jnTlX3xljcc/Us53htWwhAI/AAAAAAAAAhw/qqQoa6ZPAzI/s1600/DSC_1661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jnTlX3xljcc/Us53htWwhAI/AAAAAAAAAhw/qqQoa6ZPAzI/s1600/DSC_1661.JPG" height="218" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Preheat the
oven to </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">350-degrees Fahrenheit or 177-degrees Celsius.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<o:p><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cream the butter
and sugar using a wire whisk until well blended and until the mixture turns
light. This can be achieved by continually mixing both ingredients for two (2) to
three (3) minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</o:p></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Add the eggs
and cocoa powder gradually to the sugar and cream mixture. Mix until well
blended. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Line an
8”x9”x1.5” baking pan with parchment paper and pour the mixture. Bake for 20 to
25 minutes.</span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let it cool on
a wire rack. While it is cooling, melt white chocolate and pipe it generously
on top of the brownies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have been
cooking a lot of chocolate cookies lately and this is my favorite recipe of all
time. I am just careful about eating too much of it for fear that diabetes
might come early. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. </span></div>
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-28312851659638993742014-01-02T17:43:00.000-08:002014-01-02T17:43:34.479-08:00Millionaire’s Bar <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zkW4L7fVfNw/UsYTt6AVG4I/AAAAAAAAAhY/9tFKRTKej0o/s1600/DSC_1612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zkW4L7fVfNw/UsYTt6AVG4I/AAAAAAAAAhY/9tFKRTKej0o/s400/DSC_1612.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">First post for this year! Woohoo! This year, I'll try write as many blog posts as I can about things that I like and that means more recipes related to my baking, gardening and DIY adventure. Hahaha! I think I'll try to be more creative this year. So I'll start with this post. Speaking of creativity, what makes the
human mind amazing is how it can stretch its creativity to make something new
out of ordinary things. This is also true when it comes to baking. A few days
ago, I wanted to try something new with the usual baking ingredients that I
have in our fridge and so I went ahead and made Millionaire’s Bar.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Making this
cookie bar is very simple and, no, you don’t need to spend millions to make
this cookie bar. What you need are your usual baking ingredients and a little
elbow grease to make this scrumptious dessert.
This particular cookie bar is made up of three parts which include the
shortbread cookie at the bottom, the caramel middle layer and the chocolate
topping. Another great thing about this
recipe is that it does not require you special skills to make them so even
noobs can make them without any help. Below is the recipe of the Millionaire’s
Bar. Since it is made up of three layers, I will try to include the procedure
after the recipe of each layer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shortbread
Cookie Layer<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">250g all-purpose
flour<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">175g butter<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">75g sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Preheat the
oven to </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">350-degrees Fahrenheit or 177-degrees Celsius.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mix together
until well combined. Line an 8”x9”x1.5”
baking pan with parchment paper and pour the mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or
until the crust of the cookie gets a little bit golden brown.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Take it out
from the oven and let it standby while you make the caramel layer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Caramel Layer<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">150g sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">150g butter<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">400g condensed
milk<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HubPWM5bmyE/UsYTm68JUvI/AAAAAAAAAhM/hDS-5ER1hQ0/s1600/DSC_1596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HubPWM5bmyE/UsYTm68JUvI/AAAAAAAAAhM/hDS-5ER1hQ0/s320/DSC_1596.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On a pan over
low flame, melt the butter and add sugar gradually while constantly stirring
the mixture. Add the condensed milk last and stir constantly to prevent the
mixture from burning or from sticking on the pan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do not wait
for the caramel layer to cool down.
Using a rubber spatula, pour an ample amount of caramel bar on top of the
cooled cookie dough. Let it cool for 20 or 30 minutes before you proceed making
the chocolate topping.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MWRyPq4adLk/UsYTmIcfMuI/AAAAAAAAAhI/3nCDKzOVOr4/s1600/DSC_1576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MWRyPq4adLk/UsYTmIcfMuI/AAAAAAAAAhI/3nCDKzOVOr4/s320/DSC_1576.JPG" width="217" /></a><u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate
Topping<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup sweetened
chocolate chips (can be substituted with chocolate bar)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Melt the
chocolate on a double boiler. Once the
chocolates have melted, you can pour it over the cookie bar. Let it cool in the
fridge for several hours before you cut it into squares. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Making the Millionaire’s Bar is very easy but
it requires a lot of time before you can sink in your teeth onto it but the
time spent in baking is definitely worth while. Enjoy!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-48974344580807632812013-12-27T18:31:00.000-08:002014-01-02T17:44:36.567-08:00Blondies Bar: A Delicious Failperiment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LRO-qLWJ4pw/Ur41-amVSrI/AAAAAAAAAgk/O-mXmh65JMk/s1600/DSC_1383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LRO-qLWJ4pw/Ur41-amVSrI/AAAAAAAAAgk/O-mXmh65JMk/s400/DSC_1383.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The reason why
I love making cookie bars is that you can never go wrong with them or if you
do, you can make something out of your <i>failperiment</i>.
This is one of those days when I decided to make brownies but ended up realizing
that – oops! I do not have any chocolates at all. What I have in the kitchen
are the usual stuffs – flour, sugar, leftover butter, eggs, baking soda and peanuts. And since
everyone in the house is craving for sweets, I made pale brownies instead. Is
there such a thing?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is very
easy to make a chewy and tasty dessert out of your common kitchen ingredients. And
even if I don’t have any chocolates, I can turn my brownies into something else
–Blondies! Also called, butterscotch bar, this recipe is so simple that you can
make it even with your eyes closed and if you have better creativity than me,
you can also make your very own version of this sweet dessert. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Originally,
butterscotch should contain pecans but since I prefer to bake goodies using
items that I can find inside the house, I substituted pecans with peanuts
instead. But honestly, pecans are a bit expensive here so I used peanuts instead
but other types of nuts can be used as some people are allergic to them.
Moreover, the original recipe calls for white chocolates but for this version,
I omitted it as well. Here’s the recipe below.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blondies Bars<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Raw or roasted
peanuts (optional)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Chopped raising (optional)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Icing sugar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ cup butter<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup flour
(all-purpose)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">¼ tsp salt<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">¼ tsp baking
soda<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Egg<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">½</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> cup white sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp vanilla
extract<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat the oven to
350-degrees Fahrenheit or 177-degrees Celsius.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a saucepan, melt the
butter and let it cool to room temperature. Set aside. On another bowl, mix the
flour, baking soda and salt. Make sure to incorporate all the dry ingredients
well. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you have an electric
mixer, beat eggs and sugar until the mixture becomes light and frothy. You can
also whisk it by hand for three to five minutes. Add the vanilla extract and the melted butter.
Incorporate the ingredients and beat in
the flour mixture. Lastly, add the chopped raisins into the mixture. Mix well by hand or by your electric mixer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pVDO2oK22ig/Ur41-nmhrBI/AAAAAAAAAgo/X3FTDtNjC80/s1600/DSC_1388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pVDO2oK22ig/Ur41-nmhrBI/AAAAAAAAAgo/X3FTDtNjC80/s400/DSC_1388.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pour the batter into a
prepared pan (sprayed with cooking oil) and smoothen the top. You can also tap
the pan three times on your kitchen counter to release the air trapped in the
batter. Put inside the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick
inserted in the middle of the batter comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool on a
wire rack.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Note: You can sprinkle peanuts on top 10
minutes after putting the batter inside the oven. I also dusted the top with icing sugar. I decided to reduce the amount of sugar used in my recipe (the original recipe calls for 3/4 cup of sugar) but since I am adding raisins and icing sugar on top, that would have made my blondies too sweet to my liking. Anyway, I do not know if this is still a blondies bar because I made a lot of modifications in the recipe but it tastes great!</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-43287338418390903142013-12-16T23:20:00.001-08:002013-12-16T23:24:38.353-08:00Chocolate Chip S'mores Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-brqmJ1wmQOY/Uq_5jPsxlVI/AAAAAAAAAgE/Wrq08QVDKy8/s1600/DSC_1524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-brqmJ1wmQOY/Uq_5jPsxlVI/AAAAAAAAAgE/Wrq08QVDKy8/s400/DSC_1524.jpg" width="272" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have a habit of stocking
up on graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate chips during the holiday to
make my favorite no-bake mango float, hot chocolate and choco chip cookies
respectively. So what do you do if you have several leftovers of these
ingredients? Make s’mores, of course!
Hey, that rhymes! Cool!</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">S’mores is the perfect snack for summer nights
and campfire (at least that’s my opinion) but in reality they can be eaten anytime
of the year. I am not really a big fan
of campfires but I do love eating s’mores. This recipe is a great way for you
to recycle leftover scraps from your holiday menu to make a treat that kids and
those who are young at heart will surely enjoy. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate Chip S’mores
Bars<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup flour<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ tsp salt<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ tsp baking soda<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ cup softened butter
(unsalted)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 egg<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">¾ cup sugar <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp vanilla extract<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3/4cup graham cracker
crumbs<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup chocolate chips<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">marshmallows for topping<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat the oven to
350-degrees Fahrenheit. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">In a bowl, combine the dry
ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda). Separately on another bowl, beat
together the brown sugar and butter until the mixture becomes light. You can
beat the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add
the graham cracker crumbs and the flour mixture. Add the chocolate chips last.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YPIAoqkNMcA/Uq_5joLR-0I/AAAAAAAAAgI/rJfSaVU9zbc/s1600/DSC_1533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YPIAoqkNMcA/Uq_5joLR-0I/AAAAAAAAAgI/rJfSaVU9zbc/s400/DSC_1533.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Grease a
baking pan and pour the mixture evenly. Add marshmallows on top. Bake for 10
minutes or until the marshmallow turns into a light brown color. Turn the oven
off and add more chocolate chips on top. Let it stay in the oven for a few
minutes until the chocolate chips have melted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9WEE3lf3XwM/Uq_5kcJOd0I/AAAAAAAAAgQ/iGrw1MP_GTU/s400/DSC_1540.jpg" width="400" /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Note: </b> You can use less sugar as indicated in this
recipe if you are not such a sweet tooth yourself. On the other hand, you can
use the boiler setting of your oven to toast the marshmallow. You can also top
the s’mores with more chocolates.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-70443261060929443492013-12-14T23:13:00.002-08:002013-12-14T23:18:32.370-08:00Chocolate Crinkles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-svbvNbvP4xM/Uq1VsxakuCI/AAAAAAAAAfs/Auf4TLvGoKw/s1600/DSC_1473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-svbvNbvP4xM/Uq1VsxakuCI/AAAAAAAAAfs/Auf4TLvGoKw/s400/DSC_1473.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate crinkles are my
all-time favorites. I remembered how I used to buy them in packs from our local
bakeshop at the corner of our neighborhood. Now that I am a full-time mom
working at home as a freelancer, I have
some time to spare making this homemade goodness for my daughter to take
to school (and also for the adults to munch on during afternoon coffee). Making
them is easy but it requires several hours to cool the mixture so that it can
easily take its <i>wrinkled</i> look.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate Crinkles<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8 oz semisweet chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4tbsp softened butter<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 eggs<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ cup white sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tsp vanilla<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 ½ cups flour<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ tsp baking powder<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">½ tsp salt<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">confectioners sugar for
dusting<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Melt butter and chocolate
in a bowl. Set aside and let it cool. In another bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until it turns fluffy and
light in color. It usually takes three (3) to five (5) minutes to achieve this
consistency. Beat in vanilla and add the cooled chocolate mixture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On a separate bowl, mix
the dry ingredients and add it to the
chocolate mixture. Mix well and put inside the fridge for an hour or overnight.
After the mixture has already been chilled, roll it into balls and coat it with
the confectioners sugar. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mFc_wn4ZYKE/Uq1Vt75wnVI/AAAAAAAAAf0/KaOMQCACGew/s1600/DSC_1467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mFc_wn4ZYKE/Uq1Vt75wnVI/AAAAAAAAAf0/KaOMQCACGew/s400/DSC_1467.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Preheat the oven to 350-Fahrenheit
or 170-Celsius</span>. <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Line the bottom of the cookie sheet with baking paper and
arrange the cookie balls. Make sure that you leave enough space for the balls
to flatten out. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Let them cool</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">but </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">I doubt
if you can wait for them to cool down. Happy munching.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Note: </span><span style="background-color: white;">The cookies will naturally flatten once in the even so you don't need to press them anymore. I did press them the first time I made them and they looked like tiny paper-thin crepes. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-70119575409997450222013-12-12T03:19:00.003-08:002013-12-12T03:19:45.245-08:00Revel Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n8NBABRnOLo/Uqmacy4L7sI/AAAAAAAAAfU/EJiYkDE2UPA/s1600/DSC_1413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n8NBABRnOLo/Uqmacy4L7sI/AAAAAAAAAfU/EJiYkDE2UPA/s400/DSC_1413.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">It is nice to
be back here blogging again and I have to thank my sister for that. Most of
these days, I usually work in the kitchen whipping up some snacks for my
daughter to take to school. I am not a
big fan of giving her factory-made biscuits (sorry, Oreo) for her to eat
during snack time. Recently, I have been hooked to making cookies and today, I
will be sharing with you how to make Revel Bars. It’s so good and simple that
you would want to try it yourself at home.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Revel Bar
Recipe<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup butter<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 cups brown
sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tbsp baking
soda<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 eggs<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tsp vanilla
extract<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 ½ cups cake
flour<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 cups oatmeal<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 ½ cup chocolate
chips*<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4 ounces
condensed milk*<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tbsp butter*<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This
particular cookie bar is made up of two layers which include the white cookie dough
and the chocolate layer. Divide all ingredients into half except for those that
comes with the asterisk (*) sign which will be used to create the chocolate
layer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CI0BNQfQRdU/UqmaanS0h0I/AAAAAAAAAfI/uj3GYu5Vmz4/s1600/DSC_1407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CI0BNQfQRdU/UqmaanS0h0I/AAAAAAAAAfI/uj3GYu5Vmz4/s400/DSC_1407.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the <b>cookie dough</b>, cream together butter,
sugar, baking soda and eggs in a bowl. Add the vanilla and mix well. Gradually
add the flour and still in oats. Mix well and set aside.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">On a separate
pan, make the </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">chocolate layer</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> by
melting the chocolate chips, condensed milk and butter. Set aside. In the
meantime, preheat the oven to 350-Fahrenheit or 170-Celsius.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rSJ1KgyGXdQ/UqmaadfcdYI/AAAAAAAAAfE/Wd2mJ-C4-f0/s1600/DSC_1431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rSJ1KgyGXdQ/UqmaadfcdYI/AAAAAAAAAfE/Wd2mJ-C4-f0/s400/DSC_1431.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Press 2/3 of
the cookie dough on a cookie sheet (preferably 15x10x1). Pat the cookie dough
and spread the chocolate layer on top. Using the remaining cookie dough that
you have set aside, crumble it on top of the chocolate layer therefore you
have a chocolate layer sandwiched between two cookie dough layers (see the two layers below?). Bake for 25
minutes until the first layer becomes golden brown.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rxJgpc4GAY8/UqmagtnwGmI/AAAAAAAAAfc/p6ErOFFpJX8/s1600/DSC_1446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rxJgpc4GAY8/UqmagtnwGmI/AAAAAAAAAfc/p6ErOFFpJX8/s400/DSC_1446.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Note: I do not
know why they are even called revel bars but probably eating it would make you
want to paint the town red (look up the definition of <i>revel </i>in the dictionary and you will know what I mean). Enjoy!</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-55396024632524405732013-08-02T04:22:00.000-07:002013-08-02T04:40:07.116-07:00Bento - 5 Inuyasha Fruit Bento Plate<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-INsBGUGnCf8/UfuTovpc_pI/AAAAAAAAAew/rFwNWM8gumY/s1600/DSC_0195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-INsBGUGnCf8/UfuTovpc_pI/AAAAAAAAAew/rFwNWM8gumY/s400/DSC_0195.jpg" title="Inuyasha bento fruit" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Chibi Inuyasha made from turnip, watermelon and grapes</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">We are
currently eating raw diet which means that most of what we ingest are fruits
and vegetables. God, I miss rice! With a surplus of fruits in the fridge, I
decided to make myself an interesting lunch – an Inuyasha fruit bento plate. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I just love Rumiko Takahashi's manga character Inuyasha. The reason why I tried to make fruit bento patterned out of him is that aside from having the supplies available, I have also fond memories watching the anime series. And since this is the first time that I am going to test my knife skills in making bento, I choose an easier pattern of Inuyasha to work with. <span style="background-color: white;">For this lunch project, I used the following fruits and materials:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Inuyasha Fruit
Bento<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jEzsKsOXslM/UfuTn81YIiI/AAAAAAAAAes/LB79JORzqlE/s1600/DSC_0198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jEzsKsOXslM/UfuTn81YIiI/AAAAAAAAAes/LB79JORzqlE/s400/DSC_0198.jpg" title="inuyasha bento chibi" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">A giant hand trying to pick Inuyasha up.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thin slices of
watermelon<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thin slices of
turnips<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Grapes<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Molasses<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sesame seeds<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nori sheets<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cutter board<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Clean toothpick<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ceram wrap<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Parchment
paper<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sharpie <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Inuyasha
pattern<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Scalpel (I
have one for bento-making purposes)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Assorted
fruits (optional)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Use the
sharpie to trace the pattern on the parchment paper. I got my pattern <a href="http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4602724297474160&pid=15.1">here</a>. Once
done, set aside the </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jEzsKsOXslM/UfuTn81YIiI/AAAAAAAAAes/LB79JORzqlE/s1600/DSC_0198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">pattern and cut thin slices of watermelon (clothes) and
turnip (hair). Pat them dry using a paper towel. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Place each
segment of fruit on to a clean cutter board. I have a cutter board and scalpel
that I use solely for bento-making so I am sure that they are clean. Place a
ceram wrap over the fruits before placing the pattern on top. Trace the pattern
to make Inuyasha’s hair and clothes.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For his face
hands and foot, I just dipped a slice of turnip into diluted molasses to color
it brown. Once you have everything, assemble it in a platter. Use sesame seeds
and cut-out nori sheets for the nose and eyes, respectively. Use a clean toothpick
to attach them carefully on to the face. Decorate the plate with assorted fruit
slices. Honestly, I did not have the
courage to eat it (but we did eat the assorted fruits) so it is still in the fridge until now.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-8650829754753371692013-07-22T09:14:00.001-07:002013-07-24T02:59:04.348-07:00Making Guacamole From Excess Homegrown Avocados<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zkBmIB0Lpdg/Ue1ZAlK7HMI/AAAAAAAAAeU/pw2lFGSLIm8/s1600/DSC_0128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zkBmIB0Lpdg/Ue1ZAlK7HMI/AAAAAAAAAeU/pw2lFGSLIm8/s400/DSC_0128.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">Earlier this year, our
lovely avocado tree bore fruits for the first time. I was so excited with the
prospect of eating avocado everyday. However, little did I know that eating
avocado everyday can lead to having tired and bored taste buds. Don’t get me
wrong. I love avocado but eating avocado day in and day out is rather tiring. To remedy the excess avocados at home, we decided to give some to neighbors and friends. We also ended up making different
varieties of avocado-based foods - well, most desserts.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As far as I know, the most
common way to consume ripe avocado is to make them into milkshakes. You can
also make them into ice candies, ice creams and sweet desserts. All of these taste
heavenly but since I am watching my blood sugar, I decided to venture into an
un-Filipino avocado recipe… the guacamole.</span></span></div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most Filipinos
use avocado to make sweet desserts and it is seldom that we use this particular
fruit and incorporate it into savory recipes. Call it ignorance but I was
appalled by the thought of putting salt or even pepper on my avocado but after
experimenting in the kitchen, I finally found a perfect avocado recipe for me
that can easily replace my lunch. Here’s how I made my own version of
guacamole. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-txFS7b0Yj0c/Ue1ZABo_MvI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/LV8y7j2J0mk/s1600/DSC_0160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-txFS7b0Yj0c/Ue1ZABo_MvI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/LV8y7j2J0mk/s400/DSC_0160.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-txFS7b0Yj0c/Ue1ZABo_MvI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/LV8y7j2J0mk/s1600/DSC_0160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">For this
recipe, I used one whole avocado, a pinch of salt and pepper to taste, lime
juice, diced tomatoes and diced onions. As soon as you have everything you
need, placed everything in a bowl and slightly mix to incorporate the
ingredient. Add a dash of paprika and hot chili pepper flakes for additional
flavor and kick.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> The entire dish is very refreshing. The light flavor of tomatoes and the buttery texture of avocados compliment each other well.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-14028021778038230492013-07-21T18:49:00.001-07:002013-07-22T22:56:11.340-07:00Bento 4 - Super Mario Onigiri<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bsUn22EqZcQ/UeyOVYTRuCI/AAAAAAAAAeA/pug5RdVDHtU/s1600/IMG_3614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bsUn22EqZcQ/UeyOVYTRuCI/AAAAAAAAAeA/pug5RdVDHtU/s320/IMG_3614.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were doing
spring cleaning a few months ago and I found a relic of an old Nintendo family
computer in one of the cabinets at home. It was so old that it collected dust over the years and it has lost its luster already. Most of the wires were gnawed probably by mice and I doubt if it will run again if we give it a little buff. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Interestingly enough, the family computer still has the old Super Mario game cartridge
embedded on it. I could not remember the last time we used it but it seemed that we really loved playing it when we were still young because we never bothered to remove the cartridge from the machine. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It brought back many nostalgic childhood memories in my
mind. I made this Super Mario <i>onigiri</i>
a few months ago but I think this is something worth sharing. To make Super
Mario rice ball, you will need the following:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Super Mario
Rice Ball<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Paprika rice
for the face, ears and nose<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Ketchup rice
for the hat<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Nori for the
face details<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* A clean
toothpick<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Ketchup<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Cheese
slices for the hat details and eyes<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* Ceram wrap<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* A pair of
scissors<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Season cooked
white rice with a pinch of salt and paprika. Add just enough paprika to give
the rice a light reddish-brown color. Using a ceram wrap, form Mario’s ears, nose and face. Set aside.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On another
bowl, season rice with ketchup to make the hat. Form Mario’s hat using a ceram
wrap and set aside.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cut Mario’s
face details using small pieces of nori sheets. Use a pair of scissors to cut his
eye balls, side burns and moustache. On
the other hand, cut three circles on your cheese slices as they will be used for
the hat detail and for Mario’s eyes. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Assemble
everything on the plate or lunch box. Use a clean toothpick to put the details
on to Mario’s face.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">As usual, I had
a hard time eating this onigiri because it looked so cute. Anyway, I am still
thinking of making a Luigi onigiri but I have yet to decide whether I should
use mashed broccoli or cabbages to dye
the rice green. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-38027628987736775052013-07-21T07:18:00.000-07:002013-07-24T02:57:39.321-07:00Clean Your Granite Tops With Hydrogen peroxide<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-No8zwJu0jYk/UevrouJn32I/AAAAAAAAAdo/K1MvmEH6PX8/s1600/DSC_0100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-No8zwJu0jYk/UevrouJn32I/AAAAAAAAAdo/K1MvmEH6PX8/s400/DSC_0100.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yikes! It's the mother of all kitchen nightmares!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">Cleaning on a Sunday is a usual routine in
the family. Today, I decided to clean the back of the oven and I was appalled
with what I saw – some parts of the granite
counter are covered with grime, grease and I do not know what else. Apparently,
granite tiles are porous and if they are not properly cleaned, they end up
absorbing stains from food and other liquids left on the counter for a long
time. In my case, the side of the kitchen counter has absorbed cooking oil that
may have seeped down from the counter. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The OC in me decided to apply a generous
amount of kitchen cleanser to the marble slab but to no avail. I also tried
bleach but it did little good aside from making my kitchen reek with the
nauseous liquid. I have searched online and websites such as eHow and
CounterTopSpecialty and most of them recommend Hydrogen peroxide (H</span><sub style="font-family: inherit;">2</sub><span style="font-family: inherit;">O</span><sub style="font-family: inherit;">2</sub><span style="font-family: inherit;">)
to clean heavy stains that have stayed in the granite counter. There are also
many uses of Hydrogen peroxide but for this article, I will be discussing how
you can use it to clean your granite counters.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hydrogen peroxide is a clear and colorless
liquid which is commonly used to disinfect wounds. Also called agua oxigenada
in the Philippines, it is one of the
cheapest cleaning agents that I have ever known. I documented how I cleaned my
granite top with Hydrogen peroxide below. To clean your counter top using Hydrogen peroxide, you will need the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u>Materials</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
* Hydrogen peroxide</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
* Plastic gloves<br />
* Cotton</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
* Ceram wrap or plastic cellophane</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HCZ_kB78bIQ/UevrthDMhAI/AAAAAAAAAdw/cnZQx7_n7Zg/s1600/H2O2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HCZ_kB78bIQ/UevrthDMhAI/AAAAAAAAAdw/cnZQx7_n7Zg/s1600/H2O2.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium;">1.) </b><span style="font-size: small;">For the purpose of demonstrating the procedure, I made two boxes on the surface of the granite wall using masking tapes. </span><b style="font-size: medium;">2.) </b><span style="font-size: small;">Soak the cotton with Hydrogen peroxide. </span><b style="font-size: medium;">3.)</b><span style="font-size: small;"> Place the cotton inside the box and spread evenly to cover the entire surface. </span><b style="font-size: medium;">4.) </b><span style="font-size: small;">Cover the entire area with plastic cellophane to prevent the cotton from easily drying out. Let it soak for 24 to 48 hours. </span><b style="font-size: medium;">5.)</b><span style="font-size: small;"> After 24 or 48 hours, remove the cotton. </span><b style="font-size: medium;">6.) </b><span style="font-size: small;">See how clean it is?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The best thing about using Hydrogen
peroxide is that it is not only effective in cleaning the stain from your
countertop but it is also very safe for the health as well as to the
environment. In fact, all living
air-breathing organisms posses catalase peroxidase that breaks down Hydrogen
peroxide to water and Oxygen thus you do not have to fear about toxicity.
Hydrogen peroxide is simply an effective, safe and practical way to clean and
disinfect your granite counters. I don’t have to buy expensive cleansers next
time. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-51663038693587106062013-07-18T19:17:00.003-07:002013-07-21T07:23:09.634-07:00Crocheting Totoro: A Hobby Born Out Of Boredom<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OUwfda4qz-g/Ueib9-SORMI/AAAAAAAAAco/Z06tKe3AwV8/s1600/DSC_0136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OUwfda4qz-g/Ueib9-SORMI/AAAAAAAAAco/Z06tKe3AwV8/s400/DSC_0136.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Totoro in the garden</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I<span style="font-family: inherit;">t has been more than two months the last
time I updated this blog. My daughter just started attending the big school
last month and I was so busy playing nanny. I know I ought to have left her at
school all by herself but the stage mom in me just felt restless leaving her at school and so I decided that I should accompany her everyday for a
month or two until she can settle down on her own.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Every weekdays, I stay near her school together with the other kids’ mommies. The first few days were
okay. I was able to find a group of
parents whose kids also belong to the same class as my daughter’s. From 8:00 am
until 3:30 pm, we did nothing but talk about trivial things but as the days pass by, we seemed to have exhausted all of our topics that we found ourselves venturing
to some other things. This started the most unproductive days of my entire
life! I decided to read a book but the long hours allowed me to finish the book
within the day. As I was running out of new books to read, I decided to try out
another thing to keep me busy at school. I decided to
learn how to crochet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My first crocheting projects where bow ties
for my daughter’s hair. It was fun but I soon made a lot of bow ties that I
decided to take up a more complicated project that will take most of my time in
school. This is the reason why I ambitiously decided to crochet Totoro as I am
a big fan of this Ghibli creature. It took me four weeks to finish everything
as I have to redo it all the time. If
you want to know how I made it, send me a comment and I’ll gladly share the
steps in my future posts.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> For now, here are some pictures of crochet Totoro.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jumAeQCNDkU/UeihWrdCJtI/AAAAAAAAAdI/77-l2rOh1rA/s1600/totoro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="473" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jumAeQCNDkU/UeihWrdCJtI/AAAAAAAAAdI/77-l2rOh1rA/s640/totoro.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aw! Ain't he cute?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-41829308423135089102013-05-14T05:33:00.002-07:002013-07-17T03:12:13.602-07:00Motivate Yourself: Shock Your System<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRZjqNz3SyQ/UZIuYMUgkLI/AAAAAAAAAcM/vr69mX1Gt6k/s1600/shock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRZjqNz3SyQ/UZIuYMUgkLI/AAAAAAAAAcM/vr69mX1Gt6k/s1600/shock.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.elitelawyerproject.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Philadelphia-electric-shock.jpg" target="_blank">photo credit</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">The first
quarter has already passed and it seems that I still lacked the motivation in
order to achieve most of my yearly goals. It is so easy to utter promises to
yourself until you realized the gravity of those promises. I never realized
that trying out a new hobby or saving more would be this hard. I suspect that I
must be doing something wrong until recently, I realized that I needed
something to push myself to become motivated.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">But how do I
push myself to be motivated? Well, I am going to try this concept about
shocking your system. The
“shock-your-system” concept is something that I heard from <a href="http://first-thoughts.org/on/Bo+Sanchez/" target="_blank">Bro. Bo Sanchez</a> </span><span style="background-color: white;">and although he referred to this concept on personal
finance, I still think that it is applicable to almost everything that we need
to be motivated for. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shocking your
system is all about making a 360-degree turn in one particular facet in your
life. However, how does one find more motivation to change one aspect of his or
her life to begin with? This is not a matter of listing down the things that
you want to achieve. There is more to it to become motivated. The answer is to look for or create events
that will let you reflect about what you have been doing with your life so far
and use these events to move forward. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is
evident among people who were told by their doctors that they need to exercise
otherwise they will get complications with
their health within the next five years. Some people who also experienced
rejection use it to motivate themselves to move forward. Haven’t you wondered
why most people become better individuals after recovering from heartaches? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The thing is
that we only live once and nobody can guarantee that we will live to be a
hundred or die after our thirtieth birthday. What matters is for us to use whatever
life lessons we have as a tool to motivate and change our lives for the
better. I will definitely use this system but, first things first, I need to
look for events in the past as well as in the present to motivate me. Hope you
find yours, too. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4370071609155708640.post-53223924291738159022013-05-12T23:52:00.000-07:002013-07-21T07:26:59.159-07:00The Art Of Budgeting – The Envelope Method<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89-kSXOUZGM/UZCNF9612oI/AAAAAAAAAb8/-p9YvZnziXo/s1600/DSC_0028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89-kSXOUZGM/UZCNF9612oI/AAAAAAAAAb8/-p9YvZnziXo/s400/DSC_0028.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The art of budgeting is necessary for everyone running a household</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Old beliefs
say that women know how to budget more than men. I would say that this is
rubbish. The art of successful budgeting does not depend on sex but largely
depends on your discipline to hold on to your cash. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Just like anyone else, I
used to find it difficult to budget my salary. Whenever I get cash on my hands,
my mind automatically runs on auto-pilot telling me to buy the things that I
want rather on the things that I need. As soon as I realize what I am doing, it
is too late for me to put a stop on it. Guilty, I reprimand myself and vowed to
do it again during the next month but then this cycle happens again the next
payday.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the attempt
to budget my money, I turned to a lot of budgeting ruse which include putting
my money inside a compartment in my wallet and not touching it until I needed
them to pay something off. I also did the same thing but I left them in the
bank only withdrawing what I need. But these didn’t work out for me and by the
end of the month, I still had the same problems.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I realized
soon that my problem is not my discipline to budget but my strategy. Having a
budget strategy is very important in order to organize your cash flow. The most
effective strategy that I have adapted
so far in order to budget my expenses is to use the <i>envelope </i>method<i>.</i> As the name
implies, you religiously set aside a particular amount every payday and put it
inside a marked envelope. <i> </i>It does not necessarily mean that you have
to use envelopes and there are a lot of variations for this method. You can use
jars or any container whichever suits your needs. In my case, I got nifty
cassette tape cases to hold my cash.
Here’s how to do the envelope method. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white;">List down all monthly expenses</span></b><span style="background-color: white;">. There are two types of expenses and these include fixed and
variable expenses. Categorizing your budget allows you to see whether you are
spending too much on a particular expense or not. On the other hand, it will
also be advantageous to have a foresight on the possible expenses that you will
have within a month thus it is also important to set aside something for your <a href="http://thesolohomemaker.blogspot.com/2012/08/emergency-fund-planning-how-to-plan-on_20.html" target="_blank">emergency fund</a>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fixed expenses are those that have values that stay the
same every month and are essential for your survival. These include
utility bills, home owners’ fees and mortgage or rent payments to name a
few. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Variable expenses relate to those that have values that
change all the time which include groceries, entertainment fund and travel
expenses. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">Allocate the necessary amount every payday. </span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">If you have already listed down all of your monthly expenses,
make an estimate on how much you need to spend for every expense category that
you make.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white;">Label your envelopes.</span></b><span style="background-color: white;"> Get a permanent marker and label your envelope with the expense category and
the allocated amount that you need to set aside every payday. Spend only what
is inside your envelope appropriately
and do not forget to put in whatever change left after spending. The amounts
that will be accumulated with serve as a reserve fund for next month. If you
have accumulated funds, you can use it to adjust your budget or put it in your
savings or emergency fund. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I find this
method very effective as it allows me to track my expenses and make sure that I
do not go way beyond my budget. I do not know if this method will work for you
but for me, it definitely did. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546812407764886416noreply@blogger.com0