22: Black Bottom Cupcakes

I should be studying for my organic chemistry exam for Monday but then again, baking got the better of me. So here it is. Another product of my impulsiveness and laziness. Black Bottom Cupcakes. :)

BBC

Closer look at yumminess :)

 This cake is moist with just the right amount of tartness from the cream cheese. This would pair well with a cup of coffee or tea. :)

Recipe adapted from Joyofbaking.com

xx

21: Banana Almond Chocochip Oatmeal Cupcake

I was supposed to meet with my group mate but something came up so she had to cancel at the last minute. So with 4 hours to spend until my next class, I thought of baking again. But this time I want something healthy  so I opted for a banana-oatmeal cupcake. Then again, curiosity got the better of me. I added a handful of slivered almonds plus another handful and half of chocochips. Yes, yes. The world "healthy" magically vanished from my mind. :)

Yummy!

:)

I now realized this myself: "When I'm bored, bake." So there! :)

xx

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

1 cup quick oats

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 cup mashed bananas

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon powder. In another bowl, stir together oats and milk until almost incorporated then add banana.

3. In another bowl, whisk together butter and egg. Stir in the oat-milk mixture then slowly add the flour. Make sure to not over beat the mixture. 

4. Add in the slivered almonds and chocochips until almost incorporated.

5. Divide among prepared cupcake cups.
6. Bake for 20 - 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

20: Red Velvet Cupcakes

These are the products of my boredom. Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing.

Red soldiers all lined up :)

Actually, the frosting was supposed to be a cheesecake but ended up too liquidy. I hate for it to go to waste to so I think of something that might need my "liquid" cheese cake. And of course, red velvet it is! 

Bite!

Obviously, I'm not good in photography. For me, photography is sooo complicated because there are many factors that you have to consider. Who would have thought that something as simple as light can really make your picture stand out and look yummy? Not me, of course. Shoot me now. :(

xx

19: Blushing Cupcakes

Cupcakes are just the best! :) I am always on the search for good food and I'm pleased to know that another cafe has made a place on my list, The Blushing Cupcakes Cafe.

The Blushing Cupcakes Cafe does not only offer cupcakes but also offers pasta, pizzas and more. Go ahead and try to visit their place to sample their different creations most especially their cupcakes. :)

Box of 6

:)

Photo taken from Blushing Cupcakes Facebook account

The cupcakes are awesome and not overly sweet, the way I want it to be. They are moist with just the right amount of sweetness to it. I would definitely be back at this cafe and try every cupcake they have!

Blushing Cupcakes

Club 650 Sports Center Libis, Quezon City

(beside Shopwise Libis)

Skygarden, SM North Edsa

(The Block Side)

G/F SM Megamall

xoxo:

I don't have my camera with me that day so I just took pictures using my VGA camera phone, hence the low quality of my pictures.

18: Lil Orbits

These mini donuts were very much appreciated during my childhood. I thought that they don't sell these anymore. Imagine my surprise when I saw the stall selling these in a mall in Pasig. I literally bounced my way to the stall of Lil Orbits and ordered a dozen of these mini donuts.

Lil Orbits Donuts!

Freshly made.

Almost finished!

The mini donuts were cooked right after you placed your order so you are 100% sure that they are freshly made. It also comes in a variety of flavors like cookies and cream, chocolate, strawberry and more. :)

Chocolate!

Mine's chocolate flavored- that way it has been since my childhood. :)

xx

17: Vice

My remaining summer days were spent browsing through numerous bookstores mostly in the cooking section and of course, day dreaming that I can be like Martha Stewart, Ina Garten or Nigella Lawson. :) Or I could be them even for just a day. Haha! Wishful thinking. :) Lalalalala. Or buy their every single book published and cook everything written in it. Another wish. But since I am still studying and am too shy asking for my parents money to buy them, I would just hunt secondhand copies and be content at that. Anyway, my blabbering is getting me nowhere so I have to stop. Now.

Moving on, these are the new additions to my ever growing cookbook collection:

1

These are from the Food Lovers cookbook collection but the pasta cookbook (bottom left) was given to me a long time ago. I also collect back issues of any food magazine just because. :)

2

Yummy Magazine (pictured above left) is my food magazine bible. :) I constantly look for back issues of this magazine because I gave away my old issues to my aunt who lives abroad.

And now, for my best buy this summer:

3

THIS! :) This cookbook was originally priced at Php 965.00 but it was on sale and I bought it for Php 50.00 only! Hahaha! A far cry from its original price. :)  It is still in good condition but has no plastic cover like it should have. Maybe these are the old books that needs to be sold to give way for the new ones. Whatever the reason is, I think this one is waiting for me on the shelf. :)

xx

16: Yummy Eats Live! [LATE]

Last May 26, we went to Yummy Eats held at Rockwell Tent in Power Plant Mall, Makati City. Here's a rundown of what happened during Yummy Eats:

Aileen Anastacio hosting a cook-off.

Mochiko

Milk tea (?) and cookies and cream mochis

I'm not really a fan of mochi but after tasting their ice cream filled mochi, my perspective suddenly took a left turn. Charot! But seriously speaking, this is the only mochi that didn't made me gag. :) I especially love the melt-in-your-mouth creamy goodness of the cookies and cream mochi. And the mochi itself feels velvety in my mouth. Cool ain't it? :)

McCormick

McCormick also released to the public its newest product, McCormick Bread Spread. The spreads resemble a lot like a toothpaste which I find quaint. This also made the product perfect for road trips! Just squeeze a generous amount on a biscuit or bread then you're good to eat! :) My personal favorite among these 3 is herb parmesan since I don't really like anything pesto. :) The garlic flavor comes on too, well, garlicky for my taste but I think that for those who loves garlicky flavors would instantly like this.

Unit 16 Sweets

These eye-catching wrappers would instantly make anyone proud to be a Filipino. Unit 16 Sweets proudly boasts Pinoy pride at its best. One would be surprised to know that these chocolates are all individually wrapped (as I have previously read from Yummy) and not commercially made. Just think of all the love one put into making each of these and you're full. :)

The Fruit Garden

Sugar cookies

Cupcake Boutique

Yummy EIC, Becky Kho

All in all, it was a fun-filled day full of food. :) Looking forward to next year's Yummy Eats! :)

15: Yummy Eats 2012

Yummy, a Philippine food magazine, is again hosting its event called Yummy Eats on May 26, 2012. This event is great for foodies alike who share the same passion for food, be it on consuming it or making it. :) Another thing, there are lots of food gems available there all just waiting to be sampled- ALL FOR FREE. :) Nothing beats that!

YUMMY EATS 2012

And oh, don't forget to bring your own copy of Yummy's May issue. The magazine will slash 50 pesos off to your entrance fee and you'll only pay 100 pesos. :)

14: Passion

Food is, and will always be, my first love. :)

<3

And this is my growing cookbook collection (minus the magazines):

<3

xx

13: Italian + NY Iced Tea

For today, my sister and I cooked Italian for lunch. Who would have thought that we can make a feast out of leftovers? :) Not us, for sure! We made pizza and pasta with meatballs stuffed with cheese. These are on the top of our personal list of favorites. :)

Meatballs

Almost cooked!

The aroma of meatballs wafting through our apartment is enough to make us drool. My sister and I can hardly wait to taste these! :)

Pizza

Our pizza looks funny. :)) And then...

Italian Platter

THIS! My sister and I call this the Italian Platter! :) It may not look yummy but I assure you that your taste buds won't fail you after eating this. :) I especially love the garlic cloves softened after simmering in the sauce. Yum yum! :)

Peek

Meatballs stuffed with cheese

We also made NY Iced Tea to pair up with our Italian fare. Haha. :)

NY Iced Tea

Froth!

 The next time we feel hungry again, I hope our fridge has "treasures" waiting for us to cook. :)

Till next time!

xx

12: Buttery Cupcakes with Oreo Frosting

Baked these babies after my sister's graduation. :)

 

1

Originally, these should be VANILLA cupcakes but turned out too buttery hence the name itself. At first bite, one would quickly notice the strong butter flavor of the cupcake. Another thing, it's salty (but not too salty) because the butter I used is salted. So I thought of making a frosting that would cut the saltiness of these and came up with Oreo Frosting. Good thing I have a box of Oreo Star that is not yet opened. :)

2

Before frosting:

3

These babies had a melt-in-your-mouth look because of too much butter in the batter.

4

The cupcake at the back of the photo above has a very pointed frosting. Turned out that the toothpick I used to remove the clogged Oreo pieces in my piping tip ended up with the frosting (on which I really have no idea how it happened). Good thing I noticed it right away.

5

*Photo above is the cupcake frosted with toothpick.

xx

11: Mole-y Pancakes

Just because I got hungry after reviewing for my Stat 1 midterm, I ended up making a batch of mole-y pancakes. Good thing we have an instant pancake mix in our cupboard and some chocolate chips in the fridge. So mathematically speaking, pancake + chocolate chips =

Moles everywhere!

The thing with pancakes dotted with chocolate chips is you have to watch it more. You don't want to end up with pancakes topped with burnt chocolate chips, right? :)

Pancakes!

Thank God for instant mixes!

 I always tell myself that I would try making pancakes from scratch but the lazy me keeps putting it off. From this moment on, I vow to myself that I shall make my next batch of pancakes from scratch! :)

xx

10: Shepherd's Pie

My sister and I constantly put off making shepherd's pie as it almost always slip our mind. But yesterday was an exemption as we set our wheels in motion and started putting together this pie. We have beef with mushroom as the first layer, buttered veggies as the second layer, mashed potatoes as the 3rd layer, a little of ground beef sprinkled over the mashed potatoes then ladled with gravy, layered with mashed potatoes again and lastly, a generous sprinkling of quickmelt cheese and cheddar cheese. We ended up having these:

 

Shepherd's Pie before going in the oven.

 

Shepherd's Pie Party! :) *Pardon for the messy table. Heehee.*

 After baking in the oven for about 20-25 minutes:

"Rustic-ity." :)

What's inside.

The messy look of the pies after baking made them looked rustic and downright homey. :) And for me, making this shepherd's pie is easy. All you have to do is start with leftovers. Leftover beef with mushroom (as for our pie), old potatoes to make your mashed potatoes, an instant gravy mix, some weeks-old frozen peas, carrots and corn kernels, cheddar cheese and quickmelt cheese- again. :)

I finished eating my share, paired with steamed rice, in just one sitting. This is also on the heavy side as it is loaded with layers after layers of goodness.

xx

9: Saba Crumble

Made these saba crumble a long time. I am also surprised to know that these are also easy to make and also requires only a number of ingredients. 

Sweetened saba without the crumble

Crumble :)

Saba crumble

Sprinkled with sugar for caramelization

SABA CRUMBLE! :)

xx