While checking in at a hotel yesterday, my family was pleasantly surprised to have been served three tall glasses of Buco Pandan Juice!  Our mabuhay (welcome) drinks! There’s nothing like a refreshing drink to quench one’s thirst after an hour-long plane ride, a 15-minute jetty ride and a 15-minute tricycle ride…one after the other!

My daughter loved her drink.  Well, all three of us did!  I took these photos, not with an iphone but with my old yet trusty point and shoot camera. ;)

I would very much love to recreate this drink at home.  I don’t know how exactly but I’m thinking it involves boiling pandan leaves and adding syrup and ice to the water where it was boiled.  Save me some time and just tell me how? I would very much appreciate it.

Mabuhay!

During a visit to a Japanese grocery some weeks ago, hubby convinced me to buy loose tea and a strainer for steeping the leaves. He actually wanted me to buy a teapot that already has a strainer insert but I held off buying and just settled for a strainer. Last week, I decided I was ready for a nice teapot and new green tea flavors. I found everything I needed at Wholefoods Market.

I love that I didn’t have to limit myself to just one type/flavor of tea since at WholeFoods, I can by tea by the ounce.  I felt like a little kid in a candy store as there was just so many flavors to choose from!  I got myself 3 kinds of tea: Organic Green Tea Mint, Maghreb Mint and Sencha Superior.

Some of you might not be very familiar with Maghreb and Sencha like I was a week ago.  So here’s a bit of info about the two…

Sencha is “the first and second flush of green tea, which is the most common green tea in Japan made from leaves that are exposed directly to sunlight”.

Maghreb Mint, according to the manufacturer, Rishi Tea,  “is exotic with a full-bodied sweetness, bold mint flavor and zesty notes of cardamom, ginger and spices. Maghreb Mint can be infused like tea or boiled North African style with sugar, water and/or prepared with milk like Indian Masala Chai. Made strong and sweetened, this blend soothes the sinuses and throat.”

I haven’t tried the Sencha tea yet but the Organic Green Tea  Mint and  Maghreb Mint became my instant favorites.  I used to be uanble to drink tea without sugar.  Now, I very well can…hot or cold!

We keep the green tea in the same cupboard where we keep Hubby’s coffee beans.  Yesterday, he made a joke about how the aroma of green tea mint now overpowers the nice aroma of his coffee beans.  Hee hee.

If I am able to convince you to drink and actually like green tea, I might consider a career in insurance marketing. Well, maybe not.  For green tea’s health benefits, click HERE.

The gift basket was too pretty that I couldn’t find it in my heart to take it apart…not until yesterday when we had a miraculously gorgeous snow day this side of Texas.  After frolicking in the snow several times, my daughter practically demanded that we have hot cocoa.  As is most often the case, her wish was my command.

Off I went to take the gift basket apart, washed the hug mugs clean and proceeded to choose a recipe from the Max Brenner’s Holiday Cocoa Drink Recipe Book that came with the gift basket.  Our unanimous choice was the Gooey Marshmallow Classic Hot Chocolate…

It was sinfully, chocolatey good!  A second hug  mug serving was awfully hard to resist…so we didn’t. :P  Besides, it’s not like we’re currently doing the best colon cleanse rituals or anything of that sort. ;)

We loved the hug mugs as much as we loved the steaming hot cocoa that was served in them.  Kudos to the designer of this mug!  I’ve got smart readers, I know.  Still, I’d like to show you how pretty these things look when hugged by more than willing hands…

Those are my daughter’s hands hugging the mug.  Here are mine…

And here’s the recipe to chocolatey, gooey marshamllow hot chocolate goodness.

INGREDIENTS:

8 Tbsp Winter Cocoa Mix (feel free to substitute with your favorite brand of cocoa!)
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup mini marshmallow

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a large sauce pan, bring milk and heavy cream to a simmer over low heat.
2.  Add winter cocoa mix and whisk until powder is dissolved.
3.  Add marshmallows and bring to a slight boil stirring occasionally.
4.  Pour into mugs to serve.

We’ll probably make another hot chocolate concoction tonight.  There’s no point waiting for another snow day.  Texas has probably already reached it’s snow quota for the next 3 years. Hee hee.

Happy Hump  Day, y’all!  Cheers!

As a post Mother’s Day celebration, my mommy girlfriends and I had a Girls Night Out (GNO).  It was just a movie night capped by a round of drinks at a restaurant/bar.  This is the drink I had…

…a Frozen Pomegranate Rita.  It is one of Z Tejas’ stronger margaritas.  And I have to say, it brought out the tisay in me. I’m blaming the alcohol, of course!   Hee hee.

This week’s theme for Lasang Pinoy, Sundays is “Shades of Spring  and Summer”.  So what are the shades of spring and summer?  Personally, I think it’s quite colorful actually, with red, green, purple, yellow, white and brown all accounted for. ;) And all these colors come together in one of the Philippines’ most popular thirst quenchers, Sago’t Gulaman (Tapioca Pearls and Jelly or Agar Agar).

I just love this drink, specially when paired with a native Philippine snack or kakanin…bibingka, sapin-sapin, puto, palitaw.  Oooh, I just might make one of these kakanins before the day is over.  Funny how I can make my very own self crave for food.  I am really my own worst enemy, when it comes to food, specially!

Here’s the recipe for this drink…

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of dark brown sugar plus 2.5 cups of water for the arnibal (simple syrup of water and brown sugar)
tapioca pearls
1 bar of gulaman (agar-gar or jelly)
water
shaved ice

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Cook the bar of gulaman: Tear the bar of gulaman into several pieces then add to a pot of 2.5 cups of boiling water.  Stir until the gulaman melts.  Then transfer to molds (I used a 9-inch diameter baking pan.)  Don’t forget to strain the pot of melted gulaman!  Refrigerate then allow the gulaman to set.  Once set, slice into small pieces.  Set aside.

2.  Make the arnibal:  Boil 2.5 cups of water.  When it comes to a boil, add the brown sugar and stir until all the sugar is melted and the syrup thicken.  Set aside.

3.  Cook the tapioca according to package instructions.  Set aside. The tapioca I bought cooks in just five minutes (although I think 7-8 minutes would have been better!).

4.  Prepare the shaved ice.

Now, you’re ready to put them all together!

6.  In a pitcher of water, add some arnibal according to your desired sweetness.  Set aside.

7.  Layer the gulaman and tapioca pearls in a tall glass then add some of the arnibal-sweetened water.  Then add some shaved ice.

8.  Finally, fill the glass with some more of the sweetened water.  After admiring your handy work, stir and drink. ;)

This is almost a snack itself.

Colorful. Filling.  Refreshing. :)

Have a wonderful weekend, y’all!  Cheers!

And that’s what we coffee lovers did exactly, take full advantage of the promotion. ;)  Twice a day for five days, Hubby and I got our caffeine fix from Scooter’s.  Our little girl had her share of caffeine free cold drinks in the afternoon as well.  We got hot drinks in the morning and iced drinks in the afternoon.

I was able to try the hot and cold versions of four espresso drinks: Mocha, White Chocolate Mocha, Caramelicious, and Candy Bar Latte.  From the “other drinks” selection, I had a taste of Iced Chai Tea Latte.  Much as I want to try more, I stuck to what turned out to be my favorites.

The drinks that set Scooter’s apart from other coffee houses were Caramelicious and Candy Bar Latte.  Mocha and White Chocoalte Mocha have sort of become standard drinks among coffee houses.  Unlike Hubby who loves a more pure coffee taste, I tend to prefer the sweeter, fancier-flavored coffee.  Both the Caramelicious and Candy Bar Latte  are sweet with an espresso kick that wasn’t as strong as the others.  I like how the Candy Bar Latte mimics the flavor of popular candy bars like Milky Way, the Heath Bar, Almond Joy, and Snickers, to name a few.  I’m a chocoholic so this particular espresso flavor just sings to me. ;)  I liked the Chai Tea Latte as well but even I found it a little too sweet.

Armed with our laptops (free wifi!), Hubby and I had breakfast at Scooter’s one morning, purposely to sample their coffee accompaniments.  We ordered chocolate coffee cake and chocolate muffin.

Chocolate Coffee Cake

We liked the coffee cake although it didn’t really blow us away.  It was moist with a fudgy edge to it.  I still say you should give it a try.

Chocolate Muffin

The muffin was huge, all right, but it wasn’t all that special really.  The outer edges were a little dry but the middle part was moist and better tasting.  Still, it was a muffin that can easily be had elsewhere.

One thing’s for sure though, Scooter’s does speak the language of specialty coffee.  And they are unboubtedly fluent.  After five days of Scooter’s immersion, Hubby and I have become huge fans.

Scooter’s Coffeehouse
9225 W Parmer Ln
Austin, TX 78717
(512) 258-3290

A sentimental favorite, when it comes to hot cocoa, is the Cocoa Tablea brand from the Philippines.  These are chocolate tablets, which are melted with milk and a little sugar (if desired) on the stove top.  It is rich and perfect with churros.  I think it’s safe to say that Tablea is most popular during the Christmas season. :)  Unfortunately, the Asian supermarket where we shop doesn’t carry that product.  Huhu.

Hot Chocolate from The Stove (Mammoth, CA)

Hot Chocolate from Magnolia Cafe (Austin, TX)

I used to be ok with instant coffee.  That was before we moved to TX.  One of the first kitchen appliances we bought was a dirt cheap coffee maker from Walmart.  Since my first cup of freshly brewed coffee, there was no going back to instant. :)  Come to think of it, I never had instant coffee here in the US.  But I’ll be more than willing to embrace instant coffee again when I come home for a vacation!

Coffee from popular coffee houses is an occasional splurge.  Starbucks coffee a couple of times a week is quite costly.  Instead, we buy Starbucks, Seattle’s Best or Cafe Ole (a Texas brand) ground coffee, which costs between $6.00 and $8.00 and just brew home.

My coffee house favorite is Cafe Mocha.  Last December, Hubby and I were able to try 2 of Starbuck’s holiday flavors: Peppermint Mocha and Eggnog Latte.  I loved the Peppermint Mocha.  The Eggnog Latte, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.  I haven’t tasted eggnog before so I ordered the coffee drink out of curiosity.  And my first though after that first sip was, “What was I thinking?!”  No more eggnogs for me, in whatever shape or form. :)

That’s about it for my hot drinks entry.  Have a wonderful weekend, y’all!  It’s a long weekend for us, Monday being Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Yahoo! :)

Sorry, I couldn’t help singing the theme song of one of our favorite Disney Channel shows, Little Einsteins.  We watched the Playhouse Disney Live last Friday night at the Frank Erwin Center and we’re so glad they made a one night only stop in Austin.

As expected, souvenirs were all over the place.  My little girl wanted the Handy Manny hardhat but only because it came with a bag of cotton candy.  I said no at first because cotton candy is so darned sticky.

Abby relented to a rocket ship mug which was  filled  with snowcone .

Abby chose the pink colored stuff, cherry, I think.  It tasted like cough syrup.  Hee hee.

Abby had a little fun watching the juice come up in the twirly straw.

Before the show started, I found myself back at one of the many souvenir stands buying cotton candy.  I kinda liked the hard hat, more than Abby did.  Must be the architect hidden soooo deep within me. ;)

More photos from the show in  my other WS entry: Playhouse Disney Live

It’s just a few more days to Christmas.  It’s panic time for people who haven’t finished shopping yet…like me! :)

Have a great week ahead, y’all!

I never really warmed up to beer.  Even the light ones.  Just a few gulps and I’m red as a tomato.  A few more and I’m sure to be tipsy.  It’ll probably take me two bottles before I start talking about Wilmington NC real estate, something I know absolutely nothing about! Hee hee.  It fascinates me that some are able to drink bottle after bottle of beer as if it were life giving water.  I like champagne more, which is like me…sweet and bubbly.  Hee hee! Kidding! :)

I originally planned on making a banana smoothie.  I didn’t realize, however, that my bananas are no longer any good.  Fortunately,  I still have one lonely piece of mango.  Since mangoes here are huge, I was able to make enough smoothies for hubby, Abby and me.

I served Abby’s in one of her rocket ship cups (from Denny’s) and Hubby’s in a regular glass, not in a champagne glass.  Hee hee!

To  make, just throw in the mango slices, sugar (according to your desired sweetness), crushed ice and milk in a blender and blend for a few seconds.  Voila!  You just got yourself a serving of fruit and milk (and sugar, too!)!  Slurp!  Slurp! ;)