The sun has already set by the time I finished decorating the cake.  I had to take photos in the living room, of all places.

I used chocolate buttercream icing for the brown stars.  I’ll post the recipe on my next entry.

Both hubby and my little girl liked how the cake turned out.  But I shouldn’t do this star technique too often or else, I might end up with carpal tunnel syndrome! :)

Here’s Abby, who is turning out to be a big sports fan like her dad.  She always  begs hubby to carry her upside down, much to my disapproval!  It doesn’t seem too long ago when we were looking for baby beddings for her! *sigh*

I’ve now recovered from the Cardinals’ loss…I think.  *another big sigh*

I have another Weekend Snapshot:  Superbowl Sunday

Have a great week ahead, y’all!  Cheers!

I use the bamboo steamer, solely for dim-sum: siopao, siomai, dumplings, and cuapao.

This good-sized aluminum steamer, I use for fish and one of my all-time favorite Filipino desserts, Leche Flan.

Generally, steaming is the healthier cooking technique.  It’s even healthier than boiling, because boiling strips food of more nutrients than steaming does.  Then again, if what you’re steaming is a dessert, the primary ingredients of which are eggs (mostly egg yolks at that), then that’s a whole different story. Haha!

I have what you might call a “love-hate” relationship with Leche Flan as far as cooking it is concerned.  Leche Flan is fairly easy to make, that is, once you’ve gotten past the tricky part of caramelizing the sugar. ;)  Everything else will be a walk in the park after you’ve got your caramel sitting contentedly on your pans.

When I made leche flan on for our New Year’s Eve party, I wasted 4 pounds (yes, 4 effin’ pounds!) of sugar before I finally settled for a pathetically pale caramel. Ugh.  Anyway, the caramel gods must have heard the silent prayer I uttered last night.  I got it right the first time…a cup of sugar is all it took.  Nanay, my maternal grandma, would have been proud of me.  Yey me! Hahaha! :)

Here’s the recipe to a leche flan, which, I promise you, will taste good, even if you mess up everything else…caramel, texture and all.  I got this from my mom’s sister – my California-based “aunty-ninang” (aunt-slash-godmother) – and it’s a recipe I’ve been using since we moved to TX.

INGREDIENTS (for one 8″ or 9″ round pan – Note: Just double the recipe like I always do, because really, 1 pan isn’t enough!)

3 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
1 can condensed milk
half a condensed milk can of water
a few drops of vanilla (optional – I rarely use any because my Lola doesn’t use vanilla anyway).
lemon rind (optional -  I have yet to put lemon rind on my leche flan…again, because Nanay doesn’t.  Hee hee)

1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water for the caramel

PROCEDURE

1.  Caramelize the sugar on a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan.  Let this video be your guide.  Once you’ve got the sugar caramelized to a nice golden amber, coat the bottom of your pan and maybe a little of the sides as well, with the caramel.
2.  In a bowl, whisk the eggs.  Then add the rest of the ingredients.
3.  Whisk some more until the ingredients are well blended.  Avoid bubbles!
4.  Strain the mixture then transfer to a pan.
5.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it on the steamer.
6.  Steam for 45-60 minutes, testing for doneness with a toothpick.  Alternatively, you can cook your leche flan in the oven.  Place the pan on a water bath and bake at 350F.  Test for doneness at 45 minutes.  This may take a wee bit longer.
7.  When it’s done, let cool then chill in the refrigerator.

I got hold of another leche flan recipe from another California-based aunty-ninang (aunt-godmother).  I hope to test it next time I have a leche flan craving.

Have a great weekend, y’all!  Mabuhay! :)

INGREDIENTS (STIFF CONSISTENCY)

1 cup solid white vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon Wilton Flavor (Vanilla, Almond or Butter or a combination of the 3)
2 tablespoons milk or water (I use water because milk will make your icing more perishable.)
1 lb. pure cane confectioners’ sugar (approximately 4 cups)
1 tablespoons Wilton Meringue Powder
a pinch of salt (optional – but I very strongly suggest you add this pinch of salt to ease the sweetness of the icing a wee bit)

PROCEDURE

1.  Cream shortening, flavor and water.
2.  Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together.
3.  Blend an additional minute or so, until creamy.

The trick to adjusting the consistency of your icing is simply to add water to thin it out or confectioners’ sugar to stiffen.

STIFF CONSISTENCY

Again, the recipe above is for stiff consistency and yields 3 cups. Stiff consistency is used in making flower decorations. If your icing cracks when you pipe it out of the bag, that means your icing may just be a little too stiff.  Simply add water a little at a time.

MEDIUM CONSISTENCY

To make medium consistency icing, add a teaspoon of water to each cup of stiff consistency icing or 1 tablespoon of water for the full recipe (3 cups).  Mix until well blended.

Medium consistency icing is used to create stars, borders, flowers with petals that lie flat and for piping figures, like the clowns on my cupcakes. :)

THIN CONSISTENCY

To make thin consistency icing, add two teaspoons of water for each cup of stiff consistency icing or two tablespoons for the full recipe.  Mix well until blended.

This is the consistency you want to use to ice your cakes.   This is also ideal for making leaves and stems and for writing.  You might want to add 1/2 teaspoon piping gel per cup of thin consistency icing for the leaves, stems and writing.  Try to see for yourself, the difference between  thin consistency with piping gel and without.

My hand mixer has been working double time, thanks to my cake decorating initiatives. Hee hee. Maybe I should have bought the Kitchen Aid stand mixer last Cyber Monday instead of the steam vacuum.  Oh well, I’ll give buying one some thought again when my hand mixer goes kaputt on me, hopefully, not anytime soon. *cross fingers*

I used buttercream icing to decorate these cupcakes.  Yes, I’ve been decorating again.  You didn’t think the rainbow cake would be the last of it, did you?

I bought the clown heads from Michael’s. :)

I admit, the icing consistency should have been stiffer.  See, this clown is slouching instead of sitting up straight and tall.

I practiced making hearts too. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, you know!  Yes, yes, I need more practice.

These were meant to be balloons, but they turned out looking like swirly pops, so let’s just pretend I didn’t say they’re supposed to be balloons.  These are swirly pops on the cupcake.  Hee hee.

On  my next entry, I will share the buttercream icing recipe I used to decorate these goodies.

Have a fun weekend, y’all!

For as long as I can remember, there are two desserts that always graced our holiday feasts…

…soft, yummy, melt-in-your-mouth Leche Flan…

…and Halayang Ube (recipe HERE).

There’s usually fruit salad, too, and loads of fruit cakes, which I never really grew fond of.

In the more than a year-and-a-half that I’ve been living in the US with my family, my holiday goodies list grew  longer.  Thus, I am no longer limited to leche flan and ube, although they will always remain to be a sentimental favorite.

Last year, I made two new desserts for Thaksgiving…

…Pumpkin Cheesecake…

…and Pumpkin Flan (recipe HERE).  I remember one of our dinner guests last year saying that these two desserts do taste so holiday-ish. ;)

Pecan pies are popular during the holidays and just recently, I attempted to make one myself.

But instead of pecan pie, I made a Rich Chocolate Pecan Pie (recipe HERE).  Sinfully delicious!  I’m going to pay for that sinful dessert for a very long time, I tell you.  Hee hee.

Food is a favorite gift option during the Christmas holidays: brownies, cookies, tarts, brownies, etc.  Last year, I gave my neighbors muffins.  This year, I’m thinking of giving them Blondies (recipe HERE)…

I’ve only made these once, more than a year ago already.  And they turned out really nicely.

I’ll be testing some recipes this week so I can decide what goodies to give away as presents and what  to bring to the holiday get togethers we’ll be attending.  You’ll definitely read about them here. :)

What’s on your menu plan for the holidays or will you be spending the holidays somewhere?  I betcha las vegas hotels will be enjoying brisk business the next couple weeks! :)

Have a great week ahead!

Spam, adobo fried rice and eggs (better known among Filipinos as SpamSiLog: spam, sinangang at itlog) plus a glass of orange juice for hubby…

Spam, 2 slices of toast, eggs and a glass of orange juice for me.

Not exactly the healthiest of breakfasts but for all it’s worth, the Spam we used was “lite”.  Hee hee.  And this isn’t a daily thing, so, no need to worry. *wink*

Here’s a healthier breakfast alternative though, my other Photo Hunt entry.

Have a wonderful weekend!

This is my Tamagoyaki Pan.  I got it from Ebay several weeks ago.

Hubby and I have been using it to make omelets.  Here’s an omelet that Hubby made for me for breakfast about two weeks ago…

He made an omelet for our daugher as well.  Hubby doesn’t really cook, so rare kitchen stints like this is a real treat for us. *wink*

I have another Photo Hunt entry: Balcony Frames.

One time, we made Banana Chocochip Muffins and I let her do most of the work, stepping in only when she asks for my help…such as when she’s tired of whipping the eggs or folding in the ingredients.

Of course these days, I no longer lick spatulas like I used to when I was a kid. :)

My other Photo Hunt entry are reflections from California Disney Adventure.

Have a great weekend!

Yesterday, I attempted to eat a healthy lunch.  I had a turkey sandwich (no cheese!), shrimp salad and a small bunch of sweet grapes.

To make the Shrimp Salad, I simply put together an assembly of lettuce, cucumber and tomato slices, a few pieces of newly cooked shrimps and about two tablespoons of light honey mustard dressing.

To tell you honestly, I was hungry again after about two hours.  Hahaha!  But my tummy can be trained.  I’ve done it before and I  know it can be done again.  *cross fingers*  More salad days to come!

Today’s photo hunt theme is “SCARY”.  I chose photos of food, which will have you gripping your bed frames in fear.  Kidding.  They’re not that scary really, but I understand why a lot of people will not want to eat them.

First, our favorite, Chicken Feet!  Ok, so it’s not as pretty as most chicken parts like the legs, thighs, wings or breast.  I’m willing to admit that it might look a little gross, specially to people who aren’t really used to seeing, much less, eating them!

How would you like to have a whole roast pig on your dining table?  This is called Lechon de Leche.  I’ve already posted an entry about it here.  Trust me, it tastes better than it looks.  It doesn’t usually look this bad.  This was from a Filipino store in Dallas.  The lechons we have back home have very shiny and crunchy skin and they usually have a complete pair of ears.  Hee hee.  I don’t know what happened to this piggy.

Have a wonderful weekend, y’all!