food. food. food.

icantlivewithoutfriends — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:05:11 +0800

100 Cupcakes: Hawaiian Blast

icantlivewithoutfriends — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:47:37 +0800

I remember my first 100 cupcakes project was with a little girl named Gianna for her 1st birthday back in 2011. The theme was “4th of July” as I remember because her birthday is actually July 4.

This time, they’re for a girl named Hanna Joyce who’s having her 7th birthday party; And her choice for a theme: Hawaiian.

For the cupcakes, they preferred the chocolate fudge cupcake which I think would fit a girl’s 7th birthday party.

I bet a lot of people would think that, “yes, hawaiian. There should be a lot of surfboards and waves” and all that stuff but I thought, this party highlights a little girl and I think it would be better if I focused on flowers and lots of colors.

When using lots of colors for frosting, I prefer to use butter cream mainly because it is versatile and it doesn’t melt that easily if you make it the right way.

I wanted it to be colorful, almost psychedelic so the cupcakes would almost resemble a tie-dye shirt.

Mixing and matching the right colors, using the right piping tips and just going crazy with your imagination; it never goes wrong.

I would like to thank Ms. Ayanne Garcia for being awesome and giving me this great opportunity to make these cupcakes.

And also, Happy 7th Birthday Hanna Joyce! :D

Sneak peek for my 2nd 100 cupcakes project. :)

icantlivewithoutfriends — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:42:48 +0800

Sneak peek for my 2nd 100 cupcakes project. :)

Great Eats Outside The Kitchen: "Harbor Gastro Point"

icantlivewithoutfriends — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:34:39 +0800

Since it was our last day of school yesterday, my friends and I decided to get some food.

This place was suggested by a good friend of mine, (which is also in fact a friend of the owner). She said their steak was great so we had to give it a try.

It was a new place along the street of Angeles City, Nepo Quadrangle.

I must say I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get to order the steaks because they already ran out, well of course it was around 9 o’clock pm so I guess it was just fair.

I was in the mood for some pasta so I decided to go with their Shrimp and Mango Linguini.

and I must say, It was divine. Just lovely balance of flavors.

Well my friends decided to go with meat.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Grilled Pork Belly both served with mashed potatoes.

That pork belly was to die for, it was soft and tender and so flavorful.

And if I may suggest, they would wanna cut back a little of the spice in the cordon bleu, The pepper was just too overwhelming. But it was great.

If you live near Angeles City or if you live in Angeles City I suggest you go to this place, they have amazing food, great service, and very affordable prices. Very good for dinner dates.

You know it’s summer when mangoes bloom. :) Sorry I...

icantlivewithoutfriends — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 09:02:00 +0800

You know it’s summer when mangoes bloom. :)

Sorry I haven’t been posting in a while, just had to take a break to focus on some important stuff, but that’s over now because it’s summer!! (yes, it’s summer here in the Philippines.) So since it’s my break, there are gonna be a lot of food postings for y’all. ;)

Didn’t get to post something from my birthday last month,...

icantlivewithoutfriends — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:55:24 +0800

Didn’t get to post something from my birthday last month, so here’s my cake. :D \m/

Got this book as a gift from my cousin. Commence Baking...

icantlivewithoutfriends — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:19:00 +0800

Got this book as a gift from my cousin. Commence Baking Sessions! :)

Mom’s Refrigerator Cake: It’s filled with love...

icantlivewithoutfriends — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:08:32 +0800

Mom’s Refrigerator Cake: It’s filled with love :D

Sunday Feature: "Kakanin Extra Extra"

icantlivewithoutfriends — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:58:25 +0800

I’m very lucky to have a family whose passion is cooking. I grew up seeing my mom, my grandma, my aunts cooking together whenever there are occasions. And for every occasion they serve these sweet specialties of theirs. It’s always been a tradition for Filipinos to serve these type of desserts whatever the occasion is. And for today’s feature, we have my aunts’ special kakanin. Take note, these desserts are homemade and made from natural quality ingredients.

Let’s start, shall we?

We Kapampangans call this “kapit” it’s made from fine ground rice, brown sugar, coconut cream, and aniseed. It’s very sticky and sweet, usually served with “latik”. it’s great for an afternoon snack too.

This is one of my favorites. The “Maja Blanca” or as we like to call it, “tibok tibok”. This one is sweet, silky and creamy. It’s made from coconut milk, milk, cornstarch and sometimes if you feel like it you can add corn kernels. it’s also served with “latik”, which is coconut milk that is cooked until the oil separates.

And who could forget about these things? “Puto Kutsinta” these things are chewy, and sweet. Usually served with shredded coconut. (yes there’s a lot of coconut love with these desserts)

There are lots more kapampangan desserts that I love like haleyang ube , sweet rice cake, etc.. These dishes are very unique and it always takes me back to my childhood. Hopefully next time I’ll be able to catch that haleyang ube before anyone else can.

WAZZAP CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE!! xD ]]>

icantlivewithoutfriends — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 08:41:38 +0800

WAZZAP CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE!! xD

Aglio Olio by Karlson Kim “Lovely balance of...

icantlivewithoutfriends — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 22:13:59 +0800

Aglio Olio by Karlson Kim

“Lovely balance of flavors.”

Shrimp in Coconut Milk and Chillies ]]>

icantlivewithoutfriends — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 07:37:48 +0800

Shrimp in Coconut Milk and Chillies

Chocolate Cupcakes — Joy Of Baking ]]>

icantlivewithoutfriends — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:55:15 +0800

Chocolate Cupcakes

— Joy Of Baking

Baking Sessions: Chocolate Cupcakes

icantlivewithoutfriends — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:52:34 +0800

I wouldn’t end this year without another baking session right? For this session I am with a new friend, (which whom I met from my wonderful cousins) (have to give them credit) Sam. She wanted to learn how to bake cupcakes and I had to grab the opportunity, I mean how seldom do people ask me to bake with them?

So we started with the basics: measuring, mixing etc.

Click »Here« for the recipe.

We also had time for decorating. We used the typical butter icing which isn’t hard to do, plus it’s the best frosting for a classic chocolate cupcake

Had a super fun time and I got to meet a new friend, which I’m looking forward to bake with again. :)

Seafood Extravaganza!

icantlivewithoutfriends — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:13:00 +0800

Had an amazing time today in Manila, with some of my favorite people. We had a seafood fest for lunch and it was amazing. Here’s how it went down.

We purchased fresh seafood from the market across the street.

Took it to the restaurant and let them cook it (with our preferences of course).

(top right: Sinigang na talakitok (“trevally” as my sources tell me, which is in fact is google) sa miso, top left: Buttered Prawns, bottom right: Baked Oysters, bottom left: Stir-fried Kangkong)

Didn’t get to take a pic of the Grilled Stuffed Squid ‘cause I was so hungry, plus the real highlight for me here is the Sinigang. It has right balance of sour and salty and the fish has a super delicate texture that it kind of melts in your mouth when you eat it. I also like the baked oysters, I only had four unfortunately because everyone just dug in as soon as it was served. Not really a big fan of the buttered prawns ‘cause the sauce was too sweet and too buttery. But all in all it was a great meal with great company of course.

Sorry can’t post pics of human beings right now because I want food to be a highlight of this blog, as you can see from the title. Maybe next time. ;) oh and beeteedubs, Belated Merry Christmas to all!! I was sick so I didn’t have the strength to post something here. ♥

“Kyat-Kyat” It’s surprising that we already...

icantlivewithoutfriends — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 12:07:33 +0800

“Kyat-Kyat”

It’s surprising that we already have these mini oranges in our dinner table when we haven’t celebrated Christmas yet.

These little, sweet oranges (and other round fruits) are usually bought around New Year’s eve because it is believed that having round fruits at the dinner table can bring you good luck for the upcoming year. It’s just odd seeing these things so early but it’s okay ‘coz I love ‘em! :D

Photo Courtesy of: Google (because my idiot brother...

icantlivewithoutfriends — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:27:00 +0800

Photo Courtesy of: Google (because my idiot brother doesn’t want to lend me his camera)

This is my dinner for tonight, because mom went home late and didn’t have time to cook. Truth is, this is my first time to eat pork and beans. When I was a kid, I didn’t want to try it because I didn’t like the smell. Tonight, I didn’t have a choice.

This may be shocking to other people, but I’m really not a big fan. I tried tasting the sauce, and I actually liked it at first, it’s sweet and tomato-ey. Then I tried a spoonful, and I didn’t like the taste and the texture of the beans. They’re too soft, and kind of mushy. I guess, we don’t all have the same tastes because my mom ended up finishing the whole serving for me.

Sorry pork and beans, maybe next time I’ll try you again and I might just finish the whole serving myself. :)

Decadent Chocolate Cream Cheese Truffles // ]]]]>]]>]]>

icantlivewithoutfriends — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 08:34:00 +0800

Decadent Chocolate Cream Cheese Truffles

When I go to places I always assure that I try some of the food in that location. Whether it’s...

icantlivewithoutfriends — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 08:46:38 +0800

When I go to places I always assure that I try some of the food in that location. Whether it’s weird, creepy or just plain delicious, I will always have to try some because no one ever knows if I can go to back to that place again.

This year we went to Ilocos and I was pretty persistent about trying their “bagnet” — it’s fried pork with the skin on but there was another dish that caught my interest. One of my cousins was talking about it since the day we got there so it had me going curious and I just had to try them.

Presenting: Ilocos’ Empanadas!

Nope, they’re not exactly the same with the Mexican empanadas or the ones we know. They have the shape of an empanada but the taste and texture is different because it’s made from different ingredients and it’s eaten in a different way.

We know empanadas as having a dough as a crust, ground pork as it’s filling and a sweet brown sauce to accompany it. But, Ilocos has it’s own game. These empanadas have thin and crispy crust (which almost resembles to a crispy taco), shredded cabbage, pork and an egg as it’s filling, and for their sauce: a small bowl of vinegar with chopped onions, garlic, and chilli. It looks good, tastes good and it kind of reminded me of my mom’s vegetable spring rolls.

And the best part about this is you get to witness how they make it.

It definitely satisfies the tummy, the tongue and my curious brain. :)

Once Upon A Snack Time...

icantlivewithoutfriends — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:10:06 +0800

This is homemade chocolate drink with rock salt foam and ensaymadas (bread rolls brushed with butter and sprinkled with sugar).

You know what, it rarely happens when my brother and I have a great snack together, so that is why he suggested that I make a rock salt foam from the leftover cream last night.

I first heard about this type of foam from a tea shop nearby called Mang Chaa. It’s actually called rock salt and cheese and they add it to their milk tea. It’s quite delicious if you ask me. One of my personal faves. I think they make it from cream cheese and cream (that is all I know). But my brother has some good taste buds and he figured out how to make some without using cream cheese.

It’s fairly simple, you just put some cream, condensed milk and a little bit of rock salt in a blender and you just pulse until it’s foamy. It actually tastes the same. I can now call my bro the ultimate food hacker. ;)