0 It's National Chocolate Cake Day!

Happy National Chocolate Cake day!! This is also my 100th post. My FB friend told me on what's the reason to celebrate today. January 27 (US time) is National Chocolate Cake day! Just like what I did when it was the national whipped cream day, I'm making a simple chocolate cake today. It's chocolate coffee cake! 

No-bake Chocolate Truffle Cake (Just chocolate, cream and coffee!)

Ingredients: 

• Butter
• Parchment paper
• Loaf pans
• Chocolate, well-chopped ( I used Hershey's)
• Whipped cream (also knows as heavy cream)
• Instant coffee (I used Nescafe 3-1, since I don't have an espresso)
• Iodized salt
• Cocoa power

Preparations: 

• Lightly butter your loaf pan and line in your parchment paper. This is to make sure that the surface of your cake will be nice and will look great. Set aside. 
• Melt your chocolate in a double broiler (I used a regular kaserola topped with smaller kaserola) in a very low heat.
• While your chocolate is melting, on another medium pan, heat the cream, pour in your coffee (I just used almost 1 teaspoon to avoid the bitter taste). Slowly stir with your iodized salt. 
• When everything comes together smoothly, mix the melted chocolate into your hot cream. Keep on stirring until all component's aren't at all separate. 
• Pour into your prepared loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil (if you have). Refrigerate until chilled. 
• When ready to serve, remove from the pan, dust with a bit of cocoa powder.
• Lastly, enjoy!!

By the way, you can also serve this with vanila ice cream on top or chops of almonds!

Photo credits: 101cookbooks.com

I just grabbed a photo online because, I think, mine is not as deliciously-looking like this. Haha! 

That's it! Happy National Chocolate Cake day!! 

0 Jan. 05, 2012 : National Whipped Cream Day

Really? I didn't know there is such thing as National Whipped Cream Day. Haha. Well, today is the allegedly the National Whipped Cream Day according to here: http://www.longislandpress.com/2012/01/05/national-whipped-cream-day-today/ 

I am not that familiar with whipped cream. My mom only uses Nestle all purpose cream everytime she makes my favorite buko salad. Hehe. And then, when I got married and being on a work-from-home setup, I get to stay at home the whole day working online and thinking what to prepare for my husband. Since we still live in a small apartment and we can't afford to buy a La Germania, I searched for no-bake goodies online. I found the toblerone ice cream cake. Find it really interesting because we both love toblerone and it seems to be really easy to make. One thing I needed was an electric mixer. So we got one, Kyowa for Php595 only. This is the cheapest we found at SM. lol

Ingredients are eggs, powdered sugar, toblerone and what else, whipped cream!! 

I planned to make this for our noche buena. It was really easy and sooo delicious. I must say, it was a success. I was able to finish it in 45mins. It should've been 30mins only but since its my first time, I was really careful on the ingredients. After making it, I have to freeze it for at least 6hrs. 

I wasn't able to take a picture of it. But here what it looks like. Photo credits to Stone Soup. Thanks!

Today that its National Whipped Cream Day, am gonna celebrate this day by making another again. This time, as a gift to a friend. 

You, how will you celebrate the National Whipped Cream Day? 

0 Dealing with a Grumpy Husband

Well, this is not new to me. I have a not-so sociable husband. He likes to stay at home, quiet places, etc. Yesterday, he came home from work and he’s very pissed off. It’s not his usual time of going home, he’s actually 2hrs late. I didn’t notice at first since I was asleep when he kissed me. I asked him, why he’s late. He immediately responded “Lots of work. Work that no one wants to do!” Hmmm.. I know right from there, that he’s tired. Well, its not the first time he told me he’s not happy with his job anymore. And that it’s really hard for him. I know, he doesn’t have a choice. He has to stay with his job because of the high pay. And we needed that for our expenses and payables. I asked him, if he wants breakfast and he said no. He immediately went up the bed, beside me, I heard his snore in no time.

I thought of cooking something for him. Something he like. Something he always request me to cook for him. I checked my stocks and luckily, got all the ingredients. 430 in the afternoon, I started preparing. He sets his alarm at 530 and he’ll be up by 545, then eat at 6pm. So, the food should be ready in the table by 6pm.

Here you go. This is one his favorites from the pasta I have been preparing for him. When he saw this in the table with iced-cold coke, he said, “thank you” and followed by a mona lisa smile. That’s enough for me. I know my husband is working hard to provide me everything I need and I want. And I love him..

0 August 27, 2011

2nd stretch of our long weekends. This was supposedly 4-day weekends only but me and husband took a day off from work last Friday, so this makes a 5-day rest day! August 27, 2011, 2nd day. It was raining hard. Non-stop. Flooded everywhere. Good thing, we were at the 3rd floor of the condo so we don’t have to worry. LoL! We planned to go out and see a movie. Cars 2! But since the weather’s not really good, strong winds and heavy rains, we were so lazy to get up. Husband was just lying in bed watching TV. Me? Stuck playing cityville, train city and sims social in FB. Haha! When we realized, there were no rains anymore, we remember we had plans of going out. But its too cold to take a shower, husband went immediately back to bed. Hay!

Then he realized, he wants some soup. Me, as lawfully abiding wife (duh!), checked the fridge and saw some frozen chickens. I wanted to cook chicken tinola. But I got no other ingredients. Since the rain has stopped, I went out for a while and get the ingredients I need. The groceries and market were just one block away from our condo. I got papaya, dahon ng sili, luya and chicken cubes. Wolah! Chicken tinola. So nice to have a hot soup on this cold weather.

Hot rice + ice-cold iced-tea + hot chicken tinola = happy tummy and sleepy head. Ciao!

0 My Own Recipes

Someone asked me if I am a food blogger. Haha! This got me thinking. I have myTumblr account which I use mainly to post all the food I had from different restaurants and many dates with my Hubby. From all places to all kinds of recipe. I also post my own creations. Well, I am not sure if I can call myself a food blogger now. I tried, before to include in my food posts the ingredients and the way I cooked them. But it makes me lazy to remember the ingredients and how I cooked them. Something like, “cut the pork in strips, etc” is not my forte. Haha! I just want to post the picture of the finished product. That’s it. I posted some of them here:

Well, aside from that my husband supports me 100% on my cooking habits, I guess I am just making the most of my ‘work-from-home’ schedule. Ciao!

0 Boneless Bangus Bistek

As I settle into my new “office” I can’t help but feel a sense of contentment that is altogether new. It’s not a real office, the type that comes in a 40-storey building made of glass and steel, with a million desks and phones with lots of buttons. It’s a home office, a desk and a computer tucked in the corner of our new den. I’ve been working from home for a month now. The first was the laptop provided by my Boss in my bedroom. When F and I moved in together, I had the whole second bedroom to myself. Now I share the space with our (ok, C’s) tv and shelves of our (ok, my) books.

Why does this feel different? Maybe it’s the little trill of permanence (or at least semi-permanence) that I feel in this, our first co-owned bit of concrete space. Maybe it’s the feeling I’ve had since we have moved in, even as the mammoth piles of boxes lay a mess at our feet, that this is really home. Maybe because, no matter how small and pigeonhole-ish, a space of one’s own is truly a magical thing.

It’s nothing fancy. As I mentioned, a simple desk, a computer, some shelves, a light green wall and matching sofa. Above me are my books (and cookbooks) that always manage to make me smile no matter how frenetic the day. Beside me is a window from where I can see the buildings across the street specifically the LRT Legarda station and the National University of the Philippines, the busy stream of people going about their business, and most importantly, some trees (a view of green in the city is always something to be relished).

The best thing about my little home office though is the unlimited access to homemade lunches like these (well, that and the dress code).

Bonesless Bangus Bistek

• 1 whole marinated milk fish (you can use the one from Century Tuna)
• 2 whole onion (better used the white ones)
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• ¼ cup of vinegar
• ½ cup of soy sauce
• pinch of minced garlic

- Slice the milk fish according to the size you preferred. For me, I sliced it in some 3×3 sizes.

- Slice the onions making a circular style (just like the normal beef steak style).

- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and when hot enough, add the sliced milk fish.

- Cook the fish until brown on both sides. For me, I kinda overcooked it a bit since husband wants it a little crunchy.

- When cooked, removed from heat and put the sliced onions in the same pan used to cook the fish.

- Fry and keep on stirring the onions until it adopted the brown color of the cooked fish.

- When all onions are cooked enough, pour in the cooked fish. Add the vinegar and soy sauce.

- Taste and adjust as preferred. Don’t stir.

- Let it simmer so the fish can absorb the taste of the soy sauce and vinegar.

- Remove from heat. Garnish with fried, minced garlic. Serve hot.

It’s gentle and reassuring…like a very familiar hug, or a well-loved blankie. I say that this is the kind of dish I like to call my husband down to after his bath…and I imagine I would too.

I substituted beef for the boneless bangus in the original recipe. This cooks up in no time flat, perfect for a busy day at the “office”